Nov 3 (DN) Police Special Task Force has uncovered that the underworld criminal who was arrested at the BIA on Wednesday arrived from Sharjah with the intention of killing a businessman in Attanagalle and fleeing back to that country again. A senior Special Task Force officer stated that this criminal named Roshan Chaturka alias Charika, said to be a contract killer for Makilangamuwe Sanjeeva�s gang, had come to Sri Lanka in preparation for this murder, according to a cash contract. more..

Nov 3 (DN) The seventh anniversary celebration of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) will be held today. Giving priority to religious ceremonies, the Party�s anniversary celebration will be held today under the Leadership of SLPP Leader, former Prez Mahinda Rajapaksa and founder Basil Rajapaksa at the Party�s head office at Nelum Mawatha in Battaramulla. There will be a Dhamma sermon with the participation of 100 Buddhist monks tonight and an alms giving to Maha Sangha tomorrow. more..

Nov 3 (DM) Recording the highest number of quality failures of drugs in a year, a total of 100 drugs have failed quality tests so far in 2023, according to Health Ministry. Of the drugs that had failed quality tests, about 52 were manufactured in India, while 40 drugs were locally produced and the others had originated from countries like China, Pakistan, Japan and Bangladesh etc. Among the drugs identified as having failed the quality tests, some have been withdrawn, withheld or discontinued. more..

Nov 3 (DM) Following the acquittal of former Director CID of all charges filed against him by the Colombo Crime Division, it has come to light how SL Police blatantly harassed and penalised the Senior Police Officer who they believe is a threat to their masters- the rulers in power. SL Police have come under severe criticism for framing baseless allegations against the most senior investigator in the Dept who fearlessly more..

Nov 3 (DM) A woman taken into custody on suspicion of causing serious injuries to her husband�s genital organ with an areca nut cutter was produced before A'pura Chief Magistrate and Additional District Judge Nalaka Sanjeewa Jayasuriya and released on personal bail of Rs. 200,000 with two sureties. The suspect, Darshika Disanayake was a resident of Yahalegama in A'pura. Magistrate ordered police to refer the suspect woman to a psychiatrist at A'pura Hospital more..

Nov 3 (DM) Several important documents at the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) have been reportedly destroyed, the Society of Government Pharmacists alleged. Its President Thushara Ranadeva said that NMRA CEO Dr. Vijith Gunasekera has intervened in the destruction of these documents. �The CEO has been disposing of certain files that belong to the NMRA. Last night (01), the CEO visited the NMRA premises and eliminated some files using a paper cutter. more..

Nov 3 (FT) SJB Deputy General Secretary Mujibur Rahman slammed power & energy sector regulator, Public Utilities Commission of SL (PUCSL), characterising it as a mere puppet under the control of the current Govt. As a result, he called for the dissolution of the PUCSL in the public interest. �PUCSL�s primary purpose is to evaluate the fairness of energy and power tariff increases before granting approval. more..

Nov 3 (FT) Dear Mr. Prez, I had the opportunity to watch your recent interview at the 3rd Annual Indo-Pacific Islands Dialogue in Sep. 2023 hosted by a US think tank on the global politics in the Indo-Pacific region. It was OK at the first glance, but at a closer inspection, it was very painful to watch. Constantly breaking eye contact with the host and making your trademark hand gestures, you unfortunately failed to portrait that SL is a serious country with serious ambitions. more..

Nov 3 (TM) Sri Lanka is witnessing an increasing trend of road accidents reported daily. According to Police data, six persons on average die in road accidents in Sri Lanka per day, meaning that every four hours, one death is reported, at least three seriously are injured, and four persons require treatment for minor injuries. As per the country analysis, road accidents rank ninth among the leading causes of death in SL. A research paper published in South Asia Economic Journal more..

Nov 3 (AD) Inspector General of Police (IGP) C. D. Wickramaratne has been granted yet another service extension, Sri Lanka Police confirmed. Accordingly, Wickramaratne, on Friday was granted a further three weeks to serve as the IGP, Police Spokesman SSP Nihal Thalduwa stated. The current police chief was previously granted service extensions on three occasions, with the most recent one in October. Wickramaratne was supposed to retire from police service on 26 Mar, 2023. more..

Nov 3 (EN) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe said the government is committed to providing Malaiyaha Tamils with land titles and ensuring their right to education. �The current govt�s policy to uphold the rights of all SL citizens, regardless of their background,� Wickremesinghe was quoted as saying at the Naam Irannura (We are 200) event. The Naam Irannura event held at Sugathadasa stadium yesterday commemorated 200 years since the Indian Origin Tamils arrived in SL from India. more..

