Oct 20 (DN) Sri Lanka is one of the signatories of the UN mandate on Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development. Ending hunger, achieving food security and improved nutrition, and promoting sustainable agriculture is the second sustainable development goal. Working for zero hunger and achieving this goal was the theme of World Food Day 2018. Wasting less, eating better and adopting a sustainable lifestyle are key aspects in building a world free of hunger. Simple actions of achieving this goal are reducing food waste, more..

Oct 20 (Island) This seems a real raw situation. It now looks like the word RAW was never heard at the last Cabinet meeting. What on earth was the media doing? Surely it could have sought the information on the RAW facts from the Right to Information! Looks like President Sirisena had nothing to say there about RAW – the Research and Analysis Wing of the Indian Intelligence Institution. Why should he? Is it because Mahinda has said it earlier? more..

Oct 20 (DM) The day after the UN World Food Day which we observed on Tuesday (16), the world body on Wednesday marked the Int'l Day for the Eradication of Poverty with the significant theme being “Coming together with those furthest behind to build an inclusive world of universal respect for human rights and dignity.” In a statement, the UN’s Economic and Social Affairs Department said 2018 marked the 70th anniversary of the proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and more..

Oct 20 (CT) The term of the Northern Provincial Council (NPC) is to end on Tuesday (23) and the Council will be dissolved then. Correspondingly, the five-year-term of the Chief Minister of Northern Province, C.V. Wigneswaran ends on the same day. After bowing out of the portfolio as Chief Minister of Northern Province, subsequent to the ending of the term of the above Provincial Council, Wigneswaran is to declare his political future on 24 Oct, said the Tamil People’s Council (TPC). more..

Oct 20 (Island) The title of the editorial yesterday (18), Terminal fracas referred to the heated debate in the Cabinet over the sale of another state asset, the profit making eastern terminal at the Colombo port, but it subliminally suggested the terminal illness that has befallen our entire democracy. Any democratic society assumes two things: the existence of a public, the very seat of sovereignty, and responsive leaders. By extension, that public must be articulate and knowledgeable, more..

Oct 20 (CI) A fortnight into England's tour of Sri Lanka, and a pattern has settled over the cricket that has so far been possible. Invitingly clear skies in the mornings have invariably given way to torrential afternoon downpours and if, in between whiles, there's been enough opportunity to get a contest underway, then the players have slotted into whatever windows present themselves. It's not exactly ideal, but for England - 2-0 up after three truncated contests and more..

Oct 20 (DN) Sadeera Samarawickrama one of SL’s talented young batsmen expressed the views of his team that they were keen to put a stop to their current losing trend and turn the corner in one-day international cricket where they have lost the formula to win consistently. Wins in the last two ODIs of the five-match series against South Africa followed by a win in the one-off T20I against the same opposition raised hopes that Sri Lanka had finally broken away more..

Oct 20 (DN) Chamari Atapattu will lead a 15-member SL team to the sixth Women’s T20 World Cup to be held in the Caribbean from Nov 9-24. SL are drawn in Group A in the ten-nation tournament with England, South Africa, host West Indies and Bangladesh and play their opening match against England on Nov 10 at Gros Islet. In the past five World Cups, SL has not gone beyond the first round. West Indies are the current holders of the Women’s T20World Cup having won it in India in 2016. more..

Oct 20 (FT) Minister Harin Fernando yesterday said President Maithripala Sirisena possessed the authority to dissolve Director Boards of State entities. Under the Govt regulations, Boards of Directors of Govt organisations need to be dissolved after completing their terms, he told reporters. Fernando stated that PM Ranil Wickremesinghe had told him the Bank of Ceylon (BOC) Board of Directors would be changed, and that the need to change the Director Board of key Gove more..

Oct 20 (FT) The land once occupied by the Paranthan Chemicals Company (PCC) has been earmarked for a large industry development site, which will also include Sri Lanka’s first heavy chemical industry zone, the Industry and Commerce Ministry said in a statement yesterday. “The factories of PCC that were discontinued in 1985 will be revived. The site will also expand to include a heavy chemical industry zone,” Minister Rishad Bathiudeen was quoted as saying more..

