Dec 24 (FT) Former Uni of Ruhuna Vice Chancellor Prof. Sujeewa Deshapriya Amarasena has filed a Fundamental Rights petition in the Supreme Court, contesting his recent removal from the position. The petition was filed yesterday by the legal counsels representing him. Prof. Amarasena claims his dismissal was politically motivated and marred by procedural irregularities, particularly in the appointment of a Competent Authority to more..

Dec 24 (Island) A sharp increase in fatal road accidents during the past few weeks has jolted the police into inspecting vehicles to check their roadworthiness. As many as 13 lives were lost in road mishaps on Saturday (21). It is believed that many such accidents occur due to the sheer number of unroadworthy vehicles on the road, posing safety risks to motorists, passengers and pedestrians alike. The police must step up inspections and prosecute the drivers and owners of unsafe vehicles. more..

Dec 24 (DN) Sri Lanka led by Charith Asalanka recorded a comfortable win over New Zealand XI in their T20 Warm up game and T-10 warm up game played yesterday at Sutcliffe Oval grounds Lincoln. The leg spinner Wanindu Hasaranga showed his all round capabilities in both matches and it was the highlight of these two warm up games. This is good news for SL team as Hasaranga was back to the field after recovery from his leg injury. Hasaranga got injured during the last home series against more..

Dec 24 (CI) Fast bowler Eshan Malinga's impressive 2024 has been capped with a maiden call-up to the national side after he was named in SL's 17-man ODI squad for their limited-overs tour of NZ. Alongside Malinga, seamer Lahiru Kumara has also earned a recall, with fellow quick Dilshan Madushanka making way. On the batting front, Sadeera Samarawickrama has been dropped for Nuwanidu Fernando. more..

Dec 24 (TM) Following the Govt Radiological Technologists’ Association (GRTA) warning of potential disruptions to essential radiology services in hospitals under the Western Provincial Council starting January next year due to its controversial transfer policy, the Western Province Health Services Dept (PDHS) yesterday defended its decision. The PDHS did so by stating that the transfer policy was formulated following extensive stakeholder consultations to ensure more..

Dec 24 (FT) Cinnamon Grand Colombo on Friday was adjudged the Best 5-Star Hotel in the city along with Nuga Gama as the Most Authentic SL Cuisine Restaurant, twin achievements attributed to the unwavering commitment and continuous excellence of the staff. The accolade at the Sri Lanka Tourism Awards 2024 was received by Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts Colombo Hotels Area Vice President Kamal Munasinghe. Cinnamon Grand and Nuga Gama won the same awards previously in 2018, more..

Dec 24 (FT) The Hambantota International Port (HIP) experienced a modest increase in cruise ship arrivals in 2024, marking a significant shift in the origin of vessels calling at the Port. While there was a noticeable decline in cruise ships originating from the Indian subcontinent, the Port saw a substantial rise in ships arriving from Europe. Of the 23 cruise ships that called at the HIP during the year, only six were from India, compared to 17 liners from Europe. The last three cruise liners to call more..

Dec 24 (Island) The participation of Deputy Minister of National Integration, Muneer Mulaffar, in a conference on Building a peaceful pluralistic Sri Lanka through Social Cohesion and Coexistence organized by the Association of War Affected Women (AWAW), together with other peacebuilding organisations, was the highlight of the event. The Minister spoke eloquently on the government’s commitment to national integration. The event was attended by more than 150 participants, more..

Dec 24 (ST) SL’s prisons are holding more than double the number of prisoners they have capacity for and as a result prisoners are suffering under atrocious conditions. The vast majority are remand prisoners, also known as pre-trial detainees. They are unconvicted, not yet found guilty, but forced to live in the squalor and violent environment of remand prisons. In 2023, 138,117 remand prisoners entered jails and on average there are 17,000 more..

Dec 24 (DM) The ongoing crisis in Sri Lanka has greatly affected household debt. As the economy worsened due to inflation, higher living costs and job losses, more households are relying on debt. A significant portion of SL households rely on microfinance companies or informal lenders and are trapped in cycles of debt. The situation mirrors what the northern and eastern parts of the country faced ten years ago, which led many women to commit suicide or leave their homes. more..

