Apr 9 (FT) I started my career as a sales clerk writing bills for Rs. 385 at Moosajee Sones in 1980, just after school. My first inspiration to be a manager came from Gamini Ranasinghe who was the Sales Manager. One day I asked him how one can become a manager. His simple answer was think and act like a manager. This I consider my first management lesson in life. Wherever I worked at whatever position I worked this was my approach. I always tried to look at issues from the more..

Apr 9 (DM) It is important and advisable if people are vigilant and beware of the danger posed by COVID-19 and be wise and watchful in their activities during the Sinhala/Hindu New Year festival season, the emergence of the third wave of coronavirus could be easily averted, Public Health Inspectors' (PHI) Union Secretary Mahendra Balasuriya said. He said an atmosphere could be felt in the country for the emergence of another COVID-19 cluster if people do not act responsibly. more..

Apr 9 (DN) The Mattala Int'l Airport will be developed as a cargo hub while upgrading its luxury facilities, Minister Prasanna Ranatunga said in Parliament. Minister said that an export processing zone, an aircraft maintenance and turnover yard (MRO) and a duty-free shopping complex will be built at the airport. Minister Ranatunga was responding to SJB MP Hesha Vithanage regarding the construction of the Mattala Int'l Airport and its future activities, during the Oral Questions Round. more..

Apr 9 (AD) The Attorney General has forwarded the marine pollution claim of Rs. 3.423 billion (USD 19.022 million) to lawyers of ship owners of crude oil tanker MT New Diamond in respect of the oil spill caused in September 2020, says the AG�s Coordination Officer State Counsel Nishara Jayaratne. The final report on the settlement of compensation for the damages caused by the MT New Diamond crude oil tanker was to be more..

Apr 9 (AD) GCE A/L Exam for the year 2021, which was scheduled for August, has been postponed to October, says the Minister of Education Prof. G.L. Peiris. Accordingly, the examination is set to take place between Oct 04 and 30. The Grade 5 Scholarship Exam was meanwhile put off to the 3rd of October, Minister said further. Further, the GCE O/L Exam has been pushed to the final week of Jan 2022. The announcement was made during a press briefing held at Education Ministry today. more..

Apr 9 (FT) Central Bank has commenced payment of the increased compensation amount of Rs. 500,000 under the SL Deposit Insurance and Liquidity Support Scheme (SLDILSS), to the depositors of failed finance company, it said in a statement. The depositors/relevant legal beneficiaries of Central Investments and Finance (CIFL), The Standard Credit Finance (TSCFL), TKS Finance (TKSFL), The Finance Company (TFC), ETI Finance (ETIFL) and Swarnamahal Financial more..

Apr 9 (EN) Colombo Archbishop Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith�s scathing remarks on former Prez Sirisena last Sunday were not intended to be a personal or political attack on anyone, Father Cyril Gamini Fernando said. �The Cardinal had no intention whatsoever of attacking anyone politically. We see the Easter bombings as a national tragedy. The attack posed a serious threat to national security � a threat that continues to linger,� more..

Apr 9 (Island) Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena has expressed his gratitude to the govt of Kuwait for its assistance, including healthcare facilities, provided to Sri Lankans presently working in Kuwait. The Speaker said this at the revival meeting of Sri Lanka � Kuwait Parliamentary Friendship Association held in Parliament. Khalaf Bu Dhhair, Ambassador of Kuwait to SL and several Cabinet Ministers, State Ministers and Members of Parliament were present at the meeting. more..

Apr 9 (EN) Ministry of Transport has deployed more buses and trains for Sri Lankans visiting their hometowns for the upcoming Sinhala & Tamil New Year holidays, ministry said. The govt has doubled the number of buses it deployed last year, the ministry said in a statement, with additional trains also deployed, from today (9) to April 16, in addition to the normal schedule. Transport Minister Gamini Lokuge was quoted as saying 1,192 SLTB buses and 1,800 private buses have been deployed more..

