Jul 28 (FT) A new order has been issued by the Minister of Finance relaxing foreign exchange rules on identified transactions dated 28 June 2023. This order is issued under Section 22 of the Foreign Exchange Act, No. 12 of 2017 (the Act), where the Minister for the preservation of financial stability, based on the advice by the Monetary Board can restrict or regulate remittance of foreign exchange into or out of Sri Lanka. A synopsis of the key relaxations/removal of suspensions more..

Jul 28 (AD) A group of 62 SL nationals have been deported from Kuwait, for working illegally without the required valid visas. The group was deported from Kuwait using temporary passports prepared by the SL Embassy in Kuwait, a spokesman for the Embassy stated, adding that they arrived at the BIA in Katunayake early this morning. He further stated that the group had run away from the houses they had been contracted with for domestic services, and were subsequently residing in temporary more..

Jul 28 (DM) Sri Lanka Test captain Dimuth Karunaratne does not believe that captaincy is a burden to him. This he reiterated after his team lost both the Test matches and thus the series against the visiting Pakistan team. Speaking exclusively to this reporter, he said, "I don't think captaincy is a burden to me". The captain scored 29 and 20 runs in the Galle Test and 17 and 41 runs in the 2nd Test at the SSC grounds which the home team lost by an innings and 222 runs. more..

Jul 28 (FT) This special three-part article denoting the 40th anniversary of the Black July anti-Tamil pogrom concludes this week. First part of this article published on 12 July 2023 titled Black July: Anatomy of an Anti-Tamil Pogrom was a brief overview of the horrific anti-Tamil violence that engulfed the SL nation in July 1983. The second part of this article published on 19 July 2023 focussed primarily on how Black July began in 1983 more..

Jul 28 (FT) HSBC Sri Lanka on Tuesday announced its partnership with Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement to empower and assist 150 women entrepreneurs from around the country to succeed in their small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The joint initiative is to take place over the span of two years commencing in July 2023 with an investment of Rs. 40 million to address unique challenges faced by female entrepreneurs of various backgrounds in Sri Lanka. more..

Jul 28 (AD) Police have fired tear gas and water cannons in an attempt to disperse protesters in Borella. Accordingly, tear gas and water cannons have been used to disperse a group of protesters near Sahaspura in Borella. Earlier this morning (28), the Maligakanda Magistrate’s Court issued an order against a dozen members of the Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) from staging demonstrations or protest marches in parts of Colombo until 10 a.m. tomorrow (29). more..

Jul 28 (EN) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe has taken a huge risk in his attempt to implement the 13th Amendment as per constitution to devolve power from the central govt to a lower level, State Minister Suren Raghavan said. The 13A was introduced with the 1987 agreement with India to empower SL’s N&E provinces as an alternative to the demand by the LTTE for a separate state. The amendment also introduced Provincial more..

Jul 28 (EN) Shares were up at close on Thursday after buying interest was channeled on clarity on debt restructuring, after the market was down on profit taking due to continuous gains, an analyst said. ASPI was up 0.48% or 54.37 points to 11,312.19, this is the highest the market has been since March 2, while S&P SL20 was up 0.12% or 3.77 points to 3,277.53. “Buying interest was seen in blue chip counters and the banking sector, because concerns have been lifted with regard to more..

Jul 28 (NR) The tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka crossed the 123,000 mark in July, just 2,000 shy of the record for the highest influx of international visitors since the COVID-19 pandemic. In March this year, 125,495 visitors from across the world visited Sri Lanka. According to the provisional data, 123,503 tourists have visited SL in the first 27 days of this month. In July, the highest number of tourists arrived from India. A total of 20,779 Indian nationals have visited Sri Lanka thus far in July. more..

Jul 28 (AD) The bodies of a mother and child who were reported missing two days ago in the Halkandawila area in Kalutara have been found washed ashore on the beach. The body of an unidentified female was found washed ashore on the Kalutara beach by area residents this morning, while that of a little girl was found along the shores of the Kalutara beach last evening. Police have confirmed that the deceased, aged 31 and 2 are, in fact, the mother and child who was recently reported more..

Jul 28 (FT) The Annual General Meeting of the Sri Lanka-Japan Business Council under the aegis of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce was held recently. The Chief Guest was Japanese Ambassador Mizukoshi Hideaki. The SL Japan Business Council new President Mahen Kariyawasan who succeeded Merrick Gooneratne, in his speech expressed hope that with stability and economic recovery more Japanese trade and investments will take place. more..

Jul 28 (DM) Sri Lanka will be seeking a minimum six-fold increase in duty free access for its ready-made apparel products from India with no fabric sourcing conditions under the proposed Economic and Technology Co-operation Agreement (ETCA). Under the current India-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement (ISFTA), Sri Lanka exporters have been given duty-free access to export eight million pieces of ready-made apparel to India annually. more..

