Mar 5 (DN) SL Captain Angelo Mathews said that fielding lapses at a crucial stage let them down during the first Twenty20 Int'l against the West Indies in Antigua on Wednesday. “160 would have been a good score on this track. I knew we needed wickets to win this game. Had that catch been taken it would have been an interesting match,” Mathews said after the game. “But mistakes do happen. I thought Akila and Wanindu Hasaranga bowled brilliantly. They had the batsmen guessing. That's a plus point,” more..

Mar 5 (CT) Police Spokesman, DIG Ajith Rohana, said the Dam Street Police searched the Hanwella guest house, which the couple checked into on the evening of 28 February, and found blood stains in the room. CCTV footage further revealed that the suspect purchased a knife and a travelling bag on 1 March morning from two locations in Hanwella Town. In addition, two special operations have been launched by Police more..

Mar 5 (DN) Eastern Province Governor Anuradha Yahampath said that a special committee will be appointed to look into the issues of housemaids and widows in the Eastern Province who are abroad. Governor also said that Eastern Province Minister Ariyawathi Galappaththi will be appointed to lead the party. She was speaking at the Women's Trade Fair at the Trincomalee District Secretariat on Mar 3."Although there are some obstacles to the advancement of women in our cultures, more..

Mar 5 (FT) Environmental Audit Report (EAR) on Plastic Imports, Management of Usage and Post Usage in Sri Lanka has been scheduled for discussion at the Committee on Public Enterprises on 9 March. The COPE Committee chaired, by MP Prof. Charitha Herath has summoned eight state institutions to the committee in the months of March and April. Lanka Mineral Sands Company is scheduled to present itself before the COPE Committee on 23 March and more..

Mar 5 (CT) Former Minister Champika Ranawaka was indicted, in Colombo High Court yesterday, in connection with the 2016 hit-and-run incident, which resulted in life threatening injuries to a youth named Sandeep Sampath. Ranawaka has been charged with reckless driving and failure to prevent an accident. The aggrieved party, Sandeep Sampath, was present in court for the first time since the accident. more..

Mar 5 (DM) When compared with the past five years, the hydro capacity of the reservoirs is sufficient to generate a total Gigawatt Hours (GWh) of 800, CEB Chairman Vijitha Herath said. A total requirement of 45 GWh is being generated daily for the country's needs. 10 GWh out of the total requirement generated by the hydro power plants, he said. However, there would be an issue if the country does not receive the South-West monsoonal rains at the correct time, as we received more..

Mar 5 (DM) Despite the govt granting electricity concessions to tourist hotels, there are complaints that some regional offices of the CEB are trying to disconnect electricity supply to some hotels, Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga said. He has made a request to Power and Energy Minister Dullas Alahapperuma and CEB Chairman Vijitha Herath to take immediate action on the matter. On May 29 last year, the Cabinet approved to provide a one-year grace period for the payment of accumulated more..

Mar 5 (FT) Central Bank (CB) yesterday kept policy rates steady to support economic revival and outlined plans to direct as much as 20% of the Rs. 850 billion private sector credit growth expected in 2021, to Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to boost growth. CB Governor Prof. W.D. Lakshman said that even though policy rates had reduced interest rates to historic levels and the monetary authority was focused on more..

Mar 5 (DM) Foreign Secretary Admiral Jayanath Colombage firmly rebuked a widely distributed article by Ahimsa Wickrematunge published in the Washington Post criticising Prez Rajapaksa and the present govt for denying justice for the murder of her father, founding editor of The Sunday Leader Lasantha Wickrematunge, who was killed in 2009. While stating that he had not personally read the article, the foreign secretary said that it was an attempt to destroy SL and see its downfall more..

Mar 5 (DN) The Air Show organized to mark the 70th Anniversary of the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) commenced on Wednesday (3) under the patronage of Prez Rajapaksa, in the skies above the Galle Face Green in Colombo. A total of 14 Indian aircraft were deployed for the event. Further 24 aircraft such as the Cessna-150, Y12, B-200, MA-60 and F7 Fighter Jets from the Sri Lanka Air Force also took part in the air show. Wednesday’s Air Show was the first of the 3-day event. more..

