Nov 22 (CT) Human Rights Commission of SL (HRCSL) called for a comprehensive report, before 30 Nov, from the Health Secretary, with regard to suspension of services of the Prez of the Medical and Civil Rights Professional Association (MCRPA), Dr. Chamal Sanjeewa, who made statements on child malnutrition in the Hambantota District. This follows a complaint lodged against him and the Secretary of Public Admin for violating the constitutional right of a govt official to speech, more..

Nov 22 (EN) Sri Lanka has stopped officially registering persons going to the UAE and Oman on tourist visas taking a higher risk, as well as housemaids and low-skilled categories who find jobs on their own, Foreign Employment Minister Manusha Nanayakkara said. Due to relaxed visa regulations in the UAE and Oman workers were hired after they went to the UAE and visit visas were later converted to work visas, legitimately. more..

Nov 22 (DM) Emirates has announced plans to add one more daily direct flight between Dubai and Colombo from Dec 1, 2022 to cater to the seasonal increase in the demand for travel. The additional service, EK648/EK649, will increase the number of daily flights between the two cities to three, including two direct flights and one operating via the Maldivian capital Male. Emirates’ additional daily service will operate direct between Dubai and Colombo, except during Dec 16 to 30, more..

Nov 22 (DM) Central Bank Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe is adopting an extreme of economic stratergy of contracting the economy just as his predecessor Ajith Nivaard Cabraal adopted an extreme of an another stratergy, NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said. He told Parliament that people's lives have been badly affected by the economic policies of the CB. He said CB Governor Weerasinghe was harping that the only solution to economic crisis was to contract the economy. more..

Nov 23 (DM) The world’s biggest extravaganza, the quadrennial (four-yearly) FIFA World Cup, has begun in Qatar. It’s been 12 years since it was announced that this year’s World Cup (2022) would be held in Qatar - a country with a population of a little below three million people which follows tough Islamic law. This particular World Cup, has unfortunately been dogged by controversy. Rather unfortunately in the West, more particularly in Europe, many have tried to bury the event more..

Nov 23 (DM) Scholars have pointed out that SL has an Army far too big for its size and population, and has a military that is ill-suited to meet the new strategic needs. It is further noted that, despite this assessment, no meaningful steps have been taken to rationalize the size of the army and the expenditure pattern. The evolution of a military doctrine suited to emerging threat scenarios is also not evident. Among the concerns is the size of the military in terms of the number of personnel, more..

Nov 23 (DM) Public Service Commission (PSC) reportedly has blocked two retired senior public officers, their due salaries/ pensions allegedly on personal grudges despite their eligibility to draw their dues. PSC, apex authority handling appointments, transfers, promotions and disciplinary conduct of all public officers in the country is accused of taking revenge against those whom they believe are a threat to politicians and more..

Nov 23 (GV) Brutality and corruption in SL’s law enforcement are perennial issues. However with the govt coming under increasing scrutiny, the cracks in the already fractured system are in the spotlight. Recent developments have exposed the drastically increasing violation of human rights and misogyny within the system. The manhandling of female police officers and the torture and electrocution of 10 years olds by the police have caught the attention of the Human Rights Commission of SL, more..

Nov 23 (ST) Presenting budgets, announcing all kinds of changes and setting up new institutions is the easy part. The more difficult exercise is the implementation. That was what young Arty, the intrepid entrepreneur, reflected on during a Thursday morning conversation. He had called to discuss the budget happenings. He was absolutely spot on with his views. For instance, Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC), in a post-budget comment on Tuesday said that more..

Nov 23 (CT) Six convicts in the assassination case of former Indian PM Rajiv Gandhi on 21 May 1991, were released prematurely on 12 Nov 2022, shocking Indians. On social media, people in TN and other Indian States expressed mixed emotions to the release of Nalini Sriharan, India’s first long-term female prisoner of 32 years and five others, four of whom were SL Tamils. The premature release angered many, but the convicts and more..

Nov 23 (Island) The govt is cock-a-hoop, having secured the passage of the second reading of Budget 2023 in Parliament yesterday. Its win came as no surprise. The Opposition’s bark is worse than its bite, and souls are for sale in the House; the govt therefore can muster enough numbers to win votes with comfortable majorities in Parliament although its chances of winning a popular election are remote. Odds are that there will be a replay of the outcome of yesterday’s vote in the House if a division more..

Nov 23 (CT) Reversing Gazettes and turning back on controversial decisions has been the common phenomenon in the recent past, but the decision to lift the 7-year ban on glyphosate is inevitably the most shocking one yet. In 2015, the then Registrar of Pesticides banned the import of glyphosate for commercial use by way of an order made under Section 11 of the Control of Pesticides Act No. 33 of 1980, in the interest of the public and on the advice of Pesticides Technical & Advisory Committee more..

