Nov 8 (CT) SLC announced a strong 15-member squad for the upcoming Youth Asia Cup 2017 scheduled to be played from 9–20 November in Malaysia. Team will depart to Malaysia on the 8th. Team will be led by Richmondite Kamindu Mendis, while Josephian all-rounder Jehan Daniel will act as his deputy. The selected 15 have been in continuous training since July as part of a larger squad of 44 and have been engaged in focused training sessions not only in their cricketing skills more..

Nov 8 (Island) European Union believes that SL needs to diversify its exports, if it wants to reap maximum benefits out of the GSP+ facility which was restored in May. Leader of a visiting EU Parliamentary delegation Jean Lambert, when asked in Colombo last week, as to what extent Sri Lanka had profited by the EU’s GSP+, said, "There is evidence of a pick up. But you need to diversify your export products to fully benefit from the lower tariff scheme available under GSP+". more..

Nov 8 (CT) Tamil prisoners detained at A'pura Prison, under Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), pleaded with EPDP leader and Jaffna District MP Douglas Devananda to forget the bitter experience he went through at the Kalutara Prison, way back in 1998 and do his best to release them as early as possible. He met the prisoners, including the three who staged a 40-day hunger strike demanding their release, on Monday. more..

Nov 8 (CT) Athletics Association of Sri Lanka (AASL) has finalized qualifying standards for the forthcoming Commonwealth Games 2018 to be held from 4-15 April in Gold Coast, Australia. AASL has based their standard on bronze medal performances at the last three Commonwealth Games and athletes who achieve or closest to the qualifying standards stand a chance of being selected for the Games in line with quotas given by the Sri Lanka National Olympic Committee (NOC). more..

Nov 8 (Island) SL migrant workers abroad threatened to stop remitting foreign currency to the country if the govt continued to delay the relief measures it had promised them in the last budget. Chairman of the Ethera Api Organisation MP Sunil Handunnetti said: "The govt, in its last budget promised, many measures for the benefit of migrant workers. In the same budget it stated that Lankan expatriates remitted USD 7 billion here though those workers continued to earn in hostile situations more..

Nov 8 (Island) UNP MP Ravi Karunanayake said in Parliament that his privileges had been breached by Additional Solicitor General Yasantha Kodagoda, who, he said, had made a false statement before the PCoI probing the Treasury bond scams. Karunanayake, raising a privilege issue, said Kodagoda had misled the Commission with concocted stories to tarnish his image. The former Finance Minister said that he was not more..

Nov 8 (CT) Sri Lanka Railway Station Masters' Union has threatened to walk out on a 48-hour strike commencing at midnight tonight (8). Several sources at the Union confirmed that several other trade unions associated with the railway service, including the Railway Locomotive Operating Engineers, Drivers Unions will go on strike from midnight tonight. This will mean that, all railway drivers, operators, station masters and guards will take part in this strike. more..

Nov 8 (DM) Claiming that there were more MPs who hold dual-citizenship certificates other than Geetha Kumarasinghe the joint opposition said some embassies and countries were not willing to reveal these details. MP Sisira Jayakody said some countries like Canada, Australia and Switzerland won’t give details of MPs especially that of TNA MPs. He said the govt has an obligation to obtain the details of the MPs and Ministers who hold dual-citizenship certificates. more..

Nov 8 (CT) JVP pointed out that the Govt should give a detailed explanation when presenting the supplementary estimates. "More than Rs 35 million had been spent on foreign trips in a single month, by Foreign Ministry. Govt cannot produce pieces of papers saying it needs this much and that much. Govt should submit detailed reports to Parliament outlining those expenses," MP Bimal Ratnayake said. He said, that when the Govt submitted more..

Nov 8 (CT) Actress turned politician Geetha Kumarasinghe was barred from entering the Parliament premises using MP privileges since yesterday, on a directive of Speaker Karu Jayasuriya. The Speaker's directive follows the receipt of a Supreme Court decision that Kumarasinghe would not be entitled to continue as a Member of Parliament as she holds dual citizenship. Supreme Court decision had been conveyed to Parliament on 6 Nov. more..

Nov 8 (Island) Minister Arjuna Ranatunga has accused Minister Dayasiri Jayasekera of fishing in troubled waters during the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday. Ranatunga hit back when Jayasekera alleged that due to the continuing petrol crisis, President Sirisna had been placed in a difficult situation and was being blamed for not addressing the issue. Ministerial sources said that Jayasekera had intervened while Ranatunga was explaining the circumstances leading to the petrol shortage. more..

Nov 8 (CT) The ongoing petrol crisis is expected to come to an end by tomorrow (9) afternoon. Secretary to the Ministry of Petroleum Resources Development Upali Marasinghe said that as the ship carrying 40,000 metric tons of petrol is due to arrive in the country from Dubai by 7 p.m. today, the ongoing petrol crisis could end by tomorrow afternoon. He said, though the ship was originally slated to arrive in the country from Dubai at more..

