Mar 29 (CT) A dispute has arisen between Northern Province Governor Jeevan Thiagarajah and former members of the Jaffna Municipal Council over Thiagarajah’s order to transfer the authority over the Navalar Cultural Hall from the Jaffna Municipal Council to the Central Govt. The Governor has ordered the Jaffna MC to vacate the Navalar Cultural Hall by 6 April. Several former MC members submitted a petition to the Governor’s Secretariat regarding this matter yesterday (28). more..

Mar 29 (TM) The Police has released the information pertaining to the non-provision of security to former CID Director, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Shani Abeysekara, in the wake of the Right to Information (RTI) Commission preparing to initiate legal action against them over the same. As the Police had failed to respond to a RTI request filed by Journalist Tharindu Iranga Jayawardhana seeking the relevant information, the latter had filed an appeal with the Commission. more..

Mar 29 (EN) Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera ordered state-run fuel retailer Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) and its Storage Terminal Limited (CPSTL) chairman to consider sacking trade union activists of the loss-making firms for disrupting normal fuel distribution. Trade unions in CPC and CPSTL went on leave after two day protest demanding the govt to suspend the restructuring of the loss-making CPC. more..

Mar 29 (FT) The buzz over the past week has been around SL securing the all-awaited IMF loan as a first step in the path to economic recovery. While the proposed program is vigorous, analysts have been quick to point out that the terms are ambitious and potentially unsustainable. SL has a tumultuous history with a foreign-prescribed growth solutions, economic stimuli, and even development aid — which are often perceived, but also within reason, to be unscrupulous offers with ulterior agendas. more..

Mar 29 (FT) Sri Lanka’s Anti-Terrorism Bill issued on 22 March 2023 on the orders of the Minister of Justice, Prison Affairs and Constitutional Reforms reads like a paranoid dictator’s wish-list. It sees terrorism everywhere, in everything that Sri Lankans have hitherto regarded as exercising their democratic rights. This Bill would have made most of the Aragalaya activists terrorists, and all those who supported or helped in any way, in danger of being so labelled. more..

Mar 29 (SLN) SL Navy received a stock of maritime interdiction and protective equipment provided by the US, at the Air Force base Katunayake today (27). Defence Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Colombo, Colonel Anthony Nelson symbolically handed over those equipment to Commander Western Naval Area, Rear Admiral Suresh De Silva who represented the Navy. The equipment were granted as part of a Defence Building Partner Capacity Programme, coordinated by more..

Mar 29 (DM) The fuel distribution has recommenced at Kolonnawa and Muthurajawela terminals at 6 a.m. this morning, Minister Kanchana Wijesekera said. He said the Police and armed forces would continue to assist in the operation. "Adequate fuel stocks are available in the country,” he said. He also said that it had been noticed that some fuel stations had not placed orders anticipating the April price revision. He requested the fuel station operators place their orders accordingly and more..

Mar 29 (AN) Sri Lankans are hopeful that a new employment scheme with Saudi Arabia will help ease their country’s economic crisis, professionals and labor officials said, as they expect it to boost the nation’s manpower exports to the Kingdom. Saudi Arabia and SL recently signed an agreement on the Skill Verification Program which aims to improve the professional competence of employees in the Saudi labor market and more..

Mar 29 (AD) The bus fares will be reduced by 12.9% with effect from midnight tomorrow, Acting Minister of Transport Lasantha Alagiyawanna says. He communicated this to the public while addressing a special media briefing this afternoon. Meanwhile, the minimum bus fare will be slashed to Rs. 30. The decision was taken following the fuel price reduction announced by the CPC and LIOC earlier today. Following the fuel price revision which comes into effect at midnight today, more..

Mar 29 (NR) The All-Ceylon Three-Wheeler Owners’ Association has decided to reduce three-wheeler fares by Rs.20 per kilometer. President of the Association Sudil Jayaruk said the decision was taken in line with today’s petrol price reduction. He said accordingly three-wheeler operators across the country have been advised to reduce the fare for a kilometer to Rs.80 from the second kilometer. Sudil Jayaruk said the new fares will come into effect from midnight. more..

Mar 29 (AD) Central Bank of SL (CBSL), in light of the recent public inquiries and the developments observed in cryptocurrencies, has reiterated the significant risks associated with using and investing in digital currencies. Although crypto-trading is widely promoted by certain entities as a profitable investment, Central Bank said the recent complaints it received have shown that the members of the public have incurred heavy losses more..

Mar 29 (DM) Colombo High Court today discharged former MP and Minister Sajin Vass Gunawardena from a lawsuit filed against him by the CIABOC for committing corrupting to the tune of Rs 883 million by Gunawardena during his tenure as CEO of Mihin Lanka. It is alleged that Gunawardena had entered into an illegal contract with a Singaporean Company while purchasing ground handling equipment for Mihin Lanka. At the outset of the investigation before Colombo HC Counsel Shavendra Fernando more..

