Oct 1 (Island) On Friday 23rd, the British Chancellor of the Exchequer was billed to present a mini-budget, but what he actually did took everyone by surprise, as it was a budget and half! It was full of tax cuts including the reduction of the basic rate of income tax from 20% to 19%, which gives an average earner a saving of a few hundred Pounds, whereas the reduction of the top rate from 45% to 40% would save a person earning a million, a cool � 50,000! Cap on bankers� bonus was removed more..

Oct 1 (CT) The hinterland of the country is sleeping. Its landscape is more conducive to a laidback life rather than a rat-race that is driving the urban dwellers to a mindless frenzy; its denizens have been used to the practice of agriculture for centuries. For them, the priorities are rooted in their family matters. Schooling for their children, repairs for the broken culvert close to their homestead and primarily putting food on the table are surpassing the absurdities of political rivalries and more..

Oct 1 (CT) President Ranil Wickremesinghe left the island on Monday (26) morning on an official visit to Japan, to attend the State funeral of slain Japanese PM Shinzo Abe. He was to meet the PM of Japan Fumio Kishida and high-ranking officials of the Japanese Govt. Prior to his visit, on Friday (23), a Gazette Extraordinary was issued by President Ranil Wickremesinghe declaring several areas in Colombo as HSZ. more..

Oct 1 (CT) On 1 Oct, every year, the Children�s and the Elders� Day is celebrated, with the intention of increasing public awareness about the rights of children and encouraging countries to draw attention to the misconceptions about ageing and to enable the elderly to realise their potential. Chair of the recently appointed Parliamentary Caucus for Children, MP Rohini Kaviratne noted that the SL Govt should take steps to safeguard its next generation and as a stepping stone, more..

Oct 1 (DM) It is interesting to note Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe has issued a gazette notification on Sept 23 declaring several High Security Zones (HSZs) in Colombo and suburbs under the Official Secrets Act of 1955. The legality of the gazette has to be decided by a court of law, but it is amusing to hear HSZs having been established under the Official Secrets Act. Human Rights Commission of SL (HRCSL) has also said in a statement on Sept 26 that the declaration of HSZs more..

Oct 1 (CT) Not appointing a Cabinet Minister for Women and Child Affairs has become a massive obstacle to ensure gender equality and child protection in the country, says SJB MP Rohini Kumari Wijeratne. Wijeratne, who was elected as the new Chairperson of Parliamentary Caucus for Children on 21 Sept, pointed out it is sad that throughout history, funds allocated for Ministry of Women & Child Affairs remain at lowest level. more..

Oct 1 (ST) When a Sri Lankan visiting Dubai on holiday recently walked into a shop, another person with two others, walked up to him and engaged the visitor in conversation. This is how it went: Stranger: Are you from SL? Visiting SL: Yes, why? Stranger: We are also from Sri Lanka. Do you work here? Visiting SL: No, I am on holiday? Stranger: Oh! I was wondering whether you could get us a job. We have been in Dubai looking for a job without any success. Visiting SL: So you came to Dubai more..

Oct 1 (ST) Asheni was standing near the cashier of a supermarket to pay for her purchases � groceries, meat, fruits and vegetables that she had collected in a trolly. Because Kamal, her husband likes fresh vegetable salads, she didn�t forget to collect few items for salads too. Just like all others, she has also cut down her groceries by more than half, but still her grocery bill has more than doubled. She is from a middle-class family and used to buy some good stuff from this particular supermarket. more..

Oct 1 (DM) Famous French singer, actor and entertainer Maurice Chevalier entertained us with a beautiful song about little girls. It goes like this: �Each time I see a little girl of five or six or seven, I can�t resist a joyous urge to smile and say, thank heaven for little girls, for little girls get bigger every day, thank heaven for little girls, they grow up in the most delightful way. Those little eyes, so helpless and appealing, when they were flashing, send you crashing through the ceiling, more..

Oct 1 (Island) The much-advertised National Council (NC) has had its inaugural meeting, which was nothing much to write home about, so to speak. Those who were present there did what they are adept at; they waxed eloquent but, as usual, said nothing new or anything of substance. Our representatives have a remarkable ability to say so little in so many words, and they never miss an opportunity to display it. What is needed, at this juncture, is not blether but decisive action to more..

Oct 1 (FT) Sri Lanka�s tea industry is going through tumultuous times in terms of production with crop levels plunging to near three-decades low. The August crop of 18.27 million kilos is the lowest in 28 years and the first eight months production at 171.37 million kilos is lowest since 1996 according to Forbes and Walker Tea Brokers. It said August 2022 crop was a decline of 5.6 million kilos or 23% year on year and more..

