Feb 27 (DM) A 60-year-old man was arrested for allegedly abusing 11 girls at a children’s home at Rakwana in Ratnapura. Ratnapura Children and Women Bureau has arrested the suspect, who is the husband of the warden of the children’s home following complaints received by the Godakawela DS. It was revealed that girls between the ages of 11 and 18 have been abused and have been referred for medical exam. Investigations have also revealed that a girl who is said to have suffered more..

Feb 27 (TM) Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekara says that no decision has been taken to suspend the National Fuel Pass QR system from April 10. In a twitter post, Minister Wijesekara revealed that the National Fuel Pass (NFP) data will be analyzed to gradually increase the quotas allocated. Furthermore, the decisions on the system will be taken in consultation with Finance Ministry and other stakeholders in the next few months, the Minister expressed. more..

Feb 27 (DM) Whoever the rulers were in previous govts, they used to print money once a year when they were unable to get loans, Mass Media Minister Bandula Gunawardana said. While addressing the media, he said previous govts took loans locally and internationally. "When the loans were not sufficient, they automatically turned to print money. Today we cannot get loans from any country, as we already announced that our country has gone bankrupt and cannot pay the loans," he said. more..

Feb 27 (Island) SJB mayoral candidate for the CMC Mujibur Rahuman denied Prez Wickremesinghe having asked him not to quit Parliament to contest the forthcoming LG polls. MP Rahuman resigned on 01 Jan. Former Colombo District MP said so in response to Prez’s recent claim that he advised MP Rahuman not to resign as the LG polls wouldn’t be held. Rahuman first entered Parliament, on the UNP ticket, more..

Feb 27 (FT) MP Patali Champika Ranawaka has written to the IMF seeking an explanation of the SL Govt’s recent decision to impose an electricity tariff hike. In the letter to the Resident Representative of the IMF Sarwat Jahan, Ranawaka questioned if the recent electricity tariffs were in line with the structural benchmarks of the IMF. Ranawaka noted that it was Prez Wickremesinghe who announced that the electricity tariff hike implemented from 15 was an IMF requirement. more..

Feb 27 (EN) Central Bank staff will strike on March 01 over steeply progressive taxes to boost state finances amid the worst currency crisis in post-independent history. CB Trade Union Alliance said it will join 40 other unions representing professionals. The unions have asked to amend the oppressive tax policy being implemented which have been declined by the govt. “Hence, an island-wide token strike will be in effect on 01st of March 2023 which is to be participated by the employees of the CB,” more..

Feb 27 (FT) MP Prof. Charitha Herath said Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe has no role in deciding the date on which an election is held and the sole authority rests with the National Election Commission. “Calling for an election at the legally defined time (which is mentioned in the constitution or the act) is the job of the Election Commission. They have done it and published the Gazette notification with the signatures of more..

Feb 27 (AD) The group of 62 individuals including IUSF convenor Wasantha Mudalige and 48 Buddhist monks, who were arrested in relation to forcibly entering the Ministry of Education premises recently have been granted bail. They have been ordered to be released on bail, after being produced before Kaduwela Magistrate’s Court today. A total of 62 protestors including 48 Buddhist monks and several other student activists, including the convenor of the IUSF, were arrested on Feb 23, more..

Feb 27 (SLN) The Indian Naval Ship (INS) Sukanya arrived at the Port of Colombo on an official visit this morning. The visiting ship was welcomed by the Sri Lanka Navy in compliance with naval traditions. INS Sukanya in a 101m long Offshore Patrol Vessel manned by 106 crew members. Meanwhile, the Commanding Officer of the ship Commander Pranav Anand called on the Commander Western Naval Area, Rear Admiral Suresh De Silva at the Western Naval Command Headquarters this morning. more..

Feb 27 (TM) SLPP General Secretary Attorney Sagara Kariyawasam denied claims made by SLPP dissident and FPA MP Prof. Channa Jayasumana that moves are afoot to replace PM Dinesh Gunawardana with former Prez Mahinda Rajapaksa, while Jayasumana said these were verified information and not mere speculation. On Saturday, Prof. Jayasumama, while addressing the media stated: “Our friends from the ruling party brought forth a proposal stating that there are more..

Feb 27 (AD) Human Rights Commission of SL (HRCSL) has informed the IGP to provide a report within 24 hours regarding the incident where the Police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse protestors at Union Place in Colombo yesterday, despite a court order not being issued preventing such protests. HRCSL said its attention has been directed towards the incident where around 28 persons were injured after police had fired tear gas and water cannons at a protest march more..

