Sep 21 (DM) The Supreme Court in a landmark judgment held that the belated position taken up by the CEB and its refusal to issue a permit to operate a solar power electricity generation plant in Vavuniya was contrary to the law and both the CEB and SL Sustainable (SLSEA) Energy Authority have unlawfully and miserably failed in the performance of their duty towards the public in encouraging project proponents to harvest green energy sources. more..

Sep 21 (AD) Minister of Public Security Tiran Alles has stated that no police personnel have been charged in connection with the Easter Sunday bombings of 2019 thus far. Speaking in Parliament, he stated that as per the reports submitted by the relevant Prez Commission of Inquiry, no police personnel have been charged in this regard, and have only been under observation thus far. The Minister asserted this in response to a question raised by SJB MP Hector Appuhamy, more..

Sep 21 (FT) SJB Deputy General Secretary Mujibur Rahman addressing a press conference urged authorities to unveil the individual or group responsible for obstructing the CID from probing terrorist Zahran Hashim before he carried out the Easter Sunday attack. Rahman was referring to the recent statement by Ex-CID chief Ravi Seneviratne during a television interview in which he admitted that his agency was prevented from continuing its investigations into Hashim. more..

Sep 21 (TM) In the wake of calls for the suspension of the service of SDIG Nilantha Jayawardena, based on the recent Supreme Court (SC) judgement which ordered him to pay compensation to the victims of the Easter Sunday terror attacks and their families, the Police stated that such suspensions usually do not take place, and that there are several serving Police officers who have been ordered to pay compensation more..

Sep 21 (FT) Catholic Church claimed that the invitation extended to Senior DIG Nilantha Jayawardena, who has faced accusations of failing to prevent the Easter Sunday attack, to speak at an awareness program for MPs on the Easter Sunday investigations, had a clear agenda. Media Spokesman for Catholic Church Rev Father Cyril Gamini Fernando said though Jayawardena was prevented from addressing the MPs, his inclusion in the session signifies a specific motive. more..

Sep 21 (EN) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe has discussed debt restructuring and economic reforms with the IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva. Prez is in New York attending the UNGA meetings. “In their discussion, they focused on the ongoing reforms in the financial sector and the significant advancements in debt restructuring efforts,” statement said. SL is restructuring of domestic debt held with superannuation funds to reach an IMF roll-over ceiling. more..

Sep 21 (MFA) Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Sabry participated in the 18th Ministerial Meeting of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) yesterday on the sidelines of the 78th session of the UNGA in New York, at the invitation of Dr. Abdullatif Bin Rashid Al Zayani, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bahrain, the current Chair of the ACD. The meeting convened under the theme Post-Pandemic Sustainable Recovery was an opportunity for foreign ministers to review progress more..

Sep 21 (FT) A special meeting took place in Parliamentary Committee Room No. 01, chaired by the Public Security Minister Tiran Alles yesterday to brief MPs on the findings of the Easter attack investigation. Members from the ruling party and the opposition were present at this special meeting, during which the investigation officers addressed the inquiries raised by the members regarding the investigation report. The meeting was attended by the Secretary to more..

Sep 21 (EN) SL state salary bill as a share of taxes has fallen to 55% of taxes in the first four months of 2023, from 72% last year. SL collected taxes of 742.5 billion rupees up to April 2023 and the salary and wage bill was 303.3 billion rupees. Pensions were a further 105.9 billion rupees. “Expenditure on salaries and wages of public servants decreased by 4% due to the retirement of large number of public servants more..

Sep 21 (DN) Sri Lanka’s former national champion Chandrika de Silva once again proved her fitness when she bagged gold and silver at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Senior Championships which concluded in Jeonju South Korea, last Sunday. Chandrika the 7 time National champion from Seylan Bank dominated the 45-year-old age group, securing a gold medal in the women’s doubles finals alongside her German partner, Claudia Wogelgsang, more..

Sep 21 (ST) The Supreme Court has directed the Sri J'pura University Vice Chancellor to submit a report on action taken against senior students who ragged first-year students, including a petitioner who suffered near-fatal injuries three years ago. The bench, comprising Justices Buwaneka Aluwihare, Shiran Gooneratne, and Priyantha Fernando, also directed the UGC to submit a report on the nature of ragging experienced by students and what action was taken against more..

