Jan 12 (ST) In the aftermath of the Easter Sunday attacks in April 2019, the role and function of the Intelligence Agencies became the subject of discussion among politicians and opinion makers. While the then Opposition (current Govt) alleged that the tragedy had been made possible because of the Yahapalana Government�s neglect or weakening of the National Intelligence Agencies, the evidence that is available in the public domain points to the contrary. more..

Jan 12 (TM) Unlike in the case of Covid-19 pandemic, prevailing economic crisis, which is often attributed to the pandemic, has affected almost all segments of the society. While the shortage and price hikes of certain consumer goods, including essential food items, seem to be worsening, some have warned of a famine, which is more concerning. In fact, a large number of people depend on the restaurant industry more..

Jan 12 (Island) The 71st edition of the Battle of the Golds Big Match between archrivals, St. Sebastian�s College and Prince of Wales� College, Moratuwa will be played after a lapse of two years with the Dialog Axiata PLC sponsorship. The �Battle of the Golds is scheduled to be played at De Soysa Stadium, Moratuwa with spectators to the capacity of 50% on January 14 and 15. The 36th Limited Overs Big Match between these two teams is scheduled to be played on following day at the same venue. more..

Jan 12 (FT) COVID-19 vaccines were administered to 50,044 persons on Monday and 74.47% of the country�s population has received at least one vaccine dose to date. The second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine has been administered to 64.48% of the population. As of 9 Dec, 29.7% of the population over 20 years had received the booster dose as well. 16,020,257 persons have received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 13,862,165 persons have received the second dose. more..

Jan 12 (FT) SriLankan Airlines yesterday announced its return to profitability, including a record high figure in over two decades at core level, boosted by higher passenger and cargo business. The national carrier said in December it posted a Company net profit of $ 9.25 million and a Group profit of $ 10.66 million. �It was the first profitable month for the airline since the onset of the pandemic in early 2020,� the airline said. more..

Jan 12 (FT) Minister Janaka Bandara Tennakoon Affairs has extended the term of 275 Local Authorities by one year until 19 Mar 2023. The four-year term of the local authorities was to end mid-March 2022. The Local Authorities Act empowers the subject minister in charge to extend the term of the local bodies for a period of one year, though an election can be held before the end of that period. Cabinet Spokesperson Ramesh Pathirana said that even though the term of the local authorities more..

Jan 12 (Island) Sri Lanka Under 19 cricket captain Dunith Wellalage said that he decided to skip the Advanced Level exam by a year to concentrate on the ICC Youth World Cup 2022 which will commence in West Indies on Friday. �I decided to sit for the A/L exam a year later so that I can concentrate on the Youth World Cup. The exams got postponed and there was uncertainty. So I decided to take it a year later,� said Wellalage in reply to a query by The Island yesterday. more..

Jan 12 (CT) Sri Lanka beat Ireland by 128 runs in a warm-up match at Providence Stadium Guyana on Monday (10). Ireland won the toss and elected to field first. Sri Lanka scored 233 runs for 7 wickets in their 50 overs. Opener Shevon Daniel scored 75 runs in 72 deliveries with 8 boundaries and a six. Shevon was first involved in a 50 runs partnership with Sakuna Liyanage (19) for the second wicket, and then in a stand of 84 runs for the third wicket with Pawan Pathiraja (25). more..

Jan 12 (FT) SL Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) will roll out an Industrial Assistance Scheme for global promotions by local Destination Management Companies (DMCs), Hotel Owners and Online Travel Agents (OTAs), targeting a surge in tourist arrivals ahead of the upcoming holiday season. As per the short-term strategic initiative, the concessions are expected to be disbursed among eligible institutions for a maximum period of six months in 2022. more..

Jan 12 (ST) SL cricket fans got a rude shock in the New Year when Bhanuka Rajapaksa, a vital cog in SL�s white-ball plans, resigned from Sri Lanka Cricket prematurely citing his inability to handle the mental trauma of conforming to the challenges posed in the rules and regulations in being contracted to Sri Lanka Cricket. The other reason is familial obligations associated with fatherhood as the 30-year-old is expecting more..

Jan 12 (FT) COVID-19 detections rose to 593,072 with the detection of 623 COVID-19 positive persons and the addition of over 300 delayed cases to the total. 321 COVID-19 cases detected between 15 Dec and 31 Dec were added to the total after verification. In addition to this, 623 persons tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday, of which 619 were from the New Year cluster and four were overseas arrivals. The previous day, 456 persons form the New Year cluster and five SL overseas more..

Jan 12 (FT) UST, a leading digital transformation solutions company, headquartered in Aliso Viejo, California, US, announced that it is exploring the possibility of setting up operations in SL. Its intention is to hire over 10,000 new employees across the globe. With offices across 25 countries and over 35 offices, UST is a rapidly growing information technology company that provides cutting-edge digital transformation services, products, and platforms to Global 2000 and more..

