Dec 7 (Island) Most Sri Lankan doctors were struggling to make ends meet and the govt must demonstrate that it was keen to retain the doctors in the country, GMOA media spokesman, Dr. Chamil Wijesinghe said. “Doctors also do not have medicine to treat patients. They are without official residences at peripheral hospitals. This is why we said that in order to retain doctors, the govt must create an environment that they feel comfortable in. We have only demanded economic justice.” more..

Dec 8 (ST) Hardly had SL’s new envoy to the Court of St James taken his new seat when he was firing on all cylinders. The high commission here has had heads of missions drawn from a wide variety of professions and vocations. A quick count tells me there were two former army commanders, academics, lawyers, one-time parliamentarians, corporate leaders, a doctor and, of course, career diplomats. But this is the first time, in my memory, the mission has seen a former foreign more..

Dec 8 (TM) Much has been said and reported this week about three Sri Lankans who were killed in Ukraine, fighting against the Russians. Many have sought to glorify their actions, and call them warriors for democracy, the fact remains that the SL Govt does not have a tangible policy on dealing with SL nationals fighting overseas. And given SL’s long-standing relations with Russia, the deaths are likely to pose a diplomatic issue. The presence of SL citizens fighting in foreign conflicts more..

Dec 8 (TM) Meditation is a practice with many benefits, helping practitioners develop a calm and focused mind and improved concentration, mindfulness, and mental wellbeing. While some tend to look at meditation as bound to religious practices and spiritual doctrines, today, meditation takes different forms, making it more approachable and inviting to many. Ransirini Gamage focuses on using mandala art as a form of meditation, more..

Dec 8 (DM) Born on Sept 17, 1947 at Mataramba, a lush village in the District of Galle as the fifth sibling in a family of six children and having received his primary education at Malcom Vidyalaya Yatagala, the Ven. Hemarathana entered the Buddha Sasana on April 5th, 1956 under the guidance of veteran prelate Ven. Kalahe Gunarathana. Yatagala Maha Pirivena, which was one of the most reputed seats of learning in Southern SL, which produced world famous scholars of the calibre of more..

Dec 8 (DM) Two English speaking youth (in their early twenties) made a journey to Malabe in the same SLTB maintained bus that this writer was travelling in the other day. Their pronunciation of words in the Queen’s language suggested that they belonged to the high-class society. They were easily noticed for their flair for the use of the English language, but they seemed quite at home in a mixed crowd where the majority looked like being members of the lower or middle income earning class. more..

Dec 8 (CT) The allocation of land for Tokyo Cement factory investors in the ancient village of Veravil Ponnavelii, Kilinochchi District, has sparked controversy since 2012 but is now in full bloom. GSMB extended the exploration licence of the company, allowing them to hold around 12 square km (1,200 ha) of land over the last decade by paying a nominal fee of Rs 2,000 per square kilometre. more..

Dec 8 (CT) At a recent event organised by the Sri Lanka-China Business Cooperation Council, Governor of the Central Bank of SL (CBSL), Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe, gave a glimmer of hope for the ailing Sri Lankan economy and the frustrated citizenry struggling with the rising cost of living. His forecasted vision for the future, anchored in strategic measures and global collaboration, outlines a trajectory of promise and capability for the island’s economic resurgence. more..

Dec 8 (ST) Garments. Once a thriving industry which led to the growth of the village economy with the emergence of 200 factories in 200 towns in the post-1980s era. Today that industry is facing serious challenges affecting not only economic growth in villages across the island but also critical foreign exchange earnings. Export orders have been reduced, factories are running below capacity, some units have closed and fixed costs have gone up. “This is the worst-ever situation for industry” more..

Dec 8 (Island) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe, who has the knack for pepping up serious discussions with zingers, remarked, in his recent budget speech, that what SL had faced, in 2022, was an economic hell. One can hardly disagree with him on that score. It was, indeed, a hellish experience, and what we are experiencing at present could be considered an interval in hell! There will be a massive increase in the cost of living when VAT is jacked up to 18% and its application expanded, at dawn of next yr. more..

Dec 8 (Island) The much-used expressions in conversations now are What to do, any; Can’t help; Kata cantata which means whom to tell and ask for alleviation of miseries. This expostulation of utter helplessness is justified. Honourable too as they express not self-seeking redress but national delusion and desperate cries for relief, knowing relief is not forthcoming and there is no one in power who will listen and do what has to be done. Consider what bits of news conveyed and more..

