Mar 5 (CT) The Lighting Digital Youth BootCamp will be a key contributor in achieving the national goal of creating 300,000 ICT employees by the end of 2025, Director-Capacity Building at ICTA, Sameera Jayawardena said. Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) had organised the inaugural session of Lighting Digital Youth BootCamp in Heiyanthuduwa, Gampaha from 25 to 28 Feb. The 4-day residential workshop was attended by more than 80 carefully screened more..

Mar 5 (DM) This weekly column returns with the second part of the article titled Sinhala Buddhist Strategist N. Q. Dias was Feared as the Tsar that was published in the Daily Mirror of Feb 19, 2022. The feedback I received indicates that there is much interest in the role played by N.Q. Dias in the affairs of the nation decades ago. Some of the emails I received about my writings on the 1962 coup in general and N. Q. Dias, in particular, were very positive with requests that I write more..

Mar 5 (CI) Shane Warne, one of cricket's all-time greats, has died of a suspected heart attack at the age of 52 in Koh Samui, Thailand, while on holiday. Warne, who was named one of Wisden's Five Cricketers of the Century, claimed 708 Test wickets in a 15-year career for Australia between 1992 and 2007, and was also an ODI World Cup winner in 1999. He died of a suspected heart attack. "Shane was found unresponsive in his villa and despite the best efforts of medical staff, he could not be more..

Mar 5 (DN) Sahan Arachchige made his career best knock of 162 as Kandy scored a massive total of 503 for 9 wickets declared at the second day's play of the National Super League 4-day cricket fixture against Jaffna played at Pallekele yesterday. When bad light stopped play Jaffna was 13 for no loss. All-rounder, Sahan Arachchige, hit 23 fours in his 257-ball innings. Also, Arachchige added a superb 154-run sixth-wicket stand with Kasun Vidura who scored 67 with 4 fours to build up their innings more..

Mar 5 (Hindu) India on Friday called upon Sri Lanka to take necessary steps to address the legitimate aspirations of the Tamil community, while reiterating its earlier stance that it is in SL�s own interest that the expectations of Tamils in SL for equality, justice, peace and dignity, within a united SL, are fulfilled. Delivering a statement in the interactive dialogue segment on the U.N. Human Rights chief�s latest report on Sri Lanka, more..

Mar 5 (ST) It is a play not to be missed, says Founder and Artistic Director of the Workshop Players, Jerome De Silva, of the Lionel Wendt Workshop Players� first original play Akuna that goes on the boards at the Wendt from March 11 to 13. Sitting in the front row of the Lionel Wendt with his voice echoing across the empty theatre, (that he hopes will be full for the shows), Jerome paints a moving picture of what to expect from the tri-lingual musical drama that has been in the works more..

Mar 5 (FT) �Sri Lanka�s sole barometer of business confidence edged up to above where it stood a year ago despite ominous signs that the economic crisis is unlikely to abate anytime soon,� says LMD, in its forthcoming March edition. It explains: �The BCI edged up by two basis points from the previous month to register 124 in February, which represents a 10-month high. This means that the unique index is four notches higher than a year ago and a healthy 15 points above its 12-mo average of 109.� more..

Mar 5 (CT) Govt of China is seriously considering refraining from granting any more loans to SL. A high level group of Chinese Govt officials, who are currently in Colombo, had reportedly conveyed this decision to a few top officials in the Govt. It is stated that Beijing had decided to abstain from granting loans or aid to Colombo due to two reasons. One of the main issues is said to be the problems that had cropped up in connection more..

Mar 5 (MFA) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in coordination with the SL Embassy in Moscow which is concurrently accredited to Belarus, continues to monitor the situation in Belarus in the context of recent developments in Ukraine. The Embassy is in close contact with all Universities in Belarus where approximately 1,561 SL students are engaged in their higher studies. As agreed at the several meetings convened by the Embassy with the administration of the relevant Universities, more..

Mar 5 (ST) Money owed by general sales agents (GSAs) and local airline offices to principals abroad has further piled up with dollars unavailable to settle the dues, sector sources said. The problem is now months-old and the only reason airlines haven�t cut their frequencies is fear of providing competitive advantage to rivals, they explained. None of them wished to be identified. Payments for cargo are remitted in dollars. And when tickets are sold, apart from the local commissions, more..

Mar 5 (FT) India�s Deputy High Commissioner Vinod K. Jacob recently addressed the Indian CEO Forum in Colombo and dwelt upon strong friendship between India and SL, particularly cooperation under the five pillars of economic, financial, development partnership, capacity building and people-to-people ties. India was SL�s second largest trading partner in 2020. This has grown further in 2021 to reach $ 5.23 billion. India is also one of the biggest investors in SL with total FDI of over more..

Mar 5 (FT) SL�s export industry yesterday called on the Govt to resort to course correction on the multiple internal crises of forex, fuel and power to save the only steady inflow of the $ 15 billion annual income. National Chamber of Exporters of SL (NCE) also said the impacts of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, had already begun to affect trade flows. �The export community is facing unprecedented internal and external challenges. Long hours of power outages, shortages of foreign exchange and fuel amid more..

