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 (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 (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 (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) 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 (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 (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) 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) 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 (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 (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 (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 (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 (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 (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 (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 (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 (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) 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 (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 (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) 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 (FT) The fourth Youth Summit on Cyber Security 2024 took place at the BMICH in Colombo recently, where over 800 students and educators came together to tackle pressing issues in the field of digital safety. Organised by the Daily FT and CICRA Holdings and endorsed by the Education Ministry, this event celebrated a decade of Cyber Security Summits but also aimed to equip SL’s youth with the knowledge and tools they need to navigate the digital world safely and responsibly. more..

Nov 7 (AD) A motion has been filed with the Colombo Magistrate’s Court seeking an order to hand over the investigations into the death of infamous underworld figure and drug lord Makandure Madush, who was allegedly killed in a crossfire between police and suspected underworld figures while in police custody, to the CID. A motion filed by a group of attorneys who appeared for the rights of the victim was taken up before more..

Nov 7 (TM) Indian High Commissioner (HC) to SL Santosh Jha inaugurated and handed over the Thiththavelkiwla Model Village in Monaragala to 24 families. Model Village Housing Project, implemented across all 25 districts of SL with support from the Indian Govt, aims to provide housing for low-income families. Each model village comprises 24 houses, selected by District Housing Committees. The project, initiated in 2017 through a MoU between the two nations, has already more..

Nov 7 (EN) Sri Lanka’s gross foreign reserves rose US$ 474 million in the month of October to US$ 6.4 billon, the central bank data showed. Sri Lanka’s gross foreign reserves are made up of central bank’s monetary reserves and fiscal reserves from loans. Sri Lanka signed a US$ 200 million World Bank loan in October, it is not clear whether the it was disbursed. Sri Lankas’ central bank has operated deflationary policy for over two years, leading to balance of payments surpluses. more..

Nov 7 (EN) The US has sanctioned an Indian firm which is in a consortium with a Russian firm to manage Mattala Airport, official data showed. U.S. Dept of the Treasury sanctioned India-based Shaurya Aeronautics (Shaurya) last week among 275 individuals and entities involved in supplying Russia with advanced technology and equipment that it desperately needs to support its war machine. more..

Nov 7 (AD) The leader of the Sarvajana Balaya alliance, Gampaha District parliamentary candidate Dilith Jayaweera claims that the NPP has failed to fulfil its promises to the people as they lacked the proper understanding of how to fulfil them. Jayaweera said the Sarvajana Balaya alliance is not engaging in politics based on promises and that their focus is on a type of politics that is about only speaking about what is definitely achievable. He highlighted that their wish is to provide more..

Nov 7 (Island) A MOU for the construction of a 10-storeyed building for the cancer unit at Karapitiya Teaching Hospital, Galle, was finalis­ed at a meeting held at the Defence Ministry at the DHQC in Sri J'pura, Kotte, on Tuesday. The addendum to an MOU signed between the Secretary to the Ministry of Health (MOH) and Colours of Courage Trust (Guarantee) Limited (COC) for the construction of a 10-storeyed building for the cancer unit at Teaching Hospital Karapitiya, was signed yesterday more..

Nov 7 (AD) Executive Director of the People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL) Rohana Hettiarachchi says that despite 8,888 candidates vying for positions in this year’s General Election, fewer than 1,000 are actively campaigning, reflecting a notable decline in political engagement. Hettiarachchi attributed this trend to a shifting public perception regarding the benefits of political involvement and a growing disillusionment with traditional party structures. more..

Nov 7 (AD) Sri Lanka has been voted the Most Desirable Island in the World at the Wanderlust Reader Travel Awards 2024 in London. At the prestigious Wanderlust Reader Travel Awards 2024 held in London, Sri Lanka emerged as the Most Desirable Island in the World, marking a significant milestone in its tourism recovery journey. More than 200,000 passionate travelers voted for Sri Lanka, reflecting the island’s powerful appeal and diverse attractions. more..

Nov 7 (IPS) The recent presidential election in Sri Lanka marked a series of firsts, setting it apart from previous elections. It saw a record-low number of 350,516 valid voters per candidate, implementation of the Regulation of Election Expenditure Act of 2023, and a second count of votes. Notably, there was also greater engagement from Overseas Sri Lankans (OSLs) in the country’s electoral process than at any time previously. more..

Nov 7 (CT) On World Vegan Day, SLYCAN Trust marked the completion of the first phase of its initiative Plant-Based Gastronomy: Tales of Sri Lanka’s Cultural Heritage. At a special event held at The Atrium, Cinnamon Grand Colombo, more than 100 participants came together to celebrate Sri Lanka’s plant-based cuisine and culinary heritage, showcasing how ethical, sustainable, and climate-friendly food systems can support the country’s tourism and hospitality sectors. more..

Nov 7 (TM) Minister Vijitha Herath said that certain officials appointed to the country’s foreign service on a political basis have been instructed to return to the island by 1 Dec. He claimed that the children and spouses of MPs and Ministers have also been directly appointed to positions below top diplomatic positions. He declared that such appointments would not be made in the future. “Individuals who are not part of the foreign service have been appointed as Ambassadors and High Commissioners more..

Nov 7 (AD) SL Immigration and Emigration Officers’ Association has issued a statement addressing the ongoing passport crisis in the country, citing administrative mismanagement and a lack of adequate planning as key contributors for the issue. According to the association, statements issued by other parties on the matter have often been contradictory and misleading, compelling them to clarify the real situation and advocate for more..