Aug 6 (DM) The Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA), led by Mano Ganeshan, has announced that they will support Samagi Jana Balawegaya Presidential candidate Sajith Premadasa in the upcoming election. Mano Ganeshan made this announcement at a press briefing in Colombo. He said that his party will sign an MOU with the Samagi Jana Balawegaya. “We’re not asking for the sun and the moon; we just want the estate sector community and Tamils elsewhere to be treated as Sri Lankans,” Ganesan said. more..

Aug 6 (FT) As Sri Lanka emerges from its economic downturn, Visa — the global leader in digital payments, is focusing on the country’s potential as a promising hub for digital payments in the Asia Pacific region. Visa India and South Asia Vice President and Head of Products Ramakrishnan Gopalan recently said that Sri Lanka is poised to join the ranks of rapidly growing economies in the Asia Pacific region, alongside Vietnam and the Philippines. more..

Aug 6 (AD) A special gazette notification has been issued declaring the supply of electricity and all related services, the supply or distribution of petroleum products and fuel, as essential services. Presidential Secretary Saman Ekanayake has issued the communiqué yesterday (05) on the directives of Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe. The communiqué was published in accordance with the powers vested in the President under Section 2 of the Essential Public Services Act No. 61 of 1979. more..

Aug 6 (TM) Minister Susil Premajayantha stated that 462 teachers who were given appointments as graduate Grade-2 teachers have not obtained their appointments even after 14 days. Minister stated that they had not obtained appointments refusing to be employed in outstation schools such as in the Vavuniya, Uhana and Badulla districts. According to the Minister, this has created a situation where no graduates of Mathematics and Science would be created through outstation schools, more..

Aug 6 (EN) Sri Lanka will re-start and subsidy scheme for senior citizens to keep fixed deposit returns at 10% a year, Minister Bandula Gunawardana said. Market rates are now starting to fall and the govt will top up the rate to keep interest yield at 10 percent, he said. The subsidies are being promised ahead of elections in September. The subsidy would apply to deposits of up to one million rupees for two years, according to a statement. more..

Aug 7 (DM) A western medical doctor who has undergone further training to deliver medical care at primary care level based on concepts and principles of Family Medicine/General Practice is a General Practitioner/Family Physician. Family Medicine/General practice is the medical specialty which provides continuing and comprehensive care for the individual and the family. General Practitioners -now commonly referred to as Family Physicians- deal with physical, mental and more..

Aug 7 (DM) What Mahinda Rajapaksa as Prez did to the other political parties is boomeranging now on his own party, SLPP. During his heyday he, using both the carrot and the stick, broke other parties and those who defected to Rajapaksa’s party said that they were joining hands with Rajapaksa to strengthen his hands to win the separatist war. The irony has now befallen Rajapaksa in the form of a disaster. Extraction of his teeth by Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe is now in full swing. more..

Aug 7 (TM) Despite the rise in influenza cases, the Health Ministry last week assured the public that there was no cause for alarm. While dismissing concerns of a rise in Covid-19 cases across the country, attributing the current hike in flu-like symptoms to a surge in seasonal influenza, Ministry of Health DDG Dr. S.M. Arnold stressed that the rising flu-like symptom cases were due to influenza, a common seasonal flu. more..

Aug 7 (TM) This week, it was reported that a lawyer, who had provided forged documents to enter the Law College and also to obtain a National Identity Card (NIC) and a passport, has been indicted under five charges. According to media reports, the lawyer in question has been in possession of one fake birth certificate and one fake NIC, which he had used to obtain a passport. While forging such legal documents is an offence, such actions coming from a lawyer, a person with a legal background more..

Aug 7 (CT) Politics is an unwritten contract between the people and those who wish to rule them. In a democracy, that contract becomes activated, as far as the ruled is concerned, at periodically held elections but continues through the tenure of office for the ruler. The essential difference being that the ruler could break that contract many times so long as he remains in office as the ruler. However, in a non-democratic system, that contract could end once the rulers are enthroned. more..

Aug 7 (DM) NPP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD) who is contesting the Prez Election said, he didn’t intend to take political revenge on anyone, but would instead ensure justice is delivered regarding the corruption which has led to the economic downfall of SL. Commenting on his own travel costs, AKD said the expenses for his trips to India and China were borne by those respective govts while his travels to other countries to more..

Aug 7 (CT) With the nomination date just about a week away 17,140,354 voters, eligible to cast their ballots in 2024 Prez Election, are in an unprecedented dilemma on deciding which candidate their mandate should be. This is mainly due to prospective prez candidates not coming from traditional political parties or alliances. Political parties – of which, the voters are aware of, bearing certain policies – have put forward candidates who do not convincingly reflect party policies. more..

