Oct 16 (DM) Govt has ruled out talks with banned Tamil diaspora groups but will instead look at engaging with others. Prez Rajapaksa had told UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres during his recent visit to the UN that internal issues of SL should be resolved through an internal mechanism of the country and that the Tamil Diaspora would be invited for discussions in this regard. Foreign Minister, G. L. Peiris, more..

Oct 16 (FT) Much is being made of the Panama Papers, Paradise Papers and now Pandora Papers, allegedly shining light on where the elites sequester their loot. With ostentatious solemnity, The Guardian writes, �The files reveal how wealthy individuals can shield their income and their assets from taxation and scrutiny by hiding them in off-shore jurisdictions more commonly known as tax havens.� In a world ludicrously held hostage by the equivalent of a median influenza strain, this surely does not more..

Oct 16 (FT) Rupa and Aruni are two middle-aged sisters, placed in two very different realities by circumstances. Aruni, a spinster, lives here, in their ancestral home in a Colombo suburb, while the other, Rupa, migrated to Australia with her family about two decades ago. With her departure, the responsibility of looking after their elderly mother fell on Aruni, here in SL. For Rupa and family that was a new beginning; the couple who were professionally qualified found suitable employment, more..

Oct 16 (ANI) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin wrote a letter to PM Narendra Modi on Friday, seeking his intervention for securing the release of 23 Indian fishermen, who were arrested by SL Navy. In a letter, CM Stalin said, "On Oct 11, 23 fishermen from the state venture into the sea for fishing. On Oct 13, the SL Navy arrested the fishermen near Parithithurai. The arrest of the fishermen is condemnable." CM requested PM Modi to find a permanent solution to the issue. more..

Oct 16 (Island) Welisara Magistrate Heshantha de Mel on Thursday granted bail to five suspects (four males and a female) taken into custody by the organised crime investigation unit of the CID over the Sathosa garlic scam. The suspects are Ranasinghage Sirimal Fernando- Senior Manager (Supply), HW Sameera � Shop Manager (Welisara), Nuwan Lakmal, Chamila Jayanti Asuramanne (Deputy General Manager Lak Sathosa � Purchasing) and Deepak Wasamji, more..

Oct 16 (EN) Director General of Health Services will issue guidelines for a COVID-19 vaccine booster shot after analysing all available data, a health official said, as int'l studies questioned the length of protection offered by Chinese vaccines. Dr Hemantha Herath said recommendations for a third dose have been issued by the Advisory Committee on Communicable Diseases to the Health Ministry, more..

Oct 16 (EN) Export Development Board said it has set up an advisory committee to find new export markets, solve issues and propose policy for the development of the sector. EDB said it will be represented by private and public sector stakeholders and govt agencies. This committee will cover 24 sectors in the market and operate for five years till 2026. �These Advisory Committees are expected to identify key market challenges and opportunities facing the industry, more..

Oct 16 (AD) Allied parties of the govt will engage in a discussion on the deal executed between the SL govt and US-based New Fortress Energy for its investment in West Coast Power Limited (WCP) � the owner of 310 MW Yugadanavi Power Plant in Kerawalapitiya. The New Fortress Energy, in a statement, said it will acquire a 40% ownership stake in the WCP and plans to develop a new liquified natural gas (LNG) receiving, storage and regasification terminal located off the coast more..

Oct 16 (DM) Prez Rajapaksa has appointed a 14-member Presidential Task Force for Green Agriculture. Prez appointed this Task Force yesterday through an Extraordinary Gazette notification, taking into consideration the need for unhygienic agro chemicals to be minimized through research and new inventions and for eco-friendly organic fertilizer production that suit the local environmental conditions to be incentivized. more..

Oct 16 (CT) As a result of illogical and imprudent policies of the Govt, which came to power riding on the trust of the new floating votes, Sri Lanka too is now floating like a ship without a captain, leader of the Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA) MP Mano Ganesan said. Addressing a Media briefing in Colombo Ganesan said, �Today the country is without an active Govt, without a leader and guide. The country is struggling with no direction and both people and rulers do not know what to do. more..

Oct 16 (ST) New dengue cases being reported from Beruwala area show a large number of young people have become victim to the mosquito-borne disease. Addressing a dengue awareness campaign, Beruwala Public Health Inspector E Tharaka Priyan urged the people to take precautionary measures to protect themselves and their children from dengue fever and take immediate medical treatment when symptoms were evident. He said in the past week alone, 6 people more..

Oct 16 (ST) Homemakers fear household expenses will be further stretched and restaurants are preparing for price increases after dominant private rice millers announced their own prices for rice, the day after controls were lifted in the wake of artificial shortages created by the trade. Also, domestic gas prices are expected to soar further. State owned Litro is demanding Rs 2,800 for a 12 kilo domestic gas canister. Colombo�s restaurant operators and lunch packet makers are considering more..