Oct 20 (Island) Top order batting failures and run outs cost the hosts dearly as SL Under-19s conceded 13 runs defeat to their Bangladesh counterparts in the first Youth Test of the series at NCC ground on Friday. The match came to life when the hosts did well to skittle out Bangladesh for 115 runs in the second essay. But they failed to capitalise on the situation as the top order collapsed. The first innings hero Sonal Dinusha provided hope together with Chamindu Wijesinghe. more..

Oct 20 (FT) Govt has received Cabinet approval to award a contract to construct a 100 MW wind power plant in Mannar with financial assistance from Asia Development Bank (ADB). The contract for the construction of the 100 MW plant on the southern beach of Mannar island will be awarded to Denmark’s Vesta Asia Pacific, a global leader in installing wind power plants as recommended by the Standing Cabinet Appointed Procurement Committee. Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved more..

Oct 20 (DM) Colombo Chief Magistrate Ranga Dissanayake today clarified his order on Ravi Karunanayake being named as a suspect, observing that the order does not say he cannot be a suspect in the inquiry but questions the process by which he was named a suspect. He said this when a motion was taken into consideration in the magisterial inquiry on former minister Mr. Karunanayake in connection with giving false testimony at the PCoI on August 2 last year. more..

Oct 20 (EN) Sri Lanka’s industrial production barely grew in the second quarter of 2018 with exports contributing little to growth and recent import tariff hikes counter-productive to increasing competitiveness, a new World Bank report said. Growth is strong in South Asia, but not driven by exports or manufacturing, the bank said in its South Asia Economic Focus. "Domestic consumption has been the main contributor to economic growth across the region, with exports or investment more..

Oct 20 (TOI) Rumours surrounding an alleged India-backed plot to assassinate SL President M R Sirisena might have entirely to do with his predecessor Mahinda Rajapaksa's comeback bid, the success of which largely hinges on creating fissures in the cordial ties between the current regime in Colombo and New Delhi. Top Colombo-based sources in the Lankan govt told ET over the telephone that Rajapaksa, who is aiming to make a comeback in the next presidential polls in the island nation, more..

Oct 20 (SKY) Mahela Jayawardene hopes there is a swift and decisive resolution to the Sanath Jayasuriya saga to allow struggling Sri Lanka to move forward. Jayasuriya has been charged by the ICC with two breaches of its anti-corruption code, with the former opening batsman accused of failing to co-operate with an investigation and "concealing, tampering with or destroying evidence". Jayawardene feels SL have gone backwards on the field and are now "right at the bottom", more..

Oct 20 (Island) Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe categorically denied that there is a lack of consensus between President Maithripala Sirisena and PM Ranil Wickramasinghe on the govt's economic policies. When The Island Financial Review enquired from the minister about the wide perception among the people of the country that there is a cold war between the two leaders and that there is no constructive engagement between the two leaders on far-reaching economic issues and reforms, more..

Oct 20 (DN) PM said that the Govt cannot be pumping Rs. 200 to 300 million regularly to up keep the SriLankan Airlines. “It would have been more productive to have given this to the travel sector for their destination promotions,” he said. PM said that to develop tourism in Sri Lanka, they need to fly in tourists for lower airfare and also have more domestic airports. “We have now developed Batticalore, Trincomalee and Palali.” Premier said that the Mattala Airport would be once again made more..

Oct 20 (Island) The Hindu newspaper stood by its report on President Sirisena’s remark at the last Cabinet meeting on an alleged RAW’s plot to assassinate him. The SL govt has so far issued three denials of the story and President Sirisena, in a telephone conversation, with Indian PM Narendra Modi also assured that he never made such a remark. N. Ram, the Chairman of Kasturi and Sons Limited, the publisher of The Hindu and the former Editor-in-Chief of the newspaper more..

