Apr 12 (DM) Despite the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation's (CPC) implementation a VAT on discounts for Petroleum Dealers, Vice President Kusum Sandanayaka of the SL Petroleum Private Tank Owners’ Association stated they’ll ensure uninterrupted fuel distribution until April 20. He highlighted that Petroleum Dealers are burdened with an 18% VAT on the CPC’S 3% discount. Despite their willingness to pay VAT, he emphasized it’s unlawful to impose VAT on this discount. more..

Apr 12 (TM) Dept of Prisons is working to strengthen the rehabilitation, counselling, and spiritual programmes conducted by the Dept to develop the mental wellbeing of prisoners, following a significant number of suicides reported during the past several years. According to information obtained through an application filed under the RTI, a total of 61 people, both suspects & convicts, have allegedly committed suicide more..

Apr 12 (EN) Indian arm manufacturing firms showed the Delhi’s capability in arm manufacturing to SL military at a seminar on Wednesday which the island nation expects to open the door for future joint collaboration in manufacturing and services. Indian High Commission in Colombo organised the seminar titled Identifying New Opportunities and Forging New Bonds to promote Indian Made Defence equipment and explore avenues for collaboration in defence production. more..

Apr 12 (EN) A civil society activist has lodged a complaint at the CIABOC against a recent cabinet decision to increase the deposit placed by candidates contesting elections. Jamuni Kamantha Thushara, Chairman of the Citizen’s Movement Against Fraud, Corruption, and Waste, who filed the complaint, told reporters that the deposit has been increased by 5,200%, which he claimed would give corrupt political parties who can afford such exorbitant rates the upper hand. more..

Apr 12 (TM) CEB stated that all background studies and data gathering work related to its restructuring programme are now completed, but that they must wait until the proposed Electricity Sector Reforms Bill is passed in the Parliament for any of the related decisions to become material fact. In the midst of the economic crisis that emerged in the country due to following wrong financial policies and the Covid-19 more..

Apr 16 (CT) An unusual calm has settled on an otherwise chaotic landscape. The anxious are tense; the weak are in fear of the uncertain and the optimists are waiting for a brighter day. The political atmosphere is changing by the hour. Rumors tend to be more accurate than what is being spilled out by the mainstream media. Sensationalism is once again dominating the headlines. A land that was daydreaming that better days are yet ahead is waking up to a potential nightmare. more..

Apr 16 (DM) The World Bank and the IMF Spring meetings begin this week in Washington. And with the worst sovereign debt crisis in decades, the pronouncements at these meetings will be monitored closely by many for the relief that debt-distressed countries in the Global South can expect. However, regardless of what is discussed and announced, the policies of the World Bank and the IMF will continue to safeguard the interests of global finance capital to the detriment of the social and economic lives more..

Apr 16 (TM) Yesterday was the Sinhala and Tamil New Year; Avurudu in Sinhala, Puththandu in Tamil. It marks the end of one harvest season and the beginning of another. Celebrated by Sri Lankans of all shades and stripes, of every class and background, it demonstrates, as does no other event, the multifaceted character of SL culture. As SL lurches into a New Year 3 months after 1 January, this is the time to reflect on more..

Apr 16 (TM) Two separate knife attacks in Australia over the weekend serve as a stark reminder that threats that impact public security are constantly evolving. It also highlights the dire need for governments to address mental health issues seriously. In SL, mental health remains an area which is underfunded and least supported, with limited resources, specialist and trained personnel available. The two incidents in Australia, which as of last evening, claimed the lives of six persons, more..

Apr 16 (CT) A flurry of significant political occurrences has unfolded in our country during the past few days, all orbiting around the coming Prez Election. We have entered a remarkable period in the history of SL elections, which is unlikely to be repeated. It’s also coloured with a humorous side, where a multitude of political parties, instead of pursuing the already active LG Polls campaign period, are starting their campaigns for an election that has not been officially called. more..

Apr 16 (DM) The encounter between the fox and crow is an ancient tale heard by most Sri Lankans in their childhood days. The crow has a vadai or kavun or piece of cheese in its beak. The crafty fox wants it and flatters the crow into thinking it is a harmonious singer with a sweet voice. The fox entreats the crow to sing. The foolishly vain crow opens its mouth to sing and drops the titbit it has in its beak. The smart fox runs off with it, more..

Apr 16 (GV) In Oct 1990 some 75,000 to 100,000 Muslims in the Northern Province, about five percent of the province’s total population, were forcibly expelled from their homeland by the LTTE. In some places, they were given only about 12 hours to leave. Beginning in Chavakachcheri on October 15, all the Muslims were evicted throughout Mannar, Mullaitivu, Kilinochchi, Jaffna and Vavuniya by Oct 30. Families were allowed to take only Rs. 500 and some clothes; some were forced to flee more..

