Sep 1 (DM) On the evening of Aug 30 this year, Mikhail Gorbachev, the first and last Prez of the Soviet Union passed away. It marked the end of an era and the demise of a man of great integrity. Gorbachev was said to have been suffering from a long and serious illness. In June, int'l media reported that he had been admitted to hospital after suffering from a kidney ailment, though the cause of his death has not been announced as yet. His health had been deteriorating since the beginning of more..

Sep 1 (DM) US Ambassador Julie Chung was spot on. A few days ago, she pointed out, correctly, that fake news - and fake tweets - are a real problem. She urged one and all, don�t be misled. This particular tweet, apparently, was a response of sorts to fake tweets mimicking [her] account which have been spreading on social media. Indeed, I have seen some Julie Chung tweets which, at first glance, aren�t exactly out of sync with the tone and substance of her utterances more..

Sep 1 (TM) Sri Lanka was once considered a development success story, but within the last few decades, this legacy was lost to governance failures and economic mismanagement. In recent years, the country has been characterised by a glaring lack of fiscal discipline reflected in rising deficits, debt, inefficient State expenditure, and an inability to raise sufficient revenue to even cover current spending. more..

Sep 1 (GV) As the world marks another Int'l Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, in SL, which has the second highest number of forcibly disappeared in the world after Iraq, families of victims continue their relentless quest for answers. Earlier this month, women in the north and east marked 2,000 days of continuous protests demanding to know what has happened to their relatives. In the south, 50 years after the first JVP insurrection, women are still looking for more..

Sep 1 (TM) During the presentation of the interim Budget for 2022 on Tuesday (30), Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe blamed rhetoric, as well as the politicised economic policies brought in by politicians for their own benefit in the name of the people and the people who accepted those policies without criticism, for hampering the country�s progress. He also stated that such economic policies are the main reason for the collapse of the economy, which, during past few months of economic crisis, more..

Sep 1 (CT) The eco system of the oldest and largest national Park in SL has once again come under threat as plans are afoot to develop a causeway from Puttalam to Mannar across Wilpattu National Park to be developed into a public road on the whims and fancies of a leading politician in the area. According to sources, a team from the RDA had visited Wilpattu National Park last week, after seeking permission from more..

Sep 1 (CT) Opposition and SJB Leader Sajith Premadasa was quick to pounce on a faux pas made by UNP Leader, Finance Minister and Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe (73) in his interim budget speech of Tuesday�s. Wickremesinghe speaking by looking at notes said, �It has been reported that there are about 61,000 food insecure families who need urgent assistance. I will provide 10,000 per family for a period of a further four months.� Premadasa responding to this statement more..

Sep 1 (CT) Mikhail Gorbachev has died at the age of 91. On the day Gorbachev died, we saw a Black Uniformed Law enforcer telling Anthare Protestors, You can hold meetings. No demonstrations Those who study history know that history repeats. Those who do not know history repeat history. Those who think that they make history take a special delight in repeating the demonstrated follies of history. Gorbachev explained how he shepherded the tyrannical Soviet Union�s Monolith towards more..

Sep 1 (Island) There is absolutely no need for aliens to take the trouble of undertaking intergalactic missions to destroy this planet. The so-called big powers vying for global dominance are already at it, and the signs are that they will succeed in their endeavour. The entire world is reeling from the war in Ukraine. Russia is reportedly destroying many tons of natural gas daily, having cut supplies thereof to Europe, which is struggling to fulfil its energy needs. more..

Sep 1 (CI) It is a knockout match, so perhaps we should ask the tough question. Is this a real rivalry? Pull on your criss-cross deerstalker hats, Sherlocks. Get your magnifying glass. Clasp your notebooks tight. We about to investigate. To understand what happened between SL and Bangladesh in the 2018 Nidahas trophy, we must roll the clock back to the previous Bangladesh Premier League, where Nazmul Islam, an unassuming slow left-arm bowler, sought to sex up his workaday act by adding more..

Sep 1 (FT) Ahead of the winter season, SL Tourism is at crossroads in exploring the best opportunities to undertake key promotional activities with limited funds to garner a maximum return on investment (RoI) amidst the ongoing economic crisis. The authorities are faced with a dilemma, as they would have to either drop or push back previously announced destination promotions to participate in one mega event, more..

Sep 1 (Island) SL Institute of Directors (SLID) and Transparency International SL (TISL) recently declared corruption as the root cause of SL�s current political and economic crisis. The declaration was made in a statement titled, SLID and TISL launch Business Against Corruption Initiative issued to the media after the two organisations finalised an agreement on a 3-year plan to address the issues at hand. Statement described the contract as strategic collaboration between the 2 NGOs. more..

