Dec 23 (DM) Seven out of nine Sri Lankans arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) from the special camp for SL Tamil refugees at Tamil Nadu�s Tiruchirappalli over their alleged involvement in drugs and arms smuggling to revive the LTTE, were issued Interpol red notices, police said yesterday. Although the reports over the arrest of nine Sri Lankans were true, the SL Police had not yet been officially informed by the Indian authority over the arrest, SSP Nihal Thalduwa said. more..

Dec 23 (Island) The 2023 budget for the Jaffna Municipal Council lost by seven votes on Wednesday. The budget was presented by Jaffna Mayor, S. Maniwannan. 11 councillors voted for the budget while 18 voted against it. Several political parties including the EPDP abstained. There are 45 councillors at the Jaffna Municipal Council and 16 of them belong to the TNA. Among the other major players are the ACMC and EPDP members with 10 members each. S. Maniwannan was elected more..

Dec 23 (DM) The police said today that it was an executive officer of businessman Dinesh Schaffter and not his secretary, who had informed the police that Dinesh had scheduled a meeting with former cricket commentator Brian Thomas on the day Schaffter was killed. Meanwhile, police said that statements had been recorded from over 50 people over Schaffter's murder. It was earlier reported that the secretary of Dinesh Schaffter had more..

Dec 23 (EN) Sri Lanka�s foreign employment minister called for action against tourist who are allegedly doing business on visit visas and competiting against locals. �These people with tourist�s visas are engaged in selling various goods to selling drugs as well,� SL�s state information office said quoting Foreign Employment Minister Manusha Nanayakkara. Complaints to police were not acted upon and about 19,000 families were in difficulties, as a result it was claimed. more..

Dec 23 (Island) National Shoora Council (NSC) has urged Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe to submit the draft amendments to the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act (MMDA) for the perusal of the Muslim civil society organisations including NSC prior to Cabinet approval. The following is the full text of the letter addressed to Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakse by NSC Prez T.K. Azoor: NSC wishes to welcome your initiatives to amend the MMDA, a matter pending for a considerable period of time. more..

Dec 23 (TM) Responding to the allegations by the TNA that a Tamil representative was not permitted to be nominated to the Constitutional Council (CC) by some MPs who had crossed over to the Opposition from the Govt, PHU Leader, and Opposition MP Udaya Gammanpila said that if a nomination is being made to the CC along racial lines, or on an ethnic basis, then the very objective of the CC being independent is destroyed. more..

Dec 23 (EN) President Ranil Wickremesinghe has allowed fertilizer to be imported on open account terms without first opening a letter of credit in the latest relaxation of regulations to boost food supplies. Nitrogen fertilizer including urea, ammonia, sodium fertilizer, super phosphate, potassium chloride, potassium sulphate and mixtures of fertilizer are allowed to be imported under open account terms. Open account imports of fertilizer will be allowed from December 21 to June 2023. more..

Dec 23 (TM) The Dept of Prisons stated that compared to previous years, the number of students in GCE O/L and A/L Grades who are imprisoned on charges of drug use has increased to 5,000 in 2021. Prisons Department Media Spokesman and Prisons Commissioner Chandana Ekanayake said: �The imprisonment of O/L and A/L students for drug-related offenses has increased in the recent past. The number of such students stood at 2,000 in 2015, but has increased to 5,000 in 2021. more..

Dec 23 (DM) Officials from SL Customs - Postal Valuation Division raided a stock of Kush cannabis and Methamphetamine pills worth more than Rs. 165 million packed inside toys and food cans today. Sudatta Silva, Customs media spokesman, stated that in recent weeks, seven suspicious parcels sent to SL via the postal service from Spain, Britain, Germany, Canada and the Netherlands were detained for further investigation by officials from SL Customs' postal assessment department. more..

Dec 23 (TM) Responding to a video that has been circulated on social media, SJB MP Sarath Fonseka said that there is an ongoing campaign that attempts to instill fear about born-again Christians among the majority Sinhala-Buddhist population of Sri Lanka. �There are certain religious cliques or sects called born-again, which is a denomination of Christianity, similar to sects such as Theravada and Mahayana in Buddhism. Similarly, within SL, there is the Malwathu chapter and Ramanna order, more..

Dec 23 (TM) It is reported to The Morning Sports that officials of many national sports associations are not willing to align with the new legal regulations stipulated by Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe through a new gazette. The gazette notification, dated 14 Dec 2022, included several changes in sporting regulations, which were expected to cause havoc within the national sports bodies. As expected, before a week passed since more..

Dec 23 (AD) A 39-year-old male, identified as Gihan Perera, was shot dead in Kotugoda, Seeduwa this morning, police reported. Accordingly, two individuals had arrived on a motorcycle at around 7 a.m. today and had opened fire at the suspect near a food stall in the area, as seen on a security camera installed near the location. The deceased had been fired at 11 times. Meanwhile, another female present at the location had also been wounded in the altercation and was taken to more..

