Mar 31 (DN) St. Joseph�s skipper Shevon Daniel, produced a superb all-round performance, scoring an unbeaten 85 and taking 4 for 25 as they recorded an easy six-wicket win over Wesley College in their Inter-School Under 19 Division One Limited Overs quarter-final cricket fixture played at Thurstan grounds yesterday. Wesley were invited to bat first, making 167 (all out) in 47 overs while Josephians reached their winning target in 36.1 overs with 6 wts in hand to ensure their semi-final berth. more..

Mar 31 (Island) Sri Lanka Athletics (SLA) is planning to conduct a Sri Lankan Grand Prix with the Sports Ministry�s support within two months after the centenary National C'ships to help country�s top performers improve on their world rankings. �The Sports Ministry together with SLA are planning to conduct a Grand Prix in June so that our athletes will get a chance to improve on their rankings,� Major General (Retd.) Palitha Fernando, more..

Mar 31 (TM) Following the announcement of 10-hour power cuts by the Public Utilities Commission of SL (PUCSL), Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) of Sri Lanka Chairman Oshada Senanayake, taking to Twitter, blamed the PUCSL for prolonged power cuts, terming the decision unacceptable as it is taking a toll on the local technology sector. Senanayake Tweeted: �Ten-hour power cuts are simply not acceptable and will have major negative impact on ICT industry. more..

Mar 31 (CT) Several State-run hospitals are forced to temporarily halt some of their routine services this week and were running out of life-saving drugs, consumables and reagents � the most recent being the National Hospital of SL (NHSL), Colombo. Deputy Director General of NHSL, Dr. Samindhi Samarakoon, issuing an internal circular on Tuesday, to all Deputy Directors, Consultants, Medical Officers and grade medical officers has instructed them to limit routine investigations more..

Mar 31 (CT) A group of people had been dispersed from queues at a fuel station yesterday, as Minister Namal Rajapaksa was scheduled to attend an event in Bandarawela. School van drivers had lined up at a particular petrol filling station in Bandarawela as they had been given special permission by the Divisional Secretariat to get their fuel quota. Some of the drivers however, claimed that they were moved to another station on Welimada Road after being told by certain individuals that the area had to more..

Mar 31 (Island) Hambantota International Port was named Multi-Purpose Port /Terminal of The Year 2021 & Port Infrastructure Development of the Year 2021, at the recently concluded Global Port Forum (GPF) awards earlier this week. Awards ceremony, held at the Shangri-La, Dubai, brought together organisations and professionals from across the world�s Ports & Terminals industry, to a gala event, where the highest contributors of 2021 were recognised. more..

Mar 31 (DM) Soothsayer Gnana Akka has come under the spotlight for constructing a controversial hotel in the Nuwara Wewa precinct in Anuradhapura and also for instructing the authorities to build the National Sandalwood Park near the Parliament; posing a threat to the Diyawanna Oya wetland. There are confirmed reports that military personnel were used for the construction of the hotel and providing security to it. more..

Mar 31 (CT) In the backdrop of a 13-hour power outage being imposed islandwide, electricity supply will not be disconnected in 191 zones including the Parliament Complex, President�s House and the Madiwela Housing Complex for MPs, CEB says. The CEB confirmed that the Katunayake, Ratmalana and Mattala Airports will also be spared the ongoing power cuts. They added that a 24-hour power supply will also be provided to 24 major hospitals including Apeksha Cancer Hospital in Maharagama. more..

Mar 31 (CT) Rs 577.75 billion worth of shareholder wealth was wiped in the three consecutive market days to yesterday due to the stock market being continuously gripped with sustained uncertainty led by unrest in the island due to the shortage of essential items, coupled with rising rates because of Sri Lanka suffering over a 20 per cent inflation for a sustained period of time. Rising rates are inimical to the growth of the stock market as investors prefer to invest in the fixed income market rather than more..

Mar 31 (Island) Member of House of Lords, Michael Naseby, has assured that he will try very hard to convince the UK to make public the sections of the Colombo British High Commission dispatches censored by London, pertaining to the last phase of the Vanni offensive. Lord Naseby gave this assurance at the launch of his memoirs, Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained at the BMICH on Tuesday. Among those present on the occasion more..

Mar 31 (TM) Minister Ramesh Pathirana said that the plantation sector is expected to earn around $ 600 million this year. He was speaking at the opening of the Spice House and the new Information Centre by the Dept of Export Agriculture in Ukuwela, Matale. Further expressing his views, the Minister said SL earned $ 450 million last year from the export of minor export crops including cinnamon, pepper, and cardamom. �We can no longer ignore the minor export crop sector. more..

Mar 31 (DM) Sources within the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation said that the diesel shipments could not be cleared as the treasury did not have funds to pay for the demurrage. A senior official of the CPC said the diesel shipment was to be unloaded on Tuesday but due to the failure of funds the shipment was awaiting to be unloaded. Despite assurances that the diesel shortage would last only yesterday and today, the official said it will take at least a further 3 days to unload and distribute shipment more..

