Oct 23 (Island) Supreme Court on Thursday came under a scathing attack in parliament during the debate on the 22nd constitutional amendment with TNA legislator M. A. Sumanthiran accusing the highest judiciary of swinging like a pendulum. In his blistering speech on Thursday, the TNA lawmaker accused the supreme court justices of inconsistencies and said they appeared unable to read and understand their own determinations of just a few years ago. more..

Oct 23 (TM) The supply of coal to the Norochcholai Power Plant from December remains uncertain, with the coal stock maintained by SL this year expected to run out later this week (28). The Norochcholai Power Plant generates 40% of the national electricity demand. However, it is understood that the Govt has secured four coal shipments and made full payments for only one, which is expected to arrive this week (25), more..

Oct 23 (SO) Sri Lanka will reach self-sufficiency in the tile and bath ware industry next year. At present the industry is around 80% import based. The main reason for this quick turnaround is the Govt�s import ban which encouraged the large companies and the SMEs in the sector to make more investments in SL. SL Ceramic and Glass Council (SLCGC) member and Managing Director, Lanka Minerals and Chemicals (Pvt) Ltd, Aravinda Perera, said in the past two years alone local manufactures more..

Oct 23 (TM) Sri Lanka may have to consider changing its fuel procurement process if the unavailability of funds to make payments persists, Ministry of Power and Energy Secretary M.P.D.U.K. Mapa Pathirana said yesterday. Responding to a question regarding outstanding payments for crude oil shipments and the consignments accumulating demurrage due to non-payment on arrival, Pathirana opined that seeking future crude oil purchases in a dollar-strapped environment was problematic. more..

Oct 23 (ST) SL Navy vessel which was reported missing for the past 30 days has finally come back to the country, with an officer saying there was an engine breakdown. Navy sent the vessel with a senior officer and some officers from the volunteer Navy force on Sept 16 for a special surveillance operation off the Southern coast. Due to bad weather at sea, the craft has drifted away for about 400 nautical miles (740 km) towards high seas South east of SL and communication with more..

Oct 23 (ST) Mass Media Minister Bandula Gunawardena will submit a paper to the Cabinet tomorrow recommending the lifting of the cess charged on newsprint imports. He will also brief the Finance Ministry on the issue, the Minister said, admitting that these tariffs had severely impacted the printing of newspapers and publishers had been compelled to significantly increase prices. �We hope to bring some relief to this sector as it is a medium used by many Sri Lankans,� he said. more..

Oct 23 (ST) Controversial businesswoman Thilini Priyamali, the main suspect in a high-profile swindling case, had withdrawn three billion rupees from January to June from her account, CID told Colombo Fort magistrate court. Given the complex nature of the complaints and existing cases against the suspect in magistrate and high courts, the CID moved to further remand the suspect to facilitate the investigations. more..

Oct 23 (TM) An oil tanker carrying 99,000 MT of Eastern Siberia Pacific Ocean (ESPO) crude oil remains off the west coast of SL for nearly a month awaiting payment and racking up millions of dollars in demurrage charges, petroleum sector trade unions alleged. Trade Union Leader Ananda Palitha from JSS of the CPC claimed that the crude oil shipment had been awaiting payment for 31 days. According to Palitha, such vessels normally charge $ 150,000 per day in demurrage charges. more..

Oct 23 (ST) Govt will have to further increase taxes in the upcoming 2023 Budget to meet the cost of major welfare and relief programmes, totalling more than Rs 800 million already implemented this year. They include Rs 466 million for social security, Rs 124 million for welfare assistance, Rs 16 million for welfare programmes for education and Rs 10 million for health and nutrition programmes. Govt will also have to spend Rs 1.1 T to pay the salaries of public official & further Rs 3.2 b for their pensions. more..

Oct 23 (ST) Friday�s constitutional changes that restored powers of Parliament from that of an autocratic presidency is politically significant for many reasons. A main outcome among them is the virtual dethroning of Basil Rajapaksa, the key strategist, and the brains behind the SLPP, now convalescing in US. He has been manipulating political events more robustly and setting SLPP agenda after Wickremesinghe became Prez more..

Oct 24 (DM) War, armed struggle or individuals resorting to fisticuffs, as a means to finding solutions to problems, is not an acceptable means of problem solving. Such bellicose actions rather than ending differences only exacerbate existing grievances. A solid example of this type of mistake backfiring was the action taken by late President Jayewardene when he sent in the military to crush what was an incipient demand for a separate state by sections of the Tamil population in the north & east. more..

Oct 24 (DM) Mr. Nimal G. Punchihewa, Chairman of the Election Commission stated that according to the Local Authorities Elections Ordinance the commission will have the authority to conduct the elections after Sept 30. Therefore, the commission intends holding the elections before March 20. The Local Govt Elections were postponed by a year, by the minister who is entitled to do so only once. The commission, according to him, would select a date in February 2023 for the polls. more..

