Apr 9 (TM) It has been a hot topic going into this year (2024) with the newswires on a roll: Adani Green Energy Ltd is taking on the construction of wind turbines in the Island of Mannar. The numbers are now in: each turbine has the capacity to generate 5.2 MW of electricity, and the project is set to generate about 1,000 gigawatts of energy every year. But, is everything as it seems? The environmental impact assessment (EIA) for the project was completed in Jan 2024, more..

Apr 9 (DM) Buddhism flourished in ancient India, including Tamil Nadu from the early years of the Christian era till about the 14th century. At its height, it enjoyed royal patronage and was the religion of the elite which at that time comprised the urban and mercantile classes. Buddhism ceased to exist in India in the medieval period for a variety of reasons, and saw a revival of sorts only in the closing years of the 19th century. The discoveries of British archaeologists and anti-colonial and more..

Apr 9 (DM) Despite SL having been boasting about producing the world’s first woman Prime Minister and two women heads of govt whose tenures spanned 23 years of the 76 years since Independence, the reports published by international organisations such as the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and International Labour Organisation (ILO) do not allow the leaders of the country including those two women leaders to boast that they have done much to improve the lives of the women in the country. more..

Apr 8 (DM) The balance Rs.5,000 of the increased allowance of Rs.10,000 to government employees will be released to the relevant institutions today along with their monthly salary, Finance State Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya said. Earlier, the govt had released the first portion of Rs. 10,000 to govt employees. The total calculation of the festival advance of the govt employees for the New Year season was nearly Rs. 6 billion, and the govt had already paid that. more..

Apr 8 (DM) The Special Investigation Unit of the Police Headquarters has launched an investigation into students being dressed in uniforms resembling the jungle camouflage uniforms used by the STF during a sports event at a leading school in Gampaha. Police said the probe was launched following orders from the Inspector General of Police due to concerns that police officers responsible for overseeing the police cadets were aware of the incident but took no preventive action. more..

Apr 8 (TM) The Welfare Benefits Board (WBB) has agreed before the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) to reconsider through a committee the criteria considered in the selection of beneficiaries for the Aswesuma Social Welfare Programme, it is learnt. Selected families are provided with monthly allowances varying from Rs. 2,500 to Rs. 15,000 under the Aswesuma Programme, which was launched last year (2023). more..

Apr 8 (DM) In a meeting in Seoul, PM Dinesh Gunawardena and Chairman of the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) and former Secretary-General of the UN Ban Ki-moon, expressed mutual appreciation on their close partnership and committed efforts to further strengthen bilateral relations across various sectors. PM Gunawardena, emphasizing SL's commitment to transitioning towards a greener and more resilient economy, highlighted key initiatives focusing on renewable energy, sustainable transport, more..

Apr 8 (DM) There is a higher demand for fireworks this year than in the previous festive seasons, but there is less demand for several firework items, All-Island Fireworks Manufacturers Association (AIFMA) President Dinesh Fernando said. He said the distribution process of all types of fireworks has started around the country to meet the needs of the people. The manufacturing of fireworks did not take place at 100% in the previous years due to the financial crisis in the country, more..

Apr 8 (DM) Supreme Court put off for June 12th and July 11 the hearing of the Fundamental Rights (FR) petitions filed by a group of persons including the former Chairman of the Public Utilities Commission (PUCSL), Janaka Ratnayake in his personal capacity despite being PUCSL Chairman, Asoka Abeygunawardhana and Electricity and Renewable Energy Consumers Association had Ven. Matara Ananda Sagara Thero and 10 others challenging the electricity tariff hike of February. more..

Apr 8 (AD) The SLFP has decided to appoint Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva as the party’s Acting Chairman. This decision has been arrived at during the SLFP politburo meeting led by former Prez Chandrika Kumaratunga, which was held this morning at the SL Foundation Institute. SLFP convened the party’s politburo in order to discuss the future course of action of the party, in view of its current internal crisis situation. It was reported that all party members excluding more..

Apr 8 (EN) SJB must inform NPP in writing whether or not SJB leader Sajith Premadasa intends to debate NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake, JVP general secretary Tilvin Silva said. He said the SJB is now embroiled in its own debate about who should be sent to debate the NPP. “They may call us for debates, but they won’t come. We know that it’s just posturing,” said Silva. “Honestly, this became a nuisance. We tried to ignore it it, but then it got annoying with everyone asking if he wouldn’t go. more..

