Nov 25 (DM) While commenting on the proposal made to paste security stickers on liquor bottles, Excise Dept had gained a 20 per cent income when compared with the sales done in the past 10 years, State Finance Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya said. He said the alcohol tax revenue has increased in a background where the consumption of alcohol has decreased by 30%. The reason for this growth is that the money spent on illegal or fake alcohol is received as tax revenue, Minister pointed out. more..

Nov 25 (DM) Colombo Fort Magistrate has permitted the CID to record statements from owner of Thico Group Private Ltd. Thilini Priyamali who is in remand at the Welikada Prison. The Magistrate allowed the CID to record a statement from Thilini at the prison till Nov 30. Meanwhile, Thilini Priyamali was presented to the Prison Tribunal headed by Colombo Additional District Judge held at the Welikada Prison again today on charges of possessing a mobile phone inside prison cell. more..

Nov 26 (CT) Import restrictions that were imposed with the forex crisis hampered several industries further affecting the operations in the already crippling economy. As reported in this paper on 25 August, the Government temporarily banned imports of over 300 non-essential commodities ranging from electronic items, to food items, and clothing with effect from 23 August, until further notice. The regulations were issued via an Extraordinary Gazette. more..

Nov 26 (DM) IUBF Convener Ven. Galwewa Siridhamma Thera who was detained along with Convener of the IUSF Wasantha Mudalige under a ninety-day detention order issued by Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe as the Defence Minister was released on bail by Colombo Additional Magistrate T.N.L. Mahawatta on Wednesday. They had been arrested under the draconian PTA while the govet had given an undertaking to the UNHRC to replace it with another counter terrorism Act. more..

Nov 26 (CT) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe spent almost the entire of last week in Parliament, as the Expenditure Heads of the Prez, Finance and Defence were taken for debate during the Third Reading of the Budget. The vote on the Second Reading of the Budget 2023, was scheduled for Tuesday and even though the govt was earlier expecting to win the Budget by a remarkable majority with around 135 votes in favour, more..

Nov 26 (CT) The Unpaid debt to international lenders amounts to Rs 50,000 per person approximately. We have not paid Rs 116,000 krors. Next year the amount of loans to be repaid is $650 crores. At present the central bank plans not to pay this also. We cannot stop payments like this. Those who have lent money to us will not stay silent. We had to go to the IMF. It tells us that it will talk to our lenders but SL has to give an assurance. There are things we can do to address this situation. more..

Nov 26 (DM) The second reading of the budget was passed on the 22nd of this month. The budget offered no relief to the people and is widely believed to have been drawn up in line with IMF requirements. 121 MPs voted in favour. Included in this number were members of the CWC. Eighty-four members from the SJB, the JVP/JJB, the SLFP and SLPP dissidents voted against. MP Vigneswaran of the TMTK abstained and 18 MPs including all members of TNA were absent. more..

Nov 26 (CT) So, the country is still going through the economic recession while its Parliament appear to show concern about the plight of its people, according to the sentiments expressed by many members of the public. At least the budget debates show how concerned MPs shed crocodile tears for the people, who seem to have to pay through their noses in taxes for the goods and services they enjoy. more..

Nov 26 (CT) Addressing Parliament, the other day, Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe declared that he would not allow another Aragalaya kind of protest and would not hesitate to declare an emergency and bring in the Security Forces. However, anyone can stage a protest after obtaining Police permission, he sought to reassure. It takes us back to the million-dollar question, why did not his predecessor Gotabaya Rajapaksa do it? Known as a toughie from his days as Defence Secretary under more..

Nov 26 (GV) There has been a positive change in SL in the past 5 to 10 years in the recognition of the rights of women and children. This is the result of the decade long efforts of grassroots activist groups who have founded and sustained organisations that provide assistance and support to the most vulnerable groups in our society. An overview of the current situation suggests that a great deal of great work is being done by dedicated individuals and groups but that until now each has often more..

Nov 26 (Island) Dissident SLPP MP and former Minister Prof. Channa Jayasumana has said something noteworthy during the ongoing budget debate. He has argued that Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe, who succeeded Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa, does not have a popular mandate to govern the country and therefore should not make crucial policy decisions on national security, etc. He has offered to present a private member’s motion to enable the Prez to hold a snap prez election more..

Nov 26 (Island) It is truly horrendous to know that our women are trafficked to the Middle East and some are now stranded in Oman. TV news broadcasts have cited them crying for help and conveying their helplessness and the hopeless of the situation they are in. On 22 Nov, TV news had it that their plight was raised and highlighted by MTV in their broadcasts. Minister of Foreign Employment said they had been working on it. Editor of the Sunday Island of 20 Nov very succinctly and more..

