May 10 (CT) Taking dining and catering one step further – especially in the city of Colombo and its suburbs, are the cloud kitchens which mushroomed during the pandemic in 2020, and have been known to produce many mouth-watering treats that may even outshine well-known confectioners and restaurants in town. The cupcakes, cakes, Chinese rolls and patties, chutneys, yellow rice, lamprais and more..

May 10 (TM) The slow pace of Sri Lankan governance has finally gathered enough political will to publicly address the issue of Sri Lankans travelling overseas to fight in wars of other countries. Last week, following months of back door discussions, and investigations by the Govt, the SL foreign ministry and defence establishment finally made public appeal, asking veterans not to be duped into becoming cannon fodder between the Ukrainian forces, and the Russian forces. more..

May 10 (CT) The May Day rallies of 2024 in SL emerged as a pivotal moment in the nation’s political landscape, spotlighting the main contest between the SJB and NPP while underscoring the dilemmas faced by the UNP-SLPP alliance. Against a backdrop of shifting alliances and evolving ideologies, these rallies provided a glimpse into the complex dynamics shaping the country’s future. Rising prominently in the current political landscape is the SJB, highlighted by a significant rally in Colombo led by more..

May 10 (CT) The Colombo Municipal Council (CMC), that governs the people living on a stretch of 37.1 square kilometres, is making a great effort to transform the city of Colombo into a vibrant, progressive and economically important and ethnically cohesive city, in particular, in Asia, Colombo Municipal Commissioner Bhadranie Jayawardhana said in an interview. Q: Can you elaborate on measures taken by more..

May 10 (DM) Sri Lankans may be wary of trusting their instincts given their bad experiences with politicians. This is a country where the majority of the citizenry hasn’t had the fortune of receiving a university education. Hence, for some of them, trust must be built on instinct. This instinct is the tool people relied on when electing Gotabaya Rajapaksa as president. He was the last Executive of this country who was elected through the vote of the people. more..

May 10 (DM) The legal recognition of the fundamental rights of trade unions in this country has been derived from Article 14(1) b, c and d in chapter 3 of the Constitution of SL, the ILO Conventions 87 and 98 ratified by the Govt of SL, the Trade Union Ordinance and the Industrial Disputes Act of SL and subsequent amendments thereto emerged from time to time. The term Strike has been defined in the Trade Union Ordinance as “cessation of work by a body of persons more..

May 9 (DM) There is no legal barrier for the non-citizens to register a political party, Former Chairman of Elections Commission Mahinda Deshapriya said. “SL law only prevents a non-citizen from becoming a MP, to contest an election while the law also prohibits a non-citizen to vote in an election,” Deshapriya said. Also, he said Former State Minister Diana Gamage has not signed nomination papers of SJB and that she has never been the general secretary of Ape Jathika Peramuna. more..

May 9 (DM) Following discussions with vehicle importers, the govt is focused on resuming vehicle imports in four stages, Finance State Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya said. After the meeting, the State Minister claimed that vehicle importers are expected to deliver a report soon on the potential impact of lifting vehicle import restrictions. He said the report will include detailed information on the relaxation of import restrictions. Minister Siyambalapitiya pointed out more..

May 9 (Island) The newly-established Community Advisory Committees (CAC), on a directive of Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe to monitor development projects and programmes implemented in rural areas, is aimed at further politicising development activities at the grassroots, says Executive Director of the Institute of Democratic Reforms and Electoral Studies (IRES) Manjula Gajanayake. Gajanayake said more..

May 9 (TM) The Employees' Provident Fund (EPF) has been abused and misused by every successive govt, said the TNA MP, M.A. Sumanthiran, who presented an amendment to the EPF Act yesterday (8) in Parliament. Speaking in the Parliament, MP Sumanthiran noted that the Govt has neither responded to nor taken any action to implement the recommendations submitted by the IMF in their governance diagnostics that there must be an independent body to regulate this Fund. more..

May 9 (AD) A Gazette notification has been issued stating that Mujibur Rahman has been nominated by the SJB to fill the vacancy in Parliament created by the disqualification of Diana Gamage as MP by a Supreme Court verdict. Accordingly, the Election Commission, acting under section 64(5) of the Parliamentary Elections Act, No. 1 of 1981 read with provisions of the Constitution of Sri Lanka, has announced that Mohamad Mujibur Rahman was declared elected as a MP to fill the vacancy more..

