Dec 21 (FT) Turnover at the Colombo stock market yesterday shot up to a 10-month high of Rs. 9.2 billion with the benchmark ASPI succeeding to gain for the 19th consecutive day. Fuelled by trading of 899 million shares, turnover was led by Sierra Cables (Rs. 509 mil), HNB (Rs. 375.5 mil), Royal Ceramics (Rs. 298 mil), Lanka Milk Foods (Rs. 293.6 mil) and Access Engineering (Rs. 288.6 million). The market also saw over 30 crossings. ASPI gained by 1% & S&P SL20 by 0.7% more..

Dec 21 (CT) Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath stated that the Govt is yet to determine the next steps regarding the Myanmar refugees who arrived in Sri Lanka's Northern provincial waters on a boat a few days ago. The boat carried 102 refugees, including a pregnant woman. The Minister acknowledged that Sri Lanka currently hosts around 47 Rohingya refugees, but handling such cases has become more challenging since UN Refugee Agency’s office in Colombo was shut down. more..

Dec 21 (CT) Parliament sittings were expected to be heated, with both the Govt and the Opposition planning to field contenders for the Speaker post, which fell vacant following the resignation of Speaker Ashoka Ranwala. SJB MP Nalin Bandara announced that the Opposition will propose a candidate for the position of Speaker of Parliament at the parliamentary session, scheduled for 17 Dec. MP Bandara confirmed that the Opposition more..

Dec 21 (CT) Those who contested the Prez Elections and did not win want Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD) and his govt to fail. That is an obvious observation. Electioneering is a grueling exercise for power. Everyone involved in as candidates does not want his or her rival to win. When the campaigns begin, some candidates travel the whole nine yards and more. They do not have boundaries; for them, as Vince Lombardi, the famous American football coach said: more..

Dec 21 (ST) Last week, the SL Economic Association (SLEA) hosted its annual int'l conference of the year 2024. The conference theme was Industrial Transformation for Economic Revival in SL. Apart from SL economists, the conference papers were presented by scholars from China, India, Japan and Thailand as well. I decided to share with you today, the importance of the role of industrialisation as a medium-term strategy for both economic recovery and economic progress more..

Dec 21 (DM) SL’s new President Anura Kumara Dissanayake recently concluded his state visit to India. He was given a high ceremonial welcome by his counterpart, President Droupadi Murmu, and received with warmth by PM Narendra Modi at Rashtraprati Bhavan. In the joint statement, India has pledged to supply LNG gas to Sri Lanka, enhance trade settlements between the two countries, boost education and technology exchanges and encourage Indian FDI in SL. more..

Dec 21 (CT) Minister Saroja Savithri Paulraj recently stated in the Parliament that the number of children dropping out of education is increasing daily. Elaborating further, Minister said although around 350,000 children are enrolled in Grade 1 every year, not all of them remain in schools even until the O/L is completed. On average, around 50,000 school dropouts are recorded by Grade 10. The numbers paint a sorry picture and reveal some alarming concerns in not just our education system but more..

Dec 21 (CT) Act No. 7 of 1978 was set up to provide for the establishment of a fund called The President’s Fund for the provision of funds for the relief of poverty, for the advancement of the religion, for the making of awards to persons who have served the nation, and for any other purpose beneficial or of interest to the public; and to provide for matters therewith or incidental thereto. Established during late President more..

Dec 21 (DM) Lanka finds itself once again in a Catch-22 situation. India and China have from our post-independence period proved to be our country’s most steadfast friends. Lankan’s can never forget the 18 Dec 1952 Rubber-Rice Pact with China. At that time, both Ceylon and China were in their infancy as nations. SL, then Ceylon, faced a shortage of rice. The world market price of rice rose by 38% between 1951 and 1952. At the time the US introduced synthetic rubber into the market, more..

Dec 21 (DM) Is the 13th Amendment - the most controversial and lengthy modification introduced to the country’s basic law - losing its significance? The answer seems to be in the affirmative with India, the real architect of that Amendment gradually lessening its weight in its own statements, the possibility of it dying a natural death or becoming a dead letter is apparently high. Also, with the provincial councils, the practical outcome of the 13th Amendment having been almost forgotten more..

