Jun 19 (GV) In the Institute for Health Policy (IHP) SLOTS polling in June, net favourability rating of SJB leader Sajith Premadasa improved to -39 in June (up 27 points) compared to the previous month. NPP/JVP leader A.K. Dissanayake remained the least unpopular major party leader, with his favourability at -20 (down 18 points) and Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe’s favourability improved from -76 to -66. Negative scores, i.e., a net favourability rating of less than zero, means that more..

Jul 19 (TM) CB Director of the Payments and Settlements Department Vasantha Alwis, warns the public about social media scams involving helicopter tour registrations. Alwis highlighted that messages urging registration for such tours could be part of fraudulent schemes designed to steal personal information. Alwis emphasised the importance of vigilance following a similar scam that previously circulated on social media. The earlier scam involved a fraudulent advertisement for a lawn mower, more..

Jun 19 (EN) Sri Lanka is targeting a 40% tax collection directly through income, wealth, and property taxes by 2025 from the current 30 percent with expanding tax nets and legal actions against tax dodgers, State Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya said. Direct taxes are collected through individual can afford to pay taxes due to their higher income along with asset and property ownership. Since SL faced an unprecedented economic crisis with more..

Jul 19 (Island) Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation – (IRCTC) together with Lanka Sportreizen, a leader in the leisure industry, recently launched the schedule of Buddhist Special Train (Mahaparinirvana Express).This special luxury train takes Buddhist travellers from across the globe to the most important places related to The Enlightened One’s life and teachings. Officials from the Indian High Commission in SL and representatives from ICTRC were at the launch more..

Jul 19 (DN) Most Outstanding Sportsmen and Sportswomen of the Team sports of National Sports Festival (NSF) received their awards from State Minister of Sports Rohana Dissanayake at the opening ceremony of the National Sports Festival Athletics meet which commenced on Wednesday at the Sugathadasa Stadium. The best players of sports events such as Badminton, Table Tennis, Karate, Kabbadi, Football, Hockey, Netball, Basketball received their awards on more..

Jun 19 (FT) With the aim of revitalising micro, small, and medium-scale enterprises (MSMEs), a comprehensive package of financial facilities were introduced under the patronage of Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe at the Prez Secretariat. This package includes both investment and working capital facilities for MSMEs. 15 participatory Financial Institutions, including Licensed Commercial Banks and Licensed Specialised Banks, are offering these loans at subsidised rates. more..

Jun 19 (DN) We are very confident to play Asia Cup T-20 Tournament which always give big boost for the forthcoming Women’s World Cup cricket tournament said SL women’s cricket captain Chamari Athapaththu at the press briefing prior to ninth edition of the Asia Cup women’s cricket tournament which will commence today at Rangiri Dambulla Int'l Cricket Stadium. Two matches scheduled to play on opening day. Nepal women’s and UAE women’s game will start at 2pm and more..

Jul 19 (FT) Calling for a fundamental change to usher greater prosperity Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday emphasised the need for a more vigorous human capital formation for which the pre-requisite is greater finances and sound management in the country. He made this key observation as well as the way forward at the Human Capital Summit organised by a public and private collaboration. more..

Jun 19 (DN) Tim Seifert (62*) and Janith Liyanage (56) powered Galle Marvels to a 7-wicket victory over Jaffna Kings in the LPL Qualifier 1 at R. Premadasa Stadium yesterday. Their 92-run partnership for the third wicket helped Galle chase down the 178-run target with 11 balls to spare, securing a spot in the final. Jaffna Kings will now face the winner of the eliminator game in Qualifier 2 on Saturday to earn a place in the final against Galle on Sunday (21). more..

Jul 19 (DM) Minister Tiran Alles challenged MP Harsha de Silva who has recommended the conduct of a forensic audit of the visa process outsourcing deal which the SL govt has signed with VFS Global. Minister said that in the report submitted by COPF headed by Harsha de Silva, it has recommended the cancellation of the deal or its amendment. However, the report has been compiled without the consent of the majority of the MPs in the COPF although the report says otherwise. more..

