Dec 4 (DM) Rohitha Bogollagama, known as one of the most extravagant Foreign Ministers in the history of SL, has re-entered public service as the High Commissioner designates of SL in London and has allegedly resumed his high-spending lifestyle even in less than a few months of travelling to the UK. Bogollagama was nominated as the special representative of Prez Wickremesinghe at 2023 UN peacekeeping ministerial meeting more..

Dec 4 (DN) On the invitation of the Parliamentary Caucus for Persons with Disabilities, nearly 200 children with disabilities visited the Parliament today representing several schools all over the island, symbolizing the International Day of the Disabled Community which falls on 3rd Dec. After the group of students arrived at the public gallery of the Parliament, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena welcomed and greeted them. Speaker mentioned that this is truly a remarkable moment more..

Dec 4 (TI) When Lasith Malinga was on song, his toe-crushing yorkers terrifying opposition batters in white-ball cricket for a decade-and-a-half, SL did not have to worry much. Three years after retirement, Malinga is on song again, but on a different pitch. The former speedster has penned some songs and he looks to rock with his deliveries this time too. �Mastering the Yorker has been a great journey of following my passion. Now, I am again restless with my newest passion. more..

Dec 5 (CT) The plight of SL last year is a horrendous memory no one wants any reminding of. However, the State, it would seem, possesses the ability to compartmentalise and disconnect not in the aftermath but amidst the storm too. Due to the economic collapse, worst in recent times, our people were forced into long arduous lines to procure essentials, some were made to choose between one meal or two a day while others were starving for days on end; no electricity, no food, more..

Dec 5 (TM) The recent death of a teenage child at the hands of a Matron, who was charged with his care in a National Child Protection Authority designated children�s detention home in Kalmunai, highlights the plight of children�s rights and the duty of care of state officials have towards them in SL, today. Such reports would have normally triggered a public backlash, but the masses and the state officials seem to be preoccupied with the ongoing cricket saga, or who gets more time to more..

Dec 5 (TM) He was never known to mince words, but, they were minced and spat out with great humour. And, in this instance, the truth, which nearly always hits home, certainly hit home hard. His brand of satire is courageous, to say the least. A genius playwright, a magnificent actor, and a bona fide director, Feroze Kamardeen has been in the Sri Lankan theatre for three decades or more. With over 40 plays under his belt, including more..

Dec 5 (DM) As alerted by some foreign intelligence agencies a few days ago, a person identified as Dwaraka, the daughter of the slain leader of the LTTE Velupillai Prabhakaran appeared on a Europe-based website last Monday (Nov 27) and made a speech, marking the outfit�s Maveerar Naal (Great Heroes� Day). The intelligence agencies had told that Dwaraka�s image had been created using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to show the world that the LTTE leader�s daughter had not been killed in more..

Dec 5 (DM) What becomes of a people who are not just abandoned but willfully dispossessed by the state using the crisis as an opportunity? How do the people respond when political parties hardly see their suffering, and their trade unions are for the most part muted? These are questions we are confronted with as one of the most regressive budgets is about to be passed by an illegitimate Parliament. The implications of Budget 2024 are far reaching. Prez � elected by this very more..

Dec 5 (TM) A year after the worst of the crisis, SL�s problems remain far from fixed. With food, healthcare, and power costs still high and increasing, and poverty rates on an upward trajectory, economic recovery continues to elude the general public. Headline inflation, as measured by the YoY change in the Colombo Consumer Price Index was at 1.5% in Oct 2023 compared to its peak of around 70% in Sept last year. more..

Dec 5 (DM) In SL, the Carbon Crediting Scheme (SLCCS) is a national offset scheme established to support local clean projects to benefit from climate finance for Greenhouse Gas emission (GHG) reduction. This scheme is developed with well-defined provisions to enhance credibility, transparency and quality of emission reduction in SL. In an era, where vast opportunities are growing for low-cost GHG reduction projects, SLCCS enables it to bring multiple benefits to more..

Dec 5 (ST) Weeks after the Nov 14th decision of the Supreme Court with the majority holding gross failures in fiscal and monetary discipline by the Rajapaksa-led regime from 2019-2022 had comprised an extraordinary breach of the Public Trust triggering SL�s bankruptcy, it does not seem that political leaders or their cheering squads have learnt important lessons reflected therein. Debates on both the majority (four judges) and minority (one judge) rulings are primarily driven by more..

Dec 5 (ST) Supreme Court (SC) has prevented former Kurunegala mayor and four other suspects from obtaining a second ruling from the Court of Appeal (CA) preventing their arrest after the SC had vacated an earlier such order issued by the CA. Having considered submissions made by Deputy Solicitor General Madhawa Tennakoon over the case regarding the demolition of the Raja Sabha Mandapaya (Royal Assembly Hall) of King Buwanekabahu in Kurunegala, more..

