Jan 20 (DN) “I left the former government showing my opposition to fraud and corruption, and formed a new govt. Is it to continue the same frauds and corruption I ask you? It is true that UNP supporters voted for me, and I owe my gratitude to them. Are the UNP members attacking me to frighten me? Or to chase me out? I do not know whether they are doing these things with a purpose or others leading them to do such things. I walked out that day ignoring the risks I would have to face. more..

Jan 20 (Island) An 18-year-old Swiss girl was sexually harassed at knife-point in Nuwara-Eliya on Jan 4. A British national recently died under mysterious circumstances in Maligawatta, Colombo. It was in this backdrop that Minister John Amaratunga advised women to refrain from travelling alone. Crimes committed against tourists, immediately followed by such a warning coming from a state ministry invariably have adverse more..

Jan 20 (Island) It looks as if the yahapalana cared to safeguard the rights of only two group of citizens—the LGBT community and tipplers. It is busy bringing in new laws and amending the existing ones besides issuing gazette notifications to that effect. Having given the booze industry a turbo boost through the last budget, the Finance Ministry recently attempted to do away with a ban on women buying liquor and working in places where liquor is manufactured or sold. more..

Jan 20 (Island) Scientists, including medics, I am sure, will readily admit they are guilty of changing their views over time. They do so, simply because they express opinions based on the data available at the time and may express a reverse-view when new data becomes available. This is best illustrated by the controversy over coconut oil, which used to be considered, not so long ago, a dangerous oil but is now being promoted in the West, now, as a superfood. more..

Jan 20 (Island) In 2009, SL’s civil war came to an end after 26 years. Much of the war was fought in the Northern and Eastern Provinces of the country. It had a serious impact on women’s livelihood engagement, especially in the regions where the war was primarily fought. Many women in the war-affected areas have lost the primary income earners in their households, have had their and family members’ education disrupted, among other impacts. more..

Jan 20 (CT) Late veteran journalist Cecil Wickremanayake, reminiscing on interesting assignments, undertaken in the late 50s, once wrote about a flight to Jaffna. It had been of an Indian Air Force (IAF) plane engaged in a flood relief operation, in an area severely affected by floods in the North. According to Wickramanayake, alumni of Jaffna Central College, IAF pilot was briefed on the flight path to the North before takeoff, from Ratmalana Airport, with a couple of IAF crew. more..

Jan 20 (FT) Hemas Holdings PLC said it acquired 75.1% of Atlas Axillia Co Ltd, Sri Lanka’s leading school and office brand, for a consideration of Rs. 5.7 billion. The existing shareholders of Atlas will retain a stake of 24.9% in the company, post-acquisition. Atlas Axillia Managing Director Nirmal Madanayake said: “Atlas Axillia is on a great journey of growth and we were keen to take our organisation to the next level. more..

Jan 20 (CI) SL's ODI captain Angelo Mathews has been sidelined with a hamstring injury for two matches in the ongoing tri-series in Bangladesh. Mathews will miss Friday's ODI against Bangladesh as well as their next match against Zimbabwe on Sunday. Mathews suffered a right hamstring tightness when he was batting against Zimbabwe earlier in the series. Dinesh Chandimal will lead Sri Lanka in his absence. It was initially feared the injury could have ruled Mathews out for longer, more..

Jan 20 (EAF) Strong macro-stabilisation efforts characterised Sri Lanka’s economic policy in 2017. After two years of budgetary turmoil, fiscal consolidation efforts under an ongoing IMF program are delivering higher revenues for the cash-strapped Treasury. A stronger fiscal footing is allowing Sri Lanka’s central bank to act pragmatically in its fight against inflation. As the macroeconomic fundamentals improve, so too does Sri Lanka’s performance in two pressing areas: more..

Jan 20 (CI) Sri Lanka's new coach had a special training camp with the ODI squad, he inserted himself into the on-tour selection panel, and has sparked several key changes in the national team. But for all his prior international success, Chandika Hathurusingha is not a miracle worker. So says Thisara Perera, following a match in which Hathurusingha's old charges walloped his new ones. SL were an exceedingly modest ODI side in more..

Jan 20 (Island) ikman.lk the website for buyers and sellers to transact almost anything, showcased strong robust growth for 2017 according to data recently released by the company. Demonstrating the site has achieved more Internet market share this year, ikman.lk recorded a remarkable surge of 52% in the number of total visits to its website within the month of Nov 2017. Defined as people visiting the site multiple times within a month, the total number of visits was 19 million in Nov more..

Jan 20 (Island) Indian PM Narendra Modi has done the right thing and given his IT minister the portfolio of Law and Justice too, so that he can pull ahead on a path of least resistance and make the necessary advancements in e-governance applications without any bureaucracy standing in his way, Minister Harin Fernando said on a lighter note in Colombo recently. He said so when Sri Lanka and India recently signed an MoU for collaboration in the field of Information Technology. more..

