Dec 3 (DM) The Colombo High Court has issued an open warrant for the arrest of former Galle Magistrate D.S. Merinchiarachchi for not appearing in court after she was found guilty of committing offences in 2000 while serving as the Galle Magistrate. The Colombo High had imposed five years of rigorous imprisonment on the former Galle Magistrate for committing offences under Public Property Act. The Attorney General had filed an indictment against the former Magistrate more..

Dec 3 (ST) Amid complaints that the budget has not offered relief to the estate workers, their daily wage issue is yet to be resolved. Beside, the fertiliser crisis, the unbearable cost of living, and malnutrition are also impacting them. Leading trade unions are calling for solutions. The Nuwara Eliya District has the highest rate of malnutrition in the country. Representatives of the estate community told the Sunday Timesthat the Govt should provide relief. Lawmaker, Jeevan Thondaman, more..

Dec 3 (ST) Of 15 samples tested for monkeypox in the past three months, only two have been positive, a Medical Virologist told the Sunday Times this week. Consultant Medical Virologist Dr. Jude Jayamaha of the Medical Research Institute (MRI), Colombo, said that a majority of the suspect samples were from the Western Province. They had been sent from healthcare settings including the National STD/AIDS Campaign, Colombo, and the IDH, Angoda. more..

Dec 3 (Island) GMOA asked the govt to explain its continuing failure to recover as much as Rs 773 bn in taxes, penalties and interest against the backdrop of unprecedented new tax hikes to bridge the record deficit. GMOA Secretary Dr. Haritha Aluthge said that the disclosure made by the COPA on Nov 28 exposed the overall effect of the failure by parliament to meet its obligations pertaining to public finance. more..

Dec 3 (DM) Tourist arrivals to the country saw a significant increase in the month of November, with the number of int'l visitors entering the country growing by 42% from October. In November, SL welcomed a total of 59,759 tourists. Numbers recorded for the 11th month show the island nation has lured a total of 628,017 tourists for the year 2022 so far. The daily arrival average for the month of November is 1,991, a significant improvement from 1,355 daily arrival average recorded more..

Dec 3 (DM) The French Development Agency (AFD) signed a grant agreement worth 450,000 euros with the CEB and Electricit� de France (French electric utility) to support the increasing share of intermittent renewable energies in SL�s energy mix. The agreement was signed by AFD Country Director Reda Souirgi, CEB Chairman Nalinda Illangakoon and EDF Centre for Transportation Systems Engineering representatives in the presence of Ambassador of France Jean-Fran�ois Pactet. more..

Dec 3 (DM) Former Prez Mahinda Rajapaksa had used 43% of the total expenditure of the Presidential allocation for his personal staff while former Prez Maithipala Sirisena has used 57%, according to accounts released by the office. "Former Prez Mahinda Rajapaksa had deployed a personal staff of 2,578 from 2010 to 2014 at a cost of more than Rs. 630 million and former Prez Sirisena had a personal staff of 1,317 more..

Dec 4 (SO) Presenting a Budget is not an easy task at any time, but this year it proved to be a particularly gruelling task given the country�s precarious economic situation which actually led to the ouster of a Prez. One does not have to be a genius to comprehend that Sri Lankans will have to undergo some painful reforms before the economy can be turned around. This cannot be done overnight as our overall foreign debt exceeds US$ 51 b, with almost no foreign reserves to more..

Dec 4 (CT) The Island editorial on Thursday wondered whether the current debate in parliament is on Budget (2023) or Buddhism. What is beyond wondering is that there is no mention of the country�s economy in the ongoing committee stage debate after the very comfortable passage of the vote on the Second Reading of the 2023 Budget. The Prez is adding fiery spices to the debate by his frequent participation in the debate and dropping baits all around for his detractors to pick up & run more..

Dec 4 (TM) �We will not leave the SLFP for any reason. Even if they remove us, we will not leave. Even if we are beaten and chased away, we will not leave. Doing our duty by the SLFP is our responsibility,� asserted SLFP National Organiser MP Duminda Dissanayake. Despite being tipped to join the Govt, Dissanayake emphasised that he would not join the UNP for any reason, recalling how in the run-up to election of Yahapalana govt, more..

Dec 4 (TM) And, may we add, accountability. Put in the simplest way, if our leadership is sincere about turning the bankrupt economy around, it must first and foremost plug the leaks running into trillions of rupees, because one cannot fill a leaking bucket no matter how much you try, without first plugging the holes. In this case, plugging the leaks is all about fighting corruption, introducing transparency, and ensuring accountability � three of the main causes of this debilitating crisis. more..

