Mar 10 (FT) Listed corporates combined have posted their best earnings ever of Rs. 85 billion in the quarter ended on 31 Dec 2020, setting a new record despite COVID-19 linked challenges. Softlogic Stockbrokers said that the combined figure reflected a 33.3% increase year-on-year (YoY) and it was the best ever in the CSE. “The 33.3% YoY growth was a strong sign of the earnings momentum continuing beyond more..

Mar 10 (FT) Former SriLankan Airlines Chief Pilot and Head of Flight Operations Capt. Navin De Silva has been appointed to the Board of Directors of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) by the Minister Prasanna Ranatunga. After graduating from the US as a pilot, De Silva joined the SL Air Force as a volunteer pilot at a time when the two squadrons flying fixed wing aircraft were short on pilots. He served with the SLAF for one and a half years, after which he joined SriLankan Airlines more..

Mar 10 (FT) PM Mahinda Rajapaksa brought forward the possibility of officials repaying the loans obtained for development from the funds generated by the relevant projects. Highlighting the imperative of repaying foreign loans obtained for various development projects, PM pointed out that this could be achieved using the funds generated by the relevant projects. “It is essential to select the most effective projects for the use of such loans, as well as the ability to obtain loans,” more..

Mar 10 (Island) Former fast bowling great Chaminda Vaas and Sri Lanka Cricket seem to have buried the hatchet and there is a possibility of the nation’s most successful fast bowler returning as a coach soon but SLC seems to be insisting on Vaas agreeing to issue a public apology before he could be roped in, again. When Vaas withdrew as fast bowling coach hours before the tour of WI last month, SLC attacked the bowler in public. more..

Mar 10 (CT) Govt expects to finalise US$ 2.2 billion from China and $ 1 billion from India to strengthen foreign reserves in a few weeks, Secretary to the Treasury and Ministry of Finance S R Attygalle said. “We expect a $ 700 million concessional loan from the China Development Bank later this month. Sri Lanka is also expecting another $ 1.5 billion from the People’s Bank of China and $ 1 billion from India’s Reserve Bank, as swap arrangements as announced,’ he said. more..

Mar 10 (FT) The Advocata Institute’s panel discussion on Gender discriminatory labour laws in Sri Lanka took place at the Taj Samudra Longdon Room on 5 March. Panelists at the discussion were Minister of Justice M.U.M. Ali Sabry, Former Department of Labour Commissioner of Labour, Women and Children Affairs Madhavie Gunawardena, Verite Research Deputy Head of Legal Research Malsirini De Silva, and Fonterra Business Partner (HR) Kanishka Paternott. more..

Mar 10 (DM) While almost everyone was immersed in the pandemic, the UK stumped China to become the top investor in SL in 2020. Based on the data by the Board of Investment (BOI), the agency tasked with promoting the country for long-term job-creating investments, the UK accounted for the lion’s share of total foreign direct investment (FDI) to Sri Lanka in 2020, accounting for 24%. FDI to Sri Lanka slumped in 2020, more..

Mar 10 (CI) Neither West Indies nor SL have much of a recent history of being good at this format. A quick look through stats first. Since the start of 2019, WI have lost 21 and won only 13 of their ODIs. SL, meanwhile, have done slightly better - 10 wins and 14 losses - but have had the benefit of having had most of their best players available throughout, which is no longer a luxury West Indies have in many bilateral series. West Indies were recently whitewashed 3-0 against Bangladesh, more..

Mar 10 (CT) Leader of the House, Dinesh Gunawardena, tabled reports of two PCoI in Parliament yesterday. Accordingly, reports of the PCoI into political victimisation of govt officials, staff members of govt corporations, members of the Security Forces, and members of the Police Dept during the period of 8 Jan 2015 to 16 Nov 2019 and PCoI into incidents of fraud and misappropriations which have allegedly taken place at public institutions from 14 Jan 2015 to 31 Dec 2018, more..

