Nov 10 (Island) JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake told Parliament that there was no difference between the incumbent govt and the Somalian pirates. Moving a motion for the debate at the time of the adjournment of the House, Dissanayake said the govt should hold elections to the local govt bodies by March 20, 2023. “The govt does not have a popular mandate. If the govt has any respect for the popular will, the govt should hold elections. more..

Nov 10 (TM) Concerns regarding the likelihood of the extension of the detainment period of the IUSF Convenor Wasantha Mudalige – who has been detained under the PTA for 90 days under a detention order – for a further 90 days, were raised by his legal representatives. Speaking on Mudalige’s behalf, one of the attorneys representing him, JVP Member Sunil Watagala, claimed while addressing the media that more..

Nov 10 (FT) BMICH – Sri Lanka’s iconic landmark has been crowned as the Gold award winner in the Leading Convention Centre category of the prestigious 2022 South Asian Travel Awards (SATA). This award recognises Sri Lanka as the premium Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Expositions (MICE) destination in the South Asian region. The SATA Awards Ceremony was held at the Adaaran Select Hotel Hudhuran Fushi Resort in the Republic of Maldives on 30 September 2022. more..

Nov 10 (DN) Education Minister Susil Premajayantha said in Parliament yesterday that 4,000 principals will be recruited to the govt service after the Supreme Court lifts the order suspending the principal’s recruitment. He said that the school system requires 16,000 principals even though there are only 12,000 principals in the country. The Minister said that 26,000 govt employees who were recruited as development officers will be absorbed into the teaching service from January 2023. more..

Nov 10 (TM) The Welfare Benefit Fast-Track Programme Leave No One Behind targeting low-income families, which has reached nearly 4 million in terms of registrations, will be screened and applicants who do not meet the eligibility criteria will be eliminated from the Programme, said State Minister of Finance Ranjith Siyambalapitiya. Siyambalapitiya said that Govt officials will be launching a door-to-door campaign to verify the eligibility of the registered applicants. more..

Nov 10 (DM) The attention of the Industry Ministry was drawn to the preparation of a series of guidelines regarding the use of electric vehicles in the country. While having the preliminary discussion at the ministry with several ministry officials, Minister Ramesh Pathirana said after the implementation of the guidelines, ministry is hoping to popularize electric vehicles in the country while streamlining their use. Accordingly, all electric vehicles, accessories, spare parts imported into SL, more..

Nov 10 (Island) Environmentalist Nayanaka Ranwella claimed that he had received calls from 11 lawmakers, including a Minister on behalf of those who caused mayhem in the Yala National Park, on 22 Oct. Ranwella, who is also the SJB organiser for Bandaragama said that though none had exerted pressure on him to give up the ongoing campaign against the wrongdoers, their message was clear. more..

Nov 10 (FT) Govt and World Bank on Tuesday kicked off talks on future assistance programs including Budget support and Development Policy Operation (DPO). Senior officials of the World Bank and the Govt attended the meeting held at the Presidential Secretariat under the patronage of State Minister Shehan Semasinghe. They discussed Development Policy Operations, which provide direct budget support to govts for policy and institutional reforms, is aimed at achieving more..

Nov 10 (AD) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says that it continues to monitor the progress of the passengers of Sri Lankan origin who were rescued and bought to the Port of Vung Tau in Vietnam on Nov 8. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had informed the SL Navy that they had received information about a vessel carrying approximately 303 persons believed to be Sri Lankans which was in distress in the waters between the Philippines and Vietnam on 7 Nov 2022. more..

Nov 10 (TM) SJB MP Dr. Harsha de Silva, who said in Parliament that he has received the report containing all the facts related to the staff-level agreement reached between Govt and IMF through an external party, however, did not disclose to Parliament any of its contents beside the fact that the relevant report states that tax reforms will be implemented from 2022 to 2025. Speaking in Parliament, Dr. de Silva said that more..

Nov 10 (FT) Instead of managing the economic crisis by building consensus among key stakeholders, Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe has hared-off in two other directions, all within weeks, acting on issues that may be intrinsically important but are certainly not the ones that should be heaped on his plate or that of Parliament at this point in time. Indeed, these two issues will only generate great political dissonance and undermine any possibility of national and social dialogue resulting more..

Nov 10 (FT) Now Sri Lankans are witnessing the worst economic crisis with all hardships. Many models in the economy can be proposed. But there is a need to understand the real problem of this country. There should be a change coming from individuals. You cannot change the system unless you transform yourself. As the late Most Venerable Madihe Pannaseeha Mahathera mentioned, “One cannot develop a country in its true sense without the moral development of a man.” more..

