May 31 (FT) SL celebrated Vesak Day 2024 last week with much pomp and ceremony in historic Matale where the Buddha’s teachings were first formally documented in the first century B.C. at the Aluviharaya Rock Temple and religious observances took place in almost every temple in the country. Prior to that, the Master’s teachings had been transmitted orally from teacher to pupil. Vesak is the premier religious festival in SL, commemorating the birth, enlightenment and the passing of more..

May 31 (FT) In the common usage, VFS has come to represent the concept of outsourcing, when the State or a private sector organisation decides that one of its functions is better performed by an outside agency, and more economically. As far as we are aware, VFS, the organisation in issue is in the business of providing visa support services, acting on behalf of certain States, which will make the final decision on who goes in or out of that country. The function of the VFS is purely administrative, more..

May 31 (DM) A 31 years-old suspect has been arrested in connection with stealing a bag of a female British tourist containing valuables worth Rs. 2.5 million on a bus at the Bastian Mawatha in Pettah. The suspect, a resident of Pethiyagoda, Kelaniya was arrested early this morning by a group of police officers from the Pettah Police. Police also recovered stolen valuables including a camera, a laptop, bank cards and the passport of the Birtish lady. Investigations revealed that the tourist, more..

May 31 (AD) Court of Appeal has adjourned further consideration of a petition filed by plantation companies seeking writ order invalidating the gazette notification issued by the Minister of Labor stipulating a minimum daily wage for plantation workers, until next Monday (3). The petition, filed by 21 plantation companies including Agarapatana Plantations Ltd, was taken for consideration today (31) before a two-member Appeals Court judge bench consisting of Justices more..

May 31 (EN) SL’s inflation over the 12-months to May 2024 was 0.9% with the central bank only generating 2.5% inflation since Sept 2022 when its deflationary policy started to show up in the balance of payments as a surplus. Prices measured by the widely-watched Colombo Consumer Price Index fell 0.6% in the month of May. Index fell from 195.2 points to 194.1. The food and non-alcoholic price index fell 1.2% more..

May 31 (DM) The National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol (NATA) has directed all hotels to refrain from granting any discounts on the purchase of alcohol products, claiming that it is a punishable offence. In a letter to a leading star-class hotel in Colombo, NATA Chairman Dr. Alan Ludowyke said the NATA has received several complaints regarding hotels with liquor licenses offering discounts on the purchase of alcohol products, such as Happy Hour promotions. more..

May 31 (AD) The results of the 2023 (2024) A/L exam have been released online, Department of Examination announced. Accordingly, the results can be viewed on the following website: www.doenets.lk. A total of 229,057 school applicants and 40,556 private applicants sat for the A/L exam. The Commissioner General of Examinations Amith Jayasundara stated that 151,343 school applicants have qualified for university admission while 22,101 private applicants have qualified for uni. more..

May 31 (EN) SL’s egg consumption has risen by about one million, Dept of Animal Production and Health has said. “The daily consumption of chicken eggs in this country was 7 million eggs and in the last few months that amount has exceeded to about 8 million eggs,” Dept officials said in a discussion with Minister Mahinda Amaraweera. He said the increase in local demand should not compromise Sri Lanka's egg exports, more..

May 31 (UNICEF) UNICEF and the National Youth Services Council (NYSC) have signed a MoU to advance Youth-Led Climate Action across the nation. The partnership aims to benefit children and youth, especially those from marginalized backgrounds, by increasing critical awareness, making climate knowledge more language inclusive, building essential skills, and fostering collaboration among stakeholders in climate change and environmental conservation. more..

May 31 (AKI) Virtual political consultations were held between the heads of structural divisions of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan and SL. During the consultations, the sides discussed the current state of bilateral relations in political, trade, economic, investment, cultural, humanitarian, and agricultural spheres, and identified priorities for further bilateral interaction. In particular, it was noted that there was potential for cooperation in oil and gas and chemical industries, transport more..

May 31 (TM) A delegation from the JVP called on Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha yesterday. The delegation included Sunil Handunnetti, Vijitha Herath, Wasantha Samarasinghe and others. They engaged in discussions covering a spectrum of current developments and initiatives relevant to both India and SL. It is worth noting JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake visited India in an official capacity last February, during which he held talks with Indian External Affairs Minister more..

May 31 (AD) Vehicle Importers’ Association has raised doubts regarding the govt’s repeated claims of easing existing restrictions and allowing vehicle imports. President of SL Vehicle Importers’ Association Prasad Manage highlighted the uncertainty and potential impacts on the vehicle prices once imports are permitted. “We have been waiting for four years to import vehicles. They say it will happen soon, but no specific date is given. CB Governor said the restrictions can be more..

May 31 (DM) Those who carry out propaganda insulting the Buddhist philosophy and the Buddha's character are engaged in various businesses in this country as well as in other foreign countries and spend a lot of money to carry out such work, a Parliamentary Committee has revealed. This was revealed during a meeting of the Parliamentary Caucus for functioning towards safeguarding the national heritage chaired by more..

