Jan 18 (FT) Ranil failed to negotiate the best possible deal with the IMF. The agreement he arrived at is flawed at its foundation, and the quote from the HRW World Report 2024 above identifies that structural flaw. Ranil’s inability to read turbulent global dynamics and navigate Sri Lanka sagaciously is evidenced by his outrageously risky positioning of our country in a widening conflict in the Middle East. To align as Ranil has with the US-UK when they are bombing Arab countries more..

Jan 18 (FT) Much is being spoken of in recent days about parate execution and its adverse effects on the wider economy as a result of the destruction caused to SMEs. Proponents of parate execution including the CB Governor argue the need to continue parate execution in order to maintain banking sector stability. While both parties may have a strong rationale for their respective points of view, one should also look at alternative courses of action that would end up in a win win situation more..

Jan 18 (AD) In a bid to curb traffic violations, SL Police has decided to trace traffic offenders in Colombo using the surveillance camera system in the island’s commercial capital. Acting IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon said this initiative would be implemented starting next Monday. Accordingly, the traffic fine sheet and the respective CCTV footage will be sent to the police station closest to the registered owner of the vehicle involved, Acting IGP explained. more..

Jan 18 (DM) Minister Prasanna Ranatunga ruled out any agreement between MP Dhammika Perera and the SLPP on the Prez candidacy. He told reporters after the Matara District Coordination Committee meeting that they cannot put the country in trouble again by appointing an inexperienced Prez. "I am an active member of the party. As far as I know, the SLPP has not entered into any agreements with Dhammika Perera on the Presidential candidacy," he said responding to a question. more..

Jan 18 (EN) Around 71.6% of the SL public are unaware of the Online Safety Bill that is to be debated in parliament on January 23, a think tank has said. “Responding to the Wickremesinghe govt’s proposed legislation; Anti-Terrorism Act and Online Safety Bill, a majority of Sri Lankans expressed that they are ignorant about both these proposed legislation,” the Centre for Policy Alternatives’ Confidence in Democratic more..

Jan 18 (DM) Foreign Minister Ali Sabry said SL, as the Chair of the UN Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices, continues to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian cause and affirms the rights of the Palestinian people to live in peace and dignity. Addressing the meeting of the NAM Ministerial Committee on Palestine, SL’s long held principled position on this matter has been clear. “We recognize the legitimate and inalienable right of the people of Palestine to statehood. more..

Jan 18 (PMD) The Bill aimed at classifying public images to safeguard freedom of speech, expression, and creative rights was recently handed over to President’s Secretary Mr. Saman Ekanayake at the Presidential Secretariat by the committee, appointed by Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe. Mr. Saman Athaudahetti the former Chairman of the Board of Directors of Public Performance Board, chaired the committee tasked with drafting the new legislation. Committee members involved in this more..

Jan 18 (AD) COPF has expressed its deep dissatisfaction with the Finance Ministry and the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) over the failure to collect foregone taxes from major corporations implicated in the Sugar scam, as outlined in the forensic report compiled by the Auditor General. A meeting of COPF was convened under the chairmanship of Dr. Harsha de Silva, during which the committee members more..

Jan 18 (EN) Saudi Arabia has reduced the cost of domestic labour recruitment for SL migrant workers, along with those from Bangladesh and Philippines, media reports said. “The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development recently announced a reduction in the maximum limits for recruiting domestic labour services in several countries, namely the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Uganda, Kenya, and Ethiopia,” Saudi-based Arabian Business said. more..

Jan 18 (EN) The IMF team in Sri Lanka, headed by Peter Breuer, met with the country’s state finance minister and other officials on Wednesday (17). “Had an important mid-mission review meeting on the IMF programme with senior mission chief Peter Bruer and the team. Discussed the progress made towards achieving the goals and overcome challenges encountered,” Shehan Semasinghe said on X. “Further discussed the adherence to policy frameworks, and agreed upon timelines. more..

Jan 18 (AD) Acting Minister of Finance Shehan Semasinghe states that 300,000 additional families were found to be qualified for the Aswesuma welfare benefits programme, after reviewing 640,000 appeals and objections thus far regarding the beneficiary lists. Joining a discussion held with the Welfare Benefits Board at the Finance Ministry today, Semasinghe said that the total number of recipients of the Aswesuma programme now exceeds 1.7 million families. more..

Jan 18 (EN) Nu Life Biotech Pvt Ltd started construction work on its Carbapenem injectables manufacturing facility at the Suwa Siri Pura pharmaceutical production zone in Oyamaduwa, Anuradhapura, this week. The company’s Penem Injectable Facility will be planned, designed, engineered as per GMP Standards of NMRA, WHO, EU and PIC/S etc, it said in a statement. “The facility will conform to all relevant local statutory and regulatory requirements.” more..

