Sep 5 (EN) Shares edged up at close on renewed investor interest on the local front, an analyst said. ASPI was up 0.88% or 100.31 points to 11,474.95, this is the highest the market has been since Aug 11, while S&P SL20 was up 1.33% or 43.02 points to 3,277.29. �There is strong investor sentiment, in the local front particularly in the large blue chip counters, which is causing a surge in the index,� an analyst said. Over the past sessions, favorable performance indications combined with more..

Sep 5 (FT) SL declared to the world in April, 2022 that the country is bankrupt and that we have reached out to the IMF for the 16th time for a bailout. The exception this time around was that we could have avoided the disgrace on the global stage had we listened to the opposition way back in June, 2019 and engaged the IMF. The then Govt did not listen to the professionals. The hierarchy did not even listen to the agricultural experts from the Uni of Peradeniya on the policy decision on fertiliser. more..

Sep 5 (AD) The Director General of Health Services, Dr. Asela Gunawardena emphasizes that the statements made by several parties that there is a shortage of contact lenses within hospitals across the country including the National Eye Hospital in Colombo are not true. Dr. Gunawardena stated that the eye surgeries are being carried out in those hospitals as usual. �Even now, the medical supplies division has sufficient stocks of lenses in different strengths. more..

Sep 5 (FT) SMEs have been an indomitable cornerstone of our nation�s economy. They make up 75% of all enterprises in SL, in addition to generating 20% of all exports, 45% of employment and 52% of GDP. Unfortunately, despite having energised the aspirations of generations of Sri Lankans, today, our nation�s SMEs face a perilous existence and remain among the weakest equipped to face an increasingly uncertain future. Successive crises have reduced many SMEs to a daily struggle for survival more..

Sep 5 (AD) Minister Manusha Nanayakkara has revealed that a new inquiry will be conducted into the recent allegations made by UK�s Channel 4 pertaining to the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks. He stated that a special Parliamentary Committee will be appointed for this purpose, adding that while the need for international assistance to investigate these accusations has been recognised, such measures too, will be taken if required. more..

Sep 5 (AD) The Cabinet of Ministers has granted approval to publish the Anti�Terrorism Bill, which was revised in accordance with the suggestions and opinions received by different parties in the govt gazette, and to table the bill in parliament for passing. Earlier in Sept 2022, the approval of the Cabinet was received to submit the new Anti-Terrorism Bill prepared by the legal draftsman, in order to replace the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). more..

Sep 5 (DM) It is not possible to postpone the A/L exams despite requests to do so as postponement of the A/L exam would affect the O/L exams and the completion of the school syllabus for 2024, Education Minister Susil Premajayantha said today. He told Parliament that the A/L exams would be held as scheduled while responding to requests by both govt and opposition MPs including Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, Dullas Alahapperuma, Wimal Weerawansa and govt MP more..

Sep 5 (TM) SL Govt�s domestic debt stock has passed the $ 50 billion mark after the first six months of 2023, with an increase of 28% during the period, as the Govt continues to borrow from the domestic market with a premium attached until external debt restructuring is completed. Softlogic Stockbrokers Co-Head of Research Raynal Wickremeratne said that SL Govt will have to borrow from the domestic market with a premium more..

Sep 5 (DM) Colombo Chief Magistrate Prasanna Alwis has prohibited the transfer and sale of 620 million rupees worth of 20 properties belonged to Sampath Sandaruwan, a Director of the Onmax DT' private company', who has been banned by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka for illegal pyramid transactions, until further notice. The magistrate issued this order to the land registrars of Matara, Kalutara, Hambantota and Kadawata. The magistrate has issued this order, after more..

Sep 5 (DM) Cabinet approval was granted to amend the Motor Vehicles Act by removing the tare weight, which should not exceed 500 kg, and the gross weight, Minister Bandula Gunawardana said. According to the interpretation of the Motor Vehicles Act, the weight of a motor tricycle should not exceed 500 kgs, and the gross weight should not exceed 1000 kgs, he said. "Electrically charged batteries are used to manufacture electric three-wheelers and to convert petrol or diesel-powered 3-wheelers more..

Sep 5 (NR) A total of 9,904 students have obtained �A� passes for all three subjects at the GCE A/L Exam. 166,938 students who sat the A/L Exam have met the requirement for admission to state universities. Meanwhile, 817 Bio stream students, 1,088 students who sat the exam in Physical Science stream, 4,198 Commerce stream students, 3,622 Arts stream students, 90 Engineering Technology stream students and 73 Bio Systems Technology stream students obtained more..

Sep 5 (FT) Cinnamon Hotels and Resorts hosted Mo Gawdat, the former Chief Business Officer of Google [X] and Best-selling author, at Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo last week to enlighten a Sri Lankan audience of IT specialists, businessmen, professionals, and corporates on the topic of Artificial Intelligence and its future. �The potential here is mind-blowing. You think less of your country than I do. Life does come with difficulties everywhere in the world, even in the biggest cities, but more..

