Nov 11 (LBO) Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) kicks off the three day peers review workshop on SL’s electricity generation planning, which is the first in a new bilateral partnership between the National Association of regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) and the PUCSL, sponsored by the Bureau of Energy Resources of the U.S. Department of State. This partnership is designed to provide a platform for candid exchanges between SL and American regulatory experts more..

Nov 11 (LBO) SL has proposed to introduce a new Foreign Exchange Act to protect foreign reserves from irregular transactions. Minister Ravi Karunanayake told Parliament that the current Exchange Control Act will be repealed for this purpose. An Investment Inflow Management Act will be introduced to facilitate the inward remittance of foreign exchange with minimum restrictions. “Having studied the experience of India & Indonesia more..

Nov 11 (CI) Over the last six years, six spinners have taken more than 100 Test wickets, of whom four are currently active - R Ashwin, Rangana Herath, Nathan Lyon and Yasir Shah. All have been stellar for their teams over the last few years, with the latest match-winning exploit coming from Herath, who took 13 wickets in the Test against Zimbabwe in Harare, which also propelled him to 350 Test wickets in 75 Tests, second-fastest among spinners. That was his ninth Man-of-the-Match award more..

Nov 11 (NR) Minister Kabir Hashim says 2017 Budget proposal aims to prevent a majority of the national income being divided between small groups of individuals. Speaking in Parliament during the debate on 2nd reading of Budget, Minister said 53% of the national income is earned by 20% of the population who are high income earners. He said 20% of the population who are low income earners only make 4.5% adding this pressure is borne due to the actions of UPFA led govt. more..

Nov 11 (ENS) China’s Ambassador, Yi Xianliang, says that outside forces and domestic political considerations may have brought about the temporary suspension of China-funded and executed projects in Sri Lanka when Sirisena-Wickremesinghe govt came into being in 2015. Ambassador Yi did not elaborate on the theme of outside forces (suspected to be India and US) but chose to focus on the domestic issues which more..

Nov 11 (DM) The Lanka Private Bus Owners’ Association (LPBOA) Chairman Gemunu Wijeratne today warned that they would launch a countrywide strike by private bus operators if the govt failed to remove the minimum penalty of Rs.2,500 for traffic offences as proposed in the 2017 Budget. “We met Finance Minister Ravi Karunayake on about four occasions to discuss our proposals, but he never told us about increasing the minimum penalty discussions regarding our proposals, but more..

Nov 11 (NR) Leader of JVP Anura Kumara Dissanayake raised a question pertaining to former SL Ambassador to Russia Udayanga Weeratunga. He said a diplomatic passport was given to Weeratunga because he was an Ambassador and when his tenure as an ambassador was suspended, he was supposed to apply for a normal passport in place of his diplomatic passport. However he said the diplomatic passport of Udayanga Weeratunga has not been handed over to Foreign Ministry more..

Nov 11 (BTN) Sri Lanka’s ambitious plans to develop its tourism sector are being held up by too much bureaucracy, according to minister for tourism, John Amaratunga. Speaking ahead of inaugural Asia Hotel & Tourism Investment Conference in Colombo, he said: “One of the biggest challenges is the bureaucracy. “We do not have the agility of the private sector to take decisions quickly and implement them.” more..

Nov 12 (FT) To say that in our times all public institutions and office, professions and honours have been diminished will not be an exaggeration. On the contrary, considering the overall lack of credibility in all these things today, it may be said that it is an understatement, when after all many of them have now been rendered meaningless, representing the very opposite of what they are meant to be. There is hardly anyone who will speak for the presidency, the highest office in the land. more..

Nov 12 (CT) Sector Skills Councils, which obviously are more practical than govt bureaucrats about getting value for money, all found the Skills Gap Analysis which GreenTech had prepared deplorable. But I suspect that, had I not been there, they would have been commandeered into validating it. Former TVEC official who seemed to run the Sector Skills Development Project as far as outputs was concerned – understandably enough because he seemed the only person in the project with more..

