Oct 10 (EN) Architects of SL’s ongoing state-owned enterprise restructuring efforts may have to consider imperfect solutions such as voluntary retirement schemes for some job losses in entities that operate in saturated markets, though large scale unemployment is unlikely, according to one expert. Prof Rohan Samarajiva, chair of LIRNEAsia, said that, for saturated markets like electricity, something will have to be done. more..

Oct 10 (DM) The woman who was reported missing during the Israel-Palestine conflict yesterday is suspected to be dead, SLBFE Media spokesman Gamini Senarath Yapa said. He said it is suspected that the woman had been shot dead, based on information received on social media. This woman is a mother of two children and has travelled abroad under the registration of the Foreign Employment Bureau in 2022. She is a 49-year-old woman from Gampaha who had gone to Israel as a nurse. more..

Oct 10 (FT) In a briefing to the Cabinet, Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday expressed deep concern over the recent attacks in Israel and its implications on Sri Lankans and Israelis residing in both countries. Prez emphasised the need for immediate action to ensure the safety of Sri Lankans working in Israel. He directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to locate and ensure the well-being of these individuals. Additionally, he called for assistance in facilitating the return of Israelis, more..

Oct 10 (AD) Wicketkeeper-batter Kusal Mendis has been taken to hospital after he suffered cramps upon returning from the field after the first innings in the ICC World Cup match against Pakistan played at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Tuesday. “Kusal Mendis was taken to the hospital after the player suffered cramps upon returning from the field after his brilliant knock in the ongoing game vs Pakistan,” SLC said in a statement. Mendis, who scored the fastest century for more..

Oct 10 (FT) The flagship gem and jewellery exposition FACETS SL in its 30th edition slated for 6 to 8 Jan 2024 aims to make a bigger impact with the introduction of several new dedicated pavilions for the first time. They include Sustainable Pavilion, Sapphire Masterpiece Pavilion, and Rough Stone Pavilion, Gem Lab Pavilion. The 2024 event will also feature a special Reminisce of the Past Event. These are in addition to the customary Premier Gem Pavilion, Premier Jewellery Pavilion and more..

Oct 10 (CT) At a time when the Govt has continued to oppress the people, by heaping taxes on them, an organised group has abstained from paying taxes to the tune of nearly Rs 80 billion annually to the State owing to the counterfeit sticker racket on liquor bottles, SJB MP Dr. Harsha de Silva stressed. Dr de Silva queried why Sri Lanka is buying a printed sticker that costs Rs 1.90 and not the digital sticker which costs only 20 cents. more..

Oct 10 (CT) The private buses will no longer undergo emission testing, effective January of the upcoming year, the Lanka Private Bus Owners’ Association (LPBOA) said. LPBOA Chairman Gemunu Wijeratne explained that this decision was taken due to the absence of a practical emission testing programme. He stressed that the association would formally communicate this decision in writing to the transport authorities within the current week. Wijeratne highlighted significant challenges more..

Oct 10 (CT) There should be a land management and consumer plan that reflects the future of our country, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa said. He said a national land management policy should incorporate a physical plan related to reserve areas, forest conservation areas, wildlife areas and areas where industrial villages are emerging. The Opposition leader said until this is established, development will take a back step and problems will become worse. more..

Oct 10 (AD) Japanese Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs, Komura Masahiro stated that his country would continue to support SL’s economic recovery process and congratulated the govt for stabilizing the economy during a short span of time and making further progress. He has also expressed confidence that structural reforms undertaken by the govt would improve conducive atmosphere for more..

Oct 10 (CT) Medical and Civil Rights Professional Association of Doctors (MCPA) warned that there was a risk of an increase in AIDS and hepatitis due to the accumulation of substandard drugs and blood components in the health system. MCPA President Dr. Chamal Sanjeeva yesterday called Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe’s attention to the risk of a spread in harmful diseases such as HIV/AIDS and hepatitis due to the recent trend in importing medicinal drugs sans proper testing. more..

Oct 10 (DM) UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Minister for the Indo-Pacific Anne-Marie Trevelyan arrived in SL today, the British High Commission said. The three-day visit to Colombo and Jaffna marks the celebration of 75 years of diplomatic relations between the UK and SL and is the Minister’s first visit to SL in her role. Minister Trevelyan will emphasise the UK’s long-term commitment to the region at the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Ministerial meeting more..

Oct 11 (DM) On 21 April 2019 (Easter Sunday) suicide bombers exploded their deadly cargo of bombs at churches and five star hotels in Colombo. Within hours it became known the bombers were radicalised local Muslim fanatics. It was also a time that anti Muslim feelings were running high in the country. Unsurprisingly the Muslim community feared they would become the target of retaliatory mob attacks. With emotions high, it was feared a bloodbath could take place. more..

