Oct 21 (AD) More than 50 firearms have been returned in response to the notice requiring civilians to temporarily hand over firearms and ammunition issued to them, according to Ministry of Defence. This decision was taken in compliance with the powers vested in the Defence Secretary under Sections 6(1) and 6(2) of the Firearms Ordinance Act No. 33 of 1916, allowing the govt to takeover firearms temporarily. Ministry stated that these firearms would be reissued after a review more..

Oct 21 (AD) The overall rate of inflation, as measured by the National Consumer Price Index (NCPI), has decreased to -0.2% in Sept 2024 from 1.1% in August 2024, according to the latest data. Meanwhile, food inflation also decreased to 0.5% in Sept, down from 2.3% in August. NCPI for all items for the month of Sept 2024 is 203.1 and it records a decrease of 1.0 in index points compared to Aug 2024. more..

Oct 21 (CT) The public has been advised by the Police to remain vigilant and exercise caution regarding individuals involved in scams using the eZ Cash money transfer app, DIG Nihal Thalduwa. He explained, “These scammers can approach the public in various ways, asking for money under the pretext of helping people in distress. Their targets include officials from the private and govt sectors, students, and the public. They may request urgent money transfers via the eZ Cash app, more..

Oct 21 (CT) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake announced the Budget 2025 will be presented to Parliament in February or March next year. The announcement was made during the inaugural General Election rally of the NPP in Tangalle. In his address, Prez Dissanayake revealed that a Vote on Account will be introduced in December to ensure the necessary financial provisions until the full Budget is tabled. He also highlighted that the upcoming Budget is expected to include more..

Oct 21 (TM) SL’s state revenue from income taxes increased by 16.3% to Rs 624.7 billion in the first 8 months of 2024, Finance Ministry said. According to the Pre-election Budgetary Position report by the Treasury, revenue from income taxes increased notably by 16.3% to Rs. 624.7 billion in the first eight months of 2024 compared to Rs. 537.2 billion in the same period of 2023. “This is mainly due to the impact of implemented tax policy changes more..

Oct 21 (EN) SL has restructured about US$ 4 billion of loans from the Export Import of Bank of China, capitalizing US$ 200.9 million of interest in arrears. By March 2024 SL owed US$ 3,993 million of loan to China’s Exim Bank, which included US$ 903.8 million of principle in arrears. China Exim Bank funded SL’s Norochcholai coal plant, which was described by the island’s auditor general as the best investment made since, Mahaweli program with its hydro power plants in the 1980s. more..

Oct 21 (Island) During the first eight months of 2024, tea production saw a year-on-year decline, primarily due to unfavourable dry weather in March and April. However, production recovered in the subsequent months as weather conditions improved. Rubber production, although increasing steadily at the start of the year, experienced a year-on-year drop from January to August, largely due to adverse weather that affected tapping operations, particularly in the second quarter. In contrast, more..

Oct 21 (TM) United Employees Union of the Palmyrah Development Board (PDB) has urged Minister Vijitha Herath to reconsider the prospective appointment of Mariapillai Selvin as the new Chairperson of the Palm Development Board. In a letter addressed to the minister, the union raised serious concerns regarding allegations of corruption, fraud, and irregularities associated with Selvin. The union highlighted ongoing investigations into Selvin’s activities during his previous tenure as more..

Oct 21 (AD) A petition has been filed with the Supreme Court challenging the decision to hold the General Election on Nov 14, seeking an order declaring that the decision violates the Constitution. The relevant petition has been filed by the civil society activist and convenor of the Api Sri Lanka national organization Priyantha Herath. Attorney General, Secretary to the President, Chairman of the Election Commission and its members have been named as respondents in the petition. more..

Oct 21 (TM) The govt has spent only 53% of the welfare budget allocated for the year within the first eight months up to August. A latest report from the Finance Ministry indicates that the welfare budget has primarily been used to fund the Aswesuma welfare programme. Meanwhile, the report also states that Sri Lanka is expected to receive $ 1.69 billion in loans from multilateral agencies within the next three to five years. more..

Oct 21 (DN) Election Commission emphasises that the Local Govt elections will be conducted as per the earlier submitted nominations, Elections Commissioner General Saman Sri Ratnayake said. This is despite issues such as some political parties not being operational after submitting nominations for the Local Govt elections, and some candidates switching alliances. Ratnayake also noted that holding the LG elections under the current circumstances presents a good opportunity more..

Oct 21 (FT) The Spices and Allied Products Producers’ and Traders’ Association (SAPPTA) has raised concerns about the negative impacts of recent Government policies related to areca nut imports. In a letter addressed to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the SAPPTA has outlined far-reaching consequences of the Govt’s decision to re-issue import licences for areca nut, leading to a crisis in the domestic market and jeopardising crucial trade relations with India. more..

