Oct 1 (ST) ICC has categorically refused to meet a 3-member Sports Coordination Committee in Cricket appointed by Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe. Minister’s latest move is seen as yet another attempt to creep into cricket administration via the committee that has been set up to handle int'l affairs of the country’s richest sports body. Team includes Sidath Wettimuny, former SLC Prez Upali Dharmadasa and Rakitha Rajapakshe, son of Minister more..

Oct 1 (EN) Sri Lanka can build an eco-brand catering especially to younger tourists who feel strongly about the environment, UN Resident Representative to SL, Azusa Kobota said. About 70% of global travellers prioritise sustainability in their holiday choices, marking a ten percent increase from 2021, while around 30 percent of travellers feel guilty about flying, due to carbon emissions, she said. “As the world embraces green thinking during this time of economic recovery efforts, more..

Oct 1 (SO) Unsung, unassuming and unwanted Dinesh Chandimal will have his name etched in letters of gold when he declares open an indoor practice facility at Dharmasoka College in Ambalagoda this morning. Having being at the receiving end of many a raw deal in his desire to sport the SL colours, Chandimal will be the undisputed toast at his old school where he learnt and nurtured his cricket and went to the extent of spending from his own pocket Rs. 20m more..

Oct 1 (TM) Airport and Aviation Services SL (AASL) has defended its decision to charge a levy of Rs. 700 on PickMe and Uber rides operating from the BIA by contending that the revenue generated will be utilised for the modernisation of airport infrastructure. In June 2023, Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva announced in Parliament that permission had been granted to Uber and PickMe to operate at the BIA for a fee, following a series of reports of harassment and overcharging by the taxi mafia at the BIA. more..

Oct 1 (Island) Cricket World Cup is just around the corner and the national cricket team has enjoyed both unprecedented success and unexpected lows over the previous 12 editions of the competition. One-time champions, SL were also runners-up on two occasions and semi-finalists on one other time. Their campaigns in 1999, where as defending champions they were knocked out in the first round and the 1987 tournament where they failed to win a single game remain disappointments. more..

Oct 1 (ST) In Kenya, Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner V. Kananathan is setting records by getting invited to be an independent observer of election after election on the African continent. This time, Liberia’s National Elections Commission has asked him to be part of an observer team for its October 10 elections for a President, Vice President, almost a third of its Senate, and all 73 members of its Lower House, House of Representatives. more..

Oct 1 (Island) There have been substantial and wide spread criticisms of the recently instituted Domestic Debt Restructuring (DDR) scheme carried out by Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL), to reduce the Sri Lanka Govt’s requirements for funding. In this article I argue that the scheme, as structured and carried out by CBSL, is appropriate, given the ground realities in the country, and that the critics have ignored a number of factors which forced CBSL to design the scheme as it did. more..

Oct 1 (GV) In the 11 months just past, several media reports were busy portraying the events in the trial of Danushka Gunathilaka, the SL cricketer charged with sexual assault and violence against a woman in Australia last November, in a very upbeat way. It was a positive update they say, and a win for him that his strict bail conditions were relaxed, in the lead up to the judge’s decision. This is not entirely accurate. In his country of origin he would probably not even have been charged. more..

Oct 1 (Island) Opinion will surely be divided on whether Foreign Minister Ali Sabry should have waded into the ongoing spat between India and Canada on the assassination of a Sikh Canadian citizen allegedly by Indian agents according to Canadian PM Justin Trudeau. Sabry got a lot of media play in India characterizing Trudeau’s statement to Parliament as outrageous. Colombo, of course, continues to smart under the Canadian PM’s recent remarks about genocide in this country more..

Oct 1 (ST) My dear Ali Sabry, I didn’t think I would have to write to you so soon after writing to your namesake from Puttlam who was found to have been involved in some hanky-panky, smuggling several gold bars while returning from overseas. Somehow, it seems as if overseas travel is not healthy for all Ali Sabrys! Your namesake was caught gold-handed at the airport. In contrast, you managed to make headlines while still overseas. That is by having your son with you while more..

Oct 1 (TM) SL continues to be on a precarious economic path, with the Ranil Wickremesinghe Govt still grappling to bring the country out of the woods. The outcome of the recent review of the IMF on SL’s economy and governance as part of the fund’s EFF for SL is a clear indication that all is not fine in the paradise isle. The Black Box last week noted that Lankans were currently facing a sense of false security where everything remained more..

