Nov 28 (CT) Large-scale unlawful sand mining takes centre stage once again, signalling a potential ecocide. These extensive sand mining projects not only have a telling impact on the environment but also the farmers and their paddy fields. Farmers who were struck hard by the ban on chemical fertilisers now have to fight to battle illicit sand mining activating that is endangering their paddy fields and daily lives. more..

Nov 28 (TM) As the Govt remains hopeful of increased tax revenue through the many tax reforms it has decided to implement recently, SJB MP Buddhika Pathirana has alleged that the Govt is losing a sizeable amount of tax revenue due to counterfeit versions of the foolproof stickers introduced for liquor. MP claimed that with the knowledge of certain Excise officers, bottles of liquor and counterfeit foolproof stickers are being sent to liquor stores/sellers separately, although more..

Nov 28 (Island) Some racketeers are making the most of SL�s foreign currency crunch to put through various crooked deals on the pretext of promoting foreign investment and rake in billions of dollars at the expense of hapless Sri Lankans struggling to keep the wolf from the door. They are eyeing the country�s mineral resources among other things. In June 2022, we exposed a sinister move by a foreign company and its local agents to carry out an ilmenite racket at Aruwakkalu, Puttalam, and more..

Nov 28 (ST) No single family member turned up at the airport to welcome Basil home. Not his brothers, not his cousins, not even his favourite nephew, Namal. The family pow-wow would come later behind closed doors. The float-bearing fawning domestics, engaging in servile obeisance, had to come first in the public parade. It cut the sorry picture of a man, Basil Rajapaksa, once reputed to have had a finger in every economic pie in the country, rendered so pitiably poor that more..

Nov 28 (ST) The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports will adopt new policies to its spendings on affiliated national sports associations and federations, clearly focusing on merits according to its Secretary, Dr. Amal Harsha de Silva. Refuting assumptions and reports on a certain possibility of cutting down on grants made to National Associations (NAs), Dr. de Silva confirmed that the ministry indeed will up its spending on local medal prospects at international level. This will be mainly through more..

Nov 28 (CI) Before rain made a result impossible, SL's spinners took grip of the middle overs of Afghanistan's innings, before Kasun Rajitha closed it out. On a slower Pallekele track, Afghanistan had breezed through the early overs, sailing to 135 for 1 soon after the halfway stage. Rahmanullah Gurbaz was chiefly responsible for their success through this period, hitting 68 off 73, as Rahmat Shah made another half-century. more..

Nov 28 (Island) A Budget vote usually shows which parties support the govt and which do not. Barring the Dullas Alahapperuma faction, the SLPP voted en masse for the second reading of the recent Budget. Except for MPs like Duminda Dissanayake, the SLFP voted against it. Despite some ambivalent, vague remarks from its MPs, the SJB also voted against it, with Sajith Premadasa outlining alternative policies that this govt has not bothered to consider, let alone debate/discuss. more..

Nov 28 (ST) A glimpse of hope for SL culminated with an inevitable 33-17 defeat at the hands of a superior Hong Kong side under lights in the UAE leg of the Asian 7s Series at the Al Ambler RFC grounds in Al Ain, UAE last evening. SL having good ball control sprung into a 12-nil lead through a brace by Dharshana Dabare, one of which was converted by Akash Madushanka. Hong Kong reduced the lead to 12-7 at half time. The experienced Hong Kong took firm control of the game with 4 2nd half tries more..

Nov 26 (ST) SL�s tour operators have found it hard to change the perceptions of travellers that the country is no longer standing in long queues for fuel. Tour operators speaking with the Business Times noted that this perception has become quite an issue as it is not changing fast enough for travellers to plan on holidaying in SL. Moreover, lack of adequate marketing has become another concern in reviving the industry, it was noted. With less flights available to travel long haul to Colombo and more..

Nov 26 (ST) SL banks are aiming to apply for the Green Growth Equity Fund to overcome the current economic crisis and improve relations with investors in impact financing. This is an impact investment fund that mitigates climate change and promotes sustainable economic growth, primarily by investing in measures that reduce energy consumption, resource use, and carbon dioxide emissions. This came after the Central Bank in May launched the SL Green Finance Taxonomy for investors, more..

Nov 26 (ST) SL�s debt spree persists despite being declared unsustainable judging by latest data released by the CB. Outstanding domestic debt crossed the Rs. 13 trillion mark in July and since the end of last year it has swelled by Rs. 2 trillion. Foreign debt amounted to Rs. 11.6 trillion, which is higher in comparison to Rs. 10.8 trillion by end April when Sri Lanka declared bankruptcy and suspended servicing of external debt as of 12 April. more..

