Feb 13 (Island) SLPP National Organiser and eminence grise, Basil Rajapaksa has categorically stated that his party made Ranil Wickremesinghe the Prez to restore the rule of law, ameliorate people�s suffering and straighten up the economy. These three tasks are far from accomplished, but Prez Wickremesinghe has undertaken to solve other problems so much so that one wonders whether he has already launched his presidential election campaign. more..

Feb 13 (CT) With the Local Govt (LG) Elections around the corner, the battle for votes has begun. Although dwarfed by Prez Elections and General Elections, LG Elections too are important, as it serves as a stepping stone for many hoping to enter politics. Since LG Elections is the first time a political novice shows his or her face to voters, the first impression counts. The sure-fire way of getting votes is winning the hearts of voters. This is also the guaranteed path to victory. more..

Feb 13 (SO) Nearly 600 school goers plus another hundred guests were in attendance at the Colombo Port City to participate in the Fun Run that took place on Tuesday. This was the second stage of the Fun Run relay held to publicise the Asian Games to be held in Hangzhou, China from Sept 23 to Oct 8. The first run was held in the Maldives last week and will run in other Asian countries Bhutan, Singapore, Qatar, Nepal, Pakistan, East Timor, Philippines, Vietnam and finally in Brunei Darussalam more..

Feb 13 (TM) Sri Lanka has secured only 12 coal shipments out of the total 30 shipments scheduled for Oct 2022-Apr 2023 unloading season, Lanka Coal Company (LCC) said on Friday. In addition, LCC has made 30% part payment up to the 17th shipment for the season. It is learnt that the 13th shipment has already berthed in Puttalam while the 14th shipment was nearing Sri Lankan waters as of last Friday. more..

Feb 13 (DM) As doubts began to surface as to whether the constitutionally required LG elections would be put off or postponed, several political parties and individuals appealed to the Supreme Court of the land, to rule on the matter. Ending weeks of speculation, on Friday the highest court in the land gave its verdict, saying there were no obstacles to the Elections Commission (EC) to hold the polls as scheduled. Court added there was no need to order the EC to hold elections, more..

Feb 13 (AD) The body of a 64-year-old SL female, who was living in Turkey and reported missing after last week�s earthquake, has been identified by her daughter. The deceased woman who is from Galagedara in Kandy District had left for Turkey around 20 years ago. Ambassador Hasanthi Urugodawatte Dissanayake said: �The SL lady who was missing in the Kahramanmaraş area has now been found to be dead. In fact for three days her daughter was also in the area and more..

Feb 13 (AD) Four persons including a teacher and three students have reportedly drowned after a boat capsized on a lake at Thandamalai in Kokkadicholai, Batticaloa. The three boys were riding on a canoe on the Minachchiodei Lake when it had suddenly capsized and they were submerged underwater. A teacher who had attempted to rescue them had also drowned, police said. 27-year-old male teacher and the three 16-year-old boys were reported missing after the capsizing of the boat. more..

Feb 13 (TM) The CB settled about $ 193 million (Rs. 70.3 b) worth of SL Development Bonds (SLDBs) owned by commercial banks in rupees last week, mainly through Treasury Bonds. Stock of SLDBs was reduced to Rs 272.8 billion by the week ending last Wednesday, from Rs. 343.2 bil a week earlier. An official from a leading private bank confirmed that CB settled Rs 70.3 bi worth of SLDBs to major holders such as commercial banks through Treasury Bonds; smallholders were repaid in rupees. more..

Feb 13 (CI) Bangladesh had had an excellent batting powerplay, but Chamari Athapaththu and Inoka Ranaweera slowed them down, and helped force the wickets that saw Bangladesh slump to 126 for 8, on a straightforward Newland surface. Although there was an early wobble, SL's batters orchestrated a methodical chase. Harshitha Samarawickrama struck 69 not out off 50 balls to complete SL's second successive victory more..

Feb 13 (EN) Sri Lanka has seized 206 star tortoises at the country�s main airport while they were being smuggled to Malaysia, the authority said. �Tortoises were packed in 6 Styrofoam boxes labelled as Dried Sea Foods and were planned to smuggle out to Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) by flight AK046,� Sri Lanka Customs said in a statement. Export of Star Tortoises or any mammal or reptile without permission is an offence under Fauna and Flora Protection act, Customs said. more..

Feb 13 (FT) Private sector borrowing in 2022 has been lacklustre due to prevalent high interest rate regime as well as downturn in the economy. Cumulative private sector credit outstanding as at end Dec 2022 was Rs. 7.42 trillion, up by 6.4% from a year ago. In 2021, private sector credit saw a robust 13% growth. Dec 2022 marked the seventh month-on-month decline from June. Cumulative private sector credit stood at Rs. 7 trillion at the beginning of 2022 and spiked to Rs. 7.7 tri more..

