Nov 8 (FT) If there is anything everyone supports, it’s digitalisation of govt. It’s seen as the panacea for all our ills: tax avoidance, corruption, inefficient agriculture… You name a problem, that is the answer, or at least part of the answer. We’ve been trying for over two decades but with meagre returns. What lessons for a reset can be drawn from our successes and failures? This moment when Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya has agreed to serve as Chief Advisor on the Digital Economy is more..

Nov 8 (AD) The female principal of a school in the Ragama area has been arrested for allegedly soliciting a bribe of Rs. 150,000 in exchange for admitting a student to the Grade 1 class for 2025, CIABOC said. The officers of the Bribery Commission had made the arrest last evening following a complaint lodged by a woman in the Mattumagala area of Ragama. The female principal in question has demanded the bribe for the admission of the complainant’s child into more..

Nov 8 (AD) Minister Vijitha Herath made a visit to the Colombo Port on Thursday to look into the existing issues including a delay in container clearances. There, the officials shared their concerns over the persistent delays in container clearances which have been ongoing for about two years. They pointed out that, about two to three years ago despite following all the methods, around 1,800 to 2,000 containers could be dispatched from the port daily. However, they noted that recently, more..

Nov 8 (DM) The CID arrested a 52-year-old man, Dhammika Ranasinghe, who returned from Malaysia this morning, at the BIA, for his involvement in defrauding over Rs. 10 billion through a pyramid scam. Police said Ranasinghe had fled the country a year ago amid a case before the Colombo Chief Magistrate's Court, where he was accused of financial fraud. CID also arrested his wife, 42-year-old Samudra Surangani, more..

Nov 8 (EN) SL’s cement availability has hit a 32-month high of 419,000 metric tonnes in August 2024, official data shows, indicative of a steady recovery in construction activities. In August domestic production was 328,0000 metric tonnes, up 25.4% from a year earlier. Local production is highest since 365,000 metric tonnes were produced in Dec 2021. Imports were 91,000 metric tonnes, down 3.7%. Total cement availability at 419,000 metric tonnes was up 17.6% from a year ago. more..

Nov 8 (CT) Private-sector pharmacy owners have cautioned the public about a potential collapse of services, citing the National Medicines Regulatory Authority’s (NMRA) insistence on enforcing strict regulations that require the full-time presence of a qualified pharmacist for a pharmacy to operate. Chandika Gankanda, President of the All-Island Private Pharmacy Owners’ Association (AIPPOA), expressed concern on Thursday, revealing that the NMRA had refused to re-register at least more..

Nov 8 (DN) PM Harini Amarasuriya announced that in the next Parliament, ministries would be allocated scientifically, based on relevant fields, instead of the previous practice of awarding them as political favours. She stated that the new system would establish 25 ministries focused on interconnected sectors. Speaking further at a meeting with pre-school teachers held at the main post office auditorium more..

Nov 8 (DN) Recent agreements between Southern Illinois University Carbondale and higher education institutions in SL have created opportunities for students and strengthened ties between the US and SL. A SL delegation, led by Ambassador Mahinda Samarasinghe, conducted discussion in Dec 2023 with SIU officials. The talks centred on potential collaborations between SIU and higher education institutions in SL, aiming to create a window to advance opportunities for SL students. more..

Nov 8 (DM) Motor Vehicle Examiners of the Dept of Motor Traffic, who examined the bus involved in the recent fatal bus accident at Ambagahaoya on Badulla – Mahiyangana on Nov 1, have reported that the accident was due to defective brakes. They examined the wreckage on Thursday at Badulla Police ground. They dismantled several parts of the brake system and handed them over to the police as case productions. Two female students of Sir John Kotelawala Defence University died and more..

Nov 8 (DN) Formercricket captain Tilakaratne Dilshan, Kalutara district candidate for the United Democratic Voice Party, stated that he left behind his invaluable Australian citizenship and entered politics to serve the country and especially to support the field of sports. Dilshan was speaking at a public meeting held at the Wadduwa Public Grounds in Kalutara. Elaborating on his decision, Dilshan said, “I had the chance to enter politics in 2015. If I had done so, I wouldn’t be standing here and more..

Nov 8 (FT) Pan Asia Bank, has announced the official launch of Privilege Banking, which is an exclusive business proposition for premier customers, designed to provide a highly-personalised and elevated banking experience. The launch took place at the WTC privilege Banking Centre, in the presence of Pan Asia Bank Chairman Aravinda Perera, CEO Naleen Edirisinghe, Corporate Management, and distinguished invitees. Pan Asia Bank Privilege Banking offers more..

