News

Central Bank has taken a far reaching initiative in creating awareness on it services and activities among the people and school children countrywide while providing and easy access to banks’ services.    
 
An Open Day programme aimed at providing easy access to Central Bank services for school children and people of the Rajarata and Wayamba regions, and creating awareness about its  activities is to be held on 21st and 22nd September 2018 at the Central Bank Anuradhapura Regional Office premises and the Public Grounds (Salgado) Anuradhapura.
 
The programme will be held from 9.00am to 7.00pm and the public will get the opportunity of resolving EPF related issues and obtaining information about small and medium enterprise credit schemes and related services, CB said in a statement.
 
 A currency exchange facility to exchange damaged notes and obtain coins will also take place.

Several awareness programmes and workshops aimed at educating the public on the current financial environment and financial literacy are also to be held at this event, including providing the services of the Credit Information Bureau (CRIB) and Credit Counselling Centre.
 
Participants will be able to pay a visit to the currency museum at the Regional Office, Anuradhapura and be able to purchase Central Bank publications at a discount of 25 percent .

Apart from providing central banking services, the Open Day programme will also feature product stalls of small and medium enterprises.
 

Four elephants were killed when they were hit by a fuel tanker train coming from Kolonnawa to Batticaloa on Tuesday morning in north central Sri Lanka. 

Railways department officials said that the train had collided with a herd of elephants crossing the Colombo-Gal Oya railway line near the 127 mile post in Puwakpitiya, Habarana at around 4 am today (18).

The collision has derailed the train engine and the damage to the railway tracks has forced the railways department to cease the Batticaloa-Trincomalee train service.

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has stepped into Improve Solid Waste Management in Uva Province. JICA  completed a pilot project to improve the Galapitagalayaya landfill site which is the final disposal site and the compost plant for the intermediate treatment of solid wastes collected in the urban centers at Kataragama Pradeshiya Sabha area in Uva Province.
 
The improvement works include the construction of waste discharge cell with bottom liner system using local available clay soil material, a drainage system, a leachate treatment system, etc, JICA announced.    

The improved landfill site will minimize the adverse environmental impact from wastes disposal, such as preventing contamination of leachate to underground water. The landfill site and compost plant are managed by Kataragama Pradeshiya Sabha with the support of Uva Provincial Council and Central Environmental Authority (CEA).
 
At the improved landfill site and compost plant, the JICA expert team will transfer the knowledge and skills for proper maintenance of the landfill site by measuring wastes, keeping records, and guiding waste collection vehicles for proper and efficient disposal of waste.
 
In addition, there are numerous project activities to follow, such as 3Rs (reduce, reuse, and recycle) awareness raising, improvement of collection system and efficiency using GPS tracking data and proper discharge and collection methods, and composting of separated organic wastes from hotels and restaurants in Kataragama Pradeshiya Sabha area.

India and Sri Lanka signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Monday for the construction of a 5000-metric ton temperature controlled warehouse in Dambulla with Indian grant assistance of LKR 300 million.  

The project envisages construction of a 5000-metric ton temperature controlled warehouse for fruits and vegetables to minimise its post-harvest losses, which presently are around 40 per cent. 
          
The MoU was signed by Taranjit Singh Sandhu, High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka and K.D.S. Ruwanchandra, Secretary, Ministry of National Policies and Economic Affairs of Sri Lanka in the presence of Dr. Harsha de Silva, State Minister of National Policies and Economic Affairs, the Indian High Commission announced today.    
 
India’s overall commitment of development assistance to Sri Lanka stands at a total of around US$ 3 billion, out of which US$ 550 million is pure grant assistance.

Sri Lanka has decided against giving control of Palaly Airport to India just days after the state-run Airport Authority of India made a move to develop it.

Civil aviation minister Nirmal Sripala De Silva told the parliament that the government had no intention of handing over the airport to Indian authorities.

He further said that the airport would be developed in partnership with the Tourism Development Fund and the Civil Aviation Authority.

His statement comes as the AAI, in a statement issued on Monday, said that it has signed an agreement with External Affairs Ministry for "preparation of a Detailed Project Report for development of Palaly airport in Sri Lanka". This would have been the first project for the AAI in the island nation.

Silva, in Parliament, junked the statement and said that not just Palaly, but the government had no intention of handing over Higurakgoda, Baticaloa, Koggala, Digana and Trincomalee airports to other countries and that all the airports would be developed as domestic airports.

AAI’s bid to develop the airport was being seen as a strategic move as Palaly is in Jaffna, a predominantly Tamil territory. It was also dubbed as a move to counter China’s growing presence in the region by developing critical infrastructure.

The handover of the Palaly airport is the latest in the issues that Sri Lanka and India face.Last month, Silva had told Lankan parliament that the country’s government had asked the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to submit its business plan to operate the loss-making Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport.

However, De Silva’s Indian counterpart Jayant Sinha earlier told Parliament that there was no proposal under consideration for the AAI to buy a controlling stake in the airport. Sinha also clarified that there were no plans for the AAI to build a flying school and a maintenance, repair and overhaul unit at the airport.

