Mar 20 (Island) More than 30,000 cattle in Maduru Oya National Park would be driven away within the next two months, Deputy Minister Wasantha Senanayake says. He said that the delay was due to a request from Minister, Sajith Premadasa that the owners of the cattle be given some time to find alternative pastures. He said Premadasa had told him that alternative land was available in the Mahaweli area. He said that cattle were one of the prime causes for human-elephant conflict. more..

Mar 20 (AN) President Maithripala Sirisena confirmed his participation at the 60th Anniversary of the Asian-African Conference (AAC) and 10th Anniversary of the New Asian-African Strategic Partnership (NAASP) in Jakarta, Bandung (West Java), on April 22-24. The confirmation was received by Indonesian Deputy Foreign Minister A.M. Fachir during a courtesy visit to Sri Lankan President in Colombo, on March 16, more..

Mar 20 (Island) The previous govt had spent Rs. 21 mn on the CHOGM Secretariat at the BMICH, Deputy Minister Ajith P Perera said. The CHOGM Secretariat had been set up at the BMICH on rent and was later closed down due to additional costs. From December 2013 to Dec 2014 the govt paid Rs 6.9 million as salaries and Rs. 7.4 million as rent to the BMICH. From Jan. 2014 to Dec. 2014, Rs. 2.8 mn as vehicle fees had been paid, he said, adding another Rs. 3.6 million had been paid as more..

Mar 20 (CI) Wahab Riaz delivered one of the most fearsome spells in World Cup history but Australia, helped by some shoddy Pakistan fielding, weathered the storm and set up a semi-final showdown with India. Chasing 214 to win this quarter-final, Australia faced trouble at 59 for 3. Wahab delivered a bouncer barrage to Shane Watson but, like a zing bail earlier in the day, Watson wobbled but did not fall, and was there to strike the winning runs. The key moment came when Wahab's efforts led to a top edge more..

Mar 20 (AD) The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption today filed action against MP Sajin de Vass Gunawardena under section 9 of the Declaration of Assets and Liabilities Law No. 1 on 1975. Sri Lanka’s anti-corruption body has so far barred the MP and former central bank governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal from leaving the country because of corruption complaints. more..

Mar 20 (Xinhua) The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani who is to start an Asian tour, will arrive in Sri Lanka on Tuesday, the Qatari Embassy said here on Friday. "During his visit to Sri Lanka, Memoranda of Understanding covering youth development activities, development of sports as well as exchange of information, communications and information technology will be signed between Sri Lanka and Qatar," the embassy said in a statement. more..

Mar 20 (CT) A large number of MPs, including SLFP politicians, are set to support the movement to bring former President Rajapaksa as the next UPFA Prime Ministerial candidate, Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU) said. As part of the movement spearheaded by PHU, MEP, NFF and DLF, a large number of SLFP politicians will get on stage in support of Rajapaksa's return at the next rally to be held in the Ratnapura Town at 3 p.m. on 26 March, General Secretary of PHU Udaya Gammanpila said. more..

Mar 20 (C4) A Sri Lankan Tamil asylum seeker who claims to have suffered extensive torture before escaping to the UK has won a last minute reprieve just hours before he was due forcibly deported to Sri Lanka. Kannan Kalimuththu, a 36 year old former policemen with the LTTE, has already attempted to commit suicide on two occasions and is said to be on permanent suicide watch in UK’s highest security Immigration more..

Mar 20 (LBO) Access Engineering said they have no issue in accepting the new govt’s decision to annul the contract awarded overlay the islands airport runway, it’s Chairman said. “We have no issue with this, we don’t see it as a problem,” Sumal Perera, chairman, Access Engineering said. “We accept the new govt’s decision, yes its true we have no experience in building runways.” He said it was the previous govt that called on five of the local construction companies and asked us to more..

