Feb 25 (Island) Public Security Minister Rear Admiral (retd) Sarath Weerasekera on Wednesday told Parliament that those who made public statements on Easter Sunday terror attacks without sharing such information with investigators would be summoned by the CID to record statements. Participating in a debate on a motion by the Opposition that victims of the Easter Sunday terror attacks have not been served justice, more..

Feb 25 (DM) Colombo Additional Magistrate Bandara Nelundeniya observed that court would not hesitate to report to the IGP, if Colombo Fraud Investigation Bureau failed to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the magisterial inquiry into the questionable last will of late Miss Ceylon Jennifer Ingleton. The Colombo Fraud Investigation Bureau conducting investigations into the questionable last will of late Miss Ceylon Jennifer Ingleton had given an undertaking more..

Feb 25 (DM) The body of a 24-year-old woman from Netherlands was discovered last night in an apartment complex in the Wellawatte area, the police said. The victim was identified as Kalidien Nisha Gatoen, a Netherlands national. According to the police, the victim had been having an affair with a Sri Lankan youth who she had met through 'Tik Tok' on social media. Police said at the time of her death, the woman was staying with the 37-year-old Sri Lankan man in the apartment complex. more..

Feb 26 (CT) Presidential Task Force for One Country, One Law sought the views of university academics recently. During this meeting, professors and lecturers appreciated the State’s efforts to lay the foundations for a common law in the country based on a concept that has not been implemented in any other country before. Head of the Task Force, Rajakeeya Panditha Ven. Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thera said, the Task Force was moving ahead with a new approach into identifying more..

Feb 26 (CT) The next chance for a change of regime, whether it occurs peacefully through the ballot box or bloodily through mass rallies and violent uprisings ending with military bullets, should mark the end of ethnonationalism of any shape and colour, which has ravaged peace and prosperity in this country for more than seven decades. Countries whose levels of economic and social development were far below that of SL in 1950s are now far ahead of it while SL is moving backwards more..

Feb 26 (DM) I begin this column this week with an apology to readers. I had written a two part article titled Sinhala Buddhist Strategist N. Q. Dias was feared as the Tsar in the Daily Mirror last week (19). Unfortunately I am unable to write the second part this week as planned because I am yet in the process of gathering some vital information necessary for writing. I am very sorry for disappointing the readers looking forward to more..

Feb 26 (DM) On 24 February Russian backed long term strongman Peter Yanukovych was ousted as Ukrainian president through a political upheaval backed by the West called the Maidan revolution in 2014. The event was the catalyst for the ongoing military interventions made by Russia into Ukraine that led to the annexation of Crimea later in 2014 and creating Russian sphere of influence in Eastern Ukraine region of Donbas a predominantly Russian speaking community in Ukraine. more..

Feb 26 (DM) Since 1952 SL has suffered a devastating blood bath largely due to racial issues. The ruling UNP's then frontliner S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike quit the Govt and formed a new party and claimed that the main principle of his party was a Sinhala only policy but analysts believe he was unhappy over the then PM D.S. Senanayake’s decision that his successor will be his son Dudley Senanayake. At 1956 general election Mr. Bandaranaike formed the MEP with parties more..

Feb 26 (CT) Prez Rajapaksa stressed that he hopes to see a vibrant public service rendered by all State institutions, while noting that the public service is immense and public officials’ involvement can be seen in every requirement of the people. “The majority of public officials are keen to work. What is needed is supervision, advice and encouragement so that the country can receive their services effectively” more..

Feb 26 (CT) Basil Rajapaksa will be visiting India later this week. The visit comes two months after he led a delegation that secured credit lines, currency swaps, and financial assistance from New Delhi. India has so far helped secure US$ 2.4 billion worth of such assistance, a much-needed intervention at a time when the country’s foreign reserves have dangerously dwindled. With his latest trip, Basil Rajapaksa hopes to finalise a US$ 1 billion import financing deal, to ease trade imbalances. more..

Feb 26 (Island) Russian missiles were pounding strategic targets in Kyiv at the time of writing. Russia seems hell bent on achieving its goal—disarming the Ukrainian military and installing a puppet regime in Kyiv to obviate possible security threats to Moscow. One’s heart naturally goes out to the hapless Ukrainian public caught in a war, which has resulted from a big power rivalry. NATO sought to expand itself right up to the Russian border via Ukraine, prompting Moscow to react militarily. more..

Feb 26 (GV) SL’s apparel workers, mostly female, provide an important contribution to the country’s economy. In 2019, apparel exports amounted to $5.2 billion, almost 40% of all exports. The industry provides direct employment to 300,000 people and indirect employment to 600,000. Around 350 garment factories are operating in different parts of the country, while there are around 16 textile and fabric manufacturing units. However, after the Covid-19 pandemic, exports declined sharply as more..

