Aug 15 (ST) The winding down of the iconic aragalaya (struggle) site at the Galle Face Green this Friday as the police hauled away the last remaining tents, was met by its onetime occupants, not with sadness or resignation but, interestingly enough, a calm jubilation. ‘This Government has shown that it has not understood the nature of this struggle,’ one young woman said, ‘we did not do this for months, forgetting our families, braving the risks, standing up against the State, more..

Aug 15 (TM) Last week was one of the most decisive for Govt of Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe as it continues to struggle to find its footing amidst the raging fires from many sides. Obstacles in forming the proposed all-party govt are a key issue faced by the Wickremesinghe Govt, with all key political parties in Parliament shying away from his invitation to form an all-party mechanism. This happens to be the main solution Wickremesinghe was more..

Aug 15 (CT) Media on Saturday reported that SL has finally granted permission to the controversial Chinese missile tracking/surveillance/spy ship Yuan Wang 5 to dock at the Hambantota Port tomorrow. It will be at Hambantota for six days. It was only on the previous day, Friday, that India’s External Affairs Ministry Spokesman Arindam Bagchi said, “SL is a sovereign country and makes its own independent decisions.” He was responding to a question raised by a CNN reporter who asked, more..

Aug 15 (TM) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe (RW) without mandate from the people, but elected from the floor of the legislature, naturally wants to strengthen his position by widening his support base inside the Parliament. His initial plan to form an all-party govt proved difficult. He has now turned his attention to form an omnibus cabinet to accommodate into it as many as possible tempting them with ministerial positions. He knows from past experience how his colleagues could be more..

Aug 15 (Island) Sri Lanka is like a storm-tossed bark struggling to remain afloat in an ocean of economic trouble; it is lucky to have avoided a head-on collision with a massive Chinese vessel, Yuan Wang 5 (YW-5), a ballistic missile and satellite-tracking ship, which is on its way to Hambantota. Colombo has finally stopped dillydallying and decided to allow the vessel to make a port call. India and the US have softened their collective stance on the Chinese ship’s visit. more..

Aug 15 (ST) The national mood was upbeat that Saturday April 9 morn and neither the steel barricades that had been hastily set up at Galle Face Green nor the police presence could stop people power from thronging the capital’s sea side esplanade. What had been until then a family recreational ground, its marine promenade a regular exercise haunt of walkers and joggers, its benches playing host to mid-noon sun’s blooming amore beneath brollies and its thin coat of more..

Aug 15 (FT) In the absence of a specific roadmap for economic recovery and development from the Govt, the Opposition has taken a bold step to provide the Govt with its own blueprint titled Out of the Debt Trap and Towards Sustainable Inclusive Development, said SJB MP Dr. Harsha De Silva. The document presented in Parliament by De Silva on Friday consisted of a 10-point common minimum program for more..

aug 15 (ST) Paris Olympics organisers say they will learn from Birmingham’s approach to hosting the Commonwealth Games as they attempt to dramatically reduce the event’s environmental impact. Birmingham 2022 was praised for “setting a high standard” and going further than previous major events. Paris 2024 wants its emissions to be 50% lower than the 2012 and 2016 Games. “With Birmingham, we are bound by a shared vision,” said Georgina Grenon, sustainability director for more..

Aug 15 (ST) The suggested restructure of the rupee-denominated domestic debt by the president has come under fire by many quarters in the country from bankers to economists who warn that a fresh can of worms will be opened if the country decides to do this. Instead of addressing the symptoms, SL should be addressing the cause of its economic crisis, which is what many economists advise. They point out that the value of the domestic debt has significantly declined due to the exchange more..

Aug 15 (ST) The case file of former SL Ambassador to Washington, DC, Jaliya Wickramasooriya—sentenced in the US last month for fraud—offers insight into just how far administrations in Colombo will go to try and protect their own. It was never in question that Mr Wickramasooriya, a cousin of Prez Mahinda and Gotabaya Rajapaksa, had committed the crimes for which he was indicted in the US. His main argument was that more..

Aug 15 (CT) SL Under-19 squad took wing to the UK in the early hours of Sunday (14) for the upcoming tour, which comprise 2 Youth Tests and 3 Youth ODIs commencing 21 Aug. The 18-member is led by leg-spinning all-rounder Raveen de Silva of Nalanda, while left-hand batter Shevon Daniel of St. Joseph’s will be his deputy. The squad comprises experienced campaigners who have already represented the country on the big stage. The likes of Shevon Daniel, Anjala Bandara, more..

Aug 15 (SO) SL’s eight-member boxing team went with high expectations of bringing home medals at the XXII Commonwealth Games after their success in the 2018 Gold Coast but the bitter truth is there is a big gulf between SL’s champions and the level of competition at the international level. What was even more appalling was their lack of commitment in some instances while most lacked technical excellence to land a decent scoring blow to make any impact. With three of the boxers missing more..