Jan 12 (TM) Cabinet on Monday approved the Animal Welfare Bill, presented by Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage regarding any farm or wild animal, pet, or stray, with a maximum proposed fine of Rs. 125,000 for acts of animal cruelty and/or a minimum term of imprisonment of three years. Aluthgamage said that the Bill aims to protect any animal from cruelty or torture. �Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance, which was passed more..

Jan 12 (Island) ComBank is expected to keep up the positive momentum in its loan book while maintaining growth within a range of 11% � 12% in the coming years, according to the Bank�s earnings update released by First Capital Research. �Commercial Bank of Ceylon plc., has posted exceptional results for 3Q2021 with earnings improved by 78.4%YoY to LKR 6.6 billion compared to LKR 3.7 billion recorded in 3Q2020. Improvement in NII, Fee and Commission Income more..

Jan 12 (ST) Businessmen investing in the stock market for the past year are hesitant to return to their original businesses now that they have the taste of easy cash. Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) has been posting unprecedented highs from last year spilling over to this year. After the CSE digitalisation new entrants to the market have found an easier way to get rich. The stock market�s performance is the manifestation of the fragility in the SL economy, according to analysts. more..

Jan 12 (DM) Taking a swipe at those who call for the govt to default on the upcoming sovereign bond, at a time when the funds are already allocated, CB Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal said they had now changed their tune after peddling fears for two years for an eventual default, which didn�t materialise. Colombo-based policy advocacy think tank Verite Research�s Senior Economist and Executive Director Dr. Nishan De Mel during the weekend said SL should default on its January bond more..

Jan 12 (CT) Colombo High Court Judge Damith Thotawatta yesterday ordered the Colombo Chief Judicial Medical Officer (JMO) and the Director of the Colombo Crimes Division (CCD), to examine the first accused, SJB MP Champika Ranawaka, who has been admitted to a private hospital in Colombo and to submit a report promptly on his health condition, where he is said to be afflicted with breathing difficulty and kidney ailment. The High Court Judge then ordered the Director more..

Jan 12 (TM) Co-Cabinet Spokesman Dr. Ramesh Pathirana said that there is a possibility of power cuts occurring within the next 10 days, as scheduled by the CEB, due to the ongoing repairs at the Lakvijaya Coal Power Plant in Norochcholai. �The CEB has released a schedule which shows when possible power cuts could occur. It will take about 10 days to complete the repairs at the Norochcholai Power Plant, more..

Jan 12 (TM) Families of the Disappeared President Brito Fernando gave a statement to the CIABOC on Monday (10), following a complaint the organisation had filed at the CIABOC last year, alleging reasonable suspicion that a bribe has been obtained to withdraw the indictment against former Navy Commander Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda, in connection with the case of the Navy being implicated in the alleged abduction and disappearance of 11 youths in Colombo more..

Jan 12 (TM) Supreme Court (SC) yesterday heard the submissions that had been made on behalf of all the petitioners and the Attorney General pertaining to the death of Susil Indrajith, and has thereafter decided to grant leave to proceed on the alleged infringement of the fundamental rights (FR) guaranteed by articles 11, 12(1), and 13(4) of the Constitution. Susil Indrajith, aged 47 years and a father of two children, was found dead in the Weligama area on 17 May 2021. more..

Jan 12 (FT) Govt is grappling hard to boost food supply amidst shortages and escalations in prices that have resulted from the temporary ban on fertiliser, the on-going foreign exchange crisis and spikes in global market and freight rates. Cabinet at its meeting on Monday decided to import another 300,000 tons of rice from India, to counter the worsening food shortage, soaring prices and low yields. more..

Jan 12 (TM) SJB has commenced discussions with political parties and civil society organisations to form a common political alliance to contest the forthcoming elections, according to SJB National Organiser and MP Tissa Attanayake. He said that the said alliance would be formed under the leadership of Opposition and SJB Leader Sajith Premadasa and that the SJB is already working in alliance with several parties. However, he said that discussions are underway with several more..

Jan 12 (Island) Health professionals would launch a countrywide strike on 25 January unless the govt rectified their long standing salary anomalies, College of Medical Laboratory Science (CMLS) President, Ravi Kumudesh said. He said the salaries of health professionals who held a four-year higher diploma were lower than those of some categories of health workers who had passed only the GCE A/L. �National Salaries Commission agreed to rectify salary anomalies faced by principals/teachers more..

Jan 12 (BBC) "Cooking gas cylinder prices have almost doubled and we cannot afford it anymore," says Niluka Dilrukshi. The 31 year-old mother-of-four has always cooked with gas to prepare food for her family, but now says firewood is her only option. "I used to provide fish and vegetables daily to my children. Now we are giving them one vegetable with rice," she says. "Earlier we used to have three meals a day, more..

Jan 12 (FT) The National Movement for Social Justice (NMSJ) has been faulted for not turning its attention to the process of constitution-making. This is far from the truth. While the NMSJ�s current proposals are on the contents of a new Constitution, it has also initiated a discussion on the process. Last month, the NMSJ organised a discussion in cyberspace on constitution-making that the writer moderated. Among the issues discussed were: merits and demerits of the present more..

