Mar 21 (DM) Minister Keheliya Rambukwella says Sri Lanka has talented hackers. He noted that a young boy had hacked the Facebook page of former Prez Maithripla Sirisena. Rambukwella said the boy is a resident of Kandy and was pardoned by then President Sirisena. �That child also worked with me for some time,� he said. The Minister said that a young boy had also hacked into a cash-on-delivery system of the Postal Department. He said the child had the opportunity to steal a lot of money. more..

Mar 21 (TM) National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) has not yet granted approval for emergency use of the Chinese Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine to be administered to Sri Lankans. However, it has approved the acceptance of a donation of the same from the Chinese Govt to be administered to Chinese nationals residing in SL. This is despite the recent statement by the State Minister Prof. Channa Jayasumana that more..

Mar 21 (TM) Final report of the 6-member ministerial committee studying the recommendations contained in the reports by the PCoI probing the Easter Sunday terror attacks and the Parliamentary Sectoral Oversight Committee (SOC) on National Security would be submitted on 31 March. Committee Member Udaya Gammanpila said that committee members could not meet this week as the majority of them were in their constituencies. �However, the committee will meet more..

Mar 21 (Island) The overall Covid-19 situation in Sri Lanka has improved with the number of positive cases reported from across the country witnessing a decline over the past two weeks. �We have observed a significant drop in numbers testing positive for the virus, which is a welcome development, but certainly not a reason for complacency�, says State Minister Dr. Sudarshini Fernandopulle. Overall, positive cases based on PCR screening have dipped to 3% from the earlier 6%, she said. more..

Mar 21 (ST) The country has no declared enemy nations with prolonged disputes. In the years since independence 73 years ago, keeping to time-honoured traditions and globally respected conventions, Colombo has steered a course of friendly relations with all. Give or take the occasional tensions with our closest neighbour in proximity. In what seems tragic, if not shameful, bureaucrats and politicians alike have dismissed these more..

Mar 22 (CT) Prez Nandasena Gotabaya Rajapaksa fired salvos at Capital Maharaja Group Chairman Kili Rajamahendran (Maharaja) and dissident media on Friday (20) warning that he knew how to �teach them a lesson if necessary�. In his latest instalment of ගම සමග පිළිසඳර (Conversation with the village) in Walpane on Friday, Prez revealed parts of his old self, his voice growing shriller as he issued dire warnings to media personnel and organizations he said were hell bent on destroying his govt. more..

Mar 22 (CT) 73 years of independence has proven that we cannot rely on our democratic process to defend, strengthen or exercise even the basic democratic values or principles to govern our small island nation. Therefore, there is ample evidence that it should be everyone�s responsibility(including those who question if Democracy could feed the people) as civil society members to engage in our own preferred scope of advocacy than blindly outsource to elected representatives. more..

Mar 22 (GV) To mark the Global Climate Action Day, the youth wing of the Wild Life and Nature Protection Society put up a massive mural decrying ecocide. Prez�s environmental-loving soul was lacerated by that unsightly sight. The mural spoiled the environment, he explained. Environment is not being destroyed he said. No one knows environmental protection like I do, he added. Coaxing and compelling people into denying more..

Mar 22 (DM) Like a great sporting event that comes every other year, Geneva is the venue and the time for SL�s post-conflict national sport: hopscotch. Adding to the expertise that comes with time, for eleven years SL has excelled at this game among halls where human rights regiments meet. Buying time with promises of doing better was seen as a triumph. When countries that insist on accountability and restoration apply pressure, pro-govt sources saw it as an international conspiracy. more..

Mar 22 (DM) On October 26, 1966, the UN proclaimed March 21 as the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, more commonly referred to as the International Day against Racism. The day commemorates the massacre of March 21, 1960 at Sharpeville in South Africa, where the white minority govt of then South Africa ordered its police to fire on unarmed demonstrators gathered to peacefully protest the country�s pass laws. Pass laws were one of the dominant features more..

Mar 22 (CT) Govt recently came under fire after sugar taxes were cut to Rs 25 from Rs 50 per kg when one trader in particular had allegedly imported a large stock of sugar and sold them above the cleared price, allegedly causing the State a loss of Rs 15.9 billion. However, while the Opposition alleges that this is similar to bonds fraud, the Govt is maintaining that a sugar scam did not take place. In this backdrop, State Minister more..

Mar 22 (ST) The Govt finally came to the end of its tether on Tuesday in suffering the vexations of former Western Province Governor Azath Salley who had made no secret that he was testing the patience of the regime by taunting it at every turn and daring it to arrest him for his anti-govt, near inflammatory rhetoric. On March 10, leader of the National Unity Front Salley continued with his habitual practice of jeering at the Govt by stating on television that he followed only the laws of the Quran and more..

Mar 22 (GV) In the 1970s, an idealistic young medical student was seized during a US-backed military coup. She and her parents were tortured, as a result of which her father died. Her boyfriend, also politically active, was subjected to torture and disappeared. After a few years of exile, she returned and took up work in the field of health. In the 1980s, in a different Global South country, a regime backed by UK & US decided not to hold an election but instead unleash violence against minorities. more..