Aug 15 (EN) Police have arrested and charged a 34-year-old man in Kuliyapitaya who had taken videos of him physically abusing his 5-year-old son to threaten his wife who is a housemaid abroad. Footage shared on social media shows the suspect drawing a knife near the child’s neck. The husband had sent the video clip to his wife and the entity she is working for with the intention to coerce her to return to the country. Kulapitiya Police arrested the man and admitted child to receive treatment more..

Aug 15 (FT) Anchored through a heritage of excellence spanning over 150 years with diversified business operations across eight countries, Aitken Spence PLC has reported a strong performance during the Q1 that ended 30 June 2022. The conglomerate recorded a significant increase on its profit before tax (PBT) of Rs. 7.2 billion compared to a loss of Rs. 467 million a year ago. This is the highest Q1 performance in the Group’s history despite the multiple obstacles stemming from more..

Aug 15 (TM) SL’s efforts to improve trade and conclude the planned Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with China along with the debt restructuring programme with the Chinese have been put at risk by the diplomatic dispute over the controversy surrounding the visit of the Yuan Wang 5 satellite tracking vessel to SL. This, despite reports that SL has granted permission for the vessel to call at the Hambantota Port on Tuesday (16) for a 7-day replenishment stop. more..

Aug 15 (FT) HNB Group has recorded a Profit Before Tax of Rs. 6.7 billion and a Profit After Tax of Rs. 6.1 billion during the first six months of 2022 amid extremely challenging operating environment. HNB Chairperson Aruni Goonetilleke said: “The extraordinary market conditions have created a set of new challenges for the entire banking sector. As the external factors continue to be volatile it is important to take necessary steps to minimise the negative impact due to the risk factors. more..

Aug 15 (FT) Defying all odds amidst challenging macroeconomic conditions, SL’s fastest-growing life insurer Softlogic Life announced that the company had climbed its way to becoming SL’s second largest life insurance company after recording a superior growth performance during the first half of 2022. Significant milestone makes Softlogic Life the youngest life insurer to achieve this remarkable feat. During the six months ending 30 June 2022, Softlogic Life has posted a GWP of Rs. 11.4 b more..

Aug 15 (Island) Dr. Gunadasa Amarasekera said Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe’s govt should explain the rationale behind delisting several Tamil Diaspora groups and individuals. “The timing of the govt announcement really worries us,” Dr. Amarasekera said on behalf of the Federation of National Organizations (FNO). He said such moves couldn’t be simply justified on the basis of the forthcoming sessions of the UNHRC. more..

Aug 15 (DM) In a major revelation in a case pertaining to the seizure of a huge quantity of narcotic drugs along with five AK-47 rifles and 9mm ammunition numbering 1,000 from SL fishing boats, the NIA has stated that an accused had been involved in activities of proscribed terrorist organisation LTTE within India and abroad. The accused had also plotted to procure prohibited arms and ammunition, besides contraband articles. The NIA filed the report in the Kerala High Court more..

Aug 15 (ANI) In the backdrop of a Pakistan Navy Ship (PNS) Taimur which arrived in Sri Lanka to conduct a Passage Exercise, the Sri Lankan Navy clarified that certain media reports circulating about a 'War Game' between Sri Lanka Navy and Pakistan Navy are fallacious. Notably, PNS Taimur is scheduled to conduct a Passage Exercise with Sri Lanka Navy Ship (SLNS) Sindurala in the seas off Colombo as she departs the island on August 15, upon completion of her visit. more..

Aug 15 (FT) The Central Bank of SL (CBSL), with a view to broadening its engagement with key stakeholders of the economy, established the Stakeholder Engagement Committee (SEC) by replacing the Monetary Policy Consultative Committee (MPCC) and the Financial System Stability Consultative Committee (FSSCC) of the CBSL that were in operation previously. The SEC is chaired by Uni of Colombo Dept of Economics Prof in Economics Prof. Sirimal Abeyratne, more..

Aug 15 (ST) Ministry secretaries and department heads are to be instructed to refrain from having direct communication with judges and the Judicial Service Commission regarding matters related to the state or govt officials who are part of a judicial process. A circular is due to be issued next week to ministry secretaries, chief secretaries in provinces, district secretaries and heads of departments, among others, reminding them that such communication would be a violation of more..

Aug 15 (FT) Japanese engineering group Taisei will enter negotiations on a possible stoppage of an airport expansion in Sri Lanka after funding for the project was cut off, another sign of the country’s deepening economic crisis. Taisei in 2020 won a 62 billion yen ($ 464 million at current rates) contract to build a new multilevel terminal and viaduct at Bandaranaike Int'l Airport. It had expected to complete construction around 2023. more..

Aug 15 (DM) The recent 75% increase in the electricity tariff is incorrect; it is a 100% increase when considering higher unit rates, CEB United Trade Union Alliance said. Trade Union Alliance Convener Ranjan Jayalal said the PUCSL granted permission to increase the electricity tariff by 75% from Aug 8. He said the category with consumption less than 30 units will be charged 42% of the cost. The units between 30 and 60 had been increased by 178.07%. more..

