Oct 19 (CG) Former Norwegian Development Minister and Special Envoy to Sri Lanka Erik Solheim and Vidar Helgesen, the former Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister, now Minister for Europe will reveal information related to the Norwegian role in Sri Lanka. Solheim and Helgesen are two of the key contributors to the book, authored by Mark Salter. The author of the book notes that between 1983 and 2009 more..

Oct 19 (EA) Sanjeeva Abeyasekera had just gotten into work on a recent Friday morning when a woman walking her dog came up to the door and knocked urgently on the glass. It was 8 o’clock, and Serendib — Abeyasekera’s new restaurant on State Street, featuring Indian and Sri Lankan cuisine — does not open to diners until 10:30. No matter, though, as the woman was not there to eat. “I just wanted to say I’m so glad you’ve opened,” she told him with a smile. “We’ll be in this weekend.” more..

Oct 19 (CI) Rain had the final say in Colombo, as the second youth ODI between Sri Lanka and Pakistan was abandoned after a number of interruptions. After rain reduced the match to a 36-over contest, Pakistan, opting to bat, failed to play out the full innings. Imran Rafiq, the captain and opener, top-scored with 50 in the team's total of 175 in 34.3 overs. As many as six batsmen got off to starts, but the team's next highest contribution after Rafiq came from the 23 extras more..

Oct 19 (Island) Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said that he was hopeful that the European Union (EU) would, before the year end, lift the ban on Sri Lanka fish exports, imposed in January this year. He said that the govt had taken action to ensure that the fishermen complied with all the conditions laid down by the EU. The govt was eagerly awaiting the European Union’s assessment of Lankan crackdown on illegal, unreported more..

Oct 19 (PTI) Five persons were suspected to have arrived onboard a high-speed fibre glass boat from Sri Lanka that was found abandoned at a coastal village near here last week, a top Tamil Nadu police official said today. "We suspect that five persons had arrived by the boat which was found abandoned in Narikuzhi village. We are confident of nabbing them," Additional Director General of Police, Shylendra Babu said. High-speed boat fitted with a powerful outboard motor and registered in SL more..

Oct 19 (PSL) President Maithripal Sirisena symbolically presented medals to the athletes of Polonnaruwa who won medals at Commonwealth Youth Weightlifting Tournament – 2015, yesterday at the Presidential Residence in Polonnaruwa. 18 athletes out of 29 who participated in the tournament were succeeded in winning medals. In a significant achievement, three gold medals, two silver medals and four metal medals were won by the athletes of Polonnaruwa. more..

Oct 19 (LBO) Sri Lanka has US$ 5 billion worth of investments in the pipeline and the main goal of the island’s investment promotion office is to facilitate those investments, Board of Investment (BOI) Chief told a forum. “Our main goal is to facilitate these investments,” Upul Jayasuriya, Chairman of BOI said. “If we are seeking to bring FDIs into our country, the first step that we have to take is to care for the current investors, more..

Oct 19 (Stuff) Sri Lanka A belatedly offered some resistance in a one-sided series with their New Zealand counterparts in Christchurch on Monday with a resolute hundred and early wickets indicating defeat was finally avoidable. Although Sri Lanka trailed by 112 when Niroshan Dickwella was the last wicket to fall, his 128 and an unlucky 99 by opener Udara Jayasundara at Hagley Oval prevented another capitulation before the tourists' bowling attack made morale-boosting inroads. more..

Oct 19 (CI) Marlon Samuels, the West Indies allrounder, has been reported for a suspect bowling action during the first Test against Sri Lanka. He will be required to undergo a testing process within 14 days, but he can continue to bowl in international cricket until the results are known. Samuels bowled 27 overs in Sri Lanka's only innings in Galle and picked up the wicket of Dimuth Karunaratne. This is the third time that Samuels' action has been reported, the first being back in 2008 more..

Oct 19 (DM) The Court of Appeal today issued an order directing the Homagama Magistrate to summon Army Commander A.W.J.C. de Silva and the Director of Military Intelligence Corps and other officers to inquire and record evidence in respect of the ongoing inquiry into the disappearance of veteran journalist Prageeth Ekneligoda. The Bench comprising Justices Vijith Malalgoda (President) and H.C.J. Madawala more..

