Jan 21 (Island) Reforming SL’s education system in ways that cater to global needs appears to be a central focus of the new govt. This pronouncement first appeared in the NPP’s election manifesto with reference to vocational education. Later, in October 2024, Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake stated that our education system should be rebuilt in alignment with global demands. PM and Minister of Education Harini Amarasuriya mentioned in a speech in Dec 2024 that building a skilled workforce more..

Jan 21 (FT) Sri Lanka’s tourism industry experienced a remarkable growth in 2024 with over 2.05 million visitors, as unconventional markets outpaced traditional powerhouses in growth. Despite traditional markets like India and Russia retaining their dominance in terms of total arrivals, a deeper analysis of year-on-year (YoY) growth trends revealed intriguing shifts, with new markets showcasing noteworthy increases. more..

Jan 21 (FT) SL Institute of Nanotechnology (SLINTEC) recently unveiled the revolutionary development and delivery of a groundbreaking oil-absorbing material based on graphene, designed to tackle large-scale oil spills with unprecedented efficiency. Developed in Sri Lanka and now set to be deployed in collaboration with Inovartic of UAE and a major oil services company in the UAE, this innovation marks a significant milestone in sustainable marine environmental protection. more..

Jan 21 (FT) Civil Appeals High Court of Colombo Justices Frank Gunawardhana and Priyantha Fernando issued an interim order staying the operation of the writ of execution evicting the Rabbi and/or his agents from Chabad House in Colombo. Petitioner, Rabbi of Chabad House, Shneor Maidanchik in his petition stated that the predecessors of the Petitioner entered into a Lease Agreement with registered owner of impugned property in 2007 for a period of 2 years. more..

Jan 21 (FT) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake will inaugurate The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce- organised SL Economic Summit titled Shaping Sri Lanka’s future: Transformational growth rooted in sound economic policies on 28 January at the Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo. As a key feature of the inauguration, Prez Dissanayake will engage in a Fireside Chat on the vision for sustainable economic development, with the Ceylon Chamber Deputy Vice Chairman Bingumal Thewarathanthri. more..

Jan 21 (ST) The highly delayed operational expansion of the Jaya Container Terminal (JCT) is affecting operations at the Colombo Port while doubling the building cost along with the procurement of new gantry cranes. In fact, according to its latest report by the National Audit Office, the revised cost of the project has been estimated at Rs.10 billion as against the earlier cost estimate of Rs.5 billion. The new up-gradation is designed to extend and modernise the JCT. more..

Jan 21 (FT) Sri Lanka’s tile and sanitary ware importers, already battered by the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic crisis, are now grappling with an even harsher blow—hefty import taxes under the guise of protecting domestic manufacturers. Stakeholders warn this could spell disaster for both businesses and consumers. The latest proposal includes the introduction of anti-dumping duties, on top of existing taxes, more..

Jan 21 (DN) SL under 19 women’s team led by Manudi Nanayakkara is ready to face the challenge of West Indies in their ICC T-20 world cup match today at Bayyuemas Oval Kuala Lumpur. SL lasses started with massive 139-run victory against Malaysia (which is the highest margin win at women’s T-20 world cup) in their opening game at the same venue in Kuala Lumpur once again come to the second game with confidence. Meanwhile West Indies lost their first game against India more..

Jan 21 (TM) Hard on the heels of the suspension imposed on former Secretary General of the National Olympic Committee (NOC) Maxwell de Silva by Sports Minister Sunil Gamage, Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) has followed suit. OCA Ethics Committee Chairman Debendranath Sarangi, in a letter addressed to de Silva last Tuesday (14), has stated that the latter was being suspended from all OCA-related activities for a period of 3-months. According to Sarangi, the decision made more..

Jan 21 (ST) The govt insists that safeguards are in place to ensure that no foreign entity will have access to the personal data of SL citizens through the upcoming digital ID project. Moreover, after coming to power, the NPP govt has amended certain clauses in the proposed agreement with the Indian Govt on building the digital platform for the ID project, Deputy Minister of Digital Economy Eranga Weeraratne said. more..

Jan 21 (FT) A delegation of experts and specialists from the UK tea industry is in Sri Lanka this week to strengthen connections with the country’s specialty tea producers and explore business opportunities. The trade mission – organised under the UK Government-funded Trade Partnerships (UKTP) program and implemented by the International Trade Centre – will connect 12 UK tea companies with specialty tea producers and processors across Sri Lanka’s low, mid and upcountry regions, more..

Jan 21 (TM) Ministry of Sports Director General (DG) Shemal Fernando has officially conveyed to all relevant stakeholders of Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR), of the indefinite postponement of its Annual General Meeting (AGM), originally scheduled for today (21). The Daily Morning Sports, is able to break this news to its readers, via the letter issued by the DG, to the concerned stakeholders of Sri Lanka Rugby last Saturday (18), with the letter being in possession of this newspaper. more..

