Nov 14 (TM) The Treasury is expected to establish a company named Lotus Tower Company Ltd., akin to Selendiva Investments Ltd. Said company will be established with the purpose of operating and managing one of the symbolic landmarks of Colombo, the Lotus Tower. The company will be established after the Lotus Tower is vested with the Ministry of Finance, from its current authority, TRCSL, by 30 Nov this year. more..

Nov 14 (Island) Environment Ministry on Friday claimed success for its campaign to ban plastic sachets (small packages) and lunch sheets, with the Central Environmental Authority (CEA) carrying out intensive raids against the manufacture, sale and distribution of banned polythene and plastic items. Kore such raids are planned for the rest of the year, officials said. Sachets worth an estimated Rs. 960 million are sold in the country annually, while the number of lunch sheets released into more..

Nov 14 (ST) Agriculture Ministry is to obtain chemical fertiliser from stocks still in the country to be issued to farmers in some districts where torrential rains have all but washed away the organic fertiliser they had used earlier. Torrential rains in recent days had washed away organic fertiliser used by vegetable and fruit growers in the Nuwara Eliya, Badulla and Bandarawela districts, an Agriculture Ministry source said. The authorities are yet to assess damage caused to paddy cultivation more..

Nov 14 (TM) An individual by the name of Shibly Wilcassim has been accused by his detractors as someone who does business extensively with the cricket board, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), whilst working in the same organisation � a conflict of interest? �He (Wilcassim) has been providing all the cricket goods to the board from his personal shop. The proper tender procedures too are violated. more..

Nov 14 (Island) Independent engineers and energy experts on Friday criticized the CEB Systems Control Division for not fully utilizing available hydro capacity boosted by heavy rain over the last 10 days. They alleged that the some officials were keen on thermal power generation using expensive fossil fuel and coal, the prices of which keep rising in global markets. The situation is further aggravated by the depreciating rupee. It is reliably understood that Public Utilities Commission of SL more..

Nov 14 (TM) Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) is booming. It has, in fact, been booming for the past few months. Family businesses were making CSE debuts. Every IPO of various businesses that were announced so far this year were oversubscribed on the opening day itself. The word oversubscribed became commonplace in the front pages of this year�s business newspapers. The ASPI kept, and is still, breaking all-time-high records back-to-back, and surpassed 10,000 for the first time more..

Nov 14 (ST) The selection committee of Sri Lanka Cricket has picked a squad of 22 players for the upcoming two-match Test series against the visiting West Indies, which begins next Sunday. Under opener Dimuth Karunaratne, the selectors have named four rookies � Charith Asalanka, Kamil Mishara, Suminda Lakshan and Chamika Gunasekara. Making comebacks to the Test side are former skippers Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal and middle-order batsman more..

Nov 14 (ST) In a shocking exposure, the Auditor General�s Department has revealed that the Health Ministry and its related departments have imported substandard drugs in 2020 some of which contained pieces of glass and also had a dead cockroach. Many of the quality-failed drugs had been withdrawn from being used or the use had been suspended due to reasons such as existence of pieces of glass, existence of visible particles, a dead cockroach, tablets getting broken, changes in color, and more..

Nov 14 (ST) Amidst lukewarm interest in what the Govt had hoped will be one of its key means of attracting revenue, more than 50 prime lands in Colombo city and outstations are being offered on lease for local and foreign investors in a move to raise at least US$ 6bn. The lands will be offered on Public Private Partnerships or joint ventures with the State holding 51% of shares, Urban Development Ministry Secretary more..

Nov 14 (ST) COVID-19 deaths and positive cases are on the rise, with this week recording 89 confirmed deaths and 3,528 cases. Though the daily covid death toll was below 20 last week, this week the number increased, with 23 deaths recorded on Friday. Last Saturday�s death toll was 15. Of those who died, most were above the age of 60. Covid positive cases are also showing a gradual increase with 723 cases reported on Friday. During the week the number of cases increased from 626 on more..

Nov 14 (SO) Developing marinas supported by sound infrastructure facilities is the first step and a paramount need to kickstart nautical tourism in SL, said Social Scientist and Tourism sector expert Dr. Dietmar Doering. This warrants a sizable investment from the govt. The question is, could it undertake this task when it is already saddled with a heavy debt-servicing burden and support such a massive investment, he said. Well-developed marinas and ports are a prerequisite to develop a vibrant more..

Nov 14 (TM) CEB is confident that SL will not suffer any power cuts in 2022 despite two coal tenders not being picked up last month. It is in this backdrop that CEB General Manager stated that there was no immediate threat of power cuts due to there being enough stock to last till next year. �We only lost two coal shipments meant for next year, so we have enough of the previously brought down stocks to last us till then. more..

