News Archive for Feb 2025

Derana 360 | සුනිල් හඳුන්නෙත්ති | With Sunil Handunnetti
Ada Derana
https://youtu.be/H6li45xCAgQ... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 05/02/25)

AKD urged to reveal how he intends to face Geneva challenge
By Shamindra Ferdinando  Courtesy The Island
Dr. Bandara Patriotic National Movement (PNM) yesterday (03) urged the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led National People’s Power (NPP) administration to reveal how it intends to counter the high profile Geneva project meant to undermine Sri Lanka’s unitary status on the basis of unsubstantiated war crimes accusations. PNM’s Dr. Wasantha Bandara said that the government owed an explanation to the public as the JVP help elect the treacherous Yahapalana administration that backed a US accountability resolution at the Geneva-based HRC, in October, 2015, against one’s own country. ... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 05/02/25)

'' අයින් වුණොත් ද්‍රෝහීන් තමයි...''
Meet and Meal
https://youtu.be/Y7BH4M9DPpA... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 05/02/25)

ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ යථාර්තය, අනාගතය සහ නිදහස!
Ratanapala
4 Feb 2025 ඊලාමය - දෙමල diasporawa - ටිකක් දැන් පසුව ගොඩක් න්‍යායයෙන් මුළු සිරි ලකම ඊලාමයක් කර ටමිල්නාඩු සමග එක්වීමී(Anschluss) ප්‍රයත්නය  රාම රාජ්‍ය - ඉන්දියාව - හුදු ප්‍රලාපයක් වූ රාම රාවනා ප්‍රභන්දය හරහා ලංකාව ඉන්දියානු ප්‍රාන්තයක් කිරීමේ ප්‍රයත්නය  වසිරිස්ථානය - මුලූ ලෝකයම ඉස්ලාම් කිරීමේ ප්‍රයත්නය  දේව රාජ්‍ය - සීග්‍රයෙන් තම අනුගාමිකයින්  ගිලිහී යන Holy Roman Empire - කතෝලික සභාව - 21 වෙනි ශතවර්ෂයේආසියාව ක්‍රිස්තියානි කිරීමේ  ක්‍රියාන්විතය ඇමෙරිකාවේ 51 වෙනි ප්‍රාන්තය - ඇමෙරිකානු චීන විරෝධී India - Pacific Initiative -ක්‍රියාන්විතය  චීනයේ පටිය සහ පාර (Belt and Road Initiative ) ඉහත දක්වන වෙන වෙනම අනාගතයන් කරා  ගෙන යාමට බලවන්තයින් කටයුතු කරමින් සිටිනවා. එකිනෙකාගේ අන්තිම බලාපොරොත්තුවෙනස් වුවත් ඔවුන් සියලු දෙනාට අවශ්‍ය ශ්‍රී ලංකාව  අස්ථාරව තබා ගැනීමයි. මේ සඳහා ඔවුන් සියලු දෙනා සාමුහිකව කටයුතු කරනවා. එය දැනට බොහෝසේ සිදුවී හමාරය. මේ සියල්ලට එරෙහිව තියෙන්නේ සිරි ලක ඇති සිංහල බෞද්ධ සංස්කෘතික පදනම සහ තවමත්බහුතරයක් වන සිංහල බෞද්ධයින්ය. මේ පදනම විනාස කිරීමට යටත් විජිත කාලයේ මෙන්ම දැනුත් ඉහත සඳහන් බලවතුන් මහාප්‍රයත්නයක සිටිනවා. භික්ෂු සංස්ථාව හැල්ලු කිරීම තුලින් එය විනාශ කිරීමට හැකි සියල්ල කරනවා. නිදහසින් පසු සිටිය සියලු පරගැතිඑසේම තමාගේ පව්ලේ සුඛ විහරණය පමණක් පතන  ආණ්ඩු අඩු වැඩියෙන් එසේ කිරීමට දායක වී තිබෙනවා. . වර්තමාන ආණ්ඩුවත්එසේමයි, නොහැකියාව ප්‍රදර්ශනය කරමින් කාලය මරනවා.  