Jan 26 (Island) Liberal Democrats leader and MP for Surbiton, Edward Jonathan Davey, recently urged British Premier Rishi Sunak�s govt to follow Canadian Premier Justin Trudeau on the SL war crimes issue. Obviously Davey was referring to the unprecedented unilateral Canadian sanctions, recently imposed on former Presidents, Mahinda Rajapaksa (Nov. 2005-Jan. 2015) and Gotabaya Rajapaksa (2019 � Nov.-2022 July). The occasion was what the Tamil Guardian called a night of more..

Jan 26 (TM) Controversy continues to build over the proposed electricity tariff hikes as the Public Utilities Commission of SL (PUCSL) denied approving retrospective tariffs as well as interim revisions requested by the utility provider until the commission completes its review process. The PUCSL last week stressed that it could not accelerate the process of reviewing the proposed new electricity tariffs for this year, more..

Jan 26 (CT) Naval personnel who followed the Forensic Diving Course at the Hulhumal� Coast Guard Base of the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) presented an Olympus TG � 06 underwater camera and peripherals to Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral Priyantha Perera at the Navy Headquarters recently. As part of the European Union Critical Maritime Routes in Indian Ocean (EU CRIMARIO) Programme, the Gendarmerie Law Enforcement Forces of France has organised more..

Jan 26 (EN) Sri Lanka govt is considering compiling a monthly report on who the money collected from taxpayers is spent, Cabinet Spokesman Bandula Gunawardena said, in a move to ensure transparency amid international pressure to enact tough anti-corruption laws. Many multilateral lending agencies including IMF and the World Bank have urged Sri Lanka to enact tough anti-corruption laws and ensure transparency on the public funds more..

Jan 25 (CT) Two-time Netball Asian Cup winning coach and Olympian Thilaka Jinadasa has been appointed as the Head Coach of the National Netball team. Thilaka will replace Hyacinth Wijesinghe as the head coach, and her first task will be the upcoming Netball World Cup 2023 in South Africa in July. Jinadasa is considered as one of the most outstanding netball coaches in the country and has been an influential figure in developing netball in Sri Lanka. more..

Jan 25 (FT) MP Charitha Herath warns the Govt that its attempts to delay the LG elections will lead to a mass rejection of the country�s democratic apparatus. The MP, a member of Freedom People�s Congress, a splinter group of the ruling SLPP said such incorrect decisions by rulers led to the country�s youth setting up an anti-establishment movement. �Govt is repeating the same mistakes,� he said, adding that it will lead to the people rejecting democratic system more..

Jan 25 (TM) Following SJB Leader Sajith Premadasa alleging that the Election Commission (EC) is to be reconstituted at today�s maiden Constitutional Council (CC) meeting � the latter, a body in which he is an ex-officio member � thereby delaying the upcoming LG poll, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana denied that there are any such plans at present. When queried regarding whether CC would be reconstituting more..

Jan 25 (FT) Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe claimed that measures taken by the new administration at the Central Bank indeed helped to minimise the damage to the economy from the twin crisis in the Balance of Payments and external debt. Speaking at the CCC launch of its economic outlook, Dr. Weerasinghe said tightening of the monetary policy and other measures by the CB ensured that contraction of the economy in 2022 being limited to single digit and not double digit as well as more..

Jan 25 (FT) CB Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe alleged that even the private sector was responsible for the country�s on-going economic crisis and not solely the Govt or politicians. The broadside on the business community by Dr. Weerasinghe was made at none other than the auditorium of the country�s premier private sector lobbyist the CCC at the launch of its economic outlook publication. During the Q&A session of the event, the CBSL Chief argued that the Govt revenue shortfall more..

Jan 25 (EN) Sri Lanka�s central bank is holding its policy corridor at between rate at 15.5% but is expecting market rates to fall further and the economy to start recovering in the second half. The rate setting Monetary Board said its was �of the view that the maintenance of the prevailing tight monetary policy stance is imperative to ensure that monetary conditions remain sufficiently tight to rein in inflationary pressures.� more..

Jan 25 (TM) Supreme Court (SC) sentenced Attorney and retired Army Major Ajith Prasanna to four years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) and fined him Rs. 300,000 upon conviction on charges of contempt of court for holding a media briefing and intimidating witnesses in a case against several Navy officials over the alleged abduction and disappearance of 11 youths during the period from 2008 to 2009. The relevant case was taken up before the SC yesterday and SC Judges, more..

Jan 25 (FT) The SJB in a letter to the Election Commission of SL (EC) yesterday highlighted the use of state property by heads of Local Govt bodies for election campaign purposes. In the letter signed off by SJB�s general secretary Ranjith Madduma Bandara, the party revealed it had observed Local Govt heads intending to re-contest at the upcoming polls are misusing state vehicles and other state assets for their campaigns at a time nominations have been handed over to the EC. more..

