Sep 4 (ST) As many as 400 filling stations have been forced to close due to the new payment system introduced by Ceylon Petroleum Cooperation (CPC). CPC has introduced a payment scheme for filling stations to make the payment upfront to get the fuel load for the following day. The move comes, as the govt is to hand over upto 700 filling stations to foreign oil companies. Some 24 companies from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, US, more..

Sep 4 (ENS) After seven weeks, former Prez Rajapaksa finally returned to Colombo on Sept 2. He fled on July 13 after the nation witnessed huge protests over country�s worst economic crisis.He will be living in a state bungalow close to Wijerama Mawatha in Colombo while a large security contingency will be appointed to maintain security in the area. �Former Presidents are accorded security and there are some other entitlements which will be extended to Gotabaya. more..

Sep 4 (AD) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe has issued a gazette notification to be effective from Sept 3, 2022, specifying once again the supply of power and all related services, petroleum production and fuel supply or distribution and health services as essential services for maintaining normalcy of life of the public. This gazette notification was published in accordance with the powers vested in the President under Section 2 of the Essential Public Services Act No. 61 of 1979, in accordance with more..

Sep 4 (ST) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe is easily one of SL�s politicians most insulted and vilified after his party was swept off the electoral map at the August 2020 parliamentary elections. The ignominy he suffered was unmatched. This week, however, he seems to have redeemed most of that slur to emerge as an icon in his own way. Yet, some serious controversies still shroud him. That mother luck than political prowess thrust him more..

Sep 5 (DM) The IMF has tentatively offered SL a US$2.9 billion (�2.5bn) loan to help the country recover from the worst economic crisis. The funding is meant to provide some breathing space for SL, which is scrambling to restructure billions of dollars in debt to creditors including China, India and a string of international banks. The deal still requires the final approval of the executive board of the IMF, but is dependent on our country�s ability to reach debt restructuring agreements more..

Sep 5 (DM) Last week in Colombo might have appeared eventful. An Interim Budget was announced for the last four months of the year, a Staff Level agreement was reached with the IMF and Gotabaya Rajapaksa returned to the country after close to two months on the run. In reality, it was all as expected and only signifies that it is business as usual for the ruling elite. Budget with more austerity measures was announced merely to woe the IMF. IMF agreement as articulated by its officers more..

Sep 5 (TM) Despite reaching an initial agreement on a Staff-Level Agreement (SLA) with IMF, Govt led by Prez Wickremesinghe and PM Gunawardena is on shaky ground, with the ruling SLPP facing a clear risk of losing its majority hold in Parliament. Last week�s decision by yet another group of the SLPP to sit independently in Parliament has resulted in the ruling party losing over 45 of its members, who are currently occupying more..

Sep 5 (DM) In a short story by Isaac Bashevis Singer, a woman survivor of the Holocaust is having coffee at a roadside caf� many years after the war when she sees Adolf Hitler crossing the street. Terrified, she flees the scene. Ex-prez Rajapaksa has been relegated to the dustbin of history by a massive, unprecedented social upheaval. But this int'l outcast has no place to call home except the island that he ruined so casually. He isn�t welcome anywhere in the world, and the ground is more..

Sep 5 (ST) SL may have come a long way to gain an IMF staff pact but she has a long way to go to win the USD 2.9 billion bailout and the all-important IMF seal of approval, with much depending on whether she can woo the top three creditors to come to the debt structuring table, if at all. Last week, on the eve of their arrival in SL, the IMF team did well to warn the Govt when they said that they would require adequate assurances by SL�s creditors that debt sustainability will be restored. more..

Sep 5 (SO) Sagala Ratnayaka who has been appointed Chief of Staff to the Prez and Senior Advisor to the Prez on National Security said he hopes to bring fuel, gas and medicine into the country. Many Lankans tend to understand the present situation in the country. There is no pulling of legs and political games being palyed. Q: UNP suffered a setback recently. Are there plans to re-build the party? A: We started that program more..

Sep 5 (SO) For a Prez once feted as a war hero, to creep back stealthily to a country that he fled from in panic as the angry public roared outside his gates less than two months ago, is classic filmfare. But this is not the stuff of celluloid. Rather, it is the grim and ugly reality of the SL State reasserting itself in full measure. This time around, the ire of the State is aimed at the citizenry in full rather than selected targets in the majority or minorities as is its wont. Households implacably slipping below more..

Sep 5 (TM) Deposed Prez Rajapaksa�s return to the country is undoubtedly the biggest topic in SL�s politics at present. Although his return was celebrated by some, it was frowned on by many. Despite the fact that he was one of the most disliked persons in the country just around two months ago, his return to the country could perhaps mark the beginning of his return to politics as well. Given the current political climate � where certain SLPP MPs have expressed willingness to welcome more..

