Heavy showers likely tonight (27)

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Sri Lanka's Ministry of Health is preparing to establish a database by spending almost a billion rupees, however no progress has been made with regard to the infamour #DataScam.The approval of the National Medicnes Regulatory Authority is essential for every medicine and medical device imported to Sri Lanka.With the COVID-19 pandemic, most of these activities take place online, and an advertisement published by the NMRA on October 15th, 2020 confirmed this.The functions of the NMRA were carried out online using the Lanka Government Cloud for uploading important data related to medicinesand medical devices.However, the data belonging to the NMRA which was available on the Lanka Government Cloud suddenly went missing, and later it was revealed that it was deliberate deletion.A complaint on data going missing from the NMRA Cloud was filed with the CID on July 23rd, 2021.A software engineer attached to the private company that managed the NMRA system was accused of deleting the data.However, the database did not even have the minimum security measure or a backup facility.The issue went to the Courts on 6th October 2021 where the gravity of the missing data was disclosed.Senior Deputy Solicitor General (DSG) Dileepa Peiris revealed at the Colombo Chief Magistrate's Court that medicine racketeer made undue advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic that was spreading across Sri Lanka at the time.In court it was revealed that the systems operator from the private company that managed the NMRA cloud had deleted data for a period of seven long hours.Senior Deputy Solicitor General (DSG) Dileepa Peiris emphasized that all those involved in this crime should be thoroughly investigated and brought to justice as they are

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Board of Directors of the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE), in consultation with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka (SEC) have decided to extend the trading hours with effect from 01st November 2022.Accordingly trading hours will be as follows from November onward; Pre-open session – 09:30 a.m.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa says incentives must be given to industries that generate dollars for Sri Lanka, in order to boost the economy."We can't resolve these issues by putting pressure on the economy. A program to boost the economy is mandatory.

Earlier, it was said that the incident was an accident involving the explosion of a gas-powered car. Sources now indicate that Mubeen was not driving a gas vehicle, but a petrol vehicle and the early triggering of the cylinder could have been an accident.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Coconut cultivations across multiple districts have been severely affected due to the Coconut White Fly infestation.The Coconut White Fly, which was reported for the first time from the Kegalle district in 2019, is currently widespread in several districts.The Assistant Director of the Coconut Research Institute, Dr.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Foreign Employment Bureau said that five Sri Lankan expatriates who had gone to Saudi Arabia to work as domestic aides will be repatriated soon.The Spokesperson Deputy General Manager Gamini Senarath Yapa said that the group departed Sri Lanka via the same Foreign Employment agency, and were trapped in a province some 1,200 km away from the Capital Riyadh.He said that the Sri Lankan Embassy in Saudi Arabia is coordinating the activities to repatriate them to Sri Lanka.Writer: Teena Marian

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera says that the new tariff rates will be applied only to New Roof Top Solar Systems."There will be no change of rates for already signed Power Purchasing Agreements & systems in use.", Minister Wijesekara said.Cabinet approval was granted to revise Roof Top Solar Tariff Rates.Two tiers' current tariff rates of Rs 22 & Rs 15.50 will be revised to a flat rate of Rs 37 for less than 500KW & Rs 34.50 for above 500KW RoofTop Solar for 20 years.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Ambassador of Qatar to Sri Lanka Jassim Bin Jabir Jassim Al Sorour called on the Chairperson Justice Rohini Marasinghe and other officials of the Commission of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) today (26).Upon hearing of the work carried out by the HRCSL from the Chairperson, the Ambassador of Qatar to Sri Lanka made assurances to communicate with the Chairperson of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI), and the Chairperson of the Qatar National Human Rights Commission, Maryam Abdullah Al Attiyah of the same. The Ambassador also stated unequivocally that he would disseminate the word about the good work carried out by the HRCSL at large.Writer: Teena Marian

