Mar 30 (FT) Sri Lanka has been ranked as worst for internet quality among 85 countries analysed by VPN provider Surfshark. Singapore tops the list. Scandinavian and Benelux countries also rank high on the Internet Quality Index which considers the speed and reliability of broadband and mobile internet connections. Canada ranks seventh ahead of the US in rank 18. The analysis was made available by Statista, more..

Mar 30 (Island) UN Population Fund (formerly UN Family Planning Association) in SL and the Govt of Japan recently handed over a consignment of goods to support the Ministry of Health to strengthen access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services. Additionally, the infrastructure provided will further strengthen the service provision capacity at Women and Youth-Friendly health centres. This support was made possible through PROMISES � USD 1.5 million UNFPA project more..

Mar 30 (CT) Chamari Athapaththu�s heroics with the bat was in vain as Air Force SC �A� outplayed Chilaw Marians CC by 8 wickets at the ongoing SLC Women�s Division One Tournament 2021 conducted by SLC yesterday. Chamari is proving over and over again her capabilities with the bat and agonisingly fell one run short of a well-deserved century, as she helped her team post 149 runs in their allotted 50 overs. So far in the tournament Chamari has one century and two 90�s to her account. more..

Mar 30 (FT) Govt has unveiled the draft National Agriculture Policy towards achieving the vision of sustainable food security to achieve national prosperity, and is seeking observations and comments from stakeholders and the public. The policy is primarily focused on food and feed crops, and sustainable food security with improved food quality. Key issues addressed via the policy are crop production and productivity improvement, more..

Mar 30 (CI) Thisara Perera, the allrounder, became the first Sri Lankan to hit six sixes in an over in any form of professional cricket, on Sunday. En route to his unbeaten 13-ball 52, he also smashed the second-fastest half-century in List A cricket, for Army Sports Cricket Club in SLC's Major Clubs tournament. The record for fastest fifty is held by former SL allrounder Kaushalya Weeraratne, who smashed a 12-ball half-century for Ragana CC against Kurunegala Youth CC in Nov 2005. more..

Mar 30 (DN) Thirty-year-old Muththusami Sivarajan, a father of two from Pundaluoya won the Gold Medal at the 46th National Sports Festival (NSF) marathon event held at Kataragama on Friday. This was the first time that the Airman participated in the NSF marathon after he had been a middle and long-distance runner for the better part of his athletics career. In fact, it was his coach Sajith Jayalal who encouraged him to be a marathoner and he returned a time of 2h29m29s to win his maiden title. more..

Mar 30 (TM) The ban on cattle slaughter, which was approved by the Cabinet in Sept 2020, is scheduled to be implemented soon. At present, Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious, and Cultural Affairs is discussing the final draft, Ministry Secretary Prof. Kapila Gunawardana said. �We are in the final stages of discussions with the AG regarding the drafting of a new act to ban the slaughter of cattle. more..

Mar 30 (FT) National Savings Bank (NSB) announced impressive performance for 2020 despite unprecedented challenges both for the organisation and the country. It said the performance of the bank over the year was characterised by strength and resilience. �Despite the heightened uncertainty due to the impact of COVID-19 which triggered a wide range of shocks on the bank, employees, customers and economy, our continued focus on financial resilience enabled us to remain strong and more..

Mar 30 (DM) Department of Excise, which is the third highest tax revenue generator in the country is presently ailing with a number of unfilled top seats to carry out even its day to day operations. Close to about 30 seats in the top decision making level have not been filled for many months by the competent authority, Ministry of Finance, which the department comes under. Since the appointment of head of the Department, Excise Commissioner General a few months back, several top posts including more..

Mar 30 (Island) Australian Prof. Lukman Thalib, 58, mentioned in the PCoI report that dealt with the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks, says that he will initiate legal proceedings against the SL govt over what he calls unsubstantiated allegations against him. Thalib is believed to be in Turkey. His son, Ismail Thalib, 24, too, is mentioned in the PCoI report. UK-based advocacy organization CAGE in a statement sent to The Island more..

