Dec 10 (TM) The International Human Rights Day of 2022 falls tomorrow (10), in a context where Sri Lanka has far more issues to worry about as far as its human rights situation is concerned than it had to last year. These human rights-related issues began with the socioeconomic crisis, which prompted the people to take to the streets demanding better living conditions and a more competent and accountable political system. However, they had to deal with a number of human rights violations, more..

Dec 10 (Island) Most workers in the state sector fight for their rights but do not give a tinker�s cuss about their duties and responsibilities. They take to the streets at the drop of a hat, and win pay hikes and other demands by holding the public to ransom. Sad to say, teachers are no exception. Gone are the days when people held the teaching profession in high esteem. This however does not mean that all teachers should be painted with the same brush. The education sector is in deep crisis, and more..

Dec 10 (CT) We are all entangled in a chase for a change. In the democracy we are encircled, the pace towards this has been glacial running into decades extending into generations. And right now, the critical circumstances we are faced with keep pushing us towards this goal with more vigor. It appears that all concerned are concentrating on this move considering it as the only panacea for all ills. Assistance, guidance, borrowings and grants are among the targeted reliefs sought in course, more..

Dec 10 (ST) Only after arriving at the Colombo Fort Railway Station just before dawn that Kapila came to know that there was a railway strike that day. Kapila (not his real name) took the day off from his workplace to go to Kandy for a court case of a relative being heard on that day. This particular event took place many years ago even before his retirement, but he still remembers it. When I met him a couple weeks ago, he again started talking about this train journey. more..

Dec 10 (CI) For SL, there was one last test before the 1996 World Cup: a near three-month tour of Australia. Nothing would come easy, but the opportunity to test their mettle down under meant a lot. They knew they would be thrown into a pressure cooker. "I remember on the plane, the senior guys said, 'It's going to be really tough. You have to be really tough to beat Australia in Australia,'" Ravindra Pushpakumara recalled. more..

Dec 10 (CI) Chamika Karunaratne will be available for selection for the rest of the LPL despite undergoing an emergency dental surgery following a fielding mishap against Galle Gladiators on Wednesday. "He's stable and out of danger," Kandy Falcons' team manager said. "He is available for selection and will be able to participate in the Kandy leg of the tournament." The incident occurred in the fourth over of the game, when Karunaratne ran back from cover to take an over-the-shoulder catch more..

Dec 10 (Island) The current crisis in Sri Lanka is multi-faceted with economic, political, and social aspects impinging on one another. The economic and political crises are the ones that are more visible as reflected in queues, scarcities, and mass mobilisations against the ruling establishments, issues that demand urgent attention and action. Underlying these seemingly fire-fighting emergencies are the need for understanding the root causes of the multi-stranded maladies, more..

Dec 10 (DM) The officers attached to the Customs Narcotics Control Division today carried out the second largest raid on gold at the BIA in the customs history. Customs Superintendent Nuwan Abeynayake said that 22kg of 24 carat gold worth Rs. 400 million was taken into custody by customs. The gold jewelery was smuggled into the country by five SL passengers arrived from Chennai, India. They were arrested based on a tip off more..

Dec 10 (Island) WindForce PLC, SL�s largest independent renewable energy company, was crowned the Silver winner under the Power and Energy Sector category at the coveted TAGS Awards 2022, organized by The CA SL. This year�s TAGS Awards marked the 57th edition of the competition, which honours multinationals, conglomerates, SMEs, NGOs and NPOs, for upholding CA SL�s core principles � transparency, accountability, governance and sustainability more..

Dec 10 (FT) Prez�s Senior Advisor on Climate Change Ruwan Wijewardene yesterday noted that climate change has been identified as country�s most significant future challenge. He claimed that President Ranil Wickremesinghe started a conversation on climate change because he had anticipated such circumstances well in advance. In a special statement regarding the dangerous air pollution and the subsequent decline in air quality across the nation over the past 2 days more..

Dec 10 (FT) SJB MP S.M. Marikkar said signs are afoot that the Govt is attempting to hatch a plan to delay polls within the next two weeks. The Election Commission of SL announced this week that it would call for nominations for Local Govt polls during the final week of December. However, the announcement has come under fire as many opposition MPs have claimed the early announcement is a sign that an attempt will be made to halt elections during the time. more..

Dec 10 (ST) With high fixed costs prompted by the worst ever economic crisis the country has faced, certain private sector hospitals are up for mergers and acquisitions (M&A), analysts say. All private sector hospitals are facing this issue, they said noting that the high fixed costs with the interest rate hikes etc are making things difficult for them. While hospitals say that things are not as smooth, it is business as usual for them. �Our businesses are running. The turnover is fine. more..

