Apr 18 (FT) Govt has hiked the standard tourist visa fee by over 100%, coupled with the shift to a global processing company, which has raised eyebrows among industry stakeholders. Announcement came on Tuesday, with the Immigration and Emigration Dept unveiling the new visa procedures and the launch of an online visa issuing system which came live yesterday. However, the move to a global processing company more..

Apr 18 (TM) Despite the rubber sector earnings for the first two months of 2024 increased by 14% in comparison to the first two months of 2023, the rubber industry is currently facing deforestation regulation from the European Union (EU). SL Association of Manufacturers and Exporters of Rubber Products (SLAMERP) Director General Sisira Ranatunga said: �There is a big threat coming from the EU orders from 1 Jan 2025 that all rubber products to Europe should be free from more..

Apr 18 (TM) Sri Lanka has failed to reach an agreement with the bondholders on how to apply the upward and downward adjustments in the proposed Macro-Linked Bonds (MLBs), said Former Governor of CB, Dr. Indrajit Coomaraswamy. He said that the authorities have failed to reach an agreement with the bondholders on how to apply the upward or the downward adjustment in the MLBs and on the distribution of benefits if Sri Lanka outperforms the GDP projections. more..

Apr 18 (FT) TNA Jaffna district MP M.A. Sumanthiran is urging all major political parties intending to form a Govt to commit to amending the Employee Provident Fund (EPF) Act to ensure that information is disclosed to the public for the benefit of the working class. During a recent political talk show, Sumanthiran said that while his party would pass the private members' bill he presented to amend the act, they are unlikely to come into power. Therefore, he challenged other major parties more..

Apr 18 (TM) Neither a party nor a country can go forward with a socialist political philosophy, which is already outdated, and therefore, political parties and individuals must be updated with the new world order, opined the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) Acting Chairperson, Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva. He made these remarks at an event held yesterday (17) to commemorate the 108th birth anniversary of the world's first female PM, former SLFP Chairperson Sirima Bandaranaike. more..

Apr 18 (FT) Following the failure by Sri Lanka to strike a deal with holders of its International Sovereign Bonds (ISBs) the SJB, asked what is the real position of Govt with respect to restructuring. The SJB stressed the need for greater transparency engaging all political factions, as multiple govts in the run up to 2040 will have to shoulder the burden posed in any agreement that is penned now. more..

Apr 18 (DM) The mounting tensions in the Middle East that are becoming increasingly unpredictable are likely to impact the Ceylon Tea cuppa, the industry stakeholders said, especially since over 50% of the island nation�s tea is exported to that region. While the issues stemming from the Red Sea attack have already impacted the industry with longer delivery time and higher freight costs, new issues such as closure of airspace among others could add to the woes. more..

Apr 18 (DM) SL remains on high alert as Canadian leaders may make genocide allegations next month when the country marks the war victory, according to a diplomatic source. Last year, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau's genocide accusations sparked a diplomatic dispute between the two nations. SL responded with protests by summoning the Canadian envoy. A well-placed diplomatic source informed that SL govt is keen to ascertain whether such allegations will be repeated this time, more..

Apr 18 (DM) Catholic Church has received the remaining parts of the report submitted by the presidential commission which probed the Easter Sunday attacks, Archbishop of Colombo Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith said. Cardinal Ranjith said the church had received it three weeks ago. �A team of lawyers are studying the report and we will come up with a statement on it once the study is completed,� he told a briefing. more..

Apr 18 (FT) Every stable democracy needs a political and ideological centre. In Ceylon/SL, the political Centre as distinct from the Right and Left was always identified with the SLFP founded by SWRD Bandaranaike. When he crossed the floor in Parliament in 1951, leaving DS Senanayake�s UNP govt he was followed by only one MP, DA Rajapaksa, Mahinda�s father. When the SLFP or a faction of it shifted Right and went into alliance with Ranil Wickremesinghe�s UNP in 2005, more..

Apr 18 (FT) Corruption and investment have been synonymous in Sri Lanka for decades as investments paved the way for corrupt politicians and their close associates to embezzle public funds with ease. In a country where the term governance was used as a shield to cover corruption, hardly any room was left for transparency to play a role. It was no surprise for the country to be labelled as bankrupt by lenders, resulting from its inability to repay the debt. more..

Apr 18 (RI) A 53-year-old man from SL, internationally wanted for a murder committed in Bucharest in 1991 and arrested in Germany at the beginning of this year, will be brought to Romania on April 23 to serve a 19-year prison sentence. The man will be brought to the country by an escort of the Romanian Police. �In Dec 1991, the man killed a foreign citizen, after which he tied him up and wrapped him in a carpet from his residence in Bucharest and transported him to more..

