Indian PM Narendra Modi praises decision to confer Classical Language status on Pali
Oct 26 (FT) Indian PM Narendra Modi extended his gratitude and appreciation to the scholars and monks in Colombo for joining in the celebration organised by the High Commission of India in Colombo to mark the recognition of Pali as a Classical Language by the Govt of India (GoI). In a post via ‘X’ he noted, “Glad that the Indian Govt’s decision of conferring Classical Language status on Pali has ignited a spirit of joy among those who believe in the thoughts of Bhagwan Buddha.
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SL can penetrate Global Value Chain by offering relative cost advantage: Economist
Oct 26 (Island) The notion that Sri Lanka has missed the bus in gaining a firm foothold on the global manufacturing value chain is not true because there are still so many opportunities for the country to tap and increase its export-driven economic growth, Prof. Premachandra Athukorala said. “That’s an old-fashioned idea because if SL manufacturers can offer a relative cost advantage on their components, parts or accessories manufactured in SL to go into a finished product of an iconic global brand,
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Govt schools charge parents for smart boards
Oct 26 (TM) In response to allegations by teachers’ unions on schools’ overcharging students for smart boards, a Ceylon Principals’ Union (CPU) representative and a serving Govt school principal Piyasiri Fernando claimed that several factors are taken into account while deciding on the relevant charges. “While we do sometimes collect a charge for smart boards, we have to understand that not all schools are equal,”
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Elpitiya PS election today
Oct 26 (Island) The Elpitiya Pradeshiya Sabha election is held today to elect 29 local councillors.Chairman of the Election Commission, R.M.A.L. Ratnayake said that voting would take place from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eight registered political parties and one independent group are contesting. A total of 55,643 eligible voters are expected to cast their votes at 48 polling centres. “Those who were eligible to vote according to the 2018 voter registry can participate in this election,” he explained.
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Sri Lanka plan early departure to South Africa
Oct 26 (Island) SL’s national cricket team is considering an early dispatch of some players to South Africa ahead of their upcoming two-match Test series against the Proteas. With an increasingly packed international calendar, the team faces a tight window between the home ODI series against NZ and the Test series in South Africa, making pre-tour adjustments essential. Plans are underway to send Test specialists to SA early, allowing them to acclimatize to unfamiliar playing conditions.
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මෙහෙම නඩු අහන්න පුළුවන්ද
Double triumph for Stafford’s Jayden de Silva at National Swim Trials
Oct 26 (DN) Jayden de Silva of Stafford International School claimed victories in both the junior national men’s 100m Butterfly and 200m Backstroke on the opening day of the National and World Aquatic Short Course Championship Selection Trial, organized by SL Aquatic Sports Union (SLASU) at the Isipathana College Swimming Pool Complex in Colombo yesterday. At just 14, De Silva clocked a personal best of 1:02.91 in the 100m Butterfly to secure first place and continued his winning streak
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SL aims for a clean sweep against WI today
Oct 26 (DN) Sri Lanka, having clinched the ODI series 2-0 against the West Indies, will aim for a clean sweep in the third match today at the Pallekele Int'l Cricket Stadium, commencing at 2:30 pm. In the first match, Sri Lanka emerged victorious by five wickets via the DLS method, while in the second game, they once again recorded a five-wicket win, chasing 190 runs in 38.2 overs in a 44-over game due to rain interruption. Sri Lanka skipper Charith Asalanka is in terrific batting form,
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Mahinda visits Johnston in remand prison
Oct 26 (FT) Former Prez Mahinda Rajapaksa visited New Magazine Prison in Welikada yesterday to meet with former MP Johnston Fernando, who was remanded on 23 October. Fernando was arrested by the CID in relation to an unregistered BMW vehicle, illegally assembled in SL, which was discovered in the car park of Hilton Hotel. Police has indicated that the vehicle in question may have been reported stolen in UK.
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Iran envoy pledges trade, technology support to Sri Lanka
Oct 26 (EN) Iranian Ambassador to SL has pledged to support the island nation on trade and technology among many other sectors. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake met Iranian Ambassador, Alireza Delkhosh on Friday (25) at the Presidential Secretariat and discussed bilateral relationship between the two countries. Prez Dissanayake emphasized the longstanding relationship between Sri Lanka and Iran and expressed his desire to strengthen ties between both countries.
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CSE enjoys second day of over Rs. 4 b turnover; ends week on a high
Oct 26 (FT) Colombo stock market yesterday enjoyed another day of high turnover before finishing the week on the up. Turnover yesterday amounted to Rs. 4.7 bill, marking the second consecutive session of over Rs. 4 bil. Over 135 million shares traded. HNB (Rs. 1.39 bil), Sampath (Rs. 1 bil), and JKH (Rs. 442 million) dominated turnover. The active S&P SL20 gained by 1% and ASPI by 0.35%. During the week, ASPI finished 1.7% gain and the S&P SL 20 by 3.8%. Turnover averaged Rs. 3 bil.
