Nov 3 (AD) The postmortem examination of the Police Sergeant attached to Kebithigollewa Police Station, who died after being attacked by an angry mob of villagers during a tense situation recently, has been carried out today (2). In a statement, the Police Media Division noted that the post-mortem examination of the police officer was performed by the JMO of Anuradhapura Teaching Hospital. The postmortem examination has concluded that the death was caused by a blow to the head more..

Nov 3 (TM) The ruling SLPP celebrated its sixth anniversary yesterday, pledging to strengthen itself at all levels in the future. SLPP MP Namal Rajapaksa said that the party is ready to move forward despite several challenges that they have faced in the past. “As a party, we do not believe that violence of any sort can establish political power. Having said that, we hope to strengthen and modernise this party, moving forward with the blessings of party Leader MP Mahinda more..

Nov 3 (Island) It’s unlikely that we will see another like Sanga in our lifetime. His was not a case of extraordinary talent, but an insane work ethic. There was this Test match at the Basin Reserve in New Zealand, where he fell for a low score. He didn’t walk back to the comforts of the dressing room. Instead, there was a sign for the coach to turn up at the practice nets and throw downs would go on till lunch time. Fresh from a triple hundred in Bangladesh, the team landed in Colombo more..

Nov 3 (DM) Tourism Minister Harin Fernando revealed plans to resign and join the social movement led by former Speaker Karu Jayasuriya. Fernando said that if things settle by August, he will resign from his ministerial post and join Jayasuriya’s National Movement for Social Justice (NMSJ). “I believe there is a very good concept which has been championed by NMSJ, Karu Jayasuriya and Victor Ivan. They came and presented it to us recently and I think that is the way forward. more..

Nov 3 (FT) SJB's Economic Centre yesterday charged that the Govt is yet to grasp the gravity of the predicament the country’s economy is faced with, and this is apparent in some of implausible proposals laid out in the appropriation bill. SL’s foreign reserves are still in a precarious state, said SJB MP, Kabir Hashim, who added that as per estimates the Central Bank has only just over $ 200 million in reserves, which is insufficient for more..

Nov 3 (TM) SJB MP and ACMC Leader Rishad Bathiudeen, who was accused of supporting those who carried out the Easter Sunday terror attacks on 21 April 2019, claimed that he was wrongly accused for political reasons, following his aquittal of all charges by the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court yesterday. “I was imprisoned under false accusations directed just to win the Presidential Election, and these accusations also scarred the whole of the Muslim community,” more..

Nov 3 (Island) Colombo Fort Magistrate Thilina Gamage yesterday remanded the owner of Thico Group of Companies, Thilini Priyamali, her business partner Isuru Bandara, and alleged accomplice Ven. Borella Sirisumana Thera, till 16 Nov. They were arrested for allegedly defrauding businessmen to the tune of three billion rupees. First, Thilini Priyamali and Isuru Bandara were presented before the Magistrate via Skype. The Magistrate rejected bail applications filed by the defendants. more..

Nov 3 (AD) Committee on Public Finance was of the view that Regulations published in the Extra Ordinary gazette Notification 2296/30, Under the Import and Export (Control) Act No. 1 of 1969 should be subjected to further consideration and that consideration should also be given as to whether approval for such would stand as justifiable by the consumer. This was discussed at the Committee on Public Finance more..

Nov 3 (EN) There will be no fuel price revisions in November and sufficient stocks are available to cater the necessary requirements under the national fuel pass, Minister Kanchana Wijesekera claimed. Minister tweeted that filling stations have not placed orders for any fuel hoping for a price revision in the first week of the month according to the price formula. “Non placement of orders by dealers anticipating a price reduction has led to fuel stations drying up,” Wijesekera said. more..

Nov 3 (FT) History may not judge either of them eminent, however that Ranil Wickremesinghe and Mahinda Rajapaksa have occupied a central space in the SL political landscape of recent times is undeniable. After all, Mahinda Rajapaksa has been elected President of the country twice, while Ranil Wickremesinghe is the President today. Dissimilarities in dress and manner aside, they share more commonalities than usually recognised. Methods could vary, the goal is the same, more..

Nov 3 (AD) The case pertaining to the complaint filed seeking an investigation into the identity documents of State Minister Diana Gamage was taken up before the Colombo Magistrate’s Court today. Social activist Oshala Herath, the original complainant who alleged that the passport, birth certificate and the National Identity Card (NIC) of State Minister Diana Gamage are fake, informed the court today that he had not directed his attorneys to summon case before open courts on Oct 27. more..

Nov 3 (FT) With SL Internet Day 2022 just round the corner, it is time for us to take a closer look at the elephant in the room. Addressing the situations around this large digital pachyderm is better done sooner than later, as it is becoming a huge stumbling block, not just for the digital ecosystem of SL but the country at large. Most of our economic woes could be handled effectively if everyone grasps the concept of startups and local digital service companies; what they can do for our more..