However, the confusion refused to die down as just days later, the Ministry of External Affairs said New Delhi was considering Sri Lanka’s proposal.

Sri Lanka is now making collaborative efforts with Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) streamline administration in conflict affected areas in accordance with National Reconciliation and Peace building.
 
JICA has stepped into implement Training of Trainers (TOT) programs in collaboration with SLIDA Sri Lanka Institute of Development Administration under the Project for Training of Frontline Officers in Conflict Affected areas in Sri Lanka (FORWARD Project).
 
This project was the outcome of joint declaration made by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe Abe and Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe during his official tour of Japan in 2015.
 
Training of Trainers (TOT) programs were conducted in new Auditorium of SLIDA 31st August & 1st September 2018 for batch 1 and September 14 and 15, 2018 for batch 2 in collaboration with JICA for Senior Government Officials.
 
These officials were from six Provincial Councils namely Western Province, North Western Province, Central Province, Uva Province, Southern Province and Sabaragamuwa Provinces.
Altogether 48 senior government officers were trained in both batches to work as facilitators / trainers to practice and deliver 10 days frontline officers training programmes using comprehensive training modules developed under the Project for Training of Frontline Officers in Conflict Affected areas in Sri Lanka.

In anticipation of new U.S. sanctions against Tehran, Sri Lankan energy officials said Tuesday the South Asian nation has stopped importing Iranian crude oil.

“We stopped as soon as the sanctions were announced,” Sri Lankan petroleum resources development minister Arjuna Ranatunga was quoted as saying in Abu Dhabi’s leading English language newspaper, The National. “We didn’t buy [directly] from Iran. We buy from Singapore, Dubai, Fujairah.”

The move is the latest global reaction to the Trump administration’s effort to kill Tehran’s oil exports in the wake of Washington withdrawing from multilateral 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran last May.

While the U.S. has already reimposed some finical penalties against Tehran, in early November major sanctions kick in aimed at punishing countries who buy Iranian oil by blocking their access to U.S. markets and financial institutions.

The aggressive Trump administration measures have proven extremely effective, energy analysts said, with data showing that Iranian oil exports have plunged about 35 percent since April.

One of South Asia’s smaller oil consumers, Sri Lanka, had been importing nearly all of its 50,000 barrels per day from Iran.

Following earlier threats about the oil sanctions on Tehran, Sri Lanka’s state oil company had considered sidestepping the penalties by paying for its crude imports with tea, according to local reports.

Sri Lanka is the world’s second-largest tea producer after Kenya.

Iran, a massive tea consumer, imports 90 percent of the commodity from India and Sri Lanka.

Colombo, however, wanted to ensure it didn’t fall afoul of Washington, Mr. Ranatunga said, The National reported.

He also declined to comment on where the new Sri Lanka oil imports will come from.

South Asia’s largest importer of Iranian crude, India, has also recently announced its refiners will cut their monthly imports from Tehran for September and October by nearly half from earlier this year.

India is Iran’s second-largest oil client behind top buyer China.

Although officials in New Delhi have said they do not recognize Washington’s reimposed sanctions, they have also been working to secure waivers from the Trump administration to avoid penalties, in addition to curbing their reliance on Iranian crude.


(Washington Times)

Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera has reduced the VAT imposed on fabric to just 5% after considering the requests made by importers and traders engaged in using raw materials to make ready-made garments.

The Ministry of Finance and Media said that minister Samaraweera had signed the gazette notification today.

Earlier, the fabric was subject to LKR 100/kg CESS at the time of imports. The 2018 budget had proposed to impose a VAT of 15% on goods with the new VAT scheme coming into effect from the 16th August 2018. Importers, traders and industrialists engaged in using raw materials for the manufacture of ready-made garments had appealed to Samaraweera seeking relief.

After consulting with the relevant stakeholders, Samaraweera had reduced the VAT to 5% as a measure to help small and medium scale enterprises.  

The Finance Ministry also said that the Enterprise Sri Lanka credit schemes will enable small and medium scale manufacturing industrialists to obtain raw materials at a low cost.

With a vision of inspiring our future generation on the need for imagination, the value of invention and the power of innovation, Royal College, being in the fore-front of Sri Lanka’s education system, presents Spark’18, an innovation exhibition taking place from 25 to 28 September 2018 at the Royal College premises for the first time.
 
With over 600 innovations and inventions taking centre stage, Spark’18 will be the first innovation exhibition of such scale and magnitude to be held in the country.  Other than exhibits from students of Royal College, Spark’18 will also feature inventions and innovations from over 100 students representing various schools from across the country. To further inspire the youth to think innovatively, Spark’18 will also showcase Sri Lanka’s Top 10 inventions, which were selected at an island-wide competition organized by Sri Lanka Inventors Commission, the apex body to promote inventiveness among the citizens of Sri Lanka.
 
