Oct 6 (CI) Sri Lanka women have left for their tour of the West Indies, beginning from October 11, in high spirits, boosted by a positive showing with the bat in this year's Women's World Cup in England. Despite losing six of their seven World Cup matches, the team crossed the 200-mark four times - one of which was a winning total of 221 for 7 against Pakistan in their final game - and came close in two other losing causes, with the only real blemish being their drubbing at the hands of South Africa more..

Oct 6 (NR) UAE will introduce a new cricket format when former captain Kumar Sangakkara and big-hitters Shahid Afridi of Pakistan, India’s Virender Sehwag, and England’s Eoin Morgan feature in a T10 league in December. Ten-over-a-side matches will run for about 90 minutes in Sharjah. Tournament will be swift, lasting just four days from 21-24 Dec. Former Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq and allrounder Shakib al Hasan will also feature in the tournament. more..

Oct 6 (DN) TNA Leader R. Sampanthan who met with visiting UK Minister of State for Asia and Pacific Mark Field called for a merger of North and East provinces citing ‘the two provinces largely represent Tamil majority’ adding that the constitution will provide for the protection preventing separation. “The majority Sinhala community need not be afraid of the merger of these 2 provinces as there will be more..

Oct 6 (CT) The Treasury (T)-Bond scandal, involving former CB Governor Arjuna Mahendran and his son-in-law Arjun Aloysius' family owned primary dealer Perpetual Treasuries, has resulted in foreigners staying away from the govt securities market (GSM) resulting in yields rising, market sources told this reporter on Wednesday. "Yields of treasuries, from two month to five year tenures, rose sharply by 20 basis points across the board yesterday due to slack demand," they said. more..

Oct 6 (DN) Hambantota Magistrate’s Court issued a restraining order preventing protests by MPs Namal Rajapaksa, D.V. Upul and others in the vicinity of Hambantota port, Indian Consulate and the roads leading to the Port today. Magistrate issued the order considering a request made to the court by the Hambantota Police. Police had come to know that a group of JO members were planning a protest near Hambantota Port against the agreement signed by the Govt with China to develop the port. more..

Oct 6 (FT) Ten more State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) have been identified to reform themselves for better financial discipline, transparency, accountability and performance by signing Statements of Corporate Intent (SCI) next year. Cabinet this week approved this major step in public sector reforms as well as encompassing other SOEs going forward on a proposal made by Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera. more..

Oct 6 (CT) Pudukuddirippu Police said that an individual who had been secretly manufacturing firearms and explosives in a house in Devipuram, Pudukuddirippu in Mullaitivu was taken into custoady together with firearms and explosives, on Tuesday (03). Based on information received by the police that firearms were being manufactured on a large scale inside a house in Devipuram, a sudden raid was carried out and the suspect apprehended. During questioning, Police had discovered more..

Oct 6 (CI) It is a truth universally acknowledged, that seven days ago, disillusionment with the Sri Lankan team was greater than it has been at any point in the past two decades. This was a team that had lost a five-match ODI series at home against Zimbabwe, a first in their history. This was a team that was whitewashed across formats by India at home just weeks earlier, losing all nine games; they had lost fewer home games to India in the entire 1990s. This was a team that couldn't decide on a coach, more..

Oct 6 (Island) Many an eyebrow has been raised over a govt decision to appoint former Deputy Governor of the CB P. Samarasiri a consultant to the Finance and Mass Media Ministry. After having reached 60 years, Samarasiri retired in the wake of an unsuccessful attempt to have his term extended. Samarasiri was one of the top CBSL officials, summoned by the PCoI probing alleged bond scams involving Perpetual Treasuries more..

Oct 6 (DM) The government today will launch a food production week as a vital aspect of the sustainable economic strategy outlined in Vision 2025 and to consolidate the foundation for a just, peaceful and all-inclusive society.  According to the Presidential Media Unit, President Maithripala Sirisena’s mission will be implemented as a comprehensive national programme in all parts of the country. Ministries farmers, students, public and private sector entrepreneurs and provincial councils more..

Oct 6 (DM) “These are Muslim terrorists who have killed Buddhist monks. Sri Lanka is not for them. They should be sent out immediately,” shouted protesting Buddhist monks who broke into the UNHCR safe house sheltering 31 Rohingya refugees at Mt. Lavinia.  This is not the first such violent anti-Muslim mob attack led by Buddhist monks. Neither President Sirisena nor PM Wickremesinghe, who vow to safeguard Buddhism and the Sinhala Unitary State, more..

Oct 6 (DM) Former Chief Justice Sarath N. Silva, who petitioned the Supreme Court against the newly enacted Provincial Councils Elections (Amendment) Act, in an interview aired his views about its consequences. Q: You, as the former Chief Justice, decided to challenge the constitutionality of the Provincial Council Elections (Amendment) Act. What prompted you to do so? more..

Oct 6 (SL) The new high-tech prison complex being constructed in Angunakolapelessa will house some of the most notorious criminals, once completed. Ministry of Prison Reforms said that construction of the new prison is now complete and is expected to be opened soon. The prison complex, built on 65 acres of land will house approximately 2000 inmates and will also have a separate hospital. The prison system in Sri Lanka has been more..

