May 20 (Island) In commemoration of the 14th National War Heroes� Day, Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, has promoted over 5,400 SL Army and Navy personnel to their next ranks. The promotions were announced yesterday and took effect immediately. In the SL Army, 402 Officers (Regular and Volunteer Force) and 3,348 Other Ranks were promoted. The promotions included: 7 Brigadiers to the rank of Major General, more..

May 20 (CT) The final report, prepared by Singapore�s Subana Jurong Company, concerning the development of the Western Province under the Metropolitan Development Project, will be submitted to SL authorities within four months. This agreement has been reached after a discussion held by the Singaporean company representatives with the Prez�s Chief of Staff Sagala Ratnayake. This project will build the Western Province financial sector, tourism sector, port sector and supply sector more..

May 20 (DN) The final rites of Chief Prelate of the Amarapura Maha Nikaya Agga Maha Panditha Most Ven. Dodampahala Chandrasiri Mahanayake Thera will take place tomorrow at the Independence Square at 3 p.m. with full State Honours, Commissioner General of Buddhist Affairs said. The remains of the late Mahanayake Thera lie at the Gothama Thapowanaya at Kalapaluwawa in Rajagiriya and the cortege will leave the temple at 1 p.m tomorrow. more..

May 20 (FT) Colombo stock market suffered a fresh week of losses ending earlier hopes of winning streak continuing from last week. S&P SL20 lost 109.5 points or 4.23% and ASPI dipped by 210.8 points or 2.36%. In the previous week the Colombo bourse gained for the first time since mid-March. Turnover this week averaged Rs. 694 million as against Rs. 669 million last week. Market saw a net foreign outflow with HNBN suffering selling of Rs. 28.5 m whilst Dialog saw buying of Rs. 2.9 m. more..

May 20 (DN) A pilot project to mark speed limits on countryside roads was launched yesterday to minimize road accidents. Uswetakeiyawa Road in the Gampaha District has been selected as the pilot project and steps will be taken to adapt this system for the entire road system of SL in the future. �More than 10 motor traffic accidents are reported daily, 45 percent of them fatal, with one death being reported every four hours. more..

May 20 (FT) Concerns have been expressed by local environmental organisations and activists regarding the possibility that SL authorities may have initiated legal proceedings against the owners and operators of MV X-Press Pearl in the wrong jurisdiction following reports that the case could potentially be transferred to the Singapore International Commercial Court in the upcoming days. Centre for Environmental Justice Chairman Dr. Ravindranath Dabare expressed his concern more..

May 20 (DM) Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs (DAS) Afreen Akhter says US has invested in SL�s economic recovery, a statement from the U.S. embassy said. According to the statement, DAS Akhter, who arrived in SL earlier this week, highlighted the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries as she engaged in a wide range of consultative meetings. In many of her meetings, DAS Akhter shared details of $270 million in new support more..

May 20 (FT) SJB led by Sajith Premadasa initiated legal action against the owners, operators, insurers and managers of MV X-Press Pearl responsible for the marine disaster which took place on 20 May 2021 off the coast of SL. The legal action was filed by SJB Gen. Secretary Ranjith Madduma Bandara & SJB MP Kavinda Jayawardane together with several other parties including local fisher organisations. more..

May 21 (CT) There have been three different elections in as many countries over the last two weeks: Karnataka State Assembly elections in India, presidential and parliamentary elections in Turkey, and parliamentary elections in Thailand. In Karnataka, the nationally triumphant BJP suffered a significant state defeat, and the nationally struggling Congress Party registered an outright state victory. Expectations were frustrated in Turkey, but were spectacularly exceeded in Thailand. more..

May 21 (SO) On Friday, the nation marked the 14th anniversary of the victory over terrorism at a solemn ceremony. While the war has ended for good, lasting peace and reconciliation still remain elusive. Although the conflict finally ended in 2009, the hearts of all Sri Lankans will take many more decades to heal. While there is a massive development process under-way in the previously war-torn areas, what is more important is making those people partners in the nation�s journey more..

May 21 (SO) DGHS Dr. Asela Gunawardena called for more awareness on dengue, Rat Fever and Covid-19, especially the relevant preventive steps. He said the public should cooperate with all health guidelines and other preventive measures implemented by the Govt and health authorities to keep these diseases at bay. Q: Is there a threat of hospitals shutting down as a result of many doctors retiring from Govt service? more..

May 21 (TM) Friday (19) marked 14 years since the end of the three-decade-long war; a sombre day by all means that is now marked with pomp and pageantry. Leaving all that aside, the issues that led to the war and the residual effects of the war such as the thousands who were displaced from their homes, the thousands left destitute, the thousands who yet remain classified as missing on both sides, and land issues that yet remain unresolved are wounds that continue to require healing. more..

