Nov 9 (FT) Indian High Commissioner Santhosh Jah yesterday called for stronger tourism links between the two countries. Speaking as the Chief Guest at the inaugural South Asian Tourism Leadership Forum titled, Designing Experiences; Enhancing Sri Lanka’s Luxury Travel Offer of the SL Design Festival 2024, he emphasised India’s significant contribution in SL’s tourism sector and its potential to drive economic growth. more..

Nov 9 (Island) Large-scale rice millers, wholesalers and retailers continue to flout consumer protection laws with impunity. All varieties of rice are sold above the maximum retail prices, and some of them are in short supply. Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA), true to form, trots out various lame excuses for its inability to prevent hoarding and the exploitation of the public. Successive govts have failed to serve the interests of consumers vis-à-vis the rice Mafia, which always has the last laugh. more..

Nov 9 (FT) The Colombo stock market yesterday sustained the positive momentum with a rebound in investor sentiment though closing the week with marginal losses due to profit taking earlier on. The benchmark ASPI gained by 0.6% yesterday whilst the active S&P SL20 by 0.2%. However the ASPI and the S&P SL20 lost 0.5% and 1.2% respectively for the week. Turnover on Friday was Rs. 2 billion involving 77.4 million. During the week turnover averaged Rs. 2.32 billion. more..

Nov 9 (FT) Agora’24, the annual talent show organised by the first-year undergraduates of the Uni of Kelaniya’s Dept of Finance (DFIN), will be happening for the third consecutive time on 9 Nov. Held at the prestigious Sri Dharmaloka Hall, Agora’24 will be an evening of captivating performances, including traditional dances, 90s singing, baila, and drama, showcasing the diverse talents of the DFIN freshmen. The event is a project by the first-year batch as part of a course more..

Nov 9 (FT) Sri Lanka Tourism successfully hosted an influential press conference at WTM 2024, drawing the attention of over 84 leading UK travel media outlets who participated at the event this year. This high-profile event, attended by top media figures and travel influencers, marked a significant milestone for Sri Lanka’s tourism sector as it introduced a bold, sustainability-focused strategy aimed at rejuvenating and elevating the country’s tourism offerings. SL Tourism Chairman Buddhika Hewawasam, more..

Nov 9 (DN) The SL team, led by Charith Asalanka, is expected to continue their winning mentality when they play against New Zealand in their first T20 game today at the Rangiri Dambulla Int'l Cricket Stadium, commencing at 7 p.m. Ritzbury is the title sponsor for both the T20 and ODI series, and its General Manager of Marketing, Nilupul de Silva, stated that they are happy to be the sponsor for this series. more..

Nov 9 (DN) Skipper Vishmi Gunaratne scored 67 off 70 balls with 9 fours and a six, while Nethmi Perera took outstanding figures of 5 for 11 as CCC recorded an easy 204-run win over Galle CC in their SLC Major Clubs Women’s Limited Over Cricket fixture at Bloomfield Grounds on Thursday. CCC scored 263 in 47.4 overs, while Galle CC was bowled out for 59 in 24.4 overs. Vishmi Gunaratne and Sandali Weerasinghe (52 off 83 balls) shared a 119-run opening stand to set a solid platform for CCC. more..

Nov 9 (CI) Coming off three limited overs series wins in a row, men's captain Charith Asalanka has serious aspirations for this team: let's be as good as SL had been before 2014. That 2007-2014 side had arguably been SL's greatest ever outfit, getting to no fewer than five World Cup finals (three in T20Is and two in ODIs), before finally winning the 2014 T20 title. Limited overs performances in particular had fallen off a cliff for SL after 2015. But on the heels of an ODI series win against India, more..

Nov 9 (ST) Govt is battling to control the escalating price of rice as traders overlook the maximum retail price. According to the weekly food commodities bulletin published by the Hector Kobbekaduwa Agrarian Research and Training Institute (HARTI) for Oct 18-24, rice varieties are being sold above the maximum retail price. After a meeting last week, officials began checking large, medium & small scale rice mills as well as more..

Nov 9 (CI) How much can a month change? Apparently, a little and a lot. New Zealand were last in Sri Lanka few weeks ago, where they were promptly dispatched 2-0 in the Test series, and then sent along to India in trepidation for - what everyone presumed - would be a similar shellacking. SL, meanwhile, were simply tasked with continuing the good vibes. They'd lost the Test series in England but a consolatory final Test win had been sandwiched between an ODI series victory more..

Nov 9 (FT) Govt defended its recent appointment of Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya, a top industry professional as Chief Adviser on Digital Economy, citing that the move will propel the country’s digital transformation agenda. Minister Vijitha Herath said that Dr. Wijayasuriya, a renowned figure in the ICT landscape internationally, has made a significant personal sacrifice by stepping down from a lucrative position in the corporate world to support the Govt’s vision for digital transformation. more..