Feb 26 (CI) Seven balls into his innings, Ishan Kishan gets a full toss outside his off stump. In a blink, it has scorched its way to the cover boundary. The next ball from Chamika Karunaratne is a shorter, slower delivery. The shoulders swing into action. The elbows are a blur. This ball blazes and takes an even quicker route to the rope. Straight of cover this time. In the late 1990s, when Sanath Jayasuriya reigned over India versus Sri Lanka fixtures, word on the streets in India was that more..

Feb 26 (Island) General Secretary of the Communist Party of Sri Lanka (CPSL), Dr. G. Weerasinghe speaks about the 22nd Party Congress that will be held between 25 to 27 Feb in Colombo and the deepening crisis within the govt. Q: CPSL is holding its 22nd Party Congress on 25 Feb. What is the significance of this party congress? A: The 22 nd party congress will be held between the 25 and 27 Feb in Colombo. more..

Feb 26 (Island) Cass pleaded with the powers that be that the people be told of the parlous state our state coffers are in: empty of dollars, refilled constantly by newly printed SLRs. Almost every speaker from the government side made it out that all was fine and dandy in the island and we were riding a cloud of prosperity. Wind underneath it was CB Governor. We were on a cloud true enough; it was a cloud of wishful thinking, soon to disintegrate & descend as national bankruptcy more..

Feb 26 (CT) Pabasara Waduge’s century put Galle in a commanding position against Kandy at the end of day two in the National Super Provincial 4-Day Tournament continued in Galle on Friday. After ending Day One on top, Kandy coming into bat for day two continued their domination thanks to a brilliant century by Skipper Kamindu Mendis where he went onto score 111 runs off 166 deliveries including 14 boundaries to help his team post 482 runs before they were bowled out. more..

Feb 26 (ST) Sri Lanka Athletics (SLA) will provide its athletes continuous opportunities to perform, showcase their capabilities and to gain access to important international events that are on the cards in 2022. Palitha Fernando, Prez of SLA, giving his feedbacks on the first three-day athletic trial meet held last week at the Sugathadasa Stadium, said that overall it was a great comeback owing the restriction placed earlier to hold full meets. more..

Feb 26 (DN) SL’s weightlifter Srimali Samarakoon won a gold medal competing in the women’s 49 kg category at Singapore International Weightlifting championships which started in Singapore yesterday. Srimali lifted 65kg from snatch method while 86 kg from clean and jerk method with a total of 151 kg to take the gold medal. Twenty-one-year-old Samarakoon is an outstanding woman weightlifter who also won the 45kg gold medal at the Commonwealth Championships more..

Feb 26 (CI) With both India and SL missing many of their first-choice players, it was going to be a battle of bench strengths. Few countries enjoy the depth India have and that was evident during the first T20I in Lucknow. The 62-run win margin, huge in itself, looks even more crushing when you glance at India's bowling card. Their four frontline bowlers - Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshal Patel and Yuzvendra Chahal - didn't complete their quotas as India tried Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Hooda more..

Feb 26 (FT) Considering the sharp rebound in arrivals, Minister Prasanna Ranatunga expressed confidence in luring 150,000 monthly visitors in the next six months. “I hope we could end February with 100,000 tourists and our target is to attract 150,000 visitors each month in the next six months,” he said on Thursday, thanking SL Tourism and industry stakeholders for their efforts in reviving the industry post-pandemic. Last week, he said that the monthly target of tourists could soon top 200,000. more..

Feb 26 (FT) The Ministerial Consultative Committee on Wildlife and Forest Conservation gave its approval to amend the Fauna and Flora Protection (Amendment) Bill in Parliament for the second reading. The Bill empowers the Minister to make orders to enforce the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The Ministerial Consultative Committee met on Thursday under the chairmanship of Minister C.B. Ratnayake and more..

Feb 26 (CI) Kusal Mendis, Niroshan Dickwella and Lahiru Thirimanne have returned to the Test fold, and Jeffrey Vandersay has earned a red-ball call-up, as SL named a 17-man squad for the upcoming two Tests against India. The series will be the first in the longest format for Mendis and Dickwella following the lifting of their bans, which were handed down for breaching curfew and bio-bubble protocol during SL's tour of England more..

Feb 26 (FT) Bangladesh High Commission, Colombo observed International Mother Language Day (IMLD) – 2022 recently at the historic Independence Square with the gracious presence of PM Mahinda Rajapaksa, Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, Minister Bandula Gunawardena, State Minister Tharaka Balasuriya, head of diplomatic missions, representatives of UN organisations and hundreds of students from different schools across the island. more..

Feb 26 (FT) SL’s COVID-19 case count rose to 643,072 following the detection of 1,286 COVID-19 patients yesterday. All patients detected were from the New Year cluster. On Thursday, 1,208 patients from the New Year cluster were detected. 7,200 PCR tests and 3,281 rapid antigen tests were conducted on Thursday. In total, 537,321 persons from the New Year cluster, 82,785 persons from the Peliyagoda cluster, 9,154 persons from the Prisons cluster and 3,059 persons from more..

