Apr 2 (AD) Maximum security has been provided to the public in view of the Holy Week and Easter Sunday, Commander of the Army Lt Shavendra Silva assured. The army chief urged Catholic devotees to attend church services without fear and to follow the health guidelines that are in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19. He pointed out that providing security to each church will be impossible given the circumstances. As several prominent hotels in the country also came under attack during more..

Apr 2 (EN) Over 3,000kg of dhal (split lentils) containing fungi that can produce the carcinogenic aflatoxin was found in a cooperative shop in Weligama today, Weligama PHI said. The 3,150kg stock was seized following a raid based on a customer tip-off and was subsequently destroyed under the supervision of local PHIs. Aflatoxin is the same chemical that was allegedly found in six consignments of imported coconut oil that has resulted in much controversy. more..

Apr 2 (AD) Chief Epidemiologist Dr Sudath Samaraweera says that the programme to administer the first dose of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine has been temporarily suspended in SL. The programme to administer the first dose was suspended in order to commence providing the second dose of the AstraZeneca COVISHIELD vaccine. He said that thus far SL has received a total of 1,264,000 doses of the vaccine and more..

Apr 2 (EN) Central Bank is inviting members of the public who have in their hand legitimately acquired foreign currency to open foreign currency accounts in bank and deposit them. SL citizens are allowed to hold up to 15,000 dollars worth of foreign currency in hand if it was brought back from abroad as salaries after working, payments for goods or services, withdrawn their own forex account or taken from a bank to travel abroad and not used. The CB said a foreign currency account more..

Apr 2 (CT) Health Ministry proposes to ban games such as tug-o-war, pillow fighting, and climbing the grease pole during the Sinhala and Tamil New Year celebrations to prevent the spread of COVID-19 during the festive season. Deputy Director General, Dr. Susie Perera, said the Sinhala and Tamil New Year should be celebrated adapting to the new normal and health guidelines should be adhered to. “We cannot fully prohibit people from celebrating the New Year this year, owing to the situation more..

Apr 2 (EN) The public is losing confidence in the govt, and coalition partner the SLFP may soon have to take a call on whether or not to go it alone at the upcoming provincial council elections, SLFP vice president Prof Rohana Lakshman Piyadasa said. He said that the SLFP has yet to decide whether to contest the PC polls as a partner of the ruling SLPP-led alliance. With the national New Year approaching, Piyadasa said, more..

Apr 2 (Island) Old Walala Athletes’ Association will felicitate their mentor and coach Susantha Fernando for his three decades of service to Ratnayake Central at a function on Saturday. Fernando trained Ratnayake Central for three decades before giving up on the coaching assignment during the pandemic to concentrate on the athletes he has produced to senior level. Ratnayake Central reached great heights during his long association with the school. A little known school, when he first took up more..

Apr 2 (MFA) Ambassador of China to SL, Qi Zhenhong, paid a courtesy call on State Minister of Regional Cooperation Tharaka Balasuriya at the Foreign Meeting 01 April. State Minister conveyed the sincere appreciation of the Govt of SL for consistent support given by China to SL during the 46th session of the UNHRC. Ambassador of China reiterated their commitment to work together to pursue investment and business opportunities with third-party countries in the Colombo Port City more..

Apr 2 (Island) Director General of Health Services Dr. Asela Gunawardena said that a new set of guidelines had been formulated for people to follow during the Sinhala and Tamil New Year. Dr. Gunawardena said that there was a possibility that a third wave of COVID-19 happening unless precautions were taken. “Sinhala and Tamil New Year is around the corner. During the last few weeks we saw a lot of people shopping. more..

Apr 3 (DM) Easter brings together the victorious death and the glorious resurrection or the glorious life beyond the death of Jesus of Nazareth. Christianity is based on the belief in the resurrection of the Lord and Master Jesus Christ. All early Christian traditions saw as glorious the torture, the unjust verdict and the execution of Jesus by crucifixion. It is important to enter into this paradox if one were to understand the significance of Easter. Jesus was crucified because of his stand in favour of more..

