Dec 16 (GV) Sri Lanka is facing a severe political and economic crisis, and the health system is at risk of collapse. The crisis has been caused by years of economic mismanagement, an abrupt ban on agrochemicals in April 2021 causing a steep drop in agricultural output, and the Covid-19 induced decline of the tourism industry. In early April 2022, SL declared itself insolvent and unable to service its overseas debt. Interconnected challenges, including a severe shortage of essential medicines, more..

Dec 16 (DM) According to both the Bible and the Quran, Jacob’s son Joseph — Yousuf for Muslims — while he was languishing in prison for an offence he did not commit, was brought before the Egyptian king who sought the meaning of the bizarre dream that was troubling him. The king told Joseph he saw in his dream seven fat cows being devoured by seven emaciated cows, and seven green ears of grain being eaten up by seven thin and dried ears. In interpreting the dream, Joseph said more..

Dec 16 (TM) An inevitable gap related to information and communication technology (ICT) advancements has gradually been created between students and teachers. While the student population is largely made up of Generation Z (born between 1998 and 2010) and Generation Alpha (born between 2011 and 2024), who grew up using new technology, the present teacher population is mainly made up of Generation X more..

Dec 16 (TM) Professionals leaving SL is one of the most pressing issues at the moment. However, professionals leaving crucial sectors is also likely to be an issue in the coming few months, with recently announced regulations that require certain professionals to retire upon reaching a certain age. As per the Govt’s decision, which came in a context where it is actively looking at reducing public sector expenditure, a mandatory retirement age has been introduced for medical consultants, more..

Dec 16 (CT) At the recent Leo Day celebrations in Royal College, the most distinguished of its old boys, Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe, invited the youth of the country to join him in a 25-year marathon to transform SL into a First World Nation. To honour that invitation, he announced the appointment of a young member for the oversight committees to look into solutions to the current crisis facing the nation. Having dismissed the aragalaya as a destructive element and determined to prevent its more..

Dec 16 (CT) Parliament approved Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe’s first comprehensive Budget for 2023 on Thursday. The Budget prioritises raising tax revenue and obtaining a delayed USD 2.9 billion IMF bailout, but the IMF bailout is still far-off because foreign lenders are under pressure to restructure debt. CB Governor, Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe, is of the opinion that if creditor assurances from countries such as China more..

Dec 16 (DM) An assault incident involving the former Vice Chancellor of the Peradeniya University Prof. Athula Senaratne and his son made us stop and ponder how intelligent students perusing a higher education can resort to violence as a solution to a problem. News on television picking up footage from CCTV cameras fixed at Prof. Senaratne’s residence shows that there is violence in the assailants’ genes. Or is the reason for violence some other influence? There was a time, some years ago, more..

Dec 16 (Island) That the parliament of the Wonder of Asia is full of strange bedfellows of easy virtue is hardly news. But a bed that recently arrived there has become hard news. The king-size bed and a super comfy mattress delivered to the President’ Office at Parliament the other day while most Sri Lankans are spending sleepless nights, on empty stomachs, tossing and turning in their unforgiving beds, continue to be in the news. SJB firebrand, Buddhika Pathirana, one of the few MPs of more..

Dec 16 (CT) The decision to forgo bonuses for the year 2022, by the CEB Directors and Trade Unions, is one that should have been made years ago when the pandemic hit the nation, when the nation was experiencing its worst economic crisis, when there was no money to buy basic medications, and when the public was forced to endure nearly 14 hours of darkness. PUCSL, the country’s purported electrical regulator, has finally awoken from its slumber and ordered CEB to forfeit their annual incentives. more..

Dec 16 (Island) The interpretation of historical chronicles presents an intriguing challenge for the modern scholar and writer. The main problem, as it stands, lies in terminology. Words present no challenge to the translator, but to the historian and the archaeologist, it is not enough to translate; it is more important to contextualise. That is why contemporary interpretations of historical narratives often go on a tangent: they try to essentialise and in doing so end up imputing contemporary more..

Dec 16 (FT) The downward spiral in the third quarter worsened with a contraction of 11.8% on the back of 8.4% negative growth in the preceding 3 months. The overall Agriculture activities shrank by 8.4%, Industry by 21.2% and Services by 2.6%. In the 3Q of last year, economy grew by 4.4% from a lower base of COVID-hit 2020. Three major economic activities of the economy; Agriculture, Industry and Services contributed their share more..

Dec 16 (FT) France is actively working with other members of the Paris Club group of creditors to ensure that an agreement is reached as soon as possible to assist the country to overcome its on-going debt crisis, the new French Ambassador to SL Jean-François Pactet said yesterday. “We all can agree that it is in the interest of everyone concerned that an agreement is found soon. Paris Club members are working quite keenly to see such an agreement is finalised,” Amb. Pactet said. more..

