Sep 6 (TM) UGC is set to review the bond fee required to be paid by university academics when travelling overseas for studies and research, as per the directives of the COPE, and will engage in discussions with stakeholders in the coming days before making a final decision in this regard. It was recently proposed that a procedure under which university dons will be required to pay a bond fee when travelling overseas for studies and more..

Sep 6 (DM) Health Ministry has decided to launch an investigation into the tragic incident where a young girl's hand had been amputated at the Jaffna Teaching Hospital on Monday after she was admitted with a fever. 8-year-old had been suffering from fever for four days and had initially been treated by a private doctor. However, as her condition did not improve, she was brought to the Jaffna Teaching Hospital on Sunday night. Upon admission, a nurse inserted a cannula into the girl's hand, more..

Sep 6 (PMD) President Ranil Wickremesinghe outlined an ambitious vision for Sri Lanka's economic future during his address at the centenary celebration of Al Mubarak Central College in Malwana. He emphasized the replication of the Biyagama Free Trade Zone’s success as a blueprint for modern commercial industrialization to be implemented nationwide. This strategy aims to propel the country towards rapid development within the next 15-20 years. more..

Sep 6 (EN) SLFP former general secretary Dayasiri Jayasekara’s suspension from party membership is only temporary and he may return to the fold on one condition, SLFP chairman Maithripala Sirisena said. “He hasn’t been removed. His duties have temporarily been suspended,” said Sirisena. The former prez is also facing a court case over the SLFP chairmanship, he said speaking to reporters, though he declined to elaborate. more..

Sep 6 (FT) In a significant move aimed at enhancing the welfare and protection of SL migrant workers, Cabinet approved the SL National Policy and Action Plan on Migration for Employment 2023-2027. The newly formulated policy represents a meticulous review of the 2008 policy, with extensive input and feedback sought from various stakeholders, including Ministries, Migrant Workers and their families, Foreign Employment Agencies, the private sector, Civil Society Organisations, more..

Sep 6 (TM) Director General of Health Services (DGHS) Dr. Asela Gunawardena emphasised that statements made by several parties claiming a shortage of contact lenses within hospitals across the country including the National Eye Hospital in Colombo, are not true. The Daily Morning earlier reported on the delays in purchasing intraocular lenses which are used for cataract surgeries, with the Health Ministry's own SWASTHA online medicine stock database reporting that, more..

Sep 6 (DM) A corruption case filed against MP A.H.M. Fowzie was today re-fixed for pre-trial conference to be held on Nov 7 by the Colombo High Court. Bribery Commission filed this corruption case against MP A.H.M. Fowzie for allegedly causing a Rs.1.07 million unlawful loss to the govt by misusing a vehicle belonging to the Disaster Management Centre between 2010 and 2015. When the matter was called before Colombo High Court Judge Nawaratne Marasinghe, more..

Sep 6 (TM) SL’s mineral industry is seeking investors to develop the required technology for mineral processing, as the country currently lacks such technology due to lack of funding. Chamber of Mineral Exporters Vice Chairman F.A.M. Farook said: “We should attract investors to come and set up factories and processing plants in SL. As the Chamber of Minerals, we have urged the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau (GSMB), the regulatory body, to take the lead in ensuring more..

Sep 6 (CI) 38 overs into their innings, SL were 221 for 4, with Kusal Mendis on 92, and Dhananjaya de Silva on 14. From here, teams frequently blast their way well beyond 300. Or, at least are expected to. Just as a rough comparison, on Sunday, in Bangladesh's match against the same opposition, in the same stadium, they had had 222 for 2 on the board after 38 overs, and went on to post 334 for 5. more..

Sep 6 (DM) The opening ceremony for the BA in Applied Police Studies, a collaborative initiative between the SL Police Academy and the Uni of Sri J'pura, was held recently. Primary objective of this program is to enhance the professional knowledge and skills of SL's police officers. The ceremony took place at the auditorium of the Police Criminal Records Division and was attended by Minister of Public Security Tiran Alles. Viani Gunathilaka, Secretary of the Public Security Ministry, more..

Sep 6 (SM) Cathay Pacific, the award-winning Hong Kong-based airline, has announced the resumption of flights to and from Colombo beginning on 2 Feb, 2024. After a hiatus of four years, Cathay Pacific is set to soar Sri Lankan skies once again, serving valued local customers and continuing its commitment to connect people across the globe, the airline said. Cathay Pacific is returning with its Airbus A330 aircraft offering three flights a week operating from Colombo, more..

