Oct 20 (EN) Stock index fell to a 7-week low on Thursday while the day�s turnover also slumping to the lower since the last week of August amid highly volatile market sentiments as economic uncertainties over new tax hikes dented the appetite for risky assets, brokers said. The market saw a turnover of 1.4 billion rupees, its lowest since Aug 29 and lower than this year�s average turnover of 3.2 billion rupees. ASPI slipped 1.7% or 150.99 points to close at 8,737.38, also lowest since Aug 29. more..

Oct 20 (CT) Salvage tug De Tian and Barge Ke Li of China�s Shanghai Salvage Company (SSC) entered the wreck site of the X-Press Pearl off the coast of Bopitiya yesterday to remove the salvageable wreck from the country while the Govt continues to hold discussions for compensation from the X-Press Pearl insurer for the environmental disaster it had caused. It was a US company that has hired the SSC to move out the piled up wreck from the sea which will be conducted using advanced more..

Oct 20 (AD) Governor of the Central Bank of SL (CBSL) Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe says that in present circumstances, there is no alternative other than the IMF to get assistance for reviving the country�s economy. He also said that tax revisions and other reforms combined with debt restructuring are parts of the stabilization process. The CBSL Governor made these comments during an interview with the Director General of President�s Media, Danushka Ramanayake. more..

Oct 20 (Island) SL High Commissioner to India and a SL biodiversity scientist as well as a public policy advisor, are working to import six Bisons from India without permission from the Department of Forest Conservation and Dept of Wildlife Conservation, Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ) alleged. CEJ Director Hemantha Withanage said that senior officials of the Dept of Forest Conservation and the Dept of Wildlife Conservation had denied giving permission for the project. more..

Oct 20 (TM) A heated debate took place yesterday in Parliament, as arguments were made both for and against the conduct of SL Law College internal examinations in only the English medium. SJB MP Hesha Vithanage noted that while former Minister of Justice and incumbent Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Sabry had brought in a progressive gazette to conduct the Law College curriculum in the English medium; more..

Oct 20 (AD) Opposition political parties today (20) reached a memorandum of understanding to work together to defeat the govt�s attempt to postpone the local govt elections. This is according to a resolution that was unanimously adopted by all the opposition parties recently. The MoU has been signed with the aim of taking all possible measures within the constitutional framework to defeat the govt�s alleged efforts to postpone the holding of the local govt elections. more..

Oct 20 (DM) The govt has incurred a loss of Rs. 6,900 million by awarding the tender to a company that submitted the highest bid during the tender process for the import of urea under World Bank assistance, SL Gulf Trade and Investment Board (SLGTIB) Chairman Mohan Perera said. He said that the UAE-based company, which submitted a bid for US$ 595 for one metric ton of urea, but it was not awarded the relevant tender and it was awarded to another company. more..

Oct 20 (TM) A total of Rs. 1 billion worth of arrears pertaining to unpaid water bills has to be collected from schools islandwide, according to National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB). NWSDB Deputy General Manager Piyal Pathmanatha said that they had not charged schools for the water supply since 1988 due to a Cabinet paper, and that it was the duty of the Treasury to make the relevant payments. more..

Oct 20 (TM) A people�s aragalaya (struggle) has been organised by the Trade Union Co-ordination Centre (TUCC) with the participation of student unions, civil society organisations, social activists, teachers, principals, and trade unionists representing the Govt, semi-Govt, private, estate, and other sectors, on 27 Oct under the themes stop the suppression and give space to the people�s voice. TUCC Convenor Wasantha Samarasinghe, speaking at a gathering on Tuesday, more..

Oct 20 (EN) SJB will support the 22nd amendment to the constitution provided that no underhand revisions are sneaked in at the committee stage, opposition leader Sajith Premadasa said. He told parliament that the party will vote for the amendment bill in good faith on the condition that no attempt is made to revise the bill�s prohibition on dual citizens entering parliament. Nor should there be any attempt to change the president�s power to dissolve parliament in two and a half years. more..

Oct 21 (DM) A large number of people are forced to taste the emptiness of hunger. Some are forced to rob items having great value or engage in petty thefts; all done to earn some dough to have at least one square meal for the day. And at the end of the day some of those less fortunate people are arrested and put in a police cell. All this happens when the lawmakers of the country have robbed from state coffers & are getting away with whatever questionable acts they are engaged in. more..

Oct 21 (ST) Trio was in conversation under the margosa tree when Aldoris, the choon-paan karaya, came along in his tuk-tuk with breakfast goodies. After purchasing maalu paan and kimbula bunis, they returned to the margosa tree where Kussi Amma Sera, resuming the conversation, said: �Me davas wala deshapalagnayan-gen kisima wedak ne (Politicians these days are useless).� Responded Mabel Rasthiyadu: �Eka ithin haemadama thubunu prashnayak-ne. Aluth deyak neme-ne. more..

