Jan 17 (DM) A tense situation reported at the CEB head office after several high ranking CEB officials, including its Chairman, were being detained by trade union members. CEB Employees' Union Convener Ranjan Jayalal said the Chairman had neglected to pay the salary increment to employees despite it being a directive of Minister Ranjith Siyabalapitiya. Mr. Jayalal said the increment was held back by Ministry Secretary Dr. Suren Batagoda following a request made by the CEB Engineers unions, more..

Jan 17 (DM) Hashini Amendra, the wife of veteran singer Victor Ratnayake, was re-remanded till January 26 by Tangalle Magistrate Mahee Wijeweera today. She was arrested for the allegedly misappropriating Rs. 1.28 million worth of jewellery belonging to a state bank. Police said the manager of the bank had lodged a complaint against the suspect for the crime she allegedly committed during her time as an employee of the pawning section of the bank during 2012- 2016. more..

Jan 17 (AD) President Maithripala Sirisena says that he has instructed the Attorney General, the Director General of the Bribery Commission and other relevant officials to proceed with legal action based on the final report of the Bond Commission. He made this announcement during a public meeting of the UPFA for the upcoming LG election 2018 held in Elpitiya today. The President said that operation one on the bond scam more..

Jan 17 (CT) Cabinet Spokesperson Rajitha Senaratne fired broadsides at President Maithripala Sirisena’s Coordinating Secretary Shiral Lakthilaka during the media conference on cabinet decisions today. A journalist had sought the minister’s response to a statement that Lakthilaka had made to the effect that an interim govt would be formed immediately after the forthcoming LG elections, to which Senaratne had fired back, who is Shiral? When he was informed that Lakthilaka was more..

Jan 17 (NR) Minister Dayasiri Jayasekara says measures have been taken to file cases against those accused in the report issued by the PCoI. Speaking at the Cabinet media briefing he said the complete report of the Bond Commission will be used in Court when filing cases. Minister mentioned a brief note of the Bond Commission report was handed over to the President to be read as a summary however he stated it is not what will be used in court and that court will use content more..

Jan 17 (PMD) The delegates of the Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation (ROSATOM) called on President Maithripala Sirisena at the Official Residence of the President, today. Five member delegation including its Deputy CEO of ROSATOM for International Relations Nikolay Spasskiy, participated in this meeting. The delegation arrived in the country with the aim of granting scholarships to uplift science, more..

Jan 17 (TN) Mahela Jayawardene has said Sri Lanka's worst days on the cricket pitch could be behind them now that they have sorted out their leadership and management positions for the national team. In an exclusive interview with The National on Wednesday, the former Sri Lanka captain Jayawardene said he was pleased with the recent appointment of Chandika Hathurusinghe as coach, as well as the reinstatement of Angelo Mathews as the limited-overs captain. more..

Jan 17 (LR) The first Sri Lankan restaurant in the heart of Toronto’s financial district opened with great fanfare this week. Hundreds of free Kothu Roti lunches were given out to celebrate. Rusi, located in the coveted core of the city inside the financial district, is near the southwest corner of King and Yonge Streets. To celebrate the opening of the restaurant, the first 250 customers received a free kothu roti lunch. The restaurant offers a range of Sri Lankan food, including appetizers, more..

Jan 17 (CI) The trio of Sikandar Raza, Hamilton Masakadza and Tendai Chatara brought Zimbabwe a 12-run win over Sri Lanka, their first victory against a Full Member at a neutral venue in 15 years. Raza made an unbeaten 81 and took the key wicket of Kusal Perera, who made 80. He also took two catches, off Angelo Mathews and former SL captain Thisara Perera. It was the Thisara catch that finally swung the game Zimbabwe's way. more..

Jan 17 (LBO) SL’s Cabinet has approved a proposal to sign the proposed Free Trade Agreement between Sri Lanka and Singapore. The proposed Free Trade Agreement consists of provisions regarding trade in goods and services, service liberalization, investments and public procurement. Following the proposal put forward by International Trade Minister Malik Samarawickrama, Cabinet has granted approval to sign this agreement subject to the clearance of the Attorney General. more..

Jan 17 (DM) It is not unusual for any govt in power in our country to perform magical wonders on the eve of any poll local or national. Govt politicos go through a hectic time participating in events such as the laying of foundation stones for numerous development projects, commissioning of new projects and unveiling of Buddha statues and shrine rooms which are galore in the run up to an election. By the way. a Blue party senior who chose Uva to launch his political career was heard giving more..

Jan 17 (EN) A move by President Maithripala Sirisena and a male dominant cabinet of ministers to reverse a decision by Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera to give equal status to SL's women by lifting sexist regulations was defended on health grounds by a male minister. Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne, a minister who usually fearlessly defends equal treatment for men of all faiths & races, said he was opposed more..

Jan 18 (CT) Trust this finds you well amidst a busy campaign schedule. Supreme Court has now defined the duration of your tenure. There were critics who were attempting to make an issue on a matter that you had the legitimate right to refer. Unfortunately, the outcome did not receive any applause in the context of Good Governance from those who would have otherwise capitalized to discredit both the Supreme Court and you (the executive) in the event decision was 2021. more..

