Apr 11 (CT) The Colombo Port City Economic Commission Bill is framed in such a way that it would act as a marketing tool to attract investors, stated Presidents’ Counsel Nihal Jayawardena. Port City was initially designed to be a financial centre, but with the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) to come within the Port City, it would feature wide range of business in service sector, noted Jayawardena speaking at a webinar organised by Veemansa initiative. He added more..

Apr 11 (ST) SL Govt in 2014 paid US$ 6.5mn through its Central Bank to an American businessman, who was a CIA mole, to buy influence and fix its image in the US, an investigative report in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) now reveals, following his sentencing for 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to tax evasion, foreign-influence peddling and campaign finance violations. Imaad Zuberi had been a mole for the CIA, more..

Apr 11 (JDS) Freelance photojournalist and political activist Malika Abeykoon told court that police had fabricated medical evidence when they produced him after a night of brutal torture in custody. In recent months SL has seen an upsurge in intimidation against Tamil journalists in particular, which now seems to have reached the south as well. Malika Abeykoon was arrested on Wednesday (7) while covering a health workers’ protest in the capital. His arrest drew int'l condemnation more..

Apr 11 (TM) Ambika Satkunanathan, former commissioner of the Human Rights Commission of SL (HRCSL) has filed a Fundamental Rights petition before the Supreme Court yesterday (9), challenging the new deradicalisation regulations under the PTA. Satkunanathan said that her petition states that the regulations contain vague terms that lend themselves to over-broad applications, amount to a continuing and imminent violation of Articles, 10, 12, 13 and 14 of the Constitution. more..

Apr 11 (ST) This year’s national New Year will be celebrated with extreme caution warnings coming from health authorities, police, the CAA and even meteorologists. The public has been asked to strictly obey health guidelines as COVID outbreaks are still occurring in the country. Ministry of Health’s Chief Epidemiologist, Dr. Sudath Samaraweera, said health authorities have permitted only low-key celebrations, more..

Apr 11 (MFA) Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena met the Colombo-based senior diplomatic representation of the EU on Friday, at the Foreign Ministry, and apprised them on political and economic developments in SL. The Minister updated the envoys of ongoing processes, including the constitutional reform process, the strengthening of democratic institutions, and on progress related to the implementation of reconciliation mechanisms, among other issues. more..

Apr 11 (TL) Leaders of eleven parties of the ruling govt coalition have agreed to meet PM Mahinda Rajapaksa and make a decision on the upcoming provincial council election. The party leaders met at the SLFP hq yesterday (8) under the patronage of former Prez Sirisena. The meeting between the party leaders and the PM is scheduled to be held on April 19 at 10 a.m. SLFP General Secretary State Minister Dayasiri Jayasekera, NFF leader Minister Wimal Weerawansa, Vasudeva more..

Apr 11 (Island) In the backdrop of a top official of Sri Lanka’s key standards body coming under heavy flak over her controversial claim that several other consumer commodities also contain toxic substances, public apprehension has shifted to many other products in the market following a wave of fear triggered over cancer-causing free radicals in foodstuffs, industry players said. Trade Ministry has already initiated a disciplinary inquiry into more..

Apr 11 (ST) Fifteen more commonly-used plastic items will soon be banned, the Ministry of Environment said — days after sachet packets, inflatable toys and cotton buds with plastic stems were prohibited. Two more lists are being compiled for gazetting, a ministry source said, adding that the regulation was aimed at healthier consumerism. He declined to name the items. From March 31 this year, SL has prohibited the use of sachets containing 20ml or 20g and below more..

Apr 11 (SLA) The new contingent of 243 Army personnel of the Combat Convoy Company (CCC) of the SL Army, set to leave for Mali to serve in the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission (MINUSMA) this morning (8) presented a formal military salute to the Chief of Defence Staff and Commander of the Army, General Shavendra Silva at the Institute of Peace Support Operations Training SL (IPSOTSL) at Kukuleganga. CCC, comprised of 20 Officers and 223 Other Ranks more..

