Apr 24 (Island) SL Youth athletics team expect all participants to win podium places when they compete in the Asian Youth Athletics Championship in Uzbekistan this week. 7-member team inclusive of two medallist from the last edition were schedule to leave for Uzbekistan in the morning today. “All seven members are in the medal winning standard. We look forward to win medals in all events they take part in,” Buddhika Nuwan, coach of the touring team said on the eve of team’s departure more..

Apr 24 (DN) SL’s presence at the high-profile 2023 IPL has been quite remarkable with Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana and Matheesha Pathirana making an early impact in the World’s richest franchise Twenty20 Cricket Tournament. Spinner Theekshana & paceman Pathirana have played some stellar roles with the ball while representing Chennai Super Kings (CSK) while leg-spinner Hasaranga has emerged as the key bowler for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). more..

Apr 24 (TM) Some opposition parties and political groups like the NPP and ULS have decided to vote against the agreement Sri Lanka has entered in to with the IMF which is to be debated on Wednesday (26). However, it is learnt that the SLFP has already decided to endorse it, while SJB will decide today on if they will support the agreement or not. NPP and ULS said that they plan to vote against the programme this week. more..

Apr 24 (ST) One of the most competitive big matches played in SL, the 89th edition of the Battle of the Saints, powered by Dialog Axiata, played between premier Catholic boys’ schools – St. Joseph’s College and St. Peter’s College — for the Rev. Father Maurice J. LeGoc Trophy, will be battled in its full glory at the SSC on April 28 and 29. Due to the unprecedented times in the last two years owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, matches were played behind closed doors for the safety of players. more..

Apr 24 (Island) As per the basket of goods and services tracked by the Statistics Department of the Central Bank of SL, a downturn in the prices of food has helped inflation to drop over the past few months. But stubborn price increases in the non-food category are still marking an upward trend and it has hit harder on SL’s working-class households. In such circumstances and with no growth of nominal wages, the purchasing capacity of the squeezed working-class has eroded. more..

Apr 24 (FT) Food and Agriculture Organisation of the US (FAO) together with the European Union (EU) on Saturday launched a new program to strengthen food security in SL by boosting the productivity and sustainability of the paddy cultivation sector. The 4 million Euro (Rs. 1.5 bil) initiative funded by the EU was initiated at an event held at the Bataatha Agro Technology Park in Hambanthota. Implemented by FAO with the support of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Mahaweli Authority, more..

Apr 24 (AD) The police arrested the main suspect in the murder of five people in a house in the Delft area in Jaffna, last night (22). SSP Nihal Thalduwa stated that three gold necklaces, two pairs of gold bangles, eight rings, one pair of earrings, a gold pendant and two mobile phones were found in possession of the 51-year-old suspect. Preliminary investigations have revealed that the suspect had returned to SL after living in Germany for about 20 years. He was found in a house in the Punkudutivu area, more..

Apr 24 (Island) Attorney General Sanjay Rajaratnam, PC, will soon move the Supreme Court against the recent acquittal of five persons indicted at the Colombo High Court Trial-at-Bar for the possession of nearly 197 kgs of heroin. Public Security Minister Tiran Alles said so when The Island raised the growing public discontent over the acquittal of the entire group, intercepted and arrested by Navy, in int'l waters, in Apr 2019. more..

Apr 24 (PMD) Wasath Siriya – 2023 Sinhala and Tamil New Year Festival, was held yesterday (22) at the Shangri-La Green premises in Colombo in a grand manner with the participation of President Ranil Wickremesinghe. Irushi Kavya from Kotikawatta was anointed as the Princess of Wasath Siriya 2023, while Tharuka Rashmini from Moratuwa won second place, and third place went to Subhashini Pushpamala from Kurunegala, Galgamuwa. more..

Apr 24 (FT) United States District Court, Southern District of New York last week ordered the SL Govt and its sovereign bondholder Hamilton Reserve Bank (HRB) to submit a joint status letter by 12 May 2023. The decision by US District Judge Denise Cote follows a conference held involving the two parties on 20 April. Govt in early April in its answers to HRB’s Amended Complaint, denied almost all the allegations. Via its attorneys Clifford Chance US LLP, the Govt said more..

Apr 24 (FT) Attorney General Sanjaya Rajaratnam has confirmed that the AG’s Department will file legal action over the X-Press Pearl marine disaster before a commercial court in Singapore today. Through the case, the Department will demand compensation for the environmental damage caused by the disaster. Case will be filed by a legal firm in Singapore on behalf of the AG’s Dept under the approval of the Cabinet. The compensation demand is to be informed to the courts at a later date. more..

