Dec 27 (FT) EDB Chairman Mangala Wijesinghe said the Govt’s decision to reduce the export service tax from 30% to 15% marks a major boost for the service export sector, paving the way for growth. Commenting on the policy change announced on 18 Dec, he said it was something that the industry along with the EDB lobbied for from the new administration. “The move will have a transformative impact on industries such as ICT/BPM, financial services, construction, transport & logistics” more..

Dec 27 (FT) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake has formally expressed the country’s interest in joining BRICS, the influential economic bloc, in a letter to Russian Prez Vladimir Putin. The development was confirmed by SL’s Ambassador to Moscow, P.M. Amza, in an interview with Russian news agency RIA Novosti this week. “President Dissanayake conveyed SL’s desire to join the BRICS family in a letter to President Vladimir Putin. Additionally, we have approached other BRICS member more..

Dec 27 (FT) SL yesterday marked the arrival of the two millionth tourist for 2024 achieving a new milestone for the first time since 2018. The two millionth lucky tourist was Prasan Ingkanunt from Thailand who arrived on UL 403 for his first visit in SL with his wife and sister. “This marks the first time since 2018—when the country recorded its highest-ever arrivals of 2.3 million—that such numbers have been reached. more..

Dec 27 (TM) Public sector lender Indian Bank Ltd said the financial intelligence unit of the Central Bank of SL (CBSL) has imposed a monetary penalty of Rs. 2 million (INR 5.85 lakh) on the bank for failing to comply with the provisions of SL’s Financial Transactions Reporting Act. “...we have to inform you that the Central Bank of SL -Financial Intelligence Unit has imposed a monetary penalty of SL Rupees two million i.e. approx. INR 5.85 lakh on the bank for failure to conform more..

Dec 27 (IPS) In a mid-Oct 2024 meeting with the European Union (EU) Ambassador, SL reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening trade relations with the EU, particularly highlighting the role of the GSP+ programme in boosting SL exports. This discussion underscores the significance of the GSP+, which offers tariff preferences for SL’s exports to the EU. The GSP+ offers reduced tariffs on exports, conditional upon the recipient countries implementing 27 international conventions. more..

Dec 27 (TM) Govt is set to amend the Buddhist Temporalities Ordinance (as amended) in response to calls from religious institutions urging the Govt and law enforcement authorities to take necessary action against individuals and organisations allegedly distorting religious teachings and practices. Minister Prof. Hiniduma Sunil Senevi said that Articles 42 and 43 of the Buddhist Temporalities Ordinance (42 – Offence of passing off as more..

Dec 27 (FT) The Cabinet at their meeting on Monday approved awarding a long-term contract for the procurement of six murban crude oil shipments for four months to Singapore based, Aditya Birla Global Trading Ltd. Minister Nalinda Jayatissa said the Govt approved a contract for the procurement of six Miriam crude oil tankers from 1 April 2025 to 31 Aug 2025. He said bids for the procurement were invited from registered suppliers of the CPC with six bids received in response. more..

Dec 27 (Island) Sri Lanka Athletics has suspended track and field official S. W. Nimalsiri for four years after a three member committee appointed by the sports governing body found him guilty of manhandling leading athletic official G.L.S. Perera within the SL Athletics premises in Torrington. “The executive committee of SL Athletics decided to hand Nimalsiri a four year suspension after the three member committee concluded that he was guilty of manhandling the respected official,” more..

Dec 27 (DM) Sri Lanka faces the risk of its entire wild boar population being wiped out because of African swine fever that has already killed around 100 of them as observed by the wildlife authorities, an official said yesterday. The disease has already caused huge damage to the pork industry. Dr. Tharaka Prasad, Director – Wildlife Health at the Dept of Wildlife Conservation said that wild boar deaths caused by this disease were observed mainly in Block 1 of the Yala National Park and more..

Dec 27 (DM) A gem merchant in Nivithigala has found a blue sapphire in the shape of SL. The gem merchant Rohan Dissanayake of NIvithigala said he bought it from a gem miner in the Karavita area. The gem stone is in the shape of our Island home SL and the relief of land, including the Jaffna Peninsula, Mannar and Trincomalee are clearly visible. The gem merchant said he forwarded it to the Gem and Jewellery Authority on Dec 24 and obtained a certificate confirming that it is a blue sapphire. more..

Dec 27 (DM) RDA is poised to sustain a cost of Rs.900 million for the restoration of damage done to the electrification system of the Katunayake - Colombo expressway by drug addicts in their acts of thefts of copper cables. These unscrupulous elements started stealing copper cables during the lockdown of the country for the pandemic. It has continued up until now and RDA has estimated the cost for restoration at more..

Dec 27 (ST) Coconut industry-based authorities are looking at the possibility of imposing the essential commodity tag on coconuts in a bid to contain prices at levels as indicated by the govt. The authorities are finding it hard to ensure that prices in the local market can be retained without surging from Rs.110 upto around Rs.200. Currently prices in supermarkets are at Rs.180 per coconut. As a result of this sudden surge in prices due to a shortage in supply, authorities are trying to more..

