Mar 11 (Island) Munchee of Ceylon Biscuits Limited (CBL), recently partnered with the prestigious 19thannual International Schools’ Championships (ISAC) as the principal sponsor. ISAC was held on Feb 15, 16 and 17, 2019, at the Sugathadasa Stadium in Colombo. Supporting Munchee’s mission of raising the profile of local sports, starting from school sports, the ISAC sponsorship aimed to shine a spotlight on student athletes at International Schools, paving a path to enter into more..

Mar 11 (FT) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe says, during the next 5 years, programs that everyone can be a part of will be implemented to bring about a rapid development in the country. Participating in the first rally of the Sirikotha Gamata program of UNP membership drive in Thotawatta Village in Panadura, PM said that they took the Govt in 2015 and began to make a change, the results of the work done are being received now. more..

Mar 11 (CT) The World Bank Board of Directors last week has approved a $125 million credit for Sri Lanka to improve the climate resilience and productivity of agriculture for more than 470,000 small farmers in 6 provinces in the dry zone of the country. The provinces selected are those that are most exposed to climate impacts. Sri Lanka is particularly vulnerable to climate-related natural disasters such as floods and droughts. The agriculture sector, which contributes 7.7% to more..

Mar 11 (DN) A strong call was presented for a Keynesian model intervention to boost the economy at the CA Budget Forum held on Saturday. Dr Nishan De Mel addressing the forum, urged for a Keynesian intervention to boost the economy. He called for the indexing of excise taxes. He said this would help create consistent tax rises within subsequent budgets. Dr De Mel began his presentation by outlining the IMF view of austerity economics. more..

Mar 11 (Island) Another set of samples from the Mannar mass grave should be sent for carbon dating in another country, TNA said. "This is not to say that we do not accept the reports sent by a lab in US, but given the importance of the Mannar grave site we need to get a second opinion," Mullaitivu District MP, Nirmalanathan Sivamohan said. Nothing had been done when 96 skeletons were found, previously, more..

Mar 11 (FT) Flexicare Lanka Ltd, a fully owned subsidiary of Flexicare Group, UK, is in the process of setting up a state-of-the-art modern manufacturing facility in Bandaragama, a BoI approved project with a total investment of over $ 10 million. This will be the first time that a fully-fledged facility is established for medical consumables and devices, with a view to export a significant amount of the products manufactured in SL. It is envisaged that over 90% of the production will be exported, more..

Mar 11 (ST) A senior banking professional with over 40 years experience in the local bank arena, Jayaraja Chandrasekera assumed duties as the new Chairman of National Savings Bank (NSB) this week. Mr. Chandrasekera has served at HNB in various posts including as a member of its Senior Corporate Management and later at Pan Asia Bank and Zenith BPO Pvt Ltd as a member of the Board of Directors since leaving his alma mater Royal College Colombo. more..

Mar 11 (Island) Three civil society groups have thrown their weight behind UNP, JVP and TNA efforts to abolish the executive presidential system while Minister Mano Ganesan declared that the UNP-led United National Front (UNF) recently reached a consensus on a common presidential candidate though he wouldn’t reveal the identity of their man. DPF leader Ganesan said that the UNP was ready to face 2019 prez election. more..

Mar 11 (IDN) President Sirisena was the Chief Guest at the ceremonial opening of the Buddha Shrine of the Int'l Cambodian Buddhist Centre in Kaduwela on March 9 marking a new chapter in reviving ancient Buddhist links with Cambodia. The event was Co-Chaired by the Most Venerable Napana Pemasiri Mahanayaka Thera, Chief Sangha Patron of the SL Ramanna Maha Nikaya and the Most Venerable Am Lim Heng Maha Nayaka Thera, Deputy Sangharaja of Cambodia. more..

