Feb 26 (ST) As much as lawyers, activists and civic conscious citizens, South Asia�s judges seem to be fighting with their backs proverbially against the wall in these extraordinarily fraught times. At a forum of constitutional lawyers in Katmandu last week, a Nepali legal practitioner confessed deep standing concerns regarding executive interference into the judiciary. This was in a backdrop where the Supreme Court had been left with an acting Chief Justice for more than fifteen months more..

Feb 26 (FT) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe last week articulated his vision for economic development and infrastructure investment, particularly focusing on the master plans for strategic tourism zones in the Eastern Province, the Colombo City and the Western Region and Greater Hambantota. At a top level meeting, the Prez emphasised the economic potential of Hambantota, envisioning it as a pivotal hub more..

Feb 26 (FT) Overseas Realty (Ceylon) PLC has recorded a Group Revenue of Rs. 5,076 million and a Group Profit Before Tax of Rs. 4,311 million for the year ended 31 Dec 2023. In a statement the company said the appreciation of the LKR by 11.26% resulted in a significant exchange gain of Rs. 2,429 million on foreign currency loans. The company revenue of Rs. 2,400 million at the World Trade Center, Colombo, was 14% higher than the corresponding period of last year, more..

Feb 26 (FT) National Chamber of Exporters of SL (NCE) recently organised a seminar for exporters with the participation of around 140 to disseminate information on important topics related to exports. The event commenced with an illuminating keynote address by KPMG Principal, Head of Tax & Regulatory Division Suresh Perera, SL Inland Revenue Dept Senior Deputy Commissioner P.N. Kumara & Customs Director of Customs, Industries & services Division R.H.R.W. Kamalsiri. more..

Feb 26 (DN) Isipathana College took major honours int the 61 st Battle of the Brothers annual encounter against Thurstan which ended in a draw at SSC grounds yesterday. In fact batsmen dominated yesterday while Isipathana scored 250 for 9 wickets and Thurstan made a good reply with 253 for 8 wickets declared to make big challenge against arch rivals Isipatana. However Isipathana made strong reply with 113 for 1 wicket at close of the second day and once again 2 schools had to be satisfied more..

Feb 26 (DN) Two javelin throwers Dinesh Priyantha Herath the Paralympic gold medalist, Paralympic bronze medalist Samitha Dulan and 400 m Paralympic bronze medalist Pradeep Sanjaya received highest awards at the� celebrating decades of Para Athletes Excellence ceremony �held at Waters Edge, Battaramulla on Saturday. It was a red letter day for para athletes who performed well at South Asian, Asian, Commonwealth Games, Paralympics and Wold championships more..

Feb 26 (FT) Former MP and NPP Executive Council member Sunil Handunnetti assured over the weekend that a prospective NPP administration would strive to transform the Central Bank of SL (CBSL) into a central bank that truly serves the people, rather than one influenced by political leaders. Handunnetti heavily criticised the recent decision made by current CBSL officials to grant themselves and bank employees more..

Feb 26 (AD) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe has ordered an investigation into the notification issued to Russian and Ukrainian tourists, requiring them to leave the country within 14 days. The relevant notification was issued by the Dept of Immigration and Emigration without prior approval from the Cabinet. As such, the Govt of SL has not officially decided to revoke the visa extensions previously granted to these tourists who have been staying in the country since the start of more..

Feb 26 (DN) Asian Development Bank (ADB) is doing its best to support SL and believes that the reforms taking place is necessary for the country to bring itself out from the economic crisis and achieve sustainable growth opined, Country Director, SL Resident Mission of the ADB Takafumi Kadono at a media gathering called in Colombo recently. He said they do recognize that it is a painful process and will be a long journey and ADB as a multilateral organization always will give priority to more..

Feb 26 (AD) Former SL cricketer Tillakaratne Dilshan has been granted Australian citizenship, as confirmed by Australian MP Jason Wood in a social media post. TM Dilshan, renowned for his explosive batting style, played a pivotal role in numerous victories for the SL cricket team throughout his career. 47-year-old�s acquisition of Australian citizenship marks a new chapter in his life post-retirement from professional cricket. more..

Feb 26 (DN) Health Ministry has appointed a five-member expert committee headed by Chief Epidemiologist Dr. Samitha Ginige to look into the suspected deaths and health complications reported by patients who have sought treatment at the dialysis unit at the Kurunegala Teaching Hospital since January. Health Secretary Dr. Palitha Mahipala, following an observation visit to the hospital on Saturday, said that the committee has been informed to submit a report to more..

