Oct 19 (AD) Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena informed the Parliament that SJB MP Ajith Mannaperuma will be ejected from House today. Meanwhile, the Speaker also stated that the MP will be suspended from Parliament for four weeks due to his unruly behaviour within the Parliament. Earlier, the Speaker had adjourned the parliamentary proceedings for 10 minutes following heated arguments in the chamber during the ongoing debate. more..

Oct 19 (SLN) The 983rd Reverse Osmosis (RO) plant built as part of the Naval Social Responsibility Project was declared open for community use at Thuparamaya in Anuradhapura. The opening was held under the patronage of the Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral Priyantha Perera today (18). Sri Lanka Navy is passionately into this magnanimous project of installing RO plants, under the able guidance of the Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral Priyantha Perera. more..

Oct 19 (CI) Allrounder Angelo Mathews and fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera will join SL's World Cup squad as travelling reserves. They are expected to link up with the team on Friday, ahead of SL's fourth league game against Netherlands in Lucknow on Saturday, but can only be drafted into the squad in case of an injury to a player. Matheesha Pathirana had missed their previous game because of a shoulder niggle. more..

Oct 19 (CT) Colombo High Court Judge Navaratne Marasinghe ordered the Superintendent of the Boossa Prison to produce death row inmate Samantha Kumara, alias Wele Suda in Court at the next hearing. Wele Suda has been charged with the illegal accruement of Rs 10 million. A case filed against three accused including Wele Suda was taken up yesterday and the prison officials had produced one of the accused, Sameera Udayana, but had not produced Wele Suda, due to more..

Oct 19 (DM) The female elephant Seetha, who was injured following a shooting incident by a Wildlife officer, was taken to Maharagama to its residence in a lorry on Tuesday (18) afternoon, Peradeniya University Veterinary Medicine & Animal Science Faculty Prof. Ashoka Dangolla said. He said that the female elephant had been taken to Maharagama three weeks after the incident. "Due to lack of sleep for about a fortnight, the elephant's abdominal area is swollen. more..

Oct 19 (EN) Sri Lanka has serious reservations about the current structure of a GDP linked bonds outlined in the first proposal made by bondholders to restructure debt, though some value recovery instrument can be considered, the Finance Ministry said. �The authorities have already expressed to the bondholders� advisors their serious reservations about the construct of the Macro-Linked Bonds proposed by the Group,� more..

Oct 19 (AD) Maria Fernanda Garza, the first female Chair of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), which is the largest and most influential business organisation globally and represents 170 countries with a corporate membership of 45 million companies, has arrived in SL last evening. Her first visit to SL will reportedly encompass meetings with business and govt leaders. Greeting her at the BIA was the Chairman, of ICC SL, Anthony Fernando, Secretary Hemakumara Gunasekera and more..

Oct 19 (AD) Key players in the development of Colombo Port City have finalized a groundbreaking USD 1.565 billion deal in Beijing, advancing phase two development of the Colombo Port City, encompassing the Marina Project, Marina Hotel, and Colombo International Financial Centre (CIFC) Project. Accordingly, the corporation framework agreement was signed by Port City Economic Commission, China Harbour Engineering Company, Browns Investments and more..

Oct 19 (DM) Tamil parties in SL denied a fake letter purportedly sent by them to Tamil Nadu actor Vijay Chandrasekhar alias Vijay asking him to stop the screening of one of his films as otherwise they would not be able to bring people for a mass agitation planned for the same day. EPRLF chairman and former MP Suresh Premachandran said that the signatures of the political leaders of various Tamil parties had been placed fraudulently on this fake letter & circulated on social media, more..

Oct 19 (DN) The SL Netball Team will leave for Singapore tomorrow to participate in the 14th Nations Cup Invitation International Netball Tournament 2023. Netball Singapore will conduct the tournament from October 22-28 at the OCBA Arena Sports Hub in Singapore with the participation of six teams. Canada, Papua New Guinea, Cook Islands and Sri Lanka are the invited teams and Singapore and Singapore �A� teams will participate as the host country, according to Netball Singapore. more..

Oct 19 (Island) The govt has requested UN intervention to prevent the large Indian fishing fleet from poaching in SL waters. Fisheries Minister Douglas Devananda has made the request on behalf of the Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa govt. A statement issued by the Fisheries Ministry on 16 Oct, quoted Devananda as having told UN Resident Coordinator in Colombo Marc-Andr� Franche that invasion of SL waters was a serious problem. more..

Oct 19 (Island) State Minister of Trade S. Viyalanderan says Tamil political leaders should cooperate with President Ranil Wickremesinghe and take advantage of his flexible approach to achieve national unity and address the challenges faced by the Tamil population. Addressing the media at the Presidential Media Centre on Tuesday (17), the Minister said that people experienced economic difficulties in the past few years though the situation was much better now. more..

