Feb 20 (TM) Staff members of some State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) continued to rake in large paychecks due to massive overtime and allowance pay at the end of last month, despite the Govt�s push to increase utility and fuel tariffs citing a need to be cost-reflective. This, in the wake of a Govt circular to all ministries and State institutions to cut their expenditure for 2023 by 6%. A number of employees of CPSTL has been more..

Feb 20 (FT) The economy in the New Year had had a mixed start with the manufacturing sector�s deterioration persisting and services sector picking up whilst reduced purchasing power, new taxes and electricity hike cited as deterrents for a future rebound. The mixed performance was as per the January Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) compiled by the CB. It said the manufacturing PMI signalled a continued setback in manufacturing activities on a month-on-month basis in Jan 2023. more..

Feb 20 (Island) The spectre of political upheavals are looming over the country with the govt suppressing the people�s right to exercise their franchise and express their resentment in a democratic manner. Election Commission (EC) has said it will inform Supreme Court (SC) shortly that it cannot hold the LG elections for want of funds. Treasury has informed the EC that money cannot be allocated for the polls scheduled for 9 March. Previously, the EC undertook to hold LG polls more..

Feb 20 (TM) What would become of the much-awaited LG election is a question asked by many. It is that very same question to which the Govt hesitates to provide a definite answer. However, recent developments surrounding the LG election have made it clear that the Govt does not consider the LG election an urgent and essential need, and more importantly, the Govt has placed the blame on the economic crisis. A speech made by Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe shows more..

Feb 20 (CT) The tug of war that has been going on between Minister Kanchana Wijesekera and Public Utilities Commission of SL (PUCSL) Chairman Janaka Ratnayake, over proposals regarding the electricity tariff hike, recently concluded in favour of the minister and in disfavour of the public. Last Thursday, PUCSL finally approved a 66% electricity tariff hike, effective 15 Jan. The recent tariff hike comes about six months after it was last raised to cover for losses of CEB. more..

Feb 20 (ST) Treasury has taken over the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC)�s debt owed to the People�s Bank (PB) which runs into billions of rupees or foreign currency, according to PB Chairman Sujeewa Rajapakse. �That is a huge burden taken off our shoulders. In future the Treasury will look after CPC�s liabilities to our bank,� he said dealing with challenges this year to the banking sector which are largely more..

Feb 20 (FT) Agro World (AW), is a game-changing agri-fin-tech start-up based out of Sri Lanka, that addresses and solves some of the key pain-points faced by the agribusiness sector stakeholders; more importantly the solution provided by Agro World addresses almost all the issues and challenges faced by the farmers of any scale, may it be a small-holder farmer, or a mid-sized commercial farmer, or even a plantation with over hundreds and thousands of workforce. more..

Feb 20 (Island) The single largest expense item in the residential electricity bill is the refrigerator unless the particular house is air-conditioned. The effect is more pronounced when the refrigerator is ageing � typically past ten years of service. In this context, SL Sustainable Energy Authority (SLSEA) launched a pilot refrigerator replacement project on 17th Feb 2023 at the BMICH. Simultaneously, a Minimum Energy Performance (MEP) label was introduced to 15 models of refrigerators more..

Feb 20 (DM) The Independent Election Commission has been under pressure from the ruling party to postpone the LG elections, says Prof. G L Peiris. The group of SLPP dissidents led by GL, Vasu, Dullas, Wimal, and Gammannpila who had been your obedient servants [some became famous for picking crumbs under the Madamuulana dining tables], while giving the family generous support for all their destructive acts committed against the economy, are now desperate. more..

Feb 20 (FT) Supreme Court recently delivered a judgement in relation to an Intellectual Property matter relating to the RABEA Trademarks, dismissing an appeal by Stassen Exports. In this case, the Appellant Stassen Exports. had appealed to the Supreme Court from a Judgement of the Commercial High Court Colombo. Appeal was made against the Director General of Intellectual Property of SL and Opponent substituted Respondents, Partners of Ahamed Saleh Bashen & Co, more..

Feb 20 (TM) While stating that a water tariff hike is likely, Minister of Water Supply Jeevan Thondaman stated that ministry officials are exploring alternatives including renewable energy to avoid such tariff hikes in the future. Thondaman yesterday said: �Already the water board executives and stakeholders are in discussion on how we can cut costs within the Ministry of Water Supply, in terms of operations. more..

Feb 20 (Island) India have yet again stamped their authority in Delhi as Australia lost the plot sweeping their way to disaster in the second Test. Delhi has been an absolute fortress of Indian cricket as of the 13 Tests they have played here since 1987, India have won 11 Tests and the remaining two have been drawn. One of those draws involved SL when they played in 2017. Strangely, since 2017, Delhi hasn�t hosted a Test match until this one. That gives you an idea about how Indian cricket politics work. more..

