Nov 20 (MB) Environmental activists in SL are celebrating the end of a 2020 decree that left the island�s nonprotected forests more vulnerable to agriculture and development projects. �This is a landmark victory for the protection of these important forests, securing their long-term conservation,� said Eric Wikramanayake, chair of the Environmental Foundation Limited (EFL). The EFL and its former director, more..

Nov 20 (EN) SL�s newly appointed industries minister Sunil Handunetthi said he intended to make an intervention soon to solve capital, debt and raw material problems faced by industries. �From the Coronavirus crisis period industrialists fell into difficulties and got into a debt crisis,� Minister Lal Kantha told reporters soon after assuming duties as the Minister of Industries and Enterprise Development. �Many businesses and industries are now at the point of collapse. more..

Nov 20 (AD) Former MP J. Sri Ranga has arrived at the CID this morning in order to provide a statement. The former MP is to provide a statement in relation to former MP Sujeewa Senasinghe�s luxury vehicle, worth around Rs. 100 million, which is suspected to have been illegally assembled. On Nov 11, the Fort Magistrate�s Court had ordered the CID to take former MP Sujeewa Senasinghe�s vehicle into custody and produce it to the Government Analyst�s Department and obtain a report. more..

Nov 20 (EN) SL�s new administration wants to cut personal income taxes, take away value added taxes on some processed food items and education materials, without harming revenue targets in the IMF program. The IMF is fixated on revenues, so they are likely to require alternative taxes to make up for any tax losses. It should also be kept in mind that under the current system where VAT is not separately billed at retail level and more..

Nov 20 (TM) Supreme Court (SC) has ordered the National Police Commission (NPC) to conclude the investigations into the former Director of the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) and current DIG Nalaka de Silva pertaining to an alleged plot to assassinate former Prez Maithripala Sirisena, during the tenure of the United National Front for Good Governance Govt. This order was issued by a two-Judge bench consisting of Justices, S. Thurairaja and A.H.M.D. Nawaz when more..

Nov 20 (TM) The New Democratic Front (NDF) has revealed in an official statement that Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe was informed about the party�s decision to nominate Ravi Karunanayake as a National List MP. In a letter issued by NDF Secretary General Shymila Perera, the party outlined the background to Karunanayake�s nomination, addressing growing criticism over the move. The letter states that the decision to nominate Karunanayake was made unanimously by more..

Nov 20 (AD) A Fundamental Rights (FR) petition has been filed with the Supreme Court seeking an order that the fundamental human rights have been violated through the decision by the respondents including former Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe to issue liquor licenses in violation of the Excise Act after the 2024 Prez Election was announced. The petition was filed by Chamara Sampath Abeysekara and N. Ravichandran, two liquor retail businessmen in Kandy, naming 39 individuals including more..

Nov 20 (DM) Some of the traditions involved in opening of a new Parliament has been changed, sources said yesterday. This has been done to make the opening ceremony as simple as possible. Sergeant �at �Arms Kushan Jayaratne said that some traditions that have been carried out in connection with opening of Parliament has been done away with this time. �There will be no military parade at the Parliamentary premises while singing of Jaya Mangala Gatha will also not be held more..

Nov 20 (S247) X-Press Feeders has hit out at the bureaucratic and legal hurdles that have caused severe delays in the case of the X-Press Pearl, a boxship that caught fire in 2021 causing one of SL�s worst-ever environmental disasters. The master of the ship has not been able to leave SL for the past 1,280 days. Splash reported late last month the new SL govt will reopen investigations into the X-Press Pearl disaster and seek multi-billion more..

Nov 20 (DM) A large batch of pharmaceutical drugs that is commonly used as a painkiller and also widely abused among addicts and schoolchildren as an intoxicant was seized by SL Customs from a consignment smuggled into the country last week. The Customs Revenue Task Force (RTF) on information raided one of the warehouses in Colombo Port and found a shipment of medicines that had been imported without a valid licence of Nat Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA). more..

Nov 20 (AD) The strike action launched by all academic and non-academic trade unions and Students Unions affiliated with the Uni of Ruhuna yesterday, demanding the immediate removal of the university�s Vice Chancellor, continued second consecutive day today. However, a discussion has taken place between the representatives of the relevant trade unions and PM Harini Amarasuriya last evening (19). Co-Chairman of the Uni Trade Union Joint Committee (UTUJC) more..

