Mar 7 (Island) Ministry of Transport has handed over the investigation into alleged attempts to sabotage the operation of Ella and Seethawaka Odyssey luxury trains. CID sources said that the investigation had been referred to them by the IGP following a request by the Minister of Transport that it suspected there had been a plot to disrupt the Ella and Seethawaka Odyssey luxury train project. Ministry sources said that the reason for the investigation was an attempt to sell a ticket more..

Mar 7 (AD) Secretary of CTU Joseph Starlin says the examination schedule plans in the country will be further delayed as a result of the delay in commencing the GCE A/L exam�s answer sheet evaluation activities. Stalin points out that the teachers have refrained from applying for paper marking since the daily payment has been limited to Rs. 2,000. �The reason for the teachers not applying for answer sheet evaluation activities is that the paid stipend was at a minimum rate.� more..

Mar 7 (AD) Police have found the bodies of two children and their parents inside a house in the Goodshed Road area in Vavuniya this morning. Police suspect that the father (41) killed his two girls aged 9 and 3 years and also his wife (36), before committing suicide by hanging himself. The bodies of the two children have been found lying on two chairs inside the house, while the body of the wife was found in a bedroom by police, following the information received by residents of area. more..

Mar 7 (DM) Filing a motion before the Court of Appeal, Rev. Fr. Cyril Gamini Fernando today sought a fuller or a divisional bench to hear the writ petition filed by former Prez Maithripala Sirisena. In his writ application former Prez Sirisena had challenged the magisterial inquiry and issuance of summons against him in connection with the Easter Sunday attack incidents. On Oct 14, 2022 the Court of Appeal two-judge-bench issued an order postponing magisterial inquiry against former Prez. more..

Mar 7 (DM) Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) spreading among cattle in Mullaitivu district these days is due to a virus spreading among cattle. Minister Mahinda Amaraweera today instructed the Livestock Development Division of the Agriculture Ministry to investigate the cause of this disease immediately. Additional Secretary Dr. L.W.N. Samaranayake explained that this condition was reported for the first time in SL in 2019, more..

Mar 7 (CT) Although professionals in the country are facing difficulties due to the newly introduced income tax scheme, as people who benefitted from Free Education in the country, those professionals have a duty and responsibility to uplift the lives of common people, who receive even less than the salaries of professionals after paying tax, State Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya said. He said the country is gradually recovering from the economic crisis and paying taxes in the correct manner is more..

Mar 7 (CT) Ministry of Foreign Affairs is in a difficult situation as a result of pressure from political bigwigs to appoint their family members and relatives to diplomatic posts. At the moment, there are 98 vacancies in diplomatic missions to be filled as only 166 vacancies have been filled from the approved Foreign Service cadre of 264 posts. This situation has resulted in several political bigwigs who have strong ties with the Govt pressuring Ministry to give the vacant posts to their family members more..

Mar 7 (CI) In the last Test series in New Zealand, both sides very clearly went all-out for victory, because that is their Test-match identity. SL can perhaps have claimed to have pioneered Bazball, before Baz was even a thing - the likes of Aravinda de Silva and Sanath Jayasuriya having blazed through the late 90s. But right now, Sri Lanka are not a particularly attacking side considering what other teams are doing. more..

Mar 7 (AD) Prof. Channa Jayasumana of the SLPP has vowed to take legal action against the removal of Prof. G.L. Peiris as the Chairman of the political party. He stated that it is not MP Peiris that needs to be removed, but SLPP General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam, for acting against the policies of the party. On 4 March, Kariyawasam announced the unanimous decision of the Executive Council of the SLPP to remove Prof. Peiris from his post as SLPP Chairman, adding that the Council is more..

Mar 7 (AD) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe has assured that efforts are underway to ensure economic growth. Speaking at this morning�s Parliamentary session, the Head of State said that efforts are now being made to ensure economic growth, after several key economic decisions were taken, although extremely difficult. He further explained that although severely unpopular, the economic measures were taken to stabilize the country�s deteriorating economy, and more..

Mar 8 (DM) Today March 8, is Int'l Women�s Day and its time to pay tribute and recognise the contribution Lankan women make to the country�s development. The month of March is globally dedicated to honour the social, cultural, economic and political achievements of women. More often than not, women�s achievements whether it be in the home or at the workplace goes largely unnoticed and unappreciated. At the beginning of the 20th century, many women in industrially-developing more..

Mar 8 (Island) I concluded a previous article published (not in The Island) on January 28, 2023 touching on the deplorable situation that innocent Sri Lankans have been plunged into not only by the current economic crisis but also by the so-called Tamil ethnic problem, both aggravated by unjust direct foreign intervention in Sri Lanka�s internal affairs, subversive NGO activities and various forms of imported religious fundamentalism with the following words: more..

