Jan 1 (TM) The year 2024 dawns as SL faces a myriad of unprecedented challenges, for the first time, a wide segment of the population aware of the risks and seriousness of the situation our island nation faces. Risks and strife, while SL has a disproportionate share of it, is not limited to our island. The world itself dithers possible full blown out nation vs. nation conflicts, in the Middle East, Red Sea, in Eastern Europe, while heightening tensions in the South China Sea more..

Jan 1 (CT) �Good governance never depends upon laws, but upon the personal qualities of those who govern. The machinery of govt is always subordinate to the will of those who administer that machinery. The most important element of govt, therefore, is the method of choosing leaders�. 2024 is going to be a year of elections, but how many and in what order are uncertain although Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe (RW) would prefer his position to be legitimized first. This is why there is a frenzy of meetings more..

Jan 1 (CT) Ousted SLFP General Secretary, MP Dayasiri Jayasekara, who expressed his willingness to contest the forthcoming Presidential Election, if the majority of his party consents, believes he has all the essence to take the reins of the country, as being a �cake that was baked at home�, not being a racist, not betraying people�s franchise by crossing over for perks and being well-grounded and level-headed citizen of this country. more..

Jan 1 (ST) My dear Sajith, I am writing to you as you prepare for a year in which an election which can make you or break you will be held. The reason I am writing to you now is because we hear that you are planning to form an alliance with Dullas, GL and their crowd who call themselves the Nidahasa or Freedom group. We know that elections are all about forming alliances when they are the best option and breaking away from alliances when you have to. Looking back, the decision you took more..

Jan 1 (GV) In 2023 Sri Lanka was struggling to come out of the economic meltdown with aid from the IMF, which required many austerity measures that impacted severely much of the population. People had less to eat and child malnutrition was on the rise while parents found it difficult to send children to school due to economic pressures. The year saw the 75th anniversary of independence, 40 years after Black July and 200 years since the arrival of the Malaigaya Tamil community. more..

Jan 1 (TM) To say that last year (2023) was turbulent would be an understatement. We have had various indicators throughout the year or positives and negatives. The economy seems to be back on track. SL has got the promised funding from the IMF and the creditors. The reforms seem to be on track. And tourism has had a good year. But, exports had a mixed year. The brain drain has been unstoppable. And, Budget 2024 brought some massive surprises in terms of revenue collection. more..

Jan 1 (SO) In an interview, Director General of the Colombo National Museum Sanuja Kasthuriarachchi details the historical importance of the Kandyan Era objects recently returned by the Netherlands after extensive negotiations and studies, with an open invitation for all Sri Lankans to visit the Museum and see the precious objects. Q: What does the return of the valuable artefacts from the Netherlands signify for Sri Lanka in terms of cultural heritage and its global significance? more..

Jan 1 (FT) There have been several articles and views expressed by various influential personalities with regard to the execution of Parate Action and the impediments faced by borrowers mainly those involved in MSME (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) inclusive of many start-ups when such an action is enforced. It has been reported several MSMEs and connected stakeholders have appealed to the authorities to consider the suspension of parate action by banks. more..

Jan 1 (Island) We wish we could strike a positive note today, but to do so would be to ignore the harsh socio-economic reality, and even insult the intelligence of the public. All, however, is not lost, and no one should give up hope; there is room for some optimism. Hope is said to spring eternal. Time was when Sri Lankans would welcome the dawn of New Year, brimming with joy and hope, but today there is no air of gaiety; they have rung in 2024 with trepidation and despair. more..

Jan 1 (DM) We, Lankans, it is often claimed, have very short memories. Just over a year-and-a-half ago almost every Lankan took to the streets and created conditions which forced the then PM and Prez to resign. A few days ago, the self-same ex-premier claimed he felt confident he, his party, his siblings and progeny would emerge victorious at the hustings. This is despite being accused of bankrupting the country and being found guilty of the offence by the courts of law in this country! more..

Jan 1 (FT) A new Value Added Tax (VAT) regime will come into force from today amid widespread criticism from the public and Opposition political parties, and concern by almost all key economic sectors. The rate of VAT on existing applicable goods and services will increase by 20% from 15% to 18% while a larger number of new items including fuel, gas, chemical fertiliser, telecomm, milk, poultry, etc will for the first time be subject to VAT and that too at record high of 18%. more..

Jan 1 (DM) Starting the New Year on a positive note is the commendable achievement of CB Governor, Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe over the past eighteen months that have been praised by former CB Governor Dr. Indrajith Coomaraswamy, who is a distinguished former Governor in the caliber of John Exter [1951-53], the first to hold this important position. Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe has highlighted at a media briefing that the ongoing IMF program, initiated last September involves continual renegotiation more..

