Nov 27 (DM) Four people have so far lost their lives and six others remain missing due to the severe weather conditions currently affecting the island, Director General of the DMC Udaya Herath said. The adverse weather has impacted 141 Divisional Secretariat Divisions across 18 districts. Meanwhile, a total of 230,743 persons from 66,947 families have been affected by the ongoing conditions. Eight houses have been completely destroyed and 620 houses have been partially damaged. more..

Nov 27 (DM) The Examinations Department will announce the date of the recommencement of the A/L examination after assessing the weather situation after Nov 29, Defence Secretary Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha said. He said that the Meteorology Department has forecasted that rainy and windy conditions will reduce after Nov 29 and said that a decision will be taken on the date to resume the examination after assessing the weather situation after Nov 29. more..

Nov 27 (EN) Sri Lanka will present a 219 billion rupee supplementary parliament to allocate funds for several expenditure items including a 130 billion rupee interest subsidy to banks for debts taken over by tax payers. The supplementary estimate will be within the approved expenditure and debt limits for the year 2024. Some of the allocations are for grants. The itemized expenses are as follows: 130,000 million rupees to the Dept of more..

Nov 27 (TM) SL's construction sector is optimistic about attracting foreign direct investments (FDIs), supported by efficient regulations and an independent judiciary. Industry leaders highlighted this as global funding agencies, including JICA, World Bank & Asian Development Bank (ADB), resume projects in the country. Ceylon Institute of Builders (CIOB) President Dr. Rohan Karunaratne said that several FDIs are showing renewed interest in setting up factories and BOI projects. more..

Nov 27 (CT) A group of 32 SL prisoners released from Kuwait�s Central Jail arrived at the BIA yesterday. They had been arrested by Kuwaiti authorities and convicted of drug-related offences. As part of a prisoner exchange agreement signed between Kuwait and SL in 2007, 32 of the 104 SL prisoners serving sentences in Kuwait�s Central Jail were sent back to SL. This marks the first historic execution of the agreement, with the prisoners being flown back to SL on a special flight more..

Nov 27 (CM) Five years ago, Kusal Perera pulled off an unimaginable chase. Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander, Dimuth Karunaratne and others look back at the incredible win. SL were struggling on a long southern-hemisphere tour, losing Test series 0-1 in NZ and 0-2 in Australia. The selectors decided to jettison Dinesh Chandimal as captain and install Dimuth Karunaratne for the two Tests in South Africa in Feb 2019. more..

Nov 27 (PTI) Sri Lanka�s A team will return home midway from their ongoing series against Pakistan A due to intense political protests in Islamabad. The PCB confirmed on Tuesday that following consultation with the SLC, it has postponed the last two 50-over matches between Pakistan A and Sri Lanka A. The postponed matches were scheduled to be played in Rawalpindi on Wednesday and Friday after Pakistan A beat the visitors by 108 runs in the first game in Islamabad on Monday. more..

Nov 27 (TM) The Cabinet of Ministers announced a meeting with party leaders of parties and groups represented in the Parliament to decide on the nomination list for the Local Govt (LG) Elections amidst candidates nominated in the 2022 list changing political affiliations since. �We need to finalise the nomination list and we will have a meeting with the party leaders in order to finalise the list,� Cabinet Spokesperson Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa told the media yesterday (26). more..

Nov 27 (CT) The Centre for Environmental Justice, (CEJ) in collaboration with the BASE for Enthusiasts Environmental Science and Zoology (BEEZ) society of the University of Colombo, organised a striking human sign action to demand a strong global plastics treaty. This initiative aimed to send a powerful message to representatives attending the Fifth Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) meeting on plastic pollution in Busan, South Korea, from 25 Nov to 2 Dec 2024. more..

Nov 27 (TM) The Board of Directors of the CEB is set to discuss recent requests from CEB unions to distribute annual bonuses among all 23,000 employees in December of this year. It was recently reported that the CEB Workers' Union (CEBWU) had called on the CEB management to distribute bonuses among employees before 10 Dec. When queried by The Daily Morning as to whether a decision had been made on the said request, CEB Chairperson Dr. Tilak Siyambalapitiya said more..

