Feb 1 (DM) The case against Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa and five others under Money Laundering Act was today fixed for further trial by Colombo High Court. High Court Judge Nawaratne Marasinghe fixed the case to be taken up for further trial on March 10. Attorney General had filed indictments against six accused for their alleged involvement in laundering money amounting to Rs.30 million through Gowers Corporate Services (Pvt) Limited. High Court had permitted the prosecution to more..

Feb 1 (DM) The Colombo High Court today acquitted and released Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa and and former Director-General of Divi Neguma Department Kithsiri Ranawaka from the controversial almanac case. High Court Judge Damith Thotawatta made this order pursuant to a request made by defence to acquit them from the charges, on the basis that the prosecution evidence has failed to establish the commission of more..

Feb 1 (AD) Several areas in the country are currently experiencing disruptions to the power supply. Against this backdrop, the third generator at the Lakvijaya Coal Power Plant in Norochcholai, which was recently added to the national grid following repairs, was deactivated again today due to a technical fault. CEB stated that the national grid would lose 270 MW of power as a result. However, Public Utilities Commission of SL (PUCSL) later gave an assurance that there is no need to more..

Feb 1 (Island) In another major milestone for SL�s premier real-estate developer, John Keells Properties (JKP) celebrated the completion of the structural work for all three towers of its highly anticipated TRI-ZEN smart residences with a special Topping Off ceremony. The event was marked with a private ceremony attended by the senior management of John Keells Properties including John Keells Holdings Chairman Krishan Balendra, together with representatives from more..

Feb 1 (EN) The ruling SLPP is eager to find out whether a widely condemned egg attack on NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake was an attempt to tarnish the govt�s image, according to a cabinet spokesman. Co-cabinet spokesman and Minister Ramesh Pathirana told reporters that investigations into the incident are now under way. �We are wondering if someone is trying to tarnish the image of the govt. more..

Feb 1 (DM) The Supreme Court has determined that it does not have jurisdiction to hear the Special Determination petition filed by the Sri Lanka Young Journalist�s Association challenging the constitutionality of the Personal Data Protection bill, since it has been filed out of time. Supreme Court three-judge-bench comprising Justice L.T.B. Dehideniya, Justice Shiran Goonaratne and Justice Arjuna Obeysekera announced that Supreme Court does not have jurisdiction to hear the petition more..

Feb 1 (DM) The Cabinet has cleared the draft Surcharge Tax Bill, which would impose one-off 25% surcharge tax on individuals or companies with over Rs.2 billion income for the 2020/2021 financial year. Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa sought the approval of the Cabinet of Ministers on Monday for the draft bill prepared by the Legal Draftsman to be published in the govt gazette and thereafter submit it to Parliament for approval. The surcharge tax was one of revenue proposals in Budget 2022, more..

Feb 1 (DM) Police said they would award a reward of Rs. One million for successful information on the suspects wanted over the recent shooting incident in front of the Kethumathi Hospital in Panadura. An ambulance driver came under gunshot attack in front of the Kethumathi Hospital on January 27. Police said four men who arrived on two motorcycles fired gunshots at the ambulance and fled the scene. The Western Province Crimes Division and Kalutara Crimes Division launched investigation into more..

Feb 1 (AD) Three members of the same family are reported dead in a fatal collision between a three-wheeler and a train in Galle today. The accident happened at around 10.45 a.m. on the level crossing at Rillamba Junction in Boossa. The mother, father, son and daughter-in-law had been travelling in the three-wheeler at the time of the accident. All of them were rushed to the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital following the fatal collision, however, three of them have succumbed to injuries. more..

Feb 1 (EN) Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa and CB Governor Nivard Cabraal are leading negotiators with creditors and authorities hope to manage a forex crisis in the next six months, Minister Ramesh Pathirana said. There was no decision to go the IMF, though the issue had been discussed at several cabinet meeting in recent weeks, he said. �There has been constant discussion about it,� Minister said. more..

Feb 1 (CT) The Ministry of Trade and the Chinese Embassy in Colombo will meet this week to discuss the Chinese Govt�s pledge of 1 million MT of rice to Sri Lanka. The Ministry of Trade and the Chinese Embassy in Colombo will meet this week to discuss the Chinese Govt�s pledge of one million MT of rice to Sri Lanka. Trade Ministry is negotiating the offer in exchange for the rice, which is most likely tea. The shipment is scheduled to arrive in Sri Lanka in March. more..

Feb 1 (CT) Minister Wimal Weerawansa stated that what was paramount at present was not throw brickbats at the Govt saying it was borrowing money from Bangladesh but to make use of the country�s most valuable asset which is human resources and overcome the current foreign exchange crisis and elevate the country. He was chief guest at a ceremony to felicitate prefects at Sri Dharmarama Vidyalaya in Ratmalana. Speaking further, Minister Weerawansa said human resource was more..

