Jan 7 (PMD) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe underscored the significance of religious harmony for economic development. He expressed his intention to expedite the development program aimed at restoring the revenues lost during the war in the North back to the region, highlighting the substantial role that religious leaders can play. Prez Wickremesinghe made these remarks during a meeting with all religious leaders of the Northern Province at the Jaffna District Secretariat more..

Jan 7 (CI) Charith Asalanka's dazzling century and Dilshan Madushanka's double-wicket maiden had given Sri Lanka the advantage over Zimbabwe after 54 overs of cricket, but persistent evening rain in Colombo meant the first ODI ended without a result. Rain threatened through the afternoon, finally arriving four overs into the chase. At the time, Zimbabwe, chasing 274 for victory, were reeling at 12 for 2 after more..

Jan 7 (TM) The championship was held in-person at the Trace Expert City, where over 1,300 participants from over 75 universities took part. Commercial Bank was the Banking Partner alongside ViewSonic Gaming as the Official Gaming Monitor for the event. SLIIT claimed victory with a remarkable haul of three Gold, four Silver, and three Bronze medals, while UCL stood at a close second, showcasing strong competition with two Gold, one Silver, and four Bronze medals. more..

Jan 7 (Island) Cinnamon Air, Sri Lanka�s premier domestic airline, last week announced what it called �a decade of unwavering commitment to excellence and innovation in the aviation industry.� �Established in 2013, Cinnamon Air has become a pivotal force in SL�s tourism sector, contributing significantly to the nation�s reputation as a premier tourist destination,� the owners said. �Cinnamon Air stands unique as the sole domestic airline with a dedicated passenger terminal and more..

Jan 7 (Island) Following SL�s embarrassing exit in the ICC Cricket World Cup, where they finished ninth and suffered first ever losses to Afghanistan and Bangladesh and missed out on the Champions Trophy, you expected many changes to be made. However, barring the selectors nobody has been held accountable for the horrible show. Selectors also would have survived if SLC had the authority to retain them. However, appointment of selectors is with the Sports Minister Harin Fernando more..

Jan 7 (DM) Four SL cricketers joined with the SL Police after representing the Police Cricket Club since last year. Accordingly, Kusal Janith Perera and Chamara Silva have taken on roles as Chief Police Inspectors, while Ashen Bandara and Nuwan Pradeep have joined as Police Inspectors. The players represent SL Police Cricket team which achieved joint champion status in the recently concluded SLC first-class competition. Minister Tiran Alles presents official appointment letters more..

Jan 7 (TM) National carrier SriLankan Airlines is in dire need of expanding its Airbus fleet to avoid flight delays, a top SriLankan Airlines official said. The daily operations of the airline were currently being conducted by only around 17 Airbus aircraft, resulting in several flight delays being recorded each month. The airline must have a minimum of 24 aircraft to ensure smooth operations without delays. more..

Jan 7 (DM) IMF would evaluate SL�s economic progress next week, with a team of officials expected to arrive in the country, State Minister Shehan Semasinghe said. A team from the IMF would be in Colombo and would engage in technical meetings. Team will also meet with Prez. The visit will be the first for the year 2024. While unsure of the duration of their stay in the country, Semasinghe shared that the team would evaluate the progress made thus far in the IMF-backed reform programme. more..

Jan 7 (CT) A recent report from the National Audit Office sheds light on concerning conditions at the Dehiwala Zoological Gardens, revealing that 15 animals live alone in their enclosures, 35 female animals and 21 male animals are living without partners. Tragic case of a female Japanese Macaque, who had lived alone for approximately 15 years at the Dehiwala Zoo, came to a sad end on 9 March 2022. Post-mortem revealed that the animal�s depression contributed to the exacerbation of more..

Jan 7 (TM) Despite the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) having come under intense scrutiny, with approximately 124 patients in various hospitals across the country falling victim to substandard imported medicines last year, no manufacturer has been blacklisted yet, NMRA Chairman Dr. Ananda Wijewickrama reveals. As per statistics revealed by the GMOA, the yearly average of such quality failures was more..

Jan 7 (EN) Sri Lanka�s remittances coming through official channels went up to 57% to $5.97 billion in 2023, from $3.8 billion a a year earlier, helped by improved exchange rate after better monetary policy. The last year�s remittances recorded the highest annual inflows from the SL expatriates since 2019. In December, Sri Lanka received $569.7 million from official channels, up 19.7% from $475.6 million in the same month a year earlier. SL�s external sector started to stabilize in Sept 2022, more..

Jan 7 (AD) Bar Association of SL (BASL) has raised alarm about what it said was a rise in arbitrary arrests and criminal activity. �Our legal system provides for investigation, inquiry, trial, and punishment by proper authorities which is the base of democracy and the Rule of Law, and, the credibility and transparency of such process, must be diligently and fiercely preserved.� BASL�s Executive Committee firmly condemned the regrettable shooting incident that more..

