Mar 5 (CT) Due to the current economic woes prevailing in the country, one of the most pressing issues, faced by parents, is to provide quality education to their children regularly. The parents of this country are of the view that despite whatever challenges faced by them they would strive hard to offer quality education to their offspring come hell or high water. By issuing various circulars and ratifying numerous Acts more..

Mar 5 (CT) Lately, we have been hearing quite a few cautionary tales about various State Departments, tasked with procurement, having procured goods in unique ways, doing financial acrobats, that have failed to abide by due procedures. After the much-talked-about and the ongoing health scandal, involving a former minister and fake drugs, the Railway Department joined the list of unfathomable procurements by causing a massive loss to the State. The Procurement Sub-Department, more..

Mar 5 (CT) President Ranil Wickremesinghe�s tenure will be over by November 2024. Constitution Section 31.3 stipulates that not less than one month and not more than two months before the expiration of the term of office of the President the notification for the prez poll must be issued. In the present context the deadline for election notification is due before Sept 4, 2024. Barring some unforeseen calamity, presidential elections will have to be held before Oct 2024. more..

Mar 5 (ST) There is good news and bad news. The good news is that the current Speaker of Parliament, Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, in a seeming mood of bravado, was quoted in a local newspaper as saying he would resign if the intended no-confidence motion against him is carried. That is not all. In fact, he set a deadline. He would be gone in two minutes, he said with certain certainty, it would seem. Would one minute not suffice? Well, even that might be too long for several representatives more..

Mar 5 (Island) Three months into an election year, SL politics is taking on the appearance of an animated forest canopy, where arboreal creatures display their leaping prowess. Perhaps, they cannot match the extraordinary vaulting skills of the two-legged leapers in kapati suits, who have got jumping down to a fine art. The coming months are bound to see the leaping bipeds� ranks swell. Minister Prasanna Ranatunga is apparently preparing the ground for hitching his wagon to UNP prez more..

Mar 5 (CI) It all came down to the last over in Sylhet. Chasing 207, Bangladesh needed 12, with the rampaging Jaker Ali at the non-striker's end, but Dasun Shanaka nailed his lines and lengths to help SL snatch a three-run win in the first T20I in Sylhet. By the time Jaker got on strike, Bangladesh needed ten from four balls. But Shanaka held his nerve to go full on off; Jaker looked to get under the ball but more..

Mar 5 (FT) Export Development Board (EDB) organised SL�s participation in the 30th edition of the Dubai International Boat Show (DBIS), which took place in Dubai, UAE from 28 Feb to 3 March 2024, with help from the SL Embassy and Consulate General in Dubai. The Boat and Ship Building sector has been identified as an emerging export sector which offers a wide variety of products and services to international market. The sector uses advanced materials and technologies to be on par with more..

Mar 5 (FT) Sri Lanka Telecom said the Group�s financial results for the fourth quarter and financial year ending 31 Dec 2023, reflects a downturn in performance amidst a turbulent macro-economic environment in the country. For 4Q 2023, SLT Group reported a year-on-year consolidated revenue degrowth of 7.5% amounting to Rs. 26 billion compared to Rs. 28 billion in 2022. The Group�s profits decline was attributed to reduced revenue, despite efforts of cost optimisation measures more..

Mar 5 (TM) Bar Association of SL (BASL) expressed grave concerns about the appointment of the new IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon. According to the BASL President, Kaushalya Nawaratne, the main issue is the fact that Tennakoon is a person who has been found guilty by the Supreme Court (SC) of Police torture. Nawaratne said that in such a context, appointing Tennakoon to the position is a deeply concerning situation. He added that merely because Tennakoon has been appointed as the IGP, more..

Mar 5 (ST) Platned, a leading technology solutions provider headquartered in the UK, is tapping into the country�s growing IT industry, and leveraging its skilled workforce through further expansion in Sri Lanka. This is a strategic move to tap into the country�s growing IT industry and leverage its skilled workforce, Chamara Arunoda, CEO & Co-founder Platned said. From a chance meeting of three strangers in a foreign country at a common boarding house to forming a global company, more..

Mar 5 (ST) The Court of Appeal has affirmed a decision by the Right to Information Commission (RTIC) directing Litro Gas Lanka Ltd and Litro Gas Terminal Lanka (Pte) Limited to release details of the monthly salaries and allowances of top management, including its chairman, managing director, finance director, and others. This also includes information on the amount of loans given to each, the amount of loans to be paid back, more..

Mar 5 (DN) The 145 th Battle of the Blues between Royal College and S.Thomas College Mt Lavinia will be worked off from March 7 to 9 at SSC grounds. This encounter is deemed to be the second oldest inter-school match in the world after St. Peter�s College and Prince Alfred College of Adelaide, Australia which began in 1878 and also having the honour of surviving two World Wars and the recent Covid-19 pandemic which did not prevent the game being played. more..