Nov 23 (TM) The long-awaited establishment of the Constitutional Council (CC) is likely to take place in the coming weeks. While members for three positions of CC are to be appointed from civil society, remaining four members are to be appointed on the basis of nominations made by Govt, Prez, Opposition, and smaller parties besides the main Opposition party, SJB. As Speaker of Parliament has pointed out, the four members that are to be nominated from Parliament are not essential more..

Nov 23 (Island) News can be confusing. That happened when I read the headline, President tells Singapore PM that Sri Lanka will prioritise implementing FTA (The Island 9 Sept). I thought the news item was not accurate. So, I checked the Presidential Secretariat website. It confirmed the validity of this news item. Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe had informed Singapore PM “that his priority was to bring into effect the Free Trade Agreement with Singapore.” more..

Nov 23 (ST) Dozens of SL women have been trafficked into West Asia for the sex trade drawing global attention once again to the country’s revolting reputation as a sex-trafficking hub, and Govt officials are suspected to be among the perpetrators of sex-trafficking. A state official in the SL Embassy in Muscat, Oman, has been accused of sexual abuse in a so-called safe house and a pivotal player in the sex trafficking ring along more..

Nov 23 (CT) The Tamil polity has responded with a degree of skepticism to Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe’s declaration that he will talk to Tamil leaders and find a solution within the course of the next year which is also SL’s 75th anniversary of independence. They are aware that the promises made by successive govts since the 1960s were never delivered wholeheartedly if at all. Prez’s previous periods of governance were not any different. In the period 2015-19 as PM more..

Nov 23 (FT) Continental Insurance Lanka Ltd, the insurance arm of Melstacorp PLC, owned by the veteran business personnel Harry Jayawardena was recently given clearance by the regulator to commence its life insurance company. Proposed life company is planned to inaugurate during the fourth quarter of 2022. Life insurance company will initially operate as a subsidiary of non-life company, Continental Insurance Lanka Ltd (CILL), and group structure will be reviewed subsequently. more..

Nov 23 (ST) SL Police are probing whether Mohamad Irshad Mohamad Haris Nizar, recently designated by US authorities for doing business with Al Qaeda, was involved in Zaharan Hashim-triggered Easter Sunday attack three years ago. “He is possibly in a larger network relating to the attack,” a source involved with the investigations said, noting that his name had been mentioned in the Easter Sunday attacks in 2019. Last week Mr Nizar, a resident of China Fort Road, Beruwela, more..

Nov 23 (FT) Cabinet of Ministers at its meeting on Monday approved the Bill prepared by the Legal Draftsman to set expenditure limits on election candidates for their canvass. “This has been a major concern and piece of legislation which got delayed for many years. It will enhance the transparency and accountability of the public representatives,” Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe said at the post-Cabinet meeting media briefing yesterday. In a statement, Govt Information Dept stated that more..

Nov 23 (TM) Following a few school teachers reporting to work dressed in casual attire instead of the traditional saree and Kandyan saree (osari) on Monday, Minister Susil Premajayantha requested Ministry of Public Admin, Home Affairs, PCs, & LG to specifically exclude teachers in the circular issued regarding the dress code of State employees. “The circular does not specifically mention teachers. more..

Nov 23 (DN) Justice Minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe emphasized that Sri Lanka is now becoming a centre for the re-exportation of dangerous drugs and toxic drugs. The Justice Minister said the govt has also requested the Chief Justice as the chairman of the Judicial Service Commission to appoint a separate High Court to end the cases of large-scale drug traffickers as soon as possible, and hopes to appoint such a court by January. more..

Nov 23 (DN) The first ever Sportunlesh schools Sports awards ceremony conducted by Sportsinfo will be held next Jan 24. School athletes from ten sports including cricket, rugby, football, Netball, Athletics, Swimming, Basketball, Karate, Tennis, and Volleyball have recognised for the awards. The title sponsor Talavou Alailima the former National athlete and chairman and MD of the Powerworld said this type of school awards ceremony boosts school athletes. 98% of school children are sans more..

Nov 23 (FT) Given the absence of a proper showcase since COVID-pandemic and the need to kick start a quicker revival of the industry’s exports thereby enhance the country’s foreign reserves as well as tourism, SL Gem and Jewellery Association (SLGJA) has taken on the challenge of holding a mini but a niche-market show from 7 to 9 Jan at the Atrium of the new venue Cinnamon Grand. FACETS SL Chairman Altaf Iqbal said more..

Nov 23 (FT) Cabinet of Ministers at its meeting on Monday has approved changes to the Banking Act to set up a bank resolution framework. “It was decided to request the Legal Draftsman to draw up the changes into a draft bill prepared by the Central Bank,” Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapsakshe said. The proposal to this effect submitted by President Ranil Wickremesinghe in his capacity as the Finance, Economic Stabilisation and National Policies was approved by the Cabinet. more..

