Jan 22 (AD) Veteran journalist and media personality Kala Keerthi Dr. Edwin Ariyadasa has passed away at the age of 98. He was also a prominent film critic, environmentalist, teacher and erudite while he had been bestowed with over 300 awards during his lifetime. He had also held top positions in various state institutions. Born on Dec 3, 1922, in Unawatuna, Galle, Ariyadasa was an alumnus of Mahinda College and the Uni of Ceylon where he obtained a degree in Sinhala and more..

Jan 22 (Island) SJB Gampaha District MP Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka on Wednesday questioned the feasibility of Public Security Minister Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekera’s plan to deploy the Civil Defence Force personnel to protect VIPs and to give compulsory military training to all above the age of 18 years. Fonseka, participating in the adjournment debate in Parliament said: “We hear the Public Security Minister uttering various things these days. These are nothing but fairy tales. more..

Jan 22 (FT) The EDB said this week that 2020 marked a successful year for SL’s exports, netting $ 9.9 billion, which was a 104% achievement from the revised forecast of $ 9.5 billion from the original target of $ 13.5 billion. EDB said that the forecast of $ 13.5 billion in early 2020 was challenging, requiring not only strong efforts from local enterprises, but also the recovery of global demand amid complicated COVID-19 situation. more..

Jan 22 (DM) Former Prez Sirisena stated that despite requests of control over the Colombo Port's East Terminal by foreign corporations, he did not entertain such requests during his tenure as President. He made these remarks following an event held in Kalutara. "The Easter Container Terminal (ECT) was requested even while I was President. I stated clearly that that it is not possible. During my tenure as President, I made a vow at the Colombo Port to not let any foreign entity more..

Jan 22 (EN) SL has failed to contain COVID-19 within the Western Province and the virus has now spread to the rest of the country, the GMOA said. “If we plot the statistics for total and active cases on a graph, we see a rapid increase after October. The numbers don’t seem to be going down anytime soon,” GMOA Editor Dr Haritha Aluthge said. “This is why we say as a country we have failed. We failed to manage the virus and keep it inside the Western Province and now it has spread all over SL,” more..

Jan 22 (Island) Power Ministry will go all out to complete the 35MW Broadlands Hydro power plant next month especially to cut down expensive oil fired power generation and avoid emergency power purchases. Plant was scheduled to be completed last December but it got delayed due to the non- availability of top Chinese experts owing to the pandemic, but, with their return, the Ministry is confident of getting it completed more..

Jan 22 (Hindu) Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has conducted a major operation culminating in the arrest of two SL nationals who were allegedly key players of an international drug trafficking syndicate having links in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, SL, Maldives and Australia. The accused, identified as M.M.M. Nawas and Mohamed Afnas, had been operating from Chennai under assumed identities. “They were controlling mid-sea pick-up and delivery of narcotic drugs from Pakistani and more..

Jan 22 (EN) Though it’s difficult to say conclusively at present, Sri Lanka may be on the brink of community transmission of COVID-19, according to the Public Health Inspectors Union (PHI). PHI Union President Upul Rohana said that this is possible looking at the number of people in various parts of the island that are testing positive for the virus. “We cannot come to a conclusion yet about whether we’re at community transmission level without technical analysis, but we are finding more..

Jan 22 (CT) The release of 10 suspects, who worked in the Wellampitiya copper factory owned by Mohamed Ibrahim Inshaf Ahmed, one of the Easter Sunday suicide bombers, was based on lack of evidence linked to the 2019 terror attacks, DIG Ajith Rohana claimed. He said, that Law enforcement agencies arrested a total of 268 people connected to the terror attacks and 195 suspects were remanded on Court Orders. more..

Jan 22 (EN) Two out of three farmers engaged in a fast-unto-death in Hambantota were admitted to hospital today due to low blood sugar levels, Surakimu SL Secretary Palitha Wickremaratne said. The fast is taking place for the third consecutive day as part of a protest campaign that began on Monday demanding a solution to the human-elephant conflict in the area. Protestors are specifically demanding that the govt issue a gazette notification regarding a proposed wild elephant reserve in H'tota. more..