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Drift, dip, turn and pace: Theekshana the spinner has it all
Oct 26 (CI) Drift, dip and turn, these are the main attributes one would associate with spin bowling. Then at times there is pace, which is added to the mix when variations such as arm balls come into play. West Indies' Gudakesh Motie, for example, has an excellent quicker one, bursting through flat and straight clocking in at around 100kph. But what do you get when you combine all these? Well, Alick Athanaze might have the answer.
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AKD reassures EU delegation of enhanced security measures for tourists
Oct 26 (FT) President Anura Kumara Dissanayake yesterday met with the European Union (EU) Delegation, led by EU Ambassador Carmen Moreno in Colombo. The Prez informed the EU Delegation about SL’s current security situation, highlighting recent measures to improve safety for tourists and residents. He assured that security protocols in key tourist areas are strengthened with more law enforcement and emergency services deployed. The European Union is a critical partner for SL,
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W.M. Mendis & Company says fully committed to settling liabilities despite...
Oct 26 (FT) W.M. Mendis & Company Ltd, in a statement says it is fully committed to settling its liabilities despite challenges. In response to media reports in recent times about the company not settling its VAT liabilities leading to three of its directors being subjected to punishment by court. In its statement, the company said the VAT liability in question pertains to the period from 2016 to 2019. Of the total liability, approximately Rs. 1.6 billion comprises penalties and interest,
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අරුගම්බේ බෝම්බ බිය වටා වටා තියන...
Look out for exhausted Pittas
Oct 26 (ST) As the southernmost landmass along the Central Asian Flyway for migratory birds, Sri Lanka attracts over 200 winter visitors, who start arriving from the end of August. Many of the migrants are already here but bird lovers are on the watch out for that special migrant in October. “The Indian Pitta, known as avichchiya in Sinhala, is one of the migratory birds that arrives in October, particularly in the second half of the month,” says ornithologist Jagath Gunawardena.
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Editorial: The haal-pol shock
Oct 26 (Island) Gastronomically speaking, nothing could be considered closer to the hearts of Sri Lankans than rice and coconut, or haal and pol. They have become a collocation in Sri Lankan cuisine and culture. These two commodities, which are also an integral part of SL’s culinary heritage, even have the potential to break govts. It was an increase in the price of a measure of rice that triggered a tsunami of public anger in 1953, leading to a hartal, which shook the then UNP govt
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Half-built Kadawatha to Mirigama expressway landfill worsens flooding
Oct 26 (ST) Incomplete expressway from Kadawatha to Mirigama is creating a slew of issues including flash floods. Gampaha residents say flooding in the district was the worst in recent memory and that filling up of land without building drainage is the cause. The heavy rains lasting for more than a week, flooded the Gampaha town, including an area of the hospital. The flooding is becoming worse every year due to filling up
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Railways to temporarily halt night goods trains in elephant-prone areas
Oct 26 (ST) Following a fatal collision between an oil tanker train and elephants, SL Railways is considering temporarily suspending night-time operations of goods trains in areas known for elephant crossings. The decision comes after two elephants were killed and one injured in a collision between an oil tanker train and elephants crossing the rail track in an area between Gal Oya and Hingurakgoda in the early hours of Friday. The incident also resulted in the derailment of
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Socks pulled knee high; advice to smirk at
Oct 26 (Island) Cass means here the metaphorical socks of govt servants in general. Particularly in the last couple of months many officers in govt departments were not working even at half or quarter steam when they really should be at full steam when at their office desks, doing their work with as much speed and power as possible, as the idiom defines. Many persons who went to get work done at a government office were treated with the least amount of courtesy, nay outright
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Campaign එකට CID එක පාවිච්චි...
In debt we trust
Oct 26 (ST) The US govt is on track to spend more than $1 trillion on interest payments this year 2024. This is a historical record of skyrocketing interest costs of the US govt. After reading that news, I was concerned about US public debt service obligations. Unlike ours, US debt has detrimental implications all around the world because all the countries in the world have lent to the US. Spending some time, I browsed the Internet sites to find out the annual debt service costs of the US.