Apr 24 (FT) SJB MP Eran Wickramaratne charged that it was only Gotabaya Rajapaksa who benefitted from the Easter Sunday attacks by riding on its wave to become Prez in 2019. Wickramaratne said the mastermind of the attack can be easily traced by focusing on just three questions. “Who benefitted from the Easter Sunday terror attack? Was it the Catholics? Or was it the Muslims?” he asked. According to the MP, it was Rajapaksa who had the clear advantage from the attack that took more..

Apr 24 (TM) Trust deficit between the State and Catholic Church over the investigations into the 2019 Easter Sunday bombing continues to widen, with Minister of Public Security Tiran Alles yesterday accusing Colombo Archbishop, Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith of acting with a different agenda on criticising the Govt. Responding to comments made by Cardinal Ranjith during the fourth anniversary of the bombings about the lack of credibility of more..

Apr 24 (TN) SL has pledged to provide two elephants to Pakistan as a gesture of goodwill in the aftermath of the unfortunate demise of Noor Jehan, an African elephant in Karachi Zoo. Honorary Consul General Yasin Joyia confirmed the development. As per Joyia, the Consul General's office has formally submitted a request to the SL High Commissioner seeking the provision of these two majestic creatures. However, it is worth noting that the SL high court has previously more..

Apr 24 (AD) Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa alleges that, although the loss-making state institutions need to be reformed, the govt is planning to sell off the profit-making state institutions as well. Making a special statement regarding the IMF’s Extended Fund Facility (EFF), the Opposition Leader claimed that the govt failed to secure the best IMF agreement for the country and its people, by reaching out for the global lender at the last moment. more..

Apr 24 (TM) The Former Chairperson of Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) Dharshani Lahandapura questioned why the Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe does not reveal the person who has allegedly received a $ 250 million bribe to scuttle the legal proceedings seeking compensation from the MV X-Press Pearl disaster. Lahandapura stated that it is important to find out about the allegation made by more..

Apr 24 (FT) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe to make his bitter economic package acceptable to people has made an important pronouncement. That is to make Sri Lanka a rich country, obviously in terms of the World Bank’s classifications, by the time the country will celebrate the centenary of independence from Britain in 2048. The British had left a relatively prosperous country in South Asia in 1948 in the hands of the local leaders who were expected to take it forward to actual richness. more..

Apr 24 (FT) I write this article in remembrance of the late Minister of Trade and Shipping Lalith Athulathmudali’s 30th death anniversary which fell on 23 April 2023. I joined the export industry inspired by the late Lalith Athulathmudali who used to come to my neighbourhood in the late 1980s/early 1990s when he used to visit late journalist Richard De Zoysa’s residence very often. Just out of school and doing my undergraduate studies he wanted me to look at joining the export industry more..

Apr 24 (DM) Four years after the MV X-Press Pearl container ship caught fire in SL waters, local authorities continue to take a snail-paced approach to file a compensation claim. The inferno is reported as the single worst incident of chemical and plastic pollution at sea. But despite mounting evidence of the damage that was caused to the marine environment, the Attorney General’s Department received cabinet approval to file a case in Singapore and not in Sri Lanka. more..

Apr 24 (Island) Dissident SLPP MP Gevindu Cumaratunga questioned whether University teachers’ refusal to evaluate the answer scripts of GCE A/L exam was meant to ruin the free education. The SLPP MP, who now functions as an independent MP, asked whether University teachers served the interests of a sinister group bent on diluting public faith in the education system. MP accused Uni teachers of being engaged in terrorism. Those who disrupted evaluation of answer scripts were terrorists more..

Apr 24 (EN) SL authorities are investigating into frequent earthquakes that has occurred in the recent times, an official said, with the latest one taking place in the coastal area of Hambanthota sea area. SL has never been in the World’s earthquake-prone area, but in 2022, the island nation has witnessed 07 earthquakes, and in the last three months in 2023, 09 earthquakes have occurred in Buttala Beruwela, Kirinda, Gomarankadawala and Hambanthota areas. more..

Apr 24 (DM) Colombo Chief Magistrate's Court today refrained from issuing an arrest warrant against State Minister Diana Gamage for allegedly committing offences under Immigrants and Emigrants Act. Colombo Chief Magistrate Prasanna Alwis observed that the court would not issue an order in terms of section 32 of the Code of Criminal Procedure Act since prosecution has not concluded investigations into the incident. A group of lawyers led by President's Counsel Rienzie Arseculeratne more..

Apr 24 (EN) Sri Lanka has started an e-govt procurement portal at www.promise.lk in a bid to make streamline activities and make them more transparent. E-govt procurement is the collaborative use of information and communications technologies by govt agencies, bidding community, regulatory and oversight agencies, other supporting service providers, and civil society in procurement according to the website. It makes ensure transparency and accountability and value for money more..

