Nov 18 (TM) The SJB, staged a protest in Parliament yesterday against Public Security Minister Rear Admiral (Retd.) Dr. Sarath Weerasekera over a custodial death reported at the Panamura Police Station yesterday and the police obstructions to the SJB protest march on Tuesday (16). Speaking in Parliament yesterday, SJB MP Hesha Withanage claimed that a person who had attended the said SJB protest had been more..

Nov 18 (CT) Rohan Parikh, Managing Director of Iconic Developments has urged the authorities to find solutions to resolve gaps in the real estate market and the Forex crisis. Speaking at a Webinar organised by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, he said there is a correlation between house prices, building materials and exchange rate depreciation, especially when one is considering a high import-dependent economy. Referring to the Forex crises, people would ask him, more..

Nov 18 (Island) A rare endemic lotus plant species, widely thought to be extinct, has been discovered after 50 years in the Gulawita North Grama Niladhari Division, adjacent to the Nawalakanda forest in the Walallawita DS Division in the Kalutara District. Scientifically known as Strobilanthes rhytisperma, the species was last reported in the Central Province in 1867 and in the Ranwala Forest Reserve, in the Kalutara District, in 1971, but no living specimens had been found since, said researcher more..

Nov 18 (TM) SL Govt Officers� Trade Union Association (SLGOTUA) has warned that if there is no positive response from the Govt to their request to increase the salaries of public servants as a remedy to the rising cost of living (CoL), more than 700,000 public servants will inevitably go on a trade union action after 27 Nov. SLGOTUA, on 14 Nov, warned that it would initiate a trade union action without giving notice, if govt did not increase more..

Nov 18 (CT) Minister Wimal Weerawansa yesterday told Parliament that they were not enemies of the administration and that they were sincere friends because they enlightened the Govt of its shortcomings to put them on the correct track. Participating in the debate on the Appropriation Bill 2022, Weerawansa said, �Everyone should remember that we are not enemies, but true friends who show the correct path to the Govt. We may have differences & conflicts within the Govt. more..

Nov 18 (Island) Public Security Minister Sarath Weerasekera told Parliament yesterday that SJB members� allegation that the police had arrested and beaten to death a youth who attended Tuesday�s SJB protest was a blatant lie. �The victim�s name was Indika Jayaratne. He was a 37-year-old resident of Panamure. He was a drug addict and the police had received complaints that he was constantly abusing his wife and children. �On 12 Nov. the man�s daughter had lodged a complaint more..

Nov 18 (Island) CEB Engineers Union warned CEB General Manager M.R. Ranatunga to refrain from transferring two Additional General Managers who had expressed concerns about a questionable deal with US energy company, New Fortress Energy. A senior engineer said that they had warned the General Manager against any action taken to transfer targeted Addl. General Managers from their posts. more..

Nov 18 (TM) Prez Rajapaksa inspected the Organic Fertilizer Packaging Centres at Oyamaduwa and Senanayake Mawatha in Anuradhapura managed by the Land Reform Commission, yesterday. The Land Reform Commission produces organic fertilizer at 35 centres in the North Central Province using Water hyacinth, Ginisiriya, poultry wastes, dried dung and Eppawala Rock Phosphate as raw materials. Land Reform Commission expects to produce 50,000 metric tons of organic fertilizer for Maha more..

Nov 18 (FT) The increasing degree of frustration amongst the younger generation in Sri Lanka is very disturbing. The young are increasingly disillusioned with the political system and politicians. They see many daily paid workers are without an income, and those receiving an income find the cost of living an unbearable burden. COVID no doubt is a culprit, but not the only one. Failure of economic and political management by successive govts have left many young people despondent and more..

Nov 18 (MFA) Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka Prof. G. L. Peiris called on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her office in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Minister Prof. Peiris briefed the PM of Bangladesh on Sri Lanka�s success in containing the COVID 19 pandemic and on a wide range of current issues. Particular attention was paid to progress towards a Preferential Trade Agreement � in respect of which negotiations at the official level have already commenced � and cooperation in the field of shipping. more..

Nov 18 (Island) Sri Lanka Tourism and the Embassy of SL in Stockholm presented Destination Sri Lanka at the Travel News Market (TNM) � Sweden�s premier Tourism event last week at the Stockholm Waterfront Congress Centre. With Sri Lanka as a top tourist destination for 2022, opening its shores to the world traveller with minimum restrictions � especially for those fully inoculated the country�s unique and diverse tourism experience was showcased at the SO SRI LANKA booth highlighting more..

Nov 18 (TM) From the 23rd to the 26th of Nov 2021, family and friends of the late Mangala Samaraweera will come together to mark the passage of three months since his untimely passing, in a series of private and public occasions for reflection, a press release disseminated by Jayanthi Samaraweera Gunewardena and Family noted. �Given that Mangala passed away tragically on the 24th of Aug, at a time when the country more..

Nov 18 (Island) Sri Lanka would import the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in the future, State Minister of Production, Supply and Regulation of Pharmaceuticals, Prof. Channa Jayasumana said yesterday. Prof. Jayasumana said that there were enough stocks of other vaccines in the country for the first and second doses. He said that the govt was currently focused on vaccinating schoolchildren and administering the booster dose to those who had received first two doses of the vaccine. more..

