Dec 13 (DM) The committee appointed to investigate incidents involving the Sri Lankan cricket team during the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia has recorded a statement from controversial SL preacher Prophet Jerome Fernando for more than two hours. Earlier, Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe formed a five member committee led by retired Supreme Court Judge Kusala Sarojini Weerawardena to investigate incidents that took place during the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia last November. more..

Dec 13 (TM) JVP-led NPP Leader and Opposition MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake has requested Sri Lankans domiciled in Italy to promote the NPP with a view to changing the prevailing political culture. Speaking recently, specifically addressing Lankans in Italy including in Naples, Dissanayake said that beginning next year, from January 2023 onwards, they would (on 4 Jan 2023) commence mobilising the public to create their own security council together with those who fought the war, more..

Dec 13 (EN) Indian Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) R Hari Kumar arrived in Sri Lanka on a four-day official visit to SL, nearly a month after Indian intelligence service Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) chief came into the country amid rising concerns over increasing Chinese influence in the island nation. Kumar came at the invitation of Commander of SL Navy Nishantha Ulugetenne. During the visit, Kumar is scheduled to call more..

Dec 13 (Island) The govt was concerned about only the paddy cultivators and neglected the other members of the farming community, National Organiser of the ACAF, Namal Karunaratne said. “The govt has forgotten there are farmers other than rice growers. There are many who grow vegetables. None of their problems have been addressed. They too need fertiliser and other inputs,” he said. Karunaratne said paddy farmers were essential to ensure SL’s food sovereignty and more..

Dec 13 (FT) Central Bank (CBSL) said that its attention has been drawn to recent grievances received from the general public regarding financial scams spreading via fraudulent individuals, phone calls, text messages, phishing emails and social media messages. The banking regulator said that it has noticed a rapid increase in the number of complaints filed by aggrieved parties in relation to defrauding money from individuals by giving false information through fraudulent phone calls, more..

Dec 13 (USE) US Ambassador Julie Chung, Secretary to the Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious & Cultural Affairs Somaratne Vidanapathirana, Director General of Central Cultural Fund Prof Gamini Ranasinghe, and Senior Archaeology Officer Rasika Muthucumarana celebrated the announcement of a U.S. grant of $82,192 to document and conserve the Godawaya shipwreck and its artifacts. Grant to SL’s Central Cultural more..

Dec 13 (DM) The recent large number of cows, buffaloes, and goats that died in the northern and eastern provinces was due to the shock caused by extreme cold, Animal Production and Health Dept report said. The information revealed following a report relating to the recent animal deaths was issued by the Animal Production and Health Dept, Peradeniya, following an investigation. About 1,660 cows, buffaloes, and goats died in the northern and eastern provinces due to the bad weather more..

Dec 13 (Island) The premier scientific body in the country, SL Association for Advancement of Science (SLAAS), has adjudged Asoka Dias the winner of this year’s SLAAS Media Awards. SLAAS annually presents awards for the popularization of science among the general public through print and electronic media. This year, at the annual sessions of SLAAS, held under the theme of “Effective Science Communication for an Informed Society”, Asoka was awarded this prestigious accolade more..

Dec 13 (USE) On Dec 13 in Galle, US Ambassador Julie Chung and Director of Smart International Program Prof Gamani Fonseka presented certificates to 56 secondary students from Kalutara and Puttalam for their successful completion of the English Access Microscholarship Program. Sponsored by the U.S. Embassy, English Access is a fully funded two-year program designed to improve English language comprehension and speaking ability, build communication and more..

Dec 13 (AD) A Bill is to be introduced to further strengthen the existing laws and punishments pertaining to sexual assault and harassment. Accordingly, Cabinet yesterday approved a proposal tabled by Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe instructing legal draftsmen to prepare a Bill, which includes articles in the Penal Code of SL, criminalizing sexual assault and all forms of sexual harassment. Despite already being cited as an offence in Section 345 of the Penal Code, more..

Dec 13 (FT) Out of 3,600 people living with HIV here at home at present, the majority is men having sex with men (MSM) and a considerable rise in the infected cases is evident in the last quarter of this year, with about five infected cases being reported daily. These figures were presented by Dr. K.A.M. Ariyaratne, Consultant Venereologist of the National STD/AIDS Control Programme (NSACP) at the symposium more..

Dec 13 (SLN) The Indian Naval Ship (INS) Sahyadri arrived at the Port of Colombo on a formal visit this morning. The visiting ship was welcomed by the Sri Lanka Navy in compliance with naval traditions. INS Sahyadri is a 143m long Frigate manned by a crew of 390 and the ship is commanded by Captain MM Thomas. In the meantime, the Commanding Officer of INS Sahyadri is scheduled to call on Commander Western Naval Area at the Western Naval Command Headquarters today. During the ship’s stay, more..

