Feb 2 (FT) After a four-year hiatus Cathay Pacific yesterday resumed direct flights between Hong Kong and Colombo encouraged by an upturn in tourist and business travel. Deploying an Airbus A330-300 that offers 28 fully flat beds in Business class and 265 spacious seats in Economy, Cathay will initially fly thrice a week with departure from Colombo on Fridays, Sundays and Wednesdays. Cathay Pacific SL and Maldives Country Lead Harish Kiran said following the opening of more..

Feb 2 (FT) Galadari Hotel Colombo yesterday formally announced the start of its strategic renovation of the 196-room star class property. In May last year, Galadari Hotels Lanka PLC entered into a Hotel Development Services Agreement (HDSA) and a Hotel Management Agreement (HMA) with Radisson Hotels Asia Pacific Investments Ltd. with a view to engage with Multinational Hotelier, Radisson Hotels. Thereafter Galadari Hotels Lanka PLC successfully signed an agreement more..

Feb 2 (CI) SL's men have one player with more than 100 Tests to his name, another with 88, a third with 76, and another with 51. All Afghanistan have ever played are seven Tests, and are likely to field debutants on Friday. It doesn't sound like much of a contest, but if there's one team that can spring surprises seemingly out of nowhere, Afghanistan might be it. "If it comes to experience, their team is more experienced than ours," captain Hashmatullah Shahidi said on the eve of his team's more..

Feb 2 (AFP) Sri Lanka needs more on-field aggression to reestablish its Test prowess, new captain Dhananjaya de Silva said on Thursday ahead of their one-off red-ball match against Afghanistan. The island nation is dead last on the World Test Championship (WTC) rankings and their last match in October at the same ground saw a humiliating innings and 222-run loss to Pakistan in their worst ever home defeat. more..

Feb 2 (DN) SL under 19 team after their West Indies match defeat will take on South Africa u-19 team in their ICC World Cup Super Six match against South Africa which will be played today at Potchefstroom, South Africa, commencing at 1.30pm (SLT). This is their last Super Six game before the semi finals which will be played on Feb 6 and 8. But SL have only a slim chance to enter the semi final after WI game defeat. SL will play for the first time in this venue but had training sessions last 2 days. more..

Feb 2 (DM) State Minister Taraka Balasuriya, has defended Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe's recent foreign trips against criticism and stressed that SL cannot afford to be isolated on the global stage. He dismissed claims that the trips were unnecessary, emphasizing their importance in strengthening SL's foreign relations and securing new partnerships. He argued that foreign relations are crucial for the country's development, and that the Prez's visits are essential for building bridges more..

Feb 2 (Island) Some declarations made by various parliamentary committees about public finance often didn’t represent the actual situation, says State Finance Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya. Siyambalapitiya said so when The Island sought his response to criticism against the Finance Ministry and three revenue collection authorities namely the Inland Revenue, Customs and Excise department, for their failure to more..

Feb 2 (ST) Two promising junior golfers — Jevahn Sathasivam and Kaya Daluwatte — secured the top prizes in the Gold segment Boys and Girls respectively at the SL Junior Open Golf Championship 2023 which concluded at the Royal Colombo Golf Club (RCGC) recently with a colorful prize giving. The event was organised by SL Golf and sponsored by Prima Sunrise for a record 15th year running. More than 100 junior golfers teed off with many golfers from India too in more..

Feb 2 (DM) Sri Lanka Telecom has seen its leadership change for the second time in about seven months with the entity affirming the appointment of a new Chairman. The stressed state-owned telco, which has been making headlines this week for the changes in its Board, disclosed to the CSE that upon the review and recommendation of the Nominations and Governance Committee, A.K.D.D.D. Arandara has been appointed as a Non-Independent Non-Executive Director and more..

Feb 2 (DN) Getting the International Talent Identified Umpire Certificate (ITID) gives big boost to me as an Netball Umpire said Eranga Sithara. This is a great achievement, and this is the first time that a Sri Lankan netball umpire has been honoured with the ITID Certificate. As a National Netball Umpire and also an Asian Grade A umpire I know I have to go a long journey and getting International exposure by officiating more Int'l tournaments vital for me he said. Getting recognition from International more..

Feb 2 (CT) Senior environmentalist and lawyer Dr. Jagath Gunawardana said that instead of safeguarding the country’s valuable wetlands on World Wetland Day today, officials are currently formulating plans to harm two wetlands in the North and East. He alleged that influential sections within the current regime are actively working to destroy the Wedithalathivu Nature Reserve and the Adam’s Bridge Marine National Park. These individuals aim to acquire the wetlands for commercial more..

