May 10 (Island) AP photographers Eranga Jayawardena and Rafiq Maqbool were named finalists for the Pulitzer Prize for breaking news photography for images capturing anger over economic collapse in SL. The AP images from SL captured the full range of human emotion with protesters pumping their fists in the air shouting anti-government slogans, and also shielding themselves from tear gas and water cannons. Crowds of Sri Lankans storming the office of the PM, after more..

May 10 (DM) Actions are needed to strengthen the education system in SL and the conceptual changes that need to be made, in order to reach global educational goals, Education Minister Susil Premajayantha said. He said this during the meeting with the Global Director for Education of the World Bank, Jaime Saavedra, on the sidelines of the Education World Forum (2023), held in London, UK. During the meeting, Minister Permajayantha and the Global Director held a detailed discussion more..

May 10 (FT) Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) has slapped a combined fine of Rs. 5.5 million on six banks for non-compliance with the provisions of the Financial Transactions Reporting Act, No. 6 of 2006 (FTRA) between 17 Nov 2022 and 31 March. The banks concerned are Pradeshiya Sanwardhana Bank (Rs. 0.5 million), and Rs. 1 million each on HDFC Bank of SL, Seylan Bank, Sampath Bank, Hatton National Bank and People�s Bank. FIU said the penalty may be prescribed more..

May 10 (TM) 41 individuals, attempting an illegal maritime venture to Australia, have been intercepted by the Australian Border Force (ABF). Having been at sea for 21 days, the individuals, who left from Valaichchenai, were returned to SL this morning (10). Those who were aboard the illegal maritime vessel were identified as residents of Valaichchenai aged between 06 and 59. SSP Nihal Thalduwa, commended the effectiveness of the partnership between SL and Australia in deterring and more..

May 10 (TM) Healthcare is a collective service and all the professions related to the treatment of dengue should be elected to the committee, said the Prez of Association of Health Professionals, Ravi Kumudesh. "We would like to know if the Director General of Health Services does not have the purpose of appointing other professionals other than doctors to the committee as we have seen that his ego does not care about professional morality more..

May 10 (CT) Following the assurance of Public Security Minister Tiran Alles on ensuring safety, the Omani businessman who came under attack by a group of thugs allegedly linked to a Gampaha politician, has considered remaining in the country. During a discussion held between Alles and the businessman at the Ministry of Public Security yesterday, Minister Alles said Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe ordered to ensure the businessman�s safety. Minister Alles assured more..

May 10 (DM) 29-year-old main suspect who had brought the 16-year old school girl to a hotel in Kalutara and whose naked body was later found near the railway line, has been detained for further questioning following his arrest in Hikkaduwa early last morning. Kalutara South Police had launched investigations after the naked body of the girl was found near the railway line behind a hotel on the main street of Galle Road in Kalutara. Police said the deceased girl is a resident of Nagoda, more..

May 10 (CT) Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ) and four others filed a complaint before the Human Rights Commission of SL (HRCSL) seeking to direct authorities to conduct an independent and impartial investigation into the MV X-Press Pearl ship fire to ascertain the cause of the fire and parties responsible and to submit a report to the Commission. Petitioners requested the HRCSL to direct any one or more or all of more..

May 10 (AD) The interim order issued preventing the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) from arresting and recording statements from former Attorney General (AG) Dappula de Livera has been extended until June 22. This interim order was extended when a writ petition filed by the former AG was taken up before the Appeals Court judge bench consisting of the President of the Court of Appeal Nissanka Bandula Karunaratne and Justice M.A.R. Marikkar today. more..

May 10 (AD) A 15-year-old student of a girls� college in Kandy has been injured and hospitalized after jumping from the first floor of a building in the school. The girl in question has jumped nearly 15 feet from the first floor of a building located inside the school premises at around 11.30 a.m. last morning (9). She has been admitted to the Kandy Teaching Hospital after sustaining injuries in the incident. The student, who is also a member of the school prefect board, is reportedly a resident of Kalugamuwa Watta more..

May 10 (EN) SL has imported as estimated 4.5 million eggs from February 2023 to date, state Minister for Finance Ranjith Siyambalapitya said. Sri Lanka started importing eggs after price controls on eggs imposed by the Consumer Affair Authorities amid high feed prices following the collapse of the rupee from money printing, leading mass culling of layer chicken for meat and switching to broiler production. The fall in demand then led to culling of parent stock at hatcheries. more..

May 10 (AD) Colombo District Court has ordered the extension of an injunction order issued against the YouTuber and political vlogger Darshana Handungoda until May 24. The injunction order prevents Handungoda from uploading videos in a manner that insults an Additional Solicitor General and a Senior State Counsel at the AG�s Dept. The relevant complaint was taken up before Colombo District Judge Purnima Paranagama today. Appearing for the defendant Darshana more..