Nov 10 (EN) Stock market saw its worst foreign outflow in more than one year as an offshore fund sold shares in top private lender Commercial Bank despite the market gaining for the second session led by conglomerate John Keells Holdings, brokers said. The market saw a net foreign outflow of 1.1 billion rupees, the worst since Sept 3, 2021. However, the total net foreign inflow so far for this year is 17.7 billion rupees. 20 million shares were sold in Commercial Bank by a foreign fund more..

Nov 10 (CI) For all of England's game-breaking talent, this win that takes them into the 2022 Men's T20 World Cup final was all about doing the basics right. They protected the short square boundary in Adelaide, giving away only two sixes until the start of the death overs. They saw a chance to break open a chase of 169 in the powerplay, when the ball was coming on nicely under the lights, and seized it. Ten boundaries in the first six overs. And their 2nd-highest score against India in a T20I while more..

Nov 10 (TM) Polls monitor, PAFFREL, warned that if the Election Commission (EC) fails to declare LG elections on time, they would take legal action against the institution by filing a public interest litigation petition for not fulfilling their duties as required. PAFFREL Executive Director Rohana Hettiarachchi said: “We met with a group of lawyers today (9) to discuss the possibilities of taking legal action against the Election Commission if more..

Nov 10 (DM) Supreme Court today permitted to name Western Province Senior DIG Deshabandu Tennakoon as a respondent in a Fundamental Rights petition filed on behalf of Convener of IUSF Wasantha Mudalige, who was arrested and detained under PTA. President's Counsel Saliya Pieris appearing for the rights of Wasantha Mudalige sought court's permission to make Senior DIG Deshabandu Tennakoon as the seventh respondent in the petition since his conducts are more..

Nov 10 (Island) One-time British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka (1987-1991) David Gladstone, 87, has moved the High Court of UK to regain Wotton House, in Buckinghamshire, a Grade 1 listed mansion worth 15 mn pounds, from Leigh White, 55, who steadfastly refused the vacate it, The Telegraph has reported. India McTaggart dealt with Gladstone’s costly legal bid in a story headlined ‘Retired ambassador in row with surrogate daughter living in his Ł15m mansion,’ more..

Nov 10 (AD) World Bank Group President David Malpass met with Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe on Tuesday in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt on the sidelines of the COP 27 climate change conference. President Malpass and Prez Wickremesinghe discussed the challenging macroeconomic and social situation in SL and the urgent need to stabilize the economy. Prez Malpass emphasized the importance of timely and more..

Nov 10 (NR) PM Dinesh Gunawardena says a programme has been initiated to rectify the recent delay in paying retirement gratuity. PM said a Cabinet Paper was also presented in this regard and arrangements will be made to make these payments in accordance in two phases after obtaining the approval of the Treasury. This was disclosed at the Ministerial Consultative Committee meeting held in Parliament recently under the chairmanship of the PM. Director General of Pensions said more..

Nov 10 (EN) Supreme Court has determined that the Value Added Tax (Amendment) Bill is, as a whole, not inconsistent with the Constitution subject to proposed amendments, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena said. The Speaker informed parliament Thursday November 10 morning that, according to the apex court’s verdict, the bill will be in line with the constitution if the amendments recommended by the Deputy Solicitor General are moved at the committee stage. more..

Nov 10 (TM) Govt has increased the transport payments to private fuel bowser owners on 10 occasions in the last 13 months, while the Govt is selling diesel and kerosene at a loss of over Rs. 10 and Rs. 22 per litre, respectively, revealed State Ministers for Power and Energy. State Minister Indika Anuruddha said that transport payments for fuel bowser owners have increased by 135% in the low country and by 124% in the hill country since July 2021, while the payments have been more..

Nov 10 (Island) The Heart To Heart Trust Fund is celebrating the completion of eight years of service to the country through SAVING THE LIVES of financially disadvantaged heart patients with the objective of “None should die or suffer from heart disease in our country because of financial deprivation.” Its Executive Coordinator Shanti Fernando has sent us the following statement: On Saturday (12), Trust Fund volunteers with the hospital staff are organizing a Meritorious more..

Nov 10 (TM) Educational content on capital markets, which focuses on raising capital through shares, bonds and other forms of long-term investments, is to be included in the school curriculum from next year onwards, stated SEC Director General Chinthaka Mendis. He made this statement during the launch of the Financial Literacy publication, which was marked with a bell-ringing ceremony, at the trading floor of the CSE. more..

Nov 10 (DM) The IGP has instructed all the senior police officers that complaints received regarding ragging incidents involving university students should be forwarded to the CID for investigations. Accordingly, complaints received to the police stations across the country over ragging will be forwarded to the CID hereafter. Police said several complains have been received to the police over ragging incidents involving students in universities in the past few days. more..

