Mar 11 (EN) The head of Sri Lanka's power regulators has filed a fundamental rights case at the Supreme court against the recent 66 percent electricity tariff hike, the top official said in an email statement. Janaka Ratnayaka, the chairman of Public Utilities Commission of SL (PUCSL) said the purported approval given by the Commission was an unlawful decision of three out of the five members & not a decision of the commission. more..

Mar 11 (AD) State Minister Shehan Semasinghe has requested the Deputy Speaker of Parliament to instruct relevant authorities not to act on the interim order issued by the Supreme Court regarding the 2023 Local Govt polls until the inquiry carried out by the Parliamentary Committee on Privileges comes to an end. Furthermore, he also asked the letter sent to the Finance Minister by the Election Commission Chairman, to be referred to the Parliamentary Committee on Privileges. more..

Mar 11 (AD) A team of CID officers will depart for Madagascar tomorrow (March 11) to repatriate SL drug kingpin Nadun Chinthaka alias Harak Kata and his infamous accomplice Salindu Malshika alias Kudu Salindu, arrested while on a visit to the Indian Ocean island off the southeastern coast of Africa. On Wednesday (8), defence officials in Madagascar officially informed the Foreign Ministry of SL of the arrest of 08 suspects including the drug kingpin Nadun Chinthaka alias Harak Kata more..

Mar 11 (CT) In the midst of daily protests by university undergraduates escalating, the Govt has decided against offering State sector jobs in future to those who engage in anti-Govt protests and riots. A top Govt official said the Govt has taken steps to identify and maintain records of those, especially undergraduates, who are engaged in unnecessary anti-Govt protests. “A database will be maintained and when these people apply for Govt jobs, they will not be given preference. more..

Mar 11 (DM) SLC are targeting the months of July and August to conduct the fourth season of the Lanka Premier League (LPL), with the intent of that period becoming the permanent window for the tournament moving forward. The first three editions of the franchise-based tournament were repeatedly postponed from their originally scheduled dates and conducted towards the end of the year in each of the seasons. The tournament will not see a previously expected expansion however, more..

Mar 11 (Island) Prez of Bar Association of SL (BASL) Saliya Pieris, said that US Ambassador Julie J. Chung had been invited as the Guest of Honour to a two-day National Law Conference (NLC) 2023 in recognition of the continuous support received by BASL from the US. USAID over the years. He said so in response to The Island query why the BASL invited Ambassador Chung, amidst continuing controversy over her role in more..

Mar 11 (AD) Police have arrested the woman who had brutally assaulted a girl in the Kurukulawa area of Ragama. A video clip of a woman who was brutally assaulting a girl was circulating on social media over the past few days. Ragama Police, acting immediately on the matter, has admitted the assaulted girl in question to the Ragama Teaching Hospital and she is currently receiving treatment at the hospital under police security, the police said. 17-year-old girl, whose mother passed away, more..

Mar 11 (CNBC) SL needs institutional reforms in order to achieve long-term debt sustainability, said Steve Hanke, who played a key role in establishing new currency regimes in emerging markets like Argentina and Montenegro. The South Asian country is grappling with its worst financial crisis in decades and needs to unlock a $2.9 billion IMF loan that was agreed to in September, to get its public finances in order. “Unless you change the institutions and the rules of the game governing these countries, more..

Mar 11 (CT) SL Police and Ministry of Home Affairs were requested to take action against Police personnel who entered university premises during recently held protests, Minister Susil Premajayantha said. He was responding to a question raised by SJB MP Buddhika Pathirana on the Policemen and members of the Military entering uni premises. MP stressed that even students with special needs were attacked, while a security guard of the uni was allegedly killed due to tear gas attacks. more..

Mar 11 (Island) The govt’s actions were forcing thousands of health professionals out of the country and it would become impossible to manage the healthcare sector, GMOA spokesman, Dr. Chamil Wijesinghe said. “There is already a crippling shortage of medicine, and hundreds of doctors have left the country for economic reasons. I don’t know how many other healthcare professionals have left the country. How can we maintain the system at this rate? The govt doesn’t care,” he said. more..

Mar 11 (PTI) The Congress accused the Centre on Sunday of lobbying in favour of the Adani Group for projects in Sri Lanka and foisting the business conglomerate on the important neighbour of India. The opposition party has been persistent on its attack on the govt, weeks after Adani Group stocks took a beating on the bourses in the wake of US-based short seller Hindenburg Research making a litany of allegations, more..

Mar 11 (AD) The military groups that came carrying weapons and sticks (Kurundu Polu) to control protesters could be para-military maintained by the Avant-Garde, NPP MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake said. He said that a military spokesman had said that the military groups that came to control the protests could not be confirmed as the official govt military. The MP said the military personnel had carried weapons and wooden sticks and added that official military should carry standard batons more..

