Apr 12 (DM) The CEB had neglected submitting some important reports regarding power interruptions and generations to the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) for a period of nearly one year, PUCSL Director Corporate Communications Jayanat Herat said. He said the CEB had neglected submitting reports on power interruptions, generations, power plants and water capacities on power generating tanks, more..

Apr 12 (DM) Elections Commission (EC) has written to PM Ranil Wickremesinghe requesting him to hand over the review into the Provincial Councils Electoral Delimitation Report to President Maithripala Sirisena. It had stated that after the PM hands over this report and it is gazetted, the impediments to the holding of provincial council elections would cease to exist. Furthermore, it pointed out that more..

Apr 12 (ST) More than 117,000 people from 33,775 Sri Lankan families across the island are once again facing the double whammy of debilitating drought and the lack of water for drinking, livestock, and cultivation as of this month. The numbers of people suffering from the drought has been rising since January. Many small tanks and reservoirs have dried up despite the reasonable rains during the monsoon, more..

Apr 12 (FT) State Minister Ajith Mannapperuma states that the Uma Oya underground hydropower plant will add 120 MW to the national grid by August. He made this observation while participating in an inspection tour of the Uma Oya Multipurpose Development Project. The Uma Oya Development Project is being carried out under the guidance of President Sirisena as the Minister of Mahaweli Development & Environment. more..

Apr 12 (LBO) Sri Lanka and the World Bank has signed two new agreements worth US$ 150 million to improve climate resilience and agriculture productivity for small farmers and support priority infrastructure through public-private partnerships. Hartwig Schafer, World Bank Vice President for the South Asia Region and Dr. R.H.S. Samaratunga, Secretary, Ministry of Finance signed the agreements on behalf of the World Bank more..

Apr 12 (AM) In an unprecedented move, President Maithripala Sirisena has issued a gazette notification placing the Department of Govt Printing under the Lands and Parliamentary Reforms Ministry. Department of Govt Printing was brought under the control of the Defence Ministry soon after the outbreak of the political crisis in SL, in October last year. Even after the resolution of the political crisis in Dec, Dept remainded under more..

Apr 12 (AD) Former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa says all necessary steps have been successfully concluded to renounce his US citizenship. He made these comments upon his arrival in Sri Lanka this morning following his personal visit to the US. Reportedly, a huge crowd had gathered at the BIA to welcome the former Defence Secretary. Gotabaya Rajapaksa made a 3-week personal visit to the US to complete more..

Apr 13 (DN) Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is an int'l agreement between governments. The CITES aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. CITES remains one of the world’s most powerful tools for wildlife conservation through the regulation of the trade. Thousands of species are internationally traded and used by people in their daily lives for food, more..

Apr 13 (DN) No matter your age, one of the most important things you can do to stay healthy is to know and to be knowledgeable and alert to symptoms that might be early warning danger signs. Most people are aware of danger signs and symptoms of more high profile cancers, and even though colon cancer is not something much talked about, it should receive the same attention as others as it is the third most common cancer in the US and the 4th and the 6th leading cancer among more..

Apr 13 (SO) Recently, Sri Bodhi Vidyalaya, a 70-year old school of 200 students in the Galenbindunuwewa Education zone published its eight-page maiden Newsletter in English. The school has up to the 11th grade and is located 7km (only the last km is gravelled) off the A-9 highway. I was told that this newsletter is the first of its kind in the North Central Province. I leafed through and found it an extraordinary more..

Apr 13 (CT) When you have so many planners but very few doers in power, this is what happens. Last week was the second or third of what was promised to be a month-long series of rolling power cuts. The Minister in charge, Ravi Karunanayake, has publicly gone on record claiming that the blame game (a reference to the tussle between the Engineers of the CEB and the Public Utilities Commission) must cease, and that, God willing (whatever His faith, may He be beneficent!), rains will come by May. more..

Apr 13 (CT) One prominent symbol that we use to identify the traditional new year, may in fact, speak to what we have become as a society. The Koha Brid heralding the new year utters not a song of joy, but a stream of shouts, designed to draw the attention and annoy of a pair of parent crows to a level enough that they give chase to the bird, leaving their nest defenseless. In that moment the female Koha Bird swoops into the nest and quickly lays her own egg and flies away to join her mate more..

Apr 13 (DN) The Sun has been so pivotal to our ancient civilization that we still continue many of the practices that our ancestors engaged in, giving prominence to the life-giving Sun and Nature. Many of those practices and beliefs were intertwined with astrology, the science of reading our lives with the help of celestial objects. Hence, the transition of the Sun from Pisces (Meena) to Aries (Mesha) has become more..

Apr 13 (SO) First ever SL woman to obtain a doctoral degree in Sports Science, was awarded the ITN’s Liya Waruna Abhiman 2019 last month, for her silent, but immense service to the field of sports. Though SL has had women shining in its sports arena, such as Susanthika Jayasinghe, Damayanthi Darsha, Sriyani Kulawansha and more recently Parami Vasanthi Maristella and Tharjini Sivalingam, it hasn’t had many females being recognised for their yeomen service behind the scenes. more..

