Apr 17 (Island) Many Sri Lankans had not been able to celebrate the Sinhala and Tamil New Year due to the economic mismanagement of the govt, SJB National Organiser Tissa Attanayake said. The govt had learnt nothing from steps taken by other nations to manage the issues created by the COVID-19 pandemic, Attanayake said. �The govt seems to believe that the economy could fix itself without state intervention. This is not how countries that successfully managed the pandemic acted. more..

Apr 17 (TM) Further to our recent news report which we carried under the title A call from India to include SSC spinner in the SL side?, we at The Morning Sports understood later that the same SSC�s 29-year-old spinner has been pushed for selection by another prominent controlling cricket club in Colombo. One of the strongmen of that club, that is currently in the centre of discussion in the field of cricket politics, has tried to elaborate on the said left-arm spinner, though more..

Apr 17 (AD) COPA has informed the officials of the Ministry of Health to conduct an immediate and comprehensive inspection regarding the harmful substances in food including imported food items such as coconut oil, given that such authority is vested with the Ministry of Health. Chairman of COPA Prof. Tissa Vitharana informed the officials that laboratory facilities for food testing should be improved and the laws more..

Apr 17 (DM) SJB MP Harshana Rajakaruna who is one of the petitioners who had filed legal action against the proposed Colombo Port City Economic Commission Bill will come up with some disclosures on the Commission tomorrow. Meanwhile one of the lawyers who have been retained by SJB Visath Wijegunawardene said that the proposed Commission under the Port City Commission Bill will have the power to administer the zone under section 3(1) of the legislation, while certain laws more..

Apr 17 (AD) The chairman of Deraniyagala Pradeshiya Sabha has been arrested by over illegal possession of 98 water meters, DIG Ajith Rohana revealed. He is expected to be produced before the Avissawella Magistrate�s Court later today under the provisions of the Offences Against Public Property Act. Deraniyagala Police had received a complaint regarding the theft of 477 water meters and several other equipment from the National Water Supply & Drainage Board (NWSDB). more..

Apr 17 (CT) Cabinet approval has been obtained to sell all the remaining machinery parts at the Kankesanthurai (KKS) Cement Factory without probing what happened to the Rs 450 billion worth machinery that was dismantled and removed from the time it was shut down in 1990 due to the war. It was also revealed recently several Govt officials had visited the KKS Cement Factory, along with broker who would be negotiating more..

Apr 17 (FT) Seven COVID-19 deaths were yesterday confirmed by health authorities, and the country�s COVID-19 death toll has risen to 615. An 86-year-old individual from Talangama tested positive for COVID-19 at the National Hospital of SL and was admitted to the Colombo East Base Hospital. The individual died yesterday of COVID pneumonia, acute breathing difficulties, and heart disease. The previous day, an individual from Ratnapura died of COVID pneumonia, more..

Apr 17 (FT) The Election Commission has decided to temporarily suspend the activities of the parties which are currently battling in Court due to conflicts within the party. Election Commission Chairman Nimal Punchihewa stated that six such parties had been identified so far. Due to the legal issues that have arisen in the face of several candidates contesting for the posts of secretaries and chairmen of those parties, those parties have resorted to legal action to resolve the relevant issues. more..

Apr 17 (AFP) An almost 90-year-old car that once belonged to Britain's late Prince Philip is now the centrepiece of a seaside museum in SL. The Duke of Edinburgh, whose funeral will be on Saturday, was a car aficionado who bought the 1935 Standard Nine for 12 pounds when he was based in Colombo with the British Navy in 1940. "When he came back in the early 1950s, he came and saw the car," said Sanjeev Gardiner, who has kept more..

Apr 17 (DM) MP Wijedasa Rajapakshe has not understood the proposed Colombo Port City Economic Commission Bill but will understand if it is explained to him, State Minister Ajith Niward Cabraal said. Mr. Cabraal who was responding to a question raised by the journalists on the critical comments made by some within the Govt on the proposed legislation including MP Wijedasa Rajapakshe, said he would have explained to the MP had he inquired from him about the legislation. more..

