Mar 24 (TM) With the Opposition’s no-confidence motion against the Speaker of Parliament throwing up no surprises as widely anticipated given the governing party’s comfortable majority, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena will continue to preside over sittings for the remainder of the tenure of the present Parliament – the length of which is now the subject of much speculation. Even though the Speaker survived the Opposition challenge with 117 ruling party members opposing the motion more..

Mar 24 (TM) After months of ambling along an economic recovery path that has placed numerous burdens on the masses, Wickremesinghe Govt is now hopeful of the positive recovery of the economy from the second half of this year with the country’s debt restructuring programme in place. IMF delegation that was in Colombo held its final meeting with the Govt on the second review of the EFF on Thursday at the Finance Ministry. more..

Mar 24 (CT) Election Commission of India has set a staggering 44-day timetable for the country’s 18th Lok Sabha elections, between April 19 and June 1, with the results declared on June 4. There will be seven phases of voting – on April 19, April 26, May 7, May 13, May 20, May 25, and June 1. Voting will take place on all seven days in some states – like Bihar, West Bengal, and Uttar Pradesh; two or more days of voting in states like Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Odisha; more..

Mar 24 (SO) Veteran cricket coach Nelson Mendis launched his book titled Cricket Basics on Friday at the Malalasekera Auditorium at Nalanda College, a wish that eventually came out of his desire for contributing articles to the Press. The book will now be on sale for all cricket lovers who want to learn more about how the game should be played and what areas they should improve. Mendis said that he did not think of writing a book although his articles were published in the newspapers more..

Mar 24 (TM) As SL attempts to claim damages for the ecological disaster caused by the MV X-Press Pearl, a container ship carrying hazardous chemicals that caught fire off its coast on 20 May 2021, compensation process for victims of the disaster remains uncertain. According to Int'l Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN), the MV X-Press Pearl’s cargo contained 1,486 shipping containers. Of those, 81 were classified as more..

Mar 24 (Island) The result of the no confidence motion on Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardene was a foregone conclusion. There was no breaking of ranks either on the govt or the opposition side of the House nor abstentions and the only matter of interest was who opted to stay away at voting time and why. NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake whose contribution to the debate was a two-fisted attack, including pointed reference to number of Abeywardenes on speaker’s personal staff more..

Mar 24 (ST) With half the world going in for elections this year, Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe broke his sphinx-like approach to the question of which election is to precede in SL when he announced to his ministers this week, that it will be the presidential that will come first. He kept the date open, but constitutionally it is fixed for October as being the last date. Many were taken by surprise by the comment as they were expecting a Parliamentary election first trotting out theories more..

Mar 24 (CI) The Sylhet pitch is refreshingly different when it comes to Bangladesh, where fast bowlers have had a great time so far with the top layer of live grass on the surface, a rarity in the country. The true nature of the pitch also allows the batters to free their arms whenever a bowler strays in length. Sri Lanka's fast bowlers, therefore, kept things as tight as possible on their way to all ten of Bangladesh's wickets in their first innings of the first Test across Friday and Saturday. more..

Mar 24 (TM) Excise Dept has informed W.M. Mendis and Co. – one of the oldest liquor manufacturers in the country – to settle its excise tax arrears of around Rs. 1.2 billion owed for 2023 by 30 Nov. Excise Commissioner General M.J. Gunasiri revealed that the department had reached an agreement with W.M. Mendis and Co. under which the liquor manufacturer would complete the settlement of excise tax arrears of Rs. 1.2 billion owed for 2023 by 30 November by settling more..

Mar 24 (ST) Ahead of Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe’s visit to the North this week, UNP senior leader Ravi Karunanayake was in Jaffna earlier in the week to monitor the preparations and engage in reviving the party work in the province. Former Finance Minister announced that one time SLFP member Arun Siddarth would be the district organiser of the party in Jaffna. Earlier, the post was held by Vijayakala Maheswaran. more..

Mar 24 (CT) SL’s Northern Province has been marred by decades of conflict, primarily between the military forces and the LTTE. While the conflict officially ended in 2009, its legacy persists, especially concerning the issue of private lands in the region. The conflict led to large-scale displacement of people, especially in the North, where the conflict was most intense. Many families lost their homes and lands due to forced displacement or destruction during conflict. more..

Mar 24 (DM) SL has witnessed a surge in non-communicable diseases, prompting action from the Ministry of Health. This was revealed by Health Minister Dr. Ramesh Pathirana at the launching event of the Suva Udana mobile health clinic programme in Yakkalamulla, Galle. The programme, which marks the 14th such initiative this year, seeks to extend healthcare services to rural communities. Speaking at the event, Minister highlighted the increasing prevalence of non-communicable more..

