Jul 3 (TM) The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic cast a spotlight on the growing needs of older persons � aged 65 and above � and the rising demand for eldercare in SL. During Govt-imposed lockdowns when existing support systems were disrupted and people were compelled to isolate themselves at home, the elderly population faced unique challenges. For example, limitations on digital literacy to access the virtual world had an insulating effect on many older persons more..

Jul 3 (CT) Oshini Devindya Gunawardhana has emerged as the shining star in the Under-12 Girls Category of the Western Asia Youth Rapid Chess Championship 2023 held in Kyrgyzstan. With her remarkable performance and flawless score, Oshini clinched the coveted Gold Medal, adding another glorious chapter to her chess journey. The highly-anticipated event commenced on 30 June and will continue until 10 July. Organized by the Kyrgyzstan Chess Union on behalf of more..

Jul 3 (TM) SriLankan Airlines is likely to face a severe shortage of experienced staff as the State-Owned Enterprise has refused to increase its salaries and other remuneration to discourage many from leaving. Around 30 pilots have tendered their resignations over the past several months, with other employees including those from ground handling, engineering, and air crew leaving at an alarming rate, more..

Jul 3 (Island) Yesterday was a sad day for SL. Muthu Raja, an elephant gifted by Thailand about two decades ago was flown back to Bangkok, on Sunday, for treatment as its health had deteriorated owing to alleged neglect and cruelty. Unfortunately, we have had to discuss the majestic beast�s plight, on Esala Full Moon Poya Day, which is holy to Buddhists, who uphold compassion towards animals. It defies comprehension why no action was taken to ensure that Muthu Raja was more..

Jul 3 (DN) SL women�s cricket team will meet New Zealand women�s team today in their deciding third and final ODI at Galle International cricket stadium,commencing at 10a.m. SL women�s team led by Chamari Atapattu had an easy nine wicket win in their first ODI while New Zealand women� led by Sophie Devine made good come back to level the series and recorded a 111 run win over Sri Lanka lasses in their second ODI last Friday and both teams will try to win the series today. more..

Jul 3 (ST) A number of govt-owned housing units across the county are in a dilapidated state, causing a safety threat to the residents. Rusted canopy frames, unpainted walls, cracked ceilings and broken slabs were witnessed during a visit by the Sunday Times to these complexes. Among such schemes was the Wekanda housing complex in Kompannaya Veediya. Constructed in 1962, complex is owned by the CMC. Resident Jawffer Zarook showed dire situation of the complex. more..

Jul 3 (CI) A clinical bowling performance backed by an unbeaten 101 from Pathum Nissanka helped SL register a 9-wicket win in the Super Six clash against Zimbabwe and also confirmed their spot at the ODI World Cup in India later this year. The win was set up by the bowlers, as they orchestrated a batting collapse on either side of a 68-run partnership between Sean Williams and Sikandar Raza consigning Zimbabwe more..

Jul 3 (ST) Around 500,000 people have appealed against the Aswesuma beneficiaries list, State Minister Anupa Pasqual said. State Minister called on those protesting to stop wasting their time on protests and get involved in the appeal process, warning that nothing could be done once the list was finalised. He said anonymous complaints to remove the names of undeserving beneficiaries could be made through Divisional Secretariats as the aim of the appeal process was to remove more..

Jul 3 (ST) Overkill is the norm in most youth sports in Sri Lanka. Young players as well as amateur players are pushed hard to improve their game with six to seven days of weekly training schedules with little or no time for recovery between sessions. Many young athletes train anything between 20 to 30 hours during the training week. With this training mindset short term results are sometimes achieved at the expense of long term sustainable results. Player burnout, players dropping out more..

Jul 3 (ST) This column has long championed the cause of football in this country, especially after the FIFA suspension that came into effect last Jan 2023, a good six months ago. Since then, what we have sadly witnessed is a string of poor and deceitful passes that has all but assigned this sport to the dustbin of history. How callous this medley of subterfuge has been is too painful to recount. We have already missed participation in the ongoing SAFF Tournament and is now destined more..

Jul 3 (CI) SL's batting may be shaky, their reviewing dodgy and the standard of their fielding changes from game to game. But in this tournament, there can be little question. Their bowling is the best on show. After five matches, no team has yet made 200 against them in the World Cup Qualifier. This, despite arguably their best ODI bowler - Dushmantha Chameera - not playing a single match, due to injury. more..