Jan 7 (SO) The Govt is set to partially relax the vehicle import ban that has been in place since 2020, says First Capital Research. �With this move, the govt is planning to lift restrictions placed on small cars with engine capacity of 1,000CC and 1,300CC.� The move to relax small vehicle imports come in the wake of limited revenue collection by SL customs (approximately falling short by RS. 300.0 bn � RS. 450.0 bn), on the backdrop of stringent revenue targets set by the IMF. more..

Jan 7 (Island) Former President Chandrika Kumaratunga has given her consent to join the SLFP again, party sources said. She gave her consent to re-join the party when several SLFP stalwarts met her last week, party sources said. Signifying her rejoining, the former President is scheduled to attend SWRD Bandaranaike commemoration scheduled to be held at the Bandaranaike statue in Galle Face tomorrow (8), party sources said. more..

Jan 7 (TM) The Lawyers� Collective, a prominent legal advocacy group in SL, is preparing to write to the Attorney General (AG) and the Central Bank Governor regarding the ongoing economic crisis and outline steps to recover the incurred losses. Upul Jayasuriya, PC, a member of the group, emphasised that the court had clearly identified the reasons for the economic crash, naming officials who had supported more..

Jan 7 (Island) National Medicines Regulatory Authority has called on the President of the Govt Medical Officers� Forum (GMOF), Dr. Rukshan Bellana, to submit to the CID any information he may have regarding an alleged rape that reportedly occurred on the NMRA premises, as mentioned by him during a recent press conference. Dr. Ananda Wijewickrama, Chairman of NMRA, in a statement said that Dr. Bellana stated during the aforementioned press conference that more..

Jan 7 (DH) Pongal, the harvest festival celebrated by Tamils across the globe, came a week early this year for the people of SL�s Eastern Province, which scripted history on Saturday by organising the first-ever Jallikattu, a bull taming sport, outside Tamil Nadu. The event, which was organised by Eastern Province Governor Senthil Tondaman and the Tourism Bureau, saw the participation of over 200 bulls and 100 bull tamers. Hundreds of people queued up at the Sambur public playground more..

Jan 7 (TM) SL has spent $ 326.5 million on vegetable imports from Jan to Nov 2023 � an increase from the $ 297.2 million recorded for the same period in 2022. The import expenditure on vegetables from Jan to Nov 2023 amounted to $ 326.5 million, with the expense for Nov being recorded as $ 29.3 million. From Jan to Nov 2022, $ 297.2 million has been spent for the import of vegetables. �This was spent on items such as potatoes, garlic, onions, and fruits such as more..

Jan 7 (SO) State Minister Shehan Semasinghe said yesterday that the Govt has not yet reached a firm decision on lifting the ban on private motor vehicle imports. He said that the prime focus of the Govt is to uphold economic stabilisation at an acceptable threshold and added that this cautious approach was being taken to safeguard the economic gains achieved so far. �Govt will abstain from taking any hasty decisions that could jeopardise the trajectory of ongoing economic stabilisation,� more..

Jan 7 (SO) The SL Police yesterday took a giant leap in its 157-year history with the commissioning of a state-of-the-art Automatic Facial Recognition System (AFRS) at the BIA, Katunayake to nab criminals and immigration offenders. Public Security Minister Tiran Alles and Acting IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon unveiled the AFRS at the new Facial Recognition Unit (FRU) of the BIA at an awareness program at BIA auditorium. more..

Jan 7 (GT) The office of Qatar Charity (QC) in SL implemented the Health Checkup and Dental Treatment project for the benefit of female students at the Charitable School for Girls in Colombo. The project, implemented with the support of benefactors in Qatar, included a comprehensive examination of the mouth and teeth, as well as therapeutic interventions for 400 students. Project was implemented in conjunction with holding educational and awareness sessions for the students more..

Jan 7 (TM) Available PCR or Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) kits in the country are approaching expiration, with no orders for new kits, health unions allege. The allegation comes hot on the heels of the significant decrease in the number of tests being conducted in State hospitals. It is alleged that the test kits are ordered when necessary and, due to the ongoing economic crisis, ordering test kits has not been a priority as there has been no requirement to do so. Nevertheless, in the wake of new Covid19 more..

Jan 7 (ST) The ding-dong controversy between the Presidency and the Constitutional Council over rules governing the CC�s functions has now been amicably resolved. Speaker and CC Chairman Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena has issued a gazette notification embodying the Constitutional Council Rules No 1 of 2023. It was published on December 31, last year, or just seven days ago. Thereafter, CC approved first appointment more..

Jan 8 (DM) It was the shortage of medicines, the non availability of fuel, the non availability of cooking gas, 12-hour rolling power cuts, the shortage of basic foods, and the ban on agro-chemical fertilisers which led to the Aragalaya which started in early 2022. The assumption to the post of Prez by Ranil Wickremasinghe and an Indian line of credit saw a gradual entry of basics into the market which calmed an anarchic situation. As we all know, all of these problems arose with more..

