Dec 12 (DN) SL women’s under 19 team led by Manudi Nanayakkara is ready to take on challenge at the inaugural Asia Cup. They are taking part in training to adjust to the conditions before the Asia Cup in Malaysia. The inaugural Asia Cup women’s under 19 tournament consisted of six teams scheduled to be played from Dec 15 to 22. SL women’s under 19 team left to Malaysia on December 2 two weeks before the tournament. They played two practice matches against more..

Dec 12 (Island) Viren Nettasinghe and Ranithma Liyanage lived up to their billing to win double titles as they won the open singles and doubles finals at the 72nd National Badminton Championship, concluded at the MCA Indoor Courts in Colombo on Sunday. Nettasinghe claimed the open men’s singles title, while Ranithma pocketed the open women’s singles crown. When they paired up they emerged victorious in the mixed doubles as well. The eight-day competition held at the MBA more..

Dec 12 (FT) SL’s pioneering shipbuilding and repairing company, the Colombo Dockyard PLC (CDL), is seeking a strategic and majority investor-cum-management party following the announced exit of Japan’s Onomichi. CDL announced that its Board of Directors have been informed by Onomichi Dockyard of Japan, which is the Company’s majority shareholder, that it has decided to withdraw from the management more..

Dec 10 (CT) In the SL Navy, 2,138 senior and junior sailors of various rates were promoted to mark the 74th anniversary of the Navy which fell yesterday. Those promotions were made on the recommendation of the Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral Priyantha Perera. In preparation for the anniversary, commemorative programmes were held across all Naval commands under the guidance of the Commander, Naval traditions, and religious observances were prioritised. more..

Dec 12 (DM) Hospital sources across the island have confirmed a severe shortage of medicines in many hospitals in the country. This situation has caused much inconvenience to numerous patients. A notable example is the Mawanella Base Hospital, which is currently facing a shortage of sodium bicarbonate—a medication used to restore breathing in patients with kidney disease, diabetes and high blood pressure. more..

Dec 10 (TM) Claiming that the importation of coconuts will not control coconut prices in the local market, SJB MP Nalin Bandara urged the Govt to amend the laws applicable to coconuts and to take stringent action to ensure that the country’s coconut cultivation is up to the standards. He said that the Govt must either devise a mechanism to provide fertiliser for small-scale coconut cultivators and those cultivating coconut in their gardens or provide a relief package for them. more..

Dec 12 (DN) Double Olympian Mathew Abeysinghe and Budapest-based Lankan Olympian Ganga Senevirathne will represent SL at the World Aquatic Short Course Swimming Championships, starting today and running until Dec 15 in Budapest, Hungary. Abeysinghe, 28, will compete in the Men’s 50m and 100m Freestyle events, while 21-year-old Senevirathne will swim in the Women’s 50m and 100m Backstroke. Both athletes are members of Killer Whale Aquatics, with it’s Head Coach more..

Dec 12 (FT) LAUGFS Rubber, a subsidiary of the diversified conglomerate LAUGFS Holdings, has once again proven its commitment to excellence by clinching the prestigious award for Most Outstanding Exporter – Overall at the 32nd Annual National Chamber of Exporters (NCE) Export Awards 2024. This is not the first time LAUGFS Rubber has received this recognition, having previously won the same accolade in 2022. It also maintains a stellar track record in the rubber tyre and more..

Dec 12 (TM) The All Island Under-15 A Division Basketball Championship had resembled a highly tensed up zone. It was organised and conducted by the SL Basketball Federation and held at the Indoor Court at the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence Academy on Saturday (7). The situation had threatened to blow out of control, after a group of irate parents had stormed the court due to the allegedly subpar standard of refereeing, at the competition. more..

Dec 10 (TM) For generations, Sri Lankans have lived in harmony with the rhythms of nature. The monsoon rains that sustain our crops and the coastal breezes that define our tropical landscape have always been part of our identity. But, this balance is shifting. As climate change accelerates, we are facing an increasing threat from hurricanes, ferocious storms with the power to reshape lives, communities, and landscapes. While such storms have traditionally been associated with other more..