Nov 12 (NS) At a social gathering a friend of mine related an astonishing experience he faced. Being journalists we were very eager to listen to it as curiosity is inherent to our ilk. “I went to a doctor to take treatment for migraine and took the prescription to the nearby pharmacy. I continued the drug for nearly one month. In the meantime, a doctor friend visited me and seeing my medicine queried why I was taking this medicine. more..

Nov 12 (CT) First Principal of Jaffna College, Vaddukoddai Rev. E.P. Hastings planted Mahogany trees in the school premises to celebrate when his brother-in-law Grover Cleveland (wife's brother) was elected 22nd President of the United States of America in 1885. Jaffna College, Vaddukoddai, was one of the oldest schools to be started by American Missionaries in 1871. Some of the Mahogany saplings planted by Rev. Hastings to celebrate his brother-in-law's victory more..

Nov 12 (SO) The meandering Walawe River begins as a spring in the Horton Plains and flows down across several provinces until it meets the sea at Godawaya in the Southern city of Ambalantota. An extensive land area in Sabaragamuwa is known as the valley of Walawe and hidden in this heartland are some very impressive prehistoric ancient stone beauties from the classical Anuradhapura period. In 2002, the Department of Archaeology carried out an extensive exploration at archaeological site, more..

Nov 12 (FT) Calling the upcoming Budget 2017 an austerity budget, a group of economists and activists accused the Govt of attempting to decrease expenditure by as much as 10% through IMF and WB influenced economic policies by way of addressing the Budget deficit. Alliance for Economic Democracy (AED) called on the public to challenge and resist this neoliberal economic trajectory which the group said will greatly increase more..

Nov 12 (DN) Who says that the Police officers are unfriendly, arrogant and discourteous? I have seen a lot of brickbats aimed at the Police in most daily papers. My experience with the Police is different. My wife and I needed Police clearance reports for submission to an embassy. The embassy has given a date before which we had to submit among a host of other documents the clearance reports. Unfortunately for us, the letter from the embassy has taken almost eleven days to reach us. more..

Nov 12 (NS) Following moves to collect segregated garbage from households and institutions island-wide, the government has also collaborated with the police to nab members of the public who indulge in unauthorized dumping of litter. The new measurers also mean no one can discard paper or polythene bags on a bare land on the side of the road or light a cigarette and throw the butt away in public. Police officers in civilian clothing are to be deployed to arrest persons who engage in more..

Nov 12 (NS) The world’s tallest Christmas tree, currently being built at the Galle Face Green, with hopes of being included in the Guinness Book of World Records, is scheduled to be completed and declared open on December 1. The project has been initiated by the Sri Lanka Ports Authority Catholic Society and Arjuna Ranatunga Social Services and Welfare Society. The 375-foot tree would be constructed at a cost of Rs. 200 million and the expenses for the tree would not be more..

Nov 12 (Island) The govt is hailing its own budget as a very progressive one and the Joint Opposition has dismissed it as yet another burden on the masses. One should not be as uncharitable as those who are still smarting from last year’s electoral defeats in describing the budget. But, one may not want to risk one’s credibility by calling it progressive either. Those who backed this govt, expecting economic relief, are in the same predicament as Hillary backers in the US. more..

Nov 12 (Island) Colombo City is to be a Wonderland by 2020. Wow! This is said by none other than Minister Champika Ranawaka, who is involved with such important things as Metropolis Development; and it so happened this was published the same day as Donald Trump winning the next US Presidency. Huge Surprise! However, this is certainly moving away from Trump talk, which was all about making America great again. more..