Sep 5 (EN) SL�s new Inland Revenue (Amendment) Bill is not inconsistent with the constitution and can be passed in parliament by a simple majority, Supreme Court has determined. The bill was challenged in the SC in terms of article 121(1) of the constitution. Speaker told parliament that the court has held that neither the bill nor any of its provisions is inconsistent with article 12 of any provisions of the constitution. more..

Sep 5 (TM) Over 30 travel agents based in SL attended Indonesia�s tourism promotion event, which was held by the Indonesian Embassy in Colombo last Friday at Indonesian Embassy in Colombo. This event succeeded in highlighting the increased interest among Sri Lankans to travel to Indonesia. The event was also attended by Laras Tours Indonesia (LTI), an Indonesian travel agent company, which took the opportunity to promote attractive packages to several tourist more..

Sep 5 (DM) Cabinet approved a proposal to consider the supply of drinking water as an urgent and priority requirement until sufficient rainfall is received and to act on national water resources, Minister Badula Gunawardane said. He said due to the recent dry weather situation, around 84,000 families in 70 DS areas belonging to 17 districts of the island have faced a shortage of drinking water. It was also said that a report dated August 22 was published in this regard by the National Disaster Relief Center. more..

Sep 5 (TM) Electricity Consumers' Association (ECA) alleged that the Auditor General (AG) � whom they claim is in a state of slumber over audit-related matters of national importance, including those pertaining to the fuel pricing formula � is indirectly supporting large scale fraud. ECA Chairman Sanjeewa Dhammika claimed that consumers have been exploited through the recent fuel hike, which he termed very unfair. more..

Sep 5 (CT) UNP General Secretary Palitha Rangebandara announced the UNP�s Party Convention that was originally scheduled for 10 Sept in Colombo, is indefinitely postponed, due to ongoing adverse weather conditions across the country. The decision to postpone the Convention was unanimously agreed upon during a meeting of the UNP�s Working Committee, chaired by Party Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, at Sirikotha. Rangebandara explained that the new date more..

Sep 5 (AW) Air Arabia Abu Dhabi is adding a new nonstop link between the UAE and SL from early next year as it continues to expand its route map further east. The LCC plans to make Colombo�s Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB)�serving SL's capital�the 34th destination in its network from Jan. 3, 2024. Flights from Abu Dhabi Int'l Airport (AUH) will operate three times per week using Airbus A320 aircraft. The service will provide direct competition for SriLankan Airlines, more..

Sep 5 (Island) Minister Manusha Nanayakkara, said that 200,026 Sri Lankans had left for foreign employment by 4 September this year after registering with SL Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE), Nanayakkara said that about 311,000 Sri Lankans had left for foreign employment in 2022. The Minister said he expected a similar number of people to leave the country this year as well. Sri Lankan workers had remitted over US$ 2.8 billion in the first half of 2023, he said. more..

Sep 5 (TM) Sail Lanka Charter reached a historic milestone by introducing female crew members to serve on their fleet of catamarans, the first to do so in SL�s marine tourism landscape. This signifies a major step towards promoting gender equality, empowerment, respect, and diversity within the industry. Reflecting on this significant achievement, Sail Lanka Charter Managing Director Mario Stubbs shared: "We are immensely proud to announce the inclusion of our first female crew members. more..

Sep 5 (DM) El Ni�o occurs approximately once every 7-10 years. El Ni�o effect takes place globally due to shifts in equatorial current patterns. In this case, sea winds fail to cool the ocean�s surface, leading to warmer seawater. Consequently, the surface temperature of the earth experiences an increase. Many countries globally detect such conditions. Presently, Sri Lanka has experienced an El Ni�o effect. more..

Sep 5 (CT) A SL domestic worker, who received the largest-ever compensation of Rs 6.8 million, in the history of Middle East domestic service, due to a grave injustice, arrived at BIA from Kuwait on Sunday (3). Woman is a 32-year-old resident of Mahiyangana. She had gone to Kuwait for domestic work on 22 October 2022, in a house where govt employees resided. Tragically, during her time there, she was sexually abused by her 32-year-old employer�s son, on multiple occasions. more..

Sep 5 (EN) Mattala Airport has lost a billion rupees so far in 2023, Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva said. �When you take 2023, the aviation earnings have been 54 million, and non-aviation earnings have been 109 million,� he said. The total earnings are t million rupees. The full expense is 1.2 bn rupees.� �The loss is about a billion rupees.� The airport was built with a 1.3 billion yuan loan (US$ 189 million) with a 2% interest rate from the Exim Bank of China payable in 15 years, more..

