May 2 (Island) In spite of determined UNP’s efforts, it couldn’t convince SJB MPs to switch their allegiance to Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe in time for yesterday’s May Day rally, presided over by the green leader at Maligawatte, Colombo, main Opposition party said. SJB lawmaker Kavinda Jayawardena said that regardless of the UNP’s repeated appeals, the party was sure none in its parliamentary group would join Prez more..

May 2 (CT) The passenger ferry service between Nagapattinam and Kankesanthurai in Sri Lanka, which resumed in October 2023 after almost 40 years only to be stopped days later, is set to recommence on 13 May. Online ticket sale for the service, which will be handled by a new operator, will go live on Monday. On 14 Oct last year, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually flagged off the service between Nagapattinam and Kankesanthurai. The HSC Cheriyapani operated by more..

May 2 (AD) Leader of the NPP Anura Kumara Dissanayake, while addressing a May Day rally, urged the SJB to confirm a date before May 20 for the proposed debate on the policies of both parties on economic issues. MP affirmed that this would mark the NPP’s final May Day rally under what he described as the governance of corrupt individuals. “Today, the NPP is holding the last May Day rally held while under the hands of the criminals who destroyed this country”, MP expressed. more..

May 2 (AD) Chairman of the National Transport Commission (NTC) Shashi Welgama says that there will be no revision of bus fares despite the recent reduction of fuel prices. National Transport Commission had previously declared that the decision on whether bus fares will be revised would be taken today (2). Fuel prices were reduced with effect from midnight on April 30, with the price of diesel reduced by Rs. 30 per litre. However, the private bus associations had said that since more..

May 2 (DM) Norwegian Ambassador in New Delhi May-Elin Stener met NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the JVP head office this afternoon. Second Secretary of the Norwegian Embassy John Bjerkem and NPP MP Vijitha Herath and Harini Amarasuriya attended the meeting. The current political situation in the country and the economic crisis that Sri Lanka is facing were discussed at length, party sources said. The two parties also discussed the elections to be held this year. more..

May 2 (TM) Despite the Govt’s decision to increase the daily wage of plantation sector workers to Rs. 1,700, sectoral trade unions remain determined to continue the ongoing protests seeking a wage hike to Rs. 2,000. Even if the Govt’s decision materialised without facing any objections, they note, this amount is not sufficient given the rate at which inflation has increased during the past few years and because it is also unlikely that more..

May 2 (DM) A stock of drugs including 13 kgs of heroin suspected to belong to an underworld figure known as Dubai Kapila has been recovered by the STF. Police said the stock was recovered during a raid carried out near the Sri J'pura University in Nugegoda. Accordingly, they siezed 13 kgs of heroin, 06 kgs of hash and 0.5 kg of cocaine. Also, Rs. 1.5 million in cash was also taken into custody during the raid. Investigations revealed that Isuru, also known as Kapila, more..

May 2 (EN) Sri Lanka’s debt restructuring talks with sovereign bond holders are awaiting clarity on how the IMF assesses securities linked to economic performance under its debt sustainability analysis, sources with knowledge of the talks said. IMF had decided that a March proposal made by private investors with macro-linked bonds was not in line with its debt sustainable framework, according to a SL govt statement issued after the first round of direct talks with bondholders. more..

May 2 (AD) CoPF has approved, subject to conditions, the Recovery of Loans by Banks (Special Provisions) (Amd) Bill which was amended to facilitate legal provisions for the suspension of Parate Law until Dec 15. Accordingly, the banks’ practice of acquiring properties of whose loans are yet to be paid off will be suspended until Dec 15 and the Recovery of Loans by Banks (Special Provisions) Act No. 4 of 1990 more..

Apr 2 (CT) A courtesy meeting between the ITAK and the British High Commissioner in SL, Andrew Patrick, took place on 29 April during his special tour to the Batticaloa District. Rasamanickam said the British High Commissioner discussed several matters, including problems faced by farmers, particularly issues related to fertiliser subsidies, livestock breeding, and fishing. He said he had brought to the attention of the British HC issues surrounding the initial payments to farmers more..

Apr 2 (EAR) SL finds itself amid a multitude of challenges, from economic woes to corruption scandals. Domestically, the surge in drug consumption, particularly among healthy-age adults and schoolchildren, poses a grave concern. Despite having national and international backing, community-led programs in prevention and rehabilitation fall short of making any impact. This is because they lack root-level eradication strategies. It is also believed that there must be more..

May 2 (TM) The Joint Committee of Govt Executive Officers launched a two-day token strike today (2) by reporting sick over several demands including the salary issue. The Chairman of the joint committee H. A. L. Udayasiri stated that they also have planned to stage a series of protests in Colombo later today. Against this backdrop, the non-academic staff members of all state universities have also decided to go on an indefinite strike starting at noon today. Secretary of non-academic staffers’ union more..