Nov 12 (LR) Playwright Sindhuri Nandhakumar’s The Creases in My Sari follows the path of two young Sri Lankan immigrants from opposing factions who fall in love but struggle to keep their relationship together in the face of their differences. Radicalism and a secret revealed puts them to the final test. Nandhakumar grew up in Kandy, Sri Lanka on the peripheries of The Sri Lankan Civil War, a 26-year-long conflict fought in the north and east. Not directly impacted, her family was more..

Nov 12 (Island) The controversy that is raging over the alleged building of what is variously described as a hotel or a holiday resort or a holiday home or just a circuit bungalow by an Arab businessman (a senior official of a proprietary rank in a multinational communications company) in the neighbourhood of the Samanalakanda nature reserve, a world heritage site, has aroused considerable interest among Sri Lankans everywhere, particularly among the young. These young people who come from more..

Nov 12 (FT) Opposition TNA issued a scathing critique on the govt’s budget for 2017, saying it proposed a grossly inadequate allocation for development of the North and East and reconciliation work and neglected spending for priority sectors such as education. Opening the debate on 2nd reading of the budget, TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran said that govt had allocated insufficient funds for the North and East in its second annual budget more..

Nov 12 (DM) The Prisons Department has introduced a dress code for suspects when being transported to courts and back for identification parades in a move to protect their privacy and identity from the public. Accordingly, the prisoners will be wearing orange coloured dress covering the face and the body up to the toes when they are brought to courts for identification parades. The dresses have been turned out by inmates tailoring department of the Mahara Prisons. more..

Nov. 11 (Xinhua) Chinese Embassy to SL and China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC) have made donations to a rural school in Kalutara. The donations are part of the ongoing efforts China has been making to support the South Asian country's education sector especially in rural areas. At a donation ceremony held Thursday in Kalutara, Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Yi Xianliang said China and Sri Lanka are traditional friends and China stands ready to help Sri Lanka. more..

Nov 12 (Hindu) Minister Mangala Samaraweera said India realised the dangers of bottom-trawling, but the two countries should work out a win-win situation for poor fishermen on both sides of the Palk Bay. Joint Working Group that the neighbours have set up, following the high-level talks in New Delhi last week, will meet in Colombo early January to take discussions forward. “I am sure that we should be able to come to more..

Nov 12 (EN) Several big road and housing projects and regulatory measures announced in Sri Lanka’s govt budget for 2017 should give a fillip to the construction sector, stock brokers said. First Capital Equities said the proposal to introduce a Payment Guarantee Security Act will benefit the construction and engineering sector as it will provide adequate cover in recovering their payments. The budget proposed a special incentive package with specific tax concessions for more..

Nov 11 (LBO) SL’s official reserves dropped US$ 394.6 million to US$ 6.1 billion in October, down from US$ 6.5 billion at the end of September. Foreign currency reserves were US$ 5.1 billion and reserves in Gold were US$ 0.91 billion. Central Bank has purchased US$ 88.3 million of foreign exchange from commercial banks at market rates in October while selling US$ 163.8 million in the month. During the year up to 11 Nov 2016 the rupee has depreciated against US dollar by 2.5%. more..

Nov 12 (ENS) Private TV channels are worried over govt’s proposal to increase the levy on imported and dubbed TV programs and films from Rs. 90,000 to Rs. 300,000 for every 30 minutes of running time. Proposed hike was part of several economic revival packages proposed by Budget. Ten TV stations, barring those in the state sector, fear that they may be starved of income generating programs if the levy comes into force. more..

Nov 12 (FT) Minister Ravi Karunanayake assured consistency and coherency in policies stemming from the 2017 Budget presented on Thursday. Delivering the keynote at a KPMG organised forum, Karunanayake pointed out that Budget 2017 wasn’t a document for a particular day but rather an ongoing process with a medium term outlook. Admitting that there were distortions during last year’s Budget, he stressed that this time the entire Budget was based on premise of President more..

