Aug 2 (ST) A group of females recruited as unskilled workers to the SL Railways Dept have been trained in winding armatures and repairing fans fixed in train compartments. The women manually wind two armature a day and were recruited in 2012 during the tenure of then Transport Minister Kumara Welgama. First the women laborers were used to man the ticketing centres, and their deployment was not a success. Later they had to be restricted to other jobs such as cleaning, making tea, more..

Aug 2 (FT) Business tycoon turned philanthropist Nahil Wijesuriya is to foot the Rs. 1.5 billion worth exit offer to shareholders of East West Properties PLC (EWP) as part of the proposed delisting move. Earlier this week EWP said its Board considered a request from principal shareholder Nahil Wijesuriya and resolved to initiate the delisting of the company’s shares from the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) subject to obtaining shareholder and regulatory approval. The exit offer is Rs. 16 per share. more..

Aug 2 (DM) When we see advertisements run on national television aimed at recruiting youth for the security forces there is so much genuineness associated with such efforts. Some of those advertisements have not only earned much praise and awards, they have helped recruit some of the best individuals for the job. These are days when we also see advertising campaigns being run for the presidential candidates. Strangely though, we haven’t seen anything creative of late; more..

Aug 2 (FT) The Chief Justice has constituted a fuller bench in the Supreme Court to hear the on-going cases against the Indian giant Adani’s wind power projects in Sri Lanka. This was following a request by the President Counsel Romes De Silva-led legal team representing Adani Power. In the motion they also requested that the bench be constituted by the most senior judges of the Supreme Court. more..

Aug 2 (FT) Uber said yesterday it signed a MoU with the Tourism and Lands Ministry in SL to give a boost to tourism. Over the next few months, Uber will promote SL as a tourist destination to its rider base in India which accounts for one of the largest tourist inflows into the country. The partnership aims to help revive tourism in SL which has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent economic crisis. Later this month, the Sri Lanka Tourism Board will organise roadshows more..

Aug 2 (DM) SL Women’s National Cricket Team’s Skipper Chamari Atapattu is set to make her debut in The Hundred Tournament in England. Atapattu will play for the Oval Invincibles in the tournament. She recently led Sri Lanka to their maiden Asia Cup title, where she was named the Player of the Tournament for her heroics with both bat and ball. The 34-year-old Atapattu has represented SL in 139 T20Is, amassing 3,326 runs at an average of 25.38 with a strike rate of 110.90. more..

Aug 2 (FT) SLPP leader Mahinda Rajapaksa has indicated the party could still extend its support to Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe in the upcoming Prez election if the party decides to go back on its decision to withdraw support for Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe. Speaking to the media, Mahinda Rajapaksa said if the party membership is in agreement, the SLPP would extend its support to Wickremesinghe. more..

Aug 2 (TM) The total outstanding repurchase auctions (reverse repo) transaction volume of Central Bank of SL (CBSL) has come down to Rs. 40 billion by end of June 2024, after starting the year at Rs. 194 billion. According to the Open Market Operations (OMO) report by CBSL, the Central Bank conducted a reverse repo continuously since mid-April 2023 considering the liquidity deficit in the domestic money market. By the end of Dec 2023, total injections through short term and more..

Aug 2 (NW) Senior DIG Lalith Pathinayake has been appointed in the interim to oversee the administrative duties of SL Police, National Police Commission announced. His appointment comes in the absence of an IGP. SDIG Lalith Pathinayake has been appointed to temporarily oversee the administrative duties of the SL Police after the high ranking Police Officials, former IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon and former Chief of the State Intelligence Service SDIG Nilantha Jayawardena, more..

Aug 2 (DN) Sri Lanka and India are set to clash in the 1st ODI of the three match series today at the R. Premadasa Stadium, commencing at 2.30 pm. India after routing Sri Lanka 3-0 in the T-20 series under Suryakumar Yadav at Pallekele but Rohit Sharma is back in the India side as captain and this is almost after eight months time (After last ODI world cup) while Virat Kohil the batting superstar also joined the ODI side after winning T-20 World Cup. K.L Rahul and Shreyas Iyer also joined more..

Aug 2 (DM) Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa had reportedly met SLPP MP Namal Rajapaksa a few days ago. Presidential Advisor on Parliamentary Affairs Ashu Marasinghe today questioned as to why this meeting has taken place. “We have already seen some news in the social media including the report that SJB Leader Sajith Premadasa is holding talks with MP Namal Rajapaksa. Premadasa should reveal the truth behind this report,” Marasinghe said. more..

Aug 2 (DM) CIABOC said that the asset declarations of over 100 top officials, including Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe and the PM, are now publicly accessible. These declarations can be viewed at https://ads.ciaboc.lk. Commission said that declarations of assets and liabilities for officials who submitted their declarations to the Central Authority before July 25, 2024, have been redacted and published in accordance with more..

