Feb 5 (DN) His Eminence Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith has called on the Prez and the govt to immediately repeal the current constitution and introduce a new one to dismantle the existing corrupt system and establish true freedom in the country. He emphasized that the unchecked power granted under the Presidential Constitution has been exploited by leaders, paving the way for a dictatorial system. This misuse of power, he stated, more..

Feb 5 (TM) Law enforcement authorities are investigating food or chemical including gas toxicity as the cause of death following a British woman and a German woman dying after staying at a hostel in Kollupitiya, while another German national is still undergoing treatment at hospital. Police are currently awaiting the post-mortem examination results in order to determine the cause of death. “We don’t know if it is food that they have taken from the hostel or food that they have brought more..

Feb 5 (FT) Court of Appeal on Monday issued an interim order staying the appointment of a provisional Basnayake Nilame to the Sabaragamuwa Maha Saman Dewalaya until the 23 May 2025. This was when the Writ Application filed by members of the Basnayake Nilame Association challenging the appointment of a provisional Basnayake Nilame to the Sabaragamuwa Maha Saman Dewalaya was taken up before the Acting President of the Court of Appeal, more..

Feb 5 (EN) SL’s City of Dreams casino to be operated by Melco Resorts and Entertainment is expected to open in the third quarter of the 2025 calendar year, John Keells Holdings. The casino, and a Nuwa branded high end hotel is part of an integrated resort that is now being completed. Fit-out works of the 113-key Nuwa hotel and gaming operations are progressing well, JKH said. A 687-key Cinnamon Life hotel, restaurants and banquet facilities started operations on 15 Oct 2024. more..

Feb 5 (DN) As SL celebrates its 77th Independence Day, several nations and global leaders have extended their heartfelt congratulations, reaffirming their commitment to strengthening diplomatic ties and cooperation with SL. The US, a long-standing partner of SL, conveyed its greetings through Secretary of State Marco Rubio. He emphasised the enduring partnership between the two countries, built on shared democratic values and strong people-to-people connections. more..

Feb 5 (EN) Attorney-General has released three key suspects in the long-running assassination case of high-profile editor Lasantha Wickrematunge, according to documents in a move that has stunned those who were seeking justice. AG Parinda Ranasinghe has ordered the discharge of Premanand Udalagama, a former military intelligence officer, and Prasanna Nanayakkara, the then-DIG of area, who had been remanded more..

Feb 5 (AD) Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) officials confirm that the container congestion at the port has been largely resolved, though not entirely eliminated. An SLPA official said that the situation has improved considerably, easing the disruptions that previously affected port operations. Meanwhile, the Secretary of the Lanka Wharf Services Association, Irshad Niyaz expressed that a solution to the issue had been implemented following an intensive four-day and night operation. more..

Feb 5 (DM) A 32-year-old SL businesswoman was arrested yesterday by the Airport Police Narcotics Bureau officials for attempting to smuggle in a consignment of 262 electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) valued at Rs. 39.3 million into the country. The arrest took place as she was attempting to take the stock of e-cigarettes out of the BIA. The woman, a resident of Dematagoda, arrived on Malaysia Airlines flight from Kuala Lumpur at 2.35 a.m. Police officers found the 262 e-cigarettes, more..

Feb 5 (DN) Rather than reflecting on the past, we will celebrate this Independence Day by embracing the future, Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake said, speaking at the 77th National Independence Day celebrations held at Independence Square yesterday. “As humans living on this planet, our undeniable responsibility is to transform this world into a place of higher humanity. It is equally important to provide space for more..

Feb 5 (FT) And so the deadly Dengue Season, not to mention the onset of the paralysing Chikungunya [read D/Mirror Headlines of 4 Feb Rise in Chikungunya cases; highest number of infections reported.] is amidst us – killing and maiming thousands. Malaria too would be striking its customary areas of the island – killing people like us. Whilst numerous steps have been taken to minimise these deadly mosquito attacks, it still appears to be a losing battle. More and more of our citizens more..

Feb 5 (FT) There are a few things that all citizens of Sri Lanka can agree on. This includes the fact that traffic congestion is impeding our life, that water/waste management in Sri Lanka is severely inefficient, that Govt offices are cumbersome and time-consuming and that fraud/corruption is inevitable. Our cities have high wastage, using public transportation is time-consuming, and there is often no order in our systems. This is why Sri Lanka needs smart cities. more..

Feb 5 (DM) The Cabinet has approved awarding the contract for repairing CFM 56-5B engines of SriLankan Airlines to Lufthansa Technik (LHT)/Hamburg for four years. CFM56-5B engines, typically found on Airbus A320 aircraft operated by SriLankan Airlines, will undergo repair and maintenance. International competitive bids were called, with seven bids received for the contract. Following recommendations from the Technical Evaluation Committee and more..

