Feb 19 (CT) Nallathanni Police reported that over 100, 000 pilgrims visited Sri Pada during the weekend holiday. A significant influx of pilgrims arrived via train, private buses and vans, leadin3541939 more..

Feb 1 (DM) The govt last week put through the Online Safety Bill despite protests that it is a drastic step towards curbing dissent. Opposition speakers said that the Supreme Court had proposed 13 changes but they had not been included. They asked the Speaker not to sign the Bill, but the Speaker later announced that the SC changes had been included and he would sign it. While focusing on issues such as online safety, the govt in this election year needs to also concentrate on issues more..

Feb 1 (DM) Congratulations to the Supreme Court for finding three Rajapaksa brothers, two former Central Bank Governors and two former Treasury Secretaries guilty of the sustained economic mismanagement that led to the 2022 economic-cum-debt crisis. The judgement is at the frontier of jurisprudence. There is no precedent for this kind of ruling about such a broad and complex policy question. But the incompetence was so gross and visible that court could rule with confidence. more..

Feb 1 (CT) Sri Lanka, renowned for its lush landscapes and diverse wildlife, has recently faced a complex challenge: the escalating conflicts between humans and wildlife. While the Human-Elephant Conflict (HEC) is well-known in the country, issues related to Human-Crocodile Conflict and Human-Leopard Conflict are also emerging. On 17 Jan, the lifeless body of a 9-year-old boy, who was grabbed by a crocodile while bathing in more..

Feb 1 (CT) 3 junior staff members of Parliament were arrested by the Police Children and Women Bureau on charges of allegedly sexually abusing their female colleagues. The arrests have cast a dark shadow over the Parliament Complex, shedding light on the pervasive issue of workplace harassment in SL. The details of the alleged abuse are still shrouded in uncertainty, as investigations are ongoing. However, reports suggest that these disturbing incidents may have occurred within more..

Feb 1 (ST) Suspend disbelief as much as you like�and often as you like, as some would say�but you are not going to overcome this shocking piece of news from our Resplendent Isle, thanks to that great saviour of poor nations and mankind, officially known as the IMF. It came to me via an Old Thomian network; fortunately, days before that House of Miracles at Diyawanna Oya rushed through another piece of obnoxious legislation while pandemonium reigned, even if it did not pour, more..

Feb 1 (TM) SL�s dairy industry is on the brink of collapse, with nearly 14,000 small and medium-scale farms having ceased operations last year due to exceedingly high production costs. Number of farms that are expected to shut down may increase further unless the Govt takes the necessary measures to reduce production costs and support the local dairy sector. Farmers claim that only large-scale farms can sustain operations more..

Feb 1 (ST) The Training, Development and Education Programme of World Rugby for the year 2024, conducted by Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR) kicked off from the Northern Province. The programme was held at thorced to look overseas for a meaningful future. And the third, is that even though we may not want to accept it, Sri Lankans remain divided and there is still very little progress on a SL identity. more..

Feb 1 (Island) The rights of the voters or citizens are not limited to going to a polling station on the election day and voting for this or that candidate or party. Elections and voting are a process through which the citizens are participating in governing a country. This must be active but extremely peaceful in a democratic system. Voting or actively participating in the process of elections is not only a right but also a human duty and responsibility. At present I live in Australia more..

Feb 1 (GV) Women in SL face serious barriers to political representation and the country ranks among the lowest in the world for the percentage of women in national legislatures. After the parliamentary elections in 2020, there were just over five percent of elected women representatives in parliament. Underrepresentation of women occurs at each level of elected leaders at national, provincial and local govt level due to a variety of systemic and institutional obstacles. more..

Feb 1 (TM) Sri Lanka needs to receive a credit rating of �B� to regain international market access and thereby come out of its worst economic crisis, Executive Director of the independent think tank Verit� Research, Nishan de Mel said. He said that SL is out of the woods from the economic crisis when its debt becomes sustainable and debt sustainability comes not only with the completion of external debt restructuring but the ability to access the int'l financial market. more..

Feb 1 (ST) Monday�s (23) mass shooting in Beliatta that left five people dead was carried out on a contract given by a wanted criminal based in a West Asian country, police said. The role of the alleged criminal gang leader was revealed after police on Wednesday tracked down and arrested the driver of the jeep used by the assailants. Investigations have revealed that the 55-year-old suspect, a resident of Bangama, had planned killings on a contract more..

Feb 1 (Island) Dr. Laksiri Fernando has, in his column published on the opposite page today, reminded us that the Voters� Day of SL falls on 01 Feb. The Election Commission (EC) conducts special programmes on this day to educate voters on matters such as the basic qualifications required for registration, and the steps to be taken to have their names included in the electoral register. According to the EC website, previous events to mark the Voters� Day took place under more..