Jul 3 (Island) Fameology is an all-new entertainment ecosystem with global reach that specializes in bridging the gap between clients and consumers by combining creativity, media, data and modern technology. Fameology assists local and international businesses in the entertainment industry generate revenue and scaling returns via digital platforms. Fameology�s primary mission is to facilitate fruitful collaborations between entertainment businesses and brands with more..

Jul 3 (CT) A household in Colombo�s living expenses rose by Rs 18,942.21 year on year (YoY) last month (June), nonetheless decelerating for the third consecutive month, Census and Statistics Dept�s Friday�s data showed. Of this total Rs 18,942.21 YoY increase, the price of such a household�s food commodities bill increased by Rs 2,236.33 YoY to last month and the increase in their non-food commodity bill was upped by Rs 16,705.87 in absolute terms, statistics showed. more..

Jul 3 (Island) Dissident SLPP MP Gevindu Cumaratunga has strongly opposed the govt move to place the debt-restructuring programme under Prez�s control as the latter does not represent Parliament. He pointed out that the Resolution on the Domestic Debt Optimisation (DDO) was meant to bring the whole process under Finance Minister Wickremesinghe�s power. How could Parliament grant such authority to a person not among elected or appointed members of current Parliament? more..

Jul 3 (Island) Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has said that a meeting of opposition parties will be convened this week to discuss a complaint that during Saturday�s Parliament debate on the govt�s domestic debt restructuring plan, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardene acted in a partisan manner without allocating adequate time for the Opposition MPs to take part in the debate. The DDO plan was passed by Parliament on Saturday by a majority of 60 votes. more..

Jul 3 (TM) Most private companies will choose the 30% income tax rate for their pension funds avoiding Domestic Debt Optimisation (DDO) as paying a higher tax is highly beneficial for the pension funds and their members, Verit� Research Executive Director Nishan de Mel said. He said that based on the calculations made by Verit� Research, going for the 30% income tax rate and avoiding the DDO is hugely beneficial for the pension funds and more..

Jul 3 (TM) The Constitutional Council (CC) is yet to be informed of nominations or any other decision pertaining to the vacant position of IGP, with SDIG Nilantha Jayawardana temporarily overseeing administrative matters at Police HQ. This situation arises following the position being vacant for a week, since former IGP Chandana Wickramaratne retired from position, with the end of a 3 month service extension ended last Monday. Wickramaratne, who had submitted retirement papers more..

Jul 3 (DM) The govt has given step-motherly treatment to the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) of the working people in its Domestic Debt Restructuring (DDR) programme, whereas cronies of the govt including primary dealers and private bondholders have been exempted from the process, former NPP MP Sunil Hadunnetti said. He said that the govt has provided concessions to its cronies while the EPF of the working people was being looted in several stages. more..

Jul 3 (EN) Sri Lanka�s central bank and the Employment Provident Fund will commit an enormity in re-structuring fund assets without members� consent, amid a history of mis-disclosed data and questionable investments, legislators told parliament. Sri Lanka last week disclosed a plan to meet International Monetary Fund ceilings on borrowings and debt rollovers (Gross Financing Need), by extending the maturities of central bank and EPF held government securities. more..

Jul 3 (AD) A team of scientists from NASA is reportedly on a visit to SL these days, in order to carry out research related to the alleged similarities in the stones found in SL to those on the planet Mars. The team of experts is led by Mr. Sunithi Karunathilake, a SL national who is a Senior Scientist at NASA. They will first join an observation tour in the Ginigalpalassa (GGP) and Indikolapalassa (IP) areas and then travel to the Ussangoda area in the Southern Province more..

Jul 3 (PMD) Minister of Health Keheliya Rambukwella, emphasized the implementation of a crucial program under the guidance of President Ranil Wickremesinghe to prevent future shortages of drugs in the country. Minister highlighted that the govt has taken measures to enhance the efficiency of the procurement process for importing medicines, with a particular focus on ensuring their quality. more..

Jul 3 (DM) Ex-President Maitripala Sirisena�s counsel told the Supreme Court that Jude Shramantha Jayahama was released from prison following the due Constitutional process which the petitioner had suppressed to Court. Faizer Musthapha PC contended this while challenging the Fundamental Rights petition filed by the organisation Women and Media Collective against the pardon granted by former President Maithripala Sirisena to Jude Shramantha Jayamaha. more..

Jul 3 (AD) A Rome preliminary investigations judge (GIP) on Saturday ruled that a 17-year-old boy accused of murdering a girl of his same age in the north of the Italian capital this week should remain under arrest. The boy was taken to a juvenile prison after being questioned for four hours before the GIP. He is alleged to have killed Michelle Maria Causo in the apartment where he lived in Rome�s Primavalle neighbourhood before leaving her body inside a garbage bag in a shopping trolley more..