හැතැම්ම දාහක මුහුදු තීරයක් ඇති සිරි ලකට ලුණු සහ මාළු ආනයන කරන මාලිමව රටක් පාලනය කිරීමට කිසිම හැංගීමක් නැත. දැන්දැන් වියරුවෙන් කරන කියන කිසිම දෙයක රට පැහැදිලි සංවර්දනයට ගෙන යෑමේ ක්‍රියාවලියක් ඇති බවක් පෙනෙන්නට නොමැත. ඇත්තේවහසි බස් දෙඩීම පමණි. එහෙත් නොකඩවා දශක ගණනක් රට පාලනයට පිඹුරුපත් එලමින් සිටිනවා.  මලිමාවේ කයියනායක පච හස්ත මුද්‍රාවෙන් කරන කියන දේ වැදගත් නැත. ඇමෙරිකාව, චීනය සහ ඉන්දියාව මොහුව බිත්තියට තියලහිරකරලා තියෙන්නේ IMF කියන විදියට වැඩ කරන්න කියල. උදාවී ඇති බංකොලොත් භාවයෙන් මිදීමට ඩොලර් සහ රුපිඅල් සංචිතවැඩි කරගත යුතුව ඇත. කිසිම හිරිකිතයක්බ නැතිව බදු වැඩිකරන්නේ ඒ නිසයි! ජනාධිපති සහ මහා මැතිවරණ වලට පෙර දුන් පචපොරොන්දු දැන් අදාලම නැත, මන්ද ඒ පොරොන්දු වලට කිසිම සැලසීමක් හෝ ක්‍රියාවලියක් නොතිබූ නිසා!  ඉහත කී දේට අමතරව මොවුනට උපකාර කල දෙමල Diasporwaටත්,  මුස්ලිම් ව්‍යාපාරිකයන් ප්‍රදාන ජාවාරම් කරුවන්ටත්, කිරිස්තියානිපල්ලියටත්  නයගැතියි. දැන් වැඩිපුර කරමින් ඉන්නේ ඔවුන්ගේ ඕනෑ එපකම්ය. දෙමල Diaspora වට අනුව රට බෙදා නිශ්චිත දේශසීමාවක් නොමැති - දැන් ටිකක් පසුව ගොඩක් -  ඊලම සෑදිය යුතුය. රටේ ව්‍යවස්ථාව වෙනස් කර ෆෙඩරල් ව්‍යවස්ථාවක් ගෙනඒමට සුදුසුපරිසරය සලසමින් ඉන්නවා. රුකඩ මාලිමාව රුකඩ නටවන්නන්ගේ තාල වලට නටනවා.  මුස්ලිම් ව්‍යාපාරයට අනුව මුළු රටම මිල දී ගතයුතුව ඇත. එය ඔවුන් දැනටමත් නියමයට කරගෙන යනවා. අපේ සල්ලින් වලින්ම පාරිභෝගික භාණ්ඩ ආනයනය කර අපිට විකුණා එමලාභයෙන් ඉඩම් මිලදී ගන්නවා!  මේ බෝම්බ සහ කඩුගා සමුලඝාතන  වලට අමතරය.  ක්‍රිස්තියානි පල්ලියට අනුව දේව රාජ්‍ය ගොඩනැගිය යුතුය. මේ සියල්ල කිරීමට  ඉස්සරට වඩා  දැන් ඉඩ කඩ සැලසී ඇත. රට පුරා ක්‍රිස්තියානි කරණය සීග්‍රයෙන්  සිදුවෙමින් තියෙනවා.  Born Again ව්ය්රසය රට පුර විරාජමාන වෙමින් පවතිනවා. ඔවුන් දේශපාලන පක්ෂ ගිලගෙන සිටිනවා. ඔවුන්ගේ පාස්ටර් වරු NGO සේ රට වටා සැරිසරනවා.  ඔවුන්ගේ ආර්ථික බල පරාක්‍රමය ලොව වට විහිදුවමින් ඉන්නවා. සියල්ලට  හේතුව මාලිමාව මේ  අයට Blackmail වෙලා නිසාය. ඔවුන්ගේ ව්‍යාජ සමාජවාදී ආත්මය විකුණා හමාරය.  දැන් ඔවුන් උග්‍ර ධනවාදී වී හමාරය.  සමස්තයක් ලෙසගතහොත් ඇත්තේ මෙතුවක් කල් බලයට පැමිණීමට නොහැකි වීමේ සමාජ වෛරයයි. කියන්නේ වෛරී ප්‍රකාශය. කරන්නේ වෛරී වැඩය.  හිටියොත් තෝ නසී ! ගෙදර ගියොත් අඹු නසී ! තත්වයට පත්වී අවසානය. ගොවියාට  කරමින් සිටින්නේ කාලයාගේ ඇවෑමෙන් ගොවි කම එපා කර ඔවුන්ගේ ඉඩම් විකිණීමට යොමු කිරීමයි. එකයි මේ නියමවෙලාවට පෝර නැති, වතුර නැති මිලදී ගන්න නියම මිලක් නැති අභාග්‍ය! එකයි  මේ නොනවතින කොල්පාඩුව!  එවිට මහා පරිමානව්‍යාපාර වලින් මේ ඉඩම් අත්පත් කරගනු ඇත. ව්‍යාපාර වලින් ඇමෙරිකාව අත්පත් කර ගනු ඇත.  අමෙරිකානු ACSA සහ SOFA ගිවිසුම් දැන් අයිති වන්නේ අතීතයටයි. ඉන්  එහාට MCC ක්‍රියාවලියට වැඩි දුරක් නොමැත. කාලයක් තිස්සේ මේ විෂය හදාරනකෙනෙකුට මේ සියල්ල ඉතාමත් සරලය. Hawaaii දුපත ඇමරිකාවේ 50 වැනි ප්‍රාන්තය වූ සැටි ඉගනීම වර්තමාන සිරි ලංකාවට සහ දේශප්‍රේමි ජනතාවට  අතිශය අවශ්‍ය විෂයකි!  මාතෘ භූමියට හතරවරම් දෙවියන්ගේ පිහිටයි! ... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 05/02/25)

