Mar 25 (AD) Court of Appeals has issued a writ order quashing the recommendations and findings of the Commission of Inquiry to Investigate Allegations of Political Victimization, against a group of individuals including Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe and NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake. The relevant order was issued by a 3-member judge bench led by President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Nissanka Bandula Karunaratne. 3-member PCoI was appointed by then Prez Gotabaya more..

Mar 25 (DM) Claiming that the CID official who led the investigations into the Easter Sunday attacks will head the NPP's Retired Police Forum which is to be launched this May, NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said they will implement law against those who were responsible for the attacks. He said there was no need for fresh investigations into the Easter Sunday bombings and that several issues that had arisen through investigations need to be ascertained. more..

Mar 25 (EN) Sri Lanka’s Medical Association has opposed the lowering of the age of consent from 16 to 14 years. “In a country where Healthy Sexual and Relationship Education is not being taught in schools, a child of 14 years who consents for sex is mostly unaware of the potential repercussions of the sexual act – i.e. early unwanted pregnancy, and exposure to sexually transmitted infections. Hence, the consent given, cannot be taken to imply informed consent.” more..

Mar 25 (AD) Colombo High Court has decided to deliver the order over the revision application filed by former Minister Keheliya Rambukwella seeking to be released on bail, on April 3 2024. This order was issued by Colombo High Court judge Sujeewa Nissanka, when the relevant petition was taken up for consideration today. The attorneys representing Rambukwella, who is in remand custody in connection with the substandard human intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) procurement, more..

Mar 25 (TM) SL is working towards finalising the Agreements in Principle (AIP) that have been reached with the Official Creditor Committee (OCC) and Export-Import Bank of China (China Exim Bank), while a six-year moratorium on a debt treatment plan with the OCC is under discussion with no final terms reached yet. IMF last week said that while Sri Lanka’s Agreements in Principle with the OCC and the China Exim Bank more..

Mar 25 (DM) With the expenditure of Rs. 5.5 million by the Sri Lanka Railways Department (SLRD), the Chief Mechanical Engineer's Sub Dept Ratmalana has renovated several old discarded Romanian railway carriages as tourist railway carriages to attract local and foreign tourists. While paying an inspection visit to the Chief Mechanical Engineer's Sub Department, Transport Minister Bandula Gunawardana said these old Romanian railway carriages have been modernized more..

Mar 25 (AD) A group of students at the Kelaniya Uni are staging a protest in front of the the university administrative building over the death of a student due to a sudden illness. It is reported that a fourth year student of the Kelaniya Uni had passed away last night (24) after being hospitalised due to sudden illness. However, the university students allege that the hospitalisation of the student in question was delayed due to the absence of an ambulance facility or other vehicle in the uni premises more..

Mar 25 (PMD) Sri Lanka has started a school feeding program that would benefit 1.6 million students of primary grades from 9,134 govt schools and schools with fewer than 100 students. The govt will provide 16.6 billion rupees to the nine provincial councils, with support from WFP and USDA. “Malnutrition poses a significant challenge within our borders, transcending income disparities,” Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe said more..

Mar 25 (PHC) A ceremony to mark the National Day of Pakistan was held at the High Commission of Pakistan, Colombo on 23rd March. The event was attended by a sizeable number of Pakistani community based in SL. The participants resolved to make Pakistan a strong, vibrant, progressive, and democratic state. National Day of Pakistan is celebrated on 23rd March every year in remembrance of the historic 1940 Lahore resolution which formed basis of creation of Pakistan more..

Mar 25 (DM) The first ever Solar Tunnel Dryer technology, which was introduced to dry grain seeds including maize, paddy, green gram, cow peas, sesame, finger millet and black seed was successful, the Agriculture Ministry said. This new solar-powered system was inaugurated recently at Nelukkulam in Vavuniya, and the new seed drying system was inaugurated by Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera. The entire warehouse is covered with glass so that natural sunlight more..

Mar 25 (TM) SL Atomic Energy Board (SLAEB) said that the process of amending the current Atomic Energy Act will be concluded by July this year, clearing the existing barriers for the establishment of nuclear power plants, and the other related international laws will be ratified thereafter. Last week, Cabinet reportedly approved the signing of two international conventions: the Vienna Convention on Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage and Convention on Supplementary Compensation more..

Mar 25 (AD) Police have arrested five individuals including two students of Ariyawansha Maha Vidyalaya, Beruwala for breaking into the smart classroom at the school and stealing 12 laptop computers. Beruwala Police revealed that the arrested suspects include two 16-year-old students of the same school who were expected to sit for the G.C.E. Ordinary Level examination this year and three other suspects who are residents of Panadura and Padukka areas. more..