Apr 8 (DM) The Castle Street Hospital for Women in Colombo has initiated a new programme permitting fathers to be present in the delivery room during childbirth. Dr. Ajith Danthanarayana, the Director of the hospital, said that this initiative marks a significant milestone as the first government hospital to implement such a programme. Dr. Danthanarayana emphasized that separate rooms have been specifically prepared for each mother within the maternity ward. more..

Apr 8 (AD) Former Minister of Health Keheliya Rambukwella and 07 others who were implicated in the alleged import of substandard immunoglobulin vials have been further remanded until April 22 by the Maligakanda Magistrate’s Court. CID arrested Rambukwella on 02 February in connection with the procurement of substandard human intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), when he arrived there, complying with a court order. He had been grilled for nearly 10 hours before being arrested. more..

Apr 8 (AD) Dr. Chamal Sanjeeva who was suspended by former Secretary to the Ministry of Health (MoH) Janaka Chandragupta during the tenure of former Health Minister Keheliya Rambukkella, has been reinstated today on the recommendations of the Public Service Commission's Health Committee. He is set to assume responsibilities at the MoH. Dr. Sanjeeva, who holds a specialist medical degree in hospital administration and management, more..

Apr 8 (AD) A total of 13 suspects involved in organised crime and 10 other individuals suspected of aiding and abetting them have been arrested, police said. The suspects in question were arrested during raids carried out by 20 special police teams deployed to combat underworld activities and organised crime in the Southern and Western provinces, parallel to the ongoing ‘Yukthiya’ anti-drug operation. 23 suspects have been arrested within yesterday (07) during raids more..

Apr 8 (EN) Names of traditional New Year games which are considered to denigrate disabled people will be renamed with more acceptable labels, State Minister Anupa Pasqual said. One of the games is kana mutti, where a blind-folded person tries to smash a hanging clay pot with a club. Kana is an impolite term for a blind person. “I want to name it wasana mutti,” Minister Pasqual said. The traditional new year is a solar festival celebrated by Sri Lanka’s sinhala and tamil communities. more..

Apr 8 (ICC) Kamindu Mendis claims the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award after his historic efforts at the crease helped Sri Lanka comfortably win the first Test in their ICC World Test Championship showdown against Bangladesh in Sylhet. England’s Maia Bouchier wins the ICC Women’s Player of the Month prize thanks to a sparkling series of scores in New Zealand as the tourists secured a statement 4-1 T20I series win in March. more..

Apr 8 (DM) URF leader Champika Ranawaka said Sri Lanka defaulted on a payment of USD 6 billion starting from April 2022 when the country announced bankruptcy. He said this was the reality though the Central Bank data show the increase of foreign reserves to USD 5 billion. "While CBSL data shows SL's foreign reserves reaching USD 5 billion, it is imperative to understand that from April 2022, the sum of defaulted debt is approximately USD 6 billion. The sum of loans obtained since more..

Apr 8 (AD) SL Air Force confirmed that an SLAF Volunteer Corporal of the Rugby pool died in an exchange of fire with police officers in Padukka. The SLAF is conducting a separate inquiry into the incident. SLAF said it is aware of an incident this morning involving an SLAF corporal attached to Air Force Rugby pool at a police checkpoint in Padukka, which has resulted in his death. Commander of the Air Force has initiated an inquiry into the incident, Group Captain Dushan Wijesinghe said. more..

Apr 8 (FT) With reference to the subject news report titled Thondaman calls for formal Govt. apology to Muslim community over forced COVID cremations appearing on the front page of your widely circulated and read newspaper of Friday (5), I wish to bring the following to the attention of your readers with regard to the article. The apology from an individual on behalf of the Govt which as a collective acted in contravention of prevalent and established ethical, scientific and moral grounds to more..

Apr 8 (FT) The whole issue of forced cremation that shook the Muslim community in 2020/21 was entirely rooted in racism. It is the Gotabaya Government which both piloted and enforced to the full measure this racist policy, aided by experts whom the Prez himself effectively appointed. Now that it has been demonstrated, after a series of international setbacks for the Govt and the erosion of public trust in Got leaders and experts, the question of tendering an open apology to the Muslim community more..

