Sep 16 (Island) Channel 4�s recent programme on the Easter Sunday terror attacks has yielded the intended results. It influenced the UNHRC ahead of the latter�s 54th regular session in Geneva. Although it said nothing new in its self-styled expos�, and its claims remain unsubstantiated, it has been able to foment discord and stir up strife among SL political leaders, who go for each other�s jugular at the drop of a hat. Even those who oppose the internationalisation of domestic issues more..

Sep 16 (FT) The contraction in the economy during the second quarter had reduced to 3.1% year-on-year (YoY) reflecting rebound from 11.5% shrinkage in the first three months of 2023. Dept of Census and Statistics, yesterday released the estimated Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at current price and at constant (2015) price in the production approach and the other macroeconomic indicators for the second quarter (1 April to 30 June). more..

Sep 16 (ST) A spate of recent financial frauds carried out using information related to SL Customs has led to Customs issuing warnings. However, according to Customs Director General Seevali Arukgoda, these frauds are not new. �To my knowledge, this has been happening for over three years now,� he said. Customs letterheads, telephone numbers, and officials� names are being used to commit these frauds. Mr. Arukgoda remarked that con artists contact potential victims via more..

Sep 16 (ST) Govt Midwifery Service Association (GMSA) has expressed concern about shortages of maternity staff, with some 3,000 vacancies islandwide. GMSA president Devika Kodithuwakku said that the public sector midwife shortage had affected maternal care in a negative manner and was taking a heavy toll on the families they cared for. Midwives are important members of the healthcare system and contribute to ensuring that quality maternity services are extended to patients. more..

Sep 16 (Island) Asian Games hopeful Tharushi Karunaratne smashed the National Junior record in the girls� 400 metres with a remarkable 52.62 seconds feat to win the Girls� Under 20 400 metres on the penultimate day of the Sir John Tarbat Senior Athletics Championships at the Sugathadasa Stadium on Friday. Ratnayake Central Walala prodigy who recently hogged limelight breaking the 800 metres meet record at the Asian Athletics Championships skipped her pet event as more..

Sep 16 (Island) Charith Asalanka, midway through a follow-through of a big shot, is gritting his teeth while his bat is twisted around to face the bowler, above his head. If a seasoned cricket-watcher saw a still of this moment, they might guess that something has gone very wrong for Asalanka. It hasn�t. Asalanka is just fine. He has just shoveled an offcutter from Shaheen Shah Afridi in the air, past mid-off for four. Not hit a four, mind. Shoveled one. Sri Lanka�s No. 5 batter is many things. more..

Sep 16 (CT) People in the Kuchchaveli area, along the Trincomalee coast, are deeply concerned about sand exploration activities conducted by the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau (GSMB). The main issue is that GSMB's ordinary sand exploration is ultimately geared towards selling highly valuable heavy mineral sands to foreign entities. The primary source of mineral sands is the Mahaweli River, more..

Sep 16 (AD) SL Police have been granted a 90-day detention order under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) to question underworld figure Sanjeewa Kumara, alias Ganemulla Sanjeewa. Accordingly, the Colombo North Crimes Division was granted the relevant detention order by the Ministry of Defense. Notorious criminal Ganemulla Sanjeewa was arrested by officials of the Department of Immigration and Emigration at the BIA, upon his arrival from Nepal on Wednesday (13). more..

Sep 16 (DM) British Foreign Office announced that a large number of foreign embassies in London, including the Sri Lanka High Commission, owe the country millions of pounds in unpaid congestion charges. Parliamentary Under-secretary David Rutley in a written reply to UK Parliament said that the overall amount of the debt now totals more than �145 million. Accordingly, Sri Lanka High Commission in London owes an amount of �652,120 as a total outstanding. more..

Sep 16 (Island) Chairman of the Sectoral Oversight Committee on National Security, Rear Admiral (retd) Sarath Weerasekera, MP, asked whether a comprehensive international investigation into accountability issues here could be conducted unless India, too, was subjected to the same. The former Public Security Minister was responding to the Global Tamil Forum (GTF) declaration that India and SL Core Group more..

Sep 16 (PTI) Former SL captain Arjuna Ranatunga criticised SL and Bangladesh cricket boards for agreeing to a reserve day for the India versus Pakistan Super 4 fixture in the Asia Cup alone. Ranatunga, who is known to be outspoken, questioned the Asian Cricket Council�s decision to keep the tournament in Colombo amidst heavy rains and not allotting a reserve day for other group matches. Last Friday, in an unprecedented move, the Pakistan Cricket Board, technically more..

Sep 16 (CI) The much-maligned Asia Cup has produced yet another thriller. For once, Bangladesh put one past India in a close finish, a canny defence of 265 despite a superlative Shubman Gill century. They might have been knocked out of the Asia Cup already, but Bangladesh displayed the depth of talent in the country as a new-look side with five changes kept the finalists and also World Cup favourites, India, down. Colombo provided a track that assisted their spinners, but more..

