- Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana endorses Appropriation Bill 2024, VAT (Amendment) Bill, & Finance Bills passed in Parliament on 11th Dec’23.
- Litro Gas Co. says price of a domestic gas cylinder “will increase considerably” after the VAT is increased to 18% from Jan’24: All Ceylon Communication Owners’ Association Chairman Indrajith Perera says the retail prices of all mobile phones, accessories & stationary items will also increase and that it will affect mobile sellers & importers as prices of common accessories, such as chargers, back covers, displays, cables, screen protection shields, & other electronic parts will increase.
- Princess Anne, the Princess Royal of UK expected to visit SL from January 10-13, 2024 at the invitation of the SL Govt to participate in events connected with the 75th Anniversary of diplomatic relations between SL & UK.
- Colombo Stock Exchange continues to crash: benchmark ASPI loses for the 2nd consecutive session to 10,783 points: foreign investors continue to exit.
- Ministry of Trade Secretary A M P M B Atapattu says steps will be taken to import eggs & chicken if a shortage is noticed in the days to come: media had reported recently that eggs & chicken are out of stock in mainstream markets such as Pettah, Gampaha & Kandy.
- Former TNA MP Suresh Premachandran demands to know who represented SL at talks in Kathmandu, Nepal in April this year, which led to the so-called Himalaya Declaration jointly prepared by the “Sangha for a Better SL” and the Global Tamil Forum: also questions the validity of the initiative.
- Ministry of Health says at least 80% of the annual deaths in SL are due to Non-communicable Diseases and their complications: also says 15% of the population under 35 suffer from diabetes while 35% suffer from high blood pressure.
- NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake says the assets of at least 1183 Small & Medium Scale businesses were repossessed and auctioned by banking institutions through “Parate Executions” this year – 2023.
- Chamber of Garment Exporters commends the remarkable resilience of its SME membership for rapidly adapting to tough global market conditions and ending the year with “zero closures”: the SLCGE comprises 76 members which operate outside SL’s Free Trade Zones, has been hit hard with a 20% reduction in orders.
- Family Health Bureau says a hotline telephone number which is operational around the clock has been introduced to report incidents related to domestic violence.
