Oct 10 (Island) Presidential pardon had been abused to release death row prisoners prior to 2015 and thereafter there had been no such instances, Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe told Parliament. The minister said that there had been no occasions where the President’s power to pardon had been abused under the incumbent govt. The Minister said so in response to a question raised by JVP MP Dr Nalinda Jayatissa, more..

Oct 10 (DM) Narcotic busting sniffer-dog Cooper was killed after being electrocuted while his handler, a Police Constable was hospitalized at Irattai Periyakulam in Vavuniya this morning. The Police said the sniffer-dog was electrocuted when the dog touched the electric fence of the Irattai Periyakulam Police Station, while it was taken for its routine physical exercise. Constable Udayakumara, who tried to rescue the dog, was also injured due to electric shock. more..

Oct 10 (AD) Cyclonic Storm TITLI in the Bay of Bengal is located 1100km away from Trincomalee and it is likely to intensify further and move North-westwards towards Andhra Pradesh coast of India. The system was located near 17.3N, 85.7E, at 14.00 hrs today. The prevailing showery condition in the south western part of the Island expected to reduce some extend from tomorrow. Showers or thundershowers will occur at times in Western, Central, Southern & S'gamuwa provinces. more..

Oct 10 (DN) A special operation was launched by the Jaffna Police yesterday to arrest suspects involved with the Aava gang and in respect of other gang activities, the Jaffna Senior DIG Roshan Fernando said. He said the special search operation has been launched in the Kopai, Chunnakam and Manipai areas especially targeting the Inuvil and Kokkuvil areas where most of the gang violence has been reported. more..

Oct 10 (MFA) An online training module, designed to enhance capacities of officials attached to SL Missions abroad on combating human trafficking, was launched on 9 Oct at the Bandaranaike Int'l Diplomatic Training Institute (BIDTI) in Colombo. The module, prepared by the Int'l Organization for Migration (IOM) in consultation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be a part of the BIDTI’s Electronic Learning Space. Govt of Australia has supported initiative with financial assistance. more..

Oct 10 (AD) The case filed against former Minister, MP Mahindananda Aluthgamage, for allegedly using Rs 27 million in funds acquired illegally to purchase a house, was taken up before the Colombo High Court Judge Sampath Abeykoon today. The defense attorneys cross-examined Kahawalage Douglas, the former Treasurer of SL Independent Workers’ Congress, which was previously chaired by Mahindananda Aluthgamage. Accordingly, further cross-examination was then postponed to more..

Oct 10 (DM) Seychelles President Danny Faure had requested President Sirisena to assist in granting military training opportunities to Seychelles security force members in Sri Lanka. President Faure has made the request during Prez Sirisena’s two-day State visit to Seychelles. Seychelles President has also requested SL counterpart to assist them in obtaining training for judicial and legal drafting sectors. more..

Oct 10 (AD) The case filed with regard to the killing of the famous tusker Dala Puttuwa was taken up before Mahawa Magistrate Asika Mallawaarachchi today. The DNA report requested for the case and which had been delayed by several months had been submitted to the Mahawa Magistrate’s Court yesterday. According to the report, the DNA obtained from the remains of the tusker which were discovered at the Pallekele reserve in Kahalla is a match to the ivory tusks seized by more..

Oct 10 (DN) A Ruhuna University professor who had collapsed in his room at the staff quarters in Kopparawatte, Matara, was rescued after four days by the University authorities on Monday. He was admitted to the Matara Hospital after University authorities found him lying in a virtual cesspool. He has been identified as Prof. Fernando, a resident of Galle, Matara Police said. The caretaker of the official quarters who noticed the professor’s vehicle parked opposite the quarters and more..

Oct 10 (AFP) Sri Lanka rejected on Wednesday US claims that China might establish a forward military base at a strategic port leased to Beijing by the indebted Indian Ocean island nation. Sri Lanka last year granted a 99-year lease on the Hambantota deep-sea port to Beijing, after it was unable to repay Chinese loans for the US$1.4-billion project. The port, situated along key shipping routes, is one of a string of infrastructure projects more..

