Mar 14 (AD) Former SL cricketer Lahiru Thirimanna has been hospitalized following a road accident in Thrippane, Anuradapura, the Police said. Accordingly, he has been admitted to Anuradhapura Teaching Hospital with minor injuries sustained in the accident, according to police. Police mentioned that the car in which Thirimanne was travelling had collided with a lorry arriving from the opposite direction at around 07.45 a.m. this morning (14). Three other individuals travelling in the car, more..

Mar 14 (DM) URF leader Champika Ranawaka, addressing an international summit in India, said it is imperative for industrialized nations to acknowledge their historical contributions to climate change and take responsibility for mitigating its effects, including compensating affected countries for their losses. In his adderess, he said efforts to address climate change have a long history, marked by milestones such as the Club of Rome declaration in 1968 and the Rio Convention in 1992, more..

Mar 14 (FT) The mountains have laboured and brought forth a mouse! Former SL President Nandasena Gotabaya Rajapaksa has after many poya days reportedly authored a book. The political grapevine had been buzzing for several months that a book by the ex-president known popularly as Gota and Gotabaya was in progress. It was supposedly a bombshell book with explosive revelations. more..

Mar 14 (AD) SriLankan Airlines and Korean Air have officially activated a new codeshare partnership, effective from 15 March, presenting enhanced travel options and connections for customers of both airlines travelling between Colombo and Seoul. The new partnership enables SriLankan Airlines to codeshare on flights operated between Singapore and Seoul Incheon by Korean Air, making it possible for passengers to travel on a single SriLankan Airlines ticket between Colombo and more..

Mar 14 (DM) The NPP will seek a mandate to continue the IMF agreement after making amendments on conditions detrimental to the people, NPP MP Vijitha Herath said today. He said that the NPP representatives met the IMF delegation this morning and briefed them on the NPP's stance on the agreement. He said the NPP will go before the people and seek a mandate to remove detrimental proposals in the agreement such as exorbitant taxes, price hikes in goods and more..

Mar 14 (AD) The motion of no confidence brought against Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena will be debated in Parliament on the 19th and 20th of March, following which a vote will be taken. According to the General Secretary of the SJB Ranjith Madduma Bandara, the decision was taken at today�s meeting of the Committee on Parliamentary Business, which was chaired by the Speaker. more..

Mar 14 (EN) All indices of consumer confidence run by the Institute for Health Policy (IHP), an independent research institute in Sri Lanka, improved in February. The institute said in a statement its Index of Consumer Sentiment (ICS), the broadest measure of the public�s view of their personal economic status and the national economy gained 6 points to 22 points. The Index of Consumer Expectations (ICE), which tracks future perceptions increased 7 points to 28 points. more..

Mar 14 (AD) The NPP is expected to meet the visiting team of the IMF on Thursday (14). According to Sunil Handunnetti, the discussion will focus on addressing the economic pressures and burden imposed on the people of the country by the govt. In a separate development, Human Rights Watch has urged the IMF to request the SL govt to withdraw the proposed Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) (Registration and Supervision) Bill and to ban of the Online Safety Act. more..

Mar 14 (CT) Supreme Court granted leave to proceed for nine fundamental rights applications filed by Chief Inspectors of Police who claimed their rights were violated by being denied ASP promotions in 2021. The petitioners asserted that they met all necessary qualifications for the promotions but were unjustly denied from ASP promotions. SC bench, comprising Justice Gamini Amarasekara, Justice Yasantha Kodagoda and Justice Mahinda Samayawardhana presided over the matter. more..

Mar 14 (SLA) The SL Army this morning (13) gratefully accepted a stock of special Explosive Ordnance Disposal Equipment, which had been gifted to the Ministry of Defence under the Chinese Military Grant scheme during a simple formal ceremony, headed by Qi Zhenhong, Ambassador of China in SL and General Kamal Gunaratne, Secretary to the Ministry of Defence at the Army Headquarters. Lt General Vikum Liyanage, Commander of the Army, Major General more..

Mar 14 (EN) If Sri Lanka can cut down on its consumption of sugar and milk powder, both its people and the economy would benefit, its Minister of Health has said. �In the South Asia region, we are one of the countries with the highest diabetic population,� Minister Ramesh Pathirana told a gathering of medical professionals and reporters at the launch of a public health website. According the international medical journal The Lancet�s more..

Mar 14 (AD) Proposals on International Competitive Bidding (ICB) for a 50 MW wind farm facility in Mannar have been called for by the Ministry of Power and Energy and the CEB. Accordingly, ICB calls for suitable developers with the financial and technical ability to develop a 50MW wind farm facility in Mannar on a Build, Own and Operate (BOO) basis, Minister Kanchana Wijesekera said. He further noted that deadline to submit the relevant proposal will be on 09 May, immediately after more..

