Apr 3 (DN) The writ petition filed by Carton Sports Network (CSN) seeking an order quashing the Mass Media Secretary’s decision to revoke the Terrestrial TV Broadcasting License of CSN was today fixed for further argument by the Court of Appeal. When the petition came up before the Court of Appeal (President) Justice Vijith Malalgoda and Justice S. Thurairaja, the matter was fixed for further argument on July 29. In its writ petition, CSN cited that Nimal Bopage Secretary of Parliamentary reforms more..

Apr 3 (DM) Minister Lakshman Kiriella said there appears to be a plot to destabilize the govt through the SATIM issue but whatever it might be Court orders could not be changed through trade union action or hunger strikes. He said the Court had recognized the SAITM and as such there was no way for the Govt to scrap it or close it down. “Some people are resorting to the new practice of challenging court orders. more..

Apr 3 (CI) Bilateral T20Is can become meaningless when fitted towards the end of tours. Teams use these games to prepare for future endeavours and to give the players who had been confined to the bench some game time. As a result, not many of these matches are memorable. But the series between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh has gained importance after stalemates in both the Tests and ODIs. Hosts would consider themselves favourites. They beat both SA and Australia away more..

Apr 3 (NR) The three soldiers arrested and remanded over the shooting incident reported in Rathupaswala in 2013 have been further remanded till the 7th of April. The order was issued by Gampaha High Court Judge. A protest was launched in August 2013 in Rathupaswala against the operation of a factory that area residents claimed was responsible for the pollution of water. Three persons including 2 students were killed and over 50 were injured during the unrest that broke out more..

Apr 3 (LBO) Centre for Policy Alternatives' (CPA) latest opinion poll on constitutional reforms shows that 55% of those polled believe the govt has been unsuccessful in communicating about current discussions on constitutional reform. Within that number almost 30% said that the govt has been very unsuccessful in publicising the content of discussions within Constitutional Assembly and its sub-committees about constitutional reforms. more..

Apr 3 (NR) Chief Prelate of the Amarapura Chapter venerable Davuldena Gnanissara thera has passed away at the age of 102. The venerable resided at the Sri Vidya Vijaya Aramaya in Pagoda, Nugegoda. Venerable thera was admitted to a private hospital in Colombo last night after taking ill. The last rites of the Chief Prelate is scheduled to be held on Thursday the 6th of April. The final rites will be held at the Independence Square under full state honours. more..

Apr 3 (Hindu) Expressing solidarity with their counterparts across the Palk Bay, Sri Lankan trade unions on Monday protested against the attack on Maruti workers. With posters displaying slogans in Sinhala, Tamil and English asking the Indian State to stop prosecuting workers, leaders and members of different unions here gathered outside the Indian mission’s premises on Colombo’s sea-facing Galle Road. Observing that workers in India and Sri Lanka faced similar challenges, more..

Apr 3 (AI) Sri Lanka will not break with its violent past until it deals with the cruel history of enforced disappearance and delivers justice to as many as 100,000 families who have spent years waiting for it, Amnesty International (AI) said in a new report. AI’s report, Only justice can heal our wounds, will be launched by the organization’s Secretary General Salil Shetty and reveals enduring scars of a conflict that has been forgotten by the world. more..

Apr 3 (PSL) President Maithripala Sirisena opened a newly built Kotmale dairy products manufacturing factory in Meerigama today. The production complex was built by the Cargills (Ceylon) by infusing a huge investment into the local dairy industry in Sri Lanka. President opened the factory by unveiling the plaque and later he made an inspection tour of the premises. President Sirisena presented scholarships to students under the Sarudina project of Cargills (Ceylon). more..

Apr 3 (NR) Ravi Jayawardene, son of Sri Lanka’s first Executive President JR Jayawardene, has passed away at his residence in Colombo today, family sources said. Hw passed away at the age of 80. He was a pilot in Air Ceylon and also served as a Presidential Security Adviser. Ravi Jayawardene was a notable marksman and was instrumental in pioneering the establishment of the Police Special Task Force (STF), during the tenure of former President JR Jayawardene. more..

