Feb 13 (DN) SL Para Athlete Gamini Ekanayake won a Silver Medal on the penultimate day of the World Para Athletic Grand Prix Meet continued in Dubai, UAE, yesterday. Ekanayake produced a fine performance to secure second place with an effort of 58.55m while competing in the Men’s Javelin Throw event. With this performance, Ekanayake qualified to participate in the Paralympics in Tokyo, Japan. Meanwhile, SL Para Athlete Kumudu Priyanka had to be satisfied with fourth place in more..

Feb 13 (CT) “Only when the last tree has died, the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught will we realise that we cannot eat money”, Red Indian Chief Seattle once said. This is precisely why a group of impassioned individuals are fighting to protect a single tree that stands in the middle of an expressway. The RDA plans to remove or relocate the SL legume or Crudia Zeylanica tree (Pandu Karanda) more..

Feb 13 (FT) Gross inflows to the Govt in 2020 dropped from $ 6.5 billion to little over $ 2 billion in 2020, the Central Bank said in its External Performance Report for last year. Foreign investment in the govt securities market recorded a marginal net outflow during the month. A net outflow of foreign investment amounting to $ 10 million was recorded in the rupee denominated govt securities market in December 2020, increasing the cumulative net outflow to $ 553 million during 2020. more..

Feb 13 (WFP) The UN World Food Programme (WFP) and Govt of SL welcome a funding of CAD 1 million (LKR 151 million) from Global Affairs Canada to help smallholder farmers cultivate nutritious crops for the National School Meal Programme. Responding to the impacts of Covid-19, the Home Grown School Feeding project will provide nutritious and safe school meals to vulnerable primary school children by linking the National School Meal Programme with local smallholder farmers. more..

Feb 13 (TOI) Expressing govt’s deep anguish over the loss of lives of fishermen, external affairs minister S Jaishankar said on Thursday India had asked Sri Lanka to deal with issues pertaining to fishers in a humane manner. The minister was responding to questions raised by Rajya Sabha member Vaiko with regard to the collision of the fishing vessel and SL Navy vessel that claimed the lives of four fishermen more..

Feb 13 (Island) As an avid supporter of bridging gender disparities while empowering women in the workforce, Dialog Axiata PLC (Dialog), Sri Lanka’s premier connectivity provider joined hands as Platinum Sponsor on the 10th anniversary of WIM’s (Women in Management) foremost annual event the ‘Top 50’ Professional and Career Women Awards, to recognize and celebrate individual and corporate achievements of trailblazing women leaders in Sri Lanka for the year 2020. more..

Feb 13 (DM) The magic of a space mainly relies on how it will impact the mood of its occupants; whether it improves happiness and productivity, or throws a wet blanket on it. Therefore, good interior design, be it a home, workplace, or public spaces like restaurants and retail shops, accentuate the atmosphere and enhance the overall experience. This is what Dilushi Mendis strongly believes in, and strives to achieve in her approach to creative design. A professional interior designer with more..

Feb 13 (FT) SL’s trade deficit shrank by $ 2 billion to $ 5.9 billion in 2020 helped by a $ 1.3 billion lower fuel bill and restrictions on construction and vehicle imports. The deficit for 2020 was mostly assisted by lower fuel prices caused by the pandemic but SL also saved $ 532.8 million from restricted vehicle imports. Import restrictions and COVID-19 combined to reduce apparel imports by $ 574 mil and building material by $ 473 mil. more..

Feb 13 (LBO) CHEC Port City Colombo donated a PCR testing machine and 5,000 PCR test kits worth over Rs. 20 million to the govt today. On behalf of Mr. Jiang Houliang, Managing Director, CHEC Port City Colombo (Pvt) Ltd, Mr. Yue Yeqing, Asst. Managing Director of CPCC handed over the equipment to Basil Rajapaksa, Chairman, Presidential Task Force on Economic Revival and Poverty Eradication. Also present at the occasion were State Ministers more..