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The first ever nationwide survey of financial literacy by the Central Bank has found that 42% of Sri Lankan adults are financially illiterate.‘Financial Literacy Survey Sri Lanka – 2021’, a publication of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, is now available for public access.The Regional Development Department of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, with the assistance of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) – under the IFC-DFAT Women in Work program – conducted the first-ever countrywide Financial Literacy Survey in Sri Lanka, as part of the implementation of the National Financial Inclusion Strategy of Sri Lanka. The key objective of the survey was to assess the level of financial literacy across the population to formulate appropriate policy measures.The survey focused on the elements of knowledge, attitudes, and behavior within the concept of financial literacy and this publication consists of the key survey findings.The survey findings reveal that 57.9 percent of adults are financially literate in Sri Lanka. Further, the findings imply that the level of financial literacy varies across different segments of the population, suggesting the need for targeted policy interventions. For instance, despite gender parity in education, the survey notes gender disparity in financial literacy.This publication is a useful collection of information for those who are interested in the field of financial inclusion.Writer: Teena Marian

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Ministerial Consultative Committee on Public Security focused on terminating the service of police officers who have not fulfilled required medical standards.The matter was discussed at the first meeting of the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Public Security held in Parliament recently under the chairmanship of Minister of Public Security Tiran Alas.The Members of Parliament who were present said that there are many officers in the police service who are not in good health condition for a long time and they do not engage in difficult duties following the submission of medical certificates.It was discussed at the meeting that some of these officers are not suffering from health problems and because of this, officers who are always performing their duties properly are getting inconvenienced.Thus, the Inspector General of Police pointed out that there are about 4,000 police officers who are not at the standard level of health condition for a long period of time. Accordingly, Minister Tiran Alas advised that the police department should prepare the necessary proposal regarding the removal of police officers who are not at the standard level of health condition for a long period of time and send it to the ministry. Also, the Inspector General of Police pointed out that a large number of police officers will retire this year and therefore there will be vacancies of about 16,000 police officers this year.Also, there was a discussion on the reported incidents of police officers using drugs.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Six people who were involved in reckless driving inside the Yala National Park over the weekend and flouting the park rules have surrendered to the Wildlife Officers. The group was produced to the Tissamaharama Magistrate's Court on Wednesday (26) along with seven vehicles.In the meantime, a three-member Committee was appointed to conduct further investigations on the Wildlife officials who have been temporarily suspended for failing to prevent incident from taking place.Secretary to the Ministry of Wildlife and Forest Resource Conservation Chandra Herath said the Committee was appointed to investigate the officials' dereliction of duty , failure to inform senior officials about the incident, and for their direct or indirect involvement in the incident.The Committee will be chaired by the Additional Secretary of the Ministry.The Ministry is also expected to make a formal request from the Inspector General of Police to arrest all members of the group involved in the incident.Over 100 of off-roader enthusiasts in 33 jeeps entered the Yala National Park on Saturday, 22nd October and performed various manouvers that caused harm to the wildlife.Several videos of a fleet of vehicles entering the Yala National Park harassing the wildlife went viral on social media, attracting widespread condemnation from netizens.Writer: Zulfick Farzan

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Government of China donated another 500 Metric Tonne of rice (50,000 packs) for needy students in Sri Lanka.This shipment of 50,000 packs donated by China to Sri Lanka reached Colombo Port on Tuesday (25) aborad the Vessel NAVIOS JASMINE and will soon be distributed to the students.Another 500 MT will arrive next week, bringing the Chinese Aid tally to 6,000 MT, said the Chinese Embassy in Colombo.The embassy said that the rice is suopplied from COFCO, a Chinese state-owned food processing holding company.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Venerable Galwewa Siridhamma Thero who was admitted to the hospital after falling ill, has been diagnosed with Dengue.A senior official attached to the National Hospital of Sri Lanka confirmed that Ven.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – A vessel carrying 60,000 MT of coal reached Sri Lanka on Tuesday (25), said Lanka Coal Company.The unloading of the coal will commence today (26).Lanka Coal Company said that with sufficient coal stocks it will be possible to maintain the generation of electricity at the Norochcholai Power Plant without any interruption.Further, before December 4th, another 4 ships of coal are scheduled to arrive in Sri Lanka.Meanwhile, the Lanka Coal Company noted that the application period for the tender related to the selection of a new supplier for the purchase of coal ended yesterday (25). Writer: Teena Marian