Nov 18 (FT) In March-April 1992, President Premadasa permitted Opposition MP Mahinda Rajapaksa�s 18-day-long march of anti-Govt protest and agitation from Colombo to Kataragama�the Paada Yatra�to proceed unimpeded though it was a time of intense terrorist attacks and war and could have been banned on grounds of security. Almost 30 years later, Prez Rajapaksa, who having migrated to the USA by then didn�t participate in his brother�s Paada Yatra, sought to suffocate more..

Nov 18 (EN) An Extraordinary Gazette notification has been issued by the President amending the institutional and legal framework of several ministries. Prez Rajapaksa has issued the gazette, dated yesterday (Nov. 17), exercising the powers vested in him under Articles 44 (1), 45 (1) and 47 (1) (a) (b) respectively of the Constitution of Sri Lanka. Accordingly, the institutional and legal framework Presidential Secretariat � more..

Nov 18 (DM) There is an upward trend in COVID positive cases among school children including primary schools after re-opening schools for educational activities, the Public Health Inspectors (PHI) Union said. PHI Union President Upul Rohana said that many school children, especially teachers and academic staff members had tested positive for the Covid virus. Most of the schools in the Southern, Western and Central Province, including many districts, found many positive cases, he said. more..

Nov 18 (Island) Northern Provincial Council (NPC) has misused the annual allocations from the government for a long time, Governor of the province, Jeevan Thiagarajah alleged on Tuesday in Vavuniya. The NPC had not spent the annual budgetary allocations it received from the govt and there were many irregularities in the way money was spent, he said. During a meeting with government officials at the District Secretariat � Vavuniya, Governor Thiagarajah said NPC politicians more..

Nov 18 (DM) SL�s hard-hit tourism sector has received investments amounting to US $ 101 million in the last nine months, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, of which 22 projects worth of US $ 92 million have received the nod to kick off, Tourism Minister Pransanna Ranatunga said. Ranatunga affirmed that efforts are underway to obtain the approval for the remaining 11 projects put forward this year, while steps have been taken to uplift the tourism infrastructure across the island more..

Nov 18 (FT) The Embassy of SL in Moscow in collaboration with the National Gem and Jewellery Authority of SL and the Russian Club of Jewellery Trade organised a B2B virtual meeting between SL gem and jewellery exporters and Russian jewellery companies on 11 November with the objective of promoting SL precious stones in Russia. The virtual B2B promotion was attended by around 35 Russian jewellery trading and manufacturing companies and aroused keen interest in the SL gem and more..

Nov 18 (DM) In the absence of policy guidance, the govt has failed miserably to build up its foreign reverses in contrast to other South Asian govts, which have beefed up reserves to meet the external challenges, a senior Opposition lawmaker charged. �All South Asian nations, except Afghanistan, have been able to increase their foreign reserves, despite the pandemic; even foreign reserves of Pakistan have risen. more..

Nov 18 (Island) Cabinet of Ministers on Monday approved a proposal by the Minister of Tourism to carry out tourism promotion programmes targeting the UK, Germany, France and India, the main sources of tourists in the Asian region. Co-Cabinet spokesman, Dr. Ramesh Pathirana said that the govt wanted to implement tourism promotion programmes aimed at the upcoming vacation season. �All parties involved in the tourism sector, including airlines, are making a collective more..

Nov 18 (FT) US State Dept�s Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Deputy Assistant Secretary Kelly Keiderling this week held wide-ranging discussions covering bilateral relations and matters of mutual interest with Foreign Secretary Admiral Prof. Jayanath Colombage. Ambassador Keiderling was on an official visit to Sri Lanka from 13 to 15 Nov. The Foreign Secretary extended a warm welcome to the visiting senior official from the US Dept of State to SL, Foreign Ministry said. more..

Nov 18 (TM) Despite the Govt claiming that they have enough funds, SJB MP Champika Ranawaka claimed that the Govt is actually bankrupt and added that there will not be electricity in the near future. �The govt said that they would be constructing a Rs 600 billion oil refinery when they came to power, but today even the existing oil refinery is closed. The contract for LP gas will be expiring by Feb, they are not talking about more..

Nov 18 (Island) Rs 325.23 billion had been spent on importing milk and milk-related products during the Yahapalana govt, Parliament was told yesterday. Responding to a question by SLPP MP Mohamed Muzammil, State Minister Shehan Semasinghe said that 488.48 million kilos of milk powder and milk-related products had been imported between 2015 to 2019. Minister Semasinghe said Sri Lanka had imported 86 million kilos of milk powder and milk-related products in 2015, 99 m kilos in 2016, more..

Nov 18 (CT) Additional Solicitor General Priyantha Nawana yesterday urged the three-Judge Bench of the Colombo High Court to issue summons for ex-Governor of the Central Bank, Dr. Indrajith Coomaraswamy, the first witness in the case filed against former Minister of Finance, Ravi Karunanayake and seven others over misappropriation of funds amounting to Rs 15 billion linked to the third CBSL Treasury Bonds auction held on 31 March five years ago, via video more..

