Aug 3 (DM) The examination department is to release the results of the 2021 A/L Examination before the end of this month, Examination Department Commissioner General L.M.D. Dharmasena said. He said that no specific date has been decided to release them. He said the department has to conduct the practical exams for the candidates who were unable to participate during the Aragalaya period. So we have to conduct that exam to release the complete results. more..

Aug 3 (KT) UAE Prez His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has made a phone call to the President of SL, Ranil Wickremesinghe, congratulating him on his election as the country's new president. Sheikh Mohamed also wished him success in leading SL towards stability and peace and overcoming the circumstances it is going through. During the phone call, the UAE President and Prez Wickremesinghe discussed bilateral relations between the two friendly countries more..

Aug 3 (EN) Protestors illegally occupying Galle Face green and adjacent premises have been given time till 5pm Friday (5) to vacate the area, police said. In a public service announcement broadcast at Galle Face Wednesday (3) evening, the Fort Police in Colombo announced the decision, noting that all illegal structures and makeshift cultivation sites on land belonging to govt or to UDA must be removed before Friday deadline. more..

Aug 3 (CT) Commercial Bank of Ceylon has decided to liquidate its fully-owned subsidiary called Commex SL S.R.L, a SL Exchange House offering money transfer facilities in Italy. A spokesperson of the Bank said that this decision was taken due to the difficulty in sending foreign currency to meet the statutory capital requirements of the relevant Italian subsidiary based on the existing exchange regulations in SL. In this regard, the Bank has issued an announcement to CSE as follows: more..

Aug 3 (EN) Sri Lanka must look to fund fuel imports with export income and foreign remittances rather than with international assistance and will have to limit selected imports to pay for fuel even as fuel supply is curtailed, Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe said. Delivering his inaugural address in parliament as president on Wednesday Aug 3, Wickremesinghe said SL’s immediate need is fuel, adding that he has also instructed the police to ensure fair distribution of the limited stocks. more..

Aug 3 (TM) At a crucial point where SL exporters have committed to supporting the economy, the recent statement by the Central Bank of SL (CBSL) alleging that exporters are not remitting their full export proceeds to the country has raised concerns, according to the National Chamber of Exporters of SL (NCE). NCE has thus requested the CBSL to verify its figures, noting that when SL Customs releases export figures each month, more..

Aug 3 (TM) Anthony Nihal Fonseka has been reappointed as a member of the Monetary Board of CB with effect from 27 July 2022, for a period of six years. He previously served on the Monetary Board from July 2016 to May 2020 and from May 2022 to July 2022. He obtained his BSc degree from the Uni of Ceylon, Colombo and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers, UK and an Honorary Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investments, UK. more..

Aug 3 (NR) The SJB claims the Prez’s throne speech made it clear that a majority of public issues in the country will continue until December. SJB General Secretary, MP Ranjith Madduma Bandara said the Prez’s speech did not include steps that should be taken towards eradicating fraud and corruption terming it questionable. MP Bandara said the President highlighted that the fuel crisis will continue till December, resulting in transportation difficulties for students and parents. more..

Aug 4 (DM) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe addressing the ceremonial opening of Parliament and making his first major policy statement to the nation—is in such a difficult if not impossible situation that he may have recalled one of his favourite songs as the country face crisis after crisis and crisis within crisis, catastrophe after catastrophe and catastrophe within catastrophe. Many independent political analysts believe that he may face the same fate as former Prez Rajapaksa who fled to Male more..

Aug 4 (CT) Ninth of July 2022 would long be remembered in Sri Lanka as the day the three-month long Aragalaya peoples protest movement succeeded in forcing their elected President Gotabaya to agree to resign on July 13. However, the Prez agreed to resign only after protestors forcibly occupied the President’s House and secretariat and laid siege to the PM’s Temple Tree residence on July 9. They forced him to flee from SL to Maldives and later end up in Singapore. more..

Aug 4 (DM) Speaking at the parliament MP Wimal Weerawansa boldly accused certain factions of the Aragalaya, which successfully ousted the seventh executive Prez of SL, is now operating with the sole objective of dragging SL into chaos and anarchy. He further claimed that foreign govts had funded these factions in Aragalaya through numerous projects. In that background, Daily Mirror sat with MP Wimal Weerawansa more..

Aug 4 (DM) When I wrote in these columns a couple months ago that the Aragalaya or the mass civil movement was more likely to fail without definite political leadership. For which, I was roundly criticized by many. I was accused of being a propagandist for a particular political party. Some challenged my prediction and betted that Gotabaya Rajapaksa could be deposed by non-partisan mass action that brought millions to Galle Face, Gotagogama. more..