Jan 1 (DN) The Ananda College Junior Swimming Team secured the Junior National Title at the SL Swimming Short Course Swimming National Championship, which concluded on Saturday night at the Hillwood College Swimming Pool in Kandy. Led by the outstanding performance of record-breaker Mihith Ekneligoda, the Anandians emerged victorious, outshining favorites and last year�s champions, St Joseph�s College Colombo. Ananda College accumulated an impressive 195 points, leaving St Joseph�s with 147 points, more..

Jan 1 (DN) Ananda College Junior Swimming Team secured the Junior National Title at the SL Swimming Short Course Swimming National Championship, which concluded on Saturday night at the Hillwood College Swimming Pool in Kandy. Led by the outstanding performance of record-breaker Mihith Ekneligoda, the Anandians emerged victorious, outshining favorites and last year�s champions, St Joseph�s College Colombo. Ananda College accumulated an impressive 195 points, leaving St Joseph�s with 147 points, more..

Jan 1 (DN) Former National Table Tennis captain and 3 times National champion Rohan Sirisena created history when he became the first SL paddler to take a silver medal at the recently concluded US open Table Tennis Championship held in Ontario Convention Centre California. Rohan Sirisena now based in USA as a TT coach had chance to take part in US open over 40 men�s singles and entered the final and won the silver medal after winning four setter game against Guo Hui Lu 11/9, 8/11,4/11,9/11 more..

Jan 1 (ST) The new cricket selection committee led by Upul Tharanga has recalled off-spinner Akila Dananjaya to white-ball cricket�two years after the 30-year-old last represented SL�while veteran batter Angelo Mathews has been brought back to the T20 side in the preliminary squads announced for the forthcoming home series against Zimbabwe. Dananjaya, who represents Colts, has been impressive in spin-friendly conditions as he currently leads the bowling charts more..

Jan 1 (DN) Killer Whale Aquatics (KWA) dominated the SL National Short Course Swimming Championship held at Hillwood College Swimming Pool in Kandy. Despite the challenging rainy weather, KWA�s swimming team, coached by Manoj Abeysinghe, achieved an outstanding feat by retaining both the men�s and women�s Senior National titles. KWA 11-member men�s team left a remarkable imprint by accumulating an impressive 424 points, surpassing the Maldives Swimming Association (107 points) and SL Army (103 points). more..

Jan 1 (FT) SL�s Export Development Board (EDB) completed a comprehensive six-week export coaching program aimed at assisting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with an export potential, registered under EDB New Exporter Development Program (NEDP) to develop their Export Marketing Plans as the first step in their journey towards becoming export-ready. NEDP implemented by the SL Export Development Board is aimed at developing export potential of SMEs� to enter export markets. more..

Jan 1 (DM) With the imposition of the new VAT from today, CPC has decided to revise its fuel prices with effect from this morning. Accordingly, a litre of Petrol 92 Octane (Rs. 346) has been increased by Rs. 20, and its new retail price will be Rs. 366. A litre of Petrol 95 Octane Euro 4 (Rs. 426) has been increased by Rs. 38, and its new retail price will be Rs. 464. A litre of Auto Diesel (Rs. 329) has been increased by Rs. 29, and its new retail price will be Rs. 358. more..

Jan 1 (FT) Dept of Inland Revenue Commissioner A.M. Nafeer revealed a sharp rise in tax files in 2023. He said last year 73,444 companies were registered whilst during the first 11 months of 2023 the figure was 81,909. For individuals, the count rose from 204,467 in 2022 to 500,196 by the end of November this year. Joint ventures also saw an increase from 13,776 to 15,579. Income tax registrations surged from 41,636 to 242,679, while VAT registrations rose from 10,604 to 13,546. more..

Jan 1 (FT) Business leader turned SLPP National List MP and Presidential hopeful Dhammika Perera has commenced a series of discussions with political parties in Parliament representing the Tamil and Muslim communities. Perera recently confirmed the reports and said he has held discussions with the leaders of two Tamil political parties and one Muslim political party regarding the upcoming Presidential election. He has chosen not to divulge further details and simply said more..

Jan 1 (Island) Officials of the Central Bank have to grapple with growth versus inflation dynamics to determine SL�s economic future in another challenging New Year which has just begun. In addition to that they have found another unenviable task in encountering vociferous opponents of the banking system�s parate execution which is apparently being enforced as a last resort. This was evident during the Q& A session the media had with CB Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe more..

Jan 1 (DN) Licensed Finance Companies (LFCs) encountered a challenging year marked by significant shifts in their traditional business models. The year witnessed a remarkable contraction in the LFCs� loans and advances portfolio, registering a 5.6% year-over-year decline to stand at Rs. 1.1 trillion at the end of Q3. This downturn starkly contrasts the 14.5% growth observed in the corresponding period of 2022. A mix of stringent vehicle import restrictions and adverse macroeconomic conditions more..