Apr 17 (DM) Issues faced by the pensioners have become a major crisis just like the one which the country is facing at the moment, UNP Chariman Vajira Abeywardene said. The present govt had failed to grant the increments implemented by the previous regime, he said during the discussion he had with some pensioners at Sirikotha. �Rights of the pensioners have been violated by the current rulers. Pensioners suffered a similar fate in 1975 when the then Minister Felix Dias more..

Apr 17 (CT) Several pertinent questions posed by the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) experts� panel, to the Beijing Institute of Biological Products, that manufactured the Sinopharm vaccine, were not answered, the final review report of the independent experts� panel on the vaccine stated. The independent experts� panel comprising Dr. Rajiva de Silva, Prof. Neelika Malewige, more..

Apr 17 (EN) SL�s imports were down 2.5% from a year ago to US$ 1,524 million while exports were down 3.7% to US$ 952 million and the trade deficit had climbed back to US$ 572 million compared to US$ 574 million last year. Remittances were up 9.9% to US$ 580 million. In the first two months of the year exports were down 5.3% to US$ 1.888 million and import were down 5.5% to US$ 3.1 million. The trade deficit up to February was US$ 1.22 bil down from US$ 1.3 bil last year. more..

Apr 17 (FT) The country�s total COVID-19 patient count yesterday exceeded 96,000 with the detection of 237 COVID-19 positive persons. The patients detected yesterday include 138 associates of the Peliyagoda cluster and 21 persons from the Prisons cluster. Divulapitiya, Peliyagoda and Prisons clusters have thus expanded to 90,852 patients. In addition to this, 3,083 SL returnees from abroad, 950 Navy personnel and their contacts, 651 persons linked to the Kandakadu cluster, and 259 foreigners more..

Apr 17 (FT) Govt backed proposed legislation for the Port City Commission as a turning point for the overall economy and insisted sufficient safeguards have been built into the Bill to protect SL interests and ensure compliance under local laws. State Minister Ajith Nivard Cabraal said that concerns expressed by Govt supporters that the Port City would become a Chinese colony were unfounded and misleading. more..

Apr 17 (CT) Many things crop up at different times in countries causing confusions and calamities. I quote below a relevant issue in the context of its applicability to a similar situation that has cropped up here. �there was extensive news coverage of Obama�s religious preference, birthplace, and of the individuals questioning his religious belief and citizenship � efforts eventually known as the �birther movement'�, by which name it is widely referred to across media. more..

Apr 17 (FT) A year has passed, under the traditional Sinhala calendar; an eventful year, mostly of calamities. First, coronavirus continued from the previous year resulting in the country being partially locked down. Govt servants enjoyed a full year of paid leave. The Govt is facing three major problems, shortage of funds for local expenses, shortage of foreign exchange for imports and settling past debts, possible issues resulting from UNHRC accepted resolution against the country. more..

Apr 17 (Island) TNA with the help of India, would prevent the govt from abolishing the Provincial Council system, party MP M.A. Sumanthiran said in Jaffna on Thursday. However, the party was open to amendments to the system which had not been able to address the issues faced by the Tamil people, Sumanthiran said. He made the announcement, fielding a question posed by journalists in Jaffna. �There is a big debate on whether to hold the Provincial Council elections. more..

Apr 17 (FT) Rizwan Badoordeen was re-elected as President of the Colombo Malay Cricket Club (CMCC) for the second year in tandem at their Annual General Meeting (AGM) which took place at the Padang in Slave Island. CMCC is the oldest cricket club in Sri Lanka and will celebrate its 150th anniversary next year. A top class committee was formed in order to celebrate this with an invitation T10 cricket, tag rugby tournaments, hockey tournament for schools and clubs, more..

