May 3 (DN) New fast bowling consultant Allan Donald will be reviving ties with SL captain Angelo Mathews after undertaking a two-month contract with Sri Lanka Cricket for the Champions Trophy. Donald was the head coach of Pune Warriors that was captained by Mathews during the IPL in 2013. Mathews expressing his views on Donald’s appointment said, “We are indeed grateful to SLC for providing us with all the support we need both in terms of technology and expertise. more..

May 3 (Island) Sir John Tarbet Junior Athletics Championship, the premier track and field competition conducted by the Sri Lanka Schools Athletics Association (SLSAA) will be held at two stages from this year. SLSAA has changed the format after considering requests made by the stakeholders including the Ministry of Education. "The coaches, school officials and the officials of the Ministry of Education have requested to more..

May 3 (CT) Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has appointed Aruna de Silva as the Operations Manager for the forthcoming tours to Sri Lanka by Zimbabwe and India. According to a release sent by SLC, De Silva was a member of the Executive Committee (Ex-Co) and has successfully conducted the Youth Asia Cup 2016 and the ICC Women's World Cup Qualifiers 2017 in his capacity as the Host Tournament Director. He was invited by the Ex-Co at a meeting held on 22 April 2017 to take on this role more..

May 3 (DM) Sri Lankan entrepreneurship is geared to hit the fast-track at the second annual John Keells X Open Innovation Challenge 2017,as teams of aspiring innovators and inventors compete for a chance to win entry into a six-month accelerator programme at JKH that offers Rs. 2 million in seed investment, a curated growth oriented curriculum, office space in Colombo, access to legal, finance and secretarial expertise, access to mentors involving senior JKH leadership, more..

May 3 (ST) Despite the difficulties that come with the necessary repairs of the 30-year old runway of BIA, tourism has experienced a good first quarter, according to everjobs.lk career report for Q1 2017. The industry is also seen involved in offering the most jobs in recent times. It said tourist arrivals rose 3.4% to 604,953 in first three months of 2017 alone. SL recorded around 450,000 int'l arrivals in whole year of 2009. more..

May 3 (ST) Looking for a carpenter or a mason? Then prepare to fork out between Rs. 2,000 to Rs. 2500 per day but still struggle to find a suitable worker. Sri Lanka is grappling with a huge labour crisis particularly in the constructi0n sector amidst a construction boom and calls to import labour.  Even costly incentives like Maruti cars or 3-wheelers for skilled masons and carpenters haven’t attracted any takers, according to the Chamber of Construction Industry (CCI). more..

May 3 (ST) Vision Care one of the foremost vision enhancing corporates in SL, though with small beginnings in 1992 is preparing for its 25th-year, Silver Jubilee anniversary – with a difference however. To announce the event, Dasanka Fonseka, Chairman, Vision Care told reporters this week in Colombo that over the past 25 years they have enhanced the sight of hundreds of Sri Lankans. Over the years they also have learnt that there are a lot of people who cannot afford to more..

May 3 (DN) MAS Holdings, sealed its commitment to become Sri Lanka’s first apparel group to commence manufacturing in the United States. MAS Holdings will achieve this through the acquisition of the business operations of Acme McCrary Corporation, established in North Carolina. Its Western Hemisphere Organisation will operate in four locations. Existing manufacturing facilities in Asheboro, North Carolina, USA more..

May 3 (DN) National Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka (NCCSL) has congratulated the Govt for regaining of the GSP+ facility once again. “GSP+ facility will raise the economy to greater heights with increased exports to EU countries. Opportunities for SL economy would expand tremendously for garments, apparel, fishing sector and other sectors as well. Regaining GSP from EU will be a big step for the new govt which managed to negotiate the removal of fisheries ban by EU as well” more..

May 3 (FT) Spices and Allied Products Producers’ and Traders’ Association has expressed its appreciation to the Govt for the decision taken to postpone the abolition of the SVAT system which was due to come into effect on 1 April. Previously, the SVAT system was to be abolished on 1 Jan 2017, as announced in the Budget, but was subsequently postponed to 1 April 2017 consequent to lobbies the joint Chambers and Trade Associations did with PM in early January. more..

May 3 (DN) Former South African fast bowler Allan Donald, the latest recruitment to the ever increasing support staff that Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) is feeding the national team is of the opinion that the Lankan bowling attack has in them what it takes to win the ICC Champions Trophy in England in June. “This Champions Trophy tournament is brutal because if you make a mistake you could be out in the next. more..

May 3 (DM) Minister Arjuna Ranatunga advised officials to re-open the Dondra lighthouse to the public on May 4, SLPA Media Secretary Thameera Manju said. He said the minister informed the officials to complete the renovations and re-open the lighthouse for public viewing. The opening ceremony would take place under the patronage of Minister Ranatunga, Deputy Minister Nishantha Muttuhettigama, SLPA Chairman Dhammika Ranatunga & several distinguished guests, more..

