May 3 (FT) Asian Development Bank President Masatsugu Asakawa yesterday expressed optimism over steps taken for SL�s path to recovery with the four-year EFF program secured from the IMF. He said future prospects to overcome the economic crisis and reforms to bolster socio-economic development will be in the hands of meaningful restructuring of external debt via a full transparent process. more..

May 3 (FT) The Export Development Board (EDB) last week unveiled the National Organic Certification Mark (NOCM) to boost consumer awareness about organic food production. The event was organised by the National Organic Control Unit (NOCU) of the EDB, in collaboration with the Deutsche Gesellschaft f�r Internationale Zusam-menarbeit (GIZ) GmbH in Sri Lanka, co-funded by the European Union (EU) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). more..

May 3 (DN) Sampath Bank has handed over a cheque of Rs. 50 million to support the 1990 Suwa Seriya Foundation�s Adopt an Ambulance project. With this timely donation under its Hope for a Life CSR programme, Sampath Bank�s contribution will fund the maintenance of 10 Suwa Seriya ambulances in all nine provinces. One of Sampath Bank�s key CSR focus areas is extending health assistance to the community and this donation by the Bank will enable Suwa Seriya to maintain more..

May 3 (Island) Former General Secretary of the Communist Party, Dew Gunasekera, found fault with political parties, represented in Parliament, for failing to address the rapidly developing political-economic-social crisis at their May Day rallies. The participation of genuine workers seemed to be almost nil, the former cabinet minister said, adding that May Day rallies, held in Colombo and Kandy, reflected further decay more..

May 3 (DN) Our Youth athletes have shown their potential when they won four medals at the Asian Youth Athletic championship concluded in Uzbekistan said SL team coach Buddhika Nuwan. SL team with four medals (two silver and two bronze) arrived yesterday and were warmly welcomed by SL Athletics senior officials and Sports Ministry officials. Buddhika Madushanka the PTI of Wickramabahu National School Gampola was the coach of the SL team and he can be proud of more..

May 3 (FT) Egypt Ambassador Maged Mosleh last week paid a courtesy call on PM Dinesh Gunawardena and discussed matters of mutual interest. Ambassador Mosleh said Egypt is pursuing the Arab Ambassadors Forum to establish an Arab SL Business Council to promote trade, tourism and investments. The groundwork has been prepared for this through discussions with relevant authorities and the Chambers of Commerce, he said. PM requested the Ambassador to explore potential more..

May 3 (AD) Two suspects have been arrested over the recent stabbing of a youth at the Anuradhapura Teaching Hospital, who succumbed to his injuries shortly after the attack. Accordingly, a married couple, aged 27 and 23, identified as residents of the Medawachchiya, area, were arrested by the Medawachchiya Police after investigations revealed that the duo had attacked the youth two days prior to his death. On 26 April, a conflict had broken out between a group of known drug dealers more..

May 3 (CT) Allianz Lanka recently completed an initiative to support students of St. John Del Rey Tamil Vidyalam. This school is in the Bogawanthalawa Valley, one of the most picturesque tea-growing areas in SL, and serves 543 students from grades 1 to 11, the Company said and added, however, students of St. John Del Rey Tamil Vidyalam face challenges in their pursuit of education. Many of them come from families engaged in labour work, and the school lacks more..

May 3 (Island) Retired Admiral of the Fleet Wasantha Karannagoda has, in a letter to US Ambassador Julie Chung, challenged the legality of the US decision to blacklist him in violation of the principle of natural justice. Referring to media disclosure that Foreign Affairs Minister Ali Sabry, PC, had been informed of the blacklisting ahead of the US State Dept announcement, the former Navy Commander said that the purported designation more..

May 3 (FT) SJB said it will not agree to Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe�s proposal to form a national govt. SJB MP Tissa Attanayake reaffirmed there has been no change in the party�s stance and it remains a definite no. �We have been clear about our stance. We are not prepared to accept the so-called national govt proposal being presented by Prez Wickremesinghe. Just because a govt attaches the label of the national govt to it, this does not resolve the issues before the country,� he said. more..

May 3 (CT) Retired Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Sampath Sajeewa Thuyacontha filed a Fundamental Rights (FR) Petition before the Supreme Court, against the decision taken by the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) to blacklist him. The Petitioner noted that SLAF has not communicated to him any decision taken by them to black list him, while stating that by subsequent public statement, either by State Minister of Defence or by the designated media spokesperson of the Air Force, it was revealed that more..

