Nov 25 4 (DM) More than 92,000 people have registered at the SL Foreign Employment Bureau (SLFEB) and have already left for various foreign countries for employment during this year, SLFEB Deputy General Manager Mangala Randeniya said. The three groups that were unable to migrate during the past one and a half years due to the global COVID pandemic are now getting their opportunity. "Most people used to leave the country for foreign employment, higher education purposes, more..

Nov 25 4 (CI) He has scored 854 Test runs at an average of 77.63 in 2021, but as good as he has been this year, Dimuth Karunaratne has bigger goals in mind. Of SL's Test batters, only Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene have hit more than 10,000 runs. Karunaratne only has 5406 in the bank at present, but wants to be Sri Lanka's first opener with a five-figure tally to his name. "Scoring 10,000 runs is my main target. more..

Nov 25 4 (AD) Director General of Health Services has confirmed another 27 coronavirus related deaths for Nov 24, pushing the country’s death toll due to the virus pandemic to 14,232. The deaths include 19 males and 08 females while seven of the victims are between the ages 30-59 years. The remaining 20 are in the age group of 60 years and above. Meanwhile the Ministry of Health reported that another 529 persons have tested positive for Covid-19 increasing the tally of confirmed more..

Nov 25 4 (TM) Free Media Movement (FMM) strongly condemned the attack on three journalists covering the ferry accident in Kinniya, Trincomalee, that took the lives of six people, including four children on Tuesday (23), and called for an immediate investigation into the incident and appropriate action against the perpetrators. It notes that journalists Abdul Mohammad Yasim, provincial correspondent for Thinakaran (Lake House), H..M. Halaldeen, Shakthi/News First correspondent more..

Nov 25 4 (EN) SL’s central bank has kept its policy rate at 6%, allowing it to inject money at rates below rising inflation to fire credit amid a severe currency crisis triggered by from sustained liquidity injections from February 2020. SL’s inflation spiked above 8% in October, the central bank said inflation was transitory echoing the latest buzzword of the US Federal Reserve chief Jerome Powell who is firing a global more..

Nov 25 4 (AD) The lawmakers of SJB staged a protest in the Parliament today (25) calling for an end to violence against women They donned orange-colored ribbons around their arms and held signs that read Stop violence against women. The color represents a brighter future free of violence against women and girls. The protest of the parliamentarians of the main Opposition came after the recent remarks made by SLPP MP Tissa Kuttiarachchi sparked controversy. more..

Nov 25 4 (DM) Officers of the SL Customs Narcotic Control Unit attached to SL Customs today seized ten parcels of Kush cannabis with a street value of nearly Rs.20 million at the Central Mail Exchange (CME), Colombo, Customs media spokesman Sudatta Silva said. He said that ten parcels containing narcotics had been addressed to a local individual. The parcels weighing 1,300 grams were received by the Clearance Division of the CME, and those parcels were detected following more..

Nov 25 4 (EN) SL is expecting to boost the island’s foreign exchange reserves which had fallen to US$ 2.3 billion by October to US$ 3.5 billion by the year end, CB Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal said. SL has lost forex reserves steadily from around August 2019 as inflation policy involving liquidity injections began despite having a pegged exchange rate. SL’s gross foreign currency reserves have plummeted 70% more..

Nov 25 4 (TM) Prez Rajapaksa has given directives to complete the construction of the proposed bridge across the Kuringankerni lagoon within a period of 9 months. Secretary to the Highways Ministry R.W.R. Premasiri revealed this addressing a press briefing held at the Presidential Media Centre this morning. Six persons including three schoolchildren died and 20 others were hospitalized after a passenger ferry capsized in the Kuringankerni lagoon in Kinniya at around 7.30 a.m. on Nov 23. more..

Nov 25 (EN) Meteorology Dept on Thursday warned of heavy rainfall and possible floods that can occur due to a low-level atmospheric disturbance over south-east of SL. Met Dept said the prevailing atmospheric disturbance, which also adjoins the south-west Bay of Bengal, has developed into a low-pressure area and is currently located in east of the island. The department said under the influence of this system, heavy showers above 100 millimeters can be expected in parts of more..

Nov 25 (EN) A ferry tragedy that killed at least six people including four children in Sri Lanka’s eastern district of Trincomalee on Tuesday (23) has turned into an ugly political hot topic as both ruling party and opposition legislators openly blame each other for the accident. The blame game is on who gave the approval to operate a ferry and why the govt didn’t provide safe alternate mode of transport as requested by Kinniya residents. more..

Nov 25 (CT) Members of the Women Parliamentarians Caucus of Sri Lanka wore orange today (25) to Orange the Parliament in solidarity with the world in launching 16 days of activism against gender-based violence. The UN secretary-general’s UNiTE campaign has declared the global theme of this year as Orange the World: End Violence against Women Now! The Women and Wellbeing Survey 2019 which is the first dedicated national survey on violence against women in SL reports that more..

