Threat to Israelis: No bombs or explosives with Lankan suspects
Oct 27 (Island) No firearms or explosives were found in the possession of three Sri Lankans arrested following intelligence reports indicating potential security threats to Israeli nationals in Sri Lanka, police sources said on Friday. According to police intelligence, Indian intelligence agencies had alerted SL authorities in early October about possible attacks on Israelis in the country. At that time, 168 Israeli nationals were present in Sri Lanka, with only four staying in Arugam Bay.
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IMF technical expert in Sri Lanka Customs to enhance administration
Oct 27 (EN) An IMF has visited Sri Lanka Customs head office and had discussions with internal and external stakeholders of Customs in a move to enhance administration, officials and IMF said, amid allegation of significant leakages in revenue from import and export businesses. SL Customs, one of the three key revenue collection bodies of the govt, has already recorded more than 1 trillion rupee revenue so far this year, surpassing last year’s record 975 billion rupees.
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Tourism sector raises concern about illegal Israeli businesses in Arugam Bay
Oct 27 (ST) This week, US Embassy issued a security alert barring its personnel from travelling to Arugam Bay and advising US citizens to avoid the area based on credible information warning of an attack targeting popular tourist locations there. UK and Australia quickly updated their travel advisories based on US alert. Then, Israel’s National Security Council called on its citizens to immediately leave Arugam Bay
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Student dies after reportedly jumping onto moving train
Oct 27 (DM) A 17-year-old student of a leading got school in Colombo 7 reportedly committed suicide by jumping onto a moving train near Dematagoda Railway station, police said. The student, a resident of Beruwala, had died on admission to Colombo National Hospital after being hit by a Colombo bound express train from Nanu Oya. Grade 12 student arrived in the Maradana area to participate in a special programme in the school. Dematagoda Police are investigating the incident.
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CEB proposes 6% electricity tariff revision for December
Oct 27 (AD) The CEB has submitted its proposal for a possible tariff revision in December to Public Utilities Commission of SL (PUCSL), marking the third quarterly review for the year. According to the PUCSL, the upcoming electricity tariff adjustment is expected to be a modest increase, anticipated at 6% across all sectors. PUCSL Director Jayanath Herath noted that a reduction ranging from 4% to 11% had initially been considered, but the current proposal suggests a moderate 6% adjustment.
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ලොහාන්ලාගේ අනතුර වීඩියෝ කළ...
Former MP Lohan Ratwatte’s vehicle involved in accident
Oct 27 (AD) A vehicle reportedly belonging to former MP Lohan Ratwatte has been involved in an accident at the Dangahamula Junction, within the Wariyapola Police Division. Following the accident, a heated altercation had reportedly occurred between local residents and the occupants of the vehicle. The disagreement soon escalated into a physical altercation, with both parties involved in a scuffle. Adding to the tension, local residents alleged that multiple weapons were found inside vehicle,
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Passing the torch; SL’s next batting dynamos
Oct 27 (Island) When we think of world-class SL batters, Kumar Sangakkara shines brightest. His numbers are simply otherworldly with a Test average of 57. That’s the stuff legends are made of. And it’s not just about the home turf heroics – Sanga’s average away from home was over 51, a feat only the finest achieve. Then there’s Mahela Jayawardene. A maestro in his own right, although he narrowly missed the 50-mark. It was a bitter pill to swallow when his average dipped below 50
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NPP wins big in Elpitiya PS election
Oct 27 (DM) The NPP has achieved a major victory in the Elpitiya PS election held on Saturday. With a strong showing, NPP secured 17,295 votes, the highest number of votes among all parties, and won a total of 15 seats. Out of 36,305 valid votes cast, the NPP gained a clear majority, while other parties like SJB and the PA won fewer seats. SJB received 7,924 votes & secured 6 seats, PA received 2,612 votes & won 2 seats.
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Coconut production hit by 40% drop
Oct 27 (ST) SL’s coconut production has seen a drop of 40% and this is notably felt at the Coconut Auction in Colombo where numbers have dwindled significantly primarily attributed to the effect of the ban on fertiliser application, white fly disease and increased exports. This significant drop in coconuts is due to the ban on fertiliser application several years back and the effect of this is being felt only now, an official at the Coconut Development Board told The Sunday Times Business.
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SL eye third ACC title against strong Afghans
Oct 27 (ST) SL ‘A’ head coach Avishka Gunawardene is optimistic about his team’s chances in today’s final of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Men’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2024 against Afghanistan ‘A’ at Al Amerat Cricket Stadium, located 15 km south of Muscat, Oman. After suffering a narrow defeat to Afghanistan in their opening group match, Gunawardene views the setback as a crucial learning experience. Team rebounded impressively, winning their next 2 group games
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පාස්කු ඉරිදා ඛෙදවාචකයට දඬුවම්...