The Psychological Effects of Torture
Dr Ruwan M Jayatunge M.D. P
Torture and its Psychological / Sociological and Political implications Discussion by Dr Ruwan M Jayatunge M.D. PhD (This program was conducted under the guidance of Stanford University) Link ; Torture and its Psychological / Sociological and Political implications... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 05/02/25)

CID questions top official over releasing of 323 containers
By Shamindra Ferdinando Courtesy Island
Colombo port crisis:
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) yesterday (03) recorded a statement from Additional Director General of Customs, Seevali Arukgoda, regarding the releasing of 323 containers on 18 January, 2025. Arukgoda has been overall in charge of the process that allowed the releasing of unchecked containers, in line with a decision taken by the top management of the Customs, to address worsening congestion at the port. The CID questioned Arukgoda following a complaint lodged by the Colombo Port-based trade unions over the releasing of containers without subjecting... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 05/02/25)

Driving a nation’s destiny: Falling asleep at the wheel
By Kusum Wijetilleke Courtesy The Morning
To say that Vaithilingam Sornalingam alias Colonel Shankar was an important member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) is a gross understatement. As laid out by D.B.S. Jeyaraj in an October 2022 article, Col. Shankar “pioneered several projects for the movement,” including setting up the LTTE’s Office of Overseas Purchases (OOP), later taken over by Selvarasa Pathmanathan alias KP.  As well as establishing a global communications network for the LTTE, he personally oversaw its first-ever purchase of a trawler, thus becoming the Founder Commander of... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 05/02/25)

Sri Lanka needs a growth plan to avoid another crisis
 By Dirk Willem te Velde and Ganeshan Wignaraja Courtesy The Morning
Sri Lanka’s experience offers valuable lessons for middle-income countries grappling with post-Covid debt distress. While the economy showed signs of stabilisation in mid-January – bolstered by positive growth, low inflation, a boom in tourism, and a bullish stock market – the challenges ahead are far from over.  The country finds itself on the precipice of both opportunity and risk, and it is crucial that the National People’s Power (NPP) Government charts a new path towards inclusive and transformative growth that ensures debt... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 05/02/25)

Sri Lanka must unite for economic freedom, not succumb to global pressures: President Dissanayake
Courtesy Telegraph Online
Dissanayake, who was elected president in a narrow win in September's presidential election, created history for his National People's Power (NPP) party in the parliamentary election held in November last year PTI Published 04.02.25, 02:39 PM Representational imagefile picture President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Tuesday said that Sri Lanka must work in unison to achieve economic freedom rather than yield to vulnerabilities within the global economic system. Addressing the 77th Independence Day celebrations of the island nation, Dissanayake said, "Collectively, we must... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 05/02/25)

Discover Sri Lanka: a land of endless opportunities
Courtesy Viet Nam News
Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Việt Nam Poshitha Perera wrote to Việt Nam News on the 77th Anniversary of the Independence Day of Sri Lanka on February 4, 2025. Sri Lanka, often called the 'Pearl of the Indian Ocean', is a destination that captivates travellers and investors alike. With its stunning natural landscapes, rich cultural heritage and dynamic economy, this tropical paradise offers an unparalleled blend of tourism and investment opportunities, making it a must-visit location for the global community. The island nation boasts a history spanning over 2,500 years, woven... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 05/02/25)

Independence Day: Dissanayake tells fellow Sri Lankans to look to the future, not the past
by Melani Manel Perera Courtesy PIME Asia News
During celebrations marking the 77th anniversary of the end of British colonial rule, Card Ranjith called for the current presidential system to be scrapped since it has “fostered a culture of fear” and “lawlessness”. Colombo (AsiaNews) – Sri Lanka today marked the 77th anniversary of its independence from British colonial rule. On this occasion, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, speaking in Independence Square, urged his fellow citizens to focus on building a brighter future rather than looking back at past challenges, inspired by the... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 05/02/25)

