Apr 17 (TM) As evidence for the economic burden imposed by non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and the prominent NCD-related risk factor of alcohol consumption, IPS Research Economist Priyanka Jayawardena revealed that households spend 10% of their monthly budget on alcohol. She noted that alcohol-related taxation is a cost effective measure to reduce NCD related risk factors, particularly among low-income groups, more..

Apr 17 (EN) Two parliamentary groups have called for sensitivity training for staff at public spaces after a woman with disabilities was harassed at a govt office, adding that the Govt is obliged to ensure persons with disabilities have comfortable access to all public buildings. “We strongly condemn the incident that took place on 5th April 2024 at the Sethsiripaya where a woman with disabilities was obstructed from utilising her transportation services to leave the premises,” more..

Apr 17 (AD) A 31-year-old from Wariyapola has been arrested for allegedly singing a distorted version of the popular New Year song Soorya Mangalya by Rohana Beddage and sharing it on social media, police said. The arrested individual is said to be an Excise Officer who is residing of the Thalathuoya area. The North Western Province Unit of the Computer CID had launched an investigation into the matter based on a complaint received by the IGP alleging that the song in question, more..

Apr 17 (Island) NFF MP Gamini Waleboda said that the ruling SLPP should re-examine its stand on the COPE without delay or face the consequences. Ratnapura District MP Waleboda, who contested the last parliamentary election on the SLPP ticket, alleged that the Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa govt had caused irreparable damage by disrupting the vital House Watchdog Committee. more..

Apr 17 (AD) The police have arrested the owner of a street food stall in Aluthkade (Hulftsdorp) for price-gouging and verbally harassing a foreigner. The arrest was made by the officers of Keselwatta Police based on a widely-circulated video of the said vendor who attempted to charge Rs. 1,900 from a foreigner for a Kottu Roti. The vendor was also seen behaving in a verbally aggressive manner when the foreigner refused to buy the food item at the quoted price. more..

Apr 17 (AD) The final rites of the late Dr. A.T. Ariyaratne, the founder and the President Emeritus of the Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement of SL, will be performed with full state honours. Sri Lankabhimanya Ahangamage Tudor Ariyaratne passed away on Tuesday (16) at the age of 93 while receiving treatment at a private hospital in Colombo. Following his demise, Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe, PM Dinesh Gunawardena and the officials of Sarvodaya convened a meeting to discuss more..

Apr 17 (FT) Sri Lanka’s first Metal Payment Card has been introduced by Nations Trust Bank and American Express. The launch of this payment Card – The American Express Platinum Reserve Credit Card marks this milestone in Sri Lanka’s payment landscape. This Card symbolises exclusivity and sophistication with its sleek design and metal finish. The inaugural metal Credit Card sets a new standard of prestige in the industry, being the first of its kind in Sri Lanka. more..

Apr 17 (Island) Primary Industries State Minister Chamara Sampath Dassanyake and his driver escaped unhurt when the official vehicle they were travelling in caught fire at Halpe, in Ella, in the early hours of yesterday. As per the preliminary investigations, a technical defect had caused the fire. The incident occurred around 1 a.m. yesterday while the State Minister was travelling from Mahiyangana to Ella after attending several Sinhala and Tamil New Year festivities in those areas. more..

Apr 17 (DM) The Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) is presently facing the heat as allegations have surfaced that the party is forcing Estate Superintendents within the estate community to select members loyal to the CWC as beneficiaries for an Indian grant which gives houses funded by the Indian govt. Reliable sources said that under this Indian housing grant, those individuals who have left the estates, those who already have houses more..

Apr 17 (EN) A special task force team is being trained to go after motorbike riders who are carrying out increasingly daring criminal acts, according to Police Chief Deshabandu Tennakoon. “They are being trained to take aim while riding, Inspector General of Police Tennakoon said in comments broadcast over Sri Lanka’s Sirasa TV. A team of 100 officers from the police Special Task Force (STF) is being trained in the STF training camp in Katukurunda, Tennakoon said. more..

Apr 17 (Island) About 11 office trains were cancelled yesterday morning because a large number of locomotive operators and train guards didn’t report to duty, Deputy General Manager of Railways N.J Indipolage, said. Trains departing Colombo Fort to Moratuwa, Panadura, Wadduwa, Negombo, Ambepussa, Padukka and Ragama were cancelled, as a result. Indipolage said that the cancellations had not affected commuters greatly because these were not widely used office trains. more..