Dec 10 (DM) Apparel industry points out, given current economic milieu, companies use a considerable portion of export proceeds to purchase raw materials, fuel and other items essential. The issues revolving around the exporters repatriating income were clarified this week by the Central Bank of SL (CBSL) chief, who set the record straight on export remittances and conversions. CBSL Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe more..

Dec 10 (FT) Colombo stock market ended its nine-day winning streak amidst robust activity as investors took profit. The more active S&P Index declined by 0.6% and the benchmark ASPI by 0.5%. Turnover amounted to Rs. 1.6 billion involving 66.4 million shares. Foreigners recorded a net of inflow of Rs. 1.1 million with CCS seeing most net buying worth Rs. 3.6 million, whilst selling topped in BALA Rs. 3.3 million. With yesterday�s net buying, the amount so far in December is Rs. 3.8 billion more..

Dec 10 (DM) At least 165 dairy cows were reported dead in Kilinochchi due to the extreme cold weather that gripped the island over the past few days, area residents said. Calves and cows that could not bear the cold caused by the inclement weather had died while they were kept inside their sheds. Kilinochchi DMC said that temperature drops as low as 17 degrees were recorded over the past few days. Centre added that number of animals killed due to extreme weather conditions could be higher. more..

Dec 10 (FT) Pakistan extends its continued support to SL in its march towards economic revival, State Minister of Finance Shehan Semasinghe said. �Pakistan Finance Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar reassured their continuous support and cooperation to SL to overcome the economic turmoil,� he said, after he returned from the successful conclusion of the Sustainable Development Goals Forum held in Islamabad, Pakistan. The State Minister participated in the sixth South & South-West Asia Forum more..

Dec 10 (EN) SL�s Chinese-built Lotus Tower has halved visitors to its observation deck an official said as dirty air flowing from India triggered air quality warnings and schools in the capital closed. �Masks are mandatory at the observation deck and roughly around 50 to 60 can go up to the observation deck at a time, time limits have not been altered and still persists at 20 minutes for observation,� the official said. Prior to the smog, 120 observers were permitted at once to the deck. more..

Dec 10 (TM) A heated debate took place in Parliament between former Minister of Power and Energy, MP Champika Ranawaka and incumbent Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera during a discussion on the Govt�s plans to restructure the CEB, where the former charged that hydropower plants in the country would also be privatised, leading to the public losing its drinking water supply, while the latter asserted more..

Dec 10 (EN) In a meeting in Colombo, Foreign Minister Ali Sabry and US Ambassador Julie Chung discussed ways in which the US can continue to support SL going forward, the Ambassador said. Chung tweeted Friday Dec 9 afternoon that the two officials had reflected on the twists and turns of 2022, at the meeting. Minister Sabry was recently in Washington D.C. where he US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. A foreign ministry statement said the two officials held productive discussions more..

Dec 10 (TM) The delay in formulating the two main regulations related to the Colombo Port City has hindered the process of marketing the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) to the international community, said CHEC Port City Colombo (Pvt) Ltd. Deputy Managing Director Thulci Aluwihare. Speaking at the SL Economic Summit 2022, he said the lack of fiscal incentive regulations and ring-fenced regulations, has not allowed them to fully promote Port City. more..

Dec 10 (DM) SL Navy which is held in high esteem as the First Line of Defence of the Nation is marking the organization�s 72nd Anniversary today (9). Accordingly, a total of 222 officers and 3,548 senior and junior sailors will be promoted and advanced to their next higher ranks coinciding with the 72nd Anniversary. The Navy said the promotions were carried out on the recommendation of Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral Nishantha Ulugetenne. Incidentally, 2 officers to rank of Commodore, more..

Dec 10 (EN) Sri Lankans thrown into poverty in the worst currency collapse in the history of its central bank are selling assets acquired in better times and are eating less, Rome-based World Food Program has said. 3 in 10 households were food insecure in a household food security survey conducted by the agency in Oct 2022. �Over seven in ten households are adopting food-based coping strategies such as eating less preferred food, continuing alarming trend observed since June� more..

Dec 10 (AD) Sri Lanka�s air quality has improved significantly as at 8.00 a.m. this morning (9), according to the Air Quality Index (AQI). Air quality was recorded at 80 in Colombo, 71 in Kurunegala, 63 in Vavuniya, 94 in Kandy, 83 in Kegalle, 43 in Galle, 71 in Ratnapura and Kalutara and 83 in Hambantota. The index is based on the measurement of particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), Ozone (O3), Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2), more..

