Jul 15 (Island) 12 members of Parliament Committee on Public Finance (COPF) had opposed a report presented to the House on Friday by COPF Chairman Dr Harsha de Silva regarding the VFS visa scam, SLPP MP Mahindananda Aluthgamage said on Saturday. Aluthgamage said that he and 11 other members of the Committee had not accepted the report presented to Parliament by the Committee Chairman de Silva, on issuance of online visas to tourists because the report contained errors. more..

Jul 15 (DM) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday urged SJB and NPP to turn Sri Lanka into a developed nation and pledged to revive SJB Leader’s UNP membership if the former decides to support him. President Wickremesinghe who addressed a rally in Kandy said the Leader of Opposition Sajith Premadasa’s UNP membership will be reinstated if he supports the govt. “Tell the SJB leader that his membership of the UNP more..

Jul 15 (EN) Sri Lanka's private credit expanded 60.7 billion rupees in May 2024, reversing a contraction in April, while credit to state enterprises were flat. SL’s private credit has expanded only 71 billion rupees over the first 5 months of May 2024, amid low inflation and easing import prices, as well as stable exchange rate, which may lead to importers using supplier’s credit. Domestic demand is just starting to pick up amid low or falling inflation, with some private sector salaries increased more..

Jul 15 (CT) Keeri Samba Seed Paddy Cultivation Project initiated by the Paddy Marketing Board (PMB) in the Hambantota District has been successful. In light of the shortage of Keeri Samba rice in the country, Minister of Agriculture and Plantation Industries, Mahinda Amaraweera, advised the Paddy Marketing Board to implement a Keeri Samba cultivation project for seed paddy in the Hambantota District. Accordingly, PMB commenced a Keeri Samba cultivation project for more..

Jul 15 (CT) Director of Environment Protection of the Govt of Hong Kong Dr Samuel CHUI pointed out that Sri Lanka as a developing country is facing increasingly serious air pollution issues. “China and other nations have prioritised air quality during industrial development. However, SL is now seeking expertise from experts in countries like China, Australia and Canada to address this pressing concern,” he said. Dr Samuel was addressing air pollution related issues at more..

Jul 15 (CT) Govt should be accountable for the security of Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa and should provide necessary protection for him, as he is also the SJB’s Presidential candidate, SJB MP Eran Wickramaratne said. Wickramaratne, who referred to the assassination attempt on Former US Prez Donald Trump that same morning, expressed concerns regarding Opposition Leader Premadasa’s security, noting that certain parties might be trying to delay the election. more..

Jul 15 (DM) Former Prez Maithripala Sirisena today sought a six-year time period to pay the total compensation amount for the victims of the Easter Sunday bomb attacks. President's Counsel Faizer Mustapha, appearing for Maithripala Sirisena, informed the Supreme Court that his client has already paid Rs. 58 million in compensation to the victims and further stated that the remaining Rs. 42 million will be paid within next 6 years. more..

Jul 15 (FT) With the assistance of the authorities in the UAE, two SL underworld criminals were successfully apprehended in Dubai and escorted back to SL on 12 July. The arrested criminals are 26-year-old Dimuthu Chathuranga and 48-year-old Dinesh Sharman, wanted in connection with several murders committed in SL. Chathuranga was listed by the Colombo Crimes Division for committing two murders in 2022 and 2016, while Sharman was charged with aiding and abetting a shooting more..

Jul 15 (DM) Minister Lohan Ratwatte said he will not allow NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake to become the Prez of this country as long as he remains in politics. "Has Anura Dissanayake constructed even a small culvert for the people? We won't allow him to become President of this country as long as I am around in politics," he said during a rally in Kandy. "It is not worth speaking of Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa who looked at a man's hight & said he is good only for a security job" more..

Jul 15 (DM) Chairman of Richard Pieris Group, Sena Yaddehige, will be arrested upon his return to the country in connection with the alleged sexual abuse of a female business analyst from the company. Kollupitiya Police had earlier obtained a travel ban against Yaddehige from the Fort Magistrate over the allegation. An official said that there has been no update regarding the Chairman's whereabouts, and he will be more..

Jul 15 (EN) SL’s cabinet has approved the drafting of a law to create village communities in areas where people mainly descendants of former workers are resident in plantations. “..[I]’t is expected to introduce a new law amalgamating estate houses and line rooms available in estate areas and creating villages for them,” according a proposal by Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe. Minister Jeevan Thondaman said that about 176,000 families are expected to get 10 perch blocks of land under the plan. more..

