Nov 27 (FT) Cabinet of Ministers on Monday approved the timeline for the preparation and presentation of the 2025 Budget, with the Appropriation Bill scheduled to be presented to Parliament on 9 Jan. Second reading, also known as the Budget speech is set for 17 Feb, while the third reading and debate will take place from 27 Feb to 21 Mar 2025. �Govt aims to lay the groundwork for economic rejuvenation while strengthening public trust and addressing citizens� expectations,� more..

Nov 27 (DM) Six aircraft have been diverted to the Mattala International Airport and Thiruvananthapuram International Airport in India due to the heavy rains around the BIA. Accordingly, aircraft arriving from Chennai in India and the Maldives, as well as an Etihad Airways flight from Abu Dhabi, have landed at the Mattala Airport. Additionally, three flights arriving from Narita in Japan, Dubai and Chennai in India have been diverted to the Trivandrum Airport in India. more..

Nov 27 (TM) The Catholic Bishops Conference of SL (CBCSL) stated that the investigations into the bombings on Easter Sunday of 21 April 2019, are now progressing in a positive manner, with hopes that the remaining work will be completed soon. Under the administrations of former Presidents Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Ranil Wickremesinghe, there were allegations that the relevant authorities were not conducting more..

Nov 27 (Island) Former Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) MP and Deputy Leader of the party H.M.M. Harees has been suspended from the party over allegation of breach of party discipline during the presidential election campaign 2024. The letter of suspension says the speeches he made on 16 October 2024 in Kalmunai significantly damaged the party�s campaign in Digamadulla district and across the country at the general election as they were widely circulated on social media. more..

Nov 27 (NW) A vehicle belonging to Dr. Nihal Abeysinghe, the General Secretary of the NPP and a Member of Parliament for the Kalutara District, met with an accident last evening (26) when it fell into the pond within the Parliament premises. According to police, Dr. Abeysinghe was not in the vehicle at the time of the incident. The accident occurred when the driver arrived to pick up the MP, who had been attending a workshop organized for newly elected Members of Parliament. more..

Nov 27 (DM) Central Bank of SL announced it has decided to implement a single policy interest rate mechanism transitioning from its dual policy interest rate mechanism, effective from 27 Nov 2024. This marks another significant improvement in the Flexible Inflation Targeting (FIT) framework implemented by the Central Bank. The announcement of single policy interest rate mechanism was announced in the Central Banks�s Annual Policy Statement in Jan 2024 and more..

Nov 27 (GN) After a heartbreaking loss recently, SL cricket legend Aravinda de Silva has made a bold decision: he won�t watch his team play again unless they reach the World Test Championship final. The former captain�s choice followed a recent defeat against NZ, a game he had tuned in to watch for the first time in a long while. �After a long time, I started watching a match, and unfortunately, we lost that match,� de Silva said during his visit to Jafza Cup, presented by We One in Dubai. more..

Nov 27 (TM) The Ministry of Education stated that all possible options are being explored to address the issues surrounding the Grade Five Scholarship Examination, and that the Supreme Court (SC) will be informed of such in the coming days. Considering a Fundamental Rights (FR) petition filed by a group of parents of students who appeared for the Examination this year, the SC recently issued an interim order suspending more..

Nov 27 (Island) Sri Lanka�s cricketers wrapped up their final training session in Durban yesterday, exuding a sense of calm confidence ahead of the two-match Test series against South Africa. Touring South Africa has historically been a trial by fire, with fiery fast bowlers and hostile pitches ready to humble visiting teams. But times have changed. With past victories on these shores under their belt, Sri Lanka seems to have cracked the code, proving that no mountain is too high to climb. more..

Nov 27 (FT) The 24th edition of the SL Economic Summit organised by The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce will take place on 28 and 29 January at the Shangri La Hotel, Colombo. Held under the theme Shaping SL�s future: Transformational growth rooted in sound economic policies, the summit will host an exceptional line-up of national and international industry leaders and experts as speakers and panellists. Against a backdrop of significant political and economic shifts, more..

