Mar 17 (TM) Over 1.1 million Sri Lankans have left the country in 2022 with a monthly average of about 94,000 while only 27.6% of total departures have left for foreign employment purposes, Central Bank data showed. According to a report released by the FRFD of the CB, 1,127,758 Sri Lankans have departed the country (including migrant workers) in 2022, after issuing 911,757 passports in the year. more..

Mar 17 (FT) National Chamber of Exporters (NCE), the only private sector Chamber that exclusively serves SL exporters and is known as the Voice of the Exporter, held its 28th AGM on 14 March 2023 at Hotel Galadari to elect Council Members and Office Bearers for the year 2023 and to conform to other statutory requirements. The AGM was followed by a Post Business Forum, with Advocata Institute Chairman Murtaza Jafferjee, gracing the event as Guest of Honour and Keynote Speaker. more..

Mar 17 (FT) SAJ Associates Ltd�s handmade soap with plant-based oils has entered the Australian market, its founder and Managing Director Jayampathy Arambepola said. �It is an extremely exciting time and we are very proud and it is a happy occasion as we have shipped the first consignment of handmade soaps with only plant-based oils and powders, to Australia,� he said. The company�s unique handmade soaps have been in the SL market for the last three years and more..

Mar 17 (CI) Angelo Mathews returns to SL's white-ball set up after more than two years, while Kusal Perera is set to play for the first time in over a year. Both players were part of the ODI and T20I squads SLC have selected for the upcoming series in NZ. The squads also included uncapped batters Lasith Croospulle and Sahan Arachchige. Batter Nuwanidu Fernando is in line for a T20I debut, while seamer Matheesha more..

Mar 17 (FT) IGP C.D. Wickramaratne has been given till 4 April by the Human Rights Commission of SL (HRCSL) to submit a report on the measures taken to disperse the protest march by the NPP party on 26 Feb in Colombo. HRCSL called for the report following the inquiry held yesterday on the complaint lodged by the NPP against the attack on its protest march and the use of tear gas as well as water cannons on the march which led to the death of one protestor while another remains more..

Mar 17 (TM) PM Dinesh Gunawardena said that while he did not believe that govts should control the media, the latter should however ensure ethical standards. He said this while addressing a gathering at the felicitation of Kumar Nadesan who was conferred the Pravasi Bharatiya award, which is the highest recognition given to a non-Indian by the Govt of India. �Today, there is much talk about social media and its lack of ethics and professionalism. Media experts of the region are unanimous more..

Mar 17 (AD) Minister of Agriculture Mahinda Amaraweera departed the island on Thursday to attend the Global Conference on International Year of Millets in New Delhi, India. The lawmaker is attending the conference on the invitation of his Indian counterpart, according to the Ministry of Agriculture. Agriculture ministers from various countries, international scientists, nutritionists, health experts, start-up leaders and other stakeholders will take part in this conference, more..

Mar 17 (PTI) Governor of the Central Bank Nandalal Weerasinghe has cited the lack of independence of the apex bank in determining the monetary policy as a reason for the country's unprecedented economic crisis. SL govt in May last year declared a debt default on over USD 51 billion in foreign loans -- a first in the country's history. Weerasinghe made the statement while talking about a proposed bill aimed to provide autonomy to the CB without any undue influence from fiscal authorities or govt. more..

Mar 17 (TM) The JVP-led NPP is taking a clear lead among voters from among Opposition political parties, while electors are also consolidating around the main Parliamentary Opposition, SJB, and ITAK, according to the Institute of Health Policy�s (IHP) multi-level regression and post-stratification (MRP) voting intentions estimates polled for last month (February) � SL Opinion Tracker Survey (SLOTS). more..

Mar 17 (TM) With the approval of the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) by the IMF which is due on 20 March, Sri Lankan exporters will receive foreign exchange on a priority basis, said the Governor of the CBSL, Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe. Speaking during a televised political talk show, he said: �Some $ 400 million is expected as the first tranche of the IMF bailout. The exporters have been complaining that they could not source raw materials for their industries as they are short of dollars. more..

Mar 17 (AD) India�s Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar today inaugurated SL exhibition Geoffrey Bawa; It is Essential To be There, at the National Gallery of Modern Art in New Delhi. Speaking at the event which was held to mark the 75 years of Indo-Lanka diplomatic relations, Dr. Jaishankar stated that renowned architect Geoffery Bawa was a name that often resonated with SL. �When I think of SL, the names, the images, the associations, Geoffrey Bawa is a figure that very naturally comes to mind�, more..

