Nov 4 (DM) JHU leader Champika Ranawaka subsequent to the adoption of the 21st Amendment said that there are 10 members of Parliament with dual citizenship. He observed this to argue that there are people who illegally hold Parliament membership since the 21st Amendment proscribes Sri Lankans with dual citizenship from being MPs. Yet, can this be possible? All except for former Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa and Chairman of the UNP Vajira Abeywardena were elected more..

Nov 4 (DM) Many people predict that Sri Lanka is on the verge of a famine due to an imminent food shortage in SL by 2023. However, it seems that there is a possibility of an acute food crisis in the coming year. According to K.B. Gunaratne –who at one time headed the programme Api Wawamu Rata Nagamu and also functioned as Director of Agriculture SL had faced two famines in the past. One was the Beminitiya Seya resulting more..

Nov 4 (CT) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe (RW), having inherited a devastated economy from his predecessor, has drawn up a plan, which is more a dream than a plan, to transform SL into an export driven economic paradise by the centenary year of independence, 2048. Whether he would live to celebrate the realization of his dream or mourn for its failure, at the ripe old age of 99, none can predict. While wishing him success, it is worth looking at the reality on the ground which, more..

Nov 4 (TM) CTU Secretary Joseph Stalin’s request that schoolteachers be allowed to wear comfortable, suitable attire to school instead of sticking to the traditional dress code, which he made based on a recent circular concerning the dress code of public officials, has received more positive feedback than negative. However, the media reported that Ven. Thiniyawala Palitha Thera has strongly opposed Stalin’s suggestion, adding that it is important to protect Sri Lanka’s cultural identity, more..

Nov 4 (TM) “First, I thought that the proposed personal income tax rate hike was a joke. What Govt in its right mind would increase taxes like this when having three meals a day has become a huge challenge for the majority of the population?” This was a citizen’s response to the proposed personal income tax rate hikes, about which people in general are expressing great displeasure and has already been challenged in the Supreme Court. more..

Nov 4 (ST) The editorial of the Sunday Times last week noted that “…the Inland Revenue Dept has only 292,305 active income tax files when the number should be in the millions for a population of over 22 million”. In other words, this means that there are millions of people who should pay income taxes but who have become the free riders enjoying the benefits of income taxes paid by a few; anybody would ask the question, how fair is it! Some of the public sector employees have got their office more..

Nov 4 (Island) SL business leaders made a fervent appeal to the Opposition and trade unions ahead of Wednesday’s protest march, but it went unheeded. They requested that the protest be cancelled, given its economic cost. Their concerns should be appreciated, and their views taken on board because the task of reviving the economy will be unattainable without their help. The business community is right in having pointed out that political disturbances take their toll on the economic more..

Nov 4 (CT) The recent increase in child abuse and assault cases made the front pages of national newspapers look like they were special tabloids about child abuse and assault. It was reported that a 10-year-old boy died when he was stabbed with a knife by his step-father, during a fight between the step father and his mother over money on 27 Oct evening. Boy was to sit scholarship exam this year. Child wouldn’t have known why his mother and step-father were fighting over money. more..

Nov 4 (DN) Sri Lanka’s top junior and senior oarsmen and oarswomen will be seen in action when the 37th National Rowing Championships, conducted by the Amateur Rowing Association of Sri Lanka (ARASL) gets underway at the Diyawanna Rowing Centre in Battaramulla today. This event will see all top clubs, universities and schools in the country competing to prove their grit in two categories – Men’s and Women’s Singles, Doubles and Fours – on a course of 2,000m, more..

Nov 4 (FT) Towards an early finalisation of the IMF support program and external debt restructuring the Govt yesterday held a virtual meeting with SL’s official creditors. The meeting was chaired by Finance and Treasury Secretary Mahinda Siriwardana and CB Governor Dr. P. Nandalal Weerasinghe. A statement from President Media said official creditors were told that SL remains fully committed to advancing engagements more..

Nov 4 (CT) Education Minister Susil Premajayantha has ordered education authorities to submit an immediate report, strictly within 24 hours, on the incident where the Principal of Mahinda College, Galle has allegedly violated the right to education of a child. Accordingly, a team of officials who visited the Zonal Education Office in Galle has recorded statements from the victim student and his grandfather, while, another team had visited Mahinda College for a separate investigation. more..

Nov 4 (EN) Stocks closed weaker on Thursday for the second day to near their 3 month low in dull trade amid negative market sentiments as investors waited for directions from the a 2023 budget scheduled for Nov. 14, brokers said. The market saw a turnover of 1.19 billion rupees, lower than this year’s average turnover of 3.1 billion rupees. ASPI closed weaker at 0.62% or 52.98 points to close at 8,508.98, its lowest close since Aug 9. “Bourse dived further in red as negative sentiment more..

