Jun 25 (DM) Foreign Minister Ali Sabry defended the nomination of former Minister Rohitha Bogollagama as Sri Lanka�s next envoy to the UK. He said that Bogollagama�s nomination was well thought out and was taken following discussions between himself and Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe. Sabry said that Bogollagama was nominated to the post taking into consideration his former role as Foreign Minister. Sabry said that Bogollagama�s former post will be handy in a station like London. more..

Jun 25 (TM) PUCSL is expected to announce its recommendation regarding the proposed electricity tariff revision on Friday (30). It is understood that the PUCSL will hold another round of public consultations on Tuesday (27), following which a decision may be communicated to Ministry of Power and Energy by newly-appointed PUCSL Chairman Prof. Manjula Fernando. CEB had already submitted the tariff revision proposals to more..

Jun 25 (DM) FPC leader Dullas Alahapperuma said that poverty reduction programms such as Samurdhi Development and Janasaviya Poverty Alleviation Programme were launched for political purposes, therefore their targets could not be reached. He said these matters should be corrected. However, the country is currently talking about a new programme Aswesuma which is to be launched by the govt, and strong objections are emerging against the programme, he said. more..

Jun 25 (ST) A WHO donation of meningococcal vaccine that arrived in Sri Lanka early last month is still stuck with Customs after the relevant Health Ministry authorities failed to get it cleared on time, authoritative sources said. Sunday Times reported last week that hundreds of SL Muslims departing for Hajj this year were being administered the mandatory meningococcal vaccine through unregulated means, with doctors suspecting the injection is being imported in regular more..

Jun 25 (EN) SL�s future development initiatives including highway construction will be in accordance with a National Physical Plan which has been drafted and is to be reviewed by the public before going to the cabinet, according to the Minister of Urban Development and Housing. Minister Prasanna Ranatunga told a gathering at an event in Colombo on Friday June 23 that measures will be taken upon cabinet approval of the plan, a draft of which has been submitted to Prez. more..

Jun 25 (SO) Pussalla Meat Producers Ltd will invest over Rs. 2 billion to set up SL�s biggest meat processing plant in Kurunegala, said founder Chairman of the Company, Philip Wewita after winning the Overall Gold Award at the National Business Excellence awards at the Shangri La Hotel on Tuesday. The event was conducted by National Chamber of Commerce SL and the media sponsor was Lake House. �We have already launched construction work and the plant will be more..

Jun 25 (TM) Minister Keheliya Rambukwella strongly denied allegations that the controversial anaesthetic medicine imported to SL from India under the Indian Line of Credit was linked to new deaths, including that of children. Minister stated that the questionable stock had been withdrawn from State hospitals soon after the incident had been reported from the Teaching Hospital Peradeniya in April, adding that more..

Jun 25 (ST) The Govt has declared Friday, June 30, a special bank holiday which makes for a five-day bank holiday from June 29 to July 3 for the first time. The decision to include June 30 as a statutory holiday was seen by analysts that the govt, planning to announce a Domestic Debt Restructuring (DDR) on Wednesday, wanted a longer weekend to provide a suitable buffer for any potential market reactions to significant financial announcements. Analysts also raised concerns about more..

Jun 25 (SO) Prez Wickremesinghe and Minister Tiran Alles have assured there shall be no influence from any quarter in implementing the intensified crime prevention and control measures now being undertaken by the Police, SSP Nihal Talduwa said. He said that the Police were ready to undertake any crime and violence-preventing security approaches as per IGP�s instructions to reduce crime involving illegal firearms in the hands of narcotics and underworld gangs. more..

Jun 25 (ST) Contrary to earlier expectations of a virtual non-event, the UNHRC opened its 53rd session last Monday on a stronger note on SL. It was pointedly assertive and dealt with almost all issues. UN Human Rights High Commissioner Volker Turk who presented the annual report declared, �In SL, although the govt has regrettably rejected aspects of the Council�s resolutions related to accountability, it has continued to engage more..

Jun 26 (CT) At the Paris Conference of 22-23 June 2023, French Prez Emmanuel Macron called for a new consensus for the planet � detailing a shared political view structuring the way toward a profound reform of int'l financial architecture and governance. He also added that the conference was to put forward an agenda to fight against inequalities and climate change. How many times before has the world listened to such lofty ideals before they become vacuum in action? more..

Jun 26 (DM) Private member�s Bill that has been presented by TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran to amend the Provincial Council Elections Act is in a way an attempt to test Prez Wickremesinghe�s integrity. It would be interesting to note how the Prez would respond to it The Bill seeks to annul the highly controversial amendment that was introduced to the PC Elections Act in 2017 in order to introduce mixed election system for the provincial councils and revert to the Proportional Representation (PR). more..