Nov 28 (Island) A 57-member SL contingent left the country early Sunday morning to take part in the Toyota Gazoo Racing Badminton Asia U17 & U15 Junior Championships which will take place at the Central Changwattana Mall in Nonthaburi in the Thailand capital. The tournament will see the Sri Lankan juniors in contest against shuttlers from 15 countries, including traditional badminton powerhouses Malaysia, Japan, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia and Singapore from Nov 29-Dec 4. more..

Nov 26 (FT) SJB MP Imthiaz Bakeer Markar says a ruler cannot hold on to power by imprisoning the country�s youth in dark rooms or torture chambers. Speaking in parliament, Bakeer Markar highlighted the plight of the country�s youth and said the current crisis has severely affected them. �The crisis has severely affected the country�s youth as proved by the ongoing brain drain. We must all understand this situation. The youth who are suffering due to these issues are now in anger. more..

Nov 26 (TM) Govt of SL is studying Singapore�s laws on drugs, particularly its Misuse of Drugs Act which includes the death penalty for drug trafficking, to bring in similar laws in SL to combat the drug menace. The study is being conducted, but that no decision on the introduction of capital punishment has been taken yet. �In order to strengthen the current laws, we must look into the Singapore model as well. more..

Nov 26 (FT) More pilots have begun to leave SriLankan Airlines, putting the national carrier�s revival under pressure. In comparison to pre-COVID cadre of 318 pilots, and post-COVID it fell to 265 and the current team has been reduced to 235 with nearly 40 to follow suit in the coming months. At a recent media interaction when queried about the flight of pilots, SriLankan Airlines CEO Richard Nutall admitted that the matter was of concern. �The number of people leaving is starting to go up. more..

Nov 26 (DM) The Faculty of Management Studies and Commerce of the Uni of Sri J'pura, considered as the pioneer in Management education in the country and one of the best Management faculties in the region, hosts the International Conference on Business Management (ICBM) every year, with the aim of bringing together the academia, practitioners and the industry to deliberate on contemporary challenges of the economy. ICBM 2022, the 19th in the line of fruitful & outstanding conferences more..

Nov 26 (FT) Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa on Saturday said the SJB along with tens of thousands will take to the streets in order to protect the democracy within the country. �Everything in this country now is working backwards, including the President. He is threatening the people claiming he will deploy the military and declare a state of emergency. In a civilised country with democratic values if there are crimes taking place then strict action must be taken,� he said. more..

Nov 28 (DN) I wanted to balance my cricket and studies to move forward and I�m happy to get 9A passes at the GCE O/L exam this year, said Sri Lanka under 19 women�s skipper Vishmi Gunaratne said. My father Aruna Gunaratne and mother Dhammika Wijeratne have motivated me to continue with my studies and cricket. Without any failures, I gave my best and brought honour to my school Ratnawali BMV, Gampaha. When I was in grade three, I started doing athletics as a sport at more..

Nov 28 (Island) SLPP dissident MP Gevindu Cumaratunga alleged that the incumbent govt was yet to bring enough pressure to bear on those who had parked as much as USD 36 billion overseas to bring the money back. Cumaratunga said the govt�s failure to amend the Exchange Control Act No 12 of 2017 should be examined against the backdrop of Prez Wickremesinghe�s Budget proposal to draw more loans in 2023. more..

Nov 28 (AD) An event of the Supreme Lanka Coalition (Uttara Lanka Sabhagaya) had reportedly been organized to be held today (27), at the Hanguranketha Cultural Centre. However, some people who had come to the hall that was being prepared for the event early this morning (27), had pulled down the boards and destroyed them, according to organisers. The organizers of the Supreme Lanka Coalition�s event had complaint the Hanguranketha police station in this regard more..

Nov 28 (EN) SL�s would prefer not impose interest rates ceilings but would like to see rates falling naturally, CB Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe said, after the agency warned it would use administrative measures to bring rates down. �We will allow markets to respond first,� Governor Weerasinghe said. �If its not responding then obviously as you remember there are lending rate caps and deposit rate caps, there are other administrative measures that I think we can use. more..

Nov 28 (AD) At least 12 students have been injured and hospitalised following a clash between two groups of students of the Ruhunu National College of Education. A group of internship teacher trainees had attacked a group of students residing in the college. The group of senior students has held a party last night (26) and then a group of 50 individuals among them had come to the college premises and carried out this attack. The twelve injured students have been admitted to more..

Nov 28 (DM) The new Central Bank Act will soon see passage through the Cabinet and Parliament as the final draft remains ready as part of a broader package of things to be met as prior actions required to unlock the IMF deal to pull the country out of its current economic mess. The new Act will further strengthen the CB independence and thereby will curb monetary financing of the budget which is referred to as money printing in common parlance, putting a check on inflation produced by more..