Apr 18 (EN) The Sri Lanka Police has requested the public to provide information on environmental damage such as burning trash and noise pollution to its Special Bureau on the hotline 1997 and the Central Environment Authority�s hotline 1981. �These numbers already receive information from the public regarding various environmental damages such as mining for minerals, illegal mining along riverbanks, environmental damage caused by illegal factories and noise pollution,� more..

Apr 18 (EN) Net favourability rating of opposition leader Sajith Premadasa increased in March but rival Anura Kumara Dissanayake continued to lead, though all potential candidates including them had negative ratings for the month. Institute for Health Policy (IHP) which carried out the survey found that Premadasa�s net favourability had increased by 30 points to -30 in March compared to the previous month while favourability ratings more..

Apr 18 (CBC) Two scientists whose connection was sparked in Saskatchewan are working together from different sides of the globe to improve animal health in SL, in hopes of addressing a potential global health threat. "Literally right here is where we sat together," said Joe Rubin, looking around his lab at the Uni of Saskatchewan. It's the scene where an international friendship formed on the Prairies. Rubin is a professor of veterinary microbiology at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine more..

Apr 18 (Island) SLFP would not support an administration bent on selling national assets, Kegalle District MP Dushmantha Mithrapala, Acting General Secretary of the SLFP said, addressing an event to mark the 108th birth anniversary of Sirimavo Bandaranaike at the BMICH on Wednesday. The ceremony was attended by both factions of the SLFP vying for the control of the party. Mithrapala represents Maithripala Sirisena faction. �Sirimavo Bandaranaike never more..

Apr 18 (EN) Transparency International SL (TISL) has filed a Fundamental Rights Application in the Supreme Court requesting the Court to direct the Auditor General to conduct an inquiry into the decision to procure medical supplies from medical suppliers to whom Waivers of Registration had been issued, and recover the cost incurred by procuring medical supplies through them. �The FR application has been filed more..

Apr 18 (Reuters) Sri Lankan telecom operator Dialog Axiata has signed a definitive agreement to buy Bharti Airtel's operations in the island nation, the companies said on Thursday, nearly a year after the merger was announced. Under the agreement, Dialog Axiata will acquire a 100% stake in Airtel Lanka by issuing Bharti Airtel a 10.4% stake in Dialog Axiata. Dialog Axiata is majorly owned by Malaysia's Axiata Group. Airtel Lanka is the Sri Lankan unit of India's Bharti Airtel. more..

Apr 18 (DM) NPP today presented to Archbishop of Colombo Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith its 7-point statement pledging to mete out justice to the victims of the Easter Sunday attacks. NPP representatives met Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith at the Archbishop's House in Borella this morning and presented the 7-point statement. Statement included key points such as implementing law against those responsible for the attacks so as to mete out justice to those who lost lives in the attacks and more..

Apr 18 (EN) The Colombo District Court has extended an enjoining order preventing former president Maithripala Sirisena from serving as chairman of the crisis-riddled SLFP. Attorney-at-law Lakmal Wickramarachchi said that objections will be filed on May 09. �Proxies were filed on behalf of former president Maithripala Sirisena and the general secretary of the party. We obtained dates for filing objections to the enjoining order. We expect to file our objections on May 09 and more..

Apr 18 (CI) 1 - Sri Lanka became the first team in women's ODIs to chase down a 300-plus runs target successfully. The previous highest successful target chase in the format was 289 by Australia against New Zealand in 2012. Sri Lanka's 305 for 4 is now the joint-highest total in a women's ODI chase, levelling with South Africa's 305 for 9 against England in an unsuccessful 374-run chase during the 2017 World Cup. 1 - Laura Wolvaardt and Chamari Athapaththu became the first pair more..

Apr 18 (CI) Sri Lanka are yet to qualify for either the T20 or ODI World Cup but their captain Chamari Athapaththu has already set a goal for them if they get there. "I want to see my team in the semi-finals of the World Cup," she said after SL ended their tour of South Africa with a 6-wicket win in the third ODI. "I've worked so hard in the last 15 years and I've achieved a few things as a player but as a captain, I want to do more. more..

Apr 18 (DM) The Court of Appeal has issued notice on former MP Hirunika Premachandra, requiring her to appear before court on May 8 in connection with a contempt of court application. The petitioner, Hisham Jamaldeen alleged that respondent Hirunika Premachandra had made a statement to the media regarding the order of the Magistrate in granting bail to him while there is an ongoing proceeding before the Magistrate's Court of Mount Lavinia. It was alleged that the conduct of more..

