Nov 18 (Island) Agriculture and Wildlife and Forest Resources Conservation Ministry has decided to conduct a new countrywide census on elephants in 2023. The decision was made at the first meeting of the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Wildlife and Forest Resources Conservation at the parliament complex on Tuesday. The need for a fresh elephant census has arisen as about 12 years have elapsed since the last census. A complete census of elephants will be conducted more..

Nov 18 (Island) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe is all out to reverse people�s hard-won victories, Education Secretary of FSP Pubudu Jayagoda says. �Wickremesinghe talks about moves to introduce revolutionary changes to the country. His budget is anything but that. He repeats the criticism that progressive forces have been making for decades, but the solutions he has suggested are anti-people,� he said. more..

Nov 18 (Island) SL could file cases in Singapore over the X-Press Pearl disaster, as the owners of the shipping company were based there, or in the UK as the relevant insurance company was in London, Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ) Chairman/Senior Attorney at Law Ravindranath Dabare said. Prez Wickremesinghe has instructed Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe to file a case against the shipping company at Int'l Court of Arbitration in Singapore to get compensation. more..

Nov 18 (AD) Two individuals, who are said to be accomplices of the notorious underworld figure Uragaha Indika have been shot dead in a shootout with the STF. Meanwhile, an STF personnel has sustained injuries during the shootout which broke out at Polwatte in Minuwangoda. He is receiving medical care at the Minuwangoda Base Hospital. The deceased, who were residing in Poddala, have been identified as the gunman and the motorcyclist in the murder of a 4-year-old and his father more..

Nov 18 (CT) Coastal Railway�s lower track between Wellawatta and Colombo Fort will be closed till Monday (21), Deputy General Manager of Railways Gamini Seneviratne said. Meanwhile, the SL Railway Station Masters� Union (SLSMU) said, there will be more train delays and cancellations in the coming days. At least ten train services on the coastal line were cancelled yesterday, due to repairs on a broken train bridge and the temporary closure of line between Wellawatta & Colombo Fort. more..

Nov 18 (EV) SL�s offshore wind resource far exceeds the South Asian nation�s energy demand, and its development could help the country�s economic recovery by displacing costly fuel imports, according to the World Bank. World Bank has completed a draft offshore wind development roadmap for SL designed to evaluate the potential opportunities. There is an estimated fixed-bottom potential of 22GW and 17GW floating. The resource is based on areas without environmental more..

Nov 18 (TM) National Police Commission (NPC) offices received 1,122 public complaints against the SL Police between 1 Jan and 30 Sept 2022, with the highest number of complaints being related to incidents of police officers not acting properly in handling public complaints, the abuse of power, and showing bias when investigating complaints. Furthermore, a total of 7,356 complaints have been received to the hotline number more..

Nov 18 (Island) Frontline Socialist Party leader Premakumar Gunaratnam has called on his erstwhile colleagues in the JVP to close ranks and topple the govt. Addressing a FSP meeting held at the Kegalle Town Hall, Gunaratnam said: Both the JVP and we know what we could do together in a situation like this. People demand that we unite in this struggle. Therefore, we call on JVP comrades not to fall for the traps of the capitalist forces. We must unite to defeat this govt.� more..

Nov 18 (Island) A train running from Kandy to Colombo derailed between Peradeniya and Pilimathalawa stations yesterday morning. This was the 43rd derailment this year, General Secretary of the Railway Station Masters Union Kasun Chamara Jayasekara said. �The express train derailed at 4.47 am. This affected traffic along the line in the morning. The last carriage in the train was derailed,� he said. Jayasekara said that the train service had been restored by 12.30 pm. more..

Nov 18 (DM) Danushka Gunathilaka who was granted bail under strict conditions by a Magistrate Court in Sydney yesterday will reside in a wealthy SL citizen's house as he will have to provide an immediate local address to the Australian Police. As the bail was granted under strict conditions including a surety of A$ 150,000, sources said that a mysterious SL female who is residing in Melbourne had immediately submitted more..

Nov 18 (FT) The recent behaviour of the Govt and the oppressions directed at public protest rallies clearly demonstrated the disarray of the Govt and public dissatisfaction. It failed to listen and fulfil aspiration, and provide basic necessities which were prime responsibilities of an elected Govt. The activists of Aragalaya have demanded absolute freedom provided in the constitution which has been grossly violated by the forceful actions of the top echelon of Govt and police. more..

Nov 18 (CT) While noting that there are no constitutional obstacles to hold an election, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa stressed that the only barrier is the Govt�s fear of the election results. He said taking the Govt to the polls is like bathing a rabies-infected dog. Premadasa raised concerns in Parliament, challenging the Govt to hold an election if they have a spine. He also outlined the Articles of the Constitution concerning holding an election and requested that the country more..

