Jan 14 (SO) Meethotamulla waste dumping site, which has remained a stinking issue for the residents for several years, has finally garnered the attention of the authorities, following the assault on a group of residents participating in a Satyagraha campaign to protest the dumping of garbage in their backyard. But there doesn't seem to be any solution in sight for the long suffering resident, forced to breathe in the reek and contend with disease more..

Jan 14 (SL) As Jan 8, 2016 marked the first anniversary of the establishment of the yahapalanaya form of good governance, it was evident that the govt of President Maithripala Sirisena and PM Ranil Wickremesinghe has been put to the test. While there were simple celebrations to mark the first anniversary of Sirisena’s ascension to power – a stark contrast to what was witnessed during the past two decades – there were also many events held to remind Sirisena and his govt of more..

Jan 14 (ITN) Minister Rajitha Senaratne has drawn his attention to keeping all Osu Salas open until 10 pm or round the clock. In the meantime the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation (SPC) indicates a growth of 24% under the new administration. Health Ministry points out that SPC has achieved a profit of 438 million rupees last year. Many initiatives were taken under the new administration to develop physical as well as human resources of the Corporation on the instructions of more..

Jan 14 (FT) As the flow of tourists ebbs, removing the long-established minimum room rate for Colombo hotels could benefit the industry by increasing competitiveness, experts said, creating room for stronger price adjustments with similar international markets. While Colombo has a strong and diverse demand base, future growth will be linked largely to the level of corporate growth and foreign investment as well as successful more..

Jan 14 (PSL) A felicitation ceremony Yathiwara Harasara Pranama Pooja organized by the Pulathisi Maha Thera Sansadaya to bless to President Maithripala Sirisena was held today (12) in Jayanthi Maha Viharaya, Kaduruwela. This has been organized to mark the one year completion of the presidency of President Sirisena. Maha Sanga stated that their blessings are always with the program carried out by the President to build Sri Lanka as a country of exemplary and more..

Jan 14 (CT) Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam last week instructed the ministry officials to increase the intake of students, who have passed the Grade Five Scholarship Exam, to the popular schools in the cities. The ministry stated in a media release that popular schools have the capacity to accommodate more students; hence they should prioritize taking students who have passed the scholarship exam, instead of enrolling students based on political influence, which had happened in the past. more..

Jan 14 (CT) Sri Lanka cricket's present interim National coach Jerome Jayaratne could end up being the scapegoat of Sri Lanka's disastrous tour of New Zealand, as SLC is said to have already called for applications for the post of National coach, though the previous Interim Committee and T20 captain Lasith Malinga wanted Jerome to stay on as coach till the World T20 in March. Jayaratne who had worked in SLC for the last 16 years more..

Jan 14 (ITN) Minister Faizer Mustapha has said that some are making statements that the term of office of Local Govt institutions had been earlier extended under the emergency. He said that they are doing so to deceive the people. Minister has issued a statement to educate the people on the false propaganda mooted by such elements. On July 25th 2013, A.L.M. Athaullah who was in charge of Local Govt portfolio extended the term of office of Jaffna Municipal Council up to 31st August 2014 more..

Jan 14 (GDI) Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) has announced the appointments of former Sri Lanka captain Marvan Atapattu as consultant batting coach and former South Africa fast bowler Makhaya Ntini as national team bowling coach for Zimbabwe’s tour of Bangladesh. In a statement, ZC said Atapattu has been roped in for the duration of Zimbabwe’s tour to Bangladesh starting from Jan 15. Atapattu siccedes batting coach Andy Waller who was relieved of his duties on Oct 25 last year. more..

Jan 14 (FCO) Minister for Asia, Hugo Swire, will visit Colombo, Jaffna and Galle in his third official visit to Sri Lanka. The visit is the latest in a series of high level engagements between the govts of the UK and Sri Lanka over the last year. Relations between the two countries have been reinvigorated since the election of President Sirisena in Jan 2015. Mr Swire will welcome SL govt’s commitment to reconciliation and more..