Jan 12 (FT) Sri Lanka was the last stop on Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi�s packed tour of African and Asian countries in January 2022. During his visit on 9 and 10 January to mark the 65th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, Minister Wang Yi met Prez Rajapaksa and his brother PM Mahinda Rajapaksa. The high-level visit came at a time of economic uncertainties with SL in the throes of an economic crisis and China facing a slowing economy. more..

Jan 12 (MFA) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of People�s Republic of China donated a large consignment of medical equipment including multipara monitors, high flow oxygen nasal therapy machines, oxygen concentrators, oxygen cylinders and several other items valued at Rs. 127 Million. This contribution is in addition to previous donations of COVID 19 related medical equipment and vaccines by China. The donation from China was handed over at a ceremony more..

Jan 12 (DM) The Maharagama Police are still continuing its search operations to find the 15-year-old girl who went missing from Maharagama onJanuary 7 this year. Police said investigations conducted thus far had not revealed anything about the missing girl despite the police releasing a photograph to the media yesterday. A special team from the Maharagama Police had commenced investigations on a complaint that the girl, Neha Kaumadi Herath, a resident of Navinna more..

Jan 12 (EN) President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has appointed economist and academic Prof H D Karunaratne as Vice Chancellor of the University of Colombo. President�s spokesman Kingsly Rathnayake tweeted that Karunaratne�s appointment will come into effect on April 12. Rajapaksa recently appointed Muruththettuwe Ananda Thero as Chancellor of the Colombo Uni. The appointment of the Buddhist monk, more..

Jan 12 (AD) Another Fundamental Rights (FR) petition has been filed seeking to revoke the agreement signed with India to develop the Trincomalee Oil Tank Farm. The petition was lodged before Venerable Elle Gunawansa Thera and Bengamuwe Nalaka Thera. A total of 47 parties including the Attorney General on behalf of the President, the Cabinet of Ministers including Energy Minister Udaya Gammanpila,Ceylon Petroleum Corporation and its chairman, more..

Jan 12 (EN) Cabinet of ministers has approved a proposal to build 72 affordable houses in Ranpokunugama, Gampaha, as part of pilot project to provide permanent homes to lower middle income families on an easy payment scheme. A statement from the cabinet office said the proposal was made by PM Mahinda Rajapaksa who holds the Urban Development portfolio. The project aims to provide housing to lower income families who don�t own land and have to rent a house. more..

Jan 12 (EN) The power outages reported in several parts of SL Tuesday (11) evening � hours after an assurance of no scheduled interruptions in January � were due to a breakdown of an independent power producer, CEB said. Electricity will continue to be supplied in the coming weeks with no interruption, CEB Additional General Manager, Corporate Strategy, D C R Abeysekara said. Tuesday evening�s outage was more..

Jan 12 (AD) Minister Namal Rajapaksa says the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) should pull out from the govt with dignity without going around criticizing the govt. Speaking to the media, the Sports & Youth Affairs Minister suggested that it is better to voice such criticisms during the meeting of political party leaders and not to the general public. People voted for the SLFP too, and they also represent the Cabinet of Ministers as well as the govt, Minister Rajapaksa pointed out. more..

Jan 12 (TM) The reason as to why the decision was made to import rice into Sri Lanka was to dismiss claims that the price of a kilo of rice would increase to Rs 300 by the Sinhala and Tamil New Year in April, said Minister of Trade Bandula Gunawardena. �Consumers are put through a lot of stress due to these claims of exorbitant prices of rice by April, considering this, Prez Rajapaksa informed the cabinet ministers, along with the Minister of Finance, to make arrangements to import rice. more..

Jan 12 (DM) Fundamental Rights petitions filed challenging the legality of the agreements on Yugadanavi power plant were today fixed for January 19 by Supreme Court. These petitions were re-fixed for further hearing since SC bench was not properly constituted. The petitions were to be taken up before SC 5-judge-bench comprising Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya, Justices Buwaneka Aluwihare, Justice Priyantha Jayawardena, more..

Jan 12 (TM) Minister of Energy Udaya Gammanpilla has publicised the full agreement inked between SL and India for the joint development of the oil tank farm in Trincomalee. The quadripartite agreement which was signed on the 6th of January, was signed between the Govt of SL, Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC), Lanka IOC and the subsidiary company Trinco Petroleum Terminal Pvt. Ltd. as the signatories. Cabinet of Ministers nodded to the proposal calling for the implementation more..

Jan 12 (MFA) Foreign Secretary Admiral Prof. Jayanath Colombage chaired a meeting on 11 Jan, at the Foreign Ministry to discuss arrangements for the upcoming Annual Meeting of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) which is scheduled to be held in Colombo on 2-5 May 2022. A high-level delegation from ADB led by ADB Secretary Muhammad Ehsan Khan, along with other high level officials at the ADB Resident office in Colombo, CEO of the ADB Annual Meeting Secretariat more..