Jan 1 (DM) The authorities are still on the hunt to trace the four out of the five inmates who had escaped yesterday morning from the Gallella Covid Treatment Centre in Polonnaruwa. The escaped inmates from Negombo Prison who tested COVID-19 positive and were being treated at the Gallella Treatment Centre, had slipped away last morning and one of the escapees was arrested in the Madampe area yesterday. The Police have requested the public to inform them about more..

Jan 1 (Island) TNA MP M. A. Sumanthiran and ITAK leader Mavai Senathiraja have locked horns again over the party�s failure to retain its power in some of the local government institutions in the Northern Province. Former MP Senathiraja on Wednesday issued a statement absolving ITAK leadership of the blame for failure to win the elections held at the Jaffna Municipal Council and Nallur Pradeshiya Sabha on Wednesday more..

Jan 1 (DM) The troubled construction major, MTD Walkers PLC said a share sale and purchase agreement entered into with its Malaysian parent was terminated, making the company�s future prospects bleaker. A stock market filing by MTD Walkers said the share sale and purchase agreement entered into by its majority shareholder, MTD Capital Bhd., with Lakma Holdings Pvt Ltd in August, was terminated. Lakma Holdings on Aug 20, 2020 agreed to purchase the entire more..

Jan 1 (DN) Minister Udaya Gammanpila said he had never submitted a Cabinet paper for an oil pipeline project costing Rs.15 billion. He said he will institute legal action against several newspapers for fabricating a story on a purported Cross Country Oil Pipeline Project. He said he had never submitted a Cabinet paper and neither had the Prez sought the suspension of the said project at any time. He added that the article mentioned that the Prez had intervened on the matter and had asked for more..

Jan 1 (Island) SLFP is ready to contest the coming PC elections alone if the SLPP doesn�t give it a fair share of the candidates, former prez Maithripala Sirisena has said. He has said that the SLFP was treated unfairly when candidates were selected for the Aug 2020 parliamentary election. �We were treated unfairly when the candidates were picked for the general elections in August 2020. Our party didn�t get a slot in either Kalutara or more..

Jan 1 (CT) Minister Dullas Alahapperuma has granted a year�s relief period for cinema owners to pay outstanding electricity bills due to the financial difficulties faced since March 2020 owing to the closure of cinemas as a result of COVID-19 pandemic. National Film Corporation stated that this decision was arrived at following a meeting held between Chairman of the National Film Corporation (NFC), Jayantha Dharmadasa and Alahapperuma upon the instructions of PM considering more..

Jan 1 (MoD) Defence Secretary Gen. (Retd) Kamal Gunaratne said, there is no room for separatism and extremism during next year (2021) since we have taken further steps to thwart such attempts. Responding to a question from the media he also affirmed �Nobody would be allowed to take up arms� citing recent information disseminated in the society. �Remand prisoners involved in large-scale drug ring were not released due to the prison's space constraints, spread of coronavirus in prisons� more..

Jan 1 (DM) Nearly 2600 tourists from the Ukraine are scheduled to arrive in Sri Lanka during the one month pilot project which hasn been launched by the tourism sector in collaboration with the Civil Aviation Authority and other stakeholders, and will end on Jan 19. The pilot project which commenced from Dec.28 has already welcomed over 300 Ukranian tourists out of which 6 have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus and more..

Jan 1 (Island) Given the prevailing situation it was not possible to reopen schools in the Western Province on 11 Janu 2021, Minister G.L. Peiris said. Prof. Peiris said that ministry officials would meet all stakeholders to discuss the health and safety plans for schools to reopen on 11 January. Last week, the Education Minister said that the govt would reopen schools on Jan 11 in areas not isolated due to the rampaging Covid-19 pandemic. The decision to reopen schools wasn�t political, he stressed more..