Dec 5 (Island) Minorities for the most part live in some apprehension of the power of the majority. At their worst, majorities can inflict violence on minorities, such as in the form of riots. While minorities may resist, they tend to be at the receiving end. In democracies, minorities will invariably face the problem of majority rule, as the majority�s view of what is important will tend to take precedence over what the minority thinks as being important. Therefore, concepts of rule of law more..

Dec 5 (ST) 16 years after the signing of UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), SL still lags behind on rights and facilities. groups representing these citizens complain. They say the contribution of the state has been limited to an allowance and all the hype in November and the first week of December, when the Int'l Day of Persons with Disabilities approaches. Sri Lanka has 1.6 million people with disabilities. more..

Dec 5 (ST) Sri Lanka has secured new external financing amounting to around US$1.52 billion by entering into 13 agreements with foreign development partners and lending agencies during the period January 1 to September 30, 2023, the Finance Ministry�s fiscal management report showed. The IMF's extended fund facility arrangement has filled part of the external financing gap, the difference between the projected demand for and supply of foreign currency financing. more..

Dec 5 (Island) The govt is going hell for leather to boost its revenue at the behest of the IMF, and the public is desperate for economic relief. Taxes and tariffs have gone through the roof. Fuel prices are jacked up by copious amounts, but price decreases come in dribs and drabs. It is only natural that the people are resentful. It looks as if the govt and the bus mudalalis were competing to fleece the public. Private bus owners lost no time in declaring that there would be no downward fare revision more..

Dec 5 (DN) Asia Cup U-19 cricket tournament which will be held from Dec 8 to 17 in Dubai gives vital exposure for SL U-19 team and we are confident to take up this challenge, said SL U-19 head coach Jehan Mubarak. After the successful Pakistan U-19 tour our players continued their preparation to focus on the next U-19 World Cup which is now shifted to South Africa in Jan/Feb. However our team led by Sineth Jayawardena is having good team spirit ready to play the Asia Cup more..

Dec 5 (DN) Sri Lanka is set to send a team of swimmers to the World Aquatic Championship, but there�s a bit of a problem in the selection process. Initially, they were eligible to send two female and two male swimmers. However, two female swimmers have the same FINA points. Ganga Seneviratne, with the highest FINA points of 696 in the 100m backstroke, is already selected. Now, for the second female slot, both Hiruki de Silva and Anne Venturi, who trains in the USA, more..

Dec 5 (Island) The rebel SLPP group accused Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe of trying to bring the legislature under his control ahead of prez and parliamentary polls scheduled for 2024 and 2025. MP G.L. Peiris alleged that Wickremesinghe�s recent threat to appoint a Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) to ascertain the status of the Constitutional Council was in line with his strategy to keep the legislature under his thumb. more..

Dec 5 (DN) SL Paralympic Committee has taken a significant step forward by signing MoUs with three Asian countries-Iran, Korea, and Japan�to boost para games development in SL, as announced by the SL Paralympic Committee yesterday. Under this MoUs, these three nations have committed to supporting the development of para sports in SL. They have agreed to invite SL para athletes to participate in competitions in their respective countries, providing all necessary facilities more..

Dec 5 (Island) The electronic products sales market in SL is expected to show sustained weakness in the next 12-18 months due to prolonged weak demand, according to Fitch Ratings. Fitch expects SL�s GDP to contract by 1.4% in 2023 (2022: 7.8% decline), before growing modestly by 3.3% in 2024, indicating only a gradual recovery in economic activity. �Consumer income has yet to adjust to the higher cost of living while the increase in taxes in early 2023 weakened purchasing power�, more..

Dec 5 (FT) The Telecomm-unication Engineers� Union (TEU) has raised concerns over the proposed sale of SLT-Mobitel highlighting a host of issues relating to the Govt�s first step � the notice of Request for Qualification (RFQ) published last month. TEU is the most prestigious professional trade union in Sri Lanka Telecom consisting around 550 qualified, experienced, and passionate professional engineers more..

Dec 5 (FT) In a significant stride towards advancing e-mobility and clean energy initiatives, Sling Mobility, in collaboration with the USAID SL Energy Program, has successfully launched the 360� Sustainable Mobility battery swapping project. The official handover ceremony on 28 November at the Centre for Women�s Research (CENWOR) in Colombo was attended by Lion Ventures in Sri Lanka General Partner Love Yadav and USAID Office of Economic Growth Director Chris Powers. more..