Nov 3 (TM) Police Ordinance does not grant Police the authority to prevent a protest, as the Sinhala version of the Ordinance, which prevails over the English and Tamil texts of this piece of Legislation, mentions only a perahera (procession) and not a protest, Young Journalists’ Association (YJA) claimed. YJA Chairman Tharindu Jayawardhana said that according to Police (Amd) Act, No. 41 of 1984, the Police should be more..

Nov 3 (TM) Observing that the Attorney General (AG) is afforded special privileges, President’s Counsel (PC) Saliya Pieris informed Colombo Fort Magistrate Thilina Gamage yesterday that it is a serious and erroneous precedent for the AG to unilaterally call the private application pertaining to two police officials through a motion and obtain court orders when the AG was not a party to the relevant application. He informed the court regarding this when a private application more..

Nov 3 (CI) Pakistan have kept their semi-final hopes alive with victory in a rain-reduced, must-win match over their favourite opponents: South Africa. They've met four times at T20 World Cups and Pakistan have won all four encounters. With this latest result, there are now no unbeaten teams left at this World Cup. On a chilly Sydney evening, against the express pace of Anrich Nortje and the craftiness of Lungi Ngidi's slower ball, Pakistan recovered from 95 for 5 to post their fifth-highest score more..

Nov 3 (EN) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe has told Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena that parliament has been slow in implementing proposals for far reaching systemic changes. The PMD said in a statement that President Wickremesinghe in a letter written to the Speaker on Thursday (3) that although the formation of the National Assembly has been concluded, satisfactory progress has not been made more..

Nov 3 (DM) Chief Sanghanayake of Nuwara Kalaviya Ven, Pallegama Hemarathana Thera has been appointed as the Chief of Anuradhapura Atamasthana by the Atamasthana Working Committee. Ven. Hemarathana Thera succeeds the Late Ven. Dr. Pallegama Sirisumana Dhammarakkitha Thera who passed away on October 18. He is sheduled to assume his sacred duties on next Friday morning (11) A series of religious activities will be held at more..

Nov 3 (FT) SLT-Mobitel Chairman Rohan Fernando this week outlined four key fundamental principles to turnaround the debt-ridden State-owned enterprises into profitable entities, whilst calling on the Govt to avoid desperate moves suggested by economic pundits. “Zero corruption, maximise efficiency, minimise waste and inclusiveness in management are the four principles which we adopted to be labelled as the cash cow for the Govt,” he told CMA National Management Accounting more..

Nov 3 (EN) SL is holding a second meeting with bilateral creditors on Nov 3, State Minister for Finance Shehan Semasinghe said as the country attempts to get assurances debt re-structuring from creditors to close a deal with the IMF. “Today we are going to have a second round of talks with creditors,” Minister Semasinghe told a meeting of Inland Revenue officers in Colombo. “The first round was in Washington. We scheduled another meeting to ensure that all matters will be clarified.” more..

Nov 3 (FT) Asian Banks Association (ABA) at its recent Board Meeting held virtually on 28 Oct conferred the title of Chairman Emeritus to Rajendra Theagarajah. The recognition reflects Theagarajah's continued involvement in the ABA even after 10 years since the tenure of his Chairmanship (2010-12), which underscores his unwavering commitment to the objective of ABA of bringing bankers in Asia together to promote regional cooperation and further advance interest of region’s banking sector. more..

Nov 3 (Island) Uni teachers say that the govt is engaged in a systematic attempt to suppress the truth, protect corrupt officials and politicians, and grant favours to a cabal of crony capitalists that it favours. “People do not want this corrupt political culture to continue, they are demanding change. While the govt wants people to believe that it is effectively managing the economy and that the country is on the road to recovery, more..

Nov 3 (Island) Six residents of Colombo who took drugs to enhance sexual drive without medical advice had died in the last 3 months, Colombo’s Additional Coroner Iresha Samaraweera said. “Most of the victims were aged 20-25,” she said. There were also persons who were in the 40 to 45 age category, she added. “Drugs used to enhance sexual experiences must not be taken without medical advice. Do not take them without consulting your doctor. more..

Nov 3 (DM) A corruption case filed against Minister Keheliya Rambukwella and former State Printing Corporation (SPC) Chairman was today fixed for pre-trial to be held on December 9 by Colombo High Court. Director General of CIABOC had filed this corruption case against two accused for allegedly causing an unlawful loss of Rs.230,984 to the government after paying former Minister’s one month mobile phone bill using SPC funds, while functioning as Mass Media Minister in 2012. more..

