Nov 22 (DN) Supreme Court yesterday, allowed Deputy Minister Ranjan Ramanayake to file written submissions explaining as to why court should not issue summons on him. This is regarding two Contempt of Court actions filed against him for allegedly casting insulting remarks on the reputation of the judiciary and lawyers at a press conference. President’s Counsel M.A. Sumanthiran appearing for Ramanayake, informed Court that his client had made a general statement more..

Nov 22 (NR) Minister Arjuna Ranatunga says a mafia is functioning with Ceylon Petroleum Corporation. He said strict actions will be taken against groups who are responsible. Minister said he will not comment on incidents reported during the previous tenure, however saying that there is a fuel mafia and a separate group is earning through it. He also said such acts will not be permitted during his tenure more..

Nov 22 (DM) Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa said, that there is a plan by the govt to take into custody the former Defense Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa. The main thrust of this govt is to imprison him and members of the Rajapaksa family, MPs who are supporting him and senior state officials, he said further. Former President stated these facts while addressing the 20th conference of the Samurdhi Development and Agricultural Research Production Assistant officers more..

Nov 22 (AM) Evidence that Minister Sujeewa Senasinghe lied about his telephone conversations with former Perpetual Treasuries Director Arjun Aloysius is making the rounds on social media. He told the media he had made the calls to Arjun Aloysius to get information from him regarding a book he was writing on the Treasury bond issue. However, the book in question was published on July 24, 2015. MP Sujeewa Senasinghe was appointed to COPE on July 7, 2016 more..

Nov 22 (DC) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe and his wife Maithree offered prayers at the famous Kollur Sri Mookambika temple on Tuesday. The couple and their entourage arrived in Mangaluru, took a helicopter ride from the airport and landed at Areshiroor helipad near Kollur around 10.15 am. The security was beefed up for Mr Wickremesinghe’s visit, and as soon as he arrived at the temple, he was given a grand welcome more..

Nov 23 (CT) In a democracy, if a PM’s name is tarnished in a financial embezzlement of the slightest nature, he or she should gracefully resign. This does not necessarily mean that he/she is directly responsible, but trying to be in office disregarding the tainted image do harm to him/her and more to the country. This is not written in law or in constitution, but a democratic custom. It is also common sense. Otherwise, how can a PM maintains the financial integrity of the Cabinet? more..

Nov 23 (CT) The Gintota racist eruption is the latest, but not certainly the last, in a sordid political match series played between two coalition teams, a UNP-SLFP coalition govt, which describes itself as Yahapalanaya or good governance, and a coalition of opposition which is yet to discover a politically saleable slogan to counter Yahapalanaya. Under normal circumstances and in real team sports when two sides are equally matched and neither shows any detectable weakness to exploit by more..

Nov 23 (ST) Be it kumbalawa, balaya, kelawalla, iratawalla, alagoduwa or linna, Dodanduwa has them all. Justice cannot be done to the staple of this Southern coastal town- jaadi with its blunt English translation of salted fish! This goraka and salt stuffed fish best eaten with white rice, parippu, pol mellum and thakkali (tomato) sambol, hailed as a rice puller, is a delicious treat!  But those in search of the traditional jaadi of Dodanduwa more..

Nov 22 (CT) As orthodox economists, we cannot criticise the macro-economic factors and balance underlying the Budget. The expenditure aggregate is limited in accordance with the govt's inclination to raise tax revenue. So, if the govt wants to spend more it will automatically have to tax more under IMF tutelage. Our govts generally do not like to raise taxes, although they like to increase govt expenditure. This means they run budget deficits and unless the deficit is met more..

Nov 22 (NS) There is little argument that both Colombo and the city of Galle are two of the most developed urban regions in SL. What’s significantly common about these two regions is that they are not just economically developed, but they are also highly celebrated travel destinations that offers so much for locals as well as international travelers. As such, these regions attract a large number of property hunters, who seek high-end residential/commercial properties in or near these 2 cities. more..

