May 17 (TM) Health Ministry requested Indian company that exported Prednisolone eye drops to grant compensation to the patients who got impaired by the use of the same. Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said that they have requested the Indian company in question to grant compensation to the patients who got impaired by the use of Prednisolone. “Ministry has informed the said Indian company regarding the eye drop batch-related failure, but we can’t say the timeframe as to more..

May 17 (EN) The SJB will wholeheartedly support early presidential elections, SJB leader Sajith Premadasa said after his party endorsed him as its presidential candidate. Premadasa told the SJB Working Committee on Tuesday that he intends to form an SJB-led alliance of opposition parties in the event of an early presidential election which Prez Ranil Wickermesinghe is speculated to call sometime this year. more..

May 17 (AD) Colombo High Court today (16) ordered the acquittal and release of Sivalingam Aruran, a defendant in the case related to the assassination attempt on then Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa in a suicide bombing at Pittala Junction in Kollupitiya in 2006. Delivering the verdict, Colombo HC Judge Navaratne Marasinghe stated that the court ruled that the confession given by the defendant to the Assistant Superintendent of Police under the PTA was not voluntary. more..

May 17 (AD) Police have used water cannons in attempts to disperse protesting university students at Horton Place, Colombo 7. It was earlier reported that the road towards Borella at Horton Place from Nelum Pokuna was blocked for traffic due to the protest march launched by Medical Faculty student activists of several state universities. Medical Faculty students took to the streets of Colombo this afternoon (16), protesting against medical degrees offered by private universities. more..

May 17 (Island) The Chief Prelate of the Amarapura Mahanayake, Most Venerable Dodampahala Chandrasiri Thera, 84, passed away yesterday. The Ven. Thera was receiving treatment at a hospital in Colombo at the time of his demise. Most Ven. Dodampahala Chandrasiri Mahanayake Thera was appointed as the Chief Prelate of the Amarapura Maha Nikaya on July 20, 2021.He succeeded the late Most Venerable Aggamahapandita Kotugoda Dhammavasa Mahanayake Thera more..

May 17 (TM) The electricity tariff revision submitted by the CEB is not of the kind expected by the Public Utilities Commission of SL (PUCSL). The CEB proposal for the 1 July electricity tariff revision had been submitted to the PUCSL on Monday (15). When contacted by The Daily Morning to inquire about the PUCSL's view on the proposed revision, PUCSL Chairman Janaka Ratnayake said: “This tariff revision is not in the way that we expected. We are currently evaluating it. more..

May 17 (TM) Red notice warnings have been issued on 1,308 houses and other properties in the Colombo City where the respective premises were maintained in a careless manner, thereby allowing for the breeding of mosquitoes. 18% of the inspected premises within the Colombo City were at risk of breeding dengue mosquitoes. Thus far, for the year 2023, there have been 22 dengue related fatalities, and 33,742 dengue cases. more..

May 17 (AD) Govt of Japan through the Food and Agriculture Organization of UN (FAO) is providing USD 4,629,629 to strengthen the production capacity of smallholder paddy farmers in identified districts of the Dry and Intermediate Zones of SL. Smallholder farmers are amongst the most vulnerable rural communities, predominantly cultivating rice for self-consumption. Lack of fertilizer over two consecutive seasons caused major yield drops forcing some farmers to undertake more..

May 17 (AD) The Supreme Court today (16) dismissed the Fundamental Rights (FR) petition filed by Dr. Shafi Shihabdeen of the Kurunegala Teaching Hospital pertaining to his arrest. The order was issued by a 3-judge bench of the SC comprising of Justices Vijith Malalgoda, Yasantha Kodagoda and Arjun Obeysekera. upon presentation of the facts. Appearing on behalf of the petitioner, Faizer Mustapha informed the court that his client’s arrest was entirely in defiance of the law, more..

May 17 (DM) Pastor Jerome Fernando who is facing a CID probe following his derogatory remarks against Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism, said on a Instagram post this evening that he will return to Sri Lanka on Sunday. He said he was presently traveling on pre scheduled official matters pertaining to the ministry. "As you are all aware, I’m presently traveling on pre scheduled official matters pertaining to the ministry and will be back home on Sunday. Looking forward to Sri Lanka," he said more..

May 17 (TM) Minister of Justice, Prisons Affairs and Constitutional Reforms, President’s Counsel (PC) Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe said that being a President who was elected by the Parliament, incumbent Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe can seek a Supreme Court (SC) interpretation regarding the possibility of calling a Presidential Election before the stipulated date, as he is not capable of calling an early Election as per the provisions in the Constitution. more..

May 17 (FT) Minister Kanchana Wijesekera announced that the proposal of the CEB to revise electricity tariffs on 1 July has been handed over to the Public Utilities Commission of SL (PUCSL). The move came after the PUCSL Chairman Janaka Ratnayake demanded an immediate 20% reduction in electricity tariff citing a drop in demand, lower exchange rate and fuel prices as compelling and justifiable reasons for more..