Dec 16 (EN) SL held the third meeting with its bilateral creditors on debt restructuring, State Finance Minister said, as the island nation’s $2.9 billion IMF loan has been delayed amid agreement among its creditors are yet to be seen. SL could not hold the third meeting with bilateral lenders scheduled for Nov 17 citing the creditors need some clarification before the next meeting. The creditors include geopolitical rivals China and India. No country has so far fully agreed with any of more..

Dec 16 (EN) SL’s poultry farmers are willing to buy 100,000 metric tonnes of paddy to manufacture feed and help keep farmgate prices up, but an anti-market gazette had to be abolished first, an industry official said. “We have told the govt that we can buy 100,000 tonnes of rice to make poultry feed,” Ajith Gunasekara, President of All Island Poultry Association said. “We are willing to buy at a higher price to keep paddy prices up.” Rice can supply the calories (energy) requirement of poultry feed. more..

Dec 16 (DN) “I want to play all three formats in cricket and we have to adjust for any type of game," said Kamindu Mendis, promising cricketer who is a key member of the Kandy Falcons team at this LPL cricket tournament. Apart from his talent to bowl with both arms, and being an all-rounder, he is also an able top-order batsman who can play long innings. Mendis, a former Richmondian and National under 19 skipper, said: “We have to adjust to any position in the batting order. more..

Dec 16 (ST) Parents and school authorities are being told to be vigilant about behavioural changes among children, and sellers of narcotics near schools, after a number of arrests were reported this week. STF arrested a man near a leading school in Thalawakelle, while selling mawa, an intoxicating chewable tobacco product banned by the National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol Act. And a stock of more than 400 more..

Dec 16 (Island) A team of ten young sailors left the island to represent Sri Lanka at the IODA Asian and Oceanian Sailing championship to be held in Bombay this month. The team comprising of school children between the ages of 13 to 15 hail from Royal College, S. Thomas’s College, Mt. Lavinia, Ladies College and Visakha Vidyalaya. This year’s team has a few firsts. This is the first time SL will be fielding four girls at one of the most prestigious sailing tournaments organized by the IODA; more..

Dec 16 (FT) Russia on Wednesday said it is ready to expand trade cooperation with SL, and noted several discussions had already been met focusing on the spheres of energy, agriculture, hospitality and health. Addressing a Roundtable Discussion on Sri Lanka-Russian Trade and Investment Opportunities at the CCC, Russia Trade Commissioner Alexander Rybus revealed he already engaged with Sri Lanka’s ministry of energy on expanding trade between the two countries in the energy sector. more..

Dec 16 (TM) CEBEU President Nihal Weeraratne claimed that lengthy power cuts next year will not be prevented by a tariff hike because of the lack of coal necessary for electricity generation. “We can’t supply electricity just because of a tariff hike, unless the required amount of coal is provided. The tariff is being increased so that the CEB can be privatised, because anyone buying this over will not buy it at such a low cost. more..

Dec 16 (FT) Yakdong Industries Co. Ltd, one of the 10 leading companies in Korea is to invest $ 50 million in the establishment of a large scale container manufacturing factory in Trincomalee, according to the office of PM Dinesh Gunwardena. Yakdong Industries Chairman Heung SeokGwon and the Vice Chairman Kyeong Won Shin called on Premier Gunawardena on Wednesday and assured that the constructions of the factory will be completed soon so as to commence more..

Dec 16 (DM) Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekara said although the people have the power to remove politicians in an election, there are no specific policies to take action against officials and institutions that do not show the required performance levels. He said not only in the power sector, but in every sector, there should be provision to identify the officers who are specifically responsible for the tasks and to remove them if they do not reach required level of performance. more..

Dec 16 (DM) Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) said that it has appointed a three-member Election Committee to conduct the forthcoming election of SLC Office Bearers, scheduled to be held in May 2023. The Committee was appointed at an Extraordinary General Meeting held today. Accordingly, Retired Judge of the Court of Appeal Justice Ms. Malani Gunaratne, Retired Judge of the High Court Justice Ms. Shiromi Perera and Retired Senior Public Official of SL Admin Service Sunil Sirisena more..

Dec 16 (Island) Sri Lanka has spent more than US$ 100 million from January to Nov 2022 to import all varieties of polythene and polythene related raw material mainly from Dubai, despite there being a restriction on non-essential imports, top industry specialists said. “Due to this there is an oversupply of polythene in SL which has also resulted in the complete closing down of the SL polythene recycling business, which accounts for nearly 30 per cent of the local requirement, more..