Apr 16 (DM) The SLFP which ruled the country alone and under coalitions for the most part (40 years) of the 76 years since independence is currently entangled in the second toughest leadership feud in its history. The first leadership tussle occurred in early 1980s, soon after the World’s first PM Sirimavo Bandaranaike was deprived of her civic rights. Interestingly, both conflicts involved a female member of the Bandaranaike family and a person by more..

Apr 16 (Island) One govt matter done with speed is withdrawing printed gazettes, withdrawing meaning: gazettes are printed, distributed and called back. This is totally stupid and lacking in responsibility. A matter has to be considered, thoroughly debated, and a clear, unambiguous statement/rule decided on unanimously or on majority consent. Not in this fair isle! A finger is thrust into the fire foolishly and finger withdrawn burnt. But no reprimand from on high (officials et al more..

tmApr 16 (TM) South Africa registered a convincing win over Sri Lanka in the second ODI of the three-match series at Kimberley. Having won the toss, South African skipper Laura Wolvaardt invited the visitors to take first lease of the wicket at Diamond Oval Grounds in Kimberley. SL skipper Chamari Athapaththu once again managed to provide a good start chipping in with a vital half-century at the top of the order. The middle-order batters Hansima Karunaratne (33), Kavisha Dilhari (42) more..

Apr 16 (FT) SL Tourism Promotion Bureau Chairman Chalaka Gajabahu expressed optimism about the tourism industry’s recovery, stating that 2024 is poised to be a significant year for the destination after multiple and unique challenges it faced during the past few years. Speaking during the first-ever SL Tourism roadshow in Australia’s multi-cities, he highlighted the resilience as a destination, stressing the remarkable progress made in more..

tmApr 16 (DN) I don’t think about the result but only think about my execution said Chennai Super Kings most successful bowler SL slinger action bowler Matheesha Pathirana who won the man of the match award against Mumbai Indians taking 4 for 28 . The right arm slinger action bowler Pathirana did to Mumbai Indians what Lasith Malinga did to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) last Sunday at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai the home of Mumbai Indians. The 21 year old right arm fast bowler more..

Apr 16 (DN) Yupun Abeykoon, Asia’s fastest runner in the 150m race and winner of a bronze medal in the Commonwealth Games for the 100m sprint, came back strong after nearly a year lay off from competitive athletics. On Saturday he triumphed in the 150m race at the Florence Sprint Festival held in Stadio Luigi Ridolfi in the city of Florence, Italy. Abeykoon, who lives in Italy, dashed across the finish line in 15.19 seconds, leaving behind six Italian competitors in the first final race. more..

Apr 16 (DN) SL Commonwealth Games bronze medalist Nethmi Ahinsa went down fighting to former Asian champion Chun Lei of China at the Asian Wrestling Championship bronze medal fight recently. This close fight showed Nerhmi's potential as she is heading to go for the Paris Olympics. The six minute full fight against Chinese wrestler was a thriller while 19 year old SL promising wrestler was outstanding at this meet said a senior official of the National Wrestling Federation. more..

Apr 16 (DM) Central Bank has purchased the most amount of dollars for a single month in March, a sign that the country is currently in a very comfortable position in its foreign currency liquiditiness, and resilience efforts during his inaugural trip to the country. Fakhoury’s agenda included meetings with several private sector clients as well as Govt dignitaries including the Minister of Power and Energy, State Minister of Finance, Advisor to the President of Sri Lanka, more..

Apr 16 (DN) SL T- 20 preliminary cricket pool of 32 players were selected by National cricket selection committee headed by Upul Tharanga and they will commence their training after new year holidays .The dashing stroke maker Bhanuka Rajapaksa young leg spinner Vijayakanth Viyaskanth and experienced all rounder Lahiru Madushanka were among the 32 playersquad. The spinner from Jaffna Viyaskanth recently more..

Apr 16 (DM) Central Bank has purchased the most amount of dollars for a single month in March, a sign that the country is currently in a very comfortable position in its foreign currency liquidity, after two years into the worst currency crisis in the country. CB purchased US $ 715.1 million in March, which is the highest ever in the last decade. While the monetary watchdog sold none, the dollar purchase is a sharp increase from the roughly US $ 240 million purchased from the banking system in Feb more..

Apr 16 (Island) Ruling party politicians in SL are unarguably more equal than others, like the Pigs in Orwell’s Animal Farm, but their counterparts in the developed world are not so lucky. Not that all politicians in the so-called five-star democracies are much better than the ones we are burdened with; the developed nations, too, have tainted politicians to contend with, but never can such characters rise above the law. Norway’s Health Minister Ingvild Kjerkol had to resign the other day. more..

Apr 16 (FT) SJB leader and Prez hopeful Sajith Premadasa on 7 April took the stage at the SJB National Conference with a clear message for the audience: “He stands apart from other politicians in SL today.” In fact, while the event was organised to outline the party’s future policies, Premadasa in his speech made a concerted effort to distinguish himself from the current political system and issued a clarion call for the rejection of politicians more..

