The Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA) is continuing its provincial-level trade union action for the second consecutive day. This 24-hour strike action is now affecting all state hospitals in the Northern Province.
The GMOA initiated its provincial-level trade union action in the Uva Province the previous day. This ongoing strike is part of a planned series of actions, with the North Western Province set to join on November 6, followed by the Sabaragamuwa Province on November 7.
The primary concerns prompting this trade union action include the government’s inability to retain doctors within the country, a situation contributing to the strain on the healthcare system. The GMOA seeks to address these issues and mitigate the potential collapse of the health system.
Minister of Public Security, Tiran Alles, has revealed that a decision is still pending regarding the appointment of a new Inspector General of Police (IGP). This statement comes in response to an inquiry made by News 1st about the next steps following the three-week service extension granted to the current IGP, C.D. Wickramaratne.
Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana has noted that the Constitutional Council has not yet received a nomination for the new IGP. The Constitutional Council is scheduled to convene on the 9th of November to discuss this matter.
IGP C.D. Wickramaratne has received three service extensions, including two previous three-month extensions and an additional three-week extension. The recent request by the President to the Constitutional Council sought to extend his service term by another three weeks. However, the Constitutional Council clarified that it does not require the Council’s permission to grant a service extension to the Inspector General of Police.
Delegation of 19 Indian officials led by Chief Negotiator Anant Swarup visit SL for extensive discussions on the comprehensive ECTA Agreement: negotiations renewed following SL President’s visit to India recently.
Ministry of Finance increases the Special Commodity Levy on Sugar to Rs.50 per kg from 25 cents per kg.
Reports from Foreign media indicate that 17 Sri Lankans are among the 596 foreign & dual nationals permitted to leave Gaza via the Rafah border between Gaza and Egypt.
The Foundation Laying Ceremony for the 10,000 Indian Housing Program at the Dimbulla Lower Division, Mount Vernon Estate, Kotagala conducted virtually by President Ranil Wickremesinghe & Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to mark the 200th anniversary of the arrival of Indian-Origin Tamils in SL.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe & Indian Finance Minister Hon. Nirmala Sitharaman exchange bilateral documents to enable the execution of projects under the USD 15 million Grant Assistance by India for the “promotion of Buddhist ties between India & SL”.
Supreme Court orders former President Maithripala Sirisena, former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando, former IGP Pujith Jayasundara & former head of the SIS Nilantha Jayawardana to produce their assets and liabilities through affidavits before 30th December’23 since they have failed to pay compensation in the Easter Sunday Attacks case.
Member of the Presidential Advisory Group on Multi-lateral Engagement & Debt Sustainability (who is reported to have advised on the crippling Debt Default announcement) & ex-IMF staffer Dr Sharmini Coorey says the current economic situation of SL is “precarious”: laments the economy is not growing fast enough & a growth rate of 5-6% per annum is imperative to reduce the “already unsustainable public debt level”: warns another debt default would be “disastrous”.
Irrigation Director Sugeeshwara Bandara says the water capacity of all reservoirs has exceeded 50% due to the heavy rains: also says some reservoirs had started spilling and several others are about to spill.
Colombo High Court Judge Navaratne Marasinghe acquits all accused, including SLPP MP Namal Rajapaksa, from the money laundering case involving Gowers Corporate Services (Pvt) Ltd.
SL slump to a humiliating defeat by 302 runs against India in their ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 Group match: India – 357/8 (50 overs), Dilshan Madushanka – 80/5: SL – 55 all out (19.4 overs), Kasun Rajitha – 14: five SL batters dismissed without scoring, while 2 batters were out for 1 each: India secure their place in the Semi-finals, while SL crash out.
The Commissioner General of Excise, Saman Jayasinghe, has announced the suspension of the license extensions for five liquor companies due to their failure to settle tax arrears. The annual licenses of these companies were not renewed, and they officially expired on the 30th of October.
These actions were taken in response to outstanding tax arrears amounting to over Rs. 600 million owed by the concerned liquor companies. The suspension serves as a measure to enforce compliance with tax regulations and obligations within the liquor industry.
Scality, a global leader in reliable, secure, and sustainable data storage software, has partnered with Colombo-based value-added distributor Plexus to deliver cyber-resilient, scalable storage solutions to enterprises across Sri Lanka, Maldives, Singapore, and India.
With Scality ARTESCA and RING, Scality helps Plexus capture market demand for effective strategies to defend against ransomware risk and manage unprecedented growth in data volumes.
Plexus is slated to showcase Scality’s object storage solutions at Plexus Inspire 2023 event was sucuessfully held recently in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
International Data Corporation (IDC) expects that unstructured data will account for 80-90% of enterprise data by 2025. The basic architecture of object storage is designed to enable the scalability and simplicity that this explosion of unstructured data demands.