Sep 5 (Island) Former Prez Rajapaksa has returned home��at last. His return has come as no surprise. The question is why he fled. Nobody asked him to leave the country; protesters only called upon him to go home as he had failed to carry out his prez duties and functions properly; they wanted him to let go of power. He may have sought to defuse tension by leaving the country and remaining overseas until resentful public simmered down. Nobody has protested against his return. more..

Sep 5 (CT) Someone asked me: Why have you not opted to accept a Ministership in this Present Govt? Your background as a retired Supreme Court Judge Former Chief Minister and presently a MP would be ideally suited to make you shine as a Minister. Are the Tamils not interested in working towards peace, reconciliation and economic progress? My response was: I represent the Jaffna Electorate not the Colombo Electorate. The problems of the North and East are different from those of the South. more..

Sep 5 (TM) The last few days of the past week saw several interesting dialogues and heated arguments in SL�s political arena, some of which even concern high-ranking public officials. Notably, while some parties seem to have split due to internal issues, members of some parties that have traditionally been opponents could be seen expressing similar opinions regarding matters of national importance in Parliament. more..

Sep 5 (ST) The treat of retired greats of the game returning to action at the Road Safety World Series (RSWS) will start next Saturday with a power packed team of veterans to legends skippered by Tillakaratne Dilshan leaving tomorrow for another bid at the clash of the retired stars. For former captain Dilshan, turning 46 next month, this would be the second straight occasion he would be skippering the team, featuring a number of stars, including greats Chaminda Vaas and Sanath Jayasuriya, more..

Sep 5 (SO) Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has justified a decision to authorize seven of its officials to attend proceedings of the on-going Asia Cup in the UAE and defended itself against accusations made by former SL captain Arjuna Ranatunga that the trip was an �overseas joy ride spending millions of rupees.� SLC said Ranatunga�s accusations were misleading and tarnishing the image of SLC and its officials. �SLC has sought permission from Ministry of Sports to send 7 Executive Committee more..

Sep 5 (DM) Wacoal, a leading designer and manufacturer of high-quality, plus size lingerie and bra-sized swimwear for European market says SL�s strong competitive advantages as a manufacturing destination for high-end apparel items continue to apply, notwithstanding the current situation. According to Wacoal Europe Supply Chain Director Andrew Yeomans, SL scores high on all key criteria required of a manufacturing base for high-end lingerie in specific & high-end fashion in general. more..

Sep 5 (EN) SL�s informal sector wages have started to pick up in rupee terms but are still unable to keep up with racing prices, with real wages down after inflation by June 2022, official data showed. In the agriculture sector nominal wages had climbed 28% in the 12 months to June 2022, but real wages were down 11%. The National Consumer Price Index on which the wage index is based soared 58.9% during the period after the rupee collapsed steeply in 2022 after 2-year of money printing. more..

Sep 5 (CI) If this Sri Lanka men's side is going to beat you in a T20I, it's probably while chasing. We get it. Initially, that sentence doesn't make a lot of sense. Sri Lanka's best player is Wanindu Hasaranga, whose main suit by far is his bowling. They have Maheesh Theekshana in support - an economical powerplay and middle-overs operator (after 21 bowling innings, his T20I economy rate is 6.56). more..

Sep 5 (EN) European and German business chambers in SL had organised a virtual interactive session between local organic food suppliers and European buyers. The Organic Food Production and Exports by SMEs in Sri Lanka conference was held in Aug 2022 attracting over 155 partipants such as SME traders, exporters, medium-scale farmers and other agri-food producers. The conference had been organised on behalf of the programme by the European Chamber of Commerce of SL more..

Sep 5 (ST) The VAT rate increase at Tuesday�s budget will see traders arbitrarily increasing prices, analysts say noting that the country needs an anti-profiteering law in this regard. The rate fell to 8% from 15% to 8% on Dec 2019 at a significant loss of VAT revenue to the Govt but did not result in suppliers of goods and services reducing prices. Hence there was no benefit to the consumers. Traders profited at the expense of the Govt. On the other hand restoring original 15% in 2 stages, more..

Sep 5 (TM) Supreme Lanka Coalition (SLC) � launched by a group of MPs who recently left the SLPP that are currently sitting amidst the Parliamentary Opposition � has stated it will put an end to the era of political dynasties, as per SLC Chairman Wimal Weerawansa. He said this speaking at the event to launch the SLC, where he added that the SLC would overthrow larger political parties while bringing up smaller parties. more..

Sep 5 (EN) SL�s state-run airport authority says a 1.6 billion rupees loss up to June 2022 came from foreign exchange denominated loans and cost on borrowings for Mattala airport and the company is usually profitable. Airport and Aviation Services Ltd, said it consistently made profits until the Covid-19 pandemic started in 2020. �Before the economic downturn triggered by the Easter attack in 2019 followed by the pandemic, we were a profit-making enterprise that regularly contributed large more..