Oct 21 (CI) West Indies have been unhappy with the state of the pitches in Sri Lanka. After their 2-1 defeat in the T20I series in Dambulla, coach Daren Sammy went as far as to claim a moral victory for West Indies, for having supposedly pushed SL into producing turning tracks for games two and three. In the first ODI, West Indies didn't just get another dry surface, the weather in Pallekele also conspired against them. more..

Oct 21 (TM) The CEB has stated that while a new tariff proposal has already been prepared by the board, it is waiting for the establishment of the Public Utilities Commission of SL (PUCSL) to submit it. A senior official attached to the CEB, who wished to remain anonymous, noted that the decision on whether the tariff would be increased or decreased would be made by the PUCSL, which had the authority to do so. “We are waiting until the PUCSL is established,” the official stressed. more..

Oct 21 (TM) Govt Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) is still awaiting a response from the Govt regarding its request for an immediate meeting with Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake and PM Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, amid rising concerns about the country’s medical health situation. GMOA Media Spokesman Dr. Chamil Wijesinghe said that it was yet to receive a response from the Prez or the PM to the letter it sent several weeks ago, soon after the new Govt was appointed. more..

Oct 22 (Island) It is now clear why the JVP/NPP govt refused to release the reports of the presidential committees that probed Channel-4 allegations against the SL military, and the intelligence coordination and investigative processes, as regards the Easter Sunday terror attacks (21 April 2019). The committees headed by former Supreme Court judge S. I. Imam and retired High Court judge A.N.J. de Alwis submitted their reports to President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who appointed them. more..

Oct 22 (CT) First action he is to take, is to dissolve parliament and call for fresh elections. During this period from dissolution to summoning new parliament, country would be ruled by an interim govt, which will be constituted by members of the existing parliament. JVP has only five members including the newly nominated one, and therefore needs others to join. There will not be much problem as there are number of Muslim MPs who are ready to somersault, and opportunistic MPs like more..

Oct 22 (CT) Despite the country having witnessed many disasters in the past accompanied by heavy rainfall during the South-west, North-east and inter-monsoon seasons, it seems no proper action has been taken so far to avert such situations. It is a pressing issue, as it directly impacts human life and livelihoods as well. Developing resilience against such natural disasters is the need of the hour. Many areas beyond vulnerable zones, more..

Oct 22 (DM) The new govt of Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD) is encountering or is going to encounter several dilemmas some of which threaten its very survival, despite the ruling NPP or the main constituent of it, JVP having not been responsible for them. Planning and executing the economic growth so that the country would be able to repay the foreign debt from 2028, meting out justice to the victims of the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks, finding a lasting solution to the ethnic problem, more..

Oct 22 (ST) Rattan Tata was not born with a silver key that would grant him automatic entry to the Tata kingdom nor with a direct claim to the Tata bloodline. However, when he died last week in Mumbai at the age of 86, he was not only the Tata Group’s emeritus chairman but celebrated as the business tycoon who turned Tata’s 5 billion dollar turnover into 100 billion dollars by transforming the Indian conglomerate into a global powerhouse all within a 21-year tenure in the chairman’s office. more..

Oct 22 (SO) National Executive Member of the NPP Sunil Handunneththi said that the people at the Nov 14 General Election should send an honest and capable team to Parliament who can give a new dimension to the political transformation that has taken place in the country. In an interview, Handunneththi said that the NPP has put an end to the political culture which hurled insults and slung mud at their political opponents. more..

Oct 22 (TM) Intelligence services play a vital role in providing govts with credible information about possible threats to the State and its population. A State's intelligence apparatus, more commonly known today as the intelligence community, is tasked with making sense of complex issues and calling attention to emerging problems, threats to national interests, risks and opportunities. The role and task of intelligence is linked to all forms of governance since the beginning of recorded more..

Oct 22 (Island) Despite campaign promises to tackle corruption, there is a feeling that the govt has not taken strong enough action to hold previous corrupt officials accountable or prevent ongoing corruption in public institutions. NPP’s rapid rise to power came with high public expectations, especially regarding quick fixes to economic hardships. The gap between these expectations and the govt’s actual performance has led to expressions of disappointment among various sectors of more..

Oct 22 (DM) In my early years as a public accountant in Los Angeles, I noticed a high compliance rate by taxpayers who came to see me between Feb and April year after year to prepare and file their tax returns before the Internal Revenue Service In the U.S. tax laws call for self-assessment – which requires one to self-declare income earned and pay any taxes. I noticed this compliance anxiety among young taxpayers. Upon further inquiry, I learned that parents and grandparents more..

Oct 22 (GV) Seetha is an elderly woman who takes care of her three grandchildren, all below the age of 15. She lives in a section of her late daughter’s house, where the electricity has been disconnected for the past three months due to non-payment of arrears. She earns a living by selling manioc chips and earns about Rs.700 to 800 a day out of which Rs.500 is spent on food. As there is no electricity in her house she uses candles, purchasing 3 to 4 candles at Rs.30 per candle every day. more..