Apr 3 (DN) Doctors will launch an islandwide public and private sector strike on April 7 morning, in protest of the SAITM. The continuation of the strike will be decided by 4 pm on the same day. Discussions are underway with doctors who conduct full time private sector service to halt all private health services, GMOA Secretary Dr. Navin De Zoysa said. Strike will continue if GMOA Executive Committee decides to do so at more..

Apr 4 (CT) All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama (ACJU) is opposed to making any changes to the existing Muslim family law. Mufti Rizwi, who is a member of the Saleem Marsoof Committee appointed to look into reforms to the Muslims Marriages and Divorces Act (MMDA) of 1951, has made the oracular pronouncement that the law is perfect in its present state and required no reform. Mufti Rizwi also presides over the ACJU. Regrettably, the views expressed by the Mufti and his outfit are more..

Apr 4 (CT) Better to leave clothes here and go naked to sign this. This statement made news in the 27th month of the govt of Sirisena/Wickremesinghe duumvirate. Why are clothes so important? The question is daft, nutty and wacky. But then, we live in wacky times, in a nutty land. Being daft seems a state of bliss! Why do humans cover themselves, their genitals in particular? In these transformational times of good governance, the issue of covering or uncovering genitals gathers immediate, more..

Apr 4 (SO) There is growing concern within senior members of the business community about Govt´s new policy of awarding tenders through the Swiss Challenge method following a number of recent international tenders that appear to be tailor made for the final awardee. These concerns were heightened following a newspaper report, that quoted Finance Ministry sources that govt will entertain mega development projects with more..

Apr 4 (GV) Recently, Groundviews compiled a timeline of all the statements made by the Govt in terms of the participation of foreign judges in a judicial mechanism. The timeline shows that over the past two years, there have been contradictory statements from within the same Govt on this score. The inclusion of foreign judges has become an increasingly contentious topic, particularly following the recent UNHRC session in Geneva, which saw Sri Lanka co-sponsoring a resolution more..

Apr 4 (GV) In Sri Lanka, the age of marriage for Muslims girls is 12 years old. We are currently having a discussion on raising it to 18 to be on par with the rest of the country. This proposal has been met with stubborn resistance from the clergy body All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama (ACJU) which appears to have appointed itself as the sole authority to declare a yea or nay decision with regard to this and other reforms pertaining to the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act. more..

Apr 4 (CT) Come next week, Healthcare system of the entire country is likely come to a standstill due to a possible strike action to be launched by the GMOA against the govt's ignorance over the issues relating to the SAITM. GMOA General Secretary Dr. Naveen de Soysa explained the stance of the association. Q: SAITM issue appears to have reached a peak. What is status of GMOA struggle against SAITM as at now? more..

Apr 4 (Island) Sri Lanka is in the grip of a severe epidemic of Dengue fever and Dengue haemorrhagic fever. The epidemic did not happen over a short period. Dengue has been in SL since 1962. However, it was not a major public health problem. The disease was progressing at a very slow rate. Since about 2004, the numbers of cases have started going uprated dramatically since about 2008. There have been great efforts to stop the spread of dengue in the country for more..

Apr 4 (ST) They came bearing their gifts. No not the three wise men on the way to Bethlehem. Not even Greeks with gifts who Virgil had warned against in the Aeneid.   They who came were two of the best, so much so that Sri Lanka can be proud of them for putting the country on the world map when many others round the globe had given the island nation a wide birth as a corrupt oligarchy. So when our great leader and another came home with what had been presented to them, there was great rejoicing more..

