Dec 22 (ST) My dear Anura sahodaraya, I thought I should write to you since it is now three months to the day when you got the top job. It is also just over a month since the maalimaawa won the other election with a historic mandate that got you a record majority. Much has happened since then. Maybe it is a good time to take stock. You have told us time and again that you realise the enormity of the challenges before you. Our economy is in shambles and the prices of essential items are still sky high. more..

Dec 22 (SO) Children from Buddhist families eagerly join in the festive cheer. They participate in the most cherished tradition – making a Christmas tree at their homes or decorating a Christmas tree of a friend or neighbour. Buddhist parents support their children’s involvement, helping them string lights, hang green, red and gold trinkets and place whimsical decorations such as the gingerbread men, snowflakes, red berry stems and plastic glitter berries. more..

Dec 22 (TM) No upper limit has been set for private rice importers, as the Govt anticipates a scarcity of rice due to damage caused to the Maha harvest by the recent floods experienced in rice-growing areas across the country, according to the STC. STC Chairman Ravindra Fernando stated that the limit of 70,000 MT applied only to the STC and Sathosa, while private importers would be allowed to import as much as they could until more..

Dec 22 (SO) Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) which escaped an overhaul in 2023 over corruption charges raised in Parliament amid numerous public protests have finally admitted its failures and mismanagement and a disputed voting set up at what is said to have been an extraordinary general meeting held on Friday. Eventually admitting to its failures and abuses which it could no longer conceal amid calls for change over the past four years, SLC declared at the meeting that three Committees need to be set up more..

Dec 22 (Island) The new parliament, packed with first timers as never before, had an interesting session last week with the dust yet unsettled over the issue of the last speaker’s doctorate. Now plain MP Ranwala who resigned from his august position, which ranked him number three in the national protocol list, has not admitted any malfeasance or skulduggery. He says his instant problem is an inability to quickly get clear proof of his qualification from Waseda, a private university in Japan more..

Dec 22 (CT) It has been over a month since the incumbent Govt was elected by the people in a historic Parliamentary Election. The clear margins by which the Govt came to be don’t necessarily mean the country has wholeheartedly placed its trust and faith in the NPP’s political ideologies. Although going from three seats to 159 might look like the perfect good prevails fairy tale ending of the NPP’s long and arduous political journey, it is far from the truth, especially in a country where more..

Dec 22 (ST) The Indian Govt gave Prez Anura Kumara Disanayake a warm welcome on an otherwise chilly winter day in New Delhi last Monday. Commentators read both warmth and chill into the lingering image of Indian PM Narendra Modi putting a friendly arm around the visiting dignitary’s shoulder as he was led inside for the bilateral talks. Emerging from these talks, the two leaders held a media briefing and made public their Joint Statement (JS)—an unusually lengthy more..

Dec 22 (ST) The fiasco surrounding the resignation of former Speaker Ashoka Ranwala following the controversy over the authenticity of his doctorate reverberated in Parliament throughout the two days it was in session this week, as arguments over the qualifications of various MPs overshadowed most other legislative business. It even became comical at some points. Ratnapura District NPP MP Dr. Janaka Senarathna more..

Dec 22 (Island) Although her political aspiration was to lighten the burden on the suffering masses Sirimavo soon found that the economic realities would not allow her a free hand. In the early sixties the terms of trade, which had been favourable in the fifties, declined sharply. The Korean war boom had run its course. The rise in the price of tea had plateaued and the trend was now downwards. Our external assets were diminishing and when Felix became finance minister more..

Dec 22 (CT) A newspaper editorial suggested that the NPP govt is facing its December term test and that its weaknesses are showing. In fact, there have been quite a few term tests set up by different pundit examiners and they are producing a mixed bag of results. Overall and objectively, if I may say so, the govt has done a reasonably good job for the most part; with a few bads, mainly gaffes, including a Prime Ministerial gaffe involving the two ‘Chinas’; and one standout ugly – the pathetic more..

Dec 22 (TM) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD) was in a triumphant mode last week due to several reasons: the successful conclusion of his first State visit to India, the announcement on the country’s economic progress, proposed amendments to taxes, and the appointment of the Clean SL Task Force, which was one of the key pledges made by him in his election campaign. more..