Mar 5 (FT) The total number of COVID-19 patients detected in the island rose to 84,610, with 384 persons testing positive for COVID-19 yesterday. The patients detected yesterday include 345 associates of the Peliyagoda COVID-19 cluster and six persons linked to the prisons cluster. The Divulapitiya, Peliyagoda and Prisons clusters have thus increased to 80,395. Total patient count also includes 2,086 returnees from abroad, more..

Mar 5 (FT) Health authorities yesterday confirmed five COVID-19 deaths, which brings the country’s COVID-19 death toll to 489. A 78-year-old individual from Giriulla tested positive for COVID-19 while receiving treatment at a private hospital in Colombo and was transferred to the KDU Medical Faculty Hospital. However, she died of COVID pneumonia and multi-organ dysfunction yesterday. The previous day, a 70-year-old individual from Boralesgamuwa died of trauma of blood poisoning, more..

Mar 5 (CT) The 27 goods currently being sold at a fixed price will continue to be sold at the same prices in March, announced the Ministry of Trade. It further added that the goods, which were placed under a fixed price system in February, will be available at Lanka Sathosa outlets. Minister Bandula Gunawardena has requested private supermarkets to join in providing those goods at the fixed price of Lanka Sathosa. A few of the goods under the fixed price system are a kilograme of wheat flour more..

Mar 5 (TM) As opposition mounts from the side of the local community living in the Iranaitheevu Island as well as Tamil and Muslim politicians against the island being chosen for the burial of Covid-19 deceased, The other locations are being considered, although burials in Iranaitheevu have not been ruled out. General Shavendra Silva said that while Iranaitheevu is still an option for burial, other locations are also being considered. more..

Mar 5 (FT) The article which I subscribed to the FT Columnist last week, titled The end of an era of extremism to demonstrate that the potentiality of the Sinhala-Buddhist racist ideology as a political movement and its social acceptance, has now reached a historic end, seemed to have aroused a considerable public interest. In this article, I hope to point out the false foundations on which this extremist racism which, in the name of Sinhala Buddhism, has thrived in various forms for more..

Mar 5 (FT) It is a fact that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused many organisations to make difficult decisions in relation to their employees. Organisations as a survival mechanism have focused on reducing employee-related costs such as staff welfare expenses, trainings, pay cuts and in certain instances, retrenchment of staff. Certain organisations have requested their employees to leave due to downsizing or closure while others have offered voluntary retirement schemes to more..

Mar 5 (SE) A Sri Lankan attorney is among activists from around the globe who will receive the U.S. State Department’s International Women of Courage (IWOC) at a ceremony to be held March 8. Ranitha Gnanarajah is being honored for dedicating her career “to accountability and justice for victims of enforced disappearances and prisoners detained often for years without charge under Sri Lanka’s Prevention of Terrorism Act,” the State Department announced in a press release. more..

Mar 5 (DM) A VIP is among long-staying local guests asked to vacate newly certified Level 1 hotels in and around Colombo, Daily Mirror learns. Travel industry sources said that following a warning issued by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) the long-staying local guests were asked to leave as the hotels they were staying in have been certified as Level 1 Safe and Secure hotels. Over 100 hotels in Sri Lanka have so far been certified as Level 1 Safe and Secure hotels. more..

Mar 5 (AD) UNICEF has procured and delivering the first shipment of 264,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine on 7th March, as part of the first allocation of the 1.44 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from the COVAX Facility to the Ministry of Health. Led by UNICEF, the procurement and delivery of this supply of the vaccines through the COVAX Facility underpins the National Deployment and Vaccination Plan of Ministry of Health more..