Jan 20 (Island) The anti-SAITM movement will hold a protest in Colombo on Jan. 25, says Media Coordinator for the Medical Faculty Students’ Parents’ Association (MFSPA) Wasantha Alwis. Alwis said that more anti-SAITM protests would be organised at an MFSPA meeting on Sunday (21). He said the govt was attempting to mislead the public and the anti-SAITM movement with political tricks and, therefore, a massive crowd of protestors were expected to gather in Colombo on more..

Jan 20 (FT) At the invitation of President Maithripala Sirisena, PM of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong will undertake an official visit to Sri Lanka from 22-24 Jan. Singaporean Premier will be received at the Presidential Secretariat on the morning of 23 Jan with an official guard of honour and gun salute that will be followed by official bilateral discussions with President Sirisena. A Free Trade Agreement between Sri Lanka and Singapore will be signed following the talks. more..

Jan 20 (SCMP) Even in ultra-conservative Saudi Arabia, women will finally get the right to drive cars this year. Compare that to Sri Lanka, where women recently won the right to buy a drink at a bar – or rather had won it, until it was revoked just days later. “When the world is going one way, Sri Lanka is running a race to the bottom,” Thyagi Ruwanpathirana, a human-rights activist based in Colombo, said. more..

Jan 20 (FT) Addressing an election propaganda rally at Hatara Liyadda, Minister Dr. Sarath Amunugama declared that the prime desire of a politician should be to serve the people honestly. He said: “Today many people enter politics with the intention of making money. However the prime objective of people entering politics should be to serve the people honestly. The strongest desire of politicians should be to identify people’s problems and to serve the people. more..

Jan 20 (ST) The helmet is a safety headgear normally used for riding motorcycles, for industrial purposes in construction sites and in sports like cricket and for other purposes. They are all made out of synthetic materials. The world is increasingly moving towards finding a replacement for synthetic material that is eco-friendly to reduce the impact on the environment globally. In this regard, a Sri Lankan company, Soil Tech (Pvt) Ltd at 352 Rajagiriya Road, Rajagiriya has invented more..

Jan 20 (CT) National Athletes in various sports disciplines had come together and appealed before the Int'l Olympic Committee regarding controversial and the illegal behavior by Sri Lanka's National Olympic Committee (NOCSL) when they once again appointed an Athletes' Commission for a second time in recent times. In retaliating efforts against NOCSL for violation of their rights once again when forming more..

Jan 20 (DN) The Bribery Commission yesterday filed a fresh case against former Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage and two others. The Commission has withdrawn its previous case where he was named for allegedly committing a Rs. 53.1 million fraud while importing sports equipment during last Presidential Election. In the new case, the Bribery Commission has named Nalin Ranjeewa Fernando as the third suspect. He had been named as a witness in the previous case. more..

Jan 20 (DN) About 50% of the construction work on the Southern Expressway extension from Matara to Hambantota, with a length of 96 km, has been completed. It will be vested with the public next year. A Spokesperson said the rest of the work is progressing expeditiously. “We are on schedule to complete in early 2019,” he added. The Southern Expressway extension from Matara to Hambantota comprises four main sections including Section 1 - a 30 km stretch from Matara to Belliatta; more..

Jan 20 (FT) The latest monthly poll conducted by TNS, reveals that a majority (60%) of citizens doubt that 2018 will be positive for the country. Respondents cite the far from satisfactory country situation at present, a lack of good leaders in the govt, the prevailing economic conditions and the high cost of living as reasons for their pessimistic outlook. Governance is likely to weaken over the next 12 months, according to six in 10 of more..

Jan 20 (FT) At the invitation of President Maithripala Sirisena, President of Indonesia Joko Widodo will undertake a State visit to Sri Lanka from 24-25 January 2018. The Indonesian President will be accorded a ceremonial welcome with a guard of honour and a twenty-one gun salute at the Presidential Secretariat on the evening of 24 January, followed by official bilateral discussions with President Sirisena on a wide range of issues of mutual interest. more..

Jan 20 (NR) The SLMC says it has not arrived at a decision as to who would fill the national list seat that fell vacant, following the resignation of MP MHM Salman. A spokesperson of the Party said that the Supreme Council of SLMC will convene to decide on the matter. The name of the nominee will be forwarded to the General Secretary of the UNP and subsequently to the Elections Commission. Yesterday, UNP National List MP MHM Salman handed in his letter of resignation to more..

Jan 20 (NR) The time frame granted for candidates contesting the 2018 Local Govt Election to hand over their assets and liabilities declarations will conclude today. The Elections Commission has announced that the deadline to accept declarations of assets and liabilities of candidates will not be extended. Accordingly the Elections Commission said that it will take action against candidates who failed to submit their declarations. more..

Jan 20 (Hindu) An Ethiopian Airlines flight (ET638), operating on the Addis Ababa-Singapore-Kuala Lumpur sector, was diverted to Chennai on Thursday, after Sri Lanka closed its airspace for some time in connection with the Agni-V missile test off the coast of Odisha. The twin-engine aircraft, a Boeing 787-8 (ET-ATK), left Addis Ababa at 2.30 a.m.. Five hours into its approximately nine-hour flight, while approaching Thiruvananthapuram, the crew were unable to continue flying more..