Nov 8 (CT) Sugathadasa National Sports Complex Authority (SNSCA) has yet to recover over Rs 67 million from more than 50 political parties, media organisations, State institutions, and private corporations for events organised at the stadium premises. A senior official of the SNSCA said that many major political parties have yet to settle bills for events held at the stadium over the past five years, including those held in parallel with more..

Nov 8 (NW) Postal voting for the 2024 General Election concludes today. Postal voting for govt employees was held on 31 Oct, and 1 and 4 Nov. Election Commission (EC) allocated 7 and 8 Nov for state employees who were unable to cast their postal votes earlier. Accordingly, postal votes can be cast at the District Secretary’s Office located in their area of employment during this period. EC states a total of 17,140,354 voters are eligible to vote in the 2024 Parliamentary Election. more..

Nov 8 (AD) PM Dr. Harini Amarasuriya says that the govt intends to provide concessions for school children to purchase stationery books, staring from next year. Attending a public meeting held in Athurugiriya, she further explained that this initiative is to be carried out as per the Prez’s approval. She further stated that the support receive by the country from the international community has further strengthened and the govt has been able to make some concessions due to the intervention more..

Nov 8 (AD) Ministry of Education has announced that all schools across the island will remain closed on Nov 13 and 14 due to the 2024 General Election. The closed schools are scheduled to reopen on Nov 18. The 2024 parliamentary election is scheduled to be held on Nov 14 (Thursday). Accordingly, the schools which are to be used as polling stations are required to be handed over to the relevant Grama Niladhari Officers after more..

Nov 8 (FT) As a globally renowned hub for quality and innovative apparel, SL is buttoning up capacity with fully vertically integrated solutions to take on the evolving trends in retail fashion and enabling quick replenishment. A preferred manufacturing base for some of the world’s iconic fashion brands, Sri Lanka’s penchant for cutting-edge apparel solutions coupled with ethical and sustainable manufacturing has for long placed the island nation ahead of regional competition. more..

Nov 8 (DM) Ministry of Education has issued a special circular on the use of social media tools in school education and communication. Thilaka Jayasundara, Secretary to the Ministry of Education, has issued the circular to all school principals and education authorities. According to the circular, social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Viber, and Telegram were initially introduced to help students recover missed learning opportunities during the COVID-19 pandemic. more..

Nov 8 (NW) National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) has issued a statement addressing recent reports suggesting the possibility of widespread pharmacy closures across the island. The claims are unfounded and based on false reports alleging that a large number of applications for annual pharmaceutical licenses were rejected, leading to fears of pharmacy closures, NMRA said. In a letter, NMRA Chairperson Dr. Ananda Wijewickrama clarified that the misleading report had been more..

Nov 8 (Island) The Supreme Court issued an order yesterday directing the immediate transfer of a case regarding the possession of several unregistered elephants from the Colombo Additional Magistrate’s Court to its own jurisdiction. SC also instructed the Magistrate’s Court not to take any further steps concerning the case. Additionally, it issued a stay order on all directives given by the Magistrate’s Court regarding the case filed by the CID until the conclusion of its examination of the related more..

Nov 8 (HM) In 1960, Sirimavo Bandaranaike became SL’s first woman PM – and the first female prime minister in the world – after entering politics and taking over leadership of her husband’s party after his assassination. Once in high office, Bandaranaike proved highly adept in navigating the complex and male-dominated political landscape – something equally true of other women leaders, including her daughter Chandrika more..

Nov 8 (CT) The Public Health Inspector (PHI) of Dehiwala lodged a complaint at the Dehiwala Police Station regarding a mysterious red dye that had entered the canals of the Dehiwala and Mount Lavinia areas, flowing towards the Attidiya Bird Sanctuary, according to Dehiwala Police. Video footage and photographs circulating on social media showed water formation in bright crimson, suspected to be industrial waste illegally dumped into the waterways. more..

Nov 8 (EN) Elections Commission (EC) is urging voters to show up and vote in the parliamentary election on Nov 14. “Voting is your constitutional right. So it is your duty to exercise that right,” EC Chairman R M A L Rathnayake said on Friday. Over 3.5 million citizens eligible to vote, did not vote in the 2024 Prez Election. He urged voters to visit their polling stations between 7 am and 4 pm on Nov 14. Sri Lanka will choose 225 representatives for its 10th Parliament. more..

Nov 8 (DM) Taking a swipe at the name he is often referred to by some of his opponents, former Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday said the govt hierarchy should seek advice from the grandfather if they do not know how to handle govt finances. "Those who are in the govt should know how to handle govt finances. The govt has to implement the recommendations of the Udaya Seneviratne Committee to increase more..

Nov 8 (DM) Investigations into the recovery of an illegally assembled, unregistered luxury car from the home of former State Minister Lohan Ratwatte’s wife in Mirihana have revealed that Ratwatte had been using the vehicle since 2020 with a fake number plate. DIG Ruwan Gunasekera, who heads the Police Legal Division said that Lohan Ratwatte had attempted to mislead the police during the initial investigations by claiming that the car had been brought to the residence by his late more..

