Feb 9 (DM) Sri Lanka’s efforts to arrest organized criminals operating from overseas has hit a snag following the Court of Appeal in France ruling against the extradition of criminal called Kudu Anju. The ruling has been communicated to the SL authorities. However, a top official familiar with the process said the latest ruling conveyed on Feb 1, 2024 is not the final judgement. “It is not the final judgement. more..

Feb 9 (EN) Sri Lankan officials are discussing bolstering bilateral relations further and have discussed the possibility of direct flights between the island and Perth, Western Australia, Foreign Minister Ali Sabry said. Sabry and Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe are in Perth for the Indian Ocean Conference, where they met with Western Australia’s Premier Roger Cook, among others. “He expressed interest in renewable energy, agriculture and direct aviation links with Sri Lanka,” more..

Feb 9 (AD) The names of the Members of Parliament (MPs) who were appointed to serve in 5 parliamentary committees have been announced. Earlier today (9), Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana tabled the lists, in all three languages, containing the names of the members newly appointed as per the motions passed by Parliament. Accordingly, members have been selected to serve in the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Transport and Highways, more..

Feb 9 (EN) The Human Rights Commission of SL (HRCSL) has written to the Speaker of Parliament, pointing to sections and omissions in the Online Safety Act that HRCSL said appear to be non-compliant with the Supreme Court’s Determination on the bill. According to the letter, dated Thursday February 08, Sections 13, 16, 19, 20, and 27 of the Online Safety Act, or the corresponding clauses of Online Safety Bill more..

Feb 9 (TM) Ceylon Teachers’ Services’ Union (CTSU) urged the Govt to elevate the facilities in National Colleges of Education and to increase the monthly allowance given to the students of the said colleges. CTSU General Secretary Mahinda Jayasinghe claimed that the National Colleges of Education have become open prisons due to the lack of facilities and freedom for the students, pointing out that the existing shortage of lecturers at these colleges have hampered academic more..

Feb 9 (DM) Health experts in SL have sounded the alarm over a noticeable uptick in asthma cases among children, sparking concerns among parents. Dr. Deepal Perera, a Paediatrician at the Lady Ridgeway Children's Hospital in Colombo, attributed this concerning surge to the prevailing extreme heat. "As schools gear up for sports meets, where children engage in numerous outdoor activities amidst the scorching weather, they become more vulnerable to asthma triggers," Dr. Perera warned, more..

Feb 9 (AD) SL’s top order batter Pathum Nissanka on Friday stroked the maiden double-century hit by a SL cricketer in ODI format. Nissanka scored 210 off just 139 balls to register the first-ever individual double century for the Lions. The 25-year-old will go down in the ODI history as the 12th player to hit a double-century in international cricket. A short while ago, the star opener played a delightful knock against Afghanistan in the first ODI at the Pallekele Cricket Stadium. more..

Feb 9 (TM) Wasiri Gajaman from SL secured the National Award at the Sony World Photography Awards 2024. His captivating photograph, Tossing the Guns, taken at a military display in Rajasthan, India, earned him recognition in the Travel category of the Open competition. Gajaman will be rewarded with Sony digital imaging equipment and featured in the Sony World Photography Awards exhibition and book. The National and Regional Awards, a platform showcasing local talent globally, more..

Feb 9 (DN) Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe told Parliament that Rs.1,300 million taken as loans from State Banks by the university academics to go abroad for higher education has not been paid back. The Minister said that these lecturers migrated for higher education and they have failed to report back to the universities and neither the university system nor the banking system have taken steps to recover this amount. more..

Feb 9 (DN) Central Board of Transport (CTB) passenger bus fleet has been increased by adding 200 renovated busses at a simple function held under the patronage of PM Dinesh Gunawardena today near Japan SL Friendship Road, adjacent to the Parliament complex. These busses were discarded and taken out of service earlier. They were fully renovated under a concept of Minister Dr. Bandula Gunawardena. Engineers and technicians from 107 C.T.B depots and 11 regional more..

Feb 9 (Island) Opposition and SJB leader Sajith Premadasa speaking in Parliament lambasted the govt for not taking action to ensure education rights of hundreds of students who had applied for interest free loans to enter two private universities. Premadasa said that the students who had applied for interest free loans to study at the KAATSU Int'l for Undergraduate-studies (KIU) and the Horizon Campus had been left high and dry because the govt banks had not released the loans. more..

Feb 9 (DM) A heated exchange erupted in Parliament on a while ago regarding the suspension and subsequent reinstatement of Udapalatha Divisional Secretary Gampala Athma Dilruskshi. State Minister Anuradha Jayaratne, Chief Opposition Whip Lakshman Kiriella, and Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana were all involved in the contentious debate. State Minister Jayaratne raised concerns regarding Divisional Secy's transfer, more..

