Jan 3 (TM) A proposal to select a prospective investor for the first phase of the development of 61 fuel storage tanks in the Upper Tank area of the China Bay Harbour in Trincomalee was approved at the meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers held on Monday. Cabinet approved the relevant procurement process tabled by Minister Kanchana Wijesekera. Cabinet meeting marked a significant decision as SL Govt granted approval to lease 61 fuel container tanks in the Upper Tank area of the more..

Jan 3 (DM) While highlighting that the Ministry of Health is closely monitoring the situation in the wake of the emergence of the new Covid variant JN.1, Health Minister Dr. Ramesh Pathirana urged the public to adhere to the health practices established during the previous Covid season. He also stated that no cases have been reported from the sample tests conducted in the country. These remarks were made by the Minister during a media conference at the Presidential Media Center on Tuesday more..

Jan 3 (TM) Bill to establish the Commission for Truth, Unity, and Reconciliation, the proposed truth seeking mechanism, has been gazetted. Commission shall consist of no less than seven members and not more than 21 members, all of whom shall be SL citizens. The composition of the Commission shall reflect the pluralistic nature of Sri Lanka, including gender, and all members shall be persons of integrity and credibility, more..

Jan 3 (DN) Minister Dr. Ramesh Pathirana said that preparations are underway to digitize procurement activities to enhance transparency in the procurement of medicines for hospitals. Expert advice is being sought from the Computer Science departments of the Uni of Colombo and Moratuwa Uni. This digitization effort is expected to streamline future procurement activities, Minister said. He said that Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe has allocated the necessary funds in this year�s budget more..

Jan 3 (TM) A disagreement has arisen between Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe and the Constitutional Council (CC) regarding the appointment of a member for the vacant position in the National Police Commission (NPC), The Daily Morning learns. The NPC is currently chaired by retired High Court Judge Lalith Ekanayake, and its other members include D.K. Renuka Ekanayake, K. Karunaharan, S. Gamini De Silva, attorney Dilshan Kapila Jayasuriya, and President�s Counsel A.A.M. Illiyas. more..

Jan 3 (TM) The attention of the Parliamentary Sectoral Oversight Committee (SOC) on Environment, Natural Resources, and Sustainable Development has been focused on issues that have arisen due to the lack of good coordination between the Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA), Ministry of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development, and the AG Dept concerning the MV X-Press Pearl maritime disaster. more..

Jan 3 (FT) The LTTE had for long enjoyed the reputation of being a cohesive, monolithic organisation. Whatever the differences within the LTTE, the Tigers, to their credit, were able to project to the outsider a picture of impregnable unity. Despite the rumblings of discontent that have arisen at various times within the LTTE, those sounds were never permitted to reach external ears. This unity image however was seriously dented in August 1993 when the then deputy leader of the LTTE, more..

Jan 3 (FT) The fiscal crisis following with foreign exchange issues in 2021 have thrown the spotlight on the capacity of SL Govts to find their spending commitments and meeting debt obligations. Tax revenue mobilisation remains essential to achieve economic growth, meeting bilateral creditors� conditions. Moreover, it is important to meet Sustainable Development Goals. A majority of citizens and companies are reluctant to comply with their tax obligations, however, changing their more..

Jan 3 (EN) The Civil Aviation Authority of SL (CAASL) has issued the Foreign Air Operator Certificate (FAOC) for Russian Rossiya Airlines to operate specific flights (schedule flights) from Moscow to Colombo. The certificate issued to a foreign airline to operate in SL was presented by CAASL Director General and CEO P A Jayakantha to Nikita Dolgov, Head of Operations and Planning of Rossiya Airlines. �The airline�s capability to maintain safe and efficient flight operations for more..

Jan 3 (Island) Cabinet has approved a proposal for the introduction of a new law named Reforestation and Forest Cover Act to facilitate the plan to increase the country�s forest cover to 32% of the total land area by 2032, a statement from the govt information dept said. According to the statement, SL has also planned to increase the quantity of carbon absorbed by the forests by 7% from the existing quantity by 2030 and comply with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. more..

Jan 3 (AD) Colombo Fort Magistrate�s Court granted bail to self-styled prophet Jerome Fernando on Wednesday morning in a case related to derogatory statements against various religious figures, including Lord Buddha. Pastor Jerome, arrested by the CID, secured his release on a cash bail of Rs. 500,000 and two personal bails of Rs. 10 million each, as per the court order issued by Colombo Fort Magistrate Thilina Gamage. more..

