Dec 2 (CT) In the economic landscape of our country, certain influential entities, commonly referred to as mafias, have come to the fore. Among them, the rice mafia stands out as a major player, comprising large-scale paddy millers, intermediaries, and wholesalers. This consortium significantly impacts both agricultural producers and consumers, creating a complex web of challenges. The pinnacle of the issue lies in the control, more..

Dec 2 (ST) Senarath (not his real name) is spending his retirement, perhaps intermittently attending his family affairs, including those of his children and grandchildren. Although he is known to me for about 40 years, we haven’t met since the time he graduated and left the university. A few days ago, we were both happy to see each other after so long, when we suddenly and unexpectedly met at a social gathering. We took some time there to sit down and recall our university life. more..

Dec 2 (GV) Committee for Protecting the Rights of Prisoners (CPRP) took a decisive step towards justice by submitting a special petition to the UN, European Union and the Swiss Embassy in SL. The gravity of the appeal cannot be overstated, as the CPRP sought intervention to halt the disturbing trend of custodial deaths in the country. CPRP collaborated with grieving family members of those who have lost their lives in police custody. As it extends its plea to UN Special Rapporteurs more..

Dec 2 (CT) As preparatory work ahead of the implementation of the budget proposals for 2024, which were tabled in the House, the Prez headed to Nochchiyagama last Sunday to participate in an event to handover freehold land deeds. There, he cited the example of setting aside the land, which previously housed the Army headquarters, towards the construction of the Shangri-La Hotel. He questioned the rationale behind the inability more..

Dec 2 (CT) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe left the country last week to attend the UN Climate Change Conference of Parties (COP28) Summit in Dubai, along with over 80 delegates, including Ministers Ali Sabry, Keheliya Rambukwella and Kanchana Wijesekara. The delegation was also made up of international non-governmental organisations, private sector entities and stakeholders, making it the largest-ever SL delegation to attend the annual climate change conference of parties. more..

Dec 2 (DM) The month of Christmas is already upon us. In another 21 days we - the young and the old, the rich and the poor, the war-affected and those who inflict war on helpless people - will all in our own way be celebrating the festival of Christmas. In Bethlehem, the Washington Post reported: Palestinian Christian leaders across denominations in the West Bank city decided last week that they would forgo all festivities this year as a mark of solidarity with their brethren in Gaza. more..

Dec 12 (PTI) Sri Lankan cricket legend Muttiah Muralitharan says Hindi and Tamil films enjoy a huge fan following in his home country and the craze for cinema comes in a close second to cricket in the island nation. The legendary spinner also said he recently watched Tamil hits such as Jailer, Leo and Hindi movies Jawan and Tiger 3. "In Sri Lanka, Hindi movies are famous because very few movies are made in SL. They (SL films) don't have a lot of budget but they still run in theatres more..

Dec 12 (AD) Sri Lankan youths will be conditionally allowed to enter Japan under the Special Skilled Worker (SSW) visa category for employment opportunities in the field of construction, Minister of Labour & Foreign Employment says. According to Manusha Nanayakkara, the move comes into effect today. SL youths are, however, required to fulfil Japanese language requirement by passing the proficiency exam in order to be eligible to secure entry to Japan under SSW visa category. more..

Dec 12 (DM) Compared to other countries, the highest number of elephant deaths are reported in SL every year due to the elephant-human conflict in this country, Sectoral Oversight Committee revealed. This matter was brought to the attention of the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Sustainable Development, presided over by Ajith Mannapperuma, on Nov 24. more..

Dec 12 (DM) Sri Lanka is among the South Asian countries gearing up for elections at different levels in 2024, alongside India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Maldives, the UK govt said. In response to a written question in UK Parliament about the South Asian countries elections, Anne-Marie Trevelyan Minister of State stated that India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Maldives are all expected to hold elections at different levels in 2024. more..

Dec 12 (AD) The minimum Z-scores required for the university admission for the academic year 2022/2023 based on the 2022 G.C.E. A/L Examination were released a short while ago. Accordingly, of the total 274,304 students who sat for the exam, 166,967 students have been deemed eligible for university admission for the academic year 2022/2023, Chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC) Prof. Sampath Amaratunga said while addressing a media briefing. more..