Feb 2 (EN) Indian High Commissioner for SL Santosh Jha said the Adani’s 500 MW wind power deal in the island nation’s Northern province should progress after a better negotiation process. SL officials have said the Adani wind power project has been facing some delays as a Cabinet Appointed Negotiation Committee (CANC) has been raising concerns over the project components. $442 million project was given to the Indian firm more..

Feb 2 (PMD) A newly appointed High Commissioner and three Ambassadors to Sri Lanka presented Letters of Credence to President Ranil Wickremesinghe at a ceremony held at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo this afternoon (01). Among them is the new High Commissioner for the Kingdom of Eswatini, along with the newly appointed Ambassadors for Romania, the Kyrgyz Republic and Turkmenistan. Following are the names of the diplomats who submitted more..

Feb 2 (AD) General Secretary of SL Insurance Corporation (SLIC) Udayanga Diwakara on Thursday filed a petition before the Court of Appeals, seeking a writ order annulling the Cabinet decision that SLIC be split into two institutions. A total of 56 persons, including PM Dinesh Gunawardena, Cabinet of Ministers, SLIC and its Board of Directors, were named as respondents in the petition which claims that such a decision cannot be made solely by the Cabinet in the absence of more..

Feb 2 (DM) The report which said the former Army Commander had left SJB is false, an official statement from the party said. In a statement signed by Sujeewa Senasinghe who has been appointed as campaign manager, said the report that Ratnayake had joined Mawbima Janatha Party was false. "The photograph circulated in social media taken with businessman Dilith Jayaweera is an old photograph," he said. Meanwhile, it was reported that some MPs from the SJB has called more..

Feb 2 (DN) Head of State owned Enterprises (SOE) Suresh Shah highlighted that among 130 SOE’s in the country 17 are non- operational but the boards of directors are still working in them!! He said that enhancing efficiency of state owned enterprises is immensely important considering the country’s current economic situation and said that Sri Lanka Telecom should be definitely privatized for the betterment of people in the country. He made these observations at a seminar on more..

Feb 2 (TM) Committee for Protecting the Rights of Prisoners (CPRP) is to initiate appropriate legal action against the Police for failing to implement the recommendations made by the one-member committee which investigated the then-State Minister of Prison Management and Prisoners’ Rehabilitation and incumbent State Minister of Plantation Industries and Mahaweli Development Lohan Ratwatte having more..

Feb 2 (DM) Teachers & Principals Trade Union said that the Rs. 2,000 per day allowance given for marking the A/L answer sheets was not given this time, so they have decided to withdraw from the evaluation of the answer sheets. Joseph Stalin of the Union said that although a special allowance of Rs. 2,000 per day was given last year for the marking of exam of A/L answer sheets but this time the allowance has been removed prompting them to withdraw from marking of answer sheets. more..

Feb 2 (TM) The decision by Ministry of Finance of Sri Lanka to fine Rs. 50, 000 on individuals above 18 years of age (by 31 Dec 2023), for not obtaining a Tax Identification Number (TIN) by 1 February, was halted since it has been decided to use the National Identification Card (NIC) number instead of the initial registration process. “The Committee appointed in this regard has decided to convert TIN through NIC number from the databases of the ID Office and the Dept of Motor Traffic.” more..

Feb 2 (TM) Federation of University Teachers’ Associations (FUTA) said that the hostility toward all politicians which is coming from the uni system is mainly due to their (politicians) inability to address the issues existing in the uni system, and that therefore, students and university teachers have a right to display their objection. When contacted, FUTA Chairman Prof. Barana Jayawardana said that the recent protests that occurred in universities more..

Feb 2 (FT) Sri Lanka known formerly as Ceylon gained independence from British rule on 4 Feb 1948. The island nation celebrates the 76th anniversary of her tryst with destiny on Sunday. Events marking freedom day festivity are scheduled for the week-end. Even as the greater part of the island is enveloped in a melodious mood, a discordant note is struck in the Tamil dominated Northern Province and the Tamil majority Eastern Province. Jaffna Uni Students Union more..

Feb 2 (FT) As the spectre of a general election looms over Sri Lanka, the political elite and the economically powerful are gripped with panic. Recent newspaper articles have been rife with speculations about the potential upheaval that such an election could bring. However, amidst their apprehension, it’s crucial to recognise that elections present a beacon of hope, particularly for the impoverished masses of Sri Lanka. The anticipation of a general election has sent shockwaves more..

Feb 2 (AD) The school cut-off marks for the admission of students to Grade 06 of the schools based on the results of the 2023 Grade 5 Scholarship Exam have been released by the Ministry of Education. Accordingly, the ministry said the students can check the schools that they have been selected to, using the following link starting February 05: https://g6application.moe.gov.lk/#/ The Grade 05 Scholarship Examination was held on Oct 15, 2023 at 2,888 exam centres more..

