Mar 12 (ST) Dhanushka Maduranaga Wickramasinghe, 38, who recently started a cleaning company, returned to his residence in the Ottawa suburban area of Barrhaven, where he was confronted by a 19-year-old youth, for whom the family had provided accommodation. The youth was armed with a club and a knife. �Did you harm my family?� was the first question he had asked Febrio De-Zoysa before he ran upstairs to find more..

Mar 12 (ST) Uncapped off-spinner Nishan Peiris has been called up to the SL squad for the two-match Test series against Bangladesh, starting March 22 in Sylhet, Bangladesh. 26-year-old replaces fast bowler Milan Ratnayake in the squad as the selectors aim to strengthen the spin department by adding an extra spinner. SL had only two spinners in the team during their recent match against Afghanistan, opting for five seamers in the 16-man squad. Peiris� selection follows an outstanding more..

Mar 12 (Island) Dirty, divisive politics does not spare anything in this country. Even religious institutions are divided along party lines, and some of them are at daggers drawn. Politics has torn many families asunder. Politicians are driven by expediency, and never do the govt and the Opposition close ranks for the sake of the country. They join forces only to further their mutual interests. So, the news that the Opposition political parties, save one, had decided to boycott yesterday�s IMF meeting, in Colombo, more..

Mar 12 (DN) I never build up any pressure while batting int the middle and I used to play my normal game said National Super League (NSL) limited overs cricket tournament man of the match Pavan Ratnayaka. I think I had good batting performances at the last year s NSL Limited over final scoring 62 while this time once again made an unbeaten 118 which helped to get 19 runs win for my team Dambulla said Pavan the former Mahanama Skipper. Especially after solid start of 96 runs more..

Mar 12 (FT) SL�s market leader in wood coatings and paint brushes, and emerging regional conglomerate, JAT Holdings PLC recently released its financials for Q3 of FY 2023/24, reflecting a resilient performance amidst adverse market conditions. With its operations in Bangladesh seeing continued expansion, including the opening of its manufacturing facility in 2023, and its alkyd resin plant in 2024, supported by cutting-edge R&D and value engineering in SL, JAT has established more..

Mar 12 (ST) Vegetable prices appear to be dropping in the past few weeks, contrary to predictions that normalcy in prices would only return by mid April. �The climate has improved since the beginning of 2024, so farmers in Nuwara Eliya are planting again. Traders are taking 25% more stock of vegetables from our economic centre than in January, and the prices are expected to further decrease for the April festival, more..

Mar 12 (FT) Oceanpick sustainable seafood farms were recently visited by Malaysia�s Minister of Agriculture and Food Security YB Datuk Seri Mohamad bin Sabu, HC for Malaysia Badli Hisham Adam and other officials along with representatives of Amana Bank CEO Mohamed Azmeer, Senior Director, Board Credit Committee Chairman Dilshan Hettiaratchi and other members of Amana bank. Oceanpick is a pioneer in sustainable Aquaculture in SL which is also the largest commercial more..

Mar 12 (ST) The apparel industry in SL has been taken by surprise this January when it recorded a US$381.2 million, down from $424.4 million in the same month last year. The industry is currently feeling the impact of 2022�s aragalaya protests when orders were shifted elsewhere to other countries, Joint Apparel Association Forum (JAAF) Deputy Chairman Felix Fernando said. Due to the crisis in the country at that time that spiraled to lack of fuel, buyers opted to place orders outside of SL. more..

Mar 12 (Island) Commissioner General of Excise M.J. Gunasiri said that his Department had received a complaint that a student in a popular school in Ratnapura had charged other students Rs. 20 for one puff of an electronic cigarette. The student concerned had taken an e-cigarette to school and shared it with others, within the school premises, Gunasiri said, adding that they had launched an investigation into the complaint. more..

Mar 12 (FT) A group of civil rights activists yesterday staged a protest in front of the Central Bank against latter�s sharp salary increments which has come under much criticism. �We have gathered here at another State within the country � the Central Bank. It operates autonomously, seemingly unchecked,� Magen Ratata Chairman Sanjaya Mahawatte, asserted. Accusing CBSL Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe of undue influence, Mahawatte claimed that there are alarming discrepancies more..

Mar 12 (FT) Port City Colombo will today mark a significant milestone today with the ground-breaking ceremony for its premier business park, the Business Centre. CHEC Port City Colombo Ltd, said the event transcends a simple building construction � it signifies the dawn of a new era for SL�s economic landscape. The ceremony will be graced by distinguished guests, PM Dinesh Gunawardena as Chief Guest, along with the Ambassador of China to Sri Lanka Qi Zhenhong, and State Minister more..

