Mar 12 (ST) Buoyed by the impending approval of an IMF facility on March 20, SL will implement an ambitious plan to boost foreign reserves by at least US$8.4 billion through the IMF bailout loan of $2.9 billion, World Bank immediate commitment of $1.5 billion, ADB aid of $1billion and $3 billion through the restructuring of selected state-owned enterprises (SOEs). The country�s foreign reserve build up will begin soon after IMF starts disbursing the tranches of Extended Fund Facility in 2 weeks� time, more..

Mar 12 (DM) A minister and a state minister who went to inaugurate a cultural centre at Bamunakotuwa in ​​Kurunegala were booed by a group of residents in the area today. It was reported that the residents protested Minister Vidura Wickramanayake and State Minister D.B. Herath who attended the event to declare open the cultural centre. However, despite the opposition, the ministers attended the event. Local residents claimed that this cultural centre has been more..

Mar 12 (ST) Amidst uncertainty over the fate of the local council elections, political parties and candidates say they are continuing with their electoral campaigns, though they concede that the failure to hold the polls as scheduled has caused issues. While the Election Commission (EC) confirmed on Friday that District Returning Officers had issued gazette notifications to hold the LG election on April 25, political parties and more..

Mar 12 (AD) The luxury passenger ship �Princess Cruise� docked at the Colombo Port this morning (11), with nearly 2,000 passengers aboard. The ship arrived this morning, carrying 1,894 tourists and 906 crew members. A group of 159 tourists who had come aboard the ship have already left the Port, and are scheduled to visit Kandy, Pinnawala, Negombo and Ingiriya. The 294-metre-long ship belonging to an American company arrived from Thailand and is due to leave for Dubai tonight, more..

Mar 12 (DM) Refuting media reports that former JVP MPs have obtained pensions amounting to Rs.240 million for the past 13 years, former JVP MP Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa said pension of 11 former JVP MPs were credited to party's Common Fund. He said that according to a document released by the Secretary General of Parliament, some 266 MPs representing various political parties were eligible for the pension and that 11 of them were JVP MPs. "The allegation that former JVP MPs have more..

Mar 12 (AD) A ministerial-level meeting will be held in two weeks to discuss the long-awaited Animal Welfare Bill. This was decided at a meeting of the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Agriculture in Parliament, convened on March 7, during which invited guests including Attorney-at-Law Lalani Perera commented on the need for this bill. It was noted that the existing laws for animal welfare in Sri Lanka are quite old and they are not strong enough to protect the rights of the animals. more..

Mar 12 (AD) The quality of air in parts of SL dropped this morning (11), with the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Colombo reaching an unhealthy level of concern (numerical value between 151-200). As per the air quality monitor (AQM) installed by the US Embassy in Colombo, air quality in Colombo has plunged to an AQI index value of 152 as at 11 a.m. today. Meanwhile, figures from IQAir � a Swiss air quality technology company � showed that the air quality has plummeted to 155 in Jaffna. more..

Mar 12 (EN) Ministry of Power & Energy has held talks on the progress of restructuring the state-run CEB with a number of multilateral and other development agencies communicating on the assistance they can offer. Minister Kanchana Wijesekara tweeted that the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the World Bank, USAID and JICA had informed the govt of its intention to assist. A roadmap and timeline will be submitted to more..

Mar 12 (EN) SL is not ready for an election because of its cash insolvency and an election at this juncture would not mean a complete removal but a reshuffling of familiar faces, State Minister Diana Gamage said. �MPs who voted against the budget are now asking us to release money allocated for an election. Is that fair?� she said. The budget�s third reading after more than two weeks of debate was passed by 43 votes � 123 votes in favour and 80 against in SL�s 225-member legislature. more..

Mar 12 (AD) Former Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage was barred from traveling overseas last night (10) by officials of the Dept of Immigration and Emigration at the BIA. Accordingly, Aluthgamage was forced to cancel his trip after officials of the Immigration Dept had informed him of an overseas travel ban issued by the Mathugama court. However, MP informed Controller General of Immigration Dept today (11) that no such order has been issued against him by Mathugama court. more..

Mar 12 (ST) SLPP, which sprung up as a major political grouping surpassing established parties, suffered the worst blow to its image in the aftermath of last year�s mass protests. Rather than an electoral defeat, such a damaging downfall came, paradoxical enough, due to the actions of the then Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The strongest blow was to his elder brother, Mahinda Rajapaksa, when he called for his resignation as PM. more..

Mar 13 (DM) In Dec 2022, then incoming Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu on a visit to Canada made a startling claim -�that the Arabs dispossessed and kicked out the Jews from the land of Israel after they conquered the area in the seventh century. He denied (falsely of course) the existence of the Palestinian people, calling their historic land a barren mess - a ruin before the creation of Israel. He went on to allege that Palestinians only lived in what is now Israel because farms and factories more..

