Jan 16 (ST) Unrest erupted at the Jaya Container Terminal of the Colombo Port early yesterday after SLPA workers went on strike because they were not served the usual banana with their meal. SLPA workers are already incensed over the controversial event hosted this week by State Minister Premalal Jayasekara. That event, hosted on Jan 9, saw more than a dozen SLPP MPs including former Prez Mahinda Rajapaksa being more..

Jan 16 (CT) Declare April 15th as the National Day in place of 4th February. This will help bring the two main communities in the country together in a common celebration. All future elections to be held during the month of April, instead of on ad hoc dates decided to suit the government in power. It will also reduce the disruptions in education and other normal activities of the country. All school and university education to be based on two semesters of sixteen weeks each, more..

Jan 16 (CT) Obtaining the Taxpayer Information Number (TIN), by registering at the Inland Revenue Dept (IRD), has become a much talked-about topic in the country these days. When the necessity of obtaining the TIN number first came to light, towards the end of last year, the IRD, in a statement mentioned how all SL citizens above 18 years of age should register and obtain their individual TIN number before 31 Jan 2023. However, the experts predicted that the deadline was too short more..

Jan 16 (DM) Yet another attempt by China to mediate between the Myanmar ethnic rebel groups and the Yangon-based military rulers failed last Saturday. The talks failed to yield results because conflicting interests over-rode the desire for peace. In Myanmar, political and ethnic divisions are also exacerbated by foreign meddling. This is why attempts to bring about lasting ceasefires and the resumption of talks to find solutions to the country’s underlying problems more..

Jan 16 (FT) Hayleys Solar, the renewable energy arm of Hayleys Fentons recently surpassed 150MWp of installations, a national record for rooftop solar PV capacity in SL, setting a new milestone in the island’s transition to renewable energy. By March 2023, Hayleys Solar crossed its milestone of 125MW and has continued to add new rooftop solar capacity to its portfolio, in various locations across the country. Its 150MWp of solar capacity is enabling Hayleys Solar to save more..

Jan 16 (ST) Heavy rainfall across the country has caused significant disruption to lives and severe damage to property and crops in several districts. According to officials, the number of affected people so far is 178,312. They are from the Badulla, Monaragala, Nuwara Eliya, Kandy, Ratnapura, Kegalle, Trincomalee, Batticaloa, Ampara, Mullaitivu, Hambantota, Kurunegala, and Puttalam districts. more..

Jan 16 (Island) The SJB is planning to move another motion of no confidence against Keheliya Rambukwella over the fraudulent procurement of a consignment of fake immunoglobulin on his watch as the Minister of Health. This is a welcome move. The first no-faith motion against Rambukwella was defeated in Parliament in Sept 2023. Issues usually do not last long in Sri Lanka, but the immunoglobulin racket, which has shaken the conscience of the nation, is an exception. more..

Jan 16 (ST) The Dehiwala Zoo is planning to mark the first birthday of Simba the lion cub. National Zoological Gardens Director General Ranjan Marasinghe told the Sunday Times they were discussing how they should celebrate the cub’s first birthday. The lion cub, which will be one on March 17, 2024, was sired by Chandi. Simba’s mother Meera had refused to feed the cub after giving birth at Ridiyagama Safari Park and was brought to the Dehiwala Zoo on March 20, 2023. more..

Jan 16 (CI) Expect to see more of Angelo Mathews in SL's T20 side this year. Expect to see him bowl more frequently. And because this is late-career Mathews, coming back into the white-ball frame after years of being picked only for Tests, expect him also to be driven by grievance to some extent. Following his first T20I outing in almost three years, Mathews seemed to take aim at the previous set of selectors - headed by more..

Jan 16 (FT) CIC Agri Businesses recognised and appreciated two of its long-standing business partners Bavani Stores, Jaffna and Samarasiri Traders, Welimada with Lifetime Awards at the Annual New Year Invoicing Ceremony which was held at the Lotus Tower recently. Bavani Stores was founded by Ponnaiyah Krishnananthan also known as Rajan in 1976 and commenced as a grocery shop and later expanded its business to other products. In 1985 Bavani Stores ventured to the sale of more..

Jan 16 (DN) We are very keen to support Cricket and other sports at this hard period while we are expected to continue our support to cricket said Nemantha Abeysinghe General Manger of Nippon Paints Lanka Ltd at the press briefing to announce Nippon as title sponsor of the ongoing Zimbabwe cricket series. GM further said we know this is a dark period for our country as well as all sports are suffering more difficulties and we are very ready to give Nippon Paints support as sponsor. more..

