Sep 16 (DM) Sri Lanka is being once again pilloried at the UNHRC for alleged war crimes during the last stages of the separatist war in 2009. But the question is: which of the council’s 43 member-states is sinless to cast the first stone at Sri Lanka? None. The council is not a court comprising independent experts or jurists. It is a politicised body where nations, more often than not, make use of it to vilify other nations with the aim of achieving their political objectives. more..

Sep 16 (DM) The SLPP came out with a bang when it was formed and eventually grabbed power. However, the alliance recently saw yet another split with a group led by former Ministers G.L Peiris and Dullas Alahapperuma deciding to cross to the opposition benches and sit as independent MPs. Professor G.L Peiris, who is still the Chairman of the SLPP, said that an outside force was now controlling the SLPP. He also said that the SLPP had more..

Sep 16 (TM) State Minister Diana Gamage’s statement that SL does not offer entertainment activities after around 10 p.m., and that therefore, there is a need to develop a night economy through building nightlife-related activities, especially for tourists, has attracted an interesting array of mixed responses. While some perceived how economically beneficial such an initiative could prove, some raised the usual sentiment of how such initiatives could damage local culture & tradition. more..

Sep 16 (CT) Not just SL, but the entire world is battling a crippling economic crisis at the moment. At such times, environmental concerns are, in general, pushed to the background with the economic and socio-political crises attracting the attention of Govts as well as world bodies. However, we are living in a world where the atmosphere is increasingly becoming warmer, air quality deteriorating quite rapidly and the effects of climate change are being felt more poignantly, especially by more..

Sep 16 (FT) A Sri Lankan on Wednesday became the first UK member of the public to pay respect to the late Queen Elizabeth II. Vanessa Nanthakumaran, a 56-year-old administration assistant originally from SL, was the first member of the public to file past the casket, having waited for more than 48 hours in the queue which runs alongside the River Thames. “I just really wanted to be part of it,” the 56-year-old Londoner said, according to a PTI report. more..

Sep 16 (FT) Northern Province recently reached out to Singapore and Malaysia for socio-economic support following a visit by Governor Jeevan Thiagarajah. “Opportunities for labour market access in Singapore and Malaysia through our respective High Commissions in both countries is ongoing. Already vacancies in Singapore have been advertised on the Facebook page of the Governor’s office,” he said. Since the Prez announced an invitation for overseas universities to set up more..

Sep 16 (EN) Workplace violence and harassment has cost nine SL businesses surveyed US$ 1.7 million in work hours lost, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) said. “The impacts of workplace violence and harassment has led to the loss of six working days per employee every year, costing the nine Sri Lankan companies surveyed at least $1.7 million, according to a new report by IFC,” the orgainsation said in a statement. more..

Sep 16 (Island) While the political narcissists play their pathetic game of musical chairs and the supporting cast of corrupt bureaucrats support that dance are completely removed from the deadly reality that the rest of us have to face. He who occupies any station of power must have some knowledge how of power is used and how that will determine the well being of this nation and its citizenry. The crises are manifold, best illustrated by the changes in weather patterns brought by more..

Sep 16 (Island) The Lotus Tower, one of the Ozymandian projects that the Mahinda Rajapaksa administration launched, plunging the country deeper into debt, has been opened again! It was first opened by the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe govt in Sept 2019. This time around, the public will be able to visit it, provided of course they buy tickets. Why the tower remained closed for three long years after its grand opening is anyone’s guess. In Sept 2019, whoever would have more..

Sep 16 (Island) Long jumper Nethmika Herath and hurdler Dhanuka Dharshana continued their impressive run in the junior circuit as they established new meet records on day three of the Sir John Tarbat Senior Athletics Championships at Diyagama on Thursday. Madushani from Nannapurawa, Moneragala shattered Ridma Nishadi’s 2016 meet record as she reached her personal best with a feat of 6.09 metres in the Under 18 girls’ long jump event. more..

Sep 16 (FT) ChildFund Sri Lanka celebrated International Youth Day 2022 on 12 and 13 August with its youth advocacy collective - Alliance of Youth to End Violence Against Children’ (AYEVAC). Intergenerational solidarity: creating a world for all ages was the theme at the thought-provoking two-day youth gathering. The district coordinators representing all 25 districts attended the gathering to celebrate International Youth Day which fell on 12 August. more..

Sep 16 (TM) Those below 25 years of age have been identified as the age category group with the highest consumption of over-the-counter drugs in SL in a context where the most dispensed over-the-counter drug categories include analgesics (painkillers) such as paracetamol, and multivitamins. These findings were made in a research on the Analysis of the dispensing pattern of over-the-counter drugs in community pharmacy more..