Nov 20 (AD) VC of the Uni of Ruhuna, Senior Prof. Sujeewa Amarasena has categorically denied all allegations leveled against him and asserted that he will not resign from his position, despite mounting pressure and ongoing protests by academic and non-academic staff and the students� unions. VC�s refusal of allegations came after the academic and non-academic staff together with the students� unions launched a strike action more..

Nov 20 (FT) The resounding victory of the National People�s Power (NPP) marks the beginning of a new chapter in Sri Lanka�s history. For decades, citizens have watched as promises made by the political elite faded into disappointment. This election is a clear message: the people demand change. With 159 seats in Parliament and a two-thirds majority, the NPP has been given an unparalleled mandate to deliver a Govt that is clean, transparent, and accountable. more..

Nov 20 (DM) A 14-member team from the Saving Animals from Extinction (SAFE) Sloth Bear Programme of the American Association of Zoos and Aquariums is currently in SL. The programme aims to educate, train and support ongoing sloth bear research and conservation efforts conducted by the SL Wildlife Conservation Society, as well as assist the Wildlife Conservation Dept in providing medical treatment to sloth bears. Team has also brought valuable medical supplies to support more..

Nov 20 (EN) Sri Lanka�s foreign minister Vijitha Herath said the new National People�s Power government is committed to working with India to strengthen bilateral ties. �I also wish to reiterate our commitment to work with India to further strengthen our civilizational links & the excellent bilateral cooperation for the mutual benefit of our peoples,� Herath said on social platform X. He was responding to India�s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar�s congratulatory message. more..

Nov 20 (AD) The Court of Appeal has upheld the death sentence given to Geeganagamage Amarasiri alias Julampitiye Amare who was accused of shooting and killing of two persons at a JVP rally in June 2012. This verdict was issued when an appeal filed by the accused through his attorneys, seeking an order to acquit and release him, was taken up before the two-member Appeals Court judge bench comprising Justices P. Kumaran and Sampath Abeykoon today (20). more..

Nov 20 (AD) Former State Minister Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pilleyan has left the CID, a short while ago, after providing a statement for around 5 hours. Pilleyan arrived at the CID this morning to provide a statement pertaining to an investigation regarding the controversial documentary aired by British TV network Channel 4 on the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks in SL. On Nov 12, the former Chief Minister of EP more..

Nov 20 (AD) A suspect has been arrested in connection with the incident where the driver of a private company providing cash in transit services had made off with over Rs. 70 million in cash which was being transported in the Minuwangoda area. The suspect was arrested last evening in the Kaduwangaha area of Gampaha during a joint operation by the Gampaha Division Crimes Bureau and Minuwangoda Police. At the time of his arrest, police officers found 5 grams and 420 mg more..

Nov 20 (NW) The Ministry of Health has launched a probe into the death of a pregnant woman, along with her unborn child, at the Mannar District General Hospital last night. Minister of Health Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa announced the probe via a statement on �X�. Meanwhile, the Mannar Police has also launched a probe into the death of the pregnant woman and her child. The Police told Newswire that a 27-year-old woman from Mannar had been admitted to the hospital for childbirth on Monday night. more..

Nov 20 (AD) Former Minister Harin Fernando, who was arrested this morning (20), has been released on bail, after being produced before the Badulla Magistrate�s Court. Accordingly, he has been ordered released on two surety bail of Rs. 500,000 each. Fernando was arrested by the Badulla Police on allegations of election law violations, after he arrived at Badulla Police to provide a statement regarding the alleged more..

Nov 20 (CT) Hesha Withanage, an elected MP of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), said that he will bring a private member�s motion to remove the privileges of MPs after the new Parliament convenes. He said that they do not like some of the privileges given to MPs and that the breakfast and lunch provided to MPs should be halted. He said the Rs 10 million loan given at low interest should be completely stopped and the security of all MPs and Cabinet Ministers should be removed. more..

Nov 20 (DM) National Organiser of the SLPP, MP Namal Rajapaksa, has expressed serious concern over the recent withdrawal of an army camp in the Northern Province and plans to dismantle several more camps in the coming months. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Rajapaksa emphasized that while the release of land back to civilians is not inherently problematic, such decisions must be made in consultation with the security forces to ensure national security is not compromised. more..

