Aug 3 (AD) State Minister Shehan Semasinghe says that SL intends to conclude the debt restructuring process in line with the first review of the IMF, which is due in September this year. He said this while participating in the inaugural ceremony of CPA Australia with an enhanced presence in SL. “The wide-reaching and long over-due reforms that we have embarked on, has shown clear signs of economic stability. Govt has taken strict measures to manage public expenditure effectively. more..

Aug 3 (DM) Ruling party faction led by MP Nimal Lanza remains resolute in its determination to establish a new political alliance aimed at bolstering the candidacy of Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe in the upcoming prez elections, despite stern warnings and resistance from the SLPP under which they contested the 2020 general elections. Sources close to the development said that SLPP's National Organizer Basil Rajapaksa more..

Aug 3 (Island) Officers of the Sri Jayewardenapura Excise station in a raid conducted recently arrested a person with 680 bottles of spirits in 12 polythene bags and a plastic can. The suspect is a resident of Akuregoda, Battaramulla. According to Assistant Commissioner of Excise (Western Province) Jayantha de Silva, the value of the spirits taken into custody was two million rupees. Assistant Commissioner said that the spirits were distributed to hooch dens in Kaluaggala and Akuregoda. more..

Aug 3 (CT) The Australian-funded Skills for Inclusive Growth (S4IG) programme, delivered in collaboration with the SL Ministry of Education, supports sustainable jobs and increased income in the hospitality and tourism sector through skills development. On Friday, Australia’s Deputy High Commissioner to SL, Lalita Kapur, opened a newly-refurbished culinary training facility in Polonnaruwa, with Vocational Training Authority Chairman, Prasanna Ranasinghe. more..

Aug 3 (AD) Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus of SL, who are on a study visit to New Zealand, has met the former PMs of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern and Helen Clark. Empowering women leadership in politics and promoting gender diversity were discussed at length with the PMs. Jacinda Ardern, who held the position of PM of NZ from 2017 to 2023, shared her experience of leading her country more..

Aug 3 (TM) In light of the Govt’s decision to lift the ban on five Islamic organisations, a measure initially imposed following the Easter Sunday terror attacks of 2019, former Public Security Minister and incumbent Govt MP Rear Admiral (Retd.) Dr. Sarath Weerasekera has called for the close monitoring of the relevant organisations. The ban on United Thowheeth Jama’ath (UTJ), Ceylon Thowheeth Jama’ath (CTJ), SL Thowheeth Jama’ath (SLTJ), All Ceylon Thowheeth Jama’ath (ACTJ), more..

Aug 3 (DM) Permission will not be granted to run pre-schools without the training provided by the Education Ministry or without a pre-school diploma, Education Minister Susil Premajayantha said. Addressing an event in Bomiriya, Kaduwela, he said if the minds of three and four-year-old children are confused without a proper system, then school education will not be able to rebuild them. Therefore, it will not be possible to provide the opportunity to hold preschools on a regular basis. more..

Aug 4 (GV) The narrow, winding road at Kadugannawa is littered with small roadside shops selling corn, grapefruit and the local favourite – polos and roti, coconut flatbread with a side of baby jackfruit curry. We stopped for the roti at a small shop with a big view. The one thing that kept us from absorbing this forest panorama in its purest form was a green mesh covering the mountainside part of the shop. But it didn’t take long to understand why it was put there. more..

Aug 4 (ST) Good news is a rare commodity these days. So like a breath of fresh air, news that the GSP+ concessions have been extended for another four years is good news for SL, particularly at a time when the garment industry is facing challenging times with recession in the west reducing sales of garments amidst gloomy global conditions. Thus just as we are slowly recovering from SL’s economic crisis, the uncertain global scenario where buying power has reduced, has begun to bite more..

Aug 4 (TM) A first period can be a confusing and scary moment for menstruators, and despite the knowledge one is equipped with before starting to menstruate, a child’s perspective about menstruation and their bodies is shaped by that first sighting of blood and the support they need and receive at the time. For Radha Paudel, a Nepali activist who recently visited SL to talk about dignified menstruation, her first period did not more..

Aug 4 (DM) As the month of July has ended, the minds of many a citizen are drawn to the sad events of July 1983. A time the then govt permitted thugs and hooligans to attack members of the Tamil community, killing hundreds, burning and looting their residences and destroying places of worship and businesses. Anti-Tamil rioting and attacks on the Tamil community are not new to Sri Lanka. But 1983 witnessed the first major targeted attacks on the upcountry Tamil community, more..

Aug 4 (TM) Amidst myriad crises, SL is forced to choose between food and electricity. On the one hand, a segment of the country’s agricultural community is wondering if their efforts in cultivating a staggering 65,000 acres of paddy fields would go down the drain, while on the other, people of the Southern Province have been warned by the authorities that they may have to endure 3-hour power cuts in the coming months. This predicament is caused by the prevailing drought more..

