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Home » NewsGlittering push for export drive
With gem exports being one of the areas the government is focusing on to improve foreign reserves, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake yesterday opened the FACETS Sri Lanka gem and jewellery exhibition at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel in Colombo. Our pictures show a foreign stall member taking a selfie with the President and Foreign Minister Vijitha [...]
Delay in high-profile cases: AG to meet President
Department decides not to file indictments until police fully complete probes By Ranjith Padmasiri The Attorney General’s Department has decided not to open a file or file indictments in court in criminal cases where police send extracts and reports without fully completing investigations into matters. The AG’s Department has taken the decision considering the difficulties [...]
Two new judges for Court of Appeal
The Constitutional Council (CC) has approved the appointments of High Court Judges K.M. Sarath Dissanayake and Pradeep Hettiarachchi to the Court of Appeal. The names were sent by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake for CC approval. Judges Dissanayake and Hettiarachchi are the two most senior serving high court judges. They are due to take oaths as [...]
Vehicle import ban to be lifted from next month; close eye on foreign exchange outflow
By Damith Wickramasekara While restrictions on the import of vehicles for private use are to be lifted from next month, the government will be keeping a close eye on its impact on foreign exchange outflow. While the government’s target in lifting the vehicle import ban is to boost the economy and increase tax revenue, there [...]
Passport crisis may cripple labour migration
SLBFE warns Sri Lankans may lose overseas jobs By Namini Wijedasa With no orders still placed for a fresh consignment of passports beyond the 750,000 now being issued to the people, the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) has warned that the continuing crisis threatens to cripple labour migration. An influx of applications is [...]
Strict guidelines for contacts with foreign entities
The Presidential Secretariat has issued guidelines for ministries and state institutions to follow when interacting with foreign states, international organisations, and diplomatic missions accredited to Sri Lanka and Sri Lankan missions overseas. The 12-page circular was sent out by Presidential Secretary N.S. Kumanayake. It was addressed to ministry secretaries, provincial chief secretaries, and secretaries to [...]
School boy invents monkey repellent
By Sarath Chinthaka A 15-year-old school boy had invented a sensory device to repel langur and macaque monkeys and other such pests. The device repels animals by emitting sounds and smells. The chemical released by the device also gives the animals a burning and unpleasant sensation making them immediately flee the area. The inventor of [...]
Activist petitions SC over London-based Lyca Group’s “devious ownership” of mass communication companies here
By Namini Wijedasa The London-headquartered Lyca Group has been actively expanding its operations in Sri Lanka with Chairman and Founder Subaskaran Allirajah “indirectly, deviously and circuitously, undertaking acquisitions in the local media sector”, states a petition filed before the Supreme Court. “These transactions have been carried out through proxies to circumvent Sri Lankan regulations prohibiting [...]
SC justice Preethi Padman Surasena appointed to Judicial Service Commission
By Ranjith Padmasiri Supreme Court Justice Preethi Padman Surasena has been appointed as a member of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC). President Anura Dissanayake has made the appointment with approval from the Constitutional Council. Justice Surasena is one of the most senior Justices on the Supreme Court. Chief Justice Murdu Fernando was recently appointed JSC [...]
Virus outbreak in China: No cause for panic, health authorities remain vigilant
Respiratory illnesses due to known viruses, and no new or unusual pathogens have been identified By Kumudini Hettiarachchi Sri Lanka has no cause for concern regarding the current outbreak of the virus causing flu-like symptoms in China, health authorities have said, assuring that they are “vigilant” and “continuously” monitoring global health developments to ensure public [...]
Exams Chief says will do utmost to complete process sooner than 40-day time frame
By Ishu Bandara Exams Chief Amith Jayasundara yesterday said the 2024 Grade 5 Scholarship Examination paper marking meeting had been scheduled for tomorrow. The marking process is expected to conclude within 40 days, with the aim of completing it by the first week of February. “Although I mentioned a 40-day timeframe, I will do my [...]
Grade 5 scholarship exam: SC reprimands exams chief for abdicating decision-making authority
By Namini Wijedasa The Supreme Court this week determined that the decision to award free marks for three compromised questions of the September 2024 Grade 5 Scholarship Exam was not in consonance with the rule of law and infringes the constitution as, in arriving at this solution, the Commissioner General of Examinations (CGE) had abdicated [...]
Five senior journalists to be feted with Lifetime Achievement Awards at milestone Journalism Awards night
The 25th edition of the Journalism Awards for Excellence, the prestigious annual event that celebrates the best in print media in the country, will be held on Tuesday, January 7, at the Empire Ballroom, Mount Lavinia Hotel. This year marks a milestone- a quarter-century of honoring the brilliance, dedication, and impact of journalists. While awards [...]
Delightful drone display reflects what’s possible in Sri Lanka
By Nathara Abeywickrema On December 31, the night skies over Galle Face Green were transformed into a spectacular symphony of fireworks and a mesmerising drone show, welcoming the new year. The event illuminated Colombo’s skyline with 400 drones, creating a breathtaking visual display visible up to 5 kilometres away. It captivated over 150,000 live attendees [...]