Mar 13 (DM) How fair is it for a country like Sri Lanka that has a fertile land and natural resources in abundance, to go after welfare, subsidies, grants and aid from the world by calling itself a developing country? When I was in Grade 6, the textbook we learnt for Geography was called Across the Developing World written by Michael Haigh, this textbook had chapters named after a developing country, which included Nigeria, Bangladesh, Nepal, India as well as Malaysia. more..

Mar 13 (TM) Illegal maritime migration is well established as the most dangerous form of irregular migration. This is, in a context where thousands of people die at sea globally, each year. Although data on the global scale of the issue is sparse, according to IOM, between 2014 and 2018, over 30,000 people died while attempting to irregularly migrate. Further, there are many vulnerable communities who are easily more..

Mar 13 (ST) The recent Supreme Court interim order to the Secretary, Ministry of Finance preventing him from withholding allocated funds in the 2023 Budget for the local govt polls, has been interpreted as a breach of the privileges of Parliament by some enthusiastic worthies in the Govt. The fact that the Parliament has all powers vested in it over public finance has precisely nothing to do with the matter, let us be quite clear. Sections 148 to 150 of the Constitution deals with control of the House more..

Mar 13 (TM) In SL, the role and influence of MP in whom powers have been vested to represent the public has remained in a questionable state for a long time. Whether they contribute to uphold democracy, represent the public�s interests and ensure the proper functioning of the State�s affairs, as they are required to, has long been in question. It is no secret that the public faith in many MPs has greatly dwindled. The same concerns were raised in controversial situation surrounding LG poll. more..

Mar 13 (SO) Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe said that the appreciation of the SL rupee amid an economic crisis is a clear indication of the results of the hard work committed by the Govt during the past eight months. Minister said at present the people have confidence in the Govt�s stability and it has also paved the way to increase our remittances. He said the policy adopted by the Govt was not to print money and impose some more..

Mar 13 (Island) Rajapaksa-Wickremesinghe regime has been able to bulldoze its way through thanks to the pusillanimity and timorousness of the Opposition, which is divided and all at sea. The SJB, the JVP-led NPP, the SLFP and the SLPP dissident groups are at war with one another instead of taking on the govt with might and main. The spectre of vigilantes and mercenaries being deployed to attack anti-govt protesters, the way UNP govts did in the 1980s & early 1990s, looms over the country. more..

Mar 13 (CT) A few years back, during pre-Covid times to be exact, on hearing the news of an upcoming uni students� protest in Colombo, the daily commuters to Colombo for work would often roll their eyes and sigh in frustration because the protest meant blocked roads, traffic jams, and prolonged delays in public transport. IUSF would often be scrutinised for inconveniencing the public, despite protesting for arguably the greater good. Regardless of how legit the reasons behind the protests more..

Mar 13 (ST) Prez made a welcome departure from being the habitual harbinger of bad news to become the herald of approaching good times when he told Parliament this week that the IMF egg was beginning to hatch. Making a special statement on Wednesday, Prez announced that Lanka had received the all-important financial assurance from China�s Exim Bank on Monday night. �That same night,� he said, �I, and the Governor of CB, signed the letter of agreement & forwarded it to IMF. more..

Mar 13 (Hindu) Early February, a group of saffron-clad Buddhist monks gathered near the SL Parliament and burnt a copy of the 13th Amendment. They were registering their rage and protest after Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe vowed to implement the law in full. He had told an all-party conference that it was his responsibility as the Executive to carry out the current law. �For approximately 37 years, the 13th Amendment has been a part of the Constitution. more..

Mar 13 (FT) International Labour Organisation (ILO) is stressing the need for greater focus on human-centred job-rich recovery as a more sustainable path to emerge out of the crisis whilst fixing the external and internal finances of the country. �We�re still in the economic crisis. It�s not gone. It�s going to stay with us for some years. Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) account for over 60% of the economy and more..

Mar 13 (AI) In February, the finance ministers of G20 countries met to discuss the challenges facing the global economy. It was a missed opportunity to help a country on the front line of the debt crisis that has enveloped dozens of nations around the world in recent years. It was disappointing that the final Chair�s summary and outcome document only paid lip service to alleviating the challenges faced by people in Sri Lanka. While it recognised the urgency to address debt vulnerabilities globally, more..

Mar 13 (ST) Jaffna Central College won the 116th Battle of North, beating their traditional rivals St. John�s College by 9 wickets, with over two sessions remaining at the Central College ground in Jaffna yesterday. Needing nine runs for victory, Jaffna Central lost a wicket, but had little trouble in claiming a well-crafted win, despite losing the vital toss. Put into bat first, Jaffna Central responded well scoring an imposing 279 in the first innings largely thanks to the brilliant batting of more..

