Nov 4 (CT) The North Central Province (NCP) is home to the largest number of patients afflicted by the chronic kidney disease of unknown origin (CKDu). There is believed to be a link between water and CKDu. It's believed that hard water, generally mineral water, extracted from underground sources, especially from areas such as the NCP, may be one of the causes of CKDu. Others theorize that high quantities of Glyphosate in the water may be a contributory factor. more..

Nov 4 (FT) There are two roads in Colombo, nay, there are hundreds, but for the purpose of this article I will just concentrate on the two. In different ways the story of these two roads tells us of our agony, a nation’s failure, why much talked of development is an illusory dream, only a tempting topic for seminars, never to be realised on the ground fully. Both roads taken as examples here are from the heart of Colombo, zones 5 and 7, where we are told the educated, capable and more..

Nov 4 (DN) Court of Appeal has sought the Supreme Court’s interpretation to ascertain whether Court of Appeal can issue a judgment in Sinhala as per a party’s request in a particular case. The Court of Appeal Justice (President) L.T.B. Dehideniya and Justice Shiran Gunaratne has sought Supreme Court’s interpretation to ascertain whether there is legal provisions in the constitution to issue a judgment in Sinhala. The judgments in the apex courts of SL are delivered in English more..

Nov 4 (AD) Minister Arjuna Ranatunga announced that 80% of the daily petrol supply will be completed within Ceylon Petroleum Corporation by the end of the day.  It was also stated that no disruption of the distribution of diesel was experienced yesterday. Long queues of vehicles were reported at fuel stations in Colombo and suburbs due to fears of a possible fuel shortage last night. The sudden increase in purchase of fuel was reportedly resulted in shortages at fuel stations more..

Nov 4 (Roar) Sri Lanka’s hill country has the power to evoke wanderlust even in the most ardent armchair anthropologists. The interior conjures pure romanticism: undulating green hills, serene mountain air, 19th century steam trains, and timeless tea plantations. It’s a must-see for international visitors and a welcome retreat for citizens island-wide. But all this loveliness shades a little known truth: that “these hills are home to more..

Nov 4 (ST) A humble but magical ‘trio’ used by ancient veda mahattayas have stunned the world of modern medicine by their ‘healing’ powers right here in Sri Lanka. The three herbal fruits — aralu, bulu and nelli — are potent fighters in the battle against high cholesterol, the Sunday Times learns. Not speculation nor rumour, but tried and tested is the aralu-bulu-nelli combo in an indisputable Clinical Trial (CT) conducted by the guru-gola (teacher-student) pair, Consultant Physician more..

Nov 4 (EN) Sri Lanka has raised the possibility of Vietnam style equitization of state enterprises with Deputy Economic Policy Minister Harsha de Silva making the case for members of the public becoming shareholders. What is the problem with account holders of a state bank holding 10% of shares? de Silva questioned during a business forum in Colombo. Similarly customers of an energy utility could hold shares, he said, floating a trial balloon on the idea. more..

Nov 4 (CT) The National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) has sought permission from the Govt for a 10-15% tariff hike so that it could operate without making a loss. Deputy General Manager of the North Central Province (DGM NCP) of the NWSDB, Vajira Wijeratne, justifying this request, said that it costs the NWSDB between Rs 47 to Rs 50 to produce one cubic metre of water, whereas more..

Nov 4 (CT) In view of the forthcoming Local Govt elections, the SLFP, whilst confirming that there would be no electoral pact whatsoever with their coalition Govt partner, the UNP, said that they would be in talks with all parties and factions with a view to forming a massive electoral alliance by way of entering into various electoral and no-contest pacts. The decision was arrived at yesterday, at a special meeting convened at the Presidential Secretariat with Party Chairman, more..

Nov 4 (NR) Election Watchdog, PAFFREL has commended the verdict issued by the Supreme Court to expel MP Geetha Kumarasinghe from Parliament. Executive Director of PAFFREL Rohana Hettiarachchi said the decision has set a good precedence. He said, “Supreme Court has provided a fair verdict over issues pertaining to dual citizenship. We believe the important decisions such as rules, regulations and policies of a country should be taken by a citizen of a particular country. more..

Nov 4 (CT) Indicating that the forthcoming Local Govt polls, to be fought among three formations, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa said, that he had already begun forming a broader political alliance with anti-UNP forces. Even though at the much hyped meeting of the SLFP, chaired by President Maithripala Sirisena, the Party decided to contest LG polls sans the UNP, Rajapaksa appeared to be not convinced. more..

Nov 4 (Island) JO did not attend a meeting President Maithripala Sirisena held with SLFP MPs and organisers yesterday at the Presidential Secretariat to discuss issues pertaining to the upcoming local govt elections. The JO MPs had been invited to the meeting. Deputy Minister Lasantha Alagiyawanna said that UPFA had decided to join forces with several other parties to contest the LG polls. The JO has put forth some conditions for contesting the LG polls together with the SLFP. more..

