Mar 25 (SO) The Kennel Club was formed in 1899 in the house called Temple Trees which was then owned by a Britisher, and which is now the Prime Minister’s residence. At that time, British businessmen and planters brought down lots of dogs such as Beagles, Harriers, Labradors, Golden Retrievers and blood hounds for the purpose of hunting which the British were famous for. It was more like a sport, more..

Mar 25 (CT) A country’s secular law comes first and it is good for the country. If someone does not agree this should go and fight for non-Muslims rights in Saudi Arabia. If you do that, you know the consequences and reality. I do not have to explain the ways of punishment. A democratic country gives you the Freedom of speech. It is our responsibility to not to abuse it by spreading hatreds.  Every country has their own law, it is important to respect and obey them. more..

Mar 25 (SL) It may sound a preposterous proposition, especially when Sri Lanka wants to believe that it’s at a breakthrough-point on a new Constitution and thus a new, negotiated settlement to the decades-old ethnic issue. Yet, the fact remains, 13th Amendment to the Constitution, facilitated by the larger Indian neighbour, is a good document to begin with. It’s another matter whether contemporary Sri Lanka, post-war, wants to begin implementing 13-A in all earnestness for now, more..

Mar 25 (DN) March 25 marks the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Rome, an agreement that established the European Economic Community. The document is still one of the two most significant treaties in the contemporary European Union (EU). The EU is also one of the major influencers in SL and as Sri Lanka faces the UNHRC in Geneva, Tung-Lai Margue, Ambassador of the Delegation of the EU to Sri Lanka more..

Mar 25 (ST) He can smell the flowers but he cannot see the vibrant hues of pink and red of the roses, zeeniyas and ixora in his garden. For, diminutive Ashoka Thilakeratne, just 31 years is blind. He has not been blind from birth, but the cruel hand of fate had rendered him a hard blow when he was still a boy of 11. We have travelled through lush green landscapes but on roads good and mostly bad, bumpy and rutty, to Ashoka’s home. Far away from Pallebedda town off Embilipitiya-R'pura road, more..

Mar 25 (ST) Soft footfalls as twos and threes walk in, some still in school uniform, and signal the start of classes. Then begin the sound of notes emanating from varied musical instruments, as tuning is performed by the children themselves. Between the 217th and 218th kilometre-post and Hungama and Nonagama in the deep-south, off the Tangalle-Hambantota Road, is a walauwwe-like house, now the home of a well-known retiree. Every single week day, in the afternoons, and more..

Mar 25 (FT) At a moment when the market is projected as the emancipator of all miseries, the SAAPE Poverty Report is of the view that market glorification has multiplied peoples’ misery in South Asia, paved the way for backward and obscurantist forces to grow and the corporate sector to loot the common resources in the region.  South Asia Alliance for Poverty Eradication (SAAPE) launched its fifth triennial Poverty Report in Colombo, on 10 March in the concluding session more..

Mar 25 (Island) Most Sri Lankans have had problems with kings throughout history so much so that they betrayed their last monarch. They also rose against the British Crown several times with disastrous consequences. Two years ago, they ousted a powerful ruler, who, his propagandists claimed, was a reincarnation of a warrior king. Now, they have a Jordanian prince to contend with! President Sirisena has, declared on several occasions, wrapping himself in the flag, more..

Mar 25 (FT) Local pharmaceutical companies are about to get a windfall after the Govt this week decided to draft policy to grant extensive tax concessions for the sector and establish a dedicated mega biomedical zone to fast-track the sector’s expansion.  The details of the plans were listed out in a Cabinet paper presented by PM Ranil Wickremesinghe this week, which was approved. Under the proposals approved by more..

Mar 25 (NS) Even though the big match season is in its latter stages, the hype and celebration is yet to die down. While the season has witnessed some memorable encounters in the pitch, the encounters outside the cricket grounds have evoked negative vibes. Since of late, we have been coming across several incidents of student aggressiveness. A few weeks ago, a fracas between students of two leading schools in Colombo resulted in injuries and damage to properties. more..

