Feb 24 (CT) A year has lapsed since the initial emergence of the COVID-19 virus in SL. Only a few days back it completed 12 months since the first SL patient had been detected with the dreaded disease. During this time period, close to 80,000 people have been detected with the fast spreading COVID-19 virus, while the death toll has exceeded 400. Now, this particular virus has ravaged our land for over 365 days dealing a debilitating blow more..

Feb 24 (Island) It was so typical! None were too surprised when it was announced in the media that the 225 MP�s were to be vaccinated against Covid19 ahead of many others whose exposure to the virus was significantly higher. A photograph of a govt minister vaccinated at the Army Hospital was published in the media before this announcement. A few erstwhile cabinet colleagues justified this by saying the Minister had twice served quarantine time due to some of his close contacts being more..

Feb 24 (CT) Some of the health guidelines laid down to curb the COVID-19 pandemic are seen to be observed in the breach more often than not. It is most common to see face masks being worn incorrectly by some people. The other rule broken at will is social distancing. It is utterly useless to wear a face mask without covering the nose and the mouth. The sole purpose of wearing it is to prevent the wearer from inhaling the air contaminated with the Coronavirus. more..

Feb 24 (Roar) A 130-km protrusion of land on SL�s north-western coast has received a fair amount of local and international press in the past few months. Mannar Island, connected to the mainland by a causeway, has been identified as a rich source of the mineral ilmenite, which the Perth-based Australian company, Titanium Sands Ltd., hopes to mine. Mannar Island also happens to be pristine land within the Central Asian Flyway, more..

Feb 24 (DM) With PM Imran Khan�s scheduled visit to SL on Feb 23, the Pakistani PM, will be the first Head of Govt to visit Sri Lanka after the COVID-19 pandemic hit the nation last year. There seems to be an air of expectation for the renewal of relations covering trade, commerce, culture and defence matters between the countries. Relationships between the two govts have always been strong, however, during former PM Ranil Wickremasinghe�s term, efforts made by the Govt of Pakistan more..

Feb 24 (CT) With the Zero Draft in circulation there is no longer any doubt that a resolution on Sri Lanka will be presented at the forthcoming session of the UNHRC later this month. This resolution will be presented by a core group of countries led by the UK and will be supported by the United States which, though not a current member of the UNHRC, has opted to return to it under the presidency of Joe Biden. This will be a powerful combination for a small country like Sri Lanka to challenge. more..

Feb 24 (Island) Over the years, there�s been a few concerns about Sri Lanka�s poor fielding standards. Dropped catches have cost the national cricket team dearly with costliest of them being at the Champions Trophy in 2017 in Wales when Thisara Perera put down Sarfraz Ahmed. At the post match media briefing, the Pakistan captain rubbed salt into wounds saying, �I will remember it for the rest of my life and he will remember it for the rest of his life.� Pakistan went onto win the title beating more..

Feb 24 (Island) The Gash reports are in the news again. They are the diplomatic dispatches filed by Lt. Col. Anthony Gash, who was the Defence Attache of the British HC, Colombo, on the final stages of SL�s war on terror. The UK, which leads the SL Core Group in Geneva, has suppressed the Gash reports, whose revelations run counter to the claims, on which the war crimes resolution against SL is based. Surprisingly, SL has not done enough to bring the Gash reports to the notice of UNHRC. more..

Feb 24 (TM) Amidst rising pressure from India to respect the tripartite agreement signed between Sri Lanka, India, and Japan for the development of the East Container Terminal (ECT) at the Colombo Port, the SL Govt is in the process of making a new proposal for the Cabinet-approved West Container Terminal (WCT) instead. The new proposal is scheduled to be submitted to the Cabinet-Appointed Negotiating Committee more..

