Apr 26 (DN) SL is committed to upgrade intellectual property regimes to move beyond traditional domains of copy rights and patents, SL’s Permanent Representative in Geneva, Ravinath Aryasinha said. It will particularly foray into new areas such as innovation and branding to bring it in line with international standards, he said speaking at a seminar on protection of Intellectual Property Rights of traditional knowledge and cultural expressions in association with G-15 country grouping and WIPO. more..

Apr 26 (EN) Central bank was a mess after ex-Governor Arjuna Mahendran had de-stabilized the decision-making system for bond sales with unprecedented staff transfers, commission inquiring into allegations of securities fraud was told. State attorneys said that an innocent officer had been made the head of the Public Debt Dept that sold govt bonds ahead of Mahendran's interference in the decision-making process of its tender board. more..

Apr 26 (DN) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe arrived in India having secured Cabinet approval to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian govt over the Oil Tank farm in Trincomalee. “It is only a political decision. No specific agreement or venture was discussed,” Petroleum Minister Chandima Weerakkody said. The Cabinet Paper seeking approval to enter into a possible MoU was presented to Cabinet yesterday by the Prime Minister himself. more..

Apr 26 (FT) The Sri Lanka Red Cross Society’s Colombo branch, in partnership with the German Red Cross, took steps to distribute non-food relief items to people affected by the garbage dump collapse in Meethotamulla recently, the Sri Lanka Red Cross (SLRC) said. The distribution to 300 families took place at the Kolonnawa Raja Maha Viharaya with the patronage of SLRCS Deputy Director General Sudath Madugalle and the Nayaka Thero of the Rajamaha Vihara. more..

Apr 26 (FT) The fate of Sri Lanka’s application for GSP+ tariff concession for European markets will be decided in Brussels on Thursday, when a resolution submitted by 52 EU Parliamentarians is taken up for a vote. A bloc of MPs from the European United Left/Nordic Green Left mounted an eleventh hour bid last week to prevent SL being granted the import duty concessions on the basis of the Govt’s slow progress on democratic and legislative reform. more..

Apr 26 (DM) President Maithripala Sirisena has told the newspaper editors and the heads of the electronic media institutions last week that he would appoint a retired judge to investigate the causes that led to the Meethotamulla garbage tragedy, which left 32 people killed, eight missing and hundreds homeless. However, the President did not say whether the retired judge would act as a one-man Presidential Commission or Court-of-Inquiry or as to the nature of the investigation. more..

Apr 26 (DM) Will they leave? was the urgent question President Premadasa posed to me after having kept me behind as Varadarajah Perumal and the others left the meeting at Sucharitha in January 1989 when the new Chief Minister and Cabinet of the North-East Provincial Council met the newly elected President, Ranasinghe Premadasa for the first time. I knew he was asking about the Indians and replied: From what I gather, they hope to keep back two brigades in Trincomalee. more..

Apr 26 (CT) Recently, world famous Forbes Magazine recognized 30 youth entrepreneurs who were named as 30 under 30 in Asia. One Sri Lanka talented youth, Anoka Abeyrathne was amongst this extraordinary group of individuals. Abeyrathne's childhood curiosity about her surrounding environment led her down the path of conservation. Through Sri Lanka-based Sustain Solutions, Abeyrathne has replanted more than 40,000 mangroves to help sustain the livelihoods of fish farmers and improve local environments. more..

Apr 26 (SL) Following our expose on how Lanka Logistics and Technologies Limited (LLTL) on the secret directives of Udayanga Weeratunge floated tenders to select the controversial Ukrinmarsh to refurbish the Russian built BTR 80 Armoued Personnel Carriers (APC) at a time when the Russian Government had agreed to refurbish them under the Russian Credit Line, the Board of Directors of Lanka Logistics and Technologies Limited  had been dissolved on more..