Apr 13 (DM) A man who has seen tender moon of the month of Bak [April] should not be rejected. The mythological backdrop of the New Year is probably based on Hindu literature. Indradeva, the Avurudu Kumaraya or Prince of Peace, slides down upon the planet to ensure peace and prosperity. He comes in a white horse carriage wearing a floral crown. He dips into the sea of milk [Kiri Sayura]. In the middle of the month of Bak, marking the end of the harvest season when the sun moves in celestial more..

Apr 13 (Island) 2019 is the year of the pig in the Chinese zodiac. A rather inauspicious creature for good omens for the traditional April New Year in Sri Lanka and South Asia, the pig symbolizes not only laziness but also good behavior and wealth to the Chinese. It may not mean much in China that 2019 is also the year of the elections in nearly a hundred countries in the world. India has just started its elephant walk of an election, after Pakistan and Bangladesh finished theirs last year. more..

Apr 13 (Island) You would have already celebrated the dawn of the Sinhala/Tamil New Year or will be awaiting the celebration as you read this as there was early printing and distribution of this newspaper on account of the holiday. Time was when editorialists preached that this time of a shared festival was the occasion for the Sinhalese and Tamil people to sink their differences and reconcile. That was when the war was raging in the north and east of the country. more..

Apr 13 (DM) In SL the most pronounced areas of the Sinhala and Hindu New Year festivities are food, games and rituals of goodwill. We are blessed with several traditional games which are played during New Year holidays in the month of Bak (April). The significance of these games is that they are designed to suit and meet the needs of the peasantry whose objective is to achieve the mental comfort and consolation more..

Apr 13 (Island) Sri Lanka’s athletes have excelled more at the Asian Athletics Championships than at any other regional event. The biennial Championship has also provided the opportunity for some of its future prospects to experience their first taste of victory at international level. SL is fielding a strong team for the forthcoming 23rd Asian Athletics Championships which will be held from April 21 to 24 in Doha, Qatar. Here are the highlights of SL’s performances during the past. more..

Apr 13 (DN) The Sri Lanka Junior Golf Match-play Championship 2019 sponsored by P & S Bakers concluded with five fantastic finals played in five different age group categories and Dhuwarshan of Nuwara-Eliya Golf Club and Taniya Minel Balasuriya of Royal Colombo Golf Club were crowned Junior Champs for Boys & Girls respectively. Dhuwarshan beat the top seed Haroon Aslam 3 & 2 to win the Gold Division age category and be crowned Boys Junior Champion 2019. more..

Apr 13 (Island) Nestle Lanka has announce in its annual report that "we just completed an investment of over Rs. five billion in our new plant for processing coconut milk" saying that "it is the single largest investment made by Nestle in Sri Lanka and signals our commitment to the country." The company’s revenue in the year ended Dec 31 at Rs. 37.33 billion was marginally down from Rs. 37.6 billion the previous year. more..

Apr 13 (ST) The Court of Appeal dismissed a case filed by Asanga Seneviratne – father of tennis player Alana–challenging the flawed selection process which denied his daughter Alana a place in the Junior Fed Cup team. This means, the team comprising Anjalika Kurera, Nehera Weerawansa and Onelli Perera was given the green light to participate in the forthcoming tournament in Bangkok, Thailand from 15 -22 April. Alana, younger sister of Anika, a leading tennis player in more..

Apr 13 (ST) Fitness is a key aspect of cricket. A lot of international cricket is being played throughout the year, hence it’s important to manage every player’s workload and level of fitness monitored regularly. It is frustrating to see a lot of players getting injured and often out of international cricket for long periods, and sometimes having to hang up their boots at an early stage of their careers. Over the years, SLC has lost the services of some top players due to injuries. more..

Apr 13 (Island) Sri Lanka’s fans have little hope during the ICC Cricket World Cup as infighting and disharmony are threatening to disrupt the national cricket team’s campaign in cricket’s showpiece event next month. Sunday Island learns that the team’s premier batsman Angelo Mathews has declined to take over the captaincy after it was offered to him by Chairman of Selectors Ashantha De Mel earlier this week. more..

Apr 13 (DN) Alcazaba, the 9-year-old seasoned mare owned by Deepthika Jayakody and Purni Edwards, will be eying for a rare hat-trick at the RTC Governor's Cup 2019, which will take place on Monday, post Sinhala and Tamil new year, at the Racecourse in Nuwara Eliya. Alcazaba, was rested for the RTC Spring and Summer Raceday Cup held on 31 March, on medical advice, but has been included into the lineup of 12 Class 1 thoroughbred horses in the 1600-metre race. more..

Apr 13 (MFA) As part of programmes under the theme Rata Wenuwen Ekata Sitimu, Ministry of Foreign Affairs conducted mobile consular services in the Batticaloa district from 10-11 April. These mobile services were held at the premises of the Divisional Secretariats of Kattankudy and Chenkalady on Wednesday (10), and on Thursday (11) respectively. Services extended to the public from the Batticaloa district included registration of births and deaths occurred overseas, more..