Aug 2 (FT) Supreme Court will today take up in one go the seven different petitions filed by multiple parties against the new visa scheme of the country which has stirred much controversy and allegations of corruption. Among those who have challenged the legality and rationality of the controversial outsourcing of visa process include collective action by seven travel and tourism industry associations, the Transparency International SL, good governance activists Dr. Rohan Pethiyagoda and more..

Aug 2 (DM) Supreme Court has issued an order suspending a female lawyer from practicing for a period of 5 years for committing acts of misconduct while serving as defence counsel in a case before the Polonnaruwa High Court. The lawyer provided instructions to a prosecution witness to expedite the case using improper methods. SC Justice Shiran Goonaratne and Justice Janak de Silva suspended Attorney-at-Law P.K. Palaketiya from practicing as a lawyer for a period of 5 years. more..

Aug 2 (DM) A private secretary to State Minister S. Viyalendiran and a political activist have been arrested on allegations of soliciting a bribe of Rs. 1.5 million. The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABoC) said that the suspects were arrested following a complaint by a businessman from the Polonnaruwa area. The suspects had allegedly solicited the bribe to facilitate the issuing of a permit from the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau. more..

Aug 2 (FT) Election Commission of SL (ECSL) has announced that political parties experiencing issues with their General Secretary posts will be prohibited from submitting nominations for the upcoming Presidential election. ECSL Chairperson R.M.A.L. Ratnayake disclosed that several parties are currently facing confusion regarding their secretarial positions. Ratnayake said that representatives from these parties will be called to the Election Commission in the coming days to decide more..

Aug 2 (TM) Emphasising that he has nothing to discuss with Chief Justice (CJ) Jayantha Jayasuriya regarding the turmoil surrounding the IGP position, Chairperson of the Constitutional Council (CC), Speaker of the Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana urged that the matter be pursued through a Fundamental Rights (FR) petition before the Supreme Court (SC). Prez and independent prez candidate Ranil Wickremesinghe, on 28 July, more..

Aug 2 (TM) Election Commission (EC) stated that while President and independent presidential candidate Ranil Wickremesinghe's alleged use of the Presidential Secretariat and the Presidential Media Division (PMD) for his Election campaign activities violates the relevant electoral rules and regulations, it is challenging to take action until he officially becomes a candidate with nomination granted. New Independent Front Leader and prez candidate Oshala Herath, on Wednesday (31), more..

Aug 2 (CT) The crisis within the SLPP has intensified as General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam faces scrutiny, from party members who have decided to support Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe in the upcoming Prez Election. Minister Kanchana Wijesekara, following the SLPP Matara District Committee meeting, informed the media that a proposal to remove MP Sagara Kariyawasam from his position as SLPP General Secretary and appoint Minister Dr. Ramesh Pathirana in his place was passed more..

Aug 2 (DM) According to the Excise Act, duty-free vehicle permits cannot be issued to politicians, pensioners, senior govt officials, semi govt employees, or other dignitaries. The Excise Act doesn’t authorise the issuance of vehicle permits to people serving in such capacities. However, Motor Vehicle Permits on Concessionary Terms continue to be granted to these groups, disregarding the provisions of the Excise Act. more..

Aug 2 (FT) The Gazette for Prez Elections 2024 has been published and the political actors are busy in preparations for nominations, negotiations, making strategies for winning the election and campaigning. Businesses are looking for supporting their most favourable candidate. Political analysts are busy in listing their wish lists and few predicting who might win or lose. Journalists are having field days, getting busy promoting their perspectives of the prospective candidate(s). more..

Aug 2 (AD) The Online Safety (Amendment) Bill has been published via govt gazette. The Online Safety Bill has been a subject of debate and contention, with several parties having raised concerns about potential limitations on freedom of expression, and other potential violations of the Constitution through its provisions. Accordingly, the Cabinet had granted approval to publish the revised Online Safety Bill in the got gazette and to table it in Parliament on July 23. more..

Aug 2 (FT) The recent Supreme Court interim ruling has two components. On the first, that is restraining Deshabandu from the powers, functions and responsibilities of the office of IGP, the interim order is broad and straightforward. The second pertains to the appointment of a suitable officer to act in the office of IGP. The SC ruling states: “...His Excellency the President may, should he wish to, consider making appointment, in terms of the law, of a suitable person to act more..

Aug 2 (EN) Sri Lanka’s govt pensioners will be paid an additional interim allowance of 3,000 rupees from September, State Minister for Finance Ranjith Siyambalapitiya said. Sri Lanka has about 700,000 pensioners. The cost of the payments for the rest of 2024 will be 8.4 billion rupees, Minister Siyambalapitiya said. Sri Lanka has raised more taxes in 2024 helped by higher value added tax rates, a recovering economy and PAYE taxes on mostly from private sector workers. more..

