Nov 2 (Island) The last time SL and India faced off in an ODI, the Asia Cup final at RPS, the game was an anti-climax as SL were shot out for 50. Head Coach Chris Silverwood believes that last month’s thrashing will serve as a motivation for his team ahead of today’s World Cup fixture against the hosts here in Bombay. “I hope that the defeat in the Asia Cup would give more motivation to the boys to come out and obviously fight, more..

Nov 2 (Island) The appointment of Dr. Ananda Wijewickrama as Chairman of the NMRA has gladdened many a heart. He has earned appreciation and admiration of his peers and the public alike as an excellent physician, and he will have to prove that he is equally good as an administrator. Straightening up the NMRA, which has come under a cloud, will go a long way towards ridding the Health Ministry of bribery and corruption. Health Minister Ramesh Pathirana, however, more..

Nov 2 (FT) In a move to foster good governance, business tycoon Harry Jayawardena has given up the executive role at Aitken Spence and Distilleries Company of SL. The diversified blue chip Aitken Spence said its Board resolved that D.H.S. Jayawardena will continue to remain as the Chairman of the Company in Non-Executive capacity with effect from 30 Oct 2023. This is pursuant to a Circular Resolution passed by the Board of Directors and the revised more..

Nov 2 (DN) Paceman Pramod Madushan arrived in Mumbai on Tuesday to join the SL World Cup squad as a travel reserve. Lahiru Kumara who was the Man of the Match in the last winning game against England in Bangalore but later got injured, is scheduled to depart for home today, as confirmed by the SL team Manager, Mahinda Halangoda. Lahiru’s injury has prevented him from making a full recovery, leading the team management to decide to send him back home. This has opened the door for more..

Nov 2 (DN) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe, praised CEAT-Kelani Tyres for its remarkable journey from a state-owned enterprise to a symbol of successful privatization during an event marking 25 years of business excellence. Addressing the audience at the celebration, Prez Wickremesinghe reminisced about the challenging birth of Kelani Tyres and the pivotal role it played in Sri Lanka’s history. “Kelani Tyres was situated in Kelaniya, adjacent to Biyagama, which falls within my electorate. more..

Nov 2 (ST) Fresh off the health sector medicines procurement scandal–which culminated in the administration of counterfeit human immunoglobulin to patients–questions are being raised about the vast quantities of recent drug donations that flowed into the country. How many of these drugs were listed as necessary or in use in the SL health sector? How many were short-expiry? How many were forced to be destroyed more..

Nov 2 (FT) SL’s tourism industry faced a setback as it failed to meet its monthly target of 147,789 arrivals due to a slight drop in visitors, especially from India, in light of the ongoing Cricket World Cup. However, there was an upturn in numbers towards the latter part of the month, as charter flights resumed operations into Colombo. During October, a total of 109,999 tourists arrived in SL, pushing the year-to-date (YTD) figure to over 1.12 million, indicating an impressive 159.8% YoY growth. more..

Nov 2 (DM) To ensure a sustainable balance in the number of vehicles on the road, there's a need to consider exporting a certain quantity of vehicles from the country, the Senior Adviser to Prez Sagala Ratnayaka said. Addressing a speech at the Safe Roads - Safe Children International Road Safety Conference-2023, which took place in Colombo he said it is essential to explore the adoption of electric vehicles as an eco-friendly alternative to traditional diesel or petrol vehicles. more..

Nov 2 (FT) Transparency International SL (TISL) Executive Director Nadishani Perera last week emphasised that the people will hardly benefit from the aid and assistance SL receives as long as corruption persists. She made this observation during an address at a discussion focusing on the recommendations detailed in The Civil Society Governance Diagnostic Report on SL. The event was attended by a diverse group of civil society representatives who gathered to address more..

Nov 2 (DN) INFOTEL 2023 ICT Exhibition, organised by the Federation of Information Technology Industry Sri Lanka (FITIS), will commence on November 03, at the BMICH in Colombo. The exhibition, which is scheduled till November 5, aligns with President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s vision to modernise Sri Lanka through digitisation. The exhibition, themed ‘Fuelling the Digital Economy,’ is being conducted under the guidance of the State Ministry of Technology. more..

Nov 2 (FT) Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman arrived yesterday for a 3-day visit engagement during which would give a further impetus to strong and growing economic ties with Sri Lanka. She is in SL on the invitation by the Govt to attend the Naam 200 event in Colombo today and will call on Prez and PM. The multi-city visit is expected to provide added momentum to economic and commercial engagements between the two countries. more..

Nov 2 (Island) Dhanushka Ramanayake, Director General (Media) of the PMD has sent us the following clarification: “The attention of Prez’s Media Division has beenbrought to the news item on pages 01 and 02 of The Island newspaper dated 30.10.2023, titled Move to hand over Sevanagala Sugar Co. to Daya G alleged. Mr. Daya Gamage, a SL entrepreneur and an active member of the UNP under the leadership of Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe is closely associated with politics. more..

