Aug 19 (DM) The shocking revelations that transpired at the Committee on Public Enterprises on CEB unearthed on Aug 9 how the latter�s annual expenditure was considered as losses and exceeded the annual tax collection of the Department of Inland Revenue and the Public Utilities Commission of SL. It also revealed how permission was granted to increase the tariff by a mammoth 75%; a measure which the unions more..

Aug 19 (FT) The Govt has announced a one-month amnesty on foreign exchange held by the public. Central Bank (CBSL) said in order to attract foreign currency held with the public into the banking system, the Finance Minister has issued an Order granting an amnesty period of one month effective from 15.08.2022 for persons in, or resident in, SL who hold foreign currency notes in possession to: i. Deposit into a Personal Foreign Currency Account or into a Business Foreign Currency Account more..

Aug 19 (TM) Airtel Lanka has announced the launch of a new range of dedicated weekly study and work-from-home (WFH) and social media (SM) packs in addition to its monthly packs. The new packs are launched to ensure that all users will continue to have access to their superior 4G network during the current crisis. Airtel�s new weekly packs are designed to ensure that all users continue to benefit from affordable access to a superior 4G experience, at a time when internet access has become more..

Aug 19 (EN) Stocks closed steady on Thursday with turnover slumping to more than two-week low after the central bank held the key policy rates steady. ASPI edged up 0.04% or 3.22 points to 8,910.57. On Tuesday, it fell from its highest close since March 30. �We saw the market stabilizing after slipping for the last two days on profit taking,� a top analyst said. �But overall there was continued buying interest on the energy sector and in addition, we saw buying coming into the plantation-related stocks more..

Aug 19 (EN) Sri Lanka�s Immigration and Emigration Department is attempting to track down Kayleigh Fraser, the Scotswoman who documented the country�s anti govt protests. Fraser was ordered to leave the island on or before Monday (15) after officials cancelled her visa. She and her lawyer had filed a writ petition against her deportation with the Supreme Court, which was dismissed on the grounds that she was not being deported deported, only had her visa cancelled. more..

Aug 19 (Island) SL hadn�t been able yet to convince Russia to resume Aeroflot flights and tourists from there to SL suspended in the wake of the detention of SU 289 at the BIA on the afternoon of June 02. SL grappling with an unprecedented foreign exchange shortage desperately needs tourists from an important destination like Russia, which earlier accounted for a sizeable share of the incoming traffic. more..

Aug 19 (Island) Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella on Monday falsely had declared that the State Pharmaceutical Corporation (SPC) had begun the manufacture of new medicines, omperozole 20mg, levothyroxine 50mg, President of CMLS, Ravi Kumudesh said. �The Minister made this statement at an event purportedly to launch those medicines. It is important to start producing medicines locally. However, I would like to point out that the SPC has in fact been manufacturing more..

Aug 19 (Island) A Russian company has come forth to provide coal for Norochcholai Coal Power Plant (NCPP) for two years.Lanka Coal Company (LCC), Chairman and Managing Director Jagath Perera said that out of the two companies that had responded to a tender to supply coal, the Russian company was very likely to get the bid. The other company too could appeal till 19 August, he said. Perera said that there were enough coal stocks until the end of October. �We had coal till 30 Sept. more..

Aug 19 (CT) At a time when Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe has issued directives to strictly adhere to a circular issued by the Treasury Secretary in April this year, to State institutions to limit their expenses, preparations have been made to gather a large crowd for a wine and dine session, by a top official of the National Housing Development Authority (NHDA), at a hotel in Kandy today (19). The celebrations are to take place under the guise of a meeting of district managers more..

Aug 19 (CT) Minister Kanchana Wijesekera lodged a complaint with the CID yesterday (18) to investigate the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) and the Ceylon Petroleum Storage Terminals Limited (CPSTL). He requested the CID to probe fuel procurement, the evaluation of proposals, non-placement of orders, selection of suppliers, delays in payments, distribution irregularities and several other allegations made by individuals. He noted that complaints have been made against more..

Aug 19 (FT) Central Bank Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe ruled out restructuring of domestic debt but assured ongoing measures will ensure overall sustainability. �Our position is that we are not restructuring domestic debt. It will be a win-win situation for all,� he said at the post-Monetary Policy Review meeting yesterday, adding that there has been no request to restructure domestic debt. more..

Aug 19 (DM) The SLPP requested Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe to facilitate safe return of former Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa to the country, informed sources said. The request was made during a meeting between the SLPP led by its National Organizer, former Minister Basil Rajapaksa and the President at the Prez's office. Sources said that former Minister Basil Rajapaksa has said that SLPP will provide full support to the President to build the country by solving current economic crisis. more..

