Feb 26 (THE) Sri Lankan govt has announced bold plans to reform the country�s university sector, including giving special status to a select group of private institutions and opening up the country to international branch campuses, in a move that critics say will escalate the marketisation of higher education. The policy changes include establishing a free education investment zone that will provide tax breaks for international universities setting up overseas outposts, more..

Feb 26 (DN) The govt will purchase paddy directly from the threshing floor from this week onwards, State Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena said. The purchasing from the 2019/20 Maha paddy harvest is now on and the Paddy Marketing Board (PMB) has already purchased 8,474 metric tonnes spending Rs. 423.7million. The PMB has purchased 1462.8 metric tonnes from Mullaitvu, 921.6 metric tonnes from Killinochchi, 26.6 metric tonnes from Gampaha, 210.5 metric tonnes from K'gala, more..

Feb 26 (CT) The prevalence of a skills mismatch in the economy, in which the skills of workers produced by the education system fall short of the modern economy's needs, is visible, Asian Development Bank (ADB) in a report released on Friday said. It attributed this state of affairs to SL's school education and technical and vocational education and training (TVET) sectors, which the ADB said are not strongly geared to supply the core competencies and technical skills demanded by employers. more..

Feb 26 (AD) Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA) has officially joined the UNP led alliance Samagi Jana Balawegaya today. Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa mentioned this holding a special press briefing at the parliamentary premises this morning. Democratic People�s Front (DPF) led by MP Mano Ganesan, National Union of Workers (NUW), led by P. Thigambaram and the Up-Country People�s Front (UCPF) led by more..

Feb 26 (TM) Former SL Ambassador to Russia Udayanga Weeratunga has been further remanded until the 11th of March. The order was delivered when the case was taken up before the Fort Magistrate�s Court. On the 14th of Feb, Weeratunga was arrested by the CID upon his arrival at the Bandaranaike Int'l Airport (BIA) for his unlawful interference in purchasing MiG Fighter Aircraft for the SL Air Force from Ukraine and causing a loss of more than $ 7 billion to the Govt of Sri Lanka. more..

Feb 26 (FT) From Greta Thunberg to Australian forest fires to cold snaps in North America and the systematic destruction of the Amazon rainforest, the climate and impact of climate change has never been as hot button a topic as it is now. One of the largest contributors towards this impending climate crisis is the textiles industry, which has traditionally scored heavily in terms of carbon dioxide emissions and water wastage. It is unsurprising therefore that sustainable fashion has gained popularity more..

Feb 26 (Bernama) Two more men accused of supporting the LTTE terrorist group were acquitted and discharged by two separate High Courts here today. This led to all 12 men including two state assemblymen, who were previously facing the same charges being freed. High Court judges Mohamed Zaini Mazlan and Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali issued the release order, after deputy public prosecutors Mohd Farhan Aliff Ahmad more..

Feb 26 (DM) MP Namal Rajapaksa called on the govt to remain vigilant over the COVID-19 outbreak saying the virus had already spread to several countries, causing a severe impact on the global health and economic sectors. Namal said that while SL had taken commendable efforts in preventing the spread of the virus, more preventive measures are needed to be taken as the virus was spreading beyond control. "From China, the virus has spread to countries such as South Korea, Japan and more..

Feb 26 (DM) Acting Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Shavendra Silva said that Navy and Air Force personnel have been deployed in selected areas to assist the traffic police as a temporary measure, to ease the traffic congestions in the Colombo City, from yesterday. Last week, military police personnel were also deployed to assist the traffic police in Colombo. �In addition to the military police, we have also deployed personnel from Navy and air force to assist traffic police as a temporary measure� more..

Feb 26 (DM) Elections Commission said the cost of the upcoming parliamentary elections will cost an estimated Rs.7.5 billion should there be an increase in the number of independent groups in the fray. EC Mahinda Deshapriya said that currently there were 70 registered political parties of which 64 were active and that at the current figures the estimated cost of holding the general election was estimated to cost between Rs.5 billion and Rs.6 billion but was bound to rise if more candidates register. more..

Feb 26 (EN) Govt has slapped price controls on imported Big Onions effective Feb 23, SL Consumer Affairs Authority said. By the order of the Consumer affairs authority, maximum retail price for one kilogram of Big Onions is 190 rupees. �Price of imported Big Onions was showing an unreasonable increase within the past few days and it went to 300 rupees per kilogram by Feb 22,� CAA said. CAA claimed that prices were increased three times to the real value in the market by the importers. more..

Feb 26 (EN) Sri Lanka�s legal cigarette sales are fell 19% in the Dec 2019 from a year earlier after tax and price hikes during the year, Ceylon Tobacco Company Plc, a unit of British American Tobacco said. Ceylon Tobacco said profits fell 33% to 4 billion rupees in the quarter giving earnings 21.36 rupees per share. Full year earnings were 92.13 rupees per share on total profits of 17.1 billion rupees, which grew marginally from 17 billion rupees. more..