May 9 (Nikkei) Apparently moving to counter China's formidable presence across Sri Lanka, President Ranil Wickremesinghe's administration is increasingly engaging Indian companies for vital projects. On Tuesday, SL govt said it had approved a 20-year power purchase agreement with India's Adani Green Energy, which will invest $442 million to develop two wind power stations in Mannar and Pooneryn in the north, totaling 484 megawatts. more..

May 9 (TM) CEB is yet to submit the proposals regarding the reduction of electricity tariffs to the Public Utilities Commission of SL (PUCSL), according to PUCSL chairman Prof. Manjula Fernando. Accordingly, the proposals were initially expected to be submitted to the PUCSL by the 1st of May. However, the PUCSL had granted an extension until tomorrow in response to a request from the CEB. Consequently, the PUCSL has instructed the CEB to submit proposals before the deadline more..

May 9 (EN) Sri Lanka has seen good results under the IMF program, but the country has to complete debt restructuring and continue on a reform path to ensure strong growth, Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe said. “A lot of good results (sadaneeya prathilaba resak) are coming from the IMF program,” Wickremesinghe said. “An appreciating rupee has brought down prices of imported goods, including milk powder and gas. The falling interest rates are benefiting businesses.” more..

May 9 (CI) Wanindu Hasaranga will captain SL's squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup, after missing the whole of IPL 2024 with a heel injury. Hasaranga made his return in the ongoing T20 practice games in Sri Lanka, where he scored 9 and 28 for SLC Yellow but did not bowl in either game. SL are in group D at the T20 World Cup along with Bangladesh, Nepal, Netherlands and South Africa. They play their first game of the tournament against South Africa on June 3 in New York, more..

May 9 (CT) Four elderly patients succumbed to the prevailing hot weather at the Jaffna Teaching Hospital, as reported by Hospital sources. Teaching Hospital sources when contacted yesterday (8) said the patients who were over 70 years of age had died earlier this week of heat stroke due to the prevailing high temperature experienced in several parts of the country including the Jaffna District. They had no infections but were mostly psychiatric and neurologic patients. more..

May 9 (DM) Cutting back on alcohol consumption during the Sinhala and Tamil New Year festival has resulted in notable dip in incidents of conflict and quarrels associated with alcohol use during the festival season. This was revealed in a survey conducted by the ADIC, SL concerning alcohol consumption and related information during the season. The survey encompassed a sample size of 415 individuals across all 9 provinces of SL. more..

May 9 (Island) The Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) had not taken legal action any errant wholesalers in 2023, it was revealed when the COPE met. CAA officials told the COPE that they had no authority to act against large businesses. CAA officials also said that the Act is being amended and that the final draft could be presented within the next six weeks. COPE members told CAA officials that in 2021 only one raid had been carried out against errant wholesale fertiliser traders. more..

May 9 (FT) When I went to register the birth of our son, I wasn’t asked to provide our marriage certificate – the fact that a man is willing to accept paternity by putting his name down is generally accepted as proof of legitimacy. While this patriarchal practice is discriminatory – impugning the dignity of the child, who is a human being regardless of the relationship between his or her parents – I have no qualms on employing this practice on a policy document. more..

May 9 (DM) Popular travel influencer Will Davis, also known as TrekTrendy on YouTube, took to Instagram to raise alarm about a concerning data breach related to SL's visa issuing system. Davis shared his distress over receiving daily emails containing tourist visas, complete with sensitive personal information such as full names, addresses and passport details. He said that despite having his visa approved a long time ago, more..

May 9 (EN) SL’s stance on Palestine in the face of Israel’s offensive push with human rights violations has helped the island nation to regain its reputation among the countries in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) after strong criticism over forced cremation of Muslim Covid victims, Foreign Minister Ali Sabry said. Govt of former prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa led by current ruling party SLPP forced Muslims and Christians to cremate the dead bodies of those who died of Covid-19 in 2020. more..

