Jul 27 (DN) Sri Lanka’s brain drain of youth shows the quality and versatility of the SL workforce as they were readily accepted by leading companies from all over the world, said Chief Guest Senior Professor Sampath Amaratunge, Chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC). He said that though there may be a loss of quality HR in Sri Lanka, the acceptance of them globally shows that Sri Lanka produces quality, skilled and educated youth that could work anywhere in the world. more..

Jul 27 (PMD) The best foreign policy of independent SL is being implemented in the present era, State Minister of Foreign Affairs Tharaka Balasuriya said. State Minister further noted that Sri Lanka would gain greatly in the future as a result of President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s non-aligned foreign policy and his strong cooperation with all countries. He expressed these views today (26) during a press conference themed Collective Path to a Stable Country held at the PMC. more..

Jul 27 (FT) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe called for inclusive discussions on the 13th amendment to the constitution. He made this appeal while addressing the all-party meeting chaired by him to discuss the National Reconciliation Program together with the North-East Development Plan. The meeting, which took place last evening at the Prez's Secretariat, saw the participation of leaders and representatives from both Govt more..

Jul 27 (Island) A 22-member contingent from the Colombo Rowing Club will leave for Chennai today to take part in the 82nd Madras Colombo Regatta at the Madras Boat Club. The Madras-Colombo Regatta is the annual rowing encounter between the Colombo Rowing Club and Madras Boat Club. It has been held since 1898. The Men’s Boat Race is the oldest inter-club race between any two countries and the second oldest inter-club boat race in the world, second only to Oxford-Cambridge boat race. more..

Jul 27 (DM) The Colombo Lotus Tower plans to launch the Bungee Jumping programme by December this year, its Head of Management Prasad Samarasinghe said. Colombo Lotus Tower and Singapore Go Bungy Company earlier signed a contract to start bungee jumping for the first time in Sri Lanka, which will become the world’s highest bungee jump after it is launched. Samarasinghe said initial bungee jumping was planned to commence in August, but was delayed since more..

Jul 27 (CT) Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan, Hayashi Yoshimasa will undertake an official visit to SL from 28 to 29 July. During the visit, Japanese Foreign Minister is scheduled to have official discussions with Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Sabry at the Ministry and pay courtesy calls on Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe and PM Dinesh Gunawardena. Minister Yoshimasa will be accompanied by Senior Foreign Policy Coordinator Murakami Manabu, Director General Southeast and more..

Jul 27 (DM) The number of individuals who damage the walls and iron fences of the Lotus Tower has increased, said Lotus Tower Head of Management Prasad Samarasinghe. He told the Daily Mirror that only 10 individuals who caused damages to the Tower were apprehended and handed over to the police. Samarasinghe said the Lotus Tower is not a place for graffiti drawing and requested the public to visit the Tower with a good mentality. Earlier, several incidents were reported of couples confessing more..

Jul 27 (FT) A delegation of opposition party leaders and representatives, led by opposition leader Sajith Premadasa, engaged in a meeting with diplomats representing 12 countries in Colombo yesterday. The group participated in an extensive discussion concerning the prevailing situation in SL and other key focus areas of interest. During the discussion, various matters were addressed, including the importance of more..

Jul 27 (Island) JVP-led NPP has called on people not to fall prey to fib being peddled by the Ranil-Rajapaksa administration that there will be a prez election soon. JVP-NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake addressing a rally held in Pelmadulla on Tuesday said that Wickremsinghe ascending to presidency had been fortuitous and would never dare test the public opinion as long as he can cling on to power. “They are floating a rumour that there will be a presidential election. more..

Jul 27 (AD) Federation of Int'l Football Association (FIFA) and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) have approved and included Sri Lanka in the official World Cup draw on a strict conditional basis. The official update has reportedly been sent for the last elected President and its committee. World Cup qualification match will be played on Oct 12 and Oct 17. Thereby, Football Federation of SL (FFSL) is required to conduct its election at least 10 days prior to this World Cup match. more..

Jul 27 (Island) Auditor General W.P.C Wickramaratne yesterday said that the National Audit Office (NAO) firmly stood by its draft report on Sri Lanka's tour of Australia for the T20 World Cup (Oct 9 - Nov 13), in 2022. National Audit Service Commission (NASC) appointed in April this year consists of retired justice Nihal Rajapaksa, Nandaseeli Godakanda, Gnananantharajah Thevagnanan, Dharmajith Nayanakaantha. more..

Jul 27 (FT) Whose island is this anyway? The recently UNESCO-registered Mahavamsa may record that on 21 July 2023 (or its equivalent in Buddha varsha) an unelected, accidental ruler named Ranil Wickremesinghe sold SL for adoption to the ruler of the neighbouring giant, India. It will also surely record the dialectic of resistance until the island’s identity and independent destiny, its autonomous path and story, the sovereignty of its people over their island-home, are restored. more..