Nov 27 (CI) Under dark Durban skies, SL had very nearly their perfect first morning of a first Test, their captain inserting the opposition, before his seamers removed four South Africa batters. But only 20.4 overs were possible on the first day before rain arrived just before scheduled lunch. It stayed put over Kingsmead, until play was called off at around 3pm. Vishwa Fernando and Asitha Fernando had led SL's advances, more..

Nov 27 (OC) The landslide victory of the National People�s Power (NPP) in this year�s Parliamentary and Presidential elections is a historic achievement that came on the heels of the #GotaGoHome protests, reflecting the public�s demand for accountable and professional leadership following the devastating economic crisis of 2022. The election also signalled the fall of the Rajapaksa dynasty who ruled from 2005-2014 and 2019-2022, & whose rise was rooted in military triumph more..

Nov 27 (DM) Adani Group conglomerate said Wednesday it had suffered a staggering loss of nearly $55 billion since U.S. corruption charges against top officials, accusations the company denies. India's Adani Group conglomerate said it had suffered a staggering loss of nearly $55 billion since US corruption charges against top officials, accusations the company denies. "Since the intimation of the US Dept of Justice indictment, the group has suffered a loss of near $55 billion more..

Nov 27 (EN) New active credit cards in SL increased by 7,958 in September this year, with local banks promoting along with the key fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) venders amid falling interest rates. The number of active credit card recorded 1,936,336 by end September, compared to 1,028,378 in August this year, showing an increase of 7,958. �Most banks have been aggressively pushing for credit cards more..

Nov 27 (AD) The Director of Health Services for the Sabaragamuwa Province, Dr. Kapila Kannangara, has stated that the Ratnapura District has recorded the highest number of deaths and infections from leptospirosis disease this year. Speaking at the Sabaragamuwa Provincial Council Complex, Dr. Kannangara highlighted the severity of the situation, noting that a total of 1,882 Leptospirosis cases and 22 fatalities have been reported in the district. The identified high-risk areas within more..

Nov 27 (PMD) Asian Development Bank (ADB) has pledged its support for investment opportunities in SL, citing increased foreign investor interest fuelled by the govt�s systematic financial reforms. During a discussion held at the Presidential Secretariat today (26), led by ADB�s Regional Head of Private Sector Development, Takeo Koike and Senior Additional Secretary to the Prez G.N.R.D. Aponsu, ADB delegation highlighted foreign investors� enthusiasm for SL�s expanding prospects across more..

Nov 27 (NW) Former President Maithripala Sirisena recorded a statement with the Bribery Commission for two hours yesterday regarding the presidential pardon granted to Jude Shramantha Jayamaha, who was convicted of a murder at the Royal Park apartment in Colombo. It is reported that the former President was summoned before the Bribery Commission to record a statement regarding a complaint alleging that he had accepted a bribe to grant the presidential pardon. more..

Nov 27 (AD) The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands, and Irrigation has issued a notice for the engineers and technical officers from the Irrigation Department, who are in charge of managing reservoirs, amidst the prevailing adverse weather conditions. Accordingly, the engineers and technical officials of the Irrigation Department and the Mahaweli Authority who are responsible for reservoir management are required to remain at their workplaces. more..

Nov 27 (EN) SL�s central bank has announced an 8% overnight policy rate dropping the earlier policy corridor, with its standing facilities kept at 8.5% to print money and 7.5% to take out excess liquidity. The new rate is 75 basis points below the mid-point of the last announcement where a corridor was bound by the central bank�s standing facilities. SL�s central bank has operated broadly deflationary policy (generally withdrawing more..

Nov 27 (PMD) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake directed officials to provide immediate relief services to affected people in disaster-stricken areas by gathering information on-site rather than relying solely on technological data. Prez emphasized the need to establish a strong grassroots-level mechanism to facilitate this process. These remarks were made during a discussion held today at the Presidential Secretariat with state officials, aimed at expediting relief services more..

Nov 27 (AD) The A-9 main road to Jaffna has been flooded at Omanthai, prompting police to urge motorists to take alternate routes. The area near Nochchimoddai Bridge and Omanthai Town, within the Omanthai Police Division, has been completely inundated. As a result, light vehicles such as motorcycles and cars are unable to pass through, with only heavy vehicles, including lorries and buses, able to traverse the area, police said. In light of this situation, the public and motorists more..