Feb 1 (TM) ITAK MP M.A. Sumanthiran said that Foreign Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris had said that the meeting between the TNA leadership and Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa will happen very soon. Sumanthiran said that Prof. Peiris had made these remarks at a breakfast meeting that was held in Jaffna on 30 January. Last year, TNA said in a statement that a meeting with the President was scheduled to discuss reforms to Constitution. more..

Feb 1 (EN) SL will call proposals for emergency power to bridge a capacity deficit at the height of the dry season in March 2022, Minister Ramesh Pathirana said. Prez Rajapaksa had given orders for tenders to get emergency power, he said. Energy Minister Udaya Gammanpila had warned there may be a 300MegaWatt capacity deficit in March which may require load shedding. SL got some of the best rains in 2021, and CEB conserves water for generation in the Feb�March dry period. more..

Feb 1 (CT) A man who came to the UK to train as an accountant almost 40 years ago and was left homeless after a catalogue of Home Office delays has finally been granted leave to remain months before his 70th birthday. Ponnampalam Jothibala, 69, a SL Tamil, said he was overjoyed his case had finally been resolved, even though he was now an old man. When interviewed by the Guardian last year, Jothibala said he had not been able to leave the UK for decades, but he dreamed of more..

Feb 1 (EN) SL�s cabinet has approved an unsolicited proposal to buy 450,000 barrel crude for Sapugsakanda refinery from Terra Nevis Group in Cyprus on a 180-day credit, a govt document showed on Tuesday. SL�s 50,000 barrel-per-day solo refinery has faced closure twice since November last year as the island nation has run out of US dollars to import crude. The Iran-built refinery resumed operations on Monday after one month closure. �An uninvited proposal has been made by more..

Feb 1 (DM) The govt has taken a policy decision to achieve the goal of decarbonaization by the year 2050 while taking action to minimize gas emissions in the industries where electricity and transport sectors as well as thermal power utilization. The cabinet spokesman said that in order to realize this goal, the requirement of gradually converting from fossil fuel to green energy production and consumption by changing the energy supply network has been recognized. more..

Feb 1 (TM) FSP raised concerns about the newly gazetted Special Goods and Services Tax (SGST), warning that it could lead to corruption as they claim that it will bring about a lack of transparency and accountability. �The SGST was gazetted on 7 January. There are clear signs that the money will be misused through this Act. The Act aims to regulate the taxes of five main goods and services, which amounts to 23% of the Govt�s spending and more..

Feb 1 (EN) Foreign Minister G L Peirisdenied a weekend media report which quoted finance minister Basil Rajapaksa as saying the island nation purchased weapons from North Korea using US dollars from the black market in the final phase of the 26-year war. The ministry said attention has been drawn to a news item in a local website titled We purchased weapons from North Korea using Black Market Dollars� � Minister Basil R dated Jan 31. �The foreign ministry wishes to state that more..

Feb 1 (TM) UNP completed their submissions challenging the Govt�s proposed Goods and Service Tax bill in the Supreme Court on Monday. The Party states that the petition, which was filed by UNP Working Committee Members Dinouk Colombage and Shehara Herath, challenged the piece of legislation on the grounds that it would remove the powers of Parliament�s oversight of public finance. Appearing for the petitioners, Counsel Eraj de Silva Party submitted that the cornerstone of more..

Feb 1 (AD) Clearance of debris from the ill-fated MV Express Pearl tanker which was ravaged by a massive fire last year, is expected to be completed within 120 days. The matter was taken up by the Minister of Justice during the meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers held yesterday. Accordingly, a supervisory committee consisting of representatives from relevant institutions has been appointed under the Director-General of Commercial more..

Feb 1 (TM) Health Ministry is currently uncertain which of the Covid-19 variants, namely, Omicron (B.1.1.529) or Delta (B.1.617.2), is the major cause of Covid-19 infection-related deaths at present. Dr. Hemantha Herath said that it is very difficult to identify the Covid-19 variant that causes deaths among the Covid-19 infected. �It will be required to refer all the Covid-19 deaths for genetic sequencing in order to detect the Covid-19 variant that caused them, but that is not something that more..

Feb 1 (EN) SL will buy 40,000 metric tonnes of diesel and 40,000 metric tonnes of petrol from the Indian Oil Corporation following discussions, a govts statement said. Ministry of Energy has discussed with the Indian Oil Company to procure the fuel, the statement said. Indian Oil Corp has agreed to supply the fuel. The cabinet of ministers had given the go-ahead to purchase the fuel. The statement did not say whether a 500 million dollar credit line given by India to SL to buy fuel will be used. more..

Feb 2 (DM) Later this month, our country will once again be on the UNHRC rack - the torture tool of the Spanish Inquisition. Our country will be put through a process of mental torture defending itself against charges of War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity brought by countries like the US, Britain, France and India to name a few. This column does not in any way oppose charges being brought against nations and states who have allegedly committed War Crimes and Crimes more..

