Nov 28 (DM) The Anura Alai or wave that engulfed the Tamil nationalist stronghold of Jaffna was the focus of this column published last week. (Anura Alai (Wave) engulfs Tamil Nationalist Stronghold of Jaffna).The JVP led NPP made history by polling the highest number of votes in Jaffna as a single party in the November 2024 parliamentary poll. The NPP won three of the six seats in Jaffna described as the cultural capital of SL Tamils. more..

Nov 28 (CT) NPP (National People’s Power) clinches a historic landslide victory, redefining the political landscape in 2024 Parliamentary elections by securing 159 seats out of the 225 seats parliament (1) and getting a record breaking by obtaining 61.56% of the total votes [2]. However, the inexperience in governance and nepotism seems to have started affecting the progress of the new government and the mandate given by the people to eliminate corruption. more..

Nov 28 (CT) Sri Lanka stands at a critical juncture in its history, as Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake rightly highlighted during his speech at the inauguration of the Tenth Parliament. His call to establish a satisfactory and efficient public service is a timely intervention that touches on one of the most pressing issues facing the nation today. The dual challenges of public dissatisfaction and an unfulfilled State workforce underscore the urgency of reforming the public sector. more..

Nov 28 (TM) The future of key legislative reforms and proposed amendments in Sri Lanka remains uncertain, as the new Govt has yet to decide whether to proceed with the previously drafted bills or to revise them entirely. With several critical bills having already passed through various stages in Parliament, there is increasing concern that the ongoing political transition could delay or alter their course. more..

Nov 28 (TM) The commencement of duties of the new Govt armed with a robust mandate provided at back to back Prez and Parliamentary Elections is a clear indication that Sri Lanka has spoken; empowered by a movement for change. There is much to accomplish, and the aspirations of a nation rests on the shoulders of a very new Govt, and a Parliament which has been replenished and revived with new blood. One of the key reasons that SL stumbled many times and fell into crisis more..

Nov 26 (Island) Taxes and tariffs increase in leaps and bounds, placing heavy burdens on the public, in this country, but reductions therein come in dribs and drabs, if at all. Govts are very efficient when they squeeze the public dry, but their high-octane performance is sadly absent when they are required to grant their victims some relief. The same holds true for the private state sector, which also keeps the prices of essential goods and services artificially high, making the adverse impact of more..

Nov 28 (ST) Finance Minister of the Yahapalana Govt when the CB’s bond scam scandal broke out, Ravi Karunanayake had used his manifest skills to outwit his leader and party colleagues in the Ranil led New Democratic Party to steal a march over fellow contenders and sneak into Parliament through the National List, it was claimed this week. He had, it was alleged by furious colleagues, staged a cloak and dagger operation to get his name gazetted as an approved National List MP and more..

Nov 26 (Island) Delivering his inaugural policy statement to Parliament, Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake dealt mostly with the economy and, in particular, the IMF agreement. The problem he faces is that the former govt agreed to terms with the IMF that did not consider the impact on the people, but gave priority to meeting fiscal targets. The President acknowledged that the govt had no alternative but to continue with it as the country had gone too far down the road to change direction. more..

Nov 26 (ST) The new govt is grappling with one of its first major issues to ensure sufficient rice availability at the maximum retail price ahead of the festive season, amid allegations that large-scale millers are hoarding paddy. In the short-term, 70,000 metric tonnes of Nadu rice will be imported before mid-next month. The Paddy Marketing Board has not stocked enough paddy during the previous govt’s tenure, more..

Nov 26 (FT) Access Engineering (AEL) has diversified into the renewable energy sector hot on the heels of a groundbreaking venture in radiopharmaceutical. The company has entered into a Power Purchase Agreement with the CEB on Friday under the Net Plus Plus scheme for a 6.6 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) installation which will operate with a validity period of 20 years. AEL’s first exposure to renewable energy was in 2018 when it began work on largest wind power project more..

Nov 26 (FT) The Federation of Information Technology Industry SL (FITIS), the apex body for the nation’s ICT sector, has welcomed the Government’s bold decision to establish a dedicated Ministry for Digital Economy. FITIS said this move, championed by Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake in his capacity as Minister of the newly formed portfolio and supported by a capable Deputy Minister Eranga Weeraratne, represents a historic milestone in SL’s journey toward digital transformation. more..

Nov 26 (FT) The Vice Minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee (IDCPC), Sun Haiyan yesterday paid a courtesy call on Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the Presidential Secretariat. During the meeting, the IDCPC Vice Minister extended her congratulations to Prez Dissanayake on his victory in the Prez Election and his party’s resounding success in the General Election. She commended the transformative changes in Sri Lanka following these wins, more..

