Jul 25 (FT) With a view to assist and maintain the financial system stability by minimising the pressure on the exchange rate and preserving the foreign currency reserve position of the country, Finance Minister has issued Orders under Section 22 of the Foreign Exchange Act, No. 12 of 2017 (FEA) since 02.04.2020, to temporarily suspend/limit certain outward remittances. CB said considering the current and expected more..

Jul 25 (FT) Merrill J. Fernando, the founder of Dilmah and the elder statesman of Ceylon Tea, passed away on 20 July, after a seven-decade commitment to the tea trade. As a passionate ambassador of Pure Ceylon Tea from the very inception, and a humanitarian business leader with a genuine social consciousness, he leaves a large void in the community. Fernando’s impact on his world was profound. When Fernando entered the Ceylon tea trade it was totally dominated by more..

Jul 25 (EN) Shares were down at close on Monday on profit taking and selling interest, an analyst said. The main All Share Price Index was down 0.22 percent or 24.48 points to 11,069.44, while S&P SL20 was down 0.87 percent or 27.94 points to 3,190.38. SL is seeing some selling interest in the Lanka IOC counter as the island nation has signed a long-term contract with China’s Sinopec group to be a petroleum distributor in the island, Prez’s media office said on May 22. more..

Jul 25 (FT) Enough has been written about the anti-Tamil pogrom of July 1983, and everyone knows who the perpetrators were. It remained the darkest chapter in SL’s history till the end of the armed conflict in May 2009. However, pre-1983 history had seen many campaigns of anti-Tamil violence in 1956, 1958, 1961, 1964, 1974, 1977 and 1981. The anti-Tamil pogrom of July 1983 set the stage for the two-and-a-half-decade-long civil war. And the UNP regime led by then Prez J.R. Jayewardene more..

Jul 25 (DM) The Stabilization Committee appointed by the Sports Minister to carry out the temporary operational procedure relating to Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR) has filed an appeal before the Supreme Court challenging the legality of the interim order issued by the Court of Appeal. On July 14, the Court of Appeal issued an Interim Order preventing Sports Authorities from interfering with the administration and affairs of Sri Lanka Rugby. This interim order will be effective until more..

Jul 25 (Stuff) A Sri Lankan Kiwi from South Otago has become the youngest-ever winner of a Mountbatten medal, after the heroic rescue of his younger brother from heavy surf. On August 27 last year, the then 13-year-old Kalya Gamage was paddling in the water’s edge at Chrystalls Beach with his 11-year-old brother Kithmi. It was then when a large wave swept his younger brother off of his feet, and more..

Jul 25 (EN) Sri Lanka will open 24 beach properties around the island nation for tourism investment while establishing some top tourism hotspots, State Minister Arundika Fernando said. “24 coastal areas have been identified as tourist attractions in this country,” he said. “Those tourist areas have also been decided to be given to investors, in order to contribute to the country’s economy,” he said without elaborating on exact locations and the expected investments. more..

Jul 25 (TM) The suspect who had been caught and handed over to the Fort police station has claimed that he was only attempting to save the 7 year old girl-child from slipping and falling down the stairs at the Galle Face two days ago. This was made know by the Fort Police Officer in Charge today (25). "We have questioned the suspect and he claimed that he was only attempting to save the child from falling down the stairs, whereas the parents have filed an entry stating otherwise. more..

Jul 25 (AD) Cabinet advised the Secretary to the Prez to appoint an expert committee for the purpose of obtaining necessary recommendations for a complete restructure and improvement of Sri Lanka Railways service, says Transport Minister Bandula Gunawardena. He added that it has been recognized that the Dept of Sri Lanka Railways required to be restructured in order to maintain the service rendering more..

Jul 25 (CI) Only ten overs were possible on the second day of the second Test in Colombo before huge downpours rolled through the SSC and washed out the day's play. In that time, Abdullah Shafique and Babar Azam added 33 runs to the overnight score without any major challenges to their wickets. This meant Pakistan moved 12 runs into the lead, with eight wickets still in hand. By mid-morning, the ground was totally covered - significant rain had fallen on the boundary areas especially more..

Jul 25 (DM) The Negombo Police are carrying out investigations to locate a 17-year-old girl who had gone missing since June 17 this year. Police said the father of the girl had lodged a complaint with the Negombo Police over the disappearance of his daughter. They said the missing girl is identified as Gayathri Sooriyasinghe, a resident of Liyanagemulla in Seeduwa, Negombo. The Police released a photograph of the missing girl seeking public assistance to locate her. more..