Sep 5 (FT) The adverse travel advisories imposed by multiple countries against Sri Lanka have severely impacted numbers, as August becomes the third lowest arrivals month for the year so far. In August, arrivals fell by 20.2% to 37,760 from 47,293 in July, the shattering industry hopes to exceed the year-to-date half-a-million mark. May recorded the lowest tourist arrivals with 30,207, whilst the second lowest inflow was in June with 32,856. Arrivals in the first eight months amounted to 496,430 more..

Sep 5 (TM) Dept of Registration of Persons has started issuing digital birth certificates, which provide the National Birth Certificate in digital format. The birth certificate will be issued for children born from 1 Aug 2022 onwards. This programme started in 2017 and 1.3 million people�s data has been compiled so far. The programme has been implemented across six Divisional Secretariat (DS) divisions, including Dehiwala, Hanguranketha, Thamankaduwa, Gampaha, Ratnapura, and Kurunegala. more..

Sep 5 (TM) In an attempt to attract US dollars amidst the ongoing dollar crisis in SL, Litro Gas Lanka Ltd. is set to launch a new mobile application that will enable SL expatriates living abroad to purchase liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders for friends and family in SL. This was revealed by Litro Gas Chairman Muditha Peiris. �They will be allowed to purchase up to two cylinders per order, at an approximate price of $ 15 each, following which the closest dealer will keep the cylinders ready,� more..

Sep 5 (Island) The reappointment of two key parliamentary watchdog committees, COPE (Committee on Public Enterprises) and COPA (Committee on Public Accounts) has been further delayed for want of a consensus among political parties on who should head them. In spite of earlier indications that the ruling SLPP might go ahead with the original plan to give leadership of COPE and COPA, in addition to that of more..

Sep 5 (FT) SLPP MP Anuradha Jayaratne said it is unlikely that former Prez Rajapaksa who returned to Sri Lanka last Friday will engage in active politics going forward. �He has not informed us of an intention to return to active politics. I do not believe he will engage in active politics again,� Jayaratne said, responding to questions posed by the media. Instead, Jayaratne said it is important for the former President to be involved with the next generation so that he can share his experiences. more..

Sep 5 (ST) A special audit report has recommended prosecuting officials who were responsible for the transaction of USD 6.9 million (Rs 1.38 bil) for an unsupplied fertiliser stock and directed to claim compensation from the Chinese company for attempting to unload a stock of unsterilised fertiliser that contained destructive bacteria. The special audit report compiled by the National Audit Office on the procurement of 96,000MT of organic fertiliser from the Chinese company, more..

Sep 5 (FT) Former Prez Chandrika Kumaratunga will declare open the new party head office of the Nawa Lanka Nidahas Pakshaya (New Lanka Freedom Party) in Battaramulla today. New political party is led by MP Kumara Welgama. He said the party is set to implement programs to train youth under the age of 40 and take steps to establish a corruption-free youth-led political movement in the future. Welgama formed the Nawa Lanka Nidahas Pakshaya on 6 March 2020, more..

Sep 5 (ANI) India on Sunday highlighted its constructive and significant role in human-centric globalization at the UNGA and said that it had provided nearly USD 4 billion in food and financial assistance to SL. At a UNGA Annual Joint Debate on the Reports of Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) and Peacebuilding Fund (PBF), India's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ruchira Kamboj said, "In our immediate neighbourhood, we are continuing to help our good friend & neighbour SL to more..

Sep 5 (TM) The report of the three-member committee appointed by the GMOA to look into the shortage of drugs in the country was handed over to Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe at the Prez�s Office last Saturday. This report was handed over during the special meeting between GMOA and Prez last Saturday and the problems faced by the health sector and doctors were discussed at length. Prez stressed the need for an urgent system to more..

Sep 5 (FT) IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva has welcomed SL reaching the Staff-Level Agreement for a four-year support program. �Very pleased that IMF staff and SL Govt officials have reached a Staff-Level Agreement to support the country�s economic policies with a 48-month Extended Fund Facility of about $ 2.9 billion. This is an important step forward for SL,� said Georgieva in a tweet. On Thursday Govt and IMF team have reached Staff-Level Agreement to support more..

Sep 5 (ANI) SL's ousted President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has been offered a national list seat in the Parliament of the SLPP. SLPP National List MP Seetha Arambepola said that she is prepared to offer her seat to the former President. She further said that the matter had not been formally discussed as yet. Meanwhile, SL's Deputy Speaker Ajith Rajapaksa, who met the former President on Saturday, said that he had not discussed anything related to his future in politics. more..

Sep 5 (TM) The SJB, has called on Prez Wickremesinghe to table in Parliament the staff-level agreement reached between the Govt and the IMF, and to ensure that the reforms and restructuring necessary to revive the economy be carried out causing minimal hardship to the most vulnerable segments of the population. SJB MP and COPF Chairman Harsha de Silva said that he was unaware of the contents of the agreement with IMF. more..