Nov 21 (LBO) Restructuring process of SriLankan Airlines align with suitable business partner dragged further even after two years without having meaningful outputs. In the latest fiscal management report, Minister Mangala Samaraweera said delays in the restructuring process have increased the burden of business loss to the organization. “The loss of the airline has increased to Rs. 28.4 b in review period of more..

Nov 21 (NR) Two petitions filed against Deputy Minister Ranjan Ramanayake on charges of Contempt of Court are due to be heard today. The petitions will be heard at the Supreme Court. A notice was recently issued to Deputy Minister Ramanayake to appear before court today. On the 21st of Aug, Deputy Minister charged that most judges in SL courts were corrupt. Accordingly, two petitions were filed at the Supreme Court by the General Secretary of Sinhala Ravaya more..

Nov 21 (NR) Two key figures of the Awa group that operates in Jaffna have been arrested. The suspects were arrested by the STF during a spontaneous road block during mobile inspections in Nirweli, Point-Pedro. A sharp weapon was recovered by Police during inspections of a three-wheeler the suspects were travelling in. Police also found pictures of the suspects holding the weapons while inspecting their mobile phones. An investigation was launched to arrest members of Awa group more..

Nov 21 (AD) Chief Minister of the Northern Province C.V. Wigneswaran responded to a question raised by a journalist on his view on the controversial actions of the Northern Province Education Minister who refused to raise the national flag at an event earlier this month.  Chief Minister stated that even though the National flag of a country cannot be disrespected, every citizen is entitled to their own individual opinion.  more..

Nov 21 (DN) Two cases filed against Shashi Weerawansa, the wife of NFF Leader Wimal Weerawansa over an incident where Mrs. Weerawansa had fraudulently obtained two passports including a diplomatic passport by submitting forged documents to the Department of Immigration and Emigration were yesterday fixed for further trial by Colombo Chief Magistrate. Accordingly, the cases were fixed for further trial on Dec 7 by Chief Magistrate Lal Bandara. more..

Nov 21 (DN) A case filed against former Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage for allegedly purchasing a house worth Rs.27 million at Kynsey Road, Colombo 7 through illegally acquired money was fixed for trial by the Colombo High Court, today.  Accordingly, the case was fixed for trial on Dec 13, 14 and 15 by High Court Judge Gihan Kulatunga. Meanwhile, MP Mahindananda Aluthgamage was not present in Court, citing that he had to attend parliament sessions. more..

Nov 21 (DM) While calling to appoint Presidential Commissions to inquire into ship deals, MiG deals, spectrum deals and advertising firms, State Minister Sujeewa Senasinghe said that he is badly disappointed about the President. He said that he called Arjun Aloysius only to write the book about the Bond issue and challenged the CID to prove that he called to commit a fraud. He said he expects to take legal action in this regard more..

Nov 21 (NR) UPFA MP Mahindananda Aluthgamage says members of the COPE who are alleged to have maintained contacts with those charged over the controversial Treasury bond issue should be removed from their posts. Speaking in Parliament he said a written request was produced to the Speaker of House calling for an investigation. MP Aluthgamage said the COPE is responsible of the finances of Parliament and referred to the COPE as a supreme committee. more..

Nov 21 (PTI) More than 1,700 Indian fishermen were allegedly chased away on November 21 by the Sri Lankan Navy which also snapped fishing nets of 75 boats off Katchatheevu islet. The fishermen belonging to the island town of Rameswaram were fishing near Katchatheevu on Nov 21 morning when Sri Lankan naval personnel came in four boats and threatened them, Tamil Nadu Mechanised Boats Fishermen Association president P. Sesuraja told reporters in Rameswaram. more..

Nov 21 (Roar) Last September, a young man was brutally murdered in Dambulla. He was found dead near the city’s central bus stand, with the weapons used for the act found in the vicinity. Mainstream media headlines screamed—not against the act itself, but about his identity. From transgender, to transvestite and cross-dresser, the headlines focused more on his gender, with the rest of the text highlighting how he would loiter more..

