Jan 26 (DM) The Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) today informed court that it has advised the LPG gas cylinder supplying companies namely Litro Gas and Laughs Gas Companies to accept partially used suspected gas cylinders returned by consumers. Senior State Counsel Manohara Jayasinghe appearing for the CAA made these remarks pursuant to a writ petition filed challenging the gas companies' decision to release unsafe gas cylinders to the market was taken up before CA. more..

Jan 26 (EN) CEB chairman/member M M C Ferdinando has handed over his resignation effective Feb 1, a letter addressed to Prez Rajapaksa revealed. Fernando said in the letter that he was stepping down due to personal reasons. Ferdinando was one of the signatories to SL�s controversial agreement with the US-based New Fortress Energy which together with SL�s LTL group proposed to build a 350 megawatt gas-fired power plant more..

Jan 26 (CT) A massive protest organised by the UNP in collaboration with various trade unions and political parties was held opposite the Galle SLTB bus terminal last evening, condemning the rule of the Govt as well as increase in prices of essential commodities. The protest commenced around 3 p.m. A large number of UNP activists and the public from various parts of the Galle District took part in the protest. The protesters were carrying banners bearing slogans such as more..

Jan 26 (CT) Public opinion needs to be obtained through a referendum to extend the Prez�s term, Chairperson of Women for Rights, Saroja Savithri Paulraj said. It was proposed in Parliament recently that the Prez�s tenure should be extended by another two years as he was unable to perform his duties properly due to the Covid-19 pandemic, she noted. �But the public has not consented and they are trying to extend the term by passing it in Parliament as they have a 2/3rds majority, more..

Jan 26 (AFP) Supermarket shelves are bare and restaurants can't serve meals, but SL's economic crisis is a bonanza for used car dealers, with vehicle shortages pushing prices higher than a house in a nice area. The island nation of 22 million is on the brink of bankruptcy, inflation is red hot and the govt has barred a range of non-essential imports to save dollars needed to buy food, medicine and fuel. more..

Jan 26 (FT) NCINGA Ltd., one of SL�s leading IT solution providers, staying true to its motto Engineered for Humanity, launched its corporate offices last week at the Parkland Building, Colombo 2. The newly launched innovative space brings to life NCINGA�s ideology of richer collaboration and co-creation, twisting the usual work from home model. Allowing employees to continue to benefit from the agile work from home (WFH) model, the newly launched space becomes a place to play more..

Jan 26 (DM) Wildlife in Sri Lanka is at risk owing to an internal battle with some senior officials even refusing to take instructions from the subject Ministe. An incident at the Yala National Park this week involving a tusker and safari jeeps is believed to be as a result of a failure by officials to implement instructions given to properly manage the number of vehicles entering the park at a given time, sources revealed. The tusker was harassed by safari jeep operators in Yala when more..

Jan 26 (CT) Sri Lanka�s national policy on the transplant of organs, cells and tissues to upgrade the living standard and secure the rights of donors and their families as well as organ receivers, has been approved by Cabinet. The cabinet paper was submitted by the Minister of Health. Organ transplant of cells and tissues is considered as a successful method to secure the lives of patients in the final stage of dysfunction of internal organs such as kidneys, liver, heart, lungs and pancreas. more..

Jan 26 (CT) Amid the worsening Covid-19 crisis, State health professionals warned they would commence a protest march from the National Hospital, Colombo today, demanding the Govt rectify further salary anomalies which have occurred with the rectification of teacher salary issues. Co-Convener of the Health Professionals Federation (HPF), Ravi Kumudesh yesterday, warned that all hospital staff in the Western Province were to stage a token strike today, demanding rectification more..

Jan 26 (CT) Justice Minister Ali Sabry requested Northerners not to fall victim to foreign machinations. He said this during a Media briefing held at the Justice Ministry yesterday to announce the mobile service �Access to Justice� to be launched in the North to resolve many legal issues. Ali Sabry said the mobile service aimed to find solutions internally, rather than leave room for foreign interference. more..

Jan 26 (DM) Wholesale vegetable prices still remain relatively high in Manning Market, Colombo, compared to the corresponding period in the previous year, traders say. The supply dropped as a result of crop failure caused by the lack of fertiliser for farmers in the cultivation areas. Secretary of the Manning Market Traders� Association Shaminda Peiris said the prices of all vegetable varieties remain high. In wholesale trading, the price per kilo of leeks are sold at Rs.160 -180, more..

Jan 26 (CT) Cabinet has given its nod to increase the grant under the Obata Geyak - Ratata Hetak housing programme to selected beneficiary families of up to Rs 650,000 from 2022 due to escalating prices of construction material. The proposal was submitted by the PM as the Minister of Urban Development and Housing. A maximum of Rs 600,000 per selected beneficiary family is granted under this project based on the construction progress of the house. more..