Feb 13 (Island) MP Lakshman Kiriella said in Parliament that Opposition’s requests were not heeded by govt at the party leaders’ meeting. He said that he had asked for tabling of the reports of the PCoI on the Easter Sunday carnage and Political Victimisation at the last party leaders’ meeting and for a debate on them too. “I also asked for advancing the sitting time to 9.30 am from 10 am to allow more time for MP’s questions but the govt representatives have the majority more..

Feb 13 (DM) At least 10 domain names have been modified to point to a new IP address following the recent cyber attack to the .lk Domain Registry, LK Domain Registry's Domain Registrar Prof. Gihan Dias said. He said the attack was reported on Saturday (6) and was solved by 8.30 am. “In addition to the servers which run the Domain Name System (DNS), the Registry maintains a registration system through which more..

Feb 13 (ANI) Days after Sri Lanka unilaterally cancelled Indian and Japanese participation in the development of East Container Terminal at Colombo port, India on Thursday said it has a longstanding interest in participation in the port. Talking to reporters at the virtual weekly briefing, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said India's interest in participation in the Colombo port "is a long-standing one since most goods handled there are from and to India". more..

Feb 13 (CT) The Badminton Nationals 2020, which was deferred from the original timing in Dec 2020, will now serve the anxious wait of many of the country’s top players from 17–21 February at three locations: SLB, MBA and Otters SC courts. Otters SC courts was included due to the large number of entries received. Sri Lanka Badminton (SLB) also announced this premier event will kick-off their programme for 2021. The reigning men’s and women’s singles champions, more..

Feb 13 (FT) A total of 940 persons yesterday tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of patients detected in the island to 74,056. Patients detected yesterday include 932 associates of the Peliyagoda COVID-19 cluster and four persons linked to the prisons cluster. The triple clusters that emerged from Divulapitiya, Peliyagoda and prisons have thus expanded to 70,030 patients. Total patient count also includes 1,958 more..

Feb 13 (Island) Four SL cricketers who are set to begin training ahead of the tour of West Indies have failed yesterday’s fitness test conducted by the national cricket team’s new trainer Grant Luden. There was lot of emphasis placed on fitness following SL’s humiliating series defeat at the hands of England a fortnight ago and Luden announced that he will be from this point on, measuring fitness through the two kilometer run. Accordingly, the players had to finish 2 km in 8 min & 35 sec. more..

Feb 13 (FT) In a reversal of the downward trend witnessed in recent months, the LMD-Nielsen Business Confidence Index (BCI) shot up by 39 basis points to 122 in January. Leading busines magazine LMD notes that this places the index a notable 12 notches above the average for the last 12 months. Nielsen’s Director – Consumer Insights Therica Miyanadeniya attributes this positive momentum to a renewed sense of hope. “The world embraced 2021 with much hope and more..

Feb 13 (Island) The COPE has reminded the Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) of the inordinate delay in responding to queries raised by the parliamentary watchdog committee at a recent session that revealed staggering losses amounting to at least Rs 2.6 bn over a period of time. ICTA bosses had been present at the meeting along with representatives from the AG’s Department. more..

Feb 13 (Island) India should surely support the resolution, sponsored by several Western nations at the 46th sessions of the UNHRC, against SL, TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran said in Jaffna. He said that the TNA had held a number of discussions with India on the matter; there were many Tamil people in India, and therefore New Delhi should be concerned about the issues faced by the Tamils in SL. “India knows well the human rights violations faced by the Tamil people in SL. more..

Feb 13 (AD) Five new Covid-19 related fatalities have been reported in Sri Lanka. The new development has pushed the death toll from the virus outbreak to 384. One of the victims is a 63-year-old man from Kotagala area. He had been transferred to the Nuwara-Eliya District Hospital from Kotagala Hospital after testing positive for the virus. He fell victim to acute Covid-19 pneumonia on February 09. The second victim, identified as a 79-year-old man from Matugama area, more..

