May 7 (CT) Fisheries Minister Douglas Devananda announced that necessary diplomatic arrangements have been made, for the repatriation of Sri Lankan fishermen from Seychelles. These fishermen were rescued by the Seychelles Coast Guard after being hijacked by Somali pirates in the territorial waters of Seychelles. Devananda attributed this successful outcome to the timely intervention and mediation of President Ranil Wickremesinghe, expressing his sincere gratitude to him. more..

May 7 (BDA) Sri Lanka’s Browns Investment Plc has taken over tea estates and factories owned by Lipton Teas and Infusions in Kenya, Rwanda, and Tanzania. The deal will push Browns’ processing capacity to 87 million kilogrammes of tea, making it one of the world’s largest tea companies. “Browns is the perfect partner with credibility, capabilities, and scale to work with us to raise standards in the whole tea industry,” Liptons Teas chief executive officer Natahlie Roos said. more..

May 8 (DM) Two days ago this newspaper highlighted the story of a Woman Police Constable (WPC) being arrested for picking the handbag of a shopper in Kandy. Not many of us citizens were shocked or dumbfounded. After all, this was merely a case of a so-called law keeper breaking a law. We as a nation know how our country’s leaders brought our people and the nation to a position of bankruptcy through corrupt practices. The political leaders of this country are not much different from more..

May 8 (DM) If the Govt of Sri Lanka desires to streamline the inefficient and corruption-laden immigration and emigration authorities, one can’t find fault. The Immigration Dept is infested with crooks that have fought against even the most innocuous measures of oversight and accountability. CCTV cameras purchased to install in its head-office are still stored in the warehouses for six years, the Parliamentary Committee on Public Accounts (CoP) found recently. more..

May 8 (TM) While the signs of a recovery are encouraging and things have improved in 2024 compared to the dark crisis days – with inflation falling to single digits, useable foreign reserves building up to about $ 3 billion, the exchange rate appreciating, and moderate growth being possible – SL is not out of the woods yet, said Economist Dr. Ganeshan Wignaraja. However, he emphasised that the projected growth of 1.5-2% in 2024 more..

May 8 (TM) What is the primary mission of the armed forces? Broadly speaking, they are there to act as a deterrence alongside diplomacy, and should these fail, to secure victory over domestic or foreign aggressor, while also defending the national security interests and sovereignty of the country. There are many views about the kind of armed forces Sri Lanka needs, and while the general consensus is that the armed forces need to be made more leaner; less in numbers and expenditure, more..

May 8 (CT) The tense standoff at the North Central Provincial Council premises on Monday (6), where a group of unemployed graduates held a protest, highlights a deep-rooted issue in Sri Lanka: unemployment among educated youth. The clash between the unemployed graduates and the authorities highlights the frustration and desperation prevalent among this segment of society. According to Dhammika Munasinghe, the former convenor of the All-Ceylon United Unemployed more..

May 8 (DM) In 2021, the Central Environmental Authority (CEA) planned to issue a gazette prohibiting the production of various types of plastic, including yogurt and ice cream cups. This was detailed in the Extraordinary Gazette No. 2211/51, issued on Jan 21, 2021 which was signed by the then Environment Minister Mahinda Amaraweera on Jan 19, 2021. The gazette imposed a ban on the production of plastic more..

May 8 (Island) The Court of Appeal yesterday rejected Justice Minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe’s petition, which sought the suspension of an interim injunction issued by the Colombo District Court preventing him from functioning as the Acting Chairman of the SLFP. The Sirisena faction of the SLFP has suffered another setback on the legal front. The SLFP’s current predicament is similar, in some respects, to that of the UNP during the Mahinda Rajapaksa regime (2005-2015). more..

May 8 (CT) In the unfolding saga of our Sovereign Default three Economists who aren’t even faintly associated with power politics have made candid assessments of our debt predicament. In their own inimitable fashion, they have, implored that we abandon reckless fantasy and come to grips with real, brutal truth. Quite early on, Professor Prema-chandra Athukorala of the Australian National University produced a study Sovereign Debt Crisis of Sri Lanka – its causes, more..

May 8 (ST) When beggars die, there are no comets seen, said Calpurnia to Julius Caesar shortly before the Roman dictator was done to death inside the Senate. Though our country has been spared such a ghastly end to any of its leaders, even if they play dictator now and then, there is still the recognised democratic way of getting rid of them—the franchise which the SL people have exercised long before independence—to kick out the unwanted. The last leader, however, did not wait for elections more..

May 8 (ST) The cue players will be back in action as the Billiards and Snooker Association of SL (BSASL) have finalised arrangements to conduct the National Billiards Championship scheduled to be played from May 17 in Colombo. The National Billiards Championship, which is the 69th edition, is being sponsored by the Automobile Association of Ceylon (AAC) with the blessings of the BSASL. Before the National Championship, the BSASL will be conducting two qualifying tournaments with more..

