Apr 18 (CT) Open ethnic and religious sentiments such as Sinha-le (blood of the lion/Sinhala) have become fashionable in Sri Lanka with slogans across windscreens usually among the lower social groups such as three wheeler drivers who are bold enough to display the fashion! Are these people a majority who are Buddhists commited with deep convictions or are they displaying their ignorance? Do they even understand one stanza of the great philosophy of Buddhism? more..

Apr 18 (Island) Providing clean drinking water for the students of Thewanuwara Kanishta Vidyalaya, Puttlam is one of the significant CSR projects conducted by Kanrich Finance. The ground water in this area has become brackish since it contains calcium and magnesium which are harmful chemicals for human beings while the inflow of fluoride has aggravated the situation. This has been identified as a root cause for kidney diseases, dental and non-skeletal fluorosis, and doctors have more..

Apr 18 (Island) The CID has launched an investigation into the missing weapons belonging to the Laggala police later found left near a tank of the Sandagala Viharaya in Wellawa several kilometres away from the scene of theft. A monk had seen the missing weapons––five revolvers and a T-56 assault rifle––near the tank. Police suspect it to be an inside job. Already two policemen attached to the Laggala police station have been questioned and three others interdicted. more..

Apr 18 (DM) The increase in the VAT to 15% with the effect from May 02 could be considered as an unpleasant New Year present given by the Govt to the people, FSP charged today. FSP Propaganda Secretary Pubudu Jayagoda said the common people had fallen in to a great difficulty with the VAT increment. He said the Govt was to implement these increments within the Capitalist Class even though they had targeted more..

Apr 18 (FT) A number of SL internet-based businesses are among the top 2000 start-ups worldwide, according to data analysed by Startup Ranking. With 181 start-ups listed, Sri Lanka is 27th on the list of countries with the most start-ups on startupranking.com, as we close in on the end of the first quarter of 2016. The US and India top the list with 5,289 and 2,505 start-ups respectively. Of the many Sri Lankan entities, only three have a global ranking within the top 1000 start-ups to-date. more..

Apr 18 (Reuters) Shares slipped on Monday from a near 10-week closing high hit in the previous session, led by financials amid foreign investor outflow as rising interest rates and lower earnings in the March quarter dented investor sentiment. The benchmark stock index ended 0.3% weaker, or 19.01 points, at 6,382.31, slipping from its highest close since Feb. 8 hit on Friday. Foreign investors were net sellers of 221.5 million rupees ($1.53 million) worth equities on Monday, more..

Apr 18 (DM) The Constitutional Council (CC) today approved the name of Senior DIG Pujith Jayasundara as the 34th IGP, and referred his name to President Maitripala Sirisena for endorsement according to the Constitution, it is learnt. The CC, chaired by Speaker Karu Jayasuriya, met for the sole purpose of discussing the appointment of the next IGP from among three senior Police officers, recommended by the President. more..

Apr 18 (Island) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday called on the New Mahanayake of Asgiriya chapter of Siyam Maha Nikaya, Most Venerable Warakagoda Sri Gnanaratana Thera. PM expressed his appreciation of the prelate being elected unanimously to the high post. Mahanayake Thera blessed PM Wickremesinghe. Earlier in the day the PM paid his homage to the Sacred Tooth Relic at the Sri Dalada Maligawa and visited the prelate of Malwatte, Most Venerable Tibbatuwawe more..

Apr 18 (FT) Media Services, the publisher of leading business magazine LMD, announced that its 2015 special edition of the Brands Annual has been released to supermarkets and bookstores across the island. The all-encompassing special issue features the top 200 listed and unlisted brands in Sri Lanka, in addition to the leading bands in three other categories – conglomerates, exports and multinational brands. Compiled by Brand Finance, the top 10 amongst the listed brands more..

Apr 18 (DM) Central Committee (CC) of the SLFP will certainly take strict disciplinary action against SLFP MPs who would refuse to attend the Party’s May Day rally at Galle. Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe said that the SLFP had invited all SLFP MPs to attend its May Day rally. Responding to a journalist who recalled the SLFP Central Committee’s failure to take any action against those who participated in more..

Apr 18 (DT) The govt has decided to appoint Riaz Hamidullah as the next High Commissioner of Bangladesh to Sri Lanka. He will be replacing Tarik Ahsan. Riaz Hamidullah, a career diplomat, belongs to the 15th batch of BCS (Foreign Affairs) cadre. Currently he is working as Director General (Multilateral Economic Affairs Wing) in the ministry. In his career, he served at the Permanent Mission of Bangladesh to UN in New York and Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi more..

Apr 18 (Island) None of the leaders of the Social Democratic Party of Tamils (SDPT) are agents of any intelligence agency in India contrary to a claim to that effect by the leader of the EPRLF Suresh Premachandran to gain political mileage, leader of the Thirunavakarasu Sritharan says. Sritharan, the former General Secretary of the now defunct EPRLF Padmanabha faction said dismissed Premachandra’s claim as mischievous. "India is our neighbour and the SDPT should have more..