Oct 20 (AD) The fuel pricing formula is not suitable for Sri Lanka, says the former Minister of Finance Ravi Karunanayake. He stated this responding to the queries raised by the media today (19). According to him, it is sufficient to formulate a method of determining the prices without being counterproductive to the CPC, while providing concessions to the public. Meanwhile, JO MP Shehan Semasinghe says that the fuel pricing formula has been introduced to hoax the public. more..

Oct 20 (AD) As the Board of Investment (BOI), People’s Bank and the Bank of Ceylon are facing corruption allegations, the arrival of the foreign investors into the country will crumble completely, the JO claims. Several representatives of the Joint Opposition stated this addressing a press conference. Meanwhile, MP D.V. Chanaka claims that the govt is trying to cover up the corruption allegations against the State Minister Sujeewa Senasinghe over the alleged demand of commission to more..

Oct 20 (CT) The FUTA yesterday, criticized Minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe for allegedly insulting University lecturers and the State University system by publishing a list containing the names of signatories who have taken loans to study abroad. Dr. Rajapakshe this week announced that the Govt would file legal action against approximately 483 academics in State Universities, the majority of whom, according to him, are working or domiciled overseas, more..

Oct 20 (PHC) High Commissioner of Pakistan, Dr. Shahid Ahmad Hashmat called on Minister Sarath Amunugama at the Ministry recently. During the meeting, the matters of mutual cooperation in varying levels and bilateral relations between the two countries were discussed. The High Commissioner apprised the Minister about the forthcoming visit of Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (COMSATS)’s delegation to Sri Lanka. more..

Oct 20 (AD) CID has concluded the 2nd day of recording statement from the former DIG Nalaka de Silva on VIP assassination allegations and he would be informed to appear again, the police said. DIG Nalaka de Silva, former Director of the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID), is currently under investigation in connection with an alleged conspiracy to assassinate the President and the former Defense Secretary. He was questioned by the CIDfor nearly 9 hours yesterday and more..

Oct 20 (CT) The CID yesterday (19), informed Colombo Fort Chief Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne that currently there was sufficient evidence to apprehend Chief of Defence Staff Ravindra Wijeguneratne, on charges of facilitating the departure from the country of former Navy Lieutenant Commander Prasad Hettiarachchi alias Navy Sampath, who is the main suspect in the case involving the abduction and disappearance of 11 youths in 2008 and 2009 from the Kotahena area. more..

Oct 20 (FT) Kicking off his visit to India, PM Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday met Indian National Congress President Rahul Gandhi for discussions on the political and economic situation of the region, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement. The discussions also centred on how to safeguard navigation in the Indian Ocean and Sri Lanka’s welfare system. Several Congress officials, including Sonia Gandhi, Anand Sharma, and Dr. Manmohan Singh, were also present at the meeting. more..

Oct 20 (FT) Colombo Magistrate’s Court yesterday ordered to take up the case filed against former State Minister Vijayakala Maheswaran over her controversial statements regarding the LTTE on 7 Dec. When the case was taken up before Colombo Chief Magistrate Ranga Dissanayake, the CID informed the Court that the investigations had been completed and the reports had been sent to the Attorney General. Accordingly, the Chief Magistrate ordered to take up the case again on 7 December more..

Oct 20 (DN) Minister Sajith Premadasa accused the JO of trying to undermine the flow of foreign aid to the country fearing that it could erode their vote base ahead of the up-coming elections. As India poured over 1,200 million rupees to build houses for the poor and pledged more cash for construction, members of the former Rajapaksa regime feared they would have to remain in the Opposition. “If the country returns to them, they will stop releasing land to the landless and keep it for themselves. more..

Oct 20 (Island) The Colombo High Court at Bar gave Gotabaya Rajapaksa, former Secretary Defence, time till Nov 9 to file written submissions pertaining to the indictment in respect of the abuse of state funds to build the D. A. Rajapaksa Memorial at Hambantota. The amount allegedly abused is around Rs. 39.9 million. Rajapaksa has contended that all the money due to the Land Reclamation and Development Corporation has been duly paid back. There is no abuse of public funds. more..

