Sri Lanka drops in Freedom on the Net 2022 Index.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – A special petition was filed with the Supreme Court today challenging the Inland Revenue (Amendment) Bill that was added to the Parliament agenda on the 21st of October 2022.The petition was filed by Athula Saranga Ranaweera, a General Manager of a leading private company in Sri Lanka and seeks a determination from the Supreme Court that the Inland Revenue (Amendment) Bill is inconsistent with the constitution of the country.The petitioner has named the Attorney General as the respondent.The petitioner claims that if the Inland Revenue (Amendment) Bill is passed it would cause grave injustice to the professionals and the general public.Therefore, the petitioner is seeking a Supreme Court determination on the Inland Revenue (Amendment) Bill stating that clauses 15, 16, 22, 29,36, and 39 must be removed from the Bill or a Special Majority is required in Parliament for the passage of the Bill.The petition was filed through Attorneys H.M.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Bar Association of Sri Lanka says that the enactment of the 21st Amendment must not be used as an excuse or mechanism to discontinue Chairpersons and members of Commissions whose services helped establish public faith in such Institutions. The Bar Association went on to note that the 21st Amendment to the Constitution regrettably does not completely restore the status quo ante which prevailed prior to the 20th Amendment to the Constitution and does not place adequate checks and balances on the powers of the Executive President. It noted that the 20th Amendment to the Constitution rolled back the checks and balances which were introduced by the 19th Amendment on the exercise of executive power.The Bar Association of Sri Lanka calls upon the President, Prime Minister, Speaker, Leader of the Opposition, and all political parties represented in Parliament, to firstly ensure the integrity of nominations to the Constitutional Council and to ensure that such nominations are devoid of partisanship and in a manner that will inspire public confidence.The BASL noted that for this purpose, it is important to ensure that the non-ex-officio members of the Constitutional Council appointed from among Members of Parliament and from among non-Members of Parliament be done in a transparent and open manner and to also ensure that those appointed will be acceptable to the members of the public and be persons of the highest integrity and reputation.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Two chartered flights of essential medicines gifted by China will arrive in  Colombo on Thursday (27).The Chinese Embassy in Colombo said that the value of the essential medicines is 35 million RMB (1.8 billion LKR). The two chartered flights carrying essential medicines donated by China to Sri Lanka both departed Chengdu in North West China for Colombo earlier on Thursday (27th).The Chinese Embassy said that in June, and September 2022 China donated 23 Million RMB (1.2 bln LKR) worth of medicines to Sri Lanka.With a total volume of 151.25 cubic meters and a weight of 28.64 metric tons, the consignment consists of:1) 15,000 vials of Human Albumin Solution; 2) 330,300 doses of Rabies Vaccine for Human Use (Vero Cell) Freeze-dried; 3) 7,500 vials of 23-Valent Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Vaccine (PPSV23); 4) 22,020 vials of Human Immunoglobulin (ph4) for IV use; 5) 170,240 syringes of Recombinant human granulocyte Colony-Stimulating factor injection.The consignments will be officially handed over to Sri Lankan authorities later on Thursday (27).

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Sri Lanka's Health Ministry said that the number of Dengue cases reported in Sri Lanka has increased threefold compared to 2021.So far in 2022, more than 62,000 Dengue cases have been reported.Director of the National Dengue Control Unit, Dr Sudath Samaraweera says 60 people have died from Dengue this year, adding that a majority of the victims were children and those below the age of 50 years.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – President Ranil Wickremesinghe issued an extraordinary gazette moving the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka and related institutions from the purview of the Defence Ministry to the Ministry of Technology. 