Mar 14 (Island) United States Department of Defense (DOD), and the U.S. Embassy in Colombo, is providing the SL Air Force training on carrying out Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) flight demonstrations, with an emphasis placed on enhancing SL�s capabilities in Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) missions. The programme commenced on 12 March, at the SLAF Base, Ratmalana, and ends today (14). The initiative aims to enhance SL�s maritime domain more..

Mar 14 (CT) Chairman of the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) and SJB MP Dr. Harsha de Silva launched a scathing critique against the Dept of Excise yesterday, alleging that the recent discovery of counterfeit stickers on alcohol bottles stemmed from a rift between liquor manufacturers and certain officials within the Excise Department. Dr. de Silva alleged that this dispute arose due to the manufacturers� refusal to more..

Mar 14 (TDM) IndiGo, India�s preferred airline, has announced new direct flights between Mumbai and Colombo starting April 12. These flights will operate three times a week on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, and play a key role in enhancing connectivity between the financial capital of India � Mumbai, and the capital of SL. With this new connection, Mumbai has become the fourth destination in India with direct connectivity to Colombo, after Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Chennai. more..

Mar 14 (TM) The Dept of Railways has initiated a shift to exclusively online ticket reservations starting today (14), streamlining the process for commuters. Utilizing a One-Time Password (OTP) code, passengers can reserve tickets and seats via the online platform: http://seatreservation.railway.gov.lk/. Accordingly, this move eliminates the need for queuing at railway stations, extending the convenience to government employees for warrant ticket reservations. more..

Mar 14 (CT) Paediatric and adult patients undergoing treatment at Apeksha Hospital in Maharagama were confronted with a challenge due to the breakdown of two out of the five linear accelerator machines used for treatment. President of the Govt Radiological Technologists� Association, (GRTA) Chanaka Dharmawickrema said one of the linear accelerators (LINAC) that was out of order at Apeksha Hospital was used for radiation treatment for paediatric patients. more..

Mar 14 (AD) Maligakanda Magistrate�s Court has once again rejected bail for former Minister of Health Keheliya Rambukwella, former Ministry secretary and 04 others accused over the import of substandard human Immunoglobulin vials. Furthermore, the magistrate who ordered them to be remanded in custody until conclusion of the case under the provisions of the Public Property Act, also ordered the case to be recalled on March 28, 2024. Eight individuals including former Health more..

Mar 14 (AD) Large-scale drug trafficker Shiran Basik was acquitted from a drug case against him on orders of the Colombo High Court on Thursday (14). Colombo HC Judge Manjula Thilakaratne ordered the defendant�s acquittal citing significant contradictions in the testimonies provided by officers of the Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB). According to the complaint, Basik was apprehended on 11 Jan 2011, near the Edmonton housing more..

Mar 14 (PMD) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe announced that an expert committee would be appointed to investigate and propose solutions for the prevailing economic challenges, particularly within the construction sector. This declaration was made during a discussion held at the Presidential Secretariat yesterday, attended by industrialists from the construction sector. Prez Wickremesinghe emphasized the inclusion of experts from the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Urban Dev, more..

Mar 14 (AD) United Petroleum Australia, who entered into SL�s petroleum retail operations last month, plans to obtain their licence to commence operations mid-2024, Minister Kanchana Wijesekera stated. Minister revealed that the Australian-owned petroleum retailer and importer plans to sign an agreement with the Board of Investment (BOI) and obtain the relevant licence later this year. CFO of the United Petroleum Group, Nigel Simonsz, visited the Ministry on Thursday (14), and more..

Mar 14 (DM) A criminal law expert has shed light on the potentially lengthy legal journey ahead for the case involving Febrio De-Zoysa, the 19-year-old SL national accused of a brutal attack in Barrhaven, Ottawa. Daphne Gilbert, a professor of criminal law at the Uni of Ottawa, suggests that the legal proceedings could span two to three years as they wind through the complexities of the court system. Gilbert emphasizes more..

Mar 14 (PMD) Anuradha Jayaratne, the State Minister of Justice and Prison Affairs, hinted at the potential submission of 107 newly revised bills to Parliament between 2022 and 2023. Moreover, the Minister pointed out that in 2023, the agriculture and industry sectors together produced earnings worth 116 million rupees, thanks to the labour contributions of inmates. These statements were made by the State Minister during a press briefing held at the Prez Media Centre today (14), more..

Mar 14 (EN) Sri Lanka�s next parliament will be a more balanced one if parliamentary elections are held before a presidential election and won�t result in any one party monopolising political power, SLPP national organiser Basil Rajapaksa said. In an interview given to the privately owned NewsFirst network, Rajapaksa said power should not be concentrated around one party. �The party that wins the prez election may secure unlimited power. I don�t think that�s a good situation. more..

