Feb 20 (Island) The Cabinet-of-Ministers is used by Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe as a cat�s paw to postpone elections, says Executive Director of the Institute for Democratic Reforms and Electoral Studies (IRES) Manjula Gajanayake. A decision made by the Cabinet about elections, on 5 Feb, was detrimental to democracy, Gajanayake said. A statement issued by the Media Ministry about the Cabinet decision at issue, more..

Feb 20 (FT) A new Micro Finance and Credit Regulatory Bill has been tabled in Parliament towards regulating the existing money lending business of various entities to protect borrowers from any unfairness. The proposed bill, it has been reported, will repeal the Microfinance Act No: 16 of 2016. At present it has been revealed there are close to 11,000 institutions involved in lending for this sector and only five among them are registered. The remainder operate on their own without more..

Feb 20 (FT) Farmers face two main types of risks: production risk and price risk. The risk of production, or risk of return, concerns events of chance origin, related to the nature, to which the producers are exposed. These shocks are linked to either rainfall and climatic variations, invasions of insects, or the occurrence of diseases. Price risk due to price volatility refers to unexpected price fluctuations that are so large and rapid that it becomes impossible to meet expectations. more..

Feb 20 (EN) SL will allow court proceedings to be conducted in English in selected courts, to expedite court proceedings, the cabinet spokesman has said. Minister of Justice Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe proposed that Certain courts be allowed to conduct proceedings in English, Minister Bandula Gunawardena said. �Especially courts that deal with international trade or business related disputes, commercial disputes.� Court proceedings and documents are in Sinhala, State language. more..

Feb 20 (DM) The govt is planning to provide the Galle Face agitation site where the GotaGoGama Aragalaya was conducted, to establish a casino centre, NPP MP Vijith Herath alleged today. He told Parliament that the government is planning to provide a license through the Urban Development Authority (UDA) to an institution bearing a Chinese name to open a casino centre on the Aragalaya site and that a famous gambler in Negombo was behind this particular institution. more..

Feb 20 (AD) The Supreme Court on Tuesday conveyed its decision on the much-disputed Anti-Terrorism Bill to Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena. Accordingly, Supreme Court determined that while several clauses of the proposed legislation require to be passed by a special majority, several other provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Bill need to be passed by both, a special majority and a referendum, more..

Feb 20 (AD) Deputy Director of the National Hospital of SL (NHSL) Dr. Rukshan Bellana has stated that he is ready to resign at any moment, if required. Dr. Bellana explained that if he is transferred from his current post, as demanded by the junior staff of the Colombo National Hospital, he is willing to resign. Dr. Bellana further accused the Ministry of Health and high-ranking officials within the health sector of having adapted to an easy administration policy, within which more..

Feb 20 (TM) Although the deteriorating air quality issue seen in several parts of the island earlier this year (2024) has alleviated and poses no significant threat at the moment, according to the NBRO, the public can take certain measures to reduce the health-related impacts of air quality-based issues. Noting this, NBRO Senior Scientist and Coordinator � Air Quality, Noise and Vibrations, H.D. Sarath Premasiri, said that it is advisable for those with health issues to refrain from more..

Feb 20 (DM) The govt must inform Parliament whether the statement made by Minister Harin Fernando in India that Sri Lanka was part of India was the govt's official stance or his personal opinion, MP Wimal Weerawansa said. He told Parliament that the Minister had stated in India that SL was a part of India and the three airports will be given to India. "The govt must reveal if the Minister's statement is the official stance of the govt or more..

Feb 20 (AD) The 14th round of negotiations between Sri Lanka and India on the Economic and Technology Cooperation Agreement (ETCA) are scheduled to be held in New Delhi, in the first week of March 2024. At its meeting on Monday (19), the Cabinet of Ministers took into consideration the submission made by President Ranil Wickremesinghe regarding the current situation of the ECTA, and the 13th Round of discussions which took place in this regard. more..

Feb 20 (DM) State Minister of Finance Ranjith Siyambalapitiya today informed Parliament that the imports of vehicles will be continued. "We have appointed a committee to look into how we could restrict the vehicles and to determine how many vehicles we need," the State Minister said. "Sri Lanka has imported only 29 vehicles during the recent past, including 21 double cabs for the Ministry of Health and three ramps for SriLankan Airlines. These ramps are used for airlines," more..

Feb 20 (CT) Minister Harin Fernando is in hot water over his recent remark, made in India, that Sri Lanka is a part of India. MP Udaya Gammanpila, leader of the PHU, called for Harin Fernando to be sentenced to death. Gammanpila made this statement during a press conference held in Colombo. He asserted that Minister Fernando�s recent comment during his visit to India, where he declared that Sri Lanka is now a part of India, directly violates the sovereignty and independence of Sri Lanka. more..

