Aug 24 (FT) Ranil Wickremesinghe became the Executive Prez as a result of the victorious struggle against the corrupt Rajapaksa regime which led the country to collapse and bankruptcy. The irony is Ranil Wickremesinghe had been portrayed as a failed political leader during the tenure of former Prez Mahinda Rajapaksa, but the Rajapaksas, finally, handpicked him as the Saviour of the Nation. Wickremesinghe himself accused Mahinda Rajapaksa of entering into a secret deal with more..

Aug 24 (DM) Four suspects have been arrested by the Kolonna police over setting ablaze a luxury hotel owned by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa's youngest son Rohitha Rajapaksa on May 10. Police said the suspects were arrested on Monday and Tuesday for stealing items and setting on fire to the Green Eco Lodge Hotel on May 10 situated at Gongalakanda in Kolonna, Embilipitiya, close to Sinharajah. The suspects aged 25 and 50 years were identified as residents of Kolonna. more..

Aug 24 (AD) The Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) has initiated raids in search of the vendors selling eggs beyond the maximum retail price. The officials said that the raids, which were carried out in several areas of the country yesterday (23), were continued today (24) as well. Six such places where eggs were sold at prices exceeding the maximum retail price have been identified in the Gampaha District, according to the officers of the Gampaha District Consumer Affairs Authority. more..

Aug 24 (EN) Sri Lanka cannot use the controversial Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) against protestors and normal laws must apply to any lawbreakers linked to the protests, the SJB said. SJB MP Eran Wickramaratne said that the party completely dencounces the use of the PTA to detain what he called peaceful protesters. “When we were in govt – [then] Prez Maithripala Sirsiena’s and PM Ranil Wickremesinghe’s govt more..

Aug 24 (EN) Dept of Immigration & Emigration in collaboration with the Bureau of Foreign Employment have opened a separate counter at the Immigration Dept for the issue of urgent passports for those seeking employment overseas. Number of passports issued for June was 120,000, for July 101,777 and as of Wednesday, 77,557 passports had been issued for August. New counter has been opened as an urgent counter and passports are issued under one-day service, more..

Aug 24 (AD) The principal of a leading school in Ratnapura has been arrested and remanded for sexually abusing several made students, NCPA says. He was arrested following a special investigation carried out into the incident based on a tip-off received by the NCPA. The investigations have revealed that the principal had discreetly brought the students of the school to his quarters for a long period of time and sexually abused them while luring them with various gifts including more..

Aug 24 (TM) Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act, No. 48 of 1979 as amended (PTA) will be replaced with the National Security Act with less stringent conditions, the Govt said yesterday (23). “The PTA, which has been in place since 1979, will be changed to the National Security Act, with less stringent conditions,” Cabinet Spokesman Dr. Bandula Gunawardana said while addressing the weekly Cabinet press briefing more..

Aug 24 (DM) Claiming that SL is yet to be out of the woods with the looming Covid-19 threat, Dr. Samitha Ginige said today the progress of obtaining the fourth dose or the second booster dose of the Covid vaccine was not at all satisfactory. Only nearly 150,000 people had obtained the second booster dose by now. He said the fourth dose or the second booster dose of the Covid vaccine was recommended for high risk groups such as people over 60-years of age and people with more..

Aug 24 (AN) "How can we put our boats out to sea without paraffin? And how will we be able to feed our children if we don't cast our nets? Then let the government feed our families'. It is a desperate cry of alarm, and similar to that of many other colleagues, that raised to AsiaNews by Catholic fisherman Loyal Fernando, spokesperson for the protest in the Thoduwawa area of Chilaw, one of the main towns in Puttalam district, North-Western Province. He points the finger at the govt more..

Aug 24 (DM) Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said that there is no need to import jumbo peanuts as we are self-sufficient in peanut harvest. Addressing the media after participating in a jumbo groundnut harvesting program at Thorakolaya govt seed farm in Middeniya. "Sri Lanka is self-sufficient in groundnuts and until now, peanuts have been imported as jumbo peanuts. Now SL has introduced an alternative to the groundnut variety required for processing jumbo peanuts. more..

Aug 24 (AD) Social activist Dan Priyasad and MPs Sanath Nishantha and Milan Jayatilleke have been ordered to hand over their mobile phones to the CID for further investigations on violent incidents on May 09. The suspects, who are named as suspects in the brazen attacks on anti-govt demonstrators outside Temple Trees in Kollupitiya and the GotaGoGama protest site at Galle Face Geen, were produced before the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court earlier today. more..

