By MEERA SRINIVASAN As Sri Lanka tries to rebuild its battered economy after last year’s devastating crisis, the country’s political scene is gradually heating up, in the run up to two national elections scheduled next year — parliamentary and presidential — that will give citizens their first chance to vote, after they dislodged the Rajapaksas […]

By Shamindra Ferdinando Chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means Patali Champika Ranawaka on Tuesday (12) alleged that the Finance Ministry had allowed the operation of a distillery in spite of that company failing to pay taxes. The former minister said that the country lost millions for want of political will to recover what that company owed […]

Dialog Axiata PLC, announced its partners of the Dialog Innovation Challenge, an initiative to develop scalable, innovative digital solutions. The recent partner induction marks a significant milestone in this national endeavour, fostering collaboration across various sectors. The Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) assumes the role of National Technology Partner, anchoring the ...

By Ifham Nizam The global technology powerhouse, Lenovo, has seen tremendous growth in Sri Lanka during the last three to four years, said Naveen Kejriwal, General Manager- Overseas Business, Consumer, Commercial & Tablets of Lenovo. Lenovo is a USD 62 billion revenue global technology powerhouse, ranked #217 in the Fortune Global 500, employing 77,000 people […]

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 […]

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 […]

By Rathindra Kuruwita The petroleum sector unions warn that fuel prices will rise by around 11 percent from 01 January 2014 due to 18% VAT. Dr. Ashoka Ranwala, President of the General Employees’ Union of Petroleum Corporation, said previously petrol, diesel and coal had been exempted from VAT

By Rathindra Kuruwita The government has to reduce diesel price at least by another Rs. 20 if bus fares are to be lowered, private bus owners’ associations have said. They have claimed they can’t reduce bus fares although the price of a litre of diesel has been reduced by Rs 27. General Secretary of the All Ceylon Private Bus Owners’ […]

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 […]

OPEC+ producers have agreed to voluntary oil output cuts for the first quarter next year in an attempt to boost the market, but crude prices fell after the move. Saudi Arabia, Russia and other members of OPEC+, who pump more than 40 percent of the world’s oil, met online on Thursday and issued a statement […]

Bus fares will not be revised despite the fuel price reduction, the National Transport Commission (NTC) says.

The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CEYPETCO) has revised its fuel prices with effect from midnight today (30). The revised prices per liter are • Petrol 92 Octane – Rs. 346 (reduced by Rs. 10) • Petrol Octane 95 – Rs. 426 (increased by Rs. 3) • Auto Diesel          – Rs. 329

Monday 27th November, 2023 The SJB has commenced collecting signatures for a public petition as part of a campaign to have those who are responsible for the current economic crisis stripped of their civic rights. Given public resentment, which is palpable, the SJB may be able to obtain hundreds of thousands of signatures for its […]

By GUWAN SEEYA  First, there was the China Bay airport nominated as a possible alternative to the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA). The advantage was that since Sri Lanka was mainly affected by two Monsoons namely the South West and the North East, during that time the opposite coast has generally had good weather. For example, […]

Budget 2024 is like a fairy tale rather than a pragmatic solution to pressing economic issues, SLPP MP Dr. Nalaka Godahewa has said. Taking part in the current budget debate, former State Minister said: “Two paramount challenges loom large—the persistent economic contraction and the escalating national debt. A practical budget should provide answers to these […]