Nov 27 (IPS) In a mid-Oct 2024 meeting with the EU Ambassador, SL reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening trade relations with the EU, particularly highlighting the role of the GSP+ programme in boosting SL exports. This discussion underscores the significance of the GSP+, which offers tariff preferences for SL�s exports to the EU. The GSP+ offers reduced tariffs on exports, conditional upon the recipient countries more..

Nov 27 (FT) The change that the new election has brought to the country is unprecedented. We have a woman Prime Minister (that many of us in the academic and activist communities know) and we have several young women in Parliament. Historically, since independence, we have only had 5% representation at any given moment. Now we have close to 10%. And that too through elections and only one through the national list. Combined with the local Govt quota of 25% introduced more..

Nov 27 (AD) The Irrigation Department has issued a flood warning for several low-lying areas of Kelani River Basin, effective until 10:30 a.m. on Nov 29. Similarly, another flood warning has been issued for several low-lying areas Kala Oya Basin effective until 9:30 a.m. on November 29, 2024. It states that considerable rainfall has occurred in some of the upstream and middle reach catchment areas of Kala Oya Basin as of 8 a.m. today (27). In addition to that, the Rajanganaya Reservoir more..

Nov 27 (EN) SL�s current deflation is not harmful to the economy and is a correction from previous very high inflation, Central Bank Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe said. The deflation is reducing the cost of living for the people and also the cost of production of companies, he said. �It comes after very high inflation,� Governor Weerasinghe said after reducing its policy rate to 8% from an earlier corridor of 9.25 to 8.25%. SL�s deflation is expected to continue in the near term, he said. more..

Nov 27 (FT) Over the past few weeks, TV channel reported on a number of occasions, the plight of the paddy farmers in Kurunegala, Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Batticaloa and Amparai districts due to non-availability of fertiliser for their paddy cultivation. But the Government TV channels were silent over the issue. Maha rainy season started in early October as usual and will continue until early January. Rains start in early October during the evenings and intensity will increase more..

Nov 27 (DN) A total of 77,670 persons from 22,532 families have been severely affected due to the prevalent inclement weather conditions experienced across 15 districts in the country so far. A total of 16 injuries have been reported with 6 people gone missing with 6 houses completely damaged and 265 houses partially damaged so far due to the flash floods experienced in SL from the adverse weather conditions. more..

Nov 27 (TM) The Cabinet of Ministers announced that while all Parliamentarians will be provided with a vehicle, they will however not be given duty-free car permits. �Having a vehicle is essential to fulfilling a role,� Cabinet Spokesperson Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa told the media yesterday. �However, we will not be awarding any car permits to anyone.� These comments come following the NPP party pledge that if elected, their Govt will not obtain vehicle permits. more..

Nov 27 (TM) SL will extend the suspension of parate right execution by the banking sector till June 2025, as the government has started to analyse loans given by the banks, Economic Development Deputy Minister Prof. Anil Jayantha Fernando said. He said that the govt will extend the parate right execution suspension by another six months after reaching an agreement with the banking sector. He said that the govt discussed with the bankers at which they agreed that they wanted to build up more..

Nov 27 (FT) The Govt announced the official launch of the exchange of its outstanding International Sovereign Bonds, totalling approximately $ 12.55 billion, as of 25 Nov 2024. This follows the approval of the terms and conditions of the Invitation by the new Cabinet of Ministers, which was formed on 18 Nov 2024. The Finance Ministry said holders of the existing Bonds are invited to tender their Bonds and more..

Nov 27 (AD) At least eight persons including 06 children are reported missing while two children have been rescued after the tractor they were travelling on was caught in flood waters in Karaitivu in Ampara District this evening (26). A total of 13 individuals including 11 boys, the tractor�s driver and assistant were traveling on the vehicle at the time of the incident and that 5 children had been rescued. The tractor was traveling from Ninthavur to Sammanthurai when it had toppled due to more..

Nov 27 (FT) Polling by the Institute for Health Policy�s SL Opinion Tracker Survey (SLOTS) has revealed significant improvements in Sri Lankans� confidence in institutions following the Presidential Election in September 2024. IHP said the Supreme Court remains the most trusted institution, followed by the courts and tri forces. Confidence in the Supreme Court and courts more than doubled, rising from 30% before the election to 72% and 62%, respectively, afterward. more..