Oct 9 (CT) Economies collapse suddenly amidst apparent economic growth if monetary disorder takes place. In fact I have never seen or observed or studied an economic crisis occurred in any country in the recent past which did not trigger from a financial crisis. Such crises happen quickly. Such crises do happen even under the close watch of IMF. The classic example is the Argentinian crisis which occurred in Dec 2001, because until the crisis was erupted Argentina was hailed as more..

Oct 9 (CT) Despite all the hot air pumped to float the UNHRC Resolution A/HRC/30/L. 29 its future is not guaranteed as the stormy atmospherics which seem to be gathering over the horizon are putting a heavy strain on the stability of the Siri-Wicky regime and, more importantly, its ability to deliver the truck load of promises contained in the Resolution, mainly to win applause from abroad. Ranil Wickremesinghe, who is carrying the heavy load, seems to be driven by a self-motivated compulsion to implement more..

Oct 9 (SO) Chitranganee Srimathi (59), widow of JVP's iconic founder, Rohana Wijeweera broke years of silence and let the spill gates open as it were, when she wrote to President, PM and FM recently about the plight of her children - now adults who are still suffering the consequences of their father's rebellion. "I had been silent for far too long and I have begun to wonder if I did the right thing by my children," Chiranganee said. more..

Oct 9 (CT) Different views and thoughts have surfaced amongst top govt ranks in Colombo over the conduct of the US with regard to the recent developments in Geneva and New York. Prior to the tabling of the UNHRC Resolution, US Senior Assistant Secretary of State Nisha Biswal arrived in Colombo and stated that a resolution would be moved in support of Sri Lanka. She became popular here over that positive assurance at a time Colombo was placed in an embarrassing situation with more..

Oct 9 (CT) Harassment of women is a worldwide phenomenon that has received widespread exposure in the media and through other awareness campaigns. The issue is rampant in Sri Lanka, particularly in public transport and workplaces where a vast number of women claim to be abused regularly. There are multiple aspects of domestic and international law on the topic. However, there is also another side to the law left vastly neglected. Most people construe women's rights as more..

Oct 9 (CT) JVP MP Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa spoke to Ceylon Today regarding the party's stance on recent events concerning the country. Q: What is the present role of the JVP in the Opposition? A: There are six political parties accepted by Speaker Karu Jayasuriya as constituting the Opposition. Three of them are clearly in the govt. These are the UNP, the UPFA and the SLFP. Political parties solely in the opposition more..

Oct 9 (NS) The National Joint Committee (NJC) has issued a statement expressing regret at the initiative taken by the Govt of Sri Lanka to co-sponsor the resolution at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva together with the United States. The full text of the committee’s statement is given below: The National Joint Committee observes with regret the initiative taken by the Govt of Sri Lanka (GOSL) to co-sponsor a resolution together with the USA; more..

Oct 9 (EN) Sri Lankan exports of traditional products like tea have helped turn the balance of trade with Poland in the island’s favour, said Samantha Ranatunga, Chairman of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce. “Ceylon tea is well known in Poland and the potential to increase our exports of tea to Poland further is immense,” he told the Sri Lanka – Poland Business Forum. Exports from Sri Lanka to Poland increased to 53 million US dollars in 2014 from 47 million dollars in 2013 more..

Oct 9 (FT) LMD reports that the business community is highly optimistic about the future, according to the latest LMD-Nielsen BCI, which broke the psychologically critical landmark of 200 basis points in September. Last time the index came close to surpassing this milestone was following presidential election, which saw it skyrocket to 194. Unique barometer of business confidence in SL now stands at 204 more..

Oct 9 (SL) The plight of the 17-year-old boy, and the 31-year-old man arrested and remanded over the brutal murder of Seya and then suddenly released, brings to focus the plight of those who are wrongly arrested by the police, and then sent to remand prison by judges who are at times oblivious to the importance of human liberty and the suffering and ignominy of being remanded. The boy, who was arrested by the police and then remanded, was vilified and humiliated. more..

