Mar 1 (DM) The 49th Regular Session of the UNHRC commenced its sessions yesterday in Geneva and it will continue till April 1. If some of the SL political and military leaders are not facing any threat of being targeted by the Council for alleged human rights violations and war crimes, only a few NGOs in the country would be concerned about the month long session of this world body. Since the end of the separatist war in the Northern and the Eastern Provinces in May, 2009, more..

Mar 1 (DM) Much talk these days with respect to Ailing State Owned Enterprises SOEs. A new terminology has also been created as State Owned Business Enterprises SOBEs and Strategic State Owned Business Enterprises SSOBEs. The state has a long history of involvement in the Economy of Sri Lanka. State ownership of Utilities dates back to Colonial Times. Post Independence Experiments based on Socialism since 1957 saw the expansion of the State in to many arias of business. more..

Mar 1 (CT) Chandrapala (not his real name) is in his mid-forties and has been rotated to at least 20 trucks and tractors carrying garbage in the last 24 months as a punishment, merely because he refused to load a stock of used face masks dumped with unsorted garbage disposed from the residence of a local govt politician in the constituency. He makes at least four trips daily to Kerawalapitiya Garbage Dump with three garbage collectors more..

Mar 1 (CT) Adam�s bridge, also known as Ram Sethu, a gorgeous shallow hedge with limestone fragments located in between Rameshwaram India and Mannar island SL, connecting our little island to its great sibling nation, India, has been enjoyed by both Sri Lankans as well as Indian nationals for a very long time. Though it has been declared as a boundary of Sri Lanka under the 1974 IMBL, alongside Kachchativu island, in an exchange of 4 nautical miles added to India�s limits, more..

Mar 1 (CT) Sri Lanka will be once more dissected at the West-sponsored UNHRC sessions in Geneva. On Thursday, where a good report is crucial for SL�s economic wellbeing, centring round retaining GSP+, which entails duty-free exports to the EU and the UK, SL�s second and third largest export markets respectively. UNHRC sessions are being held in the midst of Europe being at war after 83 years of unbroken peace, led by nuclear armed Russia�s invasion of Ukraine entering its eighth day, more..

Mar 1 (Roar) Hiruni Wanniarachchi has been missing since 26 Dec 2004, the day the Indian Ocean Boxing Day tsunami hit SL�s coast. The then seven-year-old was travelling with her parents and sister, seven years her senior, on the Matara Express, the Galle-bound train that was caught in the disaster. For over 17 years now, Hiruni�s parents � who believe she is alive � did everything to find her. more..

Mar 1 (TM) The war between Russia and Ukraine has attracted intense scrutiny and attention from the international community, including citizens of virtually all nations, due to its geopolitical, economic and democratic implications. Russia is an energy giant, being a major player in the global crude oil and natural gas market, and the uncertainty of the situation has resulted in the price of a barrel of crude oil has jumping to a 7-year high. It is also the world�s 11th largest economy, more..

Mar 1 (ST) After weeks of laying siege to Ukraine, the Russian leader did to one of the founding socialist republics of the now defunct Soviet Union, what his predecessors did in earlier times to Hungary & Czechoslovakia. Czechoslovak invasion I remember distinctly. I was in London when the situation in Prague was on the boil. Like in Ukraine the question during those weeks and months was whether Soviet troops would march into this Soviet satellite struggling to loosen apron strings. more..

Mar 1 (ST) Amidst a countrywide fuel shortage and daily power cuts lasting over five hours, Parliament echoed with sounds of protests and angry exchanges. Yet, rather than discuss solutions to the crisis, both Govt and Opposition MPs kept pointing fingers at each other over the unprecedented economic crisis. On Thursday, SJB MPs wielding placards and battery powered torches staged a protest inside the Chamber demanding that Govt and Prez resign over the daily power cuts. more..

Mar 1 (Island) Sri Lanka�s economic crisis has become an orphan; everybody denies having fathered it. Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa has refused to take responsibility for it, according to a report published in this newspaper yesterday. He says neither he nor his govt should be held responsible for the economic mess the country finds itself in. The Opposition would have the public believe that the economic crisis is of recent origin, and during the yahapalana govt economy remained robust. more..

Mar 1 (Island) Mohali Test that gets underway later this week will be a landmark one for SL cricket as this is the nation�s 300th Test match. Since gaining Test status 40 years ago, SL have gone onto achieve many unique feats over the years. World Record for most wickets in Test cricket is owned by Muttiah Muralitharan, whose 800 wickets has been untouched for over a decade and it is expected to stand for quite a long time to come. more..

Mar 1 (SO) Instead of continuing with the general subsidy, the Govt should consider introducing a market-driven pricing formula for fuel to determine prices at the pump. Immediate and urgent measures to bring about macroeconomic stabilisation needs to complement these reforms if the country is to come out of this difficult situation, a media release from Advocata stated. The Colombo-based think-tank proposes the following reforms: Implementation of an effective fuel pricing formula, more..