Jun 19 (ST) Legalising Triloka pattra (cannabis) cultivation for export as medicinal and allied products would not only violate international conventions but also be a first step to legalising its recreational use, warned the chairman of National Dangerous Drugs Control Board (NDDCB). NDDCB was not formally notified of the appointment of a committee to look into the cultivation of Triloka pattra for export as medicinal & allied more..

Jul 19 (ST) Govt is making a renewed effort to expand the taxation system by targeting high-income earners in the informal sector, four years after a failed attempt to introduce a progressive tax structure in 2018. State Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya, announced plans this week to tax 14 previously untaxed sectors, including large-scale private tuition classes, private schools, private engineering and surveying services & private medical services. more..

Jul 19 (Island) Ambagamuwa MV athlete Ayomal Akalanka hogged the limelight as he broke the National Junior hurdles record to win the gold medal of the 48th National Sports Festival at the Sugathadasa Stadium on Thursday. Akalanka who has reached entry standards for the World Junior Championships clocked a remarkable time of 51.26 seconds to win the 400 metres hurdles ahead of experienced campaigner A.I. Rathnasena. The athlete trained by veteran coach Anura more..

Jun 19 (Island) It was former US Prez Donald Trump’s ear that an assassin’s bullet grazed the other day, but we had the presidential candidates in Sri Lanka holding their ears and screaming, so to speak; they have claimed that they are facing threats to their lives. Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe has reportedly ordered threat assessments prior to considering their requests for enhanced security, if necessary. The need for ensuring the safety of presidential candidates cannot be overstated. more..

Jul 19 (TM) Tiana Sumanasekera, born on 15 Sept 2007, is an American artistic gymnast and a distinguished member of the US women's national artistic gymnastics team. She made a significant mark in the world of gymnastics by becoming the 2023 Pan American all-around and balance beam champion. Artistic gymnastics is a discipline of gymnastics where gymnasts perform short routines (ranging from approximately 30 to 90 seconds) on different apparatus, with less time for vaulting. more..

Jul 19 (Island) With eleven athletes reaching entry standards for the World Junior Athletics Championships to be held in Lima, Peru, SL Athletics is set to create history in August by fielding its biggest contingent to a world junior event. The track and field governing body has formed a team of 12 athletes including the men’s 4×100 metres relay team that won the silver medal at the Asian Junior Athletics Championship. more..

Jul 19 (ST) Young badminton sensation Viren Nettasinghe will be the flag bearer at the Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony later this month as the SL contingent heads to the French capital with the hope of making the country’s presence felt on the global stage. The significant honour of carrying the flag is a testament to the dedication of the promising 21-year-old shuttler, who has etched his name in the annals of SL sports history as the youngest badminton player to represent the nation more..

Jul 19 (Island) The Faculties of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences in state-owned and govt-operated public universities in Sri Lanka have long faced severe criticism for producing unemployable graduates from the state (successive govts, higher education administrators, and the Auditor General’s Dept) and society. Our goal here is not to dispute these criticisms; rather, we aim to highlight an initiative to enhance the competitiveness of economics students at Uni of Jaffna more..

Jul 19 (ST) When the world came together at climate change talks titled COP28 in Nov 2023 in Dubai in the UAE, the focus was on cutting fossil fuel (coal, oil, and natural gas) to reduce emissions which harm the environment. Ironically while experts were seen thrashing out an agreement to see this happen amidst a reduction in oil production across the world, the host of the conference – UAE and its state oil firm Adnoc was targeted to drill 42% more oil by 2030, according to market analysts. more..

Jul 19 (CT) 2024 has become a very pivotal juncture in the history of democracy, as the year is filled with elections throughout the world-in more than 60 countries to be numeric, including the EU. Almost half the world population, according to statistics, will have cast their vote by the end of the year (hopefully, if some parties do not find a way to avoid their national elections including Prez Elections). Hence, maybe 2024 will be marked as the election year of the century. more..

Jul 19 (TM) With the Govt declaring a commitment towards legislation to govern campaign finance law through the Regulation of Election Expenditure Act No.3 of 2023, financing of the upcoming Prez Election campaign has become a focal point. EC Chairman R.M.A.L. Rathnayake said that the campaign spending limit would only be decided upon within five days of nominations being submitted. “EC will determine this amount after more..

