Nov 7 (AD) The Secretary to the Ministry of Trade M.M. Naimuddin today (07) handed over the report prepared by the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) on rice and paddy stocks in the country to Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake. This assessment of the rice stocks available within the country was carried out following the Prez’s directive to gauge the rice supply amidst a market shortage of several varieties, including Nadu, White and Red Raw rice. In response to the instructions, more..

Nov 7 (PMD) Two newly appointed Ambassadors to Sri Lanka presented their credentials to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the Presidential Secretariat today (07). The two new envoys, His Excellency Adel Ibrahim, Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt, and His Excellency Mr. ISOMATA Akio, Ambassador of Japan, also paid courtesy calls on the President following the presentation of credentials. more..

Nov 7 (AD) Another illegally assembled luxury car has been found in the garage of a Kapuwa, who was previously arrested over similar charges related to the possession of an illegally assembled vehicle. Investigating officers have located this additional luxury car during the interrogation of the Kapuwa of the Galthenna Devalaya in Kandy, who was recently arrested and remanded, police said. Further investigations revealed that the luxury carin question bore the same license plate more..

Nov 7 (AD) The Small and Medium Scale Rice Mill Owners’ Association stresses that the growing rice shortage in the market is caused by the increased use of raw rice for beer production. According to the association, diverting more rice for brewing has impacted the availability of rice for consumers, leading to rising prices. Chairman of the association explained that the raw rice used in beer production is sourced from Nadu paddy. more..

Nov 7 (DM) Claiming that some opposition politicians are alleging that the govt has failed to fulfil its promises, Minister Vijitha Herath said the manifesto of the National People's Power (NPP) was presented to be completed within five years and not within five weeks. He told an election rally that the govt presented its manifesto to be completed in five years and that it cannot be fulfilled within five weeks as claimed by some opposition politicians like Sajith Premadasa. more..

Nov 7 (AD) Former Minister Lohan Ratwatte and his wife have been ordered to be remanded further until Nov 18 by the Nugegoda Magistrate’s Court. The former Minister of State Lohan Ratwatte and his wife, who were arrested and remanded over the charges of using a luxury car illegally imported and assembled in SL, were produced before the Nugegoda Magistrate’s Court this morning. Ratwatte, who was arrested by Mirihana Police in Kandy on Oct 31, was ordered to be more..

Nov 7 (FT) SJB National List candidate Ranjith Madduma Bandara has strongly criticised the current Govt led by the NPP, citing unmet promises and growing discontent among the public. He highlighted the challenges facing the NPP administration, which took office nearly two months ago, following Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s election victory. Bandara emphasised that Dissanayake’s Presidency, secured with more..

Nov 7 (DM) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake expressed hope that SL will receive the third tranche under the IMF EFF by the end of January or early February next year. He said that IMF delegation is set to arrive in the country next week (14) and it usually takes around 3 months to complete the third review. Prez said the third review was delayed due to the two elections and added that if the third review had commenced in September as scheduled earlier, then it could have been completed by Dec. more..

Nov 7 (AD) British High Commissioner to SL Andrew Patrick has expressed eagerness to further strengthen the strong bilateral ties between SL and UK. During a meeting with Secretary to the Prez Dr. Nandika Kumanayake today, the British High Commissioner has proposed that steps be taken to educate SL MPs about the British parliamentary system to further enhance governance in SL, while emphasizing the significance of the British local govt system, noting its potential to reduce fraud more..

Nov 7 (FT) One of the subjects Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake is responsible for is agriculture. On the other hand, subjects such as food security and health that are related and dependent on agriculture come under the purview of PM Harini Amarasuriya. Consequently, the production and distribution of agricultural products have a bearing on access to food at affordable prices to ensure not only food security but also on poverty and malnutrition. Thus, responsibility for the welfare and more..

Nov 7 (FT) Throughout 2024 I consistently urged that the choice be either Sajith or Anura (or vice versa) -- and never Ranil-- to effect a generational tectonic-shift. Given the primary challenge of managing the economic crisis, I thought Sajith Premadasa would make a better President. Noting that we have two national elections, the presidential and the parliamentary/prime ministerial, I observed that we can always accommodate both young leaders, one in each post. more..

