Sep 20 (Island) World University Sports Day celebrations will be held at the Colombo Uni premises today. World University Sports Day was introduced by the Int'l University Sports Association and UNESCO. The event here is organized by the SL Universities Sports Association. The World University Sports Day, announced since 2016 to promote mutual harmony through sports among the entire uni student community, was held for the first time in SL in 2020 at the Uni of Kelaniya. more..

Sep 20 (Island) 50% SL families living in the provinces lack the basic needs of existence. They exist in abject poverty, being able to afford only two meals a day. Most are farmers, who already face the dysfunctional effects of the past Gotabhaya Rajapaksa govt�s failed fertilizer policies or are daily paid workers, if at all they could find work. This leads to malnourishment and the additional ill effects of stunting and connected health ills. Sarvodaya SL, together with Save the Children fund, more..

Sep 20 (EN) Some 5,000 buses in Sri Lanka�s private bus service are no longer in operation due to the country�s economic situation and the 11,000 buses that are still running can benefit from the fuel thus saved if the govt permits them to refuel from any station, Private Bus Owners� Association President Gemunu Wijeratne said. SL�s fuel quota allocation process is hampering the smooth operation of the country�s private bus service, Wijeratne told EconomyNext on Monday (19). more..

Sep 20 (FT) SJB MP S.M. Marikkar claims an SJB Govt will be formed next year with Sajith Premadasa as its Prez. �We cannot let this corrupt Govt continue in this manner,� he said, adding that the current rulers are now using the people�s poverty and helplessness to rob them of their wealth and rights. �Therefore, I assure you by next year the SJB will come to power. It will be a Premadasa-led Govt� he said. Marikkar made these comments at more..

Sep 20 (Island) Nestl� Lanka�s Distribution Center completed 4,000 days of safe operations, reinforcing the company�s strong commitment to its people and their safety. Located in Kurunegala and operated in collaboration with its logistics partner EFL 3PL, Nestl� Lanka�s Distribution Center employs a team of over 150 personnel to ensure efficient warehousing and transportation of much-loved Nestl� products, making them accessible to consumers island wide. more..

Sep 20 (TM) A letter signed by the political parties of the North and the East opposing the demographic changes in the Trincomalee District will be handed over to Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe upon his arrival from the UK. TMTK Leader and MP C.V. Wigneswaran, ITAK Leader Mavai Senathirajah, EPRLF Leader Suresh Premachandran, PLOTE Leader D. Siddharthan, TELO Leader Selvam Adaikkalanathan, and TNP Leader N. Srikantha are the signatories. more..

Sep 20 (DM) It was revealed that no steps have been taken by Public Service Commission (PSC) as directed by Supreme Court to pay the salary of former CID sub inspector Sugath Mendis who was arrested and interdicted along with former CID Director Shani Abeysekera. On May 18, the supreme court ordered that former CID sub inspector Sugath Mendis be paid his full salary and entitlements with effect from 23/03/2022. Filing a motion before Supreme Court, more..

Sep 20 (EN) Israel has been reluctant to provide jobs to Sri Lankans after complaints over illegal money collection from migrant job seekers and fabricated stories about the island nation by an already existing SL expatriate group, Foreign Employment Minister said. Manusha Nanayakkara, after making a complaint to the CID over the alleged money collection, said that if any group collects money while leaving for work in Israel, legal action will be taken against them. more..

Sep 20 (TM) A group of Buddhist monks have requested Buddhist temples islandwide to turn off their lights and leave the temples in darkness on the upcoming Vap Full Moon Poya Day, in protest of the 555% increase in electricity tariffs on places of worship, including Buddhist temples. Central Provincial Sangha Sabha (Monks Council) of the Ramanna Sect met on 18 Sept to discuss the Govt�s decision to increase electricity tariffs more..

Sep 20 (Island) Galle Bishop Raymond Wickramasinghe says that the denial of justice to the Easter Sunday carnage victims was an insult to humanity. Addressing the 115th Feast of the Shrine of Our Lady of Matara, Bishop Wickramasinghe said justice for the victims of the Easter Sunday tragedy should not be delayed further. �Failure to do so is an insult to the entire humanity,� he said. Delivering the homily, at the festive High Mass, where he prayed for the victims and families of Easter attack, more..

Sep 20 (ANI) SL High Commissioner to India Milinda Moragoda referred to remarks of Mahinda Rajapaksa about the island nation's relations with India and said that the former Prez of the country used to say that China is a close friend but India is our brother and sister. Moragoda described the relationship between the two countries as special and said India's security interests are our own security interests. "Rajapaksa used to always say China is a very, very close friend but more..

Sep 20 (TM) People�s Tribunal on the Murder of Journalists at The Hague, the Netherlands, yesterday issued an indictment against Govt of SL, which it found guilty over the murder of editor Lasantha Wickrematunge. Judge Eduardo Bertoni, who is part of the panel of judges of the Tribunal, noted that the indictment was filed on the basis that the prosecutor holds SL responsible for the grave violation of int'l human rights more..

