Feb 1 (DM) National Transport Commission Chairman, Shashi Welgama said that there is no provision to increase bus fares even though the price of diesel has increased by Rs. 5. He said that according to the existing laws and agreements on bus fares, it is not possible to increase fares at this time, and no one has made a request to increase the bus fares so far. Meanwhile, considering yesterday's and previous fuel price revisions, the private bus associations have incurred a total loss of Rs. 22, more..

Feb 1 (AD) The collective of health sector trade unions has decided to continue their island-wide strike throughout Friday (2) as well, Convenor of the Health Service Trade Unions Ravi Kumudesh revealed. Kumudesh explained that the decision was taken on account of not receiving a favourable response from the govt with regards to their demands. A collective of 72 trade unions from the health sector launched a one-day strike across the country this morning, urging the govt to more..

Feb 1 (AD) Maligakanda Magistrate has ordered former Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella to appear before the CID on Friday (2) following his failure to record a statement with the CID on Wednesday. Further, Rambukwella’s overseas travels were also temporarily barred on the orders of the magistrate. Former health minister was supposed to make an appearance before the CID on Wednesday, but he failed to do so more..

Feb 1 (EN) SL has discussed with India’s Petronet LNG to supply a liquefied natural gas to dual fuel combined cycle power plants, Minister Kanchana Wijesekera said. SL’s Lanka Transformers Ltd (LTL) is to commission the first stage of a 300MW dual fuel power plant this year (Sobhadanavi) and it also operates another older plant (Yugadanavi) which is running on fuel oil. “In the efforts to expedite the process to generate power from LNG Govt of India has proposed an interim solution from more..

Feb 1 (CI) The Afghanistan men's team has played seven Tests in their history; for SL, this is the first of eight (perhaps nine) scheduled for 2024. This is, on the surface, a mismatch. Rashid Khan is not with Afghanistan to provide his menacing legbreaks and general inspiration - he is still recovering from back surgery, and has not played competitive cricket since November. Their most experienced spinner in a nation where spin frequently decides matches is left-arm wristspinner Zahir Khan, more..

Feb 1 (AD) The Annual General Meeting of the International Cricket Council (ICC) will be hosted by Sri Lanka in July 2024, Minister of Sports Harin Fernando said. Accordingly, the ICC’s Annual General Meeting of the year 2024 will take place from 19 to 22 July 2024 in Colombo, the minister said. Taking to X (formerly Twitter) to announce this, Minister Fernando expressed that this will be a great boost for SL with regards to both cricket and tourism. more..

Feb 1 (AD) The ceremonial opening of the Fifth Session of the Ninth Parliament is scheduled to be presided over by Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe on 7 Feb (Wednesday). Legislative Services Dept of the Parliament communicated this while announcing the business of the House of Parliament for the first sitting week of Feb 2024 as decided by political party leaders. A special meeting of party leaders was convened earlier today (Feb 1), chaired by Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena. more..

Feb 1 (AD) The March 12 Movement, a collective of election watchdogs and the civil society, has issued a statement strongly denouncing the passage of the Online Safety Bill, emphasising that it poses a grave threat to the fundamental rights enshrined within the Constitution of SL. “The current govt’s adamant pursuit of this legislation is a clear indication of its intention to silence dissent and suppress civic activism during this critical time of economic reform and upcoming elections”, more..

Feb 1 (DM) In response to a strike launched in government hospitals by 72 health unions, the Sri Lanka Army deployed troops at various govt hospitals island-wide to support operational activities. The Ministry of Health requested assistance from the Ministry of Defence to ensure uninterrupted hospital operations during the strike. Accordingly, under the directives of the Commander of the Army Lt. General Vikum Liyanage, troops have been deployed to 26 govt hospitals, including more..

Feb 1 (AD) The ten civil society activists, who were taken into police custody on Wednesday (Jan 31) while staging a Satyagraha campaign in front of the CID, have been granted bail. Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court has issued this order, after the arrested individuals were produced before the court this afternoon (1). The relevant civil society activists were arrested while protesting in front of the CID last evening, demanding that Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella be arrested more..

Feb 1 (DM) IMF could hold back the next tranche of funding for SL under the EFF if the govt fails to show good faith and hold constructive talks with private creditors. Sources said that while the Govt has been having extensive talks with bilateral creditors, including China, similar discissions have not been held with the private creditors. “The size of private creditors is very significant and SL cannot rely only on IMF or more..

Feb 1 (AD) Speaker of Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena has endorsed the Online Safety Bill, and it will be brought into effect as the Online Safety Act No.9 of 2024. The legislation which seeks to regulate online content was passed in Parliament, with amendments, on 24 January, amidst objections from opposition politicians and activists who allege the new law will muzzle free speech. The controversial Bill garnered not only the attention of local activists and organisations, but more..