Jan 25 (DN) We have to change the Education system to produce healthy citizens said Education Minister Susil Premajayantha who was the chief guest on Monday at the inaugural Sportsunleash schools awards ceremony held at BMICH. Minister said that studies and sports should go hand in hand which will help to produce healthy and outstanding students.Those days We did sports along with academic work. Vishmi Gunaratne of Ratnawali BMV Gampaha had 9 A' s at O/L and more..

Jan 25 (FT) SL Insurance Corporation (SLIC) said it is set to spearhead yet another year of steady growth building on the momentum of a resilient 2022. The company illustrated its strength recording a Gross Written Premium (GWP) of Rs. 20.7 billion in the Life Insurance sector and Rs. 20.5 billion in the General Insurance sector. In 2022, SLIC declared the highest ever life insurance bonus in the insurance industry, offering Rs. 9.8 billion for the year 2021 to its Life Insurance policyholders. more..

Jan 25 (TM) Keselwatta Police has withdrawn the B-report through which it had reported facts to the Colombo Magistrate�s Court regarding the protest held by a group of lawyers near the Hulftsdorp Court complex and AG's Dept on 18 Jan, urging the latter not to exert undue pressure on the Judiciary. Attorney Gunarathna Wanninayake, representing the Lawyers� Union of the Colombo Fort Magistrate�s Court, said more..

Jan 25 (TM) A plethora of views had been put forth with regard to the electoral campaign expenditure ceiling amounts at yesterday�s meeting held between the Election Commission (EC) and the political parties, independent groups, and candidates contesting the upcoming LG election, with the agreed upon figures to be amended accordingly by the EC per the law. �We discussed the amount but it cannot be decided before the law is authorised,� EC Chairman Attorney Nimal Punchihewa said more..

Jan 25 (DM) There was a conspiracy hatched to evict former Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa, where even some of the ministers at that time, got involved, SLPP General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam said today. He told a news conference that people have now realised it clearly and that they will take proper action against such individuals in the future. He said however, Gotabaya Rajapaksa was reluctant to admit that there was a conspiracy against him. "That is why he had to leave,� he said. more..

Jan 25 (AD) Minister of Power & Energy Kanchana Wijesekera says 10 of the 33 coal cargos required for the Norochcholai Coal Power Plant have been unloaded thus far. Meanwhile, two more cargos are scheduled to arrive before the end of January and seven cargos each in February, March and April. Taking to his Twitter handle, the lawmaker noted that insufficient cash flow and delays in financing have made it challenging to secure cargo on time and is delaying the process. more..

Jan 25 (FT) Sri Lanka is all set to roll out the first phase of the proposed Colombo South Port development project as a Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) with an investment of $ 150 million. �Based on the recommendations of the Cabinet Appointed Negotiation Committee, Govt has decided to implement the Colombo Int'l Container Terminals (CICT) proposal evaluated by a Cabinet Appointed Negotiation Committee,� Minister Bandula Gunawardena said. more..

Jan 25 (TM) Claiming that it has become impossible to prevent scheduled power cuts during the GCE A/L Exam period due to the increase in the price of naphtha required for the Kelanitissa Power Plant from Rs. 164 to Rs. 220, CEB Engineers� Union (CEBEU) stated that it is difficult to determine why the price of naphtha has been increased in such a way when fuel prices have not increased in the world market. more..

Jan 25 (TM) Reports emerged in the media recently stating that the National Sports Selection Committee (NSSC) has written to the Ministry of Sports, informing of their rejection of the nominees sent by SLC for National Cricket Selectors. The reports say that the NSSC, in a letter, has pointed out the availability of more suitable candidates for the SLC Selection Committee. The current selection committee, headed by Pramodya Wickramasinghe, has been nominated once again. more..

Jan 25 (AD) Salaries of all executive and non-executive grade employees in the public sector will be paid as usual today, State Minister of Finance Ranjith Siyambalapitiya says. On Monday, Siyambalapitiya announced that the monthly salaries of non-executive public sector employees would be paid on Jan 25. He also stated that the executive-level public sector employees would receive their monthly salary either on Jan 25 or Jan 26. At its meeting last week, Cabinet green-lighted more..

Jan 25 (TM) Public Utilities Commission of SL (PUCSL) stated that they will write to AG, Sanjay Rajaratnam and to private legal experts in the upcoming days concerning the legality of an interim electricity tariff hike with retroactive effect, as approved by the Cabinet of Ministers. PUCSL Chairman Janaka Ratnayake stated that the four members of the Commission arrived at a unanimous decision on Monday to evaluate more..