Mar 15 (DM) These are days when parents have to motivate children with positive thoughts and help them envisage victory after being engaged in a struggle. We are in an era where we have to make a struggle to live, study, find food, retain jobs and stand up for what�s right. For this we must ensure that our loved ones engaged in the struggle to live and prosper emerge as victors. But there can be people out there who dedicate some time from their lives to defeat evil. more..

Mar 15 (DM) Part I of this article, which was published on Feb 29, laid out the grim fiscal and debt sustainability outlook for SL. The key driver of debt dynamics is the gap between real GDP growth and real interest rates on govt debt. Sustained annual growth of 5-6% and low real interest rates through disciplined fiscal policy would significantly improve debt sustainability. With slowing labour force growth due to an ageing population, sustaining high GDP growth requires more..

Mar 15 (CT) It was an ordinary Easter Sunday. Like every year, 17-year-old Dinuki Kaushalya accompanied her little brother, Sayuru Sathsara (9), to St. Sebastian Church in Katuwapitiya, Negombo on 21 April 2019. The familiar cadence of the Reverend Father�s prayer enveloped the congregation when suddenly, a deafening explosion shattered the serenity. In an instant, the world went silent, more..

Mar 15 (CT) Given the significant demand for English medium education, the Cabinet Sub-Committee on National Education Policy has proposed that the number of schools that offer English medium education should be increased to 1,000. This expansion aims to accommodate at least 200,000 students to be educated in the English medium by 2025. The use of the English Language as a medium of instruction to teach academic subjects in countries where more..

Mar 15 (CT) It is difficult to find another instance in the history of central banking where the Head of that bank with conscienceless audacity abusing the constitutional independence of that institution to raise unilaterally the wages of his staff to such a height, between 36 and 79%, and made them an un-imitable elite of officers to be envied by the rest of the community of public servants. This is one of many and multiplying horror stories one hears almost daily from paradise Sri Lanka. more..

Mar 15 (TM) It is difficult to find another instance in the history of central banking where the Head of that bank with conscienceless audacity abusing the constitutional independence of that institution to raise unilaterally the wages of his staff to such a height, between 36 and 79%, and made them an un-imitable elite of officers to be envied by the rest of the community of public servants. This is one of many and more..

Mar 15 (TM) The opposition political parties, and some MPs currently in the Govt, have been batting to the battered gallery and making knee-jerk policy statements, aimed at securing votes as the clock ticks on an election season around the bend. The return to popular politics, and that of promising relief as a barter for votes is a concerning trend. Let us be in no illusion that despite what the SL masses think about the austerity measures which have been introduced by the Govt, more..

Mar 15 (ST) Quite often I had come across questions related to bond markets � a topic that many are not familiar with. I thought of discussing this topic because it is an integral part of our current debt crisis. What is a bond? How does it work? And how does a country get into trouble with bonds? These are typical questions that many would ask but not get clear answers. Let me deal with some of these questions today and explain the answers in a simple language. more..

Mar 15 (GV) My previous article about the Int'l Women�s Day emphasised the importance of working towards gender equality, which is essential for the world in its journey towards a reconciled and a fairer place. UN�s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has only six more years to run. This means that in another half a decade every person should have equal access to education, healthcare, decent work, a life free from discrimination and abuse, and representation in political and more..

Mar 15 (Island) The JVP turned down Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe�s invitation to a meeting with the IMF, but some of its senior members met a visiting IMF delegation yesterday in Colombo perhaps as part of its strategy to gain political mileage. Whoever would have thought, a decade or so ago, that the JVP leaders would glad-hand IMF representatives, whom they used to condemn as agents of neo-imperialism. Their long stay in democratic politics seems to have had a mellowing effect on more..

Mar 15 (FT) Leading software company IFS is expanding its operations in SL with the employee base tipped to top the 3,500 mark this year. At present IFS has over 6,000 employees globally of which over 2,500 at present are in SL. Mark Moffat, was promoted to the role of CEO at IFS in early January from Chief Customer Officer and given its importance picked SL as the place to visit as CEO. Moffat�s predecessor Darren Roos more..

Mar 15 (DN) SL cricket team will meet Bangladesh in their 2nd ODI today at Chattogram, commencing at 2pm and this match going to be a must win game for Sri Lanka to equal the series having lost the first game on Wednesday. Sri Lanka scored 255 runs all out in 48.5 overs and that was not enough to make a good challenge and Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossian Shanto with a captain�s knock of 118 guided them to victory at 44th over and it gave morale boost to them for this second game. more..