Nov 4 (EN) The controversial incident of reckless driving in Yala national park could’ve been avoided if measures had been taken to promote adventure tourism in the country, State Minister Rohana Dissanayake said. Individuals said to be associated with several prominent politicians went on a joyride in a restricted area of the Yala national park recently. Video footage of four-wheel drive vehicles drifting in an open plain inside the park went viral, causing much outrage on social media more..

Nov 4 (DN) Yupun Abeykoon the South Asian fastest athlete will emerge as one of the world’s top athletes very soon and we have to give our maximum support to him said Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe. Yupun Abeykoon who came back home for a short holiday met Sports Minister at the Sports Ministry on Wednesday while SL Athletic President Palitha Fernando, Its Secretary Amal Harsha de Silva, Ministers Chief Consultant Sudath Chandrasekara and National Sports more..

Nov 4 (TM) Claiming that the JVP and its leader, NPP Opposition MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake, were politically tamed during the 2015-2019 period by then-PM and current Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe and continue to be so, the main Parliamentary Opposition, SJB, alleged that the JVP had planted individuals to sabotage Wednesday’s anti-Govt protest held in Colombo against Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe and the incumbent Govt. more..

Nov 4 (AD) Showers or thundershowers will occur at several places over most parts of the island during the afternoon or night. Showers may occur in Northern, North-Western and Western provinces and in Galle and Matara districts during the morning too. Heavy showers of about 100mm can be expected at some places in Northern, North-Central, Eastern and Uva provinces and in Puttalam district. The general public is advised to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by temporary more..

Nov 4 (Island) Link Natural Products is joining hands with Race The Pearl as Event Partner to provide their internationally-acclaimed products Link Samahan and Link Swastha Amurtha for immunization and detoxing of all participants of this one-of-a-kind authentic Sri Lankan cycling event that promotes the island internationally. A leading exporter of many of its products including Link Samahan to countries on all five continents of the globe, Link Natural is guided by more..

Nov 4 (FT) CBSL observed an anonymous short article titled New CBSL regime prints more money than the former that appeared on the front page of the Daily FT on 31 Oct. While the said article presented some data with respect to so-called money printing by the CBSL under different regimes of Governors, this brief article aims to provide context and facts on the same with the intent of providing verity and clarity to general public. more..

Nov 4 (ST) SL Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT) accumulated 300 points in total to emerge as overall champions of the APIIT Sports Extravaganza 2022, which ended after a five-week run last week. SLIIT topped the participation of 16 private and state university teams, which competed over five consecutive weekends in five sports disciplines – basketball, badminton, cricket, futsal and swimming. National School of Business Management (NSBM) secured the overall second position after more..

Nov 4 (FT) MP Dilan Perera has slammed Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe, claiming he is playing ball with the people’s problems and exacting revenge on them for his continuous defeats at elections. The MP made these comments at a press conference. Perera commenting on a recent statement by a Govt Minister claiming Wickremesinghe has succeeded in the tasks he set out to do in comparison to former Prez Rajapaksa, MP said Wickremesinghe has merely passed the buck. more..

Nov 4 (ST) Ministry of Industries has seen four ministers in the last two years but it hasn’t been able to deploy long term consistent policies for the ceramics and glassware industry. SL needs to have stable policies, if not people will not invest in buying locally manufactured products, says SL Ceramics and Glass Council, President, Anura Warnakulasooriya. Mr. Warnakulasooriya made these comments to the Business Times on the sidelines of a panel discussion organised by more..

Nov 4 (Island) About 10,909 bowser loads were required for the current cultivation season, Agriculture Ministry said. About 40 million litres of diesel are required for land preparation and another 32 million litres for harvesting. Agriculture Ministry Secretary Rohana Pushpakumara said that the total amount of fuel required for the preparation and harvesting of paddy fields in the Maha season is 72 million litres of diesel. Arrangements had been made to provide 50 litres of diesel per hectare more..

Nov 4 (DM) SL has been through many storms in recent months with the economic crisis, political crisis, a change in leadership, protests, a rise in HIV and now the latest to hit the country’s youth - a rise in the dangerous chemical sex, especially among Colombo youth. National STD and AIDS Control Program Director Dr. Rasanjali Hettiarachchi said that chemical sex among youth aged from 18 to 30 years had seen an increase and although more..

Nov 4 (TN) Pakistan and Sri Lanka have good trade and diplomatic relations, which can be enhanced with joint efforts of both the countries, Jagath Abeywarna, Consul General of SL, said. Total trade volume between Sri Lanka and Pakistan is $400 million, out of which Pakistan exports worth $300 million to SL, while the latter exports worth $100 milllion to the former, counsul general shared exchanging views at a meeting with Pakistan Yarn Merchants Association (PYMA). more..