May 17 (DM) It was revealed at the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) that the total arrears of taxes, penalties and interest due to the Inland Revenue Dept by Dec 31, 2022 in relation to RAMIS and Legacy systems is Rs. 904 billion. It was disclosed that an amount of Rs. 163 billion has been identified as income that can be collected without any legal concern and that Rs. 740 billion has been identified as income that has been temporarily suspended due to certain reasons. more..

May 17 (DM) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe has informed the CID Director to commence an immediate investigation against Pastor Jerome Fernando's controversial statements where he insulted the Buddha in front of a packed congregation recently and said even the Buddha needed Jesus. In a national security council meeting held on Monday, the National Security Head raised concerns with the Prez over the Pastor's critical remarks against Buddhismm, Islam and more..

May 17 (DM) In the wake of Pastor Jerome Fernando making derogatory remarks on Buddhism and the Buddha, Minister Vidura Wickramanayake said no room would be left for anyone to insult any religion and stern action would be taken against such individuals. Over the weekend, a video showing Jerome preaching against Lord Buddha and Buddhism made its rounds on social media, creating an uproar amongst the majority of Buddhists, more..

May 17 (SLN) Indian Naval Ship (INS) Batti Malv arrived at the Port of Trincomalee on a formal visit this morning (16). The visiting ship was welcomed by the SL Navy in compliance with naval traditions. INS Batti Malv is a 46m long ship which is manned by a crew of 101. She is commanded by Lt Commander MAN Singh M Mane. The Commanding Officer of the ship called on Commander Eastern Naval Area Rear Admiral Dammika Kumara at the Eastern Naval Command Headquarters today. more..

May 17 (FT) It’s the wrong time, Mr. Pastor. The world is agog with the excruciating and shocking story a few days ago from Kenya. There, in the far east vast massacres unearthed from the village of Shakahola where the faithful have been mercilessly under the grip of a taxi driver-turned evangelist who has persuaded incredulous persons to come and join his religious cult, starve to death and see Jesus! It is beyond normal human understanding as to why thousands were hallucinated to join him. more..

May 17 (EN) SL’s loans to private and state enterprises from banks contracted in March 2023, while credit to the govt continued to expand. Private credit contracted 107 billion rupees to 7,152 billion rupees in March, with the 12-month change going into a negative 5.1%. Loans from offshore banking units fell to 551 billion rupees in March 2023 from 617 billion rupees a month earlier. Loans from domestic banking units also fell to 6,601.8 billion rupees from 6,643.4 billion rupees. more..

May 17 (FT) Less than a year has passed since the 9 July uprising last year in SL. Nevertheless, the contours of the present regime are well established. Govt led by Ranil Wickremesinghe and backed by Rajapaksas’ SLPP is leveraging an agreement with the IMF to force regressive reforms on state and society. That includes imposing severe costs on working people especially, through a severe austerity program. However, while the Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa Govt enjoys more..

May 17 (DM) Pastor Jerome Fernando, who is facing a CID investigation over his hate comments against Buddhism, Islam and Hinduism, will be arrested upon his arrival at the BIA as there is a travel ban issued against him by the Colombo Fort Magistrate, SSP Nihal Thalduwa said. He said that CID had received several complaints against Jerome Fernando and the CID had begun an investigation against him on Tuesday. more..

May 17 (DM) Public Health Inspectors' Union (PHIU) today announced that people must be encouraged to follow the previously recommended health guidelines to prevent the spreading of various types of viruses, including the COVID-19 virus, at ground level. Currently, a significant number of suspicious COVID-19-positive cases have been reported from many parts of the island, and the Govt Information Dept is issuing a daily announcement on the number of COVID-19 cases/deaths. more..

May 17 (Island) Premier Legal Consultants, Counsel for civil society activist Oshala Herath, has informed IGP C. D. Wickremaratne that legal action would be initiated against him, too, unless W.I.P. Shashikala, OIC of the Human Trafficking and Smuggling Unit of the CID was directed to arrest State Minister Diana Gamage for committing offenses under Sections 45(1) (a) and 45(1) (c) of the Immigration and Emigration Act. Rienzie Arsecularatne, PC, has taken this up with the IGP, more..

May 17 (DM) Nuwara Eliya General Hospital Director Dr. Mahendra Seneviratne on May 8 said that 10 patients who had recently undergone eye surgery at the hospital have experienced a complete loss of vision. According to him the cause of the issue was the presence of germs in the medication prednisolone acetate, which was administered to the patients following their eye surgeries at Nuwara Eliya Hospital in April. more..