Feb 13 (CT) Several countries, including SL, have strongly objected to the decision by the Organising Committee of the UNHRC in Geneva, Switzerland, to hold the UNHRC sessions online, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dinesh Gunawardena said. He added the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights had decided to hold the sessions online, despite notifications from several countries that it will not be successful more..

Feb 13 (FT) Dr. Neville Fernando’s death a few days ago ended the colourful life of a doctor, politician, entrepreneur in printing technology and visionary. I may not have agreed with some positions taken by Dr. Fernando in politics but I am an admirer of his courage and vision in pursuing what he thought was in the best interest of society. I want to highlight a few of his achievements and attempts to create a better society. He had a thriving private medical practice and was well-known for more..

Feb 13 (FT) SL’s foreign policy is in the midst of a storm on the international stage. On Monday the Core Group responsible for the country at the UNHRC announced that they would be presenting a fresh resolution against Sri Lanka. Coupled with the growing tensions between the SL and Indian Govts, the foreign office certainly has its work cut out for it in the coming weeks and months. Local news cycles have been dominated this year by stories regarding the East Container Terminal (ECT) more..

Feb 13 (SLA) The preparatory Army Field Training Exercise (FTX) Harmattan - 3 for Combat Convoy Company (CCC) duties in UN Peacekeeping Missions that enables troops to develop mission orientation and competency before they undertake tasks in the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission (MINUSMA) in Mali and Goa, got off to a start this morning (12) at Mailady, Jaffna with the participation of 20 officers and 223 other ranks of Gajaba regiment, more..

Feb 13 (DM) Sri Lanka is expected to sign a few MoUs with Pakistan on bilateral cooperation, during the visit of Pakistani PM Imran Khan on Feb 22, Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardane said yesterday. The Minister said that an existing MOU would also be renewed during the visit. The visit takes place at a time when Sri Lanka is in a rigorous exercise of diplomatic operation to woo the support of member states of the UNHRC- that is to thwart any effort to move a resolution on Sri Lanka. more..

Feb 13 (AD) Blood samples have been taken from the mother and sister of the notorious SL underworld figure Lasantha Perera alias Angoda Lokka, who is believed to have died in India. Police Spokesperson DIG Ajith Rohana said the DNA extracted from the blood samples will be sent to Indian authorities soon. National Investigation Agency of India recently requested SL authorities to submit a DNA sample of one of the closest more..

Feb 13 (AD) Inoculating those who consume alcohol and smoke cigarettes against Covid-19 is a waste of money and resources, says the Chairman of National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol (NATA) Dr Samadhi Rajapaksa. Smoking damages the respiratory system and Covid-19, caused by SARS-CoV-2 virus, is a disease that has similar effects on the humans, he explained. Accordingly, people who smoke cigarettes are highly susceptible to be infected with Covid-19, he said adding that more..

Feb 13 (FT) New laws pertaining to the international financial city to be set up in Port City will be brought to Parliament within the next few weeks, State Minister Money, Capital Markets and State Enterprise Reforms Ajith Nivard Cabraal told Parliament on Thursday. He said the President has appointed a Commission to look into simplification of existing laws and regulations that are a hindrance to investors and based on its recommendations, new laws would be formulated. more..

Feb 13 (DM) State Minister Dr. Nalaka Godahewa said his office proposed to PM Mahinda Rajapaksa to take steps to develop light rails in Colombo, a project that has been on paper for a long time. Dr. Godahewa said there were four light rail lines proposed to be developed in Colombo, and the Malambe-Colombo line which was planned to be implemented with Japanese financial assistance, was scrapped on instructions by more..

Feb 13 (AD) Third group of tourists from Kazakhstan has arrived in Sri Lanka this morning. A flight (KC 565) with 187 Kazakhstani nationals aboard touched down at Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport at around 11.20 am. In the meantime, another group of tourists from Kazakhstan who previous arrived on the island are set to return to their motherland tonight upon completion of the tour. The first group of Kazakhstani tourists reached Sri Lanka last Saturday (6) in an Air Astana flight. more..

