Aug 9 (TM) Ministry of Finance, recently reiterated its firm decision to not resume the ban on vehicle imports in the foreseeable future, even though the import ban will be lifted for many other items except vehicles by September. Amidst this decision by the Govt, We sat down with Ceylon Motor Traders' Association Chairman Charaka Perera to discuss this in detail. Perera highlights the various challenges the motor vehicle industry more..

Aug 9 (GV) Post-independent Sri Lanka has suffered from recurrent economic crises; the more notable ones being in August 1953, in the late 1970s and most pertinently the current crisis that essentially bankrupted the country. The trigger for the current crisis was the prolonged pandemic that affected the world and the Russian-Ukrainian war in February 2022. The govt�s misguided policies on agriculture, taxation and other sectors made the crisis worse. Post-independence, successive SL govts, more..

Aug 9 (DM) Since independence, the Sri Lankan govt has implemented a number of welfare state measures, such as subsidizing the costs of food, fuel, transport, providing free education and free health care. These measures were intended to gain electoral popularity, but they also led to a weakening of the economy. Between 1958 and 1965, the government began to impose import controls, tighten exchange control measures, and increase state intervention in the economy. more..

Aug 9 (TM) Although narratives both in SL and internationally have presented the disturbing events that transpired on 23 July 1983, which cost thousands of lives, as the start of the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka, a careful analysis of the history shows that those events were in fact one of many incidents of violence and discrimination against ethnic minorities that had been continuing for decades. Emphasising this, a recent report more..

Aug 9 (ST) Are SL�s agriculture policies floundering? Do we have proper policies to deal with both wet and dry seasons, which is the current issue due to a severe drought and expectations that rains are not due until October? Time tested policies should be the norm rather than a knee-jerk reaction to a crisis! In the midst of this debate, paddy farmers are angry over a multitude of issues, the latest being the non-release of water for their cultivations, vegetable farmers are dismayed over more..

Aug 9 (Island) It was reported, the other day, that several female members of the parliamentary staff had been sexually abused by some male officials. When this issue was taken up in the House yesterday, the Chair said a three-member committee had been appointed to probe the allegations of sexual abuse. SJB MP Rohini Kumari Wijeratne said the culprits were forcing the female workers to sign a letter, refuting the allegations of sexual abuse. This is a very serious situation. more..

Aug 9 (TM) It is high time for the universities, UGC, Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC) and the political establishment to take concrete steps to solve the urgent human and physical resources' related issues in new outstation medical faculties. This recommendation was made in an editorial on Outstation State medical faculties in SL: Nobody�s children when it comes to sustainability! which was authored by the Editors-in-Chief of the Anuradhapura Medical Journal, more..

Aug 9 (Island) The govt appears to be giving considerable attention to the national reconciliation process and issues arising from it. Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe is currently championing this process which was dormant for the past five years or more. The prospects for national reconciliation reached their height during the last period when he gave leadership to the govt in 2015-18. The reconciliation process at that time had much wider participation than at present. more..

Aug 9 (FT) Commercial High Court of Colombo Judge Pradeep Hettiarachchi recently dismissed an action filed by Apple Inc. against Stassen Exports Ltd. subject to penal costs at 500%. Apple Inc. instituted action bearing No HC (Civil) 1/2020/IP in the year 2020 against Stassen Exports seeking to annul Stassen�s HANA TEA Trademark which included an image of a bitten apple. In its answer filed in Court, the Defendant, more..

Aug 9 (DM) Openers Nishan Madushka and Rahmanullah Gurbaz shone for Jaffna Kings in the comfortable six-win over Colombo Strikers in the 13th match of the LPL T20 tournament played under floodlights at the Pallekele International Stadium today. Jaffna Kings, suffering a defeat the previous day to Dambulla Aura, showed a completely different approach in their run chase as openers Madushka and Gurbaz gave them a solid start matching the Colombo Strikers, the pair associating in more..

Aug 9 (DM) An all round performance by skipper Wanindu Hasaranga led the way for B-Love Kandy to coast to an easy 89 runs win over Galle Titans in the 12th match of the LPL T20 tournament encounter played at the Pallekele Int'l Stadium today. Skipper Hasaranga who slammed a 27 ball knock of 64 runs in B-Love Kandy�s formidable score of 203 for 5 followed it up with an impressive match figure of 4 for 17 to send Galle Titans in pursuit of 204 runs reeling to a score of 114 runs. more..

Aug 9 (CT) Sri Lanka is at a crucial juncture where teamwork between govt folks and nature lovers is super important to keep our environment safe. But sadly, there�s an ongoing argument between these two groups in our country. Just yesterday, Ceylon Today reported that a group of nature lovers protested against moving a blind elephant named Chandi from Galgamuwa to Maduru Oya. Because of this protest, the Dept of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) agreed to stop the move. more..