Mar 11 (DM) Expired tear gas canisters are not being used by SL Police to disperse the protesters because police cannot expect better results from outdated tear gas canisters, police said. SSP Nihal Thalduwa said that generally, open tenders are called and tear gas is purchased according to a prescribed method. He said expired tear gas was not being used by the police to disperse a protest. "There are some allegations of Police using expired tear gas against protesters. more..

Mar 11 (Island) The US embassy declined to comment on Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU) leader and MP Udaya Gammanpila’s declaration of CIA Director William Joseph Burns top secret visit to Colombo on Feb. 14. The Island raised this issue with the US embassy spokesperson twice on 15 Feb. and 6 March. On both occasions, the spokesperson stressed that the embassy wouldn’t comment on the issue at hand. more..

Mar 12 (ST) There can always be a slip between a verbal agreement and a formal one, but by all accounts, the long-awaited, eagerly anticipated IMF bailout for SL seems a fait accompli. There is no free lunch on the table by the IMF for their US$ 2.9 billion package and the political will shown by the Govt to adhere to stringent IMF demands for reform seems to have paid dividends. Extended Fund Facility (EFF), different from a mere Standby facility, is a bailout package to be doled out over 4 years. more..

Mar 12 (TM) Politics is getting dirtier by the minute all over the world, but Sri Lanka and its politicians could boast of being pioneers of that degenerative trend. While it is a well-known fact that politicians lie for survival, to fall for the same lies year after year for 75 years is by itself a record – the dubious honour of which goes to the majority population of this country, who keep faithfully falling for the lies and deception aimed at them. The mantra of political power at any cost and to hell with more..

Mar 12 (TM) Sri Lanka needs to embark on a rapid export-oriented industrialisation strategy to find a long-term solution for the economic crisis and not rely on short-term relief measures, Economist and Retired Associate Professor at Erasmus Uni Rotterdam Howard Nicholas said last week. According to Nicholas, SL needs to focus on creating the right business environment to attract foreign investors & expand its export basket more..

Mar 12 (CT) On 4 March 2023, the UN’ long-awaited agreement, from 1982, was finally heard and adopted in a historic consensus that recognised the value of marine biological diversity in areas of the high seas, that are outside of national jurisdiction as well as the necessity of conserving and using these resources sustainably. To ratify the resolution, there are still a few steps to be taken, which could be difficult given the complexity of the geopolitical climate of the world where the high seas more..

Mar 12 (CT) In his relatively salad days, Prez JR Jayewardene was known to be a superb after-dinner speaker and ballroom dancer. He was not so swift in political dancing, and had to wait for the longest time to have his last dance. And what a dance it turned out to be. We do not know anything about Prez Wickremesinghe’s after-dinner toast-mastery or ballroom skills. Neither of them is in as much vogue now as they used to be in the old millennium. But when it comes to political dancing, more..

Mar 12 (ST) Health Ministry officials were galvanised into action to ensure that spare parts and materials needed for vital medical equipment at the Colombo National Hospital were obtained after the Sunday Times questioned them about the non-functioning of these equipment. This newspaper asked Minister Keheliya Rambukwella about the lengthy delay in repairing PET scanner and CT scanner at the National Hospital. more..

Mar 12 (ST) My dear Maco Nimal, I am writing to you after a couple of months because the date for the elections you promised us has come and gone – and no elections have been held. If anything, this whole issue about the election has got curioser and curioser even though yet another date in April has now been announced by you. Really, there should be no fuss at all about these elections. It will not change the top job. It will not change the Cabinet. It will not change composition of Parliament. more..

Mar 12 (Island) We conclude today what probably is the longest running series of articles ever in this newspaper. It was written by Chandana Jayawardena, the hometown boy who arguably may be the best ever hotelier produced by SL. Without doubt, he is certainly the most accomplished. Having managed a string of top properties across the globe and achieving academic and operational excellence in his chosen field, he became a teacher of hoteliering, eventually setting up his own more..

Mar 12 (TM) As SL nears the one-year mark of last year’s Aragalaya people’s power protest campaign, the country’s economic revival seems to be finally on track with the appreciation of the SL Rupee and economic activities showing positive signs following news of the proposed IMF deal likely to be finalised this month. However, the public’s agitation over the ongoing hardships seem far from over, with Opposition parties, civil society, trade unions, and university students taking to the streets more..

Mar 12 (ST) Fears are growing over Test cricket’s fate as Boards around the world lean more towards T20Is for commercial purposes. And an increasing number of SL cricketers are voicing their concern about the future of the longer format. Playing their first series in seven months in NZ, Test skipper Dimuth Karunaratne and former Test skipper Angelo Mathews expressed their disappointment over fewer Tests. SL played just six last year and there are five this year, all of which are part of more..