Mar 22 (Island) Saturday�s bus tragedy, which shook the nation, cannot be considered a mere road accident. Going by a widely circulated video of the incident, one wonders whether it was a case of mass murder; the driver of the bus that plunged down a steep precipice, killing 14 passengers and injuring about 53 others, obviously knew what he was doing; was deliberately endangering the lives of passengers when he sped maniacally and swerved the bus without reducing speed on seeing more..

Mar 22 (CT) Reciprocal altruism occurs when individuals are altruistic to boost their chances of continued existence with the anticipation of similar unselfish behaviour at a later date in the future. This is not real altruism because its purpose is reimbursement. True altruism is self-sacrifice with the intention of assisting others. The UNHRC practices reciprocal altruism when it should be practising true altruism. The UNHRC adopted a multi pronged attack against Sri Lanka. more..

Mar 22 (FT) The Colombo Stock Exchange has seen nearly Rs. 800 billion in value wiped off between Friday last week and the all-time high level achieved in January but participants of the Bourse are bracing to recoup lost value on the belief economic upturn is evident amidst resilient financial performance by listed corporates. Except one, all 19 of the top 20 listed companies accounted for 50% for the loss of overall market value. more..

Mar 22 (ST) There is an exceedingly dangerous vacuum growing at the heart of the Sri Lankan State that cannot be ignored any longer. If a passionate teenager who speaks her mind about environmental destruction in Sinharaja has state officers visiting her home to interrogate her and if a courageous forest official who protests against the felling of trees faces an inquiry as a result, that indicates how deep the political tentacles of corruption have embedded themselves into the state. more..

Mar 22 (FT) Colombo City Hotels Association (CCHA) has called for the urgent and speedy resolution of the longstanding dispute over the 1% tax on turnover levied by the municipality councils. CCHA President M. Shanthikumar said that the local govt tax dispute has been raging since 2009. He said the Colombo Municipality Council (CMC) has taken legal action on many hotels for non-payment of this tax and the issue remains unresolved as authorities continue to be unsympathetic more..

Mar 22 (CI) "Are you watching the match tonight?" "Of course. Finally a game you feel like watching, no? It's been a while." As nightfall hit SL, televisions were switched on, families gathered excitedly in their living rooms, pictures of screens flooded social media feeds, alongside wishes of good luck, directed at cricketers' accounts. Was the island really getting this roused up over the start of the Test series against West Indies? Nope. more..

Mar 22 (DM) Prez Rajapaksa and PM Rajapaksa have made phone calls to world Muslim leaders, a day before the UNHRC takes a vote on a resolution against Sri Lanka. Secretary-general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Dr. Yousef A. Al-othaimeen, had received a phone call yesterday (Sunday) from Prez Rajapaksa who discussed with him the existing relations between the OIC and SL as well as the situation of the Muslim community in the country, more..

Mar 22 (LBO) Transparency International SL (TISL) welcomes the decision by SriLankan Airlines to sue the company Airbus SE for $ 1 billion damages, loss of reputation, reimbursement of costs and interest. Sri Lankan Airlines has also called for the cancellation of the purchase agreement for four A350-900 Airbus aircraft and the return of the advance payment of $ 19 million made for the aircraft. The move by SriLankan Airlines follows information revealed through a Deferred more..

Mar 22 (DN) India Legends defeated Sri Lanka Legends by 14 runs in the Road Safety World Cricket Series (WCS) Twenty20 Cricket Tournament final played in Raipur, India yesterday. India Legends, who were put into bat, amassed a formidable 181 for four wickets and then restricted Sri Lanka Legends to 167 for seven wickets in 20 overs. SL Legends of course made a promising start to their run chase with opener Sanath Jayasuriya hoisting one six and stroking 5 boundaries more..

Mar 22 (DN) Sri Lanka will achieve a 3.6% economic growth rate in 2021 and thereafter will maintain a 6.6% growth from 2022, said State Minister of Money & Capital Market and State Enterprise Reforms, Ajith Nivard Cabraal. Speaking to Daily News Business last Thursday prior to his departure to Bangladesh he said that Sri Lanka will achieve this target despite an economic growth rate contraction in 2020 and also successfully battling the COVID-19 Pandemic. more..

Mar 22 (FT) The Govt has appointed a Committee to present recommendations on how to deal with those who misinterpret and spread falsehoods about the Buddha�s character, the Tripitaka and Buddhist sacred sites. This decision was made in response to a written request made by the Mahanayake Theros of Tri Nikayas to Prez Rajapaksa when the Buddhist Advisory Council met on Friday for the 9th time. more..

Mar 22 (AD) The number of COVID-19 infections identified at the Sapugaskanda Oil Refinery has risen to 474, according to the Public Health Inspectors� (PHI) Association. Its chairman, Upul Rohana, said that PCR tests had been carried out on all employees after encountering several COVID-19 infected people among the employees of the company. The identified patients are being sent to treatment centers and their first-tier contacts are directed for quarantine, he added. more..

