May 26 (CB) Even as reports emanating from Pakistan say that the hybrid model proposed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) could be implemented for the 2023 edition of the Asia Cup, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said there could be an announcement on this during the IPL final. The BCCI has invited the heads of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) and Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and it is believed that there could be an announcement after more..

May 26 (TM) Claiming that it is ridiculous to discuss devolution of power, when the Provincial Councils (PC), a key feature in the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, are not functioning, ruling SLPP Party stated that the Govt should either abolish PCs, or formally establish them. Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe has said that he would resolve the issue of the minorities, particularly the Tamil community, through devolution and the full implementation of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution. more..

May 26 (EN) SL�s personal income tax hikes have hit economic activity in the first quarter though despite currency stability helped businesses cut prices, Hemas Holdings, a top consumer goods group has said. As the currency stabilized, as central bank ended contradictory money and exchange policy conflicts, businesses had cut prices. Mainstream economists generally claim that price falls lead to delayed transactions and try to generate more..

May 26 (Island) Chairman of the Institute of Hospitality, Dr. Harsha Jayasinghe on Tuesday said the brain drain in the country had not only led to a serious loss of talent but also hampered the industry�s ability to provide high-quality services and meet the demands of national and international visitors. Speaking at the 31st AGM of the Institute of Hospitality SL at Movenpick Colombo, Dr. Jayasinghe said Sri Lankans were leaving the country in droves seeking greener pastures more..

May 26 (FT) Internationally acclaimed primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall has written to Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe this week to express grave concerns about SL�s attempts to export Toque Macaques to China. Setting out the concerns raised with Wickremesinghe, Goodall along with the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) in a public statement issued yesterday stressed that due to their conservation status, trade may only be permitted where relevant authorities are satisfied that such trade more..

May 26 (Island) Former Speaker Karu Jayasuriya urged the govt to conduct a thorough investigation into MNA MP Ali Sabri Raheem�s abortive attempt to smuggle in gold at the BIA as it couldn�t be considered just a mere violation of the Customs law. Jayasuriya said so in a statement issued in his capacity as the Chairman of the NMSJ. The former UNP Deputy Leader issued the statement close on the heels of the Customs concluding the investigation into MP�s gold smuggling bid. more..

May 26 (DM) Former PUCSL Chairman, Janaka Ratnayake who was sacked from his position by Parliament on Wednesday said that since all common political candidates had failed, he would contest the next Prez Election as a People's Candidate. Ratnayake said there are a number of political parties in SL, but none of these parties had been able to deliver to fulfil the people's expectations. However, he said he was the ideal candidate to represent the people in the next more..

May 26 (CT) Ministry of Public Adm, Home Affairs, PCs and LG has called for all State institutions to allocate one day of the week to inspect premises for mosquito breeding sites and clearing purposes. Meanwhile, PM Dinesh Gunawardena advised the Governors to, with the intervention of all the relevant authorities, take urgent measures to prevent the spread of dengue. Governors alerted PM Gunawardena that there is a tendency for more..

May 26 (DM) Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe revealed today that a Rs. 100 million grant provided by the World Bank to open Parliament proceedings, COPE and COPA live to the media were credited to the Treasury by P.B. Jayasundara but what happened to the funds was yet to be known. He told Parliament that in 2006 and 2007 when he was the Chairman of the COPE, World Bank provided Rs. 100 million in appreciation for the work done by the COPE. more..

May 26 (DM) While sounding the alarm bell that the shortage of drugs in the country has reached a critical stage, Sri Lanka�s leading medical associations accused the Govt of turning a blind eye to the matter. Dr Vinya Ariyaratne, President of the Sri Lanka Medical Association. (SLMA) said �There is an acute shortage of certain drugs at Govt hospitals,� �Particularly in clinics, doctors are writing prescriptions for patients to buy medicines from outside. more..

May 26 (FT) State Finance Minister Shehan Semasinghe affirmed that the Govt is making every effort to ensure economic stability and a sustainable development process post-recovery period. He made these observations at a discussion when the US Trade Representative for South and Central Asia called on the State Minister at the Finance Ministry. �The economy has clearly stabilised from what it was last year as a result of the measures that Govt has implemented over the past few months. more..

May 26 (TM) Questioning about the delay in appointing SJB Opposition Parliamentarian Dr. Harsha de Silva as the Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Public Finance (COPF), the Leader of Opposition Sajith Premadasa yesterday stressed that the public must be informed as to whether there is a dispute between President Ranil Wickremesinghe and the Govt MPs as it does not seem that they are following the orders given by the President. more..

