Jul 12 (CT) Colombo Fort Magistrate Kosala Senadheera, accused of illegally obtaining electricity and water for the Mount Lavinia Magistrate’s official residence, has been suspended by the Judicial Service Commission effective Wednesday. Senadheera, who recently assumed the role of Colombo Fort Chief Magistrate after serving as the Mount Lavinia Chief Magistrate, faces suspension pending the conclusion of investigations, according to sources from Judicial Service Commission. more..

Jul 12 (AD) President’s Counsel Parinda Ranasinghe has been appointed as the new Attorney General by Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe. He was appointed in terms of Article 61E (b) of the Constitution of SL at the Presidential Secretariat. The former Senior Additional Solicitor General was recently appointed as the Acting Attorney General. Constitutional Council yesterday unanimously approved more..

Jul 12 (EN) A third int'l duty free operator is eyeing SL’s Port City Colombo, a statement said after cabinet approved two operators to set up shop in the special economic zone. China Duty Free and One World Duty Free, were given the status of businesses of secondary strategic importance, by the Cabinet. “Our partners are now empowered to operate within the Colombo Port City Special Economic Zone, allowing for the eagerly anticipated opening of the Downtown Duty-Free Mall more..

Jul 12 (Island) India and SL are expected to sign a MoU focused on capacity development and the exchange of expertise in public administration and governance aimed at training around 1,500 Sri Lankan civil servants, a statement by the PM’s Office of SL said. A high-level delegation led by V. Srinivas, Secretary, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Dept of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances (DARPG), concluded an official mission to SL between July 7 and July 9. more..

Jul 12 (EN) Sri Lanka will issue a gazette with new road speed limit regulations, in a bid to reduce accidents, State Minister Lasantha Alagiyawanna said. “Ministry of Transport will issue a gazette with new road speed limit regulations within the next two weeks,” Alagiyawanna said. In 2023, there were 2,214 reported road accidents resulting in 2,321 deaths. As of the 30th of June, 1,103 road accidents have been reported this year, more..

Jul 12 (DM) Security has been bolstered at a prominent funeral parlour in Colombo, where the remains of Surendra Wasantha Perera alias Club Wasantha, lie. This move reportedly comes in response to an unverified telephone call about a potential threat to the parlour's premises for allowing the remains of Club Wasantha to be kept. Meanwhile, special checkpoints have been established across Mannar in response to intelligence reports that the suspects more..

Jul 12 (DM) Ven. Wanawasi Rahula Thera, founder of the National Namal Uyana, said SL has now become like Chicago. Addressing the media, the Thera mentioned that the Yukthiya Operation is operational, with different armed groups killing people in various ways, and the underworld causing numerous conflicts. He questioned whether this system can continue. "Tourism has become a major topic in our country and is a key factor in building our economy. more..

Jul 12 (AD) Two underworld criminal figures wanted over their alleged involvement in multiple murders and illegal activities in the country, have been arrested by the CID in Dubai and brought to Sri Lanka. The suspects, Dimuthu Chaturanga (26) and Dinesh Sharman (48), were escorted back to Sri Lanka early this morning (12), according to Public Security Minister Tiran Alles. The suspects were brought to BIA in Katunayake by a team of four senior police officers from the CID. more..

Jul 12 (Island) SJB MP Mujibur Rahuman says the govt is continuously burdening the poor with successive taxes, while turning a blind eye to the collusion between the Excise Dept and liquor producers to flourish, resulting in billions of rupees in unpaid taxes to the state coffers. During a debate on Notifications under the Excise Ordinance Nos 1 and 2 in Parliament, MP pointed out that despite numerous disclosures across various platforms, liquor companies owed more than more..

Jul 12 (EN) The parliament’s COPF has recommended that the controversial GBS-IVS, VFS Global visa deal be abrogated or revised and the award of the deal without tenders should be forensic audited, its Chairman Harsha de Silva said. The contract was awarded without a competitive tender and no specifications. “Consortium was appointed without a competitive bidding process, preventing the Department of Immigration more..

Jul 12 (EN) SL will recruit 500 foreign language teachers for schools, State Minister Aravindh Kumar, said. “We will be giving priority to Korean, German, French, Hindi, Chinese and Japanese,” Kumar told reporters on Friday. In March, Kumar said that teaching foreign languages such as Japanese and Korean is essential if graduates are to pursue jobs in foreign countries. As of June 2024, SL had sent 10,000 workers to South Korea, and is planning to send around 6,000 workers to Japan. more..