Jan 18 (DN) Media headlines in recent months in Sri Lanka have concentrated heavily on the political role of Buddhist monks, agitations of government medical officers against the establishment of a private medical college and the increasing failure of the State to address many pressing social issues. These three matters are by no means unconnected. In fact, all three are products of a process of social and political change that unfolded over the last several decades. more..

Jan 18 (CT) The manner in which the PCoI managed the Bond scam deserves not simply a round of applause, but truly a standing ovation. Over the political history that has prevailed, this will be among the very few times that a Special Commission of Inquiry has prevailed and yielded fruit, at least to an extent. For this, President Sirisena must be commended for not tampering with the investigations and his willingness to more..

Jan 18 (CT) Donald John Trump, the global bully and the President of the mighty Super Power, United States of America (USA) has got his brains checked and an all-clear certificate has been issued. Our charming gentle giant Nishantha Muthuhettigama, MP from the Galle District in the Southern Sinhala bastion was probably the first politician who had his brains examined for sanity in Sri Lanka. Now it looks like, many more in Sri Lanka will have to undergo this important test. more..

Jan 18 (CT) Public image of the politician plummeted to the lowest level in SL history of Parliamentary democracy, last week, causing a serious setback to the efforts to increase the proportion of educated, cultured, decent men in politics and women participation. The roguish and wayward behaviour of some MPs, including a few seasoned politicians hitherto known as decent men, shocked the nation. There were horrid scenes, fisticuffs and premeditated physical assaults more..

Jan 18 (CT) All Ceylon General Ports Employees Union secretary Chandrasiri Mahagamage says that the proposal to build the Hambantota Harbour was made in 1906 when Leonard Woolf was the Assistant Govt Agent there. "The Magampura Port at Hambantota has been leased to a Chinese company. Now there are talks about leasing oil tanks in Trinco Harbour to India. We don't know what is in store for future of ports in SL" more..

Jan 18 (DN) On Dec 13, 2017, SL acceded to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and Their Destruction (also referred to as the Mine Ban Treaty or MBT) becoming its 163rd State Party. Heralding the revival of SL’s role as a champion of humanitarian disarmament, this step was taken by the Govt of SL under the leadership of President Sirisena, towards which The SL Campaign to Ban Landmines more..

Jan 18 (CT) Maithripala Sirisena's statement about the CB Bond Issue was utterly disappointing for those who had been deeply concerned about the scandal and its impact on the economy. SLFP supporters especially felt let down, but for a different reason. They waited to utilize this opportunity to permanently banish Ranil Wickremesinghe into political exile. Had he done so, the UNP would not only have fallen at the upcoming LG elections, but would remain prostrate for a very long time. more..

Jan 18 (DN) Veteran athletic coach Yogananda Wijesundera was felicitated for his 50 years of untiring service for Sri Lankan athletics during a ceremony participated by his contemporary coaches, athletes and sports association officials at the Olympic House yesterday. The event was organized as a part of Save the Sport organization’s annual felicitation program for veterans who have contributed immensely for the betterment of Lankan sports. more..

Jan 18 (Island) The yahapalana administration is like a logan which rocks but doesn’t fall. Bitter infighting within the govt ranks came to a head on Tuesday with President Sirisena launching into a tirade against the UNP, at a Cabinet meeting. He was so incensed that he stormed out. UNP drew the President’s ire because some of its backbenchers had inveighed against him for ordering a probe into the CB bond scams. One of them went to the extent of calling him an ingrate. more..

Jan 18 (DN) Drugs have emerged as a major social problem recently and has crossed the border of caste, class, creed, sex and nation. Drug abuse affects individuals, their families and society as a whole and they are often linked to organised crime and illegal weapons trade and the underworld. Sri Lanka however, has taken a strong stance on the drug issue and in a warning to the world’s drug operators that it will not tolerate or encourage more..

Jan 18 (Island) President Maithripala Sirisena seems to be happy that unlike other Presidential Commissions which took several years to complete their probes and ultimately produced reports which were not worth the paper they were written on, the Bond Commission completed its task within a very short period of 10 months and produced a report, copies of which have been submitted to Parliament. President has forwarded one copy to the Central Bank, another to the Bribery Commission, more..

Jan 18 (ST) As far as it is universally accepted, strong sports bodies in the world opt to live free and stay out of the clutches of government controls. For instance, the International Athletic Federation, Fédération Internationale de Football Association or, simply FIFA, International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the much closer to us, the International Cricket Council or, ICC, have categorically spelled out that none of them condones political interference. A 2012 Reuter report quoting sources more..

Jan 18 (FT) Cabinet spokesperson Rajitha Senaratne was in full damage control mode yesterday as he denied reports of President Sirisena storming out of the Cabinet in protest, following an emotional outburst directed at UNP members. Minister, speaking at the weekly cabinet briefing, claimed the President walked out of the meeting following the statement to answer the call of nature, not in protest, but he admitted that more..

