Jan 10 (TM) A survey conducted by the Food First Information and Action Network (FIAN), SL Chapter, across selected Divisional Secretariats in 10 Districts, revealed that 56.6% of households in the sample face food insecurity accompanied by moderate or severe hunger. These findings were unveiled at the Hector Kobbekaduwa Agrarian Research and Training Institute during the launch of survey report, which was funded by USAID. more..

Jan 10 (AD) Airport & Aviation Services (SL) has announced that luxury buses operating on the Fort-Katunayake route (No. 187) will be granted access to the departure terminal of BIA starting today. This decision, aimed at enhancing convenience for air passengers, marks the resumption of this service after nearly six years. While the buses will now be permitted to enter the road to the departure terminal, they will not be allowed to remain parked at the airport to operate the service. more..

Jan 10 (TM) Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has unveiled the 15-member squad for the ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup, set to begin in Malaysia on 18 January. Sri Lanka is placed in Group A, alongside Malaysia, West Indies, and India for the preliminary round. The team, led by Manudi Nanayakkara will depart for Malaysia on 11 January. A notable inclusion in the squad is Limansa Thilakaratne, the daughter of former SL cricket captain T.M. Dilshan. Accordingly, SL Women's squad includes: more..

Jan 10 (TM) Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has launched an official mobile app, Sri Lanka Cricket Live, thus enabling fans greater access to information about SL Cricket around the clock. The app provides fans with details about the team, tours and tournament schedules, match highlights, live scores and commentaries, and notifications such as the squad announcements, among many others. The Sri Lanka Cricket Live official mobile app is now available in the Google Play Store and Apple App Store more..

Jan 10 (AD) High Commissioner of India to SL, Santosh Jha, has called on the Speaker of the Parliament, Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne, at the Parliamentary premises recently. During the meeting, High Commissioner Santosh Jha extended his New Year wishes to Speaker Dr. Wickramaratne and reaffirmed the strong bilateral relationship between India and SL. He invited the Speaker to undertake an official visit to India, emphasizing the importance of fostering inter-parliamentary more..

Jan 10 (Island) Minister Kumara Jayakody informed Parliament that reducing electricity tariff could not be effected overnight and it would take up to 3 years. He emphasised that no assurances had been given to reduce electricity prices immediately and urged patience as the got works toward achieving this goal. Jayakody said, “Our goal is to reduce electricity tariff. However, we never claimed that would be done in a day or two; more..

Jan 10 (FT) The Sri Lanka -Maldives Business Council of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce this week highlighted numerous opportunities in the Maldives for the Sri Lankan companies in sectors such as logistics, tourism, agriculture, boat construction, fishery and construction. A report listing the opportunities was presented to the Export Development Board (EDB) Chairman Mangala Wijesinghe and the High Commissioner of the Maldives Masood Imad. more..

Jan 10 (Island) The newly appointed Heads of Mission of Sri Lanka met with the Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya at the Parliament to discuss avenues for strengthening diplomatic collaboration. The discussions focused on expanding trade, tourism, and other key areas of bilateral and multilateral cooperation. Prime Minister Amarasuriya emphasized the importance of enhancing trade relations and exploring new opportunities for Sri Lankan products in global markets. more..

Jan 10 (NW) Former Minister Manusha Nanayakkara broke his silence regarding the arrest of his brother over a foreign employment scandal, claiming that he was the one who initially lodged a complaint against him during his tenure as minister. Nanayakkara said he had no connection to his brother’s activities and reiterated his efforts to educate the public against paying third parties for foreign employment opportunities. more..

Jan 10 (NW) A protest was held near the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo today against govt’s decision to deport the Rohingya refugees from Myanmar who had arrived in SL recently seeking asylum. The protest was conducted by several civil activists, who claimed that the Rohingya refugees are placed at an Army Camp and UN agencies have been denied access to them. The protesters urged the govt to refrain from deporting the Rohingya refugees and consider an alternative solution. more..

Jan 10 (AD) Sarvajana Balaya leader MP Dilith Jayaweera emphasized the importance of empowering women to enable their active contribution to the national economy by aligning with global trends. He criticized the existing political culture that exploits women for political gain and called for a transformative approach. “The political culture in this country has always used women as tools to gain power,” he said. “What we need is a shift. Women must be empowered creatively. more..