Sep 1 (ST) The protests by farmers have all but ended. There are a few but not as widespread and volatile as they were in the second half of last year after chemical fertiliser was banned in May 2021 and farmers roared in protest. The fuel queues have also reduced with the introduction of the QR code though there was panic this week that the fuel supply had been affected. Gas queues have also ended. In other news this week, a mission from IMF arrived and had talks with Prez & other officials. more..

Sep 1 (ST) This year�s annual Nallur Kandaswamy Devastanam festival � celebrated after two-year long pandemic restrictions � saw thousands of Hindu devotees from here and abroad flocking to worship Lord Skanda, the main deity of the iconic temple in Jaffna. On Thursday, at least 150,000 devotees took part in the chariot festival despite the bad weather. Braving the rain, devotees who came to fulfill vows with kaavadis and paatkudam proceeded in the parade, while some took refuge in more..

Sep 1 (EN) Nyon Lanka, a unit of MAS apparel group has developed a new plant extract based dye that reduces water and energy use in washing plants and make the industry more environment friendly, officials said. The Planetones branded dye is also biodegradable. �We initiated the plant extraction process at our Nyon research and development labs in Sri Lanka,� Manjula Jayawardena, Director General Manager of Innovation at Noyon Lanka said. �However, when it comes to more..

Sep 1 (CT) The much publicised letter sent by Director General Health Service (DGHS) Dr. Asela Gunawardena on 1 July underlined one of the many issues which would have a severe impact on Sri Lanka�s health service which may lead to a situation where the Govt may have to consider importing specialists doctors among other goods and services to fill in the shortage that would emerge in the years to come. more..

Sep 1 (Island) Their senior team in Dubai maybe not covering themselves in glory, but Sri Lanka�s under-19 team put up a splendid display on the final day of their four day fixture here in icy cold Derby and they are set to wrap up the two match Test series. Leading 1-0 in the series, Sri Lanka�s batsmen had ended day three of the second Test on 480 for eight with a first innings lead of 99 runs. They further extended that lead on the final day putting the game beyond England�s reach. more..

Sep 1 (DN) Sri Lanka is looking to enter the Super Four Stage while they will meet Bangladesh in the deciding Asia Cup cricket fixture scheduled to be held today at the Dubai Int'l Cricket Stadium, which will commence from 7.30 pm (SL time). This will be a do-or-die battle for Dasun Shanaka and his team as they must win this game to qualify for the Super Four Stage. SL lost to Afghanistan in their opening game at this same venue last August 27 while Bangladesh lost to Afghanistan last Tuesday. more..

Sep 1 (TM) SL has only reached a preliminary agreement with the IMF prior to a staff-level agreement for an Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and Rapid Financing Instrument (RFI), stated former CB Deputy Governor Dr. W.A. Wijewardena, clarifying a report by Reuters published yesterday. �IMF has neither confirmed nor denied the Reuters report. We don�t know whether it�s true or not. But preliminary means we need to have further consultations. more..

Sep 1 (FT) Macktiles Lanka Ltd. recently began operations of its third manufacturing facility at its state-of-the-art plant in Bandaragama, a major step in fulfilling the country�s tile requirement while achieving self-sufficiency within the industry. With the induction of the newest production line, it will be able to produce 44,000 sq. m of tiles per day, as the upgrade adds 30,000 sq. m on top of the existing 14,000 sq. m capacity per day. This allows Macktiles to produce 15 mil sq. m of tiles annually. more..

Sep 1 (FT) Ceylon Chamber of Commerce stressed the need to focus on implementation of proposals in the interim Budget presented on Tuesday by Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe. Ceylon Chamber said it views the interim Budget for 2022 as a positive step towards rebuilding the macroeconomic framework of the country. Budget provides an estimate of the expected revenue and expenditure of the Govt for 2022 within an environment of high inflation and can be built upon towards meeting aspired targets more..

Sep 1 (FT) The Colombo stock market gained sharply on all fronts including net foreign inflow. Analysts attributed the market�s upturn to positive investor sentiment to reforms-driven interim Budget presented by Prez on Tuesday and finalisation of the Staff-Level Agreement with the IMF. Both indices the ASPI and S&P SL20 gained by 2.3% and turnover jumped to Rs. 4.2 billion involving 135 million shares. In August, ASPI and S&P SL20 gained 17.3% and 19.6% more..

Sep 1 (DM) SriLankan Airlines has been the fabric of commercial aviation in Sri Lanka since the dawn of the airline 43 years ago. It was launched on 1 Sept 1979, and the airline�s greatest accomplishments, are often intertwined with SL�s own milestones in aviation and tourism. SriLankan�s contribution to the economy of SL as the country�s flag carrier cannot be understated. The airline has been the ultimate gateway between Sri Lanka and the world. With a current all-Airbus fleet of 24 aircraft, more..

