Dec 31 (SLN) Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral Nishantha Ulugetenne presented certificates of commendation under the IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea – 2021 to 04 naval personnel, during a special ceremony held at the Auditorium of Naval and Maritime Academy, Trincomalee recently. The certificates of commendation were issued by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) taking into account the bravery of these individuals. Established in 1948, IMO is the UN specialized agency more..

Dec 31 (DM) The year 2022 is going to be a year of long weekends as per the calendar. Accordingly, seven public holidays have fallen on Fridays and Sundays. Full moon Poya holidays of January, April, May, and November have fallen either on Fridays or Mondays while, thai Pongal, Independence Day and Deepavali have also fallen on Fridays or Mondays. There is a five-day-long weekend in the Month of April as Sinhala New Year, Poya and Good Friday have fallen in one after the other. more..

Dec 31 (TM) Minister Mahinda Amaraweera has said that Finance Ministry and Treasury Secretary S.R. Attygalle and CB Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal have been summoned to the Cabinet of Ministers’ meeting scheduled for 3 Jan 2022, where a final decision on whether the Govt will seek assistance from the IMF will be made. “I think that Attygalle and Cabraal have been summoned to the Cabinet meeting on 3 Jan 2022. more..

Dec 31 (FT) “We are ready to take up the leadership of the country,” declared Anura Kumara Dissanayake, leader of the JJB (National People’s Power – NPP) and the JVP at the Convention held on 20 December. He said so in a tone to impress the audience that it was the latest strategy that his party was going to adopt. In this effort, he made an attempt to paint a picture that his party, unlike the other two parties, the UNP and the SLFP, has no previous experience in the rule of the country more..

Dec 31 (FT) At this challenging time for Sri Lanka, economically and socially, with high magnitude risks of precipitating a crisis that can easily destabilise the whole country, impoverish it and drive to starvation the poor and vulnerable segments and even lead to a national calamity following social unrest, are some Ministers and the Governor, misleading the citizens and even their superiors in governance? If so, do they not realise the impending risks, most recent examples from Lebanon and more..

Dec 31 (SLN) A special operation carried out by the Navy in Suhandipuram, Pudukuduirippu in Mullaitivu in the early hours on 30th December 2021 led to the seizure of about 89kg and 200g of Kerala cannabis with 05 suspects. Sri Lanka Navy has been conducting regular operations covering the coastal areas of the island with a view to thwarting the influx of illegal drugs into the country. In a similar operation mounted by the SLNS Gotabaya in the Eastern Naval Command with STF in Mullaitivu more..

Dec 31 (DM) Only three locomotives imported from India have been commissioned and none of the imported train coaches have been added to the drive, SL Station Masters’ Union (SLSMU) said. They said 120 train coaches out of 140 and 10 locomotives were imported from India during the past six months. The union said each locomotive was priced at Rs. 70 million. SLSMU said there were no sleeperettes in the imported compartments, and SLSMU said the authorities should make a request to make sleeperettes before importing them. more..

Dec 31 (DM) Sri Lanka has detected 41 new cases of the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 (B.1.1.529), says Dr. Chandima Jeewandara. This brings the total number of Omicron cases confirmed by the Sri J'pura University’s lab so far to 45. In a Twitter thread, Dr. Jeewandara said the booster dose of Covid-19 vaccine is a priority to prevent severe disease. He went on to urge the general public to take their third vaccine dose without delay. more..

Dec 31 (EN) HELA Clothing, an apparel manufacturer that has factories across Africa and design facilities in Europe is seeking to raise 4 billion rupees in an initial public offer to fund cross-border expansion, digitalization and settle short-term debts. The firm is offering 267.108 million shares at 15 rupees. HELA Clothing’s profit gained 13.7% year-on-year to 872 million rupees in the financial year ended on March 31, 2021. The firm reported a revenue of 32.1 billion rupees in the year more..