Nov 18 (AD) The Sandahiru Seya in Anuradhapura will be vested with the Venerable Maha Sanga today, thereby officially opening the sacred site for devotees. The Venerable Maha Sanga and a number of distinguished invitees are expected to attend the Crest Gem unveiling ceremony today, which will be graced by the Prez Rajapaksa and PM Rajapaksa. Families of the deceased veteran war heroes and differently able ex-servicemen more..

Nov 18 (UCAN) A SL MP has urged the govt to legalize cannabis cultivation amid protests by religious leaders. Diana Gamage, a govt lawmaker, said cannabis cultivation can solve the foreign exchange crisis by bringing in billions of dollars to the country. "The country can be freed from debt through the legalization and export of cannabis cultivation," she said in parliament. "We do not have to beg or borrow money from anyone. This resource given by nature should be legalized more..

Nov 18 (CT) Former President Maithripala Sirisena expressed displeasure over the Health Ministry failing to operate the National Renal Treatment Hospital in Polonnaruwa at full capacity despite Prez Rajapaksa�s instructions. Participating in the debate on the Appropriation Bill 2022, Sirisena said the President ordered the hospital to be fully functional within three months of its opening. �However, it is sad to say that the Health Ministry has failed to appoint a Director to the hospital yet. more..

Nov 18 (AN) Health experts in SL warned on Wednesday of a rapid rise in dengue fever cases in the wake of monsoon rains, which have caused flooding in several districts. Health Ministry reported that 16,042 people have contracted the mosquito-borne viral disease this year, but ongoing monsoon rains and flooding � which provide perfect breeding sites for mosquitoes � have led to a surge in cases since the beginning of November. more..

Nov 18 (TM) As children between the ages of 5 to 12 years have shown more resistance to the Covid-19 virus, the administration of anti Covid-19 vaccines to this age group may not be necessary. Pediatric Chest Physician Dr. Channa De Silva expressed that children infected with Covid-19 do not show signs of severe disease. �Children in this age group have proven to be more resistant to the virus. We barely see infection transmitted between children, whereas transmission from adults to children is higher. more..

Nov 18 (CT) Customs Trade Union Alliance (CTUA) refuted the Committee on Public Accounts�s (COPA) charge that Customs officers receive substantial amounts as rewards from fines imposed on defaulters at the expense of the Treasury. The Trade Union slammed the report submitted by Prof. Tissa Vitarana, COPA Chairperson to Parliament, accusing that COPA finalised the report, without subjecting it to the Customs Ordinance. The report contained misrepresentations, they alleged. more..

Nov 18 (CT) Chairman of the National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol (NATA), Dr. Samadhi Rajapaksa, said that with tobacco being a gateway drug, legalising cannabis for commercial purposes would incur more problems for the country. Contacted for comment following MP Diana Gamage�s call to make cannabis a commercial crop for export purposes, Dr. Rajapaksa said the Govt would take a final decision more..

Nov 18 (DM) Maldives President Mohamed Solih who was on a recent two-day visit to Sri Lanka said the Maldives economy which was heavily dependent on its tourism industry, is on its way to recovery after being hit by the virus, and had managed to bounce back to around 70% of what it used to be before the pandemic. He said despite all of this, there was still a long way to go and countries such as Sri Lanka and the Maldives needed further access to global fiscal resources to assist the ongoing more..

Nov 18 (DM) The longest partial lunar eclipse in 580 years will take place on the daytime of Nov 19, Professor Chandana Jayaratne said. He said the lunar eclipse will be visible while having the opportunity to see the three brightest planets in the solar system Jupiter, Saturn and Venus in a line in the western skies just after sunset these days. The eclipse, however, will be visible to a large portion of the world, including America, North Europe, East Asia, Australia, and the Pacific, more..

Nov 19 (DM) Sri Lanka is a strange country when its comes to the application of the law. Just the other day we heared of the news that a person convicted of murder was sentenced to death by the Presiding Judge at the Tangalle High Court. The news of the verdict largely received the attention of the print media because the judge disregarded the norms practised in the court when reading out a death sentence. Generally a death sentence in SL is automatically transferred to life imprisonment more..

Nov 19 (DM) Bad policies, more often than not, lead to bad outcome. Still, you might get out of the rot with a light touch, before it sets in, of course, only if you are not demagogic enough to stick to your folly, despite their devastating consequences. Failing in that commonsensical decision leads to a certain disaster. Look no further than the plight of the SL economy. The entire agricultural sector is in shamble. One ill-informed decision to ban chemical fertilizer has wreaked havoc. more..

Nov 19 (Roar) Maradana � Colombo 10 � is one of the busiest areas in the city. But this was not the case, perhaps a century or so ago, when Maradana was a quiet suburban area in which a number of theatres, cinemas and schools were located. Popular schools from all the faiths � the Buddist Ananda College (established in 1886), Catholic St. Joseph�s College (1896) and Zahira College, one of the first Muslim schools more..