Oct 25 (ST) A leading Indian non-leather footwear manufacturing company is set to make inroads into the Sri Lankan market with BOI approval to sell 100% of its products locally in spite of protests from local footwear and leather product manufacturers. Veekesy Slippers Lanka Pvt Ltd, a subsidiary of VKC Group India, will be launching its production at its local factory at Ethukala, Negombo soon as more..

Oct 25 (ST) Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) after renaming the default board as Watch List with effect from January 2018 in line with the new enforcement procedures to the CSE listing rules, will be scutinising firms on their behaviour. “Now it’s easy and rules are streamlined for us to maintain tabs on these companies,” a CSE official said. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently directed the CSE to give effect to the enforcement procedures to more..

Oct 25 (CT) Sri Lanka’s so-called top universities have fared miserably in the latest survey of ranked Universities in the world according to the internationally recognized Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Asian University Rankings for 2018. The University of Colombo is ranked as 156, just one ranking higher than the little known Beijing Foreign Studies University. It has slipped even lower than the University of Dhaka at 124th place according to the rankings. more..

Oct 25 (DN) Sri Lanka will be hoping for a change of fortunes when they take on Pakistan in the shortest format of the game T20 in three matches starting Thursday at Abu Dhabi. Sri Lanka will play the first two matches back to back before they leave on Saturday for the third and final match which is scheduled to be played at Lahore on Sunday. “The most important thing is though the T20 squad that has been selected for the series is more..

Oct 25 (Island) Sri Lanka Cricket need to send someone to Pakistan to do a study on how they keep producing such quality fast bowling talents. Usman Khan, the 23-year-old left-arm quick was only playing his second ODI in Sharjah, but within 21 balls, he dismissed half the SL side with a superb spell that saw Sri Lanka being whitewashed 5-0. Sri Lankans had no clue what to expect as Usman brought the ball in and moved it away at alarming pace and tourists succumbed to 20 for five. more..

Oct 25 (Island) In 1976, business tycoon Kerry Packer having exhausted all means to convince the Australian Cricket Board (ACB) to sell their television rights to his Channel Nine comes up with a gem. Packer looks straight into the eyes of ACB President Bob Parish and Secretary Alan Barnes and gives them a piece of his mind. "Gentlemen, there’s a wee bit of whore in all of us! How much do you want? Packers’ sentiments are true with cricket officials in most parts of the world and more..

Oct 25 (FT) State Minister of Finance Eran Wickramaratne called for the establishment of a meritocracy built on the principles of good governance through the assistance of various actors, including the private sector. One aspect of the proposed new Constitution, he said, was to create a culture where State sector appointments are made according to merit and not at the whim of politicians. “Politicians can continue to nominate people, more..

Oct 25 (FT) As Sri Lanka searches for new growth avenues, Minister Kabir Hashim said Islamic finance could be used as a form of alternate finance to spur more investment and development for the country. Addressing the 2nd Islamic Finance Forum in South Asia held in Colombo, he pointed that Sri Lanka had played a pivotal role in many South Asian initiatives that encompass a wide array of industries. “The role played by Sri Lanka in Islamic finance in the region is significant. more..

Oct 25 (IHC) A grant assistance package of vehicles, equipment, machinery etc. meant for the faculties of Agriculture and Engineering of Killinochchi Campus of Uni of Jaffna was handed over to the University in a ceremony held on Oct 23, at the Killinochchi Campus. Consul General of India in Jaffna A. Natarajan and D.C. Manjunath, Head of Development Cooperation Wing, High commission of India handed over the material to the VC of the Uni R. Vigneswaran. more..

Oct 25 (CT) Highly-paid tuition teachers are now in the sights of the Tax Man and the Commissioner General of Inland Revenue Ivan Dissanayake says he is targeting 40,000 people engaged in this profession. Dissanayake said, that currently only a few tuition teachers have tax files. Taxable income for tuition teachers is any earnings above Rs 500,000 per year, under the current Act which is valid until 31 March 2018. more..

Oct 25 (CT) Former Australian Test umpire Darrell Hair has admitted stealing cash from the liquor shop where he was working, in a dramatic fall from grace for a man who enjoyed a successful, but controversial career in cricket. The 65-year-old, who caused a storm when he no-balled Muttiah Muralitharan for an illegal bowling action in 1995, took Aus$9,005.75 (US$7,041) between 25 Feb and 28 April this year. Hair had a gambling problem and that he was fired when more..

Oct 25 (FT) Supreme Court overruled the preliminary objection raised by the Attorney General on the maintainability of the Fundamental Rights petition filed by Perpetual Treasuries Ltd. (PTL). Bench comprising Chief Justice Priyasath Dep, Justices B.P. Aluvihara and Nalin Perera permitted the Counsel Gamini Marapana PC for the PTL to support for leave to proceed with the petition challenging the suspension of its Primary Dealer license by the Monetary Board. more..

Oct 25 (NR) Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Prasad Kariyawasam says at present, SL’s relationship with the UN is the strongest it has ever been. He said SL’s formal relationship with the UN turns sixty-two this year. Foreign Secretary made this remarks during an event held to mark the 72nd UN Day at the Colombo UN Compound. Secretary said the govt value the work of the United Nations in Sri Lanka. more..