Nov 8 (DM) Supreme Court determination in the Chandrasoma Vs Senathirajah case (SC Spl 03/2014 -Decided on 04/08/2017), this August, did not receive the public attention it deserved. The silence speaks volumes for a society that chooses to languish in ignorance by choice. The ongoing political debate on a new constitution does not seem to have absorbed the nutrition the judgment offers for a discourse on constitutional making. Yet for a national political psyche hegemonized by more..

Nov 8 (DM) “Disasters are becoming increasingly common and dangerous. Many populations are vulnerable to disasters. As large populations are now urbanized, and living in coastal areas, they are more prone to disasters.”   “Disasters can occur without much warning. Many govts and populations are quite unprepared for facing or recovering after a disaster,” points out Adm. (Dr.) Jayanath Colombage, former Commander of the SL Navy and now an expert in maritime strategies. more..

Nov 8 (DM) Election Commission’s Member Prof. Ratnajeevan H. Hoole, in an interview with the Daily Mirror, shares his thoughts on the Commission and the upcoming local authorities’ elections. They will make us violate some law somewhere: Those who voted for the PC Elections Act do not know what they voted for; Our laws are full of mistakes; We are always in violation of something; It came to a matter of choosing more..

Nov 8 (DM) The impending fuel crisis has caused much inconvenience to the public. Long queues of three wheelers, cars and other vehicles and complaints by the public indicate the severity of this crisis. The rejection of a shipment imported by LIOC was one of the main reasons behind this shortage. LIOC accounts for 16% of market share in the supply of petrol in the country and officials claim that to date they have not supplied more..

Nov 8 (PSL) President Maithripala Sirisena says the great October Revolution gives us a valuable lesson about common man’s fighting spirit. The President was speaking at the special ceremony organized by SL Communist Party to mark 100th anniversary of the Great October Revolution. The centenary ceremony was held today (7) at Nelum Pokuna Theatre. October Revolution (Russian officially known more..

Nov 8 (Island) Former Deputy Minister and retired Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekera said that a recent statement made by Lord Naseby in the House of Lords pertaining to the Vanni war death toll could be the basis for Sri Lanka’s defence at the Geneva based UNHRC. He said Conservative Lord Naseby’s declaration that the death toll couldn’t have been more than 8,000 and one fourth of them terrorists had more..

Nov 8 (ST) Following protests, the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) has agreed to allow more Safari jeeps to enter the Yala national park from the main entrance after imposing a ceiling — but the move has drawn angry reactions from environmentalists and wildlife activists. Wildlife Director General M.G.C. Sooriyabandara said that following discussions with Safari jeep owners, they decided to allow one hundred more vehicles more..

Nov 8 (LBO) Power Ministry in collaboration with Ecotherm Energy Solutions Private Limited will be establishing a Biomass Energy Terminal in Homagama on Wednesday. With a capacity of generating 40 MT of processed and high-quality biomass fuel per day, this terminal will be inaugurated by Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya. SL Sustainable Energy Authority is implementing the Global Environment Facility more..

Nov 8 (DM) SLC may have a new national coach from Australia. There have been at least three former cricketers from Australia, who have shown interest to take over the Head Coach post in SL, it is reliably learnt. “Few Australian players have shown interest to be the coach, but we have not finalized with anyone yet”, the source said. Without elaborating more, the source gave at least three names, who have more..

Nov 8 (DN) The US has announced a grant of nearly USD 5,00,000 for organisations which can come up with ideas and projects to promote religious freedom in India and Sri Lanka. Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, in its notice, said it seeks to reduce religiously-motivated violence and discrimination in India through its USD 493,827 programme. And for Sri Lanka, it seeks to more..

Nov 8 (DN) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe said that all Grama Niladhari officers will be provided with tablet computers and other digital equipment to execute their responsibilities completing the digitised administrative system in the country. Accordingly, 14,000 tablets will be provided to Grama Niladhari officers as a part of the newly launched upgraded Lanka Govt Network 2.0, which is to network 860 govt institutes with digital more..

Nov 8 (AD) Cabinet has approved the proposal to establish a special High Court to expedite cases pertaining to crimes involving public property, money laundering, funding of terrorism, misuse of state resources and organized crime. The statement issued on Cabinet decisions states that expediting the hearing of cases on financial fraud, corruption, larcenous acts regarding govt assets and incomes and similar crimes has become practically more..

Nov 8 (CT) New insights into Govt's economic thinking in relation to human rights (HR), the island's geographical position and exports were revealed by Deputy Minister Dr. Harsha de Silva at a function in Colombo yesterday. He said that UNHR High Commissioner Zeid Al Hussein had told him that the importance of protecting HR is that it will give the investor confidence that his investments would be protected and not be burnt down due to civic strife as the country would be conflict-free. more..

Nov 8 (FT) The writing is on the wall, chaps. We need to do something. There’s a moral imperative, an economic and social necessity, but above all, it makes business sense. The facts stack up. It is time enough that business leaders, walk the talk on gender inclusivity and take on a measurable action plan with a clear charter of principles that will guide the business community and the industry and professional bodies to mitigate and reverse the enduring issue of women’s representation more..

