From November 30th last year, the Sri Lankan Rupee is appreciating against the US Dollar gradually. The Rupee value of a dollar on November 30th was Rs. 329 and the same on March 20th was Rs. 304. Sri Lanka is experiencing an appreciation of the Rupee for a second time. Over decades the value of…
Representatives of civil society organisations (CSO) have recently met with President and Finance, Economic Stabilisation, and National Policies Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to discuss the former’s concerns pertaining to the proposed controversial non-governmental organisations (NGO) law. During the meeting, where the proposed NGO (Registration and Supervision) Act of 2024 was discussed, the President has stated that…
Half of the countries in the region-Afghanistan, Maldives, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka-are either in debt distress or at high risk of it. In 2006, South Asia’s total external debt stock increased by a record 23 percent. In 2022, the ratio of government debt-to-GDP in the region averaged 86 percent, higher than that of any other…
In the rural town of Morawaka located in Southern Sri Lanka, home to lush tea estates and paddy fields, Ramya is finally mother to a beautiful baby girl. She was born after a harrowing experience of an umbilical cord prolapse, a condition where the umbilical cord gets out of the body before the baby and…
President Ranil Wickremesinghe has announced that the government has enacted 42 new laws in the past 4 months, with another 62 in the pipeline, all aimed at catalyzing the country’s economic transformation. Among these are two draft laws related to women’s rights, designed to promote gender equality and empower women. These laws are slated for…
Members of Parliament Charitha Herath, Dayasiri Jayasekara and S. M. Marikkar have also resigned from the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) protesting against the appointment of ineligible members to the committee. Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Eran Wickramaratne yesterday announced his decision to resign from the COPE.
Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Parliamentarian Eran Wickramaratne has resigned from his position as a member of the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE). Speaking at a press conference yesterday morning (18), Wickramaratne stated that he has handed over the resignation letter to the Speaker of the Parliament. In his resignation letter, the SJB MP mentions that…
President Vladimir Putin basked in an election victory that was never in doubt, as officials said Monday that he had won his fifth term with a record number of votes. Putin has led Russia as president or prime minister since December 1999. Early Monday, Putin hailed overwhelming preliminary results as an indication of “trust” and…
Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera revealed yesterday that United Petroleum of Australia has finalised an agreement with the Power and Energy Ministry to venture into petroleum retail operations in Sri Lanka. The announcement comes following last month’s signing of the agreement between the two parties. “They plan to sign the agreement with the BOI…
The El Nino phenomenon has caused an increase in the continuous dry weather situation in the country and it could continue till April, Meteorology Department Director Genral Athula Karunanayaka said. He told the media that rain can be expected from next Thursday (21), Friday (22) and Saturday (23), but there will also be an increase…