Aug 4 (TM) Delusion appears to be a national affliction in SL. When confronted with stark realities, the State consistently refuses to take proactive measures to avert dire consequences. It refers to national liabilities, like the national airline, as national assets. Despite regular doses of life-saving intravenous injections in the form of hard cash by the Treasury, bleeding of State-owned enterprises (SOEs) continues. Senior management, employees, and trade unions of SriLankan Airlines more..

Aug 4 (CT) SL’s mountain ranges, home to some of SL’s key agro crops led by tea, coupled with being the base for hydroelectric generation, are at risk due to climate change, the ADB in a recent report warned. Tea was 3rd largest foreign exchange earner last year, while hydroelectric generation from the principal hydroelectric reservoirs located in the country’s central hills, is SL’s cheapest source of electricity. more..

Aug 4 (CT) President Ranil Wickremesinghe, at his inaugural policy speech made in Parliament, overlooked promising to take action against those responsible for Sri Lanka’s present socioeconomic morass. It was the fiscal profligacy of the previous successive regimes over the past few decades that got the island into this situation. Wickremesinghe owes his position to the 145 SLPP MPs who command the majority in the 225-member House. Next Parliamentary Poll is due in 2025. more..

Aug 4 (ST) Many years ago, when the late Lalith Athulathmudali was Trade Minister, the cry export or perish was very much in the air to signify how important exports were to the SL economy. I was reflecting on how the country is suffering due to a lack of proper policy measures to strengthen and firm the country’s export drive particularly in today’s context where we are struggling with a shortage of dollars, when I heard the unmistakable tune of Aldoris, the choon- paan karaya’s tuk-tuk more..

Aug 4 (Island) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe has proved that he is playing his new role with aplomb, and is desirous of adopting a novel approach to governance, if his maiden policy statement is anything to go by. He had yesterday’s ceremony to mark the inauguration of the third session of the ninth Parliament pared to the bone; there was no gun salute. Such measures are bound to go down well with the public. Declaring that he was the Prez of every Sri Lankan, Wickremesinghe more..

Aug 4 (Island) How our universities respond during moments of crisis, whether a pandemic or an economic meltdown, is emblematic of the rotten political system in which they function. Apparent lack of sensitivity to students’ struggles, during COVID-19, was astounding. We knew, personally, that students grappled with a range of problems, from crippling debt, to connectivity issues, to family illness. We were aware also of the pressure placed on us by uni administrations to transition to more..

Aug 4 (DM) Leading economists of the Verite Research SL Economic Policy Group (SLEPG) called on the relevant authorities to steer away from using Samurdhi as a determinant of eligibility for welfare benefits and instead, consider electricity consumption for targeting vulnerable groups, as it is a superior method. Recommendation, put forward by Prof. Dileni Gunewardena, Prof. Mick Moore, Dr. Nishan de Mel & Prof. Shanta Devarajan, more..

Aug 4 (Island) The secret vote on the new Prez as well as the Emergency sharply divided the SLFP. In spite of talks among members of its parliamentary group, the party, led by one-time Prez Maithripala Sirisena, has not been able to reach a consensus on a strategy to deal with the new Prez. Of the 14 SLFPers, including National List MP Dr. Suren Raghavan, five have thrown their weight behind Wickremesinghe’s move to impose the Emergency rule. The remaining SLFPers abstained at more..

Aug 4 (FT) Liberal Youth Movement (LYM) convenors Namini Panditha and Rusiru Egodage have filed a fundamental rights petition challenging the emergency regulations of 18 July. According to the Petition, the petitioners claim that the said regulations violate their fundamental rights and the fundamental rights of the SL people, guaranteed by Articles 11, 12(1), 13(1), 13(2), 13(5), 14(1)(a), 14(1)(b) & 14(1)(c) of Constitution. Petitioners state that certain provisions of emergency regulations more..

Aug 4 (TM) A total of 12,289 persons belonging to 3,307 families have been affected due to the inclement weather conditions in all parts of the country, since Monday, according to DMC of 6 a.m. yesterday, while 3 persons have died and another four have gone missing due to inclement weather-related incidents. Total of 3 deaths due to inclement weather conditions has been reported from the Ambagamuwa DS in Nuwara Eliya District. more..

Aug 4 (ENS) Two Sri Lankan fishermen, who arrived at Siruthalaikadu near Point Calimere on Tuesday after their boat capsized owing to rough weather early on Monday, were arrested. The two persons were identified as V Janarthanan (29) and K Sasigaran (22) of Palaly in Jaffna district. “Janarthanan and Sasigaran claimed that they had set out for fishing on Sunday evening. Their boat drifted across IMBL into Indian waters due to rough weather and capsized around 3 am. more..

Aug 4 (DN) The promising cricketer 23 year old Pathum Nissanka got the rare honour of nominating to the best under 25 test cricket team (world test X1) by the the prominent cricket magazine, Wisden. The stylish right hand top order batter is the most successful promising batter of the SL in all three format while his current form enable to nominated to the best under 25 test team. Wisden named this team considering up to the performance of last July 31st while Pathum Nissanka is named as more..