Mar 5 (DM) While claiming that the current SL govt has not demonstrated its unwillingness to pursue accountability UN Human Rights Commissioner Michelle Bachelet at the UNHRC today called on the Council to pursue alternate strategies to advance accountability at the international level. �The current Govt has not only demonstrated its unwillingness to pursue accountability � it has incorporated military more..

Mar 5 (DM) Nuwara Eliya April festival is to be held this year on a grand scale with the participation of tens of thousands of local and foreign tourists. The relevant authorities met yesterday at the municipal auditorium under the chairmanship of Nuwara Eliya Mayor Chandana Lal Karunaratne in this regard. The Mayor said that a larger crowd when compared to the previous years would attend the festival due to the long holiday of ten days at a stretch. He stressed the need to provide adequate more..

Mar 5 (DM) UNP today called for effective steps to resolve Sri Lanka�s financial crisis including the removal of Ajith Nivard Cabral from the post of CB Governor. UNP Deputy Leader Ruwan Wijewardene in a statement said the CB Governor should be removed as he is also responsible for the financial crisis. �The govt seems to be thinking that people are ignorant. It is possible that the govt is of the opinion that people�s attention will be diverted by removing two ministers from the cabinet. more..

Mar 5 (CT) MPs Wimal Weerawansa and Udaya Gammanpila, who were sacked after levelling strong criticism against the Govt and Minister Basil Rajapaksa, vowed that they would never accept ministerial portfolios in a Cabinet headed by Prez Rajapaksa, while Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara, said he would not perform his ministerial duties, in protest of Weerawansa and Gammanpila�s removal. They alleged that an Ugly American is more..

Mar 5 (FT) Daily COVID-19 detections dropped to 583 yesterday, the lowest it has been since January. 461 persons tested positive for COVID-19 on 10 January and daily detections have since remained above 600. All patients detected yesterday were from the New Year cluster. A gradual decline in daily detections has been observed this week, with 711 persons testing positive for COVID-19 on Thursday. This includes 710 persons from the New Year cluster and one Sri Lankan returnee from overseas. more..

Mar 5 (DM) The bridge linking the Pigeon Island and Matara, which is one of the most famous bridges in SL, has collapsed this evening. Due to the dilapidated condition of the bridge, arrangements have been made to construct a temporary bridge and to renovate the existing one. However, a group of tourists who had come from Mahiyangana, today had walked on the bridge and swung it ignoring the warnings, resulting in the collapse. The group of tourists was rescued by the military and more..

Mar 5 (FT) The Central Bank yesterday further tightened the monetary policy with new measures to ensure macro-economic stability amidst rising shocks both internal and external. Considering the current and expected macroeconomic developments both globally and domestically, Monetary Board decided to increase its Standing Deposit Facility Rate (SDFR) and the Standing Lending Facility Rate (SLFR) by 100 basis more..

Mar 5 (FT) As mandates are being overthrown (the US Senate, narrowly ended the non-emerging Emergency Powers, a single vote along party lines, France is ditching COVID mandates except on public transport and care homes (a macaron for Macron�s peevishness) and yet we must not lightly let pass the absurdities we have been besieged with by the illiterati. First, every ounce of credibility was lavished on the �vaccines� being safe and effective. Not only so, but they argued it was more..

Mar 5 (FT) That Sri Lanka is facing a very serious situation with regard to its foreign incomes and payments is obvious, with shortages arising at various times of, in particular, some food items, fuel for power stations, gas for domestic use, cement and medicinal drugs. The reason most freely bandied about for this crisis is the COVID pandemic. However, the reality is somewhat more complicated. Globally, recoveries from the COVID-related disruptions are in progress. more..

Mar 5 (AD) The deep depression over southwest Bay of Bengal lay centered at 05.30 a.m. today, near (11.0N, 82.6E), about 330 km northeast of Trincomalee coast. It is very likely to move north-westwards until this evening and move west and south-westwards towards the North Tamil Nadu coast during the subsequent 36 hours. Under the influence of the aforementioned system, deep and shallow sea areas off the northern and north-eastern coasts will be very rough with intermittent more..

Mar 5 (DM) There will be no fuel scarcity in the country as adequate fuel was received and countrywide distribution has already begun, Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) Chairman Sumith Wijesinghe said. He said the reason for the sudden fuel shortage was the consumers refueling more than the normal limits and stocking fuel in cans and barrels. However, the govt took measures to import sufficient volumes of fuel and began distributing throughout the country, he said. more..

Mar 5 (AD) Dr. Asela Gunawardena has issued a new circular with regard to the post-mortem diagnosis, disposal and reporting of Covid-19 victims. Thereby, the burial procedures mentioned in the previous circulars have been cancelled by the revised guidelines issued on Mar 2, 2022. Pursuant to the revised guidelines, the body of a Covid-19 victim is allowed to be handed over to his or her relatives to perform the final rites. more..

