Aug 3 (Island) Michelin Sri Lanka, formerly Camso Loadstar, the market leader in solid tyres, air tyres and tracks in the export market, is planning to invest in the largest tyre warehouse in Sri Lanka, named Export Greenfield. “Michelin’s footprint in Sri Lanka reaffirms the trust the people have in it. Its specialized products in the country are solid tyres, air tyres and tracks. Therefore, with the expanding local market, the Group is planning to invest in this largest warehouse in the country soon, more..

Aug 3 (MFA) Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Sabry briefed the Colombo-based Ambassadors and High Commissioners on key developments following the election of the new Prez and the formation of the new Government, at his first briefing of the diplomatic corps on Monday 1 August, 2022 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Minister outlined the recent political developments in SL leading up to the election of Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe as well as the formation of the interim Govt. more..

Aug 3 (DN) Canadian-born SL artistic gymnast Anna-Marie Ondaatje was the last foreign-based athlete to arrive for the XXII Commonwealth Games on Monday. Ironically, she will be without a manager or coach for a major competition for the first time because National Olympic Committee officials dragged their feet when requests were made to get accreditation for her second coach Anastasia Shaykherieva back in May after her main coach Svetlana Joukova was appointed by more..

Aug 3 (Island) Denying growing accusations that Bar Association of SL (BASL) has been deeply politicised, its President Saliya Pieris, PC, has strongly defended the role played by the outfit in the developing political-economic-social crisis. Pieris succeeded Kalinga N. Indatissa, PC, in Feb 2021, as the BASL’s 26th President. Pieris maintained that there was no basis for such accusations. more..

Aug 3 (FT) Govt has decided to further extend the amnesty period for individuals to deposit or sell the foreign currency in possession. Previously, on several occasions from June, the Finance Ministry issued orders under Section 8 of the Foreign Exchange Act No. 12 of 2017 extending the amnesty period. “The circular in this regard will be issued by the Finance Ministry in the next couple of days,” Minister Bandula Gunawardena said at the post-Cabinet meeting media briefing. more..

Aug 3 (CT) Sadeera Samarawickrama and bowlers guided Tamil Union to a comfortable 7 wicket (D/L) win over Army in the final of the SLC Major Club Limited over tournament played at SSC yesterday. Batting first, Army were bowled out for a below par total of 198 runs in 49.5 overs. In reply Tamil Union achieved the target with 34 balls to spare. Army lost the plot from the get go and were seen struggling from the very beginning. None of their batters impressed apart from Asela Gunarathne, more..

Aug 3 (TM) At least four persons have died, three others have gone missing, and nearly 8,000 people have been affected due to the incidents related to inclement weather conditions in all parts of the country since Monday (1). The highest number of deaths due to inclement weather conditions – three – has been reported from the Ambagamuwa Divisional Secretariat (DS) Division in the Nuwara Eliya District. more..

Aug 3 (BOI) The BOI, apex organization committed to driving investments into the country, introduces the Partnership Finder (PF), a new strategic initiative to attract investment from existing investors in the country and to facilitate business partnerships with foreign and SL companies/investors. This interactive platform provides the BOI registered investors and other prospective investors with a window of opportunity to get connected with new entrepreneurs and innovators with novel ideas. more..

Aug 3 (FT) Eminent lawyer and renowned President’s Counsel Ronald Chithranjan Perera has been appointed as the Chairman of SL Insurance Corporation, the largest and the strongest insurer. He will assume official duties today. Prior to this appointment, Perera held the position of Chairman of the Bank of Ceylon from Jan 2015 till Nov 2019 and has been instrumental in shaping BOC as a major player in the financial sector. Perera was appointed as a President's Counsel in 2012, more..

Aug 3 (AD) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe has appealed to members of the public to get themselves vaccinated against Covid-19 immediately as risks of infection are increasing. He noted that the number of third- and fourth-dose recipients remain low. His remarks came amidst the recent uptick in Covid-19 figures in SL. Health officials have strongly advised people to wear face masks while in public and to adhere to preventive measures to curb spread of virus infection. more..

Aug 3 (AD) SL Navy’s Leading Women Sailor and middle-distance runner Gayanthika Abeyrathne has set a new SL record at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. 35-year-old clocked 2 minutes & 1:20 seconds to finish fifth in the 800m Heats. Abeyratne joined SL Navy in 2010 and has represented SL Navy in athletics over the years. For her exceptional talents in the sporting arena, she has won the award for the Best Sportswoman from Commander of the Navy Nishantha Ulugetenne at Navy Colours more..

Aug 3 (TM) The SL Police has launched an investigation into a Scottish woman who was residing in SL, named Kayleigh Fraser and better known by her social media name Kayz Fraser, for being actively involved in the aragalaya movement centred around Galle Face, through which she has allegedly brought disrepute to Sri Lanka and its security forces on the international stage, while the Dept of Immigration and more..