Jan 21 (ST) A tender for 500,000 machine-readable passports (MRPs) is to be floated in the coming days, authoritative sources said, adding that a committee is now drafting the relevant documents. Meanwhile, the number of passports released daily has been raised to between 2,500 and 2,700 from the previous per-day cap of between 1,500 and 1,800. They include issuances via one-day and normal service, overseas missions, and Dept of Immigration & Emigration’s 4 branches. more..

Jan 21 (DM) The transshipment volumes handled by the Port of Colombo jumped by 9.7% year-on-year (YoY) to a record high of 6.31 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in 2024, with the transshipment volumes accounting for 81 percent of the port’s container throughput during the year. Driven by transshipment growth, partly attributed to the Red Sea crisis, the port went on to record an all-time high container throughput of 7.78 million TEUs in 2024, registering a 12.1% YoY jump, more..

Jan 21 (EN) North East monsoon has started lashing the island’s East, North Central and Eastern slopes of the central hills with torrential rains over the weekend, filling more than 50 tanks which are spilling ad inundating towns downstream. DMC has issued several warnings. Schools in the north-central province have been closed. 54 of 73 major reservoirs controlled by the Irrigation Dept are spilling, Irrigation Dept director engineer more..

Jan 21 (DN) Avishka Fernando produced a stunning display of power-hitting to guide the Sharjah Warriors to a thrilling 5-wicket victory over the Dubai Capitals in the ILT-20 on Friday at the Sharjah Stadium. Fernando smashed the fastest half-century in the tournament’s history, reaching the milestone in just 16 balls. It is the fastest fifty in the history of the ILT-20 and the fastest T-20 fifty ever scored by a SL batter. Warriors chased a daunting target of 202 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. more..

Jan 21 (CT) The bunds of the Gal Oya have been breached at three critical locations: Moravil Aru in the Samanthurai Divisional Secretariat (DS) Division, Nainakadu in the Irakkamam DS Division, and an area above the Oluvil Anicut in Oluvil. These breaches have inundated several acres of paddy fields in the Dighavapiya colony, with crops nearing harvest now underwater. However, daily activities in these affected areas remain largely uninterrupted, according to local reports. more..

Jan 21 (AD) Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism Vijitha Herath states that the govt plans to provide vehicles for all 225 MPs in the near future. He clarified that MPs will no longer be granted permits to import vehicles. Explaining the decision, Minister Herath stated, “The govt will take steps to ensure all MPs are provided with vehicles, eliminating the need for individual vehicle import permits.” The minister made these remarks during his appearance on 360° more..

Jan 21 (DM) The engine of the Siyane Kumari express train caught fire at the Enderamulla railway station this afternoon, the Railways Department said. The M9 872 train, running from Colombo Fort to Kandy, was affected. Videos of the incident have been circulating on social media, showing flames coming out of the engine's chimney. The train was crowded at the time of the fire, but fortunately no one was injured. The incident caused minor delays on both the main and the Puttalam lines. more..

Jan 21 (EN) Central Bank’s net foreign assets rose to about US$ 310 million in Nov 2024, as it bought foreign exchange outright through deflationary policy and also settled reserve related liabilities. Net foreign assets climbed from 18.6 billion rupees (about $63mn) in Sept 2024 to 91 billion rupees in Nov 2024, CB data show. The net foreign assets of SL’s central bank slipped into negative around August 2021 as it spent more..

Jan 21 (Island) Court of Appeal President Nissanka Bandula Karunaratne, against whom the govt had been preparing to initiate an impeachment motion, has submitted his resignation to Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake. Following his resignation, govt has decided to halt the impeachment motion that was intended to remove Justice Karunaratne. He has informed President Dissanayake that his resignation will take effect on Feb 1, 2025. Justice Karunaratne was originally set to retire on June 16, 2025, more..

Jan 21 (EN) SL has to forge strong links with foreign nations to take the economy forward and India was the most important as the closest neighbor, Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake has said. “We cannot stand up on our own,” Prez Dissanayake told a public meeting on Sunday. “So we have to forge strong links with other countries. “In this the most important is India. It is a country with which we have historical ties. We have close cultural ties. A country which has attained fast economic growth.” more..

Jan 21 (TM) Govt announced that it will not implement the Online Safety Act, no 9 of 2024 in its original form but intends to introduce amendments following public consultations, as many parties have raised concerns regarding the Act's potential impact on the public. Deputy Minister Eranga Weeraratne stated that the Govt plans to make the necessary changes to minimise the Act's adverse effects while preserving its effectiveness more..

Jan 21 (FT) Sri Lanka: From debt default to transformative growth provides a deep understanding of why Sri Lanka fell into its worst economic crisis. Ganeshan Wignaraja and Dirk Willem te Velde, have shaped this collection of essays by distinguished experts into a masterpiece where it combines data driven analysis with pragmatic policy recommendations. It not only correctly diagnoses SL’s economic crisis but also shows the pathway for transformative growth. more..