Mar 12 (EN) A decision by the cabinet to suspend parate execution, making recovery of bad loans more time consuming will increase the risk premium charged from borrowers and also undermine the safety of deposits, Sri Lanka�s banks have said. �Banks deploy depositors� funds when lending to the public, and the inability to recover money due from defaulters or extended delays in recovery, will potentially place public deposits at risk,� SL Bank�s Association said in a statement. more..

Mar 12 (FT) Tourism Minister Harin Fernando revealed Sri Lanka Tourism�s ambitious goal of attracting 4 million tourists by 2030, accompanied by a comprehensive National Tourism Policy aimed at holistic promotion, and sustainability. �Sri Lanka is no longer just a destination on a bucket list; it is an experience, a connection that visitors forge with our country. It is about the positive energy and transformative experiences that compel them to return. more..

Mar 12 (TM) Corporate earnings of SL�s listed companies have grown by 90% year-on-year (y-o-y) in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2023 after the public companies saw a rebound in the second half of the year with declining interest rates reducing finance costs. Accordingly, the fourth quarter of 2023 saw a robust corporate earnings performance, with a remarkable 90% y-o-y growth which was driven by strong performance in financial services more..

Mar 12 (DN) Minister of Ports, Shipping and Aviation Nimal Siripala de Silva gave a six month ultimatum for SriLanka Airlines to �show progress or perish� at a discussion with the SriLankan Administration and trade unions on the current progress of the airline at his office yesterday morning. SriLankan Airlines was blamed and subject to extensive criticism due to its constant delays in operations from time to time. The delays annoyed passengers and inconvenienced them in the recent past. more..

Mar 12 (BSS) Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud today expressed his keen interest to expand trade and commerce with Sri Lanka. He made the remarks while Sri Lankan High Commissioner in Dhaka Dharmapala Weerakkody paid a courtesy call on him at foreign ministry here, a press release said. During the meeting, they discussed the matters of mutual interests. Mahmud expressed his satisfaction on the existing bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. more..

Mar 12 (DM) In a series of multiple snap raids carried out over the weekend, the Dept of Excise has seized a large stock of local liquor bottles with forged security stickers from Northern, North Central and Eastern Provinces. The series of snap raids had been conducted by special Excise teams that were deployed from other areas of the country and led by four Assistant Excise Commissioners. A number of wine stores and bars selling these stocks of local liquor with forged revenue stickers more..

Mar 12 (DN) International debt restructuring is underway at present. The election is only a few months away. The next govt is bound to take this programme forward together with the creditors. Therefore, it is suggested that it would be good to discuss with all the parties represented in the Parliament and come to an agreement on this, said Chairman of Public Finance Committee (COPF), MP Dr. Harsha De Silva in Parliament. When Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe came to Parliament more..

Mar 12 (FT) TNA MP M. A. Sumanthiran stood as the only Opposition member in attendance at the IMF proposals review meeting for opposition party leaders held at the Presidential Secretariat yesterday. Despite Prez extending invitations to the opposition including the main Opposition party, SJB, the majority declined to attend. Sumanthiran said he took the opportunity to address various concerns regarding more..

Mar 12 (AD) The suspect arrested in connection with the killing of a Buddhist monk at a temple in Malwathuhiripitiya has been gunned down by police while attempting to escape custody. The suspect had been escorted by officers to recover weapons allegedly hidden in the Yatawaka area in Attanagalla when he had attempted to escape prompting the policemen to open fire, according to police. Police yesterday arrested the suspect who is believed to be the shooter in the murder of a Buddhist monk, more..

Mar 12 (DN) Sri Lanka for the first time will certify four coastal areas as Blue Flag beaches before year end to further boost tourism, authorities said. Blue Flag beaches are considered the cleanest beaches of the world. It is an eco-tourism model endeavouring to provide the tourists and beachgoers clean and hygienic bathing water, facilities, a safe and healthy environment and sustainable development of the area. A spokesperson for Marine Environmental Protection Authority (MEPA) more..

Mar 12 (Island) Top Opposition spokesman Prof. G.L. Peiris alleged that the Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa govt was still contemplating how to put off the presidential election, scheduled to be conducted between 17 Sept, and 17 Oct, this year. Declaring that in terms of the Constitution, the presidential election couldn�t be postponed under any circumstances, the former External Affairs Minister said that examination of all existing more..

Mar 12 (FT) The Online Safety law and the Anti-Terrorism Bill are two important building blocks in the architecture of repressive laws the Govt is constructing. Both were challenged in the Supreme Court, with the SC finding certain provisions of both unconstitutional. Stakeholders, such as opposition politicians, civic activists, tech companies and the United Nations called upon the Govt to, at a minimum, incorporate the Court�s recommendations in Online Safety Bill before it was enacted. more..

