Jan 15 (NW) Colombo High Court has sentenced drug kingpin Samantha Kumara alias Wele Suda, his wife and another woman to 8 years of rigorous imprisonment each. The group was sentenced after the court found them guilty under Money Laundering Act for acquiring illegal assets through drug trafficking. Following a long trial, the judgement was issued by Colombo High Court Judge Adithya Patabendige today. Having imposed a fine on the defendants, court also ordered confiscation more..

Jan 15 (TM) Alcohol and Drug Information Centre (ADIC) claimed that due to the 20% increase in alcohol taxes in 2023, alcohol (pure) consumption has decreased by 8.3 million litres, and that the Govt’s alcohol excise revenue has increased by Rs. 11.6 billion. The ADIC also claimed that the Govt’s excise revenue from cigarettes has increased by Rs. 7.7 billion in 2023, while cigarette sales have decreased by Rs. 521.5 million. ADIC made this claim while issuing a statement regarding more..

Jan 15 (EN) Sri Lanka will continue a joint venture with India to develop Trincomalee Oil Tank farm aiming to earn more foreign exchange to the country, Energy Minister Kumara Jayakady said. Contrary to strong protests by JVP, the key coalition partner of the ruling NPP, the govt will go ahead with the plan signed under the previous govt. The agreement for the Trinco Petroleum Terminal Ltd (TPTL) between state-owned CPC & LIOC, more..

Jan 15 (TM) The father of the schoolgirl who was abducted recently in Kandy has denied the claims made by the main suspect, his nephew, with regard to the events surrounding the incident. The schoolgirl recently abducted in the Daulagala area of Gampola has been handed over to the Daulagala Police by the Ampara Police officers on Monday night, along with the primary suspect. The suspect and the victim were expected to be produced before the Gampola Magistrate’s Court yesterday for further more..

Jan 15 (DM) Sri Lanka Cricket said the upcoming Australia tour of Sri Lanka 2025 will feature two ODIs, instead of the previously planned single match. This change was made in consultation with Cricket Australia. The revised tour schedule will now include two Test matches and two ODIs. The Test matches will be held at the Galle International Cricket Stadium, with the first Test scheduled from January 29 to February 2 and the second from February 6 to 10. more..

Jan 15 (DM) In what appeared to be a sign that the current passport crisis will have a solution in sight, Attorney General has given green light for the govt to initiate the process of calling for tenders for e-passports despite the ongoing court case, a Minister said. The tender for the five million e-passports, awarded to Thales DIS Finland OY and its SL partner, Just In Time (JIT) Technologies Ltd, is being challenged by losing bidder Epic Lanka more..

Jan 15 (CT) Former Anuradhapura District MP S.M. Chandrasena, who has been appointed as one of the Deputy Leaders of Sarvajana Balaya Political Alliance, claimed that Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s Govet has failed to fulfil the aspirations of the people, who brought the NPP to power with numerous hopes and expectations. He said that inaugurating the Clean Sri Lanka initiative is good but before concentrating on it, the people’s livelihood-related issues must be addressed, more..

Jan 15 (Island) Energy Ministry couldn’t intervene in the electricity tariff revision as the exclusive authority to do so was vested with the Public Utilities Commission of SL (PUCSL) in terms of the relevant Acts, authoritative said. Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody’s recent declaration in Parliament that tariff revision wouldn’t be implemented for a period of three years had no legal validity, sources said. Minister Jayakody said so in response to a query raised by SJB MP Dayasiri Jayasekera. more..

Jan 15 (TM) Ministry of Fisheries, Aquatic and Ocean Resources has called for post-mortem reports of several sea turtles found deceased recently on the Southern coast. Deputy Minister Rathna Gamage said that several sea turtles were found dead on the Southern coast recently, and that it is suspected that their deaths were caused by the use of dynamite for fishing purposes. “We have called for post-mortem reports on the turtles from the Dept of Wildlife Conservation and more..

Jan 15 (TM) National Consumer Front organisation has requested the authorities to investigate allegations of rice stockpiling amidst rice shortages. "Several large-scale retailers stockpile rice and then sell them for high prices," the Front Leader, Asela Sampath alleged. “Govt should begin investigating these businesses." Moreover, the Front suggested that the Govt could import rice from countries such as Vietnam and China in order to prevent the rice shortages. more..

