Apr 16 (CT) The much talked-about Mervyn Silva has stolen the limelight once again with the launch of a new political party. Although still lacking a name and a symbol he says they have been decided on, but it was premature to make it public until the party gets legal recognition from the Election Commissioner's Department. The former MP rebukes political leaders for wilfully depriving him of the right to contest elections. more..

Apr 16 (CT) Census and Statistics Department released their district-wise monthly poverty statistics, an activity first begun in January 2016. Poverty continues to remain the bane, getting the better of the majority of the island's 25 districts, a dubious first it has maintained since the beginning of this census. With the monthly poverty cutoff point for last month at Rs 4,222 per soul, Rs seven less than its cutoff point of Rs 4,229 for February, 14 of the country's 25 districts continued to remain in poverty, more..

Apr 16 (CT) It was a pleasure for the Managers’ Forum to Cohost with the Institution of Engineers SL (Vadakkin Chapter) a discussion on the new RTI Act on 1 April. With peace, Jaffna is developing its own resources. The speaker was Prof. Ratnajeevan Hoole of the Election Commission who lives in Jaffna. The meeting was chaired by S. Suntharakumar, Director, Buildings Department, Northern Province. He extolled what his department has been doing after RTI. more..

Apr 16 (Xinhua) The sunset in Sri Lanka is ravishing. Sometimes, the descending sun gently kisses the boundless Indian Ocean; sometimes it shyly hides behind the exotic church. But for Yuri Kannangara, he always appreciates the unique beauty of the sunset in Colombo Port where the sun pours its last radiance of the day on the container trailers bustling around and the quay cranes standing erectly under the sky with layered colorful containers put aside. Yuri is the assistant general manager more..

Apr 16 (CT) If a country is not able to manage its own garbage, that creates serious questions about its citizens’ discipline, respect for natural environment including protection of animals – even though people are highly educated or with high literacy rates. Sri Lanka is no exception to this case. On 14th April 2017 the Sinhala and Tamil New Year day, so far 16 people have died, many people were injured and over hundred houses were destroyed or damaged due to a collapse of a section more..

Apr 16 (CT) Tipped to go for a Cabinet reshuffle in the coming weeks and a May Day rally that would once again gauge the true powers of the incumbent President, versus the former, President Sirisena last Tuesday (11) made some dramatic changes in the Kurunegala District party hierarchical order. The move was described as replacing the inefficient and the hated, with the efficient and popular, and was a segment of more..

Apr 16 (EN) SL's power generation roe 8.1% to 14,149 GigaWatt hours in 2016, with a sharp drop in hydro generation amid a drought, underscoring the importance of coal power in the system. Hydro power generated by CEB fell 29% to 3,481GWh. Non-conventional renewable energy, made up mostly of private mini-hydro power, also fell 21% to 1,158GWh. A 900 MegaWatt coal power complex has generated 5.947GWh of energy or full 35% of the power, rising 13.6% from a year earlier. more..

Apr 16 (Roar) As the season of koels and kavili dawned upon this sweltering hot month, people preparing for the New Year had a number of things on their minds this week – and one of them was, of course, the seasonal shopping. We made a trip to Pettah, Colombo’s most dynamic business hub, to witness first-hand how much busier the district becomes in the days leading up to avurudu. What’s busy on a normal day, is busier during avurudu week. more..

Apr 16 (ST) The ongoing tug-of-war between two factions at the Finance Ministry is continuing causing interruption to the normal functions at the Treasury and the Ministry. The work at departments coming within the purview of the ministry has also been affected to great extent as a result of appointing new monitoring staff by the Finance Minister to supervise the work. This initiative of overseeing the work of officials more..

Apr 16 (CT) A few years ago women's Hammer Throw was the least interesting event in athletic meets with no real competition in the event, but three years ago Ayesha Madhuwanthi trained by Coach Madhawa Bandara, triggered a change when she threw a distance of 42.74m in Anuradhapura and shattering the record of Manoji Amarasinghe during the National Sports Festival 2014. Then there came the fierce competition among the trio of Manoji, Ayesha and Aruni Lakshika, more..

Apr 16 (DBS) It is with great sadness that I write for the first time on my Blog after the advent of the April traditional new year Hevilambi! My first post for the new year is the last post for the Editor who first recruited me as a journalist. Kandasamy Sivapragasam , Former Editor -in – chief of the Virakesari Group of newspapers published by the Express Newspapers (Ceylon) Ltd in Sri Lanka breathed his last on April 14th at the age of 81 in the USA. more..

Apr 16 (ST) Govt is currently studying the prospect of bringing changes to the regional plantation companies (RPCs), mainly concentrating on ensuring profitability of the estates as a result of which PM appointed the Plantation Reforms Committee (PRC) headed by R. Paskaralingam which has called for an assessment and an audit of the RPCs. However the now-available assessment report has become a more..

