- President Anura Kumara Dissanayake emphasized that he regards the media not as outsiders but as an integral part of the effort to build a better state and improve the lives of all citizens. He made these remarks during a meeting held with the heads of electronic media organizations at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo, the President’s Media Division (PMD) reported.
- President Anura Kumara Dissanayake stated that with the political stability that has prevailed in the country today, an environment suitable for investment has been created. He further emphasized that there will be no political influence in granting new investment opportunities, such as those based on political affiliations. The President assured that the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka (BOI) would be granted full autonomy to attract clean investments that are beneficial to the country.
- The government has presented an interim Vote on Account for the initial four months of 2025, allocating close to Rs. 1,402 billion for maintaining state affairs and continuing ongoing projects.
- Sri Lanka vowed Thursday to complete its long-delayed foreign debt restructure within the month before a 2025 budget adhering to strict revenue targets set by the International Monetary Fund. The island nation defaulted on its $46 billion external debt in April 2022 after running out of foreign exchange to finance even the most essential imports such as food and fuel.
- The deadline for submitting income and expenditure reports for all candidates who contested in the parliamentary elections ends at midnight today. Executive Director of People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL) Rohana Hettiarachchi emphasized that nearly 20% of these reports have already been submitted at the district level.
- The Administrative Secretary of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Renuka Perera has been released on bail by the Colombo Magistrate’s Court. He was arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for allegedly posting false information on social media regarding ‘Mahaviru’ (Maaveerar Naal) commemorations in the North.
- The Embassy of Sri Lanka in Lebanon in association with the International Organization of Migration (IOM) has arranged to evacuate a total number of 55 vulnerable Sri Lankan workers from Lebanon on group basis. Accordingly, the latest group of 26 arrived in Colombo on 04 December in the evening, the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Beirut said.
- The World Bank has expressed its commitment to supporting the Government of Sri Lanka’s “Clean Sri Lanka” programme, as announced by World Bank Executive Director Parameswaran Iyer during a meeting with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the Presidential Secretariat. Congratulating the President on forming the new government, Mr. Iyer affirmed that all ongoing World Bank-supported projects in Sri Lanka will continue uninterrupted.
- Lanka Sathosa has announced measures to ensure the sale of rice and coconuts at controlled prices as announced by the Minister of Trade recently to ensure continuous supply during the festive season. Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe told Parliament yesterday that Rice Millers agreed to supply 200,000 kilos of rice daily, while one million coconuts will also be sold for Rs. 130 through Sathosa outlets.
- The Sri Lanka Under-19 team, led by Vihas Thewmika, will meet the India Under-19 team in the Asia Cup semi-final today at Sharjah Cricket Stadium, commencing at 10:30 a.m. The Sri Lanka youth team finished the league round with an unbeaten record, having back-to-back three wins, while the India team, led by Mohamed Amaan, lost to Pakistan in their first group match but fought back strongly to win the next two matches against UAE and Japan, finishing in second place in the points table to reach the semi-final.
