Nov 28 (FT) Gautam Adani, nephew Sagar Adani, and Senior Executive Vneet Jaain are clear of any bribery charges as per the US Dept of Justice (DoJ), according to the latest filing with stock exchanges by a Group company – Adani Green Energy Ltd. (AGEL). In its filing, AGEL has cited news reports by various media houses on the bribery and corruption charges against Adani officials Incorrect. “Media articles which state that certain of our directors, namely Gautam Adani, Sagar Adani and more..

Nov 28 (CI) If it wasn't obvious from the squad list, or from the victory on a green track at The Oval from earlier in the year, Sri Lanka actually have a seam attack now. They've made a bright start to the series against South Africa, their quicks taking four wickets in the 20.4 overs possible on day one. The three frontline quicks posed varying challenges to South Africa's batters. Left-armer Vishwa Fernando swung the ball in the air into more..

Nov 28 (DM) A coalition that previously held only three seats in Parliament has achieved a sweeping victory in Sri Lanka’s recent parliamentary elections. The JVP led NPP coalition now controls over two-thirds of the legislature; a historic outcome unprecedented in the history of the Sri Lankan parliament. This political shift positions the leftist alliance to implement widespread policy changes, potentially offering the stability that many Sri Lankans have long been yearning for. more..

Nov 28 (Island) The JVP-led NPP govt has disappointed its detractors, who expected it to act like a bull in a china shop, after capturing state power. It has chosen to act with restraint, and cross the river by feeling the stones, as legendary Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping said. So, Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa’s assurance, on Tuesday, that the incumbent govt would not ban private tuition came as no surprise. However, in saying so, he placed shadow education in the spotlight. more..

Nov 28 (TM) With the onset of the rainy season, our tropical island is back in limbo with the public and authorities scrambling to find higher ground, no pun intended. According to reports, given the onslaught triggered by cyclonic weather changes in the Bay of Bengal and a low pressure system forming off the East coast of the island, four citizens have lost their lives in the ensuing floods and landslides, six more (including children) are missing as of this paper going to print, and more..

Nov 28 (ST) At a polling booth, just outside Colombo, during last week’s parliamentary poll, a middle-aged voter remarked, as an official dabbed indelible ink on her finger, that election officials were doing a praiseworthy service to the nation which is often not duly acknowledged. “Thank you Madam, very rarely do we get thanks for working during an election,” the female official said in a response. It is indeed a thankless job that govt officials perform during an election. more..

Nov 28 (CT) Following the feedback received on its previous article highlighting the lack of mobilisation among the LGBTQ+ community in Hambantota, Ceylon Today discovered that this issue extends beyond a single district and affects the entire Southern Province. To delve deeper into the matter, Ceylon Today reached out to members of the queer community as well as representatives from organisations working in the region. more..

Nov 28 (CT) A few days ago, I received a call from an acquaintance, whom I’ll refer to as Shabeer. He expressed his frustration, saying, “Even someone as divisive as Gotabaya Rajapaksa appointed Ali Sabry, a Muslim, to the powerful Ministry of Justice. Yet, the current govt led by Anura does not have a single Muslim cabinet minister.” I listened patiently and then explained to Shabeer that Ali Sabry’s appointment was not a recognition of his skills, experience, or expertise. more..

Nov 28 (CT) Adverse weather conditions have once again impacted the daily lives of Sri Lankans across seven districts, affecting 4,300 families according to statistics from the Disaster Management Centre. The reason being, that a low-pressure system developing in the Southwest Bay of Bengal, intensifying into a depression at the start of the week, which is expected to continue to impact most of the island, with the East Coast being most affected. Being a small island located near the equator, more..

Nov 28 (TM) Land is an important component in any SL household. Apart from its economic significance, land has an important connection to a person’s identity and idea of rootedness. Ancestral land of a household is also a symbol of the continuation of kinship ties and citizenship. Despite its significance, it is estimated that only 16% of all land owned in SL belongs to women. Discussing women’s ownership and control of land, more..

Nov 28 (DM) The recently concluded Prez and Parliamentary elections in SL have resulted in a remarkable change in the composition of the political class that controls the State. In addition, the party system has undergone a major change. My interest here is to focus on the immediate context that led to these outcomes, and to make a few remarks on the importance of focusing on social policy for the new regime. New ideas on social policy have to be developed within a context of the politics of more..

Nov 28 (DM) With about 200,000 people across 17 districts being affected by the Deep Depression in the Bay of Bengal, the govt is moving fast to provide relief to them but in the aftermath, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and the National People’s Power(NPP) govt need to also look at the root causes of such a catastrophe. Clearly, one of the main reasons is the failure to effectively control climate change and we hope the govt will give highest priority to measures to prevent this. more..

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..