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Today’s exchange rates from the Central Bank of Sri Lanka:USD Buy 360.7106 Sell 371.2612GBP Buy 405.3858 Sell 421.4839EUR Buy 353.8694 Sell 368.8872JPY Buy 2.4039 Sell 2.5064AUD Buy 225.9663 Sell 236.9278Writer: Teena Marian

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Minister of Power & Energy has met the Treasury Department in USA Robert Kaproth and the US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung and other officials of the USAID.Productive discussions were carried out considering the reforms in the Power & Energy Sector, policies, debt restructuring, fuel management system & Petroleum products procurement.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Minister of Power & Energy has met the Treasury Department in USA Robert Kaproth and the US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung and other officials of the USAID.Productive discussions were carried out considering the reforms in the Power & Energy Sector, policies, debt restructuring, fuel management system & Petroleum products procurement.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Department of Meteorology says the prevailing showery condition over the island is expected to reduce to some extent.Several spells of Showers will occur in Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, and North-Western provinces and Galle and Matara districts.Showers or thundershowers may occur at several places in the Uva province and Ampara and Batticaloa districts during the afternoon or night.The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.Condition of Rain:Showers or thundershowers will occur at several places over the sea areas around the Island.Winds:Winds will be westerly or south-westerly in direction.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Sri Lanka's Central Bank Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe, and the Finance Secretary have both echoed that the process to stabilize the economy is going to be a painful process.However, the Minister of Mass Media, Dr.

How do you buy a health insurance plan? If you settle for a plan your agent sells or are happy knowing that you have bought the cheapest one, there is a bit of unlearning and a lot of learning in store for you. On the other hand, with numerous products, plan options, and all the complicated fine print, comparing insurance can be quite a daunting task.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Chairman of the all-island three wheeler drivers association, Lalith Dharmasekara says that despite the fuel quota being doubled, the fares will not be dropped. Dharmasekara said that three-wheeler drivers have been running at a loss so far, with Rs. 100/- for the first kilometre and Rs.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – ‘Sri Lanka Leopard Dynasty’ by Thivanka Rukshan Perera will become the first ever Sri Lanka documentary to be aired on National Geographic – WILD.News 1st's Senitha Senanayake reports, that ‘Sri Lanka Leopard Dynasty’ produced by ‘Thivanka Rukshan Perera and Aegle Creations PVT Ltd – Sri Lanka’ will air on National Geographic – WILD from November 13th to 30th this year. It will initially make its premiere on German Television (on November 13th, 2022) thereafter there will be a global release on Nat Geo WILD, where it will be dubbed and shown in different languages. The director, writer and editor of the film – ‘Thivanka Rukshan Perera’ – is an alumni of Academy of Art University in San Francisco, USA and a BFA (Hon) – in Motion Picture and Television.According to Thivanka, this documentary was produced with much difficulty, as it faced numerous obstacles including the COVID pandemic that restricted travel for many months.However, “Sri Lanka – Leopard Dynasty” was successfully completed by 2021 and acquired by National Geographic the following year. Currently, it is being dubbed to be shown in different languages worldwide later this year.