Jan 14 (FT) Sri Lanka has the potential to be a knowledge hub as well as a tourist hub and the latter is an area in which the concept of smart cities can thrive, Director, Cisco India & SAARC, Amit Malik, who oversees its operations in Sri Lanka, told the Daily FT, responding to a question about the company’s aspirations for a digital Sri Lanka. “One of the strongest points about Sri Lanka is its intellectual capital. The other is hospitality. In the hospitality sector, people like more..

Jan 14 (DN) The new draft Bill introduced in Parliament to promote Theravadha Bikkhu dialogue is envisaged to empower Adhikarana Sangha Sabhas, Chief Incumbent of Bellanwila Raja Maha Viharaya temple Most Ven Prof Bellanwila Wimalarathana Nayaka Thera stated yesterday. The Bill was introduced with the knowledge of the Maha Nayaka Theras belonging to the Three Chapters. The Bill was moved in Parliament by Minister Gayantha Karunatillake. more..

Jan 14 (PMD) Indian Foreign Secretary Dr S Jaishankar said India highly appreciates the statesman-like approach of President Maithripala Sirisena. “Not only Sri Lanka, but we in New Delhi also highly appreciate the speech made by Your Excellency in Parliament last week,” he said when he paid a courtesy call on the President at the Presidential Secretariat today (13). Dr Jayashankar conveyed congratulations from Indian PM more..

Jan 14 (FT) Famous Pakistani scientist Prof. Dr. Atta-ur-Rehman is currently visiting Sri Lanka to attend 1st International Conference on Bioscience and Biotechnology – 2016 under the theme of Molecular Life Science for the Development in the 21st Century from 12-13 January organised by Faculty of Applied Sciences, University of Sri J'pura Sri Lanka. Prof. Dr. Atta-ur-Rehman is a renowned scientist as well as top Scholar in the field of organic Chemistry with more..

Jan 14 (HO) Top ministers from Sri Lanka will visit Maldives Wednesday, govt has announced. Foreign ministry said that foreign minister Mangala Samaraweera and finance minister Ravi Karunanayake would arrive on an official visit. No details were, however, given. Karunanayake had visited the Maldives previously, the latest being in October. The visit by top Sri Lankan ministers come amid strained relations between the Maldives and Sri Lanka, which had accused Maldives more..

Jan 14 (FT) Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera faced strong resistance from his cabinet colleagues towards his proposal to shut down Sri Lanka’s diplomatic mission in Bagdhad at the weekly ministerial meeting yesterday. After heated exchanges during the meeting, President Sirisena decided to defer the decision to shut down Lankan Embassy in Baghdad pending further review, more..

Jan 14 (DN) India is poised to be the highest growing economy in the world in future and Sri Lanka can benefit by aligning it self towards India, said Deputy Minister Eran Wickramaratne. He was the Chief Guest at 57th AGM of National Chamber of Commerce (NCCSL) last evening. SL's future economic progress has to be linked up with its neighbours. Almost all super powers in the world are facing economic or political problems and India seems to have over come them. more..

Jan 14 (CT) Sri Lanka's mobile telecoms giant Dialog seeks TRC approval to buy the Colombo operations of Bharti Airtel for US$ 100 million, sources close to negotiations said yesterday. "The deal will be finalized soon after TRC approval is obtained," they said. Responding to our previous report relating to this deal, Dialog Axiata said that no final deal has been made to acquire a rival, following a media report that is was in talks to buy a unit of Bharti Airtel in the island. more..

Jan 14 (DN) Sri Lanka skipper Angelo Mathews and manager Jerry Woutersz played down the alleged scandalous behavior the team has been accused of during their disastrous tour of New Zealand. "This is not the first time it has happened, it happened straight after the World Cup as well last year. People come up with so many allegations," said Mathews at a media conference held at SLC headquarters after the team's return. more..