Feb 1 (ST) The Training, Development and Education Programme of World Rugby for the year 2024, conducted by Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR) kicked off from the Northern Province. The programme was held at the Jaffna University and Vavuniya Unoversity with 30 participants each, mainly school leavers and university students from the region, covering the one day programme. The programme was conducted under three categories where renowned and experienced coaches, more..

Feb 1 (FT) The Board of Investment (BOI) has granted approval for the latest tourism initiative from the Araliya group, led by prominent businessman Dudley Sirisena this week. Sirisena took to Facebook to announce that his company is set to expand its leisure and tourism portfolio with the addition of the Araliya Golden Beach Resort in Unawatuna, Galle. This week, an agreement between the Board of Investment (BOI) and the Araliya Group was formalised at the BOI. more..

Feb 1 (CT) Sri Lanka Women U-19 secured a comfortable 31-run victory against Pakistan Women U-19, thanks to an outstanding performance by former captain Vishmi Gunarathna in the fifth match of the Women�s U19 Tri-Nation T20 Series worked off at the Sheikh Kamal International Cricket Stadium yesterday. After winning the toss and electing to bat, Sri Lanka were struck with an early blow when they lost Dewmi Wijerathne for a second-ball duck off Zaib-un-Nisa Niaz�s bowling. more..

Feb 1 (Island) Secretary to the Treasury and Finance Ministry Mahinda Siriwardana has said that even if SL achieves the goal of zero corruption, tax revenue will still have to be increased to bridge the budget deficit and lessen the country�s debt burden. Referring to the SC ruling pertaining to economic management delivered on Nov 14, 2023, Siriwardena said it was imperative that elected representatives and more..

Feb 1 (FT) The Colombo stock market ended its first month of 2024 on a dismal note with investor sentiment hardly mirroring the positive picture portrayed by the Govt. The benchmark ASPI closed January down by 3.2%, the active S&P SL20 more sharply by 5.6%. The month also saw net foreign outflow crossing the Rs. 2 billion mark. The negative start was despite the market ending 2023 as one of the best performing with ASPI up 25%, S&P SL20 by 16% and a net foreign inflow of Rs. 4 billion. more..

Feb 1 (FT) NDB Bank, said yesterday its new CEO/Director Kelum Edirisinghe will assume office today. Bringing with him an illustrious career spanning 30 years, Edirisinghe joins NDB after a distinguished tenure with HSBC SL and Maldives. His wealth of experience includes holding key senior management positions, with his last role being Chief Risk Officer at HSBC, where he also chaired the Risk Committee. Throughout his extensive banking journey, Edirisinghe has demonstrated more..

Feb 1 (CT) With the implementation of higher taxes, private consumption is expected to slowdown in the 1st quarter delaying the recovery in economic activity, First Capital Research (FCR) in a recent report warned. �Thereby, GDP growth expectation in 2024 is reduced from +3% � +4% to +2% � +3%,� it stated. CCPI for the beginning of 2024 is likely to remain on the high side as food inflation may further surge amidst more..

Feb 1 (DN) Afghanistan�s cricket team led by Hashmatullah Shahidi arrived on Tuesday, with their first training session held yesterday morning at SSC grounds where the one-off Test match will start tomorrow. Following the solitary Test match at SSC, the tour also includes three ODIs at Pallekele and three T20Is at Dambulla. Afghanistan named their squad for the one-off Test match against SL, packed with new players. Senior Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan will miss the Test match as more..

Feb 1 (TM) The Inland Revenue Department (IRD) has given businesses a period of two weeks to complete registration to charge VAT, said the IRD Commissioner General Sepalika Chandrasekara. Following a number of complaints received by the IRD regarding the illegal charging of VAT, the IRD took legal action against a business that had illegally charged the tax without being registered with the IRD as a VAT paying business. Chandrasekara said that the IRD is taking measures to raid more..

Feb 1 (FT) Top blue chip John Keells Holdings yesterday reported impressive results for the third quarter of FY24 with all industry groups recording a growth in profits. Group revenue improved by 6% to Rs. 72.26 billion whilst for the first nine months it was down by 4% to Rs. 200.15 billion. Group earnings before interest expense, tax, depreciation & amortisation (EBITDA) grew by 32% to Rs. 13.74 billion, with strong contribution from the Consumer Foods and Insurance businesses. more..

Feb 1 (AD) The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (Ceypetco) announced that fuel prices will be revised with effect from midnight today (January 31). Accordingly, the price of Petrol Octane 92 will be increased by Rs. 05 to Rs. 371 per litre while Petrol Octane 95 is to be reduced by Rs. 08 to Rs. 456 per litre. Auto Diesel has been increased by Rs. 05 to Rs. 363 while Super Diesel has been reduced by Rs. 07 to Rs. 468. Meanwhile, the price of Kerosene will be increased by Rs.26 up to Rs.262 per litre. more..

