Oct 11 (EN) The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and the Sri Lanka Banks’ Association (SLBA) have signed a memorandum of understanding to promote sustainable finance and financial inclusion for the private sector. “A key outcome aimed for through the MoU is to enable greater access for financing for Sri Lanka’s private sector, especially the export-oriented value chains and SME sector, to enable their sustainability transitions,” the chamber said in a statement. more..

Oct 11 (FT) Ambassador of SL to Sweden Kapila Fonseka successfully concluded a two-day official visit to Gothenburg, the second largest city of Sweden, last week. The purpose of the visit was to engage with key stakeholders including Swedish Govt officials and business leaders to strengthen economic and trade relations between Sri Lanka and Gothenburg, and to meet with the members of the SL community in Sweden. Ambassador’s agenda included high-level meetings with more..

Oct 11 (TM) Police stated that eliminating various scams committed by foreigners in SL is not something that the relevant institutions, including the Police, alone can handle, emphasising that it is therefore important that the public, particularly those renting out properties, be vigilant and guard against such scammers. As a result of investigations carried out by the CID, several foreign nationals suspected of committing various types of scams through more..

Oct 11 (DN) SL suffered a disappointing defeat against Myanmar, losing 2-0 in the first leg of their two-match FIFA International series at Thuwunna Stadium in Yangon yesterday. The match marked the first meeting between the two teams in 14 years, with SL ranked 200th in the FIFA World Rankings, while Myanmar sits at 157th. The home team got off to a strong start, with Lwin Moe Aung scoring the opening goal in the 16th minute. Just four minutes later, SL had a golden opportunity to equalize more..

Oct 11 (FT) SJB former MP S.M. Marikkar said the party’s main responsibility will be to ensure Prez Anura Dissanayake delivers on the promises he made on the campaign trail. Marikkar said the SJS led by the SJB is committed to ensuring the newly elected Prez is accountable for fulfilling his promises to the people. During the press conference, Marikkar also stressed the pressing need for economic relief, emphasising that the expectations of citizens must be met following the recent prez election. more..

Oct 11 (FT) Mavai Senathiraja, who has served as the leader of the ITAK for nearly a decade, officially announced his resignation this week. In a letter addressed to Former Jaffna District MP S. Shritharan on 7 Oct, Senathiraja confirmed that he would be stepping down from the leadership role and urged Shritharan to take over as the party’s leader. Senathiraja acknowledged that Shritharan had already been elected as party leader more..

Oct 11 (Island) For most of us, there’s no greater pleasure than watching Sri Lanka triumph. But, when our lads aren’t in the fray, it’s the West Indies that steal our hearts. It’s no accident that so many of us have a soft spot for the men in maroon – perhaps it’s their thrilling domination in the 1970s and 80s, a golden era that swept fans off their feet and turned cricket into a carnival. The spirit and swagger with which they played captured the world’s admiration, making them everyone’s second team. more..

Oct 11 (Island) Things are moving forward in the right direction under the interim triumvirate Cabinet of Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake, PM Amarasuriya and Minister of several ministries – Vijitha Herath. A new system is obviously set in place and we are hopeful for the future of SL. Officials of the govt have successfully negotiated with the IMF so we are safely assured of financial help. These are further loans, but we do not shiver as we did under previous regimes because repayment more..

Oct 11 (CT) What Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD) received as Prez candidate may not have been a mandate. 43% of the total, in fact, is not a so-called majority of a 100%. Therefore, all those pundits and mathematical scholars would interpret that plurality is not a majority. But it’s sheer semantics rather than a realistic interpretation of the ground situation. However, the euphoric celebrations that followed the last two Prez Elections, victories of Maithripala Sirisena in 2015 & Gotabhaya in 2019, more..

Oct 11 (DN) Losing three matches in a row was not what we expected in this T-20 World Cup,” said Sri Lanka Women’s cricket coach Rumesh Ratnayake after an 82 runs defeat from India at Dubai International Cricket Stadium. He further said I think there are a few places where we have made mistakes. Not just once; I think our skills are no longer where they were two months ago. It’s not there anymore. It’s not there where we wanted it. We came to this T-20 World Cup to win. more..

