Australia's competition watchdog has just given the green light to a major merger: Chemist Warehouse and Sigma Healthcare, two big players in the pharmacy world, are set to join forces in an $8.8 billion deal. Chemist Warehouse, known for its discount prices, will merge with Sigma, one of Australia’s largest pharmacy wholesalers and a franchisor of Amcal and Discount Drug Store chains. Once the merger is complete, the new combined company will have a huge presence, with over 1,000 retail stores and 16 distribution centers across Australia and New Zealand. This move has been carefully reviewed by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), which, despite raising concerns earlier this year, has now decided the merger won’t drastically reduce competition in the sector. Gina Cass-Gottlieb, the ACCC chair, reassured the public in a statement, saying, “There is and will continue to be effective competition at all levels of the pharmacy supply chain,” which will keep the new mega-company in check. Even though this merger represents a major change in the structure of the industry—bringing together the largest pharmacy chain and a major supplier to independent pharmacies—the ACCC’s analysis suggests other pharmacies and retailers will still compete effectively. The ACCC’s approval came with some conditions: they’ve accepted a legally binding undertaking from Sigma, which helped alleviate the initial competition concerns flagged earlier this year. So, with ACCC’s nod, it’s full speed ahead for Chemist Warehouse and Sigma on their path to becoming a pharmaceutical powerhouse in the region.

In a stunning turn of events, former President Donald Trump is now projected to return to the White House for a second term, nearly four years after leaving under a storm of controversy. Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ) made the call, announcing that Trump had reached the critical 270 electoral votes by securing Pennsylvania and Alaska. This win cements Trump’s comeback, making him the first president since Grover Cleveland in 1892 to lose a reelection bid and then reclaim the presidency. The election had all the drama of a Hollywood thriller. Not only did Trump face a criminal trial during the campaign, but he also survived two assassination attempts. After President Biden exited the race, Vice President Kamala Harris stepped in as the Democratic nominee, injecting fresh energy and funds into the campaign. Yet, Trump still managed to edge out Harris in a close race, capturing key battleground states and even flipping Georgia back to the Republican column. He also pulled off something he hadn’t managed in 2016—winning the popular vote, though just by a slim margin. Running alongside Trump was Ohio Senator JD Vance. Together, they tapped into voters’ frustrations over rising costs, border concerns, and global instability, building a case for the “return” of Trump’s policies. Trump also gained significant ground with Latino voters, increased his margins in rural areas, and saw surprising support from young men—a demographic his campaign actively courted. In his second term, Trump has ambitious plans, including a massive deportation effort, the imposition of tariffs on foreign imports, and extending the tax cuts he signed into law in 2017. He also wants to downsize the federal government, possibly shutting down the Department of Education and scaling back environmental regulations. On the social front, Trump has signaled he intends to roll back some protections for transgender youth. Despite these strong stances, Trump managed to close what was initially a major gap with female voters. Harris, who focused heavily on abortion rights after the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, had hoped this would sway women’s votes. However, the expected “female voter gap” didn’t pan out as widely as anticipated. Trump’s victory also changes the balance in the judiciary. With Republicans regaining control of the Senate, Trump has a chance to strengthen the conservative majority on the Supreme Court. The GOP sees this as an opportunity to cement policies for generations. Trump’s journey back to the presidency is even more remarkable given his tumultuous exit from office in 2021, following a historic second impeachment and a series of indictments. Critics labeled him politically finished, but his base remained fiercely loyal. Overcoming many political and legal obstacles, Trump not only won the GOP nomination but led the charge at the Republican National Convention, uniting the party firmly behind him. Now 78, Trump will be the oldest person ever elected to the presidency, even surpassing Biden's age at his 2020 election. Under the 22nd Amendment, Trump’s comeback will be limited to a single term, meaning he can’t run again in 2028. His return, however, promises to shape the GOP’s future and potentially reshape American politics once more.