Apr 16 (FT) In a promising start to April, Sri Lanka has welcomed over 50,000 visitors within the first nine days of the month, contributing to a cumulative figure of 686,321 tourists for the year thus far. During the first nine days, a total of 50,537 tourists have arrived in the country, signalling a positive trend for the tourism sector, which has gradually recovered from the multiple challenges over the past five years. Leading the tourist traffic are visitors from diverse regions, more..

Apr 16 (FT) Coca-Cola has announced Kaushali Kusumapala’s appointment as the new Country Director for Sri Lanka and Maldives. Making history as the first SL woman in this position, Kaushali succeeds former Country Director, Pankaj Sinha, who assumed the role in 2019. In this position, Kaushali will closely collaborate with bottling teams, customers, partners, consumers and external stakeholders in Sri Lanka and Maldives. With a career spanning back to 2009, more..

Apr 16 (AD) Govt of India has lifted the export ban on onions for Sri Lanka, according to the Indian High Commission in Colombo. It said the export of onions has been permitted to SL, with export of up to 10,000 MT of onions permitted vide the notification of India’s Directorate General of Foreign Trade. The exemption for SL reiterated India’s Neighbourhood First policy, adding to the Sinhala and Tamil New Year festivities here, High Commission said in a statement on Monday. more..

Apr 16 (DM) At least ten people were killed in eight road accidents within the past 24 hours in differenet parts of the country, Police said. Four people were killed in two accidents in Pussellawa and Hali-Ela while six individuals were killed in six seperate accidents in Mahiyangana, Kirindiwela, Ambalantota, Pugoda, Matara and Thanamalwila. Police Media Spokesman DIG Nihal Thalduwa said five of the eight road accidents were due to vehicles skidding off the roads. more..

Apr 16 (TM) Environmentalists say that for SL to properly benefit from the national policies on drinking water and water-related safety, the authorities should consider establishing a dedicated entity to the subject of drinking water and water sources, to continuously monitor the same. Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ) said that such efforts are necessary due to several reasons, the main one being existing, mainstream systems more..

Apr 16 (FT) The expressways have proven to be a bustling thoroughfare during the recent Sinhala and Tamil New Year holidays, contributing significantly to the country’s revenue stream. Toll collections on expressways during the Sinhala and Tamil New Year spanning from 10-14 April have exceeded Rs. 191 million. Southern Expressway generated the most revenue. In addition a remarkable surge in expressway usage was observed as over 550,000 vehicles utilised the Southern Expressway, more..

Apr 16 (DM) Claiming that only vehicle imports have been restricted by now, State Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya said that a committee is studying the possibility of permitting vehicle imports on a priority basis in the future. He said that 750 vans and 250 buses required for the tourism sector have already been permitted to be imported. He said import of some 1,500 items had been restricted due to the economic crisis and that restriction on all items except on vehicles had been lifted by now. more..

Apr 16 (EN) Sri Lanka’s state-owned enterprises incurred 744.6 billion rupees in losses in 2022, the SOE restructuring unit has said. “52 State-Owned Enterprises in Sri Lanka incurred losses of LKR 744.6 billion in 2022,” SOERU said in a social media post. “When divided by the total number of Citizen, each citizen needs bare LKR 33,949.” When state enterprises ran losses they were covered by loans taken from domestic banks as well as from capital markets. more..

Apr 16 (TM) The future course of action concerning the opposition expressed by immigration and emigration officials against recent administrative decisions to change the existing system of providing services will depend on whether they receive an opportunity to discuss its concerns with the Immigration and Emigration Dept administration and whether its concerns are addressed. According to the SL Immigration and Emigration Officers’ Association’s (SLIEOA) Secretary more..

Apr 16 (EN) Iranian Prez Ebrahim Raisi will arrive in SL on April 24 on a one-day official visit to inaugurate Tehran-assisted $529 million worth Uma Oya multipurpose development project with 120MW hydro power generation capacity. The announcement on Prez Raisi’s visit comes two days after Iran launched explosive drones and fired missiles at Israel in its first direct attack on Israeli territory, a retaliatory strike that raised the threat more..

Apr 16 (Island) The British School in Colombo (BSC) celebrated the 2024 Sinhala and Tamil New Year with several cultural events and traditional games during Special Avurudu Assembly held recently at the school premises. The school’s student population, which is made up of over 53 nationalities, with students from all over the world, joined hands to celebrate this important event on a grand scale. The highlights of the event showcased many SL traditions and rituals, featuring more..

Apr 16 (EN) Secretary General of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), discussed measures to enhance regional cooperation, during his visit to the island last week. Ambassador Indra Mani Pandey, Secretary General of BIMSTEC visited SL from 07 – 12 April 2024, following his assumption of office as Secretary General of BIMSTEC in January this year. Secretary General “met with senior officials of relevant Ministries/Agencies to discuss more..