May 17 (DM) Weight gain is a common complaint of holidaymakers. According to Nasa choosing a different destination could make a difference in how much you weigh. Scientists have recently discovered the reason why travellers to Sri Lanka are lighter, whereas you’ll gain weight in Turkey. It’s not the baklava. Since the 1960s Nasa has known that gravity does not affect the globe evenly, with anomalies in the weight of objects travelling from one location to another. more..

May 17 (FT) Govt announced that it has decided to make the song Danno Budunge Sri Dharmaskandha a national heritage. Cabinet approved the proposal to make the 120-year-old song a national heritage. “Taking into consideration the fact that this song has continuously influenced the thinking of the nation for more than a century, Cabinet approved the proposal presented by PM Dinesh Gunawardena in his capacity as the Public Admin, Home Affairs, PC and Local Govt Minister more..

May 17 (AD) In response to concerns about the governance of Sri Lanka Rugby and a breach of the World Rugby Bye-Laws relating to political interference, the World Rugby Council has suspended Sri Lanka Rugby from World Rugby membership with immediate effect. World Rugby Council stated that the council and Asia Rugby agreed that the international federation and regional association would work together with all stakeholders to ensure the least possible more..

May 17 (FT) FPC member Prof Charitha Herath said any attempt to write off non-performing loans owed to state banks by various VIPs will lead to a highly concerning situation. “Some of the debtors are former Ministers and MPs,” he revealed. Certain individuals whose debts were written off on previous occasions continue to engage in various other business activities to date. Herath said a program must be initiated immediately to collect the debts owed to state banks by such individuals. more..

May 17 (DM) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe has appointed three new governors for the Wayamba, Northern and Eastern Provinces a short while ago. Accordingly, former MP Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena was appointed as the Governor of the Wayamba Province, P.S.M. Charles as the Governor of the Northern Province and Senthil Thondaman as the Governor of the Eastern Province. more..

May 17 (DM) The Colombo Fort magistrate's court today ordered to completely revoke the travel ban imposed on former PM Mahinda Rajapaksa and three others in connection with the magisterial inquiry into the Galle Face attack. Court had earlier issued an order preventing former PM Mahinda Rajapaksa, MP Namal Rajapaksa and 15 others from leaving the country, following the mob attack that took place at Temple Trees and Galle Face on May 09, 2022. more..

May 17 (EN) IMF hopes that Sri Lankans who emigrated due to its socioeconomic crisis situation will return to the country to help its growth potential. Commenting on concerns of brain drain as a result of a recent IMF-backed income tax hike, IMF Resident Representative in SL Sarwat Jahan told a press briefing that, while brain drain has been a concern, the organisation is hopeful that some of the 300,000-plus people that emigrated from Sri Lanka last year will return. more..

May 17 (FT) Catholic Church in SL questioned the Govt’s failure to investigate the self-proclaimed Christian Prophet, Jerome Fernando following the startling revelations about foreign personalities connected to him in recent times. SIGNIS Former National Director Fr. Cyril Gamini Fernando said it was shocking that these allegations were not looked into by the authorities. “Why have the authorities not probed those who corrupt more..

May 17 (EN) Shares edged up by less than 0.01% at market close on a wait and see approach waiting to get the govt’s point of view on the IMF deal alongside debt restructuring and optimization assurances, an analyst said. ASPI was up 0.00% or 0.27 points to 8,823.28, while the most liquid index S&P SL20 was down 0.14% or 3.51 points to 2,539.17. “There’s a mixed reaction, ASPI closed up less than 0.01% and sat at 0%,” an analysts said. SL is making progress in an IMF agreement more..

May 17 (CT) If all the plans go smoothly, the first nuclear power plant can be built in SL by 2032 with Russian technical support, the SL Atomic Energy Board told the Parliament Sectoral Oversight Committee on Energy and Transport. This fact came to light when the Sectoral Oversight Committee, on Energy and Transport, met in Parliament recently to discuss the current status and future activities of the SL Atomic Energy Board. The committee was chaired by MP Nalaka Kottegoda. more..

May 17 (CT) Several SL domestic workers have staged a stay-in protest in front of the SL Embassy in Oman, urging for their repatriation to SL. The women engaged in the protest said they have encountered severe ill-treatment at the hands their bosses and have also lost their jobs and salaries. They are now seeking Prez Wickremesinghe’s support to facilitate their return to SL. Director General of the SLBFE Senarath Yapa said that 34 domestic workers are currently facing more..

May 17 (TM) I would like to request the Health Ministry to at least provide the common facility to get tested for Covid, with a simple Rapid Antigen test as it is a responsibility of the Govt, said the President of the Association of Health Professionals, Ravi Kumudesh. When asked about the currently spreading Covid variant he stated that no test had been done in Sri Lanka to identify the variant and therefore, it could be one or more variants. He also stressed that not engaging in gene testing more..