Apr 17 (DM) Ruling govt MP Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe yesterday afternoon handed over a formal letter to the IGP requesting for more security after he claimed to have been threatened by Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa over him being vocal against corruption within the govt. Rajapakshe said that he had requested the IGP to act soon as he feared for the life of himself and his family following the tone and words used by Prez in a telephone call more..

Apr 17 (FT) 25 outstanding stories have been shortlisted by an int'l judging panel for the world�s most global literature prize. The writers come from 14 countries across the Commonwealth including, for the first time, Lesotho and Namibia. Often humorous and always intensely moving, Chair Zo� Wicomb said the 25 stories range in scope from concerns with sexual identity, gender relations, animal rights to neo-colonialism, racial exploitation and, of course, the perennial themes of love more..

Apr 17 (FT) There are hundreds and thousands of silent peace builders in SL who daily strive to bring people together. Most of them do not belong to NGOs or INGOS. They are ordinary people and belong to different faiths. Some of them are clergy members. Whether laymen or clergy, those who touch the hearts mostly deeply of the people are those who make peace an internal ongoing process. 38-year-old Catholic priest Father Amalarajan Croos of Mannar is one such individual. more..

Apr 17 (Island) The Bowitiyatenna elephant corridor, used by elephants in Sinharaja to travel to Dellawa � Walankanda forest had been obstructed by two businessmen by clearing a section of the forest to build hotels, Sajeeewa Chamikara of the MONLAR said. �One hotel is being constructed in the Dolekanda Grama Niladari area after clearing seven acres of forest land. The Kalawana DS has approved the construction more..

Apr 17 (TM) Ravi Kumudesh, President of SL Association of Govt Medical Laboratory Technologists (SLAGMLT) has stated that while decisions are being made around the world on the side effects of the Covishield vaccine, SL is in a situation where no scientific evidence of vaccine complications can be derived. According to Kumudesh, this is because the people of Sri Lanka have been administered with only the first dose of the vaccine so far. more..

Apr 17 (DM) While claiming that it was not Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe who was threatned by the President after being elected to office, the JVP yesterday questioned about the safety of the general public when the President was threatening even an MP. JVP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said that the attempts made by the President and the Govt to rule the country by intimidation and threats should be defeated. �The President has a right to comment on the statement made by more..

Apr 17 (AD) Some restrictions will have to be imposed on arrivals from overseas taking into account the uptick in positive cases of COVID-19 among individuals arriving in SL, says the Chief Epidemiologist Dr. Sudath Samaraweera. He said Sri Lanka has registered 52,710 coronavirus infections so far in 2021 with 1,593 of them coming in from foreign countries. Reportedly, a large number of positive cases among those who arrived more..

Apr 17 (FT) Ceylon Federation of Labour (CFL) in a statement yesterday expressed its reservations over the proposed Colombo Port City Bill. CFL General Secretary T.M.R. Rasseedin in the statement said that CFL was perturbed by the attempt being made to exempt companies operating in the Port City from the provisions of the Termination of Employment of Workmen (Special Provisions) Act No. 45 of 1971 (TEWA). Following is the full text of the CFL statement. more..

Apr 17 (TM) Ceylon Fisheries Corporation (CFC), under its brand name Ceyfish, has earmarked a record-high sale beyond 27,600 kg this month. State Minister Kanchana Wijesekera said in a tweet that the average sales are between 14,000 kg and 15,000 kg daily and that it had never exceeded the 20,000 kg mark. According to official data from the 2014 financial report of the CFC, the Corporation experienced an increase in losses to Rs. 68.97 million, Rs. 41.76 million, Rs. 54.45 million, more..

Apr 17 (FT) SL selectors have kept faith with the Test squad that drew the two-match series against the West Indies in the Caribbean last month by retaining the majority of the players for the upcoming two Tests against Bangladesh at the Pallekele Int'l Cricket Stadium starting 21 April. This means that there is no place for the two Kusals � Mendis and Perera, who missed the West Indies series through injury and since returning to more..

