Aug 15 (AD) A group of 54 SL migrant workers who were stranded in Kuwait will be repatriated today. These SLBFE-registered individuals, after overstaying their visas and fleeing their initial workplaces, had been stuck in Kuwait without any means to return to SL. SLBFE Chairperson has instructed the respective SL emissaries to facilitate the expeditious return of the SLBFE-registered migrant workers stranded and accommodated at safe houses in foreign countries. more..

Aug 15 (CI) SL allrounder Wanindu Hasaranga has retired from Test cricket at age 26. He is understood to have made this decision in order to be more available for franchise cricket tournaments. Hasaranga has not been a regular member of SL's Test squad over the last two years, but has played four Tests. He had largely failed to impress with the ball in those matches, taking four wickets at an average of 100.75, though he did hit more..

Aug 15 (CT) The Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) drew attention to the non-payment of pensions to a group of retired officers of the Sri Lanka Samurdhi Authority. This was discussed when the COPA, chaired by State Minister Lasantha Alagiyawanna met in Parliament recently to discuss the current status of the directives issued by the Ministry of Women, Child Affairs and Social Empowerment, and the Department of Samurdhi Development on 26 May 2023. more..

Aug 15 (CT) State Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya, issued a stern call to the public, urging them to steer clear of any involvement with pyramid schemes, categorising these activities as a social virus. Speaking to the press, Siyambalapitiya underscored that despite pyramid schemes already being outlawed in SL, under Section 83(C) of the Banking Act, No. 30 of 1988, existing regulations must be modernised and stringent penalties must be imposed on those implicated. more..

Aug 15 (DM) State-owned Channel Eye had been secretly sold to VIS Broadcasting (Pvt) Ltd. for Rs 250 million per month effective for six months from June 30, NPP alleged. NPP politburo member Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa said that the airtime of Channel Eye had been sold without any transparency and that the Minister of Mass Media had submitted a Cabinet Paper yesterday after the Rupavahini employees and people who were aware of the deal objected to it. more..

Aug 15 (FT) Govt has made amendments to the existing charges for obtaining licences for the public exhibition of foreign or local films, stage dramas, musicals, and performing shows under the Public Performance Act. The revised charges were introduced through an Extraordinary Gazette notification issued last Friday by Minister Bandula Gunawardena to streamline the licensing process and ensure that charges remain in proportion with the scope of the exhibitions. more..

Aug 15 (Reuetrs) Chinese oil major Sinopec expects to start operations in Sri Lanka on Sep 20 and will be allowed to sell fuel for less than the maximum retail price set by the govt, Power minister Kanchana Wijesekera said. Sinopec's entry into Sri Lanka will help reduce pressure on SL's foreign exchange reserves, and the island nation expects two other international fuel operators to start operations by October and November, more..

Aug 15 (DM) Three persons were killed and eight others injured after in an accident involving a van and two lorries on the A-9 main road at Panichchankulam in Mankulam early this morning. Police said the accident occurred when a van travelling towards Jaffna from Colombo collided on the back of a parked lorry and the lorry collided with another lorry in front of it. The driver of the first lorry was out of the vehicle when the van crashed and he was trapped between the two lorries more..

Aug 15 (AD) Minister Kanchana Wijesekera has assured that the remaining work pertaining to the laying of power cables connecting the Southern Province to the main transmission line of the CEB will be completed by Sunday (20). Issues pertaining to the laying of the said power cables through a private estate in Siripagama, Ratnapura were resolved on 11 August, when the Artigala family, owners of the tea estate in question, consented the move without claiming any compensation more..

Aug 15 (PTI) The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has renewed its demand for a federal system with self-determination rights, amidst President Ranil Wickremesinghe's efforts to implement the 13th amendment to the Constitution. Last week, Prez Wickremesinghe made a special address to Parliament, urging all political parties to collaborate in the implementation of the 13A while excluding police powers. more..

Aug 15 (AD) The COPF has questioned the officials representing the Ministry of Finance regarding the action taken to recover the loss incurred by the Sugar Tax Scam in SL, while expressing its displeasure as the Ministry of Finance has failed to take action in this regard as yet. The matter arose at the meeting of the Committee on Public Finance held recently in Parliament under the Chairmanship of Pro tem chair Champika Ranawaka, in the absence of its Chair Dr. Harsha de Silva, more..

Aug 15 (DM) Sri Lanka may have to bring down specialist doctors from overseas in the next couple of years if the specialist doctors continue to leave the country, a medical specialist said yesterday. Association of Medical Specialists (AMS) media spokesman Ashoka Gunaratne told reporters that Sri Lanka was left with only two options to face the shortage of specialist doctors either to hire foreign doctors overseas or reduce the size of the cadre in a given hospital. more..