Jul 27 (DN) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe has appointed Senior Professor Pathmalal M. Manage as the Vice Chancellor of the Sri J'pura University for a 3-year term with immediate effect. Prior to this appointment, Prof. Manage was serving as the Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies. Senior Professor Manage has served as the Acting Vice-Chancellor and the Acting Dean of the Faculty of Applied Sciences last year. From 2013 to 2019, Professor Manage, who has also served as more..

Jul 27 (VoA) Kuwait said it executed five prisoners, including an inmate convicted over the bombing of a Shiite mosque in 2015 that killed 27 people and was claimed by the Islamic State group. Inmates were hanged at the Central Prison, Kuwait's Public Prosecution said. Prosecutors said the five include the mosque attacker, three people convicted of murder and a convicted drug dealer. One of the convicted murderers was Egyptian, another was Kuwaiti, convicted drug dealer was from SL. more..

Jul 27 (FT) Things are more expensive in Sri Lanka than ever. Families spend most of their household income on food alone. Prices of food, clothing and housing are continuing to rise. In addition, electricity bills have soared, income tax has increased, and subsidies on everything from food to household bills have been removed. The country still has over $ 80 billion of public debt, of which almost half is to foreign bondholders, including the largest share owed to China. more..

Jul 27 (CI) Noman Ali claimed seven wickets with guileful, accurate left-arm spin, then Naseem Shah's sublime reverse-swing spell in the Colombo heat closed out the match, as Pakistan completed about a domineering a victory on SL soil as has been achieved in the last several years. Pakistan's bowling was spellbinding, but the numbers of this victory themselves are epic. Pakistan won by an innings and 222 runs, more..

Jul 27 (CT) Colombo Magistrate’s Court scheduled the verdict of the magisterial inquest into the death of a housemaid named R. Rajakumari, who died while in the custody of the Welikada Police, on 25 Aug. Rajakumari, a 41-year-old resident of Badulla was arrested on 11 May following a complaint made by her employer, Sudharma Nethicumara, who accused her of stealing gold jewellery. She passed away while in the custody of the Welikada Police, leading her relatives to raise suspicions more..

Jul 27 (EN) Shares were up at close on Thursday after buying interest was channeled in the banking sector on clarity on debt restructuring, after the market was down on profit taking due to continuous gains, an analyst said. ASPI was down 2.48% or 272.74 points to 11,257.82, while S&P SL20 was up 3.36% or 106.39 points to 3,273.76. “Buying interest was seen in blue chip counters and the banking sector, because concerns have been lifted with regard to debt optimization and more..

Jul 27 (TM) An influential Tamil MP from the North had, during yesterday’s all party conference convened by Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe, proposed the recruitment of more youth from the N&E Provinces to the Police service and the expansion of community policing in the said areas, in the event the 13th Amendment cannot be implemented with Police powers. An all party meeting was held at the Prez Secretariat more..

Jul 27 (Island) Ambassador of Korea Miyon Lee said that during the 2nd half of this year, 7,000 more Sri Lankans would be issued with visas to work in Korea. There were 25,000 SL workers employed in Korea and by the end of this year that number would be increased to 32,000. New Korean Ambassador, who called on PM Dinesh Gunawardena at Temple Trees, said her country would work on some new development projects in SL in addition to the early completion of ongoing projects. more..

Jul 27 (SLN) A search operation conducted by the Navy off Kokilai, Pulmude on 25th July, led to the apprehension of 19 persons who were engaging in illegal fishing activities. During this operation, the Navy also held 04 dinghies and unauthorized fishing gear used for the illegal act. Navy carries out regular operations in the coastal and sea areas around the island, with a view to prevent illegal fishing practices which threaten the sustainability of fish populations, undermine legitimate fishing industries, more..

Jul 27 (CT) The lifeless body of Thekka Raja, was found yesterday in the Galgamuwa wildlife zone. By the time the body was found, it was badly decomposed. The remains of the elephant were found in the Lahabaka forest in Thamare village, Galgamuwa. Environmentalists speculate that the animal was dead for at least five or six days, given the extent of the decomposition. Environmentalists allege that Thekka Raja, who had been shot two months ago passed away due to lack of more..

Jul 27 (Island) The first SL born woman to be elected to Australia’s Federal Parliament in Canberra was here recently. Cassandra Fernando (35) migrated with her parents to Australia at the age of 11 and grew up in Dandenong, Southeast of Melbourne, North Victoria. There she worked at Woolworths in Dandenong Plaza for around 15 years, including as a pastry chef. She was educated at William Angliss Institute, Box Hill Institute. Representing workers in the retail and fast-food industries, more..