May 3 (TM) Court of Appeal has fixed 6 June to deliver the verdict of the petition filed seeking a writ to disqualify State Minister of Diana Gamage from holding a Parliamentary seat. The order was issued by the Court bench consisting of the President of the Court, Justice Nissanka Karunaratne and Justice A. Marikkar. Meanwhile, the petition filed by Gamage seeking an order to annul the decision taken by the SJB is due to be heard on 8 May. Dates for the hearing of the petition were decided upon more..

May 3 (Island) The third dengue virus serotype is now spreading in SL after a few years, health officials have warned. If a person has a fever that lasts for over two days he or she should get tested for dengue, doctors say. Chief Medical Officer of Health of the CMC, Dr. Ruwan Wijayamuni, said that the third type was not found in Sri Lanka for 12 years and, therefore, Sri Lankans had little immunity against it. Public Health Inspectors Union (PHIU) head, Upul Rohana, said that more..

May 3 (TM) Opposition MP Prof. G.L. Peiris said that CB Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe should make a statement disclosing the truth behind the allegations made by Minister of Justice, Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe that a person named Chamara Gunasekera has accepted a bribe from the insurer of the tanker MV X-Press Pearl, which was gutted in a fire that erupted off the Western coast of SL in 2021. more..

May 3 (AD) Legal action has been taken against 12 private hospitals and laboratories for overcharging patients for both, dengue tests and Full Blood Count (FBC) tests. Accordingly, the 12 institutes were fined a total of Rs. 9.4 million for charging patients prices above those gazette for the relevant tests, a senior investigative official of the CAA, A.U. Ranjan said. He further revealed that the respective fines were imposed as per court orders issued by the Nugegoda, Mt. Lavinia, Maligakanda more..

May 3 (FT) Independent MP Prof. G.L Peiris called for a special parliamentary committee be appointed to probe the controversy surrounding the X-Pearl disaster and the ensuing compensation process. The MP said this is the best and most impartial method to elicit the truth into the matter and prevent any details from being suppressed. �It must be done expeditiously,� MP said. Peiris said he will present this proposal in parliament next week when the matter is taken up for debate. more..

May 3 (TM) The proposed amendments to the SL Electricity Act, No. 20 of 2009 will bring about many negative consequences such as jeopardising the country's energy security, reducing the priority given to the water related needs of farmers and the general public, and establishing a puppet like body to regulate the power sector instead of an independent body like the PUCSL, claimed the PUCSL Chairman, Janaka Ratnayake. more..

May 3 (FT) Let me begin this article by relating a little known incident that occurred in 2003. The peace process facilitated by Norway prevailed then between the Govt of SL and LTTE. The LTTE Deputy Military Chief at that time was Kandiah Balasegaran alias Col Balraj. The legendary tiger military commander Balraj was suffering from a heart ailment and required urgent surgery in Singapore. The Prez at that time was Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga. more..

May 3 (FT) Despite all the fanfare, this IMF assistance package as with all packages before is not about answering the core issue of growing external trade deficit. It compels more borrowing that inevitably leads Sri Lanka to heap more dollar loans on the existing $ 56 billion debts. Proof, the IMF has no answers for our massive crisis. Thus expectations are created on �social safety nets� the IMF says, should be strengthened and better targeted to the poor. more..

May 3 (TNW) Adventure tourism is playing a key role in helping Sri Lanka rebuild its economy after a turbulent few years for the South Asian nation. The country�s tourism sector was particularly affected in recent years due to a foreign currency crisis resulting from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic which led to months of food and fuel shortages, along with runaway inflation and prolonged blackouts. A year on, leading Sri Lankan figures, speaking at a Dubai conference, more..

May 3 (DN) Police investigations have begun into the death of a 24-year-old SL medical student was found dead in a room in the student hostel at Grodno State Medical University in Belarus on April 30. The deceased student has been identified as Thishan Kularatne. This student had studied at a leading boys� school in Kandy and subsequent to getting through the A/L exam in the Bio stream had entered the Grodno University in Belarus with the hope of becoming a doctor. more..

May 3 (EN) National Water Supply and Drainage Board plans to increase the tariff in the near future as production costs have risen sharply following an increase in electricity prices. �Electricity charges were increased in February, and that is a big component of the cost of production,� an official said. �Along with that, the usage has also gone up during the month, and demand has increased by around 10% as the country is experiencing more..

\May 3 (DN) Several programmes have been planned in the Metropolis beginning from May 3 to May 6 to celebrate the Buddha Rashmi National Vesak Festival. The events will be held at Galle Face Green, Shangri-La Green, and Presidential Secretariat premises. A Bakthi Geetha recital will take place on the steps of the Presidential Secretariat on May 3 and 4 and Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe will attend the event. Same recital is also scheduled to be held at the same more..