Mar 25 (NS) In the last few decades, as Sri Lanka was reeling under the dark clouds of a civil war, there was one unifying factor that brought the nation together: cricket. Country reached dizzy heights in the sport, even winning the World Cup in 1996. Last week was arguably its darkest hour in cricket – it was defeated by Bangladesh, the country with the shortest history of test playing status. Until last week, SL had not lost to the two countries that attained test status more..

Mar 25 (NS) Former Governor of CB, Arjuna Mahendran arrived at the premises of the special Presidential Commission last week after he was summoned by officials of the CID. He arrived at the Commission this week and participated as an observer with the permission of the tribunal appointed by the President. Commission met four days during this week too and two Central Bank officials testified. During Monday’s sitting, more..

Mar 25 (FT) Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, Sri Lanka’s premier business chamber, will complete 178 years of service to the nation today (25), marking yet another achievement for an organisation which has played one of the most decisive roles in transforming the commercial landscape of Sri Lanka since its inception in the 19th Century. The chamber, Sri Lanka’s first and foremost business chamber, was established in 1839 to foster and protect the growing commerce of Ceylon. more..

Mar 25 (Island) Sri Lankans generally are proud of their civilization that extends over 2500 years. They rub their hands in glee that their forefathers had defeated South Indian invasions repeatedly, and preserved Theravada Buddhism to this day. In fact, Sri Lanka is acknowledged as a leading Theravada Buddhist country in the world today. Sri Lankan govt politicians also claim that the country is a pristine democracy and have been so for the last 71 years in international forums. more..

Mar 25 (FT) Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera in a recent meeting had referred to Human Rights Chief Zeid Al Hussein as the international nag, UN high official himself quipped during remarks to the UNHRC in Geneva on Wednesday.  “Foreign Minister of SL in the meeting I had with him the other day, referred to me as the international nag. I nag on them to make good on their promises and their commitments,” Zeid told the council. more..

Mar 25 (DN) Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will commence their seventh bilateral One-Day International series at Rangiri Dambulla Stadium under lights today with the visitors hoping to carry their historic maiden Test win into the fifty-over format. Of the six ODI series played between the two countries Sri Lanka have been dominant winning five of them and drawing one. The last series played in Bangladesh in February 2014 resulted in Sri Lanka winning 3-0. more..

Mar 25 (DM) Sri Lanka’s leading producer of Polyester and Nylon Yarn, Pan Asia Coloured Yarns (PACY) was awarded the highest grade of OekoTex Standard 100 certification following a series of stringent tests carried out at the Hohenstein Textile Testing Institute, Germany. At the same time the company was also awarded the only Independent Yarn Dyeing Plant to be certified by ISO 9001:2008/ SLS ISO 9001:2008 in Sri Lanka. The company’s latest certification confirms the quality of more..

Mar 25 (FT) Addressing the gathering at a meeting on Proper Disposal of Garbage, Minister Faiszer Musthapha said that elderly people working as sanitary labourers, is not acceptable. Even if there are such employees due to their economic problems, they should be given proper honour for their employment. Minister decided this after observing a very old lady old who was doing sanitary cleaning, during more..

Mar 25 (CT) The former National player Nishantha Jayasinghe was elected president of the Sri Lanka Badminton Association (SLBA) when he took 33 votes and his opponent Roshan Gunawardene could muster only 12 votes at the general election worked off at SL Badminton Association yesterday. Past national players namely Nishantha Jayasinghe and Clarence Homer while Duminda Jayakody the team which will be led by Rohan de Silva all won their respective position they were nominated for. more..

Mar 25 (Island) Global real estate consulting powerhouse, Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) announced that the company would be substantially expanding their presence in the SL market, commencing with the opening of its new dedicated office at the World Trade Centre, in a bid to cater to rapidly growing demand for specialized real estate services on the island. Entering the SL market at the start of the construction boom in 2011, JLL has quickly emerged as one of the island’s leading resources more..

