Apr 12 (Island) JVP women�s wing led by Women for Rights says that exorbitant prices of food and fears over their safety will make the forthcoming Sinhala and Tamil New Year a miserable affair. �The prices of essential food items are at unprecedented highs. In addition, there are fears in the minds of the people about the quality and safety of food items being sold in the market. There were no such fears and doubts whether the food items in the market were fit more..

Apr 12 (ST) The death this week of 99 year-old Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh and husband of Queen Elizabeth, has brought the spotlight back on a car parked on permanent display at the Galle Face Hotel museum. The restored silver and black Standard 9 car is reported to be Prince Philip�s first personal car, bought while he was a 19-year-old midshipman or naval cadet stationed in then Ceylon during World War II. Registration information reveals the owner to be Prince Philip of Greece. more..

Apr 12 (DM) The US has briefed the SL Govt on the commitment of US President Joe Biden to democracy. The matter was discussed when Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena met with the US Ambassador to SL, Alaina B. Teplitz at the Foreign Ministry on Friday. Joe Biden assumed duties as the President of the US in January and his administration has since implemented its new policies, including the policy on human rights. �The Ambassador and Foreign Minister discussed more..

Apr 12 (SLN) At the invitation of Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral Nishantha Ulugetenne Minister Namal Rajapaksa declared open the Underwater Gallery Nilwella at Nilwella beach today (10). Built with the contribution of the SL Navy, this latest addition in the southern coast of Nilwella, would from here on attract more local and foreign holidaymakers towards this popular tourist destination. more..

Apr 12 (FT) The country�s total COVID-19 patient count exceeded 95,000 with the detection of 567 COVID-19 positive persons over the weekend. The weekend�s patients include 283 persons who tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday. 215 associates of the Peliyagoda cluster and 50 persons linked to the Prisons cluster tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday. On Saturday, 214 persons from sub-clusters associated with the Peliyagoda cluster, 54 persons linked to the Prisons cluster, and more..

Apr 12 (DM) Ratmalana Airport would be promoted as a Leisure Flying Center under the Govt's program to develop the Airport as a domestic aviation hub, Minister Prasanna Ranatunga said. Accordingly, Ratmalana Airport will be promoted for leisure flying, wedding photography, drama and cinematography. The new local air routes to tourist attractions and new runways suitable for aircraft would be identified. It is also expected to ease the barriers to flying to such identified locations. more..

Apr 12 (FT) The private sector on Friday voiced their strong opposition to replace the existing Tourism Act with a new one, saying it will be destructive and untimely whilst there had not been proper consultation. Tourist Hotels Association (THASL) and SL Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO) made a compelling case against the dangers of changing the existing Tourism Act at the present moment sans proper consultation as well as more..

Apr 12 (FT) Institute of National Security Studies Sri Lanka, abbreviated as INSSSL, national security think-tank functioning under the Ministry of Defence, has released Volume III of its Review of Defence. It contains six papers authored by authorities on security studies in Sri Lanka and abroad. Like its previous issues, the present issue has covered critical issues faced by defence authorities in the region. In his message to the issue, the Chairman of the Board of Governors of INSSSL, more..

Apr 12 (FT) The global shippers� community (cargo owners and freight forwarders) will continue to face difficulties in moving freight due to continued disruption to the shipping industry throughout the year 2021 too. Specifically, Asian shippers and the east-west trade lanes have been facing numerous difficulties. It is observed that the rapid recovery of the global economy that started at the end of the first COVID-19 wave has come with a much faster rebound in global trade than initially expected more..

Apr 12 (Island) Pan Asia Bank was recently bestowed with the prestigious �Best Bank for Treasury Activities Sri Lanka 2021-Treasury� award by the Global Banking & Finance Awards 2021. This accolade is a source of pride for Pan Asia Bank as it has won this award for the first time in its history. This win also marks a moment of pride for Sri Lanka�s entire banking industry as Pan Asia Bank is the first local bank to be recognized and rewarded for its superior treasury management skills, more..

Apr 12 (TM) Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara has instructed the Water Supply and Drainage Board to manufacture water meters for water connections provided by the National Water Supply and Drainage Board from now on. He gave these instructions while inspecting the National Water Supply and Drainage Board�s Central Machinery in Ratmalana. Nearly 100,000 water meters provided to ordinary households and institutions are often found to be inoperable and damaged in a single year more..

Apr 12 (DM) Public health inspectors are expecting the coronavirus third wave to hit SL in May after the general public grossly disregarded the health guidelines ahead of the Sinhala and Tamil New Year. Public Health Inspectors (PHI) Association said that despite several warnings, most people were seen going about their day-to-day lives in public without strictly following the coronavirus health guidelines. PHI Association Secretary more..

Apr 12 (CT) Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa visited Ronnie de Mel at his residence yesterday morning to wish him a happy birthday and many more to come. Ronnie de Mel was the Minister of Finance in the 1977 President J.R. Jayewardene-led Govt and was a pioneer in introducing the open economy to the country. He has presented 11 budgets and is also a pioneer in establishing regional development banks in the country. Commenting on current political situation, more..