May 3 (Island) The police constable who was arrested on Monday for shooting at the brass elephant in front of the UNP headquarters, Sirikotha, was yesterday produced before the Nugegoda Magistrate and remanded till May 15. The suspect would be referred to a psychiatrist. The suspect has told his interrogators that he had aimed at the UNP symbol, the elephant. He is suspected to be suffering from a mental disorder. The policeman has said that when May Day is celebrated, more..

May 3 (FT) Attorney General raised three preliminary objections on the maintainability of the fundamental rights petition of MP Vasudeva Nanayakkara challenging the framework agreement with China to allocate 15,000 acres of land for investment promotion in Hambantota for converting debt into equity. His fundamental rights petition was heard in the Supreme Court by a bench comprising Justices B.P. Aluvihara, Sisira De Abrew and more..

May 3 (Island) UNP Chairman Malik Samarawickrema has regretted Ministers, Rajitha Senaratne and Sarath Fonseka lambasting Labour Minister John Seneviratne on UNP May Day platform at the Campbell Park. Political sources told The Island that Minister Samarawickrema was responding to Minister Seneviratne’s complaint to President Maithripala Sirisena at cabinet meeting yesterday. PM Ranil Wickremesinghe, too, had been present on the occasion. more..

May 3 (Hindu) One would have thought that political parties here would use this year’s May Day platform to reach out to agitating contractual workers or govt doctors. But Tuesday’s rallies turned out be almost entirely about political messaging by leaders to their electorates, preoccupying observers with which leader’s rally drew the largest crowd. Much of this was centred on the rally organised by the Joint Opposition, a faction of the SLFP that supports former President Rajapaksa, more..

May 3 (DN) Power and Energy Ministry is to send circulars to all govt offices, instructing them to run their air conditioner temperatures at 26°C, Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya said. The circular is to be issued as part of the ministry’s plans to mitigate the country’s energy crisis. Meanwhile, the ministry will promote the use of solar power generation to mitigate the crises in the long term under its Surya Bala Sangrama programme. more..

May 3 (Hindu) You don’t have a Sri Lanka souvenir until you have one sporting an elephant. The Asian tusker has made it to nearly all memorabilia — from t-shirts to tea packets and stationery. Traders possibly believe that you can’t sell a souvenir without the elephant validating its Sri Lankan-ness. My first encounter with a Sri Lankan elephant was four summers ago at an elephant orphanage — one that had 88 of them — in Pinnawala, some 100 km northeast of Colombo. more..

May 3 (FT) The latest monthly poll research firm Kantar TNS reveals that more than three-quarter (77%) of the people believe that the value of the Sri Lankan rupee is unrealistic. Some respondents go so far as to state that there is no value in the rupee at all today while others point out that the value of our currency fluctuates often. Meanwhile, the majority (61%) of respondents feel that the rupee will depreciate during 2017. However, 29% oppose this view, while the rest (10%) are unsure. more..

May 3 (Island) JVP stalwart Wasantha Samarasinghe testified before the Special Presidential Commission of inquiry investigating the alleged bond scams. He said the financial and property loss incurred by the Central Bank as a result of increasing the interest rate of bonds at the auction by a high margin to benefit the then Bank Governor Arjuna Mahendran’s son-in-law’s company Perpetual Treasuries was Rs. 55,850 million. more..

May 3 (Island) Responding to a request, President has agreed to meet Northern Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran on May 17. CM is expected to raise Tamils’ concerns over alleged enforced disappearances, non-release of private land and the govt’s failure to solve the problems of the North-East people. Wigneswaran has also consulted several Tamil political party leaders during the last few days to find out whether they have any other grievances which he could take up with the President. more..

May 3 (DM) The Colombo City was disfigured with heaps of polythene and other garbage in the aftermath of this year’s May Day rallies, the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) said today and added that it took several hours to clean up the City. CMC Solid Waste Director Yogarani Sylvester said most of the garbage was made up of polythene wrappers and lunch sheets. “I cannot exactly quantify the amount of garbage collected after the rallies but it was defiantly high. more..

May 3 (IT) Tamil-Canadian business owners from Toronto who visited their Sri Lankan homeland have returned urging fellow community members to invest in the island and support its govt. Their appeal — unthinkable during 3 decades of Sri Lanka’s civil war — came after March meetings with Sri Lankan leaders who, the investors say, admit govt was partly responsibility for the war and the suffering it caused. more..

May 3 (DM) It was very clear that when the Mahinda Rajapaksa led UPFA faction of the joint opposition demanded a parliamentary debate on the collapse of the Meethotamulla garbage dump on the day of the National New Year, it had no intention of proposing any tangible solutions for the garbage crisis in the country. Neither was the govt prepared to do so though it had agreed to hold the debate. Now that the debate is over what has the country achieved from it? more..

May 3 (DM) Cabinet Spokesman and Minister, Rajitha Seneratne earlier confided to the media that President Sirisena had asked Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka to take over the army for two years to discipline the country. The govt ministers are now competing with each other to deny this. Their explanations are contradictory and ridiculous. Minister Seneratne stands by his remarks and insists that he acted with full responsibility with the blessings of the President and the PM. more..

