May 7 (BDA) Sri Lanka’s Browns Investment Plc has taken over tea estates and factories owned by Lipton Teas and Infusions in Kenya, Rwanda, and Tanzania. The deal will push Browns’ processing capacity to 87 million kilogrammes of tea, making it one of the world’s largest tea companies. “Browns is the perfect partner with credibility, capabilities, and scale to work with us to raise standards in the whole tea industry,” Liptons Teas chief executive officer Natahlie Roos said. more..

May 7 (CT) Fisheries Minister Douglas Devananda announced that necessary diplomatic arrangements have been made, for the repatriation of Sri Lankan fishermen from Seychelles. These fishermen were rescued by the Seychelles Coast Guard after being hijacked by Somali pirates in the territorial waters of Seychelles. Devananda attributed this successful outcome to the timely intervention and mediation of President Ranil Wickremesinghe, expressing his sincere gratitude to him. more..

May 7 (FT) Negotiations to finally bring an end to SL’s long-running $13bn debt default could result in an innovative new type of bond that would link payouts to economic growth and governance reforms, a long-held aim of emerging market bond investors. The bankrupt south Asian nation and its creditors have agreed in principle to replace the debt, which it stopped paying in 2022 following a currency crisis, with so-called macro-linked more..

May 7 (Island) SL, Thailand and USA co-chaired the 15th Inter-Sessional Meeting (ISM) of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) on Non –Proliferation and Disarmament (NPD), held from 29 April – 01 May 2024 in Hawaii, USA. The meeting followed Sri Lanka’s hosting of the 14th ARF Inter-Sessional Meeting on Non Proliferation and Disarmament in Colombo last year. The discussion focused on areas of contemporary importance and non-proliferation including peaceful uses of nuclear energy, more..

May 7 (DM) Two 15-year-old schoolboys who had threatned to share on the internet the manipulated nude photos of two schoolgirls of 17 and 20 years of age were produced before Galle Additional Magistrate Lakmini Vidanagama and released on personal bail in Rs. 100,000 with two sureties each. The magistrate called for a probation report on the two boys. The suspects are Year 10 students of a school in Akmeemana and residents of Narawala in Akmeemana. more..

May 7 (CT) A tense situation arose at the North Central Provincial Council premises yesterday, when a group of unemployed graduates held a protest and blocked the entrance and exit gates of the building, confining Governor Maheepala Herath and the staff within. The protesters clashed with the A'pura Police, who tried to defuse the chaos at the Provincial Council premises. Several protesters were injured as a result and Police arrested more..

May 7 (DM) Central Bank of SL (CBSL) has failed to act swiftly to stop financial scams operating online, allowing fraudsters to swindle about one billion rupees from over 1,000 account holders, MP Gamini Waleboda said today. MP told Parliament that on April 25 he had revealed in Parliament that a scam was being operated online to transfer money from current and savings accounts to other accounts using mobile apps and that neither the Central Bank nor the Finance Ministry had more..

May 7 (FT) The Independent Remuneration Com-mittee set up by the Ministry of Finance to resolve the disputed CBSL pay hike has handed over its report to Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe. Responding to a question from Daily FT on the progress of the Committee, its Chairman Dinesh Weerakkody confirmed that the work of the Committee was completed and the report had been given to Prez Wickremesinghe who is also Minister of Finance. Responding to a question if the six unions more..

May 7 (wsws) Tamil nationalist parties based in the North and East of Sri Lanka are debating how to respond to the forthcoming presidential elections and how best to secure the interests of the Tamil elites with the Colombo govt. The presidential election is due in September or October. Previously the Tamil capitalist parties have sided with one or another Sinhala majority-parties in Sri Lanka’s other provinces by calculating who would best support their particular demands. more..

May 7 (Island) A special workshop for the youth representatives selected to represent the Sectoral Oversight Committees (SOCs) of the Parliament was successfully held recently at the Water’s Edge Hotel, Battaramulla. Organized by the Parliament with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the main objectives of this workshop were to give the youth representatives a broader understanding of the Sectoral Oversight Committees and to get their views on more..

