Feb 20 (Island) Prez’s manifesto clearly says that adoption of renewable energy is in respect of hydro and (other) renewable energy together would account for 80% of the overall energy mix by 2030. The reduction is clearly applicable not only for power generation but also for overall energy generation including power, industries, transport, commercial and household sectors. In order to plan such a reduction, it is necessary to have an idea of the country’s demand for overall energy in 10 yrs more..

Feb 20 (DM) The prevailing hot weather condition would last until mid-March and disappear with the onset of the inter monsoon rain, Director General of DMC Athula Karunanayake said. He said although there was a slight increase in the temperature, it had not yet reached an adverse level. “There could be minor spells of showers in near future. However, it would take another month for the prevailing hot weather to disappear,” more..

Feb 20 (Island) Sunday newspaper published a photograph of my respected, dear friend, broadcaster and famed cricket commentator Palitha Perera receiving a Life Time Award from PM Mahinda Rajapaksa with the caption Country Salutes ‘Forgotten’ Legend it also said "Palitha Perera, who single handedly created the Sinhala diction for the colonial cricketing jargon to carry the game to the far off rural communities since 1963", was conferred with the life time award more..

Feb 20 (IG) India–SL relations in recent times have received a lot of attention and have been considered as geopolitically significant. The island nation’s PM Mahinda Rajapaksa, accepting PM Modi’s invitation, had come on an official five-day visit to India on Feb 7. This is his first visit abroad after having come back to power in Nov 2019. The agenda of the visit included bilateral talks with PM Modi and Foreign Minister Jaishankar on Saturday, a meeting with Prez Ramnath Kovind followed more..

Feb 20 (DN) Having gone through a closely fought high scoring ODI series in India which they lost 1-2 and then following it up with 3-0 whitewash of Ireland at home, WI captain Kieron Pollard expressed confidence of his team’s success against SL in the 3-match ODI series commencing at the SSC grounds on Saturday. “When we got to India we were looking to where we were as a team. A lot has happened from World Cup till now. more..

Feb 20 (ST) World Association of Newspaper Publishers (WAN-IFRA) has welcomed Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s assurances of media freedom. In a letter to Prez, WAN-IFRA CEO Vincent Peyregne said the association noted with interest, several meetings Mr. Rajapaksa had with newspaper and other media heads and his assurances to them that there are no threats to media and they have the freedom to write factually. “As the largest newspaper organisation more..

Feb 20 (TM) The newly appointed Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Viraj Dayaratne, PC held a meeting with the leadership of the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) today (19). The CSE was represented at this meeting by Chairman Ray Abeywardena CEO Rajeeva Bandaranaike, Chief Regulatory Officer Renuke Wijayawardhane and other senior managers. Members of the SEC Commission, namely Manil Jayesinghe, Naresh Abeysekera and Sunil Lankathilake, more..

Feb 20 (TM) SL’s liquor producers are expected to go to courts if the Ministry of Finance forcibly implements the widely opposed foolproof sticker requirement for local liquor products with effect from 1 March. Industry sources told us that this is because the industry players are not in a position to implement this requirement at the moment due to its impracticality. It appears that legal action is seen as the only solution to obtain more..

Feb 20 (FT) Election Commission Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya yesterday told a group of around 30 Deputy, Assistant and Additional Election Commissioners that Parliament would be dissolved on either 2 or 3 March and the General Election held on 25 April. The meeting was called by National Election Commission (NEC) to brief them on the arrangements for the election but some of those present requested that the Commission write to Prez Rajapaksa requesting that the date of more..

Feb 20 (CT) Kaduwela Chief Magistrate Prasantha Alwis yesterday (19) remanded actor Kavinga Perera till 3 March. The 32-year-old actor was apprehended by Thalangama Police and produced before Court for causing the death of a contract worker of the RDA, while being under the influence of liquor. The incident occured at the Welekade Junction, in Kalalgoda, Thalangama last morning, Thalangama Police said RDA workers were painting the white lines on the road at the junction, more..

