Mar 9 (DM) Colombo Civil Appellate High Court today granted leave to proceed with an appeal filed by former Prez Maithripala Sirisena challenging the District Court's decision to reject his request that he be discharged from several civil lawsuits filed by the victims of Easter Sunday attacks. Colombo Civil Appellate High Court two-judge-bench comprising Justice Frank Gunawardena and Justice Saman Weeraman observed that there is a matter to be considered and formal leave was granted more..

Mar 9 (CT) Chairman of the SLFP, former Prez Maithripala Sirisena said the President and Prime Minister pledged to convene an all-party general assembly at the end of this month, to discuss the current crises in the country. Sirisena said so after the SLFP meeting with the President at the Prez Secretariat yesterday. �As the President promised, all parties in Parliament will be invited to general assembly by the end of this month. more..

Mar 9 (CT) UNP MP Ranil Wickremesinghe said the Govt will have to respond to UNHRC with regard to the Prez Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) into political victimisation during the former UNF-led Govt as there are several complaints presented to the UNHRC with regard to the credibility of the conduct of the PCoI. He said that several MPs including his, had been summoned before the Special PCoI appointed to implement recommendations of the previous PCoI headed by former SC Justice more..

Mar 9 (DM) The Court of Appeal today issued notices on Litro and Laughs Gas Companies, Consumer Affairs Authority and SL Standards Institution (SLSI) standards, returnable for June 6 in connection with a writ petition filed challenging the gas companies' decision to release unsafe gas cylinders to the market. Court of Appeal two-judge-bench comprising Justice Ruwan Fernando and Justice Sampath Wijeratne fixed the petition for inquiry on June 6. more..

Mar 9 (AD) Representatives of the SL Chamber of the Pharmaceutical Industry (SLCPI) today met with the State Minister of Production, Supply and Regulation of Pharmaceuticals and officials of the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) for a discussion regarding the import of pharmaceutical drugs. Accordingly, it is reported that a decision had been reached to issue an official announcement tomorrow (10) with regard to more..

Mar 9 (Island) Federation of University Teachers Associations (FUTA) has urged the govt to drop plans to introduce the General Sir John Kotelawala National Defence Uni (KNDU) Bill in the guise of an Amended Bill. FUTA alleged that the changes made were cosmetic and there was no change to the substance of the Bill and it posed a grave threat of militarising higher education in SL. FUTA statement: �We also note that the govt is attempting to push through this highly controversial bill more..

Mar 9 (AD) Ministry of Finance has decided to provide a special incentive allowance for SL migrant worker remittance, in view of the upcoming Sinhala and Tamil New Year. Accordingly, the Ministry of Finance has decided to pay an incentive of Rs. 20 for every US dollar sent to SL by migrant workers. Finance Ministry said that the decision was taken in light of the upcoming Sinhala and Tamil New Year. The announcement further states that this will not only provide security for foreign workers more..

Mar 10 (DM) Never ever in the history of this Island Nation has its citizens made to suffer this kind of torture. Neither has there been so much uncertainty, chaos and confusion resulting from the contradictory statements made by those in authority, whether govt leaders or the high-ups in various institutions. Beginning with the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks followed by the onslaught of the Chinese-originated Covid-19 pandemic, during the peak of which we experienced agricultural calamity caused by more..

Mar 10 (DM) Listening to the JVP/NPP speakers advocating their policies and promises I noticed many similarities between them and Nagananda Kodituwakku (NK). The template common to both is that of good governance, clean politics without privileges and perks, a simplified lifestyle of selfless leadership and scientific, expert-knowledge based management of the economy always keeping in sight the people and the Common Good. I am grateful to NK for the inspiration he has more..

Mar 10 (DM) At a time the CEBEU is accused of discouraging renewable energy- which action has paved way a power crisis in the country-it has now come to light how they have taken a high handed decision against the CEB Chairman for sending one of their members on compulsory leave. CEBEU has threatened to instigate a trade union action to get service of one of its Exec. Committee members restored. more..

Mar 10 (GV) The gold balloon tubes spelling out the words welcome back still hang in the living room, swaying in the gentle breeze one month after he finally returned home, a stark reminder of the fragility of his freedom. It had been 22 months in detention under the draconian PTA for what are widely believed to be cooked up charges by a govt desperate to find a scapegoat for the Easter Sunday attacks in Apr 2019. Even as the handcuffs were being clamped tightly around his wrists more..

Mar 10 (CT) Weerawansa and Gammanpila did not misjudge and overplay their hand; they did not assume that Gota was dependent on them and would and could not fire them. That is not what happened; they have played a different game for several weeks. It has become clear that the Gota-regime is breathing its last, so smart rats jumped ship first. Vasu has made more of an Andere of himself than avid fairy-tale fans expected. He declared with great pomp: more..