Mar 8 (DM) Being a woman means wearing too many hats; where it be being a mother, a career woman, a housewife or a social worker. The roles are many and all come with an unending list of challenges which only a woman can bear in perfect balance. Muslim Ladies Study Circle (MLSC) has been supporting the evolving needs of women for over 50 years since its humble beginnings in Galle. more..

Mar 8 (CT) Anura Kumara Dissanayake, leader of NPP and Sajith Premadasa, leader of SJB have emerged today as the two most sought-after national leaders by the media. Especially in the context of the current sociopolitical status of the country, people at large tend to compare the two in terms of leadership quality, messaging skills, personal conduct, public appeal and the substance of what they represent and what they deliver on the political platform and within the walls of parliament. more..

Mar 8 (GV) Ahnaf Jazeem is a 27 year old Muslim poet from the remote village of Chilawathurai in the Mannar District. Ahnaf was arrested on May 16, 2020 by the Counter Terrorism Investigation Division (CTID) of the police under the PTA. CTID alleged that Ahnaf�s book Navarasam contained extremist ideas. However, no specific poetry containing extremist ideas was presented to the courts. Authorities who could not read and understand Tamil may have thought that there was more..

Mar 8 (FT) SL�s largest startup accelerator Hatch recently kick-started their partnership with Draper Startup House to position the country as a top destination for foreign entrepreneurship and angel investment. Their new co-living space located in Orion City, Colombo 9, Hatch X Draper Startup House, was opened in January as part of Draper Startup House�s network of co-living spaces across over 20 countries attracting more..

Mar 8 (TM) In this time of unprecedented socioeconomic crisis, the role of women in the economy has been repeatedly emphasised. Even though different sources present varying statistics, they all point to the fact that women�s labour force participation in the country is at an alarmingly low level and that the lack of opportunities and support available for women, especially those concerning social and economic factors, are among the leading reasons that have contributed to this more..

Mar 8 (CT) Today marks Int'l Women�s Day and although women deserve to be celebrated every day, today is the day that is devoted to celebrate women globally, in terms of women�s rights, gender equality, reproductive rights and several other significant rights and empowerment. We have gradually transitioned from an era of female infanticide, gender-based discrimination (although it does take place to date) and women being confined to the domestic sphere, to a society in which more..

Mar 8 (DM) After a one-day token strike last week, which achieved nothing other than inconveniencing hapless patients in the govt hospitals and holding up several ships at the Colombo port, the govt trade unions threatened to go on an island-wide from today (8). If the question concerns any moral justification for the threatened union action, the answer is nothing. Championed by the better-remunerated sections of the govt service, hence their opposition to the new tax code, more..

Mar 8 (Island) Election Commission (EC) has, in its wisdom, chosen to play ping-pong with the Finance Ministry, etc., again over fund allocations for the LG elections, and other poll-related matters. Following last week�s Supreme Court (SC) interim order, EC was expected to assert authority and redouble its efforts to hold the much-delayed polls fast, but it decided to announce a fresh date for elections only after meeting some public officials such as Secretary to the Ministry of Finance, more..

Mar 8 (DM) The economic crisis in SL has left many hanging dry. From job cuts to facing a high cost of living to feed children less, the crisis has hit almost all households across the island with the heaviest brunt on low-income families. The youth today are also in search of suitable employment to meet their costs. While many wait eagerly to leave the shores for greener pastures, there are those who prefer to remain here to feed themselves & more..

Mar 8 (FT) The Central Bank yesterday revealed that private sector enterprises and individuals had been given relief worth Rs. 6 trillion during the different phases of moratoria and concessions since the COVID-19 pandemic. In a statement, CBSL said it has implemented several schemes of debt moratoria and concessions to assist the borrowers affected by the COVID-19 outbreak and subsequent macroeconomic developments, through Financial Institutions (FIs) supervised by CBSL. more..

Mar 8 (FT) People�s Bank yesterday announced a total consolidated gross revenues, total operating income, and pre-tax profit amounting to Rs. 391.2 billion, Rs. 130 billion, and Rs. 26.7 billion, respectively (2021: Rs. 236.8 billion, Rs. 110.7 billion and Rs. 37.2 billion). In a statement the Bank said primarily reflecting an extraordinarily high interest rate environment that prevailed − consolidated interest income rose by 58.0% during the year under review to reach Rs. 351.4 billion more..

Mar 8 (Island) With the de-restriction of COVID-19 safety protocols on public events, SL�s longest-running cricket series played between Royal College, Colombo, and S. Thomas� College, Mt. Lavinia will be battled out in its full glory for the 144th uninterrupted time for the prestigious D S Senanayake Memorial Shied from March 16th to 18th 2023 at the SSC, Colombo 07. The 144th edition of the Royal-Thomian will be the 18th year that the match is sponsored by Dialog Axiata. more..

