Nov 28 (Island) SLPP MP Prof Channa Jayasumana yesterday said that Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe should try to realise the task entrusted to him and must pave the way for an election. Prof Jayasumana said that Wickremesinghe had been given the presidency for an interim period to stabilise the economy and political crisis. “He was brought in as the night watchman to stay put until the crisis was over. Instead of doing that job, he is now playing Dil Scoop.” more..

Nov 28 (FT) The 51st AGM of the Ceylon Hotel School Graduates’ Association took place on 22 Oct 2022 at the Shangri-la, Colombo. The occasion, a much-anticipated event of the association’s annual calendar, was attended by approximately 200 members, including leading hoteliers and members of business. The key highlight of the event was the official launch of its new identity as Sri Lanka Hospitality Graduates Association (SLHGA) while unveiling its new logo. more..

Nov 28 (Island) Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan says he could have created a situation like Sri Lanka, but he didn’t, says a news report published by the Indian Express.The IE report filed from Islamabad, said that Khan stated on Saturday his party was quitting the country’s regional and national assemblies, as he made his first public appearance since being wounded in a gun attack earlier this month. “We could have created a situation like Sri Lanka. more..

Nov 28 (AD) Six individuals who were arrested following a clash between two groups of students of the Ruhuna National College of Education yesterday have been remanded by court. They have been ordered to be remanded until Nov 30 after being produced before the Galle Magistrate’s Court today, according to the reporter. At least twelve students who were injured during the clash have been admitted to the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital for treatment. more..

Nov 28 (TM) During their first meeting held last Friday (25) to decide on a suitable political solution to address the national ethnic question, Tamil political parties representing the North and East identified three main issues that need to be addressed immediately – to stop the land-grabbing activities in both provinces and for such lands to be released as soon as possible; to immediately implement current more..

Nov 28 (FT) Goldi Sands Hotel recently opened its new 65-room extension, with 60 deluxe luxury rooms and five junior suites with all amenities, for guests. The 900-million-rupee investment also includes a new swimming pool, a restaurant and a state-of-the-art gym. Chairman Eric Suriyasena said that the new extension was opened to cater to the influx of tourists to the country. With the new 65-room extension, the total capacity of the hotel increases to 131 rooms. Out of them, 60 are deluxe rooms more..

Nov 28 (Island) The Supreme Court has ordered the IGP to establish a committee to formulate a regulatory framework for Police officers to follow when conducting inquiries into disputes. The Supreme Court gave this direction as part of an interim order when an incident where a senior police officer obstructed an Attorney-at-Law from performing his duties was taken up in court. The petitioner has said he visited the Boralesgamuwa Police to represent his client being held there. more..

Nov 28 (AD) Independent Engineers’ Association of the CEB warns that the country will have to experience the longest power cut in the history if sufficient stocks of coal will not be received before April 15. President of the association, Nihal Weeraratne stated that although 38 ships of 60,000 metric tons of coal are required to fulfill the current electricity needs of the country, only 04 coal ships have been received so far. more..

Nov 28 (TM) NPP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake claimed that the NPP will not engage in violence with the Govt despite provocation by Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe in Parliament last week, where the latter asserted that he will not allow another aragalaya, threatening to declare Emergency law and call on the armed forces. “Prez is asking us to come and fight. We will do no such thing; we are not falling for that. He wants to play this on a very different field. more..

Nov 28 (DM) A 38-year-old individual has been brutally hacked to death this morning in Mattakkuliya. The victim, identified as a resident of the area, was rushed to the Colombo National Hospital after three individuals who had arrived in a car at around 10 am this morning had committed the murder. He was pronounced dead on admission to the National Hospital. Moreover, the victim is reportedly believed to be a suspect arrested in connection with the Easter Sunday Attacks more..

Nov 28 (TM) Noting that most of the cases referred for compensation in related to cases of missing persons are from the Eastern Province, sources from Office on Missing Persons (OMP) stated on 24 Nov that families have consented to reparation due to the current economic crisis. An official from the OMP told said that so far, 411 cases were referred to the Office for Reparation to pay compensation, among which 241 cases were considered ready to obtain the payment, while some 73 cases more..

Nov 28 (AD) Ministry of Education says that the mandatory school attendance requirement of 80% for students to sit for the GCE A/L exam will be reintroduced from 2023 onwards. Education Ministry had previously decided not to take into account the requirement of 80% school attendance for students sitting for the GCE A/L Exam this December. Decision was taken considering the issues faced by the students due to the Covid-19 pandemic and fuel shortages which had disrupted transportation more..