Jul 25 (SLN) The Sri Lanka Navy and Coast Guard conducted a special operation to chase away Indian poaching trawlers from Sri Lankan waters in the dark hours of 24th July 2023. The operation led to the apprehension of 02 Indian trawlers with 09 Indian nationals poaching in Sri Lankan waters off the Delft Island, Jaffna. The Navy continues to conduct regular patrols and operations in Sri Lankan waters to curb illegal fishing practices of foreign fishing trawlers. more..

Jul 25 (CT) PHU Leader MP Udaya Gammanpila said his Party will submit the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution to Parliament in order to remove Police powers introduced by the 13th Amendment. He made these remarks while attending a press conference held at the PHU Headquarters. In order to win the next Prez Election, the President has negotiated with the TNA with regard to the full implementation of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, Gammanpila alleged. more..

Jul 25 (Island) SLPP MP Sarath Weerasekera accused Canadian High Commissioner Eric Walsh of backing those propagating separatist sentiments. Former Public Security Minister, who is also the Chairman of the Parliamentary Oversight Committee on National Security, claimed that the HC’s recent visit to Northern Province was intended to further divide the communities. The one-time Chief of Staff of the SLN was critical more..

Jul 25 (TM) The Board of Investment (BOI) of Sri Lanka is ambitious in achieving its revised target of $ 1.5 billion foreign direct investment (FDIs) inflows by the end of 2023 due to the willingness that has been expressed by the investors. BOI’s Director General (Acting) Renuka M. Weerakoon said: “We have many investors that have come in. Our (BOI’s) target at the beginning of the year was $1.3 billion and we have been asked to achieve $1.5 billion. We are working towards that.” more..

Jul 25 (AD) The petition filed seeking the disqualification of State Minister Diana Gamage’s parliamentary seat is scheduled to be taken up for hearing once again before a three-judge-bench of the Court of Appeal on 14 Sept. The verdict, although due to be announced today, was postponed to 14 September, after Appellate Judges Nissanka Karunaratne and A. Marikkar delivered a split decision on the case. Thus, the case is scheduled to be heard before 3-judge-bench more..

Jul 25 (TM) Responding to the Secretary to the Ministry of Health issuing a special circular barring health professionals from making statements to the media, Association of Health Professionals (AHP) said that they will launch a joint strike in the future without any prior notice unless the Ministry takes steps to withdraw the circular by issuing another circular with the proposed amendments. AHP President Ravi Kumudesh said that more..

Jul 25 (CT) State Minister Geetha Kumarasinghe emphasised that Govt must ensure that fears do not deter people from getting their children vaccinated. In a firm plea, Kumarasinghe urged parents to vaccinate their children, highlighting the crucial role vaccinations play in protecting against diseases. Acknowledging recent unfortunate incidents, she mentioned that a committee has been appointed to investigate the reported deaths of an infant and a young woman following the vaccinations. more..

Jul 25 (CT) Farmers and environmentalists allege that several organised groups of animal hunters have been causing significant damage to the environment by setting fire to large areas of forests, including Divulapathana, Maha Oya and the surrounding forests of the Maduru Oya National Park in Polonnaruwa. On 23 July numerous forests were set ablaze, resulting in the complete destruction of nearly 50 acres of reserve land in the area, accoirding to farmers. more..

Jul 25 (DM) Sri Lanka Customs today seized the largest stock of Magic Mushrooms in history worth over Rs.70 million along with a stock of other narcotic drugs from a parcel courier service in Seeduwa. The parcels had been sent from the USA and the Netherlands. Officials of the Customs Narcotic Control Unit followed an order to detain nine parcels that had arrived from the USA and the Netherlands a few weeks back, addressed to several local recipients. more..

Jul 25 (ORF) During his recent visit to China in June, Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Ali Sabry met his Chinese counterpart, Qin Gang; the Finance Minister of China, Liu Kun; and the Chairman of EXIM Bank (ChEXIM), Wu Fulin. Following these meetings, China offered assurances of bilateral support but declined to join the official creditors’ platform. This means that China will not negotiate a common debt restructuring plan for SL with India, Japan, and the Paris Club. more..

Jul 25 (EE) SL tightened security last Sunday as activists lit oil lamps in Colombo commemorating the hundreds killed in 1983 anti-Tamil riots that fuelled a deadly civil war. Let’s not forget the slaughter of Tamils, read a banner carried by members of North-South Solidarity, a group of rights defenders from the country’s majority Sinhalese and minority Tamil communities. Several dozen activists lit coconut oil lamps and candles more..

Jul 25 (AD) Cabinet has granted approval to enter into an agreement with the Int'l Development Association of the World Bank Group in order to obtain funding for the implementation of a project to strengthen the social security system in SL. Earlier on May 08, 2023, the Cabinet had approved to negotiate agreements with the World Bank Group to obtain the necessary funds to implement a project that will provide better-targeted income support and livelihood opportunities to the poor and more..