Mar 5 (DN) The Court of Appeal yesterday issued notices on several other respondents including the IGP returnable for May 18 in connection with the writ petition filed over demolition of the King’s Court built by King second Buvanekabahu in Kurunegala. Court of Appeal two-judge-bench comprising President Justice Arjuna Obeyesekere and Justice Mayadunna Corea made this order consequent to a writ petition filed by former JVP MP Namal Karunaratne. In its original writ petition, Karunaratne had sought more..

Mar 5 (EN) State Minister Nivard Cabraal said he planned to have talks with lenders over margin credit as falling stocks triggered forced selling. SL stocks have fallen sharply after an unusually strong rally up to Jan 2021, which was partly driven by low interest rates coming from historically loose monetary policy. In recently days falling stock prices have triggered margin calls. By Thursday stocks had lost over 730 billion rupees in value from a January market cap of 3.78 billion rupees. more..

Mar 5 (Island) The SJB yesterday found fault with the Presidential Commission of Inquiry that investigated incidents of political victimization for arrogating to itself the powers of the judiciary. Chief Opposition Whip and Kandy District SJB MP Lakshman Kiriella said: “The PCoI probing the incidents of political victimisation has usurped the powers of courts. MP Kiriella said that PCoI or any one including the Executive should not more..

Mar 5 (AD) The Court of Appeal has directed the Attorney General to present submissions on probes into the import of a large consignment of swords following the Easter Sunday terror attacks, in consultation with the Inspector General of Police and the Defence Secretary. The petition filed by His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith seeking an impartial investigation on the alleged incident was taken up before Appeals Court judges Arjuna Obeysekara and Mayadunne Correa today. more..

Mar 5 (Island) A record Rs. 850 billion worth of credit would be given to the private sector by the Banks in 2021, CBSL’s Director of Economic Research Dr. Chandranath Amarasekera said. The increase in the Private sector credit growth would be due to low interest rates, introduction of loan targets for selected segments of the SME sector and the increase in demand for credit as investor confidence booms, he said. CBSL had already commenced a dialogue with banks to iron out issues more..

Mar 5 (EN) The first burials of Covid 19 victims are due to take place today, in two designated burial sites in the Eastern Province officials said. This brings to an end the long drawn out campaign by the Muslims and some Christian groups for the right of the families of the Covid deceased to bury their dead. The first burials will take place in a burial site at Ottamavadi in the Batticoloa District in the Eastern Province more..

Mar 5 (CI) How do you plan for West Indies? Their bowlers are varied and skillful - the first T20 at Coolidge featuring quicks like Dwayne Bravo, Jason Holder and Obed McCoy - who were adept at bowling a variety of slower balls that took advantage of a sluggish surface to flummox the Sri Lanka batsmen. Their batsmen, meanwhile, can make something out of nothing. Not even a hat-trick to Akila Dananjaya could really derail the West Indies' chase because they've got six-hitting more..

Mar 5 (TM) A group of 12 leading lawyers have expressed concern over the content of the report of the PCoI into Political Victimisation. They said the content of the report may undermine the rule of law, impair the independence of the judiciary and erode the impartial and efficient functioning of the AG’s Dept. In a letter to BASL Secretary Rajeev Amarasuriya, the lawyers requested him to obtain a certified copy of the entirety of the proceedings held before the Commission along with more..

Mar 5 (AD) The police unit in charge of prevention of malpractices in sports has ordered former cricketer Sachithra Senanayake to submit a statement of assets and liabilities within 14 days. He was summoned to the police unit on Thursday (4) over an alleged attempt to fix matches in the 2020 Lanka Premier League (LPL) T20 tournament. He had recorded an 8-hour long statement with the said police unit. more..

Mar 5 (AD) A 78-year-old man has been arrested by the Aralaganwila Police for stealing motorcycles from various parts of the country. During the operation, the police have also seized 17 motorcycles stolen by the suspect. According to reports, the arrestee had sold multiple other stolen motorcycles to individuals from several areas. Police Spokesperson DIG Ajith Rohana said legal action will be sought against the persons who purchased motorcycles from the said suspect. more..