Feb 9 (DN) According to the provisions stipulated in the Anti-Corruption Act No 9 of 2023, applications are called for the appointment of the Director General to the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC). For the said, the qualified persons should prepare the relevant applications in accordance with the format published on the Parliament website (www.parliament.lk) falling under the quick links titled “Appointment of the Director General to more..

Feb 9 (CT) A specialist doctor, attached to the Teaching Hospital Badulla, who was kidnapped and held in captivity by a tuition master in Galle demanding a ransom of Rs 4 million, was rescued by Hikkaduwa Police, according to DIG's office in Galle. The doctor was held captive in a house in Thelwatta, Meetiyagoda. According to the Police, the 28-year-old tuition master, a resident of Meetiyagoda had been arrested. The Police stated that initial inquiries conduced into the incident revealed more..

Feb 9 (EN) Sri Lanka’s Intellectual Property Act needs revisions to recognize creations by artificial intelligence, legal professionals point out. “Our Intellectual Property Act established in 2003 recognizes only a human as an author,” lawyer and academic in intellectual property, Sidath Gajanayaka said at a panel discussion on Integrating AI into Human Lives: Legal Challenges in the Age of AI on Thursday (8). Section 5 of the Intellectual Property Act describes an author as more..

Feb 9 (DM) The largest inscription ever in Sri Lanka, found from the Dimbulagala Monastery grounds, belongs to the beginning of the second centrury BC or earlier than that, Sri J'pura University History and Archaeology professor Karunasena Hettiarachchi said. Addressing the media, he said 60% of this inscription was unreadable and 40% was readable. "This inscription was written in Brahmi characters. We found that 24 Brahmi characters were used on the inscription. more..

Feb 9 (PMD) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe delivered a speech at the 7th Indian Ocean Conference in Perth, focusing on the theme Towards a Stable and Sustainable Indian Ocean. He highlighted the critical need for enhanced connectivity infrastructure to accommodate the projected eight-fold increase in the GDP of countries like India and Indonesia by 2050. Existing channels like Suez Canal may not be adequate, more..

Feb 9 (DM) Before targeting individuals who commit acts of abuse against children and women on public transport, the police must take action to implement the prepaid card system or the transporting of passengers to the seating capacity of buses, Lanka Private Bus Owners' Association (LPBOA) said. LPBOA chairman Gemunu Wijerathne said that people who want to abuse children, women and pickpockets never buy tickets but travel freely. "Implementing the prepaid card system more..

Feb 9 (DM) Govt will not sell the historic Visumpaya lower than the price which has been estimated by the Valuation Department, Minister Prasanna Ranatunga informed Parliament today. “We are not inclined to change the price recommended by the Valuation Department for Visumpaya and are not willing to sell it at a lower price than the Valuation Department's estimate,” Minister responded to a query raised by the Leader of the Opposition, Sajith Premadasa, regarding the historic building. more..

Feb 9 (DM) SJB Lawyers Federation has announced its intention to present 117 proposals for substantial legal reforms aimed at bringing about a systemic change and introducing rationality to governance. President of the SJB Lawyers Federation, Upul Jayasuriya, informed the media that the proposed laws would focus on family politics, suggesting that siblings of politicians should not enter politics until a cooling-off period more..

Feb 9 (CT) The exhibition of the first Sri Lankan-made Prototype Solar Panels took place at the Main Project Office of the University of Kelaniya on 2 Feb. They were designed by researchers affiliated with the Universities of Kelaniya, Peradeniya, Jaffna and the National Institute of Fundamental Studies (NIFS), SL. This education training project was carried out under the sponsorship of the Ministry of Education. The occasion was graced by officials representing the Development Division, more..

Feb 9 (AD) MP (Dr.) Harsha de Silva has been re-appointed as the Chair to the Committee on Public Finance. The Committee of Selection had nominated MPs to serve in the Committee on Public Finance and Harsha de Silva has been Re-appointed as the Chair to the Committee. The Hon Speaker of Parliament announce to the House the Members nominated to the Committee on Public Finance. Accordingly, Shehan Semasinghe, Seetha Arambepola, Suren Raghavan, more..

Feb 10 (DM) We are in the midst of a heatwave. Temperatures are rising, the days are bright, but for the majority of our people, this is a very dark era. Dark, because they can see no way to break out of the stark poverty-stricken situation they find themselves in. Since the Covid-19 pandemic hit the country in January 2020, the numbers of people who found themselves out of employment rose to an astounding 500,000, according to figures provided by the Central Bank. more..

Feb 10 (DM) When Opposition Leader, Sajith Premadasa criticized the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) citing a clause in the latter’s Policy Declaration published in 1977 about confiscating means of production belonged to private institutions, the leader of the JVP and the National People’s Power (NPP), Anura Kumara Dissanayake advised him to get himself updated as it was a document published about half a century ago when there was a socialist bloc of countries in the world. more..

