Aug 11 (Island) Catholic Church in Mannar expects at least 300,000 devotees to take part in the annual Feast of Our Lady of Madhu. A discussion on providing the necessary facilities to the pilgrims took place at the Bishop’s House in Mannar on Wednesday (9) night. Annual feast culminates following the religious ceremonies on 14 and 15. Devotees are already arriving at the shrine from all over the country. A special train leaves Colombo Fort every day at 6.15 a.m. for Madhu. more..

Aug 11 (DM) The Supreme Court today issued a rule for the removal of a lawyer from the position of the Attorney-at-Law after he was found guilty of forgery in attesting a deed. The Registrar of the Kandy High Court in terms of section 42(4) of the Judicature Act had communicated to the registrar of the Supreme Court alleging that attorney-at-law Mahinda Ratnayake was sentenced by the High Court having found him guilty of four counts on which he stood indicted. more..

Aug 11 (DM) SL finally allowed a Chinese warship to make a port of call in Colombo for replenishment despite India’s initial resistance. The navy said the Chinese warship HAI YANG 24 HAO arrived at the port of Colombo on a formal visit yesterday. “The 129 metre-long ship which arrived in Colombo is manned by a crew of 138 and it is commanded by Commander Jin Xin. The ship is scheduled to depart the country tomorrow,” more..

Aug 11 (DM) PM Narendra Modi blamed the Congress for the partition of India and also said it was the Indira Gandhi govt which gave the Katchatheevu Island to Sri Lanka in 1974. The island, located between Rameswaram (India) and SL, was traditionally used by both SL and Indian fishermen. In 1974, then PM Indira Gandhi accepted Katchatheevu as SL territory under the "Indo-SL Maritime Agreement". "These people divided mother India into three parts for politics," PM said more..

Aug 11 (FT) JHU leader Udaya Gammanpila accused Prez of attempting to go beyond the 13th Amendment or 13+ promised at one juncture. He said Prez in his address to Parliament attempted to mislead it. “He said that he would bring several Acts to fully implement the 13 Amendment. He further proposed to repeal the Concurrent List in the 9th Schedule to the Constitution. There is no need to bring new Acts to implement the 13A. It has already been enacted 36 years ago,” more..

Aug 11 (Island) Foreign Minister Ali Sabry told Parliament that his ministry had received no information about CIA Chief William J. Burns’ alleged visit to Sri Lanka on Feb 14. Making a ministerial statement in response to a series of questions raised by SLPP dissident MP Ven. Aturaliye Ratana Thera on June 22, minister said that his ministry only provided necessary diplomatic clearances for the aircraft to fly to Sri Lanka. more..

Aug 11 (FT) If Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s (GR) visit to Delhi in 2020 is best remembered for his broken promise to PM Modi regarding implementation of the controversial 13th Amendment, Ranil Wickremesinghe’s (RW) in 2023 would be remembered for Modi’s promise to “strengthen the maritime, air, energy and people-to-people connectivity”, which included the construction of a land bridge across Palk Strait. This announcement and its implications could be viewed as more..

Aug 11 (FT) The Roman lawyer, Cicero, in his De Re Publica, uses the literary device of the Dream of Scipio to give the authority of Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus, the greatest of the Roman Republic’s citizen soldiers, to the proposition that the populus, the people, served by a true republic is not any assemblage of individuals, but an assemblage associated in a particular common interest. And that common interest is in the doing of justice to each other. more..

Aug 11 (EN) Shares close down on Friday on profit taking and selling interest due to constant gains in the previous sessions, an analyst said. ASPI was down 0.46% or 53.83 points to 11,596.16, this is the lowest the market in six sessions and the lowest the market has been since Aug 3, while S&P SL20 was down 0.81% or 28.03 points to 3,420.56. Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe has said debt restructuring is matter involving public finances coming under parliament and not courts, more..

Aug 11 (AD) CEB has restored the power supply to several sections of the Teaching Hospital in Badulla, which was disconnected due to non-payment of outstanding electricity bills. Hospital’s electricity bill had added up to a staggering Rs. 70 million. On account of this, the CEB disconnected the power supply to the nurses’ training center, doctors’ quarters and the nurses’ hostel on Thursday morning (10). However, hospital’s administration has managed to settle Rs. 20 million more..

Aug 11 (EN) Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena will stand by his decision to rule against judicial intervention in SL’s domestic debt restructuring as public finance rests solely with parliament, he said. Abeywardena told MPs on Friday (11) that he took the decision after several hours’ worth of discussions and consultations with legal experts. “I didn’t take this decision alone. It was after wasting 2, 3 hours of discussions,” more..

Aug 11 (AD) Supreme Court dismissed a Fundamental Rights (FR) petition filed claiming that the govt’s recent decision to reduce the interest rates paid when investing the funds of the EPF in treasury bills and bonds is a violation of fundamental rights. The relevant order was issued by a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court comprising Justices Vijith Malalgoda, Gamini Amarasekera and Janak de Silva. The petition in question was filed by financial analyst and EPF member, more..