Nov 23 (CT) NFF leader Wimal Weerawansa says this govt does not have a mandate to prepare a new Constitution, and said "Even though the UNP asked for a mandate, to bring in a new Constitution, they did not get it. They got only 106 seats." Q: You came into politics through the JVP in 88, but later you changed course; today what are your thoughts on that? A: Yes, I entered politics as a JVPer in 1988 and you are asking me why more..

Nov 23 (DN) Chellappah Suntharalingam was born on August 19, 1895. He was an academic, mathematician, politician, lawyer, MP and govt minister. Educated at St. John's College, Jaffna and St. Joseph's College, Colombo, he entered the London University from where he graduated in mathematics. He then went on to Oxford for a double first in mathematics. Suntharalingam had four eminent siblings: C. Nagalingam, a Supreme Court judge; C. Panchalingam, more..

Nov 23 (DN) In oriental culture, especially in Hindu and Buddhist tradition, each direction is believed to be guarded by the guardians. Different guardians are given to different Lokas or Realms. The guardians of each Loka is called by a special terminology called Palas. According to Hinduism, each direction is allocated to one particular guardian-or deity. Each Pala has its own Loka. These guardians are called as Palas. The Palas are divided into categories. more..

Nov 23 (LT) “The November Heroes sacrificed their lives to change this unjust society. They did not have any personal agendas. They sacrificed their lives for a noble cause. The genuine commemoration for these heroes and heroines is to build the world they fought for,” said Uva Provincial Councilor and Member of the Central Committee of JVP Samantha Vidyarathna speaking at the commemoration of November Heroes held at Vale Farm Sports Centre, Sudbury London on 19th Nov. more..

Nov 23 (Island) Ayubovan! Vanakkam! Hello! Allo! Salam! I know you/my Sri Lankans and my expatriate friends didn’t hear from me for a long, long time. I am sorry about it. Then again, what do you expect from the Minister for Nothing to Do in the Socialist, Democratic, Undemocratic, Crazy Republic of SL.  This is the only country which boasts of a Minister for Nothing to Do, though others ministers don’t do anything at all.  They only make calls and receive calls and then deny them. more..

Nov 23 (CI) Sri Lanka have finally confirmed their interest in having Chandika Hathurusingha as head coach, with the president of the SLC Thilanga Sumathipala saying he would be a great fit for us. The position had fallen vacant in June earlier this year when Graham Ford resigned after a second stint that lasted a mere 15 months. The SLC elevated Nic Pothas as interim coach as it began to look for a suitable candidate. more..

Nov 23 (Island) At the rate elections are being postponed on some pretext or the other people might forget how to vote and the much treasured ballot box might be a museum piece. There is the danger of people’s franchise suffering from disuse atrophy, as it were, with democracy wasting rapidly. Whoever would have thought, when the Rajapaksa regime was ousted nearly three years ago, people would be deprived of their franchise in this manner. Interestingly, yesterday’s Court of Appeal more..

Nov 23 (CT) Fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar and opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan Monday pulled out of India's Test team for the second test due to personal reasons, BCCI said. Kumar, who starred with a match haul of eight wickets in the drawn first Test in Kolkata, will miss the next two Tests while Dhawan is only available for the final game in Delhi. "BCCI would like to inform that Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Shikhar Dhawan have been released from India's Test team," more..

Nov 23 (DN) Sri Lanka should try to reduce red tape and minimize corruption to bring in more foreign direct investments to the country, said Ambassador of the Delegation of the European Union to Sri Lanka, Tung Lai-Margue. He was speaking at a seminar on the current of state of affairs in terms of EU policy on Govt of Sri Lanka’s commitment to comply with international conventions. more..

Nov 23 (DM) A news-piece that went viral recently said Number One and Number Two held a one-on-one, four-hour deliberation behind closed doors in an evening a few days ago at the former’s official residence and the views they exchanged on several serious issues generated much heat leading to a fiery verbal duel. Two days after the reported meeting of the Big Two, former strongman had met Rugger Wikrama the purohita of Green party at a rugger match & while engrossed in small talk, more..

