Feb 27 (DM) The Court of Appeal delivered a judgment recognising the applicability of the provisions of the RTI Act in respect of a competitive exam conducted to recruit employees to a State run bank. Court of Appeal delivered a judgment dismissing an appeal filed by Bank of Ceylon challenging the Right to Information Commission's decision to provide information pertaining to the competitive exam conducted by the Dept of Exams to recruit Trainee Staff Assistants. more..

Feb 27 (MFA) Secretary General of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) Kairat Sarybay undertook a one day visit to SL on 22 Feb. CICA Secretary General was accompanied by officials of the CICA Secretariat which is based in Kazakhstan. CICA is an organization based in Central Asia which brings together countries from other regions of the world to work together on areas of mutual interest. This is the first visit of a Secretary General of CICA more..

Feb 27 (TM) Dept of Railways has sought approval from the Cabinet to hire 1,200 employees to be deployed at some 400 railway crossing gates which are planned to be set up around the country. Several accidents at faulty railway crossings have been reported in the past few months. Railways General Manager said that Dept had taken several actions to resolve the issue of faulty railway crossings. more..

Feb 27 (Island) Colombo has been listed as the second most expensive place to buy apples in the list of global capitals by Numbeo, the world�s largest cost of living database. The Spectator Index, a popular Twitter account and website focusing on latest trends in politics, economics, science, sports, security, strategy, international relations, human rights and culture, citing Numbeo, has said Sri Lanka has the world�s second-costliest apple prices. According to Numbeo, the price of one kilo of more..

Feb 27 (Island) A number of schoolchildren across the country have been affected by heat strokes in recent weeks due to the prevailing high temperature, Consultant Paediatrician at the Lady Ridgeway Children�s Hospital, Dr. Deepal Perera, says. Dr. Perera said that despite the high heat a large number of children were seen outdoors engaging in strenuous work due to sports meets, big matches and other sports activities. Children had to drink a lot more water than they usually did, he said. more..

Feb 27 (DN) The Kompannavidiya Police reported to the Fort Magistrate�s Court that the elderly woman who was recently arrested by the Police while begging in the company of three children near a supermarket at Hyde Park Corner earned more than Rs. 20,000 per hour. Charges have been filed against the suspect woman for deploying underaged children for begging. According to information received by the Police, the beggar woman who was arrested during a raid was released on bail more..

Feb 27 (DN) SL Air Force (SLAF) Commander Air Marshal Udeni Rajapaksa said that the US and Australian Air Forces will donate two state-of-the-art aircraft to the SLAF, further strengthening defence cooperation. Accordingly, a Beechcraft-King Air 360ER (Extended Range) aircraft will be donated by the US Air Force to SL and it will arrive in June, whilst a Beechcraft-King Air 350 aircraft, donated by the Australian Air Force, will arrive in the country in May. Both aircraft are new. more..

Feb 27 (FT) Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva yesterday issued an ultimatum to SriLankan Airlines stressing the urgent need improve operational procedures to ensure viability. Amidst mounting criticism over national carrier�s frequent flight delays and/or cancelations, Minister de Silva holding a special media briefing along with SriLankan Airlines Chairman Ashok Pathirage, key officials of the airline, airport services and more..

Feb 27 (Island) SJB MP Eran Wickremaratne has demanded to know from PM Dinesh Gunawardena the progress of the Presidential Commission appointed to probe into the allegations levelled by Channel 4 regarding the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks. MP Wickremaratne�s question, listed in the latest Addendum to the Order Book of Parliament, asks the PM to inform the House of the date when the report of the Presidential Commission will be made available to Parliament and the public. more..

Feb 27 (TM) Inter-University Students� Federation (IUSF) is hopeful that the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led National People�s Power (NPP) of the Parliamentary Opposition will join hands with the IUSF to fight against alleged Govt repression. IUSF Convener Madushan Chandrajith said that the recent meeting held last week with the NPP leaders had taken place to discuss the current issues of the State university system and the Govt�s alleged repression that is increasing day by day. more..

Feb 27 (TM) The recently emerged vacancy at the Supreme Court (SC) remains unfilled as Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe is yet to make a fresh nomination to the Constitutional Council (CC). CC had recently declined the nomination made by the Prez to promote Court of Appeal (CA) President, Justice Nissanka Bandula Karunaratne as a SC Judge. Since the SC is currently having a vacancy for a Judge, more..

Feb 27 (FT) Former Prez Maithripala Sirisena was reported to have addressed a group of SLFP supporters in Wennappuwa on Sunday (11), where he broke news, Prez Wickremesinghe has appointed a group of lawyers led by former Speaker Karu Jayasuriya to propose amendments to abolish the Executive Presidency. He is reported to have said, it could be a �referendum� that could come first, to postpone elections. Two days later, addressing the SJB Lawyers� Forum on 13 Feb, more..

