Jan 14 (TM) The date 4 Jan 2023 marked a milestone in the 199-year-old history of the Uduvil Girls’ College. On that morning, draped by a clear blue sky, the Jubilee Hall of the College stood decorated in a discreetly enchanting manner. The College flag and other flags carrying the College colours, white and blue, were fluttering outside the hall, while schoolgirls, teachers, and well-wishers were seated inside. There was a serene majesty in everything that adorned the premises of more..

Jan 14 (ST) Mutual aid organisations across Sri Lanka say they have not been able to maintain their work this holiday season because private donations have dropped. “In general, the requirements have increased but the funding is low,” noted the spokesperson for a well-known mutual aid organisation. The organisation targets about 200,000 families but has only been able to cater to the needs of half of them. There are one million needy families on its database. more..

Jan 14 (EN) Worker remittances sent by SL expatriates jumped 46% in December, but the inflows were still 31% down for the year after a record high number of the people migrated in 2022. The remittances, which were the top foreign exchange earners fell from Dec 2021 most workers sought to send money via illegal hawala and undiyal methods in the face of the central bank kept the rupee propped up artificially. more..

Jan 14 (AD) Dept of Animal Production and Health says permission cannot be granted to import eggs from India. Its director, Dr. Hemali Kothalawala, mentioning that there are no restrictions on importing eggs, explained that the country which supplies egg stocks should not have reported bird flu within the last six months. However, as India recently experienced severe outbreaks of bird flu, Controller-General of Import and Export cannot be allowed to import eggs from India, more..

Jan 14 (DM) A group of the Vedda Community under its leader Uruvarigelage Wannila Aththo has decided to contest the upcoming local election for the first time. They will contest under the banner of National Democratic Front (NDF) for Mahiyangana, Soranathota and Haliela Pradeshiya Sabhas and Badulla Municipal Council. Electoral Organiser of NDF for Mahiyangana and leader of the group Indika Nuwan Kumara and other candidates yesterday made cash deposits with Badulla District more..

Jan 14 (NIA) The Indian External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar will be in Colombo on a two-day visit from Jan 19, All India Radio said on Friday. Meanwhile, the SL media reported that a Chinese Communist party delegation headed by the Vice Minister of International Department, Chen Zhou, will be in Colombo from January 14 to 18. The two visits will be taking place at a very critical time in Sri Lanka. India and China have a critical role in SL as development partners and financiers. more..

Jan 14 (DM) Fourty-six SL nationals who were arrested by the authorities of the Réunion Island of France were repatriated to SL by air yesterday evening. Reportedly, the group of Sri Lankans were apprehended as they were attempting to migrate to the Réunion Island illegally by sea. The suspects set out aboard a multiday fishing trawler from Negombo on 2nd Dec 2022. The group of individuals comprises 43 males including the crew of the multiday fishing vessel, 2 females and a boy. more..

Jan 14 (DM) The current economic crisis has contributed to a sharp rise in the crime rate, a study carried out by Peradeniya Uni’s Economics Professor Wasantha Athukorala has revealed. “There is a strong correlation between the crime rate and the economic crisis. When poverty increases, the crime rate increases,” he said. Prof said that given the increase in poverty in SL with people losing their jobs and experiencing a decline more..

Jan 14 (TM) As per the Govt’s decision to suspend the recruitment of Agricultural Research and Production Assistants, Mahaweli Authority has informed the Ministry of Agriculture that the areas under the authority no longer require the services of Agricultural Research and Production Assistants. The Ministry, stating that the Govt has decided to suspend the recruitment for the post of Agricultural Research & Production Assistants, also noted that Mahaweli Authority has informed the Ministry more..

Jan 14 (AD) Director General of Health Services, Dr. Asela Gunawardena has asserted that no new COVID-19 protocols have been declared for incoming tourists, despite the recent reports. DG stated this in response to the announcement made by SLTDA last evening that all inbound travellers would be required to carry their COVID-19 vaccination cards, while those who are unvaccinated would be required to submit a PCR report obtained 72 hours prior to their arrival. more..

Jan 14 (CT) Recent escape of drug kingpin Najim Mohamed Imran, alias Kanjipani Imran to India once again brought home the imperative need for boosting the intelligence services. Last week Cabinet Spokesman Bandula Gunawardena, too, expressed concerns over the issue. He acknowledged that the competence of SL’s Intelligence Agencies have been questioned often. When the attempted murder case more..

Jan 14 (AD) There will be no power interruptions tomorrow CEB says. On Friday (13), the Public Utilities Commission had given the approval for power cuts of two hours and 20 minutes from Jan 14 to Jan 16. However, in view of Thai Pongal festival, CEB has decided to provide an uninterrupted power supply tomorrow. Meanwhile, Dept of Examinations stated that the CEB and other relevant authorities have agreed not to impose daily power cuts while the 2022 GCE A/L exam is taking place. more..