Apr 24 (AD) The Court of Appeal has issued a stay order preventing the implementation of the letter sent by the Attorney General (AG) to the CID asking to name Senior DIG Deshabandu Tennakoon as a suspect in the case pertaining to the attack on the GotaGoGama protest site. The court also issued two other interim orders preventing further action on that letter and arresting SDIG Tennakoon. These orders have been issued by the Appellate Court bench more..

Apr 24 (DM) The prevalent hot weather conditions in the country will continue for the next few more days, Met Dept said. They said the hot weather condition was recorded at a higher level even yesterday in several areas. Accordingly, in districts such as Anuradhapura, Ratnapura, and Vavuniya recorded hot weather which was above the average temperature. Moreover, department today forecast that the high temperatures will affect the Northern, North Central, North Western, more..

Apr 24 (EN) Trincomalee port in the North East coast of the island has started night operations with equipment granted by the government of Japan, Ministry of Ports and Aviation said. Due to the lack of night navigation facilities, vessels calling at the port had to anchoring at the outer harbhour overnight and only enter in the daytime. “Earlier we didn’t have a facility in the Trincomalee Port for night operations, so now we will start the night navigation operations”. more..

Apr 24 (CI) Led by Andy Balbirnie's 95, Ireland's batters put together their best day yet on their tour of South Asia, finishing on 319 for four, though they'd been 89 for 3 in the first session. The 115-run stand between Balbirnie and Paul Stirling for the fourth wicket forged the recovery, and formed the bedrock of Ireland's fight. They quelled Sri Lanka's spinners either side of lunch, on a track not yet taking fast turn. more..

Apr 24 (Island) Chief Govt. Whip, Prasanna Ranatunga, yesterday said the ruling SLPP wouldn’t replace incumbent PM Dinesh Gunawardena. Responding to media queries, after paying a floral tribute at the Reggie Ranatunga memorial at Udugampola, Gampaha, the Urban Development and Housing Minister alleged that canard was spread by the Opposition. Gunawardena is the leader of the MEP, a constituent of the SLPP. The MEP group in Parliament, including the Premier, consists of three MPs. more..

Apr 24 (AD) Chief Opposition Whip, MP Lakshman Kiriella says that all political parties of the opposition expressed their agreement to form a new alliance under the leadership of Sajith Premadasa, during a discussion held today. Speaking to the media following the relevant discussion, MP Kiriella stated that all the political party leaders in the opposition took part in today’s discussion. “It was agreed during the discussion to organize a programme to oppose the upcoming repressive bills.” more..

Apr 24 (DM) The number of suicides in the country this year might be considerably higher compared to previous years, Consultant Psychiatrist, Dr. Chathuri Suraweera warned. She said 17 cases of suicide per 100,000 individuals were reported (100,000:17). "Unfortunately, no data was received for the years 2022 and 2023. So far we have spent only four months this year, but we are receiving information that the number has increased much higher within the last four months. more..

Apr 24 (FT) As the first SL envoy to undertake an official visit to Okinawa, Ambassador Rodney Perera called on Governor of Prefecture of Okinawa in Naha, Denny Tamaki, in order to establish fruitful links of cooperation between SL and Okinawa. As a region known for its maritime links and tourism, Governor Tamaki highlighted the establishment of a new department in the Okinawa administration focusing on regional foreign affairs in order to strengthen ties with countries such as SL. more..

Apr 24 (EN) University lecturers who have withdrawn from marking GCE A/L answer scripts as part of a trade union campaign said they will not be intimidated and also accused the govt of hurting the quality of the paper-marking process by hiring substitutes. FUTA Spokesman Charudaththa Illangasinghe said that the association will meet Tuesday evening to discuss the issue and any further trade union action. more..

Apr 24 (Island) Civil Society Collective for Democracy (CSCD) says that it strongly opposes the proposed Anti-Terrorism Law because it violates the Constitution and endangers the freedoms and human rights that are guaranteed in a democratic society. CSDC says: “The govt is presenting its proposed Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) to be fast-tracked through Parliament, in a context in which it has come under significant international pressure to repeal or amend the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). more..

Apr 24 (AD) The Commissioner General of the Inland Revenue Department, D.R.S. Hapuarachchi says that the department has collected Rs. 316 billion as tax revenue during the first quarter of the year 2023. In a statement, Mr. Hapuarachchi pointed out that when compared to the tax revenue of Rs. 146,565 million collected during the first quarter of 2022, the revenue collection has increased up to Rs. 316,619 million during the first quarter of the year 2023. more..

Apr 24 (DN) China Merchant Port Holdings (CMPort) is to ink an agreement with Sinopec to set up bunkering operations in SL. The Company is the largest oil and petrochemical products supplier and the second-largest oil and gas producer in China. This development comes after Minister Kanchana Wijesekera announced that the Cabinet of Ministers has granted approval for allowing China’s Sinopec, Australia’s United Petroleum and RM Parks of the USA, more..