Mar 29 (AD) Over 20 Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) workers who did not report for duty today have been sent on compulsory leave, Minister Kanchana Wijesekera said. Speaking at a special press conference held this morning, Minister stated that over 20 CPC employees who did not report to work today were sent on compulsory leave, and have been banned from entering the CPC premises. The conference comes amidst a rather turbulent backdrop in the fuel sector, more..

Mar 29 (EN) stocks edged up on Wednesday recovering from the two-day loss, with banking and finance sectors pushing up the market as buying interest returned for the day, easing selling pressure, brokers said. The ASPI closed up 0.42% or 39.03 points to 9,272.43. The market was on a downward trend since last week as investors are adopting a wait-and-see approach until more clarity is given regarding local debt restructuring after the IMF approved the extended loan facility. more..

Mar 29 (DM) Five senior Police Officers, including the Senior DIG in Charge of North Western Province Lalith Pathinayake, have been transferred to the Police Field Force Headquarters with immediate effect, Police Spokesman SSP Nihal Thalduwa said. Accordingly, DIG in Charge of the Puttalam S.M.Y.M. Seneviratne, Puttalam Division SSP Pushpakumara, Anamaduwa Division SP H.M.C.P Herath and OIC Anamaduwa Nilantha Bandara have been transferred due to service requirement by more..

Mar 29 (TM) In response to allegations that schoolchildren are yet to receive textbooks, the Educational Publications Department informed that all the necessary textbooks have already been published and printed and that measures have been taken to distribute them as soon as possible. A senior official attached to the said Dept, speaking on the condition of anonymity regarding a recent statement made by General Secry of CTU more..

Mar 29 (AD) Dept of Motor Traffic (DMT) says that a large number of vehicles, which failed the vehicle emission test, were identified during a random inspection carried out within the Western Province. Director of the dept’s Vehicle Emission Data Program Dasun Janaka states that the relevant vehicles, which do not fix the emission of black smoke during the granted time period, will be blacklisted. “A total of 1,127 vehicles were tested in the Western Province with random tests more..

Mar 29 (DM) A rare black leopard was captured on camera by local and foreign tourists inside the Yala National Park today. Safari jeep driver KG told Daily Mirror he saw the animal cross from one side of the path to the other, inside the park at around 8.45 this morning. He said that the animal was first seen on a rock and it then crossed the pathway to the other side with its mother. "We didn't see the father of the animal. It was seen crossing with its mother," the safari jeep driver said. more..

Mar 29 (AD) National Dangerous Drugs Control Board (NDDCB) says it has observed an alarming increase in drug abuse in the country as 67,900 people in total had been arrested in connection with narcotics-related offenses between January and October last year. NDDCB’s Director-General Bhadrani Senanayake said 52% of these people had been apprehended for being in possession of heroin, more..

Mar 29 (TM) The Glorious Church management, under the leadership of Prophet Jerome Fernando, has released a statement mentioning that legal action would be taken to this tarnishing the Glorious Church name. This statement was signed by the Chairman of The Glorious Church Pastor Harin Perera. "We as a Ministry have maintained the highest level of accountability in our finances and are audited by world renowned auditors KPMG to ensure there is financial transparency. more..

Mar 29 (AD) The fourth round of negotiations on the proposed SL-Thailand Free Trade Agreement (SLTFTA) was held in Colombo from 27 to 29 March 2023. This initiative aligns with the Prez’s vision of enhancing economic relations with large and emerging economies, with a particular focus on ASEAN countries. On March 26, a 35-member Thai delegation led by Ms. Auramon Supathaweethum, Director General of Dept of Trade Negotiations, arrived in SL for fourth round of talks. more..

Mar 29 (AD) Time period given to SL expatriate workers to import electric vehicles based on their foreign remittances will be extended to the end of Aug 2023, Minister Manusha Nanayakkara says. The migrant workers were previously allowed to import electric vehicles from May 2022 to Dec 31, 2022. While participating in an event, Minister Nanayakkara also revealed plans to provide electric vehicle import licenses to other people who bring in dollars to the country on a private basis. more..

Mar 29 (DM) An Associate Engineer, 25th suspect in the Colombo High Court Trial at Bar case had moved for bail in the Court of Appeal claiming that he has been in custody for 3 years and 11 months, without any indication of trial. The suspect claims that he is a respected citizen without any previous convictions or police involvement whatsoever. The petitioner in his application filed in the Court of Appeal states that, though the Detention order had determined the place of detention as more..

Mar 29 (TM) SL could end up repaying the $ 2.9 billion EFF by the IMF at an interest rate of over 8% after 2026 as a result of surcharges and continuance hikes in US interest rates, Former Deputy Governor of CB, Dr. W.A. Wijewardena said. He said that repaying the IMF facility is not costless to SL, as the interest rate on the EFF is a variable interest rate subject to the basic rate of charge applicable to SDRs plus another margin of more..