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Land of opportunities
Oct 26 (ST) At an office in Frankfurt, Germany’s commercial capital, a group of South Asians – mostly Indians with a few from Nepal and Bangladesh – had gathered to interact with a group of visiting journalists – seven from India, and one each from Bangladesh, SL and Nepal to share experiences of living and working in Germany. I was among the group of senior journalists sponsored by the German Federal Office and hosted by the Goethe Institute on a familiarisation tour to
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Examining examinations fraud
Oct 26 (TM) Examination-related fraud has become a growing concern in SL’s education system, affecting not only students but also parents, teachers, and stakeholders of the entire education sector. The issue extends beyond isolated cases of fraud committed by candidates to include misconduct by officers responsible for exams. From leaking question papers and circulating them on social media to negligence by exam officers,
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Keeping tensions at Arugam Bay at bay…
Oct 26 (CT) With the recent development of a tense situation in Arugam Bay, the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) has reportedly arrested two individuals on suspicion of allegedly planning to attack Israeli nationals in Sri Lanka. Stemming from the arrests, while one could heave a sigh of relief for the time being thinking that the worst may not come by, the arrests of the two suspects raise doubts and suspicion on the real ground situation. This is perhaps why Diplomatic Missions such as
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Terror attack turned into a political foot ball
Oct 26 (DM) The can of worms that was opened by the PHU leader, Udaya Gammanpila with regard to the Easter Sunday attacks seems to have been overshadowed by the US travel advisory due to a purported plan by certain individuals to launch a similar attack on Israeli tourists in SL. Nevertheless, only a small group of anti-NPP individuals seems to want to take his narrative seriously. He demanded last week that Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake release the reports of two committees
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Anura Dissanayake & Formation of the NPP
Oct 26 (DM) This is the fourth part of an extended article focusing on SL’s newly elected President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. In the first part of this article, the early years of Anura’s eventful life were delved into in some detail. In the second part, AKD’s steady growth as a political leader within the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) was related to some extent. In the third part, Anura’s rise to the leadership position of the JVP was recounted.
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Can govt overcome problems of impunity and arm twisting
Oct 26 (DM) When ordinary citizens are brought before the law it is seen as a stigma, and shame. Times out of number, when officials are caught out -either embezzling funds, accepting bribes or any other offences; when produced before the court, these individuals tend to cover their faces in shame. But the same cannot be said of our politicians. Being arrested seems to be akin to a badge of honour to these dishonourable persons who grace the highest legislative body in our country.
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Reforming governance heralds system change
Oct 26 (CT) After reviewing the economy’s performance during the first two years of its stewardship IMF noted that without reforming governance economic stability and economic growth would be slow and shaky. Although a noticeable measure of economic stability had been achieved the reviewers noted that growth prospect was still at knife’s edge. But even before IMF stepped into the scene the aragalaya youth already identified the fundamental sickness that was debilitating
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Harini Amarasuriya
Businessmen not permitted to raise rice prices unfairly: President
Oct 25 (DM) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake stressed that no businessman will be permitted to exploit the situation by unfairly raising the prices of rice. He made this statement today during a discussion with rice mill owners. Prez also announced that the govt will support small and medium-scale rice mill owners in enhancing their capacity to help stabilise the rice market. Prez noted that since the govt invests significantly in promoting agriculture, irrigation & fertiliser subsidies,
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Imthiaz criticises NPP and President’s shift to traditional politics
Oct 25 (FT) SJB national list candidate Imthiaz Bakeer Markar has sharply critiqued the NPP and its leader, Prez Anura Dissanayake at a press conference yesterday where he expressed concerns about the rapid shift in political behaviour and the dangers of continuing traditional political practices. Bakeer Markar noted that this year’s Presidential election reflected the public’s frustration and opposition to conventional politics, with people voting against the established order.
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Families, survivors of Easter carnage still in the dark
Oct 25 (DM) Five years after the Easter Sunday carnage claimed the lives of over 250 individuals, SL authorities are still struggling to find the mastermind behind these deadly attacks. Families and survivors of the attacks have continued to live with trauma and unhealed wounds while demanding justice for those who have parted since Apr 21, 2019. After various commissions and reports, another controversy arose when
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Eggs to be sold below Rs. 41 in urban areas
Oct 25 (TM) Following a meeting held at the Trade Ministry yesterday, stakeholders of the poultry industry, including egg producers and traders, have reached an agreement to sell eggs at a retail price below Rs. 41. The decision comes after discussions with the All-Ceylon Egg Producers’ Association (ACEPA) and other key industry participants. ACEPA President Sarath Rathnayake stated that the Govt recognised the high costs associated with producing an egg and agreed to provide
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New Principal for Sri Lanka Law College
Oct 25 (DN) President’s Counsel Prasantha Lal de Alwis has been appointed as the new Principal of Sri Lanka Law College, effective October 22. His appointment was made by Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya, following the retirement of the college’s former Principal, Dr. Atula Pathinayake. PC de Alwis holds both his LLB and LLM from Colombo University. He began his legal career in 1983 as a State Counsel at the Attorney General’s Dept, where he served until 1990.
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