News Room : Youth declaration submitted at COP28 presented to the President – The Island
President, Ranil Wickremesinghe, addressing the centenary celebration of the Government Valuation Department held at Solis Hotel in Pitakotte today (06), announced the initiation of a ground-breaking economic program set to kick off on January 1. The President said that adopting new economic reforms was imperative and reiterated that the nation cannot afford to persist with out-dated systems. He highlighted that...
News Room : Nimisha Priya: The Indian nurse from Kerala on death row in Yemen
Nimisha Priya, barely 19, left the southern Indian state of Kerala for Yemen in 2008 with big dreams. She had found work as a nurse in a government-run hospital in the capital Saan’a and told her mother, a poorly-paid domestic helper, that their days of hardships would be over soon. Fifteen years later, that dream has turned into a nightmare...
News Room : Israel’s new Gaza evacuation zones leave Palestinians few places to go
Aid agencies are warning that Palestinian civilians are running out of places to flee to, after the Israeli military first ordered tens of thousands to evacuate part of the main city in the south ahead of an assault by tanks and troops. A map posted on social media on Monday told people in northern and central Khan Younis to leave...
News Room : German cabinet tries to solve ‘no-debt’ crisis after court outlaws budget
You know it’s a crisis when Germany’s Green vice chancellor cancels attending a climate summit. Robert Habeck, who’s also economy minister, was supposed to be at the COP28 summit this week in Dubai. Instead, he is in Berlin, wrangling with coalition partners over an emergency agreement for next year’s budget. The crisis exploded on 15 November, when Germany’s constitutional...
News Room : State Minister – The Island
By Saman Indrajith Minister of Education Susil Premajayantha on Tuesday (05) told Parliament that he would take steps to recruit over 2,000 university lecturers to fill vacancies in the university system. Minister Premajayantha said that the universities needed about 12,000 lecturers to operate optimally and that there were now only about 9,000 teachers. Funds had been allocated from the previous budget for...
News Room : Prez undermining EC ahead of elections: SLPP rebel group
By Shamindra Ferdinando The rebel SLPP group yesterday (04) accused President Ranil Wickremesinghe of trying to bring the legislature under his control ahead of presidential and parliamentary polls scheduled for 2024 and 2025. Addressing the weekly media briefing at Nawala, top Opposition spokesperson and former External Affairs Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris alleged that Wickremesinghe’s recent threat to appoint a Parliamentary Select...
News Room : ‘VAT will drive prices of fuel, electricty up’
By Rathindra Kuruwita The petroleum sector unions warn that fuel prices will rise by around 11 percent from 01 January 2014 due to 18% VAT. Dr. Ashoka Ranwala, President of the General Employees’ Union of Petroleum Corporation, said previously petrol, diesel and coal had been exempted from VAT. The prices of petroleum products affected those of other products and services and therefore...
News Room : Economic crisis driving more and more Lankans to seek asylum in India; 295 so far this year – The Island
Minister of Justice, Prison Affairs and Constitutional Reform, Wijayadasa Rajapakse, unveiled plans to introduce a new legislative framework aimed at regulating microfinance institutions operating within the country. Expressing deep concern regarding the unregulated status of certain microfinance entities, Minister Rajapakse emphasized the necessity for decisive measures. He underscored the intention to establish an independent regulatory institution, distinct from the Central...
News Room : Landslide early warnings issued to Galle, Kalutara, Kandy, Kegalle, Matara, Nuwara Eliya and Ratnapura Districts
The landslide early warning center of the National Building Research Organization has issued landslide early warnings to the Districts of Galle, Kalutara, Kandy, Kegalle, Matara, Nuwara Eliya and Ratnapura. Accordingly, A level I landslide Red Alert has been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Division and surrounding areas of Pasbage Korale in the Kandy district. Level II landslide early warnings have been issued...
News Room : Private bus operators won’t reduce fares – The Island
By Shamindra Ferdinando Senior Director of Customs Seevali Arukgoda strongly defended Customs Officers’ Management and Compensation Fund (COMCF) taking 70% of total penalty imposed on public or private sector wrongdoers. The fund is believed to be the largest of its kind in the country. Arukgoda, who also functions as the Customs spokesperson, insisted that 20% of their share was spent on...