Jul 24 (DN) The public, employees and most importantly trade unions are looking at privatisation of State Owned Enterprises (SOE) more positively, said State-Owned Enterprise Restructuring Head Suresh Shah, Currently, over 400 SOEs are operating in several key sectors including power, energy, finance & insurance, water, aviation, health and education, among others. �Out of them are around 50 to 60 SOE�s which are unproductive and could be completely wound up,� more..

Jul 24 (Island) CWC General Secretary and Water Supply and Estate Infrastructure Development Minister Jeevan Thondaman said that he intended to consult lawmakers representing the hill country regarding Indian grant of SL Rs 3 bn exclusively for the Indian origin Tamil community here. The new entrant to parliamentary politics said that their proposals would be submitted to New Delhi through the High Commission here. Minister said so in response to The Island query as to how more..

Jul 24 (FT) Power and Energy State Minister D.V. Chanaka said Sri Lanka is gearing up for the arrival of the first fuel shipment from China�s Sinopec early next month, as it continues to make strides in enhancing fuel competitiveness. He revealed plans to replace the fuel price formula with a maximum retail price (MRP) system. Under this new approach, Govt will set a maximum retail price, allowing fuel companies to compete by offering prices of their choice within the set limit. more..

Jul 24 (FT) Economist Amal Eran Herath Sanderatne died after falling from the 7th floor of an apartment building at Rosmead Place, Colombo this afternoon, police said. Cinnamon Gardens Police said investigations are underway to ascertain whether it is a suicide or an accident. The body is lying at the National Hospital in Colombo and the post-mortem is to be conducted. Amal Sanderatne (47) is the founder and CEO of Frontier Research which provides macro-economic research. more..

Jul 24 (EN) The wide spreads seen between Sri Lanka�s bank dollar selling and buying rates may narrow later as foreign exchange markets become more active, Central Bank Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe said. �It is a function of liquidity in the market,� Governor Weerasinghe told a forum organized by CFA Society Sri Lanka. �One is uncertainty the other is liquidity. There are day the market is much more active. more..

Jul 24 (Island) Manohara de Silva, PC, said that the govt owed an explanation regarding a presidential pardon for two LTTE cadres serving jail terms for one of the worst atrocities perpetrated by the LTTE outside the Northern and Eastern provinces during the war. Saying that he didn�t object to presidential pardon under special circumstances, the President�s Council underscored the need to be extra cautious in granting such pardons to those convicted of terrorism. more..

Jul 24 (AD) Twelve office train services on several lines will be cancelled on Monday morning (24), owing to trade union action staged by railway employees. Railways employees commenced the trade union action this evening (23), and as a result, several evening trains plying to outstation areas from Colombo, including the 6:40 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. trains to Rambukkana, 7:10 p.m. train to Ambepussa, 8:50 p.m. train to Polgahawela and 9:50 p.m. train to Meerigama, were cancelled. more..

Jul 24 (DM) Minister Nalin Fernando stressed that according to the existing price formula, the two LP gas companies should sell gas at the same prices and that legal action would be taken if this requirement is violated. He told the media that Litro Gas had taken steps to reduce its price but Laugfs Gas had not, and that he received complaints in this regard from the public and several organizations. �The difference of prices of a cylinder of domestic LP gas of the two companies is Rs. 708 more..

Jul 24 (Island) Ratnapura District MP Hesha Withanage is alleging gross misuse of funds at Sri Lanka Cricket with members of the Executive Committee using the board�s money for personal use. Pointing at facts from an audit report, MP said that the money meant to be used for the development of cricket has been used for the pleasure of Members of the Executive Committee. Executive Committee members of the SLC used Rs. 67 million to purchase air tickets more..

Jul 24 (TM) Losses amounting to millions of rupees have been incurred by the Govt due to mismanagement in the procurement of medicines within State health institutions, National Audit Office (NAO) revealed in its latest report. In the report, NAO has revealed instances of procurement mismanagement within State Pharmaceuticals Corporation (SPC) & Medical Supplies Division (MSD) due to delays in placing orders. more..

Jul 24 (PMD) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe instructed the officials to expedite the Anuradhapura Sacred Site Development Plan, giving priority to the Maha Viharaya Development Plan. Prez also mentioned that a Committee consisting of a team of experts from the National Physical Planning Department (NPPD), Dept of Archeology, and Universities will be appointed to implement the Maha Viharaya Development Plan. Prez mentioned this while joining a discussion held yesterday (22) more..

Jul 24 (TM) A 21-year-old woman has died while nine others have sustained injuries after a group of unidentified persons had reportedly set fire to a house at Thonikkal in Vavuniya. The deceased has been identified as a resident of Omanthai in Vavuniya. Among the injured are, a two-year-old boy, two 13-year-old girls, four females between the ages 19 and 41, and also a 42-year-old male, all of whom are from the Thonikkal area. In addition, a 36-year-old resident of Omanthai who sustained more..

