Aug 25 (FT) CB Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe yesterday expressed confidence in fulfilling the commitments and implementing all reform targets before the next Executive Board Meeting of the IMF in November. Speaking at the post-monetary policy review meeting media briefing, he praised the Govt’s commendable progress towards quantitative targets. “Except for revenue targets, all other targets have been met so far,” more..

Aug 25 (Island) SJB MP Hesha Withanage told Parliament yesterday that Rs 67,693,679 had been spent by Sri Lanka Cricket for 14 persons to travel to Australia to watch the Men’s T20 cricket World Cup last year. When the waste of funds came to light following an audit conducted on the request of Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe, an actress had been used to divert public attention, MP Withanage said. Moving a motion for an adjournment debate on the audit report on Sri Lanka Cricket, more..

Aug 25 (CT) Patients seeking treatment from State hospitals were compelled to turn to private laboratory services and pharmacies when professions supplementary to medicines struck work yesterday. Acting Deputy Director General Medical Services –II, Dr. G. Wijeysuriya, said that testing and issuing medicines had proved a big issue but that steps had been taken to direct patients to pharmacies and lab facilities close to hospitals. He noted that the Govt footed the bill for more..

Aug 25 (DM) Whilst claiming that he is under threat for trying to resolve issues pertaining to cricket in SL, Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe said a new constitution will be introduced for Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) which will be given legal validity by Parliament. Minister made this remark in response to requests made by MPs to bring in a new constitution for SLC to be approved by Parliament during the adjournment debate which more..

Aug 25 (FT) Today, it is hard to open a newspaper or watch a newscast without cringing at how little has changed in our political psyche since the rout of Gotabaya Rajapaksa just over a year ago. Of course, with Rajapaksa himself out of power, SL is no longer careening towards the edge of a cliff, but things could be so much better if only our political class learned any lessons from the Aragalaya. Across both sides of the aisle, we see the same faces, giving the same stump speeches, more..

Aug 25 (FT) In anticipation of the keynote discussion Mindful Solutions with Mo Gawdat organised by Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts, the former CBO of Google [X] and best-selling author, tackles some questions on the future of technology and human performance. Here’s a sneak peek into areas that will be spoken at the much-awaited discussion set to take place here in SL later this month, on 28 Aug at Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo. Q: Currently, where does Artificial Intelligence more..

Aug 25 (SLN) The SL Navy took hold of over 83kg (wet weight) of Kerala cannabis adrift in waters, during a patrol conducted in the sea area of Delft, Jaffna on 22nd Aug. The Navy keeps a round-the-clock vigil in the coastal and sea areas of the island with a view to preventing nefarious activities taking place via sea routes. As an extension of these operations, SLNS Ranawickrama in the Northern Naval Command carried out a patrol in the sea area of Delft on 22nd April more..

Aug 25 (AD) A special discussion is scheduled to take place between the railway electrical technicians and the General Manager of Railways today over certain recent issues that led to trade union actions. A group of railway electrical technicians went on a token strike yesterday and the day before, after one of their co-workers was arrested for allegedly assaulting a railway controller. Commuters were afflicted as a number of trains that were scheduled to operate on all railway lines more..

Aug 25 (FT) There has been in recent times a spurt of Ranil bashing in SL Tamil circles. Many Tamil politicians as well as significant sections of the Tamil media are being highly critical of Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe these days. What fuels Tamil criticism of Ranil is his allegedly duplicitous conduct on the question of implementing the 13th Constitutional Amendment. He is being accused of not being sincere in this and is merely more..

Aug 25 (DM) Local intelligence services have identified a Catholic was behind the unrest situation that has been created in Kurundi, State Minister of Defense Premitha Bandara Tennakoon said. He told parliament that international intelligence services had not issued any warnings to the govt on possible racial and religious unrest in the country as reported by certain media and social media. Minister said local intelligence services have identified that certain groups were trying to create more..

Aug 25 (EN) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe has directed officials to cease the competitive establishment of religious sites in the country’s eastern province. A statement from the PMD said that Wickremesinghe had called for a consultative approach in future undertakings concerning religious structures within the Trincomalee district. Decisions in this regard, he said, should be reached in coordination with the governor, district political leaders, & relevant governmental authorities. more..

Aug 25 (DM) In the wake of escalating killings and robberies across the country, the police, in collaboration with STF, have launched special operations to crack down on organized criminals and individuals associated with them, with the aim of completely controlling organized crimes in the country within the next six months, Western Province SDIG Deshabandu Tennakoon said. more..