Nov 26 (ST) Sign language will soon take the fourth place under the Official Languages Act in Sri Lanka, embracing hearing-impaired people into mainstream society, Govt said last week. National Secretariat for Persons Living with Disabilities (NSPD) said the Bill will be ready by 2023. Bill, when passed, will grant people living with disabilities, access to education, legal, health and other services from the Govt. more..

Nov 26 (FT) The country’s manufacturing and services sectors contracted in October as per the Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) compiled by the CB. The Manufacturing PMI saw a decline of 4.2 index points in comparison to September driven by decreases recorded in all the sub-indices. Services PMI by 3.3 index points due to the declines observed in new businesses, employment and backlogs of work. Nevertheless, business activities and expectations for activity continued its more..

Nov 26 (FT) The Lawyers of the National People’s Power party have condemned the recent statement made by President Ranil Wickremesinghe which can be taken as a perceived threat against the Human Rights Commission of SL (HRCSL). Speaking at a press conference held yesterday, the vice president of the organisation, Attorney-at-Law Sunil Watagala said the President has threatened the HRCSL which is an independent commission by asking them to not intervene in every matter. more..

Nov 26 (ST) All govt internal bureaucratic exchanges, including submitting leave applications and seeking approval for future and completed programmes, will be carried out through an online Office Management System. This will be done to minimise public expenditure. On Tuesday, Public Adm, Home Affairs, PCs and LG Ministry Secretary M.M.P.K. Mayadunne issued a circular instructing all district secretaries, divisional secretaries and heads of local govt institutions to implement more..

Nov 26 (TS) SL Foreign Minister Ali Sabry invited investment from Bangladesh to boost the battered economy of the island nation as he paid a courtesy call on PM Sheikh Hasina at her official residence Gono Bhaban today. In the meeting, the visiting minister stressed increasing the shipping and air connectivity between the two countries to boost trade relations and enhance people-to-people contacts. PM thanked him for attending the 22nd Ministerial Meeting of IORA held in Dhaka. more..

Nov 26 (CI) Ibrahim Zadran struck 106 as Afghanistan's top order set them up for a commanding 294 for 8, before the bowlers - Fazalhaq Farooqi, Yamin Ahmadzai, and Gulbadin Naib - ripped through SL's batting order, sharing nine wickets between them. SL provided some resistance, primarily through Pathum Nissanka, who kept the score moving in the early overs while wickets fell around him, and later through more..

Nov 26 (DM) If over 30% of school children drop out of school in the beginning of next year that should not be a surprise. There were field survey reports by September last that revealed over 35% of the families unable to have even two meals a day, find it difficult to send their children to school. Skyrocketing prices of goods even before the Budget-2023 could leave these children with no alternative answer from the govt other than dropping out of school. Thus around 1.4 million out of 4.1 million more..

Nov 26 (DM) National Sports Council (NSC) headed by Chairman Arjuna Ranatunga is set to propose to Sports Minister to appoint only reputed veteran players in their field as members of the respective National Sports Associations (NSA’s) including cricket. Ranatunga expressed his dissatisfaction with some of the members of the NSA’s selection committee and urged the authorities to give more priority to some of the former veteran players and to utilise their experience in the respective field. more..

Nov 26 (FT) Ceylon Institute of Builders President Dr. Rohan Karunarathna last week charged that 60% of construction projects in the country are non-essential and noted the Chamber of Construction Industry has formulated a taskforce to advice the Govt on what projects will really benefit the country. Speaking at a seminar on the construction industry crisis, Dr. Karunarathna found it pathetic for the Govt more..

Nov 26 (CT) New Zealand all-rounder Jimmy Neesham, T20 World Cup winning West Indian Carlos Brathwaite and in-form Zimbabwean Sikandar Raza are among the top overseas players who have signed up for the upcoming Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2022. Neesham, who featured for NZ during the recent ICC T20 World Cup, will join two-time defending champions Jaffna Kings, who will have a number of their overseas players from last season returning more..

Nov 26 (Island) Eleven of Kuwait’s top tour operators and travel agents arrived in Sri Lanka this week on Jazeera Airways on a familiarization tour. Jazeera Airways currently operates three flights weekly to Sri Lanka connecting the leisure and labour markets. The familiarization tour was organized and sponsored by Jazeera’s General Sales Agent in SL, Aitken Spence PLC. The familiarization group travelled and enjoyed the highlights of Sri Lanka during their stay in Sri Lanka. more..

Nov 26 (FT) A group of top-level Japanese entrepreneurs called on PM Dinesh Gunawardena yesterday to discuss possible new investments in SL. The delegation included Saigo Ayumi, a member of the Royal family of Japan and former Member of Tokyo Metropolitan Council, and Kamisakamoto Yuji and Kamisakamoto Hisako, who belong to the entrepreneur family that constructed a memorial for former Prez J.R. Jayewardene in Japan to show gratitude to him for support given to Japan more..

