Feb 19 (DN) The much awaited and the long overdue South Asia Sub regional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) Port Access Elevated Highway (PAEH) Project directly linking the Colombo harbour and the Colombo Port City to the Colombo Airport will be finally opened in Oct 2024. One of the unique features is the connection it offers from the airport to both the harbour and the Port City area extending the expressway network into the city. �Over 85% of the project work has now more..

Feb 19 (Island) A story of a wife refusing to accept the body of her husband killed in an accident but taking away his torch and mobile phone has been reported from Kegalle. Rambukkana police said that they had found the body of a 48-year-old man lying near a railroad on the night of Valentine�s Day. The victim, a father of 3, had left the house under the influence of liquor and sat near the railroad, police said. He was knocked down by the Rambukkana bound night train. Police found his torch and more..

Feb 19 (DM) Supreme Court delivered a judgment in favour of the plaintiff party over a land dispute relating to a 90-perch plot of land in Kurunegala, which had traversed the halls of the courts for 52 years. This case was first instituted in 1972 by the original plaintiff in the District Court of Kurunegala against the original defendant for a declaration of title to the land called Damunugahamulawatta, ejectment of the original defendant from the said land, restoration of possession and damages. more..

Feb 19 (DM) Due to his involvement in the hospital administration, almost 200 minor workers in hospitals were unable to continue their drug businesses at the National Hospital in Colombo (NHC) and started protesting against him, said NHC Deputy Director and Govt Medical Officers' Forum (GMOF) president Dr. Rukshan Bellana. He told the Daily Mirror that following his request, IGP had visited the hospital and established a police unit to stop the drug deals in the hospital. more..

Feb 19 (TM) The Ministry of Public Security has refuted media reports that the Attorney General�s (AG) Dept is going to issue a series of guidelines to the Police Dept to prevent the filing of fundamental rights (FR) petitions against it. It was recently reported by the media that the AG�s Department is to issue a set of guidelines to the Police which would help it avoid having to face FR cases. When contacted, more..

Feb 19 (FT) Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council (CWEIC) Chairman Lord Marland will visit SL from 19 to 21 Feb, as part of a larger trip to South and South East Asia where he will meet Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe, Ministers and business leaders. CWEIC is a commercial, not-for-profit membership organisation with an official mandate from the Commonwealth Heads of Govt to facilitate trade and investment throughout 56 Commonwealth member nations. more..

Feb 19 (DM) The collective of trade unions representing the health sector have urged the Health Ministry to remove Dr. Rukshan Bellana as the Deputy Director of the National Hospital, Colombo. President of the Federation of Health Professionals, Ravi Kumudesh said Dr. Bellana had vehemently criticized the junior staffers for their involvement in the recent strike organized by health trade unions, humiliating the health workers. �He (Dr. Bellana) is not appropriate to hold the position as more..

Feb 19 (AD) Police have arrested the gunman and the motorcycle rider involved in the recent shooting incident at the Meegoda Economic Centre. The motorcycle and weapon used for the shooting have also been recovered by the STF. Earlier today (18), police reported that two suspects had been arrested in the Kirillalawala area in Kadawatha, in connection with the shooting, while the motorcycle used by the assailants along with a helmet, a knife and a shirt were also recovered from the room of more..

Feb 19 (AD) High Commissioner of India in SL, Santosh Jha, has expressed confidence regarding earliest recommencement of Nagapattinam - Kankesanthurai (KKS) ferry service in the coming weeks, adding that efforts are also underway to resume the ferry services between Talaimannar and Rameswaram. Indian High Commissioner made these remarks during his visit to the KKS Port and the Talaimannar Pier, where he spoke of the need for expeditious resumption of ferry services more..

Feb 19 (Island) Dissident SLPP lawmaker Gevindu Cumaratunga said that the Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa govt owed an explanation how the Governing Board of the Central Bank had approved a massive salary increase to CBSL employees at a time the country was experiencing developing political-economic-social crisis. MP said the recent disclosure of over 70% salary increase to several different categories more..

Feb 19 (AD) Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran, Dr. Hossein Amir Abdollahian will undertake an official visit to SL from 19-21 Feb, on an invitation extended by Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Sabry. During this visit, the Iranian Foreign Minister is scheduled to pay courtesy calls on Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe and PM Dinesh Gunawardena. The visiting Minister and his delegation will also have official discussions with Minister Ali Sabry at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In August 2023, Foreign Minister more..

Feb 19 (DM) Claiming that Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe is not a crafty man as claimed, NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said today he will have to go home even before the end of his scheduled term, if he attempts to evade the Presidential election by any means. He said a new discussion had arisen on the need to scrap the Executive Presidency and said it was an age-old slogan. "Some people say Ranil is a crafty man. He became Prez with a single seat in Parliament. more..