May 21 (TM) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe is scheduled to visit Singapore and Japan this week in what seem like further attempts to continue strengthening the country�s foreign relations. He is scheduled to leave the country tomorrow (22). During the visits, Prez is expected to meet the PMs of Singapore and Japan, along with other relevant ministers in Japan. It is learnt that Japan, which played an integral role in securing IMF support for SL, will be personally thanked by the Prez more..

May 21 (ST) SL�s High Commissioner Milinda Moragoda, had a tough time answering some political questions posed by New Delhi-based foreign journalists related to the Adani deals and Chinese influence. He was addressing a media conference organised by the Foreign Correspondents� Club of South Asia, on Tuesday. One journalist asked why the Adani deals which were handed over to the multi-conglomerate as govt deals following more..

May 21 (ST) My dear Pastor Jerome, I thought of writing to you like this because I am not sure where you are, although you have said you will return to Paradise today. It must be a novel experience for you, isn�t it, being almost unknown among the general public a week ago and becoming the hot topic of discussion a few days later? We heard that you had left the country suddenly, when one of your videos went viral. However, you say it was a trip planned much earlier. Whatever it was, more..

May 21 (ST) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe leaves for Tokyo next week for a roundtable discussion with Japanese leaders and its business community at a profound sounding seminar titled, The Future of Asia. There is a lot of chatter recently on the subject of peace in the Indo-Pacific region. In Dhaka last week, Bangladesh and India jointly hosted a conference on the Indian Ocean and even in faraway Stockholm, the subject was discussed. SL ministers were present at all these talkathons, more..

May 21 (Island) It has been one year since we got assaulted in front of the Temple Trees on May 9th, 2022. A simple candlelight protest begun in Kohuwela on March 01st 2022 grew to be an expression of major people�s power which really shook the unshakable SL political powers since the independence. Fuel & gas queues along with over 10 hours of power cut, etc, brought everyone in Colombo under one umbrella of protest. Word Aragalaya was considered everyone�s more..

May 21 (Island) Nobody talks any more about the LG elections the president aborted earlier this year. It is as clear as clear can be why RW resorted to the no money ploy to accomplish that objective. UNP had struck a deal with the SLPP to run together, each complementing the other, and both parties along with other aspirants went through the cosmetic motions of paying their deposits and handing nomination for an election that was even then very much in doubt. more..

May 21 (ST) Shammi Silva, the newly-elected president of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) said that beside winning a World Cup, his priority would be to kickstart the suspended new stadium project in Diyagama to give Sri Lanka an opportunity to host another World Cup. A new facility in Colombo will be of benefit in the long run when bidding for hosting rights of ICC tournaments, he said. �We missed the hosting of the 2026 World Cup, more..

May 21 (SO) SL national record holder Yupun Abeykoon will vie to come up with flying colous and prove his class when he features in the men�s 100m event at the Florence leg of the Wanda Diamond League 2023 on June 2. Abeykoon will face stiff competition in the event, with top runners like reigning World Champion Fred Kerley, Olympic Champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs and Commonwealth Champion Ferdinand Omanyala in the line-up all set to race in Florence. more..

May 21 (SO) Sri Lankans are seeing the funniest, cruelest and most arrogant side of the sports set -up in the country with the latest meanest blow coming in the form of World Rugby sin-binning SL Rugby four months after the country�s football body became a pariah in the eyes of the international fraternity. Both bans have made SL the laughing stock of the world as the island continues to make headlines for the wrong reasons while Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe keeps shooting more..

May 21 (SO) The Miss World Tourism 2023 will take place in Sri Lanka for the first time in July. The pageant is set to showcase the country�s scenic regions and tourism hotspots as 40 contestants from around the world will compete for the Miss World Tourism title. The pageant will be launched on July 20 and take contestants to Sigiriya, Kandy, Arugam Bay, Yala and Hikkaduwa, wrapping up on the 11th day for the main event at the Nelum Pokuna Theatre. more..

May 21 (ST) A hamstring niggle is likely to keep Kusal Janith Perera out of the 3-match ODI series against Afghanistan next month, making way for Test skipper Dimuth Karunaratne to return to coloured clothing more than two years after he was dumped from the format. Perera was in line to return to ODI cricket during the Afghanistan series as he is considered a key player for SL�s World Cup qualifying campaign in Zimbabwe later next month. However, he is not fully fit more..