Oct 10 (EN) Prices of petrol and a grade of diesel will be increased from midnight Wednesday. Price of 92 octane petrol will be increased by six rupees to 155 rupees a litre, 95 octane petrol by eight rupees to 169 rupees a litre and Super diesel by eight rupees to 141 rupees a litre. The govt in order to reduce the adverse effect on the people especially the transport and fishery sector has decided not to increase the price of auto diesel, though it needs to be increased by 11 rupees a litre more..

Oct 10 (DN) Minister Champika Ranawaka challenged the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) to manage their garbage collection in the Colombo Municipal area from the SL Land Reclamation and Development Corporation (SLLRDC). “Let the CMC undertake its garbage management if it is strong enough to do so,” he said. Minister was responding to the allegations levelled against the SLLRDC by Colombo Mayor Rosy Senanayake that SLLRDC is extorting payment for garbage management. more..

Oct 10 (EN) Former president Mahinda Rajapaksa has announced he will topple the govt before the next poya day, but the controversial bid to reunite their splintered SLFP has led to more fissures. Speaking to reporters after a closed-door meeting with his loyalists at the home of SLPP chief G. L. Peiris, Rajapaksa said their credibility was being questioned after failing to topple the govt despite issuing deadline after deadline. more..

Oct 10 (NR) In its latest assessment, the Disaster Management Centre says, despite a reduction in heavy rain fall, a total of 12,453 persons belonging to 2,641 families still remain in relocation centres. The DMC said 16 districts have been affected by the inclement weather with 12 deaths reported during the past two weeks. A total of 69,583 persons of 17,303 families have been affected by the adverse weather conditions experienced in the country. DMC said 39 houses have been destroyed more..

Oct 10 (CI) Sri Lanka's monsoon season was the only winner in Dambulla as the first ODI was abandoned after just 15 overs of play. England had reached 92 for 2 after being asked to bat, but a heavy storm swept in and despite the entire playing surface being covered, the umpires eventually deemed a wet outfield unsuitable for a shortened game. The ground-staff worked hard to mop up, with persistent rainfall having left several inches of standing water on the covers, however, more..

Oct 10 (DN) Minister Champika Ranawaka said the depreciation of the rupee to the dollar is nothing new since the Rupee value has been depreciating generally by 7% annually even during the Rajapaksa regime. He said the depreciation of the rupee against the US dollar is temporary. “It is significant that the value of many world currencies have depreciated, when compared with the dollar rate” he said. more..

Oct 11 (CT) “One cannot stop wondering whether there is a scarier and a more doomed economy than that of SL, where the people have been reduced to some kind of numbness, which has neutralized their power of rationality. A nation needs leaders who would not lament, but stand up to face the odds fearlessly, without misleading the people and taking them in circles, giving them the feeling that they are in a fabulous merry-go-round, but in the right direction. more..

Oct 11 (CT) Each time I arrive, by flight, to SL and walk through the passage towards the immigration counter, I am reminded of the words that constitute the subject of this column. To find out why is it so, you may have to keep reading. When flying by plane, it is not uncommon for a fellow traveller to hook you up for a conversation in flight. Generally, such conversations are triggered by tourists who are visiting SL for the first time. It is not surprising as anyone touring a country more..

Oct 11 (SO) Shootings in recent times have become a weekly occurrence as simmering gang rivalries have continued to play out in the open. But last week, the nation reeled in shock when a 40-year-old mother of two travelling in a car was shot dead by unidentified gunmen with her nine-year-old daughter seated right beside her. The incident occurred on a busy Negombo road in broad daylight. As the woman sat critically injured in her car CCTV more..

Oct 11 (Island) During the Press briefing held by President Sirisena on Friday, Sept 14, before his departure to attend the 73rd UN General Assembly (his fourth since assuming office), he told the assembled journalists; "I will make a special request at the UN. I will also make a written request to the UNHRC to settle this issue of war crimes." "I want to tell them to remove these charges and give us some concessions to resolve this issue." "Since 2013, Sri Lanka faced three UNHRC resolutions for more..

