Apr 17 (NR) All govt and govt-approved private schools will reopen this morning. Schools were closed for April holidays on the 4th of this month. The second phase of the first school term for the academic year 2023 will commence today and will go on till the 12th of May. Schools will be closed for the GCE O/L Exam from the 13th to the 24th of May. The circular related to the admission of students to intermediate classes in national schools will be issued on the 20th of April. more..

Apr 17 (DN) The Asia Rugby (AR) has lifted the suspension imposed on Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR) which was in tandem since April last year. This was confirmed by a communique released by AR recently. After the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs officially confirmed the cancellation of the gazette notification dated April 1st, 2022 recently, considering this, the Asian Rugby governing body has made the prudent decision to reinstate SLR as a full member of AR. more..

Apr 17 (AD) State Minister of Finance Shehan Semasinghe says he engaged with global leaders to discuss Sri Lanka’s priorities and explored opportunities for collaboration to further the progress that Sri Lanka has made towards economic recovery and sustainability. He stated this in a Twitter message, marking the end of the 2023 Spring Meetings of World Bank Group and IMF in Washington DC. more..

Apr 17 (FT) Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI), its constituents and affiliated organisations, expressed its deep concern over the proposed Anti–Terrorism Act (ATA) published on 22 March (gazette notification dated 17 March), drafted to replace the Prevention of Terrorism Act (Temporary Provisions) Act No. 48 of 1979 (PTA). The SLPI said it is of the opinion that the presented bill has several controversial elements that are not conducive for the media community. more..

Apr 17 (TS) Bangladesh has extended the repayment period of the loan it had given to Sri Lanka by six more months as the Island nation continues to struggle to fix its debt crisis, officials say. Earlier, the central bank of Sri Lanka had sought time from Bangladesh to make the first instalment of the $200 million credit by March this year, hoping that it would be able to restructure its debt by then. However, the restructuring was not done. "Now, SL is seeking six more months and more..

Apr 17 (TM) Environmentalists pointed out that there are no legal provisions under the Flora and Fauna Ordinance to export the endemic toque monkeys without special circumstances mentioned in the Ordinance. Environmentalist Dr. Jagath Gunawardena said that the purpose behind Govt’s decision to appoint a committee to study the possibility of exporting Toque monkeys, was inconceivable. more..

Apr 17 (FT) The presentation of the new Central Bank Bill for public debate by the Govt had offered opportunities for citizens to express their views on the central bank and central banking. Some of these views are valid but many others are fallacious. Even the Supreme Court which looked at only the bill’s constitutionality had been bombarded by these fallacious views. It is demonstrative of the public’s low literacy of central banking. It is therefore opportune and timely to examine more..

Apr 17 (FT) We just witnessed Avurudu this year. Having been plagued by a planetary pandemic, the multi-faceted economic crisis intensified in creating chaos. At least a ray of hope for an economic recovery comes with a cautious optimism. In such a context, Avurudu can be seen as an invitation for awakening, individually as well as interactively. Let us discuss it further. Avurudu invites us to awaken ourselves. Typically, it is the time to rejoice, relax, reflect, and reinforce. more..

Apr 17 (SLN) In a coordinated operation conducted out by the SL Navy and SL Coast Guard, based on information of the State Intelligence Service, a local multi-day fishing trawler carrying about 179 kg and 654g (including packages) of heroin was intercepted about 132 nautical miles (about 244km) off the Little Basses, Hambantota on 15th April. The operation, carried out by the SL Coast Guard Ship Samudraraksha, also resulted in the apprehension of six suspects. more..

Apr 17 (EN) UNP, the party led by Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe, has hit out at opposition leader Sajith Premadasa for not supporting the govt’s reform initiatives. UNP general secretary and former MP Palitha Range Bandara chastised Premadasa for not extending the support of Premadasa’s party, main opposition SJB, to Prez Wickremesinghe’s administration. Referring to a statement from Premadasa in which he rubbished speculation of SJB crossovers to the govt, Bandara claimed more..

Apr 17 (Hindu) Despite possessing enviable social indicators at the time of Independence in 1948, Sri Lanka, at 75, is a failed state, former Prez Chandrika Kumaratunga said on Sunday. “75 years is a long time for a nation to achieve considerable progress. Even after 450 years of destruction by colonial rulers, at Independence, SL possessed some of the best socio-economic indicators. Today, at 75, SL is a failed state,” she said, more..

Apr 17 (FT) Experienced businessman with 40 years dealing in the international commodity trade, Sugar Importers Association President and Essential Food Commodities Importers and Traders Association Consultant Parakum M. Abeysekara said that their members are quite shocked at a decision taken by Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva to rescind a gazette that was perfectly helping the import industry with transparent freight mechanisms for 10 years. more..