Nov 14 (TM) The UN International Law Commission (ILC) failed to elect former Chief Justice Mohan Peiris to its ranks last week. According to the ILC, the election of the members of the Commission for a five-year term, beginning in January 2023, took place by secret ballot at the 32nd meeting of the General Assembly at its 76th session held last Friday (12). Peiris was seeking one of eight seats on the ILC allocated to the Asia-Pacific region. Eight nominees from India, Vietnam, Japan, China, more..

Nov 14 (ST) The Chinese organic fertiliser manufacturer Qingdao Biotech Group Co. Ltd has put forwarded a set of conditions to the Agriculture Ministry, demanding the payment of 70% of agreed price in the original tender agreement and additional freight charges. The company is trying to push through a controversial shipment of organic fertiliser and has placed fresh demands for the return of its ship as the controversy over the shipment continues. The Chinese company demands that more..

Nov 14 (SO) The 2022 Budget supports the policy measures already taken to boost non-debt creating foreign exchange inflows to the country to ensure the foreign exchange situation is handled in a sustainable manner, said Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal. �Our foreign debt needs to be controlled in a manner to ensure we are in a position to repay all outstanding loans without burdening the economy,� he said. On driving Foreign Direct (FDIs) Investments, Cabraal said FDIs more..

Nov 14 (EN) SL�s public sector which has become an unbearable burden on the economy, Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa said after bringing a budget proposal to increase the retirement age. Explaining his maiden budget unveiled in parliament Friday, Rajapaksa said there will be no salary increases for the 1.42-million-strong state sector employees as the govt struggled to pay their salaries. Increasing the retirement age however will nix any chance of trimming the public sector by attrition. more..

Nov 14 (ST) More landslides and the danger of coronavirus disease and water-borne illnesses loom large over hundreds of thousands of Sri Lankans across 17 districts made homeless and helpless by the downpours that killed 26 people this rainy season. Many were caught unprepared. Inter-monsoon rains in October-November have so far damaged 1,300 houses while 12,000 people have been evacuated to shelters. more..

Nov 14 (TM) The special deposit accounts (SDAs) established by the Central Bank of SL (CBSL) last year aimed at seeking assistance to overcome the effects of the Covid-19 outbreak have drawn $ 500 million by the end of September. CBSL Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal said the scheme introduced in 2020 had attracted deposits of over $ 500 million by the end of September. According to Cabraal, the SDAs enable funds to be remitted easily and depositors can benefit through more..

Nov 14 (TM) Heavy rain inundated parts of Sri Lanka last week, causing severe flooding and 26 fatalities across the country. According to the DMC, as of yesterday (13), 65,704 families and 230,640 people were affected by the adverse weather conditions. Meanwhile, troops and sailors were deployed to move affected families to safety in flooded areas, as blockages due to floating debris created bottlenecks downstream, further delaying floodwaters from receding. more..

Nov 14 (ST) Presenting one�s inaugural budget as finance minister is never easy, but Basil Rajapaksa�s task on Friday was made even tougher as he was presenting a budget at a time when the country is facing one of the most serious economic crises in recent times. Mr Rajapaksa, a dual US citizen, was brought into Parliament through the National List and straight away given the finance ministry portfolio because his brother PM more..

Nov 15 (DM) The monsoon, which commenced in early October, has already resulted in over 20 deaths. Over 62,247 persons -17,481 families- have been dehoused and been forced to seek shelter in temples/churches, schools and or different relief centres set up by the authorities. 960 houses were partially damaged, and 18 were totally destroyed. This is not the first time the country has had to face this type of situation. Every year without fail, innocent lives are needlessly lost to more..

Nov 15 (CT) The JVP must convince the people that they can deliver the goods. The JVP has a chequered history, first operating underground as a revolutionary group, under the leadership of Rohana Wijeweera, having its beginnings in the mid 1960s to being partners in Govts post-1994. Initially its membership consisted mainly of university undergraduates both clerical and lay, the Sangharamaya of the then Vidyodaya University of Ceylon at Gangodawila becoming more..

Nov 15 (SO) Padmalatha Abeysinghe, Managing Director of Crate Adventure, is a woman who had seen the world and believes that life should be a joyful experience rather than endless toiling. She is a woman who had done many things in many roles, especially in her career as a media person. She had been a radio announcer, a presenter, a classical singer, a producer, a director, a businesswoman, a sportswoman, and more..

Nov 15 (TM) Non-aligned: �Being in a state of not being aligned with something else� and/or �the policy or fact of not providing support for or receiving support from any of the powerful countries�. Being non-aligned, albeit with a vastly different interpretation, is how Sri Lanka has sought to define, articulate, and redefine its conception of the country�s foreign policy under various regimes. In the same way that �no man is an island, entire of itself� per British poet John Donne, more..