Mar 17 (DM) Sri Lanka's first-ever free-of-charge, luxury, high-tech-equipped, conference hall and a grand banquet hall are to be declared open at the Devram Vehera temple in Pannipitiya on Monday (20). Temple�s founder Ven. Kolonnawe Siri Sumangala Thera said the conference hall and wedding hall were built for the people to conduct their social activities, such as seminars and lectures, free of charge. more..

Mar 17 (DN) The Ambassadors of Palestine, Egypt and the UAE yesterday informed Asgiri Mahanayake Most Ven Warakagoda Gnanarathana Thera that the countries belonging to the Arab Council will support Sri Lanka without any hidden agenda to recover from the current economic crisis. Palestinian Ambassador Zuhair M.H Dar Zaid, Egyptian Ambassador Maged Mohieldin Nafei Mosleh and UAE Ambassador Khaled Sulaiman AlAmeri called the Asgiri Mahanayake Thera in Kandy. more..

Mar 17 (DM) The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has organised a Buddhist tourist train covering 9 places across India and Nepal that impacted Buddha, helping tourists experience his self-disciplined and legendary life, Indian media reported. To facilitate people to embark on the path of enlightenment, the IRCTC Buddhist Circuit Tourist train on the Bharat Gaurav Trains concept has commenced its spiritual journey. In the Mahaparinirvana sutra, the Buddha tells more..

Mar 18 (DM) Sri Lanka is presently experiencing a tremendous economic crisis. Several knowledgeable persons describe the current period as the worst-ever phase in the Island nation�s 75-year post-Independence history. Many acts of omission and commission are being faulted for this calamity. Mercifully none have blamed Sri Lanka�s national anthem as the cause so far. At least not yet. This however was not the situation in the late fifties and early sixties of the 20th century. more..

Mar 18 (DM) Wednesday�s trade union action was different from the ones the same unions launched on March 1. Uniformity was not an element in the previous one, as some unions struck work while others announced that they would work to rule. Employees in some State institutions demonstrated in front of their offices during the lunch hour without striking work and the impact of the trade union action was eclipsed by this diversity. However, Wednesday�s trade union action was more..

Mar 18 (CT) The Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) was on its expansion mission, particularly the Phase II or Terminal 2 (T2) project on 52 acres of land. However, the main contractor, Japan�s Taisei Corporation�s withdrawal from the project citing economic instability in the country and defaulted int'l payments, has left the massive construction site deserted and open to the elements. Taisei has completed one-fifth of Phase II. more..

Mar 18 (CT) Sri Lanka, at one point, was in the lead in global indexes that showed suicide statistics and health authorities recently revealed alarming data on the increase in the number of suicides. The statistics on the number of deaths by suicide, due to various reasons, is not one that should be taken lightly. Sri Lanka is also currently ranked thirtieth in the list of countries that have the highest suicide rates and is most definitely something we could not be proud of as a nation. more..

Mar 18 (DM) At one time you would say Sri Lanka had the highest literacy rate in South Asia. Thanks to the hard work by farsighted free thinkers like C.W.W. Kannangara who introduced free education. Influenced by the Western education system, patriotic leaders like Mr. Kannangara laid the foundation for an educated future generation. It was on this foundation that SL could achieve adult literacy rate of almost 92% according to UNESCO ranking. Our country also displayed more..

Mar 18 (TM) Women�s representation in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines in SL appears to be making progress at the secondary school level, but almost flat-lines once women move into higher academics. The UGC notes that only 60% of women complete their degree and even less � 42% � pursue post-graduate level studies. However, SL is home to some remarkable women more..

Mar 18 (CT) Our govt is totally without support from the people and is sustained in power by the military and police bashing up legitimate protest gatherings. Yet, we are said to be on the threshold of receiving the US$ 2.9 Billion IMF Loan in the next two weeks, reports CNN. God forbid! The IMF gives the loan. It will be spent by those who do not represent us, the people. And we the people would need to pay back when repayment id due. There is no free market in this as preached by the IMF. more..

Mar 18 (ST) Among various factors that have been cited for triggering the economic crisis in the country, the deficiency of foreign exchange earnings can be viewed as one of the leading contributors to the ongoing economic crisis in SL. At present, a country�s economic survival is dependent on its ability to generate sufficient amount of foreign exchange. In the absence of sufficient foreign exchange revenue, even larger economies backed by their large domestic markets can only more..

Mar 18 (TM) In the context of child nutrition and malnutrition, growth-related references used in Sri Lanka need to be locally validated, a paediatrician cum academic noted. This observation was made in a guest commentary on Childhood malnutrition in Sri Lanka: Past, present and future which was authored by Senior Professor in Paediatrics at the Colombo Uni's Medical Faculty, P. Wickramasinghe and published in the Journal of the Ruhunu Clinical Society's (27)1 in December, 2022. more..