Oct 6 (ST) Four hours a day, three days a week, 60-year-old D. Gunatillake spends his time hooked onto a Dialysis machine at the Padaviya Base Hospital (PBH). It’s been his weekly routine for the past six months, since he was detected with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). Gunatillake and seven others fill the Haemodialysis Unit of the PBH to capacity each day except Sundays, to clean the machines. more..

Oct 6 (CI) Sri Lanka stand on the verge of a rare feat. Since beating Pakistan in Pakistan at the turn of the century, they have won only one away series against opposition excluding Bangladesh or Zimbabwe. That was the 2014 series against England and like the 1999-00 series against Pakistan, it was a humdinger - both triumphs built in equal parts skill, wit, will and grit. That is probably the best way to get more..

Oct 6 (DM) The Joint Working Group (JWG) between India and Sri Lanka is currently having negotiations on the establishment of a joint venture to develop the Trincomalee Oil Tank Farm. JWG has been set up to explore developments of roads, the petroleum sector and Trinco port and power projects. Managing Director Lanka Indian Oil Company Shyam Bohra said that the investor would invest US $ 1 billion in two stages more..

Oct 6 (Island) Breakaway JVP faction, the National Freedom Front (NFF) reiterated its call for the Joint Opposition (JO) to quit the UNP-led constitutional making process immediately or face the consequences. NFF spokesperson Mohammed Muzammil said that a desperate government was taking advantage of the JO’s continuing involvement in the Geneva-led process meant to introduce a new Constitution. more..

Oct 6 (EN) Sri Lanka has carried out difficult and long delayed reforms in political and foreign policy and has also begun key reforms in fiscal and monetary policy, though more remains to be done, Deputy Economic Policy Minister Harsha de Silva said. "There were many different reforms were needed to be done," de Silva said responding to a query about the pace of reforms since the new administration was elected in 2015. more..

Oct 6 (PSL) President Maithripala Sirisena says the govt will focus on introducing of insurance scheme for handicrafts artisans. He says the govt will pay more attention on solving the problems of handicraftsmen and women by providing required facilities and market opportunities. He pointed out the ability to convert our traditional handicrafts, which is our national pride and identity, into a way of earning foreign income. more..

Oct 6 (OHCHR) The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence, Mr. Pablo de Greiff, will carry out an official visit to Sri Lanka from 10 to 23 October 2017, to examine the progress made in redressing the legacies of massive past violations and abuses, including those that resulted from a conflict that spanned more than 25 years. more..

Oct 6 (DM) The Chinese investor which develops the Colombo Port City has already decided to invest US $ 1 billion in constructing a high rise building to house the proposed International Financial City. This is in addition to the original investment of US $ 1.5 billion for reclamation of land from the sea. China Harbour Engineering Company builds the port city. It is an investment of US $ 1.5 billion for the reclamation of 269 hectares of more..

Oct 6 (FT) When the ambitious Belt and Road initiative – with projects reportedly worth $1 trillion – was first announced by President Xi Jinping in the autumn of 2013, many were skeptical of this Chinese move aimed at building up economic connectivity of 65 nations (China plus 64) along its ancient silk road and maritime routes. For China, this New Silk Road would also serve to redirect the country’s domestic overcapacity and capital for regional infrastructure development to more..

Oct 6 (CT) It was revealed at Wednesday's PCoI that took place during the tenure of the current Govt, that on the eve of two T Bond auctions held on 29 March and 31 March, 2016, the heads of three State banks, namely the Bank of Ceylon, People's Bank and National Savings Bank, had been instructed by the then Finance Minister, the controversial Ravi Karunanayake, now demoted to the ranks of an ordinary MP because of these alleged scandals, to make low bids. more..

Oct 6 (Island) Acting on a tip-off, the Angulana police yesterday arrested the notorious criminal known as Kumbalawa responsible for over 40 burglaries and stealing over three million rupees worth of goods. At the time of his arrest close to the Angulana railway station, the suspect had two grammes of heroin in his possession. Under interrogation the suspect confessed to being a drug addict. He told the police that he sold stolen goods to raise funds for heroin. more..

Oct 6 (NR) Minister of Agriculture Duminda Dissanayake says all land that has not been used for cultivation has been taken over by the govt. Speaking at the launch of the National Food Production Battle inaugurated during the National Wap Magul Ceremony that got underway under the patronage of Prez Sirisena at Thibbotuwawa Tank in Kekirawa. Minister said govt is now ready to commence cultivation. He said the govt is ready adding that all agricultural research more..

Oct 6 (PSL) President Maithripala Sirisena says in order to make the National Food Production drive a success, Govt will remove all the taxes on imported Agricultural Technological Equipment. He made these remarks addressing the inauguration ceremony of the National Food Production Battle held at the premises of the paddy field of Thibbotuwawa, Kekirava, today. Holding the National Wap Magul Ceremony 2017/2018 more..