Feb 1 (Island) Over 300 oil and gas cargo vessels have visited the Hambantota int'l Port (HIP) in 2023, recording a 132% increase in vessel calls compared to 2022, Hambantota Int'l Port Group (HIPG) said. A key reason for this is the port’s bunkering partner Sinopec actively operating in the market, bringing significant value addition to the HIP’s commercial operations. The overall oil and gas throughput handled by the port in 2023 was 918,000 metric tons, with 700,000 metric tons of bunker more..

Feb 1 (DM) The Divisional Secretary Udapalatha in Gampola who had taken steps to prevent State Minister Anuradha Jayaratne engaging in corrupt activities in the Kandy District has been transferred with immediate effect by the District Secretary Kandy. Divisional Secretary (DS) Ms. A.D. Jayaratne by letter dated Dec 22, 2023, addressed to the District Secretary Kandy and copying the same to the President’s Secretary and more..

Feb 1 (Island) Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC) has said that its office was broken into and set on fire in the early morning of 27 Jan by unidentified individuals. CTC has said the act was apparently motivated by hate, posing a stark contrast to the very values that brought many of our community members to Canada—peace, security, and freedom from violence. Recently, the CTC has been engaging with SL leaders, including former Prez Mahinda Rajapaksa, to promote reconciliation. more..

Feb 1 (DM) Commissioner General of Dept of Motor Traffic (DMT) said that a large number of people are currently visiting the Dept to transfer vehicle ownerships to their names. DMT Commissioner General Nishantha Weerasingha said that this was the first time that such a large number of people are queuing at the DMT to get their vehicle ownerships transferred to avoid complications when fine notices are issued based on offender identification through CCTV system. more..

Feb 1 (Island) An organisation calling itself the Transnational Govt of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) has called for an investigation by Canada’s Office of Independent Police Review Director into the recent visit to SL by Nishan Duraiappah, Ontario’s Peel Regional Police Chief who had a meetings with SL Minister Tiran Alles and the country’s acting police Chief Deshabandu Tennakoon, who, only one week prior to Chief Duraiappah’s visit, was convicted of torture by SL’s Supreme Court. more..

Feb 1 (DM) Claiming that the SJB protest did not turn out to be successful, Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka said if he was to organise it, he would have done it more skillfully. The MP said some 8,000 people participated in the protest but ultimately it was neither a protest nor a rally. "People had to leave soaked after being attacked with tear-gas and water cannons," he said responding to a question during a media conference. "There was good participation for the protest though more..

Feb 1 (AD) The National Transport Commission (NTC) has announced that bus fares will not be increased, despite the recent revision in fuel prices. Earlier today, the private bus owners’ associations urged for immediate measures to be taken to increase the bus fares in correspondence to the continuous increasing of fuel prices. Commenting regarding the matter, the chief secretary of All-Ceylon Private Bus Owners’ more..

Feb 1 (Dawn) The Ministry of Commerce has sought permission for export of live animal to support artificial insemination (AI) in Sri Lanka. As there was ban on export of livestock the Ministry of Commerce has forwarded a summary to the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) scheduled to be held on Thursday. The summary forwarded by the ministry has said that the SL govt has requested a dozen Sahiwal bulls to kick-start its National Artificial Insemination (NAI) programme. more..

Feb 1 (EN) Sri Lanka’s central bank said C Amarasekara, W A Dilrukshini, P K G Harischandra, D S W Samaratunga, E H Mohotty and R D T Gunasekara have been appointed as Assistant Governors with effect from January 22, 2024. Dr. C Amarasekara: Dr. Amarasekara has served the Central Bank for more than 21 years. He is currently on release to the International Monetary Fund, Washington DC, USA, as the Alternate Executive Director for the constituency of SL, more..

Feb 1 (AD) Sri Lanka and Australia have signed two subsidiary arrangements aimed at collaborating on strengthening governance and expanding cooperation in market systems development. Australian High Commission in Colombo said a 10-year subsidiary arrangement that commits an initial AUD 30 million (LKR 6.3 bil) over five years to support improved governance in SL. Through a suite of programs, arrangement more..

Feb 1 (AD) Fifth suspect in the ongoing case concerning the controversial procurement of substandard human immunoglobulin vials has been released on bail on orders of the Maligakanda Magistrate’s Court. As per the relevant court order, the suspect, identified as the Medical Supplies Division’s storekeeper, was released on two personal bails of Rs. 01 million each. Meanwhile, six other suspects, including the former Secretary to Ministry of Health, Janaka Chandragupta, more..

Feb 1 (CT) Commissioner General of Elections Saman Sri Ratnayake announced that the Election Commission (EC) has developed a special programme to ensure the voting rights of people with disabilities in the upcoming elections. Ratnayake said the EC has already created a special audio dictionary targeting elections for voters with hearing impairments, enabling their participation in all future elections. Further, he mentioned that the EC has decided to assign a specifically trained team more..

