Mar 11 (NR) CAA has imposed Maximum Retail Prices on the sale chicken with effect from midnight. Accordingly, one kilogram of chicken with skin will be sold at Rs. 430 from tomorrow. The CAA said a kilogram of skinless chicken cannot be sold for more than Rs.530 according to the new directive. The decision was taken after the prices have increased steeply in the domestic market recently, and also to provide concession to consumers ahead of more..

Mar 11 (EN) Health officials are tracking and monitoring some 4,443 Chinese nationals in the country for signs of COVID-19. Director-General of Health Services Dr Anil Jasinghe said this monitoring process is being done for two weeks after they arrive on the island. Arrivals from COVID19-hit Iran, Italy and South Korea are being sent directly from the airport to quarantine centres where they are kept for 14 days. more..

Mar 11 (FT) Tensions between the SLFP and the SLPP escalated yesterday, with Minister Prasanna Ranatunga calling on SLPP supporters to step back from supporting former President Maithripala Sirisena and his faction, insisting the SLPP should stay ahead of the preferential vote race. Speaking to Daily FT, Ranatunga said that the public were aware of those who stayed loyal to PM Mahinda Rajapaksa even after he lost his presidency and only they would get votes to be elected to Parliament. more..

Mar 11 (DM) There is a sinister move by the government to postpone the general election citing coronavirus as an excuse, former MP Harin Fernando said today. Mr. Fernando told a press conference that the move by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa to sign nomination papers from Kurunegala is the beginning of this exercise. "Signing of nomination papers by Premier Rajapaksa may be the beginning of this drama to postpone the election" the former MP said. more..

Mar 11 (Island) A group of concerned 72 academics and individuals has, in a statement on the first anniversary of the April 21st attacks, appealed to the Prez and all politicians, both in the govt and in the opposition, to make a renewed commitment not to using rhetoric that is divisive and incendiary. The academics have said: "We and particularly those directly affected must grieve, heal and mourn in solidarity and togetherness. more..

Mar 12 (ST) The coronavirus is no respecter of persons. It strikes anyone, anywhere and particularly in cold climates. That’s why it seems to have affected countries with lower temperatures, while those in the tropics have largely been spared. More than 70 countries have been affected by varying degrees, the biggest being China – where the virus originated – followed by South Korea, Italy, Iran, Japan, France, Germany and the US. It hits the rich and poor without hesitation while more..

Mar 12 (CT) Never in my recollection has a PM or Prez evoked such diverse expectations. Some say Gotabaya Rajapaksa is motivated and has achievements to show, albeit at the microlevel of enforcing discipline and stimulating errant staff in govt departments to pull up their socks. Others say he is taking a series of steps that undermine civil liberties and democratic rights and manipulating the prosecution of military and police personnel and Paksa family types who have brazenly more..

Mar 12 (ST) Nilakshi*, a 16-year-old girl, was in a relationship with a boy. As part of the growing trend for young couples, she had sent him semi-nude photos of herself. Two years into the relationship, Nilakshi realised he was not suitable for her, and she would rather focus on her studies. A while later, Nilakshi’s brother received a message from an anonymous number informing him that his sister’s nude photos were circulating on more..

Mar 12 (CT) It is election time again – this time for aspirants to get elected and vest themselves with power in governance through the main legislature- the Parliament. The leaders of political parties and coalitions and their members nominated to contest will now be rushing to seek the blessings of the Chief Prelates and other Religious Leaders. They will hand handover copies of their manifestoes and explain how they will implement the policies in realizing the expectations of society. more..

Mar 12 (ST) Where are iPhones made? Perhaps, the best person to ask that question is Siri – the talking digital assistant in iPhone. But you need to ask the right question not to confuse that assistant: “Where were you manufactured?” Siri will give you this answer: “Like it says on the box… I was designed by Apple in California.” What the assistant says is that the device was designed in California, but not where it was manufactured? It is not a lie, but obviously it is not the answer to question. more..

Mar 12 (CT) Yet another incident of authorities either being grossly incompetent or maliciously cheating citizens of their money has come to light, as people in parts of Chilaw have been receiving abnormally high rates in their monthly water bills, according to a resident of the area who wished to remain anonymous. The resident explained that tenants in the area with water connections from the WSDB more..

Mar 12 (GV) 5th of Mar 2018 marked the beginning of a series of violent mob attacks against the Muslims in the central parts of the country, perpetrated by the ethno-nationalist Sinhala Buddhists. A personal vendetta that escalated into (almost) a movement against a minority community, the riots of Digana and the surrounding areas brought out a deep-seated national issue. In the middle of unspeakable devastation, there were stories untold; there were stories of damage, more..

Mar 12 (FT) So, it’s that time of the year again. Yes, it’s the silly season that comes around once too often for some tastes. But hang on. If you’re not sure whether we mean cricket or politics un-loverly politics – well, join the club. Because it’s becoming increasingly hard to tell the gentlemen’s game apart from the other spectacle, isn’t it? For starters, try explaining the game of cricket to a foreigner who has no clue about the greatest sporting endeavour down the centuries. more..

