Dec 27 (FT) Against the backdrop of the Govt�s current push to privatise public enterprises and assets under various guises, trade unions across various sectors are gearing up to commence comprehensive joint discussions this week. The move aims to address the concerns arising from the impending privatisation processes affecting electricity, banking, insurance, telecom, and postal services. Anticipated to be a collaborative effort encompassing diverse trade unions, more..

Dec 27 (TM) Amidst efforts to remove or trim trees identified as dangerous within the vicinity of the Colombo Municipality area, the CMC is currently looking into the possibility of using an imported tree scanner which recently became a topic of discussion for not being utilised for the purpose despite the availability. According to the CMC Commissioner Bhadranie Jayawardhana, the scanner in question, which was purchased more..

Dec 27 (Island) Perhaps, nothing represents Sri Lankans� resentment towards the new tax regime and the aggravation of their economic woes better than the title of today�s comment; it is a literal translation of a slogan written on the rear of a tuk-tuk. It however is relevant only to the ordinary people who pay very high taxes but lead a hand-to-mouth existence. For the wealthy, it is Somalian tax, American life. Low as the opinion the public has of the three-wheeler fraternity may be, more..

Dec 27 (Island) Killing the duck or goose that lays golden eggs is a metaphorical cautionary tale that serves as a reminder for everyone to consider the sustainable and enduring value of an asset or resource rather than succumbing to impulsive decisions that may lead to irreparable consequences. In essence, it encourages a thoughtful and strategic approach to resource management, discouraging actions that jeopardise the very source of sustained success. more..

Dec 27 (TM) Ministry of Agriculture stated that since the relevant institutions have warned of a dry weather situation early next year (2024), farmers have been instructed to commence cultivation activities within the stipulated time and to manage water at the maximum possible level. Ministry�s Media Director Dharma Wanninayake said that the Meteorological Dept and related agencies have warned that there will be dry weather more..

Dec 27 (AD) Health officials have urged the members of the public not to have undue fears about meningitis, after one of the inmates at the Matara Prison tested positive. The biological samples of four Matara Prison inmates, who were among those hospitalized after suddenly falling ill recently, were sent to the Medical Research Institute in Borella for testing. Last week, at least 17 prisoners were admitted to the General Hospital in Matara after they fell sick & displayed similar symptoms. more..

Dec 27 (DM) After the X-Press Pearl ship tragedy, Sri Lanka's ornamental fish exporters claim that many species of marine ornamental fish endemic to our sea areas have become extinct and many small fish species have become emaciated, Sectoral Oversight Committee on Environment, Natural Resources, and Sustainable Development chairman Ajith Mannapperuma said. He told the Daily Mirror that ornamental fish exporters are unable to find these fish species as easily as earlier. more..

Dec 27 (DM) Japanese Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki said he will visit Sri Lanka and Cambodia on a four-day tour from January 9 to strengthen Japan�s relations with the two Asian countries. In Sri Lanka, Suzuki is expected to meet with SL President Ranil Wickremesinghe to discuss debt restructuring for the country. In November, Sri Lanka and a group of creditors led by Japan and others reached a basic agreement on deferring debt repayments and cutting interest rates. more..

Dec 27 (DN) I have a big challenge as head coach of the National Netball team and my aim is to build up the team for the next Asia Cup Netball Championships said newly appointed National Netball head coach P.D.N Prasadi in an exclusive interview. Prasadi the former National player who also has vast experience as a coach after retiring from the game said we are current National Asian Cup champions and we want to retain the title and we are focused on that. more..

Dec 27 (FT) In a scathing attack on the Govt while delivering the Christmas Homily over the weekend the Archbishop of Colombo Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith accused the country�s rulers of having a field day while more than eight million people were struggling to have one meal a day. Cardinal noted that while the figure was disclosed several months ago, it could be assumed that the number has now doubled. more..

Dec 27 (Island) The 400 metres sprinters led by Aruna Dharshana are the highest ranked athletes in the men�s category in Sri Lanka according to the World Athletics yearend overall rankings. It is the first time three 400 metres sprinters are leading the yearend overall rankings. The number of ranking points gained during the Asian Athletics Championships and the Asian Games have stood in good stead for the likes of Dharshana to dominate the Sri Lankan rankings. more..

Dec 27 (HCN) Sri Lanka now has a connected ambulance that is powered by AI and mixed reality. Its national emergency ambulance service, 1990 Suwa Seriya, has recently partnered with health technology provider Mediwave from Singapore to integrate its suite of emergency response solutions. Mediwave's Emergency Response Suite digitises emergency service processes, including the creation of patients' electronic health records using an AI-powered speech-to-text transcriber. more..

