Sep 26 (FT) FPS member Prof. G.L. Peiris claimed that the recently gazetted Online Safety Bill is the most dangerous piece of legislation proposed in recent times. Peiris was addressing a press conference. “Above all else, the Govt fears the people today,” he said. According to Peiris, this is evidenced by the fact that the Govt took steps to continuously delay polls. “They knew they would face a humiliating defeat,” the MP opined. more..

Sep 26 (AD) NWSDB states that issuing electronic water bills instead of printed bills will commence from Oct 1. Deputy General Manager of the NWSDB Piyal Pathmanatha emphasized that the new programme will be launched in 04 selected regulatory areas as the first step. Commenting further regarding the matter, Pathmanatha said that the procedure would be initiated in association with the Colombo-South, Kandy-South, Trincomalee and Polonnaruwa regional offices on a trial basis. more..

Sep 26 (AD) The issuance of vehicle revenue licenses in the Southern Province will also be temporarily suspended following the suspension in the Western Province, owing to an upgrading of the computer system. Issuing a statement, Chief Secretary of the Southern Province Sumith Alahakoon has announced that the revenue licenses will be suspended from tomorrow until Oct 2. Accordingly, issuing the vehicle revenue licenses in the Southern Province will re-commence more..

Sep 26 (DM) Concerns are rising among medical specialists following an incident in which the Ministry of Health instructed a neurologist to repay the salary earned during his postgraduate training period in SL. In addition to the salary earned during the postgraduate training, the specialist has also been informed to pay the fees for Postgraduate Institute of Medicine (PGIM) exam and course, both of which were paid out of the specialist's more..

Sep 26 (EN) Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) made four new additions from diverse backgrounds to its leadership. These appointments are expected to increase the effectiveness of the SEC secretariat in the respective operating areas, the SEC said. Manuri Weerasinghe, with over 20 years of experience in accounting, financial management, financial reporting and auditing, was appointed Director, Corporate Affairs. She is a Fellow Member of CA SL, member of CIMA more..

Sep 26 (FT) Nirmal Saverimuttu has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of Virgin Voyages in Sept 2023. Having joined the Company in Jan 2015, previously, Nirmal served as Prez and CEO, responsible for all passenger, crew and commercial operations at Virgin Voyages. In this role Nirmal shaped the company’s award winning experience on its fleet of 3 cruise vessels. Virgin Voyages is the Virgin branded cruise line operating under the Virgin umbrella of businesses. more..

Sep 26 (AD) The Colombo District Court today suspended the interim injunction preventing the implementation of a letter issued by the chairman of the SLFP, former Prez Maithripala Sirisena to Dayasiri Jayasekara, who was recently ousted as the party’s General Secretary. Colombo District Judge Sandun Vithana had issued this interim injunction order on Thursday (21), to be in effect until Oct 5, 2023, after considering a complaint filed by Dayasiri Jayasekara. more..

Sep 26 (AD) The excise officers have been suspended over their involvement in the abduction and assault of a Beedi manufacturer in Walasmulla area and their attempt to solicit a bribe. The Commissioner General of Excise has taken necessary measures to suspend the suspected officers, on the directives of Finance State Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya. Siyambalapitiya has given further instructions to take legal action against these officers regardless of their ranks. more..

Sep 26 (CI) It's official - Sri Lanka will be without Dushmantha Chameera and Wanindu Hasaranga at the ODI World Cup. Dasun Shanaka, whose role as captain had been under much speculation over the past few weeks, will lead the side in India through October and November. The rest of the 15-member squad has formed up as expected, with the only changes from the side that reached final of the Asia Cup more..

Sep 26 (AD) Appropriation Bill for fiscal year 2024 will be submitted to Parliament in the second week of October and the second reading of the budget will be presented by Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe on Nov 13, State Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya said. He said the debate on the second reading of the budget will be held from Nov 14 to 21 and the voting on the second reading is scheduled to be held in the afternoon of the 21st. Vote on the Third Reading is scheduled to be held on Dec 13. more..

Sep 26 (DM) An instance where glue is suspected to have been applied to cover up a crack on an egg was reported from Kegalle today. This was revealed by a SJB organizer for Deraniyagala, Ranjith Polgampola during a media briefing together with SJB MP Buddhika Pathirana at the Opposition Leader’s office. “A rough line which is about three millimetres wide was seen on the surface of the egg. This line was rough while the rest of the surface was smooth as usual. more..

