Dec 20 (TG) A Tamil asylum seeker has become the first person slated for deportation – without having his claim for protection even assessed – after falling foul of the ministerial deadline of 1 Oct to apply. The man, who has been given the pseudonym Rajah because he remains at risk of being deported, was placed in handcuffs at Villawood detention centre on Wednesday morning and slated for removal in the evening. more..

Dec 20 (AD) Five candidates from the Sri Lanka Podu Jana Peramuna (SLPP) filed a petition before the Court of Appeal against the rejection of their party nomination list for the Maharagama Urban Council. The nomination lists of the SLPP several Local Govt bodies were rejected, according to Returning Officers earlier this month. The party’s nomination lists for the Panadura UC, Badulla PS, Mahiyanganaya PS and Agalawatta PS were rejected on December 14. more..

Dec 20 (CT) Malaysian PM Najib bin Tun Abdul Razak met Northern Chief Minister C. V. Wigneswaran in Colombo yesterday. Abdul Razak was in Sri Lanka on a two-day official visit to mark the 60th anniversary of the diplomatic ties between the two countries. Several agreements were also signed in Colombo to enhance the cooperation between the two nations. Wigneswaran had sent an invitation to the visiting Malaysian PM to visit Jaffna during his stay in the island. more..

Dec 20 (Island) Health Minister, Dr Rajitha Senaratne said losses incurred by pharmaceutical importers owing to the appreciation of the dollar in the world market had been the reason for a five percent increase in drug prices, which were reduced in October last year. He said the increase had been effected following an assessment by the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) on a request made by more..

Dec 20 (AFP) Chandika Hathurusingha said he scents opportunity as the new head coach of Sri Lanka despite a string of humiliating defeats. "It will not be pressure but an opportunity," 49-year-old former Test batsman said after being named to the post on Dec 8. "I am proud to take this opportunity to coach my own country to maximise the potential that we see from outside." Hathurusingha also said he would streamline the selection process which he believed could revive the sagging fortunes more..

Dec 20 (NR) JO says a Parliament Select Committee should be appointed over corruption and fraud. UPFA MP Bandula Gunewardene said the attention of the Speaker of House Karu Jayasuriya will be drawn to the matter. MP claimed when the economic mechanism of a country does not function for an entire year the economy will not grow, job opportunities will not be generated and the country cannot be developed. He said within a year after the war was won the country experienced more..

Dec 20 (CT) Police protection has been provided for the GCE O/L candidates sitting the examination at Kottawa Dharmapala Maha Vidyalaya, following several alleged cases of assault on students, Kottawa Police said. An officer from the Kottawa Police said a female candidate from an international school who is presently sitting for the examination at Kottawa Dharmapala Maha Vidyalaya had been harassed by a set of more..

Dec 20 (AD) Department of Registration of Persons has established a special unit to provide National Identity Cards to over 300,000 voters without NIC’s who were not able to obtain an NIC as they could not produce a birth certificate or proof of residence. Over 1000 new NIC’s were provided to applicants hopeful of voting at the upcoming LG election. Any person without a birth certificate or NIC has been requested to submit a letter signed by three relations, three members of more..

Dec 20 (CT) Stock market losses passed the Rs 100 billion mark yesterday, 40 days after the Govt presented Budget 2018 in Parliament on 9 Nov. New taxes imposed on the banking and telecom sectors in the Budget, made worse by the existing high VAT regime which has further dented consumer spending power are the reasons for such. Yesterday was also the first time the market has lost Rs 100 billion for the year to date. This Rs 100 billion loss is akin to, for example if the value of all of the stocks more..

Dec 20 (CT) The UNP, which is contesting the forthcoming LG election as United National Front (UNF), under the Elephant symbol has decided to keep all top posts in all Local Govt bodies open, with the exception of Colombo Municipal Council (CMC). Even though it has been the practice of the UNP and other political parties to announce their mayoral candidate for each Municipal Council & Chairperson, Deputy Chairpersons of all UCs and PSs, more..

Dec 21 (CT) It takes two for any form of communication. The self and the other. The self knows everything about itself but very less about the other. The self expresses itself with the specific knowledge and learning that it knows, perceives, idealises and interprets. What is expressed is understood by the other applying the same qualities of the expresser. Between the various shades of expression of the self and the understanding of the other, there are universal expressions. more..

Dec 21 (DN) Nobody really knows how much money public officials have stolen and hidden outside of Sri Lanka. Previous govt estimates made in 2015, put the number at a minimum of $ 10 billion. For a comparison, that’s about the cost of eight Hambantota Port projects. But there’s a chance that some of that money, which is held in offshore bank accounts, could be seized and brought back to Sri Lanka. At a recent conference in Washington, D.C., Attorney General Jayantha Jayasuriya said more..

Dec 21 (CT) Former Minister and Chairman, National Media Centre, Imthiaz Bakeer Markar says the Judiciary is independent today. Q: Are you in active politics now? A: Although I am in active politics I quit contesting elections. That was because of a promise made to the people. What was the promise? A: I said I will contest the next election for the last time. Our people will join the next Cabinet. I will be in the Cabinet only once more..