Feb 26 (CT) Strikes by the State Health Service are nothing new to this country. Although none of the health service professionals serving in the private sector seem to dare to strike in fear of losing their private practice, in all probability unions in the State Health Service have continued to shake the foundations of the Health Ministry on and off demanding salary increments, uniform, Disturbance, Availability and Transport (DAT) and more..

Feb 26 (AD) The two enjoining orders issued against the Govt Nursing Officers’ Association and its chairman Saman Ratnapriya calling for the immediate suspension of their trade union action has been extended. Accordingly, the enjoining orders are effective until March 11. Meanwhile, the decision on dissolving the enjoining orders or issuing a permanent interim injunction is set to be announced on Feb. 28. Putting forward a motion recently before the Colombo District Court, more..

Feb 26 (CT) CB Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal has blamed delayed support from multilateral lenders as well as higher cost of imports for a spike in inflation. He said the IMF was late in providing support to Sri Lanka during the pandemic. According to him, the delay fueled additional inflation. Sri Lanka last month saw its nationwide inflation increase 16.8% led by failed harvests, import curbs to conserve dwindling foreign-exchange reserves, and high global prices of key commodities. more..

Feb 26 (NT) War crimes detectives investigating the murder of a BBC journalist in Sri Lanka more than 20 years ago have arrested a man, reportedly in Kettering. The 48-year-old was taken into custody on Tuesday (22) over the killing of Mylvaganam Nimalarajan, who was shot dead in 2000 days after receiving death threats over his elections reporting. The Metropolitan Police confirmed officers from their War Crimes Team - part of the Counter Terrorism Command - made the arrest more..

Feb 26 (DM) Two SJB MPs Harin Fernando and Manusha Nanayakkara are to leave for Geneva on Monday (28) to take up the case of Former MP Ranjan Ramanayake who is currently serving a jail sentence for contempt of Court, one of the MPs said. MP Harin Fernando said that he and fellow MP Manusha Nanayakkara will leave for Geneva on Monday. “We shall take up Ranjan Ramanayake's case in Geneva,” he said. “There is a clandestine move to prevent our visit to Geneva. more..

Feb 26 (FT) LIOC has increased its retail selling prices for Diesel by Rs. 15 per litre and Petrol by Rs. 20 with immediate effect, citing global spikes. Yesterday’s upward hike was the second time in a row after its first revision for this year announced on 6 February, where it increased the retail selling prices for Diesel (Lanka Auto Diesel) by Rs. 3 per litre and Petrol (LP 92) by Rs. 7 per litre. In 2021, last price revision was on 21 Dec. more..

Feb 26 (DM) Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa’s visit to India has been postponed, Daily Mirror learns. The Minister was supposed to land in New Delhi today for meetings with his Indian counterpart Nirmala Sitharaman and External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar to finalise on financial cooperation for Sri Lanka, to secure supplies of essential foods and fuel in the midst of the foreign exchange crisis. According to informed sources, the visit will be rescheduled for a future date shortly. more..

Feb 26 (CT) The proceedings of the Special Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) set up to investigate and obtain information on political victimisation and to make appropriate recommendations will commence tomorrow (28). Secretary to the Special PCoI, H.M.B.P. Herath said recording of evidence will commence at the BMICH. The three-member Special PCoI, chaired by SC Judge Dhammika Jayawardena, with Supreme Court Judge Khema Wickramasinghe and more..

Feb 26 (CT) Reports from Vatican note that Archbishop of Colombo Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith is tentatively set to have an audience with Pope Francis on Sunday (27). The reports on Friday (25) said Sri Lankans had been invited to congregate at the Vatican to advocate for justice for Easter attack victims as the Cardinal was set to meet the Pope on the weekend. Sri Lankans living in Italy and other European countries have been urged to more..

Feb 26 (DN) Foreign Secretary Admiral Prof. Jayanath Colombage said that SL was closely monitoring the Russia-Ukraine crisis and was pursuing a non-partisan policy. He said there were very few Sri Lankans in Ukraine but they had been told to leave the country. He said that several people had left Ukraine and that he was in constant contact with Lankans in Ukraine through the SL Embassy in Turkey. He pointed out that a large number of foreign tourists had visited SL in recent past, more..

Feb 26 (CT) All Ceylon Private Bus Owners’ Association (ACPBOA) warned that buses will soon grind to a halt due to fuel shortage. ACPBOA Chairman, Anjana Priyanjith said, “We have obtained diesel by staying in long queues, so we can manage to operate for two to three days. But by next week, this situation might worsen & disrupt public transportation.” Lanka Pvt Bus Owners’ Association claimed that no clear solution was provided by Transport Ministry for the fuel shortage. more..

Feb 26 (CT) Foreign Secretary Admiral Jayanath Colombage slammed UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet’s new report, which claims the UN has decided to set up an evidence-gathering mechanism for Sri Lanka. Bachelet stated in her report that her office has decided to open an office in Sri Lanka for evidence collection, and that her office has begun implementing the aspects of Resolution 46/1, more..