Jan 14 (DN) Uduwe Dhammaloka Thera who was summoned by the CID yesterday to record a statement into an incident where a two-and a-half-year-old elephant calf was found inside the Thera's temple, had admitted himself to a private hospital in Colombo. Following the Thera's non-appearance, CID yesterday night had visited the private hospital where the Thera was undergoing treatment. It was not clear whether the Police had visited the hospital to arrest the Thera or record a statement. more..

Jan 14 (CT) Colombo Additional Magistrate Thilina Gamage yesterday ordered continuous hearings in the case related to the killing of ex- MP Nadarajah Raviraj. Police constable Sampath Preethi Viraj, who has been State witness after charges against him were waived by AG, was cross-examined by lawyers for the prosecution. Viraj had earlier made three contradictory statements to the CID on how the murder of the former MP had taken place and those involved in the crime. more..

Jan 14 (FT) The Govt yesterday decided to defer the Untitled-1implementation of two major revenue proposals in addition to extending relief to people and the private sector in moves that expose lack of credibility in Budget making and late realisations. In a short statement the Finance Ministry said amendments proposed to VAT and NBT Proposed in Budget 2016 should not be implemented until the relevant legislative more..

Jan 14 (DN) Sri Lanka Customs (SLC) is expected to collect Rs. 1 trillion as tax revenue for 2016, Director General Chulananda Perera said. Speaking at a seminar on Sri Lanka Customs' Single Window Implementation for Boarder Regulatory Authorities, Perera said the Customs will take proactive measures to reach this target. Perera however noted that the SLC is not willing to touch every aspect in an ad-hoc manner to realize this target. Commenting on operational benefits and more..

Jan 14 (CT) Jaffna University Medical Faculty students staged a protest march condemning the govt's plan to establish private medical colleges. The protest march was supported by the students of other faculties with the participation of nearly 600 students. The students carried placards highlighting slogans against establishing private medical colleges in the country. The slogans on the placards read keep away from private medical colleges, medical colleges will ruin medical studies more..

Jan 14 (DM) The move by the Finance Ministry to get hold of US$ 1 billion from a mystery investor to defend Sri Lankan rupee was not acceptable in anyway and reflected the degree of desperation of the govt as well as its bankruptcy, Joint Opposition said. The expert on these matters for the Joint Opposition G.L. Peiris said the move was not only detrimental to the economy, but also would put the national security of the country at risk. more..

Jan 14 (DM) Reading the online population clock yesterday, we learnt that Sri Lanka’s population was 21,104,713 with 10,691,994 or 50.7% female and 10,412,719 or 49.3% male. During this year Sri Lanka’s population is projected to increase by 197, 057 people and reach 21,295,218 in the beginning of next year. Despite the majority being female the role and the level of representation for women have been undervalued, underrated and undermined for reasons ranging from subtle male chauvinism more..

Jan 14 (DM) In modern Sri Lankan history, two elections stand out as watershed elections: firstly the 1956 General Elections in which a coalition of left-wing parties (MEP) led by the SLFP of S W R D Bandaranaike was elected and secondly, the 1977 Election in which the UNP led by J R Jayewardene was victorious. Why and how would they stand out as exceptions to the norm? When one looks back at the aftermath of these two elections, one cannot but conclude that both these elections more..

Jan 14 (DM) When we hear of ODEL, Otara Gunewardene comes to mind. Since its inception, Otara and ODEL had always remained synonymous and inseparable in every way. A business which started from the boot of her car, became one of Sri Lanka’s leading fashion brands while gaining recognition internationally. Starting out small, being passionate and making a difference has been her mantra for success. more..

Jan 14 (DN) Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) General Secretary Arumugam Thondaman has formed a 15 member committee to submit views and proposals for a new constitution, said Former Minister P.P Devaraj. Devaraj said the committee is comprised of members attached to the CWC, political and legal representatives and academics. Devaraj said the committee will discuss and formulate proposals to ensure that more..

