Dec 7 (CT) Medical Research Institute (MRI), premier medical research institute in SL is unable to carry out 32 medical tests due to the non-provision of reagents, Joint Council of Professions Supplementary to Medicine (JCPSM) alleged.​ JCPSM President, Ravi Kumudesh alleged that currently there are several unresolved issues in the State health sector and this was just one of them. Adding insult to injury there was also a shortage of about 80 types of medicines in state hospitals more..

Dec 7 (DN) School of International Studies of the Sichuan University, in association with the China Institute for Strategic Studies and China Centre for South Asian Studies, held a Symposium focusing on South Asia� in Chengdu, capital of the Sichuan Province of China. The event was held under the broad theme of China and South Asia in the New Era, during which issues such as Unprecedented regional and global developments, China-South Asia ties for security and prosperity, more..

Dec 7 (TM) The Opposition MPs who are in the COPE are yet to reach a consensus regarding the removal of its Chairman, SLPP Govt MP Prof. Ranjith Bandara. Amidst several media reports circulating that Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe is going to prorogue Parliament in order to make way for the appointment of a new COPE Chairman instead of Prof. Bandara, the main Parliamentary Opposition Party, SJB said that the Opposition MPs more..

Dec 7 (EN) SL�s tile and sanitaryware importers have opposed calls to increase high import taxes which are giving big profits to domestic producers, saying young couples looking to build a house and the general public were already sufficiently exploited. There was no merit in calls for anti-dumping duties as import taxes already totalled around 115 percent, importers said. Domestic tile producers had made large profits especially in the past three and a half years at the expense of young couples more..

Dec 7 (DN) Majority portion of the loan taken to build the Colombo Lotus tower has now been settled and only USD 14 million is to be settled disclosed Chief Executive office Colombo Lotus Tower Management Prasad Samarasinghe. He said that when the project was first initiated in 2012 it was estimated to cost USD 104 million and when it was completed it was estimated to be around USD 113 million. Out of this a loan was offered for USD 88 million via the Exim Bank of China more..

Dec 7 (AD) Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has declared that he stands ready to resign immediately, in the event there is proof that he has utilised state funds for personal reasons. He said this during the parliamentary debate on the Central Cultural Fund (CCF) today (6), responding to a claim made by MP Mahindananda Aluthgamage. Although not directly accusing Premadasa of any wrongdoing, MP Aluthgamage stated that as per the audit reports on the CCF, nearly Rs. 10 billion in funds more..

Dec 7 (AD) The body of a 13-year-old boy, suspected to have taken his own life, was found in a Madrasa school in the Sainthamaruthu area in Kattankudy, police reported. Accordingly, it is reported that the teenage boy was found hanging from his neck inside the school. Upon suspicion of the child�s death, however, area residents had raided the Madrasa school in question on Tuesday night (05), following which a police investigation was launched into the incident. more..

Dec 7 (TM) In the wake of the Attorney General (AG) informing the Court of Appeal (CA) that there is an alleged conspiracy to assassinate the former Director of the CID, Senior Superintendent of Police Shani Abeysekara, by staging an accident while travelling, the National Authority for the Protection of Victims of Crime and Witnesses (NAPVCW) has recommended to the Ministries of Defence and Public Security that more..

Dec 7 (DM) Reverend Father Arachchige Don Wimal Siri Appuhamy Jayasuriya has been appointed as the new Bishop of Chilaw by the Holy Father Pope Francis, Apostolic Nunciature in SL (Embassy of the Holy See) said. Fr JAYASURIYA, born on 231 Jan 1969, was ordained as a priest for the Diocese of Chilaw on 9th August 1997. He holds a Baccalaureate in Philosophy and Theology from the Our Lady of Lanka National Major Seminary, Ampitiya. Following his ordination and more..

Dec 7 (PMD) In a significant development aimed at enhancing the facilities of SL Law College students, Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe has announced the allocation of govt-owned land for this purpose. Prez reached this decision during a deliberation held at the Parliament Complex today (6). Highlighting the historical significance of SL Law College, which is set to celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2024, Prez emphasized its noteworthy contribution, having produced three presidents. more..

Dec 7 (Island) Controversy surrounds the inordinate delay in appointing the Chief of Staff and the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army against the backdrop of dissident SLPP MP Dullas Alahapperuma�s revelation in Parliament that over 27,000 soldiers had left the Army since January 2022. The former minister said so while participating in the third reading debate on Budget 2024 under the Defence Ministry expenditure heads. more..

Dec 7 (FT) SL urgently needs to intensify revenue collection for macroeconomic stability and more inclusive and sustainable growth. The recent economic crisis was partly triggered by the systematic erosion of the tax base. SL�s tax to GDP fell to 7.3% of GDP one of the lowest in the world. One of the main pillars of the IMF�s stabilisation program is to raise this ratio to 14% by 2026. There is empirical evidence to suggest that countries move to a higher growth path once tax revenue more..