Sep 26 (AD) Foreign Minister Ali Sabry said that Colombo has not given permission to a Chinese vessel to dock, adding that Indian security concerns are important for SL. Asked about reports regarding a Chinese research vessel named Shi Yan 6 scheduled to be docked in Sri Lanka in October and India’s concerns regarding it, he said that they have a standard operating procedure (SOP) and they have consulted many friends, more..

Sep 26 (CT) An audit report, released on the Ministry of Health, by the National Audit Office, has stated that presently a shortage of 1,331 medical officers, 77 dentists, 1,759 nurses and 2,268 medical assistants was prevalent within the country’s health sphere, thus dealing a crippling blow to its maintenance. The audit report has noted that based on details that were furnished to the NAO by 31 Dec last year, despite the presence of an additional 146 specialist doctors in 23 hospitals, more..

Sep 26 (AD) A fundamental rights (FR) petition has been filed before the Supreme Court, challenging the govt’s Domestic Debt Optimization (DDO) program. The petition was put forward by MP Prof. G.L. Peiris and SJB’s general secretary MP Ranjith Madduma Bandara today. Central Bank of SL (CBSL), its governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe and its Monetary Board, as well as the Finance Ministry’s Secretary, Attorney General and several others have been named as respondents of this petition. more..

Sep 26 (FT) SL reported year-on-year (y-o-y) inflation of 4% in August 2023. During 2022, the country was among the top 10 countries with high inflation. Steve H. Hanke, a professor at Johns Hopkins University who tracks hyperinflationary countries around the world, was constantly showing SL featuring amongst hyperinflationary countries during the majority of 2022. Inflation, as measured by the Colombo Consumer Price Index (CCPI), has reached a single digit level in last 2 months. more..

Sep 26 (FT) There have been substantial and widespread criticisms of the recently instituted Domestic Debt Restructuring (DDR) scheme carried out by Central Bank of SL (CBSL), to reduce the SL Govt’s requirements for funding. In this article I argue that the scheme, as structured and carried out by CBSL, is appropriate, given the ground realities in the country, and that the critics have ignored a number of factors which forced CBSL to design the scheme as it did. more..

Sep 26 (Island) Governor of the CB Nandalal Weerasinghe questioned the conduct of some MPs who sought to direct public anger at officials over the economic crisis. Alleging that such an attempt had been made last year in the wake of attacks on politicians’ properties, He said that problems couldn’t be resolved through violence. Dr. Weerasinghe pointed out that recently some people’s representatives had urged the public more..

Sep 26 (CT) Medical & Civil Rights Professional Association of Doctors (MCPA), urged the Ministry of Finance to probe an alleged corruption taking place in the purchase of a strong antibiotic, causing heavy financial losses to the country. MCPA President, Dr. Chamal Sanjeewa, urged the Ministry of Finance to look into what appeared an allegedly shady deal, in purchasing the antibiotic Meropenem, in which the Health Ministry had purchased the medicine at nearly Rs 900 per vial last year, more..

Sep 26 (CT) To alleviate the challenges faced by children involved in legal matters, especially when obtaining affidavits, a Gazette Notification has been released to address the appointment of probation officers as Justices of the Peace. In accordance with the Judicature Act No. 02 of 1978, Minister of Justice Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe has issued Gazette Notification No. 2347/10-2023 to enact this change. The notification stipulates that every Probation Officer, from the Dept of Probation more..

Sep 26 (FT) SL is set to welcome its one millionth tourist today, marking a significant milestone after enduring multiple challenges over the past three years. “We are planning to receive one million tourists on Tuesday. Our earlier estimation was that it would happen on the 27th, coinciding with World Tourism Day,” SLTDA Chairman Priantha Fernando said. As the one millionth tourist steps onto SL soil, he said the entire country not only celebrates more..

Sep 26 (NST) Three Sri Lankans found dead at a premises in Sentul were believed to have been suffocated to death using plastic bags. Sentul police chief Assistant Commissioner Ahmad Sukarno Mohd Zahari said police have yet to ascertain the motive behind the killings. "The cause of death is (the victims) were suffocated in plastic bags," he said. Sukarno said police have informed the SL embassy on the matter. When contacted, however, the embassy kept mum on updates of the case. more..

