Jun 12 (AD) Police have arrested four suspects today (11) over the shooting of the Chairman of the Co-Operative Insurance Corporation�s branch in Walpita, Meegoda. The investigations have revealed that the shooting had been carried out based on a contract for money, the police said. 62-year-old Darshana Samarawickrama, was injured following a shooting incident that took place at Gemunu Mawatha in Walpita on June 05, and was admitted to Homagama Hospital. more..

Jun 12 (AD) National Dengue Control Unit (NDCU) says that around 25% of Sri Lanka�s total dengue patients are school children. Director of NDCU, Dr. Nalin Ariyaratne emphasized that all necessary measures should be taken to prevent the spread of dengue through schools, adding that the number of dengue figures reported within the past few months in the country is over 42,000. Nearly 50% of the total dengue patients have been registered from the Western Province, more..

Jun 12 (TM) The one-member committee that investigated the incident of then State Minister of Prison Management and Prisoners Rehabilitation Lohan Ratwatte having forcibly entered the Welikada and A'pura Prisons and allegedly intimidated several inmates in 2021, has recommended that charges including those of attempted murder be filed against Ratwatte. The recommendations for charges have been made in accordance with more..

Jun 12 (FT) One of the preconditions of IMF�s Extended Fund Facility to Sri Lanka has been the completion of a diagnostic study of governance mechanism, including the anti-corruption law enforcement, by a team fielded by the Fund and SL Govt should take remedial measures to correct the situation if there are deficiencies in the governance structure. This is a policy action which Sri Lanka should have taken on its own rather than being imposed by an outside lender. more..

Jun 12 (FT) It was reported in the news recently that the Cabinet has approved a decision to abolish the SVAT scheme, which was originally introduced with effect from 1 April 2011, under the Section of 2(2) of the Value Added Tax (VAT) Act No. 14 of 2002. Whilst Cabinet�s other decision pertaining to rationalisation of VAT exemption, is a welcome move, the decision to abolish the SVAT scheme with effect from 1 Jan 2024, could have drastic adverse repercussions on taxpayers as well as more..

Jun 12 (DM) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe pulled up officials of the Archaeology Dept over an issue pertaining to the allocation of lands to an Archaeological site. Prez asked the Archaeology Department official "Are you trying to teach me history? Or do you want me to teach you?" The conversation took place during a meeting with the Prez and representatives of the Tamil Political parties. When Archaeology Dept official said that they were planning to acquire 270 acres more..

Jun 12 (CT) One person sustained injuries on Saturday (10) night, in a shooting involving the Akmeemana Traffic Police. The incident led to residents of the area protesting against the Police on Sunday (11). Police initially said the incident took place during a routine inspection when a motorcycle carrying two persons was instructed to stop on a side road along the Walahanduwa-Nugaduwa road. As the Police officers approached the suspects, one of them fled on a motorcycle. more..

Jun 12 (CNA) When news broke early this year that Lunuganga was finally letting paying guests stay in the west wing of its main house � the private quarters of its SL architect and owner, the late Geoffrey Bawa � a frisson ran through the global architecture and gardening communities. For readers who are still not sure about the magnitude of the announcement, it�s the equivalent of getting to stay in Beyonce�s actual bedroom. more..

Jun 12 (EN) Health sector may face difficulties in managing patients and controlling deaths from Dengue as a more virulent form of the disease than in earlier outbreaks continue to persist, the island�s National Dengue Control Unit said. �Out of the total patients around 20-25% are school children,� Nalin Ariyaratne, Director of NDCU said. �And the majority of around 50% is from Western province.� Authorities have identified around 43,346 dengue patients as of June 12, 2023, more..

Jun 12 (DM) Nidahas Janatha Sabhawa's intention is to form a joint opposition with the minimum aim of taking on the Ranil Wickremesinghe administration, the party's leader and opposition MP Dallas Alahapperuma said today. �It is essential to form the broadest alliance possible to defeat the Wickremesinghe administration. Therefore, the Nidahas Janatha Sabahawa is ready to have a dialogue with the SJB, JJB and all other opposition groups,� Mr. Allahapperuma said. more..

Jun 12 (AD) Director General of the Dept of Archeology Prof. Anura Manatunga has tendered his letter of resignation from his post to the Ministry Secretary, Minister Vidura Wickramanayaka said. Prof. Manatuga had been appointed as the Director General of the Dept of Archaeology with effect from the 1st of January 2021, in the wake of former Director General Dr. Senarath Dissanayake retiring from the service. more..

Jun 12 (DM) SLC clarified the delay faced by the national cricket team that travelled to Zimbabwe for the World Cup qualifiers, after several cricketers shared images on social media of them waiting to be checked-in into the hotel in Bulawayo. Images shared on the verified accounts of Sadeera Samarawickrama and Maheesh Theekshana shows several players seated on the ground as they waited to be checked in. The images, shared via Instagram Stories, have since been deleted. more..