Feb 26 (DM) SL Army has announced the granting of permission for the public to visit seven Hindu temples (Kovils) situated within the high-security zone under the jurisdiction of the Security Forces Hq in Jaffna. Under this decision, civilians will be permitted to participate in weekly poojas and other associated rituals at the Kaduwan Muttumari Amman Kovil, Vasavilan Manampirai Kovil, Visavilan Shivam Kovil, Vasavilan Naga Kovil, Palali Raja Rajeswari Kovil, Palali Naga Thampilan Kovil and more..

Feb 26 (PMD) In an effort to support the education of SL children, Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe introduced the Presidential Academic Scholarship Program 2024/2025. This special scholarship initiative, launched through the President�s Fund, aims to provide financial assistance to 100,000 students from Grade 01 to Grade 11 across all 10,126 schools in the country. The program is designed to annually award scholarships to one hundred thousand (100,000) students more..

Feb 26 (FT) The Court of Appeal has upheld an Order by the Right to Information (RTI) Commission declaring Litro Gas Lanka Ltd., and Litro Gas Terminal Lanka (Pvt) Ltd., as a Public Authority (PA) and directed the release of the salary details of the top officials of the company. The case was heard before Justice D.N. Samarakoon. The Respondent � Petitioners in the case are Litro Gas Lanka Ltd (LGLL) and Litro Gas Terminal Lanka Ltd. The appellant respondent in the case is more..

Feb 26 (TM) The Police, spearheaded by the STF and aided by the Military Intelligence Corps (MIC) during the early hours of yesterday apprehended the suspected assassin who had allegedly carried out the murder of a shopkeeper in Mahabage last week (21). The arrested suspect, a serving non-commissioned officer (Corporal) with the fourth Gemunu Watch (GW) Regiment, had been detained by more..

Feb 26 (AD) In response to recent controversy surrounding a planned night event in Unawatuna, the Russian Embassy in Colombo has issued a statement condemning all forms of racial discrimination and nationalism. It said the event in question had been organized with a �dress-code: white� theme by a group of entrepreneurs. According to unconfirmed data, however, the Embassy stated that the main promoter and the bar owners who had agreed to accommodate the party more..

Feb 26 (EN) State-owned loss-making SriLankan Airlines denied any trade union action for the delay of its flights at the country�s main airport early on Sunday. Airport sources said four SriLankan Airlines flights faced delay and a frustrated ground handling staff were unable to coop up with the situation after the delays. �SriLankan Airlines would like to clarify that the delays experienced by its passengers at the check-in counters in BIA during the early hours of this morning, were caused by temporary, more..

Feb 26 (ST) There will not be any favourites when the Battle of the Blues cricket encounter between Royal College and S. Thomas� College best known as the blue ribbon of schools cricket will be played for the 145th year at the SSC ground at Maitland Place on March 7, 8 and 9. This game is played for the DS Senanayake Memorial Shield and they also play a one-day encounter for the Mustang�s Trophy on March 16 at the same venue. This encounter is sponsored by Dialog Axiata for 19th time more..

Feb 26 (Island) SJB and Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa on Saturday announced that he was father of a baby girl. His wife, Jalani, too, was present at the meeting. Premadasa made the announcement at a public gathering at Kandy, where he explained the measures he intended to take for the benefit of SL women after the forthcoming presidential election. Premadasa disclosed that when they took their daughter to a certain govt hospital recently they had been informed more..

Feb 26 (ST) Extreme heat can negatively affect the physical activity of vulnerable groups such as children. With annual sports meets and school cricket encounters scheduled, the physical and mental well-being of children and extreme heat are in focus again. Nutrition specialist Dr. Renuka Jayatissa told the Sunday Times that not drinking enough liquids in dry weather conditions could increase the risk of kidney stones and more..

Feb 26 (ST) In a ruling dated February 12, 2024, the Court of Appeal upheld a 2021 directive by the Right to Information Commission (RTIC) ordering a state bank to release the marks sheets of applicants who had sat for island-wide competitive examinations for recruitment of staff assistants to the bank. Considering an appeal filed under the Right to Information (RTI) Act by an unsuccessful candidate from Galle wanting to know why she had not been recruited despite passing the examination, more..

Feb 26 (Island) Star all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga�s two-match suspension means his schoolmate Charith Asalanka will take over as SL�s captain during the national cricket team�s tour of Bangladesh starting next week. Accordingly, Asalanka will lead the country in the first two T-20Is as Hasaranga remains suspended. Asalanka is the understudy for Hasaranga in T-20 cricket and Kusal Mendis in ODI cricket and many believe it is only a matter of time before the 26-year-old more..

