By Rathindra Kuruwita Sri Lanka has never been this transparent about an agreement it entered with the IMF, State Minister of Finance, Ranjith Siyambalapitiya says.Addressing calls for greater transparency in dealings with the IMF, Siyambalapitiya noted on Wednesday that Sri Lanka had engaged with the global lender on 16 previous occasions. The Cabinet of ministers […]

By Hiran H. Senewiratne Participation in the share market was quite low yesterday on the part of both foreign and local investors following bondholder concerns over transparency issues with regard to the external debt restructuring agreement, market analysts said. Amid those developments both indices moved upwards slightly. The All- Share Price Index went up by […]

By Rathindra Kuruwita Dissident Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) MP, Dayasiri Jayasekera, has expressed concern over a potential 50% drop in the revenue of the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) due to the entry of foreign companies into the petroleum market. Jayasekera highlighted the adverse impact of the policies of successive governments on the CPC. “The […]

Sri Lanka Under 19s will commence their Under 19 Asia Cup campaign against minnows Japan on Saturday, two days after the team land in Dubai. The Youth team left for Dubai yesterday. The team captained by Royal College batsman Sineth Jayawardena are the favourites alongside Bangladesh to advance to the knockout stage as they face associate […]

by Harim Peiris As we approach the end of 2023 and with about a year to go for the next presidential election due before end 2024, President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s frequent refrain and indeed the rationale for his administration is the revival of the national economy after it was spectacularly destroyed by his predecessor’s administration, ironically […]

The Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) together with the Foreign Employment Bureau (SLBFE), through licensed commercial banks, commenced popularizing the new ÂManusavi Migrant Worker Loan Scheme from Monday (Dec.04).

Hirun recalled after impressive performance for St. Joseph’s by Reemus Fernando Trinity College spinner Dinuka Tennakoon has found a place in the Sri Lanka Under 19 team for the upcoming Under 19 Asia Cup while St. Joseph’s College opener Hirun Kapurubandara has been recalled after being sidelined for the previous youth assignment. Left-arm spinner Tennakoon […]

Media Release 4th December 2023 The Sri Lanka Cricket Selection Committee selected the following 15-member squad to take part in the U19 Asia Cup, which will be played in Dubai. The squad was approved by the Honorable Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs, Harin Fernando. The team captained by Sineth Jayawardena will depart for the […]The post Sri Lanka squad for ACC Men’s U19 Asia Cup appear...

What has been widely described as the “historic” Supreme Court judgment which by a majority 4-1 decision of a five-judge bench held the Rajapaksa brothers, Mahinda, Gotabaya and Basil and other unelected officials including two past Governors of the Central Bank, a former Secretary to the President, a former Treasury Secretary and some members of […]

The Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) has approved in principle the listing of Commercial Bank of Ceylon’s Rs 6 billion Debenture Issue, opening on December 12th 2023, a Commercial Bank press release said. The release adds: ‘The Bank has announced an initial issue of 60 million Basel III Compliant – Tier 2 Listed Rated Unsecured Subordinated […]

By Hiran H.Senewiratne The investor sentiment at the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) was positive throughout yesterday due to the successful conclusion of external creditors’ bilateral agreement with the government on the external debt restructuring exercise, market analysts said. Due to these developments banking sector counters showed a significant improvement anticipating Rating Agencies would upg...

Heavy fighting has broken out across the Gaza Strip, as the Israeli military resumed combat operations against Hamas after efforts to extend the truce failed. The resumption of hostilities came at about 7am local time (05:00 GMT) on Friday, as the deadline for the end of the week-long pause passed. Israeli air strikes have been […]

Minister of Transport and Highways and Minister of Mass Media Dr Bandula Gunawardena at a press briefing held at the Presidential Media Center today (30) said that the earliest Sri Lanka can recover from bankruptcy is in 2027, at which time it is envisaged that the countries foreign reserves which stand at USD 3.5 billion […]

By Hiran H. Senewiratne The trading activities at the Colombo Stock Exchange witnessed a positive trend yesterday after a negative streak in the past few days, following the much anticipated debt restructuring deal between Sri Lanka and its official creditors. “The Official Creditor Committee (OCC) and Sri Lanka agreed on the main parameters of a […]

Economic conditions and challenges prevailing last year have moderated somewhat, given the steadfast approach by policy makers and regulatory authorities towards economic recovery. We appreciate their efforts, and our results bear testimony to the progress made. Nevertheless, the road ahead remains challenging. A meaningful government budget, continued success of the IMF program, general price sta...

SLPP leader Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday (28) hit back at critics, claiming that a robust economy had been built under his presidency. He said the UNP-SLFP government which ruled the country during the 2015-2019 period should be held responsible for the current economic crisis. The following is the text of a statement, titled ‘the origins of […]

By Rathindra Kuruwita The Cabinet of Ministers has approved the signing of a loan agreement with the Asian Development Bank to borrow 60 million US dollars to complete the Integrated Road Investment Program (IRIP), cabinet spokesman Bandula Gunawardena told reporters on Tuesday. Addressing a press conference, Gunawardena said the IRIP was implemented using loan funds […]