Jul 18 (EN) USA has given vital equipment to SL�s Disaster Management Centre (DMC) to strengthen the island�s preparedness for climate-related emergencies, as climate change intensifies. The donation was made by the USAID Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA), through the UN World Food Programme (WFP). The consignment is part of a broader US$ 2.5 millio (approx 760 million rupees) USAID-funded WFP project and will complement govt efforts to improve more..

Jul 18 (DM) A teacher of a leading government school in Anuradhapura has been interdicted with immediate effect for conducting private tuition classes during school hours. Director of Education (NCP) S.M.W. Samarakoon said he had received several complaints from the residents of the area that the mathematics teacher of the school was in the habit of conducting private tuition classes during school hours and that he often signed attendance at school and left for private tuition. more..

Jul 18 (AD) Court of Appeal has granted bail for BBS General Secretary Ven. Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thero, who had been sentenced to four years of rigorous imprisonment for making defamatory comments on Islam at Kuragala, until the hearing of the revision petition filed by him. This order was issued when the revision petition filed by Ven. Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thero was taken up for consideration this morning. more..

Jul 18 (AD) Fort Magistrate�s Court has ordered for underworld criminal gang member Piyum Hasthika alias Piyuma to be remanded in custody until July 31. This order was issued when the suspect, who was detained under the custody of the CID after being repatriated to SL from Dubai, was produced before the court today. Piyum Hasthika alias Piyuma, who is reportedly the main accomplice of the notorious underworld figure and drug trafficker Salindu Gunaratne alias Kudu Salindu, more..

Jul 18 (CT) Anura Wasgewatta, Head of the Raids Division of Kandy Municipal Council, has lodged a complaint at Kandy Headquarters Police, alleging that K.D. Lalkantha, an Executive Committee member of the NPP, threatened him during a recent NPP public rally in Kandy. The complaint is related to an incident where Wasgewatta allegedly tried to remove an NPP cut-out near the Clock Tower in the city. Lalkantha, addressing the NPP public rally, claimed such individuals should be more..

Jul 18 (PMD) Cabinet has approved the proposal presented by Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe to identify areas occupied by Plantation Workers on state-owned plantation lands managed by the State Plantation Corporation and regional plantation companies and to draft legislation to formally designate these areas as new settlement villages. A special discussion in this regard was also held at the Presidential Secretariat, more..

Jul 18 (DN) Colombo Dockyard (CDPLC) inked an agreement with Hambantota International Port Group (Pvt) Ltd (HIPG), to set up a fully-fledged workshop at the HIP facility on July 16, 2024. Once the workshop is set up, this will augment the service availability and the speed of service to the clients, improving the economics to the end user. This new workshop, when in operation, will extend the service footprint of Colombo Dockyard to the southernmost tip of Sri Lanka. more..

Jul 18 (CT) With the exposure of medical negligence and corruption at Chavakachcheri Base Hospital in the Northern Province by its Acting Medical Superintendent, Dr. Archchuna Ramanathan, significant issues arose for many medical practitioners at the hospital. In response, Health Minister Ramesh Pathirana led a team to visit both Chavakachcheri Base Hospital and Jaffna Teaching Hospital, engaging in discussions with govt officials and hospital administrations about more..

Jul 18 (SLN) A search operation conducted by the Navy in the beach vicinity stretching from Wellamundalama to Kolankanaththa in Puttalam in the evening of 17th July 2024 led to the recovery of about 778kg (wet weight) of dried turmeric. It is suspected that the consignment of dried turmeric was smuggled into the country via sea routes. SL Navy remains ever alert and conducts patrols and search operations in the coastal areas of the island to prevent the influx of illegal items. more..

Jul 18 (Island) Police investigators suspect that the two hitmen who assassinated Surendra Wasantha Perera, alias Club Wasantha, on 08 July, at the opening of a tattoo parlour in Aturugiriya town, have fled the country. Wasantha�s driver was also killed while four others were wounded in the daring attack close to the Aturugiriya police station. Several senior police officers say the two men must have left the country in a trawler from the Southern coast of the country. more..

Jul 18 (AD) Minister of Public Security Tiran Alles says that all but two suspects involved in the recent shooting and killing of popular businessman Wasantha Perera alias Club Wasantha in Athurugiriya have been arrested by the police. �Athurugiriya incident. I can�t go into much detail. We have arrested most of the suspects that need to be taken into custody. I think there�s only two more left (to be arrested).� more..

