Nov 10 (CT) An issue concerning the eligibility of elected Parliamentarians to continue as Ministers and MPs has arisen due to a revelation that many politicians, including three ministers are dual citizens. This has made them ineligible to hold elected office according to the Australian constitution. Due to the high court giving a ruling disqualifying two ministers, they must go out of the Parliament. The situation has turned even worse due a potential risk of a more..

Nov 10 (DN) The victory of the proletarian revolution in Russia in October 1917 was the key historical event of the XX century. Almost all the progressive and right thinking historians believe that it radically changed the entire course of man’s destiny and generated a marked development of a new culture in human relations. Great October Revolution not only laid the foundation stone for the first socialist state, ending man’s exploitation, it also inspired people of all countries to fight the York of Capital. more..

Nov 10 (SO) A silent killer, sneaking upon its victims systematically, and trouncing at the stage where their kidneys are beyond repair, CKDu was first diagnosed in SL in the early 1990s. The disease reached epidemic levels, where a Presidential Task Force was appointed to address the issue. Between Jan 2010 and Dec 2015 there had been 29,662 patients diagnosed with CKD/CKDu in 50 govt in Sri Lanka. more..

Nov 10 (GV) Juanita Goebertus is the Deputy Director of the Institute for Integrated Transitions. On a recent trip to Colombo, she shared some thoughts on the Colombian referendum, how it came about, her vast experience around planning for a plebiscite and other insights from her country’s violent history and how it could resonate with Sri Lanka’s constitutional reform process. We began our conversation with Juanita giving a brief overview of the Colombian referendum – why it was held, more..

Nov 10 (DN) Supreme Court verdict, declaring that Galle district MP Geetha Kumarasinghe was ineligible to sit in the legislature because she was a citizen of Switzerland through marriage at the time of the last general election, has caused serious concerns in the corridors of power, particularly in the JO faction of the UPFA. Kumarasinghe is better known for her charisma and glamour as an actress and starred in many award winning movies including Karumakkarayo and Paalama Yata. more..

Nov 10 (CT) UNP MP Buddhika Pathirana says UNP engaged in a battle to bring in this Govt and said it is through struggles that everything was achieved and went on to say, "Even though we have a National Govt, now, we are the motivating force in it." Q: Do you feel that it would have been better to have remained in media instead of getting into politics? A: Neither politics nor media was on my agenda; it's merely by chance that I got into more..

Nov 9 (GV) Mark Freeman is the founder and Executive Director of the Institute for Integrated Transitions (IFIT). As noted on IFIT’s website, Mark is a Belgian and Canadian citizen. He is a leading expert in international human rights and conflict resolution. Groundviews caught up with Mark during a recent visit to Colombo. We began our conversation interrogating the role and relevance of foreign experts, of whom SL has arguably seen more than its fair share of, more..

Nov 9 (CT) I refer to the article captioned Secularism and Its Discontents by, Malinda Seneviratne (MS), in Colombo Telegraph of 2 Nov. I state my point of view regarding the views expressed therein. MS has compared, metaphorically, the two issues in the Constitutional project as two bombs(a) Expunging the Clause relating to Buddhism and (b) Devolution of Power. MS states that “TNA M.P. Mr. Sumanthiran has stated the stand of his Party, and by and large, the group of anti-Sinhala, more..

Nov 10 (PSL) Polonnaruwa District Summit of Daruwan Surakimu (Let’s Protect Our Children) National Programme will be held tomorrow (10) under the patronage of President Sirisena. The program is carried out by the Presidential Secretariat in keeping with a concept of the President to build a better environment for the physical and mental growth of the children and to protect them. Save children from various menaces in society, prevent child abuse, ensure the protection of children, more..

Nov 10 (Island) The recent fuel crisis, whether created or otherwise, should be a wake-up call for authorities to have a contingency plan in the event the country faces a real fuel shortage in the future. Having to wait in lengthy queues for hours to purchase a few litres of gasoline, a question that would naturally arise in the minds of people therefore is cannot Sri Lanka do without imported fuel? The answer is yes, subject to fulfilment of certain requirements. more..

Nov 10 (DM) The local footwear industry is now on the verge of collapse due to an arbitrary decision taken by BoI, it is learned. Despite Prez Sirisena’s repeated assurances that he wouldn’t allow local industries to suffer at the hands of foreign investors, it’s debatable as to why the BoI gave approval to an Indian Company to manufacture footwear for the local market, a decision which could have an adverse impact more..

Nov 10 (Island) In May 2009, we ordinary Sri Lankans suddenly had everything before us, whereas for the previous thirty years, we had nothing before us. Most of us had been inured to believe that the separatist militants were invincible, and we were filled with incredulity when they were defeated. It was the best of times for peace-loving patriotic Sri Lankans living everywhere, but it was the worst of times for their opponents. It was the season of Light for the former, but more..

Nov 10 (Island) Sanity has prevailed at long last and medical students can now resume their studies, ending an eight-month-long protest. Sadly, the government took so long to grasp the nettle, having waited for the anti-SAITM campaigners to blink, but in vain. If it had been flexible enough without trying to bulldoze its way through, the issue could have been sorted out much earlier. Sadly, it allowed itself to be swayed by some pro-SAITM ministers who make no bones about their aversion to more..