May 26 (ST) A wide-ranging criminal investigation into Pastor Jerome Fernando, now at the centre of a controversy, will look into his finances and how vast sums of money came to maintain his massive church complex in Katunayake, which authorities confirm is unregistered. Pastor Fernando, a self-styled prophet, describes himself on his website as the senior overseer of the Glorious Church in Colombo, more..

May 26 (EN) SL President Ranil Wickremesinghe has apologised to the Japanese govt for the unilateral cancellation of a Japan-funded 1.5 billion dollar light rail transit (LRT) project. Wickremesinghe, who met Japanese PM Fumio Kishida in Tokyo on Thursday, spoke on the need for legislation to ensure that large-scale bilateral projects cannot be cancelled without mutual agreement, a statement from Wickremesinghe�s office said. more..

May 26 (CT) The SJB, yesterday alleged that MP Ali Sabri Raheem, who was recently nabbed attempting to smuggle in gold and mobile phones, was released on a lesser fine than that would be imposed on any other offender. State Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya, responding to the allegations, said the highest fine in the recent past in relation to the quantity of gold seized was imposed on MP Ali Sabri. He told Parliament that there was no irregularity in releasing the MP and that more..

May 26 (FT) Prez Ranil Wickremsinghe gave a fresh impetus to SL-Japan ties which had been under some strain in recent years with several key meetings as well as reiteration of the importance of revival. Using his visit to Tokyo to address the Nikkei�s Future of Asia Forum, Wickremesinghe held what could be described crucial bilateral talks with Japanese PM Fumio Kishida, Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki more..

May 26 (AD) The fuel quota currently allowed on the National Fuel Pass (QR) system will be increased from next month, Minister Kanchana Wijesekera said. Taking to Twitter, Minister revealed that the current quota will be increased, for all vehicles, from the fuel price revision scheduled to take place in June. The relevant decision was taken yesterday, at a meeting held with the marketing, finance and commercial divisions of Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC), more..

May 26 (FT) I am sure the title would be viewed in many ways and some may dive into the writeup searching for some juicy disclosures. Of course, I am quite incapable of this as I have tried to understand the environmental ramifications of this event and that has been the remit of mine. Of course, there are quite many environmental aspects from this event and I am equally sure that we have a few novel interactions taking place which we are still not fully aware of adding to more..

May 26(AD) The four suspects arrested in connection with the recent death of a 16-yer-old schoolgirl in Kalutara have been remanded till 09 June on orders of the Kalutara Magistrate�s Court. On 6 May, the naked corpse of a 16-year-old was found near the railway tracks in Kalutara, after she reportedly fell to her death from the third floor of a five-storey hotel in the area. A young couple, aged 19 and 22, who had accompanied the girl and the main suspect, aged 29, were arrested on more..

May 26 (DM) A resolution is to be brought in to expel MP Ali Sabry Raheem from Parliament following the charges of attempting to smuggle gold. MPs who attended the party leaders' meeting told journalists that the issue over MP Raheem was discussed at the meeting and it was decided that action has to be taken against the MP whom they believe had brought disrepute to all MPs. �Party leaders decided that action should be taken against MP Raheem and former Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa was more..

May 26 (CT) The festering conflict within the Human Rights Commission of SL (HRCSL), between the Commissioners and the Chairperson, has come to a head, with three Commissioners requesting an urgent meeting with the President to explain the unfortunate situation that has arisen in the Commission, due to the arbitrary and unethical behavour of the Chairperson of the Commission. Commissioners, Dr. Vijitha Nanayakkara, more..

May 26 (EN) A Korean citizen from Colombo district who is alleged to have taken money to send people to Korean jobs without a valid license was arrested by the Investigation Division of SL Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE), officials said. Korean was arrested on Friday (26). �We received three complaints from the people who were tricked by this Korean individual who has taken 500,000 (SL) rupees from those people,� an official from the Investigation Division of SLBFE said. more..

May 26 (AD) The Committee on Ways and Means says a proper methodology should be followed in selecting beneficiaries for social security schemes. This was taken into discussion at the Committee on Ways and Means chaired by MP Patali Champika Ranawaka. The officials informed the committee regarding the Aswesuma welfare scheme to be implemented by the govt from the first of July. They noted that welfare benefit payments would be made under 04 social categories of more..

