Dec 15 (TM) United Rice Producers� Association (URPA) has requested Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe to initiate legal action against officials involved in alleged financial irregularities in the distribution of humanitarian aid including rice given to SL by Govt of India through the Food Commissioner�s Dept. URPA Prez Kusumitha Perera said that the Indian Govt had donated 40,000 MT of rice, 450 MT of milk powder, more..

Dec 15 (FT) Los Angeles, CA: A global event to felicitate and honour a diverse group of professionals, who have contributed immensely in their chosen professional fields, created a huge buzz amongst the Sri Lankans living overseas, as the Sri Lanka Foundation laid out their red carpet to welcome, greet, and present them with prestigious awards at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles recently. Established in 2003, SL Foundation, a non-profit org more..

Dec 15 (FT) Export Development Board (EDB) in collaboration with the SL Embassy in Vietnam arranged the first-ever participation of SL businesses at the 20th edition of Viet Nam Expo, which was held from 1 to 3 Dec at Sai Gon Exhibition & Convention Center (SECC) in Ho Chi Minh City. Representing SL businesses, Hemas Manufacturing Ltd, Ceylon Fresh Teas Ltd, Ceylon Biscuits Ltd, Kelani Cables PLC, OREL Corporation Ltd, and four SME companies viz. Healthy Foods Lanka more..

Dec 15 (CT) Dr. Anil Jasinghe, Secretary of Ministry of Environment, told Finance Today that negotiations are ongoing with the appropriate foreign parties regarding the commencement of the debt-for-nature swap programme, regardless of the viewpoint of the Central Bank. SL was exploring a debt-for-nature swap of up to USD 1 billion, citing sources familiar with the matter. It was reported that Sri Lanka is in talks with the UNDP and other agencies for a debt-for-nature swap programme. more..

Dec 15 (DN) Prima Sunrise Bread Sponsors 14th SL Junior Open Golf 2022 and the Regional Junior Opens 2023 the prestigious event in the Junior Golf Calendar will be worked off from Dec 20 to 22 at the Royal Colombo Golf Club. Prima Group SL, has continued its commitment to promote junior golf in partnership with the national body for golf in the country the SL Golf. The SL Junior Opens is thus the established benchmark for the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR) for junior golfers. more..

Dec 15 (TM) State Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya hinted that a salary increase for State sector employees might be implemented in the fourth quarter of 2023 (4Q23), based on a discussion held by Prez Wickremesinghe with State sector employees regarding the proposals included in Budget 2023. He said that Prez had held a discussion with State sector employees regarding various forms of relief they would be granted, more..

Dec 15 (FT) Central Bank Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe yesterday said with or without the IMF, Sri Lanka needs to bring in reforms to correct the economy and put it on a sustainable footing. �As an economy, we need medium- to long-term reforms to restructure the economy,� he said, speaking at the CA SL�s Annual Research Symposium yesterday. The CB Governor also set the record straight on bilateral creditor discussions, citing that it had been miscommunicated. more..

Dec 15 (DM) A majority of the SL population are against selling of national assets considering the situation of country�s economy, a survey has revealed. A survey carried out by Social Scientists Association together with USAID had revealed that 93. 8% of the younger generation and 93.2% of the elderly population does not think national assets should be sold off. Only 42.1% of the youth and 47.4% of the elderly believe that recruitment of persons to state sector should be minimized. more..

Dec 15 (Island) Minister Nazeer Ahamed told an all-party conference chaired by Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe, at the Presidential Secretariat, on Tuesday, that the Muslims were opposed to the re-merger of the Eastern and Northern Provinces. The former Chief Minister of the Eastern Province said, responding to several lawmakers, including SLMC leader, Rauf Hakeem, reiterating urgent need to conduct PC polls more..

Dec 15 (EN) Shares fell on Thursday as profit taking entered the market mainly on banking and diversified financials sectors, brokers said. �There was a bit of profit taking in stocks like Lanka IOC because they were gaining in the last few sessions so now they are consolidating,� a market analyst said. �Market didn�t have any other news for the market to slip but there will be some volatility in the coming days.� ASPI closed 0.64 percent or 56.79 points higher at 8,813.84. more..

Dec 15 (FT) Hydrogen is a light element; however, one kilogram of it carries an equivalent energy of 1 gallon of gasoline (2.767 kg equivalent). This remarkably high energy capacity makes hydrogen a thriving candidate as an energy carrier and a storage medium. Further, a series of unique chemical and physical properties of this light, flammable, odourless and non-toxic gas makes it an essential feedstock for industrial and individual uses. The annual global production of hydrogen more..