Jan 15 (DM) SL’s new food regulation, mandating an 80% extraction rate for wheat flour has raised serious concerns across the industry, with stakeholders warning that its immediate roll-out could alter consumption patterns, and in turn have adverse effects on key sectors. Top industry representatives have voiced reservations. This includes Kushan Amarasinghe, a leading food scientist, who highlighted the potential negative impacts more..

Jan 15 (DM) The stinking odor and the garbage mounting problem of the Colombo's tourism hotspot Beira Lake near the Gangaramaya Seema Malaka, which repulses hundreds of foreign and local tourists that visit every day to witness a mesmerizing sunset, has finally won attention of the authorities to kickoff with a cleaning project today. Officials representing several govt authorities, who claimed to be responsible for the lake, said a special programme is underway to clear the city’s rich water source more..

Jan 15 (TM) National Integration Ministry stated that most of the land issues in the Northern and Eastern Provinces can be solved through an honest discussion. Land issues in the Northern and Eastern Provinces have been caused by several factors such as the internal conflict, displacement, and administrative challenges. When queried by The Daily Morning as to how the Govt would solve such issues, National Integration Deputy Minister Muneer Mulaffer said that many land-related issues more..

Jan 15 (EN) SL farmer asked for a paddy purchase price of 130 to 140 rupees, a kilogram this harvesting season, Deputy Minister of Agriculture Namal Karunaratne said, after meeting representatives of farming organizations. Minister said when he was an activist before elections the promise was to give a price 30% above cost of production to farmers and he was still on the same stand. “They mentioned 130 to 140 rupees. more..

Jan 15 (CT) Secretary of the Ceylon Teachers’ Union (CTU), Joseph Stalin, has called on the Ministry of Education to ensure that teacher transfers are not suspended due to political influence, a practice observed in previous govts. Stalin emphasised the importance of maintaining transparency and fairness in the teacher transfer process. According to transfer records, teachers who have served over ten years in the same school are subject to transfer. School principals have already been informed, more..

Jan 15 (AD) Dept of Agrarian Development states that 95% of the funds allocated for the fertilizer subsidy have been disbursed. The Commissioner General of the department, Rohana Rajaksha confirmed that a total of Rs. 16,369 million has been distributed to farmers to date. As of Dec 31, 2024, Rs. 9,889 million had been released under the subsidy programme. Commissioner General further explained that an additional Rs. 1,666 million is scheduled to be disbursed by today. more..

Jan 15 (AD) The order presented by officials of the Ministry of Finance to reduce the prevailing CESS levy on cement has received approval from the Committee on Public Finance (COPF). Accordingly, the price of a bag of cement will be reduced by approximately Rs. 100, Ministry officials said. Matters related to the said were discussed when the Committee on Public Finance met in Parliament recently, Chaired by MP Dr. Harsha de Silva, Parliamentary Communications Dept said more..

Jan 15 (DM) Following the govt's decision to invite tenders for the development of state bungalows previously used by ministers for tourism-related projects, over ten private institutions have shown interest in renting these properties, according to official sources. Also several govt bodies and judges had previously submitted requests for these residences. When contacted, Minister Chandana Abeyratne said that a committee has been appointed to look into ministerial & prez bungalows, more..

Jan 15 (NW) Sri Lanka and China signed several key MoUs aimed at strengthening collaboration in areas such as economy, social development, and industry, during an official meeting between Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake and his Chinese Counterpart Xi Jinping. Prez Dissanayake, currently on a 4-day state visit to China, held an official meeting with Chinese Prez Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing today. more..

Jan 15 (DM) Anura Meddegoda PC, President of the Bar Association of SL (BASL), along with former BASL Secretaries Rajeev Amarasuriya and Dr. Sunil Abeyaratne submitted their nominations today for the position of BASL Prez for the 2025-2026 term. Three candidates handed in their nominations for the post of BASL Prez, while Attorney-at-Law Chathura Galhena also submitted his nomination to continue for a second term as BASL Secretary, in the presence of Solicitor General Viraj Dayaratne more..

Jan 15 (PMD) In response to an invitation from Chinese President Xi Jinping, SL President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who is currently on a state visit to China, visited the exhibition hall on the history of the Communist Party of China today. Following this, Prez Dissanayake visited the historic Prince Kung’s Palace Museum in China. Later, he paid his respects by offering flowers at the Mao Zedong Memorial, dedicated to the founding leader of the People’s Republic of China. more..