Oct 9 (DN) Some of Sri Lanka's senior players will be under tremendous pressure to make an impact when they turn up for the SLC Board President's XI in the three-day practice match against the touring West Indies team which begins at the SSC ground in Maitland Place today. This will also be the only practice match for the Caribbean islanders before they take on hosts Sri Lanka in the opening Test match on October 14 at the Galle International Stadium. more..

Oct 9 (CT) National Champion of Triple Jump and Long Jump, Vidusha Lakshani continued her record breaking streak with the girls under 21 long jump records in All Island School Games 2015 started at Diyagama yesterday. Teenager Lakshani from Newstead Girl's College Negombo leapt 6:00m in her final attempt to erase the 10-year-old record of 5:92m set by Ruvani Rupasinghe set in 2005. more..

Oct 9 (DN) "Elections to Sri Lanka Cricket will be held in January next year and those eligible could contest and get elected. But those elected to power to this prestigious body will have the challenge of generating their own finances to fund the on going projects and others envisaged for the future by the present Interim Committee who will be in power only for a few months," said the Minister of Sports Dayasiri Jayasekera. He made these observations when he addressed the gathering more..

Oct 9 (CT) Suraj Dandeniya, President of SL Badminton Association believes that the ban on Sri Lanka by the World Badminton Federation could be lifted in December this year. He said this at the press conference which was held to launch the 63rd National Badminton Championship at OBA in Colombo. He stated that he hopes to speak with authorities and get the support from the Asian Badminton Association regarding the ban, when they meet on 15 Oct at council meeting. more..

Oct 9 (PMD) President Maithripala Sirisena says the new govt would start a new program when eliminating of the poverty and building of the economy of the law income families. He added he would not let politicians to exploit the benefits of the innocent people in this country. He further stated a program will be implemented to invest every cent which the govt allocates for the people, for the welfare of them. more..

Oct 9 (NS) Acting Finance Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardana says that the latest supplementary estimate on President’s expenditure has been given an erroneous definition and the amount is not only for the President Maithripala Sirisena’s personal expenses. The Minister also mentioned that compared to previous year allocations, this year amount is considerably small. “Rs.2567.5 million has been allocated for the expenditure of the President’s office and related matters. more..

Oct 9 (CI) A 20-member Sri Lanka women's squad to tour New Zealand in October-November has been trimmed down to 15, SLC announced. Eshani Lokusuriyage, Sugandika Kumari, Rose Perera and Kushanthi Liyanage, who were part of the touring party named in September, have failed to make the cut. Oshadi Ranasinghe and Lasanthi Madushani, who had been part of the 20-strong team, have been placed on standby. Sugandhika Dassanayake is one of two new additions. more..

Oct 9 (DN) The new valuation method gazetted by the govt which is unrealistic will further jeopardize the Motor Industry and create a vehicle price hike, industry said. Vehicle Importer’s Association President Sampath Merenchige said the new valuation method will propel Japanese vehicle prices to rise by Rs 1 to 1.2 million. This could lead to the import of Japanese vehicles reducing by almost 90%, he said. more..

Oct 9 (PMD) A group of representatives of World Health Organization (WHO) met President Maithripala Sirisena at the Presidential Secretariat. They informed the President about the proposal to hold the Regional Summit of WHO, next year in Sri Lanka. President Sirisena expressed his pleasure that Sri Lanka will be the host country for the WHO Summit. President recalling the assistance given by the WHO expressed his satisfaction over the advice and contribution provided by more..

Oct 9 (DN) Former private sector professional Rajpal Obeysekere assumed duties as chairman of the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment yesterday. Obeysekere said his main aim is to implement measures to ensure a transparent and efficient administration free of corruption. Rajpal Obeysekere a former Peterite was born in 1952. A founder Director/shareholder of Stassen Group of Companies, Obeysekere has over 38 years experience in the trade and commerce field. more..

