Apr 17 (CT) The foundational pillars of sustainable development are considered to be the Economy, Environment and the Social community. It is relevant to note here that a community is defined as a social structure that shares personal values, cultural values, business goals, attitudes or a world view. The stability and continuity of this tripodal structure of sustainable development is dependent upon the strength and support of each other. In the Sri Lankan context, more..

Apr 17 (DN) The new Inland Revenue Act replaces the existing income tax law and comes into effect from April 1, 2018. It’s stated aim is to simplify and modernise the existing code and it does take some steps towards this. Sources of income have been consolidated and some exemptions removed but it also introduces new complexities with regard to deduction of certain business expenses including interest and repairs. It aims to reduce tax holidays, which is positive; tax holidays go against more..

Apr 17 (Roar) Dutch-Ceylon relations began when Dutch Admiral Joris van Spilbergen arrived in Ceylon with three ships in 1602. He struck up a friendship with King Vimaladharmasuriya I and discussed future relations, including possible assistance to expel the Portuguese who had ruled over the Kingdom of Kotte and the maritime regions since 1580. A second fleet commanded by Sebald de Weert arrived in more..

Apr 17 (CT) This column concentrates today on a vital issue - the subject of despicable conditions of the existing public toilets in Sri Lanka, with two sentient examples to expose the gravity of this problem. An office worker once stood on the Enderamulla Station platform for the train to arrive. Suddenly he felt a terrible unease in his stomach, and with the increasing rumbling warnings he had to use a toilet for a call of nature! He went in search of the Station toilet, but his eyes beheld more..

Apr 17 (CT) Podimanike’s life was fulfilled. Her children were both grown up, and settled down near her house. Both she and her husband were now retired and free. She often found herself thinking of these changes in her life, and couldn’t help but feel a lingering sense of loneliness. Compared to the vital role she used to play when both her children were younger, she almost had nothing to do now. At 69 years, Podimanike had the usual array of illnesses not uncommon for her age. more..

Apr 17 (FT) Sri Lanka Telecom’s milestone listed debenture issue worth Rs. 7 billion was oversubscribed on its official opening day last week. It was the largest issuance of 10-year debentures by a corporate, and was the only AAA-rated senior unsecured debenture issue. The only previous unsecured AAA-rated corporate debenture was also by SLT. The latest issue offered a 12.75% per annum coupon for 10 years, and was priced lower than many bank/finance company debentures more..

Apr 17 (DM) It goes without saying that the JO somewhat spoiled the LG election victory of its official political party, the SLPP with its no-confidence motion against PM Ranil Wickremesinghe. However, the subsequent events unfolding within the ruling coalition point that the motion was not totally defeated. The morale boost that was gained by the SLPP after it came first in 232 out of 340 local councils at the Feb 10 elections was such that their demand for more..

Apr 17 (ST) It’s that time of the year when we look back nostalgically at the traditions of the past mingled with bright hope for the future. Families get together to celebrate the dawn of a new year and take part in performing traditional customs and rituals. Of these, boiling a pot of milk can easily be identified as one of the most important rituals in the Sinhala and Tamil new year calendar. Given the scale of celebrations, there are trades that more..

Apr 17 (CT) As the Sun moved from the House of Pisces to Aries four days ago, and a New Year dawned, Sri Lankans celebrated as usual with Milk Rice, lots of traditional sweets and family time. But the talk around the tables of the nation was about politics and there was a general disquiet among the celebrants with a good reason. Shenanigans of our political leaders had reached an absurd peak the week before when the Number One in Govt, Prez Sirisena had openly backed a move to more..

Apr 17 (DN) On the final day of the XXI Commonwealth Games Sri Lanka s Hiruni Wijeratne could not live up to expectations and had to finish her pet event the Marathon as the eleventh with a time of 2:49.38 secs. The winner Helalia Jones from Namibia clocked 2:32.40 seconds which gave her the Gold medal while Two Australians Liza Vetman 2:33.23 secs. and Jesica Trengove 2:34.09 secs. were the silver and bronze medal winners respectively. more..

