Feb 11 (CT) The toned down approach in the most recent annual EU-SL Joint Commission press release, released on Tuesday, may be attributable to three reasons. They could be, SL strengthening its human rights (HR) obligations, distancing itself from China and moving in rhythm with India and the sufferings that the masses of this country are undergoing due to the sins of commission and omission of the Govt. EU is SL�s second largest merchandise export market, the largest being more..

Feb 11 (Island) Someone has, in his wisdom, called the govt�s questionable deal with the US-based New Fortress Energy Company over the Yugadanavi power station and LNG supply, a gift horse, which should not be looked in the mouth. This has been the govt�s assessment of the disastrous deal, which poses a serious threat to the country�s energy security, among other things. But the discerning Sri Lankans are aware that in a world where there is no such thing as even a free lunch, more..

Feb 11 (CT) SL�s Right to Information Commission released statistics of its appeals record in the 2nd term (Dec 2021-Jan 2022) this week, pointing to information release in 139 appeals out of a total of 147 concluded appeals. In four appeals, the information requests were rejected on grounds under the Right to Information Act (RTI Act), one appeal was dismissed for failure to comply with the RTI Act. Two hundred and four hearings were held by Commission in Colombo, Kandy & Jaffna more..

Feb 11 (Island) I had two Sri Lankans living overseas inquiring as to whether there were no strong comments, nay criticism against the much money-consuming National Day celebrations. They keep tabs reading our newspapers, maybe accessing social media and discussing matters, but they want to know stuff from the horses, in Cass�s case, mare�s mouth as to the goings-on in the way of rumblings in this Paradise Island. I replied there were a couple of non-approving letters to more..

Feb 11 (FT) Already hit by high freight cost and forex shortage, the country�s exports and imports sector is heading for another storm with feeder shipping operators imposing new conditions for carriage from next month. Feeder ship operators who carry containerised cargo of Non Vessel Operating Common Carriers (NVOCCs) have informed the latter that from 1 March they would not be in a position to carry their cargo more..

Feb 11 (CT) An all-round performance from Dambulla guided them to a comfortable 5 wicket win over Galle in the 16th Match of the National Super League Limited Over Tournament played at Rangiri Dambulla Int'l Stadium yesterday. Batting first, Galle were bowled out for 125 runs thanks to a brilliant spell by Duvindu Thilakarathne, whereas Dambulla reached the target in just 24.5 overs. Galle batting line up were seen struggling from the go get and were eventually bowled out for 125 runs. more..

Feb 11 (DN) �We are ready to play our best possible squad against World T20 champions today�, said SL Interim Head Coach Rumesh Ratnayake said. Ratnayake who joined with the team after recovering from COVID-19 three days before the first T20 game further said, �we can�t make experiments and always wanted to make our best side to play against Australia. This is going to be a real test for the SL team before the next T20 World Cup. Our preparation is good and there are no excuses more..

Feb 11 (Island) SJB MP Buddhika Pathirana told Parliament that some companies imported milk powder and dissolved them in water and released them to the market as liquid milk. �The consumers think that they drink fresh milk while drinking milk powder dissolved in water. The yoghurt producers, too, buy them thinking that they purchase fresh milk to produce yoghurt. Parents give yoghurts to children without knowing that harmful more..

Feb 11 (FT) The Parliament has approved a law prohibiting the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of anti-personnel landmines to implement an international treaty the nation acceded to five years ago. The law was passed without a vote after being introduced by Justice Minister Ali Sabry on Wednesday. Both Govt forces and separatist Tamil Tiger rebels were accused of widely using anti-personnel and anti-tank mines during SL�s quarter -century civil war, which ended in 2009. more..

Feb 11 (FT) While welcoming the release on bail of Attorney Hijaz Hizballah after two years in detention under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) Act, TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran told Parliament that there are 300-400 poisoners being held under the PTA, some incarcerated for 20-30 years, whose plight is neglected. He said that only a few notable persons have been released on bail under the PTA including the poet Ahnaf Jazeem and attorney Hejaaz Hizballah after the UNHRC and more..

Feb 11 (ST) Central Bank of SL (CBSL) announced a Rs 79,000 million Treasury (T) Bill auction for next Tuesday (15), to repay maturing T Bills amounting to Rs 50,795 million which will have to be settled by next Friday (18). This Rs 50,795 million is what the Govt of SL (GoSL) owes to the market only. However, such debt owed by GoSL to CBSL is unknown as CBSL doesn�t make public such debt. Meanwhile, this auction call for Rs 79,000 million is more by 55.53% (Rs 28,205 m) compared to more..

Feb 11 (FT) COVID-19 vaccines were administered to 47,763 persons on Wednesday and 78.14% of the total population had received at least one vaccine dose as of 8 February. 65.23% of the population has received the second dose as well. 16,800,981 persons have received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 14,027,528 persons have received the second dose of a vaccine. The third dose has been administered to 5,942,255 persons. This includes 43,883 persons vaccinated on Wednesday. more..

