Feb 24 (FT) Gathering participants from 25 countries, English Tea Shop which has been in the forefront of the organic tea industry in Sri Lanka in infusing Prajava (community) through Creating Shared Value (CSV) will hold a global forum today on Celebrating Prajava at the Galle Face Hotel. Daily FT is the Forum�s Exclusive Reporting Partner, which intends to highlight how sustainable business impact is deeply rooted in social and environmental impact. The importance of realising the need more..

Feb 24 (Xinhua) China has taken swift and decisive measures to contain the COVID-19 outbreak, and the country's "herculean" efforts should be highly commended, General Secretary of the Communist Party of SL D.E.W. Gunasekara has said. "Within a short period since the start of the outbreak, the infection rate and death rate are both coming down. In that context, this is an achievement," the 84-year-old party leader said recently. Noting that some measures, including the lockdown of Hubei more..

Feb 24 (AD) The Matara-Hambantota section of the Southern Expressway was vested with the public a short while ago. The newly constructed extension was ceremoniously declared open by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and PM Mahinda Rajapaksa. With the opening of this new section, the total length of the Southern Expressway becomes 222 kilometers and the longest expressway in the country. more..

Feb 24 (DM) On Jan 28, 2020, standing alongside Israeli PM Netanyahu, at a White House press conference, US President Trump unveiled his peace plan to settle the Israeli-Palestine conflict. Palestinians should have been in attendance. But they were not invited. If the plan, termed The deal of the century by its principal author -the US President- was a serious attempt to broker peace between Israel and Palestine was serious about finding a solution, the Israel-Palestine conflict, more..

Feb 24 (DM) Sri Lankans have a fondness for rice and any politician failing to understand this would be in for a rude shock. At present the regime is involved in sorting out a scarcity for rice. We�ve read enough about the govt purchasing paddy from farmers and for that purpose it has roped in the SL Army (Army service Corp). There was a period some months ago when our favourite variety of rice was noticeably missing in supermarket shelves. Speculation was rife that traders and mill owners more..

Feb 24 (DM) When the house of 48-year old Lalith Priyashantha, a fisherman in Negombo, area, was washed away partially in Nov 2018, the authorities promised to provide him lands in safer locations. The veranda of his 12-perch house was washed away just in 20-days. Priyashantha�s family, in fear, had to shift within a week to a relative�s house. And for 11 months he had to live in relative�s house, 13-km away from his house more..

Feb 24 (TM) The Govt has awarded the contract to construct the second phase of the 300 MW LNG power plant in Kerawalapitiya to Lakdhanavi Ltd., overturning a Cabinet decision of the previous Govt made just over a year ago. The relevant cabinet paper was submitted by Minister Mahinda Amaraweera while approval was received last week. This decision is conditional upon Lakdhanavi�s withdrawal of a petition filed at more..

Feb 24 (Island) The high salinity level in pipe-borne water during recent days, in some parts of the country, was due to a low flow in the river from upper reaches and an intrusion of salt water with the high tide, officials at National Water Supply & Drainage Board (NWSDB) said. NWSDB, however, said it was continuing with random sample studies to ascertain whether the salinity levels were harmful to humans. Senior officials call it a natural more..

Feb 24 (EN) A group of political parties representing minority communities are coming together to safeguard themselves from anti-democratic forces, a senior MP said. Rauff Hakeem, leader of the SLMC said the grouping is not �an electoral alliance.� �We are in discussions to support the alliance led by (Opposition Leader) Sajith Premadasa,� Hakeem said. He said that this group was forming a platform with a minimum more..

Feb 24 (EN) At least two SL banks will launch request to pay services shortly, a new technology that makes it much easier for customers to settle bills online, speeding up transactions and cutting costs, an official said. A Request to Pay (RtP) is an online generated message which not only notifies the user of his bills but also creates a real time payment portal where the payment could be made without having to enter details more..