Dec 22 (TM) The news that former and current Presidents have been waiting for finally materialised last week, with at least one international rating agency upgrading Sri Lanka’s sovereign credit rating. The upgrade by Fitch from Restricted Default to CCC+, which has long been coming – going by pronouncements of the previous President while in office – formalises this island nation’s economic status as no longer being bankrupt. The delay in the upgrade appears to more..

Dec 22 (SO) Just a few days after Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s landmark State visit to India, a key player in the Official Creditor Committee (OCC), yielded positive results, comes the good news that SL has emerged from its bankruptcy declared in the wake of an impending economic crisis in 2022. Leading financial ratings agency Fitch Ratings said yesterday that it was upgrading SL’s foreign currency rating out of Restricted Default (RD) status, to CCC+ after 98% of bondholders more..

Dec 21 (CT) Fitch Ratings said it was upgrading SL’s foreign currency rating out of restricted default (RD) status, to CCC+ after 98% of bondholders accepted an offer to restructure defaulted bonds with new securities issued on Dec 20. “The upgrade of the Long-Term Foreign-Currency IDR (issuer default rating) reflects Fitch’s assessment that SL has normalised relations with a majority of creditors, after the announcement of final results of more..

Dec 21 (NW) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake announced that the Local Govt elections would be held before the Sinhala and Tamil New Year in 2025, while the Provincial Council elections would also take place later in the year. Prez made this statement during his visit to Kandy. As part of his visit, Prez Dissanayake met with the Chief Prelates of the Malwathu and Asgiri Chapters to receive their blessings. At the Malwathu Maha Viharaya, he met Most Venerable Thibbatuwawe Sri more..

Dec 21 (DM) Western province continued to lead the provincial GDP in 2023, albeit slipping from the 2022 levels while the North Western and Central provinces following as the distant second and third in the provincial distribution of SL’s total economic output. Despite the data being very much lagging, the Western province accounted for 43.7% of total GDP for 2023, measured on the current market prices. North Western and Central provinces accounted for 10.9% and 10.3%, respectively, more..

Dec 21 (FT) The Govt has requested the US District Court for the Southern District of New York to extend its stay of proceedings in the case filed by Hamilton Reserve Bank (HRB) over its $ 250 million in principal and interest in Int'l Sovereign Bonds (ISBs). In its request, the Govt pledged to provide an update by 6 Jan 2025, by which time it anticipates confirming the successful conclusion of its restructuring efforts. more..

Dec 21 (CT) Govt announced its decision to extend the period for rice importation until 10 Jan 2025. The final agreement is expected to be confirmed at the Cabinet meeting scheduled for Monday (23). Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayathissa stated on 19 Dec that measures would be taken to extend the rice import period as necessary. Accordingly, a Gazette notification formalising the extension will be issued on 24 Dec 2024. The current authorisation for rice imports expires from midnight of 20 Dec. more..

Dec 21 (DM) The govt is hoping to initiate discussions with India to update the Free Trade Agreement between India and Sri Lanka, which was signed several decades ago, Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath said. He said that the FTA with India needs to be updated and continue as the market has expanded now. The Minister said Sri Lanka brought to the notice of the Indian govt the need to discuss the matter during President Anura Kumara Dissanayake's recent state visit to India. more..

Dec 21 (DM) Dept of Meteorology in a press release mentioned that Sri Lanka experiences more than 90% of its major disasters due to meteorological phenomena, with dozens of incidents occurring annually as a result of torrential rainfall. ”These rainfall events are often triggered by squall thunderstorms, depressions, and cyclones that form over the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea, Consequently, floods and landslides have become increasingly common throughout the year.” more..

Dec 21 (CI) Glamorgan have signed Sri Lanka fast bowler Asitha Fernando for the first two months of the season. He is expected to be available for seven County Championship fixtures up until the end of May. Asitha, 27, has taken 72 wickets 26.66 in Tests and impressed on Sri Lanka's tour of England earlier this year, when he finished as the leading wicket-taker on either side as well as winning a spot on the Lord's honours board for his first-innings five-for. He has played county cricket previously more..

Dec 21 (FT) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake has appointed an 18-member Presidential Task Force to plan and implement the Clean Sri Lanka program. The initiative was first announced by Dissanayake in his inaugural address to Parliament. The Task Force members and its objective was made official via an Extraordinary Gazette Number 2415/59 dated 19 Dec 2024. The members of the Task Force are Secretary to Prez Dr. N.S. Kumanayake more..

