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...
News Room : PAFFREL calls upon Constitutional Council to make Election Commission financially independent – The Island
By Rathindra Kuruwita The Constitutional Council (CC) is responsible for creating a legal framework to ensure that independent commissions are financially independent, but even after 20 years the CC has not done this, says Executive Director of People’s Action for Free & Fair Elections (PAFFREL) Rohana Hettiarachchi . Hettiarachchi told the media yesterday in Colombo that the public’s interest in democracy...
News Room : Death toll in Libya’s Derna flooding could reach 20,000: Mayor – The Island
Derna Mayor Abdulmenam al-Ghaithi has told Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television that the estimated number of deaths in the city could reach between 18,000 to 20,000 based on the number of districts destroyed by the flood. Spokesperson of the interior ministry Lieutenant Tarek al-Kharraz on Wednesday told the AFP news agency that 3,840 deaths had been recorded in the Mediterranean city...
News Room : The Philippines looks askance at evidence gathering mechanism – The Island
UNHRC report on Sri Lanka The Philippines has questioned the allocation of as much as USD 10 mn for Geneva-based evidence gathering mechanism to inquire into accountability issues in Sri Lanka. During the ongoing 54th Session of the Human Rights Council that commenced on 11th September, 2023, the Philippines government raised the issue. Making a strong statement on the accountability mechanism run...
News Room : KOICA upgrades Korean medical clinic at Ayurveda Hospital
Korea International Cooperation Agency, (KOICA) has upgraded and renovated the Korean clinic attached to the National Ayurveda Hospital of Sri Lanka (Teaching). KOICA said that the clinic that has been set up in 2003 was meant for the advancement of the indigenous medicine sector in Sri Lanka. According to a press release issued by KOICA about 150 patients receive treatment...