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Ministry of Agriculture announced that a vessel carrying 12,500 MT of fertilizer reached the country last night (26).The additional secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture Mahesh Gammanpili said that the vessel reached Sri Lanka from China.The unloading of urea fertilizer is scheduled to commence on Thursday (27) morning.The stock of urea fertilizer was moved to Sri Lanka under the World Bank loan assistance.The Ministry further said that the stock of urea fertilizer will be distributed to the farmers in Ampara and Batticaloa districts.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Select Committee of Parliament to look into and report to Parliament its recommendations to ensure gender equity and equality with special emphasis on looking into gender based discriminations and violations of women’s rights in Sri Lanka held discussions regarding the progress of drafting the proposed Bill entitled “Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment” followed by a presentation to review findings on the implementation of the multi sectoral National Action Plan to address Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) 2016-2020.These discussions were held at the said Select Committee chaired by (Dr.) Sudarshani Fernandopulle, Member of Parliament recently (20).The Select Committee members agreed to send the draft inclusive of all recommendations discussed at the Select Committee to the expert committee assigned for the purpose within two weeks under the purview of the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs.The Select Committee also acknowledged the progress of the implementation of the multi sectoral National Action Plan to address Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) 2016-2020 and directed and requested the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs to incorporate contextualized initiatives to the new plan.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – As recommended by the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL), the power cut has been reduced to 2 hours on the 27th & 28th of October as follows;Groups ABCDEFGHIJKLPQRSTUVW: 1-hour during daytime 1-hour during the night

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The General Secretary of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, Attorney-at-Law Sagara Kariyawasam emphasized that dual citizens should be allowed to enter the Parliament. Speaking at a press conference held at the party headquarters, Kariyawasam stressed this point taking into example the newly appointed British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak.Pointing out that the concept of a global village is now prevalent in the world, the SLPP General Secretary said that instead, some parties are attempting to drag the country back into tribalism.He said that England, as a country where Protestant Christianity is used as the official religion, a Hindu of Indian origin was appointed as the Prime Minister, which speaks for the UK's acceptance towards those of a different origin, in contrast to that of Sri Lanka. "The question of whether we, as a country are moving towards tribalism, I think was best answered for those who brought amendments such as the 22nd Amendemnt, by England last week," he said.However, the question remains, wheter the example taken by Kariyawasam is comparable to the situation in Sri Lanka? The current British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was born on the 12th of May 1980 at the Southampton Hospital in Britain . Which means he was a British citizen by Birth.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka has recommended not to extend the detention order issued against Wasantha Mudalige and Ven. Galwewa Siridhamma.The HRCSL said that any futher investigations that the police may need to conduct can be carried out successfully and expeditiously without the continued detention of these persons.It asserts that the arrest, detention, and continued incarceration of the convener of the Inter University Student Federation (IUSF), Wasantha Mudalige, and the convener of the Inter University Bhikku Federation (IUBF), Ven.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – While the SLPP General Secretary says that dual citizens should be allowed to make decisions on behalf of the people of Sri Lanka, the United National Party took a different stance.The Vice President of the UNP, Akila Viraj Kariyawasam said that he opposed dual citizens taking seats in the Parliament, and Sri Lanka should only be ruled by Sri Lankans who care and think about the country.Otherwise, he pointed out, any dual citizen has the right to go to a different country in the future and act in the way that they desire without facing repercussions of their actions. Meanwhile, SJB MP S.M.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – MP Dilan Perera says that the Government will not be able to stop any allegations against it with regard to human rights violations. Speaking to media, the Freedom Peoples Congress MP said that Venerable Galwewa Siridhamma Thero, who was visited by HRCSL personnel, was observed to have been unwell on 24th October. However, the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) only took the Thero to the hospital on 25th, which by that time, his platelet count and blood pressure were already low. "Therefore, the arrests made under the Prevention of Terrorism Act is wrong. If we can't pay attention to their health condition at least after the arrest, we will not be able to stop the accusations of human rights violations," he added.Earlier today, a senior official attached to the National Hospital of Sri Lanka confirmed that Ven.

COLOMBO (News 1st)- Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe has instructed the security forces to conduct an investigation in an impartial manner in to the recent incident inside the Yala National Park where a fleet of Off-Road vehicles were seen performing doughnut inside the park premises.Cabinent Spokesperson & Minister Bandula Gunawardena said that the President also instructed to penalize those accountable.Nine people and seven jeeps that were involved in the Yala Fiasco over the weekend, that received widespread condemnation, were produced to the Tissamaharama District Court on Wednesday (26) after they surrendered to the Yala National Park Rangers Office earlier in the day.The Magistrate ordered for the suspects to be released on a personal bail of Rs. 500,000/- each.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.This committee will be chaired by an Additional Secretary to the Ministry of Wildlife and Forest Resource Conservation.A total of seven Park Rangers have been interdicted until the investigations are over, and they are charged with dereliction of duty and for their direct or indirect involvement in the incident.The matter was also raised during Wednesday's (26) cabinet briefing, and Minister Bandula Gunawardena.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka issued a clarification regarding the implementation of the Social Security Contribution Tax on electricity bills. As per the Social Security Tax Act, electricity supply by Ceylon Electricity Board is subject to Social Security Contribution Tax.Accordingly, the Ceylon Electricity Board will charge the said tax from the 1st of October, 2022 on the purchase of electricity by the parties including consumers who receive electricity from the Ceylon Electricity Board. "As the electricity tariffs were revised recently, we suggested the Ministry of Finance exempt electricity consumption from this tax. The Ministry of Finance has informed us that according to the relevant Act, the electricity supply of the Ceylon Electricity Board is subject to this tax.