Nov 2 (TM) Police has arrested six suspects including the Secretary of the Electricity Consumers’ Association (ECA), Sanjeewa Dhammika and a Buddhist monk during the protest march at Horagasmulla on the Colombo-Divulapitiya main road against the increase in electricity tariffs, and they were subsequently granted bail. Colombo-Divulapitiya main road had been completely blocked at Horagasmulla for vehicular movement due to the protest. more..

Nov 2 (AD) All 17 state universities across the island will launch a token strike today, as per a decision taken by the State Service Trade Unions Alliance and the FUTA during a discussion which took place yesterday. The relevant discussion was held at the premises of Open University of Sri Lanka in Nawala. The trade union action will be launched as a protest against several matters, including the salary issue and slashing of funds granted to the state universities. more..

Nov 2 (DM) The attorney, representing the company owner accused of bringing substandard vaccines into SL, revealed that the CID had apprehended and brought before the court a small fish linked to the case and there are still bigger fish involved in this matter out there. The owner of the company Aruna Deepthi accused of importing substandard vials of immunoglobulin has been arrested by the CID and was produced before the Court yesterday. The attorney Ms. Chandani Dayaratne, more..

Nov 2 (TM) In the wake of public servants seeking a salary increase by at least Rs. 20,000 through the upcoming Budget for next year, State Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya said that an extensive analysis is currently being carried out to decide on the rates at which the salaries will be raised. With the Budget for 2024 scheduled to be presented to Parliament later this month, both public and private sector employees are urging more..

Nov 2 (DM) Ven. Pitiduwe Siridhamma Thera was strongly advised by the Mahanayake and Karaka Maha Sangha Sabha of Malwathu Chapter to avoid making sermons by distorting Tripitaka and the Buddha's character. Lekakadhikari Thera of Malwatu Chapter Ven. Pahamune Sri Sumangala said that Ven. Siridhamma Thera was summoned before the Karaka Maha Sangha Sabha of the Malwathu Chapter led by the Mahanayake Thera yesterday and strongly advised to stop the sermons more..

Nov 2 (FT) World Bank Managing Director for Operations Anna Bjerde, concluded her four-day visit to SL yesterday, encouraging the Government to stay the course on reforms for recovery and sustainable growth. She also underscored the World Bank’s continuous commitment to investing in people, strengthening human capital and creating jobs. Bjerde met with Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe, cabinet ministers, representatives of opposition parties, civil society, private sector, more..

Nov 2 (TM) The Asgiri Chapter of the Siam Sect said that the Govt must be impartial and more sensitive when handling issues in the North and East areas of the country before blaming Buddhist monks for their conduct. Secretary of the Supreme Sangha Council of the Asgiri Maha Viharaya Ven. Dr. Medagama Dhammananda Thera said that it seems that the Govt and law enforcement authorities do not listen properly to more..

Nov 2 (FT) Gotabaya’s economics were irrational, Ranil’s politics are no less irrational. His proposals for electoral reform include the idea that legislators can hold office simultaneously at various institutional levels of the democratic system, i.e., a municipal councillor can also sit in Parliament. Candidates run for a post at a specific level of representation. The voter selects between candidates for that specific job (e.g., Pradeshiya Sabha member, Mayor, Chief Minister, MP, Prez). more..

Nov 2 (FT) China’s Blue Dragon strategy seeks to upend Washington’s containment policy and breakout of strategic bottlenecks through leveraging national defence and development across four separate geographic frontiers. For Washington, addressing the China challenge must begin by rethinking policies no longer suitable to the challenge at hand. To compete strategically with the US and undermine Washington’s Indo-Pacific policy, China has quietly been advancing more..

Nov 2 (AD) Foreign Minister Ali Sabry inaugurated a two-week orientation program for the Heads of Mission designate of Sri Lanka on Nov 1, 2023. The lawmaker has outlined key aspects of Sri Lanka’s foreign policy priorities of the current govt under the leadership of President Ranil Wickremesinghe. The Heads of Mission have been appointed at a critical juncture where they are called upon to play an important role in supporting SL’s economic recovery, he has said further. more..

Nov 2 (PMD) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe has announced his intention to prioritize the inclusion of proposals from the private sector in this year’s budget and to separately examine related areas. He made these statements while attending a 2024 pre-budget -discussion held at the Presidential Secretariat yesterday with the leaders of private sector institutions. During the meeting, Prez discussed reform programs designed to help the country recover from the economic crisis more..

Nov 2 (DM) Excise Department said the licenses of five liquor manufacturing companies have been suspended due to their failure to pay tax arrears. Excise Commissioner General Saman Jayasinghe said that the annual licenses for these companies, which had long-standing arrears, expired on October 31 and were not renewed. Accordingly, the production and distribution of their alcohol products have also been prohibited. more..

