Apr 21 (TM) Several programmes have been organised under the leadership of the Catholic Church to observe the fourth anniversary of the Easter Sunday terror attacks of 21 April, 2019, today, with the main events to be held at St. Sebastian's Church in Katuwapitiya and St. Anthony's Church in Kochchikade, that were targeted in the said terror attacks. Rev Jude Krishantha Fernando said that the series of programmes commenced from more..

Apr 21 (FT) The lack of proper policies on wildlife conservation and animal husbandry which are essential for the development of the country could be considered as two main factors that have caused the inability to develop an advanced agriculture system and also the growing poverty among the rural people who are reliant on agriculture for their livelihood. In trying to be self-sufficient in milk, the importance due for the meat industry has been completely ignored. more..

Apr 21 (FT) Raghuram Rajan became famous for predicting the 2007-08 crisis and its causes two years earlier. He warned of a looming catastrophic meltdown in financial markets thanks to housing prices that are at elevated levels around the globe. While the techniques and instruments to absorb fluctuations have improved, there is uncertainty about how they will perform in a serious downturn. Who was our Raghuram Rajan? I always mention Indrajit Coomaraswamy�s carefully worded more..

Apr 21 (EN) Several farmers in SL who have used best agricultural practices and fertilizer have got a yield of 11000 kilograms of paddy per hectare, Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said. �This is the first time such high yields have been reported,� he said. �They have used fertilizer correctly and also practices they have found.� Three farmers have reached a yield of around 11000 kilogram (aboutg 4400 kilos an acre) while another farmer has got a yield of 9,992 kilos, he said. more..

Apr 21 (Island) South Asians for Human Rights (SAHR), a regional network of Human Rights Defenders, perceives the newly gazetted Anti- Terrorism Bill as a deplorable act on the part of the Govt of SL (GoSL) against the democratic values that shape the nation and the rights and freedoms of people in SL. The civil society has vehemently opposed this proposed legislation which is referred as �a continuation of Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) of 1979 in a much repressive form�. more..

Apr 21 (AD) Catholic Church in SL has decided to form a human chain (Jana Pavura) as today marks the fourth commemoration of the ghastly bombings on Easter Sunday 2019 which claimed the lives of hundreds and left a long-lasting void in the families and friends of terror attack victims. The human chain is organized in support of the Catholic Church�s quest to seek the long overdue truth behind the brutal carnage on April 21, 2019 more..

Apr 21 (EN) SL�s plans to decriminalize homosexuality to prevent discrimination against LBGTQ community should not lead to a weakening of child abuse laws which already have some loopholes, activists have warned. Sections 365 states that whosoever voluntarily has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or child, is guilty of an offence. Section 365 A states that any person who, in public or private, commits, or is party to the commission of, more..

Apr 21 (DM) With reference to the comments by Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa on the legitimacy of the mandate of Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe to hold that office and the demand for a Presidential election to seek a fresh mandate, Former Parliament Secretary General Priyanee Wijesekera has responded with the following facts. �Our Constitution, by article 40 provides for a process of succession in the event of a vacancy occurring in the post of Executive President. more..

Apr 21 (TM) University academics and teachers have opposed education being made an essential service as is being considered by Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe in the face of the 2022 GCE A/L Exam paper marking activities not commencing, and has been requested by political party leaders with regard to examination paper marking. FUTA stated that it does not approve of Prez�s planned decision to make education more..

Apr 21 (PMD) Examination Department says that the preliminary marking of the A/L Tamil medium answer scripts has commenced today. Accordingly, the process of confirming the control answer script marking procedure regarding several subjects is currently underway. The paper marking activities have been started in relation to the subjects of Hinduism, Christianity, Hindu Civilization, Bharatha Dancing, Oriental Music, Carnatic Music, Western Music, Art, Drama and Theater and Hindi. more..

Apr 21 (TM) The use of Prednisolone, an eye drop imported from India, has been withdrawn with immediate effect, as per a directive issued by the Ministry of Health. Accordingly, the Medical Supplies Division (MSD) of the Ministry noted that the supply of the drug to all hospitals has also been suspended. Dr. Prasad Colombage, a member of the executive committee of the GMOA stated that all general procedures and surgeries at the National Eye Hospital have been temporarily halted since more..

Apr 21 (FT) SJB MP Eran Wickremaratne said that lethargy and potential corruption within Government facilities could cost Sri Lanka over $ 6 billion in damages following the ecological disaster concerning the sinking of the X-Press Pearl. Wickremaratne pointed out that any claims towards damages caused to SL�s environment must be filed before 20 May, and officials have taken far too long to organise its submissions, and questioned if corruption was at play. more..

