Jan 24 (CT) Fisheries Minister Douglas Devananda said the Govt was of the view that aquaculture and agriculture activities should not be hampered and at the same time work of the Department of Forest Conservation and the Dept of Wildlife Conservation must be valued. Minister was speaking at a discussion at the DS Vadamarachchi East, Maruthankerny. He said despite areas being demarcated, fishermen could fish in water bodies in these areas without harming biodiversity more..

Jan 24 (CNBC) SL’s central bank governor told CNBC that the South Asian nation doesn’t need an economic lifeline from the IMF. “Well, we don’t need relief if we have an alternative strategy,” Ajith Nivard Cabraal said. He claimed SL is able to finance its outstanding debt, especially international sovereign bonds, without causing any pain to our creditors. Credit agencies have recently warned SL may need support to cushion more..

Jan 24 (Island) The SL-America Chamber of Commerce (SLACCOM), America’s nationally founded conduit for the promotion of trade, commerce and investment between SL and US, initiated the twinning of Colombo Port City and the City of Las Vegas, latter the global convention capital, to the delight of BOI chairman Raja Edirisuriya, in a productive dialogue he had with the Chamber. In mid-January, the two-hour discussion on promoting investment, trade & commerce more..

Jan 24 (Hindu) Ramanathapuram district fishermen have threatened to submit all documents relating to their Indian citizenship to the district collector on Feb 2, if the Centre failed to secure the release of all the fishermen from Tamil Nadu lodged in SL jails. At a meeting of the All Mechanized Boats Fishermen Associations, led by its secretary, P. Sesuraja, held on Monday, the fishers expressed their anguish against the SL govt’s announcement of auctioning boats of TN fishermen that were seized more..

Jan 24 (NA) As SL's dollar scarcity worsens, a fresh crop of unusual signs has surfaced about spreading shortages of basic goods. Candles not available due to gas shortage was one. It was placed at St. Anthony's church, located in a mixed commercial and residential quarter of Colombo. Significance of the announcement was not lost on regular worshippers. "Lighting candles is very much part of one's worship in this church," more..

Jan 24 (TM) Despite a statement by Co-Cabinet Spokesman Minister Dr. Ramesh Pathirana last week that Sri Lanka will be receiving one million metric tonnes of rice from China as a donation, The Morning reliably learnt that the Chinese Govt has rejected the request for such a donation. Diplomatic sources said that China had not agreed to the request by SL and that there will be no donation made. However, when contacted, the Trade Ministry’s Media Secretary Mahesh Wickrama more..

Jan 24 (DH) No third party should interfere in the friendly relations between Beijing and Colombo, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told SL PM Mahinda Rajapaksa during his visit to the island nation earlier this month. It was not lost on anyone which country he referred to as the third party, given the history of strategic rivalry between China and India in the Indian Ocean region and their competition for geo-political influence in SL. Wang had reasons to send out a not-so-subtle more..

Jan 24 (WSWS) Tamil National Alliance (TNA), SL’s main Tamil parliamentary party, is stepping up its involvement in the US-led anti-China campaign following a visit to Washington last November by a TNA delegation. Led by MP M. A. Sumanthiran, the delegation met with senior US State Dept officials. The ostensible reason for the meeting was Washington’s concern over human rights and reconciliation issues following more..

Jan 24 (EN) SL’s ongoing power crisis is a detriment to the country’s distant learning experiments during the pandemic, opposition leader Sajith Premadasa said. “An uninterrupted power supply is an obligation of the govt. Instead, this govt is resorting to power outages. We have heard that some massive outages are on the cards over the next few weeks,” Premadasa said at a public event on Sunday. CEBEU said that nearly two-hour outages are to be expected from Tuesday during peak hours. more..

Jan 24 (AD) Former cricketer Roshan Mahanama has resigned from the technical advisory committee on the development cricket in SL. The former ICC match referee said that he has decided not to continue in his role as a member of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) advisory committee with effect from Jan 21 due to personal reasons. 4-member Technical Advisory Committee had been appointed by the Minister Namal Rajapaksa for the development of cricket in SL, on Feb 5, 2021. more..

Jan 25 (DM) It is ludicrous that while people are suffering from severe shortage of essential goods such as domestic gas and milk powder and a threat of imminent long hours of power cuts is looming, ministers who are responsible for resolving these issues are pointing finger at each other in public and attempting to absolve themselves from their responsibilities. As some main power stations have already been closed due to inadequate fuel supply & water level of several main power generating more..

Jan 25 (TM) Overcoming many a challenge in a year that was immensely challenging to the country, The Morning marks its one-year anniversary today. A year ago, i.e. on 25 Jan 2021, The Morning was officially launched as the newest addition to the country’s English newspapers family, with a vision to provide for readers something more than what other newspapers report. However, all this began in challenging circumstances, with limited resources. The Morning has one of the youngest, more..