Dec 21 (CT) Jesus’s birth in the manger, in an atmosphere of great poverty and simplicity is a challenge to imitate the message that flows from it. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Sri Lanka (CBCSL) said that it called on us to live a life of simplicity and to always be mindful of the poor. In its Christmas Message, the CBCSL, on Friday (20), invited people to always be mindful of the poor and sensitive to the various forms of human needs and the suffering prevailing in society. more..

Dec 21 (Island) Former Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe has urged the SJB-led Opposition to act responsibly and help ensure the continuity of the IMF bailout programme, which has enabled the economy to regain some stability. He has also thanked the NPP govt for having kept the IMF programme on course. Wickremesinghe’s exhortation to the Opposition and unsolicited advice to the govt are timely but not devoid of politics. He is seeking the credit for what the country has achieved through more..

Dec 21 (ST) Bitter truth behind Puttalam’s salt production drop Salt production in the Puttalam district has been hindered by incessant rains in the area. Puttalam district supplies 45 per cent of the market share. The salterns are spread over an area of about 4,000 Ha in Kalpiiya, Wanthavilluwa, Mundalam and Puttalam DS areas. More than 2,000 people are engaged in the industry with around 20,000 families depending on it. SL’s annual consumption of salt is around 125,000 MT more..

Dec 21 (DN) Dasun Shanaka led the Hambantota Bangla Tigers to their first-ever franchise T-10 title in the Lanka T-10 Super League. Despite rain impacting the league stage, Tigers displayed resilience in the final, overcoming the previously unbeaten Jaffna Titans, who had defeated them earlier in both the league matches and the Qualifier 1 game. Batting first, Hambantota set a competitive target of 133 for 6. Their bowlers excelled, restricting strong Jaffna batting lineup to just 107 runs. more..

Dec 21 (DW) SL Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake met India's PM Narendra Modi and Prez Droupadi Murmu in New Delhi to bolster ties between the neighboring countries. Dissanayake said India's economic support is critical in realizing his vision of a prosperous SL, as the island nation emerges from the worst economic crisis in its independent history. "Our conversations focused on strengthening Indo-SL economic cooperation, enhancing more..

Dec 21 (FT) Govt has decided against revising the Special Commodity Levy Act No. 48 of 2007, reaffirming its commitment to maintaining the existing levy structure for essential goods. Cabinet approved the proposal presented by Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake in his capacity as the Finance, Planning and Economic Development Minister to remain the levy rates in effect unchanged till 1 January 2025. The Special Commodity Levy Act was introduced to simplify taxation on 63 more..

Dec 21 (ST) A concerning surge in scams involving hacking, particularly on the Meta-owned messaging platform WhatsApp, has raised alarm in recent months in Sri Lanka. Despite risks to personal security and privacy, authorities appear to be largely silent. As cybercriminals become more sophisticated, a diverse array of users of social media have become increasingly vulnerable to various forms of fraud, from account hijacking to phishing attacks. CEO of CICRA Holdings, more..

Dec 21 (AD) Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has announced significant amendments to its Constitution following an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) held on Friday, including a substantial reduction in the total number of voting members from 147 to 60. The amendments reaffirm SLC’s commitment to fostering good governance, transparency, inclusivity, and efficiency in its management structure, SLC said. more..

Dec 21 (EN) The doubling of the withholding tax from 5% to 10% adds strain on low and middle-income earners reliant on interest income, former minister of state for finance, Shehan Semasinghe has said. On Wednesday, Prez announced that the withholding tax will be increased. “While the tax revision is a positive step, the 100% increase in withholding tax from 5% to 10% reduces disposable income and adds strain on low and middle-income earners reliant on interest income,” more..

Dec 21 (FT) Macksons Minerals and Polymers, a subsidiary of Macksons Holdings, has signed an agreement worth $ 17 million with the Board of Investment. The company is initiating an ambitious program to construct a state-of-the-art processing plant, with the aim of enhancing the value of locally sourced minerals. The facility will produce ultra-fine ground calcium carbonate (GCC) and dolomite powders, as well as solvent-based resins and water-based binders. more..