Feb 26 (EN) Central Bank, which has gained independence through monetary law has offered to explain a recent steep salary hikes to its staff, to the parliament. According to reports, office assistants have been given a salary hike of 47,000 rupees to 199,000 rupees on average, management assistance a 94,000 average to 306,000, a staff officer 184,000 to 514,000. Heads of Depts were given 430,000 hike to 1,030,000 rupees, more..

Feb 26 (AD) A total of 83 people have been killed in homicides in 2024 thus far, DIG Nihal Thalduwa reported. Meanwhile, 1,180 incidents of burglary and 310 robberies were also reported since January this year, he said. While nearly 20 shootings have been reported in this year so far, 10 of them are suspected to have been orchestrated by, or linked to members of organised crime syndicates. He assured, however, that SL Police has already taken various measures required to curb the crime rate more..

Feb 26 (FT) At a time when the country is getting ready to face a Presidential and or General Election, an opportunity for voters to choose between retaining the old ethnonationalist socio-political system, which had for decades allowed misgovernance without accountability and brought the economy to the point of bankruptcy, and getting rid of that system in favour of a secular and pluralist democratic polity with accountability as the pillar of governance, more..

Feb 26 (FT) By any standard, SL is recovering from economic bankruptcy today, though chief economic policymakers seem to be disputing the claim of bankruptcy. In the case of a private venture, bankruptcy means inability to honour financial obligations to outsiders due to its financial net worth becoming negative. By the same token, the bankruptcy of a country means that it is not able to honour its debt obligations to foreign creditors or a given segment of foreign creditors. more..

Feb 26 (Island) FSP spokesperson Pubudu Jagoda alleged that the Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa govt had allowed China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) to obtain sand unlawfully from the Port City project for the construction of the East and Jaya Container in the Colombo Port. Jagoda claimed that though in terms of the agreement the sand was to be brought from the Muthurajawela area, the contractors for both projects, CHEC, obtained sand from the Port City project. more..

Feb 26 (EN) SL�s planned water tariff formula is ready, and the govt will implement it this year only if the formula�s tariff is lower than the current price, Minister Jeevan Thondaman said. Govt has been implementing IMF-led pricing policies on utilities and the Water Supply Ministry has already come up with a formula. �There is a water tariff formula in place right now and we are waiting for it to be drafted and seek approval more..

Feb 26 (FT) Marie Catherine Colvin, the respected war correspondent of Britain�s Sunday Times was targeted and killed on 22 Feb 2012 by Syrian forces as she reported on the suffering of civilians in Homs, Syria. At the time of her death, Marie Colvin was reporting from the Baba Amr Media Centre, a makeshift broadcast studio run by Syrian media activists in a secret facility located in a residential building. The rocket attack also killed acclaimed French photographer R�mi Ochlik more..

Feb 26 (PMD) A hotline number has been established for the public to access the freehold rights of their land, thereby realizing the objectives of the Urumaya national program. Individuals are encouraged to register their requests by contacting the Prez�s Office, Urumaya National Operations Secretariat, via hotline number 1908 or telephone numbers 0114 354600/0114 354601, available from 8:30 am to 8:30 pm daily. Additionally, applicants can utilize the Digital Application Form more..

Feb 26 (DM) In an urgent move to prevent any diplomatic tension between Russia and SL, Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday ordered an immediate investigation into the circular that had been released by the Head of the Immigration and Emigration Dept to the Tourism Ministry Secretary stating that Russian and Ukrainian tourists living long term in SL had to leave within 14 days. In a hurriedly released statement, PMD said that more..

Feb 26 (DM) Education Ministry has released a circular outlining necessary precautions for schoolchildren amidst the prevailing dry weather conditions nationwide. The circular includes a set of guidelines concerning potential heat-related issues such as heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke, along with precautions aimed at minimising their effects. Additionally, the Ministry has issued instructions regarding outdoor activities, advising the limitation of sports and more..

Feb 26 (AD) All Parate Executions have been suspended until 15 Dec, as per a Cabinet decision made on Monday. The relevant proposal was furnished by President Ranil Wickremesinghe, in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, following a request made by Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, Minister of Industries Ramesh Pathirana and President Ranil Wickremesinghe. Accordingly, the relevant amendments are due to be presented before the Parliament soon. more..

Feb 26 (TM) Minister Mahinda Amaraweera stated that in a move to bolster SL's position as a leading exporter of king coconuts, exporters have agreed to uphold prices at 2000 rupees per fruit. Accordingly, the decision came amidst plans to expand king coconut cultivation, with the inauguration of the second king coconut cultivation village near Murutawela Raluwa village. The initiative aims to meet the growing demand for SL king coconuts, particularly in UAE & other int'l markets. more..