May 31 (FT) Prez Wickremesinghe�s decisive diplomacy following strained relations with Japan was hailed by the Cabinet of Ministers at its meeting on Monday, whilst approving the interest in picking up the abruptly abandoned Light Rail Transit (LRT) project. �Before leaving for Tokyo, the Prez got the approval from the Cabinet to resume the discussion on the LRT project. Official visit to Japan was an important and a decisive step more..

May 31 (Island) Rohan de Silva retained his position at the helm of Sri Lanka Badminton (SLB) at the Annual General Meeting held at the SLB HQ, on Monday. De Silva, who has been at the helm of the country�s badminton governing body since 2019 was the sole contestant for the post of president. The general election also witnessed the appointment of several other key office bearers who will work closely with President de Silva to support and regulate the sport in the country. more..

May 31 (FT) Cabinet of Ministers green-lighted to operate direct flights for Israeli Airline � Arkia, subject to conditions. The airline will have to follow security protocol standards similar to that of Dubai and Bangkok when establishing its offices in SL. �Generally, the airline operates with two armed guards onboard and due to this fact the flight was not permitted to operate into Sri Lanka citing security concerns,� Tourism Minister Harin Fernando said. He said Foreign Affairs Ministry should more..

May 31 (DM) Central Bank of SL (CBSL) has requested the Attorney General to consider instituting criminal proceedings against eight pyramid-type prohibited schemes operating in the country. It said that based on complaints, investigations were conducted in accordance with section 83C of the Banking Act No. 30 of 1988, to ascertain whether the following institutions conduct and/or have conducted schemes prohibited more..

May 31 (EN) A parliamentary panel has approved a recommendation by the Minister of Public Security to give a grace period of 7 days for foreigners who overstay visas, a statement said. It been recommended that no penalty shall be levied for departure at an approved port of the SL currently charges a 500 dollar fine on foreigners who overstay visas for more than 2 days. Minister of Public Security has recommended that the no penalty be charged at an airport or port if a foreigner more..

May 31 (EN) Sri Lanka has welcomed 75,767 tourists up to May 28, 2023, sharply up from 30,207 from a year ago, but lower from April, data from the tourism promotion office shows. In April Sri Lanka welcomed 105,498 tourists, down from 125,495 in March. The period between April and June is in the so-called off-season that comes immediately after the European winter season ends. Sri Lanka�s tourist officials say off season hotel prices in Colombo are falling amid competition. more..

May 31 (AD) A young couple who had visited the Lotus Tower in Colombo has been apprehended after they were caught while carving their names into a wall at the top of the tower. The security officials of the Lotus Tower had taken steps to hand over them to the police last evening. Following the opening of the Lotus Tower to the public, its officials had issued a statement that strict legal action will be sought against any visitors to the tower who damage its property or defacing any parts of structure. more..

May 31 (SLN) Special operations conducted by the SL Navy in the wee hours of 30th May led to the apprehension of 9 persons for engaging in several illegal fishing activities in the sea areas of Chundikulam, Chalai, and Nagar Kovil in Veththalakerni. During these operations, Navy also took hold of unauthorized fishing gear and 5 dinghies used for these illegal acts. Navy conducts regular operations in the coastal and sea areas around the island in order to suppress illegal more..

May 31 (CT) Following concerns that there is a shortage of officers to man Police Stations, due to officers being deployed to various places and for the protection of individuals, Minister Tiran Alles has advised the IGP to deploy Police Officers only for essential duties, after a proper security assessment and to deploy the other officers at Police Stations. Minister gave this instruction at the Ministerial Consultative Committee meeting, more..

May 31 (FT) People�s Bank yesterday announced the results for its quarter ended 31 March 2023 reporting total consolidated operating income and pre-tax profit amounting to Rs. 24.0 billion and Rs. 7.2 billion, respectively (Q1-2022: Rs. 42.6 billion and Rs. 11.0 billion). Similar to 2022, the quarter continued to be characterised by higher interest costs; due to the high interest rate environment which prevailed. This saw consolidated net interest income dip by 49.7% more..

May 31 (Island) Indian High Commission yesterday said that following a request from SL, the State Bank of India (SBI) had extended the tenure of the USD 1 billion Credit Facility, provided in March 2022, for the procurement of essential items. In this context, an Amendment Agreement was signed yesterday, in the presence of the State Minister of Finance, Shehan Semasinghe, senior officials from the Ministry of Finance of SL and officials from the High Commission of India, Colombo. more..

May 31 (TM) Minister of Transport Dr. Bandula Gunawardana said that the Govt is unable to shoulder the total cost spent on the Sisu Seriya school bus service. Joining the press conference held yesterday (30) to announce the decisions taken by the Cabinet of Ministers, Gunawardana emphasised that the Govt will have to charge a certain rate from the parents. The decision was arrived at considering the current economic situation in the country, he added. more..