Dec 12 (CI) Sri Lanka arrived in South Africa dreaming of a World Test Championship final spot, but having now been crushed 2-0, that dream has almost certainly faded. There is special regret that SL got to play on the two venues that would have best suited them - Durban and Gqeberha - and still could not seriously push the hosts, as they had done in 2019. Head coach Sanath Jayasuriya broke down the defeat, more..

Dec 12 (SO) SL has made tremendous progress with regard to achieving renewable energy targets ahead of schedule, said Prof. Asanka Rodrigo of the Dept of Electrical Engineering Uni of Moratuwa, at an event hosted by E.B. Creasy Solar to mark the company being appointed as the authorised distributor for LONGi, a global leader in solar technology from China. He said that this was especially evident in rooftop solar PV, ground mounted solar PV, floating solar segments. more..

Dec 12 (Island) The JVP/NPP got pillorying its political rivals down to a fine art while it was in opposition. It questioned their academic and professional qualifications and even ridiculed some of them as charlatans. Never did it miss an opportunity to cast aspersions on some educated members in previous governments, claiming that they were the descendants of Mahadenamutta (a blundering self-proclaimed pundit in folklore). The boot is now on the other foot, and more..

Dec 12 (Island) Recent events surrounding the ABBA tribute concert held in Colombo brought to light certain long-standing questions particularly to do with the arts and the idea of leisure. While I will not pretend that I can capture the spectrum of responses that were offered on the fact that some NPP politicians had attended the concert, I am intrigued by what I thought was a dominant critique. The politicians were viewed as being hypocrites because they came in on a promise of more..

Dec 10 (CT) Gender-based violence (GBV) continues to cast a long shadow over SL society, despite laws and policies meant to curb it. The issue is pervasive, affecting countless women, children, and even men, cutting across all social and economic divides. Yet, its persistence raises urgent questions about societal attitudes, systemic failures, and the enforcement of existing laws. Statistics paint a grim picture. In 2016, 17% of ever-married women aged 15-49 reported experiencing physical or more..

Dec 10 (TM) On a tranquil morning, a resident of Ratnapura, Chinthaka Pradeep, stands under the shade of a towering coconut tree in his garden; its leaves swaying gently in the breeze. He looks up, scanning the tree for coconuts as a new year is approaching, but, the sight is disappointing. "There was a time when each tree gave us a very good harvest," he says with a sigh. Across SL, from Southern coconut plantations to those in more..

Dec 10 (ST) Parliament, once condemned as a home for the aged, assumed a new countenance on Tuesday the 3rd, as a Montessori for those hardly out of their political bassinets. But, quite apart from the initial fumbles and shambles of the newly initiated, Diyawanna’s waters glistened with hope that from the mouths of babes, the truth would come out. The political rhetoric, repeated ad nauseam on the pre-election stage, found a new echo within the chamber’s august walls as ministers and more..

Dec 10 (CT) As island nations, UK and Sri Lanka both know the importance of trade for our prosperity and economic development. Trade creates jobs, stimulates investment, attracts technology and generates foreign exchange to pay off debt and fund public services. The UK is SL’s second largest export market, with iconic brands such as M&S and Gymshark sourcing from Sri Lanka. To strengthen this relationship, this week the UK Govt has been working with Sri Lankan partners to deliver more..

Dec 10 (CT) This article aims to brief the readers on the main changes introduced to the monetary policy framework and implementation under the single policy interest rate mechanism and the rationale for this shift. Central Bank formally announced its transition to a single policy interest rate mechanism, effective 27 Nov 2024. This marks a significant milestone in the evolution of monetary policy in Sri Lanka. more..

Dec 10 (TM) The fall of Assad rule in Syria and the collapse of the regime which stood for more than 50 years has multiple implications for the region & beyond. Syrian civil war, which was largely dormant for several years, erupted with significant momentum causing the long-standing regime of Bashar al-Assad to collapse in days. The push to take the capital, ended the 60-year reign of the Assad family and the Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party which took power following 1963 military coup. more..

Dec 10 (DM) NPP govt is apparently under pressure particularly to walk the talk on many issues. The pressure from some quarters is clearly politically motivated and mischievous while in some cases genuine expectations of people who voted for the NPP in large numbers at the recent Prez and Parliamentary elections. Some groups want the govt to renege on the country’s commitment to the IMF agreement while some others demand that the govt scraps straightaway Executive Prez mode more..