Mar 10 (Roar) The travelling circus arrived in stages, one show at a time, to the public playground in Nedimala, Dehiwala, two days prior to the main event. First came the merry-go-round, with its bedazzled pink-and-white horses. Then the numerous food stalls for the usual fair fare; fried potato, cassava chips, popcorn and candyfloss. Previously a much-anticipated, regular event, the colourful carnival was back after a long break more..

Mar 10 (CT) MP Wimal Weerawansa was right, when he aptly put it recently by saying, that the problem facing the country was a US dollar shortage. Weerawansa in the same vein dubbed Minister Basil Rajapaksa, Prez Rajapaksa�s younger brother an Ugly American, ostensibly due to his dual citizenship, but the real problem being his tilt towards the USA as opposed to the previous Rajapaksa govt�s tilt towards China, beginning with the tenure of their elder brother and more..

Mar 10 (TM) Justice Minister Ali Sabry told Parliament on Tuesday (8) that he believes that reforms should be made with regard to the laws pertaining to abortion in Sri Lanka, and pointed out the practical issues faced by women who give birth to children as a result of abuse. He made this statement in response to a question posed by fellow SLPP Govt MP Shantha Bandara, who expressed concerns about women dying by suicide due to unwanted pregnancies. more..

Mar 10 (GV) The SL govt was never likely to find the scrutiny of the UNHRC in March 2022 a comfortable experience. In a discussion delayed because of the Ukraine crisis, the grimness of the situation and failure to make substantial progress were laid bare. Amid persisting concerns about mistreatment of people and revelations about the Easter Sunday bombings, the regime�s credibility at home and abroad has worn thin. Targeted sanctions against individuals guilty of human rights violations more..

Mar 10 (Island) Ukraine is not the only country Russia has had to fight; Moscow�s war is now against the entire Western bloc. The western media industry has also opened a separate front against Russia; it would have the world believe that Russians are losing the war in Ukraine and carrying out massacres, pillage and plunder. Not that Russian Prez Vladimir Putin does not deserve some of the flak he is receiving, but he alone cannot be blamed for the war. more..

Mar 10 (CT) On 7 March, Wilson Kodithuwakku woke up to what he would call the worst Monday of his life, to find his closest companion for the past 20 years has breathed its last. As the sun set that day, on Nedungamuwa Walawwa in Weliweriya, with the onset of darkness, Wilson � fondly known as Kalu Mama � with eyes welling with tears bade his final Good Bye to his companion, who he in a way considered to be his child. more..

Mar 10 (Island) National long jump record holder Sarangi Silva, who was one of the best performers at the first selection trial held in February, will skip the vital second Asian Games trial which will commence at the newly laid synthetic track at Diyagama today. The athlete who has sought Sri Lanka Athletics� and National Olympic Committee�s intervention to train in Qatar ahead of the Asian Games said that she was skipping the meet to concentrate on peaking at the right time. more..

Mar 10 (FT) Health officials state that 675 persons tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday, raising the country�s COVID-19 case count to 654,336. All patients detected yesterday were from the New Year Cluster. The previous day, 631 persons from the New Year cluster and one SL returnee from overseas tested positive for COVID-19. 4,330 PCR tests and 2,026 rapid antigen tests were conducted on Tuesday. The country�s total COVID-19 detections include 549,185 persons from more..

Mar 10 (TM) The decision on whether a 5% price hike will be instituted on pharmaceuticals is to be made today by the pricing committee of the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA). This was disclosed to The by SL Chamber of the Pharmaceutical Industry (SLCPI) President Sanjiva Wijesekera, who stated: �The proposal was submitted today for a 5% price hike in pharmaceuticals. This has to be reviewed by more..

Mar 10 (FT) COVID-19 vaccines were administered to 25,707 persons on Tuesday, adding that 77.27% of the total population has received at least one vaccine dose. Second dose vaccination coverage among the total population is 64.88% and third dose coverage is 33.61%. 95.6% of the population over 20 years has received the second dose and 50.42% has received the third dose. Among the population over 12 years, 95.9% have received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine & 80.6% have received more..

Mar 10 (Island) Sri Lanka have been frequent visitors to south India even before they gained Test status having come here for the Gopalan Trophy. In fact, Sri Lanka�s first Test match in India was played in Madras in 1982. However, since they played a Test match in Madras in 2005, a game where a certain M.S. Dhoni made his debut, the national cricket team has never played in that city. In fact, they have not played a Test match in any of the four southern states since 2005. more..

Mar 10 (FT) Colombo stock market dipped further as investors remained concerned over high volatility in the macro economic situation. The more active S&P SL20 Index plunged by over 4% and the ASPI dipped by 3.4%. Turnover was Rs. 2.5 billion involving 138 million shares. Asia Securities said following a brief positive start to the session, the indices ended sharply lower yesterday (09) largely due to price declines in EXPO(-7.1%), BIL(-4.0%), LOFC(-14.5%), LOLC(-8.9%), CLC(-19.6%), more..

