Nov 5 (FT) Premier diversified blue-chip John Keells Holdings (JKH) yesterday urged the Govt to ensure proper balance between economic stability and growth as it shores up efforts to boost tax revenue. The call for judicious balance is whilst recognising positive progress made by the Govt thus far in implementing the reforms and initiatives needed for fiscal consolidation to help overcome the financial crisis. “We urge the authorities to give due consideration to ensuring tax measures more..

Nov 5 (Island) Continuing to drive through the LOLC Divi Saviya humanitarian effort, LOLC Holdings commenced another community project focusing to fulfil the nutritional requirements of school students this time, through Daruwan Wenuwen Api. The project was conceptualized by Matha Foundation, and was a joint launch with Ministry of Education, Sri-J'pura Kotte DS and LOLC Holdings, as the core sponsor. The program offers a series of workshops on skill development and professional training more..

Nov 5 (ST) Deaths from dengue have risen to 60 — most of them children — and infections exceed 62,000 so far this year. Health officials fear an outbreak the next two months. The 62,184 infections from the mosquito-borne disease as of October, have surpassed last year’s tally of 35,924 patients. According to Health Ministry, infections were below 50,000 in 2020 and 2021. In 2019, there were 105,049 patients & 150 died. more..

Nov 5 (SO) Six key players have stepped down from the SL rugby Sevens team that was selected to participate in the second leg of the Asian Sevens Series that is scheduled to take place in South Korea on November 12 and 13. Most of these players who have pulled out are from Kandy SC for reasons best known to them. They are winger Buddima Piyarathana along with former SL Sevens skipper Danush Dayan a key forward in the team. The others who have pulled out are more..

Nov 5 (CT) Air France resumed flights between Colombo and Paris from 4 Nov and it will fly between the destinations thrice a week. The flight landed at BIA on Friday with its crew who were welcomed by SriLankan Airlines staff. Air France operations on this route are seasonal and as per the winter schedule for 2022-23, aviation authorities said. Customers from Colombo can further connect to the global network of Air France comprising of over 170 destinations, via the convenient hub more..

Nov 5 (Island) Attorney General’s Dept owed an explanation regarding the acquittal of Rishad Bathiudeen, MP, leader of the ACMC, a key suspect in the 2019 Easter Sunday carnage, JNP MP Jayantha Samaraweera said. The ACMC is a constituent party of the SJB. The former State Minister asked whether AG Sanjay Rajaratnam, issued instructions that paved the way for Fort Magistrate Thilina Gamage to acquit more..

Nov 5 (Island) SL’s fate of going through to the semi-finals of the T-20 World Cup is not in their hands and they seem to have come to terms with that fact but what is in their hands is ending the competition on a high note. The former champions have blown hot and cold in Australia with their wins coming against teams like UAE, Netherlands, Ireland and Afghanistan. Not only have they lost to big teams like Australia and NZ, they suffered a shock defeat at the hands of Namibia too in curtain-raiser more..

Nov 5 (Island) SriLankan Cares, the corporate social responsibility arm of SriLankan Airlines, teamed with the Galle Face Hotel and Ebert Silva Holidays to organize a special programme for the children of a Child Development Center for World Children’s Day 2022. The children experienced a day of fun and learning designed to educate them on the travel and tourism industry of Sri Lanka with a tour of the Colombo city, seaport, airport and inside an aircraft. The children first toured the city of Colombo more..

Nov 5 (AP) A 45-year-old female Asian elephant was euthanized because of her deteriorating health from age-related problems, the San Diego Zoo announced Friday. Devi had been undergoing therapy but her mobility had declined and wildlife care specialists made the difficult decision on Thursday to euthanize her, the zoo said in a Facebook posting. “The San Diego Zoo family is heartbroken," the zoo said. Devi arrived at the zoo in 1977 from an elephant orphanage in SL. more..

Nov 5 (CT) Archbishop of Colombo His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith alleged that the 21st Amendment to the Constitution has a clause that if a Sri Lankan citizen lodges a complaint against the Govt or a Govt body at the United Nations or any UN-affiliated organisation or any other country leader, their civic rights could be removed up to 20 years. He expressed these views during the World Habitat Day celebration held by Negombo Citizen’s Union on 2 November. more..

Nov 5 (TM) SLFP General Secretary MP Dayasiri Jayasekara lodged a complaint at CIABOC pertaining to alleged malpractices in fuel procurement, and will also be responding today (4) to the Letter of Demand (LOD) sent to him by Minister Kanchana Wijesekera. Jayasekara said that although it is the responsibility of the subject minister to look into the malpractices in the procurement of fuel, he had taken the initiative to ensure more..

Nov 5 (AD) Former Prez Maithripala Sirisena has tested positive for Covid-19. Reportedly, the SLFP chairman was referred to a PCR test as he had been feeling unwell for several days. PCR test results confirmed today that Sirisena is positive for the novel coronavirus. SLFP stated that the former Prez would step away from public meetings and political activities until he fully recovers from the infection. According to an SLFP spokesperson, the former Prez is currently at his residence. more..