Jan 14 (CT) Sri Lanka is a country that bled for nearly three decades due to a civil war. Hundreds of men, women and children lost their lives regardless of their race or religion. Racism became another religion in Sri Lanka as soon as the war ended. Racism is the belief that a particular race is superior or inferior to another; that a person's social and moral traits are predetermined by his or her inborn biological characteristics. more..

Jan 14 (Island) White vans and Lamborghinis ruined the image of the Rajapaksa govt. Now, black Defenders and Prados have landed the present dispensation in trouble. Customs trade unionists tenaciously hold on to their demand for a probe into an alleged Prado racket which is said to have cost cash-strapped state coffers a whopping Rs. 3 bn. ACCSU blew the lid off what it called a mega vehicle racket a few moons ago. more..

Jan 14 (ST) The oil leak from the CPC pipeline in ecologically-rich Muthurajawela has damaged the trees, mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, insects and mangroves and the after-effects may last for three to four years, experts warned. With the authorities calling off operations to mop up the oil by Wednesday (6), leaked oil will remain in the nearby lagoon, in the mangroves, lagoon bank and the nearby waterways. more..

Jan 14 (DM) Following the new budget proposals taxes on vehicles would increase by 20%, Chairman of Lanka Vehicle Importers' Association Mahinda Sarathchandra said. “This will include the condition of the vehicle as well. Tax would be increased with the addition of Customs Valuation, which increased on Nov 18, 2015; Customs Duty, which increased on Nov 20, 2015 and currency rate fluctuation,” he said. more..

Jan 14 (Island) Scandalous behaviour and late-night parties have been pointed out as the reasons for Sri Lanka’s disastrous tour of New Zealand where they suffered defeats in Test, ODI and T-20 series. Sri Lanka failed to match the Black Caps in all three formats and to rub salt into the wounds, lost their number-one rank in the shortest format of the game. The topic of late-night parties unfortunately gets undue publicity every time more..

Jan 14 (Island) Passing legislation by Parliament to control the members of the Sangha was an unwarranted move by the govt, Most Venerable Anunayake of Malwatte Chapter Dr. Niyangoda Sri Vijithasiri Thera said yesterday. Prior to introducing or passing new laws and regulations with regard to the Sangha, places of worship and the Sasana (Order) it was important to consult the Maha Sangha, Dr. Vijithasiri Thera said. more..

Jan 14 (MoD) The inaugural Sri Lanka-Japan Dialogue on Maritime Security, Safety and Oceanic Issues was held at the Ministry of Defence (MoD) yesterday. Dialogue is a result of the very successful visit of PM Ranil Wickremesinghe to Japan last year and an outcome of the Joint Declaration on a Comprehensive Partnership between SL and Japan concluded during that visit. Two sides had a frank exchange of views more..

Jan 14 (Island) Former Army Commander Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka, said that there was no evidence to prove LTTE leader Prabhakaran’s son had been killed by the army. Asked to comment on former Indian HC Gopalkrishna Gandhi’s claim that the army had committed a war crime by killing Prabhakaran’s son, Balachandran, Fonseka said if the Tiger leader’s son had been killed it amounted to a war crime, more..

Jan 14 (Reuters) Share index fell more than 1.6% to more than 18-month low on Thursday due to rising yields that led investors to shift towards risk-free assets such as govt securities amid global worries, brokers said. Main stock index ended 1.65%, or 108.17 points weaker, at 6,446.20, its lowest close since July 2, 2014. The bourse had lost 4.93% so far this year as of Wednesday's close. "The market is falling way too fast with the continued foreign selling and talk of big foreign funds more..

Jan 14 (Island) As the Minister for Nothing to do in SL’s jumbo Cabinet, even bigger than the one created by former President Rajapaksa, I am having the time of my life living in lies, blatant lies and deception. I only hope the bubble will never burst. In this New Year, I am waiting for the Christmas present promised to me by the dear PM Wickremesinghe and dearest President Sirisena, additional massive, enormous rs. 20,000 increment for me to attend parliament sessions more..