Oct 25 (TP) President Maithripala Sirisena’s visit to Qatar aims at further enhancing bilateral ties between the two countries. The high-profile visit will boost cooperation between the two countries in several sectors including energy, trade and investment, said ASP Liyanage, Ambassador of SL to Qatar. Sirisena’s two-day official visit to Qatar begins today and he is scheduled to hold bilateral discussions with Emir Sheikh Al Thani as well as with high level officials tomorrow.  more..

Oct 25 (DM) The SLPP said Pakistan’s Election Commission Chairman had appealed to that country's Supreme Court about election-related matters, but our EC Chairman had failed to do so though the LG elections were being inordinately delayed. Party Chairman G.L. Peiris said in Sri Lanka it were the common citizens filing lawsuits in the Supreme Court seeking an order on holding elections. Commenting on Justice Mark Fernando’s 1998 judgement, he said the Judge ruled that more..

Oct 25 (Island) Ven. Medagoda Abeytissa Thera, representing Eliya organisation, yesterday said it would be better to have Tamil speaking leaders as President and Prime Minister than to divide the country on ethnic lines. The Thera urged President Sirisena, PM Wickremesinghe and those pushing for regional autonomy to consider having Tamil speaking leaders as the President and Prime Minister without further delay. more..

Oct 25 (Island) The govt remains weakest in terms of information disclosures and openness. Thus, information on the progress of 51% of the 2017 budget pledges is not forthcoming, Verite Research Assistant Analyst Nilangika Fernando said. "We selected for study 37 state institutions, which had been allocated more than rupees one billion under the 2017 budget. 14% of the promises have been broken, 32% are behind schedule and only three percent are showing progress, more..

Oct 25 (DN) During a special party leaders meeting held today over the upcoming local govt election, political parties mutually agreed upon to expedite activities so that the Election Commission may hold elections on Jan 27th next year. “It is the responsibility of the Elections Commissioner to formally announce the date, however at this meeting the heads of the political parties agreed to speed up and expedite their work so that the elections could be held on Jan 27th” minister Ganesan said. more..

Oct 25 (Island) A group of leading Buddhist monks vowed to take to the streets to defeat the govt’s move to bring in a new constitution or to amend the existing one – a move which they alleged would pave the way for the division of the country. Ven. Prof. Bellanwila Wimalaratana Nayaka Thera, said: "We do not think the govt will be able to get a 2/3 majority in parliament to bring in a new constitution or to amend the existing one. more..

Oct 25 (DM) Sri Lankans were not known to be a cruel, yet instances of outright wickedness are now rearing their ugly heads. We are shocked by the stories of little servant girls being abused and viciously punished for minor infractions by SL housewives.  I remember a 10-yr-old village child in the house of a teacher who was beaten unmercifully for eating a piece of cheese. Subsequent wounds sustained by her were bad enough to have her teacher-mistress hauled before a judge. more..

Oct 25 (DM) Executive Summary of a new report contests the govt’s demilitarization process and reveals, ‘Mullaithivu district, with a population of 130,000 has an estimated 60,000 security forces, giving it an extremely steep (1:2) force to population ratio’. If the contents of the said report are true and accurate, the resultant socio-ethnic undercurrents would be unacceptable and an eruption of unwanted preconditions to another blow up inevitable. One uniformed soldier for every two civilians more..

Oct 25 (DM) Minister John Seneviratne spoke about groups in the Govt that are frustrating others and his love for the SLFP. Q: During the recent past there was talk about you leaving the Govt along with some others. What happened to that move?  A: We actually discussed this matter with the President and following his advice the matter has been shelved for the moment. A decision regarding the matter will be taken some time later.   more..

Oct 25 (SL) Eye specialists have determined that Duminda Silva should be wearing eye glasses to enable him to see well mainly due to his age, being over 40. This was determined after he was taken to the Colombo Eye Hospital last week. Duminda Silva, a former MP, was taken to Colombo Eye Hospital due to complaints of poor eyesight. He is receiving treatment at Prison Hospital as he has been taken seriously ill. more..

Oct 25 (DM) Various cosmetic products are available in abundance in the market, but proper standards aren’t being maintained. It’s reported that some imported and non-regulated cosmetics are in the market and they contain Mercury, where the quantities used surpass the permitted limit. When scrutinizing these products neither importer nor distributor is mentioned. Therefore, we have to be extra cautious when using cosmetics. more..

Oct 25 (DM) The Badminton World Federation (BWF) yesterday imposed a ban on the Sri Lanka Badminton Association (SLBA) with immediate effect for violating international rules and regulations.  Secretary General of the BWF Thomas Lund in a letter to the President of the SLBA Interim Committee Nishantha Jayasinghe has informed they had suspended the SLBA under Clause 13.5 of the BWF Constitution.  more..