Jun 26 (TM) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe seems to have accelerated the Govt�s programme to meet the commitments to the IMF, including the economic and public sector reforms programme, with meetings being scheduled with the ruling SLPP and SJB this week. A message has already been issued to all Govt MPs on a presidential directive to refrain from overseas travel or travelling out of the country during the coming weekend (30 till Mon (3)). more..

Jun 26 (DM) Countries around the world were shocked at events which unfolded in Russia on Saturday, where a mutiny by Wagner Private Military Company founded by Evgeni Prigozhin (one-time close friend of Russian prez Vladimir Putin and commander of a para-military group) attempted to stage a coup against Russian prez. Prigozhin is quoted by media outlets regarding the apparently stalled Russian invasion and alleged weaknesses of Russian military establishment. more..

Jun 26 (ST) Last year July, Britain�s Tory Party leader Boris Johnson resigned as PM following allegations he had known that a senior member of his govt had groped two men on a drunken night at a private members� club but had pretended to be unaware of it. He had also broken Covid mingling regulations by dropping for drinkies at fellow workers birthday bashes within his official residence, No 10 Downing Street. The piercing charges that felled him were that more..

Jun 26 (TM) There were a couple of unusual things that happened at the Gratiaen Prize which celebrated its 30th year this year (2023), and one was the selection of joint winners, which has happened before but, nevertheless, is unusual. Yudhanjaya Wijeratne won for his manuscript The Wretched and The Damned and Chiranthi Rajapakse for her collection of short stories Keeping Time. more..

Jun 26 (CT) When the international singing sensation Cher drew the attention of the world to Kaavan � the world�s loneliest elephant, who has been living in solitude for eight years in the Marghazar Zoo in Islamabad, Pakistan after his partner died, many rose to put Pakistani authorities under scrutiny for the ill-treatment the elephant was subjected to. Sri Lankans too had a rightful say in the matter since the elephant was a diplomatic gift to Pakistan by the Sri Lanka Govt. more..

Jun 26 (Island) It has been revealed before the COPE recently that Sathosa suffered a loss of about six billion rupees due to rice imports in 2015 because most of the stocks of imported rice had to be sold as animal feed at extremely low prices. These losses are passed on to the public in the form of tax and tariff hikes, and fund cuts for vital sectors such as education, health and social welfare. Sathosa often makes headlines for the wrong reasons; it has become synonymous with more..

Jun 26 (ST) The Anti-Corruption Bill that was due to be passed by Parliament this week was postponed on Wednesday to a later date with both the Govt and the opposition agreeing that more time was needed to introduce amendments and for MPs to further debate the landmark legislation. While both sides were in agreement on the urgent necessity of introducing the legislation, questions were raised by the opposition on whether any anti-corruption legislation would achieve its stated aims if more..

Jun 26 (Island) The 2nd edition of Snakes of SL by Dr. Ruchira Somaweera, Sanoj Wijayasekara and Sanjaya Bandara is now available. This 400-page book is the most comprehensive field guide written in Sinhala about any group of animals to-date. It has entered the market nearly 17 years after the launch of Snakes of Sri Lanka authored by Dr. Ruchira Somaweera in 2006.Dr. Somaweera says that SL is one the countries worst affected by the human-snake conflict. more..

Jun 26 (CI) Ireland won the toss, made a double-strike in the ninth over of Sri Lanka's innings, and took 6 for 44 in their last six overs. But so comprehensively did SL win the other portions of this match, that they trounced Ireland by 133 runs, bowling them out for 192 after they had made 325. This means that Sri Lanka sail through into the Super Six stage of the World Cup Qualifier, along with Scotland and Oman from their group. more..

Jun 26 (ST) Representatives of World Rugby (WR) will arrive in Sri Lanka on July 4 to review the membership status of Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR) according to reliable information. Accordingly David Carrigy, Chief International Relations and Participation Officer of WR and Ridzal Saat, Regional Partnership Manager of WR will be in SL to meet stakeholders of rugby, including the duly elected SLR Executive Committee, National Olympic Committee and Ministry of Sports officials. more..

Jun 26 (ST) After some clarity on SL�s domestic debt restructuring (DDR) that local banks will not be entitled to a haircut, some stakeholders were relieved but others are awaiting more pain as the process progresses. State Finance Minister Dr. Ranjith Siyambalapitiya told Parliament that domestic debt will not be written off. No injustice will be done to any bank depositors, Superannuation Funds� beneficiaries and pensioners due to domestic debt restructuring, he said. more..

Jun 26 (FT) CMA SL COVID 19 SME Development Conference 2023 has been organised on the theme Resurgence of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises and Entrepreneurship Development to celebrate United Nations - Micro, Small & Medium-Sized Enterprises Day to raise public awareness of their contribution to sustainable development and the global economy with the active participation of commercial banks and their MSME customers on 27 June from 9 am to 5 pm at BMICH. more..

