Mar 15 (NR) Minister Ramesh Pathirana says the total foreign debt to be repaid over the next 12 years is USD 42 billion. Minister Pathirana said the country has lost at least USD 10 billion in revenue during 2020 and 2021 alone due to the collapse of the tourism industry and foreign remittance. Minister claimed the Prez foreseeing the economic crisis, reached a decision to impose a ban on importing vehicles within three months of the present administration taking office. more..

Mar 15 (FT) Research Intelligence Unit (RIU) initiated a survey in 2021 to understand public experiences, views and concerns on COVID-19 and the vaccines. The ongoing survey currently has over 1,500 respondents, most of whom are based in SL. Important findings include the staggeringly high levels of infections amongst the non-vaccinated vs the vaccinated, the sharp increase in cases post-vaccination, public concerns on civil liberties. more..

Mar 15 (FT) Lavender House in Pussellawa is the latest addition to Reveal The Collection. This beautifully designed colonial style bungalow comes together with the hill country charm to create a luxurious holiday haven for travellers looking to get away from the woes of day-to-day life. Sitting amidst a picturesque working tea plantation, The Lavender House offers five luxurious bedrooms designed to ensure lavish comforts and lounge spaces with a calming ambience, dining & entertainment more..

Mar 15 (CT) The All Island Three-wheel Drivers Association chairman, Lalith Dharmasekara said, that they would not suggest any price-control over taxi fares. Addressing the rapid hike of fuel prices, Dharmasekara said since the Fee Review Committee has been abolished taxi drivers could individually decide on how much they should reasonably charge per hire, considering their own judgement and rationale such as the price of petrol, its consumption and the distance travelled more..

Mar 15 (DM) Former Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne through his lawyer today raised preliminary objections challenging the maintainability of the case filed against him in connection with the controversial White Van Press Conference during the 2019-Prez Election. The indictments had been filed against former Minister Rajitha Senaratne and former SPC Chairman Rumi Mohammed under fourteen counts including giving false statements about the personal character of SLPP more..

Mar 15 (CT) Ministry of Urban Development and Housing, issuing a media release, said that paddy fields left unattended in Holuwagoda, in Galle for over a half century, have been turned into an agricultural environmental-friendly garden based on instructions received from PM Mahinda Rajapaksa. Holuwagoda Diyadam agricultural environmental garden has been created based on a concept mooted by Minister Ramesh Pathirana. The Ministry stated that the aforesaid more..

Mar 15 (USE) This week U.S. Ambassador Julie Chung visited Kandy to preside over events marking two milestones in the United States� long-standing support to preserving SL�s diverse cultural heritage. On March 14, Ambassador Chung and Uni of Peradeniya Vice Chancellor Professor M.D. Lamawansa held a closing ceremony for a U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) project more..

Mar 15 (DM) SL has informed the British Govt rejecting the latest travel advisory issued by the UK on SL, Foreign Secretary Admiral Prof. Jayanath Colombage said today. He told the online news conference organised by the Prez Media Centre (PMC) that the Foreign Ministry also submitted a letter to the British High Commission in Colombo clarifying the facts mentioned in the travel advisory. He said issuing advisories of this nature was not a new thing and that such advisories have more..

Mar 15 (FT) SL Institute of Directors (SLID) in collaboration with EY and supported by Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE), Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC), National Chamber of Commerce of SL (NCCSL) and Ministry of Finance (MoF) will launch a national survey aimed at assessing the Board IT governance among companies in SL. Survey will invite directors of private and public companies as well as directors of state-owned enterprises to share their views on the role more..

Mar 15 (EN) SL�s cabinet has approved a proposal to appoint a 14-member advisory committee comprising business leaders and academics to assist a 11-member Economic Council which was by the opposition for not including any economic experts. Prez Rajapaksa appointed the Economic Council early this month amid a worsening economic crisis. The new cabinet decision included business tycoons like more..

Mar 15 (FT) SLIM Research Bureau, the research arm of the SL Institute of Marketing (SLIM), launched the first volume of Ethical Marketing Guideline at the recently concluded Effie Awards 2021. A collaborative effort of SLIM, the Association of Accredited Advertising Agencies (4As), and the Int'l Advertising Association (IAA) � SL Chapter, the key objective of Ethical Marketing Guideline � Volume 1 is to provide timely, underlying insights into how brands and organisations more..

Mar 15 (TM) State Minister Vidura Wickramanayaka said yesterday (14) that the current economic crisis in the country has run amok, adding that admitting to such might lead to disciplinary inquiries. �The economic crisis has now run amok. People will just take to the streets now. This will just lengthen the duration of the crisis. When we say this, we may have disciplinary action taken against us,� said Wickramanayaka while speaking to the media. He questioned how there more..

