Sep 3 (TM) Feasibility studies have commenced for the development of the Hingurakgoda Airport into an international civil airport and for the further expansion of the Jaffna International Airport, according to the AASL. AASL Chairman G.A. Chandrasiri revealed that following the decision made by the Govt earlier this year to develop the Hingurakgoda Airport � also known as the Minneriya Airport � into an int'l civil airport, the AASL had commenced a feasibility study in this regard. more..

Sep 3 (CI) Chamari Athapaththu led from the front in a stunning allround display - first with the ball and then with a rampant 26-ball fifty - as Sri Lanka secured their maiden T20I victory over England in extraordinarily emphatic style: by eight wickets, and with a crushing 40 balls remaining, as Heather Knight's new-look team were served a dramatic reality check, only two days after cruising to victory in the series opener at Hove. After winning her second toss of the series and more..

Sep 3 (ST) Steeplechaser Nilani Ratnayake and weightlifter Ruchira Jayasena complete the list of six athletes from Sri Lanka to receive bans in 2023 related to anti-doping laws of the country�s regulator on ban substances � SL Anti-Doping Agency (SLADA). Accordingly Ratnayake and Jayasena have been found guilty on the same offence after pleading guilty of violation of SLADA Anti-Doping Rules, as determined by more..

Sep 3 (DM) In what appeared to be a startling revelation, 78 MCM of water (million cubic metres) is leaked from Samanala Wewa annually, a reservoir meant for hydropower generation, causing a loss of Rs.2. 7 billion to the CEB, a top engineer said. He said the rate of water leaks varies with the reservoir level. �The CEB is currently taking steps to fill the exposed sinkholes with mud and soil. Further lowering of the reservoir has been requested for effective mending,� more..

Sep 3 (DM) Global Finance magazine has released the names of Central Bank Governors who earned A+, A, or A- grades as part of the Central Banker Report Cards 2023 where Governor of Central Bank of SL Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe has been listed under A- grade. The Bank Governors who earned an "A-" grade are: Colombia Leonardo Villar, Dominican Republic Hector Valdez Albizu, Iceland Asgeir Jonsson, Indonesia Perry Warjiyo, Mexico Victoria Rodriguez Ceja, Morocco Abdellatif Jouahri, more..

Sep 3 (TM) Sri Lanka�s ability, or lack of such, to chart a sovereign course through the turbulent geopolitical waters of the Indian Ocean is once again under the spotlight, with reports that diplomatic permission for the Chinese geophysical and seismic survey ship Shi Yan 6 to call port and conduct research is still pending. This, despite the Ministry of Defence telling last month that the Govt had granted approval for the research vessel to enter SL territorial waters and call port in Colombo. more..

Sep 3 (ST) In keeping up with the IMF�s requirements, exporters will be asked to pay Value Added Tax (VAT) upfront and claim their respective taxed funds after proceeds are brought back and declared in the country, according to a proposed bill. Under the existing Simplified Value Added Tax Scheme, which the bill proposes to remove, exporters are given concessions where the state will bear the tax cost until the proceeds are declared voluntarily by the exporter. more..

Sep 3 (TM) A report prepared by the SL Association of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (SLACPT) on request by the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Challenges and barriers for effective supply of medicines to the State sector has laid bare the stark realities and causes behind the enduring pharmaceutical shortage that the public health system has been facing over the last year. Report, which Sunday Morning has seen, more..

Sep 3 (ST) The Dept of Immigration and Emigration (DIE) is compelled to continue with the issuance of ordinary passports at present due to limited progress and the delay in the implementation of the e-passport project, especially the procurement process that began in 2015. It has been revealed that the process to introduce e-passports and to implement a new IT infrastructure will take at least 18 months from the date of contract award following the project�s tender procedure. more..

Sep 3 (ST) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe will attend the Group of 77 (G77) summit in Havana, Cuba on September 15 and 16 before he proceeds to New York for the UNGA�s annual sessions. The G 77 now has 134 member states from the economically developing world and is a coalition designed to promote collective economic interests and create an enhanced joint negotiating capacity. An offshoot of the Non-Aligned Movement, it began in 1964 with 77 countries, including Sri Lanka. more..

Sep 3 (DM) Steps will be taken to resolve the various concerns regarding traffic offences being video recorded by the traffic police and then being released to the media, IGP C.D. Wickramaratne informed a Parliament Committee. IGP informed this to the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Public Security when the matter was raised in the committee. Committee raised concerns regarding the ethicality of traffic police video recording offences and then releasing them to media. more..

Sep 3 (DM) Referring to the recent concerns over the Meningococcal disease triggered by the initial detection from the Galle Prison, the Health Ministry said the variant of the disease in SL is not highly contagious. Director General of Health Services Dr. Asela Gunawardena stated that all sequence of events had been sensationalized to the extent that it was reported as if Meningococcal disease was detected for the first time in SL. �It is not the first time that this disease has been detected in SL. more..