Jul 24 (TM) Weeks after the controversial anaesthetic drug propofol was withdrawn from use following several incidents, including the suspected death of a pregnant mother, Ministry of Health (MOH) has airlifted a new stock of the medicine from a different supplier sourced from a different manufacturing line. According to the Medical Supplies Division (MSD) circular MSD/Q/P/2023/41, the product more..

Jul 24 (FT) The first article in this series on making SL a rich country by 2048, dubbed Target 2048, arguing for a democratic leadership rather than an authoritarian leadership has been disputed by some readers. The points raised by them have been two-fold. Some have questioned which country has gained sustainable development through democracy. According to them, it has come from centralised leadership that has caused resource allocation toward continuous economic advancement more..

Jul 24 (FT) The global economic crisis has cast a shadow of uncertainty over various sectors worldwide, and Sri Lanka�s construction industry is bracing itself for the potential challenges that lie ahead. Our construction industry is already undergoing a severe downturn owing to the current economic crisis that our country is experiencing, and the fallout of the global economic crisis will further enhance the crisis that the sector is facing. Under these circumstances, more..

Jul 24 (AD) Railway engine drivers have decided to call off their ongoing strike action following discussions with railway authorities. A number of train services on several lines were cancelled since last evening, owing to the trade union action staged by a group of engine drivers. Trade union action was launched against the Railway Department�s efforts to commence several new train services. However, the Dept of Railways had stated earlier that a total of 35 trains were cancelled more..

Jul 24 (DM) Former Minister Namal Rajapaksa and five others have made an application requesting them to be acquitted from the money laundering case. The defence is to make an application before High Court Judge Nawaratne Marasinghe in terms of Section 200 (1) of the Code of Criminal Procedure requesting the Court to record a verdict of acquittal, on behalf of the accused, in view of the fact that the evidence led by the prosecution has totally failed to establish the commission more..

Jul 24 (PMD) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe announced that the govt will be unveiling a new tourist plan called Visit Sri Lanka that will be released in the upcoming months. He claimed the proposal is in the final stages of development and would be made public as soon as it is complete. Prez made this statement while attending the Award Ceremony and a Gala dinner of the Bocuse d�Or 2023 competition held at the Waters Edge more..

Jul 24 (BBC) George Alagiah, one of the BBC's longest-serving and most respected journalists, has died at 67, nine years after being diagnosed with cancer. A statement from his agent said he "died peacefully today, surrounded by his family and loved ones". "George was deeply loved by everybody who knew him, whether it was a friend, a colleague or a member of the public. "He simply was a wonderful human being. My thoughts are with Fran, the boys and his wider family," she said. more..

Jul 24 (EN) Shares were down at close on Monday, for the first time in 15 sessions, as Lanka IOC brought down the momentum as China�s Sinopec enters the SL fuel industry, an analyst said. The main All Share Price Index was down 0.11% or 12.62 points to 11,093.92, while S&P SL20 was down 0.42% or 13.51 points to 3,2188.32. Sri Lanka has signed a long-term contract with China�s Sinopec group to be a petroleum distributor in the island, Prez�s media office said on May 22. more..

Jul 24 (DM) All Ceylon Traditional Coconut Oil Manufacturers Association alleged that the latest import tax on coconut oil imports would lead to a fraud similar to the infamous multi-billion sugar tax scam benefiting only a handful of importers with stocks purchased previously. Association�s Convener Buddhika de Silva said the price hike resulting from the tax hike would ensure benefits for a few importers who were more..

Jul 24 (AD) Auditor General�s Dept has decided to initiate a special investigation regarding the purchase and distribution of medicines within the last two years. Auditor General W.P.C. Wickramaratne emphasized that the investigation will cover all institutions including the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) and the Medical Supply Division of the Health Ministry. The investigation activities are expected to be commenced within the next week. more..

Jul 24 (DM) There is no shortage of aspirin in the market despite the Ministry of Health recalling a batch of locally produced aspirin from hospitals nationwide. This action was prompted by the discovery of a quality defect in this particular batch. Dr. Saman Ratnayake, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Health, reassured the public that although this specific category of aspirin has been suspended, there will be no shortage of aspirin in the market. more..

Jul 24 (TM) Police have revealed preliminary details of the investigation of top economist Amal Sanderatne's untimely death that took place yesterday. Police spokesman revealed that Sanderatne had jumped out the apartment suddenly while having guests at his home. "Sanderatne had guests at his place and suddenly, while in the company of others, had walked to the balcony and jumped out of it. He was behaving quite normally with his guests just before he jumped more..