Oct 9 (CT) Additional Magistrate of Colombo Nishantha Peiris ordered the FCID yesterday to inform Court why former President's Secretary Lalith Weeratunga and former Chairman of the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) Anusha Pelpita, who had been clearly identified as suspects in the case of misappropriating Rs 600 million from the TRC for a programme where sil clothing had been distributed, had not been more..

Oct 9 (DN) The governance of pension plans should be independent from the govt and any employer control, JB Securities CEO, Murtaza Jafferjee said. He stressed the need to have an independent and competent regulator for pension funds in order to gain full benefits out of the existing pension schemes in the country. "More than 90% of the Employees' Provident Fund (EPF) assets are invested in govt securities while only the balance is in equities and other corporate debts. more..

Oct 9 (FT) Janashakthi Insurance Plc is buying global giant AIA’s Sri Lanka’s general business, in a multi-billion rupee deal. Parties were tightlipped about the deal but AIA has convened a press conference today evening where an announcement was likely. A disclosure to the Colombo Stock Exchange from both parties is expected today as well. AIA’s general business assets amounted to Rs. 6 billion as at 30 June 2015 whilst in the life business it was Rs. 44.2 billion. more..

Oct 9 (DN) Parliamentary Select Committee will be set up to investigate into the financial transactions done by the Central Bank including the transactions carried out within the past six months, PM Ranil Wickremesinghe said. He stated that he could not be contended with these transactions done by CB and its staff. Due to such reasons the govt has had to transfer a number of officials including higher officials from CB. more..

Oct 9 (NS) The CID has appealed to members of the public who may have any information regarding the murder of former Sunday Leader Editor Lasantha Wickrematunge, to come forward. Police Headquarters stated that a team of CID officers are currently probing the murder of Wickramatunge, who was killed on January 8, 2009 at Atthidiya in Dehiwala. Members of the public who may have any information regarding the crime are requested to contact the following phone numbers: more..

Oct 9 (DN) Singaporean High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Chandra Das says Singapore and Sri Lanka is currently focusing on several govt to govt projects. He revealed this, when Das met the Ceylon Chamber led Sri Lanka - Singapore Business Council members at the Chamber. Das said," We are working mainly on capacity building work, where we deliver expertise on areas such as township development, urban development and city development". more..

Oct 9 (EN) Sri Lanka is heading for a retirement crisis with rising life expectancy, insufficient labour participation and inadequate pension coverage, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Harsha De Silva said. “Caring for the old is going to place a large burden on the health system, especially old age disease and end-of-life care,” he told the National Pensioners Day Symposium organised by the Department of Pensions. more..

Oct 9 (CT) JVP MP Sunil Handunnetti has been appointed the Treasurer of the Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC) South Asia and Pacific Region Committee. He was representing Sri Lanka at the sixth GOPAC summit in Yogyakarta, Indonesia held from 6 to 8 Oct, when he was elected for the post. Bhutan, Bangladesh, Maldives, Iran and Afghanistan participated during the committee stage when the MP representing Nepal nominated Handunnetti. more..

Oct 9 (CT) Former Minister Rosy Senanayake filed a petition at the Supreme Court requesting to recount and publicize the votes mustered by the UNP candidates, who contested the August general election from the Colombo District. Court took into consideration this Fundamental Rights petition and ordered the defendants of the case to appear before Court on 30 Nov. Notices to Elections Commissioner and Attorney General were accepted by Deputy Solicitor General Therian Pulle. more..

Oct 9 (Hindu) 9-year-old Arunraj and his younger sister Rakshana are excited about their journey on Thursday. For the first time in their lives, they would be travelling by an airplane and both want to have a window seat. The children, born to a Sri Lankan refugee couple in a special camp in Dindigul district of Tamil Nadu, are among the 73 who left the special camps for Sri Lanka with the assistance of the UNHCR more..