Aug 4 (TM) In an insightful interview, Prathaban Mylvaganam, the distinguished President of the Sri Lanka Chamber of The Pharmaceutical Industry (SLCPI) shares his vision for the pharmaceutical sector in Sri Lanka. With a steadfast commitment to patient well-being and accessibility to high-quality medicines, Mylvaganam leads the charge in addressing the challenges faced by the industry and fostering sustainable growth. more..

Aug 4 (CT) The recent incident involving a Saudi couple being attacked at a hotel in Beruwala is disturbing and disgusting, especially when SL is trying so hard to revive the crippled tourism industry after the Easter Sunday terror attacks in 2019, Covid-19 pandemic and the economic crisis. According to the reports, the assault took place at a coffee restaurant. The couple, who arrived in the country on 15 July, were spending quiet time when three individuals approached the woman and more..

Aug 4 (SLG) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe’s July 20-21 visit to New Delhi ended with India and Sri Lanka jointly evolving an economic partnership vision to speed up Sri Lanka’s economic recovery. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs released the India-SL Economic Partnership Vision document on July 21, 2023 after the visiting President met with PM Narendra Modi. The document titled Promoting Connectivity, Catalysing Prosperity: India-Sri Lanka Economic Partnership Vision more..

Aug 4 (DM) School education has changed dramatically over the years and it’s amazing to see old teachers and their old school teaching methods still being in use. The present principal of Royal College R.M.M Ratnayake in a recent interview with the Daily Mirror indicated that students born in the 21st Century should be taught by teachers born in the same Century. The message is clear; more young teachers should take to the profession of teaching. What this principal wants to imply more..

Aug 4 (Island) This is a humble effort to build up on the article titled, Medical negligence or error, published in The Island on 18th July. The author of the article, Prof. Susirith Mendis, who is a well reputed medical professional and an academic, has drawn our insight into unfortunate events taking place in the health system. That is very important at this time, because certain sections in the society are trying to insult and disintegrate our health system, obviously for narrow, political gains. more..

Aug 4 (TM) While various forms of efforts are underway to ensure the rights of SL’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer and questioning (LGBTQI+) community, it is imperative to identify effective responses to human rights violations faced by the community as a key element of the overall fight for rights. While it will provide a great deal of support to the community, who remain one of the most vulnerable groups in the country, more..

Aug 4 (Island) Never a dull day in Sri Lanka! Hardly a day passes without some controversy, and issues crop up at such a rate that one cannot keep track of them, the latest being what has come to be termed the distortion of the national anthem at a sports event. Popular singer, Umara Sinhawansa, who drew heavy flak for distorting the national anthem at the Lanka Premier League (LPL) opening ceremony recently, has tendered an apology. She has said: “As a Sri Lankan, I have more..

Aug 4 (FT) Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa slammed the Govt yesterday at a press conference over its decision to increase water tariffs this week. Premadasa called the decision oppressive and arbitrary. “Despite its claim to revive the country in crisis, the Govt has taken the decision to increase the water tariff, imposing a substantial hike ranging from 23% to 50% for consumers across different levels,” he noted. Premadasa accused the Govt of perpetuating a farce by more..

Aug 4 (FT) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe’s aim is to revive the construction industry in SL and contribute widely to the national economy. This was stated by Chief of Presidential Staff Sagala Ratnayaka when the Executive Committee on the Revival of the Construction Industry met at the Presidential Secretariat on Wednesday. Progress of the Govt’s decisions to provide relief to those involved in the industry by providing solutions to the problems that have arisen in the construction industry more..

Aug 4 (DN) SL Men’ s 4x400m relay team qualified for the World Athletic Championship (WAC) in Budapest Hungary as the 12th out of 16th eligible teams to get this qualification. This was confirmed by SL athletic Secretary Saman Kumara Gunawardena. The eight teams who were finalists at the World Championship 2022 directly qualified and the other eight teams qualified through best performance in the qualification time period ended on July 30. Kalinga Kumarage who set up new 400m more..

Aug 4 (Island) Under a new agreement between the Airport and Aviation Services (SL) Ltd., and PickMe, the app-based ride-hailing company will operate a taxi stand within the BIA. The new arrangement will bring an additional revenue of Rs. 700 per vehicle to the BIA while making it easier to monitor tourist arrivals. PickMe CEO Zulfer Jiffry said: “We will be generating a daily report to the airport and keeping authorities more..