Apparel and vehicle parts trades raise red flags for money-laundering risks
By Kapila Bandara Sri Lanka’s textile and apparel trade, which spends more than half of its annual foreign currency earnings on imported inputs, tops five other sectors including vehicle parts, and food, for money laundering risks, an analysis has found. The findings by the Asian Development Bank, which has been an unfailing supporter of Sri [...]
31 illegal shops at the Galle Public Market removed
Thirty-one illegally constructed shops erected near the Galle Public Market were removed last Tuesday (31). The Galle Municipal Council and the Four Gravets Divisional Secretariat filed a court case in 2020 against 34 shops with illegally erected buildings at the public market. The shops were removed after the court delivered the judgment for removal on [...]
9.8 million worth rewards for raids against illegal fishing in arrears
By Sandun Jayawardana The Fisheries Reward Fund (FRF), established with the aim of encouraging officials and informants involved in raids against illegal fishing activities, has not achieved its stated purpose, with more than Rs. 9.8 million yet to be disbursed from the Fund as cash rewards, according to the National Audit Office (NAO). The FRF, [...]
Mandatory SLCERT recommendations for state websites
By Sandun Jayawardana The government is to make it mandatory for state organisations to strictly enforce security checks and recommendations made by the Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team (SLCERT) regarding the security of their websites and to fix all identified vulnerabilities. At present, SLCERT, now under the Ministry of Digital Economy, conducts vulnerability assessments [...]
SJGH Chairman appointment: “Bad precedent” and “arbitrary”, say two medical trade unions
Transfer process also violated Up in arms against what they charge is the “irregular appointment” of the Chairman of the semi-state Sri Jayewardenepura General Hospital (SJGH), two medical trade unions have fired off letters of objection to Health Secretary Dr. Anil Jasinghe. The Association of Medical Specialists (AMS) and the Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) [...]
A people’s participation programme the main focus of “Clean Sri Lanka”, says Govt.
By Chandani Kirinde The “Clean Sri Lanka” project which will be the cornerstone of Government policy for the next five years will be a ‘people’s programme’ and not a ‘political programme’, an official overseeing the initiative said. Chaminda Jayasuriya, a member of the project said public participation and cooperation will be the key to the [...]
Faded road markings leave drivers befuddled
By Dilushi Wijesinghe Motorists are facing increasing risks as several key road markings have been nearly erased, leaving drivers unsure of lanes and traffic directions as the once-visible lane markers and pedestrian crossings have become nearly impossible to identify in some areas. The Sunday Times observed that several road markings, especially near pedestrian crossings, had [...]
Organised crime accounts for 56 of 103 shootings that felled 45
By Sandun Jayawardana More than 100 shootings last year left 61 dead and 47 injured. Police attribute the vast majority of 2024’s fatal shootings to clashes between organised crime gangs, as turf wars, mainly over drug trafficking, continue to take a deadly toll. Police claim their investigations have determined that 56 of the 103 shooting [...]
New Year’s first fatal shooting from Weligama
The first fatal shooting in 2025 left one person dead and another injured in Weligama yesterday (4). Police said unidentified assailants who had arrived on three motorbikes opened fire on a group of five persons walking along the Kapparathota-Walliwela Road in Weligama early yesterday. Two persons suffered injuries in the incident and were admitted to [...]
Sri Lanka gears up to refine climate commitments with Nationally Determined Contributions
By Tharushi Weerasinghe With the February 2025 deadline for the latest Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs 3.0) fast approaching, Sri Lanka is gearing up to refine its climate commitments. NDCs, central to the Paris Agreement, are national climate plans detailing how countries will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change. The United Nations Framework [...]
Leading the way in eco-friendly handmade products
EntrepreneurVichakshana Praveen Peiris, with his company begun during the COVID19, has been a trailblazer in sustainable design with eco-friendly handmade products. Mr. Peiris’s endeavour is to create distinctive products made entirely from recyclable material such as paper. Each item is carefully crafted in Sri Lanka, embodying a dedication to both workmanship and sustainability. Mr. Peiris [...]
Loud booms and deafening cracks sound like hell for pets
By Kasun Warakapitiya Thundering firecrackers, bright lights and sky-illuminating fireworks signify people’s joy, yet man’s best friend the dog (canis familiaris) experiences terrifying loud sounds, confusing lights, and unpleasant noises. The frequencies that people hear are measured in Hertz (Hz). Dogs can hear 40-45 Hz to 45,000 Hz, whereas a human can hear only 20 [...]
Loss of habitat and lack of natural predators aggravating monkey issue, says expert Enclosed safari parks may be a solution
The monkey antics in certain areas of the country have reached a new level with much hostility from people. Monkeys, mainly the rilawa (Macaca sinica or toque macaque) are raiding homes and pilfering stuff, damaging roofs, destroying crops and also biting people. “Monkeys are not the only pests people have to deal with but also [...]
Women workers endure the biggest blows from economic collapse
By Mimi alphonsus From housekeepers and migrant workers to factory workers, farmers, and home-makers, working women’s lives have been torn apart by the economic crisis. Through debt traps, informal, unprotected jobs, domestic violence, and increased chores at home, no aspect of women’s lives have gone untouched. The economic crisis has increased informalisation of women’s employment [...]