Oct 6 (EN) Sri Lankan logistics companies need to invest to improve the skills of their workers to meet new employment demands and start collecting data to remain competitive, said Thilan Wickramasinghe, co-founder and chief executive of Create Lab, an Edu-Tech start-up based in Singapore. Digital technologies are disrupting existing work practices but the rapidly changing business environment also provide opportunities, the investment banker-turned-entrepreneur told more..

Oct 6 (NR) The suspect arrested for attempting to forcibly enter the Wijerama, Colombo residence of former President Kurunegala District MP Mahinda Rajapaksa, in possession of a sharp weapon, has been further remanded until the 20th of October. The order was issued by Colombo Additional Magistrate Chanima Wijebandara. The defendant’s attorney reportedly submitted medical records in Court stating his client had previously received treatment for a mental health condition. more..

Oct 6 (DM) A young female medical student who was arrested on charges of deserting her 12-day-old infant son outside a dispensary in Saliyapura was produced before Anuradhapura Chief Magistrate and was later released on a personal bail of Rs.100,000. Police told the court that the 22-year-old woman was a university student and a resident of Polonnaruwa and had an affair with a youth in her village. more..

Oct 6 (EN) Commercial Bank said it has partnered with WEBXPAY, an online e-commerce platform for small and medium enterprises to enable transactions in Sri Lankan rupees and US dollars through credit and debit cards, mobile wallets and internet banking networks. The bank will provide an online sales channel to merchants in Sri Lanka through WEBXPAY, a statement said. “WEBXPAY helps manage buying and selling of products and services through any device, and more..

Oct 6 (LBO) Sri Lanka’s diversified telco operator Dialog Axiata has introduced a mobile payment app which enables bill payments directly through credit or debit cards. The new service, named as Genie will offer a common wallet to customers and many established payment options available in Sri Lanka is to facilitate purchasing of any product or service within the Genie network of merchants. Payment options currently available include Visa, Master, Credit or Debit Card. more..

Oct 6 (CT) I felt saddened by the sentence and heavy fines imposed on Lalith Weeratunga. It is very unfortunate that in our endeavours to arrest, remand and imprison those responsible for stealing the coffers of the Treasury, the first victim of that attempt happened to be Lalith Weeratunga. To my mind and to those of many others who worked with Lalith Weeratunga, I am yet to find a person who claims to know him as more..

Oct 6 (NR) Colombo Crimes Division has arrested another suspect over the unrest reported when a number of extremist groups protested the sheltering of Rohingya refugees in Mount Lavinia. The suspect was arrested after he surrendered to police. The 40-year-old suspect is a resident of Wadduwa. The Police Headquarters said the suspect was a former Police Constable and was currently serving a suspension. It has been revealed that three cases have been filed against more..

Oct 6 (DN) MP Udaya Gammanpila today filed a Fundamental Rights petition in Supreme Court seeking a declaration that the certification by the Speaker endorsing the passage of the Provincial Council (Amendment) Bill is in violation of Article 79 of the Constitution and constitutes an infringement of the Fundamental Rights guaranteed to the Petitioner by Articles 10 and 12(1) 12(2) of the Constitution. He is further seeking an order directing the Election Commission to take steps to more..

Oct 6 (DN) The draft National Audit Bill will be taken up at the Cabinet meeting next week, along with the report of the Ministerial Sub-Committee appointed by the Cabinet to study the legislation, Auditor General Gamini Wijesinghe said. The AG said Minister Dr. Sarath Amunugama, who is chairing the Ministerial Sub-Committee, assured him that the report would be presented to the next Cabinet meeting, without fail. more..

Oct 6 (NR) Minister Dilan Perera says the word Unitary will not be omitted from the interim report of the current proposed Constitutional Amendment draft bill. He said though the word was omitted from several draft bills in the past, it has been included in all three language translations of the current interim report. He said the word unitary has not been omitted from the interim report, however adding in the draft presented in 1995 and 1997 GL Peiris omitted the word. more..

Oct 6 (CT) Executive Director of Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ) Hemantha Vithanage says that over 2.5 million persons had been displaced countrywide due to the various natural calamities that had taken place so far this year. The number of persons who are being displaced due to natural disasters tends to increase annually. Due to the severe drought conditions prevalent in the North, North-Central, Eastern, Wayamba and Southern Provinces already 1.9m have been displaced. more..

Oct 6 (AM) Video footage of a senior police officer assaulting a Joint Opposition protestor has surfaced online. The video shows a policeman escorting the supporter when they are stopped by the senior police officer who proceeds to assault the supporter. As many as 28 protesters were arrested after they converged outside the Indian Consulate in Hambantota this morning in protest of what they have termed sinister more..

Oct 6 (AM) More fraud committed by former Minister Ravi Karunanayake has come to light when a scam in which provided state institutions with the option of leasing vehicles from three companies close to him was discussed at the weekly Cabinet meeting. At the meeting it was revealed that the former Finance Minister, instead of purchasing vehicles through a payment scheme – as is the practice – which is much more economical, leased vehicles from the three companies close to him more..