Feb 24 (AD) Pakistan PM Imran Khan left the island a short while ago after concluding his two-day visit to SL. PM Imran Khan arrived in SL last evening for a two-day official visit, accepting an invitation extended by his SL counterpart Mahinda Rajapaksa. During the visit, the Pakistani Premier and his delegation met with the Sri Lankan PM, Prez Rajapaksa, and other state officials. The two prime ministers together presided over an event to sign 5 mutually beneficial bilateral MoUs yesterday more..

Feb 24 (DM) The Ceylon Teacher Services Union (CTSU) requested the Govt to take immediate steps to give priority to vaccinate all teachers and principals before the commencement of the 2020 Ordinary Level (O/L) Exam, CTSU Chief Secretary Mahinda Jayasinghe said. He said a total number of 46,000 teachers and principals will be on examination duties, which is scheduled to be held at 4,513 centres across the country from March 1 to 10. "Considering the recent COVID-19 more..

Feb 24 (USE) U.S. Ambassador to SL Alaina B. Teplitz inaugurated a U.S.-funded online education platform today that connects students and teachers from different regions and responds to education challenges posed by COVID-19 restrictions. These Smart Classrooms connect Sinhala and Tamil speakers and provide remote schools with access to teachers trained in science and technology. more..

Feb 24 (FT) A scheduled meeting between visiting Pakistan PM Imran Khan and two Muslim MPs, namely MPs Rauff Hakeem and Rishad Bathiudeen, has been cancelled on security grounds. Cabinet Spokesman Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said that this was not the only meeting to be cancelled, that a visit to a sports complex too was cancelled. “The cancellation is not politically motivated,” Rambukwella said. The meeting had been scheduled on a request by Muslim MPs. more..

Feb 24 (AD) It has been decided to bring the Muthurajawela Wetlands under the purview of the Ministry of Environment and the UDA. The decision has been taken as per the advice of Prwz Rajapaksa, according to Minister Mahinda Amaraweera. Minister pointed out that the President focused his attention on protecting the highly sensitive ecosystem of Muthurajawela. The Muthurajawela Wetland Sanctuary had been taken over by various individuals the ecosystem more..

Feb 24 (DM) Eighteen countries have pledged to speak on behalf of Sri Lanka during the ongoing session of the UNHRC, a top source said. These countries will share their views in support of the SL govt’s position during the High-Level Segment and events. According to the source, there are countries that hold the UNHRC membership among these 18 countries that will stand by Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka has undertaken more..

Feb 24 (DM) Ven. Battaramulle Seelarathna Thera today handed over nominations to contest for the post of Vice President of the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC). The prelate said after handing over the nomination at the SLC, that he Intend to stop fraud and corruption at the local cricket governing body. "We love cricket very much. But today the game is completely ruined. We don't want to play cricket. We need a better administration to stop fraud and corruption. If I come to power, more..

Feb 24 (FT) The National Forum Against Gender-Based Violence in Sri Lanka, a collective of 53 agencies comprising of the Govt, UN, national and international NGOs, community-based organisations and individual experts in the field, has come forward to speak up for justice for DIG Bimshani Jasin Arachchi. In a statement, the Forum said it was deeply disappointed in the recent petition challenged by 32 Senior Superintendents of Police (SSP) and 1 Director SSP – in total 33 male officers more..

Feb 24 (TM) The first flight of Jazeera Airways in 2021 has arrived at the BIA, Katunayake today, airport officials stated. The flight arrived from Kuwait to Colombo, connecting the passengers directly to SL. Jazeera Airways said Sri Lanka has shown its potential to serve as a resilient destination with strong safety and health measures. Rohit Ramachandran, CEO Jazeera Airways said, “Despite the current global situation for the airline industry, we are launching our first new more..

Feb 24 (EN) Rohitha Perera, Founder and CEO of Crossborder Payments, says SL is ready to become the regional hotbed for tech innovation and disruption. Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF) in 2020 partnered with the World Bank Group and the World Economic Forum to conceptualize, design and deliver the Global Covid-19 Fintech Market Rapid Assessment Report. The study found that although the global Fintech industry is growing amid the pandemic, more..

Feb 24 (TM) Spotify, the world’s most popular audio streaming subscription service, officially launches today in Bangladesh, Pakistan and SL. With a worldwide community of more than 345 million monthly active listeners including 155 million Premium subscribers, Spotify will offer a personalized listening experience for local and international music of over 70 million tracks. The Spotify service is available for free or more..

Feb 24 (EN) Sri Lanka has to repay only US$ 3.7 billion to holders of external debt in 2021 and the balance is held by resident holders, moreover, US$ 1.1 billion had already been paid, CB Governor W D Lakshman said. Some of the debt was denominated in debt but was owed to domestic holders. They included SL Development Bonds, borrowing from offshore banking units and also some international sovereign bonds were held by domestic holders he said, as foreigners exited. more..