Jan 25 (DM) The prevailing electricity crisis has put Sri Lankans in a dilemma. A few weeks back the Sri Lankan public had second thoughts about purchasing gas cylinders and now the citizenry is getting ready to face a series of power outages with the prevailing fuel and forex crisis. Why the authorities didn’t get ready for this crisis amidst many warnings from engineers and experts is shrouded in doubt. more..

Jan 25 (DM) Eric Illayaparachchi’s most recent literary creation, the novel Messa is a profound work that needs the attention of a larger audience than it has gained so far. Eric Illayaparachchi has an extensive ability to distinguish untouched mindsets with a reasonable expression to the human soul. This story is also led by so-called justifications and condemnations of human anomalies, as it prolongs the discussion towards a rather comprehensive call to society. Messa is highly readable, more..

Jan 25 (CT) Dear Mr. President, Ministry of Defence has advertised five vacancies for the “Recruitment as Reserve Assistant Superintendents of Police to the Ministry of Defence, affiliated to the SL Police, skilled professionals to become proud members of the Ministry of Defence, dedicated to the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of SL as well as to public safety and to play a superior role for the nation. These recruits will function as Cyber and Forensic Analyst, Geo-Political and more..

Jan 25 (CT) Gas explosions in the country were at the centre of attention some time ago, although there seems to be a lull at the moment. Repeated explosions were occurring around the country causing much consternation and alarm among the public. However, victims of gas explosions were helpless as they were unaware as to what they could do to seek redress and compensation for their plight. more..

Jan 25 (CT) With the rise in Covid-19 cases coinciding with SL once more being open for tourists, after a hiatus of 19 months, since 26 Oct 2021, it is mandatory that the govt, together with the public, takes proactive steps to arrest the spread of this scourge, without going for another lockdown because of the latter’s socioeconomic consequences. Since SL’s first lockdown on 20 March 2020 was followed by several other lockdowns up to last year in a vain bid to more..

Jan 25 (Island) The bulk carrier, Hippo Spirit, carrying an organic fertiliser shipment of 20,000 metric tons manufactured by the Qingdao Seawin Biotech Group Co. Ltd, China,started to sail to its destination, Colombo, Sri Lanka, from Qingdao port, China, on the 22 Sept 2021. Seventy-two days after its departure, on the 4 Dec 2021, Hippo Spirit left the SL waters heading towards Singapore without unloading its shipment of organic fertiliser at the planned destination. more..

Jan 25 (DM) In the national mythology, certain personalities are accorded a special place for their rightful contribution or their omnipotent control of the system that enabled them to carve out a larger than life-size stature. So, D.S. Senanayake, the first PM of independent Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) was called Nidahase Piya (the Father of the nation or the Father of Independence), though unlike the Indian independence struggle, there was hardly an organised mass mobilised campaign more..

Jan 25 (Island) The govt would have the public believe it is keen to ensure that there will be one law for everyone, but one wonders whether there is any law in this country at present, for the ruling party politicians, their cronies and bureaucratic lackeys are enjoying unbridled freedom to do as they please. They are now on a witch-hunt against a whistleblower. Former Director of the Consumer Affairs Authority Thushan Gunawardena, who exposed the Sathosa garlic racket, more..

Jan 25 (Island) Englishman Paul Farbrace is all set to be roped in as SL’s Head Coach on a two year stint. The former wicketkeeper batsman is set to take up the new role later next month when the national cricket team tours India for a two match Test and three match T-20 series. Farbrace’s appointment will see Sri Lanka ending the headhunt for Mickey Arthur’s successor. Arthur, extremely popular among local fans and players, more..

Jan 25 (FT) SL’s COVID-19 detections rose to 602,763 with 877 persons testing positive for Covid-19 yesterday. Patients detected yesterday include 869 persons from the New Year cluster and eight overseas arrivals. The previous day, 837 persons from the New Year cluster and one SL overseas arrivals tested positive for COVID-19. 6,774 PCR tests and 5,582 rapid antigen tests were conducted on Sunday. Daily COVID-19 detections have remained above 800 for six consecutive days more..

Jan 25 (ST) Stockbrokers are drawing up plans for branch expansions in the wake of the unprecedented highs in the stock market. “Now is the time for expansion. We have had such a tough time before COVID-19. It was so difficult that we had to scale down and retrench some of our staff. Now it is a good thing that many in the outskirts of Colombo and in the rural areas are interested in investing in the Colombo Stock Exchange,” a stockbroker told the Business Times last week. more..

Jan 25 (FT) The energy crisis has intensified against the depleting foreign exchange, whilst the Govt is grappling to provide uninterrupted power supply with no stable solutions to the escalating demand. Prez Rajapaksa yesterday called for an emergency meeting with top Ministers to find solutions for the ongoing energy crisis. The meeting was attended by Power Minister Gamini Lokuge, Energy Minister Udaya Gammanpila more..