Mar 29 (CT) The Health Ministry bigwigs, who finally appeared before the Human Rights Commission of SL (HRCSL), after repeated warnings issued by the Commission, accepted that there is a health emergency in the country and as a result emergency purchasing of medicinal drugs is being conducted outside the normal purchase procedure. Health Ministry Secretary Janaka Sri Chandraguptha accepted the fact that there is a health emergency in SL when he appeared before the HRCSL. more..

Mar 29 (CT) ITAK MP M.A. Sumanthiran said his Party is vehemently opposed to the Anti-Terrorism Act that was gazetted recently. ITAK MP said the PTA has been replaced with a new Act called the Anti-Terrorism Act, which has been published in the Govt Gazette. “The PTA was enforced for more than 40 years in the country and it was heavily criticised. Many persons called for its repeal. When the present President was the PM in 2017, he promised European Union that he would repeal PTA. more..

Mar 29 (TM) Former Minister of Petroleum and Petroleum Gas, and incumbent Opposition MP, Chandima Weerakkody claimed that it is doubtful as to whether the multinational companies which are going to sign contracts with the Govt to carry out petroleum related operations in the country are connected to certain individuals involved in black money smuggling. He said: “It is the Govt that is fully responsible if CPC is making losses. more..

Mar 29 (Island) FSP says that in the guise of doing away with the draconian PTA the govt is planning to bring in a more draconian Anti-Terrorism Act. FSP Educational Secretary Pubudu Jagoda said that the PTA would soon be replaced by an ATA which would give draconian powers to the President. “Prez will have powers to ban any organisation at will. He will have the discretion to fix the terrorist label on any individual or organisation and have him or her arrested and detained. more..

Mar 29 (AD) DNA tests have confirmed that Pulasthini Mahendran, alias Sarah Jasmin, has died in the suicide bomb blast at the safe house in Sainthamaruthu on 26 April 2019. This was confirmed by Police, after DNA tests were conducted on the remains of those who were killed in the 2019 bomb explosion in Sainthamaruthu. The exhumation of the remains buried at the Ampara cemetery was ordered by the Kalmunai Magistrate’s Court on 26 April 2022 for the re-examination of DNA. more..

Mar 30 (DM) If 2023 is just like any other year, as women’s history month wraps up this Friday, slowly but surely, women’s faces slowly fall off the panels, roundtables, stages and meeting rooms, and everyone’s favourite buzzword, empowerment is retired for another year. It is easy to make light of this corporate spectacle of course, but the myriad of barriers and challenges that women uniquely experience is very real, and because of it we are all losers – you, me, women and the economy. more..

Mar 30 (DM) A photo and a video of a melanistic black leopard cub spotted at the Yala National Park is being shared widely on social media since last Friday. According to records, a black leopard has been spotted in Yala after about 50 years. “There have been records of a black leopard some 50 years ago, but the most recent sighting of a black leopard is the one that was recorded a few days ago,” said Yala National Park Warden Manoj Widyaratne. “The leopard that has been spotted is a 5-6 mo more..

Mar 30 (TM) The debt crisis that SL is going through is not a mere result of domestic factors or a crisis that only SL is facing. With drastic changes in global politics, financial systems, and trade among many other factors, a large number of countries are on the brink of bankruptcy or have already gone bankrupt, which has created an overall economically unfavourable situation for many countries. In this context, even though more..

Mar 30 (DM) Today in SL, Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe and the splintered SLPP govt are trying pull the country out of its worst ever socioeconomic crisis since independence in 1948. With the approval of the IMF's loan of US$2.9B the situation has improved and Prez says he hopes to bring down the unprecedented cost of living within few months. But with the media and especially the social media saying different stories at different times and sometimes giving a twisted more..

Mar 30 (CT) Two Mission Chiefs of IMF, Peter Breuer and Masahiro Nozaki, in their opening remarks to a press briefing of the Executive Board Approval of EFF for SL, emphasized the importance of anti-corruption and governance reforms as a central pillar of the EFF-supported program and added that for the first time in Asia IMF is said to conduct in this country an in-depth governance diagnostic exercise. This should be music to the ears of all progressive minded observers and more..

Mar 30 (HRW) Govt of SL should ensure that policies to enhance revenues do not further erode economic and social rights and that anti-corruption reforms provide accountability, Human Rights Watch said. On March 20, IMF approved a US$3 billion loan to SL to help resolve the spiraling economic crisis that began after SL defaulted on its debt in April 2022. The loan was approved 7 months after IMF staff and more..

Mar 30 (CT) An airport is the very first impression that a tourist gets about a country. It’s the first stop that they make on their journey, and it sets the tone for their entire trip. It is not only about the facilities and services offered, but also about the ambiance, which someone can expect to get on entering an airport. An airport has to be attractive, welcoming and yet professional, with all these elements in place. It therefore has to be designed and built with care, so as not to turn people away. more..