Jan 16 (EN) Sri Lankan banks should be cushioned from the full impact of an International Sovereign Bond hair cut as they are vital for growth and both fairness and equality should be considered in comparing with foreign investors, top bankers said. Sri Lanka’s banks hold about 1.25 billion rupees out of about US$ 1.8 billion sovereign bonds held by residents, bankers say. The total outstanding sovereign bonds are about US$ 12.55 billion with the bulk held by international bondholders. more..

Jan 16 (DN) SL Army Judo Team grabbed their eighth win in a row at the 60th National Judo Championship, which ended on Sunday at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium. This two-day championship, arranged by the Sri Lanka Judo Federation, took place in two venues, with the first day happening at YMCA Colombo. In both the Men’s and Women’s categories, SL Army dominated, maintaining their winning streak for eight years, with a brief interruption in 2019 when more..

Jan 16 (FT) The sale of the Govt’s controlling 50.23% stake in Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT) has sparked an apparent battle between Indian and Chinese firms whilst some viewed the level of interest as disappointing. SOE Restructuring Unit (SRU) announced Jio Platforms Ltd in Gujrat, India, Gortune Int'l Investment Holding, Capital Alliance and Pettigo Comercio Int'l, NDB Investment Bank submitted their offers to Govt’s notice for more..

Jan 16 (TM) SL has earnt low tourism revenue despite having 1.5 million arrivals in 2023 due to the arrival of lower- to medium-end travellers from the top two tourist markets to SL such as Russia and India, SLTPB Chairman Chalaka Gajabahu said. He said that lower to medium tourists arrived in SL from markets such as Russia and India in 2023 which took the top two tourist arrival countries in the year that resulted in lower revenue compared to years such as 2018 and 2019. more..

Jan 16 (FT) The Telecommunication Engineers’ Union (TEU) has written an open letter to Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe on the proposed divestiture of the Govt’s stake in Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT). The letter was following the SOE Restructuring Unit (SRU) announcing on Friday that there were three responses to the Request for Qualification (RfQ) notice. The TEU indeed in its letter questioned the presence of only 3 bidders. Following is the full text of TEU’s open letter to the Prez. more..

Jan 16 (AD) A team of senior IMF officials overseeing SL’s bailout programme has toured the Tamil-dominated Northern district of Jaffna for the first time under the current USD 2.9 billion agreement, officials said on Monday. Led by Peter Brueur, the IMF senior mission chief for SL, the team last week met with the Governor of the Northern province, PMS Charles, and other senior officials and discussed issues related to economic growth in the province, demining programmes, more..

Jan 16 (FT) SJB MP Dr. Harsha de Silva yesterday pledged that if the current Govt enacts the highly criticised Online Safety Bill, a future Govt under the leadership of the SJB will promptly repeal the legislation within a week of assuming office. According to the MP, the Govt plans to table the bill in Parliament on 24 January, with the objective of curbing the influence of social networks like Facebook and WhatsApp to garner votes in the upcoming elections. more..

Jan 16 (TM) Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Aviation is to probe into the incident of a group of MPs representing the ruling SLPP having a lavish party in the middle of the sea using two vessels belonging to the SLPA, only upon the receipt of a complaint. Video footage of former Prez and incumbent Govt MP Mahinda Rajapaksa and several other SLPP MPs including Cabinet and State Ministers enjoying a party aboard a SLPA more..

Jan 16 (AD) CID has arrested another individual on suspicion of being involved in the incident of several questions of 2023 GCE A/L exam’s Agricultural Science I & II question papers allegedly being leaked prior to the exam. The 38-year-old male suspect had served as the peon of the exam centre chief at the A/L exam centre established at the Moratuwa Maha Vidyalaya. On Sunday, A/L Agricultural Science teacher of a popular govt school in Ampara was arrested by the CID in relation more..

Jan 16 (FT) The Central Bank announced this week its intention to forward guidelines for appointing the State bank Board of Directors to the Finance Ministry. “For State-owned banks, which account for 48% of the banking sector assets, the Central Bank expects to issue guidance to the Finance Ministry on appointments to the Board of Directors of such banks,” the Central Bank Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe said unveiling the Annual Policy Statement 2024 last week. more..

Jan 16 (TM) National Water Supply & Drainage Board (NWSDB) stated that no decision has been taken so far on increasing or decreasing water tariffs. With the CEB proposing an average 3.34% reduction in electricity tariffs, there are speculations of a possible reduction in water tariffs. NWSDB Deputy General Manager Piyal Pathmanatha said that the NWSDB is yet to decide on any change to the water tariffs. “No final decision has been made on electricity tariffs. When electricity tariff more..

Jan 16 (FT) Leading business magazine LMD reports in its January edition that the barometer of business confidence has regained lost ground but uncertainties loom. Business Confidence Index (BCI) rose by 27 basis points, it notes, to register 85. “While the biz barometer has shown a degree of volatility in its trajectory in recent months, the sudden upswing suggests a narrative of uncertainty: the index, which fluctuated between 73 and 81 from Aug to Oct, plummeted to 58 in Nov more..