Aug 9 (FT) The Organisation of Professional Associations of SL (OPA) will provide a vibrant platform to help find innovative solutions to the country�s economic crisis at its 36th Annual Conference which will focus on the theme Sri Lanka�s Challenging Path towards Economic Recovery and Stability. The flagship event will be held on 9 and 10 August at the Kingsbury Hotel, under the distinguished patronage of Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe. more..

Aug 9 (ST) Serious concerns are being raised about the impact of gambling as well as network marketing sponsorships and partnerships on the ongoing LPL cricket tournament where all teams advertise logos of gambling or online forex companies. Some of the betting and gambling companies involved in the LPL are Skyfair news, 1XBAT, 1XBook, Crickex.in, Kheloyar news, BABU88, Satsport, wolf777 & TigerEXCH more..

Aug 9 (DN) Former legendary Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar yesterday, urged all Sri Lankan youth to indulge in more sports activities to lay the foundation for a healthy and prosperous nation. �I would encourage all children in Sri Lanka to go out and play sports because a fitter nation could do wonders, and they could become successful in whatever the career they choose.� The former India Captain and one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket, made these comments more..

Aug 9 (FT) The Colombo Stock Exchange and stock broking firms are taking the lead in attracting portfolio investments from India via Invest Sri Lanka forum in Chennai today and in Mumbai on Friday. Invest Sri Lanka is a series of forums organised by the CSE in partnership with stock broker firms, to promote foreign portfolio investment into the Sri Lankan stock market by showcasing investment opportunities in leading Sri Lankan listed companies. The investor forums have previously more..

Aug 9 (FT) Former Chairman of PUCSL Janaka Ratnayake claimed management failures at the CEB are costing the country billions of rupees in losses, in addition to inconveniencing millions of public. He said the CEB needs effective management more urgently than restructuring, whilst 300% tariff increases cannot make up for management failures. He pointed to issues with power supply to the southern province as ample evidence. more..

Aug 9 (Island) After the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) recently set a more inclusive and predictable Monetary Policy under the new CBSL Act, the business community appears to be taking their cue from the Bank�s medium term economic projections as was evident by the increased buying interest at the Colombo Stock Exchange when the market opened trading for the week on Aug 7. On Aug 3, Dr. P.K.G. Harischandra, Director of Economic Research at the Central Bank of SL said that more..

Aug 9 (DN) The promising athlete Tharushi Karunaratne from Walala Central and her coach Susantha Fernando were felicitated by Central Province Education Dept in Kandy town at a simple ceremony. The event was organized by Central Province Education Department Sports Director Athula Jayawardena and his team while students of Walala Central, its Principal Dhammika Herath, Staff members and Kandy Municipal Council Assistant Commissioner Prabath Maddumarachchi more..

Aug 9 (FT) Govt has decided to allocate a plot of 218 acres and 30 perches of State-owned land in Hambantota district to boost the commercial aquaculture sector. Following a joint proposal, Cabinet approved to provide a total of 109 acres and 15 perches of land each, on a 30-year lease basis to W.S.R. Lowe and K.M.N. Aqua Services and Rainbow Foods, for Vannamei shrimp cultivation. The move aligns with broader efforts to enhance the country�s aquaculture output, more..

Aug 9 (TM) SL�s Domestic Debt Optimisation (DDO) was more about appeasing international creditors in an attempt to unlock external debt relief, rather than actually contributing to reducing the debt burden itself, an international think tank said. A report by the Australian-based independent think tank Lowy Institute has said that SL brought in a domestic debt restructuring to appease its external creditors rather than reducing the overall debt burden while Imposing losses on domestic creditors, more..

Aug 9 (DM) In the wake of a new variant of COVID-19 dubbed Eris spreading rapidly across the UK, triggering alarm among health officials, SL Health authorities said they keep a close eye on the new developments of the virus and are on alert. A descendant of Omicron, Eris, or EG.5.1, was first flagged as a variant in the UK on 31 July, but now accounts for one in 10 Covid cases. It is now the second most prevalent variant in UK, more..

Aug 9 (DN) A group of 12 leading Indian investors whose attention has been drawn to starting several projects in SL�s shipping and aviation sector met the Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva yesterday for a discussion in this regard. In this discussion, the Indian investors stated that their group is focused on investing in the future development of the ports of Kankasanthure and Trincomalee. Commenting on this, the minister said that with the commencement of passenger cruise services more..

Aug 9 (DM) On Feb 13, 2012, the pilot of the ill-fated PT-6 training aircraft, Wing Commander Tharindu Herath, was lucky enough to escape death when his MiG-27 fighter jet crashed in a coconut estate in Dummalasuriya where he ejected from the aircraft and parachuted to safety. MIG-27 fighter Jet crashed in Dummalasuriya while on a routine training mission. Then its Pilot (Flight Lieutenant Tharindu Herath) had executed a controlled ejection and escaped death. more..

