Dec 16 (DM) The SL Age Group Swimming Team bagged a Bronze Medal on the first day of the 17th Singapore Open Artistic Swimming Championships at the OCBC Aquatic Centre in Singapore. Venuki Wijesena scored 62.0060 points in the 13-15 years Youth Figure Competition to finish third on the podium, while Kihara Goonetilleke finished in fifth place with 58.3623 points in 11-12 years age group. Others to compete on the first day in the 11-12 years age group were Amara Kittle placing 23rd more..

Dec 16 (CT) Litro Gas Company was ordered to appear in the Colombo District Court on 5 Jan 2024, in response to a complaint filed by a woman residing in Kadawatha, seeking Rs 500 million for damages caused by the explosion of a domestic gas cylinder issued by the company. Colombo District Judge K.V.M.P. De Silva issued this order on Friday. The complaint, filed by S.A. Disna Shirani of Dalwapitiya Road, Mahara, Kadawatha, details the incident that occurred around 6 Nov 2021. more..

Dec 16 (DN) Prasad Silva of Emjay International Pvt Ltd and Bimandee Bandara of Hillwood College are top seeds of men’s open and women’s open singles at the 77 th National Table Tennis championship which will be played this weekend (16-17) at Municipal Council Indoor Stadium at Kandy .Prasad Silva is the key attraction of this tournament while apart from men’s singles he is men’s doubles and mixed doubles top seed partner and has a good chance to win a triple crown in this more..

Dec 16 (Island) Former President of the Bar Association, Saliya Peiris, PC, said that the govt couldn’t under any circumstances turn a blind eye to the Supreme Court ruling pertaining to a fundamental rights case. The President’s Counsel said so when The Island sought his response to the SC ordering Acting IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon, and three other police officers, to pay Rs. 2 million in compensation out of their more..

Dec 16 (FT) State Minister for Finance Shehan Semasinghe on Thursday declared that work on over 200 development projects, initiated with foreign aid but halted midway, is set to recommence in the first quarter of the next year. Minister Semasinghe made this announcement in light of the bolstering of the country’s economy with the second tranche of the IMF. He emphasised the significance of political stability reflected in the passage of the 2024 Budget proposal. more..

Dec 16 (FT) Cabinet of Ministers has approved signing an agreement, to streamline and enhance the visa application process for foreigners visiting SL. On 11 Sept, the Cabinet approved to make crucial decisions regarding the appointment of an authorised agent for online submissions. During the meeting, the Cabinet opted to form an evaluation committee to meticulously assess the proposal presented by GBS Technology Services and IVS Global – FZCO and VFS VF Holdings Ltd. more..

Dec 16 (Island) The US has declared its support for the ongoing Global Tamil Forum (GTF) initiative to pursue a fresh dialogue with the government and other political parties meant to reach a post-war consensus on a lasting reconciliation. After having met the GTF delegation, led by its UK-based spokesperson Suren Surendiran and representatives of the Sangha for a Better SL at the American Embassy on Dec 12, US Ambassador Julie Chung lauded their effort. more..

Dec 16 (DM) Acting IGP Deshabandu Thennakoon inaugurated the introduction of a forensic mobile laboratory aimed at expediting crime investigations. Police said the primary objective of this mobile laboratory is to enhance the services provided by the CID. Acting IGP Tennakoon said that deploying this mobile unit to locations where serious crimes are committed in SL will accelerate the investigative processes. This mobile facility ensures that the services offered by more..

Dec 16 (FT) The SLPP led by the Rajapaksa family yesterday vowed to secure victory in all upcoming elections and return to power proper, forming a stronger Govt to rebuild Sri Lanka. The party held its second National Convention at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium yesterday, during which former Prez and SLPP Kurunegala district MP Mahinda Rajapaksa was re-elected as its leader. more..

Dec 16 (FT) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday emphasised the necessity to transform Horton Plains National Park and its surrounding areas into a premier destination for high-end tourists. He made these remarks after an observation tour in Horton Plains National Park. Following a visit to the site office of Horton Plains National Park, Prez recorded his insights in the special guest book and subsequently participated in an observation tour of the park along the Ohio route. more..

Dec 16 (NYP) It’s not every day that you meet an elephant – and when you do, you don’t expect it to break into your van. But that’s exactly what happened to the Basanayake family, tourists from Perth on holiday in Sri Lanka. Visiting the Yala National Park, the van they were driving in was blocked when the animal emerged from the brush and approached the vehicle. A user on Newsflare reported that the animal came across the family on a road on their way to the Sithulpawwa temple. more..

Dec 16 (CT) Nineteen employees of the Ceylon Petroleum Storage Terminals Limited (CPSTL) received overtime allowances (OT) exceeding 300% of their basic salary in 2021. In 2021, some 210 employees received overtime allowances exceeding 200% of their basic salary, 988 employees received allowances exceeding 100% of their basic salary and 1,335 employees (more than 50% of the company’s total workforce of more..