Oct 11 (CT) The country has received the First Monetary Policy Review of the Monetary policy Board under the new Central Bank of SL (CBSL) Act No 16 of 2023. This Act was to provide for the establishment of the CBSL; for the repeal of the Monetary law Act (chapter 422); and to provide for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto. As this is the maiden policy review meeting under the new Act let us take a look at the high hopes projected by the Governor CBSL and more..

Oct 11 (TM) SL will take over the Chairpersonship of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) this week (11) during the 23rd IORA Council of Ministers. The country will head the important regional body for a two-year period and has selected Strengthening Regional Architecture: Reinforcing Indian Ocean Identity as the theme for its Chairmanship – an apt theme given the need for a sound regional architecture in the face of more..

Oct 11 (Roar) When an unparalleled economic crisis takes its toll on a country, one major struggle, amongst many, begins to dominate the lives of its people: access to food. At present, around 3.9 million people in Sri Lanka are food insecure; they lack consistent access to adequate food to live an active, healthy life. That’s a whopping 17% of the population that lacks access to basic nutritional needs. On the other hand, many of us can relate to having too much food on our table and more..

Oct 11 (Island) Though responding to those who criticise cloaked in anonymity may be considered an act of futility, after much thought I decided to respond to Interested Woman’s opinion piece Ranil’s undiplomatic DW interview (The Island, 9 October) as there are many inaccuracies and, more importantly, her concluding remarks raise a vital issue. First and foremost, let me point out that there are differences in our mode of perception; whilst my analysis concentrated on more..

Oct 11 (TM) Dept of Meteorology, last week (4), celebrated its 75th anniversary, as an institution that has rendered an immense service to the country in many areas that is not limited to issuing weather forecasts. During the past few decades, it has supported many other institutions and areas to plan their operations, especially economically, which should receive national-level attention. However, despite extent of its national-level more..

Oct 11 (TM) Over the weekend SL authorities scrambled to collect data on SL citizens residing and employed in Israel, and to verify information coming out of the region in the wake of the most recent round of violence which have left thousands dead, more injured and hundreds taken hostage. While many other nations have moved to issue warning advisories restricting their citizens from travelling to the region and have initiated repatriation missions, Sri Lanka simply issued a statement more..

Oct 11 (CT) It is an all-too-familiar story in Sri Lanka, one that has sadly become a recurring pattern: our authorities always wait for a massive tragedy to occur before taking action, rather than implementing measures to prevent such tragedies. The most recent example of this is the horrific accident in which a giant tree fell on a bus in Kollupitiya, resulting in the tragic loss of five lives. If the State employees responsible for taking measures to prevent such tragedies had performed more..

Oct 11 (ST) A thousand sentimental hearts will weep tears in relief this Sunday morn when they discover Namal’s wedding night’s lights which had cost over rupees two and a half million and had remained unpaid for four long years, had finally been paid, and paid in full, by a well-known benefactor out of the goodness of his heart. Though Namal’s family had scraped the barrel to the dregs and broken all the family nest eggs to give the heir still in the wings a royal wedding that befits a prince, more..

Oct 11 (SO) Dilki Fernando, a versatitle athlete and put shot exponent who also succeeded in the 200 and 400 metres will be one of the Sri Lankans to follow at the upcoming Para Asian Games in China. Dilki has been taking part in track and field meets at zonal, district and provincial level winning first second and third places on several occasions since 2002. She has a doting mother in Vajira Ramani by her side as well as an organization called Synergy of Heart and Soul to ensure more..

Oct 11 (CI) Where do you place Kusal Mendis among modern batters? The holder of SL's fastest World Cup century. Even if you have a wild imagination, it would be hard to tag him as a great. His numbers are middling, way lower than what he ought to have had with that ability and gum-chewing swagger. It just doesn't feel right. So forget about the Fab Four, or maybe even five or six. He cannot be discussed in the young-batters more..

Oct 11 (ST) Excise Dept is to cancel liquor licences of manufacturers and dealers automatically when their tax payments are in default. Tax amount in default of the department as at 30.06.2023 is approximately Rs. 6235.9 million, a senior Finance Ministry official said. Excise tax on alcohol and cigarettes has for long been a cornerstone of state revenue, but the Treasury is now incurring colossal losses due to increase in tax evasion at a time income has become an urgent need. more..