Dec 12 (Reuters) A group of creditors holding SL's international bonds said on Friday it welcomed the country's debt restructuring agreement with official creditors, though said a lack of transparency on deals struck so far was regrettable. SL and a group of its creditor nations, including Japan, France and India, on Wednesday reached an agreement in principle on a debt rework of $5.9 billion of outstanding public debt. more..

Dec 12 (AD) State Minister of Finance Ranjith Siyambalapitiya has revealed that discussions pertaining to the revision of operating hours of liquor stores are currently underway. Accordingly, while discussions in this regard are underway, he said it has also been identified that certain existing laws pertaining to the sale of alcohol rather encourage people to turn towards the illicit sale of alcohol, as opposed to discouraging them for such illegal acts. Thus, the State Minister assured that more..

Dec 12 (DM) Three individuals have been detained for 48 hours for questioning over an explosion in a house at Nikapitiya, Gallawatta in Ridigama. Ridigama Police initiated an investigation following information on an explosion in a residence. Initially, police arrested three individuals linked to the incident. Arrested suspects, aged 36, 47 and 72, were identified as residents of Dodamgaslanda, Gurumada and Nikapitiya. Upon investigation, it was revealed that the affected house more..

Dec 1 (CT) A tragic double murder occurred in Cheddikulam, located in the Northern Province, claiming the lives of a husband and wife. The victims, Pasupathy Wanakulasingham (78) and his wife Kanagalukshmi (68), were found dead in a pool of blood. They resided in a room behind their son’s shop, where the ghastly incident took place. The couple lived with their son, who operated a shop in Cheddikulam Town. On a usual day, the son closed his shop and returned home nearby, more..

Dec 1 (DM) Considering the recent fuel price revision, Lanka Private Bus Owners' Association (LPBOA), the Inter-Provincial Private Bus Owners' Association (IPPBOA), and three-wheeler associations claimed that there would be no fare revisions to bus and three-wheeler fares. The bus associations claimed that Rs. 27 was reduced from the diesel retail price last night. Earlier, the retail price was reduced by Rs. 5, and the price was Rs. 356. "When the diesel fuel price more..

Dec 1 (AD) State Minister Diana Gamage and SJB MPs Sujith Perera and Rohana Bandara have been suspended for one month, for the unruly events that unfolded in parliament in late October. The decision was taken as per the recommendations made by the Parliamentary Committee on Ethics and Privileges. During the parliamentary session on Oct 20, Diana Gamage had accused SJB MP Sujith Perera of more..

Dec 1 (AD) Constitutional Council on Friday approved the appointment of Acting IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon. He assumed duties in his new role last morning (Nov.30), following his appointment the day before. Tennakoon was serving as the Senior DIG in charge of the Western Province at the time of his appointment. Acting IGP Tennakoon has vowed to eradicate the drug menace and organized criminal gangs in the country. He also said he would prioritize safeguarding more..

Dec 1 (Island) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe’s Int'l Climate Advisor Eric Solheim said he would provide his fullest cooperation for the development of the Northern Province when he met the Governor of the Province P.S.M. Charles in Jaffna recently. Solheim served as the Norwegian peace envoy for talks between then PM Ranil Wickremesinghe’s govt and the LTTE in 2002. Office of the NP Governor said that Charles explained in detail to the int'l climate consultant Eric Solheim, more..

Dec 1 (EN) SL’s imports picked up to US$ 1,610 million, up from US$ 1,336 million last year, as remittances and tourism flows boosted available dollars to spend, even as exports fell. In October exports fell to US$ 928 million from US$ 1,052 million by tourism picked up to US$ 137 million from US$ 55 million, and remittances rose to US$ 683 million from US$ 284 million. Total current inflows from exports, tourism and more..

Dec 1 (USE) United States Agency for International Development (USAID) , in collaboration with the Public Utilities Commission of SL (PUCSL), launched the Electricity Dispatch Database and Dashboard, an online platform to enhance transparency in the management of SL’s power distribution through a visualization platform. Developed and funded by USAID’s SL Energy Program, the Dispatch Data Dashboard is a comprehensive tool that allows stakeholders more..

Dec 1 (DM) The Central Cultural Fund said that watching the sunrise in Sigiriya earns more than three thousand dollars a day. The Director General of the fund, Prof. Gamini Ranasinghe also said that the dollar generation of the Central Cultural Fund, which was burdened with debt two years ago, has increased by 614% and more than three thousand US dollars are earned by providing the opportunity to foreigners to see the beauty of the sunrise in Sigiriya. more..

