Nov 24 (NR) Suriya is presently occupied with director Siva�s next, tentatively called Suriya 42. The project which went on the floors in August this year has already created a massive buzz among movie buffs. The makers have already concluded the first schedule of the untitled dram in Goa and Chennai, and now, the newest buzz is that the team will be flying off to Sri Lanka to film the new schedule of the movie. The shooting will take place in the forest regions of Sri Lanka. more..

Nov 24 (AD) SL Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) says that the diplomatic passport of the third secretary of the SL Embassy in Oman, E. Kushan, has been revoked. The official in question has been accused of allegedly being involved in the human trafficking racket where SL females seeking foreign employment as domestic workers had been sent to Oman on tourist visas and later used for sex trafficking. more..

Nov 24 (EN) Sri Lanka cannot rule out security threats due to the latest geopolitical development in the Indian Ocean, Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe told the parliament on Thursday. Sri Lanka is in the middle of a geopolitical cold war between India and China-led allies. Beijing has invested billions of dollars in the island nation and has strategic interests while India along with the US has raised security concerns over the increasing influence of China in the Indian Ocean. more..

Nov 24 (CT) State Minister Chamara Sampath Dassanayake, felt belittled yesterday (23) when the Speaker referred to him as an MP, and not as Minister. Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena: �MP Chamara Sampath, now your turn to speak.� Dassanayake: �I am not an MP, but a Minister now thanks to the President. Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe gave me a ministerial portfolio. Don�t you know that? So, don�t call me an MP. You should work according to the traditions of Parliament.� more..

Nov 24 (AD) The expansion of CB�s monetary base or money printing drastically reduced in the first ten months of 2021 in comparison to the entirety of 2021, the CB governor said today. According to Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe, the CB has printed money to the tune of Rs. 341 billion in 2021. However, from January to October this year, the figure dropped to Rs. 47 billion. In 2020, the monetary base expanded by Rs. 31.6 billion, more..

Nov 24 (TM) Central Bank held interest rates steady on Thursday, as widely expected, but said it expected a moderation in market interest rates in line with prevailing policy rates. Standing Lending Facility rate was held steady at 15.50% while the Standing Deposit Facility Rate was kept unchanged at 14.50%. �The Board was of the view that the prevailing tight monetary policy stance is necessary to rein in any underlying demand pressures in the economy,� the central bank said more..

Nov 24 (TM) A proposal to replace the existing Police Ordinance, No. 16 of 1865, which has been amended 37 times in the past, especially paying attention to areas such as illicit drugs, social media, human rights, and child abuse, was presented by Minister of Public Security Tiran Alles at the Cabinet meeting held on Monday and was approved by the Cabinet accordingly. Secretary to the Ministry of Public Security S. Hettiarachchi claimed that many amendments have been made in the past more..

Nov 24 (SM) A group of ten senior officials from the Singapore Ministry of Health arrived in Sri Lanka via BIA, for a study tour to recruit 4,000 SL nurses. Nipuna Thibbutumunwa, Head of Labor and Welfare at the High Commission of SL in Singapore, said this opportunity has been made available for SL nurses to enter the health sector in Singapore after 20 years. This study tour is implemented as a pilot project by the Ministry of Health of Singapore and this group of Singaporean health officials more..

Nov 24 (TM) An allocation of around Rs. 10 billion has been made in Budget 2023 for the Election Commission (EC), although the commission is unsure whether this allocation was to be utilised for the Local Govt (LG) Poll and/or any other poll to be held in the upcoming year (2023). When The Morning asked Election Commission Chairman Attorney Nimal Punchihewa as to the purpose of these funds yesterday (23), he said: �We don�t know; we requested money on an earlier occasion. more..

Nov 24 (Island) Association of Medical Specialists (AMS) has raised concerns about the budget proposal for setting up more postgraduate institutes of medicine. In a letter addressed to Prez Wickremesinghe, AMS has said that the establishment of new institutions is inappropriate and ill-timed. �A cash-strapped economy should make every possible attempt to make maximum use of available resources more..

Nov 24 (EN) SL is getting around 1.45 billion from hard goods exports and 251 million from services, a month, CB officials said as authorities started to police forex earnings during the latest currency crisis. �Export conversion we are monitoring the situation and there is a monitoring mechanism in place since July with the customs and financial floors,� Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe said. �On the information we have received not the full amount is being converted not the full amount more..

Nov 24 (AD) Ceylon Teachers� Union (CTU) stresses that if a specific dress code for teachers is made mandatory through a circular, they should be provided with an allowance. General Secretary of the CTU, Joseph Stalin stated that the govt is trying to arbitrarily change the circular that has been issued for the public sector employees to report to work in comfortable attire. If public employees are not allowed to use the opportunity to attend work in comfortable attire, then it should become more..