Jan 14 (Island) Bar Association of SL (BASL) says that it is gravely concerned by attempts by the govt to interfere in the exercise of franchise by the people at the local council elections. Issuing a statement, the BASL specifically referred to the decision of the Govt, on the 9th of January, 2023, to instruct the Secretary, Ministry of Public Administration, Home Affairs, PCs and LG, to direct all District Secretaries/Govt Agents not to accept deposits from candidates for Local Authorities election, more..

Jan 15 (ST) My dear Maithri, Dullas, Wimal and Anura Priyadarshana, I thought I should write to you this week after seeing all of you get together and launch yet another alliance of political parties. There are so many of them these days that we have lost count, but seeing all of you on the same stage the other day, I honestly didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry. You say you are joining forces for local govt elections. That is only if they are held. You-know-who probably still has a few tricks more..

Jan 15 (Island) Throughout the history of Christianity, we have seen false prophets emerging at various times. St. Matthew in his gospel quotes Jesus of warning his disciples that there will be false prophets who preach in his name. One such false prophet was exposed in a report submitted to Minister of Sports by a panel that investigated SL’s T20 World Cup campaign where the team failed miserably and there was more attention paid for off the field activities than on field performance. more..

Jan 15 (SO) Minister Dr. Ramesh Pathirana said we can’t continue subsidies forever and it won’t do any good for the country. Minister said we have been running this system for the past 75 years and it has paved the way in certain sectors such as education but the Govt can’t bear this cost anymore. Dr. Pathirana said the cost reflective price formula on electricity tariff revision is a mandatory requirement more..

Jan 15 (TM) Just about four months short of four years, the first piece in the puzzle that surrounds the horrendous Easter Sunday attacks of 21 April 2019 has finally fallen into place, with the Supreme Court of SL announcing its verdict on a dozen or so Fundamental Rights petitions filed over the failure of the defence hierarchy to prevent the attacks. The petitioners had both collectively and separately alleged that their Fundamental Rights had been violated by those whose prime responsibility more..

Jan 15 (Island) Last week I called Bangladesh burgeoning and SL backsliding. Domestic demand has become the most important driver of Bangladesh’s rapid economic growth. Not that Bangladesh is not facing challenges, but it is in a better position to face them because of domestic demand. SL does not have the advantage of size and domestic demand, but it is not the lack of size that has led to today’s broken economy. The hopes that Prez will fix the broken economy, more..

Jan 15 (SO) The committee chaired by retired HC judge Kusala Sarojani Weerawardena to examine the influence of the Born Again religious sect on SL Cricket Team, handed over its report to the Sports Minister recently. The committee’s report was released in the heat of Charith Senanayake’s controversial statement that he had lost his position as manager of the SL ‘A’ team for criticising the Born Again sect. more..

Jan 15 (Island) The reverberations of Thursday’s unanimous judgment of a seven-judge bench of the Supreme Court will long be felt in this country where politicians, whatever crimes they have committed against the people, are permitted to get off Scott free and enjoy lifelong pensions and other privileges to boot from the tax exchequer. As The Island rightly said in its Friday editorial, a much-needed gavel blow has been struck on the rulers of this country. Among them are former Prez Sirisena, more..

Jan 15 (SO) Today’s youth are tomorrow’s leaders may be a cliché, but it also happens to be true. But the problem is that the voice of youth is rarely heard in the country’s development process. Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe, who has announced a 25-year plan to attain developed status by 2048 (the 100th anniversary of Independence), has perceived this lacuna perfectly. It is vital, therefore, to get the views of youth on all aspects of development including education, health, finance, social welfare and more..

Jan 15 (GV) Ever since the years of de-colonization, South Asian politics has been tainted by dynastic politics or, simply, nepotism. Has it become embedded in the culture of the region or is it simply a product of the unending cycle of corruption that is inherently rooted in most South Asian systems of govt? Before exploring individual case studies on dynastic politics, I would like to mention a few names synonymous with politics: Gandhis in India, Bhuttos in Pakistan, Bandaranaikes, more..

Jan 15 (CT) It is well known that the fake people are double-faced, they will never show you who they truly are. They might appear among us as peace-loving fellow citizens who cares about our struggle against injustice and corruption while hiding their real face before us. True colours and intentions of such fake men and women get exposed during turbulent times, such as political and economic crisis currently faced by Sri Lankans. Notably, they are controversial and massive rumour mongers more..