Nov 10 (PSL) President Maithripala Sirisena says at the moment the govt has taken steps to reduce the prices of essential food items. The President further said that the govt provided these reliefs to the public taking into the consideration of the living standards of the people in the country and said that the present govt is committed to provide facilities necessary for the better living standards of the people. more..

Nov 10 (Island) St. Peters’ thrower Chanupa Cooray had odds against him when he came for the finals of the Sir John Tarbet Junior Athletics Championship at Diyagama. He had fever on the eve of the meet and it worsened in the night. But the thrower beat all odds to record his personal best to edge out Samindu Nimantha from Ratnaloka MV, Rakwana by a mere centimeter and win the Under-15 boys’ shot putt on Wednesday. A tight contest existed in the arena with Nimantha, S. Mithunraj from more..

Nov 10 (CI) Chandika Hathurusingha sent in a letter wanting to step down from the post of Bangladesh head coach during the team's tour of South Africa last month, according to BCB president Nazmul Hassan. He said that Hathurusingha had not discussed the matter with the board since then, but said he may be in Dhaka after Nov 15. Hassan said that Hathurusingha didn't provide a reason for wanting to resign, but had done a similar thing in August 2016 when SLC offered him more..

Nov 10 (Island) Mahinda College, Galle sprinter Hasiru Malwenna smashed two meet records within minutes from each other in sprint events and President’s Balika College, Nawala sprinter Ruwansa Weerakkody hogged the limelight for the second consecutive day with another meet record as juniors continued to rewrite record books on the second day of the Sir John Tarbet Junior Athletics Championship. more..

Nov 10 (Island) SriLankan Airlines added yet another prestigious award to its impressive list of recent global airline industry accolades when it won the Innovation in Commercial Airline Cabins award at the In-flight Asia Pacific Awards in Singapore on 1st November. Siva Ramachandra, SriLankan’s Chief Commercial Officer, said: "We are delighted to win this award, which recognizes excellence in innovation of passenger cabins. This award is an extremely valuable one since more..

Nov 10 (LR) Recently a public function was held by the Church of the American Ceylon Mission in the village of Pandatherippu in Northern SL. This was the final event of several held over the past year to celebrate and commemorate the arrival of the first American missionaries to Jaffna in October 1816. During this function which was attended by public officials, members of the medical profession and church members, a postage stamp and first day cover honoring Dr. John Scudder was more..

Nov 10 (Island) Former Test cricketer Chandika Hathurusingha is set to take over as SL’s Head Coach after he handed his letter of resignation to Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) yesterday. BCB confirmed that Hathurusingha had expressed his desire to step down. Ever since Graham Ford parted ways with the national cricket team, SLC has been having top level discussions with Hathurusingha. more..

Nov 10 (EN) Sri Lanka has proposed the removal of ban on foreign ownership of shipping and freight forwarding firms which was preventing the country from becoming a Singapore-style shipping hub, and also make changes to shipping regulation. Warehousing remains to be liberalized for Sri Lanka to achieve its full potential and use its locational advantage which has not been addressed yet, analysts say. Port prices are also not fully liberalized. more..

Nov 10 (DN) Siam City Cement (SL), also known as, INSEE Cement secured dual awards in recognition of the company's continued commitment and contribution towards fostering green production processes and a culture of environmental sustainability, at the Presidential Environmental Awards 2017 held. INSEE Cement's Ecocycle received a Bronze Award in the Solid Waste Management Category and Puttalam Cement Plant also clinched a Bronze Award in more..

Nov 10 (CT) Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) was not aware of whether the website, www.lankaenews.com, had been blocked. There is an ongoing Supreme Court case against the website and its Editor, Sandaruwan Senadheera over the publication of articles that were allegedly to be of a defamatory nature and were contemptuous of Court. Senadheera is currently residing in England. more..

Nov 10 (CT) Farmers of Vaddamadu, coming under the purview of Thirukkovil Divisional Secretariat area, have staged a protest march in Akkaraipattu, as the Officials of the Wildlife Department are preventing them from entering their cultivable lands and objecting to their lands being cultivated. The protest march aimed at regaining their cultivable lands commenced on 3 Nov at the Akkaraipattu Jummah Grand Mosque and ended at Akkaraipattu Clock Tower where they camped. more..

Nov 10 (DM) The UNP back-benchers have decided to meet President Maithripala Sirisena to find out who had criticized him for appointing the commission to probe the CB bond issue . MP Chaminda Wijessiri said they had decided to meet the President when they met at the parliamentary complex this afternoon. "The UNP back-benchers met the President recently but they never discussed the bond issue or found fault with him for appointing the commission of inquiry," he said. more..

Nov 10 (DN) Opposition Leader R. Sampanthan commended the Budget stating that it included proposals beneficial to all people including the Tamils, while TNA MP Sumanthiran speaking on the same line said their proposals too have been accommodated in the Budget. They stressed the need to implement the budgetary proposals in full. Maiden Budget speech of Minister Mangala Samaraweera was more..