Jan 15 (EN) Women and girls are increasingly facing harassment on social media platforms, Human Rights Commission of SL has said, and urged the govt to take measures to address the online harassment of women. “Women politicians and political activists continue to face verbal abuse and harassment both by members of the public and their peers,” HRCSL said. This discourages women and girls from actively participating in more..

Jan 15 (EN) Nishantha Samaraweera has been elected as the chair of the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) of Sri Lanka’s parliament, a government statement said. His name was proposed by Chandima Hettiarachchi and seconded by Sunil Rajapaksa. He was appointed when the committee convened in parliament last week. Samaraweera addressed the committee, emphasizing the importance of collaboration and support from all members in advancing the committee’s work. more..

Jan 15 (AD) Committee on Public Finance (CoPF) has approved the benefits to be provided to beneficiaries of the Aswesuma welfare programme by the end of this year, in consideration of the notification under Welfare Benefits Act, No. 24 of 2002. During the recent COPF meeting held in the Parliament premises, approval was given to increase the allowance for households under extreme poverty from Rs. 15,000 to Rs. 17,500, for households currently receiving Rs. 8,500 to Rs. 10,000 more..

Jan 15 (FT) Sixteen years ago on 8 January 2009, I received a phone call that Lasantha was attacked and taken to the Kalubowila Hospital. I was not a politician then but a banker and a friend of Lasantha. Each year on 8 January I visit Lasantha’s grave to remind myself and commit to the pursuit of justice. The tension that filled the air on the day of his funeral still surrounds some of us as there has been no justice or closure for his family and friends. It was widely believed and more..

Jan 15 (FT) In the open forum time at the launch of ex-central banker Dr. H.N. Thenuwara’s new book, Economic Policy Lessons For A New SL, last week, social activist cum actor Peter de Almeida raised an important issue relating to the values associated with markets. Thenuwara had emphasised in his speech that to uplift the standards of the people, govts should create, promote, stabilise, regulate, and legitimise markets. This implied that having proper markets is fundamental more..

Jan 15 (ST) Five of SL’s largest construction companies have urged Prez Anura Dissanayake to cancel a 2015-16 direct contract granted to the Metallurgical Corporation of China (MCC) for the much-delayed Section 1 of the Central Expressway Project (CEP) and to call for fresh tenders under an open, transparent bidding process. Lanka Infrastructure Development Consortium (LIDC)—comprising Access Engineering PLC, more..

Jan 15 (FT) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake yesterday arrived at the Beijing International Airport on his first State visit to China on the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping. Prez was accorded a ceremonial welcome by the Chinese military and he was formally received by China’s Deputy Foreign Minister Chen Xiaodong. The route taken by Prez Dissanayake was elegantly decorated on both sides with the national flags of both nations, symbolising mutual respect and diplomacy. more..

Jan 15 (AD) Several parliamentary officers have been summoned to the CID tomorrow (15) to provide statements regarding the inclusion of a doctorate title before the name of Minister of Justice and National Integration, Attorney-at-Law Harshana Nanayakkara, on the official Parliament website. Among those summoned are a high-ranking official from the Parliament’s House Registry Office, along with other relevant staff. This follows the earlier summoning of several individuals, more..

Jan 15 (TM) Parliamentary Opposition is to refrain from appointing representatives or officially participating in several Parliamentary committees, including the Committee on Parliamentary Business, until their (the Opposition’s) representation in such committees is increased, according to MP Gayantha Karunathilleka. He said that while the Opposition requested the relevant authorities including the Prez and more..

Jan 15 (DM) In response to ongoing delays at the Colombo Port, SL Customs has introduced a special programme aimed to accelerate container clearance. Customs Media Spokesman Seevali Arukgoda said that the programme was launched on the instructions of the Prez. A total of 459 containers were cleared, including 242 containers that underwent inspection and were released from the RCT, Greyline 1 and Greyline 2 yards yesterday. While Customs has the capacity to process more..

Jan 15 (AD) A section of the road leading to the Somawathi Raja Maha Viharaya in Polonnaruwa has been flooded, causing significant disruption to vehicular movement. Sungavila-Somawathiya road in Pulasthipura Police Division has been submerged for approximately 2 km, starting from the Diggala area near the Somawathi Raja Maha Viharaya. Flooding has occurred due to the rising water levels of the Mahaweli River, caused by heavy rainfall that prevailed since yesterday (13). more..