Rowing: Royal regain Roy-Tho Regatta after five years
Oct 27 (ST) Royal College celebrated a historic victory in the 53rd Royal-Thomian Regatta, defeating their traditional rivals, S. Thomas’ College, by a significant margin of 44-8. The event, known as the world’s longest inter-school regatta, concluded at the Colombo Rowing Club at Beira Lake last evening. After a five-year gap, Royal claimed the title once again, with their last win dating back to 2019. Led by Nevan Perera, the Reid Avenue School crew dominated the competition,
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Netball: Unbeaten Sri Lanka reach third consecutive Asian final
Oct 27 (ST) Reigning Asian champions and six-time titleholders, Sri Lanka, stormed into their seventh consecutive final at the Asian Netball Championship, defeating one-time champions Hong Kong by a commanding 71-47 at the Koramangala Indoor Stadium in Bengaluru, India last evening after leading 36-21 at halftime. The undefeated Sri Lankan squad started strong, establishing an early 13-9 lead in the first quarter, with Thishala Algama accounting for most of the points.
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Lewis century gifts West Indies consolation victory in Sri Lanka
Oct 27 (CI) After a series in which they consistently failed to get the rub of the green, the stars finally aligned for West Indies as they ended their tour of Sri Lanka with a morale-boosting win. Evin Lewis, playing his first ODI since 2021, struck an unbeaten 102 off 61 balls, as West Indies chased down a DLS-adjusted target of 195 in a rain-reduced game of 23 overs with eight wickets to spare. In fact, they got required runs with an over to spare.
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New boxing champ raises eye-brows
Oct 27 (SO) Yazmin Usaith has already made waves in SL boxing, securing his place as a rising star in the sport. The southpaw from Central Province, Kandy, representing St. Sylvester’s Boxing Club, claimed the gold medal in the 2024 Layton Cup Boxing Tournament just a few days before his 20th birthday. His remarkable victory, which came after defeating seasoned SL Army boxer and international gold medalist KG Pathmasiri in the final, has put him in the spotlight.
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Final warning for Sri Lanka Rugby
Oct 27 (SO) In a significant development for Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR), World Rugby has granted an extension to hold the postponed election of office bearers or Annual General Meeting (AGM) under a new Constitution until Jan 31, 2025. The original deadline of Nov 8, 2024, was set following long-standing administrative and governance issues but became challenging to meet due to ongoing legal proceedings. The extension came in response to an appeal from SL’s Competent Authority for
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SLPP infighting comes into the open
Oct 27 (ST) Internal divisions within certain political parties are coming out in the open during the campaign for the 2024 parliamentary elections. SLPP is also facing such issues. These internal divisions came out into the open once more in an embarrassing fashion during a meeting organised in Pudaluoya on Friday evening. The meeting was held with the SLPP National Organiser Namla Rajapaksa in attendance. However, some of the party members
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A call for unity and proactive measures
Oct 27 (CT) Sri Lanka’s tourism industry appears to have faced never-ending blows to its substantial growth for the past several years. On 21 April 2019, Easter Sunday, suicide terrorist bombings that took place in three churches and three hotels in SL killed around 277 people (including 8 suicide bombers) and wounded more than 400 people as per the information provided by Police Headquarters. At least 40 foreign nationals and 45 children were reported to be among the dead.
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Editorial: Bad news on tourism front
Oct 27 (Island) The week that has passed brought bad news to the domestic tourism industry that has demonstrated some favorable arrival numbers this year despite the visa fiasco that marked the tail end of the previous regime. With the winter season approaching, hoteliers and the many others active in this industry, vital in terms of both employment and foreign exchange earnings, were looking forward to a boom in arrivals to shake off the ill effects of Covid, Easter Sunday attacks, aragalaya and more.
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අතේ රෝල් නිව්ස්
Hoppers, koththu and roti
Oct 27 (ST) My dear Dilith, I am writing to you after seeing the tricks you and others in your party are getting up to these days to try and get into the next Parliament. Paradise being a democracy, you are allowed to do so. However, the people and tactics you are using suggest that you have doubts about the intelligence of our voters. I can guess where you got this idea from. It was after you helped Gota maama win his election. Your network produced a snake from the Kelani river claiming
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Alarm over alerts
Oct 27 (ST) A cascade of Western security alerts this week hit SL’s travel industry hard, just as it was picking itself up after a protracted legal battle to restore order to the country’s tourist visa issuance system. US kicked it off on Wednesday, saying it had received credible information warning of an attack targeting popular tourist locations in the Arugam Bay area. Pointing to the serious risk posed by this threat, the US embassy in Colombo imposed travel restrictions on its personnel while
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AKD Govt completes an eventful month...
