Mar 10 (EN) Colombo Fashion Week is leading a charge on becoming eco-friendly, helped by SL’s status as a manufacturing hub an industry official said, with activists around the world pushing for responsible customer behavior. In the global apparel industry, design is taking place mostly in the West and production has moved to other countries. “SL is one of the very few countries where the fashion industry and apparel co-exists,” more..

Mar 10 (AD) Colombo Magistrate’s Court today rejected the bail application filed by Major (Retired) Ajith Prasanna and two other naval intelligence officers. Additional Magistrate Priyantha Liyanage also ruled that the three defendants will be further remanded until the 24th of March, Colombo. The 3 defendants including Ajith Prasanna are accused of holding a press conference and intimidating witnesses in the case against several navy officials over abduction & disappearance of 11 youths. more..

Mar 10 (DN) The High Commission of Bangladesh in Colombo in a statement issued yesterday said it noted with concern the news reports in some local media alleging involvement of Bangladeshi nationals in a reported case of abduction/kidnapping of a 10-year old Sri Lankan girl in Kandy. On March 7 (Saturday), Police arrested the following four Bangladesh nationals (Md Marufur Rahman, Mohammad Masum Hossain, Titon Hossain, Md Suja nDhali) in Katugastota in Kandy district. more..

Mar 10 (CT) 74,792 families comprising 298,115 people are currently victims of the drought leading to a lack in drinking water, high salinity in drinking water, high winds and fire as at 8 March, DMC data showed. The highest among these victims were those suffering from increased salinity in their drinking water, a principal cause being the present drought and comprising 50,452 families equivalent to 212,728 persons. more..

Mar 10 (DM) The former Prez, former PM, former State Minister of Defence and former heads of security establishments should be held responsible for the dastardly Easter Sunday carnage, former Deputy Speaker Ananda Kumarasiri said. The final report of the parliamentary select committee, appointed by the then Speaker to probe the Easter attacks, was cited during the press briefing. “The committee concerned was appointed by the then Speaker heeding to a request made by MPs more..

Mar 10 (AD) The representatives of several political parties with internal conflicts will be convened to the Election Commission this morning (10). A spokesperson of the Commission stated that the representatives of Ahila Ilangai Tamil Congress (AITC), Eelavar Democratic Front, Eksath Lanka Podujana Pakshaya, Eksath Lanka Maha Sabha, Liberal Party and Sri Lanka Progressive Front have accordingly been called for the meeting which starts at 10.30 am. more..

Mar 10 (NAR) Four months after an electoral triumph, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has set the stage to consolidate his political gains through a landslide victory at April's parliamentary elections, which he called after dissolving the legislature last week six months before its current term ended. The hawkish Rajapaksa is unequivocal about the work cut out for the SLPP, a newly formed party that backed more..

Mar 10 (CT) During the past 72 hours alone, a staggering 17 persons lost their lives in 11 accidents in different parts of the country. Of nine persons injured in the accident, six of them succumbed to injuries while being admitted to hospital. The accident took place in the Lunugamvehera area yesterday. A van travelling on the Mattala-Kataragama Road had crashed into a tree at around 2 a.m. Nine people had been in the van at the time and six of them died on admission to more..

Mar 10 (TN) The UAE announced 15 new cases of coronavirus on Tuesday, bringing the total number recorded in the country to 74. Ministry of Health and Prevention said those infected had been placed in quarantine and are all in a stable condition. Three of the patients are from Italy, and two each from the UAE, the UK, Sri Lanka and India. The remaining four are from Germany, Tanzania, South Africa and Iran. The health authority confirmed five more people had recovered from the coronavirus, more..

Mar 10 (Forbes) While many entrepreneurs are content to continue with the status-quo, one millennial businesswoman knew she could to do more than just care about her bottom line. Moving back to SL when she was 24, Savera Weerasinghe started running a packaging factory as part of her family’s business. As a life-long environmentalist, she was shocked by the amount of single-use plastic that was used & sold as part of their operations. more..