Jan 25 (CT) Priyamal Perera’s cameo steered Galle to a comfortable 3-wicket win over Colombo on the opening day of the National Super League Limited Overs Tournament played at the SSC Grounds, Colombo yesterday. After winning the toss and electing to bat Colombo, led by Shammu Ashan scored 213 runs but Galle reached the target in just 42.4 overs. Colombo got the perfect start with Kusal Mendis and Krishan Sanjula putting on 56 runs for the first wicket. more..

Jan 25 (ST) Susal de Silva and Niklesha Tharushi were crowned the King and the Queen respectively of the Open and Women’s categories at the National Chess Championship 2021. Susal de Silva, 16, of Nalanda College won Open title of the Sri Lanka National Chess Championship after a heavy battle of four hours with his rival Ranindu Dilshan Liyanage of Ananda College,. Susal, with 10½ points, was leading by half-a-point ahead of Ranindu, who was at 10 points after the penultimate round. more..

Jan 25 (TM) The Urban Development Authority (UDA) is yet to receive a proposal from an interested party for the operation of the Colombo Racecourse Mall, more than six months after the commencement of the process of evaluating potential investors to lease out the property back in July 2021. UDA Director General N.P.K. Ranaweera stated: “We called for proposals from potential operators for the management of the Colombo Racecourse last year and we are yet to receive a proposal.” more..

Jan 25 (FT) The Colombo stock market yesterday posted a one-year high turnover of Rs. 18.4 billion owing to an internal transfer within the single largest shareholder in JKH, though overall investor sentiment remained somewhat erratic. The All Share Price Index closed with a gain of 12.5 points and S&P SL20 improved by 22 points. Turnover of Rs. 18.4 billion was via trading of only 207.2 million shares. JKH saw 80.65 million of its shares traded for Rs. 12.98 billion. more..

Jan 25 (Island) Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris says that there hadn’t even been an internal discussion within the ruling coalition regarding the possibility of going for a referendum to extend the presidential or the parliamentary term by two years due to the govt losing two years to the Covid-19 epidemic. Prof. Peiris, who is also the Chairman of the SLPP said so in Kandy on Saturday after having received blessings from more..

Jan 25 (FT) Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) of SL and World Bank Group have kicked off a joint technical study. The findings of this joint technical and advisory study are expected to assist SL's Govt in prioritising the potential areas of digital transformation that need World Bank support, including financing and technical advisory assistance. Study will be carried out under the thematic areas of Digital Governance, Digital Govt/Services, Digital Economy more..

Jan 25 (DM) A tusker was harassed by safari jeep operators in Yala yesterday when the animal came face-to-face with some vehicles along its path. The jeeps had been travelling with a number of local and foreign tourists when the elephant was seen along the route. The drivers began to toot their horns as the elephant approached instead of trying to let is pass, as is usually done. A video taken by one passenger showed a number of jeeps blocking the path of the elephant and paving the way for more..

Jan 25 (CT) Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella announced that only those who have taken both doses of the coronavirus vaccine and the booster dose would be considered as fully vaccinated. He said that the gazette making the vaccination card mandatory would be issued in the near future. Meanwhile, Immediate Past President of the Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA), Prof. Indika Karunathilake urged Covid infected more..

Jan 25 (FT) A MoU signed recently between the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and the Maldives National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MNCCI) will enhance opportunities for bilateral trade, investment and tourism, giving new impetus to a proposed trade agreement between SL and Maldives, State Minister Tharaka Balasuriya announced. Speaking at the occasion of the signing of a renewed MoU between the Ceylon Chamber and MNCCI, Minister Balasuriya added more..

Jan 25 (ST) Cooking gas is safe to use, and only the two gas companies will be allowed to import gas stove accessories, authorities say. Gas is being tested by the SL Standards Institution (SLSI) for its composition ratio and level of ethyl mercaptan, Ministry of Technology, Secretary, Jayantha de Silva said. Every shipment is being checked for the 70% /30% butane and propane composition and the ethyl mercaptan concentration, which has been set at 14. Also, every gas cylinder has been cleaned up more..

Jan 25 (Island) SJB on Sunday said that it was wrong for the Prez and the govt to seek the assistance of the Opposition to steer the country out of the present crises without creating a proper forum to obtain such assistance. SJB MP Lakshman Kiriella said Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa delivering the latter’s third Policy Speech in Parliament last week had sought the assistance of the Opposition. “His speech is full of excuses. He sought our assistance but there is no forum to offer our assistance. more..

Jan 25 (Island) The engineers attached to the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) should be ashamed to issue notices announcing power cuts, Electricity Users’ Association (EUA) Secretary Sanjeewa Dhammika said . The CEB engineers were paid with public funds to ensure that there was an uninterrupted supply of electricity, Dhammika said. “They must implement long-term generation plans. The engineers seem to be incapable of carrying out their duties and responsibilties,” he said. more..