Sep 16 (DM) Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has called on private lenders and the super-rich to bear their fair share of the burden in Sri Lanka�s domestic debt optimization (DDO) process. Speaking to officials of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce in Colombo, Mr. Premadasa criticized the govt�s approach, which he described as disastrous for sparing these affluent groups from the debt restructuring burden, leaving it solely on the shoulders of the working class. more..

Sep 16 (DM) With the celebration of one year after the opening of the Lotus Tower, a total of 120,174 locals and 200,223 foreigners have visited the tower during the past year, Lotus Tower Head of Management Prasad Samarasinghe said. He told the Daily Mirror that the revenue earned through the visitors to the tower was more than Rs. 550 million, and the Lotus Tower management was able to pay Rs. 100 million for the initial lease payment for the loan obtained by the TRCSL. more..

Sep 16 (CT) In a surprising turn of events, many reports of the Govt Analyst�s Dept that were sent to the relevant Courts by registered post have disappeared, and there should be a formal investigation regarding the loss of those records, the Sectoral Oversight Committee on a Just and Law-Abiding Society has recommended. This observation is included in the committee�s report on Delaying the Issuing of Govt Analyst�s Dept Reports, more..

Sep 16 (PMD) Minister Manusha Nanayakkara confirmed that the existing 9% employee benefit related to the Employee Provident Fund will remain unchanged. The Minister also emphasized that taxation is not levied on the funds held by members of the Employees� Provident Fund. Instead, it is imposed as a percentage of 14% on the profits generated from the fund�s investments. Minister Manusha Nanayakkara made these remarks during his participation in a press conference more..

Sep 16 (DN) Minister Bandula Gunawardhana urged the CID to conduct a comprehensive investigation into attempts by certain elements to intimidate those striving to rebuild the country and by doing so destabilise the country again. Minister stated this while speaking to the media after he filed a complaint with the CID to conduct an urgent investigation into the bribery allegations against him. �He further said precious young life was lost and a major disaster occurred due to a strike more..

Sep 16 (DM) The restrictions imposed on imported items and the high cost have significantly decreased cargo movement at airports in the country. There has been a decrease of approximately 15.46% in cargo movements from 2022 to the first eight months of 2023. Airport and Aviation Services (SL) (Pvt) Ltd,, said that it handled a total of 173,595 tonnes of cargo last year. The total number of cargo movements from January to August this year was 103,896 tonnes. more..

Sep 16 (FT) Opposition MP Nalaka Godahewa at a media briefing, exposed what he described as harsh realities of economic challenges in 2023. �When analysing the Central Bank�s 2022 data, it becomes abundantly clear that the aspiration of building a thriving export-oriented economy under the current Govt is nothing but a pipe dream,� he said at the briefing where he took the opportunity to give a comprehensive explanation of the country�s present economic situation. more..

Sep 16 (ST) Consultant Anaesthetists who scrupulously monitor the vital signs of patients during surgical operations or other procedures are hard to come by in state sector hospitals in the country. The dearth of Consultant Anaesthetists brings about a domino effect, one event causing a series of related events, many said, describing how it impacts not only on operations performed by Consultant General Surgeons more..

Sep 16 (DM) It was revealed in Court that the investigations conducted by the Organized Crimes Prevention Division against former Jaffna District Parliamentarian Vijayakala Maheshwaran over a controversial statement she had made in 2018, is still awaiting the AG�s advice over the incident, for over five years. Organized Crimes Prevention Division informed the Colombo Chief Magistrate�s Court that they have already forwarded the extracts of the investigations more..

Sep 16 (CT) All employees of the Cooperative Wholesale Establishment (CWE), also known as Sathosa, will be sent home on compulsory retirement from the end of this month, as part of the entity�s restructuring programme. Accordingly, about 300 employees will be sent home from 30 September. This decision has been taken after the Cabinet approved the proposal made by Trade Minister Nalin Fernando. The circular, issued by Sathosa Chairman Pasanda Yapa more..

Sep 16 (AD) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe has appointed a three-member committee to investigate the allegations in the documentary aired by British television network Channel 4 on the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks in Sri Lanka. The committee, chaired by retired SC Justice S.I. Imam, consists of retired Air Force Commander Jayalath Weerakkody and Prez�s Counsel Harsha A.J. Soza PC. more..

Sep 17 (TM) Friday (15) marked the UN International Day of Democracy, with this year�s theme being Empowering the next generation. The theme, no doubt, would have made the current political dispensation in this country rather uncomfortable, given the fact that democracy and all that it entails have been relegated to the backburner in the name of economic recovery, while the next generation is looking elsewhere for both democratic as well as economic emancipation. more..