අවුරුදු 77ක් මොකද කළේ?.. නිදහසින් පසු රටේ කිසිවක්ම සිදුවී නැද්ද? - අජිත් නිවාඩ් කබ්රාල් ඉතිහාසයේ සිට කියාදෙයි (වීඩියෝ)
උපුටා ගැන්ම  ලංකා ලීඩර්
මුලින්ම රටක් ලෙස 1505 දී පෘතුගීසීන්ට යටත් වූ පසුව ලංදේසීන් සහ ඉංග්‍රීසීන්ට ද යටත් වී වසර 443ක් වැනි දීර්ඝ කාලයක් යටත්වී සිටි ජාතියක් ලෙස 1948 නිදහස ලැබීමෙන් පසු අදටත් නොයෙක් පුද්ගලයන් ඉංග්‍රීසීන්ට තවදුරටත් යටත්වී සිටියා නම් හොඳයැයි පවසන බවත්, එහෙත් වසර 443කට පසුව රට නිදහස් වීමේ දී මෙරට ජනයාගෙන් විදුලිය තිබුනේ සියයට එකක පිරිසකට පමණක් බවත්, නල ජලය තිබුනේ එම  සියයට එකක පිරිසගෙනුත් බාගයකට පමණක් බවත්, පාසල් 2000ක් සහ විශ්ව විද්‍යාල තිබුනේ එකක් බවත් හිටපු මහ බැංකු අධිපති අජිත් නිවාඩ් කබ්රාල් මහතා පවසයි. එකල පාරවල් වලින් සියයට 99ක් තිබුනේ බොරළු පාරවල් බවත්... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 05/02/25)

ගොවි බිමටම ගිහින් වී ගන්න හැටි..."අඩුවට කිරාගෙන යනවා" වී තොග ගැණුම්කරුවන්ගෙනුත් හෙළිදරව්වක්
Ada Derana
https://youtu.be/3OJywb_lRtY... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 04/02/25)

Measures underway to curb rice ‘mafia’ – Hadunnetti
Courtesy Adaderana
The Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development, Sunil Handunnetthi says that the necessary financial provisions for purchasing paddy during the ‘Maha’ cultivation season have been provided to the Paddy Marketing Board. Speaking on TV Derana’s current affairs programme “360°” last night (04), the Minister confirmed that the Paddy Marketing Board will soon begin purchasing paddy. https://youtu.be/tB6ZNeCZN2Y He also emphasized that systematic measures are being implemented to curb the rice ‘mafia’ in the country, ensuring fair pricing for both farmers and consumers. “If we set the price... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 04/02/25)

Nearly 5,000 dengue cases reported before end of January
Courtesy Adaderana
The National Dengue Control Unit (NDCU) says that nearly 5,000 dengue cases have been reported in the country before the end of January this year (2025). Furthermore, two dengue-related deaths were confirmed during the same month, according to the NDCU. Additionally, the NDCU stated that 16 high-risk dengue zones have been identified before the end of January. Out of the 4,943 total dengue cases reported in January, the highest number of dengue cases has been reported from the Gampaha District, with 764 cases. In addition to this, 674... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 04/02/25)

‘Sarvajana Balaya’ will press forward with youths who can think anew – Dilith
Courtesy Adaderana
Leader of the ‘Sarvajana Balaya’ alliance, Member of Parliament Dilith Jayaweera says that it is important to move forward with youths who are capable of thinking anew. He also mentioned that it is essential to break free from a mentality of imitation. He made these observations while participating in a ceremony organized by ‘Sarvajana Balaya’ to commemorate the 77th National Independence Day. Jayaweera further commented in this regard, “Why are we celebrating this freedom? This freedom is celebrated as a day to discuss the journey towards our vision of obtaining freedom. Today,... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 04/02/25)

Namal calls for probe into USAID-funded projects and NGOs in Sri Lanka
Courtesy Adaderana
Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Member of Parliament Namal Rajapaksa today called for an investigation into projects and grants operated under funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and local NGOs that have benefitted from such funding. Posting on ‘X’ (formerly Twitter), Rajapaksa claims that USAID, who have funded many projects worldwide, is now in center of controversy with western media alleging that it’s funds were used to “cause chaos and destabilization in other countries under the pretext of humanitarian aid.”  The SLPP National Organiser also stated that Sri... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 04/02/25)

"කියපු බොරුවලට සාපයක් වෙනවාමයි.. මතක තියාගන්න - ගොවියා වී අරන් එද්දි ආණ්ඩුව අරගන්න ලෑස්තියි"
Hiru News
https://youtu.be/a7N3ofNHFmA... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 04/02/25)

Tragedy @ tourist hostel: Second female tourist (27) dies in hospital
Courtesy Hiru News
A 27-year-old German woman who was hospitalized after falling ill at a lodge in Kollupitiya has died while receiving treatment in the Intensive Care Unit of the Colombo National Hospital. The incident follows the death of 24-year-old English woman Sintosh Ebony Lois, who was also hospitalized with her and passed away on February 2. The Kollupitiya Police reported the matter to the Fort Magistrate's Court today (3). The two women, along with a 30-year-old German man, were admitted to the hospital on February 1 after developing sudden symptoms. Investigations revealed that... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 04/02/25)