Nov 7 (TM) Sri Lanka’s new govt will go ahead with the three-stage vehicle import ban relaxation as planned by the previous administration with specifications from the Finance Ministry, Minister Vijitha Herath said. Speaking yesterday at the cabinet decision media briefing, he said that the current govt is willing to proceed with stage-one of the three-stage vehicle import plan as proposed by the previous govt. more..

Nov 7 (CT) Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) will be abolished as envisaged in President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s policy statement, however, the abolition or the amendment of an Act comes within the ambit of Parliament, said Minister Vijitha Herath. He asserted that the policies presented by the President in the Prez Election will not be changed under any circumstances. He said that Parliament should meet before making amendments to the PTA or for it to be abolished. more..

Nov 7 (DM) Chief Colombo Magistrate's Court today ordered the CID to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident of publishing false information about Prez Anura Dissanayake’s health condition during the last Prez election. According to a complaint lodged by Attorney-at-Law Sunil Watagala, CID presented the relevant facts before Colombo Magistrate Thilina Gamage. In his complaint, Watagala stated that the false information about Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s health more..

Nov 7 (TM) The Police has been receiving daily requests for security protection from Israeli and European tourists, both in the form of in person visits to Police stations and calls to the dedicated hotline, and the Police has been providing physical security for each such request. “These requests come from individual tourists, and the majority are from Israel and countries in the European Union, as well as from locally run tourist establishments more..

Nov 7 (DM) Environmentalist Nadira Weerasinghe was reportedly assaulted by a candidate from the Matale district, according to police. The dispute was related to a tax agreement involving the management of Laggala Hotel, located at Riverston. Weerasinghe, who manages the Laggala Hotel, was allegedly attacked on Nov 1 due to a disagreement over a lease agreement between the current management and the property owners. Laggala Police received a complaint that more..

Nov 7 (TM) Govt has directed the Postal Dept and the Dept of Motor Traffic (DMT) to accelerate the distribution of approximately one million driving licences currently held in post offices and regional DMT offices, in response to significant delays in licence distribution, affecting individuals who have been waiting for their permanent licences for up to three years. Minister Vijitha Herath, noting that the distribution backlog is not due to printing delays but rather issues with delivery. more..

Nov 7 (Island) The passing out parade of the No. 10 Contingent of the Aviation Unit assigned to the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) was held at SLAF Base Katunayake. The Commander of the Air Force, Air Marshal Udeni Rajapaksa, took the salute as the parade was led by Group Captain Uditha de Silva, the Contingent Commander of the 10th contingent. This heli-deployment, consisting of 20 officers and 88 airmen, more..

Nov 7 (SO) A young Armenian tourist, Grigoryan Marin in a special video released has thanked the Airport Tourist Police and its staff for returning her luggage which was stolen by another passenger who had arrived on the same flight to Sri Lanka. In the video released before her departure, she thanked Minister of Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation Vijitha Herath and his Private Secretary who took swift action and directed that legal action be taken against the suspect. more..

Nov 7 (Island) There have been recent claims in the media that the Central Bank of SL (CBSL) has printed Rs. 100 billion on 25 Oct 2024, through its Open Market Operations (OMOs). It is important to clarify that these claims are not accurate and are baseless. The liquidity (money) injected through OMOs is a routine central banking function aimed at managing adequate liquidity in the banking system for the purpose of stabilizing more..

Nov 7 (DM) Five entities have won bids to operate currency exchange counters for a period of three years at BIA, with their total bid worth exceeding Rs.2.3 billion. Bank of Ceylon secured Counter No. 25, with a bid of Rs. 798,028 million plus taxes and Sampath Bank secured Counter No. 02, with Rs. 633,662 million. Commercial Bank was awarded Counter No. 04, with Rs. 381,364 million, while Thomas Cook Lanka (Pvt) Ltd obtained Counter No. 10, with a bid of Rs. 299,064 million. more..

