Jan 6 (AD) Delivering the verdict of the case filed against former Inspector of Police (IP) Neomal Rangajeewa of Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) and former Prisons Commissioner Emil Ranjan Lamahewa over the Welikada Prison riot in 2012, has been postponed until Jan 12. This was conveyed when the lawsuit was taken up before the bench consisting of Gihan Kulathunga, Pradeep Hettiarachchi and Manjula Thilakaratne of more..

Jan 6 (TM) Considering the betterment of the country, an agreement must be reached with even those who are not siding with the Govt says Minister Wimal Weerawansa. �I believe that what must not be done is to remove those who are with us. We must intervene and reach an agreement with even those who are not on our side. We have to reach an agreement with even those in the opposition to help the country overcome this current situation. This is a time which a broader alliance is needed to more..

Jan 6 (Island) Colombo High Court judge Namal Balalle yesterday ordered the Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) to report to court on 20 Jan on the progress of the investigation into the MV X-Press Pearl ship disaster. When the case was taken up, the Russian captain of the ill-fated Singapore registered ship and the three directors of the shipping company�s local agency, who have been named as suspects in connection with the disaster, appeared in court. more..

Jan 6 (DM) Authorities are yet to find a permanent solution to the Human-Elephant Conflict (HEC) and wild elephant raids. Some people who were assigned with the task to find solutions suggested to name wild elephants as forest elephants. Some stole the moneys allocated to build electric fences. Yet the HEC remains unsolved. Solutions were proposed from time to time; some of which had to be carried out incurring more..

Jan 6 (DN) Focusing on adding a new product basket to trade with Kenya, Sri Lanka secured the first ever export deal of coco peat from Sri Lanka to Kenya. The first consignment of coco peat destined to Kenya was symbolically flagged off by Minister Namal Rajapaksa at the Port of Colombo. This event prognosticates Kenya as a new trade destination for SL. The efforts of Sri Lanka and Kenya to increase the economic activities between the two countries had received further momentum more..

Jan 6 (CT) Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) formally handed over former SLNS Jayasagara (P 601) patrol craft to the Sri Lanka Coastguard in a ceremony held at the Southern Naval Command on Monday (3). Previously attached to the SLN fleet, Jayasagara rendered an invaluable service, by ensuring the maritime security of the island nation for nearly four decades, as a maritime surveillance vessel. The vessel, with a displacement of 313 tons, is 39.8 m in length and 7.0m in breadth. more..

Jan 6 (TM) Minister of Agriculture Mahindananda Aluthgamage yesterday (5) said that the Agricultural and Agrarian Insurance Board (AAIB) is currently preparing to pay compensation to farmers for crop-related damages. Speaking to the media, he claimed that Rs. 5,000 million had been paid as compensation through the AAIB for crop damages to farmers last year. Accordingly, compensation for crop damage will be paid more..

Jan 6 (EN) Sri Lanka is targeting 2.5 million tourists in 2022 and 300,000 foreign workers, Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa has said. Sri Lanka�s migrant worker departures had fallen to 53,775 in 2020 amid the Covid pandemic, he said. When he was appointed Finance Minister the number was about 37,000 person and measures had been taken to speed it up, he said. In 2016 Sri Lanka had seen 242,716 departures, in 2017 � 211,990, in 2018 � 211,211, in 2019 � 203,087, he said. more..

Jan 6 (CT) A set of doctors and nurses attached to the Mulleriyawa Hospital carried out a successful caesarean operation saving the life of a woman and her infant after the hospital experienced a power outage during the procedure, prompting them to switch on the lights on their mobile phones. The operation was successfully performed by a medical team headed by Dr. K. Kodagoda on the morning of 4 January. The hospital switched on its emergency generator due to a power failure in the area more..

Jan 6 (TM) The Lanka Private Bus Owners� Association (LPBOA) has alleged that despite the hike in bus fares, following the Govt�s decision to increase fuel prices, the difficulties faced by private bus owners have not yet come to an end. LPBOA President Gemunu Wijeratne said: �Despite the increase in bus fares, there are a number of practical issues with its implementation, especially in terms of the transportation of passengers more..

Jan 6 (CT) Charges have been filed, in the Jaffna Additional Magistrate�s Court against Palmyrah Development Board (PDB) Chairman Krishantha Pathiraja alleging that he has embezzled millions of rupees belonging to the Board. Concerning the allegations, Jaffna Lawyer Stanislaus Celestine, who filed the charges against Pathiraja, stated that the case was taken for hearing yesterday, but the Chairman was not present and the case was postponed. more..

Jan 6 (DM) The two twin male baby elephants born at the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage were given their first bath at the zoo today. Marking a remarkable day in the SL elephant saga, the twin baby elephants were born at the Pinnawala elephant orphanage on Aug 31, 2021, the first birth of twins since the inception of this orphanage. The mother elephant, Surangi, is a captive elephant who was born in 1997 and has been under the care of Elephant Orphanage Pinnawala since more..

