Jan 22 (FT) President�s assurance to deliver a people-friendly Constitution and an article in the press captioned Constitution-making process by a learned person, prompted the writer as a senior citizen cum sovereign voter to pen a transparent procedure as follows, to ensure public/voter participation in people-friendly constitution-making, using the chapter dedicated to franchise and electoral reforms under the proposed new Constitution as an example. more..

Jan 22 (Island) Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa on Thursday called for the immediate reappointment of former Chairmen and members to parliamentary watchdog committees, which ceased to function after the President prorogued Parliament in Dec 2021. Premadasa requested that those parliamentary watchdogs recommence the investigations they were handling before the prorogation of the house. �This govt made a pledge to expose the 2019 Easter Attacks more..

Jan 22 (ST) A paddy shortage by the end of February is now inevitable and the Government will have to import 800,000 to one million metric tons of rice to avoid scarcity during the April Sinhala and Tamil New Year, small and medium-scale rice mill owners said this week. There were dire predictions that the upcoming Maha season will yield 50 percent less paddy than usual. The fertiliser shortage points to these coming true. And there is a scramble to import stocks amidst a worsening forex crisis. more..

Jan 22 (AD) The Director-General of the Dept of National Zoological Gardens, Shermila Rajapakshe has temporarily withdrawn from duties, calling for a proper investigation into the employees at the Dehiwala Zoo who had launched a trade union action and engaged in sabotaging activities that threatened the lives of the animals at the premise. She mentioned in this in a letter directed to secretaries to the President, more..

Jan 22 (Island) SL could not move forward without changing its political culture, SJB MP Sarath Fonseka told Parliament. Participating in the adjournment debate on Prez Rajapaksa�s policy statement, Fonseka said that what people now needed was not political rhetoric but a radical change in the political culture that had been prevailing since Independence. �What is prevailing is so pathetic; every politician is trying either to come to power or to cling onto power. more..

Jan 22 (Island) The Special Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill and the Value Added Tax (Amendment) Bill were presented to Parliament on Thursday. Special GST Bill was presented to provide for the imposing of a special goods and services tax in terms of the amount chargeable on specified goods and services by way of tax, duty, levy, or any other charge imposed by law; to promote self-compliance in the payment of taxes in order to ensure greater efficiency in relation to the collection and more..

Jan 22 (CT) The current political tussle over a suitable Teaching Hospital for medical students of the Wayamba Medical Faculty, may deny the Faculty itself from receiving international recognition in the 2023 accreditation by the World Federation of Medical Education (WFME), medical officers warned. Secretary of the GMOA, Dr. Senal Fernando, when contacted on Friday (21), warned that if approval is granted for such a move more..

Jan 22 (CT) Colombo Chief Magistrate Buddhika Sri Ragala, on Friday (21), stressed he is embarrassed by the double standards displayed by officers of the CIABOC and he is even more embarrassed to serve in his post when CIABOC sleuths display prejudice when treating different suspects. The Chief Magistrate made this remark when a case filed against SJB MP Kumara Welgama was taken up for hearing. The former Minister of Transport has been charged with creating a post of Dy Chairman more..

Jan 22 (Island) More than 5,500 dengue patients had been reported so far in January 2022, NDCU said. They said that 60% of those cases had been reported from the Western Province. The Unit said that the number of dengue cases had been increasing since Sept 2021. 1370 cases were reported in Sept, 2979 in October, 4,561 in November and 8,096 cases in December were reported. Head of the NDCU said 5,500 cases were reported so far in January 2022. more..

Jan 22 (DM) A SL national who convinced young girls to send him lewd images and videos before sending the content to their families and friends has pleaded guilty to all charges. Ranpati Amarasinghe, 24, appeared via videolink in Victoria�s County Court on Tuesday where he faced 25 charges relating to obtaining, possessing or transmitting child porn or abuse material. Amarasinghe, who is in Australia on a bridging visa while he studies at Deakin Uni, coerced young girls into sending explicit more..

Jan 22 (CT) Projects will be implemented under a national policy to generate 70% of energy through renewable energy resources by the end of 2030, State Minister Duminda Dissanayake said. In addition, necessary steps will be taken to invest in hydropower as well as solar, wind, and other renewable energy projects. SL's energy sector has relied on fossil fuels from its inception to-date and it has paved the way to the on-going power crisis. Therefore, it is important to move towards more..

Jan 22 (FT) Six of SL�s leading arts organisations have teamed up to unleash a slew of initiatives to turn Colombo into a thriving destination that fosters and celebrates art, architecture and design captivating the city�s residents and tourists. The six trailblazers are Colomboscope, the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art SL (MMCA), Geoffrey Bawa Trust, John Keells Foundation in partnership with George Keyt Foundation, more..