Jul 12 (Island) There were 42,122 registered Buddhist monks in SL, Minister Vidura Wickremanayake told parliament. He added that there were 12, 235 temples, 743 dasasil matha monasteries and 38 devales registered with the authorities. He added no temple had closed down due to non-availability of Buddhist monks and that the govt had developed 900 temples under the Sasun Udawa programme, introduced in 2020 to properly maintain and develop the temples more..

Jul 12 (AD) A group of MPs from the opposition have sent a letter to the Election Commission, requesting that the Prez Election be held on the earliest possible date in order to prevent any attempts to delay polls. Accordingly, MPs urged the commission to exercise its maximum legal authority to ensure the election is conducted in a free and fair atmosphere. Letter has been signed by a majority of opposition MPs including more..

Jul 12 (AD) Two suspects involved in the shooting and killing of a person in Kolonna earlier this week have been apprehended by STF personnel, along with the firearms allegedly used in the crime. The suspects have been arrested near a garment factory in the Middeniya police area by a team of officers of the STF Organised Crime Unit I. The suspects, identified as Indika Kumara alias Kale Mahinda and Sandakelum Jayawardena, were arrested while in possession of more..

Jul 12 (FT) Captain Miller is the name of an Indian film released on 12 Jan 2024. The blockbuster Tamil movie had popular actor Dhanush acting in the lead titular role of Captain Miller. The film was a fictional tale about a heroic rebel who fought against British colonial rule. Reports state that the film is the highest ever grossing film starring Dhanush. One reason for the film’s success was its title which evoked much interest and curiosity. Captain Miller was the nom de guerre of more..

Jul 12 (FT) A spectre is haunting Sri Lanka – the spectre of the NPP/JVP. All powers of old SL have entered into a holy alliance to exorcise this spectre: A Prez without a popular mandate, a Govt lacking credibility, political parties with tired faces, and businessmen with dark histories. Two things result from this fact: 1. NPP/JVP is already acknowledged by these powers to be itself a power. 2. It is high time that the NPP/JVP openly publish their views, their aims, their tendencies, more..

Jul 12 (DM) Amidst concerns raised by various parties about the Election Commission’s ability to conduct the impending Prez election due to legal and financial obstacles, Election Commission chairman R.M.A.L. Rathnayake has emphasized that currently there are no such barriers. “EC is fully equipped with the relevant funds and notified of legal clearance enabling us to proceed with the election,” election chief said. He said they had had discussions with the officials from law enforcement more..

Jul 12 (AD) SL Railways trade unions have decided to call off their strike from midnight today (11) following talks with the govt. Meanwhile, Minister Bandula Gunawardene says that if the striking railway employees report for duty, the letters sent considering them as having vacated their posts will be withdrawn. Earlier today, Minister had stated that letters have been sent to all railway employees who participated in the strike notifying them more..

Jul 12 (DN) CID filed six cases against former State Minister Diana Gamage yesterday in the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court for violating immigration laws, including the fabrication of a foreign travel document and remaining in Sri Lanka without a valid visa. The cases were filed against Diana Gamage, also known as Nayana Samanmali or Diana Natasha Kekunadura, residing at No. 531/27, Countrybelt Bungalow, Amaragoda Road, Hokandara North. The FCID requested the Court to set a date to more..

Jul 12 (AD) Executive Grade of the non-academic staff of universities have decided to call off their ongoing strike following discussions with relevant authorities. The trade unions have ended the strike after discussing their demands and reaching an agreement with the Chairman of the UGC Prof. Sampath Amarathunga. Non-academic employees from 17 universities and 19 joint post-graduate institutions have been on strike for nearly 70 days, severely disrupting country’s higher edu more..

Jul 12 (TM) The tattoo studio owner Dulan Sanjula who was arrested in connection with the shooting incident in Athurugiriya, which claimed the lives of businessman Surendra Wasantha Perera alias Club Wasantha and another person, has requested permission to make a confidential statement to the Kaduwela Magistrate. The suspect has made this request when the 7 suspects arrested in relation to the incident were produced more..

Jul 12 (FT) Senior Additional Solicitor General Parinda Ranasinghe Jr. will take oaths as SL’s new Attorney General before the Chief Justice today. Constitutional Council unanimously approved Ranasinghe Jr. as the country’s Attorney General yesterday. Ranasinghe was appointed as the Acting Attorney General on 1 July after the Constitutional Council twice rejected Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe’s proposal to extend the tenure of former AG Sanjay Rajaratnam PC for another six months. more..