Mar 12 (DN) It’s mid-March and the Royal-Thomian that places the big match season in the pinnacle, signifying the month of March starts today at the SSC grounds till Saturday. The highly-anticipated 141st innings of the Battle of the Blues, starring arch-rivals Royal College, Colombo, and S. Thomas’ College, Mount Lavinia, will go all-guns blazing to reclaim and retain the Rt. Hon. D.S. Senanayake Shield. S. Thomas’, commonly dubbed as Thora, the shield holders, enter the elite match with more..

Mar 12 (Island) World Kidney Day (WKD) is observed every year on the 2nd Thursday in March. This year is the 15th anniversary of World Kidney Day and it falls on the 12th of March. At the start in 2006 there were 66 countries observed this day, and by 2008 it has increased to 88. WKD is a joint initiative of Int'l Society of Nephrology (ISN) and Int'l Federation of Kidney Foundations. Across the globe many events take place celebrating this day from public screenings to marathons. more..

Mar 12 (CI) England's cricket team will refrain from taking selfies with fans and limit public engagements on their tour of Sri Lanka amid the global Coronavirus outbreak. The team also asked "all supporters joining the tour to maintain good levels of hygiene" as advised by the World Health Organisation Britain's National Health Service to avoid possible infection and spreading of illness in a statement released by ECB on Wednesday. more..

Mar 12 (Island) The first Sri Lankan, afflicted with COVID-19, has been detected, here, and quarantined. He had been with a group of Italian tourists as a tour guide, according to media reports. This detection has made the country’s battle against COVID-19 even more daunting. The Army has had to fight a war of sorts in peacetime; it has come forward to shoulder the task of quarantining suspected COVID-19 cases. The national military deserves public plaudits. more..

Mar 12 (CT) Lahiru Thirimanne, who was dropped from the Test squad, has been given the responsibility of leading the SL Board President's XI against England in the second practice game, which will be a four-day encounter, to be played at P. Sara Oval from 12 to 15 March. In form opener Pathum Nissanka and Ramesh Mendis, who recently scored his first class 300, have also been named in the team. Roshen Silva, who lost his place in the Test squad, has been given another opportunity to more..

Mar 12 (FT) Construction industry stakeholders yesterday appealed to the Govt to pay an estimated Rs. 400 billion owing to hundreds of companies, many of them Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), and suspend deducting liquidated damages from overextended projects to assist the cash-starved sector. Ceylon Institute of Builders (CIOB) said they had already appealed for the Govt to implement a suspension of more..

Mar 12 (ST) President of National Rifle Association of India (NRAI), Raninder Singh, has pledged total support to SL, after he successfully advocated to revive shooting sports at the Commonwealth Games (CWG) 2022 to be held in Birmingham. The NRAI, headed by Singh, a former Indian trap shooter and Vice President of the Int'l Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF), submitted a proposal to the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), through Commonwealth Games India, more..

Mar 12 (ST) While there has been a far cry that the country’s universities are lackadaisical and fail to produce employable and creative graduates, in the yesteryear those coming out of universities were considered excellent. At present there are some universities that understood the development and commercial strategies of the country and in fact gear their undergraduates to invent products and services that could reach international market. This was apparent at the launch of more..

Mar 12 (DN) In the midst of the raging corona virus disease that is threatening int'l sports events around the world, Sri Lanka and England are preparing to face each other in a two-match Test series which is part of the ongoing ICC World Test Championships. England are a confident lot coming hot on the heels of a 3-1 thrashing of South Africa in a 4-Test series and hungry to extend that run further to enhance their chances of more..

Mar 12 (CT) Fitch Ratings has stated it will review the National Ratings assigned to the issues of Tier 2 debt of Sri Lankan banks and non-bank financial institutions (NBFIs), following the publication of its updated Bank Rating Criteria on 28 February 2020. Fitch highlighted that its ratings approach for the ratings of subordinated debt of NBFIs follows the rationale outlined in the Bank Rating Criteria, as NBFIs are prudentially regulated under a similar framework as banks. more..

Mar 12 (LBO) Citra Social Innovation Lab, facilitated a design thinking workshop on recommendations to increase usage of the Lanka Govt Network 2.0 (LGN 2.0) within the public sector. The LGN 2.0, provided by the Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA), is a secure, private network that aims to connect all govt organizations of Sri Lanka in a cost-effective and secure manner. The network has over 800 current connections across the island and ICTA is working to significantly increase more..

Mar 12 (PMD) President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has paid his attention to enhance the efficiency of railway services and to make it a people- friendly service while identifying the existing shortcomings. The Prez instructed the officials to devise necessary strategies and to take required decisions to improve the service by eliminating delays and upgrading compartments facilities. Prez Rajapaksa made directives at a meeting more..

Mar 12 (CT) Singer announced that it was voted the People's Brand of the Year for the 14th consecutive year at the recently-concluded SLIM-Nielsen People's Choice Awards. The brand also won the Consumer Durables Brand of the Year award, also for the 14th consecutive time, at the same awards ceremony. Organised by the SL Institute of Marketing (SLIM), the SLIM-Nielsen Peoples Awards allows the general public to name a host of their favourite entities, such as more..