Oct 1 (ST) It is in the backdrop of some skilful investigative journalism by the UK’s Financial Times on the mysterious Chinese-American behind the even more mysterious St. Kitts bank which holds SL International Sovereign Bonds (ISBs) that the IMF team was in Colombo this week negotiating the lending agency’s second tranche under its Extended Fund Facility (EFF). The newspaper revealed some intriguing information about the case filed by the Hamilton Bank, in a NY court against SL more..

Oct 1 (CT) As world leaders flew from one gathering (G20 summit in New Delhi) to another (UN General Assembly in New York), two side developments made headlines in the news media. Canada’s PM Trudeau dropped a bombshell in a statement to parliament on September 19, that there were credible allegations of a potential link between Indian govt agents and the killing of 45 year old Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June, near Vancouver. Mr. Nijjar was born in India and fled to Canada in 1995 more..

Oct 1 (SO) In a candid interview, Minister Jeevan Thondaman, leader of the CWC and Minister, provides insights into the complex issues facing the estate community in SL. Q: There is criticism that plantation political leaders have not done anything for the estate community. What is your perception of this notion, and what will you do to address this criticism? A: The estate community, comprising some of the most impoverished more..

Oct 1 (TM) The carefully-choreographed narrative of an economy on the mend came to an abrupt end with the IMF's post-review statement last week that laid bare the actual ground situation. Head of Delegation of the IMF revealed that the entity had failed to reach a Staff-Level Agreement with the Govt following its two-week-long first review of its 17th intervention in SL, under the $ 2.9 billion bailout package. The reasons cited were the yet-incomplete external debt restructuring process more..

Oct 1 (SO) This year’s milling crowds at the BMICH for the Colombo International BookFair (CIBF) were even more of a phenomenon than in previous years. By all accounts, people had run short of extra petty cash. This was a direct result of rising costs in the midst of last year’s economic meltdown. But the book fair showed no sign of losing the crowds. This went to show that Sri Lankans continue to cherish their love affair with books. This time it seems the authorities had to make some concessions more..

Sep 30 (EN) CEB has sought an interim tariff hike based on lower than forecasted rainfall up to August on which an earlier tariff hike was decided by the regulator, as well as higher costs due to coal plant outages. CEB in a letter to the regulator said dry weather conditions it had based the last tariff revision now turned out in actual practice and the 4500 GW hours hydro energy on which a larger tariff cut was made by the regulator was more..

Sep 30 (AD) The prevailing showery condition in the southwestern part of the Island is expected to continue further, Meteorology Dept said. Accordingly, showers or thundershowers will occur at times in Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern and North-western provinces and in Kandy and Nuwara-Eliya districts. Fairly heavy showers of about 75mm can be expected at some places in Western and Sabaragamuwa provinces and in Galle, Matara and Puttalam districts. more..

Sep 30 (DN) Former Prez Mahinda Rajapaska yesterday said that there should be a change in the leadership of SLPP, if the need arises. When the former Prez was asked about the veracity of the news on social media about imminent change of the SLPP leadership, said that he is not aware of any change in the leadership. he was speaking to the media after calling on Mahanayake Thera of the Rammanya Maha Nikaya Most Ven. Makulewe Sri Wimala Thera more..

Sep 30 (CT) Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA) representative Prof. Samath Dharmaratne made a shocking revelation that lives of 400 children were lost in 2022 alone due to road accidents. He lamented that if appropriate measures were not put in place, many more innocent lives will be lost in future in a similar manner. While addressing a media awareness workshop hosted by the National Council for Road Safety more..

Sep 30 (DN) Jaswar Umar, former President, has been elected as the new President of the Football Federation of SL (FFSL) following a secret ballot held at the SL Foundation Institute in Colombo. Umar secured a resounding victory with 45 votes, while his rival candidate Dacshitha Sumathipala received 20 votes. Umar’s tenure as FFSL President will extend for four years, concluding on Sept 29, 2027. Out of 67 leagues, he garnered more than half of the votes, with notable absence from more..

Sep 30 (DM) SriLankan Airlines said several flights were cancelled due to a number of technical issues over the last few days and every effort was made to accommodate passengers on alternative flights. SriLankan Airlines said in a statement that these were routine issues, and aircraft maintenance follows very strict procedures which necessitate repairs or replacement of parts before the aircraft are cleared for flying. "Over the last few days, we at SriLankan Airlines have needed to cancel more..

