Aug 23 (DM) Central Environment Authority (CEA) has announced the ban of nine single-use plastic items for any process, trade, or industry with effect from Oct 1, CEA Director General Hemantha Jayasinghe said. The decision was taken according to Gazette Extraordinary No. 2341/30 issued on July 19, 2023, with the objective of reducing the use of non-essential plastic items and related environmental problems and more..

Aug 23 (AD) Colombo Magistrate�s Court has ordered the CID to obtain the clothes worn by late businessman Dinesh Schaffter at the time of his death, which are currently in the custody of the Dept of the Govt Analyst, and hand over them to the 5-member expert committee appointed to determine the cause of his death. This order was issued by the Colombo Additional Magistrate Rajindra Jayasuriya when the post-mortem examination report related to the case was recalled before the courts, more..

Aug 23 (Island) Rebel SLPP group MP Gevindu Cumaratunga told Parliament that he expected Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe to take up Singaporean Arjuna Mahendran�s issue with the Singaporean leadership during his two-day visit there. National List lawmaker said Prez Wickremesinghe should intervene in this matter as it was he, as the Prime Minister of the then Yahapalana govt, who appointed Arjuna Mahendran as the Governor of the CB, regardless of opposition from his own govt. more..

Aug 23 (CT) Hakmana Police are investigating an incident where two inebriated persons had forcibly taken away a hearse with a body inside it. The twosome, when given chase, had abandoned the hearse with the body at a distance and fled. According to Police a youth had living in Kebilipola, Hakmana had suddenly passed away on 19 August. Following the post-mortem, the body was handed over to the relatives. Later, the body was handed over to a funeral parlour for embalming. more..

Aug 23 (TM) Deputy Leader of the SLMC, Minister Naseer Ahamed, in a letter to the President on behalf of the SLMC, stated that while a number of Muslims support the devolution of power to the Northern and Eastern Provinces, 13th Amendment has to be amended. Any solution to the existential ethnic problems of the people in the Northern and Eastern Provinces through the implementation of the 13th Amendment could never be a lasting sustainable solution without the participation more..

Aug 23 (AD) A tense situation ensued in the parliament this morning during the Questions for Oral Answers session, due to a war of words among several MPs. During the proceedings, MP Wasantha Yapa Bandara directed a question about tamed elephants from Minister Pavithradevi Wanniarachchi, after which Minister Prasanna Ranatunga raised objections to proceeding with Questions for Oral Answers more..

Aug 23 (EN) SL will investigate a tax scam where fake revenue stickers are pasted on alcohol bottles to avoid paying tax, State Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya said. Opposition MP Buddhika Pathirana told parliament that according to his information, fake stickers on which taxes have not been paid had been discovered in nearly 100 retail outlets around the country. �Bottles with hora stickers have been found in taverns Jaffna, Galle, Ratnapura and Kahawatte,� Pathirana said. more..

Aug 23 (CT) Over 7,000 officers, serving in professions supplementary to medicine (PSM) are on the warpath demanding the Health Ministry rectify the continuous delay in its recruitment procedures. Co-Convenor of Joint Council of Professions Supplementary to Medicine (JCPSM), Chanaka Dharmawickrema cautioned that 7,000 PSM officers, from five categories, would stage a strike tomorrow making seven demands, including the rectification of continuous delay in recruitment procedures. more..

Aug 23 (FT) Siyambalanduwa in the impoverished Moneragala District of the Uva province will soon be the home for SL�s first integrated renewable energy project by a private sector consortium heralding a new beginning in the country�s quest to reduce dependence on fossil fuel powered electricity. The milestone follows the Govt last week granting the Letter of Award to a consortium led by WindForce Plc., Lakdhanavi and Singapore�s more..

Aug 23 (PMD) In a formal ceremony held at the Presidential Secretariat today, two newly appointed Ambassadors and a High Commissioner to SL presented their credentials to President Ranil Wickremesinghe. The appointments of two distinguished Ambassadors for Italy and Germany, along with the designation of a new High Commissioner for UK, assumed their roles as representatives of their respective countries and had the honour of formally introducing themselves more..

Aug 23 (TM) Claiming that certain politicians representing the plantation areas, are attempting to provoke the people to achieve their narrow political goals based on a recent incident of an impoverished family being mistreated by an assistant manager of a plantation company, Public Security Minister Tiran Alles urged the public not to fall prey to such attempts. Public Security Ministry stated that Alles' has paid attention to alleged irresponsible statements made by certain politicians more..

Aug 23 (DM) It was revealed in Parliament that the majority of MPs who were provided with weapons during the period between 1980 and 1990 are yet to return the weapons. The answer which was tabled in the House revealed that more than 100 MPs out of 150 who were provided with weapons from 1989 to 1990 have failed to return them to this date. This was revealed in an answer provided to an oral question raised by MP Dullas Alahapperuma in the House. Some of the MPs who have not more..