Jan 18 (AD) A senior oncologist of the Teaching Hospital in Karapitiya has been arrested for allegedly assaulting a female junior staff member during a contentious situation that had ensued on Wednesday. The specialist doctor in question, who was arrested by Galle Police, is now receiving medical care at a private hospital under police custody. The doctor, 61, had assaulted the staff member during a heated argument more..

Jan 18 (AD) State Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya announced that the Treasury has allocated funds for the disbursement of the promised Rs. 5,000 increase in wages of public sector employees. This increase is part of the first phase of the 2024 Budget proposal, aiming to raise the cost of living allowance for state employees by Rs. 10,000, from Rs. 7,800 to Rs. 17,800. State employees will receive an extra Rs. 5,000 starting this month, with another Rs. 5,000 increase scheduled from April 2024. more..

Jan 18 (TM) Civil society organisations demanded the withdrawal of the proposed Microfinance and Credit Regulatory Authority Bill claiming that the Bill would not comply with the objectives expected by the victims of the microfinance institutions and would instead have an adverse effect on the community organisations in remote areas. Staging a protest yesterday in front of the Colombo Fort Railway Station, the civil society activists who spoke to the media said that the proposed Bill more..

Jan 18 (DM) The Colombo District Court today further extended its enjoining order preventing 29 trade unions attached to the CEB from engaging in any strikes till Feb 1. The Colombo District Court made this order pursuant to a case filed by the CEB which sought an order preventing 29 CEB trade unions and their members from engaging in any strikes as per the decision taken by them through a letter dated Dec 20, 2023. more..

Jan 18 (AD) Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) says it has obtained the services of former South African cricketer Jonty Rhodes and Bharat Arun, the former India fast bowling coach, to provide advanced training to local coaches and trainers. The board has also roped in former SL physiotherapist Alex Kountouri. “SLC decided to obtain the services of some of the best-known talents in international cricket to provide advanced training for local coaches, trainers, and physiotherapists to more..

Jan 18 (DM) More than 100,000 offensive video clips of children have been shared on social media, with various individuals contributing to this alarming trend during the past year alone. Acting IGP Deshabandu Thennakoon said that these videos depict children being sexually abused and expose their nudity, and spreading virally on social media platforms. He said the police have initiated investigations to identify and apprehend those responsible for uploading these videos. more..

Jan 19 (DM) Fear is an effective tool that people in power use to control the masses and those who might become their enemies. From the time the scarecrow was used in paddy fields to scare away animals and birds that might intrude a cultivated land, methods of driving fear into whatever you might call the opposition has been developed to great levels. And one little aspect to this fear is the built-in mentality in the islanders which makes them go into a shell the moment they are more..

Jan 19 (DM) Non-Aligned Movement, once a beacon of hope for a more just and equitable world, is holding its 19th summit in Kampala. But does anyone care? The last summit was held in Azerbaijan in Oct 2019, months before the COVID-19 outbreak which delivered a stark lesson – humanity’s survival hinges on solidarity and a global order built on justice. But no sooner had the pandemic eased off than powerful nations were back to their dirty games, driven by a desire more..

Jan 19 (TM) Although the present situation concerning the standards-related aspect of products, processes, and services in SL is at a satisfactory level, with more resources and expertise, there is much room for improvement, which is a national need. Country should concentrate on enhancing and enforcing quality standards across key industries, which will in turn not only elevate the reputation of SL goods but also facilitate greater access more..

Jan 19 (CT) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe has already made this year an election year. Therefore, many economic and financial analysts predicted that the upcoming elections in 2024 were likely to be the biggest risk for the socioeconomic development of this debt-strapped island nation. Even though the Prez plans to prorogue Parliament next week, his Govt has managed to keep the needed stability in its seats, despite variances within both the ruling coalition and Opposition parties. more..

Jan 19 (ST) Biting the hand that feeds you. This was a bitter lesson learnt when three junior ministers in the Maldives sought to offend and criticise Indian PM Narendra Modi after the latter promoted an Indian island as a tourist destination. The issue surfaced after Modi’s tweet following a visit to Lakshadweep, an archipelago of 36 atolls and coral reefs in the Laccadive Sea, off the coast of Kerala, India. During his visit, Modi posted images of him snorkelling in Lakshadweep that went viral, more..

