News

SL will lose USD 50mn if ICC suspension continues – Shammi Silva

Published

1 year ago

November 11, 2023

editor

President of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) Shammi Silva has warned that in the event the International Cricket Council (ICC) does not lift the ongoing suspension against the country’s membership, the country stands to lose 50 millions of US Dollars.

Speaking at a press conference held this afternoon (11 Nov.), Silva explained that it was after several discussions and deliberations that the ICC allowed the island nation to host both the U19 Cricket World Cup and the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the ICC in 2024, and the Women’s World Cup later in 2027. He further revealed that measures were also underway to co-host the T20 World Cup in 2026 together with India.

The SLC President explained that in order for these tournaments, along with the AGM, to take place as scheduled, ICC required a certain level of ‘assurance’ that the government of Sri Lanka would support these endeavours.

“They don’t have that confidence anymore. The AGM has already been cancelled, and I don’t know what will happen to the U19 World Cup”, Shammi Silva said, explaining that an ICC official who was on the island to discuss matters in this regard, had left this morning.

Thereby, he warned that Sri Lanka is on the verge of losing USD 50 million, in the event the ICC suspension continues.

Speaking further on the suspension imposed by the ICC on Sri Lanka with immediate effect on Friday (10 Nov.), Shammi Silva, together with the other SLC officials present at today’s briefing, revealed that the suspension, despite Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe’s claims, was not, in fact, a shock.

Silva noted that the ICC initially notified SLC of a possible suspension in July this year, following ICC Deputy Chairman Imran Khwaja’s visit in May, subsequent to which discussions were held between the relevant parties, and the matter had been resolved to a certain extent.

“But how are we supposed to work with people like this?”, the SLC President said in reference to Minister Ranasinghe, adding that there was a high level of unnecessary interference, politicization and corruption.

Silva alleged that Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe was the reason behind the drastic downfall of not only cricket , but of sports as a whole in Sri Lanka, alleging that “one man is destroying everything”. He highlighted that the during Ranasinghe’s tenure, Sri Lanka has been banned in the international arena for football, rugby and cricket.

“Nothing can be done. We cannot develop sports with a minister like this, his powers need to be curtailed”, Silva asserted, urging that President Ranil Wickremesinghe should intervene in the ordeal.

SLC found itself under fire after several back and forth allegations concerning fund transfers and other nefarious activities, following which the ICC, on Friday night, suspended Sri Lanka’s membership, with immediate effect, on account of the cricket governing body having been in serious breach of its obligations as a Member, in particular, the requirement to manage its affairs autonomously and ensure that there is no government interference.

(adaderana)

News

Major reforms planned for bus transport

Published

9 hours ago

April 28, 2025

editor

Minister of Transport, Highways, Ports, and Aviation, Bimal Rathnayake, recently held a special discussion with officials from the National Transport Commission (NTC), the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB), and the Provincial Road Passenger Transport Authorities across nine provinces. The meeting led to several key decisions aimed at modernizing and improving the country’s road passenger transport sector.

Among the major initiatives discussed were:

Immediate implementation of an integrated bus timetable for the Puttalam route.
Launch of a pilot project on Route 138, where all buses operate under a single association with profit-sharing arrangements.
Installation of GPS and CCTV systems in buses for improved monitoring and safety.
Development of an online ticket booking system in collaboration with the Ministry of Digital Technology.
Introduction of random drug and alcohol testing for bus drivers.
Mandatory issuance of bus tickets through electronic ticketing machines (implementation phase in progress).
Formulation of specifications for buses used in passenger transport.
Mandatory seatbelt usage for bus drivers.
Identification of new roads/routes for the addition of new bus services.
Provision of WhatsApp numbers for passengers to report complaints about buses, with numbers prominently displayed inside buses.
Minister Rathnayake emphasized the need for swift action to implement these measures and instructed officials to continuously monitor and report on the progress of each initiative.

(dailynews.lk)

(Except for the headline, this story, originally published by dailynews.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)

News

Chongqing gears up for 25th Lijia International Intelligent Equipment expo

Published

10 hours ago

April 28, 2025

editor

The international internet celebrity city of Chongqing in China will host a grand equipment manufacturing industry event – the 25th Lijia International Intelligent Equipment Exhibition 2025 next month.

The Expo will be held at the Chongqing International Expo Center from May 13th to 16th, 2025, attracting exhibitors and professional visitors from all over the world to discuss and showcase the latest technologies and products in the equipment manufacturing industry.

This exhibition, spanning across 100,000 sq. meters will bring together 1,400 globally renowned enterprises which will showcase their intelligent manufacturing equipment and technology, particularly the latest achievements, cutting-edge technologies, and high-end products in the fields of machine tools, industrial automation and robots, tool holders and measuring tools, sheet metal, die-casting casting, molds, rubber and plastic.

The 2025 Lijia Exhibition will also create multiple themed exhibition islands showcasing manufacturing powerhouses of China, which will comprehensively showcase solutions to industry pain points through on-site demonstrations, technical explanations, and physical displays.

In addition, the exhibition will also hold over 100 industry conferences and events. The main forum, “FIM-Future Intelligent Manufacturing Conference,” focuses on future factories, with the theme of AI+manufacturing. Industry experts are expected to provide suggestions and recommendations for manufacturing transformation.

Organizers point out that for global manufacturing enterprises, the expo is not only an excellent opportunity to learn about the latest technologies and products in China’s equipment manufacturing industry, but also also an important platform for gaining a deeper understanding of the Chinese market and expanding international cooperation. It will also open up opportunities to engage in in-depth exchanges and cooperation with Chinese counterparts, and to jointly promote the development and prosperity of the global equipment manufacturing industry.

News

RW issues special statement after exiting CIABOC (Video)

Published

11 hours ago

April 28, 2025

editor

Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe has left the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) after providing a statement today (April 28).

Soon afterwards, he had also made a special statement in this regard.

(Video : VoiceTube)

(Previous news 2025 April 28 – 9.20.a.m.)

Ex-President Ranil to appear before CIABOC today

Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe is scheduled to appear before the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) today (April 28) at 9.30 a.m.

He has been summoned to record a statement over the statement he had made on MP Chamara Sampath Dassanayake.

Former President Wickremesinghe, who was initially summoned to the CIABOC on April 17 but requested a postponement. He had requested a date after April 27th to appear before CIABOC, citing that his lawyer Ronald Perera is currently abroad.

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