Oct 21 (EN) SL has cut the excise tax on one length of cigarette by about 4.5 rupees per cigarette, bringing the rate to 33,580 rupees per thousand cigarettes from October. In July SL suddenly raised the tax on cigarettes with a length between 67 millimetres to 72 millimetres to 37,580 rupees per 1,000 from 23,000. July hike made the tax on 67-72 mm cigarette to be higher than the rs. 37,580 per thousand charged on cigarettes over 72 mm. more..

Oct 21 (FT) A top Malaysian expert recently highlighted that digital transformation is on the shoulders of chief executive officers (CEOs), and they must lead and influence the need for change. �In this transformation, having CEOs that inspire change will assist technology innovations to push possibilities and drive new business ventures,� Ernst & Young Advisory ASEAN and Malaysia Managing Partner Chow Sang Hoe said, addressing a C-Suite business leaders� forum in Colombo. more..

Oct 21 (AD) NPP Prez Candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayaka says that they will stop sending Sri Lankan women to the Middle East for employment under a govt of his. The Leader of JVP stated this speaking to a conference today (20). He says that women face many issues that are unique to them, just for being a woman. Therefore, many women who come back from foreign employment wish to return abroad again is to seek the freedom and the economic factors, states Dissanayaka. more..

Oct 21 (Island) In a major breakthrough in the ongoing investigations into corruption in SLC, the ICC�s Anti Corruption Unit has unearthed new evidence with which criminal charges could be filed against former President of SLC Thilanga Sumathipala. Sumathipala, who was first elected as President of SLC in 1998, remains suspended from functioning in his role as Immediate Past President of the board on a directive by Sports Ministry. more..

Oct 21 (AD) Prez Candidate of the NDF Sajith Premadasa says that he would appoint a new group free of corruption for the new Cabinet of Ministers. He expressed these views addressing a public rally held. He says that the people � not the ministers � will enjoy the luxuries under a govt of Sajith Premadasa. He said that all benefits and privileges of ministers will be reduced under his govt. Being ministers and MPs under Sajith�s govt will not be so sweet, according to the prez candidate. more..

Oct 21 (AD) SLPP prez candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa says he hopes to build an economy based on intelligence and skills. Rajapaksa mentioned this addressing a public rally. According to him, Asia is becoming the economic hub of the world and that is a great advantage to SL. He stated that they can provide improve the skills of the SL youth in order to suit the economy and gain a better wage. Stating that they have always believed in human labor, Rajapaksa said that more..

Oct 21 (TM) Former Prez Chandrika Kumaratunga had held secret discussions with some SLFP MPs with some discussions taking place while she was overseas last week, on forming a new front which will work against SLPP prez candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The SLFP meanwhile signed a MoU with SLPP prez candidate Rajapaksa yesterday (19), extending the party�s support to him. more..

Oct 21 (SO) Sri Lanka will sponsor a major international travel fair for the first time in history to boost the industry. �We will sponsor the World Travel Mart which will be held in London next month. This is the first time that the country is sponsoring such a mega international event. The country will offer 275,000 Pounds as the sponsorship value,� Chairman SL Tourism Promotion Bureau Kishu Gomes said. The industry is looking forward to aggressive promotion of the country as a more..

Oct 21 (AD) Customs officers have arrested an employee of the duty-free of the Bandaranaike International Airport, while attempting to smuggle 40 gold biscuits worth Rs.32 million out of the BIA premises. Upon further questioning the employee had revealed that a passenger had given him the stock of gold biscuits at the immigration terminal. The 40 gold biscuits have been weighed at 4kg. Further investigations are being carried out by the Airport Customs. more..

Oct 21 (AD) Asserting that despite many domestic priorities SL has discharged its obligations in paying its assessments to date, SL delegation to the UNGA this week called on the UN Secretariat to utilize available resources received from the Member States in a more effective, impartial and transparent manner, at a time when the Organization is battling its worst financial crisis leading to implantation of austerity measures more..

Oct 21 (DN) At least five people were killed and ten injured due to adverse weather conditions prevailing in the hill country, according to the latest update from the Disaster Management Centre. Four deaths are reported from the Badulla district and the other one is reported from the Ratnapura district. �Five thousand six hundred and sixty people from 1,509 families have been affected from the inclement weather. 26 houses have neen destroyed while 671 houses have been partially damaged,� more..

Oct 21 (TM) The Election Commission (EC) has raised concerns with foreign election observers on a number of issues. Foreign observers have begun to arrive in Sri Lanka and have already met some political party representatives and the EC. Election observers from the Commonwealth, European Union (EU), and other int'l organisations have been invited to monitor the election. SLPP Chairman Prof. G.L. Peiris said that Commonwealth observers met him & SLPP Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa last week. more..

Oct 21 (AD) Chairman of the Organization for the Protection of Muslim Rights Moulavi Mohamed Miflal says that he is has received a lot of harassment following the revelation of the controversial video of Minister Rauff Hakeem and Easter attacks ringleader Zahran Hashim. Organization for the Protection of Muslim Rights handed over to police a CD containing footage from a discussion allegedly attended by both Hakeem and Zahran. more..