Mar 25 (FT) Court of Appeal yesterday posed queries probing into the pedigree of the structure and formation of Perpetual Group of Companies and directed the Counsel for the Perpetual Asset Management (Pvt) Ltd and Perpetual Capital Holdings (Pvt) Ltd to furnish the pedigree chart setting out the formation of the Perpetual Treasuries from the inception. The matter came up before the Bench comprising more..

Mar 25 (Island) A high level probe has revealed that the project to obtain 5,000 cubes of earth for the expansion of the Southern Expressway was a big racket. It has disclosed that 671 acres belonging to the Mahaweli Authority in the Walawa Special Zone in the Hambantota District have been allocated for the purpose without adhering to the accepted standards. 29 persons had been contracted to remove earth from the land allotted and among them were two govt politicians. more..

Mar 25 (CT) After a lapse of 6 months and 3 tours all-rounder Thisara Perera has returned to the SL team and is set to wear the national colours today against Bangladesh here in Dambulla, same place he played his last match for SL. Perera who was dropped from the team following last year's Australian tour of Sri Lanka did not feature on the tour of Zimbabwe or South Africa while he was not included in the T20 tour to Australia even after a strong performance in franchise T20 leagues. more..

Mar 25 (GDI) All the forests located near the Wilpattu North Sanctuary belonging to the Department of Forest Conservation will be declared as one Reserve. Accordingly, President, who is on three days official visit to Russia, signed the special Gazette notification in Moscow, yesterday declaring Mavillu, Weppal, Karadikkuli, Marichchikadi and Vilaththikulam forests as Mawillu forest Reserve under 3A of Forest Conservation Ordinance. more..

Mar 25 (FT) Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, visited Ha Noi to deliver the Letter of Invitation from President Sirisena to PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc for the celebrations for the commemoration of 14th UN Vesak Day in May 2017, to be held in Sri Lanka. He met Bui Thanh Ha, Deputy Head of the Standing Council of the Govt Religious Committee of Viet Nam to handover the Official Invitation. This Committee directly reports to the PM, although for administrative purposes it is within more..

Mar 25 (Island) Sri Lanka will be without the services of wicketkeeper batsman Niroshan Dickwella for the first ODI against Bangladesh that gets underway today in Dambulla. Dickwella is serving a two-match suspension after being found guilty of showing dissent during the second T-20 International against Australia. He already missed the third T-20 Int'l against Australia. Hosts are also without captain Angelo Mathews, who is recovering from a hamstring injury & fast bowler Lasith Malinga, more..

Mar 25 (Island) UN mission in Colombo said that it would soon respond to a query whether a report received from Federation of National Organizations (FNO) on A factual appraisal of the OISL report: A rebuttal to the allegations against the armed forces to be submitted to the UN and Geneva-based UNHRC. FNO submitted a copy of the report to UN mission in Colombo on Mar 20. A UN official accepted the report on behalf of more..

Mar 25 (Xinhua) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe informed the parliament that the spread of dengue in the island country was part of a health crises looming in Asia. He said that the spread of dengue in SL and the spread of diseases in other Asian countries were a part of one health crisis in the region. "Diseases such as fever and even bird flu are spreading in Asia, and millions of poultry are being destroyed in South Korea today. And the spread of diseases in Sri Lanka may be a part of this crisis," more..

Mar 25 (USE) In the month of February, two congressional delegations of U.S. House of Representatives visited Sri Lanka.  The first was a bipartisan four-member delegation of the House Democracy Partnership (HDP) Committee led by Chairman Peter Roskam and Ranking Member David Price.  An 8-member bipartisan delegation led by the House Judiciary Committee Chairman Robert Goodlatte immediately followed. Following up on the manifest greater engagement by more..