Nov 26 (FT) As part of the Voyage Sri Lanka 2024 initiative, a group of 20 potential foreign investors from countries including India, Saudi Arabia, Maldives, France, Japan, Thailand, the US, and Cambodia visited the Trincomalee and Hambantota Ports on 24 and 25 November. The visits aimed to showcase Sri Lanka’s potential as a hub for maritime investments and its growing blue economy. The delegation explored the opportunities across various sectors, such as, more..

Nov 26 (TM) Leave taking by university academic staff including for both sabbatical and postgraduate studies has drained universities of academics, the FUTA claimed in a backdrop where talks are ongoing to commence recruitments. “A large number of academic staff, around 500 to 600, have taken sabbatical (one year of paid leave after seven years of work or two years of no pay leave following seven years of work) and more..

Nov 26 (FT) PickMe, SL’s leading digital mobility solutions company, recently entered into a strategic partnership with the University of Moratuwa (UoM) to strengthen human resource development and operational excellence in driving innovation in the logistics sector. MoU was signed by PickMe CEO Jiffry Zulfer and UoM Vice Chancellor Prof. N.D. Gunawardena. As part of the collaboration, PickMe will offer Management Trainee placements to 10-15 graduates each year from UoM’s BSc (Hons) more..

Nov 26 (ST) Police on Friday informed the Mt. Lavinia Magistrate’s Court that two witnesses, one of whom is a deputy minister in the new govt, were yet to give statements over the case involving the new trade minister, Wasanatha Samarasinghe, despite several phone calls and letters. The Fraud Investigation Bureau is investigating allegations that Trade Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe has used a forged deed to lease out a Dehiwala property with a two-storey building more..

Nov 26 (MFA) 32 Sri Lankan nationals who were victims of human trafficking and stranded in Myanmar have been rescued on 25 Nov following a successful, coordinated process. The rescued Sri Lankans had been lured into cybercrime operations and became victims of human trafficking. Govt of SL will coordinate with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) for their early repatriation to Sri Lanka. more..

Nov 26 (DN) Supporting the govt’s digitalisation drive, Dialog plans to commence commercial operations of its 5G network in early 2025, said Navin Pieris, Group Chief Officer, Dialog on the sidelines of the launch of NCE Export Awards -24, event launch held in Colombo. Over 100 exporters will be awarded at the event to be held on Dec 6 under the patronage of Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake. Pieris said the company is awaiting the commercial license from the TRC to more..

Nov 26 (Island) In a rare move selectors have picked two players from Jaffna in SL U-19 team for the U-19 Asia Cup which will commence in UAE this week. Jaffna Central speedster Ranjithkumar Newton and St. John’s College paceman Kugathas Muthulan are the two players from Jaffna in the team skippered by Thurstan College player Vihas Thewmika. St. Benedict’s batsman Sharujan Shanmuganathan is the deputy to Thewmika. Thewmika, is one of the eight players from Colombo schools more..

Nov 26 (PMD) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake has appointed two new secretaries to ministries. The letters of appointment were handed over today (25) at the Prez Secretariat by the Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Kumanayake. Accordingly, President’s Counsel Ayesha Jinasena has been appointed as the Secretary to the Ministry of Justice and National Integration. Meanwhile, Ms. Malarmathi Gangadharan has been appointed as the Secretary to the Ministry of Rural Development, more..

Nov 26 (DM) SL’s consumer confidence reached a new high in October, the highest since 2022, as sentiment continued to improve, following the prez election. The election marked a historic moment, with the appointment of a president from outside the political establishment for the first time since independence, according to a survey by the Institute for Health Policy (IHP). In October, all 3 of the IHP’s Consumer Confidence indices increased, reaching highest levels since tracking began in 2022. more..

Nov 26 (DN) Meteorology Dept issued an advisory yesterday for heavy rains in several areas which will be effective until 4 pm today, as a result of the low pressure area over the southeast Bay of Bengal. The low pressure area over the southwest Bay of Bengal intensified into a depression over the central-southwest Bay of Bengal yesterday morning which moved to about 530 km southeast of Trincomalee. more..

Nov 26 (EN) SL saw offshore inflows into its government securities for the 10th straight week ended on Nov 21. Analysts said investors speculate a rate cut by the central bank during this week’s Monetary Policy Review meeting scheduled for late on Tuesday. The latest monetary policy rates will be announced on Wednesday (27). They said some investors have been buying to make some profits due to appreciation of the rupee currency and fall in market interest rates. more..