Mar 22 (DN) SOCAR Trading has confirmed that its next LNG development will be in Sri Lanka at the port of Hambantota in partnership with Pearl Energy. The company has indicated its involvement with Pearl Energy�s Hambantota LNG Hub which was recently approved by the Board of Investment with an investment of USD 100 Million. The advantage of the Hambantota LNG Hub project is that it can be brought online quickly with gas trucked to existing power plants. more..

Mar 22 (CI) Kemar Roach and Jason Holder combined for eight wickets between them as SL were bowled out for 169 on the opening day of the first Test in Antigua. Lahiru Thirimanne top scored for the visitors with a hard-fought 70 off 180 balls, but only three other SL batsman would get to double digits, as they crumbled against a disciplined bowling performance from the hosts. While it was Roach that was arguably more..

Mar 22 (Island) National Coordinator of the CMEV Manjula Gajanayake alleges that one of the main reasons for the delay in conducting the Provincial Councils was some politicians� fear of a second level leadership emerging. Gajanayake made the comment addressing the inaugural convention of the All Party Women�s Front (APWF) held at the Viharamahadevi open air theatre on Thursday. Gajanayake recalled those present that even the 25% quota was after many decades of more..

Mar 22 (AD) The filed related to the final report of the PCoI into the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks are currently under the review of the Attorney General, Justice Minister Ali Sabry said. Minister said that indictments would be filed against the suspects soon. He said, �Investigations are carried out regarding the Easter attacks under the supervision of the AG. Police Dept, CID, and TID are carrying out these investigations. Some of their reports have been sent to Attorney General. more..

Mar 22 (AD) Chinese nationals residing in Sri Lanka will be prioritized when vaccinating with the China-made COVID-19 vaccine Sinopharm, stated State Minister Dr. Sudarshini Fernandopulle. As per a request by the Embassy of China in SL, Sinopharm vaccine will first be administered to Chinese nationals in the island. When inquired regarding the lack of WHO approval for the Sinopharm vaccine, She said, more..

Mar 22 (AD) A 47-year-old Hyderabad-based woman Shyamala Goli became the world�s second female to swim across the 30-mile long Palk Strait between India and Sri Lanka on Friday. She swam for 13 hours and 43 minutes from Talaimannar in Sri Lanka to Arichalmunai near Dhanushkodi in India. Her swimming journey began a few years ago after she decided to overcome her aquaphobia. Mother of an engineering graduate son, Shyamala runs a play school in Hyderabad. more..

Mar 22 (DM) Afghanistan has sought the support of Sri Lanka for Afghanistan's candidate for the Presidency of the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly: 2021-2022. Afghanistan Ambassador Ashraf Haidari had sought the support when he called on Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena in Colombo. Ambassador sought the support of SL for Afghanistan�s highly qualified candidate, former Foreign Minister Dr. Zalmai Rassoul, for the Presidency of 76th Session more..

Mar 22 (PMD) �Media freedom does not mean freedom of media owners. Certain media owners want to run the country the way they want. I cannot allow that to happen�, said Prez Rajapaksa. Prez also said that he has not exerted any influence on the media as the Prez, and he will not hesitate to take necessary legal actions against such groups, if they attempt to push the country and the people backward, by abusing media freedom for more..

Mar 22 (TM) DMK President M.K. Stalin has said India should vote in favour of the UN� resolution against SL on March 22. In a statement in Chennai, he sought Indian PM Narendra Modi�s intervention to gather the support of other member States and ensure the adoption of the resolution with adequate amendments. �I urge the PM not to take a stand against the resolution of the UN,� he added. Recalling the interviews of SL Foreign Secretary Jayanath Colombage that India has assured more..

Mar 22 (Island) People of the country would decide whether he would contest the next presidential election, Prez Rajapaksa said, addressing a Gama Samaga Pilisandara programme at Walapone, Nuwara-Eliya. �Before thinking of the next term, I must think about what I have to do now. There is still a long way to go.� The people had appointed him for 60 months and only 14 months had elapsed, the Prez said. He was planning to develop rural areas during the rest of his tenure, he added. more..

Mar 22 (Island) Prez Rajapaksa had issued a veiled threat to media freedom, on Saturday, when he said he knew how to teach lessons to media critical of him, JVP leader MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake said. He said that the Prez�s statement was a threat to what remained of media freedom in SL. �Prez in his statement says that he did not exert any influence on media during his 14 months in office as if he had that more..

Mar 22 (AD) Leader of SJB Sajith Premadasa says that many parties are prepared to join him in establishing a new force. Leader of the Opposition expressed these views at a program held in Ambalantota. He said, �In this situation, I would like to ask the people of this country, do you intend to give 6.9 million [votes] when a PC election is held? A historic alliance that no one had even thought of or believed is being formed. The journey is being prepared with an alliance of parties that more..

Mar 22 (TN) Pakistan has decided to support Sri Lanka and will be voting against the UNHRC�s new resolution in Geneva, which calls to investigate allegation of war crimes by all sides during the final months of SL�s civil war, confirm govt sources. Pakistan was re-elected in January to the UNHR Council for another three years with the highest numbers of votes and in the past Pakistan has supported Colombo by voting against the resolution. UK, Canada, Germany, Malawi, Montenegro more..