Aug 25 (EN) Shares closed down on Friday, on selling interest in the banking sector and blue chip counters. Favorable performance indications combined with anticipations on lowered rates and better economic outlooks on investment was moving the market towards profit taking and selling interest, an analyst said. ASPI was down 0.5% or 55.81 points to 11,207.11, this is the lowest the market has been since July 26, while S&P SL20 was down 0.81% or 25.84 points to 3,169.80. more..

Aug 25 (DM) Around 20 turtle carcasses have washed ashore along the stretch of beach from Negombo to Kalutara within a span of just three days. According to a senior official of the Det of Wildlife Conservation, the carcasses have been found from Kapungoda, Pamunugama, Muthurajawela Marsh and Induruwa sea areas. In light of the situation, the Wildlife Dept has launched an extensive investigation into the discovery of multiple turtle carcasses. more..

Aug 25 (CT) State Minister of Defence Premitha Bandara Tennakoon, assured that the Govt has not been informed by any foreign intelligence service about national security concerns, or racial tensions within the country. Tennakoon made this remark in response to a question raised by Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa. Tennakoon emphasised that the Govt cannot continually react to unfounded rumours and comments circulating on platforms like Facebook regarding these matters. more..

Aug 25 (CT) Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa claimed that India had spent only USD 263 million for the launch of the whole Chandrayaan project, while SL had spent USD 320 million for the launch of Supreme SAT satellite in 2012. Premadasa noted that India had successfully launched Chandrayaan-3 in 2023 after two earlier attempts by Chandrayaan-1 in 2008 and Chandrayaan-2 in 2019. He stated that for all three attempts, only USD 263 million had been spent. more..

Aug 25 (EN) Top sleuth Shani Abeysekera who had been falsely accused of fabricating evidence against a superior officer was discharged by the Gamhapa magistrate Friday despite attempts by police to prolong the case. The magistrate dropped the case filed against Abeysekera, the former director of the CID on a request of the Attorney General. Abeysekera had been accused of fabricating evidence in the murder of more..

Aug 25 (Island) Those who visit the Kandy city to view the Dalada Perahera should use water sparingly in view of the prevailing dry weather in the country, Prabhath Maddumaarachchi, Deputy Municipal Commissioner – Kandy said on Wednesday in a televised interview. The Kandy Municipal Council (KMC) provided water to the people who flocked to Kandy to view the historical procession, but the prevailing drought had made that task uphill, Maddumarachchi said. more..

Aug 25 (DM) After the superannuation of Indian Ambassador to Australia Manpreet Vohra this December, Indian Ambassador to SL Gopal Baglay is tipped to succeed him at Canberra, while Indian Ambassador to EU, Santosh Jha, is set to replace Bagalay in Colombo. While the govt is tight-lipped about the postings, it is learnt that 1989 batch Saurabh Kumar, currently Secretary (East) at Headquarters, will take Jha’s place in Brussels. Bagalay’s posting to Australia is important as more..

Aug 25 (AD) Colombo Magistrate’s Court ordered the CID to arrest the suspects linked to the death of housemaid named R. Rajakumari, who died while in the custody of Welikada Police. Delivering the verdict of the woman’s post-mortem, Colombo Additional Magistrate Harshana Kekunawala gave the order this morning. The verdict was delivered after careful examination of evidence and the findings in the post-mortem report more..

Aug 25 (TM) In the wake of meningococcal meningitis spreading among inmates at the Galle Prison, Health Ministry has stated that there is no shortage of the necessary vaccine and it has instructed the relevant authorities to administer the vaccine to all vulnerable groups. Meningococcal meningitis refers to any illness caused by the bacteria Neisseria meningitidis. These illnesses are often severe, can be deadly, and include infections of the lining of the brain, more..

Aug 25 (FT) Deakin Uni, Australia, in collaboration with CICRA Campus, recently held a breakfast forum to discuss Zero Trust – hype or the panacea for digital trust? The event, part of Deakin Week SL 2023, brought together luminaries and experts in the field of cybersecurity. The spotlight of the event was firmly fixed on Zero Trust, an innovative and transformative concept within the cybersecurity landscape. Attendees were treated to a comprehensive exploration of Zero Trust’s more..

Aug 25 (DM) PHU leader MP Udaya Gammanpila requested Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe in writing to take steps for SL to become a member of BRICS, an organized named after its original five members- Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa. Gammanpila, in an open letter to the president, said global economic and political trends change fast, and the world power is shifting towards Asia. He said it is high time for SL to review its foreign policy in the latest context and reset it accordingly. more..

Aug 25 (TM) Officials in the livestock sector have warned that the lack of water and feed for cattle and buffaloes in the prevailing drought condition will have a severe impact on the country’s milk production. During a recent meeting between livestock sector officials and Minister Mahinda Amaraweera, the need to take steps to increase milk production in the country was discussed. Officials pointed out that while the country’s milk production was 505 million litres last year (2022), more..