Feb 27 (TM) While handing over a petition to Prez Wickremesinghe, Northern Fishermen’s Associations yesterday gave a two-week ultimatum to Prez to resolve their issues with regard to the decision taken to permit small vessels of Indian Fishermen to fish in the Northern seas, failing which, the fishermen threatened to hold a massive protest in the Northern Province with the participation 2,000 fishermen more..

Feb 27 (CB) Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) is inviting bids for the media rights in the global market and a few Indian broadcast companies are in the race. SLC is hoping to open the bids on Wednesday (1) in Colombo, unless a late entrant joins the race and seeks extension. The rights are for the next four years - April 2023 to March 2027. Sony Sports, the current global rights holders, could be facing competition from Star Sports and digital player FanCode but what could make the bidding more..

Feb 27 (DM) SJB MP Mayatha Dissanayake has been pressurized by his party leadership to tender his resignation from the chairmanship of the Public Finance Committee, UNP General Secretary Palitha Range Bandara alleged today. Dissanayake was pressurized by the SJB leadership through another senior MP, Range Bandara told a media conference. "Leader of Opposition Sajith Premadasa initially wanted to prevent former Chairman of Finance Committee Dr. Harsha de Silva from more..

Feb 27 (AD) Court of Appeal has issued an interim order preventing the implementation of a gazette notification issued by Minister of Sports in relation to the regulation of activities of sports associations including Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), until the hearing of the writ petition filed by the SLC and several sports associations is concluded. The order was issued by the two-member appellate court bench consisting of more..

Feb 27 (AD) State Minister of Finance Ranjith Siyambalapitiya says that a circular is being prepared in relation to the import of certain cosmetics and beauty products to SL. He mentioned that the opportunity was granted to import certain cosmetic items once again, since there is a requirement for those items within SL. “But there must be control over it”, he added. State Minister Siyambalapitiya, who pointed out that they intend to import the cosmetics with the approval more..

Feb 27 (EN) Stocks fell after seven straight sessions on Monday as investors took a wait-and-see approach regarding the need for further clearance on the IMF loan after officials’ comments. ASPI fell 1.26%, or 117.24 points, to reach 9,198.63. On Feb 26, 2023, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said that a “new predictable and orderly” debt resolution process is needed for countries like Sri Lanka and Suriname, which are not covered by existing frameworks. more..

Feb 28 (DM) There are days when you wake up from a sound sleep. Then comes a day when you are woken up by something unexpected. Last week, I woke up suddenly to find my left arm numb – feeling pins and needles as they say from the elbow down. I rarely get that sensation, and it subsides quickly if it does happen. After a few minutes, though, I realised that something was wrong – my wrist and fingers were less agile. The hand wasn’t numb. Sensation of touch was there, but more..

Feb 28 (DM) In Sri Lanka, teenage pregnancy is lower than it is in most other developing countries, including South Asian countries. But there are noticeable differences within the island, depending on socio-economic factors, says Kumari Thoradeniya of the Dept of Sociology, Uni of Peradeniya. In her paper published in Modern SL Studies, Vol. XII, No. 01, 2021, Thoradeniya begins by saying that teenage pregnancies can be seen in every country in the world. more..

Feb 28 (SO) Minister Prasanna Ranatunga said when attempts are being made by the Govt to provide basic amenities to the people amid the economic crisis, we should consider whether conducting the LG election is necessary at this juncture. Minister said if there is a program to overcome the current economic crisis, assistance should be given to that program irrespective of political differences. more..

Feb 28 (DM) If the elections are held now, JVP-led NPP is the likely winner. However, none of the political parties would manage to secure a majority, according to an opinion poll by a local think tank. The findings of the Institute for Health Policy SL survey reveal that the JVP (32%) and the SJB (31%) are running neck-to-neck. The UNP is miles behind with 9%, and the SLPP has fallen to irrelevance with 8%. Pre-election polling data need to be taken with a pinch of salt. more..

Feb 28 (CT) Someone has asked me; I heard your interview given to Iraj in Sinhalese. Why are the Tamils of the North and East wanting to live separately from the Sinhalese? If you are not asking for separation what prevents you from living under a unitary constitution? My response was; Good question! I think it is necessary for me to explain the different legal concepts. A unitary state is a state governed as a single entity in which the Central Govt is the supreme authority. more..

Feb 28 (TM) NWSDB has finalised the percentages by which the water tariffs should be increased in parallel to the recently-increased electricity tariffs. The final decision on the new water tariffs had been taken at last week’s board meeting and the details about finalised tariffs have now been sent to the Ministry of Water Supply. Accordingly, NWSDB is likely to provide some relief for low-income consumers, especially those more..