Dec 24 (DM) India’s interest in resolving the long-standing fishermen row between India and Sri Lanka is vague. It seems to depend on the interests shown by SL leaders on the matter. The joint statement issued at the end of former Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe’s visit to New Delhi last year was silent on the issue while it has been discussed under a separate sub-heading in the joint statement by India PM Narendra Modi and Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Dec 16 (last week). more..

Dec 24 (CT) SL’s treatment of its elephants has become a tragic reflection of its negligence, exploitation, and hostility towards wildlife. The recent failures of elephant drives in areas such as Kekirawa, Mahailuppallama, Thalawa, Kaduruwewa, and Mahawa are not merely logistical mishaps —t hey expose a systemic inability to address the human-elephant conflict effectively. This issue extends far beyond poorly executed operations; it reveals a nation’s collective failure to respect more..

Dec 24 (TM) NPP Govt continues to maintain a disquieting silence in regard to pre-election pledges, most importantly concerning the repeal of all repressive laws, including the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). The Govt’s continued waffling on this matter only bears out what one of its officials said prior to SL’s General Elections earlier this year, that it will not repeal PTA but will only ensure that it will be used properly. The NPP speedily denied that assertion in the wake of more..

Dec 24 (SO) I was just 11 years old when the tsunami hit Sri Lanka. A toppled train next to a twisted track, coastal homes crumbling into the sea and a ship anchored at port being tossed around like a little paper boat, this is what we saw on the news. The 2004 tsunami was our nation’s greatest natural disaster. Thousands of lives were lost in just a few hours and the damage to the economy easily set us back a few years. more..

Dec 24 (TM) As another turbulent year comes to a closure, most Sri Lankans find themselves reflecting on the trials that they endured over the past few years. The past few years were filled with challenges. It started with the Covid-19 pandemic which brought all affairs of the country to a standstill. The economic crisis came next, which reached its peak in 2022 and resulted in long-lasting impacts on the economy and the public. Amidst political, social, and economic challenges, this year, more..

Dec 24 (CT) Cost of living crisis is an economic pandemic spreading to almost every country whether developed or developing. Therefore, the constant barrage of attack on NPP govt over the last few weeks about rising price of coconuts, shortage of rice and salt in the market is not unique to SL even though there are certain specific factors such as oligopolistic control and hoarding which make the problem more acute in this country. Worldwide of course Govts and central banks are treating more..

Dec 24 (TM) In a village distant from the lights of Colombo, a father sits by the dim glow of a kerosene lamp, poring over a stack of medical bills he is struggling to pay. His surgery is urgent, and will decide the future of his entire family, but the money simply is not there. Months earlier, he applied to the President’s Fund, with hopes that help would come. Instead, his request was met with silence, like so many others before him. more..

Dec 24 (DM) On Sept 28, I posted my thoughts briefly on social media under the title Navigating Foreign Policy Towards the Stable Country: The Daunting Challenges for the AKD Govt in SL. The main purpose of that write-up was to expose the complexity and criticalness of the external affairs that the AKD government has to deal with in future. This article aims at President Dissanayake’s first diplomatic mission embarked on under the crucial moment of navigating its foreign policy to more..

Dec 24 (TM) The proposal put forward by MP Dilith Jayaweera, advocating for the complete disregard of academic titles in Parliament, is an exceptionally wise one. In a space where decisions impacting the nation are made, the focus should be on the practical expertise, experience, and integrity of the individuals, rather than their academic achievements. Ongoing debate over the academic qualifications of MPs, sparked by the former Speaker’s alleged misuse of the title Doctor, more..

Dec 23 (DM) Due to a shortage of railway staff and train engines, the Railways Department is unable to operate extra train services during the festive season, according to the department. The department had planned to add several train services to Badulla, Jaffna and Kankesanthurai (KKS) soon after the start of the school vacation, following requests from commuters. However, the department is facing a shortage of train engines, railway guards, engine drivers and crew. more..

Dec 23 (Island) Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ), under the leadership of its Chairman Hemantha Withanage, has strongly criticized the ongoing unscientific and ad-hoc practices in wildlife management across SL. CEJ has called on Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake and the govt to take immediate action to halt these practices, which they argue are not only harmful to wildlife but also exacerbate human-wildlife conflicts. In a detailed letter addressed to the Prez, more..