Nov 28 (FT) As the Govt struggles with rationalising spending amidst the crisis, most Sri Lankans have surprisingly similar views to the IMF on spending priorities. Large majorities of Lankans want the Govt to prioritise increases in health and education spending, whilst there is also strong support for increasing spending on agriculture. In contrast, public prioritise the police and roads for cuts in spending, whilst most do not think more..

Nov 28 (DN) SL will not have a domestic debt haircut, assured State Minister Shehan Semasinghe at the NextGen SL and German Embassy organized budget seminar. He said that the govt has made steady progress with the IMF negotiations and they have also received positive feedback on debt restructuring talks held specially with two major creditors to SL, India & China and also the Paris Club. �They have all indicated that they will not stop supporting SL debt restructuring more..

Nov 28 (DM) If Sri Lanka misses the December target, which now appears to be bit of a stretch, the country could still activate the IMF rescue package to unlock US$ 2.9 billion over a four-year span as very good progress is being made in the debt restructuring front, particularly with the country�s bilateral lenders. CB Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe shrugged off certain reports which claimed that Sri Lanka could not activate the deal till next March if the December target is missed. more..

Nov 28 (TM) During the inquiry into two female cops being manhandled by a senior police officer during a protest earlier this month, 1,200 female police officers had reportedly stated in one voice that such occurrences are common in their line of work and not a cause for concern, highly-placed sources said. Sources stated that, as part of the inquiry, virtual conferences were held via Zoom with nearly 1,200 female police officers, more..

Nov 28 (FT) Something extraordinary happened in Malaysia last week. After a bitterly fought general election with no clear winner, the King had the wisdom and the courage to appoint Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as Malaysia�s 10th PM. To those observing from the outside, it was a remarkable sight. So, one can only imagine the gravity of the moment from the point of view of Malaysia�s new PM. Anwar Ibrahim travelled to Istana Negara for the ceremony on Thursday from Sungai Long more..

Nov 28 (FT) At the turn of the 20th century, Palestine, now turned into Israel, was part of the Turkish Ottoman Empire. About 95% of the population in 1896 were Arabs who owned 90% of the land. It was such a peaceful place that there was hardly anyone who spoke loud and using a dirty word was unheard of. In 1897, the first World Zionist Jewish Congress in the Swiss city of Basle decided to establish a Jewish state in Palestine. 10 years later in 1907 Britain decided at the London more..

Nov 28 (AD) Foreign Minister Ali Sabry is scheduled to leave for Washington DC in the US today on an official state visit and is expected to hold talks with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, tomorrow. The Minister Ali Sabry will visit the US from 29 Nov to 4 Dex 2022, on the invitation of the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Foreign Minister Sabry is scheduled to meet Secretary of State Blinken, members of the Congress and other senior interlocutors of the U.S. Govt during the visit, more..

Nov 28 (DM) CB Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe is currently campaigning to be the Common Candidate at the next prez election, Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe's Advisor on Parliamentary Affairs, Prof Ashu Marasinghe said. While talking about the country's debt situation, he said SL had a total debt of Rs. 17,589 billion at the start of this year, which was USD 47 billion. Prof Marasinghe cited some figures and warned the CB governor not to announce false information about more..

Nov 28 (FT) There is an unwarranted public debate taking place in SL today. That is, of the three CB governors in the last 3 years, W.D. Lakshman, Ajith Nivard Cabraal, and Nandalal Weerasinghe, who has printed the biggest quantity of money leading to the present galloping inflation recorded at about 70% per annum. Many consider money printing as an evil activity and previously, both Lakshman and Cabraal were blamed more..

Nov 28 (AD) The 1,000 metric tonnes (100,000 packs) of rice donated by China for SL students had arrived at the Colombo Port on last night while unloading of the rice shipment has been completed today, the Chinese Embassy in Colombo said. It said that since June this year, a total of 8,000 metric tonnes of rice donations have been handed over to the SL govt by China. Around 60% of this batch of rice which is 600 MT or 60,000 packs will be provided to the underprivileged students more..

Nov 28 (EN) State Tourism Minister Diana Gamage has claimed that she has brought a $5 billion foreign direct investment (FDI) to create a transport hub in the capital Colombo under a public-private-partnership (PPP). She did not give more details on the investment and most foreign investors have been reluctant to come to the island nation because of an unprecedented economic crisis. �I have brought in an investor and this is a five-billion-dollar project regarding public transport,� more..

Nov 28 (DM) Filing a writ petition before Court of Appeal, about 176 consultant specialist doctors have challenged the government's decision to reduce their compulsory retirement age to 60 years. The petitioners are Specialist Consultants in varied fields of medicine including Cardiology, Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, Oncology, Neurology, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Haematology, Opthalmogy, Histopatholy, Anaesthesia, more..