Jul 26 (Island) Minister Keheliya Rambukwella has demonstrated his adeptness at obfuscation and throwing red herrings, once again. In a recent interview, he has tendered an unqualified apology to the public for saying that not all those who seek treatment at govt hospitals recover, and that is why there are funeral homes close to those places. He has said he happened to make that statement, which has come in for criticism, in the middle of a heated argument with his political rivals, more..

Jul 26 (DM) Sri Lanka has lately witnessed a vehicle accident spree that has resulted not only in the loss of precious lives, but also caused significant trauma to the victims left behind. The latest in its wake is a bus- carrying a group of ten employees of the Uma Oya project- that skidded off the road and fell into a 10-metre precipice at Idda Ara in Wellawaya on 18 July, claiming the life of the driver and injuring six passengers. Last week, similar accidents involving buses were reported from Manampitiya, more..

Jul 26 (ST) In the wake of several incidents and deaths being reported from some state hospitals in the country, the Sunday Times asked the drug watchdog, National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) for specifics in each case. This was as earlier in the week, the Health Ministry appointed a 7-member Expert Committee to investigate the recent incidence of drug allergies and their after-effects. more..

Jul 26 (DN) For the first time, a female sailor will represent SL at a World Laser Sailing Championship. Taalya Tranchell, a 17 year old student of Ladies� College will compete alongside 150 female sailors. The 2023 ILCA 4 Youth World C'ship that started on July 24, is held in Volos, Greece at the Nautical Club of Volos will end on July 30. Selected to represent SL for the Asian Games in China, Taalya has been training hard since 2021 when she moved from being an Optimist more..

Jul 26 (FT) Top blue chip John Keells Holdings (JKH) announced a drastic drop in profitability in the 1Q of FY24 due to rise in taxes and interest cost whilst its results a year ago benefitted from windfall exchange gains. Group PBT at Rs. 1.40 billion in the 1QFY24 was a decrease of 91% from a year ago. JKH said 1QFY23 included Rs. 10.12 billion of net exchange gains recorded on its dollar denominated cash holdings at the Holding Company, resulting from the steep depreciation more..

Jul 26 (ST) Colombo Port City Development project faced unfavourable times as talks with investors slowed down as a result of the pandemic and the more recent economic crisis. �The unfortunate occurrence of the pandemic and subsequent economic crisis created unfavourable conditions for Sri Lanka as a whole,� prior to which �positive discussions with potential investors from key target markets� were already underway, Colombo Port City Economic Commission (CPCEC) Chairman more..

Jul 26 (FT) The United Nations new Resident Coordinator Marc-Andr� Franche, paid a courtesy call to President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Monday. During the meeting, the UN Resident Coordinator Marc-Andr� Franche engaged in constructive dialogue with Prez Wickremesinghe on matters of utmost importance for Sri Lanka�s economic stability and growth. Both parties acknowledged the significance of the role the UN could play in assisting SL in ensuring equitable debt treatment more..

Jul 26 (TM) Following the Law Students� Union of SL (LSUSL) raising concerns over the recent increases in various types of fees charged by the SL Law College (SLLC), the Bar Association of SL (BASL) stated that the increases are not abrupt and the relevant decision was made collectively by Council of Legal Education (CLE). LSUSL President Shenal Wijesinghe said that various types of fees, including that for more..

Jul 26 (TM) The Ministry of Agriculture has sought technical support from Italy to carry out a feasibility study on the possibility of manufacturing mozzarella cheese and growing olives in Sri Lanka, and invited the Italian investors in for the related projects. Minister of Agriculture Mahinda Amaraweera has met Italian Agriculture Minister Francesco Lollobrigida at the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (UNFAO) in Rome in Italy. During the discussion, Amaraweera said more..

Jul 26 (DN) According to the Secretary of the Sports Ministry K. Maheshan this time 62 mens athletes and 34 womens athletes from 20 sports will will go on the tour while 20 managers, 24 coaches, six member medical team and 7 officials of National Olympic Committee got approval from the Sports Minister last Monday and altogether 153 member Sri Lanka contingent will go on this China tour. Sports Minister wanted to give first priority for athletes and less officials for the Asian Games more..

Jul 26 (ST) Although 35,000 online passport applications have been received through the new online application system at the Immigration and Emigration Dept, only 3700 passports have been couriered to applicants, Controller General Harsha Ilukpitiya said. Following a number of inquiries received from various individuals on delays in receiving their passports after submitting their fingerprints, on Friday more..

Jul 26 (MFA) Ministry of Foreign Affairs unreservedly rejects the reference to a Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day in the statement issued on 23 July 2023 by the Canadian PM Justin Trudeau. Canada's continued reference to a false, distorted narrative of the past conflict in Sri Lanka is aimed solely at achieving local vote-bank electoral gains, and is not conducive to broader goals of communal harmony. SL urges Canada and its leaders to support Sri Lanka in its efforts to ensure more..