Dec 23 (AD) Prez has issued a special gazette notification, amending the portfolios of 08 ministries. The amendments are effective from Thursday. As per the gazette, Multipurpose Development Task Force Department, which was under the purview of the Ministry of Defence, has been listed under the Ministry of Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils & Local Govt. Meanwhile, the Kidney Fund is now gazetted under the Ministry of Health after it was removed from portfolio more..

Dec 23 (TM) The release of 14 convicts imprisoned under the PTA on a Prez pardon by Independence Day on 4 Feb 2023, is presently under consideration. During a meeting held at the Presidential Secretariat on Wednesday between TNA Leader R. Sampanthan, TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran, and Govt representatives including Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe, PM Dinesh Gunawardena, Ministers Wijeyadasa more..

Dec 23 (Reuters) Priyantha Kumarasinghe starts his day in the small SL town of Maharagama with a breakfast of two biscuits and a small glass of tea, followed by a round of cancer medicines. 32-year-old vegetable farmer was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2021 and started receiving treatment earlier this year just as SL's economy went into free-fall. Amid crippling fuel scarcity and weeks of unrest, Kumarasinghe said he was unable to travel the 155 km between his home & main cancer hospital more..

Dec 23 (SCMP) Bankrupt SL�s 22 million people, already battling rampant food inflation and severe fuel and medicine shortages, are set for yet more misery as progress falters on a US$2.9 billion IMF bailout. Colombo reached an agreement with the IMF in September, subject to conditions such as tax reforms and changes to the way electricity is priced, to inject life back into an economy suffering its worst-ever crisis since independence and reeling from this year�s historic default. more..

Dec 24 (DM) Christmas is the grand feast of the wretched and marginalised of the Earth. Of course, the rich can also celebrate it but only in solidarity with the poor. The deepest and ultimate meaning of history stems from incarnation. History is a useless passion without incarnation. History is full of horror and terror without it. Incarnation incorporates history in its unfolding. Incarnation invests in history out of unconditional love, compassion & mercy. Incarnation investigates history out of clemency. more..

Dec 24 (DM) The classic festival of joy and peace has dawned again. With the fall of snow hovering over the northern hemisphere in the heart of the winter season and by contrast, torrid and warm weather prevailing in the southern hemisphere, Joy marks mankind as it celebrates the annual festival of Christmas and songs of peace ring out in all parts of the globe in one magnificent and incredible chorus of innumerable voices in harmony. Faces are brimming with smiles and streets are lit more..

Dec 24 (DM) TPA leader and Colombo District MP, Mano Ganesan received a telephone call from Ranil Wickremesinghe on 19 July 2022. It was a day before the Presidential election where the MPs were scheduled to vote and elect a new executive Prez to fill the vacancy created by Prez Rajapaksa�s resignation. Ranil Wickremesinghe who was the then PM and acting as the interim President was a candidate for Prez election. more..

Dec 24 (CT) A Journalist asked me: There seems to be a polarisation among you Tamil Politicians after the Prez invited you for discussions on the ethnic question. Some have condemned you Et tu Brute for attending the Conference. Do you think apart from dividing the Tamil politicians anything constructive will come out of this exercise? My response was: The division among Tamil Politicians is not a strange phenomena. Their keen intellect and selfish motivations keep them always divided. more..

Dec24 (Island) Three generations of Sri Lankan cricketers have total admiration for one of the finest fast bowlers to grace the game � Wasim Akram. The Sultan of Swing as he is fondly known came into the international scene when Roy Dias was at his prime while Kumar Sangakkara played during the twilight of the great man�s career. Aravinda de Silva bore the brunt of Wasim�s prime and all three generations have little doubt that Wasim was the toughest bowler they faced. more..

Dec 24 (CT) SL has fallen out of the frying pan into the fire. High cost of living due to inflation has affected the lives of people regardless of age, religion, colour, party, class and gender. Within a very short period, the cost of living has increased unbelievably. Everybody is in survival mode. A person cannot even afford to drink a milk tea to unwind, as prices have soared. Food items are too expensive and public transport fares more..

Dec 24 (CT) Soaring cost of living and deteriorating living standards have left us all in a hopeless state with celebrations and festivities being only a fantasy at the back of our minds. On this Christmas weekend, it is vital to reminisce of the joy that it brings not just to Christians celebrating but to all other communities in this country with rich ethnic and cultural diversity. The spirit of Christmas can usually be seen throughout the country with beautiful decorations, goodies, lights and many more. more..

Dec 24 (ST) I often used to tell my Economics classes that if we pose an economic question to anyone, they may all have an answer! It�s because Economics, though we study it as a subject, is an integral part of our life and lifestyles; therefore, anybody can have an answer. However, at least some of these answers are based on opinions and sentiments rather than principles and facts. For more than a year now, I have been involved more in SL�s crisis-related discussions and debates more..