Jan 1 (FT) Driven by a passion for technology and a vision to make the world a better place with software, Dr. Sanjiva Weerawarana founded WSO2 in 2005 with a team of just 10 employees. 15 years later, the SL-headquartered company has grown into a global team of 700 that work across offices in the US, the UK, Germany, Brazil & Australia. WSO2 has been successful in bringing SL into the spotlight as one of the key players in the global software industry with its open-source software solutions. more..

Jan 1 (FT) For the SL cricketers, 2020, which has been dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic, started and ended playing against African nations, with mixed results. The year began promisingly with a 1-0 win in a two-Test series in Zimbabwe, followed by a 3-0 sweep in the ODIs and a 0-2 loss in the T20Is against the West Indies at home, until the dreaded pandemic struck in March, resulting in the two-Test series against England at home more..

Jan 1 (DM) College of Forensic Pathologists of SL (CFPSL) condemned the unduly interfering into the independent death management process by Justice Minister Ali Sabri. CFPSL President Dr. Asela Mendis said the independent death management process was carried out by the JMOs. He said in the statement that the recent incident of threatening attitude towards the chairperson of the technical committee on disposal of the COVID 19 infected bodies is vehemently condemned. more..

Jan 1 (Island) A high ranking retired army officer is to be appointed to oversee all granite quarries handling explosives as the govt has commenced an investigation into the incident of damaging a Buddha statue in Mawanella and the disappearance of explosives in a mine in that area. State Minister Kanaka Herath said that a formal investigation into the incident was already underway and legal action would be taken against those responsible soon. Environment Minister Mahinda Amaraweera more..

Jan 1 (FT) The Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) has decided to allocate more nominations from the party for Local Govt and Parliamentary Elections to �young� candidates in the future, Parliamentarian Imthiaz Bakeer Markar said yesterday. Markar made the comments at a press conference held at the Opposition Leader�s office, where he was joined by SBJ Youth Wing Leader MP Mayantha Dissanayake and more..

Jan 1 (NR) The number of coronavirus recoveries has increased to 36,155 today. 826 individuals who recovered from the virus were discharged during the past 24-hours. 133 individuals were discharged from the Punani treatment centre, 44 from the Gallella treatment centre, 43 from the Hambantota district general hospital, 42 persons each from both the Samanalawewa and Weligama treatment centres and 30 from the Panideniya treatment centre. 6,940 individuals are currently being treated more..

Jan 1 (DM) Archbishop of Colombo His Eminence Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith said that Buddhism is a great blessing upon SL, adding that political leaders should always follow this religious doctrine when taking decisions on behalf of the country. Cardinal expressed these views addressing a religious event at a Buddhist temple in Payagala. �I believe Buddhism is a great blessing upon SL. Stupas and Viharas we see today signify the love, kindness and the affinity the ancient kings showed towards more..

Jan 1 (DM) Sri Lanka recently set a record for the highest annual number of elephant deaths and the second highest number of human deaths as a result of the Human-Elephant Conflict (HEC). Even though this has been a topic that resurfaces from time to time, elephant conservationists believe that successive govts have tried to address this issue from a human-centric manner. more..

Jan 1 (Island) Chinese Ambassador Qi Zhenhong thanked Sri Lanka for standing by China during the COVID-19 crisis and that China was committed to helping Sri Lanka overcome the pandemic. Zhenhong said Sri Lanka and China as good neighbours, good friends and good partners, had stood together and extended each other a helping hand in fighting COVID-19. He said: �This has once again proved the age old adage that �a friend in need is a friend indeed�. more..

Jan 1 (SLN) A special operation carried out by the Navy in the sea area off Dodanduwa, Galle on 31st Dec, led to the apprehension of 04 suspects with 5kg and 945g of crystal methamphetamine (ICE), 2kg and 47g of heroin and 03g of Kerala cannabis and seizure of a multiday fishing trawler used to transfer the narcotic substances. Navy continues to crack down on drug trafficking and other illegal activities operated via sea routes, strengthening the govt's joint mechanism to combat drug more..

