New health guidelines issued; multiple restrictions eased

The Health Ministry today issued a set of new guidelines easing several restrictions effective from December 01 to 15.

CAA to receive expert committee report on gas explosions tomorrow

The report complied by the four-member Committee from University of Moratuwa on the twelve LP gas samples, will be submitted to the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) tomorrow (01).

Basil lands in India for talks with Modi

Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa landed in New Delhi a short while ago and was received at the airport by High Commissioner Milinda Moragoda.

Committee appointed to probe recent incidents of LPG cylinder fires

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has appointed a Committee to look into recent incidents of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinder fires and explosions occurred at domestic, commercial and sales outlets in various parts of the country.

Safety compromised due to broken or damaged hose, regulator or cooker: Litro Gas

While advising consumers to refrain from resorting to unverified testing methods like soap test to determine leaks, the Litro Gas Lanka said in all instances where people complain about LPG leaks, safety has been compromised as a result of broken or damaged hose, regulator or cooker.

Rajagiriya accident case against Champika Ranawaka fixed for Dec. 2

A case filed against former Megapolis and Western Province Development Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka over the alleged motor accident that took place in 2016 at Rajagiriya was yesterday fixed for December 2 by Colombo High Court.

19 incidents related to LP gas leak explosions within 2 days: Police

Nearly 20 incidents of LP gas related explosions have been reported across the country within past two days, Police said.

Lalith Warnakumara to be appointed as MP replacing Mahinda Samarasinghe

The Election Commission has decided to issue an Extraordinary Gazette appointing Manju Lalith Warnakumara to the Kalutara District Parliament seat that was left vacant following the resignation of Mahinda Samarasinghe.

No decision to impose lockdown during upcoming festive season

No decision has been taken to impose a lockdown during the upcoming festive season, Co-Cabinet Spokesman Minister Ramesh Pathirana said.

British-born, Sri Lankan Australian tops highest paid CEO list

British-born, Sri Lankan Australian Shemara Wikramanayake has topped Australia’s highest-paid CEO list.

Investigation to find passengers entered SL from risk countries during last 14 days: Sudarshani

The Health authorities are investigating whether any individual or party visited Sri Lanka during the last 14 days from countries where the new Omicron COVID-19 variant was preading, State Minister Dr. Sudarshani Fernandopulle said today.

400 years later: Barbados declares new Republic, ditches British Queen

Barbados ditched Britain’s Queen Elizabeth as head of state, forging a new republic on Tuesday with its first-ever president and severing its last remaining colonial bonds nearly 400 years after the first English ships arrived at the Caribbean island.

Govt. to import electric vehicles to reduce carbon emission, air pollution

Due to the higher amount of carbon emissions from gasoline vehicles and due to the current air pollution in urban areas, the government has decided to give priority to the promotion of electric vehicles when importing vehicles in the future, Environment Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said.

Railway workers in distress due to non-payment of loans: RTUA

Railway workers have been severely affected due to the non-payment of distress loans, which are paid to public servants in an emergency and for emergency expenses in the event of a disaster or other credit requirement, the Railway Trade Union Alliance (RTUA) said.

Special Consultative Committee meeting summoned on gas explosions

Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardene summoned a special consultative committee tomorrow to discuss the gas cylinder explosions while appointment of a special select committee is also on the cards.

Govt. nod to import 100,000 MT of rice from Myanmar

The government has approved to import 100,000 metric tons of rice from Myanmar to keep sufficient buffer stocks.

Fmr. Minister Sirisena Cooray passes away

Former Minister Sirisena Cooray passed away today while receiving treatment at a private hospital in Colombo, his family said.

Bakery owners to propose govt. to reduce standard weight of bread to reduce prices

The All Ceylon Bakery Owners’ Association (ACBOA) is to propose to the government to reduce the permitted weight of a loaf of bread to reduce prices.

We can only delay new variant entering Sri Lanka, say Health authorities

Referring to the newly detected COVID-19 variant, Omicron, the Health authorities said they could only delay the new variant entering the country.

Sri Lanka may supply renewable energy to Singapore soon

Sri Lanka may become a supplier of renewable energy to Singapore soon, State Minister of Solar Power, Wind and Hydro Power Generation Duminda Dissanayake told Parliament yesterday.

SL prepares for the worst as ’Omicron’ lands in several countries

Health experts have stepped up the frequency of sequencing to identify if the new Omicron COVID-19 variant has already entered the country while doctors on the ground said they are preparing for the worst.

Wheat flour price hike has no immediate impact on confectionary industry

The price hike announced yesterday by the wheat flour companies will not have an impact on confectionery products, at least for the time being, the Lanka Confectionery Manufacturers Association (LCMA) said.

Hoteliers warn additional taxes risk SL’s competitive edge in tourism

Expressing the utter disappointment in Budget 2022 for sidelining the tourism industry, hoteliers warned that Sri Lanka risks losing its competitive edge in global tourism, with the proposed 2.5 percent Social Security Contribution tax adding further burden on an industry, which is trying to return to growth path after recording nearly zero revenues for the past 18 months.

Cabraal calls hoteliers to embrace present challenges

Central Bank (CB) Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal called the hoteliers to embrace the present challenges in repositioning their product and re-energising the tourism industry, instead of trying to return to the pre-pandemic business model.

Power outage in several areas

Power disruptions in several areas have been reported today due to the tripping off of two 220KV transmission cables from Kothmale to the Biyagama Grid Sub-Station, Power and Energy Development Director and Media Spokesperson Sulakshana Jayawardena said.

First round of talks held for Starlink Internet Services in Sri Lanka

Preliminary engagement was initiated with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to explore the introduction of Starlink Internet Services in Sri Lanka, Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) Director General Oshada Senanayake said.

Another four explosions reported due to gas leaks from several areas

Four more explosions suspected to be from gas leaks have been reported from Padukka, Hanwella, Hatton and Ja-Ela areas today.

Three bodies washed ashore in last two days at Valvettithurai, Delft coasts

Three unidentified bodies have washed ashore on the Valvettithurai and the Delft coasts in Jaffna during the past two days raising doubts whether there was a boat disaster, Police said.

Omicron poses ’’very high’’ global risk, world must prepare: WHO

The Omicron coronavirus variant is likely to spread internationally, posing a ’’very high’’ global risk of infection surges that could have ’’severe consequences’’ some areas, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Monday.

233 domestic gas explosions reported since 2015: Minister

While admitting that there was no SLSI standard in the composition of Propane and Butane in domestic gas, State Minister Lasantha Alagiyawanna said today a total number of 233 incidents of gas explosion have been reported since January 2015 to October 31 this year.