Nov 16 (CT) In the backdrop of a power and energy crisis in the country, CEB is rather quick to burden the consumers � who are already struggling with economic hardships � with one tariff hike after another but turns a blind eye towards corruption and irregularities within; evident by the latest mobile generator fraud. According to CEB officer, 50 mobile generators were imported by CEB to ensure uninterrupted power supply during dry season, but they are yet to be utilised efficiently. more..

Nov 16 (ST) Uni of Jaffna Teachers� Association (UTA) was, this week, forced to withdraw a statement it had released underscoring the importance of freedom of speech, intellectual debate and ideas exchange within the institution. UTA Executive Committee released its statement after Uni of Jaffna capitulated to a section of undergraduates and cancelled a scheduled speech by lawyer Swasthika Arulingam on the grounds that she had more..

Nov 16 (CI) New Zealand had no business giving India the nervous moments they did in a defence of 397 but India eventually made mockery of the supposed knockout pressure as they waltzed into the final, now one step from possibly the most dominant World Cup campaign. The average victory margin for them now is 175 runs, 6.4 wickets and 64.4 balls remaining. Australia's 2007 triumph was 147.67 runs, eight wickets and 89.2 balls remaining. In doing so, Virat Kohli went to more..

Nov 16 (SO) South Asia�s first revolving restaurant on a tower will open early next month on the 27th floor of the iconic Lotus Tower in Colombo. It will be operated by Citrus Leisure which won the tender to manage three floors of the tower following an agreement with Colombo Lotus Tower Management Company Ltd. They will also operate two banquet halls on the 26th floor and have some other entertainment options on the 25th floor, said Director, Marketing, Citrus Leisure, more..

Nov 16 (FT) Planters� Association of Ceylon (PA) called for urgent and broader collaboration across domestic and regional stakeholders to develop new solutions to combat the unabated outbreak of Pesta Circular Leaf Spot disease that is decimating the Sri Lankan rubber industry. While regional plantation companies and the Rubber Research Institute of SL (RRISL) have actively collaborated to tackle the fungal disease ever since the first cases were reported in 2019, more..

Nov 16 (FT) Party Central Committee Member Dr. Bui Van Nghiem will be leading a high-profile 35-member delegation to Sri Lanka on a 3-day visit starting from 16 Nov to further strengthen and deepen the bilateral relations between SL and Viet Nam in spheres such as trade, tourism, industry, agriculture, culture, education, investment and other commercial and economic activity, amongst others. The leader of the delegation, Dr. Bui Van Nghiem is also a senior member of the apex body more..

Nov 16 (TM) A financial advisory institute to Sri Lanka for the debt restructuring with the foreign creditors, Lazard, is advised not to divulge any details of the agreement between the Govt of SL and China EXIM Bank without the consent of the Chinese Govt, SJB MP and economist Dr. Harsha de Silva, revealed yesterday. Speaking in Parliament, he stated: �We have not been updated on the restructuring talks between SL and China. more..

Nov 16 (FT) Bank of Ceylon (BOC) said it concluded the third quarter of 2023 on a positive note, demonstrating resilience in a challenging economic environment. Bank�s PBT stood at Rs. 22.6 billion, supported by a 20% increase in interest income. However, interest expenses outpaced growth, leading to a 53% decline in net interest income compared to Q3-2022. This reflects the Bank�s prudent approach of not transferring the full impact of interest rate hikes to its customers, more..

Nov 16 (DN) A delegation of Sri Lankan boxing coaches set off yesterday for Patiala, India, to partake in an exclusive training program led by esteemed boxing coaches. The event, scheduled from November 18 to 25, will convene coaches from various Asian countries at the Nethaji Subhash National Sports Institute. Prior to their departure, the Sri Lankan coaches engaged in a rigorous 17-session online training program, preparing themselves for the intensive course in India. more..

Nov 16 (FT) An expert panel shared insights into the positive and negative aspects of the 2024 Budget during the annual post-Budget forum jointly organised by the Daily FT-Colombo Uni MBA Alumni Association. Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe was the Chief Guest. Panel featured John Keells Holdings Chairperson Krishan Balendra, Standard Chartered Bank CEO Bingumal Thewarathanthri, World Bank Country Manager Chiyo Kanda, more..

Nov 16 (TM) A group of residents of the Kurunegala area and Young Journalists' Association of SL (YJASL) are to lodge complaints with the IGP and Human Rights Commission of SL (HRCSL) against the Police Station at the BMICH and Right to Information (RTI) Commission, for allegedly blocking them from handing over a set of RTI appeals to the Commission yesterday. A group of people whose houses have been damaged during the construction of the Central Expressway had made more..