Nov 10 (TM) “The entire blame cannot be placed on our players, as boys will be boys,” said SLPP MP S.B. Dissanayake, when questioned about his opinion on the recent scandal involving Sri Lankan Cricketer Danushka Gunathilaka, adding that even though a certain level of control and discipline should be maintained, the players should be allowed their freedom and liberty too. Gunathilaka has been arrested and detained over the alleged sexual assault of an Australian woman. more..

Nov 10 (Reuters) Sri Lanka's new govt will release the 2023 budget on Monday focused on boosting revenue, implementing tax reforms and fiscal consolidation to secure an IMF bailout package to help the country recover from its worst financial crisis in decades. Soaring inflation, a weakening currency and low foreign exchange reserves have left the island of 22 million people struggling to pay for import essentials more..

Nov 10 (Island) High Commission of SL, in New Delhi, celebrated this year’s Diwali festival, felicitating its long-serving Indian staff members and with a family get-together that included the family members of both home-based and local staff, numbering around 150. The felicitation ceremony and the family get-together were held in the garden of the official residence of the High Commissioner. The event was organized under the guidance of HC to India Milinda Moragoda, more..

Nov 10 (TM) Three-wheeler fares should be clearly displayed on the front of the three-wheelers so as to inform the passengers, said All-Ceylon Three-Wheeler Drivers’ Association Prez Lalith Dharmasekara. “To regulate the industry, it should be mandatory for three-wheelers to display their rates clearly on the front so that the passengers can see before accepting rides. Just as the taxi meters were made compulsory through a Gazette in 2017, the same policy should be applied in relation more..

Nov 10 (DM) Court of Appeal today issued an order directing the SLPP media unit and three television channels to provide the video recordings pertaining to the alleged contemptuous statement made by State Minister Sanath Nishantha. State Minister Sanath Nishantha was today present before Court of Appeal when the matter came up before Justice Nissanka Bandula Karunaratne. Judicial Service Association of SL (JSASL), the organization representing all the District Court Judges more..

Nov 10 (TM) Following the appointment of a 5-member committee to look into issues of the SL Principal Service (SLPS) and submit a report to the Ministry of Education, the Ceylon Principals’ Union (CPU) has stated that it has no confidence in certain members of the said committee, adding that the committee will therefore not be of significant help in resolving their issues. Ministry had recently appointed a 5-member committee to study the current situation of the SLPS and its issues, more..

Nov 10 (AI) The ongoing economic crisis has had a devastating impact on people in SL. This report highlights the challenges people in SL are facing in accessing their rights to health and food, and some of the limitations of existing social security programmes in the country. It focusses on the experiences of people who have precarious jobs and rely on daily wages as their only source of income, and on people from more..

Nov 10 (FT) SJB MP Mayantha Dissanayake highlighted the recent breakdown of the country’s rule of law and discipline while calling for a new anti-corruption law to be introduced. He said a series of recent events are evidence of the current state of the country’s law. “Today corporal punishment on children is not allowed. It is accepted that children cannot be disciplined in this manner and laws have been formulated to prevent it. However, the situation in Sri Lanka now is different. more..

Nov 10 (DM) VAT liability on residential condominiums will commence from Dec 1, 2022, instead of Oct 1, 2022. KPMG Principal Tax Suresh R.I. Perera said at the hearing of the petitions challenging the VAT Amendment Bill, under Articles 120 and 121 of the Constitution, the state had informed the court that the Committee Stage amendment would be introduced to the bill in order for VAT liability on residential condominiums to commence Dec1, 2022, instead Oct1, 2022. more..

Nov 10 (EN) Negotiations are under way with Sri Lanka’s private creditors about debt restructuring, with a case filed by one international sovereign bond (ISB) holder now in the process of being resolved, Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe said. Wickremesinghe said Sri Lanka’s private creditors have accepted the terms of the island nation’s ongoing talks with its multilateral and bilateral debt holders. more..

Nov 10 (TM) As the Ministry of Health has not arranged a proper system for the supply of reagents for the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test, which is essential for the blood transfusion service, a situation has arisen where the blood transfusion services will have to be stopped completely in the coming week, claimed College of Medical Laboratory Science (CLMS). CMLS Prez Ravi Kumudesh alleged that blood transfusion services will have to be stopped completely more..

Nov 10 (TM) The plantation sector Tamils of Indian origin who were sent back to India from Sri Lanka and settled in the Tamil Nadu Tea Plantation Corporation (TANTEA) are facing the risk of being relocated within Tamil Nadu (TN), as their lands are going to be repossessed by the Forest Department of Tamil Nadu. CWC President Senthil Thondaman said that it is a tragedy being faced by the plantation Tamils taken back from Sri Lanka to India in 1965 with regard to their land and settlement; more..