Facades of Independence and Masks of Conquest: Of GLADIO Operations, Raj Nostalgia History and Literary Festivals
Darini Rajasingham-Senanayake
Independence has been a long mirage in geostrategic Ceylon/ Sri Lanka where history seems to repeat itself as tragedy and farce in equal measure. This week, the geostrategic Indian Ocean island is set to mark 77 years of faux Independence from the British Raj. There will be much pomp and pageantry to mask the fact that the country is caught in a neocolonial Eurobond US dollar debt trap and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), bailout business at this time. The island effectively lost Economic Sovereignty to the lender of Last Resorts amid a staged... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 03/02/25)

Commentary on the book, Production Easthetics by Gayan Madhushanka
By Professor Chandana Jayalath
Gayan Madhushanka’s Production Easthetics is an insightful exploration of the role of art direction in cinema, particularly in the Sri Lankan context. Written in an accessible manner, the book sheds light on how the term production design is often misunderstood locally, failing to capture the full scope of art direction in films. For an average reader or movie enthusiast, this book serves as both a historical reflection and a critical analysis of how art direction shapes the visual storytelling in cinema. One of the book’s key strengths is how it traces the... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 03/02/25)

When Rulers are Overruled by Importers
e-Con e-News
blog: eesrilanka.wordpress.com ‘Before you study the economics, study the economists!’ e-Con e-News 26 January – 01 February 2025 * Parakramabahu VI may have been the last Sinhala ruler to play a major role in the oceanic trade. In 1418, he had the capital and the Buddha’s tooth relic shifted to Kotte. After Parakramabahu, people in the country were virtually excluded from controlling their wider trade (which was reinforced during colonial rule). This led to anthropological prognoses proclaiming ‘local apathy & lack of interest in commercial activity’…... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 03/02/25)

පුද්ගලික වාහන ආනයනය සිදු වෙන්නේ මෙහෙමයි
රජිත් කිර්ති තෙන්නකෝන් 
දැන් ඔබටත් අලුත් වාහනයක් ගන්නට රජය අවස්ථාව සැලසී ඇත. එය ක්‍රියාත්මක ව්‍යවහාරය සරළව මෙසේය. එක, නව ක්‍රමය යටතේ රාජ්‍ය සේවකයින්ට, මධ්‍ය මට්ටමේ ව්‍යාපාරිකයන්, වෘත්තිකයින්ට පහසුවෙන් ලබාවීමට නොහැකි සීමාවකට නව ආනයනය වාහන මිල පත් කර ඇත.   දෙක, නව බදු ක්‍රමය යටතේ ලීසිං සමාගම් හා වාහන ආනයන සමාගම් අති දැවැන්ත ලාභයක් ලබනු ඇත. වංචනික ලියකියවිලි මගින් දැවැන්ත මූල්‍ය වාසියක් ලබාගැනීමට අවස්ථාව විවර කර ඇත. තුන, මෙරට දැනට භාවිතා වන වාහන මිල සැලකිය යුතු ප්‍රමාණයකින් ඉහළ යනු ඇත. ආනයනය ගැසට් නිවේදනයට අනුව වාහන බදු ක්‍රියාත්මක වන ව්‍යවහාරය මෙසේය. ... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 03/02/25)

'' CIDය ගෙදරට ඇවිත් මාව අත්අඩංගුවට ගත්තෙ, පාන්දර 3.00ට විතර...''
SAY the TRUTH
https://youtu.be/F2QPRT-HL2w... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 03/02/25)

Milinda Moragoda presented with an early copy of new book:‘Nalanda - How it Changed the World'
Milinda Moragoda
 Milinda Moragoda was presented with an early copy of 'Nalanda - How it Changed the World' during a brief visit to New Delhi by its author, Amb. Abhay K. The book was formally launched at the Jaipur Literary Festival on 3st 2025. Besides being a prolific writer and poet, Abhay K. has served as Ambassador to Madagascar and is presently Ambassador-designate to the Republic of Georgia. He is presently serving as the deputy director general of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, New Delhi. Abhay, who is of Bihari origin, was born in... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 03/02/25)

පරීක්ෂා නොකර රේගුවෙන් පන්නපු, කන්ටේනර්වල හිමිකරූවෝ මෙන්න, ඇතුලේ තිබුන බඩු ගැනත් තොරතුරු එළියට
Neth Fm Balumgala
https://youtu.be/qN13jyZO5OM... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 03/02/25)

විශේෂ මාධ්‍ය හමුව | ආර්ථිකයට සහ රටේ ඉදිරි අනාගතයට මොකද වෙන්නේ? 
Harsha de Silva
https://youtu.be/7yN1rwDFENE... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 03/02/25)