Nov 25 (CT) Clearing confusions regarding the retirement age of public sector employees following Budget proposals, Minister Janaka Bandara Tennakoon said that public sector employees who are above 55 years could retire from service after 1 January 2022. Minister made this remark in response for a question raised by JJB MP Vijitha Herath in Parliament yesterday. Herath pointed out that many public sector employees who are about to retire from service were confused after more..

Nov 25 (FT) The SL Air Force under the guidance of the Commander of the Air Force Air Marshal Sudarshana Pathirana, together with the Forest Conservation Department, Faculty of Agriculture at the Uni of Peradeniya, Central Environment Authority and MAS Capital Ltd., instigated the sixth wave of seed bombing at Wattegama Kebilitta Govt Forest Reserve in the Siyamblanduwa DS on 23 November. more..

Nov 25 (Island) The USAID has announced its new $19 million, 5-year SL Energy Programme. Once finalised, this grant will support the govt of SL’s plan to increase the generation of renewable energy to 70% by the year 2030 and will contribute to the transformation of SL’s power sector into a market-based, secure, dependable, and long-term system. “Govt coordination, community engagement, and private sector participation are key to expanding the generation of renewable energy,” more..

Nov 25 (DM) With the support of the govt led by the health sector, the military, and the people, we can go for a total lockdown of the country or march ahead controlling the spread of the COVID virus, GMOA said. GMOA Assistant Secretary Dr. Samantha Ananda said the above two parties are responsible for both decisions. "Govt, led by the health sector and the military, always worked hard to control the virus. But the people are always trying to sneak through the loopholes created by the above" more..

Nov 26 (DM) The ferry tragedy in the Kuringankerni Lagoon on Tuesday underscores the fact that some journeys to school in Sri Lanka aren’t safe to say the least. As many as six people died in that incident and several others were hospitalised. And what’s hilarious is the govt quickly choosing to palm the blame on the local govt authority an wash its hand off when it comes to taking responsibility. The local govt authority here is governed by appointees of the SJB and SLMC. more..

Nov 26 (DM) Although the demonstration against the TNA and the disruption of its meeting in Canadian city of Toronto by the supporters of the LTTE on last Saturday might be seen as a new development by many, it was not something to be surprised. The possibility of such things happening has been there for a long time. TNA MPs M.A Sumanthiran and Shanakiyan Rasamanickam, had been forced to leave from a meeting they held in Toronto, which is home to the largest SL Tamil community more..

Nov 26 (FT) In the Political Pulse column of 10 November titled Tiruchelvam QC and Sabry PC: A tale of two resignations, I had written to some extent about former Local Govt Minister Murugeysen Tiruchelvam known as M. Tiru or Tiru. Interestingly much of the feedback I received displayed great interest and curiosity about M. Tiruchelvam. Many youngsters wanted to know greater details about him while some seniors more..

Nov 26 (DM) The US State Department engaged a leading delegation of the TNA along with the representatives of Diaspora groups during the past week. The TNA has remained engaged with the US to get its support for the achievement of what it called ‘political rights’ and justice for alleged rights violations during the war time in Sri Lanka. Discussions took place in the past both with and without public knowledge. Nevertheless, the latest engagement gets a higher profile than others. more..

Nov 26 (TM) Violence exists and goes on without being addressed not necessarily because we do not see violence as violence; it is because we think that acts of violence are justifiable, ignorable, and sometimes, pardonable, and it results in us not seeing its gravity. These attitudinal barriers were acknowledged by the UN Women, which commemorated the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women which fell yesterday, said that gender-based violence, more..

Nov 26 (TM) The Muthurajawela Wetland is a key wetland that has been a topic of discussion for many years owing to its environmental importance and also due to the environmental destruction taking place in the area. The wetland has been under threat due to racketeers’ activities as well. The newest controversy surrounding the Muthurajawela Wetland began after the Govt gazetted the wetland under the UDA, more..

Nov 26 (CT) Tuesday’s ferry accident near the Kurinchankerny Bridge, Kinniya, Trincomalee killed six, according to the Defence Ministry. It’s unclear whether the responsibility for this tragedy is with the Central Govt or the local council in question. Responsibility of the Eastern Provincial Council for this tragedy is ruled out as Provincial Councils (PCs) in the country stand dissolved with PCs functioning under the respective provincial Governors who in turn are appointed by the President. more..

Nov 26 (Island) One may wonder whether those who run gas companies are the cousins of Zahran, the savage, who organised the Easter Sunday explosions if what has been reported of their products is anything to go by. Zahran and his fellow terrorists blasted three churches and three hotels, killing more than 270 others, in 2019. His fat-cat cousins in the gas business, as it were, are certainly not terrorists on a suicidal mission, but they are likely to cause an explosion in every house more..

Nov 26 (TM) Since the first lockdown in March 2020, most conversations we have had with working class poor communities in Colombo have been dominated by one topic – budgets and listening to families talk about how they prioritise their expenditure based on their needs and their income. Families talked about cutting down to two meals a day so that they can afford the data card for their child’s online class. They discussed which child should stop tuition classes altogether so that another child sitting more..