Apr 17 (EN) Sri Lanka has recorded a 10.2% of gross domestic product budget deficit in 2023, mostly driven by interest expenses, as other spending was contained, while nominal revenues picked up amid a currency collapse, official data show. Sri Lanka’s economy is estimated to have contracted 8.7% in real terms in 2022 as activity was severely hit by the worst case of stop-go policies since the IMF gave technical assistance more..

Apr 17 (CI) Sri Lanka stampeded towards a big win in Galle on day two, with Dinesh Chandimal and Sadeera Samarawickrama hitting unbeaten centuries, before Prabath Jayasuriya claimed a five-wicket haul in the 19 overs he delivered before stumps. The hosts' dominance was more-or-less unceasing through the course of the day, leaving Ireland in a woeful situation at stumps - they are still 474 runs behind, more..

Apr 17 (DM) More than Rs. 70 million in revenue was collected from the expressways during the past 48 hours, RDA Project Director Sardha Weerakoon said. He said a total of Rs. 70,558,100 was collected from the vehicles that used all the expressways on April 15 and 16. Accordingly, Rs. 34,974,100 in revenue was collected from 126,760 vehicles that used the expressways on April 15 and Rs. 35,584,000 from 129,465 vehicles that used the expressways on April 16. more..

Apr 17 (CT) President of the Medical and Civil Rights Professional Association of Doctors (MCPA) Dr. Chamal Sanjeewa said that anyone attempting to promote and praise the privatisation of the State health service was only tightening the rope around his or her neck. He warned that patients would have to pay fabulous bills should the State health service be privatised like several other State services. The elite and the high class people who talk about privatising the State health service more..

Apr 17 (FT) The import and export sectors of SL, which comprise the critical and crucial economic segments of SL and which contribute to the country’s overall commercial activities, have been seriously affected by the recent action of the Minister of Ports and Shipping by introducing and implementing the Gazette no.2321/62. The new gazette annulling the Gazette no. 2041/10 dated 17 Oct, 2017, which was originally introduced on 27 Oct 2013, to the benefit of importers and exporters, more..

Apr 17 (MFA) Foreign Secretary Aruni Wijewardane will participate in the inaugural UK-SL Strategic Dialogue at Foreign Secretary level on 18 April 2023 at the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) in London. UK Minister of State in the FCDO Anne Marie Trevelyan will open the dialogue, which will be conducted with the participation of Sir Philip Barton, Permanent Undersecretary of the FCDO. The inaugural Strategic Dialogue is convened at the invitation of the FCDO more..

Apr 17 (Hindu) In a bid to ensure SL’s main political parties do not take numerical minorities for granted anymore, Opposition MP Mano Ganesan has recently mooted setting up a Tamil caucus in Parliament. The caucus, he said, would allow Tamil legislators to express the collective desire of the island’s Tamil speaking peoples. Although SL’s Tamils in the north and east, Malaiyaha Tamils living across Central, more..

Apr 17 (FT) The foreign holding in rupee securities recorded its highest week on week increase in 455 weeks of Rs. 28.52 billion for the week ending 11 April while its overall holding exceeded Rs. 100 billion to stand at Rs. 102.43 billion for the first time since Feb 2020. However, Treasury bond yields in the secondary market were seen increasing during the shortened trading week ending 12 April, reversing the downward trend witnessed over the previous week, reflecting an upward shift more..

Apr 17 (AD) Chairman of the Committee on Public Enterprise (COPE), MP Ranjith Bandara says it has been decided to summon all state institutions before the COPE committee this year. He pointed out that accordingly, 420 state institutions will be summoned to appear before the COPE committee. It is reported that although the state institutions should be summoned before the COPE committee annually as per the Auditor General’s report, it has not been carried out properly. more..

Apr 17 (DM) The decision to export 100,000 toque monkeys to China would depend on the decision taken by the committee appointed by Agriculture Minister. Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said a group of Chinese representatives had submitted a request to Agriculture Ministry to provide SL Toque monkeys to Zoological Gardens in China. According to their written request, they have requested the said number of toque monkeys more..

Apr 17 (DM) The first batch of 100,000 toque monkeys could be heading for test labs in China, Executive Director of Center for Environmental Justice (CEJ), Hemantha Withanage said. He said these monkeys could be used for experiments and testing of cosmetic products and medical experiments. "As per the globally accepted criteria for the definition of zoos, there are only 18 zoos in China that fit the bill, which averages out to 5,000 monkeys per zoo, and claim is not credible," more..