Oct 9 (DM) Police Spokesman Ruwan Gunasekara said a suspect could not be named as an accused just because he or she had made a statement to the police in connection with a crime. He said a suspect’s statement held no legal value until police investigations found evidence to prove that the statement was true. ASP Gunasekara expressed these views at a news conference when asked about the fate of suspect Dunesh Priyashantha alias Kondaya who was arrested and remanded more..

Oct 9 (BM) It is not just the Australian men and the South African women that have had security concerns in Bangladesh. The managers of the ICC are also worried, putting the Under-19 World Cup in serious jeopardy. Over the next four days, the ICC officials — who are congregating in Dubai for the quarterly meeting — will be discussing if the junior World Cup should be moved from Bangladesh. Tournament is slated to start in Dhaka on Jan 24, just about three months away and the ICC, more..

Oct 9 (DN) Police officers who appeared before the Human Right Commission (HRC) said the human rights of the student, taken into custody, allegedly by police, over the murder of a five-year-old girl at Kotadeniyawa has not been violated. This was reported, when the HRC heard the case filed by the Ceylon Teachers' Union (CTU), on the human rights violation of the student. Parallel to filing the case, CTU requested the HRC to more..

Oct 9 (DN) Another two baby elephants which Ali Roshan had kept in his possession with fake licenses were recovered on Wednesday from a land belonging to him in Pannipitiya. Nirad Roshan alias Ali Roshan was arrested in March 2015 by the CID on charges of keeping elephants, after obtaining fake licenses, and released on bail. The two elephants were taken into wildlife custody and handed over to the Pinnawala Elephant orphanage, following the orders of Kesbewa Magistrates. more..

Oct 9 (FT) Mutual legal assistance in criminal matters and concerns between Sri Lanka and China was taken up for debate yesterday at Parliament. Moving the motion setting the stage for the debate, Minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapaksha said: “This agreement was made between the Govt of Sri Lanka and the Govt of China. The agreement deals with mutual legal assistance in criminal matters and concerns inter alia the improved effectiveness on the part of both parties to the agreement more..

Oct 9 (LT) More than 15 instances of telephone conversations have taken place between the owner of Avan Garde and the Attorney General’s Department reveals the Leader of the JVP Anura Dissanayaka. He revealed this participating in a Parliamentary debate held today (8) to strengthen bilateral relations with China. He said there is no proper process of recruitment in AG’s Department. more..

Oct 9 (DM) Last Friday Oct 2 Sri Lanka joined the world in celebrating the International Day of Non-violence. It coincided with the birth anniversary of the legendary Mahatma Gandhi, known and admired by billions of people as the Apostle of Non-violence. In a statement to mark the event, the United Nations says Mahatma Gandhi, who helped lead India to independence, has been the inspiration for non-violent movements for civil rights and social change across the world. more..

Oct 9 (DM) Elements on both sides seem to have come to an agreement in placing the international mechanism above the domestic judicial process. Pandemonium reigned on Tuesday in Parliament, when some Opposition members demonstrated in the the House against the Special Hybrid Court proposed by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Prince Zeid Al Hussein in his report presented to the UNHRC on Sept 16 to investigate into the allegations of human rights violations more..

Oct 9 (DM) Our PM’s visit could not have come at a better time - just as this govt is preparing itself to take our country forward and to giving our people a better life, Japan will most definitely be a willing corporate partner. Our leaders have visited Japan many times, PM Sir John Kotalawela visited in 1954, PM Dudley Senanayake in 1967, PM Sirimavo Bandaranaike in 1976, President J. R. Jayewardene in 1979. more..

Oct 9 (CG) In a significant move, China has dispatched a special envoy to Sri Lanka, where major Chinese investments are being reviewed since a Beijing-friendly president was ousted from power in January and a recent parliamentary election reinstated a national unity govt seeking a more neutral foreign policy. Beijing has appointed Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Liu Zhenmin as the first special envoy for more..