Mar 10 (FT) The reduction of the Special Commodity Levy on sugar from Rs. 50 per kilo to 25 cents per kilo in October last year allowing bulk imports by one importer had resulted in a loss of Rs. 16 billion in tax revenue, a report submitted by the Finance Ministry to the Committee on Public Finance has revealed. The report was tabled in the House by the Chairman of the Committee MP Anura Priyadarshana Yapa yesterday. more..

Mar 10 (EN) Sri Lanka plans to set up an aircraft and maintenance and repair overhaul (MRO) unit, a transit hotel, expand duty free services at Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport as it draws more traffic, an official said. “The airport at Mattala will be establishing a MRO facility with foreign investments to capture the regional business markets for aircraft, engine repairs and checks,” Shehan Sumanasekara, Chief Director-Operations, Airport and Aviation Services (SL) said. more..

Mar 10 (TM) India is likely to abstain from voting on the resolution that will be moved on SL at the UNHRC 46th Session that is currently ongoing. Well-placed sources said that it is unlikely India would be voting on the resolution that is due to be moved by the Core Group of Countries on SL this week. Meanwhile, the Tamil Civil Society P2P (Pottuvil to Polikandy) Movement had written to Indian PM Narendra Modi on 8 March requesting India’s help in referring SL to the ICC by including it more..

Mar 10 (DM) The report of the PCoI which probed political victimisation had held former PM Ranil Wickremesinghe and five other Ministers responsible for political victimisation. It had recommended the review of the verdict given by the Judiciary against Duminda Silva, and had cleared Yoshitha Rajapaksa and to end court case against Minister Udaya Gammanpila. Report which was tabled in Parliament yesterday more..

Mar 10 (FT) The Norwegian Ambassador to SL Trine Jøranli Eskedal gave the keynote address at the Human Rights Commission of SL event organised to celebrate International Women’s Day 2021. The theme of the discussion was the Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on women and gender equality. Speaking at the event was HRC Chairman Dr. Jagath Balasuriya, Uni of Sri J'pura Dept of Business Economics Dr. Janaka Fernando, Uni of Colombo Dept of Sociology Dr. Mahees, more..

Mar 10 (CT) SLPP MP Madhura Vithanage came to Parliament by boat yesterday, after obtaining permission from Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena. This will go down in SL’s Parliament history as the first occasion where an MP obtained the Speaker’s permission to come to Parliament by boat. Serjeant-at-Arms Narendra Fernando confirmed the Speaker had given permission to Vithanage to come to Parliament by boat. Vithanage chose to come to inaugural Parliamentary more..

Mar 10 (TM) The development of the West Container Terminal (WCT) should be carried out with a shipping company, and not with Indian Adani Group of Companies, trade unions attached to the Colombo Port said. Ports, Commerce Industries, and Progressive Workers’ Union General Secretary Shamal Sumanaratne said that while Adani may be suitable to the Govt for the development of WCT, it is not suitable to the unions. more..

Mar 10 (DM) Sri Lanka has begun negotiations with Russia’s Gamaleya Research Institute, that produces the Sputnik V vaccine, to finalise a price to purchase the vaccines for the local population as the State Pharmaceutical Corporation (SPC) envisages to purchase at least seven million doses. An official from the SPC said that the Cabinet appointed price- negotiating team had begun their negotiations with Gamaleya and once a price was finalised, the SPC would place its order. more..

Mar 10 (DM) The quarantine process, including for travellers who have received the coronavirus vaccine is under review, Health Ministry sources said. The proposal had been made when the coronavirus task force met on Monday afternoon. A request was made to consider if the mandatory quarantine can be exempted for travellers who have received the Covid vaccine. As a result, Health Ministry’s technical committee on Covid-related matters is now studying the proposal and more..

Mar 10 (FT) The Govt yesterday defended its decision to approve Adani Group to develop the West Container Terminal (WCT) conceding that the Indian Govt did not specifically nominate the company, but that the selection was based on an assumption as the second terminal project was deemed less strategic. Energy Minister Udaya Gammanpila, responding to questions at the weekly Cabinet briefing, took pains to explain more..