Jan 22 (AD) Director-General of Health Services has confirmed another 12 coronavirus-related deaths for Jan 21, increasing the death toll in the country due to the virus to 15,272. This includes 09 males and 03 females. One of the victims is in the age group of 30-59 years and the remaining 11 patients are aged 60 years and above. Meanwhile, the count of new Covid-19 cases surpassed the 800-mark for the fourth consecutive day as 845 people in total were confirmed positive for the virus today. more..

Jan 22 (ST) A dispute over a by-road in the Seethawaka Pradeshiya Sabha area has led to a rivalry among residents, with one section of residents with the help of a PS member trying to lay concrete and widen the road while illegally claiming land from other residents. This is amidst claims that the Egodawatta Road belongs to the PS, which the Dept of Local Govt (Western Province) denies. Department of Local Govt (WP) pointed out that if the Provincial Council needs to develop more..

Jan 22 (AD) The results of patient and well-planned decisions are now becoming a reality, the Maha Sangha has said, pointing out that it is the responsibility of all parties to unite to achieve the aspirations of people by placing trust in President Gotabaya Rajapaksa as a visionary and pragmatic leader. These remarks were made by the Maha Sangha during the 12th meeting of the Buddhist Advisory Council held more..

Jan 22 (Dawn) A man was sentenced to one-year imprisonment and a fine of Rs10,000 on Friday by the Gujranwala anti-terrorism court for justifying the killing of a SL citizen on social media and inciting religious sentiments. Priyantha Kumara, a SL citizen, general manager of Rajco Industry and Garments Factory, was lynched by a mob at the factory on Dec 3, 2021, on Wazirabad Road in Sialkot. Convict Muhammad Adnan, 27, of Nizampur, Sialkot, uploaded a video on his YouTube channel more..

Jan 22 (ST) The sight of people begging by the roads with children is a heart-rending one for all. Many of these children are just infants who cannot yet walk. They are held by an adult who usually waits by traffic lights, hoping for some money from passing motorists. These children undergo great hardships. They are helpless and have no choice but to stay with the adult for hours at a time while he or she begs on the road. Their health is constantly under threat. more..

Jan 22 (EN) Sri Lanka has detected 75 more Omicron patients at the latest gene sequencing test done at the Allergy Immunology and Cell Biology Unit of the Dept of Immunology and Molecular Medicine of the Uni of Sri J'pura, a health expert said on Saturday. The report issued by the Unit said, out of 78 samples tested, 75 new cases of Omicron and 3 new cases of Delta were detected. �These 78 samples were sequenced from more..

Jan 22 (ICC) Put in to bat first, Sri Lanka were spurred on by an unbeaten 87-run partnership between Harshitha Madavi and Nilakshi Silva. Chamari Athapaththu�s 17-ball 30 gave Sri Lanka the initial impetus but she fell inside the powerplay with Nik Atiela picking up her wicket. Harshitha struck ten fours in her 42-ball 65 whereas Nilakshi compiled 49 in 31 balls to close out a terrific last 10 overs for Sri Lanka. In reply, Malaysia lost opener Wan Julia and Mas Elysa in the second over. more..

Jan 22 (DM) The examinations department has decided to suspend the one-day service for issuing examination certificates from Monday, until further notice, the Dept's Commissioner General said. He said the services provided by the examinations department have been announced on the dept's official website, www.doenets.lk. Accordingly, applicants who wish to obtain certificates should submit their applications through the online system, by e-mail or through the Dept's official more..

Jan 22 (ST) Student unions are demanding the return to physical lectures but UGC said this week that several factors�including the need for higher vaccination numbers and the fear of crowded hostels springing new COVID-19 clusters�were delaying the move. It was also found that the online system was largely effective and authorities are to examine the possibility of combining remote learning and physical presence. more..

Jan 22 (TM) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin announced a compensation of INR 5 lakh each to the owners of mechanised boats and INR 1.5 lakh each to the owners of country boats that are presently in the custody of SL authorities. At least 128 mechanised boats and 17 country boats are in the custody of Sri Lankans at present. Chief Minister�s office made the announcement on Friday evening. Stalin also announced a package of INR 5.66 crore compensation for more..

Jan 22 (FT) SJB MP Imthiaz Bakeer Markar this week urged Prez Rajapaksa to learn a lesson from the fate that befell former Tunisian dictator, Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali. A series of secretly recorded phone calls, believed to have been made by former Tunisian President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, revealed that his most trusted advisers urged him to stay away from Tunisia after he fled the country in 2011. The recordings, released by BBC News Arabic in the new documentary The Dictator's Last Calls, more..

Jan 22 (Island) CEB had made 16 requests to Public Utilities Commission of SL (PUCSL) between 2016 and 2020, seeking permission for power purchases, Chairman of the PUCSL Janaka Ratnayake said. He said that PUCSL had rejected those requests outright on 13 occasions and turned down two requests after discussions. PUCSL had approved the purchase of emergency power only once, he said. more..