Feb 10 (TM) Although the main factor of many businesses depends on a targeted revenue, in engaging in certain businesses, it is impossible to think only about profit. Such businesses, which should be carried out by giving priority to humanity over the targeted income, are not just a business but also a social mission that brings about great self satisfaction. Among them are elders’ homes that take care of the elderly who are deprived of more..

Feb 10 (CT) Time used to be, when successive Presidents over three-plus decades used the ethnic issue as a near-permanent peg to hang every one of their public speeches. That includes their customary address to Parliament every year. Incumbent Ranil Wickremesinghe can pride himself on changing the tone and tenor of the Prez’s approach to politics, public speech and administration. He has overnight replaced ethnic issues with more meaningful economic issues – at least in the eyes of more..

Feb 10 (ST) If we keep waiting like this, in a little time we won’t be able to eat our meal from Sinhala rice”. These are the words of a beautiful Sinhala song with anti-colonial nationalist sentiments, sung by one of SL’s great artists, Sunil Edirisinghe. The words of the song call for revolting against SL’s British colonial regime at the time and seem to be related to the Matale Rebellion in 1848 – that is 100 years before Independence. I like the song too, but for a long time my attention has been more..

Feb 10 (SO) SL fishermen sailing the deep seas close to the Arabian and African Coasts have become increasingly jittery following the recent abduction of a fishing vessel by the dreaded Somali pirates who have shown a strong comeback and are prepared to harass merchant shipping vessels as a coalition of int'l warships are engaged in battle with a threat from Yemen’s Houthi rebels that have carried out several attacks more..

Feb 10 (DM) The best laid schemes of mice and men often go awry, penned the Scottish bard, Robert Burns in his poem, To A Mouse. This truth was brought home in an explosive manner to the LTTE, 37 years ago, when a massive explosion rocked the Kaithady area in the Thenmaratchi division of the Jaffna peninsula. A well-laid plan by the LTTE – known popularly as the Tigers – to attack the Navatkuli Army Camp on Valentine’s Day went awry due to the accidental explosion that killed 43 more..

Feb 10 (GV) They gather every Sunday at 4.30 opposite the Healthguard pharmacy on Thimbirigasyaya Road come rain or shine, a band of diehards who have bonded since Apr 7, 2022 by coming out of their comfort zones to protest against various misdeeds and missteps of the country’s leaders from escalating prices to student arrests, rampant corruption and the Online Safety Act. It is a silent protest so the posters do the talking, calling for good governance, law and order, more..

Feb 10 (ST) The general belief in SL is that most of our doctors head either to the United Kingdom or Australia for their specialist training, but in mid-January this is debunked effectively. In Colombo was Professor/Dr. Peter Elsner from Germany as an external examiner for MD (Doctor of Medicine) Part 2 in Dermatology. Currently, Prof. Elsner is a Board Member of the German Society of Dermatology (DDG) and President of the International Society for Dermatology in the Tropics (ISDT). more..

Feb 10 (DN) SL made a triumphant statement in the ITF UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Tour held at the SLTA hard court in Colombo as they clinched two titles in both singles and doubles championships. Suresh Dharmasena and Gamini Dissanayake emerged as champions in their respective categories in a thrilling conclusion yesterday. Suresh Dharmasena of SL displayed remarkable skill as he defeated Mohamad Yusshazwan Bin Yusuf from Malaysia with a score of 6/1 and 6/4 more..

Feb 10 (CT) 76th Independence Day was celebrated with charm and pride last Sunday, with the PM of Thailand, Shrestha Thavisin, participating as the guest of honour. PM, who came to this country at the invitation of Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe, had planned to stay for a few days but had to cut his visit short due to illness. Despite battling influenza, he assured the Prez that he would honour his commitment to visit SL for one day. more..

Feb 10 (DM) The 3-judge-bench of the Supreme Court that was set to hear the expulsion petition filed by State Minister Diana Gamage challenging the Samagi Jana Balawegaya’s (SJB) decision to expel her from party membership has been postponed yet again since the Supreme Court bench was not properly constituted. Accordingly, the Supreme Court two-judge-bench comprising Justices S. Thurairaja and Kumuduni Wickremasinghe fixed the matter for further argument on February 28. more..

Feb 10 (FT) High Commissioner of SL to Pakistan Admiral (Retd) Ravindra C. Wijegunaratne attended the Expo – 3rd edition of the Engineering and Healthcare Show recently at the Expo Centre in Lahore. The exhibition was organised by the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) in collaboration with the Ministry of Commerce and Export Development Fund of Pakistan. Over 200 exhibitors from Pakistan showcased their products across 26 sectors of engineering and more..