May 9 (AD) The Colombo Magistrate’s Court has issued an overseas travel ban on former State Minister Diana Gamage today (09). This order was issued by Colombo Magistrate Thilina Gamage after considering a request made by the attorneys of the petitioning party in the case related to her dual citizenship. The copies of the order were also forwarded to the office of the Controller General of Immigration and Emigration and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. more..

May 9 (AD) Investigations carried out so far have revealed that six Sri Lankans sent to Russia by human traffickers to join the military have died, Police Media Spokesman DIG Nihal Thalduwa said. Meanwhile, two other Sri Lankans who joined Ukrainian forces by illegal means have also been confirmed dead, the police said. The Police Spokesman also assured that further investigations are in progress to find out the exact number of individuals involved with the matter. more..

May 9 (Island) The population of SL jackals has dropped by about 60 percent during the last two decades and this is an indication of serious problems in the SL environment, Prof. Sampath Seneviratne, of the Dept of Zoology and Environment Sciences, Uni of Colombo has said. Prof. Seneviratne, one of the authors of the research study, titled The Way of the Jackal, said that jackals and their cousins, the fox and the wolf, were spreading rapidly in other parts of the world, more..

May 9 (EN) SL will hold Presidential polls between Sept 17 and Oct 16, 2024, as required by law, Elections Commission said. Commission said it will call for nominations within the specified period. “Election Commission will call for nominations for the prez election within the specified timeframe in terms of the provisions of the Constitution of SL and the Prez Elections Act No. l5 of 1981, and that by virtue of the powers more..

May 9 (CT) Nearly 30 million red notices were issued between 2022 and 2024 due to delayed payments of electricity bills, Minister Kanchana Wijesekara revealed yesterday. He also revealed that over 1.3 million consumers had their electricity connections disconnected due to failure to settle their bills on time. Minister also disclosed that the accounts of over 126,000 consumers had been closed, while nearly 1.9 million new electricity connections had been established during more..

May 9 (DM) The Committee on Public Finance (CoPF) has decided not to temporarily divulge any details on the visa fiasco because of its sensitive nature, CoPF Chairman Harsha de Silva said today. "The examination of the SL visa outsourcing contract began at the CoPF in Parliament today. We will meet again on 14 May to continue the discussions. As Chair of the committee, this is all we wish to state to the media, given the ongoing sensitive nature of the matter," Dr. de Silva said. more..

May 9 (AD) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe states that for the reconstruction of the fallen country, economic stabilization and recovery programs were formally implemented and that as a result, the journey of economic growth started in the middle of 2023. In a special statement in Parliament today, Wickremesinghe said he assumed leadership of the country without any conditions, despite being a sole member of Parliament. more..

May 9 (EN) Sri Lanka is in the process of drafting a National Cyber Security Act, as social network users rise, State Minister Kanaka Herath said. “The user base across all social networks has surged from 60 million to 74 million. There is an imperative for a National Cyber Security Act. Plans are underway to draft pertinent legislation by May 2024,” Herath said. “Collaborative efforts involving 29 govt agencies, alongside CERT, have been undertaken to strengthen cyber security.” more..

May 9 (AD) The hearing of the petitions filed before the Supreme Court seeking an order declaring that certain clauses of the SL Electricity Bill, submitted by the government to the Parliament recently, are in violation of the Constitution commenced today. The petitions were taken up for hearing before a three-member Supreme Court judge bench consisting of Justices Vijith Malalgoda, Shiran Gunaratne and Arjuna Obeysekera. Additional Solicitor General Viveka Siriwardena, more..

May 9 (EN) Sri Lanka will invite new companies to set up emission testing services ending a duopoly that now exists, Trade Minister Nalin Fernando said. At the moment Laugfs Eco Sri Limited and CleanCo Lanka Limited offer vehicle emission testing in SL. “Considering the number of vehicles in Sri Lanka, complaints we have received from the public, and that the desired emissions reduction has not happened, we have proposed to call for bids, or expressions of interest from other vendors,” more..

May 9 (FT) Tyrannical Tiran Alles is about to learn a lesson in politics that his distinguished, respected father would have taught him had he been around. The worst time to play tough guy is in an election year with six months max to go to vote. Citizens (including officials) are impatient to vote, and are unintimidated because they know they have the power to bring the whole power structure down soon, if they so wish. Minister concerned is an unelected parliamentarian whose name more..