Dec 6 (EN) Sri Lanka�s central govt external debt fell slightly to US$ 36,384 million by end Sept 2023, from 36,597 in June. The central govt external debt includes US$ 4,229 million of unpaid principle following the default in April 2022. Multilateral debt fell from US$ 10,907 million to US$ 10,812 million from June to September. Bilateral debt fell to US$ 10,812 million from US$ 10,812 million. Largest bilateral creditor is Japan, more..

Dec 6 (TM) If the CEB stops or limits the issuance of electricity bills, electricity consumers should be given the benefit of the reduced cost, stated Electricity Consumers' Association (ECA). ECA General Secretary Sanjeewa Dhammika said that the CEB is currently preparing to stop the issuance of electricity bills. Claiming that he has been informed by the CEB and PUCSL that the cost of printing one bill is around Rs. 65, he said that the stopping of the issuance of bills would save more..

Dec 6 (Island) Chairman of the Sectoral Oversight Committee (SOC) on National Security, Rear Admiral (retd.) Sarath Weerasekera said that over a year after the killing of eight persons, including SLPP MP Amarakeerthi Atukorale and his police bodyguard and destruction of approximately 150 private properties the govt was yet to conduct a proper inquiry into the incidents. The former Public Security Minister also emphasized that the Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa govt hadn�t so far probed more..

Dec 6 (AD) The 13th Round of Economic and Technology Cooperation Agreement (ETCA) negotiations between Sri Lanka and India are scheduled to be held from January 8 to 10, the govt says. Accordingly, the next round of negotiations is planned to take place in India. Meanwhile, it has been decided to conclude the technical-level discussions of the ETCA by March 2024. At its meeting on Tuesday, the Cabinet of Ministers took into consideration more..

Dec 6 (FT) Marking the country�s first attempt into transparent solar panel technology, Hayleys Solar announces its attempt to leverage Agrivoltaic technology to support agriculture. Funded by the ADB and in collaboration with the University of Peradeniya, this innovative initiative is set to reshape the clean energy landscape while offering unprecedented support to the underprivileged tea estate community. Agrivoltaic is built on the innovative practice of installing solar panels more..

Dec 6 (PMD) Amidst the onset of the rainy season, there has been a notable surge in dengue cases. Sagala Ratnayaka, Senior Advisor to the Prez, has urged relevant departments to promptly implement measures to address this escalating situation. A meeting was convened at the Presidential Secretariat yesterday, spearheaded by State Minister of Health Sita Arambepola and Chief of Prez Staff Sagala Ratnayaka. During the discussion, Ratnayaka issued directives to more..

Dec 6 (AD) SL Police have requested for public assistance in relation to the apprehension of two suspects who are wanted in connection with a theft in the Norochcholai Police Domain. Accordingly, a composite sketch of the duo which was drawn up by the forensic artist of the CID, based on information and descriptions obtained through complaints received in this regard, has been released to the media by the Police Media Division on 6 Dec, in a bid to seek public assistance in this regard. more..

Dec 6 (DM) In a significant stride towards combating non-communicable diseases (NCD) and curbing associated fatalities in Sri Lanka, the Japanese govt has contributed a donation of 500 million yen worth of cutting-edge medical equipment to the Sri J'pura General Hospital. Accordingly, medical equipment worth 49 million yen is set to be received in the first phase. The official handover ceremony took place today (6), under the patronage of Minister of Health and Industry, more..

Dec 6 (TM) Claiming that the country's higher education sector has been greatly affected by the prevailing economic crisis, Opposition MP, Prof. G.L. Peiris said that the duty and responsibility of the Govt should not be to establish new universities and higher education institutions, but to improve the quality of the existing institutions. Commenting in Parliament yesterday on the statement made by Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe noting that more..

Dec 6 (DM) Residents of Thirappane claim that the wild elephant, popularly known as Agbo, has started roaming around their villages due to its habituation and this has become a serious risk to the elephant. The elephant that sustained gunshot injuries recovered after being treated by the Wildlife Department's veterinarians. After recovering from its injuries, the elephant again started to enter the villages, damaging the villagers' crops. The villagers took informed Minister more..

Dec 6 (EN) The National Water Supply and Drainage Board says it is working on introducing a revisable water tariff formula, much like the fuel price formula, in the future. �We need electricity, which has risen in cost, to treat and supply water. We need to import chemicals to treat water, so there is a dollar component. So we are focusing on introducing a water tariff formula factoring in these,� State Minister for Water Supply Sanath Nishantha said. �Our officials are currently working on this, more..

Dec 6 (CT) COPA recently instructed Defence Ministry (MoD) officials to promptly take steps to amending the Firearms (Amended) Ordinance No. 22 of 1996 along with the Explosives Act. COPA recently convened under State Minister Lasantha Alagiyawanna and during its sessions the audit reports of the Defence Ministry, pertaining to the years 2020, 2021 and 2022 and its ongoing work had been reviewed. more..