Jan 16 (AD) GMOA claims that the island-wide strike action organized by health sector employees is unjustified. The Secretary of the GMOA Dr. Haritha Aluthge expressed that 50% of the wage demands made by the trade unions which are protesting the govt’s decision to increase the Disturbance, Availability and Transport (DAT) allowance for doctors have been completed, and that only 15% of the requested increment have been received more..

Jan 16 (Island) Seventy two health sector trade unions would commence an indefinite strike from today (16) at 6.30 am, President of the Joint Council for Professions of Supplementary Medicine, Ravi Kumudesh, told The Island. Kumudesh said that the unions had been compelled to launch a strike because the government had ignored the overwhelming majority of health sector workers and increased the Disturbance, Availability, and Transport (DAT) allowance only for doctors. more..

Jan 16 (AD) The CID has arrested Mahinda Kodituwakku, the self-proclaimed Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva at Pannipitiya. Kodituwakku is accused of committing irreligious activities that are contrary to Buddhist teachings. On Friday (12), the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court also imposed an overseas travel ban on him. Earlier this week, the president of Buddhist Information Centre, Ven. Agulugalle Sri Jinananda Thero had filed a complaint with the CID alleging that more..

Jan 16 (Island) The Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and International Commission of Jurists have joined over 30 international human rights organisations to pressure the Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa govt to halt the ongoing Yukthiya operation. The grouping has expressed serious concern over what it called drastic intensification of anti-drug operations in SL leading to significant human rights violations. more..

Jan 16 (FT) Sri Lanka has entered 2024 having passed 2022, the year of the severest economic crisis, and 2023, the year of the beginning of economic recovery. Having followed an economic recovery package as agreed with IMF for an extended fund facility or EFF, Sri Lanka should now consolidate its position to retain the hard-earned macroeconomic stability and push the economy to a high growth path needed for delivering permanent prosperity to its people. more..

Jan 16 (AD) Sectoral Oversight Committee on International Relations has drawn its attention to the affairs related to the National Oceanic Affairs Committee Secretariat, an agency affiliated to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Committee to which met on 9 Jan, chaired by Member of Parliament Akila Ellawala discussed the role of the National Oceanic Affairs Committee Secretariat, challenges faced and future plans, the Parliamentary Communications Dept said in a statement. more..

Jan 16 (Island) Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, has explained to the Swiss Ambassador in Colombo, Siri Walt, the measures taken by the govt to prosecute LTTE cadres in custody. The issue was taken up for discussion between the Swiss envoy and the Justice Minister recently when the former visited the Ministry. Dr. Rajapakshe has said that there were only a few LTTE cadres now in custody. The Ministry said that Dr. Rajapakshe told the diplomat how LTTE more..

Jan 16 (AD) A 5-member committee has been appointed to investigate into the recent incident of several inmates escaping the Kandakadu Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre following a clash that occurred among the detainees. Committee was appointed by Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe. Accordingly, the relevant committee, headed by the SC Judge Hector Yapa, has been instructed to launch an investigation regarding the matter and provide necessary recommendations within more..

Jan 16 (DM) The strike action scheduled to be held today by the health workers is pegged to hamper the health sector and cause inconvenience to the general public. According to the trade unions representing the health sector, non-doctor employees have decided to conduct an island-wide strike today starting from 8.00 am. According to the trade union leadership, the massive strike is a coordinated effort involving more..

Jan 16 (EN) Sri Lanka is working with international payment aps to allow foreigners to make transaction through Lanka QR, Central Bank Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe said. “Lanka QR will be extended to foreign payment apps so that both foreign customers and local will utilze Lanka QR for payments in Sri Lanka. That’s where we are working with India’s Upay and some other arrangements,” he said delivering the annual policy statement for 2024, last week (10). more..

Jan 16 (FT) “Alongside decayed roués with dubious means of subsistence and of dubious origin, alongside ruined and adventurous offshoots of the bourgeoisie, were vagabonds , discharged soldiers, discharged jailbirds, escaped galley slaves, rogues, mountebanks, lazzaroni, pickpockets, tricksters, gamblers, maquereaus, brothel keepers, porters, literati, organ-grinders, rag-pickers, knife-grinders, tinkers, beggars, in short, the whole indefinite, disintegrated mass, thrown hither and thither, more..

Jan 16 (TM) Noting that the proposed Online Safety Bill (OSB) will really hamper the freedom of expression of the people and may be used to suppress dissent against the Govt, Bar Association of SL (BASL) noted that it has initiated discussions and communications regarding the same which involve educating its members as well as the civil society.vRegarding the concerns surrounding the controversial OSB, BASL President, more..