Nov 21 (Island) Former Prez Maithripala Sirisena, MP, like all other SL politicians, never misses an opportunity to make himself out to be a knight in shining armour on a mission to slay the dragon of corruption. Pontificating about the virtues of honesty, he has claimed that some years ago his fight against corruption even brought him on a collision course with the then Prez Mahinda Rajapaksa when he was a minister in the latter’s govt. He says he has written a book on his experiences as a politician, more..

Nov 21 (CT) The war that ravaged the North and the East of the country finally came to an end in May, 2009 with the Govt’s victory over the LTTE. The control of the country, after 25 years, once again came under one Govt which, politically speaking was a victory for not just the victors but for the whole country as well. However, as it is with any internal conflict, several issues raised its head following the end of the war. One such issue was the questionable demarcation of HSZ in the N&E. more..

Nov 21 (ST) SL born England based cricketer Thilan Walallawita regards it an honour to have a Google profile. Having no such high expectations when turned into a professional cricketer, it is only quite honourable. “It’s really good to have one of those”, junior Walallawita said. But the process and journey of featured in Google to becoming a specialist left-arm orthodox spinner, a regular in his Middlesex side, naturally never happened overnight. It was a test of time & patience since he first set foot more..

Nov 21 (CT) The struggling SL economy has led to a severe pharmaceutical crisis. But attempts to introduce a system change which would at least help regulate the troubled waters do not seem a welcome move to many parties. Media Committee Member of GMOA, Dr. Chamil Wijesinghe accused certain officials of the Health Ministry, Medical Supplies Division (MSD) and certain external parties of attempting to more..

Nov 21 (DN) Sri Lankan Cricket (SLC) in collaboration with T-Ten Global Sports are expected to conduct the first-ever edition of the dynamic T-10 cricket tournament for both men and women scheduled to be held in June next year for 12 days and arrangements have been already finalised to have a successful T-10 tournament said SLC Secretary Mohan de Silva at a press conference held at the Cinnamon Lake side hotel yesterday. The T10 which is the fastest format in cricket more..

Nov 21 (Island) The Lodge and the Village are two, iconic resorts in the dry zone of Sri Lanka. In the Village, Architect Somaratna Silva had cleverly created a rustic resort with an open concept with individual rooms appearing like small houses in a remote village. Located in the centre of the resort are the front office, bar, restaurant, kitchens, stores and swimming pool. Recreational facilities, including elephant rides, boating, tennis etc., are located close by, facing the Habarana Lake. more..

Nov 21 (DN) CCC led by Ashan Priyanjan retained the championship in the Major Clubs Cricket tournament when they beat Tamil Union on first innings in the four-day final which concluded at the SSC grounds yesterday. It was a great achievement by CCC who made it three in a row by winning a high-scoring final. Tami Union made 558 in the first innings in which skipper Sadeera Samarawickrama scored a superb 188 but it was in vain as CCC made a bold reply to chase the mammoth innings more..

Nov 21 (FT) MP Prof. Charitha Herath yesterday said members of the Freedom People’s Congress will vote against the Budget if amendments are not made on points of contention. Herath told a media briefing that provisions in the Budget on the disposal of Govt lands and the reforms of State-owned enterprises must be revisited and reviewed. “They must be amended. Prez may say who cares especially in a situation where he claims to have no concern for even the MPs who voted for him. more..

Nov 21 (ST) Consumers are left in a scrambled state in fear of an egg shortage during the festive season, mainly due to a tug-o-war between authorities and the poultry industry over price and production. The demand for eggs from large scale cake manufacturers and hotels entertaining foreign tourists have started to increase, egg sellers say, but the supply is limited due to a drop in production and increased raids on traders who are selling more..

Nov 21 (ST) The recently announced regulations by the Colombo Tea Traders’ Association (CTTA) to declare the moisture content of teas sent to the auctions is part of the authorities’ intention of sustaining the high quality of Ceylon Tea. The CTTA in a circular on Monday said that it has been decided by the CTTA that all producers are required to purchase and use moisture meters to gauge the moisture levels in their teas and the deadline was set for Dec 31, 2022. “At the last meeting, more..

Nov 21 (NYT) The 2022 World Cup is finally here. This year’s tournament is a little more open than usual, our chief soccer correspondent writes, with the major European powers that have dominated for two decades threatened by Brazilian and Argentine revivals and menaced by a strong contingent from Africa. The US, returning to the World Cup after missing out in 2018, looks young and exciting. There are eight groups and 32 total teams, but only half of them will advance to the knockout stage. more..