Mar 10 (EN) Sri Lanka’ credit to govt from commercial banks had surged to 147.8 billion rupees in Jan 2020, up from 34.4 billion rupees a month earlier, amid a tax cuts, while private credit had remained flat. Credit to govt from the banking system was 119.9 billion rupees in Jan 2020, with the central bank withdrawing 27.6 billion rupees of liquidity created in December. If increases in govt credit are matched by falls in private credit, and the CB does not inject cash to keep rates down, more..

Mar 10 (AD) A SL passenger has been apprehended at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) this morning in Katunayake for illegally bringing in a stock of foreign-manufactured cigarettes. The Customs officers attached to the Katunayake Airport had nabbed the passenger in question. He was identified as a 33-year-old small-scale businessman from Mawathagama in Kurunegala. He had arrived at the airport from Dubai at around 8.30 am, boarding a flight belonging to the Emirates. more..

Mar 10 (EN) This year’s International Women’s Day theme is #EachforEqual – a concept grounded in the idea of Collective Individualism. Collective Individualism is the idea that each of us is part of one whole. Our individual actions, conversations, behaviours and mindsets go beyond the confines of our individual lives, and can have a significant impact on our larger society. Collectively, we have the capacity to create more..

Mar 11 (CT) The US govt has rejected the war crimes allegations against it in regard to its conduct of the war in Afghanistan. This is yet another indication how governments across the world seek to justify their actions in times of war. Three decades ago, when the war with the LTTE was heightening, there was a debate about whether President J R Jayewardene had misquoted the Roman statesman and philosopher Cicero as saying that In times of war, the laws fall silent. more..

Mar 11 (DM) On Apr 6, 2014, we won the World T20 beating India in Dhaka. So what we are experiencing today is a very recent development. In the first quarter of 19th century, while Planting Whites introduced Rugby in the highlands, their military counterparts played Cricket down in Colombo. Two centuries apart they are back for two tests. It’s Cricket, where pride & passion reigns! Administered, mostly by politicians though, politics or business interests never interfered with the game, more..

Mar 11 (TM) Recent developments indicate that the Govt would be taking measures to monitor and regulate non-governmental organisations (NGOs), with the first step being financial regulation. Sectoral Oversight Committee on National Security has recommended that steps be taken to establish a mechanism that would allow the regulation of all finances received by Sri Lanka from NGOs. more..

Mar 11 (CT) Just as the 1956 General Election was contested and won by SWRD and his SLFP-led coalition, solely on the Sinhala Only language issue, the forthcoming one in April is also going to be fought and won by Mahinda Rajapaksa (MR) and his SLPP-led coalition, on the single issue of restoring Sinhala Buddhist supremacy. And, just as in 1956 so also in 2020 it will be members from the Buddhist clergy, who are going to be the foot soldiers in this supremacy campaign. more..

Mar 11 (DM) Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa has decided not to accommodate any member of the Buddhist clergy in the SLPP nomination lists for the upcoming General Elections, according to Minister Keheliya Rambukwella. At the same time, Ven. Warakagoda Sri Gnanaratana Mahanayake Thera of the Asgiriya Chapter told Elections Commission Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya that amendments should be brought into the Election laws to prohibit granting nominations to monks to contest elections. more..

Mar 11 (DM) Although men would look for lady driven cars when purchasing second-hand vehicles, it seems that they do not have the patience required to ensure said quality of vehicles when driving. Last Sunday we celebrated International Women’s Day reflecting on the progress made by women. It was a day where the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women were celebrated. more..

Mar 11 (DN) As the two new political alliances SL Nidahas Podujana Sandanaya and Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB) try to simmer down the tensions of their intra-party power struggles and clashes, the period to hand over nominations begins tomorrow setting the stage for General Elections 2020. Given the preferential voting system, the intra-party competition could be expected to reach a fever pitch when the race begins after the nominations. Accustomed so long to a two-party system, more..