Apr 21 (EN) Shares edged down to close at over one week low on Friday dragged down by transportation and capital goods sectors, while investors continues adopt a wait and see approach until clear direction being given on local debt restructuring, an analyst said. �The local investing sentiment drops down but a pick up is noted in foreign investment as the IMF loan approval is granted� an analyst said. ASPI was down 0.20 percent or 18.78 points to 9,260.41, more..

Apr 21 (FT) PUCSL Chairman Janaka Ratnayake charged that the Govt is planning to remove the lubricant levy, the key revenue source, thereby paralysing the regulatory body. Ratnayake said the Ministry of Power and Energy has proposed to remove the lubricant levy from the PUCSL, the shadow regulator of lubricant market without providing a proper justification, but to parallelise the independence of Commission. more..

Apr 21 (CT) Govt of SL's face value money printing (FVMP) debt decreased by 1.48% (Rs 44,367 million) to Rs 2.9460 trillion aided by the retirement of maturing Treasury (T) Bills and/or T Bonds in CBSL�s holdings on Wednesday (19), thereby marginally deflating demand-pull inflationary pressure. Helped by swap settlements between GoSL and CBSL, where the former swapped US dollars for rupees with the latter, liquidity was uplift by Rs 88,734 mil (USD 277.67 m) on Wed. more..

Apr 21 (DM) A young married woman who had been living separately due to a family dispute was abducted by her husband with the help of several others. 18-year-old woman who had left her husband recently had been living at her parental house at Manuwangama in Chilaw. Her husband and a group of about five others who rushed to the house had forcibly pushed her into a van and sped away. They had assaulted her mother who intervened to prevent it. Investigations revealed that she had more..

Apr 21 (EN) SL�s consumer prices, measured by the rebased National Consumer Price Index, were up 49.2% from a year earlier, data showed. �The reported inflation for the month of March 2023 was mainly due to the higher price levels prevailing in both food and non-food groups,� department said. During the month of March, the rebased index rose 0.3% to 204.8 points. The y-o-y food inflation grew to 42.3% in March 2023, more..

Apr 21 (DM) SL Mission in Thailand warned of fraudulent job offers in Thailand and advised Sri Lankans not to get enticed and entrapped in such fraudulent job offers. Embassy and Permanent Mission of SL in Bangkok said the SL Mission in Thailand has noticed recently that SL nationals are being lured for employment in Thailand particularly for positions in the Information Technology (IT) sector by dubious IT firms involved in call-center scams and cryptocurrency fraud. more..

Apr 21 (DN) Planters� Association of Ceylon (PA) announced that nearly Rs. 1 billion will be allocated towards recommencing the construction of over 500 housing units and 19 Early Childhood Development Centres (CDCs) in a drive to create a sustainable livelihood for the plantation community across several RPCs in the country. According to the Plantation Human Development Trust (PHDT), a tripartite Organisation consisting of the Govt, RPCs and Plantation Trade Unions (TU), more..

Apr 21 (AD) SL has launched the project to build the largest commercial and logistics complex in South Asia in the Port of Colombo with an investment of USD 392 million. Agreements for the construction and operation of the South Asia Commercial and Logistics Hub (SACL) as a 50-year Build Operate-Transfer (BOT) project were formally signed in Colombo by the representatives of the three investing entities. Accordingly, China Merchants Port Holdings (CMPort) holds a 70% stake more..

Apr 21 (DM) Wasath Siriya � 2023 Sinhala and Tamil New Year celebrations will take place tomorrow at the Shangri-la Green premises in Colombo and said a large number of applications have been received. They said the event will be held from 7 am to 5 pm tomorrow with participants taking part from all over the country. Applications are pouring in from several aspirants to take part in the Avurudu Prince/Princess contest, Marathon Race and traditional Bicycle Race. more..

Apr 21 (EN) Thousands of SL Catholics made human chains on the roads in capital Colombo and adjoining district as they commemorated the fourth anniversary of the Easter Sunday attack and demanded justice for the victims of Easter Sunday attack and the govt to expose the mastermind. Suicide attacks by Islamic militants on three key churches across the country and three high-end tourist hotels shocked island nation more..

Apr 21 (TM) President of the College of Medical Laboratory Science, Ravi Kumudesh claimed that the Ministry of Health has deliberately neglected the recruitment of allied health sciences� graduates while wasting millions of rupees to recruit diploma holders for the related training. He claimed that qualified graduates as well as diploma holders enrolled under a probation period are at risk of losing their jobs due to this thoughtless decision taken by the Ministry. �According to a request made more..