Dec 8 (ST) Slowly but surely SL’s health sector is beset by malaise due to the severe brain drain of medical specialists, the non-return of post-graduate specialist trainees, the potential retirement of specialists who turn 60+ and those who join either universities or the private sector. While this is impacting the major hospitals, GMOA had pointed out to the Health Ministry that 40 small hospitals and medical units across the country more..

Dec 8 (FT) Lion Brewery was recently recognised by Retail Asia as one of the key leading FMCG brands at this year’s FMCG Asia Awards. Lion Brewery claimed a Gold Award in the Product Packaging of the Year - SL segment for the repackaging of the Lion portfolio and Lion Ice extension which rolled out across its range this year. The newly developed masterbrand approach strengthens the Lion brand with a cohesive and recognisable system that unites its exceptional beers under a single, more..

Dec 8 (DM) Lenovo, global technology powerhouse, announced the opening of the first-of-a-kind experience store in SL, marking a significant milestone in the company’s presence in the region. This announcement also underscores Lenovo’s larger commitment to further SL’s digital transformation story, unleashing the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to drive intelligent transformation with purpose-built AI-ready devices, infrastructure, solutions and services that more..

Dec 8 (DN) SSC and Police SC will meet in the Major Clubs league cricket tournament final which will be worked off at NCC grounds, from today commencing at 10 am each day. The Two table leaders SSC led by young Nipun Dhananjaya and Police SC led by Ashen Bandara have well-balanced sides while SSC packed with several senior National players like Dasun Shanaka, Kusal Mendis and Avishka Fernando are expected to put up a good challenge in 4-day game conducted by SLC. more..

Dec 8 (DN) Former SL Cricket captain Sanath Jayasuriya is set to become a Full Time Cricket Consultant for Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), reliable sources of SLC revealed. Jayasuriya’s role will involve providing his insights in strategy planning, technical aspects, as well as training, coaching and overall development of the national team. As SLC high performance Consultant he has to overlook all high-performance unit duties. Sanath Jayasuriya is the Brand Ambassador of the Tourist Ministry more..

Dec 12 (DN) Rising to a long term request by the Sri Lankan business sector the government is formulating a long term industrial policy which would not change from government to government or from minister to minister. Secretary Ministry of Industries Thilaka Jayasundara said that changing policies was a major concern for the business sector as they found it difficult to plan ahead and also this was a major drawback when dealing with their international counterpart. more..

Dec 8 (EN) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe has appointed MP Vadivel Suresh as a Senior Advisor aimed at fostering the integration of Hill Country Tamils into SL society, prez’s office said. Suresh’s “pivotal role will centre around overseeing the comprehensive integration of Hill Country Tamils, particularly focusing on the districts of Badulla, Nuwara Eliya and Rathnapura”. “The Senior Advisor will play a key role in coordinating various initiatives related to the welfare of more..

Dec 8 (Island) Mahela Jayawardene is set to get an extension as Consultant Coach of the national cricket team despite SL’s horrendous World Cup campaign last month. The national cricket team finished ninth in the sport’s showpiece event suffering several embarrassing defeats and into the bargain failed to qualify for the Champions Trophy. It will be the first time SL will not feature in an ICC event, a massive blow to the reputation of more..

Dec 8 (DN) Eight top cricketers will be felicitated at the 22 nd Col Henry Steel Olcott Memorial Cricket tournament hosted by Old Dharmaraja Cricket Foundation at Asgiriya Cricket Stadium from December 8 to 10. The two tournaments among eight leading Buddhist schools present boys six a side tournament and eight over per side past cricketers tournament will be conducted during these three days and on Dec 8 today schools tournament will start followed by past cricketers more..

Dec 12 (DM) IronOne Technologies’ flagship stock trading platform ATrad marked a historic milestone with the launch of SL’s first international cloud-hosted stock trading and brokering platform. The event titled Beyond Horizons took place on Nov 23, at Cinnamon Grand, Colombo, gathering an esteemed audience comprising stockbroker CEOs, Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) and Securities and Exchange Commission officials, prominent investment advisors as well as key partners more..

Dec 8 (FT) OrphanCare, an independent Trust dedicated to supporting orphaned children and Colombo’s renowned bakery establishment PaanPaan have joined hands in a transformative collaboration, aiming to uplift the lives of orphaned youth in Sri Lanka. Marking a ground-breaking initiative in local philanthropy, the partnership signifies an important step towards creating a positive impact on the lives of orphans as they transit from their care homes to adulthood. more..