Aug 24 (EN) A private member’s bill submitted to parliament seeking to amend SL’s penal code with the aim of protecting the country’s LGBTQI community has been handed over to Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe. A statement from the Prez’s office said ruling SLPP MP and attorney-at-law Premanath Dolawatte presented a copy of the bill to the president today. “The society of this country has an extremely backward notion regarding more..

Aug 24 (CT) Many drinking water resources became unusable due to the recent adverse weather conditions that affected the country. Garbage and other debris washed away by floods flowed into these resources rendering them unfit for human consumption and disrupting water supply for daily needs in several areas, particularly in the Central Province. In this situation, troops from the SL Army Centre for Disaster Response Training recently joined forces to clear debris from more..

Aug 24 (CT) All Ceylon Egg Producers Association (ACEPA) said they had agreed to retail an egg at Rs 50 during discussions with the Minister of Trade Commerce and Food Security, Nalin Fernando and the CAA. Responding to questions when contacted, ACEPA Secretary Ratnasiri Alahakoon said yesterday that following discussions which lasted till late Monday (22) evening with Minister Fernando and CAA officials they had reached a consensus to retail an egg at Rs 50. more..

Aug 24 (AD) Sri Lanka is urging China to dramatically change its stance on debt relief, Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe told Nikkei Asia, conceding that reaching a deal will be no simple task. The appeal to China, the bankrupt Indian Ocean nation’s largest bilateral lender, has emerged as a formidable challenge to Wickremesinghe, who is leading the country’s financial team as it attempts to rebuild an economy starved of more..

Aug 24 (FT) The SL Institute of Directors (SLID) recently entered into a strategic collaboration with Transparency International SL (TISL) to launch an initiative under the theme Business Against Corruption. Under this theme, the two institutions will work together to facilitate and enable businesses mitigate the risk of corruption. The roadmap planned over a three-year time horizon includes a series of programs and activities to create awareness on the issue, key stakeholder engagements, more..

Aug 24 (DM) Lanka Private Bus Owners’ Association (LPBOA) today handed over a missive to the UNHRC in Colombo to take action against burning and damaging buses on May 9. LPBOA Chairman Gemunu Wijerathne said that around 50 buses were set ablaze and damaged completely or partially. He said their members had hired their buses to transport people to Colombo and that they always rented out buses to any party, company, or individual for events on top of daily passenger more..

Aug 24 (DM) The government will amend the rules to allow State Timber Corporation (STC) engage in export activities in collaboration with the private sector. Agriculture, Wildlife and Forest Resource Conservation Minister Mahinda Amaraweera on Monday sought the approval of the Cabinet of Ministers to amend the responsibilities of STC, which was established in 1968, under the provisions of State Industrial Corporations Act No. 49 of 1957, to cater to the contemporary requirements. more..

Aug 24 (CT) Minister of Justice, Prison Affairs, and Constitutional Reforms, Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe said the President had granted his consent to a 90-day Detention Order (DO) for interrogation as per the PTA, against IUSF Convener Wasantha Mudalige, based on submissions made to him by the Security Forces. He said according to the Police, there has been a possible attempt to overthrow the Government, while impeding national security on the part of the IUSF Convener. more..

Aug 24 (AD) The visiting delegation of the IMF has called on Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe this evening to discuss the current situation of the economic crisis the nation is grappling with at present. The meeting with the Head of State came after the delegates of the global lender kicked off discussions with Governor of CB, Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe this morning, to finalize a staff-level agreement for a possible USD 3 bil bailout more..

Aug 24 (AD) The Engineering division of SriLankan Airlines continues its winning streak with yet another C-Check for a customer airline. This time, the heavy maintenance C-Check was performed on an Airbus A330-202 aircraft owned by Pakistani airline, SereneAir, at SriLankan Engineering’s dedicated European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) approved wide-body hangar. SriLankan Engineering has carried out a total of six heavy maintenance checks to date this year for several customers, more..

Aug 24 (ANI) China's unswerving manoeuvre to dock the Yuan Wang 5, missile and satellite tracking ship at Hambantota port in SL despite the country's request to defer the visit of the ship amid security concerns raised by India and the United States might seem like a victory for Beijing in this strategically important island nation but in fact, it reinforces the image of China as a predatory imperial power that is trying to exploit Sri Lanka for its own purposes, a media report said. more..

Aug 24 (DM) The prolonged fuel shortage in the country handicapped many industries including the fisheries sector. For over three months fishermen have been unable to earn a living. And at a time when fishermen were anticipating to make their catch the govt imposed a 200% hike on the price of kerosene. Apart from the fisheries sector, around 2 million families in low income segments depend on kerosene for more..

