Mar 21 (DM) Retired medical practitioner Dr. Shirley Herath (75) who was arrested and remanded over the hand grenade incident at All Saints' Church in Borella was today ordered to be released on bail by Colombo High Court. Colombo HC Judge Manjula Tillekaratne made this order pursuant to a bail application filed on behalf of retired doctor challenging the decision of Colombo Chief Magistrate's Court to refuse bail on the suspect. Accordingly, suspect was ordered to be more..

Mar 21 (EN) SL is aware of the latest COVID-19 situation in China and elsewhere in the world and adequate measures will be taken by the health authorities depending on changes in the global situation. Director of the Health Promotion Bureau Dr Ranjith Batuwanthudawa said that developments in China are being monitored and, at present, there is no immediate cause for alarm in SL. Chinese authorities detected over 4,000 more..

Mar 21 (CT) Most of the MPs who had defaulted payment of their water bills, over the past two decades, have now started paying up. Dr. Piyath Bandu, the secretary to the Ministry of Water Supply said that as a result of Minister Vasudewa�s Personal letters regarding the matter, most of the MPs have started to settle their bills. He stressed that water supply would be disconnected if payments were not made on time. Public have been given a 6-month grace period to meet the required payments. more..

Mar 21 (CT) 158th Police Day commemoration falls today (21). The first Police Day was held on 21 March 1981 under the patronage of then IGP Ana Seneviratne. SL Police was constitutionally established on 3 Sept 1866. But, it was only after 115 years that a commemoration date was set for the Police. By that time, 128 Police personnel had sacrificed their lives in the line of duty. The date, 21 March as the most appropriate date to commemorate the Police had been proposed more..

Mar 21 (EN) SL has spent 990 million US dollars of reserves for imports from Oct 2021, though interventions reduced in Feb 2022, leading to a rapid deterioration of remaining reserves which has ended in a float. Imports soared in the last quarter of 2021 as interventions were made and the money was printed to enforce a policy rates. SL�s net interventions have reduced in Feb 2022 to US$ 23 million, with US$ 185.34m sold & US$ 162.34m bought via a surrender requirement, more..

Mar 21 (CT) Public Security Minister Sarath Weerasekera requested INTERPOL�s assistance to combat online threats from transnational crimes during the meeting with INTERPOL President Dr. Ahamed Naser Al-Raisi in Dubai, UAE on 17 March. Weerasekera thanked INTERPOL for its support to SL in the aftermath of the Easter Sunday attacks. �I appreciated INTERPOL's dispatch of several teams both from Lyon and Singapore to investigate the attacks alongside foreign law enforcement more..

Mar 21 (AD) SL govt has requested for a USD 1 billion loan and a USD 1.5 billion credit line from China, says the Chinese Ambassador in Colombo, Qi Zhenhong. He added that the request is being considered by China. The ambassador, Qi Zhenhong said on Monday that China is considering a $1 billion loan and a $1.5 billion credit line to purchase goods from China, both of which would be new lines of financing. more..

Mar 21 (DM) To overcome the country's current fuel crisis and control the unfortunate deaths in queues, fuel distribution must continue uninterrupted for the next 24 hours, Samagi United Trade Union Force (SUTUF) convenor Ananda Palitha said. He said if the fuel distribution continues as mentioned above, the current situation will be completely back to normal within two days. If not, current situation will lead to a serious situation in which people might have conflicts even with armed forces. more..

Mar 21 (AD) The first shipment of 35,000 metric tonnes of diesel under the USD 500 million credit line from India has arrived in Colombo, according to the CPC. The CPC said that unloading of the diesel shipment had commenced this morning (21). Sri Lanka had signed the $500 million credit line with India to import fuel, amid a foreign exchange crisis that has hampered purchases of diesel for power plants. Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) entered into the pact on Feb 2, 2022 more..

Mar 21 (EN) Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage, who has been on the receiving end of harsh criticism over the government�s failed green agriculture policy, has vowed that the present administration will not be brought down. Aluthgamage acknowledged the difficulties faced by the public as a result of SL�s worsening economic crisis. �We understand this difficulty. We understand very well the strain on the people. more..

Mar 21 (CT) Minister Bandula Gunawardena said commodities imported from India that have not yet been released from the port, are being prepared for release and will be registered with the Ministry of Trade as soon as possible. He urged importers to register with the Ministry so that information on the release of vital food products, essential pharmaceuticals, cement, textiles, animal feed, raw materials for industries, and specific fertiliser imported from India, may be released to more..

Mar 21 (AD) The Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) has decided not to participate in the All-Party Conference to be held on Wednesday (March 23), SJB National Organiser MP Tissa Attanayake said. The conference, mooted by the SLFP to seek solutions for the ongoing economic crisis, will kick off under the patronage of Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa on March 23. Meanwhile the Leader of NPP, MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake has also said that his party would not attend All-Party Conference. more..