Positioned by Gartner® as a leader in the Magic Quadrant™ for Distributed File Systems & Object Storage for seven years in a row, Scality’s file and object storage solutions, ARTESCA and RING, help the channel build effective, secure, and scalable strategies for their customers that manage the growth in unstructured data.
A leading value-added distributor in the region, Plexus provides transformative IT solutions and services to elevate customer business to the next level. The company is known for its unparalleled business support across the technology supply chain.
Marie-Laure Retureau, Scality Regional Director said; “we are delighted to partner with Plexus to bring state-of-the-art storage solutions to end users across some of the fastest growing markets in South Asia. With a sizable footprint in the region, deep knowledge of the IT storage market, and partnerships with HPE, Veeam, and Commvault, Plexus shares our commitment to deploying cost-effective and flexible solutions that deliver on performance, scalability, and security.”
Nirmith Wanigaratne – Plexus Vice President of Technology said; our partnership with Scality will help us meet customer demand for cost-effective storage systems, particularly where object storage can help them to stay ahead of ever-expanding data volumes. In the face of growing ransomware threats, the immutability and cyber resiliency built into Scality’s products will protect data as part of a 3-2-1-1-0 modern data backup strategy.”
Plexus (Pvt) Ltd. stands as a premier IT and mobility distributor in Sri Lanka, offering top-tier enterprise solutions that propel the nation’s technological progress. As a prominent industry player, we cater to the diverse technology needs of the country through a robust distribution network spanning its entirety. Catering to a spectrum that includes small businesses, industry giants, and government bodies, our wide-ranging assortment of products and solutions is customized to cater to the unique requirements of each sector.
Scality solves organizations’ biggest data storage challenges — growth, security, and cost. Delivering 100% uptime, unbreakable ransomware protection and utmost resilience, Scality RING and ARTESCA make storage infrastructures infinitely scalable in all critical dimensions: capacity, performance, applications and data location. From core to cloud to edge, Scality object storage software is reliable, secure and sustainable. The world’s most discerning companies trust Scality so they can grow faster and execute new ideas quicker — while increasing efficiency and avoiding lock-in. Recognized as a leader by Gartner and IDC.
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Plexus CEO Damitha Haegoda, flanked by Scality and Plexus officials, showcasing the Scality Distributor Certificate for Sri Lanka, Maldives, India and Singapore
Showers or thundershowers will occur over most places over the island after 01.00 p.m.
Heavy showers above 100mm are likely at some places in Sabaragamuwa, Central, Uva and North-Central provinces and in Puttalam and Mannar districts. Fairly heavy showers above 50mm are likely at some places elsewhere.
Showers will occur in Eastern province and in Jaffna and Mullaitivu districts during the morning too.
Misty conditions can be expected at some places in Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces during the morning.
The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.
Colombo (LNW): The Washington Buddhist Vihara Society marked the traditional Katina ceremony (Katina Robe offering ceremony) at the Washington Buddhist Vihara on Sunday, October 22, 2023.
The event was attended by notable figures including the Chief Prelate of Canada, Most Ven. Pannaloka Maha Thero, the President of the Washington Buddhist Society, Ven. Maharagama Dhammasiri Thero, and the resident monks who observed Vassa at the Vihara this year, a statement by the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Washington D.C. said.
Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the USA Mahinda Samarasinghe and the members of the staff, and their families also participated in the meritorious pooja along with members of the Sri Lankan community and devotees from Vietnam, Thailand, Bangladesh and Myanmar in the Washington Metropolitan area.
Three prominent Sri Lankan companies, PT Expo Freight-EFL, PT Advantis Akaza, and PT David Roy participated in the “Indonesia Sharia Economic Festival – HALAL Expo Indonesia (ISEF-HEI) 2023” held from 25 to 29 October at the Jakarta Convention Center. Sri Lanka booth at the event, touted as Indonesia’s largest Business-to-Business (B2B) Halal Industries Exhibition & Conference was organized by the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Jakarta.
PT Expo Freight-EFL and PT Advantis Akaza represented logistic services and PT David Roy represented the Dilmah tea in the Sri Lanka’s booth. Their presence at the exhibition which features 793 exhibitors from Indonesia and 20 friendly countries, is expected to forge new business connections and expand their global reach.
The Vice President of Indonesia KH Ma’ruf Amin inaugurated the exhibition on 26 October and Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Indonesia Admiral Professor Jayanath Colombage graced the event as a VIP guest. This marks the second consecutive year that Sri Lanka has actively participated in the ISEF-HEI.
On 19 October 2023, Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Russian Federation Prof. Janitha A. Liyanage met with the Principals of Moscow schools and delivered a lecture on the platform of the Moscow Metropolitan Governance Yury Luzhkov University.