Oct 11 (ST) The Election Commission has faced a snag in securing polling centers, particularly because of the Vas ceremonies taking place at Buddhist temples during the election month. The General election is set for Nov 14, a day ahead of poya day. Out of the 12,985 polling stations used in the previous prez election, 2,165 were religious sites, including Buddhist temples. Some of these temples may be unavailable this time more..

Oct 11 (Island) Daisy Achchi’s bag of gems or menik malla has been catapulted to the centre of public discussion again due to a war of words between NPP trade union heavyweight Wasantha Samarasinghe and SLPP National Organiser Namal Rajapaksa. For the benefit of the uninitiated, Daisy Achchi has become a household word following an absurd claim the Rajapaksas made in a bid to justify the acquisition of their wealth, Daisy being the grandmother of young members of the clan. more..

Oct 11 (ST) A source of embarrassment: We should hide our heads in shame! This is after Mizokoshi Hideaki, Ambassador of Japan, the country on which SL relies heavily on for financial support and investments, this week chose to decry the corruption in SL. This had led to the suspension of 11 Japanese projects including the expansion of the BIA and the Light Rail Transport development with Japanese aid. With the advent of the new Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake, however, the Japanese govt more..

Oct 11 (CT) It’s another day, and yet another fraudulent scheme has come to light. A 31-year-old man has been arrested for defrauding several individuals of over Rs 1.3 million under the false pretence of offering jobs in Japan. The scale of the scam is shocking, with the man linked to previous complaints totalling nearly Rs 4 million, and more victims emerging after his arrest. The very fact that such cases continue to resurface—this being one among many—is deeply concerning. more..

Oct 11 (GV) The year 2024 marks a watershed moment in Sri Lanka’s political history. The NPP party, led by Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD), has ascended to power on a platform that promises not just the broadest reform agenda of any govt in independent SL, but a comprehensive national renaissance. In the previous analysis, I argued why I believe this victory, while surprising to some, is the culmination of a decade-long strategy that reshaped Sri Lanka’s political discourse. more..

Oct 11 (TM) Central Bank of SL (CBSL) bond scam, which erupted in 2015, remains a dominant issue in SL’s political and financial discourse. This scandal, marked by accusations of financial mismanagement and corruption, centres around former Governor of the CBSL Arjuna Mahendran and his son-in-law Arjun Aloysius. Despite various efforts by SL authorities, including an extradition request to Singapore, the long-awaited conclusion to more..

Oct 11 (TM) The recent tragic incidents where three teenagers from the same school took their own lives, in two separate incidents that were similar as far as the nature of the deaths are concerned, has sent shockwaves through the country. Although mental health issues or suicides are not a new topic in SL, following these two incidents, people are questioning as to how easily mental health issues can lead to bigger disasters. This is despite the long-standing culture in SL of not acknowledging more..

Oct 11 (DM) Sept 21 was a day of many firsts in Sri Lanka. Millions of people went to the polls to vote in the first prez elections since mass protests forced the country’s last elected president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, from office in 2022. It also marked the first time in SL’s history that a second round of counting had to take place after none of the candidates secured the 50% margin required for victory. A count of the second-choice votes revealed the biggest shock in decades. more..

Oct 11 (DM) A senior legal practitioner with a wide range of experiences serving national and int'l judiciary, President’s Counsel Anura Meddegoda was recently appointed as the President of the Bar Association of SL. With over 40 years of experience in the legal field, out of which half of it was served at the Attorney General’s Dept as a State attorney, Meddegoda has served as a Legal Advisor to Hague’s UN Int'l Criminal more..

Oct 11 (DM) India knows the beauty of SL. This is why we see so many tourists from our closest neighbour arriving here annually to get a glimpse of the island’s most picturesque places. Right now an Indian film company has ‘high jacked’ one of our railway tracks for a film project. The filming is taking place on the rail track near the Nine Arch Bridge between Ella and Demodara. We were always interested in the female versions of India’s most beautiful things; one example is SL kings more..

Oct 11 (DM) 13th Amendment passed in July 1987 still remains as part of the Constitution, without being implemented fully in letter and spirit. Presently the Provincial Councils set up under this Act are themselves in abeyance as elections to these councils have not been held for the last 6 years. This institution is the only tangible gain that the Tamil people have got in the years since independence, with Indian assistance and pursuant to the Indo - SL Peace Accord of July 1987. more..