Nov 27 (FT) Public Security Ministry Secretary Ravi Seneviratne said the existing Computer Crimes Act (CCA) in SL needs modifications to apprehend cyber criminals and bring them to justice. He expressed these views at the Daily FT-CICRA Annual Cyber Security Summit, which was held for the 10th consecutive year at Cinnamon Grand. Delivering a speech as the Chief Guest, former Senior DIG Seneviratne admitted that more..

Nov 27 (DN) Despite being an island nation SL�s marine economy currently contributes a less than 10% of Sri Lanka�s GDP of about US$ 84 billion said Vice Admiral Anil Kumar Chawla, a retired Indian Navy officer, who served as Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Southern Naval Command in India at the Marine Conference, Voyage Sri Lanka in Kingsbury Colombo yesterday. SL has been a maritime country since its ancient past and he said that this figure is grossly insufficient for more..

Nov 27 (DN) Sri Lanka will have seven players featuring in the IPL 2025 and 23-year-old promising speedstar Eshan Malinga is among these seven players. Kamindu Mendis also for the first time entered the IPL. The 23-year-old young Sri Lankan speedster Malinga who is yet to earn his national was called up, managed to win an IPL deal as Sunrisers Hyderabad snatched him in the IPL Mega Auction held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Malinga was bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad more..

Nov 27 (FT) BOI Chairman Arjuna Herath recently met with SL Shippers� Council (SLSC) Chairman Sean Van Dort and representatives from the Joint Apparel Association Forum (JAAF) Secretary General Yohan Lawrence and Brandix Group Head of Logistics Taiyoob Ahamed to discuss critical issues affecting the country�s export industry. The talks focused on enhancing security measures and operational efficiency to safeguard SL�s reputation in the global market. more..

Nov 27 (Island) Surely, racism has caused enough damage to us to warrant its erasure from our midst with the condemnation it deserves, without leaving it more room to further flourish in deceptively benign ways. As showcased by the November 14 election results, many Tamils and Muslims, not forgetting Catholics and Hindus, have voted to power the NPP, led by the JVP, which they might have previously labelled, and avoided, as a Sinhalese party. This turning of tables has obviously been triggered more..

Nov 27 (CI) It could not be more deliciously set up. South Africa and SL will play in what is effectively a quarter-final of the World Test Championship (WTC) over the next two weeks. Both believe they have built outfits that could challenge for the title next June. If that sounds like an obviously optimistic thing to say, consider who we are talking about. Over the last two WTC cycles, South Africa lost more than half the series more..

Nov 27 (GV) A video clip of the JVP MP Bimal Rathnayake speaking at a political rally of the NPP, clearly after the presidential election but before the general election earlier this month, is worth studying for what he notes, and how � beyond the obvious stress and criticism of Hiru TV. My translation of the video clip, which is just shy of two minutes, follows. There are still one or two who can�t change. This is one of them [pointing to Hiru TV mike on podium]. They did so many dirty things. more..

Nov 27 (CT) History is going to repeat again. It is going to begin on 1 Feb 2025, with the lifting of import ban on passenger vehicles. With the blessing of the governor of the central bank, the govt has already promised to remove the import restrictions of vehicles on Feb 1, 2025. On that day, it will begin to set the necessary conditions for a full-blown crisis again, possibly within a year or so. If the unrealized demand for vehicles for the past few years is accounted, more..

Nov 27 (Island) Protests have erupted in India against Gautam Adani and his business empire in view of damning corruption charges against them over some renewable energy projects. Adani and seven others have been charged in a bribery and fraud case in the US. A federal court has issued arrest warrants for him and his nephew. The Indian Opposition threw both Houses of Parliament into turmoil on Monday, causing them to be adjourned over allegations of corruption against Adani. more..

Nov 27 (ST) Could you believe it! That veteran combatant from our Grand Old Party, who was once finance minister and then foreign minister and then whatnot, is unable to stay out of the people�s assembly. He is in the fray again, and this time it is said with his own party brethren. His memory was not functioning too some seven years or so ago. Hope it is okay now. One would have thought that the main political parties, which for long hogged the seats of power in our motherland and more..