Jul 24 (Island) JVP-led Women for Rights (WfR), asked people how many more patients would have to die in hospitals for them to realise that the only way to resolve the prevailing crisis in the country�s health sector was to oust the incumbent regime. Chairperson of WfR, Saroja Savithri Paulraj, said the govt, while allocating around 200 billion rupees for the health sector, set aside a thousand times more funds from the national budget to ensure that politicians lived in luxury. more..

Jul 24 (EN) Norway embassy in Colombo will permanently close on July 31 as part of a reform initiative, with the Norwegian embassy in New Delhi to be tasked with maintaining bilateral relations with Sri Lanka, embassy said. The embassy said that the mission�s Facebook page will also be closed on July 31. �We invite you to follow the page of the Norwegian Embassy in New Delhi for more updates on our ongoing cooperation with India, SL more..

Jul 24 (DM) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe will lead a grand alliance that will contest the next presidential and general election, UNP Deputy Leader Ruwan Wijewardene said. Speaking during the UNP Bala mandala meeting of Wattala where Minister Harin Fernando was appointed the Party's new organizer in the area, Mr. Wijewardene said UNP would be the main party of the grand alliance which will be formed soon. " Prez Wickremesinghe will contest the next prez election leading a grand alliance. more..

Jul 24 (CT) Small tea plantation owners in Hatton and Ratnapura claimed that presently they are facing significant challenges that have forced many of them to halt raw tea leaf production. According to them, last season, they were paid Rs 235 per kg for raw tea leaves. Unfortunately, the situation has worsened, and this month, they are receiving only Rs 110 per kg. This sharp decline in payment is attributed to several factors, including the decrease in the value of the dollar & unrelenting costs more..

Jul 24 (CI) Pakistan dominated in all facets as they went to stumps on day one at the SSC trailing SL by just 21 runs. Abdullah Shafique was unbeaten on 74, and alongside him was Babar Azam on eight, as Pakistan raced to 145 for 2 off just 28.3 overs, before bad light brought an end to play. As for the hosts, they were largely architects of their own downfall, capitulating for 166 before tea, having won the toss and elected to bat first on what had more..

Jul 24 (AD) A 36-year-old lifeguard has reportedly drowned while attempting to save a Russian couple who were swept away by strong currents in the sea area in Waskaduwa. The deceased, who was employed as a lifeguard at a hotel in the area, had attempted to save the couple after hearing the Russian female�s cries for help. He was, however, swept away further into the sea, after which two other hotel staffers had attempted to save the trio. They too, were swept away, more..

Jul 24 (AM) The Sri Lanka national netball team will depart for Cape Town, South Africa, Tuesday for the 2023 Netball World Cup after an International training session in Botswana. The Sri Lanka team was victorious in all four practice matches in Botswana, making it a successful training programme ahead of the World Cup, said SL National Netball Coach Tilaka Jinadasa. SL beat the Botswana National Team 70-51, the Police Team 70-36, and the BDF-Cats Team 55-53. more..

Jul 24 (DM) Court of Appeal issued an interim order preventing DFCC Bank from taking any steps to auction the properties belonging to the proprietor of Senasuma Hotel or take any steps in pursuance of the decision to auction as depicted in the resolution dated 25th Jan 2023 passed by the Board of Directors of the respondent bank. Petitioner P.A.A. Panditharathne, Proprietor of Senasuma Hotel located at Boyagane in Kurunegala filed this writ petition seeking a writ of Certiorari, more..

Jul 24 (SLN) The Sri Lanka Navy recovered over 86kg (wet weight) of Kerala cannabis adrift in waters, during a search operation conducted in the sea area of Kudairippu, Jaffna in the evening of 23rd July 2023. The Sri Lanka Navy remains vigilant and often carries out search operations in its waters and coastal areas of the island, with a view to curbing smuggling and other forms of illegal activities. In continuation of these efforts, the Naval Detachment Mamunai belonging to more..

Jul 24 (Island) Parliamentary Select Committee headed by Minister Dr. Wijayadasa Rajapakshe to make suitable recommendations for the expansion of higher education opportunities in SL has proposed that the categorisation of schools as provincial and national schools be done away with, as that violates Article 27(2) (h) of the Constitution, where equality is guaranteed. �Categorisation of schools as national and provincial has more..

Jul 24 (Island) Dept of National Archives has called for submissions on draft policy on Archives and Records Management. A spokesperson said that this was in line with their commitment to preserving the rich tapestry of our history. �We invite stakeholders, experts, and the public at large to contribute their valuable insights and recommendations to shape this essential policy,� official said. Sri Lanka National Archives is the official repository for archives of public authorities and more..