Mar 22 (DM) Our country�s finances are in a parlous position. The country is indebted to the tune of several billion dollars and reserves are, to put it mildly, inadequate. Our country is facing a debt default situation. Every govt has accused its predecessor of having pillaged the national coffers, and so it is, we find ourselves facing mountains of debt and no way to bridge the gap. So bad is the situation that national assets of the country have been handed over to foreign countries more..

Mar 22 (GV) A food crisis is inevitable. Food prices are soaring; shortages in essential food items are creating long queues, affecting people�s ability to work and get on with productive lives; the foreign reserve crisis has restricted country�s ability to import food; the sudden move to ban chemicals in agriculture has created unrest among farmers as it will result in a significant drop in production; increasing food prices, food shortages and loss of agriculture related livelihoods will have more..

Mar 22 (DM) In the wake of its protest rally, General Secretary of the main opposition SJB Ranjith Madduma Bandara responds to questions about the new political developments and the multiple crises confronting the country. Q: You had a public rally in Colombo and your leader Sajith Premadasa called for a presidential election. How realistic is it at this hour? A: We called upon Prez Rajapaksa to quit. more..

Mar 22 (DM) Last week Prez Rajapaksa addressed a nation in crisis. Instead of calming the masses, a good part of whose life is now spent in everyday queues, he managed to further enrage them. What could probably be the operating para of his speech was this crisis was not created by me. �Our country is not the only country in the world affected by the prevailing crisis situation. The entire world is engulfed with various hardships,� he said. Fair enough, Prez inherited an economy more..

Mar 22 (CT) SL has descended into anarchy, similar to that which prevailed for a consecutive period of two years and three-and-a-half months 33 years and eight months ago, from 29 July 1987 to 13 Nov 1989. The cause for the present crisis is shortage of essentials, while the cause of the previous was due to a combination of LTTE and IPKF terror in the N&E and JVP terror in the rest of the country. The beginning of the end of that terror was after the Army killed JVP Leader Rohana Wijeweera on more..

Mar 22 (TM) Despite promises by the Govt and the authorities, every day, the people�s struggles appear to be worsening. Criticism against the Govt is on the rise, and many want the Govt to either find solutions to the prevailing crises or give up power. To show the people�s frustration and to demand solutions, during the past few weeks, a number of protests were held in Colombo and in the suburbs. While most of these protests had been more..

Mar 22 (TM) SL is going through the worst economic crisis in its post-independence history. However, the prevailing situation could deteriorate further. In fact, what we see every day is merely a portion of the economic crisis, and SL is yet to fully comprehend or feel the true magnitude of the crisis. Like an octopus spreads its tentacles to different directions with force to catch and hold a prey, the economic crisis is spreading to different aspects of life, making the general public the prey. more..

Mar 22 (CT) This article is not primarily about the woeful record of the present govt. Nor is it about the abomination of governance by family oligarchy in whose stranglehold a nation groans in every part as if being slowly crushed by the constricting coils of some giant Anaconda. Rather it is about the attitude character and mindset of 6.9 million people who with their eyes open provoked this catastrophe. Before coming to that one can of course say a lot more about the dimensions of this catastrophe and more..

Mar 22 (Island) Happiness has been described as an interval between two moments of sorrow, and whether it could be quantified is anybody�s guess. But the UN apparently thinks it can be measured with the help of people�s assessment thereof and socio-economic data. Hence the publication of the UN-sponsored World Happiness Report (WHR). Having failed to prevent wars and keep the world safe and happy, the UN is busy measuring the happiness of people across the globe! more..

Mar 22 (Island) Maha harvesting of rice is now nearing completion and the strong indications are that this season�s crop decline would be 40% to 50% due to lack of fertilizer. Concurrently, the yields of other crops too are dropping and the tea yields of 2022 could be the worst affected. whereas the 2021 producer price was only Rs90.33/kg green leaf, the cost of production was Rs94.05 and the corresponding values for 2020 were Rs92.15 and 68.18. On the other hand, increasing more..

Mar 22 (TM) Despite the constant promises provided by the Govt and authorities, Sri Lankans are living in a time of great uncertainty, and the common question raised by many people waiting in queues is whether the authorities would prevent tomorrow from becoming an even worse day. In a context where concepts such as satisfaction, contentment, and happiness are gradually becoming unfamiliar to Sri Lankans, more..

Mar 22 (FT) Daily COVID-19 detections were 296 yesterday, raising the country�s total COVID-19 case count to 658,493. The previous day, 236 persons tested positive for COVID-19. 2,876 PCR tests and 2,125 rapid antigen tests were conducted on Sunday. The country�s total COVID-19 detections include 483,090 persons from the New Year cluster, 82,785 persons from the Peliyagoda cluster, 9,154 persons from the Prisons cluster and 3,059 persons from the Divulapitiya cluster. more..