Sep 17 (FT) Undoubtedly, a primary, perhaps even the main reason for SL�s failure is its public sector; inefficient, inept and corrupt to such an extent that to call it a modern day service provider is a hilarity, a comedy only dulled by the pain and frustration it causes a helpless public. It is everywhere and yet nowhere, our public service will not answer a telephone call leave alone a letter, unless the originator is a Minister! Today this taxpayer-funded service does not even pretend more..

Sep 17 (SO) NPP MP Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, known for her candidness and thoughtful approach to politics, sat down for an insightful conversation to address pressing issues concerning political alliances, economic reforms, and the path forward for the NPP. Q: You have mentioned that you cannot make alliances with MP Dallas� Alahapperuma�s team due to concerns about corruption and a rejected political culture. more..

Sep 17 (GV) We at the BCIS began to conceptualize and plan this publication on the experience of democracy in our country at a time when the SL people were on the verge of losing their democratic heritage. When the year 2019 began the threat of a hard authoritarian system replacing a weak and battered democratic order had indeed become alarmingly real. We at the BCIS Board of Academic Affairs and its Chairperson felt that an analysis of why a promising democracy at the time more..

Sep 17 (TM) There has been no progress in SL�s negotiations on the proposed agreements relating to preferential trade access with its biggest trading partners, China and India, which accounted for about $ 9 billion each in bilateral trade in 2022, despite repeated public declarations of interest by both sides, Int'l Trade Office (ITO) reveals. ITO Chief Negotiator K.J. Weerasinghe revealed that Sri Lanka was yet to set dates for its next round of trade talks with both China and India more..

Sep 17 (SO) Minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, PC said that Channel 4 is one of the known propagandists against Sri Lanka and there is no credibility about their news. We don�t believe it as a media organisation with credibility. Minister said they were hatching conspiracies against Sri Lanka especially after the conclusion of the war. Their timing categorically says that they are on a hidden agenda. more..

Sep 17 (SO) In the world of competitive swimming, records are made to be broken and SL�s Minagi Rupasinghe is proving herself to be a record-breaking force to be reckoned with. This young swimmer recently made headlines by becoming a double national record holder in the 800m freestyle and 1500m freestyle events for Sri Lanka. Her remarkable achievements unfolded at the FINA World Junior Swimming Championships, held in the picturesque city of Netanya in Israel last week more..

Sep 17 (Island) Govt now turned its attention to the schools. The reader�s attention is here drawn to two statements, the first, by S.W.R.D.�s Govt that, in view of the need to achieve a more unified system of education, Govt had decided to take over such privately-managed schools as the Dept of Education might determine in consultation with, and with the consent of, the management concerned, and, secondly, Sirimavo�s statement, repeated ad nauseam in her public speeches, more..

Sep 17 (Island) Last week�s piece by Vijaya Chandrasoma in the Sunday Island (10) was illustrated with two attention grabbing cartoons. One of them, depicting Donald Trump shackled by the ball and chain of a prisoner and a senile looking Joe Biden with a walking aide was particularly arresting. It eloquently depicted the stark choice before the voters at next year�s prez elections in the U.S. Trump entered the political scene in 2015, with no previous experience in politics or governance. more..

Sep 17 (CI) The continent's crown jewel is on the line, but the two teams fighting for it come into the final with different motivations. India have not lifted any multi-team trophy since their Asia Cup win in 2018, and are desperate to know how that feels. SL, ODI ranking No. 8, want to drill it in that despite making the ODI World Cup only through the qualifiers, they are more than just dark horses. Hosts Sri Lanka possess the template to defeat India, because they very nearly did so last week. more..

Sep 17 (ST) Muna Habib, a Pakistani journalist who had an affair with disgraced US diplomat Richard Olson while he was Ambassador in Islamabad, got money to study at the prestigious Columbia University from a shady American lobbyist who also had ties with the Mahinda Rajapaksa administration. This week, Olson was sentenced to three years of probation and ordered to pay a US$ 93,350 fine for helping Qatar influence US more..

Sep 17 (PMd) Sagala Ratnayake, Senior Adviser to the Prez on National Security and Chief of the Presidential Staff, revealing a significant government decision said that the govt has resolved to undertake a comprehensive restructuring of the govt institutions entrusted with environmental responsibilities. Furthermore, Mr. Ratnayaka highlighted that a committee will be established to bolster environmental protection laws and facilitate the restructuring efforts. more..

Sep 17 (TOI) Fishermen in Rameswaram went on a strike on Saturday demanding the release of eight Rameswaram fishers arrested by the SL authorities. All the 800 odd fishing vessels were moored at the fishing jetty and fishermen did not collect the fishing tokens. The Sri Lankan navy on Wednesday night detained 17 fishermen -- eight Rameswaram fishermen and nine fishers from Pudukkottai district -- on charges of poaching in the territorial waters of the island nation. more..