Aug 3 (CT) Sri Lanka is already facing an economic crisis precipitated by gross mismanagement, chronic corruption, nepotism and abuse of power in the hands of few elite families and their cronies. Little do people realise that the stability boasted about the political leadership after the dire situation which prevailed in early to mid-2022, is merely a myth or a ‘calm before storm’. Amidst this, even out-shadowing the economic meltdown, has been the moral crisis and corrupted lifestyles more..

Aug 3 (TM) 13th Amendment, which has not been enforced in full, despite having remained a part of the country’s Constitution for decades, has become what is referred to in the famous Sinhala saying as being like the beggar’s wound, an issue that does not seem to ever get resolved. Similar to almost all past Heads of State, following his appointment as the Prez, Ranil Wickremesinghe has also found himself in the midst of more..

Aug 3 (TM) In yet another supposed attempt to save the country’s values from being ridiculed, many of which were seen during the past few months based mostly on certain statements made by various public figures, Govt and certain nationalistic public figures are now trying to save the nation from a singer who mispronounced a word while singing the national anthem. This incident took place during the opening ceremony of the LPL, where singer Umara Sinhawansa sang the national anthem. more..

Aug 3 (Island) There is no doubt, whatsoever that the 1983 July pogrom was one of the most shameful events in the recent history of SL which irrevocably tarnished the image of the country. How it was viewed then by the foreign media formed the basis of two opinion pieces by Jayantha Somasundaram, July 1983: As the world saw SL (Island, 25 July) & July 1983: Tamils do not blame Sinhalese people (Island, 26 July), which was very difficult reading for anyone with a conscience. more..

Aug 2 (Island) A brouhaha has erupted over what is described as the distortion of the national anthem at the Lanka Premier League (LPL) opening ceremony. Talented young vocalist Umara Sinhawansa has been drawing heavy fire for singing the national anthem in operatic style, and mispronouncing some words therein. Her performance has sparked a media frenzy. Many are those who are wrapping themselves in the flag and calling for action against her. Umara, one of SL’s finest vocalists, more..

Aug 2 (Island) This is not the first time that Indian Leaders have called on SL Govts to Ensure life of dignity and respect for Tamils. This was repeated during the recent visit of SL’s Prez to India. India’s PM Modi stated: “We hope that SL’s govt will fulfill the aspirations of the Tamil people. We expect that Colombo will take forward the process of reconstruction for ensuring equality, justice and peace. We hope that SL will fulfill its commitment to implement the 13th Amendment more..

Aug 2 (FT) Asia’s leading logistics service provider, Kerry, is bullish about Sri Lanka’s prospects as a hub in South Asia prompting it to expand operations in the country. Kerry Logistics Network Managing Director, South & South East Asia and Managing Director Operations and Technology Alan Yip was in Sri Lanka recently to strategise future plans as well as meet with customers and employees. more..

Aug 2 (DN) SL chess sensation, Susal de Silva, has created history by progressing to the Second Round of the FIDE World Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan. The 17-year-old Nalanda College student will face a formidable opponent, Polish grandmaster Radoslaw Wojtaszek, in a highly anticipated two-day match, scheduled for today and tomorrow. De Silva’s remarkable performance has earned him the distinction of being the first-ever player from SL to advance to the World Cup Second Round more..

Aug 2 (DN) It was very dissapinted performance by SL Netball team when they lost to Singapore 52-55 at Netball World Cup held in South Africa on last Tuesday. This is the second time SL lost to Singapore at the World Cup. SL team led by Gayanjali Amarawansa emerged champions at the Asia Cup in Singapore and same Singapore team lost to SL and SL won the Asian title. After Asia Cup SL changed their head coach Hyacinth Wijesinghe and replaced former National coach more..

Aug 2 (PMD) State Minister of Tourism, Diana Gamage, highlighted that during the first seven months of this year, SL welcomed a significant influx of 763,000 tourists, contributing to a significant income of approximately US $800 million. She further emphasized the success of Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe’s program aimed at strengthening the national economy through the growth of the tourism industry. This accomplishment has played a crucial role in bolstering foreign reserves. more..

Aug 2 (EN) More than 94% of remaining holders of dollar denominated SL Development Bond holders have agreed to exchange for longer term rupee bonds. Out of US$ 837.5 million remaining SLDBs, owners of US$ 791.4 million of bonds have offered to exchange and the offer has been accepted, Finance Ministry said. Of that US$ 814.83 million was from institutional investors. Without individuals, 97.13% of holders have accepted the offer. With individuals, 94.49% have accepted the offer. more..