Jul 12 (FT) Britain’s multinational universal bank, Barclays says it retains overweight rating on Sri Lanka bonds and recommends buy those with higher past due interest (PDI) following the agreement reached in the restructuring of International Sovereign Bonds (ISBs). “We retain our overweight rating on the Sri Lankan bonds. Considering the likelihood of macro-linked triggers, we estimate recovery to be 62 at 12% exit yield, in line with our fair value estimate of 60-65. more..

Jul 12 (TM) Dept of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) has arrested five out of the six suspects responsible for an incident of slaughtering a peacock, roasting its meat, and consuming it inside the Maduru-Oya National Park. Considering the information presented by the wildlife ranger Kumarasiri Wijekoon, early last month, Mahiyangana Magistrate ordered the arrest of six individuals who illegally entered the said Park and posted footage of slaughtering & eating a peacock on YouTube. more..

Jul 12 (CI) England Men Under-19s will head to Chelmsford for a series decider after the first Youth Test against Sri Lanka Under-19s ended in a rain-affected draw. Any hopes of a result had been dulled when the second day was completely washed out, after which the tourists controlled the contest to earn a deserved 77-run first-innings lead. Sri Lanka U19s then batted out the remainder of the match to be 192 for 4 when stumps was called at 5.30pm. Skipper Dinura Kalupahana's century more..

Jul 12 (Island) Chief Opposition Whip MP Lakshman Kiriella told Parliament that efforts being made to bring in a new constitutional amendment regarding the duration of the presidential term were aimed at creating confusion in the public mind to enable Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe his stay in office longer. Moving an adjournment motion on a Cabinet decision to bring an amendment to dispel any uncertainty more..

Jul 12 (DN) Sri Lanka achieved a stunning 2-1 victory against the top-ranked team in their Pool ‘A’ segment, Kyrgyzstan, in their second tie of the Davis Cup – Asia/Oceania Group IV encounter at the Morodok Techo National Stadium yesterday. In a crucial and decisive match that went down to the wire, SL emerged victorious by winning one Singles and one Doubles match, defeating the toughest team in Pool ‘A’. SL’s number one player, Apna Perera, clinched the Singles match by more..

Jul 12 (TM) The Police stated that no suspects have been arrested yet in connection with the recent attack on the UNP operational office in Dambulla. Officer in Charge of the Dambulla Police Station, Chief Inspector R.R.M. Wasantha stated: “The investigation is being carried out further, and a special Police team has been deployed with regards to the matter. No suspect has been arrested thus far.” He further emphasised that the Police is diligently working to identify and more..

Jul 12 (DN) SL wicket keeper batsman Dinesh Chandimal once again came to the attraction at the on going Lanka Premier League Cricket (LPL) tournament and his intention is very clear for a fighting the place of Sri Lanka white ball team. Chandimal the 34 year experienced player presently playing at Kandy Falcons team is among the runs scoring 237 runs with a trike rate of 183.72 and his highest total of 89 guided to get win for Kandy team against top of the Group Jaffna Kings team. more..

Jul 12 (DM) Sri Lanka has been ranked as one of the top 10 most affordable destinations to travel in Asia. Providing tourists with a list of countries to travel in Asia within a budget, the island nation is listed among the top five. “Known for its tea plantations, beaches, and ancient cities like Sigiriya, Sri Lanka is affordable for accommodation, food, and transport. Budget guesthouses start around INR 800 -1,500 per night,” the publication said in its special travel edition Times Travel. more..

Jul 12 (FT) In a fundamental rights petition filed by the Young Journalists Association challenging the appointment of Deshabandu Thennakoon as the IGP, Saliya Peiris PC argued that both the appointment itself and Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe’s nomination of Thennakoon to the post, submitted to the Constitutional Council, were arbitrary. Making submissions before Supreme Court on Tue, Peiris said it was a wrongful more..

Jul 12 (Island) SL’s top seed shuttler, Viren Nettasinghe, booked a berth in the quarter-finals of the Dove Saipan International 2024, which is underway at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium in Saipan, with a resounding 2-0 win against Aryamann Tandon in the Round of 16 on Wednesday. Nettasinghe, the top seed of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Grade 3 International Challenge Tournament, overcame Tandon in straight sets, after the Indian staged some early resistance more..