May 10 (CNN) SL�s Supreme Court has given the green light to a bill seeking to decriminalize homosexuality, speaker of parliament said on Tuesday, in a move hailed as a historic development by campaigners. LGBTQ+ rights activists in SL have been campaigning for years to change the law in a country where homosexuality is still punishable by a prison sentence and a fine, leading to the private member�s bill presented in parliament more..

May 10 (FT) A Singapore Court has postponed the hearing of the X-Press Pearl compensation case filed by SL authorities to 15 May. The first hearing of the case was taken up before a High Court in Singapore yesterday where the SL authorities were represented by a Singaporean law firm. The delay in initiating legal proceedings to obtain compensation for the X-Press Pearl marine disaster which took place on 20 May 2021 considered the worst of its kind in recent times has been highly criticised more..

May 10 (TTG) Sri Lanka is bouncing back after three years of crises and is targeting the Middle East as a key market due to the mix of high-spending Emiratis and expatriates. Speaking at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM), Udaya Indrathna, ambassador at the SL embassy in Abu Dhabi, said: �Sri Lanka has had its challenges but I�m pleased to say most have passed.� He went on to refer to the 2019 bomb attack, Covid-19 pandemic, and recent political and economic turmoil. more..

May 10 (FT) Right to Information Commission of SL has instructed the Information and Communication Technology Agency of SL (ICTA) to release information relating to the names, designations, basic salaries and allowances paid to the organisation�s staff in 2019, 2020 and 2021. In addition to this, ICTA was also directed to disclose information on the salaries and allowances paid to consultants and its organisational chart as of more..

May 10 (TM) SJB Weligama electoral organiser and party youth Vice Chairman Rehan Jayawickreme has been summoned to the CID once again, it is learnt. This was made known via a twitter post today. "Received yet another wonderful call from the CID. This time around they are summoning me for the second time regarding the torching of the President's house. Wonder when they will realise that some of us don't get intimidated by these archaic fear tactics?'" Jayawickreme's tweet mentioned. more..

May 10 (DM) Transport Ministry is to launch a programme tomorrow to convert four-stroke petrol three-wheelers to electric (e-Tuk Tuk), the Department of Motor Traffic (DMT) said. The pilot programme of the conversion will be launched at the DMT's Werahera branch. The programme will be launched for the renewable of essential services, for the development of the transport sector and for the sake of the development of small and medium entrepreneurs. more..

May 11 (GV) On human rights grounds, the US govt has banned Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda, the most senior officer in Sri Lanka�s navy from 2005 to 2009 and now a provincial governor, from entering the country. On April 26, on behalf of Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, it was announced that he had been designated and hence forbidden entry, along with his wife, because of his involvement in a gross violation of human rights during his tenure as a Naval Commander. more..

May 11 (DM) In a recent article, Professors Charles A. Goodhart, Dimitrios P. Tsomocos and I advocate for the need for a reformed IMF programmes that makes governance improvements a pre-requisite for economic and financial improvements. In this article, I run through the core arguments we make there. The recent sovereign default of SL has once again brought attention to the effectiveness of the IMF EFF approach. This programmes provides loans of short duration (generally up to four years) more..

May 11 (DM) Australian High Commissioner Paul Stephens, responded to questions covering a broad range of issues related to bilateral ties. He maintained that there is no chance of illegal migration to Australia. Q: What are the latest initiatives for the development of bilateral ties? A: Australia and SL recently commemorated 75 years of diplomatic relations, representing a significant milestone in our bilateral ties. more..

May 11 (CT) A way back in the sixties and seventies, the May Day rallies were an essential ingredient in the left-wing recipes for political strength. Purely an exhibitionistic ploy, the left-wing parties, LSSP, CP and MEP displayed their allegiance to the working man by organizing trade union-led May Day rallies to their maximum strength. But invariably at the real polls, when the election day arrives, that strength was proven to be a mere flash in the pan. The people at large participated at these May Day more..

May 11 (DM) In this era when SL is facing its worst ever economic crisis since independence in 1948, Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe and the SLPP Govt are making proactive efforts to pull the country and its people out of the mud hole. The agreement with the IMF for the extended fund facility was a major step towards recovery while several countries including India, China and US also helping in a generous manner to help the Govt reach sustainable development goals and give substantial relief more..

May 11 (TM) Ethno-religious violence against minority faith groups is an entrenched issue that has persisted in Sri Lanka, irrespective of the changes to Sri Lanka�s socio-political and economic context. Christians are among the groups that are being subjected to various forms of violence. Although these harassments are often viewed as an ethno-religious issue, they are created and perpetuated by a plethora of diverse factors. more..