Apr 11 (ST) The national New Year dawns in just two days, the second under a COVID-19 pandemic, and the SLPNS govt, now 17 months in office, is plunging catastrophically from one crisis to another. At first, it was not entirely the Govt’s fault. The economy received a devastating blow from COVID-19. Businesses, both big and small, were hit triggering large scale unemployment. Bigger ones received relief packages & not the others. more..

Apr 12 (DM) Three significant events come together in the month of April. The first is the second anniversary of the 2019 Easter Sunday suicide bombing, which killed more than 250 people at three Churches and tourist hotels in Colombo and Batticaloa. The second is the Sinhala-Tamil New Year festival and last, but not least, the World Health Day, which fell on April 7. In 1950, the WHO recognised April 7, as World Health Day. A celebration to focus worldwide attention on more..

Apr 12 (TM) Sri Lankans will be looking forward to celebrating the Sinhala and Tamil New Year this week, having been deprived of the opportunity last year due to the Covid-19 lockdown. It is quite obvious that a sense of complacency has set in as far as the Covid mitigatory measures are concerned, with people being fatigued by the extraordinary measures that have been in place for over a year now. The danger of letting the guard down, especially during this festive season when more..

Apr 12 (TM) Justice Minister Ali Sabry explained the legal reforms that are taking place in the country, the process of digitising court proceedings, and the measures that have been taken to help clear the backlog of cases pending in several courts across the island, among several other issues. The Minister also spoke about the implementation of the recommendations of the PCoI into the Easter Sunday attacks and more..

Apr 12 (DM) The govt has obtained the Attorney General’s approval for the proscription of 11 Islamic organisations, some of which carry the Thowheed label associated with Wahhabism, an ideology that is accused of promoting extremism. The proposed proscription raises, on the one hand, questions about the right to freedom of association, and, on the other, it is seen as a damning indictment on the Islamic leadership in Sri Lanka. It also raises another question: Why only Muslim groups? more..

Apr 12 (TM) In the wake of harrowing evidence being found concerning carcinogens known as aflatoxins being detected in imported coconut oil, the topic of food safety has come back into the limelight. Not long after the coconut oil issue had made headlines, a large stock of dhal unsuitable for consumption, which had also contained aflatoxins, was discovered in a co-operative food store in Weligama during an inspection conducted at the premises. more..

Apr 12 (CT) To attract foreign investors to Sri Lanka, the first thing is to offer a panel of key business people in this country, who can partner international business, a former Member of the European Parliament and member of the Board of Directors of several leading listed companies in Sri Lanka Niranjan Joseph De Silva Deva Aditya, told Ceylon FT. He said that, Sri Lanka will only develop through Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). more..

Apr 12 (CT) Violence is escalating in Myanmar as the Junta tries to bring anti-coup demonstrators to heel. The people of Myanmar have shown relentless courage in the face of authoritarian might before and have shown their mettle once again following the undemocratic coup launched by the military on 1 Feb. Many protestors die in street skirmishes with the Tatmadaw (As the Junta is called in Myanmar) every day, while celebrities, political dissenters and even social media influencers are summarily more..

Apr 12 (SO) Parliament sittings were adjourned for several minutes on Thursday (8) following a heated exchange of words between Govt and Opposition lawmakers over the decision on unseating of SJB MP Ranjan Ramanayake. Opposition MPs were seen wearing black bands to protest against the Speaker’s decision. Later, a tense situation erupted in Parliament during a heated argument between SJB MP Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka and Minister Chamal Rajapaksa. more..

Apr 12 (ST) Technically, Pushpika de Silva, the woman at the centre of last Sunday’s Mrs. Lanka hullabaloo, is correct in maintaining that she is a married woman as no competent court has yet put asunder what her marital vows had once enjoined. The filing of divorce papers in court does not change one’s marital status, though it may signal one’s change of heart. In fact, so scrupulously do the courts view the institution of marriage as sacred that it refuses to accept that a marriage has more..