Feb 19 (Island) The ongoing controversy over the failure on the part of the Finance Ministry and Inland Revenue Dept (IRD) to recover taxes from companies implicated in a massive sugar tax scam in 2020 has taken a shocking turn, with the Dept of Trade and Investment Policy declaring that loss of revenue hadn�t taken place. D.M.A. Dassanayake, Information Officer of the dept that comes under the purview of the more..

Feb 19 (FT) Former World Bank senior economist and novelist, Sriyani Hulugalle, has published her latest novelette in Sinhala under the title Shadows of Hantana, a story she had penned when she was at the University of Peradeniya in the 1970s. This is her third published creative work, the previous two being Beyond the Rainbow and Cherry Blossoms. Contrary to these two works, the present work which she had written when she was passing her teenage years is a romantic novel more..

Feb 19 (FT) Now more than ever before, it is vital that Sri Lanka engages closely with a wide range of trade and investment partners. A strong recovery from the difficulties of the past few years will only be possible with the cooperation and capital of international partners, who recognise the extensive opportunities that Sri Lanka offers. Crucially, these partners must be varied and reliable. Home to more than 2.5 billion people, and with a combined GDP of more than $ 13.1 trillion, more..

Feb 19 (AD) A court order has been issued preventing the SJB from suspending Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka�s party membership and removing him from positions held within the party. Accordingly, the relevant injunction, effective for a period of 14 days, prevents the political party from ousting Field Marshal Fonseka from the SJB, taking disciplinary action against him and removing him from posts in the party. The relevant order was issued by the Colombo District Court on Monday (19), more..

Feb 19 (AD) Three persons, including two children, have been reported dead after a motorcycle collided with a train in the Arachchikattuwa area in Puttalam. According to police, a 36-year-old mother, her 06-year-old daughter and 09-year-old son were killed when the motorcycle they were riding on collided with a train at a level-crossing in Maiyawa, Arachchikattuwa. The victims had reportedly been travelling home from a tuition class, when their motorcycle collided with a train more..

Feb 19 (CI) It's Oct 2021, and there's been a top-order collapse. Sri Lanka have lost three wickets inside two overs and things are looking bleak. There's Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dasun Shanaka and Chamika Karunaratne all left to come, but SL have instead opted to promote Wanindu Hasaranga ahead of them. And Hasaranga is about to pretty much single-handedly rip away a historic chance of a World Cup upset from Ireland. more..

Feb 19 (EN) Duty free shopping will be available in Colombo soon, the Belt and Road Initiative SL (BRISL), an international development organization, has said. �Colombo Port City duty free shop will be opened in April,� BRISL announced on Monday (19). There was to be a 5,000 US dollar allowance for returning Sri Lankans and any amount for foreigners, according to concessions gazetted on May 29. �The Port City Commission listed up 200-300 items that would be made duty free, more..

Feb 19 (CT) Kandy District MP Wasantha Yapa Bandara announced plans for families affected by substandard medicine to pursue legal action in the Supreme Court in the coming days. He revealed that 70 individuals have suffered complete blindness and other severe consequences due to the use of inferior medicines for eye conditions. Additionally, he highlighted the plight of 28 individuals, including a pregnant woman, who lost their lives after consuming substandard & counterfeit drugs, more..

Feb 19 (EN) The US shares concerns raised by critics of SL�s controversial Online Safety Act (OSA) on its potential for repression of free speech and impact on the country�s digital economy but is encouraged by the ongoing amendments process, a top US official said, calling for a consultative dialogue. US Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Elizabeth M Allen said on Monday (19) that more..

Feb 19 (CT) The newly installed CCTV system in Colombo has enabled to identify nearly 800 traffic offenders in 15 days since 1 February, Police spokesman DIG Nihal Thalduwa said. 793 persons involved in traffic offences were identified through CCTV surveillance cameras. The offenders, hailing from nearly 300 Police areas were detected due to the round-the-clock CCTV monitoring and have since been issued tickets corresponding to their respective police jurisdictions. more..

Feb 19 (AD) A tense situation was reported at the Dambulla DS this afternoon (19), as crowds thronged the premises in attempts to purchase tickets for today�s T20 match between SL and Afghanistan. SLC announced on Sunday (18), that all tickets for both the second and third T20 matches against Afghanistan have been sold out. However, tickets priced at Rs. 500 and Rs. 200 were issued at the Dambulla DS this morning, resulting in large crowds of fans gathering to purchase tickets. more..