Apr 16 (DM) A prominent politico raising a big ruckus over the injustice of certain colleagues of his being harassed by the FICD had reportedly sold for Sterling pounds 470,000 a mansion he had purchased in Britain for Sterling pounds 320,000. This politico, a popular public orator, who usually goes about dressed in tie and coat had started life on a mediocre career, but had become filthy rich overnight after taking to politics, they say. He had taken the lead in recent times more..

Apr 16 (GDI) The unparalleled supreme sacrifice made by Jesus Christ to save the human beings who are born in sadness and experience sadness throughout life, will be remembered forever. The Christian devotees who celebrate the Easter with great devotion demonstrate that incomparable supreme sacrifice was made in order to rise above the humans and achieve divinity. When the Jesus Christ saved the human mind from sin, the entire mankind was blessed forever. more..

Apr 16 (ST) A top level investigation will get underway on the directions of President Sirisena into legal issues faced by Vehicles Lanka Pvt Ltd in carrying out vehicle  assembly operations with used spare parts imported from Japan since 2003, official sources disclosed. The company has been given BOI approval for the assembly of an initial quota of 2025 cars during the tenure of then BOI Chief Arjuna Mahendran in 2002. more..

Apr 16 (NS) Lawyers are claiming that the legislation had reached a common understanding with regard to the repeal of Article 16 in that a commission would be appointed to hold discussions with those affected by the said Article and the local Personal laws. A period of three years would be granted for the process of bringing about amendments to the Personal laws, namely the Kandyan law, the Muslim law and the Thesawalamai law. The commission would be submitting a report in this regard. more..

Apr 16 (IT) A cigar-manufacturing plant in Co Roscommon will close in May and move its operations to Sri Lanka with a loss of 38 jobs for the town of Ballaghaderreen, Co Roscommon. It is understood the company is moving its operations to an existing plant in Sri Lanka in order to rationalise the business and save on wage costs. Exclusive Cigar Manufacturers Ireland (ECMI) opened in 1978 under the name Villager and has been a large local employer since. more..

Apr 16 (Telegraph) Sri Lanka is one of the most religious countries in the world as 99 percent of Sri Lankans who were questioned in a survey had said they feel religious, the Telegraph reported today. The Telegraph UK had utilized the results of three Gallup polls taken in 2008, 2009 and 2015. Each asked respondents whether or not they felt religious; for each country they've included the most recent figures available. more..

Apr 16 (Cau) Sri Lanka Under 19s have held their nerve in a thrilling finish to seal an 8-run win against Australia U19s in Hobart, levelling the 5-match Youth ODI Series at 1-1. The hosts scored a thumping 160-run win in the first match, but SL were more than up to the task with bat and ball in the 2nd match at Kingston Twin Ovals. A much-improved batting performance from the visitors saw them post 222 before being dismissed in the 47th over, with five members of the top seven going past 20. more..

Apr 16 (ST) Calls are growing to restablish the Army units at the Yala National Park, amid reports that illicit activities within Sri Lanka’s premier wildlife sanctuary have increased since their withdrawal. Joining villagers and willdlife activits who want the Army back in the Yala National Park was the Sithulpawwa Viharaya’s Chief Incumbent, the Ven. Mataramba Hemarathana Thera. He has urged President Maithripala Sirisena to reestablish the army units at the Yala National Park. more..

Apr 16 (AD) Deputy Minister Harsha de Silva says that the govt will bear all funeral expenses for those who lost their lives due to the Meethotamulla garbage dump collapsing and that the evacuation of residents under threat will commence immediately.   “A problem running for decades, perhaps as long as 20 years, came to a head with the collapse of a part of the garbage mountain,” he said. more..

Apr 16 (SO) Shipping, port and trade experts want the govt to implement a national shipping policy to drive growth in the ports and shipping sector. “It is a long felt need for developing trade and boost export earnings of the country,” the industry representatives said. The industry has made several requests in the past and has also made presentations at various fora which are yet to be considered by the authorities. Chairman of the Import Section of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and more..

Apr 16 (GDI) Jesus Christ was and is one of the greatest teachers of history, whose message of love and compassion has touched hearts and transformed lives of people throughout the ages. The Cross was a challenge to the political and the religious hierarchy of the day; the Cross continues to challenge Christians to herald in change in keeping with the doctrine Christ preached - that of love, compassion and forgiveness. The season of Lent teaches them the meaning of sacrificial love more..

Apr 16 (CT) Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA), which called for port related investment opportunities and invited open bids, has attracted nearly 15 bids seeking use of the SLPA's two underutilized warehouses and one plot of undeveloped land located within the Colombo Harbour perimeter. The proposed offers in the bids for the land were five times more than Chief Govt Valuer's estimate, more..

Apr 16 (DM) Antics of sons of certain purohitas in the past who led an extravagant lifestyle at public expense while throwing their weight about like ordinary thugs are well known to the people in this country. The behavior of the sons of certain present purohitas too is more or less the same if not worse as those of their past counterparts in their hay day. Given this background, one might be amazed to hear that there is a son of a powerful purohita in govt who goes about in a three-wheeler. more..