May 11 (TM) With all the main suspects having been taken into custody and being grilled, the Police appear to be on the right path to uncover what transpired at a guest house in Kalutara last weekend which resulted in the death of a 16-year-old schoolgirl in highly questionable circumstances. Million dollar question the public wants answered and the Police are probing is whether she was murdered or whether she took her own life, and many remain hopeful that that information more..

May 11 (Island) Govt politicians must have heaved a huge sigh of relief when the first anniversary of barbaric attacks on the Aragalaya activists at Galle Face and the equally violent backlash, which led to the collapse of the Gotabaya Rajapaksa govt, passed without incident, on Tuesday. They however should not dupe themselves into thinking that the public has simmered down, and it is plain sailing for them, again. Let them be warned that the situation is far from rosy. more..

May 11 (Island) The govt reaction to the police shooting at a violent protest at Rambukkana on April 19, 2022, undermined the overall security posture. Repeated US interventions, HRCSL (Human Rights Commission) action as well as the position taken by some members of the Bar Association demoralized the police and the military. That was the only death caused by police/military shooting during the entire protest campaign. Those who now question the failure on the part of the military on May 9 more..

May 11 (CT) The recent determination by the Supreme Court that the Bill to decriminalise homosexuality in Sri Lanka is not inconsistent with the country�s Constitution is a major step forward for human rights and equality in the country. Speaker on Tuesday (9) announced to Parliament that the SC informed him that the Bill named Penal Code (Amd) which was challenged in SC in terms of Article 121(1) of the Constitution was not inconsistent with the Constitution. more..

May 11 (TM) With the expediting of the restructuring process of the State-owned CEB by the Govt, concerns have been raised as to whether the ongoing restructuring mechanism will address the issues faced by the power sector, including high electricity tariffs. At present, CEB is struggling to meet the country�s energy demand due to a shortage of around 300 MW in the national grid stemming from the delay in commissioning more..

May 11 (FT) Senior business leader, a pioneering personality in the ceramics industry and a Daily FT columnist, Dr. Tissa Jayaweera has passed away peacefully on Tuesday at the age of 76. He is the former President of the Int'l Chamber of Commerce apart from many positions held in several private sector organisations. At the time of his death, he was the Chairman of TJ Associates and Vision 8 Academy. His remains lie at Restpect Jayaratne Funeral Parlour and is open for viewing more..

May 11 (DM) Eye-catching decorations were all over the town and dazzling lanterns were put up in every corner of streets and lanes. Vesak is celebrated in Buddhist countries and it is a very significant celebration for devotees following the teachings of Gautama Buddha. By taking this significant day into consideration the Royal Thai Embassy of SL organised a quiz competition. When considering Buddhist ties between Thailand and Sri Lanka these two nations have a close relationship. more..

May 11 (Island) Asian Junior Athletics C'ship hopeful Malith Yasiru delivered a fitting climax to the 63rd Junior National Athletics C'ship as he produced a record-breaking feat in the Under 20 boys� triple jump to claim the award for the most outstanding performance of the meet on the final day at Diyagama. Kahawatta Central athlete trained by former national triple jump champion Nihal Wickramasinghe cleared a distance of more..

May 11 (FT) SL Web3 and blockchain firm, HyperGlade, has announced it has raised $ 350,000 in funding from Silicon Valley investor Tim Draper�s venture capital firm, Draper Associates, as a part of their seed investment round. The investment reinforces HyperGlade�s innovative Web3 migration solutions for Web2 firms and highlights the potential of the SL startup ecosystem. HyperGlade, founded over a year ago, specialises in cutting-edge solutions for businesses transitioning from more..

May 11 (FT) Two cruise ships, MS Europa 2 and MS Azamara Quest visited Hambantota Int'l Port (HIP) on Tuesday. Over 900 passengers disembarked to visit popular tourist destinations in the South. Amongst the sights were Yala National Park, Udawalawe National Park, Bundala National Park, Kata-ragama Devalaya and Mulkirigala Temple. The visitors also had the opportunity to take a tour of the city of Hambantota and visited Shangri-La�s Hambantota Golf Resort & Spa. more..

May 11 (Island) State Minister of Defence Premitha Bandara Tennakoon said on Tuesday that Sri Lanka Navy will undertake the task of mapping out an essential map for safe marine navigation for ocean-going ships sailing in Sri Lankan waters. �Many countries require merchant ships to have these maps on board for safe navigation when they have entered a specific country�s waters wherever the ships� destination may be and pay for the host country�s service,� he said. more..