Mar 30 (TM) At the request of Power Minister Dullas Alahapperuma, a Cabinet Sub-Committee comprising Ministers Vasudeva Nanayakkara, Bandula Gunawardena and Ramesh Pathirana has been appointed to take action on the current power generation plans and proposes measures to mitigate possible shortcomings. The recommendations of the Ministerial Sub-Committee should be submitted to the Cabinet of Ministers within two weeks and its first committee meeting is scheduled more..

Mar 30 (CT) SJB MP Harin Fernando accused Indian PM Narendra Modi recently, of stoking extremism to win Parliamentary Election, the same way elections were won in SL. �It is politicians who create problems. The best example is India. Indian PM Narendra Modi used the Pulwama incident that took place in India in 2019, for his election propaganda. Some 40 soldiers were killed in a suicide attack in Pulwama in 2019 and media reports were published that it was Muslims more..

Mar 30 (Island) SLPP Chairman Prof. G.L. Peiris asked whether the UK would hand over wartime dispatches (Jan-May, 2009) from its High Commission in Colombo to the proposed special unit tasked with gathering information and evidence, attached to UN Human Rights High Commissioner�s Office. The resolution adopted last Tuesday (23) authorized the High Commissioner�s office to set up a special unit to gather information more..

Mar 30 (FT) 215 persons tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday, bringing the country�s total COVID-19 patient count to 92,303. The patients detected yesterday include 151 associates of the Peliyagoda cluster, 49 overseas arrivals, and 15 persons linked to the Prisons cluster. 87,693 persons from the Divulapitiya, Peliyagoda and Prisons clusters and overseas arrivals have tested positive for the virus. Of the total COVID-19 patients detected in the island, 29,695 persons are from Colombo, more..

Mar 30 (FT) Plantations Minister Dr. Ramesh Pathirana has made an order under the Coconut Development Act to establish the Kithul Development Board with an initial capital of Rs. 50 million in a bid to promote the crop. The order made under the Coconut Development Act has specified the functions of the Board after Cabinet approval was given last year for its establishment. Kithul Development Board will consist of seven members and its functions will include the development more..

Mar 30 (FT) The Customs Department has informed the importers of 1,800,000 kg of coconut oil, to re-export the stock after a second round of tests by the SL Standards Institute (SLSI) found samples of the consignment to be unfit for consumption. Customs Director General Maj. Gen. (Rtd) Vijitha Ravipriya, said that the decision had been made to ensure public trust in local market products was maintained. more..

Mar 30 (DM) Pakistan alerted SL on Aug 10, 2018 about a Sri Lankan national involved in extremism and planning for development of explosive devises with the use of readily available chemical materials, but the authorities here had not paid attention on him, the PCoI that probed the serial bombings on 2019 Easter Sunday observes. Pakistani authorities apprised the SL High Commission in Islamabad in this regard. The Commission, in its report, recommends inquiry into dereliction of duty more..

Mar 30 (FT) Five COVID-19 deaths were yesterday confirmed by health authorities taking the country�s COVID-19 death toll to 566. A 63-year-old individual from Kandana was admitted to the Homagama Base Hospital after testing positive for the virus at the Colombo East Base Hospital. However, he died of trauma of blood poisoning caused by COVID pneumonia yesterday. On 28 March, a 45-year-old individual from Colombo 15 died while being admitted to the National Hospital of SL. more..

Mar 30 (FT) The Archdiocese of Colombo faulted the Govt for what it termed as repeated delays in bringing to justice those connected to the Easter Sunday attacks, voiced concern on whether they were caused by external interferences. Archbishop of Colombo Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, issuing a strongly worded statement, appealed for the process to begin at least by the 2nd anniversary of the attacks that falls next month. more..