Nov 1 (CT) Two individuals were killed in separate train accidents on 2 Nov. Police said, one individual died after falling from the Colombo bound train from Puttalam. Another individual, who was 40 years old, died after being hit by a Matara bound train from Colombo. The Department of Railways recently raised concerns over the increasing number of train accidents that have taken place during the past few years. Based on the statistics prepared by the National Council for Road Safety, more..

Nov 1 (ST) The inhabitants of Sri Lanka’s dry zones, most of whom are farmers, have suffered searing droughts for decades. Agriculture has taken a severe hit. Crops are wilting and people are plunging into debt and poverty. Last year was particularly bad. The North-East monsoon failed, heralding the worst drought in four decades. And despite floods in other parts of the country, rains over the dry zone have remained sparse. more..

Nov 1 (NR) Coconut Cultivation Board has said it will look into the allegations of the prices of coconut remaining at high levels in the open market. Chairman of the Board Kapila Yakandawala said they are continuously providing coconuts at low prices via the Sathosa stores. NewsRadio contacted to inquire about allegations that coconut prices were remaining at around 100 rupees in some areas. He added that these increased price levels may be prevalent in some areas, more..

Nov 4 (LN) Financial Intelligence Unit of Trinidad and Tobago (FIUTT) has signed a MOU with the Financial Intelligence Units of Sri Lanka and Cuba in Argentina. Friday’s signing was witnessed by Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Faris Al-Rawi. FIU Act provides the FIUTT with the mandate to enter into MOUs with its foreign counterparts. MOUs allow the FIUTT to exchange information securely and enhance networking and cooperation with foreign FIUs in fight against more..

Nov 4 (DN) Archbishop of Colombo His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith urged the govt to remove long continued political interference over the academia and ensure the independence of all education institutes in the country. Archbishop also pointed out that making education institutes independent will immensely contribute to the development of a country as well. He further pointed out that a govt exists to take more..

Nov 4 (Xinhua) Sri Lanka and China jointly launched the Sri Lanka-China Logistics and Industrial Zone Office in southern port of Hambantota on Saturday. The office will overlook the operation of the 50-square-kilometer Industrial Zone officially established in January, and serve as a workplace for its Sri Lankan and Chinese staff. PM Ranil Wickremesinghe said at the launch ceremony that the office was an important milestone in the strong ties between Sri Lanka and China. more..

Nov 4 (IANS) SriLankan Airlines plans to increase its presence in India, not only to service the surge in passenger demand but also to ward-off competition in one of its key markets. According to SriLankan Airlines Head of Worldwide Sales, Dimuthu Tennakoon, the airline, which already has over 120 flights a week to 14 destinations in India, plans to further strengthen its network. "We have witnessed a steady growth in passenger numbers travelling in and out of India in the recent past," more..

Nov 4 (CB) Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has signed up former Test cricketer Thilan Samaraweera as the batting coach of the senior team. Samaraweera will be contracted with SLC until the 2019 World Cup. The solid former middle order batsman migrated to Australia after retiring in 2013 and has had several coaching experience with the most notable one being the time he spent with Bangladesh as their batting coach. more..

Nov 4 (Island) The JVP breakaway group, the Frontline Socialist Party has still not decided whether to contest the forthcoming local govt polls. FSP Propaganda Secretary Pubudu Jayagoda told The Island that their party had so far not made any decision on the matter. Jayagoda, however said their Central Committee was due to meet to take a decision on whether to contest or not. He said they would announce their decision no sooner the date of the election was known. more..

Nov 4 (GDI) The Policy Development Office of the PM’s Office has conducted a research study on the present status of milk production and beef consumption in Sri Lanka. The purpose of this study was to ascertain whether the lack of dedicated production line and supply chain for beef, leather, Cattle bones have impacted negatively in sustaining the productive stocks of dairy cattle because of the legal and illegal slaughtering of cattle drawn from the limited dairy stock. more..

Nov 4 (PSL) Today, many development projects have been implemented island wide allocating a huge amount of money, and the present government also committed to ensure maximum transparency when implementing those development projects, President Maithripala Sirisena said. He made these remarks participating in a ceremony to open the newly constructed building at the Elahera District Secretariat, today (04). more..

Nov 5 (SO) When Sri Lankans go to the polls in three months’ time to elect their political representatives at the local govt level they will create history in several ways. The local govt elections to be held next January will see the practice of the mixed voting system for the first time in Sri Lanka, ensure a better political representation of women and youth and, enable a more broad-based voting with new electoral wards in place. While Sri Lanka used the First-Past-the-Post (FPP) voting more..

Nov 5 (CT) All are equal before the law, whether in uniform or out of uniform. In times of peace laws are not silent. Those are exemplified by the arrest and remanding of two STF personnel from their camp in Jaffna on Friday in connection with the shooting and killing of a 28-year-old fisherman at Ariyalai, Jaffna; under two weeks ago, on 22 October. These arrests have to be contrasted with the acts of commission and omission that took place in respect of Police and Army killings of innocent civilians more..

Nov 5 (SO) Supreme Court five-judge-Bench headed by Chief Justice Priyasath Dep on Thursday unanimously held that Galle district MP Geetha Kumarasinghe is disqualified to be elected as a MP since she holds dual citizenship. The Supreme Court upheld the Court of Appeal judgment dated May 3 and its order in the nature of a Writ of Quo Warranto declaring that MP Geetha Kumarasinghe is disqualified to be a Member of Parliament more..