Aug 7 (Island) The hurly-burly is done and Bangladesh is struggling to collect itself. A hurriedly formed interim government has undertaken the uphill task of bringing order out of chaos. Thankfully, there are signs of protesters responding to calls for calm positively. One can only hope that the trouble-torn SAARC nation will regain political stability soon and there will be no more shocks to its economy. There are no winners in political battles that entail enormous economic costs. more..

Aug 7 (ST) Not many back in what they see as their home country, realise how quickly the community has grown in the UK. Just a few years back those in Sri Lanka were counting the numbers in their four and five hundred thousand. Now our High Commission here tells me that it has mounted to seven hundred thousand perhaps looked as a round figure. Some claim these numbers swelled in the last couple of years when the SL govt was engaged in its Grusha Act and drove professionals and more..

Aug 7 (Island) A few weeks ago, Sri Lankans were not certain if there would be a prez election in 2024 with an alleged lack of clarity regarding the term of the president and a govt drama of a Bill to amend the president’s term. However, the Election Commission was very clear and firm, and now we do have a prez election gazetted and scheduled to be held on 21 September. Sri Lankans will be afforded their first real chance to decide their own future or at least elect the leaders more..

Aug 7 (ST) Sri Lanka's plantation sector has many problems, but the revenue-sharing model is no magic cure, say workers on the Madulkele estate in the Kandy district. Revenue-Sharing Model (RSM) gives workers a part of the estate land on which they grow, pluck, and sell tea back to the company. It differs from the traditional daily wage model in that a worker is paid for the tea produced, not for the labour directly. more..

Aug 7 (CI) And they said the middle overs in an ODI are dull. India and Sri Lanka are playing a series where all of the action is contained in the exact period where the 50-over format tends to be dull. And that's largely because they have been playing these games - the first of which ended in a tie - on pitches that challenge a batter, in ways that extend far beyond technique. The Khettarama is asking people to play cricket thinking two overs ahead; to avoid the expansive drive just even if more..

Aug 7 (ST) SL banks have raised concerns with the regulator on increased cash withdrawals from accounts after the tax authority requested them to share information on depositor accounts. At a meeting with the Central Bank recently, commercial bankers pointed out that cash circulation in the country has spiked during the past four months. “Some of us pointed out that this may be due to reasons such as the recent increase in taxes and merchants settling through cash as opposed more..

Aug 7 (Island) Asian Games medallist Dilhani Lekamge will aim at reaching her personal best in qualifying for the women’s javelin finals when she makes her Olympic debut in Paris today. Her coach Pradeep Nishantha said that Lekamge will aim for a final berth before the team departed for Paris. The 37-year-old is the last Sri Lanka track and field athlete entering the arena after 800 metres specialist Tharushi Karunaratne and sprinter Aruna Dharshana. more..

Aug 7 (FT) The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce launched its landmark policy document, Vision 2030, designed to steer Sri Lanka towards sustainable and inclusive development by 2030. The inaugural copy of this comprehensive economic plan was presented to Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe. The document will also be distributed to political party leaders, CB Governor, and the Treasury Secretary, to promote a bipartisan approach towards prioritising the national economy and public welfare. more..

Aug 7 (FT) MP Prof. Charitha Herath has said Prez Ranil Wickrmeesinghe is part of the crisis and not part of the solution. He said economic and political reforms cannot be brought about through rhetoric alone. Herath stressed that Prez Election discourse must be rescued from the myth-making and boastful politics of Wickremesinghe. He emphasised that the SJB bears a significant responsibility to foster a broad-based more..

Aug 7 (FT) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday said that Sri Lanka could lead South Asia in terms of Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) standards via greater public private partnership. Speaking at the inauguration of ESG Summit organised by Daily FT and Colombo Uni MBA Alumni Association with HSBC as Strategic Partner, Prez also reiterated SL’s commitment to achieving sustainable development goals and reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2040. more..

Aug 7 (Island) After the disappointment of the 1999 World Cup, where Sri Lanka failed to go beyond the first round, it was to Sanath Jayasuriya Sri Lanka Cricket turned to to put the team back on the track. In his own inimitable style, he turned things around for the team. In his first series, SL beat world champions Australia in the tri-nation final and into the bargain recorded a first ever Test win over the Aussies. Some 25 years later, with Chris Silverwood stepping down last month as Head Coach more..

Aug 7 (Island) Jaffna District SLFP MP Angajan Ramanathan yesterday said that he would decide whom to support at the forthcoming presidential election depending on the response of independent candidate Ranil Wickremesinghe and SJB leader Sajith Premadasa to his proposals. Lawmaker Ramanathan said so when asked him what he would do as the solitary SLFPer elected under more..