Feb 27 (FT) SL is celebrating 76 years of independence this year, and the country is just emerging from its worst ever economic crisis which erupted in 2022. With the support of the IMF EFF arrangement and debt restructuring, which aims to restore long-term public debt sustainability, the country is obligated to make certain structural economic policy reforms to avoid the repetition of a similar crisis in the future. Since independence, SL has adopted contrastingly different more..

Feb 27 (CT) Public Utilities Commission of SL (PUCSL) will submit the necessary recommendations to reduce the electricity bill by the end of this month. PUCSL informed this to the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Alleviating the Impact of the Economic Crisis. During the committee meeting that was held last week, PUCSL was recommended informed to follow an analytical review of the figures presented by the CEB, and taking into consideration all other factors more..

Feb 27 (DM) Colombo High Court today acquitted a PHI officer from four charges filed by the Bribery Commission as itfailed to prove the accused's guilt beyond reasonable doubt. The Director General of Commission to investigate Bribery and Corruption indicted the PHI officer Sanath Vijithananda while he was serving at the Tennekumbura MOH office in Kandy for soliciting and accepting a sum of Rs.10,000 as a bribe to provide his recommendation to obtain trade license for the yr of 2017. more..

Feb 27 (AD) Uddika Premarathne of SLPP has resigned as a MP. The Anuradhapura District MP has handed over the letter of resignation to the Deputy General Secretary of Parliament Mr. Chaminda Kularatne, earlier today (27). Accordingly, in accordance with Section 64(1) of the Parliamentary Elections Act No. 1 of 1981, the Secretary General of the Parliament is to inform the Chairman of the Election Commission that more..

Feb 27 (AD) Ministry of Education officials stated that arrangements have been made to launch new educational publications compiled to provide education on sexuality from the pre-childhood development stage to the adult community, on the 7th of March 2024. This was stated when the Parliamentary Caucus for Children chaired by Member of Parliament Rohini Kumari Wijerathna met in Parliament recently, the Communications Dept of Parliament said in a statement. more..

Feb 27 (TM) Romanian Ambassador Doamna Steluța Arhire met with PM Dinesh Gunawardena yesterday (26). PM Gunawardena and the Romanian envoy discussed the long-standing bilateral relations between the two countries and the steps to be taken to enter into economic cooperation and investment in new spheres. PM Gunawardena urged Romania to explore collaboration in education, agriculture, railways, IT, cyber security, and tourism. Bilateral trade hit $127 million last year, more..

Feb 27 (DM) The tourism sector stakeholders yesterday confirmed that Sri Lanka is witnessing an increasing trend of international visitors engaging in business activities and warned that the industry, in certain parts of the country, is impacted as a result. The stakeholders representing two of the largest tourism associations asserted that the island nation has been facing this issue for nearly two years. The industry had alerted the relevant more..

Feb 27 (CT) Sagara Lakshman, employed as a food delivery person in Kuwait, was shot by a resident there and has now been taken to the Embassy of SL in Kuwait for safety, Third Secretary of the Embassy Janaka Samarasekara said. Lakshman, a 44-year-old father of two, from Yaya 11, Rajanganaya, was shot, around 4va.m. on 10 Jan, by a Kuwaiti individual who believed his food order was delayed. Samarasekara mentioned that following the SL Embassy�s presentation of the case to more..

Feb 27 (CI) Namibia's Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton has broken the record for the fastest T20I hundred in men's cricket. He achieved the milestone during the opening match of the tri-nation series in Nepal. Playing against the home side, he brought up his century in 33 balls, thus bettering Nepal's Kushal Malla's record by one ball. In all, Loftie-Eaton scored 101 off 36 balls, which included 11 fours and eight sixes. The 92 runs he scored in boundaries were also the most by a batter in T20Is. more..

Feb 27 (TM) The Cabinet has approved a proposal seeking to upgrade the BIA in Katunayake and the Colombo Port to be on par with the international practices, recommendations and standards under a grant provided by Japan. As SL�s economy is mainly dependent on the income generated from int'l tourism and business travel, the govt says this requires smooth operation of entry points into the country, building confidence among travellers and arranging cross-border entry points more..

Feb 27 (EN) Cabinet had approved a proposal by Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe to amend SLs loan recovery law and halt auctioning of defaulted loans till Dec 15, Minister Bandula Gunawardena said. �Various parties have pointed out issues existing in paying off the loans obtained by small and medium scale businessmen from banks,� he said. �Therefore, it is apparent that a sufficient grace period to pay off relevant debts without being a burden to the banking system should be allowed.� more..