Feb 24 (CT) Experts Committee of the EPDP has reiterated that power devolution in the new Constitution must take place based on Provincial Councils (PCs). The Experts Committee, led by EPDP General Secretary and Fisheries Minister Douglas Devananda, submitted proposals in connection with power devolution to President’s Counsel Romesh de Silva, President of the Committee appointed to draft a new Constitution. Suggestions in the proposal state that more..

Feb 24 (EN) Sri Lanka has not yet arrived at a final decision to grant the hybrid power projects in the Northern Island to the Chinese company, Minister of Power Dullas Alahapperuma told Parliament today. “Cabinet has not approved it yet because the Treasury has requested for a formal recommendation to provide them with more information about the new technology used in the power project,” he said more..

Feb 24 (DM) While saying it is too early to comment on the slight decrease in COVID-19 cases in the country at present, Deputy Director-General of Health Services Dr. Hemantha Herath said the major clusters in the country are on the declining stage. He said there are many reasons that could be attributed to the slight decrease in cases. “One, when there are no major specific sub clusters, there could be a reduction in overall cases. Also, when there are more cases reported at a given date or time, more..

Feb 24 (AD) A 5-member Commission of Inquiry (CoI) has been appointed to study the prevailing situation of Sri Lanka Customs and make recommendations on increasing its efficiency. Appointment of the Commission was made on the directives of Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the statement read further. Supreme Court Judge Shiran Anthony has been appointed as the chairman of the Commission. In the meantime, Appeals Court Judge Priyantha Fernando, more..

Feb 24 (Island) Gotabaya Rajapaksa administration had allowed the clearing of 53,000 acres of forest land, and the govt henchmen were clearing five hectares a day, SJB MP Manusha Nanayakkara said. Prez had been a vocal critic of deforestation before coming to power and had assured people that he would protect the environment, the MP said. Nanayakkara said that since the election of the Prez, more..

Feb 24 (FT) In the backdrop of an extremely challenging environment, Seylan Bank said yesterday it recorded a profit-after-tax (PAT) of Rs. 3 billion for the year ended 31 Dec 2020, down by 18% from the previous year. Interest Income of the bank stood at Rs. 52.3 billion, while interest expenses stood at Rs. 32.8 billion, reflecting a Net Interest Income (NII) of Rs. 19.5 billion with an annual growth of 4.6% in the year under review. The main contributor for NII was the loans and more..

Feb 24 (DN) Transport Minister Gamini Lokuge said that the Park and Ride City Bus Service will be operated from Piliyandala Main Bus Stand as well. New buses will be deployed and a stringent timetable will also be prepared for passenger transport ensuring efficency of the service, he said. Govt will also identify shortcomings in the Park and Ride City Bus Service, which is now operating between Kottawa, Makumbura Multipurpose Center and Colombo Fort and also launch it in more..

Feb 24 (AD) Kelaniya Divisional Crime Investigation Unit has arrested an organized crime group including foreign nationals who had defrauded over Rs 1.7 million in through an online scam. The arrest has been made based on investigations on a complaint lodged at the Peliyagoda Police Station yesterday. Preliminary investigations have revealed that the fraud had been committed by claiming that the victim had won a prize and requesting more..

Feb 25 (DM) Our main focus today is not on the three islands off the Northern coast leased out to a Chinese company to set up a power project. The company has hit out against any outrageous interference by any third party sans legal and factual basis neither is it on the West Container Terminal (WCT), which is to be leased out to India on the basis of a Private Public Partnership (PPP) in lieu of the East Container Terminal (ECT) after the govet unilaterally pulled out of tripartite agreement more..

Feb 25 (DM) For many right thinking people the upcoming UNHRC sessions in Geneva offer hopes. These hopes are to have a govt that’s responsible and accountable. The many voices that support the Rajapaksa regime affirm that allegations are made against the country’s security forces and past officials of the Mahinda Rajapaksa regimes-that were in office between 2005 and 2015-sans a semblance of evidence. The tide in Geneva generated by democratic forces more..

Feb 25 (DM) Vice Chairman of the CWC Senthil Thondaman shared his thoughts on the plight of estate workers and the leadership vacuum created by the demise of Arumugam Thondaman. Hailing from Badulla district Thondaman was a member of now defunct Uva PC. Thondaman, who was recently appointed as a member of the National Unity and Reconciliation Bureau, is the nephew of the late MP Arumugam Thondaman. more..

Feb 25 (CT) Today the UN is in the hot seat! At the 46th virtual session commencing 22 Feb, the UN will take up allegations of war crimes and other abuses in SL. In trying to be righteous the UN has opened up a can of worms and as the good old adage goes when you point a finger at someone, forget not that there are three fingers pointing back at you. If the UN had a clean slate, well it would not have to worry then would it? But the UN hasn’t! Let’s take a look at the UN shall we, apart from more..

Feb 25 (ST) The global financial crisis in 2008/2009, according to one of the explanations, was caused by a mathematical equation. I know that many would consider this a joke, but it was not so; let me explain to you the story behind it. It was known as the Black-Scholes equation, developed by two financial economists – Fischer Black and Myron Scholes and published in 1973. The equation revealed a dynamic pricing formula for investors in the derivative market. The equation gradually led to open a whole more..