Aug 11 (EN) Half of SL’s prisoners have been put behind bars for drug charges, State Minister Anuradha Jayarathne said. Total number of suspects and accused in prisons across the country is currently at 28,468. Out of this, 50.3% of the prisoners account for drug-related charges. “After the court sentence is over, these inmates go back to the environment they used to. So over and over again they tend to be jailed for drug related offenses” he said. SL has 55 prisons including more..

Aug 11 (Island) In the absence of proper scrutiny over a period of time at the highest level, there had been waste, corruption and irregularities at the Peradeniya Uni, COPE reported based on a recent exam of the University. The parliamentary watchdog on Aug. 8 questioned the top management of the uni pertaining to instructions issued on March 22 2023, when the university officials appeared before the House Committee. more..

Aug 11 (CT) Three-time winning skipper of Jaffna Kings, Thisara Perera, suggested adding another team to the LPL League will make the tournament more competitive. Addressing a media along with the other four captains, Thisara went onto say: “I believe adding another team to the tournament will make things more competitive. We got an improved crowd both in Colombo and Kandy to support us this year when compared to the previous editions. I urge fans to come in numbers and support us more..

Aug 11 (FT) In Nov 2022, in order to increase foreign exchange earnings, Govt of Turkey provided subsidies for their exporters. Taking advantage of this situation Turkish wheat flour producers have been dumping flour into many countries including Sri Lanka at extremely low prices hurting the local producers. The dumping has been going on for the past one and a half years. The issue was further exacerbated when the CAA carried out an extensive raid on 4 August. more..

Aug 11 (DM) Heart to Heart International, a global humanitarian organization, has donated $12.8 million worth of cancer medicines to Sri Lanka. The donation, which includes Sunitinib Malate, an oncology drug used to treat certain types of cancers, will be used to help cancer patients in SL who are struggling to access treatment due to the country's economic crisis. The donation was facilitated by the SL Embassy in Washington, DC, Prez Secretariat, and Ministry of Health. more..

Aug 11 (DM) The Invest Sri Lanka Investor Forum, which was organised by the CSE in association with the Confederation of the Indian Industry (CII), was concluded successfully on Aug 9 in Chennai, at the Taj Coromandel Hotel. The forum made a strong case for investment flows into Sri Lanka. The forum witnessed a strong turnout of 180 investors from multiple industries across India. State Minister of Finance Shehan Semasinghe was the keynote speaker at the forum. more..

Aug 11 (NN) SriLankan Airlines should be a target for takeover by carriers in the Gulf once it is privatised, after making an operating profit for the first time in 15 years, its CEO has told The National. Richard Nuttall also suggested that Gulf operators could substantially benefit from the airline's easy access to its Asian neighbour. “The big prize for everybody is India,” he said. He suggested that Emirates, which previously owned 40% more..

Aug 11 (FT) It is necessary to normalise seeing women’s faces in leadership roles for public and professional attitudinal change for the better implementation of policies of gender equality in workspaces, said experts at a seminar recently. Seminar was a first-time collaborative event by Embassy of Japan in SL and Women in Management (WIM), aiming to shed light on the challenges and good practices of women’s economic empowerment and participation more..

Aug 11 (TM) State Ministry of Women and Child Affairs is currently exploring the possibility of extending the existing maternity leave duration for females. According to State Minister Geetha Kumarasinghe, the matter is being considered as part of a proposed programme involving midwives and other related institutions to ensure that children of the relevant age are breastfed and for the early detection of breast cancers. She highlighted the importance of breastfeeding more..

Aug 11 (NM) As a child, Sujeewan Sundaralingam woke up to his mother’s tea — thé or théthani as it’s called in Sri Lanka — made with milk powder every morning. It was creamy and thick and had a taste that the 33-year-old said he just cannot explain. The two-pound Anchor milk powder tin — a product of Fonterra, New Zealand’s largest company and a $14 billion revenue brand — was his mother’s most precious kitchen ingredient. more..

Aug 11 (AD) The debate on the no-confidence motion being brought against Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella is scheduled to take place during the first parliamentary week of September. This was decided at a meeting of the Committee on Parliamentary Business held this afternoon (11), under the chairmanship of Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena. Accordingly, three days of the parliamentary week scheduled to commence on 5 Sept will be dedicated more..

Aug 11 (DN) A female staff member of the Mahiyanganaya hospital was put off her chocolate treat, when she realised that a bump in the chocolate bar she bought from the hospital canteen, was not a nut but part of a human finger. The chocolate bar was produced by a local manufacturer. She had reported the shocking find to health officials in the area. Later, Public Health Inspectors, (PHI) after inspecting the chocolate with the human finger and the hospital canteen, more..