Nov 7 (DN) Ceylon Chamber of Commerce will give a review of the progress of the govt every year based on the Vision 2030 submitted to all political parties prior to the elections, Duminda Hulangamuwa, Chairman, CCC told a gathering of media personnel recently. Hulangamuwa said they were independent in their views, that was why before the election the chamber issued the policy based Vision 2030 document which they expected that whichever govt came they would follow it more..

Nov 7 (FT) Cabinet of Ministers on Monday approved awarding a contract to Singapore-based Vitol Asia Ltd, to supply five shipments of 92 octane petrol, totalling 1.5 million barrels, over the next six months. “The contract, which covers the period from 1 Dec 2024 to 31 May 2025, was approved following recommendations by the Standing Technical Evaluation Committee and a Special Standing Procurement Committee,” Minister Vijitha Herath said at post-Cabinet meeting media briefing. more..

Nov 7 (FT) Minister Vijitha Herath yesterday announced that the Govt is considering revising the security detail provided to former Presidents, a move prompted by significant budget pressures. Refuting claims that security for former leaders had already been reduced, he clarified that no changes have yet been implemented. He noted that a committee is currently reviewing the matter, and a decision will be made following its recommendations. “Contrary to recent statements, including those by more..

Nov 7 (DN) The Colombo High Court yesterday sentenced four former Customs officials to 35 years rigorous imprisonment over a case filed for accepting a bribe of Rs.125 Mn from a businessman who imported motor vehicle spare parts to the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB). In addition to the sentence, each accused were ordered to pay the received bribe amount of Rs.125 Mn as a fine separately and also imposed more..

Nov 7 (FT) Marking a milestone in its illustrious journey, Alumex, a trailblazer in the aluminium extrusion industry, inaugurated its revolutionary Ascend facility on 26 Sept in SL, setting a new benchmark in production efficiency and technological advancement. Strengthening its market presence, the new state-of-the-art facility embodies a giant step forward in Alumex’s commitment to innovation, quality, and sustainability in the aluminium industry – with new technologies more..

Nov 7 (FT) Hemas Holdings reported a net profit of Rs. 2.6 billion in the first half of FY25 reflecting a 7.8% increase from a year ago. In 2Q the figure was Rs. 1.68 billion, an increase of 24%. 1H revenue saw a 7.7% decline to Rs. 54.3 billion whilst in 2Q it dipped by 3% to Rs. 29 billion. Operating profit in 1H improved by 2% to Rs. 5 billion and in 2Q by 12% to Rs. 3 billion. Hemas Acting CEO Ravi Jayasekera said the decrease in revenue compared to same period last year more..

Nov 7 (TM) Muslim customary law reform activists condemned the NPP Govt’s stance that there is no immediate necessity to amend the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act (MMDA) and also that any such amendment would be done only upon prior consultation with the relevant religious leaders. The activists claimed that the NPP is well aware of the harmful effects of the Act. “The NPP’s coalition members are aware of the discrimination more..

Nov 7 (TM) Former All Ceylon cricketer C.T.A Schaffter, delivering the inaugural Bandula Warnapura Memorial Lecture, said the country’s cricketing firmament will need to overcome interference from politicians, if it is to witness a vibrant and professional set up. He said such a professional administration would sustain the country’s production line of players who are able to face challenges both on and off the field, but regretted that a framework of that scale was more..

Nov 7 (DN) Maliyadeva Balika Vidyalaya Kurunegala proved their supremacy once again by winning overall champions at the 31st SL Schools Milo Netball Championship, which concluded at Uyanwatte Stadium Matara yesterday. Maliyadeva BV won three championships: U 19, U 15, and U 13, showcasing their power to gain overall championship for the second consecutive year. Nestlé Lanka Milo sponsored this tournament for the 31st successive time, while the Schools Netball Association more..

Nov 7 (Island) I have worked with all the Executive Presidents, except Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa, in different capacities during my tenure in the public service and even afterwards. The way they managed or rather mis-managed the economy was different from one to the other. Late Prez R. Premadasa’s management style was unique, flawless and foolproof. He monitored and followed up each and every decision he made. We used to keep notepads & pens beside our land phones. more..