Mar 30 (FT) Last Tuesday, UNHRC accepted allegations of human rights violations against Sri Lanka, brought by a group of Western countries. Under the resolution, SL is expected to submit proposals to address the human rights issues, to be monitored by the Council. The real reason for the allegations was the jealousy over Gotabaya who defeated LTTE, while mighty America failed to win the war with Vietnam. Japan, India and Muslim countries stayed neutral from the vote. more..

Mar 30 (DM) Govt to establish an independent and transparent mechanism to receive and resolve petroleum related consumer complaints under the supervision of the Energy Ministry and Public Utilities Commission of SL (PUCSL). Ceylon Petroleum Corporation was responsible for all the activities concerning the petroleum industry since the beginning. However, several parties are currently engaged in such activities. PUCSL was appointed as the regulatory body for petroleum industry. more..

Mar 30 (Island) Minister Dinesh Gunawardena points out that, Local Govt bodies should have been given more power and the money allocated for the development of the village should be given directly to the local bodies in order to expedite the village development activities and provide immediate relief to the people. Minister proposed this, addressing a function held on Sunday in the Seethawaka Pradeshiya Sabha area, to mark the opening of the community hall at Thawalgoda village. more..

Mar 30 (Island) The govt is at the receiving end of a hostile social media campaign. This is something ruling party politicians who fail to make good on their promises and exude arrogance have to expect. We saw what befell Donald Trump when he was the US Prez, didn�t we? People express their frustration at the political establishment in numerous ways. Some of them tend to be aggressive, but others use humour or satire as a medium to give expression to their pent-up anger, and thus witty political more..

Mar 30 (EN) Civilians have the right to self-defence in the event of an unprovoked attack from a police officer, DIG Ajith Rohana said. He said members of the public may resort to self-defence if their life is threatened by the actions of a uniformed police officer abusing his or her powers, as per sections 92 and 93 of the penal code. Police spokesman was commenting on the brutal assault on a lorry driver by a traffic police officer more..

Mar 30 (AD) Former Minister Ravi Karunanayake and 07 others who were arrested over the Central Bank bond scam have been further remanded until Thursday (Apr 1). The suspects were produced before the Colombo High Court Judges Damith Thotawatte, Manjula Thilakaratne and Mohamed Irshadeen earlier today (March 30). The judge bench will issue the decision on granting bail to the accused when the case is called again Thursday. Presenting submissions on the bail more..

Mar 30 (Island) Nearly 100 kilos of used ballpoint pens are discarded in SL on a daily basis and they will take several hundred years to decompose fully, Environment Minister Mahinda Amaraweera says. He said so when inventor Sachini Sugirdan yesterday presented a new eco-friendly ballpoint. The pen introduced by Sachini and her father Sugirdan is a 96 per cent eco-friendly product made of biodegradable materials to prevent environmental damage. The pens come with vegetable and more..

Mar 30 (TM) UNP today said that despite the Govt stating that they will seek UNESCO approval for the proposed project within Sinharaja, this will not exempt them from the laws of the country. UNP Deputy Leader Ruwan Wijewardena said the UN and all their subsidiary bodies must recognise and adhere to the sovereignty of the nation. �Regardless of what UNESCO decides, the law of the country clearly forbids more..

Mar 30 (FT) The beginning of a revolutionary partnership was marked on 1 March between Seylan Bank and Mintpay, a platform that is the first to offer customers the option to buy now, pay later for any product or service offered by merchants powered by Mintpay�s AI-driven payment platform. While the market is used to instalment based payments through many financial service providers, where they�re expected to go to the merchant location and ask that their transaction be converted to more..

Mar 30 (EN) SL�s unemployment has spiked to 5.8% in the third quarter of 2020 amid a Coronavirus crisis, and several years of monetary instability coming from flexible inflation targeting and a flexible exchange rate. The 2020 third quarter unemployment is the highest since 5.9% in Dec 2009, after a 30-year war. Unemployment hit 6.2% in the June 2009 quarter when the war ended. Unemployment fell steadily to 3.9% in 2011 with the rupee coming back to pre-crisis level. more..