Jan 6 (CT) Health Services in the Northern Province urged the Govt to increase its advocacy for the booster vaccine against Covid-19. Informed health sources in the Northern Province Health Service said yesterday that SL�s vulnerability to the fast spreading Omicron variant increases on a daily basis. But there is reluctance among the public to obtain the booster shot. They said this situation exists even among families of healthcare more..

Jan 6 (EN) Sacked Minister Susil Premajayantha has called for a probe whether he was spied upon by intelligence agents after a ruling party member claimed the sacking came in the wake of spy reports. Premjayantha was sacked shortly after he commented on the fertilizer ban which had put the agriculture sector in crisis at an impromptu interview while he was shopping at a weekly fair. �I am asking those in senior positions of the govt to conduct a probe, on how this member of parliament more..

Jan 6 (TM) CEB Additional General Manager (Corporate Strategy) Eng. (Dr) D.C.R. Abeysekara will be appointed General Manager (GM) of the CEB with effect from 13 Jan, as per a circular issued by the Ministry of Power. Accordingly, he will replace Eng. M.R. Ranatunga, who currently holds the post, and who was scheduled to retire on 12 January 2022. However, last November, Eng. Ranatunga was accused by the CEB Employees� Union (CEBEU) of having violated procedure more..

Jan 7 (CT) Yesterday a Daily said a 17-foot saltwater crocodile had been killed in the Nilwala Ganga (river), Matara, recently. The age of the crocodile was estimated to be between 60 and 70 years, it said. The Daily quoting Chinthaka Abeyratne, Wildlife Officer, Mirissa Wildlife Office, Matara, said these incidents are frequently reported because sometimes people capture crocodiles for meat. They are also killed as a precaution because there are incidents when crocodiles can be a threat. more..

Jan 7 (CT) Among critics of the regime, much tends to be made of the point that the electoral system favours two parties and that an alternative is needed. Anti-corruption has become the call of the hour, while many of those who say that we should vote the govt out hasten to add that shouldn�t vote or get the Opposition in. In other words, while critics of the SLPP aren�t necessarily supporters of the SJB, they have become critics of the system. Insofar as this has pushed them towards a party, more..

Jan 7 (DM) Sri Lankan ambassador to Beijing Dr. Palitha Kohona speaks to Daily Mirror regarding the present status of Sino-Lanka bilateral relations in the event of fertilizer crisis involving Chinese company Seawin Biotech which even threatened to complain against SL state banks to the international rating agencies. Q: As SL ambassador to China, how do you view the bilateral relations in the context of the fertilizer crisis? more..

Jan 7 (CT) The Rajapaksa family cannot be credited with intelligence or wisdom. But, they have village cunning. Cunning can deceive an ill-educated mass who have been led to believe that the Country is in peril, Buddhism is in danger and the Sinhala race will be a minority. That is the slogan, which of course is stuff and nonsense, but a great sell. Not done out of belief but out of great convenience. Why? It works for the Rajapaksas. It is pertinent to recall the words of Robert Knox. more..

Jan 7 (GV) SL�s return to terror came on April 21, 2019 with the bombing of three hotels and three churches that killed 267 people and injured about 500. The trial of 25 men accused of masterminding the attacks began in November. More than 23,000 charges have been filed against the suspects and 1,215 witnesses have been called to testify. Three inquiries have been held into the Easter Sunday attacks by a Presidential Committee headed by Justice Vijith Malalgoda (PC), by the PSC more..

Jan 7 (TM) Much is being said nowadays about the pressures the Sri Lankan rupee is facing, but it is important that we understand the mechanics and greater economic context. Currency crises have been common in our modern history, with countries facing sudden devaluations to the point where we can predict the patterns. There was the Mexican peso crisis of 1994 and the Asian financial crisis of 1997. more..

Jan 7 (TM) More than two and a half years after the Easter Sunday attacks, those affected by the attacks still live with a certain uncertainty about being delivered the justice they were promised for what happened to them, and remain unsatisfied about the actions taken against those involved in and aided and abetted in the attacks, and also against the bigwig politicians and the law enforcement authorities who failed to prevent it. Even though the powerful have been slowly forgotten more..

Jan 7 (CT) Now that we are all in the New Year, it�s time to ponder over the future, not stopping with cribbing about the past, the past year, in this case. The idea is to kick-start a positive national discourse, bordering on a heated debate, if it came to that, and arrive at a national consensus with a consensual implementation plan, which is both pragmatic and functional. It is required for more reasons than one, and for obvious reasons. In the Christmas Week, Archbishop of Colombo, more..

Jan 7 (DM) Just as a drowning man will clutch at a straw, the SL govt is now seizing upon every avenue that comes it way to tide over an economic crisis which the country has not seen in its post-independence history. It goes with a begging bowl for currency swaps from India, China, Bangladesh and Qatar. Each minister has been told to approach a rich country with the task being obtaining aid, loans and currency swaps to increase the foreign reserves. more..

Jan 7 (CT) The 29-member pool which had initially been named to face Zimbabwe in a 3-match ODI series from 16 Jan has reportedly been truncated to 17. Star all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga who suffered an injury during last year�s IPL tournament and who is yet to fully recover, has been overlooked. Hasaranga has been replaced by spinner Jeffrey Vandersay, who is returning to the national team after being in the wilderness for some time. Binura Fernando is another who has been omitted more..