Mar 10 (FT) SriLankan Airlines chose Int'l Women�s Day to announce its partnership with Raid Amazones 2022 as its official Airline and sponsor. Raid Amazones is an annual adventure trail originating from France that features female athletes competing in numerous challenges including riding, running, orienteering, mountain biking, canoeing, archery and others. This is Raid Amazones third visit to the country, and this year�s event will take place at Sigiriya in 2 groups of over 250 each due to more..

Mar 10 (CT) Dr. Changyong Rhee, Director of the Asia and Pacific Department at the IMF will pay an official visit to SL coming weekend. Dr. Rhee, a citizen of South Korea, oversees the Fund�s work in the region, including its lending operations and bilateral and multilateral surveillance of economies ranging from China, Japan, and India to the Pacific Islands. Accordingly, he would be meeting senior govt officials, including Prez, more..

Mar 10 (TM) The Agriculture Ministry has planned to cultivate crops such as chillie, potato, and onion in an identified land of 25,000 hectares (ha), in the hope of reducing the import of the same from next year. Agriculture Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage said that last year, 100% of the country�s chillie demand and 65% each of the potato and onion demand were imported. However, he said that plans are afoot to expand the production of such crops locally from next year. more..

Mar 10 (FT) Ministry of Public Services has instructed the public sector to cut down on both electricity and fuel usage as the country faces an energy crunch. The guidelines on electricity and fuel usage discourage the use of elevators, air conditioners, electrical appliances and calls for cutback on vehicle use. Ministry of Public Services, Provincial Councils and Local Govt Secretary J.J. Rathnasiri has sent out detailed instruction in a circular to all Secretaries of Ministries and more..

Mar 10 (TM) Minister Gamini Lokuge said yesterday that they hope to make the Sapugaskanda Oil Refinery operational at full 100% capacity once again and are currently in the process of acquiring the necessary crude oil that is required for it. �We have discussed with a number of companies to obtain crude oil. We are almost done with the discussions for one shipment of 40,000 metric tonnes (MT) of crude oil. more..

Mar 10 (DM) The media personnel who went to cover the official event denied access to cover the handing over the items used by the state Minister Jayantha Samaraweera, who resigned recently. The security guards at the state ministry office entrance were advised to close the gates and not to allow the media. By that time several media personnel entered through the gate and began covering the event. The former State Minister's media Secretary Rohana Warnakulasooriya confirmed that more..

Mar 10 (Island) Parliament is not a decent place for women to be in, former Minister Thalatha Atukorale says. �It is high time a code of ethics was introduced for the MPs. Parliamentary standards are deteriorating rapidly,� Atukorale said at the launch of a research study on Gender Discriminatory Labour Laws in SL and Female Labour Force Participation by Advocata Institute, recently. Atukorale, a representative of the Women Parliamentarians� Caucus, said at a panel discussion more..

Mar 10 (Island) Minister Gamini Lokuge said that the amount of fuel that Sri Lanka would receive from India, through a USD 500 million credit line, would be lower than expected due to the rapid increase in fuel prices in the international market. The Minister said that the price of a barrel of Brent crude had reached USD 130 on Tuesday. �This is a big jump in price compared to when we came to an agreement with India, By 15 March we should get about seven or eight ships of oil from India� he said. more..

Mar 10 (DM) While the govt yesterday announced that it would increase the incentive given to migrant worker dollars, Central Bank has informed banks that it would discontinue the Rs.8.00 incentive offered for such inflows effective from March 9, 2022, as greater flexibility in exchange rate is now allowed. The govt yesterday said it would offer an incentive of Rs.38.00 for a migrant worker dollar, up from previously offered Rs.10, of which the Central Bank contributed Rs.8.00 & govt Rs.2.00. more..

Mar 10 (FT) Govt yesterday finally decided to apply brakes on what it described as soaring non-essential imports whilst some of the dependent sectors cried foul as the country scrambled to abide by multiple measures this week to ease the foreign exchange triggered crises. The restriction of imports �for a short period of time� was in order to ensure proper management of the current economic situation. more..

Mar 10 (EN) SL�s power regulator announced a power cut of up to 3 hour and 45 minutes for Thursday in all parts of the country between 8am and 11pm due to inadequate supply of fuel for thermal power generation. According to the CEB power cut schedule approved for Thursday by the regulator Public Utilities Commission of SL (PUCSL), group A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K and L areas will face 2.5-hour power cuts between 8am and 6pm and another 1hr15min between 6pm & 11pm. more..

Mar 10 (TM) Foreign Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris said that there are 27 Sri Lankans who have chosen to remain in Ukraine at the moment, with employment and marriage-related commitments. �There were 89 SL citizens in Ukraine. Out of them, 15 were students. From the remaining 74, 39 of them have left Ukraine. Our SL Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, facilitated visa-related processes to Germany, Poland, Romania, and Moldova,� Prof. Peiris said at the SLPP press conference held yesterday. more..