Feb 24 (ST) The National Election Commission has called the Treasury to pay up an arrears of Rs one billion due as expenses for the last year�s presidential poll, amidst preparations to seek fresh allocations for the upcoming parliamentary elections. NEC officials this week met Treasury officials to seek the balance payments to cover a range of expenses, including transportation, staff expenses and printing costs. more..

Feb 24 (Island) Having highlighted both local and external challenges faced by post-war SL, Professor of Archaeology at the Uni of Kelaniya Prof. Raj Kumar Somadeva, warned there could not be a state without a country. Underscoring the importance of exploring ways and means of providing homegrown solutions to complex issues on the basis of our past experiences, Prof. Somadeva, a member of the World Archaeological Congress, more..

Feb 24 (BN) Malaysian Attorney-General Tommy Thomas faced calls to resign after he dropped terrorism charges against 12 people who were alleged to have links to Sri Lanka�s LTTE. Islamist opposition party PAS, which controls two Malaysian states, threatened a massive public rally if the govt didn�t heed its demands to fire Thomas, reinstate the charges and curb the powers of the attorney-general. more..

Feb 24 (TM) The breakwater of the Colombo Port City, officially known as Colombo Int'l Financial City (CIFC), has been damaged twice during the construction period up to now. The second and most recent incident had occurred in mid-2019 due to heavy winds which created powerful waves. When contacted CHEC Port City Colombo (Pvt) Ltd Managing Director, he directed the call to company�s head of public relations. more..

Feb 24 (EN) Sri Lanka�s public finances have been hit by tax cuts, triggering a supplementary estimate to a four-month vote-on-account, an opposition MP said while the ruling party blamed past payment arrears and unprovided expenses for the problem. A supplementary estimate was put forward by the ruling party which provided for 156 billion rupees in new spending and a 357 billion rupee increase in debt but was withdrawn more..

Feb 24 (MFA) The Foreign Relations Ministry in coordination with the Sri Lanka Embassy in Rome and the Consulate General Office in Milan has taken action to closely monitor and coordinate efforts to ensure the safety of Sri Lankans residing in Italy, following the recent rise of COVID-19 cases, particularly in the Lombardy Region. According to the Sri Lanka Embassy in Rome and the Sri Lanka Consulate General Office in Milan, presently no Sri Lankans have fallen victim to the virus. more..

Feb 24 (FT) I spent two afternoons last week in watching the live debate on the forensic audit reports by SL�s MPs. Sadly, there were only two MPs who made constructive suggestions that should merit attention of the people. One was MP Champika Ranawaka. The other was MP Rauf Hakeem. All others looked at the forensic audit reports through the political colour of the party to which they have pledged their allegiance. Ranawaka, though he was not completely more..

Feb 24 (AD) Five individuals have been killed in a motor accident on the Kandy-Jaffna highway (A-9) in Omanthai, earlier this evening (23). At around 8.30 pm today, a Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) bus from Jaffna had collided with a van from Vavuniya resulting in the fatal accident. The accident had caused the bus and the van to erupt in flames. Reportedly, 21 more people have been injured in the accident. Measures have been taken to hospitalize the injured persons. more..

Feb 24 (Island) Kekirawa Magistrate, Nilantha Gunaratne, on Saturday, remanded till 05 March, a person charged with an attempt to extort money from an MP. The suspect was taken into custody by the Crimes Investigation Unit of the Anuradhapura police, on Friday, for trying to extort money from UNP Anuradhapura District MP Ishak Rahman. The suspect, Mahroof Mohamed, is a resident of Kekirawa and activist of a civil society organisation known. The police nabbed the suspect while . more..

Feb 24 (AD) The Colombo High Court trial-at-bar has ordered to issue summons on former Navy Commander Admiral of the Fleet Wasantha Karannagoda for the fourth time over his failure to appear before the court. Karannagoda was summoned to the court today regarding the case on the alleged forced disappearance of 11 youths in Colombo in 2008 and 2009. The case is filed against a group of naval intelligence officers including more..