Dec 7 (FT) Regular climate change is one of the most disturbing and pressing global challenges presenting profound implications for the environment, economies, and societies. Economic damages, capital market risks, disruptions on trade, labour, and supply chain, these are the forecasted major catastrophic consequences of increasing global climate risk. Addressing this issue demands collaborative efforts from governments, businesses, financial institutes and civil society. more..

Dec 7 (DM) Officials from the Customs Narcotics Control Division intercepted a massive shipment of toxic drugs with an estimated value of Rs. 60 million concealed within seven courier parcels purportedly sent from the United States, France and Canada to fake addresses in the Colombo area. The parcels were flagged for inspection after Customs officials, suspicious of the authenticity of the delivery addresses, initiated an investigation. Upon confirming that the addresses were fake, more..

Dec 7 (AD) Supun Shashendra Pathirage, the former chairman of Central Environment Authority (CEA) has filed a fundamental rights (FR) petition against his arrest over the alleged soliciting of a bribe. The CIABOC, its chairman Eva Wanasundera and the commission�s members have been named as the respondents of this petition. Petitioner says he had rejected an application seeking the renewal of a license in respect of a marine fuel refining operation, based on six reasons. more..

Dec 7 (DM) Senior police officers had been informed of a trial explosion carried out by the group led by Zahran Hashim at Thalankuda on April 16, 2019 prior to the Easter Sunday bombings, Parliament was informed today. Leader of the House Susil Premajayantha who was responding to an oral question raised by SJB MP Hector Appuhamy in the House said former Director of Intelligence Service Nilantha Jayawardene more..

Dec 7 (Island) Three former members of the SL Army including a Captain were serving in the Ukrainian Army were killed during an attack by Russian troops on Dec 4. Captain Ranish Hevage, who retired from the SL Army, had joined Ukrainian forces in March 2022. He had previously served in the SL commando regiment. Hevage was honoured by the Ukrainian Govt for his bravery on the battlefield. He held the position of commanding officer within the First Special Force of more..

Dec 7 (EN) Sri Lanka will sign an agreement with Maldives on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters, Minister Bandula Gunawardena said. The cabinet this week approved a proposal on this put forward by Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapaksha. �SL�s cabinet had previously approved mutual legal cooperation on criminal matters with Maldives,� he said. �However, the Maldives had a few amendments to the proposed agreement which is why this hasn�t happened earlier.� more..

Dec 7 (TM) Claiming that an appointment is yet to be made in place of the officer-in-charge (OIC) of store number six of the Medical Supplies Division (MSD) of the Ministry of Health, the College of Medical Laboratory Science (CMLS) stated that the same may adversely affect the pharmaceutical drugs including vaccines at the said store. Several officers of the MSD including its Director, Dr. Kapila Wickramanayake had been recently arrested more..

Dec 7 (AD) STF has arrested a woman who was in possession of more than 1 kilogram of �Ice� (Crystal Methamphetamine). Police mentioned that the arrested woman, infamously known as Kudu Dhanu, has run the drug syndicate of the notorious drug peddler and criminal figure Matara Kalpa, who is currently hiding in overseas. The arrest was made in the Angoda area of Wellampitiya Police Division, according to police. Accordingly, police have taken custody of 1 kilogram and 50 grams of �Ice�, more..

Dec 7 (FT) GroupM, the global leader in media investment management, yet again marked its influential two-decade plus presence in SL�s media industry, securing the top honours across media and digital at the highly coveted Campaign�s Agency of the Year awards for the year 2023. The Campaign�s Agency of the Year awards acknowledges inspirational leadership, managerial excellence, exceptional business performance, and overall accomplishments in the realms of more..

Dec 7 (EN) SL is planning on bringing in more professions into the formal sector by introducing more professional associations and practitioner licenses, Minister of Labour and Foreign Employment Manusha Nanayakkara said in parliament on Thursday (7). �We hope to introduce many more professional associations like the Bar Association. We have been having discussions with electricians, housemaids, three-wheel drivers, bus drivers and conductors, and many others about this. more..

Dec 7 (EN) SL will raise fines specified in the country�s penal code to reflect current prices, minister Bandula Gunawardana said. �Since the old fines of old laws do not match the recent substantial rises in prices of goods and services, only small fines are made in relation to current prices,� he said. �The cabinet of ministers has approved the proposal to make the relevant legislative changes.� SL�s inflation hit 70% in 2022 after the rupee collapsed from 180 to 330 to the US dollar, more..

Dec 7 (AD) The RDA has informed the street food vendors at Kimbulawala to remove their stalls and vacate the location by Friday (8), according to the vendors. The Kimbulawala street food vendors further stress that although a written notification has been given in this regard, the reason for the decision to vacate the area has not been specified. Earlier in August, the RDA had asked the Kimbulawala street food vendors to remove more..

