Sep 22 (ICC) Ahost of changes have been announced by the ICC to the Playing Conditions, which will come into effect on Oct 1 2022. Men's Cricket Committee led by former India captain Sourav Ganguly recommended changes to the Playing Conditions in MCC�s updated 3rd Edition of the 2017 Code of the Laws of Cricket. The conclusions were also shared with the Women�s Cricket Committee, who endorsed the recommendations. more..

Sep 22 (EN) SL Railways will call an int'l tender to sell scrap steel rails to earn foreign exchange amid a currency crisis, Minister Bandula Gunawardana said. �Due to the foreign exchange crisis, I have instructed scrap metal to be sold for dollars through an int'l tender,� he told parliament. �We are collecting old rails and other metal scrap to sell.� SL is in the grip of the worst currency crisis in the history of its intermediate regime central bank after printing money for two years suppress interest rates. more..

Sep 22 (DM) The SL rupee, which shed nearly 80 percent of its value, has sent the rupee value of the foreign currency-denominated debt of the govt spiralling by significant proportions, even with no fresh borrowings, as the rupee weakness is sending ripple effects across markets. According to the outstanding public debt data available through April this year, the cumulative debt, comprising both domestic and foreign, surged to Rs.23,310.1 billion, from Rs.17,589.4 billion at the end of 2021. more..

Sep 22 (TM) The Committee for Muslim Law Reforms (CMLR) has proposed not to abolish the controversial polygamy law applicable to Muslim men, with seven out of the nine committee members voting to permit polygamy under more stringent conditions, and two members voting to abolish it entirely. Therefore, a proposal on regulating polygamous marriages under the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act, No. 13 of 1951 more..

Sep 22 (FT) The publisher of leading business magazine LMD, announced its top 12 line-up in the forthcoming LMD 100 special annual edition. Expolanka takes the top spot in the 29th edition of Sri Lanka�s pioneering listed company rankings for Financial Year 2021/22. With a consolidated revenue in excess of Rs. 694 billion, the conglomerate has secured top spot in SL�s version of the Fortune 500 for first time on the back of a whopping 217% hike in turnover compared to the previous year. more..

Sep 22 (FT) SJB MP Imthiaz Bakeer Markar claimed the Govt�s latest proposal to set up a National Council is a mere eyewash. Markar said instead an entity with requite powers must be formed immediately. He said that the General Secretary of the SJB had presented a constitutional National State Council and that what the Govt had presented today was completely different to the one proposed by his party. �The proposal by the SJB was put forward after heeding the calls of the public more..

Sep 22 (TM) Despite the Health Ministry�s statements that hospitals are currently receiving pharmaceutical drugs and medical equipment as ordered, medical officers working in several Government hospitals stated that there is still a shortage of drugs, test kits, and other medical equipment, with the GMOA requesting the relevant authorities to expedite the process of importing and clearing stocks of drugs. more..

Sep 22 (FT) Free Trade Zone Manufacturers Association (FTZMA) has called on the Govt to extend the electric vehicle import license for foreign investors registered with the Board of Investment to boost quality FDIs. In a letter addressed to BOI Director-General, the FTZMA has proposed the Govt extend a similar benefit to the foreign investors who are operating under the purview of BOI to import electric vehicles which would be of an additional benefit to them to attract more FDIs and more..

Sep 22 (TM) A rift is forming between the senior tourism officials at the SL Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) and the Ministry of Tourism and Lands, as the Tourism Ministry Secretary wants to appoint a SL Administrative Service (SLAS) officer as the SLTDA Deputy Director General (DDG) despite the officer lacking adequate experience or qualifications. A highly placed source within the SLTDA said that Tourism Ministry Secretary Chulananda Perera is attempting to appoint more..

Sep 22 (FT) NKAR Travels and Tours Ltd. on Tuesday unveiled an appealing Save the SL smile global campaign to reignite the tourism industry impacted by a hat trick of crisis starting from 2019 Easter Sunday attacks, COVID-19 pandemic and shortage of foreign exchange and essentials. Created & launched by NKAR team, being white label campaign, it allows anyone to use the material following specific guidelines and promote it with individual branding via different platforms. more..

Sep 22 (EN) Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella justified the higher taxes on women�s sanitary pads citing the move was to create more opportunity for locally produced sanitary products in the market. Minister said the foremost concern the govt has now is the availability of the female hygiene product during the economic crisis. �First thing under the present circumstances, particularly with the downturn of economy is that you must make it available at a reasonable & affordable price more..