Mar 11 (FT) The first SL nurse recruited through the SL Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) has left the country for nursing service at a U.S. hospital. The SLBFE recently signed a MoU with an American company, Michigan-based Karma Services to provide job opportunities for more than 3,000 local nurses in U.S. hospitals. Accordingly, the first SL nurse recruited for the nursing service in the US, MMG Ruwani Ranasinghe, a registered nurse of the Sri Lanka Medical Council, more..

Mar 11 (Island) SL’s top diplomatic post in Washington remains vacant in spite of the parliamentary High Posts Committee approving the appointment of career foreign service officer Rodney Perera as the Ambassador to the US. Perera still remains Ambassador to Belgium and the EU with concurrent accreditation as Ambassador to Luxembourg though he received the go ahead a couple of months ago. more..

Mar 11 (DN) SL can be considered as the leading country in South Asia that ensures the safety of women despite certain shortcomings. Now women in SL should become shareholders of smart technology too, Minister Champika Ranawaka said. He was addressing the gathering at a ceremony to mark Int'l Women’s Day themed, Suhuru Kathak, Sonduru Lovak held at the NYSC, Maharagama on March 8. He said it can be proudly stated that in Sri Lanka, no prohibition on the fairer sex to enter more..

Mar 11 (AD) Land Price Index (LPI) for Colombo District, compiled by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL), reached 125.9 during the 2nd half of 2018, recording an increase of 18 per cent compared to the 2nd half of 2017. The three sub-indices of LPI, namely residential, commercial and industrial have contributed to this increase. LPI is compiled covering all Divisional Secretariat (DS) divisions of Colombo District using per perch bare land prices collected from the Govt Valuation Department more..

Mar 11 (CT) Dept of Examinations is to implement a programme to make national exams for schoolchildren less complicated than the existing ones. Under this student-friendly examinations programme, much easier exam papers for the students sitting for Grade Five Scholarship exam, GCE O/L and A/L exams, will be prepared. According to Examinations Commissioner General, programme will be implemented this year. more..

Mar 11 (FT) The latest edition of LMD reports that the LMD-Nielsen Business Confidence Index (BCI) climbed 14 basis points to register 115 in February. This follows an increase of 11 basis points in the previous month and also puts the index above its average of 101 for the last 12 months. However, it remains 12 basis points below where it stood a year ago, LMD points out. Nielsen’s Managing Director Sharang Pant says: “The tailwinds behind the improvement in sentiment remain the same more..

Mar 11 (DM) Mine Detection Dog (MDD) fleet of the Humanitarian De-Mining Unit (HDU) had received the 4-year old Belgian Malinois from the US-based Marshall Legacy Institute (MLI) for its mine clearing work, the Army said. Born in Bosnia on 15 May 2015, the Belgian Malinois named Nam has been serving in mine-infested northern Iraq as a member of the MDD team before she was brought down to Sri Lanka with the int'l MDD trainer, Adis Pelto, multiplying the Army’s MDD fleet to 8 dogs. more..

Mar 11 (CT) The suspects who are currently on bail, in connection with the hit- and-run incident are likely to be arrested, in the process of the investigations, as the Traffic OIC of Borella Police, who was the victim, has succumbed to his injuries. This was revealed by Chief of the Traffic Police, DIG Ajith Rohana, said. He also said that late Traffic OIC of the Borella Police, Ananda Sagara Sarathchandra (51) is likely to be promoted posthumously. more..

Mar 11 (DM) Venezuela is a country with the largest deposits of unrefined oil resources in the world. Yet it has the world’s highest rate of inflation -- a staggering 2,600% last year -- according to recently released figures. Its economy is tittering on the brink of bankruptcy. How did this happen? Venezuelan oil isn’t high in quality. It needs heavy processing and consequently Venezuela’s oil requires specialized refineries and thereby oil fetches lower world market prices. more..

Mar 11 (DM) Economic Development Framework for a Northern Province Master Plan, is a study commissioned by the Central Bank of SL and carried out by a team of seven members with competence in relevant fields and knowledge of post-war conditions in the province. The study provides an opportunity for an open discussion on post-war development in the Northern Province. Apparently, the first post-war Provincial Council (Oct 2013 – Sept 2018) did not find it worth creating more..

