Feb 28 (FT) A senior visiting French diplomat said said that despite SL�s withdrawal from co-sponsorship of UNHCR Resolution on Promoting Reconciliation, Accountability and Human Rights in SL, the resolution remains legally binding. �SL�s decision to withdraw from co-sponsorship of the UNHCR resolution doesn�t mean the resolution has disappeared. The resolution is still on the table. It is legally binding,� said French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs Director for Asia & Oceania more..

Feb 28 (Island) General Secretary of CP, D.E.W. Gunasekera, blamed Parliament for failing to ensure proper scrutiny of massive treasury bond scam perpetrated exactly five years ago and said the House owed an explanation to the country regarding its failure. Former Minister Gunasekera said that the overall failure on the part of the parliament led to the second far bigger bond scam on Mar 29, the following year. more..

Feb 28 (Island) A request made by TNA MPs to reduce the airfare between Chennai and Jaffna has been rejected by the govt and airline companies. TNA MP Mavai Senathirajah recently told Parliament that the taxes charged by the Jaffna airport was high and that a ticket might be priced at Rs. 26,000. TNA MPs said that although the distance between Chennai and Jaffna was almost half the distance between Chennai and Katunayaka; the airfare from Jaffna was Rs. 3000 more. more..

Feb 28 (AD) Twelve out of the sixteen arrested university students over the removal of CCTV cameras from the University of Kelaniya have been granted police bail. The remaining 4 students, who had been directly involved with the act, will be filed charges under the Public Properties Act, stated the police. Earlier today (27), 16 university students including a monk were arrested over the removal of CCTV cameras from the Uni of Kelaniya premises. On Feb 24, certain members of Student more..

Feb 28 (CT) Several Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) officials visited Sooriyawewa in a special chartered flight to witness the SL vs WI second ODI. Flight which originated from Ratmalana and landed in Mattala accommodated a contingent of about 40 SLC members, which included SLC staff, Executive Committee Members and a couple of cheer leaders. Travel firm had chartered the flight and SLC had paid for the tickets. more..

Feb 28 (DM) COPE Chairman and JVP MP Sunil Handunnetti requested Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage not to resort to any emergency power purchases claiming that it was a huge loss to the CEB. He said emergency power purchase had been done since 2010 and that CEB had incurred a loss of Rs.70,000 million only during 2017 and 2018 due to such purchases as revealed by the COPE report. He said the Treasury had provided a loan of Rs. 29 billion to the CEB during that period and more..

Feb 28 (AI) Following Sri Lanka�s decision to withdraw from its commitments to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva this week, Amnesty International calls on the Council to establish an international accountability mechanism to ensure the victims of decades-long conflict get the justice that is owed to them. The call comes as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights� latest report on Sri Lanka raises concerns about human rights commitments being rolled back. more..

Feb 28 (FT) UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet yesterday expressed regret over SL Govt announcing a very different approach to commitments previously made in UNHRC resolutions, and warned that this risks setting back efforts to advance reconciliation, accountability and human rights. In her oral updates to the 43rd session of the UNHRC, Bachelet said State must work for all its people, more..

Feb 28 (CT) The spouse of MP Rishard Bathiudeen gave a statement to the CID yesterday for a second time. CID had summoned her to record a statement regarding a probe carried out by them into the land Deeds found in a house in Isipathana Avenue in Colombo 5 and documents relating to millions of rupees. CID had earlier recorded a statement from her on 26 Feb. In a case being heard against Bathiudeen, the Court had ordered the CID to record statements from former Minister's spouse more..

Feb 28 (CT) West Indies skipper Kieron Pollard said that Kusal Mendis, who scored a match winning century on Wednesday at Sooriyawewa, should thank him for the century. Mendis, who walked in after the first two wickets of Dimuth Karunarathne and Kusal Perera fell consecutively, was dropped at slip by Pollard when he was on 2. He then went on to make 119, his second ODI ton, and added a record breaking 239 for the third wicket with Avishka Fernando which set up the series win. more..

Feb 28 (ST) In his open-necked purple shirt, Nishantha Wickremesinghe is chuffed to be seen with his arm around a long-time friend. Businessman Nimal Perera is feting his 60th birthday at the Colombo Hilton and former SriLankan Airlines Chairman is a guest. Party was just weeks ago. On Wednesday, Fort Magistrate banned Nimal Perera from overseas travel. This was after hearing that an account held by more..

Feb 28 (DM) Teachers and principals in Sri Lanka continue to agitate for being underpaid and such actions are just what the media spot and highlight. So now we know, through newspapers, that the teachers and principals have reason to be angry and its about their pay. But what about the plight of children who have to be in classrooms unsupervised? Wednesday (26) was such a day because teachers and principals were busy assembling at the G.H Buddhadasa Stadium more..

Feb 28 (DM) Major political parties in the South, as well as North, are hell-bent these days on forming electoral alliances, some for mere survival and some others to fulfil special needs. SLFP headed by former Prez Sirisena and many minor and minority parties represent the first category and former PM Wickremesinghe�s UNP and the SLPP led by PM Mahinda Rajapaksa comes under the second category. UNP, though without much confidence, is attempting to form next govt through more..