Dec 31 (DM) National Authority on Tobacco & Alcohol (NATA) has launched a mobile application (VNATA (Medial Violation App)) to identify the illegal activities of tobacco and alcohol in the country, NATA Chairman Dr. Samadhi Rajapaksa said. He said any person can download the above app and send a photograph to the authority while following simple steps. Dr. Rajapaksa said that this application does not require any personal details for the registration and the authorities will hold more..

Dec 31 (AD) Director-General of Telecom Regulatory Commission of SL (TRCSL), Oshada Senanayake has tendered his resignation. Senanayake was appointed as the director-general of TRCSL in Nov 2019, after Prez Rajapaksa was elected the new Head of State of SL. His appointment followed the resignation of the commission’s former chairman Lalith Gamage. Senanayake also serves as the chairman more..

Dec 31 (AD) SL Police has implemented special security arrangements in Colombo and other parts of the Western Province today (31), in view of New Year’s Eve. Police media spokesman SSP Nihal Thalduwa said special parking slots have been arranged at the Galle Face Green area. Meanwhile, traffic police officers will be on duty throughout the night. The police have also deployed intelligence officers to various locations in Colombo in search of people behaving in disorderly manner. more..

Dec 31 (DM) Five suspects have been arrested while they were transporting Kerala marijuana worth over Rs. 26 million and a weapon on three motorbikes in Puthukudiyiruppu, Mullaitivu last night. The haul of contraband weighing over 89 kg was seized in a joint raid launched by the Navy and STF in the Suthanthirapuram area. Contraband of marijuana is suspected to have been smuggled in from India and was expected to be distributed in the outskirts of Mullaitivu. more..

Dec 31 (AD) The body of one of the three females who were reported missing while bathing at Kumari Ella in Hanwella last evening (30) has been recovered, the police said. The remains of the deceased are currently placed at the Avissawella Base Hospital. She was identified as a 16-year-old from Jaffna. Search operations are in progress to locate the other two females, aged 14 and 29 years, who went missing along with the deceased teen. Two young boys and five girls had been more..

Dec 31 (TM) SJB Leader Sajith Premadasa launched the Sakwala, a Modern Computer Screen and Computer Donation Pilot Project to empower a generation of talented children with modern technology. The launch was held yesterday (30). Premadasa, in his speech, mentioned that the launch of the Sakwala pilot project was done despite several parties opposing such a great idea. “Late C.W.W. Kannangara had spoken for hours before the passage of the Free Education Bill more..

Dec 31 (EN) Litro, SL’s state owned liquid petroleum gas company currently embroiled in a controversy surrounding domestic gas cylinder-related explosions, said it will release 180,000 cylinders to the market in the next few weeks as demand for cooking gas increases in the market. “Due to the high levels of demand for Litro gas, the company hopes to release 180,000 cylinders to the market, and its daily filling and distribution more..

Dec 31 (MoD) Private Security Industry is an emerging industry and the support given by the Industry is immense as they are contributing to national security, said the Defence Secretary Gen. Kamal Gunaratne last evening (29). “Besides contributing to the economy and creating job opportunities for citizens; most importantly for personnel who used to serve in the Armed Services of SL, the private security companies are contributing a greater share in ensuring more..

Dec 31 (Island) With the high incidence of human-elephant conflicts in the Hambantota District, a landmark MoU was signed between the Hambantota International Port Group (HIPG) and the District Secretariat Office of Hambantota. HIPG donated fifty thousand US Dollars with the signing of the MoU. The HIPG said it has identified that the Human – Elephant Conflict, which has become a major environmental and social issue in the island, is very much in line with their long-term commitment more..

Dec 31 (EN) Though the prospects for the New Year are bleak to say the least, many in SL will be eager to see the back of 2021, one of the longest – and yet, somehow, shortest – years in living memory. So much happened over the last 365 days with such unnerving frequency that there is no telling what else might be in store for the country before the clock strikes 12 Friday night. From the devastation caused by COVID-19 and more..