Sep 3 (TM) Despite fears of a supply gap in power generation, Lanka Coal Company (LCC) is anticipating the arrival of the first coal shipment of the upcoming second unloading season, scheduled for 10 Sept. LCC Chairman Shehan Sumanasekara said that existing coal stocks were expected to last until 15 Sept. He said that the shipment had already commenced its voyage from the loading point & would arrive on 10 Sept. more..

Sep 3 (DM) MP Anura Priyadarshana Yapa has been given the responsibility of heading the new alliance, which has been initiated by MP Nimal Lanza, sources close to MP Lanza said. The proposal to hand over all responsibilities to MP Yapa including the power of carrying out discussions with various parties was made by MP Lanza and Minister Susil Premajayantha according to sources. Mr. Yapa was appointed when the group of MPs representing the new alliance met in the Parliamentary more..

Sep 3 (ST) The scrapping of the system allowing Sri Lankan migrant workers to import electric vehicles on concessionary terms has been recommended by the Treasury to Prez. The move follows an analysis of the scheme, which has been effective for more than a year. It was aimed at encouraging migrant workers to remit more foreign exchange to the country through official & legal channels. Treasury had found that the remittances gained through the scheme were not adequate, more..

Sep 3 (DM) A mini war has broken out between Cabinet Ministers and State Ministers in the execution of their duties. The State Ministers have complained to President Ranil Wickremesinghe that they have no functions to discharge allegedly due to their ministerial colleagues usurping them. In addition, they have also complained that they have not been issued with good vehicles or other facilities they are entitled to. more..

Sep 4 (DM) In April 2022 our country declared itself bankrupt and informed its international creditors that we would not be able to repay loans as scheduled. In simple language, we were cash-strapped. Sad but true after seventy-five years of independence, we still need to import our staple food, among other essentials to feed our people. We had to eat humble pie and beg the IMF for a facility to reschedule our debt repayments, and help us out of the mess our political leaders had got this country into. more..

Sep 4 (DM) SJB Leader Sajith Premadasa has voiced his reluctance to form political agreements or alliances with Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe, leader of the UNP. There were speculations about a possible merger between Premadasa�s SJB and the UNP, with the potential for Premadasa to become PM under Wickremesinghe�s leadership after the next Prez election. Premadasa�s statement, �Why should I get into deals with Ranil?� reflects his reservations about such collaborations. more..

Sep 4 (DM) U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen, at a media roundtable with a select group of journalists said SL is emerging from the emergency, and his country is pleased to see the adoption of the Anti-Corruption Law. He took questions from the journalists. Q: SL underwent a lot of changes last year. There were massive protests demanding the Prez step down. Now after current Prez came into power, situation has completely changed. more..

Sep 4 (ST) The sacking of a constable who played the grand piano at the Prez�s House after former Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his entourage fled through the back door as thousands of citizens broke down the gates, has captured global news in a sardonic footnote to the 2022 aragalaya (peoples� protests). Int'l wire service reports said, no doubt tongue-in-cheek, that seniors in the police command structure had likened the cop�s rebellious act to Nero fiddling while Rome burned. more..

Sep 4 (CT) Among the many crises that led to the people�s uprising and the resignation of former Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the fuel crisis can be considered the last straw that broke the collective back of people who were convinced that there was no other option but to take to the streets in protest, especially the lower and upper middle class in Colombo. It was the crisis that brought the whole nation to its knees � from farmer to billionaire businessman � letting all know that more..

Sep 4 (TM) Despite statistics from claiming a drop in inflation, the lived realities of the general public appear to be deteriorating rapidly. Following on the heels of the economic crisis, the prevailing drought has exacerbated the situation, with the Agriculture Ministry announcing that the amount of cultivated paddy lands where crop damage has occurred due to the drought has increased up to 51,055.19 acres as of 22 August. more..

Sep 4 (TM) Recently, a little-known yet nationally concerning fact was revealed at a meeting of the Sectoral Oversight Committee on An Open and Accountable Govt. As per a senior Police officer who responded to a question about SL�s efforts and progress with regard to arresting the perpetrators of various crimes that took place in recent history, especially those who have fled the country, the death penalty, although glorified as an effective deterrent & necessity to punish grave crimes, more..

Sep 4 (Island) Sri Lankans with a predilection for gratuitous violence or wanton brutality no longer have to spend money to watch western gangster movies. Local television news bulletins are full of actual scenes of violence; they are in fact scarier than taut Hollywood thrillers such as Tarantino�s Reservoir Dogs. Sicarios of local gangsters come riding motorcycles, kill their targets with ease and ride away calmly. Hardly a day passes without such incidents, and more..