May 7 (AFP) SL's tentative recovery from its worst economic crisis could be stalled by presidential elections due later this year, the island nation's central bank chief warned Tuesday. Months-long shortages of food, fuel and medicines culminated in SL defaulting on its foreign debt in 2022 and angry protests that led to the ouster of then-prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa. His successor Ranil Wickremesinghe has introduced austerity measures more..

May 7 (AD) A 72-hour detention order was obtained by police for Ramesh Priyajanaka alias Manna Ramesh who was arrested in Dubai and brought to Sri Lanka this morning (07) by a team of CID officers, the police spokesman said. The order was issued following a request made by the CID. Underworld criminal gang leader Ramesh Priyajanaka, also known as Manna Ramesh, was brought back to Sri Lanka this morning (07) from Dubai by a team of CID officers. more..

May 7 (CT) A suspect was arrested by the Galle Police for operating a fraudulent scheme of opening bank accounts using stolen National Identity Cards (NICs). The suspect deceived multiple individuals into depositing money into these accounts. The 30-year-old suspect, residing in Lunawa, Moratuwa, was arrested by the Police following a complaint by a woman. During the investigation, it was revealed that the suspect duped a woman in Galle into depositing Rs 3.9 million by claiming more..

May 7 (Hindu) Sri Lanka has agreed to purchase power at $0.0826, or 8.26 cents, per kWh from Adani Green Energy, which is executing a wind power project in Mannar and Pooneryn in the island’s Northern Province. On Monday, Cabinet cleared a proposal for a 20-year power purchase agreement with Adani Green Energy for the development of wind power stations to produce 484 MW of power. more..

May 7 (DM) The Road Development Authority (RDA) has assigned two special teams to carry out a comprehensive investigation into the collapse of a concrete beam in the first section of the Central Expressway project, the RDA Director General said. He said that through these inspections, these officials will quickly check the current condition of all the concrete beams constructed along the Central Expressway Project Part I and apply the necessary remedies. more..

May 7 (FT) SJB MP Dr. Harsha de Silva who is also the Chairman of the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) yesterday flagged off about the $ 200 million investment promise by IVS-GBS Global Services which the Government has contracted for processing the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) for SL. In raising this matter de Silva taking to X, shared a screen shot of a section of the purported Cabinet paper by Public Security Minister Tiran Alles on the deal to outsource. more..

May 7 (IT) Sri Lanka on Tuesday announced Amul, one of India's iconic diary brands with a global footprint, as their sponsor for the T20 World Cup 2024, starting June 2 in the USA and the West Indies. SL, former champions of the T20 World Cup, will become the third team after South Africa and USA to be sponsored by Amul at the showpiece T20 tournament. "Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) wishes to announce the appointment of Amul, a leading Indian milk producer with international presence, more..

May 7 (FT) Politics and economics are concepts that are fundamentally intertwined. Yet the unprecedented economic crisis of 2022 highlighted the complex challenges of aligning short-term political goals with long-term economic strategies. While the sharp appreciation of the SL rupee in recent months has been roundly welcomed by most sectors of society as a positive signal, this optimism overlooks the nuanced factors influencing our currency’s strength and more..

May 7 (Island) SJB MP Lakshman Kiriella has said the Minister Tiran Alles, misled Parliament in Nov 2023 about increasing visa fees. Kiriella told The Island that he would make a special statement today on the issue. “I will make the statement after question time in Parliament. I hope Minister Tiran Alles will be there. Alles was not in Parliament when the Easter Sunday debate took place. I hope he will be there on Tuesday,” more..

May 7 (AD) The Court of Appeal today dismissed the petition filed by Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe seeking to suspend the interim injunction issued by the Colombo District Court preventing him from functioning as the Acting Chairman of the SLFP. Minister of Justice Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe was appointed as the Acting Chairman of SLFP during an executive committee meeting held on April 21, by the party’s faction led by former Prez Maithripala Sirisena. more..

May 7 (Island) Health Secretary Dr. Maheepala Herath revealed that National Health Fund had Rs 1.5 bn. He said that the funds had been donated by various philanthropists. The disclosure was made at the Negombo hospital at an event held to mark the fifth anniversary of handing over of the two-storeyed building comprising 100 beds for children built at a cost of Rs 200 mn by Melwa Group of companies. The company entered into an agreement to maintain the facilities there for more..