Nov 5 (ST) Next Tuesday (7), marks the centenary of an event that changed the course of world history for the better part of the 20th century – Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the good ship Aurora anchored on the river Nev, flying the Red flag of the revolutionaries, which fired the first salvo into the nearby Winter Palace of Czar Nicholas in Petrograd (St. Petersburg). It signalled the climax of the proletariat struggle that toppled the Romanov dynasty and brought the Bolshevik Party more..

Nov 5 (ST) My dear Geetha, I thought I must write to you when I heard that a decision has been taken to disqualify you from being in Parliament. That will be the final decision on this matter, because it is the highest court in the land which has delivered the verdict. You must be extremely disappointed to leave the Diyawanna House. Unfortunately, Geetha, your name will be added to a growing list of actors and actresses in our paradise who tried their hand at politics and failed to reach great heights: more..

Nov 5 (CT) The laws that govern the CIABOC are archaic, thus measures have been taken to introduce amendments, said Director General of CIABOC Sarath Jayamanne, who has been in office for nearly a year following the controversial exit of the previous Commissioner General, Dilrukshi Wickremesinghe. He noted that he prefers to maintain a low profile and focus more on the gamut of internal issues that plague CIABOC. more..

Nov 5 (Island) Ms. Geetha Kumarasinghe losing her parliamentary seat as a result of holding dual citizenship of Sri Lanka and Switzerland would not have surprised most. The Court of Appeal had already held against her but as the well worn cliché has it, hope springs eternal in the human breast. So the former film star who retains much of the glamour that catapulted her to the silver screen many years ago no doubt decided to try her luck in the Supreme Court. more..

Nov 5 (NS) Amidst developments in the Constitutional Reforms front, Sri Lanka witnessed a somewhat disturbing scenario where Tamils and Muslims were up in arms against each other in Kiran, Batticaloa early last week. The situation was so severe that Muslim traders were not allowed to bring their goods to Kiran. Time and again, the importance of unity between communities have been written, discussed, and explained over and over again. Constitutional reform process is of more..

Nov 5 (Island) The political futures of President Sirisena and the 40+ SLFP MPs hangs in the balance as the LG elections process kicks off. The question that the Sirisena faction of the SLFP has to ask itself is which is worse, being labelled pro-UNP if they decide to cast in their lot with the UNF or risking what could be ignominious defeat. As we write this, the General Secretary of the SLFP Duminda Dissanayake and Mahinda Amaraweera the general secretary of the UPFA have announced that more..

Nov 5 (LR) Women in Management (WIM) will celebrate the launch of the coveted initiative WIM AWARDS CANADA 2017 on January 20, 2018 in Toronto. The objective of the Award program will be to recognize and reward the outstanding women of Sri Lankan origin who have excelled in their business or professions in Canada. This initiative will be powered by Cinnamon Life, the flagship development by Sri Lanka’s premier listed Conglomerate, the John Keells Group. more..

Nov 5 (CT) At a much hyped meeting, SLFP chaired by President Maithripala Sirisena took a decision to contest forthcoming LG Elections sans its ruling partner, UNP. SLFP meeting, which was held at the Presidential Secretariat behind closed doors, keeping even the security at bay, was not attended by the SLFP members, led by MP Mahinda Rajapaksa, who are in the Joint Opposition. Party is said to be in talks with more..

Nov 5 (NS) The seemingly irresolvable SAITM issue has shown some signs of being resolved in the near future. The govt’s decision to remove it from the control of Dr. Neville Fernando family and placing it under some not-for-profit entity and also the supervision of the UGC, in terms of the recommendations of Harsha de Silva committee has received some favourable response from the GMOA. If the GMOA still has some concerns over admission criterion, overall quality standards more..

Nov 5 (SO) The abolition of Executive Presidency and passage of the new constitution was the main rallying points for the common opposition, led by Prez Sirisena and PM Wickremesinghe, at the last Parliamentary election. The vehicle for these broad reforms was Maithripala Sirisena, former General Secretary of the SLFP who joined hands with the UNP and several other parties to become the Common Candidate of the opposition, ending Mahinda Rajapaksa’s 3rd term prez bid. more..

Nov 5 (Island) Former Australian captain Vic Richardson had some interesting advice for his grandson. Richardson once told Ian Chappell, If you ever get a chance to captain Australia, don’t captain like a Victorian. Richardson, who was from South Australia, wasn’t too fond with the traditional way Melbourners played their cricket. Three of his grandsons went onto play for Australia. While Greg was the finest batsman produced more..

Nov 5 (CT) The grey market of imported luxury vehicles has become a major challenge to authorized vehicle importers and for the Govt, as grey importers have captured a significant market share in the luxury vehicle market, said Access Engineering PLC and SML Frontier Automobiles, Chairman, Sumal Perera. He said the grey market or independent importers have absorbed 30-40% JLR vehicle sales. He added the grey market had also become a challenge for other authorized more..