Oct 19 (CT) SL Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) has allocated a sum of USD 10,000 to facilitate essential support for SL workers in Israel who are experiencing difficulties due to the conflict between Israel and Palestine. In a statement, the SLBFE confirmed that the allocated USD 10,000 has already been transferred to the SL Embassy in Israel. This financial assistance is intended to cover the needs of SL workers, including provisions for food, medicines, and other essential facilities. more..

Oct 19 (TM) The date of tabling the revised Anti-Terrorism Bill (ATB) to the Parliament remains uncertain since it has been removed from the Parliamentary Order Book as it has not been tabled in the Parliament on 3 Oct as planned. Making a special announcement yesterday, Speaker of Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana told the Parliament that the revised ATB has been removed from the Parliamentary Order Book since more..

Oct 19 (AD) Colombo Magistrate�s Court has ordered the release of former State Minister Vijayakala Maheswaran from the case filed over her alleged statement that the LTTE should be revived. The relevant complaint was taken up for hearing before the Colombo Chief Magistrate Prasanna Alwis this morning (19). Earlier, the police had informed the court that the Attorney General advised that there were insufficient facts to proceed with the case against the former State Minister. more..

Oct 19 (CT) Dept of Agriculture is to introduce two new pomegranate varieties for cultivation in SL in the first quarter of the next year, marking a significant development for the agricultural sector. Agricultural experts at the Dept of Agriculture have successfully conducted research to identify two pomegranate varieties that are well-suited for cultivation in SL. These new varieties have been successfully cultivated in Norochcholai, demonstrating high yields and more..

Oct 19 (Island) National Peace Council has urged the international community to intervene immediately to bring the Gaza conflict under control or face the consequences. The following is the text of the NPC statement: �The ongoing war in Israel-Palestine is in some crucial ways similar to what took place in SL a decade and a half ago. The same basic features are to be seen�terrorism, unimaginable atrocities, including the bombing of a hospital in Gaza and a massacre at a music festival in Israel, more..

Oct 19 (CPJ) Sri Lankan authorities should withdraw the proposed Online Safety Bill and Anti-Terrorism Bill or significantly amend them in line with international human rights standards, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. In parliament on Oct 3, Public Security Minister Tiran Alles tabled the Online Safety Bill, which would empower a five-member commission appointed by the president to direct internet service providers or social media platforms to block access to more..

Oct 19 (DM) A survey conducted by the National Physical Planning Department revealed that the population in urban areas has increased to 44.57%, said Urban Development, Housing Minister Prasanna Ranatunga. The relevant report was handed over to the Minister yesterday at the Parliament complex by the Director General of the National Physical Planning Department, Gamini Hewage. more..

Oct 19 (DM) The Public Utilities Commission of SL (PUCSL) must not become a slave of the polluters of the govt and the IMF and become a killer of electricity consumers by putting people in pits unnecessarily, Samagi United Trade Union Force (SUTUF) convener and media spokesman Ananda Palitha said. He said that the commission had made a statement without any authority that they would take a decision on increasing the electricity bills this Saturday (21). more..

Oct 19 (DM) While SL is in the process of reevaluating its outdated labour laws, which do not align with the current global trends and developments, Labour Ministry is urging the country�s private sector to actively engage in and support the forthcoming reforms. Advisor to Labour and Foreign Employment Ministry Shan Yahampath asserted that SL is in dire need of investment-friendly labour laws that would make the island nation appealing to investors and for that, more..

Oct 19 (PTI) Citing lack of evidence, Sri Lanka's anti-graft commission has dropped a case against former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa in which more than Rs 17 million was discovered by protesters from the Prez's House here in July 2022. CIABOC on Wednesday reported to the Colombo Fort Magistrate's Court that due to lack of evidence, no further action can be taken against the 74-year-old politician. more..

Oct 19 (TM) CEB, which has made some new submissions to the PUCSL regarding the reduction of the electricity demand, is waiting for the latter to decide the fate of the proposed tariff revision following the public consultation on the same held yesterday (18). A public consultation on the proposed electricity tariff revision, organised by the PUCSL, was held at the BMICH in Colombo yesterday. Since the PUCSL had recently called for a resubmission of the tariff proposal, more..

Oct 19 (DM) C.D. Wickramaratne can function as acting IGP continuously till the end of the month until a new IGP is appointed, Parliament was informed today. PM Dinesh Gunawardene came up with this remark when JJB leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake queried about the situation with regard to the situation that had arisen after the Constitutional Council had rejected the extension granted to Wickramaratne by the Prez. Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardene also confirmed more..

