Sep 18 (CI) Maybe Sri Lanka needed to be shocked back to reality and that it would do them well in the long run. This is what coach Chris Silverwood feels, after SL suffered a monumental 10-wicket drubbing in the Asia Cup final. SL were blasted out for 50 in the title match before India raced to the target inside seven overs. "Sometimes a bit of a kick up the rear end is not the worst thing going into a World Cup," he said. more..

Sep 18 (FT) Port City Colombo proudly took centre stage as the Gold Sponsor of the prestigious i3 Summit by Khaleej Times in Dubai, which was held under the theme, �Redefining Innovation, Inspiring Change, and Shaping the Future of Business�. This key sponsorship strategically captured the attention of the global investor community, whilst highlighting Port City Colombo�s unwavering commitment to nurturing innovation and fostering collaboration in the region. more..

Sep 18 (EN) SL�s falling food prices was driving domestic manufacturing activities up, but falling external demand was depressing other sectors especially apparel, according to a Purchasing Managers Index compiled by the CB. Manufacturing Index was 49.3 in Aug 2023, almost at the 50 point level, up from 44.6 points in July. �The overall increase in New Orders was mainly driven by the manufacture of food & beverages sector, in response to the continuous downward revisions in retail prices,� more..

Sep 18 (TM) SL completed its Domestic Debt Optimisation (DDO) last week after a delay of two months, as 37% of the Govt�s Treasury bonds portfolio was subjected to the restructuring, with 84% of Treasury bonds held by superannuation funds, including the EPF, participating in the DDO. Although in recent weeks opposition against subjecting the EPF to restructuring came primarily from trade unions while political parties did not raise many concerns, more..

Sep 18 (TM) One of the key reasons why Sri Lanka is in the crisis situation we find ourselves in, is the lack of rule of law. Sri Lanka has had a systematic failure to enforce the laws which govern the land for decades. As such, lawlessness, crime and corruption rains. One of the key issues which has been a part of the problem is the lack of integrity and professionalism in the law enforcement agencies. Today, many have little or no respect for the Police. more..

Sep 18 (TM) National Trade Union Centre (NTUC) denounced the Employees� Provident Fund's (EPF) recent decision to submit an offer to exchange the portfolio of their Treasury Bonds under the Domestic Debt Optimisation (DDO) programme. Last week, the EPF informed its members that, as an eligible participant, and with the approval of the Monetary Board of CBSL, it has submitted an offer to exchange the portfolio of Treasury Bonds of the EPF under the DDO programme, in terms of the invitation extended by more..

Sep 18 (PTI) The Centre has informed the Madras High Court that it has taken steps to deport all the four Sri Lankans, convicted in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, to Sri Lanka. Foreigners Regional Registration Officer P Ve Arunshakthikumar, Bureau of Immigration, Ministry of Home Affairs stated this in his counter affidavit filed on Thursday, in response to a petition filed by S Nalini, one of the seven convicts ordered to be released by the Supreme Court last year. more..

Sep 18 (TM) Dept of Motor Traffic (DMT) has initiated an investigation against officials who are allegedly connected to a racket of registration of luxury vehicles under registration numbers of diplomatic vehicles which are no longer in use. A recent audit report issued by the National Audit Office, revealed that some officials of the DMT had been registering luxury vehicles using cancelled vehicle numbers given to diplomatic officials in SL for a long time, and the Govt has lost millions more..

Sep 18 (HRW) SL govt�s ongoing abuses are undermining the purported goals of its newly proposed truth and reconciliation commission, Human Rights Watch said in a report published today. Victims of past violations, their families, and human rights defenders have rejected the govt�s initiative because the govt has not consulted them, ignores evidence gathered by past commissions, and it exposes them to security force abuses and retraumatization if they participate. more..

Sep 18 (DM) Two supporters of a former Minister were arrested after they visited the member of an organised crimes group, Sanjeewa Kumara alias Ganemulla Sanjeewa who was arrested recently. Police sources said they were arrested on suspicion that they maintain links with the underworld. Police sources also said that the former minister is influencing high-ranking police officers and politicians on behalf of Sanjeewa Kumara alias Ganemulla Sanjeewa. more..

Sep 18 (Island) An artificial shortage of medicinal drugs had been created in government hospitals to enable emergency drug purchases, Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA) President Dr. Vinya Ariyaratne said recently, testifying before the parliamentary Sectoral Oversight Committee on an Open and Accountable Govt. Dr. Ariyaratne also said that carcinogenic foods had flooded the market without any regulations, and action had to be taken to protect the public. more..

Sep 18 (TM) State owned enterprise, Milco Pvt Ltd, is to be summoned before COPA and COPE. This, amidst the Ministry of Agriculture calming that the SOE has not been audited before, and plans being drawn to restructure Milco & National Livestock Development Board (NLDB). Minister Mahinda Amaraweera late last week had a discussion with the representatives of the trade unions within Milco, during which they alleged corruption and irregularities taking place within the company. more..