Aug 2 (EN) SL will make welfare payments to 1.792 million persons identified as deserving support, and also 393,093 persons who were dropped from an existing Samurdhi program until their appeals are heard, the cabinet has decided. Of the selected individuals payments will be made for 1,588,835 persons in respect of whom there were no appeals or objections. Out of the selected individuals 84,374 had appealed to be included in a higher more..

Aug 2 (ABC) Neil Para is setting off on the longest and most important walk of his life. Today he begins a 1,000-kilometre journey from Ballarat to the PM's electoral office in Sydney, to bring attention to refugee families living in limbo while seeking permanent residency in Australia. Mr Para, his wife, and three daughters have lived in the regional Victorian city of Ballarat for more than nine years with no visa, meaning they have no right to work, study, or access Medicare. more..

Aug 2 (FT) Top professional R.G.S. Wijesekara was recently appointed as the Ambassador/Permanent Representative to the World Trade Organisation. He presented his credentials to WTO Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. Wijesekara obtained his B.Sc Degree from the University of Sri Jayawardenapura and completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Economic Development at the Uni of Colombo. He holds an MA (Economics) from the University of Madras, India. more..

Aug 2 (FT) Hotels Association of SL (THASL) President M. Shanthikumar expressed his concern over tour operators trying to scuttle efforts to earn much needed additional foreign exchange from a rebounding tourism industry. “It is a pity that some members of SL Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO) with vested interests are objecting to the implementation of the Minimum Room Rate (MMR) for the Colombo more..

Aug 2 (AD) President Ranil Wickremesinghe has issued a special gazette notification amending the portfolios of several ministries. The communique says Sahasya Investment Ltd. and the National Equipment and Machinery Organization are now under the purview of the Minister of Finance, Economic Stabilization & National Policies. Sahasya Investment Ltd. was previously gazetted under the Ministry of Transport & Highways while the National Equipment and Machinery Organization more..

Aug 2 (DM) Medical Specialists have raised serious concerns with regard to the legality of the Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC) President and its Legal Officer in the context of where they enjoy high posts simultaneously against the Establishments Code. Prof. Vajira H.W. Dissanayake who is the incumbent SLMC President is also currently serving as the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine of the Uni of Colombo and the Registrar of the Ceylon Medical College Council (CMCC). more..

Aug 2 (DM) An excellent team effort with the ball and a stunning half-century from their ace batsman Avishka Fernando, gave the Dambulla Aura a comprehensive eight-wicket win over the Jaffna Kings in the Lanka Premier League on Tuesday. It was Dambulla’s first win of the season, having lost to the Galle Titans in a Super Over on Monday, and remarkably the first-ever victory over the three-time defending champion Kings in the now four-year history of the LPL. more..

Aug 2 (AD) A group of MPs representing the TNA has called on the Indian High Commissioner to SL, Gopal Baglay this morning (1). The discussion has reportedly taken place at the official residence of the Indian envoy, with TNA leader R. Sampanthan in attendance. At the invitation of High Commissioner Baglay, TNA MPs joined the meeting during which the implementation of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, division of police powers several other issues were discussed at length. more..

Aug 2 (DM) Secretary General of SL's National Olympic Committee (NOCSL), Maxwell de Silva, has come under intense scrutiny of the Int'l Olympic Committee's (IOC) Ethics Committee after allegedly meeting a banned IOC official, Sheikh Ahmad Al-Sabah of Kuwait, at a hotel in Bangkok, Thailand. IOC's Ethics Committee is reportedly investigating the incident after de Silva and Kuwait's Haider Farmanand were captured on CCTV more..

Aug 2 (DM) Minister Tiran Alles decided to suspend the Expression of Interest (EOI) related to the issuance of electronic passports or e-passport and call for tenders. EOI had been called for the issuing of e-passports and many of the applicants had complained to the Ministry of Public Security regarding certain technical difficulties in the EOI. Ministry said that the Cabinet has approved a Cabinet paper presented by Minister Alles to appoint a special technical evaluation committee more..

Aug 2 (AD) The local poultry producers have agreed to reduce the price of chicken by Rs.100 per kg, the Ministry of Agriculture announced. However, Minister Nalin Fernando mentioned that the Prez has granted approval for importing chicken for food industrial purposes. The minister expressed that the decision was reached during a special discussion chaired by the President regarding the cost of living, in view of reducing the difficulties faced by the people due to the high prices of chicken in the market. more..

Aug 2 (FT) Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella has expressed his displeasure at the recent unannounced visit by SJB members Dr. Kavinda Jayawardana and Mujibur Rahman to the National Medical Regulatory Authority (NMRA) on Monday. MP Jayawardana and his group had unexpectedly visited the NMRA office in Colombo, aiming to get clarification about the continued usage of substandard drugs in the country’s healthcare sector. more..