Oct 1 (CI) An Asia Cup? Another one? Yes, the men had their time under the sun in the UAE, and it is now time for the women to take centre stage. Oh! And where is it being held? Bangladesh will play host to all matches, which will be held at the Sylhet Int'l Cricket Stadium. It is the first time women's int'l matches are being played in the country since Pakistan's tour in October 2018. It is also the first time since the 2014 T20 World Cup that Sylhet will play host to women's internationals. more..

Oct 1 (DN) "We have world-class bowlers with a strong batting line-up and fielders who are in good shape to do well, and we hope to challenge any top-class team in the forthcoming T20 World Cup", said SL cricket team Head coach Chris Silverwood at the press briefing held before the team's departure. "We had a good training session at Pallekele and our team morale is very high. The effectiveness of their teamwork and commitment level of players are good positives before this important tour", more..

Oct 1 (DM) Sri Lanka is expected to witness an increase in demand for beer going forward, as the high cost of living coupled with soaring inflation makes it a more affordable option, Fitch Ratings said. The rating agency said it believes that the demand for beer may benefit from consumers trading down from spirits to strong beer, as affordability weakens. Reason being, beer has a lower price point than spirits but higher alcohol content than lager. more..

Oct 1 (FT) Opposition Leader and SJB Leader Sajith Premadasa claimed that the SLPP attempted to offer him the post of Prime Minister only to bring in a no-confidence motion thereafter in a bid to end his political career. �They invited me to take up the Premiership in the hopes of bringing a no-confidence motion against me in a matter of days and ending my political career for good,� Premadasa said. �I am not politically immature to not understand their real motives,� he added. more..

Oct 1 (CT) SL white ball skipper Dasun Shanaka stressed that boys are in good shape and brimming with confidence ahead of the upcoming T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia. �Asia Cup was just another tournament and that�s history now. Our focus is now on the T20 World Cup. When we headed to the training camp in Kandy, I thought players will be more relaxed after the Asia Cup triumph, but they engaged in practices more..

Oct 1 (DM) The exaggerated negative portrayal of the current situation in Sri Lanka is taxing the hard-hit tourism sector, making it increasingly difficult to move towards the path of revival. Despite several attempts by the industry stakeholders to share the improved situation for tourists, where effective measures are taken to ensure they are cushioned against the prevailing challenges in the national economy, campaigns carried out by certain NGOs to assist the island nation in its time of need more..

Oct 1 (CT) Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) successfully concluded the Talent Search Drive conducted in the Polonnaruwa District under the National Pathway Programme to unearth players with cricketing talent recently. The programme, launched under the guidance and direction of SLC President Shammi Silva and the Executive Committee, commenced on 18 Sept from the Thamankaduwa DS, and was successfully completed on 24 Sept, covering every Divisional Secretariat in the District. more..

Oct 1 (CT) Aging world with an aging population, the slogan for United Nations International Day of Older Persons for 2022 is Resilience of Older Persons in a Changing World. According to the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, by 2050 the number of older persons worldwide is projected to more than 1.5 billion in 2050. The UN has noted that all regions will see an increase in the size of the older population between 2019 and 2050. more..

Oct 1 (ST) Solar Industries Association (SIA) is awaiting the introduction of a justifiable tariff scheme for solar-powered schemes in the near future. �We have discussed with Minister and relevant officials the need for a new tariff to integrate solar energy in an expedient manner. The tariff committee agreed upon a new feeding tariff for the solar companies as buying prices must improve to attract new investors and consumers to the industry,� Kushan Jayasuriya, SIA President said. more..

Oct 1 (DM) SL getting about business as usual will only produce the same results, which is an area the crisis-hit nation must try its best to steer away from, a senior economist cautioned. Verite Research Executive Director Dr. Nishan de Mel highlighted at a forum recently that by engaging in business as usual in the last 56 years, SL has failed to complete seven of the 16 IMF programmes that were long term in nature. �We (SL) have a track record where we have not achieved this kind of target. more..

Oct 1 (CT) Highlighting the success of several public-private partnerships (PPP) in SL�s ports sector, Minister of Ports, Shipping and Aviation Nimal Siripala de Silva says that the Govt was planning such a model for SriLankan Airlines as well. Highlighting some of the past mistakes in the area of State-Owned Enterprises (SOE) being subsidised by taxpayers� money unnecessarily, the Minister acknowledged that correct fiscal policies are urgently required for the country to progress. more..

Oct 1 (CT) The country�s foreign reserves were uplifted by USD 21.90 million on Thursday (29) led by the settlement of Rs 7,948 million worth of net foreign inflows received by the likes of the bourse, exporter conversions, and such like. Conversions are based on the value of the administered and benchmark spot, which was Rs 362.90 to the US dollar on Tuesday. GoSL�s face value money printing (FVMP) debt decreased for the third consecutive market day to Thursday, more..