Dec 6 (PMD) Prez, Ranil Wickremesinghe, addressing the centenary celebration of the Govt Valuation Dept held at Solis Hotel in Pitakotte, declared the initiation of a ground-breaking economic program today. Set to kick off on Jan 1, this transformative initiative is designed to modernize various sectors and propel the nation towards progress. The President underscored the imperative nature of adopting new economic reforms, emphasizing that the nation cannot more..

Dec 6 (DN) A surge in Polish visitors to SL this Winter/Spring season is expected due to the increase in direct Polish charter flights form Warsaw and other Polish cities, to Colombo and Mattala airports. These include LOT Charters (a fully owned subsidiary of LOT Polish Airlines � Boeing 787 Dreamliner)), SkyUp Airlines (Boeing 737-800 NG) and Enter Air (largest Polish charter airline and second largest in Europe), in addition to the regular Turkish Airlines� flights carrying Polish tourists more..

Dec 7 (DM) In commercial terms, the Christmas season is on going with bargain sales and shopping sprees mainly by Christians who stand indicted of commercialising Christmas. To encourage Christians to mark Christmas in an austere manner and in the spirit of the Sinhala word Alpechchathawa or a simple and humble lifestyle, we would like our readers to contemplate on what we call the Parable of the Fourth Wise Man. The Parable of the Fourth Wise Man goes like this: more..

Dec 7 (DM) The world as we know it has been on a pathway towards development, to make the lives of the people who live in it easier, efficient and convenient. It is not only the standard of life which is continually sought to be increased but also the quality and value of life, which is where human rights come into play. However, it is most important that all persons, conventionally abled and differently abled, are protected by the full coverage offered by human rights, as human rights are not rights more..

Dec 7 (TM) During the past year (2022), SL�s civic space has faced a multitude of serious challenges with protests being clamped down on, journalists being stifled, and protestors being targeted amidst public frustration with poor governance and the lack of accountability. In many cases, it was at the hands of the authorities including law enforcement and defence personnel. The oppressive & selective enforcement of laws, more..

Dec 7 (TM) SL education sector and wellbeing of children were deeply affected during the Covid-19 pandemic and the economic crisis which ensued. Poor governance, ad hoc policy decisions and poor fiscal management got Sri Lanka into the crisis it is in today. Our children had no say in the decisions which lead to the downfall, they were only dealt with periods of poverty, food and energy scarcity and disruptions to their education. A recent survey by the UNICEF, stated that more..

Dec 7 (DM) With the committee stage debates on Budget 2024 still ongoing, our interest has been piqued by a term that has gained relatively little attention since it was mentioned in the Budget Speech presented on 13 Nov 2023: Mi>Gender-Based Budgeting. Gender-Based Budgeting or Gender-Responsive Budgeting (GRB) makes sense, from a social justice perspective and a sustainable growth perspective. However, given the govt�s track record with GRB, those of us looking for more..

Dec 7 (CT) Dengue is the beggar�s wound, and there seems to be no end to its festering. Its records date back to the late 1980s to mid 1990s with relatively low cases being reported. According to the Director of the National Dengue Control Unit (NDCU), numbers started growing in the early 2000s with two of the largest epidemics occurring in 2002 and 2004 with 8,931 and 15,463 cases, respectively being reported to the EU during the 2 years. more..

Dec 7 (Island) It defies comprehension why legal action is ever instituted against anyone if there is no irrefutable evidence to prove charges against him or her. But those who wield political power in this country have their rivals prosecuted according to their whims and fancies, and the politically-motivated cases subsequently collapse for want of credible evidence. Former DIG Nalaka de Silva has been released from a much-publicised case that was filed against him over an alleged plot more..

Dec 7 (CT) It is no secret to the people of SL that the education sector of the country has been facing multiple challenges and crises in recent times, attributable to various reasons including economic crises and system failures. However, another aspect of this unfortunate situation, perhaps crucial but less focused on, is the lack of proper regulation in fee-levying educational institutes. It of course does not imply that they are harmful or detrimental to the educational landscape of the country; more..

Dec 7 (ST) The perennial issue of laws delays again came to the surface yesterday (2) as Parliament debated the head of expenditure of the Ministry of Justice, Prison Affairs and Constitutional Reforms. Addressing Parliament, Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe revealed that there were 1,104,458 cases being heard in courts throughout the country as at June 30 this year. All these cases are being heard by 429 judges. Though the number of Justices in both the Supreme Court and more..

Dec 7 (ST) The Yeti-SLTA All-Island Inter-Schools Cool Tennis Play Day 2023 was held at the SL Tennis Association courts in Green Path recently. The event was conducted under three age group categories � the Under-7 Red Ball, Under-8 Orange Ball and Under-10 Green Ball. Visakha Vidyalaya claimed the Green Ball Girls� title, while Musaeus College was placed second. Ananda College �A� won the Boys� title of the same category, as S. Thomas� College, Mt. Lavinia followed in at 2nd place. more..