Jan 26 (MoD) New laws will be introduced to destroy illegal drug hauls in front of a judicial officer immediately after the seizure while retaining a sample for legal proceedings, said Defence Secretary Gen. Kamal Gunaratne today (25). �This initiative is in the pipeline and it has to undergo several administrative stages at the various state institutions including Ministry of Justice, Attorney General's Dept more..

Jan 26 (EN) SL is seeking a US$ 175 million investment to establish an exclusive tourist port in Galle to attract more foreign cruise vessels to boost tourism, the state owned Port Authority said. Sri Lanka Ports Authority has planned to change the existing port in Galle as a fully fledged tourist port including a 150-metre length cruise berth, reclamation to increase Galle�s land area by another 40 hectares with a �super modern real estate business model, a state-of-art cruise terminal. more..

Jan 26 (DM) Rumesh Ratnayake was appointed as the interim coach of the National Cricket Team for the upcoming SL Tour of Australia. He was appointed by the Executive Committee of SLC in consultation with the Technical Advisory Committee of SLC. Ratnayake will not travel to Australia with the team but will join before the 1st T201 game, as he is currently in self-isolation having tested positive for COVID-19. Meanwhile, Dilruwan Perera, who represented the SL National Team more..

Jan 26 (DM) A Chinese company embroiled in a dispute with SL over organic fertilizer, has made a formal complaint with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN. Qingdao Seawin Biological Group Co., Ltd, in an email to Daily Mirror sent through a local agent, said that the complaint was made just before the company and SL reached an agreement over the payment for the disputed fertilizer. more..

Jan 26 (Island) Labour lawmaker Siobhain McDonagh yesterday sought the UK�s position on the US travel ban imposed on Commander of SL Army Gen. Shavendra Silva, who is also the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS). MP McDonagh, who once accused the SL military of killing 60,000 LTTE cadres and 40,000 civilians during the Vanni campaign asked Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, Elizabeth Tuss �what assessment she has made of more..

Jan 26 (TM) Supreme Court today granted leave to proceed with the case against the De-radicalisation Regulations that come under the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act, No. 48 of 1979 (PTA), under Articles 10, 12(1), and 13 of the Constitution, Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) mentioned on their official Twitter account. The Tweet also mentioned that the Supreme Court has issued an interim stay order preventing the operation of the controversial regulations, more..

Jan 26 (AD) Retired doctor who was arrested in connection with the recent recovery of hand grenade from All Saints� Church in Borella today recorded a statement for two hours with the Colombo Additional Magistrate behind closed doors. When the case was taken up yesterday, Additional Magistrate Rajindra Jayasuriya directed Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) to conclude investigations into the incident as soon as possible. more..

Jan 26 (AD) Resuming operations at the Sapugaskanda Oil Refinery will be further delayed, says the Ministry of Energy. The secretary to the ministry, K.D.R. Volga said they however expect to recommence operations at the facility before Jan 30. Earlier, it was decided that Sapugaskanda Oil Refinery would be operative once again from tomorrow, following its temporary closure since Jan 3 due to the shortage in US dollars for the purchase of crude oil. more..

Jan 26 (APP) Pakistan PM Imran Khan reaffirmed the strong fraternal relations between Pakistan and Sri Lanka stressed upon the importance of regular high-level exchanges in strengthening bilateral cooperation. The prime minister was talking to Minister of Trade of SL, Dr. Bandula Gunawardhana and State Minister Tharaka Balasuriya who paid a courtesy call on him. Dr. Gunawardhana and Balasuriya along with a SL business delegation are currently visiting Pakistan. more..

Jan 27 (TM) In a bid to reduce air pollution by reducing traffic congestion, save time, and to protect people from non-communicable diseases, the Environment Ministry has decided to promote the use of bicycles to travel to work, and the necessary steps for this programme are underway. Under this programme, cycle lanes will be allocated on roads, including main roads. While this programme, in theory, could be beneficial in many ways, the most important part of this initiative is how practical more..

Jan 27 (ST) Last Sunday fellow writer of the Caf� Spectator column fired some carefully-directed barbs at CB Governor Nivard Cabraal that some might consider overdue. The gist of the criticism that has followed Cabraal from the time he switched roles from State Minister of Money and Capital Markets and whatever else is added on as time progresses, to CB Governor is that he seems unable to distinguish one role from the other. A columnist in our sister newspaper last week summed up more..

Jan 27 (DM) Sri Lanka has been having a number of high profile foreign visits over the past few weeks. Among those visiting Sri Lanka was Maldives Speaker and former President Mohamed Nasheed. Nasheed gave a brief interview during his stay in Colombo. Q: You were the target of a bomb attack less than a year ago and suffered serious injuries. How has your recovery been? A: Insha Allah, I�m much better. more..

Jan 27 (CT) SL is home to around 29 varieties of bananas, most of them indigenous and unique to the country. Sri Lankan bananas can be divided into three main groups: Mysore, Kolikuttu and Cavendish. Just under 50,000 hectares are under banana cultivation � about 54 per cent of total fruit cultivation and the annual banana production is around 750,587 tons. Traditionally banana cultivation was limited to home gardens or very small-scale cultivation, but it has become more..

