President Ranil Wickremesinghe in his address at the 7th Indian Ocean Conference in Perth, focusing on the theme “Towards a Stable and Sustainable Indian Ocean, ” emphasized the urgency of addressing the climate crisis, noting the Indian Ocean’s vulnerability to warming and rising sea levels. He proposed initiatives such as the Tropical Belt Initiative and […]

President Ranil Wickremesinghe said in Parliamenty yesterday he was aware that Value Added Tax (VAT) was a burden on the public. He said it would be possible to reduce VAT with the passage of time. Delivering the government policy statement at the commencement of the new session of Parliament, the President said: “The prior scarcity […]

Urges unity over deep political divisions for effective crisis management Says ‘intricate’ foreign debt restructuring will take up to six months Invites Opposition to confer with institutions that foster international financial stability by Sanath Nanayakkare As government revenue increases, measures will be taken to increase benefits for the people accordingly, President Ranil Wickremesinghe said...

Inaugurating the 5th session of the 9th Parliament of Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe called upon all lawmakers to collaborate in nation building  even though they would be contesting elections separately. “From ancient times to the present day, our world has encountered a myriad of crises, spanning nations and personal lives alike. While some crises […]

From Pakistan to India, activists warn of tendency to throttle the net as elections near MADURAI, India — New legislation to regulate online content in Sri Lanka has renewed concern over freedom of expression ahead of expected elections. It also highlights a growing habit of restricting the internet across South Asia, from India to Pakistan. […]

The latest salvo against the government’s imposition of value-added tax (VAT) on hitherto exempted sectors came on Friday from the country’s book industry which has called for an immediate reversal of the decision to tax the sale of books at 18%. Associations representing local publishers, printers, booksellers and importers and writers and academics came together […]

ECONOMYNEXT –An Indian firm is in the process of getting permission to manage Sri Lanka’s three airports including the main Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) where the there is an over saturation in foreign tourists, Tourism Minister Harin Fernando said. The island nation is expecting 2.2 million tourists for 2024, but the main airport needs capacity […]

State Minister of Foreign Affairs Taraka Balasuriya, speaking at a press briefing  titled ‘Collective Path to a Stable Country,’ held at the President Media Centre (PMC) today (01) defended  the President’s recent foreign trips and dismissed claims that the trips were unnecessary by emphasizing their importance in strengthening Sri Lanka’s foreign relations and securing new […]

Secretary to the Treasury and Finance Ministry Mahinda Siriwardana has said that even if Sri Lanka achieves the goal of zero corruption, tax revenue will still have to be increased to bridge the budget deficit and lessen the country’s debt burden. Referring to the Supreme Court ruling pertaining to economic management delivered on Nov 14, […]

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID)’s Partnership for Accelerating Results in Trade, National Expenditure, and Revenue (PARTNER) activity, with the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC), have completed an on-the-job coaching programme for 50 Development Officers (DOs) attached to the Sri Lanka Export Development Board (SLEDB), said a release from the CCC. At an […]

by Lasanda Kurukulasuriya Sri Lanka’s remarks at the meetings of the 19th Summit of the Non Aligned Movement in Uganda, must surely have had observers of international relations, especially relating to West Asia, scratching their heads. President Ranil Wickemesinghe in Kampala on Friday (19 Jan.) said he welcomed the fact that the 19th Summit gave […]

ECONOMYNEXT –President Ranil Wickremesinghe has invited political party leaders in Parliament to discuss the IMF agreement implementation with the fund’s Managing Director. “I am willing to extend an invitation to the Managing Director of the IMF to participate in a collective dialogue here. Let us collaboratively explore different perspectives and propose modifications if deemed beneficial,...

President Ranil Wickremesinghe extended an invitation to all political party leaders in the Parliament to engage in discussions with the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on the implementation of the agreement with the IMF. Emphasizing the importance of unity in leading the country to success, he reiterated that withdrawing from the agreement […]