Oct 9 (TM) MP Rohini Kaviratne alleges that the Govt has not taken steps to gazette admissions for the National Colleges of Education (NCOE) for the students who appeared for the GCE A/L exams in the years 2019, 2020, 2021, or 2022. MP also stressed that although there is a severe shortage of teachers in schools at present, Ministry of Education has not taken any measures to overcome these issues. She further warned that against this backdrop, the country�s education system more..

Oct 9 (EN) Sri Lanka�s defence, health, transport and public administration ministries have the biggest allocations in an appropriation bill presented as part of the 2024 budget process. The public admin ministry which includes provincial councils and the Dept of Pensions was allocated 886 billion rupees, up from 782 billion last year. Defence was allocated 423 billion rupees, up from 410 billion a year earlier. Public admin which includes police, was allocated 140 billion rupees, more..

Oct 9 (DM) Sri Lanka Athletic (SLA) General Secretary Saman Gunawardena says that an Olympic medal should be expected from Asian Golden Girl Tharushi Karunarathna in SL athletics, not in the 2024 Paris Olympics but in the 2028 Los Angeles Games. "As Tharushi, who is currently 18 years old, should give priority to her education in the future, apart from 2024 Paris Olympics Games participation, no medal is more..

Oct 9 (DM) SJB MP Nalin Bandara Jayamaha today said some of the SJB MPs who visited Geneva recently missed the opportunity to speak at the UNHRC sessions. �Usually a person who wants to raise an issue is given only one and a half minutes to speak at the UNHRC sessions. My colleague Hector Appuhamy was given the 45th slot at the sessions but there was no time for him to speak at the sessions at the end of the day. We intend to take this matter up with the UNHRC shortly,� more..

Oct 9 (TM) Private investors from rich nations are profiting from about $ 24.8 billion in sovereign bond debt issued by some of Asia�s poorest and most climate-vulnerable countries including SL, a London-based development policy research institution said. Accordingly, ahead of the WB and IMF's annual meetings on 9 October, the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) said that more than 80% of all bond debt is held by private investors in wealthier countries more..

Oct 9 (TM) Israeli forces clashed with gunmen from the Palestinian group Hamas yesterday hours after the militants launched a surprise attack on Israel in which about 600 people were killed in the deadliest day of violence in Israel for 50 years. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Israel was at war and called for a mass mobilisation of army reserves. The attack comes at a time of mounting tensions between Israel and more..

Oct 9 (Island) Former Chairperson of HRCSL Prof. Deepika Udagama says the Supreme Court judgment pertaining to Minister Zainul Nazeer Ahamed underscores the urgent need to take steps to restore public confidence in the parliamentary system. Asked whether that would help cleanse an utterly corrupt political party system, Dr. Udugama said: �The lack of democracy within political parties and, very certainly, the unethical practices of politicians have ruined our political system. more..

Oct 9 (EN) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe said that cotton cultivation needs to be promoted among backyard farmers in order to expand production levels and save foreign exchange for the country. �An innovative system should be introduced to cultivate cotton in gardens as an additional income,� he said, emphasising the concept of promoting cotton growing among small-holder backyard farmers. �By expanding cotton cultivation through a systematic national program, more..

Oct 9 (AD) PM Dinesh Gunawardena said that the country needs to enact new rules instead of relying on old regulations to get out of the prevailing crisis. �We must undergo such a change if we want to recover from the crisis. It�s necessary to enact new rules instead of relying on old rules,� he said. He expressed this view while addressing the Sankathana Mandapaya held at Temple Trees on Saturday to mark the World Cotton Day, the PM�s Office said in a statement. more..

Oct 9 (DM) The passenger ferry service connecting India's Nagapattinam and SL's Kankesanthurai (KKS) will commence operations tomorrow (10), Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva announced. He said the passenger ferry service experienced a delay of almost six months due to various reasons. A trial session for the service was conducted on Aug 8. As per the schedule, the passenger vessel named Cheriyapani is set to depart from Nagapattinam Port to KKS Port tomorrow at 12:30 PM. more..

Oct 9 (Island) SLMC Secretary Nizam Kariapper, said that the expulsion of Batticaloa District MP Nazeer Ahamed from Parliament for switching allegiance to the govt in violation of a decision by the party to vote against Budget 2022 would impact the upcoming vote on Budget 2024. Ahamed voted for the Budget during the Third Reading on 10 Dec, 2021.SC justices Padman Surasena, S. Thurairaja, PC and more..

Oct 9 (FT) Economic and cultural association between France and SL will be strengthened further as the two countries commemorate the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties on 27 Oct 2023, French Ambassador to SL and the Maldives, Jean-Fran�ois Pactet said, as the two countries announced a series of commemorative events. �The celebration of the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between SL and France is an opportunity to highlight our longstanding friendship more..