Apr 16 (SO) Promoting nautical tourism among local as well as foreign visitors, Sail Lanka Charter introduced Opal, the largest catamaran in its fleet last week. “This is the sixth boat to be introduced by the company. Business is picking up and more visitors are patronizing our services. Boating has become an integral part of the travel and tourism sector and are fast becoming popular,” Sail Lanka Charter, Deputy General Manager Jeroen Misseghers said. more..

Apr 16 (CT) A young girl, aged not more than 20, remains sprawled on the road, sobbing, amidst the chaos that surrounds her in Meethotamulla, Kollonnawa. She was visiting her aunt, with her family, on the Sinhala and Tamil New Year's Day. At about 3.20 p.m. whilst partaking in Avurudu crumpets and tea with the family, she heard a loud noise, felt a thump on her head and then was surrounded by darkness. more..

Apr 16 (GDI) Easter is the most sublime feast of the Liturgical Year in which we proclaim and celebrate the victory of Jesus of Nazareth the Risen Lord Our Saviour, over sin and death. We let the words of the angels resound in our ears, Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen (Luke.24:5). This year we make this joyful proclamation at a time when we as the Church in Sri Lanka focus our attention on St. Joseph Vaz who made Jesus Christ alive in our midst, more..

Apr 16 (LT) “This is not a natural disaster. It is a disaster an administration without a plan should be responsible for. In the past hills in the upcountry were subjected to earth slips. Now, garbage dumps have started to collapse. Garbage is dumped to mountain heights and they collapse on the heads of helpless people who have to live underneath these mountains as they do not have any other place to live,” states the JVP in a press release on the Meethotamulla disaster. more..

Apr 16 (ST) It is a year now since PM last paid a visit to China. As a nation then prepared to observe the national holidays, he was at work talking to Chinese leaders. That was to convert China’s loans to the previous Govt of some US$ 1,308 million for the Hambantota Port into equity. The funds came from the Exim Bank of China in two instalments – US$ 306 million and US$ 800 million, both at 6.8 % interest. more..

Apr 17 (ST) The traditional New Year was celebrated in Sri Lanka linked as it is to a millennia-old common heritage in many parts of India and South East Asia around the rice harvesting season. Age-old customs and rituals largely connected to auspicious times laid down by astrologers take centre-stage. In this backdrop of the country’s historical connectivity with this part of the world, renewed discussions have emerged of linguistic relations that exist among same more..

Apr 17 (CT) U.K.’s war time leader Sir Winston Churchill led the way in calling for European states to come together to build the United Sates of Europe. The objective was to ensure sustainable peace in the region and eventually to bring economic benefit to the member countries. Seventy years later it’s the British Citizens that put the idea in jeopardy by voting to leave the EU, officially known as Brexit. The decisions taken by the political leaders on both sides in the next 2 years more..

Apr 17 (SO) A modernised police force is essential to maintain law and in a country, while modern equipment and infrastructure is undeniably paramount for the effective functioning of law enforcement agencies. In recent times, despite severe budgetary limitations and various other obstacles, the SL Police has strived to upgrade its functions by obtaining the latest technology and equipment for the Police force. more..

Apr 17 (CT) Meethotamulla Garbage Dump Collapse which sadly happened when the nation was celebrating Sinhala & Tamil New Year, was not just a disaster for the people of the area, but one where the stench was felt far beyond its’ boundaries. For, it was yet another disaster which could have been avoided if the successive govts have seriously given an ear to the anguish and agony of those who have been continuously suffering in these hazardous environs. more..

Apr 17 (Island) People’s Bank’s ATM network recorded transaction volumes amounting to a staggering Rs. 21.6 billion during the recently-concluded Sinhala and Tamil New Year festivity period from April 1 to 14. This unprecedented number of volumes Include over 300 transactions that were executed every minute in Average on 7th April through over 500 ATMs located all over the island and accessible day or night, which marks a phenomenal increase from the number of more..

Apr 17 (CT) Dr. Ataullah Siddiqui believes that true reconciliations can be achieved only when the affected communities face their demons, when the torturers face those who were tortured, especially in a post war context. Dr. Siddiqui is a leading academic expert in interfaith discourse and has a plethora of published work in the same field. He is also the Director of the Markfield Institute of Higher Education (MIHE), as well as a Visiting more..

Apr 17 (Island) Meethotamulla garbage mountain collapsed on the New Year day, burying many people alive. About 26 bodies had been recovered at the time of going to press. According to initial reports the garbage-slide has destroyed around 200 houses. How civilized a nation is can be judged by the way it disposes of its garbage; if countries were to be ranked according to a scaling system based on municipal waste disposal, Sri Lanka is sure to be bracketed with the ten worst nations. more..

Apr 17 (FT) Constitution started with the Soulbury Constitution consisting of Ceylon Independence Act and Ceylon Orders in Council, 1947. It provided for a parliamentary system of govt and included a special Article (29 {2}) to safeguard minority rights. In addition to the Parliament there was an Upper House similar to the UK, a Senate. Parliament consisted of 101 members, all of whom except 6 to be nominated by Governor General were elected under universal suffrage. more..