Jan 12 (FT) New Secretary to the Ministry of Technology Dr. Dharmasri Kumaratunge has been appointed as the Chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Commission of SL as well. He visited the Commission office recently and engaged in discussions with senior TRCSL officials regarding future action plans and ongoing issues. This appointment comes at a crucial juncture for Sri Lanka as the nation embarks on an ambitious journey toward a digital economy under more..

Jan 12 (FT) NPP lawyer Harshana Nanayakkara filed a petition before the Supreme Court, requesting the apex court to issue an order preventing the Constitutional Council from approving Deshabandu Tennekoon�s name as the IGP. The petitioner in his application noted that the Presidential Commission tasked with investigating the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings has uncovered substantial negligence or omissions on the part of Govt officials and police officers, including Deshbandu Tennakoon and more..

Jan 12 (TM) Trade unions attached to the Colombo Port are in the process of submitting a complaint to Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe with regard to a questionable party of ruling SLPP MPs that took place at the Colombo Port premises recently. �We are writing to the President as he is the Head of the Cabinet of Ministers,� All Ceylon General Ports Employees� Union Chief Secretary Niroshan Gorakanage, said, expressing concerns more..

Jan 12 (TM) Several health sector trade unions (TUs) including hospital administrations and junior health staff launched a joint strike action from 6 a.m. yesterday, demanding an allowance increase of Rs. 35,000. As per the trade unions, the token strike was launched protesting against Govt�s decision to increase the disturbance, availability, and transport (DAT) allowance by Rs. 35,000 only for doctors. Meanwhile, trade unions affiliated with the Paramedical Services Front (PMSF) more..

Jan 12 (FT) Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa slammed the alleged lavish function held on two ships at the SL Ports Authority (SLPA) for a group of SLPP MPs recently. While SLPA has maintained that the occasion was not a party but rather an inspection tour, Premadasa nonetheless criticised the event. He expressed disapproval, pointing out that at a time when the public is enduring the effects of the increased VAT, a specific group of MPs is hosting extravagant gatherings. more..

Jan 12 (DM) Both govt and opposition MPS seemed to be coming in for a collision course with the Central Bank Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe. This was evident when one Minister told Parliament that the latter had made a startling remark on finances while a prominent member in the opposition declared that they do not trust Mr. Weerasinghe. Minister Bandula Gunawardena said the recent remark made more..

Jan 13 (EN) Sri Lanka is discussing program targets and commitment with a visiting IMF staff mission in Colombo an official said. �It is kind of a fact finding or technical mission,� IMF�s Director of Communications, Julie Kozack told reporters in Washington. �And the goal of this mission is to discuss recent developments and to follow up on program targets and commitments. SL is restructuring its debt after the country defaulted in peacetime after triggering serial currency more..

Jan 13 (FT) Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP S.M Marikkar vowed the main opposition party will take to the streets along with the public on 30 January to oust the current Govt. Addressing Parliament, MP said despite the Govt�s attempts to introduce new legislation to suppress the people, SJB will not be intimidated by these moves. �Before the Aragalaya commenced, it was the SJB that went to the President�s office on 16 March in an attempt to remove the then Prez,� he said. more..

Jan 13 (TM) In the midst of serious financial hardships that people are going through, many incidents have been reported in recent times which reflect that the rulers still do not care about the people and instead work for their own comfort. One of the closest examples of this is a group of MPs representing the ruling party � including former Prez, PM, and current Govt MP Mahinda Rajapaksa � reportedly having had more..

Jan 13 (EN) SL Navy awarded letters of appointment to direct entry officers and its 66th intake of officer cadets, including its first batch of female cadets, at a ceremony at the Navy Headquarters this week. �The ceremony was a testament to the Navy�s commitment to diversity and inclusion, as 3 lady officer cadets joined the executive branch of the SL Navy for the first time in its history. The engineering (1) and supply (2) benches also welcomed lady officer cadets for the first time,� more..

Jan 13 (Island) The Asia Internet Coalition (AIC), on 08 January, has written to Minister of Public Security of SL, Tiran Alles to express the concern and advocate for extensive revisions and overhaul of the Draft Online Safety Bill (OSB) currently under consideration. AIC has said while they appreciate the efforts made thus far with the industry, a more comprehensive and meaningful consultation is necessary to address the complexities and nuances associated with the Bill. more..

Jan 13 (CT) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe announced that the next Prez Poll will be held in September when the Opposition was more focused on the next General Election. However, via the SLPP MPs talk, it began to do the rounds that the next Parliamentary Poll will be held somewhere around April next year. In the meantime, as the SJB added fuel to the fire as two crossovers also took place. Prez then decided to instantly douse fire more..

