Apr 26 (AD) Minister Ali Sabry says that the first group of Sri Lankans living in the Republic of Sudan, where violence erupted earlier this month, was successfully evacuated this morning (26). Accordingly, a total of 13 out of the 41 Sri Lankans in Sudan have been received by SL’s Acting Consul General in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, upon their arrival. Meanwhile, 12 other Sri Lankans are in Port Sudan awaiting evacuation, the Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a media release. more..

Apr 26 (DM) While conceding that a reform of the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) constitution was necessary, SLC Secretary Mohan de Silva believes that it needs to be done in consultation with its stakeholders. Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe appointed a 10-member committee in February, led by former SC Judge Justice KT Chithrasiri, to draft a new proposed SLC constitution, a move that has been condemned by SLC. De Silva said changes were necessary, such as addressing more..

Apr 26 (CI) Sri Lanka gathered 276 brisk runs for the loss of just the wicket of Dimuth Karunaratne, as they eased into control of the second Test, on a rain-curtailed day. Nishan Madushka's maiden Test century was a highlight, as he added 108 to his overnight score. Karunaratne also hit his second hundred in as many innings, before being dismissed for 115 shortly before the scheduled lunch. Ireland had another torrid day more..

Apr 26 (AD) The signing of Exchange Notes pertaining to the provision of a project support of LKR 1.3 bn through Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to strengthen infectious waste management in government hospitals in Sri Lanka has been carried out today. The Project aims to strengthen infectious waste management by installing medical waste incinerators in selected public hospitals, thereby contributing to the reduction of health hazards. more..

Apr 26 (TM) Veterinary Drug Control Authority (VDCA) warned that unrestricted use of antibiotics in animal husbandry may eventually cause adverse consequences for humans, including increasing antibiotic resistance in the population. During a recent meeting between Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera and the VDCA officials, it was revealed that the use of antibiotics in the animal husbandry industry, particularly for cattle, chicken, and pigs are at a very high level. more..

Apr 26 (CT) If the tsunami warning towers erected along the country’s coastal belt are not in proper condition, it could lead to a catastrophic situation in SL in the future, Professor of Geology of the Uni of Peradeniya, Athula Senaratne claimed. Prof. Senaratne made this remark in a backdrop of nine tremors reported in SL from 1 January until Monday (24). Addressing the media in Kandy, he said currently an alarming trend for tremors had begun to take place globally. more..

Apr 26 (EN) The SLFP, which now sits in the opposition after it broke ranks with the ruling coalition, will vote in favour of the country’s IMF programme, former Prez Maithripala Sirisena said. He said any conditions imposed on SL by the IMF that were not agreeable to the country can be renegotiated. “What is my position on the IMF? The five years of my government was with the IMF. There are certain conditions there that we cannot agree with, which we must renegotiate. more..

Apr 26 (DM) Senior DIG Ajith Rohana who is among the seven SDIGs who were transferred, writes to National Police Commission Chairman Chandra Fernando requesting not to approve the malicious, unreasonable and unjustifiable transfers by Public Security Minister Tiran Alles. He alleged that the minister does all these malicious acts to harass them and to protect a particular SDIG. 7 Senior DIGs including Lalith Pathinayake, more..

Apr 26 (AD) Federation of University Teachers’ Association (FUTA) has requested Prez Wickremesinghe to schedule an urgent meeting to discuss the issues that prompted them to resort to and prolong their trade union action. The association resorted to trade union actions in protest of the govt’s latest tax policy and even boycotted participating in GCE A/L exam answer sheet evaluation, as the govt failed to respond favourably to their concerns regarding PAYE tax hike. more..

Apr 26 (DM) Senior DIG Priyantha Weerasooriya, who was transferred from SDIG Central Province as SDIG Crimes & Traffic, also requested the National Police Commission to take appropriate steps to rescind his transfer order given by the Public Security Ministry and IGP without mentioning the reason. In a letter to NPC Chairman Chandra Fernando, the Senior DIG said that being Officer in Charge of the Province, they are not able to uphold the rule of law situation properly, and more..

Apr 26 (EN) Sri Lanka will sign fuel retail agreements with China’s state-owned petroleum corporation Sinopec mid-May with operations to commence 45 days thence, Minister Kanchana Wijesekara said. Wijesekara tweeted Wednesday that he met a Sinopec team that arrived in the island the previous day to finalise the agreements. Sinopec is one of several overseas companies that SL plans to lease 150 of its fuel filling stations to. more..

Apr 26 (AD) U.S Ambassador to SL Julie Chung has expressed her disappointment over recent allegations levelled against the US by a SL MP in his latest publication. Taking to Twitter, Chung deemed the allegations baseless and accused the MP of spreading “outright lies in a book that should be labelled fiction”. “For 75 years, US and SL have shared commitments to democracy, sovereignty and prosperity – a partnership and future we continue to build together”, more..

