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 (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 (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 (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 (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 (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 (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 (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 (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 (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 (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 (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 (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 (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 (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) 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 (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 (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 (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 (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 (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) 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 (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) 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 (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 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 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 (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 (GV) The digital economy can be identified as converting the traditional market into a virtual platform. American scientist D. Tapscott, who is the author of the book titled The Digital Economy; Promise and Peril in the Age of Networked Intelligence defines digital economy as a type of economy based on the use of digital technologies. According to Shruti Jain, the digital economy is a broad range of economic activities comprising all jobs in the digital sector as well as more..

Apr 9 (DM) The state-run loss-making State Mortgage & Investment Bank (SMIB) has revealed that there are political interferences when the attempts are made to recover long- due loans. Bank’s General Manager,Thushara Asuramanna, has recently told this to workers and the trade union members at a public meeting explaining the ‘difficult’ situation that the state bank is going through. “When we tried to recover certain loans we used to get calls even from the Presidential Secretariat,” more..

Apr 9 (CT) The Koha’s (Asian koel/Eudynamys scolopaceus) sound at the beginning of April 2024 seemed like a bugle call to frenzied shoppers to clothes stores in Pettah, Wattala, Negombo and Kiribathgoda. The result is only more traffic jams. The period from 11 April to 17 April 2024 heralds three major days of celebration for Muslim, Sinhala and Tamil communities in the island. Eid al-Fitr will be celebrated by Muslims marking the end of the month-long, more..

Apr 9 (CT) Although it has been quite some time since the Covid19 pandemic took over the whole world, the aftermath of the pandemic as well as of the decisions taken by various parties and the action that was implemented are still being experienced by the people. In the line of numerous discussions that emerged in the post-pandemic world, regarding incidents that took place during the pandemic, statements of two Cabinet Ministers have brewed a controversy again. more..

Apr 9 (TM) Yesterday saw another Police encounter death of a suspected organised crime – gun for hire, in Angamuwa in Padukka. The Police have identified the deceased as a key suspect –‘shooter’ in a drive-by double homicide which occurred in Moragahahena in Horana on Sunday (7). It was later revealed that the deceased was a serving member of the Sri Lanka Air Force, a Corporal in the volunteer service, and star sportsman, who was part of the Air Force rugby team. The dead airman had opened fire on the Police more..

Apr 9 (Island) Former local govt members of the SLPP have decided to back Ranil Wickremesinghe in the upcoming presidential election, according to media reports. These politicians have remained loyal to the Rajapaksa family through thick and thin, and their support is the be-all and end-all of the SLPP’s political survival. They would not have pledged their support for Wickremesinghe without Basil Rajapaksa’s blessings. What one gathers from the decision of the ex-local councillors more..

Apr 9 (ST) Colombo Chief Magistrate Prasanna Alwis has further extended the travel ban imposed on the two individuals up to June 13 with investigations pending over the charges of pressuring a cricketer to engage in corrupt practices during the recently concluded Legends Cricket League, played at Pallekele. The Magistrate also ordered to inform the Controller of Immigration and Emigration of the extension of the travel ban, as the proceedings are still pending investigation. more..