1. State-run LP gas distributor LITRO announces the prices of domestic gas cylinders are slashed whilst incurring a record-breaking profit of over Rs. 01 billion in 2022: New gas prices – 12.5kg cylinder slashed by Rs. 201 (Rs. 4,409); 05kg cylinder slashed by Rs. 80 (Rs. 1,770); 2.3kg cylinder slashed by Rs. 38 (Rs. 822) – Private distributor LAUGFS subsequently slashes gas prices: New gas prices – 12.5kg cylinder slashed by Rs. 220 (Rs. 5,080); 05kg cylinder slashed by Rs. 88 (Rs. 2,032).
2. The National Youth Platform giving Sri Lankan youth the opportunity to be a part of the nation-building process in making the country prosperous and well-developed by 2048 to be formed concurrently with the 75th National Independence Day celebrations under the advice of President Wickremesinghe.
3. Finance State Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya says 1,200 metric tonnes of illegally imported brown sugar under the guise of white sugar has been confiscated; Importation of brown sugar is restricted in Sri Lanka as the country produces sufficient quantities of it, but the Customs has discovered more than 50 per cent of the consignment in the containers imported by the concerned businessman are brown sugar.
4. President Ranil Wickremesinghe stresses the need of a good foreign service which will be able to forge broader relations with many countries whilst safeguarding the sovereignty of Sri Lanka – asserts there will be economic plans as well as the security objectives, and the climate change objectives in the country also need fulfilling.
5. YouTube activist Sepal Amarasinghe arrested over alleged ‘blasphemy’ remanded till January 10 as ordered by Colombo Additional Magistrate Tharanga Mahawatta.
6. Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) Education Secretary Pubudu Jayagoda says his party will contest the upcoming Local Government Election for the first time; asserts the FSP will submit nominations to several Local Government bodies whilst negotiations to field candidates in alliance with other leftist parties or under independent groups are underway. – Final decision pending announcement.
7. The official reserves drop by about US$ 90 million in December 2022, and the country’s official reserves by the end of 2022 recorded at US$ 1,896 million, out of which about US$ 1,400 million was from the swap facility from China – Despite still unconfirmed IMF assistance, analysts lament any measure restricting imports to maintain balance between forex inflow and outflow won’t bar the contracting of economy leading to the hindering of growth; predict revival in tourism industry may change the course up to a certain extent.
8. Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekara says “renewable energy integration plans, challenges, financial and technical assistance needed, e-mobility and ongoing restructuring plans of CEB and CPC” were discussed with visiting UN Assistant Secretary General and UNDP Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific Kanni Wignaraja.
9. President Ranil Wickremesinghe says the government is working to introduce an Act similar to the “Telecommunications and Social Media Act” currently used in Singapore to regulate Social Media platforms including YouTube and Facebook – Activists lament the current regime is in a relentless attempt to repress Social Media whose uncensored storytelling is threatening to the regime itself and the state-backing Mass Media.
10. The Committee on Public Enterprises (CoPE) decides to file a complaint with the Speaker against Minister of Labour and Foreign Employment Manusha Nanayakkara for criticising the powers of CoPE and the Auditor General; denotes the Minister’s comment sets a wrong precedent, and such a comment could bring disrepute to CoPE as a whole.

Laugfs Gas Company has worked to reduce the price of domestic gas cylinders since yesterday (06).

Accordingly, the price of a 12.5 kg gas cylinder has been reduced by 220 rupees and its new price is 5080 rupees.

Laugfs Gas Company has announced that the price of a 5 kg gas cylinder has been reduced by 88 rupees and its new price is 2032 rupees.

The Colombo Magistrate’s Court ordered yesterday (06) to remand Sepal Amarasinghe, a social media activist, who was arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department on a charge of making an insulting statement to ‘Sri Dalada’.

That was when he was presented before Colombo Additional Magistrate Tharanga Mahawatta.

The CID officers told the court that due to a statement made by the suspect about Dalada through a social media account run by the suspect, there has been a great disturbance in the Buddhist society and a conflict has been created between two sides in the social media as well. Also, the Director General of Archeology has informed that a mistake has been made through this statement and the CID officials mentioned that Malwathu-Asgiri Mahanayake Theros and Diyawadana Nilame are also ready to give statements in this regard.

Also stating that information has been revealed that the suspect has received money from foreign countries and investigations are being conducted under the Act against the provision of financial support to terrorism and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, the officers requested that he be remanded under the ICCPR Act until the 19th.

Namal Rajapaksa, the lawyer who appeared for the suspect, said that his client has posted about 1000 videos on his YouTube channel and through those videos he has advocated for the protection of pure Buddhism from myths and that he has no intention of insulting Buddhism. The lawyer mentioned that the government is preparing to hold a Dalada exhibition in view of the current economic crisis in the country and his client has made this questionable statement by pointing out that such activities cannot suppress the economic crisis. Accordingly, the lawyer said that his client was arrested as a political revenge.

The Additional Magistrate, who considered the facts of both parties, warned the suspect to be more careful in making such statements and ordered him to be remanded until the 10th.

In the wake of using the Sri Lanka-Tamil Nadu gold smuggling corridor increasingly by smugglers, the Government has issued an Extraordinary Gazette notification restricting over 22 carats of gold as jewellery brought into the country.

This directive follows the Tamil Nadu Intelligence Bureau’s signaling that there would be a rise in such activities considering the turmoil in Sri Lanka.

A Tamil Nadu official said that countries such as Sri Lanka and Malaysia are the main sources of gold that is being brought into India.

The customs officials have found that smuggling in a kilogram of gold into India fetches Rs 6 lakh. Moreover the ones smuggling it into India are paid around Rs 40,000 per consignment. Their air fares are also taken care of the TNIB probe revealed

On a daily basis at least Rs 70 lakh of gold is being smuggled into Tamil Nadu from the above mentioned countries, the probe further revealed.

An Intelligence Bureau official noted that while the smuggling racket between Sri Lanka and India is nothing new, it has increased in the past couple of month at least by 5 fold.

Indian officials are also looking at whether the money being generated by this racket is being used to fund terror and other anti national acts.

Meanwhile “several cases of gold smuggling into Sri Lanka were also reported during the recent period under the guise of wearing the gold jewellery upon entering the country,” the Finance, Economic Ministry in a statement issued yesterday noted.

Sri Lanka has directed its custom department to take stringent measures to stop gold smuggling into the country by airlines passengers in a bid to prevent illegal business of the yellow metal,

The customs officials have been instructed to deploy technology to detect gold over 22 carat.

Over 50 kilos of gold are being smuggled into the country by unscrupulous racketeers. Estimated that over 30 million dollars are being lost monthly to the national coffers.

The restriction is to be imposed sequel to a report provided by the Director General of Customs, Siyambalapitiya said.

Siyambalapitiya has assured that Sri Lankan expats returning or any ordinary passengers would not be affected as the regulation would only target the gold smugglers.

Sri Lanka Customs officials at the Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayake recently arrested five Sri Lankan passengers attempting to smuggle gold worth over Rs. 400 million

According to Customs officials this is the second biggest gold stock nabbed by them in the history of Sri Lanka Customs.

The raid had been conducted on intelligence information received by the Finance Ministry from Intelligence Agencies in India.

Customs seized 22 kg of rough gold jewellery and gold powder worth over Rs. 400 million in the possession of the passengers who arrived from Chennai.

The Customs said they seized painted gold ornaments, gold powder and gold-plated clothes from the luggage of the passengers.

It added that an organised group of people are engaged in gold smuggling activities on a daily basis due to the lack of restrictions on carrying gold into the country.