Feb 2 (DM) Sri Lankans are known for forgetting their history fast. This piece of writing is not about dementia or amnesia. It’s about history that fades away quite fast in our brains, because the subject matter is boring beyond description, or it contains nothing worthwhile to be noted even in the last page of a notebook. State Minister, Sanath Nishantha died under tragic circumstances on Jan 25 (Thursday) and his funeral rites were performed on the 28th (Sunday). Massive crowds were there to more..

Feb 2 (CT) During the Independence Day rehearsals at Galle Face Green last Tuesday, four paratroopers sustained injuries as their parachutes failed to open properly. Army Spokesman, Major General K.A.N. Rasika Kumara said two paratroopers from the SL Army experienced a mishap when their parachutes malfunctioned, causing them to land on a building. The other injured personnel included two paratroopers from the SLAF. Hospital sources confirmed that the SLAF paratroopers are more..

Feb 2 (DM) CEO of SriLankan Airlines, Richard Nuttall, discussed the way forward and the current challenges of the national carrier in the midst of efforts by the govt to restructure it. Q: SriLankan Airlines is the most cash-strapped govt institution at the moment. You suffered losses amounting to US $ 525 million. A: We sometimes do our accounts. What sometimes people do is they look at the exchange loss. more..

Feb 2 (TM) Operational costs of Sri Lanka’s key State-owned entities – the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) and the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) – have ignited a debate over their impact on the welfare of thousands of employees. With electricity and fuel price hikes causing a ripple effect on the nation’s economy, questions abound whether these institutions have adequately managed their operational expenses before transferring the burden to the public. Since the tariff increase in 2022, more..

Feb 2 (ST) When Aldoris, the choon-paan karaya came down the road with his tuk-tuk blaring the popular Piyal Perera hit song, Chande denna epa hora thakkadiyanta (Don’t give your vote to corrupt politicians), the trio had already gathered outside the gate. “Mini marum apahu patan arang (The killings have started once again),” said Aldoris, while distributing hot-hot maalu paan. “Okkoma hithuwa yukthiyen passey mini marum navathei kiyala, aanduwa porondu wuna-ne more..

Feb 2 (CT) The political landscape of the North and East is entering a new phase with optimism for confident developments under the leadership of the newly elected ITAK Leader, MP S. Sritharan. Having secured 187 votes in the party leadership election, he has expressed a fresh perspective on the Tamil politics of a united role embracing all the other political parties of the North and East. However, the heavily fragmented more..

Feb 2 (GV) Minister of Justice recently presented to parliament the Anti-Terrorism Bill, and its first reading took place on January 10, 2024. While this Bill is fraught with problems, two main issues with the Bill remain the drafting process and the impact that the Bill will have on the liberties of the people, minorities and dissidents against the govt in particular. Originally, the govt presented to parliament a Counter-Terrorism Bill in 2018. While it was challenged in the Supreme Court more..

Feb 2 (TM) Politicians are great creators of mind-boggling innovations for their political convenience and benefits. In 2019 the Pohottuwa engaged the public, institutions, sections of the clergy, and academics to market the worn-out national security status after the Easter bombs. Vanda kottu (infertile kottu) and vanda jangi (infertile underwear), resulting in infertility if consumed or worn respectively, were publicised to create prejudiced, wicked, and malevolent sentiments against Muslims. more..

Feb 2 (Island) Rajapaksa-Wickremesinghe govt has overtaken King Kekille, who according to SL folk stories, always punished the innocent and spared the wrongdoers in the cases heard before him. The present-day Sri Lankan leaders behave in such a way that one wonders whether King Kekille actually lived in this country, and they are his descendants. On Tuesday, the police crushed a peaceful protest a group of civil society activists held in front of the CID Headquarters, Colombo, calling for arrest more..

Feb 2 (ST) The Govt will roll out the long-awaited e-passports, equipped with biometric chips compliant with the latest International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards by the end of this year, Department of Immigration and Emigration sources confirmed. After almost an 8-year delay, the e-passport project has now been re-activated following the recent closing of bids from eligible bidders for the procurement to supply five million e-passports to the department. more..

Feb 2 (FT) Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) joined an apparent growing chorus of concern over the delay in wrapping up SL’s External Debt Restructuring (EDR) giving credence to similar sentiment expressed by global private creditors as exclusively reported by the Daily FT on Wednesday. SCB’s Global Research in a credit alert released yesterday, said an agreement with bilateral and commercial creditors in 2Q is crucial ahead of more..

Feb 2 (ST) Many eyes not only from Singapore but also the region were riveted on a Catheterization Laboratory in SL, in a first for our country when two well-known Cardiologists performed a live coronary (heart) intervention on Friday (26). In the Cath Lab of the Asiri Central Private Hospital was a 45-year-old man from Anuradhapura, who had suffered a heart attack. He was under local anaesthesia. Having evaluated his case, Senior Consultant Cardiologist Dr. Vajira Senaratne and more..