Jan 27 (ST) Health officials have repeatedly alerted the country to the possibility of a surge in Covid 19 afflicted patients and urged the public to heed health guidelines as well as take the booster dose in order to ensure that the situation does not worsen. According to the Deputy Director General of Health Services Dr. Hemantha Herath the number of asymptomatic COVID-19 cases has increased with the spread of the Omicron variant. Dr. Herath said that number of Covid cases was also rising. more..

Jan 27 (TM) Risky sexual behaviours occur among youth aged 18-24 years in urban settings, a local study found, which also noted that school based sexual and reproductive health (SRH) education has been insufficient in preparing them for their sexual debut or to avoid the unwanted consequences of sex. The same study pointed out that even though satisfactory knowledge on sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and more..

Jan 27 (CT) On Tuesday, Transparency International, a German based NGO released on their website their annual Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) of the public sector by business and by experts, encapsulating 180 countries as at last year (2021). CPI�s point basis ranging from a minimum nought (0) points to a maximum 100 points, where �0� is defined as a country which is highly corrupt and �100� as a country free of corruption or a very clean country. more..

Jan 27 (Island) Archbishop of Colombo His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith has steadfastly opposed moves to internationalise domestic issues, and insisted that SL is capable of sorting out its internal problems without foreign interventions. Ironically, he himself has had to warn the govt that he will be compelled to seek int'l help to have justice done for Easter Sunday carnage victims. He cannot be faulted for contemplating such a course of action because he is apparently left with no option. more..

Jan 27 (TM) This article is written in the context of the SJB and JVP being considered as credible alternatives to the failed politics and unprincipled conduct of the national political Parties � UNP, SLFP and the incumbent Rajapaksa family dominated SLPP Govt. Surprisingly, even some elite circles are rattled by what is now going on, considering the JVP as an alternative. The SJB has some traction despite being widely considered a clone of the electorally marginalised UNP. more..

Jan 27 (Island) Japanese Embassy in Colombo on the afternoon of Jan 19 organised a joint media briefing at Sasakawa Hall with the participation of SL Foreign Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris to announce plans for the 70th anniversary commemoration of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Among those who addressed the media, in addition to twice Foreign Minister Prof. Peiris, were Foreign Secretary Admiral Prof. Jayanath Colombage and Japanese Amb more..

Jan 27 (ST) �In the cell, they let me keep a 1.5litre plastic drink bottle. Nobody gets a pillow. But I have problems falling asleep with my head on the floor. When you fill the bottle and reduce the water a little bit, it becomes flexible. I slept with my head on a bottle for 46 days in the CID. I got used to it.� Shafi Shihabdeen�s ordeal began on May 23, 2019, when a Sinhala-language newspaper published a front-page lead alleging the doctor� more..

Jan 27 (FT) Daily COVID-19 detections exceeded 900 for the first time since 30 Sept 2021, with 927 persons testing positive for COVID-19 yesterday. 922 persons from the New Year cluster and five overseas arrivals were among the patients detected yesterday. The previous day, 888 persons from the New Year cluster and three SL overseas arrivals tested positive for COVID-19. 8,047 PCR tests and 6,120 rapid antigen tests were conducted on Tuesday. Total covid case count is 604,581. more..

Jan 27 (FT) John Keells Holdings (JKH) announced what analysts described as �very strong� performance for the third quarter, signalling the diversified blue chip�s resilience and recovery are gaining momentum. JKH earnings before interest expense, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) recorded a significant increase of 126% to Rs. 9.53 billion in 3Q ended 31 Dec 2021 as against Rs. 4.21 bil a year ago. Cumulative first 9 months Group EBITDA rose by 148% to Rs. 20.70 bil. more..

Jan 27 (CT) The national sectors have opted for four novice players in the 20-member Sri Lanka squad which is slated to undertake a five game T-20 series against Australia commencing next month. The four rookies who have caught the national selectors attention are Nuwan Thushara, Kamil Mishara, Janith Liyanage and Shiran Fernando. Of the said quartet, Thushara, Mishara and Liyanage had impressed during the LPL more..

Jan 27 (FT) Total of 65,561 persons were vaccinated through the country�s COVID-19 immunisation program on Tuesday. 31,742 persons received the booster dose on Tuesday. A total of 4,988,363 persons have received the booster dose to date and booster dose coverage among the population over 20 years is 33.9%. Of the country�s total population, 76.59% has received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 64.6% has received the second dose. The first vaccine dose has been more..

Jan 27 (FT) Minister Prasanna Ranatunga said that SL will not be able to meet its ambitious monthly target of 100,000 arrivals owing to the surge in global Omicron fears. �As of yesterday, we have recorded around 65,000 tourists, and it appears that our monthly target of 100,000 to 125,000 arrivals will not be accomplished. The maximum arrivals we could expect for the next five days is 10,000,� he said. Minister pointed out that the spike in COVID cases, particularly in top source markets more..