Apr 15 (ST) When the head of SL’s Catholic Church asks in entirely inappropriate language as to whether Maithripala Sirisena, a former President of SL is wearing clothes when making statements regarding his responsibility as Head of State when Islamist jihadists struck on Easter Sunday in 2019, the good Cardinal must be apprised of several home truths. First, state failures and investigations therein into how and why these attacks took place do not happen in a vacuum. more..

Apr 12 (TM) Concerns have been raised over attempts made by the CEB to purchase three private power plants (PPPs) that have been supplying emergency power for more than a decade, after the Cabinet last year declined a proposal made to extend the power purchasing agreements (PPAs) of those three power plants. The proposal was to extend the PPAs of Ace Power Matara, Ace Power Embilipitiya, and Asia Power Sapugaskanda, more..

Apr 12 (Island) A few months after the SLFP-led United Front Alliance headed by Mrs. Sirima Bandaranaike was elected in 1970, information started trickling in that the JVP was planning an uprising against the govt. Cells were formed island-wide and clandestine indoctrination classes conducted by trained cadres. Simultaneously there was a spate of bank robberies and thefts of guns from households were reported to the police from all parts of the island. more..

Apr 12 (Island) Rich nations make a show of their commitment to defending human rights in the world. They harangue their developing counterparts, at every turn, about the need to protect human rights, and even threaten to meet non-compliance with punitive actions such as sanctions. They, however, do not seem keen to promote and protect humans’ right to vaccination vis-a-vis the prevailing global health emergency. The only way to safeguard this right is to ensure an equitable distribution of more..

Apr 12 (Island) The SLPP yesterday strongly denied reports that a section of the ruling party coalition, led by the SLFP, was on a collision course with it. Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage insisted that in spite of some minor disagreements among coalition members there was absolutely no threat to the govt. MP accused the bankrupt Opposition, that was struggling both in and outside Parliament of propagating lies. more..

Apr 12 (SO) Sri Lanka will have positive news on contingency funding soon as discussions on swap arrangements with regional partners are in progress, said CB Governor Prof. W.D. Lakshman. He was addressing the media on the monetary policy stance of the bank last week. “Negotiations on contingency funding is in progress with certain regional countries and the latest is with partners in the Middle East,” the Governor said. The Central Bank and the Govt continue to engage with investment and more..

Apr 12 (ST) The rapid depreciation of the rupee and an anticipated ballooning of the country’s oil import bill, have forced Sri Lanka for the first time to secure Govt-Govt (G-to-G) agreements with several oil-producing nations–including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, UAE and Russia— on long-term credit. CPC Chairman Sumith Wijesinghe said the discussions with the embassies of these countries were started amid indications that SL’s fuel bill would rise even further in the future. more..

Apr 12 (ST) The Cricket Committee headed by Aravinda de Silva is planning sweeping changes to make the game’s structure more professional. Priorities include revamping the domestic set-up to give more weightage to the provincial tournament; introducing a new model for the Lanka Premier League (LPL); revamping the coaching human resource structure; and improving the standard of local coaches, umpires and more..

Apr 12 (CT) Unbeaten NCC emerged champions of the SLC Major Club Limited Overs Cricket Tournament 2020/21, when they beat Ragama CC by 146 runs in the final played at SSC yesterday. Electing to bat after winning the toss, NCC scored 286 runs for 7 wickets in 50 overs. Kamil Mishara scored his third ton this season when the left hander scored 113 runs in 132 balls with 9 boundaries. Kaveen Bandara (65) and Angelo Perera (61) with half centuries boosted the score. more..