Dec 15 (SLN) In a dedicated search and rescue operation mounted on 13th Dec, SL Navy rescued 3 fishermen from a distressed trawler in southern waters. The rescuees were brought ashore and admitted to the District General Hospital, Hambantota. Reportedly, their fishing trawler had capsized about 180 nautical miles (333km) off Dondra Point, following adverse weather. The fishing trawler left the Galle Fisheries Harbour on 22nd Nov, with 6 fishermen. more..

Dec 15 (FT) Only a democracy re-load can prevent socioeconomically driven civil upheaval in 2023 by providing an alternative pathway. If the legal intervention spearheaded by Prof. G.L. Peiris on behalf of the combined Opposition (SJB, FPC, SLFP, TNA, with the JVP-JJB a significant absentee) to secure the local authorities� election on schedule succeeds, and the electoral heart of Sri Lanka begins beating again healthily, the country will avoid another bloodbath and a fourth civil war, more..

Dec 15 (EN) Water Supply and Drainage Board is selling water at a loss requiring a tariff hike to break-even, State Minister of Water Supply Sanath Nishantha said as the country comes to grips with worst currency crises triggered by its intermediate regime central bank. �Currently the water board is providing water at two cents per liter, which is extremely low,� Minister Nishantha said at the opening of a new Centre of Excellence more..

Dec 15 (AD) The writ petition filed by 39 politicians pertaining to the series of attacks on their residences that took place on 09 May, has been fixed for consideration on 16 Jan 2023 by the Court of Appeal. The writ petition requested the court to issue an order calling for the IGP and other relevant security authorities to conduct an investigation into the incidents where protesters set ablaze the residences of several politicians. 39 petitioners include Bandula Gunawardena, Gamini more..

Dec 15 (Island) Dept of Weights and Measures has launched a prorgamme to prevent the use of substandard weighing machines. Agriculture, Wildlife and Forest Resources Conservation Ministry said that racketeers cheated farmers and consumbers by using substandard scales that could be rigged. A senior official said that as the farmers alleged that urea issued by an Agrarian Service Centre, in the Bulathsinghala area, was shortweighted, and the police had intervened to weigh bags of urea more..

Dec 15 (TM) While applications are still being processed for the vacancies of the three civil society non-Parliamentary members to the Constitutional Council (CC), discussions are ongoing between the Speaker of Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana, PM Dinesh Gunawardena, and Leader of the Opposition and SJB Sajith Premadasa, to appoint a female representative and an ethnic minority representative to the CC, more..

Dec 15 (SLN) SL Navy intercepted a dinghy which was carrying Kerala Cannabis weighing over 181kg (wet weight), during a special operation conducted in the sea area off Guru Nagar, Jaffna in the wee hours of today. The operation also led to the apprehension of a suspect (1) in connection to the incident. SL Navy regularly conducts search operations and patrols in island�s waters to ward off illegal activities taking place via sea routes. In a similar effort, a suspicious dingy was intercepted by more..

Dec 15 (DM) SL's worst power cuts may come as early as March and April, as the country has failed to secure sufficient coal stocks required for thermal power generation, Nihal Weerarathne of the CEB Engineers Union said. "Our hydro power generation capacity will not be sufficient as the rainfall was less this year. To provide thermal power however, SL is struggling to secure the necessary stocks of coal. We now predict a dark March and April, months ahead of power cuts we predicted for July," more..

Dec 15 (ANI) The uncertainty and lack of clarity regarding the extent and time frame of China's restructuring of its debt to SL is delaying SL's bailout package from the IMF, according to Asian Lite. Debt restructuring is one of the prerequisites of the IMF's bailout package for SL. The process is, however, getting delayed due to SL's dire situation and a delay in concrete commitment from China, the island nation's largest bilateral lender. SL seems to be missing its December deadline. more..

Dec 15 (AD) India�s Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) Admiral R. Hari Kumar, who arrived in SL on Tuesday on an official visit, has called on Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe and PM Dinesh Gunawardena and senior defence leadership of the island nation. During his meeting with Prez Wickremesinghe, Indian navy chief discussed furthering defence cooperation between SL and India with the aim of boosting bilateral relations. Mr. Hari Kumar has acknowledged SL�s role in steering more..

Dec 15 (Reuters) SL's economy shrank 11.8% in the July-September quarter from a year ago, govt data showed, second-worst quarterly contraction ever for the country going through a severe financial crisis. Economic mismanagement and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic have left SL short of dollars for essential imports including food, fuel, fertilisers and medicine. Agriculture sector shrank 8.7% in the third quarter and more..

Dec 15 (ANI) India eased past Sri Lanka by seven wickets to confirm their place in the semifinals of the third T20 World Cup for the Blind played here at the Panjim Gymkhana Sports Club. India qualified for the semifinals after finishing on top of the table after the completion of the round-robin matches. India will face South Africa in the first semifinals while the second semifinals will be played between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat. more..