Dec 21 (CT) SL’s agricultural sector has long struggled with the persistent challenge of wildlife encroachment. While the Govt has recently reaffirmed its commitment to addressing this issue as part of its agricultural policy, the proposed measures have sparked significant debate. Farmers face increasing losses as wild animals damage their crops, yet environmentalists caution against the ecological and legal repercussions of taking more..

Dec 21 (ST) There was a time many decades ago when coconuts were available in abundance prompting that famous song by baila maestro M.S. Fernando – Pol-pol-popol-pol-pol-pol-Lankawe watuwala wawena pol (Coconuts grown in the gardens of SL), where most homes in SL (and at that time with a large or small garden) had coconut trees. The coconut for your cooking needs and that delicious pol sambol came from the home garden and residents rarely ventured out to buy more..

Dec 21 (Island) Cass has always maintained that if you want a job done well give it to a woman. Of course, there will be exceptions but generally that maxim holds. Eleanor Roosevelt, a power in her own right, said; A woman is like a tea bag – you can’t tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water. Women are generally incorruptible and can resist the temptation of flesh and spirit. How many men down the corridors of history have fallen from their pedestals – King Solomon & Hebrew man more..

Dec 20 (EN) SL cannot make a final decision on a proposed wind power plant by India’s Adani group as there was an ongoing court case, Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath said. “That case is before courts,” Herath told reporters Friday. “The court has not given a decision yet.” SL cannot make a final decision until the court decision comes, he said. Activists petitioned courts saying the wind plant caused environmental harm. The wind farm in Mannar in particular had come under fire after more..

Dec 20 (AD) Foreign Minister, Vijitha Herath, clarified that no agreement had been reached regarding the construction of Indian oil pipelines in SL, during President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s recent visit to India. He made this statement at a special press briefing this morning (20) to provide insights into President Anura Kumara’s recent visit to India. However, the Foreign Minister stated the construction of oil pipelines between India, Sri Lanka, and UAE had been proposed. more..

Dec 20 (AD) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake has highlighted the critical challenge of transforming SL’s public service into an efficient state mechanism. He pointed out that the newly appointed committee tasked with reviewing state institutions would make decisions without being influenced by political pressures. Prez shared these views while addressing the District Secretaries and Divisional Secretaries conference today more..

Dec 20 (AFP) SL's disaster agency told AFP no tornado was recorded in Nov 2024, contrary to claims that surfaced on social media as deadly rains battered the island nation. A clip of a waterspout shared in the false posts dates back to news reports from Oct 2022. "Another threat to SL, impact of a Tornado," read a Sinhala-language Facebook post shared on Nov 29, 2024. It included a video which shows water mist and air swirling upwards from a body of water. more..

Dec 20 (CT) Consultant Emergency Physician, National Hospital, Colombo, Dr. Indika de Lanerolle said that 75% of those who had been registered as Emergency Physicians had left SL for better prospects. Dr. De Lanerolle said that within the last five to six years, 53 medical practitioners had been registered as Consultant Emergency Physicians. However, 75% of them have left the island in search of better prospects, as there is a high demand in developed countries for Emergency more..

Dec 20 (FT) Central Bank yesterday announced that it has intensified efforts to combat the alarming rise in prohibited financial schemes, which poses risks to the financial system stability and protection of the general public from such scams. As part of these measures, CBSL is conducting investigations under Section 83C(3) of the Banking Act to determine whether individuals or entities have contravened or are likely to contravene more..

Dec 20 (EN) Sri Lanka will not allow any Indian projects that will be harmful either to the island nation’s economy or the country, Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath said. Explaining Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake this week’s Indian visit, he said only two memorandum of understandings (MOUs) were signed while most of the other projects were discussed. “We would not arrive at any decision that would be harmful for our economy or our country,” Herath told reporters. more..

Dec 20 (CT) Former Fisheries Minister Douglas Devananda has questioned Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake on what exactly is meant by the humanitarian approach to resolving the fishermen’s issue, as suggested by the Indian Govt during the Prez’s recent visit to India. At a press conference, held yesterday, at the headquarters of the EPDP in Jaffna, Devananda, who also serves as the party’s General Secretary, urged the govt to clarify the meaning of this approach. more..