Feb 11 (CT) Amasha de Silva crashed the party to upset Rumeshika Rathnayaka�s return, while Chamod Yodasinghe broke the shackles of a forgetful heat to seal the 100m Women�s and Men�s titles, as the pair put their coach Sanjeewa Weerakkody in seventh heaven at the Asian Games and Junior National Trials 2022 started at Sugathadasa Stadium yesterday. Rumeshika Rathnayaka, who was making a comeback, more..

Feb 11 (ST) For Kalpitiya�s radish farmers, a bumper harvest is no good news this time as prices have begun to plummet after peaking in recent months. They said they began radish cultivation in the hope that they could make a good profit due to the rising vegetable prices in the market. But when they started harvesting, radish prices began to plummet due to a glut in the market. The farmers said they were forced to discard their produce as they could not sell a kilo even for Rs100. more..

Feb 11 (FT) US new SL envoy Julie Chung was sworn in yesterday by Deputy Secretary of State Wendy R. Sherman. Sherman said that Chung is a State Department career personality and her exceptional leadership makes her the perfect choice to represent the American people and advance the US-SL partnership. Sherman said she looks forward to continuing �our work together�. Chung�s previous posting was as Acting Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs and more..

Feb 11 (Island) Top SJB spokesperson Mujibur Rahuman says that Wednesday�s SLPP propaganda rally in Anuradhapura had contradicted their much disputed claim the Local Govt polls couldn�t be held due to the threat still posed by Covid-19 epidemic. Pointing out that the SLPP has launched a countrywide campaign regardless of repeated warnings that such gatherings could be super spreader of Covid-19, lawmaker Rahuman more..

Feb 11 (Island) Twenty doctors and 60 other staff members of the Badulla Provincial General Hospital had tested COVID-19 positive, Chief Medical Officer of the Badulla Hospital Emergency Unit, Dr. Palitha Rajapaksha said. Six of the COVID infected doctors are in the Emergency Unit. �There are only nine docs in the Emergency Unit. Luckily, none of them have severe symptoms. I think this is an indication of the success of vaccination,� he said. Deputy Director General of Health Services, more..

Feb 11 (Island) Energy Minister Udaya Gammanpila told Parliament that India had expressed its desire to join SL�s oil and gas exploration efforts. The Minister said so responding to a question by SLPP MP Mohamad Muzammil, who demanded to know whether assistance from a foreign country or private sector would be sought. �There have been reports that Sri Lanka has oil and gas deposits. If those reports are true it is essential that we should excavate and make use of that resource. more..

Feb 11 (TM) The Justice Ministry said yesterday that an Act of Parliament would be introduced to make the Office for National Unity and Reconciliation (ONUR) permanent, as it has been established only under a cabinet memorandum and a gazette. �We want to establish the ONUR as a permanent Institution, which is why we hope to introduce an Act in the Parliament regarding it. It was established only via a cabinet paper,� Justice Ministry Secretary M.M.P.K. Mayadunne said yesterday. more..

Feb 11 (TM) Even though the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) has made several requests from the Finance Ministry to allow an increase in fuel prices taking into account the current global fuel prices, the said requests have not been responded to by the Finance Ministry, according to the Energy Ministry. Energy Ministry Secretary K.D.R. Olga said that a number of requests made by the CPC seeking permission to increase fuel prices have been forwarded to the Finance Ministry. more..

Feb 11 (CT) Govt is mulling the introduction of new laws to streamline the registration of mobile phone SIM cards, in order to ensure the security of the general public, the Ministry of Public Security said. This had been discussed during a special meeting between Ministers Ali Sabry and Sarath Weerasekara. �Sometimes, there are many SIM cards registered under one person�s name. Some persons do not even know there more..

Feb 11 (FT) Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa called for a united effort to salvage the country from its economic woes and said the SJB is actively engaged in efforts to put things right. He said three preeminent economic experts in his Party namely MPs Harsha de Silva, Kabir Hashim and Eran Wickramaratne are currently formulating a constructive, progressive solution to the major problems the country is facing. �We are speaking with partners and friends to ensure that more..

Feb 11 (FT) The driver of a jeep that harassed a baby elephant on the Trincomalee-Habarana road was fined Rs. 200,000 by Kekirawa Magistrate�s Court yesterday. The punishment was after he was arrested by wildlife officials and produced before the court. A TikTok video, posted by the user @shashikagimhandha, shows the moment when the driver chanced upon a wild elephant on Trincomalee-Habarana road at night. Sigiriya Road from Trincomalee to Habarana was gazetted more..

Feb 11 (TM) The District Court of Colombo yesterday (10) issued two enjoining orders against the Govt Nursing Officers� Association (GNOA) and its President Saman Rathnapriya, calling for the immediate suspension of their strike, after taking into account a request made by Attorney General (AG) President�s Counsel (PC) Sanjay Rajaratnam. AG had also appraised the court of the current conditions at hospitals and more..