Feb 5 (EN) Cabinet has approved the import of chilled and dried kernel chips equal to 200 million coconuts to fill a shortfall in the domestic crop, Minister Nalinda Jayatissa said. “According to the guidelines and the requests of the industry personnel, a capacity equal to 200 million coconuts of coconut kernel related products and dried kernels (non-copra) import, for oil manufacturing has been approved by the cabinet of ministers”, the minister said. SL’s coconut processing industry more..

Feb 5 (FT) Austrian writer and Nobel Laureate Elfriede Jelinek’s magnum opus, The Children of the Dead, unfolds in the Austrian mountain resort, Alpenrose. Amongst the inn’s guests are three zombies, seeking ways to return to life. A fellow guest recognises one of the zombies as a man who died recently, but decides to say or do nothing about this knowledge: “One can’t just blurt out, aren’t you dead, more..

Feb 5 (AD) UN Resident Coordinator in SL, Mr. Marc-Andre Franche, has paid a courtesy call on PM Dr. Harini Amarasuriya at Temple Trees. The meeting on Tuesday served as a platform to discuss SL’s development priorities and the ongoing collaboration between the UN and the SL govt in key sectors. UN Resident Coordinator extended his congratulations on SL’s Independence Day and commended the govt’s efforts in addressing poverty alleviation, digitalization, and the Clean SL more..

Feb 5 (DM) Amid the current economic situation in the country, the govt has decided not to import vehicles for Ministers. Instead, the Ministers will arrange their own transport based on the facilities available in their respective electoral seats and districts. Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa said. He reaffirmed that, in line with the NPP policy, no vehicle permits will be granted to Ministers. However, a govt-provided vehicle will be allocated to each Minister strictly for official duties more..

Feb 5 (CI) Dimuth Karunaratne looks back on his career as he prepares to play his 100th and final Test. Q: You made your debut in Galle as well. What are your memories of that match? A: I was shocked when I heard I was coming into the national squad. But what everyone said was that staying in the team is much harder than getting into the team. I went to the middle with so many expectations, I got out for a duck 1st innings. more..

Feb 5 (CI) Ramesh Mendis has been added to SL's squad for the 2nd Test against Australia, while seamer Vishwa Fernando and top-order batter Lahiru Udara have been released from what had been an 18-member squad. SL team manager Mahinda Halangoda confirmed the changes, and said Ramesh had joined the squad on Monday. Ramesh had been dropped both from the Test XI, and later from the squad entirely, on account of what SL's team management believed to be more..

Feb 5 (AD) A vehicle dealer has been arrested on charges of aiding and abetting corruption by unlawfully importing a Toyota Land Cruiser into the country and illegally registering it with the Department of Motor Traffic (DMT). The investigation into the luxury vehicle was conducted by the CIABOC in connection with its probe into vehicles registered with the DMT without clearance from SL Customs. The suspect, a vehicle dealer residing in Moronthuduwa, was arrested on Feb 3 by more..

Feb 5 (NW) Controversial Jaffna District MP Archchuna Ramanathan was involved in another heated exchange in Parliament today, alleging he was being denied the opportunity to speak. “I can’t speak (for) 77 days in this Parliament,” he said, after the Speaker instructed him to read only the contents of a document he had tabled. Ramanathan said that his rights were impeded after being stopped by Anuradhapura Police on January 20 and unable to produce an official parliamentary ID. more..

Feb 5 (DM) The quality failures of drugs reported in the 2024 was comparatively lower than the quality failures recorded in the 2023. A total of 87 quality failures of drugs were recorded in 2024 the majority of which involved drugs imported from India. Of the drugs that have failed quality tests, approximately 47 were manufactured in India, while 12 drugs were locally produced and the others had originated from countries such as China, Kenya, Pakistan, Japan and Bangladesh etc. more..

Feb 5 (AD) Cabinet has greenlighted the supplying of additional staff required for accelerating the printing of passports. Minister Nalinda Jayatissa stated that as per the recommendations of the experts’ committee appointed by the Cabinet to submit recommendations on the actions to be taken for circumventing the shortage of passports, the procurement process has already been started d to supply 1,100,000 empty passports more..

Feb 5 (NW) Minister Nalinda Jayathissa said that the government is looking into the Attorney General’s recommendation to release three suspects in the assassination of journalist Lasantha Wickrematunge. “The govt has no intention of sweeping this under the carpet. We have no intention to set the guilty free. The govt will take some time to study this matter and we will do justice by the citizens of this country. We will not dishonour the people’s mandate,” Jayathissa said. more..