May 8 (ST) A scam using reputed companies as a front has caught the attention of hundreds of people as they have been added to WhatsApp groups offering them extra income. The groups identify themselves as digital marketing agencies associated with top companies. The Computer Emergency Readiness Team’s (CERT) Senior Information Security Engineer, Charuka Damunupola, said: more..

May 8 (CT) World Thalassemia Day (WTD) is commemorated today (8) under the theme Empowering lives, Embracing Progress: Equitable and accessible Thalassemia treatment for all. Senior Registrar in General Paediatrics at the Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children, Dr. Gayan Kodithuwakku yesterday (7) noted that global figures showed that there were 100 million Thalassemia carriers living with the gene while 300,000 children were born with the blood disorder. more..

May 8 (FT) CEAT Kelani International Tyres Ltd, assured customers, stakeholders and the general public that the Company has no dispute over Customs Duties with the Customs Dept and is not subject to any inquiry or penalty by the Dept in relation to Customs Duties. Responding to media reports that a leading tyre manufacturer is facing legal action and a fine for non-payment of Customs Duties on imported raw materials, CEAT Kelani Int'l Tyres has issued the following statement more..

May 8 (DN) The Afghanistan ‘A’ team opener once again made an unbeaten knock of 74 in 117 balls with 5 fours, while paceman Naveed Zadran took 4 for 45 as they beat Sri Lanka A by five wickets in their fifth and final ODI played at the Mahinda Rajapaksa Int'l cricket stadium yesterday. However, SL A won the series 3-2, with the first three matches won in a row and the last two dominated by Afghan A. SL A team’s batting performance was below par as they were bowled out for 197 in 43 overs more..

May 8 (SO) The Gratiaen Trust, in partnership with John Keells Foundation and with the support of the British Council as its event partner, announced the shortlist for the 31st Gratiaen Prize at the British Council Library in Colombo on Monday. This annual award founded by Michael Ondaatje celebrates exceptional English creative writing by Sri Lankan authors. This year, of the eight longlisted writers, five have been short-listed for the next stage of the competition, these include more..

May 8 (DM) SL’s gross official reserves have continued to increase through the end of April topping the US$ 5.0 billion level for the first time since December 2020 when the country was coming out of the second wave of the virus outbreak. While the official data is just a few days from its release to the public, CB Governor this week disclosed the latest foreign currency levels in the country by the end of April which was at US$ 5,438 million. more..

May 8 (Island) Captain Chamari Athapaththu’s 102 off 63 balls helped Sri Lanka win the final of the Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier against Scotland in Abu Dhabi. As a result, SL will slot into Group A alongside Australia, India, NZ and Pakistan, while Scotland will be part of Group B alongside South Africa, England, West Indies and Bangladesh in the World Cup proper in October. After Scotland asked SL to bat, Athapaththu lost her opening partner Vishmi Gunaratne in the third over. more..

May 8 (TM) Sri Lanka, fresh from their fourth Asia Rugby Men’s Division-1 title win over the weekend, has jumped three places to occupy 41st position, in the latest updated version of Men’s World Rankings, released on the website of World Rugby (WR). Before the commencement of the Asia Rugby Division-1 segment in Colombo, the island-nation was placed 44th in the World Rankings, in the 15-a-side code. However, following lop-sided victories over India (45-10) and Kazakhstan (45-7) more..

May 8 (TM) Amidst various concerns being raised over the independence granted to the Central Bank of SL (CBSL) through the recently passed CBSL Act, Opposition MP Prof. Charitha Herath yesterday claimed that the CBSL is currently functioning as an institution that is not part of the State. Prof. Herath raised several concerns regarding alleged arbitrary behaviour of CBSL administration, highlighting certain errors more..

May 8 (DN) Sri Lanka has emerged triumphant at the World School Rapid and Blitz Chess Championship, hosted by the Peruvian Chess Sports Federation in Lima, Peru, from April 30 to May 10. Amidst stiff competition from 26 countries and 1,200 players across various age groups, SL players excelled securing a total of four medals. SL clinched one gold, one silver, and two bronze medals at the event. Among the standout performers was Senuth Perera from Gateway more..

May 8 (CT) Highlighting 11 key demands, a protest was organised by the University Non-Academic staff, outside the University Grants Commission premises, in Ward Place, Colombo yesterday (7) with participation of over 5,000 staff members from all State Universities. A large number of riot Police were also present at the scene. Co-Chairman of the Joint Committee of Uni Trade Unions, Dhammika Priyantha, stated that the ongoing island-wide strike, by non-academic staff, more..