Nov 16 (DM) While SL is facing a significant dengue outbreak with cases soaring, the Public Health Inspectors� Union has decided to stay away from dengue control activities from yesterday. PHIU Executive member Roshan Kumara said the decision had been made in protest of the failure of the authorities to respond to their grievances. According to the Executive member, one of the key concerns is the failure to increase the mileage rent & transport allowance provided for field duties. more..

Nov 16 (DM) Due to visual stress or diseases like diabetes or cataracts, there is a vast increase in myopia among children as well as adults, Senior Optometrist Chanaka Weerasundara said. After an event to conduct their annual free eye check-up camp at the Colombo Public Library to mark World Diabetes Day, Weerasundara said that with a recent study estimating that on average 30% of the world is currently myopic and by 2050, almost 50% will be myopic, it will be a staggering 5 billion people. more..

Nov 16 (FT) National Development Bank announced enhanced income and profitability during the nine months ended 30 Sept. Bank continued to adopt prudent measures in balance sheet management in line with the external developments which affirmed sound returns, optimum liquidity and capital adequacy. NDB�s Director/CEO Dimantha Seneviratne stated that the Sri Lankan economy is emerging well from the crisis and the Bank is recording similar performance. more..

Nov 16 (TGH) As Sri Lanka recovers from its worst-ever economic crisis, one of the surprising outcomes may be improved public health if lawmakers there abide by the adage Never let a good crisis go to waste. The backstory may be familiar: in 2022, for the first time in its history, SL failed to make interest payments on its foreign debts. Soaring inflation and scarcities of essential goods led to large popular protests and ultimately more..

Nov 16 (DN) Ananda College proudly opened its doors to a brand-new Boxing Ring. The inauguration ceremony was led by Dian Gomes, President of SL Amateur Boxing Association, and attended by Defence Secretary Kamal Gunaratne in a historic event held yesterday. This marks a significant step for Ananda College, known for producing two Olympic boxers in the past. State-of-the-art Boxing Ring reflects Ananda College�s commitment to fostering boxing talent and producing more..

Nov 16 (DN) Since the Railway Department was initiated and rail services started over 160 years ago, Sri Lanka has been importing train tickets from Japan, Germany and many European countries annually spending millions of dollars. In a bid to stop this �Dollars drain for the import of rail tickets� a Sri Lankan entrepreneur, Udaya Gunaratne has designed the world�s first rail ticket using recycled paper and agro seeds. �If you want you can discard or plant it!� more..

Nov 16 (DN) A student died after sustaining heavy injuries when the wall of a school collapsed in the Weragoda area in Wellampitiya yesterday. Six more students who had also sustained injuries due to the school wall collapsing on them had been admitted to hospital, and one student was reported to be in critical condition, police said. Five of the injured students have been admitted to the Colombo National Hospital, while one child has been transferred to the LRH. more..

Nov 16 (AD) From record-breaking temperatures to increasing extreme weather events, in 2022 alone Asia recorded 81 weather, climate and water-related disasters which directly affected more than 50 million people, costing USD 36 billion in economic damages, according to the World Meteorological Organisation�s State of the Climate in Asia report. The global landscape is changing dramatically with the climate crisis becoming the new normal. Sri Lanka too is reeling from multiple crises and more..

Nov 16 (FT) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday gave a pragmatic perspective of the dynamic nature of the 2024 Budget, stressing its task as a flexible framework for the future rather than rigid estimates. Delivering the keynote address at the annual post-Budget forum jointly organised by Daily FT and Uni of Colombo, he expressed a pragmatic outlook, recognising the need for change influenced by externalities. more..

Nov 16 (DN) MP Champika Ranawaka said in Parliament that the Inland Revenue Dept (IRD) has not collected nearly one trillion rupees in taxes. He indicated that only 50% of the tax revenue has been collected. MP revealed this during the debate on the second reading of the budget. MP Ranawaka also said that at present, raising taxes without collecting those taxes will cause a social disarray. This country cannot afford major road constructions. US$ 1650 million is expected as a loan. more..

Nov 16 (DM) Attorney-at-law Kalinga Indatissa (PC) informed Maligakanda Magistrate Lochani Abeywickrama that the mastermind of the case of importing substandard vials of immunoglobulin and distributing them to govt hospitals is in the cabinet and challenged the CID to arrest him if they can. Attorney-at-law Indatissa who represented the suspect in this incident also said that no matter what the court thinks, the two people involved in this crime would not be arrested by the police. more..

Nov 16 (TM) The lawmakers should make laws to bring stolen assets which have been parked outside of the country back to Sri Lanka as such a move alone could make the country financially stable, claimed TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran. He expressed these views in Parliament yesterday during the second reading debate of the Budget for 2024. Speaking further, MP Sumanthiran noted that the Supreme Court (SC) could have ordered more..