Feb 20 (CT) A group of fishermen from the Negombo Fisheries Market, commonly referred to as Lellama, held two protests yesterday, one of which took place in front of the Archbishop�s Residence in Colombo. They protested carrying placards with slogans such as �Cardinal, don�t you have any shame?�, �Don�t interfere with Lellama,� and �Lellama is the heart of the fishermen.� The Negombo District Court recently issued interim orders appointing a Receiver to manage the Lellama. more..

Feb 20 (DM) It has been reported by the Department of Motor Traffic (DMT) that plans are underway to initiate a project called e-motoring which would eventually lead to large-scale frauds when implementing it. The biggest concern is that the project has been planned for without the calling of tenders. In 2018, the DMT initiated steps to introduce a new software for the project, which is an e-motoring project. more..

Feb 20 (Island) The Rotary Foundation has announced accepting applications for fully funded Rotary Peace Fellowship, which covers tuition and living expenses, increases the capacity of dedicated peacebuilders from communities around the world to prevent and resolve conflict by offering academic training, field experience, and professional networking. Foundation said: As a humanitarian organisation, promoting peace is a cornerstone of Rotary�s mission. more..

Feb 20 (EN) Steep salary hikes said to have been given to central bank staff came under fire in parliament with the Chief Opposition whip questioning how such large increments were made. �It says a 700,000 increment was given to a deputy governor and 75,000 to an office assistant,� questioned in parliament. �These are the people who say tighten your belts, reduce staff, taxes have to be raised,� Kiriella pointed out. �It would be good if people are willing to work for less, more..

Feb 20 (CI) Angelo Mathews has had quite the ride over the last ten years. He was once the crown-prince of SL's white-ball teams, and then became the injury-riddled senior as the men's team's results plummeted, before eventually the previous set of selectors deployed him only in Tests - an experience that frustrated Mathews substantially. However, Monday's knock in the second T20I against Afghanistan was Mathews' best since more..

Feb 20 (CT) In a startling revelation, intelligence agencies have uncovered a sinister plot aimed at Minister Tiran Alles and Acting IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon. According to reliable sources from the Presidential Secretariat, the plot involves plans to remove or even eliminate both the Minister and the AIGP due to their pivotal roles in leading the ongoing Yukthiya anti-narcotics operation. The intelligence reports suggest that individuals involved in drug trafficking have allocated significant funds more..

Feb 20 (AD) A proposal to reduce the embarkation tax currently charged from passengers leaving Sri Lanka by passenger vessels and passenger ships has been approved by the Cabinet of Ministers. As per the relevant proposal submitted by the Minister of Ports, Shipping and Aviation, the embarkation tax imposed on those travelling by passenger vessels is set to reduce be reduced to USD 5, while the fee for those travelling aboard passenger ships is set to be reduced to USD 20. more..

Feb 20 (FT) It�s that time of the year. The annual Ride for Ceylon charity bike ride is about to commence. Cycling to raise funds for the redevelopment of the Green Memorial Hospital in Jaffna, approximately 60 cyclists from across the continents, descend on this teardrop island to participate in this challenging feat. Pedalling through dusty and steep terrain, the cyclists will muscle through the arduous route from Kandy to Jaffna. Taking place from 28 Feb to 2 Mar, more..

Feb 20 (AD) Education Minister Susil Premajayantha has revealed that a pilot project for the digitization of education is set to be launched in March. He noted that Microsoft is slated to aid the initiative with regards to training teachers for the said purpose. The Minister also confirmed the dispatch of school textbooks for the year 2024 for distribution, elaborating that all school textbooks pertinent to the year 2024 have been dispatched to distribution stations, ensuring complete coverage. more..

Feb 20 (DM) The largest ever multi-country survey on the side-effects of COVID vaccines � from the houses of Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca � claims to have found that these life-saving shots exacerbated 13 different medical conditions. The study was conducted by Global Vaccine Data Network (GVDN). It considered nearly 100 million vaccinated individuals across eight countries: Argentina, Australia, Canada, Denmark, more..

Feb 20 (EN) Sri Lanka is pressing ahead with sending workers to Israel, which is actively involved in war in its occupied territories of Gaza and the West Bank, and with its neighbours Lebanon and Syria. �Handed over air tickets for another 95 individuals who are departing for agricultural jobs in Israel. With this batch, a total of 602 have left for agricultural positions in Israel, and more will leave in the coming days,� Minister Manusha Nanayakkara said on X (twitter). more..

