Feb 13 (ST) For Denuka Weerakkody, a mother of three, online tuition classes and online school sessions due to pandemic closures have become a costly affair, despite sending her three children to government schools. From Rawatawatte, Moratuwa, her children, in grade 6, grade 9 and the eldest, an Ordinary Level exam candidate this year, all are at home studying online because WP schools are closed more..

Feb 13 (Island) Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella had endangered the health of a large number of students by holding a tree planting ceremony at Kengalla Maha Vidyalaya, Kandy, where a number of students and teachers had tested positive for the coronavirus, General Secretary of the CTU Joseph Stalin said. Stalin said that despite the detection of COVID-19 patients, Minister had organised the ceremony and that 150 guests had attended it. more..

Feb 13 (DN) The govt restricted the importation of certain goods not to pressure people, but to allow local industries to flourish, State Minister Shehan Semasinghe said. He was participating in the debate on three regulations under the Imports and Exports (Control) Act. In reply to a Point of Order raised by the Opposition, State Minister Semasinghe said that the revocation of the Extraordinary Gazette Notification issued by the Minister of Finance allowing importation of tiles & bathroom kits more..

Feb 13 (ST) Construction of condominium apartments and houses has come to virtual standstill with the govt deciding to continue restrictions on imports of tiles and sanitary ware. An attempt by the Finance Ministry to provide relief this week was overturned on Wednesday when the Import and Export Control Dept issued a directive suspending the ministry decision to resume imports. Companies that had planned to resume imports of tiles more..

Feb 13 (DM) SL's first power plant to generate electricity using garbage and other bio mass set up at Kerawalapitiya at Hendala, Wattala will be added to the national grid next Wednesday Minister Dullas Alahapperuma said. Addressing an event he said the plant will be vasted to the public by PM Mahinda Rajapaksa. While waste is posing a big headache to people of the whole island, the Ministry had decided to add economic value to it with a sustainable solution and to generate electricity. more..

Feb 13 (DN) A stock of obsolete medical equipment worth nearly Rs. 10 million was found in a warehouse on Gothami Road in Borella yesterday in a raid carried out by the Drug Regulatory Authority and the Police. The raid was carried out on a tip off received from the Western Provincial Intelligence Division that a stock of expired medical equipment had been imported into the country. The detection was made while the equipment was labeled for reuse. Preliminary investigations revealed more..

Feb 14 (CT) PM Mahinda Rajapaksa who made the surprising call for the govt cancelling the ECT deal with India and Japan, has made another surprising and really a gallant announcement giving the green light for allowing burials for Muslim and Christian victims of Covid-19. If the Ministry of Health has been caught unawares by the PM’s statement in parliament, well, they had better get used to it. But no sooner had the govt appeared to have cremated the burial issue than Cardinal Malcom Ranjith more..

Feb 14 (CT) Someone asked me: Hon’ Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam has used the word Genocide in Parliament yesterday. Both Govt and Opposition MPs objected to such a strong word being used. As a Lawyer, Law Lecturer, Judge and Politician what have you to say? My response was: Due to logistical reasons I could not attend Parliament yesterday. Otherwise I would certainly have supported young Gajendrakumar, whose father was my contemporary at Royal. more..

Feb 14 (SO) The Govt should not permit religious functionaries to cross over to the political space, said Dr. Rohan Gunaratna, in an exclusive interview with the Sunday Observer. Dr Gunaratna is an Honorary Professor at the Sir John Kotalawala Defence University and Senior Advisor to its Department of Defence and Strategic Studies. Here he speaks about some current issues in Sri Lanka. Q: Born Again is a hot topic in SL these days. more..

Feb 14 (TM) It is a well-known fact that whenever a party in power finds itself in a spot of bother, a guaranteed method of survival is to buy time by appointing a commission of inquiry. Ask Ranil Wickremesinghe. The relevant provision for this political manoeuvre has been in the statute books ever since the time of Independence in 1948, under the Commission of Inquiry Act which has been resorted to at regular intervals for a variety of reasons by almost every leader since. more..

Feb 14 (SO) A UN member state is being accused of committing war crimes, crimes against humanity and even genocide. SL has been the victim of an annual witch hunt sponsored by blood-money for 12 years. All these allegations have credibility if and only if they can prove SL intentionally killed 40,000 and the deaths are disproportionate to the military advantage legally accepted in a non-int'l armed battle. SL has given Geneva 12 years to come out with the basic requirement of 40,000 dead names. more..

Feb 14 (SO) Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena said that the UN Human Rights Commissioner Michelle Bachelet’s report does not reflect the reality on the true ground situation in SL and it has not properly studied the progress that has been made. Minister said he could not understand as to why these allegations are made without studying the ground realities. He said the Govt has already responded and further explained more..

Feb 14 (SO) Leaders of 12 political parties met at Minister Wimal Weerawansa’s residence in Colombo on Thursday (11), to discuss the current political situation and common issues affecting the public. At the meeting, a collective decision had been made to support the Govt and to meet Prez Rajapaksa and PM Rajapaksa and discuss how the Govt’s policies should be taken forward. It was also decided to protect the image of the Govt, Prez Rajapaksa and PM Rajapaksa, and go forward together more..