Mar 1 (ST) SL�s U-19 speedster Vinuja Ranpul having featured in the recently-concluded World Cup declared and divulged playing in the biggest tournament of his life was living his dream. �My maiden under-19 call-up was a pleasant surprise to me but I knew that I would be able to get selected considering my impressive performances for Nalanda College. It was my dream to represent my country at the Under 19 level� Vinuja said. When the national youth team landed in the Caribbean more..

Mar 1 (FT) Tourist arrivals have hit a post-COVID all-time high of 93,582 in February, propelling the cumulative figure to 175,909 giving a good start for the year. As per data, it reflects a sharp growth of 14% from January, largely influenced by the eased travel restrictions, aggressive tourism promotions, continued service from more airlines, successful vaccination program and growing traveller confidence. more..

Mar 1 (FT) COVID-19 vaccines were administered to 19,309 persons on Sunday with over 38.2 million vaccine doses administered in total. 16,899,664 persons have received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 14,170,683 persons have received the second dose. The third dose has been administered to 7,159,638 persons. This includes 15,463 persons vaccinated on Sunday. First dose of Pfizer was administered to 612 persons on Sunday, raising the total number of persons to have received more..

Mar 1 (FT) COVID-19 case count rose to 646,034 following the detection of 997 COVID-19 patients yesterday. The previous day, 976 persons from the New Year cluster and one SL returnee from overseas tested positive for COVID-19. 5,371 PCR tests and 2,794 RATs were conducted on Sunday. In total, 540,565 patients from the New Year cluster, 82,785 patients from the Peliyagoda cluster, 9,154 patients from the Prisons cluster and 3,059 patients from Divulapitiya cluster have been detected. more..

Mar 1 (FT) The Colombo stock market yesterday produced one of its best performances with both indices up over 4% amidst improved turnover as investors reverted to buying mode. The All Share Price Index gained by 4.23% or 470 points and the S&P SL20 jumped by 5.46% or 204 points. Turnover was Rs. 4.3 billion involving 212 million shares. Asia Securities said the market commenced the week on an upbeat note as the indices moved sharply higher for the second consecutive session largely more..

Mar 1 (FT) Greenstat Hydrogen India signed an agreement with the Petroleum Development Authority of SL (PDASL) yesterday to collaborate on a pilot project for generating green hydrogen in SL. The Govt has taken a policy decision towards the goal of decarbonisation by the year 2050. To realise this goal, the country needs to gradually convert from fossil fuel to green energy production and consumption by changing energy supply networks. Accordingly, steps should be taken to more..

Mar 1 (ST) The country�s zoological gardens have been operating without a head for the fifth consecutive week with the probe on the director general�s complaint against zoo employees yet to be completed. Zoological Gardens Director General Shermila Rajapaksha temporarily withdrew from her duties for two weeks following a dispute with sections of the trade unions. On Jan 20, she said she was withdrawing from duties more..

Mar 1 (FT) Foreconns Canneries, a leading exporter in food items with authentic SL delicacies, was recently bestowed the Gold Award in value added agriculture sector, canned and processed food category at NCE Awards � 2021 ceremony at Shangri la Colombo organized by the National Chamber of Exporters. With exports to many countries including Australia, Germany, Italy, Japan and UK under the trusted brand name Foreconns, the company is the first fish canning factory more..

Mar 1 (CT) Former India Captain Sunil Gavaskar was full of praise for the efforts of SL captain Dasun Shanaka in the two T20Is played in two consecutive days in Dharamsala. Gavaskar seemed quite impressed by Shanaka's power-hitting and made a big statement about his future in the sport. Shanaka, who remained unbeaten on 47 and 74 runs, respectively, in the last two T20Is, was tipped by Gavaskar to be on the radar of just about every franchise following his latest heroics. more..

Mar 1 (Island) The govt�s efforts to provide an uninterrupted fuel supply at CEYPETCO pumping stations has suffered a debilitating setback due to the unprecedented heavy demand caused by sharp differences in prices at the CPC-owned and the Lanka India Oil Company (LIOC) managed service stations. CPC Chairman Sumith Wijesinha said that with the latest price increase announced by the LIOC, more..

Mar 1 (ST) Although SL�s literacy rate is over 90%, its financial literacy is at a low 35% compared to 65% in the developed world. These facts emerged when Asia Securities, a leading investment firm in SL, launched Dhana Maga � a trilingual financial literacy programme aimed at helping Sri Lankans take control of their financial future. Dhana Maga, the first of its kind online portal and mobile application was officially launched on Feb 21 at the Taj Samudra Hotel in Colombo. more..