Jan 3 (FT) Among countries like Brazil, Indonesia, Greece and Poland, Sri Lanka too ranks high with regard to the 10 rules of successful nations except in some areas such as population, politics and the state, an expert said recently. The public lecture organised by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka featured Rockefeller International Chairman and Breakout Capital Founder and CIO Ruchir Sharma who shared key insights from his book, The 10 Rules of Successful Nations. more..

Jan 3 (EN) Only 30% of the top income earners in SL can afford a house from their lifetime earnings amid high state supported import protection given to building material oligopolies, a study by Advocata Institute, a Colombo-based think tank has revealed. �What we found was only households above the 70 percentile can afford a 500-square foot house, even accounting for your lifetime income,� Roshan Perera, Senior Research Fellow at Advocata Institute, told reporters at a public forum. more..

Jan 3 (FT) In China Mieville�s speculative murder mystery, The City & The City, two cities, Beszel and Ul Qoma, occupy the same territory. The citizens of each city are trained from infancy to unsee the other. They exist with each other all their lives without ever seeing, hearing, thinking about or consciously acknowledging each other. Sri Lanka was always many Sri Lankas, divided vertically along ethno-religious and horizontally along more..

Jan 3 (DM) SL�s ace left-arm seamer Dilshan Madushanka was nominated for ICC Men�s Emerging Cricketer of the Year 2023. The 23-year-old came in as an injury replacement to Dushmantha Chameera during the ICC World Cup Qualifier Tournament and he cashed in when given the opportunity. Madushanka entered with one for 38 against The Netherlands, kicking into gear with a barnstorming three for 15-performance against Zimbabwe, taking the wickets of both openers more..

Jan 3 (MFA) Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Sabry contacted the Deputy PM and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Myanmar U Than Swe by telephone this afternoon , to further, discuss the issue of Sri Lankan nationals who are currently being held in the Myawaddy area in Myanmar. Minister Sabry spoke earlier with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Myanmar on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC Foreign Minister�s Retreat held in Bangkok recently on this issue. During the telephone conversation, more..

Jan 3 (EN) SLFP�s former general secretary Dayasiri Jayasekara who was axed from the position wants back in, insisting that he can help rebuild the party. Commenting on the much-celebrated recent departure of Galle District MP and SLFP Senior Vice President Shan Wijyelala de Silva to SJB, Jayasekara said other crossovers are also likely. �He left the SLFP because he felt he had no future in it. It started with Shan Wijelal. The others are gradually displacing to other places,� more..

Jan 3 (Island) Governor of Northern Province P.S.M. Charles has directed relevant officials that the Disaster Management Centre should report on the effects of natural calamities, such as rain, flood and drought on crops, her office said yesterday. Although only property and life damages are reported during natural calamities, it has been brought to the attention of the Governor about the problems faced by the farmers due to the non-listing of crop damage details. more..

Jan 3 (AD) Investigation activities concerning seven deaths that had occurred under similar suspicious circumstances within the last few days have been handed over to the CID. Bodies of a young female and a male who died of suspected poisoning were found by the police. The duo are said to have been the followers of a certain religious preacher who had committed suicide in the Homagama area recently. more..

Jan 3 (CT) Due to the delay in appointing Commissioner General of the Inland Revenue Department (IRD), tea factory owners who came to register yesterday for the Simplified Value Added Tax (SVAT) were unable to do so and were inconvenienced. As a result the Tea Auction scheduled for the same day was not held as several tea factory owners were not present. Despite steps being taken to appoint a Commissioner General yesterday, a result of Tea Auctions being more..

Jan 3 (DM) Dhananjaya de Silva has been appointed as the captain of the Sri Lanka Test team replacing Dimuth Karunaratne. Chairman of the Sri Lanka Selection Committee Upul Tharanga said Kusal Mendis has been appointed as the vice-captain of the Test team and Dananjaya and Kusal will act as the captain and vice-captain of the two teams in the Test match against Afghanistan. Meanwhile, he announced 17 members SL ODI squad for upcoming ODI series Zimbabwe. more..

Jan 3 (Island) Sectoral Oversight Committee on National Security has given the go ahead for the enactment of the National Hydrographic Bill. Chairman of the Committee, Rear Admiral (Retd.) Sarath Weerasekera recently told a senior delegation that represented the National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA) it could propose amendments through the relevant Minister at the committee stage. The former Navy Chief of Staff said so responding to more..

Jan 3 (TM) While they investigate all complaints related to medical negligence received in a formal manner and take the relevant measures, Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC) stated that they do not voluntarily investigate such incidents except in certain special cases. Minister of Health, Dr. Ramesh Pathirana had recently told the media that nearly 600 complaints over incidents of medical negligence involving health staff, including more..