Nov 18 (SLN) SL Navy conducted a special operation to chase away Indian poaching trawlers from SL�s waters on the evening of 16th Nov 2022. The operation has led to the seizure of an Indian trawler with 14 Indian fishermen poaching in the island's waters off Mamunei in Veththalakerni, Jaffna. SL Navy has stepped up its patrols and operations in SL�s waters to curb illegal fishing practices of foreign fishing trawlers. In a similar operation conducted on evening of 16th Nov, more..

Nov 18 (EN) Shares fell on Friday for a fifth straight session and closed at more than three-and-a-half month low amid negative sentiment over high taxes and fee announced in the budget and govt�s indecisive stance regarding local debt restructuring, stockbrokers said. ASPI closed 2.7% or 216.89 points lower at 7,817.89, its lowest since Aug 1. �Investors took a waiting stance till proper directions are being given and also there is no proper information regarding IMF deal as well,� more..

Nov 18 (TM) A protest is to be held in Colombo today (18), calling on Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe to not extend the detention of IUSF and IUBF Convenors Wasantha Mudalige and Ven. Galwewa Siridhamma Thera, whose 90-day detention orders under the PTA are set to expire today, despite the duo being remanded by the Colombo Magistrate�s Court yesterday until the Attorney General�s instructions are received. more..

Nov 18 (DM) The practical use of English language for first year students is scheduled to start from March 2023, Minister Susil Premajayantha said. He said this during an event held today to train teachers to implement the program at the National Institute of Education (NIE) The event took place under the patronage of the Minister. He emphasized the importance of learning English as an international link language in addition to mother tongue in moving forward with technology. more..

Nov 18 (FT) T20 World Cup winning sides have a way of declaring their right to the title in the semi-finals. Last year, Australia did it against Pakistan in their semi-final by chasing a stiff target with some delightful power hitting during the last 5 overs. West Indies did it twice in the semi-finals in 2012 (against Australia) and 2014 (against India) through brute force. This year it was England�s turn. Pakistan had a decent win against the Kiwis no doubt, but it was England who made a firm statement more..

Nov 18 (AD) Embassy of SL in Muscat, Oman says it has received an increasing number of complaints daily from SL female domestic workers who arrived in Oman. A majority of them have arrived on visit or tourist visas intending to convert them to work visas. Many of them have been trafficked by unscrupulous and unregistered agents and they have faced tremendous difficulties including various harassment, more..

Nov 18 (DM) An Attorney-at-law pleads court to postpone the trial of former Minister Wimal Weerawansa�s wife Sashi Weerawansa's case for tendering a forged birth certificate to Immigration Dept to obtain a diplomatic passport. Attorney Buddhika Chandrasekera appearing on behalf of Sashi Weerawansa during the trial made this pleading to Colombo Chief Magistrate Nandana Amarasinghe and told the Magistrate that the Counsel who defended the accused more..

Nov 18 (AD) Sri Lanka is in talks for a debt-for-nature swap deal of up to USD 1 billion in climate-focused finance, a kind of agreement discussed at the United Nations COP27 summit in Egypt, Reuters reported citing people familiar with the matter. According to the news report, such agreements are part of efforts to address an intractable quandary facing world leaders as to who would pay the bill for the global fight against biodiversity loss and climate change. more..

Nov 18 (EN) SriLankan Airlines had lost 112.8 billion rupees in the first half of the 2022/2023 financial year, which also includes forex losses. SriLankan Airline earned revenues of 170.4 billion rupees in the first half and expenditure was 284.5 billion rupees. The expenses mainly came from a significant hike in aircraft fuel price, airport, enroute, passenger expenses, and exchange loss. The exchange loss was not specified. SL�s rupee collapsed from 200 to the US dollar to 360 to the US dollar in 2022, more..

Nov 18 (DM) There is a question whether Sri Lanka�s economy is run by the govt or by an international force, solitary UNP MP Vajira Abeywardene told Parliament. He said Parliament and the govt should take control of the economy. �We will have to take control of the economy, or else the politicians will be attacked once again. We must gain control of the economy and safeguard our residences from being torched down once again,� he said. more..

Nov 18 (TM) As there is a serious shortage of pharmaceutical drugs including antibiotics and painkillers, as well as equipment, in many hospitals including the National Hospital of SL (NHSL) in Colombo, many hospitals are presently informing patients to buy most of the drugs that they need from pharmacies. Sources at the NHSL in Colombo said that there has been a shortage of several antibiotics such as Metronidazole, more..

Nov 18 (TM) A group of civil and social activists held a silent protest outside the Police Headquarters (HQ) yesterday (17), urging the Police to stop violence against the people, particularly women, and to take action against officers involved in incidents of violence. The protest, which was held last evening, was attended by the Catholic clergy and many civil and social activists including those from the aragalaya. While the protest was underway, around 50 police officers had been deployed more..