Mar 12 (TM) The Securities and Exchange Commission of SL (SEC) held a special meeting today (11) to assess the current situation in the stock market and determine what regulatory relief and assistance was needed to manage it. Viraj Dayaratne, PC, Chairman, SEC, Chinthaka Mendis, Director General, SEC along with Commissioners Manil Jayesinghe, H.A. Karunaratne, Priyantha Ratnayake, Naresh Abeysekera and Rajeeva Bandaranaike, CEO, CSE participated more..

Mar 12 (Island) PM Mahinda Rajapaksa as the Minister of Finance has a legal responsibility to release a Pre-Election Budgetary position report containing information on the fiscal position of the country before March 23, 2020, former Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera said. The Fiscal Management (Responsibility) Act No. 03 of 2003 warrants the Secretary to the Treasury to publish a Pre-Election Budgetary Position more..

Mar 12 (CT) Ambassador of SL to Belgium, Grace Asirwatham met with Belgium's West Flanders Province Governor, Carl Decaluwe, on 3 March at the Governor's Residence in Brugge. During the meeting, the Governor explained the economic significance of West Flanders Province in Belgium and highlighted the presence of a large number of industry leaders known for worldclass production and processing of fish, meat, vegetables and grains. Province is also home to one of the largest more..

Mar 12 (Island) With the objective of broadening the scope and attracting academic interest in the maritime sector, the Hambantota International Port (HIP) has facilitated a series of interactions with universities and educational institutes. Recently a student and faculty delegation from the Uni of Agder, Norway visited HIP to understand and study the port and its unique location. A group of second-year MBA students from the Harvard Business School were also recent visitors to the port. more..

Mar 12 (AD) Secretary of the Presidential Commission appointed to investigate alleged incidents of political victimization, Pearl Weerasinghe, has surrendered to the Colombo Permanent High Court-at-Bar through a lawyer following a warrant was issued for her arrest. The Secretary of the commission appeared before the judge-bench comprising Justices Vikum Kaluarachchi, Dhammika Ganepola and more..

Mar 12 (DN) Plastics and Rubber Institute of SL (PRI) recently entered into a partnership with the SL Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT) for the institute’s graduates and undergraduates to be a part of their Finite Element Analysis and Simulation Center (FEAS Center). The center was established by PRI, to support the industry with the facility to do analysis especially in the area of Finite Elements (FE). The plastics and rubber industry has a clear requirement of FE Analysis more..

Mar 12 (DM) The GMOA yesterday requested the politicians not to use the COVID-19 epidemic situation for mere political gain, ahead of the General Election. GMOA Secretary Dr. Haritha Aluthge request all govt and opposition members to keep in mind and act with concern with the instant decisions taken by the Health Ministry. Also, he requested the Govt to locate the Italian tourist group and send them to a quarantine centre if they are still in the country. more..

Mar 12 (DN) The Election Commission (EC) will commence accepting nominations from candidates competing in the General Election from today. EC said that 59 independent groups running for the General Election have made their election deposits. 35 of the independent groups have made the deposits on Tuesday. According to EC, 60 political parties have informed that they will be competing in coming General Election. more..

Mar 12 (CT) Assistant Director of Disaster Management Centre (DMC), Pradeep Kodippili has said that the dry and high temperature will continue in the coming few days. He stated that all DMC branches in 25 districts have been deployed in efforts to make the situation better. Speaking regarding the situation in Kalutara, where over 50,000 families lack drinking water due to mineral sea water, has been mixed with drinking more..

Mar 12 (AD) Sri Lanka has temporarily suspended visa on arrival for foreigners until further notice in light of coronavirus scare. The Govt Information Department issuing a statement today (11) said that under the quarantine procedure currently in place with the aim of preventing the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) in the country, all Sri Lankans as well as foreigners arriving from Italy, South Korea and Iran are placed in quarantine facilities for 14 days. more..

Mar 12 (AD) President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is seeking the cooperation of all sections of the society to stop the spread of coronavirus (COVID–19) in SL. The country will have to face disastrous consequences if we behave in an irresponsible manner, Prez emphasizes. Many countries in the world have been affected by the deadly virus. Prez highlighted the importance of the cooperation of everyone to the quarantine process more..

Mar 12 (Island) Foreign Employment Bureau and Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations have requested Lankans going for employment abroad to temporarily postpone their plans due to the coronavirus worldwide emergency. The SLBFE says that the Embassies of Sri Lanka have been informed to take necessary action on Sri Lankan workers currently working in the countries where coronavirus has spread. COVID-19 has spread in more than 115 countries around the world as of yesterday. more..

Mar 12 (Island) UNP members couldn’t obtain membership of another party as per the UNP constitution and those who violate that rule and contest from Sajith Premadasa’s SJB would immediately lose their party positions, former UNP Minister Vajira Abeywardena said, yesterday. The UNP will appoint new electoral organisers and other officials to replace those who join the SJB, Abeywardena said. The UNP leadership had already decided on nominees, he added. more..