Feb 11 (DM) The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) has decided not to have scheduled power cuts until Monday (February 14) due to sufficient fuel stocks for electricity in the country. PUCSL Chairman Janaka Rathnayake said the decision was taken due to having sufficient fuel, furnace oil, and water stocks in reservoirs. However, the Chairman requested consumers to use electricity sparingly during peak hours (6.00 pm to 10.00 p.m.). more..

Feb 11 (CT) It has been debated, at a recent meeting, whether to grant permission to contractors working on large-scale State development initiatives to import cement, as such projects have been hampered as distributors do not provide cement in bulk quantity, Director General of the RDA, L.V.S. Weerakoon said. He said the lack of cement for govt-initiated development projects is an issue, and they are informing the Ministry of Highways on a regular basis to identify alternatives. more..

Feb 11 (FT) WindForce PLC, the largest renewable energy developer in Sri Lanka, which released its 3Q results for nine months ending 31 Dec 2021, reinforced its commitment for greener energy choices by also unveiling plans for commissioning of a 10MW solar power plant in Vavunathivu in May, and 15 MW Hiruras Wind Power Plant in Mannar by the end of the year. In the third Quarter 2021/22 financial results, the Group recorded a consolidated revenue of Rs. 3.6 billion, more..

Feb 11 (TM) The island-wide strike action launched by 18 trade unions in the health sector, including those affiliated with nursing, supplementary and paramedical services, is continuing for the fifth consecutive day today despite the enjoining order issued by the court. Govt Nursing Officers’ Association said they are yet to receive the enjoining order in writing. Its chairman, Saman Ratnapriya said the executive committee of more..

Feb 11 (Island) Minister Ali Sabry told Parliament that the rule of law had suffered due to delays in the justice system. Participating in the second reading stage debate on the Code of Criminal Procedure (Amd) Bill, Prohibition of Anti-Personnel Mines Bill, Judicature (Amd) Bill and Civil Procedure Code (Amd) Bill, the Minister said that laws’ delays were rampant due to various reasons. “I recently read a news report about a woman being acquitted in a heroin possession case after 21 years. more..

Feb 11 (AD) Equipment and property worth hundreds of thousands of rupees were reportedly destroyed after a clash broke out at a musical show held in Nivithigala. A group of people who had attended the show had pelted stones and other objects at the stage and organisers of the event while some had also attempted to assault the members of the band and dancing groups that had performed at the show. The incident had taken place at the Nivithigala public grounds last night (9) more..

Feb 11 (TM) Sri Lanka will have to commence the repayment of the ¥ 29.0 billion loan obtained from the Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA) in March 2012 for Package A of the BIA expansion project from March onwards with the expiration of the 10-year grace period. Sources within the JICA disclosed that Sri Lanka will be liable to pay its first instalment of ¥ 475,000 (roughly Rs. 830,266) in March. more..

Feb 11 (DM) The opposition today questioned the delay in appointing Sectoral Oversight Committees for two years and urged the Speaker to look into the matter without delay. Chief Opposition Whip Lakshman Kiriella told Parliament that Sectoral Oversight Committees had not been appointed for two years despite repeated requests by the opposition. "I have brought the importance of the Oversight Committees at the party leaders meeting every month. more..

Feb 11 (CT) Kuliyapitiya Chief Magistrate Janani Wijethunga yesterday, ordered the Prisons Commissioner General to facilitate the CID to record statements from the incarcerated widow of NTJ leader Zaharan Hashim. She instructed the CID to produce a progress report on the case to Court on 4 March. It had been stated that only a five-member team from the CID, which consists of around 700 officers, had recorded a statement from Fathima Hadiya, when she had been residing more..

Feb 11 (CT) A delegation headed by the Deputy Director General for Administration and Financial Affairs of the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) Nedhal A. Al-Olayan visited SL recently to sign a loan agreement to construct and equip the Medical Faculty at the Uni of Moratuwa. The concessionary loan amounts to Rs 6 billion. The visiting delegation which included Deputy Director for Operations for East, South Asian and Pacific countries Yousef Al-Bader called on more..

Feb 11 (CT) UNP MP Ranil Wickremesinghe requested the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) to present a report on State debt and debt servicing to the House, at the beginning of each month. Speaking in Parliament yesterday, Wickremesinghe pointed out that the House has control over SL’s public finance. “I have requested information on certain matters previously. However, I am yet to get that information. It is reported that SL’s foreign reserves have slumped to below US$ 1 b. more..

Feb 11 (AD) Prez Rajapaksa today declared the Vavuniya Campus, affiliated to the Jaffna University, as a state university named Vavuniya University. Accordingly, the institution will be considered the 17th state university in SL. Faculty of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Business and the English Language Unit affiliated to the Uni of Jaffna were established in 1997 as the Vavuniya Campus. The students and the lecturers have been more..