Dec 21 (DN) During Sirimavo Bandaranaike’s 1960-64 rule, the Chinese Communist leaders decided to donate an Int'l Conference Hall to commemorate its close ties with SWRD Bandaranaike who initiated diplomatic relations with Communist nation in 1957. However, PM could not finalise the matter with Chinese when her govt collapsed unexpectedly in 1964. UNP led coalition entered the fray in March 1965 general elections. One of the main themes on propaganda was an impending threat more..

Dec 21 (CT) What happens when religion, that opioid placebo of the ignorant masses, blinds one to the true nature of one’s beliefs, in this case Buddhism, and obscures the central tenet of the Buddhist faith, which is one of tolerance, and instead breeds that which is most despicable of the manifestations of institutionalized religion, self-righteous prejudice and cultural xenophobia? The result is Coleman v. Attorney General and Others. It all began, when Naomi Michelle Coleman, more..

Dec 21 (Roar) The year 2017 was when Sri Lanka finally woke up to its pollution crisis. The country’s shockingly high consumption of plastic was largely ignored, until a ban on polythene lunch sheets, styrofoam boxes, and shopping bags was issued by the Central Environment Authority (CEA) in September, as part of a series of measures proposed by the Ministry of the Mahaweli Development and Environment. more..

Dec 21 (CT) Eastern Province based Muslim identitarian politics, brought to the fore by M.H.M. Ashraff, founder/leader of SLMC, has entered a new phase with the alliance between the former General Secretary of SLMC, Hasen Ali and Leader of ACMC Rishad Bathiudeen. Currently SLMC is the dominant force in Eastern (Ampara) based Muslim politics along with UPFA A.L.M. Athaullah. SLMC has hitherto been acknowledged as undisputed representative of eastern Muslims. more..

Dec 21 (Island) The runaway cost of living brings nothing but misery to the vast majority of people. It is not an overstatement to say they are struggling to dull the pangs of hunger. Having run out of lame excuses, the govet is currently engaged in the Sisyphean task of controlling the prices of essentials. People are so incensed that one runs the risk of being reduced to a pulp at their hands if one dares say the CoL is not without a positive side. We, however, venture to take that risk. more..

Dec 21 (CT) The concept of Blue Economy saw its inception in 2010 as a brainchild of Gunter Pauli who sought to establish 100 million job opportunities through 100 innovations in ten years. Initially the project did not centre itself on the Great Oceans but focused on the small target of being an eco-friendly job creation mechanism. Subsequently, the initiative was defined alongside oceanic activities internationally by World Wildlife Fund. Following the UN Environmental Programme, more..

Dec 21 (Island) The expression Relative Pitch used in the caption of this essay is a concept that originates from the field of music, which describes the crucialability of singers and players of instruments in an ensemble to re-create a given musical note by comparing it to a reference note. The phrase relative pitch has come to be used as an allegory for harmony of ability and intent in other group endeavours. A look at the current state of SL cricket draws the allegory of more..

Dec 21 (SO) Sri Lankan commuters, particularly, of the railways recently faced a week-long strike by several unions of the Sri Lanka Railway Department. With over 2,500 employees of the Department, including engine drivers, guards, controllers and station Masters embarking on the strike action the railway services came to a screeching halt leaving passengers stranded and students sitting O/L exam inconvenienced. more..

Dec 21 (SK) India thumped Sri Lanka in the first T20I of the three-match series by 93 runs in Cuttack. After being invited to bat first by SL captain Thisara Perera, India posted 180 runs on the board courtesy a half-century from KL Rahul and crucial knocks from MS Dhoni (39*) and Manish Pandey (32*). In reply, the Islanders were bowled out for a measly total of 87 runs in 16 overs. Yuzvendra Chahal starred for the home team as he bagged four wickets and gave away only 23 runs more..

Dec 21 (DM) Kaiya in Sinhala means gathering of people for co-operative work to achieve a common goal. Thus Kurulu Kaiya is a gathering aimed at promoting environmental responsibility through the celebration of the wonder of birds. Kurulu Kaiya is organised by the Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka (FOGSL) which is affiliated with the Department of Zoology of the University of Colombo and is the local representative of BirdLife International which more..

Dec 21 (CI) Dew was always going to play a role in the first T20I at Barabati Stadium, & both teams knew it. SL picked just one specialist spinner, packed their side with seam options, and gave themselves the early advantage by winning the toss. Unlike a lot of T20 games in India, however, there was dew all the way through this one, and not just in 2nd innings, and one set of bowlers handled it far, far better than other. more..

Dec 21 (CI) The 93-run victory over Sri lanka in Cuttack bettered their largest margin of victory of 90 runs against England in 2012 World T20. Two of India's three biggest victories in the format have come this year. They had won by 75 runs against England in Bengaluru in February. The loss by 93 runs is also SL's biggest defeat in T20Is eclipsing the 85-run loss to Australia in Pallekele in 2016. Yuzvendra Chahal is now the most successful bowler in the shortest format this year. more..