Feb 27 (CT) National Programme of Health Service Professionals (NPHSP) filed a complaint with the CID yesterday, regarding another alleged medicine scam involving the importation of Prednisolone in January 2023. NPHSP Convener Ravi Kumudesh claimed that the NMRA had allegedly concealed details about the probe conducted into the importation of Prednisolone which had also been done in the same way more..

Feb 27 (AD) Cabinet approval has been granted to implement a project funded by the ADB to provide credit facilities at concessional interest rates to existing micro, small and medium-scale enterprises (MSMEs) in SL for further expansion and recovery of their businesses. The govt said a significant number of small and medium-scale entrepreneurs involved in manufacturing, import, export, tourism, apparel and various other commercial operations have found it very difficult to continue more..

Feb 27 (DM) Due to the high temperature during the past few weeks, many school students across the country have suffered from heat-related illnesses and hospitalised, Lady Ridgeway Hospital (LRH) consultant pediatrician Dr. Deepal Perera said. Therefore, the doctor requested parents and teachers to provide more fluids with adequate minerals to prevent children from getting dehydrated and suffering from heat shock during the present hot weather conditions. more..

Feb 27 (AFP) Sri Lanka's national airline on Tuesday blamed a rat for grounding a plane for three days, sparking chaotic delays and fears it will scare off investors for the cash-strapped carrier. The stowaway rodent was spotted enjoying the SriLankan Airlines Airbus A330 flight from the Pakistani city of Lahore on Thursday, triggering an aircraft search to ensure it had not chewed through critical components. more..

Feb 27 (CT) The Raisina 2024 Dialogue hosted by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs was held in New Delhi with the participation of member nations. It was chaired by Indian PM Narendra Modi. A couple of days before this event, ITAK Batticaloa District MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam, who was also a participant at the summit, made a statement on 25 Feb. Rasamanickam mentioned that he had the opportunity to address the discussion on the importance of the Indian Ocean more..

Feb 27 (SLN) The annual feast of St. Anthony�s Church in Kachchativu was held on a successful note on 23rd and 24th Feb. Kachchativu is an islet belonging to SL, located close to the IMBL of SL and India. The main mass of the church festival was conducted by the Vicar General of the Jaffna Diocese Rev. Fr. Josephdas Jebaratnam. The proceedings of the event had been organised under the guidance of the District Secretary of Jaffna, Mr. A Sivabalasundaram. more..

Feb 27 (wsws) National Resources Protection Movement (NRPM), a collective of more than 40 public sector trade unions, called a lunchtime demonstration in Colombo on February 20 to protest the Wickremesinghe govt�s IMF-dictated measures to privatise or restructure hundreds of state owned enterprises (SOEs). The NRPM includes unions from the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) and Telecom, as well as the banks, postal, insurance and railway sectors. more..

Feb 27 (DM) Seven flights that were scheduled to leave for India, the Middle East and Thailand from BIA have been delayed today due to technical failures, an officer from the flight information centre said. She said six of the delayed flights were SriLankan Airlines flights. Accordingly, the US 173 flight, which was scheduled to leave for Bangalore, India at 1.10 a.m, the UL 402 flight which was scheduled to leave for Bangkok, Thailand, at 1.15 a.m. and more..

Feb 27 (TD) In a bid to tackle escalating concerns over crime and drug-related activities, SL govt launched a special operation that goes by the name Yukthiya (justice) on Dec 17, 2023. The govt has declared the operation to be a success, with over 58,000 raids resulting in 58,234 arrests and substantial drug seizures (worth about $25 million) so far. Minister Tiran Alles has claimed a 17% reduction in overall crime. more..

Feb 27 (DM) The National People's Power (NPP) will support the no-confidence motion which is to be brought in by the Opposition against Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardhane, former NPP MP Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa said today. He told a news conference that the no-confidence motion is to be brought in regarding a Consitutional matter and not against the Speaker's conduct in Parlaiment or his reactions to the Opposition and therfere, the NPP will vote against the Speaker. more..

Feb 27 (AD) Dept of Meteorology has cautioned the people of rising temperatures in the North-western, Western and Southern provinces as well as in Ratnapura District in the coming hours. The advisory, issued at 4.30 p.m. today, will be in effect until tomorrow evening (28). �Heat index, the temperature felt on the human body is expected to increase up to Caution level at some places in North-western, Western and Southern provinces and Ratnapura District,� it reads. more..

Feb 27 (LM) The govt is working on operationalizing Rupee investments in Sri Lanka in a move to boost Indian investments in its southern neighbour, two people aware of the matter told Mint. Rupee investments will ease the way for Indian firms to enter the SL markets, the people mentioned above said. During FY 2023, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) allowed invoicing and payments for international trade in the Indian Rupee. more..