Dec 20 (CT) Govt would set up waste paper collection centres across the country in its bid to promote the paper manufacturing process at the Valaichchenai Paper Mill, said Minister Sunil Handunnetti in Parliament. He said the govt plans to enhance paper production by rejuvenating the paper mills that are to be closed. “Then the govt could provide the school exercise books at a lower rate and definitely the prices of exercise books would be reduced by a considerable price next year” more..

Dec 20 (AD) Former Director of the Colombo Crimes Division (CCD), ASP Neville Silva, who was remanded in custody following his arrest, has been further remanded until Dec 30. ASP Silva was arrested by the CID at the Police Field Force HQ on December 9 and produced before court on December 10. The CID had launched an investigation based on a complaint that ASP Silva had allegedly acted in a biased manner toward a complainant when investigating a case filed more..

Dec 20 (DM) If hybrid vehicle imports are taxed based on their engine capacity, it will satisfy both consumers and the govt, while reducing the prices of existing vehicles in the country, President of the SL Business Council of Japan Jagath Ramanayake said. He said that there is an increasing global trend in the use of hybrid vehicles. The foreign exchange required to import hybrid vehicles is significantly lower more..

Dec 20 (AD) Deputy Minister Chathuranga Abeysinghe has met with the World Bank’s Country Manager, Gevorg Sargsyan, and discussed several structural challenges that have hindered the growth of SL industries over the past four decades. He said these include the absence of a national integrated industrial plan, limited access to capital for industrialists, weak institutional support for industrial growth, a lack of anti-dumping policies to protect local industries and the shortage of more..

Dec 20 (AD) The IMF will review SL’s recent tax revisions and a full assessment of these revisions will be included in the staff report, which will follow the Executive Board’s approval of the EFF program for Sri Lanka, a spokesperson said. On Nov 23, IMF staff and the Sri Lankan authorities reached Staff-Level Agreement on the Third Review under the EFF arrangement and once the review is completed or approved by the IMF Executive Board, Sri Lanka will have access to $333 million. more..

Dec 20 (NW) Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath says SL’s former Deputy High Commissioner to Australia Himalee Arunatilaka has not engaged in any financial fraud or corruption, despite an Australian Court charging her over an incident related to unpaid wages to a female domestic help. Minister said as per the SL protocol, those employed in overseas diplomatic missions are allowed a certain number of assistants or domestic workers to help more..

Dec 20 (NW) Colombo High Court today announced that the Supreme Court has upheld its previous ruling confirming the death sentences imposed on former DIG Vass Gunawardena and five other accused over the abduction and murder of businessman Mohamed Siyam in 2013. Colombo High Court informed the decision after the accused, including former DIG Vass Gunawardena and his son Ravindu Gunawardena, a Senior Police Inspector, and three Police Constables, more..

Dec 20 (NW) Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath clarified that discussions on the Economic and Technology Cooperation Agreement (ETCA) with India are ongoing, but no agreement has been signed or implemented. “We have only agreed to take this discussion forward—not to sign or enforce the ETCA,” Herath said. Minister made these comments during a government media briefing. Herath also dismissed allegations made by political opponents. “Certain bankrupt politicians have been more..

Dec 20 (AD) Panadura Magistrate’s Court has granted bail to notorious underworld figure and drug kingpin Salindu Gunaratne, also known as Kudu Salindu, on three sureties of Rs. 1 million each. The order was issued by Panadura Chief Magistrate Saman Kumara when a case filed against him was taken up before the court today. In addition to the three sureties, the suspect was ordered released under strict bail conditions. On March 1, 2023, Nadun Chinthaka Wickremeratne alias more..

Dec 20 (AD) SL Police says a comprehensive security programme has been planned to ensure public safety during the upcoming Christmas and New Year festive season. SSP Buddhika Manathunga stated that over 6,500 officers have been deployed in the Western Province alone to maintain security and order. Additionally, more than 500 police officers dressed in civilian attire will be stationed near religious sites and crowded shopping areas to monitor and identify potential more..