Nov 20 (CI) Dilruwan Perera survived an lbw decision after an unusual route to taking the assistance of the Decision Review System (DRS). At the time of the incident, Dilruwan was batting on 0 off 7 balls. He went on to play out a further 27 balls, and add 43 for the eighth wicket with Rangana Herath. In the 57th over of Sri Lanka's innings, Nigel Llong upheld an lbw appeal from Mohammed Shami when an indipper beat more..

Nov 20 (Island) The govt is left with egg on its face, having done its damnedest to cover up the bond scams, but in vain. It, initially, ordered a sham probe in an abortive bid to hoodwink the public and unleashed its propaganda hounds on its critics who flagged the issue. Today, everybody knows that some yahapalana cronies have made huge profits through fraudulent Treasury bond transactions. PM Ranil Wickremesinghe is scheduled to appear before the PCoI probing bond scams, today. more..

Nov 20 (Island) ­Veteran Rangana Herath yesterday clarified what prompted team-mate Dilruwan Perera to opt for a late review after being given out leg before wicket to Mohammad Shami on the fourth day’s play of the first Test against India here in Calcutta. Perera courted controversy after being ruled out for a duck when he shouldered arms in the 57th over to a delivery that cut back in and hit him on the pads. The batsman walked back, then turned around and opted for more..

Nov 20 (FT) Minister Mangala Samaraweera has stood his ground on the full liberalisation of the shipping and freight forwarding sectors despite the local industry stepping up its lobbying against the move. When industry representatives met Finance Minister on Friday, the latter had paid patient attention to their views. However, he had indicated that the original 2018 Budget proposal allowing foreign lines to more..

Nov 20 (Island) Govt’s capacity to borrow money is about to be exhausted and Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) are the only way forward to achieve our development goals, Director General, Dept of Public Finance P. Algama said. 'Since 1998 the SL govt has not issued any guidelines for PPPs and Department of Public Finance of the Ministry of Finance conducted the final stakeholder consultation workshop on Nov 15, 2017 to discuss the finalization of draft PPP guidelines, more..

Nov 20 (SK) Rangana Herath has been the unsung hero for Sri Lanka over the years in Test cricket. The legendary cricketer is the only left-arm spinner to pick up more than 400 wickets in the premier format of the game. In recent times, no bowler has exemplified the saying, Age is just a number. With the iconic spinner in the final phase of his stellar career, let us take a look at what makes this man special for Sri Lanka and why they will find it difficult to replace him when he eventually retires more..

Nov 20 (CT) A press release issued by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce stated that Menik Farm, the Sri Lankan refugee displacement village that entered the global limelight as the world's largest refugee camp at one time, has been brought back to life as part of a US$ 1.8 million national apparel initiative at village levels. "Reconciliation would be a distant dream without proper livelihood for IDPs and the war-affected," said Minister more..

Nov 20 (Roar) Hindu festival of lights, also known as Deepawali or Diwali, usually takes place late Oct or early Nov. It falls on the month of Karthikai (which, according to the Hindu calendar, is somewhere between Oct and Nov). We headed to the city of Nawalapitiya in the hill country to find out how the festival was celebrated away from Colombo. Brahmin – Siva Sri Sudaharan Dayalan Kurukkal: I am the chief priest of the kovil. I joined when I was 17, and have been here for 20 years. more..

Nov 20 (CT) The money market, strengthened by US dollar sales led by exporter conversions resulting in their intermediary banks selling the same to CB on Wednesday (15) which settlement took place on Friday (17), saw an uplift in net excess liquidity (NEL) by Rs 11,387 million (US$ 74.04 million), resulting in CB's reserves being strengthened by an equivalent amount. Conversions are based on the closing middle rate of the benchmark spot as at Wednesday which was Rs 153.80. more..