The event was organized at the invitation of the Rector of the University Vasily Fiveysky, in the framework of the MPA program “Management in Education” held by the University for the Directors of Moscow schools.
Delivering the lecture, the ambassador spoke about the development of the education system in Sri Lanka, shared her personal experience of working in the national sphere of education, and the modern trends in the education sector.
Prof. Liyanage compared the Sri Lankan and Russian systems and noted many similarities between them. Further, the ambassador described the steps undertaken by the government of Sri Lanka to improve the quality of education in the country and underlined the importance of equal distribution of resources between all schools and students.
At the end of the lecture, School Principals showed keen interest in the Sri Lankan educational practice and raised a number of questions about popular specialties, peculiarities of formation of requests for training from the government and, employment prospects for graduates.
Prof. Liyanage expressed confidence that such meetings strengthen relations between the countries, contribute to the joint development of educational systems and, enrich the experience of both sides.
The Ambassador also held a meeting with the Rector of the University Vasily Fiveysky and discussed further steps to boost cooperation in the spheres of education and healthcare including exchange of experience in those key areas.
The Embassy of Sri Lanka in Türkiye arranged Sri Lanka tourism and cultural promotional event, “SRI LANKA in Bursa” in Bursa commemorating Sri Lanka’s 75th Anniversary of Independence celebrated on 4February 2023, anniversary of establishing the Republic of Türkiye on 29 October 2023 and the 75th Anniversary of diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and Türkiye in 2023.
The third such event was arranged by the Embassy together with the Hony. Consul for Sri Lanka in Bursa and was held on 19 October 2023 at Hotel Anatolia in Bursa.
While welcoming guests, Hony. Consul of Sri Lanka in Bursa Ahmet Yildiz mentioned that the objective of organizing the event was to increase bilateral relations between Sri Lanka and Bursa in economic and cultural spheres. He said that the event aims to establish a bridge with businessmen, travel agencies, and hoteliers who wishes to do business with Sri Lanka.
Speaking at the event, Bursa Metropolitan Municipality Deputy Mayor Gökhan expressed that bilateral cooperation between the two countries will be increased by organizing this kind of activities. Bursa Deputy Governor Halil Serdar Cevheroğlu appreciated renowned Ceylon Tea which is popular among Turkish people.
Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Türkiye Hasanthi Urugodawatte Dissanayake delivered the keynote address highlighting Sri Lanka’s unique export basket, bilateral relations with Türkiye and tourism potential. She noted that the direct flights to operate between the two countries by Turkish Airlines starting from November 2023 would increase connectivity and contribute to the growth of bilateral economic cooperation.
The event was attended by over 100 invitees attracting diverse attendees comprising of officials from the public sector, chambers and leading private sector organizations in Bursa, representatives from the tourism sector in Bursa and, media.
Tourism presentations, videos, Sri Lankan music, batik décor, and banners provided a beautiful Sri Lankan ambiance to the event. In addition, a Sri Lankan photo exhibition depicting nature and climate change impact and culture with photos by award-winning professional photographers Ravi Ranasinghe and Dr. Umberto Binetti and a selection of paintings by renowned Sri Lankan artist Vasantha Perera were displayed at the venue, together with Sri Lankan gem-studded jewellery.
Guests were also treated to sumptuous Sri Lankan delicacies, Turkish food and Ceylon Tea. All enjoyed a range of experiences and insights offered at the event which gave a brief glimpse into what Sri Lanka offers to the world and created a unique platform to promote Sri Lanka as a promising destination among Turkish travelers in Bursa.
Prior to the event, the ambassador called on the Governor of Bursa Mahmut Demirtaş and discussed potential areas for collaboration in trade, investment and, tourism sectors between Sri Lanka and Bursa.
The Governor noted that Bursa is one of Türkiye’s most developed cities in economic terms, and is also rich with natural and historical attractions. In terms of population, Bursa is the 4th largest city in Türkiye and well known for its automotive, textile, machinery and, food industries. Türkiye’s first olive oil laboratory was also established in Bursa.
During the meeting, the ambassador elaborated on the potential in Sri Lanka in areas such as tourism, apparel & textile, IT services, rubber-based products, coconut based products and, other agricultural products. She also highlighted the availability of highly trained human resources and natural resources in Sri Lanka.
The ambassador also had a successful meeting with Deputy Mayor of Bursa Gökhan Dinçer and his team. The discussion focused on possible cooperation between Bursa and Sri Lanka to increase business tourism and, cultural cooperation.
Hony. Consul of Sri Lanka in Bursa Ahmet Yildiz and Minister (Commercial) of the Sri Lanka Embassy in Türkiye Thavishya Mullegamgoda were also present at the meetings.
