Dec 12 (FT) While many can critique the Prez on the year gone by, let’s accept that he has brought stability to the country and put brand SL on the world map that we are trying to recover from wrong policy decisions. He has also been able to engage the world and convince the donor community to believe in SL resulting in the restructuring of the loan portfolio of the country. Let’s give credit where it’s due, he has taken unpopular decisions that has resulted in a 9% favourability rating more..

Dec 12 (DM) The govt has thrown a party at Temple Trees last night to celebrate the increase of the VAT from 15% to 18%, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa alleged today. He told Parliament that the Prez, former Prez Mahinda Rajapaksa and all the MPs had attended the party hosted by the PM to celebrate the VAT increase which will put the lives of the people into a more disastrous situation. The Opposition Leader said the SLPP MP who claimed that he would not participate in the vote for more..

Dec 12 (AD) A 48-year-old woman named Elizabeth, who is believed to be a close associate of the large-scale drug trafficker Kimbula Ela Guna has been arrested by the STF. The suspect was reportedly running Kimbul Ela Guna’s drug syndicate. She was arrested by the STF on Monday (11), during a raid conducted in the Meethotamulla area in Wellampitiya. Police also found 7 grams of methamphetamine (‘Ice’) in the suspect’s possession at the time of arrest. more..

Dec 12 (AD) Cabinet has green-lighted a proposal seeking to enter into a Power Purchase Agreement with the Australia-based company United Solar Group. Minister Kanchana Wijesekera said through this deal, plans are afoot to invest in a 700MW Solar Power Project with a 1,500MW Battery Energy Storage System. “The Solar power project will be installed on the surface of the Poonakary Tank in the Killinochchi District, more..

Dec 12 (AD) Eng. Athula Galketiya has officially assumed duties as the Chairman of Airport and Aviation Services (SL) (Pvt) Ltd. The Board of Directors of the Airport and Aviation Services and other senior officials were present at the occasion, a statement said. Mr. Galketiya, who had graduated from the University of Peradeniya with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Engineering in 1987, is a Corporate Member of the Institution of the Engineers SL and Chartered Engineer since 1991. more..

Dec 12 (CT) Businesswoman Thilini Priyamali, facing allegations of substantial financial fraud, was acquitted from the case in which she was accused of purportedly issuing a cheque from a bank account with insufficient funds to acquire a vehicle worth Rs 8 million. The order for her acquittal and release was issued by Colombo High Court Judge Aditya Patabendige when the case was taken up yesterday. Announcing his decision, the Judge stated that he ordered the release of the accused, more..

Dec 12 (AD) Minister of Sports Harin Fernando signed a new gazette notification to revoke the decision appointing an Interim Committee for Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), national governing body of the sport. Lawmaker said the move is an effort to lift the suspension imposed by the ICC on SLC. Fernando says he has also written to the ICC, seeking their observations on the Auditor General’s report on the national cricket body, and more..

Dec 12 (EN) A telephone number has been introduced for victims of cybercrime to submit complaints, Minister of State for Technology Kanaka Herath said in parliament. Anyone can submit complaints through the 101 hotline number, Herath said. The govt plans to bring in an Online Safety Bill, which it says will tackle online crime. Though the govt initially said the expected legislation was to protect children and women from negative impacts of internet like pornography & harassment, more..

Dec 12 (AD) Convicted financial fraudster Sakvithi Ranasinghe and his wife have been fined Rs. 1.8 million each by the Colombo High Court, after the duo pleaded guilty to charges of financial fraud. Colombo High Court Judge Namal Balalle further ordered that they be sentenced to 24 months of rigorous imprisonment, in the event that they fail to pay the relevant fine. In July this year, the disgraced former English tutor and his wife had pleaded guilty to financial fraud charges after they more..

Dec 12 (DM) Ceftriaxone, the antibiotic which caused the tragic and untimely death of a 21-year-old woman in July, has caused another allergic reaction in a patient at the National Hospital Colombo, Daily Mirror learns. The patient who was admitted to the hospital on Dec 9 over fatigability had been administered with Ceftriaxone. Subsequently, the patient has developed complications. The patient had reportedly experienced numbness in his arm more..

Dec 12 (DM) Justifying the increase of the Value Added Tax (VAT) to 18 percent from next year, Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe told Parliament that even India charges 18 percent Goods and Services TAX (GST), especially from the IT sector. “It is our policy to increase the VAT to 18 percent. Therefore, it should be imposed on all sectors. You cannot exempt some services and make other sectors liable,” the President said. Some in the IT sector are shouting about the increase of VAT to 18%. more..