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.

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) – 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 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.

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) – 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) – 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) – '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.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The individuals & vehicles involved in reckless joyriding inside the Yala National Park have been blacklisted.The Director General of Wildlife told News 1st that these individuals and vehicles cannot enter any National Park in Sri Lanka for three years.The guides who accompanied the group in a fleet of vehicles who operated recklessly inside the Yala National Park, and the Park Rangers who failed to control the situation were interdicted, said Minister Mahinda Amaraweera on Tuesday (26).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

COLOMBO (News 1st) –  A partial Solar Eclipse will be visible over Sri Lanka at sunset on Tuesday (25), however with the prevailing weather conditions some might not be able to witness it. The Astronomy and Space Science Unit (ASSU) of Colombo University said the partial Solar Eclipse will be visible over the skies of Jaffna at around 5:27 PM on Tuesday (25).Head of the Department, Prof. Chandana Jayaratne says the partial Solar Eclipse will be visible over Jaffna for close to 22 minutes. According to Prof.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Today’s exchange rates from the Central Bank of Sri Lanka:USD Buy 360.7312 Sell 371.2425GBP Buy 401.9620 Sell 417.9717EUR Buy 349.9535 Sell 364.8447JPY Buy 2.3818 Sell 2.4836AUD Buy 224.1226 Sell 235.0303

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) approved power cuts of 2 hours and 20 minutes on 25th & 26th October as follows;Groups ABCDEFGHIJKLPQRSTUVW: 1-hour during daytime 1-hour and 20-minutes during the night

The COVID-19 pandemic claimed thousands of Sri Lankan lives, and News 1st revealed questionable transactions that took place during the height of the pandemic.Approximately 7 Million doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine are to expire on Monday, 31st of October 2022.The Epidemiology Unit of the Ministry of Health repeatedly requested the people of Sri Lanka to obtain the vaccine doses before delay.Pfizer Inc expects to roughly quadruple the price of its COVID-19 vaccine to about $110 to $130 per dose after the United States government's current purchase program expires.Approximately 7 Million doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine are to expire, and if it does the value of those vaccines as per the current market rate would be astronomical.While vaccine stocks are about to expire leading to another colossal waste, Sri Lanka also lost a large sum of money when it delayed placing orders for the vaccine.In February 2020, Sri Lanka recorded its first even COVID-19 infection and it didn't take long for the coronavirus to spread across the country.What did Sri Lanka do when other countries devoted their resources to developing a vaccine?Sri Lankan MPs and Minister dropped pots into rivers, and the so-called miracle tonic Dhammika Paniya was promoted widely – while there was absolutely no interest in procuring the vaccines.Experts in the field of medicine repeatedly called for the government to procure vaccines, however as Sri Lankan authorities opted to myth over science, the procurement of much-needed vaccines was delayed.On the 30th of December 2020, the UK granted approval for the emergency use of the AstraZeneca vaccine prompting many other countries to place immediate orders for the vaccines.As it was also produced by the