Sep 19 (DM) The IMF is in town for the first review of its programme launched in March 2023. Some Colombo circles worry whether the so-called IMF bailout will continue. However, their fears should rest aside, because the IMF could not have found a meeker and grovelling partner than the Govt of Sri Lanka. If the IMF demands the Government to jump ten feet, the Govt is all too eager to jump twenty feet, even if it means breaking the body of the economy. This has been the story of DDR more..

Sep 19 (DM) Sam Altman, founder of OpenAI /ChatGPT3 speaking at a recent US Senate hearing on AI, warned of serious consequences if this technology goes wrong, increasing joblessness, misinformation, and deepfakes impacting democracies among others. These are all deeply concerning. Are we ready for such a future? In SL as a country looking to transform domestically and also export technology products and services to other countries, it seems a lot remains to be done more..

Sep 19 (DM) Several Sri Lankans have immigrated and reached success in their own ways. Roy Ratnavel is one of them. SL born Tamil-Canadian business executive has been featured in the Canadian media for his rags to riches story for being an immigrant who went from mailroom clerk to a Senior Executive at CI Financial, Canada�s largest independent asset management firm. Ratnavel escaped torture and more..

Sep 19 (DM) While SL is facing an unprecedented issue of brain drain accelerated by the current economic crisis and the resultant political uncertainty, the leaders of the country are announcing plans for establishing more Universities. It can only be justifiable if they are certain that the migration trend or the craving for migration among the country�s youth could be restrained by the recovery of the economy. Otherwise, establishing new higher education institutions such as more..

Sep 19 (CT) The govt recently expressed its intention to restructure State institutions, such as the Marine Environment Protection Authority and Coastal Conservation Department, which are addressing environmental concerns. This was said by Prez�s Chief of Staff Sagala Ratnayake while participating in a beach clean-up at the Beach Plaza in the Port City, coinciding with International Coastal Clean-up Day (ICCD) and the commencement of Marine Resources Conservation Week. more..

Sep 19 (TM) Crop/yield, environmental threats, and limited application of technology are the three major challenges that plague SL�s coconut industry, stated Hayleys Group Eco Solutions Managing Director Rajeeve Goonetileke in an interview, pointing out that there had been a persistent stagnation in coconut production since the 1960s, worsened by the decline in the labour force and absence of modernisation policies. more..

Sep 19 (TM) The police response or lack thereof, to two crimes which unfolded on the same day in different parts of the country, highlights the lack of professionalism in the national law enforcement apparatus. Yesterday, on the orders of the IGP Chandana D. Wickramaratne, investigations into the shooting incident that targeted MP Uddika Premarathne in Anuradhapura was handed over to the CID. The Minister has also been provided protection from the Police STF. more..

Sep 19 (TM) One of the key reasons why Sri Lanka is in the crisis situation we find ourselves in, is the lack of rule of law. SL has had a systematic failure to enforce the laws which govern the land for decades. As such, lawlessness, crime and corruption rains. One of the key issues which has been a part of the problem is the lack of integrity and professionalism in the law enforcement agencies. Today, many have little or no respect for the Police. Police Dept is widely believed to be ineffective, more..

Sep 19 (ST) The Lankan Govt stood in the dock this week in Geneva before the UN�s Human Rights Council accused by its Commissioner for failing to have a continuous accountability record toward war crimes, corruption, human rights violations, and for abuse of power, which are vital to address if Lanka is to move forward. �More than a year ago mass protests demanded better governance and an inclusive vision for Sri Lanka�in short, a renewal of the social contract. more..

Sep 19 (CI) The Asia Cup is over. India are champions, for the 8th time. Deserving winners too. At the end of it, here's the team of the tournament, put together with votes from Andrew Fidel Fernando, Mohammad Isam, S Sudarshanan, Shashank Kishore, Sidharth Monga and Yash Jha. Shubman Gill: 302 runs from six innings; Avg 75.50; SR 93.49; Best 121. He started the tournament slowly, bowled by Haris Rauf for 10 in India's opening game, but had just one poor outing after that - 19 more..

Sep 19 (DN) Deputy Solicitor General Dileepa Peiris, informed Colombo Chief Magistrate Prasanna Alwis yesterday (15), that former cricketer Sachithra Senanayake�s conversation with cricketer Dhammika Prasad revealed that persons of the Cricket Board�s Corruption Committee as well as former veteran players of the SL cricket team are behind the cases of match-fixing for money. The Deputy Solicitor General said more..

Sep 19 (Island) Some henchmen of the Rajapaksa family, which is responsible for ruining the economy, have taken upon themselves the task of investigating the causes of the country�s bankruptcy! They are all out to absolve their political masters of wrongdoing in a bid to shore up the latter�s chances of winning future elections. Interestingly, their efforts have received a fillip from the UNP, of all parties. UNP Chairman Wajira Abeywardena, MP, has claimed that the declaration of more..