Apr 26 (ST) Uncollected garbage has been piling up on the pavements of Colombo over the past six days, while municipal officials struggle now even more with disposal issues following the human-made tragedy at the 10-storey high Meethotamulla waste mountain. The odour emanating from rotting garbage is overwhelming people, and is worsening the health risks. The frequency of garbage collection in Colombo and the outskirts has been reduced following more..

Apr 26 (DM) President is reported to have proposed a special subcommittee headed by Minister Sarath Fonseka to make recommendations on how best to deal with emergency situations triggered by incidents such as disruption of the power supply, port activities and fuel distribution. The idea was mooted against the backdrop of the disruption caused to fuel distribution by petroleum workers launching trade union against the move to lease the Trincomalee Oil Tank Farm more..

Apr 26 (DM) The establishment of the Public Finance Committee will provide the mechanism for a more vibrant and transparent financial system in the country in the future, PM Ranil Wickremesinghe said. He also said the introduction of the new system of Sectoral Oversight Committees will further strengthen Parliament. PM made these observations at the opening ceremony of the Regional Meeting of Young Parliamentarians of the Asia-Pacific held in Colombo. more..

Apr 26 (Island) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe who arrived in New Delhi yesterday, on a 4-day working visit, would focus on obtaining the best possible terms on the proposed ETCA with India, UNP MP Nalin Bandara said. He said that disgruntled JO MPs led by former President Rajapaksa had misled the CPC workers into striking, on the false premise that the Trincomalee Oil Storage Tank Farm would be sold to India, during Wickremesinghe’s visit. more..

Apr 26 (Island) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe arrived here this evening on a four-day visit to India. This is his fourth visit to this country since assuming office in Jan 2015. Earlier, he visited in Sept 2015, and in Oct and Dec last year. The last visit was to worship Lord Venkateshwara, also known as Balaji, at Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh. He has a hectic day on Wednesday, only day he will spend here for official talks with Indian leaders and officials. more..

Apr 26 (CG) Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL) has successfully utilized the Right to Information (RTI) Act to request and receive information relating to the policy and investments of the Employees Provident Fund (EPF), from the Central Bank. Deputy Governor of the Central Bank recently facilitated TISL’s RTI request by releasing information which outlines the criteria used by the EPF to evaluate investment opportunities, more..

Apr 26 (PSL) President Maithripala Sirisena has given instructions to the relevant officials to pay a monthly allowance of Rs.50,000 for three months, to each family evacuated from the high risk area around the Meethotamulla garbage dump in one payment. The objective of this payment is to eliminate the difficulties faced by the people when giving advance payments while renting houses on a temporary basis. more..

Apr 26 (CG) Cabinet has granted approval to hand over some elephants at the Pinnawala elephant orphanage to individuals and religious places of worship under strict conditions. The approval was granted on a proposal made by Minister Gamini Jayawickrama Perera in order to address overcrowding at the Pinnawala elephant orphanage. “Maintenance of the present number of 88 elephants in a restricted land area of 30 acres at Pinnawala has become a difficult task. more..

Apr 26 (CT) For a brief, yet effective moment which lasted more than just a day, people of this country forgot that we were still in the fallout of yet another disaster made due to our own negligence and the myopic morals of our elected public representatives. Sometimes, if you don't join the bandwagon, you simply cannot survive. Or rather, that's a common sentiment found in most Sri Lankans, including our politicians. People who were concerned about those affected by the Meethotamulla disaster more..

Apr 26 (CT) While the stench of the Meethotamulla tragedy is still in the air and while the politicians and their advisors are scurrying around pointing fingers, it is time for us to take to task those corrupt persons who issue EIA’s to facilitate any dirty business. A Govt that voluntarily accepts to get environmental clearance for actions that will affect the populace, just to please investors or to free them from their obligations, is a govt that is robbing our safety of its citizens more..

Apr 26 (CT) A fresh controversy has arisen over the Chinese company’s position on the legal and arbitration system of the Chinese funded Colombo Port City, Colombo Telegraph reliably learns. Liang Thow Ming, chief sales and marketing officer of Sri Lanka’s CHEC Port City Colombo (Pvt) Ltd, which is handling the project said a separate court and arbitration centre would be set up to administer the affairs within the city. “A separate court, separate arbitration centres, more..