Aug 9 (AD) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe has received intelligence reports detailing another attempt at creating public unrest similar to that of on May 09, 2022, Minister Bandula Gunawardena says. He said the Head of State has briefed the Cabinet about the information he has received from the State Intelligence Service (SIS). Cabinet spokesman said the intelligence reports have revealed that certain groups involved in the Aragalaya movement and affiliated with the opposition were planning more..

Aug 9 (FT) A coalition of Tamil political parties in a letter addressed to Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe have expressed their dissent against his appeal for parties to submit their views and proposals on the implementation of the 13th amendment. Alliance consisting of TELO, DPLF, EPRLF, TNP & DCP noted that the 13A has already been incorporated into the constitution in 1988 with a majority in the Parliament. �Since then Provincial Councils have been established in the entire country, more..

Aug 9 (TM) Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) has denied allegations made by several parties regarding the quality and status of their Nanchang PT-6 trainer aircraft (CJ-6) following the death of two SLAF officers in a crash that took place at China Bay Air Force Base in Trincomalee on Monday. Highlighting that six pilots have been killed in PT-6 aircraft crashes so far, SLFP MP Dayasiri Jayasekara, questioned why aircraft more..

Aug 9 (AD) The committee of experts appointed to investigate the recent incidents of drug allergies and their aftereffects has handed over its report to the Ministry of Health today (8). The committee, chaired by the Director of the Medical Research Institute (MRI) Dr. Dedunu Dias, consisted of six members including Prof. Chandima Jeewandara, Head of the Allergy Immunology and Cell Biology Unit of Sri J'pura University. Taking to Twitter, Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said more..

Aug 9 (DM) After serious irregularities related to the tender procedure of the global tourism promotional campaign were uncovered, necessitating the initiation of a fresh round of tenders, a press conference with the participation of Minister of Tourism and Lands, Harin Fernando, which had been scheduled for tomorrow (9), has been canceled. Earlier today, the media unit of the SL Tourism Promotions Bureau (SLTPB) had extended an invitation to media for a press conference more..

Aug 9 (CT) Director General of Public Relations (DGPR), at the Presidential Secretariat, Thusitha Halloluwa has pledged to hold discussions with the Prez, as early as possible, in order to remove the Health Minister, the Health Secretary and several authorities of the Ministry and probe allegations of corruption levelled against them. President of the Medical and Civil Rights Professional Association of Doctors (MCPA), more..

Aug 9 (FT) There are now city talks about all-party discussions convened at the Presidential Secretariat to discuss, reconciliation and to find answers to the Tamil National Question. These discussions will not serve any useful purpose, as long as mainstream political parties refrain from discussing these issues at length and in depth within their own organisations to begin with. Every political leader and that includes Tamil and Muslim leaders too, who sat at this discussion and more..

Aug 9 (FT) Jaffna Municipal Council elections held on 29 Jan 1998 resulted in Sarojini Yogeswaran of the TULF being elected as the first mayoress of Jaffna. Sarojini, the widow of former TULF Jaffna MP Vettivelu Yogeswaran assumed duties as Jaffna�s 14th mayor on 11 Mar 1998. The first woman mayor of Jaffna was murdered in cold blood by the LTTE on 17 May 1998. Sarojini whom I called Saro Akka (elder sister) was a sensitive soul. She and her husband Yoges Annan were quite fond of me. more..

Aug 9 (DM) Asian youth athletic Championship 2023 Bronze Medalist and Upcoming young SL athlete Ayomal Akalanka of Ambagamuwa MMV qualified for the 400m Hurdle Boys finals at the 7th Commonwealth Youth Games today. Commonwealth Youth Games Athletic Championship is now underway in Trinidad and Tobago and the final of the event is scheduled to be held tomorrow at the Hasely Crawford Stadium. The preliminary round of the respective event was held today, more..

Aug 9 (AD) Supreme Court today dismissed a Fundamental Rights (FR) petition filed seeking an order preventing the govt from waiving off loans obtained from the EPF and ETF funds during the domestic debt restructuring process. The relevant petition was filed by Attorney-at-Law Sunil Watagala on behalf of the Inter-Company Employees� Union, its Prez Wasantha Samarasinghe and six others, seeking an order preventing the govt from waiving off the loans obtained from the EPF & ETF more..

Aug 9 (TM) The Women Parliamentarians caucus claimed that certain parties are working to influence the investigations carried out into the alleged sexual abuse of females in the Housekeeping Dept of the Parliament. Speaking in the Parliament on behalf of the Women MPs� Caucus, SJB MP Rohini Kumari Wijeratna claimed that some of the staff members who have been harassed have been asked by many parties more..