May 13 (Island) Sri Lanka have named their squad for the ICC T-20 World Cup and some big names that featured in T-20 sides in recent outings have been given the cold shoulder. The most notable of them all is former captain Kusal Janith Perera. Perhaps the fiercest striker of the cricket ball in SL colours currently, KJP has hardly had an impact in internationals after returning to the side from injury. Given his seniority, reputation and the impact he can make in T-20 cricket, more..

May 13 (DN) The Sri Lanka ‘A’ team put up an impressive performance on day two of their four-day game against Afghanistan ‘A’ at P.Sara Oval Stadium yesterday. They scored a total of 435 runs in their first innings, with Sonal Dinusha (145) and Wanuja Sahan (75) hitting career-best innings. Afghanistan ‘A’ had lost one wicket and were at 18 runs by the close of play. The pair dominated the day, adding 119 runs for the eighth wicket. Dinusha played a superb innings, continuing from 126, more..

May 13 (Island) An Indian-born physicist, Basab Dasgupta, residing in the US, tells us in his article published on this page today that his seat of higher learning in India became a breeding ground for the Naxalite movement in the late 1960s; it faced a prolonged closure, and its prestige and reputation suffered as a result. He draws some parallels between the ongoing Gaza protests in universities across the US, and the situation he experienced in India, more than half a century ago. more..

May 13 (TM) The 15-member SL squad chosen by the national selectors for next month’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, has led to feverish debate, as Wanidu Hasaranga’s men prepare to fly out to the US, tomorrow. This is concerning some of those who have made it to the plane and those who have failed to make the cut from the national set up, for the month-long marquee event. One of the most notable absentees, more..

May 13 (DM) Oh dear, oh dear, a British citizen and non-Sri Lankan, MP Diana (not to be mistaken for Britain’s Princess Diana) has been unseated as a MP. O tempora, o mores we are once again being made the laughing stock of the world. A British citizen is not only a member of our Parliament, she is also a State Minister of this country. 60-year-old was (according to media reports) appointed a National List MP by the SJB in return for the transferring of control of the AJP to the SJB. more..

May 13 (DN) SL 400 m champion athlete Kalinga Kumarage finished first with a time of 45.92 seconds at the Osaka Grand Prix Athletic meet yesterday at Yanmar Stadium in Nagai, Japan. Kumarage the 31 year old soldier ran in t fifth lane finished with clear lead while second place won by Ito Rikuya who represented Sumitomo Electric Uni Saka with a time of 46.09 sec and Mori Masato of Sunbergs Tokyo finished third with 46.61 sec. In fact Kalinga Kumarage’ s achievement is good boost for more..

May 13 (FT) Miraclon, a global leader in the flexographic printing industry renowned for its cutting-edge plate making and prepress technologies, has chosen ALFT Packaging, SL’s sole purpose-built packaging solutions provider, to showcase its business and technological advancements. Miraclon, with operations across 180 countries and a vast customer base of over 25,000, is a driving force behind the transformation to modern flexography for more than a decade. more..

May 13 (FT) Standard Chartered Bank CEO Bingumal Thewarathanthri last week outlined the broader impacts of external debt restructuring, highlighting the anticipated sovereign upgrade and its ramifications for the banking sector and trade dynamics. He expressed optimism regarding the debt restructuring process, anticipating a minimum one-notch upgrade in sovereign ratings, which could translate to a 2-3% improvement within 2-3 weeks following the bond exchange. more..

May 13 (FT) SLPP Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa urged the current regime to postpone all moves to sell national assets and state-owned enterprises until a new Govt is formed following the Prez election. Issuing a statement, Rajapaksa said the Govt’s plans to sell off certain national assets and State-owned enterprises (SOEs) have given rise to discontent among trade unions, political parties and the general public. more..

May 13 (DN) The Novices Boxing Championship, organized by the Boxing Association of SL, received a significant boost as the McLarens Group of Companies stepped up to sponsor the event. The championship kicked off yesterday at the Royal College MAS Arena and is set to run until May 16. This year’s championship features the highest number of participants and teams in recent pasts. A total of 188 boxers, representing 34 teams, are vying for victory in the five-day event. more..

May 13 (SO) Jaffna Food Festival 2024 was inaugurated for the second consecutive year by MaRadha Colombo on Thursday. The hotel will serve authentic Jaffna food from May 9 to 14 from 7 pm bringing the country’s Northern culinary traditions to the fore. The opening of the festival took place with the participation of many guests including the Ambassador of Nepal to SL, Bashu Dev Mishra. MaRadha Chairman Saagie Navarathnam said that the festival will be a vibrant celebration of more..