Feb 11 (Island) The SJB raised the issue of tax exemptions given to West Container Terminal (WCT) at a meeting chaired by Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, Chairman of the Committee on Public Finance. This was the first Committee meeting held for the Second Session of the Ninth Parliament. India�s Adani Group in late September last year sealed a deal with the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) to develop and run the strategic Colombo Port�s West Container Terminal. Adani secured 51% stake at the WCT. more..

Feb 11 (DM) Former PM Ranil Wickremesinghe today requested that the true situation of the foreign reserves in the country and monthly economic situation reports be presented to Parliament. He stated that allegations have emerged that once the SWAP facilities and Credit Lines are removed our current foreign reserves are below US $1bn. Minister Dinesh Gunawardene said new provisions has to be made for such an eventually. "Mid year financial reviews are currently tabled more..

Feb 11 (TM) Govt�s proposal to implement a 25% surcharge tax on the profits accrued by the EPF) and ETF from 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021 is immoral and unethical and an attempt to resolve mistakes made by the Govt at the expense of taxpayers, charged the Free Trade Zones and General Services Employees� Union, representing a collective of trade unions under the National Labour Advisory Council (NLAC) from various more..

Feb 11 (FT) Of all previous independence celebrations held so far, the 74th independence celebration can be described as the most significant one in which there was a strong social dialogue about the independence. From what I have read and heard on social media and several other sources on this occasion, it seemed to me that the way the SL society thinks today is much different and more advanced than how it did about two years ago. This implies that the socio-political imagination of more..

Feb 11 (FT) Much has been said of the potential economic costs to SL, of losing the Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP) Plus trade concessions to the European Union (EU). While these costs will be high, the social and human costs are likely to be even greater. Considering official statistics for 2021, available up to end-November, the EU was SL�s single largest export market for 2021, accounting for nearly a quarter (24.1%) of our total merchandise exports of $ 11.1 billion. more..

Feb 11 (ER) SL govt�s badly planned organic farming policy that has banned the use of chemical fertilizer in farms has upset farmers in this rice-growing heartland and a political stronghold of the ruling coalition. The policy has also drawn criticism from agricultural experts, who warn that SL�s food security is at stake. Chairman of Minneriya Integrated Farmer Organization, Anil Gunawardhna argues that the govt organic fertilizer program is an utter failure because it was announced without more..

Feb 11 (AD) Minister of Health Keheliya Rambukwella says he is hopeful that the health workers on strike will call off their trade union action, in compliance with the enjoining order issued by the court. He stressed that the health ministry would take immediate action within the existing legal framework for strikes that causes inconvenience to the public. Last evening, the District Court of Colombo issued two enjoining orders against Govt Nursing Officers� Association and more..

Feb 11 (DM) A large-scale drug peddler identified as DulaSameera Sampath alias Abba died in a shootout with the STF in the area of Egoda Uyana, Moratuwa last night. One STF personnel who sustained injuries in the incident has been hospitalized. Preliminary investigations revealed that the deceased was a close associate of drug trafficker Panadura Salindu who operates from Dubai, UAE. more..

Feb 11 (TM) Centre for Policy Alternative (CPA) and its Executive Director, Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu has filed a Petition in the Supreme Court (SC SD 13/2022) challenging the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) (Amendment) Bill which was placed on the Order Paper of Parliament on the 10th February 2022. The Bill to amend the Prevention of Terrorism Act No. 48 of 1979 was tabled in parliament on the 10th of February by Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris. more..

Feb 11 (DM) If the country continues to see higher number of COVID-19 Omicrone variant positive cases, and if the current situation prevails further in the next couple of weeks, there would be a possibility that the country could face another critical scenario, Govt Medical Officers' Association (GMOA) General Committee Member Dr. Prasad Kolambage said. He said there is a higher number of positive cases with the COVID-19 Omicrone variant, with reports coming from many parts of SL. more..

Feb 11 (CI) As has often been the case for Sri Lanka in the past year, the bowlers took the game by the collar, and the batters then let the match slip. Having restricted Australia to 149 for 9 on a decent batting deck, Sri Lanka lost two wickets in the first three overs, and never really recovered. They'd been chasing 143, after an over of the chase was lost to rain. Australia's quicks had made those initial inroads, but Adam Zampa then sealed more..

Feb 11 (FT) Asoka Handagama�s latest film Alborada (Dawning of the Day) will be in cinemas from 14 February, Valentine�s Day. The cinemas include PVR (One Galle Face), Scope CCC, Kandy CC, Amity Lite, Vista Lite, Cinemas of Ceylon Theatres and cinemas in the NFC Circuit. The film Alborada drew the attention of international critics and audiences when it had its world premiere at the 34th Tokyo International Film Festival. The film is based on an incident that took place in Ceylon in 1929-31 more..