Aug 15 (AD) The Ministry of Wildlife and Forest Resources Conservation says that human-elephant conflicts have increased within the past three years. The ministry points out that a total of 1,110 elephants and 376 people have died due to human-elephant conflicts in the years 2019, 2020 and 2021 alone. In 2019, there were 407 elephant deaths and 122 human deaths, 328 elephant deaths and 112 human deaths in 2020, and 375 elephant deaths and 142 human deaths in 2021, it said. more..

Aug 15 (AD) Archbishop of Colombo Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith today requests Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe to investigate whether there was a political conspiracy behind the Easter Sunday terror attack. He expressed these views while participating in the second phase of the distribution of the financial donation given to the victims of the Easter Sunday attack by His Holiness Pope Francis. The second phase of distribution of more..

Aug 15 (PTI) India's generous and multi-faceted assistance to SL to help it deal with its unprecedented economic crisis is heartening, Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland has said. Scotland also talked about India's prominent role in combating the global food crisis and said that the Commonwealth is working towards bringing about a more holistic approach to ensure food security. Commonwealth Secretary-General was in India on a 4-day visit last week more..

Aug 15 (DM) With the pledge given by Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe to the SLPP for his survival that he would not dissolve Parliament as long as the current regime completes its full term in 2025, he will become a prisoner of the SLPP, General Secretary of SLFP, Dayasiri Jayasekara said. The deal between the executive and the SLPP would not bring solutions to the burning problems of 22 million people of the country or restore economic, political and social stability but make them worse, more..

Aug 15 (TM) Defence Ministry has lifted the ban on six diasporic Tamil organisations and 316 individuals that were proscribed in March 2021 under the List of Designated Persons under Regulation 4 (7) of UN Regulations No. 1 of 2012. No reasons have been specified for the de-proscription by the Defence Ministry, which was effected through an extraordinary gazette notification issued on 1 Aug. Accordingly, Defence Ministry has lifted more..

Aug 15 (FT) One of the qualities attributed to J.R. Jayewardene as a statesman was his willingness to seek advice from better informed experts. In 1966 when he was Deputy PM and Minister of State, he sought the advice of the Indian economist B.R. Shenoy as to how the crisis ridden Sri Lanka economy could be rescued. The Shenoy report in every respect was much ahead of the time and, had it been implemented, it would have provided an opportunity to make Sri Lanka another Singapore. more..

Aug 15 (FT) Committee appointed by the Minister of Power and Energy to restructure CEB is said to have two months to submit its report. There appears to be wide agreement that the largest State-owned enterprise in its current form is not delivering good service at affordable prices. Independent regulation is seen the world over as contributing to improved performance of utilities. The meaningful regulation of this State-owned utility, smaller only than the SL Army, should be among the most important considerations more..

Aug 15 (FT) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe has ordered the Public Sector officials to strictly adhere to a Treasury circular on limiting Govt expenditure. On the instructions of Prez Wickremesinghe, Secretary to the Prez Saman Ekanayake has issued a circular imposing strict restrictions on Govt expenditure as a support to overcome the economic challenge the country is facing. The directive has been issued to ministry secretaries, department heads, provincial chief secretaries, heads of corporations, more..

Aug 15 (AD) Four suspects have been arrested with 9,200 litres of petrol being illegally transported in the Anamaduwa area for fuel racketeering. The suspects were arrested while attempting to load the petrol consignment into a lorry from a bowser truck. During the police inquiries, it has been revealed that the stock of petrol was slated to be sold to fishermen in Mannar to be used instead of kerosene. Meanwhile, Puttalam Police seized 4,000 litres of petrol being illegally transported in a freezer truck more..

Aug 15 (EN) A breakdown in Norochcholai power plant will see the country’s scheduled power cuts extended to three hours, CEB said. The one-hour-and-twenty-minute power cuts that were scheduled for Monday (15) and Tuesday August 16 will be increased to a possible three hours. Minister Kanchana Wijesekara tweeted that technical staff is trying to identify the cause of the breakdown. “There has been a breakdown in the Unit 1 of Norochcholai Power Plant. more..

Aug 15 (AD) Parliamentary Committee on High Posts recently approved the appointments of five Secretaries to Ministries and one Ambassador, Secretary General of Parliament Dhammika Dasanayake says. Accordingly, the Committee on High Posts has approved the appointment of Admiral (Prof.) Jayanath Colombage as the new Ambassador of SL to the Republic of Indonesia. In addition, the appointments of Mr. M.B.R. Pushpakumara as the Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture, Mr. R.M.C.M. Herath more..

Aug 15 (EN) Laugfs Gas, a cooking gas distributor, said it lost 94% or 1.75 billion rupees in the June 2022 quarter due to a shortage of dollars that hampered the company’s ability to import while the rupee slipped against the dollars drastically. The loss per share for the quarter was 4.53 rupees. Laugfs Gas revenue for the June 2022 quarter fell 16% from a year earlier to 8 billion rupees in the quarter, while the cost of sales fell 22% to 7.4 billion rupees generating a 628 million rupee gross profit. more..