Dec 24 (GV) On the northern coast of SL in the Mannar District is a place of extraordinary importance to conservation and to the economic wellbeing of the human populations who have lived off its bounty for centuries. Vidattaltivu (Wedithalathive) is an amazing complex of interconnected ecosystems; it drives every activity there and beyond. The ecosystems of Vidattaltivu � sea grasses, mangroves, mud flats and salt marshes � are all vital for the diversity of more..

Dec24 (ST) Taking urgent steps to conserve mountains for their rich biodiversity could not be delayed until new species are discovered, experts warned as they marked Int'l Mountain Day on Monday. �A team of SL researchers identified and named about ten endemic amphibian species in 2009, but sadly they have already become extinct,� Sabaragamuwa Uni senior lecturer Dr. Sadun Perera revealed. Moreover, Global Amphibian Assessment 2006 conclusively reported more..

Dec 24 (TM) SJB MP Mujibur Rahman said that the UDA had agreed to provide an as-yet-undecided number of houses for the Kajeemawatte residents by 10 Jan 2023. He further said, �at the moment, the officials assume that around 200 houses could be released. They said that the survey is not yet completed. According to the Kajeemawatte residents, they said that around 250 houses are needed. more..

Dec24 (FT) Aitken Spence Travels spirited up the cruise tourism with the arrival of Silver Spirit, a luxury cruise ship calling over to the port of Colombo yesterday. Under the ownership of the Lefebvre Family (Rome, Italy), Silver Spirit is operated by Silversea Cruises and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (RCCL). The local ground operations will be managed by Micato India & Aitken Spence Travels. Silver Spirit consists of 270 cabins and 412 crew members will be on board to serve more..

Dec 24 (DN) Toyota Lanka Pte Ltd, the national distributor of Toyota products commemorated the 70 years of Japan � SL diplomatic relations by ceremoniously inaugurating the state of the art fulfillment facility in Mahara on 14th Dec, 2022. Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe graced the occasion as the chief guest. The presence of the Japanese Ambassador to SL Mizukoshi Hideaki further made the event memorable. Senior representatives of Toyota Tsusho Corporation, more..

Dec 24 (FT) Colombo stock market lacked festive cheer this week as it closed with a loss of over 4% though feasted high net foreign inflow. ASPI declined 359.55 pts (-4.11%) while the S&P SL20 lost 172.01 pts (-6.15%). Turnover averaged Rs. 2.6 billion, improving slightly from Rs. 2.3 billion averaged last week. A net foreign inflow of Rs. 5.8 billion was recorded for the week (previous week Rs. 3.2 billion). So far in December net foreign inflow was Rs. 12.8 billion whilst the year to date more..

Dec 24 (TM) The World Bank stated that the existing model of debt restructuring is outdated and needs to change as the efforts to deal with mounting debts have proven to be too slow in countries such as Zambia, SL, and Ghana. World Bank Chief Economist Indermit Gill said that the existing framework for dealing with unsustainable debt burdens is no longer fit for the purpose and needs to change. �We are applying a restructuring model that was devised for another time,� he said, more..

Dec 24 (DN) Jaffna Kings led by Thisara Perera recorded a 2-wicket win with 4 balls to spare over Colombo Stars in the final to win the third successive LPL title at the R. Premadasa yesterday. It was a thrilling final while a crowd of over 20,000 got their money's worth last night with the majority of them supporting for Colombo side led by Angelo Mathews. Colombo Stars did a few mistakes, especially when they used Seekkuge more..

Dec 24 (Island) Hope is said to spring eternal. It is the fervent hope of every Sri Lankan that the promised IMF assistance will be a reality soon. The Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa govt is as optimistic as the proverbial penniless man who walked into a restaurant and ordered oysters for dinner, hoping to settle the bill with the pearls he hoped to find on his plate. It says the IMF funds will be available early next year, and the situation will begin to improve thereafter. more..

Dec 24 (TM) Sri Lanka Tourism is looking forward to attracting more tourists from India to the country in the upcoming year. SLTDA Chairman Priantha Fernando stated: �In 2023, the main tourist target market will be India for sure, because that has potential for outbound tourists.� Fernando said that SL has to capitalise on the Indian market for tourism, while the same applies to the market in Russia, which has also been identified as a potential market for Sri Lanka. more..

Dec 24 (TM) TPA noted that they welcome the Cabinet paper proposed by Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe, which was approved by the Cabinet and seeks to uplift the living standards of the Tamil community in plantations, marking the 200-year anniversary of the community�s arrival in SL. SJB MP Mano Ganesan said that his party welcomes the decision, noting, however, that this is just the beginning and not the conclusion. more..