Sep 18 (SO) The Indian Ocean is perhaps the busiest sea region in terms of shipping, being the epicentre of the East-West trade route. But this very strategic importance has led to an intense rivalry between world and regional powers in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). With the QUAD (Australia US, India and Japan) on one side and China on the other, the power play in the IOR has rattled the nerves of smaller countries in the IOR such as Sri Lanka and the Maldives. more..

Sep 18 (SO) State Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya said that it is the national responsibility of all to join hands irrespective of political differences and extend their support to make the All-Party Govt endeavour a success. He believes even at the next Cabinet reshuffle, all party leaders will fulfill this responsibility on behalf of the country. State Minister said of the 14 SLFP MPs, 8 MPs have already become stakeholders of govt more..

Sep 18 (ST) The sting is mostly in the tail of the latest UNHRC draft resolution against SL coming out of Geneva. The final paragraph calls upon the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to enhance its monitoring and reporting of the situation of human rights in SL, including the progress of reconciliation and accountability and on the human rights impact of the economic crisis and corruption. It would seem that the latest resolution is even longer than the High Commissioner�s report on SL more..

Sep 18 (ST) My dear Dasun and the cricket team, I thought of writing to you this week to congratulate you on winning the Asia Cup after a lapse of eight years. That is all the more special because these are difficult times for most of us in Paradise and your victory put a smile on the faces of millions of people who are struggling to survive. At first, the tournament must have been a massive aragalaya for you, not knowing whether you can dislodge the high and mighty from their pedestal, more..

Sep 18 (CT) Prez Wickremesinghe is being described as a Hobbled President, on account of his parliamentary IOUs to the Rajapaksas. In its editorial last week, titled, Hobbled Prez and jumbo administration, the Sunday Island suggested that until he is constitutionally enabled to dissolve parliament early next year, Prez Wickremesinghe will remain hobbled. I would argue that Prez Wickremesinghe finds himself hobbled not only because of Rajapaksa antics, more..

Sep 18 (Island) Ever since his election through parliament on July 20, Ranil Wickremesinghe, SL�s President, has been busy consolidating his power. Two days after his appointment, he directed the military to forcibly eject protesters occupying the Presidential Secretariat at Galle Face in Colombo, the site of anti-govt demonstrations since April. Through various legal and political maneuvers, Wickremesinghe disbanded the crowds: by August 13, the protesters had voluntarily vacated more..

Sep 18 (ST) Considering what�s happening at some of the top offices, one might wonder whether those offices are given exemption when it comes to curbing state expenditure as recent govt directives repeatedly instructed state departments to adopt extraordinary austerity measures to ensure smooth running of state machinery. Those extraordinary measures vary from cutting down allowances to state employees until further more..

Sep 18 (PTI) Sri Lankan great Muttiah Muralitharan on Thursday sounded a warning to the teams ahead of next month's T20 World Cup, saying they will have to be careful against Wanindu Hasaranga as the mystery spinner would be a threat on Australian pitches. Hasaranga took nine wickets to power his team to the Asia Cup title win and Muralitharan said he would be one to watch out for during the T20 World Cup. "He's a great T20 bowler. Last 2-3 years, he's done really well. He's a young guy," more..

Sep 18 (Island) The innings of Bhanuka Rajapkse in the Asia Cup 2022 final needs to be highlighted as it was a well crafted effort. Having been asked to bat first by the Pakistan captain, the Sri Lankan batting was reeling with five wickets down for 58 runs. Most thought the match was in the bag for Pakistan, but Bhanuka had different ideas. He set about rebuilding the SL innings in association with Wanindu Hasaranga who played some incredible shots against a high quality bowling attack. more..

Sep 18 (TM) The current political situation is very dicey, with the governing side hanging onto a very thin majority, says dissident SLPP MP Dr. Nalaka Godahewa, who is now part of an independent platform � Freedom People�s Congress. He pointed out that support for the Govt in the House was clearly declining, as evident from voting patterns. �This shows that there is some dissent building up within the party, more..

Sep 18 (ST) Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) will part ways with Tom Moody, its high profile Director of Cricket, just one-and-a-half years into his three-year deal, but will retain Mahela Jayawardena, Consultant Coach, despite the former SL skipper this week accepting a broader responsibility with Mumbai Indians. Moody was hired for a three year stint by a Technical Advisory Committee led by Aravinda de Silva at the start of March last year. He had a wide purview, spanning women�s & men�s game, more..

Sep 18 (AD) The new Hindi version of the hit song Manike Mage Hithe by SL artist Yohani De Silva was released today for the Hindi movie Thank God featuring Bollywood stars Ajay Devgan, Sidharth Malhotra and Nora Fatehi. The now-famous track Manike Mage Hithe sung by SL singer-composer Yohani Diloka de Silva, popularly known as Yohani, is now going to be part of the soundtrack of the film Thank God starring Ajay Devgn. The singer said that it was quite challenging for her more..