Oct 20 (DM) Politics in this country is represented through the gap between those who have and the ones who don�t. This is the reality whether we like it or not. Occasionally we�ve heard stories about less affluent individuals entering politics, educating themselves and then extending an arm to help those who are in need. Such people hardly make it in politics or earn anything from politics. If at all they earned anything for the time invested in politics it is social capital. more..

Oct 20 (GV) Sri Lankans are overwhelmingly standing with Palestine and with much of the Global South, which voted for a recent UN resolution, introduced by Russia, condemning Israeli atrocities in the Gaza Strip. There are deep historical reasons for this, not least of which is the SL left�s record of solidarity with Palestine. Both the govt and the opposition have condemned Israel while Mahinda Rajapaksa, a friend of Yassir Arafat and a longtime supporter of the Palestinian cause, more..

Oct 20 (CT) In the coastal town of Matara, where the sea meets the land in a breathtaking embrace, a recurring nightmare has left its mark on the lives of the people following heavy spell of showers. The latest flood hit hard, causing destruction and affecting tens of thousands of residents. According to the authorities, nearly 70,000 people from about 20,000 families are struggling in the aftermath of the floods. more..

Oct 20 (Island) Daredevil Armoured Corps officer Ranjan Wijedasa, 52, shared his battlefield experiences in Mihidan Nowu Minisa (The man who did not get buried) launched in September this year, 15 years after the combined security forces brought the war against the LTTE to a successful end. SL proved that what had been termed an unwinnable war here and abroad could be won. The LTTE caught up in a multi-pronged offensive that involved several Divisions & Task Forces in the East more..

Oct 20 (CT) Mylathamadu � Mathavanai area, has an issue of grazing land in the right bank of Maduru Oya which had been practiced for decades. Unfortunately the area was not formally developed when the left back was developed in 1982. 40 years later when the right bank takes a step to develop these lands many Sinhala farmers invaded and caused damage to the cattle and life of the farmers in this area. In fact the Governor at that time Ms Yahanpath also could be cited as more..

Oct 20 (TM) A study on cases of child sexual abuse presenting to a Colombo-based hospital found that the rate of sexual abuse of females and those older than 12 years, was high, while the majority of the perpetrators were known to the child, with delayed disclosure being significantly higher in cases of penetrative abuse, multiple incidents of abuse, and abuse being committed by a known person. more..

Oct 20 (Island) SL is never short of committees and commissions, and they are widely considered political instruments that govts in dire straits use to deflect adverse criticism and buy time. Their reports do not see the light of day in some cases. Presidents only have to wave their executive wands and, hey presto, committee/commission reports disappear! Prez Wickremesinghe has appointed a CoI to examine and recommend amendments to the laws governing electoral system. more..

Oct 20 (ST) Last week, there was a seminar to commemorate the 117th birth anniversary of the late President J.R. Jayewardene, widely known as �JR�. The seminar was on the �Open Economy and JR� and was held at the SL Foundation Institute. Prof. Rohan Samarajiva and I delivered speeches, while it was attended by about 400 participants, including parliamentarians and political party representatives. I elaborated in my speech, first, on how the pre-1977 United Front (UF) govt prepared the country more..

Oct 20 (Island) A five-member badminton contingent is taking part in the 2023 Asia Olympic Project (AOP) Training Camp, scheduled to be held from October 18-28 in Malaysia. The shuttlers taking part in the AOP Training Camp, organized by Badminton Asia, are Lochana de Silva, Thilina Ravishka Rajakaruna, Rashmi Bhagya Mudalige and Varangana Himsarani Jayawardana, while Yukthi Rangana Perera has been designated as the official overseeing the Sri Lanka team at the event. more..

Oct 20 (EN) Sri Lanka�s fuel imports are unlikely to be disturbed by escalating conflict in the Middle East after fighting started in Gaza as the country has already secured tenders for supply until June next year, but there could be uncertainties, State Minister of Power and Energy D.V. Chanaka said. The escalation of violence in Gaza has raised concerns over continuous oil supply and possible price hike in the global fuel prices. �Both of these countries are not crude-producing nations,� more..

Oct 20 (ST) One of the biggest challenges of the tourism industry is to educate informal tourism operators about sustainable tourism practices and integrate their knowledge into their operations to attract more tourists, industry experts and academics say. Around 90% of the informal sector tourist organisations have little knowledge of sustainable tourism, said Colombo University Professor Suranga Silva. more..

Oct 20 (TM) The Ministry of Health is preparing a new regulatory process to vet medicine and pharmaceuticals in the face of mounting pressure and fall out from the human intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) import scam, it is learnt. While state institutions and the Government have in the past used the term reforms and pledged to formulate new regulatory mechanisms, post incident, few such promises have materialised. Given the state of the public health system, more..