Aug 16 (DM) Sri Lanka is going through a prolonged period of dry weather this year. However, this is not the first time such variations in the climate have adversely affected this country. The older generation probably remembers the dry spell we underwent during the Presidencies of Ms Chandrika Kumaratunga and Mahinda Rajapaksa. The failure of the monsoon then too, caused prolonged periods of dry weather leading to crop failures and the impoverishment of farmers. more..

Aug 16 (DM) It�s tragic that a handful of petty minded patriots have leaped out to vociferously condemn Umara Sinhawansa�s rendition of the National Anthem of Sri Lanka at the IPL opening ceremony held recently. Indeed, it was very significant that the organizers had chosen an artiste from the minority Malay Community to do the honours. She did so with the required artistry. The discordant outbursts of these people may have emanated owing to her minority community status. more..

Aug 16 (SO) The Odyssey (by Greek poet Homer) is a work of literature widely read by modern audiences. The word Odyssey itself means a long and eventful or adventurous journey or experience. Story is about the Greek hero Odysseus, and his journey home after the Trojan War. When urban folk here and abroad read a travel guide and see the words � Seethawaka Odyssey, fantastic images come to their mind. more..

Aug 16 (ST) It is a pity that the nation�s Minister of Health Rambukwella has still not fathomed the depths and extent of mass opinion nor stared hard at the clear writing on the wall and re-considered his position at the helm. It�s almost as if nothing seems to seep through in Parliament today, pumped up and buttressed by his own inviolate belief that he alone knows best what is right for the Ministry of Health and what the best drugs are to order for the people�s health. more..

Aug 16 (TM) As part of the reforms spree that SL has embarked on, the authorities have paid attention to all crucial sectors, with education being one of the key ones. While the past few months saw a number of conventional reform plans for the sector, including introducing new subjects and amending existing curricula, the education authorities are now focusing on not only what could be improved but also rectifying the aspects of the education sector that have gone wrong. more..

Aug 16 (TM) Cherantha de Silva, a remarkable swimming champion, has contributed significantly to Sri Lanka sports. He represented the country in six World Championships, two Commonwealth Games, an Asian Games tournament, and a South Asian Games tournament. Cherantha has won 7 medals, including a gold medal in the 2016 South Asian Games. Recently, he returned to SL after completing his degree more..

Aug 16 (CT) While the IMF directed economic recovery program remains only partially completed, Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe is switching attention to implement the controversial 13th Amendment. RW believes in a simplistic formula that the IMF magic and India inspired 13A would transform Sri Lanka into a first world nation by year 2048. Surprisingly, target 2048 has now received endorsement as a viable objective from certain intellectual quarters also. more..

Aug 16 (CT) Tax has always been a sensitive topic in SL- either for the absurdity of the taxes or for the discrepancies in collecting the taxes. The present days have seen a rather intensified version of this ever-lasting controversy of taxes, as the govt has been compelled to re-structure (increase, actually) the taxes in order to face the economic ordeal. Notwithstanding it crushing the people, there was no other option than paying them, particularly for the ordinary people of the country. more..

Aug 16 (ST) The SL 7s men�s rugby team is at the risk of being withdrawn from the upcoming Asian Games 2023, due to the stalemate position of the governing body, Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR), which is under suspension currently. The rugby 7s of the Asian Games 2023 will be held from September 24 to 26 in Hangzhou, China and the national rugby selection committee picked 12 players under the captaincy of Kandy SC flyhalf Tarinda Ratwatte. With the Asian Games 2023 only five weeks away, more..

Aug 16 (Island) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe is currently endeavouring to implement the 13th Amendment of the Constitution, which could lead to the establishment of a federal structure, much to the delight of Washington policymakers. US policy towards SL�s ethnic conflict has long been guided by the comforting notion that Tamil self-govt within a decentralised SL state would satisfy the legitimate needs of that minority community and shield it from Sinhalese oppression. more..

Aug 16 (TG) For more than a year now, Anne Roshel has had no milk to give her two children, neither fresh nor powdered. Looking out from the kitchen door on a sweltering afternoon in July, she says her eight-year-old son has just a potato-stuffed bun for breakfast. Sometimes it�s a packet of rice with pol sambol (coconut relish), chilli and lime. A single mother, Roshel, 27, lives in her parents� crumbling cement house with the children more..

Aug 16 (Island) There has been a spike in fatal road accidents recently due to reckless driving. A speeding bus overturned at Bambalapitiya, during the weekend, injuring 15 persons; thankfully there were no fatalities. The driver had ignored the signal lights. Road accidents snuff out as many as seven lives a day in SL. In 2022, there were about 2,371 fatal road mishaps, which destroyed 2,485 lives, according to the police. The majority of these killer accidents are believed to be preventable. more..