Feb 2 (DM) Two suspects were arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a 25-year-old American woman visiting Sri Lanka. The suspects had also reportedly stolen gold jewelry worth approximately USD 6,000 from the woman. The Crimes Investigation Division of the Kandy Police arrested the suspects, including a tourist guide. The incident was reported to the Nanu Oya Police, with the victim alleging that she was sexually abused at a guest house in Kandy on January 29. more..

Feb 2 (TM) The Lawyers, a consortium of legal professionals, have voiced concerns over the conduct of the anti-narcotics operation dubbed Yukthiya. In a letter addressed to Minister Tiran Alles, the Lawyers’ Collective highlighted what they perceive as troubling actions and statements made by the Minister in carrying out the allayed crackdown. The letter emphasises the importance of conducting the anti-drug campaign within more..

Feb 2 (AD) The health sector trade unions have decided to temporarily call off the ongoing island-wide strike action by 6.30 a.m. on Saturday (3). A collective of 72 trade unions from the health sector resorted to a one-day strike across the country last morning (1), which continued for the second day straight today, urging the govt to address the issues concerning allowances without delay. The doctors’ unions and the All Ceylon Nurses’ Union, however, decided to refrain from joining strike action, more..

Feb 2 (AD) Ambassador of the US, Julie Chung has hailed SL’s Pekoe Trail being profiled among the Top 20 Travel Experiences for 2024 as named by National Geographic’s Global Editorial Teams. Posting on X, the US envoy mentioned that the historic trail was further developed with funding support from USAID and EU, adding that it is an example of how the US and SL partnerships develop tourism entrepreneurism and encourage people from all over the world to Visit Sri Lanka. more..

Feb 2 (CI) SL won the toss, unusually strapped three seam bowlers to the plow, and even more unusually asked their opposition to bat first at the SSC. By the end of day one, they will feel those decisions - at least partly - have been vindicated. Between them, their senior seam bowlers Vishwa Fernando and Asitha Fernando took seven wickets, as SL dismissed Afghanistan for 198. Then, the pitch now seemingly having flattened, more..

Feb 2 (FT) Marina Square – Uptown Colombo, SL’s premier harbour-front luxury mixed development project, has announced the structural completion of all five towers at a ceremony titled A Sky-High Toast to Commitment. Backed by industry giants Access Engineering and China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC), the achievement of this significant milestone off the heels of a challenging 2 years, underscores the joint shareholders’ steadfast commitment to the project and more..

Feb 2 (PMD) SL Ayurvedic Drugs Corporation (SLADC) achieved its highest profit in years in 2023, recording a notable Rs. 195 million, according to State Minister of Indigenous Medicine, Mr. Sisira Jayakody. This achievement marks a significant turnaround for the SLADC, highlighting the positive impact of the new management’s strategies. “This profit is the highest since 2017,” Mr. Jayakodi stated, emphasizing the remarkable progress made by the SLADC under its new leadership. more..

Feb 2 (AD) The Court of Appeal has permitted to withdraw three petitions filed against the late State Minister Sanath Nishantha over contempt of court charges. The relevant petitions were taken up before the two-member judge bench consisting of Justices Sobhitha Rajakaruna and Dhammika Ganepola today. There, the attorneys-at-law who appeared on behalf of the petitioning parties told the court that the petitions are not required to be maintained since the defendant of the case, more..

Feb 2 (EN) SL has signed an agreement with Washington-based World Bank to borrow US$ 150 million to strengthen a deposit insurance scheme. The funds will come from the low-interest Int'l Development Association window to which SL re-qualified after its sovereign default. The project will strengthened the financial and institutional capacity of the SL Deposit Insurance Scheme run by the central bank in line with int'l best practices for effective deposit insurance schemes, more..

Feb 2 (EN) India-funded Unique ID card project is in the process of appointing a new consultant while fresh tenders have been called after the failed bids, Indian High Commissioner to SL Santhosh Jha said. Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe’s govt has disqualified the two Indian bidders Madras Security Printers (MSP) and Protein Technologies which won the tenders in the previous bidding process. India has already given an advance more..

Feb 2 (DM) SJB is to bring in another No Confidence motion against Minister Keheliya Rambukwella, MP Kavinda Jayawardene said. “Our party decided to bring in a second No Faith motion against Minister Rambukwella some weeks ago, but we did not collect signatures as we knew President Ranil Wickremesinghe was going to prorogue Parliament. However, we will start collecting signatures from MPs for the No Confidence motion from Feb 7 when the House convenes,” MP said. more..

Feb 2 (CT) While doctors provided their services at the Out Patients Departments (OPD), wards, theatres and clinics, patients reaching govt hospitals for medication were severely inconvenienced by the strike initiated by non-medical State health service employees seeking economic justice. The strike by 72 trade unions, involving over 100,000 health employees in the State health service yesterday, affected patients at the Out Patients’ Dept, those attending clinics more..