Apr 26 (Island) Victims of the Salawa army armory blast, unable to so far obtain compensation from the government for their properties destroyed, have decided to seek legal redress. The Victims’ Collective Secretary Chandana Suriyarachchi said that they had already consulted their lawyers in that regard and hoped to file action within two weeks. He said: "More than ten months have passed since the massive blast. What we say is that those of us who lost businesses need compensation. more..

Apr 26 (DM) The strike launched by the CPC Trade Unions Collective was only called off temporary and would be launched again if the Government attempted to sell the CPC resources under-hand, CPC Trade Unions’ Collective said. CPC TU Collective Convener D.J. Rajakaruna said the strike was only temporary called off after the PM’s written assurance stating the Govt would not go for any agreement with India regarding the oil tanks without consulting the CPC TUs. more..

Apr 26 (Island) In recent years, the world had witnessed waves of violent extremism that had threatened the security and stability of societies across the world. That was a growing concern for the security of the Asia-Pacific region, Speaker Karu Jayasuriya said yesterday. Addressing Regional Meeting of Young Parliamentarians of the Asia-Pacific 2017 at Colombo Hilton, Speaker Jayasuriya, said: "The theme of this meeting is the most relevant and more..

Apr 26 (DN) A double- cab belonging the to Skills Development and Vocational Training Ministry was seized and its driver taken into custody after it had allegedly crashed into a motorcycle Monday evening at Anamaduwa, leaving four members of a family critically injured. Those travelling on the motorcycle - a mother, father, a nine-year-old daughter and six-year old son remain in critical condition, Aanamaduwa Police said. Victims are residents of Palugolla, Anamaduwa. more..

Apr 26 (DN) CEB Chairman Anura Wijapala has tendered his resignation today. Chairman handed over the resignation letter to Power and Energy Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya. Ministry has recently taken a decision to get the CEB’s internal audit division and legal division under its General Manager. These divisions previously functioned independently under the CEB Chairman. Chairman’s resignation comes in the wake of this decision. more..

Apr 26 (AM) 15-year-old Nalandian Rakindhu Wickremeratne has won silver at the week-long International Conference of Young Scientists, held in Stuttgart, Germany. At the Conference was attended by over 300 participants from 40 countries, Rakindhu won silver for his entry relating to providing solutions for asthma attacks. Rakindhu, who was the youngest participant at the International Conference of Young Scientists, is also winner of the Best Young Scientist award by more..

Apr 26 (NR) The proposal to improve bus services to promote public transportation has been approved by the Cabinet. Cabinet paper said the allocation of a Priority Bus Lane implemented as a pilot project along Parliament Road last month garnered a positive outcome in reducing traffic congestion. Accordingly, the proposal tabled by Minister Champika Ranawaka to expand the concept further and to take action to attract the use of public transport services was passed by the Cabinet. more..

Apr 26 (TS) India and Sri Lanka Wednesday signed an MoU for cooperation in economic projects as PM Narendra Modi affirmed his govt’s continued support to the govt in the island nation in realising its vision for a stable, peaceful and prosperous Lanka. Mr Modi, who is scheduled to visit Lanka in the second week of May to inaugurate the UN ‘Vesak Day’ (Buddha Day), Wednesday held wide-ranging talks with visiting Lankan PM Ranil Wickremesinghe more..

Apr 26 (NR) JVP says the public will be rallied to expect a true change on May Day. Chief Secretary of the JVP Tilvin Silva said the people are expecting a significant change. He said in the wake of the situation in the country and within society, people have called for a change. Tilvin Silva added what they see across the country is that they need a change in governance adding this around the JVP will hold two May Day rallies, one in Colombo and another in Jaffna on the 30th of April. more..