Nov 20 (EN) Chinese Ambassador to SL Qi Zhenhong has welcomed news of the island nation�s president�s first foreign visit to India and said such a move will be beneficial for Sri Lankans. Ambassador Zhenhong is in Jaffna on a visit to see the situation in the Northern Province which is close to South India�s Tamil Nadu State. Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath has said Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake will go to New Delhi on an official visit next month and later he will visit China. more..

Nov 20 (FT) There is magic in the air! The country is in a festive mood. The toast of the town is a man called Anura Kumara Dissanayake who is the leader of two political parties namely the JVP and NPP. AKD as he is popularly known was the victor in a Prez election held two months ago. He followed it up last week by spearheading his party to victory in a Parliamentary election. Dissanayake won the Prez election of 21 Sept 2024in a gigantic leap. From 418,553 (3.16%) votes in 2019 Prez poll, more..

Nov 20 (TM) The delay in crediting the fertiliser subsidy funds to farmers� bank accounts is due to a technical issue with the computer system, claimed the Ministry of Agriculture. Accordingly, the Ministry has confirmed that a team of officials was deployed on Monday (18) to investigate the matter and that a report pertaining to the matter was expected to be submitted to the Secretary of the Ministry yesterday (19). more..

Nov 20 (AD) The Election Commission of SL has issued a Gazette notification declaring that the General Secretary of the SJB, Ranjith Madduma Bandara, has been elected as a Member of Parliament through the National List of the SJB. Following the general election held on November 14, the SJB secured five National List seats. While Ranjith Madduma Bandara has been named for one of the positions, nominations for the remaining four seats are yet to be finalized. more..

Nov 20 (TM) Environmentalists urge Sri Lankans to make use of masks in order to mitigate the effects of air pollution following reports of smog engulfing parts of India. �There is nothing we can do to stop the air pollution,� the Chairperson of the Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ) organisation Ravindranath Dabare, said following a question on what Sri Lankans can do to reduce the harmful effects of India�s air pollution. �However, we can take steps to mitigate the effects and more..

Nov 20 (FT) The US District Court for the Southern District of New York has recently granted Sri Lanka�s motion to extend the stay of litigation involving the nation�s defaulted international sovereign bonds (ISBs) until the end of this month. This decision marks the third extension in the high-stakes legal case brought against Sri Lanka by Hamilton Reserve Bank Ltd., which claims over $ 240 million in unpaid bonds. more..

Nov 20 (DN) Agriculture Commissioner General Rohana Rajapaksa stated that the government has already credited Rs.1292 million to farmers accounts under the programme of providing fertilizer subsidy for paddy farmers. He said that this allocation was made to 109,000 paddy farmers in 22 districts. According to the Agricultural Commissioner General, the most beneficiaries of this fertilizer subsidy were reported from Ampara District and Rs.291 million has been provided to 19,900 farmers. more..

Nov 20 (Island) Former Chairman of the Election Commission, Mahinda Deshapriya said that the appointment of Ravi Karunanayake, as a National List (NL) member, was in line with the Parliamentary Election Act 01 of 1981. Deshapriya pointed out that appointment couldn�t be challenged under any circumstances. According to Article 99 A, those who had been included in the NL, and defeated candidates, could be accommodated in the Parliament. more..

Nov 20 (Island) In a counter smuggling operation to prevent illegal pharmaceutical drugs from coming into the market, a large quantity of smuggled medicines had been seized by the Customs Revenue Task Force last week from a warehouse in the Colombo Port, Customs media spokesperson, who is also an Additional Director General of Customs, said. The official said the drug was widely abused by drug addicts and, therefore, had a very high demand in the market. more..

Nov 20 (DM) Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) signed revised MoUs with Eastern Uni of SL (SEUSL) and South Eastern Uni of SL (SEUSL) last week, reinforcing its commitment to supporting the educational and career aspirations of undergraduates. SEC began its partnership with national universities in 2008 through the signing of MoUs, and the MoUs were initially signed with the EUSL and the SEUSL in 2010. This marked the start of a lasting partnership aimed at nurturing more..