Mar 22 (FT) COVID-19 vaccines were administered to 6,171 persons on Sunday, raising first dose vaccination coverage in the country to 77.51%. 65.58% of the population has received the second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 35.11% has received the third dose. Among the population over 20 years, second dose coverage is 96.1% and third dose coverage is 52.67%. 96.2% of the population over 12 years has received the first vaccine dose and 81.4% has received second dose more..

Mar 22 (ST) Central Bank (CBSL) has instructed licensed commercial banks to convert senior citizens� fixed deposit (FD) accounts that fall under the special high interest rate scheme to normal FD accounts � unless the account holders present themselves before the banks and make a written request to extend the scheme by another year. Accordingly, any senior citizen receiving this benefit, whether bed-ridden or ill, holding such FD more..

Mar 22 (FT) John Keells Research (JKR), research and development and innovation arm of John Keells Holdings (JKH) signed an agreement with 4Ever Skin Naturals Ltd on 15 March and entered into its first-ever technology licensing agreement. John Keells Group Chairman Krishan Balendra and 4Ever Skin Naturals Ltd. Chairperson Chandani Bandara signed on behalf of the respective companies. JKR operates with the mandate of creating commercially viable intellectual property for not only more..

Mar 22 (FT) The Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Summit for the year 2022 organised by the MBA Alumni Association of the Uni of Colombo and Daily FT will be held on 31 March at the Shangri-La Hotel Colombo commencing at 9 a.m. Environment Secretary Dr. Anil Jasinghe will be the distinguished chief guest of the forum and will also deliver the keynote address. HSBC joins the forum as the strategic partner. UN Development Program (UNDP) & UN Global Compact more..

Mar 22 (DN) SL men�s Kabaddi team led by Lahiru Sampath performed well to beat Malaysia and England to secure a semi final spot at the second Bangabandu Cup Int'l Kabaddi tournament which is now in progress at the Shaheed Noor Hossain National Volleyball Stadium Dhaka, Bangladesh. SL defeated Malaysia by 53-26 while they beat England more comfortably 44-19 at their league round matches. Sri Lankan Aslam Raja and L. Thanushan were able to win Man of the Match awards more..

Mar 22 (CT) SL finished in third place, with a thrilling 4-3 win over Kazakhstan, at the Men�s Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) Cup 2022, which conclude on Sunday (20), in Jakarta, Indonesia. SL�s goals were scored by Sanda Sudusinghe, Suresh Rathnayake, Lahiru Panthie and Kusal Weerapuli. SL made a positive start to the tournament, defeating Uzbekistan by 5 goals to nil in the opener. They followed it up beating Thailand 6-2 in the second and the more fancied Kazakhstan 4- nil more..

Mar 22 (TM) Admitting that a black market of fuel has been created in the face of the current fuel crisis in the country, the Energy Ministry has stated that steps are now being considered to curb it. Energy Ministry Secretary K.D.R. Olga said: �A black market of fuel has now been created. There are various reports to the effect that hundreds of litres of fuel are being stored in certain places. So we will definitely take steps to control more..

Mar 22 (ST) If there are attempts or if certain elements intend to postpone the upcoming election or of Sri Lanka Football (SLF), intended to take place in May 31, the President of Kalutara Football League (KFL), Dr. Manil Fernando elaborated that concerned parties should seek the opinion of the Ministry of Sports and the election committee that conducted the previous election. Fernando, who was overwhelmed by the incumbent Prez Jaswar Umar, at the last held SLF election, accused more..

Mar 22 (Island) Colombo Malay CC which celebrates the 150th anniversary this year commenced their anniversary celebrations with a series of sports events on Saturday at the Padang complex in Slave Island where the Malay community�s contribution to the rich diversity of the country was hailed by Minister Nalaka Godahewa, the chief guest of the ceremony. SL�s oldest cricket club, CMCC was founded in 1872 after a historic cricket match was played between more..

Mar 22 (FT) Headline inflation shot up to 17.5% in February up from 16.8% in January, as the National Consumer Price Index (NCPI) went past the Colombo Consumer Price Index (CCPI) which showed inflation at 15.8% for the same month. Listing contributions to the current inflation rate, the latest release from DCS found year-on-year food inflation at 24.7% in February, whilst the non-food group contribution was 11%. more..

Mar 22 (ST) The SL govt is desperately trying to buy food to feed its people while bracing for a 40% loss in paddy yield from the Maha season as a result of which analysts believe authorities will be compelled to increase rice imports. Rice is the staple food of the SL people and with the largest cropping season having ended authorities have found that they will not have enough food to feed its citizens as a result of which they have turned to India and Myanmar to fill the rice warehouses. more..

Mar 22 (Island) As the technology partner for Sri Lanka Railways (SLR) for over a decade, SLT-MOBITEL together with SLR marked a significant milestone on March 21, with the launch of the online seat reservation web portal and mobile app for commuters, for the first time in Sri Lanka. The latest cutting-edge system offers commuters the opportunity to reserve seats online or through the SLR Reservation Mobile App. As the national transport service provider, more..