Apr 26 (Island) Senior Attorney-at-Law Manoli Jinadasa said that illegal acts, such as arson and trespass, couldn’t be vindicated on the basis of trade union action, under any circumstances. Thus, the normal law should operate against the perpetrators of such violations, Jinadasa said, adding that they could be dealt with under the criminal law, as well as the civil law, for damages caused. The lawyer said so in response to The Island query where deliberate actions, perpetrated more..

Apr 27 (DM) The family is the foundation of society and the country. Therefore, the family needs to grow in love, peace and joy, faith and hope, humility and meekness, faithfulness and self-control. This needs to flavoured by the spirit of forgiveness because we know that to err is human, to forgive divine. Therefore, when we forgive seven times or seventy times seven, we become that much more divine. The United Nations on May 15 will mark the International Day of Families with the theme more..

Apr 27 (DM) Global supply chains, commonly referred to as Global Value Chains (GVCs) are a complex network of interconnected production stages where different parts and components of a single product are produced in multiple countries before it is assembled into a final product. Prior to the advent of GVCs, a majority of products were made in one country. The rapid advances in information and communication technology (ICT), reduction in ICT and transport costs, more..

Apr 27 (TM) Non-State actors in South Asia grew to meet several education related demands, and factors such as the desire for higher quality education closer to home, the preference for religious values in a changing world, the persisting demand for English language education, the rise of a market for tutoring to make up for where schooling had failed, and the need for quick solutions to cover in times of crisis, all of which play a part more..

Apr 27 (CT) The X-Press Pearl incident has caused significant environmental damage and economic losses in SL, with an estimated $6.4 billion in damages. As SL considers its options for filing a compensation claim, the question arises as to which jurisdiction is the most suitable to file an action. Let’s explore the implications of filing the claims in Singapore and SL. Cabinet has decided to file an action in Singapore to claim damages from the ship’s owners and operators. more..

Apr 27 (GV) Prashan De Visser opens his maiden book with a stark question: Does the state of the world overwhelm you and a better world seem improbable? He then reflects on what seems to be a widely shared, pessimistic view. “As civil wars rage in beautiful nations and authoritarian regimes impose on the sovereignty of their neighboring countries, corrupt regimes ransack their nation’s wealth for themselves pushing millions of their countrymen into abject poverty, more..

Apr 27 (CT) The ferry service between India & SL, as well as railway connections, have all but vanished since the turn of the 19th and the 20th centuries, and the use of a comfortable Singaporean passenger vessel IndSri to sail between Karikkal (KKL) Port in South India and Kankesanthurai (KKS) Port in SL’s Northern Province next month (Mid-May), will rewrite the history of sea connections between Indo-SL. more..

Apr 27 (Island) We often have heard that democracy is the truest form of politics. It is also the form of govt superior to any other political rule. Conversely it is also argued that democracy as a social movement can deteriorate to tyranny and destruction if it is not guarded from those pretending to be democratic. That may perhaps be the reason why the term democracy is labelled the most promiscuous word in the world of public affairs because it is adaptable and thus illicitly shared by many others. more..

Apr 27 (TM) As has been stressed by The Daily Morning on several occasions, the crisis that has surrounded the country’s education sector is not a mere crisis of the present, but is more of a crisis of the future that is likely to extend to more sectors beyond the education sector and lead to far-reaching, long-term impacts. The sector is struggling to get back up, although newer issues keep affecting the sector. The latest development in this regard, which has attracted more..

Apr 27 (CT) The alleged payment of a bribe with regard to the MV X-Press Pearl ship fire and the need for prompt legal action in connection with the same grabbed headlines over the recent past. The controversies surrounding the bribe are, however, yet to be unravelled whilst measures to file legal action in Singapore is simultaneously underway. The revelations made successively in this regard make it increasingly clear that the entire process will take much longer than one would expect. more..

Apr 27 (ST) At a time when people’s trust in traditional political parties has eroded enormously, a new political movement based on meritocracy and driven by an innovation-centric economic strategy is the need of the hour, opined Opposition MP Champika Ranawaka. The new political party he aims to launch soon will be just such a force, he said. Mr Ranawaka was elected to Parliament from the Colombo District after contesting the 2020 parliamentary election from the SJB. more..

Apr 27 (Island) Despite the absence of favourites, veteran sprinter Nadeesha Ramanayake and Rajitha Rajakaruna produced outstanding feats in the women’s and men’s 400 metres respectively at the Selection Trial held at Diyagama on Tuesday. Ramanayake who played second fiddle to Thrushi Karunaratne at the last trial held in March came up with her personal best performance to win the women’s 400 metres on Tuesday. more..