Dec 15 (EN) Sri Lanka�s Ministry of Trade said it plans to give interest subsidies to egg famers who the industry says aere now crippled by price controls imposed by the Consumer Affairs Authority. �Minister advised the officials to grant loans for the egg producers under a minimum interest rate to reduce production cost,� the ministry statement said. No details were given on how to the interest subsidy will be implemented. SL�s egg farms are in crisis after the Consumer Affairs Authority, more..

Dec 15 (AD) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe has emphasized that it is the responsibility of public officials to provide maximum public service without conflicts between public institutions and public officials and should never give reasons for not performing their duties. During the District Development meeting held in Badulla District Secretariat this morning, Prez mentioned that govt officials should use the law as a shield to more..

Dec 15 (DM) Police investigation into the assault and abduction of champion boxer M.S. Dinusha Lakshan had revealed that the incident was a result of a conflict between two gangs over drug trafficking. The 22-year-old man had been abducted, assaulted and burnt by a group of men on Dec 12 at Hospital Lane in Kandy. The victim's mother said her son Lakshan was sleeping at his home at Hospital Lane, Kandy when a person took him outside purportedly to discuss a deal about a motorcycle. more..

Dec 15 (Island) Chairman of the National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol (NATA), Prof Samadhi Rajapaksa has been inducted as the President of the College of Palliative Medicine of SL for the period 2022-2023. College of Palliative Medicine was founded by Prof. Rajapaksa on 9 Oct 2021 to promote evidence-based palliative medicine and palliative care by bringing together a group of multi-disciplinary professionals under one umbrella and improve the quality of life of palliative patients more..

Dec 15 (TM) Uttara Lanka Sabhagaya MPs Wimal Weerawansa, Udaya Gammanpila, and Ven. Athuraliye Rathana Thera said that the alliance between the Parties of Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe and former President and incumbent Govt MP Mahinda Rajapaksa, namely UNP an SLPP, was formed many months ago. In response to rumours of a UNP-SLPP alliance, NFF Leader Weerawansa told the media that the two Parties have already joined together. more..

Dec 15 (Island) Three veteran herpetologists will release Amphibians of SL, the second in the series of four comprehensive monographs, today. Dr. Anslem de Silva said that the annotated bibliography and a checklist of the herpetofauna of SL) Volume: 2, a hard cover edition with 334 pages, 216 colour photos, would be launched today. This monograph is not only a bibliography of published papers on various aspects of the amphibians of SL, but a treasure trove for herpetologists, more..

Dec 15 (AD) National Council sub-committee on economic stabilization has observed that SL is lagging behind other countries in the world to the lack of a national digital policy. This was mentioned when the sub-committee, chaired by MP Champika Ranawaka, met at the parliament complex recently. Private and public sector experts in the field of Information Technology, heads of govt institutions & heads of private IT companies more..

Dec 15 (CT) The Ministry of Finance has issued a Gazette Notification banning rice imports, except for Basmati. However, the shipments which are en route and stocks for which Letters of Credit have been opened before 9 Dec can be cleared under special licence, it said. Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe as the Minister of Finance, Economic Stabilization and National Policies has issued this Gazette Notification subjecting rice imports to the licence system. Regulations in the gazette will be cited more..

Dec 15 (TD) Defense spending is often a country�s largest budget item. It is also the most controversial. While some argue that the defense budget should be reduced and the money be allocated to education, health, and social welfare, drastic cuts would be impossible without serious upheaval in society. This is the case with SL, where a drastic reduction of the defense budget could lead to upheaval and unrest, which it cannot afford right now. Budget-2023, which the Ranil more..

Dec 15 (EN) SL�s ex-ministers have run up massive electricity bills by when they overstayed in official residences after losing their ministries and left after defaulting to the electricity board, it was revealed in parliament. Under one of the perks given ministers, electricity bills of official residences are paid by their ministries, as long as they hold the post. Some ministers have overstayed for months and years on end and left without paying bills. more..

Dec 15 (DM) The Education Ministry will launch the Mindfulness program as a pilot program for schoolchildren on January 4 in all schools, Education Minister Susil Premajayantha said. He said the program would start from Jan 4 at 7.30 and last for 10 minutes weekly on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The cabinet approved the program's implementation beginning in 2023. Every religious leader representing the Ministry religious dept will be assigned to supervise the program. more..

Dec 15 (AD) Nawalapitiya Police have launched an investigation into a large-scale foreign employment racket in Ginigathena, Nuwara Eliya. Accordingly, Police are on the lookout for a resident of Nawalapitiya who had visited the Blackwater Estate in Ginigathena in August, and promised nearly 200 workers foreign employment. He is believed to have promised 197 estate workers jobs at tourist hotels in the Maldives, assuring that they would be able to earn a monthly wage of Rs. 183,000. more..