Oct 21 (TM) A survey conducted across 11 districts of Sri Lanka has revealed that around 96% of people who were interviewed have been affected by the prevailing economic crisis in some material way, with food insecurity, health concerns, livelihoods and nutrition related challenges being amongst the most pressing issues. Deteriorating physical safety and security, as well as violence against women and children also stand out more..

Oct 21 (DM) Although children are born innocent, most of them, if they live long till old age, die corrupt. The longer we live the more we become corrupt. Of course, there are exceptions. They are the ones who through self-discipline and spiritual means save themselves from covetousness and lust. Even if they are pushed to penury and perish in poverty, they would stand tall and would not be dragged into corruption. But throughout history, such principled people have been a rarity. more..

Oct 21 (GV) With the onset of the Aragalaya earlier this year, discussions about harmony, unity and coexistence took center stage and became popular topics among people. The Aragalaya, and especially GotaGoGama at Galle Face, provided a much needed, never before seen setting for people of all backgrounds to come together. Without a doubt, this was a remarkable period and a watershed moment in SL history. The gathering of people from all walks of life, from various religious backgrounds more..

Oct 21 (CT) One of the country�s two primary salterns is located in Hambantota. The significance of salt in the history and identity of Hambantota cannot be overstated. Historically, the city was known for the extraction and transportation of salt to the rest of the island, but today, salt production methods remain traditional with minimal technology where harvesting is done by hand, diverting many workers to other employment. more..

Oct 21 (CT) The newly appointed Prez�s Adviser on Climate Change, Erik Solheim, said he is going to bring the best ideas, expertise and examples from other countries to tackle climate change and SL�s expectations to go green. Solheim, a green politician, diplomat and former Norwegian peace negotiator between the LTTE and the SL Govt, made headlines recently when he was designated as Prez Wickremesinghe�s Int'l Adviser on Climate Change, along with Maldivian Speaker Nasheed. more..

Oct 21 (Island) The govt has gone into overdrive to boost state revenue. It has ordered the captive taxpayers to stand and deliver, and sought to mitigate the political fallout of the unconscionable tax and tariff hikes by claiming that unless such draconian measures are adopted to increase revenue, the country will have to forgo IMF assistance! It is acting as if the people were responsible for bankrupting the country and therefore had to be penalised! more..

Oct 21 (Island) The recent high profile arrest of Thilini Priyamali, over the misappropriation of massive amounts of money, underscored the need for a no holds barred investigation into her nefarious activities, as well as those of her investors, and her employees. But, it wouldn�t be fair to tar all with the same brush. In spite of quite an extensive coverage of the case, with the focus on Priyamali�s clandestine transactions, and that of her �husband� Isuru Bandara, several contentious issues more..

Oct 21 (Island) People, mostly well-groomed and decent, gathering at Gotagogama on Saturday, Oct 9, to commemorate the inauguration of the peaceful protest on April 9 against the then rulers of the land � principally the Rajapaksa family of Prez, PM, several Ministers and of course legions of hangers on drooling in servitude waiting to pick up crumbs. People had brought their children, even babes in arms. Then swooped down dressed-for-battle police persons in large numbers. more..

Oct 21 (FT) Federation of Renewable Energy Developers (FRED) warned of serious setbacks if the corporate tax is increased to 30% from 14% since the industry works on long-term fixed tariffs. FRED said that the Income Tax Amendment Bill 2022 issued on 11 Oct 2022 withdraws the current Concessionary Rate of 14% to the Renewable Energy (RE) Sector. The rate is to be increased from 14% to 30% with effect from 1 Oct 2022. more..

Oct 21 (DM) Rehabilitation is a word that presumes a previous state of perceived acceptance or agreement. Its etymology is interesting and revealing, deriving from re- again or to turn and habitare - make fit which in turn comes from the Latin habilis - easily managed, fit. In other words, rehabilitation is about restoring someone or something to a previous state; someone who has or something that has strayed from the norm is reined back into a controlled/controllable space or more..

Oct 21 (Island) SJB MP and former Justice Minister Thalatha Atukorale called for the relocation of the female wards of the country�s prisons to their own separate premises and for the rehabilitation of drug addicts. Atukorale said relocating the female wards would be good for everybody. �I cannot think of a place as corrupt as the prisons, a place that doesn�t treat people as badly as they�re treated there. �Though a female ward exists, it should be relocated to some other region. more..

Oct 21 (Island) Devindya Oshini Gunawardhana of Wycherley International School won the Asian Youth Under 10 girls� chess title at the Asian Youth Chess Championships 2022 in Bali, Indonesia. She scored 8.5 points during the nine-round event where Iran�s Bahar Mirzakhani was the only opponent who was able to hold her for a draw. That came in the eighth round. Oshini commenced the tournament as the third ranked player but dominated from the start. She secured the championship before more..

