Jul 11 (ST) As Muthu Raja was flown back by the Thai Govt last Sunday, a top veterinarian questioned why the tusker’s keepers had ignored warnings and had not sought specialist advice at any time, these recent years. Prof Asoka Dangolla, head of Peradeniya’s Veterinary Department, and official vet of Dalada Maligawa’s elephants, said; ‘When this tusker was going in a perehera it was my deputy who first noticed it was suffering from an ailment and ordered its withdrawal from Kandy Perehera. more..

Jul 11 (Island) Poverty is a condition characterized by severe deprivation of basic human needs, such as food, shelter, safe drinking water, sanitation facilities, health, and education. Various criteria are used to measure poverty. The most commonly used is based on incomes. A person is considered poor if his or her income level falls below a minimum level necessary to meet basic needs. This minimum level is called the poverty line. What is necessary to satisfy the basic needs more..

Jul 11 (TM) In SL, the targeted harassment of civil society groups, human rights defenders, journalists, and the families of victims of past violations remains a key fundamental rights issue. Legal frameworks such as PTA as amended, and International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) Act, No. 56 of 2007, are being misused to stifle dissent, while the culture of impunity seems to continue in many spheres. more..

Jul 11 (ST) One is incited to ask the question. Is the Ministry of Sports (MoS) on a mission to introduce a Moral Rearmament of sorts into the field of sports in our paradise island of dreams? And is there anything wrong with this noble thought? At a recent media conference, very despondently declared that most of our National Sports Associations (NSAs) have no proper plans, except of course to use it as a springboard of travel to exotic destinations; anywhere other than India more..

Jul 11 (ST) Nestle Lanka PLC shareholders are calling for a fresh vote and an investigation by the SEC into certain irregularities at the Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) for its delisting resolution on June 30. The meeting started at 3 pm and when the result of the ballot was announced, it was 8.45 pm. Touted as the longest EGM in the history of SL’s capital market, the 6-hour meeting was getting uglier by the minute, with a heated discussion during which tempers often got frayed more..

Jul 11 (Island) SL’s Head Coach Chris Silverwood hailed the way his side stepped up to meet expectations as they sealed victory in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2023 final against the Netherlands. The Sri Lankans went unbeaten throughout the Qualifier to seal their place at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 later this year in India before crowning their time in Zimbabwe in style with a comfortable 128-run victory over the Dutch to clinch the overall trophy. more..

Jul 11 (ST) No major decisions had been taken at a meeting summoned by the Presidential Secretariat on Friday afternoon to resolve several charges by the Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA) against the drug watchdog, the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA), the Sunday Times understands. A proposal to appoint a committee comprising members of the Health Ministry, the SLMA and the NMRA to sort out issues at the drug authority had been received positively. more..

Jul 11 (FT) Minister Kanchana Wijesekera revealed multiple initiatives harnessing private sector investment to ensure SL achieves energy security. Wijesekera said a legal framework necessary for the private stakeholders to take part, invest and also secure the investment in the energy sector is being actioned. He reiterated that the policy of the Govt is to boost the share of renewable energy to 70% by 2030 from 40% at present. more..

Jul 11 (DN) A 19 member SL Junior badminton team left for the BNI Badminton Asia Junior Championships 2023 which already started yesterday in Indonesia. This is going to be a good exposure for Junior shuttlers and they had good preparation before this tour under the supervision of Sri Lanka Badminton (SLB) said SLB President Rohan de Silva. The Championships consist of mixed team championships and individual championships. Fourteen teams will compete more..

Jul 11 (DN) All rounder Dunith Wellalage will lead the SL ‘A’ team for the inaugural ACC men’s Emerging teams Asia Cup cricket tournament which will commence on July 13. The National selection committee already named this squad but it has to be approved by the Sports Minister. Wellalage who was the former St Josephs College skipper as well as National under 19 team Sahan Arachchige and Dilshan Madushanka were named for the Zimbabwe tour as stand by players and they got chance more..

Jul 11 (DN) Everyone in our team wanted to prove that we are a better side than before the qualifiers and came up with the best performance, said SL white ball skipper Dasun Shanaka after the World Cup qualifying tournament final victory in Harare. However only concern was injuries (two pacemen Dushmantha Chameera, Lahiru Kumara and opener Dimuth Karunaratne were injured during this tournament). more..

Jul 11 (DM) SL’s first commercial distillery Rockland has successfully established a programme to collaborate with the Coconut Research Institute (CRI) and NAITA (National Apprentice and Industrial Training Authority) to preserve and develop the art and craft of toddy tapping in the country. The art of sourcing toddy- which is distilled to make Coconut Arrack is traditionally passed on from one generation to another. Over time this has become a dying art, left unattended, more..

