Jul 15 (DM) Sri Lankan weightlifters excelled at ongoing Commonwealth Weightlifting Championship held in New Delhi ,India when three medals one gold ,one silver and one bronze each were won by three weightlifters. M.D Karunaratne, Chintana Vidhanage and Indika Dissanayake yesterday. The promising weight lifter from Polonnaruwa won gold at 73 Kg category (snatch 110kg,clean and jerk 145) total 255 kg to win junior gold medal while two experienced senior players more..

Jul 15 (FT) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe on Thursday said both India and SL should forge together with a long term common plan to effectively harness the great potential for a shared future rather than on a piecemeal or issues-basis. He made this observation during his keynote at the Indian CEO Forum’s annual fellowship banquet at the Taj Samudra, Colombo. Scheduled to make his first visit to India and more..

Jul 15 (Island) The GMOA urged the Director General of Health Services and the IGP to conduct an impartial investigation into claims a woman has made via social media about a medical report issued by a cardiologist attached to the Nagoda Hospital. Acting on a complaint lodged by the cardiologist, police team visited her residence requesting her to remove the social media post. GMOA Secretary Dr. Haritha Aluthge said that the Cardiology Unit, established in 20121, more..

Jul 15 (Island) It will require huge amounts of human and physical resources for the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) to open tax files for all Sri Lankans over 18 by January 2024, Secretary of the IRD Staff Officers Association J. T. Chandana has said. Chandana is also a Deputy Commissioner at the IRD. There are significant shortages in both human and physical resources at the IRD, making the accomplishment of the task difficult, he has said. “However, if the IRD plans to accomplish this, more..

Jul 15 (AD) Major General Sanjaya Wanasinghe has been appointed as the new Chief of Staff of the SL Army. Wanasinghe, the eldest son of General Hamilton Wanasinghe, was the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army, prior to which he was the 50th Commandant of the Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force. Prior to joining here, Wanasinghe served as the Commander, Security Forces HQ Mullaitivu. He is also Colonel Commandant of the Sri Lanka Artillery Regiment. more..

Jul 15 (DM) The death rate in the human-elephant conflict has been increasing in a large proportion every year. Senior officials of the Wildlife Conservation Department told the media in Anuradhapura that 146 villagers had been killed by wild elephants last year. At least 375 wild elephants had been killed in 2021 and 439 in 2022. They said wild elephants were being killed by laying electric traps, Hakka Patas explosive device, and spiked planks and by poisoning. more..

Jul 15 (DM) Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva said if all SriLankan Airlines pilots leave the country for greener pastures, govt will get foreign pilots to run the national carrier. He said those who have no love for the country might leave it for better foreign employment opportunities and this scenario is common with doctors, engineers and other professionals. “It is common everywhere else in the world. They may be getting higher pay more..

Jul 15 (DM) The recent death of the young woman at the Peradeniya Hospital has been caused due to the shortage of drugs where the consultants and the doctors had been compelled to use available drugs as there had been no drugs with less complications in the hospital at the moment, NPP politburo member Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa said. He said that he never refused to admit that certain drugs and injections could lead to complications one in 100,000, 500,000 or 1,000,000. more..

Jul 15 (Island) Muslim Personal Law Reforms Action Group (MPLRAG) alleged that Muslim MPs continued to thwart attempts made to amend the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act (MMDA) to protect the rights of women and children. MPLRAG said in a letter dated 8 June 2023, 18 Muslim MPs had submitted recommendations in response to the Draft Bill on MMDA Reforms to Minister of Justice Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe. Issuing a press release, it said, “The MPs’ recommendations more..

Jul 15 (DN) Cabinet has approved the proposal presented by Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena to give local and foreign unpaid leave to government officials without affecting their seniority and pension. PM Dinesh Gunawardena, who focused on giving unpaid leave to government officials domestically or abroad without affecting their seniority and pension, presented the proposal to the previous Cabinet. more..

Jul 16 (SO) Today’s world is defined by alliances, be they military, diplomatic or political. Sri Lanka is a member of several alliances or blocs, but it remains to be seen whether we have actually reaped the benefits of such memberships. One reason is that certain international alliances have lost their relevance in the modern world. The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) began with grand ambitions in the early 1950s at the height of the Cold War, but it has seemingly lost its way in a unipolar world. more..

Jul 16 (TM) Why is it that despite the increasing depravity, degeneration, and desperation all around us, it is only the law-abiding citizens of this country who appear to notice and indeed, lament the wholesale decay – economic, social, and moral – taking place at an alarming pace? For years now social activists and right-minded citizens have been warning about the dire consequences of corrupt politicians and the unmitigated politicisation of critical aspects of the governance apparatus more..