Sri Lanka Customs just rolled out an online tracking system for Customs Declarations (CusDec) and containers, making things simpler for traders and stakeholders. Starting today, anyone can check on their customs declarations and container statuses online. This system is all about making customs processes more transparent and efficient, helping the country’s trade ecosystem work better overall. According to Customs spokesman Additional Director General Seevali Arukgoda, this new feature is a step toward improving public service and making cargo monitoring easier for businesses. Users can see the real-time status of their customs declarations, including updates on cargo clearance and tax details. Plus, with individual container tracking, traders can now get a detailed view of each container’s status within a declaration, which helps with planning and oversight. From November 6th, consignees will be able to access this real-time info by entering their TIN number and CusDec number. This digital move shows Customs' commitment to making trade simpler and more accessible for everyone. You can even access the tracking system from your phone’s browser or as a mobile app—perfect for those on the move. For more info, visit the official Sri Lanka Customs website or check out this link: [Sri Lanka Customs Tracking System](https://services.customs.gov.lk/).

ශ්‍රී ලංකාව අතිවිශිෂ්ට සංචාරක ගමනාගමනීය කලාපයක් ලෙස ප්‍රවර්ධනය කිරීම සඳහා, ශ්‍රී ලංකා සංචාරක ප්‍රවර්ධන කාර්යංශය (SLTPB)පසුගිය කාලයේදී විවිධ රටවල් 10 කින් සංචාරක bloggers 30 දෙනෙකු මෙරටට ආරාධනා කළහ. ඔවුන්ට ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ අද්විතීය ආගන්තුක සත්කාරය, විවිධ සංස්කෘතීන්, ආහාර පිසීම සහ ජිවන රටාවන් පරිකථනය කිරීම සඳහා ඔක්තෝබර් 28 සිට නොවැම්බර් 8 දක්වා කාලය අතර සිදු වේ. එක්සත් රාජධානිය, ජර්මනිය, ඉතාලිය, ප්‍රංශය, ඕස්ට්‍රේලියාව, භාරතය, බෙල්ජියම, නෙදර්ලන්තය, පෘතුගාලය සහ හොංකොං මෙන්ම විවිධ රටවල සිට මේ bloggers/ප්‍රවීන අන්තර්ගත නිර්මාපකයින් ශ්‍රී ලංකාව සමඟ අත්දැකීම් බෙදා ගැනීමට පැමිණ ඇත. මෙය ආරම්භ කිරීමේ ප්‍රධාන අරමුණ නම්, ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ ආකර්ෂණීය භූමිකා සහ විවිධ ගුණාංග 1000කට වැඩි බ්ලොග් කතා හා සමාජ මාධ්‍ය පෝස්ට් නිර්මාණය කිරීමයි. මෙම වැඩසටහන, 2025 වසරේදී ශ්‍රී ලංකාව පැමිණෙන සංචාරකයින් බහුතරයක් ආකර්ෂණය කර ගැනීමට සහය දක්වයි. "ඔබ සැමට පිරිනැමීමට අප සතුව අද්විතීය දෙයක් තිබේ. අපගේ සංස්කෘතිය, ආගන්තුක සත්කාරය, අපගේ දිවයින සහ අපගේ ජීවිතය පිරිනැමීමට අපට අවශ්‍යය. ඔබගේ මිතුරන්, පවුලේ අය සහ සගයන් තවත් අප වෙත ගෙන එන්න. අපි සංචාරකයින් පමණක් නොව එකිනෙකා අතර දිගුකාලීන මිත්‍රත්වය, පක්ෂපාතිත්වය සහ දිගුකාලීන අවබෝධය ද අපේක්ෂා කරමු,” SLTPB හි සභාපති බුද්ධික හේවාවසම් මහතා මෙසේ පවසන ලදී. මෙම වැඩසටහන මඟින් විවිධ රටවල සිටින සංචාරකයින් මෙරටට ගෙන්වා ගනිමින් ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ සංචාරක කර්මාන්තය තවත් ඉදිරියට සාර්ථක ලෙස කරගෙන යාම මොවුන්ගේ අරමුණ වේ.

Australia’s close ties with the United States are likely to stay strong after the presidential election, but experts are considering how the result might impact the broader region. Former Australian ambassador to the US, Arthur Sinodinos, thinks the alliance between Australia and the US will hold steady, no matter who wins—be it Donald Trump or Kamala Harris. Still, he says a new president could change how other countries approach Australia, depending on the incoming administration’s foreign policies. "The key question is whether US relationships with Europe and the Indo-Pacific will shift," Sinodinos explained. "It’s really about how America’s ties with other allies unfold." As both candidates wrapped up their campaigns in battleground states, polls showed the race was too close to call. Although some worried about the future of the AUKUS submarine deal after President Biden’s term, Sinodinos reassured that this multi-billion-dollar partnership would stay intact. He acknowledged there might be "questions" if Trump wins, as he could seek more certainty on industrial commitments, but said such concerns are still "speculative." Overall, he emphasized that AUKUS has bipartisan support. Foreign Minister Penny Wong also expressed confidence, saying Australia will work closely with any new administration. “We’ll work with whoever voters pick for president and Congress to keep strengthening the alliance,” she said. “Our relationship with the US has lasted for many years and goes beyond day-to-day events.”