Mar 5 (DM) Bingiriya Police initiated an investigation after having recovered a motorcycle along with a human scull and skeletal remains under a culvert at Bowatta in Bingiriya yesterday. During the investigation, it was revealed that a complaint was lodged with the police on Dec 7, last year that a man and his motorcycle had been missing since Dec 1, last year. Police said a subsequent search located a human skull and several skeletal remains at the site where the motorcycle was found. more..

Mar 5 (DM) It has been reported that Education Ministry is planning to call the students to schools according to the number of students during the new school term begins on Monday (7). If the number of students in a class is 20 or less, all classes can be held every day. If the number of students is between 21 and 40, it has been decided to divide the class into two groups and conduct classes one week apart from the other. If there are more than 40 pupils, they will be divided into three equal segments more..

Mar 5 (DM) The SJB has come out against an article published in the Daily Mirror today under the headline 'SJB invites Wimal, Udaya to join hands' written by Yohan Perera, stating that the party has never made such an invitation. SJB Member Rehaan Jayawickrema even went as far as to take the matter on Twitter saying the SJB had made no such statement and what infact the General Secretary of the party said was more..

Mar 5 (AD) New Ambassador of the United States to SL, Julie J. Chung called on PM Mahinda Rajapaksa at the Temple Trees on Friday. The new envoy reiterated that she seeks to further strengthen the existing political, social and economic relations with Sri Lanka. Ambassador Chung also vowed to help maintain a robust economy on the island nation amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. She assured that the United States would support the development of power and tourism sectors in Sri Lanka. more..

Mar 5 (FT) CB Governor Nivard Cabraal yinsisted there was no discord with the Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa. �There is no conflict between the Finance Minister and I work with him very cordially,� he said in response to a query posed by journalists at the post-Monetary Policy Review media briefing. Earlier this week, former Cabinet Minister Wimal Weerawansa criticised Finance Minister Rajapaksa for ignoring sound economic advice from the CB, adding that he had no time for a meeting more..

Mar 5 (ST) Nandada,epada (Should I bathe or not?) or Kawadada naanna puluwan (When can I bathe?), are some of the questions that keep cropping up from patients, says Consultant Physician Dr. Waruna Gunathilake, who with his team is running a Post-COVID Clinic at the National Eye Hospital, Colombo, since last year. This innovative Physician focuses on what most of us scoff at as old wives� tales. These questions and concerns are relevant to our culture and social setting, he says, more..

Mar 5 (AD) Prez Rajapaksa instructed the Secretary to the Ministry of Highways, Mr R.W.R. Pemasiri to construct a new bridge connecting to the Pigeon Island (Paravi Duwa) in Matara. The popular bridge, which was in an unstable condition for a long period, had collapsed this morning (4) while this had restricted any access to the Matara Paravi Duwa Temple. Ven. Omare Kassapa Thero has informed the Prez that entry to the island has become blocked due to it collapsing this morning. more..

Mar 5 (CI) India's bowlers brought all their quality to bear on a pitch just beginning to offer turn and variable bounce to bag a fifth of the wickets they need to win the Mohali Test, after Ravindra Jadeja made an unbeaten 175, the highest score by an Indian No. 7, to help them post a formidable first-innings total. Jadeja and R Ashwin would make a serious impact with the ball in the final session of the day, picking up 3 of the 4 SL wickets to fall. more..

Mar 5 (DM) Private buses are allowed to get the required diesel from the depots owned by the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB), Transport Minister Dilum Amunugama said. He said 45 SLTB depots across the country are allowed to provide diesel for private buses. "Adequate diesel has already been supplied to the above depots and we are hoping that more fuel will be supplied to the remaining depots across the country," he said. The ministry is hoping to supply adequate diesel for buses engaged more..

Mar 5 (CT) The rights of the upcountry workers need to be strengthened in order for them to face those who stand against them, General Secretary of the Lanka Jathika Estate Workers Union, Vadivel Suresh said. He noted that the problems faced by the upcountry workers are not being addressed properly by the Govt and that their rights are being violated. �We will take necessary steps to expose the situation of the upcountry workers and the Govt�s neglect of them, to the world,� he added. more..

Mar 5 (EN) Taking a U-turn from its previous day announcement, power regulators Public Utilities Commission of SL (PUCSL) on Saturday said the scheduled power shedding either may not take place or reduced depending on the fuel availability. �As the govt has pledged to minimize power cuts from today, the scheduled power shedding may not take place or reduced depending on the availability of fuel stocks,� more..

Mar 5 (FT) In our latest series on taxation explained, KPMG Principal � Tax and Regulatory Suresh Perera, LLB, Attorney at Law, FCMA (UK) shares key insights to Employment Tax. Q: What are the pros and cons of an employee requesting the company to deduct tax from the salary as opposed to opting to pay tax on a quarterly self-assessment basis? A: In practice employees find it easy to go under the Advanced Personal Income Tax (APIT) scheme, since employer deducts due taxes more..