Nov 28 (TM) Lawyers representing the National People’s Power (NPP) and lawyers representing the aragalaya movement have said that President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s statement that protestors would require to obtain a license for protests in future is unconstitutional, as legal precedent in two Supreme Court cases, namely Gunawardena vs. Perera and others of 1983 and Amaratunga vs. Sirimal and others of 1993 more..

Nov 28 (AD) SL Got is currently aiding the repatriation of 85 Sri Lankans who agreed to return to the island following an illegal migration attempt, Minister Ali Sabry stated. Sabry revealed that they are to be repatriated from Vietnam. Minister noted that while the entirety of SL’s population is suffering at the hands of the country’s economic crisis, it is evident those in the North and East are suffering disproportionately, thus making them more likely to fall victim for human trafficking scams. more..

Nov 28 (EN) The burden of a current economic crisis is falling disproportionately on women and increasing their economic and political participation is vital to advancing gender parity, the Institute of Policy Studies, a Colombo-based think tank has said. SL’s Economic Crisis: An Opportunity to Advance Gender Parity 1 From IPS’ flagship publication, SL: State of the Economy 2022. COVID-19 and the ongoing economic crisis have stymied SL’s efforts to achieve gender parity. more..

Nov 28 (TM) The IUSF has condemned the Govt’s decision to impose a rule to prohibit uni undergraduates from continuing to study at a university for over two years without facing their examinations. Furthermore, IUBF similarly condemned this move and expects to decide what initiatives to take in this regard today. IUSF Acting Convenor Terance Rodrigo, stated that the matter will be discussed within the IUSF more..

Nov 28 (TM) Although the Education Ministry is reported to have issued a circular making it mandatory for female teachers to wear the saree or Kandyan saree (osari) when reporting to work, CTU stated that female teachers will dress in either sarees or casual clothing as per their choice, until a uniform allowance is provided. CTU Prez Priyantha Fernando said: “We came to know that the Education Ministry has issued a circular making it mandatory for female teachers to dress more..

Nov 28 (AD) The Chairman of the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) MP Dr. Harsha de Silva states that a casino regulatory authority should immediately be established if licenses are to be granted for operating casinos within SL. Speaking in the parliament this morning, SJB MP emphasized that the COPF did not grant approval for the regulations under the Casino Business (Regulation) Act, since the relevant bill is being brought for the first time to license and regulate casinos. more..

Nov 29 (DM) Against the backdrop of President Ranil Wickremesinghe having called on all political parties in Parliament to put their heads together to resolve the long due ethnic problem, Tamil parties representing the Northern and Eastern Provinces during a meeting on Friday in Colombo have identified three issues that have to be resolved urgently. Releasing all lands in the two provinces that have been occupied by the security forces and other state agencies, holding PC polls more..

Nov 29 (DM) Recently, a rather unusual and indeed needless debate hobbled the country’s schools after a group of teachers ditched their sarees, the standard attire for female teachers in public schools, in favour of more comforting clothing of their choice to attend the schools. They were acting per a govt circular that relaxed the dress code for public servants during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the gesture of defiance by a small number of female teachers attracted a predictable reaction from more..

Nov 29 (TM) Although sexual bribery is an issue related to both human rights and corruption, SL is yet to introduce more specific and adequately stringent laws to curtail it. While victims of such cases remain sceptical about having access to effective support mechanisms, in the long run, sexual bribery is an issue that calls for significant structural, legal, policy & institutional improvements. According to a study report issued by CEJ more..

Nov 29 (TM) Following the Govt’s decision to prohibit uni students from continuing to study in universities for over two years without completing the relevant exams, the higher education authorities are taking steps to introduce the necessary regulations to make this a reality. While some social media commentators have welcomed this decision, the leading university students’ union, IUSF, has already condemned it, claiming that the Govt is attempting to target student leaders of more..

Nov 29 (CT) The most decisive practice our parents, in general, instil in us is to listen to them and avoid making the same mistake twice. As we get older, it is evident that many of us continue to act in this way. But, the top administrators at State institutions, however, do not appear to practise the habit. Treasury Secretary, Mahinda Siriwardena, sent a circular to the Secretaries of Provincial Councils, Heads of Departments/District Secretaries, Heads of State Corporations, Companies, and more..

Nov 29 (TM) Govt’s plans for opening up the local petroleum market for more foreign players have now been expedited with the issuing of Request for Proposals (RFPs) to shortlisted foreign companies which are interested. This, as the Central Bank warned the Ministry of Power and Energy to build up reserves to import fuel and coal from January 2023. The decision to open up the petroleum market for more foreign players more..