Apr 3 (DM) All over the world more than 2.5 billion Christians today commemorate the most solemn day of the year - Good Friday. It was the day on which the Lord Jesus Christ was tortured and crucified. Besides the seven immortal words from the cross the message from the Lord Jesus Christ was, “Even if you betray, deny or desert me; even if you whip me or strip me and crucify me like a criminal of criminals, I will still love you because God is love.” It is an unending, unfailing, unlimited and unmerited love. more..

Apr 3 (DM) Sinhala cinema’s pioneering director Lester James Peries is the SL filmmaker I like, admire and respect most. The master movie maker’s 102nd birth anniversary falls on April 5. SL Superstar Gamini Fonseka remains my favourite actor on the Sinhala silver screen since childhood. The movie-monarch’s 85th birth anniversary was on March 21. I have written extensively on both in the past. I intend focusing this week–drawing from some of my earlier writings–on more..

Apr 3 (DM) Two years have passed since more than 260 people were killed in churches and hotels in SL by ruthless extremists in the name of an evil ideology, which has nothing to do with Islam. But the threat of extremism is still alive with no investigation revealing the masterminds behind the gory tragedy. Gaining traction in the public domain is a viewpoint that there is more to the attacks than meets the eye. The theory goes that the terrorists who committed the crime were just a bunch of holy idiots more..

Apr 3 (CT) Today, Christians worldwide celebrate Easter Sunday or Resurrection Sunday, to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ who was crucified and killed on a Friday over 2,000 years ago by the Roman rulers of Israel for the offence of calling himself a king, but who rose again three days later on a Sunday, according to Christian belief and tradition. However, Jesus’ claim to kingship that caused his death didn’t result in an armed rebellion against the Romans. In fact, he told the Jewish leaders (priests) more..

Apr 3 (FT) Is Sri Lanka fighting a lost battle in Geneva? was the heading of the article by this writer in these columns a fortnight ago. The answer became known conclusively as events unfolded at the UNHRC on 23 March. In spite of SL’s strong opposition, the resolution titled Promotion of Reconciliation Accountability and Human Rights in SL was adopted by the UNHRC at its 46th session held in Geneva. more..

Apr 3 (CT) The resolution presented to the UNHRC by the so-called Core Group countries led by the UK, Canada, and Germany, at the behest of the US, was adopted by the UNHRC by 22 to 11 votes, with 14 member countries abstaining. I would call this resolution an attack on SL by imperialist countries supported by Quad countries. SL defeat in the face of this attack is not a matter of surprise. In such a backdrop, Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena's attempt to define it otherwise, by portraying more..

Apr 3 (CT) UNHRC adopted resolution 46/1 on 23 March 2021 against the wish of SL, voting 22 countries in favor, 14 countries abstaining and 11 countries voting against out of the 47member council. The result is interpreted by various parties in various ways. One popular way is the Western point of view where the entire force is placed on the human rights and the political ambitions of those western nations are ignored. Another way is the point of view of China or Russia where more..

Apr 3 (Island) Rajitha Ratwatte writing from New Zealand about both his adopted country and his home country, which he seems to be very loyal to, gives print to a profound consideration which needs everyone’s attention. To end his Friday March 28 column From outside the Pearl he states boldly and succinctly: …. we once (around 30 years ago) had a minister of ports who had been educated at Oxford – not a gold chain snatcher. The Oxford mentioned is the most prestigious University in Britain and more..

Apr 3 (TM) On International Women’s Day (IWD) 2021, in a small tent located at the Polonnaruwa Raja Sabha Mandapaya, women sat down to begin a satyagraha against the microfinance debt that has crippled rural economies and left them helpless. Current statistics say that more than 2.8 million people are victims of predatory lending, a majority of whom are women. Nearly 200 have taken their own lives as a result of this debt; some, mere days before the protest began. more..