Nov 24 (AD) Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) disclosed that complaints against the currently suspended officer of the SL Embassy in Oman were made since February this year, however a decision on the matter has been delayed. At the Committee meeting, Additional Auditor General P.L.K Perera pointed out that on 28.02.2022, former chairman of the Foreign Employment Bureau has requested more..

Nov 24 (TM) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe has claimed that he is following in the footsteps of former Prez Ranasinghe Premadasa in privatising profit-making SOEs, in response to the Opposition�s request to sell only loss-making SOEs. �Sell ​​loss-making companies and don�t sell profit-making companies was the request by the Opposition, as well as Govt MP Mahinda Rajapaksa. However, the privatisation of State-owned companies commenced under former Prez Premadasa. more..

Nov 24 (TM) Cases relating to abductions by the LTTE during the peace process period between 2001-2006; LTTE surrenderers who were handed over to the security forces at the end of the war; fishermen that went missing in the deep seas during the war; and displaced Sri Lankans who left to India during the conflict, but went missing before reaching refugee camps, were examined during the Office on Missing Persons (OMP) sittings held in Mannar from Monday (21) to yesterday (23). more..

Nov 25 (DM) A photograph appearing recently in our sister paper The Sunday Times showed how a teacher and some students of a remote school in Puttalam were conducting traditional rites to mark the opening of a class to conduct studies for the Advanced Level Examination. This was following a request made by these students to the Provincial Governor Wasantha Karannagoda to provide them with such a facility. Requests being granted is quite rare and also not norm in education circles more..

Nov 25 (GV) Human rights defenders, journalists, families of the disappeared and people remembering their dead are continually being harassed and monitored by intelligence services, military and police in the North. Although the war ended over 13 years ago, the military and police were allocated a large proportion of the country�s budget revenue in 2023, receiving Rs. 539 billion. In contrast, the health sector was given Rs. 322 billion and education Rs. 232 billion. more..

Nov 25 (TM) Sri Lanka is in need of drastic improvements in its usage of technology, especially digital technology, to not only stay up to date with technological advancements, but also to counter inefficiencies and irregularities in existing economic service providing and production-related systems, and to streamline and expedite them. While this may be a costly and lengthy task, the country can take a number of steps more..

Nov 25 (ST) Budget 2023 delivered on Nov 14 by the Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe is �one of the best� that I have seen for decades in SL. Well, anyone or someone would find something there to disagree with. I can also provide a list of budgetary proposals from the establishment of the Dept of Cinnamon to dozens of commissions and committees plus many areas of compromises on things that would have been otherwise added to the budget. In spite of all that, it is a medium-term reformist budget more..

Nov 25 (TM) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe is under fire for his anti-aragalaya remarks, which many say is indicative of the Govt�s attitude that resulted in the increased suppression of the people�s right to dissent during the past few months. Speaking in Parliament on Wednesday (23), he asserted that no person would be allowed to launch such a movement, adding that certain individuals are claiming that they will start another aragalaya to oust the present Govt. more..

Nov 25 (CT) For students in Sri Lanka, purchasing an eraser, a pencil, a pen, a book, or a pair of shoes for the upcoming grade is no longer a possibility. Before choosing to purchase any stationery items or school shoes, parents must not only think twice but even thrice. The country has 10,155 State-run schools, of which 373 are national schools and 9,782 are provincial schools, according to information from 2020. more..

Nov 25 (TM) In order to celebrate World Children�s Day 2022, which fell on 20 Nov, UNICEF called on partners and supporters to share a positive message of equality and inclusion for every child. Given the increase of reported child abuse incidents within recent weeks and months, in comparison with previous years, SL, admittedly, has a considerable way to go before being able to endorse the above message authentically in its global rhetoric with other UN Member Nations. more..

Nov 25 (CT) Suppression does not in any manner portray democracy, yet the incumbent Govt, in a bid to follow the footsteps of the former, seems to be on a mission to suppress and silence the public. The people of this country, irrespective of their status or background came together with a common motive, over the recent past, in the name of Aragalaya and it is clear that such move was more than important at the time due to the situation the country was in. As reported in this paper on 24 Nov, more..

Nov 25 (CT) A journalist asked me; You have said that unless the Prez consents to a Constitution other than a Unitary Constitution for SL it would be purposeless having talks with Leaders of Tamil Parties. Please expand on your request. My response was; The SL Tamils of the North and East have been urging for the recognition of their traditional homelands from almost the time of Independence. During the grant of Independence, the Tamils though occupying their traditional more..

Nov 25 (ST) Kiran Vairavanathan represented Sri Lanka at the Australia Open Asian Qualifiers, held in Yokkaichi, Japan from Nov 13 to 16. SL Tennis Association (SLTA) was requested to send in four nominations for the Australian Open Qualifiers, based on their performances and rakings, but in compliance with the tournament regulations and requirements. Accordingly SLTA sent the names of Kiran Vairavanathan and Zaidh Zihar in the boys segment and girls members Sajida Razick more..