Jan 1 (EN) SL�s central bank has won the go ahead from political authorities to generate inflation up to 7% though an agreement signed with Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe as Finance Minister under a new monetary law. The inflation target has been set with the Minister of Finance under a new Monetary Law that has allowed explicit macro-economic policy involving targeting potential output (printing money for growth). �The Central Bank of SL Shall aim to maintain more..

Jan 1 (AD) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe urged everyone to commit to rebuilding the nation, inthe spirit of the newly dawned year, because fulfilling this collective responsibility lies in the hands of each and every one. In his New Year message, he stated that we find ourselves facing both challenges and the prospect of revitalizing the beloved nation, as we step into the year 2024. While each of us holds myriad personal aspirations, the realization of these goals is intrinsically tied to more..

Jan 1 (EN) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe has Minister of Finance has removed a border tax called the Ports and Airport Levy from imported diesel, petrol, liquefied petroleum gas and chemical fertilizer, according to a gazette notice. Sri Lanka is bringing more items under value added tax from January 1, 2024, as part of reforms to boost the tax system. With value added taxes being charged on fuel, petrol, diesel and LPG prices were hiked from Jan 1. The PAL is being lifted from January 01. more..

Jan 1 (AD) SLFP MP Shan Wijayalal de Silva has decided to support the SJB, says SJB National Organiser Tissa Attanayake. Meanwhile, he has also been appointed as the SJB�s chief organiser for the Ambalangoda electorate. Wijayalal received his party membership and letter of appointment from SJB leader and Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa this morning (01). A senior member of the SLFP, he was elected as a MP during the last general election representing SLPP. more..

Jan 1 (EN) Sri Lanka has ended 2023 with 12-month consumer prices to December rising 4%, according to the most widely watched Colomb Consumer Price Index, with prices rising 0.9% in the month. Since the effects of the central bank�s inflationary policy ended in Sept 2022, leading to a balance of payments surplus prices have only risen 3% with the index (re-based) growing from 189.3 points to 195.1 points to December. The lower price rises were helped by currency appreciation in March more..

Jan 1 (FT) SL�s tourism industry has achieved a robust revival in 2023, marking a significant milestone by registering the highest influx of visitors to SL since 2019. With almost 1.5 million visitors, the country has made significant strides amid consecutive challenges during the past four years. This resurgence in visitor numbers reflects a positive trajectory for Sri Lanka�s tourism industry, showcasing its resilience and recovery more..

Jan 1 (Reuters) The world welcomed 2024 with a mix of celebration and sombre reflection. Sydney sparkled under a shower of silver and gold fireworks commemorating the 50th anniversary of its iconic Opera House, while the mood in Gaza remained bleak, with residents more concerned with survival. In Europe, Denmark's Queen Margrethe II announced her abdication after over half a century on the throne. Here's how places and people around the world bid farewell to 2023 and more..

Jan 1 (AD) A gazette notification has been issued by the Finance Ministry increasing the Excise Duty on Liquor with effect from today (1). Accordingly, the excise duty on Special Arrack has been increased by Rs. 840 per litre and the excise duty on Palmyrah, Coconut and processed Arrack has been increased by Rs. 900 per litre of alcohol. The prices of liquor is thereby expected to be increased with effect from today (1), following the increase in Excise Duty and the increase of VAT to 18%. more..

Jan 1 (Island) Rebel JB lawmaker Champika Ranawaka denied speculative media reports pertaining to him being the presidential candidate of the ruling Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa alliance. In a hastily issued statement over the weekend, the leader of the Eksath Janaraja Peramuna (EJP) emphasised that there was absolutely no basis for such claims.The next prez election is scheduled to be held later this yr. more..

Jan 1 (FT) This column has now completed 13 long years. Since January 2011, it appeared practically every Monday analysing a topic of interest to readers without failure. The tagline Economics Matters meant that that the subject of economics is relevant to every matter and hence, every issue could be looked through the eyes of an economist. Hence, the topics covered included not only those in pure economics, but also those relating to political economy and literature. more..

Jan 1 (CT) Upul Chandana is set to be named fielding coach of the SL team for the upcoming ODI and T20 series against Zimbabwe. Chandana will replace Anton Roux who served in the same capacity for a period of almost 18 months. Chandana, a brilliant fielder and all-rounder, represented SL in 16 Tests and 147 ODIs, and was also a member of SL�s 1996 World Cup winning squad. Jaffna Kings head coach Thilina Kandamby will serve as the batting coach for the national more..

Jan 1 (TM) Voters� registration for 2024 is to commence today (1 Jan 2024) despite initially being planned for 1 Feb, the Elections Commission (EC) said yesterday (31 Dec). EC Chairman R.M.A.L. Rathnayake said that the relevant process had to be expedited in view of the upcoming Presidential Election. �It is the voter registration for 2024 that we consider for the Prez Election. As per the Constitution, the Prez Election should be held before 16 Oct 2024. more..