May 2 (FT) Jetwing Hotels, a pioneer in the Sri Lankan hospitality industry for over five decades, remains dedicated to fostering positive change for people and the planet. In line with this commitment, Jetwing Hotels has invested over $ 1 million to expand its solar photovoltaic (PV) installations by 1.6 megawatts (MW) by the end of July 2024. Installation work commenced in December 2023 and has made significant progress, currently standing at 65% completion. more..

Apr 2 (AD) Labour Tribunal of Kalutara, Sri Lanka has ruled that the British Broadcasting Corporation’s (BBC) decision to prematurely terminate the contract of top journalist Azzam Ameen was unreasonable and unjustifiable. Having delivered the Order on 26th April, 2024, the Labour Tribunal also found that the actions of the BBC, particularly of the BBC’s representative Iain Haddow, were arbitrary and high-handed. more..

Apr 2 (CT) Consulate General of SL in Dubai and Northern Emirates hosted a dinner reception on 27 Apri for the SL youth athletic team who participated in the recently concluded Asian U20 Athletics Championship in Dubai. SL team won two Silver and three Bronze medals at 4 x 400 Mixed Relay, 4 x 400 Men, 4 x400 Women, 4 x 100 Men and Triple Jump events. The event was graced by the presence of several sport enthusiasts, including representatives from various sports associations, more..

Apr 2 (Island) Dissident SLPP MP Prof. Channa Jayasumana said that political parties and individual MPs should be asked to explain how they funded May Day rallies. The academic said that many lawmakers would find it difficult to hire buses, provide two dozen bottles of arrack to each bus, bites and food. MP said that he didn’t get involved in any May Day rally due to current impasse in talks pertaining to a future course of action. “Therefore, I didn’t have to worry about expenses. more..

Apr 2 (TM) While welcoming the Govt’s plans to permit the registration of motorcycles currently known as high engine capacity motorcycles, motorcycle owners expressed concerns about the implementation of these plans and the motives behind the Govt’s enthusiasm. “This should have been done a long time ago,” Ceylon Motorcyclists’ Association (CMA) President Chirantha Amarasinghe said, noting that contrary to more..

Apr 2 (TM) The United Federation of Labour condemned the agreements signed by the SL Govt with Israel to send more than 10,000 SL workers to work in Israel’s agriculture, construction and caregiving sectors. According to them, these deals exploit vulnerable Sri Lankan workers and expose them to unsafe and life-threatening working conditions while propping up the Israeli Govt and its ongoing genocide against Palestinians. A press release issued in this regard read: more..

Apr 2 (AD) SL’s gross official reserves (GOR) stood at USD 5 billion by the end of March 2024, recording a notable increase compared to USD 4.4 billion at the end of 2023. In its report on the External Sector Performance in the month of March, Central Bank of SL attributed the surge in GOR to its substantial net purchases of foreign exchange from the domestic foreign exchange market. Net intervention in March was USD 715 million (based on trade date) and during first quarter of 2024, more..

May 3 (DM) The May Day rallies held across the country on Wednesday were significant from a workers’ point of view unlike ever before because all potential presidential candidates have stressed that the islanders must focus on a production-oriented economy in the future. At a time when the country’s political leaders collectively think that SL must raise its production, the phrase protect the rights of workers is of paramount importance. This year the theme for the May Day rallies more..

May 3 (CT) Former US President Donald Trump has been charged with over 90 federal and state crimes, While Trump who is now the presumptive presidential candidate of the Republican party has been using high powered lawyers to delay the cases, one jury trial on criminal charges has just commenced last Monday in New York. This is a historical even in American annals because this is the very first time a former US president is standing a criminal trial ever. more..

May 3 (TM) In a landscape fraught with tension, a clash has emerged between Minister Tiran Alles and the Bar Association of SL (BASL) over the controversial Yukthiya (Justice) anti-drug and anti-organised crime operation. The BASL contends that the said operation has veered off course, with due legal procedures often disregarded, while Minister Alles refutes these claims, accusing BASL of shielding criminals more..

May 3 (TM) Crime in SL has been a notable issue from the 1970-80’s and has systematically developed to a national security challenge over multiple generations. Organised crime, which was visible during the 1990’s and early 2000’s, has flourished in the post conflict SL. While there have been many attempts to completely root out organised crime, which going by int'l experience seems like a utopian dream, the lack of a sustained national effort for crime reduction and more..

