Page 22 - Sri Lanka

S Lankan Prez effects 1st Cabinet reshuffle; changes health min's portfolio

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Monday effected the first reshuffle of his Cabinet, changing the portfolios of two ministers, amidst criticism from the opposition that he was planning to postpone elections that are due in the cash-strapped country next year. Significantly, Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella was moved to the Environment Ministry following weeks of public dissatisfaction with his handling of the ministry. Rambukwella, 69, survived a motion of no confidence in Parliament moved against him by the opposition to highlight inefficiency, corruption and mismanagement in the ministry's conduct. Rambukwella a fortnight back had ordered a police investigation into an Indian company's alleged supply of a substandard drug. The Indian company had however denied such a supply to a Sri Lankan importer. The Environment Ministry was held by Wickremesinghe himself when the incumbent came to be disqualified as a member of parliament through a court order. The health ...

Will use 2nd IMF tranche to settle outstanding credit: Sri Lanka minister

Sri Lanka would utilise the IMF's second tranche of the bailout deal to settle arrears owed to multilateral creditors while expediting the debt restructuring process, state minister of finance Shehan Semasinghe has said. Sri Lanka is now in a position to receive the second tranche of USD 330 million upon approval of the Staff-Level Agreement by the IMF Executive Board. The Staff-Level Agreement will enable the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, and other multilateral financial institutions to make the remaining payments, further expediting debt restructuring efforts with international partners, Semasinghe said in a statement on Friday. The IMF had, in March this year, approved a 48-month, USD 2.9 billion extended arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) to support Sri Lanka's economic policies and reforms. It said, despite showing early signs of stabilisation, the full economic recovery was not yet assured. Sri Lanka's external position had weakened as a result of the .

Cricket World Cup 2023: Shanaka might return to Sri Lanka squad - Coach

Selectors wanted to keep Dasun Shanaka as a backup in case we face any other injuries in the batting order as an option, says Sri Lanka assistant coach Naveed Naveen

Sri Lanka, IMF reach agreement for disbursal of 2nd tranche of bailout

Sri Lanka and the IMF have reached a crucial staff-level agreement to release the second tranche of about USD 330 million out of the USD 2.9 billion bailout package which will help in the cash-strapped country's economic recovery. The International Monetary Fund in March this year approved a 48-month, USD 2.9 billion extended arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) to support Sri Lanka's economic policies and reforms. The IMF mission that visited Sri Lanka for the first review of the global lender-supported Extended Fund Facility programme for the country noted that despite early signs of stabilisation, full economic recovery is not yet assured. "Sri Lanka will have access to SDR 254 million (about US$330 million) in financing once the review is approved by IMF Management and IMF Executive Board," the IMF said in a release on Thursday. The release of the second tranche at the conclusion of the first review of the facility approved in March is subject to approval by the I

A renewed Sri Lankan engagement

As the island nation recovers, India's goodwill gesture has helped it regain some of the ground lost to China

Indian mission provides legal assistance to fishermen detained in Lanka

Twenty-seven Indian fishermen, arrested for allegedly poaching in Sri Lanka's territorial waters, were provided material and legal assistance, the Indian mission in Jaffna said on Monday. Last week, the Sri Lankan Navy held two Indian trawlers with 15 Indian fishermen aboard while three Indian trawlers with 12 fishermen aboard were apprehended near the Delft and Kachchativu Islands, local officials here said. "Consular officials of @CGJaffna provided material & legal assistance to Fifteen Indian fishermen detained today in Jaffna District. Consular officials sought the welfare of fishermen & facilitated phone calls to their family in India," the Consulate General of India in Jaffna said in a post on X on Monday. On Sunday, the Consular officials provided material and legal assistance to 12 fishermen detained in Jaffna district, the Indian mission said. In a separate post, the mission said that the Consular officials sought the welfare of fishermen and facilitated phone calls ..

Sri Lankan Prez calls for stability amid ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe has called for a fresh approach from the world to maintain a stable geopolitical system in the wake of the escalating conflict involving Israel and Hamas. Speaking at a dinner hosted by the Geopolitical Cartographer, an international research foundation specialising in the Indian Ocean, under the theme Emerging New Order in the Indian Ocean Region', Wickremesinghe on Friday night talked about the importance of the current situation in West Asia and its potential impact on the global order. The 74-year-old leader expressed concerns about the global geopolitical implications of the conflict, particularly the challenges for the United States in managing multiple international issues simultaneously. Can the US manage Ukraine, Taiwan and the Middle East, Gaza? I don't think so. If you are going to have two aircraft carrier groups in the Mediterranean, that's serious. Can you manage it? It's going to be difficult because many issues are going to .