Sep 5 (HRW) We, nine international human rights organizations, have grave reservations about the SL govt�s proposed National Unity and Reconciliation Commission. Our concerns echo many of those already raised by victims of conflict-related abuses and their families. Sri Lanka has a long history of convening similar bodies, none of which has provided justice, truth or reparation to the many people who have engaged with them. more..

Sep 5 (DM) In a joint operation conducted by Sri Lanka Customs, Police Narcotic Bureau and the Postal Department authorities seized 15 unclaimed parcels containing Rs.85 million worth Hashish at the Central Mail Exchange (CME) sent through airmail. Officials of the Customs Narcotic Control Unit, Police Narcotic Bureau (PNB), Postal Department officials at the CME and Customs Appraisal Division officials checked 16 parcels today and found narcotics in 15 of them. more..

Sep 5 (DM) Plans were afoot to establish a drug destruction center in Kalpitiya area for the purpose of destroying drugs seized in raids, Chairman of Prez Task Force appointed to control narcotics Priyantha Perera said. He told this at the Select Committee of Parliament to look into and identify the mechanisms to be implemented in order to immediately control and eradicate the rapidly spreading drug menace in the country and to submit observations & recommendations to P'ment. more..

Sep 6 (DM) In recent years, SL has witnessed an alarming surge in the proliferation of pyramid schemes that prey on the innocent public�s desire for quick wealth. Onmax DT scam, which came to light not too long ago, has shed light on the magnitude of this issue and exposed the vulnerability of countless Sri Lankans to fraudulent financial schemes. This scheme, in particular, has drawn attention due to its audacity, with its board members allegedly amassing millions of rupees through illegal pyramid more..

Sep 6 (DM) Two weeks back, an Indian space mission, Chandrayaan 3, landed in the hitherto unexplored South Pole of the moon, making India the first country to achieve the feat. The mission cost US$ 75 million, according to the Indian Space Research Organization. Last week, India followed up with a rocket to the Sun to explore solar radiation. Total cost of the mission was US$ 45 million. Interestingly, both recent Indian space missions, as groundbreaking as they are, more..

Sep 6 (TM) Prevailing legal system of getting a divorce in SL needs to be improved in a number of ways because the existing law recognises only a handful of grounds based on matrimonial faults on which a divorce can be sought. This has compelled spouses to point fingers at each other, lawyers to be engaged in fierce battles, and children to be adversely mentally affected, making the overall process of getting a divorce a dragged-out more..

Sep 6 (CT) SL�s recent initiative to prioritise the welfare of its children, spearheaded by the Parliamentary Caucus for Children, under the leadership of MP Rohini Kumari Wijerathna, deserves commendation and support. However, it is essential to acknowledge the persistent obstacles hindering child welfare and education and the skepticism surrounding the effectiveness of parliamentary committees in bringing about real change. Focus on Reproductive Health and more..

Sep 6 (TM) Govt is set to begin efforts to repatriate fraudulently earned money deposited in foreign countries this month with the new anti-corruption legislation coming into force next week, the Ministry of Justice said on Monday. It is learnt that under the new legislation, CIABOC would be empowered to take action against those who stash ill-gotten wealth overseas. Govt has also managed to get the assistance of UN office on Drug & Crime (UNODC) to help with process, which is a good move. more..

Sep 6 (CT) There seem to be two major dilemmas that Ministry of Health faces, aside from the issues related to medicinal drugs and patient care. Preparation of the Doctors� Annual Transfer List and what it is supposed to do with the medical doctors who return to SL following two to three years of foreign training seems to be a nightmare from which the Ministry has no intention of awakening. more..

Sep 6 (CT) Increase in the price of petrol and diesel has been accompanied by the removal of the QR Code quota system for the purchase of fuel. Elimination of long lines of vehicles, and people, outside of the fuel stations that existed a year ago is one of the signs of normalization that is credited to Prez and his govt. The tripling of fuel prices over the past year, which has now increased further, would be a key factor in reducing demand and eliminating the need for quota system. more..

Sep 6 (ST) Now that was a poor shot, I must say. I don�t mean our attempts at conquering empty space. The other day Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa took a shot at the Rajapaksa Rocket Man for spending much more than India did to land Chandrayaan-3 on the moon�s south pole. Deriding SL�s attempt to venture into space, Opposition Leader Premadasa claimed that India�s moon missions cost US$ 263 million while our shot at satellite launching cost a huge US$320m. more..

Sep 6 (Island) A Kuwaiti court has awarded compensation to the tune of Rs. 6.8 million to a SL woman who was raped by her employer�s son repeatedly and forced to undergo an abortion. An attempt to pack her off to SL came a cropper as the Kuwaiti airport personnel found her to be too ill to fly and alerted SL embassy. But for the timely intervention of the Kuwaiti authorities and the SL diplomats, her plight would not have come to light. Rape is considered a fate worse than death more..