Nov 8 (EN) Colombo port expects to handle six million containers this year, most of which would be transhipment traffic, Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) chairman Parakrama Dissanayake said. Colombo’s throughput grew 10.6% in 2016 to 5.74 million TEUs or twenty-foot equivalent container units) in 2016, with transshipment up 12%. The continued strong growth in container volumes was a result of the vision of the SLPA over the years and investment in upgrading infrastructure, more..

Nov 8 (SLA) Lieutenant General Mahesh Senanayake, Commander of the Army Tuesday went to the Colombo port in order to see for himself how the Army’s Mali-bound consignment of Contingent Owned Equipment, was being loaded to the vessel, scheduled to set sail in a day or two. The shipment with 55 containers, inclusive of self-sustained equipment, combat vehicle equipment, de-mining and explosive ordnance devices & various other logistic paraphernalia. more..

Nov 8 (Roar) You may have noticed Hela Bojun food courts when travelling out of Colombo. Spacious, with open kitchens, serving quintessentially SL food  at subsidized prices, these particular food courts scattered across the island were founded with two intentions in mind: promoting local produce & empowering women. Stereotypical though it may be for women to be empowered through cooking, this idea seems to work. more..

Nov 8 (DM) Number One in yahapalanaya recently paid an official visit to Qatar, the country in the Mid-East much in the news these days. His entourage included a number of Muslim purohitas as well as Muslim leaders and among the latter was much articulate national unity advocate Sally who is not even a member of the Diyawanna council. However, the bearded politico from Colombo Central despite being a Blue party senior was conspicuous by his absence in this entourage.  more..

Nov 8 (DN) A campaign launched by members of the UPFA administered Wayamba Provincial Council joined with the JO to protest against the current fuel shortage by travelling in bullock carts to attend the Council meeting yesterday, frittered out as only five members opted to come in the bullock cart to the Council meeting. All other minsters and council members ignored their clarion call and travelled in their official cars to attend the council meeting yesterday. more..

Nov 8 (NR) The planned 48-hour Railway strike has been called-off following discussions held between Trade Unions and the Secretary to the PM. When inquired, Secretary of the Locomotive Operating Engineers Union Indika Dodangoda said railway trade unions decided to suspend the strike action after receiving favourable answers to their demands. A special discussion was held between Railway Trade Unions and the Secretary to more..

Nov 8 (DM) A Presidency similar to the one in India should be introduced repealing the existing Executive Presidency, which vests extreme powers with the President, JO MP Kumara Welgama said in Parliament today. He said from the very begining he held the opinion that the Executive Presidency should be changed. "I spoke of changing the Executive Presidency at the SLFP Central Committee meeting several months ago after which I was not allowed to attend it," he said. more..

Nov 8 (AD) The gazette notification constituting the number of members to all local bodies is likely be issued today, announces the Govt Printing Department. Gazette was signed by Minister Faiszer Mustapha on Nov 1.  Accordingly it was handed over to Govt Printing Dept on Nov 2 for printing purposes. Govt Printing Dept had thereafter handed over the notification to Provincial councils & Local Govt Ministry for proofreading. Gazette notification is due to be handed over to more..

Nov 8 (PSL) President Sirisena says even though, few people in the govt leveled allegations and criticisms against him for appointing the Bond Commission, he appointed the Commission to fulfill the pledge given by him to the people to eradicate fraud and corruption from the country, while ensuring the fair justice in the society as a govt of good governance. He made these remarks addressing 2nd death anniversary more..

Nov 8 (DN) I am visiting this country on an official mission of the Govt of Japan, but my message below is my personal one as an expert reflecting my tentative observations as of today and does not necessarily reflect the views and positions of the Govt of Japan. It is critical to recognize that the ongoing efforts for the reconciliation mechanisms are for the entire people of Sri Lanka and are intended to benefit all of them in an equal manner. There may be some misunderstanding that more..

Nov 8 (CT) As an independent sovereign country, which also occupies a central geographical location in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), Sri Lanka must seek to maintain good relations with India, Pakistan, and China as well as the external power – the US, Senior Lecturer at the Kotelawala Defence Uni, Dr. Sithara Fernando said. He made this statement at the Institute of National Security Studies SL's Security Forum on the Strategies of Major Powers in the IOR: Implications for Sri Lanka. more..

Nov 8 (EN) Sri Lanka will sharply reduce import taxes on several food products from midnight Wednesday, the day before the budget is presented to parliament, minister Mangala Samaraweera said. The move is aimed at giving relief to consumers hit by recurring droughts and floods in recent months, he said. The import tax on potatoes will be cut to Rs1 a kilo from Rs40, big onions to Rs 1 from Rs40, dhal full to Rs1 more..

Nov 8 (Island) TULF leader Ananda Sangari says his party will field candidates in every constituency in the North and the East at future elections. The veteran politician said that he was acceding to a request made by the party constituents that it should contest in every constituency as they had an edge over the other parties. "As the TNA is now facing a crisis, the TULF has a clear advantage at local govt and the Provincial Council elections," Sangari said. TNA’s dismal performance in the NPC more..