Oct 9 (EN) Sri Lanka lacks adequate breast cancer screening at a population level, a community medicine specialist said. �For breast cancer, we are not doing screening at a population level in our country. Like for cervical cancer we have this type of screening which should be done at the age of 35 and 45 at well woman clinics. That message is there. But not for breast cancer,� head of the national cancer control program, Dr Hasarali Fernando told EconomyNext. more..

Oct 9 (TM) Parliamentary Committee on Ethics and Privileges will investigate the alleged incident where Opposition MP Chandima Weerakkody claims to have been threatened by the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence and the Commander of the SL Army, and take appropriate actions, Speaker of Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana said. Speaking in Parliament on 6 Oct, Weerakkody, who was elected to Parliament from SLPP more..

Oct 9 (CT) Intellectuals who choose to leave the country during its challenging times, despite being prime beneficiaries of the free education system and having enjoyed the associated social benefits, actually lack wisdom, Education Minister Susil Premajayantha said. He was speaking at the Guru Prathiba Prabha, award ceremony for teachers and principals held at the Ministry of Education yesterday. He said to realistically meet the challenge of providing more..

Oct 9 (NR) Malaysia says it will support SL�s application to join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. This was stated by Malaysian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dato Seri Diraja Dr Zambry Abd Kadir who held discussions with PM Dinesh Gunawardena at Temple Trees in Colombo. During the meeting, PM stated that SL�s entry into RCEP would bolster its economic connectivity within the broader South East Asian region and the Malaysian Minister assured fullest support more..

Oct 9 (DM) Do not give out personal details to online instant loan providers, the Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team (SLCERT) said today. �There is an increase in online loan scams, and people have requested not to provide their details to those companies,� SLCERT Senior Information Security Engineer Charuka Damunupola told the Daily Mirror. He said that more than 100 complaints relating to online loan scams had received the SLCERT during the past months. more..

Oct 9 (AD) Colombo Magistrate�s Court ordered the committee of specialist doctors appointed to inquire into the cause of death of late businessman Dinesh Schaffter, to look into whether permission can be granted for the cremation of his remains and to inform the court. The postmortem examination report related to the case was taken up before Colombo Additional Magistrate Rajindra Jayasuriya today. Appearing on behalf of the deceased�s family, President�s Counsel Anuja Premaratne more..

Oct 9 (CI) SL spinner Maheesh Theekshana is likely to strengthen the XI for their second World Cup game, against Pakistan on Tuesday, according to their assistant coach Naveed Nawaz. "He's fit and should play tomorrow," Nawaz said. "Didn't want to risk him in the first game against medical advice but he should be ready here." Theekshana did not play SL's first game against South Africa because he was still recovering more..

Oct 9 (Nature) My workspace at the Uni of Peradeniya, includes shelves stacked with rare, preserved plant specimens. But I also work in the country�s lush forests, a tropical biodiversity hotspot filled with a trove of indigenous plants. My passion for scouting the forests for herbs escalated in 2016, when I joined the National Herbarium in Kandy, as a project assistant for the national botanical survey. I realized that, on my island nation, there are many understudied herb families. more..

Oct 9 (CT) The Colombo Air Symposium-2023 (CAS), an annual International Academic Forum organised by the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) is to commence for the sixth time after a three-year hiatus, the event is scheduled for today (9) and tomorrow (10). The symposium will be held at the Eagle�s Lakeside Banquet and Convention Hall, with the participation of intellectuals, diplomats, military leaders, policymakers, and technological experts. It aims to delve into the realms of more..

Oct 9 (TM) In light of recent developments regarding the potential early revision of electricity tariffs, a senior official within the PUCSL said that the commission was likely to adhere to its pre-scheduled process for deciding on electricity price revisions. Multiple requests by the CEB to change electricity tariffs throughout the year has raised concerns over whether the CEB is in breach of national policies drafted by Ministry of Power more..

Oct 9 (AD) State Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya announced that a Gazette notification will be issued tonight relaxing import restrictions on all items except vehicles. Earlier in September, the Finance State Minister had stated that restrictions imposed on imported goods, except vehicles, will be lifted in October, which will help price stabilization. Due to these restrictions, he said an increase is observed in the prices of certain goods as there is not enough supply to meet the demand. more..

Oct 9 (EN) Lawyers from Mulaitivu, Sri Lanka, held a protest walk followed by a demonstration in Aluthkade in connection with the controversial resignation of Mullaitivu District Judge T. Saravanarajah. Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP M A Sumanthiran who also attended the demonstration on Monday (9) said the govt and the Judicial Services Commission said rule of law itself becomes a moot discussion in light of Saravanarajah�s resignation. more..