Nov 25 (CI) So, we've arrived at another ODI series. While Tests enjoy the affections of the purists, and T20s set the world alight, bilateral ODIs have become the quiet presence in the corner of the party. They used to be the cool kids, and occasionally still have their moments. But when you think of the world of cricket, these are the series that seem least likely to stimulate. Add to this the fact that SL and Afghanistan have more..

Nov 25 (Island) Television is very educational, Groucho Marx has famously said, adding that every time somebody turns it on, he goes into another room and reads a book. Parliamentary sessions are also educational in that sense; whenever they are telecast, one�s gorge rises and one swiftly switches off the tube and reads a book. But the telecast of Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe�s speech in the House on Wednesday (was different; it reminded us of a nineteenth century book, of all things more..

Nov 25 (CT) Despite arriving late for the tournament, a determined SL Tuskers will take on China in the Asia Rugby Sevens Series third-leg curtain-raiser at the Al Ain Sports stadium (UAE) on Saturday at 11.30 a.m. (SL time). The team was expected to fly to UAE three days before the tournament commenced, but due to some unforeseen issues, the Tuskers departure was delayed. Even the team was announced only a few hours before departure after a late-night drama to obtain approval more..

Nov 25 (CT) SL will be eying a winning start in their 3-match ODI campaign against Afghanistan when the two Asian rivals meet in the first encounter today at Pallekele Stadium, which is part of the ICC Super League. Both teams will look to put their best foot forward as they have plenty to gain from the series. SL is desperate for a win, as it will not only help the islanders boost their confidence but also gain some crucial Super League points, helping them towards their qualification for 2023 ICC World Cup. more..

Nov 25 (FT) SL Tea Board yesterday expressed confidence in achieving a crop of 290 million kilograms in in 2023 with revenues of up to $ 1.4 billion. During last month�s tea auction, SL recorded its highest FOB price of $ 5.72 per kilogram. With fertiliser made available to RPCs and smallholders, Tea Board expects sales to catch up and shore up external finances. In 2013, SL had recorded 340 million kilograms which was the highest ever, but the numbers have not crossed 300 mark since. more..

Nov 25 (ST) The Right to Information Commission has ordered the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) to release before Dec 1 the minutes of meetings it held to grant approval for the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine donated by China to the Chinese people here and the technical evaluation report by the expert committee on the vaccine. Issuing an order on the appeal filed by Transparency Int'l of SL, more..

Nov 25 (CI) Just a day out from the first ODI, SL have finally announced a 15-man squad for their three-match home series against Afghanistan. Four inclusions have been made to the squad that squared off against Australia earlier this year, with Dhananjaya Lakshan, Kasun Rajitha, Ashen Bandara and Lahiru Kumara earning recalls. This means there's no room for Chamika Karunaratne, Niroshan Dickwella, Nuwan Thushara, Ramesh Mendis, Praveen Jayawickrama, Jeffrey more..

Nov 25 (FT) Fastest growing telco, Airtel SL, yesterday announced another landmark agreement with the BOI that will channel foreign currency investments towards the development of national telecom infrastructure, with emphasis on expansion and optimisation of networks and IT systems. Accordingly, over the next two years, Airtel will be channelling its latest round of investments towards additional enhancements to its network, in addition to introducing significant software upgrades, more..

Nov 25 (TM) Claiming that the decision of the SLFP to suspend her party membership along with that of several others is part of a programme to auction the party to the ruling SLPP, former Prez and SLFP Chairperson Chandrika Kumaratunga said that she will continue to support anyone who will act on the genuine policies of the SLFP. Kumaratunga said that she had, despite being an SLFP patron, come to know through the media that more..

Nov 25 (FT) CB Deputy Governor Yvette Fernando yesterday said nine banks that have been identified as having asset quality stress will be reviewed soon. �It is (asset quality review) yet to start. We are in the final stage of appointing reviewers,� she said in response to a query posed by journalists at the post-Monetary Policy Review Meeting yesterday. In February, Fitch Ratings warned that SL�s banks are likely to face continued asset-quality pressure in 2022, as rising macroeconomic stresses more..

Nov 25 (TM) SLFP General Secretary and independent Opposition MP Dayasiri Jayasekara claimed in Parliament yesterday (24) that injustices caused by the system in the recruitment of qualified, degree-holding teachers had driven a teacher to attempt to die by suicide, and therefore requested Minister of Education Dr. Susil Premajayantha to provide a fair solution to the problem. �These teachers were recruited on 31 Dec 2019, but you have changed this date to 31 Dec 2022. more..