Apr 13 (DM) Sri Lanka is experiencing its highest temperature levels in 140 years, Professor Chandana Jayaratne from Dept of Physics, Colombo Uni said. He said this could be confirmed by examining climate data statistics. He said the temperature levels have gone up by 2 to 3 degrees from what it was 30 years ago, which according to him could be due to global warming. A spokesman from the Dept of Meteorology however said it cannot be more..

Apr 13 (LR) The prestigious Women in Management (WIM) Sri Lanka hosted their second annual awards show in Canada, recognizing 44 Canadian Sri Lankan women. This year the organization was proud to announce their own WIM Canada Chapter headed by lawyer Devika Anthony. The awards show organizer Rienzie Martinesz, a highly regarded marketing professional played the key role in establishing the chapter and conceptualizing the awards ceremony in Canada. more..

Apr 13 (Island) The Prisons Department has granted five days for families to visit prison inmates in keeping with the Sinhala and Tamil New Year. Earlier, families were granted only two days including the Avurudu Festival day in order to visit inmates. However, it was decided to extend this time period after considering the transportation problems faced by families. The relatives of prison inmates will be able to visit from April 13-17, the Prisons Commissioner General said. more..

Apr 13 (ST) BIA will be falling in line with the globally accepted baggage check-in systems by mid 2020. It will adopt the worldwide accepted system of inline baggage handling system where the baggage of passengers passes a security check at only the airline check-in point, an airport official said. The new system would ensure that passengers will not be subject to cumbersome procedures from the time they enter the airport for security checks more..

Apr 13 (AP) German authorities have indicted a Sri Lankan man suspected of involvement in killing 15 captured government soldiers while fighting for the Tamil Tigers rebel group. Federal prosecutors said Friday that 37-year-old Sivatheeban B. is accused of membership in a foreign terrorist organization, war crimes, two cases of manslaughter and 11 cases of attempted manslaughter. The man, whose surname wasn’t released due to German privacy rules, was arrested in August. more..

Apr 13 (AD) The statement made by former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa that the Consulate General’s Office in Los Angeles is in connection with the two lawsuits filed against him is inaccurate, says Minister Rajitha Senaratne. He stated this speaking to the media following an event held in Palindanuwara. The minister further said Consular General of SL in Los Angeles has personally told him that the Consulate General’s Office does not have any connection with the matter. more..

Apr 13 (Island) SL’s cricketers have decided to go down without a fight having agreed to take home less than ten percent of the guarantee fee Sri Lanka Cricket would get from the ICC as a grant for participation in cricket’s showpiece event – ICC Cricket World Cup 2019. The portion of the players’ take home from the ICC grant has been a bone of contention since the time Sanath Jayasuriya was the skipper. This time, however, more..

Apr 13 (DM) Four men have been arrested moments after they arrived in Luton Airport on board an international flight. Airport police arrested the men and handed them over to anti terrorism officers from the Met Police Counter Terrorism Command. The men, all Sri Lankan nationals, arrived in Luton on Wednesday evening. They are currently being held in a Bedfordshire police station. Scotland Yard confirmed investigation is currently ongoing. more..

Apr 13 (Hindu) Family members of two students who were arrested by the SL Navy along with 10 fishermen on Jan 12 when they were fishing on the high seas threatened to show black flags to PM Narendra Modi here on Saturday but dropped the stir after officials assured to secure the release of the students at the earliest. The family members of J. Sam Daniel, a plus one student and B. Durai Pandi, second year engineering student presented petitions to the fisheries department officials more..

Apr 13 (Island) Rain experienced in the major catchment areas on Thursday-Friday offered a degree of hope of ending the power crisis, but ministry officials expressed disappointment over the low intensity of the showers, which, they said, was "grossly inadequate to make a positive impact on the overall ground situation". During the period 6 am on Wed to 6 am on Thur, Castleriegh received the highest rainfall of 41mm, more..

Apr 13 (DM) We are not prepared to allow the Pohottuwa to dominate the SLFP as anticipated by the members of the SLPP, SLFP National Organiser and MP, Duminda Dissanayake said. He said this during a meeting of SLFP Local Govt (LG) members at Anuradhapura on Thursday to discuss the future political activities of the party and its May Day preparations. The MP confirmed that the SLFP would nominate President Maithripala Sirisena as the party's presidential candidate. more..

Apr 13 (ST) Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) President Shammi Silva denied any talks of playing Test cricket in Paksitan. Responding to the Sunday Times on a possible Sri Lanka Test tour to Pakistan, later in July, he stated no such talks had taken place between the cricket boards of Pakistan and Sri Lanka, as reported by international media. According to a report published in a Pakistan Daily newspaper, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is currently in negotiations with the SLC, more..

Apr 13 (OHCHR) The UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture has completed its first visit to Sri Lanka from 2 to 12 April where it examined the treatment of people deprived of their liberty and the safeguards in place for their protection against torture and ill-treatment. “We have received good cooperation during the visit, having access to all places of detention, getting all relevant information and performing confidential interviews. more..