Mar 11 (DN) At the moment 13% of males in Sri Lanka smoke and this is significantly a small percentage when comparing with other countries in the world, the National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol (NATA) Chairman Dr. Palitha Abeykoon said. Addressing the launching ceremony of Community Driven Tobacco Surveillance System organized by Faculty of Medicine, Uni of Colombo in collaboration with WHO Country Office more..

Mar 11 (EN) Sri Lanka Monday signed an agreement with Japan for a soft loan to build a light rail transit (LRT) system connecting the capital Colombo’s commercial centre with the Malabe suburb, cutting travel time to about 30 minutes. The entire rail track and stations will be on elevated viaducts to minimize requirement of land acquisition, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the Japanese aid agency, said in a statement. more..

Mar 11 (Island) Leader of the Opposition Mahinda Rajapaksa, addressing the SLPP, rally in Kandy, on Friday, said that the inefficient and incompetent incumbent govt had failed to build at least one kilometre of the Kandy William Gopallawa Mawatha during the last four years. If the one-km stretch had been built, traffic congestion in Kandy could have been easted to a considerable extent, Rajapaksa said, addressing the rally more..

Mar 11 (EN) Sri Lanka's budget and a deal with the IMF would help cut economic risks and get over the disruptions from a political crisis in Oct 2019, though a collapse of a soft-peg with the US dollar has worsened debt, Fitch Ratings said. "The agreement with IMF staff to extend a three-year Extended Fund Facility that began in 2016, if eventually approved by the Executive Board, would give the SL authorities more time to complete more..

Mar 11 (FT) SL Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) confirmed that it was in the process of discussing with CNN to run its latest brand identity marketing campaign for the next two months till May. “Following the successful marketing campaign we had with CNN, the SLTPB is now considering on running a new campaign with our latest illustration from the eyes of the rich and diverse wildlife – to bring to life our new brand So Sri Lanka, more..

Mar 11 (Island) A special note would be sent to the UNHRC via the Governor of the Northern Province, Suren Raghavan, former TNA MP, M.K. Sivajilingam said. He said that after learning that Raghavan would attend the UNHRC sessions, as a representative of the President, he had handed over the letter to the Secretary to the Governor a few days back. "I went there with former NPC minister, Ananthi Sasitharan and a few others. more..

Mar 11 (DM) SL has united once again as the national anthem is being sung both in Sinhala and in Tamil at functions in all parts of the county, PM Ranil Wickremesinghe observed. PM expressed this view at the launch of the Sirikotha Gamata programme in Bandaragama yesterday. “Both Sinhala and Tamil speaking people say in their respective languages We are all children of one mother when they sing the national anthem. more..

Mar 11 (GDI) Sri Lanka police from today will launch operations near night clubs, bars and other venues where alcohol is served to crack down on drunk drivers. Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge Traffic and Road Safety Ajith Rohana at a media conference held at the Police Headquarters announced that special measures are being taken to curb drunk driving which has become a serious problem. more..

Mar 11 (ST) The Cabinet this week gave the go-ahead to start formal negotiations with the Govt of India (GoI) to reach final agreement for operation of Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA), including rights to supply catering and ground handling services. A joint Cabinet memorandum titled Implementation of the Proposal Submitted by Airports Authority of India for the Operation of MRIA was approved on Wed. more..

Mar 11 (NR) The special committee on fuel prices will convene this morning to revise domestic fuel prices, based on the Cabinet approved monthly pricing formula. Ministry of Finance said the revised fuel prices according to the monthly fuel pricing formula, is expected to be announced later today. The fuel pricing formula which was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers comes into effect on the 10th of every month. more..