Feb 26 (AD) A traffic block is reported at Pelawatta Junction on the Borella-Kottawa (174) bus route due to a protest, stated Ada Derana reporter. The protest has been organized by principals and teacher trade unions. Teachers and principals went on a sick leave strike and launched trade union action, this morning (26). The protest is organized over 06 demands including solutions to salary disparities that have been around for many years, stated the Ceylon Teacher Services Union. more..

Feb 26 (Island) The CEB told the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL), electricity sector regulator, in a report submitted, on Monday, that if the govt did not ensure a continuous fuel supply to the independent power producers, there was the possibility of future power interruptions. The CEB, in the report said that the power cuts on 3 Feb 2020 had been unplanned. CEB General Manager, D.D.K. Karunaratne told PUCSL that the interruptions had been beyond their control. more..

Feb 26 (CT) Doctors are scheduled to meet the Director General of Health Services (DGHS) to coordinate with the Ministry of Health to battle the issue of quacks. Secretary of GMOA, Dr. Haritha Aluthge said Minister of Health, Pavithra Wanniarachchi had agreed with many of the proposals put forward by the Union to prevent quacks posing as doctors from treating patients. One of the main proposals by the GMOA more..

Feb 26 (CT) With the addition of 271,789 new voters to the electoral register of 2019, number of MPs to be elected from two Districts has changed. An officer from Election Commission said since the number of votes had increased in the Badulla District and that of the Galle District has reduced, a change had taken place with regard to the number of MPs to be elected from the two Districts. As a result, one MP has been reduced for Galle District, while one has been increased for Badulla District. more..

Feb 26 (NR) The JVP says the present administration�s inability is evident in every passing day. Propaganda Secretary of JVP MP Vijitha Herath said the present govt is only attempting to deceive the public to win elections. He said despite Gotabaya Rajapaksa replacing Maithripala Sirisena as the President, policies have not changed for the better. The MP said this govt is continuing to make election promises to gain voters, and accused the govt of not resolving issues faced by public. more..

Feb 26 (FT) The unavailability of the 154 MW Kelanitissa Combined Cycle Power Plant and 270 MW Unit 1 of the Norochcholai coal power plant were contributing factors to the unapproved power interruptions in multiple areas of the country on 3 Feb, report by CEB stated. Published online by the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL), report was submitted by CEB following the instructions of PUCSL earlier this month. more..

Feb 26 (Island) A thorough environmental feasibility study should be done before permitting sand mining in river beds, two environmental outfits have petitioned the Supreme Court. Environmental Foundation Guarantee Ltd, and the Wildlife and Nature Protection Society of SL have petitioned the Supreme Court. They have said unauthorised sand mining exposes the river beds to erosion and destroys vegetation. The petitioners have requested the court to direct the Geological Survey and more..

Feb 26 (AD) Five more political parties have joined the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) led alliance, SL Nidahas Podujana Sandhanaya yesterday (25). SLFP General Secretary MP Dayasiri Jayasekara mentioned this addressing a press conference held today. Accordingly, 5 parties including Eelam People�s Democratic Party (EPDP), Ceylon Workers� Congress (CWC), Tamil People�s Liberation Organization, United People�s Party have joined the alliance. more..

Feb 26 (DM) The Transport Services Management Ministry had decided to build Sri Lanka's first electric rail track in Kandy to ease the traffic in the Kandy town and suburbs. While holding a discussion today at the Transport Ministry in Kandy, State Minister Dilum Amunugama said the decision was taken during the discussion on expediting the railway projects in Kandy and suburbs. more..

Feb 27 (DM) Historically, languages have been a unifier as well as a divider of communities and counties, though their divisive role has gained more attention, as indeed, all conflicts do. In India, in 1950, its top leaders wanted to make Hindi the sole official language with English to be used only till 1965. When the time for the changeover came in 1965, there was a massive agitation in Tamil-speaking Tamil Nadu. The language war was so important politically that the Congress Party more..

Feb 27 (CT) This article is about the manner in which unscrupulous lawyers could manipulate delays in the law to their personal advantage. This type of behavior is now a permanent feature in Sri Lanka�s legal system. Analysis of the methods used for such manipulation are based on experiences from actual cases. Reflections on the behavior show that, rather than insisting on correcting wrongs litigants have experienced, unscrupulous persons work out a methodology of manipulation for more..

Feb 27 (Roar) In Feb 2019, UN Women collaborated with the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs, and the Korean Embassy in SL to produce SL�s first report examining the Govt�s policies, budgets, and plans, and how they affect women with disabilities in particular. The report, titled Women with Disabilities and Their Access to Economic Opportunities: Through the Lens of Gender Budgets, conducted a study involving 400 persons more..

Feb 27 (DM) Sometime last September, Facebook was upping its engagements in Sri Lanka by holding media awareness sessions. Off the record media briefing sessions, where the contents were not reported. At a regular meeting with stakeholders in an Eastern Asian capital during the same time, its regional executives were asked how they assessed the social media platforms situation in Sri Lanka. �We have the situation under control,� was the answer. more..