Sep 18 (Island) South Asian apparel manufacturer, MAS Holdings (MAS) has partnered with The Wildlife Foundation (TWF), Kenya to conserve 6,250 acres of the Nairobi National Park Wildlife Dispersal Area. In line with the MAS Plan for Change commitment of restoring 25,000 acres of habitat, this unique initiative enables MAS and TWF to collaborate with local landowners to conserve wildlife on community- and privately-owned land. The project commenced in March 2022, more..

Sep 18 (TM) Wheelchair tennis, a sport that has created Paralympians of the calibre of Suresh Dharmasena for SL, has received a further commitment of support from the China Merchants Foundation (CMF) and Colombo Int'l Container Terminals (CICT) with a donation of $ 35,000 (Rs. 12.9 million). The donation was presented to the SL Tennis Association (SLTA) at a ceremony held on 15 September 2022. This donation is part of CICT�s continuing support of the SLTA�s Wheelchair more..

Sep 18 (ST) Sri Lanka has been one of the hardest teams to beat in Asia. They have won the Asia Cup five times out of 14 editions held prior. It reminds the way how the Sri Lankans have dominated the regional tournament over the years. However, leading into the 15th edition of Asia Cup, the cricketing fraternity in the country barely had expectations about the team�s chances of winning, considering their recent poor run in more..

Sep 18 (ST) Mahanama, Royal, Trinity, Devapathiraja and St. Joseph�s won their matches in rather contrasting fashion at the ongoing Schools Under-19 Limited Overs Tournament played at different venues yesterday. St. Joseph�s were the first to record an early win in their low scoring match played against St. Benedict�s at Kotahena where the whole encounter lasted less than 50 overs. Mahanama travelled all the way to Matara to record a comprehensive win of 159 runs against more..

Sep 18 (ST) SL�s business activities are slowing down at present and expected to further weaken in the coming months amidst struggling private sector firms for survival in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing economic crisis, Labour Ministry sources divulged. These firms are facing supply side uncertainties at present and most of those companies were compelled to reduce employment by layoffs, non-renewal of employment contracts, and halting new recruitments, more..

Sep 18 (TM) The National Audit Office (NAO) has recommended taking action against the officials responsible for the controversial organic fertiliser transaction between Sri Lanka and a Chinese company that caused the cash-strapped nation a loss of $ 6.9 million, equivalent to Rs. 1.38 billion. This was revealed by the NAO in its latest special audit report on the procurement of 96,000 MT of organic fertiliser from Qingdao Seawin more..

Sep 18 (AD) The Acting Registrar of Pesticides, Lasantha Ratnaweera, says that the news published in two Sunday newspapers claiming that poisonous rice was imported to SL, is completely false and baseless. He said that no such research as claimed in the news article has been conducted by the Office of the Registrar of Pesticides since January this year. Mr. Ratnaweera said that the relevant newspapers have prepared the news using a report related to a research conducted in 2017, more..

Sep 18 (SN) The Sri Lankan authorities are discussing with Moscow the possibility of joining Russian payment system MIR, the discussion is underway between the Central Banks, SL Minister of Transport and Highways and Minister of Mass Media Bandula Gunawardena has told Sputnik. "Yes, yes, our embassy tried to do that because you want to [have] easy payment system... We will try to do that, we can get Central Bank's approval. After that it will be a success," more..

Sep 18 (EN) SL will make a virtual presentation to external creditors on Sept 23 updating them on on a deal agreed with the IMF and recent economic developments, advisors Clifford Chance said. SL defaulted on its external debt on April 2022 after two years of money printed to suppress interest rates and target an output gap (stimulus) which triggered foreign reserves losses, downgrades, and bondholders were no longer willing to roll-over debt. SL in April allowed interest rates to go up more..

Sep 18 (TM) Imported rice can be used to produce animal feed, as there are ample stocks of rice for human consumption till December, according to Minister Mahinda Amaraweera. Minister�s comments, which were made last week, drew wide criticism, with some questioning why rice unfit for human consumption had been imported in the first place. However, Minister said that excess stocks of imported rice could be utilised to make animal feed, pointing out that there was a shortage of more..

Sep 18 (ST) Provisional approval given by the Sustainable Energy Authority (SEA) to the Adani Free Energy Group of India to construct a wind power project in Pooneryn in the north is illegal, says the CEB. In a written statement, CEB General Manager Rohantha Abeysekera states the provisional approval granted for the construction of the 234MW wind-power project violates the SEA Act No. 35 of 2007. more..

Sep 18 (ST) The President�s Office has directed state institutions to ensure that no citizens should starve due to lack of food and children should not be victims of malnutrition. A circular has been sent out to ministries, provincial council chief secretaries, district and divisional secretaries to implement a series of decisions and an accelerated national multi-sector combined programme to ensure food security and protect children from malnutrition. The directives came as the latest UN report more..

Sep 18 (TM) Negotiations are ongoing between the Health Ministry and the Treasury to implement yet another pharmaceutical price hike considering the dollar rate fluctuations. The price hike, which is under discussion, will be a price ceiling increase, in contrast to the staggering increase enacted previously. The price hike had been requested by pharmaceutical companies given the recent rupee depreciation and the Ministry is considering the matter to avoid a shortage of drugs. more..