Sep 1 (Island) Kegalle District MP Ranjith Siyambalapitiya, strongly denied accusations that in his capacity as the then Minister of Power and Renewable Energy, during the yahapalana administration (2015-2019), thousands of persons had been absorbed illegally into cadre of the cash-strapped CEB. MP Siyambalapitiya stressed that he had not recruited a single person without the approval of the Department of more..

Sep 1 (NA) Jaffna University Students� Union has lashed out at the Chinese envoy in SL, Qi Zhenhong, for extending support to the SL govt�s stand on the war crimes issue that is to come up for discussion at the UNHRC�s session in September. In an article sent to the SL media recently, the envoy had indicated that China would support Sri Lanka in contrast to some countries which had either ruled or invaded Sri Lanka in the past. The allusion was to the Western powers and India. more..

Sep 1 (AD) Ministry of Labour and Foreign Employment has issued a circular allowing migrant workers to import an electric vehicle with the intention of promoting migrant worker remittance. Cabinet of Ministers green-lighted the proposal tabled by Minister Manusha Nanayakkara earlier this month. Through this move, a license is issued to local migrant workers who import an electric vehicle equivalent to 50% or less of remittance transmitted through legal channels. more..

Sep 1 (DM) SLPP Chairman Prof. GL peiris today warned the govt that they would seek legal action if any attempt is made to postpone the Local Govt election which was due now. Making a special statement in Parliament, he requested the govt not to postpone the LG polls just as the Provincial Council election. He said the govt should also go for a general election to form a new govt as the interim govt was formed for an interim period. "General election should be held soon after more..

Sep 1 (FT) Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs has denied claims SL govt is making preparations to host a debt restructuring conference on behalf of Sri Lanka. In response to a question posed by a journalist at a press conference held on Tuesday, Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Yoshimasa Hayashi said there is no preparation to hold such a conference with Sri Lanka. �We are having various interactions with SL. We are also carefully monitoring grave economic situation in SL. more..

Sep 1 (FT) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday informed the Supreme Court through Attorney General that he will not place his signature for the execution of the death penalty. Additional Solicitor General Nerin Pulle, who appeared for the AG, stated this when several fundamental rights petitions filed calling for the annulment of the decision taken by former Prez Maithripala Sirisena in 2019 to execute four more..

Sep 1 (TM) A total of 28 activists of the IUSF who were arrested by the Police during the protest held by the IUSF in Colombo on Tuesday against the Govt�s continuous crackdown on protestors and the detention of three IUSF activists including its Convener Wasantha Mudalige under the Prevention of Terrorism Act as amended (PTA), were released on bail yesterday. The arrestees, who were being detained at the Colombo Fort Police Station, were produced before Maligakanda MC yesterday. more..

Sep 1 (Island) SJB leader Sajith Premadasa told Parliament that an exodus from govt ranks to the Opposition had just started. Speaking after SLPP Chairman Prof. G.L. Peiris announced his defection to the Opposition, from the govt ranks, with 12 other SLPP MPs, Opposition Leader said that it was only the beginning and some more MPs would leave the govt in the coming days. He said that many opposition parties had expressed their readiness to join and support an all-party mechanism to more..

Sep 1 (TM) Minister of Justice Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe PC said that he is unsatisfied with the progress of the Office on Missing Persons (OMP), noting that documentation has been completed for only 65 of the 14,968 cases for which the OMP is responsible. �The OMP was set up in 2016. I am not happy with its progress. It has the responsibility for 14,968 cases, but has only completed the documentation for 65 of them. more..

Sep 1 (FT) By its reach and impact, the ongoing Aragalaya (struggle) could justifiably claim a unique place in the history of this country. We have not witnessed a political phenomenon replete with this potentiality in our times; not at any election, not in any social convulsion. And, we have had these aplenty, so many elections since 1948, and nearly every decade, deeply wounding upheavals; ethnic wars, insurgencies; in their different ways, expressions of bitter disapproval of the status quo. more..

Sep 1 (FT) Reaching a viable agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and forming an inclusive cabinet are currently the twin urgent priorities of the Govt headed by Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe and Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena. On the economic front both President Wickremesinghe and Central Bank Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe are optimistic about reaching a staff level agreement with the IMF soon. This will be followed by debt re-structuring talks with creditors especially China. more..

Sep 1 (DM) A luxury motor vehicle was seen by many crashing into a filling station today at Madiwela. Police said the pump attendant was seriously injured in the accident was admitted to the Kalubowila hospital. They said the vehicle rammed into the filling station as it was driven at high speed and the man at the wheels was unable to control it. The vehicle first collided with a motorcycle parked near the pump and came to a halt after running over the pump attendant and crashing against a three-wheeler. more..