Mar 18 (Island) Govt can allocate funds for anything other than elections. It claims to be too broke to spare any money for polls whenever the Election Commission makes requests to that effect. But it readily parts with huge amounts of public money to keep its politicians happy. One thing they put their hearts and souls into is junketing overseas. Never do they miss an opportunity to see the world at the expense of the public, who are struggling to dull the pangs of hunger. more..

Mar 18 (FT) Hot on the heels of the worst ever contraction of 7.8% in 2022, the economy�s struggle is persisting and recovery remains most challenging judging by the latest update from the Purchasing Managers Indices. The February PMIs for both manufacturing and services activities reflect further contraction reinforcing the view that the confidence factor is far from being restored despite multiple Govt efforts to stabilise more..

Mar 18 (DN) Skipper Dasis Manchanayake continued his outstanding form as Royal College took firm control of the 144th Battle of the Blues Inter-School Big Match with another dominant performance against their traditional rivals S. Thomas� College at the SSC Grounds in Maitland Place yesterday. The elegant left-hander continued to rewrite history as he became the first Royal Captain to score a hundred and a half century in the same Big Match following his top score more..

Mar 18 (ST) Ministry of Aviation is to expedite the process of establishing electronic gate facilities at the BIA by awarding the procurement tender of the project to the highest bidder, causing a massive loss to the country. A discussion on this took place recently at the ministry with Airport and Aviation (SL) Ltd officials. Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva instructed them to establish four e-gates at the Arrivals and Departures Terminals at the airport under Phase I of the project expeditiously. more..

Mar 18 (FT) Investment Promotion State Minister Dilum Amunugama has stepped up efforts to address the concerns of the investors who are seeking approval for investment projects. This was observed at the conclusion of the second round of the Investor Facilitation Coordinating Committee Meeting chaired by State Minister Amunugama recently at the Investor Facilitation Centre (IFC). During the meeting, the issues faced by four BOI companies operating in diverse sectors more..

Mar 18 (DM) An individual and one of his friends who raped the former�s daughter since the age of ten were taken into custody by Karuwalagaswewa Police. It was ironical that the friend had informed police that the daughter had been raped by the father, but the investigation revealed that both of them had raped the girl. Police said the victim was now 16 years of age and a grade ten student at a school in Puttalam, her father is 44 years & father�s friend involved in the incident was 39 yrs. more..

Mar 18 (CT) The global economic downturn has been devastating for many people, particularly those who have invested in large-scale projects. Many developers are now abandoning their projects due to lack of funds and resources, leaving behind unfinished buildings that were once full of promise. As a result, many people who bought houses during the presale period have no choice but to withdraw their money more..

Mar 18 (ST) Butterfly enthusiasts were in for a treat recently when kaleidoscope of butterflies were witnessed in several parts of the country. In the past it was quite common to see swarms of butterfly traversing in one direction and people would look at this phenomenon and say they were heading on a pilgrimage to Sri Pada (Adam�s Peak). But as the country�s natural habitats began to shrink this sight all but disappeared. The recent sightings consisted mainly of Common Albatros (Appias albina), more..

Mar 18 (ST) The ocean covers more than 70% of the Earth�s surface and each country is given the right to manage an area of oceans extending 200 nautical miles (about 370km) from the shore which is known as the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The rest of the oceans are called �High Seas� or international waters. As all countries have the right to fish on the high seas, marine life there becomes particularly vulnerable to unchecked exploitation. According to Global Red List of Threatened Species more..

Mar 18 (ST) Desperate mothers pushed to the edge due to household and personal pressures, trying to take their own lives and that of their children over the past few weeks has been causing concern. A sociologist has suggested community-based monitoring. There is no support from the state to intervene or to prevent possible tragedies. On Feb 26, a 31-yr-old mother jumped from the Bentota Bridge leaving her two children on the bridge. more..

Mar 18 (DM) SL is in dire need to correct its image in the eyes of the international community, given the negative sentiments that are still largely prevalent, as stepping up efforts in this regard is the marketing fraternity of the country. The national body of marketers, SL Institute of Marketing (SLIM), kicked off a fresh initiative that will focus on rebranding the island nation. Institution unveiled the inaugural Brand SL Creation Symposium by bringing together the experts in branding, business leaders more..

Mar 18 (FT) International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) has called upon the SL Govt to respect the Interim Order of the Supreme Court and to ensure that funds are available to hold local elections. The ICJ said the Speaker of Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena must also withdraw his referral of Supreme Court Judges for inquiry of a potential breach of parliamentary privileges. Commenting on Govt MP, Premnath Dolawatte�s request to the Speaker to refer the conduct of the judges of more..