Apr 21 (DM) Surgeries at the National Eye Hospital in Colombo have come to a halt due to a contaminated drug used to treat patients, Dr. Prasad Colombage of the GMOA said. �There were concerning reports of patients falling ill. The cause has been identified as the contamination of the drug Prednisolone administered to several eye patients, who have fallen ill with a bacterial infection,� he said. Accordingly, all routine surgeries at the Eye Hospital had been suspended since April 14, more..

Apr 21 (DM) Archbishop of Colombo His Eminence Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith today called for a fresh and transparent probe into Easter Sunday attacks and said justice cannot be expected from the incumbent President or the govt. "We need a fresh and transparent probe which is directed towards finding out as to why the repeated prior warnings on the Easter Sunday attacks were not taken seriously, to determine as to why more..

Apr 21 (DM) Human Rights Commission of SL (HRCSL) has expressed its support to the LGBTQ community in protecting its rights as well as advocating for legal reforms over the issues pertaining. HRCSL expressed these concerns when a group of representatives of the LGBTQ community met the former to discuss the well-being of the LGBTQ people and address pressing issues on Wednesday. The representatives presented a request letter to the Chairperson of more..

Apr 21 (DM) Former actor-turned-MP Ranjan Ramanayake said that hiring people with knowledge of information technology (IT) rather than sending unskilled labour, such as housemaids, to countries in the Middle East would earn SL more foreign exchange. Addressing the media after launching his free laptop distribution program, he said IT knowledge should be shared among the younger generation and that it is the best opportunity to raise SL from its present precarious situation. more..

Apr 23 (GV) There are many things that I remember today (21), in relation to Easter Sunday attacks four years ago. Images of damage to the churches and hotels is among the vivid images I recall. These were quickly rebuilt. Except for memorials in churches, the rebuilding may help erase memories of the tragedy from the churches and hotels. I also recall terrible images of the dead and injured. But more than these, I remember the families of those killed that I met in Negombo, Batticaloa and more..

Apr 23 (DM) According to a news item published in the Daily Mirror on Monday, Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe is to call on all political parties on April 25 to join a National Govt to resolve the current problems faced by the country. Quoting the leader of the Tamil Progressive Alliance Mano Ganesan, the news reports said the President is to invite the political parties for a National Govt while participating in the debate on the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) offered by the IMF to SL. more..

Apr 23 (CT) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe, who returned to Colombo following his Avurudu vacation in Nuwara Eliya, headed to the Prez Secretariat to commence duties last Monday. As it was also the first day of the week after the Sinhala-Tamil New Year celebrations, staff of Prez Secretariat had organised a traditional reception as well. Before heading to his official chamber at the Secretariat, Prez went to the reception more..

Apr 23 (DM) The ongoing Russia-Ukraine war is having an outsized impact on the global supply chain, fueling dramatic cost increases, and product shortages and creating catastrophic food shortages around the world. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has also triggered sanctions by the US and its allies in Western Europe on trade with Russia, a ban on Russian oil sales and the seizure of assets of individual Russian citizens, seen as friends of Russian President Putin. more..

Apr 23 (CT) Four years have passed since the fateful Easter in 2019 which plunged the entire country into shock and terror. The synchronized attack by a team of 10 suicide bombers took the lives of 272 persons and injured another 500 or more in a total of six simultaneous attacks- on three churches and three luxury hotels. The victims included entire families, parents with their children and also foreign citizens who had come to spend their Easter in Sri Lanka. more..

Apr 23 (DM) Five years have passed since anti-Muslim violence erupted in the Amparai/Ampara Town in Feb 2018. Soon afterwards, in the first week of March, there was anti-Muslim violence in Digana. Thereafter it spread to other areas in Kandy District like Teldeniya, Pallekalle, Katugastota, and Akurana. The damage in Amparai/Ampara was very much less compared to the destruction in Kandy. more..

Apr 23 (FT) So, here it is globally, and then locally as a new year beckons here locally and the themes of rebirth are rife in other traditions. We�re not out of the woods from the ludicrous last few years and the taint they�ve left on our ability to think, sift, sieve, and assess. We fail to revisit these at our peril. So, we start with the scars of our pandemic panic and move on from ther or attempt to. Why did govts, public health agencies, and experts immediately dash to stoking fear rather than more..

Apr 23 (Island) Issues crop up at such a rate in this county that it is well-nigh impossible to keep track of them At present, two things are dominating public discussion�unconscionably high egg prices and a hare-brained govt move to banish monkeys to China to prevent crop damage here; they have eclipsed many other issues which are serious enough to warrant public attention. Nobody is talking about attacks on democracy, especially the throttling of the electoral process. more..