May 21 (DM) A Sub Inspector, two Police Sergeants and a Police Constable attached to the Welikada Police have been interdicted while another Police Constable and two Women Police Constables have been transferred over the death of a 42-year-old woman, a domestic worker at popular tele drama producer and business personality Sudharma Nethicumara's house, who was taken into custody over an alleged theft. The domestic worker was taken into custody on May 11 more..

May 21 (TM) The controversial Chinese organic fertiliser company, Qingdao Seawin Biotech Group Co Ltd, is yet to compensate SL for the massive loss incurred from the organic fertiliser deal. It was reported that SL had incurred a loss of around $ 6.9 million from the deal, which also caused a diplomatic spat between the two nations. SL authorities have already communicated to the controversial Chinese company of its more..

May 21 (EN) The Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) welcomed the launch of creditors� meeting for Sri Lanka under the three co-chairs of France, India, and Japan and the group looks forward to a model that could be used as a template to address the debt issues faced by middle income countries (MIC). The G7 leaders met in Hiroshima for annual Summit from May 19-21 and said they remain concerned over serious challenges to debt sustainability undermining the progress towards more..

May 21 (EN) Foreign Minister Ali Sabry summoned the Canadian envoy to the Ministry on Friday and condemned the statement issued by the Canadian PM Justin Trudeau a day before, Foreign Ministry said. PM Trudeau said tens of thousands of Tamils lost their lives, including at the massacre in Mullivaikal, with many more missing, injured, or displaced and explained the reasons for the Canadian Parliament adopting the motion to make May 18 Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day. more..

May 21 (ST) Only the war with Tiger guerrillas is over. The other wars appear to continue, remarked Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe jokingly, during an informal chat with his advisors. He was alluding to bickering that occurred among top brass in the defence and security establishment. The occasion was an informal discussion of last Saturday�s tough security cordon around the city of Colombo and its environs by security forces more..

May 22 (ST) When French PM during World War I, Georges Clemenceau rousingly said that war is too important to be left to the generals, Sri Lankans may be justified in muttering to themselves more than a hundred years later that, laws are far too important to be left to the lawyers � or to Ministers of Justice, perchance. Law reform has had few success stories in this country. Always somewhat of a dance with the devil as it were, that dance has become even more preposterous in recent years. more..

May 22 (DM) On May 18, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau condemned what he referred to as loss of life during the final days of the war between the LTTE and the armed forces of the state. According to differing reports, around 40,000 people died during that battle. The then govt put the figure at zero civilian casualties. Truth lies somewhere in-between. What is clear is that civilians were unnecessarily killed & killing of civilians stands condemned. Those responsible need to be held accountable. more..

May 22 (DM) Ahead of the launch of his new political party Eksath Janaraja Peramuna, MP Patali Champika Ranawaka takes questions from Daily Mirror on the move. Excerpts Q: You have switched sides right throughout your political career. At one point, you were with Sihala Urumaya. After that, you joined JHU. You were with the Mahinda Rajapaksa govt. You defected from him and teamed up with the Yahapalana govt. more..

May 22 (DM) Gautama Buddha or his Dhamma cannot be subverted by anybody; but by the members of the Sangha community themselves; and today, a few among the Sangha community is quite enthusiastically engaged in this exercise; details are too shocking and appalling to pen; [for latest Ref. DM -19/05/2023], they are the worst conspiracies against the Buddhist order. Pastor Jerome, during a sermon to a large congregation of his followers, was alleged to have made several controversial more..

May 22 (CT) Aragalaya, a historic event that started at Galle Face Green in March 2022 and continued peacefully for more than three months until it was brought to a violent end, is not dead but waiting to complete its mission. The violence that aborted it ultimately brought in a new Prez, a new PM, and a new cabinet, all without fresh mandate from the people. One of the first acts of the new Prez, Ranil Wickremesinghe (RW) was to send in the police to clear the occupied premise more..

May 22 (GV) This week marked the 14th anniversary of the ending of the long Eelam War. This week also saw the re-emergence of BBS head-honcho Galgoda Aththe Gnanasara to save the nation from that enterprising entrepreneur of cloth, Pastor Jerome Fernando. Much verbal thundering was heard warning of a new religious war. Later in the week, a bunch of Sinhala-Buddhist extremists crashed into a ceremony at the Borella Cemetery held in more..

May 24 (DM) Foreign Minister Ali Sabry had summoned Canadian High Commissioner Eric Walsh to his ministry on Friday to convey SL Govt�s strong rejection of a recent remark by Canadian PM Justin Trudeau on what is called Tamil Genocide Week that had been declared by a section of the SL Tamil diaspora in Canada. SL minister�s rejection of Canadian Premier�s remarks on behalf of his government seems to be not going to make any change in the Canadian leaders� stance more..