Apr 18 (DM) Colombo additional Magistrate Mohammad Mihar today postponed the inquiry relating to the incident of abducting a 34-year-old man in Dematagoda, where MP Hirunika Premachandra and eight others were found suspects, for August 8 since the Attorney General’s opinion was pending on the matter. The CCD submitting a further report told Court that it had sent extracts of the investigation to the AG for more..

Apr 18 (DM) The first Indian suspect, of the eight suspects, arrested in connection with the Indo- Lanka kidney racket, Vijitha Giri Kumar had escaped from the Mirihana Detention Camp, the Prisons Authority informed the Colombo Magistrate today. Colombo Chief Magistrate issued a warrant for the suspect and imposed a travel ban. Meanwhile, acceding to the Colombo Crimes Division’s (CCD) requests, the Magistrate ordered the Director of the Private Hospital Division to provide more..

Apr 18 (HN) Northern Province Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran was hospitalized yesterday (April 17th) to Jaffna Teaching Hospital due to a sudden illness. The talks scheduled for today regarding the land issue in the north between the CM, the President and the Prime Minister had to be delayed due to Wigneswaran's health. Some TNA members had opposed what they call the unjust appropriation of lands by the govt in the north. more..

Apr 18 (DM) Former President Rajapaksa said the country was like a piece of cake as everything was in order and in shape, when his govt handed it over to the new Govt. However, he said the Govt had failed to gain benefits from the given opportunity. “We put an end to the war, developed the country and increased foreign reserves before the Govt took control of the country. It was handed over like a piece of cake more..

Apr 18 (DM) Former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who was summoned by the PRECIFAC to appear before the Commission today over alleged misuse of SL Air Force flights, did not turn up as he was out of the country, sources said. An official of the Commission said Mr. Rajapaksa had been asked to appear before the Commission to give a statement but he had informed the Commission that he was unable to make it as he was leaving the country for medical treatment. more..

Apr 18 (Island) Hardline Tamil politicians were reluctant to give due place to the Muslims of the North and East displaced due to the war and a Muslim political party which claims to be the sole representative of Muslims was doing almost nothing about it, says Azath Salley, who recently quit his seat in the Central Provincial Council in protest. Salley, who is the Leader of the National Unity Alliance (NUA) said that most of the displaced people were Muslims and more..

Apr 18 (ENS) Both India and China are wary about Sri Lanka’s proposal to get China to agree to a debt-equity swap in respect of the loss making Chinese-funded mega projects. While both India and China grant that Lanka has no other option, given its inability to repay China the humongous total debt of US$ 8 billion, they have their worries about the proposal. India is keen that Lanka’s strategic assets like airports and more..

Apr 18 (Island) The national Peace Council (NPC) has pointed out the failure on the part of political parties represented in parliament to involve adequate number of women in constitutional making process. The following is the full text of statement issued by Jehan Perera on behalf of the NPC: "There is a mood of anticipation in the country as the government moves to institute constitutional reforms that improve governance in the country within a short time frame. more..

Apr 18 (Xinhua) The Sri Lankan Navy, on the instructions of PM Ranil Wickremesinghe, will implement a special action plan which will protect Sri Lanka's maritime border from Maldives to Malacca Strait, the govt information department said in a statement here on Monday. The plan is scheduled to be implemented within the next 10 years as there has been an increase of the activities of sea pirates near the Sri Lankan maritime boundaries during the past decade. more..

Apr 18 (DM) President Maithripala Sirisena today vowed to sack any economic advisers who do not give priority to the people's interest. He said that he will not let the general public of the country face the implications of the increase in VAT. Commenting on the economic advisers, he said that some of them are not sensitive to the people's welfare. The economic strategy of the country should never forget the welfare of the people, more..

Apr 19 (CT) The world seems to be at boiling point at present given the increasing impact of terrorist activity. Civilian populations are subject to ruthless attacks in Africa, the Middle East and now both Europe and Asia. Typically, there is much less attention to what happens in our part of the world, which I believe may explain why there seems no adequate response to deal with the menace. Western powers engage in long distance operations that result in more civilian deaths, more..

Apr 19 (CT) We have sketched the emergence of the Tamil political community in the 1920s through the activism of the Youth Congress. Their presence on the ground, with the coming of Mahatma Gandhi in 1927, and of Kamaladevi Chattopadyaya, Sarojini Naidu and Jawaharlal Nehru in 1931, gave them immense influence. The traditional leadership of the Tamils was placed on the back foot by the Congress’ challenge over the caste (equal seating) issue in schools. more..

Apr 19 (SO) On March 23, 2016, a 17-year-old schoolboy sat at his table with a deep frown on his face. Having finished his GCE O/L exam, he had bigger plans than his age suggests. It took him not more than a few days to accomplish what he had in mind, but it involved years of reading and gathering information on renewable energy. Finally he had in his hand a set of proposals for the CEB - containing a number of pragmatic solutions more..

Apr 19 (Island) Constitutional Council (CC) summoned the three contenders for the post of IGP yesterday and reportedly endorsed one of them. Why wasn’t this method adopted in selecting the chief prosecutor of the country? One should not be so naïve as to argue that the act of meeting the senior DIGs recommended for the post of IGP alone will give the CC process some legitimacy. CC ought to reveal to the public what procedure and criteria it has followed in handling appointment more..

