May 26 (TR) Sri Lanka's Ministry of Technology has confirmed it will have a cyber security authority – at some point. According to local media, state minister Kanaka Herath told the Cyber Security Conference in Colombo that efforts to create a cyber security authority in 2023 are under way. The authority is established through the Cyber Security Bill [PDF] as part of a wider strategy. The bill is expected to be submitted to the country's parliament this year. SL ranks 81st out of 175 countries more..

May 26 (EN) Sri Lanka is targeting between US$ 1.5 to 2.0 billion of foreign investments in 2023, State Minister Dilum Amunugama said, with the possibility of a petroleum refinery starting up. Sri Lanka has realized FDI of 210mn dollars in the first quarter, Director General of the BoI Renuka Weerakone said. Up to May 604 million dollars, worth investment agreements have been signed. The BOI has a pipeline of US$ 2.8 billion of projects which can be implemented, she said. more..

May 26 (wsws) On May 20, Sri Lanka reported its highest daily tally of COVID-19 infections and fatalities this year, 15 and 3 respectively. Though these under-reported official figures appear to be smaller than previous spikes, they foreshadow a new wave of the deadly virus. The govt long ago abandoned all basic coronavirus safety measures, including face masks mandates, falsely claiming that Covid-19 was just like a normal dose of flu. more..

May 26 (CT) The WHO advises all parents to keep their children aged two years and below away from screens, at all costs, because it affects their brain development and causes cognitive impairment, said Lady Ridgeway Child and Adolescence Psychiatrist Dr. Darshani Hettiarachchi. She made these remarks at the media forum organised by Christian Blind Mission (CBM). Forum focused on the impact of screen time and social media on the mental health of children. more..

May 26 (DM) Despite the dearth of drugs prevailing in Govt hospitals, the All Island Private Pharmacy Owner's Association (ACPPOA) and the Pharmaceutical Society of SL said that the private pharmacies have not been affected by the shortage of drugs as there are adequate stocks at present. The ACPPOA President Chandika Gankanda said, although they are well aware that govt hospitals are facing an acute drug shortage, there is no shortage of drugs in private pharmacies. more..

May 26 (DM) A whistleblower who raised the alarm over a threat posed by gas cylinders and about a garlic scam, says he is prepared to make more expose’s and reveal the names of officials involved in multiple rackets. Former Executive Director of CAA, Thushan Gunawardena, said in an interview conducted in Australia, that he hopes Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe takes action against those accused of various scams. more..

May 26 (DM) A decision on the venue for this year’s Asia Cup will be made on the sidelines of Sunday’s IPL final in Ahmedabad, President of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Jay Shah has said, with SLC prepared to host the tournament if asked to. Officials of SLC, along with counterparts from Bangladesh and Afghanistan, will be in India this weekend for the IPL final, on the sidelines of which a decision on the venue for Asia Cup is expected to be made. "We will hold discussions with them for more..

May 26 (DM) Minister Kanchana Wijesekara and SJB MP Chaminda Wijesiri engaged in an exchange of words in Parliament over allegations by the latter that the Minister is to marry the daughter of the owner of the company which acts as the local agent for 'Sinopec' which is to become a player in the local fuel market. While denying the allegation Minister Wijesekera said, “The company had made a statement about its local agent and other details. However, I will raise a privilege issue more..

May 27 (DM) There is focus on SL for many reasons these days. Still despite the doom and the gloom the island stakes a claim to be one of the major tourist attractions among tourist destinations. When tourists are pouring into this nation in their numbers we get to hear economist Steve Hanke rating SL among the 15 most miserable nations. This is the nation that ignored warnings of experts when danger was imminent and there were concerns regarding terrorist attacks, economic failure, losing GSP more..

May 27 (CT) Given the economic crisis that the country is plunged into, there is no doubt that we have to focus on projects with a substantial return, but decisions made in this regard should often focus on long-term implications as well. Minister of Environment recently proposed and obtained Cabinet approval to hold SL’s first-ever International Mining and Mineral Conference with the prime objective to build a global brand value for the SL mineral industry on a medium-term. more..

May 27 (CT) Presidential Secretary Saman Ekanayake received a call Tuesday (23) morning from the Director General of the SL Customs. Customs officials at the BIA have taken a ruling party MP into custody with a stock of gold and mobile phones, DG, on the other end of the call, informed Prez’s Secretary. “Does the preliminary inquiry prove the MP is involved?” Ekanayake asked. “Yes sir, he has three receipts also in his possession,” more..

May 27 (CT) Pastor Jerome Fernando of the Glorious Church has exploded into the front page news on 15th May and onwards, by his ignominious and inglorious utterances, derogatory of the Buddha and Buddhism, which has caused an uproar amongst the Buddhist majority of the country. Govt has reacted by asking the Criminal Investigation arm of the State to initiate inquiry into the matter. I do not know whether expressing a view on a founder of a religion is a criminal offence. more..