Jun 12 (AD) The Secretary of the GMOA Dr. Haritha Aluthge stresses that patients have undergone major inconveniences due to the MRI scanner at the Anuradhapura Teaching Hospital not being in operation for over 03 months. Joining a press briefing in Colombo this morning (12), Dr. Aluthge emphasized that a situation has arisen where the patients who require MRI scanning facilities should be referred for Kandy, Peradeniya or Colombo bearing an unnecessary expenditure. more..

Jun 12 (CT) Price of a lottery ticket will be doubled from 1 July. Accordingly, the price will be increased to Rs 40 from the current Rs 20. It is reported that the Ministry of Finance has approved the price increase. However, lottery agents protest the move that if lottery ticket prices are increased, their commissions too should be increased. President of All Ceylon Lottery Agents� Association, Krishantha Marambe said currently, agents get a Rs 3.50 commission on a lottery ticket. more..

Jun 12 (DM) Sri Lanka Railways (SLR) is to set up an e-gate system at nearly 400 unprotected level crossings in the railway network around the country to put an end to fatal railway accidents that kill nearly 200 people annually and maim about 400, Minister Bandula Gunawardana said. The e-gate system, a concept of Minister Gunawardana - has been developed by CodeGen International on the instructions of the SLR and in association with State Development & Construction Corporation. more..

Jun 12 (TM) Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) experiences a loss between Rs.700-800 million per year due to malpractices by bus conductors, officials, and fraudulent purchasing practices, SLTB Chairman S.M.D.L.K.D. Alwis said. He was responding to media reports that the SLTB had incurred losses of Rs. 1 billion per year due to rampant corruption, irregularities, and accidents involving its fleet. more..

Jun 12 (TM) Sri Lanka will face its most challenge competition in the preliminary round of the 12th Asian Youth Netball Championship when they take on Singapore tomorrow, having recorded another big win over Brunei today. Sri Lanka outscored their opponents in all four quarters,19-06, 22-03, 20-03 and 21-04, for a 82-16 win. The Sri Lanka team crushed South Korea 94-08 in their first match. "We won both the first two matches easily. But Singapore is the No. 2 team in Asia. more..

Jun 12 (DM) All MPs should come together in order to prevent the President from attempting to control parliamentary affairs, SJB MP Sujith Perera said. He said that all parliamentarians should unite to safeguard Parliament. He was referring to the intervention by President Ranil Wickremesinghe in appointing MP Harsha de Silva as the Chairman of the Committee on Public Finance (COPF). �It is the selection committee that should have appointed Dr. de Silva as head of COPF, more..

Jun 12 (TM) Govt is expecting to fulfil all agreements reached with the IMF before September, State Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya reveals. He said that the Govt would fulfil all agreements reached with the IMF before September. �Certain parties are alleging that we have only fulfilled 25 out of 62 agreements reached with the IMF, but there is a committee appointed by the Central in this regard. more..

Jun 12 (EN) Shares closed higher on Monday, on policy rate cuts which stimulated interest in investing in retail, banking and diversified financial shares, an analyst said. ASPI was up 2.23% or 196.44 points to 9,014.83, this is the highest the index has been since April 26, while the most liquid index S&P SL20 was up 2.15% or 53.66 points to 2,548.34. The market was seeing gains, due to lowered policy rates and low inflation stimulating buying interest and driving the sentiment up, an analyst said. more..

Jun 12 (AD) PUCSL says that the total reduction of the rates in the electricity tariff revision this time is 3%. CEB has taken steps to revise the electricity tariff with effect from July, and the relevant tariff revisions have reportedly been announced under the approval of the PUCSL. The rate charged per one unit of electricity for the first 30 units will be reduced by 26.9%. Moreover, the tariff charged per unit for the units consumed between 31-60 will be reduced by 10.8%, more..

Jun 12 (AD) A four-member gang of armed robbers who entered a businessman�s house in Hulandawa, Urubokka have made off with nearly Rs. 10 million in cash, gold jewellery, and mobile phones after forcibly entering the residence. The businessman in question has stated that the money stolen was for the surgery of his son who had fallen ill. Four relatives of the concerned businessman had come to the house to visit his son, at around 11 a.m. yesterday morning (June 11). more..

Jun 12 (AD) Attorney General has filed cases before the Gampaha High Court against 42 individuals accused over the killing of former MP Amarakeerthi Athukorala and his security officer on 09 May last year. Polonnaruwa District MP and his security officer, a Police Constable, were reported dead amidst the unrest in the Nittambuwa area during the nationwide incidents of violence on May 9, 2022. A shooting incident was reported in the Nittambuwa that evening, following which a total of six more..

Jun 12 (EN) A bill to decriminalize homosexuality in SL has faced some dissent, a ruling party legislator has said, as the island nation has seen some support for the bill in the parliament. The bill, tabled by SLPP MP Premnath Dolawatta, has yet to get the signatures of the majority of the parliament. The bill has got the support of many including opposition, but still needs signatures from at least 30 legislators to enact the bill as a law, more..