Feb 20 (DM) The UNP might have to contest under the elephant symbol as the DNF has refused to allow Samagi Jana Balawegaya to use the swan symbol for a period of five years, said a senior member of the UNP who wished to remain anonymous. He said that the Elections Commission (EC) Chairman had said Samagi Jana Balawegaya should hold the swan symbol for 5 yrs if they were to borrow it, to which DNF had not agreed. more..

Feb 20 (Island) DNF had already agreed to allow the Samagi Jana Balawegaya to use the swan symbol to contest the upcoming General election, UNP MP Sujeewa Senasinghe said. Everything had to be finalised now by the UNP Working Committee, he added. "The Constitution of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya has already been finalised and will be out by Thursday," he said. Senasinghe invited Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa to contest general election from the Colombo District. more..

Feb 20 (Island) UNP MP Ranjan Ramanayake yesterday told Parliament that none of the recordings he had tabled contained vulgar language. Ramanayake said that the media had reported that some MPs were complaining that those recordings contained vulgar language. The kind of language used in those recordings was also pointed out as a reason for barring MPs access. "However none of the recordings I tabled contain vulgar language. There are 2 recordings with PM Rajapaksa, more..

Feb 20 (CT) Implementing the already-finalised Millennium Challenge Compact (MCC) agreement will pose a challenge to SL's sovereignty and legal system, unless its terms are amended to SL's requirements, according to the preliminary report by the 4-member committee appointed by the Govt to review the MCC. However, the US Govt has already expressed its unwillingness to amend the terms of MCC. more..

Feb 20 (TM) A 4-member delegation of the German Parliament led by Dr. Peter Ramsauer, Head of the Committee for Economic Cooperation and Development, is scheduled to pay an official visit to SL on 19-24 of Feb. The multi-party delegation together with German Ambassador Jörn Rohde will hold several meetings in Colombo with senior members from the govt including a courtesy call on Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardana, opposition members, civil society representatives and more..

Feb 20 (AD) Four students are reported dead after drowning in Medawachchiya tank in Gomarankadawala police division. The incident has taken place at around 4.30 pm this evening (19), according to the police. The students, who are from a school in Hali-Ela, Badulla, had been on a field trip in the area. A total of seven students had drowned in the tank however, three of them were rescued and admitted to the Gomarankadawala Hospital. Police is conducting further investigations more..

Feb 20 (FT) A vocational training program targeting 5,000 prison inmates was launched at the Welikada Prison premises on Tuesday, with an initial group of 500 inmates enrolled in the program. The vocational training program is being implemented by Avant Garde Chairman Nissanka Senadhipathi, who said the idea for the project occurred to him during his own time in prison. more..

Feb 20 (TM) Former State Minister of Foreign Affairs Vasantha Senanayake is to testify before the PCoI probing the Easter Sunday attacks, this Friday (21). 3 officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have also been summoned before the PCoI on the same day. Former Western Province Governor Asad Sali was questioned by the Commission yesterday (18). Former President Maithripala Sirisena and former PM Ranil Wickremesinghe are yet to be questioned by the PCoI. more..

Feb 20 (DM) A pet dog that had been attacked with a machete in Kuliyapitiya had been treated and was discharged by the Kurunegala Veterinary Hospital after a four hour surgery today. The pet dog sustained severe injuries due to the machete attack by an unknown individual yesterday and the sadistic attack went viral on social media platforms. The dog’s owner, Nilantha Ruwan Sampath, said the dog underwent urgent treatment at the Veterinary Hospital and he machete, more..

Feb 20 (CT) All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama (ACJU) should be banned in Sri Lanka, said MP Ven. Athuraliye Rathana Thera. He said, "The main Muslim religious organisation in this country is the ACJU. They are the ones who are enforcing all these rules on the Muslim community. If young Muslim girls in Pakistan can watch a cricket match without covering themselves from head to toe, why can't Muslim girls do so in SL? more..