Apr 4 (ST) The SL economy would have been vastly different if not for the series of violent eruptions throughout the post independent period. In the nearly seventy years after independence the economy was disrupted by ethnic riots of 1958, the 1971 youth insurgency, communal clashes of 1977, ethnic riots of July 1983, LTTE terrorism of over three decades, and the protracted civil war of 27 years. JVP insurgency of 1988-89 crippled economy & economic growth fell to its lowest level. more..

Apr 4 (Island) Ravi Jayewardene has passed away at the age of 80. He needs no introduction. He was known to everyone as a gentleman to his fingertips. Intelligent, capable and born into a famous aristocratic family with an astute political heavyweight and eminent lawyer as his father, he could have reached great heights in politics without much effort if he had cared to do so. Instead, he took to flying, which he gave up to choose a cloistered existence in keeping with his more..

Apr 4 (Roar) Hong Kong’s version of untouchables – the asylum seekers (three Sri Lankans and one Filipino), who “opened doors and hearts” to whistle-blower Edward Snowden, now face the possibility of deportation from Hong Kong to the very countries they fled from. When Oliver Stone’s movie Snowden premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in Sept 2016, it offered viewers a humanised glimpse into the man more..

Apr 4 (FT) Bank of Ceylon, having completed many fruitful years, now has closed 2016 with another trailblazing record of Rs. 31.2 billion profit before tax with 23% growth. With this, BoC continues to break its own records by marking the highest-ever profit made by a single entity. Profit after tax stood at Rs. 24.8 billion, resulting in 43% growth. Net operating income for the period reflected an improvement of 16% mainly backed by the increase of 17% in net interest income and 59% increase in other more..

Apr 4 (CT) Nalin Perera has been appointed as the CEO of Mobitel (Pvt) Ltd. He started his career at Mobitel in 2001 as General Manager Marketing and progressed to the positions of Senior General Manager Marketing and Senior General Manager Contact Centre Operations respectively. He also held the position of Chief Marketing Officer and took over the responsibilities of Chief Operating Officer at Mobitel in 2015. A veteran of Sri Lanka's mobile telecommunications industry, more..

Apr 4 (FT) Former Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal last week warned that the country’s economic dashboard was signifying a vulnerable condition ahead, insisting improved fiscal management would mitigate any turmoil. Having served the Central Bank for nine long years, he outlined the analogy between a vehicle dashboard and an economy dashboard at a Rotary Club luncheon meeting held in Colombo. more..

Apr 4 (Island) Sri Lanka will be a confident unit going into today’s first T-20 International against Bangladesh at RPS having won their last two T-20 series in South Africa and Australia. They will be also eager to improve their record at this ground. The hosts have a dreadful record at RPS having lost ten of their 11 T-20s here including a World T-20 final to Marlon Samuels. The reason for their dismal record is not quite clear, but the hosts have crumbled under pressure with more..

Apr 4 (FT) Shanika Dissanayake, the Consul General of Sri Lanka in Guangzhou opened the Sri Lanka Section at the Guangzhou Public Library on 23 March to commemorate 60 years of diplomatic ties between Sri Lanka and China. An exhibition of photographs showcasing this milestone with significant historical highlights of the strong bilateral partnership between Sri Lanka and China was also held alongside this event at the same venue. Speaking to a cross section of invitees from more..

Apr 4 (EN) Sri Lanka is facing several headwinds, amid talk of an impending economic crisis, which is coming from excessive reliance on illiberal Mahinda Chinthana style policies that have been embraced by the UNP. This is the bad news. The good news is that these can be dumped at any time to give citizens the freedom to take the country forward. Sri Lanka has departed from Mahinda Chinthana policies in some ways. more..

Apr 4 (NZH) My name is Lou and I'm here today because I recently came dangerously close to hashtagging the word blessed in an Instagram post. I know the first step is taking responsibility and admitting you have a problem but honestly, I blame the entire island nation of Sri Lanka. See I was lucky enough to spend most of January in the southwest of the country; a corner of the world I barely knew about, let alone considered travelling to. But after hearing over and over from more..