Dec 13 (FT) John Keells Holdings yesterday announced that Dr. Sharmini Amrita Coorey will be appointed as an Independent Non-Executive Director on its Board with effect from 1 Jan 2023. Dr. Coorey is a former senior official of the IMF and currently a member of the Presidential Advisory Group on Multilateral Engagement and Debt Sustainability advising the Govt of SL during the economic crisis. She joined the IMF through the Economist Program in 1986 and, more..

Dec 13 (DM) A few weeks ago, at around 1.00 am, I received a phone call from a friend from the Dept of Wildlife and Conservation (DWC). “Brother, I’m sorry to bother you late at night. A friend of mine at the Nilgala office told me about a mining racket taking place inside the Gal Oya Park. Apparently, some of our top officials are also involved. What do you say? I am going to Nilgala tomorrow, are you coming,” caller asked me. more..

Dec 13 (DM) The US Ambassador in Colombo Julie Chung had controlled the Aragalaya people with one hand, and used the other hand to control former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, former Minister Wimal Weerawansa charged today. He told the Uttara Lanka Sabhagaya event that former Prez Rajapaksa's biggest problem was that he used to remain silent when Ambassador Chung commented. He said that the US envoy had regular meetings with the former president in recent months. more..

Dec 13 (AD) All 10 uni students who were arrested over the assault on the former Vice Chancellor of Peradeniya Uni Prof. Athula Senarathne have been remanded until Dec 22, SSP Nihal Talduwa said. Six university students had been arrested over the assault on the former VC, after surrendering to the Peradeniya police station last night, while four more students were reported to have been arrested this morning, bringing the total number of arrested suspects in connection with incident to 10, more..

Dec 13 (FT) CBSL has slapped Rs. 10.7 million combined fine on 5 banks for non-compliance of the provisions of the Financial Transactions Reporting Act. Regulator for Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT), Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) collected penalties from five banks DFCC, People’s Bank, Bank of Ceylon, National Development Bank and National Savings Bank amounting to Rs. 10.75 million in total from 1 July 2022 to 16 Nov 2022 to more..

Dec 13 (AD) Former Minister Basil Rajapaksa says the SLPP is not ready to be held responsible for the decisions taken by the incumbent govt. Rajapaksa stated that this govt is not formed by the SLPP despite the support it is being given by the party. Had the people of the country been a bit more patient, the economic crisis in the country would have been resolved, he said. In response to a question, he stated that the SLPP is ready to join hands with the UNP if that is what more..

Dec 13 (EN) Attempts to re-expropriate assets of SL’s privatized commercial plantations on the pretext of being under-utilized will undermine property rights and discourage investors, officials and analysts said. SL’s privatized plantations which are on 50-year lease have only 70,000 hectares of land. Plantations are an emblematic case in SL’s post-independence economic decline where they were more..

Dec 13 (AD) Cabinet of Ministers on Monday cleared a proposal seeking the formulation of laws to make violation of media guidelines an electoral offence. Although media guidelines have been published in Extraordinary Ordinary Gazette No. 2178/24 dated June 03, 2022, in accordance with Article 104b(5) (A) of the Constitution, the measures that can be taken in the event of a violation of media guidelines are yet to be enacted. Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers green-lighted a proposal more..

Dec 13 (AD) Thilini Priyamali, the businesswoman who is accused of massive financial fraud, has been further remanded until Dec 16 by the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court. Meanwhile the court has granted bail to Janaki Siriwardhana, the other businesswoman accused of being complicit in the crimes. Two accused, who were remanded in custody at the Welikada Prison, were produced before the court by the prison officers today. Priyamali was arrested by the CID more..

Dec 13 (DM) A decision has been taken to start a ferry service in mid-Jan 2023 between South India (Pondicherry), Kankesanthurai (KKS), and Trinco, Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva said. He said the Indian Govt had extended consent for the service. "A large number of Indian citizens are engaged in business activities in the Jaffna Peninsula. With such engagement, the new service is expected to generate a large portion more..

Dec 13 (AD) Peradeniya Arts Faculty Teachers’ Association (PAFTA) have announced a strike from 14 to 18 Dec. Accordingly, PAFTA’s members will observe a complete stoppage from all work, including all exam-related activities, from tomorrow till Sunday, citing that they no longer feel safe on the university premises. Commenting on the recent assault on former Vice Chancellor of Peradeniya Uni Prof. Athula Senarathne, PAFTA stated that not only did the relevant administration fail to make more..