අති රතුගේ මහවිරු සංදර්ශනය
Tirantha Walaliyadde
https://youtu.be/SdD0Gn3JMmU... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 03/02/25)

යතාර්ථය|Ven.Balangoda Kassapa Thero
Fight to Freedom
https://youtu.be/iHH6HweQEvU... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 03/02/25)

Local Govt. election: No decision on holding in April: EC
BY Buddhika Samaraweera Courtesy The Morning
Says timing for Polls will be determined after resolving legal issues Awaits P’ment and Speaker’s endorsement on LAE (Special Provisions) Bill  The Election Commission (EC) stated that no specific decision has been made on holding Local Government (LG) Elections in April of this year, and the timing will be determined after resolving the relevant legal issues. It was recently reported that the LG Elections, which were postponed during the former Government, would be held in April, 2025. When inquired... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 03/02/25)

Government targets six key sectors to attract FDIs 
By Nishel Fernando Courtesy The Daily Mirror
Arjuna Herath   The government is focusing on six key sectors—hospitality, logistics, renewable energy, technology, agriculture, and apparel & textiles—to attract foreign direct investments (FDIs) by building a creative and conducive environment for investments, rather than relying solely on incentives.  This move was highlighted by Board of Investment (BOI) Chairman Arjuna Herath during a panel discussion at the Sri Lanka Economic Summit in Colombo last Wednesday, organised by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce. Herath identified the hospitality sector as a “low-hanging fruit” for attracting... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 03/02/25)

Ambassador Kananathan leaves a Strong and pioneering legacy, elevating Sri Lanka’s relations with Africa to new heights.
Courtesy The Island
Kananathan Q : Ambassador Kananathan, your tenure as High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to Kenya and concurrently to many African nations has been impactful. As your tenure concludes, how would you summarize your journey and key milestones? A : My journey has been immensely fulfilling, shaped by both challenges and significant achievements. From the outset, my objective was to enhance Sri Lanka’s diplomatic presence and foster stronger ties with African nations. Reflecting on my tenure, several accomplishments stand out. One of the most notable achievements was deepening... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 03/02/25)

Paddy cultivation under giant threat
by Jagath Kanaherarachchi Courtesy The Island
Yoda Nidikumba Environmentalists have warned that low lands and abandoned paddy fields in the Western Province are under threat of being encroached upon by the invasive plant Yoda Nidikumba soon. The aggressive invasive plant known as the Giant Mimosa (Mimosa pigra) has been identified as a significant threat, with the potential to spread across low-lying areas, including paddy fields in the Western Province over the next few years. This plant causes severe impact on biodiversity, agriculture, and human activities. It was previously concentrated... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 03/02/25)

ජනාධිපති යාපනයේ ගියේ උඩින් නෙවෙයි බිමින්... ආරක්ෂක අමාත්‍යාංශයෙන් නිවේදනයක්
උපුටා ගැන්ම  ලංකා ලීඩර්
ජනාධිපති අනුර කුමාර දිසානායකගේ යාපනය සංචාරය සම්බන්ධයෙන් අසත්‍ය ප්‍රකාශ සමාජ මාධ්‍ය ඔස්සේ සංසරණය වෙමින් පවතින බව ආරක්ෂක අමාත්‍යංශය පෙන්වාදෙයි. රජයේ ප්‍රවෘත්ති අධ්‍යක්ෂ ජනරාල්වරයාට ලිපියක් යොමුකරමින් ආරක්ෂක අමාත්‍යංශය පවසන්නේ, ජනාධිපතිවරයා යාපනය ප්‍රදේශයේ සංචාරය කිරීම සඳහා ගුවන් යානා 3 ක් භාවිත කළ බවට සාවද්‍ය පුවතක් සමාජ මාධ්‍ය ඔස්සේ සංසරණය වන බවයි. ජනාධිපතිවරයා සිය යාපනය සංචාරය වෙනුවෙන් ගුවන් හමුදාවට අයත් යානා භාවිත නොකළ බවත්, ජනාධිපතිවරයා එම සංචාරය සිදුකර ඇත්තේ, සිය නිල මෝටර් රථයෙන් බවත් ආරක්ෂක අමාත්‍යංශය තහවුරු කරයි. ඊට අදාළ ලිපිය පහතින් දැක්වේ.... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 03/02/25)

Sri Lanka’s trade deficit widens despite record exports
Courtesy Adaderana
Sri Lanka’s cumulative deficit in the trade account has widened to USD 6 billion in 2024 compared to USD 4.9 billion in 2023. Releasing the external sector report for December 2024, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) noted that although Sri Lanka recorded the second highest annual export earnings in history, the expansion in import expenditure outpaced the expansion of export earnings, leading to the higher trade deficit. Sri Lanka’s earnings from merchandise exports increased by 7.2% year-on-year to USD 12.8 billion in 2024. The figure marks the second highest annual... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 03/02/25)