Sep 6 (OHCHR) Sri Lanka suffers from a continuing accountability deficit - be it for war crime atrocities, more recent human rights violations, corruption, or abuse of power - which must be addressed for the country to move forward, according to a UN Human Rights Office report published on Wednesday. “More than a year ago mass protests demanded better governance and an inclusive vision for Sri Lanka - in short, a renewal of the social contract. more..

Sep 6 (EN) Sri Lanka has already taken measures to ensure the digital security of a unique identity card project funded by India, top officials who are directly involved in the project said. The decision to award the tender to print digital ID cards for an Indian firm has raised concerns over data privacy of SL citizens and protection of personal data. “We have approval from the parliament for the Data Protection Act. We are going to form the Data Protection Authority probably this month,” more..

Sep 6 (DM) Although SL’s access to international capital markets is expected to be restored “quite soon,” Central Bank Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe said there is no need for the govt to explore that option. “If you overperform compared to the baseline scenarios of the IMF, and with the successful completion of the debt restructuring, there will be an upgrade in the sovereign rating. That will open up the markets,” Dr. Weerasinghe told a virtual investor forum yesterday. more..

Sep 7 (ST) Plans, plans, plans……it’s easy to prepare a plan but often difficult to implement it. That’s what we Sri Lankans have done over and over again…..making plans but not implementing them. The country’s rule of law is a good example of having laws which are not implemented for political reasons, hesitancy or reasons of corruption. It’s just like the famous saying ‘even the best laid plans of mice and men’ which means the best laid plans don’t always come through. more..

Sep 7 (TM) Almost every Sri Lankan, who was in SL on the 21 April 2019 remembers where they were when they got the gut-wrenching news of bombings and the associated carnage. A few minutes later, we would learn that soft targets on both the West and East coast were hit. For those who covered the bombings for the local press and foreign media, the unmistakable odour of burning human hair and flesh brought back memories of the war. For a new generation, innocence was lost, more..

Sep 7 (FT) Generals are always preparing to fight the last war, goes an enduring proverb. Ranil Wickremesinghe Govt and its many opponents are forever preparing for the last uprising. Aragalaya’s eternal recurrence is their common hallucination. Blinded by this irrational preoccupation, they are ignorant of – or ignore – the daily deepening of ethno-religious fault-lines in this violence-prone land. more..

Sep 7 (DM) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe and SLPP Govt appear to be taking effective steps to stabilize SL’s economy to rescue the country from the debt crisis. But the focus this week is on the no-confidence motion against Minister Keheliya Rambukwella who is accused of importing low-quality and even dangerous drugs outside the tender procedure and without the approval of the National Medical Regulatory Authority (NMRA). While these issues are important, restoration of peace more..

Sep 7 (GV) This article is the first in a series exploring the reasons for SL’s descent into social and economic chaos and lawlessness by Dr. Siri Gamage, an eminent author and researcher who has written extensively on SL. He has also explored globalisation, intercultural studies, critical race theory and multiculturalism across countries. Over the last decade he has been critical of academic dependency in social sciences and explored decolonial and postcolonial thought relevant more..

Sep 7 (FT) Daily FT-SC Securities joint multimedia initiative Market Pulse today features John Keells Holdings PLC Property Group President Nayana Mawilmada. In this interview done by SC Securities Dilusha Gamage, Nayana discusses the challenges faced by the property industry and the future prospects of the John Keells group property sector with the iconic Cinnamon Life projects and Tri-Zen followed by more..

Sep 7 (CT) As much known in the region, despite being a middle or lower-middle income country, SL has always paid considerable attention to the country’s education, and in particular to the higher education system. Since the establishment of the first uni in SL in the mid-20th century, the higher education system has been able to expand the number up to 17 govt universities today, within a brief period. The number of academics and scholars produced by the local education system more..

Sep 7 (Island) Former Sri Lankan cricketer Sachithra Senanayake has been arrested for spot-fixing. He is alleged to have approached some players during the LPL tournament in 2020 and sought to lure them into spot-fixing. Senanayake has denied the allegation against him, claiming that it is part of a sinister campaign to tarnish his reputation. Investigations are still on, and one should refrain from prejudging the former SL spinner’s guilt or innocence. The matter is best left to the judiciary. more..

Sep 7 (DM) Committee of Experts of the Ministry of Health to Examine the identification of impediments in the procurement of quality drugs and equipment at competitive prices: Adoption of Simple and Transparent Procurement Methodologies: and Restructuring of the National Medicine Regulatory Authority [NMRA] by the Cabinet, has called for written submissions before Sept 13. However, the perplexing aspect is the Terms of Reference, which include the Restructuring of NMRA, more..