Marcus Stoinis played an outstanding knock of an unbeaten 59 from 18 deliveries to help Australia chase down 158 in their Super12 encounter of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup against Sri Lanka in Perth on Tuesday.Asalanka and Karunaratne lift Sri LankaDisciplined bowling by the Aussies kept Sri Lanka quiet for the major part of their innings but Asalanka and Karunaratne added 37 runs from the last 15 deliveries to help Sri Lanka to a respectable total of 157/6.Asalanka remained unbeaten on 38 from 25 deliveries while Karunaratne scored an useful 14 from seven deliveries after walking in to bat at number eight.Pathum Nissanka (40) and Dhananjaya de Silve also got off to good starts but they couldn't accelerate, ending their innings at underwhelming strike-rates of 88.89 and 113.04 respectively.Sri Lankan bowlers keep Australian batters leashedThe bowlers stepped up after Asalanka and Karunaratne gave Sri Lanka a defendable total. They kept the Australian batters absolutely leashed as the hosts struggled to score quick runs.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Department of Meteorology has issued an amber advisory for severe lightning for evening today (25).Accordingly, thundershowers accompanied by severe lightning are likely to occur at several places in Uva and Eastern provinces and in the Mullaitivu district.Moreover, there may be temporary localized strong winds during thundershowers.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – President Ranil Wickremesinghe has extended his felicitations on the appointment of Rishi Sunak as the UK's 57th Prime Minister.In a release, the President has stated that the vast experience which Sunak brings into the high office would be invaluable in discharging his responsibilities. Pointing out that Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom enjoy a shared traditional history, the President said that he is confident that under Sunak's leadership, the ties between the two nations will be further strengthened. "I look forward to enhancing this partnership particularly through the 'Global Britain' policy and the UK's new 'Platinum Partnership' scheme with Commonwealth countries," he added.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Five Gazettes to be presented to Parliament for approval were considered in the Committee on Public Finance recently and approval was obtained for four gazettes. This approval was given after an analysis of the relevant Gazettes at the Committee on Public Finance which met recently (Oct. 20) under the chairmanship of (Dr.) Harsha de Silva, Member of Parliament.Thus, the approval of the Committee was obtained for Gazette No.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Minister of Power and Energy, Kanchana Wijesekara says that Cabinet approval has been granted to revise Rooftop Solar Tariff Rates. Accordingly, a two-tier current tariff rate of Rs 22 and Rs 15.50 will be revised to a flat rate of Rs 37 for less than 500KW and Rs 34.50 for above 500KW Rooftop Solar for 20 years. He added that these tariffs will be adjusted annually based on a formula.   

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) recommended to the Secretary to the Ministry of Lands Chulananda Perera to update the Land Reforms Commission Act and carry out the necessary measures to restructure its operations.Accordingly, COPE recommended that a report be given within 6 weeks, based on the action taken in this regard.These recommendations were made when the Committee on Public Enterprises met in Parliament last (Oct. 21) under the chairmanship of Member of Parliament Prof.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Convenor of the Inter-University Bhikku Federation, Ven. Galewela Siridhamma Thero, who currently remains detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, has been admitted to the Colombo National Hospital.A spokesperson of the National Hospital stated that he was admitted to the 49th Ward of the National Hospital.Ven.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Two  ships of the Royal Australian Navy, namely; HMAS Adelaide and HMAS Anzac which are engaged in Indo-Pacific Endeavour 2022 arrived at the Port of Colombo this morning (25th October 2022). On their arrival, the visiting ships were welcomed by the Sri Lanka Navy in accordance with naval tradition.Indo-Pacific Endeavour (IPE) began in 2017 as an activity coordinated by the Australian Defence Force to strengthen Australia’s engagement and partnerships with regional security forces. Thus, this year’s IPE will return to Southeast and South Asia, consolidating partnerships with 14 countries such as Timor-Leste, Vietnam, the Philippines, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, the Maldives and India.Commodore Mal Wise of Royal Australian Navy is the Commander Joint Task Force for Indo-Pacific Endeavour 2022.The visiting ship HMAS Adelaide which is a 230m-long Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) is commanded by Captain SJ Watters.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – 30 people sutained injuries in an accident when two passenger buses collided head-on along the Colombo-Kandy main road.The accident took place in Mawanella, Anwaram along the Colombo – Kandy main road Police said that the accident took place between a private passenger bus and an SLTB bus.The private passenger bus was enroute to Nuwara Eliya from Kegalle while the SLTB bus was travelling from Mawanella to Kegalle.

LOOSE Women star Linda Robson has opened up about how overcoming her crippling health condition "transformed her life". The TV panellist revealed that she had her varicose veins in her legs treated after they ruined her "self-esteem" and "self-confidence".