Jan 10 (AD) The market value of the investments made by the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) in companies listed on the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) is Rs. 109.69 billion as of Sept 30, 2024. Total purchase cost of these investments stands at Rs. 88.67 billion, with a total profit of Rs. 21.01 billion generated from the investments in the stock market. Comparatively, the market value of the EPF’s investments in the stock market as of June 30, 2024, was recorded at Rs. 110.03 billion. more..

Jan 10 (DM) Over 100 children have been diagnosed with diabetes, raising serious concerns over the rising rates of the condition among younger populations. This surge has prompted health experts to closely examine the factors contributing to the increasing prevalence of diabetes in children. Dr. Deepal Perera, Consultant Paediatrician at the LRH, said that the decline in birth rates will impact education, healthcare and the workforce, leading to significant demographic changes. more..

Jan 10 (AD) Former Sri Lankan Ambassador to Russia, Udayanga Weeratunga, has been arrested by the Mirihana Police. He has been arrested for allegedly assaulting his neighbor and will be produced before the court today, according to police. A 66-year-old resident of Thalapathpitiya, who was assaulted by former SL Ambassador Udayanga Weeratunga, has been admitted to the Sri J'pura Hospital and more..

Jan 10 (AD) The charge sheet filed by the Attorney General against former State Minister Diana Gamage, accusing her of obtaining a SL passport by producing forged documents, was read before the Colombo High Court today. The charges were presented when the case was taken up before Colombo High Court Judge Manjula Thilakaratne, where the defendant Diana Gamage pleaded not guilty to the charges. During the proceedings, President’s Counsel Shanaka Ranasinghe, more..

Jan 10 (TNN) In a commendable act, the Khyber Police in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa successfully reunited a SL mother with her 25-year-old daughter and handed over custody to the mother, respecting the daughter’s choice. SL woman had married Agha Jan, a resident of Khyber, while they were in a Gulf country. The couple had a daughter, but later, the husband returned to Pakistan with the child. Concerned about her daughter's well-being, the mother traveled to Pakistan and more..

Jan 10 (FT) The Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol (LRRP) was a specialised military intelligence unit of the Sri Lankan army that was deployed by the State against the LTTE during the armed conflict. Sri Lanka’s LRRP was known in Sinhala as the Digu Dura Vihidum Balakaya and in Tamil as the Aazha Ooduruvithaakkum Padaiyani. It was also called the Deep Penetration Unit (DPU) and Mahasonon Brigade of the Army. more..

Jan 10 (NW) Minister Nalinda Jayathissa has refuted claims that the govt had spent Rs. 7 million for the launch of the Clean Sri Lanka initiative. “Rs. 7 million have not been spent on the Clean SL inauguration as reported by some media outlets. Only an amount of Rs. 900,000 had been approved as payments, which has also not been paid yet,” Minister said that reports of a musician, lyricist or the website developers being paid exorbitant amounts were baseless and false. more..

Jan 10 (FT) As the Hindus of SL mark Thai Pongal this week, it would be of interest to examine the nexus between those who celebrate the multi-day harvest festival, others who don’t, and their common as well as disparate histories harking back to colonial times. Ergo, a two part piece that focuses on the tale of one of these two ethnicities and the skein of history weaving them both into what is often perceived as a single community. Upcountry Tamils of SL constitute an interesting case study more..

Jan 10 (FT) A new Govt, elected with a massive majority is now in place, which brings with it a high degree of responsibility, to meet the high expectations of the voters. It was expected that the Govt would proceed on a clear social-democratic path, towards development. However, an unexpected turn to the right has caused confusion. While the IMF program, which was known for some time, may have played a part, the NPP economic team should have worked out its own more..

Jan 10 (EN) Central Bank will gradually sell down its re-structured bond bonds, CB Governor Nandala Weerasinghe has said. CB converted a large part of its bill holding acquired to inject liquidity and trigger an economic crisis from 2020, into lower yielding longer term bonds during the domestic debt restructuring process, as part of efforts to reduce the gross financing needs of the state. “Domestic money market liquidity is likely to increase gradually in 2025 with the expected buildup of foreign reserves, more..

