Day: 22 November 2021

World Bank Chief Economist for South Asia Hans Timmer says it is imperative for Sri Lanka to maximize debt service, with least resources possible. Timmer said so at a webinar organised by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka recently under the theme, ‘Impact of the Pandemic on South Asian Economies and How Digitisation And Services Led Growth Can Help Sri Lanka to Rebound’. “Sri Lanka at the moment is in a difficult situation due to accumulation of problems. Sri Lanka’s economy has been hard hit during the pandemic, as a…

Read More

Agriculture Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage has instructed the Secretary of the ministry to call for an explanation from the Registrar of Pesticides regarding the gazette issued revoking a previous gazette imposing a ban on the use and sale of Glyphosate and four other agrochemicals in several areas. MORE… Thank you

Read More

Sri Lanka Embassy in Brussels conducted a workshop on reopening of Sri Lanka for international tourism at the Official Residence on 18 November 2021. The objective of the workshop was to convey the message that Sri Lanka was open for tourism in a big scale for the travellers to explore the incredible features and topographies and reconnect with the Belgium tour operators, travel writers and other travel professionals. Around 30 tour operators and agents, travel journalists, travel media and TV professionals, travel bloggers, social media…

Read More

Former Indian Foreign Secretary, Shivshankar Menon has said that although China has invested heavily in countries like Pakistan and Sri Lanka, that does not automatically translate into political influence over a country’s foreign policy, popularity, or into soft power. He said this responding to a question on the role of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) plays in advancing China’s economic and soft power interests in South Asia during an interview with E-International Relations magazine. “The BRI plays a very considerable role in advancing China’s interests. It plays to China’s…

Read More

Minister Gamini Lokuge tests positive for Covid-19 Thank you

Read More

BY CYRIL WIMALASURENDRE’ KANDY  – SLPP MP Dr. Wijayadasa Rajapakshe said on Saturday that he would vote for the budget 2022 not because he subscribed to what was stated therein, but because the country needed a budget. Addressing the media in Kandy, Dr. Rajapaksa said that the government should be changed but the problem was there was no alternative. “There still is no proper alternative to this government. Therefore, no point in voting with the Opposition for this budget. The budget projects a revenue of Rs. 2,000 billion while an…

Read More

The Director General of Health Services has confirmed another 31 coronavirus related deaths for November 21, increasing the death toll in the country due to the virus pandemic to 14,158. MORE.. Thank you

Read More

A mobile phone has been recovered from former MP Ranjan Ramanayake, who is spending a rigorous imprisonment over Contempt of Court and is currently receiving treatment from the Welikada Prison Hospital. Among the possessions were a mobile phone and a handsfree. The former MP, who was kept in the Angunakolapelessa Prison, was taken to the Colombo National Hospital for treatment for a knee injury and later transferred to the Welikada Prison Hospital. The above items were recovered from the former MP’s possession during a search…

Read More

CEAT Kelani Holdings has reached another milestone in radial tyre manufacture in Sri Lanka with the Company’s appointment as an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) for Bolero City Pik-up vehicles assembled in Sri Lanka by Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) India in collaboration with Ideal Motors. All Mahindra Bolero City Pik-ups rolling off the assembly line at the Mahindra Ideal Lanka Automotive Assembly Plant at Welipenna, Matugama are fitted with CEAT Milaze HD radial tyres in the size of 215/75 R15, manufactured at the CEAT Kelani plant in Kelaniya, under an OEM…

Read More

Rev. Father Cyril Gamini Fernando has left the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) premises after recording a statement for the third day. MORE.. Thank you

Read More

Following weeks of a severe shortage of imported milk powder in Sri Lanka, people were seen queuing themselves just to purchase milk powder. Companies importing milk powder ceased their operations of releasing milk powder stocks to the market as their request to increase the milk powder price was not met for a long time. The government on October 09 decided to increase the milk powder price surging the price of a kilo of milk powder by Rs. 250 and the price of a 400g of…

Read More

Former Indian Foreign Secretary, Shivshankar Menon has said that although China has invested heavily in countries like Pakistan and Sri Lanka, that does not automatically translate into political influence over a country’s foreign policy, popularity, or into soft power. He said this responding to a question on the role of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) plays in advancing China’s economic and soft power interests in South Asia during an interview with E-International Relations magazine. “The BRI plays a very considerable role in advancing China’s interests. It plays to China’s…

Read More

Rev. Father Cyril Gamini Fernando has arrived at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for the third day to record a statement. He had been notified to appear before the CID at 9.30 a.m. today (22). Father Cyril Gamini had previously appeared before the CID on two occasions to record a statement in connection with a complaint filed by the country’s intelligence chief.  He had been questioned by the CID for around 8 hours on November 15 and 16.   On October 25, the Director of the State Intelligence Service (SIS),…

Read More

The Consular Affairs Division of the Foreign Ministry will be temporarily limiting its services from today (22), over a breakdown of the Electronic Document Attestation System (E-DAS), the Ministry said in a statement. Accordingly, attestation services during the past week have been disrupted resulting in long delays in providing services, the Ministry explained. The Branch Attestation System at the Regional Consular Offices and Sri Lanka missions overseas will also be affected due to the circumstance, it added. The Division hence will be able to provide…

Read More

The Health Ministry says another 189 persons have tested positive for Covid-19, pushing the daily count of new cases to 697. Earlier today, the ministry had confirmed 508 new cases of the virus. This increases the total number of coronavirus cases confirmed in the country to 556,626. Over 15,000 infected patients are currently undergoing treatment island-wide.   Thank you

Read More

An order has been made banning all public servants from criticising government policies on Social Media. The order has been made based on several complaints received on how opinions are raised by certain government officials unnecessarily challenged on Social Media, Secretary for the State Ministry of Home Affairs N.H.M. Chithrananda. Accordingly, any public servant violating the order will be taken into a disciplinary inquiry, the Ministry informed. MIAP Thank you

Read More