Nov 21 (NDTV) Sri Lanka batsman Chamara Silva became a laughing stock on social media after his failed attempt to play a bizarre shot in a match between MAS Unichela and Teejay Lanka at P Sara Oval in Colombo. It wasn't a scoop, nor he tried to play a reverse sweep to a fast bowler. It was an innovative shot of a new level. The 37-year-old went behind the stumps and swung the bat to play a pull shot but it seemed he forgot he could get out bowled too. more..

Nov 21 (Island) Minister Rajitha Senaratne said that a new pricing formula would be introduced by the Health Ministry to prevent private health institutions from fleecing patients. He accused private health institutions of failing to heed the govt call for an end to overcharging patients. He said there were patients who were forced to sell their belongings to settle hospital bills. There were also instances where patient died of the illness but the relatives had to pay their dues to the hospital more..

Nov 21 (LBO) According to the Land Affordability Index compiled by LankaPropertyWeb.com, which compares the land prices of a province against the average earnings of the residents in that province, North Central Province comes up as the most affordable for its residents, while not surprisingly Colombo is the least affordable. On the house affordability conducted within the Colombo District, Hanwella DS more..

Nov 22 (CT) Lester James Peries began his career in 1956. With Rekava he became Sri Lanka’s first professional director, of movies and not photographed stage plays. So simple and yet profound was the story of Rekava, so influential it was in gaining recognition for our dormant, static film industry, that no less a person than Mervyn de Silva, then writing to the Ceylon Daily News, put aside all historic and exogenous considerations, the fact that it was the 41st Sinhala film, more..

Nov 22 (DN) The people of SL, holding on to one another and trying to stand up on solid ground, have been slipping and falling from time to time from the many community pedestals they have set up for themselves. This has caused all to pull them downwards together and crash in a mighty tumble. The ethnic, language, religious, cultural differences have given rise to destructive rivalry leading to fratricide. All need to recover their senses and build ourselves into a national family more..

Nov 22 (SO) Wencai Zhang, the Vice-President (Operations 1) of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) will be in Sri Lanka from Nov 22 to 25 as part of an official tour. During his stay in Sri Lanka he will join Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera to launch a publication titled, Sri Lanka-ADB Partnership: 1966–2016, which highlights selected ADB-funded projects in the country over the past five decades and more..

Nov 22 (CT) I suggested that the Speaker introduce a provision whereby all Members of Parliament should be required to get Tax Clearance Certificates, when they enter Parliament and then subsequently each year. I do not think any Member can claim they were not liable for tax when they were elected, given the amounts they spend to get themselves elected. Even if this is supplied by their parties, they are still liable in that they accept such largesse and then spend it. more..

Nov 22 (CT) Leader of the Opposition and TNA R. Sampanthan made a fervent appeal in Parliament to former President Rajapaksa not to upset the apple cart with regard to the proposed Constitutional reforms and pointed out that it would not only fulfil the political aspirations of Tamils but even strengthen peace and reconciliation in the country. His speech in Parliament in support of the intended reforms clearly emphasized the statesmanship of Sampanthan rather than as a more..

Nov 22 (CT) Former Eastern Provincial Council (EPC) Chief Minister and current Deputy Leader of SLMC Hafiz Naseer Ahamed said that following the dissolution of the EPC, matters such as transfers and development projects in the region are disappointing. "We managed to establish a system where we looked after all the officers in the area. Thus, they delivered results. Ultimately all those things have been destroyed because more..

Nov 22 (Island) All signs are that the sins of errant political potentates who stood to gain from the biggest ever financial crime in SL—the Treasury bond scams—will be laid on a lesser person who has no political future to worry about and is in a position to run away, flashing a foreign passport. One shouldn’t be so naïve as to believe the bond drama, which is not yet over, will have an ending different from the frustratingly predicable climax of an edge-of-your-seat Bollywood thriller, more..