Jul 25 (AD) Over 55,000 dengue cases have been reported in SL so far this year, National Dengue Control Unit (NDCU) reported. Accordingly, a total of 55,049 cases have been reported as of 25 July 2023, while the total number of deaths reported stands at 36, as per NDCU statistics. Meanwhile, 52 areas across SL have been identified as high-risk areas for dengue, with the highest number of cases having been reported from Gamapaha, where 11,929 cases have been detected thus far. more..

Jul 25 (AD) Pole Vault women SL record holder Sachini Perera has left the country and is working as a domestic worker in the Middle East not because of any shortcoming or mistake from the athletics administration, said Sri Lanka Athletic (SLA) General Secretary Saman Kumara Gunawardena said. National athlete Sachini Perera was attached to the SL Army Volunteer Corps and she was also a gymnast who represented the Sri Lanka more..

Jul 25 (Reuters) SL plans to complete free trade talks with Thailand by February and sign an agreement in March, SL's cabinet spokesperson said on Tuesday, as part of an effort to expand trade as it emerges from economic turmoil. The island nation secured a nearly $3 billion IMF bailout in March to help it tackle its worst economic crisis in seven decades. "This is among several free trade agreements that SL is negotiating to help the economy recover & return to a growth path," more..

Jul 25 (EN) SL’s new Data Protection Authority has come into operation following a gazette issued by President Ranil Wickremesinghe in his capacity as Minister of Technology. A gazette notification dated July 19 said that provisions of part V of the Personal data Protection act, No. 9 of 2022 comes into operation from July 17 onwards. “By virtue of the powers vested in me by Subsection (5) of Section 1 of the Personal data Protection act, No. 9 of 2022, read with paragraph (3) of article more..

Jul 26 (DM) During his last week’s visit to New Delhi, Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe signed a host of agreements, which, if followed up earnestly, would interlock the SL economy with the world’s fastest-growing large economy. Proposed collaboration in renewable energy, bidirectional energy trade, ports and acceptance of the Indian Rupee as a designated foreign currency would foster interdependence and make Sri Lanka a more palatable destination for Indian investment. more..

Jul 26 (DM) On 12 April last year, our govt signalled the country was bankrupt and announced suspending the repayment of our external debt, saying the country could no longer honour its commitments owing to its poor financial position. By the end of April 2022, our total outstanding external debt was US$ 34.8 billion. While many of us are quick to point a finger at our past prez - Gotabaya Rajapaksa - for the ills which befell our country, must we not also take a good part of the blame more..

Jul 26 (TM) The string of earth tremors that were felt in various parts of the Island and in the immediate sea area during the past few months was alarming. Although none of these tremors caused considerable damage to properties or lives, the number of tremors, which is on the rise with another one being reported last week in Monaragala, has shaken the public’s sense of safety. However, the relevant authorities are more..

Jul 26 (CT) Article is another extension of the idea brought out with the concept of the wrong number of PK movie. An article was published a week ago explicating this concept of the wrong number in a SL context. Applying its basic idea to another scenario would be more appropriate I guess. Nowadays, we often encounter Samanthabadra [I would never call him a Buddhist monk for any reason because he is a businessman more than a monk] in social media because of his business. more..

Jul 26 (GV) Bandarawela town is the definition of a picture perfect landscape, surrounded by green hills, lush trees and bright flowers. But Bandarawela is also evolving into an urban hub in its own way. The brightly colored buildings, newly renovated shops and bustling streets with pristine pavements are signs of quick growth and development. It seemed unbothered by SL’s past. However, the new Bandarawela began to reveal itself as I started speaking to locals who had lived in the town more..

Jul 26 (TM) In the wake of SL’s tumultuous history, the establishment of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) has been a topic of debate and concern. While the Ministry of Foreign Affairs claims that progress is underway, stakeholders and human rights activists are raising questions about the commission’s efficacy and independence. The TRC aims to address past atrocities and foster national healing, but more..

Jul 26 (TM) Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has yet again found itself in the centre of public displeasure and controversy. However, this time, it is not due to match losses or players’ misconduct, but for allegedly misusing the SLC’s name and funds to provide several figures who play no official role in SL’s cricket the access to attend cricket matches as VIPs both in SL and abroad. As per uncorroborated reports and information that is still unfolding, among these persons are several more..

Jul 26 (CT) There is so much being said about the healthcare system and the Govt’s failure to stop this situation escalating to the point it has, and rightly so. And, hopefully the more we highlight the perils of the crisis; we will get adequate facilities from those paying attention. To add to the weakened medical sector in the country, like a drought in the pool of healthcare professionals who have left for various reasons, we have had to endure critical circumstances after deteriorating stocks more..