Dec 13 (AD) New regulations pertaining to the admission of students to both, Grade 1 and the G.C.E A/L classes, have been issued. Accordingly, all Grade 01 admissions will be handled solely by the relevant schools henceforth, and will not be conducted by the Ministry of Education, the Ministry noted in a communiqué issued yesterday. Further, students of the 2022 G.C.E O/L whose schools do not include their preferred stream for the A/L exam are now required to submit their applications more..

Dec 14 (CT) Drug addiction among schoolchildren has become a grave crisis in SL at present. According to Police, over 10,000 schoolchildren are addicted to illicit drugs, especially ‘Ice.’ Ceylon Today reported on an arrest of an Ayurvedic doctor in connection with a case where ‘Ice’ and pills were found at a school canteen in Gampaha recently. He was arrested by the Gampaha Police Crimes Division. Police arrested the doctor when they raided a Therapy & Rehab Centre for Children more..

Dec 14 (ST) It will be exactly one month tomorrow since the scandalous conduct of an officer of the Panadura police raised howls of protests not just in SL but internationally too. And as the anger of the common citizenry mounted and opprobrium from around the world spread, the pro forma excuses were trotted out, and investigations were promised. Like the myriad of other promises that have emanated from the mouths of politicians and their faithful lackeys that ended up with more..

Dec 14 (TM) In a context where important national-level discourses on human rights have been subdued by increasing economic hardships and a new discourse on economic and social rights along with human rights has emerged, SL's understanding of human rights needs to expand and evolve. In fact, given the impacts of the economic crisis on human rights, it would be impossible to protect human rights without addressing more..

Dec 14 (CT) Jayaraj Palihawadana, until recently the UK representative of the political party of the former Sri Lankan President, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, has apologised unreservedly in court to South African human rights lawyer and activist, Yasmin Sooka, for making false statements against her. Sooka initiated a data protection claim in the UK under the Data Protection Act 2018, challenging the publication of inaccurate personal information detrimental to her reputation. more..

Dec 14 (DM) CEB is one of our country’s largest state-owned enterprises (SOE) and enjoys near monopoly status in power generation. It is also one of the biggest loss-making SOEs in the country. In this era of financial crisis, with the nation is indebted to foreign financial bodies the tune of over US$ 35 billion, maintaining this huge loss-making monopoly is proving to be a huge drag on the country’s economy. During the period 2010 – 2019, according to the CEB’s own figures, more..

Dec 14 (SO) The newspaper headlines are plastered about drugs and drug-related crime. Ice, heroin and cannabis are coming for the youth and could add to the growing list of national problems in the future. ‘A man addicted to Ice throws a sleeping infant out of an apartment window’, ‘Drug fiend sets fire to an O/L topper’, ‘Ice found in school canteen’; these are some of the horror stories that are making the news but how serious is more..

Dec 14 (TM) In what could be described as a historic development, IGP Chandana D. Wickramaratne has apologised for acts of violence that have been committed by the Police against SL’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer/questioning (LGBTIQ) community. This was during a meeting held on 9 Dec with the participation of that community, high-ranking Police officers, and representatives of the Ministry of Women, Child Affairs, and Social Empowerment to discuss more..

Dec 14 (Island) Popular uprisings invariably upend political systems. The ones that played out here, a few months ago, have led to a strange realignment of political forces. Whoever would have thought, a year or so ago, that the SLPP and the UNP would join forces and share power? More than five million people voted for the UNP, at the 2015 general election, expecting it to trace the country’s stolen wealth, bring it back and ensure that the Rajapaksas and their cronies would be brought to justice more..

Dec 14 (DM) Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation and the third largest democracy last week, banned sex outside marriage in a sweeping new criminal law that also imposed hefty penalties for a string of other offences, such as insulting the president. The new law, passed unanimously, criminalized extramarital sex and cohabitation for locals and foreigners, punishable by prison terms. Indonesia has been a curious case most of the time. more..

Dec 14 (GV) The UNCRC adopted in 1989, which Sri Lanka ratified on 1991, recognizes the economic, social and cultural rights of children. It is the most ratified treaty or convention in the world. The convention centers around the four main principals of non-discrimination, best interest of the child, the right to survival and development and the views of the child. Non-discrimination means that all children should enjoy their rights and should not be subjected to any discrimination. more..

Dec 14 (FT) Chamber of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Oyamaduwa (CPMO), the local investors of the Suwa Siri Pura pharmaceutical manufacturing zone in Oyamaduwa, Anuradhapura, recently had a discussion with the BOI officials where they requested the top management to consider registering the Oyamaduwa under the BOI. The meeting was convened under the patronage of BOI Chairman more..