COLOMBO (News 1st) – 'Stabilization is a very very painful process', was a statement made by the Governor of the Central Bank Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe at this morning's (25) launch of the report on the 'state of the economy' published by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS). The report contains national policy frameworks for recovery and policy adjustments for stabilization that were tabled and discussed by the board of the IPS and the Governor.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Treasury Department in the USA, Robert Kaproth is in Sri Lanka. He is here to meet with government & economic leaders to discuss the way forward on economic recovery for Sri Lanka, tweeted the US Ambassador to Sri Lanka.Robert Kaproth met with the USA Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung on Tuesday (25).

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The guides who accompanied a group in a fleet of vehicles who operated recklessly inside the Yala National Park, and the Park Rangers who failed to control the situation have been interdicted, said Minister Mahinda Amaraweera.Several videos of a fleet of vehicles entering the Yala National Park and doing doughnuts inside the park premises harassing the wildlife went viral on social media, attracting widespread condemnation from netizens.Sri Lanka's Ministry of Agriculture in a statement said that Minister Mahinda Amaraweera had instructed to immediately take action against against those involved in the incident.In addition, the Minister had requested the Inspector General of Police to arrest them irrespective of their status and position.The Minister added that steps will be taken to blackslist such individuals and vehicles from entering the Yala National Park.On Monday (24), The Department of Wildlife said that strict legal action will be taken against individuals who cause harm or harassment to the wild animals inside the Yala National Park.Director General of Wildlife Chandana Sooriyabandara told News 1st that Minister Mahinda Amaraweera has given clear instructions to institute immediate legal action against all individuals who had caused harm to wild animals using vehicles inside the Yala National Park.He said the Department of Wildlife is in possession of the information regarding such people, and the necessary evidence to take action against them.

WhatsApp seems to be facing a glitch as a number of users are reporting issues with sending and receiving texts on the app. Downdetector, a website that tracks online outages across the globe, has shown a sharp spike in the number of users reporting WhatsApp’s outage. Downdetector is reporting a major spike with over the 6000 reports online.

Active cases in the country has reached to 22,594 across the country taking the total tally of covid cases to more than 4.46 crore New Delhi: India has reported 826 new covid case in the last 24 hours, the union health ministry said on Tuesday. Active cases in the country has reached to 22,594 across the country taking the total tally of covid cases to more than 4.46 crore. Total death figure has reached 528,980 in the last two years.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Department of Meteorology says that showers will occur at times in Western, Sabaragamuwa, and North-Western provinces and in Kandy, Nuwara-Eliya, Galle, and Matara districts. Fairly heavy falls of about 50 mm can be expected at some places in Sabaragamuwa Province.Showers or thundershowers will occur at several places in Uva and Eastern provinces during the evening or night.The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.Condition of Rain:Showers will occur at times in the sea area off the coast extending from Puttalam to Matara via Colombo.Winds:Winds will be south-westerly and wind speed will be (20-40) kmph. Wind speed may increase up to 50 kmph at times in the sea areas off the coast extending from Puttalam to Galle via Colombo. Wind speed may increase up to (55-60) kmph from Galle to Pottuvil via Hambantota. State of Sea:The sea areas off the coast extending from Puttalam to Galle via Colombo will be rough at times and from Galle to Pottuvil via Hambantota will be rough and very rough at times.There is a possibility to increase swell waves about (2.5 m – 3.0 m) in the sea areas off the coast extending from Galle to Pottuvil via Hambantota and about (2.0 m – 2.5 m) in the sea areas off the coast extending from Puttalam to Galle via Colombo.Therefore, it is advised not to venture into fishing and naval activities in the sea areas off the coast extending from Galle to Pottuvil via Hambanthota and requested to be vigilant, in the sea areas off the coast extending from Puttalam to Galle via Colombountil further notice.

Among patients seen at long-COVID clinics in four countries, older people were the most likely to report symptoms and have abnormal chest imaging and lung function tests, finds a study published late last week in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases.