Jul 18 (DN) State owned enterprises reforms must continue without interruptions or the benefits that were obtained from the debt restructuring process would be useless, CEO of Advocata Institute Dhananath Fernando said at Unlocking Economic Potential: Why Debt Restructuring Alone Won�t Suffice without SOE Reforms event. He said that the govt annually has to pump in billions to keep these institutions up and it is not viable to continue this traditional process. more..

Jul 18 (DM) SJB has raised concerns about a recent meeting between senior UNP members and Election Commission officials. SJB MP Mayantha Dissanayake emphasized the need for transparency regarding the discussions held by the UNP General Secretary and its Chairman with the Election Commission members, especially since the UNP leaders have publicly called for early Presidential elections. Dissanayake stated that while the Election Commission will eventually announce more..

Jul 18 (EN) If there was 80% turnout at SL�s 2024 prez election, a candidate would have to obtain over 7 million votes to win, the UNP said, claiming that this would be an insurmountable challenge for rival party NPP. UNP general secretary Palitha Range Bandara speaking at an event on Wednesday said there are 17.1 million Sri Lankans registered to vote at the presidential election due to be held between Sept 17 and Oct 17. more..

Jul 18 (AD) Minister of Public Security Tiran Alles says that one suspect has been arrested in connection with the murder of former captain of SL�s Under-19 cricket team Dhammika Niroshana. Dhammika Niroshana, also known as Jonty was shot dead on Tuesday night (16) in front of his house at Kande Mawatha in Bogahawatte, Ambalangoda. Niroshana was shot by an assailant who was armed with a 12-bore rifle, while he had been shot in the head killing him instantly. more..

Jul 18 (NDTV) A recent picture of Sri Lanka's World Cup-winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga has gone viral on social media and users cannot believe the legendary cricketer's body transformation. Ranatunga was a star performer for Sri Lanka in the 1996 World Cup and under his captaincy, they went on to win the title for the only time in their history. Ranatunga entered politics after taking retirement from the sport and he was also a Member of Parliament in Sri Lanka. more..

Jul 18 (EN) Passenger traffic at the BIA is set to exceed pre-pandemic volumes by year-end and technology can be used to address congestion, an international aviation technology company said. Self-service check-in, biometrics, reducing passenger touch points and off airport processing are some of the strategies now used to boost efficiency. Passenger traffic, which includes regional transit passengers, at the BIA has topped 4 million by April and is likely reach 9.5 to 10 million more..

Jul 18 (Island) A company entrusted with establishing a passenger transport management system based on GPS technology recently told the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Energy and Transport that the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) had not provided necessary data to successfully complete the project. SLTB had also not installed the GSP devices on an adequate number of buses, the representatives of the company informed the committee. more..

Jul 18 (CT) Public Financial Management (PFM) Bill was reviewed and approved by the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) after a thorough discussion. Committee commended the Ministry of Finance for presenting the Bill which aims to establish a modern, transparent and efficient PFM system. This system is intended to foster public trust, ensure efficient resource allocation and support more..

Jul 18 (DM) Ola leaf manuscript of Mahawansa chronical, the main source of history of SL in the Peradeniya Uni Library was yesterday declared a world heritage. Director General of the UNESCO was the chief guest of the ceremony. The certificate of declaring the Mahawansa as a world heritage was handed to Chancellor of Peradeniya Uni Prof. G.H.Peiris by UNESCO Director General. Vice Chancellor Prof. M.D. Lamawansa presented a memento to the Director General to mark more..

Jul 18 (Island) Foreign interest payments, which represent 4.7% of SL�s total interest payments, have increased by 13.9% to Rs. 34.0 billion in the first four months of 2024, compared to the same period of 2023, according to the Mid-year fiscal position report�2024, presented by the Ministry of Finance to Parliament recently. Recurrent expenditure, which accounted for around 90% of SL govt�s total expenditure in the first four months of 2024, declined by 4.4% to Rs. 1,419.3 b from Rs. 1,485.0 b more..

Jul 18 (HRW) SL authorities continue to use the notorious Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) to target perceived opponents and minority communities without credible evidence to support the allegations despite repeated pledges to end the practice, Human Rights Watch said today. While some victims have suffered years of arbitrary detention and torture, others are persecuted even after the case against them is dropped. more..

Jul 18 (AD) Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Sabry has called on Romanian PM Marcel Ciolacu during his official visit to Romania and Poland. The Romanian PM and Minister Sabry have discussed the importance of cooperation amongst middle-income countries to overcome multiple crises faced by the world. SL Foreign Minister stated that Ciolacu identified that modern politics is economics and spoke highly of the closely integrated SL workforce in Romania creating a win-win partnership more..