May 21 (Island) We�ve heard it from cricket�s supremo M.S. Dhoni that young fast bowling sensation Matheesha Pathirana should get nowhere near red ball cricket. There would have been quite a furore had Sangakkara or Mahela said it. Remember the reaction when they echoed similar sentiments in the case of Lasith Malinga all those years ago. But with talents like Matheesha and Malinga it seems a sensible move. more..

May 21 (Island) Useful for sustainable agriculture and upholding ecosystem services, bees bear important links to biodiversity and human well being. Among them, companies have a key role to play. Widespread use of pesticides and fertilizer, habitat destruction, and climate change threaten the future of bees and other pollinators and insects. Therefore, pollinator-friendly actions from govt policy down to individual action is important. For the first time among businesses, more..

May 21 (ST) The financial statement for the year 2022 reveals that Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) recorded an after-tax profit of Rs 6.34bn. This significant surplus was largely attributed to the sharp appreciation of the dollar, which resulted in an exchange gain of Rs 6.05bn. The US dollar�s value rose from Rs 200.75 at the beginning of the year to Rs 366.71 at the end. SLC�s total revenue for the year amounted to Rs 17.58bn, while its expenditures totaled Rs 11.24bn. more..

May 21 (ST) In a latest move towards relaxation of import controls imposed in March 2020 to save dollars, Finance Ministry is considering lifting of import restrictions on around less than 1000 items from 3000 items (HS codes), State Minister of finance Shehan Semasinghe confirmed. Electronic items including computers, mobile phones, television sets, home appliances, stationery items, food items, clothing material and more..

May 21 (TM) Aruna Darshana, the reigning 400 m National Champion, extended his personal best by clocking 45.49 seconds at the recent Kinami Memorial Athletics Championship in Osaka, Japan. Accordingly, he has obtained 1,131 bonus points in the Budapest World Championship qualification quota and is currently in 45th place (quota � 48). The Sunday Morning Sports sat down for an interview with the rising star on his training and his career so far. Following are excerpts: more..

May 21 (TM) The US is not keen to pursue a new iteration of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with SL at present, visiting US Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Deputy Assistant Secretary (DAS) Afreen Akhter said. Responding to a question, Akhter said that entering into a SOFA with SL was not being considered by the US at present. �I don�t think that is something we are considering at the moment,� Akhter said. The attempt to negotiate the bilateral SOFA between both countries more..

May 21 (ST) Representation of Free Trade Zone workers along with four other trade unions have been removed from the National Labour Advisory Council (NLAC) as a result of the newly constituted body by Labour Minister Manusha Nanayakkara. Four trade unions that have been representing its workers from the factory workers in the zones to the staff employed on the estates among other unions have been removed from the NLAC this year. NLAC that needs to meet at least once a month more..

May 21 (TM) US District Judge Denise Cote on Monday (15) endorsed the joint status letter submitted by Hamilton Reserve Bank (HRB) and SL, which outlined the schedule for the subsequent proceedings of the case. Both parties submitted this joint status letter in accordance with the order issued by US District Judge Cote on 20 April. The schedule provided therein outlined specific deadlines, including completion of discovery by 20 June, submission of summary judgement motions more..

May 21 (ST) SL has complied with all the regulations to qualify for EU GSP+ concessions, and is confident in regaining them when the new round of GSP+ concessions is announced. We are on a good wicket now, said Shobini Gunasekera, Director-General � Europe and North America at the Foreign Ministry, commenting on the progress of extensive talks recently with the European Union (EU). During the recent 25th Session of more..

May 21 (ST) Cherry picking should not be done in the domestic debt restructuring (DDR) process and if done properly, the Sri Lankan population can live with it, economists say. �It should be done for all debt securities and adjusted equally. The fear of debt restructuring is far greater than the actual pain. If you spread it out as much as possible, with the interest rates coming down it should be fine,� Murtaza Jafferjee, Chairman Advocata Institute told The Business Times. more..

May 21 (DM) Referring to the recent video clips circulating on social media alleging ill-treatment of Sri Lankan housemaids at the Embassy�s safe-house, the SL Embassy in Oman said it will not re-admit any housemaids who illegally leave the safe-house on their own responsibility and legal action will be taken against any housemaid who verbally or physically abuse the staff or engage in protests and cause damage to govt property. In a media statement, the Embassy said, more..

May 21 (AD) Japan�s Nippon Ishin no Kai Upper House lawmaker Mizuho Umemura was dismissed from a parliamentary committee and party officials apologized after her remarks questioning the March 2021 death of a SL woman at an immigration facility ignited a firestorm of criticism. Wishma Sandamali, 33, died at Nagoya Regional Immigration Services Bureau after complaining to officials that she was ill and needed medical attention, sparking shock, anger, and calls from within Japan more..