Feb 14 (SO) “The world needs to prepare for pandemics in the same serious way it prepares for war. This should absolutely be a priority. There's no need to panic. We don't have to hoard cans of spaghetti or go down to the basement. But we need to get going because time is not on our side. In fact, if there's one positive thing that can come out of the Ebola epidemic, it's that it can serve as an early warning, a wake-up call. If we start now, we can be ready for the next pandemic.” more..

Feb 14 (TM) Ceylon Bee Honey (Pvt) Ltd opened what is said to be SL’s first-ever dedicated bee honey shop at the Narahenpita Economic Centre yesterday (11). Speaking to The Morning Brunch, one of the consultants of the group, Sathritra Yapa, commented on the concept behind Ceylon Bee Honey: “We started Ceylon Bee Honey a couple of years ago. The honey comes from the Bee Resource Protection Group that was established in 2006.” They work with over 100 bee farmers more..

Feb 14 (Island) Today’s journalists carry more than a notebook and a pencil as their predecessors did. Thus we’ve had no I was misquoted/misreported or I was reported out of context claim from Minister Wimal Weerawansa who set a cat among the canaries in the country’s political firmament the other day. The minister who leads the National Freedom Front did not deny his controversial statement for obvious reasons. His entire interview with the Sunday Lankadeepa was recorded and more..

Feb 14 (CT) A remark made by Minister Wimal Weerawansa in an interview stirred up a mini cyclone in the SLPP-led Govt. The clash between the Govt and Wimal goes back to the deal of East Container Terminal (ECT) of the Colombo Port. Weerawansa, Vasudeva, Gammanpila and a few other party leaders held meetings allegedly in support of the trade union struggle against the selling of the ECT to India. more..

Feb 14 (TM) Valentine’s Day is possibly one of the most commercialised holidays that isn’t even an actual holiday. It receives a great deal of media attention – press outlets share stories of couples proclaiming their love and commitment for one another, and the loudest of them all are advertising campaigns making it their mission to ensure that anyone who is not celebrating 14 February the way that they deem is acceptable feels as if they are somehow failing in life or missing out. more..

Feb 14 (ST) And so, it’s official; the new UK strain of COVID-19 has also entered SL, and in every likelihood through the Green Channel of the country’s international airports. The Immunology and Molecular Medicine Dept of Uni of Sri J'pura has stated that this highly transmissible new variant had been detected in the capital city of Colombo, Avissawella, Vavuniya & Biyagama. Not surprisingly, there is no official word from authorities other than to shrug their shoulders & say, what to do. more..

Feb 14 (ST) A noteworthy feature of the JVP was an exercise in self-confession when their members err on a serious issue. Even the fiery orator that he is, Wimal Weerawansa, did not escape that rule when he was in that party. When the late JVP leader Somawansa Amerasinghe held office, he had to write a copious self-confession that he would not do it again. The offence was breaching the party rule and consuming alcohol. more..

Feb 14 (TM) The Gypsies need no introduction. They are one of SL’s best-loved and most famous bands. 2020 saw the iconic group celebrating 50 years of music, having started their journey together back in 1970. Initially a family affair, The Gypsies consisted of the Perera brothers – Sunil, Nihal, Nimal, Lal – and three of their cousins. Today, the group includes brothers Sunil and Piyal Perera with Gordon Athula, Dushan Jayathilake, Monique Pallegama, Kamal Perera, Shezri more..

Feb 14 (Xinhua) China has helped Sri Lanka in its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and the island country now looks forward to furthering its ties with China in order to recover from the pandemic, SL's Foreign Secretary Admiral Jayanath Colombage said. In a recent interview, Colombage said 2021 will be a very challenging year for countries including Sri Lanka due to the fight against the pandemic, and Sri Lanka now needs the support of its friends more than in any other years in history. more..

Feb 14 (TM) Five researchers have been named winners of the 2021 OWSD-Elsevier Foundation Awards for Early-Career Women Scientists in the Developing World for their research in chemistry, mathematics, and physics. SL’s Dr. Imalka Munaweera of the University of Sri J'pura was amongst these five winners. The winning scholars from Ghana, Guatemala, Mongolia, Palestine, and Sri Lanka were recognised for more..

Feb 14 (ST) My dear Dr Neville, We were saddened to hear that you had reached the Land of Never Return, a victim of the coronavirus that has claimed the lives of millions of others. That your passing shocked many, even though you were 89 years of age indicated the type of person you were, so active and full of life. What was different about you was that you were one of the few politicians who stood up for what you thought was right, regardless of the consequences. more..

Feb 14 (SO) In an unprecedented exposure to public curiosity, officials running Sri Lanka Cricket came under intense scrutiny like never before as the entity responsible for the country’s sporting passion was brought into disrepute on Thursday at a hearing conducted by COPE which is a parliamentary authority probing financial indiscipline and malpractices at public institutions. Long standing SLC CEO Ashley de Silva and its first time president Shammi Silva faced brunt of the questioning more..