Feb 24 (Island) The govt has apparently achieved what it set out to when it issued a gazette removing the peripheral forests from the purview of the Forest Dept and placed them under the Divisional and District Secretariats, purportedly to promote traditional agriculture. Its supporters are encroaching on thousands of acres of forest land with absolute impunity. Nobody takes gazettes seriously, and the govt is also not keen to deal with noncompliance; the declarations of maximum retail prices, more..

Feb 24 (ST) Eliyakanda Hill Climb is back this year despite the global health crisis as all arrangements have been finalised to conduct the two-day national championship on Feb 27 and 28. This annual event is taking place for the 25th year. Organised by the Southern Motor Sports Club (SMSC) and sponsored by SLT-Mobitel, top drivers and riders are expected to compete. The motorcycles will comprise of 16 events on Feb 27, followed by the motor car events slotted to be held on Feb 28. more..

Feb 24 (FT) Targeting more foreign investment, Cabinet has approved the appointment of a new high level Investment Management Committee to be headed by the Treasury Secretary, to evaluate and fast-track investment proposals received by the Govt. Minister Keheliya Rambukwella told reporters at the weekly Cabinet briefing that the new committee will be appointed by the Cabinet and include relevant ministry secretaries as well as the head of the Board of Investment (BoI). more..

Feb 24 (FT) The COVID-19 outbreak with the resultant lockdown and stay-at-home measures have led to a surge in online activity by young people. This increased online presence has heightened their susceptibility to online sexual abuse, cyber bullying, exploitation, and other risks. To address this growing concern and to help combat online hate faced by many youth in Sri Lanka, the �Cyber Care� mobile application was launched recently on World Safer Internet Day, more..

Feb 24 (DN) The Sri Lanka Cricket team which left for the West Indies early morning yesterday is poorly placed in all three formats in the recently released ICC world rankings. They will strive to regain their lost prestige by overcoming the West Indies during the forthcoming series in the Caribbean. The two captains Dimuth Karunaratne (Test and One Days) and Dasun Shanaka (T20I) will face an acid test when they face the Windies, who will field a blend of youth and experienced outfit. more..

Feb 24 (FT) A total of 492 persons tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday, bringing the country�s COVID-19 patient count to 81,009. The patients detected yesterday include 477 associates of the Peliyagoda COVID-19 cluster and 15 persons linked to the prisons cluster. The Divulapitiya, Peliyagoda, and Prisons triple cluster has thus risen to 76,905 patients. In addition to the triple cluster, 2,010 returnees from abroad, more..

Feb 24 (Island) In a move to help its smallholder dairy farmers improve dairy cattle health and increase milk yield, Fonterra Brands Lanka has enabled sustained market access to high-nutrition minerals mix packs. Managing Director of Fonterra Brands Lanka and Indian Subcontinent, Ms. Vidya Sivaraja said, �We are pleased to make these locally-produced, high nutrition Minerals Mix packs accessible for the first time to our farmer base spanning our North Western, Western and more..

Feb 24 (DN) Central Bank yesterday defended the recent regulation on exporters to immediately convert 25% of their forex repatriations as not having undue impact, and insisted it was necessary to stabilise the currency, strengthen SL�s credit profile and increase economic reliance. Issuing a statement, the CB said the requirement to repatriate foreign exchange earnings to Sri Lanka and to convert 25% of these earnings into rupees does not exert excessive pressure on exporters. more..

Feb 24 (TM) The unexpected resignation of newly-appointed SL national team Bowling Coach Chaminda Vaas, just hours before the team�s departure to the West Indies, became a hot topic in Parliament yesterday (23). Opposition MP Thushara Indunil raised the issue in Parliament yesterday thus: As we got to know, the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has recently increased the monthly salary of its COO by about ten lakhs. more..

Feb 24 (EN) SL is facing a monumental state failure after denying economic and civil freedoms for decades, destroying SL�s rupee on which families build their lives, doing zero sum ad hoc interventions to favour special interests and state monopolies against the general public. After cumulative state failures, strangled markets which have allowed rulers to mis-allocate taxes and savings taken from the people, compounded by left leaning Keynesianism, blatant unsound money with more..