Nov 8 (AD) Dept of Motor Traffic (DMT) says that the courts have temporarily suspended over 3,000 driving licenses during the time elapsed this year (2024). Commissioner General of Motor Traffic, Nishantha Weerasingha, stated that a total of 3,249 driving licenses have been temporarily suspended since January this year due to court orders following trials for various traffic violations committed by motorists. Meanwhile, Professor Mohamed Mahees of the Dept of Sociology of more..

Nov 9 (DM) Sarvajana Balaya candidate for the Colombo district Udaya Gammanpila who is in the centre of controversy regarding his revelation on the Easter Sunday attacks shared his views further in this regard with Daily Mirror. Q: Ahead of the general election, you suddenly raised this issue of the Easter Sunday attacks. Why did you raise it at this particular time? A: Well, it is not sudden. We were aware that the previous president appointed two committees and during the tail end of more..

Nov 9 (DM) SJB candidate for the Gampaha District Dr. Kavinda Jayawardena who conferred with the Daily Mirror recently on his candidature and the political situation did mention that his party has suffered some set back after its candidate former MP Ajith Mannapperuma withdrew from the campaign suddenly. He said SJB organisers in Gampaha were affected by the move. However, he was confident that the party will succeed in the district at the end. Also he said he will continue his struggle more..

Nov 9 (CT) On Wednesday (13), it will be 35 years since Rohana Wijeweera, the founding Leader of the JVP, was killed. The following day, SL citizens are likely to elect a govt with a JVP majority. However, the JVP will miss the opportunity to commemorate the first Il-Maha Viru Samaruwa (November Heroes) under a JVP Executive President due to election laws. Meanwhile, arrangements are being made by more..

Nov 9 (Island) NPP is in the fray in the Northern and Eastern Provinces at the forthcoming parliamentary elections. The ruling party, on its own, is contesting all five electoral districts in the war-torn region, namely Jaffna and Vanni in the North and Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Digamadulla in the East. NPP is confident that the Northern and Eastern electorates are likely to be influenced by Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s victory at the Prez Election though he couldn’t secure 50% plus one vote. more..

Nov 9 (DM) Apsari Singhabahu Tillakaratne, wife of former SL cricketer Hashan Tillakaratne, who is contesting the upcoming Parliamentary Elections from the SJB in the Colombo District, opens up about her decision to enter politics in an exclusive interview with Daily Mirror. In this candid conversation, she discusses her vision for Sri Lanka’s future and her commitment to addressing key issues such as women’s safety, education, and economic opportunities. more..

Nov 9 (CT) About a month after the prez polls, hundreds of relatives and friends with loved ones who have disappeared over the years gathered in Seeduwa for the 34th Annual Commemoration of the Disappeared with a banner reading; Comrade President Anura ‘Let’s make it happen! Let’s demonstrate the difference together. Her son’s photograph is securely wrapped in a polythene cover, so, the rain wouldn’t ruin it. more..

Nov 9 (CT) In a landmark Court decision in SL the Colombo High Court recently sentenced four former senior Customs Officials to 35 years of rigorous imprisonment after they were found guilty of accepting a Rs 125 million bribe to release vehicle spare parts worth Rs 1,500 million. The Court decision marks the culmination of the case following the largest-ever recorded bribe nabbed by the CIABOC. From time to time, the reports of major corruption busts and landmark rulings more..

Nov 9 (ST) If you thought that I was going to talk about the Nuwara Eliya Post Office and the aborted plan to convert it to a tourist hotel, I am sorry, you are wrong. My purpose today is to talk about an actual project that transformed an iconic Post Office building to a five-star luxury hotel – The Fullerton Hotel in Singapore. Then you may have a question to ask: So, why is this issue important to discuss in this column? This is because our last week’s discussion in this column was on institutions more..

Nov 9 (DM) Passed out as a lawyer from the Colombo Law College and having two Master-LLM from the Uni of Colombo and a LLM and Development as a Chevening Scholar at School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, young activist Swastika Arulingam was a prominent figure in the Aragalaya (Protest) which toppled the Gotabaya Rajapaksa govt. She has been a fearless voice and as a legal representative played her part to protect those who were beaten up by more..

Nov 9 (ST) The CEB management has failed to inform its employees before a legally mandated deadline which of the 12 companies they would be assigned to when the utility is unbundled under the new Sri Lanka Electricity Act. The law says that the management must give all CEB employees this information within four months of the date of enactment of the SL Electricity Act No. 24 of 2024. This deadline passed on Oct 27 this year. In a letter sent to employees on Oct 25 more..