May 7 (TM) The College of Medical Laboratory Science (CMLS) urged the Health Ministry not to accommodate students who are following courses in private institutions that are not related to health professions in Govt hospitals and institutions for training and internships. In a letter to the Health Ministry Secretary Dr. Palitha Mahipala, the CMLS noted that this practice would create a safe space for financial misconduct more..

May 7 (AD) Former Provincial Councillor Nauzer Fowzie has been arrested by Kollupitiya Police for allegedly assaulting a person following an accident involving his vehicle, police said. He is accused of assaulting an individual after hitting that same person with his vehicle on School Lane in Kollupitiya. Nauzer Fowzie, who is the son of former Minister A.H.M. Fowzie, has been released on police bail. Kollupitiya Police is conducting further investigations into the incident. more..

May 7 (FT) Given the contextual importance of the upcoming presidential polls which, barring the unanticipated, is scheduled to take place around end-September or early October this year, it is not surprising that the key talking points at public and private gatherings, in newspaper articles, television chat shows and social media blogs are Who among the candidates would serve SL and the Sri Lankan citizens best as the country’s Prez? and Who are you voting for? more..

May 7 (FT) The 13-hour power cuts two years ago should have educated us on the importance of reliable power supply. But we forget after two weeks, it is said. What is being done to ensure that will not happen again, including lessening dependence on imported fossil fuel, may not be perfect. But it is important to call out egregiously misguided criticisms. If such attacks succeed as they did 20 years ago, we will continue to suffer the consequences of a bad legal framework, more..

May 7 (DM) Central Bank of SL (CBSL) officials are to be summoned before Parliament for declaring itself as an independent institution, it was revealed in Parliament today. Leader of the House Susil Premajayantha said the Speaker can summon CBSL officials either before the COPE or the COPF to seek an explanation. He said this in response to an issue raised by MP Charitha Herath who said the CBSL has identified itself as an independent entity in its annual report 2023. more..

May 7 (TM) Parliament unanimously approved the much-talked-about changes to the visa processes, which included the introduction of several new visa categories while the involvement of GBS Technology Services, IVS Global-FZCO and VF Worldwide Holdings Limited/VFS Global in managing online and on-arrival visas, was referred to the Cabinet of Ministers on two occasions. This was informed by Minister Tiran Alles, more..

May 7 (DM) Indo-Pacific Regional Director of the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Ben Mellor met NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the JVP Head Offic. Humaira Hatia, Head of SL at UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and Andrew Patrick, the British High Commissioner to SL, Tom Soper, the First Secretary, and MP Vijitha Herath attended the meeting. The current economic and political situation in SL, regional geopolitical challenges more..

May 7 (TM) A group of medical graduates who have received their degrees from foreign universities has raised concerns over the alleged abrupt cancellation of the ‘surgery long and short cases’ segments in the Examination to Register to Practise Medicine (ERPM) (Part B), which took place at the Eastern University examination centre earlier this year (2024). The Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC), through an electronic mail dated 29 April, had communicated to the students who sat for more..

May 7 (FT) Public Security Minister Tiran Alles yesterday stood firm in defence of the Govt’s move to transition to outsourcing of visa processing system and increase visa fees, amidst widespread criticism. He justified the changes, citing feedback from tourists and the need for an improved visa issuance system. Minister outlined the decision-making process behind the visa changes, highlighting thorough review conducted by more..

May 7 (FT) PHU leader Udaya Gammanpila yesterday demanded the resignation of the Central Bank Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasi-nghe and the Board of Governors yesterday over their decision to hike CBSL employee salaries despite recording a loss of Rs. 114 billion in 2023. At a press conference in Colombo, Gammanpila highlighted that the Central Bank of SL (CBSL) incurred a net loss of Rs. 114 billion in 2023, following a staggering net loss of Rs. 374 billion in 2022. more..

May 7 (TM) A section of the Mirigama-Kadawatha Central Expressway, which was under partial construction, collapsed on 5 May. According to the RDA, the collapse involved a 35-metre-long concrete beam, with the other two beams now deemed at risk. The collapsed beam was reportedly laid in 2021. However, the authorities have not announced the cause of the collapse. Media reports cited the authorities’ plans to test the quality of all beams along the 17-kilometre stretch of road. more..