Mar 11 (Island) The CID has made a strong case for being disbanded. It cannot even catch a bunch of suspects, wanted in connection with the Treasury bond scams. We thought it would get cracking after the change of govt. The Sherlocks of the SL Police had all the time in the world to keep the suspects under surveillance after the Attorney General’s call for their arrests. They keep making a spectacle of themselves by going to the suspects’ residences daily, and returning empty-handed. more..

Mar 11 (DN) Fish is an essential food item in our daily life. Generally it is difficult to eat our meals, especially lunch without a good fish curry. We go to our nearest fish vendor, fish stall, public market or supermarket to purchase our fish. People who reside in coastal areas are fortunate enough to buy newly caught fresh fish from the nearby beaches. Some men who sell fish, carry two baskets hanging on a long wooden pole. It is identified as a pingo. There are several kinds of fish in the market. more..

Mar 11 (Island) Historically, the West has always had an equivocal attitude towards China, not to mention the non-white world. A fear, a suspicion, a fascination, an uncertainty, a sense of superiority and even a loathing reserved for an undeserving competitor pervaded its dealings. Perhaps, resulting from perceptions that evolved on the basis of the writings of 19th century visitors, missionaries, diplomats, traders, et al who came to China pompously full of their own socio – religious more..

Mar 11 (Island) The Island of 07.03.2020 carried two pieces on related topics; one is an article by Rohana R. Wasala on Controversy over Hathe Ape Potha, which is a supplementary reader in Sinhala for Grade 7 students in govt schools meant to provide them with sexuality and reproductive health education, which has been authored by a team of health and education specialists. more..

Mar 11 (Island) The UN wants to influence the SL electorate. The global body expects the SL electorate to vote for women at the forthcoming Parliamentary election. Obviously, the UN wonts major political parties to field more women in their nomination lists for the electorate to choose from. A weeklong nomination period begins tomorrow (12). Hanaa Singer, UN Resident Coordinator in SL, in a special statement headlined More women in power please, issued to mark Int'l Women’s Day, more..

Mar 11 (Island) Devapathiraja College Ratgama confirmed their superiority in girls cricket and the reputation as a major talent provider to the national women’s cricket team when they won their fifth consecutive Inter School Under-19 girls’ cricket title on Tuesday. They beat Ratnavali Balika by 14 runs in the final of the 2019 edition played at Mattegoda. Chasing 137 runs to win, the girls from Gampaha were bowled out for 122 runs in the final over as Sachini Nisansala picked up three wickets more..

Mar 11 (FT) Colombo stock market yesterday saw Rs. 103 billion in value wiped off with the key price index plunging to a near 8-year low after external shocks-led panic-selling triggered the circuit breaker of S&P SL 20 index, forcing market halt for half an hour. In a day of heightened concern and confusion, the market opened after the Poya holiday on Monday only to suffer a 5% crash of the active S&P SL20 index within 15m of trading. more..

Mar 11 (Island) 19th Amendment provided for the creation of a Constitutional Council with powers to recommend names of persons for appointment of members to eight Independent Commissions by the Prez, one of which is the Human Rights Commission of SL. The Constitutional Council would consist of the PM; Speaker; Leader of the Opposition; One MP appointed by the Prez; 5 members nominated by the PM and the Leader of the Opposition; and One MP appointed by the majority in Parliament. more..

Mar 11 (IT) Irfan Pathan played an unbeaten knock of 57 runs as India Legends defeated Sri Lanka Legends by five wickets in the ongoing Road Safety World Series on Tuesday here at the DY Patil Sports Stadium. Chasing 139, India Legends got off to the worst possible start as the side lost Sachin Tendulkar (0) in the very first over of the innings. Soon after, Virender Sehwag (3) and Yuvraj Singh (1) were sent back to the pavilion, reducing India to 19/3 in the fifth over. more..