Oct 22 (ST) The draft commercial agreement to hand over the management of loss-making Mattala Rajapaksa Int'l Airport (MRIA) jointly to India’s Shaurya Aeronautics and Russia’s Airports of Regions is with the Attorney General’s Dept, Aviation Ministry Secretary K.D.S. Ruwanchandra said. SL has never before contracted out airport management to an entity outside of the govt-owned Airport and Aviation Services Ltd (AASL). more..

Oct 22 (EN) SL–Indonesia Business Council (SLIBC) of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC) visited Indonesia and strengthened links with businesses in the two countries. “The missions’ primary aim was to strengthen trade, investment, and business ties between SL and Indonesia, while exploring opportunities for collaboration in key industries,” a statement from the CCC said. The 14 member delegation respresenting food & beverage, logistics, pharmaceuticals, apparel, travel, IT, more..

Oct 22 (FT) Home Lands Group of Companies is set to make history by becoming the first SL developer to conduct a Property Investment Forum in Australia to create interest in residential investment options in SL. The forum, to be held at Springvale City Hall in Melbourne on 25 Oct, is an invitees-only event expected to attract over 450 high-end investors. Home Lands Group will showcase real estate investment concepts to the SL community in Australia and Australian real estate investors more..

Oct 22 (FT) SL’s tea exports in value during the first nine months of this year has crossed the $ 1 billion mark, whilst quantity-wise, September has seen a 15% slump year-on-year to a 26-year low of 19.7 million kilograms. The September figure is also lower by 10% from August exports, Asia Siyaka Commodities PLC said. “The low September figure is largely due to low tea production in Q2 this year. With Q3 tea production showing signs of recovery particularly in September, more..

Oct 22 (DN) Nishan Madushka the 7th SL ODI cricketer to score a fifty on debut said Skipper Charith Asalanka gave fine guidance to build up his debut innings at Pallekele against West Indies in their first ODI. SL won the first game by 5 wickets with 31 balls to spare (DLS system) to get series lead 1-0 and opener Nishan Madushka played a key role with Skipper Asalanka to get this victory. 25-yr- old right hand opener Madushka earlier played 10 test matches before making his debut ODI. more..

Oct 22 (FT) Archbishop of Colombo Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith has voiced serious concerns over attempts by a particular group of persons to mislead the public regarding the ongoing investigations into the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks. Delivering a sermon on Sunday, Archbishop noted that a new group, including former Govt officials and MPs, are working to create confusion surrounding the investigation. more..

Oct 22 (Island) While spending time in New York during this year’s World Cup, this writer struck up an unlikely friendship with an American named Ryan. Naturally, as it happens when two worlds collide, he wanted cricket explained. So, gave him the simplest version that one could: “If the team that bats first scores 100 runs, the team batting second just needs to score one run more. Simple, right?” Or so we thought. After the first ODI between SL and WI, there was a text message from Ryan, more..

Oct 22 (CT) A brace from Deki Lhazom and goals from Namgyel Dema and Dorji Edon headlined Bhutan’s thumping 4-1 win over SL in another group ‘B’ encounter of the women’s SAFF championship played in Kathmandu, Nepal yesterday. The match commenced with Bhutan seizing an early advantage in the 6th minute, as Deki Lhazom skillfully converted a low cross from the wing into the right corner of the net. However, SL quickly responded, equalizing in the 22nd minute when more..

Oct 22 (EN) Sri Lanka, which was originally not signatory for a letter condemning Israel for banning the UN Secretary General (UNSG) entering into the country, said it is supporting the move which has been supported by more than 100 countries. The move comes after SL’s stance on the issue raised concerns over the island nation’s consistent support for conflict-hit Palestine and foreign policy under new Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake. more..

Oct 22 (FT) Sri Lanka Tourism said it is all set to make a grand entry at the upcoming World Travel Market (WTM) 2024 in London, UK, as the country’s tourism industry is poised for promising growth and development. The largest-ever trade delegation will represent Sri Lanka at this year’s show, with a historical record number of over 100 travel agencies/tour operators/hoteliers from the travel industry. The participation underscores the country’s commitment to positioning itself as more..

Oct 22 (Island) Fifteen-year-old Lahiru Achintha commenced the year with a stunning performance, turning tables on seniors to win the Under 20 cross country trial in January. Yesterday, the athlete from St. Aloysius’ College, Rathnapura etched his name on the record books of All Island Schools Games with a stunning 800 metres feat at the Sugathadasa Stadium. The promising athlete who was unfortunate to miss the Sir John Tarbat Senior Championship final early this month, clocked 1:58.62 sec more..