Apr 12 (EN) Sri Lanka will advertise internationally to hire staff for Colombo Port City Commission, which will function as an independent agency to administer land reclaimed by China Harbhour Engineering Corporation, a top official said. The Port City Commission will have a Board and Chief Executive. �The Commission will be independent in the conduct of their operations,� Secretary to the President P B Jayasundera told a forum organized by Veemansa, a Colombo-based think tank. more..

Apr 12 (Island) Mahaweli Authority has insisted 5,750 acres be removed from the proposed Hambantota Elephant Management Zone (EMZ) and if the Authority is allowed to have its way the human-elephant conflict and the water shortage in the area will worsen, environmentalists warn. Environmental activist Sajeewa Chamikara said the undue delay in declaring EMZ was mainly due to obstacles placed by the Mahaweli Authority. more..

Apr 12 (EN) Meteorological Dept has warned people to be cautious of thundershowers accompanied by severe lighting between 2pm to 10pm, today across 17-districts. Parts of Central, Sabaragamuwa, Western, Northwestern and Northern provinces are identified as high-risk (red) areas. Except Batticaloa, all the other areas are either in high-risk of thundershowers or at moderate level of risk, the met department said. �There may be temporary localised strong winds during thundershowers. more..

Apr 12 (EN) Singapore Airlines said it is increasing weekly flights to Colombo from the current three to five a week as aviation sector gradually recovers from the Coronavirus pandemic. It operates Airbus 350-900MH aircraft. �Singapore Airlines has continued to adjust its global network capacity to meet passengers� needs,� the carrier�s general sales agent in Colombo Aitken Spence said in a statement. �With this increase in frequency, over 50% of SIA capacity into SL will be resumed. more..

Apr 12 (AD) Govt of SL has signed a loan agreement of USD 500 million with the China Development Bank (CDB). Ministry of Finance stated that the relevant funds will be disbursed within this week. Ambassador Dr. Palitha Kohona, on behalf of the govt of SL, signed the loan agreement with the China Development Bank at the SL Embassy in Beijing on Monday. �This loan will infuse vitally required foreign exchange into SL economy. more..

Apr 12 (Island) SJB MP Lakshman Kiriella says that the Port City is going to be an area resembling a federal state outside Parliament�s monetary supervision. He said that 25 Acts passed by Parliament would not apply to the Port City, making it a separate state. �As per the provisions in the draft bill titled Colombo Port City Commission Bill recently presented to Parliament, the Central Bank of SL, the Monetary Board and the Ministry of Finance, which control the public finances, more..

Apr 12 (Island) The pollution of the Diyawanna Oya was a serious envisionmental issue, a senior scientist said yesterday, adding that the matter had already been taken up with the CEA. Environment Minister Mahinda Amaraweera requested the CEA to submit an environmental report on the pollution of Diyawanna Oya. Director General of the CEA, Hemantha Jayasinghe was instructed by Minister Amaraweera to submit an immediate environmental report on the Diyawanna Oya. more..

Apr 12 (AD) A consignment of carcinogenic coconut oil imported from Malaysia has been loaded onto the shipping vessel Barbara anchored in Colombo Port. The process commenced at 9.30 am this morning. Six containers of unrefined coconut oil imported by Katana Refineries are being re-exported in this manner. On April 6, the consignment of coconut oil was taken from the importer�s pvt warehouse to Colombo Port more..

Apr 12 (Island) Prez Rajapaksa yesterday put off a scheduled visit to a village under his Disucssion with Village programme. The govt attributed the postponement of the prez visit to his busy schedule. Sources, however, said it was also due to a controversy over the conduct of a local politician. A special team would look into the matter prior to the Prez�s visit. Villagers and environmentalists yesterday waited at Weliweriya in Uruwala to meet Prez to bring to his notice more..

Apr 12 (CT) Director of the Maharagama Apeksha Hospital Dr. Wasantha Dissanayake passed away yesterday (11). He was 58 years old at the time of his demise. A hospital spokesman said that at the time of his death, he was receiving treatment at the Sri Jayewardenepura Hospital and had been hospitalised for several weeks. Prior to his death, he had been receiving treatment at the Sri J'pura Hospital for a period of the week over an illness, according to a hospital spokesman. more..

Apr 12 (AD) Five individuals have been arrested with 100 kilograms of Ice (Methamphetamine), DIG Ajith Rohana said. The arrest has been made by the officers of the Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) at the Rathgahawatta area in Sapugaskanda. On Saturday (10), the PNB arrested an individual at Ja-Ela with 100 g of Ice and 100 g of heroin in his possession. Further investigations into the incident had led to the arrest of six more suspects more..

Apr 12 (Island) Advocata�s latest policy product tracks the average retail prices of a basket of goods and provides an indication of how much prices have changed over time. With the use of such tools, anyone including policymakers and politicians alike has access to track price fluctuations. This could enable anyone to see if policies have direct or indirect effects on food. Which is an essential item and can have a direct impact on the food consumed by households. more..