Mar 5 (SLN) Special operations conducted by the Navy in Manalkulam area, Silawathura on 04th March and in Pulachchanai, Norochcholai in the wee hours today led to the seizure of 2217kg of dried turmeric suspected to be smuggled via sea and apprehension of 7 suspects. SL Navy has been conducting regular operations to tighten its grip on smuggling via sea routes. Incidentally, Northwestern Naval Command during a search carried out in Manalkulam area had recovered a stock of more..

Mar 5 (DM) Veteran journalist and former diplomat Bandula Jayasekara has passed away at the age of 60. He had passed away while receiving treatment for a blood cancer, which heh had been battling for over a year. Mr Jayasekara, who was the Editor-in-Chief of Daily News, had also worked for The Island and Sunday Leader newspapers. In addition, he had served as a diplomat representing Sri Lanka in Canada, the US and Australia. more..

Mar 5 (AD) Prevailing dry weather conditions are expected to change from tomorrow and there is a high possibility for showers or thunder showers over most parts of the island, says the Dept of Meteorology. Several spells of showers will occur in Eastern and Uva provinces and in Hambantota and Polonnaruwa districts. In the meantime, showers or thundershowers may occur in several places in the Central and Sabaragamuwa provinces and in Galle and Matara districts in the evening or night. more..

Mar 5 (LBO) The UN World Food Programme (WFP) and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) are supporting the Govt of Sri Lanka with funding worth USD 600,000 (LKR 117 million) to procure maize for the production of Thriposha. The funding will be used to produce Thriposha, a maize-based fortified food product, which will be provided to 1.1 million mothers and children. The grant from Korea helps ensure continuation of the Thriposha programme, which the Govt of SL more..

Mar 5 (EN) An abused child in SL child gets raped again several times in front of the media and the law, Activist Boomi Harendra said, speaking at an event in Colombo today by Stop Child Cruelty. Harendra said that the country has a problem with the protection of the privacy of a child who is being abused or raped. “Some say In order to report child abuse the suffering should be shown outwardly. But abuse and sufferings are not always more..

Mar 5 (FT) Luxury apartments owner, developer and operator Trillium yesterday broke ground for its latest project in Havelock Town with an investment of Rs. 1.2 billion. The super-luxury condominium apartment complex will be situated on a well-positioned plot of land 40 perches in extent and will house 30 three-bedroom apartments and 10 two-bedroom apartments. The complex will also feature ample parking facilities, a state-of-the-art gym, rooftop pool, and all other modern facilities. more..

Mar 5 (EN) SL’s GDP could grow between 3.0 to 3.5% in the first quarter of 2021, Central Bank’s Director of Economic Research Chandranath Amarasekara said. SL’s economic activities are rapidly normalizing from the Second Wave of Coronavirus. The ongoing vaccination campaign is also giving people confidence. Sri Lanka has vaccinated frontline staff and is now focusing on over 35 population in the Western Province is which the most economically active and more..

Mar 5 (CT) A letter has been sent to Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, requesting for the appointment of a Special Parliamentary Committee (SPC), to look into discrimination against women and violations of women’s rights and make necessary recommendations to ensure gender equality. This letter has been submitted with the signatures of all the female MPs. more..

Mar 6 (Island) If you thought it was only our politicians who played politics with science, you thought wrong. Admittedly, ours are pretty bad as evident from the Dhammika peniya episode. We had our Health Minister freely advertising the concoction by ingesting it in her office and wasting the valuable time of academics by instructing them to test it for efficacy. Getting a pretty bad attack of Covid-19 demonstrated idiocy of her action but she continues unashamedly to be our Minister of Health! more..

Mar 6 (CT) On Friday this newspaper carried a story under the heading Colombo City’s Oxygen Levels Drop with a strap-line, Due to tree density decline. Two reasons for this state of affairs are unplanned development and over-population made worse by the fact that there are no green spaces laws in the country to prevent such environmental disasters. Over-population of Colombo the country’s Capital City may not necessarily be due to a natural organic growth of its population, more..