Mar 9 (DM) During the second term of the Mahinda Rajapaksa presidency, the most important element of the country’s foreign policy, as the rulers and foreign policy czars saw it, was the defence of the country at the UNHRC sessions. That is a very insular, if not primitive way of conducting the foreign policy of the state. Nonetheless, come March or September every year, crème de la crème of the local diplomats, or so they thought themselves of, ganged up in Geneva to showcase their more..

Mar 9 (ST) A significant increase in exports is vital to improve this year’s trade balance and balance of payments, as imports that decreased significantly last year, are expected to increase substantially this year. Export earnings should exceed US$ 12 billion to achieve a better balance of trade outcome than last year’s trade deficit of US$ six billion as imports would increase to about US$ 18 billion. This significant increase in import expenditure this year is despite import restrictions. more..

Mar 9 (TM) Beggars cannot be choosers, and we are currently beggars. We have several loans to pay off within the next 12 months, loans taken by both the Govt and private parties, so we have to get these loans somehow, whether it involves selling. Sri Lanka is expected to receive another loan of $ 2.2 billion from China, according to recent media reports – a loan both politicians and economists say is desperately needed by the country. more..

Mar 9 (CT) Prez Rajapaksa vowed his govt was actively pushing to have charges and prosecutions dropped against military and intelligence personnel during his weekly dialogue with the village in Giribawa, Kurunegala on Saturday (6). Prez who has jailed key investigators like former CID director SSP Shani Abeysekera and whose govt has vowed to run a KP-style operation to bring former CID IP Nishantha Silva back to Colombo claimed intelligence officials were being held on more..

Mar 9 (CT) The draft resolution on SL at the UNHRC has been revised ahead of a March 16 deadline and further revisions are likely after a third informal consultation next week between the co-sponsors of the resolution and concerned countries. The revised draft remains a far cry from the recommendations set out by UN HC Michelle Bachelet who urged member states of UNHRC to consider targeted sanctions, asset freezes and travel bans against SL perpetrators of war crimes and atrocities. more..

Mar 9 (GV) For Women’s Day 2021, Groundviews interviewed Dr. Theshini Perera, a professional in the field of science who has broken stigmas held against women, proving that not only can women drive change and succeed but that they can do so within fields conventionally dominated by men. Theshini Perera is a professor and researcher in Chemistry at the University of Sri J'pura with a special interest in synthesizing new metal complexes having biomedical relevance. more..

Mar 9 (Island) Pro-democracy protesters in Myanmar have dug their heels in. Demonstrating remarkable resilience in the face of the military junta, they have urged the US to intervene to save their country from the clutches of the power-hungry Generals. Why they are making such desperate appeals is understandable; any port in a storm! But they would find themselves in a far bigger crisis if the US ever decided to make an intervention. The plight of the people of Libya, more..

Mar 9 (DM) Haven’t we all faced that embarrassment when we have an accident, dirtied our school uniforms, and used the infamous brown paper bag when buying pads in a supermarket likening women’s sanitary products to some sort of secret scandal. Why does every woman feel this inexplicable need to lie, to cover and to hide biological changes in their bodies? The topic of women’s menstruation has been more..

Mar 9 (Island) Irrespective of what happens at the UNHRC, there is one thing we should never forget; the arrogance and hypocrisy of our colonial master! The behaviour of the British Govt is despicable. The UK has taken from the nouveau-evil empire––the US––the task of pressuring member nations of the UNHRC to vote against SL! All this for the crime of defeating terrorism! Is this what is expected of the so-called leader of the Commonwealth? It is a shame that the British representatives more..

Mar 9 (CT) In 1808 Sir Walter Scott wrote one of his best epic poems called Marmion. It relates how Lord Marmion, who lusts after Clara de Claire, along with his mistress a dishonest nun called Constance forge a letter incriminating Clara’s fiancé Sir Ralph Wilton. Wilton then flees into exile. When Constance realises Marmion’s interest is directed towards Clara and not her, she informs the abbess of her misdeeds before being immured alive. Marmion dies on the battlefields of Flodden. more..