Mar 5 (TM) SL�s credit to the private sector has expanded by Rs. 267 billion in the second half (H2) of 2023 amidst falling interest rates as private credit expanded by Rs. 102 billion in December (2023), Central Bank data showed. Accordingly, the credit to the private sector expanded by 3.7% in the second half of 2023 after recording a contraction of 4.2% in the first six months of the year. With private credit expanding by Rs. 102.5 billion in December (2023) as per the earlier estimate by the CBSL more..

Mar 5 (CI) SL's selectors want to lean on known quantities and experience as opposed to the untested vigour of youth, as they make their final tweaks for the T20 World Cup in June. That was the main reason they recalled Niroshan Dickwella for the T20I series in Bangladesh after Kusal Perera was ruled out with a respiratory infection. This also means the likes of Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, Dunith Wellalage, Lasith Croospulle and Shevon more..

Mar 5 (FT) Sri Lanka Tourism is all set to give its best at the ITB Berlin this year, which will kick off today and continue till 7 March 2024 at Messe Berlin, Germany. SL will showcase all its tourism products to lure the international tourists to come and have an experience of a lifetime. SL is seeing continuous increase in the number of tourist arrivals since 2022 and is celebrating a remarkable comeback with 1.5 million tourists in 2023. SL is a regular participant of the ITB more..

Mar 5 (FT) State Minister of Fina-nce Shehan Semasinghe, yesterday outlined the critical role of social protection reform in Sri Lanka�s overall macroeconomic recovery efforts. He made these remarks at the launch of District Profiles of the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI), created in collaboration with United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and Citra Lab, which provides insights into the socio-economic context and vulnerability across Sri Lanka�s districts. more..

Mar 5 (DN) Sri Lanka expressed optimism about securing European Union (EU) protection for Ceylon tea within the next 12-18 months. Chairman of the Tea Board, Niraj De Mel, emphasised the need to prioritise quality over volume, advocating for a return to basics to improve prices. �Though acknowledging the benefits of f digitization, he cautioned that it wouldn�t resolve all issues in the digital market,� he said at an Advocata Institute organized event aimed at addressing key challenges more..

Mar 5 (FT) Malik Cader has been elected as the new Chairman of JCI Senate Sri Lanka. Cader an Attorney at Law was a past President of SL Jaycees, and later was elected a Vice President of JCI International. He represented Sri Lanka at the International Model United Nations conference at the United Nations headquarters in New York. The Annual General Meeting of JCI Senate Sri Lanka was held on the 27 February at the Orchard Room, Club House Havelock City. more..

Mar 5 (FT) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe on Sunday made a compelling past 14 months, Parliament has enacted 42 new laws to facilitate the country�s economic transformation. Furthermore, the Prez highlighted the necessity of passing an additional 62 laws through Parliament. He underscored that if this cannot be achieved more..

Mar 5 (TM) A future govt of the JVP led NPP will take over the divested national assets following a special study, said NPP Executive Committee Member Bimal Rathnayake. He said that they would not be able to take over all the State entities that were divested during the past govts at once since the country has no capability to do so with its current economic status. However, he noted that the NPP will stop the divestiture of any kind of State-owned enterprise (SOE) and will take measures more..

Mar 5 (DM) The Fort Magistrate granted bail to two individuals who mistakenly trespassed into the grounds of Temple Trees in Colombo after following directions on Google maps. Police said they were arrested by the Kollupitiya Police on Saturday. According to the police, the two individuals, a software engineer and a merchant seaman, were arrested following the incident. The duo had reportedly visited a nightclub in Kollupitiya and had consumed liquor before attempting to more..

Mar 5 (CT) Attorney General yesterday observed in the Supreme Court that the motion filed by Nagananda Kodithuwakku, before he was disenrolled as an Attorney, challenging the registration of the NPP, could not be proceeded with. Additional Solicitor General Nerin Pulle, appearing for the Attorney General, filed preliminary objections against the motion, before the SC Bench comprising Justices S. Thurairaja, Shiran Goonaratne and Priyantha Fernando. more..

Mar 5 (AD) The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (Ceypetco) announced that fuel prices will be revised with effect from midnight today (March 04). Accordingly, the price of Petrol 95 Octane has been reduced by Rs. 09 to Rs. 447 per litre while Super Diesel has been reduced by Rs. 10 to Rs. 458 per litre. Meanwhile the price of Kerosene has been reduced by Rs. 05 to Rs. 257 per litre. However, the prices of Petrol 92 Octane and Auto Diesel will remain unchanged, the CPC said. more..