Nov 22 (DN) It is learned that the proposed, imported Mixed-Voting system, is designed to elect more than 225 parliamentarians through FPP and PR on an ad hoc 50:50 basis. The declared objective of FPP is to assign an MP from the area to be responsible for each electorate. In our view, the introduction of this complex system merely to assign central Government MPs to peripheral electorates through a high-cost General election exercise is preposterous, superfluous and meaningless, more..

Nov 22 (CT) The cliché that the SL govt emerged victorious in the separatist Eelam war but failed to win the hearts and minds of the Tamil population is very true. Not long after the end of the war began the attack on the Muslims. Both the previous govt, which is credited with the victory and, the present govt have miserably failed in creating an environment facilitating co-existence for its minority citizens. This dereliction is an indictment on the former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, more..

Nov 22 (Island) Former Royal Air Force (RAF) pilot Michael Wolfgang Laurence Morris, or Lord Naseby, has severely rattled the UN, relentlessly pursuing a war crimes investigation, in Sri Lanka, in accordance with Geneva Resolution 30/1, adopted on Oct. 1, 2015. Lord Naseby’s intervention on Sri Lanka’s behalf in the House of Lords on Oct 12, 2017, and subsequent two exclusive interviews with India headquartered WION news agency, embarrassed, and jolted, the Sri Lankan govt. more..

Nov 22 (Island) Sri Lanka’s young wicketkeeper batsman Niroshan Dickwella got under the skin of Indian captain Virat Kohli during the dramatic last session of the first Test against India at the iconic Eden Gardens on Monday as the hosts came extremely close to taking a 1-0 lead in the series. Umpires had to repeatedly intervene as Dickwella antics upset fast bowler Mohammad Shami, spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, more..

Nov 22 (Island) Nation waited with bated breath as the PM, in his capacity as Minister in charge of Central Bank, was called before Bond Commission. People had seen the ferocious efficiency with which the inquiry was conducted by the representatives of the AG’s Department, turning Dappula de Livera and DSG Yasantha Kodagoda into popular heroes of a grateful public, seeing their skill and determination in their search through the complex transactional twists and turns of the Bond Scam. more..

Nov 22 (ST) If Sri Lanka ever had put up a massive search to find out who the real godfathers of football are, it would be none other than those who silently contribute. Many who fall into that category are either coaches or trainers. From many of those individuals, Pathiniya Durage Sirisena, or P.D. Sirisena is a humble, yet household name in Football. Sirisena Master as he is known among the younger generation and Sira as he is fondly known by his close friends, never bothered to more..

Nov 22 (Island) From chicken sausages, nail polish, strawberries and chicken feed to glass and Damro chairs, some Sri Lankan goods are doing extremely well in India. They are setting a standard in India that the corresponding Indian products are trying to measure up to, former Finance and Economic Affairs Secretary of India Dr. S. Narayan said. 'Over the past few years, there has been a significant increase in the bilateral trade more..

Nov 22 (FT) The country’s insurance industry has experienced a slower growth and a dip in profits in the first half of this year as against a year earlier, according to latest provisional data released by the regulator. Insurance Regulatory Commission of SL (formerly known as IBSL), said the insurance industry has recorded a growth of 13.87%, in terms of Gross Written Premium (GWP), during the first half of year 2017 when compared to the same period in the year 2016. more..

Nov 22 (DM) A married couple living in a worksite in the Anuradhapura area was dragged into an unanticipated dispute which ended up in police, due to the behaviour of a young neighbour who had been forced to drink for the first time in his life. The young lad living in the adjoining house of the couple was known in the neighbourhood as a teetotaler, but on that particular day he had attended a party with his friends who had forced him to take a drink. The young man who tasted liquor more..

