Nov 5 (EN) Sri Lanka’s bond market saw quotes in several maturities dealers said with some of the shock from a Stage II auction intervention wearing off after strong genuine buyer interest in 3-month bonds lowered auction yields. After a market holiday Wednesday 3-month bills were quoted around 7.85/95 levels. At Tuesday’s auction 3-month auction yield fell to 8.18% from 8.43% with strong demand. On Thursday several bonds were quoted recovering from a shock last week, more..

Nov 5 (DM) Several parties pointed out recently that the country’s crude oil reserves were sufficient only till December and this would lead to a fuel shortage soon. Accordingly the available petrol reserves would suffice until January while the diesel storage would suffice until November. They also said that even though Minister Udaya Gammanpila sought to purchase oil from the UAE during his visit the Emirates’ authorities turned down more..

Nov 5 (FT) The 24th Presidential Export Awards for the financial years 2019/20 and 2020/21 will be held on 26 Nov at the BMICH under the patronage of Prez Rajapaksa. Presidential Export Awards are the most prestigious awards presented by the President to exporters in recognition of their outstanding contribution to the export sector and to the economic development of the country. EDB Chairman Suresh de Mel said this year's awards would be presented in two main categories more..

Nov 5 (DM) SJB MP Kavinda Jayawardana and a fisherman in Negombo today filed a Fundamental Rights petition in the Supreme Court challenging the legality of the gazette notification issued allowing the UDA to acquire the Muthurajawela marshy lands. The petitioners stated that the President acting arbitrarily by an Order published in the Gazette No.2248/44 dated 07.10.2021 declared that the Muthurajawela marshy lands are urgently required for the purpose of conservation & sustainable more..

Nov 5 (Island) Various private laboratories are setting up tents in the BIA car park to test those going to the Middle East despite the existence of two high tech labs at the Airport, College of Medical Laboratory Science (CMLS) President, Ravi Kumudesh complained. He said that it was an attempt to fleece poor SL workers leaving for West Asia. “On 02 Nov Airport & Aviation Services (AAS) issued a tender for more..

Nov 5 (AD) All teacher-principal trade unions are planning to stage a massive protest in Colombo on November 09, the Ceylon Teachers’ Union (CTU) says. The general-secretary of the union, Joseph Stalin noted that they expect to kick off at the Lipton Roundabout at 2.00 p.m. next Tuesday with the participation of all trade union leaders. Speaking further, Stalin added that the work-to-rule campaign launched by the teacher-principal trade unions will be continued. more..

Nov 5 (EN) Sri Lanka’s anti-money laundering and terrorism finance office has fined two finance companies and a bank for non-compliances mostly involving lapses in record-keeping required under United Nations sanctions. People’s Merchant Finance, Ideal Finance were fined 500,000 rupees each and Seylan Bank was fined one million rupees. The firms have since rectified the problems, the Financial Intelligence Unit said. The full statement is reproduced below: more..

Nov 5 (CT) The World Tsunami Awareness Day programme will be held at the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) Auditorium from today (5) to 8 Nov with the participation of both international and national stakeholders to save lives in a tsunami and other ocean disasters. Assistant Director of Media and Public Relations of the DMC, Janaka Handunpathiraja said it is intended to create awareness about tsunamis and the associated risks. “Our intention is to create awareness about more..

Nov 5 (DM) It is indeed pathetic to note that the people including senior health officials, doctors who should set an example with COVID safety measures, sometimes take health rules for granted, Dr. Hemantha Herath said. He said that this creates doubts and a bad impression among the general public. “Such individuals have posted photos on social media without even wearing a mask,” he said. “Ordinary people might think if such individuals do not follow health rules, why should they worry more..

Nov 5 (WB) Priyantha Fernando* (34) was heading home after a typical day’s work when his motorcycle crashed into a lorry. His wife and two children saw their lives changed instantly when they lost the family’s sole breadwinner. Unfortunately, this tragic and unnecessary loss of life is all too common in SL. Available data shows an average of 38,000 crashes annually in Sri Lanka resulting in around 3,000 deaths and 8,000 serious injuries. more..

Nov 5 (Island) At least 2,000 persons contract Covid-19 a day, in SL, Executive Director of the Institute for Health Policy (IHP), Dr. Ravi Rannan-Eliya says. Dr. Rannan-Eliya said that the country should take immediate steps to reduce the transmission of the virus to prevent major future outbreaks that were likely to occur after the gradual decline in immunity acquired from vaccines. Responding to a question posed by The Island on the detection of several Covid-19 positive more..

Nov 5 (FT) Ex-pack Corrugated Cartons Ltd.’s Rs. 700 million IPO witnessed 6,000+ applicants seeking to subscribe, resulting in an over 11 times oversubscription worth over Rs. 8 billion. “This is the highest rate of oversubscription witnessed by any recent IPO, making it the highest subscribed IPO for 2021,” Ex-pack said. The IPO, which opened on 22 Oct, was oversubscribed in a matter of minutes and, thus, closed the same day. “There was active interest from a range of investors, more..