Dec 27 (DN) Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) Chairman Lalith de Alwis said that next year, 200 luxury buses will be added to the bus fleet currently deployed under the online passenger seat reservation service. The online passenger seat reservation service, which was conducted for more than a year through the website sltb.eseat.lk, was highly successful. Nearly 80,000 passenger seats had been reserved since January this year, and SLTB had earned an income of Rs. 35 m. more..

Dec 27 (DN) Steps are being taken by the Govt to grant full ownership of State lands to 10,000 people who received lands under a licence system, in January next year. This is according to a proposal presented by Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe in the 2024 Budget. Waste Lands Ordinance was passed in 1897. British govt acquired thousands of acres of rural land across the country under that Ordinance. Afterwards, in 1935, under the Land Development Ordinance, those land slots were distributed more..

Dec 27 (FT) The extent of the economic crisis since last year is telling on households and has now been documented officially via a comprehensive survey done by the Dept of Census and Statistics (DCS). Released last week, the survey assessed the impact of the economic crisis on the education sector; on employment; on persons� income; on household income and expenditure and its coping; on health; on the indebtedness of more..

Dec 27 (FT) SJB MP S.M. Marikkar claimed Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe will not contest at the upcoming Presidential election. MP said the Presidential election will be held between 16 Sept and 16 Oct, but Wickremesinghe will not be one of the candidates. �It is evident the current Prez�s decision will not run for the Presidency, having faced defeat in two previous Presidential elections. In 2016, anticipating another loss, he strategically nominated another instead. more..

Dec 27 (DM) Sri Lanka has initiated a special operation to arrest and repatriate 30 criminals engaged in drug trafficking and underworld activities from overseas, Public Security Minister Tiran Alles said. He said the govt has received intelligence reports on 29 underworld members operating in Dubai and one in France. Minister Alles announced these measures during an event in Kirindiwela, confirming ongoing discussions with concerned countries for their extradition to SL. more..

Dec 27 (AD) A team from the CID is currently recording a statement from former Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella at his residence. The relevant statement is being recorded over the controversial sub-standard Immunoglobulin import issue, according to police. Accordingly, a team of officers from the CID had visited the Minister�s house at around 10 a.m. this morning (26) to record the statement. So far, several high profile arrests more..

Dec 28 (Island) Reading From heyday to �hay day�, the hard-hitting editorial laced with sarcasm (The Island, 18 Dec) and Declining power and challenges before SLPP by Shamindra Ferdinando in the Midweek Review of 20th Dec, I began wondering whether the recently concluded SLPP convention was the final flicker before the flame was extinguished and the time has come to write an obituary for Pohottuwa! Having been fortunate enough to outlive them, more..

Dec 28 (TM) Nearly 20 years since Sri Lanka suffered unprecedented destruction and loss of life at the hands of Mother Nature, some victims of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, remain unclaimed. According to Judicial Medical Officer (JMO) authorities at Karapitiya Teaching Hospital, remains of nearly 137 unidentified individuals who lost their lives to the effects of the 2004 tsunami, remain unclaimed at the Forensic Medicine Dept at the Faculty of Medicine of Univ of Ruhuna. more..

Dec 28 (TM) Residents of low-income high-rise housing in Colombo are dissatisfied with several physical indicators of their high-rise model-based living environment, such as natural light, ventilation, the size of the dwelling unit, maintenance, and services, and social indicators such as privacy, safety, interaction, and social exchange. Hence, owing to the implications of the same on liveability and housing-related more..

Dec 28 (DM) Today, all major trade unions � some affiliated to political parties � are scheduled to meet at the postal auditorium to discuss strategies to oppose govt plans to divestiture State Owned Enterprises (SOEs). Trade unions are totally opposed to what they see as the govt�s attempts to privatise public enterprises and state assets under various guises. Among the SOEs lined up for divestiture are those in the sectors of power, fuel, banking, insurance, telecom, postal services. more..

Dec 28 (GV) A bright yellow road sign on a quiet suburban road, more than 20 km from Colombo, warns oncoming motor traffic of an unlikely pedestrian. This area has become an odd choice of home to a few herds of spotted deer. A subspecies endemic to the island these shy, spotted creatures have made their home in the not so developed, wooded areas of Athurugiriya. The community claims these deer share common ancestors, a few deer that were kept in temple by local Buddhist monk, more..

Dec 28 (CT) Nadeesha, 46, a single mother with three children � one with special needs � was left with a divorce certificate, two machines and a single worker when the economic crisis hit the country. Before that, during the Covid-19 pandemic, she was forced to sell 10 sewing machines that she had, to pay debts and a bank loan both she and her ex-husband obtained after her initial business was hit by Easter Attacks. more..