Apr 17 (CB) Sri Lanka Cricket's coaching department is set for a major overhaul with former Test cricketer Asanka Gurusinha set to take up as High Performance Manager. Gurusinha, 51, was appointed as Cricket Manager in March 2017 and was later handed more powers after being named a selector. He is expected to take over the position vacated by Englishman Simon Willis. more..

Apr 17 (CNT) Sri Lanka serves as the perfect segue between Southeast and South Asia: a laid-back island where Buddhism is the dominant religion and dhal curry is the dominant dish. A 3.5-hour flight from Singapore’s Changi will deposit you at Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport; from there, it's on to the capital city and Galle Fort—just come ready for a walking tour or two. It’s an hour-long drive from the airport to the Galle Face Hotel, a colonial-era grande dame more..

Apr 17 (CT) Sri Lanka Junior, Cadet and Hopes teams will be leaving to Male, the Maldives to take part in the South Asian Junior, Cadet and Hopes table tennis championship 2018, on 19th April 2018. The championship will be held from 20 April to 22 April with the participation of six South Asian countries; the giant India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, the Maldives and Sri Lanka. The championship will also be used to select the South Asian nations for the Asian championship more..

Apr 17 (CT) It was the most successful Commonwealth Games for Sri Lanka as the island nation finished with six medals, most medals tally in history at the last Commonwealth Games, that was held at Gold Coast, Australia. Weight lifting and Boxing were only teams that produced medals but there were some impressive performances from other athletes too which should be appreciated given the fact that more..

Apr 17 (CT) Conservationists allege that the Govt is planning to launch a housing project in a highly environmentally-sensitive forest reserve area in the Nuwara Eliya District, located 5,000 feet above sea level. Executive Director of the Centre for Environmental and Nature Studies Ravindra Kariyawasam claimed that the Govt is going to destroy 2.3656 hectares of the Katuwana forest reserve, located near the Seetha Eliya forest reserve. “The area is rich with biodiversity more..

Apr 17 (CN) The complex investigation into alleged serial killer Bruce McArthur took another twist on Monday as Toronto police laid an eighth murder charge related to the death of a man who bucked the primary trend in the case. Unlike McArthur’s other seven alleged victims, Toronto police said 37-year-old Kirushna Kumar Kanagaratnam is not believed to have had ties to the city’s LGBTQ community or a downtown neighbourhood known as the gay village. more..

Apr 17 (FT) SL’s largest ever Sovereign Bond issue with a combined value of $ 2.5 billion successfully concluded late last week, drawing widespread demand from global investors and enabling the Central Bank to close the issuance at attractive pricing with the help of Joint Lead Managers and Bookrunners. On 11 April 2018, the CB, on behalf of the Govt, marked its return to US dollar bond markets with a successful more..

Apr 17 (DN) A cursory glance at the itinerary released by Sri Lanka Cricket for South Africa’s cricket tour here in July-August gives one the impression that the SLC is rather keen to make a few extra bucks at the expense of a Test match. Test cricket for them is the sacrificial lamb. So instead of a three-Test series with the current second ranked Test team in the world that would have given our cricketers the much needed exposure at top level we are confining more..

Apr 16 (Xinhua) A 21-member delegation from the Pakistani National Defense University (NDU) is on a study tour in Sri Lanka till April 19, a statement from the Pakistani High Commission in SL said. The statement said the delegation comprised senior officers from the Pakistani Armed Forces, Civil Services, and officers from other countries, who are undergoing the National Security and War Course at the NDU. The delegation visited the Pakistani HC for an interactive session on Monday. more..

Apr 17 (FT) Registrar of Companies (RoC) maintains that the new amendment to the Companies Act No. 7 of 2007 has included a new provision on Disclosure on beneficial ownership as an anti-money laundering tool to ensure greater transparency and not for the CID to extract the financial information of company directors. It was pointed out that according to the existing Companies Act all information on registered companies more..