May 26 (PBS) Three veterinarians, a mahout, two assistants and a specially-built cage will be flown to SL on a chartered flight on July 1st to bring Saksurin, an ailing and aging Thai elephant, back home after about 21 years abroad. According to Sittidet Mahasawangkul, a veterinary expert with Thailand�s Forest Industry Organisation, the mahout, Thongsuk Mali-ngam, will be flown to SL to train the elephant on how to enter and exit the cage more..

May 26 (FT) Following are remarks delivered on the theme � Roadmap for an economically sustainable future in the Indo-Pacific at the 6th Indian Ocean Conference � 2023 held in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on 12-13 May. This Conference (IOC 2023) was organised by the India Foundation in partnership with the Ministry of External Affairs of India, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh, and the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Singapore. more..

May 26 (DM) It was revealed at the recent COPE meeting that what was called the world's largest star sapphire cluster that was unearthed in Ratnapura was only worth USD 10,000 whereas it was earlier claimed that it is worth more than USD 100 million. Officials of the National Gem and Jewellery Authority informed the COPE that it has only an antique value, and was only worth as a museum piece. �It cannot be cut and polished. It has only an antique value. It is only worth as a museum piece,� more..

May 26 (PMD) President Ranil Wickremesinghe actively engaged in a pivotal business round table on Sri Lanka�s Economic Revival & Opportunities for Japanese Enterprise, where he presented the nation�s commitment to stabilizing and liberalizing the economy while actively inviting new foreign ventures. The event, jointly organized by JETRO, Japan-SL Business Co-Operation, and the Embassy of SL in Japan, aimed to strengthen economic ties between the two nations. more..

May 26 (TM) A Fundamental Rights petition has been filed by Pastor Jerome Fernando with the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka asking to issue an order preventing his arrest by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) today (26). An arrest warrant has been issued for the arrest of Jerome Fernando for publicity speaking I'll of other religions in his sermons. President Ranil Wickremesinghe has informed the CID to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the matter. more..

May 26 (Reuters) SL is confident of meeting its September deadline on completing debt restructuring talks with creditors, a top official said, as the debt-laden country works to emerge from its worst financial crisis in decades. SL, which defaulted on its foreign debt for the first time in history last April due to record low foreign reserves, is in talks with bondholders and bilateral creditors including China, Japan and India to put its debt more..

May 26 (SLN) A special operation conducted by the SL Navy in the wee hours of 25th May led to the apprehension of 08 persons for engaging in light-coarse fishing and fishing using unauthorized nets in the sea area of Arisimalai, Pulmoddai. During this operation the Navy also took hold of unauthorized fishing gear and 2 dinghies used for these illegal acts. Navy conducts regular operations in the coastal and sea areas around the island in order to suppress illegal fishing activities more..

May 26 (DM) Sri Lanka will receive US $ 200,000 in prize money for finishing fifth in the World Test Championship (WTC), the ICC announced. Sri Lanka were in the running to qualify for the final heading into their last WTC series, away to NZ. But a 2-0 series defeat meant that they missed out on the final and fell down the points table to finish in fifth. ICC announced an overall prize pool of US $ 3.8 million, for the nine teams that participated in the 2021-23 cycle of the WTC, more..

May 26 (EN) Sri Lanka�s merchandise exports fell 16.15% to US$ 814.1 million in April 2023 compared to the same period last year as declining trend for the export products persisted, EDB said. �Declining trend in merchandise exports further continues due to the negative trends shown in major export products: Apparel & Textiles, Rubber & Rubber based products and Coconut & Coconut based products,� more..

May 26 (FT) Ceylon Comic Fest was a novel initiative by the Club Service Avenue of the Rotaract Club of University of Sri J'pura done in collaboration with Sri COM to bring together fans of comics, fantasy, manga, anime, gaming, science fiction, and pop culture to enjoy, discuss, and share information and experiences about their interests and about being part of the geek community in SL. The event provided a perfect opportunity for friends and families to trance to their childhoods more..

May 26 (EN) A group of Sri Lanka workers who could not reach South Korea within the deadline due to a flight delay will leave for the country again on June 04, officials said. Due to a 10-hour delay of a SriLankan Airlines flight, 48 Sri Lankan workers missed a deadline set by the Korean authorities to report to the country. Sri Lanka bureau of Foreign Employment was told by the South Korean Human Resource Institute not to send the workers after the plane delay. more..