May 31 (CT) In a surprising turn of events, popular comedian Ricky Gervais and former MP Navin Dissanayake engaged in a hilarious Twitter exchange on freedom of speech in stand-up comedy. Dissanayake tweeted that stand-up comedians should be careful not to hurt others� religious beliefs. �Stand-up comedy is a part of free speech in any democracy. It can be enjoyed but not at the expense of hurting the religious feelings of others. What�s funny to you may not be funny more..

May 31 (DM) "We have been talking about this racial and religious differences since the time we understood it. So when will this come to an end? BBS Gen Secy Ven. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera questioned. He said that "we, as a country are in a critical juncture today. Not only have there been many discussions over these religious issues, but the internet moderators have snowballed this issue purely for to make money". more..

May 31 (Island) Jerome Fernando and Natasha Edirisooriya are actors in a drama orchestrated by the govt to distract people from the real issues faced by the masses, MP Dilan Perera of NJS alleged, addressing a press conference in Colombo. �The govt is very good at distracting. the govt wants them to talk about Jerome or some stand-up comedy instead of people talking about inflation, X-Press Pearl compensation and cheap drugs that have made scores of people blind,� he said. more..

May 31 (PMD) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe received a courtesy call by Sun Weidong, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs from China. The meeting took place at the Presidential Secretariat yesterday and was attended by officials from both nations. During the discussions, Vice Minister Sun Weidong reiterated China�s steadfast support for SL in its ongoing economic recovery. Prez expressed his sincere appreciation for the unwavering assistance provided by China during this critical period. more..

May 31 (TM) The SJB is to discuss the shortcomings of the Anti-Corruption Bill, the domestic debt restructuring process and its consequences, and other economic issues related to the IMF EFF with the visiting IMF delegation today. The IMF delegation is led by the IMF�s Deputy Managing Director Kenji Nakamura. SJB MP Kabir Hashim said that the SJB will question the IMF, particularly about the decisions that are more..

May 31 (CT) Negombo Civil Appellate High Court has dismissed the Leave to Appeal application, filed by former President Maithripala Sirisena, challenging the Negombo District Court�s decision to proceed with the cases brought against him, by the victims of the bomb blasts at Katuwapitiya St. Sebastian�s Church in 2019. The District Court had ordered a stay on the cases against Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe while allowing the petitioners to proceed against the other respondents. more..

May 31 (FT) �The IMF is very secretive about its loan agreements and negotiations. It is difficult to obtain detailed information on the recipients of IMF loans, the conditions imposed on loan recipients, and the number and aggregate amount of loans in default. This secrecy makes it very difficult to determine how IMF actions and policy affect stated goals.� Report authored by visiting fellow Bryan Johnson for The Heritage Foundation titled The IMF: Outdated, Ineffective and Unnecessary more..

May 31 (FT) SL is one of eight developing countries eligible for GSP+ concessions, which grants duty-free access to over 66% of products exported to the EU (over 7,200 products). Since attaining GSP+ status in 2005, the nation�s apparel and fisheries industries have notably benefited from zero tariffs when exporting to the EU, as opposed to tariff rates of over 7%, which countries outside the concessionary programs of the EU must face. Industries such as seafood, rubber, and more..

May 31 (DM) World Rugby (WR) on Monday (29) informed the Sports Ministry of SL that they would also be investigated as a part of WR review process following the ban imposed on Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR). Sports Ministry took some stern decisions in the last few months, which has resulted quite negatively on rugby in particular. SLR was officially suspended by WR on May 11 after which the Minister of Sports Roshan Ranasinghe wrote a letter to the WR in an attempt clear the air. more..

May 31 (FT) ITAK known in English as the Federal Party (FP) is in the grip of two problems. The premier political party of the Northern and Eastern SL Tamils is presently facing an inter-party crisis as well as an intra-party crisis. Inter-party crisis relates to the recent split in the TNA of which the ITAK was the chief constituent. Intra-party crisis is over leadership stakes in the party. This article will primarily focus on the break up of the TNA more..

May 31 (EN) SL has signed an agreement with Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology (KIAT) to build two one megawatt floating solar power plants, Minister Kanchana Wijesekera said in a twitter message. Korea Institute for Technology will grant 5.2 million US dollars to SL�s Sustainable Energy Authority the two plants. They will be built on the Chandrika Wewa in the Sabaragamuwa province and the Kiri Ibban Wewa in the Uva Province by Korean engineering firms. more..