Feb 28 (DM) Higher Education Minister Bandula Gunawardane speaks about the current status of the economy, political situation and planned reforms in the higher education sector. Q: There is talk about a severe financial crisis. What is the actual situation? A: There is a financial crisis. That is the reality. However, the most severe financial crisis is bound to happen in 2025. We will have to spend the largest amount of money more..

Feb 28 (EN) Sri Lanka�s Industrial Development Board (IDB), in partnership with multilateral agencies is in the process of installing a 3.5 million US dollar laboratory which will reduce export costs of spices. �Some of the equipment for the food testing lab have already arrived at the IDB, and some training has been provided, but its not yet fully operational,� UNIDO India Field Office Representative Rene van Berkel said. more..

Feb 28 (CT) The National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) alleged that a drug company whose licence was suspended owing to the violations of the Medicines Regulatory Act, No. 5 of 2015, was behind the recent allegations levelled by a member of the Buddhist clergy in a bid to tarnish the image of its Chairman, Professor Asitha de Silva. Board Member Dr. Ananda Wijewickrema said the Authority had recently seized a stock of more..

Feb 28 (CT) Clinical waste is a huge problem in our country with no proper disposal method. Shocking revelation has been made where clinical waste from the main hospitals in the country has been stored instead of being disposed, posing a major health hazard to the environment and to the handlers, putting the lives of many at risk. If the authorities do not effectively handle this issue, it would lead to untold damage to environment more..

Feb 28 (Island) The UNP would contest under the Elephant symbol unless the electoral alliance led by Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa could secure the Swan symbol, said UNP MP Lakhsman Kirielle addressing a group of Kandy District party MPs and local govt members. He said the UNP would win the upcoming election regardless of the symbol it used. The meeting was held at Kandyan Cultural Centre. more..

Feb 28 (Island) A report on irregularities in adoptions from Sri Lanka in the 1970s and 1980s concludes that authorities turned a blind eye to the situation, Swiss Infor reported. More than 700 SL children were adopted in Switzerland during that period. The Swiss authorities had been aware of the existence of irregularities and cases of child trafficking until the end of 1981. This is the main conclusion of research carried out by more..

Feb 28 (ST) SL has not developed the Eppawela phosphate deposit in the 50 years since it was discovered, spending a towering amount on importing harmful fertilisers instead of producing a safer alternative for domestic consumption, the National Audit Office (NAO) says in a special report. As a percentage of total imports, the expenditure on triple super phosphate (TSP) grew from 0.025% in 2014 to 0.129% in 2018. more..

Feb 28 (Island) Newly constituted Sri Lanka Press Council (SLPC) on Monday, sought the cooperation of the print media to settle scores of cases pending against them. The new board headed by Senior Lecturer Mahinda Pathirana emphasized the need to bring the backlog of cases to a conclusion. The SLPC consists of Mahinda Pathirana, Prasanna de Alwis, PC, attorney-at-law Gamini Wijewardena, Dr. Tudor Weerasinghe more..

Feb 28 (AD) Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena has reiterated that Sri Lanka remains committed to engaging with the High Commissioner and her Office in achieving sustainable development, peace and reconciliation, within the national framework overwhelmingly approved by the people of Sri Lanka during the Presidential Election last year. Addressing the UNHRC in Geneva on Thursday, more..

Feb 28 (AD) The Cabinet of Ministers has decided not to sign the Millennium Challenge Cooperation (MCC) in its present form based on the recommendations of the committee of expert appointed in this regard, says Minister Bandula Gunawardana. He stated this today addressing the media briefing to announce the decision made by the Cabinet of Ministers during its recent meeting. Committee of experts appointed to conduct more..

Feb 28 (AD) The six suspects including the father of the second suicide bomber at Shangri-La Hotel have been further remanded until 13th of March. The order was issued by Colombo Additional Magistrate Thanuja Lakmali Jayatunga today. When the suspects were produced before the court, CID requested the Magistrate to further remand them as the probes into them are yet to be concluded. Accepting the request, the Magistrate ruled that the suspects will be placed under remand more..

Feb 28 (EN) The cabinet has approved a proposal to resolve salary anomalies in the school teaching service, with a new salary policy to be introduced in the next govt�s first budget. The new salary policy will incorporate recommendations by National Salary Commission appointed by Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa to look into salary anomalies faced by school teachers and principals, Minister Bandula Gunawardena said. The minister said the decision was not influenced by more..

Feb 28 (AD) Twenty-five students of the University of Kelaniya, who have been identified in connection with the incident of removing CCTV cameras at the university premises, have been suspended for 2 years by the university administration. Issuing a statement today (28), the administration of the Kelaniya University stated that further inquiries pertaining to the incident are ongoing while steps have also been taken to promptly fix the CCTV cameras back in place. more..

Feb 28 (FT) The whole system of the country which has been crumbling is now on the verge of near collapse. The political regime, bureaucracy, intellectuals and the society in general did not have a sufficiently developed political imagination to understand the need to rectify the mistakes and errors that occurred from time to time, due to various reasons. The outcome of this situation was that they had become compounded and solidified, turning the whole system into a rotten and stinking mess. more..