Mar 30 (DM) Police Children and Women Bureau units have been instructed to take appropriate action to resolve disputes arising among husbands and wives in order to curb domestic violence which are on the rise. Police Spokesman DIG Ajith Rohana said, according to the statictics for a period of three months, incidents of disputes between husbands and wives, especialy in Hill Country and estate areas have increased. "Sometimes the husband kills his wife & sometimes the other way around. more..

Mar 30 (TM) SJB MP Harsha De Silva revealed that even if the govt has assured that some of the Chinese debts can be repaid using Chinese Yuan, the invoices of these debts are written in dollars and therefore the govt will have to pay in dollars. �The govt is incapable of paying such a debt because the amount of dollars in the country is rapidly deteriorating. Yesterday, the selling rate of the dollar was marked at Rs. 201.77. However, the Bank of Ceylon today sells the dollar at Rs. 204.4. more..

Mar 30 (CT) COPA has decided to appoint a joint committee comprising relevant stakeholders responsible for the conservation of the Muthurajawela Sanctuary. Secretary to the Environmental Ministry Dr. Anil Jasinghe will head the joint committee. COPA which met last week under the chairmanship of Prof. Tissa Vitharana, pointed out that although Muthurajawela was gazetted as a sanctuary by more..

Mar 30 (FT) SL consumers voted Dialog as the Service Brand of the Year and Youth Choice � Service Brand of the Year for the second consecutive year, and the Telecommunication Brand of the Year for a record 10th year running at the prestigious SLIM People�s Awards 2021. Voted for by the public to recognise brands that have made a profound impression in the minds of the people of Sri Lanka, the People�s Awards crowns the brands that have captured the hearts of the people. more..

Mar 30 (TM) Minister Udaya Gammanpila has stated that no policy decision has been taken to allow Indian fishermen to fish in SL waters. When asked by a journalist whether the govt had taken a decision to allow Indian fishermen to fish in Sri Lanka, the Minister said that the Minister of Fisheries has not discussed any such decision. �The Cabinet has not received any such proposal so far,� he said. When inquired by the media about the release of Indian fishermen stranded in SL waters and more..

Mar 30 (DM) Steps would be taken to ban the production of six types of plastic and polythene based products for local use with effect from tomorrow, Ministry of Environment said. Accordingly, disposable polythene and plastic, PET bottles (PolyEthylene Terephthalate), lunch sheets less than 20 microns, sachets (non-food and non-pharmaceutical), and inflatable toys will come under ban. more..

Mar 30 (DM) Colombo Chief Magistrate's Court today acquitted former Chief Justice Mohan Peiris and two others from a Bribery case filed against them for allegedly preparing an erroneous report to gain undue benefits. When the case was taken up before Colombo Cheif Magistrate Buddika Sri Ragala on February 17, the Bribery Commission said it had taken steps to withdraw the above case which was filed against former Chief Justice Mohan Peiris and others due to a technical error. more..

Mar 30 (AD) Consideration of the petition seeking annulment of tax concessions granted during the lease of the Hambantota Port to two Chinese companies during the previous govt has been set on July 28. This was decided when the petition filed by Attorney-at-Law Dasun Nagassena was taken in the Court of Appeal today. State Counsel representing the Attorney General informed the court that three fundamental rights petitions challenging the lease process of the Hambantota Port more..

Mar 30 (AD) Two bowser trucks containing coconut oil stocks, which were sealed by SL Customs on suspicion of containing carcinogenic substances, have been seized by the Dankotuwa Police. The raid was carried out on Monday night following a tip-off received through the 119 hotline. Thereby, 27,500 litres of coconut oil have been taken into custody by the investigating officers. The bowser trucks were found while parked at more..