Sri Lanka sees decline in birth rates and rise in infant mortality: Experts call for action
Courtesy Adaderana
Nearly 313,000 women become pregnant in Sri Lanka every year, but alarmingstatistics reveal that a significant number of these pregnancies do not result in healthy births.  According to the College of Community Physicians of Sri Lanka, nearly 26,000 women lose their fetuses within the first few months of pregnancy, while around 1,700 babies die in the womb after 28 weeks. At a media briefing held at the Sri Lanka Medical Association Auditorium in Colombo, the association’s president, Specialist Dr. Kapila Jayaratne, emphasized the need to address the rising rates of pregnancy complications,... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 03/02/25)

‘No certified paddy price, delayed fertilizer subsidy’: Sajith slams government for failing farmers
Courtesy Adaderana
The Leader of the Opposition, Sajith Premadasa criticized that the current government, which came to power with the votes of the farmers, has failed to provide even a certified price for the farmers’ paddy. Speaking at a public rally held in Kurunegala, Premadasa said that the government has also failed to provide the fertilizer subsidy on time. “They said that the certified price for paddy purchase will be made a legislation in the country. The ministers of the current government who promised a certified price of Rs. 150 for paddy, have now... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 03/02/25)

The Clean Sri Lanka Initiative: A Promising Vision or a Short-Lived Endeavor?
Sasanka De Silva Pannipitiya
Sri Lanka's ambitious "Clean Sri Lanka" initiative has sparked excitement and hope among citizens, yet recent developments have raised questions about its effectiveness and the bureaucratic hurdles that threaten its success.While the aim is admirable—to foster a cleaner, greener, and more responsible environment for all—there are glaring gaps in implementation that need urgent attention.Take, for instance, the Makumbura Multimodal Center in Kottawa.The centre's restaurant has been closed for nearly a month due to the expiration of the previous tender on December 31, 2024.Despite the immediate need for dining services among commuters, the authorities have... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 02/02/25)

1948 සිටම අවුරුදු පතා පෙබ.4 දා මේ රටේ දේශපාලන අග්ඥයින් කළේ මේ රටේ නිදහස සැමරීමද? මැරීමද?
ආචාර්‍ය සුදත් ගුණසේකර. මහනුවර. 
අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය සිරිමාවෝ බන්ඩාරනායක මැතිනියගේ හිටපු ස්තිර ලේකම් සහ සභාපති, ශ්‍රී ලන්කා පරිපාලන සේවා සන්ගමය (1991-94).     2025.ජන 30 දා. මා අද මෙම ලිපිය ලියනුයේ වසර 2566 ක අඛන්ඩ ඉතිහාසයකට හා ශ්‍රේෂ්ඨ          අභිමානයකට මේ මිහිපිට උරුමයක් ඇති සාඩම්බර සින්හල බෞධයෙක් වශයෙනි.අපගේ මේ මව්බිම ගැන හෝ එහි දීර්ග ඉතිහාසය ගැන හෝ සින්හල ජාතිය පිළිබඳ හෝ   අබමල් රේණුවක අවභෝධයක් හෝ ආදරයක් නැති, මේ රටේ  ජාතිද්‍රෝහී, දේශද්‍රෝහී, බලලෝභී දේශපාලන අග්ඥයින්  විසින් වසර 133 ක ඉන්ග්‍රීසින්ගේ දුර්දාන්ත, කෲර පාලනයකින් පසු 1948 දී මේ රටට  නොලැබුණු නිදහසක්  “සැමරීම” යයි කියමින් 1948 න් පසු (1972-77 හැර )... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 02/02/25)

The Life Expectancy of Palestinians Fell by 11.5 Years in the First Three Months of the Genocide 
Vijay Prasad
The idea of a ceasefire is as old as the idea of war. In old records, one reads of halts in firing for humans to eat or sleep. Rules of combat developed out of an understanding that both sides had to rest or refresh themselves. Sometimes, this understanding included the lives of animals. During the Easter Rising in 1916, for instance, the Irish rebels and the British troops stopped their shooting around St. Stephen’s Green in Dublin so that James Kearney, the park keeper, could enter and feed the ducks. It was this caesura, or pause,... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 02/02/25)

