Mar 6 (DM) Shasheendra Rajapaksa, State Minister of Paddy and Grains, Organic Food, Vegetables, Fruits, Chillies, Onion and Potato Cultivation Promotion, Seed Production & Advanced Technology Agriculture, shares his views on the crisis involved in the rice market. He also responds to queries about the political situation and allegations against the govt. Mr. Rajapaksa is the son of Minister Chamal Rajapaksa. more..

Mar 6 (DM) Spirituality tells us that we could be happy only when we make other people happy. Our care for others is the measure of our greatness. If we are selfish or self-centred and seeking our own happiness or joy, it often turns out to be an act of self-deception. We damage ourselves and our spiritual journey. Therefore, we need to be internally transformed from being self-centred to be other centred. If we live for our personal gain or glory and use or abuse others for our personal benefit, more..

Mar 6 (DM) When Prez Rajapaksa on Nov 10 instructed the officials to find a dry land to burry bodies of those who die of COVID-19, pro-govt media and monks protested against burial of such bodies. It must also be noted that the President gave the instructions while the govt was claiming that health officials had not given the green light to bury COVID-19 victims. A month later, on December 10 - incidentally on the International Human Rights Day - PM Rajapaksa also instructed more..

Mar 6 (CT) Land Commissioner General Keerthi Gamage says 85% of the land in SL is State-owned and that spells out the issues related to land in the country. He added the 13A is a must to reduce land issues and the wrong perception over it has resulted in 90% of the land matters coming to the Land Commissioner�s Dept. Q: If 85% of lands belong to the State, it is apparent that the 23 million population have a huge problem more..

Mar 6 (DM) The international debate on the draft resolution on SL is heading to be more intense since the core-group of the countries led by the UK is heading to submit the final version of it ahead of a vote to be called at the UNHRC. SL has already rejected the resolution setting the stage for a division of votes of the UNHRC member States in case it is called. The informal consultations on the draft resolution were conducted in Geneva on March 1 and 2, and the representatives of countries more..

Mar 6 (GV) Although Sri Lanka is a richly biodiverse island and is accordingly famed for its wildlife abundance, its varied eco-systems spread throughout the island, two land mammals in particular have achieved an iconic status. They are the elephant and the leopard. Of the two, elephants by far are the only animals associated with the island and its long cultural history. Leopards on the other hand have only recently attained popularity & is possibly the most sought after wild animal more..

Mar 6 (CT) The Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales (BHRC) and the International Bar Association�s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) are gravely concerned about the deteriorating human rights situation in Sri Lanka and join calls made during the 46th session of the UNHRC for Sri Lanka to pursue accountability for past and recent grave human rights violations. BHRC and IBAHRI are concerned that the govt of SL continues to ignore calls for accountability for more..

Mar 6 (Island) Superstition can be dangerous when taken to an extreme. A female exorcist who mercilessly caned a nine-year-old girl in a bid to expel an evil spirit, thereby, causing her death, in Delgoda, and the victim�s mother have been remanded. They are not alone in resorting to occult practices that have survived in spite of scientific and technological advancements during the last several centuries; humans have failed to overcome their atavistic fears. more..

Mar 6 (Island) When there are several tivus in the North, why was Iranativu selected for Muslim Covid burials? Why select an island with people living there, with Catholic priests, too? Why not an island with no humans at all: Is that so difficult for the Burial Experts in the Covid management? Looks like disposal of dead bodies, if they happen to be of Covid-infected Muslims, is the biggest problem SL is facing today. more..

Mar 6 (ANI) SL all-rounder Dasun Shanaka, who miss the flight to West Indies due to an issue related to securing his visa, will now travel on Sunday to join his teammates. Shanaka, who was named in the 'White Ball Squad' for West Indies series, did not travel with the team due to a visa issue he confronted, pursuant to the loss of his previous passport, which had a valid visa for the USA stamped on it. SLC on Friday said that the all-rounder will now travel to WI via France more..

Mar 6 (FT) Following a surge to 122 in January, the LMD-Nielsen Business Confidence Index (BCI) dipped by two basis points to 120 in February. Leading business magazine LMD suggests that this could indicate stability in the index as the Govt looks to vaccinate a sufficient number of citizens to achieve herd immunity sooner rather than later. Nielsen�s Director � Consumer Insights Therica Miyanadeniya notes: �The COVID-19 situation has not abated in Sri Lanka, more..

Mar 6 (ST) Public and private sector offices are taking more precautions in the wake of the detection of highly contagious mutant coronavirus disease strains in the country. The UK mutant virus strain, B.1.1.7, was confirmed in Sri Lanka in mid February in patients in Colombo, Avissawella, Biyagama and Vavuniya as well as a few people in quarantine. A lab technologists union has said the mutant strain could have more..

Mar 6 (AD) NDB and the Norwegian Development Finance Institution, Norfund, have reached an agreement for Norfund to invest up to 9.99% in National Development Bank (NDB). Under this agreement, Norfund will participate in the Rights Issue for LKR8Bn that NDB has already announced by way of subscribing to unsubscribed rights and also by way of a private placement if required. This investment is subject to other conditions, including regulator and shareholders approvals. more..