Feb 24 (CT) SL Govt is in the process of establishing export-oriented dedicated industrial zones to facilitate boat and ship building here, secretary to State Ministry of Warehouse Facilities, Container Yards, Port Supply Facilities and Boats & Shipping Industry, D.D. Matararachchi said. Accordingly, the govt plans to increase the export earnings of the local boats and ship building industry from the current US$ 70/80 million annually to US$ 100 mil in the short to medium term, more..

Feb 24 (FT) Dialog Axiata PLC yesterday announced the commissioning of the Maldives SL Cable system (MSC), enabling the delivery of high-speed broadband services. Dialog�s investment in the new high-speed submarine cable will trigger the single largest infusion of int'l bandwidth between SL and Maldives to date. The 840km long international submarine fibre optic cable system provides high-speed, low latency more..

Feb 24 (TM) Australian Govt will provide 4200 Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) units free of charge to Sri Lanka in April. Speaking at a press briefing at the Fisheries Ministry, State Minister Kanchana Wijesekara said: �The Australian Govt called for an international tender which will be open up next week to send the VMS units to Sri Lanka by April. Navy coast guard and the Fisheries Department will work together to fix the 4,200 Vessel monitoring system (VMS) units,� he added. more..

Feb 24 (FT) Parliament sittings ended abruptly yesterday after SJB MPs took to the Well of the House to protest against the failure by Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardene to instruct prison officials to enable jailed MP Ranjan Ramanayake to attend sittings. The protest broke out after Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa made repeated requests to allow Ramanayake to attend sessions, and also called for the transfer of the jailed MP from the Angunukolapelessa prison where he is more..

Feb 24 (TM) The Cabinet of Ministers has approved a proposal by Acting Minister of Health Prof. Channa Jayasumana to purchase 10 million Oxford-AstraZeneca Covishield vaccines for $ 52.5 million from the Serum Institute of India, while a consignment of 500,000 Covishield doses from the Serum Institute will be arriving tomorrow. Meanwhile, Ministry of Health is expecting a batch of 264,000 doses of Covishield vaccine this week. more..

Feb 24 (AD) Sri Lanka has confirmed three more COVID-19 related fatalities, Director-General of Health Services confirmed today (23). Accordingly, death toll from the pandemic outbreak now stands at 453. A 75-year-old man from Wattala area died yesterday (22) while receiving treatment at the Anuradhapura Teaching Hospital. He had been transferred from Colombo National Hospital after testing positive for the virus. COVID pneumonia was recorded as the cause of death. more..

Feb 24 (DM) While claiming that he was not satisfied with the investigation into the CB Bond scam, State Minister Ajith Nivard Cabraal said today further investigations should be carried out into the incident. He told Parliament that the investigation into the bond scam had not been completed and pointed out that further investigations should be conducted into certain matters connected to it. Responding to a question raised by SLPP MP Shantha Bandara, he said investigations into some incidents more..

Feb 24 (CT) At a time when the SL Govt is coming under attack by int'l actors for alleged human rights violations, a video circulating on social media highlights a story of violence inflicted by the LTTE. The video is titled Truth Behind Dare and begins with a voice-over, describing the atrocities of the LTTE. The narrator argues that many were fed dreams, and whilst for a while it hid the pain, eventually the truth surfaced. more..

Feb 24 (DM) Both, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa have been given the first dose of Astrazeneca vaccine to ensure immunization from Covid- 19, Mass Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella yesterday said. He added that renowned Sri Lankan cricketer Sanath Jayasuriya took the jab in order to create confidence among the public. Minister charged that the Opposition has been on a campaign of sabotage from the very beginning of the pandemic. more..