Apr 27 (Island) Hardly a day passes in this country without a conspiracy theory being concocted, and the latest one has come from NFF leader and MP Wimal Weerawansa. It is always advisable to approach grassy knoll theories with a critical and sceptical mindset and ignore them as far as possible, but Weerawansa’s claim is too serious to be glossed over. Weerawansa would have us believe that last year, US and India conspired to oust both Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa PM more..

Apr 27 (ST) More and more fintech start-up firms are relocating to other countries, to overcome funding issues and other red tape in doing business in the country, industry officials say. The Fintech sandbox, which is a framework set up by the Central Bank (CB) to allow small-scale, live testing of financial innovations by private firms in a controlled environment under the regulator’s supervision has not done much to the industry as well, they add. In the CB sandbox, more..

Apr 27 (FT) The Northern Province Governor’s Office, International Labour Organisation (ILO) and Ernst & Young (EY) collaborated to organise stakeholder meetings on generating investment-driven growth in the Northern Province. These meetings focused on the agriculture, animal husbandry, fisheries/aquaculture, apparel, food processing, and tourism sectors and were attended by private and public sector representatives relating to these sectors. more..

Apr 27 (ST) Lanka Coal Company (LCC) has borrowed Rs 20bn from the Bank of Ceylon (BoC) to pay for overdue shipments, but a crisis has been averted as the 2022-23 season will be completed with a total of 30 vessels bringing enough stocks for up to September this year. LCC typically meets the cost coal shipments using payments made by the CEB which buys the coal for use at the Lavijaya coal power plant. However, the CEB in recent months ran dry of money to settle its bills. more..

Apr 27 (TM) The Ministry of Defence stated that MP Wimal Weerawansa’s allegation that Chief of Defence Staff and former Army Commander, General Shavendra Silva’s visit to India in July 2022, is suspicious in a context where the first plan of the protests on 9 May 2022, was to allegedly assassinate the then President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the defence heads at the President's House, is baseless. more..

Apr 27 (ST) International Master Susal de Silva of Nalanda College and Women Candidate Master Dahamdi Sanudula of Musaeus College emerged champions at the Sri Lanka Open and Women’s National Chess Championships held at the Sports Ministry Pavilion at Torrington Square in Colombo. Nalandian Susal de Silva retained the Sri Lanka National Chess Championship after scoring 10.5 out of a possible 14 points. This is the third consecutive year Susal claimed national championship, more..

Apr 27 (FT) In a move to break the barriers that prevent persons with disabilities from better integrating into society, Twinery - Innovations by MAS – the changemakers of innovative clothing across the world, together with Linea Aqua, aim to break through the stigma surrounding disability by changing the narratives that discriminate. MAS Twinery - Innovations CEO Ranil Vitarana said: “We need to push society to be more inclusive of persons with disabilities to ensure fair representation. more..

Apr 27 (TM) Following the observation that certain provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Bill (ATB) violate fundamental rights (FR) guaranteed under Constitution, the Committee of Experts appointed by the Bar Association of SL (BASL) to study the ATB has recommended that the BASL inform the Ministry of Justice, Prison Affairs and Constitutional Reforms to revisit the Bill and amend the relevant provisions and/or to challenge it more..

Apr 27 (Island) Triple jumper Malith Yasiru of Kahawatta Central, Ratnapura cleared a distance of 15.58 metres at the Selection Trial held at Diyagama on Tuesday to become the fifth athlete to reach qualifying standards for the upcoming Asian Junior Athletics Championships. At the first trial held in March, Yasiru cleared 15.43 metres which was seven centimeters shy of the qualifying standard set by SL Athletics. On Tuesday Yasiru went beyond the 15.50 metres mark to seal his place. more..

Apr 27 (FT) Global adventure tourism giant, Intrepid Travel, is bullish on Sri Lanka as it charts a new course for its decade-old commitment by doubling investments to grow its business in Colombo. Being the only B-Corp certified travel agency operating in the company outlined its plan for revitalising Sri Lanka’s tourism industry adding that they have ambitions of welcoming 3,500 tourists to the island nation by providing 12 various tours for the global travellers. more..

Apr 27 (CT) Lazard Sovereign Advisory Group, which serves as a financial adviser to SL’s debt restructuring programme, has undertaken an intense examination into the best way to approach State Banks for the local debt restructuring programme, a senior govt official said. According to official sources, Lazard is currently undertaking an in-depth study to determine how participation in domestic debt restructuring programme will affect the overall quality of assets held by each State Bank. more..