Dec 7 (SLN) SL Navy conducted special operations to chase away Indian poaching trawlers from SL waters in the evening of 06th Dec. The separate operations led to the seizure of 4 Indian trawlers with 21 Indian fishermen poaching in SL waters off Mannar and off Kovilan, Kankasanthurei. Navy continues to conduct regular patrols and operations in SL waters to curb illegal fishing practices by foreign fishing trawlers, taking into account the consequences of these practices more..

Dec 7 (AD) Mannar High Court has sentenced a former member of SL Army to death for fatally shooting two fellow army personnel at Parappukandal army camp in Mannar on 02 Oct 2009. This verdict was delivered by Mannar High Court Judge M.M.M. Mihal on Wednesday (6). The convicted ex-army member had reportedly shot at three fellow army personnel at the Parappukandal camp over a personal dispute, leaving two of them dead & other injured. more..

Dec 7 (CT) Colombo High Court Judge Namal Balalle sentenced the driver of a private bus, who was found guilty of fatally running over three persons, including a preschool child and her grandmother, while injuring the child�s mother 16 years ago, to 12 years of Rigorous Imprisonment. The driver, Kusantha Gunerathna, was found guilty of reckless driving, along with the bus being driven at breakneck speed and fatally running over more..

Dec 7 (AD) PM Dinesh Gunawardena said that even in the face of the country�s economic crisis, the current govt protected the public servants. He said all govt employees have been able to continue their services despite the economic crisis. Speaking at the Gampaha District Progress Review Meeting held at the Gampaha District Secretariat on Wednesday (06), the PM mentioned that the Grama Niladhari Service Minute will be implemented within the next few months. more..

Dec 7 (DM) Some individuals who are not qualified as drivers have gone to Dubai fraudulently to be employed as drivers in a taxi company and have faced issues after being unable to pass the driving test there, Minister Manusha Nanayakkara said. He said that steps were being taken to bring them back to SL. Minister said this while responding to a question by MP Wasantha Yapa Bandara that a group of 200 Sri Lankans who had gone to Dubai to be employed in a Dubai taxi company more..

Dec 7 (AD) Three persons who were arrested in connection with a meticulous scam involving the pilfering of money from the banks accounts of cancer patients, have been remanded on orders of the Colombo Magistrate�s Court. Accordingly, the main suspect, identified as a resident of Avissawella, and two other women, identified as residents of Ja-Ela, have been remanded until 19 December, on orders of Colombo Magistrate Prasanna Alwis. The relevant order was issued when more..

Dec 7 (Island) Dissident SLFP MP, Dayasiri Jayasekera, has expressed concern over a potential 50% drop in the revenue of the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) due to the entry of foreign companies into the petroleum market. Jayasekera highlighted the adverse impact of the policies of successive govts on the CPC. �The nationalisation of petroleum infrastructure was a great victory for the country. However, we have ruined the CPC. The govt said the price of fuel would drop when more..

Dec 7 (Island) The emergency procurement of 182 items of pharmaceutical drugs, including human immunoglobulin (HI) and rituximab, had been decided by the Health Ministry based on a Cabinet decision taken on 26th Sept 2022, as per documents issued by the then Secretary, Ministry of Health, and that soon thereafter offers had been invited by an Emergency Procurement Committee (EPC), headed by more..

Dec 7 (FT) SJB MP S.M. Marikkar said the party will go to the streets against the current Wickremesinghe-Pohottuwa junta in January. �In January, we will join the public in taking to the streets against the actions of the Wickremesinghe-Pohottuwa junta, which is suppressing the people. SJB is committed to rallying the public against the Govt,� he said. MP also expressed concerns that the Govt is making efforts to conclude the term of the parliament and dissolve it prematurely. more..

Dec 7 (DM) Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa came to Parliament wearing a black and white shawl which he said signified a call for global peace. �When I came to the lobby wearing this shawl an MP asked me whether I am supporting Palestine or Israel. I told him that I am not supporting any side but I wore the shawl to call for global peace,� Premadasa said. �We see many countries taking sides. Most of them are backing Israel. However, one has to condemn killings by both sides. more..

Dec 7 (EN) Sri Lanka imposed a minimum room rate to help some hotels, but it will be removed soon after a call made by Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe, Tourism Minister Harin Fernando said. Hotels had difficulties in retaining staff due to insufficient wages and services charges and a debt moratorium was also coming to an end, which had prompted hotels to request for price control, he said. �Those were the real factors we listened more..

Dec 7 (DM) A special discussion on enhancing bilateral security relations between SL and Russia, as well as international information security, took place today. The meeting, chaired by Minister of Public Security Tiran Alles, was held at the ministry office and included the participation of Nikolai Patrushev, Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, and Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, Minister of Justice, Prison Affairs, and Constitutional Reforms. more..