Jan 22 (CT) Following a raid on a gambling den operating out of a luxury house 500m away from the Kandana Police Station known as John Batta, Officers of the Kelaniya Crimes Division arrested 20 wealthy businessmen from various parts of the country along with the den’s owner John Batta and seized cash amounting to Rs 700,000 and a Prado jeep on 20 January. After residents had lodged complaints with Senior Police Inspector of the Kelaniya Division, Roshan Dias raiding more..

Jan 22 (DM) Archbishop of Colombo, His Eminence Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith raised concerns at Minister Sarath Weerasekara on the release of 10 workers of the copper factory, owned by Cinnamon Grand Hotel suicide bomber Inshaf Ahamed. Cardinal Ranjith expressed this when he summoned Minister Sarath Weerasekara to the Archbishop’s House on Wednesday. Cardinal Ranjith had raised questions about more..

Jan 22 (FT) Uber on 12 Jan marked its fifth year anniversary in SL, during which it has served 1.8 million riders, completed more than 53 million trips and created livelihood opportunities for 110,000 drivers. Since its launch in 2015, Uber Sri Lanka has successfully transformed the mobility landscape of the country offering citizens convenient, affordable and efficient transport options. In 2019, Uber added Moto to its product portfolio, becoming the first bike taxi service in the country, more..

Jan 22 (DM) Over 200 Ukrainian tourists who were expected to arrive in Sri Lanka on a charter flight on January 19 under the Government’s pilot project, backed out of visiting the country while a further 100 tourists who were expected to arrive today, have cancelled their plans. They have cancelled their plans following Sri Lanka’s health protocols which require every tourist to undergo three PCR tests if the stay is more than seven days, the Daily Mirror learns. more..

Jan 22 (CI) Day one at Galle was a battle of attrition between the most-experienced players from either side. James Anderson, masterful with the new ball, miserly with the old, claimed two wickets in his third over of the day to have Sri Lanka tottering at 7 for 2, before nicking off another batsman the over after lunch. He bowled with near supernatural control throughout, probing incessantly outside that off stump, more..

Jan 22 (AD) Attorney General Dappula de Livera has sought further clarifications from the Director-General of Health Services pertaining to the purchase agreement of Covid-19 vaccines from India. His Coordinating Officer, State Counsel Nishara Jayaratne stated this issuing a statement today. Director-General of Health Services said yesterday that the necessary documents were forwarded to AG’s Dept for seeking legal approval to obtain Covid-19 vaccines from India. more..

Jan 22 (EN) National Movement for Social Justice (NMSJ) is calling on the govt to immediately act on mitigating the human-elephant conflict in the country which has recently escalated making SL the country with the highest number of elephant deaths in the world. NMSJ Chairman Karu Jayasuriya said that the authorities continue to ignore the seriousness of the issue. “As a result, SL has become the country with the highest number of elephant deaths in the world due to clashes between elephants more..

Jan 22 (FT) Govt is resorting to stripping away powers from elected officials and specialists in the civil service and appointing serving and retired military officers to fill their roles in an attempt to create a system of Yes Men and not to improve efficiency and discipline, SJB MP Imthiaz Bakeer Markar alleged. He warned the public to be vigilant about the militarisation by the Govt. “Today in the civil service, the Foreign Service and more..

Jan 22 (EN) Stocks closed up 4.1% on breaking another record with renewed interest in banks, finance companies and Carsons Cumberbatch joining LOLC Holdings linked firms, brokers said. Market capitalization grew to almost 3.699 trillion leaving investors 318 billion rupees over the week. Colombo’s All Share Price Index gained 4.1% or 332.18 points to close at 8,463.43 breaking yesterday’s record of 8,131.25. The index fell to an intra-day low of 8,260.21 in the first hour more..