Mar 12 (FT) Reports of substantial salary hikes at the Central Bank of SL (CBSL) raise concerns regarding the economic implications of these decisions. Led by Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe, the CBSL has defended these raises as lawful under the Central Bank Act, citing the need for competitive salaries to retain skilled personnel. However, several economic arguments suggest that these salary increases may not be in the best interest of economic stability in the nation. more..

Mar 12 (PMD) A newly appointed Ambassador and a High Commissioner to SL presented their credentials to Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe at the Prez�s House this morning. Accordingly, His Excellency Mr. Paitoon Mahapannaporn, Ambassador of Thailand to SL and His Excellency Major General (R) Faheem Ul Aziz, HI (M) the High Commissioner of Pakistan to SL presented their credentials to Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe. Minister of Foreign Affairs President�s Counsel Ali Sabry and more..

Mar 12 (FT) Minister Harin Fernando has unveiled plans to showcase SL�s rich cultural heritage and natural beauty through a special runway show to be held at Sigiriya. Speaking at a press briefing during the ITB (Internationale Tourismus-B�rse) in Berlin, Germany last week, he announced that the iconic Sigiriya Rock will serve as the backdrop for one of the country�s premier fashion events, the Colombo Fashion Week. �Along with our efforts to promote SL, we are creating a lot of events. more..

Mar 12 (AD) The gazette notification allowing the import of selected spices for re-export has been revoked. The communiqu� was revoked following a request made by Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera from Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe at the Cabinet meeting convened on Monday. On Sunday, the Finance Ministry announced that the import of selected spices including pepper, cardamom, ginger, more..

Mar 12 (AD) The govt has decided to establish a Faculty of Medicine at the National School of Business Management (NSBM), under the direct supervision of and regulation of the Education Ministry, Health Ministry and the Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC). As many as 500 local and foreign students are expected to be annually enrolled for MBBS degrees offered by the NSBM, fully self-financed institution owned by the govt. For this purpose, NSBM has sought govt�s approval more..

Mar 12 (DM) Claiming that they were not ready to meet IMF delegation through any intermediaries, former JVP MP Sunil Hadunnetti said today the NPP was scheduled to meet the high level IMF delegation this Thursday following a request made by the IMF team. He told a news conference of the NPP Economic Council that the IMF team has sought a meeting with the NPP and they will meet the NPP members at the JVP headquarters this Thursday. "We did not attend the meeting convened by more..

Mar 12 (DM) In response to recent findings published in the British medical journal, The Lancet, concerning child malnutrition and underweight girls, SL's health authorities have rejected the content referred to the portrayal of SL. According to the study, approximately 410,000 girls in SL are categorized as underweight, representing a prevalence of 16.4%. Despite efforts and initiatives aimed at improving nutrition and healthcare more..

Mar 12 (EN) Sri Lanka meets 92% of its demand for sanitary napkins domestically, all of which is tax-free barring the remaining 8%, State Minister of Finance Ranjith Siyambalapitiya said. Siyambalapitiya told reporters that the remaining eight percent, which he said is manufactured by a single company as finished products, is charged the Ports and Airports Development Levy and the Social Security Contribution Levy and the Cess Tax. �The total of these three comes up to 22.5%. more..

Mar 12 (EN) SL is to commission a 100 MW solar power plant in Oddamawadi, Batticaloa on a build, own and operate basis (BOO), Minister Bandula Gunawardena said. �The Cabinet approved the proposal presented by Minister of Power and Energy and taking the expressions of interest received into account, to award the project to Solar Forge Batticaloa on a BOO basis for a 20-year operating period.� Gunawardena said SL was seeing much interest from foreign investors for more..

Mar 12 (AD) The Cabinet of Ministers has given its approval to publish the Draft Bill of the Recovery of Loans by Banks (Special Provisions) Act No. 4 of 1990, which was amended to facilitate legal provisions for the suspension of Parate Law. Cabinet�s approval comes after the Attorney General cleared the Bill drafted by the Legal Draftsman. Accordingly, the Draft Bill of the Loans by Banks (Special Provisions) Act will subsequently be tabled in Parliament for approval. more..

Mar 12 (DM) The Colombo High Court today rejected the preliminary objections raised by former Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella against the GI pipes case. Accordingly, Colombo High Court Judge Nawaratne Marasinghe decided to fix the matter for trial and the case will be called again on April 4. Bribery Commission had filed indictments before Colombo High Court against former Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella and two others for allegedly causing unlawful loss to the govt more..

Mar 12 (CI) Fast bowler Lahiru Kumara is back in the ODI XI, while batting allrounder Kamindu Mendis also makes the squad, as Sri Lanka aim to continue their rebuild after a disappointing World Cup, against Bangladesh. Missing from the squad are experienced seamer Dushmantha Chameera, who is out with injury, and batter Shevon Daniel, who was part of Sri Lanka's last two ODI squads, but has only played one game. more..