Nov 3 (DM) Sri Lanka perhaps does not have the best of memories playing at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The pictures of Sri Lanka not being able to clinch their second 50-over World Cup 12 years ago, would forever haunt the SL fans - that memorable M. S. Dhoni sixer off Nuwan Kulasekara, Yuvraj Singh bursting into tears of joy may have been played on the television thousands of times since then, more..

Nov 3 (PMD) In a significant diplomatic exchange, President Yoon Suk Yeol of the Republic of Korea expressed his deep appreciation for the fruitful discussions held with President Ranil Wickremesinghe. Their meeting took place on September 18th, in conjunction with the High-level Meetings of the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. President Yoon Suk Yeol lauded the meeting as a vital step in fortifying the bilateral relations between the two nations. more..

Nov 3 (CT) Govt Medical Officers� Forum (GMOF) doctors have pledged to throw their weight behind the spate of strikes, being conducted by the Govt Medical Officers� Association (GMOA), in the provinces from today (3), stating that it is not justifiable for the government to impose harsh taxations on medical practitioners. GMOF President Dr. Rukshan Bellana said his union members would support the series of strikes being carried out in the provinces during the next few days. more..

Nov 3 (EN) Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa has accused the govt of shrinking the economy through its proposal to increase VAT to 18%, claiming that it will reduce spending and investments. He said Sri Lanka is experiencing a shortage in both dollars and rupees. �This is a problem. But it can be resolved through economic growth, not through economic shrinkage,� he said. �This govt is shrinking the economy. more..

Nov 3 (DM) SL national, who was believed to have been taken hostage by the Islamic militant group Hamas in Palestine, has been confirmed dead, according to the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Tel Aviv. The Sri Lankan Ambassador to Israel, Nimal Bandara, stated that the death of 48-year-old Sujith Bandara Yatawara was confirmed by the Interpol branch of the Israel Police. This confirmation came after DNA samples provided by Bandara's children were matched with an unidentified body. more..

Nov 3 (AD) A helicopter carrying President Ranil Wickremesinghe was reportedly forced to land at a school playground in the Wellawaya area on Friday (03), Ada Derana learns. Accordingly, the Head of State was on his way to Welimada, when the helicopter he was travelling in made an emergency landing at the playground of the Baduruwagala Maha Vidyalaya in Wellawaya. The emergency landing was reportedly a precaution taken against the sudden change in weather. more..

Nov 3 (CT) Current levels of obesity and wasting among children in SL have exceeded two per cent of the school-age population, reaching a point that can be classified as a public health emergency by current standards, Dr. Ayesha Lokubalasuriya, Head of the School Health Unit at the Family Health Bureau (FHB) revealed. She made this revelation during a recent media briefing. Dr. Chithramalee de Silva, Director of Maternal and Child Health of FHB, addressed the issue of wasting and obesity more..

Nov 3 (DM) The Grama Niladhari Exam will be conducted in the first week of December to fill three thousand Grama Niladhari vacancies, PM Dinesh Gunawardane said. He said all those appointments would be finalised within three months. "The Grama Niladhari exam will be conducted in the first week of December. Applications have been invited for about three thousand Grama Niladhari vacancies. Legally, all the applicants will have the opportunity to participate in the examination. more..

Nov 3 (FT) Unity Plaza, the iconic commercial building in the heart of Colombo, has undergone a remarkable transformation, cementing its status as the country�s ultimate one-stop shop for all IT requirements. This visionary, trailblasing journey of renewal and innovation was spearheaded by Lanka Realty Investments PLC, subsequent to its acquisition of a 51% stake in On�ally Holdings, the owner of Unity Plaza, more..

Nov 3 (EN) Sri Lanka�s economic model would be built on competitiveness, digital transition, energy transition and the transformation to a green economy, its president said. The country plans to establish an International Climate Change University (ICCU) for which the govt has allocated 600 acres overlooking the Kothmale reservoir. The ICCU would be an international stakeholder university rather than a solely Sri Lanka institution, the president said at the first International Climate Change Forum more..

Nov 3 (DM) GMOA has decided to suspend the provincial-level trade union action with effect from today. The decision has been taken in light of the inconvenience faced by the patients and the positive response with regard to a meeting with the Prez on Nov 9. However, the GMOA stressed that it continues to withdraw from mobile ambulance services for VIP health security operations until further notice and also withdraw from other non-related duty activities, including more..

Nov 3 (TM) Claiming that none of the promises made by Prez and National Policies Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe with regard to the Tamil community has been fulfilled, TMTK Leader and Jaffna District MP C.V. Wigneswaran said that they are extremely disappointed in the former�s behaviour. Prez had been pledging in recent times to resolve the issues faced by the Tamil community, particularly in the N&E Provinces, more..