Dec 12 (CI) When parsing situations as complex and dynamic as Sri Lanka Cricket's current suspension from the ICC, it is helpful to attempt to pin down the main actors' motivations. People in power rarely spell these out. But plenty can be surmised from their actions and their timing, the emphases and content of their public comments, as well as from their histories. A lot of this is circumstantial evidence. more..

Dec 12 (Island) Poaching Indian fishers on Saturday night caused injuries to two sailors in SL waters off Point Pedro. Authoritative sources said that Indian fishers attacked them with sticks and then threw boiling water in a bid to thwart SLN boarding one of the poaching vessels. Two Navy personnel had to be admitted to hospital following the incident, sources said, adding that the Indian fishing fleet reacted aggressively to recent arrests in the northern seas. Responding to queries, sources said more..

Dec 12 (CI) Zimbabwe will tour SL for a series of three ODIs and three T20Is in January. It will be the first bilateral T20I series featuring the two teams in SL, and also the first ODI series between them in the island since Jan 2022. SL are currently No. 7 in the ICC ODI team rankings, while Zimbabwe, who have failed to qualify for the last two World Cups in the format, are currently at No. 11. In T20Is, SL are eighth, while Zimbabwe are in 13th place, and have also missed out on qualification for more..

Dec 12 (TM) A total of 44 out of 219 suspects arrested under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) Act from 2017 to this year (2023) have been indicted, the Police revealed in response to an information request made by the Centre for Society and Religion (CSR). Journalist Tharindu Iranga Jayawardhana had, on behalf of the CSR, made a request under the Right to Information Act regarding more..

Dec 12 (DM) A young man under the influence of liquor who ventured to ride on the back of tusker Agbo frequenting the Kanumullegama tank in Thirappane, was injured when the jumbo hit him with a limb. The man was admitted to the Anuradhapura Teaching Hospital. The jumbo had been under the treatment of Wildlife Department veterinary surgeons for gunshot injuries and was released to the jungle recently after recovery. However, it had been frequenting human habitats. more..

Dec 12 (DN) Special Advisor to Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Dr. Shinichi KITAOKA assured that JICA would continuously assist Sri Lanka. He said this during a discussion with Secretary to the PM Anura Dissanayake at the PM’s Office in Colombo on Monday. Dr Shinichi Kitaoka, former President of JICA is on a visit to SL to ascertain the development requirements to plan future assistance programmes and projects. He expressed satisfaction over SL’s success more..

Dec 12 (DM) After imposing the Value Added Tax (VAT), a litre of petrol (Rs. 346) will increase by Rs. 62.28, and its new retail price will be Rs. 408.28. The price of a litre of diesel will increase by Rs. 59.22, and its new retail price will be Rs. 388.22, Ceylon Petroleum Corporation's (CPC) Jathika Sevaka Sangamaya (JSS) Secretary Ananda Palitha said. He told the media that the VAT will be added to petrol, diesel and LP gas from zero to 18 percent in January. more..

Dec 12 (AD) MP Vadivel Suresh has been appointed as the Co-Chairman of the Divisional Coordination Committees in the Divisional Secretariat Divisions of Passara and Lunugala in the Badulla District. Accordingly, the MP has been tasked with monitoring all development activities implemented by the Govt in Passara and Lunugala D/S divisions, the President’s Media Division (PMD) reported. The relevant appointment has been made by Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe. more..

Dec 12 (EN) SL is to build a temporary second terminal at its main airport, BIA, to accommodate the increasing number of tourists, while a JICA grant to build a second terminal is on hold until the completion of the debt restructuring process, Minister Nimal Siripala DeSilva said. “The decision to build a second terminal with a Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) grant was halted, when the country declared bankruptcy. more..

Dec 12 (DM) The official player list for the highly anticipated Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 auction has been unveiled, with a notable presence of eight SL players among the 333 participants gearing up for the bidding war. Scheduled to take place in Dubai on Dec 19, this marks the first instance of the IPL auction being held outside of India. The expansive player pool comprises 214 Indian players and 119 overseas players. Teams participating in auction have 77 slots to fill, more..

Dec 12 (AD) Minister of Education Susil Premajayantha emphasized that the calling of applications for the admission of students to GCE A/L classes in schools based on the results of 2022 GCE O/L Exam are required to be carried out by the schools as per the related circular. He said that if the school in which a student is currently studying does not have the relevant subject stream they are applying for, those students will be given priority in admission other schools. more..