Also joining hands onboard Spark’18 to add glamour and value as a centerpiece attraction are the Tri Forces – Sri Lanka Army, Sri Lanka Air Force and Sri Lanka Navy, who will bring to stage their innovations as well as their research and development projects.

Further to showcase the futuristic outlook of information communication technology, Dialog Axiata will give host to a dedicated Future Pavilion at the exhibition, while Microsoft Sri Lanka have also come on board to showcase their innovative technology solutions.

Due to the national significance of this venture, Spark 2018 is endorsed by The Presidential Secretariat, The Prime Ministers Office, The Ministry of Education, The Ministry of Science, Technology & Research and The Ministry of Finance & Mass Media. The exhibition is to be inaugurated under the distinguished patronage of the Prime Minister Hon. Ranil Wickremesinghe.

The exhibition will be open to the public from 9 am to 3.30 pm free of charge, and expects many school children from across the country visiting to be inspired by the innovations in display.

Spark 2018 is powered by Dialog Axiata PLC as the Principal Sponsor along-side Food & Beverage Partner Elephant House, Technological Partner Microsoft Sri Lanka, Co- Sponsors National Lotteries Board and Development Lotteries Board and Printing Partner Softwave.

A Kuwaiti man and woman convicted of assaulting customs officers at Sri Lanka's main international airport were handed a six month jail sentence suspended for five years, an official said on Saturday.

The 32-year-old woman and her 29-year-old male partner, who were also fined LKR 138,000 ($860), were sentenced on Friday.

They were arrested after they turned violent when they were informed that quarantine requirements meant they could not bring their Burmese Mastiff into the country.

They assaulted five customs officers who tried to stop them fleeing the airport with the animal, police said, in an attack that was caught on CCTV.

The Court of Appeal today rejected the request by Northern Province Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran and two others to postpone the Contempt of Court case filed against them until a verdict is issued by the Supreme Court.
 
The request was made by Wigneswaran, Northern Province Ministers Ananthy Sasitharan and P. Sivanesan.
 
The Court of Appeal recently issued an interim order, halting the decision of Wigneswaran to remove Balasubramaniam Deniswaran, former Northern Province Minister of Fisheries, Transport, Trade and Rural Development, from his ministerial portfolio.
 
Subsequently, B. Deniswaran filed a complaint a complaint at the Court of Appeal against CM Wigneswaran accusing him of Contempt of Court by failing to carry out the court order to re-appoint him in his ministerial portfolio until now.
 
Accordingly, they requested the court to postpone the hearing of the case until the Supreme Court issues a verdict.
 
Attorney representing former NP Minister B. Deniswaran informed the court that the Supreme Court has not issued an order to suspend the hearing of the case.Hence, the Court of Appeal has no obstruction to hear the Contempt of Court charges against Chief Minister Wigneswaran and the two other provincial ministers, the attorneys representing B. Deniswaran have further mentioned.

When the case was taken up before a two-member judge bench comprising Justices Kumudini Wickramasinghe and Janak De Silva, the attorneys representing C.V. Wigneswaran and the other two NP ministers informed the court that a hearing regarding the case is scheduled to be taken up before the Supreme Court on September 28.
 
Considering the submissions, the Court of Appeal decided to reject the request sought by the attorneys representing Wigneswaran.
 
Subsequently, they presented preliminary objections against the decision of the Court of Appeal, claiming that it has no authority to hear the Contempt of Court case.

Accordingly, the hearing of the preliminary objections was taken up before the court and further hearing of the objections was postponed to October 16.
 
Meanwhile, the Court of Appeal extended the interim order, halting the decision of Chief Minister Wigneswaran to remove former NP Minister B. Deniswaran from his ministerial portfolio until October 17.(Derana)

Sri Lankan-born Suranganie Kumaranayake was appointed Superior Court of Justice for the Province of Ontario in Brampton, Canadian media reported.

Prior to her appointment, Justice Kumaranayake practised exclusively in child protection for close to 16 years, initially as legal counsel with the Catholic Children's Aid Society of Toronto. In December 2003, she joined the Children's Aid Society of Hamilton as legal counsel. Prior to entering the field of child protection, she worked as Staff Criminal Duty Counsel. In this role, she appeared in several courthouses throughout Toronto, as well as in the specialized court programs at Old City Hall: the Toronto Drug Treatment Court, Mental Health Court, Integrated Domestic Violence Court, and Gladue Court. 

She immigrated to Canada as a child with her parents and siblings, having first lived in Sri Lanka and England. She grew up in Ottawa and Burlington. She learned the value of a strong work ethic and compassion from the example set by her parents. 

Kumaranayake holds a B.A. (Honours) in psychology and sociology from Queen's University, an LL.B. from the University of Windsor, and a Certificate in Mental Health from Osgoode Hall Law School Professional Development. Kumaranayake completed her articles in civil litigation with Fellowes, McNeil.

Following her call to the Ontario Bar in 1997, she interned as a legal researcher in Namibia. After completing this internship, she joined Fellowes, McNeil as an associate.