Nov 26 (ST) Older people, expecting mothers, children below the age of two and those with chronic illnesses are advised to take precautions as a nasty seasonal flu is spreading in the country. Health experts warn that this time the flu will affect the respiratory system with more intensity due to poor air quality levels in the country. “Seasonal influenza is an acute respiratory infection caused by influenza viruses. Our country has two peak seasons after monsoon seasons. more..

Nov 26 (ST) It is chilling to know – if a urine culture report indicates an infection with the bacterium pan-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae, no miracle antibiotic is available either in Sri Lanka or the world to suppress and kill it. This is why World Antimicrobial Awareness Week from November 18-24 is of utmost importance. It is all about fighting super-bugs, says Consultant Clinical Microbiologist Dr. Madhumanee Abeywardena more..

Nov 26 (DN) The SL Embassy in Beijing, with a view to attracting more Chinese tourists to Sri Lanka, is also actively exploring the possibility of Chinese cruise ships and yachts visiting Sri Lanka. The Ambassador, Dr. Palitha Kohona had a very successful online meeting with the Vice President of the China Cruise and Yacht Industry Association (CCYIA) Zheng Weihang on Nov 23, 2022. Vice President Zheng said that SL will be promoted as a new market for Chinese cruise ships. more..

Nov 26 (EN) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe’s controversial announcement that he has no plans to dissolve parliament anytime soon has found an unlikely champion in former president and Wickremesinghe’s one-time adversary Maithiripala Sirisena. Sirisena said delaying the election by two years will give his SLFP some much needed time to regroup and organise. He made the remark with what appeared to be a straight face, though it is possible he was speaking with his tongue more..

Nov 26 (ST) Worn-down rail tracks and the lack of funding to replace them may mean commuters on the State-operated train network will have to endure disruptions and trains going off track for some time to come. Locomotive Operating Engineers Union President K U Konthasinghe said engine operators have been told to reduce speed. Signal failures are a problem as well. Mr Konthasinghe also said there is a shortage of track maintenance workers. A railway track reconstruction programme more..

Nov 26 (CT) Attorney General Sanjay Rajaratnam on Friday handed over indictments to the Captain of the cargo vessel X-Press Pearl, which caught fire off Sri Lankan waters on 20 May last year, and the local representative of the firm, which owns the ship and three others, before Colombo High Court Judge Damith Thotawatta. HC Judge enlarged the five accused, on surety bail in Rs 1 million each and impounded their passports. AG’s Dept had filed charges against 8 accused, over the incident. more..

Nov 26 (EN) SL’s dollar earnings from service exports is hard to track and such inflows are not recorded as they are kept outside the country, an Export Development Board (EDB) official said. “We face a huge challenge as we can’t get the statistics for services sector export,” an EDB Official said. Since SL hit economic crisis and declared sovereign debt default in April, the authorities including the central bank & finance ministry are exploring more..

Nov 26 (Island) The CEB recorded a profit of six billion rupees in October, Electricity Users Association (EUA) Secretary Sanjeewa Dhammika said. Dhammika said that if the CEB increased the price of electricity again, the EUA would take legal action. “There are 6.5 million users of electricity and I urge the Minister of Power and Energy not to take them for granted. Minister Kanchana Wijesekera, on Thursday, told Parliament that they will increase the electricity tariff again,” he said. more..

Nov 26 (ST) Sachini Galappatti, an undergraduate at the University of Peradeniya’s Dental Sciences Faculty, tragically passed away on October 30. The 23-year-old’s kidneys had been donated by her parents to the Kandy National Hospital. A university official said she was hit by a vehicle while walking along the Galaha-Peradeniya road to the Ramanathan Residence Hall of the university, where she was staying. The official said she had been admitted to the Peradeniya Hospital and more..

Nov 26 (CT) SJB MP Buddhika Pathirana alleged, that a large sum of money, earned by giving liquor licences to supermarkets, is going into the funds of two political parties within the Govt. He said, this alleged racket is being carried out by a few officials at Finance Minister & Excise Dept. “They have misled State Minister Siyambalapitiya and divided Rs 70 million earned by giving licences to supermarkets between themselves. more..

Nov 27 (SO) Some of the parties and leaders who had a hand in the Aragalaya (struggle) in July this year, seem to be in a hurry to create an Aragalaya 2, judging by their statements to the media. They are threatening to raid Colombo City, the offices and residences of the Prez and the PM (like they did on July 9) and also Parliament in this quest to oust Prez Wickremesinghe and the Govt. It is true that the Aragalaya started as a people’s movement way back in April sans participation of political parties. more..