Apr 3 (CI) Dimuth Karunaratne hit 75 and soaked up 176 deliveries in a century stand with Lahiru Thirimanne, and Oshada Fernando struck an unbeaten half-century of his own later in the day, as SL comfortably batted out a draw in Antigua. Missing Shannon Gabriel for part of the day due to a hamstring complaint, West Indies were only able to take two SL wickets on a pitch that had become slower and lower for the quicks and more..

Apr 3 (TM) They say that good people who do not oppose bad people cause as much harm to society as bad people. SL’s past bears witness to that notion, and the number of instances the country had to face catastrophes because those who were tasked with stopping the bad people did not, or failed to do so because of their ignorance and/or lackadaisicalness, is countless. The country has suffered due to armed wars, ethnic/religious conflicts among civilians, large-scale embezzlement, more..

Apr 3 (ST) Irshad Sreenthaj (29) and Fathima Siyama Ansar (25) live more than 300 km away from each other, but the two young Economics scholars who graduated from the Uni of Jaffna and Sabaragamuwa last month, have startlingly similar stories to share as they celebrate resounding academic success- having had to persevere against much more than their traditional hijabs. Irshad not only won a gold medal and two memorial prizes, but also had the highest GPA in the Faculty of Arts more..

Apr 3 (CT) It has dawned to another Easter Sunday with the families of 260 victims and another 500 who injured still awaiting justice and answers to basic questions. Two years later, the legislators were debating the findings of Easter Sunday Presidential Commission and some interesting points were made during the final two days of the Parliamentary debate on the final report of the PCoI probing Easter Attacks. more..

Apr 3 (ST) Recognising that wholesome nutrition is instrumental to develop internationally-competitive sportsmen and women, Anchor joined hands with the Ministry of Sports to nourish high-performance athletes who aspire to represent Sri Lanka on a global stage. The partnership enriches a long term, progressive approach to developing high performance athletes, initiated by the Ministry of Sports in conjunction with the National Sports Council. For the first time in history, more..

Apr 3 (ICC) Adecade on from the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, relive the showpiece final of the incredible tournament. MS Dhoni steered India to World Cup glory with a majestic innings, smashing the winning runs with a huge six over long-on. The winning moment was a fitting finale for a spectacular rollercoaster of a match between the tournament joint-hosts, with a packed crowd in Mumbai put through the emotional ringer before the celebrations could truly get underway. more..

Apr 3 (ST) Fort Magistrate Priyantha Liyanage recently admonished police to stop making derogatory comments about transgender people in a development that was seen as encouraging by a community that has long suffered in SL. The magistrate was hearing a case following the arrest of five transgender people by the Kollupitiya police for allegedly violating quarantine guidelines and in court described them as wes walagaththa pirimi or men in disguise. more..

Apr 3 (EAR) The recent arrest of 54 Tamil Nadu fishermen by the SL navy and their subsequent release under diplomatic pressure, have again brought into focus the intractable India-Sri Lanka row about fishing in the narrow Palk Strait. Geographical, historical and political factors have complicated the issue which, on the face of it, is a simple matter. The Indian authorities have invariably succeeded in securing the release of arrested fishermen on appeals from TN fishermen and more..

Apr 3 (DN) Chinese President Xi Jinping, in his telephone conversation with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa earlier this week, said that China can lend a hand to Sri Lanka in the eradication of poverty adding that China succeeded in ending extreme poverty among nine million people. President Rajapaksa said that the Hambantota Port Project and development of infrastructure facilities are continuing in a satisfactory manner and urged govt of China to complete the project work. more..

Apr 3 (Island) A group of Buddhist monks has appealed to Prez Rajapaksa and MPs, representing all political parties, to put on hold Provincial Council polls, pending early enactment of the proposed new Constitution. The group has, in a two-page letter dated March 29, 2021, stressed that the PC polls should be conducted in terms of the new Constitution as much desired changes were likely to be introduced in respect of electoral system, more..