Jun 12 (AD) Court of Appeal has granted time for Attorney General (AG) to file objections in relation to the writ petition filed by Pastor Jerome Fernando seeking an order preventing his arrest. Deputy Solicitor General Shaminda Wickrema, appearing on behalf of the AG, strongly objected to Pastor Jerome�s request, when the petition was taken up for consideration today. Accordingly, the court granted time until June 14for the AG�s Dept to submit the relevant objections, and more..

Jun 12 (AD) Three individuals from the same family have been killed in a head-on collision involving a three-wheeler and a tipper truck in the Thulhiriya area in Warakapola this morning. Three-wheeler which was travelling from Ambepussa to Alawwa direction has collided with a tipper truck that was travelling on the opposite direction at around 5.30 a.m. today. The deceased individuals include the mother (39), father (40) and their son (13), residents of Rambukkana area, according to police. more..

Jun 12 (FT) SJB MP Eran Wickramaratne demanded the Govt either prosecute or exonerate those accused of large-scale corruption. The MP said the SLPP led by the Rajapaksa�s accused current Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe of being involved in the bond scam. �The main promise of the Rajapaksa Govt during the last general election was to punish CB bond scammers. Rajapaksas went around the country claiming more..

Jun 12 (TM) Govt is considering chicken meat to be imported and sold in the domestic market under a maximum retail price (MRP). The move is expected to help reduce the price of poultry products in the market as complaints flock in about price gouging by meat sellers. A senior official of the Ministry of Agriculture said that subject Minister Mahinda Amaraweera had held a discussion with the poultry industrialists and other relevant officials on recent increase in chicken prices on 10 June. more..

Jun 12 (CT) Dept of Excise has suspended a group of Excise officers from field duties. They were said to be involved in assaulting an employee of a pizza restaurant in a popular shopping Mall in Galle Face, Colombo on 6 June. State Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya had instructed the Excise Commissioner General to submit a report within two days regarding the incident. A group of Excise officers, under the influence of liquor, had assaulted an employee of a pizza restaurant more..

Jun 13 (DM) Former British PM Boris Johnson has resigned as an MP on Friday over an allegation of misleading the Parliament with regard to the Partygate, a series of rule-breaking govt parties during the COVID-19 pandemic he had attended. Earlier, Johnson had acknowledged misleading parliament when he assured lawmakers that no rules had been broken, but he later said he didn�t do so deliberately. However, he quit as a Conservative MP after an investigation into the incidents by more..

Jun 13 (CT) The phrase BOI came into usage starting 1992, when 31 years ago, the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka was established. The origin of the concept has its roots and extends to 1978 when the JRJ Govt following its open economic policy, established the Greater Colombo Economic Commission in Sri Lanka with very wide powers to attract foreign Investment into the country. Board of Investment of Sri Lanka Law No.4 of 1978 was the base document for the 1992 Chapter. more..

Jun 13 (TM) �It is crucial to ensure that education does not stoke chauvinism or perpetuate dehumanising stereotypes,� asserted Prof. Edward Vickers, holder of UNESCO Chair on Education for Peace, Social Justice & Global Citizenship, Kyushu Uni. Rather than promoting uncritical pride in particular identities, school curricula should encourage children to reflect critically on the history and culture of their own group, more..

Jun 13 (DM) Parliamentary Sectorial Oversight Committee on National Security last week recommended against the privatization of Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT), citing national security grounds. The government has claimed the report lacks logical or scientific data. The State owns the majority stake (49%) in SLT, while Malaysia�s Global Telecom Holdings hold 44%. SLT was a textbook case of the glaring incompetence of state monopolies until its 1997 divesture of 35.2% shares more..

Jun 13 (ST) Two weeks ago a Govt MP was nabbed at BIA attempting to walk through the customs zone with a haul of undeclared gold stashed in his bag. The gold was valued at Rs. 75 million and a 10% fine of Rs 7.5 million was imposed. He promptly paid the paltry fine, as if it was some spare cash he kept stored away at home to meet such an eventuality. All Ceylon Muslim Congress� gold smuggling national list MP, Puttalam�s Sabri Raheem walked out of Customs a free man. more..

Jun 13 (CT) One may wonder what it feels like to squander other people�s hard-earned money and not feel guilty about it. SL free health care services seem to be one place where such wastage takes place. It has crept into the pores and seeped into the veins of the State healthcare services where misuse of public funds takes place from the very procurement of medicinal drugs to the large pieces of technical equipment used to diagnose more..

Jun 13 (Island) There has been a steep rise in the incidence of dengue of late with the number of cases reported from all parts of the country rising to about 2,500 a week. The Western Province, the worst-affected area, accounts for the majority of the dengue cases. More worryingly, about 25% of dengue patients are schoolchildren! There is reason to believe that they are exposed to mosquito bites in school, and hence the need to intensify school-based mosquito eradication programmes. more..