Feb 11 (AD) Train services on the upcountry line have been interrupted by a derailed freight train near the Watawala railway station. The train had been en route to Badulla from Kandy when it went off the rails at around 7.00 a.m. today. The Railway Control Room said the train comprising two compartments with tanks and a cargo compartment had been transporting 5,800 gallons of fuel at the time of the accident. The railway tracks have sustained severe damages due to the derailment. more..

Feb 11 (DM) While saying that there is a minor shortage in four essential commodities, the Finance Ministry said there is am urgent need of setting up an effective mechanism where imported goods reach the general public in a more transparent manner. The matter was discussed in the maiden meeting of the committee appointed by the Prez headed by Minister Basil Rajapaksa to ensure that there is no shortage of essential commodities. Ministry said though there is a minor shortage more..

Feb 11 (TM) SJB MP Dr. Harsha de Silva, speaking in Parliament, stated that the EPF and the ETF will be subjected to Budget 2022’s surcharge tax, not due to any fault on the part of the Legal Draftsman’s Department as claimed by the Govt, but because the word <>company in the new Surcharge Tax Bill was interpreted in an extensive manner in order to cover the EPF and the ETF, on the instructions of Minister Basil Rajapaksa. more..

Feb 11 (AD) Sri Lanka has not sought financial assistance from the International Monetary Fund, its spokesman Gerry Rice said on Thursday. Rice told a regular news briefing that IMF stands ready to discuss options for the country to deal with its debt burden. He clarified that the staff team from the IMF in Colombo was related to the Article IV Consultation. Executive Board expects to discuss the consultations probably later this month towards the end of this month, Mr. Rice added. more..

Feb 11 (CT) Minister Mahinda Amaraweera has advised Geological Survey Mines Bureau (GSMB) to take all the steps to avoid tragedies like the recent death of Morocco’s five-year-old Rayan Oram, in SL, as some excavation sites in the country could turn into death traps. Oram died on Sunday (6) after being trapped in a well for four days. Amaraweera claimed that on-going and completed mineral excavation projects pose a major risk to the public & have caused complete environmental harm. more..

Feb 12 (DM) The famous British artist Matt Monro sang: “Born free as free as the wind blows, as free as the grass grows, born free to follow your heart; Live free, and beauty surrounds you, the world still astounds you, each time you look at a star; Stay free where no walls divide you, you’re free as a roaring tide so there’s no need to hide; Born free, and life is worth living, but only worth living, Cause you’re born free.". This song comes to mind as the UN marks World Wildlife Day (WWD) early next month. more..

Feb 12 (TM) Today (11) the world celebrates a day dedicated to females in science. While SL has a high number of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), the recognition and support they receive are at an extremely low level. Needless to say, SL women are facing a plethora of issues due to the SL social construct, which is heteronormative in nature. Overcoming it is in fact the whole society’s responsibility, and a lot of attitudinal changes more..

Feb 12 (CT) Prez Rajapaksa pledged to implement the National Policy Framework of the Govt’s Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour within the next three years in power. “In these difficult times, we have afforded you every relief on every occasion. Going forward, as we take these policies ahead, I pledge to you that we will fully implement the Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour, that we promised, in the next 3 years.” more..

Feb 12 (DM) As SL and Japan celebrate 70 years of diplomatic relations, a series of events have been organized to mark this bilateral friendship. The recently concluded Daya Weththasinghe memorial oration was delivered by Upul Jayasuriya, Past President of the Bar Association of SL and former Chairman of the Board of Investments (BOI) under the theme Ease of Doing Business – The Way Forward. The event was organized by the Lanka-Japan Friendship Society and witnessed more..

Feb 12 (DM) The ethnic problem or the national question as some people call it is a topic only among the Tamil leaders, after the end of the war between the armed forces and the LTTE in 2009. The south based political parties seem to have totally dropped it from their political agendas. Despite the previous United National Party (UNP) led government having included it in its effort to introduce a new Constitution, the whole process was washed-out as the effort itself had been lackadaisical. more..

Feb 12 (CT) More than 1,000 days have passed since the Easter Sunday carnage shocked the nation. The series of suicide bombings at a number of five-star hotels and Christian and Catholic churches carried out by members of a local militant Islamist group calling themselves National Thowheeth Jamaath claimed over 260 lives and injured more than 500. The investigations began soon after the initial shock was over, but more..