Apr 9 (EN) The Colombo Racecourse Mall, which falls under the UDA, may be leased out to a private company, similar to the recent lease of the Arcade Independence Square to Softlogic Holdings. �Similar to the Arcade Independence Square Shopping Complex, we may go for a public-private partnership (PPP) for the Racecourse Shopping Mall in the future,� Ministry of Urban Dev & Housing Secretary said. more..

Apr 9 (Island) Most shops at the Jaffna market were reopened for business yesterday having been closed for 19 days due to COVID-19. Jaffna District Anti COVID-19 Committee decided on Wednesday that only shops free from coronavirus infections would be allowed to open. Out of 567 shops 346 were allowed to reopen today. In March, Jaffna District COVID-19 eradication committee decided to shut down a part of the Jaffna town and impose travel restrictions on another section thereof more..

Apr 9 (AD) SL Institute of Marketing (SLIM) held its 51st AGM, which saw the induction of its new President Thilanka Abeywardena, who will spearhead the Institute as its 43rd President. This appointment is a milestone in the history of the Institute as Ms. Abeywardena became the first ever female to hold the position of President. AGM was held on 7th April, at Marino Beach Hotel, Colombo. Both a new Council of Management as well as an Executive Committee were appointed more..

Apr 9 (DM) The Management of the Nelum Pokuna Theatre has claimed damages amounting to an estimated Rs.200,000 from the organizers of the Mrs. Sri Lanka pageant, following the brawl which erupted last Sunday evening which led to the uncrowning of the winner. Chief Executive Officer at Nelum Pokuna Theatre, Brigadier Sujith Balachandra told Daily Mirror that that damages had occurred to the entering path of the stage more..

Apr 9 (AD) Parliamentary Select Committee which was appointed to ensure gender equality and to look into the discrimination against women in Sri Lanka and present its recommendations to Parliament, met for the first time in Parliament recently. The meeting was chaired by the State Minister Dr. Sudarshini Fernandopulle. Committee also focused on the microfinance loans that are currently affecting a large number of women in SL. It was also revealed that the Cabinet approval has been granted more..

Apr 9 (AD) The organised crime prevention unit of the STF has arrested two suspects including a notorious underworld figure by the name of Tangalle Sudda, who is wanted in connection with multiple murders, as during a raid carried out in the Negombo area. Lokuge Lasantha Pradeepan, alias Tangale Sudda, is a member of an organized criminal gang and is reportedly wanted in connection with 12 separate incidents of murder including the murder of Amila Prasanna Hettihewa alias more..

Apr 9 (EN) Jaffna Mayor Visvalingam Manivannan was taken into custody this morning by the Jaffna police for allegedly promoting uniforms and iconography of the now defunct LTTE, DIG Ajith Rohana said. He said that the mayor was found to have recruited five individuals to perform traffic duties in Jaffna town in uniforms that resemble those worn by the LTTE�s self-styled police. An investigation launched on the instructions of more..

Apr 9 (BBC) Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth II's husband, has died aged 99, Buckingham Palace has announced. A statement issued by the palace just after midday spoke of the Queen's deep sorrow following his death at Windsor Castle on Friday morning. The Duke of Edinburgh, who was the longest-serving consort in British history, had returned to Windsor on 16 March after a month in hospital. Boris Johnson said he "inspired the lives of countless young people". more..

Apr 9 (AD) The strike action launched by the railway locomotive engineers and guards over several demands has been called off temporarily a short while ago, pending discussions with the Minister this evening. All trains scheduled to depart from Colombo Fort cancelled due to a strike action launched by the railway locomotive engineers and guards. The trade union action is based on several demands including the appointment of a General Manager of Railways, the provision of more..