May 31 (CGTN) SL PM Dinesh Gunawardena held discussions in Bangkok on Wednesday with his Thai counterpart Prayut Chan-o-cha to enhance bilateral relations and strengthen trade, investment and religious ties, said a statement from the office of the SL PM. Noting that SL and Thailand have a strong cultural and religious bond because of their shared Buddhist heritage, the statement said that the Siam Nikaya, which originated in Thailand, is one of the most revered monastic orders in SL. more..

May 31 (EN) Sri Lanka�s inflation in the 12-months to May 2023 has eased to 25.2% from 35.3% a month earlier according to a revised Colombo Consumer Price Index. During the month of May the CCPI Index was unchanged at 192.3 points. SL�s central bank is running deflationary policy and has run balance of payments surpluses from around Sept 2022. The exchange rate was allowed to appreciate from around March, more..

May 31 (AD) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe will deliver a special statement addressing the govt�s efforts over the past nine months to revive SL�s economy, as well as outlining the forthcoming stages of the country�s social, economic, and political reform agenda. This special statement is scheduled to be broadcasted tomorrow at 8 PM across all television, radio, and digital media platforms throughout the country, ensuring that the entire public is informed and comprehends the message. more..

May 31 (DN) Vehicle Importers Association Lanka (VIAL) highlighted that over 400 various types of vehicles have been in the Colombo Harbour during the last 18 months without being released to importers and requested authorities to make immediate steps to release them. VIAL, Chairman Indika Sampath Merinchchige said even there was a budget proposal that vehicles which are currently idling in the harbour should be handed over to the importers after imposing necessary taxes more..

May 31 (AD) Bruno Divakara, the owner of the YouTube channel SL-Vlogs, has been arrested by the CID, a short while ago. He was arrested by the CID after being questioned for over eight hours regarding the recent controversial comments by stand-up comedian Nathasha Edirisooriya, who was also arrested recently, SSP Nihal Thalduwa said. Mr. Divakara was likely brought in for questioning as the video of concern, that soon went viral across social media websites, more..

May 31 (DM) While stressing that he was not aware of the current stance of the SLPP, MP Wimalaweera Dissanayaka warned that he was not ready to sit idle in the govt. A very bitter MP said however that he has no issues with the Prez or the majority of members in the govt. �Nevertheless, there are several idiots in the Cabinet,� he said. "I have worked tirelessly for five years to build the SLPP and bring electoral victory for the SLPP in the Ampara district while both my kidneys decayed. more..

May 31 (TM) Claiming that there is information to the effect that incidents of some individuals making statements allegedly insulting certain religions, including Buddhism, are of an organised nature, the Ministry of Justice, Prisons Affairs and Constitutional Reforms warned of legal action against such individuals, even without the receipt of a complaint. The recent statements made by individuals, such as Pastor Jerome more..

May 31 (PTI) Sri Lanka has invited Tamil superstar Rajinikanth to visit the island nation in an effort to boost tourism. SL's Deputy High Commissioner, Dr. D. Venkateshwaran met the world renowned actor at the latter's residence in Chennai invited him to visit the island nation as his presence will enhance cinema-induced tourism as well as spiritual and wellness tourism. The envoy extended an invitation for Rajinikanth to explore the newly-arranged Ramayana Trail that more..

May 31 (PMD) Accusations have been made by various parties claiming that the Govt will not contribute to the state Poson festival in 2023, particularly the Poson programs cantered around the Mihintale sacred site. This information was gathered through multiple sources, including the Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs; Ministry of Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils, and Local Govt; Ministry of Defence, SL Police, Anuradhapura DS, more..

May 31 (BN) After topping global currency rankings this year, analysts are predicting tough times ahead for the SL rupee as the govt eases import restrictions and debt repayments loom. The rupee, which climbed 1.4% to 289.91 per dollar on Wednesday, is forecast to decline to 350 by the end of December. The currency�s 27% gain this year has seen it capture the best spot returns globally, supported by rising tourist arrivals and more..

May 31 (DM) Despite rains having comparatively decreased, Public Health Inspectors' Union (PHIU) warned that SL is not out of the woods yet in terms of the dengue outbreak. PHIU Secretary Indunil Bopitiya said SL would continue to witness cases until the month of August as showers are expected in the next couple of months as well. �The average lifespan of an Aedes mosquito in nature is two weeks. The mosquito can lay eggs about three times in its lifetime, and about 100 eggs are more..

May 31 (CT) North Western Provincial Director�s office of the Animal Production and Health Department (NWPD-APHD) reassured that the current viral infection, spreading amongst the cattle within the province, would be controlled in about two weeks. Sources at the NWPD-APHD said, when contacted, that about 2,000 animals from 35 areas were infected with the virus. But the Province has been affected by Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) before and the infection lasts for about 2 weeks, more..