Aug 7 (TM) Although several non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are involved in monitoring election-related activities, some of them are not registered as per the applicable legal requirements, while some have failed to adhere to the applicable reporting requirements, according to the National Secretariat for NGOs. Highly placed sources at the Secretariat said that some of these organisations have received large amounts of funds for election monitoring-related activities, and more..

Aug 7 (DN) Sri Lanka will aim for a historic series victory while India will hope to level the series in the third ODI which will be played today at R. Premadasa Int'l cricket stadium, commencing from 2.30pm. Sri Lankans are now 1-0 up in the three game series as they bundled out Indians for a score of 208 and successfully defended 240 run total. This loss marked an unwelcome milestone for the Indian team, as it broke a 27-year-long streak of bilateral ODI series victories against Sri Lanka more..

Aug 7 (DN) Aruna Darshana, who made history as the first SL athlete in 24 years to reach the semi-finals in the Olympics, faced a disappointing disqualification for violating lane rules. According to competition regulations, he was required to stay within lane number 4 from the start to the finish of the 400m race, but touched lane 3 around the 200-metre mark. Despite completing the race yesterday with an impressive time of 44.75 seconds, Aruna’s performance was not included in the official more..

Aug 7 (AD) The track kit worn by SL athlete Tharushi Karunaratne has been donated to be displayed at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland. The kit, autographed by 19-year-old Karunaratne is slated to be displayed in the Olympic Museum in honour of being the youngest athlete who represented the Asian region in the Women’s 800m event. Accordingly, this also creates history as the first-ever track kit worn by a Sri Lankan athlete to be featured in the Olympic Museum. more..

Aug 7 (TM) The Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) extended an invitation to all major Prez candidates to present their manifestos to the country on a single platform in front of the Buddhist clergy, without making contradictory statements on different occasions. BBS General Secretary Galagodaththe Gnanasara Thera revealed its plans to gather around 4,000-5,000 Buddhist monks at a single venue where the leading Prez candidates more..

Aug 7 (FT) Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Govt of SL signed a loan agreement for $ 100 million for subprogram 1 of a policy-based loan (PBL) to support and facilitate reforms aimed at enhancing the financial sustainability of the power sector in SL. This loan is part of a broader programmatic approach PBL, consisting of three subprograms totalling $ 300 million, dedicated to transforming the power sector. Treasury Secretary Mahinda Siriwardana and ADB Country Director more..

Aug 7 (AD) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe says that if ousted Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had released former PM Khalida Zia from jail long ago, she would still be the country’s PM. Wickremesinghe stated that he welcomes the fact that Khalida Zia had been released from jail. However, the Sri Lankan leader did offer some words of praise to Hasina, who has now fled the country, as she had offered assistance to Sri Lanka during the financial crisis. more..

Aug 7 (FT) Expressing confidence that Bangladesh will return to normalcy soon, Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday appealed to SL companies there not to panic. “Bangladesh is in turmoil. I don’t want to speak about the politics of Bangladesh, a friendly country, but it had to erupt at some time. While Sheikh Hasina has left, I still remember her because she gave us $ 200 million when we were really in need of money. So I think it’s only fair to say some good word about more..

Aug 7 (FT) The Law Association for Asia and the Pacific (LAWASIA) has called on the SL Govt to uphold judicial independence to safeguard democratic values and ensure fair administration of justice. LAWASIA expressed grave concerns about recent actions in Sri Lanka that it believes threaten the judiciary’s independence and authority. The association voiced its support for a statement made by the Bar Association of SL on 27 July which addressed similar issues. more..

Aug 7 (FT) The ruling SLPP is set to announce its Prez candidate today. Earlier in the week, party General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam confirmed that the announcement would be made by SLPP leader Mahinda Rajapaksa at 7:30 a.m. at the SLPP head office on Nelum Mawatha. While the event was initially scheduled to take place at the foyer of the Nelum Pokuna Mahinda Rajapaksa Theatre, the venue was later changed to more..

Aug 7 (EN) Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA), one of SL’s key Tamil political coalition said many of its legislators will be cabinet ministers under a future govt, if opposition leader Sajith Premadasa wins the Sept 21 presidency. Ethnic minority TPA pledged support to opposition leader Sajith Premadasa in the upcoming presidential poll, but declined to elaborate the conditions Premadasa has agreed with the party. “Many of us will be part of our cabinet and his administration,” TPA leader Mano Ganeshan more..

Aug 7 (TM) A 37-year-old woman, who is reportedly the ex-wife of popular actor Kavinga Perera, was arrested by immigration officials at Katunayake Airport on the morning of August 5th. The arrest followed a travel ban imposed by the Colombo Fort Magistrate's Court in connection with financial fraud charges. The woman, a resident of Kurunegala and a doctor by profession, was detained at 8:50 a.m. upon arrival from New Delhi, India, on SriLankan Airlines flight UL-192. more..