Mar 12 (CI) A Daryl Mitchell ton followed by a Matt Henry blitz put the hosts in pole position for the first time in the Christchurch Test, as NZ's lower order wrestled control away from SL on a riveting third day of play at the Hagley Oval. Blair Tickner further pressed home the advantage, picking up three wickets in the final session, as the visitors ended 65 runs ahead with seven wickets in hand; but the momentum still lay with the hosts. more..

Mar 12 (Island) Ever wonder why a 19-year-old Asanka Gurusinha made his Test debut as a wicketkeeper in Karachi in 1985? Well, the team’s wicketkeeper Amal Silva had been given clear instructions not to hook, but yet he tried his luck and was dismissed and had hell to pay. The team’s supremo Abu Fuard ran SL cricket with an iron fist those days. No one crossed his path. Nobody defied his orders. Had Abu been living today, on the cricket team’s return to the team hotel after more..

Mar 12 (SO) A couple of weeks ago, a low-key ceremony marked a significant milestone in SL’s drive towards industrialisation. At this ceremony, Minister Bandula Gunawardena handed over the vehicle registration number plate for SL’s first completely locally manufactured electric supercar, the Vega EVX. This car has already won rave reviews from the international motoring press for its radical design and the electric power unit, which is on par with those manufactured by more..

Mar 12 (CI) New Zealand fight, and find ways to win. This was part of Daryl Mitchell's appraisal of NZ on day three at Hagley Oval, when they came roaring into the Test. Mitchell was the top-scorer, hitting 102 off 193 balls, as NZ recovered from 188 for 6 to post 373. This was Mitchell's fifth Test hundred, in 25 innings, and his second in his hometown of Christchurch. Since making his international debut in 2019, Mitchell - now 31 - has become an integral part of the national side, across formats. more..

Mar 12 (Island) Celebrating a decade of excellence in innovation, Hayleys PLC hosted its 10th annual Chairman’s Awards to recognise the inspiring achievements and initiatives of its teams across 16 diverse business sectors, a company news release said. A total of 205 employees from 25 project teams were felicitated at the diversified conglomerate’s apex recognition platform. Projects included value-added export innovations that continued to drive foreign exchange earnings, cutting-edge more..

Mar 12 (TM) The new Counter Terrorism Act (CTA) drafted by the Government has received approval from the Cabinet and is expected to be gazetted in the coming weeks. CTA is expected to replace the controversial PTA of 1978 which has, over the last three decades, come under strong domestic and international criticism over being abused by law enforcement agencies for the arbitrary detention of suspects. more..

Mar 12 (ST) The SL rupee has been strengthening against the dollar and its impact was severely felt this week at the rubber auction where nothing got sold and at the tea auction where 26% of the stock went unsold. Rubber stocks at the Colombo Auction went unsold for the very first time as prices came down drastically and plantation companies opted to withdraw the sale this week. Asia Siyaka Brokers stated that there was approximately 200,000 kg of rubber on offer this week and more..

Mar 12 (ST) SL Navy dominated the National Sailing Championship 2023, claiming four out of seven events, in the annual watersport gala held this time, at the Crow Island Sea Front in Mutwal, Colombo. Next to the Sailors’ achievements, Royal Colombo Yacht Club, S. Thomas’ College and Royal College made their presence winning an event each. The GP14, Enterprise, ILCA 6 and Windsurfing Classes were won by SL Navy, and the ILCA 7 Class was won by Royal Colombo Yacht Club. more..

Mar 12 (TM) Despite several attempts by Central Bank of SL (CBSL) to renegotiate the conditions of the CNY 10 billion (equivalent to $ 1.5 billion) currency swap with the People’s Bank of China (PBoC), all attempts have proved futile as the response has not been favourable. Accordingly, the currency swap remains unusable to date, two years after the CBSL and PBoC entered into the agreement. more..

Mar 12 (SO) SL Rupee has strengthened in recent weeks as foreign exchange earnings have increased, said Minister Bandula Gunawardena. Minister Dr. Gunawardena said the Rupee’s strength has not been derived from selling US Dollars, as was the case previously. The Rupee has gained strength due to increased tourist arrivals, remittances from SL migrant workers, and parties who held US Dollars for speculative gains being forced to sell them in the open market, more..

Mar 12 (SO) For the first time in history, three Sri Lankan boxing officials have been elected to serve on the various commissions of the Asian Boxing Confederation (ASBC). Hemantha Weerasinghe (referee and judge), Syamalee Lokuyaddehige (women), and Dr. Tharanga Aruggoda (medical) were elected to serve on the respective ASBC Commissions from 2023 to 2027 during the board meeting held in Bangkok, Thailand. Syamalee becomes the first woman from SL to serve more..