Sep 16 (Island) Former captain Kumar Sangakkara seems confident that the national cricket team has turned things around following their first multi-nation tournament win after eight years on Sunday. After a horrific start in the curtain-raiser of the competition, where they went down to Afghanistan, SL did well to reach the finals in the process winning four games in a row. By the time the final came by, everyone was predicting that the team that won the toss had a big advantage in the game. more..

Sep 16 (FT) Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI) held its 19th Annual General Meeting last Wednesday (7) virtually on the Zoom web conferencing platform. The meeting was attended by representatives of its constituent partners, Newspaper Society of SL (NSSL), Editors’ Guild of SL (TEGOSL), Free Media Movement (FMM), and the SL Working Journalists Association (SLWJA). During the year 2021 the SLPI has progressed along their mandate engaging in initiatives promoting media freedom more..

Sep 16 (TM) The Right to Information (RTI) Commission ordered the Police to provide the necessary information requested by an inquiry made under the RTI Act, within the course of 10 days starting from Wednesday (14), regarding the alleged use of expired tear gas to disperse protestors in the past few months. It stated that Inspector General of Police (IGP) Chandana D. Wickramaratne will have to be summoned before the Commission more..

Sep 16 (EN) Colombo Lotus Tower (Pvt) Ltd, the holding company of SL’s Chinese-built Lotus Tower, has called for tenders to run some of its main attractions. An official said an int'l hotel chain has bid for the contract for a revolving restaurant on top of the tower, a level below the observation deck. The restaurant operates on roller based technology which enables diners to dine on a moving deck offering a 360° view of the city of Colombo. The restaurant’s kitchen is placed in lowest floor more..

Sep 16 (DN) A programme to develop sports and youth affairs through a joint effort by the Sports and Education ministries was launched yesterday at the Sports Ministry Auditorium. It is the brainchild of Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe and the National Sports Council headed by Arjuna Ranatunga. All Provincial Councils Governor’s are involved in this sport development programme while senior officials of the Provincial Councils, Divisional Secretariats, Sports Ministry & Edu Ministry, more..

Sep 16 (EN) The National Development Bank (NDB) plans to recognise women volunteers in Sri Lanka through the bank’s Vanithabhimana programme that is being held for the third consecutive year. Launched in 2020, Vanithabhimana is an awards presentation organised by the NDB to boost entrepreneurship and encourage more women to participate in economic activities in the country. This year’s programme will be held in four phases, the bank said in a statement on Thursday (15). more..

Sep 16 (Island) The National Freedom Front (NFF) has urged the govt and the Opposition to resist a move by the UNHRC to haul up the war winning Sri Lankan military before foreign judges. NFF leader and former Minister Wimal Weerawansa also raised the issue of India reiterating its demand for the full implementation of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, forced upon the country by Delhi in 1987 and now its full implementation at the ongoing 51 regular session of the UNHRC. more..

Sep 16 (TM) Questions have been raised about the utilisation of a grant of $ 1 million received by the Ministry of Health from the WHO for the implementation of the 1390 Home Based Care System during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in SL in 2021. The issue has arisen due to the non-payment of allowances as agreed upon for a group of medical graduates and others recruited to manage the said project, which was initiated more..

Sep 16 (FT) The Colombo stock market yesterday turned bullish propelling the benchmark ASPI to over 10,000 points level whilst turnover and net foreign buying rose further. The ASPI gained by 158 points or 1.6% to close at 10,072 points. The active S&P SL20 improved by 72 points or 2.3%. Turnover was Rs. 5.33 billion involving 189 million shares. Major contributors to ASPI gain yesterday were Sampath Bank (43 points), JKH (39 points) followed by Commercial Bank, HNB and SDB. more..

Sep 16 (FT) SJB Spokesman S.M. Marikkar blamed the Rajapaksas for the Economic Crimes allegation levelled against SL at the 51st session of the UNHRC. Marikkar said all parties who opposed war crimes allegations against Sri Lanka are now remaining silent as it is the same party which has been accused of committing economic crimes against the people of SL. “They are silent because the entire population of 2.2 million people are suffering as a result of this economic crisis. more..

Sep 16 (FT) The new legislation opening up the casino industry to new entrants as reported by the Daily FT yesterday boosted investor sentiment on top blue chip John Keells Holdings (JKH) and Group companies. JKH ended with a gain of 8.6% or Rs. 12 to Rs. 151 while John Keels Hotels (+8.2%) and Asian Hotel Properties (+11.7%) closed significantly higher on the back of renewed retail and HNI buying momentum. JKH saw 4 million of its shares change hands via 1,681 trades for Rs. 598.3 million. more..

