Jun 23 (CT) An attempt to smuggle into the country a large stock of heroine, with a street value of approximately Rs 640 million was thwarted by the SL Customs. Upon receiving information, the Port Control Unit of SL was alerted about a reefer container, bearing number TRIU 8424604 arriving on the vessel Wide Juliet from Karachi, Pakistan. The container was suspected to contain narcotics hidden within potatoes. Acting on this information, officers from Port Control Unit of SL Customs more..

Jun 23 (EN) Shares closed high on Friday pushed up by the banking and diversified financial sectors as the positive investor sentiments returning to the market. Crossings were seen in Teejay and John Keells Holdings. “The market is moving in the green because fears of debt restructuring and optimization have been eased to a certain extent,” said an analyst. ASPI was up 0.34% or 31.56 points at 9,339.43, while the most liquid index S&P SL20 was up 0.25% or 6.55 points at 2,673.61. more..

Jun 23 (PMD) President Ranil Wickremesinghe held a bilateral meeting with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on the sidelines of the Summit for a New Global Financial Pact on Tuesday (22). The meeting served as an opportunity for Prez Wickremesinghe to provide an update on the progress made in SL's economic recovery and debt restructuring efforts, as well as to present govt’s ambitious climate prosperity plan. more..

Jun 23 (AD) The main suspect and the young couple arrested in connection with the death of a 16-year-old schoolgirl in Kalutara last month have been further remanded. Accordingly, the three accused were further remanded until 7 July, after being produced before the Kalutara Magistrate’s Court today. On 6 May, naked corpse of a 16-year-old girl was found near the railway tracks in Kalutara, after she reportedly fell to her death from the third floor of a five-storey hotel in the area. more..

Jun 23 (DM) Claiming that Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva was trying to suppress the real issue in SriLankan Airlines, MP Dayasiri Jayasekara said 13 flights have been cancelled within five days this week. The MP told Parliament that 13 flights have been cancelled from June 18 to 22 and there are no pilots for 80 flights. He said the passengers who have booked their flights have been accommodated in nearby hotels. “Millions of rupees may have to be spent on this,” he charged. more..

Jun 23 (DM) SL is currently experiencing a massive shortage of medical specialists, with medical professionals warning of a serious threat to the country's health sector. With a significant number of medical specialists choosing to migrate, and some specialists being absorbed to foreign universities, experts predict more trouble for SL’s ailing health sector. Meanwhile, the recently revised retirement age of doctors by the age more..

Jun 23 (CT) Cancer patients seeking treatment from the Apeksha hospital were faced with further problems due to a shortage of the Fludeoxyglucose (FDG drug), administered prior to a positron emission tomography (PET) scan, as timely procurement procedure had not been followed, the Academy of Health Professionals (AHP) accused. AHP President Ravi Kumudesh yesterday lamented that as a result PET scans on patients had come to an abrupt halt, on 26 May 2023. more..

Jun 23 (USE) US Ambassador to SL Julie Chung hosted an event in Colombo on June 22 to mark the 247th anniversary of America’s Declaration of Independence. Ambassador Chung took the opportunity to also highlight the anniversary of 75 years of a strong and enduring partnership between the US and SL. Minister Ali Sabry attended the celebration as the Chief Guest. American citizens around the world celebrate Independence Day, the day on which country’s founding fathers more..

Jun 23 (TM) Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) has recorded an income of Rs.583,000 compared to the previous week as a result of the pilot project of operating buses on the Southern Expressway without conductors which was initiated on Monday. SLTB Chairman S.M.D.L.K.D. Alwis said that they understand the success of the project, and, therefore, hope to introduce this project to other parts of the country as well in order to prevent the malpractices of bus conductors. more..

Jun 23 (Island) Prof. Atula Sumathipala, founder of SL Twin Registry and one of the founding members of the Institute of Health and Social Research and Development in Health and Social Care, has been elected to the post of Secretary General of the International Association for Twin Research for the two years 2024-2025. Over 60 active twin research organizations and registries around the world are members of the association. He was elected to the post at the 18th Int'l Twin Research Congress more..

Jun 23 (TM) Responding to opposition against the proposed Electronic Broadcasting Regulatory Bill, Secretary to the Ministry of Mass Media Anusha Palpita said that only the working draft of the Bill has been prepared and submitted for the reference of media institutions and that it is, therefore, open for anyone to propose their ideas and suggest amendments to the draft. Palpita also said that the main objective of the proposed more..

Jun 23 (CT) Minister Douglas Devananda said, necessary arrangements have been made to demarcate the State and private lands, in the in the Valikamam Divisional Secretariat (DS) Division, in the Jaffna District. Devananda said, the common people in the region need not be worried, as the demarcation work will commence, to release the lands to the people who dwelt there before the war. This follows the recent tour of Minister Devananda to the North, including Valikamam DS Division. more..

