Nov 20 (ST) President Ranil Wickremesinghe�s reference to a social media post during his Budget speech on Monday, prompted opposition MPs to accuse him of being prepared to tolerate corruption. Wickremesinghe had made reference to a social media post by civil society activist Gamini Viyangoda. The way the President quoted the post seemed to imply that it is a lie when rulers say they will create a country free from corruption and waste, and that the problem was far more complex. more..

Nov 20 (ST) In his Budget speech this week, Prez Wickremesinghe spoke enthusiastically of his administration�s plans to turn around the down and almost out SL economy. There was a heavy emphasis on taxation with a view to cutting the Budget deficit, new economic zones, commercial hubs and new legislation. He explained the country must make a shift from the liberal economy of 1977 to a social market economy. Ideologically, what Prez J.R. Jayewardene also wanted a rejection more..

Nov 20 (ST) All eyes were on the SJB's prominent politician on Monday as Prez Wickremesinghe prepared to present the 2023 Budget. This was over speculation that he was finally about to jump ship to Govt. Veteran politico had been vocal in his criticism of the SJB leadership in recent weeks and rumours were floating in the days leading up to the Budget speech that he would be crossing over before the Prez made the speech. more..

Nov 20 (ST) My dear Gota maamey, I wanted to write to you because it is almost three years to the day when you assumed office as the leader of Paradise. There were no celebrations to commemorate that because most people don�t want to remember that day now. Even if they did, they don�t like to say they were one of the 69 lakhs. Now that you have returned to Paradise after that hurried and ignoble exit, Gota maamey, and are spending your time away from the public eye, more..

Nov 20 (TM) Traditionally, the vote on the Appropriation Bill is the time for crossovers. This is because it attracts maximum publicity and humiliates the party abandoned by the pole vaulters. Prez RW�s Budget too has generated rumours about political realignments in the coming days. The most talked about is the likely crossover of Rajitha of the SJB to accept his old Cabinet post of Minister of Health. The only way out at present for the SJB is to get all its members to vote for the Appropriation Bill more..

Nov 20 (SO) Dulangi Wannitilleke the vice captain of SL netball team that won the Asian championship along with the Asian Regional Derector of World Netball Federation Victoria Lakshmi and SL Schools Netball president Nirodha Abeywickrama were felicitated by Kurunegala District Netball Association at a ceremony held at the Maliyadeva Balika Vidyalaya yesterday. Dulangi Wannitilleka a product of Holy Family Convent Kurunegala was coached by her parents Amalka Gunatilleka and more..

Nov 20 (Island) Supreme Court�s determination on the constitutionality of the Bureau of Rehabilitation Bill was met with relief last week. While the determination affirms many fundamental principles and constitutional protections, it provides only a temporary reprieve. Human rights activists and legislators who are concerned about the state�s attempts to restrict human rights through laws and institutions should maintain vigilance with regard to this proposed law. more..

Nov 20 (Island) While the current cricket selectors have not yet being sacked, the Sports Ministry has called for replacements on the back of the team�s dismal performance at the recent T20 World Cup. Led by former fast bowler Pramodya Wickremasinghe, the six-member panel was appointed in April 2021 by the then Minister of Sports, Namal Rajapaksa for an unspecified term. Romesh Kaluwitharana, Hemantha more..

Nov 20 (Island) Are you not surprised that after Danushka Gunathilaka�s arrest in Sydney no one has resigned. Ideally, National Selection Committee and Team Manager should have stepped down, but they are hanging on as if nothing happened. The team management clearly lost control of the players during the World Cup and it remains to be seen the outcome of the probe that has been launched. There is a wide difference between an independent probe and an in-house probe. more..

Nov 20 (Island) Decades ago when he was the finance minister implementing J.R. Jayewardene�s open economy, Ronnie de Mel once said that SL�s was a female dependent economy. He urged that the country then, as well as to a large extent now, largely relied on its women workers to bring home the bacon. Never was a truer word spoken. The women plucking tea on the plantations, those working in the garment factories that sprang up in those days to help move a traditionally crop more..

Nov 20 (Island) Microsoft Sri Lanka signed on as Gold Partner for Sri Lanka Internet Day 2022, organized by The Digital Services Chapter of the Federation of Information Technology in Sri Lanka (FITIS) on November 22, 2022 at the Hilton, Colombo, the organizers announced. �We believe that the internet and all of the technological advancements that come with it hold the key to sustaining Sri Lanka�s economic recovery, and enabling greater resilience across all sectors. more..

Nov 20 (ST) SL Test skipper will have the probability of making his Lanka Premier League (LPL) debut, as the third edition of the country�s franchised T20 competition is set to begin from Dec 6 at Sooriyawewa. Karunaratne, drafted into the Galle franchise, however is still on the hang as he is one of the seven players waiting for final approval from SLC to be included in. Others in the list are Kusal Janith Perera, who is making a comeback after a shoulder surgery, Kusal Mendis, more..