Apr 12 (ST) Valuable archaeological artefacts, including three inscriptions, two dagobas and several other antiques in the Eastern Province have been stolen by treasure hunters. The destruction took place in Dharampalawa in the Bakmitiyawa Thiorigolla area belonging to the Pottuvil Divisional Secretariat. According to the inscriptions this temple and a tank were developed by the kings Kutakanna Tissa, Kanikatissa and Bhatikhabhaya. It is revealed that the chaitya (shrine sanctuary) more..

Apr 12 (ST) The recent use of the Vagrants Ordinance against four women for idling at night caused a social media backlash against police for targeting women who are on the streets during late hours. But police do not apply the Vagrants Ordinance against women in general, a spokesman insisted, and the four arrests recently made were of sex workers. The legislation permits police to arrest sex workers. more..

Apr 12 (SO) An intellectual anti-doping crusader in SL is planning to do what no pundit or purist has succeeded in to make the country’s corruption-ridden cricket administration a cleaned-up entity within a month. Claiming to see himself only as a messiah on a mission, Professor Arjuna de Silva has become the instant head of cricket’s governing body as more questions have been raised over financial misdeeds running into millions in dollars like never before. He entered the fray last Monday as more..

Apr 12 (DM) Police launched an investigation to locate the driver of a car after a widespread video circulating on social media showing a group of men commuting in a car in a highly reckless manner on the Expressway. Police Spokesman DIG Ajith Rohana said the police have identified that the vehicle was registered under a name of a certain individual from Kandy. However, investigation is underway to determine whether the vehicle does belong to the registered owner to another. more..

Apr 12 (PMD) The Ministerial Consultative Committee on Defence met under the patronage of Prez Rajapaksa at the Parliamentary Complex today (8). This is the inaugural meeting of the Consultative Committee after the election of the current Parliament. The President chaired the meeting in his capacity as the Minister in charge of the subject who is usually the Chairman of the Committee. more..

Apr 12 (ST) The Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) is fixing coverage and service quality on the voice in mobile telephone sector while enacting related laws to be in line with international best practices and gearing for number portability by year end. The TRCSL is currently at the technical planning stage and preparing the required legal frameworks for number portability, Oshada Senanayake, Director General TRCSL told the Business Times on Wednesday. more..

Apr 12 (FT) Two COVID-19 positive persons died yesterday and 598 COVID-19-related deaths have occurred in the country to date. A 60-year-old individual from Puttalam was transferred from the Puttalam District General Hospital to the Maharagama Apeksha Hospital, before being admitted to the Homagama Base Hospital. He died of COVID pneumonia, blood poisoning and cancer at the Homagama Base Hospital yesterday. An individual from Baddegama tested positive more..

Apr 12 (AD) Leading Aircraftman Roshan Abeysundara of SL Air Force (SLAF) says that set a new Asian record by swimming 59.3 kilometers across the Palk Strait in just 28 hours, 19 minutes, and 43 seconds. Early morning on Saturday (10), Abeysundara kicked off his record-breaking mission from the Talaimannar beach in Mannar. He had been presented with a thermal swimming kit which would assist during his record-breaking attempt, more..

Apr 12 (SLN) The Navy-constructed Lankagama Nilwella Bridge was ceremonially declared open on 10th April. The opening ceremony was held under the patronage of the Governor of Southern Province, Dr. Willy Gamage and with the attendance of Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral Nishantha Ulugetenne. The new bridge connects the villages of Lankagama and Nilwella of Neluwa in the Southern Province. Going in line with the National Policy Framework - Vistas of Prosperity & Splendour more..

Apr 12 (FT) A 3-day exploration and goodwill visit to the Eastern Province by Senior Buddhist religious leaders, Christian priests and Muslim religious leaders, facilitated by the Zam Zam Foundation, took place from 7-9 April, covering Pottuvil, Kattankudy & Batticaloa. Programs were coordinated through Amarapura and Ramanna Nikaya Samagri Sangha Sabhawa and Kattankudy Mosques and Islamic Institutions Federation. The delegation visited the Muhudu Maha Viharaya more..