Jul 27 (TM) GMOA warned that due to the lack of required medicines, there is a risk that kidney transplant operations will be stopped completely in certain hospitals including the National Nephrology Specialised Hospital in Polonnaruwa. GMOA Secretary, Dr. Haritha Aluthge, claimed that under the guise of this situation, Ministry of Health is preparing to buy emergency drugs once again and that there is a reasonable doubt as to more..

Jul 27 (Phys) Floods and landslides in Sri Lanka could be better predicted by applying weather forecasting techniques currently used in India, a study has found. The new research has the potential to help communities better prepare for extreme rainfall in Sri Lanka. The South Asian island is extremely vulnerable to floods and landslides caused by heavy rainfall. In May 2017, more than 150 people were killed after Sri Lanka experienced flooding triggered by monsoon rains. more..

Jul 27 (AD) Six persons were arrested at the BIA on Thursday, while in possession of narcotics with an estimated street value of around Rs. 1 billion. Accordingly, the group was arrested with a stock of synthetic cannabis and synthetic amphetamine by officials of the Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) and PNB sub-unit stationed within the BIA premises in Katunayake. Three persons had arrived at the BIA this afternoon to claim a parcel which had been sent via airmail aboard a FitsAir flight more..

Jul 27 (AJ) Forty years ago, mobs in Sri Lanka burned 13 people alive, part of a weeklong pogrom that caused simmering ethnic unrest to soon escalate into an all-out civil war. Known in SL as Black July, the brutal violence triggered a 26-year conflict that killed about 100,000 people, displaced about 800,000, and set development back by decades in the island nation. The head of the separatist Tamil movement, V Prabhakaran, more..

Jul 27 (TM) Although there are media reports to the effect that the Presidential Secretariat has decided not to make any financial allocation for water, electricity and telephone tariffs related to the official residences of former Presidents, the relevant departments of the Secretariat are not aware of such a decision. It was reported that the Presidential Secretariat had informed a staff member of a former Prez on Monday that financial allocations would no longer be made for more..

Jul 27 (CT) Department of Census and Statistics will start listing buildings in the second phase of the census, in Sept 2023, with the participation of 22,000 officers deployed to carry out field work, the Superintendent of the 2024 Population and Housing Census said. Director General of the Dept of Census and Statistics, P.M.P. Anura Kumara, who will act as the Superintendent of Census, said his Department will handle technical activities of the listing stage. “The responsibility for administrative activities more..

Jul 27 (EN) Sri Lanka’s key plantation crops – rubber, coconut, and cinnamon – are expected to earn an export revenue of around $2.3 billion this year, Plantation Minister Ramesh Pathirana, said. Despite an economic and fertilizer crisis, the island nation, best known for its cinnamon and tea, earned $900 million from rubber exports after seeing a record export earning of $1.1 billion in 2021 due to higher demand for rubber-related products during Covid pandemic. more..

Jul 27 (AD) President of France Emmanuel Macron is scheduled to visit Sri Lanka on Friday. On the occasion of this historic visit to the island nation, a first by a French prez, Macron will call on his SL counterpart Ranil Wickremesinghe. The two leaders are expected to hold talks about deepening bilateral relations as well as shared regional and global challenges. French president, who was on an official visit to New Caledonia from Monday to Wednesday, is traveling to Vanuatu more..

Jul 27 (DM) Several govt hospitals including the Colombo National Hospital are on the brink of another crisis as the CEB has warned of possible power outages due to the failure to settle defaulted payments of electricity and maintenance bills. According to the informed sources, several govt hospitals including Colombo National Hospital, Mannar District General Hospital, Peradeniya Teaching Hospital, more..

Jul 27 (Island) Former US State Department employee Daya Gamage yesterday found fault with our Foreign Ministry for what he called the gov’s pathetic response to unsubstantiated Canadian charge of genocide against Sri Lanka. Gamage asked whether the Foreign Ministry has conveniently forgotten that genocide was the LTTE’s policy platform when it mercilessly removed the Sinhalese and Muslims from the North? Gamage was commenting on the following statement: more..

Jul 27 (AD) State Minister Suren Raghavan says there was a conflict of opinions among the Tamil political parties during the all-party conference chaired by Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe on Wednesday. The conference was organized to update the parliament’s political party leaders on the National Reconciliation Program and the North-East Development Plan. All political parties with representation in the parliament except the National People’s Power (NPP) were in attendance. more..

Jul 27 (DM) The implementation status of 71% of the highest value expenditure proposals in Interim Budget 2022 – with an allocation of LKR 46.8 billion – remains unknown, Verité Research said. Verité Research has been tracking the progress of budget promises since 2017, and Interim Budget 2022 has the largest proportion of proposals for which information was not provided. On average, information was not disclosed to more..