Feb 20 (DN) Sri Lanka A team led by Sadeera Samarawickrama will go all out to win the series when they meet England Lions in their third and final ODI scheduled to be held tomorrow at R.Premadasa cricket stadium commencing at 9.45am. The first game England A won by four wickets while Sri Lanka A fought back strongly to win the second game by 86runs to equal the series 1-1. Sri Lanka A top order batters really played well to build up their innings to score 315 for 7 wickets more..

Feb 20 (TM) The increase in electricity tariffs last week and its disproportionate impact on the hotel industry is bound to push many hotels towards the brink of collapse, with hoteliers being forced to absorb the added costs as it is not feasible to increase room rates to reflect the new tariffs. According to The Hotel Association of SL (THASL), it is unfair to pass down the increase in electricity tariffs to consumers. more..

Feb 20 (CI) It started with a sensational win over South Africa in the tournament opener and ended with a whimper as they were dismissed for their third-lowest total in T20Is. It's fair to say Sri Lanka came, saw, conquered and then crashed out. For Chamari Athapaththu, it's not a calamity. "The world has not ended. The sun will come up tomorrow. I want to build a good team for the future. Today the feeling is not good but my focus is the next tour," she said, still smiling, afterwards. more..

Feb 20 (FT) Backed by its solid capital base and prudent risk fundamentals, Sampath Bank said it continued to prove its ability to navigate itself prudently during this unprecedented economic crisis. Notwithstanding the extremely challenging economic conditions, Sampath Bank has registered a profit before tax (PBT) of Rs. 15 billion and a profit after tax (PAT) of Rs. 13.1 billion for the year ended 31 Dec 2022. Among key highlights of the financial results declared by Sampath Bank more..

Feb 20 (FT) Sri Lanka Telecom Group said it has posted impressive overall growth with annual revenue surpassing Rs. 100 billion once again, recording Rs. 108 billion for the financial year 2022. This resulted in the Group recording a revenue increase of 5.2% for the financial year 2022, strengthened by a healthy bottom line of Rs. 4,765 million Profit after Tax, enabling the company to deliver on commitments to stakeholders against a backdrop of unprecedented macroeconomic more..

Feb 20 (DN) In a bid to explore construction opportunities overseas a large number of Sri Lankan companies will participate in the BUILDMACEX in Nigeria from March 21 to 23. Chief Executive Atlantic Exhibition Ltd, the exhibition organizer, Ayodeji Olugbade during a conference with President of the Ceylon Institute of Builders, (CIOB) said that this is the first time such a number of companies form Sri Lanka are participating in this event. Olugbade noted that, more..

Feb 20 (TM) Police Dept has stated that it will have to consider providing security to the Govt Printing Dept only when the ballot paper printing process commences, and that officers would have to be reassigned from various police stations and duties as they would have to be deployed at the Printing Dept for a longer period than usual. Responding to Govt Printer Gangani Liyanage�s statement last week that the main reason more..

Feb 20 (CI) New Zealand thumped Sri Lanka so severely in each team's last match of the group stage, in Paarl, that they nullified the terrific start SL had to the tournament, and gave themselves a chance of qualifying for the next stage, despite their own underperformance in their first two games. By claiming a 102-run victory, set up by terrific half-centuries from Amelia Kerr, who hit 66 off 48, and Suzie Bates, who made 56 off 49, New Zealand easily eclipsed SL's net run rate (NRR). more..

Feb 20 (PMD) On Feb 16th, Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe met with a group of youth to discuss his policy statement and the govt�s plans for the country�s future. The group of young people expressed their views on the govt�s policies in a newspaper article and the Prez had invited them over for a follow-up discussion along with the two young journalists, Anoushka Jayasuriya and Shannon Salgadoe who had written the article. During the discussion, they had expressed more..

Feb 20 (Island) SJB will hold a protest in Colombo today against the govt�s attempts to delay local council polls, which are scheduled to be held on 9 March. The protest is scheduled to be held opposite the Presidential Secretariat and the Ministry of Finance, SJB General Secretary MP Ranjith Madduma Bandara said, inviting the public to participate in it. �We ask the people to fight for their rights. The Prez might next claim there are no funds for a presidential election. more..

Feb 20 (DM) Claiming that opposition politicians including Sajith Premadasa were bragging in political arena that a NPP govt would take over private property, NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said they were citing a part of JVP's policy statement issued in 1980 and urged Sajith Premadasa to get updated. He said the topic that the opposition politicians were quoting from JVP's website was in the policy statement issued some 43 years ago in 1980 & said that NPP's policies more..