Nov 21 (FT) Prez and Finance Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Friday defended the Govt’s decision to slap higher taxation on vital export income saying subsidising via lower rates in effect means the sector isn’t competitive. He also said that time has come for transformation for all enterprises local or export-oriented. “We have to ensure that they are certainly competitive and need not be in any way subsidised by the State,” more..

Nov 21 (FT) Political maestro Basil Rajapaksa returned to the country yesterday receiving a grand welcome at the BIA by supporters. Rajapaksa left for the US in September to receive medical treatment after the Supreme Court allowed him to travel overseas. A number of SLPP members including MPs were at the BIA to welcome Rajapaksa who last served as Finance Minister before resigning in June as a SLPP National List MP and to make way for the appointment of business leader more..

Nov 21 (TM) Yehali Sangakkara, wife of world renowned cricketer Kumar Sangakkara, testifying at Bethany Christian Life Centre, Rajagiriya, attributed all her husband’s victories and achievements to God. “Kumar has been the most consistent batsman SL has ever produced, and I give all that credit to God,” she said, as she related her life story and described moments at her husband’s matches where she would fall to her knees and pray. “Kumar has played cricket for about 15 years, more..

Nov 21 (EN) SL’s free trade deal have earned the country 600% more exports than imports in 2022, as the country embarks on a renewed push to free consumers from vested import substitution businesses. Up to Sept 2022, exports under four tree trade deals totaled 229.1 billion rupees, up to Sept 2022., while imports were only 32.29 billion rupees, or exports were 7 times as big as imports. An Indo-Lanka FTA generated US$ 140.4 billion of exports & resulted in 5.1 b rupees in imports. more..

Nov 21 (FT) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe on Friday said that the Govt is trying to avoid the restructuring of domestic debt. The announcement is likely to rest concerns within and outside the banking sector over domestic debt restructuring (DDR). “We are trying to avoid damage to the domestic structure but everyone will have to take a fair share. So far, we have only looked at the foreign and as far as the local debt is concerned, we are working to minimise the impact. more..

Nov 21 (TM) The working draft of the proposed Anti-Corruption Bill, which has been prepared based on certain provisions of the UN Charter against Corruption, includes provisions for the publicising of the declarations of assets and liabilities of MPs through an automated Centralised Electronic System. Accordingly, the centralised electronic system will automatically generate a redacted version of the MPs’ declaration of assets more..

Nov 21 (Island) Cargills agri value chain which has established itself as one of the most successful networks in the country, continues to pay tribute to its farmer partners by supporting and empowering their children to achieve academic excellence. In 2008, Cargills established a farmer welfare fund Sarubima in Thanamalwila, by contributing 50 cents for every kilogram of produce purchased from farmers to launch an educational scholarship program for farmers’ children more..

Nov 21 (SO) The Govt will set up a permanent operating system within its national defence apparatus to decide on formalities in granting permission to foreign military vessels and flights wishing to enter, land, or transit through Sri Lanka. The top brass of the National Defence and the Attorney General’s Department officials have jointly drawn up the new operating system under the supervision of the President’s Senior Adviser and Chief of Staff, Sagala Ratnayake. more..

Nov 21 (DN) The Govt has distributed over Rs. 2 billion to tea smallholder growers recently to increase their tea production, Minister of Plantations, Dr.Ramesh Pathirana said. He said that this was done through the SME Tea factories. Dr. Pathirana who was the Chief Guest at the 17th AGM of the Association of Small and Medium Exports of Tea (ASMET) said that there is a huge decrease in tea supply resulting in dip in production. “One reason for this was the 2021 fertilizer issue more..

Nov 21 (Island) Dissident SLPP MP Dullas Alahapperuma, taking part in the ongoing Budget debate in Parliament on Saturday, demanded to know whether SL’s Foreign Service was engaged in the flesh trade; some SL embassy officials were allegedly involved in a racket where female job seekers were forced into prostitution overseas, he said. “The victims may have gone abroad on visit visas, but they were under the protection of the Embassy, and the question is whether more..

Nov 21 (AD) The gazette notification pertaining to the lifting of the ban imposed on the import of the herbicide Glyphosate has been sent to the Govt Printer, says the Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Gunadasa Samarasinghe. Minister of Agriculture had decided to lift the ban on Glyphosate following inquiries made from various sectors including the representatives from farmers, agricultural experts, and agronomists as to more..

Nov 21 (AD) SL Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) says that four persons including a foreign national have been arrested from a hotel in Badulla in connection with illegal promotional campaign claiming to provide job opportunities in Romania. The SLFBE said that the arrests were made following a raid carried out at the hotel in Badulla this morning (20) while the individuals in question were interviewing candidates for employment in Romania after advertising on social media. more..