Mar 8 (ST) The National Joint Committee (NJC) has written to President Ranil Wickremesinghe voicing concern over his intention to fully implement the 13th Amendment to the Constitution. In its letter to Mr. Wickremesinghe, the NJC cautioned him against implementing such a decision, which would amount to opening a Pandora�s Box. It also pointed out that the mahanayake theras too had issued a joint statement requesting the President not to implement the 13th Amendment. more..

Mar 8 (FT) The latest high-tech manufacturing facility of Lanka Bio Fertilizers Ltd, located in Millewa, Horana was recently opened by Minister Mahinda Amaraweera. This modern facility comprises 40,000 sq. ft. of production floor area and is capable of manufacturing over 1 million litres of bio fertiliser per annum. Lanka Bio Fertilizers Ltd. is the proud manufacturer of SL�s own patented Biofilm Biofertilizer; a 100% natural, organic certified, environmentally friendly innovative concept more..

Mar 8 (TM) Between 31 Mar and 20 July 2022, Police had used over Rs. 26 million worth of tear gas hand grenades and cartridges on 84 occasions, according to a civil society report on the matter. During this period, Police had used 6,722 tear gas hand grenades and cartridges, many a time blatantly violating and disregarding safety instructions pertaining to the use of tear gas while the Police had even used expired tear gas more..

Mar 8 (DN) I haven�t played a test match for nearly eight months and it�s very difficult to adjust to the longer version game quickly and we want to adjust to the conditions and play a good test series said SL test skipper Dimuth Karunaratne yesterday. Not only me most of my players have this experience and when we go to the test match we have to adjust to the game within first 2-3 overs and that is a very vital period for us. But we have to take this challenge said Sri Lanka skipper Karunaratne. more..

Mar 8 (FT) Dept of Commerce under the Ministry of Trade, Commerce and Food Security yesterday held a Palmyra product promotion event in collaboration with Palmyra Development Board (PDB) to create foreign market opportunities for Palmyra related products ranging from toddy, brushes, fruit punch, and handicraft products. PDB Chairman Dr. Krishantha Pathiraja and seven potential exporters engaged in Palmyrah products participated at this event. SL commercial officers attached to more..

Mar 8 (TM) Heated arguments erupted in Parliament over the appointment of UNP MP Vajira Abeywardena as the Acting Chair of COPF following the post of the Chairperson being rendered vacant following the resignation of SJB MP Mayantha Dissanayake. While stating that Dissanayake had informed him in writing of his decision to resign as the Chair of COPF, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana informed that more..

Mar 8 (AD) State Minister of Transport Lasantha Alagiyawanna says the programme to issue driving licenses for the hearing-impaired community across the country will be initiated from this week. Speaking in the parliament today (7), the State Minister pointed out that the pilot project launched to issue driving licenses for 50 hearing-impaired individuals ended this week successfully. �Those 50 people had driven vehicles very successfully. No accidents have been reported.� more..

Mar 8 (PMD) Despite the economic challenges the country is currently facing, I am extremely pleased that Women�s Day is being celebrated on this occasion, that too under the theme She is the pride of the Nation, reflecting the pride, honour and strength of women. It is gratifying to note that women account for more than half of the SL population, and is among the social development indicators of the world�s developed countries. Today uniquely, the literate SL woman, more..

Mar 8 (FT) Colombo stock market rose to a 5-month high and improved turnover as local investor sentiment got a boost from positive news on IMF bailout as well as a strengthening Rupee whilst foreigners were net sellers. ASPI shot up by 198 points or 2.1% and crossed the psychological 9,500-point level to close at 9,643 points, a level last seen five months ago. The active S&P SL20 gained by 1% or 31 points. Turnover was a robust one month high of Rs. 3.4 b involving 115 million shares. more..

Mar 8 (FT) Support for the Aragalaya and democracy remains high and is increasing six months after the collapse of the Gotabaya Rajapaksa presidency, according to SLOTS polling from Oct 2022 to Feb 2023. Six in ten Sri Lankans (55%) had a favourable view of the Aragalaya and only one in 5 Lankans (18%) viewed it negatively. And from late-2022 to early-2023, net favourability of the Aragalaya increased 16 pts more..

Mar 8 (TM) The Hambantota International Port�s (HIP) Industrial Park is to expand its scope to include 90+ diverse industrialised classes within its dedicated free trade zone. Several new categories have been added, including warehousing and logistics, electrical and electronics, mineral products, automobile manufacturing, apparel and textiles, petroleum and oil-related products, pharmaceuticals, rubber products, furniture, and food production, etc. according to HIP�s Master Plan. more..