Mar 16 (DM) Owning and operating a private vehicle is getting more and more expensive. Yet, the extremely inadequate public transport system in the country is leaving many with hardly a choice but to use private transport. Added to this, the Covid-19 pandemic demands we maintain social distancing and using overcrowded public transport seems the best way to spread the disease. Given the overcrowded public trasport system, if we are to avoid falling victim to the dreaded disease, more..

Mar 16 (TM) At a time when the entire country is awaiting impatiently to hear some good news or an announcement of relief measures from the Govt, Prez is slated to address the nation tonight. It is too early to assume what the President�s address will mean to the people, especially for the 6.9 million people who placed their faith in him and voted for him. However, what he says will have a significant impact on crisis-riddled people, & Prez should therefore choose his words carefully. more..

Mar 16 (DM) Focusing on the current plight of the paddy industry in SL which runs back to 2600 years ago is a timely requirement. History bears evidence of a rich paddy cultivation existing in the country during the time Prince Vijaya arrived in the island. SL was known as the Granary of the East during King Parakramabahu�s time because of the fertile paddy fields. Former Director of Agriculture K.B. Gunaratne said that more than 3000 more..

Mar 16 (GV) Vavuniya High Court has upheld the rights of families of the missing and disappeared to be legally represented and participate in the investigation into the suspected gravesite at the Mannar Sathosa building. This is an important recognition of the rights of the families and the crucial role they play in advancing investigations into suspected gravesites. Since March 2018, under the supervision of the Mannar Magistrate, an investigation has been underway into more..

Mar 16 (CT) It is important that the govt acts quickly to restore the people�s confidence that it is able to turn things around and solve problems. The sharp depreciation of the rupee against the dollar and the prospects of more depreciation taking place in the days to come will generate price rises that the general population cannot afford to bear. Already the Covid-induced job losses and the price increases that have been taking place have weakened the people�s capacity to bear with more losses of more..

Mar 16 (TM) Even though the concept of the universal franchise is a right that many consider to be a valuable right, whether the exercise of the universal franchise has resulted in democracy is a question, and whether those elected actually stand for the interests of the people they represent is another question. In the current context where the general public has become more vocal about their political choices, looking into these matters is crucial. more..

Mar 16 (Island) Sri Lankans, who have apparently declared victory over coronavirus prematurely, had better sit up and take notice of what is happening in other countries. Nothing is stupider than to be lulled into a false sense of security in battling a pandemic. Coronavirus is far from vanquished; it has a remarkable ability to bounce back and spring surprises to humans after making tactical retreats, so to speak. Coronavirus has raised its head again in China despite Beijing�s zero-covid more..

Mar 16 (CT) The IMF, in a statement released on 2 March 2022, in connection with their annual discussions with the SL authorities, on the economy known as Article IV Consultations recommended a seven-point programme to salvage the economy. They were: 1. To raise income tax and VAT rates and minimise exemptions complemented with revenue administration reform, 2. Expenditure rationalisation, 3. Reform State-owned enterprises and adopt cost-recovery energy pricing, more..

Mar 16 (DM) To say that the economic crisis that SL is facing is unprecedented and catastrophic, would be a gross understatement. While the public are more concerned about the day to day inconvenience caused by shortages in essential commodities such as Gas, Fuel, cement and medicine, the Macro Economic picture that provides a back drop for the shortages and the queues, cuts a stark reality that has been there for a long time, but which has either been ignored or deliberately suppressed; more..

Mar 16 (Island) Delhi is not the most favourite city for many tourists. There�s polluted air and Delhi belly if you are an Australian or Englishman and a cricket pitch at Feroz Shah Kotla where the home team dominates. India have been so dominant in the capital city that in 30 years they had played 11 Test matches and won all but one. This was the background when SL walked in for a Test match there in 2017. There was little hope for them in surviving in Delhi, especially given more..

Mar 16 (TM) Even though online violence against women is usually considered a single issue limited to the online space, it is often associated with a number of issues that go beyond the limits of online space. With increased use, availability, and complexity of technology, online violence is also on the rise, and therefore, it is important to acknowledge and take steps to address the negative impacts of online violence more..

Mar 16 (FT) A total of 428 COVID-19 patients were detected yesterday, raising the country�s COVID-19 case count to 656,814. Epidemiology Unit revised the country�s COVID-19 case distribution and recalculated the New Year cluster count as 483,090. In addition to the New Year cluster, the country�s local cases include 82,785 patients from the Peliyagoda cluster, 68,820 patients detected since 1 Jan, 9,154 patients from the Prisons cluster and 3,059 patients from the Divulapitiya cluster. more..