Feb 13 (CT) The Administration of the Railway Department is arbitrarily giving over lands belonging to the Department to various parties, claimed President of the SL Station Masters’ Union (SLSMU), Sumeda Somaratne. He also said that no systematic programme has been implemented to identify those who are illegally occupying lands belonging to the Railway Department and who are on lease basis. Somaratne also said that various persons are forcibly occupying lands more..

Feb 13 (AD) Senior Buddhist monks have stressed that the govt should not be discouraged by the baseless allegations and insults levelled against his administration. Asgiri Anunayake Wendaruwe Upali Anunayake Thero and Kotte Kalyani Samagari Sangha Sabha Anunayake Most Ven. Rahula Thero and other senior Buddhist monks have expressed their views on the current situation of the country at Buddhist Advisory Council more..

Feb 13 (EN) In 2020 over 11% of MAS Holdings’ revenue was earned from innovative products. Here is how an apparel manufacturer made that extraordinary transformation. Of the world’s elite races, Boston’s annual marathon is legendary. Because the race’s early stages winds through a residential area where streets are narrow, its participants are limited unlike other marathons. The course is also notorious for its elevation changes, which includes Heartbreak Hill more..

Feb 13 (ST) The price of a kilo of tamarind has more than quadrupled in the past four weeks, due to an import ban. Last week, a kilogram of the leguminous pulp, cost up to Rs 1,700 compared with Rs 423 in the first week of January. Tamarind imports were banned in early March last year. The Agriculture Dept said this was to comply with govt policy. Director General Dr W M W Weerakoon said the ban would promote local production. He said there is enough tamarind for local consumption and more..

Feb 13 (EN) With the highly contagious B.1.1.7 strain of COVID-19 now confirmed in Sri Lanka, experts have called for tightened borders, restrictions on gatherings and other stringent measures to prevent an outbreak that could prove disastrous. Others, however, contend cautiously that it’s still early days and premature panic may be unwarranted. Neelika Malavige, Professor in Microbiology at the Dept of Immunology more..

Feb 13 (CT) Minister of Trade Dr. Bandula Gunawardena said that the revenue of Sathosa outlets had increased by 102% in the three days following the Govt’s decision to reduce prices of 27 essential goods. Before the reduction, the daily income of 425 Sathosa outlets across the country was Rs 82 million, he said adding and it is significant that the revenue after the reduction of prices was around Rs 166 million. In addition to the Sathosa outlets, nearly 3,000 Co-operative outlets more..

Feb 13 (DN) The Health Ministry will resume this month the fieldwork to release Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that carry natural Wolbachia bacteria to control dengue. The programme was suspended for nearly four months because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is being implemented under the World Mosquito Control Programme to prevent dengue, Chikungunya, Sika, and Yellow Fever by releasing Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that carry Wolbachia bacteria into the environment. more..

Feb 13 (ST) “Hundreds of students who passed last year’s grade five scholarship exam with high marks will not be able to enrol in several popular schools in Colombo as the cut off marks were unrealistically raised above 190 this time, several parents said. “The marks have been identified as the highest cut off marks released in recent times,” Kandy District Parents Association Convener Dumindu Prasanna said. more..

Feb 13 (DM) It has been proposed to establish a Long Range Unit of the STF to assist wildlife and forest conservation officers to take immediate action against deforestation. Minister C.B. Ratnayake, IGP C. D. Wickramaratne and STF Commandant Senior DIG Waruna Jayasundara held a discussion in this regard. Meanwhile, DIG Ajith Rohana said, a meeting was held in order to discuss matter related to deforestation, but final decision was not taken as of yet over establishing the new unit. more..

Feb 13 (FT) Govt decision to revoke the decision relaxing import restrictions on tiles and ceramic products within a day after making the announcement was prompted by requests from local manufacturers that such a decision would adversely affect them, State Minister Ajith Nivard Cabraal told Parliament. “Our Govt always focuses on balancing economic policies to support local producers, importers and the consumers and hence we decided to suspend the order relaxing tile imports more..