Jul 15 (SLC) Sri Lanka Cricket will host the Annual Conference of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in Sri Lanka from July 19th to 22nd, 2024. The mega cricket conference will bring together over 220 delegates from 108 ICC member countries from across the world, covering regions such as Africa, Americas, Asia, East Asia Pacific and Europe. The pinnacle gathering of cricket administrators and stakeholders from around the globe, ICC Annual Conference provides platform for discussions more..

Jul 15 (PMD) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe highlighted the history of the Urumaya program, which was initiated in 2002 and 2003 but was subsequently halted due to a court decision. He emphasized that if the program had been implemented 20 years ago, the people of this country could have been granted free land rights earlier. Prez further stated that judicial power remains within Parliament and reiterated his longstanding view that the judiciary more..

Jul 15 (AD) The Embassy of Sri Lanka in Kuwait said that a total of 10,615 Sri Lankan nationals, who were illegally staying in Kuwait and overstayed their visas, have left the country during the general amnesty period declared by the Kuwait government for 2024. This general amnesty period was declared from March 17 to June 30, 2024 as a result of the discussions held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the State of Kuwait and the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Kuwait. more..

Jul 15 (DM) Fundamental Rights petition filed by a lawyer seeking a declaration that the Presidential election should not be held without a referendum on the 19th amendment to the Constitution, was dismissed by the Supreme Court with a Rs. 500,000 cost a short while ago. Supreme Court three-judge-bench comprising Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya, Justice Arjuna Obeysekera and Justice Priyantha Fernando decided to more..

Jul 15 (CT) Many crocodiles have been found mysteriously dead, floating near the Mavadippalli Bridge on the Kalmunai-Ampara Main Road in the Ampara District. The area is now filled with a foul stench, causing immense difficulty for people travelling through the region due to the stench from the decomposing crocodile bodies. The crocodile population in the area has become endangered. Previously, there were more than 30 crocodiles but now only 10 to 15 remain. more..

Jul 15 (DM) The eleven children who were admitted to the Anuradhapura Hospital following complications from a medicinal tablet have been reported to be in stable condition, with some already discharged, Director General of Health Services Dr. Asela Gunawardena said. Though initial reports suggest that complications were caused due to a vaccine, health authorities confirmed that the minor complications were caused after administering two drugs. The health officials suspect that more..

Jul 15 (AD) Public Utilities Commission of SL (PUCSL) has approved a reduction of electricity tariffs by 22.5% overall, PUCSL chairman Prof. Manjula Fernando said. According to this tariff revision which will be effective from midnight today, tariffs have been reduced by 25% for consumers who consume less than 30 units of electricity in the domestic sector. Unit price they pay has been reduced from Rs 8 to Rs 6. more..

Jul 15 (Island) Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe said that a final decision hadn’t been taken regarding his candidature at the forthcoming presidential election. Minister Rajapakshe said that he was engaged in talks with the relevant parties at the moment in this regard. The Justice Minister said so when The Island asked him when would he resign from Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe’s Cabinet to contest the prez election on the ticket of a political party backed by former Prez Maithripala Sirisena. more..

Jul 15 (EN) Nishan Mendis, Head of Deloitte SL and Maldives said he plans to make Sri Lanka a global hub for technological innovation, after being appointed Chairman of SL Association of Software and Services Companies (SLASSCOM). “My vision is to position Sri Lanka as a global hub for technological innovation and excellence,” he was quoted as saying in a statement. “By harnessing our heritage of collaboration, resilience, and innovation, I am confident that we can achieve this vision. more..

Jul 15 (FT) Universal free healthcare has been the hallmark of the Sri Lankan public healthcare system. This has been part of the broader agenda of the Sri Lankan welfare state that acclaimed a name for the country in the 1960s and 1970s for being a good outlier among the low-income countries. The SL welfare state was, however, not built on sustainability principles. Persistent budget deficits since 1956 financed through borrowings led to a huge buildup of public debt. more..

Jul 15 (FT) Aseni, the whiz kid in economics, and her grandfather, Sarath Mahaththaya, a former official of the Ministry of Finance, have been in very intense interactive discussion of the debt and debt restructuring problem of Sri Lanka. In the previous episode, they discussed why only bilateral and commercial borrowings of Sri Lanka have been earmarked for restructuring when the country’s total foreign debt had been a massive amount. The multilateral debt from IMF, WB & ADB, etc. more..

