Dec 9 (DN) Opener Avishka Fernando played a superb knock, scoring 107 in 137 balls with 9 fours and 3 sixes as SSC piled up 250 for 3 wickets on a rain-hit opening day of Major Clubs League Cricket final against Police SC played at NCC grounds yesterday. Police SC skipper Ashen Bandara win the toss and elected to field first. SSC openers Shevon Daniel (56 in 88 balls with 7 fours) and Avishka Fernando added a solid opening stand of 111 runs. Daniel was dismissed in the last over more..

Dec 9 (Island) A work-to-rule by the radiological technologists attached to Apeksha Hospital, or the National Cancer Institute, Maharagama, entered the fourth day yesterday. It has affected thousands of cancer patients as radiographers have stopped working overtime in protest against a Health Dept decision not to pay them for extra work. Patients who travel from faraway places to Apeksha Hospital for treatment are the worst affected. They have been left without anyone to turn to. more..

Dec 9 (DM) The next year for us Lankan�s is an election year. Whom are we going to elect as President? Our country is going through one of the most traumatic periods in its history. Irrespective of race, religion or ethnicity, large sections of the public have been pushed into poverty. Figures from the Department of Census and Statistics indicate that the unemployment rate in Sri Lanka increased to 5.2% in the second quarter of 2023 from 4.7% in the first quarter of the same year. more..

Dec 9 (FT) Presidential Candidate Janaka Ratnayake emphasised the necessity for a systemic change grounded in a paradigm shift to rebuild SL. Former Public Utilities Commission (PUCSL) Chairman revealed his current efforts in establishing the foundation to guide SL onto a positive trajectory and reconstruct it in the days ahead. �To transform this nation, one must assume the role of the first citizen and revive it. I am presently establishing the groundwork for this transformative effort. more..

Dec 9 (ST) In April 2020, CID arrested Mohamed Razeek Ramzy at his home in Katugastota for violating the Int'l Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), among other charges. His crime was to have written a Facebook post urging Muslims to counter alleged racist attacks against their community through an ideological jihad (struggle) using the pen and keyboard. Today, free and exonerated by Supreme Court more..

Dec 9 (Island) Commercial Bank of Ceylon has been ranked No 1 on the Business Today ranking of SL�s Top 40 business entities in 2022-23.Business Today has assigned Commercial Bank an aggregate score of 34.55 at the top of a list that includes the country�s biggest diversified conglomerates, banking and financial services giants and manufacturing colossi. This is the 15th consecutive year that Commercial Bank has been ranked by Business Today as not only the best-performing bank in the country, more..

Dec 9 (CT) The Ceylon Shipping Corporation Ltd (CSC) has reported a staggering loss of Rs 5.67 billion for the fiscal year 2021, according to the Auditor General�s report. According to the report numbered PAS/B/CSCL/01/22/61, the cumulative loss as of 31 March 2022, reached Rs. 9.32 billion. The net assets of the company were in the negative value of Rs 7.91 billion by 31 March 2022. The Auditor General�s report highlighted a significant increase in both the loss for the year and more..

Dec 9 (FT) Citrus Leisure PLC and Colombo Lotus Tower Management Company have announced the opening of Blue Orbit, South Asia�s tallest restaurant, and SL's first ever revolving restaurant today setting a new benchmark for dining experiences in Colombo. Citrus Leisure is the exclusive operator of the iconic revolving restaurant and banquet hall at the Colombo Lotus Tower � South Asia�s tallest self-supported structure. more..

Dec 9 (DM) With India extending the ban on exports of onion until March, next year, SL importers are in a quandary to meet the local requirement, a spokesperson said. India has done so to increase the availability of onion in the domestic market and to keep prices in check. Sri Lanka depends mainly on India for its onion requirement because local production is small. Importers were exploring alternative suppliers. Sri Lanka imports around 20,000 tonnes of onion every month. more..

Dec 9 (Island) Central Environmental Authority (CEA) will introduce a QR code system to find out whether plastic bottles used for various reasons are recollected and recycled by those who produce and distribute them. This was revealed when CEA officials appeared before the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Sustainable Development recently. The Oversight Committee and CEA officials discussed at length the environmental damage caused by the use of more..

Dec 9 (DN) Aravinda de Silva, the master batsman and proud alumnus of D.S. Senanayake College Colombo, was felicitated yesterday for his induction into the ICC Hall of Fame. The event took place at D.S. Senanayake Vidyalaya�s R.I.T Alles Hall. De Silva, former SL deputy Skipper, attended the event with his mother Rani de Silva, sister Araliya and wife Anushka. Minister Tiran Alles, State Minister Shantha Bandara, D.S Senanayake College Principal Sampath Weragoda, old boys and more..