Jul 28 (DM) Opposition parties expressed different ideas on devolving power to Provincial Councils in the aftermath of the All Party Conference which was held on Wednesday. SJB, TNA and URF led by Champika Ranawaka called for the holding of Provincial Council elections while MP Venerable Athuraliye Rathana Thera came up with a totally different idea. SJB General Secretary Ranjith Madduma Bandara said the President should hold the Provincial Council election even under more..

Jul 28 (PMD) The new board of officers elected for the year 2023/2024 of the Govt Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) met with Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe at the Presidential Secretariat today (27) afternoon. They presented their ideas to the President about the introduction of a new salary structure based on market value and performance, the revision of the salaries of doctors undergoing internship training to prevent brain drain, and the revision of allowances for doctors. more..

Jul 28 (EN) A truth & reconciliation commission (TRC) in Sri Lanka would be important for an internal accountability process that’s fair by all parties and would help make a case against internationalising a domestic issue, according to Foreign Minister Ali Sabry. At an event held in Colombo on Thursday July 27 to brief trade unions and civil society groups on the objectives of the TRC, Minister Ali Sabry explained more..

Jul 28 (AD) Gampaha High Court’s trial-at-bar on Friday granted bail to all 37 accused – including 32 suspects who were in remand custody – in the killing of former MP Amarakeerthi Athukorala. When the case was taken up today, judge bench delivered its decision on the bail request made by the defense attorneys. The accused were released on strict bail conditions and their foreign travels were barred on the orders of HC Judges Sahan Yapa Bandara, Rashmi Singappuli and Ruwan Pathirana. more..

Jul 28 (PMD) SL Scouts participating in the 25th World Scout Jamboree in South Korea had the privilege of meeting Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe at the Presidential Secretariat today. On this occasion, the Chief Scout, Prez officially presented the national flag to the SL scout team, symbolizing their representation in the global event. During the gathering, the official logo for the upcoming 10th National Scout Jamboree, scheduled for 2024, was unveiled, adding to the sense of excitement more..

Jul 28 (CT) The Health Ministry has instructed Medical Administration services officers to use the fingerprint machines to mark their daily arrival and departure with effect from 1 August 2023 in order determine to who receives extra duty and overtime payments. Welcoming the move, informed sources of the Health Ministry said yesterday, that issuing an internal memo an Additional Secretary (Administration 01) had informed all Additional Secretaries, Director General Health Services more..

Jul 28 (TM) The newly appointed Election Commission (EC) has forwarded two requests to the Ministry of Finance, Economic Stabilisation, and National Policies, asking for necessary financial provisions to settle payments owed to various institutions that carried out activities pertaining to the LG Elections 2023. Although the EC had initiated work pertaining to the holding of the LG Elections, it had to be postponed indefinitely due to the lack of financial provisions & EC was reconstituted. more..

Jul 28 (TM) President Ranil Wickremesinghe has appointed Senior Professor Nilanthi Renuka de Silva as the Vice Chancellor of the University of Kelaniya. Prof. de Silva, a distinguished medical parasitologist and academician, will assume her three-year term starting on August 24. Her remarkable career includes research contributions, advisory roles with global health entities, and active involvement in quality assurance in higher education. more..

Jul 28 (BN) Sri Lanka tops the list of nations that may host a Chinese naval base in the coming years as Beijing seeks to expand its maritime capabilities, according to a new report. South Asian nation’s Hambantota port is the most likely spot for a base given the US$2.19 billion China has already invested there, according to an assessment by the AidData research project at William & Mary university in Virginia. more..

Jul 28 (MFA) Govt of SL handed over a consignment of 1 metric ton of Ceylon Tea to the civilians affected by the Cyclone MOCHA in Myanmar at an event organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Ambassador of Myanmar in Colombo Han Thu received the donation of Ceylon Tea from the Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Sabry at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 27 July 2023. Ambassador Han Thu expressed the sincere appreciation of Govt of Myanmar for this token of solidarity by more..

Jul 28 (NR) The Ministry of Health has decided to procure around 160 types of drugs under the emergency purchase system, bypassing the normal procurement process. A senior spokesperson of the Ministry of Health confirmed that the decision has been taken considering the short supply of drugs in hospitals across the country. Among them 65 drugs that are used by cancer patients. Under the normal procurement process, it will take around nine months to secure the medicine stocks. more..

