Nov 7 (TM) Ministry of Defence is yet to receive an official request from the Registrar General�s Dept to examine the relaxing of the controversial Security Clearance Report for foreigners to marry a Sri Lankan. �The main responsible authority is the Registrar General. So far, he has not made any request in writing for us to respond to the Registrar General�s Dept in this regard. If an official request is made, we can look into it. It is not an easy process,� said Ministry of Defence Media Spokesman more..

Nov 7 (ST) A new Bill is to be introduced in Parliament to facilitate the speedy recovery of premises given under a lease agreement and regulate collection of arrears of lease rentals. The Bill has been gazetted following cabinet approval. It also provides for the speedy conclusion of court cases related to lease of premises. The District Court after consideration of the facts, may issue a Decree Nisi to recover the possession of the premises described in the plaint together with more..

Nov 7 (DM) SL citizens woke to shocking news last morning of a national cricketer facing allegations of sexual assault in Australia during the T20 World Cup. The allegations which have rocked the cricketing world has also brought much disgrace to Sri Lanka Cricket, which continued with Danushka�s selection despite the cricketer facing an alleged dark past. Danushka is no stranger to cricket-loving citizens. more..

Nov 8 (DM) After eight Tamil detainees were released on a Presidential pardon on Oct 24, the day on which Hindus celebrated Deepavali, the Prez Secretariat had issued a statement on the matter. The statement said that three out of eight prisoners had been convicted in connection with the bomb attack targeting Prez Chandrika Kumaratunga at a rally on the eve of the 1999 Prez election, at the Town Hall Grounds in Colombo. An overlooked fact in the Statement was that four out of eight more..

Nov 8 (DM) Cricketer Danushka Gunathilake, who is accused of allegedly sexually assaulting an Australian woman, he met on Tinder was refused bail yesterday for the second time when he appeared before the court via a video link. The judge deemed him a flight risk, denying bail. Gunathilake, a top order batter, was charged with four counts of sexual intercourse without consent. A spokeswoman for Australian police earlier said that Danushka, who had met his alleged victim over social media more..

Nov 8 (CT) Over 50 people were arrested for drug related offences in October in the North, which is only the tip of the iceberg of the drug problem in the region. Several Tamil politicians have expressed concerns about increased drug use among youth and drug availability in the Northern Province, which has become a major issue not only for the Govt but also for families who are directly affected at a time when the country is facing more..

Nov 8 (CT) Parliament should serve as the focal point for the voices of the people, which implies that MPs who were elected from across the country must address the needs of the populace, regardless of their race or particular social groups. Yesterday, Veddha Chief Uruwarige Wanniyalaaththo was quoted as calling for the appointment of an indigenous representative to Parliament from the National List. Every MP should have moral integrity, respect for human rights and inherent dignity more..

Nov 8 (CT) Sooner or later, bitter truth overpowers bogus bragging. When that happens, truth unforgivingly appears in the form of anger, disillusionment, and utter hopelessness. For an ambitious politician in pursuit of power, metaphor and allegory are provocative ploys. They are designed to persuade the skeptic, mislead the foolish, appease the na�ve and mesmerize the class congenitally disposed to resist change, preserve existing order. more..

Nov 8 (TM) Sri Lanka was once identified as the centre of Theravada Buddhism. Although the country has, to a certain extent, lost that identity due to various social and economic reasons, it can achieve a lot with proper attention to improving the state of Buddhist dhamma education and its position as a Buddhist tourism destination. This is, however, a mission that should start from dhamma education in the country. more..

Nov 8 (ST) Some deranged people keep hollering that this Resplendent Isle is sadly devoid of thinkers. What unadulterated rubbish. That is an insult to the SL people. If UNP chairman Vajira Abeywardena had half a chance he would peremptorily declare them traitors. Whether he applies the term with sufficient or even meagre aforethought is, of course, another matter. Seriously, how could anybody claim that our political panorama is lacking the combined wisdom of Socrates, Aristotle, Plato more..

Nov 8 (TM) Grave allegations of child abuse are being levelled against a teacher and the principal of a school in Milleniya, Horana, and also against certain Police officers, for allegedly physically harassing and torturing several Grade Five children in the search for a lost purse belonging to the said teacher. While the people in general have already concluded that the school administration and the Police are guilty, and several probes have been commenced by Police, Education Ministry, more..

Nov 8 (DM) SL is gradually coming under the influence of the West, with the non-Western powers clearing the ground for that. China is dragging its feet on helping Lanka to get out of the debt trap. India has already done its utmost in terms of emergency assistance and is waiting to see what the rest of int'l community has up its sleeve on the issue of debt restructuring. That leaves SL with no option but to bank on the West and its institutions to help it emerge from economic rut. more..