Sep 16 (AD) Due to a computer system breakdown, services of the Verification and Attestation units of the Consular Affairs Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Colombo 1 and its Regional Offices in Jaffna, Trincomalee, Matara, Kandy, Kurunegala, have been suspended until further notice. The system repairs are underway and the public will be notified once the Verification and Attestation process has resumed. However, it said that other Consular services will continue more..

Sep 16 (FT) The SJB yesterday charged that for the first time, the focus of the UNHRC sessions has shifted to economic crimes committed by politicians and officials in SL, as the world has come to accept that Sri Lankans are suffering due to corruption and mismanagement led by the Rajapaksas. Allegations of war crimes and illegal detention have dominated UNHRC sessions and today the country is faced with another unique situation, more..

Sep 16 (DM) Asia Cup winning captain Dasun Shanaka revealed that SL was relaxed and confident in their abilities even after their eight-wicket hammering at the hands of Afghanistan in the tournament curtain raiser. He stated that the team’s self-belief was crucial for them turning things around and pulling off a five-match winning streak that led them to their sixth Asia Cup title. “We did not panic that was lost the first match, as we had the belief that we can win the next game and more..

Sep 16 (AD) Adding a new experience to the SL landscape, the tallest self-supported structure in South Asia and the tallest skyscraper in the country, the Colombo Lotus Tower officially commenced operations today as it was declared open to the public. Prior to its opening this afternoon, the official website of the Lotus Tower was also launched while the event was also graced by Minister Harin Fernando. A large number of visitors, both local and foreign, were seen arriving at the Lotus Tower more..

Sep 16 (PTI) SL will not take part in any big power rivalry in the Indian Ocean and it is unfortunate that his country has been made the punching bag for Hambantota, Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe has said, weeks after India and China clashed over the docking of a high-tech Chinese ship at the country's southern port. SL certainly does not want the problems of the Pacific coming to the Indian Ocean, he said while speaking on the crisis-hit more..

Sep 16 (FT) After Ranil Wickremesinghe became the President, the dominance the Aragalaya had gained over the Govt was suppressed by the police and the security forces without causing loss of lives or major injuries to the protestors. If it was not done, the authority of the Govt would have collapsed completely, and the country would have plunged into a terrible state of anarchy; and the balance of payments crisis also would have plummeted into an uncontrollable point. more..

Sep 16 (TM) Newly appointed State Minister of Women’s and Children’s Affairs Geetha Kumarasinghe is scheduled to inform Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe about the difficulties faced by females, especially schoolchildren, due to the massive increase in the price of sanitary napkins today, and is confident the Prez will provide a solution to this issue. Kumarasinghe said that she was informed by several parties that schoolchildren do not attend school when they are more..

Sep 16 (FT) A funny thing happened on the way to the forum. SL’s Govt grew a strong spine. And rather than resting on its fanny comfortably, it exercised its tushy gymnastically. Or in colloquial Swiss French: “le more ze derriere!” To claim the country’s constitution as one’s bible or bhagavadgita is laudable. It smacks of our stalwart governors sticking to their sterling guns in the face of hostile fire. But to ward off egregious int'l intervention in domestic matters on the grounds more..

Sep 16 (EN) SL has scheduled an hour-long daily power during the Sept 17, 18 weekend. All groups A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V and W will experience a one-hour power cut between 6.00 pm and 9.00 pm. Sri Lanka has been able to curtail power cut durations due to the availability of hydroelectricity, after months of daily outages that would go on for hours, but power outages have returned to some areas. Coal still plays a major role in the island’s power generation. more..

Sep 16 (AD) The Colombo Fort Magistrate today issued notice on former President Maithripala Sirisena, to appear before courts on October 14, after considering a private plaint seeking to name him as an accused of Easter Sunday attacks, for failing to prevent it. Colombo Fort Magistrate Thilina Gamage issued this notice after considering a private plaint submitted by Rev. Father Cyril Gamini & Jesudasan Nadesan, more..

Sep 16 (AD) Police have arrested three persons including a woman on charges of murdering her husband in an acid attack. The victim was identified as a 42-year-old resident of the Kekulanda area in Agalawatte. Police suspect that the acid attack had been carried out over a family dispute. The arrested woman is reported to be a 38-year-old lawyer, while the two other arrestees include her uncle (64) and her brother (36). The sister of the deceased had levelled the murder accusations against more..

Sep 16 (Island) Elephant experts & Wildlife Dept officials took exception to a statement made by Minister Mahinda Amaraweera’s on the elephant population statistics here. The ministry quoting the Department said that SL’s wild elephant population had topped 7,000. Department officials however stressed that they believed the number was 6,000. Biodiversity Conservation and Research Circle of SL Convener Supun Prakash, who is also an authority on SL elephants said, more..