Nov 5 (EN) Stock index hit a new record peak on Friday with posting its highest single day gain in seven weeks as investor sentiment was bullish on the island nation’s risky assets with earnings from some listed firms outperformed the market expectation, brokers said. Brokers said the ASPI recorded 220 points gain, its highest since Sept 21,2021. Colombo benchmark All Share Price Index (ASPI) closed at 2.11% more..

Nov 5 (AD) The female body found inside a travelling bag which had been abandoned in the Sapugaskanda area has been identified, Sri Lanka Police said. The remains are suspected to be that of a 44-year-old woman who was residing in Maligawatta flats. SSP Nihal Thalduwa said that the body was identified by the victim’s husband and two children. The postmortem examination on the remains is scheduled to be carried out at the Ragama Hospital tomorrow (06), he said. more..

Nov 5 (AD) High Commissioner of Canada to SL, David McKinnon has applauded SL’s move to roll out booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines. At a discussion with Minister Keheliya Rambukwella, the high commissioner said the island nation is managing the inoculation drive very well. The discussion was joined by the WHO Representative to SL, Dr. Alaka Singh. She has commended the success of the program launched by Sri Lanka to provide home-based care for asymptomatic more..

Nov 6 (DM) Is the row between the SLPP and the small parties in the ruling coalition real, or is it a drama? Many social media posts have posed this question. Some are of the opinion that this is a drama stage-managed by the ruling party leaders to divert the attention of the masses from many issues the country is currently faced with. Meanwhile, some groups believe that the leaders of the small parties have resorted to this kind of agitations to extract more favours from Rajapaksas, while more..

Nov 6 (DM) On Jan 8, 2015 we had so much hope for good governance, decency, law and order. There is no point in going over the Bond Scam and other scams, again and again. It is like scratching an itching wound and renewing it. All of them have betrayed us and the nation. When the Lal Wijenayake committee began gathering suggestions for a new draft constitution, we had hope. Some of us interested in Free Education formed a group consisting of Buddhist Monks, Catholic more..

Nov 6 (CT) SLPP celebrated its fifth anniversary at a time the Govt is increasingly facing dissent of the public and PM Rajapaksa who still commands huge popularity amongst people compared to his brothers was seen in a desperate attempt to retain the trust people had in Rajapaksas years ago. While acknowledging shortcomings in the incumbent Govt, Rajapaksa told SLPP members the importance of reaching to the people during more..

Nov 6 (DM) A group of leading academics, professionals, human rights activists have issued a joint statement urging the govt to ensure that a strong degree of accountability and transparency is maintained in the ongoing constitutional reform process. Following is the full text of the statement; “ We, the undersigned, issue this public statement to urge the Govt to adopt a transparent and consultative approach to its ongoing constitutional reform process. more..

Nov 6 (CT) During the final phase of the Mahinda Rajapakse regime from 2010 to 2015, Charitha (Herath) and Dhamma (Disanayake), my university colleagues, told Prof Lakshman and me that Minister Basil Rajapaksa would be happy to get our views on the SL economy and its problems. There was no electoral defeat since the opposition was yet to mobilise the forces that could be deployed in toppling the Govt. However, the economy had already entered its descending phase. more..

Nov 6 (Roar) “The main challenge with [testing for HIV] is that people are sure it does not apply to them. But what they don’t realise is, it’s not just about them being safe. It’s about helping fight the stigma — it’s about something greater.” Thyasha Dissanayake is the Head of Marketing at Adithi by The Arka Initiative, and has been involved in organising Test with Arka, a free HIV testing drive. Testing drive is in collaboration with more..

Nov 6 (ST) Priyanga who is in his fifties, has some knowledge about selecting food and other consumables in good quality. He and his wife are both always careful about what they purchase for the family with three children. He is also brand-conscious; he knows the brand names of the producers and suppliers who are keen in protecting and promoting their business by selling products with high quality to the customers. While he often admires such businesses, he is always more..

Nov 6 (Island) Tragic as Sri Lanka’s situation is, conspiracy theories that politicians come out with all too often remind us of Shakespeare’s comedy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, wherein Theseus says thus of the people ruled by unbridled imagination: Or in the night, imagining some fear/How easy is a bush supposed a bear! It looks as if the govt and the Opposition were vying with each other to concoct conspiracy theories. Hardly a day passes without a politician complaining of a conspiracy. more..

Nov 6 (CT) Eleven constituent parties of the govt have staged a protest against the government under the banner Mahajana Manthrana Sabhava-MMS (Peoples Council). This in fact is not a people’s council rather a council of frustrated politicians since there were no people involved there. MMS came into the limelight with the real participation of the people during the former autocratic regime of Mahinda Rajapaksa where the opposition had no say. more..