Aug 3 (DM) Tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka edged up to 47,293 in July compared to 32, 856 arrivals in June, though down from the peak of 106, 500 arrivals in March, just before the start of the unraveling of the political unrest triggered by the economic crisis, the worst in SL’s post-independence history. India accounted for the highest number of tourist arrival since July with 6, 031 Indians visiting SL during July. Germany came up second with 3, 666 tourists and France in third place with 3,567 arrivals. more..

Aug 3 (CT) Despite desperate attempts, first group of SL Junior team for the World Athletics Under-20 Championship was unable to reach Cali on time due to Qatar Airways flight QR 779 to Săo Paulo getting delayed by 2 hours. This resulted in Long Jumper Hirusha Hashen failing to compete in the qualification round which started at 11.45 a.m. Cali time. Hirusha along with Kaveesha Bandara and Coach Badra Gunawardana left the Island on Saturday night. more..

Aug 3 (FT) Minister Manusha Nanayakkara explained the methodology to provide additional duty concessions extended for SL migrant workers based on the amount remitted through official banking channels. The objective of the Govt is to boost foreign exchange inflows through the banking system to overcome the foreign exchange crisis. As per the Minister, the allowance will be provided to be utilised upon the arrival more..

Aug 3 (DM) The Sri Lanka Tea Board (SLTB) along with industry stakeholders seeks a well-coordinated and synergised mechanism from the government to resolve the fuel and agrochemical shortages threatening SL’s tea production and industry sustainability. In the absence of weedicides, fungicides and other necessary agrochemicals, planters are battling to maintain the tea yields. “We have not weeded for over a year. As a result, there are millions and millions of seeds in the soil. more..

Aug 3 (AD) Several political parties including the SJB, SLFP and TNA have agreed to attend future talks on forming an all-party govt, Prez’s Media Division says. Several rounds of discussions were held today with the members of SLPP, CWC and National Congress today. Representatives from each political party including CWC Senthil Thondaman, the party’s general secretary Jeevan Thondaman, National Congress leader MP A.L.M. Athaullah and several others have attended the talks. more..

Aug 3 (CT) The arrival of the Chinese research vessel Yuan Wang 5 in Hambatota is yet to be communicated to the Colombo Port Harbour Master. According to the Ministry of Defence, Chinese research vessel, Yuan Wang 5, was granted permission under the freedom of navigation principle in the Indian Ocean. Indian Administration is alarmed as such a vessel arrives at Hambantota Port with permission of SL govt. more..

Aug 3 (FT) It seems like a long time ago, but the reality is that it’s been just 150 days since the urban middle class and their semi-urban cousins stepped out of their comfort zone to hold a candle in protest against power cuts and shortage of milk, cooking gas and fuel. Most SL hearts and minds were filled with love, amazement, pride and hope as we braved both darkness and fickle weather to register our dissatisfaction with inept governance. While we had hardly cared when the farmers more..

Aug 3 (FT) In the criminal justice system, the norm is that a crime never dies. The English legal maxim nullum tempus occurrit regi (no time runs against the king) is a reflection of this concept. In other words, lapse of time is no bar to Crown in proceeding against offenders. A Civil action, on the contrary, is bound by a prescriptive period after which no claims can be made except under exceptional circumstances, in certain instances. This is governed by the Roman law maxim, more..

Aug 3 (AD) Health Ministry says that another 122 persons have tested positive for Covid-19 today, as the daily count of new cases continues to rise in the country. This brings the tally of Covid-19 cases registered in the country thus far to 666,086. Meanwhile, the Director-General of Health Services confirmed 08 new coronavirus-related deaths for Aug 02, pushing the country’s death toll from the pandemic to 16,574. The deaths reported today include 07 males and one female, more..

Aug 3 (EN) SL’s exporters are committed to following central bank regulations and repatriating export proceeds in time, an industry grouping said following warning by the regulator amidst the worst currency crises in the history of the agency. Exporters Association of SL said it supports the central bank in its measures to “strictly monitor and measure ensure compliance with all regulations on foreign exchange transactions, including repatriation requirements of export proceeds, more..

Aug 3 (AD) NPP leader MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake says that his party will not join or support the all-party govt proposed by Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe. “We clearly stated that if an all-party govt is to be formed, all parties joining the all-party govt must have equal rights within it,” he said. He said that is why they proposed that the newly-appointed Prez and PM should not have any future political aspirations and more..

Aug 3 (DM) A third individual who was a part of SL’s contingent at the 22nd Commonwealth Games in England has gone missing, team management said. An athlete from SL’s Wrestling Team has reportedly gone missing having earlier tested positive for COVID-19, Deputy Chef-de-Mission Gamini Jayasinghe said. The missing athlete was set to compete in his first-round event of the wrestling competition on Aug 6. Earlier, a SL judoka and an official of the Judo Team went missing. more..

