Mar 12 (CT) Northern Province Governor P.S.M. Charles has requested the Prime Minister to obtain Cabinet approval to absorb 388 temporary workers in the Northern Province to the permanent cadre. Governor Charles, requested PM Dinesh Gunawardena to obtain Cabinet approval to grant permanency to those serving on temporary, substitute, casual and daily wage basis in the province. The Governor stated that 67 people working in the Ministry of Agriculture more..

Mar 12 (TM) Sri Lanka�s Jayanthi Kuru-Utumpala has been named as Asia�s Winner of the 2023 IOC Gender Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Champions Award. A renowned mountaineer and gender equality activist, Jayanthi Kuru-Utumpala is a role model for many women in Asia. In 2016, Jayanthi became the first Sri Lankan to scale Mount Everest, making SL only the fourth country in the world for which a woman has summited Everest before a man. As the inaugural Chairperson of more..

Mar 12 (CI) There's no Super League, they failed to qualify for the Champions Trophy, and the next ODI World Cup is still three years away, but that doesn't mean SL are going to ease off. Sure, the overall focus is largely on June's T20 World Cup, but according to head coach Chris Silverwood, an ODI series representing your country, particularly against a Bangladesh side with which they now have a fairly substantial rivalry, more..

Mar 12 (DM) Thai Airways, the flag carrier airline of Thailand, will re-commence its operations at BIA with daily flights from April 1. The recommencement will incredibly boost the tourism industry, which has shown significant growth in the first two months of 2024, welcoming 207,182 and 218,350 passengers (by air) in January and February, respectively. Passengers will be able to experience the ultimate in travel with Thai Airways and explore over 60 cities in 28 countries from Bangkok. more..

Mar 12 (Island) UNDP Resident Representative in SL Azusa Kubota says that women in households have been at the forefront of taking the brunt of the hardships while trying their very best to protect the well-being of their families and communities, with fast-disappearing economic means. She said so speaking at the Launch of UNDP�s Mobile Interactive Gender Exhibition A Journey of Transformation and Women�s Empowerment held from the 7th to 10th of March, 2024 at the National Museum, more..

Mar 12 (EN) SL�s Attorney General has cleared a draft bill on Gender Socialisation Equality and will now be gazetted, the govt said. The Govt Information Department said on Tuesday (12) that the cabinet of ministers has approved a proposal by President Ranil Wickremesinghe to publish the bill in the govt gazette to be tabled in parliament for its approval. Wickremesinghe has made the proposal in his capacity as Minister of Women, Child Affairs and Social Empowerment. more..

Mar 12 (DM) In response to why the SJB is depending on newcomers while neglecting its own members, its spokesman and MP S.M. Marikar said the newcomers can be dealt with political tactics. The MP was responding to a question raised by journalists at a media briefing as to why the party is depending on MPs such as Nalaka Godahewa when deciding on economic affairs. Marikar responded to this question by recalling how President Ranasinghe Premadasa dealt with late SLMC leader more..

Mar 12 (DM) Ahead of the pending national elections, the govt has made fresh attempts to bring about changes to the parliamentary election system by seeking to amend the Parliamentary Elections Act, a Minister said. Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe presented a Cabinet paper last week seeking to introduce a mixed electoral system. Under the new system, 160 MPs will be elected under First Past the Post System more..

Mar 12 (DM) Inaugurated on July 3, 1973 the Young Muslim Women�s League (YMWL) was established with a vision to serve underprivileged people across all communities. From humble beginnings the members have raised funds with numerous fundraisers such as musical shows, charity bazaars, fashion shows and sometimes standing on roads with tills to collect money. Some of their notable projects include setting up a cr�che in Kirulapana where parents in less privileged families more..

Mar 12 (AD) Cabinet Sub-Committee to formulate and implement a National Education Policy Framework (NEPF), recognizing education�s crucial role in contemporary economic transformation, convened on Monday (11) under the patronage of Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe at the President�s Office. The committee comprises eight ministers, including PM Dinesh Gunawardena and Education Minister Dr. Susil Premjayantha. Within the NEPF are outlined short- and medium-term strategies more..

Mar 12 (DM) It was a little past noon when we reached the Uda Walawe National Park. We were excited to see elephants in their natural habitats, but serious concern was bothering everyone of us at the same time. In the backdrop of battling with an aggravating human-elephant conflict, environmentalists have speculated whether elephants at the Uda Walawe National Park are starving due to a massive shortage of food. more..

Mar 12 (DM) Whilst revealing that the SJB will meet IMF officials next week, Leader of Opposition Sajith Premadasa today said his party will request for IMF assistance for a nutrition package for women and school children. Premadasa said his party would focus on seeking assistance from IMF to get rid of malnutrition of SL women and children. �A census conducted in the year 2022 has revealed that around 25% of SL school children are under weight. Also it has been found out that SL women do not more..