Mar 31 (EN) Sri Lanka power cut length could rise further a power sector union said, while transport operators warned they may have to take private buses off the road if diesel supply continued to be restricted due to forex shortages. The daily power cut duration has increased to 13 hours for Thursday with the main grid losing 800 MW for two days after thermal power stations were forced shut down. more..

Mar 31 (FT) The current power crisis is the talk of the town. And quite legitimately so, as it affects all walks of our economic, financial, and social life across all segments of society, threatening the very basic of our needs. With a 10-hour power cut imposed daily currently at the time of writing, entire business and personal lives are now in complete disarray with this mother of all crises. There many opinions, often confusing, circulating about the power crisis, more..

Mar 31 (DM) Sri Lanka Forestry Institute Director Tilak Premakantha has been appointed as the National Zoological Gardens' new Director-General. The Wildlife and Forest Resources Conservation Minister, C.B. Rathnayake, claimed that the appointment was made after the removal of Shermila Rajapaksha, who was assigned to the post in October 2021. Premakantha will assume duties as the new Director-General of the National Zoological Gardens Department. more..

Mar 31 (AD) PM Rajapaksa has instructed his office staff and the staff of the ministries under his purview, except for essential services, to work from home in order to conserve fuel. �At a time when our country is facing an unprecedented challenge, I have instructed the officials of the PM�s Office and my ministries to carry out their duties from home as a step towards saving fuel,� PM said. PM said he is grateful to these officers who are performing their duties to the best of their ability, more..

Mar 31 (AD) Former Minister Athauda Seneviratne passed away at the age of 90 on Thursday morning. He was being treated at a private hospital in Colombo. Athauda Seneviratne entered politics from the Lanka Sama Samaja Party and was later elected to Parliament representing the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). He was the Kegalle District Leader of the SLFP for a long time and was a senior politician who held various portfolios including Labor, Youth Affairs, and Mineral Resources Development. more..

Mar 31 (AD) Court of Appeal has acquitted SLPP MP Premalal Jayasekara and two others of charges pertaining to the fatal shooting incident in Kahawatte during the Prez Election in 2015. The verdict was delivered by the Appeals Court judge-bench consisting of Nissanka Karunaratne and R. Gurusinghe. The appeals filed by Premalal Jayasekara, former Sabaragamuwa PC member Nilantha Jayakody, and more..

Mar 31 (AD) Education Minister Dinesh Gunawardena assures that there is no issue of paper shortage for printing exam papers. The lawmaker said the Department of Examinations is taking all necessary measures to hold the exams as scheduled. �There were reports on a shortage of paper, however, it was resolved. We expect to hold the G.C.E. O/L Examination in May. Steps were taken in the last two to three weeks to procure extra stocks of paper in the event of any shortage.� more..

Mar 31 (DM) The public comments section has been switched off on President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's official Facebook page following increasing public anger against the govt at the present crisis facing the country. While the official page is being updated regularly, showing the events the President is attending, the comments section has been switched off, only allowing the public to like or share the posts. Comments section was switched off yesterday. Presently Prez, PM and govt MPs more..

Mar 31 (EN) SL�s opposition JVP cautioned against protest campaigns that cannot be traced back to a recognisable and accountable organiser or group, while the main opposition SJB appeared eager to be associated with a spontaneous people�s movement. In a statement issued Thursday afternoon amid reports of an organic people�s protest reportedly planned for next Sunday, the JVP warned that there can be dangers lurking more..

Mar 31 (AD) Met. Dept has issued a Heat Index Advisory for the Western, Northern, North-Central and North-Western provinces and in Galle and Matara districts. Heat index, the temperature felt on human body is expected to increase up to Caution level at some places in Western, Northern, North-Central and North-Western provinces and in Galle and Matara districts, it said. Under the Caution level, it is advised that fatigue is possible with prolonged exposure and activity while more..

Mar 31 (EN) Peo TV, Sri Lanka Telecom�s internet protocol television (IPTV) service, has taken three international sports channels off its network citing difficulties in making payments for the service providers in US dollars, officials said. Three channels owned by the Indian multinational Star Sports network have not been on air on Peo TV from Monday (28) due to payment difficulties, a Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT) official told Economy Next on Thursday (31). more..

Mar 31 (FT) While the public political discourse reveals alarm at perceived Indian inroads into SL�s security and sovereignty with the array of new agreements between the Rajapaksa regime and our neighbour, that knee-jerk reflex may hinder comprehension that the reality is worse than that. My understanding upon a read-through is that of the agreements signed, the Floating Dock, the Dornier aircraft and the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centers, seem to have originated from more..