Oct 24 (TM) Economic recovery is a long way off, asserted SJB MP Dr. Harsha de Silva, pointing out that the steps that had been taken thus far were only towards economic stabilisation. �I agree with the Govt�s actions on trying to stabilise this economy. Immaterial of political parties, these things will have to be done. In the short to medium term, it is necessary to somehow get the debt restructured,� he emphasised, in an interview more..

Oct 24 (DM) Standing at the checkout counter of the nearby Sathosa store, I heard a woman ask the young cashier about a box full of coupons next to him. �Oh, those are municipality coupons for low-income people,� the cashier said, giving her a coupon, adding that you have to go behind a municipal counsellor to get one. �But you�d be surprised. Even doctors come with these coupons to buy provisions. You should see their vehicles.� This is a time of acid tests. I was tempted to ask more..

Oct 24 (TM) Today (24) has been declared World Development Information Day, while the Global Media and Information Literacy Week also begins today, making this week a significant one to advocate for better communication and dissemination of information. According to the United Nations (UN), an essential part of the work on development consists of mobilisation of public opinion in both developing and developed countries in support of set objectives and policies. more..

Oct 24 (TM) Despite the recent electricity tariff hike, CEB is still operating at a massive loss, according to CEB Chairman Nalinda Ilangakoon. In August, CEB introduced 75% overall hike for electricity bills for the first time in nine years. �We have requested Rs. 865 billion per year to supply an uninterrupted power supply considering the external factors such as dollar rate fluctuations, fuel prices, etc. But PUCSL has approved only Rs. 505 b, more..

Oct 24 (CT) Although Sri Lanka does not fail to be a trending topic in international news, rarely do we make headlines in a positive note. The on-going economic crisis, the plights of the average Sri Lankan citizen, and the poor policy decisions made by corrupt politicians continue to give SL a negative reputation; something we never asked for but perhaps deserve to a certain extent. Some developing nations such as Pakistan have started to use SL as a bad example to warn more..

Oct 24 (Island) The currently ongoing project of the Rajapaksas, banished from office only a few moths ago but now crawling out of the woodwork, is a clear demonstration that anything is possible in this land like no other. We give all credit to President Ranil Wickremesinghe for dragging his feet on making more cabinet appointments despite the pressure to do so. RW is too well aware of public opinion on that score to rush into anything like that especially at this time when all kinds of straws, more..

Oct 24 (ST) This ecstatic rolling about in the Diyawanna mud to celebrate the passing of the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution defeats logic if not common sense. Constitutional yo-yo games of the 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th and now 22nd Amendments demonstrate how stupendously unfit the members of Sri Lanka�s Parliament are to hold their seats. Each of these amendments were diametrically opposite to its predecessor in its varying democratic or anti-democratic thrust. more..

Oct 24 (Island) Petroleum Products (Special Provisions) (Amendment) Bill had a quiet passage in parliament with a majority of 60 votes, 77 for and 17 against. What is disquieting is that only 94 of the 224 MPs (excluding the Speaker) were in parliament for the vote on a Bill on petroleum products, the mismanagement of which turned the country upside down in a matter of months this year. The Bill itself is not some masterpiece of legislation to foster proper management of the petroleum sector, more..

Oct 24 (CI) SL's bowlers choked the Ireland batting performance, their spinners taking five wickets between them, as they restricted the opposition to 128 for 8. The target was a stroll for the top order led again by Kusal Mendis, who hit 68 not out off 43 balls. He hit his third six to take Sri Lanka home at the end of the 15th over, which means SL not only take the two points from this game but also see their net run rate soar to 2.467. more..

Oct 24 (Island) The passage of the 22nd Amendment (22A) cannot be considered a personal achievement of any individual politician. It was born out of a collective effort. Most of those who voted for the 22A Bill acted out of expediency rather than principle. Among those who backed it are some ardent supporters of the executive presidency. They voted for the 18th and 20th Amendments in 2010 and 2020 respectively to strengthen that institution. It was to settle political scores with their more..

Oct 24 (CI) Virat Kohli isn't a man. He is a feeling. It's why every time he walks out to bat, he lifts the entire world with him. Or at the very least roughly around one billion of its people. On a day where only the extraordinary was allowed into the MCG, one of India's greatest played an innings that may be their greatest ever in T20 cricket. It has to be because, in the end, they beat Pakistan, and it brought a tear to his eye. India went into the final three overs needing 48 runs to complete a chase of 160. more..

Oct 24 (EN) SL�s economy is now shrinking, lifetime savings of the people have been halved, and inflation is the highest created in the history of the Latin America style central bank and the worst fears of those who nervously watched the money printing agency as it was created in 1950 have been realized. Unusually it has been politicians in SL who have sounded warnings from the beginning, though they went along with the interventionist ideology that sprang up among Anglo-Saxon academic more..