May 3 (EN) Shares gained for the first time in eleven sessions on Wednesday, pushed up by financial and capital sectors, an analyst said. �The market moved on an upward trend, bouncing back after muted sentiments,� an analyst said. ASPI was up 1.02%, or 88.45 points, to 8,799.91. �There were margin calls on Wednesday, as prices were down,� an analyst said. The index dropped to 8,900 on Friday after comments made by the Prez regarding debt restructuring, according to an analyst. more..

May 3 (AP) I was shooting a cricket test match between Australia and Sri Lanka about 100 km south of Colombo. I heard the news of people rushing into Prez Rajapaksa's official residence, I sought help from a friend to get back to Colombo to cover the story. I had to pay him for petrol, which was four times higher than the normal fee because it wasn't available in the markets and people were queuing up for days. more..

May 3 (AM) Dayan Jayatilleke, a former theorist of the SJB, has switched allegiance and joined Freedom People�s Congress, led by MP Dullas Alahapperuma. Jayatilleke even went on to address the May Day rally organized by Freedom Congress as a guest speaker. Jayatilleke was known to be a close associate of SJB Leader Sajith Premadasa and his father, slain President R Premadasa. The reason for Jayatilleke�s fallout is not yet clear. However, sources familiar with the matter more..

May 3 (DM) Former MP J. Sri Ranga was today granted bail after being produced before Colombo Fort Magistrate�s Court regarding the investigations over the incident of setting fire to Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe's private residence in Colombo. Sri Ranga was ordered to be released on a cash bail of Rs.Rs.20,000 with a Rs. 5 million surety bail by Acting Magistrate Bandara Ilangasinghe. The CID had named Sri Ranga as a suspect alleging that he had actively participated in a protest more..

May 3 (AD) Three persons were reported dead while three others were injured after a train collided with a three-wheeler at a railway crossing at Pelena, Weligama. The train was plying from Matara to Kandy this afternoon (3), when it collided with a three-wheeler, in which a mother and her three children and a relative were travelling in the Weligama area. Accordingly, two children aged seven and nine and the 32-year-old three-wheeler driver were killed in the accident. more..

May 3 (DM) Colombo High Court today granted permission for Attorney General to amend the indictments filed against Swiss Embassy employee Ganiya Bannister Francis for allegedly making a false claim that she has been abducted and sexually harassed. HC Judge Namal Balalle made this order subsequent to a request by the AG and fixed the case to be heard on June 15. Bannister has been accused of giving false information to embarrass the SL Govt and fabricating evidence in her more..

May 3 (Reuters) Sri Lanka�s apparel export earnings could slump by $1 billion this year, a top industry expert said on Wednesday, as slowing global demand hits the crisis-hit South Asian country. Apparel is Sri Lanka�s largest industrial export and earned $5.95 billion in 2022, helping the country as it weathered its worst financial crisis since independence in 1948, triggered by a record reduction in foreign exchange reserves. more..

May 3 (EN) SL will review its expensive electricity prices and expected to revise by July, Energy Minister said, in a possible move to calm down the public who have protested against exorbitant tariff hikes in February. The move also comes as the govt will have to face elections at least by next year. �Electricity prices will be reviewed & revised by July 2023, keeping in line with the govt�s policy & cabinet decision taken in Dec 2022, to implement a cost reflective pricing mechanism more..

May 3 (PMD) President�s Fund and the Ministry of Education jointly implemented a scholarship program for students who excelled in the GCE O/L examination, under the guidance of Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe. The Zonal Educational Office considers skill, aesthetics, sports, and extra-curricular activities, as well as the economic and social status of the student�s family when awarding points for this program. Under the first phase, 3,000 students across the country qualified, and more..

May 3 (DM) Visiting Chief of the Air Staff of Indian Air Force Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari donated two sets of AN-32 propellers to the commander of the Air Force Air Marshal Sudarshana Pathirana. The signing of the official documents to hand over the two sets of AN-32 propellers took place at the No. 2 Heavy Transport Squadron premises in SLAF Base Katunayake. On the culmination of the request made by more..

May 3 (PMD) Governing Council of the President�s Fund met at the Presidential Secretariat under the patronage of Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe, marking the first meeting after a four-year hiatus. The council is comprised of seven members, including the Prez, PM, the Speaker, Leader of the Opposition, President�s Secretary, and two members appointed by the President. Venerable Dr. Medagoda Abhayatissa Nayaka Thera is also an appointed member. more..

May 3 (CT) State Minister of Women and Child Affairs Geetha Kumarasinghe and Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe held a meeting to discuss about forming a mechanism for parents who are not capable of taking care of newborn babies to hand them over to hospitals without revealing their identity. Meeting was held recently in an effort to set up child care centres under the supervision of State hospitals and dept of probation & child care services to hand over infants less than 3 months, more..