Oct 26 (DN) There is something terribly wrong with the SL one-day international side’s batting. Can someone put a finger on what that problem is? For two successive series running the batsmen have made the same mistakes over and over again and suffered the humiliation of 5-0 whitewashes at the hands of Asian giants India and Pakistan in successive series. This is not the SL one-day sides that we have got accustomed to. Where are those big hitters like the Jayasuriyas and more..

Oct 26 (FT) Minister Kabir Hashim sought to defend his ministry’s recommendation to purchase 300,000 metric tons (MT) of pressurised Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) from Shell International Eastern Trading Company, insisting that a proper procurement process was followed.  A visibly-irate Minister Hashim sought to dismiss allegations against him for influencing the Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC) to favour more..

Oct 26 (Hindu) Proposed relaxation of travel rules for Tibetan refugees to visit foreign countries has triggered a debate whether such a move can be extended for SL Tamil refugees living in TN. There are about one lakh refugees in the State, of whom about two-thirds are in camps being run by the authorities. In an incremental way, the refugees are returning home under a voluntary repatriation scheme being administered through the Union and State govts along with the office of UNHCR. more..

Oct 26 (DT) Legendary batsman Javed Miandad on Wednesday said SL team’s upcoming tour to Lahore for the last T20 gave a clear message to the world that Pakistan had come out victorious from the menace of terrorism as international cricket returned to the country. Pakistan will play three T20s against SL, with the first and second to be played on Thursday and Friday, respectively, at Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi. Final T20 will be staged at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Sunday. more..

Oct 26 (CT) JVP alleged that Ravi Karunanayake's actions of ordering State Bank CEOs to make a minimum bid on bonds and taking a luxury house as a bribe, are sufficient to take legal action against him. "Even after investigations revealed evidence of his involvement, no legal action was filed," General Secretary of the JVP, Tilvin Silva, charged. Silva also said, that the JVP previously stated that PM is also at fault. more..

Oct 26 (Island) Following Lord Naseby’s recent address in the House of Lords, challenging the Vanni war death toll, Minister of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Mark Field has discussed the latest developments with him. Responding to an email query, Lord Naseby told The Island that he had met Minister Field, responsible for Sri Lanka on Oct 18. Lord Naseby said that they would study the whole debate on Sri Lanka, but specifically his proposals. more..

Oct 26 (DM) The PHU said the interim report compiled by the Constitutional Steering Committee was the foetus of a future devil child. PHU Leader MP Udaya Gammanpila said the govt bigwigs continue to say that the opposition MPs had been scared for no reason and that not even a draft constitution had been prepared so far. “Though the govt has forgotten, we remember the content of the proposal approved on March 9, 2016 which was about a new Constitution. more..

Oct 26 (DM) MP Ven. Athuraliye Rathana Thera today said he had opposed the Constitutional Assembly Steering Committee's Interim Report and added that there are several other burning issues in the country that need to be addressed, other than bringing in a new Constitution. Thera said that issues related to political prisoners and existing issues in North & East Provinces after the 30-year war need to be given priority. more..

Oct 26 (Island) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe has asked UNP General Secretary Kabir Hashim to conduct an inquiry into the conduct of UNP Western Provincial Councillor Randeer Rodrigo, who has been remanded in connection with a shooting incident in Divulapitiya last Monday. PM emphasised that UNP members should act in a disciplined manner at all times, with due respect to the law, a spokesperson for him said. One person was killed during the shootout between STF personnel more..

Oct 26 (FT) Indian and SL Navies will conduct Phase II of the joint oceanographic survey off the Southern and Western Coasts of SL from today until 21 Dec. The survey will be undertaken by Indian Naval ship INS Sutlej, which is an indigenously designed and constructed vessel which is fitted with state-of-the-art survey equipment. This will be the second survey which will be undertaken by Sutlej in SL. Ship was deployed to Galle & Colombo in 2004 in the aftermath of the tsunami to survey more..

Oct 26 (Island) Minister Dayasiri Jayasekera said that the govt could act on Lord Naseby’s recent call to Theresa May’s govt to review the much-touted UN allegation that 40,000 Tamil civilians perished on the Vanni front in 2009 in the final phase of the war. He said so when asked whether the cabinet had discussed Naseby’s Oct 12, declaration in British parliament that as there couldn’t have been more than 8,000 deaths, more..

Oct 26 (DM) When the then President J.R. Jayewardene held a referendum instead of general elections in 1982, most legal and political analysts said that while it may have been legal, it was illegitimate. Mr. Jayewardene’s Govt obtained a 50.1% majority at the referendum. But it was immorally blown up into a 5/6th majority in Parliament. This illegitimate move had at least two other major repercussions. It provoked the JVP to pull out of the political mainstream and led to more..

Oct 26 (DM) Mahinda Rajapakse [MR] is the front-runner in an opposition soft on the govt. Appears overcome, by the enormity of his personal problems. Best way to negative is to be at the helm of politics. Not cut and run …… from it all: as he warms himself for the LG polls in a bid more to save those close to him. (Will it ever be held? Will the proposed Constitution be sanctioned? Will the Bond scam miscreants be punished?). Makes MR entrenched in his present role for the want of options; more..