Sep 20 (FT) In many ways, the economic collapse of Sri Lanka became a near certainty in the weeks after Gotabaya Rajapaksa was elected Prez. In hindsight, it is clear to all that his Govet�s number one priority was consolidating their power and punishing those it saw as their enemies. Its next priority was enriching themselves. To the extent that they had anything resembling a policy focus, every major initiative taken by the Rajapaksas only served to further sabotage and doom our economy. more..

Sep 20 (FT) The reform, and restructure, of SL�s State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs), whether it is Govt driven or IMF forced, are absolute musts if we are to rise like a phoenix from the ashes of our current economic ruin. Although, the perilous state of most of our SOEs has been a frequent subject of intense discussion over many years and although the negatives of the SOE�s current operating model, its capabilities and weaknesses have been starkly evident to the various persons who, and Govts which, more..

Sep 20 (AD) Several students have been hospitalised following an alleged ragging incident which had reportedly occurred at the University of Peradeniya recently. The incident of a group of students assaulting 11 students, who were dining in one of the canteens of the university, had been recorded on the mobile phone of a student who was present at the time of the incident. The reason for the attack has been revealed as due to the fact that a group of students who are against ragging were dining in the canteen, more..

Sep 20 (SLN) SL Navy conducted a special operation to chase away Indian poaching trawlers from SL�s waters on the night of 19th Sept. The operation led to the seizure of an Indian trawler with 08 Indian nationals poaching in island�s waters off Kovilan Lighthouse, Kankasanthurai. SL Navy continues to conduct regular patrols and operations in SL�s waters to curb illegal fishing practices of foreign fishing trawlers. In a similar operation conducted in the dark hours of 19th Sept, more..

Sep 20 (AD) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe who visited the UK to attend the funeral ceremony of Queen Elizabeth II met with the SL Diaspora in Britain yesterday. Many SL businesspersons, investors and professionals living in Britain have attended the meeting organized by the SL High Commission in Britain. Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe explained the future plans of the new govt of SL and invited the Sri Lankans living there to join the new investment opportunities created in SL. more..

Sep 20 (ANI) India responded to a media query regarding reports on no further financial support from New Delhi to Colombo, stating that it has extended around USD 4 billion in bilateral assistance this year for the people of SL. Responding to a media query, the spokesperson of the High Commission of India in Colombo also advocated other bilateral and multilateral partners supporting SL expeditiously in its current economic difficulties. "We have seen the relevant media reports. more..

Sep 20 (DM) The national council was not brought in with genuine intention to find solution to the economic crisis but to convince international comunity that all factions were working in tandem, NPP MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake said. He told Parliament that several organisations have made allegations at the UNHRC sessions in Geneva this time against the govt over fraud and corruption and saying that there was no recognition for this govt and that there was no mandate for the Prez. more..

Sep 20 (TM) While appreciating the stance taken by UN Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Slavery Tomoya Obokata regarding the labour conditions of plantation workers at the ongoing 51st UNHRC session last week, Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA) Leader and SJB MP Mano Ganesan noted that upcountry Tamil Sri Lankans are, as a minority ethnic community, gradually being given due recognition by the international community. more..

Sep 20 (EN) Sri Lanka is looking to convert some govt establishments including schools and hospitals to solar power following a recent tariff hike, Minister Kanchana Wijesekara said. Wijesekara told parliament that work is already under way in this regard. Opposition MP Ajith Mannapperuma said SL�s parliament pays rupees 800,000 per month for electricity. Mannaperuma, an engineer by profession, asked if parliament could be converted to solar power to cut down on costs. more..

Sep 20 (AD) SL�s earnings from tourism in the first 08 months of 2022 has increased to USD 892.8 million or Rs. 246 billion. This is a significant increase compared to the previous year when tourism earning in the first 08 months of 2021 was USD 63.5 million. Earning from tourism in the month of Aug 2022 alone is recorded as USD 67.9 million. Number of foreign tourists who had arrived in SL in the month of Aug 2022 is 37,760 and the total number of tourist arrivals in the first 8 months of the year is 496,430. more..

Sep 20 (Island) Farmers in SL have always been given high quality fertilisers. Although many countries use 1.5% biuret urea fertiliser, SL used less than one percent of it in urea fertiliser, Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amraweera said. Minister was critical about baseless allegations that SL provided low quality rice to consumers. There is no need to import rice anymore, he added. He stressed that the percentage of biuret in the urea fertilisers given by the Indian govt is less than 1%. more..

Sep 20 (EN) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe, who is in London for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, met King Charles III on the sidelines of the royal ceremony last weekend, the PMD said. �World leaders who were in London to attend the funeral of the late Queen Elizabeth II met King Charles III at Buckingham Palace on the 18th of September. �The picture shows President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who participated in the event, having a friendly conversation with King Charles III,� a statement from the PMD said. more..