Mar 25 (DN) “Hambantota is a major plus for our reserves, if it does not go through, the people will have to bear difficult burdens in 2nd quarter of this year,” CB Governor Dr. Indrajit Coomaraswamy said. He added that it would be good news if the deal was finalised by this year. The deal, will bring in USD 100 million at the time of signing, USD 300 million three months later and USD 700 million, six months after that. more..

Mar 25 (CT) SLFP MP Mohan De Silva yesterday said, if he, along with MPs Geetha Kumarasinghe and Ramesh Pathirana had opted to join the unity govt; then they would have received some benefits, but instead they decided to stay with the Joint Opposition (JO). He was addressing an anti-government rally at Bentota in the Galle District. "The people who voted for us at the last elections did not expect us to the join the govt side, but to remain with the SLFP. more..

Mar 25 (TN) Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif has stressed the need of fully exploiting Free Trade Agreement (FTA) for the mutual benefit of peoples of Sri Lanka and Pakistan. He was talking to Pakistan-Sri Lanka Friendship Trade and Investment Association President Iftikhar Aziz who called on him Friday. Aziz has been conferred the Tamgha-e-Kidmat for his meritorious services in promoting the trade between Pakistan and Sri Lanka. While recalling meeting with his SL counterpart more..

Mar 25 (Island) Govt submitted a supplementary estimate seeking the approval of the House for Rs. 371 million to purchase nine vehicles for ministers and deputy ministers. Accordingly, the approval has been sought for the allocation of Rs. 39,897,000 to acquire a vehicle for Minister of Education, Rs. 42,000,000 to purchase a vehicle for Deputy Chairmen of Committees in Parliament, Rs. 82,000,000 to purchase more..

Mar 25 (DM) At a national and international level, important factors such as the restoration of judicial independence, the independence of the police and the rule of law have been important factors in restoring Sri Lanka’s image and relationships for more trade and aid. However, certain parties or groups appear to be trying to undermine this or make it a political drama. One such case is the arrest and remand, since January, of NFF leader and MP Wimal Weerawansa. more..

Mar 25 (DM) Recent media reports say GMOA has decided to keep away from private practice and channelling for 2 weeks from 30 March. Available numbers in past years show the month of April as a lean month for both private and public healthcare. Probably the habit of seeking medical treatment even for the common cold is overtaken by the festive mood, especially in the first two weeks up to Sinhala and Hindu New Year. GMOA has thus chosen that lean period for their protest while proving more..

Mar 25 (DBS) Octogenarian leader of the opposition R. Sampanthan in a hard hitting Parliamentary speech made four weeks ago drew attention to the prevailing practice of persons being condemned as Traitors (Drohi/Thurogi) within the sphere of SL Tamil Nationalist Politics. Trinco district MP who is also the TNA leader made specific reference to the recent attacks on TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran by defeated political rivals. more..

Mar 25 (PMD) President Maithripala Sirisena said his objective is a continuation of strong friendship with Russia for the coming century while opening a new page of sixty years long Russia-Sri Lanka bilateral relations. He has made this remarks during the time of addressing the Sri Lankan community in Russia today (24) at the SL Embassy in Moscow. SL professionals working in various fields in Russia, students & business more..

Mar 25 (EN) Sri Lanka expects to get a reform program with the IMF back on track by April with executive board approval to release the next tranche in June 2017. Sri Lanka plans to reach a staff level agreement covering the next stage of the program by April, Deputy Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe said. Sri Lanka's Dec 2016 review was suspended for failing to collect enough reserves - a performance criteria more..

Mar 25 (ST) In the Western Province, where more than 60% of SL’s waste is generated, police & military will be keeping an eye on the streets for reckless garbage disposal. A team has been tasked with reporting mismanagement of garbage to the relevant authorities. Lawsuit filed by Environment Police have increased three-fold. “We make field visits in the morning and and action is taken if garbage is dumped on the roads. more..