Apr 8 (TM) The crisis within SLFP, which has now split into two groups, is likely to further intensify with one of its Senior Vice President's, Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva having summoned a politburo meeting of the Party today (8). In the midst of varying media reports on how the party will move on, de Silva, said that he had called a politburo meeting of the Party today. However, other Senior Vice President of the Party, more..

Apr 8 (EN) Sri Lanka’s gross official reserves grew US$ 431 million to US$ 4,951 million in March 2024 from US$ 4,520 million in February, data shows. Gross official reserves include both monetary and fiscal reserves of the govt, that usually come from loans and grants. Through gross official reserves are listed as US$ 4.9 billion by March, data shows that by February, the central bank’s net foreign exchange position was a negative US$ 2.2 billion due to its borrowing. more..

Apr 8 (DM) No decision has been taken to declare April 15 as a public holiday, Home Affairs State Minister Ashoka Priyantha said. He said requests have been made by state officials and public to declare April 15 as a public holiday because of the upcoming Sinhala and Tamil New Year. He told the Daily Mirror that he will discuss the matter with the ministers and President at the Cabinet meeting. However, no decision has yet been taken to announce April 15 as a public holiday. more..

Apr 8 (Nikkei) Sri Lanka and a group of its creditors are in final negotiations to suspend debt repayments until 2028, Nikkei has learned, as country creditors including Japan seek to prevent China's influence from expanding in the debt-ridden island. "Negotiations [with the creditor nations] have concluded. We are hoping that it [a detailed announcement] will take place in the next few weeks," Sagala Ratnayaka, more..

Apr 8 (TM) CEB is to implement the recommendation made by the PUCSL to decrease the penalty of Rs. 3,000 which the consumers have to pay for their electricity supply to be reconnected to Rs. 800, in the coming days. At present, those who fail to make timely payments for the electricity bills, are often disconnected from service, and fined Rs. 3000 to reconnect, once their arrears are settled. Alleging that the CEB had implemented the decisions to raise electricity tariffs within more..

Apr 8 (DN) Police Media Spokesman DIG Nihal Thalduwa denied any involvement by Police in closing down the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) headquarters building on Darley Road, Colombo 10, yesterday (7). He said that the police have only provided security to the premises until it is opened by the Party officials who locked its doors in order to conduct an investigation over a complaint received regarding a set of files that has gone missing from the headquarters building. more..

Apr 8 (FT) SJB Deputy General Secretary Mujibur Rahman criticised the rival JVP for sidestepping the challenge posed by the SJB economic council to engage in a public debate on the economy between the two parties. Instead, he said the NPP is resorting to making various claims and statements in an attempt to evade a face-off with the SJB. Speaking at a press conference, Rahman emphasised that regardless of the upcoming elections, a party’s core economic policies must remain unchanged. more..

Apr 8 (DM) The Daily Mirror and Lankadeepa extends an invitation to the three main Presidential candidates - Ranil Wickremesinghe, Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Sajith Premadasa for a LIVE presidential debate on their economic and political policies and their pledges in moving the country forward if they win the upcoming Presidential election scheduled to be held in October. The interview will be aired LIVE on the Daily Mirror, Lankadeepa, Tamil Mirror & Sunday Times more..

Apr 8 (TM) In the wake of reports that Tamil political parties are going to field a common presidential candidate, the main Tamil political party, ITAK said that it is open to hold discussions with every party regarding the Prez Election despite the political differences they have. ITAK MP, M. A. Sumanthiran, said that ITAK is ready to discuss with any political party or individual regarding the Prez Election before taking a final decision. more..

Apr 8 (ST) With no upcoming int'l assignments prior to this year’s T20 World Cup, SLC plans to host a 3-team intra-squad tournament to provide the necessary match practice for the team heading to the World Cup. Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 is scheduled to take place from June 2 to 29 in the USA and West Indies. SL, the champions of the 2014 edition, engaged in six T20Is, three against both Afghanistan and Bangladesh, marking the team’s final int'l fixtures before the World Cup. more..

Apr 8 (AD) A 53-year-old person was shot dead after police opened fire while attempting to resolve a dispute among a group of persons at Padiyadora in Mawanella. Two policemen have also been injured during the clash. vMawanella Police had received a telephone call last night (06) pertaining to a dispute in the Padiyadora while a team of police personnel were dispatched to the location. However, one person involved in the dispute had allegedly attacked one of the policemen with a sharp more..