Sep 20 (TM) Increased duration of power cuts and a further 100% hike in electricity tariffs are likely if the country loses the contribution of its non-conventional renewable energy (NCRE) sector, which is in dire straits, to the national grid, Small Hydro Power Developers have warned. The NCRE sector includes hydropower, wind power, biomass, and solar power. Small Hydro Power Developers Association President Thusitha Peiris, speaking to The Morning yesterday (19) said: more..

Sep 20 (FT) Organisation of Professional Associations (OPA) has called for the recognition of part-timers in labour laws and regulations. Proposals to this effect were handed over to Labour and Foreign Employment Minister Manusha Nanayakkara by OPA President Dulitha Perera OPA said statistics revealed 160,996 jobs contracted within the first quarter of 2020 in SL owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. The unemployment rate increased to 5.70% in March 2021 with an average of 4.50% over the past decade. more..

Sep 20 (Island) The Law Student Union (LSU) of the Sri Lanka Law College expressing its solidarity with the Law undergraduates of the University of Peradeniya demands that authorities immediately investigate the recent violent incidents at the university and ensure that justice will prevail. A statement signed by President of LSU Osura Vindula and LSU General Secretary Senel Ratnayake says: Law Student Union (LSU) of the SL Law College is deeply concerned by the recent events that had taken place more..

Sep 20 (EN) SL is looking at solutions to make sanitary napkins more affordable Minister Nalin Fernando said as a currency crisis and tax hikes made them unaffordable to many vulnerable groups including school children. Teachers unions have said school kids were staying away because they could no longer afford sanitary products. Opposition legislator Rohini Kaviratne said total import taxes on sanitary napkins was 42 percent and prices have skyrocketed after the rupee collapsed. more..

Sep 20 (AD) Sri Lanka Cricket�s Executive Committee says it has come to a mutual agreement with Tom Moody, who was functioning as the Director of Cricket, to exit from his contract with immediate effect. The Executive Committee of the SLC, after much deliberation, was of the opinion that Tom Moody�s services are no longer required as he was directly reporting to the Technical Advisory Committee, which has ceased to exist now. Moody�s appointment as the Director of Cricket, effective March 1, 2021, more..

Sep 20 (TM) SL Govt is open to accepting unsolicited investor proposals for SriLankan Catering Ltd. and the Ground Handling Unit of SriLankan Airlines, while the technical evaluation is yet to be completed for Cabinet approval, stated Secretary to the Ministry of Shipping and Aviation, K.D.S Ruwanchandra. He said that authorities have not yet decided on a final date for when the Expressions of Interest (EOIs) will be officially called for the catering and ground handling arms of the national carrier. more..

Sep 20 (DM) The cause of recent derailments was the deterioration of sleepers and the railway tracks which were not subject to proper and routine maintenance, the Railway Station Masters' Union (RSMU). RSMU Prez Sumedha Somaratne said the shortage of manpower and junior staff at railway stations had caused the derailments. "There is a huge dearth of manpower in the railway track maintenance section. The govt should intervene and provide tangible solutions. "If this situation continues, more..

Sep 20 (DM) Claiming that only about 12,000 religious places are getting electricity bills over Rs. 3,990 out of the total of 48,682 such places of worship, Minister Kanchana Wijesekara said plans are afoot to introduce solar power for such places. He said that only 12,586 religious places were getting electricity bills over Rs. 3,990 even after the tariff revision. "A total number of 48,682 religious places are provided with connections so far. About 36,000 such places are getting a maximum bill of Rs. 3,990 more..

Sep 20 (Island) Former Human Rights Commissioner Ambika Satkunanathan has moved the Supreme Court against the proposed amendment to the Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Act. The petitioner has stated provisions of the proposed amendment are inconsistent with Articles of the Constitution of SL prohibiting torture, unequal treatment and arbitrary arrest and detention. Attorney General has been named the respondent. The petitioner has argued that the proposed amendment denies more..

Sep 20 (DM) Around 34 MPs representing various opposition groups in a letter addressed to Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardene to urged to appoint a select Committee to carry out a probe to determine the reasons for the economic crisis, identify responsible persons and to decide on steps that needs to be taken to avoid such crisis in the future. The MPs which include Sajith Premadasa, Dallas Alhaperuma, Nalaka Godahewa, Dilan Perera, Channa Jayasumana, Patali Champika Ranawaka, Anura Priyadarashana Yapa, more..

Sep 20 (DM) It was only some important people who had accompanied President Ranil Wickremesinghe on his recent tour to Britain to attend the funeral of British Monarch Queen Elizabeth II, a spokesperson from the President�s office confirmed today. According to the spokesperson, only Prez Wickremesinghe, Ms. Wickremesinghe, a special aide, three security personnel and the Director International Affairs attached to the President�s office were in the tour party. �The Director International Affairs more..