Apr 9 (AD) The Ministerial Consultative Committee on Defence has met under the patronage of Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the Sri J'pura Parliamentary Complex on Thursday (8). This is the inaugural meeting of the Consultative Committee after the election of the current Parliament. The President chaired the meeting in his capacity as the Minister in charge of the subject who is usually the Chairman of the Committee, PMD said. more..

Apr 9 (FT) SL Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO) raised concerns over the SL Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) demanding payment by dollar for PCR tests conducted. SLAITO said its members are puzzled as to why they have to pay SLTDA $ 40 for a PCR test which equals Rs. 8,000, whereas all Health Ministry-approved hospitals charge only Rs. 6,000 or less whilst the payment is also being made in rupees. �The payment to SLTDA has to be made in dollar more..

Apr 9 (AD) Considering the recent inquiries on virtual currency usage in the international and domestic markets, Central Bank (CB) wishes to inform the public of the risks associated with investing in Virtual Currencies. Virtual Currencies (VCs) are digital tokens created by private entities that can be obtained online through mining, Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) or through Virtual Currency Exchanges. VCs are also commonly referred to as cryptocurrencies. Popular VCs include more..

Apr 9 (EN) Sri Lanka will ban the import of printed batik and handloom textiles to eliminate competition from imports for domestic producers, State Minister Dayasiri Jayasekera said. He said young were no longer interested in joining the batik industry but the government would set up training centres for 10,000 individuals and pay them 5000 rupees at tax payer expense and train them. Minister said printed batik cloth rolls will be banned more..

Apr 9 (DM) One cannot accept the punishment given to former MP Ranjan Ramanayake for contempt of the Court as there are no legal provisions in the country that stipulate punishment for such an offence, SJB MP Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka said today. He said that SL�s law has not prescribed any punishment for contempt of court. �One cannot agree with the punishment which was given to Ranjan in such a situation,� he said. �Global situations regarding contempt of court are more..

Apr 9 (CT) Many industries, including the bakery industry, in Sri Lanka are in danger of collapsing due to the Govt's decision to ban the import of palm oil, said SJB MP Dr. Harsha de Silva. Adding that it is learnt that the Govt had decided to allow the import of palm oil for the bakery industry, under a licensing system, Dr. de Silva claimed that it would not be successful as the system would inevitably be politicised. He said, the licensing system, especially for sand mining and soil mining, more..

Apr 9 (AD) Former State Minister Ajith Mannapperuma today took oaths as a MP. He was sworn in before Speaker of Parliament following the commencement of the parliamentary proceedings this morning. Mannapperuma then signed the member roll kept by the Secretary-General of Parliament Dhammika Dasanayake in accordance with Standing Order 05. The Extraordinary Gazette notification announcing more..

Apr 9 (CT) Floating Market in the Pettah was reopened and handed over to the public on 7 April after a complete renovation on the instructions of Prez Rajapaksa and PM Rajapaksa marking another milestone in the massive development of the Colombo Pettah area. The floating Market and the Pettah area are being developed as they were left undeveloped under the previous govt. Minister Gamini Lokuge, State Minister Dr. Nalaka Godahewa MP, Pannaradeep Jayawardena, more..

Apr 9 (DM) CID would have found out the real culprits behind the Easter Sunday attacks by now, if it had been given a free hand, UNP General Secretary Palitha Range Bandara said today. He said that the issue today is that no proper investigations have been conducted on the Easter Sunday carnage. �We opine that even the presidential commission which probed the attack did not perform its duty effectively." �Former Prez Maithripala Sirisena should accept more..

Apr 9 (CT) A sizeable number of cases have been filed in the Negombo District Court by the relatives of those who had died and those who had been injured in the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks, demanding compensation in millions of rupees. Former Prez Maithripala Sirisena and five others have been named as respondents, over their failure to prevent the carnage and with complicity to murder. more..