Jul 16 (SO) Minister Prasanna Ranatunga said at this juncture, people want to implement a program to get the country out of the economic crisis rather than conducting an election. At present, public opinion is that Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe with his international connections is the most experienced and mature political leader who can accomplish the task of rebuilding the country. He said those who clamour for more..

Jul 16 (CT) Phenomenology is more than ideology. Its origin is identified with Hegel who described it as The coming into being of knowledge. I use it here as something which is permeated with culture and the mind of a society. Sinhala-Buddhism (SB) in SL (obviously a phenomenon unique to our country) has far reaching historical roots; it is a social and cultural construct and has great political force at the present time. Catholicism in late-Medieval Spain, Italy and parts of Eastern Europe, and now more..

Jul 16 (GV) As the govt proposes yet another authority, the National Unity and Reconciliation Commission (NURC), to deal with the process of healing the country, human rights activists are questioning the motives behind the move. The president’s secretary may have let the cat out of the bag when he said that issues related to the reconciliation process should be resolved so that there will be no need for the country to go to the UNHRC in Geneva for another year. more..

Jul 16 (TM) Johann Peries became the second Sri Lankan to climb Mount Everest and he is currently embarked on the quest of conquering the Seven Summits. Thus far, he has completed Mount Everest (Asia), Kilimanjaro (Africa), Kosciuszko (Australia), Aconcagua (South America), and most recently Denali (North America). The Sunday Morning Sports sat down for a chat with Johann on his childhood, his recent climbs, and his plans more..

Jul 16 (Island) A lot remains unsaid about IGP Chandana Wickramaratne’s two 3-month extensions of office since he retired on March 26 this year upon attaining the age of 60-years. Appointing a successor was problematic for very good reasons. The three most senior contenders for the job, SDIG Nilantha Jayawardena, SDIG Lalith Pathinayake and SDIG Deshabandu Tennakoon have been found culpable of negligence of their duties by the PCOI that investigated Easter Sunday attacks. more..

Jul 16 (TM) The future looks bleak for former President of Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR) Rizly Illyas, following the refusal by the Court of Appeal to issue an interim order suspending the gazette notification which had suspended the registration of SLR and appointed a Stabilisation Committee to manage its affairs. On Friday (14), a two-judge bench of the Court of Appeal comprising Court of Appeal President Justice Nissanka Karunaratne and Justice M.A.R. Marikar made an order issuing notice more..

Jul 16 (Island) Ranil Wickremesinghe is not only SL’s parliamentary president; he is also a roving president. Prez’s next capital of call is New Delhi. The Indian Foreign Secretary, Vinay Kwatra, was in Colombo this week reportedly to lay the groundwork for Mr. Wickremesinghe’s visit to Delhi on July 20 and 21. He came over to make sure that Prez’s visit to India next week will be a point of positive transformation in the relationship between the two countries. more..

Jul 16 (TM) President Ranil Wickremesinghe has reportedly decided to do without special ceremonies to celebrate his first anniversary in office as the Head of State. Accordingly, he has given stern instructions to respective officials not to organize any official events at the expense of the public to celebrate the completion of his first year in office. The directives were given after taking into account the requests made by some officials to organize functions to mark the anniversary. more..

Jul 16 (ST) Chief Govt Whip’s Office had organised a meeting to brief govt MPs on the proposed water tariff hikes but the July 7th event was cancelled abruptly. The briefing was due to be held in Parliament’s Committee Room No. 2. Given that July 7 was a sitting day, most MPs were attending Parliament. Several reminders had been sent out to MPs to attend the briefing, scheduled to be held at 12.30pm. more..

Jul 16 (Island) From St. Joseph’s Balika Kegalle athlete Kumari Ratnayake to Kathaluwa Central, Ahangama sprinter Nirmali Madushika there had been more than half a dozen sprinters who had shown potential in their teens to win medals at the senior int'l level in the women’s 400 metres during the last decade. Ratnayake won a Commonwealth Youth Games medal in 2011 and Madushika won a bronze at the Asian Youth Games. There were many other promising 400 metres sprinters more..

Jul 16 (CI) On July 16, SL played Pakistan in Galle in the first of two Test matches, with the second Test starting on the 24th. That statement is true for both 2022 and 2023. It's not clear why this series has been set up to perfectly mirror Pakistan's tour of SL last year, but it provides the opportunity to evaluate each side's progress in the interceding 12 months. SL begin as obvious favourites despite mixed results in the past 12 months primarily because of their level of familiarity with conditions; more..

Jul 16 (DM) One of the batches of the drug used in Peradeniya Teaching Hospital that resulted in the demise of a 21-year-old girl has been withheld following two more cases of severe allergic reactions reported from the Kandy Hospital. Additional Secretary to the Health Ministry Dr. Saman Rathnayake said, "Two more cases of severe allergic reactions (Anaphylactic shock) were reported today at the Kandy Hospital from a different batch of the same drug Ceftriaxone used more..