Feb 20 (DN) A future govt having a two thirds majority in Parliament will help to create a stable economy said Head of Research, First Capital Holdings, Dimantha Mathew at the Investment Strategy 2020 second Research Conference on Wednesday. He said that a govt with a 2/3 majority can also swiftly implement some of the delayed reforms to legislature and the economy. He said that two parties ruling the country also had several draw backs and this was evident in the last 4 yrs. more..

Feb 20 (Island) A bill on Cyber Security to prevent crimes against women and children, via the Internet, would soon be presented to Parliament, State Minister of Defence Chamal Rajapaksa yesterday told Parliament in response to a question raised by Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa. Rajapaksa said the Act would empower the police to enforce laws strictly against perpetrators. The police would also be provided with the necessary technical knowhow to fight cyber crimes. more..

Feb 20 (FT) Sri Lanka Airlines is in consultation with the Attorney General’s (AG) Department to initiate legal action to recover the maximum possible amount in compensation from Airbus company which is at the centre of a bribery scandal but Sri Lankan is also looking to procure two widebody aircraft from the company to operate long haul flights, Chairman Ashok Pathirage told parliamentary committee on public enterprise more..

Feb 20 (FT) The appointment of popular artiste Iraj Weeraratne as Digital Marketing Consultant to Sri Lanka Tourism is still pending, with Cabinet awaiting approval from respective agencies. Tourism Development Minister Prasanna Ranatunga last month sought Cabinet approval to appoint Weeraratne as a Digital Marketing Consultant to the four tourism institutions, namely SL Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA), SL Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB), more..

Feb 20 (DN) The cremation of Maharagama Siri Vajiragnana Dharmayanadhipati Ven. Ampitiye Sri Rahula Thera will be held at the Henry Pedris playground, Havelock town Colombo today (20) at 3 pm. The Ven. Sri Rahula thera passed away on Feb 17 aged 106. The late Ampitiye Sri Rahula thera was a learned and erudite bhikkhu who rendered a great sasana service in keeping with the Buddha’s Word. The Ven. Ampitiye Sri Rahula Thera rendered a dedicated service towards creating more..

Feb 20 (Island) Pandemonium reigned at the UNP Working Committee Meeting, yesterday, at Sirikotha. Some MPs manhandled others over their disagreements on the symbol to be used by the UNP-led alliance. Following a heated argument UNP senior MP Ravindra Samaraweera, who argued in favour of the Swan symbol, tried to hit his fellow MPs who favoured the Elephant symbol, but he was restrained by others. more..

Feb 20 (DM) Three months into the tenure of the Gotabaya Rajapaksa govt, Sri Lanka’s former ambassador to Russia, Udayanga Weeratunga, who was in the wanted list of the CID and FCID and having evaded arrest for more than a couple of years, returned to the country on Feb 14 on board a SriLankan airlines flight from Dubai escorted by two CID officers. He was arrested on arrival at the BIA and questioned at length before being produced before Colombo Fort Magistrate Ranga more..

Feb 20 (DM) Mangala Samaraweera is reported to have opined that the SLPP will secure a 2/3rds majority at the parliamentary elections which are expected to be held in a few months’ time. Interesting. Now Mangala, according to his cheering squad, is some kind of strategical whiz-kid. The track-record doesn’t exactly bear that out. He’s led many a losing campaign. If indeed he had strategized on behalf of the UNP in Maithripala Sirisena’s presidential campaign, more..

Feb 20 (DM) UNP parliamentarian and former State Minister of Finance Eran Wickramaratne, who has repeatedly voiced against the colossal losses the state-run SriLankan Airlines was made to suffer, specially after Mahinda Rajapaksa chased away Emirates Airlines in 2008 when he was president, says that the fraudulent airbus deal that came to light with the British Court judgement is one of the biggest scams in the history of SL. more..

Feb 20 (ST) As the number of people hit by the new coron3entre Wuhan in the Hubei Province of China grew rapidly, Sri Lanka maintained its one-imported case status. The new coronavirus disease has now been named COVID-19 by the WHO and the virus as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) by the Int'l Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses. Moves are underway for clinical laboratories more..