Ferry service between India, Sri Lanka will enhance connectivity: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said ferry service between India and Sri Lanka will enhance connectivity, promote trade and reinforce the longstanding bonds between the two countries. In his message delivered virtually during the flag-off event of the ferry service from India's Nagapattinam to Sri Lanka, he said that during the recent visit of Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, they jointly adopted a vision document for the economic partnership between the two countries. "Connectivity is the central theme of this partnership," he said. "Great poet Subramania Bharati in his song Sindhu Nadhiyin Misai had spoken of a bridge connecting our two countries (India and Sri Lanka). This ferry service brings alive all those historical and cultural connections," he said. "Our vision for connectivity goes beyond the transport sector. India and Sri Lanka collaborate closely in a wide range of areas such as Fintech and energy," Modi said. In a post on X, he said ferry services

Jaishankar's Lanka visit underlines wide scope of cooperation partnership

The visit of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to Sri Lanka and his meeting with President Ranil Wickremesinghe has furthered bilateral cooperation and brought to the fore the wide scope and the agility of India's development cooperation partnership with Sri Lanka, the Indian High Commission said here on Friday. Jaishankar was in Colombo to participate in the 23rd Council of Ministers' meeting and the 25th Committee of Senior Officials of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) on October 11. During this visit, his second in 2023, Jaishankar called on President Wickremesinghe and discussed a diverse range of areas pertaining to bilateral ties as the two countries are marking 75 years of diplomatic relations. "Recalling the bilateral economic partnership vision statement issued during the visit of the President of Sri Lanka to India in July 2023, they (Jaishankar and Wickremesinghe) agreed on the need to strengthen multiple dimensions of connectivity such as trade, ...

Sri Lanka confirms major debt deal with China for its economic recovery

The Sri Lankan government has confirmed that it has concluded a preliminary deal with China on the restructuring of its debts to Beijing, seen as a "big step" in the cash-strapped country's economic recovery. In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Ministry of Finance said The Government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is pleased to announce that it has reached an agreement on the key principles and indicative terms of a debt treatment with the Export-Import Bank of China. China holds about 52 per cent of Sri Lanka's USD 46 billion external credit. The agreement in principle covers approximately USD 4.2 billion of outstanding debt, it said adding that it constitutes a key step towards restoring Sri Lanka's long-term debt sustainability and will pave the way to a prompt economic recovery. The terms of the restructuring agreed upon will provide the space for Sri Lanka to implement its reform agenda. The government has expressed hope that it should also facilitate .

Heavy rains, floods kill 6 people in Sri Lanka and force schools to close

Heavy rain triggered floods and mudslides and downed trees in many parts of Sri Lanka, killing at least six people and forcing authorities to close schools in some areas, officials said Friday. Strong monsoon rains have been pounding the Indian Ocean nation for more than a week, flooding houses, fields and roads. On Friday, a large tree fell on a moving bus in Colombo, killing five people and injuring five others, said Dr. Rukshan Bellana, a spokesperson for the capital's main hospital. Separately, one person died when a rock fell on his house during a mudslide in Galle district, about 130 kilometres south of Colombo, the state-run Disaster Management Centre said. The centre said the floods and mudslides damaged hundreds of houses in 12 districts and affected more than 50,000 people, including 1,473 families who were moved to temporary shelters. The coastal district of Matara was the worst affected, with most parts flooded for more than a week. Schools in Matara were closed on Fri

India acts to eliminate trans-fatty acids from national food supplies: WHO

One in four adults in the region has raised blood pressure, while one in ten has diabetes, and less than 15 per cent are on effective treatment coverage

Sri Lankan cricketer found 'not guilty' of rape in Australian court case

Sri Lankan cricket international Danushka Gunathilaka has been found not guilty of raping a woman he met on a dating site during the south Asian team's tour of Australia last November. Judge Sarah Huggett acquitted the 32-year-old player as he sat at Sydney's Downing Centre District Court on Thursday listening to the decision. Huggett found that the alleged victim, who cannot be legally named, was an intelligent witness who did not deliberately give false evidence about the use of a condom but was motivated by a desire to paint the cricketer in an unfavorable light. I find that the evidence regarding the complaint far from supports the complainant. Rather it undermines the reliability of her evidence, she said. Gunathilaka and the woman met for drinks at a bar before having pizza together in downtown Sydney and catching a ferry to the woman's home in the city's eastern suburbs. The woman accused him of various acts of aggression and violence. Police initially brought four charges

Despite signs of stabilisation, full recovery not assured: IMF on Sri Lanka

At the end of the mission, Breuer and Svirydzenka said in a statement that Sri Lanka has made commendable progress in implementing reforms