May 13 (TM) Elections Commission (EC) conveyed that it lacks the capacity to decline nominations from individuals possessing dual citizenship due to the decision-making process being constrained by a limited timeframe. With former State Minister Diana Gamage losing her Parliamentary seat due to her UK citizenship being revealed through relevant judicial proceedings, discussions have arisen regarding dual more..

May 13 (FT) SL’s tourism industry has demonstrated a remarkable resurgence, raking in over $ 1.25 billion in revenue during the first four months of 2024, marking a staggering 92% surge compared to the same period last year. This robust performance not only signals a strong recovery but also highlights the industry’s potential for growth and resilience in the face of adversity. The acceleration in revenue generation during the first four months is particularly noteworthy, considering that achieving such more..

May 13 (FT) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe called for more women on corporate Boards and management as one of the measures to truly empower educated women. He made this suggestion during his keynote at the launch of the world’s first of its kind Global Gestures for Empowerment of women and girls against harassment by DP Education, philanthropic initiative of business leader turned SLPP MP Dhammika Perera. “Remarkably, women are increasingly excelling in education, more..

May 13 (ST) An aggrieved party of 13 affiliates of the Eastern Province Karate-do Association (EPKA), had made a complaint against its regional body for conducting its election despite an injunction order issued by the Colombo District Court. Following a petition from the 13 affiliated clubs of the EPKA, the Colombo District Magistrate, Sandun Withana issued an injunction order, but two days later a faction of the provincial body had conducted the withheld election at a private residence in Batticaloa. more..

May 13 (ST) SL is now enduring a legislative transformation by introducing a series of new laws and amending prevailing ones taken into account on past experiences for future actions and performances, Finance Ministry sources acknowledged. Over the past 16 months, the Parliament has enacted 42 new laws to facilitate the country’s economic transformation. An additional 62 laws will have to be passed through Parliament These proposed laws are being devised more..

May 13 (TM) Approximately 25,000 soldiers have left the service of the Sri Lanka Army without having reported for duty in the past five years. Major General Rasika Kumara said: “In the past five years, about 25,000 soldiers have left the service without reporting for duty.” Maj. Gen. Kumara added that once a soldier was regarded as an absentee in this manner, they were either granted general amnesty or disciplined. more..

May 13 (DM) The passenger ferry services scheduled to begin operations on May 13 between Kankesanthurai in Sri Lanka and Nagapattinam in India wil be delayed further due to the delay in delivery of the ferry and unavoidable compliance requirements , IndSri Ferry Service Pvt. Ltd. said. While issuing an announcement company Managing Director S. Niranjan Nandagopan told the Daily Mirror that the service wil not operate on May 13 as planned but will operate on May 17. more..

May 13 (FT) Center for Environmental Justice (CEJ) Chairman Ravindranath Dabare said the organisation will take legal action against the Govt’s move to degazette a section of the Vidataltivu Nature Reserve. According to Dabare, as an initial step the CEJ has filed a Right to Information (RTI) request to the Ministry of Wildlife and Forest Resources Conservation. CEJ is seeking an authentic copy of Extraordinary Gazette 2383/05, dated 6 May, which de-gazetted a portion of the nature reserve. more..

May 13 (DM) The birth rate in Sri Lanka is on a rapid decline, and currently it has decreased by 30%, Kalubowila Teaching Hospital gynecologist Prof. Ajith Fernando said. The doctor said that the number of births, which was about 360,000, has decreased to about 240,000. The doctor claimed that economic challenges are the primary reason for the declining birth rate in the country. Many families are opting not to have a second child due to these economic difficulties. more..

May 13 (ST) The decision to outsource online and on-arrival tourist visa processing to three foreign companies was made despite national telecom provider SLT-Mobitel having already partially upgraded the existing electronic travel authorisation (ETA) system at the request of the Immigration Dept at no cost to the govt. The fee charged by SLT-Mobitel was to have been US$ 1 per tourist application. In contrast, under the deal reached with Singapore-registered GBS Technology more..

May 13 (TM) SLFP Chairperson Maithripala Sirisena – who was recently prevented from serving in the said post by court – has resigned from the position, leading to the election of Minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe as the new Party Chairperson by the pro-Sirisena faction. Meanwhile, following the appointment of Dr. Rajapakshe to the post, Keerthi Udawatte was appointed as General Secretary of Mithripala fraction of SLFP. more..

May 13 (FT) An extraordinary gazette has been issued de-gazetting a section of the Vidataltivu Nature Reserve to set up an aquaculture industrial park. The gazette issued by Minister of Wildlife and Forest Resources Conservation Pavithradevi Wanniarachchi, noted that the area specified in the appendix of the gazette will no longer be designated as part of the Vidataltivu Nature Reserve. However, the appendix of the gazette notification has not been made available to the public. more..