Jan 22 (EN) SL�s Chinese built Port City on Saturday said it has introduced a payment structure for personal events, professional and commercial filming and photography within the premises due to unprecedented demand while denied reports of charging for personal selfies. �Port City Colombo wishes to inform the public that there is no truth to the social media posts alleging that the public needs to pay a fee for personal selfies or videos taken at Port City,� the company said more..

Jan 22 (FT) Despite multiple programs initiated to improve the plantation sector, the facilities were not utilised to optimal levels, Minister Dr. Ramesh Pathirana said. �Govt has implemented several programs to promote tea cultivation. But, the majority were not aware of the projects implemented. I allocated Rs. 1.5 billion for a project to provide water for cultivation purposes, not even 50% of that money has been utilised,� he said at the opening of a multi-purpose building at more..

Jan 23 (ST) Prez Rajapaksa reopened Parliament this week with what was meant to be him outlining the course he hoped to chart for the country under his leadership currently under increasing pressure from his fellow citizens undergoing almost unprecedented difficulties in their daily lives. For many it was a damp squib in that he enumerated the obvious, viz., the foreign exchange crisis that has sent the economy into a tailspin of chaos, the botched agrochemical policy which more..

Jan 23 (CT) Though I do have a particular interest in the JVP-NPP and am anxious to see the NPP�s Rapid Response to Current Challenges manifesto developed and improved, this column not drafted exclusively for that purpose, though it may read like that. I would be happy if other social and political movements find it useful. But first an analogy; only laymen who studied physics in school will make sense of it, but my analogy last week with the Exodus of the best European scientists from more..

Jan 23 (ST) The tweet in Tamil from Democratic People�s Front (DPF) leader Mano Ganesan went almost unnoticed, when President Gotabaya Rajapaksa ended delivering his policy statement in Parliament last Tuesday. He had turned to colleague TNA leader Rajavarothayam Sampanthan, and declared that he found him a disappointed person. The news spread to the Tamil diaspora worldwide and soon questions loomed why. more..

Jan 23 (CT) What struck me most about the President�s policy speech to parliament last week was its subdued tone. It was more than mildly defensive, but fully free of boast and bluster. The last two years have certainly clouded the aspirational vistas of Saubhagya Dakma, even though there were two references to it in the speech � one in connection with the Eastern (port) Terminal (now with the Indians), and the other on renewable energy (ostensibly with the Chinese in Jaffna�s isles). more..

Jan 23 (ST) My dear Gota maamey, I thought I must write to you when I saw you the other day, cutting quite a dashing figure in suit and tie despite your advancing years, arriving for the ceremonial opening of Parliament. The other reason I wanted to write was because nothing seems to be right and everyone is blaming everything on you. Seeing you in Parliament in that suit and tie, I suddenly realised that, of all our male Prezs over the past 50 years, you are the only one to prefer western attire. more..

Jan 23 (CT) A young man, Sandeep Sampath Gunawardena, has been wheelchair-bound for the last six years, after being hit by a vehicle allegedly being driven by SJB MP Champika Ranawaka, at 9.55 p.m. on 28 Feb 2016. The accused former Minister has already been charged before Colombo High Court in connection with the hit-and-run incident, which is being presided over by Judge Damith Thotawatta. more..

Jan 23 (TM) A few years ago, an American politician made an interesting observation. He noted: �We have been conditioned to think that only politicians can solve our problems. But at some point, we will wake up and recognise that it was the politicians who created our problems.� One of America�s most eminent neurosurgeons and later a contender for the Republican presidential nomination, ending up as President Donald Trump�s Housing Secretary, Ben Carson certainly knew what he was more..

Jan 23 (SO) There is a raging debate in society and the media over the present economic situation. While Sri Lanka is by no means a unique case as Covid-19 has adversely affected both developed and developing economies, there are some aspects that have exacerbated the economic constraints. SL is heavily dependent on tourism for earning foreign exchange. This industry collapsed totally in the midst of Covid-19. This affected practically every country that earned a living from tourism. more..

Jan 23 (Island) Sri Lanka is now in the grip of what is probably the worst economic crisis it has known in its post-Independence history. Inflation is at a historic high. The rupee is at a historic low. People are queuing for cooking gas and milk food. The cost of living has gone through the roof and opposition politicians are talking about the price of a single carrot or bean pod. What the ill-thought, almost overnight ban on the import of chemical fertilizers has done to the rural farming community, more..

Jan 23 (Island) Prez and Commander in Chief HE Gotabaya Rajapakse invited 186 of his old military comrades and their ladies for dinner at President�s House on Dec. 22, 2021. For a media that lives on gossip, this was manna. A Sunday paper (not the Island) on 26 Dec reported the invitees numbered 1,050.The figure was specific. Many readers were, as expected, duped to believe it. Added on was that drinks too were served as though that was news. No detailed description of the menu was given as more..