Nov 2 (DM) SL is set to receive medical aid worth USD 58,000 from Bangladesh by next week, the Health Ministry said. This was revealed in a recent meeting between Health Minister Dr. Ramesh Pathirana and Bangladesh High Commissioner in SL Tareq Md Ariful Islam. The High Commissioner revealed that the aid includes 54 types of essential medicines, particularly those for cancer and kidney treatments. Moreover, another aid stock worth USD 01 million is expected to be sent soon more..

Nov 2 (EN) Govt raised special commodity levy on sugar to 50 rupees from 0.25 rupees from Nov 2, a govt document showed, after the govt’s failure to meet state revenue targets they agreed with the IMF. The IMF last last month concluded a delayed staff level agreement SL authorities, but stated that the state revenue target was not met. Sri Lanka is yet to receive the second tranche of a $3 billion IMF loan as the global lender’s executive board is yet to approve. more..

Nov 2 (TM) After a lengthy pause, Sri Lanka and India have come together to revive the Economic and Technology Cooperation Agreement (ETCA). Accordingly, the 12th Round of negotiations, held in Colombo this week signifies a renewed commitment to enhancing economic and technological cooperation between the two nations. Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe's visit to India in July reaffirmed Sri Lanka's dedication to ETCA. more..

Nov 2 (Island) The SJB yesterday called on the govt to take steps to prevent tax frauds in the liquor industry amounting to around Rs 80 billion a year instead of burdening the public with more taxes. SJB MP Dr. Harsha de Silva said the Excise Department, which was required to collect Rs 217 billion as taxes, had been able to collect only Rs 125 billion as of Sept. 30. “I am surprised that the govt has not taken action to prevent frauds that cause a loss of Rs 80 billion rupees. more..

Nov 2 (Island) Arrangements are being made to celebrate the unity, diversity, and legacy commemorating 200 years since the arrival of the Indian-origin plantation community in SL. The celebration is scheduled to take place today, starting from 4 pm, at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium in Colombo, in the presence of Pre Wickremesinghe. The event, Naam 200 (We are 200), is held under the theme, In the tapestry of SL’s cultural diversity, Indian Tamil community has woven a unique more..

Nov 2 (DM) SLRF leader MP Patalia Champika Ranawaka has come to the defense of JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake following criticism related to a linguistic slip in his discussion about graphene. Ranawaka emphasized that the linguistic error should be considered a minor human mistake and should not be used for political point-scoring. He noted that Dissanayake, while discussing the potential economic impact of graphene, accidentally referred to it as graphite. more..

Nov 2 (Island) The eighth wave of seed bombing at Labugasdamana Govt Forest Reservation in Anuradhapura was conducted on Monday and Tuesday in a combine operation involving the officers and men of the Air Force Agro Unit at SLAF Base Katunayake together with the Faculty of Agriculture at the Uni of Peradeniya, Central Environmental Authority, MAS Holdings and the Dept of Forest Conservation to achieve the aim of improving the forest density of SL, more..

Nov 2 (AD) The group of 17 Sri Lankans who are trapped in the Gaza Strip amidst the Israel-Hamas conflict have been permitted to leave the war-torn Palestinian enclave and enter Egypt via the Rafah border crossing. Embassy of SL in Tel Aviv has communicated this to the Foreign Employment Bureau (SLBFE). On that account, 15 of these Sri Lankans are expected to reach Egypt this afternoon, SLBFE media spokesman Gamini Senarath more..

Nov 2 (AD) The Colombo High Court acquitted all accused, including SLPP MP Namal Rajapaksa, from the money laundering case involving Gowers Corporate Services (Pvt) Limited. The relevant order was issued by Colombo High Court Judge Navaratne Marasinghe this morning, without calling for any evidence for the defence in relation to the allegations of money laundering. During a previous hearing of evidence pertaining to the case, the High Court judge deemed the evidence more..

Nov 2 (DM) Due to the heavy rains, the water capacity of all reservoirs has exceeded 50%, Irrigation Director Sugeeshwara Bandara said. Some reservoirs had started spilling and several others were about to spill. Six spill gates of the Deduru Oya reservoir were opened three feet high and started releasing water with a capacity of 11,200 cubic inches per second. Accordingly, the waters of the low-lying areas of the Deduru Oya will increase, and those living downstream are requested more..

Nov 2 (DM) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe said the govt is aiming to introduce measures that provide bank loan concessions to support small and medium-scale industries in the upcoming budget. "This programme is progressing steadily. We have devised comprehensive strategies to revitalize our nation's economy, engaging in discussions with both the IMF and our creditors," he said. Prez made this remark while more..