Jan 10 (DM) Clean Sri Lanka campaign launched by govt is hitting headlines especially in the electronic media, with videos of buses and three wheel drivers being stopped by police, advising them to remove the additional accessories on their vehicles. Despite a grace period extended by the police to remove such accessories, bus drivers associations and three wheel drivers are not happy. In fact a video circulating on social media, more..

Jan 10 (DN) Health Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa assured Parliament that no recent cases of Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) have been detected in SL, contrary to reports circulating in certain media outlets. Dr. Jayatissa emphasised that the Ministry of Health remains vigilant and has implemented comprehensive measures to monitor and address the situation. He stated that 20 testing centers have been designated to conduct HMPV screenings and that the Epidemiology Unit is continuously more..

Jan 10 (DM) The National Audit Office has revealed that the total expenditure of USD 247.7 million (equivalent to Rs. 36,564 million), including price increases and variances, for the construction of the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA) has not been utilised effectively. In its 2023 Annual Report, the National Audit Office noted that the airport incurred an operating cost of Rs. 2,412.9 million against an operating income of Rs. 288 million for the year 2023. more..

Jan 10 (DN) Minister Vijitha Herath told Parliament that E-09 and E-07 are the only two valid categories of visas issued for Sri Lankans to work in Korea stating that the E-09 visa is available through the MoU signed between Korea and SL for Sri Lankans to work in Korea while the E-07 visa is specially assigned for SL businessmen to engage in business activities in Korea. Herath said the SLFEB has not been informed nor have mediated more..

Jan 10 (FT) In a bid to stabilise paddy prices and support farmers, the Govt introduced a concessionary pledge loan scheme for Small and Medium Scale (SME) paddy millers and cooperative societies during the Maha cultivation season 2024/25. The initiative, approved by the Cabinet of Ministers on 30 December 2024, aims to facilitate paddy purchases at reasonable prices. The loan scheme targets SME paddy millers and cooperative societies with a maximum daily milling more..

Jan 10 (TM) Govt stated that it aims to restore and strengthen public trust in mechanisms for national unity and reconciliation, such as the Office on Missing Persons (OMP), which it claims were undermined during previous administrations. Deputy Minister Muneer Mulaffer said that institutions like the OMP had been used by previous govts for political appointments. Under the current Govt, he said that these institutions would become genuinely focused on achieving national unity and more..

Jan 10 (DN) The answer script evaluation of the Grade 5 scholarship exam 2024 began last Wednesday after taking a firm decision on the issue of examination paper leak. The evaluation of Grade Five Scholarship Exam began on Wednesday. The evaluation process will continue till January 12 and the results will be released within 40 days. There was a controversy over the claim that three questions in the first question paper of the Grade 5 Scholarship Exam held on Sept 15, 2024, more..

Jan 10 (CT) All the exams that were delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and socio-economic issues that followed would be resolved by 2026, assured PM Harini Amarasuriya. She said that all the exams at the national level would be held on time with the usual timetable. She added that the delay of the school academic year also would be fixed within this year. This year, the number of school days would be 181 and the school academic year in 2025 would be completed within the calendar year as well. more..

Jan 10 (TM) SL’s govt revenue has increased by 32.2% year-on-year (y-o-y) to Rs. 3,650 billion in the first eleven months of 2024, while expenditure has increased by 1.9% to Rs. 4,881.9 billion, the Ministry of Finance said. According to the Presentation made by the Dept of Fiscal Policy, govt has collected Rs. 3,650.9 billion in revenue, which is a 32.2% y-o-y increase and 88.9% achievement of the annual target of Rs. 4,107 billion. more..

Jan 10 (Vogue) As dawn unfurls, golden rays pierce through the coastal mist, revealing a path of broken branches and impossibly large footprints winding past the door of my luxurious tented shelter. As I step outside, I scan the morning shadows, hopeful for a glimpse of last night’s elephant visitor rambling through the foliage. I tread cautiously, recalling yesterday’s guided nature walk along the beach, where we stumbled upon an eight-foot-long spectacled cobra—a highly venomous snake. more..

Jan 10 (NW) The Bar Association of SL (BASL) has issued a letter to Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake, outlining its concerns and recommendations regarding the appointment of judges to the Supreme Court. BASL emphasized the importance of transparency, merit, and adherence to legal and ethical standards in such appointments. In the letter dated January 8, 2025, the BASL highlighted the vital role of the judiciary in upholding the rights of citizens and ensuring the rule of law. more..