Nov 26 (ST) Colombo International Container Terminals (CICT), the longstanding sponsors since 2015 and China Merchants Foundation (CMF) handed over US$30,000 in the form of a donation for the future of wheelchair tennis during an event held at the Sri Lanka Tennis Association (SLTA). Wheelchair Tennis has been an evolving sport in Sri Lanka. Since its commencement in 2002 they have shown steady progress and have been able to bring glory on numerous occasions. more..

Nov 26 (Island) Catholic Church welcomed President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa’s declaration that the govt had the required 2/3 majority in Parliament to take action against those who had been named in the PCoI by introducing a new Act in Parliament. Top spokesperson for the Church Rev Fr. Cyril Gamini Fernando said that the Church had repeatedly asked for the full implementation of the recommendations made by the PCoI. more..

Nov 26 (Island) Brain drain reflects multiple underlying socio-economic problems. While we expect to see a better country after the natural disasters, wars, terrorist attacks and pandemics, a more serious threat looms; it may appear insignificant to the majority of the people, especially to the politicians and policymakers, yet it is something we should counter immediately as a national priority. Therefore, based on a series of interviews with professionals who have more..

Nov 26 (FT) COVID-19 vaccines were administered to 20,884 persons on Wednesday. 74.04% of the country’s population has received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose. 63.83% of the population has received the second dose as well, while 93.8% of the population over 20 years has received both vaccine doses. 15,918,179 persons have received the first dose and 13,723,234 persons have received the second dose. The third vaccine dose has been administered to 398,013 persons, more..

Nov 26 (TM) As the debate between govt ministers on whether to seek financial assistance from the IMF deepens, IMF said that its staff stands ready to discuss options with the SL Govt, during the upcoming visit of the Fund’s representatives to Sri Lanka. The IMF, Wednesday (24) night, disclosed this in response to media inquiry regarding an upcoming Article IV mission to Colombo, next month. more..

Nov 26 (ST) SL managed to clinch three top slots in the International Telecom Union (ITU) Indices published in their latest report. In ITU affordability index, SL ranks at the 20th position for cheapest broadband end 13th for mobile broadband while clinching a top position at the 7th place for voice mobile services. “Two years of concerted efforts of making affordable offerings through E-Thaksalawa, LEARN End other unlimited packages for working from home have made this possible. more..

Nov 26 (Island) SL’s budding rugby players learned some hard lessons at the recently concluded Asian Rugby Sevens Series in Dubai where they were stopped by UAE in the Plate Championship final. The most notable feature about the islanders was that they were under-prepared for the tournament. They were severely handicapped with the absence of seniors; these players making themselves uncountable given that they didn’t take part in the selection trial which was worked off in the form of a domestic seven-a-side rugby tournament. more..

Nov 26 (CT) Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa said yesterday that India’s HCL Technologies (HCL) presence in Sri Lanka, is a reflective of the long-term business resilience of Colombo’s ascent as a commercial hub in South Asia. “As a nation, we are thankful for the opportunities HCL continues to offer our youth and make them global IT professionals,” he said at the opening ceremony of HCL’s new facility at the state-of-theart Cinnamon Life complex in Colombo. more..

Nov 26 (Island) Sprinters Aruna Dharshan and Amasha de Silva produced thrilling performances but witnessing the former’s heroics in the 400 metres final will not be a possibility today after the Artillery Regiment athlete had to pull out through injury in the semi-finals on day four of the Army Athletics Championships at the Sugathadasa Stadium on Thursday. Amasha established a new meet record in the women’s 200 metres after emerging sprinter Medhani Jayamanne’s more..

Nov 26 (Island) PCoI into the Easter Sunday attacks (2019) appointed by the previous govt had held the then govt including the then President, PM and the Cabinet responsible for the lapses that led to the attacks, Prez Rajapaksa said at the opening of the new Kelani Bridge named Golden Gate Kalyani in Peliyagoda, on Wednesday. Prez’s Office said in a media statement: “Prez said the PCoI report had been referred to Parliament, more..

Nov 26 (FT) The Colombo stock market saw bullish sentiment among investors sustained with both indices up amidst a high Rs. 10 billion turnover. The All Share Price Index gained by 1% or over 115 points and the S&P SL20 gained by over 16 points or 0.4%. Trading of over 459 million shares boosted turnover to Rs. 9.98 billion as opposed to Rs. 7.5 billion on Wednesday. Net foreign selling yesterday hit a new high of Rs. 934 million, pushing the year-to-date net outflow to over Rs. 49.5 billion. more..

Nov 26 (ST) Govt has reintroduced the earlier requirement of issuing permits for the transportation of sand, soil and clay, which was suspended two years ago. This decision has been taken following protests of environmentalists and environmental conservation associations against the easing of restrictions by the govt that paved the way for large scale sand mining. Environmentalists have vehemently protested against the removal of the permit system and strict regulations on more..