Aug 11 (PMD) Steps have been taken to speed up the operations of the proposed Sports University by providing the opportunity to undergraduates to complete the degree with expertise in sports, State Minister Rohana Dissanayaka said. By enhancing the Diyagama Mahinda Rajapaksa Sports Complex, it is intended to construct the Sports Uni, which is expected to recognize outstanding athletes both locally and at the school level and provide the necessary facilities to advance their abilities. more..

Aug 11 (EN) EPF will not take up an offer to exchange rupee bonds until a tax is hiked on superannuation funds, lawyers said in a preliminary court hearing on domestic debt restructure. A beneficiary of the EPF went to court against the restructuring of bonds in the EPF saying it was iniquitous and sought an interim order preventing the Monetary Board of the central bank from taking up the offer. Superannuation funds that do not take up the offer will face a 30% tax, up from more..

Aug 11 (AD) Issues pertaining to the laying of power cables through a private estate in Siripagama, Ratnapura to connect the Southern Province to the main transmission line of the CEB have been resolved, CEB reported. Accordingly, the Artigala family, owners of the tea estate in question, has given their consent without claiming any compensation from CEB or Public Utilities Commission of SL (PUCSL), more..

Aug 11 (CT) Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi, revealed that the condition of Agbo, the injured elephant, which had recently garnered considerable attention, was deteriorating. However, she said there was no need to obtain the assistance of foreign doctors to treat the elephant. “We are committed to nursing the elephant back to health, despite the serious gunshot injuries it has sustained. We have provided an initial sum of Rs 50,000 to the veterinary specialist entrusted with its care. more..

Aug 11 (FT) SJB MP Kabir Hashim questioned if Minister of Trade, Nalin Fernando, represented SL interests or those of India, for not taking action to promote domestic poultry industry. MP stated the Govt has destroyed the domestic poultry industry with its short-sighted policies, and the country and industry will have a heavy price to pay for the sake of cronies. Pointing to comments by the Trade Minister who had obtained approval to import chicken meat, Hashim said more..

Aug 11 (DM) Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena today dismissed the request made by Opposition MPs to withdraw his ruling given on the domestic debt restructuring programme (DDR) despite the uproar created by them. Opposition MPs said the ruling given by the Speaker on Aug 9 that the Judiciary is not empowered to issue orders or judgments of any nature against a resolution passed by the legislature, could set a bad precedent more..

Aug 11 (Hindu) Sri Lanka has taken steps to renegotiate free trade agreements with key bilateral partners, the country’s State Minister of Finance, Shehan Semasinghe has said. To begin with, Sri Lanka will focus on discussions with India, China and Thailand, to conclude the ongoing negotiations, “following which SL intends to join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP),” a regional trade and economic co-operation agreement of 16 Asian countries. more..

Aug 11 (PMD) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe has unveiled an ambitious plan aimed at revolutionizing Sri Lanka’s agricultural sector. The proposed initiative involves the establishing of an Agricultural Modernization Task Force, which is set to encompass all crops and sectors within the industry. Addressing the critical need for collaboration between the govt and the private sector, the task force is anticipated to pave the way for comprehensive agricultural reforms. more..

Aug 12 (DM) SL’s finest Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar was assassinated in Colombo by a suspected sniper of the LTTE on Aug 12, 2005. His death was mourned by the nation at large as a tremendous loss to the country. The void caused in SL’s foreign affairs sphere after the demise of this great statesman was never filled properly. I have written extensively about Lakshman Kadirgamar over the years, so much so that his only daughter Ajita has stated in her book about her father that more..

Aug 12 (CT) When I was invited to speak on Professor Gananath Obeyesekere’s work, I said, ‘even though I am more than happy to speak and I am quite familiar with his work,’ I asked, ‘wouldn’t it be better if someone someone younger, such as Dhammika Herath speaks representing the department of Sociology.’ Here we are, representing the New Peradeniya in appreciating, paying tribute to the old Peradeniya. My background is literature, and my training is in comparative literature, literary theory, more..

Aug 12 (Roar) Kanthale, Trincomalee, 2012: A woman by the name of Christina Hamine is sewing fabrics outside her home during a powercut when two men approach her doorstep. Claiming to be from a local microfinance company in town, they offer to loan her 30,000 rupees to grow her business. Christina is a single mother with two sons. Her husband died 11 years ago after a long battle with cancer. A seamstress by trade, she also runs a small hopper shop. more..

Aug 12 (CT) Taking forward his purported initiative over the imminent implementation of the 13th Amendment, Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe told Parliament it was necessary for the nation’s growth – but did not explain. Likewise, he said that 13-A required changes involving amendments to the Constitution and the Provincial Council Act – again, he did not explain. All that he has said thus far, and at the commencement of the national discourse before his recent Indian visit, was that more..