Nov 8 (Island) It is not only disreputable characters who turn up like bad pennies; some retired public officials also do so. Former Election Commission Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya is in the news again. A few moons ago, he was seen in public holding a placard and pledging solidarity with anti-govt protesters. He became a social media sensation, but thanks to his new appointment, he has drawn heavy fire from many irate netizens for what they call his complicity in a conspiracy to postpone lg polls more..

Nov 8 (FT) Sri Lanka welcomes 8,552 visitors during the first five days of the month, driven by Russian tourists, boosting confidence among industry for a busy winter season. The boost in arrivals was largely influenced by the resumption of the Russian flag carrier � Aeroflot as well as Russia�s largest charter airline � Azur Airline. A total of 576,810 visitors have arrived in SL so far, the provisional data by the SLTDA showed. more..

Nov 8 (Island) Any type of protest, today, is met with brutal force and a campaign that systematically attacks its leaders and uses fear tactics to dissuade others. Perhaps, the biggest weapon is psychological, however; separating those who can endure the economic crisis, or even thrive during it, from those who struggle to survive. By pitting the haves against the have-nots, with firm commitments towards the more powerful former, at the expense of the latter, the govt has chosen sides. more..

Nov 8 (DM) I was going to continue with the second part of my analysis of the dilemma faced by the people�s struggle (Aragalaya), not simply to drive out the former president, but to establish a more ethical, morally and legally accountable political framework and civil society. But Wednesday�s protest by the SJB, trade unions, university students and other elements needs a comment. It was a stalemate. The police stopped the march from Maradana to Fort, but the cascade of violence everyone expected more..

Nov 8 (ST) SL born table tennis player Sanaya Buddhadasa will represent Australia in the forthcoming World Youth Table Tennis Championships, which will be held in Tunis, Tunisia from December 4 to 11. Sanaya, now 17, represented SL when she was schooling at Visakha Vidyalaya in the Under-15 category when she was still 12 before moving to Australia for higher studies. Sanaya is the current Under-17 and Under-19 top ranked paddler player in Australia. more..

Nov 8 (TM) Now that the ICC Men�s T20 World Cup campaign is over for the Lankans and the team is back in the country, it�s time to look back at how the players fared in the tournament. Kusal Mendis: 223 runs/8 innings/SR 142: Probably the most impactful player throughout the whole tournament, Kusal�s contribution with the bat at the top was seemingly essential for the success of the team. Every time Mendis failed, Sri Lanka struggled to make inroads with the bat. more..

Nov 8 (TM) The country�s key Opposition parties have alleged that the National Delimitation Committee chaired by former Election Commission Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya is a ploy by the Govt to postpone the LG elections, and urged Deshapriya to not be a partner to such a conspiracy, while Deshapriya responded by stating that he does not wish to comment on the matter, as it would be unethical to do so. more..

Nov 8 (ST) The govt has been continuing its spending spree during the first four months this year surpassing the revenue by 83% resulting in a budget deficit of Rs.524.1 billion, 0.7% higher than the Rs.520.5 billion budget deficit in the same period of 2021, the Finance Ministry fiscal position report revealed. Total expenditure amounted to Rs. 1.15 trillion reflecting a 15.2% increase in the first four months of 2022 compared to Rs. 1 trillion in the same period of 2021. more..

Nov 8 (DM) The interim budget 2022 has allocated Rs.10 billion for the Election Commission (EC) and as such the commission carries out its day to day operations as usual with the target of conducting much delayed Local Govt (LG) polls in early 2023, Chairman of the EC, S.G. Punchihewa said yesterday. �With the ample budgetary allocations, we have no financial issue at all to hold LG polls soon after the preliminary works for the election are concluded,� Punchihewa added. more..

Nov 8 (AD) A special operation conducted by the Navy in coordination with the Police Special Task Force and Police Narcotic Bureau off the Great Basses Reef Lighthouse Hambantota, led to the interception of a local fishing trawler carrying over 331kg of heroin (Including packages) and the apprehension of 6 suspects. The drug-carrying trawler and the suspects were brought to the Galle Harbour this morning (7). more..

Nov 8 (EN) Ceylon Chamber of Commerce has suggested a new way to appoint temporary secretaries, the key problem which critics had blamed for ending a once apolitical public service headed by permanent secretaries and the progressive spread of arbitrary rule. Under British system SL inherited at independence � borrowed from China�s Mandarin system � politicization of the state system was cut off at ministry secretary level through the establishment of a permanent more..

Nov 8 (FT) The diversified blue-chip Aitken Spence PLC has reported a profit before tax of Rs. 8.5 billion for the six months ended 30th Sept 2022. This is an exponential quadruple-digit growth compared to Rs. 266.7 million recorded for the same period during the previous year, Company said. Aitken Spence PLC reached an EBITDA (Earnings inclusive of equity accounted investees before interest expenses, tax, depreciation and amortisation) of Rs. 17 b for the first half of the financial year, more..