Oct 11 (SO) The increasing population of an invasive species of turtle, the red-eared terrapin in the Diyawanna system as well as other areas of the Western Province poses a threat to native species of terrapins and can result in possible ecological imbalance, says environmentalist and Attorney at Law, Jagath Gunawardana. According to Gunawardana, the spread of this species can be observed in the water systems of the Diyasaru Park, Kimbulawala & Nawala/ Nugegoda areas more..

Oct 11 (CT) UPFA MP D.V. Chanaka says if govt is providing proper security, Tamil people will not ask for Eelam, “They are asking for jobs and development.” Q: It seems as if the SLPP which is seeking to govern, after setting up the new Party, doesn’t have any plan at all. As a young MP, how do you view this situation? A: We asked to govern with a plan in mind. Actually, all along we had a plan on how we were to run the govt. more..

Oct 11 (DN) “I feel sorry about the police force. The Inspector General of the Police has become a joker. Former IG’s never behaved like this. I don’t know whether a thing called the police exists now. Due to his behaviour, the Prime Minister and I have come under severe criticism. Something has to be done about this quickly. The IG’s behaviour is shameful. There are media reports saying that crimes have increased in this country. Serious action should be taken against this.” more..

Oct 11 (DN) Soldiering in SL during ancient, medieval, colonial, post-independent and contemporary times undoubtedly mirrors how the exercise of military power, as in the case of many countries around us, turned our nation to statesmanship while ensuring a potent and dynamic force for defence of the new nation-state in place. These histories, many of which are replete with sagas of gallantry & selfless dedication stand out as sources of inspiration to budding generations more..

Oct 11 (SO) Jaffna, once first in education, is today the ninth among the 9 provinces. It badly needs revival. The water problem which causes negative population growth and the shutting down of schools is central to this backwardness. Sept. 27, 2018 saw the start of JUICE (Jaffna University International Conference), a biennial conference to revive research. Prof. Murugesu Sivapalan (the world’s No.1 expert on water), Prof. Nadarajah Sreeharan and Prof. Nishan Canagarajah more..

Oct 11 (DN) Charitha Buddika and Lal Pushpakumara added to Sri Lanka’s medal count taking it to eleven on the fifth day of the Asian Para Games continued at Jakarta yesterday. Buddika won the third gold for Sri Lanka in the Men’s Long Jump T42/T61/T63 with a leap of 5.37 meters and Vijay Kumar from India won the silver with 5.05 meter. Mulyono Mulyono from Indonesia took the bronze with 4.89 meters. Lal Pushpakumara won the bronze in Men’s High Jump T64/44 category more..

Oct 11 (Roar) Every spring for several years, Christina, 41, would go through her belongings and carefully separate in neat piles the things she wanted to get rid of. “Then I would sell the items that were in good condition for a nominal fee and buy new items I really needed with the money I made,” she said. Living in Australia, decluttering in this manner was the norm. But when she moved back to Sri Lanka in 2012, more..

Oct 11 (Island) Colombo High Court, on Tuesday, summoned both President Mathripala Sirisena and PM Ranil Wickremesinghe, for the fifth consecutive time, as witnesses in a case, where former UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake has been indicted for forging their signatures. Both the President and the PM were overseas. The case has been put off again for Jan. 22 and 23, 2019. On all four previous occasions they were in the country. Last time, they informed the court, more..

Oct 11 (FT) Sri Lanka’s capital market stakeholders yesterday for the first time enticed investors in Scotland, highlighting recent macroeconomic progress and future opportunities. Hot on the heels of a success exercise in London on Monday, the CSE and the SEC held an evening investor forum in the Scottish capital of Edinburgh. The Invest Sri Lanka forum held at the Waldorf Astoria in Edinburgh saw over 20 funds and institutional investors based in Scotland attending. more..