Sep 18 (ST) New import policy revisions that significantly lifted import restrictions announced last month, have been announced by the Govt. Temporary suspensions placed on hundreds of imports in August were lifted on Wednesday by Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe. Further restrictions were lifted as another set of imports were allowed under licences and special approval. Since July 9, bans on 159 products including toilet paper, more..

Sep 18 (TM) DGHS Dr. Asela Gunawardena has sought clarifications from the Director of the Apeksha Hospital over allegations of prescribing a banned drug � trastuzumab biosimilar (HERtiCAD) � for cancer patients. Dr. Gunawardena had sought the clarifications in response to a query posed by the Presidential Secretariat. In a letter to the DGHS, Senior Additional Secretary to Prez T.N. Amon has requested DGHS to submit a comprehensive report on the matter before 8 Sept. more..

Sep 18 (TM) Sri Lanka has adequate stocks of fuel for September with the unloading of three fuel consignments last week and another two shipments due to arrive this week. It is understood that the arrival of 37,000 MT of petrol last week enabled the CPC to avert an impending petrol shortage as reserves were extremely low. A 99,900 MT shipment of crude oil valued at nearly $ 83.7 million will also help sustain the functioning of the ageing Sapugaskanda Oil Refinery. more..

Sep 18 (ST) A new six-page draft resolution before the UNHRC in Geneva, handed in last Monday by the UK, is the strongest since 2009, thirteen years after Sri Lanka came to its attention officially. It is co-sponsored by the United States, Canada, Germany, Malawi, Montenegro, and North Macedonia. The govt is set to reject this latest one, to be titled 51/1 by the Council Secretariat upon formal acceptance after consultations. more..

Sep 19 (DM) For the past few months Sri Lanka has been in an economic and political crisis. In March this year, our country defaulted on its international debts, brought on by the drying up of foreign currency earnings as the COVID-19 pandemic and a series of local administrative blunders saw foreign earnings drying up, local agricultural production dropping and an inability to meet foreign debt payment deadlines. To put the crisis in perspective, COVID-19 pandemic saw expatriate earnings more..

Sep 19 (DM) The literally glittering and visually dazzling Imperial State Crown with nearly 3,000 diamonds and gems set into its platinum frame� [a blue sapphire weighing 104 carats and is believed to have originated from SL studded prominently] adorned the coffin carrying the remains of late Queen Elizabeth II. She will be honored with a state funeral at Westminster Abbey today at 3.30 pm local time. Nearly 500 dignitaries from around the globe are set to descend on London to pay more..

Sep 19 (TM) Even though SL has paid great attention to privatising loss-making public institutions with the hope that it would turn such institutions into profit-making ones, privatisation does not necessarily result in economic or institutional growth. While privatisation is portrayed and viewed as the best path to achieve economic development, there are many other areas apart from privatisation the country should look into more..

Sep 19 (Island) Foreign Minister Ali Sabry, addressing the UNHRC in Geneva last week said in no uncertain terms that any reference to economic crimes was beyond the UNHRC�s mandate: �It is observed that the UN Acting High Commissioner for Human Rights has tabled a report on SL that makes extensive reference to economic crimes. Apart from the ambiguity of the term, it is a matter of concern that such a reference exceeds the mandate of the OHCHR.� more..

Sep 19 (CT) While developed countries simply encourage and pave the way for their schoolchildren to dream about landing on Mars, Sri Lanka has a considerable number of children who wake up every morning with a dream of reaching their schools safely. On an unfortunate morning in November 2021, in Kinniya, five children who got on to a ferry to reach their school, which is located on the other side of the Kurunjankeni Lagoon, drowned with all their dreams unrealised. more..

Sep 19 (SO) Sri Lanka has achieved many victories that brought glory to the country in recent days including the awards won by The Newspaper film. The main actors of the film, Sarath Kotalawala and Kumara Thirimadura won the best actor award at Russia�s Kazan film festival recently. For many years Sri Lanka was battered by a long-drawn battle against terrorism while the people faced direct and indirect effects of it as a result. more..

Sep 19 (ST) Hawks may cry till the cows come home (to horribly malign that popular idiom) but as another Geneva session takes place with the customary trumpeting, a few home truths must be recognised, as unpalatable as those may be. SL�s Foreign Affairs Minister who also doubled up as the personal lawyer of former Prez Gotabhaya Rajapaksa not so long ago, has bleated his reassurances of preserving democracy before the 31st session of UNHRC a few days earlier. more..

Sep 19 (ST) When Minister Ali Sabry strode on Monday morn into Geneva�s UNHRC headquarters at the Palais Wilson to give formal reply to the perennial charges levelled against SL, it was blatantly clear that the alpine air would turn frostier toward his Govt, even before he ended his uncompromising speech. Throwing away the olive branch the Yahapalana Govt had offered in 2015 to consider its willingness to accept a hybrid tribunal of independent foreign & local judges to inquire more..