Aug 4 (ST) Health Ministry’s Medical Supplies Division (MSD) has cleared for use a faulty batch of arterial venous fistula needles, as there are no alternatives available in the country. But it has also stated that the risk of using the defective product lies with the end user. The arterial venous fistula needle with rotatable wings is manufactured by St. Stone Medical Devices (Pvt) Ltd, India. The batch in question was imported on the basis of a waiver of registration issued by the NMRA more..

Aug 4 (FT) Sri Lanka Institute of Taxation (SLIT) this week announced the achievement of a historic milestone and an eye opener for the profession of taxation in Sri Lanka. It said the Organisation of Professional Associations SL (OPA Sri Lanka) which is the apex body for over 54-member professional associations, has officially recognised Taxation as a separate and distinct profession, recognising its status and importance in the country’s professional landscape. The Executive Committee of OPA, more..

Aug 4 (DM) Consultant Judicial Medical Officer (JMO), Dr. Ruhul Haq, from the Colombo JMO Office, has conducted two significant postmortems in the past six months despite the suspension that was issued against him by the Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC) last December, being still effective until Aug 20. SLMC website says, “Professional Conduct Committee (PCC) has decided commencing from 20th Dec 2022, more..

Aug 4 (DN) Vidyarathana University College Horana and Joint Girls Champions Seethadevi College Kandy and Siri Perakum Girls College Nuwara Eliya emerged victorious in the Dian Gomes Challenge Trophy for Best School Boys and Girls Boxing Championship. The thrilling school boxing tournament took place from July 29 to August 2 at the Seevali Boxing Gymnasium in Ratnapura. Narandeniya Central College Matara secured the title of Boys Championship Runner-up, while more..

Aug 4 (DN) Sri Lanka has made a historic turn around with regard to inflation levels from maintaining the highest in Asia (around 70%) a year ago to being the lowest in the region in just one year. The Central Bank predicts that the inflation rate in SL from the current 6.2% will move to even lower level at around 1% for a brief period and stabilize around 4%. Currently Bangladesh’s inflation stands as the highest at 8% followed by Nepal 6.8%, India at 6.7% Afghanistan around 6% more..

Aug 4 (BBC) Scientists have found a naturally occurring strain of bacteria which can help stop the transmission of malaria from mosquitoes to humans. They found it by chance, after a colony of mosquitoes in one experiment did not develop the malaria parasite. The researchers say the bacteria could be a new tool for fighting one of the world's oldest diseases, which kills 600,000 people every year. Trials assessing its safety in the real world are now taking place. more..

Aug 4 (TM) Following a revelation that there is a significant number of veterinarians serving in areas where their services are less needed, the Ministry of Agriculture is to transfer them to other areas. A meeting between Minister Mahinda Amaraweera and the SL Veterinary Association (SLVA) was held yesterday. During the meeting, the SLVA had pointed out that a considerable number of veterinarians are serving in several parts of the country, particularly in the Western Province (WP), more..

Aug 4 (CT) Panadura High Court Judge Saman Kumara yesterday ordered R.P.A. Wimalaweera, the incumbent Secretary to the Ministry of Labour, who was a former Labour Commissioner General, to obey the law of the country and surrender himself to the Horana Magistrate’s Court, as someone who holds a responsible public post. High Court Judge gave this order when Wimalaweera made a request for an order to more..

Aug 4 (AD) Attorney General has stated before the Supreme Court that the former IGP Pujith Jayasundara has committed criminal dereliction of duty by failing to prevent the Easter Sunday terror attack, despite receiving intelligence information in advance. Additional Solicitor General Priyantha Nawana, who appeared for the Attorney General, presented these facts when an appeal petition filed by the Attorney General was taken up for re-consideration today (03). more..

Aug 4 (DN) Air Arabia Abu Dhabi received the Foreign Air Operator Certificate (FAOC) yesterday from the Civil Aviation Authority of SL after satisfying the necessary technical and operational requirements in line with the govt policy to offer more pathways for foreign airlines to operate flights into SL. The airline will operate flights from September. The application submitted by Air Arabia – Abu Dhabi was scrutinized by the Civil Aviation Inspectors of CAASL by considering more..

Aug 4 (EN) The recent volatility in rupee has been driven by speculation and banks covering open positions on a SL Development Bond exchange, Central Bank’s Director of Economic Research P K G Harischandra, said. There are no severe depreciation pressures on the rupee from current account flows in the near term, he said. “The recent changes in the exchange market was the SL Development Bond related exposure of certain banks,” Harischandra told reporters. more..

Aug 4 (AM) Despite being embroiled in a financial crisis, burdened by mounting debts, prompting discussions about a potential restructuring of the national carrier, SriLankan Airlines has seen an impressive response of over 8000 applications for cabin crew positions. The ongoing cabin crew interviews in Colombo have seen an influx of aspiring candidates, demonstrating their youthful energy and unwavering determination to serve with passion. However, behind the scenes, more..