Nov 23 (Island) Niroshan Dickwella, who was the talking point for his antics in the opening Test against India in Calcutta, revealed that he tried to get under the skin of the Indian players in a bid to kill time. India reduced Sri Lanka to 22 for four and were sniffing a win when Dickwella annoyed them. "How it all started was, I hit a six over square leg. There were three fielders behind square on the leg side and I brought that to the notice of the umpire Nigel Llong. more..

Nov 23 (FT) Ministry of Finance and Mass Media has entered into two loan agreements with Asian Development Bank (ADB) to borrow $ 150 million for the development of 3,400 km of rural roadways and $ 200 million for the implementation of 100 MW Wind Power Generation Project in Mannar Island. According to the recent economic policy statement of the Govt, development of the rural economies is one of the priorities more..

Nov 23 (CT) Informed sources said following the decision taken by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that further amendments should be included in the constitution recently adopted by the National Olympic Committee (NOC), efforts made to hold the NOC AGM on 9 Jan 2018 could be further delayed. After the new constitution of the NOC was ratified on 9 Nov, it was sent for approval to the IOC and the latter had informed the former in writing on 21 Nov that 3 clauses in the new constitution more..

Nov 23 (EN) Companies in Sri Lanka, which has been hit by successive droughts and floods in recent years, can educe risk to disasters by taking precautions like being aware of hazards, having contingency plans and increasing supply chain flexibility. “You may think you are safe and not need to do anything but the unexected can happen,” said Buddhi Weerasinghe, consultant to the Consultant, Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC). “Businesses do have blind spots with many more..

Nov 23 (FT) Former CB Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal issued the following statement on the charges made by Minister Kabir Hashim on irregularities concerning SL’s bid under the previous regime to host the Commonwealth Games. My attention has been drawn to certain media reports quoting a Senior Minister of this Govt, according to which there has been an alleged misappropriation of funds in relation to the Govt bid to host more..

Nov 23 (DM) Ten women including three from Thailand and seven SL women had been arrested last night on charges of allegedly running a brothel under the guise of an Ayurvedic massage parlour at Bauddhaloka Mawatha, in Kollupitiya, Colombo 4, Police said. The raid was conducted following a tip off to the Kollupitiya Police. Another two suspects were also arrested for managing the alleged brothel. The women suspects arrested were aged 20, 21, 22, 24, 27, 28 and 40. more..

Nov 23 (EN) Minister Arjuna Ranatunga has given a pay hike to workers in SL’s loss-making state-owned fuel refiner and retainer while blaming an oil mafia for high costs and supply disruptions. “An oil mafia is prevailing, today,” he was quoted as saying at a ceremony where a collective agreement for 2018 was signed between the CPC and its labour unions. “I will change the system of receiving income by this oil mafia. For the welfare of this institution, I never allow to grab the public money. more..

Nov 23 (Island) Senior retired banker Rusiripala Tennakoon has suggested that those involved in the bond scams be dealt with in the same way former prez secretary Lalith Weeratunga, was found guilty of causing Rs 600 mn loss to the TRC. Pointing out that PM Wickremesinghe had denied taking policy decision to instruct the state-owned banks to bid low interest rates at the treasury bond auctions, Tennakoon stressed the need to more..

Nov 23 (FT) LOLC announced excellent growth in profitability in the first half of FY18 driven by the financial services sector compared with an year earlier. The profit before tax for the first half ended on 30 Sept 2017 was Rs. 11.7 billion compared with Rs. 6.6 billion reported last year, a growth of 77%. The corresponding PAT increased by a robust 73% to end the quarter at Rs. 8.8 billion.  The Group’s total assets reached Rs. 748 billion, with an advances portfolio of Rs. 488 billion. more..