Sep 21 (AD) Two assailants on a motorcycle have opened fire at four individuals travelling in a three-wheeler, killing two people in Thalduwa, Avissawella. The shooting took place last night (20) and the two injured individuals have been admitted to the Avissawella Hospital after sustaining critical injuries. Four persons were traveling in a three-wheeler from Avissawella towards Kegalle when they were targeted by two unidentified gunmen on a motorcycle near the Gurupasgoda Bend more..

Sep 21 (DM) President Ranil Wickremesinghe is reported to have stood his ground, refusing to allocate any more Cabinet portfolios despite persistent requests from the SLPP, Daily Mirror leans. The president has continuously resisted requests to increase the size of the Cabinet even despite some MPs such as S.B. Dissanayake warning to explore ways to topple the govt. The position has been taken over concerns that such a move will discredit the govt in the public eye. more..

Sep 21 (DM) Without taking swift action to close or repair the massive rainwater-filled sinkhole on Dodangahahena Road in Gothatuwa, the relevant authorities are now passing the buck. On Tuesday morning, a father and his daughter were on their way to school on a motorcycle ended up plunging into a 16-foot sinkhole on the middle of the road which was covered in water. The quick thinking action of bystanders and nearby residents more..

Sep 21 (EN) Malaysia has agreed to support SL’s application to become a member of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), a major regional trade agreement. The RCEP is a free trade agreement among the Asia-Pacific nations of Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe met the Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim during more..

Sep 21 (FT) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe on Monday met with Meta President of Global Affairs Sir Nick Clegg in New York on the side-lines of the UNGA. During their discussions, Prez highlighted the Govt’s new initiatives to combat online hate speech and the spread of fake news. He emphasised that the proposed bill would allow concerned parties to challenge specific aspects through the Supreme Court and further revisions could be considered during the Parliamentary Committee review. more..

Sep 21 (FT) NPP/JVP leader A.K. Dissanayake’s favourability rating has improved to -28 points in August (up 16 points), in contrast, SJB leader Sajith Premadasa whose favourability dropped further to -58 (down 14), as per independent, non-partisan research centre IHP’s SLOT survey. Favourability of Prez Ranil Wickremasinghe remained unchanged at -46. IHP said favourability estimates for each month are based on more..

Sep 21 (FT) State Minister Shehan Semasinghe confirmed that the Govt has disbursed a total of Rs. 799.5 million to 113,713 beneficiaries under the Aswesuma program for July. As of yesterday, a remarkable 1,162,245 beneficiaries have received a total disbursement of Rs. 7.28 billion, a testament to the program’s wide-reaching impact on vulnerable groups. These funds serve as a crucial lifeline for those facing economic challenges, providing much-needed support during these trying times. more..

Sep 21 (FT) JAT Holdings yesterday announced the launch of Volt Charge (VC), an ambitious joint venture that signifies a remarkable collaboration between Sri Lanka and Saudi Arabia, poised to revolutionise the global Electric Vehicle (EV) charging landscape. In partnership with Saudi-based Safari Group (owning 51% of JV) and QSS Robotics (9%), and Sri Lankan tech trailblazer Cyrus, Volt Charge is on a mission to set new industry standards. more..

Sep 21 (Island) The national selection panel that met yesterday made a complete ‘U’ turn having earlier requested captain Dasun Shanaka to step down in the lead up to next month’s ICC Cricket World Cup to be played in India. After SL’s horrendous show in the Asia Cup final, where the team was bowled out for 50 runs, their lowest total at home, someone had to be scapegoated and Dasun Shanaka fitted the selectors’ bill. captain had been informed to step down so that a new captain more..

Sep 21 (DN) SL rower Maheshi Liyanage made a historic mark at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou by securing a spot in the semifinals of the Women’s Single Sculls event held at the Fuyang Water Sports Centre, Hangzhou in China yesterday. Competing in a 2000-meter race, Liyanage completed the course in an impressive time of 8 minutes and 53.68 seconds. Her performance outshone her Saudi Arabian opponent, Almamy Haya Muhammed, who finished with a time of 9 min & 18.16 sec. more..