Nov 8 (FT) President Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday urged the Secretary-General of the UN and Egypt, as the head of the COP27, to summon a meeting of all Ministers of Agriculture of all the countries to assess the food requirements of 2023 and 2024 and submit a report on the food situation. President also emphasised the need to work closely with the multilaterals, sources of funding and the need to formulate a sustainable debt relief plan immediately to ensure global food security. more..

Nov 8 (ST) Party leaders will meet on Tuesday for talks on appointing members to the Constitutional Council (CC) established under the newly passed 21st Amendment. The matter is to be taken up for discussion during the Committee on Parliamentary Business meeting with Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena presiding. The CC members will be tasked with approving nominations of those who will serve as chairpersons and members of independent commissions and appointments to more..

Nov 8 (Island) Danushka Gunathilaka was denied bail yesterday in Sydney after being charged with four counts of sexual assault. Alleged incident took place in Sydney a day after SL�s penultimate Super 12 game against Afghanistan in Brisbane. The arrest was made a couple of hours after SL�s last game against England as the team returned to the hotel to pack their bags. Team was scheduled to leave hotel at 3:30 am on Sun. more..

Nov 8 (FT) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe has met newly-appointed British PM Rishi Sunak on the sidelines of the UN Climate Change Conference COP27 in Egypt. Prez Wickremesinghe also held discussions with the Special Presidential Envoy for Climate and Environment, Head of the delegation from the Republic of Korea, Na Kyung-Won. It also added that Prez Wickremesinghe also held a bilateral discussion with the Prez of Slovenia, Borut Pahor on the side-lines of COP27. more..

Nov 8 (DM) New sexual consent laws in relation to Affirmative Consent that were passed in Nov 2021 and took effect in New South Wales, Australia from June this year, will be in effect as legal proceedings take place in relation to the charges of sexual intercourse without consent made against SL cricketer Danushka Gunathilaka. Gunathilaka who was arrested at the SL team hotel in Sydney on Sunday, was denied bail by a Sydney Magistrate yesterday (7) and is to remain in custody. more..

Nov 8 (TM) The five-member National Delimitation Committee on the Demarcation of Wards for Local Authorities appointed by Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena and chaired by former Election Commission Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya, which is to submit its final report by 28 February 2023, is to meet and appoint technical committees during the course of this week. Deshapriya said that a final report on the matter will be submitted to Premier Gunawardena by February of next year. more..

Nov 8 (DM) An Independent Budget Office (IBO) is a must for the proper management and monitoring of public finance, expenditure and loans and therefore he would do all under his command to establish an IBO in a year with necessary legal power, SJB parliamentarian, Dr. Harsha De Silva said today. Until then, a secretariat on interim basis would be set up for the purpose in Parliament headed by the Director of the Economic Research Department of the Central Bank, he added. more..

Nov 8 (AD) Military Spokesman says that the situation at the Kandakadu Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre is now under control. At least 514 inmates are under Army & Police accountability, while 218 of those who were not involved in clashes have been transferred to Senapura centre. Another 211 inmates have been handed over to police for further inquiry. Further, he also stated that another 33 inmates are still reported missing. more..

Nov 8 (AP) SL's navy said Monday that about 300 suspected migrants have been rescued by Singapore authorities after their boat started sinking. Navy spokesperson said a SL citizen on the boat contacted the navy Monday and said they were in distress, and the Maritime Rescue Coordination Center in Colombo sought help from Singapore, Vietnam and the Philippines. Singapore authorities later notified SL that the people on board the boat had been rescued; were heading to Vietnam. more..

Nov 8 (DM) A beggar who died in an accident on the Puttalam-Chillaw road over the weekend had been in possession of cash amounting to Rs.135,000 and had pass books of five bank accounts under his name. The deceased was identified as Kadireshan Palamurugan (49) of Udappuwa area who had been knocked down by a motorcycle on Saturday at Anavilundawa on Puttlam-Chilaw raod. He had been admitted to the Anavilundawa divisional hospital and transferred to Chilaw general hospital more..

Nov 8 (Island) Secretary to the Finance Ministry Mahinda Siriwardena said that the ongoing investigation into the alleged Thico scam haD received the attention of the Central Bank and Monetary Board. Siriwardena, one of the five members of the Monetary Board said that the issues at hand would be appropriately dealt with. Monetary Board consists of CB Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe (Chairman of the Board), more..

Nov 8 (FT) The PIM Don and FT columnist, Prof. Ajantha Dharmasiri, has released a collection of articles he had penned to newspaper columns over a decade in printed form under the title Strategic Strides: Serene Sharing for Sustained Success. There are 30 articles in all on different aspects of strategy in this collection. They have been rewritten and updated for publishing in printed form and therefore, readers will not miss anything that relates to this subject in the current context. more..