May 27 (DM) There would hardly be any point in Foreign Minister Ali Sabry summoning Canadian HC Eric Walsh on May 19 to express SL’s objection against Canadian PM Justin Trudeau’s statement on May 18 on the Tamil Genocide Day declared by the Tamil diaspora in Canada. The Canadian PM was just addressing a section of his constituency. Last year the Canadian House of Commons unanimously adopted a motion recognising May 18 as Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day. more..

May 27 (CT) A series of explosions allegedly caused by approximately 950 LP gas cylinders and cookers resulted in the deaths of seven people sent shockwaves across the island in 2021. It was Attorney Nagananda Kodituwakku who filed a case in which Thushan Gunawardena, the former Executive Director of the CAA, was one of the respondents. During his time as Executive Director, Gunawardena received several threats due to more..

May 27 (GV) The principal problem faced by people due to the economic crisis is of rising prices while incomes for many remain unchanged. As a result, the poverty rate has doubled from 2021 from 13% to 25%, according to the World Bank. Inflation is a problem worldwide but global inflation in 2022 averaged only 10.1% while SL’s inflation was 57.2%, according to the IMF. Global problems have certainly added to SL’s woes but external factors cannot explain the dramatic rise in local prices. more..

May 27 (TM) One of the major purposes of the proposed Anti-Terrorism Law is to diminish the powers and capacities of the Courts and Judges from the ranks of Magistrates, up to SC Judges. Range of diminishments proposed by the Bill are many and also far reaching. In terms of Articles 3 and 4 of the Constitution, the sovereignty of the people is vested in a legitimately elected Got, on the basis of three powers that are exercised in terms of the Executive, Legislative & Judicial powers. more..

May 27 (Island) SJB MP Eran Wickramaratne has called upon the former Presidents of Sri Lanka to make public their asset disclosures and thereby set an example to others. He has said there are two ex-Presidents in the House––Mahinda Rajapaksa and Maithripala Sirisena––and they should lead by example. One cannot but endorse his call, which was made during yesterday’s parliamentary debate on proposed amendments to the Declaration of Assets and Liabilities Act. more..

May 27 (Island) The Defence Ministry recently quoted State Defence Minister, Pramitha Bandara Tennakoon, as having assured US State Department official, Afreen Akhter, that the military would be right-sized to perform their classic role. The assurance was given on 15 May at his office, in Colombo, just ahead of the 14th anniversary of SL’s triumph over the LTTE, when our security forces brought the war to a successful conclusion, on the morning of 19 May with more..

May 27 (DM) Although the economic crisis that the country is currently facing has affected many layers of the society, the communities that have been marginalised for various reasons have experienced most of the pressure. Kandurata estate labour community is one strong example that comes to mind. However, no one pays attention to the labour community that has detached itself from this community and is scattered around more..

May 27 (FT) The much looked forward to Build SL 2023 Housing and Construction Exhibition commenced yesterday at the BMICH under the distinguished patronage of Deputy Ambassador of Japan for SL Kotaro Katsuki. The event is on until 28 May and is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. On display would be products and services of 200 stalls in this unrivalled Housing and Construction Exhibition. Chamber of Construction of SL President Jayantha Perera in his welcome address rallied cry more..

May 27 (FT) Three Sinha Group of Companies, a leading player in SL’s construction sector, has been awarded the Gold Award for Best Inquiries Management System at the INCO Premiere Industrial Exhibition 2023. The event organised by the Institution of Incorporated Engineers SL, took place at the BMICH and attracted participants from across the country. Starting small, Three Sinha Group of Companies has grown to become a leader in a highly competitive industry through more..

May 27 (FT) SL’s exports fell for the fourth consecutive month, shrinking 16.15% YoY to $ 814.1 million in April, dragged by the sluggish demand in major markets. April downturn also affected the cumulative merchandise shipments in the first four months by 9.78% to $ 3.81 billion compared to the corresponding period of 2022. Apparel and textiles, rubber and rubber-based products and coconut and coconut-based more..

May 27 (ST) Be aware and beware – for, with the rains come the risk of a disease spread by a bacterium, in addition to several viral diseases in circulation these days. Rat fever (mee una) or leptospirosis was the alert delivered succinctly and with clarity by a powerful panel at the SLMA recently. The important message was: Try to prevent catching rat fever. But if you do get a high fever, think rat fever, along with other diseases such as dengue, influenza and COVID-19. more..

