Mar 2 (FT) COVID-19 vaccines were administered to 44,908 persons on Monday and the Pfizer and Sinopharm vaccines are currently being administered in the country. The booster dose was administered to 33,724 persons on Monday. A total of 7,193,381 persons have received the third dose to date. Pfizer vaccine is being used to administer the booster dose. The first dose of Pfizer was administered to 2,964 persons on Monday and the second dose was administered to 5,015 more..

Mar 2 (TM) The required letter of credit (LC) had not yet been opened for a 37,000 tonnes (t) shipment of diesel which is set to arrive from Singapore today as of yesterday, indicating a further delay in the releasing of the shipment of fuel. When The Morning Business reached out to Energy Minister’s Media Spokesman Chaminda Hettiarachchi, he declined to provide definite confirmation that the ship will arrive today, more..

Mar 2 (CI) The first India-SL Test match in Mohali will now be open to spectators, who will be allowed to fill the PCA Stadium to 50% capacity. The match - which is set to be Virat Kohli's 100th Test - was initially scheduled to be played behind closed doors due to Covid-19 restrictions. Three days before the start of the match, however, the BCCI has confirmed that spectators will be allowed to attend it. "The first Test between India and SL to be played at the Punjab Cricket Stadium in Mohali will not be more..

Mar 2 (ST) Sixty schools in the West Mid­lands have been twinned with 60 schools across 10 Commonwealth countries. Pupils will learn about other cul­tures in the Commonwealth through a programme of sports and arts Pro­gramme launched with a live linkup between Thorns Collegiate Acad­emy in Brierley Hill and Kotagalolu­wa Sri Jinarathana Junior School in SL Pupils from the West Mid­lands took part in a video call with children in SL at the official launch of more..

Mar 2 (DN) “I have done my best for SL bowlers during a short period of 15 days and no miracles can be expected. What I did was teach them the simple way of realising bowlers’ duty at the match,” said former SL paceman Lasith Malinga who was appointed bowling strategy coach for the recently concluded Australian T-20 series. Malinga further said the bowler has to realize how he can bowl during the T-20 match. We can divide the T20 game into three stages such as the first 6 overs more..

Mar 2 (FT) COVID-19 case count rose to 646,948 following the detection of 914 COVID-19 patients yesterday. The patients detected yesterday were from the New Year cluster. The previous day, 996 persons from the New Year cluster and one SL returnee from overseas tested positive for COVID-19. 5,436 PCR tests and 1,873 rapid antigen tests were conducted on Monday. A total of 541,561 persons from the New Year cluster, 82,785 persons from the Peliyagoda cluster, 9,154 persons more..

Mar 2 (TM) With long lines of consumers seen stuck at fuel pumping stations yesterday, Energy Minister Udaya Gammanpila said that the diesel stocks currently available with the CPC are only sufficient for the next four days. “We have 22,000 metric tonnes (MT) of diesel at the moment and that is enough for the next four days. Due to this reason, we have limited the amount of diesel we will release per day. more..

Mar 2 (CT) The fuel shortage has hit eight power plants and as a result these power plants will not generate electricity today (1), the CEB said. Due to the prevailing fuel shortage, only Uthuru Janai and Sojitz Kelanitissa Power Plants will function today. CEB’s daily situation report showed that Barge Mounted Power Plant (BMPP), Sapugaskanda A, Sapugaskanda B, Kelanitissa Power Station (KCCP), GT7/ Frame V, Kelanitissa Power Station, West Coast Power functioning on furnace oil more..

Mar 2 (FT) Bank of Ceylon has concluded 2021 with what it described as unprecedented value creation for all stakeholders with record lending and achievement of Rs. 43.2 billion in profit before tax. It said as the largest bank in the country the contribution of Bank of Ceylon in functionalising the initiatives taken by Central Bank of SL in stabilising the macroeconomic fundamentals of the country is commended universally. “During this difficult situation, bank of Ceylon stamped its class by more..

Mar 2 (Island) Minister Keheliya Rambuwella has assured the GMOA that he will submit a Cabinet paper forthwith to bring all public sector salary issues to the notice of the National Pay Commission. The assurance was given at a meeting chaired by Prez Rajapaksa at the Presidential Secretariat on Monday (28). Minister was responding to GMOA President Dr. Anuruddha Padeniya’s request to Prez Rajapaksa to stop more..

Mar 2 (FT) SL is aligning with innovation and accelerating into a new, digital-centric space, with the Govt working to create an inviting regulatory environment for blockchain use-cases to flourish, offering the country fresh and entirely new economic verticals. One such enterprise capitalising on SL’s progressive approach to emerging technology markets such as Metaverse and Web 3.0, is start-up incubator and 360 service provider, Grow. Recognising the exciting growth potential more..

Mar 2 (DN) TNPF Leader Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam said he has sent a letter to the UNHRC requesting that an international level official be appointed to observe injustices taking place in the N&E provinces. PM, expressing his views to the media subsequent to sending the letter to Geneva, said on Feb 28 that he had emphasized the fact that an expedited decision be made on establishing an int'l court in order to carry out investigations into incidents of violations of human rights more..