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Sri Lanka has decided to increase the fuel quota allocated for Three-Wheelers.The President's Media Division said that President Ranil Wickremesinghe has approved to double the fuel qouta for three-wheelers.The first stage will be from the Western Province and the registration of three-wheelers will commence from the 1st of November 2022.The PMD said that QR refueling on the increased fuel quota will commence from the 6th of November 2022, and the other provinces will follow in stages.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – When it comes to street food, Asia delivers big on variety and flavor. According to CNNs Quest World of Wonder Sri Lanka's Achcharu and Hoppers have made it to the Top 20 in the 50 of the best street foods in Asia.To celebrate the region's bottomless culinary talent and passion for food, CNN rounded up 50 must-try, much-loved street foods and beverages in Asia in alphabetical order.Achcharu tops the list while Hoppers come in at number 16 in the Top 20 among the 50 of the best street foods in Asia.Let' start with the leader of the board – Achcharu or Pickle (Achcharu):Pickles/Achcharu get a Sri Lankan twist as it tastes sweet, sour, and spicy with pickled fruits and vegetables that make a perfect street-food snack.Seasoned with local spices, chili, turmeric, sugar, and salt, the offerings will differ depending on the region and seasons.It might be Ceylon olives or called Veralu, wood apple, pineapple, ambarella, mango, jackfruit, or eggplant.Sinhala achcharu is very famous on Sinhala New year, and Dansal and on many other occcations. Achcharu is the perfect side dish for any meal in Sri Lanka, be it breakfast, lunch, dinner.Let's hop to Hoppers in number 16Hoppers are a famous and special street food across Sri Lanka.Hoppers are called APPA in Sri Lanka.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – President Ranil Wickremesinghe says the spirit of Deepavali let us all cast aside all differences and come together to collectively dispel the darkness that is currently shrouding our Motherland, with unprecedented challenges.President's Deepavali message:It is indeed a pleasure to extend my warm felicitation for Deepavali, being a colorful religious festival of lights celebrated with much reverence by Hindu devotees.For Deepavali, Hindus illuminate their temples and homes, be it mansions or huts, with light bulbs and lamps symbolizing the expelling of the darkness of ignorance and creating the radiance of knowledge.Only light can dispel darkness. Therefore, in the spirit of Deepavali let us all cast aside all differences and come together to collectively dispel the darkness that is currently shrouding our Motherland, with unprecedented challenges.Peace, brotherhood and unity are of significance in the celebration of Deepavali and I request all Sri Lankans irrespective of race, religion or political affiliation to unite around the light of Deepavali to rebuild the country.I am hopeful that this Deepavali celebration will be the beginning of a better future that will fulfill everyone’s wishes and make Sri Lanka a prosperous nation.

COLOMBO (News 1st) –  A partial Solar Eclipse will be visible over Sri Lanka at sunset on Tuesday (25), however with the prevailing weather conditions some might not be able to witness it. The Astronomy and Space Science Unit (ASSU) of the Colombo University said the partial Solar Eclipse will be visible over the skies of Jaffna at around 5:27 PM tomorrow.Head of the Department, Prof. Chandana Jayaratne says the partial Solar Eclipse will be visible over Jaffna for close to 22 minutes. According to Prof.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – Today’s exchange rates from the Central Bank of Sri Lanka:USD Buy 360.7312 Sell 371.2425GBP Buy 401.9620 Sell 417.9717EUR Buy 349.9535 Sell 364.8447JPY Buy 2.3818 Sell 2.4836AUD Buy 224.1226 Sell 235.0303

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Chairman of the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) Janaka Ratnayake said that the scheduled power cuts on Monday (24) will not be carried out considering the celebration of the Deepavali festival.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Offshore Patrol Vessel P 627 of Sri Lanka Navy, which set sail for her home-bound journey from Seattle, United States on 03rd September 2022, called at the Port of Changi in Singapore on 22nd October 2022. The High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to Singapore, Sashikala Premawardhane was also present on this occasion to welcome the ship.After having called at the Port of Manila in the Philippines, P 627 began her home-bound journey from there on 16th October. Having covered a passage of about 1393 nautical miles (2580 km) she arrived in Singapore on 22nd October 2022 for replenishment and services.When the ship arrived at the Port of Changi, the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to Singapore, Sashikala Premawardhane was also present to welcome the ship.

COLOMBO (News 1st) – The Minister of Justice has imposed further restrictions on the rights of imprisoned persons under a gazette issued on 12th July 2022.Former Commissioner of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka Ambika Satkunanathan Tweeted concerns in this regard today.According to the former HRCSL Commissioner, as per the new prison rules under the Second 94 of the Prisons Ordinance, most concerning are the reduction of visits to remanded imprisoned persons from 6 days a week to 1 a week. She added that they have also reduced the time outside cell from 4 hours to 1 hour.Some of the provisions underlined in the gazette is as follows:RIGHT TO RECEIVE VISITSAn unconvicted person to receive visits 6 days a week, is repealed by the gazette, which replaces it with a rule that limits such visits to once a week.The new rule also sets out reasons for which visits can be restricted.