Jul 11 (FT) In a groundbreaking move to ignite positive change and enhance SL’s economic standing, the Chamber of Young Lankan Entrepreneurs (COYLE) has presented a comprehensive proposal aimed at laying the groundwork for stable policies and attracting quality investments. COYLE’s visionary plan, backed by extensive research and comparative analysis, focuses on key areas of concern and offers innovative solutions to overcome challenges more..

Jul 11 (Island) India will continue to play a constructive role as a Co-Chair of the Creditors Committee along with Japan and the Paris Club, Vinod K Jacob, Indian Deputy High Commissioner (DHC) said in Colombo recently. He said so at the Inauguration of the Construction, Power and Energy Expo 2023 in Colombo on 7 July 2023. “The past three years have demonstrated the close links between the people of India and SL. In line with the Neighbourhood First policy of govt of India, more..

Jul 11 (FT) National People’s Party (NPP) MP Vijitha Herath stepped down yesterday as a member of the special parliamentary committee to probe the country’s financial bankruptcy. In a letter to Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardene, Herath said that expecting a committee primarily composed of individuals who contributed to the country’s financial bankruptcy to thoroughly investigate its true causes and provide relevant recommendations would be fruitless. more..

Jul 11 (FT) Australia insisted Zero Chance for Sri Lankans attempting to illegally enter its waters via boats following successful interception of seven boats with 224 nationals in the past year alone while thousands had failed in recent years. “The partnership between the SL and Australian govts to combat the criminal people smuggling trade is gold standard, and the recent interception is proof of that enduring closeness,” more..

Jul 11 (DM) Former Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa, along with his wife Ioma Rajapaksa, was seen with UNP Chairman Vajira Abeywardena at the BIA on the night of July 9, ironically the day which marked the first anniversary of his fleeing office following the Aragalaya. Mr. Rajapaksa and Mr. Abeywardena had arrived at the airport from Singapore on the same flight. The airport authorities have seen them having a look at the ongoing construction work of the airport and walking leisurely. more..

Jul 11 (EN) The ruling SLPP has decided to support Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe over the next two years, an SLPP senior said amid speculation that there is division within the party over continued support for the president. SLPP MP Mahindananda Aluthgamage said that Prez Wickremesinghe has so far not said anything about dissolving parliament to call an election. “As a party, we have decided to support the president in the next two years to rebuild this country,” said Aluthgamage. more..

Jul 11 (TM) The Supreme Court (SC) yesterday (10) ordered that a report on the measures taken to compensate those affected by the MV X-Press Pearl maritime disaster, and the progress in this regard, be submitted to the Court before 15 September. The relevant order was issued by a bench comprised of President’s Counsel (PC) and Justice Murdu Fernando, and Justices Shiran Gooneratne, Achala Wengappuli and Priyantha Fernando, when the case was taken up in Court yesterday. more..

Jul 11 (FT) UNP MP Vajira Abeywardena yesterday lodged a complaint with the CID over the allegedly false reports being disseminated on social media relating to his involvement in the release of several items of gold jewellery confiscated by the Sri Lanka Customs. The complaint was filed by the Minister’s Media Secretary on behalf of the senior UNP politician. The Minister has requested the CID to commence an investigation into the reports and reveal their findings. more..

Jul 11 (DM) In the backdrop of a controversial letter circulating on social media about the Customs Chief’s revoking of forfeiture of seized gold jewellery on a request by MP Vajira Abeywardena, the Customs said anybody could make an appeal directly or indirectly to the Customs regarding any forfeiture of goods. An official letter issued by the Customs Director General dated May 3, addressed to the Director of Customs more..

Jul 11 (CT) A 59-year-old resident of Thenmarachchi, Jaffna, S. Thiruchelvam, set a world record by pulling a vehicle weighing 1,550 kg over a distance of 400 metres with his beard in 7 minutes and 48 seconds. The event was organised by the Cholan World Record Book Company, and entrepreneur A. Krupakaran was the Chief Guest. Social worker Kalanithi Akilan Muthukumarasamy and Rajeepan from City Cherry English College were present as special guests. more..

Jul 11 (AD) A Gazette notification has been issued by Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe, to carry out a census of population and housing in SL for 2023 and 2024. The Prez, in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, Economic Stabilization and National Policies, has directed that a Census of Population and Housing of Sri Lanka be taken in the years of 2023 and 2024, by the powers vested in him by Section 2 of the Census Ordinance (Chapter 143). Dept of Census and Statistics (DCS) more..