Mar 5 (TM) In the wake of various allegations being made by certain parties, including environmentalists, regarding the negative impact of the proposed Mannar wind power project, CEA and other authorities await the conclusion of the public consultation programme to make a final decision. Recently, BoI approved India�s Adani Green Energy Ltd�s US$ 442 million initiative to build two wind power facilities in Mannar and Pooneryn, more..

Mar 5 (Island) The Committee on Public Finance (COPF) had invited all Members of Parliament to a meeting it was scheduled to have with the officials of the Central Bank of SL (CBSL), on Tuesady (05), COPF Chairman, MP Harsha de Silva said. �We will ask them to explain the rationale behind the substantial salary increase. I have urged all 225 MPs to attend the meeting with Central Bank officials. This concerns not only the COPF but also the entire Parliament,� he stated. more..

Mar 5 (TG) SL Court of Appeal has issued an interim order that will see the suspension of further steps in the divesture of sales in both the state-owned SLT and Lanka Hospitals until the next court date. The Petitioners are the owners of Lycamobile who had submitted its bid to buy 50% shares in the Telco earlier this year. Lyca was barred from qualifying, which dealt a blow to the management headed by Subaskaran Allirajah who has shown interest in several business entities in the country. more..

Mar 5 (Island) Dissident SLPP MP Prof. G.L. Peiris said that the ongoing attempts by the govt to suppress the Opposition had attracted the attention of the Geneva-based UNHRC. Referring to the recent declaration made by Volker T�rk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights at the 55th session of the HRC, MP said that regardless of what the media reported, UN had issued a very clear warning over the brazen manipulation more..

Mar 5 (FT) Sri Lanka finds itself entrenched in the throes of an economic crisis, exacerbated by the weight of previous fiscal decisions. Since independence, patrimonial Sri Lankan state has been fostering a culture where citizens expect State benevolence rather than enjoying their rights as tax-paying citizens. Under such a State-society relationship, the intricate interplay between fiscal policies and economic dynamics remains largely obscured. more..

Mar 5 (FT) The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by the Member States of the UN in 2015 provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for the people and the planet, in the present and into the future. The 17 SDGs were identified to be achieved by 2030 to improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests. This was an excellent program of action that would ensure more..

Mar 5 (CT) Ministry of Health must conduct a comprehensive investigation into the complications, or deaths, that may have occurred after the human immunoglobulin and cancer drug, which were allegedly of poor quality, had been administered, Medical and Civil Rights Professional Association of Doctors (MCPA) demanded. MCPA called for an investigation as to why the Health Ministry had failed to probe the effect of the fake immunoglobulin and cancer drug, that had been administered more..

Mar 5 (AD) STF has arrested a suspect along with a firearm and ammunition, in connection with the shooting of a meat stall owner in Kandana in August last year. The suspect was arrested in the Kandana area along with a T56 assault rifle, 02 magazines and 45 rounds of ammunition. Police suspect that the shooting had been carried out on the directive of the organized criminal gang leader known by the alias Chooti Malli, who is believed to be in hiding in Dubai, over a ransom demand. more..

Mar 5 (Nikkei) The small town of Arayampathy on SL's eastern coast was once part of the turf contested by government troops and Tamil separatists in the country's three-decade civil war. Now, years after the guns fell silent, the farming and fishing community is an unlikely contender to shape the future of global fashion. A sprawling garment factory of Brandix, a leader in the local apparel industry, is nestled among ebony trees more..

Mar 5 (SLN) Trincomalee Naval Exercise (TRINEX) � 24, hosted by the SL Navy, commenced in the Naval Dockyard, Trincomalee today (4). The opening ceremony of the exercise was attended by Commander Eastern Naval Area, Rear Admiral Suresh De Silva. TRINEX will take place in the Trinco harbor and eastern seas until 8th March. This training exercise, aimed at continuously enhancing the operational efficiency of the SL Navy, is conducted in two main phases: more..

Mar 5 (TM) Ministry of Fisheries has sought the intervention of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to have discussions with the Indian Govt regarding the Indo-Lanka fisheries issue. Recently, SL fishermen have criticised the lack of Govt intervention to stop the entry of Indian fishermen into the country�s territorial waters and led numerous protests demanding solutions to the issue. Meanwhile, it was reported that the two Govts have initiated discussions to find a permanent solution more..

Mar 5 (DM) A potential delay in securing an agreement-in-principle (AIP) with Sri Lanka�s private bondholders is unlikely to impact the second review of the IMF programme, former CB Governor Dr. Indrajit Coomaraswamy said. Rothschild, the financial advisor to the bondholder group, is currently studying the proposal and consequently, will present the proposal to the bondholder group with its recommendations, more..