Feb 25 (CT) The earth remains in the grips of a human-driven biodiversity crisis, with species’ extinction rates rising to levels unprecedented, since hyper-catastrophic events in deep geologic time. This crisis is immense. Recently it was revealed that in the last decade, 35 species of amphibians in the world have become extinct, with 21 endemic to SL. Representatives of environmental organisations & ecologists have pointed out, more..

Feb 25 (GV) Govt’s Disarmament, Demobilisation, and Reintegration (DDR) program has invested in bridging former fighters’ transition from wartime to peacetime, but many aspects of the DDR program continued to pose problems for female cadres. Women who fought are still visited by the military in monitoring visits, which can be terrifying for family and neighbours and have detrimental impacts on their ability to live a normal life. Some women are pressured into marriage more..

Feb 25 (DM) In 1996 Sri Lanka won the Cricket World Cup. The internet was in its infancy at the time. Social media wasn’t a household term. There was no Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and such. There was www.cricinfo.com and, just as now, there was commentary. There was no room for outside comment though. Online comments were restricted to what now seems a rudimentary facility called soc.culture.cricket which was where the fandits pontificated and argued with one another. more..

Feb 25 (CT) In a shocking example of backsliding that goes well beyond that which the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has accused the Govt of Sri Lanka, the official 30-page response of the Govt to High Commissioner’s Michelle Bachelet’s report on Sri Lanka, completely abandons, contradicts and denounces the diagnosis in the report of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation (LLRC) Commission, headed by former Attorney-General CR de Silva, more..

Feb 25 (Island) Nothing could be more reassuring and uplifting in times of trouble than a true friend’s presence. SL has only a few generous, altruistic friends, and Pakistan certainly is prominent among them. Pakistani PM Imran Khan’s visit, albeit brief, could not have come at a better time for SL, a badger facing a pack of growling mastiffs in Geneva; what it needs most at this juncture is moral support. Many are the nations that have proffered loads and loads of unsolicited advice to SL on how to more..

Feb 25 (FT) A total of 458 COVID-19 patients were detected yesterday, pushing SL’s total COVID-19 patient count to 81,467. Yesterday’s patients are all associates of the Peliyagoda COVID-19 cluster. Divulapitiya, Peliyagoda and Prisons clusters have thus risen to 77,363 patients. 2,010 SL arrivals from abroad, 950 Navy personnel and their contacts, 651 persons linked to the Kandakadu cluster, and 180 foreigners have also tested more..

Feb 25 (CT) Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) will elect new office bearers for the next two years on 20 May. The election will commence from 10.30 a.m. at the Duncan White Auditorium of the Ministry of Sports in Colombo, and the list of nominations was submitted yesterday. Another two-way battle is expected for the top post, with incumbent President Shammi Silva and former Vice President K. Mathivanan in the fray. The main contenders from the Shammi Silva Camp are Jayantha Dharmadasa (Vice President), more..

Feb 25 (DN) Minister Namal Rajapaksa handed over a proposal for the construction of a high-performance sports centre to the visiting Pakistan PM Imran Khan yesterday. The event took place when the Pakistan Premier was hosted for a banquet at the Lotus Room of the Shangri La Hotel in Colombo. The proposed high-performance centre constructed at Kirimandala Mawatha will focus purely on throwing and jumping field events and it will also feature a state-of-the-art sports more..

Feb 25 (FT) Pakistan PM Imran Khan yesterday highlighted dialogue, technology and trade as the top three ways for South Asia to tap its full potential, inviting SL businesses to invest in the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and insisting that wealth creation was the best way to lift millions, in both countries, out of poverty. Addressing a business and investment forum that saw the participation of top officials & private sector more..

Feb 25 (FT) Four Covid-19 deaths yesterday brought the country’s COVID-19 death toll to 457. Two of the deaths occurred yesterday, while one occurred on Tuesday and another occurred on 21 Feb. A 68-year-old individual from Boralesgamuwa tested positive for Covid-19 at the KDU Science Faculty Hospital and was admitted to the Homagama Base Hospital. However, she yesterday died of trauma of blood poisoning with Covid-19 and acute kidney disease. more..

Feb 25 (CT) Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has appointed 12 School Cricket Provincial Coordinators to seek for young talent covering all age groups. Coordinators will represent the SL Schools Cricket Association (SLSCA) at all age group selections, covering District and Provincial cricket. The Coordinators will work with District and Provincial Associations, School Coaches, Masters-in-charge and Principals to identify potential players to process them through Youth Level Cricket more..

Feb 25 (FT) Responding to reports on social media on an ayurvedic cigarette coming into the market, National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol (NATA) Chairman Dr. Samadhi Rajapakse said that his office had written to the manufacturer of this product and requested him to halt the production and promotion of the product, as it is a violation of the NATA act. Dr. Rajapakse said that the law does not allow for the production or promotion of any product similar to a cigarette, even without tobacco, and more..