Dec 9 (FT) Colombo stock market ended the week with both indices gaining despite moderate turnover. ASPI gained by 0.7% and the active S&P SL 20 by 1.8%. Yesterday the S&P SL20 gained by 1.2% and the ASPI by 0.75%. Average daily turnover for the week was Rs. 727 million whilst yesterday�s figure amounted to Rs. 1 billion involving 35 million shares. In the previous week the ASPI and the S&P SL20 gained 1.8% and 2.2% respectively whilst recording an average daily turnover of Rs. 982 million. more..

Dec 9 (DM) Former Minister of Sports Roshan Ranasinghe had called on the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) to intervene in the areas of anti-corruption and human trafficking in regards to the National Olympic Committee of SL (NOCSL), in a letter written during his tenure as Sports Minister. In a letter dated Dec 23, 2022, addressed to the Director General of the OCA Husain Al Musallam, former Sports Minister more..

Dec 9 (Island) The economy is very likely to contract in 2024 due to govt policies and it is unlikely that the authorities will be able to collect the expected revenue from VAT, Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU) leader, Udaya Gammanpila said. �The govt doesn�t seem to understand that their policies will shrink the economy. When someone critiques their disastrous policies, they claim the IMF made them do it. This is an excuse to hide the fact that they are anti-people,� he said. more..

Dec 9 (AD) An independent investigation has been initiated into the death of the female giraffe at the Dehiwala Zoological Gardens, its deputy director Dinushika Manawadu says. Born in 1993, 30-year-old Haley was one of the two female giraffes at the Dehiwala Zoo, belonging to an endangered giraffe species. She had reportedly been suffering from an ailment and was having mobility issues. The veterinary surgeons of the zoo had administered antibiotics to the ailing giraffe while more..

Dec 9 (EN) Ahead of both presidential and parliamentary election in 2024, Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe suggested to raise minimum wage of plantation workers to 1,700 rupees as requested by them. �President Ranil Wickremesinghe advised the leaders of plantation companies to engage in a collective agreement concerning the wage hike for plantation workers, aiming for a minimum of Rs. 1700, as per their request,� President�s Media Division said. more..

Dec 9 (FT) SJB MP Eran Wickramaratne asserted that SL�s national security extends beyond a purely military focus, emphasising its significant political and economic dimensions. Speaking in Parliament during the committee stage debate of the Ministry Of Foreign Affairs on Thursday, MP said peaceful coexistence with immediate and regional neighbours, devoid of military alliances, taking the lead in promoting regional integration, is the strategic and realistic way forward for country. more..

Dec 9 (EN) Sri Lanka�s Foreign Minister Ali Sabry criticized the stance taken by some Western nations on the human rights about SL and blamed them for having double standards for political reasons. SL is facing an international investigation through a UNHRC into its human rights records amid allegations that its military committed war crimes in the final phase of a 26-year civil conflict that ended in 2009. more..

Dec 9 (FT) SL Gem and Jewellery Association (SLGJA), apex body for the country�s gem and jewellery industry was established in Oct 2002, by uniting the SL Gem Traders Association, SL Jewellery Manufacturing Exporters Association, SL Lapidarists and Exporters Association and SL Jewellers and Gem Merchants Federation under one banner. SLGJA proudly celebrates over two decades of unwavering commitment to fostering innovation, sustainability, and global recognition within more..

Dec 9 (EN) Sri Lanka will seek more information on foreign ships visiting the island nation, Foreign Minister Ali Sabry said, following geopolitical concerns and questions raised over permitting Chinese research ships to dock in the Indian Ocean Island nation�s ports and do surveys. After the visit of two research ships within 14 months, China has sought approval from Sri Lankan authorities for another research ship early next year. India, the closest neighbour of Sri Lanka, more..

Dec 9 (FT) Pending enactment of the proposed new law, Govt has initiated the establishment of an interim body, the Interim Secretariat for Truth and Reconciliation Mechanism. In a historic step towards transitional justice and post-conflict reconciliation, the Govt has decided to establish an independent Commission for Truth, Unity and Reconciliation. The proposed Commission will be established through an Act of Parliament, currently in the drafting more..

Dec 10 (TM) The unfortunate deaths last week of two SL ex-service personnel out of an estimated contingent of 70 or so � all duly discharged � who have chosen to battle the Russians in Ukraine over retirement in SL is an eye opener, if ever there was one, of the level of hope that the average citizen has of a better tomorrow in the land of their birth. Even though this group of 70 or so mercenaries constitute a fraction of the hundreds and thousands seeking greener pastures overseas these days, more..

Dec 10 (SO) Any conflict has a beginning or roots. In Sri Lanka, the marginalisation of youth led to two rebellions in the South and the denial of certain rights to the Tamil-speaking people in the North led to a protracted conflict. All three turned into armed uprisings that the State had to contain by military means when peace overtures fell through. But this does not mean that the State has completely addressed the fundamental issues that led to these insurrections. more..