Mar 2 (FT) IFC has appointed Lisa Kaestner as the new Country Manager for SL and Maldives. Based in Colombo, Kaestner will focus on diversifying and growing IFC’s portfolio while helping strengthen private sector in both countries and promoting inclusive growth. The appointment was announced by IFC Vice President for Asia and the Pacific Alfonso Garcia Mora, who along with IFC Regional Director for South Asia Hector Gomez Ang, has arrived in SL for meetings with Govt and more..

Mar 2 (FT) Sri Lanka’s trade with two warring nations Russia and Ukraine, especially tea exports, are at stake with major shipping lines yesterday announcing cancellation of services. Lankan tea exporters were concerned with the suspension of services to Russia, a key market. Sri Lanka’s exports in 2020 to Russia amounted to $ 163 million or 1.6% of the total but tea exports amounted most of it at $ 132 million. Russia is also a key import source with $ 232 million in 2020. more..

Mar 2 (DM) Police and hotels have been told to monitor and stay on alert to avoid any possible incidents among Russian and Ukrainian tourists who are presently in SL as most of them are staying in the same hotels or in the same areas after the Tourism Ministry gave them a two month extension of visas. Due to the ongoing war which has erupted between Russia and Ukraine, several tourists are stranded here; unable to go back more..

Mar 2 (Island) British HC in Colombo has said that queries relating to the arrest of a person in the UK should be directed to the Metropolitan Police Service and their media team. UK on 24 Feb, announced the arrest and the subsequent release of a 48-year-person over his alleged involvement in the killing of journalist Mylvaganam Nimalarajan, 39, in his Jaffna home on Oct 19, 2000. Killing took place in an area under military control, six years after the then govt brought Jaffna peninsula under its control. more..

Mar 2 (DM) With 51% of recipients of the second dose receiving the booster shot, Health officials are of the opinion that the restrictions can be lifted forever if people showed further interest in getting the booster dose. Dr. Anwar Hamdani said the Omicron situation is currently under control in SL thanks to the successful booster rollout in the country. “We have been able vaccinate more and more people with the booster dose, which is the only way for us to feel relaxed and comfortable. more..

Mar 2 (TM) Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) announced yesterday that today’s power cuts will last approximately seven-and-a-half hours. “This is a disappointing day for the PUCSL as we have to announce an approximate seven-hour power cut. This is because we do not have the required fuel to run our power stations, which has led to the shutdown of many power stations at the moment. more..

Mar 2 (FT) Public Utilities Commission of SL (PUCSL) said it has already decided to take legal action against those who do not provide the dollars required to import fuel to generate electricity. PUCSL Chairman Janaka Ratnayake said legal action will be taken against the relevant parties within the next two to three days. Ratnayake said the reason for the problem was the lack of response to the request made by the Public Utilities Commission to Central Bank and Treasury to provide $150 m to CEB more..

Mar 2 (Island) Federation of Health Professionals announced a countrywide strike to be conducted today and tomorrow after the Health Ministry failed to adhere to the agreements reached between the parties in February. On 15 Feb, the Federation suspended its strike action for 14 days after the Health Minister promised to put forth a Cabinet paper to resolve their issues by the end of February. CMLS President, Ravi Kumudesh said that the Federation had not been informed of more..

Mar 2 (FT) The COVID-inflicted economy got a fresh shock with the electricity regulator approving a debilitating seven-and-a-half power cut today, sparking anger within the private sector and the public. Today’s power shedding approved to the CEB is the longest, renewing fears that more power cuts are in the offing owing to continuous failure by the Govt to resolve the foreign exchange crisis and the resultant energy supply fiasco. more..

Mar 2 (FT) Ukraine is under attack and by the time this article is published Kyiv would have fallen. This is the first major war in Europe since the Second World War other than the invasion of Georgia by Russia in 2008. There are heavy criticisms against Vladimir Putin, President of Russia all over the world. Western countries tried hard to stop Putin taking this action. The French Prez and Chancellor of Germany visited Russia, but they failed. After the invasion the British PM called Putin a dictator more..

Mar 2 (FT) Four decades ago, China was a poor country. It was poorer than SL in terms of per capita income, while it had millions of poor who were faced with chronic poverty and starvation. But today China has been able to eradicate its acute poverty miraculously by achieving zero poverty by national poverty line. In fact, China’s national poverty line is even higher than the World Bank’s low-income international poverty line of $ 1.90 a day. If we apply WB’s middle-income poverty line of $3.20 more..

Mar 2 (FT) Hemas Holdings PLC will host #BreaktheBias-It Starts with Me, a virtual discussion on the importance of celebrating women’s achievements and addressing gender inequality and bias that exists in today’s society, via Facebook Live at 4 p.m. on 8 March. Following in the footsteps of the Global Campaign of International Women’s Day (IWD) 2022, with an aim to establish a society free of gender discrimination, the forum will honour achievements of women leaders at Hemas more..