Sep 21 (FT) The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Faizal Salieh, along with his top officials and from the CSE, recently held a productive engagement with the stockbroker community to discuss vital matters concerning the industry. The meeting, which brought together owners and chief executive officers of stockbroker firms, was aimed at enhancing regulatory compliance, promoting more..

Sep 21 (Island) Channel 4 documentary that claims to give the story behind the Easter bombing has restarted the debate, within the country, about who was behind the foul deed, and why. The answer is not proving to be simple. It has become the subject of anger, threat and controversy. The identities of the suicide bombers and their victims are known. Eight suicide bombers died. 269 innocent people also died. All of the bombers were Muslim. Some of them were highly educated and more..

Sep 21 (Island) The recent killing of a prominent Sikh activist named Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in Canada, has triggered a diplomatic row between Ottawa and New Delhi. Canada lost no time in ordering an Indian diplomat out of the country, accusing India of having had a hand in the assassination. Denying Canada’s allegation, New Delhi reacted with a tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsion. The so-called great powers have carried out numerous assassinations on foreign soil more..

Sep 21 (CT) World Patient Safety Day, as in every year, was celebrated on 17 Sept 2023, on a global scale. Patient Safety, as the United Nations’ official website states, is a framework of organised activities that creates cultures, processes, procedures, behaviours, technologies and environments in healthcare that consistently and sustainably lower risks, reduce the occurrence of avoidable harm, make error less likely and reduce its impact when it does occur. more..

Sep 21 (ST) Who says the authorities are not listening to SL’s powerful business community? It did – this week with the Simplified VAT (SVAT) system implementation being postponed or deferred to a date in April 2025 against an implementation date of Jan 2024 following strong objections from exporters. In fact, the business community is appealing to retain the SVAT instead of discontinuing it. It remains to be seen as to whether the current postponement is a means of providing breathing space more..

Sep 21 (TM) SL is grappling with a significant cyber security crisis following a ransomware attack that has targeted critical Govt institutions, shedding light on the nation’s digital vulnerabilities and prompting experts to call for immediate and comprehensive cyber security reforms. Govt domains recently fell victim to a ransomware attack, a form of cybercrime where malicious actors encrypt sensitive data and demand payment for more..

Sep 21 (GV) Since August this year, ten districts in SL have witnessed severe drought conditions due to the lack of seasonal rainfall. The cultivation of around 50,000 farmers has been affected due to a lack of irrigation water in reservoirs. According to the National Disaster Relief Service Centre (NDRSC), nearly 150,000 people across 10 districts lack safe drinking water. Despite a revival of the South West monsoon, several districts are recording normal to below average rainfall. more..

Sep 21 (TM) In a fiery speech delivered in Parliament, MP Harsha de Silva, Chair of the COPF, passionately criticized the SL govt’s latest move—the introduction of the online safety bill. MP Harsha minced no words, calling it an archaic and draconian piece of legislation that violates fundamental principles and represents a significant overreach by the govt. His critique underscores the potential damage this bill could inflict on both investment prospects and freedom of expression in SL. more..

Sep 21 (TM) The much-anticipated election of the Football Federation of SL (FFSL) is all set to be held on 29 Sept. While former President Umar Jaswar has teamed up with Dr. Manil Fernando and Ranjith Rodrigo, the other presidential candidate is newcomer and Prez of the Anuradhapura League Dakshitha Sumathipala. The Daily Morning Sports met with Sumathipala to speak about his plans. more..

Sep 21 (DM) In a world of international relations defined by power rivalries and shifting alliances, Sri Lanka stands resolute in its pursuit of non-interference in its foreign relations and taking a neutral approach. Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe’s recent statements in New York at the Ocean Nations: The 3rd Annual Indo-Pacific Islands Dialogue on the sidelines of the UNGA, shed light on his foreign policy stance and commitment to safeguarding SL’s interests above all else. more..

Sep 21 (TM) Every year, following the onset of monsoon rains, SL’s road network becomes a highway to hell for motorists and pedestrians alike. An example of such occurred on Tuesday, when a road in Gothatuwa caved in, while submerged in water, creating a deadly trap which nearly cost the lives of a father and daughter who rode into the submerged cavity and narrowly escaped drowning. While SL has been facing an economic crisis, with state expenditure being reduced over more..