Oct 20 (DM) Minister Mangala Samaraweera said it was the present govt that rescued Sri Lanka from the Chinese debt trap and thus ended the era in which not only our land but also its airspace of was entrusted to China. However, China announced earlier that Chinese loans only accounted to ten per cent of SL’s total debt burden. The minister said this at a function to mark the opening of a grain storage facility in Embilipitiya. He said though some elements accused the present govt of ensnaring more..

Oct 20 (AP) The United Nations asked the govt of Sri Lanka on Friday to immediately repatriate the commander of its 200-strong contingent assigned to the U.N. peacekeeping force in Mali following a review of his human rights background. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric announced Friday that the request for Lt. Col. Kalana Amunupure to leave the troubled West African nation was made “based on recently received information.” He gave no details. more..

Oct 21 (SO) All societies have neighbours whether in the immediate vicinity or further away. That is the nature of human society – interaction and inter-dependency being crucial for any long term survival and well-being. And, the closer the neighbouring society the greater the socio-cultural affinity and intimacy. Little Sri Lanka is lucky in that we have a large and well-resourced neighbouring state just 27 kilometres across the shallow Palk Strait. That neighbour, India, has been more..

Oct 21 (Island) Although conditions today are not what they were during the time the LTTE was waging war against the state and assassinating political leaders at will, and the JVP was doing likewise during its second adventure in 1988-89, political leaders in SL continue to be a tightly guarded lot. The police have various divisions called the Presidential Security Division, Prime Ministerial Security Division and Ministerial Security Division among others to ensure that the country’s more..

Oct 21 (SO) Deep inside a rubber estate in a village near Alawwa a man clad in a shirt and sarong appears to be clearing a pathway with a mammoti. Just a few feet away out of sight an armed Police Constable keeps a constant watch, while another stands guard near his home accessible only by a steep, narrow footpath. The man going about his usual business under Police protection is Namal Kumara, former Police informant and more..

Oct 21 (ST) The President got embroiled in an awkward diplomatic tangle this week by a statement he later officially retracted, or denied making. On the eve of his PM’s visit to India on state business, he reportedly attributed to the Indian external spy agency, RAW, imputations of trying to assassinate him. The story leaked from the Cabinet, where it was said he made the comment, to the media both local and foreign. The President was forced to act swiftly at damage-control by more..

Oct 21 (CT) India’s landlocked northern border is largely dominated by three seemingly hostile neighbours. While to her East and to her West she has only the Indian Ocean to run to. Under the circumstances she has developed a phobia about the security of her Southern Flank, separating her from SL by the tiny Palk Straits. Among India’s neigbours to her North is Pakistan, with which it has fought four border wars. Another is China, with which it fought a border war in 1962 and lost, more..

Oct 21 (CT) There is a crop of professional Sri Lankan career women scattered around the globe that we rarely hear about. They often work under the radar in fields such as Women’s Rights, Human Rights, Constitutional Rights, Media training, International Policy Development and other illustrious fields. Some of them live and work in conflict zones of the world. All of them bring tremendous credit to their country of origin. more..

Oct 21 (ST) My dear Modi, I thought I should write to you because I assume you must be quite confused these days, what with our fellows here reportedly saying that Indian intelligence agencies want to assassinate them- and our PM turning up on your doorstep the very next day, saying namastey, how are you? Now, there was a time when assassination plots and assassinations were quite common in Paradise. That was when the Tigers quite literally called the shots. more..

Oct 21 (ST) Kussi Amma Sera was lamenting that a relative had gone to West Asia on work and had got into all sorts of difficulties. “Eyata godak karadara wuna (she got into a lot of difficulties),” she was telling Serapina during their usual Thursday morning conversation under the Margosa tree. I knew the case since Kussi Amma Sera had mentioned some weeks ago how a relative had gone abroad ostensibly on a visit visa, found a job and that was where things went wrong. more..