Feb 5 (DM) Authorities suspect toxic gas exposure in the deaths of two foreign guests at a Colombo city hostel, prompting an urgent investigation. Meanwhile, the Fort Magistrate’s Court has ordered the closure of the Miracle Colombo City Hostel in Colombo 3 following the mysterious deaths of two foreign guests. A 24-year-old British woman died after being admitted to the hospital on Feb 3, while a 26-year-old German woman, who was also hospitalized, succumbed to a similar illness more..

Feb 5 (CI) "The wicket was very good last time. I'm hoping it will turn more in this match." When a SL captain says this in Galle on the eve of a Test, there might be a dustbowl in the offing. What is clear is that the surface SL and Australia are set to play the second Test on appears substantially drier than the track they played the first match on. Partly, this is down to bright conditions in the lead-up. Where the days before the first Test more..

Feb 5 (EN) Cabinet has cleared signing new agreements with the Japan International Co-operation Agency after loans were restructured, Minister Nalida Jayatissa said. There will be an exchange of notes with the Govt of Japan and new loan agreements with JICA. On June 2024, SL signed a MOU with official creditor committee. Agreement will be signed with the JICA and SL Airport Aviation Service Ltd for a loan to the airport. Sri Lanka restructured bilateral loans and more..

Feb 5 (DM) SL’s Ishadi Amanda who won first runner-up at the recently concluded Mrs. World 2024 pageant in Las Vegas spoke about the challenges she had to overcome along her journey to win the coveted title at a media briefing held yesterday following her arrival in the country. Amanda spoke about her roots and appreciated the support extended by her family. “Even though I was born in SL I was raised in France. But I haven’t forgotten the SL culture thanks to my parents. more..

Feb 5 (AD) SL cricketing legend Lasith Malinga has urged fans to rally behind former Test captain Dimuth Karunaratne as he prepares to play his final Test match tomorrow. In a heartfelt video shared on his official Facebook page, Malinga called on cricket fans to fill the Galle Stadium and give Karunaratne a fitting farewell during SL’s second and final Test against Australia, which starts tomorrow. “I request everyone who loves the game to go and watch the final Test match. more..

Feb 5 (DM) Liquid Cocaine or cocaine in the form of a liquid basis was seized for the first time in the country’s history by SL Customs yesterday. The package had been sent from the UK to a local addressee. The liquid cocaine found in a 500ml energy drink bottle is valued at Rs.13 million. SL Customs Narcotic Control Unit officials made the detection at the Colombo Cargo Courier yard, where they examined an unaccompanied personal baggage (UPB) sent to an addressee more..

Feb 5 (EN) Sri Lanka has increased its Navy raids, monitoring, and arrests of Indian fishermen in the island nation’s waters in the Northern sea to prevent illegal encroachment, minister Nalinda Jayatissa said. His statement comes a week after India’s strong condemnation over shooting of its two fishermen by SL Navy, which later said the incident was due to a misfiring. “This has been a dragging issue for a long time, more..

Feb 5 (NW) Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa chaired a key discussion today with opposition party leaders to discuss coordinating future political activities and parliamentary affairs. During the meeting Premadasa stressed on the need for a united opposition to strengthen Parliament, support beneficial govt initiatives, and oppose harmful policies. The primary objective of the meeting was to reach a consensus on collective action both inside and outside Parliament. more..

Feb 5 (SLN) The Italian Naval Ship Antonio Marceglia arrived at the port of Colombo on a replenishment visit this morning. The visiting ship was welcomed by the SL Navy in compliance with naval traditions. Antonio Marceglia is a 144m - long frigate commanded by Commander Alberto Bartolomeo. In addition, the ship is manned by a crew of 199. During the ship’s stay in the island its crew is expected to explore some interesting tourist destinations in Colombo and Galle. more..

Feb 5 (AD) The govt has officially announced the prices at which the Paddy Marketing Board (PMB) will purchase paddy from farmers, in a special media briefing held today. The announcement was made by Minister of Agriculture K.D. Lal Kantha and Deputy Minister Namal Karunaratne, who outlined the revised procurement rates. Minister said that the rates were decided after evaluating rice market trends and more..

Feb 5 (CT) The Clean Western Province campaign was launched on Monday (3) under the leadership of Western Province Governor Hanif Yusuf. It marked a significant step in the broader Clean Sri Lanka initiative. The programme began with an extensive clean-up drive at the Malabe Public Bus Stand and its surrounding areas, setting the tone for a week-long environmental effort across the province. Running from 3 Feb to 9 Feb, this initiative brings together govt institutions more..

Feb 5 (AD) Colombo High Court has issued a notice on SLPP MP Namal Rajapaksa to appear before court on Feb 18 over charges of criminal misappropriation of Rs. 70 million in connection with the controversial Krrish project. After considering the indictments filed by the Attorney General, Colombo High Court Judge Manjula Thilakaratne ordered the issuance of notice on the MP. The AG recently filed indictments against MP while the indictments were forwarded to the Colombo High Court, more..