Oct 11 (FT) Business tycoon Vallibel One Plc Chairman Dhammika Perera said quality education to a wider audience was the only solution to escape the middle-income trap, a well-kept secret that many developed economies have practiced. Sharing his visionary thoughts towards a sustainable economic development at the Technical sessions of the 39th National Conference of the Chartered Accountants themed Hyperleap, more..

Oct 11 (EN) Asian Development Bank (ADB) is helping Sri Lanka’s Customs to speed up cargo clearance by improving risk management systems that now result in up to 80% of shipments being targeted. The ADB said it is giving technical assistance to SL for studies to review the current risk management system in SL, including the risk profiling and targeting criteria and its effectiveness. The project will result in recommendations for a suitable framework, standard operating more..

Oct 11 (FT) During the last 10 years, 29,309 inmates were released under a Special Presidential Pardon, the Govt informed Parliament on Tuesday. These prisoners were released to mark Independence Day, Int'l Women’s Day, Prisoners Welfare Day, Wesak Poya, Poson Poya, Esala Perahera and the arrival of Pope Francis. Minister Gayantha Karunathilaka, in response to a question for an oral answer raised by an Opposition lawmaker, said: “These prisoners are released on special terms & agreements. more..

Oct 11 (CT) Minister Faiszer Musthapha said in Parliament that the ICC Anti-Corruption Unit has not mentioned names of any SL cricketer in its detailed briefing handed over to President, PM and himself on the serious allegations of corruption in cricket in the country. “The ICC has only mentioned that when there are young players in a team, there is always a vulnerability of them being exposed to match-related crimes” more..

Oct 11 (EN) Prohibitive import tariffs that protect domestic industry from competition are an indication of the inefficiency of local companies, Subhashini Abeysinghe, Research Director at think-tank Verité Research said. Higher import taxes signal higher domestic prices compared to import prices, and implies that a country is uncompetitive internationally, she told a World Bank forum where its new report on regional trade in South Asia was launched. more..

Oct 11 (DM) Informal high-level talks are said to be going on behind the scene these days to bring about a rapprochement between the two Diyawanna factions of the Blue Party. The one playing the main mediator role to unify the two factions is said to be Senior Bee from the central hills and all his efforts are now concentrated on winning over the Pohottuwa architect, who is said to be the main stumbling block to the move. The arch-mediator had occasion to rendezvous with the Pohottuwa more..

Oct 11 (DM) Responding to reports of preferential treatment to former Prez Rajapaksa’s sons upon arrival in Qatar, SL Ambassador to that country A.S.P Liyanage said that he broke no diplomatic protocols and therefore did nothing wrong. Liyanage faced criticism when photographs of him carrying the bags of Yoshitha and Rohitha Rajapaksa at an airport in Doha went viral earlier this month. The Ambassador carried a bag, while a colleague more..

Oct 11 (CT) Consumer price controls lead to unintended outcomes, including lower quality, according to a new report by the Advocata Institute, titled Price Controls in Sri Lanka. “Politicians have imposed price controls on a variety of items in the belief that capping prices will lower costs, but our survey shows that they are of limited value in controlling the cost of goods,” Advocata Institute Resident Fellow, Ravi Ratnasabapathy, who is the co-author of the Price Controls in SL report, more..

Oct 11 (GT) The first overseas Qatar Visa Centre (QVC) will be launched in Sri Lanka today as part of a series of such centres to be opened in eight countries in the first stage. The initiative is aimed at simplifying the procedures for recruiting expatriates and preserving the rights of all parties involved in the recruitment process, the Ministry of Interior (MoI) said. The project is overseen by the Recruitment Support Services Department at the General Directorate of Passports, more..

Oct 11 (Island) The Office for Reparations Bill was passed in Parliament yesterday with a majority of 16 votes. It received 59 votes in favour and 43 votes against following a division called by the Joint Opposition. The UNP, SLFP members in the govt and TNA voted in favour of the Bill. The JVP MPs were absent. The Joint Opposition together with the SLFP Group of 15 voted against the bill. more..