Nov 22 (FT) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe made perhaps his best pitch to woo a more proactive private sector role to usher in greater socioeconomic prosperity in the country, saying the time was right for reforms and liberalisation as no country has prospered with Govt investments alone. What could be described as the “most private sector-friendly or pro-private sector” statement, PM, who in the past has never more..

Nov 22 (DM) MerlionKids International (MKI) has preschool centres in Singapore and China, which follow the International Childhood Education Curriculum framework and renowned Singapore Kindergarten Curriculum framework, supported by the play and inquiry-based (Inquire-Think-Learn) Multiple-Intelligence Integrated approach to learning. Quality Early Childhood Education sets a strong foundation for lifelong learning. Offering a holistic education for children, more..

Nov 22 (CT) Sri Lanka's tea output is expected to reach 308.03 million kg this year with an annual growth of 8%, despite the glyphosate ban which is set to cause 10-20 Mkgs reduction in tea output this year, said Minister Navin Dissanayake. He forecasted that SL will export 285 Mkgs of tea this year, recovering from a seven-year low of 280 Mkg tea output recorded during last year. Meanwhile, the Ministry further forecasted that SL will earn $1.52 billion in exports this year more..

Nov 22 (DM) No one can issue certificates claiming the success of govt’s completion of its targets, President Maithripala Sirisena said while addressing the national programme achieving a land mark target of 100 MW solar power capacity addition to the national grid. 100MW Solar Power Battle (Soorya Bala Sangraamaya) programme was held at Waters’ Edge yesterday with the participation of President Sirisena, Minister Ranjith more..

Nov 22 (FT) Sri Lanka Journalists for Global Justice in a statement has expresses deep concern over moves to block websites critical of govt leaders.  “While we condemn mudslinging and gutter journalism, we cannot condone the practice of blocking news websites without a proper inquiry,” it said. “We recognise the need to regulate web journalism in keeping with international good governance practices, but we view with apprehension moves by the TRC and more..

Nov 22 (PSL) An award ceremony to commend the professionals in the fields of beauty culture and hairdressing was held yesterday at Waters Edge Hotel, Battaramulla, under the patronage of President Sirisena. This was the first award ceremony, organized for the development of these sectors. Nearly 16 professionals received awards from the President at this occasion. Ministers Chandima Weerakkody, Daya Gamage, Deputy Ministers Anoma Gamage and more..

Nov 22 (CT) Upon the submission of the report of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI), investigating the issuance of Treasury Bonds, to the President on 8 Dec, several actions involving the citizenry, Parliament, Auditor General, Police and Attorney General could be taken. The President may submit the report to the Parliament, whereupon an MP can request for a debate regarding the matter. more..

Nov 22 (CT) Despite highlighting that India was open to connect Sri Lanka's power grid with its own, former Secretary to the Indian Ministry of Finance Dr. S. Narayan said that this ruled out the option for Sri Lanka to export power to India. J.B. Securities CEO Murtaza Jafferjee, pointing out that Sri Lanka had excess power during off-peak hours despite occasional blackouts and brownouts, asked Dr. Narayan about the possibility of Sri Lanka exporting power to India. more..

Nov 22 (SLA) The extended general amnesty period offered to Army absentees (Absent Without Leave) to receive their legal discharge after reporting to their respective Regimental Headquarters ends on Wednesday (22). A total of 10,112 Army deserters, including 12 Officers, 09 Officer Cadets and 10,091 Other Rankers by Tuesday have reported back to receive their legal discharge accordingly from respective Headquarters. Upon expiry of the final day (22) of the extended amnesty period, more..

Nov 22 (FT) Violating finance regulations, a private account maintained during the period of the Rajapaksa administration to hold funds for the Commonwealth Games has set the stage for financial misappropriation of Rs. 900 million, Minister Kabir Hashim told Parliament, proposing to appoint a committee to investigate the shady deal in depth. Particular bank account opened at Bank of Ceylon in favour of CWG Hambantota more..