Aug 22 (Island) Those who saw the newspapers today may heave a cautious sigh of relief, based on Central Bank Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe�s assurances. Governor is optimistic that the inflation of Sri Lanka may not go as high as 70% as feared. Also, the view has been expressed that the dire shortage of foreign exchange also has eased, to be able to import our essentials, such as food, medicine and fuel. In this context, while being thankful for the glimmer of hope for the future of SL, more..

Aug 22 (ST) Treasury-owned Lotus Tower Company Ltd is finally set to launch commercial operations with the opening of 356 metre tall tower for the public on Sept 15, a high official of the company said. The new company was established after the Lotus Tower was brought under the purview of the Ministry of Finance, from its current authority, Telecom Regulatory Commission of SL (TRCSL), in Feb 2022. The tower was constructed by China National Electronic Import & Export Corp more..

Aug 22 (FT) UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders Mary Lawlor has expressed her concern about the arrests of IUSF activists Wasantha Mudalige, Hashan Jeevantha and Galwewa Siridamma Thera under SL�s draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act. The trio were arrested last Thursday by the SL Police following a protest by the IUSF against the Ranil Wickremesinghe - SLPP Govt in Colombo. Mudalige already had a pending arrest warrant against him at the time. more..

Aug 22 (FT) A special market opening ceremony was organised by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) under the patronage of SEC Chairman Viraj Dayaratne, to mark the third phase of digitalisation of the SL Capital Market and to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the SEC. The launch event, themed Sri Lankan Capital Market � The Odyssey, was also attended by CSE Chairman Dilshan Wirasekara, SEC Members more..

Aug 22 (FT) NPP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake claimed the Rajapaksas have not been fully vanquished from Parliament. According to him, while the citizen�s protest managed to get rid of its ugly head, the torso remains in Parliament to this day. �If the country is to be revived then these remainders of the Rajapaksa regime must also be destroyed,� he said. Dissanayake made these comments more..

Aug 22 (FT) Board of Investment (BOI) last week signed an agreement with Browns Fabric Ltd. for a state-of-the-art, modern and one of the largest weft knit fabric production facilities in Kurunegala, North Western Province. The newly established fabric manufacturing plant with an investment of $ 52.3 million plans to commence operations in August 2023. The company has taken the initiative to bridge a significant vacuum in supply and demand, flexibility and speed to produce fabric to more..

Aug 22 (AD) Ambassador of SL to the US Mahinda Samarasinghe has expressed heartfelt gratitude to the ten members of the US Congress for their interest in SL and the welfare of the SL people. In a letter addressed to US Congress member Dina Titus, the envoy said SL, in particular, is grateful for the several initiatives the US is taking to guarantee food security through agencies such as the USAID, the donation of Covid-19 vaccines, efforts of US-based charitable foundations in supplying more..

Aug 22 (TM) Electricity consumers in SL will begin paying a higher tariff rate for power usage from this month, shouldering the cost of long-term political inaction and vested interests that brought the island to its knees by weakening its energy security. Through the tariff hike, the electricity consumer will also contribute to lavish bonuses, which the loss-making CEB continues to pay some of its staff members, as SL once again more..

Aug 22 (FT) The apparel industry has achieved its second back-to-back half-a-billion export haul in July propelling the first seven months� performance to cross the $ 3 billion mark. As per provisional data from the Joint Apparel Association Forum (JAAF), exports in July amounted to $ 522.14 million, up 22.64% from a year ago. Cumulative exports between January and July amounted to $ 3.3 billion, up 20.4% from the corresponding period of last year and $ 3.07 billion in pre-COVID 2019. more..

Aug 22 (ST) Sri Lanka is looking to have a good season this winter (December) when tourist numbers are expected to increase as a result of the relaxation of travel advisories following the govt announcement that there will not be an extension of the emergency regulations in the country. France was the first to relax the travel advisory from only essential travel to exercise caution this week as a result of this the industry expects other European markets to follow suit accordingly. more..

Aug 22 (DN) Asela Gunaratne, Dilshan Munaweera, Dilruwan Perera, and Mahela Udawatte have joined the SL Legends team for this year's Road Safety World Series starting on Sept 10th. Both all-rounders Asela of Army SC and Dilruwan of Tamil Union are already playing in the ongoing Major Clubs 3-day cricket tournament and they are first time expected to play the SL legends team. SL Legends team is led by former SL Test Captain T.M. Dilshan. The experienced Master Blaster Sanath more..

Aug 22 (Island) Sri Lanka has reported close to 50,000 cases of dengue during the first eight months of 2022, according to National Dengue Control Unit (NDCU).The NDCU says 49,941 people have been admitted to hospital due to dengue during the past eight months. More than 50% of cases have been reported from the Western province, comprising the Colombo, Gampaha and Kalutara districts. 12,754 cases had been reported from Colombo, 7,496 from Gampaha and 4,731 from Kalutara. more..