Dec 27 (DM) Although Rs. 40 million is spent monthly on salary payments for the Dr. Neville Fernando Teaching Hospital (NFTH), the govt does not intend to operate the hospital as a traditional govt facility, Minister Nalinda Jayatissa said. He made these remarks during an inspection of the NFTH this morning. Minister said that the govt plans to develop the hospital under a new model, taking into account both international and local circumstances, while leveraging the talent more..

Dec 27 (EN) The non-contributory nature of SL’s Public Services Pensions (PSP) scheme has become a significant burden on the country, as pension benefits are funded directly from govt revenue through general taxation, a research article by the Institute of Policy Studies finds. “With approximately 700,000 public sector pensioners, this system imposes a substantial financial strain on the govt.” According to IPS, about half of these pensions benefit the top 20% income group. more..

Dec 27 (NW) The SJB party has established a special unit to investigate arbitrary transfers being carried out at the state and provincial council levels. Issuing a statement, the SJB said that it has come to light that there is a systematic program of transferring govt officials between service stations on unacceptable and illogical grounds across various state and provincial council sectors. The SJB pointed out that it is concerning that the government, which came to power with a promise to ensure more..

Dec 27 (Island) Most of the males and females active in the labour force in Sri Lanka were in their 40s, according to the Labour Force Survey (LFS) valid for the second quarter 2024. The unemployment problem in Sri Lanka is more acute for educated females than educated males, the survey bulleting stated referring to its consistent observation over the past years. The survey was based on the data collected in April, May and more..

Dec 27 (DM) A new Gazette Extraordinary has been issued, outlining the procedure for the payment of monthly benefit allowances to eligible families and individuals under the Aswesuma Welfare Benefit Payment Scheme, effective from Jan 2025. This Gazette Notification was issued by the Prez in accordance with the powers vested in him as the Minister of Finance, Planning & Economic Development. The previous Gazette notification, issued by former Prez Wickremesinghe more..

Dec 27 (CT) Govt is in the process of formulating a mechanism to provide relief to depositors earning less than Rs 150,000 in monthly deposit interest, who are currently subject to a 10% withholding tax, Minister Anil Jayantha said. Minister announced that the Inland Revenue Dept (IRD) would soon release details of the mechanism to address the concerns of affected depositors. When asked whether the recently increased 10% withholding tax is currently being applied to all depositors, more..

Dec 27 (FT) Sri Lanka yesterday commemorated the 20th anniversary of the devastating 2004 tsunami, a tragedy that claimed over 35,000 lives and caused widespread destruction. It was one of the deadliest natural disasters faced in history, bordering the Indian Ocean, leaving an unforgettable mark on global disaster response and resilience efforts. 2004 Boxing Day tsunami killed 226,408 people, of which 35,399 were in SL. more..

Dec 28 (DM) Ratings agency Fitch raised SL’s long-term foreign-currency default rating on Dec 20 while the Moody’s Ratings on Monday also raised the country’s long-term foreign currency issuer rating. Subsequent to the announcement by Fitch, Treasury Secretary Mahinda Siriwardana on Saturday stated “20 Dec 2024 marked a major milestone in our economic recovery process as SL officially exited sovereign default.” SJB MP Harsha De Silva also described the development as SL exiting more..

Dec 28 (DM) The year 2024- is coming to an end. On Wednesday the New Year will take off. It is perhaps time we looked back and enjoy the positives, ponder what we could have done better to avoid the mistakes of the past. We Lankans dragged ourselves out of bankruptcy. The ratings agencies have now rated Lanka from default to stable. Former Prez Wickremesinghe, despite losing the last presidential election played a major role in this process. more..

Dec 28 (DM) SL’s newly elected Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake has successfully concluded his first state visit to India from Dec 15 to 17. The optics of the three day visit to New Delhi has been hailed positively. Prez Dissanayake known popularly as AKD is the leader of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna as well as the JVP-led NPP. The successful passage to India has brought into focus mismatch between JVP’s past & present. more..

Dec 28 (DM) A collective of 47 civil society organisations have issued a letter to Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake requesting humanitarian asylum for Rohingya asylum seekers from Mynamar who recently arrived in SL. On the morning of Dec 19, a multi-day trawler carrying over 100 Rohingya asylum seekers drifted towards the coast off Mullivaikkal in Mullaitivu. The boat was escorted by the SL Navy to the Ashroff Jetty in Trincomalee Harbour later in the evening of the day and more..

Dec 28 (FT) The railway community in SL and all national-minded islanders commemorate 27 Dec as the day on which the inaugural Ceylon Govt Railway (CGR) train ran between Colombo Fort and Ambepussa (34 miles) in 1864. One day prior to it, the same folks remember with pain and anguish the devastating effect of the 2004 tsunami which destroyed a 1,500 passenger train at Peraliya on 26 Dec, taking over 1,000 lives in an island-wide cataclysm that resulted in 30,000 deaths. more..