Jan 1 (AD) 25 Senior Army Officers have been appointed with effect from today to coordinate the Covid-19 control operations in each district. Appointments were made by the Presidential Secretariat, on the recommendation of Army Commander Gen Shavendra Silva, taking into account the urgent need for enhanced island-wide coordination for Covid-19 control work. Adding significance to the new responsibilities on more..

Jan 1 (CT) The JVP, issuing a message for the New Year, said SL steps into 2021 amidst the COVID-19 crisis and with its people reeling from the severe economic strain brought by the pandemic. �The New Year dawns at a time, bringing with it many new challenges to both the citizens and the country. Hence, judging by the unfolding events, it would not be appropriate to expect the next 12 months to be peaceful, promising and prosperous. This is because the country is presently in dire straits. more..

Jan 1 (DM) Former cricketer turned businessman Muttiah Muralitharan has refuted claims that he was using influence or pressure to obtain preference to ship his products overseas. Muralitharan is the Chairman and shareholder of Ceylon Beverage Can (Pvt) Ltd which exports aluminum cans to several countries. The world record breaking spin bowler was yesterday accused of preventing a leading shipping company from releasing empty containers to other clients until he obtained containers more..

Jan 1 (Island) Govt spent Rs. 95.4 million as research allowances to officers at the Industrial Technology Institute (ITI) from 2015 to 2019, but it has only earned Rs. 1.61 million for technology transfer by research during the same period, the AG has said in a recent report. Between 2017 and 2019, Parliament allocated Rs. 28.4 billion to promote science and technology but the relevant institutions only spent 65% of that allocation, more..

Jan 1 (FT) The SL stock market ended 2020 on a positive note yesterday, marking a year in which the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) has seen indices indicate noteworthy resilience and attract record-breaking levels of trading activity. The benchmark All Share Price Index (ASPI) closed 2020 recording a growth of 10.5%, the highest annual increase the index has seen since 2014 and only the 12th occasion the index has seen a double digit percentage growth in CSE�s 35-year history. more..

Jan 1 (EN) Sri Lanka�s fatality rate from the Covid 19 pandemic is equal to the global rate which is around 9 deaths per million people, the country�s Chief Epidemiologist Dr Sudath Samaraweera said. He told reporters today January 1 that at the beginning of the pandemic Sri Lanka had a very low death rate as the situation had been managed very well. �Our infection rate and the death rate was very low,� he said. �However with the second wave these figures have risen somewhat.� more..

Jan 1 (CI) Suranga Lakmal, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara and Dinesh Chandimal are all almost certain to miss Sri Lanka's second Test against South Africa, due to injury. Dhananjaya de Silva had already been confirmed to be out of contention. The even worse news for Sri Lanka is that of all these players, only Chandimal and Lakmal seem likely to be fit in time to return to the XI for the first Test against England, which begins on Jan 14. more..

Jan 2 (CT) The new year 2021 starts with the burial issue remaining unresolved and continuing to hurt the hearts and minds of SL Muslims. A religious tradition, observed without exception in the entire world of Islam for over fourteen and a half centuries, has been plucked away from SL Muslims, all in the name of a piece of pseudo-science propounded by mediocre specialists and backed by a politicized sector of the Sangha and an Islamophobic think tank advising the ruling regime. more..

Jan 2 (GV) Forced cremation of those who pass of COVID-19 has become the single greatest fear in the minds of SL�s Muslims � these days more than the pandemic itself. Whatever one�s religious belief or ethnicity, assuring a dead body (Janazah) receives a dignified burial is our shared culture and heritage. It is also a basic human right that the state cannot wantonly trample. Although mandatory cremation also affects Christians, it is particularly devastating to Muslims, for whom burial of more..

Jan 2 (DM) The TNA is the premier political configuration representing the Tamils of North -Eastern SL. The TNA comprising the ITAK, TELO and PLOTE has ten MP�s in the present Parliament. Of these nine are elected parliamentarians while one was appointed as a National list MP. Six including the nominated MPs are from the ITAK while the TELO and PLOTE have three and one MPs respectively. more..