Aug 25 (CT) The lawyers representing the patient, who was allegedly murdered while being treated at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Angoda, told Colombo Additional Magistrate Tharanga Mahawatta, yesterday the laptop containing the CCTV footage, which captured the said incident, had disappeared. The deceased was alleged to have been murdered by a group of minor employees attached to more..

Aug 25 (DM) SL Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) has launched a temporary registration scheme for homeowners in Kandy ahead of the upcoming Asia Cup tournament. The initiative aims to meet the high demand for accommodation during the cricket tournament, which is scheduled to take place from Aug 30 to Sept 17. The 2023 Asia Cup, jointly hosted by Pakistan and SL, will see six teams competing in a round-robin tournament. While Pakistan will host four matches, more..

Aug 25 (AD) The 44-year-old who was critically wounded after being shot at in Thalangama earlier today has died, hospital source said. Two unidentified men, who arrived on a motorcycle, had opened fire at a person in Robert Gunawardena Mawatha in Thalangama this morning. The shooting victim, identified as a resident of Korambe area, was admitted to the National Hospital in Colombo for immediate medical attention. Thalangama Police has initiated investigations to apprehend more..

Aug 25 (TM) Following reports that more than 100 out of 150 MPs who were provided with weapons during the period from 1980 to 1990 are yet to return them, There are political parties that are still in possession of hundreds of weapons that were issued during the same period. In response to a question raised by an MP, State Minister Premitha Bandara Tennakoon stated in Parliament that the majority of MPs who were provided with more..

Aug 25 (DM) The ruling party is ready to confer with the Opposition to amend standing orders to expel MPs who commit various offences and tarnish the image of Parliament, Leader of the House Susil Premajaynatha said today. He made this remark during a crosstalk on taking action against All Ceylon Makkal Congress MP Ali Sabri Raheem who has been charged with smuggling gold and smartphones, which came up in Parliament. MP Raheem was arrested while trying to smuggle more..

Aug 25 (Island) Water in the CEB hydro power reservoirs had dropped to 25% of their total capacity, or 306 gigawatts due to the prevailing drought, CEBSEA spokesperson Engineer Nandika Pathirage said. Out of the total electricity production, hydropower accounted for 15%, he said.Drinking water for Colombo is supplied from Laxapana and priority is given to that, he said. “That’s why we had to go for emergency power purchases approved by Public Utilities Commission,” Pathirage said, more..

Aug 26 (SO) This article, published to mark the 44th death anniversary of former Finance Minister Dr. N.M. Perera on August 14, is based on his public speeches. What was the financial situation in the country when I assumed the title of Minister of Finance? We were facing a huge budget gap. The Exchequer lacked funds to meet even day-to-day financial obligations. In order to bring the country’s economic body as well as national wealth to a strong and healthy state, the firm measures more..

Aug 26 (CT) This country, the little teardrop island amidst the vast blue of the Indian ocean, regardless of the extremely limited land territory, has been the home, for not only one community; nevertheless, it has been a warm cradle for life that sprang with all different ethnicities, nationalities and religions. It had never been an issue for all those to live in liberty, uphold their virtues and cultures and practise their religion while interacting with the others. In fact, no one in the right senses more..

Aug 26 (DM) SL’s one and only Field Marshall Sarath Fonseka is very much in the news lately. Gampaha District MP and SJB Chairman launched a People’s Revolution protest campaign against waste, corruption, irregularities and mismanagementon Aug 11, 2023. This has led to strong speculation that the former Army Commander and ex-chief of Defence staff will act independently & throw his hat into forthcoming Prez poll ring. more..

Aug 26 (DM) Media reported that the Office on the Missing Persons (OMP) is to resolve the issue of people who had disappeared during the war between the armed forces and the LTTE within the next six months. The Chairman of the OMP Attorney-at-Law Mahesh Katulanda during a press conference on Wednesday at the Department of Govt Information said that the OMP had fast-tracked the mechanism for tracking missing persons and that the process is being carried out transparently. more..

Aug 26 (DM) Just last year we were in the midst of a financial crisis. Our govt ran out of foreign currency and was unable to repay its international debts. The Govt declared the country bankrupt and we as a nation had to put up with the indignity of seeing ourselves declared uncreditworthy. Today, even after seventy-five years of independence our country still depends on imports of the most basic items this country needs. Even our staple food (rice) is imported. more..

Aug 26 (CT) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe headed to Yala, last Saturday, to inaugurate a high-class hotel that also represented a new investment. During this visit, he had the opportunity to observe an artificial pond constructed to retain water for wild animals, due to the persistent drought in the area. Tourism Minister Harin Fernando and US Envoy Julie Chung were also part of the President’s entourage. more..