Dec 4 (TM) Ranil Wickremesinghe�s elevation, appointment, and election as PM and then Prez was a shrewd, short-term political manoeuvre by the Pohottuwa (SLPP) brain trust and yet, in the fifth month of his presidency, the landscape of the SLPP has changed dramatically following Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa�s departure. In this new landscape, the Pohottuwa majority in Parliament is now further divided in perspective on Ranil Wickremesinghe�s economic policy doctrines while much of more..

Dec 4 (TM) Certain reforms and policies that are currently being implemented and those that are due to be implemented in the context of the current economic crisis, such as tax hikes, the appropriate depreciation of the local currency and interest rate hikes, should not be viewed as IMF policies merely because the IMF is supporting them. In reality, these are much-needed reforms which Sri Lanka should implement regardless, more..

Dec 4 (SO) SL cricketers Dhanushka Gunathilaka and Chamika Karunaratne outsmarted each other in off-field jaunts and frolics that they were able to take their private passions to an outrageous level by outplaying a World Cup occasion that jeopardized and brought their entire team into disrepute. So much so that even the govt in a desperate move has now decided to step in and launch its own probe apparently less pleased with the investigation conducted by SLC the outcome of which more..

Dec 4 (Island) Rajan Philips who brightens this page with his incisive and perceptive commentary has today called Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe a parliamentary president. RW, particularly during the ongoing budget debate, has indeed demonstrated this description to be most appropriate. He is a frequent presence in the parliamentary chamber, more so than any of his predecessors. As far as the budget debate goes, the fact that he wears the finance minister�s hat as did 2 other prez more..

Dec 4 (TM) Cricket has always been a sensitive topic in the island. It is not only the most popular sport in the country, but also the wealthiest. As a result, a cloud of controversy always looms over the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) administration and the players. However, since the conclusion of the T20 World Cup in Australia, SLC has been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. Is there any truth to these allegations? Can there be smoke without fire? more..

Dec 4 (ST) The controversy over alleged moves to delay local council elections continues to surface during the committee stage debate of Budget 2023. Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe has been in the habit of turning up in Parliament regularly to participate in the Budget debate. He was in Parliament this week as well, though not on Friday when NPP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake raised issue regarding the requirement to have new local councils in place before March 20 next year. more..

Dec 4 (ST) The Public Administration Ministry has revoked two circulars issued in 2019 and 2022 on the attire of State sector employees, following the controversy over some teachers reporting to work in casual clothing. This means the attire of State sector employees is now governed by a public administration circular issued in 1989. On Thursday, SJB MP Rohini Kumari Wijerathna related an anecdote in Parliament on how this circular more..

Dec 4 (ST) My dear Uncle Ranil, I wrote to you last only a few weeks ago, but I feel I must write to you again because you have been in the news so much recently doing what we least expected you to do, attending Parliament regularly during the Budget debate when you don�t have to, and then trying to teach us about Buddhism. After spending most of your adult life � 45 years to be exact, except for a few months after the last general election � in Parliament, you must be missing your days more..

Dec 4 (ST) For a brief moment this week, one felt that at long last there was once again a coming together of minds between former Prez Maithripala Sirisena and incumbent Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe when the former called for the reactivation of the District Development Councils (DDCs) and the latter agreed. But the rider from the latter came later. In Parliament, former Prez argued that the Provincial Councils need to be revamped. He said such a move would negate the colossal expenditure more..

Dec 4 (TM) SL Society of Rugby Football Referees (SLSRFR) has issued a letter of demand to Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR) calling for the settlement of arrears of almost Rs. 7 million � dating back to 2017 through 2020 � prior to the commencement of the 2022/�23 season. The letter, a copy of which The Sunday Morning Sports has in its possession, notes that the referees will not take the field during the upcoming matches scheduled for next weekend in the event the payments are not made. more..

Dec 4 (ST) Alex Marshall, the head of the ICC�s Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) will arrive shortly in the island to investigate allegations of match-fixing made in SL�s parliament. Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) extended an invitation to the ACU head after an opposition MP questioned the outcome of the first Test between SL and Pakistan in July. Pakistan chased down a target of 342 in the fourth innings to go 1-0 up in the two match series. �He will arrive here shortly,� confirmed SLC Secretary Mohan de Silva but more..

Dec 4 (ST) SLC recently-concluded inquiry into the alleged misconduct of all-rounder Chamika Karunaratne during the World T20 tournament has been exposed as a farce, as significantly more damning claims than it found have surfaced in a leaked report of Chief Selector Pramodya Wickremasinghe. A 3-member committee appointed by SLC fined Karunaratne US$ 5,000 and handed out a suspended one-year sentence after more..