Dec 8 (FT) Colombo Port City Economic Commission (the Commission) yesterday announced that three leading commercial banks of SL, the Commercial Bank, Hatton National Bank (HNB), and Sampath Bank, have been issued an Authorised Persons (AP) licence from the Colombo Port City Economic Commission. This significant development marks a major milestone in the development of the Colombo Port City SEZ as a premier int'l business and services more..

Dec 12 (DM) SL’s listed corporates seem to have emerged from the earnings recession that affected the stock market over several quarters, and analysts anticipate a modest rebound starting from the current quarter, potentially bolstering stock indices by the year-end and beyond. First Capital Research (FCR) opined that corporate earnings bottomed out in the third quarter of 2023 when such earnings slowed their decline to 5% more..

Dec 12 (TM) The Customs has released certain spare parts imported for the repair of a computed tomography (CT) scan machine which had been withheld by the Customs allegedly due to a delay in receiving the clearance of the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA). Customs Spokesperson Seevali Arukgoda said that the particular stock of spare parts was released by the Customs yesterday after receiving the NMRA's approval and the Finance Ministry’s guidance. more..

Dec 12 (Island) Minister Ali Sabry, said that the govt could not do anything about the activities of ex-military officers overseas. Minister said so in response to The Island query whether the SL law prohibited Sri Lankans from joining the armed forces of Ukraine. Three ex-military personnel including a former Special Forces officer serving with what is widely referred to as Ukrainian Foreign Legion aka Int'l Legion for the Defence of Ukraine were killed in a Russian artillery strike early this week. more..

Dec 12 (FT) Asserting the importance of vertical integration, Fabric and Apparel Accessory Manufacturers Association (FAAMA) Chairman Sahan Rajapakse said that 50%-60% of SL’s fabric requirement is imported. This dependency on imports prolongs the industry’s lead times and impedes its ability to enhance speed and embrace agile models. Notably, over 40% of these imports consist of cotton, while 70% are composed of synthetic materials. more..

Dec 8 (DM) A total of 900 licenses have been issued for the import of electric vehicles based on the amount of money legally sent to Sri Lanka by expatriate workers, Minister Manusha Nanayakkara said. He said that by issuing licenses, it has been possible to bring in an amount of USD 100 million into the country. "We have introduced an electric vehicle licensing scheme to increase foreign exchange earnings, whereby we have issued licenses to nearly 900 electric vehicles. more..

Dec 8 (FT) Amidst rising public fury, CEB clarified concerns over disconnections following the issuance of red notices. The CEB said only 544,488 disconnections occurred during the first 10 months out of its nearly seven million users. CEB pointed out that this situation is similar to 2019 and not deemed unusual, citing an annual provision of 150,000 new electricity connections. However, figures provided by the CEB more..

Dec 8 (FT) Minister Ali Sabry addressed the numerous accusations directed at him concerning the former Govt’s decision to mandate the cremation of Muslim COVID-19 victims and his perceived failure to intervene in preventing the move despite being a member of the then Govt. Minister detailed various measures he undertook during that period to prevent forced cremations. He stated that, while the opposition is free to criticise, approach to working within a Cabinet on various matters differs. more..

Dec 8 (DM) Attorney General has filed indictments before the High Court against former Kurunegala Mayor Thushara Sanjeewa and four others in connection with the demolition of the Rajya Sabha Mandapaya (Royan Assembly Hall) of King Buwanekabahu in Kurunegala. This information came to light when a motion filed by former Kurunegala Mayor Thushara Sanjeewa was taken up today before the Supreme Court 3-judge-bench comprising Justices Yasantha Kodagoda, more..

Dec 8 (ST) Fresh documentary evidence on Health Ministry’s disastrous fast-track emergency procurement scheme that led to counterfeit drugs entering public sector hospitals shows that the plan was set in motion as early as Sept 2022. It also reveals that decisions were made to buy medicines (bypassing registration) on the basis of proposals from private suppliers, even if consignments from previous orders were more..

Dec 8 (FT) In human history sometimes the whole world has moved with wrong propositions. When scientific discoveries and findings prove the error, our world view shifts toward a new knowledge; in other words, paradigm shift takes place. One such famous erroneous proposition was the belief that the Earth is flat. Also, there was another proposition which said that the Sun was moving around the earth instead of earth rotating around the Sun. Scientific discoveries proved the errors more..

Dec 8 (FT) Using a bazooka to kill a cockroach is how I describe the over-the-top requirements mandated by regulators, accounting ombudsmen and statutory auditors etc. on governance, the over-designed practices and models promoted by governance experts in equipping organisations to deliver compliance and the superfluous measures proposed by gurus to the corporate that wish to portray squeaky clean, holier than thou persona to the world. Over the top, because more..