Nov 3 (PMD) President Ranil Wickremesinghe issued a gazette notification appointing a 10-member commission of inquiry headed by retired CJ Priyasath Dep PC to obtain and submit information, investigate, inquire into and examine all existing election laws and regulations and make necessary recommendations for the amendment of election laws. Prez issued the Gazette notification to establish a commission with the mandate to propose revisions to electoral laws that align with more..

Nov 3 (FT) State Minister for Investment Promotion Dilum Amunugama said yesterday that exports and export-related investments remain the silver lining for Sri Lanka in overcoming the fiscal crisis and realising sustained economic growth. Speaking at the 23rd Exporters� Forum organised by the Export Development Board (EDB) yesterday, he stressed that exports and investments focused on exports stand as the linchpin behind Sri Lanka�s ongoing economic recovery efforts. more..

Nov 3 (AD) The national cricket governing body has called for an urgent and comprehensive explanation from the entire coaching staff and selectors after India demolished the Lions by a massive 302 runs in the ODI 33 of the 2023 ICC Men�s Cricket World Cup played at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday. In a statement, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) expressed its deep concern and disappointment over the performance of the national team during the ongoing World Cup 2023, particularly more..

Nov 3 (DM) The FCID has arrested five directors associated with Onmax DT on charges related to illegal pyramid schemes. These arrests are a result of ongoing investigations into the company's involvement in such schemes, police said. The suspects are to be produced in court today. Previously, the Colombo Chief Magistrate had issued orders instructing the land registrar to immediately prevent the sale or transfer of eight properties valued at 88.8 million rupees, more..

Nov 3 (PMD) In a significant event held in Colombo, the exchange of bilateral documents took centre stage, marking the initiation of projects supported by a generous USD 15 million grant from the Govt of India. This grant is specifically allocated to bolster the longstanding Buddhist connections between India and SL, underscoring the deep historical and cultural ties that bind these two nations together. more..

Nov 3 (AD) Plans are afoot to make more than 8,000 non-permanent state employees permanent employees of the state sector, State Minister Janaka Wakkambura revealed. Speaking at a press conference held at the PMC on Thursday, State Minister for Provincial Councils and Local Govt revealed that measures are underway to transition 8,400 non-permanent employees currently working in local govt agencies under the provincial councils into permanent govt service. more..

Nov 3 (CT) UN Resident Coordinator Marc-Andr� Franche has informed Public Security Minister Tiran Alles that support will be provided for the exchange of ideas and proposals with international organisations concerning the Online Safety Bill. This was communicated during a meeting between the UN Resident Coordinator and Minister at the Ministry of Public Security on Wednesday. They discussed ways in which SL can offer support to the UN and the Online Safety Bill during the meeting. more..

Nov 3 (CT) A group of people from Kurunegala, whose houses were damaged due to the construction of the last stretch of Central Expressway, staged a peaceful protest yesterday in front of the Right to Information (RTI) Commission, Colombo against the Road Development Authority (RDA) and other institutions for failing to provide requested information on the damages to the houses. more..

Nov 3 (DM) The Sports Minister should get rid of everyone directly concerned with cricket even if Sri Lanka loses ICC membership, SJB MP Hesha Vithanage said today. �Sri Lanka has suffered its worst defeats in ODIs recently and it is high time that the Sports Minister gets rid of everyone who controls cricket in SL. I have come up with this comments several times before. Sports Minister has been harping that ICC will take drastic action if he makes hard decisions on Sri Lanka cricket (SLC). more..

Nov 3 (CT) Colombo High Court Judge Adithya Patabendige acquitted a woman, who had been charged with peddling and possessing 43.150 grammes of heroin, without calling for submissions from the defence due to contradictory evidence given by the Chief Inspector-in- Charge of the raid and the Woman Police Constable (WPC), who had frisked the accused. The Judge stated that the evidence placed before him, by the Chief Inspector-in-Charge of the raid and the WPC, more..

Nov 4 (CT) In commemoration of the arrival of South Indian Tamils in Sri Lanka 200 years ago, Naam 200 was celebrated ceremoniously in Colombo with the participation of the President and the Finance Minister of India. While both governments pledged their support to improve the well-being of the estate Tamils of Indian origin, it seemed as if the majority of the decisive action was taken by one govt while the other was heavy on attractive promises for an ideal future. more..

Nov 4 (CT) Parliament of Sri Lanka consists of 225 MPs who are elected by Proportional Representation (PR) for five-year terms under universal suffrage. President of SL has the power to summon, suspend, prorogue or terminate a legislative session and to dissolve the Parliament only after the lapse of 2 1/2 years or if 2/3 majority of MPs request him to do so. The actions of the Prez, to either suspend or dissolve the Parliament are subject to legal scrutiny by the Supreme Court of SL. more..