Apr 10 (DM) Medical doctors and nutritionists agree that food is an important part of our health. What matters is not how much we eat but more so what we eat and how nutritious it is. Being a tropical island, Sri Lanka has thousands of varieties of vegetables, fruits and green leaves. After we swallowed wholesale the globalised capitalist market economic system in 1977, we fell into a big soup and a toxic one. For instance, agriculture has been a part of our culture for thousands of years. more..

Apr 10 (DM) The human-elephant conflict in SL has gathered momentum in proportions not seen earlier and available reports indicate that out of a population of 6000 Wild Elephants-recorded between 2014 until March 2021- SL has lost 2087 Elephants and nearly 550 human lives. The most number of loses in Elephants and human lives was reported in 2019 and the figures read as 415 elephants and 115 humans. The number of elephants getting killed and the number of more..

Apr 10 (DM) Pushpika de Silva, the winner of the beauty pageant held in SL to pick the island�s representative for the upcoming Mrs World Pageant, who saw her crown being yanked off by last year�s champion in an ugly on-stage fracas, has been re-declared the victor. Pushpika maintains that she�ll seek the assistance of the law regarding issue. Pushpika, who needed treatment in hospital after the incident, that took place on Sunday, more..

Apr 10 (DM) SL commenced its COVID vaccination programme with much fanfare last January. Frontline healthcare workers, military personnel and those at immediate risk were vaccinated first. The govt then decided to vaccinate people above 60. Subsequently, the govt announced that it would vaccinate any and all people, even those below 30. Three months later, State Minister Sudarshani Fernandopulle announced that the COVID vaccination programme will be temporarily more..

Apr 10 (CT) It is unlikely that the Sinhala and Tamil families would forget last year�s New Year for long years to come. With the fear of COVID-19 gripping the nation, the people in the districts of Colombo and Gampaha were confined to their homes with curfew prohibiting them from leaving their homes. With the endless hours and days of curfew no shops or supermarkets were open for people to purchase even their bare necessities, celebrating Avurudu was unthinkable. more..

Apr 10 (TM) Several changes have been proposed to the higher education system in SL over the past few weeks, including increasing the university intake, regulating private higher education institutions and solutions for the unemployment levels among arts graduates. The Federation of University Teachers� Associations (FUTA) is the professional association of SL state university academics and The Morning spoke to its President more..

Apr 10 (CT) Wednesday will be the first Avurudu (Sinhala and Tamil New Year) that SL will be celebrating, void of lockdowns, curfews and movement restrictions, since Avurudu 2019. But the country is still not out of the woods as the number of COVID-19 deaths keeps on rising. Therefore, Sri Lankans will have to maintain adequate precautionary measures, which measures would lead to the ultimate demise of COVID-19. Last Avurudu i.e. Avurudu 2020, more..

Apr 10 (GV) The recent scandals involving sugar and coconut oil should point the country to the dangers of private sector mafias and rent seekers. These are not your typical consumer goods: they are fast moving necessities, consumed by every class, from every income level. In the hands of racketeers and rent seekers, ensuring the most rudimentary health and safety checks for such necessities seems to have taken a backseat to profiteering off them. While it is unfair to take the govt to task over more..

Apr 10 (CT) We are living in today�s world, in an era of dilemma, an era of unspeakable horrors, an era where extremism has rendered us all hostage. This is an era of extreme confusion. We have looked to our allies in peace, and some amongst them have looked to hold us, as villains, instead of as, also victims of a global conspiracy! Our allies in peace, have forgotten that we stood with them, even in the face of adversity. Hon. Speaker, I wish to table this book by Dr. Lorna Devaraja, first published more..

Apr 10 (CT) On the other side of the road, from where I lived, rose a temple and two stupas. Some historians conjecture the latter to have been the mausoleum of Parakramabahu VI and his Queen Ranmenika, while others dispute it. In any case, my bedroom window offered a view of these edifices, and of a cashew tree overlooking both. Beyond them lay a long stretch of marshland, which led ponderously to the road to Parliament. This was Beddagana,Kotte, somewhere in early 2000s more..