Nov 10 (CT) Former skipper Angelo Mathews, who marks his return to the SL team, will have a different role to play in India as he is set to bat higher up the order at the number four position as a specialist batsman. Mathews (30) used to bat at number five and bowls occasionally during Tests for Sri Lanka after the retirement of Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, whereas earlier he batted further down the order at number six position. Out of his 122 innings' in Tests, more..

Nov 10 (Island) The 2018 budget is an investor friendly budget which will seek to promote investments, exports and employment through support for small businesses in order to move out of a fragile public finance situation, Head of Sales, Softlogic Stock Brokers Eardly Kern said. "This is an investor friendly budget, through which the government wants to promote foreign direct investment inflows into the economy," Kern told The Island Financial Review. more..

Nov 10 (Island) The military expressed shock and dismay at South African member of UNSG’s Panel of Experts (PoE) Yasmin Sooka calling the wartime General Officer Commanding (GoC) of the celebrated 58 Division Maj. Gen Shavendra Silva a notorious war criminal. The PoE comprised former Attorney General of Indonesia Marzuki Darusman, Steven Ratner of the US and Sooka. more..

Nov 10 (CT) A decision on whether State medical faculty undergraduates are to return to educational activities, following a month-long class boycott over the SAITM crisis, is to be announced today. It is rumoured that students may return to studies on 13 Nov. Both, IUSF and MFSAC said that although the fast unto death by the parents of students of State medical faculties had been called off, currently discussions are underway concerning how to proceed with other protest actions that more..

Nov 10 (MI) Maldives MP Riyaz Rasheed has accused Sri Lanka of assisting alleged opposition efforts to overthrow the Maldivian govt. He said he was concerned that neighbouring countries were allowing exiled Maldivian politicians to plot attempts to oust President Abdulla Yameen. “Every Maldivian citizen has the right to believe that the efforts of opposition figures in Sri Lanka today have the possibility of disrupting our future and our independence,” more..

Nov 10 (Island) Minister Magala Samaraweera yesterday presented what he described as a clean, lean and green budget. Samaraweera proposed a reduction of taxes on the importation of electric vehicles including electric three wheelers, cars and buses while rationalising the import taxes on vehicles powered by fossil fuel. The new formula for import taxes would be based on the engine capacity which more..

Nov 10 (Island) Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera, opening his Budget Proposals-2018 said in parliament yesterday that the proposals made by him for the financial year 2018 are based on a theme of Enterprise Sri Lanka. He pointed out that for Sri Lanka to become a middle income country by 2025, the country needs to achieve rapid economic progress and so the proposals made by him encompass all aspects of the economy to take the country in this direction. more..

Nov 10 (DN) Rs. 25 million allocated to establish a Virtual Blue-Green institute. Govt will bear 50% of the cost of Multi Day trawlers longer than 55ft to encourage deep sea fishing. Meteorology Department will be modernised. New insurance will be introduced for six crops including paddy; Rs. 40,000 per acre. Rs. 500 million allocated to offer loans under Entrepreneurs Sri Lanka programme. Strong anti-dumping and countervailing laws to support local industries. more..

Nov 10 (FT) Delivering on his promise to keep the Budget speech concise, Minister Mangala Samaraweera unveiled a slew of proposals to liberalise restrictive laws, promote exports, expand tourism, maintain fiscal consolidation, foster start-ups and open Sri Lanka to investment to achieve 5% growth in 2018. Keeping the traditional political and feel good statements short, he gave a short recap of economic ills more..

Nov 10 (DM) In this new millennium, the Buddhist prelate who made the most significant contribution towards the rebuilding of a just and fair society was Ven. Maduluwawe Sobitha Nayaka Thera whose second death anniversary was commemorated on Wednesday, at Ape Gama in Battaramulla, with President Sirisena presiding. After the end of the war in 2009, when the Ven. Sobitha saw that politicians were abusing and misusing public funds on a large scale and good governance more..

Nov 10 (DM) All hurdles on the road to the local govt elections have been removed finally with an amendment to the Local Authorities Elections Act this week to revoke the nominations tendered for the Maritimepattu and Puthukudiyiruppu Pradeshiya Sabha elections in 2013, Provincial Councils and Local Govt Minister Faiszer Musthapha had told Parliament on Tuesday. The allegation against the government for the delay in holding local govt election was not a 100% reasonable. more..

Nov 10 (ST) Security officials are attributing the upsurge in gang-related violence in the Balapitiya area, in the past two weeks, that left 4 dead and 5 injured, to political rivalry coming to the fore as the Local Govt (LG) elections draw near. Police said the three shooting incidents in which four people were killed and five injured, are due to rivalry between an underworld figure identified as Taraka and another named Sujeewa Soysa who is now in Dubai. more..

Nov 10 (ST) Animal Rights Activist (ARA) organisations are perplexed over the sudden appearance of dogs and puppies abandoned in paddy fields and bushes in remote parts of the country. Recently members of the organisations received calls within a span of a week from Anuradhapura and Panagoda informing them that several puppies and adult dogs had been dumped in those areas. ARA members who rushed to Anuradhapura more..