Feb 13 (TM) State Minister of Finance Shehan Semasinghe claimed that the conduct of Public Utilities Commission of SL (PUCSL) Chairman Janaka Ratnayake is contributing to the delay in Sri Lanka obtaining the IMF Board-level approval for the $ 2.9 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF). Semasinghe said: �We can see that a few individuals, I don�t know for what reason, are trying to jeopardise the economic recovery. more..

Feb 13 (ST) SL�s three revenue collection authorities, the Inland Revenue Department (IRD), Customs Department (CD) and Excise Department (ED) are facing a daunting task of collecting additional tax revenue of over Rs. 800 billion via the new tax revisions introduced in Budget 2023, several high ranking officials of the 3 departments said. Officers of these three departments specially the IRD have been called upon to collect additional taxes in an economic crisis amidst more..

Feb 13 (FT) �A number of yardsticks of measuring business sentiment reflect an improvement in overall economic sentiment,� business magazine LMD reported in its February edition. NielsenIQ�s Director Consumer Insights Therica Miyanadeniya noted in the magazine: �A new year with new hopes, new expectations, new challenges and new issues to grapple with.� �The legacy of 2022 lingers on like a bitter pill with anticipation that year 2023 will not be a repeat of all that happened last year. more..

Feb 13 (TM) Minister Mahinda Amaraweera is to brief Prez and Minister of Finance, Economic Stabilisation, and National Policies Ranil Wickremesinghe regarding relevant officials of the Finance, Economic Stabilisation and National Policies Ministry for not having taken any action on a request made by the Agriculture Ministry to impose a tax on imported potatoes during the local potato harvesting season. Amaraweera said that Agriculture Ministry Secretary Gunadasa Samarasinghe more..

Feb 13 (FT) SJB MP Eran Wickramaratne alleged that the Govt has mismanaged the polycrisis in the country. A term coined by Economic Historian Adam Tooze describing the simultaneous and overlapping crises facing the world today, Wickramaratne noted that the polycrisis has affected many countries across the world including SL. �People are unable to repay their debt, inflation is soaring, the cost of food and electricity is at an all-time high, and there are environmental disasters as well. more..

Feb 13 (AD) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe has instructed the govt officials to take the necessary measures to purchase a kilo of paddy at a guaranteed price of Rs. 100. Prez further said that the Northern Province and Jaffna District will be developed as a province capable of supplying food to SL. These remarks were revealed by Prez this morning (12) while attending the Northern Province harvest ceremony at Paranthan in Jaffna, more..

Feb 13 (AD) The GMOA says that the stocks of more than 140 types of essential drugs used for the treatment of patients have been exhausted. Dr. Chamil Wijesinghe, Media Spokesman of the GMOA, pointed out that the attention of the Ministry of Health should be directed in this regard. He also said that in view of this situation, the maintenance of health services of the entire hospital system, starting from the National Hospital to the rural hospitals, has confronted a severe challenge. more..

Feb 13 (FT) Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa says he will ensure all those involved in the Easter Sunday attack are brought before justice. Addressing the Catholic community in Wennappuwa Premadasa said he is not a politician that strikes deals and will therefore ensure all persons involved in the attack will be punished. Opposition leader said though former Prez Rajapaksa in 2019 assured he would deliver justice to the attack�s victims and their families he did not deliver on the promise. more..

Feb 13 (DM) The total outstanding credit card balance continued to climb in Dec 2022, though slower than a month ago, as consumer credit markets showing signs of picking up after months-long languishing for most part of the year. In December, the outstanding credit card balance rose by Rs.2, 675 million while private sector credit continued to shrink at a faster rate. In November, card balance rose by Rs.3,721 million. The private sector credit fell by Rs.72.6 billion in Dec, more..

Feb 13 (Island) The govt�s decision to postpone non-urgent surgeries, at the state-run hospitals, have placed a moral burden on health professionals, health sector trade unionists say. The announcement was made by the Ministry of Health yesterday. Meanwhile, health unions claim that they have been warning that there are shortages of drugs, medical equipment, and chemicals used in labs, for almost two years. Dr. Chamal Sanjeewa, President of the Physicians� Union Alliance more..

Feb 13 (TM) With the Election Commission (EC) awaiting a response from the Ministry of Finance to a request for funds for LG elections expenditure, polls monitors and related organisations made a written request to the Ministry of Finance for the release of funds required for the same, noting that it is the responsibility of all govt officials to support the EC in holding the LG elections. The letter written by polls monitors more..

Feb 13 (FT) MP Prof. G.L. Peiris said the LG elections will be held on 9 March as scheduled and the Govt will be forced to call for Parliamentary poll soon after. MP said there was a concerted effort to create a sense of uncertainty among the people about the holding of polls. �This is not a mere LG election. It is an election of national importance that will be held on 9 March,� he noted. He also commended the EC for its brave and clear undertaking to hold elections as scheduled more..