Dec 17 (SO) Yet another Conference of Parties (COP) Climate Summit has concluded, this time in Dubai, UAE. This in itself was controversial, as the UAE itself is an oil-producing country. This was perceived to be a conflict of interest, as the very aim of COP28 was to set in motion a process to get rid of fossil fuels within the next two or three decades. Finally, after much deliberation and a misstep or two (COP28 Chairman Sultan Al Jaber, an oil executive, was caught saying that more..

Dec 17 (CT) Engineer Chandrakumaran passed away on 15 Nov 2023, in Toronto, Canada. He was a very likeable and much loved person to anyone and everyone who was fortunate to cross paths with him. I first met Chandrakumaran when we were both first year Engineering students and residing at Jayatilaka Hall in Peradeniya. Memories of that residency flooded back when I heard about his sudden passing away. I also feel inspired to remember and praise Chandrakumaran’ s remarkable more..

Dec 17 (TM) National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) issued a total of 286 Waiver of Registration (WOR) letters on behalf of the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation (SPC) and the Medical Supplies Division (MSD) in the previous year alone, National Audit Office (NAO) reveals. In its recent audit report on the NMRA, NAO has uncovered a concerning lapse in oversight. The report revealed that during the inspection of 38 WOR more..

Dec 17 (Island) World Monuments Fund (WMF), the leading global independent organisation devoted to safeguarding the world’s most treasured places, has officially endorsed the exhibition titled ‘88 Acres: The Watapuluwa Housing Scheme by Minnette De Silva’ by the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art SL (MMCA Sri Lanka). The exhibition is currently on display at the museum on the ground floor of Crescat Boulevard, Colombo 3, and will be open to the public until 7 July 2023. more..

Dec 17 (CT) Independent of the reasons and justifications for the Cabinet to clear a proposal for a 3-member team under retired SC Justice Anil Gunarathna to probe the official killing of Edward Henry Pedris a century and more ago is fraught with possibilities. No, it is not about what the probe may uncover was/is not known, but about its other fall-outs that have contemporary socio-political significance. For the uninitiated, Pedris, 27, serving the Ceylon militia, more..

Dec 17 (SO) SJB MP Eran Wickremaratne says a future SJB Govt would continue the IMF, albeit by renegotiating salient points such as the VAT increase. He said the VAT rise has posed many problems for the public. He also says that direct tax collection should be streamlined to increase Govt revenue without always resorting to indirect taxes such as VAT. Q: Budget 2024 was passed with a majority of 41 votes more..

Dec 17 (Island) It is not necessary to labour the fact that Thursday’s order by a 3-judge bench of the Supreme Court determining that Acting IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon, among four policemen, pay compensation of Rs. 500,000 each from personal funds to a police torture victim will be deeply embarrassing both to Prez Wickremesinghe and his govt. They recently made the three month acting appointment of Tennakoon, the Senior Superintendent of Police at Nugegoda more..

Dec 17 (TM) When Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe announced in Parliament last week the securing of the second tranche of the IMF bailout following the delayed completion of the first review, he did not fail to include the caveat that the tough times were far from over. While that broke the bubble over the hype associated with the announcement, the IMF’s own caveat that agreements in principle with bilateral creditors needed to be officially signed off as well as the urgent need for reaching agreement more..

Dec 17 (Island) Fans had barely recovered from the shock of the national cricket team’s disastrous campaign in the World Cup in India where they had finished ninth, failed to qualify for Champions Trophy and had suffered embarrassing defeats including to Afghanistan and Bangladesh. This week, the Under-19 team did not cover themselves in glory having gone down to UAE and Bangladesh in the Asia Cup. It’s a pity that Bangladesh had been hiring SL coaches for 2 decades to build their cricket more..

Dec 17 (DM) The newly appointed selection committee of SLC led by Upul Tharanga, reportedly decided to change the leadership roles for the SL Test, ODI and T20 teams. As per reports, Dhananjaya de Silva is slated to take on the role of Test captain, with Kusal Mendis assuming the position of vice-captain. For the ODI team, Kusal Mendis is set to be the captain, and Charith Asalanka will serve as the vice-captain. In the T20 format, Wanindu Hasaranga is to be more..

Dec 17 (Island) As SL tries to rebuild its battered economy after last year’s devastating crisis, the country’s political scene is gradually heating up, in the run up to two national elections scheduled next year — parliamentary and prez — that will give citizens their first chance to vote, after they dislodged the Rajapaksas from power in 2022. The NPP alliance, led by the leftist JVP is drawing attention, with its leader Anura Kumara more..