Dec 10 (SO) Foreign Minister Ali Sabry, fresh from an official visit to Dubai with Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe for the COP28 Climate Summit, explains the importance of reinforcing the country�s international links and also the significance of receiving the second tranche of the IMF Extended Fund Facility in terms of economic recovery. Minister says the present economic path will have to be followed by several more years to emerge out of the crisis Sri Lanka is facing. more..

Dec 10 (CT) 83+ days on, the peaceful protests by Tamil herdsmen continue at Sithandy in the eastern Province for their rights to grazing lands of Mylathamadu and Mathavanai, which had been approved by the cabinet in 2011. The ongoing illegal takeover of land, in effect a land grab, has caused more than 80 cattle to be stolen/hacked/electrocuted and no effective action had been taken on them (except piling of complaints at the police station and refusing some of them too), more..

Dec 10 (CT) At a time when the govt has detained Tamils observing the annual LTTE martyrs� day falling on 27 Nov under the dreaded PTA, Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe�s compliments for the outfit�s dead leader V Prabhakaran makes an interesting contradiction. Replying to the parliamentary debate on the budget allocation for his ministry, Rajapakshe said, though he did not approve of Prabhakaran�s ideology, he still appreciated the honesty of purpose and more..

Dec 10 (TM) Ranil Wickremesinghe Govt, while preparing for the announcement by the IMF on Tuesday on the disbursement of the second tranche under the EFF and concluding the 2024 Budget proceedings on Wednesday with the third reading vote in Parliament, is now moving in line with the agenda for the national-level elections next year. It is no secret that much of SL�s economic recovery plan currently hinges on the IMF more..

Dec 10 (ST) Each year on this day, Dec 10, the world is expected to mark Human Rights Day, and this year is special as it is the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the UN. Regrettably, this day, this year, will be commemorated in the midst of the most flagrant violations of human rights taking place in Gaza and even in Ukraine, and in Africa. Relentless, unapologetic shelling of civilians, reducing cities to the stone age particularly in Gaza more..

Dec 10 (Island) Thanks to regular columnist Vijaya Chandrasoma�s incisive contributions on political developments in the USA, readers of this newspaper have been able to get a good understanding of what is happening in one of the world�s greatest democracies, in the run-up to its prez election next year. Donald Trump is the current front-line candidate for the Republican ticket at the forthcoming election in Nov 2024, leading his four rivals by more than 40 points in latest polls. more..

Dec 10 (Island) The period of mourning is over, and it is open season for the hunt. Our cricket team is back. No VIP lounge, no garlands, no welcoming parties and no open decked bus for a victory ride into town, roads lined with cheering, flag waving and delirious crowds. Instead, a grim arrival with no asininely grinning officials from SLC or Ministry of Sports � even perhaps the great man himself. Little wonder, since Board and Ministry are busy, having instead to face a slew of court proceedings. more..

Dec 10 (SO) Financial mismanagement, corruption and position abuse taking place in other sports bodies have often being ignored or overlooked by media focus directly mostly towards cricket. But with Parliament now showing interest in putting a stop to financial and position abuse, the unsupervised rot that has been taking place at the National Olympic Committee (NOC) has come to light. Branded in Parliament for the first time as most corrupt, NOC now stands in the dock accused of more..

Dec 10 (ST) SL Electricity Bill, which was gazetted on Friday, was plagued with errors, it was pointed out in Parliament. Opposition MPs, who claimed the publication of the Bill, with the courts due to go on vacation on Dec 15, had been timed to limit the period citizens had to legally challenge it. They also noted the horrendous list of errors in the draft. SJB MP Dr. Harsha de Silva said the Bill�s Sinhala version also included English words. more..

Dec 10 (AD) Sri Lanka�s Thenura Dilruk Wickramaratna clinched silver at the 20th International Junior Science Olympiad, held in Bangkok, Thailand. 14-year-old Wickramaratna is the first Sri Lankan to win two Silver Medals at the IJSO, and is due to arrive back in the island on 10 December. Wickramaratne is a health activist from Galle, and has represented Sri Lanka in four fields, namely Chess, Mathematics, Science, and Leadership, and has won several medals. more..

Dec 10 (DM) Eight individuals, aged between 33 and 48 were arrested by the CID's Human Trafficking and Smuggling Bureau at a Kollupitiya hotel for possessing an unlicensed pistol and over Rs. 78 million in cash. Police said the officers acted on information leading to a raid at the Kollupitiya hotel premises, where they discovered a pistol without a license and an unverified amount of Rs. 78,750,000 in the possession of the suspects. The arrested suspects were identified as residents more..

Dec 10 (PMD) In a historic announcement at the 150th anniversary celebrations of the Colombo Colts Cricket Club (CCC) yesterday, President Ranil Wickremesinghe declared his commitment to depoliticizing and revolutionizing cricket in SL by 2030. Prez outlined a comprehensive plan, emphasizing the need for an independent trust to oversee the financial administration and development of school cricket, backed by a substantial budget allocation. more..