Nov 20 (FT) Ceylon Bank Employees’ Union (CBEU) on Friday staged a protest in front of Lankaputhra Development Bank head office, against a decision made by Ministers Kabir Hashim and Lakshman Yapa Abeywardene requesting the State bank’s management to recruit two employees who were expelled for financial frauds.  CBEU said the Ministers are requesting to reappoint two officials namely Wasanthi Nanayakkara and more..

Nov 20 (FT) Supreme Court fixed for support on 26 Feb 2018 to grant leave to proceed with the Fundamental Rights petition filed in a bid to reopen a portion of the A26 road, part of which passes near Kandy’s Sri Dalada Maligawa. Matter came up before a bench comprising Justices Eva Wanasundera, Priyantha Jayawardane and Nalin Perera. Buddhist monks and laymen have intervened to protest the rights petition. Intervenient-Petitioners are Diyawadana Nilame Pradeep more..

Nov 20 (Hindu) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe and his team’s attempts to change the Constitution have been facing a series of obstacles. President Sirisena and his SLFP are not enthusiastically backing the reforms initiative and almost all Buddhist monks are opposed to any constitutional change. Mr. Wickremesinghe’s constitutional reforms project envisages the abolition of the presidential system and return to a revised version of the Westminster model, replacement of proportional system more..

Nov 20 (DM) Implementation delays of the long term energy plan over next three year period could very likely trigger a power crisis that could seriously affect the national economy, Public Utilities Commission of SL revealed in its latest report. In the report which had been handed over to the CEB and to the Ministry of Power, it said a total financial loss of Rs 50.62 billion is expecting due to the implementation delays of power plants. more..

Nov 20 (Island) Former UNP MP J. Sri Ranga recently revealed that the govt had increased former MPs’ pensions by Rs. 10,000. Former Nuwara Eliya District MP Ranga said that he was surprised to receive a letter from parliament informing him of an increase in his pension. Pointing out that MPs were entitled to pension after completing one term, Ranga said that such privileges were unfair. Asked whether the JO was aware of former MPs being given a bigger pension, JO MP Bandula more..

Nov 20 (DM) The Right to Information (RTI) Commission, which deals with non-compliance with regards the Right to Information Act by Government Institutions, had received 438 complains this year, the Annual Performance Report of the Commission revealed. As per the report, which was submitted to Parliament last week, the Commission had decided that 218 complaints could not be taken up for consideration due to shortcomings in the appeal/requests. more..

Nov 20 (DM) The Govt had sought to introduce fresh legislation that, if enacted, would provide for the submission of information of Trusts, upon request, to the Finance Intelligence Unit of the Central Bank. Additional Secretary (Legal) of the Justice Ministry Piyumanthi Peiris said that the new Bill would be brought as an amendment to the Trusts Ordinance. She said that an Asia Pacific Forum had come to the conclusion that more..

Nov 20 (Island) Island political correspondent, C.A. Chandraprema, was threatened by Galagodaatte Gnanasara Thera while the former was at the funeral of Ven. Medagoda Abhayatissa Thera’s mother. He was speaking with a Nayake Thera when Gnansara Thera accosted him, demanding to know whether he was Chandraprema. When Chandraprema answered in the affirmative, Gnanasara Thera pitched into him, saying thamusege mama kana palanawa more..

Nov 20 (FT) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe last week declared that it was only in Sri Lanka that one could savour Shangri-La in Serendipity. He made this remark during his speech at the gala dinner to mark the opening of Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo with 500 guestrooms and suites and 41 serviced apartments on Thursday.  “There are many Shangri-Las in the world, many of them of luxurious standards, but none of them will have the spot that Colombo’s Shangri-la has,” he said. more..

Nov 20 (CT) A malicious and scurrilous countrywide sms campaign over mobile phones, by unknown unruly elements, led to panic buying of both petrol and diesel and long queues in the Kandy District last night. There are enough petrol stocks countrywide. This is really malicious elements attempting to sabotage the CPC operation and embarrass the Govt, Convenor of CPC Trade Union Collective said. more..