Apr 17 (CT) The Colombo Port City Economic Commission Bill cannot be simplified to the level of Hambantota Port lease agreement, the SJB on Friday said. During a Media briefing at the Opposition Leader�s Office, Attorney-at-Law Thisath Wijegunawardena, who spoke on behalf of the SJB legal force, said laws which govern Sri Lanka will not be applied in the Colombo Port City which can threaten the country�s sovereignty and potentially create a Chinese Colony within its borders. more..

Apr 17 (CT) Health Ministry has failed to recover Rs 51 million from the contractor, who undertook the construction of the seven-storey Millennium Ward Complex at the Colombo South Teaching Hospital in Kalubowila, after the contactor failed to complete the work on time. This was revealed during the Sitting of the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA). COPA Sitting was held in Parliament to review the AG�s Report on the Ministry of Health for the year 2017/2018 & Ministry�s current performance. more..

Apr 17 (ST) The Urban Development Ministry had cancelled plans for a 30 million-rupee boulder wall around the sea-side ramparts of the Galle Fort after residents protested to the World Bank (WB), the funder, that it would destroy the surrounding coral reef. The WB decided not to finance the boulder-stacking component of the restoration and improvement of the ramparts under the Strategic Cities Development Project (SCDP) for more..

Apr 17 (ST) A severe shortage of translators in the public sector�much worse than before�has prompted the Public Administration Ministry to advertise for graduates to create a pool. Calling it a grave dearth, the Ministry has issued a circular mandating the recruitment of graduates who have studied translation methods and linguistic studies to the translators� service on contract until they can be absorbed through a new service minute. Priority should be given to hire Sinhala/Tamil more..

Apr 17 (CT) Minister Sarath Weerasekera says a special probe has been launched to ascertain details pertaining to whether former Governor of the Western Province Azath Salley had nurtured and protected extremism in the country while serving in his former portfolio. He said information had been collected as to how Salley, while functioning in his former post, had strived to nurture and propagate extremism during the UNF-led Govt. He stated that the special probe had been initiated jointly by more..

Apr 17 (FT) The rupee bounced back yesterday fuelled by improved outlook on foreign reserves. The Telegraphic Transfer selling rate of the dollar was Rs. 201.28, down from the peak of Rs. 204.62 on Thursday. The strengthening of the rupee was influenced by the receipt of $ 500 million loan from China Development Bank on Thursday. Other analysts said that intervention by the CB as well as the two State banks improved more..

Apr 18 (SO) The Covid-19 pandemic has affected all segments of society in every country, regardless of whether they are rich and poor. But it is the economically deprived segments in every country that has felt the most severe effects of Covid-19. Not only are they more susceptible to Covid-19 itself due to cramped living conditions, but also the lockdowns and other restrictions imposed in the wake of the pandemic affected their day-to-day livelihoods. Hence the disproportionate effect of Covid-19 more..

Apr 18 (Island) A television interviewer last week asked Fisheries Minister Douglas Devananda what is to be done when a robber enters your home? Is he not to be chased off? The program in which the minister appeared was dealing with the long festering problem of a South Indian fisheries fleet brazenly crossing the IBML and entering SL waters. These illegal fishermen are not just poaching in our waters. They engage in bottom trawling, using large vessels with powerful engines, destroying more..

Apr 18 (SO) State Minister Shehan Semasinghe said that the Govt is obliged to listen to the Maha Sangha and the leaders of other religions and even committed to make any changes if necessary. Govt�s intentions are very clear and it wants to turn the country into a developed nation which will successfully move forward. Therefore, if there are any areas which we have to improve, we will certainly look into it. more..

Apr 18 (CT) SLPP MP Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe�s revelations about a threatening, foul-mouthed telephone call from Prez Rajapaksa has laid bare the massive fault-lines within the beleaguered administration and the state of mind of an increasingly desperate head of state, political sources said. On Friday (16) morning at 9AM Prez Rajapaksa telephoned Rajapakshe, berating him in profane language over the press briefing he had held at Abhayaramaya Temple on Thursday. more..