Mar 11 (AD) A Sri Lankan employed at a foreign airline has been detained at the BIA along with gold jewellery worth over Rs 21 million. He was held by a group of officers of Customs Narcotics Control Unit attached to the BIA. The detainee had arrived in the country at around 10 a.m. this morning (11) from Doha, Qatar. The contraband contained 423 gold bangles weighing 4kg 43g and it was concealed inside his travelling bag, the Customs media spokesperson said. more..

Mar 11 (FT) Prior to the presentation of the Budget 2019, there was wide speculation that it would be an election budget. There were at least two elections in the pipeline and the expectation was that Minister Mangala Samaraweera who is now called Khema’s Boy would naturally succumb to the pressure of his party colleagues to fill the Budget with sweeteners to appease the voters. This has been the hidebound tradition in Sri Lanka ever since it became independent from the British. more..

Mar 11 (EN) SL has completed just over a quarter of the proposals made in he 2018 budget so far, State Finance Eran Wickramaratne said. "Implementation of Budget 2018 is at 27.6% completed, 64.2% in-progress and only 8.2% stalled," he said in a twitter message. "We are strengthening the implementation process to yield better results this year," he said. Budget proposals for one year however may take several years to complete. A road for example may take three to four years to build. more..

Mar 11 (CT) Acting Director General of the Meteorological Department Athula Karunanayake has warned on the prevailing extreme warm weather condition and the weatherman even alerted that young, old and the feeble should be paid more attention over the unbearable warm weather which could lead to strokes, cramps and dehydration. On the other hand a top official from the CEB citing the prevailing extreme hot weather condition has even warned of worst power cuts in the Island. more..

Mar 11 (AD) Navy Commander Retired Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda has left the CID after recording an eight hours long statement. The Former Navy Commander arrived at the CID, this morning on court orders. On Feb 25th, Retired Admiral Karannagoda filed a FR petition seeking an order preventing the CID from arresting him. In his petition, Karannagoda had stated that the CID launched an investigation on him for more..

Mar 11 (RW) Qatar Charity (QC) has opened a multi-service center in the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka, benefiting more than 500 people. The center includes 22 housing units and all basic facilities. The multi-service center seeks to contribute to the resettlement of the second generation of families displaced due to crises experienced by the country previously, reduce the displacement and migration of the population in search of housing and water sources and provide them with more..

Mar 11 (CT) The Ride for Ceylon campaign, aimed at raising funds for the Manipai Green Hospital, concluded on Saturday week with the donating of free sports material and equipment to under privileged schools in the North and East and elsewhere in the country. The schools to receive the sports equipment were selected from across the ethnic and religious divide from Kalmunai, Kiran, Mullaitivu, Kilinochchi, Jaffna, Chaddikulam, Vavuniya, A'pura, Yapahuwa, Tissamharama. more..

Mar 11 (DM) Fort Magistrate Court freed Messrs, Overseas Realty (Ceylon) PLC and the owner of World Trade Centre (WTC), from alleged offences punishable for criminal trespassing and mischief charges framed against them. Fort Police had reported to Fort Magistrate Ranga Dissanayake, that Madhuritha Rajapakse, a tenant in level 6, east low block, had complained to police that his premises had been illegally trespassed and more..

Mar 11 (AD) The driver of the Defender involved in the hit and run case in Bambalapitiya which killed the Traffic OIC of Borella Police station has been remanded further. As per the orders of the Colombo Fort Magistrate, he has been remanded until the 18th of March. Traffic OIC of the Borella Police, IP Sarathchandra, 51, had been en route to the Kollupitiya Police Station, when he had met with an accident when the motorcycle he was riding was hit by a speeding Defender more..

Mar 11 (CT) Some 50 acres of forest cover, bordering the famous St. Claire’s Fall in Talawakelle, was destroyed in a major fire yesterday afternoon and Police probing the incident have not ruled out arson. According to the Police, the fire started shortly after midday and raged on for several hours since firefighters had to cope up with strong winds that were blowing across the area. Police strongly suspect that drunken revelers, who are known to visit such areas during the holidays, more..