Feb 28 (ENS) In order to promote tourism, the ministry for shipping has mooted a proposal to start ferry service between Karaikal in the Union Territory of Puducherry and Jaffna in Sri Lanka covering a distance of 56 nautical miles (103.7 km). Shortly after chairing a meeting with ministers and govt officials of Puducherry, Union minister Mansukh Mandaviya said that the project is expected to take off in 3 to 4 months. more..

Feb 28 (AD) The case against Major (Retired) Ajith Prasanna and two other naval intelligence officers, who are accused of holding a press conference and intimidating witnesses in the case against several navy officials over the abduction and disappearance of 11 youths, was taken up today. Colombo Additional Magistrate Priyantha Liyanage sat for the hearing when the defendants were produced before courts. Representing the Ajith Prasanna, Prez�s Counsel Maithri Gunaratne had submitted more..

Feb 28 (DM) Sajith Premadasa, Leader of the newly-formed Samagi Jana Balawegaya and deputy leader of the UNP, will contest the upcoming general elections from the Colombo district. Mr. Premadasa will lead the campaign of his alliance and will contest from Colombo for the first time and will seek his party's advice in nominating a suitable candidate to contest from his electorate, the Hambantota district. "He is a national leader, so he cannot lead his party's campaign from Hambantota. more..

Feb 28 (AD) Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) leader MP Rauff Hakeem says that the party will join the UNP-led Samagi Jana Balawegaya, the new alliance formed under the leadership of Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, to contest the upcoming parliamentary election. The former minister made this announcement at a press conference held at the parliament complex today (28) which was also attended by more..

Feb 28 (DM) Irrespective of whether Basil Rajapaksa becomes a parliament member or not, he should be given a responsible and powerful position in the new Gotabaya Rajapaksa govt to be formed after the general election, Minister and UPFA General Secretary Mahinda Amaraweera said yesterday. He told the media last morning that the new govt must use the experience, shrewdness and prudence of Mr. Basil Rajapaksa to direct the govt in the right path. more..

Feb 28 (CT) His son, with the tempered control of the famed Boralugoda orator, Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, lashed out at the UNHRC meeting in Geneva Wednesday, that the criminalised faux pas UNHRC Resolution 30/1 of Jan 2015 bound the country to carry out this experiment that remains to date a blot on the sovereignty and a slur on the global dignity of SL. The censure was not a mere presence but came from the spirit of the man too. Not only was it impractical, unconstitutional more..

Feb 28 (EN) When J R Jayawardena led the UNP to a stunning victory at the 1977 general elections, few would�ve expected him to form a coalition govt with a minority party built on trade unionism. Despite securing an overwhelming 5/6th majority in parliament, SL�s grand old party invited the CWC, the country�s largest public-sector trade union at the time � represented by a single MP � to join the UNP-led govt for purely pragmatic more..

Feb 28 (EN) SL telco Dialog Axiata Plc in a statement said its subsidiary Dialog Broadband Networks (Private) Ltd has acquired 100 percent of shares in VSIS Enterprise Solutions (Private) Limited (VES). VES is the systems integration business of VS Information Systems (Private) Limited, with an annual turnover of around 2.7 billion rupees. �The acquisition of VES by Dialog is aimed at widening our enterprise service offering in SL and across the Axiata footprint in Asia,� more..

Feb 28 (DM) Govt proposal to appoint veteran singer Rohana Beddage as the new SL ambassador to the Maldives was approved by the Committee on High Posts today. He was called to its meeting held in Parliament today under the Chairmanship of Speaker Karu Jayasuriya. Former Ministers Rauff Hakeem and John Amaratunga and MPs D. Siddharthan, Eran Wickramaratne and M.A. Sumanthiran were also present at the meeting. Parliamentary Committee on High Posts more..

Feb 28 (AD) Four university students including a Buddhist monk, who were directly involved in removing CCTV cameras at Kelaniya Uni, have been remanded until the 3rd of March. The order was delivered by Mahara Magistrate�s Court today. On Feb 24, a group of members of the Student Union of the Uni of Kelaniya had forcibly removed the CCTV cameras fixed at uni premises for security purposes. more..

Feb 28 (Island) Muslim community as a whole must not be allowed to be victimised for the murderous acts of a few terrorists with Muslim names, former PA MP M M Zuhair, PC, told The Island yesterday. One-time State Counsel found fault with the Parliamentary Sectoral Oversight Committee on National Security over accusations that well-known Indian Islamic scholars Dr Zakir Naik and Jainul Abdeen had been lecturing in SL on several occasions after the Easter Sunday attacks more..

Feb 28 (EN) Sri Lanka is taking off landing and parking charges, slashing embarkation taxes and ground handling fees at two secondary airports to draw South Asian carriers, Minister Bandula Gunawardana said. The cabinet of ministers had cleared a proposal by the Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister to boost operations at the Mattala and Ratmalana airports. At Mattala International Airport in the South of the island, landing and parking fees will be removed for a year. more..