Aug 16 (ST) SL Ports Development Authority (SLPA) is set to raise tariffs in accordance with the govt�s revenue enhancement and administration reforms. Approval has been granted to revise the tariff structure of navigation, stevedoring, harbour tonnage, container operations, conventional cargo operations etc, Finance Ministry�s latest fiscal situation report revealed. SLPA has been directed to improve efficiency and reduce unnecessary costs & eliminate delays to increase its bottom-line more..

Aug 16 (DN) SL team for the IAAF 19th World Athletic Championship 2023 will leave for Budapest, Hungary tomorrow. The team is captained by 400m champion athlete Kalinga Kumarage who is a key member of the 4x400m men�s relay team. World Athletic Championship is scheduled to be held from Aug 19�27 and this is the key event of world athletic calendar in which 2,087 athletes from 207 countries will take part in this event. Sri Lanka Athletics (SLA) President Palitha Fernando said more..

Aug 16 (SO) A flurry of cameras clicked like a burst of gun-fire as one of the world�s most iconic cricketers Sachin Tendulkar walked in, not to bat but to signal he needed attention to take his message of child welfare to all regions in Sri Lanka. As children�s goodwill ambassador of Unicef, Tendulkar was the toast at the Cinnamon Lakeside Hotel in Colombo that hosted him and a group of needy welfare-benefitting kids who drew several media heavyweights. more..

Aug 16 (TM) In response to allegations that the Govt is attempting to sell State-owned media channels in the prevailing economic situation, Ministry of Mass Media stated that there is no such preparation. SJB Leader Sajith Premadasa recently claimed that the Govt is planning to sell State-owned media channels, as it finds it difficult to bear the expenditure on them in the prevailing economic crisis. Although there is a need for solutions more..

Aug 16 (FT) The Bank of Ceylon (BOC) has reported Rs. 10.5 billion of Profit Before Tax (PBT) for the six-month period ended 30 June 2023 amidst the unprecedented challenges continued to prevail from previous year. The interest income of the Bank grew by 32% to Rs. 259.7 billion primarily due to the increase in AWPLR compared to the corresponding period of the previous year. However, interest expenses grew by 98% as the deposit mix has been re-priced at higher rates, resulting in more..

Aug 16 (FT) The Govt has decided to establish a new Department for Cinnamon Development amidst considerations, recognising the valuable contribution of the export crop to boost foreign exchange earnings. The proposed department is poised to offer a range of facilities and support to producers, suppliers, and exporters involved in cinnamon-related activities. The move was outlined as a 2023 Budget proposal. The joint proposal submitted by Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe and more..

Aug 16 (TM) In the wake of a significant number of medical specialists leaving the country or opting to join private hospitals, concerns have been raised over the newest trend of specialists leaving hospital service and joining universities� medical faculties. It was reported that the serious economic crisis that has emerged in the country in the last few years has led to a large number of medical specialists migrating or more..

Aug 16 (TM) The COPA disclosed that the Govt has incurred a loss of Rs. 78 million (Mn) due to a failed project for the construction of a radar system provided by the World Meteorological Organisation in the Gongala area. These facts came to light when the Dept of Meteorology was summoned before the COPA recently. In this project implemented in 2008, approximately Rs. 402 million has been spent for this radar system and Rs. 323 million has been given by World Meteorological Organisation. more..

Aug 16 (DM) Some SJB MPs are of the opinion that they should support Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe at a future Prez Election on the condition that he appoints Leader of Opposition Sajith Premadasa as the Prime Minister if he emerges victorious. A former Member of the SJB who is now a minister said that some SJB MPs have proposed conditional support. Commenting on the matter SJB MP Rajitha Senaratne said one MP from the party had already met Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe and more..

Aug 16 (FT) Vidullanka PLC has recorded a net profit of Rs. 232 million for the quarter ended 30/06/2023, up by 6% from the first quarter of the year before, as per the latest interim financials on the CSE. Total revenue of the Group surpassed just over Rs. 1 billion, a healthy jump compared to the Rs. 775 million recorded in the corresponding period of the previous year. Increases in costs of finance and cost of sales have curtailed the profitability growth of the company, as evident above. more..

Aug 16 (CT) Visiting the Madhu Church for the annual festival yesterday Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe said the inter-city express train service, between Talaimannar and Colombo, will be launched on 15 Sept with the aim of enhancing connectivity and to facilitate smoother travel between the two cities. He also announced plans to transform Mannar into an energy hub. The Mannar region, where the National Shrine of Our Lady of Madhu is located, possesses abundant more..