Oct 24 (DM) Angelia Gunasekara was crowned the first ever Miss Sri Lanka New York at the pageant held at The Vanderbilt in South Beach. More than 300 attendees came out to support 14 contestants who dazzled at the first-ever Miss Sri Lanka New York beauty pageant. Beyond serving as a celebration of culture, the event had a twofold mission; first, to support Sri Lanka in these trying times. �At the beginning we thought of a way to help Sri Lanka. We are in a difficult condition,� more..

Oct 24 (FT) SJB MP Eran Wickramaratne, speaking on the debate on the 22nd Constitutional Amendment in Parliament on Thursday, said that SJB as a party brought the 21st Amendment to the Constitution to Parliament with fundamental basis of the abolition of some of the powers of the executive Presidency as it is a liability to the Legislature. He said that the 22nd Amendment comes nowhere near the 19th Amendment more..

Oct 24 (CT) Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka on Sunday credited the spinners for their dominating nine-wicket win over Ireland in a T20 World Cup match, saying keeping spin options for the death overs did the trick. It was the bowling unit, especially spin duo of Maheesh Theekshana (2/19) and Wanindu Hasaranga (2/25), who set up the win by restricting Ireland to 128 for 8. �Really happy with the way we�ve played the game; we set out to do some things and did well. more..

Oct 24 (SO) In what is said to be a revolution in women�s sports development, an event called University Development Tag Rugby Tournament 2022 will be held on Sunday (23) at the Thurstan College ground in Colombo commencing 8.30 am. Organisers say it is the first ever women�s rugby tournament in the history of sports at uni level in the country some 50 years after the commencement of men�s rugby at campus. �This tournament will be a very good example for SL Rugby�s vision more..

Oct 24 (TM) Activists o Inter-Uni Students� Federation (IUSF) and several other civil organisations � who travelled from Colombo Fort to Beliatta by train and from Beliatta to Tangalle by bus � staged a protest in Tangalle town yesterday (23), demanding the release of IUSF Convenor Wasantha Mudalige and Inter-Uni Bhikkhus� Federation (IUBF) Convenor Ven. Galwewa Siridhamma Thera, both of whom are currently being detained more..

Oct 24 (ST) Inland Revenue Commissioner General has published a notice to give effect to new rules aimed at regulating the casino gaming industry�instructing existing and aspiring casino operators to apply for licences before Oct 30. The rules, issued under the Casino Business (Regulation) Act of 2010, deem the Commissioner General to be the authorised officer in administering permits for the casino gaming business. It is the first time a licensing system has been introduced. more..

Oct 24 (AD) Embassy of SL in Belgium conducted an event on 18 Oct 2022 to celebrate the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status granted to Ceylon Cinnamon specifically for Ceylon Cinnamon quills, Ceylon Cinnamon powder, Ceylon Cinnamon leaf oil, and Ceylon Cinnamon bark oil by the European Union (EU) in Feb 2022, and to promote Ceylon Cinnamon in Belgium. The event was attended by officials of the European Commission�s Directorates-General, more..

Oct 24 (SLN) During a coordinated search operation carried out by the Navy and Police in the beach area of Habaraduwa, Galle today (22) 45 would-be illegal immigrants were apprehended, whilst they were remaining in a lodge in the area. SL Navy has been conducting regular search operations and patrols covering the sea and coastal areas around the island with the aim of suppressing illegal activities. As an extension of these efforts, SLNS Dakshina in the Southern Naval Command more..

Oct 24 (DN) The govt must come out with a better scientific approach when introducing tax reform, President of the Organization of Professional Associations of SL (OPA) Dulitha Perera said. He said that the current tax proposals have a lot of negative impacts specially for the SME sector and unfortunately the people who earn less are taxed more while people who earn more are less taxed. �We see a mismatch and request the govt to review tariff in a more practical & scientific manner.� more..

Oct 24 (EN) SL�s Ceylon Tea production is down 7.8% in Sept 2022 from a year earlier to 20.9 million kg while the total output for the nine months dipped 18% from the previous year as a currency collapse in the country drove up the cost of productions around 35%. From Jan-Sept 2022, the total production is 192.37 million kg compared to 234.72 million kg for the same period in the previous year. �This would be the lowest recorded more..

Oct 24 (NR) Hindu devotees in SL and across the globe celebrate the Diwali festival today. Diwali, among the Hindu community in SL, is one of the most celebrated festivals. The Festival of Lights signifies warding off all the shadows of darkness and bringing light into one�s life and one�s home. Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe says peace, brotherhood and unity are of significance in the celebration of Diwali and therefore requested all Sri Lankans irrespective of race, religion or political affiliation more..

Oct 24 (CT) The persisting inclement weather conditions will continue until 26 October, the Dept of Meteorology predicted yesterday (23). A low pressure area that had developed near the South-east Bay of Bengal and North and South areas of Andaman seas on 21 Oct had been stationing there yesterday evening. It is feared that the low pressure zone could turn into a cyclone today. Most parts of the seas surrounding the island would remain severely turbulent. more..