Feb 1 (FT) The SJB yesterday charged that the Govt wasn�t representing the needs of the people whilst bungling macro-economic policies and reforms. At a media briefing, MP Kabir Hashim said the Govt has drawn up plans to divest the profit-making Litro Gas Company, and by accordingly creating a duopoly without Govt participation consumers could be facing a loss. Hashim says the sale of Litro could cause significant damage more..

Feb 1 (AD) Mr. Kushan Jayaratne has assumed duties as the 7th Serjeant-at-Arms of the Parliament this morning (31), upon the retirement of Narendra Fernando, who served as the 6th Serjeant-at-Arms of the Parliament, on Tuesday (30). The retired Serjeant-at-Arms Narendra Fernando traditionally handed over the Mace and the Sword of the Serjeant-at-Arms to the new Serjeant-at-Arms Kushan Jayaratne last morning (30) near the Silver Door which leads to the Parliament Chamber, more..

Feb 1 (FT) The Sri Lanka High Commission in the United Kingdom successfully organised a business roundtable on 26 January between the Sri Lanka�UK Chamber of Commerce and Foreign Minister Ali Sabry. The event marked a significant milestone in fostering trade and investment relations between Sri Lanka and UK. SL-UK Chamber of Commerce President Shehan Silva emphasised the significant growth the chamber has experienced since its establishment two years ago. more..

Feb 1 (DN) An overwhelming number of athletes, over the years, have given up sports and many have gone overseas to pursue greener pastures leaving sports enthusiasts concerned. The Daily News spoke to several sports stars who are currently overseas, many of whom requested anonymity over concerns of retaliation from SL sports officials. They spoke of maltreatment and unfair decisions made by officials, including denial of food during their rigorous training while staying at sports hostels in more..

Feb 1 (Island) Many players have spoken about nerves leading up to their Test debut. Many others have let the pressure take to them picking up a duck on debut. Some have ended up with pairs on debut � Chamara Silva and Marvan Atapattu. How did Dhananjaya de Silva, our new Test captain fare? Well, his was baptism by fire; against world�s number one ranked Australia. So, did he get a duck or golden duck? No way. He defended his first five balls in Test cricket watchfully and then smashed more..

Feb 1 (CT) In what appears to be a stern warning not to curtail his Executive Powers, Prez yesterday insisted any restraint placed on him in executing his constitutional duty would be deemed as a violation of the Constitution. This was mentioned in an official statement issued by the PMD last evening. The statement, however, has made it apparent that the Prez was irked by the continuous hindrances posed by more..

Feb 1 (DM) The SJB will file a Fundamental Rights (FR) petition against Public Security Minister Tiran Alles who had ordered to fire tear gas and water cannons at the SJB protest, SJB General Secretary Ranjith Madduma Bandara said. He said that tear gas and water cannons were fired at the SJB protest unlawfully despite the court order. MP said the govt was attempting to suppress public protests using the armed forces and said they urge public officials to act lawfully, adding that more..

Feb 1 (DM) In the wake of former Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella failing to appear before the CID this morning, former Minister has submitted a written plea requesting the CID to grant him another date to provide a statement. Minister, through the formal communication, has emphasized the importance of arranging an alternative date for the investigation to proceed smoothly. Minister has assured authorities of his fullest cooperation and support for future investigative efforts. more..

Feb 1 (TM) Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana said that he had no option but to endorse the Online Safety Bill (OSB) since Attorney General (AG) Sanjay Rajaratnam had declared that the Bill, which was recently passed in Parliament, was in accordance with the Constitution. Claiming that the process of passing the OSB had taken place amid a number of irregularities such as the alleged violation of Parliamentarians� privileges and more..

Feb 1 (FT) Daily FT of 23 Jan 2024 published a report regarding a meeting the Minister of Justice had with the German Ambassador. It was titled Legislation to combat bribery and corruption in SL completed � says Justice Minister. This article went on to note quoting the Minister: �He said politicians have been blamed for the bribery and corruption in the country and the people have reached the point where they are rejecting the politicians; as this situation is harmful to country�s democracy. more..

Feb 1 (FT) New ITAK leader S. Shritharan�s discourse signals a forthcoming challenge to Sri Lanka which cannot be ignored. The Political Editor of our Sunday sister paper quotes extensively from his recent speeches and interviews: �It is our fundamental responsibility�to realise the dreams of the fallen Great Heroes.� �Our National Leader [�Purachchi Thalaivar� Velupillai Prabhakaran] has guided us and trained us with impeccable discipline and commitment.� more..