The race to become Alberta’s next premier may be damaging to the governing United Conservative Party’s brand, a longtime pollster says, casting doubt on how long the winner will be able to hold on to the top job.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Department of Meteorology says that showers will occur at times in Western and Sabaragamuwa provinces and Kandy, Nuwara-Eliya, Galle, and Matara districts. Heavy falls above 100 mm can be expected at some places in Sabaragamuwa Province and Kandy and Nuwara-Eliya districts.Several spells of showers will occur in Northern and North-Western provinces.Showers or thundershowers will occur at a few places in Uva province and Ampara district during the evening or night.Strong winds of about (50-55) kmph can be expected at times over the western slopes of the Central hills, Northern, North-Central, and Southern provinces, and in Trincomalee and Puttalam districts.

ALSO READ: Covid update: India sees rise in infections; active cases further decline "These findings are important because they show that, while COVID-19 vaccines are successful at reducing the risk of hospitalisation, people who are vaccinated and exposed to polluted air are still at increased risk for worse outcomes than vaccinated people not exposed to air pollution," senior research scientist at KPSC Anny Xiang said. Published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, the study estimated air pollution exposure levels for each participant based on their residential addresses.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Department of Meteorology says that showers will occur at times in Sabaragamuwa province and in Kandy and Nuwara-Eliya districts.Several spells of showers will occur in Western and North-Western provinces and Galle and Matara districts.Showers or thundershowers will occur at several places in Uva province and Ampara and Batticaloa districts during the evening or night.The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.Condition of Rain:Showers will occur at times in the sea area off the coast extending from Puttalam to Matara via Colombo.Winds:Winds will be south-westerly and wind speed will be (30-40) kmph.Wind speed may increase up to (50-60) kmph at times the sea area off the coast extends from Puttalam to Kankasanturai via Mannar and from Galle to Pottuvil via Hambantota. Wind speed may increase up to (45-50) kmph at times in the other sea areas around the Island.State of Sea:The sea area off the coast extending from Matara to Pottuvil via Hambantota will be rough. The sea area off the coast extending from Kankasanturai to Matara via Mannar, Colombo, and Galle will be rough at times and the other sea areas around the Island may be fairly rough at times.

BERLIN (FOX Business) - Unprecedented leaks in the Nord Stream energy pipelines connecting Russia to Germany were likely the result of sabotage, Germany argued Tuesday.The Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipeline systems suffered three leaks in a single day on Tuesday, though neither pipeline was operating at the time. The damaged offshore pipelines lay at the bottom of the Baltic Sea. Neither of the pipelines was operating at the time of the damage, however.

Daniella Karagach will be missing from the ballroom floor on tonight’s episode of Dancing With The Stars.

FILE - A woman jogs in a Los Angeles park after sunset on April 6, 2022, in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by FREDERIC J.

Covid-19 with those who did not. "Our nationwide study suggests a possible association between Covid-19 and new-onset type 1 diabetes", says Dr Hanne Lovdal Gulseth, lead author and Research Director at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.

COLOMBO (News 1st) –  Sri Lanka is likely to once again face an electricity crisis due to issues surrounding the procurement of coal to power the Norochcholai Power Plant.The Ceylon Electricity Board Engineer's Union warned that daily power cuts are likely to be extended to ten hours a day, if coal is not received by the 25th of October 2022.The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka also approved the Ceylon Electricity Boards' (CEB) request for power cuts of 2 hours & 20 minutes from 23rd to 25th September.Electricity Supply: 30 percent of the country's electricity supply depends on the Norochcholai coal-fired power plant despite one generator being out of order.More than 40 percent of the electricity demand is met from this plant when all three generators are in operation.Currently, the stock of coal in the plant is sufficient only till October 25th, 2022.After October 25th, sufficient coal stocks should be provided for power generation at the Norochcholai coal-fired power plant.What happened to the supply of coal?Recently, bids were invited to contract a long-term supplier of Coal for Sri Lanka. Several companies submitted bids during the formal tender process and another company submitted bids outside the tender process.After opening and evaluating the bids submitted outside the tender process, the proposals submitted in the formal tender process have been evaluated.Ultimately, it was decided to award the long-term supply to the company that submitted bids via the proper tender process.But the company that submitted bids outside the tender process had again submitted a bid at a lower price.The Minister of Power and Energy recently revealed in Parliament that the said bidder also influenced the company that offered