Jan 3 (DM) In the aftermath of the tragic shooting incident in Weligama that claimed the life of Sub-Inspector Upul Chaminda on Dec 31, 2023, a compensation amounting to Rs. 4.2 million has been granted to his family. Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe contributed a substantial sum of Rs. 2.5 million. In addition, SL Police contributed Rs. 1.7 million towards the compensation. The ceremony for the disbursement of funds took place with Minister Tiran Alles presenting Rs. 2.5 million more..

Jan 3 (DM) The CEB is set to present a proposal to the Public Utilities Commission of SL (PUCSL) for a reduction in electricity tariffs. Minister Kanchana Wijesekera announced on 'X' (Twitter) that the CEB will submit the proposal next week. The impending tariff reduction comes in response to the increased utilization of hydropower generation, made possible by unprecedented levels of rainfall. Minister had previously indicated a mid-January timeframe for the power tariff revision, more..

Jan 3 (CT) The human Immunoglobulin scam takes another twist where civil organisations and civil leaders in the country have lodged complaints with the Acting IGP and the National Commission for the Protection of Victims (NCPV) urging them to strengthen the security of professional and civil organisation leaders who played an active role in revealing the Human Immunoglobulin scam. A spokesperson for Civil Organisations said they (the organisations) had submitted a letter to DIG more..

Jan 3 (CT) Sri Lanka Customs achieved its highest-ever revenue generation in history, recording Rs 970 billion last year, with only 990 employees, despite restrictions on automobile imports, the highest income earner, still in place. This amount represented 109% of the amended revenue targets set by the Ministry of Finance, which were initially Rs 893 billion. The original revenue target for SL Customs more..

Jan 3 (AD) A progress review meeting was convened at the Presidential Secretariat, chaired by Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe, to assess the effectiveness of the dengue control programs in the Western and Central Provinces. Under the guidance of the Prez�s Office, and in adherence to existing health guidelines, collaborative efforts involving the armed forces and police have successfully curtailed the spread of dengue in these regions. The discussion revealed that implementation more..

Jan 3 (EN) Opposition MP Nalaka Godahewa speaking at a press event by SJB has distanced the Viyathmaga outfit from the policies of former Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Godahewa, speaking to the media with an SJB banner behind him, claimed that Viyathmaga, a body of professionals who endorsed and campaigned for Rajapaksa in the run-up to the 2019 presidential poll, was excluded from key policy decisions. Rajapaksa was forced to resign in 2022 after his actions were blamed for the worst more..

Jan 3 (AD) Minister Kanchana Wijesekera states that the management of the CEB was instructed to suspend and take appropriate disciplinary action against any employee who disrupts the services or acts in violation of the guidelines issued by the CEB management. Taking to �X� (formerly Twitter) to announce this, Minister mentioned that the proposed reforms of CEB will be presented to Parliament with amendments for approval. more..

Jan 3 (EN) Former speaker Karu Jayasuriya has reiterated a call for abolishing the all-powerful executive presidency, expressing his hope that candidates for the upcoming prez election will pledge to do so. He said attempts by past leaders and govts to do away with the presidency were scuttled by various actors for political reasons. Former speaker, who was once deputy leader of UNP, also discussed the importance of abolishing executive presidency to resolving SL�s more..

Jan 3 (AD) Sri Lanka Customs has impounded a large consignment of �Hashish, weighing just over 4kg, sent from Italy. Contraband was found inside a parcel that was declared as food items and addressed to a location in Homagama. The parcel was seized by the officers of Customs� Revenue Task Force Directorate at the office of Serendib Cargo Services on Tuesday evening (Jan 2). In the meantime, the agent who came to clear the parcel from the Customs was placed under arrest. more..

Jan 4 (CT) Despite its relatively low impact on the GDP of the country, agriculture plays a prominent role in the national economy of Sri Lanka, as it provides employment opportunities to over 70% of the rural population. It also accounts for 30% of the total employment of the country. Had it not been for farming, many parents wouldn�t have been able to provide for their children. Although agriculture holds such prominence, the care it receives seems very minimal. more..

Jan 4 (DM) SL staggered through much of the last year but emerged better than expected. Considering the challenges of yesteryear, when the inflation was running at 70%, and popular scare mongers were threatening the capture of the state, this year should be a cakewalk. Though by no means challenges ahead are inconsequential, they are manageable. However, Sri Lankans have a knack for taking things for granted. That should make one worry that this could be the make-or-break year; more..

Jan 4 (DM) In November last year, at least a 100,000 public sector employees launched an island wide strike demanding a Rs. 20,000 monthly pay increase. They also called for the reestablishment of a pension scheme denied to all public sector employees recruited over the past six years. An ILO report titled Building a High Quality Public Service in SL through Workplace reform describes the public service as a major more..