Oct 26 (DM) “Neither my life of luxury in the palace, nor my life as an ascetic in the forest were paths to enlightenment,” Gauthama Buddha had once said. Hence, by giving up on worldly pleasures, one can end the journey in Samsaara. But in most instances we fail to realise the middle path. While many Bhikkus have played a pivotal role in guiding people in their journeys in Samsaara, politics and other influences have distorted more..

Oct 26 (ST) Despite the Govt designating Nov.1 for the new FEC Act to become operational, regulations related to it have still not been gazetted. Exchange Controller U.P. Alawattage said, full scope of the new FEC Act will only become clear once regulations related to it are gazetted. As it stands now, FEC Act remains rather vague and abstract, he said. “Regulations are currently with Legal Draftsman’s Dept. more..

Oct 26 (SL) The COPE found that Rs. 1,705,343/- was spent by National Transport Commission (NTC)  to print stickers of destination boards and details of emergency telephone numbers on three occasions in 2015 without following the proper procurement procedure. This was revealed by COPE in its latest report. The fourth report from COPE (01.09.2016 to 28.02.2017) was presented to Parliament by the Chairman of Committee, more..

Oct 26 (PMD) The bilateral meeting between President Maithripala Sirisena and the PM of Qatar Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani held today. It was significant that the Qatari Premier met President Sirisena at the hotel where the latter is staying in Doha. The PM said the state visit of President Sirisena is a special privilege to Qatar. He said this visit will further strengthen the bilateral cooperation between the countries. more..

Oct 26 (DM) Govt is committed to introduce a cost-reflective pricing formula for fuel and electricity by next year, CB Governor Dr. Indrajit Coomaraswamy said. “Govt is now committed under the structural benchmarks of the IMF to introduce a pricing formula for fuel in March and a pricing formula for energy probably by September, next year,” he said. CEB has a near total monopoly in electricity generation and a total monopoly more..

Oct 26 (DM) SLFP was not only against the report of the Constitutional Steering Committee, it will also reject any Constitutional amendments if SLFP proposals were not taken into consideration, WP Chief Minister Isura Devapriya said. He reiterated that SLFP was anyway against a new Constitution and would only agree to bring in amendments to the Constitution. “We will act against a new Constitution if more..

Oct 26 (LBO) Sri Lankan tax file holders are hiding their true income albeit the direct taxes in the country are lower than many Asian countries, a legislator said. Member of the Committee on Public Finance, Parliamentarian Ashu Marasinghe said Sri Lanka’s tax revenue is currently comprised of about 13.1% direct taxes. Marasinghe said even countries like Nepal is collecting over 19% of their revenue through direct taxes. more..

Oct 26 (DR) A Scot facing trial over a club brawl has spent £15,000 fighting to clear his name. James Casserly, from Shotts, Lanarkshire, flew 5000 miles to see his case adjourned for a fourth time by a court in Sri Lanka yesterday. The 45-year-old was hailed a hero after defending girlfriend Belinda McKenzie during a run-in with Malaka Silva, the playboy son of a senior politician in a Colombo nightclub in 2014. more..

Oct 26 (DN) Minister Mangala Samaraweera severely criticized Retired Major General Kamal Gunaratne and MP Wimal Weerawansa over their violent and offensive comments on the new Constitution. Minister in a strongly worded statement accused them of acting as pawns of former Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa. He reiterated that the Viyath Maga movement was formed to cater to the future more..

Oct 26 (Island) The govt said yesterday that the Tamil people had issues which needed to be resolved and it would be addressed within a united country. Minister Dayasiri Jayasekara said that finding solutions to the problems faced by the Tamils did not mean dismembering the country into pieces or combining the Northern and Eastern Provincial Councils into one, as demanded by some Tamil parties. more..

Oct 26 (CT) Inland Revenue Department (IRD) has begun to hold a series of seminars aimed at persuading professionals to pay income tax. The first of these seminars was conducted on Tuesday and the target audience was the tuition teachers. Now tuition classes and tuition teachers are prevalent everywhere in the world, but Sri Lanka must be one of the few countries where these teachers are celebrities of a kind. Their faces adorn billboards in busy junctions and more..

Oct 26 (FT) Samuel P. Huntington was a Harvard Professor and was the Director of Security Planning for the National Security Council in the Carter Administration. He wrote an article titled The Clash of Civilizations to the journal Foreign Affairs in 1993 which created much debate and controversy. He then wrote the book The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order.  After the end of the Cold War he had noticed the rise of nationalism in the old Soviet bloc countries more..

Oct 26 (DM) Block-I of the Yala National Park was declared open nine days prior to the scheduled date on October 23 due to political pressure from a powerful minister, said Dr. Sumith Pilapitiya, former Director General, Wildlife Conservation Department (WLCD). The decision to close the park on September1 was taken by the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) and on the advice of a special committee appointed by the PM’s Office. “Although the national park was reopened last Monday, more..