Dec 21 (ST) It is indeed a sad story that whenever Sri Lanka Football (SLF) makes news it is for dubious reasons. Cricket and other sports routinely take precedence over Football in the mass media and when it does finally creep into the headlines, more often than not, it is to describe woefully that SLF has been beaten once again or that our past national players have suffered the ignominy of having to dig graves to make a living! Many football lovers will recall a past era when more..

Dec 21 (DN) The country can save Rs 925 million annually by reducing the import of wheat flour due to the introduction of rice flour noodles to the country. This opinion was expressed by Dr Ravi Liyanage, Chairman, Raigam Group of Companies, at the launch of the Raigam Devini Batha Bundi Full instant rice noodles to the SL market on Tuesday, in Colombo.He said to construct the manufacturing plant to make noodles out of 100% rice grown in SL, the group had invested over Rs 300 million. more..

Dec 21 (Island) 26th edition of the Colombo Shopping Festival, organized by Aitken Spence Conventions and Exhibitions, was officially inaugurated on the 16th Dec at the BMICH. The official inauguration ceremony was graced by the chairman of Aitken Spence, Deshamanya DHS Jayawardena and Mrs. Priya Jayawardena as the chief guests. The grand shopping festival will continue till 23rd Dec featuring both local and int'l exhibitors and is expected to attract more..

Dec 21 (DN) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe said the construction work of the Dedduwa tourism zone – SL’s biggest tourism construction project so far – will begin in March next year. PM stated that the Dedduwa project will focus heavily on conservation of the natural eco-system, adding that new laws will be formulated to protect the environment in the area, during construction. PM, yesterday, visited the site along with more..

Dec 21 (FT) The Cabinet approved the final stages of the relocation of Pettah’s Manning Market to Peliyagoda costing Rs. 6.6 billion, awarding the contract to Maga Engineering as the Ministry of Megapolis finalises the blueprint for the Multi-model Transport Hub to be set up in Pettah at an estimated cost of Rs. 459 billion ($ 3 billion). Megapolis and Western Development Ministry Secretary N. Rupasinghe told the Daily FT that the relocation of the Manning Market would take another two more..

Dec 21 (Island) Fish imports to Sri Lanka had decreased by 23 percent this year, according to Minister Mahinda Amaraweera. He said that the total fish and fish–related products, imported to Sri Lanka in 2016, had been 120,000 MT but in 2017 the amount had dropped to 73,000 MT. The local fish production had increased by three percent this year, hesaid, adding that the total local fish production, in 2016, had been 379,000 MT, but in 2017 it had increased up to 389,000 MT. more..

Dec 21 (DM) Principal Information Security Engineer of the Computer Emergency Readiness Team Co-ordination Centre (CERT|CC), Roshan Chandragupta said they had received complaints of several modern methods of cheating or financial scams via Facebook. He said several incidents had been reported about social media users requesting gullible victims to pay customs duties for the release of gifts sent to them. more..

Dec 21 (DN) Sri Lanka Telecom’s data centre infrastructure has been undergoing a major transformation with state-of-the-art Tier 3 Data Centre constructed in Pitipana inter-connecting multiple data centres located in SLT headquarters and welikada. Investment for phase 1 of the data centre project is Rs 2.4 billion. With this new development, SLT is able to offer broader portfolio of robust co-location and Data hosting facilities at very competitive price packages. more..

Dec 21 (Island) Western Province Chief Minister Isura Devapriya called on all SLFP candidates, contesting the forthcoming local polls to include pictures of former President Rajapaksa in their campaign posters and other such propaganda materials. Chief Minister Devapriya said former president Rajapaksa was still a member of the SLFP and, therefore, the SLFP members should make use of the latter’s popularity to ensure the SLFP victory at the forthcoming polls. more..

Dec 21 (DN) Former SL cricketer and one time coach Chandika Hathurusingha officially took over as head coach of the national cricket team and announced that the role he has been asked to perform was a challenging one but one he was glad to accept. “There is a lot of expectations but there is no pressure for me it’s all opportunities,” said Hathurusingha at his inaugural press conference arranged by Sri Lanka Cricket more..

Dec 21 (DN) The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (CA Sri Lanka) recently joined hands with the International Chamber of Commerce Sri Lanka (ICCSL) to jointly promote accounting as the preferred career choice among the students’ population and the business community in the country. The agreement between CA Sri Lanka and ICCSL will pave way to increase the number of qualified accounting professionals suitable to serve business organizations across the country. more..

Dec 21 (CT) Investigations into criminal acts of bribery and corruption involving foreign nationals will be incorporated into the amendments to be made to the Bribery Act, Director General of CIABOC, President's Counsel Sarath Jayamanne said. He went on to note that the mandate to investigate private sector corruption will also be incorporated in the new bribery laws. In effect, certain State organization are issuing circulars cautioning officers on accepting gift hampers that are given more..

Dec 21 (FT) Cabinet approved the final stages of the relocation of Pettah’s Manning Market to Peliyagoda costing Rs. 6.6 billion, awarding the contract to Maga Engineering as the Ministry of Megapolis finalises the blueprint for the Multi-model Transport Hub to be set up in Pettah at an estimated cost of Rs. 459 billion ($ 3 billion). Megapolis and Western Development Ministry Secretary N. Rupasinghe said that more..