Feb 27 (CT) When I heard Eran Wickremeratne�s strikingly anguished, patently aggravated appeal to the nation�s intelligentsia and the professional class I sat up and cried. I supported the movement for a just society led by ven Maduluwawe Sobitha thero. I hoped for change. When in Jan 2015, Ranil Wickremesinghe indicated that Arjuna Mahendran was his preferred choice to head the central bank I realized that the crap would hit sooner than later, not only the fan on the ceiling but all pedestal more..

Feb 27 (CT) The one we press into service to collect our garbage and clean our streets - the ones we complain about if they fail to show up even once - are the very people our society has left in neglect. Garbage collectors and cleaners - they aren't asking for higher salaries and pensions; they only want their basic needs fulfilled as they carry out their duties in our service. Both in the public and private sector, such workers face several more..

Feb 27 (Island) Perhaps, nowhere else in the world are political party leaders or their counterparts in independent groups empowered to appoint defeated candidates as MPs. The present Parliament has more than a dozen such undesirables being maintained by the public, who defeated them at the 2015 general election in a bid to get rid of them. Curiously, Chairman of Election Commission Mahinda Deshapriya has said he sees nothing wrong in the practice of unsuccessful more..

Feb 27 (DN) Excerpts from an interview with Dr. Jude Jayamaha (M.B.B.S. PG Dip. in Med. Micro., M.D. (Med. Virology)), Consultant Medical Virologist attached to the National Influenza Centre, Virology Department, Medical Research Institute (MRI), Colombo 8. Q: What is Coronavirus? A: Coronavirus is a large family of viruses that are common in many different species of animals, including camels, cattle, cats and bats. The name is derived by the appearance of the crown-like (corona) more..

Feb 27 (DN) Hurricanes, tornadoes and cyclones, even if you�ve only seen them in photographs or videos, are terrifying spectacles. They capture us with their sheer force and size. And yet, no one would in their right mind willingly venture into any storm with that kind of magnitude for the wind and swirl are certainly forbidding, to put it mildly. For this reason, the term hurricane hunter intrigues. When the said hunter happens to be a Gr 9 student who is just 13 yrs old, it�s even more intriguing. more..

Feb 27 (Island) Encapsulating the kind of life that Prasanna Jayawardena P.C. J lived, into a few words, is like being asked to bottle the ocean. However, Sir would have been irritated if I shirked this task. He was a hard task master in life and even in death, he continues to test. Why else, would he � with this irreversible, unbelievable passing - inflict upon anyone, the impossible brief of summing up an extraordinary, eclectic, colossus in a few words? Brevity was a quality he valued. more..

Feb 27 (UNDP) Mountain peaks blanketed by clouds, cascading waterfalls, symphonies of forest sounds, hundreds of unique species of flora and fauna, and enchanting landscapes; the Dumbara, or Knuckles mountains have it all. Located in central Sri Lanka, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the range is named for its famed peaks that resemble a clenched fist. The Knuckles mountain range spreads over more..

Feb 27 (FT) SL Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) and Board of Investment (BOI) have signed a MoU to enhance cooperation between the two agencies. The aim via the MoU is to reduce time and costs for foreign and domestic investors by streamlining the SLTDA and BOI investment approval processes. The signing took place at a formal ceremony with SLTDA Chairperson Kimarli Fernando and BOI Director General Champika Malalgoda, formalising the agreement more..

Feb 27 (Island) The SL National Tennis Team will take on Paraguay in their inaugural World Group II encounter on March 6 and 7 at Club Internacional de Tenis, Asuncion, Paraguay. SL has been in the Davis Cup mix for 60 years now and has dabbled in the Group IV, Group III and Group II play-off�s regularly. After a successive battle last year in Group III, SL managed to secure their spot for 2020. However, with ITF introducing a new format of play, SL received a promotion up to World Group II. more..

Feb 27 (FT) Popular Indian low-cost carrier GoAir yesterday announced Colombo as its first international destination for 2020, and 10th in its network, with plans to start flights to and from Sri Lanka from Delhi and Bangalore from 20 March. The airline is working in partnership with the aviation sector of iconic SL multinational conglomerate Aitken Spence PLC as its General Sales Agent (GSA) in Colombo. more..

Feb 27 (DN) Thurstan College who came out victorious last year after 27-years under the leadership of Sandaru Dias will be seeking for a repeat of that performance when they clash with traditional rivals Isipathana College in the 57th �Battle of the Brothers� cricket encounter scheduled to take place on February 28 and 29 at the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) grounds with play commencing from 9.30 am each day. Thurstan leads the series with 6 wins against Isipathana�s 4. more..

Feb 27 (Island) SL's GDP grew by a mere 2.7% year-on-year in the third quarter of 2019, and explicitly or implicitly, this is a vital economic fact which serves as a sovereign ceiling across all sectors of the economy, Dharma Dheerasinghe, chairman, Commercial Bank PLC told The Island Financial Review. "You know, this underlines a clear economic fact where you can't expect any sector or industry to perform better than the rate at which the overall economy is growing, he said. more..