Jul 16 (ST) It has taken almost a year, almost to the date when Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe became SL’s Executive Prez, for neighbouring India to give him a date for an official visit. It seems to have been eventually granted; he arrives in Delhi before he goes to Beijing in October. In years gone by, it was customary for SL leaders, even Foreign Ministers, to first go to the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy on assuming office and then pay pooja to the leadership of the incumbent Govt more..

Jul 16 (ST) Nine years after, SL clinched a series win over visiting Pakistan cricketers (2-0), Dimuth Karunaratne’s men will look to begin the new ICC World Test C'ships (2023-25) in style when the first of the two-match Test series kicks off in Galle this morning. Angelo Mathews-led SL beat Pakistan 2-0 in the series played in 2014 and, although SL hosted them twice in 2015 and 2022, a series win has more..

Jul 16 (SO) Two time winners of the Emerging Teams Asia Cup cricket tournament Sri Lanka fell like nine pins as they attempted to chase down a getable target of 253 made by Afghanistan A in their 50-over match at the CCC ground in Colombo yesterday. One man in the Afghanistan team, Mohammad Ibrahim, made the difference in victory and defeat as he plucked the first SL wicket that of opener Aviska Fernando for a first-ball duck, trapped leg-before, and followed it up with more..

Jul 16 (AD) The opposition has decided to appoint a genuine alternative committee to formally investigate all parties responsible for the country’s economic collapse, as opposed to the Parliament Select Committee (PSC) appointed for the same purpose. In a media release, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa deemed the PSC chaired by MP Sagara Kariyawasam bogus and roguish, accusing it of pretending to investigate the causes of the country’s bankruptcy. more..

Jul 16 (TM) Govt will appoint a committee to evaluate the proposal submitted by the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) for an oil distribution pipeline connecting Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu to Trincomalee and Colombo. The proposal comes days before Wickremesinghe is to visit New Delhi on the invitation of Indian Premier Narendra Modi. According to the Ministry Secretary, the committee will be appointed soon. more..

Jul 16 (AD) Train operations between Colombo Fort and Kankesanturai officially resumed on Saturday (15) following the completion of renovations on the Anuradhapura-Omanthai stretch of the Northern Railway Line. As the authorities began upgrading the Northern Railway Line in January 2023, the Anuradhapura-Omanthai stretch remained closed for the past six months and train operations were temporarily halted. Upgrading of the railway tracks was handled by India’s state-run more..

Jul 16 (SO) SL should set up a special Economic Development Commission (EDC) to fast track investments, said former Investment Promotion and Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama. Bogollagama who is now the Sri Lanka High Commissioner-designate to the UK said that this should be similar to the special Investment Promotion Board that is being set up in Singapore and many other countries to speed up investment projects. He said this at a webinar titled Is SL Ready for Investment more..

Jul 16 (TM) The much-maligned FDI project involving an alleged investment of $ 417 million to develop an environmentally-friendly resort on Uchchimunai Island by a Switzerland-based company has been cancelled, according to SL Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA). Meanwhile, SLTDA is currently evaluating two other investment proposals by potential investors interested in developing the island. SLTDA Chairman Priantha Fernando stated that $417m project more..

Jul 16 (EN) Sri Lanka is planning to open ground handling, catering and jet fuel supply at airports to the private sector, which was a state monopoly, Director General of Civil Aviation P A Jayakantha said. “SL govt is in the process of inviting private parties to the provision of services such as ground handling, jet fuel supply and catering services at our international airports,” Jayakantha told reporters. “Previously the legislation itself prevented such functions.” more..

Jul 16 (TM) Govt is taking initial steps to establish an internationally-accepted and accredited laboratory to conduct quality tests of medicines that are imported to the country, according to Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella. Minister Rambukwella, who has recently come under strong criticism by medical practitioners and the public for the state of the health sector, said that it would cost around Rs. 1 bil to establish an accredited lab more..

Jul 16 (SO) The Govt will permit the import of all goods, excluding vehicles, which were previously prohibited from being imported to Sri Lanka. The new policy will come into effect in the first week of September, allowing a broader range of goods to enter the country. The Govt arrived at this decision during a discussion last week. Chief of Staff Sagala Ratnayake, officials from the Ministry of Finance, and representatives from the IMF participated in the meeting. more..

Jul 16 (ST) Divestment of SriLankan Airlines (SLA) and its subsidiaries has been identified as a priority due to its high fiscal risks and its phase 1 restructuring process is to be completed by end 2023, Finance Ministry sources divulged. Cabinet has approved the divestment of Govt-owned shares of SLA and International Finance Corporation has been appointed as the sell side transaction advisors. It is expected that the initial due diligence and divestment strategy (phase I) more..