Aug 23 (AN) Due to the recent drought, at least 13 districts of the country have been affected by a serious water shortage and 50 thousand acres of agricultural land, including rice paddies and cultivated fields, have been destroyed. As rice production declines, a shortage of a staple of the national diet is expected in the future, while prices are set to rise sharply. To date, it does not seem necessary to start an urgent import of rice; however the govt could be forced to do so more..

Aug 23 (NN) One woman was in hospital and many more people were injured during an elephant stampede at a Buddhist festival in SL. Pilgrims were forced to jump into a nearby lake to avoid being trampled when the animals taking part in a parade on Tuesday night bolted. Police said five young elephants wearing ceremonial decorations ran amok during the Esala Perahera ceremony in Kandy, which draws huge crowds each year more..

Aug 23 (DM) It is necessary to complete the GCE O/L and A/L exams in govt and govt-assisted private schools in 10 months each, Senior Professor of Buddhist and Pali Uni Ven. Uturawala Dhammaratana Thera said. While addressing the inauguration ceremony of the International Uni of SL (IUSL), the thera said the education system is losing the contribution of the teen spirit. "According to our ongoing education system, students waste 4 yrs of their time studying for O/L & A/L exams. more..

Aug 23 (DM) Following a survey conducted by the Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ), it is said that 40 active ingredients are considered highly hazardous pesticides (HHPs) among the permitted pesticides in SL, which are very harmful to people as well as the environment. CEJ Senior Advisor Hemantha Withanage said. A gazette notification was issued on Nov 26, 2016, announcing the permitted pesticides with reference to the PAN int'l consolidated list of banned pesticides. more..

Aug 23 (FT) FPC member and MP Prof. Charitha Herath accused Minister Kanchana Wijesekara of attempting to halt an ongoing procurement process for Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) floating storage and regasification units to transfer the project to a particular foreign company. He drew a parallel between the current situation and the contentious New Fortress deal, which was pursued by the Gotabaya Rajapaksa Govt to more..

Aug 23 (TM) While the Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC) is reportedly to initiate legal action against him through the Attorney General�s (AG) Dept, Judicial Medical Officer (JMO) Dr. Ruhul Haq described media personnel covering the matter as resembling �trash-sifting madmen pursuing a vendetta�. Haq sparked controversy over the past few weeks as it was revealed that he had continued to function as a JMO and conduct postmortem examinations despite having been suspended more..

Aug 23 (AD) Chairman of the Office on Missing Persons, Mahesh Katulanda states that justice will be served for the families of SL�s missing persons within a period of 06 months. He emphasized that they have fast-tracked the tracing mechanism with regard to the missing persons and that the process is being carried out transparently. �I believe that the relevant mechanism is carried out in SL faster than any other thing being carried out in the world so far, and is at an optimal level�, more..

Aug 24 (ST) Is SL�s economy on the mend or still freefalling? According to all indicators, it has definitely improved now compared to the same period last year where we faced food and medicine shortages and people queued for vehicle fuel and cooking gas. IMF was also due to send a mission in September for the first review of the US$2.9 billion EFF. But there are still major economic issues to overcome and this was the topic of discussion when Ruwanputha, my young economist friend, more..

Aug 24 (DM) Democracy is not a joke but a witty writer�later identified as Dr. Riley Fernando�buried a famous obituary in Daily News after the Sirimavo Bandaranaike�s United Front coalition govet took over Associated Newspaper Ceylon Ltd (ANCL) better known as Lake House. The famous obituary read: �D.E.M.O� Cracy, beloved husband of truth, loving father of LI Bertie, Brother of Faith, Hope and Justia interned on Saturday 20th instant, Araliya Medura, Panagiyawatte, Anduruwella.� more..

Aug 24 (TM) The ongoing drought conditions which have seen the water levels of SL�s reservoirs depleting and water supply shortages in various parts of the island are also impacting certain aspects of the tourism sector. According to the SL Drought Outlook published via the South Asia Drought Monitoring System (SADMS) bulletin, despite a revival of the Southwest Monsoon forecast, several provinces, more..

Aug 24 (CT) Tourism sector, one of the key lifelines of SL�s economy, which was steadily growing in scale since the end of the war in 2009, was stumped by a triple strike within the last four years. First, it was the devastating Easter Sunday attacks of 2019, then came the Covid-19 pandemic of 2020 and 2021 and finally, last year�s fuel and power crises that saw tourist arrivals grinding to a complete halt. After months of political instability and public upheaval, country�s economy is slowly picking up. more..