Mar 24 (AD) Russian authorities arrested the four men suspected of carrying out the attack on a suburban Moscow concert hall that killed at least 133 people and believe they were headed to Ukraine, Prez Vladimir Putin said Saturday during an address to the nation. Kyiv, meanwhile, strongly denied any involvement in Friday’s attack on the Crocus City Hall music venue in Krasnogorsk, which the Islamic State group’s affiliate in Afghanistan claimed responsibility for in a statement more..

Mar 24 (AD) Former Prez Maithripala Sirisena, who landed himself in hot water after claiming that he was aware of the real perpetrators of the Easter Sunday bomb attacks, now says his remarks were based on some information he had received three weeks ago. The ex-Prez stated this in response to the allegations leveled against him, following the controversial statement he made on Friday that he has knowledge of the true mastermind of the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks and more..

Mar 24 (ST) The scarcity of coconuts in Sri Lanka, mainly due to a lack of fertiliser, will probably reduce supply and push up prices further. As most curries use coconut milk, the rapidly rising prices will have a significant impact on prepackaged rice and curry meals, consumer and civil rights activist Asela Sampath believes. People will switch to alternatives or cook without coconut oil, he predicts. Non-communicable diseases could increase. more..

Mar 24 (Hindu) The fishermen associations in the coastal Ramanathapuram district have announced an indefinite strike with immediate effect condemning the SL Navy of arresting the fishermen from Tamil Nadu under false charges on Friday. An emergency meeting was convened in view of the arrest of 32 fishermen from Rameswaram and Thangachimadam on Thursday (21) by SL Navy personnel in Neduntheevu and at Mannar in Palk Straits. All the 32 men were remanded in judicial custody. more..

Mar 24 (ST) Sri Lanka faces a mounting crisis as vaping gains popularity among its youth. Alarming rates of student uptake have prompted nationwide concern, sparking urgent calls for action to address the issue before it spirals out of control. National Dangerous Drug Control Board (NDDCB) official Ranjith Wickramasighe revealed that arrests have been made in Kekirawa and Anuradhapura, targeting individuals selling vaping products to school students. Strict penalties await those caught more..

Mar 24 (TM) The State-run CEB is planning to connect 100 MW of supplementary power from 1 April to the national grid, The Sunday Morning learns. It is understood that the Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC), tasked with evaluating the supplementary power proposals, has negotiated prices with the Private Power Plants (PPP) and managed to bring down the cost below the electricity generation cost of CEB-owned power plants. more..

Mar 24 (Island) The SL govt was going to great lengths to suppress those who criticise unsolicited and disastrous Indian projects and interventions in Sri Lanka, Education Secretary of the FSP, Pubudu Jayagoda said on Friday, addressing a press conference in Colombo. Jayagoda said that on 20 March members of the Jana Aragala Movement held a demonstration against the disastrous IMF policies and the Indian interventions that are inimical to Sri Lanka’s sovereignty. more..

Mar 24 (AD) The Central Bank of SL (CBSL) on Saturday (23) said that a majority of senior management and professionals of CBSL have made a collective decision to consider a revision to their salaries that sparked controversy. Ihe CBSL said that the recent salary revision for the period 2024-2026 made by the Central Bank of SL (CBSL), post the collective agreement between the Governing Board and the employee representatives, created much discourse among the public. more..

Mar 24 (Island) When your star player gets suspended twice within a month, that’s not ideal. When he is your captain, you have serious problems to deal with. We are talking about Wanindu Hasaranga here, whose constant altercations with match officials have landed him in trouble. First he took on local umpire Lyndon Hannibal for not calling a high full toss no ball in the third T-20I against Afghanistan. He was charged for dissent, pleaded guilty and was suspended for two games. more..

Mar 24 (SO) Maldives Matrix that comprised of girls who were fasting during Ramadhan routed the Sri Lanka Nationalised Services team by a massive 92 points to just two on the first day at the Sri Lions International Invitation Netball League tournament played at St. Joseph’s Indoor Stadium in Colombo yesterday. Their strength was in the two tall girls who manned the vital positions of goal shooter and goal keeper that gave them the vital points. Goal shooter Aishath Saleema did the bulk of the scoring more..

Mar 24 (CI) A day belonging to the bowlers ended with SL 211 runs ahead, after their seamers ran through Bangladesh's line-up to secure a healthy first-innings lead of 92 in Sylhet before the batters stretched it further. Dhananjaya de Silva (23*), one of two first-innings centurions, was at the crease alongside nightwatcher Vishwa Fernando, after Bangladesh again troubled SL's top order on a wicket that continued to prove more..

Mar 24 (ST) After a strong beginning to the year, with SL concluding their initial international friendly match against Papua New Guinea in a goalless draw, the hosts of the SL segment of FIFA Series 2024 will face Bhutan tomorrow at the Racecourse ground in Colombo. The match in Colombo saw Central African Republic (CAR) face off against Bhutan at 3 p.m. on Friday. In a dominant display, the 129th ranked CAR team secured a resounding 6-0 victory over 194th ranked SA side. more..