Nov 27 (TM) Imagine stepping off a long flight, eager to explore a country rich in culture and natural beauty, only to be greeted by broken escalators, poor Wi-Fi, inadequate air conditioning, cracked walls, unfriendly staff at understaffed counters, limited seating, and unhygienic bathrooms with tissue-thrown, wet floors. The pervasive sense of neglect is hard to miss. At the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), SL�s main gateway more..

Nov 27 (CT) The inaugural session of the 10th Parliament convened on 21 November, heralded a moment of promise and expectation. A historic body of representatives, featuring the highest-ever representation of women and a significant number of newly elected members, reflects the will of a politically discerning electorate seeking change. Yet, the events surrounding this occasion � particularly the conduct of an independent MP � have reignited discussions about the urgent need to more..

Nov 27 (TM) Despite SL�s robust maritime security approach countering trafficking, the evolving dynamic of organised crime continues to pose significant challenges to national security. SL�s narcotics abuse problem has a long history of reactive action by the Govt, with little being done to address threats before they grow into major challenges. Over the last decade, SL�s counter narcotics supply efforts have predominantly focused on the heroin/methamphetamine inflows from more..

Nov 27 (CT) Tilvin Silva has been serving as the General Secretary of the JVP for nearly 30 years. He assumed leadership of the party in 1995, shortly after it was revived and re-entered mainstream politics. Starting from scratch, he held the same position until the party rose to power � a distant dream that many once believed would take another lifetime to realise. In a candid interview, the typically reserved JVP General Secretary more..

Nov 27 (DM) For the first time in recent memory, Sri Lanka now has a Cabinet devoid of Muslim representation. That is a grave error which should be rectified. At first, it appeared as an oversight, considering that the appointments to the Cabinet must have come through deliberations between the JVP and its partners in the NPP, which claims to represent a multitude of professional and civil society groups, and each lobbying on behalf of their members. But not any longer. more..

Nov 27 (DM) November is the month associated, with the commemoration of the dead. It has its origins in the Mexican D�a de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) which evolved from Aztec traditions combined with Catholic beliefs brought by the Spanish to that land. Similarly, other cultures use this time to honour ancestors and remember loved ones, as the season�s natural shifts evoke themes of death, remembrance, and continuity. In our own country, Nov 2 is set apart by more..

Nov 26 (DM) In the wake of bribery allegations against Indian billionaire Gautam Adani in the US, Minister Nalinda Jayathissa said that the SL govt was taking the matter seriously. He said that the govt was reviewing Adani's ongoing projects in SL. However, Minister Jayathissa said that no decision had been made regarding Adani's projects in the SL cabinet meeting, and the govt was currently assessing the situation. He said reports have been requested from the relevant ministries more..

Nov 26 (AD) The necessary provisions for incurring and accounting for certain essential expenses in the coming period of the year 2024 should be made through a Supplementary Estimate, Minister Nalinda Jayatissa said during the today�s Cabinet press conference. Minister highlighted that accordingly, certain identified expenses can be made through provision adjustments within the approved expenditure estimate for 2024, and the relevant adjustments can be made without exceeding more..

Nov 26 (AD) The CEB has strongly refuted recent claims regarding the revision of electricity tariffs. Addressing the controversy, the CEB clarified its position on a proposal submitted to the Public Utilities Commission of SL (PUCSL) on Oct 24, 2024, which recommended a reduction in electricity tariffs by a range of 6% to 11%. CEB said that this proposal was based on projected expenses for the final quarter of 2024, revenue data more..

Nov 26 (NW) National Carrier, SriLankan Airlines has been Gazetted Under the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development. The announcement was made via a Gazette notification, dated 25 Nov, issued by Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake outlining the duties and functions of ministries and institutions under the new govt. The move suggests that it was in line with the govt�s decision to abandon plans to sell SriLankan Airlines.In October this year, more..

Nov 26 (CI) SL's men are third on the World Test Championship table, with a win percentage of 55.56, and South Africa are right on their heels, on 54.17. Both are in striking distance of a top-two finish, for which presently, there are five serious contenders - India, Australia, and NZ being the other three. Ordinarily, this is enough to make this a tilt worth watching (there are distractions such as some Border-Gavaskar Trophy, plus a NZ vs England series elsewhere, apparently), but more..