Apr 3 (TM) Following speculations of importing coconut oil with high levels of Aflatoxin, Pyramid Wilmar categorically denied fabricated and false allegations/insinuations against its products, including cooking oils, fat spreads, and industrial margarines. The company stated that such allegations/insinuations against Pyramid Wilmar are demonstrably false, baseless, and maliciously contrived with a view to discredit and damage Pyramid Wilmar’s reputation and standing in the market. more..

Apr 3 (Island) The subdivision of shares of three companies belonging to top business magnate Dhammika Perera, namely, Lanka Wall Tiles, Lanka Tiles and Swisstech on a one share to five basis improved investor sentiment in the share market yesterday, stock market analysts said. Both main CSE indices moved upwards. The All Share Price Index reached the 7200 mark. All Share Price Index was up by 74.25 points and S and P SL20 up by 24.47 points. more..

Apr 3 (ST) From green gram used in Avurudu kevili to rice, coconut, turmeric and other goods used widely during festive season are jumping in price with the National New Year around the corner. Green gram, used for making the popular sweetmeat, mung kavun, and other festival favourites, has seen the biggest increase – from Rs. 300 a kilo last March to an average Rs. 770. In some markets, price has shot up to Rs. 900, more..

Apr 3 (Island) Politics of a Rainforest: Battles to save Sinharaja, a book by Dr. Prasanna Cooray was launched at the Hector Kobbekaduwa auditorium, Colombo 7, recently with the participation of a large gathering that included academics, activists, politicians and journalists. The veteran actress, Irangani Serasinghe, who is also a pioneering environmental activist in the country, was the Chief Guest. Prof. Tissa Vitharana was the Guest of Honour. more..

Apr 3 (Island) National Youth Dialogue (NYD) on Leadership, Innovation and Entrepreneurship is an annual national youth engagement exercise led by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in SL. This year, too in adapting to the new normal, National Youth Dialogue for 2020/2021 presented a fully virtual participant experience, via Zoom, spanning over five weeks, from Feb 16 to March 18 and included 28 sessions under 10 themes with over 100 speakers and facilitators joining in more..

Apr 3 (CT) CID has launched a full-scale inquiry into the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) renting a building at a monthly cost of Rs 139,000, despite Prez Rajapaksa allocating a land in Narahenpita to construct a building for NMRA. Authority had posted an advertisement on their official website to rent a premises, during the tenure of former NMRA Chairman, Prof. Asitha de Silva. more..

Apr 3 (Island) The SJB says the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) has been politicized. Addressing the media at the Opposition Leader’s office, SJB MP Dr Rajitha Senaratne said that the decision to approve the Sinopharm coronavirus vaccine, manufactured by China was an indication of the political influence on the NMRA administration. The former Health Minister said the Chinese vaccine had not been subjected to any tests before being approved for use in Sri Lanka. more..

Apr 3 (DN) The first Discussion with the Village programme in the Northern Province will be held in the Vedivaithyakallu Grama Niladhari Division of the Vavuniya North Divisional Secretariat Division in the Vavuniya District today (3). The Bogaswewa Maha Vidyala premises have been selected for the discussion. This is the 17th in the series of Discussion with the Village programme. The public forum which begins at 10 a.m. will be presided over by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa with more..

Apr 3 (AN) Sri Lanka is to bring back some 30,000 migrant workers stranded in the Middle East and unable to return due to high quarantine fees at home, a foreign employment ministry official said on Friday. The decision comes after recent reports highlighted the plight of SL workers who lost their jobs to pandemic shutdowns, and were left unable to go home as they could not afford mandatory isolation on arrival under more..

Apr 3 (CT) A Myanmar Court has sentenced 12 SL fishermen to jail terms of three to five years on three charges. The 10-crew members were imposed with a jail term of three years and six months with a fine of 20,000 kyats (Rs 2,800) each, while the fishing trawler drivers were charged with five years and six months jail term, with a fine of 200,000 kyats (Rs 28,300). The Court charged them for illegal entry into Myanmar waters, illegal fishing (without fishing licence to fish in Myanmar territorial waters), more..