Oct 27 (TM) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD) and his Govt last week hit the one-month mark since ascending to office. A look at the first month of AKD’s work as Prez is indicative of the multiple challenges faced by the occupant of the country’s highest office as SL continues to tread on the economic recovery path. While heading an Interim Govt until the formation of a proper govt after the upcoming Parliamentary Elections,
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Prevention is better than cure
Oct 27 (TM) Israel’s unilateral war against Hamas following the terror outfit’s attack on its soil in Oct 2023 that claimed hundreds of Israeli lives as well as hostages, mostly youth attending a music festival, not only triggered direct combat in Gaza, Syria & Lebanon, resulting in extreme consequences for millions of people, but as of yesterday there is now a distinct possibility of nuclear power Iran being dragged into what is transforming into a deadly regional conflict with massive global
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US election down to the wire, Sri Lanka has turned the page
Oct 27 (Island) In about ten days, on Nov 5, the US will have its quadrennial presidential election along with its biennial House and Senate elections. The presidential election is literally down to the wire, and the two candidates, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, are fighting it out at the margins in the so called seven swing states. At the time of writing, it is a total toss up and there is no certainty about the outcome. In a presidential election year, American voters mark their ballots
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US travel advisory highlights govt’s need to strengthen diplomatic relations
Oct 27 (CT) SL’s tourism industry appears to have faced never-ending blows to its substantial growth for the past several years. On 21 April 2019, Easter Sunday, suicide terrorist bombings that took place in three churches and three hotels in SL killed around 277 people (including 8 suicide bombers) and wounded more than 400 people as per the information provided by Police Headquarters. At least 40 foreign nationals and 45 children
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Towards stability, equity & prosperity
Oct 27 (CT) The victory of NPP at the recent presidential election in SL has changed the political landscape of the country. It has given rise to the expectation of a novel and fundamentally different approach towards governance. The electorate expects the govt and the state to move away from an autocratic, nepotistic, and militaristic approach, which was the central demand of the Aragalaya movement. One of the key themes of the NPP campaign was the fight against corruption,
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Protecting tourism industry
Oct 27 (SO) Post-pandemic, SL has become a tourism hotspot, with every media outlet from CNN to Conde Nast Traveller singing the island’s praises. This is a remarkable recovery, given that three major crises – Easter Sunday attacks, the Covid-19 pandemic and the economic meltdown – dragged tourism in SL almost to zero. But SL is too good a destination to be hidden from the rest of the world. Word has got around that SL is more stable and peaceful than ever and more than 1.5 million
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'Sri Lanka met with bondholders, aims to exit default as soon as possible'
Oct 26 (Reuters) Sri Lanka met this week with its bondholders in Washington to discuss a debt exchange as SL aims to emerge from default as soon as possible, CB Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe said. He said the talks, which happened on the sidelines of the IMF/WB meetings in Washington, aim to quickly get SL out of this default category. Citibank will act as dealer manager to take charge of a consent solicitation,
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Sri Lanka to crack down on unlicenced tourist-run business amid visa overstays
Oct 26 (FT) In response to recent reports of foreign nationals operating businesses without proper authorisation and overstaying their visas, SL Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) Chairman Buddhika Hewawasam stressed that all foreign-owned tourist establishments must abide by the country’s legal framework. “If there are illegal, tourist-run businesses operating in the country, the law and order has to be enforced irrespective of nationality,” he told the Daily FT.
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McDonald’s ends franchise partnership with Sri Lankan operator
Oct 26 (NW) McDonald’s Corporation and International Restaurant Systems (Pvt) Ltd have reached a mutually agreed-upon legal settlement, officially ending their franchise relationship in SL. The agreement marks the conclusion of a partnership that saw McDonald’s operations managed locally by International Restaurant Systems (Pvt) Ltd for several years. In a joint statement, both parties expressed their gratitude to the SL public for their unwavering support
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Tourism industry unfazed by security warnings: SLTDA Chief
Oct 26 (FT) SL Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) Chairman Buddhika Hewawasam said the sector remains resilient in the face of recent security advisories issued by foreign embassies. “Although the security situation initially generated concern, the hyped-out tone has now eased with no medium or long-term impact expected on tourism industry and targets,” he said. Hewawasam believes the situation will stabilise further in the coming days.
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PUCSL seeks public input on CEB’s Expansion Plan for 2025-2044
Oct 26 (DM) Public Utilities Commission of SL (PUCSL) called for a public consultation this week, to review the Long-Term Generation Expansion Plan for the CEB, covering the 2025-2044 period. Discussions of the consultation will focus on the CEB’s plan, which analyses the electricity generation systems, projected demand growth and the suitable technologies required to meet that demand during the period. Additionally, discussions will also address the environmental challenges,
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Three cops interdicted for assaulting two youths in Pamunugama
Oct 26 (AD) Three police officers attached to the Pamunugama Police Station have been interdicted over the incident of allegedly assaulting two youths in the Pamunugama area in Wattala. A tense situation was reported near the Pamunugama Police Station last night as a group of local residents had protested in front of the station claiming that two youths arrested by its officers were brutally assaulted. On Sunday, two individuals were arrested on suspicion of breaking into a house
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