Sep 30 (DM) Health Ministry has clarified the reports circulating on social media regarding the detection of two Nipah virus cases in the country. According to these social media reports, two children are currently receiving treatment for the Nipah virus at the Lady Ridgeway Hospital (LRH). In response, LRH Director Dr. G Wijesuriya stated that SL has not reported any cases of Nipah virus so far. He emphasized that people should not be alarmed or panic due to these false reports. more..

Sep 30 (Island) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe, who is currently in Berlin, ordered his Secretary Saman Ekanayake to launch a probe into the resignation of Mullaitivu District Judge and Magistrate, T. Saravanarajah, who heard the controversial Kurundimale temple case. The judge has cited receiving death threats as the reason for his resignation. Judge Saravanarajah had not informed either the police or the Judicial Service Commission of the alleged death threats to him, more..

Sep 30 (Island) China will continue to firmly support Sri Lanka in pursuing a development path that suits its own national conditions, getting rid of the poverty trap and the trap of non-development, and safeguarding its independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and national dignity, Ambassador Qi Zhenhong said at the 74th National Day Reception of the People’s Republic of China on Thursday. Given below are excerpts more..

Sep 30 (AD) A mobile phone suspected to have been used by the police constable who aided notorious underworld figure Harak Kata’s recent escape bid at the CID has reportedly been recovered by the Police. The mobile phone was found in a garbage dump in the Kadawatha area, and is reportedly owned by a suspect currently being held in CID custody. Police suspect that the police constable in question had made various calls using this newly found piece of evidence, more..

Sep 30 (Kyodo) Prosecutors in Nagoya said they have decided not to charge officials at an immigration center in the central Japan city for the second time over the 2021 death of a SL detainee despite her family's repeated calls for them to be indicted. The decision by the Nagoya District Prosecutors' Office effectively ends its probe into the case of Wishma Sandamali, who died at age 33 in March 2021 while in detention at the Nagoya Regional Immigration Services Bureau more..

Sep 30 (AD) The body of a 51-year-old, who was reported missing since 27 Sept, was recovered by the police on Thursday (28), from the banks of the Kelani River. The deceased, identified as T. G. Pradeepa, was found decapitated and dismembered, SSP Nihal Thalduwa said, adding that relatives of the deceased had confirmed her identity. Pradeepa’s daughter had filed a complaint at the Mulleriyawa Police on Wednesday (27), claiming that her mother had gone missing. more..

Sep 30 (CT) 26% of cancer patients, detected in Sri Lanka, are those with breast cancers, said National Cancer Control Programme Director Dr. Ishani Fernando. She noted that a total 5,329 new patients with breast cancer were detected in 2020. Of them 147 were men. She added that 25% of the cancer patients detected in the world too suffer from breast cancer. She said that a total 37,648 new cancer patients had been detected in 2020 while 15,599 patients had died of cancer in 2019. more..

Sep 30 (LB) A British woman has been trapped in SL for 13 months and is now left out of hope. Kayleigh Fraser, 35, from St Andrews, was visiting the country to study botanical medicine and began sharing videos online of the Aragalaya protests. Fraser, who had been living abroad for over a year, had her home in SL raided in August of last year by immigration officers claiming that she was visiting the country on an invalid visa. more..

Sep 30 (DM) The migration of medical professionals, which has jeopardized the Western healthcare in SL has also impacted the Ayurvedic medicine. According to Govt Ayurvedic Medical Officers’ association (GAMOA), about 100 Ayurvedic doctors have already left the country with a significant fraction anticipating migrating. “Ayurvedic doctors have been forced to leave the country owing to the prolonged issues, which remained unaddressed challenging the Ayurvedic medicine,” more..

Sep 30 (CT) Ministry of Defence made an announcement on the renewal of firearms licences for both individuals and institutions for the year 2024. According to the announcement, the renewal of firearm licences will be accepted from 1 Oct 2023 to 31 Dec 2023. Detailed information and application forms can be obtained from the official website of the Defence Ministry. The Defence Ministry emphasised that renewals for firearm licences for the year 2024 will not be processed after 31 Dec 2023. more..