Jan 13 (DM) Suma, Shri and Yohes in Triangular Contest for ITAK/FP Leadership was the heading of my article published in the Daily Mirror of 16 Dec 2024. The article was about the forthcoming election for the party Presidency of ITAK. ITAK known as the Federal Party (FP) in English is the premier political party of the Northern and Eastern Tamils of SL. Currently, the ITAK/FP has six MPs in Parliament representing the 2 Northern and 3 Eastern electoral districts. more..

Jan 13 (DM) Earlier this month, Prez Wickremesinghe said, a decision had been taken to deploy a ship from the SL Navy to the Red Sea. He was in fact floating a notion of Lanka being part of a US-led multinational force to protect trade in the Red Sea from the Houthis (an Iran-backed group), and de facto rulers in Yemen. In actuality, the Houthi action in the Red Sea region is limited to targeting vessels with links to Israel which is conducting a genocidal war of attrition against more..

Jan 13 (DM) Nearly 15 years after the end of the separatist war, the govt has taken steps to promulgate a law last Tuesday enabling the establishment of an Office of National Unity and Reconciliation (ONUR). The office is not entirely a new entity but a re-establishment through an Act of Parliament of an entity that has been in operation under the same name since 2015. Despite it having been passed with the backing of the SLPP, it was Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe who has been more..

Jan 13 (CT) A central banker often performs a divine duty. Because of this, in many cases, some people are tempted to call the central bank a living god. The authority of a Central Bank surpasses mere regulations, as they possess the ability to generate necessary funds through the leverage of currency issuance. Central banks also have the unparalleled power to affect the lives of individuals and businesses through the control of interest rates, money supply and credit expansion. more..

Jan 13 (DM) Token strike orchestrated by various health sector trade unions, advocating for a Rs. 35,000 allowance, was brought to an end at 8 a.m. today, marking the restoration of regular hospital services. Recent days had witnessed disruptions in healthcare operations due to strikes initiated by paramedical and supplementary health services unions. The discord emerged from the govt's decision to increase more..

Jan 13 (Island) NPP Leader and MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake deserves praise for having shed light on some questionable public fund allocations. Speaking in Parliament yesterday, he took exception to a supplementary estimate which sought legislative approval for Rs. 1.3 billion as Sri Lanka Telecom divestiture costs, and Rs. 200 million for Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe�s foreign tours and domestic travel in addition to the annual budgetary allocations for him. more..

Jan 13 (ST) Amidst the gloomy sentiments due to high taxation, 2024 kicked off on a positive note at least for one sector; tourism with arrivals slightly short of the target of 1.5 million. Arrivals in Jan to Dec were 1,487,303, sharply up by 106.6% from 719,978 in 2022. Arrivals last month were 210,352, sharply up from 91,961 in Dec 2022. This is still lower than 253,169 arrivals in Dec 2018, the highest month for arrivals recorded so far. Top source markets in Jan-Nov 2023 period were visitors more..

Jan 13 (ST) Chocolates are an absolutely incredible sweet in the world that nobody would dare to resist tasting a piece, including those who resist sugar or anything that contains sugar. We can�t even imagine a world without this milky sweet which comes in many different colours, sweetness, taste, texture, shapes, wrapping and blended with many different ingredients including fruit, nut and liquor varieties. Although chocolates are one of the most popular sweets in the world, more..

Jan 13 (Island) Sri Lanka�s former Test captain Arjuna Ranatunga has voiced his concerns about the International Cricket Council�s inaction to protect the future of Test cricket. Franchise T-20 cricket is mushrooming around the world and the cash rich IPL has now stretched beyond India owning franchises in other parts of the world. Ranatunga warned that future for the longest format of the game is bleak and franchise owners will soon be running the sport. more..

Jan 13 (ST) �When I go to the parent-teacher meeting, the teachers say that only my children have perfect attendance in their relevant grades,� said Shashikala Anthony, a 29-year-old mother of three from Station Road in Dehiwala. She and her husband are persistent in their efforts to educate their children, despite the rising cost of living. �My goal is to make sure that all of my children are educated; I am not willing to sacrifice more..

Jan 13 (DN) National Paralympic Committee of SL is set to host a grand ceremony at Waters Edge, Colombo, on Feb 24, to honour and celebrate the outstanding achievements of para athletes who brought glory to the nation over the past decade. Over the last 11 years, SL has witnessed its brightest period in para-sports history, marked by a series of remarkable accomplishments, starting from Pradeep Sanjaya�s bronze medal at the 2012 London Paralympics to impressive medal more..