Jan 7 (FT) State-run Litro Gas Lanka Ltd. confirmed that its production capacities have bounced back to optimal levels, assuring that the current shortage of Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) will soon be resolved. �Following new procedures and to conform with standards hampered the daily output of the company by 20%. However, we have now bounced back to our optimal levels of issuing 90,000-100,000 cylinders per day from Tue� more..

Jan 7 (FT) SL�s COVID-19 case count exceeded 590,000 with the detection of 584 COVID-19 positive persons yesterday. The patients detected yesterday include 572 persons from the New Year cluster and 12 overseas arrivals. The previous day, 548 persons from the New Year cluster and two SL overseas returnees tested positive for COVID-19. 7,852 PCR tests and 3,721 rapid antigen tests were conducted on Wednesday. A total of 590,063 COVID-19 patients have been detected in SL to date. more..

Jan 7 (FT) COVID-19 vaccines were administered to 43,969 persons yesterday and 74.41% of the country�s population have received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine to date. The second dose has been administered to 64.43% of the total population. This is 94.7% of the population over 20 years. 28.7% of the population over 20 years have received the booster dose. A total of 15,996,826 persons have received the first vaccine dose and 13,852,537 persons have received the second dose. more..

Jan 7 (FT) Minister Dr. Ramesh Pathirana said export crops have seen a significant growth in 2021 and the sector would be further encouraged. �Last year, we had the highest export earnings in the history of the plantation sector. Rubber exports generated billions in dollars. We earned $ 900 million from coconut exports and $ 500 million from spice exports. �When we came to power, people were not interested in rubber more..

Jan 7 (Island) Among many sports Sri Lankans have made their international appearances, Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is not something the local fans are that much familiar with. However, two SL fighting sensations, Malinda Boyka Amarasinghe and Ajmal Yaka Yakoob are set to make history when they take to the ring in Bangkok, Thailand today at the Thailand Fighting Championship (TFC 5). Amarasinghe, who hails from Kurunegala, will take on the former ONE Championship fighter more..

Jan 7 (FT) Ministry of Public Administration yesterday issued a circular giving effect to the decision by the Govt to increase the retirement age in the public sector to 65 years. The new retirement age is effective from 1 January this year. The Circular was sent to secretaries of all ministries and state ministries, Chief secretaries of Provincial councils and heads of departments by the Secretary to the Ministry of Public Administration J.J. Ratnasiri. The decision to raise the age of retirement more..

Jan 7 (TM) English Tea Shop Organic (ETS), a brand of Amazon Trading Ltd., established in 2010, has been on a truly transformative journey since implementing a company-wide open book management programme in 2015. This was followed by a unique Employee Share Option Plan (ESOP) embarked in 2019 to help build a significantly employee-owned organisation. The ESOP�s Phase 1 in 2019 saw the company granting 15% of the equity stake to employees. more..

Jan 7 (DN) �Having Mahela Jayawardene with us during the under 19 world cup is a huge plus point. He brings in a lot of experience and we hope to use it for our betterment,� said SL under 19 head coach Avishka Gunawardena at the virtual media briefing from Team Hotel in Guyana yesterday. Both Jayawardena and Gunawardena played for the National under 19 team in 1995 and both of them have very close understanding among them. Jayawardena who is also more..

Jan 7 (ST) The latest report is out � 41 of 176 samples sequenced from Dec 14 to 23, were infected by the Omicron variant of concern and the balance by Delta. The samples sequenced by the laboratory of the Sri J'pura Uni under Prof. Neelika Malavige were from the community as well as from people arriving at and departing from the airport. �We are able to carry out such sequencing to keep a pulse on what is happening in SL due to more..

Jan 7 (FT) Colombo Camporee, which is the flagship event of Colombo Scouts, is one of the most iconic events in SL scouting history rooted with rich Scouting traditions. The 56th Colombo Camporee 2021 held from 2 � 9 January was declared open on 2 January by the Chief Guest of the Opening Ceremony, Dialog Axiata VP � Network Operations and Service Assurance Indika Walpitage, who himself was a President�s Scout of 42nd Colombo Royal College Scout Troop. more..

Jan 7 (DM) The Colombo District Court recently has issued an injunction order preventing YouTube LLC, the parent company in California and Colombo Today (YouTube channel), from publishing defamatory videos on YouTube that could tarnish the reputation of the Russian Education Center (REC Campus) in SL. The injunction order was issued against the YouTube channel and Keerthi Dunuwila of Colombo Today. This order will be effective until the end of the trial. more..

Jan 7 (FT) Bringing Vistas of Prosperity to the forefront, Prez Rajapaksa will ceremoniously launch the 1,000 new national schools establishment program, covering all nine provinces today. The inaugural ceremony of the 1,000 new national schools establishment program will be held at the Siyambalanduwa Maha Vidyalaya in Monaragala today at 10:30 a.m. auspicious time with the blessings of PM Mahinda Rajapaksa and more..