Sep 7 (CT) Once upon time, Singapore was yearning to be a land like SL. Today, with the vice versa being the reality, will the mentality of the SL electorate change at least now, to allow a Kadirgamar to a occupy one of the two top seats of power? Singaporeans recently elected former deputy prime minister and a distinguished economist, 66-yr-old Tharman Shanmugaratnam as their prez, who earned a landslide victory in their country’s first contested vote more..

Sep 7 (ST) The mystery over a large number of turtle carcasses that have been washing up along the Western coast, is yet to be resolved. The decaying carcasses of 27 sea turtles have washed up along the coast since Aug 22, Dept of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) said. Ten carcasses had washed up along the coast from Negombo to Mattakkuliya, 12 were found along the coast from Colombo to Kalutara while a further five more..

Sep 7 (FT) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe announced in Parliament that the upcoming 2024 budget will contain unexpected elements, including a proposal to tax primary bond dealers. He made this statement in response to an allegation by Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, who claimed that the Govt plans to impose a 30% tax on EPF holders who do not choose to participate in the debt optimisation process, putting them at great risk. “We intend to impose taxes on primary bond dealers more..

Sep 7 (FT) SL and Australia Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday unveiled a new initiative titled A Journey of Exploration as it hopes to boost exports to the land down once again to AUD 1.5 billion and beyond. The Chamber together with the Export Development Board (SLEDB) will host a high-profile trade delegation from Australia over the next few weeks, in what it hopes will be a captivating blend of exploration, cultural immersion and economic collaboration between the two countries. more..

Sep 7 (FT) Leading global professional services firm Alvarez & Marsal (A&M) said this week it will provide a holistic offering to the SL Govt in successfully carrying out the divestiture of SL Insurance Corporation. The assurance follows A&M being appointed by the Govt’s State-Owned Enterprise Restructuring Unit (SRU) to advise on the divestiture of the Govt’s shareholding in the state-owned SLIC. A&M has been mandated in partnership with Capital Alliance (CAL), Colombo-headquartered more..

Sep 7 (FT) Mastercard and Colombo Port City Economic Commission yesterday announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate by leveraging Mastercard’s City Possible platform for the development of Port City Colombo, an export-oriented, multi-service-focused special economic zone. Colombo Port City Economic Commission envisions positioning Port City Colombo, as a modern, sustainable, smart city, and a future investment hub. more..

Sep 7 (CI) Sri Lanka sealed their first series win over England in any format with a second successive shock victory. England failed to peel themselves off the canvas four days after their maiden T20I defeat to SL, who bowled them out inside 20 overs for the second match in a row to take the series 2-1 in Derby. Bundled out for just 104 in 18 overs at Chelmsford on Saturday, a combination of excellent bowling from SL offspinner Kavisha more..

Sep 7 (Island) Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) provided a grant worth 6 million USD to the Ministry of Education and Tertiary and Vocational Training Commission to implement the Tertiary and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Career Platform in the year 2022. The objective of this project is to establish an ICT-based career platform for TVET trainees for their development and to improve their employment status. In addition to the development of more..

Sep 7 (DN) SL’s rising swimming star, Minagi Rupesinghe, made waves at the 9th World Aquatics Junior Swimming Championship in Netanya, Israel, as she shattered a national record in the Women’s 800m Freestyle event on the third day of competition. This int'l swimming spectacle has attracted 600 swimmers from 200 National Federations worldwide. 18-year-old Rupesinghe, who already holds the SL national record in the 1500m Freestyle, delivered more..

Sep 7 (DN) SL has over Rs.1.1 trillion worth of currency notes and over 67% of them are among public and are not in circulation, said CEO of LankaClear, Channa De Silva. He said that according to the Central Bank Q 3 figures out of SL’s total currency notes, only Rs. 281.4 billion are banked. “A staggering Rs. 828.7 billion is not in circulation and is being kept by people in either safety boxes or in their personal care.” more..

Sep 7 (DN) All-rounder Dinura Kalupahana who hit his career-best knock of 150 in 229 balls with 16 fours and 2 sixes helped Sri Lanka Under 19 post a formidable first innings total of 432/8 declared while West Indies were 27/1 when bad light ended play on Day Two of the four-day match played at Rangiri Dambulla Int'l Stadium yesterday. Mahindian all rounder, Dinura Kalupahana anchored his team’s innings at number 4 and played a responsible innings almost throughout the day. more..

Sep 7 (FT) SLPP MP Namal Rajapaksa speaking in Parliament yesterday accused UK’s Channel 4, the creators of the latest documentary on the Easter Sunday attack, of holding a vendetta against his family. “The Rajapaksas firmly uphold principled politics and reject allegations of engaging in opportunistic politics. SLPP secured over 70% of the vote in the election preceding the Easter Sunday incident. Hence, there was no need for us to deviate from our policies to win an election,” he said. more..