Nov 12 (NR) The Ministry of Finance introduced three numbers for the public to express their views and submit suggestions on the 2017 Budget proposal. The public can send across their opinion on the numbers 0710242311, 0710242310, and 0710242314. The third budget of the good governance govt was, for the third time, tabled by Minister of Finance Ravi Karunanayake yesterday. The Budget was compiled under the theme Speedy Development with Returns for All. more..

Nov 12 (CT) The current lethargy that is transparently obvious in the legal foot-dragging against those responsible for the massive losses caused to the govt, by the CB Bonds scam, could well translate into a decisive issue for the govt when it comes. to getting 'yes' votes to approve its 2017 Budgetary proposals in Parliament. A group of SLFP Ministers, State Ministers and Deputy Ministers in the govt are planning to meet Prez shortly more..

Nov 12 (FT) In preparation for the eVoting system, all MPs were fingerprinted yesterday. A new sounds system as well as an electronic voting system has been installed in the Chamber. The electronic voting system will be tested when the vote on the Second Reading of the Budget is taken on 18 November. At present votes are taken verbally. Deputy Speaker Thilanga Sumathipala asked all MPs to cooperate with the Secretary General of Parliament and his staff in recording the fingerprints. more..

Nov 12 (DN) Three persons found guilty of homicide, were sentenced to death by Kegalle Provincial High Court Judge Dhammika Ganepola yesterday. They were convicted of committing the murder of Aluthwattegedara Samarasinghe of Kalalpitiya by stabbing him in March 2005. Case was taken up before the Kegalle Provincial High Court after a preliminary inquiry was conducted in the Mawanella Magistrate’s Court. Prosecution was led by State Counsel Nishara Jayaratne. more..

Nov 12 (EN) Budget for 2017 has proposed multiple subsidized credit programs including 370 billion rupees of long term housing loans at 7%, below the country's main policy rate as the central bank tries to reign in private credit stabilize the economy. The proposed housing credit at below the reverse repo rate of 8.5% at which the central bank injects money to the banking system. The proposed 25-year loan at 7% is also more..

Nov 12 (CT) A bad precedent is being created when a Minister ducks answering oral questions by not being present in the House, Chief Opposition Whip Anura Kumara Dissanayake charged in Parliament. A question that UNP MP Chaminda Wijesiri was to ask Minister Faiszer Musthapha was listed in yesterday's Order Paper but the Minister was absent when the question was raised. "Minister was present in the chambers when sessions began but he has slipped out to avoid the oral question. more..

Nov 12 (CT) Former General Secretary of UNP, Tissa Attanayake filed a Revision Application in Court of Appeal seeking bail. Citing the Attorney General as a respondent he has stated that his application for bail in the High Court of Colombo was refused. He states that he is accused in case No. 8346/16 in the Colombo High Court. He further states that had he received an anonymous, purported agreement, that had been reached between Maithri and Ranil and at a press more..

Nov 12 (Island) University teachers, undergraduates and teacher trade unionists took exception to a reduction in funds for education in Budget 2017. They said govt was planning to privatise the free education system. President of FUTA Dr Nirmal Ranjith Dewasiri said they were against private universities being set up in the country. Govt had proposed the introduction of a loan scheme for students in pvt universities. more..

Nov 12 (PTI) Four members of a group believed to be backed by LTTE and inspired by south Indian films have been arrested and today remanded to police custody in Sri Lanka for their involvement in violence in the Tamil-dominated Jaffna. Six members of the sword-wielding Aava group were arrested last week for their violent acts against people in Jaffna. Of the latest arrested members, one was said to be a military man, but military spokesman denied that more..

Nov 12 (FT) Media in Cooperation and Transition GmbH, the Press Complaints Commission of Sri Lanka (PCCSL) and the Media Resource and Training Centre (MRTC) have partnered to train Tamil and Sinhalese media professionals in constructive/ethical reporting. The project is funded by the European Union. “Constructive news is an approach which aims to empower audiences with a more accurate and balanced picture of society,” said Ulrik Haagerup, Executive Director of more..