Nov 3 (FT) Sri Lanka Tourism officially unveiled its out-of-the-box travel packages to woo a fraction of the FIFA World Cup 2022 fan base to FIFA Zone in Negombo. The joint industry promotional effort will see the SL Inbound Tour Operators Association (SLAITO), Travel Agents Association of SL (TAASL), along with SL Tourism Promotions Bureau (SLTPB) marketing three special packages starting from $ 650 including more..

Nov 3 (TM) Former CB Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal has become active on social media over the past few days for the first time since his resignation on 4 April 2022, sharing motivational quotes and quotes related to Buddhism. Cabraal had been inactive on social media, including Twitter, on which his account is still deactivated, for much of the year. Cabraal’s first post on Facebook, four days ago, read: “When going on a journey, one must be aware of the obstacles on the road but not forget more..

Nov 3 (Island) SL had to import 33 more coal shipments before the end of April 2023 to prevent extended power cuts, Chairman of PUCSL Janaka Ratnayake said. He said two ships carrying coal had arrived and another ship was expected on 07 Nov., and that partial payments had been for the two shipments. “These five ships are carrying 300,000 tonnes of coal. We have 122,000 tonnes in our stores. If all coal power plants remain operational, we will need 7,500 metric tons of coal a day. more..

Nov 3 (Island) Sri Lankans will experience a significant drop in cost of living by March 2023, advisor to the UNP Ashu Marasinghe said. Marasinghe said that the current situation in the country was grave. “The situation today is bad. There is no way we can hide this fact. However, there are signs that things are improving. Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe has said that we need to swallow bitter medicine in order to get out of this mess. It was the disastrous policies taken by more..

Nov 3 (DM) Five children from Colombo who were born with congenital heart defects have undergone successful heart surgery in Kochi under a free heart surgery programme titled Neona. The children underwent the surgery recently under the project jointly implemented by the Rotary Club of Cochin West and Rotary Club of Colombo West with the help of Rotary Foundation. Neona is a free heart surgery programme for children in Colombo, who have congenital heart defects, valve defects. more..

Nov 3 (EN) Sri Lanka has released the official data on its outstanding foreign debt as the island nation is in the process of discussing with creditors for debt restructuring the loans to qualify for $2.9 billion, 4-year IMF loan. The latest sovereign debt defaulted nation in the world owes $35 billion in total which includes bilateral, multilateral, and commercial loans as of June 30, this year, official data showed. The $84.5 billion economy, more..

Nov 3 (CT) Complaints have been lodged with Galle Police HQ and the NCPA against the Principal of Mahinda College, Galle that he violated instructions given by Court with regard to a student who is a victim in a child abuse case. The complaint was filed by the student’s grandfather. The complainant said that when he took his grandson to school on 31 Oct, security guards did not permit the student to enter school. The latter had taken his grandson to school on the instructions of Galle Chief Magistrate, more..

Nov 3 (NR) A detachment of Pacific Fleet ships led by the flagship of the Nakhimov Guards missile cruiser Varyag, the large anti-submarine ship Admiral Tributs and the large sea tanker Boris Butoma have entered the responsibility zone of the TOF south of SL. The detachment of ships is making an inter-fleet transition from the Mediterranean Sea to the point of permanent deployment in Vladivostok after completing tasks in the far maritime zone. In the area of SL Island, more..

Nov 3 (TM) SJB MP Dr. Harsha de Silva expressed his dismay yesterday (2) over the joint statement recently issued by several business chambers that come under the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC), which requested citizens to call off the mass protest staged yesterday. Dr. de Silva, in a tweet said: “While I appreciate the good work of the CCC, I do not agree it is their business to pontificate to SL people more..

Nov 3 (EN) Sri Lanka has issued a statement after a virtual meeting with officials creditors in another step towards securing assurances on debt restructuring after the country defaulted in the wake of prolonged monetary instability due to money printed for output gap targeting (stimulus). The govt is committed to halting money printing, the statement said. However the central bank from 2015 had printed money to suppress rates usually monetizing past deficits (buying back maturing debt more..

Nov 3 (CT) Chairman of Talawakelle-Lindula Urban Council Chandana Pradip Gunathilaka said the Ministry of Health-controlled District Hospital Nuwara Eliya has handed over a stock of expired drugs worth approximately Rs 5 million to the Talawakelle-Lidula MC for destruction. The Chairman noted that around two months ago, the on-site medical officer at the hospital’s district clinic took a stock of waste and expired drugs from the chest unit to the incinerator at the waste yard more..

Nov 4 (DM) Maha Season is approaching and there is great concern within the agriculture community. One of the biggest concerns is farmers not receiving fertilizer at the expected time. When the farmers don’t receive fertilizer as much as they wish this could lead to a food shortage. And this food shortage is expected to pinch the people of this nation in the months of December (2022) and January next year. This is a country which went through many aragalayas and more..