Oct 21 (FT) SL has moved up in the global Freedom on the Net 2022 ranking to 48th place from 51 last year, though users found restrictions during the period of June 2021 to May 2022 due to Govt attempts to repress online activities related to protests around the economic crisis. Prolonged power cuts in the early part of the year also impacted connectivity. SL, which remains partly free in terms of internet freedom, scored 9 marks out of 25 on obstacles to access; 22 out 35 more..

Oct 21 (FT) Ceylon Motor Traders Association (CTMA) expressed serious concerns over their viability in the face of the latest increases in taxes when the industry is suffering most from the import ban. CTMA said the Govt imposed a complete import suspension on all types of vehicles (two-wheelers, three-wheelers, passenger cars and commercial vehicles) in March 2020 citing that it will be for a period of 6 months. more..

Oct 21 (Island) Unlocking new opportunities for youth in the growing fast-food sector, SL launched its first vocational training kitchen on October 14 at the Technical College in Kuliyapitiya. USAID will develop a new curriculum aligned to global best practices and train vocational trainers and assessors for the program. Funded by a US$ 1.3 million grant from the Yum! Brands Foundation, vocational training kitchen initiative titled An Equal Slice for Everyone is the first in a series implemented more..

Oct 21 (FT) Ministry of Finance and Economic Stabilisation has raised concerns over certain manufacturers of alcohol products maintaining sales outlets, which may lead to loss of tax revenue. In addition to revenue concerns, Ministry notes there are rising complaints of more inferior quality toddy products entering the market through such outlets, which pose grave threats to the health of consumers. In a discussion with Excise Officials, State Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya, more..

Oct 21 (Island) Some politicians hate university students because they played a major role in sending Gotabaya Rajapaksa home, JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayaka has said. During the past few months, uni students had won praise and admiration of the public, he said. �The students played a key role in ending the disastrous reign of Gotabaya. So, they hate students,� he said. more..

Oct 21 (DN) SL�s Nethmi Ahinsa put herself in contention for a Bronze Medal with a tremendous performance on the third day of the Under-23 World Wrestling Championships in Pontevedra, Spain yesterday. The 18-year-old Commonwealth Games Bronze Medallist from Welpalla, Kurunegala made another fine impact to reach the quarterfinals of the Women�s 55kg weight class and will meet Alisha Sue of the US in the Bronze Medal bout. Earlier, Nethmi launched her campaign with more..

Oct 21 (CT) Central Bank of SL (CBSL) capped yield pressure at Wednesday�s (20) weekly Treasury (T) Bill auction by selling only 21.50 per cent (Rs 16,123 million) of the original Rs 75,000 million offered to the market. This has to be looked at in the context that excluding T-Bill maturities repayable to the CBSL, Govt of SL also has to repay to the market a minimum of Rs 46,243 million T-Bill maturities by today (21), equivalent to nearly double the amount finally accepted, i.e. Rs 16,123 million; more..

Oct 21 (Island) About 108 elephants are being raised by private owners by the end of 2021, a research study in the Journal of the Asian Elephant Specialists Group has said.The survey was carried out by elephant-scientist Tharindu Muthukumarana of the Elephant Conservation Organization (ECO). Muthukumarana told The Island that this survey did not include elephants from orphanages, zoos, etc. In Sri Lanka, censuses on captive elephants have been carried out since 1946. more..

Oct 21 (DN) Sri Lanka cricketers made good come back and they are in good shape to play for the Super 12 stage of the T-20 World cup said former Sri Lanka all-rounder Farveez Maharoof in an interview yesterday. Actually when top teams play with the Associate teams like UAE, Netherlands, and Namibia any of the top teams who have test status have to face many difficulties, and the SL team had to face this same issue during the qualifying round at the Geelong grounds in Melbourne. more..

Oct 21 (FT) Strategically located in the heart of the capital, lauded as Colombo�s most distinctive office space of the future, the Mireka Tower at Havelock City was ceremoniously opened by Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday. Comprising 50 storeys with 600,000 sq. ft. Grade A premium Office Space, the Mireka Tower offers an expansive, column-free setting with cityscape views, already feted as another iconic commercial complex more..

Oct 21 (AD) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe emphasized that immediate measures are being taken to create an investment-friendly environment in SL and create economic stability. Prez said this addressing the gathering at the Mireka Tower opening ceremony at Havelock City in Wellawatte, where he was the Chief Guest. Prez also said that laws that had been introduced under Greater Colombo Economic Commission (GCEC) will be re-enacted to introduce an efficient system more..