Oct 19 (TD) Sri Lanka recently witnessed a hunger strike by more than 200 Tamil political prisoners across the country (who were demanding that they be released). The strike lasted for about a week and has now ended. Evidently the prisoners have been promised by President Maithripala Sirisena (in writing) that he will deal with this issue by November 7. However, what happens next remains unclear. Would Sirisena really allow these prisoners to be released? A range of people and groups more..

Oct 19 (ENS) If India has produced people who have achieved world fame in a variety of fields and Sri Lanka has not, it is because the Indian social, educational and political systems have been geared to the production of “elites”, while the systems existing in Lanka are not, asserts Lankan sociologist, Dr. S. T.Hettige. A Senior Professor at Colombo University whose books have been published by Routledge of London and Sage of New Delhi, Hettige points out that despite more..

Oct 19 (DM) Eastern Provincial Councillor Govindan Karunakaran (Jana) of TELO rejected the claim of TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran that those who protested in France and disrupted a TNA meeting were people who had been victims of TELO. A meeting attended by TNA MPs Selvam Adaikalanathan, A.K. Kodiswaran, Northern Provincial Councillor M.K. Sivajilingam and Councillor Karunakaran held at a restaurant more..

Oct 19 (Island) Banks should adapt their business model to the climate issue by re-orienting their funding towards low-carbon projects, Jean-Marin Schuh, Ambassador of France in Sri Lanka said in Colombo last week. French ambassador said so at a breakfast forum held at the Galle Face Hotel, delivering a speech on Financing the Transition towards a Sustainable Economy. Embassy of France and French Development Agency- AFD had organized the event. more..

Oct 19 (CG) The Amnesty International (AI) says it is time for Sri Lanka to make good on its promises to account for alleged crimes under international law and build the domestic culture of human rights necessary to prevent the recurrence of past violations. Olof Blomqvist, press officer at the Media Programme of Amnesty International said that if a process of truth, justice, reparation and non-recurrence is to take root in SL, an essential step must be broad & meaningful consultation more..

Oct 19 (LBO) UPFA Western Provincial Council (WPC) member Upali Kodikara was arrested today for obstructing police duty. He was produced before a Magistrate and remanded till Friday. Kodikara was seen on TV pushing a police officer who had attempted to prevent him from getting into a lift at the Presidential commission on serious fraud at the BMICH last week. WPC member was following former President Rajapaksa inside more..

Oct 19 (EN) Sri Lankan mini hydro power firm Vidullanka Plc said it plans to acquire full control of its joint ventre Lower Kotmale Oya Hydro Power (LKMPL) for 258.4 million rupees. The acquisition will be partly funded by cash of 58.4 million rupees and the rest by way of a share swap of 31,250,000 ordinary voting shares of Vidullanka at 6.40 rupees each amounting to 4.36% of its total issued shares. A stock exchange filing said Vidullanka will buy 200 shares of LKMPL held by a consortium of more..

Oct 19 (DM) In a curious turn of events, an alleged sex offender whom the police had tried to arrest had bitten off a police sergeant's ear and managed to flee the scene in Thirukkovil yesterday. A team of officers from the Thirukkovil Police Station had gone to an abandoned house in Kanchanakuda following a tip off that a group of wanted persons who were evading courts were hiding there. They had gone in search of three suspects (a woman and two of her sons), said ASP Ruwan Gunasekara. more..

Oct 19 (AD) The Minuwangoda Magistrate today released Dinesh Priyashantha alias Kondaya who had been arrested in connection with the murder and rape of the five-year-old child in Kotadeniyawa. Earlier, the Minuwangoda Magitsrate was apprised that DNA samples found on Seya Sadewmi do not match Kondeya. This was informed after the CID submitted a report prepared by the Genetech on the DNA test. more..