Mar 12 (AD) Ministry of Education has reiterated the set of guidelines issued earlier aiming to ensuring the protection of school children from potential adverse effects of the prevailing high atmospheric temperatures. Addressing all Provincial Education Directors in writing, Ministry of Education said it has taken note of the reports that some schools were not complying with the set of guidelines issued for organizing outdoor activities at schools hot weather conditions. more..

Mar 13 (DM) Our Health Ministry, according to a recent report in the �Daily Mirror� has rejected out-of-hand a report published in the prestigious British Lancet magazine concerning child malnutrition and underweight young girls in our country. If the matter was not so sad and serious, denial of the Ministry Secretary would be funny. A UNICEF report posted on Jan 4 this year showed that 3.9 million people were moderately food insecure with over 10,000 households facing severe food insecurity. more..

Mar 13 (DM) As a turbulent world races into year 2024, the only remaining superpower is a troubled giant (China is a great power, but its military (especially naval) and nuclear forces are still no match for America�s, and it would be economically disastrous for China to start an arms race with the US now with its economy in trouble). The American economy is in trouble, too, with the US dollar losing its value and dire predictions of another Great Depression by next year, more..

Mar 13 (TM) According to the Key Economic Indicators published by the Dept of Census and Statistics (DCS), the mid-year population of Sri Lanka as of 2022 stood at 22,181,000, reflecting a crude birth rate of 12.4 per 1,000 persons. DCS also recorded the age distribution of the country�s citizens as 5,603,000 for 0-14 years, 14,840,000 for 15-64 years, and 1,738,000 for 65 years and over. In early Dec 2023, Minister Susil Premajayantha more..

Mar 13 (TM) Today, the need of the hour is a broad political consensus to effect the reforms Sri Lanka has committed to the IMF, and to showcase that Sri Lanka, which underwent recent political turmoil, is ready to speak in one voice on core matters. To regain trust of the public, international community and potential investors, the Sri Lankan political spectrum will have to find common ground and deliver well-debated policies, and ensure policy consistency. more..

Mar 13 (CT) Since gaining independence in 1948, SL has faced numerous challenges on its journey towards progress. One of the key factors hindering the nation�s development has been the pervasive influence of political nepotism. Over the years, politicians have, regrettably, allowed their offspring and political heirs to ascend to positions of power, ultimately contributing to the country�s decline. From the early days of independence, political dynasties have taken root, more..

Mar 13 (TM) Taking into account, the evolving nature and increasing number of child abuse cases, it is important to find newer, more effective, and more scientific ways of dealing with child abuse as well as child abusers. In these efforts, much attention needs to be paid to preventing abuse, and that requires empowering children, parents and guardians, and the relevant authorities. Emphasising this, NCPA Chairperson more..

Mar 13 (GV) WHO is expressing concerns about the global community�s readiness for pathogen X, a highly contagious pathogen that could emerge in the future. Scientists predict a higher likelihood of its origin in tropical regions, placing SL at considerable risk. COVID-19 pandemic severely impacted the livelihoods of millions of workers across SL. The manufacturing sector, where workers are in very close proximity to one another, faced more challenging conditions than other sectors more..

Mar 13 (ST) An exceedingly strange logic underlines Governor of the Central Bank Nandalal Weerasinghe�s claim that bringing legislative controls to prevent the Central Bank granting gargantuan salary hikes to its employees from the highest level to the lowest office assistant, will impact on the independence of the Bank. This will, in turn affect the economy and return SL to a troubled state he had said. The thrust of his argument is to the effect that, the brouhaha over the salary hikes more..

Mar 13 (CT) Malnutrition among schoolchildren has been of grave concern in SL for quite some time and the recent findings, in the British Lancet Medical Journal, only underscore this issue. As indicated in the study, which was conducted with the participation of 220 million people in 199 countries, severe malnutrition has remained a high-prevalence problem across the island for over three decades. Furthermore, it highlights that girls in SL are among the most underweight in the world, more..

Mar 13 (Island) The northern town of Vavuniya which was once at the front lines of the war is now a peaceful and bustling urban centre. Its physical infrastructure leaves much to be desired, with rundown buildings, and open drains that emit a foul odour. Vavuniya has not had the fortune of a political patron vested with governmental power to transform it like Polonnaruwa and Hambantota have been. But the town itself is peaceful. It is difficult to imagine that it was once under threat of more..