Dec 9 (AD) Center for Environment and Nature Studies (CENS) announced that it will submit a report today to the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Agriculture, proposing measures to address wildlife populations that damage crops in SL. National Coordinator of CENS, Environmentalist Dr. Ravindra Kariyawasam, emphasized the significance of the issue and outlined the report’s recommendations. “The population of toque macaque has increased in SL. more..

Dec 9 (AD) Medical experts have emphasized that the unnecessary and incorrect use of antibiotics poses significant harm to human body by fostering resistance in the body, which reduces the effectiveness of these drugs. Deputy Director General of Tertiary Care Services at the Ministry of Health, Dr. Priyantha Athapattu, explained the concept of antibiotic resistance: “Antibiotic resistance refers to the diminishing effectiveness of drugs designed to combat microorganisms more..

Dec 9 (DW) At dawn, 48-year-old Sivakumar Chandradevi loads equipment and supplies onto a boat that sets off for Mantivu, a deserted island off the Jaffna Peninsula. The island, littered with land mines from the country's 26-year civil war, is her team's daily battleground. Chandradevi leads a demining crew working to make the land safe once more. For these women, demining is a means to support their families. more..

Dec 9 (NDTV) You might be used to paying the road toll to scrupulous transport employees sitting in a cooped-up cabin roadside but things are a little different in SL. Along the Buttala-Kataragama road, a majestic wild elephant, believed to be over 40 years old, performs the duties of a toll collector. Known to locals as Raja, meaning king, the elephant stands roadside but quickly seizes upon a vehicle coming from either direction and immediately requests food. The jumbo needs to be served. more..

Dec 9 (AD) Ceylon Teachers’ Union (CTU) has called on the govt to ensure proper payment of allowances for principals and teachers assigned to the 2024 GCE A/L exam duties. CTU General Secretary Joseph Stalin highlighted confusion caused by recent circulars issued by the Commissioner General of Examinations regarding transportation allowances for examination staff. “The A/L Exam is being conducted these days. A new issue has arisen regarding examination staff more..

Dec 9 (TM) A source from the Govt Analyst’s (GA) Dept has said that a database error related to the MV X-Press Pearl disaster will not affect ongoing investigations. However, the source refused to provide further information regarding the ongoing case, citing the fact that it could affect the case currently pending in court. Recently, Attorney General’s Dept Deputy Solicitor General Madhawa Tennakoon, representing the CID, more..

Dec 9 (Island) JVP Secretary Tilva Silva has assured the National Shoora Council (NSC) that the NPP govt has zero tolerance for racism and recent arrests of individuals involved in inciting racial hatred proved the govt’s progressive stance. Silva has emphasized that the govt respects the religious, linguistic, and cultural identities of all communities. A senior delegation from NSC recently met the JVP Secretary at the JVP headquarters at Battaramulla for a discussion. more..

Dec 9 (Island) India offers financial assistance to 200 students, 100 each from the Uni of Jaffna and the Eastern University annually, according to a statement issued by the Indian High Commission. The statement quoted one of the selected students from the Dept of Geography, Uni of Jaffna, as having said: “The monthly grant has been extremely useful in alleviating financial stress and allowing me to focus more on my studies. The financial assistance has enabled me to more..

Dec 9 (Island) Aviyana Hotel chief Dr. Thisara Hewawasam said that SL’s first seven-star luxury boutique hotel, situated in the heart of the Knuckles mountain range, would be ready for opening next year. Intended to bring in USD 500 mn in revenue annually, approximately 70 percent of Aviyana Private Chalets project had been completed with funds raised locally, the entrepreneur said, disclosing approximately 200 SL professionals contributed required funding for the mega project. more..

Dec 9 (Island) Newly appointed Director, CID, SSP Imesha Muthumala, said that inquiries were continuing into the disappearance of Rs 5 mn from the Central Bank, reported on April 11, 2023. SSP Muthumala said that the truth could emerge at any moment. The CB is on record as having said that a shortage of Rs.5 million worth cash bundle was discovered in one of its vaults during the currency operations on April 11, 2023. “An internal probe into the matter was commenced immediately, more..