Sep 22 (TM) Regarding the meeting scheduled to be held tomorrow between the Govt and its external creditors, State Minister of Finance Shehan Semasinghe reasoned in Parliament that this is the initial round of discussions held with the financial and legal advisors, and that the Govt is therefore not in a position to disclose to Parliament about discussions which are at their preliminary stages, and therefore, will keep the House informed more..

Sep 22 (Island) SLPP MP Prof. G.L. Peiris said that the govt rebels in the opposition ranks were not given time to speak in Parliament. Speaking to the media at the Parliament ground, Prof Peiris said that the govt accused of suppressing the voices of people has now extended its grip of silencing the critics in Parliament by not allocating time to the opposition MPs to speak in debates. Prof Peiris said that time in debates was not allocated to 13 SLPP MPs who joined the opposition ranks. more..

Sep 22 (Island) President Ranil Wickremesinghe�s Office says that Presidential Advisor on Climate Change and Deputy Leader of the UNP, Ruwan Wijewardene, hadn�t been a member of the govt delegation to the UK for the funeral ceremony of Queen Elizabeth II, held at Westminster Abbey. According to the President�s Office, the former UNP MP Wijewardene had been on a private visit, though he joined a meeting addressed by President Wickremesinghe on Monday (19). more..

Sep 22 (Island) More than 8,000 families would be affected due to a licence given to commence heavy mining activities on Mannar Island from December, Mannar Citizens� Committee Prez, Father A. Gnanapragasam said. He said Prez should intervene before Titanium Sands Ltd., commenced its operation in December. He alleged that the Australian-based mining company through its local subsidiary had commenced secretive heavy mineral exploration. more..

Sep 22 (FT) Supreme Court granted time to the Attorney General to file limited objections related to the fundamental rights petition filed seeking to annul the Govt�s decision to remove the ban imposed on glyphosate herbicides. When the petition was called today before the 3-judge panel comprising Judges Murdu Fernando, Kumuduni Wickramasinghe and Gamini Amarasekera, Govt lawyer who appeared on behalf of the respondents asked the court to give a date for presenting the limited objections more..

Sep 22 (TM) In response to allegations made by SJB MP S.M. Marikkar, who charged that Litro Gas Lanka Ltd. was deliberately prolonging the awarding of the tender for 280,000 metric tonnes (MT) of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) in an effort to favour a higher bidder, Litro stated that the selection of the bidder was not in its control, and that the bids were under evaluation by the Ministry of Power and Energy, SCAPC, more..

Sep 22 (FT) The apparel industry has maintained its momentum of a half-a-billion export haul for a third consecutive month in August, driving the first eight months� performance to near the $ 4 billion mark. As per provisional data from JAAF, exports in August were up by 19.05% to $ 534.85 million, from a year ago. The robust performance in August is the second high, as $ 537 million achieved in June is the top record, reaffirming the sheer resilience of the private sector driven industry. more..

Sep 22 (Island) Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella told Parliament yesterday that action would be taken against officials who had exposed that nutritional supplement Thriposha distributed among children and expectant mothers was contaminated with aflatoxin. The Minister said that some officials had said that the Thriposha being distributed contained a toxin. The officials should obtain permission from the Secretary to the Ministry before making such statements. more..

Sep 22 (TM) Sri Lanka Thriposha Ltd. company denied claims that aflatoxins � a family of toxins produced by certain fungi that are found in agricultural crops such as maize/corn � were found in Thriposha � a nutritional supplement given free to low-income pregnant women, mothers, and infants � and is to publicly release a report attesting to the same today. SL Thriposha Ltd. Chair Deepthi Kularathna denied such claims, more..

Sep 22 (SLE) Consequent to the request made by the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Washington D.C., and under the purview of Ambassador Mahinda Samarasinghe, Americares, one of the world�s leading nonprofit providers of donated medicine and medical supplies, has generously donated more than $773,000 USD worth (279,476,100.28 LKR) of urgently needed medical supplies for the people of SL. This donation consists of essential medicines, including prenatal and lactation vitamins, more..

Sep 22 (CT) Govt of Sri Lanka�s (GoSL�s) demand-pull inflationary face value money printing (FVMP) debt increased by Rs 2,809 million (Rs 2.81 billion) due to a persistent lack of revenue, thereby upping GoSL�s FVMP debt by 0.09 per cent to Rs 3,263,874.82 million (Rs 3.2639 trillion) Tuesday (20). The country�s foreign reserves increased by USD 0.62 million (Rs 224 million) yesterday led by the settlement of net foreign inflows to the stock market. more..

Sep 22 (FT) The international community is divided at least into two spheres. Call it liberal democracy vs. illiberal democracy, West vs. East or whatever. But on good days and some issues, there are realities and interests which transcend these divisions, whether or not the contending segments know it. Here�s one. The incumbent Wickremesinghe administration is a bad bet for anyone in the international community. Whether you belong to the people�s sovereignty camp or more..