Nov 15 (Island) This is being written before the budget was presented on Friday due to technical demands of printing the Sunday Island on Friday night. Hence our commentary on a subject not focusing on the latest breaking news, but yet on a no less important subject. That is on the very-much-in-the-offing New Fortress Energy deal with a US company where it is planned to sell-off a 40% slice of state-owned West Coast Power Ltd, owners of the 310 MW Yugadanavi Plant at Kerawalapitiya. more..

Nov 15 (TM) Despite the increasing popularity of the internet, television is the most commonly used media in SL, and it can be observed in almost all provinces. While the popularity of social media platforms, official news websites, and unofficial news websites is on the rise, other traditional media such as radio and print media are still preferred by many. This was revealed in a survey which the Sri Lanka Press Council (SLPC) said is the first more..

Nov 15 (ST) There was little doubt that Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa�s off the cuff quip that, there is nothing to give, we may only have to take (from Sri Lankans) when quizzed by reporters as to what relief the 2022 National Budget promises to the citizenry, would soon return to haunt him. This was not perhaps the wisest riposte that the Finance Minister should have made on the eve of presenting the Budget against a rising groundswell of popular anger, severe economic stress and more..

Nov 15 (ST) If the Bay of Bengal�s low depression brewed the storm that broke over Lanka to engulf its people in untold misery this week, then a diplomatic tempest developing off the South China Sea threatens to soon stand poised over Lankan skies to unleash its torrents of fury upon a sovereign nation and drown the proffered bowl of alms in its deluge. Already foul winds have started to blow to signal its advent which the Govt of Lanka has brushed aside as mere trade winds and more..

Nov 15 (ST) Never has a Budget been prepared in as onerous economic, social and political conditions as the budget for 2022. It has been prepared in a context of a sharp revenue shortfall, rising expenditure and excess money printing. It has been appropriately described as one of the trickiest budgets in SL history. The central objective of the Budget should be to rein in the large fiscal deficits of recent years. This is a Herculean task. There is little prospect of the budget proposals achieving more..

Nov 15 (ST) The unprecedented sponsorship of a regional rugby tournament by Dialog Axiata PLC is no flash in the pan. It is the story of an initial discussion that got underway well before the break of the COVID-19 pandemic bearing fruit two years later. Director Competitions and Tournaments � Asia Rugby is the official tag and his name is synonymous as a doer both on and off the field of rugby in this country. Our very own Asanga Seneviratne, who orchestrated more..

Nov 15 (TM) Govt�s decision to import 2,500 dairy heifers to boost milk production is not acceptable, according to All-Ceylon Farmers� Federation National Organiser Namal Karunaratne. He alleged that the Govt is only trying to protect multinational companies by providing such facilities, stating: �These companies have been offered 8,000 hectares to accommodate these heifers. I don�t think we have to spend money to bring dairy more..

Nov 15 (Island) Since at least 1977, nationalists and leftists have constantly been defining themselves against one another. The key years in which this gulf widened would be 1980 (July strike), 1982 (presidential election), 1983 (anti-Tamil pogrom and the proscription of the Left), and 1987 (Indo-Lanka Accord). What we see in those years is a middle-class abandoning the Left: partly on account of an ideological turnaround, but also, more crucially, on account of the different trajectories more..

Nov 15 (ST) The four swimmers supposed to represent Sri Lanka in next month�s FINA World Swimming Championship await the organisers� approval after the National Sports Committee (NSC) revoked and directed the endorsement from FINA. Accordingly, the four names subject to FINA approval are Cherantha de Silva, Akalanka Peris, Ganga Seneviratne, Bakthi Karunasena � and a reserve third girl in Olympian Aniqah Gaffoor, said an official with direct knowledge of the matter. more..

Nov 15 (TM) Ven. Muruththettuwe Ananda Thera, who was recently appointed as the Chancellor of the Uni of Colombo, said that no number of appointments could prevent him from speaking for the rights of the people, as he refuses to be forcefully shut up. �Giving appointments will not shut me up. Even if I am put in charge of the entire country, I only speak the truth. I have always stood on the side of the people. more..

Nov 15 (TM) Emirates announced its operation of two additional flights a week to Colombo from today (15) to support the resurgence of Sri Lanka�s tourism industry as more key source markets relax travel restrictions. The award-winning Dubai-based global airline said the added frequencies will increase direct flights between Dubai and Colombo to 14 a week, taking Emirates� weekly schedule to Sri Lanka�s commercial capital to 21 flights a week, with the daily flight between Colombo and Male. more..

Nov 15 (FT) COVID-19 detections crossed the 550,000 mark with 1,413 COVID-19 detections over the weekend and the addition of over 1,000 COVID-19 cases following verification. 1,345 COVID-19 cases reported between 29 Oct and 4 Nov were yesterday added to the total after verification. COVID-19 detections during the weekend include 697 persons who tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday. This includes 695 persons from the New Year cluster and two overseas arrivals. more..