May 8 (DM) Defence Secretary General Kamal Gunaratne requested SL's war heroes not to become victims of human smugglers who are recruiting people to serve in the armed forces on the Russian-Ukrain war front. He revealed that SL's war heroes are being lured by false promises to join the armed forces in the Russia-Ukrain conflict. "These promises include offers of land in Saint Petersburg, Russian citizenship for their families and monthly salaries exceeding Rs.1 million. more..

May 8 (Island) FSP wrote to Election Commission (EC) protesting against the latter’s decision to increase deposits that candidates have to place when contesting elections. In his letter, Propaganda Secretary of FSP Duminda Nagamuwa has said the decision at issue was taken by the Cabinet in keeping with a recommendation made by the EC. “Now, a person contesting the prez election from a registered party has to place 2.4 million rupees as a deposit, which cost Rs 50,000 previously. more..

May 8 (FT) FPC member MP Prof. G.L Peiris asserted that entrusting SL's visa-issuing process to a foreign entity is entirely illegal. Peiris likened the situation to the Central Bank scam. He declared it the second Central Bank scam to take place in the country. “The parallels between the two incidents are striking, with similar motives at play. Nine years ago, in 2019, the current Prez, Ranil Wickremesinghe, then serving as PM of Good Governance more..

May 8 (TM) Central Bank of SL (CBSL) had to bear a Day One Loss of over Rs. 760 billion after restructuring Rs. 2.5 trillion worth of CBSL debt through the Domestic Debt Optimisation (DDO), Governor of CBSL, Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe said. He said that the CBSL reported a net loss of Rs.114 billion in 2023 was mainly due to the one-off loss of Rs 766.4 billion to the balance sheet due to the DDO adjustment. He said even though the CBSL used to provide Rs. 300 billion in profits to the Govt more..

May 8 (DM) SLPP founder Basil Rajapaksa reasserted yesterday that his party still believes the general election should precede the presidential elections but President Ranil Wickremesinghe has a contrasting stand, according to an informed source of the party. Mr. Rajapaksa addressed the parliamentary group of the party and spelled out his opinion in this regard. Earlier, he met with the President and held talks about the latest political developments. more..

May 8 (FT) Transparency International SL (TISL) has filed a Fundamental Rights Petition in the Supreme Court, challenging the appointment of W. Kanishka D. Wijeratne as the Director General (DG) of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC). Wijeratne, who had previously served as the DG of CIABOC since January 2020, was reappointed to the same position on 2 April 2024, following the enactment of the new Anti-Corruption Act. more..

May 8 (DN) SL tourism will achieve a historic double in terms of revenue and number of arrivals for 2024 and the year will go down in history as the best year for tourism, said Director General, SLTDA, B.H.R. Sariffodeen. He said they were targeting around two million arrivals and with the July and end of the year (winter season) numbers showing high growth they will pass the 2.3 million mark. “As anticipated the month of April, May and June is the low season along with the forthcoming October. more..

May 8 (DM) In the wake of perplexities surrounding the issuance of the on-arrival visa issuance at the BIA, the Govt is mulling to overhaul the visa issuance process. To fulfill this requirement, a cabinet paper is to be submitted at the next cabinet meeting. Meanwhile, govt sources confirmed that VFS Global has temporarily ceased operations at the BIA counter. Nevertheless, there has been a request from the govt of SL to take over more..

May 8 (DM) Leader of Opposition Sajith Premadasa raised objections to the questioning of the youth, Sandaru Kumarasinghe, who spoke out against the Visa issue at the airport but avoided debate on the visa fiasco involving a foreign consortium with VFS as technology partner. He told Parliament that the govt must consider the matter closed without dragging it. "Sandaru Kumarasinghe only expressed his opinion. In terms of the Constitution, he has a right to freedom of expression," he said. more..

May 8 (CT) Convener of the Health Trade Union Alliance (HTUA), Ravi Kumudesh, announced that they would launch an indefinite island-wide strike, due to the govt’s failure to fulfil its promises of increasing the Disturbance, Availability and Transport (DAT) allowance, which is provided to them, on par with doctors. Kumudesh also stated that although the govt had accepted the technical report, which was compiled following the trade union action earlier this year, it had yet to meet more..

May 8 (FT) The visa controversy raged into the Parliament yesterday with Opposition MPs describing it similar to the infamous bond scam as well as a daylight robbery. SJB MP S.M. Marikkar yesterday accused the Govt of continuing large-scale fraudulent activities as evidenced by the recent on-arrival tourist visa fiasco. The MP said the SJB will continue to fight against it and reveal relevant facts to the general public. more..

May 8 (FT) Everything needs to have a reason, framed in its purpose. Without reason and purpose, life and everything that is part of living decays into meaninglessness. Mark Twain brilliantly explained, “The two most important days in life are the day you were born and the day you find out why.” That truth applies as much to life as to business. There was a time – when it was thought private enterprise – businesses pursuing their own interests – would contribute to a better outcome for society more..