Feb 24 (CT) All sections of the State health service have worked together from the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis in the country which has helped to carry out control and preventive work of the viral infection without any hiccups, Health Minister, Pavitra Wanniarachchi said. Re-assuming duties at Ministry yesterday following her complete recovery from COVID-19, Wanniarachchi held discussions with Ministry�s officials on the current status of vaccination drive which is in progress, more..

Feb 24 (TM) PCoI on the Easter Sunday attack has recommended that legal action be taken against a topmost politician, senior police officers, and senior public officials, over the failure to prevent the Easter Sunday attacks and properly perform their duties. The report concluded that there was a failure and negligence on the part of the officials and authorities, including former Prez Maithripala Sirisena, former Defense Secy more..

Feb 24 (TM) The discussions held between the Joint Health Workers� Union (JHWU) and Secretary to the Ministry of Health, following yesterday�s (23) protest march and forcible entrance to the Ministry premises, have been unsuccessful. Demanding that the Govt addresses 11 issues faced by junior health workers, the JHWU marched and forcibly entered the Suwasiripaya Ministry of Health Premises in Colombo 10, before they were granted a meeting with the Health Ministry Secretary. more..

Feb 24 (TM) The PCoI on Easter Attacks has recommended the Attorney General to consider criminal proceedings against former President Maithripala Sirisena, former IGP Pujith Jayasundera and several others over their failure to prevent the attacks. According to excerpts of the report released by MP Harin Fernando, the PCoI said that President Sirisena has proceeded to India and then Singapore from 16 to 21 Apr, 2019 without making any acting appointment for the post of Minister of Def more..

Feb 24 (AD) Minister Dinesh Gunawardena has appealed to all member states of the UNHRC to reject any resolutions against SL. He also said it is regrettable that despite the spirit of cooperation with UNHRC and its mechanism, elements working against SL intend to table another country-specific resolution based on the OHCHR report. This report, rejected by SL, has unjustifiably broadened its scope and mandate further, more..

Feb 24 (FT) It was expected from the UNHRC to diligently investigate every piece of evidence in order to validate impartiality. To seek authentication, leaving no stone unturned. The revelation highlighted by Lord Naseby showing the inconsistences of the Human Rights Council�s inability to carry out a proper, impartial type of investigation and showed that they failed to ask for vital attestation from Her Majesty�s Govt in the UK pertaining to the classified report more..

Feb 24 (FT) Governance is defined as the process by which decisions are made and decisions are implemented. Good governance is when it is participatory, consensus-oriented, accountable, responsive to needs and inclusive. As for Gotabaya Rajapaksa, he got teams of the brightest and best scholars and professionals to create his manual for good governance. This had detailed action plans to deliver his 10 key policies. This was new, innovative, and was an approach never used before by more..

Feb 24 (PL) Cuba reiterated its gratitude to Sri Lanka for the permanent support provided in the fight against the US blockade, which has been in force for six decades, the press disclosed here on Tuesday. SL President Gotabaya Rajapaksa received the Cuban Ambassador Juana Elena Ramos at the headquarters of the Presidential Secretariat, and both sides highlighted the historic relations of friendship and cooperation between the two countries, diplomatic source informed. more..

Feb 24 (DN) Court of Appeal Judge Justice Menaka Wijesundera yesterday recused herself from hearing a revision application filed on behalf of former CID former Director Shani Abaysekara and Sub Inspector Sugath Mendis, citing personal reasons. Accordingly, the Court of Appeal (President) Justice Arjuna Obeyesekere has nominated another bench comprising Justice Nissanka Bandula Karunaratne and Justice R.Gurusinghe to hear this application on March 1. more..

Feb 24 (AD) Prez Rajapaksa and Pakistani PM Imran Khan have explored possibilities for promoting trade and expanding investment opportunities between the two countries. One-on-one bilateral talks between the two leaders began at the Presidential Secretariat this morning. PM Imran Khan, who is in SL for a two-day official visit, was accorded a warm welcome by Secretary to President P.B. Jayasundera and more..