May 24 (Island) Homegrown or autochthonous remedies that the incumbent dispensation desperately adopted, a couple of years ago, to shore up the country�s dwindling foreign reserves and straighten up the ailing economy proved inefficacious, but the modus operandi the Bretton Woods docs have employed to bail out this country apparently has something Sri Lankan about it; the act of shoving loads and loads of bitter economic pills down our throats in the name of more..

May 24 (TM) Impact on stranded, low income, semi and low skilled workers due to nationwide border closures, expensive quarantine packages, lengthy waiting list for Govt quarantine facilities, and negative coping mechanisms. Covid-19 pandemic which affected workers in almost all fields have had long lasting impacts on migrant workers, & SL migrant workers employed in Gulf region take a noticeable place among them. more..

May 24 (AD) In a bid to address the challenges faced by welfare beneficiaries in receiving their allowances, the Welfare Benefits Board says it has decided to implement a direct crediting system effective from July. The move will ensure that beneficiaries� bank accounts are directly credited with the relevant welfare benefits, according to Welfare Benefit Board Chairman B. Wijayaratne. His remarks came during the 101 Katha program produced by the PMD. more..

May 24 (CT) The State Health Sector appears to be heading towards a catastrophe with the delay in treatment coupled with the closure of certain essential units. It was recently that the Minister of Health claimed that about 30 per cent of the people who preferred the private sector for treatment have now turned to the State Health Sector. There was also an initiative to set up paying wards with the highest facilities in the State Hospital system at a reasonable price. more..

May 24 (FT) SJB MP Dr. Harsha de Silva yesterday highlighted the critical considerations surrounding Domestic Debt Optimisation and its impact on the members of the EPF. de Silva emphasised the need to prioritise the interests of EPF pension fund members in any decision-making process. �Our foremost concern should be securing the retirement benefits of the hardworking people of Sri Lanka,� de Silva stated. more..

May 24 (Island) Rajapaksa-Wickremesinghe regime�s shameful efforts to oust Chairman of PUCSL, Janaka Ratnayake, remind us of some gory western flicks, where swashbuckling, trigger-happy scumbags hang public officials who refuse to carry out their illegal orders. Ratnayake has become a marked target for retaliation by defying some questionable govt orders. One, however, should not be so na�ve as to believe that he is driven by pure altruism like a knight errant. more..

May 24 (TM) To proceed with its plans aimed at formalising the registration and regulation of non-governmental organisations (NGO) in a more amicable manner, the Govt is planning to propose a Bill concerning NGOs in consultation with the NGOs community. Discussing this matter, Public Security Minister Tiran Alles further revealed that these consultations are aimed at addressing the sentiment expressed by certain NGOs that the bill the Govt is planning to introduce is too adverse. more..

May 24 (FT) A late rally on banking sector stock yesterday propelled the Colombo bourse to positive territory with improved turnover. Until the last 20 minutes of trading the Colombo Stock Exchange was continuing on the negative trend experienced in the past three sessions. A sudden spike in interest on banking sector stocks saw the active S&P SL20 close with a 0.6% gain and the benchmark ASPI by 0.3% increase. Turnover was Rs. 727.5 million on a thin volume of 31.5 million shares. more..

May 24 (TM) A group of SLFP members are expecting the Party's Chairman, Opposition MP Maithripala Sirisena to remove MP Dayasiri Jayasekara as the SLFP General Secretary over several matters, including an incident of the latter having allegedly attacked and made death threats to an officer of the Party's Media Unit on Monday (22). Pradeep Nanayakkara, who is alleged to have been attacked and threatened by Jayasekara during an event to mark the Republic Day in Colombo more..

May 24 (TM) Lanka Premier League (LPL) is set to introduce a player auction for the first time in its history and only the second time in the history of Franchise Cricket, as it prepares for the fourth season of the tournament. The auction is scheduled to take place on 11 June and will allow franchises to select a minimum of 20 and a maximum of 24 players for their squads. Each team will be permitted to have a maximum of more..

May 24 (FT) Opposition MPs yesterday demanded an unbiased investigation, free from any political interference, to probe the accusations of gold smuggling involving Puttalam district All Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC) MP Ali Sabri Raheem. Speaking in parliament, SJB MP Harshana Rajakaruna said that incidents like the alleged gold smuggling case involving Raheem contribute to a negative perception of all 225 MPs among the people of the country. more..

May 24 (FT) The Labour Ministry revealed that 15 trade union representatives had been consulted on the need to reform laws so far and further public consultations are slated for 24 and 31 May to make it an inclusive process. The objective is to introduce a fair and inclusive legal framework that addresses the evolving needs of the workforce while promoting economic growth hence the Labour Ministry has invited all stakeholders and interested parties to provide their valuable inputs more..

May 24 (EN) SL has hiked entry fees to botanical gardens by tourists and domestic visitors by around 50% from July 01, amid spike in inflation from the collapse of a flexible exchange rate. Adult tourists will be charged 3000 rupees, up from the previous 2,000 rupees and children below 12 would be charged 1,500 rupees up from the previous 1,000, according gazette issued by Minister Harin Fernando. Foreign university students will be charged 2,000 rupees, up from 1,200 more..