Oct 26 (DM) President Sirisena is reported to have raised concerns about the failure on the part of the govt to contain the rising cost of living at Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting. For the second time, the Cabinet took up the matter for discussion with some ministers criticizing Minister Rishad Bathiudeen for failing to control the high living costs. It is learnt that President, at one point, said the govt would even find it difficult to face elections given the way the cost of living was increasing at the moment. more..

Oct 26 (DM) Astonishing revelations show how the former Secretary to the Ministry of Irrigation and Water Management, during the previous regime, had released a mobilization advance to the tune of Rs. 4012 million to  the Chinese Contractor of the Gin-Nilwala Diversion Project within 43  days. This secretary is now facing imminent arrest.  The investigations unearthed that these payments had been made sans proper approval.  more..

Oct 26 (DM) The outgoing Navy Commander Vice Admiral Travis Sinniah has been promoted to the rank of Admiral. President Maithripala Sirisena had promoted Travis Sinniah to the Admiral post with effect from Wednesday. He was appointed as the 21 st Commander of the Navy on August 18 and his term was extended by one month by the President when he turned 55 on Sept 26. Admiral Sinniah has rendered a noble service to the Navy during his 35 years of unblemished naval career. more..

Oct 26 (EN) Central bank has given three years for licensed bank to increase their capital to reach Basel III standards. "A time period of over 03 years has been granted for existing banks to enhance capital and to meet the minimum capital requirement," the central bank said in a statement. "During this period, banks are expected to formulate and implement new capital infusion plans and to take necessary measures to re-structure or consolidate if necessary." more..

Oct 26 (DM) Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) said it will not revise fuel prices despite heavy losses incurred during the past ten years. CPC Chairman Dhammika Ranatunga said the CPC had incurred a loss of Rs. 300 billion during the past 10 years and during the last nine months it incurred a loss of Rs. 68 billion due to the sale of fuel to state owned subsidiaries. “The LIOC has asked for a price increase. more..

Oct 26 (AD) Sri Lanka Cricket wishes to deny the alleged involvement of any official or employee of SLC in the purported incident of harassment of a female journalist in Abu Dhabi during the ongoing Sri Lanka Vs. Pakistan series. The incident which was brought to light by the lady concerned via her personal Twitter handle alleging it to have been perpetrated by an official of SLC has been formally reported to SLC by the Pakistan Cricket Board. SLC confirms it is neither an official nor more..

Oct 26 (DM) The topic of the new Constitution had been brought up in an attempt to sweep burning issues within the country under the carpet, the JVP said. JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva said the rising dialogue had become beneficial to the govt, and it was created by a bankrupt political party who lost power. Although there was an actual need for a new constitution that could safeguard the people’s rights, Mr. Silva said this unwanted dialogue had been created even before more..

Oct 26 (AD) Several roads within the Hatton town are blocked due to protests that have been launched by Ceylon Workers’ Congress (CWC) due to the govt’s decision to change the name of Thondaman vocational training centre.  Members of CWC together with several Central Province Provincial Councilors staged protests before the Hatton clock tower at 10.30am this morning causing severe traffic congestions more..

Oct 26 (DN) The case filed against Gampaha District Parliamentarian Prasanna Ranatunga and his wife was today postponed for trial by Colombo High Court for the fifth consecutive occasion. When the case came up before Colombo Chief High Court Judge Manilal Waidyatilleke, the Court re-fixed the case for trial to be heard on Feb 14 citing that the Court has assigned time for another trial. At the previous occasion (Aug 23), defence counsel sought a new trial date more..

Oct 26 (DN) The Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development Ministry has decided to temporarily suspend the importation of canned fish and fish varieties - except Koppara and Thalapath - to Sri Lanka due to an increase of local fish harvest, Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said. During a discussion held today with the fish sellers at the Peliyagoda fish market, they informed the Minister that the fish harvest from the southern sea and other sea areas is increasing gradually these days. more..

Oct 26 (DM) The IGP is reportedly facing unwarranted political interference demanding that the CID probe into the death threats received by Anika Wijesuriya from a relative of former finance minister Ravi Karunanayake, be stopped, sources said. Ms. Wijesuriya is the owner of the penthouse at Monarch residencies, a penthouse which was rented out by Perpetual Treasuries Limited (PTL) to be occupied by more..

Oct 26 (AD) Convener of the Inter-University Student’s Federation (IUSF) Lahiru Weerasekara and Convener of the Inter-University Bhikku Federation (IUBF) Ven. Tempitiye Sugathananda Thero, who were arrested for breaching court orders, were further remanded until October 31 by the Fort Magistrate today a short while ago. Lahiru Weerasekara was arrested by the Police, on June 23, while leaving a press conference held at the Centre for Society and Religion (CSR) at more..

Oct 26 (DM) With reference to the news item titled Death threats on Anika Wijesuriya: Political influence on IGP to stop CID probe that appeared on the page 01 of the Daily Mirror of 26.10.2017, the Police Headquarters said there was no such political influence to stop or transfer the probe and it will be continued by the CID. Statement sent by Police Spokesman SP Ruwan Gunasekera follows: ‘We would like to inform that there was no influence from anybody to stop or transfer more..