Aug 24 (DM) President�s speech to the Parliament is to be understood correctly. He keeps telling about the decentralization of powers through Provincial Councils (PCs). However, it is to be noted that he refers to TWO types of PC systems which are structurally and functionally different from each other. One type is the PCs created by the 13th Amendment. The other is PCs proposed to be created by the Steering Committee Report of the Constitutional Assembly dated 21.09.2017. more..

Aug 24 (TM) �I am not denying that migrating as a skilled worker could be advantageous in many ways. Employers should have a reason to hire us, and the best reason I think is the skills that we have. However, as people who barely make ends meet, we have to prioritise immediate solutions and relief over long term plans. We simply don�t have the time to wait and acquire skills.� These are the words of a young, more..

Aug 24 (TM) The country which was once dubbed the great barn of the East is now in the midst of a host of issues pertaining to food security. Obtaining fertiliser and the water necessary for farming activities and purchasing sufficient food to survive, have become challenges. The food crisis calls for significant, effective and innovative solutions, some of which have already been proposed or launched. The Govt says that it is capable of resolving the crisis, and puts forward various proposals more..

Aug 24 (Island) It must have gladdened the hearts of all Sri Lankans, who are undergoing untold suffering owing to corruption, waste and economic mismanagement, to hear that the law had eventually caught up with two foreign political leaders. Former Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra was arrested and taken to jail, on Tuesday, upon his return home, after 15 years, to a hero�s welcome by a large number of his supporters all clad in red. He was arrested while the Thai Parliament was meeting to install more..

Aug 24 (CT) It was only a year ago that the present regime was installed through a constitutional coup d��tat and current unelected leader was touted a saviour of bankrupt SL. It is time to take a quick performance audit of the actions of this liberator chosen by the deposed leader in 2022. Among his notable actions are Royal procession known as Raja Perahera and meeting foreign dignitaries. Despite the starvation endured by many millions at home he held Raja Perahera in Kandy more..

Aug 24 (SO) Thirteen talented, active and committed athletes have been handpicked to be groomed as potential medal winners for the country. They have been named as the Next Champ in the second phase of the NOC-Crysbro program to support them until they are fully developed. This project began with the first phase proving to have borne the desired results. The initial phase supported 20 fledging junior athletes who showed promise to deliver locally and internationally. more..

Aug 24 (FT) SL Tea Board Chairman Niraj de Mel expressed the belief that the industry will successfully achieve its ambitious export goals by end 2023 despite facing mixed results so far in the year. With a target of 265-270 million kilo crop and an export income of $ 2.1 billion by year end, his optimism stems from the anticipation of an upswing in performance from August onwards. �The performance of the industry is set to improve more..

Aug 24 (ST) Poachers are making use of the prevailing drought conditions to kill more animals by poisoning water holes, wildlife officers told the Sunday Times. They said they have detected a racket where a group of poachers used the tactic of poisoning water holes in the Yala National park bordering the Sella Kataragama area. They said that they learned that the poachers also sold the meat of the animals killed by poisoning. The officers said the bush meat was sent to many areas. more..

Aug 24 (FT) The Indo-Lanka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ILCCI) recently convened its 15th AGM with the Patron of the Council High Commissioner of India Gopal Baglay gracing the occasion as the Chief Guest. The outgoing President of the Council South Asia Gateway Terminals Ltd. CEO Romesh David noted that recent interactions between the leadership from both India and Sri Lanka have set the stage for elevating bilateral engagement across various sectors. more..

Aug 24 (FT) In a bid to boost the bilateral trade and investment between Sri Lanka and Australia, the National Chamber of Commerce of SL will hold a discussion today at the Chamber Auditorium - No. 450, D.R. Wijewardena Mawatha, Colombo 10. The session�s special guest speaker will be High Commissioner of Australia to SL Paul Stephens, and a commercial counsellor will provide support. Further, SL HC in Australia Chitranganee Wagiswara is also expected to connect virtually more..

Aug 24 (FT) The Planters Association of Ceylon yesterday condemned the verbal abuse by Water Supply and Estate Infrastructure Development Minister JeevanThondaman on Ratwatte estate management. On Sunday (20), Thondaman used abusive language and threatened the senior management of Ratwatte Estate, belonging to Elkaduwa Plantations. �The Planters� Association of Ceylon vehemently condemns this verbal attack and calls for an impartial investigation,� more..

Aug 24 (DN) SL Olympian Nadeeka Lakmali the javelin thrower is expected to retire after National Sports Festival which will commence today and will continue till August 26 at Sugathadasa Stadium, Colombo. The 43 year old Lakmali will make her final appearance at Javelin throw event which is scheduled to be held tomorrow (25), commencing at 8.10a.m. Actually last 23 years I am seriously involved with athletics and more..