Jan 25 (Island) Convenor of the Federation of National Organisations (FNO), Dr Gunadasa Amarasekara in a letter to the US Ambassador Julie Chung has asked her not to create an anti-China frenzy by insisting that China is behind the delay in SL�s debt structuring process. Amarasekara said Chung is trying to mislead the people and to create animosity between SL and China. �China has already agreed to help SL restructure its debt. China has also donated large quantities of fuel, more..

Jan 25 (FT) The Year on Year (YoY) measure of inflation is a very useful tool during normal times working closely with the time scale of annual increments, price revisions, budgeting and even five-year election cycles. However, when faced with a sudden crisis such as a debt default, the currency crisis or the collapse of agriculture, YoY figures do not have the precision needed for decision making. Annualised Month on Month [AMoM] inflation figure based on the same CCPI more..

Jan 25 (AD) Constitutional Council met for the first time today, and has decided to call for applications from those interested and qualified to be appointed as members of the Independent Commissions. Accordingly, a newspaper advertisement will be published in this regard, after which two weeks will be given from the date of advertisement to furnish all related applications, Communication Dept of the Parliament confirmed. According to reports, new members will be appointed to the EC, more..

Jan 25 (DM) Kurunegala Municipal Council has spent a colossal amount of Rs. 60 million to remove a stone at a construction site where a building was being constructed for a Maternity and Child Clinic whereas the approved cost was Rs. 9.3 million, an audit report has revealed. The total estimated cost of the project is Rs. 230 million. As per the project, Rs. 9.3 million had been estimated as the approved cost to remove the stone. However, after producing a fraudulent price analysis, more..

Jan 25 (EN) Central Bank did not contract the economy by hiking rates, but prevented a further contraction and possible hyper inflation by stabilizing the external sector with high rates, Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe said. �By tightening monetary policy, we minimized the damage,� Governor said. �If we did not implement tight monetary policy and raising interest rates, we could have had a double-digit contraction more..

Jan 25 (SLN) The Navy seized more than 49kg of Kerala cannabis, during a special search operation carried out off the Delft Island in Jaffna today. The operation also led to the apprehension of 03 suspects along with a dingy in connection to the illegal act. Navy remains ever vigilant and regularly conducts patrols and search operations to prevent various forms of illegal activities emanating from the sea. In a similar operation, SLNS Wasaba in the Northern Naval Command more..

Jan 25 (AD) Colombo Magistrate�s Court today ordered the release of the former Governor of the Central Bank, Ajith Nivard Cabraal, from a case filed by Ven. Thiniyawala Palitha Thero. Accordingly, the order was issued by Colombo Fort Magistrate Thilina Gamage after Ven. Thiniyawala Palitha Thero himself withdrew the case against Cabraal. A personal complaint was filed by the monk against former Governor, accusing him of misappropriating state funds during his tenure as Governor more..

Jan 25 (TM) Govt is currently taking necessary steps to release 120 acres of lands from six different areas, including Palaly in the Jaffna Peninsula in the Northern Province, between the months of February and March. Director General of Community Affairs at the Presidential Secretariat Rajith Keerthi Tennakoon said yesterday that it had been agreed upon by the tri-forces to release the above extent of lands and more..

Jan 25 (FT) TNA, which is the premier political configuration of the Sri L Tamils in the Northern and Eastern Provinces, is currently fragmented. The chief constituent ITAK is on one side while the other two constituent parties namely the TELO and PLOTE are on the other side. Of the 10 seats held by the TNA in Parliament, six are with the ITAK. The TELO has 3 and PLOTE one. The Local Authority elections scheduled for 9 Mar 2023 has seen the ITAK going it alone with the party filing more..

Jan 25 (AD) MP Udaya Gammanpila suggests that a system should be prepared to pay the monthly salaries of public sector employees on a weekly basis, as a result of the difficulties faced by the govt in allocating funds to pay monthly wages. MP pointed out that by doing so, the govt will not have to confront the challenge of finding a huge amount of money at once. Further, he mentioned that it will also prevent the both salary payer and the salary earner from being trapped in debt. more..

Jan 25 (DM) The SL Cricket Selectors have decided to play 14 players including Kusal Janith Perera and Dushmantha Chameera as and when needed during the upcoming games against the England Lions Team, as part of their preparation for the Sri Lanka Tour of New Zealand. The SL team is scheduled to tour in New Zealand in March this year for 2 Test matches, 3 ODIs and 3 T20Is. It was reported that some key SL players who have recovered from injuries will be included in the NZ tour. more..

Jan 25 (TM) Colombo High Court yesterday stated that evidence will be called for the defence in the case against former ASP Kulasiri Udugampola, who is accused of having committed an offence by raiding a safe house run by officers of the Directorate of Military Intelligence (DMI) in Athurugiriya in Jan 2002. The case, which has been filed by the Attorney General (AG) against Udugampola, was taken up before Judge Adithya Patabendige to deliver the court�s decision more..