Oct 20 (CT) The second case filed by public interest attorney Naganada Kodituwakku is an eye-opener. Supreme Court has a special critical role to play in a democracy and we claim Sri Lanka a democracy. Constitution gives it the power to check, if necessary, the actions of the President and House. It can tell a President that his actions are not allowed by the Constitution. It can tell the house that a law it passed violated the Constitution and is, therefore, no longer a law. more..

Oct 20 (CT) The unfortunate plight of northern Muslims refugees, abandoned by Muslim politicians, the successive govts and even the international community speak volume for the bankrupt nature of the Island’s Muslim politics and even the community. Muslims were part and parcel of northern soil and society. Over centuries this was their only place and their Tamil neighbors were the only people they knew. Most of them often felt alien when they visited the island’s south as more..

Oct 20 (CT) Ceylon Today interviewed Senarath Attanayake who is the very first people's representative, with disability, who went on to become a politician. Attanayake was diagnosed with polio when he was one-and-a-half-years-old. Despite being a wheelchair user, Attanayake graduated from the University of Colombo and is a Provincial Councillor for more than a decade. Q: How did you come in to politics? more..

Oct 20 (SL) Term regime change has been consistently applied to mean some kind of skulduggery by the developed democracies of the west in order to change governments that they figure are not to their liking in the so-called less or under and undeveloped nations of the world. In the case of Sri Lanka, everyone from the faux-hunger striker Weerawansa to one of the leaders of what Dr. Kumar David so accurately describes as belonging to the Dead Let, Tissa Vitarane, are more..

Oct 20 (NS) The govt has planned to send Metro Colombo solid waste to the proposed landfill site at Aruwakkalu in the Puttlam District. The public hearing period of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Report of the Proposed Metro Colombo Solid Waste Management project submitted by the Metro Colombo Urban Development Project, Ministry of Urban Development, Water Supply and Drainage end by 13th Tuesday of this week. more..

Oct 20 (SO) With Budget 2016 around the corner, Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake is a busy man. But taking time off to talk to SO, he defends the govt's call to bring home the money stashed in Swiss accounts as a bid to draw the fund to the local economy and not a ploy to grant amnesty to crooks. He also assures the Appropriation Bill will make every effort to reduce the gap between the rich and the poor and more..

Oct 20 (SL) Minister Rajitha Senaratne revealed last week that 20 to 25% of Sri Lankans were suffering from mental deficiency. This may be shocking news to some who think that Sri Lankan civilisation is the best and greatest ever but to some cynical observers 25 per cent is a gross underestimate if private and public behaviour are considered. In these days of humanitarian linguists, people are not described in terms of their particular disabilities but being differently abled. more..

Oct 20 (NS) Wherever you go in Sri Lanka you get a feeling that people are getting on with their lives no matter how ugly the immediate environment. This un-prettiness takes some time for a westerner to get used to. Most of what we see is rough, dirty, corrugated, woven, falling apart, in the process of being built, muddy, dusty, concretized, weedy, rusty, broken or torn. Missing are the pristine expanses of shimmering paddy, gently swaying coconuts, or stately colonial arcades more..

Oct 20 (ST) Thalassaemia is not necessarily a household word to many people in Sri Lanka. But this disease is, in fact, an important health problem in this country. Thalassaemia is an inherited (genetic) blood disorder, occurring throughout the island, in which haemoglobin, the main protein (oxygen carrier) of the red blood cell, is not produced in sufficient quantities. Although babies affected by thalassaemia are more..

Oct 20 (Island) EU polls observers have, in their report on general election, made some interesting observations and valuable recommendations which, if implemented, will help remedy some of the electoral ills this country is plagued with. Most of the issues the EU polls observers’ report highlights have already been dealt with by local political analysts and solutions suggested, but to no avail. Politicians feel the need for electoral reforms only when they are out of power. more..

Oct 20 (DN) Horizon Campus, the fully privately owned degree awarding institution, approved by the UGC and the Ministry of Higher education, will be venturing into yet another education partnership in the near future. Having delivered prestigious degree programmes from the United Kingdom and Malaysia, through the University of London International programmes and the Nilai University respectively, Horizon Campus has partnered with Arkansas State University, USA, more..