Mar 20 (Island) Parliament yesterday passed laws to detain suspects for 48 hours without a warrant with a majority of 53 votes. A vote taken at the end of the debate on the Order under the Code of Criminal Procedure Act received 54 votes for and one vote against. FSP MP Ajith Kumara voted against the new law, while those who were present from the govt and opposition ranks voted for it. Order should be presented for the approval of the House every two years’ time. more..

Mar 20 (Island) Newly appointed National Youth Services Council (NYSC) Chairman Eranda Weliange accused former NYSC Chairman Lalith Piyum Perera and Hambantota District MP Namal Rajapaksa of allegedly misusing public funds amounting to Rs. 600 million allocated to it last year and in addition plunging the Council into Rs.150 million in debt. He said that no internal audit had been conducted for ten years. more..

Mar 20 (DM) Wild Life Department officials said one of their officers was killed by a wild elephant which they were attempting to chase into the forest in Wellawaaya today. The deceased officer was identified as 29-year-old Sanjeewa, a resident of Badulla, an officer attached to the Handapanwaththa Wild Life Office. The residents had launched a protest at Handapanwaththa about the attacks by this wild elephant which had strayed into their village. more..

Mar 20 (GDI) Govt as promised in the 100-day plan has decided to implement a certified price of Rs.350 for the natural raw rubber produced by the rubber small holders effective from 15th March 2015. The certified price structure has been proposed in the interim budget presented to the Parliament on 29th Jan, 2015. A proposal made by the Minister Lakshman Kiriella to implement a proposed scheme of paying Rs. 350 per a kilogram of natural raw rubber produced by the rubber small holders more..

Mar 20 (IE) In a suspected security lapse that set off alarm bells in PM Narendra Modi’s entourage, a Sri Lankan youth broke the security cordon in Jaffna and walked up to within handshaking distance of the PM as he was about to board his car following a public event there last Saturday. Special Protection Group (SPG) is looking into the incident given that two of its officials were responsible for the section of security cordon more..

Mar 20 (SNA) The outgoing Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Seychelles, Rajatha Piyatissa, who is leaving the island nation on Saturday, has said that he expects the relationship between the two countries "to be stronger in the future". Piyatissa, who was the head of his country's diplomatic mission in the Indian Ocean archipelago for a little over eight months, was speaking to the local press after he had paid a farewell call on the Seychelles President James Michel at State House, more..

Mar 20 (CT) Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU) said President Maithripala Sirisena is liable to be impeached for having officially authorized the singing of the National Anthem in the Tamil language. The PHU said it holds the JHU responsible for misleading President Sirisena on the issue. The PHU adds that a Circular issued to this effect, if gazetted, would be in violation of the Constitution of Sri Lanka because only a referendum on the issue could legitimize it. more..

Mar 20 (TP) Thursday the spiritual leader of Tibet His Holiness the Dalai Lama met with a delegation of Sri Lankan Theros, senior monks, for discussions that would include Vinaya or monastic discipline. Having warmly welcomed them, he declared: "We are all followers of the same Buddha. At a time when scientific minded people are expressing some doubts about religion, many of them are expressing an interest in aspects of more..

Mar 21 (CT) I would like to thank Dillini Gunesekera, the CEO of the London Business School, for inviting me to speak to you on this day when you are graduating from a one year course in business studies. I am sure that you are anxious about your future. You have taken this course so as to be better equipped to find yourself a job and also better equipped to face the challenges that lie before you. The times that you live in are very different to the time that I was a student. more..

Mar 21 (FT) “Little monk, little monk, you are taking a hard road!” were the warning words to Martin Luther before the first Diet of Worms in 1521, presided over by Emperor Charles V. Worms of course is not a reference to the can of worms this Govt seems to have opened by investigating the former, but a little town on the Rhine. Martin Luther was not to be deterred by the enormity of the odds against him. His resolution to stand by his convictions made him one of most influential more..