Mar 1 (DN) The 23rd Guwan Hamuda Papedi Sawariya 2022 (Air Force Cycle Race) is all set for begin on March 4 in front of SL Air Force Headquarters, Colombo. The race will be conducted in collaboration with the 71st Anniversary Celebrations of the SL Air Force which falls on March 2 and under the supervision of SL Cycle Federation. The Men�s Race will be the flagship event of the tour and it will be conducted as a 3-day event. Race will start at 8.30 am from more..

Mar 1 (CT) With Covid shutting off tourism from much of the West, Russia and Ukraine had become an increasingly important source of foreign currency for SL. The conflict threatens to turn off that tap as key bond repayments come due. Almost a quarter of all tourist arrivals into Sri Lanka this year were from Russia and Ukraine -- rising to 30% if you include Poland and Belarus, official data show. Russia, which was the third-biggest buyer of SL tea over the past 2 years, rose to 2nd place in January. more..

Mar 1 (CT) General Secretary of AIPBOUF Anjana Priyanjith said effective yesterday the bus fleet belonging to his Trade Union only operates during school and office hours due to the long-drawn-out fuel crisis. He said if sufficient diesel stocks are not provided to buses by today, non-operational buses which had stood at 50% to date could rise to 75%. Priyanjith remarked that a sizeable number of private buses have already been parked countrywide, idling for want of diesel. more..

Mar 1 (DM) In the wake of escalation of Ukraine-Russia war, the Foreign Ministry in collaboration with embassies in Warsaw and Ankara, is currently engaged in the evacuation of about 40 SL nationals, including two students in Ukraine via Ukraine�Polish border. Ministry said it continues to closely monitor developments in Ukraine and the Ministry has strengthened the provision of resources to SL Embassy in Warsaw in order to ensure more..

Mar 1 (EN) Central Bank has asked the public to tip the monetary authority on grey market forex dealing as a currency crises triggered by money printed to enforce low interest rates worsened. �Permission to buy, sell and exchange foreign currency in SL is granted ONLY to authorized dealers (i.e. licensed banks) and money changers appointed by the Central Bank of SL (CBSL),� monetary authority said. �Therefore, foreign currency, shall be purchased, sold or exchanged only through more..

Mar 1 (DM) SJB said it will hold its rally at Salgado Park, A'pura on March 29 even if it is banned by the govt. SJB MP Nalin Bandara said that his party will hold the rally by force. �We will hold this rally even by force as it will be the first step towards mobilizing the people to topple the present govt,� he said. �We cannot hold elections as such decisions have to be made by the govt. However, we will mobilize people to topple the govt and the rally in A'pura will be the first step towards such an exercise,� more..

Mar 1 (CT) Two SJB MPs, Harin Fernando and Manusha Nanayakkara left for Geneva yesterday, to plead before the UNHRC, the case of incarcerated former MP Ranjan Ramanayake, who had been convicted by the Supreme Court on 11 Jan 2021 to four years rigorous imprisonment for contempt of Court, punishable under Article 105 (3) of the Constitution. However, many have raised the question more..

Mar 1 (DN) Adding more public access and attracting investments, the Colombo Port City will soon have a floating restaurant. This could accommodate around 250 people on board and is to be launched in two months. A SL company which has obtained approval for the project has already started building a floating restaurant and the investors are mostly targeting foreigners and locals as well. � Since last year the CPC was attracting investors and the first was the Golf Course more..

Mar 1 (Island) Religious organisations, hoteliers and individuals have provided Ukrainians stranded in SL with free accommodation. Adhikarana Sanghanayake of the Dakshina Lanka, Ven Omalpe Sobhitha Thera yesterday said that there were Sri Lankans ready to provide free food and accommodation to the Ukrainian tourists who could not go back to their home country owing to the raging war there. The Thero said that the Embilipitiya Bodhiraja Foundation, more..

Mar 1 (TM) The Catholic church said yesterday that Colombo Archbishop His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith has met Catholic Church Head His Holiness Pope Francis yesterday, where the discussions were due to have been focused on the SL Catholic people�s struggle for justice, following the Easter Sunday terror attacks. �We have exhausted all options within SL to find justice. Now, we are discussing all avenues through which more..

Mar 1 (DM) The United Kingdom and the international partners would stand united in condemning Russia�s assault on Ukraine, which is an unprovoked, premeditated, and needless attack against a sovereign democratic state, British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Sarah Hulton said. Over recent weeks, the Russian govt has repeatedly denied its hostile intent towards Ukraine. Russia has now invaded a sovereign, democratic, and peaceful country. more..

Mar 1 (FT) It was during a recent weekend holiday at a resort hotel in the south of Sri Lanka that I met Gertrude. Slim, tallish and sunburnt, a woman who had spent long years in the tropics. She was busy in a cheerful way; walking about, talking to hotel staff, answering mobile telephone calls, taking notes; clearly, she was working. During lunch we sat at adjoining tables and exchanged some pleasantries. I learnt that she was a tour guide accompanying a small group of German hoteliers who more..