Mar 10 (FT) We have converted COVID- 19 into nonscience as I wrote last time. You can tell it is morphing into a cult that has to be packaged and sold (ask yourself the last time that was necessary for a virus), given all the associated rituals. And the rituals are voodoo, ineffective, placebo-like, demonstratively ostentatious. The badges of faith (science free or science lite) include: school closings (against accumulated evidence worldwide), quarantining the healthy and more..

Mar 10 (DN) The govt is confident of receiving the next consignment of COVID-19 vaccines ordered from the Serum Institute of India soon. Responding to a question by a journalist, Minister Dr. Ramesh Pathirana said there might be a slight delay in the delivery of the next consignment of vaccines ordered from the Serum Institute due to a fire which recently broke out at a building of the manufacturing plant. Sri Lanka has ordered another one million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine more..

Mar 10 (AD) A tusker named Revatha of the Kala-Balalu Wewa reserve has been electrocuted to death after coming in to contact with an electric fence set up at a maize cultivation in the Aliya Watuna Wewa area. Nicknamed Adambarakaaraya of the reserve, Revatha was the oldest tusker of the tusker herd in the Kala-Balalu Wewa reserve. According to wildlife officials, the deceased tusker had been 50-55 years in age. There had been no incidents of Revatha attacking humans or more..

Mar 10 (SLN) A special operation conducted by the Navy on Somathivu Island in Kalpitiya on 08th March 2021 led to the seizure of 107kg and 125g of Kerala cannabis. Sri Lanka Navy has been conducting regular operations while staying vigilant around the clock to ward off smuggling activities taking place via sea routes. As an extension of these operations, the Northwestern Naval Command managed to find 107kg and 125g of Kerala cannabis concealed in an abandoned rafter more..

Mar 10 (FT) The Great Game in Geneva involving Sri Lanka is now underway at the UNHRC! The 46th regular session of the UNHRC that commenced on 22 Feb at the Palais des Nations in Geneva is scheduled to end after 30 days on 23 March. The current membership (2021) of the UNHRC is as follows: Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, (Plurinational State of) Bolivia, Brazil. Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, more..

Mar 10 (FT) Women rarely were put in charge of hard core issues, only what were termed soft ones in keeping with their role as nurturer and carer. When they were present in the boardroom, they were often silent. When they spoke, they were inevitably spoken over. It was the exceptional woman who could navigate the corridors of corporate culture, male expectations, and a workplace that was unsympathetic to her dual burden. For women of my generation, the dual burden of striving more..

Mar 10 (AD) Two persons have been arrested while transporting 68kg of heroin, says the Police Spokesperson DIG Ajith Rohana. According to reports, a 38-year-old woman from Kandy and a 32-year-old man from Katana in Negombo were taken into custody in this manner. The arrest has been made by the officers of the Divisional Crimes Detection Bureau (DCDB) in the area of Denagama in Deiyandara. The DCDB is carrying out further investigations into the incident, more..

Mar 10 (AD) The arrest warrant issued on former MP Hirunika Premachandra has been recalled by the Colombo HC Judge Amal Ranaraja. Premachandra was issued an arrest warrant when she failed to appear before the court when the case on the abduction of a youth in 2015 was taken up before the Colombo High Court today. However, the former MP arrived at the court several moments after the warrant was issued. more..

Mar 10 (DM) SJB MP Rishad Bathiudeen today filed a complaint against Minister Wimal Weerawansa before the CID. The MP said he complaint about a speech made by Wimal Weerawansa at an event in which the minister said that his brother and Easter Sunday attack mastermind Zahran Hashim had a telephone conversation. Bathiudeen denied the allegations and said Wimal Weerawansa should prove those allegations if he can. "I had never met Zahran. more..