Mar 9 (CI) Fabian Allen shone with both bat and ball, affecting the game at the start and finish, as the West Indies secured a hard-fought three-wicket win against SL in the deciding third T20I in Antigua and clinched the series 2-1. After registering figures of 1 for 13 from his four overs - three of which had come in a powerplay period that saw SL score 27 runs for the loss of three wickets - Allen applied the finishing touches with the bat more..

Mar 9 (FT) Celebrating International Women’s Day, IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, yesterday joined the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) for the sixth consecutive year to Ring the Bell for Gender Equality. The annual global event highlights how women’s participation in the economy can spur sustainable private sector development. This year’s event come at a critical moment, as the economic and social consequences of COVID-19 continue to disproportionally impact women more..

Mar 9 (TM) It was on a sixth March, a Wednesday, that Sri Lanka beat Kenya at the Agiriya here in Kandy en route to their 1996 World Cup triumph. In the same match SL, led by maestro Arjuna Ranatunga, piled up the highest ODI innings total, with an astonishing 398/5 in 50 overs. It was by then an amazing total for a 50-over game. The Lankans were on a real high then. Ever since the Sanath-Kalu dynamic duo –in the late Tony Greig’s words—came into open SL innings in that morning, more..

Mar 9 (FT) SJB MP Dr. Harsha de Silva called for a long-term debt repayment plan underpinned by transparency from the Govt, warning that reserves were falling to dangerously low levels and arguing greater clarity would assist local businesses to prepare for currency depreciation and other economic impacts. Dr. de Silva said SL's ability to service its debt was questionable, as reserves had fallen to a dangerous level. more..

Mar 9 (EN) Despite a promising start, SL’s COVID-19 vaccination strategy has proved a failure due to gross mismanagement in the rollout, College of Community Physicians Prez Dr Nihal Abyesinghe said. He said everyone is in the dark about the govt’s vaccination plan. “Even we don’t know what is happening,” he said. Pointing to a lack of clarity, Abeyesinghe said govt has only been releasing the number of daily vaccinations without communicating to the public its vaccine strategy in toto. more..

Mar 9 (CT) Lahiru Thirimanne, Dhananjaya de Silva, Roshen Silva, Vishwa Fernando and Lasith Embuldeniya left for the West Indies on Saturday night to take part in the Test series following the ODI’s. Earlier, SLC announced a 17-member squad for the two-match Test series commencing 21 March and named Dimuth Karunaratne as skipper, while Pathum Nissanka earned his maiden Test call-up. Nissanka, the 22-year-old top-order batsman, has already impressed in the ongoing T20Is in WI more..

Mar 9 (FT) A total of 344 persons tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the country’s COVID-19 patient count to 86,039. The patients detected yesterday include 312 associates of the Peliyagoda cluster and 22 persons linked to the Prisons cluster. Divulapitiya, Peliyagoda and Prisons clusters have thus expanded to 81,764 patients. Included in the total patient count are 2,167 returnees from abroad, 950 Navy personnel more..

Mar 9 (CT) A senior Police officer, investigating the murder of the young woman by a Sub Inspector of the Buttala Police, said they suspect the SI would have buried the head of the victim, close to his home in Badalkumbura. He said the SI who took his life, had probably taken the victim’s head to his hometown where he may have buried it somewhere in his neighbourhood. Police officer said that several burned items of clothes, worn by the SI, had also been discovered at dawn near his house. more..

Mar 9 (FT) Business leader Ashroff Omar has stepped down from the Board of Directors of SriLankan Airlines. The move is due to personal reasons and commitments. Omar was among top business leaders appointed to steer the national carrier to sustainable growth amidst external challenges. Following the resignation, the Board of SriLankan Airlines now comprises of Asoka Pathirage (Chairman), Malik Fernando, Samantha Ratwatte PC, Manohara De Silva PC, more..