Mar 31 (NR) SJB has questioned the basis of statements by Ministers who claim a fuel shortage does not exist in the country, at a time that people and vehicles continue to line up outside filling stations. MP Gayantha Karunathilake said while the public wastes time in queues for diesel, petrol, and kerosene oil, Ministers make bogus claims that the country has sufficient stocks of fuel, including a surplus of fuel while some filling stations have had to turn back fuel bowsers due to sufficient more..

Mar 31 (CT) The maiden int'l flight Maldivian that landed at Colombo Int'l Airport - Ratmalana (CIAR) last Sunday, was grounded within 96 hours as there were no passengers from the Maldives nor from Ratmalana to the Maldives, and the Govt incurred a loss of around Rs 6 million spent on the exorbitant launching ceremony that day. The national carrier Maldivian, the first to land as the first international regional flight operations more..

Mar 31 (CT) Officials from the Lanka Mineral Sands Ltd, (LMSL) said foreign exchange earnings were still at a low ebb owing to the export of high-valued minerals such as Ilmenite, Rutile, and Zircon. In this backdrop, LMSL has taken steps to adopt a new system to sell minerals. Minister Mahinda Amaraweera recently went on an observation tour of the LMSL factory in Pulmoddai. According to company officials, measures have been taken to sell minerals at a high price; a tonne of Rutile more..

Mar 31 (CT) A new asteroid discovered by the Int'l Astronomical Union (IAU) has been named in honour of Uni of Colombo. The new asteroid is named Colombounilanka by the IAU adhering to given guidelines. Dr. Nalin Samarasinghe, an alumnus of the Uni of Colombo and fellow astronomer Dr. Todd Lawyer first discovered the asteroid in Arizona 21 years ago at the Kitt Peak National Observatory. Recently after its orbit was well established, the asteroid was assigned more..

Mar 31 (Island) Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris has questioned British govt action vis-a-vis SL on the basis of its latest controversial travel advisory that warned of terrorist attacks. Prof. Peiris condemned the British warning issued on 7 March 2022. Referring to the Easter Sunday suicide bombings that had been carried out by the National Thowheed Jaamat (NTJ), in April 2019, UK govt warned terrorists were likely to try to more..

Mar 31 (DM) Following a request made by State Minister Prof Channa Jayasumana, the World Bank has pledged to provide assistance to purchase required quantities of essential medicines to Sri Lanka. During a discussion recently held with World Bank's Regional Director for Human Development in the South Asia Region Lynne D. Sherburne-Benz, the State Minister has sought the assistance of the World Bank to ensure a continuous supply of medicinal drugs in Sri Lanka. more..

Mar 31 (DM) The duration of power cuts could be reduced to lesser than four hours after April 2, as diesel shipments are due on April 2, the CEB said today. CEB Chairman MMC Ferdinando told a news conference that a ship freighting furnace oil is also scheduled to arrive on April 4. "Only two diesel power plants are in operation at the moment. The other plants could be operated after April 2. Power plants that run on furnace oil could also be operated after a shipload of furnace oil more..

Mar 31 (Island) LOLC Finance PLC proved its excellence yet again in the digital financing sphere, competing with the country�s prestigious banks and NBFIs to win five top awards. LOLC Finance was bestowed with the Gold titles for: NBFI of the Year for Financial Inclusivity, NBFI of the Year for Excellence in Customer Convenience, Financial Institution of the Year for Best Digital Payment Strategy, Best Mobile Application for Retail Payments Via Just Pay (Banks and NBFI), more..

Mar 31 (AD) Central Bank (CBSL) has suspended the Money Changing permit issued to Prasanna Money Exchange (Pvt) Ltd following an on-site investigation. Taking into account the complaints received from the general public, the Department of Foreign Exchange of the Central Bank has conducted an on-site investigation at the Prasanna Money Exchange on Wednesday (30). During the probes, it was uncovered that the Prasanna Money Exchange had offered higher exchange rates more..

Mar 31 (DM) A ship carrying the much required diesel shipment for this week is currently in international waters and the captain of the vessel is refusing to enter local waters, till such time the payment for the shipment is made upfront, senior sources in the industry said last evening. It is still unclear how many tonnes of diesel the vessel is carrying but sources said the captain was holding the vessel in international waters till more..

Mar 31 (USE) The General Sir John Kotelawala Defense Uni, in partnership with the U.S. Embassy, hosted a conference on A Shared Vision for the Indo-Pacific on March 31. Conference participants discussed the Biden Administration�s new Indo-Pacific Strategy and how it aligns with regional initiatives that promote shared prosperity, democracy, and security. U.S. State Dept Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu delivered the keynote more..

Mar 31 (SLN) SL Navy seized about 249kg and 900g of Kerala cannabis, during a special operation conducted in the lagoon area of Duwa, Negombo today. The operation also led to the apprehension of a car and 2 suspects involved in the racket. SL Navy has been conducting regular operations to thwart smuggling of drugs and other forms of illegal activities. Accordingly, SLNS Kelani in the Western Naval Command together with SLN Marines attached to the establishment conducted more..