Jul 11 (TM) With only one day to go for the expiration of the deadline set out by the SC for several respondents including former Prez and Defence Minister and incumbent Opposition MP Maithripala Sirisena to pay compensation sums amounting to Rs. 311 million to the victims of the Easter Sunday terror attacks and their families, only about Rs. 24 Mn has been deposited to the relevant account as of yesterday, more..

Jul 11 (AD) Sectoral Oversight Committee on Foreign Employment and Labour has revealed that several plantation companies have defaulted on EPF payments and have huge arrears to the EPF. Meanwhile, it was also revealed before the committee that due to contradictions in the information given on Rs. 700 million paid by the companies in the estate sector, it has not been possible to include them into the accounts. These issues were discussed when more..

Jul 11 (FT) UN Expert on Foreign Debt developed a set of principles (GuidePrinciples_EN.pdf (ohchr.org)), adopted by Resolution 40/8, “to help govts understand how to use human rights impact assessments (HRIAs) to promote human rights compliant economic reform policies.” The resolution also encourages non-state actors including international organisations and national human rights institutions to use these principles in their work. more..

Jul 11 (AD) The officers of the Narcotics Control Unit of the SL Customs have detained five passengers bound for Chennai at the departure terminal of the BIA, while attempting to smuggle a stock of gold. The five suspects have been apprehended during a sudden surveillance made by the officers with tipoff from a reliable source regarding smuggling of gold from SL. Customs officers also took custody of 23 capsules of gold in gel form packed in 10 packets, which were in the possession more..

Jul 11 (DM) Filing a motion before the Supreme Court, former Prez Maithripala Sirisena has sought further time to pay the remaining sum of Rs.85 million as compensation to the victims of the Easter Sunday attacks. The motion filed on behalf of former Prez Sirisena stated that he has already paid a total sum of Rs.15 million to Office for Reparations as per the judgment delivered by Supreme Court dated Jan 12, 2022. Former Prez stated that he would pay the remaining sum more..

Jul 11 (UZH) The workspace exhibition Mask Dances? at the Ethnographic Museum at the University of Zurich showcases newly acquired masks, costumes and ritual objects from SL. Until 1947, such objects, originally used in healing rituals and ritual dances, were also part of the Zurich Völkerschauen ethnic shows, at which natives from Ceylon performed devil dances. The exhibition is intended to create space for more..

Jul 11 (EN) SL’s Cinnamon Air said it will start scheduled flights to Jaffna four days a week and also resume daily flights to Trincomalee and Batticaloa. “Our flights offer hassle-free access to Jaffna, which generally requires a drive of more than eight hours to reach, while our flight time is only an hour,” Sean Dwight, CEO of Cinnamon Air, said in a statement. “We have timed this launch to coincide with the expected influx of travellers to Jaffna during the upcoming Nallur Festival, more..

Jul 11 (DM) Sri Lanka Laguma tree (Crudia zeylanica) which blocked the construction of the Colombo - Kandy Expressway in the Daraluwa area of Veyangoda, was removed with Cabinet approval, Minister Bandula Gunawardane said. He said that Cabinet approval was granted as the Cabinet of Ministers observed that it was a waste of money to protect a tree that is commonly available and said that the removal of the tree is a policy decision of the govt. more..

Jul 11 (BN) Sri Lanka is getting an early release from debtors’ prison. Or so you would think from the jubilant mood in its bond market. There is hope that the bankrupt Indian Ocean island will also be able to cut a deal with China, its largest bilateral creditor, after Zambia recently managed to win over Beijing’s support for its restructuring. However, workers are gripped by anxiety about jobs and incomes. more..

Jul 11 (ICC) The ICC Men’s Player of the Month award goes to Sri Lanka’s record-breaking spinner Wanindu Hasaranga, who was instrumental in his side’s successful ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier campaign. With 26 wickets at an average of 10.00 during the calendar month, Hasaranga enjoyed several highlights during the prolific period. Heading into the Qualifier as one of the key threats in a strong Sri Lankan lineup, the spinner started in fine fashion. more..

Jul 11 (DM) Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) announced that there is a growing trend of members of parliament exploiting parliamentary privileges by making statements in parliament, for matters which are sub judice (being considered by a court). In a statement, the BASL stated that it finds the recent statement by Parliamentarian Sarath Weerasekera in Parliament, on 07 July 2023 as an unfounded, brazen attack on the judiciary and the social fabric of the country. more..

Jul 11 (AD) PM Dinesh Gunawardena says expediting the implementation of Official Language Policy will enhance cohesion in the multi-lingual SL society. PM urged all relevant institutions and departments to take effective steps to this end. These remarks were made during the Symposium of National Languages Equality Advancement Project (NLEAP). PM said the cohesion of any nation with different communities depends largely on the ability to communicate with each other. more..