by PRIYAN DE SILVA State Minister of Finance Shehan Semasinghe said that the crediting of the July allowance to 1,365,000 ‘Aswesuma’ beneficiaries had been concluded the previous week and the August allowance would be sent to their bank accounts on Wednesday (01 Nov). Semasinghe said that the government intended to credit the September allowance in November. The State Minister announced […]

The Managing Director for Operations of the World Bank, Ms. Anna Bjerde and Martin Raiser, the Regional Vice-President of the World Bank for South Asia, conducted a field visit to the Climate Smart Farmer Training School in Thirappane on Sunday (29).

Controversy over change of Cabinet portfolios continues: Ex-minister responds to accusations, Sevanagala and Pelwatte brought under Dilum By Shamindra Ferdinando Minister Mahinda Amaraweera was given the plantation industries portfolio as Dr. Ramesh Pathirana, who previously held it, declined to present a Cabinet paper to hand over the loss-making Sevanagala Sugar Industries to former Minister Day...

UN chief Antonio Guterres has warned the situation in Gaza is declining rapidly as he repeated desperate appeals for a ceasefire to end the “nightmare” of bloodshed. “The situation in Gaza is growing more desperate by the hour. I regret that instead of a critically needed humanitarian pause, supported by the international community, Israel has […]

Former US Vice President Mike Pence has withdrawn from the 2024 presidential race, saying “this is not my time”. He made the announcement at the Republican Jewish Coalition in Las Vegas on Saturday afternoon. “We always knew this would be an uphill battle, but I have no regrets,” he wrote in a statement. Mike Pence […]

Chairman of the parliamentary Committee on Public Finance (COPF), SJB MP Dr. Harsha de Silva, has called for the opinion of the Attorney General within four weeks concerning the contracts made by ten business companies currently active in the Colombo Port City, parliament sources said on Thursday. Following an inquiry conducted last week by the […]

Sri Lanka Vanithabhimana, an awards programme aimed at empowering the remarkable women of Sri Lanka, proudly returns for its fourth consecutive instance this year, jointly organised by NDB Bank and Sirasa News 1st. The awards programme has gained a reputation as a prestigious platform that spotlights the incredible contributions of women from diverse fields, including […]

The Parliamentary watchdog committee – COPE (Committee on Public Enterprises) has raised serious concerns regarding the State Mortgage and Investments Bank’s (SMIB) failure to recover a substantial sum of Rs 68 million lost due to a loan scam dating back to 2017, parliament sources said on Thursday. Sources said that the committee’s investigation into this […]

Banking consultant Ravi Abeysuriya has passed away. With a proven track record of establishing and managing several Financial Sector Institutions in Credit Rating, Investment Research Outsourcing, Investment Banking, Stock Broking and Asset Management, Abeysuriya possessed over several decades of hands-on practical experience and broad knowledge of financial market operations in Sri Lanka. He was ...

A 54-year-old man who headed a financial institution that had not been approved by the Central Bank was arrested on Thursday for defrauding 9.9 billion rupees.The name of the unauthorised financial company is Eyon Lanka Investment and Film Production International Company (Pvt.) Limited. The suspect was arrested by officers of the Financial and Commercial Crime […]

The Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) has recommended that the State Mortgage Investment Bank take measures to overcome its administrative weaknesses and remain a competitive bank without completely deviating from the bank s core objectives.

A man has been arrested for operating a financial institute without a license from the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL), the police said.

By Rathindra Kuruwita The Department of Wildlife has given up efforts to protect elephants in the country, Sajeewa Chamikara of the Movement for Land and Agricultural Reform (MONLAR) has said. Addressing a gathering at the launch of his book, Sanwardana Jawaramen bihikala Ali minis getuma (The Human-Elephant Conflict: A Creation of the Development Racket), on […]

Water Supply and Estate Infrastructure Development Minister Jeevan Thondaman has said that a new water tariff formula will be introduced in line with the project implemented with Asian Development Bank (ADB). Minister Thondaman gave the indication at a media briefing held on Tuesday (24) at the Presidential Media Centre (PMC). He gave an assurance that […]

Thursday 26th October, 2023 Some SLPP MPs are shedding copious tears for the public who are struggling to keep their heads above water. Prominent among them is former Minister Namal Rajapaksa, who is trying to absolve the SLPP of the blame for exponential increases in taxes and tariffs. Attributing the people’s economic woes to the […]

A special World Bank delegation led by Ms. Cecile Fruman – Director, South Asia Regional Integration and Engagement and Ms. Mandakini Kaul – Regional Coordinator, South Asia Regional Integration and Engagement visited the Port of Colombo recently for a policy dialogue meeting on regional cooperation in South Asia. The World Bank had organised this field […]

The Welfare Benefits Board on Tuesday (24 Oct.) urged all eligible beneficiaries of the Aswesuma welfare benefit payment program to open their respective bank accounts to receive their entitled benefits, if they have not done so yet.

Minister of Water Supply and Estate Infrastructure Development Jeevan Thondaman, addressing media at the Presidential Media Centre (PMC) today (24) reiterated that there won’t be another water tariff hike this year and a water tariff formula would be introduced in January 2024. He added that the National Water Supply and Drainage Board and the Asian […]

The Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by the President in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, Economic Stabilization and National Policies to enter into related agreements to obtain a loan of  USD 100 million offered by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to implement the “Small and Medium Enterprise Development Finance Project” to […]