Feb 12 (CT) The numbers of current Covid-19-related deaths and new cases reported are almost reminiscent of the period that existed when Sri Lanka last went into a lockdown four months ago, i.e., for a period spanning 32 days from 20 Au 2021 to 21 Sept 2021, to arrest the spread of this disease. The number of Covid cases in the 24 hours ended at 10 a.m. on Friday (11) was 1,297 and 31 deaths. On the previous day, Thursday, these numbers were 1,263 and 36 respectively. more..

Feb 12 (CT) His Excellency Gotabaya Rajapaksa through a Gazette (extraordinary) notification No 2251/30 dated 26-10-2021 and No 2252/56 dated 06/11/2021 established a Presidential Task Force for One Country, One Law (OCOL), by virtue of the powers vested in the President by Article 33 of the Constitution of SL. 13 member One Country One Law task force is headed by Galaboda Aththe Gnanasara Thero. Prez’s Senior Assistant Secretary, Jeevanthie Senanayake was appointed as more..

Feb 12 (Island) There is much speculation in the Tamil political circles as to the usefulness or otherwise of the 13th Amendment and whether the Provincial Council system set up under its aegis gives a measure of power sharing or devolution of powers to the Tamil speaking provinces, or whether it is an ineffective institution which blocks out any greater devolution under the exercise of internal self- determination. This debate has been sparked by the decision of Tamil speaking parties more..

Feb 12 (Island) The past few weeks have seen an uptick in the incidence of sinners in the garb of MPs trading insults, and even raw filth in some instances. They are washing loads and loads of dirty linen in Parliament much to the amusement of the public, who have been left without any other form of entertainment. They do not spare even those who are not members of the House, where mudslinging has become the norm. Govt has stepped up propaganda attacks on its rivals, more..

Feb 12 (Island) Anuradhapura is a place of resonance for Pohottuva politics. It is from here that Gotabaya Rajapaksa made his echoing speech after being sworn in as the Prez of SL, with so much promise of service to the people. This ancient city of Sri Lanka pride is now the centre of Pohottuva political display. Hanging out the washing of a hugely failed two-plus years, where the Covid pandemic did have some play, but more..

Feb 12 (FT) SL’s COVID-19 case count rose to 625,804 with the detection of 1,259 COVID-19 patients yesterday. All patients detected yesterday were from the New Year cluster. The previous day, 1,296 persons from the New Year cluster and one SL overseas returnee tested positive for COVID-19. 7,745 PCR tests and 4,025 rapid antigen tests were conducted on Thursday. Total of 520,105 persons from the New Year cluster, 82,785 persons from the Peliyagoda cluster, 9,152 persons from more..

Feb 12 (FT) The latest edition of leading business magazine LMD reports that pessimism surrounding the national economy continues to be weak although corporate executives express a slightly more positive outlook about the investment climate in Sri Lanka. Citing the January LMD-NielsenIQ Business Confidence Index (BCI) survey, the magazine notes: “Perceptions in business circles about the economic climate over the next 12 months continue to be pessimistic.” more..

Feb 12 (HRW) SL’s govt has recently unveiled a bill to amend its abusive Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), Foreign Ministry hailing it as a most progressive step towards bringing the notorious law in line with international best practice. But the European Union is not buying it, and that may mean trouble for the govt. The proposed amendments were an attempt to salvage SL’s tariff-free access to the EU market under more..

Feb 12 (FT) Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella on Thursday stated that awareness campaigns are being carried out to encourage persons to get the booster dose. According to the Health Minister, the administration of the booster dose will be completed within a few months, despite a drop in public interest in COVID-19 immunisation. During a discussion with Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Secretary General Jagan Chapagain on Thursday, more..

Feb 12 (CT) Three weeks of Club Rugby and fans are prone to say ‘not bad’ after the drawdown of the pandemic. Others grumble that there is no live broadcast or streaming, except one match per week. See it on the tube after a day or two. But some don’t want to see a game after knowing the result. On the other side of the Bar Table, some say Kandy will win the league, while others bet on Havelocks. CR, some believe, will beat Kandy, and the fight will be even. Schools will be on the field by June, more..

Feb 12 (FT) Evergreen Bollywood star, Anil Kapoor is in SL relishing time with his wife Sunita Kapoor and friends in the southern coast. The social media platforms on Instagram and Twitter accounts of the 65-year-old actor and film producer are full of images of him busy sprinting on the beach, playing snooker, flexing his muscles and working out. Yesterday he posted a picture in Bentota and captioned it: Posing in front of the Lunuganga Geoffrey Bawa Country Estate’s iconic more..

Feb 12 (FT) In a major breakthrough, the Government has decided to facilitate tourists from India through visa on arrival. The on-arrival Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) facility is now available for tourists from India along with other countries. “We were giving on arrival visas for European countries and about two days ago India was also added. We hope the move will help to attract a lot of tourists in the coming months,” SL Tourism Chairperson Kimarli Fernando said. more..