Mar 13 (DM) Saving energy has become more of a responsibility than a habit in today�s context. For centuries, women have been at the forefront in managing energy in households. Perhaps with this inspiration or otherwise, more women are now engaged in driving the energy saving platform in SL. In a progressive move, experts from the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) more..

Mar 13 (FT) Talawakelle Tea Estates yesterday won the coveted Best Corporate Citizen Sustainability Award 2023 at the 20th Best Corporate Citizen Sustainability Awards organised by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce. Aitken Spence and Nestl� Lanka were adjudged the first and second runners up respectively. The annual BCCS Awards is the premier corporate citizenship award, and highlights sustainability champions in the national corporate arena. Awards promote corporate citizen more..

Mar 13 (DM) The surge in the support for the NPP led by Anura Kumara Dissanayaka can be attributed to the weakness of the Opposition, Minister Harin Fernando said. The primary opposition should be prepared to assume governance. However, this opposition prepared prematurely. Therefore, the emergence of a third party became prominent as uncertainty loomed over the effectiveness of the opposition. As a result, the main opposition's only course of action may be to collaborate more..

Mar 13 (ST) Nearly 1,000 companies have been issued notice by the Inland Revenue Dept (IRD) to pay up their tax arrears amounting to more than Rs 160 billion in six months or face seizure of bank accounts and property, Commissioner General Sepalika Chandrasekara said. She said that the arrears had been due up to the end of last year, and the companies had been given notice to pay the arrears in six months, without any extensions. She said some of the companies had responded more..

Mar 13 (DN) Minister Harin Fernando said young energetic and enthusiastic and more fashion come from franchise cricket while this is good income for SL and very happy to see new owners for Galle Marvels and Moratu Marvels at the launching ceremony held in Shangri La � Hotel Colombo on Monday. Joining forces with Prem Thakkar are the esteemed trio of Patel�s comprising Malav Patel & Neil Patel from the Tattva Group, along with Himanshu Patel from the Aanya Properties more..

Mar 13 (CI) As it has started to get a bit hot around eastern Bangladesh, so has the rivalry between the two teams during this series. There were enough incidents in the Sylhet leg of the tour to feel that all is not well between the two sides. There are suggestions that the off-field relationships are fine, but that has not translated to on-field bonhomie. Shoriful Islam kicked things off by mimicking Angelo Mathews' timed-out gesture from more..

Mar 13 (TM) In the wake of postal trade unions (TU) warning of another strike if the two elevators that are currently out of order at the Central Mail Exchange (CME) are not repaired by 1 April, the Department of Posts stated that the required repairs cannot be completed so quickly. Several TUs within the Postal Department launched a 24-hour strike on Monday (11), demanding the repair of two elevators at the eight-storey CME, which are not in operation at present. more..

Mar 13 (Island) SL politics is turning red in tooth and claw, with several presidential hopefuls going for each other�s jugular. While their campaigns are getting down and dirty, a celestial battle is likely to eclipse the ones being bitterly fought on the political front. Politicians are promising the public the moon in a bid to garner votes, and astrologers are fighting over the sun, so to speak; they are protesting against the official auspicious times or nekath for the upcoming traditional New Year celebrations, more..

Mar 13 (FT) A new era of innovation dawned for Sri Lanka yesterday as Port City Colombo broke ground on its premier business park, the Business Centre. This ground-breaking ceremony signifies a major milestone, not just for the project, but for the country�s ambition to become a leading regional hub for technology and commerce. Port City Colombo, the largest Public-Private Partnership (PPP) and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) more..

Mar 13 (DM) Attorney General's Dept informed Supreme Court that the Attorney General would not appear on behalf of the respondent police officers who were involved in the Narammala police shooting. Senior State Counsel Shaminda Wickrema appearing for the Attorney General made these remarks when the fundamental rights petition filed by the widow of the carpenter who died in Narammala police gunfire was called before SC 3-judge-bench headed by Justice Vijith Malalgoda. more..

Mar 13 (TM) JVP-led NPP of the Parliamentary Opposition is to seek a people�s mandate in future national level elections to make necessary changes to the IMF agreement, said its Chief Economic Adviser, Prof. Anil Jayantha. He said that a future NPP-led govt would investigate the domestic and foreign debts incurred by the Govt as no party has a clear picture of the terms and conditions between the Govt and the creditors. He also stated that the NPP will seek a people�s mandate more..

Mar 13 (Island) SL suffered a huge blow ahead of the three match ODI series against Bangladesh that gets underway today after fast bowler Asitha Fernando had to withdraw with a hamstring injury. The 26-year-old right arm fast bowler has had an impressive start to his brief international career and he picked up the injury during the domestic one-day competition � National Super League (NSL). He did not travel to Bangladesh. While Asitha had been primarily used for Test match cricket, more..