May 31 (Raajje) Maldivian Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer is to undertake an official visit to Sri Lanka. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced this in a statement publicized on Friday. The ministry revealed that FM Zameer will be departing from Velana International Airport (VIA) for Colombo, on June 3. His visit comes upon the official invitation of Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka M.U.M. Ali Sabry. FM Zameer will conclude his official visit to SL on June 6. more..

May 31 (AD) Lanka Hospitals Corp announces that the company has been notified by the Department of Public Enterprise of the Ministry of Finance, Economic Stabilization and National Policies regarding a decision by the Board of Directors of SL Insurance Corporation Limited to transfer its shares in The Lanka Hospitals Corp to the Secretary of the Treasury. Lanka Hospitals Corporation stated that they are informed that pursuant to the said decision, a request has been submitted to more..

May 31 (AN) A bright gold dome mounted on an octagonal blue arcade looks like the Dome of the Rock, but the background is a modern tropical neighborhood in a coastal Sri Lankan town. The building is a mosque modeled on the seventh-century shrine in the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East Jerusalem — the third holiest site in Islam, after the Grand Mosque in Makkah and the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah. more..

May 31 (TG) EPDP MP Kulasingam Thileeban has reportedly allocated nearly Rs 1 million in aid of development activities that will allow Sinhalese settlers to relocate to the army-sponsored Nandimithragaama in Vanni. The Nandimithragama is a housing complex, funded by the Sri Lankan military and built by troops attached to the Security Force Headquarters – Wanni. The scheme has 309 houses. To this end, Kulasingam was seen taking part in Buddhist religious rituals during more..

May 31 (EN) Softlogic Holdings said its Colombo city hotel will be operated by Thailand-based Minor leisure group under its upmarket NH Collection brand from June 1. “The debut of the NH Collection Hotels & Resorts brand in Sri Lanka is an indication of the untapped potential and opportunity for tourism in SL, particularly in the city of Colombo,” Softlogic said in a stock exchange filing. The hotel has 219 rooms and has so far been operated by Movenpick, hotels and resorts. more..

May 31 (TM) Electricity Consumers' Association (ECA) urged former President and Govt MP, Mahinda Rajapaksa to press Minister Kanchana Wijesekera to withdraw the proposed Electricity Bill. In a letter written to Rajapaksa, the ECA claimed that Rajapaksa is playing double roles, pretending that he is against the privatisation of national assets while remaining silent when the subject Minister is purportedly attempting to privatise the State-run power stations. more..

May 31 (Xinhua) China's high-quality production capacity has greatly assisted Sri Lanka, and the narrative of China's overcapacity is nothing but an act rooted in trade protectionism, contravening principles of fair competition and market economy, Yasiru Ranaraja, SL international affairs expert and founding director of the Belt and Road Initiative Sri Lanka, told Xinhua recently. Ranaraja said he believes that China's leading position in the field of new energy vehicles stems more..

May 31 (AD) The Colombo High Court today ordered the release of former Governor of the Central Bank of SL (CBSL) Ajith Nivard Cabraal and three other defendants in a case filed against them alleging financial losses caused to the government of Sri Lanka through investments in Greek treasury bonds in 2012. The attorneys who appeared on behalf of the former CBSL chief had raised objections that the relevant case more..

May 31 (TM) With media reports claiming, based on a recent check-up, that a majority of employees, including drivers attached to the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB), are at high risk for hypertension, the SLTB stated that it is very concerned about the health of its employees, especially the drivers, as it directly affects the passengers' security. SLTB Chairperson S.M.D.L.K.D. Alwis said that if any employee is reported with any health-related problems, he or she would be referred to more..

May 31 (DM) A key accomplice of notorious drug trafficker Salindu Malshika alias Kudu Salindu has been arrested along with a string of narcotics, police said. The arrest was made by police personnel attached to the Gampaha police following a tip-off from the Western Province Intelligence Unit. Suspect has been identified as Pusanjana Harshana (30), a key drug trafficker. Police also seized 500g of Ice, 50 gms of Heroin, 500 gms of Ganja, about 2,000 narcotic pills more..

May 31 (NDTV) SL govt has once again slammed Canadian PM Justin Trudeau for engaging in vote bank politics by consistently spreading "false narrative" about the ethnic conflict against the LTTE. In a meeting with the Canadian Deputy Minister for Int'l Development Christopher MacLennan at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs earlier this week, Lankan Foreign Secretary Aruni Wijewardane expressed SL's deep concerns more..

May 31 (EN) Procurement of renewable energy as well as transmission lines without competitive tenders will be legalized in a planned electricity reform law, the Institution of Engineers of SL has warned. “Despite declaring the objects of the proposed Act to be “allowing open competitive procurement of new generation capacity including renewable energy”, the body of this Act states the complete opposite,” the IESL said. “The present practice of procuring renewable energy more..

May 31 (NW) A decision has been taken to hand over the South Asian Institute of Technology (SAITM) and the Neville Fernando Teaching Hospital (NFTH) to the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Moratuwa. According to President’s Media Division (PMD), the two private entities will be handed over to the University of Moratuwa in August. PMD added that Uni of Moratuwa has been instructed to make pre-arrangements in this regard before commencing academic studies in Jan 2025. more..