Jan 22 (Island) Environment Minister Mahinda Amaraweeera appointed an expert committee to conduct a scientific study on the Seruwawila gold, copper and iron ore deposits. With iron ore prices skyrocketing worldwide and both neighbouring giant India and China having huge demands, Sri Lanka was keen on tapping natural resources, an official said. The committee will be coordinated by an Additional Secretary to the Ministry and will be chaired by Prof. Athula Senaratne more..

Jan 22 (Island) State Minister Lasantha Alagiyawanna told Parliament that there was no truth in the Opposition’s allegations that the govt had given undue duty concessions to a private sugar importer. The Minister admitted that few companies made undue profits, making use of the gazettes issued by the govt changing import duties on sugar. “But there was no fraud. If you insist that there was such untoward incidents more..

Jan 22 (AD) The Central Bank says it has received information regarding several types of financial frauds and scams being operated through social media, Internet-based applications and mobile payment applications. “Most of these scams are conducted through web or mobile app based easy loan schemes that attract the public.” It said, adding, that during such loan application evaluation process, the fraudsters entice the public to share confidential personal customer information/data such as; more..

Jan 22 (AD) SL registered 346 more positive cases of Covid-19 today. The newly-identified patients are close contacts of earlier cases linked to the Peliyagoda fish market. The total number of Covid-19 infections confirmed so fat in the country now stands at 56,422. Recoveries from the virus meanwhile climbed to 48,617 earlier today, as 633 more patients regained health. However, 7,529 active cases are still under medical care at selected hospitals and treatment centres more..

Jan 22 (DM) Fisherman Sujith Fernando (42) and his family with two sons and two daughters lived happily until July 18, 2019- the day on which a massive sea erosion caused and sea water almost seeped into their house. Experts, environmentalists and fishermen believed this is a direct impact of Port City project, where there was heavy dredging of sea sands from the sea off the Negombo coastal area. Sujith was living in coastal village of Doowa more..

Jan 23 (DM) Public Security Minister Admiral Sarath Weerasekara has said he would table a proposal in Parliament to make way for military training to citizens above 18 years of age. He said the proposal aims at creating a disciplined and law-abiding nation and added that other countries that employed similar strategies have reaped benefits from such programmes. “There is no need to fear military training. It is through military training that a person will be able to stand strong, more..

Jan 23 (CT) Prez Joe Biden returned the US to the worldwide fight to slow global warming in one of his first official acts and immediately launched a series of climate-friendly efforts that would transform how Americans drive and get their power. "A cry for survival comes from the planet itself," Biden said in his inaugural address on Wednesday. "A cry that can't be any more desperate or any more clear now." Biden signed an Executive Order rejoining the Paris climate accord within hours of taking more..

Jan 23 (DM) On Jan 12, a 3-judge bench of the Supreme Court imposed a sentence of four years rigorous imprisonment on Ranjan Ramanayake finding him guilty of the offence of Contempt of court. Prior to being taken away in a Prisons vehicle to jail, the film actor cum MP made an interesting comment to media representatives. Ranjan Ramanayake said that he had not committed murder or theft, but more..

Jan 23 (DM) According to the WHO, 64 vaccines are currently in clinical developmental stage while 173 vaccines are in the pre-clinical developmental stage. However, only the Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine has received emergency validation from the WHO. The other two vaccines currently being widely used is the strazeneca/Oxford vaccine and the Moderna vaccine. Dr. Sanjaya Senanayake, Associate Professor at the Australian National University and an Infectious Diseases Specialist stated that more..

Jan 23 (CT) Continuous bonhomie by the Colombo based diplomats in the UN and Western missions have raised questions about a serious fear factor for foreign envoys under the Nandasena Gotabaya Rajapaksa administration in SL. Following the Govt’s treatment of the Embassy of Switzerland in Colombo after a staff member of the embassy was illegally detained by an armed group and sensitive information sought about the Swiss Govt’s asylum program, diplomatic missions in Colombo more..