Apr 12 (DM) The IGP has approved a reward of Rs. 1 million for information leading to the arrest of a suspect who was involved in frauds in various parts of the country and was now absconding arrest. Police said Crimes and Organized Crime Division has launched an investigation to arrest a man who pretended to be a doctor, an engineer, a teacher and a businessman to commit frauds in various parts of the country. Accordingly, he was wanted over selling a stolen vehicle for Rs. 16.5 million by more..

Apr 12 (Island) The govt is doing nothing to help the poor caught in a micro-credit trap, moderator of the Movement for Land and Agricultural Reform (MONLAR), Chinthaka Rajapakshe says. Rajapakshe said that only the Parliamentary Committee on Gender Equality and some MPs, from both the govt and Opposition, had shown some interest in the matter. �We commend their interest. By the end of 2018, over 2.2 million Lankans more..

Apr 12 (Island) A group of SJB MPs have written to Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena alleging that he has been acting in a partial manner and ignoring requests made by Opposition MPs. �We have noticed many times that you have been deliberately ignoring the Opposition MPs whenever they oppose a motion. MPs of our party are affected by your partiality.� the letter signed by 39 SJB lawmakers said. They said that the Speaker had ignored a request from MP Lakshman Kiriella for more..

Apr 12 (USE) This month marks the 20th anniversary of the U.S. State Dept�s Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP), which has provided more than 200 million SL Rupees ($1 million) in funding to protect SL�s diverse cultural treasures. Since 2001, AFCP has funded 13 projects in SL. Projects have included the comprehensive documentation of western monasteries and historic buildings within the World Heritage sites of A'pura & Galle, restoration of Batticaloa Dutch Fort, more..

Apr 12 (EN) A relief programme to provide a one-time cash allowance of Rs 5,000 each to 2.8 million low-income families for the upcoming Sinhala & Tamil New Year is in jeopardy as many local state official associations have decided to boycott the programme. A Finance Ministry circular issued on April 10 announced that the payment will be made to families belonging to seven categories: low-income families, Samurdhi beneficiary more..

Apr 12 (AD) The first crescent of the new moon that will herald the start of Ramadan was not sighted today (12), stated Colombo Grand Mosque. Accordingly, Muslims in SL are scheduled to commence fasting for Ramadan on April 14, the Colombo Grand Mosque declared. Muslims all over the world will observe a month of fasting and prayers during Ramadan to commemorate the time when the Quran was revealed to Prophet Mohammed on the night of Laylat Al Qadr. more..

Apr 12 (AJ) On March 13, Sarath Weerasekara, SL�s minister of public security, announced that the government will ban wearing of the burqa and close more than 1,000 Islamic schools in the country. The minister was quoted as saying that the burqa was a sign of religious extremism and has a direct impact on national security. The news was picked up internationally and resulted in several statements by human rights organisations and the UN special rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, more..

Apr 12 (FT) Despite the heavy toll of the COVID-19 pandemic on SL�s economy and the lives of its people, the economy will recover in 2021, though challenges remain, says the latest World Bank SL Development Update: Economic and Poverty Impact of COVID-19 released on Saturday. SL Development Update (SLDU) notes that the country, hit with an unprecedented economic downturn due to the pandemic, is now on the road to recovery. more..

Apr 12 (CT) Approximately Rs 650 million has been spent on the PCoI into the 21 April 2019, Easter Sunday bombings. However, sources said the total cost could be even higher as expenditures of the final phase of the PCoI have not been calculated yet. The final report of the PCoI, which runs into approximately 100,000 pages, cost around Rs 10 million to print and the report was handed over to Prez on 1 Feb. Report contained nearly 40,000 pages of statements made by witnesses. more..

Apr 12 (AD) A Gazette Extraordinary has been issued establishing a Hambantota Managed Elephant Reserve under the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance. The gazette has been issued under Subsection (2) of Section 2 of the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance (Chapter 469). State Minister Wimalaweera Dissanayake has signed the relevant gazette. The gazette declares the area of land � excluding the area of land comprising 866 Hectares of the MRIA in Mattala more..

Apr 12 (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 13 (Island) On the threshold of the vote in Geneva, with disaster looming, I began to wonder at how Gotabaya Rajapaksa managed so soon to lose the confidence of the country when there was so much hope when he was elected. The Sugar Fiasco, if not quite in the league of the Bond Scam, suggests that corruption is beyond control. After the satisfactory control, initially, of the coronavirus danger, it burst forth through what seems confused reactions, including preposterous flood of more..

Apr 13 (TM) What would you make of a person or an entity that refuses to learn from the past to safeguard the future? Are they foolish or are they careless? Or could they be a combination of both? Easter Sunday was a bitter result of a spate of well-orchestrated actions, and there is more to it than the two well-known aspects, i.e. lethargy of authorities and rulers, and religious extremism that had gone unnoticed despite many signs. However, unfortunately, the authorities and rulers more..

Apr 13 (TM) The World Bank recently released a report based on the economic rebound in South Asia, following the historic negative low the region faced in 2020, after the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. The report, which was titled South Asia Economic Focus: South Asia Vaccinates, released on 31 March, deemed SL�s debt sustainability at risk due to the country�s depleted fiscal buffers, high indebtedness & constricted market access. more..