Aug 19 (AFP) Police fired tear gas and water cannon on a small protest yesterday to break up the first demonstration since the crisis-hit island nation lifted a state of emergency. This year, an unprecedented economic collapse has often sparked massive anti-Govt rallies after months of hardship caused by shortages of essential goods, rolling blackouts and spiralling inflation. Govt has curbed dissent by imposing a State of Emergency giving security forces sweeping detention more..

Aug 19 (TM) Despite it being one month since then-PM/Acting President and incumbent Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe�s statement that he hopes to complete the investigations into the Easter Sunday terror attacks with the support of the UK Police authorities, Govt of SL (GoSL) has not sought such assistance from the UK police authorities. Although an official request should be made to the UK Police authorities if the Govt seeks their more..

Aug 19 (FT) So, eventually even the bastions of witlessness relent. The US CDC has issued fresh COVID-19 guidance based on, get this, �individual decisions�. What a novel concept. And these are, and I quote: Those exposed to the virus are no longer required to quarantine Unvaccinated people now have the same guidance as vaccinated people Students can stay in class, after having been exposed to the virus. It�s no longer recommended to screen those without symptoms. Well, well� more..

Aug 19 (FT) Post-COVID, the world has been forced to adopt strategies that have not been tested before as the variables that a country was up against were very different to normal life. Talking technically, a multitude of shocks were hitting economies � COVID deaths, vaccination issues, liquidity issues due to increasing costs, revenue drops due to lower export revenue and zero tourism receipts whilst foreign reserves were drawn to buffer costs and depreciating currencies. more..

Aug 19 (SLN) The Navy rescued 06 fishermen from a local multiday fishing trawler in distress about 18.5 nautical miles (34 km) off Dondra in southern waters and bring them ashore this morning. Reportedly, the multiday fishing trawler Dileesha Putha II which left the Kudawella fisheries harbour on a fishing voyage on 16th August 2022, was at risk of sinking having collided with a ship plying in the sea area. Accordingly, the owner of the fishing trawler has reported the incident more..

Aug 19 (AD) Actor Jehan Appuhami, who was arrested yesterday in Colombo during the protest march held by the IUSF has escaped custody, the police said. Police have initiated an investigation to arrest him. Meanwhile, 16 people who were arrested during the protest were granted bail after being produced before Colombo Fort Magistrate�s Court today. The arrestees include three Buddhist monks as well. Police said detention orders will be sought on three other arrestees including more..

Aug 19 (EN) Pressure on the exchange rate is easing with higher interest rates and a slowdown in credit with kerb premiums also falling, CB governor Nandalal Weerasinghe said. �We are seeing the pressure on the rupee easing as a result of exports growing and imports contracting and we hope that trend will continue,� he said at a policy review meeting on Thursday. �On the foreign the remittances side, severe shortage of forex more..

Aug 19 (EN) Sri Lanka will impose power cuts of up to three hours on Saturday (20) and Sunday (21), PUCSL Chairman Janaka Ratnayake said. All areas (A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V and W) will have power cuts of 1 hours and 40 minutes between 10.30 am and 06.00 pm and 1 hour 20 minutes from 06.00pm to 10.00 pm. Click here for a detailed schedule. The state-run CEB said supply interruption time and restoration time will vary within 30 minutes as indicated above. more..

Aug 19 (DM) "UNP is still our ancestral home and we love it, but we will only support a program to revive the nation which is established with the agreement of all parties", SJB MP Mayantha Dissanayake said. Responding to a question raised at a press conference as to whether he was planning a crossover to the govt, Mr. Dissanayake said he is not interested in getting ministerial portfolios. �We are only agreeable for an all-party programme rather than an all-party govt,� more..

Aug 19 (EN) SL recorded 10 COVID-19 deaths in the 48 hours from Aug 17 to 19 taking the country�s pandemic death toll to 16,640. SL is experiencing a slight increase in COVID-19 cases with the relaxation of public health restrictions relating to face masks and public gatherings. The situation will be monitored constantly and have asked the general public to continue to follow basic hygiene measures in order to control the spread of virus again more..

Aug 19 (ANI) Adani Green Energy on Thursday said it has received provisional approval for some green energy projects in Sri Lanka but it is yet to sign any definitive agreement. "We wish to submit that the company, in its normal course, keeps on exploring various business opportunities. Please note that at this point in time, the Company has received the provisional approval only, whereas it is yet to sign any definitive agreement which would require any disclosure," more..