Dec 4 (SO) SriLankan Catering, a fully-owned subsidiary of SriLankan Airlines, is the major contributor to Airlines� coffers accounting for nearly 30% of its bottom line. Taken as a separate entity it makes good profits. �The catering arm provides over 25,000 in-flight meals per day for SriLankan and other airlines that fly to the BIA and MRIA,� CEO of SriLankan Catering, Mangala Wijesekera said. These include globally renowned airlines such as Emirates, Qatar Airways, Malaysian Airlines, more..

Dec 4 (SO) State Minister of Higher Education Dr. Suren Raghavan said that the Govt will set up branches of five internationally recognised South Asian (SA) universities in SL in the next three years. Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe, during the Committee Stage debate on the Education Ministry in Parliament, said that US$ 3 billion goes out of SL annually to other countries because SL students go abroad for higher education. Prez said that by setting up foreign uni branches in SL, more..

Dec 4 (ST) The third edition of the � Lanka Premier League (LPL) � is all set to take off on Tuesday in Hambantota without Sports Ministry approval. This approval saga was stirred after Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe, recently raised at the parliament exposing LPL was not granted the green light for yesteryear�s edition. He told Parliament that neither the Sports Ministry nor he as the Sports Minister has seen the agreement. more..

Dec 4 (EN) A decision on whether to spin-off subsidiaries of SriLankan Airlines and sell them separately or privatize the entire entity as a single entity would be made soon by a committee, Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva said. SriLankan Airlines official had been summoned to the committee earlier this week. Ministry of Aviation first proposed that 49% of catering unit, 49% of ground-handling � which had given over to SriLankan � be sold to settle debt. Then 49% of SriLankan be sold. more..

Dec 4 (ST) Sri Lanka is losing billions of dollars of much needed foreign exchange as a result of hoarding in earnings overseas by exporters without repatriating it, going against the directive of the Central Bank (CB). According to a report compiled by an official think-tank tracing illicit financial flows, corruption and illicit trade, Sri Lanka has lost a staggering $53.5 billion during the past 12 years following this practice of parking money overseas. CB says that exporters are more..

Dec 4 (TM) Plans of the EDB to target around $ 20 billion in export earnings in 2023 have to now be revisited due to negative global developments affecting int'l trade. EDB Chairman Suresh de Mel stated that the board was yet to calculate the achievable target for next year as the global situation did not appear to be conducive to their previous goal. �We are still working on the export target. We have to take into account the developments in the European zone & US. more..

Dec 4 (AD) US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, during a meeting with Sri Lankan foreign minister Ali Sabry, has discussed the joint efforts of the two countries to combat local and global challenges. The meeting took place on Friday (2) at the Dept of State in the US capital, Washington DC. As Sri Lanka and the US are nearing 75 years of bilateral relations, Blinken, taking to his Twitter account, thanked Sri Lankans for their partnership and commitment to advancing shared democratic principles. more..

Dec 4 (TM) Govt is evaluating options to move ahead with the controversial $ 250 million worth power deal with the US energy company New Fortress Energy Inc (NFE), which was discussed at a special meeting held last week under the patronage of Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe and Treasury Secretary Mahinda Siriwardana. It is understood that the Govt is keen to move forward with the controversial project with the aim more..

Dec 4 (ST) Govt has gazetted regulations to fully permit the registration of offshore companies in the Colombo Port City but the promulgation of a framework allowing incentives and exemptions to businesses of strategic importance is still overdue. The enactment of enabling legislation to allow for widespread activities within the Port City continues to lag, the sources pointed out. For instance, guidelines for businesses to obtain operating licences were first published in late Sept. more..

Dec 4 (EN) State sector medical practitioners who are leaving their jobs without officially informing the Health Ministry cannot be blacklisted as stated by the Health Minister, but if they have received foreign training under a bond, they will have to pay the money spent on their training, a top health ministry official said. On Tuesday, Minister Keheliya Rambukuwela told the parliament that doctors have been given the permission to fly abroad but since they are considered administrative staff more..

Dec 4 (AD) A testicle trafficking racket has been uncovered at the private hospital in Borella where Ada Derana recently exposed a kidney trading racket was being carried out. Further investigations into this incident uncovered the said testicle trafficking business that was also being operated at the hospital. The illegal operation is believed to be run by a broker by the alias of Bhai who initially convinced people, faced with various difficulties, to sell their kidneys and later offered more..

Dec 4 (AD) Transferring ownership of official vehicles to retired officers of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) has been discontinued with immediate effect, the Ministry of Finance, Economic Stability & National Policies says. The decision was taken after the COPE raised queries about the transferring of ownership of official vehicles to the officers of SOEs at the time of their retirement and on the different internal policies which have been adopted by some of the SOEs including state banks. more..