Oct 11 (FT) Global consulting firm Deloitte said yesterday it is scaling up its operations in Sri Lanka and the Maldives, which will enable it to provide more robust innovative and multi-disciplinary solutions. It said the move is to meet the evolving needs of Deloitte clients, people and the communities it serves. “This expansion will allow us to continue to make an impact that matters in our ever growing and changing market,” a Deloitte Sri Lanka spokesperson said. more..

Oct 11 (FT) SL Convention Bureau (SLCB) is pursuing an ambitious three-year blueprint to propel Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) tourism, with a vision to position the country as a competitive player in the global market. “The plan is to develop a 2024-2026 MICE tourism blueprint aligned with the 10-year Tourism Masterplan leading up to 2035, highlighting the thriving MICE sector in SL,” more..

Oct 11 (FT) Ceylon Institute of Builders (CIOB), the premier professional body of building and construction professionals in SL icily launches Construction Expo 2024 which will be held from 15-17 March at the BMICH. The press conference in this regard was held recently at Galadari Hotel where the main sponsors of Construction Expo 2024 were also introduced. CIOB President Dr. Rohan Karunaratne said: “Conduction Expo-2024 will be a hub for major players locally & internationally. more..

Oct 11 (BBC) Cricket could be in the Olympics for the first time since 1900 after organisers recommended it to be part of the 2028 Los Angeles Games. Twenty20 cricket will be put forward for approval to the International Olympic Committee for a vote next week. Flag football, a non-contact version of American football, and squash are set for their Olympic debuts in 2028. The other recommendations are baseball/softball and lacrosse, which were both left out for Paris 2024. more..

Oct 11 (FT) SLT-Mobitel introduced an enhanced Whistleblowing Procedure to further strengthen the Organisation’s Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) Policies. A key component of the upgraded procedure is the impartial Whistleblowing Unit, which comprises a panel completely independent from SLT-Mobitel to conduct preliminary investigations into reported incidents. The improved SLT-Mobitel Group Whistleblowing Procedure enables company employees, any stakeholder connected to more..

Oct 11 (DN) A team of six members from Fcode Labs embarked on a journey to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to participate in the Smart Nation Expo 2023 from Sept 17 to 23, 20223 which is touted as one of the largest technology gatherings in Southeast Asia, drawing over 20,000 visitors and showcased the latest innovations in 5G, Smart Cities, Industry 4.0, Emerging Technologies, and Applications. By all accounts, Smart Nation Expo 2023 emerged as a major success, more..

Oct 11 (CI) Sri Lanka were served a harsh lesson in the realities of modern ODI cricket, as Pakistan hunted down a target of 345 - the highest-ever chase in a World Cup - with six wickets to spare. Leading their charge were tons from Abdullah Shafique and Mohammad Rizwan, which trumped a pair of centuries by Kusal Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama, to make it two wins from two for Pakistan. Rizwan, who suffered from more..

Oct 11 (DM) Fitch Ratings said yesterday the cash flow operations of the CEB would not be sufficient to cover its interest obligations this year, despite a 150 percent tariff increase. “This is due to the reduced contribution from low-cost hydro power generation during the year, which compelled CEB to purchase emergency power at higher costs to meet the shortfall,” the rating agency said in a rating report. “At the same time, energy demand has risen with the gradual recovery of economic activity. more..

Oct 11 (TM) SL has imported over 200 electric vehicles (EVs) thus far through migrant workers, while the next batch of permits to import electric cars is to be extended by the Govt depending on the foreign remittance the expatriates have sent. “Govt approval to import EVs is only given for a period of one year, yet migrant workers can extend the counting time period as it is they who have brought in foreign remittance to the country within the period through legal channels.” more..

Oct 11 (TM) Health sector professionals are to stage a protest march today in front of the Colombo National Hospital, demanding solutions for the issues that have persisted in the health sector for years, GMOA General Secretary Dr. Haritha Aluthge said. He said that this protest march will commence in front of the Colombo National Hospital while thousands of doctors working within the Western Province will join it during the lunch hour while doctors from other provinces simultaneously more..

Oct 11 (DN) IMF and WB have assured further support for Sri Lanka’s economic reform programme and the EFF. According to the Finance Ministry this assurance has been granted in the discussions held by the heads of these institutions with Finance State Minister Shehan Semasinghe, who is attending the annual conference of the IMF and WB held in Marrakesh, Morocco. State Minister Semasinghe said that he and World Bank Executive Director Parameswaran Aiyer held discussions more..

Oct 11 (CT) In a perplexing twist of events, authorities are yet to determine how a supply of substandard intravenous immunoglobulin, which resulted in anaphylactic reactions at District Hospital Matale and National Hospital Colombo in September, was acquired through fraudulent means, evading the entire procurement process with forged documents. Following this, the Association of SL Neurologists (ASLN) urged Health Ministry more..