Mar 21 (SO) All this take place under the nose of the Sri Lankan Navy, and with the knowledge of the govts of both countries. The ball is being passed from one court to the other, but without any party showing serious interest in arriving at a solution. This apathy shown by all parties, is causing huge losses in terms of fast degrading resources on the Sri Lankan side of the Palk Bay and seriously threatened livelihoods of the northern people, more..

Mar 21 (NS) The 100 day unachievable target is a reality now. People knew it as a clever election slogan, but undeliverable. Sri Lankans are quite used to these political gimmicks, and they know that politicians any way perform like actors away from true facts of life. The concocted current regime with two prime ministers (people still do not know what happened to the former PM, D.M. Jayaratne) and same with what happened to the former Cabinet. more..

Mar 21 (NS) All of a sudden, the Chief Minister of the Northern Province has shown how much shallow he has been right throughout, with his declaration of Two Nations in One Country, raising the inevitable and unavoidable question about how he would draw the line to identify people affected and then demarcate land to suit his objective. The damage is done and suspicions have been raised. It is totally a misunderstood concept of the word Nation and more..

Mar 21 (CT) Lions can be symbols of power, strength, pride, courage and even gentleness. The lion is regarded as the king of the jungle. It is even believed to offer protection from evil spirits. It is no wonder then that man from time immemorial have used the lion image to communicate his passions, feelings and aspirations. And it is no wonder that artists and literary giants from time immemorial have struggled to more..

Mar 21 (CT) The role played by the internet and social media during the January 08 Presidential Elections was repeatedly highlighted and widely discussed in many platforms that included both main candidates – Maithripala Sirisena and Mahinda Rajapaksa – making comments in different tones on its impact on their respective successes and failures. These discourses based highly on assumptions and hypothesis without in-depth empirical evidence. Of course the internet, mainly the social media more..

Mar 21 (LBO) Sri Lanka’s policy inconsistency is unhealthy for foreign investments while the new mini budget does not send the right signals to the FDI community, an investment advisor said. “In my role as a banking partner at KPMG, we get lot of investors who come and one of the things they ask all the time is consistency in policy direction,” Reyaz Mihular, Managing Partner of KPMG Sri Lanka, a financial advising company said at a forum held in Colombo. more..

Mar 21 (DN) We are very clearly against a new electoral system. There is nothing wrong in the existing PR electoral system. The problem is with the political party leaders who give nominations to corrupt persons, thieves, murderers, rapists etc. This is something that political party leaders should refrain from doing. They should give nominations only to the best, most qualified persons with an unblemished character. more..

Mar 21 (Island) Those who expected the present govt to bring the corrupt politicians of the previous regime to justice must be disillusioned. Before the Jan. 08 presidential election, the then Opposition big guns claimed to have a whole slew of files on mega corrupt deals and asked for a mandate from the people to investigate them as a national priority. Their 100-day programme is coming to an end, but not a single crook has so far been prosecuted. Instead of taking action against the rogues more..

Mar 21 (FT) International Water day falls on 22 March every year. Countries all over the world celebrate the day through implementing different programs to emphasise the significance of water. The theme of this year is Water and Sustainable Development. Water is life. It is a fundamental need of every living being. Human beings, animals and plants cannot exist in this planet without water. People need water for drinking. Water need for the functioning of human body. more..

Mar 21 (Island) Within just three months in power, the National Democratic Front (NDF) coalition seems to be disintegrating. All indications are that the unity that the NDF coalition partners showed in the pursuit of their common objective of dislodging the Mahinda Rajapaksa family from power has largely dissipated. The signs are also that President Sirisena and PM Wickremesinghe, the two pillars on which more..

Mar 21 (LBO) Microsoft Corporation recently allowed worldwide customers to experience the free preview of their improved cloud-based business analytics service introduced for non-technical business users. The service first unveiled in January, referred to as Power BI; can keep a pulse on businesses by bringing all the data together and monitor it through a single pane of glass. “It enables organizations to create a data culture in all parts of their organizations. more..