Dec 28 (CT) The Rohingya, a predominantly Muslim ethnic minority from Myanmar’s Rakhine State, have endured decades of systemic persecution and violence. Stripped of citizenship by the 1982 Myanmar nationality law, they have faced severe restrictions on movement, education, and employment. The situation escalated dramatically in 2017 when a brutal military crackdown forced over 700,000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh, more..

Dec 28 (CT) When the patient one of Covid-19 was reported in SL in Jan 2020, the country braced itself for the worst to come and followed protocols to the dot. To the credit of the people and the then govt, the quick response did produce satisfactory results as the numbers of Covid-19 cases as well as related deaths were kept to a minimum. However, even during a time when travel was severely restricted road accidents continued to surge resulting in deaths, serious injuries and property loss. more..

Dec 28 (TM) Despite the Govt declaring that State bungalows will no longer be utilised as official residences of officials or ministers, questions remain as to the plan’s feasibility. Cabinet approval has been granted for a unified proposal presented by Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake and the Minister of Public Administration, Provincial Councils, and Local Govt, which aims to create a suitable strategy for the effective economic utilisation of Govt properties, including residences allocated to more..

Dec 28 (Island) The JVP-led NPP govt has failed to carry out its promise to import rice due to some flaws in the process of preparing tenders. It has asked for some more time to bring in the promised rice from India. Private traders have already imported 72,000 MT of rice. The state sector stands exposed for its inefficiency. Is it that the new govt is not competent enough to carry out even a simple task like importing rice, which successive governments resorted to, as an ad hoc measure, more..

Dec 28 (FT) In its latest edition, business magazine LMD reports that the sense of optimism sparked by the presidential election in September outcome remains. “Confidence in corporate circles remains largely unchanged following the presidential election, signalling a modest shift in economic sentiment under the caretaker govt at the time of the latest monthly LMD-PEPPERCUBE Business Confidence Index (BCI) survey,” it adds. In the first week of Nov, when the unique poll was conducted, more..

Dec 28 (CT) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake has formally expressed SL’s interest in joining BRICS, the influential economic bloc, through a letter sent to Russian Prez Vladimir Putin. SL’s Ambassador to Moscow, P.M. Amza, confirmed the development in an interview with the Russian news agency RIA Novosti this week. “Prez Dissanayake conveyed SL’s desire to join the BRICS family in a letter to Prez Putin. Additionally, we have approached more..

Dec 28 (Island) Cabinet has recently decided to review the state-owned, non-commercial institutions, many of which are redundant or are of no use. The govt manages 86 departments, 25 District Secretariats, 339 Divisional Secretariats, 340 state-owned enterprises and 115 non-commercial state statutory institutions. The national budget allocates Rs. 140 billion to manage these institutions. We have inherited a large number of redundant Corporations, Boards and Authorities causing more..

Dec 28 (ST) Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) is embroiled in a legal battle over the newly appointed Managing Director (MD) after removing the previous officer. Sources at the SLPA said that the new Ports Minister Bimal Rathnayaka is said to have removed the previous MD Prabhath Malavige and appointed a junior officer Janaka Hemachandra, an engineer with around 20 years of service at the SLPA. It is learnt that there are currently three Additional MDs, nine Directors and 10 Heads of Divisions more..

Dec 28 (NW) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake has extended his condolences on the demise of former Indian PM Dr Manmohan Singh. Through a special message on ‘X’, Prez Dissanayake said a visionary leader, Dr. Singh’s influence transcended national boundaries. The President further said that Dr. Singh’s humility, intellect, and dedication to public service will forever inspire future generations. “On behalf of the people of Sri Lanka and myself, I extend my heartfelt condolences more..

Dec 28 (AD) Former Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe has paid his final respects to former Indian PM Manmohan Singh in New Delhi today (27). He also expressed his condolences to the late Manmohan Singh’s wife, Gursharan Kaur Kohli, during his visit. After paying his respects, Wickremesinghe also engaged in a brief discussion with Indian Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi, who was also present at Manmohan Singh’s residence in New Delhi. Wickremesinghe, who is currently on a visit more..

Dec 28 (ST) Railways Dept’s protection force and police have launched a special joint undercover operation to ensure the safety of foreign tourists travelling on trains. The move follows a request of the Tourist Development Board in anticipation of an influx of seasonal visitors. Railways Dept is using its security division, the Railway Protection Force (RPF), which is carrying out undercover operations with the police more..

Dec 28 (DM) A Sri Lankan woman with health issues caused a plane to make an emergency landing at the Erbil International Airport on Wednesday. She died in the Kurdish capital hours later, according to Sri Lanka’s honorary consul. Ahmed Jalal, the honorary consul of Sri Lanka in Erbil, said on Thursday that they were contacted by the Kurdistan Region’s relevant authorities who informed them that a Sri Lankan woman was onboard a plane from Doha to Paris. more..