Jun 23 (TTG) SL’s economic unrest has tapered down in recent months and the destination is safe for travellers to visit despite more conservative global perceptions, stated several hoteliers in attendance at ILTM Asia Pacific. Padmi Fernando, director of business development, Cinnamon Life Integrated Resort, said: “SL has been safe for the last six months or so. What we had in SL was a local challenge, where the civilians were going through a difficult time, but it was never unsafe for more..

Jun 23 (EN) Acting Finance Minister Shehan Semasinghe rejected a market speculation of the govt’s plan to announce domestic debt restructuring (DDR) on June 28 after it declared a special bank holiday on June 30. The special bank holiday will shut the island nation’s financial markets for five days including three working days. June 29 is a public holiday in lieu of Hajj festival celebrated by Muslims, while Monday (3) is a Buddhist more..

Jun 23 (TM) IGP Chandana Wickramaratne has informed Minister Tiran Alles that the increase in murders and crimes in the Southern and Western Provinces (WP) has been caused in particular by the inefficiency of certain senior police officers & OICs serving in the two provinces. On Wednesday, a discussion was held between Minister Alles and the Police Chiefs regarding the measures to be taken regarding the increasing murders and crimes in the Western and Southern Provinces. more..

Jun 23 (TM) Public Utilities Commission of SL (PUCSL) has highlighted the importance of appointing a chairman with knowledge and experience in the power and energy sector and who trusts PUCSL members and officials in order to finalise the relevant process so as to implement the proposed electricity tariff revision from 1 July. CEB, last week, stated that the existing electricity tariffs would have to be continued if the proposed tariff revision is not approved by the PUCSL more..

Jun 24 (CT) Unless there is a proper strategy in place to resolve the nation’s financial burden, we will continue being a struggling economy for years to come with no light at the end of the tunnel. The reasons behind the country being plunged into an economic crisis have been highlighted time and again but have we taken sufficient measures to leap out of this catastrophe and build a stronger economy? On a positive note, we are gradually transitioning towards adopting strategies more..

Jun 24 (ST) "Utterly frustrating," exclaimed an exporter. "The govt keeps changing the goalposts all the time making it difficult to run a business,” he added. He was alluding to a Cabinet decision last week to discontinue the Simplified Value Added Tax (SVAT) scheme with effect from Jan 2024. As I reflected on these developments, the phone rang. It was my jolly-mood economist friend, Sammiya (short for Samson) on the line. “I say, I was reading about how companies are finding it difficult to more..

Jun 24 (CT) President Ranil Wickremesinghe embarked on an official visit to France and the UK last Saturday. The purpose of his trip is to participate in the international Summit for a New Global Financing Pact, which was scheduled to take place in Paris on 22 and 23 June. President Wickremesinghe had been invited by French Prez Emmanuel Macron to address a distinguished council discussion during the summit. more..

Jun 24 (DM) Former President and ex-defence secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa known generally as Gota figured prominently in an Associated Press (AP) news report dated June 22. According to AP, Gotabaya Rajapaksa has been accused of allegedly tampering with police records in order to hamper investigations into mass graves discovered in an area where he was a military officer at the height of a bloody Marxist insurrection in 1989. The allegation was made in a report released last week more..

Jun 24 (TM) In the aftermath of the unprecedented economic crisis that plagued SL last year, the island nation is now gradually recovering. Despite the challenges faced, including lengthy queues for fuel and sporadic shortages of essential items, the country is witnessing significant progress in its recovery. However, an erroneous perception still persists among foreigners, who believe that SL continues to suffer from the economic crisis, including a scarcity of food. more..

Jun 24 (CT) The treatment of animals within a country is a reflection of its values, ethics, and compassion. The dignity of a country is intrinsically tied to how it treats animals, as it signifies the level of respect and empathy the nation has towards other living beings. It enhances its global reputation, promotes environmental stewardship, and fosters a more compassionate and inclusive society. more..

Jun 24 (CT) In a recent interview with Faraz Shauketaly, Sunethra Bandaranaike criticised her father’s Sinhala Only legislation, admitting that it had been a mistake. It was a remarkably frank mea culpa moment, but it provoked much debate on social media. There were those who agreed with her and those who did not, and there were those who dismissed her remarks as too little, too late. I find myself in neither of these categories, but if I have to categorise myself, I would locate myself more..