Dec 5 (FT) SJB MP Harsha de Silva underscored the necessity of establishing a competitive economy capable of competing on the international stage, emphasising that Sri Lanka�s success hinges on this imperative. MP noted that the SJB is actively pursuing the fundamental idea of fostering a manufacturing-based economy in SL and is in the process of implementing a program aimed at penetrating the global market through this manufacturing-focused approach. more..

Dec 5 (FT) Govt is set to initiate a comprehensive Zero-Dengue campaign today in response to the escalating dengue situation in the country. A meeting will convene with various stakeholders to collaboratively strategise and implement effective measures aimed at halting the transmission of this mosquito-borne disease. Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe has promptly mobilised multiple ministries to combat the looming dengue threat. The Secretaries of the Ministries of Health, more..

Dec 5 (FT) SriLankan Airlines has introduced double daily flights between Colombo and Mumbai, multiplying the convenience for passengers travelling to and from India�s financial and entertainment capital. The new double daily service to Mumbai will not only give a 50% boost to SriLankan�s capacity on its Mumbai route, but will also strengthen the airline�s already vast network in India. Flights UL 142 and UL 144 will depart daily from Mumbai to Colombo at 3:10hrs and more..

Dec 5 (CT) In a historic development, the Attorney General yesterday informed the Supreme Court that steps have been taken for the first time in 200 years, to assign postal addresses for the plantation worker community residing in the Muwan Kanda rubber estate, in Mawathagama, Kurunegala. This marks a significant milestone as it is the first instance of providing postal addresses to plantation workers in the country. more..

Dec 5 (Island) NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake says every passing day the SL polity makes rapid advances towards a social revolution. He said that people were now convinced that mere change of govt would not help achieve their aspirations. �Social revolutions cannot be achieved by a change of govt. People yearn for the change of social revolution,� he said. �It is generally thought that Ranil Wickremesinghe represents the Western interests while Mahinda Rajapaksa is more..

Dec 5 (FT) The Attorney General informed the Court of Appeal yesterday that intelligence agencies have uncovered information regarding a conspiracy to assassinate the former director of the CID SSP Shani Abeysekera. Court of Appeal was informed that the plan uncovered by intelligence agencies involved orchestrating a vehicular accident to cause SSP Shani Abeysekara�s death. Additional Solicitor General Rohantha Abeysuriya, representing the AG informed the court more..

Dec 5 (PMD) Minister Wijayadasa Rajapakse, unveiled plans to introduce a new legislative framework aimed at regulating microfinance institutions operating within the country. Expressing deep concern regarding the unregulated status of certain microfinance entities, Minister emphasized the necessity for decisive measures. He underscored the intention to establish an independent regulatory institution, distinct from the Central Bank, dedicated to the oversight more..

Dec 5 (DM) An individual who attempted to take nude photos of his 14-year-old daughter to be shared on the internet to earn money had been hacked to death by his wife. The deceased Suranga Pradeep Kumara (37) of Thalvita was from the Wellawa Police area in the Kurunegala District and was an attendant of Kurunegala Teaching Hospital. He was the father of a 14-year-old daughter and an eight-year-old son. Investigations revealed that he had opened a YouTube channel and more..

Dec 5 (Island) One of major financial frauds at SLC has drawn the attention of Foreign Minister Ali Sabry, who has been appointed as the Chairman of the Ministerial Sub-Committee for Cricket by Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe. In 2018, a sum of US$ 187,000 that Sony Pictures, the right holders of SLC, owed the board had been transferred to an offshore account in Hong Kong on the instructions of SLC. more..

Dec 5 (Island) Petroleum sector unions warn that fuel prices will rise by around 11% from 1 Jan 2024 due to 18% VAT. Dr. Ashoka Ranwala, President of the General Employees� Union of Petroleum Corporation, said previously petrol, diesel and coal had been exempted from VAT. Prices of petroleum products affected those of other products and services and therefore successive govts had exempted fuel from VAT. �These products were subjected to PAL of 7.5% before. more..

Dec 5 (CT) Accident Service of the largest teaching hospital in the island, National Hospital in Colombo, is in a quandary with the malfunctioning of both X-ray machines installed there. Govt Radiological Technologists� Association (GRTA), lamented that even the backup X-Ray machine of the Accident Service had also broken down a week ago. GRTA Prez, Chanaka Dharmawickrema said that currently the Accident Service of the Hospital was depending on X-ray machine in Neuro-Trauma Centre more..

Dec 5 (FT) In a concerning development, around 700,000 electricity users constituting over 10% of the total, have been issued red notices by the CEB, demanding the settlement of overdue payments within a tight 45-day window. Move comes as a consequence of a growing trend where over 6.5 million electricity users consistently fail to meet their payment deadlines, prompting CEB to take stringent measures. more..