Jan 18 (ST) Unheard of in Colombo, but in Jaffna, chambers of commerce pick a candidate to support at local elections. Jaffna Chamber of Commerce has decided, not to extend its support to the TNA in future as their request to nominate the former chamber president R. Jeyasegaram as the Jaffna Mayoral candidate had been rejected by the TNA. Mr. Jeyasegaram is currently serving as a Northern Provincial Councillor. TNA has instead nominated one of the Northern Provincial Councilors more..

Jan 18 (Island) ‘We believe the key sectors that are likely to outperform the market and expected to provide high returns are Banking Sector, Building Materials Sector and Apparel Sector while the energy sector also may turnaround depending on the implementation of the pricing formulas by the govt which is also a condition of IMF' First Capital Research said. "Current tight monetary policy has slowed down the economy significantly reducing earnings growth for most companies. more..

Jan 18 (CT) Minister Kabir Hashim has urged President Maithripala Sirisena to also include the findings of the Weliamuna Report in the Presidential Commission Report on the proposed probe of the national carrier, SriLankan Airlines, and the Regional Carrier, Mihin Airways. He said that he had told the President to include those contents in the report, as well as some of the crimes committed by the previous management. more..

Jan 18 (Island) SriLankan Airlines has sent us the following statement in response to our news report headlined Prez orders probes into Mihin Air, SriLankan on The Island. Our report said recommendations of the Weliamuna report had not yet been implemented. Full text of the SriLankan reply: "This response is to put things into perspective with regard to the J.C. Weliamuna Report which has been referred to in the Newspapers and other interested parties, time and time again. more..

Jan 18 (DN) The Jaffna International Trade Fair, the multi-faceted gateway to the North bringing together traders and business to a wide range of opportunities, is to take the Northern peninsula by storm from January 26- 28. The ninth edition of the annual event, aptly named the Gateway to the North will be the meeting hotspot for traders and business, both local and international. The one stop shop for businesses in the rapidly developing Northern peninsula, the trade fair will host more..

Jan 18 (DN) Let us back Johann Peries to be the second Sri Lankan to scale the summit of the Mount Everest which he attempts to make in April 2018, PM Ranil Wickremesinghe said. PM said that Peries made a wise decision to return during his first attempt due to the technical fault and he is here today to make the second attempt while Jayanthi Kuru-Uthumpala made it to the top in April 2016. He added that Johann is firm with more..

Jan 18 (DN) SL Export Development Board (EDB) in collaboration with Asian Development Bank (ADB) and rubber sector stakeholders officially launched a Special Purpose Vehicle known as Lanka Rubber Global Consortium Pvt Ltd (LRGC). The motive of establishing SME clusters by way of formation of a (SPV) is to create local brands more competitive in the global arena as this would help to improve the country to drive towards a highly competitive export oriented economy. more..

Jan 18 (FT) District Court of Colombo on 8 Jan pronounced an Order refusing to issue the Interim Injunction sought by the Plaintiff Bartleet Religare Securities, seeking to restrain the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) and its Arbitration and Disciplinary Committee from proceeding with an inquiry against the Plaintiff into several charges set out in the charge sheet issued on Bartleet by the CSE. After hearing submissions of Counsel for the Defendants, the District Court also dissolved more..

Jan 18 (DM) President Maithripala Sirisena will definitely contest at the next presidential election in the event the executive presidency is not abolished and the constitution is not changed, State Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena said. He that Prez Sirisena would definitely be their presidential candidate and when asked whether it was ethical for him to contest again, state minister said yes and pointed out that the President more..

Jan 18 (DN) EDEX Expo-2018 will be declared open by PM Ranil Wickramasinghe at BMICH tomorrow commencing at 9 am. Education Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam, Principal Royal College B.A. Abeyratne and EDEX Chairman Mahinda Galagedara will also attend the opening ceremony of the 32nd annual exhibition and job fair, conducted by Royal College Union (RCU). Over 25,000 visitors including students from public and private international schools and universities are more..

Jan 18 (DN) Records Management Team of the Guinness World Records recently announced that the attempt by Royal College to break the record for the most number of water rockets launched simultaneously was successful and that the school is now a Guinness World Records title holder. This attempt was made by Astronomical Society of Royal College in celebration of their 50th anniversary and the World Science Day on Nov 10 participated by 2000 students from grade 6 to 10. more..

Jan 18 (DM) A party leaders meeting will be convened on Jan 22 to decide what action needs to be taken on the Bond Commission and the PRECIFAC reports handed over to the Parliament Secretary General by the Presidential Secretariat, Speaker Karu Jayasuriya said. He told a news conference that Parliament had received 26 copies of the Bond Commission report and copies of the 34 reports of the PRECIFAC. more..

Jan 18 (DN) UNP Working Committee had decided to appoint a 3 member committee to study PCoI report on CB Treasury Bond issuance, UNP General Secretary Kabir Hashim said. He said this 3-member committee would study the report thoroughly and it is found that any member of the UNP is involved in the issue, they would be punished, irrespective of their position. He said he had yet not gone through the report by last evening and said he was not in a position to comment on its content. more..