May 24 (FT) Govt has finally decided to extend incentives and exemptions for investment in the reclaimed Colombo Port City to lure more foreign investors. Minister Bandula Gunawardena said the exemptions and incentives will be granted to businesses of strategic importance under the Colombo Port City Economic Commission Act No. 11 of 2021. �It has been observed the necessity to promote Colombo Port City to set up an environment that enables internationally competitive more..

May 24 (TM) CEB stated it would provide the clarifications requested by Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) regarding the revision of the electricity tariff it submitted on 15 May, before today. Claiming that there is a possibility of reducing electricity tariffs by 27% instead of by 3% as proposed by the CEB, PUCSL had informed the former to resubmit a proposal on par with the actual cost reductions. more..

May 24 (DM) The warm-up fixtures have been confirmed ahead of the upcoming ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Qualifier tournament in Zimbabwe, with SL playing its first Qualifier match against UAE on June 19. All 10 teams will play a total of two warm-up matches ahead of the start of the Qualifier on June 18, with sides to get some valuable match practice in prior to the commencement of the crucial event. As such, SL will play two warm-up matches with Netherlands & USA on June 13 & 15 more..

May 24 (Island) 16-year-old Ranithma Liyanage won the singles and doubles titles in the Women�s Badminton event at the 47th National Sports Festival event. National Badminton Champion Ranithma Liyanage, after her victory, said that it was her dream to win a medal for Sri Lanka at the upcoming World Junior Badminton Championship and the Asian Junior Badminton Championship. Ranithma, a 16-year-old student of Kristhudewa Girls� College, Baddegama recently won the Women�s more..

May 24 (TM) SL has to pay Indian Rupees (INR) 890 million (mn) to the Govt of India for the support it extended when the MT New Diamond and MV X-Press Pearl vessels were ravaged by fire on SL waters, Minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe said. He said that India has sought reimbursement in writing from the SL Govt. �On our request the Indian Navy joined the SL Navy and Air Force to douse the flames ravaging more..

May 24 (SLA) Four SL Army soldiers serving the UN Peacekeeping Mission in Mali, known as MINUSMA (UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali) sustained minor injuries following detonation of an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in Mali on Sunday (21) while SL peacekeepers were in an armored vehicle providing security for a logistics convoy. The explosion occurred about 15 km northwest of their camp in Tessalit in the Kidal region of Mali, more..

May 24 (AD) Chinese Embassy in SL has urged all Chinese nationals visiting SL to abide by SL laws and regulations. Making a statement on the recent incident in which a Chinese national was found to have allegedly entered SL with two passports, Embassy notified all Chinese citizens who come to SL for business, work, study and tourism to strictly abide by SL laws and regulations. They further urged visiting Chinese nationals to respect both religious & cultural customs practiced in SL. more..

May 24 (DM) Efforts are underway to form a Cyber Security Authority this year, Ministry of Technology announced. Addressing the 15th annual National Conference on Cyber Security 2023 organised by the SL Computer Emergency Readiness Team (SLCERT), he said that under the National Information and Cyber Security Strategic Plan, Cyber Security Act is expected to be submitted to Parliament this year. He also points out that it will be possible to establish Cyber Security Authority. more..

May 24 (FT) The IMF said there are tentative signs of improvement in Sri Lanka whilst the overall macroeconomic and policy environment remains challenging. This observation follows the conclusion of an IMF staff mission led by Peter Breuer and Masahiro Nozaki to Colombo from 11 to 23 May to discuss recent economic developments and implementation of the Fund-supported program. At the conclusion of the visit, Messrs. Breuer and Nozaki issued the following statement: more..

May 24 (TM) In the wake of the resolution to remove the PUCSL Chairman Janaka Ratnayake being scheduled to be debated in the Parliament today, PUCSL members have expressed divergent views on the matter. Resolution presented by Minister Kanchana Wijesekera to remove Ratnayake as the PUCSL Chairman is to be taken up for debate in the Parliament today. A member of the PUCSL said that as members of an independent Commission, more..

May 24 (AD) Minister of Public Security Tiran Alles has ordered the Dept of Immigration and Emigration to deport the Chinese national who allegedly attempted to enter SL with two passports. Earlier this week, the Chinese national in question, who was set to be deported on suspicions of having used a forged passport to enter SL, was later allowed to enter the island. Albeit having been detained upon his arrival, the Chinese national was later released at the BIA in Katunayake. more..

May 24 (FT) FPC member Prof. Charitha Herath accused the Govt of attempting to completely overhaul state enterprises under the guise of restructuring. �A massive program has commenced to privatise state sector enterprises in a structure unknown to the people or the parliament,� he alleged. The MP said the country�s executive only works according to the guidelines provided by the IMF while disregarding the people, parliament and the sovereignty of the country. more..