Jul 19 (CT) Art should be at the heart of a free, creative community and culture. Much of what is best in society evolves through various art forms, contributing significantly to cultural values, well-being, and the broader spectrum of creative and cultural life. In a new curriculum for the 21st century, students should have the opportunity to engage with diverse arts and comprehend contemporary expressions within social and cultural contexts. Aesthetic education equips students more..

Jul 19 (TM) CEB has once again announced a tariff revision, with plans afoot for another tariff revision in October. The reduction of electricity tariff is a welcomed move, with many Sri Lankans struggling to pay their energy bills. The 22.5% reduction is a relief for those who benefit directly and indirectly from electricity sale. According to Minister Kanchana Wijesekera those consuming less than 90 units of electricity would have benefited the most from the recent electricity amendment. more..

Jul 19 (TM) In recent years, South Asia has been beset with an unprecedented combination of negative shocks. In SL, an economic crisis on the heels of the Covid-19 pandemic pushed approximately three million people into poverty. These impacts have been further amplified by the global fuel and food crises in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and they hit hard those who were already the most vulnerable, more..

Jul 19 (GV) In his exhibition Dystopia at the Saskia Fernando Gallery, Hashan Cooray explores societal and political challenges through a metaphorical lens. It features paintings and two installations that confront the complex relationship between an individual and the socio-political systems within which they exist. One installation comprises 60 metres of newspaper headlines from the 2022 Aragalaya protest movement and the aftermath. His work incorporates drawing, painting, more..

Jul 19 (DM) During the past two weeks there was much concern and debates about a move by the govt’s education ‘arm’ to remove aesthetic subjects from the school curriculum. There is enough literature published regarding this move which explains some of the Education Department’s planned reforms for the subjects taken up for the GCE O/L and A/L Exams. Education Dept has now hurriedly used its media contacts to notify people that it has no such intentions. more..

Jul 18 (AD) Court of Appeal has reduced the prison sentence of former Mayor of Kurunegala Thushara Sanjeewa Vitharana from three years to one year. This sentence reduction also applies to the four other individuals who were sentenced alongside him. The verdict was issued today following the consideration of appeals petitions filed by the accused. On Dec 14, 2023, the former Mayor of Kurunegala, the Municipal Commissioner, Engineer and two others were sentenced to 3 yrs more..

Jul 18 (AD) Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Sabry has called on Romanian PM Marcel Ciolacu during his official visit to Romania and Poland. The Romanian PM and Minister Sabry have discussed the importance of cooperation amongst middle-income countries to overcome multiple crises faced by the world. SL Foreign Minister stated that Ciolacu identified that modern politics is economics and spoke highly of the closely integrated SL workforce in Romania creating a win-win partnership more..

Jul 18 (HRW) SL authorities continue to use the notorious Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) to target perceived opponents and minority communities without credible evidence to support the allegations despite repeated pledges to end the practice, Human Rights Watch said today. While some victims have suffered years of arbitrary detention and torture, others are persecuted even after the case against them is dropped. more..

Jul 18 (Island) Foreign interest payments, which represent 4.7% of SL’s total interest payments, have increased by 13.9% to Rs. 34.0 billion in the first four months of 2024, compared to the same period of 2023, according to the Mid-year fiscal position report–2024, presented by the Ministry of Finance to Parliament recently. Recurrent expenditure, which accounted for around 90% of SL govt’s total expenditure in the first four months of 2024, declined by 4.4% to Rs. 1,419.3 b from Rs. 1,485.0 b more..

Jul 18 (DM) Ola leaf manuscript of Mahawansa chronical, the main source of history of SL in the Peradeniya Uni Library was yesterday declared a world heritage. Director General of the UNESCO was the chief guest of the ceremony. The certificate of declaring the Mahawansa as a world heritage was handed to Chancellor of Peradeniya Uni Prof. G.H.Peiris by UNESCO Director General. Vice Chancellor Prof. M.D. Lamawansa presented a memento to the Director General to mark more..

Jul 18 (CT) Public Financial Management (PFM) Bill was reviewed and approved by the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) after a thorough discussion. Committee commended the Ministry of Finance for presenting the Bill which aims to establish a modern, transparent and efficient PFM system. This system is intended to foster public trust, ensure efficient resource allocation and support more..