Jun 24 (TM) Despite various plans and attempts to improve science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education in SL, certain factors such as the shortage of teachers for certain STEM streams, limited infrastructure facilities to enhance STEM learning, and social perceptions that some occupations are better suited to males, have impeded females’ access to STEM education and careers. The same perception plays a considerable role when it comes to females choosing more..

Jun 24 (CT) Current frail sociopolitical culture cannot withstand a near or total collapse of our national economic life. It is increasingly becoming clear that a system change is not possible, at least in the immediate future. Decades of rot caused by sheer mismanagement of state affairs supplemented by errant corruption running through the entire civil society have shown us that a society that is being held in debt by both external and internal lenders is not easy to raise its head more..

Jun 24 (ST) There were two winners for the Gratiaen Prize for English writing in SL for 2022: Chiranthi Rajapakse for her collection of short stories Keeping Time and Yudhanjaya Wijeratne for his science fiction novel The Wretched and the Damned. The prize, established in 1992 with the Booker prize money won by Michael Ondaatje for his novel The English Patient, is now in its 13th year. At a keystone event held at Westminster House, the two winners were felicitated along with the other two more..

Jun 24 (TM) One’s natural skin colour is a part of one’s identity, and it is determined mainly by genetic factors. When it comes to Sri Lankans, who are inhabitants of a warm, Asian country, having a tan or brown skin colour is not only natural, but also provides a number of benefits. However, despite this, due to various beliefs triggered by social norms and marketing campaigns, there is a tendency among Sri Lankans of more..

Jun 24 (FT) 20 Sri Lankan firms are currently participating at the Shanghai Jewellery Exhibition - 2023 from 22 to 25 June at Shanghai World Expo Exhibition Centre in Shanghai. Sri Lanka is among many participating countries including Thailand, Korea and Taiwan. Sri Lanka’s Consul General in Shanghai Anura Fernando participated as the Chief Guest at the inauguration ceremony attended by thousands of gem and jewellery enthusiasts, traders and onlookers around the world. more..

Jun 24 (FT) Continuing his efforts to further expand engagement with the concurrently accredited Missions in New Delhi, SL’s High Commissioner to India Milinda Moragoda had an interactive session with the New Delhi based Trade Commissioners/ Commercial Diplomats concurrently accredited to SL at the High Commission premises. This was the second interactive meeting with the Trade Diplomats. The interactive session was attended by Trade Commissioners/Commercial Diplomats more..

Jun 24 (FT) Ministerial Consultative Committee on Plantation Industries has decided to hold a discussion with Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe regarding the activities of private sector estate companies. This decision was made when the Committee chaired by Plantation Minister Ramesh Pathirana met this week. Chair pointed out to the members present that post leasing, the private sector plantation companies at present are showcasing more interest in other industries more..

Jun 24 (ST) For the first time in the history of shooting sports in the country, SL will host a regional level youth training camp and coaching course with the participation of 11 nations that are affiliated to the Asian Shooting Confederation (AFC). The Asian Shooting Confederation has vested upon the National Shooting Sport Federation of Sri Lanka (NSSF) to host the 11th Asian Youth Training and Coaching Camp (Air Rifle) 2023 at the Mt. Lavinia Hotel from June 20 to 30. more..

Jun 24 (FT) Political representatives from the upcountry region have urged the Govt to undertake a comprehensive restructuring of the plantation sector. This call for action comes amidst discussions about extending the leases of privatised Regional Plantations Companies (RPCs). Plantations State Minister Lohan Ratwatte, confirmed that the Government is considering extending the leases of RPCs and more..

Jun 24 (Island) Trade Minister Nalin Fernando has undertaken to ensure that all traders display price lists. There are already laws to this effect, and the question is why successive govts have not cared to enforce them properly. Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) must be made to explain why price lists are not displayed at most business places, especially eateries. There is a widely-held misconception that politicians are the only problem this country is beset with, and if they are brought more..

Jun 24 (CI) SL have named a spin-heavy squad for the three-match women's ODI series against NZ at home. From the 21-member squad that played three ODIs and three T20Is against Bangladesh in April-May, six players failed to make the cut. Those were Kaushini Nuthyangana, Prasadini Weerakkody, Tharika Sewwandi, Rashmi Silva, Malsha Shehani and Sathya Sandeepani. Vishmi Gunaratne and Imesha Dulani, both of whom played in the recent Emerging Teams Asia Cup in Hong Kong, more..

Jun 24 (ST) Can a person who does not know how to write be the copyright-holding author of a book on a subject of which he is an expert? The person concerned is Publis, a culinary expert who works at Mount Lavinia Hotel. His name is recognised as an expert on SL food. When he decided to put his recipes and the story of his life into a book he asked a friendly journalist, Dharma Samaranayake, to take down the details, more..