Apr 17 (TM) Following three new Covid-19 deaths being reported from Kurunegala and Jaffna, the relevant Hospital administrations said that there was no need to advocate for patients and hospital staff to be quarantined since no infected cases had been reported except for the dead patients. Directors of the two Hospitals — Kurunegala Teaching Hospital and Jaffna Teaching Hospital — said that all the individuals more..

Apr 17 (AD) The NPP says that, under its administration, proper legal action will be instituted against those implicated, either directly or indirectly, in the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks that killed more than 250 people and injured hundreds of others. This promise comes days ahead of the fifth anniversary of the coordinated suicide bombings which falls on April 21. In a statement, the NPP highlighted that the govt has an obligation towards the victims of this heinous act while raising more..

Apr 17 (DM) Eating a wide range of foods, including sweets, during the Sinhala and Tamil New Year festivities can lead to higher blood sugar and cholesterol levels, Registrar in Clinical Nutrition at the Health Ministry Dr. Janaka Marasinghe said. He pointed out that people should pay more attention to food and drinks during festive seasons. "Most of the sweets made during the New Year will come out after the festival. Every house has a considerable collection of different types of food, more..

Apr 17 (FT) According to the UGC, the second most expensive undergraduate degree program offered by state universities is the MBBS (after dental). Battles over who gets to be a doctor under what terms have been ongoing since the 1980s with no clear resolution. Workaround measures implemented at various times are posing significant challenges, which are being met with further ad hoc remedies, the latest being the Cabinet decision to allow students satisfying UGC requirements more..

Apr 17 (FT) Who is responsible for emerging religious extremism in Tamil North? Let me tell you, it’s the callously irresponsible Colombo resident Tamil leaderships. In democratic electoral politics, the strength of leaderships lies in how open and committed they stand against injustice and for democratic and fundamental rights. In Sinhala South, mainstream political leaderships took over majoritarian extremism. In post-war Tamil politics, established political leaders failing to more..

Apr 17 (FT) Govt yesterday formally announced it has held restricted discussions over the past three weeks with nine members of the steering committee who agreed to take part in the restricted discussions of the Ad Hoc Group of Bondholders and International Sovereign Bonds. SL was joined by its legal and financial advisors, Clifford Chance and Lazard, respectively, and the restricted members of the Steering Committee were more..

Apr 17 (DN) Medawachchiya Magistrate Imesha Dharmadasa yesterday ordered the IGP to hand over all investigations being carried out by the Kebithigollewa Police CID against two police officers who allegedly assaulted a 23-year-old man causing him grievous injuries leading to the removal of a testicle, after they checked his vehicle to the CID. The Magistrate also ordered the Senior DIG in charge of the North Central Province to conduct an investigation into the activities more..

Apr 17 (Island) Govt parliamentary group member Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekera (Retd.) says the ruling party should be ashamed of its pathetic failure to ensure the speedy conclusion of investigations into the killing of Polonnaruwa District SLPP MP Amarakeerthi Atukorale at Nittambuwa on 9 May, 2022. The govt and police should explain the status of the investigation, the former Public Security Minister said, adding that the Parliament, too, should look into this matter. more..

Apr 17 (DM) Tax payers will have to cough up as much as Rs. 45 million as the cost of conducting yet another three-day parliamentary debate on the Easter Sunday attack for the fourth time, with uncertainty looming whether it will be a meaningless exercise with key questions unanswered once again. Previously, three such debates took place in the House, but failed to leave the question regarding the mastermind behind the attack unanswered. more..

Apr 17 (FT) PHU leader Udaya Gammanpila has requested official documents from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs concerning the ceding of Katchatheevu Island from India to Sri Lanka. He submitted a Right to Information (RTI) request on 11 April. Gammanpila said the request was made at an opportune time, as India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has brought up the Katchatheevu issue during the lead-up to India’s general election, which begins on 19 April. more..

Apr 17 (FT) UNP General Secretary Palitha Range Bandara issued an open invitation to several prominent SJB MPs to rejoin the UNP ahead of the upcoming polls. Range Bandara accordingly invited SJB MPs Harsha de Silva, Thalatha Atukorale, Eran Wickramaratne and Kabir Hashim to rejoin the age-old party. “We are aware of the way MPs skilled in economic affairs such as Harsha de Silva and Eran Wickramaratne, as well as Thalatha Atukorale, who led women’s movements, have been treated,” more..