Aug 19 (Island) Black Cap Movement that has been active in the GotaGoGama project has urged the govt and other political parties engaged in talks on the formation of a national govt not to accommodate lawmaker Namal Rajapaksa in the Cabinet. Buddhhi Karunaratne, in a statement issued on behalf of the group said that such a move would be contrary to the struggle the protest movement waged. Claiming that moves were underway to name MP Namal Rajapaksa as the SLPP�s National Organizer, more..

Aug 19 (DM) The carcasses of a large number of Sambar deer that inhabit in Hortain Planes were found floating in the Ambewela reservoir in Nanu- oya, people fisihing in the reservoir said. They said about ten such carcases of Sambar deer were found within a week. These animals that come to the reservoir for water might have been bitten and chased away by some hounds, abandoned by hunters and they might have drowned. They said people who use water from this reservoir for more..

Aug 19 (DM) BIA opened the Golden Route arrival lounge yesterday to provide a premium airport experience for high-end passengers who travel through the airport. The new route was declared open by Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva and he said this new service will contribute to earning additional foreign currency for the country. He said int'l airports provide exclusive passenger services for their premium passengers, especially for high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) who are looking more..

Aug 19 (AD) The CID has recorded a statement from former Prez Maithripala Sirisena for nearly five hours today. The former president provided a statement with regard to the presidential pardon to Royal Park murder convict Jude Shramantha Jayamaha. In early Nov 2019, former Prez Sirisena released the convict, who was sentenced to death over the Royal Park murder case in 2005, on presidential pardon. more..

Aug 19 (DM) Central Bank (CB) expects the govt�s appetite for monetary financing, which is loosely known as money printing to reduce significantly in the period ahead as a result of fiscal consolidation measures alongside with the planned reforms in state-owned enterprises. As of Aug 17, CB�s holdings of govt securities only increased by Rs.2.57 billion when compared to a record Rs.150 billion increase in July. On an average, the CB printed at least Rs.100 billion for govt�s financing more..

Aug 19 (Hindu) External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said on Thursday that the relationship between India and China was going through an "extremely difficult phase" after what Beijing had done at the border and emphasised that the Asian Century would not happen if the two neighbours could not join hands. He made the remarks while responding to a series of questions after delivering a lecture on India's Vision of the Indo-Pacific at the prestigious Chulalongkorn University here. more..

Aug 19 (Island) Patients� lives are in danger due to shortages of drugs, Secretary of All Ceylon Medical Officers� Association (ACMOA), Dr. Jayantha Bandara says. He said that even leading hospitals in the country including the National Hospital, Colombo, faced shortages. �There are crippling shortages of surgical equipment, pain killers, cancer drugs, medicines used for common non-communicable diseases and widely used more..

Aug 19 (AD) Regional Director for Asia-Pacific of the UN Development Coordination Office (UNDCO) David McLachlan-Karr, who arrived in Sri Lanka earlier this week, has called on Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe on Thursday (18). The meeting was joined by UN Resident Coordinator in SL Hanaa Singer-Hamdy and Strategic Planner/Team Leader of Resident Coordinator Office Andreas Karpati. The support extended by the United Nations to SL in the current crisis was taken up for discussion. more..

Aug 19 (DM) Former Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa has the right to return to the nation but he should be tried for allegations of misuse of funds as he no longer enjoys legal immunity, SJB said. SJB CEO Ajith P. Perera told a press conference that the former President has the right to return to the nation. �Gotabaya Rajapaksa is a citizen of this country and he has the right to return to his motherland. No one can deny this right. However, he should be tried for the allegations of misuse of funds,� more..

Aug 19 (EN) Stocks gained on Friday for the second session, with the market continues to stabilize after profit taking in two session early this week. ASPI rose 0.73% or 65.18 points to 8,975.57, on Friday. It hit more than four-month high before falling mainly on profit taking after it gained nearly 2,000 points in 12 straight sessions through Monday. Analysts said the buying interest in energy sector and plantation-related stocks still continuing after investors have shifted from top liquid shares, more..

Aug 19 (TM) A large and diverse group of academics, professionals, and activists asked that Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe function as an interim President and hold elections by dissolving Parliament at its earliest, as he is empowered to do so. In a statement, the group asserted the following point and demands to the Prez: Recognise that in the Constitution Article 4, the Executive Prez holds office as the person elected by the people. The Constitution provides for a transfer of power more..

Aug 19 (TM) Claiming that the Minister of Tourism and the tourism authorities continue to act in an irresponsible manner in the face of the severe setback faced by the tourism industry, Hotel Workers� Centre (HWC) of the Inter-Company Employees� Union warned that the tourism sector will completely collapse by next year if this is allowed to continue, and that SL will then become an unpopular country among tourists. more..