Nov 23 (AA) Qantas and SriLankan Airlines have expanded their codeshare agreement to include more options for travel from Australia and NZ to SL. Under the new arrangements, the Australian carrier will add its QF airline code on SriLankan nonstop flights between Colombo and Bangkok, as well as between Colombo and Hong Kong. Meanwhile, SriLankan will add its UL airline code on Qantas-operated flights from Melbourne to Adelaide, Brisbane and Sydney, as well as from more..

Nov 23 (SAM) US lawmakers have raised concerns over China’s role in the Hambantota port. The port was discussed when the lawmakers expressed concerns over the ambitious One Belt, One Road (OBOR) initiative of China and sought recommendations for improving development finance efforts. While infrastructure investment is desperately needed across the region, there’s more to Belt & Road initiative than meets the eye, more..

Nov 23 (FT) As part of an initiative by USAID and Common Grounds, a delegation from Columbia comprising 11 members visited the Ministry of National Integration and Reconciliation on 21 Nov to draw knowledge, expertise and experiences on the reconciliation and integration efforts of the Sri Lankan Govt. Ministry of National Integration and Reconciliation Secretary V. Sivagnanasothy spoke about national reconciliation and integration strategy of Sri Lanka, which included more..

Nov 23 (FT) Cabinet yesterday gave the green light to appoint Dentsu Grant Ltd. as the consultancy agency for the much-awaited tea promotional campaign. The agency was selected after a long tender process to carry out media planning, scheduling and buying for the global tea promotion campaign. Dentsu Grants won the tender quoting Rs. 219.9 million while the second tenderer Phoenix O&M quoted Rs. 258.1 million. Although three out of five companies which responded to more..

Nov 23 (IE) With an eye on China, SL MP Ranil Wickremesinghe will meet PM Narendra Modi on Thursday, days ahead of the joint venture between China Merchants Port Holding Company and Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) starts operations of Hambantota Harbour on Dec 8. Wickremesinghe, who arrived in Delhi on Wednesday, was received by Indian envoy to SL Taranjit Sandhu. more..

Nov 23 (DN) Speaking on behalf of the Exporters Association of Sri Lanka (EASL), Harin de Silva (Chairman EASL) welcomes the 2018 Budget under Vision 2025 and its proposals to revamp SL’s trade policies to enable an export-driven economy. Apart from being more realistic, the proposals are expected to achieve a 5% growth rate while maintaining inflation at 6% and reducing the budget deficit to 4.5% of GDP. The new strategic brand of Enterprise Sri Lanka looks at more..

Nov 23 (Hindu) Manonmaniam Sundaranar Uni in TN has signed a MoU with Eastern University, recently to work closely in research programmes and exchange scholars and students. Vice-Chancellor, MSU, K. Baskar and his counterpart Jeyasingam signed the MoU even as the former had gone there recently to participate in the convocation ceremony of Eastern University, Batticaloa. MoU enables the two universities to exchange scholars & students and to publish research articles. more..

Nov 23 (DM) Minister Dayasiri Jayasekara admitted that there was a major issue in the fact that members of the COPE Committee had conversations with Arjun Aloysius. “Yes of course there is an issue. We will all be able to see the outcomes of this once action is filed,” he said, in response to questions by journalists. However, Jayasekara defended the two calls and meeting he had with Aloysius and said that he found need to more..

Nov 23 (Island) Adding to the long list of strange tender awarding procedures in the country, bids called to supply foolproof stickers has now gone to an unsuccessful bidder who quoted a higher price than in its first bid. Tender for the supply of foolproof stickers and supply, installation and commissioning of a foolproof sticker, sticker management system for liquor and liquor based products, was cancelled, and a fresh tender called on the recommendation of Procurement Appeal Board. more..

Nov 23 (DM) Deputy Minister Ajith P. Perera made an appeal to Speaker Karu Jayasuriya to mediate to get the details of the telephone conversations from the PCoI and get an opportunity to cross-examine the witness claiming that the commission had informed him that it did not have any details pertaining to the calls he alleged to have made to Arjun Aloysius. He said that in reply to his letter to the Commission, it had informed him that the commission did not have the date, time that more..