Jan 13 (ST) Dambulla Police and the Special Task Force of the Police attached to the same area were able to unveil a racket of selling imported rotten potatoes and big onions that could be carcinogenic. The Police identified the racket when conducting raids to check warehouses and containers used to store imported potatoes and big onions. Containers transporting imported potatoes, onions, and other goods arriving through the ports via Dambulla were subjected to a search. more..

Jan 13 (MFA) Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Sabry chaired the first briefing of the year for the members of the Colombo-based diplomatic Corps at the Ministry on Thursday (11). He outlined several areas of progress made on many fronts in 2023, that led to a greater degree of stability, including debt restructuring, economic and legal reforms and reconciliation. Minister referred to 2024 as the year to revitalize SL's economy, more..

Jan 13 (AD) State Minister of Tourism Diana Gamage, predicts that the revitalization of the tourism industry in SL will attract two million tourists in 2024, generating an estimated revenue of USD 06 billion. She further highlighted that there was a substantial increase of 106% in tourist arrivals in 2023, compared to the previous year, 2022. State Minister Diana Gamage, made these remarks during a press conference held at the Presidential Media Centre (PMC) under the theme more..

Jan 13 (AD) Her Royal Highness Princess Anne, Princess Royal of the UK, who is on a three-day official visit to SL, visited the Liveramentu War Graves in Colombo on Friday (12), her first overseas visit to a War Graves site since assuming her role as President of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. The Princess Royal, President of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, laid a wreath during the Act of Remembrance at the Liveramentu War Graves. more..

Jan 13 (FT) Businesses looking for a viable alternative to electricity from the national grid have been provided an opportunity to invest in solar power as a result of a collaboration between the Commercial Bank of Ceylon and Hayleys Solar, the renewable energy arm of Hayleys Fentons Ltd. MoU signed by the two organisations commits Commercial Bank to offer concessionary terms under the bank�s Diribala Green Development Loan scheme for businesses to purchase solar power systems from Hayleys Solar more..

Jan 13 (FT) Gamer.LK gave life to the SL Exhibition & Convention Centre (SLECC) recently as Play Expo 2023 unfolded, heralding a triumphant return to live events after the pandemic-induced hiatus. This landmark event not only showcased the prowess of SL gamers in a diverse range of E-sports titles but also celebrated the vibrant world of pop-culture with Gamer.LK�s Colombo Comic Expo. E-sports tournament, a cornerstone of Play Expo, saw over 3,000 gamers taking part across 20 E-sports titles, more..

Jan 13 (FT) SJB MP S.M. Marikkar slammed an announcement allegedly made by the UNP executive committee on the upcoming elections scheduled for 2024. He said the announcement has confirmed that Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe will not be a candidate in the upcoming Prez election. Marikkar accused President�s Media Unit (PMD) of planting the news supposedly from UNP executive committee more..

Jan 13 (Island) The govt has allocated Rs. 300 million to programs aimed at saving local coconut plantations from the El Nino climate impact, while 360,000 coconut saplings are also in the process of being planted, a senior official of the Ministry of Agriculture & Plantation Industries said. The prediction made by the Meteorological Dept as well as the international weather departments is that the current El Nino climate situation may further develop in the upcoming Yala season this year. more..

Jan 13 (OHCHR) We are very concerned that authorities in SL are adopting a heavily security-based response to the country�s drugs problem, instead of public health policies grounded in human rights. A staggering 29,000 people have reportedly been arrested on drug related matters since 17 Dec, with allegations that some have been subjected to ill-treatment and torture. Security forces have reportedly conducted raids without search warrants, detaining suspected drug sellers and users, more..

Jan 13 (Island) Dissident SLPP National List MP Gevindu Cumaratunga has accused Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe of blatantly abusing ousted predecessor Gotabaya Rajapaksa�s mandate. He questioned UNP leader Wickremesinghe�s recent declaration in Jaffna regarding the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, enacted in 1988, at the behest of India. MP said that he raised the issue in Parliament early this week, close on the heels of Prez Wickremesinghe�s high profile visit to Jaffna. more..

Jan 13 (FT) Despite differing opinions among Opposition parties, specifically the SJB and NPP, there appears to be a shared consensus that the current Prez, Ranil Wickremesinghe, will not be entering the fray as a contender in the upcoming 2024 Prez election. Former MP Sunil Handunnetti, during a radio program recently echoed sentiments akin to those expressed by SJB�s S.M. Marikkar, stating his conviction that Ranil Wickremesinghe is likely to abstain from putting forward his more..

Jan 13 (FT) Concluding a 2-day official visit, Japanese Finance Minister Suzuki Shunichi expressed admiration for the significant improvements observed in the revival of the SL economy. Commending Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe for his strong leadership, Minister Shunichi acknowledged the positive trends in GDP and inflation indicators under the Prez�s direction. Japan�s Finance Minister Shunichi arrived more..