Sep 22 (FT) The intensification of the economic crisis in Sri Lanka in 2022 has no exact parallel in history. While it may be compared to moments such as the Great Depression of the 1930s or the global economic downturn of the 1970s, these analogies are only guides. In each case, a particular element may offer an example of continuity while another might reveal discontinuity. Depending on the critical way in which we think through them, these historical situations can offer useful signposts. more..

Sep 22 (ABC) A key Australian govt tool to combat people smuggling in SL can be easily dodged by perpetrators and is forcing fishermen struggling in the country's economic crisis to pay a monthly fee. Official sources have also told the ABC they are investigating the brother of a SL govt MP over allegations of people smuggling to Australia. The revelations paint a picture of the ineffective measures put forward by the Australian govt more..

Sep 22 (DM) Taking on critics on her recent remarks on introducing night life activities, State Minister Diana Gamage told Parliament yesterday that when she spoke about night life she was not referring to prostitution. �When I talked about night life I did not refer to prostitution. Night life goes beyond prostitution,� she said. She also said when efforts are made to develop the nation those who talk about culture and religion make Sri Lanka stagnate without any development. more..

Sep 22 (EN) Sri Lanka commenced an Ambassadors� Forum under the patronage of Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe on the island nation�s debt restructuring and International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme with the participation of 16 Colombo-based Missions and six missions virtually from New Delhi, the PMD said. The move comes as a final agreement on the debt restructuring has become a mandatory for the approval of IMF loan by the global lender�s executive board. more..

Sep 22 (EN) Prez�s office established a Food Security Program Unit to address increasing poverty and hunger after reports of rising malnutrition and students fainting at schools without food amid an economic crisis and sharp depreciation of rupee currency has led to basic food unaffordable many people. Local and social media have reported many incidences of students fainting at schools because they come without having any foods more..

Sep 22 (NR) MP Rohini Kaviratne has been elected as the new Chairperson of the Parliamentary Caucus for Children. MP Kaviratne�s name was proposed by MP Udaya Gammanpila as the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Caucus for Children and seconded by MP Kins Nelson. Parliamentarian Sudarshani Fernandopulle was appointed as the Co-Vice President of the Caucus. Her name was proposed by MP Rohini Kaviratne and seconded by MP Nelson. more..

Sep 22 (Island) Schoolchildren were greatly stressed because schools no longer conducted extracurricular activities, CTU General Secretary, Joseph Stalin, said. Ministry of Education must immediately commence counselling services at schools and recommence extracurricular activities including sports, he said. �Because of COVID-19, we could not properly conduct schools. Now, schools have reopened, but there are no extracurricular activities. more..

Sep 22 (Island) Amidst protests against the govt�s failure to purchase paddy, a meeting called by PM Dinesh Gunawardena at the Parliament yesterday (21) to resolve the crisis ended inconclusively. Among those present at the meeting chaired by Premier Gunawardena were State Finance Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya and Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera, who recently alleged state banks were yet to provide the funds required for the purchase of paddy stocks. more..

Sep 22 (AD) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe says a special book exhibition including books and documents of rare and historical value that have been taken from SL to foreign countries, is expected to be organized in conjunction with the 75th Independence Commemoration. Prez said this when he joined the 23rd Colombo National Book Fair at the BMICH premises this morning. Prez also said that he hopes to obtain the support of the SL Book Publishers Association for more..

Sep 22 (FT) Admitting the country is not yet out of the woods, CB Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe on Tuesday warned SL will not have a second chance to get macroeconomics right if the crucial IMF program along with debt sustainability initiative is compromised. �We are not out of the woods yet though we are managing painfully. The transition will be a difficult period,� he said with reference to efforts to bring stability more..

Sep 22 (Island) A survey has revealed that 80% of children in a village in Suriyawewa are malnourished says Chairman of the Professional Forum of Physicians on Medical and Civil Rights, Dr. Chamal Sanjeewa. �A similar situation prevails in most parts of the Hambantota District. Health administrators must visit rural areas, conduct studies and find solutions to the problems of the people. If immediate steps are not taken our children will be in serious trouble,� he said. more..

Sep 22 (EN) Sri Lanka�s military strength at 247,000 is too expensive to maintain and reserve force should be considered, ruling party legislator Mahindanda Aluthgamage has said. �Our tri-forces amount to 247,000,� Aluthgamage, a former agriculture minister of the ruling SLPP who is now without a portfolio told parliament. �In other countries of the world, when the war is over they voluntarily leave. Or they leave and are kept in reserve. �We spend 100 billion rupees for food alone.� more..