Jul 26 (DM) Ambassador of Japan to SL, Mizukoshi Hideaki recently emphasised the importance of Sri Lanka completing the IMF reforms and finalising debt restructuring negotiations for the economic recovery of the country. �These things will result in better sovereign credit ratings, access to international capital markets,� the ambassador highlighted while addressing the recently concluded 44th Annual General Meeting of the Sri Lanka-Japan Business Council. more..

Jul 26 (Island) Virtusa�s breakthrough Skill Recommendation Bot (V+ Assistant) was adjudged National Runner-Up in the category of Best Innovation in Internal Processes, Technology or Framework at the recently held National Ingenuity Awards organized by the SLASSCOM. The top honor is a consecutive win for the Company at the annual awards gala, highlighting Virtusa�s commitment to embrace the fundamental role of innovation and its application more..

Jul 26 (FT) Port City Colombo (PCC), SL�s most ambitious integrated development project and the country�s first foreign currency designated Special Economic Zone dedicated to exports of services, has taken a significant step towards fostering stronger ties between the Thai and Sri Lankan business communities. Accordingly, a MoU was recently signed between Port City Colombo and the Thai-SL Chamber of Commerce (TSLCC) in Bangkok, Thailand. more..

Jul 26 (FT) Minister Bandula Gunawardena said the country can only overcome the dreadful situation through a prudent economic reform program, insisting that there is no political solution. He stressed the need to adopt strategic policies and measures to ensure sustainable growth, emphasising that mere political slogans would not suffice. �During the Cabinet meeting President also emphasised that manufacturing economy more..

Jul 26 (Island) Dissident SLPP MP Prof Channa Jayasumana says the company responsible for producing substandard aspirin tablets locally failed a quality test conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO) a few years ago. Recently, the Ministry of Health withdrew a batch of aspirin by the company from use in state hospitals. �It is obvious that we have had an influx of substandard drugs. Out of these, almost everything has been bought under emergency purchases,� he said. more..

Jul 26 (CI) Sri Lanka Cricket in in the process of creating women's sides affiliated with several first-class clubs, though no concrete timeline has been announced. "The top clubs in SL such as SSC, NCC, CC and Tamil Union will start fielding women's teams in the upcoming domestic competitions," SLC President Shammi Silva said at a media briefing on Tuesday. However, Head of National Cricket Operations at SLC Chinthaka Edirimanne, clarified that move was still in the discussion stage. more..

Jul 26 (DM) A special luxury express tourist train, Yal Nila Odyssey, from Mount Lavinia to Kankesanthurai (KKS), will start operating on Aug 4, Transport Minister Bandula Gunawardana said. The train consists of super-luxury, fully air-conditioned compartments and restaurant cars. The train starts its first journey at 10.30 p.m. from Mount Lavinia and is scheduled to reach KKS at 6 a.m. on Saturday (5). The train will be stationed at KKS on Saturday and Sunday, and more..

Jul 26 (AD) Gazette notification issued earlier this year stipulating a Maximum Retail Price (MRP) for eggs will be withdrawn at midnight today (25), according to the Ministry of Trade. Announcement comes following Minister Nalin Fernando�s comments that the stock of eggs imported from India will be sold at Rs. 35 per egg at all Lanka Sathosa outlets from today. Meanwhile, another Extraordinary Gazette notification was issued in April this year, stipulating a MRP for eggs by weight. more..

Jul 26 (TM) Education Ministry is to call for a detailed report about the members of the academic and non-academic staff of State universities who have vacated their positions without tendering their resignations. When queried, Secretary to Ministry of Education Nihal Ranasinghe said that suitable action will be taken after receiving the report, adding that the Ministry is to direct the VCs of all 17 State universities to submit a report more..

Jul 26 (Island) A group of politicians from regional Tamil parties on Monday obstructed officials from the Survey Dept, at Mulliyan, Vadamarachchi, while they were surveying a one and a half acre land for the use of the navy. A group led by politicians stopped the vehicle carrying the department officials and prevented them from surveying land. TNPF politicians led the group. The survey dept officials returned to their office and informed this development to their senior officials. more..

Jul 26 (CT) Due to the scarcity of vital drug Basiliximab, which is required for kidney transplants, all surgeries in this regard which had been scheduled to be carried out at the National Institute for Nephrology, Dialysis, and Transplantation (NINDT) had come to a standstill. It is said that before carrying out a kidney transplant the aforementioned drug has to be administered without failure to the patient concerned and via it the kidney that is transplanted is prevented more..

