Day: 25 November 2021

By Hiran H.Senewiratne The government’s 50 percent tax incentive for new companies to be listed in the CSE will come to an end on December 31 this year. Therefore, several companies are using that opportunity to enter the capital market by way of Initial Public Offerings (IPO), CSE- Head of Marketing Niroshan Wijesundera said. Wijesundera said that to promote the listing of local companies with the CSE, Prime Minister and Finance Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa had proposed a 50 per cent tax concession for the years 2021/2022 to be availed of…

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The Centre for Defence Research and Development under the Ministry of Defence has donated locally produced security equipment in Parliament today (25), for the purpose of enhancing the security of the Parliament complex in Sri Lanka. MORE.. Thank you

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Tamil National Alliance (TNA) delegation together with Global Tamil Forum (GTF) representatives (the “Delegation”), had many significant engagements in the US between November 15 – 22, articulating Tamil people’s concerns to key US Government policymakers and Members of the US Congress. We are pleased with our discussions and remain encouraged by their concerns and responses. In Washington, the Delegation met with Assistant Secretary of State, Ambassador Donald Lu; Deputy Assistant Secretary, Ambassador Kelly Keiderling; Acting Assistant Secretary for Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor,…

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Thursday 25th November, 2021 The private sector has been allowed to import agrochemicals with effect from yesterday. Sri Lankan farmers, who are celebrating the success of their protest campaign, should be thankful to their Indian counterparts who brought the mighty Modi government to its knees after a year-long struggle. The Indian farmers’ victory gave a scare to the Sri Lankan government, and boosted the morale of the farming community, here, protesting against the current fertiliser shortage. The government has been left with egg on its face, once again. There seems…

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The Health Ministry reported that another 211 persons have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, increasing the daily count of new cases to 740.  Six of the new cases are returnees from overseas while the other 205 cases are associated with the New Year COvid-19 cluster.  This increases the total number of Covid-19 cases registered in the country to 560,345 while presently a total of 17,713 infected patients are undergoing treatment island-wide.  Thank you

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The Mayor of Kinniya Urban Council was arrested by the Police today (25) over the death of six persons including a school student when a ferry capsized in the Kurinjankerni lagoon in Kinniya. Upon being produced before Court, the Kinniya Mayor has been remanded till December 09. Two operators of the ferry and its owner were arrested earlier, in connection with the accident and the three have also been remanded till December 08. MIAP Thank you

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48-hour token strike gets underway By Rathindra Kuruwita The issues faced by health professionals will not be solved by granting chancellor posts to vocal trade union leaders, College of Medical Laboratory Science (CMLS) President, Ravi Kumudesh told The Island yesterday. Kumudesh said that the ego of ministers and the incompetence of officials had led to a number of strikes and demonstrations that inconvenienced the people. Speaking about the 48-hour token strike, which was launched yesterday at 7.00 am, by 15 health sector non-medical trade unions over irregularities in promotions, salary…

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The UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, Tomoya Obokata, will undertake his first country visit to Sri Lanka from tomorrow (26 November) to next Friday (03 December). MORE.. Thank you

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The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) Engineers’ Association has launched a ‘work-to-rule’ trade union action, based on six demands including the termination of the agreement signed with the US’s New Fortress Company, starting from 12 pm noon today (25). Accordingly, engineers will be working only from 8.30 am to 4.15 pm and will be barring themselves from engaging in all other services, including overtime. Nevertheless, the Union stated that emergency and essential services will continue to operate. The work-to-rule trade union action may proceed to another…

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By Hiran H.Senewiratne The government’s 50 percent tax incentive for new companies to be listed in the CSE will come to an end on December 31 this year. Therefore, several companies are using that opportunity to enter the capital market by way of Initial Public Offerings (IPO), CSE- Head of Marketing Niroshan Wijesundera said. Wijesundera said that to promote the listing of local companies with the CSE, Prime Minister and Finance Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa had proposed a 50 per cent tax concession for the years 2021/2022 to be availed of…

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An explosion, suspected to have been caused by gas leakage, is reported at a residence in Kottawa, Pannipitiya. The incident took place early this morning (November 25), the police said. The house was severely damaged in the explosion, however, no casualties were reported. During the past month, several explosions were reported at two restaurants in Weligama and Colombo 07 as well as at a bakery in Ratnapura. The most recent incident was reported at a restaurant belonging to an international franchise located on the ground floor of the Race Course…

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United States President Joe Biden has snubbed Sri Lanka by not inviting it for a virtual democracy summit featuring over 100 countries.    India, Pakistan, Maldives and Nepal are among the South Asian countries invited to attend the summit. China and Russia are among the few countries together with Sri Lanka not invited for the summit. The list of participating countries made public by the US State Department notes that Taiwan as well as the Philippines and Mexico are among 110 countries invited for the…

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By Samantha Power Administrator – United States Agency for International Development Mangala Samaraweera was a remarkable public servant and one of the most remarkable individuals I have ever known. He was also a courageous leader, who dedicated his life to pursuing his vision for a multi-ethnic, multi-religious, and multi-lingual Sri Lanka that would, as he described it, “guarantee equal rights, justice and dignity for all.” I was devastated by Mangala’s passing and these days find myself craving his wise counsel, irrepressible mischief, and rare gift for friendship. I also miss…

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President Gotabaya Rajapaksa says law can be enforced against the culprits revealed by the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) into the Easter Sunday attacks through an Act of Parliament. MORE.. Thank you

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                                                                                                                                                            Media Release  November 23, 2021 (Colombo) Sri Lanka’s premier connectivity provider, Dialog Axiata PLC, has come forth to power the 2021 edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) as the official Telecommunication Partner for the tournament. The tourney organisers, The IPG Group released the ‘Ekwa Jayagamu’ LPL song sung by a stellar line-up of artistes at the launch event, in support of the teams.  LPL is a world-class cricket tournament set to feature the best in talent from across the world and also acts…

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48-hour token strike gets underway By Rathindra Kuruwita The issues faced by health professionals will not be solved by granting chancellor posts to vocal trade union leaders, College of Medical Laboratory Science (CMLS) President, Ravi Kumudesh told The Island yesterday. Kumudesh said that the ego of ministers and the incompetence of officials had led to a number of strikes and demonstrations that inconvenienced the people. Speaking about the 48-hour token strike, which was launched yesterday at 7.00 am, by 15 health sector non-medical trade unions over irregularities in promotions, salary…

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Litro Gas Lanka Limited, denying the allegations that the company has released substandard gas cylinders to the market, assured the public that no changes were made to its LP gas composition. At a media briefing on Wednesday (Nov. 24), the officials of the country’s largest gas supplier noted that it has been using the same composition for a long time. “An independent international lab report is provided before the LPG is loaded onto the ship for import. We also receive a separate lab report once the LPG ship reaches our…

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COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (23 November 2021): The iconic Colombo Municipal Council building was illuminated in orange with messaging on the national women’s helpline and Mithuru Piyasa hotline today to place a spotlight on intimate partner violence and encourage more women to seek help. The illumination organised by UNFPA in collaboration with the Colombo Municipal Council and the High Commission of Canada, launched the 16 days of global activism against gender-based violence in Sri Lanka with a focus on intimate partner violence. The intervention is the…

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