Aug 22 (CT) Worker remittances, SL�s largest foreign-exchange earner, posted a decline, for the 14th consecutive month in July this year, as migrant workers only sent home USD 279.5 million during the month, down 38.3% from USD 453.3 million a year earlier. During the first seven months of this year, migrant workers sent home USD 1,889.4 million, down 50% from USD 3,777.6 million sent during the same period last year. more..

Aug 22 (EN) SL�s petroleum corporation has hiked the price of kerosene by 253 rupees to 340 rupees per litre with effect from midnight Sunday (21). Kerosene was sold at 87 rupees but was out of stock in the market as SL�s sole oil refinery that produced kerosene remained shut due to a shortage of crude oil shipments. The refinery began production on Saturday (20). The ministry announced on Saturday that the refinery will be run for at least 40 days as it has purchased more..

Aug 22 (DM) Colombo district saw its Land Value Indicator (LVI) increase to 186.9 during the first half of 2022. Statistics Dept of the Central Bank this week shared that the latest LVI measure is an annual increase of 17% and a semi-annual increase of 4.6%. However, it is a deceleration of the increasing trend observed in the second half of 2021, the Statistics Dept said. All sub-indicators of the LVI, namely Residential LVI, Commercial LVI and Industrial LVI, contributed to overall increase. more..

Aug 22 (Island) Some Trade Unions, attached to the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC), are scheduled to carry out a protest campaign today (22) against Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekara. The trade unions have informed Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera that they are opposed to the proposed restructuring of the CPC. However, the Minister has said that they respect the right to protest but the restructuring of the debt ridden institutions is of paramount importance. more..

Aug 22 (AD) A young female has died after falling off Uthuwankanda, also knownn as Saradiel Rock, in Mawanella today (21). According to the police, the deceased, a student of the University of Peradeniya, was employed as an additional agricultural consultant. The 27-year-old fell to death while hiking Uthuwankanda with a group of 58 students of the Agriculture Faculty of Peradeniya University. She was pronounced dead after being rushed to the Mawanella Hospital, the police said further. more..

Aug 22 (Island) SLPP Chairman Prof. G.L. Peiris, MP, has issued a dire warning to Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe and the SLPP administration over the continuing crackdown on anti-govt protesters. Addressing the media, in Kandy, after paying homage to senior Kandy-based Buddhist monks, on Saturday, former Minister censured the govt over the detention of Wasantha Mudalige, the convener of the IUSF in terms of PTA. more..

Aug 22 (AD) The IGP has instructed police to hand over IUSF convenor Wasantha Mudalige and two others to the Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) if they are suspected to be involved in any terrorist activities, the Police Spokesman said. It was reported yesterday that on the instructions of IGP C.D. Wickramaratne, questioning of Inter-University Students� Federation (IUSF) convenor Wasantha Mudalige and two others would be handed over to the CID. more..

Aug 22 (ST) Nearly half of Sri Lanka�s bilateral debt is owed to China, with Japan following at a close second, according to an official presentation to creditors prepared by the Finance Ministry. China�s position on debt restructuring will, therefore, have a significant bearing on SL�s efforts to secure an early deal with the IMF. According to the Finance Ministry�s Sri Lanka Update to Creditors which is dated August 2022, Sri Lanka�s total bilateral debt is US$ 10bn. more..

Aug 22 (DM) Claiming that the govt is not prepared to pay the state officials for nothing, Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe urged them to work or go home. He said this while addressing the Anuradhapura District Development Council held at the Golden Mango reception Hall today (21). "There is a large contingent of state officials at ground level. I think there are around nine officers for each Grama Niladhari Division. more..

Aug 22 (SLN) SL Navy recovered a stock of prescription drugs washed ashore at Nadukuda, Mannar, during a foot patrol conducted in the area on the morning of 20th August 2022. The Navy has been conducting regular patrols and operations in the coastal areas of the island to ward off illegal activities taking place via sea routes. In a similar foot patrol conducted by SLNS Gajaba in the North Central Naval Command, this stock of drugs in polythene packages were recovered at more..

Aug 23 (FT) Aseni: Grandpa, there are media reports that the UK govt has announced a new trade facilitation package for developing countries upgrading its Generalised System of Preferences or GSP. Media had claimed that Sri Lanka has been one of the beneficiaries. What is this new scheme? Sarath: Since around early 1970s, the developed world had been supporting, under the auspices of United Nations Conference on Trade and Development or UNCTAD, more..

Aug 22 (AD) UGC states that relevant measures will be taken to reopen universities island-wide in September. Chairman of the UGC, Prof. Sampath Amarathunga stated that the decision was taken during the discussion held between the UGC and the VCs of universities this mornin. Accordingly, it has been planned to re-commence the academic activities systematically as per usual, by the end of September. However, within some universities, the academic and exam processes are being more..