Residents of a small Queensland town are being told it’s still too risky to head home after a massive bushfire forced evacuations. Police declared an emergency in Dirranbandi last night under the Public Safety Preservation Act, and early this morning, officers were helping residents evacuate to safety. The Queensland Fire Department is urging those who left to stay away for now—it’s just not safe to return as firefighters continue battling the blaze that began around 2:15 p.m. yesterday, roughly 4km outside town. Thirteen fire crews, including aerial water bombers, were deployed to fight the fire through the night. For those who evacuated, it's been tough. Many woke up today without electricity after the fire damaged power poles. Telecommunications are also down, though Telstra plans to set up a generator soon. Ergon Energy reported that about 480 customers in the Dirranbandi, Hebel, St George, Thallon, and Mungindi areas are currently without power due to fire damage. They’re working to get helicopter clearance to assess the extent of the damage and will start repairs soon, though it may take some time. Meanwhile, the Ballonne Shire Council announced a community meeting at noon at both the St George Cultural Centre and Dirranbandi Civic Centre to keep everyone updated. Mayor Samantha O’Toole said the St George evacuation center will stay open overnight, and additional firefighting resources from Toowoomba are on the way. No homes have been lost so far, but with temperatures forecasted to hit 42°C in Dirranbandi today, the heatwave is intensifying across inland Queensland. The Bureau of Meteorology is also warning that severe heatwave conditions are likely to spread northward tomorrow, affecting several towns across the region. Fire authorities are on high alert, urging people to stay informed as conditions could worsen.

The Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) is teaming up with the Sri Lanka Institute of Hotel Management (SLITHM) to launch an exciting mobile registration service. This initiative is designed to officially recognize tourism service providers across the island, making it easier for them to connect with resources and support. The program kicks off today with an awareness session at the Hikkaduwa Urban Council auditorium. It's a great opportunity for providers to learn more about what the registration process entails. Tomorrow, on November 6, SLITHM will hold a professional training program aimed at boosting service standards and operational expertise for those who register. It’s all about enhancing the quality of service in the tourism sector! By signing up for this program, tourism providers can enjoy a variety of benefits. They'll receive formal recommendation letters from the SLTDA, which can help with electricity concessions and visa recommendations, streamlining their operations. Plus, registered businesses will gain legal recognition and access to free publicity, which will help them reach a wider audience. But that’s not all! The program also opens the door to valuable networking opportunities, allowing businesses to connect with partners both locally and internationally. And for those who register, there are various forms of financial and non-financial support available, including grants and advisory services to help sustain and grow their operations. It's a fantastic initiative that aims to uplift the entire tourism community in Sri Lanka!

ආගමන හා විගමන දෙපාර්තමේන්තුව, 2024 නොවැම්බර් 06 වැනිදා සිට ක්‍රියාත්මක වන පරිදි නව මාර්ගගත පාස්පෝට් ලබාගැනීමේ ක්‍රමවේදයක් හඳුන්වා දී ඇත. අද මාධ්‍ය වෙත අදහස් දක්වමින්, ආගමන හා විගමන අතිරේක පාලක ජනරාල් නිලුෂා බලසූරිය මහත්මිය සඳහන් කළේ, මහජනතාවට තම ජාතික හැඳුනුම්පත් (NIC) භාවිතා කරමින් පාස්පෝට් ලබා ගැනීම සඳහා දිනක් වෙන් කර ගැනීමට හැකිවයාව ඇති බවයි. මෙම පද්ධතිය ආගමන හා විගමන දෙපාර්තමේන්තුවේ නිල වෙබ් අඩවියේ හඳුන්වා දී ඇති බවත්, පාස්පෝට් ලබා ගැනීම සඳහා කල්තියා දිනයක් වෙන් කර ගන්නා ලෙස ඇය පැවසීය. තවත් කරුණු සඳහන් කරමින් නිලුෂා බලසූරිය මහත්මිය කියා සිටියේ, දුරස්ථ ප්‍රදේශවලින් පැමිණී දෙපාර්තමේන්තුවට පිටතේ පෝලිමේ රැඳී සිටින පුද්ගලයන් සැලකිල්ලට ගනිමින්, මෙම නව මාර්ගගත පද්ධතිය 2024 දෙසැම්බර් 01 දා සිට ක්‍රියාත්මක කිරීමට තීරණය කර ඇති බවයි. ඒ, අනුව අනිද්දා (06) දිනයේ සිට දෙසැම්බර් මාසයේ සහ ඊට ඉදිරි මාස සදහා දින වෙන්කර ගැනීමේ හැකියාව පවතින බව වැඩබලන ආගමන විගමන පාලක ජනරාල්වරිය මෙහිදී වැඩිදුරටත් සඳහන් කළාය.