Oct 10 (DM) Only a small number of Sri Lankans might have taken note of the recent reports that around 100 Indian fishermen and over a dozen Indian fishing vessels had been apprehended by the Sri Lankan Navy for engaging in bottom trawling activities in the island�s waters during the first eight months of the year. Since this has been a routine issue that occasionally makes headlines, people of this country tend to ignore it as something that has got nothing to do with them. more..

Oct 10 (CT) Recently, Minister of Education said that all the intellectuals who are choosing to leave the country lack wisdom. He further emphasised the role of graduate teachers who possess the required skills and requisite knowledge in implementing the transformative educational changes. Firstly, apart from the fact that the statement in itself is an oxymoron (because how are they intellectual if they lack wisdom?), it is not as if Sri Lanka is utopia that we would endure even more hardships more..

Oct 10 (DM) Chartered Professional Engineer Dammika Nanayakkara in an interview with the Daily Mirror emphasised the importance of grid connectivity with India. He was the chairman of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (SL Chapter). He is a fellow of the Institution of Engineers, SL, and Institution of Engineering and Technology, UK and a senior member of the Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers, USA. more..

Oct 10 (DM) Lawyers� Collective, a group of a large number of senior legal practitioners alleged that there is a fear psychosis looming in the country as the rule of law and the independence of the Judiciary are at a stake following the recent statements made by the Executive and the members of the legislature. Originally formed in 2012 following the harassment meted out by the govt against the then Chief Justice Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake, Lawyers� Collective is of the view that more..

Oct 10 (DM) SL�s Eastern Province is again becoming a contested region between ethnic groups. This time round it is more between the Tamils and Sinhalese, with the Muslims in the periphery. This is because of the change in the balance of power between the three communities after the end of the war in May 2009. When the war was raging, the LTTE had dominance and the contestation was between Tamils and Muslims over land. After the defeat of the LTTE, more..

Oct 10 (CT) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe, who visited Germany last week, returned home only at dawn last Sunday. His Chief of Staff Sagala Ratnayake, who had met US intelligence experts during a secretive meeting, was also part of the Prez�s delegation that returned to Colombo from Germany. Ratnayake, during his brief visit to the USA had looked into the security situation of both Washington DC and Colombo & both nations more..

Oct 10 (TM) The recent landmark decision by the Supreme Court to uphold action taken by the SLMC to revoke the party membership of current Environment Minister Naseer Ahamed has sent a shockwave amongst politicians, as a long standing part of SL�s degenerative political culture has now been called out. The SC in its ruling with regard to a petition filed by Ahamed challenging the SLMC�s decision to expel him from the party, deemed the SLMC�s decision as valid and lawful. more..

Oct 10 (Island) The oft repeated comparison between the economic and political chaos that prevailed before Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe took office and the stability thereafter is wearing thin. Mahatma Gandhi�s observation that preaching to a hungry man is not effective is becoming increasingly relevant in the present context in which govt leaders and their supporters claim that conditions in the country are improving. This claim is giving rise to an argument that is subtly and more..

Oct 10 (ST) If the Bard once said in a somewhat excessively sentimental aside that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, we can only remark that SL�s counter terrorism or anti-terrorism bills emanate a distinctly unpleasant odour, irrespective of whatever name it possesses. To be clear, this is not to join the chorus of optimistic spirits who believe that terrorist offences can be dealt with under the ordinary penal law. On the contrary, a specifically focused anti-terror law is needed more..

Oct 10 (FT) With the purpose to recognise and foster the talent and the potential of SL youth, New Generation Awards 2023 ceremony was recently held under the theme Daring to Differ celebrating the achievements of young outstanding individuals. New Generation Awards was organised by New Generation Chapter of the global brand of Women in Management (WIM) in partnership with the National Youth Service Council SL (NYSC). This year�s awards event was held for the fourth more..

Oct 10 (ST) The maintenance of trees in Colombo city needs a multi-sector approach with the use of latest equipment to detect roots and stem quality, an expert said. Upul Subasinghe, professor in Forestry at the Dept of Forestry and Environmental Science at the Uni of Sri J'pura said this week�s tragic accident was a result of a lack of coordination among state bodies to detect the possible danger, although the huge tree was more..

Oct 10 (CI) New Zealand's innings started with three maidens in a row but ended with them bashing 50 off the last three overs, courtesy Tom Latham, Mitchell Santner and Matt Henry, which propelled them to 322. Netherlands started the chase slowly and never shifted gears as they folded for 223, as New Zealand further consolidated their position at the top of the points table after making it two in two. Player-of-the-Match Santner, who clubbed an unbeaten 36 from 17 balls with the bat, more..