Nov 9 (FT) Former Minister Manusha Nanayakkara has criticised the NPP party for fielding candidates who had previously gone on strike and halted national progress. Nanayakkara noted that those who once obstructed the development of SL are now vying for power under the NPP banner, questioning their role in the nation’s current challenges. “Those who disrupted the country by opposing infrastructure projects and development initiatives are now contesting from the NPP. more..

Nov 9 (DM) The total auction offerings crossed the 6.0 million kilogramme mark, after a lapse of five months. The weak market sentiment continued amidst a selection of well-made/good quality teas continuing to realise a premium price. The Ex-Estate offerings comprised of 0.8 million kilogrammes. The overall quality of tea showed no significant change, with a higher availability of teas of fair average quality. The Best Western BOP/BOPFs – A small selection of teas, more..

Nov 9 (ST) Despite govt assurances that it would be able to end the long queues for passports by mid-October, massive queues have been observed at the Dept of Immigration and Emigration (DIE) over the past week, as many who hope to go abroad continue to face severe inconveniences owing to backlog of prospective passports that are yet to be issued by the Dept. With no end to these long queues in sight, DIE announced more..

Nov 9 (Island) A large numbers of Hindu devotees gathered at the Kandhasami Kovil in Vavuniya on Thursday to witness the Suranporu performance, a Hindu ritual.Suranporu is the culmination of the week-long Kanda Shasthi Vratam festival and is held on the sixth or seven days after Diwali. Devotees flocked braving heavy rains and prompting the police to divert traffic along alternative routes. The Suranporu performance is based on the legend of Murugan, also known as Kanda, more..

Nov 9 (DN) Amid rising concerns over the resurgence of measles in Sri Lanka, the Health Ministry has launched a measles-rubella vaccination programme in 12 targeted districts. The campaign, set to run for four weeks from November 8, aims to curb the spread of the disease, which had previously been eradicated in the country. A series of public awareness programmes took place from November 4 to November 9, focusing on educating the public about the vaccination initiative. more..

Nov 9 (Island) Ceylon Teachers Union (CTU) announced that teachers who performed election duties during the prez election in September had not received payment for their services. CTU General Secretary Joseph Stalin noted that the same teachers have now been called upon to do parliamentary election duties. “We have inquired from the Election Commission about the delay in payment, and they informed us that zonal education offices had not yet provided the necessary more..

Nov 9 (Island) The period of silence prior to the 14 Nov general election commences from midnight on 11 Nov, Commissioner General of Elections Saman Sri Ratnayake has said, warning that any candidate who violates it will have to face legal action. “I urge all candidates and their supporters not to campaign during the silent period. We have observed during recent elections that some candidates and their family members continued campaigning during the period of silence. more..

Nov 9 (Island) The misuse of state property has decreased drastically compared to the situation prior to the 21 Sept prez election, Rohana Hettiarachchi, says Executive Director of the PAFFREL. Hettiarachchi said that overall the prez election had been one of the cleanest elections SL had ever seen. “The massive misuse of state property was the only problem with the September presidential election. We even went to court more..

Nov 9 (DM) With heavy inter-monsoonal rain beating the country, the election authorities have decided to work out extra plans along with the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) to conduct polling of the General Election next Wednesday without any impact from a possible disaster situation, an official said. DMC and the Election Commission held a meeting yesterday to discuss possible disaster mitigation measures for the conduct of the General Election. Polling will take place on Wed more..

Nov 9 (Island) Officials managing animal health in Sri Lanka were cautiously resuming pork sales after successfully containing the spread of African Swine Fever, Dr. G.A.D. Nandasiri, Deputy Provincial Director at the Department of Animal Production and Health for the Western Province, informed The Island on Friday. In late October, the govt issued a gazette notice prohibiting the transport, slaughter, and sale of pigs, infected with African Swine Fever, to curb the outbreak. more..

Nov 9 (EN) Sri Lanka’s remittances coming from its overseas expatriate workers gained 13.9% to $587.7 million in Oct 2024 compared to the same month last year, helped by more expatriates using the official banking channels. The total remittances in the first 10 months of this year also crossed $5.4 billion with a 11.7% gain compared to $4.7 billion in the same period in the last year, the latest data showed. more..

Nov 10 (SO) It is always difficult to identify a single issue that resonates with voters at election time and political parties often pin their hopes on a number of issues to get the electorate’s endorsement. This is often a hit-and-miss process, but sometimes leaders and parties zero in on the most pressing issues with almost 100 percent accuracy. This was the case with the recent Presidential Election in the US, where winning Republican candidate Donald Trump correctly identified the economy and more..