Apr 17 (GDI) Arrangements have been made to conduct the State Vesak Festival of 2562nd year of Sri Buddhist Era at the historical Bingiriya Devagiri Rajamaha Viharaya in the Kurunegala District this year. The national Vesak festival will be held on Vesak Full Moon Poya Day, which falls on April 29th this year, under the auspices of President Maithripala Sirisena under the theme of Demunu Sitha Suwa Gena De. Cabinet of Ministers noted that the Minister of Buddhasasana more..

Apr 17 (NR) The Tamil United Liberation Front today acquired power in the Vavuniya Urban Council. The TNA despite holding a majority at the Vavuniya UC lost the Council to the TULF. The TULF claimed power during the vote held to elect the Mayor of the Vavuniya UC. Eight members of the TNA were elected to the Vavuniya UC at the recently concluded Local Authorities Election while three members of the Tamil United liberation Front were elected to the Council. more..

Apr 17 (PSL) President Maithripala Sirisena reached London this morning (16) to attend the CHOGM 2018. He was received by the Commonwealth officials and Sri lanka High Commission staff. A Sri Lankan child offered beetle leaves to receive the President in accordance with the traditional custom. A girl offered a bouquet to Madam Jayanthi Sirisena. President will take part in the CHOGM, of which the theme this year more..

Apr 17 (Island) Acting on a tip-off, the Galle branch of the Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB), arrested a person close to Bandarawatte railway crossing in the Hikkaduwa police area on Sunday afternoon. The 27-year-old suspect had three grammes and 450 mg of heroin in his possession and under interrogation he had led the investigators to his wife’s home at Weragoda in the Meetiyagoda police area, where a revolver, three rounds of 9mm ammunition and a hand grenade were recovered. more..

Apr 17 (DM) Countries from across the Commonwealth have yesterday pledged to eliminate avoidable single use plastic in an ambitious bid to clean up the world’s oceans. PM Theresa May announced that New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Ghana have joined the UK and Vanuatu-led Commonwealth Clean Oceans Alliance – an agreement between member states to join forces in the fight against plastic pollution. Britain, together with CCOA joint chair Vanuatu, will call on other countries to more..

Apr 17 (DM) University non-academics will resume duties today after a work stoppage of 44 days crippling the entire university system. UGC issued the circular granting the union demand of 10% salary increment last Tuesday, after that, they called off their strike. Following a discussion held with Minister Kabir Hashim early this month, University non-academic staff was ready to report to duty from Apr 4, however, was postponed as more..

Apr 17 (PSL) President Maithripala Sirisena who is in London to attend the CHOGM 2018 took part in the Oil Anointing Ceremony held at the London Buddhist Vihara, today (16). Ven Bogoda Seelawimala Nayaka Thera, the incumbent Head Priest of the London Buddhist Vihara and the current Chief Sangha Nayaka of Great Britain anointed oil on the head of the President and others. Later, President engaged in religious observances at the temple. more..

Apr 17 (AD) A 72-year-old woman who returned to Sri Lanka after being employed in Kuwait for the past 40 years was reportedly left stranded at the BIA in Katunayake. The woman, with no money or property belonging to her, did not have any relatives or guardians to receive her at the airport yesterday (15). She was then directed to the Sahana Piyasa welfare centre of the SL Foreign Employment Bureau at Katunayaka. Pinnaduwage Gunawathie, a resident of Ambalangoda area, more..

Apr 17 (EN) Central bank has warned the public on the use of virtual or cryptocurrencies, private currencies which are competing with the state, some of which have so far been stronger than depreciating and hyperinflating fiat money issued by centralized authorities. CB said they are risky and their use could fall foul of anti-money laundering laws. "Virtual currencies such as cryptocurrencies use decentralised peer-to-peer digital more..