Jul 18 (AD) Court of Appeal has reduced the prison sentence of former Mayor of Kurunegala Thushara Sanjeewa Vitharana from three years to one year. This sentence reduction also applies to the four other individuals who were sentenced alongside him. The verdict was issued today following the consideration of appeals petitions filed by the accused. On Dec 14, 2023, the former Mayor of Kurunegala, the Municipal Commissioner, Engineer and two others were sentenced to 3 yrs more..

Jul 19 (DM) During the past two weeks there was much concern and debates about a move by the govt�s education �arm� to remove aesthetic subjects from the school curriculum. There is enough literature published regarding this move which explains some of the Education Department�s planned reforms for the subjects taken up for the GCE O/L and A/L Exams. Education Dept has now hurriedly used its media contacts to notify people that it has no such intentions. more..

Jul 19 (GV) In his exhibition Dystopia at the Saskia Fernando Gallery, Hashan Cooray explores societal and political challenges through a metaphorical lens. It features paintings and two installations that confront the complex relationship between an individual and the socio-political systems within which they exist. One installation comprises 60 metres of newspaper headlines from the 2022 Aragalaya protest movement and the aftermath. His work incorporates drawing, painting, more..

Jul 19 (TM) In recent years, South Asia has been beset with an unprecedented combination of negative shocks. In SL, an economic crisis on the heels of the Covid-19 pandemic pushed approximately three million people into poverty. These impacts have been further amplified by the global fuel and food crises in the wake of Russia�s invasion of Ukraine, and they hit hard those who were already the most vulnerable, more..

Jul 19 (TM) CEB has once again announced a tariff revision, with plans afoot for another tariff revision in October. The reduction of electricity tariff is a welcomed move, with many Sri Lankans struggling to pay their energy bills. The 22.5% reduction is a relief for those who benefit directly and indirectly from electricity sale. According to Minister Kanchana Wijesekera those consuming less than 90 units of electricity would have benefited the most from the recent electricity amendment. more..

Jul 19 (CT) Art should be at the heart of a free, creative community and culture. Much of what is best in society evolves through various art forms, contributing significantly to cultural values, well-being, and the broader spectrum of creative and cultural life. In a new curriculum for the 21st century, students should have the opportunity to engage with diverse arts and comprehend contemporary expressions within social and cultural contexts. Aesthetic education equips students more..

Jul 19 (TM) With the Govt declaring a commitment towards legislation to govern campaign finance law through the Regulation of Election Expenditure Act No.3 of 2023, financing of the upcoming Prez Election campaign has become a focal point. EC Chairman R.M.A.L. Rathnayake said that the campaign spending limit would only be decided upon within five days of nominations being submitted. �EC will determine this amount after more..

Jul 19 (CT) 2024 has become a very pivotal juncture in the history of democracy, as the year is filled with elections throughout the world-in more than 60 countries to be numeric, including the EU. Almost half the world population, according to statistics, will have cast their vote by the end of the year (hopefully, if some parties do not find a way to avoid their national elections including Prez Elections). Hence, maybe 2024 will be marked as the election year of the century. more..

Jul 19 (ST) When the world came together at climate change talks titled COP28 in Nov 2023 in Dubai in the UAE, the focus was on cutting fossil fuel (coal, oil, and natural gas) to reduce emissions which harm the environment. Ironically while experts were seen thrashing out an agreement to see this happen amidst a reduction in oil production across the world, the host of the conference � UAE and its state oil firm Adnoc was targeted to drill 42% more oil by 2030, according to market analysts. more..

Jul 19 (Island) The Faculties of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences in state-owned and govt-operated public universities in Sri Lanka have long faced severe criticism for producing unemployable graduates from the state (successive govts, higher education administrators, and the Auditor General�s Dept) and society. Our goal here is not to dispute these criticisms; rather, we aim to highlight an initiative to enhance the competitiveness of economics students at Uni of Jaffna more..

Jul 19 (ST) Young badminton sensation Viren Nettasinghe will be the flag bearer at the Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony later this month as the SL contingent heads to the French capital with the hope of making the country�s presence felt on the global stage. The significant honour of carrying the flag is a testament to the dedication of the promising 21-year-old shuttler, who has etched his name in the annals of SL sports history as the youngest badminton player to represent the nation more..

Jul 19 (Island) With eleven athletes reaching entry standards for the World Junior Athletics Championships to be held in Lima, Peru, SL Athletics is set to create history in August by fielding its biggest contingent to a world junior event. The track and field governing body has formed a team of 12 athletes including the men�s 4�100 metres relay team that won the silver medal at the Asian Junior Athletics Championship. more..