Nov 18 (AD) Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Sabry, says that it is intended to absorb forty recruits for foreign services, in batches by July. Ministerial Consultative Committee on Foreign Affairs meanwhile disclosed that there is a deficiency in the foreign service sector as recruitment for foreign service has not been made since 2018. The aforesaid was stated at the first meeting of the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Foreign Affairs held under the chairmanship more..

Nov 18 (EN) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe is likely to hold presidential election before any other polls after Nov 16 2023, three sources close to him said, as he seeks a $2.9 billion IMF loan to consolidate the economy which is on a slow recovery path from a crisis. Wickremesinghe was elected as the president in the 225-member parliament on July 19, days after former prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country fearing more..

Nov 18 (FT) Turn into Chatham Street in Colombo Fort and walk a few yards and in the vicinity of the one-time Pagoda Tea Rooms, one will find an inconsequential haunt Lord Nelson Saloon. This too is visible only if the place is open for business. Once its metal door is fastened, there is no clue to its doings, for Lord Nelson Saloon has no fancy name board like most modern day salons. A rustic dwelling which proclaims that it does body tattoos would pique the curiosity of a watchful commuter. more..

Nov 18 (DM) Thalangama Police has initiated an investigation into a brawl involving several reality TV stars including artist Lawan Abhishek�s brother Shanaka Udeesha who is featuring in a weekday leading television drama Sangeethe. Police said the brawl took place in a cafe at Pitakotte in Thalangama recently following a dispute over a request made to perform a song when one man band was performing at the cafe. The stars reportedly had started the brawl and more..

Nov 18 (AD) Singapore-based renovation and interior design company, Kreate Design Pte. Ltd. today signed a USD 1 billion investment agreement with the Colombo Lotus Tower Management Company (Pvt) Ltd. This investment agreement will see the development of water sports and an entertainment zone at the Lotus Tower in Colombo within the next six months. Lotus Tower, considered the tallest self-supported structure in South Asia and the tallest skyscraper in Sri Lanka, more..

Nov 18 (FT) The Govt this week announced several far-reaching proposals concerning the Value Added Tax (VAT) including rationalising exemptions and a new Act. As per 2023 Budget presented by President and Finance Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, a new VAT Act will be introduced consolidating the amendments introduced from the year 2002 to the year 2022. It also said exemptions specified in the First Schedule to the VAT Act will be rationalised with effect from 1 April 2023. more..

Nov 18 (EN) SL state revenues surged 38% from a year earlier to 1,448 billion rupees in the eight months to August 2022, data showed as the economy inflated in the wake of a currency collapse after two years of money printing. Tax revenues surged 35% to 1,283 billion rupees amid tax hikes and high inflation even as the real economy contracted as attempts were made to stop the currency crisis, in familiar repeated phenomenon seen in more..

Nov 18 (Island) Health Ministry officials must take steps to use Rs 321 billion allocated for health by the 2023 budget to solve the severe drug shortage, Govt Medical Officers Association (GMOA) Secretary Dr. Haritha Aluthge said yesterday. The GMOA Secretary said that there were many weaknesses in the procurement of medical supplies and these need to be addressed immediately. �The process is also too complicated and there is a great deal of corruption in the sector,� he said. more..

Nov 18 (AD) The police have fired tear gas and used water cannons to disperse the IUSF protesters in the vicinity of Flower Road in Colombo 07. The IUSF launched a protest march this afternoon, demanding the immediate release of IUSF convenor Wasantha Mudalige and IUBF Ven. Galwewa Siridhamma Thero. Meanwhile, the police blocked Bauddhalooka Mawatha ahead of the arrival of the IUSF protesters, who are planning to stage a demonstration in front of the United Nations Compound. more..

Nov 18 (TM) In response to the allegation by JVP-led NPP MP Vijitha Herath�s allegation in Parliament on Tuesday that the Arjun Aloysius-owned liquor manufacturer W.M. Mendis and Company Ltd. had not settled due tax payments to the Excise Department, Commissioner General (CG) of Excise M.J. Gunasiri confirmed that the company has been settling their due tax payments over the last two months, though he could not disclose more..

Nov 18 (TM) Minister of Education Susil Premajayantha yesterday brought to the notice of Speaker in Parliament a news website, saying that it is spreading false news in regard to Islamic textbooks for school students, to the effect that Dr. Premajayantha had allegedly approved the distribution of religious extremist books, and stressed that if the relevant news website does not stop the said reportage, he would raise a privilege issue. more..

Nov 18 (wsws) On Nov 14, tea plantation workers at the Glenugie Estate in Upcot, Nuwara Eliya, were compelled to end their 18-day strike, after the trade unions collaborated with management to sabotage their struggle against wage cuts and unbearable working conditions. About 500 workers at Glenugie and its D-side division began the strike on Oct 27, demanding that management reverse its decision to increase workloads and cut wages. They also opposed a decision by the Maskeliya more..