May 3 (DM) JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva in an interview with Daily Mirror says his party will make a new political formation with the aim of gaining power. He speaks of geopolitical connotations involved in the Hambantota Port project and the Trincomalee Oil Tank Farm project. Q: In the context of current political developments, how does the JVP plan for its activities? A: As for the current situation, we find several issues. more..

May 3 (IPS) The widespread belief in the politically-motivated killings of journalists in Sri Lanka is predicated on a deadly irony: the hidden hand has always been visible, but the fingerprints have gone missing. The two most widely publicized killings relate to IPS UN Bureau Chief in Colombo, Richard de Zoysa, 30, in February 1990, and the Editor-in-Chief of the Sunday Leader Lasantha Wickrematunge, 51, in January 2009. more..

May 3 (SL) Meethotamulla residents who lost their houses to the garbage dump are today, facing many issues in obtaining alternative housing from the govt. The Sunday Leader found that while some of the residents had agreed to the housing provided by the govt, others were reluctant to accept them. Megapolis and Western Development Ministry states that 51 houses had been given to the residents of Daham Pura 23 Watte, 101 Watte more..

May 3 (PSL) The environmental program Parisaraya Pujaniyai (the Environment is Sacred), organized together with the International Vesak Festival to be held in the sacred premises of the Daladamaligawa in the historic city of Kandy, was launched today (2) at the sacred temple of tooth relic under the patronage of President Sirisena. This program has been organized according to a concept of more..

May 3 (FT) A group of refugees from Myanmar which was taken into custody by the Sri Lanka Navy was ordered to be held at the Mirihana Immigration Detention Camp by the Mallakam Magistrates’ Courts. The group, which included 16 children, was presented before the magistrates’ court yesterday and was initially charged with violating the Immigration Law, a criminal offence under the Sri Lankan legal system.  more..

May 3 (ST) Staff unions at the Central Bank (CB) are up in arms over alleged attempts to extend the tenure of two retiring Deputy Governors (DG), contrary to accepted practice and norms. CB Governor Indrajit Coomaraswamy or senior officials were immediately available for comment on alleged moves by the Govt to extend the terms of the two officers, despite the CB’s Monetary Board already selecting another more..

May 3 (EN) Central Bank has warned the government early to market price fuel to prevent the country from being driven to another crisis, as global petroleum prices rise. Although state-run Ceylon Petroleum Corporation made profits, with oil prices falling especially in the first quarter, prices were rising now and there were delays in settling payments from power generators. "Ensuring the financial viability of the CPC is crucial, more..

May 3 (LBO) Sri Lanka’s Police has launched an ePolice certificate system with the help of ICTA for the issuance of Police Clearance Certificates online. These certificates are a requirement for anyone intending to migrate or apply for work permits. The clearance branch currently receives about 150 applications per day from locals and nearly 300 weekly from Sri Lankans living abroad. People can now submit their more..

May 3 (Island) The Joint Opposition declared that it would go it alone at whatever the next election, under the leadership of war winning former President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Local govt polls are two years overdue while provincial council polls are scheduled in Sabaragamuwa, North Central and Eastern Provinces in Sept, 2017. Declaring that JO’s May Day rally at Galle Face had given a clear signal to the country and the world as to which way more..

May 3 (Roar) Former President Rajapaksa’s May Day rally is all everyone seems to be talking about these days—at least on social media. A crowd of roughly 100,000 people gathered at the Galle Face Green to hear the man speak, sending those on the other side of the political fence into a quiet panic in some cases, and a frenzy of denial in others. His supporters, on the other hand, have been attempting to equate 12-acre more..

May 3 (CT) Can any rational bystander make any sense about these cries of Hurrah! We are winning! while pointing out to relative crowd strengths at political meetings? We have seen this phenomenon occurring with regularity in Sri Lanka for a long time. We never learn lessons. Supporters of rival sides go into euphoria. That is the purpose in political parties gathering crowds. It is to create a false perception about winning. On the other hand, we have known many a time in the past that more..

May 3 (CT) The then strident and voluminous Tamil journalist Aiyathurai Nadesan was killed allegedly by persons known to many in today's political parties. That was on 31.5.2004 to be exact, Taraki or Dramaratnam Sivaram as journalists knew him, wrote of Nadesan's killing in a measured critique. But he too knew that his life was on the line. That was the then political culture. But all these years later, while the media and the people keep asking who done it?, none ask more..

May 3 (DN) President Sirisena appointed Thilina Bandara Tennakoon as the Central Province Sports, Industry, Youth, Women’s Affairs and Development Minister, yesterday. The appointment was made following the resignation of Pramitha Bandara Tennakoon from the position, in protest the removal of his father Janaka Bandara Tennakoon on April 27. Janaka Bandara Tennakoon was replaced as organizer for the Dambulla electorate by W.M. Yasaman and Daya Nandasiri. more..

May 3 (DM) In the wake of May Day, President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday proposed to the Cabinet to set up a committee made up of representatives of the unity govt's two main parties to iron out differences and forge ahead. Minister John Seneviratne is reported to have raised concerns about him being slandered by Minister Rajitha Senaratne in public while the other ministers had also put expressed their views in this regard. President said he would call for a meeting of more..