News Room : President invites Iranian President to ceremonially open Uma Oya Hydropower Station
President Ranil Wickremesinghe invited President Ebrahim Raisi of the Islamic Republic of Iran to visit Sri Lanka and ceremonially open the Uma Oya Hydropower Station when they met on the sidelines of the UNGA in New York on Wednesday (20). President Raisi accepted the invitation and also extended an invitation to President Wickremesinghe to visit Iran. Both leaders agreed that...
News Room : President highlights the need for a comprehensive plan to address financial difficulties faced by middle-income countries – The Island
President Ranil Wickremesinghe, speaking at the Climate Ambition Summit on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on Wednesday (20), affirmed Sri Lanka’s commitment to the Secretary General’s accelerated climate agenda. He highlighted the importance of tangible climate actions and commended the delegates for their valuable suggestions. President Wickremesinghe drew attention to the significant economic consequences of climate-related issues, with...
News Room : Sri Lanka and World Bank discuss Economic Reforms and collaborations – The Island
The United States and Sri Lanka marked the fourteenth Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) Council Meeting in Colombo today (18), solidifying their commitment to enhancing trade and investment relations. The technical level meeting, co-chaired by K.J. Weerasinghe of the Government of Sri Lanka and Brendan Lynch, Acting Assistant United States Trade Representative for South and Central Asia, witnessed...
News Room : Showers above 50mm are likely at some places in Western, Sabaragamuwa and Northern provinces and in Galle, Matara and Puttalam districts – The Island
Weather forecast issued at 05.30 a.m. on 16 September 2023 by the Department of Meteorology Several spells of showers will occur in Western, Sabaragamuwa and Southern provinces and in Puttalam, Kandy and Nuwara-Eliya districts. Showers or thundershowers may occur at a few places in Eastern and Uva provinces, and in Mullaitivu district during the evening or night. Winds will be south-westerly...
News Room : Economy shows signs of recovery; CBSL optimistic
The country’s economy has contracted at the rate of 3.1% in the second quarter of 2023, according to recent data by the Census and Statistics Department. The Department in its estimated Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the second quarter of 2023, on Friday said that this economic downturn marked an improvement from the alarming 11.5% contraction experienced in the...
News Room : Girl, 5, killed after Italian military jet crash in Turin
An Italian military jet has crashed while taking part in an acrobatic exercise in Turin killing a five-year-old girl in a car on the ground. Video shows the pilot, who survived, ejecting moments before impact followed by a huge fireball near Turin Airport. The girl’s nine-year-old brother was seriously hurt, while their parents suffered burns. Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini said...
News Room : Antarctic sea-ice at ‘mind-blowing’ low alarms experts – The Island
By Shihar Aneez ECONOMYNEXT –The Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) informed the members of the EPF, the country’s largest pension scheme, that it has opted for the government’s domestic debt optimization (DDO) option with a long-term view in the best interest of the members. It said the two options given to the EPF under the parliament approved DDO were exchange...
News Room : Poland: Government under pressure over escalating cash for visas scandal
The speaker of Poland’s upper house of parliament has called on the government to reveal what it knew about an escalating cash for visas scandal. Tomasz Grodzki said the issue was ruining the country’s international reputation as a responsible democracy. The government has released few details but media reports say migrants paid up to $5,000 (£4,000) each to speed up their...
News Room : Curiouser and curiouser …
Saturday 16th September, 2023 Channel 4’s recent programme on the Easter Sunday terror attacks has yielded the intended results. It influenced the UNHRC ahead of the latter’s 54th regular session in Geneva. Although it said nothing new in its self-styled exposé, and its claims remain unsubstantiated, it has been able to foment discord and stir up strife among Sri Lankan...
News Room : Mendis, Asalanka nail tricky chase to set up India-Sri Lanka final
Sri Lanka defeated Pakistan in a last-ball cliffhanger by two wickets, courtesy a platform-setting innings by Kusal Mendis, and a crucial finish by Charith Asalanka. A chase of 252 in 42 overs was always going to be a tall order, but a couple of healthy middle-order partnerships set the stage for Sri Lanka to pull off a stunning run-chase...