Dec 10 (AD) Dept of Meteorology says showers or thundershowers will occur at times in the Western, Sabaragamuwa and Central Provinces and in Galle and Matara districts. It said the Cyclonic Storm Mandous over Southwest Bay of Bengal was located 280km north-northeast of Jaffna near latitude 12.2N and longitude 80.6E at 08.30pm yesterday. This system is very likely to move northwestwards and cross North Tamil-Nadu, Puducherry and South Andhra Pradesh coast over Southwest Bay more..

Dec 10 (EN) A mysterious luxury mattress said to have been paid for by a private company has found its way to the president�s office in the parliament complex, an opposition MP claimed, leading to an innuendo-filled exchange of words between the MP and the chief govt whip. SJB MP Buddhika Pathirana told parliament on Friday December 09 that on July 28, a week after President Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in, some �items� had been transported to the parliament complex. more..

Dec 10 (FT) PUCSL Chairman Janaka Ratnayake responding to the Prez�s remarks in Parliament on Thursday said that the head of the State was misled by providing false information about electricity tariff determinations as well as his hotels and apartments. Emphasising that the electricity regulator has still not formally received a request from the CEB for tariff revision for 2023, Ratnayake said that the way the CEB had more..

Dec 10 (DM) Today, powerful countries believe their world outlook is infallible, their security sacrosanct and lesser nations and states must fall in line or face unenviable consequences. The powerful continue to ride roughshod over smaller countries. Today�s war in Ukraine is an example of the theory of �might is right. Russia believes its security is endangered by Ukraine joining the North Atlantic Treaty Org (NATO) -a US anti Russia military alliance- bringing US troops and missiles to Russia�s doorstep. more..

Dec 10 (DM) After weeks of speculation and allegation by the Opposition parties that the govt was going to postpone the local govt elections, Election Commission (EC) finally on Thursday issued an official announcement on the matter. EC Chairman Nimal Punchihewa in his statement said that the Commission had decided to announce the dates to tender nominations for the elections during the last week of this month. He had further said in his statement that the decision was taken more..

Dec 10 (AD) Representatives of LGBTQ community met with high-ranking officers of SL Police yesterday, to discuss manners in which any inconvenience during interactions between the two parties could be avoided. Accordingly, it was decided that the Police Dept will pay special attention towards the transgender community in SL, police media unit said. Meanwhile, DIG in charge of the Divisional Bureau for the Prevention of Abuse of Children and Women will deal with all issues related to more..

Dec 10 (DM) A 58 year old man had died when a luxury car reportedly returning from a night club smashed against a three wheeler in Kollupitiya this morning. The car was heading from Bambalapitiya towards Galle Face, crashed with the three-wheeler going in the same direction on Galle Road. Three-wheeler driver, who was seriously injured in the accident, died on admission to the Colombo National Hospital. The deceased was a 58-year-old resident of Kahathuduwa, Polgasowita. more..

Dec 10 (AD) The US has imposed sanctions on yet another SL military officer for human rights abuses in their latest action to promote accountability for corruption and human rights abuses around the world. Marking Human Rights Day on Friday, US state department, named Prabath Bulathwatte, the former head of a clandestine SL Army platoon known as the Tripoli Platoon, for gross violation of human rights and more..

Dec 10 (Island) Supreme Court yesterday said it would take up five fundamental rights cases filed against the attack on anti-govt protesters, at Galle face Green on 09 May by SLPP supporters who had earlier gathered at Temple Trees. A number of protesters, including Lahiru Chanaka, who sustained serious injuries, have filed the petitions and the Court set the date for these cases on 22 June 2023. The bench also sent notice to former PM, Mahinda Rajapaksa, MP Namal Rajapaksa, more..

Dec 10 (AD) The DMC says three people have died so far after the cyclonic storm Mandous made landfall in SL. Meanwhile, at least 13,000 houses have sustained damages as a result of prevailing adverse weather conditions. Reportedly, a 51-year-old woman from Morahela area in Balangoda died after a branch of a tree fell on to her while she was picking tea leaves. This cyclonic storm located 20km north-northeast of Jaffna near latitude 12.0N and longitude 80.8E at 5.30 p.m. today. more..

Dec 10 (EN) A protest held outside the Chinese embassy in Colombo against opposition legislator Shanakiyan Rasamanickam was likely the work of a paid group with little knowledge of SL�s crisis and pushing someone else�s racist agenda, MP said. Rasamanickam said that the protestors were peddling a familiar narrative of racism. �These people are clearly on a racist agenda. We know how this agenda plays out more..

Dec 10 (ST) Negotiations are to begin between the Ports and Shipping Ministry and Indian authorities to resume ferry services between the Northern Province and TN, a senior official said. Under this proposal, facilities will be available to transport around 500 passengers at a time. The move comes amidst plans to resume direct flights between Chennai and Jaffna from Dec 11 onwards. Priyantha Fernando, Chairman of the Tourism Development Board said that they have requested more..