Dec 17 (ST) With tomorrow, December 18, being the International Day for Migrants, it is a good time for some annual stock-taking on yet another crucial issue that has gripped the modern world. From illegal immigration to refugees, human trafficking, and pure and simple emigration, liberal multiculturalism in the hitherto social democracies of Europe is giving way to zero immigration policies. Countries like SL, on the other hand, are facing a mass exodus of their human resources more..

Dec 17 (TM) National Audit Office (NAO) has exposed the wastage of millions of rupees in a failed initiative to issue new Identity Cards (ID) and re-register members of the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF). According to the NAO, Rs. 12.61 million has been spent on 15,000 cards while Rs. 17.67 million has been used to purchase 35 account balance-checking machines (kiosks) for the project. Notably, these assets have not been utilised for the intended purpose nor managed efficiently, more..

Dec 17 (TM) State Minister of Finance anticipates that ratings agencies will review SL’s sovereign ratings once the country reaches a final resolution with its private sovereign creditors, which he expects to be completed in early 2024. State Minister Shehan Semasinghe revealed that rating agencies were mainly focused on SL’s debt restructuring process and that a sovereign rating upgrade would follow once the country reached a final resolution with its external sovereign creditors. more..

Dec 17 (Island) A SL undergraduate student in Uni of Nottingham Trent, Oshada Jayasudera, 31, was killed after being struck by a vehicle during a police chase in Nottingham City Centre in the early hours of December 13. The incident occurred while the police was chasing a vehicle, which collided against Jayasundera. Despite immediate medical attention by paramedics, he was pronounced dead at the scene. A man has been arrested under suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving more..

Dec 17 (ST) Govt’s move to hike the VAT from 15% to 18% and to impose the 18% VAT on a host of items that had previously been exempted from the tax has generated anger among Opposition MPs and most of the people. SLPP, being the dominant govt party, voted in support of the VAT (Amendment) Bill to ensure its passage through Parliament. However, there were clearly reservations among some MPs regarding the Bill, more..

Dec 17 (AD) Acting IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon has revealed that as per the statistics gathered this year, underworld activities were prevalent in 43 police domains within two provinces. Speaking on the stringent efforts currently underway to curb all underworld and drug-related activities in the country, Tennakoon emphasised that despite claims that there is a rapid increase in the operation of underworld activities and drug rackets throughout Sri Lanka, this is not the case. more..

Dec 17 (AD) Major General Harendra Pieris of Gajaba Regiment has been appointed the Chief of Staff of SL Army. Prior to his new appointment, Maj. Gen. Pieris has been serving as the Commander of the Security Forces - West. Born on June 6, 1969, Pieris was educated at St Anthony’s Boys School in Panadura and Thurstan College in Colombo. He joined the SL Army as an Officer Cadet on July 26, 1988 in the Intake 30. Upon successful completion of the basic military training at SL Military more..

Dec 17 (TM) As SL struggles to expand its petroleum storage capacities, State-run Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) has suggested that the US-based RM Parks and the Australian-based United Petroleum (UP) be encouraged to invest their local earnings in establishing their own storage facilities in the country. Two international players were previously shortlisted by the Govt to commence more..

Dec 17 (PMD) State Minister for Higher Education, Suren Raghavan, unveiled ambitious plans for significant reforms within the Humanities Faculty of the universities. He shed light on the forthcoming initiatives aimed at revitalizing the education sector. Raghavan announced that Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe has taken the initiative to institute a National Higher Education Authority. This Authority will be tasked with conducting comprehensive research and studies on the on-going more..

Dec 17 (TM) The world of modelling often evokes images of luxury, glamour, and boundless possibilities. However, being a young model entails unique rewards that extend beyond the superficial. Christian Derrein De Zilva, a 20-year-old model who commenced his career this year, made his mark by participating in the Mister International Pageant in September 2023, representing Sri Lanka as the youngest competitor. His presence was also notable at this year's Colombo Fashion Week (CFW), more..

Dec 17 (SO) Dulip Mendis, Roy Dias, Sidat Wettimuny, Asantha de Mel, Aravinda de Silva and Graeme Labrooy were some of the most illustrious names to sit around the table at Selection Committee meetings to pick players for the SL team and most of the time they got it right apart from the occasions the Press threw brick bats at them when the team lost. But in an era when sport is one of the fastest selling commodities and players able to market themselves at numerous commercial more..

Dec 17 (AD) In order to meet the demand during the festive season, a ship carrying a large consignment of 15 million imported eggs is expected to arrive in Sri Lanka tomorrow (17), STC says. Meanwhile, the Corporation has made arrangements to distribute 10 million already-imported quality-assured eggs to Sathosa outlets on Monday (18). The egg consignment scheduled for tomorrow would be released to the local market after sending the products for testing. more..