Oct 21 (TS) Lawyers will be filing habeas corpus applications on behalf of five men who were detained under the Security Offences Act over alleged links to the LTTE. Lawyer Ramkarpal Singh confirmed that they would be filing the applications at the Kuala Lumpur Court Complex on Monday (21). "We will hold a press conference outside the courthouse at around 12pm after filing the applications," he said. Habeas corpus is a writ requiring a person under arrest more..

Oct 21 (NR) President Maithripala Sirisena has left for Japan early this morning on a three-day tour. President Sirisena left the BIA at 1.10am, with a 21-member delegation including members of his family. Prez Sirisena is due to attend the enthronement ceremony marking the ascension of Japan�s Emperor Naruhito. The Prince of Wales Charles and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammad Bin Salman and several other dignitaries have also been invited for the ceremony. more..

Oct 21 (FT) Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera will seek parliamentary approval to obtain Rs. 1,474 billion for State expenditure for the first four months of 2020, for when he presents the Vote on Account to Parliament on Wednesday. Parliamentary approval will also be sought to raise loans to a sum not exceeding Rs. 721 billion, in terms of relevant laws, in or outside Sri Lanka, for and on behalf of the Govt. more..

Oct 21 (DM) It�s election time and another prez election is almost upon us. Almost three years and eleven months ago, to the date, President Sirisena sent shock waves through the nation when he announced his candidature for the post of President of the country on Nov 21, 2014. The election was held at a time when the previous incumbent had successfully tinkered with the Constitution to permit him to contest the presidency for a longer period than was originally stipulated. more..

Oct 21 (DM) Presidential elections have always posed a problem for Tamil nationalist politics. An exclusivist Tamil outlook undermines the articulation of politics and engagement with a leader representing the country. Tamil nationalist politics singularly focused on regional autonomy and ethno-political demands have continued even after the decades of political changes in the country where state power has been excessively concentrated in the Executive Presidency. more..

Oct 21 (DM) Onna Babo Billo Enawaa was a familiar threat often used by grown-ups to frighten children into obedience in those days. Fear would be instilled into children that the kidnapper with the sack (Goni Billa) would grab them if the kids did not do as they were told. Nowadays, a few people resort to such threats in dealing with children. In politics, however, the practice of instilling fear into people for a more..

Oct 21 (ST) Carelessness is the biggest problem facing public health officials fighting the spread of dengue, with five times as many deaths in the Gampaha area compared to the same period last year. �The message has still not gone across to people about keeping their environment clean � they all wait till health officials come to their doorstep and show them the breeding places there,� senior epidemiologist Dr. Samaraweera said. more..

Oct 21 (RN) Former Army Commander and current UNF MP Field Marshall Sarath Fonseka says that during the final years of the separatist war he took all the strategic and battlefield decisions himself and did not take directions from anyone. He told reporters that former Secretary to the Ministry of Defense Gotabaya Rajapaksa, now the SLPP Candidate for the Presidency, played no role in the defeat of LTTE on the battlefield. more..

Oct 21 (ET) India is keeping a close watch on the upcoming prez elections in Sri Lanka, where pro-China Gotabaya Rajapaksa is pitted against housing minister and deputy leader of the ruling UNP Sajith Premadasa. The outcome of the election next month will have a bearing on India�s presence in the southern Indian Ocean region. For the first time in SL�s political history, no sitting Prez, PM or opposition leader is contesting more..

Oct 21 (SLN) Galle Dialogue 2019; Int'l Maritime Conference organized by SL Navy under the auspices of the Ministry of Defence, is all set to begin in Colombo today. Int'l Maritime Conference is sequentially the 10th edition of this flag ship event which is scheduled to be held over two days at the Galle Face Hotel, Colombo, under the theme Refining mindset to address transnational maritime threats; A review of the recade. more..

Oct 21 (TM) Despite a serious threat to cut off fuel supply to SriLankan Airlines by Sept, Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) has belatedly extended the deadline for such a suspension by another two months. A CPC official who wished to remain anonymous said that the decision was arrived at during CPC�s last board meeting despite the national carrier not having settled the debt to CPC by the stipulated deadline. more..

Oct 21 (TM) Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) probing the Easter Sunday attacks has identified key officials who must be held accountable over the deadly attacks and also noted some strong recommendations. Final report of the PSC will be submitted to Parliament on Wednesday (23). Report has made recommendations related to both national security and reconciliation as well as communal harmony. more..

Oct 21 (Island) Two Northern Tamil Political parties have decided that they should explore alternatives in the coming Prez election if none of the two main candidates, Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Sajith Premadasa respond positively to the set of 13 demands made by five different parties representing the North. Former CM of Northern Province, C.V. Vigneswaran�s TPF and Suresh Premachandran�s EPRLF have taken this decision. more..

Oct 21 (Island) Britain should use its close relationship with Sri Lanka to strengthen economic and trade relations between the two countries, Conservative Peer Lord Naseby, who founded the All Party Parliamentary Group on Sri Lanka told the House of Lords, on Saturday, when they debated the Brexit deal that the UK�s PM Boris Johnson has struck with the EU. Naseby, who joined the debate and highlighted the opportunities that more..