Jan 8 (ST) It was a starless night sky that was lit up by short bursts of fireworks and skyrockets to herald the New Year 2024. The constraints of the people�s purse dampened the spirit of the occasion. More significant were the economic fireworks that were lit on day one of the New Year with the increase of the VAT from 15% to 18% and from zero to 18% on 95 new items. The increase hit every household and business house across the board. It was an inauspicious start to the New Year, more..

Jan 8 (ST) The Public Services United Nurses� Union has written to Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe, expressing strong displeasure at a proposal it claims has been made by the Commissioner General of Pensions to cut down paid leave days allocated to nurses and other public servants. In the letter, union President Ven. Muruththettuwe Ananda Thera claims the proposal was recently presented to a Sectoral Oversight Committee in Parliament more..

Jan 8 (DM) Reflecting on the Hysterical Stand-Up by Rowan Atkinson (Mr Bean�s) poignant performance in paying tribute to Tom, Dick and Harry, who tragically passed away, after each of them faced unique challenges: Tom, blind and deaf, contributed to hymns with an unknowing tune. Dick, deaf but sighted, supported Tom and cherished music. Harry, blind and mute but with keen hearing, completed their distinctive trio. Bean ends it asserting that their absence leaves a profound void in our more..

Jan 8 (CT) Which election is going to be first? Presidential or parliamentary? If it is going to be parliamentary, the President will have to dissolve parliament soon. Otherwise, the Prez election will take place between Sept 18 and Oct 18, on a date determined by the Election Commission. Some of us speculated about the advantages (to Ranil Wickremesinghe) of having the parliamentary election first, based on news stories that a March parliamentary election was in the offing. more..

Jan 8 (TM) After a hiatus of about four years, the Galle Literary Festival (GLF) is back in action in the last weekend of January of this year, with a star-studded line up of literati from around the world. One of these is Nicholas Brookes, author and journalist from South London, in England, whose debut book was named the Cricket Book of the Year. An Island�s 11: The Story of SL Cricket was published in 2022 and with Brookes more..

Jan 8 (TM) The number of inmates who have succumbed to infectious diseases within the prison system continue to increase while law enforcement agencies continue their drag-net tactics, happily announcing their catch in numbers each morning. The gradual decay of SL�s law enforcement and justice mechanism happened over decades, and with each step, there were casualties, many of them suspects and not convicts. However, today, even those convicted are not spared more..

Jan 8 (ST) My dear Uncle Ranil, I thought I should write to you this week to wish you a happy New Year though you have already wished us, your fellow citizens of Paradise for the New Year. This year will decide whether you will be forced into an early retirement or whether we will see five more years of you � or even longer! We wondered whether your New Year greeting for 2024 will be Happy New Year or Happy New VAT which came into effect on the 1st. We got your message that more..

Jan 8 (FT) Renowned SL tech entrepreneur Chandita Samaranayake has launched Connect to Care, a pioneering charitable consulting firm aimed at delivering mutual benefit for corporates, non-profits, and govt partners through strategic deployment of social impact initiatives. The firm collaborates with prestigious organisations such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), World Bank, PATH, Global Health Strategies, Sarvodaya, Roshan Mahanama Trust & Mithuru Mithuro. more..

Jan 8 (DN) SL key spinner Wanindu Hasaranga will most probably play today�s second ODI game against Zimbabwe at the R. Premadasa Int'l cricket stadium, commencing at 2.30 pm. According to the medical experts Wanindu Hasaranga who missed the last World Cup due to a leg injury has regained fitness and ready to play the game. He played last two Major clubs limited over cricket tournament matches for his club CCC and once again he was among the wickets and ready to play today. more..

Jan 8 (FT) SL�s tourism industry has registered a robust upturn, surpassing over $ 2 billion in earnings, accompanied by the arrival of over 1.48 million visitors in 2023. The tourism industry�s 2023 performance marks a significant milestone by registering the highest revenue and influx of visitors to SL since 2019. The latest data reveals an impressive 82% surge in tourism earnings compared to previous year. more..

Jan 8 (Island) Currently, the words debt trap have a distinctly Chinese connotation. According to the Western press, the Chinese, as part of their geostrategy, have inveigled poor nations into borrowing huge amounts from them for fanciful infrastructural projects; almost all borrower countries are in dire economic straits, because most such projects are lying incomplete, or not yielding anticipated returns. Referring to Chinese lending as debt-trap diplomacy, Western leaders would more..

Jan 8 (DN) In an announcement made by the SL Hockey Federation, the second round of selections for Under-21 Youth Asia Cup Hockey C'ship for girls is scheduled for Jan 15 at the Astro Turf in Racecourse. The event will run from 8 AM to 6 PM. The selection will include 54 girls chosen from the initial trial rounds and those who appealed before Dec 29. These are the players who missed out on the first round of selection. Initial trials took place in Galle, Colombo, Matale & Wennapuwa, more..