- Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekara instructs CEB Chairman to suspend & take disciplinary action against employees who “engaged in disrupting public services & electricity supply during trade union actions on 3, 4 & 5 Jan’24”.
- Former CB Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal says people now understand why he didn’t pursue an IMF programme in 2021 & 2022, as they suffer the unbearable economic pain inflicted on them through the current tight IMF programme: advises that a person must check whether there are crocodiles in the river before jumping in, and there’s no use screaming there are crocodiles devouring them, after hurriedly jumping in.
- Peradeniya Teaching Hospital Director Dr Arjuna Thilakaratne says around 5,000 patients who have been recommended by doctors to undergo organ transplants to sustain life, die every year because they can’t find organs in time.
- Urban Development Minister Prasanna Ranatunga says the Urban Development Authority will invest over Rs.1 bn to develop Sigiriya/Dambulla and Trincomalee as tourism zones: also says this project was stalled due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the economic crisis that followed.
- CB says SL’s gross official reserves increased to USD 4.4bn by end-Dec’23, helped by loans from World Bank, ADB & IMF: reserves helped by high cost “Hot-money” investments as well: since April’22, after CB Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe & Treasury Secretary Mahinda Siriwardene announced the unilateral debt-standstill (default), SL is in arrears of loan & interest re-payments of at least USD 6.0bn to bilateral & private creditors.
- Workers’ Remittances for Dec’23 amounts to USD 569.7mn and cumulative figure for the year 2023 records USD 5,969.6mn: CB says it’s a 57.5% increase compared with 2022.
- Public Security Minister Tiran Alles says an “Automated Facial Recognition System” has been installed at the BIA under the guidance of Acting IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon to identify arriving or departing persons who may be involved in criminal & illegal activities.
- According to a fact-finding mission at the Narahenpita Economic Centre, the price of almost all varieties of vegetables have increased significantly: the “per kg” prices of Carrots was Rs.1,000, Brinjals Rs.900, Cabbage Rs.900, Tomatoes Rs.900, Green chillies Rs.1,800, Ladies’ Fingers Rs.800, Ash plantains Rs.480.
- SL Golf announces that 11 top-seeded golfers will compete in 2 trial rounds on Jan 8 & 9 at the Royal Colombo Golf Club, to select 2 players to represent SL ar the Bangladesh Amateur Golf Championship from Jan 31 to Feb 3 at the Kurmitola Golf Club in Dhaka.
- SL vs Zimbabwe 1st Cricket ODI ends in a “no result” due to bad weather conditions: SL 273/9 in 50 overs: Charith Asalanka 101, Kusal Mendis 46, Sadeera Samarawickrama 41: Zimbabwe 12/2 in 4 overs: Dilshan Madushanka 0/2.