Nov 20 (TM) Sri Lanka has managed to secure 240,000 MT of coal, which will be sufficient till early January next year. It is understood that full payments have been made for four shipments, which have been unloaded. Another 29 shipments are scheduled to supply coal for the country�s only coal power plant in Norochcholai till next April. Four of the 29 shipments are expected to arrive in December. more..

Nov 20 (DM) Anti-Leprosy Campaign at the Health Ministry reported that there is an increase in spreading of leprosy among schoolchildren, its Director Dr. Prasad Ranaweera said. He said the spike in the number of cases were reported following a coutrywide programme that was launched at the school level to detect the Leprosy infected. US Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) said about 95% of humans are immune to the bacteria that causes Leprosy. more..

Nov 20 (AD) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe has assured immediate solutions to land, housing, health, irrigation, and agriculture-related issues in the Northern Province. The Head of Stated also stated that 8 committees would be appointed at the provincial level to resolve the land issues. He pointed out that all the land-related issues in the North and South of the country would be resolved accordingly. Prez made these observations while participating in the District Dev. Committee more..

Nov 20 (TM) The IMF has expressed concerns over the Govt�s possible deviation from the ongoing debt restructuring programme, following its move to explore a debt-for-nature swap earmarked at around $ 1 billion. However, Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe has directed his officials to commence the process of identifying the projects that could be taken under a debt-for-nature swap, it is learnt. more..

Nov 20 (DM) A proposal will be submitted to the cabinet to implement the fuel price revision once a month instead of twice a month, Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera said. Currently the revision of fuel prices is being implemented on the 1st and 15th of each month. Addressing the 50th AGM of the Petroleum Dealers Association, the Minister said some dealers are refraining from ordering fuel a few days before the price revision, thinking that the price may decrease. more..

Nov 20 (EN) China has welcomed the resumption of free trade agreement talks by Sri Lanka as the country attempts to boost exports, after years of closed market policies under the Rajapaksa regime that allowed businessmen to exploit domestic consumers. �I am glad to see after five years suspension SL govt decided to resume bilateral FTA negotiations in the second half of this year,� Li Guangjun, Economic and Commercial Counsellor, Embassy of China in Colombo said. more..

Nov 20 (Island) The Maliban Group of Companies has invested heavily in broadening its Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) framework, while solidifying its position as a responsible industry stakeholder. These efforts have brought the Organization global recognition, with regard to its eco-friendly manufacturing processes, with Maliban Group of Companies now having received Carbon Footprint Certification for quantification & reporting of greenhouse gas more..

Nov 20 (ST) With core businesses struggling, Sri Lankan companies are finding their feet in unrelated areas. For instance, a number of vehicle importers has gotten into agriculture or are enhancing their already successful agri-businesses established as far back as five years ago. DIMO PLC is one such company. �We got into agriculture over five years ago and now we have expanded it. We bought some export companies producing fruits and vegetables to add to our portfolio. more..

Nov 20 (ST) A Prez Secretariat Sub office of the Northern Province Development Special Unit was declared open yesterday by Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe with an assurance to resolve the outstanding land and other issues. Sub-office will coordinate with the Presidential Secretariat on development activities and reconciliation matters, Vavuniya District Secretary P.A. Sarathchandra said. Prez yesterday met with District Secretaries more..

Nov 20 (DM) A person who had sent women to work in Dubai and illegally took them to Oman was arrested at BIA this morning (19). The minister advised Public Security Minister Tiran Alas to tighten up the operations that are in force to arrest the people involved in human trafficking and human smuggling, who are illegally sending people abroad contrary to SL Foreign Employment Bureau (SLBFE) regulations. It was decided to conduct raids across the island. more..

Nov 20 (ST) Cabinet ministers and state ministers will soon be asked to find their own fuel for their security escorts and not seek them from the Police Department while senior judges will be asked to get their vehicles and fuel from the Justice Ministry, according to a decision of the Ministry of Public Security. The move has been made to prune down the expenses of the Police Department. The decision has been conveyed to the Treasury, a senior Ministry official told the Sunday Times. more..

Nov 20 (ST) Lotus Tower Management Company (Pvt) Ltd (LTMC) will receive USD 1.4 million a year as part of an agreement to hire out one floor of the tower base of Colombo Lotus Tower to a Singapore-based company for a casino and entertainment area, including water sports. The agreement between LTMC and Singapore�s Kreate Design Pte. Ltd will see the second floor of the tower base, consisting of 44,000 square feet, being leased to the company for entertainment purposes, more..