Jul 3 (TM) PM Dinesh Gunawardena defended the govt�s decision on domestic debt restructuring, arguing that the process will have no negative impact on EPF, ETF and said the move will help stabilise and strengthen the banking sector. However, the proposal which was passed with a majority of 60 votes, drew strong criticism from opposition MPs who argued that the govt was once again dipping into the superannuation funds more..

Jul 4 (CT) Despite being a country that reveres elephants, for years, we�ve seen animal welfare activists having to rally to fight for the rights of these mammals as, in most cases, these magnificent creatures are ill-treated and in dire need of medical attention. And one of the long-discussed topics in the country has been that of elephants homed in temples and used in religious and cultural processions. Likewise, Muthu Raja, an elephant who was gifted to us by Thailand � more..

Jul 4 (TM) Social media posts about an undergraduate of the University of Ruhuna, who had allegedly been denied entry to the University�s Eliyakanda dormitory when he returned from a part time job at around 3 a.m., went viral, resulting in many blaming the University administration and the security officials who denied the student�s entry for being insensitive while some questioned how acceptable it is to return to the University at that time. more..

Jul 4 (TM) Jacynta Galabadaarachchi is a young, outstanding football player of SL origin born in 2001. She is a former player of the Celtics, the club that won the Scottish Women�s Premier League title this year. Galabadaarachchi is also an Australian professional footballer who previously played as a forward for the Australian under-20 national team. Before moving to Celtic, she played as a forward for Melbourne City, more..

Jul 4 (ST) Now the story is being told. But not all of it. What has hit the print media front pages is a news item created from a short video clip which shows Prez Wickremesinghe responding to a question raised by a Tamil resident at a panel discussion he attended in London on June 19. Who was responsible for releasing that clip�it surely had to be by or through somebody present at the discussion�I would not know. It could have been done officially or sanctioned by someone in high office or more..

Jul 4 (DM) As public sector reform is one of the conditions for getting the IMF bailout, SL govt is trying to figure out how it can be done without alienating the public as well as politically powerful elements which have a vested interest in the existing system. It is a complex and daunting task. But it has to be done now if Sri Lanka is to pull itself out of the morass it has got into. Successive SL govts had resorted to short-term & politically expedient economic strategies that had only debilitated more..

Jul 4 (TM) Sri Lanka has initiated the right reforms to enable the country to progress on achieving sustainable development, says Sustainable Development Council (SDC) Director General Chamindry Saparamadu, speaking on the progress SL is making in fulfilling the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the country�s sustainable finance journey. Saparamadu said that steps were also underway to ensure that more..

Jul 4 (Island) I began thinking about this article when the Kuppi Collective began studying the govt�s plans to enact labour reforms. We had initiated discussions with others, including academics, to understand the situation and quickly realised the highly controversial nature of these reforms and their potentially serious repercussions. Yet, hardly any debate regarding these reforms seemed to emanate from within universities. Considering the potentially grave implications of the proposals, more..

Jul 4 (Island) Some SLPP grandees would have the public believe that they are opposed to the govt�s domestic debt restructuring (DDR) programme because it has adversely affected the working class and exempted the super-rich. SLPP MP Namal Rajapaksa has gone on record as saying that he is averse to the DDR scheme, and that is why he absented himself when it was put to the vote in Parliament on Saturday. If Namal is actually opposed to the DDR programme, more..

Jul 4 (GV) Child marriage, defined as any formal marriage or informal union between a child under the age of 18 and an adult or another child, continues to be a significant issue across South Asia, including Sri Lanka. Contrary to popular belief, child marriages are not confined to a single ethnicity or cultural background. The prevalence of child marriages among different communities is alarming, as indicated by data obtained from ECPAT SL and the Department of Census and Statistics. more..

Jul 4 (DM) The proverbial monkey planning to have permanent shelter amidst heavy rains and forgetting once the showers cease is always reminded when politicians and media seek to resolve crime waves that occasionally emerge. We are witnessing a new wave of killings these days as well. Media reported that the number of shooting incidents taken place during the first six months of this year has reached 50, while the deaths occurred in those incidents were around 25. more..

Jul 4 (CT) The Ministry of Education has proposed a plan to close down schools with fewer than 100 students as part of the national education reforms project. This plan is aimed at optimising resources and ensuring the quality of education provided to students islandwide. It has been determined that closing down about 2,000 schools, which fall below the specified student threshold, would be beneficial in terms of efficiency more..