Feb 20 (TM) To avoid being in contempt of court regarding the recent undertaking given by it before the Supreme Court (SC) that the LG election will be held as planned, the Election Commission (EC) intends to file a motion to the SC claiming that they are unable to perform their statutory duties due to the lack of funds, shortage of fuel for transportation, and the delay in ballot paper printing for the postal voting of LG polls more..

Feb 20 (DM) As some news websites reported that Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) and Jathika Jana Balawegaya (JJB) will get on one stage to protest against the possible postponement of the LG polls, SJB General Secretary Ranjith Madduma Bandara denied such reports. Some news websites reported that the two parties had decided to get onto a common platform to fight against the postponement of LG polls. It was also reported that Maddduma Bandara had a phone conversation with JJB more..

Feb 20 (AD) Janaraja Perahera, organized to coincide with SL�s 75th independence anniversary, kicked off this evening (19) under the aegis of Prez. The historic Temple of the Tooth Relic in Kandy is hosting the Janaraja Perahera following a gap of 34 years. The procession commenced from the Magul Maduwa premises at 6.30 p.m. today and is parading Dalada Street, Yatinuwara Street, Kanda Street, and Raja Street before returning to the temple to mark the end of the event. more..

Feb 20 (FT) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe Govt�s approval rating has remained static at an extreme low level of 10% whilst people�s satisfaction rate has dipped as per the Verite Research poll. Latest sentiment is revealed in the Gallup Style Mood of the Nation poll conducted in early Feb 2023 by Verit� Research. It assessed the approval, satisfaction, and confidence of the nation in relation to the Govt, the country, and economy. more..

Feb 20 (FT) I was delighted to deliver the convocation address of the Uva Wellassa University during its annual convocation held recently. Today�s column contains the text of it with added sub-headings. It gives me immense pleasure to be with you all on this solemn and significant occasion. I consider convocation as a commencement in consolidating competence and confidence. A new journey has just begun. Hence, at the outset, let me congratulate all graduands who have more..

Feb 20 (AD) Retired Colonel W.M. Wijesundera�s lawyers have informed the Supreme Court that it is not necessary to support motion requesting to expedite the petition to postpone the upcoming Local Govt elections, Ada Derana reporter said. Accordingly, the Supreme Court has ordered to take up the matter as scheduled on 23 February. The relevant motion was called before the two-member Supreme Court bench consisting of Justices S. Turairaja and Shiran Gunaratne today. more..

Feb 20 (SLN) The SL Navy seized over 128kg (wet weight) of Kerala cannabis, during a patrol carried out off the Karainagar Island in Jaffna on 19th Feb. The Navy keeps a watchful eye on the coastal and sea areas around the island, with a view to curb a wide range of illegal activities carried out by smugglers via sea routes. As an extension of constant naval search operations and patrols, SLNS Edithara II attached to the Northern Naval Command took hold of 03 traveling bags adrift at sea, more..

Feb 20 (Island) Colombo Archbishop Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith says SL as a nation is now facing a moral crisis. Speaking at the annual prize giving ceremony of St Nicholas International College, Battaramulla, held at the BMICH recently, Cardinal said that the Lankan society was infested with corruption, greed for money and thirst for power. �Everyone has forgotten to do the right thing. Justice and fair play are disappearing from among us. Even though SL celebrated 75 years of more..

Feb 20 (FT) The promoter of Bitcoins in SL has painted his fa�ade by an anti-corruption drive because in SL today people view corruption as the public enemy number one. It is simply an entry point to penetrate the minds of the people and not genuinely intended by this promoter as a solution to the country�s topmost burning question. That is because the Bitcoin without an audit trail does not help the anti-corruption authorities to more..

Feb 20 (EN) Stocks jumped more than 2% to end at a two week high on Monday on positive sentiments from IMF to continue with the loan facility even without the China�s assurance, analysts said. ASPI gained 2.64% or 233.97 points to 9,082.33, its highest since Feb 6. Index was pushed up mainly by the banking and diversified financial sectors. �Comments from the govt nearing the end of the IMF agreement has pushed investors towards buying shares and diverting to investment.� more..

Feb 20 (DM) Former Minister Sarana Gunawardena has been released on strict bail conditions by Colombo High Court Judge Damith Totawatte today. Judge released Mr. Gunawardena on Rs 30,000 cash bail with two sureties for Rs 500,000 on each of the surety. Judge Totawatte stressed that one of the sureties should be a relation of the accused while the other surety could be a non-relation of the accused. Judge underscored the fact that the sureties should pledge that they would more..

Feb 20 (DM) Chief Executive Officer of Nelum Pokuna Theater Major General L.S Balachandra and Brigadier Suresh Perera, Brigadier General Staff of SFHQ in Mullaittivu had been removed from their post following a brawl that recently broke out on the road over overtaking a senior's vehicle, Army said. Army Spokesman said the officers were attached to the Army Headquarters pending an investigation more..