Aug 2 (Island) Police on Monday arrested five persons wanted in connection with an attack on a house at Thonikal, Vavuniya, during a birthday party on the night of 23 July. About a dozen attackers stormed the house and indiscriminately attacked those present including the invitees. The gang then set the house ablaze before walking away. A 21-year-old girl died while being taken to the Vavuniya hospital. Her boyfriend succumbed to his injuries a few days after being admitted to hospital. more..

Aug 2 (AD) Minister Kanchana Wijesekera says the first fuel cargo of Sinopec, China’s leading int'l petroleum company, has commenced the discharging process, while the second cargo is slated to reach the island tomorrow (2). He expressed that the entry of new retail suppliers to the domestic market will ease the foreign exchange requirements for petroleum products as the suppliers will bring in products on a 12-month financing more..

Aug 2 (TM) The number of inmates that can be held in prisons located islandwide, has exceeded by more than 100% at present. Prisons Commissioner said that there is a rapid growth in the number of inmates incarcerated for various charges in every prison in the country since Jan 2023, thereby increasing the congestion in prisons. He said that the number of inmates that can be held in prisons island-wide is 13,241, but that nearly 29,000 inmates including about 19,000 suspects and more..

Aug 2 (Island) Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has urged the govt to release water required by farmers or be prepared to face the consequences. Premadasa issued the following statement in support of farmers who launched a protest at Embilipitiya over a week ago demanding water for cultivation purposes: “Satyagraha by Embilipitiya farmers has started demanding water for the crops that are blossoming & however, authorities of this relentless govt seems to have no empathy more..

Aug 2 (TM) Electricity Consumers Association (ECA) attributed the statements made by certain parties to the effect that an hours long power cut will have to be carried out in the Southern Province if water is released from the Samanalawewa Reservoir in Balangoda for cultivation purposes, for an attempt to prepare the necessary background for emergency power purchases. more..

Aug 2 (FT) The political struggle of the Sri Lankan Tamils to have their grievances redressed and lost rights restored has brought forth many quiet heroes. I say quiet because these persons never sought publicity or praise. They gave up their comfortable existence and served their community in many ways. Many of them refused to kowtow before authoritative Govts as well as autocratic armed groups. Some of them paid the supreme price for their courageous defiance. more..

Aug 2 (FT) There are two purposes for this article: 1. To examine the emphatic statement Professor Premachandra Athukorala made at his interview with Pethikada on 11 July (and further elaborated in his Daily FT Guest Column on 14 July, that the holders of Int'l Sovereign Bonds (ISBs) have received a better deal than they had expected. 2. To examine a different, related question. That is, whether there are reasons to suspect that the observed increase in demand (bidding) for SL ISBs more..

Aug 2 (FT) Central Bank of Sri Lanka published its inaugural Monetary Policy Report (MPR) yesterday. The publication of the Monetary Policy Report marks an important step towards improving the transparency of monetary policy and is expected to promote engagement with all stakeholders of the economy through the dissemination of information that was considered by the Monetary Board of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka in the formulation of monetary policy decisions. more..

Aug 2 (TM) Badulla District branch of the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) says that forest fires are frequent within 15 Divisional Secretariat Divisions in Badulla District. Deputy Director of Badulla District DMC E.M.L. Udaya Kumara expressed that multiple issues have arisen due the lack of necessary facilities and technology available to extinguish forest fires. Commenting further, he stressed that the as a result of prevailing the dry weather in Badulla District these days, more..

Aug 2 (FT) Last week, the Wickremesinghe administration was busy restoring Lanka’s sundered relations with Japan. Since Independence, Colombo’s interactions with Tokyo have been friendly, productive, and relatively uncomplicated – until the Gotabaya-Mahinda Rajapaksa administration’s unilateral and unmannerly termination of the Japanese-funded Light Rail Transit project. Japan reportedly more..

Aug 2 (AD) The health trade unions have decided to call off the strike action which was scheduled to be launched tomorrow (3). Several health trade unions including the Academy of Health Professionals were planning to launch a token strike on Thursday (3), protesting against the circular issued prohibiting health workers from making statements to the media without the ministry’s approval. Prez of the Academy of Health Professionals Ravi Kumudesh expressed that they have decided to cancel more..

Aug 2 (DM) Supreme Court today issued an interim order suspending the operation of an order made by the Court of Appeal to implement a tree planting programme on MP Rishad Badiuddeen to bear the full cost, in any area equivalent to the reserve forest area used for resettlement of IDPs. SC made this order pursuant to an appeal petition filed by MP Rishad Bathiudeen was taken up for support. Bathiudeen sought an order to set aside the judgment of the Court of Appeal in connection more..