Apr 17 (EN) SL will build a Road Maintenance Fund by taxing fuel and charging a feel on the annual license fees of vehicles to maintain the country’s roads. Vehicle license fees now form part of provincial revenues. “To ensure proper road maintenance and to reduce the high expenditures incurred by the govt for road building and maintenance, the motorists should also shoulder the cost, as is the case in other nations,” Ministry of Transport and Highways, Media Secretary, more..

Apr 17 (AD) SL has requested Bangladesh to resume negotiations to sign a proposed preferential trade agreement (PTA) by April with an eye to boosting bilateral trade between the two friendly countries. As part of the move, SL High Commission in Dhaka has proposed to hold a virtual meeting on Apr 24 to discuss the current status and way forward. The mission has also requested Dhaka to inform its concurrence on the proposed date soon. “We have received a note verbale from more..

Apr 17 (AD) Met Dept has issued extreme heat weather advisory tomorrow particularly for Kilinochchi, Vavuniya, Mullaithivu, Mannar, Anuradhapura, Kurunegala, Moneragala and Hambantota Districts. According to the heat index issued by the dept, Kilinochchi, Mannar, Mullaithivu, Vavuniya, Anuradhapura, Kurunegala, Moneragala and Hambantota Districts would be affected by hot weather conditions. “People may suffer heat cramps, exhaustion and continuing activity more..

Apr 17 (TM) Dept of Immigration and Emigration may likely have to comply with a request to release information pertaining to Parliamentarians' dual citizenship status to PAFFREL by the end of this month (April). This is following the directives issued to the Dept by the Right to Information Commission (RTI). The Dept had recently informed the RTI Commission that it was unable to provide accurate information on MPs’ dual citizenship status more..

Apr 17 (TM) The ruling SLPP is expecting Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe to appoint a new Cabinet of Ministers with more Ministries being given to real SLPPers, according to Party's General Secretary and MP Sagara Kariyawasam. It was recently reported that SLPP National Organiser Basil Rajapaksa had requested Wickremesinghe that some more Ministerial posts be given to SLPP MPs. When contacted Kariyawasam and queried about the situation with regard to the said request, more..

Apr 17 (AD) Asiri Port City Hospital Ltd has entered into an Agreement to Lease with The Colombo Port City Economic Commission, for the development and operation of a state-of-the-art hospital with 500 plus bed capacity with an estimated investment of USD 100Mn within the Port City Colombo (PCC) in line with the Master Plan of the Colombo Port City Economic Commission of SL. Proposed hospital will be one of the four main strategic and large scale social infrastructure development projects more..

Apr 17 (TM) CID has begun an investigation into an allegation made by the Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe recently that a party involved in the ongoing MV X-Press Pearl compensation deliberations has received a payment $ 250 million. Last week, Dr. Rajapaksa made the controversial allegation, adding that the money had apparently been sent to an account held at a British bank. When contacted, SSP Nihal Thalduwa more..

Apr 17 (AD) Ministry of Power and Energy says that it will arrive at a decision today, on whether to maintain the increased fuel quota in view of the Sinhala and Tamil New Year festive season or not. The govt had taken measures to increase the existed fuel quota under the QR code system with effect from midnight on April 4. Earlier, it had reportedly been decided to revise the fuel quotas back to the previous quantities from tomorrow. The govt had taken steps to increase three-wheel more..

Apr 17 (TM) Despite the Govt's recent statement that it would decriminalise same-sex relationships by repealing the relevant provisions of the Penal Code, there are no legal amendments being made regarding the same as of now, The Daily Morning learned. Minister of Foreign Affairs, President’s Counsel (PC) M.U.M. Ali Sabry said in February that the Govt would decriminalise same-sex relationships, but that same-sex marriages would not be legalised. more..

Apr 18 (DM) The term terrorism always has a political connotation. It always targets the adversary of the person who uses it. Hence, the adage that One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter makes sense. In a conflict between the state and an anti-govt group, govt sometimes would accuse that group of committing terrorism while the group in turn would accuse the govt of unleashing State terrorism. Yet, there is always a common benchmark to call the other of committing terrorism, more..

Apr 18 (TM) Discourse on whether SL should export several crop destroying pests, including toque macaque monkeys, have made national headlines, with various parties coming forward to point out the practical, ethical and scientific aspects of the matter. Although official statements claim that this course of action, which is still in the planning stage, is aimed at sending the said type of animal to Chinese zoos, various unfounded claims, including the one that these animals would be abused or more..

Apr 18 (TM) The securing of IMF facility is only the beginning of a long and tough journey to moving the country towards a more sustainable growth path, asserted Advocata Institute Senior Research Fellow Dr. Roshan Perera. “The focus of the IMF programme in the near term is on macroeconomic stability and debt sustainability. There are five main pillars of this programme and monitoring the progress of these objectives is based on more..