Mar 24 (TM) Govt has agreed to pay Rs. 2 billion as an interim payment to former MP Daya Gamage as part of a settlement proposed by the Court of Appeal to compensate for the expropriation of the Sevanagala Sugar Factory and its lands in 2011. Appearing on behalf of Secretary to the Ministry of Finance, Economic Stabilisation, and National Policies, the AG’s Dept on 20 March 2023, in the Writ Application bearing No.536/2023, submitted to the two-Judge bench of Court of Appeal more..

Mar 24 (ST) Two high-level government visits take place next week, with PM Dinesh Gunawardena heading to China and the President’s Chief of Staff Sagala Ratnayake due in India. PM will be in China from March 25–29, accompanied by Finance State Minister Shehan Semasinghe and the PM’s Secretary, Anura Dissanayake. He will have meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping, PM Li Qiang and the third-highest member of Chinese Communist Party. more..

Mar 24 (TM) Election Commission (EC) has not been informed of a decision to hold the General Elections. “We haven’t been officially informed of a Parliamentary Election yet and that will only come after the Parliament is dissolved,” EC Chairman R.M.A.L. Rathnayake said. SLPP National Organiser Basil Rajapaksa has reportedly requested Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe to hold a snap General Election prior to the Prez Elections. “Parliamentary Elections need to be held before Aug 2025 while more..

Mar 24 (TM) CID is seeking the Attorney General’s (AG) instructions on questioning former Prez Maithripala Sirisena regarding his recent assertion of being well aware of the true perpetrators behind the Easter Sunday bombings in 2019. This revelation, made by Sirisena during a public address, has sparked widespread speculation and raised questions about the former Prez’s knowledge & involvement in tragic events. more..

Mar 24 (ST) A combination of less festive/New Year demand for imports, lack of disposable incomes and increasing remittances along with enhanced foreign exchange flows from tourism has restored the SL rupee to favourable proportions against the dollar. On Thursday, US dollar fell below Rs. 300 for the first time since July 2023, being traded at one point at Rs. 299.29 in the money market. Reasons are many for the rupee to rise after a prolonged period of pressure from US dollar in 2022 & 2023, more..

Mar 24 (ST) Japan has expressed interest in investing again in SL’s Central expressway Phase III project from Pothuhera to Galagedara although the then govt had rejected the Japanese contractor selected for the project in 2020, Minister of Transport and Highways Bandula Gunawardene said. The govt will be seeking Japan’s assistance in constructing the stretch of highway from Kurunegala to Galagedara with a plan of extending the highway up to Katugastota, he added. more..

Mar 24 (ST) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe and Basil Rajapaksa, founder, and strategist of the SLPP discussed a key political issue—the contours of the next national election during a near-45-minute meeting on Thursday night. They met at the Prez’s former official residence at Mahagam Sekera Mawatha (former Paget Road). Prez drove in there after attending the discussion on Economic Development and Modernisation more..

Mar 25 (DM) On Sept 6, 2023, report of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights castigated SL saying that the country suffers from a continuing accountability deficit- be it for war crime atrocities, more recent human rights violations, corruption, or abuse of power- which must be addressed for the country to move forward. In SL’s near 3 decade-long civil war, around 40,000 Tamil civilians reportedly died of military attacks. Thousands of others were wounded, while some were critical. more..

Mar 25 (DM) As the world marks World Kidney Day, SL takes center stage in the global effort to address kidney health and organ transplantation. Beyond the celebratory atmosphere, this day holds profound significance, drawing attention to the prevalence of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) in Sri Lanka and the remarkable strides in renal transplant procedures. This article explores the multifaceted approach in Sri Lanka, covering the prevalence of CKD, organ procurement methods, and more..

Mar 25 (CT) In the context of transitional justice in ethnically divided SL, the Govt took crucial steps by establishing the Office on Missing Persons (OMP) and the Office for Reparations in the aftermath of the 30-year war. These initiatives were recommended by the Consultation Task Force (CTF) in 2016 and subsequently endorsed through a Prez Commission report. Their inception followed a thorough examination more..

Mar 25 (TM) Issues surrounding the SL Customs such as corruption and financial mismanagement, which have remained a topic of discussion for years, have received more attention with the protest launched by the Customs officials over their control of the Customs’ Reward Fund. Last week, Customs’ staff launched a work-to-rule trade union action in response to the Treasury’s decision to take control of the Rs. 700 million Reward Fund, which was previously under the purview of SL Customs. more..

Mar 25 (CT) Dear Mr. President, Presidential Media Division released press releases and media news items titled Country set for rapid transformation into an export economy quoting remarks made by you at the inauguration ceremony of a historic temple in Kegalle[i]. As a caring citizen I said, three cheers, happily thinking that at last, the Country was on the correct governance path focusing on the creation of new strategic leadership options and policy changes to encourage present and new investors more..