Jul 15 (ST) An Indian govt proposal, which SL has accepted, will see the New Delhi-headquartered Petronet LNG Ltd (PLL) supply liquefied natural gas (LNG) at the rate of 40 containers a day to thermal plants in Kerawalapitiya. These will be shipped from the port of Kochi and taken by road to the power plants run by SL’s LTL Holdings Ltd. in Kerawalapitiya. There is potential under India-initiated proposal to expand the shipments to 60–70 containers a day. more..

Jul 15 (AD) Minister Tiran Alles has issued a stern warning to high-ranking police officers regarding the recent questioning of the tattoo studio owner arrested in connection with the murder of popular businessman Surendra Wasantha Perera alias Club Wasantha in front of the media. Accordingly, Public Security Minister has warned the high-ranking officers including the DIG in charge of the Western Province (South) Gayantha Marapana, who were involved in the said questioning more..

Jul 15 (TM) The IMF is still assessing whether the agreed terms of the debt restructuring with the bondholders are consistent with the programme parameters, an official said. At the press briefing held last Friday, IMF Director of the Communications Julie Kozack said that the IMF is in the process of assessing whether the agreed terms of the debt restructuring are consistent with the programme parameters. “Once that assessment is complete, we'll be able to communicate our views more..

Jul 15 (FT) Over three times as many people approve of the Govt and feel better about the economy and the country’s economic trajectory compared to four months ago, according to the latest round of the Gallup-style Mood of the Nation poll by Verité Research. The survey revealed that the approval rating of the Govt more than tripled to 24% in July, up from 7% in Feb 2024. Current economic conditions were rated as either good or more..

Jul 15 (FT) 13 female Muslim principals have filed a complaint with the Human Rights Commission of SL (HRCSL) regarding the cancellation of their Efficiency Bar Examination Grade II results by the Dept of Examinations due to their head coverings worn during the examination. According to examination candidate M.Z.H. Fawzana, the group sat for the exam in Aug 2023, seeking promotion from Grade II to Grade I in the Principal service. The exam was held at Kotahena Maha Vidyalaya more..

Jul 15 (PMD) 116,000 scholarships are to be awarded for the year 2024 under the Presidential Scholarship Program, which is implemented according to the concept of President Ranil Wickremesinghe, for the upliftment of the education of the children of the underprivileged. Accordingly, Rs. 824 million have been allocated for the scholarship program, which will provide Rs. 6000 per month for 24 months to 6000 students studying for their GCE (A/L)s. more..

Jul 15 (DM) Thailand will allow visa-free entry for travellers from 93 countries and territories, including SL from tomorrow (15). This marks the first time Sri Lankans can travel to Thailand without obtaining a paper visa. Thai citizens can already visit Sri Lanka visa-free, subject to a USD 10 processing fee. The new policy, announced by Thailand's Ministry of Interior, extends the visa-free stay from 30 to 60 days. Visitors must have proof of funds, accommodation, and return or onward tickets. more..

Jul 15 (FT) 3-time winner Jaffna Kings completed their matches of the LPL with a massive nine-wicket loss to Colombo Strikers with 61 balls to spare, a result that has hit their net run rate badly, pushing it into the minus category. The second double header of the day played at the R. Premadasa Stadium yesterday saw Colombo come up with a dominant performance restricting Jaffna to a sub-par total of 109-9 and then knocking those runs off in 9.5 overs to keep their hopes of finishing more..

Jul 15 (TM) Following complaints to the Police by staff about receiving threats and intimidation from organised crime elements, the Prisons Department has taken steps to ensure the safety of its officers, it is learnt. Last week, an Assistant Prison Superintendent at the Boossa High Security Prison filed a complaint with the Police regarding threats received from infamous organised crime figure Supun Dayaratne more..

Jul 15 (DN) Two accidents involving the vehicles in which MPs Rishad Bathiudeen and Dilan Perera occurred on Saturday in Karuwalagaswewa and on the Southern Expressway. The SUV that MP Bathiudeen was in faced an accident in the Karuwalagaswewa area when his driver lost control of the vehicle due to a cyclist having abruptly entered the road. The second incident took place at the Southern Expressway Galanigama Interchange, when the vehicle MP Dilan Perera was in, more..