May 27 (ST) Sri Lanka‘s tile and sanitary ware business is heading for rock bottom, following the repeated delay in the lifting of import restrictions for almost four years since mid-March 2019, several leading importers and traders said. This prolonged import ban with the promises of govt authorities to suspend restrictions for importers and others connected to the business has triggered the near closure of most of the 300 entities affecting over 100,000 direct and indirect employees, more..

May27 (Island) Lanka Coffee Association, in partnership with Australia’s Market Development Facility (MDF) and Jetwing Hotels, successfully hosted the second annual SL Coffee Festival on 19 May 2023. The coffee sector in SL witnessed a notable transformation and attracted a multitude of market actors leading to significant growth in the industry. This surge in participation has propelled the industry to new heights. Recognising the unique opportunities to support the sector, more..

May 27 (FT) Colombo stock market ended another week of losses though marginal in comparison to the previous week amidst lacklustre investor activity. During the week ASPI lost 0.2% and the S&P SL20 gained 0.1%. In the previous week the indices declined by 236% and 4.23% respectively. Average daily turnover this week was Rs. 778 million, higher in comparison to Rs. 694 million in the previous week. The indices closed out the week in red with the ASPI declining 16 points more..

May 27 (CT) Puttalam District MP Ali Sabri Raheem, who was arrested by Sri Lanka Customs with undeclared gold and smartphones on 23 May, was released on 24 May morning after he paid a fine of Rs 7.4 million. The public raised concerns over whether it was the correct procedure and whether he was given the exact legal penalty that an ordinary offender would have got. Raheem was arrested on 23 May by the Customs more..

May 27 (Island) The Customs has begun checking the baggage of those who come into the country, through the VIP and VVIP gates, with effect from 23 May. Customs officials said that all politicians, and diplomats, too, will be checked. Hitherto all those tagged as VIP/VVIP have escaped hardly any scrutiny by Customs or by any other authority. MP Ali Sabri Raheem was arrested with three and a half kilos of gold and 74 mobile phones earlier this week, while entering SL, through a VIP/VVIP gate. more..

May 27 (FT) Acting Finance Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya said the primary account has registered a surplus for the sixth time post-independence, noting that it is a positive sign of economic recovery. “In the first quarter of 2023, the primary account has recorded a marginal Rs. 48 billion. Previously, such a positive outcome was recorded in the year 2018,” he told the House in a debate related to several executive orders under the Finance Act. more..

May 27 (DN) SL produced another fine performance as they cruised to their second successive victory defeating Bangladesh 3-0 in the Central Asian Volleyball Association (CAVA) Challenge Cup Women’s Tournament Playoff match played at the Nepal Sports Council (NSC) Indoor Stadium in Tripureshwor, Kathmandu on Thursday. With this win, SL have put themselves in contention for a fifth-place finish in this 8-nation tournament and are set to meet Kyrgyzstan in the decider today more..

May 27 (Island) Sri Lanka Badminton announced the junior and senior national squads, comprising shuttlers who have placed themselves on the forefront of the rankings both locally and internationally. The senior men’s badminton squad consists of 28 players, including six singles and 14 doubles pairs. Similarly, the senior women’s badminton squad comprises of five singles and 30 doubles players, making up a total of 15 pairs. Lochana de Silva, the current leader in more..

May 27 (Island) Afghanistan cricket team that arrived in the island earlier this week has resumed practices in Colombo with SSC being their training base. SL meanwhile have been training at both SSC and RPS. Both teams will travel to Hambantota next week ahead of the three match ODI series. First ODI will be played on the 2nd of June followed by the remaining games on June 4th and 7th. Both teams’ IPL players are more..

May 27 (FT) ACMC MP Ali Sabri Raheem may be at risk of losing his parliamentary seat after party leaders decided yesterday to table a motion in parliament to strip Raheem of his MP status. The decision was taken at the meeting of the Committee on Parliamentary Business held at the parliamentary premises yesterday. On Tuesday the MP was arrested by officers of Sri Lanka Customs at the BIA while attempting to illegally enter the country with an undeclared haul of gold and other items. more..

May27 (DM) Former Minister Mervin Silva said he was expecting Pastor Jerome Fernando who is currently overseas to come to Negombo to get him hammered or knocked by his men. Addressing the media, Silva said people like Jerome should be expelled from the country for instilling hatred and communal disharmony. "Jerome had been getting a large amount of dollars. Besides, people who make public statements like him are also getting dollars from foreign countries," he said. more..

May27 (FT) The former Mayoress of Colombo Rosy Senanayake was appointed as the Advisor to the Prez on local Govt affairs. Senanayake served as the Mayoress of the CMC from 2018 to 2023. She was once again chosen as the UNP’s CMC candidate in January this year. Previously, Senanayake served as the PM’s spokesperson and Deputy Head of the PM’s Office during Ranil Wickremesinghe’s tenure as Premier. In 2015, she served as the State Minister for more..