Jan 15 (ST) Eyebrows were raised among a segment of the diplomatic corps with the resumption of talks on the Thai/SL Free Trade Agreement (FTA) earlier last week. At the recent diplomatic briefing organised by the Foreign Ministry, an official of that institution happened to overhear an extraordinary inquiry by some of the Western diplomats from the Thai Ambassador, regarding the basis for resumption of talks at this juncture. more..

Jan 15 (ST) Canada’s imposition of targeted sanctions on two SL former Prezs and two others this week on allegations of what they call gross and systematic violations of human rights during the separatist insurgency in this country seems to turn the fundamental principles of natural justice and the rule of law on its head, leave alone diplomatic niceties towards a supposedly friendly fellow Commonwealth member-state. Naturally weighed down by the pressure of its newcomer voters more..

Jan 15 (SO) Former Sri Lankan athlete Ranjith Boteju wants a system change in sports administration to stay in sync with the rapid advancement of technology and keep pace with the developments in the digital age. A household name in athletics during the early 1980s, Denzil Boteju had the good fortune of coming under the wing of renowned coaches Anthony Abeysinghe, Carlton Seneviratne, Sunil Jayaweera and Sunil Gunawardena at various times in his career. more..

Jan 15 (TM) Directions will be issued by the Finance Ministry to all Govt ministries to save 5% of the allocations received for capital expenditure under the 2023 Budget, according to the decision of the Cabinet of Ministers. Treasury Deputy Secretary R.M.P. Rathnayake stated that while a decision had been made by the Cabinet to reduce 5% of the total capital expenditure allocated through the 2023 Budget (about Rs. 162.2 billion), the Treasury was yet to receive the relevant Cabinet minutes. more..

Jan 15 (CI) In 26 attempts across formats, SL have never won a bilateral series in India. If you look at it through that lens, Sunday's ODI in Thiruvananthapuram is inconsequential, with India having already taken an unassailable 2-0 lead. However, in a World Cup year, teams would like to utilise every opportunity they get. India will be looking to fine-tune their strategy and XI. Should their top three continue playing the aggressive brand of cricket they have adopted so far in this more..

Jan 15 (ST) The cricket administration could be dissolved in the coming weeks after an investigation by a six-member committee on incidents related to the game during last year’s ICC T20 World Cup in Australia has led to serious questions about SLC's allegedly lavish spending on sending a busload of its officials to watch matches. Given the seriousness of the reported financial misappropriation, more..

Jan 15 (SO) Condominiums in SL are mainly subjected to and follows three acts namely the Apartment Ownership law 11 of 1973, 45 of 1982, and 39 of 2003, which are unfavourable and non-facilitating the possession of pets within a condominium parcel (apartment). Some Management Corporations too are quite rigid in facilitating pets within a condominium apartment building, keeping pet owners stranded with no other option but giving away their pets. more..

Jan 15 (Island) The Infinite Group last week announced the launch of an AI-driven global student recruitment platform in SL, which is seeking to assist students to live their dreams to study abroad. Gaurav Batra, CEO of Infinite Group said: “We look forward to supporting Global Recruitment partners from SL to unite on one platform to encourage new benchmarks of quality. Considering the scalability of the abroad education industry, we feel there is a growing need for hassle-free, quick more..

Jan 15 (ST) The final attempt to cling on to power by the ousted football chief Jaswar Umar was legitimately prevented after official protests were accepted by the Department of Sports Development on Friday, as J. Sri Ranga was elected to lead the Football Federation of SL (FFSL) at its elections yesterday. Umar, who led the FFSL from June in 2021, received extensions twice after the official term of his elected executive committee more..

Jan 15 (Island) The results have not gone their way true in the ODI leg of the tour of India and the series has been already lost while Sunday’s final game in Trivandrum is a dead rubber. But how well Sri Lanka’s bowlers fought back after a poor effort by the batters on Thursday. Another 50 more runs would have done the deal. The efforts of young Dunith Wellalage need to be appreciated for his fighting knock which enabled Sri Lanka to give their bowlers something to bowl at. more..

Jan 15 (ST) Despite the introduction of bonded warehouse facility for fuel suppliers, CPC continues to import oil making advance payments, Energy Ministry sources disclosed. Another tanker of Murban oil is now awaiting payment of US$65 million and waiting at the port for more than three weeks. CPC is still trying to find dollars for the same shipment. CPC is yet to pay over $40 million for the already used crude oil whilst over $60 million worth crude is now in storage pending payment more..

Jan 15 (ST) Ceylon Biscuit Ltd, owners of the famous Munchee brand have established a strong foothold in Ghana and are exporting to neighbouring countries, top officials said. The company, which started to export to Ghana about seven years ago, resorted to establishing a factory in Ghana, 3 years ago. “We have a strong presence in Ghana. Munchee brand is strong, and we spent a lot of money on creating and developing the brand. However, few yrs ago Ghana slapped a duty more..