Oct 1 (FT) American Centre in Colombo has relocated to the new US Embassy building and opened its doors to program participants once again on Thursday. At a colourful opening ceremony, the new and revamped American Centre in Colombo hosted library patrons, Youth Forum members, and past and present program participants as well as program implementing partners. With an eye on providing SL youth with the tools they need more..

Oct 1 (DM) As SL tourism strives to recover from the triple whammy since 2019, industry veteran Hiran Cooray stressed the need for the govt to step up its efforts in providing confidence for the sector to move forward. Cooray said one of the emerging and pressing issues faced by the sector is the flight of local talent to other tourism-focused markets such as the Maldives & ME He stressed that proactive efforts are mandatory in this regard for the local tourism sector to revive, grow going forward. more..

Oct 1 (EN) Scheduled power cuts of 2 hour and 20 minutes for the weekend, October 1 and Oct 2 have been approved for SL. All groups A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V and W will experience a one hour power cut between 3 pm and 6 pm and one hour 20-minute power cut between 6 pm to 10 pm. For details, click here. SL is currently working on to secure more coal for 2023, and international tenders have been called with immediate effect after a legal issue has arisen regarding more..

Oct 1 (FT) Colombo stock market remained negative ending the week with losses amidst waning investor appetite. ASPI dipped by 20 points or 0.2% and the S&P SL20 by 3.5 points or 0.11%. The indices closed lower for a second consecutive week with the ASPI declining 33.73 points (0.34%) and the S&P SL20 shedding 37.68 points (1.18%). Turnover yesterday was Rs. 2.57 billion involving 99.3 million shares. For the month, however, ASPI gained 859.75 points (9.48%) and more..

Oct 1 (Island) Nava Lanka Freedom Party (NLFP) has the support of 75% of progressive forces, party leader Kumara Welgama said on Thursday at an event to appoint 100 new electoral organisers. Among those who were appointed electoral organisers are former ministers Nandimithra Ekanayaka, Priyangani Abeyweera, Milroy Fernando and Jayatissa Ranaweera, former CM Peshala Jayarathne, and ex-Kaduwela Mayor G.H. Buddadasa. more..

Oct 1 (EN) Sri Lanka is fast-tracking a move to utilise all its resources to send citizens abroad to earn as jobs are lost in an economic contraction in the wake of a forex crisis and domestic salaries have lost value. SL has already raised interest rates and taxes in the run up to a deal with the IMF to reduce money printing which created forex shortages. Sovereign debt defaulted island nation is in the initial stage of debt restructuring more..

Oct 1 (Island) Sri Lanka could obtain greater international assistance if the govt madea genuine effort to adhere to the norms of parliamentary democracy, SJB MP Harshana Rajakaruna said. �Instead, the govt is trying to suppress people. It has issued a circular preventing state officials from expressing themselves on social media. The government also states that protestors need to get permission, six hours before a demonstration, but when they try to get permission more..

Oct 1 (FT) Minister Wijesekara announced that advance payment for the second consignment of coal was completed yesterday. �Cargo procured by advancing the balance shipments from last year�s term tender,� he tweeted yesterday. In addition, he said the full payment was made for 35,000 tons of 92 Petrol cargo, which commenced unloading yesterday. He also shared that he visited the Sapugaskanda Oil Refinery on Thursday. �Discussed the quality of production, more..

Oct 1 (Island) The House of Commons has been told that the UK govt is exploring the possibility of imposing sanctions on SL�s Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Shavendra Silva and other members of the military.The UK has reiterated its readiness to use what Foreign and Commonwealth Dev. Office (FCDO) Minister Jesse Norman called, diplomatic tools including sanctions amidst the ongoing sessions of UNHRC. more..

Oct 1 (FT) For nearly a week, the world sat enthralled before their television sets as the funeral formalities for Queen Elizabeth II progressed, a sombre spectacle of a nation mourning the passing of a cherished monarch. Here was something straight out of legend, a display of surpassing grandeur, all the more magnificent in the prevailing commonness of our republican era, with an egalitarian ethos. A farewell as splendorous now belongs to history, we will not see such again. more..

Oct 1 (FT) Four in 10 households in SL are going hungry, warns the World Food Program. What is happening to a country that was once called the Pearl of the Indian Ocean? It all started with the pandemic. The ex-Prez and his economic team Dr. P.B. Jayasundera and S.R. Attygalle did not listen to advice. They cut taxes to the bone at the behest of a few businesses and accountants. Then they kept the rupee at Rs. 203 to $ 1 and depleted $ 4 billion of reserves without strictly enforcing import more..

Oct 1 (TM) It is high time for Sri Lanka to encourage existing exporters to promote the export of value-added products, stated newly appointed Investment Promotion State Minister Dilum Amunugama. He made these remarks while addressing the officials of the EDB on Tuesday (27). �It is evident and apparent that value-added products will earn much-needed competitive advantage for our brands. Hence, local exporters should be provided with pertinent expertise & innovation to expand production more..