Jan 19 (TM) Another potential pharmaceutical price hike looms as the industry awaits an evaluation of prices to reflect the indirect impact of the VAT and exchange rate fluctuations. The industry is once again seeking a nearly 12% hike. Should prices increase again, local pharmacists claim that consumers will not be able to afford prescribed medicines, as sales have dropped by around 30% since the first price revision. more..

Jan 19 (Island) Various remedies are being tried for SL’s economic crisis, prominent among them being exponential tax and tariff increases and the divestiture of state ventures. Govt is making the public undergo untold suffering in the name of economic recovery, but nothing will help revive the ailing economy and prevent it from sliding back into crisis unless the rule of law is restored urgently; those who enrich themselves at the expense of the country have to be brought to justice. more..

Jan 19 (GV) Sri Lanka has published a bill to establish a Commission for Truth, Unity and Reconciliation. Although the bill superficially appears to tick several boxes for the international community, a close examination reveals it is deeply flawed and represents a total betrayal of justice for Tamil and Sinhala victims of mass atrocity crimes. This aside from whether there is political will to implement any truth recovery regarding the country’s violent past. No evidence given to more..

Jan 19 (CT) The purpose of this article is to investigate the reality regarding the fact that after the announcement that the salary of doctors in the govt service has been increased by 35000 rupees, other health sector trade unions were engaged in a 2-day boycott demanding an increase of 35000 rupees and have now announced that they will resume trade union activity from the 16th January 2024. While the political leaders who came to power after the economic collapse due to corruption more..

Jan 19 (Island) Gotabaya Rajapaksa landed this country in such a mess, on his watch as the Prez, that it has apparently been left doing only two things at present—undoing what he did and doing what he undid. His much-advertised Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour was like the Dhammika Peniya or the herbal syrup that a shaman touted as a cure for Covid-19. The unholy mess Gotabaya created has taken its toll on every sector. Supreme Court has righted a wrong he made on the legal front; more..

Jan 19 (CI) The first two matches had tense finishes. This one was a walkover. Zimbabwe had begun with promise, hitting 35 off their first three overs. But they crumbled rapidly to spin thereafter, losing four wickets to Wanindu Hasaranga, two to Maheesh Theekshana, and one to Dhananjaya de Silva, who was playing his first match of the series. They lost their last nine wickets for 49 runs, and though this was a slow deck given to turn, more..

Jan 19 (ST) Despite Sigiriya being a major local tourist attraction, facilities provided for locals have been poor. The prevailing downpour has caused the national heritage site lose its local tourists as the parking lot reserved for them has become flooded with excrement-mixed water. Washrooms are overflowing, and the water flowing into the shops, has caused them to close down. Residents said there was an unbearable stench for months, but the Dambulla Central Cultural Fund had not more..

Jan 19 (FT) Jaffna International Trade Fair 2024, a transformative annual event that has played a pivotal role in fostering economic growth and community development in SL’s Northern Province is back with its 14th edition. Organised by Lanka Exhibition and Conference Services Ltd. (LECS), together with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Yarlpanam (CCIY), Jaffna International Trade Fair 2024 will take place from 19 to 21 Jan under the theme Your Gateway to the North. more..

Jan 19 (CT) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe has already made this year an election year. Therefore, many economic and financial analysts predicted that the upcoming elections in 2024 were likely to be the biggest risk for the socioeconomic development of this debt-strapped island nation. Even though the President plans to prorogue Parliament next week, his Govt has managed to keep the needed stability in its seats, despite variances within both the ruling coalition and Opposition parties. more..

Jan 19 (Island) We have stepped into another year. What does this new year hold for us? There is hardly anything that is new that also gives us hope today. The hike in value added taxes, continuing land grabs in the North-East, the impoverished conditions amidst which most Malaiyaha Tamils eke out their lives, the repressive culture we see within our universities and the war in Gaza are among those that mark the bleak historical moment that we live in. I cannot help but begin my piece on more..

Jan 19 (ST) On Parliament’s first sitting day on Tuesday, Badulla District SJB MP Chaminda Wijesiri, making a shocking announcement, told the House that he chose to resign as the people had rejected all 225 MPs in the present Parliament and that it no longer had the people’s mandate. Mr. Wijesiri also said the immense difficulties he faced the previous week compelled him to submit his resignation as an MP. more..

Jan 19 (DM) The governments of India and Sri Lanka are currently working on promoting and strengthening connectivity in digital, physical, and power & energy spheres between the two countries. In the digital sphere, the Indian government has embarked on several projects for Sri Lanka that includes the launching of a Pi payment system, promotion of green settlements in INR and the implementation of a unique digital identity project, said India’s envoy in Colombo. more..