Aug 23 (FT) The brutal assault and tear gas attack led by the STF and Anti-Riot Unit against the IUSF and other young people participating in a peaceful protest last week have been condemned by many human rights organisations around the world. Protesting is a basic right given to the people by the Constitution, the basic law of the country. In a situation where a bankrupt country needs to win aid based on the sympathy of the world, a Govt that treats the people of that country in more..

Aug 22 (EN) SL�s controversial Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), which temporarily cost the country the EU�s GSP+ trade concession in 2010, is once again under scrutiny after it was enforced to arrest and detain protestors involved in the Aragalaya (Struggle) protest movement that caused a sitting president to resign. First billed as a temporary Act in 1978, the PTA has been used sporadically throughout SL�s recent history. more..

Aug 22 (EN) Two Sri Lankans, a doctor and a professor, have been named among the Top 25 Canadian Immigrants of 2022, a statement from SL�s ministry of said. This is an annual awards programme that celebrates the achievements of immigrants in Canada. Prof Janaka Ruwanpura, one of the recipients, is a scholar in construction engineering and an award-winning academic. He is the Vice-provost and Associate Vice-President (Research/int'l) and Professor of Engineering more..

Aug 22 (BC) Softlogic Retail Pvt Ltd, a fully owned subsidiary of Softlogic Holdings PLC and one of Sri Lanka�s leading consumer electronics and furniture retail networks recently partnered with world renowned multinational consumer electronics brand Walton to introduce the Walton brand of TVs to the Sri Lankan market. Walton is a leading electronics brand which is available in more than 40 international markets covering Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. more..

Aug 22 (TM) Police have requested approval from the Ministry of Defence to extend, by 90 days, the detention orders of IUSF Convenor Wasantha Mudalige, Kelaniya Uni student activist Hashan Jeewantha, and IUSF Bhikkhu Federation Convenor Ven. Galwewa Siridhamma Thera, who are currently being held under the Prevention of Terrorism Act No. 48 of 1979 (PTA). Defence Ministry Spokesman Colonel Nalin Herath more..

Aug 22 (Island) SL scientists, and their foreign colleagues, had discovered a new bat species, living in SL and India. This bat is scientifically known as Miniopterus phillipsi, and Phillip�s long-fingered bat in English. The research team was led by young biologist, a PhD candidate of Ruhunu Uni, Tharaka Kusuminda, currently working at the Open Uni, Dr. Amani Mannakkara of the Uni of Ruhuna, former Professor Wipula Yapa of the Uni of Colombo, Dr. Kanishka Ukuwela of Rajarata Uni, more..

Aug 22 (Island) The FUTA, in a statement, strongly condemned the arbitrary arrest and detention of 20 protesters, mostly students, on 18th August 2022, and the blatant and shocking disregard by the police of the civil and political rights of our students. �It is clear from media reports that the student�s actions were peaceful. No form of provocation by the protesters is apparent. Even at the point when students confronted police human-chain, protesters were seen to stop advancing & disperse. more..

Aug 22 (EN) Australia alongside India is working on providing fuel to Sri Lanka�s navy and air force, Australia�s High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Paul Stephens said. �Australia is pleased to be working with India to provide fuel to Sri Lanka�s navy and air force. It will help our long-standing cooperation against transnational crime to continue. As Indian Ocean neighbours, all three counties share a commitment to preserving regional security,� Stephens tweeted on Monday (22). more..

Aug 22 (AD) If an election is held in the country before Oct 31, nearly 300,000 citizens of the country will lose their votes, according to sources from within the Election Commission. The certification of the electoral roll relevant to the electoral roll revision of this year is scheduled to be done on the 31st of October. In that case, it is reported that it will not be possible to include the names received for inclusion in the voter�s list during that year. However, political sources mentioned more..

Aug 22 (AD) The DSC has released the National Consumer Price Index (NCPI) and the inflation rate for the month of July 2022. The overall rate of inflation as measured by the NCPI on Year-on-Year basis for the month of July 2022 has been reported as 66.7%. The NCPI for all items for the month of July 2022 is 244.4 and it records an increase of 12.9 in index points compared to the June 2022. more..

Aug 22 (AD) The hearing of the petitions which were filed challenging the 22nd Amendment has been adjourned until tomorrow. The Supreme Court today commenced hearing of the nine petitions before the three-judge bench consisting of Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya, Justices Buwaneka Aluvihare and Arjuna Obeysekera. The petitions were filed by nine citizens including the Secretary of the Vinivinda Peramuna attoney-at-law Nagananda Kodituwakku, Dr. Gunadasa Amarasekara, more..