Mar 9 (FT) The merchandise export sector has begun 2021 on a negative note overall though some products saw growth year-on-year whilst services have got off to a positive start, latest data released by the EDB showed. Merchandise exports in Jan 2021 amounted to $ 908.7 million, down by 9.6% from a year earlier. Services exports in January were estimated at $ 353.98 million up by 7% from the corresponding month of 2020. more..

Mar 9 (DN) Responding to concerns raised by a Canadian diplomat on whether he is under surveillance after details of some visitors to his official residence were exposed in the media, DIG Ajith Rohana said no diplomat in Sri Lanka is under surveillance. He refuted these concerns raised by the Canadian diplomat, adding that in no way was the Canadian HC being put under surveillance. He said neither the police nor the Security Forces had placed any diplomat under surveillance. more..

Mar 9 (FT) The country’s COVID-19 fatalities yesterday rose to 507 with the confirmation of five COVID-19 deaths. A 59-year-old individual from Ja-Ela tested positive for COVID-19 at the National Hospital of SL and was admitted to the Homagama Base Hospital. However, she died of COVID pneumonia yesterday. A 51-year-old individual from Dharga Town tested positive for COVID-19 at a private hospital in Colombo and was admitted to the KDU Medical Faculty Hospital, more..

Mar 9 (CT) Colombo Hight Court Judge Damith Thotawatta, fixed the hit-and-run case against ex-Minister Champika Ranawaka and two others for trial on 31 May. The trio has been charged with causing grievous injury to a youth named Sandeep Sampath in a hit-and-run incident that took place at Rajagiriya in 2016 and compiling false evidence, fleeing after committing a traffic offence, concealment of evidence etc. more..

Mar 9 (AD) The wife of veteran musician and singer late W. D. Amaradeva, Wimala Amaradeva, has passed away earlier this evening (8). Mrs. Amaradeva had been receiving treatment at the Cardiology Unit of National Hospital in Colombo, according to family sources. She had been 86 years old at the time of passing. Wimala Amaradeva had also contributed to the SL folk music industry and stage dramas. Wimala Amaradeva was a past pupil of Musaeus College, Colombo. more..

Mar 9 (NF) World-famous Detroit MC, Eminem on Friday released a new animated lyric video for the song Tone Deaf – and what’s interesting about this is, it was completely created by a SL animator. The time indoors following the Coronavirus pandemic caused a significant surge in viewership of online content, worldwide. This paved the way for Randy Chriz and Meraki United, his personal animation project, for their long-awaited breakthrough in animation, to take the industry by storm. more..

Mar 9 (DN) Govt is doing everything in its capacity to defend the military personnel against the UNHRC allegations on war crimes, said Army Commander General Shavendra Silva. Responding to questions raised by the media, when he attended the wedding of a disabled soldier yesterday, Army Commander said, “As soldiers engaged in our duties, we can be happy at the efforts taken by the present Govt to stand up for us against more..

Mar 9 (ANI) SL Legends captain Tillakaratne Dilshan delivered an all-round performance to guide his team to a nine-wicket win over South Africa Legends in the Road Safety World Series T20 here on Monday. Dilshan slammed an unbeaten half-century off 40 balls including seven fours after his economical bowling of 1/11 from four overs, helping SL beat South Africa Legends. Chasing a 90-run target, Dilshan and Upul Tharanga (27, 31b, 5x4) added 69 runs that saw SL achieve the target more..

Mar 9 (Island) Those who had insulted the Archbishop of Colombo His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith when the Easter Sunday attacks took place, were now trying to use him to gain political mileage, Minister Johnston Fernando said . “When Prez Mahinda Rajapaksa was defeated in 2015, our GDP growth was second only to China. A lot of development activities were taking place here. The country was secure. Treasury had a lot of reserves. That’s why the yahapalana crooks more..