Mar 10 (Island) Investigations were underway to ascertain information about a nexus between spice traders and the Easter Sunday terrorists, Trade Minister Bandula Gunawardena told Parliament. He said so in response to a question by SLPP MP Mohamed Muzammil, who said that one of the leading sponsors of the Zahran Hashim’s group that executed the Easter Sunday terror attacks was Mohamed Yusuf Ibrahim, who had been a JVP national list candidate for parliamentary polls. more..

Mar 10 (Island) SLPP lawmaker Sanjeewa Edirimanne said a probe had to be held into efforts to divert public attention by blaming 2019 Easter attacks on the then SLPP prez candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa and SLPP founder Basil Rajapaksa. Responding to The Island queries after he and several other SLPP lawmakers lodged a complaint at the police headquarters in respect of a statement made by Kurunegala District SJB MP Asoka Abeysinghe over the weekend, more..

Mar 10 (EN) HSBC Sri Lanka said it had provided a trade loan to state-run People’s Bank to import 500,000 Coronavirus vaccines to the Indian Ocean island. “A successful and timely vaccination programme is critical for improving mobility of our economically active population which in turn will help strengthen the country’s economic sentiment as SL looks to build back stronger,” Prothero, CEO of HSBC SL and Maldives. SL is among the top three countries in Asia in terms of vaccines more..

Mar 10 (AD) The extraordinary gazette notification for increasing the daily wages of estate sector employees up to Rs. 1,000 has been published by the Ministry of Labour. The gazette notification, which is in effect from the 5th of March, says the decision adopted by the Wages Board for tea and rubber growing and manufacturing trade was approved by the Minister of Labour as per the provisions of the Wages Boards Ordinance more..

Mar 10 (AD) Minister Udaya Gammanpila said that the Ports Authority could raise funds for the development of the Colombo Port East Jetty through local sources or through the stock market. Minister further stated that patriotic Sri Lankans can be invited to invest in this strategically important project. “According to the cabinet paper submitted by the Minister of Ports, the ECT will be developed by the SLPA utilising its own funds, as well as funds borrowed from Sri Lankan local sources. more..

Mar 10 (Island) For the first time in SL, drone technology is being used to control the leaf fungus disease in rubber plantations, State Minister Kanaka Herath says. Under the project, Minister Herath said it had been planned to spray fungal controlling chemicals using drones, which is designed especially for agricultural purposes. State Minister while observing a chemical spraying pilot project using drones recently said that the fungal disease that infects rubber plantations should be more..

Mar 10 (FT) Minister of Sports was seen responding to a question on the pending appointments of the Cricket. Selection Committee in the strangest way, knowingly or unknowingly. Minister went to great lengths to explain that the appointment of the Cricket Selection Committee shall be done in concurrence with the National Selection Committee, National Sports Council and Cricket Technical Committee. more..

Mar 10 (DM) PM Mahinda Rajapaksa, today launched 12 editions of the Hindu Encyclopedia which was compiled by a number of scholars and experts from the Hindu religion, in a project which started from 1988. The encyclopedias, which are compiled in Tamil was presented to Hindu Religious Heads and some Tamil MPs which included Minister Douglas Devananda. The project was headed by Professor S. Pathmanathan who is a Tamil historian, academic and author and who is also the more..

Mar 10 (Island) Lord Naseby said that in spite of the Core Group’s resolution being further watered down, the possibility of the govt of SL accepting it was unlikely. The Island raised the issue at hand with Lord Naseby, who unconditionally threw his weight behind Sri Lanka’s efforts to counter unsubstantiated war crimes accusations. Q: Having made invaluable representations to UNHRC on behalf of Sri Lanka, at the current session too, what would you think is advantageous to Sri Lanka more..

Mar 10 (FT) State Minister Ajith Nivard Cabraal said the country›s economic growth in the first quarter will be around 3.5% to 4% given the rebound of economic activities. “We have seen that all economic activities are rapidly normalising after the second wave of COVID-19, and there is a clear upturn in economic activities. Given the projections by the Central Bank, we are confident that the first quarter GDP growth more..