Jun 26 (AD) The body of a 42-year-old businessman who went missing following an accident which occurred while rowing boats in the Bolgoda River in Panadura has been recovered. The deceased, Eshan Vithana, is a resident of Diggala in Panadura. The businessman had reportedly been riding jet skis in the Bolgoda River near Ruskin Island as a habit, according to the reporter. While he was riding a jet ski around 10.05 a.m. this morning, he had been swept away by water currents more..

Jun 26 (FT) Amidst allegations against the management of Sri Lankan Airlines by the Airline Pilot Guild of SL (APGL), the national carrier claimed its current number of pilots in service are sufficient to meet its operational requirements of a reduced fleet and keep average crew flying hours well within global standards. �57 pilot resignations have been recorded from early 2021 to now including some early retirements, and more..

Jun 26 (PMD) Senior Consultant Physician Dr. Ananda Wijewickrama says that there is a risk of a dengue epidemic with the upcoming monsoon, thus dengue control needs to receive more attention from all sectors. He emphasized that everyone�s assistance is important for this because neither the Govt nor the Health Authorities cannot control dengue virus on their own. There has been a clear increase in the number of dengue cases this year, & more over 47,000 cases have been reported more..

Jun 26 (DN) SL swimmer Ganga Seneviratne had an outstanding performance at the concluded 18th Singapore National Swimming Championships, winning the silver medal in the women's 200m backstroke A-final, held at the OCBC Aquatic Centre in Singapore on Friday. Seneviratne's impressive time of 2:20.72 placed her ahead of Faith Elizabeth from the Chinese Swimming Club in Singapore, who won the bronze medal with a time of 2:22.50. The gold medal in the event was awarded more..

Jun 26 (FT) Govt has decided to re-introduce the Minimum Room Rate (MRR) in the city of Colombo effective 1 August 2023, a move which hoteliers revealed will further boost foreign exchange earnings from tourism and their financial viability. Daily FT learns the Govt and officials tasked to promote tourism have been concerned for months over the extremely low prices charged by 5-star hotels even after stability returned to SL. more..

Jun 26 (DM) DSI Tyres has introduced locally produced tyres for electric bicycles (E-Bikes) to the Sri Lankan market space for the first time. They can now be purchased from all tyre outlets and through the website www.dsityreshop.com. The use of normal bicycle tyres is not suitable for electric bicycles and specially designed tyres should be used instead. The tyres manufactured by DSI Tyres for electric bicycles are already in high demand in the global market. more..

Jun 26 (EN) SL�s Ceylon High Grown tea prices were down 30-100 rupees per kg at an auction on June 21, as the rupee weakened against the US dollar, data showed. Majority of Low Growns prices also fell while Mid Growns prices grew. Total auction volume was 6.4 million kg and there was good general demand, Forbes and Walker tea brokers said in a report. �Tea prices at the Colombo Auctions continued to experience a roller-coaster ride in the backdrop of the instability in the currency� more..

Jun 26 (FT) Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa slammed the Govt�s new social welfare program Aswesuma calling it a mere blindfold. Premadasa issued a statement noting that while there are 7 million poor in SL now only 1.2 million will benefit from the program. He also demanded to know the criteria adopted by govt to select the beneficiaries under the program. Opposition Leader said his party warned former Prez Gotabaya�s regime of an impending crisis due to its actions. more..

Jun 26 (Island) In the wake of continuing firearm attacks, mainly in the Western and Southern provinces, police hq announced cash incentives to police officers and their informants regarding information leading to the arrest of persons, along with illegal weapons and explosives. In a case of the arrest of a person along with a T 56 weapon, both police and information would receive Rs 250,000 each, Police Headquarters said. If a recovery of a T- 56 was made, without an arrest of a suspect, more..

Jun 26 (TM) Minister Tiran Alles has instructed the CID to conduct an immediate investigation into the leak of an internal Police note on the provision of security to Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe, and to arrest those responsible for the security breach. According to highly placed sources in the Public Security Ministry, there have been reports on several social media platforms that the Prez's security has been tightened, due suspicion more..

Jun 26 (DM) SL�s first gymnastic Olympian (Tokyo 2020), Milka Gehani de Silva, has qualified for the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships 2023. She is the first Sri Lankan to qualify for the c'ship, which will be held from Sept 30 to Oct 8 in Antwerp, Belgium. 20-year-old secured her spot to compete after placing 10th at the Asian Gymnastics Championship 2023 in Singapore. In the Singapore Asian C'ship, she qualified for the World C'ship title after finishing 10th out of 58 players. more..

Jun 26 (ST) Astring of incidents has been reported around the country on conflicts between teachers and students affecting the teacher-student relationship and education outcomes. This week, a parent was produced in court by the Ambalangoda Police over an alleged assault on the Principal of Ambalangoda Sri Devananda Vidyalaya, and was remanded until June 30. The assault took place over an issue with the school�s badminton team. Police investigations have uncovered that more..