Oct 16 (DM) There is always the possibility of new COVID-19 variants entering into the country, Director General of Health Services Dr Asela Gunawardane said. �The country is now open for tourists and our harbours are back in operation. Hence, there is a risk of new variants entering into the country making things unpredictable� he told the media today. Thus, Dr Gunawardane said it is imperative that people strictly follow health guidelines and practices despite being fully vaccinated. more..

Oct 16 (CT) China�s Qingdao Seawin Biotech Group Ltd., which twice failed to pass the organic fertiliser tests conducted by SL National Plant Quarantine Services (NPQS), has already dispatched 20,000MT organic fertiliser to Colombo on the Hippo Spirit, raising the question as to who issued the import licence to the company. The vessel Hippo Spirit left for SL on 22 Sept, from China, right after the 2nd organic fertiliser more..

Oct 16 (DM) The sudden decision by the govt to stop importing chemical and organic fertilizers took place as a result of a conspiracy by MP Ven. Rathana Thera, Ape Janabala Pakshaya (AJP) National Organizer Dr. Susantha Kodithuwakku said. He said the central committee of the Ape Janabala Party had expelled parliamentarian Ven. Athuraliye Rathana from his party membership. The decision was taken while convicting Ratana Thera of four counts. A political conspiracy is going on in the country, more..

Oct 16 (DM) Public Security Minister Sarath Weerasekera said that a system will be formulated to automatically cancel the cases against police officers if the charge sheets against them are not completed within six months. Minister said that human rights cases have been filed against police officers for doing their duty and that steps would be taken to provide relief to such persons. While participating in the community police program in the Kandy District, more..

Oct 16 (AD) Venerable Athuraliye Rathana Thero, member of Our Power of People Party (OPPP), has been expelled from the party. Election Commission Chairman, Nimal Punchihewa said he was informed of the matter in writing by OPPP�s General Secretary. Rathana Thero was appointed by the Ape Jana Bala Pakshaya, also known as OPPP on December 18 last year to fill its National List parliamentary seat which more..

Oct 16 (TM) The visiting Chief of the Army Staff of the Indian Army (COAS) General Manoj Mukund Naravane together with a five-member delegation including his spouse made a field visit to Trincomalee this morning (16) as part of his five-day long goodwill tour in Sri Lanka. A statement on the same from SL Army detailed that Major General Channa Weerasuriya, the Commander Security Forces � East, together with Mrs Dhanusha Weerasuriya, extended a warm reception to more..

Oct 16 (MDI) For several years, molecular biologist Nishad Jayasundara has wondered why so many people, particularly in the dry zone of Sri Lanka, develop chronic kidney disease. While this disease affects about 15 percent of the global population, it generally occurs in people with known risk factors � diabetes and high blood pressure � but those factors for the most part are not present in people in Sri Lanka. Rather, as some recent epidemiological studies have found, the Sri Lankans, more..

Oct 16 (ST) The offshore financial world is a byzantine maze that allows clients to shield wealth from domestic tax regimes that govern the rest of us. But continuous data leaks by whistleblowers are slowly stripping away the layers to reveal just how much cash is stashed away overseas. This is a complex organ of trusts, holding companies, other entities and bank accounts. While there are legitimate uses for all of these� more..

Oct 16 (ST) Experts doing target preparations to achieve the Paris Agreement�s goals claim that falsified reports and bureaucracy are derailing their efforts to mitigate climate change. Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) refer to SL�s climate action plans to cut down greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and so on. SL released their first NDCs in 2016 with a revised version in July 2021. However, an investigation by the Sunday Times revealed that, despite highly-praised and more..

Oct 16 (CT) The World Bank (WB) in a publication titled SL Poverty Update released on Wednesday said SL�s poverty line is outdated and also said that the island�s� poverty percentage is nearly 3 times more than the official poverty percentage, according to WB computations. While the official poverty percentage places the number of SL�s poor at 4.1% of the total population, however, the WB places this number at a higher figure of 11.7%, with 500,000 of the country�s population more..

Oct 16 (SLN) A squadron of the Russian Navy�s Pacific Fleet which included the Corvette Gremyashchiy and submarines �B � 603� and �B � 274� arrived at the Colombo harbour today. Sri Lanka Navy welcomed the visiting ships in precision with naval traditions as they arrived at the port of Colombo. The Russian Navy�s Pacific Fleet squadron which arrived in Colombo for replenishments includes the Corvette �Gremyashchiy� - a 107m long platform. more..

Oct 16 (ST) A common bird found in coastal SL during the early part of the year has for the first time been tracked on its heroic flight high above the Himalayan mountains after being fitted with an electronic tag by researchers in Mannar. �The tagged brown-headed gull crossed the Himalaya range flying at an altitude of 18,153 feet (5,533m). It had to fly even higher on its last stretches of the flight over the Tibetan Plateau, reaching heights of 21,140ft (6,443m)� researcher more..

Oct 16 (Island) In spite of the ongoing financial crisis taking a turn for the worse, the SLPP govt intends to allocate Rs 100 mn to each MP, Rs 20 mn to each former Provincial Council member and Rs 4 mn each to Local Govt members through Budget 2022. SLPP Chairman and Foreign Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris and Aviation Minister Prasanna Ranatunga, who is also the Gampaha District SLPP leader recently, announced plans to release more..