Apr 17 (NR) The Police Headquarters says at least 12 people were killed and 69 injured in accidents on the day of the Sinhala and Tamil New Year. Police Headquarters said 12 fatal accidents were reported during the 12-hour period from 6pm on Saturday to 6am on Sunday. Furthermore, it said a further 22 people suffered serious injuries and 47 suffered minor injuries from road accidents. Seventeen accidents which damaged property were also reported during the period. more..

Apr 17 (EN) The World Bank says Sri Lanka's economy will rebound in 2018 with annual growth averaging 4.5% in the medium term, driven by private consumption and investment but warned against delaying reforms. "A further slowdown in reform implementation, in a challenging political environment, remains the key risk, the World Bank said in a report, South Asia Economic Focus Spring 2018: Jobless Growth? "The impending election cycle elevates this risk. more..

Apr 17 (CT) Former Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage was yesterday remanded until today the Colombo Fort Magistrate, Lanka Jayaratne, due to his failure to fulfil bail conditions. Aluthgamage was arrested by the FCID on a charge of financial fraud to the tune of Rs 39 million in the purchase of sports equipment. When produced before the Magistrate, he was allowed bail in Rs 35,000 cash with a surety in Rs 100,000 more..

Apr 18 (Island) The Consultation Task Force on Reconciliation Mechanisms (CTFRM), headed by attorney-at-law Manori Muttetuwegama, in January 2017 recommended that the proposed Judicial Mechanism (JM) to try cases of war crimes have at least one foreign judge in every bench. But, the CTFRM made it a point to stress that the majority of the judges will be Sri Lankan. CTFRM released the report on the eve of the 3rd anniversary of Prez Sirisena’s victory over his predecessor more..

Apr 18 (DN) A civilized society to maintain freedom, equality, justice and fairness within its territory, fundamental human rights, guarantee the dignity and well-being of all the people & independence of judiciary frames and puts in place with the moral consent of all its citizens, in common and for their good and well-being, a basic supreme law so that with other just and fair laws that flow from it, such a society could develop consistently and prosper for the common benefit of all. more..

Apr 18 (SO) Minister Faiszer Mustapha, explaining their stance at the crucial vote on the No Confidence Motion against the PM on April 4 said, they believe a stable govt is more important at this point of time, hence their decision to abstain from voting. Denying accusations that they backtracked from a collective decision to vote for the NCM, he said, the President gave everyone the freedom to vote according to their conscience. more..

Apr 18 (FT) Central Bank has brought $ 2.5 billion to the country by issuing SL Govt Sovereign but Senior Unsecured Notes in the international markets. Senior means that in the event of a general default of foreign loans by SL, the investors concerned will get priority over its other creditors. This is of course not materially significant since, if a country had made a general default, any recovery would involve protracted international litigation similar to the recent experiences in Argentina. more..

Apr 18 (FT) A lamentable trend in national affairs of late has been to interpret reality on the surface of the status quo. If it is managed spectacles like no-confidence motions that divert attention from unpopular fiscal policy, for instance, we pick our horse and (at the risk of being violently unseated) we back our bête noire to the freshly minted politburo and back. Or if it is Machiavellian strategies to enter into cynical political marriages – as between MS and RW in the past, more..

Apr 18 (CT) Leader of the JVP, Anura Kumara Dissanayake says Ranil Wickremesinghe is not suitable to hold the post of PM not only because of the Treasury Bond Fraud, but because of his politics. "It was only the JVP who continuously brought up allegations against the PM.” Q: Were you not in doubt that with the no-confidence motion, it could have affected the post of Opposition Whip as well? more..

Apr 18 (Island) JVP’s Anura Kumara Dissanayake may be right in drawing the parallel: that just now, the yahapalana govt is like a cart pulled by a bull and a water buffalo, yoked together – and pulling in two different directions. But then, he too missed the point: where is the man keeping them all together, and riding them? Or, is there anyone at all in the driver’s seat? A comparison, instead, with a worn-out bus may be in order, to that limited extent – a bus, where the driver does not acknowledge more..