Nov 29 (DM) The size of the armed forces is a topic of perennial interest and debate, as each year’s Budget sets in. Number of military personnel in each Service is directly related to how many units of various types they can deploy for use in operational missions. The number of military personnel also affects the cost of the military. More personnel require additional funding for their pay and benefits; combined into units, they require additional funding for training, operations, equipment, more..

Nov 29 (ST) I’ll bet you every dollar in our foreign reserves to one lunch at the MPs’ restaurant in parliament that you cannot say how many registered political parties we have in this splendid isle flowing with milk and missing money. If you trust the records of the Election Commission — and there is no reason to doubt them — the number is 79 recognised political parties. Yet what some of them do between elections is unseen and unheard. But then suddenly we hear the heavens rumbling, more..

Nov 29 (CT) A great transformation in food culture and nutrition is taking place in SL following various exogenous economic shocks: The traditional, nutritious rice and fish diet, common throughout coastal Asia is increasingly substituted with imported maize or corn-fed chicken, white wheat flour breads, instant noodles and processed food. For the first time in history the humble fish rice and curry lunch packet was more expensive than a chicken lunch pack in this island at center of Indian Ocean! more..

Nov 29 (Island) What is this world coming to when sport sparks violence and engenders animosity instead of unity and friendship? Riots broke out in Brussels, of all places, on Sunday during a World Cup football match between Belgium and Morocco, which pulled off a 2-0 upset win. It was too much for some football-crazy Belgians to stomach. But their reaction cannot be condoned on any grounds; violence engulfed several other Belgian cities as well with rioters setting vehicles on fire, more..

Nov 29 (FT) CB Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe yesterday urged foreign institutional investors (FIIs) to take early positions in SL today to enjoy faster and better returns from the country’s road to recovery and growth. “It is time to take positions on SL. If you come now, returns will be faster and better. It is time to invest in SL,” Dr. Weerasinghe told the inauguration of the two-day CT CLSA South Asia Frontier Forum in Colombo more..

Nov 29 (FT) Boosting the revival of the tourism industry in Sri Lanka, Hapag Lloyd Lanka is ushering in super luxury cruise Mein Schiff 5 today at the Port of Colombo and to be followed by a call at the Hambantota Port tomorrow. Over 2,000 passengers (mostly European) and 900 crew members are on-board this cruise. Hapag Lloyd Lanka, a subsidiary of the Aitken Spence Group, are the agents for TUI cruises. Mein Schiff 5 is owned by the German operator TUI cruises. more..

Nov 29 (FT) Colombo stock market began a fresh week on a strong note with sharp increase in both indices and an improved turnover. The active S&P SL20 gained by 3% and the benchmark ASPI by 2%. Turnover was Rs. 2.45 billion involving over 77 million shares. Asia Securities said the market commenced the week on a high note as the indices extended their upward trend, primarily led by strong gains in EXPO (+11.6%), BIL (+19.6%), LOLC (+8.2%), LOFC (+8.2%), and LIOC (+4.0%). more..

Nov 29 (CT) Inland Revenue Department’s (IRD) target of a 69% increase in tax income in 2023 would not be achievable due to the malfunctioning of the RAMIS system that was built spending a gigantic sum of Rs 10 billion. The malfunction of the RAMIS system was taken into the discussion yesterday at the COPA. During the meeting, AG pointed out that the IRD is refusing to give him necessary details with regard to the agreement on the RAMIS system and it is a violation of the Constitution. more..

Nov 29 (FT) Court of Appeal issued formal notice and a direction on the Controller General of Immigration and Emigration to submit all documents pertaining to the citizenship of State Minister Diana Gamage. This was following a Writ of Quo Warranto being filed stating that Gamage could not have been elected since she is not a citizen of SL. When the matter was taken up yesterday Counsel for the Petitioner told court that an illegal alien was functioning in the capacity of a minister. more..

Nov 29 (TM) Independent Opposition MP, Prof. G.L. Peiris criticised the country’s foreign policy, pointing out that the chief component of such a policy is credibility, but that there are questions regarding the credibility of the Govt’s recent plans with regard to resolving the national ethnic issue, while also noting that the re-orientation of the priorities of the foreign policy through investment and foreign trade cannot be achieved more..

Nov 29 (DM) The monthly tourist arrivals to SL crossed the 50,000 mark for the first time since the political and economic crisis erupted, indicating that the country’s tourism industry is moving towards some form of revival. For the Nov 01-27 period, the island nation welcomed 51,865 international visitors. After April 2022, when the arrivals dropped to 62,980, from 106,500 in March, the highest-ever arrival for the year thus far, November shows improved interest towards SL more..