Apr 26 (AD) Iron Ranasinghe alias SF Lokka was arrested over his alleged involvement in a vehicle theft, Anuradhapura police confirmed. Iron Ranasinghe is also the main accused in the murder of nightclub owner Wasantha de Zoysa in 2015. Police launched a fresh investigation against SF Lokka after receiving a complaint accusing him of involving in the vehicle theft few days ago, an official said. The police have also recovered a hand grenade from the possession of the suspect. more..

Apr 26 (DM) About 450,000 pieces of counterfeit articles seized after being imported from China and India since January, had been destroyed at Rank Container Terminal (RCT) Container Yard Orugodawatte today, customs Spokesman said. “The items were crushed in front of the media, while marking the World Intellectual Property Day to convey a message to public to make aware of buying low quality imported items as they could be harmful to consumer and other living beings,” more..

Apr 26 (Island) Dambulla Magistrate Dulan Weerawardena has ordered police to submit a fresh report on the death of wealthy businessman of Dambulla Chandana Saman Gunawaedena as the report of the post mortem conducted by Dr. Ajith Jayasena, JMO, attached to the Kurunegala Hospital has concluded that the victim died of strangulation contrary to speculation that it was a case of suicide. The immediate relatives of the victim informed police that they suspected foul play. more..

Apr 26 (NR) Three army soldiers arrested on charges of shooting dead three persons during protests in Rathupaswala in 2013 have been further remanded. The Sergeant, Corporal and the Army Staff Sergeant were further remanded by the Gampaha Acting Magistrate Wasantha Gunasekera till the 3rd of May when the case was taken up for hearing today. The CID producing details before Court said investigations are underway to arrest several others involved in the incident. more..

Apr 26 (DN) The case filed against UNF MP Hirunika Premachandra and eight others for their alleged involvement in the abduction of a youth using a Defender belonging to MP Hirunika Premachandra was fixed for trial today. Accordingly, the case was fixed for trial on April 26 and 27 by High Court Judge R. Gurusinghe. The Court was informed that the first accused in the case was admitted to Colombo National Hospital following a sudden liver disease. more..

Apr 26 (DR) A one member Presidential Committee led by Retired High Court judge Chandrasena Nanayakkara has been appointed to investigate the collapse of the garbage dump in Meethotamulla. A report will be submitted to President Maithripala Sirisena following comprehensive investigations. The President during a meeting last week noted the purpose of the appointment of the committee and the compilation of the report was to ensure such incidents do not arise in future. more..

Apr 26 (Island) Federation of Faculty of Medicine Teachers’ Associations of SL (FFMTA) has taken exception to some proposals made by Ministry of Higher Education as a solution to the SAITM issue. "Over three months have passed since the students of state medical faculties have resorted to strike action and we earnestly request the govt to take a decision based on common agreements and or proposals made by the intellectual community without further delay," more..

Apr 26 (PTI) The Indian govt has agreed to cooperate with Sri Lanka in developing world-class road infrastructure in the Jaffna region of the island nation. The decision was taken during a telephone conversation between Indian minister for road transport and highways and Nitin Gadkari and PM Ranil Wickramasinghe. A senior road ministry official said that the Sri Lankan PM had invited the Indian govt to take up development of three major stretches of the road. more..

Apr 26 (CT) SL civil society activists, bloggers, social media producers and journalists, condemned the murder of pro-democracy blogger, Yameen Rasheed and called on the Maldivian Govt to, with the law enforcement authorities and int'l participation, conduct a credible, transparent and expedient investigation in to Yameen's murder. They also urged the international community, including the SL Govt to condemn the murder of Yameen Rasheed and the handling of the case by more..

Apr 26 (EN) SrILankan Airlines has changed the arrival and departure times of several flights overflying India on April 27 due to the closure of Indian airspace. These include flights to and from Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Jakarta. The full statement is reproduced below: Due to an experimental flight launch by India and closure of the Indian airspace on 27th April, the arrival and departure timings of the following SriLankan Airlines flights will be changed. more..