Nov 20 (DN) The Education Ministry has planned to set up a School Monitoring Board aimed at improving the quality of school education in the country, said Education Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam. ‘This board will be entrusted with the task of monitoring not only education, but also the material resources available in schools, Minister said. He was speaking as the Chief Guest at the annual Prize Day of Viharamadevi Balika Vidyalaya, Kandy on November 18. more..

Nov 20 (Stuff) A SL family in Queenstown that faced deportation this week has been given a short term reprieve. A humanitarian appeal has been lodged with the Immigration and Protection Tribunal on behalf of Dinesha Amarasinghe, her husband Sam, and their three sons. The family can not be served with a deportation order now until the tribunal makes a decision. Tribunal usually takes four to six months. If the tribunal decides against the family, they will have 28 days to leave. more..

Nov 20 (CT) The clash between two factions at Gintota had been masterminded by a former member of the Bope, Poddala Pradeshiya Sabha (PS), Police investigations have revealed. "This PS member, who is aspiring to be Chairman of the Bope, Poddala PS had instigated the commotion through his supporters, using a motor accident as an excuse, a senior Police officer said. Police Officer also said that he had been directly involved in more..

Nov 20 (FT) Shangri-La Asia Chairperson Hui Kwong Kuok said that the opening of the hotel in Colombo was a significant milestone and the company’s investment in Sri Lanka reflects its great faith in the country’s future potential. “We are delighted to unveil this beautiful hotel alongside the iconic Galle Face promenade. This marks a significant milestone for the Shangri-la Group,” said Kouk while speaking at the gala dinner to mark the opening of the Shangri-La Hotel, more..

Nov 20 (DN) Northern Provincial Chief Minister C.V. Vigneswaran said the conduct of his Education Minister who refused to hoist the national flag at a public function as inappropriate. Northern Provincial Education Minister S. Sarveshwaran who recently attended a function held at Perakum Maha Vidyalaya in Irattaperiyakulam, refused to hoist the National Flag as the chief guest. Vigneswaran said a public display of disrespect to the National Flag is not appropriate. more..

Nov 20 (Island) Dismissing UNP’s claims that parliamentary privileges of its COPE had been violated by the releasing of telephone data pertaining to ongoing treasury bond scam probe, JO urged Speaker not to drag his feet on dealing with those who had been in touch clandestinely with Arjun Aloysius of Perpetual Treasuries under investigation. UNPers, Sujeewa Senasinghe, Harshana Rajakaruna, Hector Appuhamy, Ajith Perera more..

Nov 20 (DM) At the rate the interested parties have been propagating the image of a Moonshine mafia these days, any outsiders might wonder whether Sri Lanka has become a land of mafias on the lines of Sicilian or American Mafia and may think twice about before visiting the country.   On the other hand, given the power attributed to this moonshine mafia by the concerned parties, which included chance of overturning govt policies, the locals here would have wondered whether more..

Nov 20 (DM) Why is there so little interest about a political solution among the people throughout the country? How is it that the reactionary forces in the South and the North have taken the upper hand in the public domain and gaining ground in rejecting the constitutional reform process?  The problem I would argue is the lack of political vision of both the Government leadership and the TNA leadership. Three valuable years after regime change have been wasted without engaging and more..

Nov 20 (DM) Road conditions in many areas of Sri Lanka are nothing to brag about, screaming for much improvement. Being Sri Lankans, we’ve all experienced the bumpy rides where vehicles drive over the potholes during which the person in the non-driving seat inconveniently hugs the dashboard. But, today’s focus isn’t on the natural wear and tear of roads, but on man made damage to roads.  more..

Nov 20 (DM) In fairy tales, all you need to turn a frog into a prince is a kiss. In real life, neither a kiss nor a magic wand will work but that doesn’t stop the public from expecting such transformations. In a few weeks, Sri Lanka will welcome Chandika Hathurusingha ending a months-long hunt for Graham Ford’s successor. And expectations are at fairy-tale levels as Sri Lanka look to a turnaround of the national cricket team’s fortunes. more..