Mar 25 (AD) The special unit established in the Bureau for the Prevention of Abuse of Children and Women of SL Police has received a total of 1,077 complaints related to incidents of abuse, violence and harassment against women and children, through the hotline number ‘109’ between 4 Jan to 10 March. Investigations into 477 of the complaints have been completed and legal action have been initiated with regard to 42 complaints. more..

Mar 25 (DM) National Catholic Director of Mass Communications Fr. Jude Krishantha yesterday said the church in SL has decided to adopt a wait and see policy with regard to action which the authorities would take against former Prez Maithripala Sirisena despite the assurance given by the CID that it will probe the latter would be questioned on the remark he made on Friday. Former Prez Sirisena on Friday said he is aware as to who was behind the Easter Sunday bomb attacks. more..

Mar 25 (CT) State Minister of Transport Lasantha Alagiyawanna has revealed that the demerit points system for traffic violations will be enforced beginning 10 April 2024. Alagiyawanna made this announcement on Saturday. Under this system, post offices handling traffic violation fines will transmit detailed information, including the nature of the offense, the corresponding Police Station, driving licence details and contact numbers, to the National Council for Road Safety’s data system. more..

Mar 25 (FT) The Govt is widening the tax net via mandating sharing of information quarterly and monthly by multiple institutions and individuals with the Commissioner General of Inland Revenue (CGIR) from next month. Gazette bearing the number 2376/25 and dated 21 March was issued by Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe in his capacity as the Finance, Economic Stabilisation and National Policies Minister to enhance tax compliance more..

Mar 25 (CT) A primary section teacher in a school in Tambuttegama is facing criticism for instructing students to bring bird nests for a lesson on animal habitats, resulting in 40 out of 60 students bringing bird nests to school. However, parents are now alleging the teacher of promoting unethical behaviour by asking for such a large number of bird nests, which they say will make children insensitive to birds and animals. Some parents said getting children to bring birds’ nests more..

Mar 25 (AD) Ministry of Buddha Sasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs has requested the public to follow the official list of auspicious times issued by the State Astrologers’ Committee for the 2024 Sinhala and Tamil New Year. SL’s 42-member group of astrologers employed by the Cultural Affairs ministry were split for the first time on deciding the best date for New Year (Aluth Aurudu) celebrations with some warning of disaster and accusing rivals of misinterpreting the position of stars. more..

Mar 26 (DM) If SL continues to rely on borrowing to address the imbalance between imports and exports, the nation will inevitably confront another economic crisis within a decade, says Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe. He made these remarks during the inauguration ceremony of Bodhigara and Golden Fence, constructed near the historic Mangedara Tempita Viharaya in Kegalle on March 20. In the same week, the IMF, on the advice of which SL is currently running the economy gave more..

Mar 26 (DM) This article explores the intricate relationship between political and govt corruption and its detrimental impact on a country’s economic health. It delves into the complexities of fiscal deficit, parallel economy, and underground economy, collectively contributing to economic failure. By shedding light on how corruption infiltrates various sectors, affecting everything from external debt interest to the common man’s basic needs, it also examines its effects on organised crime, more..

Mar 26 (TM) The incident where a 19-year-old SL student murdered six Sri Lankans, five of whom belonged to one family, in Ottawa, Canada, shocked many, both in SL and in Canada. The incident also grabbed the international media’s attention as an unprecedented event in a country like Canada that is known for having low crime rates. While a plethora of theories as to what factors may have led to the incident have surfaced, more..

Mar 26 (CT) Rape laws in Sri Lanka, as it is, hardly ever bring justice to victims. Rape convictions draw to one or two for thousands of rape cases across several years, either because existing laws in the country are ineffective or not implemented properly. In fact, only recently, was male rape acknowledged by policymakers to be criminalised in the eyes of the law. The proposed Rape Bill, that has come under fire recently, for its glaring issues, although was halted and withdrawn from Parliament by more..

Mar 26 (CT) SL politicians are notorious for their innate ability for fishing in troubled waters; to turn any incident of any gravity – even incidents of national importance – to their advantage. A slight analysis of almost every Prez Election held in the country would reveal how the existing political, economic and defence scenarios of the country at the time were cleverly manipulated by the winning parties to secure majority of votes. In the last Prez Election, securing national security and more..

Mar 26 (CT) The Geological Survey and Mines Bureau (GSMB), functioning under the Environment Ministry, plays a pivotal role in the economic advancement of this country, in addition to its main role of protecting the environment and providing earthquake and tsunami-related information to relevant authorities, GSMB Chairman, Dr. Kithsiri Manchanayake said in an interview with Ceylon Today. more..