Nov 6 (DN) Dasun Shanaka, the incumbent SL Twenty20 captain, says that in addition to the team which participated in this year's Twenty20 World Cup, several other senior players should also be included in the next edition of this tournament to be held in Australia next year. He made this statement while speaking at a post-media briefing after the West Indies match in which his team snatched a convincing 20-run victory under lights at the picturesque Sheikh Zayed Stadium more..

Nov 6 (CT) The National Plant Quarantine Service (NQPS) said the test report by the Schutter Global Inspection and Survey Co. Ltd., China, on the samples of the organic fertiliser of Qingdao Seawin Biotcech Company showed coliform and microbes, and it was impossible to accept their fertiliser shipment. It was Qingdao Seawin that carried out its own independent test with the assistance of Schutter Global. more..

Nov 6 (CT) Sri Lanka ‘A’ were in big trouble against Pakistan ‘A’ at close of day two in the second 4-Day Cricket encounter at Pallekele Stadium in Kandy on Friday. Continuing from their overnight 180/4, Pakistan ‘A’ were bowled out for 394 runs in 106 overs. Opener Abdullah Shafique scored 117 runs in 208 deliveries with 18 boundaries and a six, while Agha Salman scored 103 runs in 172 balls with 13 boundaries. Right arm medium paceman Chamika Gunasekara claimed 6 wickets for 83 runs. more..

Nov 6 (Island) This is not a prediction, but the reality. SL is already in a serious crisis in terms of people’s living conditions, the economy, foreign reserves, political system, govt’s legitimacy, public administration, foreign relations and the govt’s day to day decision making processes. While some are long standing, like the foreign reserves or debt, most of the others are quite recent, and are the results of unequivocal incompetence and bad management. Even the foreign debt situation has worsened more..

Nov 6 (FT) Amidst the lack of foreign exchange, food industries fear a looming crisis playing out across the economy due to supply and demand imbalances. The latest stumbling block has arisen with the curtailment of 25% of supplies to food manufacturers, forcing them to discontinue certain production lines, lay off employees and slash salaries. “The shortage of supply has now led to a perfect storm for a continued food crisis,” more..

Nov 6 (FT) CBSL Director – Payments and Settlements Department Dharmasri Kumaratunge, CBSL Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal, State Minister Namal Rajapaksa with John Keells Holdings Chairman Krishan Balendra and HNB Managing Director and CEO Jonathan Alles at the launch of the LANKAQR Janagathakaranaya campaign rolling out the Dynamic QR with supermarket chain Keells. SL’s most innovative private sector bank HNB PLC partnered with leading supermarket chain more..

Nov 6 (Island) SL Under-19 will meet their England counterparts in a five-match Youth ODI series starting on Nov 30. That will be the second Youth ODI series for SL Under 19 since the last Youth World Cup. Despite lack of competition exposure during a better part of the last one and half years SL Under 19 captained by St. Joseph’s College spinner Dunith Wellalage beat Bangladesh Under 19 5-0 in their first series played last month. The team had just over three weeks of training in a more..

Nov 6 (ST) The Amateur Rowing Association of SL (ARASL) will send a young and aspiring team of six oarsmen and oarswomen to represent the country at the upcoming Youth Water Sports Championship 2021, conducted by the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi Sectoral Technical and Economic Coorperation or BIMSTEC to be held in Bhopal, India. The event will be held at the Upper Lake Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh in India from Nov 22 to 27. The team includes three boys and three girls, more..

Nov 6 (FT) COVID-19 vaccines were administered to 16,172 persons on Thursday and 62.9% of the country’s population has received both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine to date. The first dose of a vaccine has been administered to 73.12% of the population. 92.5% of the country’s over-20 population had received both vaccine doses as of 4 Nov. The first dose of a vaccine has been administered to 15,726,331 persons and the second dose has been administered to 13,523,722 more..

Nov 6 (AD) The Colombo Commercial High Court has extended the enjoining order issued against the Chinese company that shipped fertilizer containing harmful bacteria to Sri Lanka, its local agent and the People’s Bank. The court order, which prevents the payment to the Chinese firm on Letter of Credit, was accordingly extended until November 19. A petition filed by the Ceylon Fertilizer Company (CFC) was called more..

Nov 6 (FT) A project to provide technical assistance to improve the production and commercialisation of fruit value-chains in Sri Lanka has been launched by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Ministry of Agriculture with financial assistance from the People’s Republic of China. The project, valued at over $ 1.1 million is implemented under the FAO-China South-South Cooperation Tripartite Agreement between FAO, China and Sri Lanka. more..

Nov 6 (FT) Sentiment surrounding the economy deteriorated in October as a mere 8% of respondents say economic conditions are likely to improve in the coming 12 months. This marks a decline from the one in five who said so in the previous month. Meanwhile, the majority (47%) of those consulted by Nielsen are pessimistic and anticipate a deterioration in conditions during this period while the balance (45%) believe that the economy will stay the same. more..