Nov 5 (Island) A Sri Lankan arrested in the UK in February this year in connection with the killing of Mylvaganam Nimalarajan, who contributed to the BBC’s Tamil and Sinhala services, is under investigation, though released from custody there. Jack Griffith of Metropolitan Police Service’s Directorate of Media and Communication said that the arrested person had been released but was under investigation. Griffith said so early this week responding to The Island queries. more..

Nov 5 (DM) John Keells Group today said it will be looking for gaming operators to operate at its flagship project Cinnamon Life with the govt formalizing the process of issuing licences and monitoring of casino operations in SL. “With the regularising of gaming, the Group will proceed with finalising arrangements with prospective gaming, operators to operate at Cinnamon Life,” JKH Chairman Krishan Balendra said. In Aug 2022, the govt gazetted regulations under more..

Nov 5 (AD) A hotline (1905) has been introduced by the Ministry of Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils & Local Govt for the public to file complaints about govt sector employees involved in bribery and corruption. In a press release, the ministry said complaints can be submitted in Sinhala, Tamil, or English via this hotline of any public servants at district secretariats, divisional secretariats or Grama Niladhari offices who solicit bribes or commit any other irregularities. more..

Nov 5 (CT) Despite Parliament approving the revising of the airspace fee in 2019 through an amendment to a four-decade-old law, crisis-hit SL has lost yet another significant amount; roughly USD 4.5 million in annual revenue. Fee for Flight Information Region (FIR) or flying in SL airspace and adjacent oceanic airspace under the Regional Air Navigation Plan of Asia and Pacific Regions remains the same as under Section 24 and Section more..

Nov 5 (EN) SL will reduce the duration of the power cuts to one hour from during the long weekend including Monday due to low demand, but will resume 2 hour power cut from Tuesday. On Nov 5-7, all areas will have power cuts of 1 hour between 5.30 pm and 8.30 pm, where as these area will have 2 hour power cut in Nov 8 between 3 pm and 9 pm. SL was struggling to secure a steady coal coal supply for 2023, with the firm that the tender was awarded to due to a court case. more..

Nov 5 (DM) Prez Wickremesinghe will appoint a few more Cabinet ministers during the budget period, a top source said. Prez can increase the size of the Cabinet to 30 according to the Constitution. Earlier, SLPP requested the president to swear in the remaining number of ministers to run the govt. SLPP MPs Pavithra Wanniarachchi, C.B. Ratnayake and S.M. Chandrasena are tipped to get ministerial posts. Besides, MP Jeewan Thondaman of CWC and SLFP MP Duminda Dissanayake more..

Nov 5 (DM) There would be no delay in Sri Lanka firming up the loan from the IMF, Finance Ministry said, calling the reports published in this regard factually incorrect. Finance State Minister Sheshan Semasinghe took to Twitter yesterday to deny the likelihood of SL witnessing any delays in obtaining the much-needed assistance from the IMF. “Recent international coverage stated that beyond December the next slot for an IMF board more..

Nov 5 (FT) COP27 is starting in less than a week and will bring together tens of thousands of people in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. Representatives of developed countries, developing countries, and other stakeholders will travel to this global climate summit to negotiate and discuss climate action to limit global warming. But what exactly is COP27, and why is it important? COP stands for Conference of the Parties, which refers to the signatories (“Parties”) to UN Framework Convention more..

Nov 5 (FT) Indian Ocean region and the vast landscape situated encircling the Ocean are considered to be one of the world’s prominent hubs for sea trade since the bygone era. The notable reason for the significance of the Indian Ocean is the abundance of the trade route that connects the western and the eastern hemisphere, easing the trade activities that encompass the entire world. Amidst these sea trade activities that took place between the nations, India and SL were more..

Nov 5 (AD) Three people died this morning as a luxury private bus, en route to Colombo from Jaffna, crashed into a bridge and toppled early this morning. Following the accident, which took place in the area of Nochchimote, a total of 20 injured people who were inside the bus, including its driver, were rushed to the Vavuniya Hospital for treatment. However, the driver, aged 33, and two other passengers later succumbed to injuries. Among the deceased passengers is a 23-year-old female u'grad more..

Nov 5 (DM) Archbishop of Colombo Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith questioned seeking IMF Assistance and implied that there would be a negative impact on working with the organisation. “Where would SL end up if we bow down to IMF?” he questioned during a gathering in Negombo. He also asked people not to vote for politicians insensitive to their issues. “Do not vote for those who are not sensitive towards the issues faced by the people,” he said. “UDA has constructed apartment buildings more..

Nov 5 (EN) Ministry of health says it wants to reassure the public that monkeypox can be contained and that there is no need to shut down the economy as the country has the resources to combat any outbreaks. Health ministry made this statement after SL confirmed its first recorded case of monkeypox after a returnee to the island from Dubai tested positive for the virus the previous day. The patient is being treated at the IDH more..