Mar 13 (FT) In a seminar hosted by Verit� Research last week, University of Oxford Professor Stefan Dercon argued that one of the conditions required for economic prosperity is for elites of a country � not just political elites, but business leaders, civil society leaders, etc. � to be convinced that they should shift their focus from maximising their own wealth in the short-term to work toward collective goals of the nation (to gamble on the national development project). more..

Mar 13 (TM) JVP-led NPP will await the outcome from an ongoing police investigation into an alleged foreign employment scam to decide on disciplinary actions against one of its members. Police are investigating a NPP Ambalantota Pradeshiya Sabha (PS) candidate for the alleged scam. JVP committee member Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa told The Daily Morning yesterday (12) that the party will initiate disciplinary action once the police investigations into the incidents are completed. more..

Mar 13 (DM) With the increase in egg prices the govt decided to import eggs to regulate its price. Although it was a good move, there was talk that bird flu might be introduced due to the import of eggs from India; a fact to which medical experts have given their attention to. When the govt called for tenders, the three international suppliers who applied were said to be importing eggs from India. But presently bird flu is spreading rapidly more..

Mar 13 (PMD) Chief of the Presidential Staff, Sagala Ratnayake, officially launched a program today (12) aimed at reducing the environmental damage caused to the coast of Sri Lanka by the distressed X-Press Pearl vessel which caught fire. The program also involves using machinery to remove the garbage from the affected coast, and the launch took place at Crow-Island beach in Mattakkuliya. The program is jointly implemented by the Marine Environment Protection Authority, more..

Mar 13 (EN) Fourteen (or is it 13) SL companies have pledged to boost female directors and management to 20% by 2025, at an event initiated by the International Finance Corporation and Colombo Stock Exchange. A Ring the Bell for Gender Equality event was on Int'l Women�s Day the CSE said. According to an IFC study supported by Australia�s DFAT the number of women on CSE-listed boards was only 10.1% in 2022 up from 8.2% in 2018 rising from 144 to 240. more..

Mar 13 (CI) Sri Lanka has the seam-bowling weaponry to make a serious push for victory on Monday. So believes Angelo Mathews, their centurion from day four, who was most responsible for setting NZ a target of 285. In the 17 overs SL bowled at NZ before stumps, the seamers were probing and disciplined. Kasun Rajitha claimed the wicket of Devon Conway, and NZ could not score at more than 1.64 an over, finishing at 28 for 1, more..

Mar 13 (CI) Angelo Mathews' 14th Test century pried open the door to an unlikely World Test Championship final berth for SL, one that had seemingly been firmly shut the previous day. The game though is nevertheless finely poised, with NZ needing a very gettable 257 runs on the final day, and SL requiring nine wickets. However, the visitors' biggest obstacle might be the rain that is forecast for Monday morning. But that both teams are still in with a shot of winning this Test is a credit to more..

Mar 13 (ST) The domestic currency appreciation will stimulate more foreign exchange leading to additional liquidity in the banking system, analysts say. A bank CEO said that other than large exporters, other exporters, in general, will actively consider converting their dollars, which will see a larger quantum of foreign currency coming into the country, which in turn will help the dollar liquidity in the banking system. He added the importers will adopt a wait-and-see attitude to find out more..

Mar 13 (ST) The new date of April 25 announced by the Elections Commission for the local council elections is again in the balance as fresh dates for postal voting will need to be announced if the Commission does not receive an advance payment of Rs 500 million by next Wednesday, Commission Chairman Nimal Punchihewa told the Sunday Times. He said the Commission required a total of Rs 1,100 million from the Treasury by the end of the month to go ahead with the preparation for elections. more..

Mar 13 (SLN) The Sri Lanka Navy conducted a special operation to chase away Indian poaching trawlers from Sri Lankan waters this morning (12th March 2023). The operation led to the seizure of 02 Indian trawlers with 16 Indian nationals poaching in Sri Lankan waters northeast of Veththalakeni and off the Analativu Island. The Navy continues to conduct regular patrols and operations in Sri Lankan waters to curb illegal fishing practices of foreign fishing trawlers. more..

Mar 13 (TM) Minister of Public Security Tiran Alles will not appear before the Human Rights Commission of SL (HRCSL) to answer a summons issued to him measures taken by the Police to control two protests organised by the IUSF last week. According to Minister Alles, he will not make an appearance as four out of five Commission members have reportedly said that they had not made a decision to summon him. more..

Mar 13 (DN) Dambulla, and Jaffna teams recorded victories in the National Super League (NSL) Limited Over Tournament when Dambulla beat Colombo by four wickets at Dambulla cricket Stadium. Jaffna defeating Galle by 55 runs on a D/L method in their match played at Pallekele on Saturday. An unbroken 75-run stand for the seventh wicket between Ashan Priyanjan (50n.o.) and Dushan Hemantha (41n.o.) steered Dambulla to a four-wicket win. Priyanjan was named man of the match. more..