Jan 23 (Roar) Not to alarm you, but that smartwatch on your wrist could be used to hack into your bank account using your ATM PIN. You are, however, just small fry. Data thieves typically go after a much larger haul. Using sniffers, malware and a whole panoply of software, they can infiltrate an organisation’s operating system and lurk undetected, waiting for the right moment. Nation states, too, have got into this game, more..

Jan 23 (CT) A heated debate arose among the public following last November’s Mahara Prison unrest which resulted in the death of 11 inmates and injuries to more than 50 others. Prison officials on duty that day are to blame for injuring and killing the inmates. But in that context, it was revealed that a considerable number of prison officers are mentally unfit for the job. This results in more damage being caused to the Prisons system. One of the most important factors in prisons reforms is more..

Jan 23 (Island) There is an old joke that goes around regularly about Sri Lankans’ in hell. How absolutely no guards are needed to keep Lankans in hell because they do a very good job of pulling each other down into hell when anyone even looks like they will escape. When you extrapolate that into real life in the Pearl, the examples are plenty. All of us have personal experiences of neighbours, peers, relations and even our bosses cutting us as the popular phrase goes. more..

Jan 29 (CI) Mark Wood's methods are a subtle as a sock of wet sand in a broad-daylight bank heist. He's the bloke who walks straight up to the counter in defiance of the high-security arrangements, and slams repeatedly on the plate glass in the unfailing belief that it will break. By contrast, Stuart Broad in the first Test and James Anderson in the second have shown rather more in common with those cunning old lags who drilled through several feet of concrete to break into Hatton Garden's vaults more..

Jan 29 (CT) Garbage disposed from Galle Prison has not been collected for a week and has caused problems along with the stench, said a spokesman for the Galle Prison. There are about 600 inmates and 150 officers in the Prison. Garbage was dumped near the main gate and it is infested with flies and worms, as a result, prison officials are faced with many difficulties due to this situation. Previously, garbage was collected by Municipal Council workers daily and this situation began after more..

Jan 29 (CT) Although it is a well established fact that it is impossible to put an end to persistent traffic congestions in and around the Colombo City limit that has left commuters frustrated, there are several different methods by which congestions could be curbed. There have been proposals to curb congestion by way of reducing the number of vehicles travelling to and from Colombo. more..

Jan 29 (DN) Angelo Mathews believes that day-two of the second Test could be crucial for both SL and England as he predicted there could be a lot of turn at the Galle Stadium starting from today. The former SL captain remained unbeaten on 107 as the home side reached 229 for four at stumps after acting Skipper Dinesh Chandimal had won the toss and elected to bat first. “If these conditions remain tomorrow, it will start turning. We don't know what a good score is but we will try to get as many more..

Jan 29 (CT) 25-year-old Wanigamuni Ramesh Tharinda Mendis debuts as Sri Lanka’s 154th Test cap when he takes the field against England in the second Test in Galle on Friday. The old Sokian has scored 2,413 runs with a triple century, 4 centuries and 11 half centuries and claimed 80 wickets in 44 Three-day matches so far. His best batting performance was 300 against Negombo CC during the 2020 season. He has scored 995 runs with 3 centuries and 6 half centuries and more..

Jan 29 (CI) On the first day of the first Test, SL batting coach Grant Flower was at a loss as to how to explain his team's cavalier approach and catastrophic collapse. After a much better start this time around, Flower was pleased at the grit his batsmen showed, albeit on a flat surface. Angelo Mathews led Sri Lanka's batting effort with his unbeaten 107 off 228 balls. He batted in long partnerships with Dinesh Chandimal, more..

Jan 29 (CI) It would probably be stretching things a little to compare James Anderson to Dame Judi Dench, Sir David Attenborough or even the late Queen mother. But, as he rose above the conditions to produce another outstanding performance - a performance that kept his side in this match despite losing an important toss - the thought occurred: he's been around forever, he's reliably excellent and it's hard to avoid the suspicion they don't make them like this anymore. more..