Apr 19 (SL) Ahead of his much talked-about China visit, post facto in particular, PM Ranil Wickremesinghe had mentioned a larger Indian Ocean role for the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) to protect global sea-routes. In Beijing later, he was quoted as hailing his hosts’ dialogue-based approach to resolving the South China Sea issue, between his hosts and her immediate neighbours. “The Sri Lanka Navy will have to play a role in protecting the sea-routes across the Indian Ocean, more..

Apr 19 (CT) MP Sisira Jayakody said "You know that in the face of certain wrong doings of UNP, those SLFPers who obtained ministerial posts in Unity Govt remain silent. If instead of remaining quiet and compliant, they spoke up, came up with counter proposals and even stepped out in protest against wrong doings of this govt, especially against the blatantly inimical policies of Minister Ravi Karunanayake, Alliance will unite again. more..

Apr 19 (DN) Education is known to buttress development and humanism of an inclusive nature. It is responsible not only for individual growth and national development. Since of late, the world community through the United Nations and its agencies, have woken up to the imperative need to save earth. Hence the millennium development goals through sustainable strategies are making a valiant effort to wake up the Earthians to the awesome reality and likely catastrophes. more..

Apr 19 (DN) Corruption, fraud, illegal conduct and other types of unethical activity have characterised our public sector during the last regime. There is little doubt that different types of unethical behaviour have contributed significantly to increased cynicism and scepticism by the larger public. This trend is evident in the current growing public concern over the unethical conduct of political leaders and senior public officials. It has also resulted in a resurgence of interest in ethics in our public sector. more..

Apr 19 (SL) Govt’s new ally and new found close friend, the United States, has noted that widespread impunity continued in Sri Lanka last year for the crimes committed during the armed conflict. This was mentioned in a report by the US State Department highlighting the state of human rights around the world last year. The report noted that after Maithripala Sirisena took office in January last year, the Govt arrested and detained a number of military, police, and other officials implicated more..

Apr 19 (DN) Former Isipathana College, Petersons SC, Kandy Sports Club and SL ruggerite Sajith Mallikarachchi died on Sunday at the age of 37 from a heart attack. Sajith as he was popularly called played for Kandy SC from 1999. In 2003 and 2006 he led the side. He turned out for Sri Lanka from 1997 to 2007. Under his captaincy Sri Lanka who were placed tenth in the Asian region shot upto fifth place. Sajith was a member of the invincible Isipathana College team of 1996 and 1997 more..

Apr 19 (ENS) When you talk about the title of spin legend in the game of cricket from this part of the world, Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan holds the mantle, undisputed. A further introduction to a legend (statistically speaking and otherwise), belittles the title itself. Indeed the 90s generation is lucky to have witnessed Murali unfurl his magic, on any given surface, time and again, throughout his career. Despite his time off from int'l circuit, more..

Apr 19 (EN) The acrimonious US presidential race and Britain's referendum on Europe may appear far removed from Sri Lanka, but both events could hold the key to the island's recovery from a right royal economic mess. PM Ranil Wickremesinghe's govt decided to bite the bullet and raise taxes from next month in a bid to boost state revenue, but the external factors could have a make-or-break impact on Sri Lanka. Premier was closely following the US elections as well as the brexit debate more..

Apr 19 (Island) Built over a five acre plot in Wariyapola, Kurunegala, Amma senior citizens home can comfortably accommodate over 32 occupants. It has four spacious bed rooms, large dining and sitting rooms and spacious verandahs that open out to a large garden. Built on a property that was donated to the Kolombagama Rajamaha Viharaya by Kassapa Saparamadu, the complete construction of the home was done with the personal funds of both Kassapa and Chamindry more..

Apr 19 (Island) The biggest and richest race to possibly ever run in SL and The Premier event of the Royal Turf Club (RTC) April Horse Racing festival, Kunnigal Stud Magic Million brought the picturesque hill town of Nuwara Eliya to life on 16th of April. Honoured guests included Speaker, Karu Jayasuriya, Ministers John Amaratunge, Navin Dissanayake, Brazilian Ambassador Sophie Balsa, Korean Ambassador Won Sam Chang more..

Apr 19 (ST) Despite setbacks faced in the past year, Nazim Mohamed, newly elected General Secretary of Rugby Football Union (SLRFU) was affirmative that it can recover to become a more professional sporting entity within a matter of time. According to Mohamed, new set of SLRFU office bearers headed by former its former boss Asanga Seneviratne, are unison in taking rugby into the next level. “First thing first, as at present our priority is to put back administrative structure in its proper place. more..

Apr 19 (CT) Police have arrested 164 drunk drivers within 24 hours from 17 April to 18 April and an overall number of 1,710 drunk drivers within eight days of the festive season. The number arrested since the launch of this operation was over 1710. According to Police Spokesperson ASP Ruwan Gunasekara a majority of the drunk drivers were motorcyclists. Thus, a total of 924 motorcyclists were arrested since the operation was launched with 98 arrests within the 17 and 18 April. more..