Feb 28 (ST) Watching Sri Lanka politics unfold, it would surely go down in our 2500 year or more history as an unending comedy, had it not been so serious. Well certainly for the people of this country like no other who have been severely battered and bruised, if not in their stomachs in their heads with weapons of mass damage (WMD). What they heard in parliament last Thursday might have sounded hilarious after all these months of hardship when even a joke seemed too expensive. more..

Feb 28 (Island) One of the JVP activists who suffered injuries at the hands of the police during a protest against the postponement of the LG polls, in Colombo, on Sunday, has died in hospital. Our hearts go out to the family members of the deceased and all other victims. The police must be condemned unreservedly for having snuffed out a life. There is no way the govt can absolve itself of the blame for the tragic incident. It too deserves condemnation! The SLPP-UNP govt is a dead man walking; more..

Feb 28 (CT) Once a least expensive sources of protein and considered as a super food, eggs today are perceived as a luxury that only members of the upper class can afford. This is just another tragic outcome of the senseless decision made by the former president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, to outlaw chemical fertilisers. Since that time, Govt has been making rash decisions in an effort to clean up the mess the previous president caused. In the end, Govt opted to import eggs from India more..

Feb 28 (TM) Quoting political sources, report claimed that the appointment of new members for independent commissions is to take place this week. As per the report, calling for applications for these new appointments has been completed, while the consideration of the applications received is underway. A preliminary round of discussions with regard to the appointment of new members is scheduled to take place this week. It was also reported that thus far, over 1,600 applications more..

Feb 28 (ST) Norway Govt’s behemoth sovereign wealth fund has added four SL companies to its equity portfolio and divested two in 2022 in a challenging period when it increased the market value of its assets such as equities and fixed income, in Norwegian kroner terms. Govt Pension Fund Global, has prudently built up an enviable US$1.3 trillion assets base over the years, ensuring economic security of the country & its people. more..

Feb 28 (CT) Before talking about this proposal, I must first talk about the objections to this proposal. Vasudeva Nanayakkara mentioned the proposal that we first submitted to the office of the Leader of the Opposition. It contained the name of Victoria Nuland, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs of the US as well as stories of Indo-American military camps. There were many such details. They were afraid to include these. Parliament of Sri Lanka, what kind of a situation is this? more..

Feb 28 (ST) Recent media reports make painful reading. First, there was the draft of an amended Sports Law which is being presented for cabinet approval. None of the National Sports Associations (NSAs) were consulted, let alone the NOC. Next we had the appointment of a Select Committee to undertake drafting of a new constitution for Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC). Check the faceboor post of Nov 28, 2022 by Charitha Senanayake, now a member of this venerable committee. more..

Feb 28 (DM) Expolanka Holdings said it acquired a 100 percent stake in the US-based Trans American Customhouse Brokers LLC and its related companies (Trans American Group), for US $ 42.5 million. “… EFL Global LLC (EFL USA), a fully-owned subsidiary of Expolanka Holdings PLC (Expolanka), has acquired 100 percent equity interest of Trans American Customhouse Brokers LLC and its related companies (Trans American Group), on Feb 24, 2023, for a purchase more..

Feb 28 (FT) Commercial Bank of Ceylon Group said it has ended 2022 with a solid operational performance, having navigated the perfect storm with a series of forward-looking strategies that included making the highest-ever impairment provision in a year in the history of the institution. In a period of unprecedented macroeconomic variables, the Group comprising of SL’s biggest private sector bank, its subsidiaries and an associate, saw its assets grow by Rs. 516 b more..

Feb 28 (FT) Bar Council of the Bar Association of SL (BASL) yesterday unanimously resolved to express its grave concern regarding the speech made by Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe in Parliament on 23 Feb 2023, where he referred to its President Saliya Pieris PC as a political lawyer. Pieris was appearing for the National Elections Commission in the SC in a case connected with the conduct of LG elections. more..

Feb 28 (Island) 75% of the Research and Development (R&D) work of the global cloud enterprise software company, IFS, is being done in Colombo and its SL operations are incredibly robust, IFS CEO Darren Roos said. “Over the past five years, our employee base in SL has almost tripled since 2017 to over 5000 and it will further increase by around 400 this year. We will also continue to invest in our business in SL, Rood said recently at a function held at Shangri La, Colombo to more..

Feb 28 (FT) Delmege Forsyth & Co. Ltd, launched its newest product to its ever-increasing portfolio in the form of a range of high-quality LED bulbs. The acronym LED is derived from Light Emitting Diodes which is known to produce a light with an electrical current passing through a microchip. The significance of the LED bulb is the efficiency it displays which is up to 90% or more than the incandescent light bulbs. Delmege Lifestyle Cluster Products COO Prashanth Senarath said: more..