Nov 20 (Island) The laws of this country now in operation have been promulgated to empower a single person or one particular group to rule the entire nation at his or their will, said Archbishop of Colombo Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith at an event in Ja-ela last week. Addressing a meeting held at Panahawatte in Bollatha, Ja-Ela to hand over 12 newly built houses to 12 Easter Sunday terror victim families last week, the Cardinal said: �Drastic changes should be brought into the existing more..

Nov 20 (ST) Dozens of SL women have been trafficked into West Asia for the sex trade drawing global attention once again to the country�s revolting reputation as a sex-trafficking hub, and Govt officials are suspected to be among the perpetrators of sex-trafficking. State official in SL Embassy in Muscat, Oman, has been accused of sexual abuse in a so-called safe house and a pivotal player in the sex trafficking ring along with more..

Nov 20 (DM) SL is likely to miss the December deadline for securing the IMF loan since the main bilateral debtor China has shown little or no interest in restructuring debt with SL, financial analysts based in Washington DC said. If SL missed the December IMF deadline, it will have to wait for March 2023 to secure a USD 2.9 billion loan from the IMF in eight equal tranches. On Sept 1, the IMF Staff and the SL authorities reached a staff-level agreement to support SL's economic policies more..

Nov 20 (TM) SL Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) has suspended a Labour Officer seconded to the SL Embassy in Muscat, Oman and recalled him following serious allegations linked to abuse and sex trafficking. The moves come in the wake of a number of SL women workers who were victimised in Oman claiming that an official at the SL Embassy had been involved in abusing and trafficking them for sex. It was reported that CID had already begun an investigation into the allegations. more..

Nov 20 (ST) Four months after ensconcing himself constitutionally as the President of SL, Ranil Wickremesinghe finds himself at the helm of many a change, both politically and otherwise. This week, he refused to place his signature on Detention Orders under the PTA on two student leaders. They were Wasantha Mudalige, Convenor of the IUSF, and Ven. Galwewa Siridhamma Thera, Convenor of IUBF. more..

Nov 21 (GV) This year the theme for Universal Children�s Day is equality and inclusion for every child. Every child regardless of class, color, creed or ethnicity is protected by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and entitled to the rights stated in the convention, which SL ratified in 1991. A year later, SL adopted the Children�s Charter to ensure that the articles of the convention would guide law reform and enforcement, policy formulation and resource allocation in the country. more..

Nov 21 (CT) We are a small island cast away and adrift in the Indian Ocean. What happens, in climatological terms to this island and its people depend entirely on global warming scenarios driven by other heavy energy consuming nations; roughly is order of consumption China, US, India, Russia, Japan, Canada, Germany, South Korea, Brazil and France. The biggest seven polluters (in order of CO2 release) are almost the same; China, US, India, Russia, Japan, Germany and South Korea. more..

Nov 21 (SO) The State Minister of Finance Dr. Ranjith Siyambalapitiya said that Budget 2023 has laid a the foundation to get the country out of the current economic crisis. State Minister said the Central Bank has predicted that if we continue in this manner, we would be able to reach a certain stable level by the third quarter of next year. However, it won�t be a massive economic growth but we would be able to minimise more..

Nov 21 (TM) The past few weeks saw more disturbing news about the ongoing exodus of Sri Lankans. While large groups of Sri Lankans are being apprehended in foreign countries for attempting to migrate illegally, stories are spreading of more and more qualified professionals such as doctors leaving the country, with uncorroborated reports going so far as to claim that the country�s brain drain has increased threefold in 2022. However, this does not seem too far-fetched more..

Nov 21 (ST) Are the police under orders to follow a zero tolerance policy toward any form of protest? Or was last week�s police crackdown on two women�s peaceful march, merely an isolated act of a few cops going beyond the call of duty out of personal hatred to see even a solitary placard raised? Lanka�s Human Rights Commission took no chances on what it described as a serious threat to the life of a democratic society and the rule of law in the country and has summoned the IGP and more..

Nov 21 (TM) The SJB will not support Budget 2023 as things stand and will vote in favour only if its proposed changes are accommodated, said SJB MP Eran Wickramaratne. The banker-turned-politician acknowledged that the Govt�s goals in terms of revenue and economic growth seemed too ambitious and recommended that the Govt should negotiate hard with the IMF in order for Sri Lanka to succeed. more..

Nov 21 (ST) Sri Lanka�s Department of the Police should stop piously quoting provisions of the Constitution and the law and instead, declare the truth without fear or shame, �we do not respect the law; we will break the law at every chance we get; who is there to stop us?� That honesty will at least, be a tad more refreshing than the nauseating twaddle that the police spokesperson trots out each time a new scandal on the behaviour of Sri Lanka�s brutes in uniform breaks. more..