Mar 26 (TM) Nearly six years after the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka, victims of the tragedy continued to be trifled with by some lawmakers. Many of the survivors of that fateful Sunday, of six years ago, remain resolute, await accountability and justice for the terrorist attack that took so much from them, and left many, changed, in unimaginable circumstances. The attack, which was Sri Lanka’s worst, single coordinated terrorist attack on soft targets is widely viewed as more..

Mar 26 (GV) The long lines at fuel stations have disappeared as have the frequent power outages; it’s almost as if the economic crisis is a thing of the past. For Colombo’s working class poor it is anything but. The last few years have brought upon crisis after crisis, leaving many families at breaking point struggling to put a meal, let alone three, on the table today. Since 2020, Colombo Urban Lab has been exploring how access to grid infrastructure such as water, electricity, cooking fuel and more..

Mar 26 (ST) The 3-day debate on the no-confidence motion against Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, fifth in the history of SL’s parliament, ended on Thursday evening with exhaustive arguments put forth on not only matters raised in the motion but also a range of other topics related to his conduct. The motion presented by the opposition was passed with a majority of 42 votes, after 117 voted in favour and 75 against. 31 members were absent, during the vote presided over by more..

Mar 26 (Island) Former Prez Maithripala Sirisena, who declared last Friday that he was aware of the identity of the mastermind behind the Easter Sunday terror attacks, made a statement to the CID yesterday. His political opponents are baying for his blood; among them are those who were in the Yahapalana govt at the time of the carnage. Some of them have even called for grisly penalties for Sirisena, such as drawing and quartering! The ongoing political battle over Easter Sunday more..

Mar 26 (ST) Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) is scheduled to call a meeting in the first week of April of all those involved over an issue concerning Vernolac, a product which claims to help control & eliminate cancer stem cells. A CAA official said that the decision to hold the meeting was taken when the CAA was copied on a letter dated Feb 5, sent to the Vice Chancellor (VC) of the Uni of Colombo about this product, more..

Mar 26 (ST) SL’s plantation companies have proposed a 33% increase in take-home wages based on a productivity model or a 22% increase in wages on the attendance-based model, a considerable wage hike compared to other agriculture workers. Based on Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe’s request to plantation companies recently, Regional Plantation Companies (RPCs) and the Employers Federation of Ceylon (EFC) have submitted a proposal to more..

Mar 26 (FT) Most brokers have so far recommended the Expolanka Holdings PLC's exit offer at Rs. 185 per share to minority shareholders in a deal worth Rs. 63 billion, a special resolution for which will come up for vote tomorrow at the Extraordinary General Meeting. Despite widespread recommendation some minority shareholders are wary on the premise that a higher price is warranted. On the other hand proponents of the exit offer have been mobilising proxies in their favour. more..

Mar 26 (FT) Singer Sri Lanka PLC, has extended its streak of success by clinching the prestigious People’s Brand of the Year Award for the 18th consecutive year at the SLIM-Kantar People’s Awards 2024, along with the People’s Durables Brand of the Year Award at the ceremony, hosted by the SL Institute of Marketing (SLIM). The Company said this remarkable feat reaffirms Singer’s supremacy in the consumer durables sector and its unwavering popularity across SL. more..

Mar 26 (FT) Orzone Mineral Water Exports Ltd. recently exported 40 High-cube (HQ) containers of 600 ml drinking water bottles to Sydney, Australia, becoming the first ever SL company to do so. Company has been awarded an order to supply one million 600 ml water bottles to Sydney, Australia, and the recent import marked the initial phase of it. The Company started exporting water bottles to other parts of the world 30 years ago and has commenced exports to Australia with the aim of more..

Mar 26 (CI) 38 years had passed since a SL pace trio snared all 20 wickets in a Test. Then, it was achieved by Ashantha de Mel, Ravi Ratnayeke and Kosala Kuruppuarachchi, against Pakistan in Colombo in 1986. And against Bangladesh on Monday, the modern-day trio of Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Kumara and Kasun Rajitha repeated the feat for SL. They took full toll of the Sylhet pitch, which had a pronounced more..

Mar 26 (DM) The recent visit of Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Deputy Chief Economist Fergus Cumming reaffirms the UK’s commitment to Sri Lanka, the British High Commission in Colombo said. Cumming, during a three-day visit to Colombo from March 18 to 20, engaged in constructive discussions with the key stakeholders, including the Finance state minister, Central Bank governor, IMF representatives, diplomatic counterparts & opposition parties. more..