Mar 15 (FT) Home Lands Group of Companies announced the opening of Home Lands (Melbourne) PTY Ltd., the group�s latest venture marking an expansion of its real estate operations to Australia. Located in No. 184, Whitehorse Road, Blackburn, VIC 3130, Home Lands (Melbourne) is a full-service real estate company now open and ready to cater to the diverse needs of customers across Australia. Specialising in both apartment and land sales, Home Lands (Melbourne) is committed to more..

Mar 15 (FT) Ceylon Chamber of Commerce said it was deeply concerned about the decision by the Cabinet to temporarily suspend the parate execution law and called for collaborative solutions on the debt recovery framework. �While we understand that certain businesses essentially in the SME sector need to be supported in the current economic climate, providing that support in the form of curtailing credit recovery measures is not necessarily the best method of supporting more..

Mar 15 (DN) Two Southern Province leading schools Richmond and Mahinda will meet today and tomorrow (15-16) in their 119th Lovers Quarrel big match which will be played at Galle International Cricket Stadium. The third oldest schools cricket match in the history of the game in SL has good memories while the series began way back in 1905 and Richmond has won 24 of the matches while Mahinda has won 23 and last Richmond big match win was in 2019 under the leadership of more..

Mar 15 (ST) Lanka Bell, a fixed wireless operator struggling to find investors for over half a decade, is on the brink of winding up, top officials confirmed. The company�s only asset now is the cable network which cost US$50 billion at the inception when it was formed, they added. The competition has surpassed them, and the company is struggling with its financials, they said. Clients have reported that their requests for service have not been met, more..

Mar 15 (FT) Apparel giant Brandix, has become the first private sector entity from SL to commit to the UN program on Gender-based Violence and Women in Leadership and has been recognised as a leading Achiever by the UN Women�s Empowerment Principles (WEP) Gender Gap Analysis survey. Brandix said it continues to lead efforts to inspire and empower women across all walks and leads the way by converting policy into practice. At Brandix 80% of the Group�s workforce consists of women, more..

Mar 15 (ST) Health Ministry�s Medical Supplies Division (MSD) has issued several circulars alerting hospitals to a large number of medications�including donations�that are about to expire, urging that they be used as much as possible prior to expiry to minimise wastage. The Sunday Times has reported that SL, during the economic crisis, received large quantities of medicines and medical devices as donations. They included non-formulary medication, and some had short-expiry dates. more..

Mar 15 (TM) Opposition MP Gevindu Cumaratunga has filed a Fundamental Rights (FR) petition against the Central Bank of SL (CBSL) before the Supreme Court (SC) based on several grounds including the fact that the interest rate paid for Employees' Provident Fund (EPF) deposits of its employees for several years is significantly higher than the rate that is usually paid for private sector employees. more..

Mar 15 (DN) The clash between two leading schools in Kandy Trinity College and St. Anthony�s College � which is called the Battle of the Blues will take place at the Asgiriya Int'l Cricket Stadium today and tomorrow For these two schools there are no games bigger than this clash. St. Anthony�s College and Trinity College are two of the oldest Colleges in cricket. This is the sixth oldest Big Match in the country and this time both schools are evenly balanced with impressive records for season more..

Mar 15 (DN) In a comprehensive discussion on the future of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in SL, Suresh Shah, Head of State Owned Enterprise Restructuring Unit, addressed the multifaceted challenges of reforming these entities, particularly emphasizing the national security concerns that arise amid divestment debates. As the country embarks on another round of attempts to revamp its SOEs, comparisons with regional peers shed light on a path forward that balances economic more..

Mar 15 (TM) UNP of the Govt stated that Party Leader and Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe will contest the upcoming Prez Election in the same manner as the former Prez and incumbent Opposition MP Maithripala Sirisena contested in the 2015 Prez Election. With the Prez Election scheduled to be held this year, several leading political parties have revealed their plans for it. UNP General Secretary Palitha Rangebandara said that Wickremesinghe would contest the Prez Election as more..

Mar 15 (DM) Amidst growing concerns over an anticipated drought, the Defence Ministry has announced plans to mitigate potential damages, according to an official statement. Forecasts from Met Dept indicate that while there may be sporadic rainfall expected towards the end of March and into April, it is projected to be of diminished volume, exacerbating the looming drought conditions. In response, DMC has proactively devised strategies to confront the impending crisis. more..

Mar 15 (Island) SL environmental groups are intensifying their campaign against the proposed Adani wind farm in Mannar. They have accused the SL political parties of having ignored the the disastrous environmental, social and economic implications of the Adani wind farm to be established in Mannar. Prominent among the senior environmentalists and scientists opposing the Adani project are Dr. Rohan Pethiyagoda and more..