Oct 21 (Island) SLPP Chairman Prof. G.L. Peiris, yesterday, said that the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) on the Easter Sunday carnage was under a cloud following the shocking disclosure that one of its members, Minister and SLMC leader Rauff Hakeem, had held discussions with suicide bombing mastermind Zahran Hashim in Kattankudy, in 2015. He said that Hakeem owed an explanation. more..

Oct 21 (FT) Recently, there were two policy pronouncements relating to lending, one already implemented by the Central Bank and the other being proposed for implementation by the SLPP presidential hopeful, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, that if he is elected to presidency. Rajapaksa was the first to make this offer, but as past experiences have shown, it is not unusual if the other candidates would follow him with better offers. When coaxed by a questioner in the audience at the recent more..

Oct 21 (CT) It is exactly six months today, since the brutal Easter Sunday attacks shattered Sri Lanka with the deaths of 260 people on a single day in six different places. Three churches and three leading hotels came under the ruthless attacks throwing a big challenge to Sri Lanka's security agencies ten years after the Island nation successfully ended a barbaric three decades of separatist war. The majority of people killed in the Easter Sunday attacks were devotees who attended more..

Oct 21 (AD) Two SriLankan Airlines flights which were scheduled to land at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in Katunayake this morning have been diverted to the Mattala International Airport. due to adverse weather conditions in Katunayake. Accordingly, flight UL 266 from Riyadh and flight UL 230 from Kuwait had been diverted to Mattala Airport. The passenger flights are expected to land at BIA once the rainy weather condition clears up. more..

Oct 21 (Island) Journalist, Mylvaganam Nimalarajan, was remembered on Oct 19 in Jaffna by the members of the Jaffna Press Club with the participation of Jaffna based journalists and civil society members. Nimalarajan, a senior journalist who contributed to the BBC Tamil and Sinhala services, the Tamil daily Virakesari and Sinhala weekly Ravaya, was murdered on Oct 19 2000 at his residence in Kolombuthurai in Jaffna. The Committee to Protect Journalists stated more..

Oct 21 (NR) Transparency International SL (TISL) is deeply concerned by the recent decision made by the cabinet of ministers, allowing Prez Sirisena to remain in his official residence at Mahagama Sekara Mawatha (formerly Pajet Road) in Colombo. TISL believes that the timing of the decision when the President is still in office and is the Head of Cabinet raises serious questions regarding conflicts of interest. more..

Oct 21 (EN) Laugfs Gas group has sought approval through its power subsidiary to set up two floating solar energy plants as it seeks to expand and diversify its generation capacity. Laugfs Power Limited (LPL), which is to be listed on the Colombo stock exchange, has a long-term strategy to achieve an overall generating capacity of 50 MW of solar, 20 MW of wind and 10 MW of mini hydro. Laugfs Power Limited is to be listed on the Diri Savi or second board of the Colombo Stock Exchange. more..

Oct 21 (AD) Chairman of the Committee on Cost of Living Minister P. Harrison says that the prices of several essential food items will be reduced for the coming festive season. Accordingly the committee has decided to reduce the tax on imported dried chili by Rs 20 (from Rs 25 to Rs 05) in order to reduce the price of dried chili which is currently around Rs 450-500 per kilogram. The tax on imported fish is to be reduced by Rs 25 per kilogram (from Rs 100 to Rs 25), Minister P. Harrison said. more..

Oct 21 (RN) Unveiling his transport policy, prez hopeful Anura Kumara Dissanayake said that under his presidency, public transit, which currently makes up 52% of the country�s transport sector, will be increased to 80%. �Developed countries have prioritised public transport. Globally there is a trend towards adopting public transit over private vehicle travel. To minimise traffic, we too will have to think about this approach,� more..

Oct 21 (AD) Sajith Premadasa should reveal the PM and the Cabinet of Ministers of his govt should he become President, says MP S.B. Dissanayake. UPFA MP posed three questions to the NDF Prez Candidate Sajith Premadasa at a press conference. Dissanayake pointed out that Premadasa has repeatedly said that there will be no corrupt ministers in his govt. MP S.B. Dissanayake says that he would like to inquire from the UNP Deputy Leader whether he would appoint Ranil more..

Oct 21 (NR) Disaster Management Centre says the landslide warnings issued by the National Building Research Organisation, owing to the inclement weather experienced over the island, is still in effect. Deputy Director and Media Spokesman of the DMC Pradeep Kodippili said the landslide warnings have been issued in Dehiowita and Yatiyanthota of the Kegalle District, Kuruwita, Eheliyagoda, Imbulpe, Balangoda and Opanayake of the Ratnapura District and Haldummulla of the Badulla District. more..

Oct 21 (RN) Earlier this month political gadfly MP S B Dissanayake told reporters that on the 18th of Nov we will be Ministers again after he confirmed he was supporting Gotabaya Rajapaksa�s Presidential bid. But increasingly it looks as if Dissanayake and other senior SLFP stalwarts who dumped their party to gather around the SLPP may not get a seat at the head table if Gotabaya does win. more..