Feb 20 (AD) Attorney General Dappula de Livera is set to appear before the PCoI probing incidents of political revenge at 1.30 pm today. Notices have been issued to the Attorney General. Former Commander of SL Navy, Admiral of the Fleet Wasantha Karannagoda recently filed a complaint with the Commission of a lawsuit that is being heard before the Permanent High Court at Bar alleging him of the abduction of 11 youths and more..

Feb 20 (CT) Out of the 360,000 annual births in SL, around 5,800 children are born with birth defects, of which about 650 children die before they celebrate their first birthday, National Programme Manager for Maternal and Child Morbidity and Mortality Surveillance at the Family Health Bureau, Dr, Kapila Jayaratne, said. Pointing out that about 30% of birth defects were severe, he said living with resulting disabilities was not easy. more..

Feb 20 (AFP) A YouTube video of a doctor discussing the health benefits of cannabis has been viewed thousands of times among SL Facebook users alongside a claim that cannabis can boost a person's immunity to the novel coronavirus. The claim is misleading; medical experts have emphasised there is no evidence to suggest that cannabis improves immunity against the virus and have urged the public to follow official govt more..

Feb 20 (EN) A team of Sri Lankan medical researchers announced a possible prophylactic (preventive) treatment for the novel coronavirus yesterday. A team of scientists representing the Institute of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (IBMBB) at the University of Colombo claimed to have discovered of a set of drugs hypothesised to prevent the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). more..

Feb 20 (AD) As the Cabinet of Ministers has failed to approve the decision to establish a separate Urban Council for Sainthamaruthu, the extraordinary gazette notification issued in this regard will become invalid, says Minister Bandula Gunawardana. He stated that this was decided during the Cabinet meeting held yesterday. The proposal to establish a separate urban council for Sainthamaruthu was tabled by then-Minister more..

Feb 20 (TM) The Appeal court has issued an order preventing the arrest of Interdicted HC Judge Gihan Pilapitiya without a Magistrate’s Court order. The order has been issued after Judge Gihan Pilapitiya filed a writ petition before the Appeal Court yesterday. The petition requested the court to issue an interim injunction order preventing his arrest. On the 11th of Feb, AG Dappula de Livera had ordered Acting C.D. Wickramaratne more..

Feb 20 (AD) Cabinet has approved the govt’s decision to withdraw from the co-sponsorship of the UNHRC resolution 30/1. Minister Bandula Gunawardena mentioned this at the press conference currently being held to inform of the Cabinet decisions. Previously, PM Mahinda Rajapaksa informed SL will be looking into withdrawing from the process of co-sponsorship in relation to Resolution 30/1 by Yahapalana more..

Feb 20 (TM) Businessman Nimal Perera has been implicated in the controversial Airbus-SriLankan scandal with revelations being made in court that a sum of US$ 800,000 was transferred from the account maintained by former SriLankan Airlines, CEO, Kapila Chandrasena’s wife, Priyanka Wijenayaka to an account owned by Sabre Vision Ltd. Sabre Vision is registered in the Birtish Virgin Islands and the bank account is held more..

Feb 20 (AD) The case against Major (Retired) Ajith Prasanna over contempt of court has been fixed for support on the 17th of March. Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya and Supreme Court Justices Preethi Padman Surasena and Gamini Amarasekara sat for the hearing. The judge bench instructed the Attorney General to file the indictment against the defendant before the next hearing of the case. On the 24th of January this year, Ajith Prasanna was remanded as per Article 18 of Judicature Act more..

Feb 20 (FT) The diplomatic drone strike, the dramatic US strictures against the Army Commander, Lt. Gen. Shavendra Silva, tells us that Big Brother IS watching. This isn’t the usual suspects, its way out of their league. This is the Big League, the big boys and girls. I have five main takeaways. Firstly, the document was not only issued under Secretary of State Pompeo’s name—which is probably the correct official format for such a declaration—but was followed by a tweet more..