Mar 15 (Island) President Ranil Wickremesinghe had told opposition political parties that they would be given an opportunity to meet a high powered IMF delegation last Monday to discuss the IMF programme, but he had not invited representatives of the IMF to the discussion, National People�s Power (NPP) stalwart and former MP, Sunil Handunnetti told journalists in Colombo on Thursday (14) after attending a meeting with the IMF. The two sides met yesterday at a hotel in Colombo. more..

Mar 15 (TM) Ministry of Trade, Commerce, and Food Security claimed that the former Board of Directors of the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA), including its Chairperson, was asked to resign as its term concluded, and there is no other reason behind the subject Minister�s decision. Secretary to the Ministry A.M.P.M.B. Atapattu said that the sole reason for the Minister�s (Nalin Fernando) decision was the conclusion of the term of the previous Board and that otherwise, no personal or professional more..

Mar 15 (DM) Anunayake of the Ramanya Nikaya Most Venerable Kappitiyagoda Sirivimala Thera stated yesterday that if the current trend persists, the entire parliament will soon resemble an elders' home and also emphasized the importance of elderly members stepping down to allow the youth the opportunity to contribute to the country's development. The Anunayake Thera emphasized this, when former Minister, MP Roshan Ranasinghe yesterday visited him at the Getambe Temple. more..

Mar 15 (DM) Despite high ownership of debit cards and mobile penetration, Sri Lankans are still reluctant to embrace non-cash transactions, industry experts said, which indicate that more work remains to be done to build confidence in this space. According to Mastercard SL Director Mahesha Amarasuriya, currently only less than five transactions are conducted from a Point of Sale (POS) terminal on average per day. The country had 111,205 POS terminals as of Sept last year. more..

Mar 15 (TM) JVP led NPP alleged that even the IMF is in the dark about certain aspects of the Govt's debt restructuring programme due to some complications that exist in the said programme. NPP's Chief Economic Adviser, Prof. Anil Jayantha, said that the discussion primarily focused on the NPP's vision for a homegrown solution to the economic crisis and debt restructuring. He also said that NPP team led by its MP Vijitha Herath more..

Mar 15 (DN) Cargills Convenient Foods Ltd, a fully owned subsidiary of Cargills (Ceylon) PLC, announced the opening of its new state-of-the-art processing facility on March 13, 2024. This significant investment, totalling approximately Rs. 550 million, underscores the company�s commitment to both local economic growth and global market expansion. Specializing in renowned brands such as Goldi, Sams, and Cargills Finest, Cargills Convenient Foods has become synonymous more..

Mar 15 (FT) The first meeting of the Joint Working Group (JWG) on renewable energy constituted under the MoU on Cooperation in the field of Renewable Energy signed between the Govts of India and SL in July 2023 during the visit of the Prez of SL to India, was held on 11 March in Colombo. The meeting was co-chaired by Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy from the Indian side Bhupinder Singh Bhalla and Secretary, Ministry of Power and Energy from the SL side more..

Mar 15 (DM) SL has refuted recent claims from US intelligence that there are potential plans for a Chinese military base to be established on its soil. State Defence Minister Premitha Bandara Tennakoon said that SL has not engaged in any discussions with foreign govts, including China, regarding the establishment of a military base within its borders. �SL has not held discussions with any foreign govt including more..

Mar 15 (FT) There has been a lot of criticism about Sri Lanka�s 17th IMF program from people of various backgrounds. They have made all kinds of accusations against the IMF program and criticised it. I agree that the IMF program is not the perfect solution. But the question is, what is the alternative? I am yet to see anyone who has offered a sensible alternative to the IMF. Sri Lanka�s debt is a staggering 128% of GDP and half of it is external debt which is in foreign currency. more..

Mar 15 (FT) This narrative is a follow up to the article by the writer titled, Adani wind project in Mannar and ecological threats published in the DFT on 06 March 2024. The intent is to address specific items covered by the 27 February WNPS hosted Media Conference panelists. Presented below are views - expressed in simple terms - of a person familiar with the wind industry: 1. Why wind project in Mannar - why not alternative sites with lower ecological impact: A panelist suggested Ambawela as a suitable more..

Mar 15 (AD) Former Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella, who is in remand custody in connection with the substandard IVIG procurement, has submitted a bail application to the Colombo High Court. The new development comes after the Maligakanda Magistrate�s Court rejected bail for Rambukwella, former health secretary and 4 other accused in the case on Thursday (14). Furthermore, the magistrate had ordered them to be remanded in custody until the conclusion of the case under the provisions of more..