Dec 16 (TM) Claiming there are plans in place to transfer IUSF Convenor Wasantha Mudalige, who is currently detained in the Colombo Remand Prison under PTA, to the Boossa Prison, IUSF expressed suspicions regarding whether the said move is part of a conspiracy to assassinate Mudalige. IUSF Acting Convenor Terrance Rodrigo said: “We have received information that Mudalige will be taken to the Boossa Prison tomorrow. more..

Dec 16 (FT) First woman Rotary Global President Jennifer Jones called on all SL corporates to be focused not only on profit or bottom lines but also in the triple bottom line metrics of social, environmental and financial results even though the country is experiencing its toughest economic climates in history. Addressing top corporates at the Colombo Stock Exchange in the presence of senior officers of the Colombo Stock Exchange, Jones said: “Let’s begin with environmental sustainability and more..

Dec 16 (CT) Sri Lanka is assured of GSP+ till 2025, but it needs to work from now onwards towards ensuring that it will be secured post-2025 as well, French Ambassador to SL Jean-Francois Pactet told the media at his official residence in Rajagiriya yesterday. Pactet further said that the European Commission (EC) will be reviewing GSP + in 2025. A key condition in ensuring GSP+ post-2025 is Sri Lanka’s adherence to human rights (HR). Asked whether a Truth Commission in the lines of more..

Dec 16 (TM) Jaffna University Students’ Union (JUSU) had lodged a complaint via the university authorities against the sexual harassment of female students residing at the university hostel by outsiders. JUSU President Alagarasa Vijayakumar said that around 200 female students residing in the hostels had forwarded a petition to the Jaffna University Vice Chancellor (VC) regarding the sexual harassment that they are facing, following which the issue had been referred to the Kopay Police. more..

Dec 16 (Island) The SLPP had received a mandate to implement former Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s 2019 election manifesto Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour and the party had no right to prop up Ranil Wickremesinghe, who wanted to divide the CEB into 8 parts, Chairman of ULS MP Wimal Weerawansa said. Wickremesinghe, propped up by the SLPP, had no mandate to sell strategic assets, Weerawansa said addressing a ULS event in Kegalle. “India is a big market. more..

Dec 16 (Island) CIABOC inquiring into massive revenue losses suffered in 2020/2021 owing to an alleged sugar tax scam has summoned the then Trade Minister Bandula Gunawardena for questioning. CIABOC intends to question incumbent minister Gunawardena on Monday. State Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya on 09 Nov, informed Parliament that the Treasury had suffered losses amounting to Rs 16 bn due to more..

Dec 16 (FT) Counsel of the petitioner in the case filed against former Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivaad Cabraal for crippling the economy of the country sought time to file counter-objections against the objections filed by the former Governor of the Central Bank. Colombo Additional Magistrate Harshana Kakunawela allowed the Petitioner Keerthi Tennakoon’s Counsel Maitree Gunaratna PC, time till 17 January to file counter objections against the objections filed by the suspect’s Counsel. more..

Dec 16 (AD) The CID is probing the brutal murder of businessman Dinesh Schaffter, the director of a leading insurance company in the country, Sri Lanka Police said in a statement. The 51-year-old was found tied inside his vehicle at the General Cemetery in Borella last evening (Dec 15) and was rushed to the ICU of National Hospital in Colombo. He passed away while undergoing treatment. The police believe that the victim had been abducted and taken to the Borella general cemetery. more..

Dec 16 (DM) 52 year old businessman, Dinesh Schaffter, a director of Janashakthi Group, who had been found tied inside a car at the Borella General Cemetery with serious injuries earlier this evening has died while receiving treatment at the National Hospital in Colombo. Dinesh Schaffter had left his home to attend a meeting this afternoon. However, he had not responded since evening today and more..

Dec 16 (FT) Although the mystery surrounding the sinking of the Titanic is yet to be fully unravelled, logically, the fact that the extent of the iceberg below the water and which was not visible, compared to what was above the surface, and the underestimation of or not knowing the extent below the surface was the primary cause for the sinking cannot be denied or disputed. This article attempts to present a point of view that the current drug shortages arising from possible shortfalls more..

Dec 16 (FT) Since the end of the Cold War, a few clichés have governed discourse between nations. The vaguest of these was the New World Order, which first appeared in the wake of the Gulf War. It was suggested then that after the changes in Eastern Europe and the enforcement of principles of international law in the Gulf War, concepts of national sovereignty were no longer relevant. The international community could force nations to accept certain basic norms, more..

Dec 16 (AD) A consignment of medicines worth over Rs. 47,000,000 was received by Minister of Health Keheliya Rambukwella yesterday (15) as a donation from the UNICEF and Rotary. The stock was handed over to Rambukwella by Rotary International President Jennifer Jones and the UNICEF Representative for Sri Lanka, Christian Skoog under the Lifeline project, to help the delivery of health services at a time the country is facing shortages owing to the ongoing economic crisis. more..