Feb 24 (DN) DLF Leader Vasudeva Nanayakkara did not change his political party or his policies while some political parties gave up their policies to remain in power, PM Mahinda Rajapaksa said. PM Rajapaksa was addressing the gathering at the DLF 20th Convention at the Siwali grounds in Ratanapura yesterday. �DLF contribution in the last Presidential Election is immense. We had all the progressive and leftist camps for us under the leadership of Vasudeva Nanayakkara,� more..

Feb 24 (DM) The RDA is engaged in a hurried construction of a VIP entrance in the Southern Expressway covering the areas Matara, Godagama and Barawakumbuka. This entrance is being constructed in Bedigama, Weeraketiya giving access to Tangalle and Weeraketiya. According to RDA sources, Kasagala entrance is the only entrance after Beliatta and an entrance in between is not found in the original plans. RDA has been engaged in constructing the Bedigama entrance more..

Feb 24 (AD) Members of the SL Corps Military Police (SLCMP) of the Army have now been deployed in most congested entry/exit points in the Greater Colombo area under a new assignment in order to help ease the city traffic congestion in collaboration with Colombo City Traffic Division. The project, implemented on the guidelines given by the acting Chief of Defence Staff and Commander of the Army, Lt General Shavendra Silva more..

Feb 24 (CT) UNP National Organiser, MP Navin Dissanayake, arrived at the office of our sister paper, Mawbima on 20 Feb, to provide an explanation on an article published in the newspaper. Upon his arrival, Dissanayake met a Head of the editorial board of the newspaper and discussed an article published in the newspaper. After leaving the office, he released a video, which he had secretly recorded, on his official Facebook page. A person has a right to comment on an article more..

Feb 24 (CT) The very fact that the Ranil Wickremesinghe Govt was persuaded into falling in line with the cogent sounding arguments for its partnership with the UNHRC 30/1 Resolution pertaining to alleged human rights offences against Tamils during the ethnic war, will perhaps remain an ineradicable slur on the armed services and hence, upon Sri Lanka. So, we must ask the leaders of that now defunct Govt that seeks re-election to power, to go public with a lucid explanation as to why more..

Feb 24 (TM) The official UNP headed by Ranil Wickremesinghe had last week distanced itself from comments made by the party�s Deputy Leader and Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa on the decision of the USDS to not issue visas to Army Commander Lt. General Shavendra Silva and his family. Wickremesinghe had on Monday (17) dispatched a message to the US Embassy in Colombo stating that the comments made by Premadasa more..

Feb 24 (Island) Further delays in maintenance work at the first unit of the Lakvijaya Coal fired Power Plant Complex in Norochcholai had caused a decrease in hydro power generation by yesterday to 15% due to overuse, though USD 3.8 mil had been paid for scheduled upkeep. A senior engineer, asked for comment, agreed that it was a bad trend especially during a drought. "This is pretty much similar to the situation in 2019. Hydro is an option the Board would be forced to adopt to more..

Feb 24 (EN) Sri Lanka has asked for the release of seven crew member of tanker MT Zeebrugge, which has been arrested by the Nigerian Navy for alleged crude smuggling while transporting 838 metric tonnes of oil. The seven Sri Lankan crew had been detained at Beecroft Naval Base in Lagos State of Nigeria, the foreign ministry said. The Navy had referred the case to the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) of Nigeria for investigation and prosecution. more..

Feb 24 (NR) The Leader of SLMC Rauff Hakeem says the SLMC has not reached a decision yet on joining an alliance with parties such as the JVP and the TNA for the upcoming election. MP said a misconception has been created in society over a statement he made yesterday at the SLMC annual conference. MP Hakeem expressed his disappointment at criticism levelled at him by several JVP members. more..