Dec 23 (TM) The foreign exchange allocated for vehicle imports will be decided based on the foreign exchange reserves the Govt will have by February next year, according to a senior official from the Ministry of Finance. The phased approach of opening up vehicle import restrictions reflected the Govt’s cautious balancing of economic recovery and foreign exchange management, with Phases II and III contingent on reserve levels and more..

Dec 23 (DM) Some seven schools in Colombo including Royal is running without principals currently. Devi Balika, Prince of Wales College Moratuwa, St Paul's, Hindu College, Isipathana College, Lumbini and Piliyandala MMV are some of the schools in and around Colombo without principals. It was also revealed that a total number of 46 schools are without Principals. Bandaranaike MW Gampaha, Sangamitta College, Dharmashoka, Devananda Vidyalaya, St Thomas' Chilaw, more..

Dec 23 (NW) Moody’s Ratings today upgraded Sri Lanka's long-term foreign currency issuer rating from ‘Ca’ to ‘Caa1’ with a stable outlook, following creditor approval of the country’s $12.55 billion debt restructuring plan last week. The credit rating agency said the decision to upgrade the issuer rating to Caa1 is driven by the conclusion of the restructuring of SL’s international bonds held by private-sector creditors, which reduces the default risk on new and future issuances. more..

Dec 23 (EN) SL’s main stock index in the Colombo Stock Exchange has seen more than 35% growth and the daily turnover has more than doubled since the presidential election and analysts cites the return of confidence as the key reason. ASPI has gained 35% since Anura Kumara Dissanayake was elected as the president through Dec 23 close, the official data showed. The average daily turnover, which was 1.49 billion before more..

Dec 23 (AD) The first National Conference for the Families of Missing Persons in Sri Lanka has been held in Colombo, facilitated by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which brought together 51 families of missing persons from all communities in Sri Lanka, representing diverse regions. Issuing a statement, the ICRC said that the conference provided a much-needed humanitarian space for families of missing persons to interact with families from other communities, more..

Dec 23 (DM) Controversy surrounds the illegal clearance of a plantation belonging to the Forest Conservation Dept in the Lunugamwehera range adjacent to the Yala National Park. The incident sparked social media outcry because the plantation of Kohomba trees noted for their drought-resistance is located near the Yala National Park which is a famous wildlife tourist destination at the moment. However, a top official of the Dept of Wildlife Conservation said that the plantation is more..

Dec 23 (AD) The CEB has announced that the newly-built grid substation at Wagawatta was connected to the national grid recently. The substation was an investment of Rs 2,300 million, funded by the Board of Investments (BOI) SL, to supply electricity to Wagawatta and Millaniya industrial zones of BOI. Built on a five-acre land gifted by BOI, the new substation consists of capacity of 90 MVA to improve the reliability of supply to existing industries and to serve more..

Dec 23 (EN) Sri Lanka has earned 4.3 billion rupees in taxes from imports of 67,000 metric tonnes of rice, reports said, indicating the extent the consumer is taxed to grow expensive rice in the country. SL taxes rice at 65 rupee a kilogram (65,000 rupees a tone) to keep the basic staple of the people, about 50% higher than the rest of the world. The tax paid by the consumer in the process of filling their stomachs, is arbitraged by the paddy producing and marketing lobby. more..

Dec 23 (TM) The Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) has proposed the Govt to conduct an in-depth investigation about tax reliefs provided to monopolistic companies and to restructure such schemes in a fairer manner. The party further urged the Govt to take immediate steps to rectify tax reliefs that are being misused. The FSP put forward this proposal in a list of proposals submitted for the Govt to take into account when preparing the Budget 2025. more..

Dec 23 (NW) Former Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara has denied allegations that he misused public funds by obtaining money from the President’s Fund, clarifying that the funds were used for a medical emergency. Nanayakkara explained that he received Rs. 500,000 from the Prez’s Fund in 2014 to cover a stent surgery following a heart condition. He noted that, despite using personal income and contributions from family members, he still fell short of Rs. 500,000 and more..

Dec 23 (AD) The private passenger bus that involved in a tragic accident in the Malliappuwa area on Saturday (21), while traveling from Hatton to Kandy, was inspected by the Nuwara Eliya District Chief Motor Vehicle Inspector today, revealing serious safety violations concerning the bus involved. Initial investigations had confirmed that a malfunctioning lock in the driver’s side door caused the door to suddenly open, ejecting the driver from his seat and leading to the accident. more..