Mar 21 (EN) Sri Lanka's capital markets regulator has ordered Kalpitiya Beach Resort to call an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders to explain what it will do with 283.5 million rupees raised from the public to build a hotel. Securities and Exchange Commission said in a statement it took the decision at its commission meeting of March 10 given the inordinate delay in Kalpitiya Beach Resort building a hotel in Kalpitiya out of funds raised at a Initial Public Offer. more..

Mar 21 (Island) The number of female workers going abroad for employment has decreased significantly last year compared to 2013, SLBFE says. Number of female migrant workers had come down by 6.4% compared to 2013. In 2013, 118,061 women had gone abroad seeking jobs, but in 2014 the number had decreased to 110,492––a reduction of 7,569 compared to previous year. more..

Mar 21 (FT) The Gita was meant for the saintly and not the demonic. 100 days Govt has both the saintly and the demonic. This is written in the hope that the President of the Republic would heed the advice of Krishna and resolve the riddle of the two Arjunas. Furious bond issue is not about good governance or bad governance. It is about ugly governance. Money markets need laws, rules and regulations. The integrity, competence and judgment of the Monetary Authority is what is at stake today. more..

Mar 21 (Island) The recent visit of PM Modi seems to be generally seen as a triumphant deployment of Indian soft power, as a highly sophisticated exercise in Indian diplomacy. But I am left with an uneasy feeling about some of what actually transpired during the visit. The soft glove of Indian diplomacy was certainly much in evidence, but I and doubtless many others could sense behind it the iron fist of a regional great power dealing with a small and weak regional neighbor. more..

Mar 21 (ST) The second international airport in the country at Mattala, despite the recent drama of partial shut downs, will continue to remain operational 24 hours. Airport and Aviation Services Ltd Chairman Ananda Wimalasena said that they had not made any decision to shut down the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA) as it was declared as the second international airport. more..

Mar 21 (Island) If you believed that the interest in astrology would have come down a great deal after the Mahinda Rajapaksa defeat on January 8, you are mistaken. All current indications are that the political interest in astrology is increasing in inverse proportion to the decline in the number of days left in the 100 days, or even greater. The approach of April 23, the end date of the 100 days, is causing such a stir in politics with some demanding the dissolution of parliament on that date and not a day later; more..

Mar 21 (HT) PM Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Sri Lanka was replete with firsts. He was the first Indian PM to visit the island nation in 28 years. He was the first PM to travel to Jaffna, the capital of the Tamil-majority Northern Province. And he was the first to embellish his trip with carefully-crafted gestures, like praying at a Bo tree sacred for the Sinhalese majority, participate in inaugural pujas while handing over houses to members of Tamil minority. But one aspect of Modi’s visit was a jaded repeat of more..

Mar 21 (GDI) Govt will commence from today to provide a food allowance of Rs. 20,000 to pregnant mothers under the patronage of President Sirisena at a ceremony in Polonnaruwa. Rs. 20,000 allowance for expectant mothers was proposed in the new govt's interim budget under the Healthy Maternal Programme. All pregnant mothers who have registered in govt's maternal clinics and who regularly attend clinics will get this more..

Mar 21 (FT) World renowned branding guru and positioning expert Al Ries will be the keynote speaker at the 15th CIM Annual Conference in Colombo on 12 May. Al Ries will be joined with daughter and business partner, Laura Ries along with a stellar cast of local experts at the conference. Al and Laura have been working together as focusing consultants for 18 years. Ries & Ries was founded in New York in 1994. Three years later, they relocated in Atlanta, Georgia. more..

Mar 21 (FDIH) Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, an OMCT-FIDH joint programme, welcomes the release of Sri Lankan human rights defender Ms. Balendran Jeyakumary after 362 days in detention without charges, but calls for all restrictions to be lifted and for an immediate and unconditional ending of any acts of judicial harassment. On March 10, the Magistrate Court of Hulftsdorf approved the bail application of Ms. Balendran Jeyakumary after 362 days since more..