Oct 25 (NR) The Ministry of Megapolis and Western Development says land utilized for the Colombo International Financial City has not been granted on freehold to any party. The Director of the project Nihal Fernando said full ownership of the land will belong to the govt at the end of the 99 year lease period. He said the govt had to sign an agreement first and it was first signed with the Port’s Authority. more..

Oct 25 (DM) Amid calls for early local govt elections, EPDP leader and MP, Douglas Devananda requested PM Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday to set up new pradeshiya sabhas and upgrade the status of many other existing local authorities in the North. He said he was making this request in the context of the govt deciding to set up new local authorities in the Nuwara-Eliya district. more..

Oct 25 (ST) The Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) is still holding on to a balance of more than Rs 3.2 billion from money remitted by the United Nations Compensation Commission (UNCC) to pay Sri Lankans who were employed in Kuwait during that country’s invasion by Iraq in 1990, Auditor General’s Department states. The amount in US dollars at the prevailing exchange rate is more than US$ 20mn. more..

Oct 25 (AD) Rear Admiral S.S. Ranasighe has been appointed as the new Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy. A former Director General of the Sri Lanka Coast Guard, Sirimevan Ranasinghe was appointed as the Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Navy in July 2015.  He will take over from his predecessor Vice Admiral Travis Sinniah who assumed duties at the position just two months ago on Aug 22. more..

Oct 25 (DN) The Supreme Court today re-issued notice on Deputy Minister Ranjan Ramanayake to appear before the SC on Nov 21 to show cause regarding two contempt of Court actions filed against him for allegedly casting insulting remarks on the reputation of the judiciary and lawyers at a press conference. However, Deputy Minister who had been named as the respondent in the petitions was present before Supreme Court today. more..

Oct 25 (EN) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe delivered a public dressing down to SriLankan Airlines chairman Ajith Dias who is already on notice by the cabinet of ministers who accuse of him of being incompetent. The latest outburst from PM Wickremesinghe came on Tuesday at a national economic affairs meeting chaired by President Sirisena who had also indicated his desire to have the entire SriLankan board sacked. more..

Oct 25 (LBO) A group of SL film technicians and directors have requested the President to solve a problem created by an unscientific method of releasing and distributing films contrary to the National Film Corporation Act. Local film artist’s alliance headed by Rohan Welivita, in a recent letter to the President has suggested a set of proposals that would lead to a solution. “If this strategy can not be adopted in the long term due to any reason, we appeal you to adopt this more..

Oct 25 (FT) In line with the commitments of your Govt, to foster good governance, transparency and law and order; enhance economic freedom whilst optimising State revenue: effective management of the external reserves and reduce the ill effects of money laundering, and expanding informal economy, it is essential that strategic reforms be introduced as a priority. The under noted unlawful actions and challenges, which negatively impact on the achievement of the above goals, more..

Oct 25 (EN) Sri Lanka's 269 hectare sea reclamation project by China Harbour Engineering Corporation extending the capital Colombo, has reached the halfway market and the an environmental report will be open for public comments next month, officials said. CHEC Port City, the development company is reclaiming the city following an Environmental Impact Assessment with 72 conditions, Project Manager for the reclamation at Sri Lanka's Megapolis Ministry said. more..

Oct 25 (Island) Police investigating recent shootout at Henpitagedara, Divulapitiya yesterday recovered live ammunition, a bullet proof vest and explosives from the residence of WPC member Randeer Rodrigo. The councillor is among six underworld members taken into custody following a gun battle with police commandos. Under interrogation Randeer divulged that he had explosives and ammunition hidden at his residence. Police also took the wife of the PC member into custody more..

Oct 25 (Reuters) Sri Lanka is preparing legislation with tax incentives to attract investment into a big property development near Colombo port that includes a $1.4 billion Chinese-backed real estate project, a minister said. Development includes Port City, a project by China Communication Construction Company (CCCC) started late last year as part of Beijing’s ambitious plans to create a modern-day Silk Road across Asia. more..

Oct 25 (NR) A gazette notification has been issued extending the term of the PCoI to Investigate and Inquire into the Issuance of Treasury Bonds by six weeks. The gazette was signed by the Secretary to the President Austin Fernando. Accordingly, the term of the Commission was extended to the 8th of Dec. Commission was appointed on the 27th of January to investigate and report on the issuance of the Central Bank bond issuances from the 1st of Oct 2015 to the 31st of Mar 2016. more..

Oct 25 (CT) The United Nations once again warned the Sri Lankan Government that the slow progress 'on the pre-conditions for transitional justice erodes the trust placed in the Govt's capacity to move forward with the reforms that it undertook.' The UN Special Rapporteur on the Promotion of Truth, Justice, Reparation and Guarantees of Non-recurrence, Pablo de Greiff also stated that the State should "terminate military involvement in commercial activities and reduce military presence more..

Oct 25 (CB) After a clinical drubbing of Sri Lanka in the five-match ODI series, Pakistan will carry forward momentum into the second half of the limited-overs leg when they kick-off the three-match Twenty20 International series in Abu Dhabi on Thursday (26). While the first two T20Is will be played at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, the series is set to conclude at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. That the final T20I is scheduled to more..