Feb 2 (DM) Some would argue whether this juncture is hardly the time to be talking about constitutions. In fact, there are many who believe that Constitutions do not matter at all. For example, our Prez made it clear soon after election, that he considers the Constitution and all the balance of power it envisages, mere stumbling blocks in the path of a benevolent dictator who knows best for the country. He made it clear that the other two branches of the state, i.e. the Legislature and the Judiciary, more..

Feb 2 (DM) Selling lands acquired illegally using fake deeds has become a practice in the country and Dambulla is infamous for such illegal activities. This newspaper says so because it possesses strong evidence of such illegal activities. Fraudulent deeds, identity cards, land documents, public institute documents, signatures and seals of public officers are forged with the aim of earning profits. One or two people cannot prepare more..

Feb 2 (CT) From this month I intend replying one question every month, selected from many posed to me. Sometimes the questions are posed in Tamil or Sinhala. But if I find them topical and current, I would answer them in English too. The question for this month posed in English to me, is as follows; Question: Is there any connection between the sending of the common letter from seven Tamil Parties to Shri Modi and the proposed new Constitution? Response: Most certainly yes. more..

Feb 2 (GV) Another year, another pre-Geneva scramble. At the brink of economic collapse and desperate to maintain GSP+ trade status with the EU, SL govt finally feels the heat. Enough, that is, to put forward half-hearted reforms in hopes of appeasing international demands. On Jan 27, govt gazetted a bill to amend Prevention of Terrorism Act No. 48 of 1979 (PTA). As attorney Ermiza Tegal writes in her recent op-ed, �The minimal reforms proposed fail to address the most significant more..

Feb 2 (TM) Speaking at Sri Lanka Growth Strategy 2022 hosted by NextGenSL and the World Bank on 31 Jan, World Bank Chief Economist � South Asia Region Hans Timmer stated that due to the structural changes that took place in the economy due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Sri Lanka has the opportunity to come out of the Covid-19 crisis stronger in comparison to its South Asian neighbours. more..

Feb 2 (CT) Certain areas in SL faced one-hour power cuts due to the breakdown of a section (Unit 3) of the State-run 900 MW Norochcholai Coal-fired Power Plant yesterday. Norochcholai comprises three coal-fired power plants, each with the capacity to generate 300 MW of electricity power. �Going forward, a decision with regard to future of power cuts will be decided today (Wednesday),� they said. Sources said the electricity regulator, PUCSL was informed of status quo at 11 am yesterday. more..

Feb 2 (TM) In an unprecedented move, the Water Supply Ministry is preparing to submit a cabinet paper requiring around 45 current and former parliamentarians, including ministers who have failed to pay their water bills, for both their official and private residences, to settle their bills, by way of deductions to be made from their salaries and pensions. This decision has been taken after various other attempts towards the same, including informing the relevant MPs. more..

Feb 2 (Island) Egg-throwing seems to be catching on. There have been three incidents where politicians came under egg attacks during the past few days. Pro-govt goons have hurled eggs at JVP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake, MP in Colombo and Gampaha. Pradeep Jayewardene, a member of the CMC, had rotten eggs thrown at him on Monday during a committee meeting of the council. The attacker, a female SLFP councillor, will face a disciplinary inquiry by her party besides more..

Feb 2 (Island) Declaring that every sector depended on the public service, the country�s Commander in Chief Prez Rajapaksa emphasised the responsibility on the part of the Secretaries to the Ministries to achieve given tasks. The President said so at the Presidential Secretariat on the morning of January 19 when Secretary to the PM Gamini Senarath, succeeded Dr. P.B. Jayasundera as Secretary to the President. Among those present on the occasion were Dr. Jayasundera & Lalith Weeratunga, more..

Feb 2 (ST) Lounging at a beachside restaurant with his wife and 3-year-old son, Dushmantha Gunasingha watched as foreigner after foreigner was served their orders while his family was left unattended. It was a beautiful day in Dec 2021. The stretch of Unawatuna beach they were on offered a clear view of the sea. Tourists on recliners soaked up the sun. Mr Gunasingha, Chief Technology Officer at an IT firm, was at the seaside for more..

Feb 2 (FT) Daily COVID-19 detections exceeded 1,000 for the third consecutive day with 1,137 persons testing positive for the virus yesterday. With the rise in cases, health officials warn the public about any travel plans during the upcoming long weekend, stressing the importance of adhering to safety guidelines. Dr. Hemantha Herath said health officials were not planning on telling the public to refrain from any travel during the long weekend. However, he said persons must avoid more..

Feb 2 (FT) A total of 100,060 persons received a COVID-19 vaccine dose on Monday. On Monday, 58,969 persons received the booster dose, which has been administered to a total of 5,261,005. The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is being administered as the booster. The first dose of Pfizer was administered to 27,983 persons on Monday, raising the total number of persons to have received the first dose of the vaccine to 2,240,669. The second dose of Pfizer has been administered to 524,447 more..