Oct 10 (CT) DIG Nihal Thalduwa said that CID investigations regarding the information received recently that there is a threat to the life of Sajith Premadasa, the leader of the SJB, revealed that there is no such threat. He said that the Police had also received a complaint in this regard and due to the attention of the Court, an investigation was conducted regarding the security of Premadasa. Accordingly, during the last elections, the former Opposition Leader had received information more..

Oct 10 (TD) On Sept 21, NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake won Sri Lanka’s eighth prez election. Two days after being sworn in as the president, Dissanayake dissolved the Parliament and declared that a parliamentary election would be held in Nov 2024. It is no secret that Dissanayake’s victory comes amidst the worst economic crisis SL has encountered since independence, as well as the significant decline in popularity of other leaders alongside the crisis. more..

Oct 10 (AI) Responding to the resolution on Sri Lanka adopted yesterday at the 57th session of the UNHRC, which extends the mandate of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) including the SL Accountability Project by one year, Babu Ram Pant, Deputy Regional Director for South Asia at Amnesty International, said: “The adoption of the UNHRC’s resolution underscores the continued need more..

Oct 10 (CT) Central Bank of SL (CBSL), on Tuesday, announced a Treasury (T) Bond auction for the sale of Rs 95,000 million worth of T-Bonds tomorrow (11), the splits of which comprise Rs 70,000 million worth of 2028 maturities and Rs 25,000 million worth of 2032 maturities, respectively. In the immediately preceding T-Bond auction held a month ago on 12 Sept, CBSL had a total of Rs 290,000 million worth of T-Bonds for sale, the splits of which comprised Rs 100,000 million 2028 maturities, more..

Oct 10 (PMD) Pakistan’s High Commissioner to SL, Faheem Ul Aziz, met with Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake today at the Prez Secretariat. Aziz extended his congratulations to Prez Dissanayake on his recent election victory and conveyed Pakistan’s commitment to strengthening its partnership with SL. As part of the meeting, High Commissioner Aziz delivered a letter of congratulations from Pakistan’s Prez, Asif Ali Zardari, who emphasized the deep ties between more..

Oct 10 (NW) Champika Ranawaka’s party, the URF, has officially informed the SJB that they are withdrawing from the alliance ahead of the upcoming Parliamentary elections. Former MP Ranawaka, a key political figure, has also announced that he will not be contesting the election. In a letter to the SJB, Ranawaka pointed out that as per the MoU signed with the SJB, the URF had engaged in campaigning for more..

Oct 10 (AD) Former Minister Shehan Semasinghe has announced that he will not be contesting in the upcoming parliamentary elections. Issuing a statement, Semasinghe reflected on the country’s economic challenges over the past year and his dedication to rebuilding the economy alongside former Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe, following the economic collapse. Semasinghe expressed his belief that once the country and its economy stabilize, public would begin to appreciate more..

Oct 10 (DM) A total Rs. 23 million was paid by the NE Commercial Group of Companies (Pvt) Ltd. to the SL Railway Department for shooting a film as a joint Indo-Sri Lankan cinema project, Railways Deputy General Manager (DGM) N.J. Indipolage said. Therefore, the train services between Colombo Fort and Badulla have been limited to the Ella station till Oct 15. As a result, train services between these stations have been restricted daily from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. from last morning. more..

Oct 10 (PMD) Khalid Alkahtani, Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to SL, met with Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the Presidential Secretariat this morning. During the meeting, Ambassador Alkahtani conveyed the best wishes of Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz to Prez Dissanayake on his recent election victory. The discussion covered various topics, including the current regional situation and SL’s support to Saudi Arabia. Ambassador Alkahtani praised SL’s more..

Oct 10 (AD) A private bus en route to Embilipitiya from Colombo was completely destroyed after catching fire in the Kawduwawa area of Madampe earlier today (10). The bus, which had nearly 50 passengers on board when it departed Colombo this morning, caught fire mid-journey. However, no injuries have been reported to any of the passengers of the bus. Local residents have helped bring the fire under control. Despite their efforts, the bus was entirely gutted by the flames, more..