Mar 2 (MFA) Govt of Myanmar has granted pardon to the seven SL fishermen who were imprisoned and serving their sentences in jail in view of the existing cordial bilateral relations between Myanmar and SL, on humanitarian grounds and in commemoration of the Myanmar Diamond Jubilee Union Day. SL fishing vessel Thushan Putha IMUL-A-0741NBO with seven SL fishermen was taken into custody by the Myanmar authorities on 3 Dec 2021 as they had encroached into Myanmar waters. more..

Mar 2 (EN) Public Utilities Commission of SL (PUCSL) said a 7.5-hour power cut be imposed for the second day running on March 2, with the state-run CPC unable to issue enough fuel to run thermal power plants. According to the outage schedule issued by the PUCSL, all areas will experience a five-hour power cut between 8.30 am and 6pm and a cut of two hours and 30 minutes between 6pm and 11pm on Thursday (3). more..

Mar 2 (TM) No one will invest in SL as the trust has been lost within the international community with the mismanagement of the current economic crisis, says UNP Chairman Vajira Abeywardena. “Not a single investor globally will invest in Sri Lanka due to the current situation the country is in. This is because of the trust that has been lost with the mismanagement of funds within the country and the crisis. People are unable to find food for their 3 meals, people are unable to live a normal life anymore, more..

Mar 2 (SLN) Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) ships URAGA and HIRADO which belong to the Minesweeper Division One arrived at the port of Colombo on a formal visit on 01st and 02nd March 2022 respectively. Upon their arrival, the two ships were welcomed by the SL Navy in accordance with naval tradition. The Minesweeper Division One to which both these ships belong is commanded by Captain NOGUCHI Yasushi. Meanwhile, the 141m long Minesweeper Tender URAGA more..

Mar 2 (AD) Trade unions in the health sector, including those affiliated with nursing, supplementary and paramedical services have launched a two-day token strike this morning. Federation of Health Professionals explained that they resorted to an island-wide trade union action again as the steps taken to fulfil their demands agreed upon by the Health Minister during the previous discussions are unsatisfactory. more..

Mar 2 (AO) Ample Transfers, a leader in personal & corporate cross-border money transfers, has partnered with the High Commission of SL in Singapore to provide safe and regulated remittances to SL at $0 fees. This 3-month initiative pilots Ample Transfers' efforts to partner migrant countries' govt bodies in Singapore, progressing their mission to not only combat illegal remittances and money laundering but to also cater for financial inclusion for the unbanked and underbanked migrants more..

Mar 2 (EN) SL’s Treasury Bill yield rose across maturities with the one year yield up 142 points to 9.95%, in one of the biggest one day gains, data from the state debt office showed. The 3-month yield rose 72 basis points to 9.33%. 6-month yield rose 135 basis points to 9.88%. The debt office offered 55 billion rupees of bills and sold only 35 billion rupees. The one year yield is still too low to draw interest and was sharply below inflation. SL’s inflation has been rising steeply to 13-year high more..

Mar 2 (FT) Avani Bentota Resort was officially reopened to the public recently following a major revamp beckoning a new age in post-pandemic travel. The opening was attended by LOLC Holdings Group Manager Director/CEO and Serendib Hotels Plc Chairman Kapila Jayawardena, Browns Hotels and Resorts Group General Manager Eksath Wijeratne, General Manager – Sales and Marketing Adrian Jansz and Avani Bentota Resort General Manager Channa Ekanayake. more..

Mar 2 (NR) The opposition questions whether the govt has any contingency plans in place if a crude oil barrel increases by another 20-30% in the world market. The crude oil prices have been increasing steadily in recent days following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Brent crude – the international benchmark for oil prices – today topped USD 110 a barrel, marking the highest level seen in more than seven years. MP Eran Wickramaratne said although the price of a crude oil barrel was at more..

Mar 2 (DM) Prez Rajapaksa instructed all responsible parties to take steps to ensure uninterrupted power supply from Mar 5. The Prez made this observation at a special discussion held at the Presidential Secretariat, today regarding the existing power cuts and the fuel issue. After lengthy discussions with officials of the Ministries of Power and Energy, it was decided to continue importing fuel without delay, maintaining reserves and more..

Mar 2 (FT) Access Engineering (AEL) is making swift progress in the construction of the T-Mall flyover and 05 foot bridges in Kenya and is well on schedule to be completed and handed over next year. Recognising the need for constructing a flyover across Langata road in Nairobi which is used to move large volumes of cargo on a regular basis, project was initiated by the Kenya National Highways Authority (KNHA) of the Ministry of Transport Infrastructure, Housing & Urban more..

Mar 2 (AD) PM Rajapaksa has informed Foreign Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris and Sri Lankan Embassy in Moscow to take precautionary measures to safeguard Sri Lankan students who are following higher studies in Belarus in the wake of the escalation of the Ukraine-Russia war. He made this remark in immediate response to a request made by a group of parents representing nearly 1,500 SL students at Belarusian universities and higher education institutes. more..