May 13 (FT) Ven. Omalpe Sobitha Thera called for the immediate resignation of all parliamentarians holding dual citizenship. He asserted that there are approximately 10 MPs with dual citizenship currently serving in Parliament and emphasised the necessity for them to step down before the upcoming elections. Although the Thera refrained from disclosing the names of the implicated MPs, he warned that if they do not voluntarily resign, legal action may be pursued against them. more..

May 13 (EN) SL’s controversial visa deal with IVS-GBS and VFS Global is coming despite the country being required to reduce corruption stemming from an IMF governance assessment, main opposition has said. The main opposition has also slammed the unsolicited deal with VFS Global, a private contractor, as being bigger than a central bank linked bondscam in 2015. “This is three or four times bigger than the bondscam,” more..

May 13 (DN) As anticipation builds for the upcoming T20 World Cup, Moose Clothing Company proudly debuted its latest creation: the new T20 jersey design for SL cricket men’s national team. The launch event, held at Moose Clothing Company’s headquarters in Ja Ela, was graced by the national men’s and women’s cricket team, esteemed dignitaries and special guests, adding to the excitement surrounding the occasion. Recognizing cricket’s revered status in SL as a cherished more..

May 13 (FT) Apart from the forced resignation of two Rajapaksas, one a President and the other PM, a potentially epoch-breaking effect of the 2022 Aragalaya was the uncompromising message it sent to SL voters that the multiple crises engulfing the nation and bankrupted the national treasury could not be solved by patchwork measures, but only through a radical overthrow of the socio-political paradigm within which Govts were chosen & economy managed. more..

May 13 (DM) Nahil Wijesuriya, a well-known figure in Sri Lanka's charitable circles, has stepped forward to contribute a sum of Rs 270,000,000 towards the construction of a modern A-Level building at Bishops College, Colombo. The new facility is poised to be a state-of-the-art establishment, equipped with the latest amenities to support academic excellence. This generous gesture from Nahil Wijesuriya follows closely on the heels of his previous philanthropic endeavors. more..

May 13 (AD) The Supreme Court has concluded its hearing of the petitions filed challenging the proposed SL Electricity Bill, which includes proposed reforms for the electricity sector. Accordingly, the court announced that it will inform the determination to the Speaker of Parliament confidentially. The petitions were heard before the three-member Supreme Court bench consisting of Justices Vijith Malalgoda, Shiran Gunaratne and Arjuna Obeysekera for three consecutive days. more..

May 13 (DM) While denying any favoritism during the selection of players for the SL squad in the Men's T20 World Cup 2024, Selection Committee Chairman Upul Tharanga said the SL team is in a good position to challenge any team at the World Cup to be held in the West Indies and US. At a media briefing held to address various concerns regarding the SL T20 squad for the World Cup, Tharanga said there was no favoritism more..

May 13 (LSM) five Sri Lankan citizens were detained for transporting persons crossing the country's border illegally, the State Border Guard said in a statement. Border guards in Augšdaugava municipality stopped a Peugeot 307 car driven by a Sri Lankan citizen, while another Sri Lankan citizen was next, both with valid residence permits. But during the check, six people of Asian descent without travel documents, visas, or residence permits were also found in the car's salon, more..

May 13 (Island) Former Prez Maithripala Sirisena should not have handed over the SLFP leadership to Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakske, on account of the ongoing court cases against them and interim orders, State Minister Lasantha Alagiyawanna said yesterday. He said that they would consult their lawyers and take appropriate measures in this regard. State Minister was responding to The Island query regarding former President Sirisena’s sudden resignation at an Executive Committee more..

May 13 (TM) Elections Commission (EC) clarified that the dual citizenship status of individuals involved poses no obstacle during political party registration, indicating that there is no apparent issue regarding the legitimacy of SJB. Former State Minister Diana Gamage and her spouse Senaka de Silva once held ownership of a political party named Ape Jathika Peramuna (AJP) and its ownership was transferred to a faction led by SJB Leader more..

May 13 (DM) The cost of climate change will account for a 1.2% loss of the annual GDP of SL by 2050 according to estimates by the World Bank, Senior Presidential Advisor Ruwan Wijewardene said. He said it would be a multi-million dollar loss to the country. Speaking during the Environment Leaders of Tomorrow workshop organized by the National Youth Services Council over the weekend, Mr. Wijewardene said it is SL’s agriculture which is mostly affected by climate change. more..

May 13 (AD) In response to the concerns raised surrounding the alleged irregularities pertaining to the 2023 (2024) G.C.E. O/L examination’s English and Science question papers, Minister of Education Susil Premajayantha affirmed that measures will be taken to prevent any injustices to the affected students. Premajayantha further stated a final decision will be made regarding the matter following discussions with the panel responsible for preparing the O/L science paper. more..