Aug 3 (PTI) A 28-year-old man has been arrested for illegally entering the President's House and taking photographs while sitting on the President's chair, a media report said on Wednesday. Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) in Deraniyagala arrested the man for illegally entering the President's House here on 9 July when anti-govt protesters stormed the iconic building. The then-president Gotabaya Rajapaksa had vacated his official residence a day before the protesters stormed the building. more..

Aug 3 (TM) Human Rights Commission of SL (HRCSL) has recommended that IGP Chandana D. Wickramaratne transfer SSP Romesh Liyanage, and for the Special Task Force (STF) to reconsider its camouflage uniform for civil operations. The HRCSL has made these recommendations with regard to its inquiry into the assault of journalists that took place in front of Prez Wickremesinghe’s private residence more..

Aug 3 (TM) Sri Lanka will recruit specialist teams for identifying credit ratings on sovereign debt restructuring and international communications for its debt restructuring process, based on the request made by the Govt’s financial and legal advisors, said Cabinet Spokesman Minister Bandula Gunawardena. Gunawardena said that these two teams will be recruited to identify International Sovereign Bond (ISB) holders who have invested in Sri Lanka’s sovereign bonds in the past. more..

Aug 3 (Island) NFF leader Wimal Weerawansa, MP, has alleged that US Ambassador Julie Chung constantly applied pressure on the then Prez Rajapaksa not to deal with the growing protest movement that finally led to his ouster. Prez Rajapaksa vacated the President’s House on July 13. Weerawansa said that Ambassador Chung exploited Prez Rajapaksa’s plans to settle down in the US after the completion of his first term. MP Weerawansa said that the Prez feared more..

Aug 3 (NT) Thailand has donated medicines, medical supplies, food and financial support worth 5 million baht to SL, Foreign Ministry said. he donations were made by Department of Disease Control, Public Health Ministry, Govt Pharmaceutical Organisation, Thai Red Cross Society, Somdet Phra Nyanasamvara Sangharaja Wat Bavoranives Vihara Foundation under the Royal Patronage and Wat Phra Ram 9 Karnchanapisek. Foreign Ministry also donated another 1.3 million baht worth of more..

Aug 3 (Island) Lanka Indian Oil Company (LIOC) and the Indian CEO Forum (ICF) continue their endeavor and belief in giving back to the society through numerous CSR activities. Education is the biggest tool that goes a long way in eradication of poverty. At the same time, nourishment of the schoolchildren attains the topmost priority for the society, especially for those from lower-income families. LIOC & ICF further stepped up their commitment towards social upliftment by more..

Aug 3 (Island) SLPP lawmaker Dr. Nalaka Godahewa has alleged that those who managed the economy during Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s tenure as the president conveniently failed to take remedial measures though alleged faults were pointed out. Dr. Godahewa, a key member of the dissident group that voted against the emergency said the then Prez Rajapaksa could have averted the disastrous consequences if corrective more..

Aug 3 (SLN) Sri Lanka Navy took hold of about 49kg and 380g (wet weight) of Kerala cannabis during a special search operation conducted at Mannar Sand Banks on the morning of 03rd Aug. The seizure was made by SLNS Thammanna in the North Central Naval Command, when conducting a special search operation at Mannar Sand Banks on 03rd August. The consignment which were in 20 packages had been buried in the area by smugglers and the stock weighed about 49kg and 380g (wet weight). more..

Aug 3 (MFA) Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ali Sabry will travel to Phnom Penh, Cambodia to take part in the forthcoming 29th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Ministerial Meeting from 4 to 5 Aug. The ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) is composed of 27 members, consisting of 10 ASEAN member states, Dialogue Partners, Observers and includes Australia, Canada, China, European Union (EU), India, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of Korea (ROK), Russia and the United States, Bangladesh, more..

Aug 3 (KT) Birmingham police are on the hunt for a SL female Judo athlete and her manager who went missing during the Commonwealth Games in England on Tuesday. The athlete, who's name has not been revealed by the SL authorities yet, and the manager of the Judo team representing SL in the 70th Commonwealth Games disappeared after she lost her first round. It has been reported that the Chef-de-Mission more..

Aug 3 (AFP) A top SL trade union leader in the forefront of protests which led to the ousting of Gotabaya Rajapaksa from the presidency was arrested on Wednesday, witnesses and officials said. Joseph Stalin, the secretary of the SL Teachers' Union, becomes the senior most activist to be arrested in a crackdown against protesters forced Rajapaksa to flee last month. "He is being arrested for holding a demonstration in May in violation of a court order," police told reporters more..

Aug 3 (DM) Saying though they could see more positive aspects in President's policy statement, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa said today they were ready to support the joint all-party action plan through Parliament committees without accepting ministry portfolios. He told the media at the Parliament complex that the President's policy statement was positive, but he should walk the talk. "We think positively about the content of the speech. We hope he will put it into practice. more..