Nov 21 (DM) Samagi Vanitha Balawegaya National Organiser and former MP Hirunika Premachandra said that she was blamed for hugging police officers but they have never asked her to move aside when doing this gesture. "They also have the same problems that we have. If the police is coming with batons and other weapons we should try to stop them in a peaceful manner," she said. Earlier, ASP Nevil de Silva appearing with Cinnamon Garden Police informed court that former MP more..

Nov 21 (Island) General Secretary of DLF Vasudeva Nanayakkara, MP, said that the UNP had sold the urea plant at Sapugaskanda to a foreign buyer who set it up in an Arab country. Having brought the machinery as scrap iron the buyer had re-installed the machinery and today SL procured urea from that facility, Nanayakkara said. The veteran politician called what the UNP had done a crime by the nation. more..

Nov 21 (FT) This year, along with the presentation of the Budget 2023, the legislators were benefitted by the submission of a new report by a special committee setup under the National Council System in Parliament. That committee had been tasked to examine the state of the macroeconomy and come up with stabilisation policies as an independent thinktank of MPs. Committee had been headed by the opposition legislator Champika Ranawaka who had been in this field for quite some time. more..

Nov 21 (FT) As we often observe, the future of work is hybrid. It is also through workplace ecosystems. Are we geared to such a transition? I came across an interesting article by three veterans recently published in the Sloan Management Review who argue that workforce ecosystems can help leaders better manage changes driven by technological, social, and economic forces. Today’s column attempts to reflect on it and relate its contents to local context. Elizabeth J. Altman from more..

Nov 21 (AD) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe assured to provide the necessary assistance to expand the scouting movement by increasing its membership to 200,000 covering all nine provinces by 2024. Prez also mentioned that he would seek the support of the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Youth Affairs for this purpose. SL Scout Association officially conferred the title of Chief Scout to Prez Wickremesinghe this morning at the President’s Office, where he made these comments. more..

Nov 21 (Island) SJB Leader Sajith Premadasa told Parliament that the members of a gang that had committed the Treasury bond scams were trying to secure key positions in the CB. Premadasa said that nobody involved in the Treasury bond scams should be given any post in the CB. He said one might have reservations about the methods adopted by Governor of CB and Treasury Secretary to revive the economy, but the fact remained that they and their teams were striving to stabilise economy.“ more..

Nov 21 (TM) Opposition MP Prof. G.L. Peiris claimed that the PM’s recently-appointed National Delimitation Committee, chaired by former Election Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya, is illegitimate and lacks legal authority. “As the PM and Minister of Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils, and Local Govt, he has introduced a Delimitation Committee under Mahinda Deshapriya. more..

Nov 21 (DM) SJB today questioned the presence of Police Commission Chairman Chandra Fernando and member M.P. Perera at the airport to welcome former Minister Basil Rajapaksa, and wanted them sent out of the commission. Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardene said new members will be appointed to the independent commissions soon. SJB MP Nalin Bandara Jayamaha who questioned the issue said how can the Police Commission be considered an independent body any more? more..

Nov 21 (AD) A person has been injured after police opened fire while attempting to arrest a suspected drug peddler in the Magawela area of Meetiyagoda. The 28-year-old suspect, who was injured at the incident, has been admitted to Balapitiya Hospital and is currently receiving treatments under police security. Police have carried out this raid in accordance with some information uncovered from a suspect who was earlier arrested by Meetiyagoda Police for the possession of heroin. more..

Nov 21 (EN) India has disbursed or agreed to give Sri Lanka US$ 1.55 billion in 2022 to make imports, as the country went through the worst currency crisis in the history of the island’s central bank. By September US$ 855 million had been disbursed. The amount does not include delayed payments under the Asian Clearing Union. Sri Lanka had signed 8 foreign financing agreements totaling US$ 1.87 billion up to Sept 2022. more..

Nov 21 (EN) state-run CEB has lost 108 billion rupees in 2022 and 80 billion rupees has been injected to the firm by the Treasury, a Finance Ministry report said. The CEB’s revenues had rise 4.6% to 172 billion rupees up to August 2022 from 164.5 billion rupees last year. But generation cost had doubled from 104.7 billion rupees to 209.5 billion rupees. In August the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka which controls CEB’s tariffs allowed a hike after almost 7 years. more..

Nov 21 (TM) The three main operation theatres at the District General Hospital in Embilipitiya are non-functional at present, severely inconveniencing patients, who are compelled to travel to Colombo or Ratnapura for surgeries, claimed All-Ceylon Nurses’ Union President S.B. Mediwatta. Mediwatta alleged that two of the three main operation theatres had not been functioning for over a month after the air-conditioners of the theatres had broken down. According to Mediwatta, the third theatre more..