Feb 14 (ST) In July 2011, Kumar Sangakkara delivering the MCC Spirit of Cricket Cowdrey Lecture at Lord’s, launched a scathing attack on the endless power-struggle that has haunted SL ever since it won the World Cup in 1996. SLC has been controlled and administered by a handful of the same individuals, either personally or by proxy, who occupy key positions in turns, either being appointed or via election. more..

Feb 14 (ST) The reigning National Women’s Open champion Anika Seneviratne overcame some stiff resistance from Savini Jayasuriya before easing to victory 7/5, 3/6, 6/3 at the 105th Colombo Tennis Championship at the SLTA courts in Greenpath, Colombo yesterday. After a close fight in the first set, Anika conceded the second to Savini before bouncing back strongly in the third to take home the women’s title. In another thrilling final, the men’s doubles event saw the pair of more..

Feb 14 (TM) With a month left for the Department of Census and Statistics (DCS) to issue its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) rates as per the usual procedure for the quarter ended on 30 December 2020, it confirmed that the statistics for the quarter will be issued on time, unlike in the previous three quarters. DCS Additional Director General P.M.P. Anura Kumara said that the quarterly surveys are being done at the moment, the results of which are expected to be received by 15 March. more..

Feb 14 (ST) The 125 year-old tea industry has been dealt a severe blow following the recent wage hike that is set to contribute to further losses to the plantations and at least Rs. 15 billion annually to the Regional Plantation Companies (RPCs) which are now readying to protest against the unfairness of this methodology. As against obtaining a pay based on productivity, trade unions had demanded that workers more..

Feb 14 (SO) SL para athlete Amara Indumathi received her upgraded gold medal she won in the women’s long jump at the last Asian Para Games held in Jakarta in 2018 when she was bestowed with the honour at the World Para Athletic Grand Prix in Dubai last Wednesday. The medal was confirmed by National Paralympic Committee Chairman Rajitha Ampemohotti. Indumathi who won the silver medal with 4.62m in this event was eligible for the gold medal after Uzbekistan long jumper more..

Feb 14 (EN) Sri Lanka is following a guided market oriented economy with some elements of the 1970s and pre-1990s India, which was shown by the success of boosting domestic production by banning turmeric imports, CB Governor W D Lakshman said. Sri Lanka was now following an alternative economic model. “Our approach is market oriented, but guided by the state,” Governor W D Lakshman said. “Take our neighbor. With the kind of approach you are saying people criticize, more..

Feb 14 (TM) Treasury categorically denies that India ever wanted SL to go for an IMF programme if SL was to seek financial assistance from India to service its upcoming external debt repayments. Treasury Secretary S.R. Attygalle said that India never told SL to go for the IMF programme, and that it is the rating agencies that would like to see SL reaching out to the IMF. According to Attygalle, despite being pushed out of ECT more..

Feb 14 (TM) Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU) proposed to change the name of Sri Lanka to the Republic of Sri Lanka instead of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. PHU Leader and Minister Udaya Gammanpila said the country should be democratic and socialist by action and not just by words. These proposals are included in the party’s set of proposals to be submitted for a new Constitution. He also said the unitary character of the country should be preserved at any cost. more..

Feb 14 (SO) Sri Lanka must include private and foreign terminal operators when it comes to Port related development, State Minister Dr. Nalaka Godahewa said on Friday. The main reason that Port related development needs foreign technical expertise is because cargo is a global business and a single country without global network/connections cannot succeed. “This is very important when it comes to terminal management. The Port management mainly due to security and more..

Feb 14 (TM) Nearly 9,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine have so far been wasted due to a circular issued by the Health Ministry regarding guidelines for the COVISHIELD Covid-19 vaccination campaign, The Sunday Morning learnt. It is learnt that the Ministry’s circular, issued by the Director General of Health Services Dr. Asela Gunawardena on 28 Jan, has recommended using only 10 doses, more..

Feb 14 (TM) Notwithstanding the political decision recently expressed by PM Mahinda Rajapaksa on behalf of the Govt, permitting the burial of bodies of Covid-19 victims cannot be done without amending the Gazette issued in this regard in April 2020, Minister Dinesh Gunawardena said. He further noted that in order for this political decision that has been announced by the Premier to be legalised, the relevant Gazette in place must be amended as stated by State Minister Dr. Sudarshini more..

Feb 14 (ST) Sri Lanka has hit back at the UN Human Rights High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet’s latest report calling for targeted sanctions, saying it is based on speculative, presumptive and unsubstantiated opinions. It came in a 30-page response to her report which called for targeted sanctions — asset freezes, travel bans and the reference to International Criminal Court of those responsible for violating human rights and international human rights laws. more..

Feb 14 (ST) Project consultants for the Japan International Cooperation Agency-funded Light Rail Transit (LRT) — which was cancelled by the Govt last year — have lodged a claim of around Rs 5bn for work already done, other expenses and loss of profit. The consultants are a joint venture between Oriental Consultants Global of Japan and Sri Lanka’s Consulting Engineers & Architects Associated. more..