Jan 20 (CT) UNP MP Chaminda Wijesiri said that if any attempt is made to remove PM Ranil Wickremesinghe from office, the Party would definitely bring a motion in Parliament to impeach President Maithripala Sirisena. He made these comments in relation to rumours that subsequent to the LG polls, PM would be changed and that a new Govt would be formed. Wijesiri added that they would also act to obtain the support of the JO with regard to the impeachment motion. more..

Jan 20 (EN) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe has appointed a panel to study the bond commission report, but the man put in charge of the initiative has triggered another unsavoury case of conflict of interest. The man who was forced to resign his law and order portfolio after he defended the controversial Avant Garde company in parliament, Tilak Marapana, was put in charge of a UNP panel to study the bond report. more..

Jan 20 (DM) Elections Commission Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya said on Thursday he could do nothing about unseating a field officers or any other candidate if he had been found to have illegally contested the LG election and was elected. He said unseating of an elected candidate could only be done through a court procedure and added that elections commissions had no provision to do so. He said there were no legal barriers for field officers to contest the election if he had resigned from more..

Jan 20 (WNN) Russia and Sri Lanka have held talks this week on establishing cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. Nikolay Spassky, deputy director general of Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom, met with Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya and Susil Premajayantha on 16-17 January. Russian delegation, which was welcomed by SL President Maithripala Sirisena also held talks with the Atomic Energy Board and the Atomic Energy Regulatory Council of Sri Lanka. more..

Jan 20 (CT) In what appeared like a dig at President Sirisena's remark, on launching Operation Two against corrupt politicians and that he would not resign from office without punishing all corrupt politicians, Chairman of Parliament watchdog committee, COPE, Sunil Handunnetti called on the Head of the State to first show the results of Operation One. He said that he, as COPE Chairman or as a MP representing JVP, had no faith in more..

Jan 20 (DM) The results of the GCE A/L exams have brought successes and victories to hard working students, especially to those from the outstations and rural areas. As many as 163,104 or 64% have qualified to enter universities. The school education system, the Principals and teachers are proud of their achievements. Sujatha Vidyalaya Matara produced two all island best results in Bio Science and Commerce while Jaffna fared best in Physical Science. more..

Jan 20 (DM) The four films of Dharmasiri Bandaranayake stand out like zeitgeists of the eighties and the nineties. They reflect what could have been, but was not, a more illustrious, colourful career. The alienation of the individual from his surroundings, the unreliability of an objective voice, the solace of psychological confinement, are all themes that bring these four films together; they differentiate them from his political plays. Bandaranayake’s cinema is never more..

Jan 20 (DM) Out of 225 MPs that included the nine rejects and dozens of Ministers, only six were present for the scheduled 7-hour session of the Constituent Assembly that met three weeks ago under the auspicious of its Chairman, to debate the long awaited proposals of the Interim Committee. When Chairman Karu Jayasuriya read out the names of the members who were billed to speak on that day, not a single were present, more..

Jan 20 (ST) Last week’s commotion over a cornered leopard reinforces the need to handle such encounters with care to prevent an escalation into intense leopard-human conflict, warn experts Andrew Kittle and Anjali Watson. A few close encounters with leopards occur every year in the hill country; last week’s incident was at the Panmore tea estate in Hatton. There are many versions of the story but according to local more..

Jan 20 (GJ) When former editor Upali Tennakoon speculates about what led to the attempt on his life in 2009, two incidents jump to mind. One was an editorial he wrote for Rivira, the Sri Lankan newspaper he managed. The other was an article he chose not to publish, a move that angered a powerful army general. At the time, Tennakoon knew well the dangers for journalists in the South Asian nation. more..

Jan 20 (Roar) If you’ve lived on the island a fair amount of time, chances are you’ve sunk your teeth into some luscious tropical goodness. Whether it is the juicy yellow mango served with ice cream in your dessert or the rotund rambutan eaten by the bagfuls during season, Sri Lanka has her share of the region’s fruit basket. But have you ever wondered where your fruit came from? While some fruits are endemic to Sri Lanka, more..

Jan 20 (ST) Renovation work on the Kelaniya flyover bridge has been crawling along for more than five months and some parts are being reused by the government to save costs. Road development officials say handling steel bridges is a new undertaking for Sri Lankans. But steel bridges have existed in SL for decades. When the flyover was opened, Rajapaksa govt and the state media rejoiced that it had been built in record time. more..

Jan 20 (Island) A group of top state officials and intellectuals discussed the setting up of an action plan for elimination of bribery and corruption in SL, chaired by Secretary to the President, Austin Fernando on Thursday. Those who attended the meeting included Finance Ministry Secretary Dr R.H.S. Samaratunge, CB Governor Dr Indrajit Coomaraswamy, Auditor General Gamini Wijesinghe, Director General of Bribery more..