Jul 28 (DM) Attorney General informed the Supreme Court today that investigations have so far revealed that approximately Rs. 12.25 billion have circulated via Pastor Jerome Fernando's bank accounts. Senior Additional Solicitor General Priyanth Nawana appearing for the Attorney General made this revelation when the two Fundamental Rights petitions filed relating to Pastor Jerome Fernando were taken up before the SC. more..

Jul 28 (FT) The scintillating and glamorous annual AmCham SL Ball made a grand comeback after a five-year hiatus, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of AmCham SL and 75th anniversary of USA/SL bilateral relations. AmCham Ball 2023, powered by Citi, was held recently at the Hilton Grand Ballroom and was a night of elegance and camaraderie that was undoubtedly a highlight of the Colombo Social Calendar. The event was attended by top corporates, and members of more..

Jul 28 (Nikkei) Visits to Sri Lanka and the Maldives by Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi over the weekend signal Tokyo's commitment to greater engagement in the Indian Ocean, where its strategic partner India is up against China in a contest for influence. Hayashi's stopover in Colombo on Friday through Saturday, followed by a Sunday trip to Male, is part of a six-nation tour of developing countries in South Asia and Africa. His journey, which started in India more..

Jul 29 (ST) Some time ago a friend of mine was worried about his child who had been attracted to a new group of friends in the school. At the same time, the father has noticed that the child had distanced himself somewhat from some of his good old friends. As the child had not done well at his O/L exam, the father didn’t want to be rude to him about the change in the child’s circle of friends. When the child was asked indirectly, it was strange that he talked good things about his new friends, more..

Jul 29 (DM) The All-Party Conference (APC) held on Wednesday was the second one to be called so and convened by Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe with a professed view of finding a lasting solution to the ethnic problem in the country. It must be recalled that he convened another All Party Conference on Dec 13 last year for the same purpose. Interestingly, Wednesday’s conference was not another session of the conference held in December. Although the December conference resulted in more..

Jul 29 (CT) President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who completed his two-day tour of India, returned to the country and set off on the same day to the Anuradhapura sacred city to look into its development work. India, which is the world’s fifth biggest economy extended a warm welcome to the visiting SL Head of State. PM Narendra Modi also laid out a special luncheon in honour of Wickremesinghe to further underscore more..

Jul 29 (DM) On Thursday, a group of persons having watched the second Test at the SSSC grounds stood mournfully and sang Nearer My God to thee. A hymn normally sung at Christian funerals. How appropriate is the comparison is the question. The match was played on home ground. All members of the SL national cricket team are familiar with the traits of the SSC wicket, having over the years played innumerable times during local tournaments before being picked to the national squad. more..

Jul 29 (CT) Those in forefront of Tamil politics are mere tireless self-promoters, and at the same time hoodwinking people. There are none among the so called Tamil leaders with any political acumen to counter the machinations of Sinhala politicians. Rather than in admitting their disability, these Tamil politicians are carrying out propaganda that Sinhalese are shrewd. Tamil politics has been dominated over the years by lawyers (Appukkathu Arasiyal) mainly Colombo based and more..

Jul 29 (CT) Several probes have been conducted to determine whether the death of 51-year-old former Director of Janashakthi Insurance, Dinesh Schaffter was due to natural causes or whether it was a suicide or even a murder. Although extensive investigations have been conducted, the sleuths are yet to reach a conclusion with regard to the businessman’s death. The five-member team of forensic medical specialists headed by more..

Jul 29 (CT) Come September, the nation was recently told, there could be another Aragalaya kind of crisis. At least two Govt ministers said so, and one of them with access to intelligence inputs in the call of his ministerial duty even spoke about ongoing training for prospective participants. The training included warding off the Security Forces (if they tried to stop the protestors). It is anybody’s guess what the Govt has done to stop that crisis from materialising, especially since more..

Jul 29 (Island) Ministry of Defence has issued a gazette, announcing the de-proscription of five Islamic organisations, which were banned under the PTA, in 2021. According to media reports, those outfits are United Thawheed Jamma’ath (UTJ), Ceylon Thawheed Jamma’ath (CTJ), SL Thawheed Jamma’ath (SLTJ), All Ceylon Thawheed Jamma’ath (ACTJ) and Jamiyathul Ansaari Sunnathul Mohomadiya (JASM). They were among 11 Islamic organisations banned, after Easter Sunday more..

Jul 29 (DM) History was made on July 26, when SL-born Gary Anandasangaree was appointed by Canadian PM Justin Trudeau as Minister of Crown–Indigenous Relations to his Cabinet. Sathiyasangaree Anandasangaree - who abbreviated his first name to Gary - will go down in Canadian history as the first SL Tamil to become a Cabinet Minister. Gary is the son of veteran SL Tamil politician Veerasingham Anandasangaree. Gary was one of 7 new Ministers inducted into cabinet more..