Mar 6 (BR) High Commissioner of SL Vice Admiral Mohan Wijewickrama on Wednesday hoped that recent visit of PM Imran Khan would help give a quantum jump to the bilateral trade. He was speaking at a meeting at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI). LCCI Vice President Tahir Manzoor Chaudhry presided over the meeting while former Senior Vice President Amjad Ali Jawa and executive committee members were also present on the occasion. more..

Mar 6 (Island) Govt has launched a programme to prevent air pollution in the city and other urban centres by planting trees, Minister Amaraweera says. He said latest scientific studies showed that the oxygen level in the atmosphere of the city of Colombo was gradually declining. On Thursday, a meeting was held between Environment Minister and Colombo Mayor Rosy Senanayake on the tree planting programme. more..

Mar 6 (Island) Newstead Girls School, Negombo player Arushi Thomas toppled top seeds and top ranked players on her way to clinch the Under-14 girls� singles title at the SSC Open Ranking Tennis tournament in Colombo on Friday. Thomas beat Dulkini Ranasinghe 6-2, 6-2 to win the title after ousting top seeds in the last two stages. In the quarter-finals, Thomas beat top seed and number two ranked Under 14 player Melasha Randini 7-5, 6-4 before scoring a hard fought 6-7, 7-5, 10-6 more..

Mar 6 (DN) SL�s leading private higher educational provider, the British College of Applied Studies (BCAS) recently organised the first ever five-star welcoming for undergraduate students in Sri Lanka aptly named Fresher�s Eve, which was held at the Cinnamon Grand hotel on 20th Feb 2021. The theme of the event entitled It Starts with us involved the distribution of Orientation certificates to students who were also given an insight into the educational experience at BCAS. more..

Mar 6 (CT) National Athletics trials which are set to be held from 8-10 April will kickstart the athletics calendar this year, but participation will be limited just as for last year�s National Championship. Sri Lanka Athletics (SLA) will once again be forced to conduct a trial adhering to Health Ministry�s DREAM protocol; hence, they will limit participation using the same methods they used for the National Championship last December. more..

Mar 6 (Island) Stylish Dhananjaya de Silva�s calm presence in the middle order had brought so much assurance to the SL batting in recent times but he has been out of cricket for almost three months now after pulling a thigh muscle during the Boxing Day Test against South Africa at Centurion. De Silva was cruising on 79 when he attempted a run and pulled the muscle ruling him out of the series and the subsequent home Tests against England. His absence resulted in SL struggling to balance more..

Mar 6 (SLN) The Chief of the Air Staff of Indian Air Force, Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria who is now in the island on an official visit, met with Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral Nishantha Ulugetenne at the Navy Headquarters today (4). The visiting Chief of the Air Staff of Indian Air Force was received by Commander Western Naval Area, Rear Admiral Meril Sudarshana and he was then ushered to accord the Guard of Honour in compliance with naval tradition. more..

Mar 6 (CT) Sri Lanka's spinners manufactured a convincing 43-run victory over the West Indies in Antigua to keep the three-match series alive and bring an end to an eight-match losing streak in T20Is. On a sluggish surface, Akila Dananjaya, Wanindu Hasaranga, and Lakshan Sandakan proved a handful - picking up seven wickets between them, the latter two picking up three wickets apiece - as SL defended more..

Mar 6 (FT) The Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) in collaboration with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is hosting the inaugural Issuer Forum for 2021 on the theme Founder to Family � Leveraging Going Public, at the Shangri-La Hotel Colombo on 16 March from 5:30 p.m. onwards. The event will highlight how a family business can take advantage of going public, while ensuring the family retains control and continues to guide the vision of the business. more..

Mar 6 (DN) In an effort to become a self-sufficient nation in a post-COVID economy and to safeguard the currency, Govt recently took a policy decision to impose a set of stringent import restrictions on non-essential goods, where the imports of tiles and bathware were temporarily suspended. With a request to revoke these restrictions the Tile Importers Association met Treasury Secretary, S.R. Attygalle on March 1, with local manufacturers to discuss a way forward where there would be more..

Mar 6 (CT) Sri Lankans, beset by the pandemic induced lockdowns resorted to hoard a massive amount of cash in bank accounts during 2020, while the firms too followed suit as they built liquidity to ride the pandemic�s pressure on their financials immediately since their businesses were disrupted. According to data, demand deposits, as well as the time and savings deposits rose by a record pace since March last year since more..

Mar 6 (FT) Four COVID-19 deaths occurred yesterday, bringing the country�s COVID-19 death toll to 493. A 67-year-old individual from Colombo 8 tested positive for COVID-19 at a private hospital in Colombo and was admitted to the Homagama Base Hospital. However, he died of COVID pneumonia, acute diabetes, and kidney disease yesterday. An 81-year-old individual from Colombo 10 was transferred from the National Hospital of SL to the Homagama Base Hospital after testing more..