Sep 26 (DM) Sri Lanka remains engaged with the UAE to nab the fair number of organized criminals living there and bringing them here for legal action, Public Security Minister Tiran Alles said. There are reports about SL organized criminals living in the UAE, especially in cities like Dubai and operating criminal activities here through their accomplices. Asked about the current status of engagements with the UAE through the diplomatic channel to trace them, Minister said more..

Sep 26 (FT) Govt has decided to abandon plans for egg and chicken meat imports in light of the local production surge. Agriculture Ministry has declared its decision to forgo the import of eggs next year and concurrently has dropped plans for importing chicken meat. This shift in approach marks a sign towards achieving greater self-sufficiency in the poultry industry. The move comes in the wake of an agreement reached by domestic producers to lower chicken prices, coupled with more..

Sep 26 (FT) The visiting IMF delegation called on Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa at his office yesterday. The purpose of the meeting was to engage in a discussion concerning the ongoing progress of the agreement reached between the IMF and the Govt. The high-level gathering saw an extensive exchange of views on a wide array of economic, social, and political matters. A pivotal focus of the discussion centred on the existing agreement between the Govt and the IMF. more..

Sep 26 (TM) Federation of University Teachers’ Associations (FUTA) has urged the public to come forward to save the freedom of education and the country’s university system for generations to come. The FUTA, staged a protest opposite the UGC against the Govt’s alleged efforts to destroy the free education system and the repressive tax policy imposed on professionals. It was attended by academics from 17 universities and more..

Sep 26 (Island) Colombo Archbishop Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith has called on the govt to ensure a credible, transparent investigation into the Easter Sunday terror attacks. He has said the need for an international probe could be avoided if the inquiry is carried out with integrity and devoid of political influence. Cardinal expressed skepticism about the credibility of an investigation conducted by the same officers who had failed to prevent the devastating Easter Sunday attacks. more..

Sep 26 (TM) In the wake of the COPA and COPE preparing to summon it to inquire about alleged financial irregularities, Milco Pvt Ltd (Milco) stated that it had rectified all forms of shortcomings and irregularities within the organisation, and that all relevant financial reports had been prepared as of now. During a recent meeting with trade unions within the Milco, Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said that although many State institutions had been summoned before Parliamentary Committees more..

Sep 26 (EN) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe and the secretary general of the Commonwealth Baroness Patricia Scotland discussed initiatives to engage the diaspora, in New York recently. “This dialogue seeks to foster connections and collaborations with SL’s global diaspora for mutual benefit,” a statement published by PMD said. Discussions between Prez Wickremesinghe and Secretary General Scotland revolved around further strengthening ties and cooperation between SL & Commonwealth. more..

Sep 26 (EN) Sri Lanka, which is struggling to get rid of an unprecedented economic crisis is trying to initiate a Climate Justice Forum at an upcoming Asia Pacific regional forum to bargain with developed nations to cut off some debts due to climate vulnerabilities, a cabinet minister said. Leaders from poor countries at the last Climate Change Conference or COP27 held in Egypt in Nov 2022 criticized wealthy nations and oil companies for driving global warming and more..

Sep 26 (ST) In a landmark judgment, Supreme Court has imposed a fine of Rs. 3 million on a private citizen who lodged a false complaint with the CID against another private citizen, resulting in him being remanded. “Police officers cannot mechanically make an arrest upon a mere complaint received without forming the opinion that the allegation is credible,” Justice B.P. Aluwihare said in his judgement. more..

Sep 26 (DN) Milk Powder Importers Association (MIA) assured that the current price of imported milk powder will not be increased under any circumstances although the port and air freight taxes have been increased by 10%. According to the new tax policy the port and air freight taxes were increased by 10% from Saturday. MIA member Lakshman Weerasuriya said that MIA will not take any undue advantage to increase the price of imported milk powder at this crucial juncture more..

Sep 26 (DN) Viren Nettasinghe, SL’s promising shuttler gets a chance to play badminton at the 19th Asian Games, will embark on his quest for continental honours in Hangzhou, China from Oct 2. Nettasinghe the 20 year old shuttler from St Peters College Bambalapitiya is the only local shuttler to take part at this Asian Games which brings the world’s top stars together at the Binjiang Gymnasium in Hangzhou, will run until Oct 7. Nettasinghe, currently ranked 83rd in the global badminton more..