Aug 4 (Island) Two Sri Lankan stars who dominated Australia in the recent Test in Galle have nominated to play in the BBL this upcoming season with Prabath Jayasuriya and Dinesh Chandimal among the latest names to headline a host of new nominations for the upcoming overseas draft. Jayasuriya, Chandimal, Maheesh Theekshana and Bhanuka Rajapaksa have all nominated while England’s Overton brothers, Jamie and Craig, have also put their names forward. more..

Aug 4 (DN) SL’s Chef-de-Mission at the XXII Commonwealth Games in Birmingham Maj. Gen. Dampath Fernando (rtd) expressed disappointment that the manager of the judo team vanished along with a player from the Village on Monday. “Actually I’m really disappointed about the official who is also president of the SL Judo Association Duminda de Silva,” said Maj. Gen. Fernando. The manager and 21-year-old judoka Chamila Marappulige were found missing from the Village on Monday. more..

Aug 4 (EN) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe rapped some lawmakers backing him now over their past protest against FDI while misleading the public with false information. Attempts by Wickremesinghe-led center-right UNP to bring in FDI were opposed by center-left SLFP and current ruling nationalist SLPP with some false allegations. As a result, some of the FDI were dragged for years and some were cancelled. more..

Aug 4 (Island) Despite arriving in Cali barely eight hours before the competition Ratnayake Central athlete Tharushi Karunaratne had enough energy to secure a semi-final berth in the 400 metres at the World Junior Athletics Championships in Colombia on Tuesday. Competing in the third heat Karunaratne finished fourth in a time of 54.13 seconds to secure the semi-final spot. At the completion of the first round (five heats) her time was ranked 16th. more..

Aug 4 (CT) Another Bronze medal winning hope was knocked out by Northern Ireland women’s pugilist Carly McNaul when she beat SL’s Keshani Hansika in the over 48-50 kgs (5-0) in the quarter-final worked off at NIC Stadium in Birmingham. Hansika, the national champion at domestic level, did not have enough power to defend the punches of the 2018 Silver medalist. While the Northern Ireland boxer landed her punches perfectly, Hansika failed to connect with her punches. more..

Aug 4 (CI) Difficulties procuring insurance, as well as logistical and security concerns, were some of the issues raised by sponsors and broadcasters that led to the Asia Cup being shifted from SL to the UAE, SLC has revealed. "They felt that the situation in SL was not conducive to garner the confidence of the stakeholders," SLC secretary Mohan de Silva said. "Not only the member countries, but a tournament of this magnitude more..

Aug 4 (CI) Cricket's efforts to be part of the Olympics have received a significant boost after the sport was added to a shortlist of nine that will be reviewed by Int'l Olympic Committee (IOC) for addition to the 2028 Los Angeles Games. Last month, the LA28 organising committee had asked the ICC to make their case and, although an exact date for this presentation is yet to be fixed, a final decision on cricket's inclusion is expected in 2nd quarter 2023, when IOC is scheduled to meet in Mumbai. more..

Aug 4 (FT) Young business leader Dinesh Weerakkody has been appointed Chairman of the Colombo Port City Economic Commission, the main authority managing the Colombo Port City project. Hatton National Bank and Commercial Bank of Ceylon former Chairman Dinesh is the Vice Chairman of the Employers’ Federation of Ceylon, Immediate Past Chairman International Chamber of Commerce SL and Vice Chairman of the SL Institute of Directors & Director of several companies. more..

Aug 4 (AD) Queen Elizabeth has sent a congratulatory message to President Ranil Wickremasinghe saying she is looking forward to continue the warm friendship between Britain and Sri Lanka. The British High Commission to Sri Lanka has conveyed the congratulatory message from Her Majesty The Queen Elizabeth II to the President of SL, Ranil Wickremesinghe. The message reads as follows: “I would like to extend my congratulations to you on becoming President of SL. more..

Aug 4 (DM) SL's Palitha Bandara won Silver in the Men's Discus Throw F42-44/61-64 Para Athletics event at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games on Thursday. Bandara threw for a distance of 44.20 metres, and while it was a shorter distance that most competitors in the event, a scoring system that incorporated the levels of disability of those participating in the F42-44 and F61-64 categories and calculated a relative score adjudged that Bandara had infact the second best throw. more..

Aug 4 (AD) SL’s Yupun Abeykoon won the bronze medal in the final of the men’s 100 meters event at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Kenyan Ferdinand Omanyala claimed the gold in 10.02 seconds, defending champ Akani Simbine from South Africa was second in 10.13 and Yupun Abeykoon took the bronze in 10.14 seconds. He becomes the first SL athlete to win bronze medal in the 100 meters event more..