Nov 23 (ST) Sri Lanka is facing a milk powder shortage once again owing to a complex procedure in the clearance of containers, dollar shortage, difficulty in opening LCs and import policy inconsistency, several high officials of leading milk powder companies complained. Several brands of milk powder were not available in retail outlets and even at most of the supermarkets as many local firms had to face different bureaucratic red tape & present complex approval procedure for imports more..

Nov 23 (CNA) Sri Lanka’s central bank is expected to keep rates steady as inflation shows signs of easing and as authorities focus on discussions to secure a USD2.9 billion IMF bailout to stabilise its crisis-hit economy. Thirteen out of 15 economists and analysts polled by Reuters forecast rates to remain unchanged at tomorrow’s policy announcement, as the Central Bank of SL (CBSL) waits for the effects of its earlier hikes to filter through to prices and the broader economy. more..

Nov 23 (Hindu) Nimsara Seneviratne and Chamika Pasan Nandasiri of Uni of Moratuwa, SL, became the international champions at the Indo-Pacific Quiz Competition 2022 organised by Rajagiri College of Social Sciences with support from the U.S. Mission in India. Sayan Mazumdar and Bishwayan Bhattacharjee of Govt Medical College Hospital, Chandigarh, were the national champions at the event, which saw participation by 534 two-member teams from 16 Indo-Pacific countries, more..

Nov 23 (TM) Export companies that fail to convert their US dollar earnings before Central Bank stipulated time period are expected to be publicly named, along with the sum of their earnings, according to CBSL Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe. Weerasinghe, addressing an event hosted by National Chamber of Exporters (NCE), stated that the CBSL will commence the naming of the companies that fail to adhere to more..

Nov 23 (TM) Registrar General’s Dept is in discussions with the Ministry of Defence over the proposal to remove the ethnicity criteria mentioned in birth certificates. Registrar General said that the process of removing the ethnicity category from the birth certificate is currently being discussed with the Ministry of Defence. “It is still at the discussion stage. We are yet to obtain approval from the side of the Ministry of Defence. We have to fulfil their requirements too. more..

Nov 23 (FT) Colombo stock market bounced back yesterday much to the relief of hard-core investors and brokers whilst net foreign buying topped Rs. 100 million mark. The active S&PSL20 Index gained by 3.74% and ASPI by 2.9%. Turnover was Rs. 1.5 billion involving 45 million shares. Net foreign inflow amounted to Rs. 116.7 million led by Rs. 110 million net buying into Sunshine Holdings. Asia Securities said the indices trended upwards throughout the session, with ASPI reclaiming 8,000 level more..

Nov 23 (FT) The Govt categorically denied speculations on discussions of a possible sale of Sri Lanka Telecom to UK-based Lycamobile. “There were no discussions on the sale of SOEs at this week’s Cabinet or anything concerning Sri Lanka Telecom,” Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe said. The 2023 Budget proposes to restructure and divest several SOEs which include Sri Lankan Airlines, Sri Lanka Telecom, Colombo Hilton, Waters Edge, SL Insurance Corporation & SriLankan Airlines. more..

Nov 23 (ICC) With more teams and a new format, the 2024 edition of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup is certain to throw up fresh match-ups and historic moments. Qualifying as hosts alongside the West Indies, the tournament will be ground-breaking for the USA, hosting their first global event. The 20-team tournament proper in 2024 will work in two phases before the knockouts, though in a different framework from the First Round/Super 12 format at the 2021 and 2022 edition. more..

Nov 23 (USE) On Nov 22, Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe, Secretary to the Minister of Defense Kamal Gunaratne, Commander of SL Navy Vice Admiral Nishantha Ulugetenne and the U.S. Ambassador to SL Julie Chung attended the commissioning of the Navy Ship Vijayabahu, formerly the US Coast Guard Cutter Douglas Munro, in Colombo Harbor. US had donated the ship to SL on Oct 26, 2021 as part of more..

Nov 23 (AD) A multi-party delegation from the SL parliament and the delegation for relations with the countries of South Asia in the European Parliament (DSAS) conducted a productive virtual dialogue recently. The respective delegations to the meeting were led by Minister Ali Sabry and Member of the European Parliament (MEP) and Chair of DSAS Nicola Procaccini. The virtual meeting was the first such dialogue to take place between the two parliaments since the last in-person meeting more..

Nov 23 (Island) Isuru Bandara, the main associate of Thilini Priyamali, arrested over embezzling billions of rupees from businessmen and politicians, was allowed to meet visitors at the main office of the Magazine Prison, sources said. They said senior prison officers had authorised the special facility. Bandara is taken to meet visitors in the morning and he spends the rest of the day in the office of a jailor. Bandara also uses phones of prison officials to make calls, officers said. more..