Apr 18 (AD) The CID has arrested a retired Major of the SL Army and another person for fraudulently obtaining money from individuals on the promise of sending them for employment in the Russian army, police said. However, on April 1, Ministry of Defence announced that all members of SL tri-forces have been informed not to join Russian or Ukrainian forces by any illegal means. The Ministry of Defense also mentioned that against a background where there is no agreement between the SL army more..

Apr 18 (DM) Ministry of Defence has directed the SL Army to implement a month-long General Amnesty starting from April 20 to May 20, 2024 enabling all Army absentees to receive an official discharge from their service. General Amnesty, applicable to all Officers and Other Ranks who have been Absent Without Leave (AWOL) before April 2, 2024, presents a structured process for legal discharge. Individuals falling under more..

Apr 18 (Island) Attorney General Sanjay Rajaratnam, PC, has appealed to the Supreme Court against the granting of bail to 41 accused in the killing of Polonnaruwa District SLPP MP Amarakeethi Athukorala and his Personal Security Officer (PSO) Jayantha Gunawardena on 09 May 2022, at Nittambuwa. AG�s appeal has been fixed for argument on 09 July, 2024, before a bench comprising five Judges, presided by Justice P. Surasena, the AG�s Dept has informed more..

Apr 18 (DM) Strict measures will be taken against anyone causing inconvenience to foreigners visiting the country. She expressed concern over a group of individuals engaging in such indecent behavior, labeling them as disgraceful, State Minister Diana Gamage said. "These individuals show no respect towards foreigners. Their actions pose a threat to our country's reputation and cannot be tolerated," she stated. State Minister highlighted that modern-day tourists are well-informed & not easily misled. more..

Apr 18 (TM) Private bus owners claim that despite having made many requests to the authorities, they are yet to receive any relief with regard to the damages caused to the buses during the aragalaya (a public movement seeking the resignation of the then Govt led by former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa) protests in 2022. �We have not received any form of compensation to fix the damages,� Lanka Private Bus Owners� Association (LPBOA) Chairperson Gemunu Wijeratne said, more..

Apr 18 (DM) Police department has decided to enhance crime detection by integrating public and private CCTV camera systems with the Police CCTV camera system, a senior police officer said. In the initial stage, around 2000 CCTV cameras from private entities, including residences in Colombo city, will be linked to the police's camera network. This initiative will be carried out in collaboration with interested participants. Individuals and private companies with CCTV systems are more..

Apr 18 (AD) State-Owned Enterprise Restructuring Unit (SRU) of the Finance Ministry has officially released the names of the local and foreign firms that have submitted responses to the respective requests for quote and the shortlisted bidders for the divestiture of shares held by the Govt of SL in several key state-owned enterprises (SOEs). SRU also said that it is envisaged that all SOE transactions other than SriLankan more..

Apr 18 (CT) Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said that the President has allocated a sum of Rs 25 billion to continue the modernisation programme in the agricultural sector this year. The Minister revealed this while participating in the presenting of fruit plants, required for the National Tree Planting ceremony at the Auspicious time on 18 April, to the staff of his Ministry. In order to get more productivity from the agricultural sector, new technology must be introduced. more..

Apr 18 (DM) The monthly expenses of a person in Sri Lanka decreased in February compared to January, the Census and Statistics Department said. They said the minimum amount required for a person in this country to meet their basic needs is Rs. 16,975 per month, and a person living in the Colombo district needs Rs. 18,308 to meet the minimum basic needs. The Department revealed this while releasing the Official Poverty Line Chart for the month of February 2024. more..

Apr 18 (Reuters) The IMF stands ready to support SL's discussions with international bondholders and will provide a formal assessment after the parties reach a tentative agreement-in-principle, an IMF spokesperson said on Thursday. "We hope an agreement consistent with the parameters of the IMF-supported program and official creditors' Comparability of Treatment requirements can be reached soon, more..

Apr 18 (DM) Excise Dept, one of the three main revenue generating arms of the country�s Ministry of Finance is struggling with a severe dearth of staff even to perform day-to-day duties, as the 17 top rung positions are vacant for months now. Daily Mirror broke the story on January 3 this year under the heading Excise Dept on the brink of collapse, as its entire top rung officials are to retire in the coming few months has not seen any solution to the matter but the situation is getting otherwise worse. more..

Apr 18 (CT) Medical and Civil Rights Professional Association of Doctors (MCPA) has requested the Public Administration Ministry Secretary to conduct an investigation into the misleading recommendations and political influence used in suspending the Association�s President, Dr. Chamal Sanjeeva from service at the Health Ministry. A spokesperson for the MCPA alleged that Dr. Sanjeeva had been suspended from govt service, allegedly by former top administration more..