Jan 2 (DM) Addressing a virtual symposium along with Japanese PM Suga Yoshihide and Indian PM Narendra Modi on Shared Values and Democracy in Asia recently, it is no coincidence that former Prez Maithripala Sirisena chose to focus on the contributions of his Presidency to strengthen SL�s democratic institutions. Public concern regarding increased presidential powers through the 20th Amendment has increased since appointments were recently made to commissions on police, more..

Jan 2 (DM) The SLPP leaders, before they came to power had been criticizing the former Yahapalana govt for the postponement of Provincial Council elections. They had been accusing the UNP for amending PC Election Act in 2017 in an unethical manner, providing for a mixed electoral system. They also criticised the UNP-led govt for creating a situation under which the PC elections faced a deadlock. Ironically the govt led by the same SLPP has now decided to postpone PC polls more..

Jan 2 (CT) Commemorating one year of dominating the world�s nations, COVID-19 was and continues to be the virus that is rocking the world. Questions have been raised and countries, especially like the USA, have pointed fingers at East Asia for having let loose a curse in the form of a virus that has turned human life upside down. Although we cannot take the same stance as US Prez Donald Trump, it seems ironic that more..

Jan 2 (CT) It is no exaggeration that the world walked into 2020, completely unprepared for the health emergency and the ensuing economic crisis that became the dominating features of last year. Unbeknownst to the rest of the world, a deadly virus was raising its ugly head in a city in central China in December 2019. It took no time for the virus to cross international borders and infect millions of people across the world, and become the deadliest virus the world has seen in over a century. more..

Jan 2 (Island) The present Parliament is not without cultured, intelligent members who fight for the rights of the public. SJB National List MP Imtiaz Bakir Marker has recently said that the SL youth have been denied a fair deal anent political representation. He has called for increasing the number of young representatives in political institutions. One could not agree with him more. There is no gainsaying that the youth who account for nearly one fourth of country�s population more..

Jan 2 (FT) One year ago, so-called astrologers took to two television stations to tell the nation what to expect in 2020. A person going by the name Chandrasiri Bandara explained that the stars were so moved by political developments in Sri Lanka that 2020 would be an extraordinarily prosperous year. At the same time, someone called Manjula Peiris was on TV explaining that the election results caused a planetary alignment that would open the floodgates of foreign investment in 2020. more..

Jan 2 (Island) Recently, there has been much hype about drug manufacturing in SL with State Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Corporation (SPMC) claiming to commence the production of flucloxacillin, in SL. This adds to the list of drugs which the SPMC claims to manufacture locally along with common drugs like paracetamol and antibiotics like ampicillin. The use of the term manufacturing is a misnomer since what is actually done is getting the drug powders from abroad including more..

Jan 2 (CT) Commencing duties in the New Year Prez Rajapaksa met the Ministers, MPs and his staff at the Presidential Secretariat on Friday (1). Mingling with the gathering, Prez Rajapaksa said that it is necessary to work with optimism, determination and commitment to achieve the aspirations of the people while being conscious about the challenges ahead of us. Extending his warm wishes to Ministers, MPs & his staff, more..

Jan 2 (MFA) Ambassador- designate of SL to China, Dr. Palitha Kohona, formally assumed duties on 30 Dec at the Embassy of SL in Beijing. Prior to the assumption of duties by Dr. Kohona, a Pirith chanting ceremony was conducted by the Most Venerable Zong XingThero, Vice President of the Buddhist Association of China along with four other venerable monks from the Guangji temple in Beijing. The formal hoisting of the national flag and the lighting of the traditional oil lamp occurred more..

Jan 2 (PMD) Commencing duties in the new year Prez Gotabhaya Rajapaksa met the ministers, MPs and his staff at the Presidential Secretariat today (1). Mingling with the gathering, Prez said that it is necessary to work with optimism, determination and commitment to achieve the aspirations of the people while being conscious about the challenges ahead of us. Extending his warm wishes to the Ministers, MPs and his staff, the Prez was engaged in cordial discussion with them. more..