Nov 16 (DM) Kalutara South Police arrested a three-wheeler driver and a woman following a complaint over an alleged kidnapping of a female school student. However, the main suspect, a 16-year-old male school student has managed to escape the area. Incident unfolded when the female school student had been forcibly taken into a three-wheeler by the male school student in the Heantiangala area of Kalutara. Another schoolgirl, who witnessed the incident, intervened and boarded more..

Nov 16 (FT) Microfinance and Credit Regulatory Authority mooted first in 2012 as the Microfinance Regulatory and Supervisory Authority (MRSA) has seen daylight. But could it be the solution it is purported to be, i.e., regulate money lending and microfinance business and provide protection for the customers of money lending and microfinance business? While the socio-economic and political crisis that microfinance lending created remains unaddressed, the regulatory-supervisory more..

Nov 16 (AD) The Ministry of Education has directed the relevant authorities to carry out an investigation into the tragic incident of a primary student being killed and several others being injured after a wall at a school in Wellampitiya collapsed on a group of students yesterday. Accordingly, Education Minister Susil Premajayantha has instructed the officials of the Zonal Education Office to conduct an investigation regarding the matter and to provide an immediate report. more..

Nov 16 (DM) Judging from the pellets found in the head of the elephant recovered from Kirindi Oya at Thelulla colony in Kudaoya, wildlife conservators have decided that the jumbo had been shot dead. Assistant Wildlife Conservator, Southern Province, Upul Indrajith, said two pellets had been recovered by the Veterinary Surgeon, who performed the postmortem examination. Preliminary investigations have revealed that the jumbo had been shot dead, cut into pieces, and dumped in the river. more..

Nov 16 (ABC) A retired police commander has shed new light on claims that the former SL govt may have colluded with a terrorist group for political gain, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of people, including Australians, in the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings. The attacks by Islamic state-inspired terrorists on churches and luxury hotels killed 269 people including two Australians and injured about 500 other people. more..

Nov 16 (FT) Until Oct 7 there was a symbiotic relationship between Netanyahu and Hamas � a fact hidden from the public. Hamas was created and nurtured by Mossad to checkmate Mahmoud Abbas and prevent the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) from creating an independent and sovereign Palestinian state. Hamas was funded by Netanyahu govt in several ways, and one of them was to permit Hamas sympathisers and members to work in Israel, & paid handsomely. more..

Nov 16 (AD) Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa has assured his support towards the successful implementation of the 2024 Budget. Emphasising that the SLPP is a political party associated with the govt, Rajapaksa assured that the political party will not act in a manner that would hinder the success of the 2024 Budget. Rajapaksa made these statements while responding to questions raised by the media after worshipping the Temple of the Tooth Relic (Sri Dalada Maligawa) in Kandy. more..

Nov 16 (TM) The country�s fate could have been very different from what we experience today if the Executive Presidency had been abolished, opined the Minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe. He that the Supreme Court (SC) has given judgments regarding the conduct of almost all the living former Presidents including Chandrika Kumaratunga, Mahinda Rajapaksa, Maithripala Sirisena and Gotabaya Rajapaksa, which makes it clear more..

Nov 16 (EN) Sri Lanka needs to protect its daily wage earners and domestic workers, and allow them to join retirement funds such as the EPF and ETF, and access other worker benefits, Labor Minister Manusha Nanayakkara said. �We suggested a social security system for all working people,� Nanayakkara said at an event titled Garu Saru where he met with domestic workers. �We did the necessary preliminary work and we have even obtained the necessary basic approvals.� more..

Nov 16 (AD) State Minister Ranjith Siyamabalapitiya says that if the 2024 Budget presented to the parliament by the govt is somehow defeated, it will only be a step backwards for SL, and warned that it could possibly lead to another Aragalaya struggle in the country. Responding to questions raised by media when the Minister visited Orugodawatta Customs Inspection Terminal, Siyambalapitiya stated that he personally does not believe that any MP in the Parliament wants that to happen again. more..

Nov 16 (EN) European Union (EU) Delegation to Sri Lanka launched its Let�s Go Green campaign last month. Over the last six weeks, the campaign showcased examples of what responsible green behaviour means in practice. �Now more than ever, our growth has to become green to be sustainable. We are committed to continue working with our partners in support of this transformation towards green and inclusive growth� Carmen Moreno, EU Ambassador to SL and the Maldives was more..

Nov 16 (CT) The Medical and Civil Rights Professional Association of Doctors (MCPA) lamented that the 2024 Budget Proposals had not recognised health priorities, such as the state of malnutrition in the island. MCPA President, Dr. Chamal Sanjeeve, referring to the Budget Proposals for 2024, presented on Monday, said it was regrettable that there were no welfare proposals which could at least remedy certain health related issues such as acute malnutrition among more..