Aug 2 (DM) The Supreme Court today issued an Interim Order suspending the Cabinet decision granting the approval in relation to online and expat visa operations in Sri Lanka. This order will be effective till the final determination of the petitions. The Court further ordered the authorities to maintain the status quo ante as it existed before the implementation of the Cabinet decision. Supreme Court three-judge-bench comprising more..

Aug 2 (DM) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe met IMF Mission Chief Peter Breuer and his team where they discussed matters involving the successful completion of the 3rd review which is crucial for the timely disbursement of the 4th tranche, State Minister Shehan Semasinghe said. He said that the discussion focused on identifying areas that need additional attention to ensure the successful completion of the 3rd review, which is crucial for the timely disbursement of the 4th tranche. more..

Aug 2 (DM) National Water Supply and Drainage Board emphasised that if the consumers clean and maintain their water collection tanks at least in three months, the tap water supplied by the board will be of high quality, even for direct consumption. This was revealed when the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Sustainable Development met under the chairmanship of MP Ajith Mannapperuma recently. The chairman of National Water Supply and Drainage Board more..

Aug 2 (CT) From 1 Jan 2025, advertisements featuring infants, toddlers, children under 12 years, pregnant women and breastfeeding women would be prohibited, warned the Deputy Director General of the Food Control Unit Dr. Ananda Jayalal. Dr. Jayalal noted that the warning was being issued several months ahead, so that necessary measures could be taken by advertising agencies to refrain from more..

Aug 2 (AD) A meeting has taken place between representatives of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC) including its Chairman, Duminda Hulangamuwa and the leader of the NPP Anura Kumara Dissanayake. The discussion had taken place last evening at the headquarters of JVP. During the meeting, CCC presented its comprehensive policy document, titled Vision 2030 which outlines the economic trajectory of SL over the next 5 years, to the NPP leader. more..

Aug 2 (EN) Thalaiyadi sea water desalination plant in SL’s northern Jaffna District, which is expected to provide safe drinking water to over 300,000 people across 186 grama niladari divisions, was opened today by Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe. The plant, part of the Jaffna-Kilinochchi Water Supply Project by the Ministry of Water Supply was funded by the ADB and the Govt of SL at a cost of 266 million dollars. The JKWSSP was launched in 2011 with support from ADB & French Development Bank (AFD). more..

Aug 2 (AD) As SL looks ahead to the Paris 2024 Olympics, a key athlete for the island nation in this year’s Olympic Games Tharushi Karunaratne is set to take part in her first heats of women’s 800m event today (02). The heat 06 of the preliminary round of the event, in which Karunaratne takes part, will commence at 12.00 midnight (IST) today. Among the athletes who qualified for the women’s 800m event at this year’s Paris Olympics, only three other athletes besides Tharushi represent more..

Aug 2 (DM) The Chief Incumbent of the Gangaramaya Temple, Colombo Dr. Galboda Gnanissara Thera, also known as Podi Hamuduruwo has passed away at the age of 81. Born on Dec 13, 1943, Podi Hamuduruwo has dedicated his life to the practice and propagation of Buddhist principles, guided by a profound commitment to compassion, equality, and service to humanity. Despite facing numerous personal challenges and adversities throughout his life, Podi Hamuduruwo’s more..

Aug 2 (EN) IMF said it has given an assessment of a deal with international sovereign bondholders to SL and the advisors of the investors and urged new tax measures in the 2025 budget to help maintain stability. IMF staff had assessed the Joint Working Framework with on sovereign bonds and has provided this assessment to the authorities and, on their request, the financial advisors of the bondholders, more..

Aug 2 (SLN) The Indian Naval Submarine (INS) Shalki arrived at the port of Colombo today on a formal visit. The visiting submarine was welcomed by the Sri Lanka Navy in precision with naval traditions. INS Shalki is a 64.4m long submarine with a crew of 40 and it is commanded by Commander Rahul Patnaik. Meanwhile, the Commanding Officer of INS Shalki called on Commander Western Naval Area, Rear Admiral Chinthaka Kumarasinghe at the Western Naval Command HQ today. more..

Aug 2 (CT) Galle Police have initiated an investigation into the transfer of Rs 1.2 million, which a husband sent from abroad to his wife’s account in Galle and which was transferred to a private bank account in another province within three minutes. The husband, a resident of Gintota, is working abroad and had transferred Rs 1.2 million to a joint account maintained at a private bank in Galle on the 30th of last month. Shortly thereafter, husband received a text message more..