Nov 26 (TM) The UGC is to put in place stringent guidelines for academics travelling abroad following reports of academics not returning. “Overseas travel has often been misused by university academic staff that makes excuses to go abroad,” the UGC Chairperson Prof. Kapila Seneviratne said.”Many of them show some sort of invitation and use Govt money to go abroad; however, this will not continue, as stringent measures will be taken to assess if they need to go abroad.” more..

Nov 26 (DM) The depression over the southwest Bay of Bengal was located approximately 410 km southeast of Trincomalee last night. It is expected to move northwestward, intensify into a deep depression within the next 12 hours, and approach the country’s east coast. Naval and fishing communities are advised not to venture into deep and shallow sea areas around the island till further notice. Regarding weather conditions, showers are expected in the sea areas surrounding SL. more..

Nov 26 (DN) Audits have been launched regarding the firearms and ammunition that had been issued to civilians which had been recalled by the Defence Ministry recently. A special team has been appointed by the Defence Ministry to conduct the audits effective yesterday on the licensed firearms and ammunition that had been issued to civilians for their personal security. Defence Ministry stated that steps will be taken to return the firearms to the identified civilians after the conclusion of the audit. more..

Nov 26 (DM) EPF Act No. 15 of 1958 established the EPF as a mandatory retirement contribution scheme for employees in the private and semi-public sectors who are not entitled to a pension. By the end of 2022, the EPF’s assets stood at 3.4 trillion rupees, increasing to 3.9 trillion rupees by 2023. The EPF is regarded as the largest pension scheme in SL. Contributions to the fund consist of 8% of an employee’s salary and more..

Nov 26 (DN) Examinations Commissioner General Amith Jayasundara said that the GCE A/L Exam was held yesterday without any issue. He also said that a few students who were affected by the floods and adverse weather were directed to the relevant examination centres with the assistance of the Security Forces. Accordingly, those students who faced flooding in areas such as Matara, Akuressa, Batticaloa, Kahatagasdigiliya etc. were directed to the relevant examination centres and more..

Nov 26 (NW) General Secretary of CEB Employees’ Union, Ranjan Jayalal, has responded to criticism regarding the union’s request for the CEB management to pay bonuses to employees. “Our request to pay bonuses to employees has been portrayed as a big sin in the media. We must remind everyone that we are a trade union representing the govt,” he said. “It is no longer necessary for us to protest on the streets to make our demands. This is our govt now. more..

Nov 26 (FT) SL Foreign Employment Bureau (SLFEB) Chairperson Kosala Wickramasinghe has labelled private agencies attempting to send workers to South Korea under the E-8 visa system a human trafficking scheme. Wickramasinghe said CID has been informed, and an internal probe is also underway to look into the issue. He also raised concerns over the involvement of a former Foreign Employment Minister, accusing him of more..

Nov 26 (NW) Police have sought public assistance in apprehending two suspects in connection with the murder of two individuals in Ahangama. Galle Division Crimes Investigations Unit has launched a probe into the incident to arrest the suspects who had fled the area. The two suspects aged 46 and 41 are reported to be residents of Magolla and Unawatuna. The public with knowledge of the whereabouts of the suspects has been requested to contact the Police via 071-8591452 more..

Nov 26 (FT) The sweeping victory of the NPP in SL’s recent elections marked a resounding call for change, as voters across the nation—from north to south and east to west—rejected corrupt political elitism in favour of a new, principled political culture. The scale of this victory, surpassing all predictions, demonstrated the people’s overwhelming desire for a transformation in governance, as clearly reflected in the election results, particularly the postal votes. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, more..

Nov 26 (DM) Colombo Chief Magistrate's Court today issued a notice directing former CB Governor Arjuna Mahendran to appear before the court on Feb 25, 2025. Colombo Chief Magistrate Thilina Gamage issued this order in connection with an alleged corruption case filed by the Bribery Commission concerning the investigation into the 2015 Central Bank bond scam. The Colombo Permanent Trial-at-Bar bench has already issued a warrant through Interpol for the arrest of former CB Governor more..

Nov 26 (FT) Prez of the Republic Anura Kumara Dissanayake spoke without notes in his first policy statement in Parliament. His unhesitating delivery in punctilious order was simultaneously translated into both English and Tamil. I rely on the English translation of the speech for the purpose of this brief commentary. He described it as a monumental moment in the history of SL’s Parliament. Indeed, it will be remembered as a watershed moment, a turning point of our politics if only more..

Nov 26 (DM) Examinations Dept announced that it has been decided to temporarily suspend the ongoing GCE A/L Exam. Accordingly, the subjects which were scheduled to be held on November 27, 28 and 29 have been suspended, Commissioner General of Examinations Amith Jayasundara said. This decision was taken in view of the prevailing adverse weather conditions. Furthermore, he highlighted that the exam more..