Apr 4 (MAG) Landmine clearance is the pivotal first step in a journey of recovery, security and development in countries affected by these indiscriminate killers. Rathika and her son Dilakson live on land made safe by MAG in Mannar District. “The land is safe and we are safe,” she says. “We grow vegetables and have chickens. We could not be here at all if the landmines were still here.” MAG believes that everyone has a right to live in safety and free from fear. more..

Apr 4 (DN) International Organization for Migration (IOM) Director General Ambassador William Lacy Swing commended Sri Lanka on its dynamism and perseverance as the Chair of the Colombo Process (CP). Chair has led to numerous achievements, and steered the CP to a progressive path and to a very good future, he said. Ambassador Swing commended Nepal as well for taking up the leadership of the process and more..

Apr 4 (CT) The India v Australia Test series with all the words thrown around has taken the game to become more of a mind game. When one talks and is heard, game plans and strategies don't matter anymore. Australia generally goes for the jugular from the beginning and sides that play them today concern themselves with not allowing that to take place. When you know the attack plan of the enemy to counter attack is easier. And the end result was India won the series 2-1, even without more..

Apr 4 (EN) Profit margins of Sri Lankan finance companies are likely to dip with rising interest rates and restrictions of vehicle leasing, First Capital Equities has said in a research report. The stock broker expects the finance sector to face moderately tough conditions to operate with thinning margins and new LTV (loan to value) regulations leading to slower and previous but moderate credit growth. “Despite slow economic conditions, the rise in non-performing loans (NPLs) more..

Apr 4 (TN) The spinners tried hard, but lack of runs, poor fielding and too many loose deliveries from the seamers meant that Pakistan U-23 failed to stop Sri Lanka from registering a nervy five-wicket win in the final of the Asian Cricket Council’s Emerging Teams Cup at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium Monday. Chasing 134 after Pakistan had been dismissed for 133 in 42.1 overs, Sri Lanka reached their target in 23.5 overs. more..

Apr 4 (LBO) Earnings of Sri Lanka’s listed companies grew 5%, year-on-year, during the December quarter supported by the banking and diversified sectors, First Capital said in a research report. However, energy and utilities under-performed contributing to the slower growth in the quarter compared with 26.7% year-on-year growth during the September reporting season. The banking sector was the largest contributor to earnings achieving a profit of Rs. 15.2 billion, more..

Apr 4 (CT) The former President and present Head of Media and Finance of Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL) Ranjith Rodrigo, was relieved of his post as a member of the Audit Committee of Asian Football Confederation (AFC) yesterday. General Secretary of AFC Windsor John has officially released this information and stated this decision was taken on a request made by FFSL "to relieve your role and duties as a member of the Audit Committee with immediate effect." more..

Apr 4 (DM) Department of Registration of Persons has taken steps to issue smart Identity Cards by the end of June replacing the ordinary identity card, as a prelude to the issuance of Electronic Identity Cards, Registration of Persons Department Commissioner General Viyani Gunathilake said. He said the old laminated Identity Cards which were used since 1972 would be replaced with the smart IDs. more..

Apr 4 (Xinhua) The govt on Monday said that while it will investigate certain crimes which took place during the war between Tamil Tiger rebels and the military, it will not agree to a war crimes probe. Govt spokesman Rajitha Senaratne told reporters in Jaffna town that if there is a war crimes probe then the Tamil Tigers, also known as the LTTE, must also be investigated. "Who do we investigate in the LTTE? Are there any leaders? We will go for a good settlement," the Minister said. more..

Apr 4 (FT) An expert delegation from the National Defence College (NDC) of Oman visited the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute of International Relations and Strategic Studies (LKI) on 21 March. The 17-member delegation engaged in a round table discussion on overseas Sri Lankans in the Middle East and the educational dimensions of foreign relations. The NDC delegation was headed by the Air Commodore Nasser Juma Mohamed Al Zadjali (Strategic Director of the NDC), and more..