Mar 6 (Island) Changi Airport Group in Singapore recognised SriLankan Cargo with a Cargo Service Excellence Award, at a ceremony during the Let�s Talk Cargo 2021 conference held recently in Singapore. SriLankan Airlines has been nominated by the cargo industry partners in Singapore and shortlisted by a panel of judges as one of the three recipients of the Excellence Award alongside Singapore Airlines and Cargolux. This award was presented for providing superior more..

Mar 6 (FT) A total of 350 persons tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday, bringing the total number of patients detected in the island to 84,960. Among the patients detected yesterday are 325 associates of the Peliyagoda COVID-19 cluster and 13 persons linked to the prisons cluster. The triple clusters have thus risen to 80,733 patients. A total of 2,118 returnees from abroad, 950 Navy personnel and their contacts, 651 persons more..

Mar 6 (DM) The probe and the postmortem conducted into the two deaths that were reported following COVISHIELD vaccination, have revealed that the cause for deaths was not attributed to the vaccine and it had no links to it, Deputy Director General of Health Services Dr. Hemantha Herath said. He said that the Epidemiology Unit had taken pertinent steps to carry out investigation into the said deaths, reported in the Gampaha District. �It has been concluded that the deaths have more..

Mar 6 (DM) Govt has no intention to change existing system right now Army Chief warns people to continue exercising caution. Sri Lankans who travel overseas will be required to be quarantined on their return even if they have been vaccinated. Army Commander Shavendra Silva said the authorities have not yet considered amending the quarantine process. General Silva said as the vaccination process is still in its initial stages the Govt has not considered any changes to existing system. more..

Mar 6 (FT) Regular and consistent supplies are the greatest constraint faced by the country in terms of COVID-19 immunisation, Principal Advisor to the Prez and Presidential Task Force for National Deployment and Vaccination Plan for COVID-19 Vaccine Chairman Lalith Weeratunga said recently. He was speaking on Thursday at a conference organised by the World Bank, which saw the participation of representatives from more..

Mar 6 (AD) Chief of Air Staff of the Pakistan Air Force, Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan, and the Chief of Air Staff of the Bangladesh Air Force, Air Chief Marshal Masihuzzaman Serniabat have called on PM Mahinda Rajapaksa at Temple Trees last evening. Both heads of the Air Force arrived in the country to attend the 70th Anniversary Celebrations of the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF). Pakistani and Bangladeshi delegations spoke to the PM about providing training for Air Force officers more..

Mar 6 (AD) The copies of the final report of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) appointed to investigate and inquire into the Easter Sunday attacks have been handed over to the Chief Incumbents of the Ramanna and Amarapura Nikayas (Sects). The report had been presented to Mahanayake of Ramanna Maha Nikaya, Aggamaha Panditha Shasthrapathi, Most Venerable Makulewe Wimala Nayake Thero at the Vidyavasa Privena in Minioluwa, Mirigama last evening (4). more..

Mar 6 (Island) The Sri Lanka Core group members, Canada and the UK, are campaigning hard to muster support for their resolution against Sri Lanka at the Geneva-based UNHRC. Sri Lanka Core group consists of Canada, Germany, the UK, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Malawi. Canada High Commissioner David McKinnon met the Bangladesh High Commissioner Tareq Ariful Islam, at the Canada House, Colombo 07. more..

Mar 6 (FT) Talk of the town is currently centred on the recently released PCoI Report on the Easter Sunday terrorist attack of 21 April 2019. After much dilly-dallying and drift the PCoI report has been tabled in Parliament and is now open to be viewed by all and sundry. Before the release it passed through a few noteworthy wayposts, some discreetly discussed. PCoI report was referred to a committee of politicos creating a rumpus with accusations of ostensible attempts to shelve it further more..

Mar 6 (DM) Privacy is a concept we are all familiar with but a violation of privacy especially in cases of politicians, celebrities and famous people is nothing new. While violation of the privacy of the common man isn�t something that would hit news headlines, it still does occur especially on social media platforms. This occurs on a daily basis, yet there aren�t any concrete solutions to deal with the issue. Article 12 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights enunciates that more..

Mar 6 (DM) We have not endorsed a price hike for the last five years These companies ask for a price hike saying they will be bankrupt otherwise. The two domestic gas suppliers have sought approval from the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) to increase prices, Trade Minister Bandula Gunawardane said. He said the price of a domestic gas cylinder had not been revised for the last five years. He said the request by the two gas supplying companies would be submitted at the next Cabinet meeting. more..

Mar 6 (Island) Archbishop of Colombo, Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith yesterday urged Catholics to pray, asking God to drive masterminds of the Easter Sunday bombings into the clutches of the law. Cardinal Ranjith said that Catholics had been asked to arrive in churches, dressed in black, tomorrow to mark Black Sunday, in memory of those killed during the Easter Sunday attacks. The Vatican too had been informed about the Black Sunday event through the SL mission there, prelate said. more..

Mar 6 (AD) Prez Rajapaksa says the govt will take necessary measures to punish the individuals who were responsible for the Easter Sunday terror attacks. Quoting the report of PCoI which investigated the explosions, Prez said previous govt has not given priority to national security since 2015. �The inefficient govt was a major factor in the events which took place on the 21st of April in 2019,� he went on to quote the report, adding that more..