Aug 24 (CT) Police raided a press conference called by the Inter University Student Federation at the CSR in Maradana yesterday (23). The press conference was called to mark the united opposition of political parties, trade unions, public organisations and social activists against the detention of the three student leaders, Wasantha Mudalige, Galwewa Siridhamma Thera and Hashan Jeevantha, using the Prevention of Terrorism Act. When Ceylon Today inquired about the situation more..

Aug 24 (AD) Colombo Magistrate’s Court has ordered to recall the arrest warrant issued against social media activist Pathum Kerner after he appeared before the court today. Colombo Additional Magistrate Harshana Kekunawala issued the order after Kerner surrendered via his attorney. Colombo Magistrate’s Court yesterday issued a warrant for the arrest of Pathum Kerner, who was an active member of the Aragalaya protest movement and to produce him before the court over his failure more..

Aug 25 (DM) As far back as 340–368 AD, King Buddhadasa of Anuradhapura - himself a practicing Ayurvedic physician - pioneered the building of many hospitals in the country. He set up a healthcare system with one hospital for ten villages which were funded by tax on the revenue from fields of the villages. In modern Lanka, there are over 555 govt hospitals which practice western medicine. In addition there are several other govt hospitals which use the Ayurvedic system of medicine. more..

Aug 25 (DM) The recent SL-India-China triangular controversy over the docking of the Chinese research vessel Yuan Wang 5 at Hambantota port, once again underscores the need to have a SL National Maritime Strategy, a functioning National Security Council (NSC) staffed by experts, and the appointment of a National Security Advisor (NSA). While SL has an NSC, albeit weak, it does not have an NSA. The NSC has to be made functional, and an NSA has to be appointed. more..

Aug 25 (TM) Even though there is an important question as to whether the aragalaya (struggle) resulted in what the country expected it to, the people’s movement that went on for four months was definitely a significant turning point in SL’s history. It changed how the people look at politicians’ conduct, the importance of having experts at the helm, and how united people can be and how much influence unity can exert, more..

Aug 25 (DM) The Aragalaya brought to the fore an interesting class of people, small in numbers but certainly effective, at least in terms of delivering the deliverables for which their bosses reward them one way or another. All countries have had such people, SL included. Given the circumstances of their current manifestation they could be called NEDdas. I’ve derived NEDdas from National Endowment for Democracy. It has not entered the political lexicon, but it ought to, considering the fact that more..

Aug 25 (DM) During a recent speech to the audience at an economics seminar, Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe suggested that the IMF bailout will require a restructuring of domestic debt, referring to Treasury Bonds and US Dollar-denominated SL Development Bonds (SLDBs). This may have been a poorly worded throw-away during wide-ranging remarks on politics and the economy. On the other hand, it is quite disconcerting that the President would choose that moment and audience more..

Aug 25 (DM) The QR code system introduced to reduce fuel queues has been a success so far. However, even with such a system in place people are still waiting in queues due to the failure of the Govt. At present there aren’t sufficient fuel stocks to be distributed. PUCSL Chairman Janaka Rathnayake recently said that the fuel imported by the CPC could be sold to the public 200 rupees less than the current price per litre. more..

Aug 25 (CT) Prez and Finance Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Tuesday, with no foreign aid forthcoming, in a panic mode, temporarily banned the import of a host of imported items, in order to protect the country’s spartan US dollar reserves, with immediate effect. This action of his is similar to the 1970-77 era when SL practised a closed economy. The new banned items include rail air brakes, electric kettles, Braille typewriters, other typewriters, flasks, fridges, electric cookers, more..

Aug 25 (Island) Central Bank (CB) Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe is facing a tough challenge. It is not the current round of negotiations he and his team are having with the IMF to secure a bailout package, or pinching and scraping to make sure there is enough forex for essential imports, or halting the tumble of the rupee. He is expected to deliver a lecture to the members of Parliament on the interim budget and the current economic situation, on 30 August, according to media reports. more..

Aug 25 (CI) Babar Azam playing fast bowling is a thing of beauty. He is never ever rushed. It's as though having things hurled at him at 90mph is his idea of a good time. So naturally, opposition teams will try to take that away from him. But while denying the No. 1 batter in T20Is pace on the ball may appear a sound plan, it doesn't always produce results. Unless your name is Khan. Rashid Khan. The Afghanistan legspinner has dismissed the Pakistan captain more often (five times) more..

Aug 25 (ST) Bishop’s College, accumulating an aggregate of 79 points, won the girls leg of the 14th Annual SL Schools All-Island Age Group Novices Aquatic Championships 2022, which concluded at the Sugathadasa Swimming Complex last weekend. Of the 79 points, a pretty convincing win by the Bishopians, Selina Silva and Dinaya Rathnayake accounted for 24 and 21 points respectively in the U-18 and U-20 age categories. After the Boyd Place School, Sangamiththa Girls School, more..