Feb 13 (DM) The Attorney General has filed a revision application in Colombo High Court challenging the legality of the order issued by Colombo Chief Magistrate to release Convener of IUSF Wasantha Mudalige from a case filed for allegedly committing offences under PTA. Through this revision application, the Attorney General is seeking an order to set aside the order dated Jan 31, 2023 delivered by Colombo Chief Magistrate to release Mudalige from PTA charges. more..

Feb 13 (TM) Ministry of Health has instructed hospital authorities to postpone non-essential and non-urgent surgeries that could be delayed based on medical recommendations, amid a growing health sector crisis due to the shortage of pharmaceutical drugs and medical equipment. When contacted, Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella�s Media Secretary Indika Polkotuwa said: �Health Ministry instructed the hospital authorities more..

Feb 13 (AD) SL Railways Engine Drivers� Union has decided to call off their strike action, says the Secretary of the union Mr. U.K. Konthasinghe. He further mentioned that the trade union action was called off, after holding discussions with relevant authorities regarding their demands. Several scheduled trains had been cancelled today, due to the strike launched by the engine drivers� trade union. Accordingly, several train journeys including office trains were cancelled this morning,t more..

Feb 13 (FT) On 4 Feb 2023, Sri Lanka celebrated its 75th anniversary of independence from British rule. With the country amid a crippling economic crisis and a fall in per capita income, Sri Lankans have mixed views on whether there was much to celebrate. Sri Lankans do agree, however, on the need to re-double policy efforts to tackle the economic crisis and build a prosperous and inclusive economy for future generations. An IMF program is necessary to stabilise the economy and more..

Feb 13 (DM) Former national cricket captain Angelo Mathews has been called up to the Sri Lanka �A� squad that will face the England Lions in the first unofficial ODI on Wednesday. Despite being a continued presence in SL's Test team, Mathews has not played limited over cricket since March 2021, his last ODI being against the West Indies. There had been murmurs of a possible return to limited overs cricket for Mathews after SL's abject performances in the ODI series in India in January. more..

Feb 13 (FT) It has been customary for senior public servants of yesteryear to pen their experience in the form of memoirs for posterity. The latest to join this group has been Lalith Hettiarachchi, a SLAS officer, who had held many high positions throughout the island. He released his experiences under the title Memoirs last month. When I read through his memoirs, what immediately came to my mind was the thesis presented in the book Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty more..

Feb 13 (FT) CB Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe has disregarded and trivialised the extent of illicit financial flows through trade mis-invoicing in instigating SL�s ongoing foreign exchange and fiscal crisis. This was fully apparent at the Parliamentary Committee on Public Finance meeting on 23 Jan in response to revelations made by us as a collective of SL�s prominent trade unions, mass org, professionals & economists. more..

Feb 13 (DM) A 14-year-old girl who had been raped by a 55-year-old man is alleged to have eloped with the suspect while the case against him was pending. The suspect was a resident of Elabodagama in Pannala and the father of three daughters. Police said on a date in 2022, the suspect who enjoyed a drink of liquor with her father in her house had raped the girl first after her father fell fast asleep and continually raped her at times. He had been arrested and produced in court and remanded and more..

Feb 13 (TM) Former Minister and Kurunegala District SLPP MP Johnston Fernando last Saturday (11) claimed that even if the JVP-led NPP was to win an election, the party would not be able to govern a country because it lacks the required capacity. Fernando said that some seemed to have been impressed by the massive numbers of participants at JVP rallies. �The JVP has 70,000 members who are taken from one rally to another to be able to show numbers to impress others. more..

Feb 13 (TM) IUSF levelled several allegations against the Vice Chancellor (VC) of the Uni of Ruhuna Prof. Sujeewa Amarasena yesterday, stating that the latter should be suspended with immediate effect and allegations against him be investigated through an independent commission. IUSF Convenor Wasantha Mudalige claimed that Prof. Amarasena favouring some of the Uni students, while the majority of students more..

Feb 13 (TM) Global corporations that have expanded to SL throughout the years are now gradually halting their operations in the crisis-stricken country despite ongoing discussions with creditor nations for debt restructuring in order to receive an IMF bailout through an Extended Fund Facility (EFF) of Rs. 2.9 billion. In recent reports, Zomato � an India-based food delivery tech company that also provides reviews on restaurants � has also decided to cease operations in SL. more..

Feb 13 (NHK) A Japanese court has released a video showing the final days of a Sri Lankan woman who died in detention. Wishma Sandamali passed away at a detention center in Nagoya City in March 2021, after she complained that she felt ill. The five-hour clip that is available for viewing is part of a 295-hour video. The footage was captured by a security camera mounted on the ceiling of the solitary cell in which she was detained. It was taken between February 22 and March 6, when she died. more..