Sep 4 (GV) On Sept 5, excavations will begin on a mass grave found in the Kokkuthoduvai area of Mullaituvu in accordance with a court order. The new mass grave is one of around 32 that have been identified across the country over the past 30 years; 20 have been partially exhumed but hardly any family has had the remains of their loved ones returned. To mark the Int'l Day of Remembrance of Victims of Enforced Disappearances on Aug 30, relatives of the forcibly disappeared more..

Sep 4 (FT) In a bid to achieve a sustainable and greener future, the Power and Energy Ministry unveiled the National Hydrogen Roadmap last week. Roadmap is a collaborative effort between Petroleum Development Authority of SL (PDASL) and Greenstat Hydrogen India, with the invaluable support of the USAID, which charts a course for SL�s energy landscape transformation. Recognising the immense potential of green hydrogen, SL is poised to address 3 pressing socio-economic more..

Sep 4 (FT) In a proactive move to bolster the tourism sector and attract a new wave of remote workers, Cabinet has given its seal of approval to a range of visa programs, including a novel offering known as the Digital Nomad Visa (DNV). Under the DNV program, applicants are required to demonstrate a minimum monthly income of $ 2,000, which must be channelled through the SL banking system. This visa is renewable annually, more..

Sep 4 (Island) This writing was inspired by the topical essay of Kingsley Wickramasuriya, retired Senior DIG, which dealt with the impact of politics on the police, and the pithy observation made by Rajan Phillips in his column in Sunday Island where he had, whilst discussing dangers that may affect provincial policing under the 13th Amendment, stated Nothing can be done provincially unless everything is reformed nationally. For a long time, total blame for political interferences more..

Sep 4 (ST) A tug-of-war between the Ministry of Sports and Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has left hundreds of domestic cricketers and many other stakeholders high and dry after SLC suspended all of its home-based tournaments citing instructions from the line ministry. The decision has had direct and indirect impact on many livelihoods. This has resulted players losing their match fees and contracts fees while umpires and scorers will lose their match fees. more..

Sep 4 (DM) Lanka Mineral Sands (LMS) will ship its largest-ever consignment of mineral sands by value this week, signaling the advent of a new chapter of operations. The cargo of concentrate tailings is valued at several million dollars, and is being shipped to its Chinese buyer following an international tender process with the participation of five bidders at a pre-determined benchmark price. This shipment represents the largest-ever for LMS since its inception in 1957. more..

Sep 4 (FT) A significant stride towards revitalising SL�s gem and jewellery industry was taken as SL Gem and Jewellery Association (SLGJA) and Faculty of Engineering at the Uni of Sri J'pura joined hands through a momentous Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) signing ceremony. This transformative event unfolded within the distinguished premises of Uni�s Senate Boardroom on 23 Aug. This project was initiated by SLGJA Lapidary Segment Vice President more..

Sep 4 (CI) Wet weather could further impact the Asia Cup schedule with Asian Cricket Council (ACC) considering moving games in the Super Four round away from Colombo. Officials from SLC and PCB have confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that they are looking at alternative venues in SL where relatively drier weather is forecast. Although this is not the monsoon season in SL, Colombo has had heavy rain in the last few days, more..

Sep 4 (DN) Pavendra Ramesh of Colombo District and Nimesha Dharshani from Moneragala District emerged as the champions in the Marathon event of the 34th National Youth Sports Festival, organized by the National Youth Services Council in collaboration with the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs yesterday. Ramesh, displaying remarkable endurance and speed, clinched the gold medal in the Men�s category by completing the grueling 42-km race in an impressive time of 2h50m7s. more..

Sep 4 (Island) Hurdler Danuka Dharshana, who reached his personal best performance at the recently held National Sports Festival was felicitated by his club, Sri Lak Athletics Club for his outstanding performances this year at a function held recently. The former Ambagamuwa Central athlete trained by Anura Bandara completed yet another successful year capping the season with the Best Athlete title at the 47th National Sports Festival. He was the winner of the Junior National Championships more..

Sep 4 (ST) With the number of shooting incidents mainly fuelled by violence between organised criminal gangs continuing to rise, authorities are pledging to take tough action to bring the situation under control. Minister Tiran Alles admitted that incidents related to underworld crime had increased. Nevertheless, he pointed out that law enforcement authorities had also been successful in arresting suspects linked to a significant more..

Sep 4 (MFA) A Diplomatic briefing was convened at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the Colombo-based diplomatic corps on current developments related to the draft Anti-Terrorism Bill, on 1 Sept 2023. Minister of Justice, Prison Affairs and Constitutional Reforms Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapaksa and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Sabry addressed the briefing. State Minister of Justice Anuradha Jayarathna, Foreign Secretary Aruni Wijewardane, Secretary Ministry of Justice, Wasantha Perera more..