Nov 20 (ST) SL National Commission for UNESCO has taken issue with a Law and Order and Southern Development Ministry directive to certain Govt institutions to vacate historic buildings in the Galle Fort which is designated a Living Heritage Fort by the UN agency. The order to give up 15 buildings in the Fort was issued by Ministry Secretary Jagath P Wijeweera early last month. more..

Nov 20 (Island) The Joint Opposition (JO) claimed that the Rajapaksa administration had followed the due process in impeaching former Chief Justice Dr Shirani Bandaranayake in January 2013. JO spokesmen MPs, Bandula Gunawardena and Sisira Jayakody reiterated that Dr. Bandaranayake had been properly dealt with by Parliament. JO MPs said so when The Island pointed out that they hadn’t followed more..

Nov 20 (CT) We live in wonderful times; when history is in the making, and we have front row seats to it. All we are missing is the popcorn. History will indeed be made in Sri Lanka, as PM Ranil Wickremesinghe will appear before the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) probing the CB bond scam, today. Being the very first SL Premier to testify before a PCoI is an undeniable affliction to Ranil Wickremesinghe. more..

Nov 20 (CT) Muttur, where Sri Lanka's greatest river, the Mahaweli joins the Indian Ocean, is one of the most beautiful parts of our country. It is a place of hundreds of freshwater pools teeming with fish and prawns, where elephants roam and peacocks dance. But the avariciousness of man is now destroying this paradise. Every night, hundreds of tipper trucks – some say 700 per night – rumble out of this place, more..

Nov 20 (Island) The SLMC wants the local govt election to be conducted without any further delay. This is our stand, says party leader, City Planning and Water Supply Minister Rauf Hakeem. Responding to a query at a media conference in Kandy on Friday, he said the masses were badly affected due to non-existence of local bodies with people’s representatives. It was a grave injustice caused to the people. more..

Nov 20 (Island) UNP backbenchers in Parliament, accused the SLFP bigwigs in the govt of being the main saboteurs of the Yahapalana project. UNP MP Chaminda Wijesiri told Parliament that the SLFP members were all out to derail the yahapalana project and the people were aware of the situation. One of the SLFP ministers who sabotaged the yahapalana govt plan was Minister Faiszer Musthapaha, Wijesiri said. more..

Nov 20 (Island) The Alcohol and Drug Information Centre (ADIC) has questioned the credibility of the research quoted by Minister Mangala Samaraweera to reduce tax on beer as the author of the study has told ADIC that it was his personal research and it was not conducted by the University of Colombo. Full text: "In his budget speech, Minister of Finance, Mangala Samaraweera stated that 49% of alcohol users in SL consume illicit alcohol more..

Nov 20 (AD) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe today stated that mistakes can happen, but the govt will continue forward with good governance as it has nothing to hide. He was speaking to reporters outside the PCoI, probing CB bond scam, after appearing before the commission this morning following a request made to testify.  PM stated that for the first time a PM appeared before a commission to make a statement. more..

Nov 20 (CT) Communal unrest in Gintota in the Galle area has created a panick situation particularly among Muslims throughout the country. Timely action taken by the Govt by imposing curfew and deploying the Security Forces personnel has brought the situation under control to a great extent. An accident where a mother and child were knocked down by a motorcyclist had led to an upheaval, resulting in damage to 66 houses, 26 shops, 2 mosques & 16 vehicles including 4 m'bikes more..

Nov 20 (FT) Mangala’s Mangala Budget was approved in its Second Reading by a two-thirds majority in Parliament last week. It would have certainly boosted his morale. Yet, so were the budgets presented by his predecessor as well. But, ex ante, as private research institute Verite Research had found, the Budget 2017 had gone into a dark abyss with only 3% of the proposals being implemented by mid-2017, further 32% remaining at various stages of implementation. more..