Oct 20 (CT) Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union (SLRFU), with the support of the financially strong clubs, have closed the door on overseas players, as the upcoming Dialog Inter Club Rugby League will only consist local players thereby leaving a huge gap between last season's top four and the rest of the clubs. During a discussion held with the Union recently, Kandy SC, Navy SC, CR & FC and Havelock SC have agreed not to more..

Oct 20 (DN) Swinburne University of Technology which inked a partnership with leading provider of globally recognised educational qualifications, Nawaloka College of Higher Studies, conducted its maiden graduation ceremony. Graduation ceremony was held under the aegis of Acting High Commissioner to Australia, Tim Huggins and Senior Professor in Civil Engineering at the University of Moratuwa Professor Malik Ranasinghe. 46 young people successfully completed Diploma of more..

Oct 20 (Island) In October the final consultation of the World Humanitarian Summit (WHS) took place in Geneva and brought together nearly one thousand humanitarian workers from all parts of the globe. The holding of the consultation came with the severe crisis that the world faces due to humanitarian catastrophes taking place today which has seen millions of people displaced and on the move. The most violent manifestations of this crisis have come primarily from the Middle East, more..

Oct 20 (CI) Angelo Mathews' excellent form with the bat and consistent performances with the ball, have earned him four major Sri Lanka Cricket awards, including his second successive Cricketer of the Year prize. He also won the Test batsman trophy, and the ODI batsman and allrounder awards. Mathews' stretch of good form has extended into 2015, but he received his prizes for last year's work. more..

Oct 20 (TOO) With Sri Lankan airline Mihin Lanka set to commence operations in Oman from Oct 25, passengers from the Sultanate will now be able to travel to the country at cheaper base rates, starting at OMR6. “The base ticket rates will start from OMR6. If we add other charges also, it will come to around OMR45. Such cheap rates will be a blessing for passengers travelling to south Indian destinations,” Deepal Pallegangoda, country manager of Mihin Lanka in Muscat, said. more..

Oct 20 (CT) Union Assurance General Limited (UAG) has announced the appointment of Dr. Sanjeev Jha as their CEO. With over 25 years of experience in financial services, Dr. Jha brings with him a wealth of knowledge and experience to UAG, a recent addition to Canadian-based Fairfax Financial Holdings (Fairfax Financial). Beginning as a Research Analyst for the Economic Times of India, Dr. Jha has embarked upon a number of postings in the financial services sector. more..

Oct 20 (DM) An organization calling itself the Centre for Sex Worker’s Rights (CSWR) requested President Sirisena to legalise their occupation and provide them legal recognition so that they could continue with their profession without any hindrance. CSWR Co-President B. Maheshwari said those who criticized their profession had neglected to look into how and why sex workers had been forced into this situation. more..

Oct 20 (Island) The new govt has still not introduced a proper economic policy framework to attract foreign direct investments, which is a clear indication that the country lacks the capability of implementing an economic development policy framework, German ambassador to Sri Lanka Juergen Morhard said. "Although Sri Lanka has a huge Cabinet with 48 ministers, there is hardly anything to see that the movement of the economy is at the anticipated level. At present, country needs proper economic more..

Oct 20 (FT) The Centre for Poverty Analysis (CEPA) will be launching the study on an assessment of the effects of financial counselling on decision-making behaviour of housing beneficiaries in Jaffna and Kilinochchi tomorrow at 4:30 p.m. at the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute for International Relations and Strategic Studies. Minister D.M. Swaminathan and Neelan Tiruchelvam Trust Chairperson Ambika Stakunanathan will also be speaking at the event. As the construction of owner driven more..

Oct 20 (Island) Paddy Marketing Board (PMB) said it should not be held responsible for storing paddy at the Mattala airport as it had only carried out a govt order. PMB Chairman M.B. Dissanayake was responding to Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva’s order over the weekend that the PMB immediately remove the paddy stored at MRIA. Dissanayake said that the warehouses at MRIA were being used to store paddy temporarily more..