Dec 12 (TM) Claiming that Prez and National Policies Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has ordered the Department of Govt Printing not to print a gazette related to a set of rules prepared by the Constitutional Council (CC), Opposition MP Prof. G.L. Peiris said that an impeachment motion could be brought against the President based on it. The CC is tasked with overseeing independent commissions and more..

Dec 12 (CT) The Interim Report released by HRCSL, with its fact-finding mission on the Right to Health and Liberty of Patients at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), addressed many alarming situations and the status quo of the NIMH in SL. In the 10-page report, the HRCSL expressed its concerns about the forensic psychiatry unit’s lack of prison guards and housing both remand and convicted prisoners (patients in both acute and intermediate stages) in the same space. more..

Around 5,000 male chicks used for pig feed per week, Ministry reveals

Dec 13 (DM) On Sunday, Parliament approved the VAT Amendment Bill at a time most of our citizens are struggling to provide their families with three square meals a day. We also know the bill was rushed through in an effort to fulfill requirements to receive the second tranche of the $2.9 million bailout from the IMF. The bill raises the VAT from 13% to 18%. In addition, the revised tax will now cover 97 additional items which were not covered under the previous legislation. more..

Dec 13 (CT) 2024 is going to be an election year and it will dawn with an 18% VAT hike thanks to IMF and RW. The impact of that hike along with other increases in tariffs on public utilities will have a depressing effect on cost of living and that would no doubt dominate the campaign platforms of all political parties except perhaps Prez’s UNP. RW may well repeat what the newly elected president of Argentina Javier Milei said to his people: “There is no alternative to austerity and there is no more..

Dec 13 (TM) Although the authorities have proposed and provided solutions to various issues in the school-education sector from time to time, these measures have not adequately addressed the challenges faced by school principals. While there are a number of existing issues that need solutions, the position of principal too needs to be improved for schools to provide better services to students. Stressing this, more..

Dec 13 (DM) Last week, three ex-Sri Lankan military personnel were killed in a Russian attack while serving with the Ukrainian Foreign Legion. The trio were undertaking a rescue operation ahead of the forward defence line when they came under repeated Russian drone attacks. The deceased, Captain Ranish Hewage, a former Lieutenant of the Sri Lanka Light Infantry, was the Commanding Officer of the First Special Forces of the Ukrainian Foreign League. more..

Dec 13 (CT) In a concerning revelation, the Human Rights Commission of SL (HRCSL) released its Interim Report on Monday (11), shedding light on the alarming conditions prevailing at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). The report outlines various issues, ranging from inadequate staffing and overcrowding to serious concerns regarding patient treatment and well-being. One of the most distressing findings was the lack of prison guards in the forensic psychiatry unit, more..

Dec 13 (TM) Amidst electricity tariff hikes, increased taxes, and an impending VAT hike in Jan 2024, reports state that apparel manufacturers are increasingly considering relocation or are already relocating to other countries with a viable business environment. National Chamber of Exporters (NCE) Chairman Jayantha Karunaratne said that there was a shift of apparel industries from Sri Lanka. more..

Dec 13 (TM) Mental health-related issues are often overlooked and brushed under the carpet in SL due to lack of awareness, long-standing attitudes and lack of resources provided to manage a complex public health matter. The fact remains that many, including successive govts have done little but to organise an annual mental health day, leaving the institutions, practitioners, patients and their loved ones with little respite. The lack of prioritisation of addressing mental health, more..

Dec 13 (ST) Pastor turned self-proclaimed prophet Jerome who claims his miracles can move men and mountains, moved Appeal Court President Justice Nissanka Bandula Karunaratne and Justice Chamath Morais three weeks ago to grant his writ application prayer and issue a stay order on his arrest. The order was duly granted against objections from the Attorney General that: Reasonable grounds existed to suspect Jerome of money laundering. more..

Dec 13 (Island) Govt is on cloud nine, having secured the passage of its VAT (Amd) Bill. It is flaunting the outcome of Monday’s vote in Parliament as a huge victory. On Sunday, Opposition had the public believe that SLPP parliamentary group was divided on the proposed VAT increases, and it might be difficult for the govt to have the crucial bill passed. It also succeeded in derailing the VAT debate, on Sunday, by staging a walkout and thereby rendering the parliamentary more..

Dec 13 (DN) Six talented boxers from SL have set off for the 34th Penang Int'l Boxing Championship in Malaysia, taking place from Dec 11 to 15 in Penang. SL Boxing Association Selection Committee, led by former Army Commander Jagath Jayasuriya, carefully picked the best Under-20 boxers based on their performance in the recently concluded Stubbs Shield Boxing Championship. One standout boxer among the group is GPU Mihiran, who clinched a Silver medal in the last National Boxing more..