Oct 16 (CI) SL may have had a horror year in terms of squad building and preparation, and the biggest tests undoubtedly lie ahead, but that has failed to dull captain Dasun Shanaka's optimism ahead of the Men's T20 World Cup. Drawing parallels to the vintage side that won the 2014 tournament, SL captain feels that his current side has similar depth and variety, something he believes could see them potentially go more..

Oct 16 (CT) A Cabinet Paper to clear the 725 acres of the defunct Kankesanthurai (KKS) Cement Factory and calling the military to vacate the 185 acres of the land they occupy on the premises has been approved. Chairman of SL Cement Corporation Gamini Ekanayake said after the Cabinet Paper was approved on 8 Feb this year, work had begun to clear over 100 buildings and remove old machinery to be sold after calling tender. He said although the military was not told to more..

Oct 16 (CT) Waste management remains a significant issue in SL as almost 80% of Sri Lankans burn or dump their garbage, the World Bank (WB) said. The WB, in a publication titled Sri Lanka Poverty Update said, nationally, only 22% of households have their trash collected by a garbage truck. Most often, garbage is burned (44%) or dumped within the premises (28%), it said. The burning or dumping of waste can have a detrimental impact on the environment and more..

Oct 16 (CT) The Govt has ordered all its Cabinet Ministers, State Ministers, Ministry Secretaries and Heads of Departments to refrain from undertaking any official, unofficial or private overseas tours from 12 Nov to 10 Dec. This is in view of the presentation of the 2022 budget to Parliament on 12 Nov and the vote taken at the end of its third reading on 10 Dec. These details had been conveyed to all Ministry and State Ministry Secretaries by way of a circular more..

Oct 17 (CT) After two years of (a) mismanaging the economy with unstructured and whimsical policies, arising mostly from thought bubbles, and blaming Covid-19 for the disaster resulting from them, (b) handling the pandemic itself with limited success, because of callous and arrogant disregard for expert advice, (c) bungling the country�s foreign policy with an ultra-Chinese bent, (d) destroying the nation�s parliamentary democratic heritage and freedom, (e) trampling human rights, and more..

Oct 17 (CT) It was 50 years ago, on 2nd Oct 1971, that the Governor-General, William Gopallawa, assented to the Bill that sought to abolish the Senate, the upper chamber of the Parliament of Ceylon. It was an event that was precipitated by the Senators themselves. The Senate was one of the five constitutional safeguards that were included in the 1946 Constitution in order to remove the fear of domination and oppression by a permanent and unassailable majority which more..

Oct 17 (SO) Minister Johnston Fernando said increase in the prices of some consumer items would only be a temporary issue, hoping that this situation would change within the next few weeks. Mister said the Govt will have to take crucial decisions if attempts are made by unscrupulous traders to exploit the consumers due to the removal of price control. He said as the Covid-19 pandemic is under control, more..

Oct 17 (SO) The warning by Prez Vladimir Putin of Russia on Thursday that crude oil prices could soon reach the US$ 100 per barrel mark has sent shockwaves among the leaders of all countries and top economists. One cannot ask for a more authoritative source for such a prediction, as Russia is one of the top oil producing countries with vast reserves that could last for around 100 more years. This is not the first time that this prediction has been made, but Putin is the first Head of State more..

Oct 17 (ST) Govt forewarned it was coming, and on this rare occasion kept its word as well, hitting the people right in the stomach with unprecedented price hikes on essential food items and consumer goods. And now, the public is told, there�s more to come. Removing price controls had to be done because traders were running rings round the authorities. From rice to milk foods, Govt lost the battle to rein them in. The Consumer Affairs Authority that is expected to protect more..

Oct 17 (FT) Sarvodaya Development Finance Chairman Channa de Silva discusses the vision behind the activities of, and values embodied by SL�s first dedicated development finance institution. Q: What is the main purpose of Sarvodaya Movement and what were the values that the organisation was built upon? A: Over 62 years ago, Dr. A.T. Ariyaratne first saw the disparity prevailing at remote villages, in terms of caste and more..

Oct 17 (Island) Journalists the world over are familiar with an expression worn thin over decades and more: yesterday�s news is only fit to wrap the fish in! That�s exactly what�s happened to the Pandora Papers that made big news a few days ago in this country and many others globally who�s leaders/citizen had been fingered. A week later, with three weeks yet to go for the CIABOC to respond to Prez Rajapaksa�s one month�s deadline for a report, , the whole business is nearly forgotten. more..

Oct 17 (Island) One of the most fascinating things about politics is how a common enemy unites groups that otherwise hold diametrically opposed views. I am not suggesting that the JVP is such an enemy, nor am I implying that their dislike of it has united the SJB and the SLPP. But reading between the tweets, Facebook posts, and even political commentaries, I can only conclude that the resurgence of the JVP has generated a mutual aversion to its policies, personalities, and more..