Mar 11 (Island) United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) recently partnered with Facebook to support youth social innovation in Sri Lanka through the HackaDev programme in 2019/2020, UNDP said in a media release. It said: Today’s generation of adolescents and youth stands at 1.8 billion people – the largest our world has ever seen. Most of these young people live in developing countries. The energy, enthusiasm, and more..

Mar 11 (FT) Lankan Angel Network (LAN) has launched Sri Lanka’s first Angel Fund, established with the support of ecosystem development partner Ford Foundation, to catalyse the growth of Sri Lanka’s startup ecosystem. A first of its kind in Sri Lanka, this Fund will be LAN’s flagship initiative moving forward, and is based on Rs. 100 million in investments from 100 individuals investing Rs. 1 million each. The Fund will be managed by LAN’s fund management team, which will identify more..

Mar 11 (DN) S. Thomas’ College will start tomorrow with the morale boost, as the shield holders, packed with batting but with a less impactful bowling playing to defend the D.S. Senanayake Shield against traditional rivals Royal College in the 141st Battle of the Blues cricket encounter at the SSC grounds from March 12-14. However though, theirs was also a far-off from smooth-sail, including an off-colour run and suffering an elimination from the knockout stages of the U-19 two-dayer, more..

Mar 11 (EN) SL has announced that 45,585 graduate mainly from state universities who failed to get a job in productive sectors, would be given appointments to join the public sector at tax-payer expense, in a costly fallout from a quality crisis in higher education sector. Minister Bandula Gunawardana said the names of the graduates would be posted online on March 11. The unemployed graduate scheme on the eve of more..

Mar 11 (FT) Advocata Institute hosted their latest event, Red Tape Regulations that Stifle Small Business in Colombo last week. Objective of the Red Tape Project is to identify, study, and advocate for the removal of legal and regulatory barriers faced by businesses in SL. As a first step towards the process, it launched a report on Barriers to Micro & Small Enterprises, and a website for entrepreneurs to submit views on red tape and govt processes that need to be removed or simplified. more..

Mar 11 (CT) Colombo Triathlons 2020, CeyEndurance Series is scheduled to take place on 22 March at Galle Face Green. The event features Standard & Sprint and the Junior Aquathlon categories. Registrations are open till 15 March on the event website. The event is open to both individuals and adult relay teams. The event will be centred on a carnival theme for spectators and families in attendance. Divinsan Pvt Ltd. Managing Director Dinesh Fernando noted, more..

Mar 11 (TM) The Govt has decided to suspend major foreign fund inflows for development projects for at least the next two years as the country’s foreign borrowings have risen to alarming levels, The Sunday Morning learnt. External Resources Department (ERD) Director General Priyantha Rathnayake said that the Govt would accommodate only urgent and important foreign investment proposals during the period. more..

Mar 11 (DN) A leading UK Travel Consultant has recommended Sri Lanka as suitable travel destination to avoid fears of Coronavirus. Paul Charles, the Chief Executive of PC Agency, a leading travel consultancy firm, has stated that it is ideal for a tourist or a traveller to visit a destination which boasts of a warmer climate, to avoid the impact of the Coronavirus outbreak. He had said this in an interview to Sky News, one of the leading media networks in the UK, more..

Mar 11 (FT) Tourist Hotels Association of SL (THASL) yesterday met the PM Mahinda Rajapaksa on the impact of the coronavirus in the tourism industry and what measures needed to manage the crisis. At the meeting attended by SLTDA and other Govt officials, it was agreed to continue the dialogue on a regular basis to monitor steps being taken to prevent the spread of the virus. “As more and more countries are being affected daily, the industry has highlighted that communication from more..

Mar 11 (CI) Kusal Perera is likely to receive substantial compensation over his 2015-16 doping suspension, as settlement negotiations with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) reach their final stages. Final amount has not yet been pinned down, but Perera is seeking compensation not only for the roughly US$ 100,000 he and his agent had spent clearing his name but also for loss of income and damages. more..