Sep 19 (FT) As a part of her visit to SL the Speaker of Bangladesh Parliament Dr. Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, MP called on the PM Dinesh Gunawardena and the Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena. In the meeting with the SL Speaker at the Parliament, both the Speakers highlighted the responsibilities and contribution of their respective Parliaments to democracy. They exchanged views on parliamentary practices and discussed ways and means to enhance cooperation between more..

Sep 19 (AD) Minister Harin Fernando today (18) told the Supreme Court that he wishes to withdraw his petition filed seeking an order preventing the law enforcement authorities from placing him under arrest. This was communicated by the minister�s legal counsel when the petition was called before a Supreme Court bench consisting of Justices Gamini Amarasekara, Mahinda Samayawardana and Arjuna Obeysekara earlier. Fernando had filed the petition some time ago, more..

Sep 19 (Island) Asian Games hopeful Tharushi Karunaratne excelled producing outstanding performances at the Sir John Tarbat Senior Athletics Championships, which turned out to be her last competition ahead of the Asian Games starting on Saturday. Skipping her pet event of 800 metres to abide by her coach Susantha Fernando�s training plan Tharushi competed only in the 400 metres and the 4�400 metres. Asian C'ship medallist lived up to her reputation in both creating records. more..

Sep 19 (CI) At any other point in Sri Lanka's history, crumbling to 50 all out in an Asia Cup final would've left the captain standing on extremely shaky ground. Especially if he's managed only two double-digit scores in his last 11 innings. Dasun Shanaka's form with the bat is difficult to ignore. But there is more than meets the eye in this story. "Dasun works so hard on his game," SL head coach Chris Silverwood said on Sunday. more..

Sep 19 (Island) United States and Sri Lanka marked the fourteenth Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) Council Meeting in Colombo today (18), solidifying their commitment to enhancing trade and investment relations. The technical level meeting, co-chaired by K.J. Weerasinghe of the Govt of SL and Brendan Lynch, Acting Assistant United States Trade Representative for South and Central Asia, witnessed productive discussions on a wide range of crucial issues. more..

Sep 19 (AD) The mother and brother-in-law of the police constable who allegedly aided in the failed attempt by notorious criminal figure Nadun Wickramaratne, alias Harak Kata, to escape from the custody of the CID have been taken to police custody. Meanwhile, the police also stated that detention orders have been obtained to hold them for a period of 90 days for questioning. The organized criminal gang leader known as Harak Kata, had reportedly attempted to flee more..

Sep 19 (Island) Rebel SLPP MP Prof. G.L. Peiris asked Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe whether the latter intended to postpone the next prez election indefinitely by claiming the govt lacked sufficient funds for conducting elections. He raised the issue in the wake of UNP MP Vajira Abeywardena�s recent declaration that the govt wouldn�t be able to meet the basic requirements of the people if funds more..

Sep 19 (ST) In the low-income neighbourhood of Wanathamulla in Colombo city, Mrs Pushpa Galhena, 57, described a tough life in numbers, not sentiment. �I have electricity bills overdue for half a year, two microfinance repayments of 3,000 rupees (S$13) and 1,000 rupees I have to pay daily for 45 days, medical expenses of 8,000 rupees a week, food to buy and overdue rent of 25,000 rupees a month,� she said, rattling off the figures like a bank teller rather than a retired school teacher, more..

Sep 19 (FT) SL United National Businesses Alliance (SLUNBA) Chairperson Tania Abeysundara accused the Govt of enacting economic policies to safeguard itself and not the country which is in crisis. Abeysundara said the policy decisions taken by both the Govt and the Central Bank have resulted in a gradual and painful decline in the country�s SME sector. �We cautioned that by the end of 2023, at least one million people would be left unemployed. Today, it has sadly become a reality,� more..

Sep 19 (DM) In response to a question raised by journalists at a media conference, whether politics was involved in Sri Lanka�s defeat in the Asia Cup Final on Sunday, an MP from SJB said an investigation has to be conducted to determine the reasons for it. SJB National Organizer and MP Tissa Attanayake came out with this remark whether Sri Lanka�s defeat on Sunday was a birthday gift for Indian PM Narendra Modi whose birthday fell on Sunday, September 17, 2023. more..

Sep 19 (TM) AITC MP Selvarajah Kajendren has accused intelligence officers of having orchestrated the attack on a vehicle carrying an image of Rasaiah Parthipan alias Thileepan of the LTTE in Kappalthurai, Trincomalee on 17 Sept. Thileepan was a member of the LTTE, who died in Sept 1987 while on a hunger strike after issuing a list of demands to Govts of India and SL. A vehicle carrying his image had started its commemorative journey from Pottuvil in EP to Nallur, more..

Sep 19 (FT) SJB MP Eran Wickramaratne on Sunday claimed a future SJB Govt led by Sajith Premadasa will not only reform State enterprises but will also manage public assets in a manner that will generate an income. MP criticised the Govt for its lack of intelligent management of public assets and accused it of burdening the people with heavy taxes, which has resulted in a mass exodus of professionals and academics from SL. more..