Nov 5 (AD) A five-member National Delimitation Committee has been appointed for the demarcation of wards for local authorities. The appointment of the committee was announced in an extraordinary gazette issued by PM Dinesh Gunawardena, in his capacity as the Minister of Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local Govt. The National Delimitation Committee is effective from Nov 1, 2022, to February 28, 2023, according to the gazette notification. more..

Nov 5 (Island) Sri Lanka has wasted millions of dollars by importing excess amounts of Pfizer vaccines and those in charge of medical supplies are responsible for the colossal loss, President of the College of Medical Laboratory Science (CMLS) Ravi Kumudesh told The Island yesterday. Kumudesh said that the Ministry of Health claimed that it imported Pfizer to give as a booster shot and that vaccine hesitancy was the reason that millions of doses were unused. more..

Nov 5 (CI) England are through to the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup, knocking Australia out in the process, thanks to a four-wicket win over SL. It was an anxiety-riddled chase in the final match in Group 1, despite a target of 142 looking well within reach after openers Jos Buttler and Alex Hales posted 75 for the first wicket inside eight overs. But a series of unforced errors saw six wickets fall in the space of 65 deliveries, for addition of just 54. more..

Nov 5 (DM) The prevaling artificial fuel shortage in the country will end by Monday (7), the Ceylon Petroleum Private Bowser Owners' Association (CPPBOA) said. Secretary of the Association Shantha Silva said that the current shortage was only man-made, which is mainly due to a failure in placing orders for required stocks of fuel by the dealers. "The scarcity and losses incurred to them are due to the dealers who have failed place their order on time," he said. more..

Nov 5 (ST) Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, many schoolchildren between the age of 14 to 16 years in the Northern province have dropped out of school. In 2020, 485 students in the region had dropped out. Number reduced to105 last year. But this year, number of school dropouts has sharply risen to 519, so far. In 2020, the highest number of school dropouts was from Madu (94). Mannar had 72 dropouts, while Kilinochchi had 52. Kilinochchi North Zonal Education Division more..

Nov 5 (Island) Govt of Iran, together with the Iranian Red Crescent, donated an urgently required consignment of essential medicines and other medical supplies to Sri Lanka at a ceremony held at the Red Crescent Office, in Tehran, recently. The total value of the medicine consignment is over SLR 108,123,522 which is equivalent to US$ 294,743. The donation, consisting 119 essential medical items, was handed over to the Ambassador of SL to Iran, Wishwanath Aponsu, by Govt of Iran, more..

Nov 5 (EN) Sri Lanka’s imports fell 15.8% to US$ 1,284 million in Sept 2022, while exports grew 4.3% to US$ 1,079 million. Official data shows as high interest rated curbed credit. Sri Lanka also earned US$ 359 million from remittances and US$ 54 million from tourism which also give additional incomes for people to import goods. The rest of the deficit is driven by govt borrowings. Inflows to govt – at a gross level – fell to US$ 49 million from US$ 477 million. more..

Nov 5 (EN) SL has seen an increase in its overall crime amid the island’s worst currency crisis in decades. There has been an increase in vehicle theft, with this year’s thefts totaling at 1,406 until Sept 2022, out of which there were 12 buses, 25 vans, 16 lorries, 14 cars, 311 three wheelers, 1,016 motorcycles and 12 other vehicles stolen between January and Sept 2022, according to the police. Transport providers and the industry more..

Nov 5 (ANI) The Supreme Court was informed by the Centre on Friday that 68 Indian fishermen, caught by Sri Lankan Navy in December 2021, have been released and repatriated to the country. A bench of Justices Aniruddha Bose and Vikram Nath while taking into note the status report filed by the Centre closed that case which sought direction to the Centre to negotiate with the Sri Lankan govt authorities to release the arrested Indian fisherman and their mechanised boat. more..

Nov 5 (ST) Religious institutions and charity homes reeling from higher electricity tariffs were in for another shock with the announcement of a 2.5% social security contribution levy, effective October 1. The levy, under the Social Security Act will mean customers of the CEB have to pay an additional 2.5% on their bills. Tax will apply to all. Several charity homes including homes for the elderly, orphanages and homes for the less-abled and the destitute, said that increases in electricity and more..

Nov 5 (PTI) The navies of India and SL have discussed ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation and actions to overcome common maritime challenges faced by the navies and coast guard personnel of the two countries in the Indian Ocean. The 32nd international maritime boundary line (IMBL) meeting between SL and Indian navies was held here on board SLNS Sayura off the coast of Kankesanthurai in the north on Friday, more..

Nov 5 (TM) The Tourism Alliance has released a report analysing international traveller demand for SL utilising search data. Currently tourism trends are analysed post-mortem through visitor arrivals. As a majority of potential travellers research holidays online, search terms and volumes can gauge future tourist arrival trends. “Tourism Alliance commissioned the SL Demand Insights and Trends Report from our digital solutions partner Antyra, who analysed 5,062 keywords relating to SL. more..