Feb 20 (CT) Radiological Technologists warned that the Health Ministry was going to incur a loss of over Rs 140 million, if action was not taken to have a computerised tomography (CT) scan, worth Rs 140 million, purchased for General Hospital Matara, released from a warehouse facility of the BIA. Prez of the Govt Radiological Association (GRTA), Chanaka Dharmawickrema said, yesterday (19), that a colossal sum of nearly Rs two million had already been spent on warehouse charges while more..

Feb 20 (Island) Dissident SLPP MP Prof. G.L. Peiris yesterday said it was not possible to postpone a presidential election with the help of a referendum. The former External Affairs Minister explained how the law, pertaining to the referendum, couldn�t be exploited by the govt to achieve its political objectives. Prof. Peiris said that presidential election would have to be conducted between Sept 17 and Oct 17 this year and more..

Feb 20 (EN) Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran, Hossein Amir Abdollahian is in the island on an official visit to Sri Lanka. �Consultation to expand cooperation in the fields of economy, trade, agriculture, science and technology, technical and engineering services, etc is on our common agenda,� the minister said on X (twitter). The Iranian minister�s visit on an invitation, follows a visit by Israeli Minister of Transport and Road Safety, Brig Gen Miri Regev last week. more..

Feb 20 (TM) Following four students in grade five at a primary school in the Maduragoda area of Kurunegala being hospitalised after ingesting some intoxicant pills, the Maduragoda Police said that the intoxication was caused by consuming a medicinal tablet called Pregablin. The medicine in question is an anticonvulsant, analgesic, and anxiolytic, that is also recreationally abused. Officer in Charge of the Maduragoda Police Janaka Weeraratne, said that the said medicine, which is often used as more..

Feb 21 (CT) The recent incident at the Professional Development Centre in Giragama, Pilimathalawa, where a female teacher was harassed and obstructed from participating in a module training session for not wearing a saree, highlights a deeply concerning issue within SL�s education system: gender discrimination and the policing of women�s attire. The actions of the module training coordinator, as captured in a circulating video, are not only reprehensible but, indicative of a larger more..

Feb 21 (DM) If you want to see the residual of feudalism alive and kicking in this country, look no further than the health sector. Deputy Director of the Colombo National Hospital, Rukshan Bellana became the unannointed spokesman of the condescendingly lowly status the doctors hold the support staff in the profession. This may not be the uniform stance where individual interactions are concerned. Still, it appears to be a de-facto official position if you are to survey the GMOA more..

Feb 21 (TM) Following the resignation of former Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the Cabinet appointed by him in the face of massive public protests in 2022, many parties were of the opinion that the people should be given the opportunity to elect a new regime. The relevant legislation does not grant such an opportunity to the people, but the term of current Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was chosen by a Parliamentary vote to complete more..

Feb 21 (DM) For over 5 years, we the Lankans have been dabbling with the idea of entering into FTAs with India and other countries in the Asia region. Today, once again, we are at the point of inking an agreement on Economic & Technology Cooperation Agreement (ETCA) with India. Negotiations for a FTA with Thailand have reached fruition, while discussions with India, Bangladesh and China are currently in progress. Additionally, trade negotiations with Indonesia & Malaysia are set to more..

Feb 21 (GV) High atop Vedukkunaari Hill in the Vavuniya district, an ancient temple stands at the precipice of a religious and legal storm. Revered by the local Tamil community as the Vedukkunaari Aathi Lingeswarar Temple for over 3,000 years, it now finds itself embroiled in a complex dispute with the Department of Archaeology, which claims the site as a Buddhist archaeological treasure named Vaddamana Pabbathaya Vihara. This clash of narratives and claims has ignited a firestorm more..

Feb 21 (SO) Patali Champika Ranawaka, Leader of the URF, engaged in an insightful interview, shedding light on the party�s new program and addressing a gamut of critical issues concerning the nation. Q: Could you provide an overview of the new program recently presented by your political party? A: On Feb 14, our party introduced a comprehensive plan aimed at addressing critical issues facing our nation. more..

Feb 21 (ST) One day Lakshman and I had made arrangements to visit Deeptha�s Sancta Maria Hybrid Vehicle Repair Centre in Marawila. As agreed, on the way there I had to pick up Lakshman at the Kelani bridge. He advised me to exit Colombo city as early as possible in order to avoid incoming morning traffic flow to the city. He was happy to join me on this trip. Besides everything else, he had a hidden motive too, which was not unknown to me: He could avoid his maid servant, more..

Feb 21 (TM) Following an unprecedented economic crisis, and declared bankruptcy, SL has over the last year enacted many austerity measures which, as bitter as they may be, was largely necessary to effect meaningful change and improve the stability of the troubled nation. One of the key issues which was part of the economic downfall of SL was its weak fiscal discipline. With the introduction of the IMF's $ 2.9 billion bail out package, Govt moved to introduce several restrictions on state expenditure, more..