Dec 7 (FT) Minister Bandula Gunawardena said, Sri Lanka is poised to receive approval from the IMF for the second tranche of the $ 2.9 billion EFF next week. �State Minister of Finance Shehan Semasinghe has informed that Sri Lanka will receive its second tranche at the next IMF Board meeting scheduled for 12 Dec. He (Semasinghe) believes funds can be transferred on the same day,� Gunawardena said in response to a query more..

Dec 7 (DN) For the first time in the history SL Taekwondo Federation (SLTF) will conduct an International Taekwondo Championship at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium in Colombo which will commence today. The opening ceremony will be held at 4 p.m. and the meet will conclude on Dec 12. Nearly 100 officials including competitors from eight South Asian countries and several Asian countries are expected to participate and this is going to be good exposures and great opportunity for more..

Dec 7 (ST) The country can save more than US$1000 for 200,000 metric tonnes of palm oil imported and become self-sufficient in vegetable oil, agricultural experts say. Plantation sector expert emeritus Prof. Asoka Nugawela told the gathering at the Sustainable Horizons, a workshop to revive the current policy on oil palm cultivation, that oil palm is the most efficient oil-producing crop with a global land extent at 8.3% and production at 42.3%. �It is the highest income generating plantation crop more..

Dec 7 (FT) The luxury cruise ship M.V. Marella Discovery 2 of Marella Cruises with 1,800 passengers and 755 crew on board will make her maiden call at the Port of Colombo today and depart tomorrow. Aitken Spence Shipping is the local agent to facilitate the cruise liner whilst Aitken Spence Travels is the shore excursion provider offering excursion services in Colombo and Hambantota. The Marella Discovery 2 will carry out a turn-around at Colombo wherein 900 passengers more..

Dec 7 (FT) The apex body of the apparel sector, Joint Apparel Association Forum (JAAF), applauds the unprecedented achievements by apparel companies at the 25th Presidential Export Awards. Exhibiting excellence across multiple categories, industry secured an impressive collection of 31 awards, reaffirming its dedication to innovation, sustainability and expanding market horizons. Organised by the SL Export Development Board (EDB), awards spanned across 13 categories more..

Dec 7 (DM) With another inhuman case of ragging reported from Sri J'pura University, Minister Suren Raghavan said many cases of harassment of juniors by their seniors within the universities go unreported but the govt will leave no stone unturned in its attempt to eradicate the menace. Making his remarks in Parliament the other day, Minister said the heads and facial hair of 15 students of Sri J'pura had been shaved with more..

Dec 7 (ST) An accused who was found guilty of beheading his mother-in-law and causing serious cut injuries to his wife was sentenced to death by Ratnapura High Court Judge Nayana Seneviratne. The verdict was given after a trial held without a jury, with the accused, Kasun Kahangama, a resident of Kotugodella, Balangoda, being found guilty of the murder and attempted murder. The accused, a trishaw driver, had committed the crime on the afternoon of Nov 4, 2011 on a public road. more..

Dec 7 (FT) Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Brazil Sumith Dassanayake undertook an official visit to Sao Paulo, the trade and economic hub of Brazil, from 27 to 30 Nov. During the visit, the Ambassador Dassanayake held meetings with S�o Paulo State Govt International Affairs Secretary Lucas Ferraz, S�o Paulo State Govt Executive Secretary Marco Rocha, S�o Paulo Chamber of Commerce Council of Consulates and International Chamber of Commerce Coordinator Ricardo Cateb Cury, more..

Dec 7 (TM) Parliament should adopt a code of conduct for all serving judges in order to ensure the independence of the Judiciary, said the ACMC Leader and Opposition MP Rishad Bathiudeen. Speaking in Parliament yesterday in response to a statement made by Minister of Justice, Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe regarding a previous statement made by him (Bathiudeen), he said that he has never mentioned the name of any more..

Dec 7 (DM) The largest and rare turtle species, known as leatherback sea turtles, have been spotted arriving in the Kalametiya and Rekawa coastal areas, DWC said. They said this species of turtle is one of the five most rare turtle species in the world. Therefore, Wildlife Dept informed the fishing community to be careful when fishing as these leatherback turtles arrive at the beaches to lay their eggs. Dept also informed them to contact the dept immediately if they find any injured turtles. more..

Dec 7 (FT) In a significant stride toward advancing SL�s presence in int'l markets, SL Export Development Board (EDB) has partnered with the Dept of Integrated Design at Faculty of Architecture, Uni of Moratuwa (UoM) to launch an innovative packaging program tailored for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). This collaborative effort, targeting SME companies, recently concluded with a showcase at the Design Code 2023 event, marking a pivotal moment for SL exporters. more..