Apr 17 (DM) Parliament is offering a total monthly salary of Rs 665,000 to a budget officer which is a newly created post in the House. As per the official website the basic salary of the budget officer is said to be Rs 408,360 while it will come to a total of Rs 665,000 with all allowances. The age limit of the officer should be 65 years. Any eligible person should possess at least 15 years of experience in the govt budgeting, financial policy, fiscal policy or macroeconomic analysis more..

Apr 17 (DM) Immigration and Emigration Dept announced the implementation of new Visa procedures and the launch of an online Visa issuing system starting tomorrow, Immigration and Emigration Conroller General I.S.H.J. Illukpitiya said. As per the new system, the fees for the issue of Visas, necessary amenities and the duration of stays in SL are detailed in a gazette notification (2360/24) released on Nov 27, 2023. The durations and charges for Tourist, Business, Transit Visas more..

Apr 17 (Island) State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) in SL have long served the interests of its employees and politicians, neglecting the welfare of ordinary citizens, Research Consultant at the Advocata Institute Rehana Thowfeek said. Speaking at a recent media briefing titled, Burden and The Urgency of SOE Reform, Thowfeek emphasized the urgent need for reform, stating that despite Sri Lanka defaulting on its loan repayments for nearly more..

Apr 17 (FT) All Island Bakery Owners› Association has appealed to the Govt not to halt the importation of eggs, emphasising that the survival of the bakery industry hinges on it. Jayawardena expressed concern over what he described as an egg mafia manipulating prices to the detriment of bakeries countrywide. “Although we have historically opposed egg imports to support local industries, recent price hikes by egg producers have forced us to reconsider. more..

Apr 17 (Island) Commercial Bank of Ceylon has announced the appointment of top international investment banker Sharhan Muhseen as Chairman, and financial services professional Raja Senanayake as Deputy Chairman. Muhseen, previously Deputy Chairman of the Bank, succeeds Prof. Ananda Jayawardane as Chairman upon the latter’s retirement, and Senanayake, a non-executive director, fills the vacancy created by Muhseen’s elevation to the position of Chairman more..

Apr 17 (FT) Colombo stock market yesterday suffered its highest daily loss as investors reacted negatively to the deadlock in external debt restructuring talks whilst some element of profit taking was evident too. ASPI plunged by 214 points or 1.8% and the active S&P SL20 declined by 2.66% or 95 points. Turnover was Rs. 1.48 billion involving 95.4 million shares. The market has seen Rs. 53 billion in value wiped off in the past two days, after last week saw market capitalisation gain more..

Apr 17 (TM) Ex-SL captain Angelo Mathews, last week divulged information to the local media, linked to an online financial scam, fraudulently using his edited footage. According to the veteran star, a match interview, which he had given to a local television station, had been allegedly dubbed and used in the doctored video, surreptitiously, promoting a betting syndicate. Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, the 36-year-old who has been plying his trade, during the past 16-year period more..

Apr 17 (TM) The ongoing Police probe into the missing documents at the SLFP Headquarters (HQ) is being held up due to certain issues, such as the Police not receiving the keys to the HQ yet. Following a complaint lodged by the Party’s Acting General Secretary and Opposition MP Sarathi Dushmantha Mithrapala, DIG Nihal Thalduwa said that the Police has informed the persons whose names have been mentioned more..

Apr 17 (Island) SL is excitedly getting ready for the Division 1 Asia Rugby 15-a-side Championship which will now be contested between SL, India, Qatar and Kazakhstan in Colombo. Asia Rugby decided to scrap the Division 2 championship after Iran and Pakistan pulled out of competing in this tournament. Hence Kazakhstan’s inclusion in the Division 1 tournament to fill the void created by Pakistan’s unavailability. Undoubtedly this event sees host SL taking the field as the top dog. more..

Apr 17 (CT) Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC), in collaboration with the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE), hosted several impactful teacher training programnes for teachers of the established 100 Capital Market Clubs across the country. These teacher training programmes were conducted in all three languages from 13 March to 4 April at teacher training centres across the nine provinces of the country. Capital Market Club programme is a strategic initiative designed more..