Feb 19 (DM) Ratnapura High Court judge Lanka Jayaratne imposed the death sentence on a convict who was indicted for double murder at Kotakethana in Ratnapura. Prosecuted entirely based on DNA evidence by Senior Deputy Solicitor General (SDSG) Lakmali Karunanayake, court found accused Neil Lakshman guilty of the murder of a mother and daughter in Kotakethana in 2012. The accused was indicted for raping the daughter and committing the double murder. more..

Feb 19 (CT) Nallathanni Police reported that over 100, 000 pilgrims visited Sri Pada during the weekend holiday. A significant influx of pilgrims arrived via train, private buses and vans, leading to the use of all available parking spaces in Nallathanni. Additional vehicles were parked along one side of the Nallathanni � Maskeliya main road, extending up to five kilometres towards Rikartan, Nallathanni. Despite congestion, many pilgrims faced challenges accessing Sri Pada area more..

Feb 19 (AD) A ceremony was held at the Presidential Secretariat on Monday (19), to inaugurate a housing project financed by the Govt of India to construct 10,000 houses for plantation sector workers. Accordingly, the fourth phase of India�s housing project in SL�s plantation sector, named Bharat-Lanka, will entail building 1,300 houses across 45 estates in ten districts. Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe joined the event more..

Feb 19 (EN) Attempts are under way to bring opposition leader Sajith Premadasa and Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe together, MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake said, claiming that it would�ve already happened if it weren�t for an alleged personal animosity between the two leaders. Dissanayake said members of SJB are attempting to reconcile Premadasa and Wickremesinghe and bring the SJB and prez�s UNP together in the run-up to prez elections due to be held before Oct17 this yr. more..

Feb 19 (CT) Legal action will be instituted against the official who harassed and obstructed the participation of a female teacher in a module training session at the Professional Development Centre in Giragama, Pilimathalawa, for not wearing a saree, said Joseph Stalin, General Secretary of the CTU. Incident gained attention after a video circulated on social media over the weekend, showing the module training coordinator threatening the teacher in front of other participants for not wearing a saree. more..

Feb 19 (Island) The second of the five two-day workshops to train coordinators for the National Conversation based on the Himalaya Declaration, was held in Kandy last Friday and Saturday with the participation of activists from five surrounding districts, namely, Mattale, Badulla, Ratnapura, Nuwara Eliya and Kegalle. First 2-day preparatory workshop was held in Kurunegala recently (Feb 9 and 10). more..

Feb 19 (AD) U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu has announced that the govt of US will donate a Beechcraft King Air aircraft to the govt of SL this year, to patrol its coastal waters in a bid to protect the country�s sovereignty. Speaking at the US Institute of Peace (USIP) on the Indo-Pacific strategy, Mr. Lu highlighted that part of what Sri Lanka needs is for other countries, including the U.S., to help protect its sovereignty. more..

Feb 19 (DM) An organization called the Lankalokaya headed by incumbent Southern Province Governor Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena�s son Pasanda Yapa Abeywardene today presented a proposal to all candidates of this year�s Prez election urging them to abolish the Provincial Councils. The organisation proposed to abolish Provincial Councils and set up district councils while strengthening the Pradeshiya Sabhas instead. �Our intention is to present a proposal to all candidates of more..

Feb 19 (PTI) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Sunday expressed concern over Indian fishermen from the state continuing to be detained by the SL Navy, and urged the Central govt to take decisive action to safeguard the interests of the fishers. On social media platform X, he tagged a news report of a fishermen's protest in Rameswaram against the incarceration of some TN fishermen in SL, and said "the continuous apprehension of TN fishermen by SL Navy is deeply concerning." more..

Feb 19 (EN) Employees of the State Pensions Department ask questions not within their remit, and make the rules up as they go, a govt legislator has said. �In some instances, the Department of Pensions asks questions that they do not have the legal right to ask, and therefore people do not get their pensions,� Chairman of the Sectoral Monitoring Committee for an Open and Responsible Govt and MP, Jagath Kumara Sumitraarachchi, said at a press briefing on Friday (16). more..

Feb 19 (FT) SJB MP Eran Wickramaratne said his party does not accept the Online Safety Act as a piece of legislation that was duly passed in parliament. MP maintained that the Act had been enacted without adhering to the proper parliamentary procedures for passing a bill. �The Govt deliberately sent this bill to the Oversight Committee on Youth Affairs instead of the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Justice Ministry. more..

Feb 19 (TM) Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led National People's Power (NPP) stated that they would not provide any support for the abolition of the Executive Presidency at the moment, calling ongoing efforts a conspiracy. However, the NPP stated that a future Govt led by them, will move to abolish the Executive Presidency. In the wake of reports that there are preparations to abolish the Executive Presidency, several political parties have revealed their stances on the matter. more..