Dec 28 (CT) From being a place of worship for believers of multiple religions including Buddhists to being a sensitive ecosystem where the catchment areas for several major ranges in the country exist, Adam�s Peak and the adjoining range of mountains hold much significance to Sri Lanka. Additionally, it has become a major tourist attraction too, particularly thanks to the adventurous climb and the breathtaking view of the sunrise from above the mountain. more..

Dec 28 (ST) We spent two days with our family friends from the Netherlands, Jacque van den Bos and his wife, Gonny, during last week. Jacque has been an investment advisor by profession and has acquired int'l experience by working in the EU. They were here in Sri Lanka for about three weeks, visiting different parts of the country, during which they didn�t forget to visit us too. They have been frequently visiting SL for many decades now, covering many parts of the country. more..

Dec 28 (DM) The Govt of Sri Lanka (GoSL) is hell-bent on eradicating the drug menace and the underworld in a hurry. It�s pertinent to see why the regime has suddenly woken up and is racing towards achieving a goal which previous regimes pursued, but left unfinished. The Sirisena government gave a good start to eradicating drugs, but in the end it was more of a big show and amounted to being a media stunt. That programme lost steam early at the start itself. more..

Dec 28 (FT) The prestigious Young Indians (Yi) Summit recently welcomed the Chamber Of Young Lankan Entrepreneurs (COYLE) Chairman and Ceylon Biscuits Ltd. (CBL) Group Director Rasith Wickramasinghe as a speaker from SL. In this captivating session, Wickramasinghe unravelled the untold story behind SL�s largest Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) brand, offering invaluable insights into market dynamics, consumer preferences, and the innovative approaches more..

Dec 28 (DM) In another positive development, govt has established a cash buffer, enabling a reduction in its dependence on the market for weekly funding through Treasury bills and bonds. This newfound flexibility empowers the govt to strategically determine the amount to raise from the market. Stating as to why the Central Bank, on behalf of the govt, raises less than what it offers via bill and bond auctions, CB Governor more..

Dec 28 (DN) Fifty-six leading schools are expected to take part in the All Island under 18 boys� and girls� Hockey Tournament scheduled to be held at Albert F. Pieris Stadium Wennapauwa today (28). This four-day tournament is conducted by the Sri Lanka Schools Hockey Association, and the matches will commence at 8.30 a.m. each day. This tournament is very important for school stickers as this will serve as the selection process for the National Under 18 pool. more..

Dec 28 (Island) Venal public officials who collaborate with corrupt politicians to misappropriate public funds and strike corrupt deals at the expense of the state coffers do so at the risk of being thrown to the wolves in case of their rackets being laid bare. When two officials were arrested in the act of accepting a bribe in a hotel car park during the Yahapalana government, everybody knew they were collectors for someone else, who left them in the lurch. The mastermind behind the Treasury bond scams more..

Dec 28 (FT) Leema Creations has yet again proved that it is the best in the interior design industry by winning the prestigious South Asian Business Excellence Award 2023 for Brand Excellence in Interior Decor & Design for the fifth consecutive year. South Asian Partnership Summit (SAPS), the organisers of this prestigious event, provided an international platform to celebrate and honour the award winners on 30 November, in the city of Male, Maldives Island. more..

Dec 28 (ST) Sri Lanka was among the thirty nations that voted against a UN resolution that expressed serious concerns about the human rights situation in Iran at the UN General Assembly this week. Along with SL, fellow South Asian countries India and Pakistan voted against the resolution titled Situation of Human Rights in Iran, while Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and Maldives abstained from voting. The resolution was adopted by a recorded vote of 78 in favour, 30 against, with 68 abstentions more..

Dec 28 (TM) People from approximately 500 families started a Satyagraha campaign yesterday near the Central Expressway entrance in Gettuwana, Kurunegala, urging relevant institutions to immediately provide compensation for their houses that were damaged during the construction of the Central Expressway. The protest originates from a group of residents who had earlier been complaining since 2020 that their lives more..

Dec 28 (FT) National Sales Average (NSA) for tea in 2023 has declined across all elevations in comparison to last year, according to Forbes and Walker. NSA for High Grown was down by Rs. 20.6 to Rs. 1,072.48; Medium Grown was down by Rs. 18.47 to Rs. 1,012.35 and Low Grown had plunged by Rs. 87.71 to Rs. 1,252.15. Total was down by Rs. 62.95 to Rs. 1,171.29. In Dollar terms, the decline ranged from a low of 10 cents to a high of 33 cents whilst the total was down by 25 cents. more..

Dec 28 (Island) Given the huge strides that India have taken in cricket these recent years, you sensed that this was the best opportunity for Rohit Sharma�s side to win a first ever Test series in South Africa. Although India have an excellent record in Australia in recent years, a series win in South Africa has remained elusive. SL remain the only Asian nation to win a Test series in South Africa. In fact, only Australia and England have been able to win Test series in South Africa other than SL. more..