Mar 9 (FT) All schools in the country are ready to open on 15 March for academic activities of all grades, however schools in the Western Province will only start after they receive health recommendations, Minister of Prof. G.L. Peiris said. The Ministry of Education is committed to providing the necessary facilities and study environments, to enable children to continue their activities, and therefore all schools in the country are ready more..

Mar 9 (Island) Sleuths of the Foreshore Police Station raided a three storeyed luxury house at Bakerywatte in Thotalanga yesterday and took into custody a stock of heroin with a street value of one million rupees, two ivory tusks and Rs 250,000 in cash, suspected to have been earned from heroin sales. A suspect was taken into custody. He has divulged that he received the drugs from a woman currently being held in the Dumbara prison. The house had been locked, but more..

Mar 9 (Island) Former State Minister Ashok Abeysinghe said that he would not go to the CID headquarters to make a statement over the speech he had made on Easter Sunday attacks because he had to attend Parliament. The CID had yesterday asked MP Abeysinghe to be present at its headquarters today to make a statement over the speech he made on the Easter Sunday attacks, DIG Ajith Rohana said. Six SLPP MPs have lodged complaints with the CID on Sunday to initiate more..

Mar 9 (Island) SLPP Chairman Prof. G.L. Peiris ruled out the possibility of proscribing the BBS as recommended by the PCoI that probed the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks. Prof. Peiris emphasized that the particular recommendation wasn’t acceptable to the govt. He described it as a difficult recommendation. Declaring that the proscription of the BBS wouldn’t do any good, Prof. Peiris said implementation of PCoI recommendations more..

Mar 9 (FT) There were two bizarre and idealistic articles, to say the least, published in the Colombo Telegraph (CT), one after the other, giving some prominence, one by a gentleman (Ranjith C. Perera) and the other by a lady (Rohana Jayaratne), quite detrimental to the independence, territorial integrity, sovereignty, and interests of the common people of the country. Jayaratne’s article subsequently published in the Daily Financial Times. The timing of these two articles is rather dubious given more..

Mar 9 (FT) At its monthly Monetary Policy Review (MPR) meeting held last week, which was presided over by Governor Prof. W.D. Lakshman, the Central Bank of SL (CBSL) announced that the policy interest rates will be kept at the same low level considering the lack of demand-driven inflationary pressures. Unquestionably, the country has been facing unprecedented economic difficulties emanating from the COVID-19 pandemic. In this background, it is quite challenging for CBSL more..

Mar 9 (DM) President of the SL Public Health Inspectors’ Association Upul Rohana cautioned that despite reports showing a drop in the number of positive cases of Covid-19, the authorities and the people should not arrive at a conclusion that the country is now free of the pandemic. He said that during the past few days there had been a significant drop in the number of Covid-19 cases being reported, which is satisfying, but it is not wise to assume that the danger of this pandemic more..

Mar 9 (DN) The renovation of the Giribawa tank commenced yesterday on a directive of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The President made this directive following a request by the residents during the 13th Discussion with the Village programme held at the Maduragama grounds in the Weragala Grama Niladhari Division, Giribawa Divisional Secretariat in the Kurunegala District under the patronage of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Saturday, the Presidential Media Division said. more..

Mar 9 (USE) Yesterday, First Lady of the US Dr. Jill Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken honored Ranitha Gnanarajah as an Int'l Women of Courage (IWOC) award winner for her commitment to justice, accountability, and women’s rights in SL. A lawyer, Ms. Gnanarajah advocates for SL’s most vulnerable populations, including families affected by enforced disappearances, survivors of gender-based violence, more..

Mar 9 (DM) As global crude oil prices hit US $ 70 a barrel, SL is likely to make use of what is called the Fuel Stabilisation Fund established last year when the oil prices slumped in 2020, amid the slowdown in economic activities due to COVID-19. According to a top govt official, who commented on the recent increase in global oil prices, SL established a Fuel Stabilisation Fund last year, expecting to confront the rising prices when the global economies recover from pandemic-induced stresses. more..