Nov 10 (TM) The US has completed what could only be termed a Prez Election for the ages, with Republican challenger, former President Donald Trump emerging triumphant and creating history in the process. Trump, who until election day was projected as running neck and neck with Kamala Harris, ultimately won by a formidable margin and became the first US Prez in over a century to make a comeback and win a second term. For us Sri Lankans, this particular Trump win appears to more..

Nov 10 (TM) With the country inching towards this week’s Parliamentary Elections that will decide its next govt at a crucial and decisive time, Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD) has taken it upon himself to engage in district-level public rallies in support of his party, the JVP-led NPP, at the upcoming polls. The reason for Prez AKD to personally engage in the JVP/NPP campaign is further indication that the country’s politics more..

Nov 10 (ST) Is it the calm before the storm as parliamentary elections next week take their course in unusual quietness? Our team of reporters who fanned out to the cities and the countryside have the following conclusions: (1) those new voters of the JVP/NPP are not particularly impressed with the per-formance of the new administration; (2) they feel this alliance is unaccustomed to governance and finding its way; (3) the new administration has been unable to ramp up on their campaign pledges; more..

Nov 10 (ST) My dear voters, I thought of writing to you again because you will be going to the polling booths for a second time in less than two months to cast that all-important cross on the ballot paper on Thursday. It is a task which is as decisive as what you did in September. I hope you will take it as seriously as you did then. I say so because, looking around you, you may sometimes wonder whether there is an election at all. The enthusiasm which we saw at the last election appears to more..

Nov 10 (ST) The battle for preferential votes at the parliamentary election is on, and candidates have come up with some catchy phrases so that the voters remember them. The Sunday Times put together a list of some of the catchier ones. A Kandy District candidate contesting under the New Democratic Front (NDF) with the gas cylinder as its symbol opted to use a phrase often used by the opposition for their campaign. more..

Nov 10 (CT) President Dissanayake made a smart decision to dissolve parliament after winning the presidential election on Sept 21. The national legislature was dissolved on Sept 24, and the election has been scheduled for Nov 14, 2024. Parliamentary elections in Sri Lanka are increasingly becoming predictable regarding winners and losers. The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) wanted a two-thirds majority in 2020, and the SLPP-led coalition won a two-thirds majority. more..

Nov 10 (Island) Readers who had the opportunity of watching the YouTube report of the concession speech of Kamala Harris, defeated by Donald Trump at the Nov 5 U.S. Prez election, would have been treated to an exceptional performance by an exceptional woman, her voice hoarse from the whirlwind 13-week campaign during which she sought what is arguably the world’s most powerful job. Immaculately dressed and groomed as she always was during her term as Vice Prez more..

Nov 10 (CT) Say, what is the irony of the ongoing campaign for the Parliamentary Polls that is only days away, on 14 Nov? The UNP-NDF campaigners of predecessor Ranil Wickremesinghe, who came a distant third in the Prez Poll of September have been endlessly declaring that he would return to office sooner than later – and that the nation would want him back, the same way it had sought him out (?) at the height of the economic crisis in 2022. In comparison, the campaign by more..

Nov 10 (ST) The SL cricket team has experienced a resurgence in recent months, with strong performances on the field. However, those who bring the action to viewers watching from the comfort of their homes–production crew and local commentators–have been left in limbo, awaiting payment for their work. According to multiple sources from the team working for Innovative Production Group (IPG), led by Anil Mohan, the company that holds the production rights more..

Nov 10 (CI) On a turning Dambulla track, SL's spinners claimed six wickets between them, kept a leash on the scoring rate, and restricted NZ to 135 all out. It should have been a straightforward chase, even despite the conditions. But it needed a cool head, which is what captain Charith Asalanka provided with his 35 not out off 28. SL got home with six balls to spare, and 4 wickets in hand, although result was never super tense. more..

Nov 10 (Island) Whether the participation of monks in representative politics is permissible (or proper), has been a matter of periodic discourse in the media. In preparing this note, I can claim no expertise (nor authority), on the discipline or set of rules for the Maha Sangha. Incidentally, I personally prefer to be considered as one who seeks to follow the Dhamma, rather than as a Buddhist. The ordained ones have themselves chosen to enter the Community referred to collectively as more..

Nov 10 (SO) The Stubbs Shield, a prestigious school boxing championship with a remarkable 105-year history, has been the cornerstone of SL boxing. However, since its integration into the All Island National School Games under the Ministry of Education in 1992, the championship has faced challenges that have diluted its status and compromised its standards. The 105th edition of the Stubbs Shield saw nearly 500 participants from 132 schools, including entrants with no prior more..