US expresses concern to Lanka over Chinese research ship's planned visit

The US has expressed concern to Sri Lanka about the likely visit of a Chinese research ship next month that could also cause worries in India which in the past has raised security concerns over docking by China's spy vessels, according to a media report US Under Secretary Victoria Nuland, who met Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Ali Sabry in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session, raised concerns about the upcoming visit of the Chinese research vessel 'SHI YAN 6', Daily Mirror newspaper reported on Monday. Minister Sabry briefed her that Sri Lanka, as a neutral country, had worked out the Standard Operating Procedure (SPO) to be followed by foreign ships and aircraft in carrying out any activity in Sri Lankan territory. The minister reportedly told her that Sri Lanka had been even-handed in this approach for all the countries and could not exclude China from the process as a result. Earlier, President Ranil Wickremesinghe also said that the SPO had been worked out

Rajiv Gandhi assassination: Steps taken for deportation of Lankan convicts

The Centre has informed the Madras High Court that it has taken steps to deport all the four Sri Lankans, convicted in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, to Sri Lanka. Foreigners Regional Registration Officer P Ve Arunshakthikumar, Bureau of Immigration, Ministry of Home Affairs stated this in his counter affidavit filed on Thursday, in response to a petition filed by S Nalini, one of the seven convicts ordered to be released by the Supreme Court last year. She had sought a direction to the authorities to release her husband Sriharan alias Murugan from the Special Camp (Foreigners Detention Centre), Tiruchirapally, to enable him to live with her in the city. In her petition, Nalini said when she was arrested she was pregnant, and her daughter was born on December 19, 1992 while she was detained in the Chengalpattu sub-jail. Her daughter was now married and living with her husband and child in London. Nalini submitted her daughter is a citizen of the United Kingdom and that Muruga

Mamata meets Sri Lankan prez at Dubai airport, invites him to WB biz summit

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday met Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe at Dubai airport and invited him to the state business summit in November. Banerjee is on a 12-day trip to Dubai and Spain. The chief minister said that Wickremesinghe, seeing her at the airport lounge, called her to join for some discussion. His Excellency the President of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremesinghe saw me at the Dubai International Airport Lounge and called me to join for some discussion. I have been humbled by his greetings and (have) invited him to the Bengal Global Business Summit 2023 in Kolkata, she posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. Banerjee also said Wickremesinghe has invited her to visit the island country. HE the President of Sri Lanka extended cordial invitation to me to visit Sri Lanka. It was a pleasant interaction with deep implications, she added. Banerjee reached Dubai on Tuesday evening and was at the airport there this morning to board her flight to .

Asia Cup: SLC hope to keep Premadasa ready for Super 4, final despite rain

Despite rain prediction of varying intensity over the next fortnight here, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) officials on Wednesday remained optimistic about keeping the R Premadasa Stadium ready for the Asia Cup Super 4 matches and the title clash. The Sri Lanka-leg of Super 4 stage will start with a match between the hosts and Bangladesh on September 9, followed by the much-awaited game between India and Pakistan on September 10. The final will be played on September 17 here. "Yes, the predictions are for the rain. We had rains here this morning too, and it has made the wicket and areas near it a bit wet. "The outfield too has soaked in a good amount of water. But we are working hard, and we are confident of preparing the ground in time for the matches," said Godfrey Dabrera, the national curator of SLC. There were speculations of Super 4 matches and final getting moved out of Colombo because of the inclement weather, before the Asian Cricket Council decided to stick with the original cho

800 trailer: Muttiah Muralitharan's biopic sheds light on legendary spinner

The trailer for Sri Lankan cricketer Muthaiah Muralitharan's biopic '800' has been released, and the film chronicles the struggles of the best spinner in the history of cricket

SL to investigate claims of intelligence complicity in 2019 Easter bombing

Sri Lanka's government will appoint a parliamentary committee to investigate allegations made in a British television report that Sri Lankan intelligence had complicity in the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that killed 269 people. Labour Minister Manusha Nanayakkara told Parliament on Tuesday that details on the investigation will be announced soon. A man interviewed in the Channel 4 videos released Tuesday said he arranged a meeting between a local Islamic State-inspired group and a top state intelligence official to hatch a plot to create insecurity in Sri Lanka and enable Gotabaya Rajapaksa to win the presidential election later that year. Azad Maulana was a spokesman for a breakaway group of the Tamil Tiger rebels that later became a pro-state militia and helped the government defeat the rebels and win Sri Lanka's long civil war in 2009. Rajapaksa was a top defence official during the war, and his older brother, Mahinda Rajapaksa, had been defeated in the 2015 elections after 10 .