May 3 (Island) Much is being spoken these days in SL about voting intention surveys. Their findings are flaunted by some presidential aspirants in a bid to bolster their claims and counterclaims. But even those with a nodding acquaintance with psephology will see that it is too early to gauge popular support for any prez candidate, much less make predictions about elections, with the help of opinion survey results. Public opinion and perceptions do not readily lend themselves to quantification. more..

May 3 (SO) The Uma Oya Multipurpose Development Project was inaugurated on April 24, with the ceremony presided over by the Prez of Iran, Dr. Ebrahim Raisi, and Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe. This project marks a milestone as the largest multi-purpose development scheme since the Mahaweli Multi-Purpose Development Project. It aims to enhance the national grid with an additional 120 megawatts of hydroelectric power. more..

May 3 (ST) So it is nearing election time—or so the constitution says. But then, as events in the past couple of years have shown, not everybody respects the Constitution, do they? Supreme Court makes a ruling, but those in power take it through one ear and send it out from the other. There are some who virtually swear this is because the space between the two ears is empty. Those who follow the happenings in our august assembly, otherwise known as parliament, or read reports of more..

May 3 (GV) In Nedunkeni, a small town outside Vavuniya, there is news of the destruction of an ancient Hindu monument, an athi lingam (distinguishable symbol) consecrated to Lord Siva, that stood proudly on Vedukkunaari hill. The monument is first reported as stolen to the dismay of many Hindu locals and subsequently, its destroyed remnants were found amidst the surrounding shrubbery. Speculation ran rife on Tamil social media with fingers pointed at potential culprits more..

May 3 (FT) Thakral Group, the authorised distributor of DJI in Sri Lanka, this week unve-iled The Future of Possible, as a testament to the relentless pursuit of innovation and progress in the country. The event offered attendees an immersive experience into DJI’s latest offerings, spanning consumer electronics, enterprise solutions, agricultural technology, and delivery systems. From high-performance drones to specialised solutions tailored for diverse industries, more..

May 3 (CT) Int'l Workers’ Day, or May Day, commemorates the history of significant sacrifices of the global labour movement while also recognising the dedication and resilience of workers across all economic sectors amidst existing and emerging challenges. In SL, May Day unfolds against a backdrop of economic distress aggravated by upcoming election-related uncertainties following a severe economic crisis that has disrupted the hard-earned national socioeconomic well-being more..

May 3 (TM) The Sri Lanka 400x4 Men’s relay team’s participation at the World Athletics Relays in Bahamas, which was thrown into doubt, had been resolved, Sri Lanka Athletics (SLA) Secretary Saman Kumara said. The relay team’s participation had been thrown into jeopardy, due to perceived delays on the part of the US Embassy in Colombo, to issue requisite visas, for the team to travel through the US, in time. more..

May 3 (FT) Seylan Bank announced an impressive growth in its first quarter of 2024 financial results as at 31 March 2024, with a Profit Before Tax (PBT) of Rs. 3,704 million, marking a 115% increase compared to 1Q of 2023. Bank’s Profit After Tax (PAT) also witnessed a remarkable growth of 102%, standing at Rs. 2,295 million. Despite a challenging environment, Seylan Bank has reported a strong financial performance. Seylan said its Net Interest Income decreased by 17.71%, more..

May 3 (FT) SL Climate Summit 2024, organised by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, will be inaugurated by Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe, under the theme Code Red: Climate risks and opportunities for SL businesses on 7 May at the Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo. As the imperative to address climate change grows increasingly urgent against a backdrop of rising temperatures and increasingly erratic weather patterns, climate change has evolved into a pressing global issue more..

May 3 (ST) An initial programme to control the monkey population was successfully carried out by a team headed by Peradeniya University’s Veternirary Medicine Senior Professor Asok Dangolla. This initiative hopes to address the challenges faced especially by farmers who complain that monkeys cause severe crop damage. The team successfully sterilised a one-and-a-half-year-old monkey using a specially designed contraceptive loop inserted through the uterine canal. more..

May 3 (Island) Sri Lanka has a golden opportunity to work its way up in the international rugby scene when it clashes with Kazakhstan in the cup championship of the Asia rugby men’s division 1 tournament in Colombo on Saturday (4). Sri Lanka has already sounded a warning to all teams at the tournament with a smashing 45-10 win over India in a game where the host team dictated terms to the opponents during the major portion of the encounter. Sri Lankans were very clinical in this game more..

May 3 (TM) Sri Lanka will be in a very tight fiscal situation even after a successful debt restructuring as the country will have to pay about 6-7% of GDP in interest payments till 2028, a former IMF official said. Former Director of IMF Dr. Sharmini Coorey said that even after a successful debt restructuring SL will face a very tight fiscal situation as the debt to GDP ratio according to IMF Debt Sustainability Analysis (DSA) will be more..