Mar 16 (FT) COVID-19 vaccines were administered to 25,014 persons on Monday and first dose vaccination coverage in the country has reached 78.86%. Second dose coverage among the total population is 66.33%, Our World in Data states. 96% of the population over 20 years has received the first two doses and 51.94% has received the third dose as well. Among the population over 12 years, 96.1% has received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 82.1% has received the second dose. more..

Mar 16 (ST) With the number of people interested in taking the vaccine against COVID-19 dropping, Sunday Times asked Dr. Rajiva de Silva of the MRI about concerns relating to food allergies and more. Reiterating that it is crucial for all eligible people to take the vaccine (all 3 doses � 1st, 2nd and booster) to ward off severe disease, hospitalisation and death, he urges people not to get into a state of complacency, more..

Mar 16 (Island) Ashen Rashmika, Malintha Yapa, Chathurika Madushani, and Deepika Bandara will vie for SL to secure slots in the Commonwealth Games Beach Volleyball competition when the Asian qualifiers of the sport are held here in SL from Friday. The two pairs will compete for a slot each in the men�s and women�s categories during the two-day tournament where Malaysia, Singapore, and Maldives are the other participating countries vying to grab the opportunity to take part in more..

Mar 16 (Island) Nimal Punchihewa, soft spoken Chairman of the Election Commission (EC), didn�t mince his words when he underscored the loss of public confidence as well as overall disappointment in the electoral system last week. Punchihewa stressed the need for far reaching changes in the electoral system while reiterating the EC�s proposals meant to improve and discipline utterly corrupt and wasteful electoral processes. The continuing failure on the part of Parliament to address more..

Mar 16 (Island) Today marks the 50th year of the founding of the National Savings Bank (NSB). To celebrate this milestone, a Walk will be launched on March 19 by the NSB head office in Colombo, its regional offices and branches all over the country, among a series of other events, focusing strongly on the need for thrift among Sri Lanka�s citizenry. An NSB press release said: The 16th of March, 2022 heralds the dawn of the Golden Jubilee of Sri Lanka�s Safest banking institution, more..

Mar 16 (CT) Army women emerged champions and Ananda College bagged the boys� title while Ladies� College secured the ladies� championship at the SLT-Mobitel Powered 37th Junior and Intermediate National Rowing Championship concluded successfully on 12 March, with many clubs and schools showcasing talents across various age groups and categories. The event witnessed rigid competition, where schools such as Royal College, Asian Int'l School (AIS) and more..

Mar 16 (EN) SL transport providers are grappling with practical issues and ethical dilemmas as diesel prices shot up by 45% in the second week of March. With schools and offices starting work at full capacity from Monday (14), the situation seems bleak for all parties involved. An office transport service provider whose route begins from Panadura to the World Trade Center (WTC) in Colombo said that drivers are considering more..

Mar 16 (FT) SL will initially seek technical assistance from the IMF, Minister Ramesh Pathirana told journalists yesterday. He said the Cabinet has given approval for the Minister Basil Rajapaksa to start talks next month but there has been no decision whether to restrict it to technical assistance or move beyond that. �Cabinet approval has been given to the Finance Minister to go ahead and discuss with the IMF. Their representatives are already in SL and we are getting their technical assistance. more..

Mar 16 (CT) SL captain Dimuth Karunaratne said he would have been happier if his team had won the second Test against India. SL managed to delay the inevitable as Karunaratne made 107 against a relentless India bowling attack, but the visitors eventually lost the match by 238 runs and the series 2-0. �I would have been happier if we had won, but it was a tough one. We batted under lights and it was tough. But I have worked hard on my batting. Once I got in, I knew I could get a big one" more..

Mar 16 (TM) Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) has printed about Rs. 22.27 billion on Monday (14), increasing the Treasury bills and bonds from Rs. 1.52 trillion last Friday (11) to Rs. 1.54 trillion on Monday. The main Parliamentary Opposition, the SJB, claimed last week that the CBSL admitted that it needs to be more disciplined when printing money in future, during a meeting between SJB MPs and the CBSL. more..

Mar 16 (FT) Colombo stock market has seen Rs. 320 billion in value wiped off in the past three sessions reinforcing bearish investor sentiment. After last Thursday�s record day gain propelling market capitalisation by Rs. 410 billion to Rs. 4.812 trillion, negative sessions have dragged the latter to Rs. 4.492 trillion by yesterday. Market capitalisation is down by 18% year to date whilst the All-Share Price Index is down by 15.88% and S&P SL20 by 17%. The decline in indices yesterday were more..

Mar 16 (ST) Foreign apparel buyers visited SL last week to assess the ground situation following the news of the economic crisis; clearly sending warning signs of a possible drop in future orders. Two major buyers were in the country last week to understand the ground situation and whether they can continue operations here or would be compelled to shift their orders elsewhere, Joint Apparel Joint Apparel Association Forum (JAAF) Dy Chairman & Omega Line group director Felix Fernando said. more..