මහින්දට විජේරාම නිවස දුන් යහපාලන ආණ්ඩුවේ රැස්වීමට අනුරත් ආවා..- රනිල්
උපුටා ගැන්ම ලංකා සී නිව්ස්
හිටපු ජනාධිපති මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ මහතාට විජේරාමයේ පිහිටි නිල නිවස ලබාදීමට යහපාලන රජය අනුමැතිය ලබාදුන් රැස්වීමට හිටපු ජනාධිපති මෛත්‍රීපාල සිරිසේන, හිටපු ජනාධිපතිනි චන්ද්‍රිකා බණ්ඩාරනායක කුමාරණතුංග, ජනතා විමුක්ති පෙරමුණේ නායක අනුර කුමාර දිසානායක සහ තමන්ද සහභාගි වූ බව හිටපු ජනාධිපති රනිල් වික්‍රමසිංහ මහතා විපක්ෂයේ පක්ෂ නායකයන්ගේ විශේෂ හමුවකදී හෙළිදරව් කළේය. පසුගිය බ්‍රහස්පතින්දා කොළඹ අමාරි හෝටලයේ පැවති මෙම හමුවට රනිල් වික්‍රමසිංහ මහතාට අමතරව වජිර අබේවර්ධන, සාගල රත්නායක, උදය ගම්මන්පිල, මනෝ ගනේෂන්, පී. දිගම්බරම්, සුසිල් ප්‍රේමජයන්ත, නිමල් සිරිපාල, කාංචන විජේසේකර, සුගීෂ්වර බණ්ඩාර සහ ප්‍රේමනාත් දොලවත්ත ආදී මැති ඇමැති සහ පක්ෂ නායකයන් පිරිසක්ද එක්ව සිටියහ. ... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 02/02/25)

ජනතාවට නොමිලේ බෙදන්න රටින් එවපු හාල් තොගයක් - ගබඩාවකින් එළියට.. කල් පනිනකල්ම හංගලා.
Hiru News
https://youtu.be/DZyw5mQoPeM... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 02/02/25)

"What's Coming Is WORSE Than A Recession" — Richard Wolff's Last WARNING
FREENVESTING
https://youtu.be/eVAQoLZKSRw... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 02/02/25)

Sri Lanka Records Highest Deflation In 65 Years
By Channels Television
Inflation hit a record 69.8 per cent in September 2022 at the height of the country's economic crisis. Sri Lanka’s consumer prices fell by 4.0 per cent in January, the highest deflation rate since July 1960, official data showed Friday, as the South Asian nation emerges from its worst economic meltdown. January was the fifth consecutive month of deflation, according to the Colombo Consumer Price Index. Inflation hit a record 69.8 per cent in September 2022 at the height of the country’s economic crisis, which saw months of widespread... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 01/02/25)

Sri Lanka raises renewable energy target to 100% in bold policy shift
Courtesy The Daily Mirror
Ministry of Energy says the new policy will be centred on a people-centric energy transition that is both “equitable and affordable for citizens” A specific timeline for achieving the Net Zero target was not disclosed Shares the government’s aim is a 30 percent tariff reduction within a five-year period By Nuzla Rizkiya Sri Lanka has set itself yet another ambitious goal, this time raising the renewable energy target from the current 70 percent to 100... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 01/02/25)

President eases restrictions on vehicle imports, issues gazette notification
Courtesy The Daily Mirror
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake issued a fresh gazette notification effective from February 1, easing restrictions on vehicles.  The new gazette notification announces tax ratios on vehicles including modified ones . Even the cars will now be covered under this category.... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 01/02/25)

President Anura Kumara vows to return land to rightful owners in North
Courtesy Adaderana
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake stated that land belonging to the people should rightfully remain with them. He further emphasized that the issue of land disputes in the Northern Province is under review and that steps are being taken to expedite the process of returning land to its rightful owners.   The President highlighted that while the government has the authority to acquire land anywhere in the country for development projects or security purposes, it is imperative that alternative land is provided to those affected, according to the President’s Media Division (PMD).   President Disanayake... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 01/02/25)

Sri Lanka to designate special day to celebrate ethnic cultures and traditions
Courtesy Adaderana
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has announced that a special day will be designated in October to celebrate the cultures, traditions, and values of all ethnicities in Sri Lanka. He made this statement while addressing a meeting in Valvettithurai, Jaffna. “Tamils, Sinhalese, Buddhists, Catholics, and Muslims. Don’t we all want a day to celebrate together?” “We have planned to celebrate a grand national festival in October by bringing together the cultures, foods, lifestyles, and clothing of all these communities,” he said. Addressing the gathering, Dissanayake added: “Even if we... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 01/02/25)

US opens doors for Sri Lankan apparel manufacturers to set up operations
Courtesy Adaderana
The U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Julie Chung, states that the U.S. apparel manufacturing sector is projected to generate USD 365 billion in revenue in 2025 and added that Sri Lanka can benefit from reduced shipping times, lower tariffs, and the ability to respond swiftly to market demands by establishing operations in the United States. Speaking at the Sri Lanka Apparel Exporters’ Association’s annual general meeting recently, the U.S. Ambassador also highlighted the new administration in the US, noting that the United States is open for business and expects a boost in investments and... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 01/02/25)

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