Jan 21 (FT) ‘May I have a card of Vitamin D3 for children, please?’ ‘Sorry, we’re out of stock and don’t get that anymore.’ Sounds familiar? A pricing formula is a structured method to calculate the cost of medicines and is a crucial tool for ensuring the affordability and accessibility of pharmaceutical products. In the pharmaceutical industry, financial certainty is paramount to sustain production, facilitate imports on time and in required quantity, encourage innovation, more..

Jan 21 (NW) MP Chamara Sampath Dassanayake alleged that Western Province Governor Hanif Yusoof has paid for the Christmas light displays at the Galle Face and Duplication road. “A festival was organized for Christmas where the Galle Face was lit up, there was a drone show as well as a concert. Who paid for these? Hanif Yusoof. Why would he pay for these? Hanif Yusoof must have some intention to show the govt some spectacle. We have not heard of Governors spending like that,” Dassanayake said. more..

Jan 21 (EN) A SL India joint venture solar power plant in Sampur, Trincomalee will sell power to the national grid at 5.97 US cents a unit, Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake said. Initial negotiations for the plant were around 7.00 US cents (a kilo Watt hour) which was then lowered to 6.69 cents, he said. “We concluded a few days ago at 5.97 US cents,” Prez said. The joint venture between CEB and India’s National Thermal Power Corporation is expected to build a 135 MegaWatt solar plant in Sampur. more..

Jan 21 (EN) Prez Anura Dissanayake has met World Bank Vice President for South Asia Martin Raiser to secure financial and technical support for several sectors. Dissanayake met World Bank VP Martin Raiser to secure financial and technical support for key initiatives: youth employment, Clean SL rural poverty alleviation, and digital transformation. “We agreed on timely disbursement of funds and explored more..

Jan 21 (AD) Former Minister Manusha Nanayakkara has left the CID after recording a statement. Former Minister of Foreign Employment, who arrived at the CID at around 9 a.m. this morning left the premises after around 6 hours. He had arrived to record a statement regarding an investigation pertaining to job opportunities provided for Sri Lankans in South Korea, during the previous govt. Nanayakkara’s attorney yesterday informed the Colombo Magistrate’s Court that the ex-minister is more..

Jan 21 (DM) A mudslinging campaign is underway against former Prez Mahinda Rajapaksa and everyone is saying that he is whining. But lions do not whine like puppies do, Ven. Iththakande Saddatissa thera said. He told the media that the former President shed tears after the bomb attack on a moving bus in Kebithigollewa, which claimed the lives of several children. That moment of grief led to the eventual end of Velupillai Prabhakaran in a stretch of land near the Nandikadal Lagoon. more..

Jan 21 (EN) MPs are on track to get completely taxpayer financed vehicles instead of the earlier practice of financing their own cars without tax. “To all MPs, including opposition members, govt will give a vehicle to do their work,” Minister Vijitha Herath said. There had been unhappiness at the way politicians and govt workers were given tax free and tax slashed cars, in a selective application of the law, when more..

Jan 21 (AD) An Immigration and Emigration Authorized Officer has been apprehended on Monday for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs. 500,000 at the Welisara Detention Center. The arrest was made by officers of the CIABOC. The officer, attached to the Immigration and Emigration Dept’s Welisara Detention Center, reportedly demanded the bribe to facilitate the release of a detainee. The detainee, a resident of Nallur North in Jaffna, had been detained at the Welisara Detention more..

Jan 21 (DM) There will be a price drop in certain vehicles, challenging the existing vehicle market prices, as vehicles are imported into the country following an increase in taxes, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Minister Vijitha Herath said. He explained the revised process and said that the government has not decided to relax the imports of all types of vehicles. He mentioned that vehicles will be imported in phases, ensuring the preservation of foreign exchange reserves. more..

Jan 21 (AD) The Anuradhapura Magistrate’s Court has ordered the police to arrest Jaffna District Independent MP Ramanathan Archchuna and to investigate the incident involving his alleged obstruction of police duties and traffic violations in A'pura. Additionally, the magistrate has instructed A'pura Police to report facts to the court by February 03, 2025. Police launched an investigation against the MP for allegedly obstructing the duties of traffic police officers in the Rambewa area more..

Jan 21 (NW) Cabinet of Ministers has approved key appointments to the Dept of Civil Defence, and Ministries of Lands and Agriculture. Retired Major General of the SL Army Palitha Fernando has been appointed Director General of the Dept of Civil Defence, a post that remained vacant since 01 Jan 2025. Cabinet has approved his appointment with immediate effect on contract basis for a period of 01 year. Meanwhile, Special Grade officer in the SLAS Chandana Saman Ranaweera Aarachchi more..