Jul 26 (Island) Responding to criticism that Sri Lanka Cricket Executive Committee members had utilized boards� funds to purchase air tickets for family members and actresses, SLC President Shammi Silva squashed allegations as totally false and baseless. Last week Opposition MP Hesha Withanage had alleged that a sum of over 67 million had been spent to purchase air tickets for family members & friends of SLC Ex-Co members. more..

Jul 26 (FT) Economic reforms to rebuild a devastated economy and under the direction of IMF are underway in spite of certain important and legitimate criticisms against IMF�s one size fits all approach. After nearly one year of its operation, Prez Wickremesinghe, his UNP-SLPP acolytes, and the Governor of CBSL are busy selling to the public the short-term gains made so far. Electricity tariffs and gas prices have come down, no regular power cuts, queues have disappeared, inflation is sliding, more..

Jul 26 (FT) I was an employee of the Central Bank on 31 January 1996, and I still vividly remember the trauma caused as a result of the terrorist bomb attack on the Central Bank building by LTTE terrorists which claimed the lives of 91 civilians and injured 1,500 and caused irreparable loss to the Central Bank. 41 CBSL officers were dead, 8 CBSL officers were totally blinded, 11 CBSL officials were partially paralysed, and a few 100 were seriously injured. more..

Jul 26 (EN) Shares were down at close on profit taking and selling interest after continuous gains in the past sessions due to assurances in debt restructuring, an analyst said. ASPI was down 0.76% or 84.36 points to 10,958.08, this is the lowest the market has been since 20 July, this is the third consecutive time the market closed lower, while S&P SL20 was down 0.99% or 31.61 points to 3,167.38. SL is seeing some selling interest in the Lanka IOC counter as the island nation has signed more..

Jul 26 (MFA) SL deposited the instrument of ratification of CTBT with the UN Office of Legal Affairs (UNOLA) on 25 July 2023 at UN Headquarters in New York becoming the 178th State to ratify the CTBT. By depositing CTBT instrument of ratification, SL�s status as a signatory is elevated to a complete State Party to the Treaty. Drafted at the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, and adopted by the General Assembly on 10 Sept 1996, the CTBT has been open for signature since more..

Jul 26 (TM) The main reason for the shortage of pharmaceutical drugs and medical equipment in the country is not the non-allocation of sufficient funds, but the authorities' attempts to commit various frauds without properly managing the financial allocations, claimed the United Republic Front (URF) led by MP Patali Champika Ranawaka. URF Chairman Dr. Ajith Amarasinghe claimed that the problematic situation in health sector more..

Jul 26 (AD) Samagi Sevaka Sangamaya of Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT) has informed the President in writing, the reasons why they are against the sale of the state-owned shares in the national telecommunications services provider. The relevant letter points out that the SLT fulfills the majority of the communication needs of the country as a competitive state-owned company in the field of communication, while making a considerable contribution to the country�s economy. more..

Jul 26 (DM) The Colombo High Court today acquitted and discharged the former OIC of Police Reserve Headquarters Vijith Weerasinghe from all the charges relating to a forgery incident that took place in 2004. The former OIC was indicted in the High Court for allegedly preparing forged documents to reinstate Reserve Police Constable Marikkar Kabeer who was sent on compulsory leave as he had secured employment abroad. The Police Constable Kabeer giving evidence stated that more..

Jul 26 (DM) Sanderatne family yesterday went public on the tragic and unfortunate death of young economist Amal following the conclusion of his last rites. �For the past few months, Amal had suffered from serious depression for which he received treatment, both in hospital and at home. Sadly, on 23 July, he took his own life,� said Amal�s father Dr. Nimal Sanderatne on behalf of the family. �We are appreciative of the support and sympathy more..

Jul 26 (FT) Sri Lanka faces a unique set of challenges that affect the production, accessibility, and utilisation of food for its population. Factors such as climate change, supply chain issues, economic fluctuations, and the COVID-19 pandemic further exacerbated these challenges. The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) Representative in Sri Lanka and the Maldives, Vimlendra Sharan shares his insights into the current state of food security in Sri Lanka. more..

Jul 26 (AD) A group of 12 persons, including the chairman of the Manning Market General Trade Union, have been arrested for staging a protest in violation of a court order. Group was arrested this morning by the Peliyagoda Police. Protest was launched alleging that stall spaces within the premises are being given to external vendors. However, upon the presentation of facts in this regard by the Peliyagoda police officers, who highlighted that that such a protest more..

Jul 26 (DM) Two relatives of Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe were also part of the non-SLC contingent that travelled to Australia for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup last year with letters from SLC, sources claimed. A draft of the AG's report following a special audit into the T20 World Cup expenditure of SLC showed that 35 individuals who had no association with SLC had received letters for Australian visas from them. The names of the two relatives did not appear on that list of 35 more..