Dec 1 (CT) Residents of Kahatagasdigiliya in the Anuradhapura District have been severely inconvenienced due to the ad-hoc manner in which garbage and refuse matter is collected from within the town limits by the Kahatagasdigiliya PS Division and is being dumped in the nearby mountains. Due to the haphazard way in which this garbage is being dumped within the town limits, the residents and villagers living in Medayakada and the nearby areas have faced health as well as more..

Dec 1 (FT) In Business, we are taught that repeating the same behaviour does not bring different results. However, what we saw in Budget 2024 was that it has not addressed the key issues for a growth agenda and not captured the lessons from Budget 2023. What we see from outside is, making it another ritual, than a drastic change to a strategy that would make Sri Lanka step out of the economic crisis. For instance, the revenue is weighted mainly on taxes from Rs. 1.9 trillion in 2022 to more..

Dec 1 (AD) Pastor Jerome Fernando was arrested by the CID a short while ago, police confirmed. Accordingly, Pastor Fernando has been arrested a few hours after he arrived at the CID to record a statement concerning his remarks that stirred up much controversy in the country. Earlier today, the self-styled prophet arrived at the CID for the second consecutive day to provide a statement regarding his much-disputed comments more..

Dec 1 (EN) SL’s non-performing loans after the latest currency crisis is showing signs of having peaked but some sectors are hit worse than others with problem loans dating back from Coronavirus moratoria, a banking official said. Hotels, transport and arts and entertainment sectors had bad loans of 30 to 20%, while the overall level was lower. There is a marginal set of borrowers whose loans had been re-structured at high rates, whose loans could turn bad if no action is taken. more..

Dec 1 (AD) Most Venerable Mataramba Hemarathana Thero, the Chief Incumbent of Sithulpawwa Rajamaha Viharaya, has passed away at the age of 83. Born in 1941 in Unawatuna, Galle as Nelson Nanayakkara, he was ordained as a Buddhist monk in 1955 at the historic Yatagala Rajamaha Viharaya and took on the ordination name Mataramba Hemarathana Thero. The most venerated monk had authored a number of books including, Usaspela Baudhdha Dharma more..

Dec 1 (AD) A total of 13,588 students who sat for the 2022(2023) G.C.E. O/L Examination have secured ‘A’ passes for all 9 subjects. Samadhi Ranawaka of Mahamaya Girls’ School in Kandy has topped them all, becoming the island’s first in the exam. Meanwhile, Aksheiya Ananda Swanand of Vembadi Girls’ High School in Jaffna and Haritha Alahakoon of Royal College in Colombo have secured the 2nd & 3rd places, respectively. more..

Dec 1 (Island) SJB leader Sajith Premadasa told Parliament yesterday that his party would abide by the instructions issued by Pope Francis to continue the struggle in seeking the truth about the Easter Sunday terror attacks. “I give an undertaking that our party stands by the Pope’s statement, and will not give up the struggle until we find the truth pertaining to the Easter Sunday terror attacks,” Premadasa said making a special statement with permission from the Chair. more..

Dec 1 (CT) Those who received the contentious substandard Immunoglobulin IV should be screened for HIV AIDS and hepatitis B, former State Minister of Health Channa Jayasumana said in Parliament yesterday (30 Nov). Jayasumana, who was participating in the Committee Stage debate on the Expenditure Head of the Health Ministry, urged the relevant authorities to take immediate steps to screen the patients who received the said medicine for AIDS and hepatitis B. more..

Dec 1 (FT) SL aviation stands at a pivotal moment as it considers the transformation of Hingurakgoda Airport, also known as Minneriya Airport, from a primarily Air Force facility to a fully-fledged int'l civilian airport. This initiative, underlined by a substantial Budget of Rs.2 billion, has enthused a national debate. It’s not merely a matter of financial allocation but also financial economics with extensive consequences that could reshape SL’s aviation landscape and its position more..

Dec 1 (AD) Meteorology Dept, on Friday (01), issued a Red alert for strong winds and rough seas over Bay of Bengal sea areas. Accordingly, fishing and naval communities in the deep and shallow sea areas in the Southwest Bay of Bengal were warned of strong winds and rough seas as the low-pressure area over the Southeast Bay of Bengal has developed into a depression, and is likely to further intensify into a cyclone by 03 December. The advisory read that the low-pressure area more..