Mar 15 (TM) The deadline for the application submission for the second phase of the Aswesuma, welfare beneficiary programme, has been extended to 22 March, said State Minister Shehan Semasinghe said. He said: �Welfare Benefits Board has decided to extend the deadline up to 22 March.� The initial application deadline was scheduled to be today. However, due to numerous requests made by various authorities, the extension for the application of submission has been announced, more..

Mar 15 (EN) State-run CEB is losing qualified engineers at an alarming rate, after a currency collapse and new progressive taxes slapped on the debased salary, and they are not coming back, union officials said. CEB has a cadre of around 1,000 engineers but they have been usually managing with lower levels of around 900, they said. Since 2022, about 150 have left the CEB for foreign countries, leading to serious gaps more..

Mar 15 (CT) An extortion racket involving a group of individuals posing as Public Health Inspectors (PHIs) has been reported in Kandy. These fake PHIs are said to be threatening business owners over the phone, claiming issues regarding registration and trade certificates and demanding money to refrain from prosecuting them. Complaints have been lodged by Kandy Medical Officer of Health (MOH) Dr. Pasan Jayasinghe, as well as PHIs from Galagedara and Hatharaliyadda, more..

Mar 15 (SLN) SL Navy conducted a special operation to chase away Indian poaching trawlers from SL waters in the early morning of today (15). The operation led to the seizure of 1 Indian trawler and apprehension of 15 Indian fishermen poaching in SL waters off the Kovilan Lighthouse in Kareinagar. Navy continues to conduct regular patrols and operations in SL waters to curb illegal fishing practices of foreign fishing trawlers, taking into account the impact of those practices more..

Mar 15 (CP) The 19-year-old charged with killing six people in an Ottawa suburb last week is being held in protective custody, his lawyer said Thursday. Febrio De-Zoysa was arrested March 6 and is charged with six counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder. �I can comment that he�s in protective custody. He�s doing OK,� his lawyer, Ewan Lyttle, told reporters after a brief court appearance that took place more..

Mar 15 (FT) In a step towards achieving its renewable energy targets, the Ministry of Power and Energy is set to host a significant event�the signing of a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for the project Apollo between Ceylon Energy Ltd. and the CEB. This agreement signals the beginning of a transformative project, the construction of a ground-mounted solar plant with a generating capacity of 10MW. Ceylon Energy Ltd., stands at the forefront of this initiative. more..

Mar 15 (EN) SL�s opposition parties that have promised amendments to the govt�s agreement with the IMF upon their election has not revealed the amendments they propose, State Minister of Shehan Semasinghe said. He tweeted that this apparent lack of transparency is a cause for concern. �Although the opposition political parties who opposed the IMF�s programme, which had a major impact on the recovery and stabilisation of the economy, announced that it would be amended after more..

Mar 15 (EN) Global fund managers have approached Colombo�s Port City regulators proposing to set up a fund that will finances its real estate and businesses, Saliya Wickramasuriya, a member of its regulatory commission said. The Colombo Port City to be renamed, Int'l Financial and Technological City, is awaiting the construction of buildings (vertical development) for businesses to operate. The first half a dozen land blocks reclaimed from the sea has already been transferred more..

Mar 15 (DM) A foreign tourist was trampled to death by a wild elephant at Manachchena, Komariya in Potuwil last morning. Investigations revealed that the Italian tourist Ginchino Paulo (50), with another Italian tourist had been riding on motorcycles in the Komariya area when he had met with the accident. The injured had been rushed to the Potuwil Base Hospital by the 1990 ambulance service, only to be pronnounded dead. The body was despatched to the Ampara General Hospital for a postmortem more..

Mar 15 (AD) SJB MP Dr. Harsha de Silva has refuted recent claims that he requested for a meeting with the visiting delegation of the IMF. Taking to �X� in response to a statement made by State Minister Shehan Semasinghe, SJB MP stated that he had merely requested for the Opposition to be involved in the External Debt Restructure (EDR). MP Dr. Harsha de Silva further highlighted that he had made a request in this regard given the crucial more..

Mar 15 (EN) The Foreign Minister of Thailand has agreed to work on early implementation of the SL-Thailand Free Trade Agreement (SLSFTA) and reciprocal visa free arrangement between the two countries, Minister of Foreign Affairs M U M Ali Sabry said. �I spoke with the Foreign Minister of Thailand HE Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara over the phone last morning to request assistance to facilitate the early repatriation of rescued Sri Lankans currently in the Myawaddy area in Myanmar. more..

Mar 15 (AD) The suspended health trade union action will be resumed from March 19, says the Convenor of the Health Service Trade Unions Ravi Kumudesh. Kumudesh said the authorities failed to provide them with satisfactory solutions to the issues facing the health sector workers. He urged the finance ministry to intervene without delay to address these issues. The trade unions representing a wide range of health sector professionals � including radiology & laboratory technicians, more..