Feb 24 (CT) The Border Surveillance Unit, which functions under the Controller General of the Department of Immigration and Emigration, has uncovered a secret racket of selling Sri Lankan women to several Indian sex service agencies. Airport officials have uncovered information about the racket, following the arrest and questioning of an Indian national and two Sri Lankan women at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), Katunayake, on 20 February. more..

Feb 24 (DM) The JVP today refuted media reports as claimed by Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) leader Rauff Hakeem that he was contemplating contesting the General Elections aligning with the JVP, TNA and civil society groups. In a statement, the JVP said Mr Hakeem had said in an SLMC convention in Kandy that SLMC was contemplating contesting the General Elections in an alliance with JVP, TNA and civil society groups and discussion in that regard had already been started. more..

Feb 24 (PMD) Pakistan ready to extend its cooperation in defense, trade, people-to-people relations, countering extremism, promoting religious harmony and in any other area Sri Lanka would need. This was assured by the Pakistan High Commissioner Major General (Retd) Muhammad Saad Khattak when he met with President Gotabaya today at Prez Secretariat. As the two countries are already enjoying good security cooperation, more..

Feb 24 (AD) All teachers and principals have decided to go a sick leave strike and carry out trade union actions on the 26th of February over several demands including the issuance of an interim allowance circular. The Ceylon Teachers Union (CTU) and Ceylon Teacher Services Union (CTSU) stated this issuing a joint statement today. Accordingly, a protest march will be launched from the Buddhadasa Grounds in Battaramulla and conclude by engaging in a protest in front of more..

Feb 24 (Island) Power cuts or power shedding on Feb 3 across the country could have been avoided as there had been sufficient generation capacity, according to the two committees, one appointed by Minister Mahinda Amaraweera and the other by the electricity regulator, Public Utilities Commission of SL (PUCSL). Two reports will be handed over to the Minister today. Committees are of the view that the power shortage was not unexpected but countrywide may have been due to a sinister motive. more..

Feb 24 (CG) Rohitha Rajapaksa, son of PM Mahinda Rajapaksa, today apologised after comments he made on social media drew strong reactions. In a tweet this evening Rohitha Rajapaksa said he had no intention to deliberately cause distress to any individual and or community and that he had made the statement as a result of a targeted offensive comment. �I recently made a statement as a result of a targeted offensive comment. more..

Feb 24 (EN) The Centre for Environment and Nature Studies (CENS) today lodged a complaint at the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) regarding twelve rock quarries in Manilla Gama area Dodamgoda, Kalutara which has caused many environmental issues. CENS Convener Ravindra Kariyawasam said that although the relevant state institutions were informed about the environmental damage caused by the quarries in the area no action has been taken yet. more..

Feb 24 (CI) Australia are not playing well at all. Australia are still in the T20 World Cup. These two truths were undeniable at the end of a white-knuckle encounter with Sri Lanka at the WACA Ground, which on several occasions looked like being the day in which Meg Lanning's No. 1-ranked side were eliminated at the first available opportunity. Sri Lanka, having also lost their opening fixture, had never beaten Australia in a T20I but got closer than most anybody expected. more..

Feb 24 (AD) Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa invites the lost leaders and grassroots activists of the SLFP to join the UNP alliance, Samagi Janabalawegaya. He expressed these views speaking at a press conference held at the parliamentary premises today (24). He invites �marginalized and lost� leaders of the SLFP to join the Opposition�s Samagi Janabalawegaya for a victorious alliance. more..

Feb 25 (CT) If Ranil Wickremesinghe and his cohorts in the UNP thought they could subjugate the Sajith Premadasa faction by reducing its power in the Working Committee, they couldn�t be more wrong. Once again Ranil�s allies seem to have confused party hierarchy for popular support outside the party. For a monolithic establishment like the UNP, with just weeks more to go for the general election, this obviously does not bode well. Debates over party logos, slogans, and choice of more..