The latest CBS News polling analysis shows the race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump is still neck-and-neck in the key battleground states. With Election Day just a day away, both candidates are giving it their all after a jam-packed weekend of last-minute campaigning. Already, over 81 million Americans have cast their votes early. Harris is making her way through Pennsylvania today, stopping in Allentown, Reading, and Pittsburgh before ending the night with a big concert and rally in Philadelphia. Trump, meanwhile, kicked off his day in Raleigh, North Carolina, then headed to Pennsylvania for rallies in Reading and Pittsburgh, and will wrap up the night with a final rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It’s the home stretch, and both sides are pulling out all the stops!

A heatwave is set to hit Australia’s east coast, with temperatures expected to soar above 40°C, making the north of the country “one of the hottest places in the world” this week, according to the Bureau of Meteorology. Northern parts of New South Wales, Queensland, and the Northern Territory have been warned to prepare for hot and unsettled weather, as a mass of heat shifts east from central Australia. Temperatures in Queensland and NT are forecasted to exceed 40°C, with a “severe heatwave” expected in areas like Central West, Channel Country, Maranoa, Warrego, and the Darling Downs and Granite Belt. These regions could see daytime highs in the upper 30s to low 40s, and overnight temps are likely to stay in the low- to mid-20s. The intense heat, which could be risky for vulnerable groups, is likely to peak mid-week on Wednesday and Thursday. This pre-summer heat will also make its way to some coastal areas. Brisbane can expect highs between 31°C and 34°C every day this week. Sydney’s forecast shows temperatures climbing into the low 30s on Thursday, and Canberra will likely follow suit on Wednesday. Elsewhere, Melbourne is set to enjoy a sunny 26°C on Tuesday, reaching up to 33°C on Wednesday. Hobart might reach 28°C mid-week, and Adelaide could hit 30°C by Tuesday. According to Weatherzone, parts of Australia will become the “hottest in the world” this week. They explained that November is always a hot month for Australia, as the sun’s intensity increases across the continent, and northern and central areas feel this most. With no seasonal cloud cover yet to bring relief, the sun’s heat is uninterrupted, making things especially scorching.

Sri Lanka welcomed a whopping 135,907 tourists in October, which is nearly a 25% increase compared to the same time last year. According to the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA), from January 1 to October 31, 2024, the country has already seen 1,620,715 visitors. That’s more than last year's total of 1,487,303! India continues to be the leading source of tourists, with 36,417 visitors arriving from there in October, accounting for 26.8% of all arrivals. It’s also worth noting that October's numbers were up from September, maintaining a strong upward trend despite some travel advisories from the United States and other countries warning against travel to Arugambay due to what they termed ‘credible’ terror threats. Sri Lanka sees October tourist arrivals rise despite travel advisories.

A search is back on for an 11-year-old boy who was swept into the ocean on the NSW Central Coast yesterday. It all happened when a father and his four sons were trying to cross The Entrance Channel around 5:15 PM and ran into some trouble. Fortunately, two bystanders managed to rescue three of the boys—ages three, seven, and eleven. However, the eldest boy was pulled into the ocean by the strong current, and his father, 43, tried to reach him but lost sight of him in the water. Police quickly launched a thorough search operation, involving land, air, and sea efforts, with help from Surf Life Saving members. Two rescue helicopters were also called in to assist, but the search had to be suspended as darkness fell.