Nov 4 (DN) Dockyard PLC (CDPLC), the leader of Shipbuilding Industry in SL and one of the most competitive Shipyards in South Asia, successfully launched a Cable Laying and Repair Vessel (C/S Sophie Germain) to Orange Marine France on Nov 3, 2022 staying on course with its shipbuilding activities, resilient and undeterred by the challenges faced. Orange Marine is a French company specializing in the field of submarine telecommunications, from the initial design, more..

Nov 4 (FT) Institute for Health Policy (IHP) released yesterday the Sept 2022 update of its Consumer Confidence Indices, which are being trialled as part of its SL Opinion Tracker Survey (SLOTS). All three of IHP’s consumer confidence indices fell in September following a short recovery in Aug 2022. The Index of Consumer Sentiment (ICS), broadest measure of the public’s view on their personal economic status and the national economy and which ranges from zero to a potential max more..

Nov 4 (FT) A meeting between Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe and US Ambassador to SL Julie Chang was held at Ministry of Justice yesterday. Ambassador praised the adoption of the 21st Constitution Amendment Bill to strengthen democracy in SL despite the various challenges and the adoption of many new laws to bring the legal system up to date. Ambassador Chung also appreciated the measures taken by the current Govt to bring a new anti-corruption act, more..

Nov 4 (Island) Prof. G.L. Peiris yesterday said that if Local Govt polls were to be held by March 20, 2023 as scheduled, the Election Commission (EC) should take tangible measures to set the process in motion. The former Foreign Minister Prof. Peiris said that the EC should ask for required funds from the govt and make the necessary administrative appointments to prepare the groundwork. more..

Nov 4 (TM) Booker Prize winner Shehan Karunatilaka has denied the allegation made by senior-journalist-cum-attorney Rajpal Abeynayake that the former had plagiarised an unpublished manuscript of a novella by the latter in his award-winning novel The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida, as baseless, insulting, unfounded, and libellous. In an official statement sent to The Morning yesterday by Karunatilaka, the latter stated: “A claim has been made by a journalist in Colombo that more..

Nov 4 (DM) The govt has put on hold the proposed investment with the US’ New Fortress Energy for LNG supply. The investment project ran into controversy after a section of the Cabinet of the previous Gotabaya Rajapaksa govt challenged the constitutionality of the Cabinet decision secured by then Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa to strike the deal. However, the Supreme Court dismissed the petitions. New Fortress Energy Inc (NASDAQ: NFE), company of the US involved in LNG power more..

Nov 4 (TM) Sri Lanka will likely miss the Dec 2022 deadline to secure an IMF loan, and will have to wait for March 2023, quoting an unnamed financial analyst based in Washington DC, USA, where the IMF is headquartered. It further reported that SL will miss the December deadline for securing an IMF loan, as the main bilateral debtor, China, was involved in the 20th Chinese Communist Party (CCP) National Congress, and had little time more..

Nov 4 (Island) Over 3,400 elephants have been killed since 2011, the last elephant census in the country, and the official elephant population figures are bogus, Sajeewa Chamikara of the Movement for Land and Agricultural Reform (MONLAR) said. Between 2002 and 2022, there were 4,954 elephant and 1,602 human deaths due to the human-elephant conflict. He said that the human-elephant conflict has been intensifying after the National Physical Plan 2011-2030 was implemented. more..

Nov 4 (FT) The political fallout from the mistakes and poor decisions and the implementation of half-baked policies by half-baked bureaucrats are glaringly evident (CMA Sri Lanka Founder President Prof. Lakshman R. Watawala told a powerful gathering of professional accountants who manage a multitude of top companies that the bureaucracies are responsible for the bankruptcy of Sri Lanka). The heavy burden of the population as a result of mismanagement & corruption is inescapable. more..

Nov 4 (PHC) Pakistan HC on behalf of Govt of Pakistan sponsored the rugby tournaments on district level especially during the times when those districts were facing hardships in supporting their brilliant players. This sponsorship came under the program of bringing the youths of both friendly countries together through promoting sports in the region. A total of eight women teams participated in the last tournament. Earlier 3 tournaments took place in Kandy, Galle and Colombo. more..

Nov 4 (FT) The major focus of the political dialogue in the country during the Aragalaya, the youth struggle, was on the need for having positive and profound change in the institutional and political system which is evil, oppressive and corrupt, and the reforms that should be introduced to overcome the situation. It can be said to have been the main theme of it. However, by now the situation has changed, creating an atmosphere in which the struggle and its leaders have largely more..