Apr 5 (Island) UNHRC Resolution 40/1 has come and gone leaving behind a host of questions. By co-sponsoring the resolution, first in 2015 and recently in 2019, Sri Lanka has become a party to the resolution notwithstanding the fact that some provisions require revisions to the Constitution, and other provisions require the introduction of new legislation. Despite the fact that such challenges had existed from 2015, what is exceptionally noteworthy is the fact that this was the first time that more..

Apr 5 (DN) Today, April 4, marks the UN Mine Awareness Day. It provides an opportunity to focus on affected countries, such as Sri Lanka to recognize and take action to meet the needs of the affected people, and to assist them. Almost ten years after the end of the war, some areas in Sri Lanka are still contaminated with land mines and continue to be a threat to the lives of innocent civilians in those areas. It was the harmful impact of landmines on civilians and their communities more..

Apr 5 (DN) The world is losing species at a rate that is 100 to 1,000 times faster than the natural extinction rate. Mass extinctions of species have occurred five times earlier in the history of the world – the last time was 65 million years ago. Unfortunately, we are now witnessing the sixth mass extinction, which is a result of competition for resources between human and all the others, Professor Ranil De Silva said. more..

Apr 4 (CT) Leaving no one behind is this year’s theme of World Water Day, falling on 22 March. The main idea of commemorating World Water Day is to remind people about the significance of fresh water and encourage them to use water in a sustainable manner. This article focuses on the current situation of groundwater resources in Sri Lanka. Groundwater is a finite resource and it is a must that we consume it sustainably, if we are to continue to enjoy good quality water with uninterrupted supply. more..

Apr 4 (CT) Although it is not mentioned in the current budget, establishment of credit guarantee fund was one of the Budget proposals mentioned in the three Budgets of the present regime. This is not the first time the initiative for forming a Credit Guarantee Fund was thwarted by Parties preferring collateral based lending as the only option for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) for fund raising, whilst taking refuge under the Debt Recovery Act.No.2 of 1990. more..

Apr 5 (Island) Vinood Moonesinghe who ticked Cassandra for being Eurocentric in quoting only Brit creative writers and received a retort from Cass, elucidated the term in The Island of Monday (1) in an opinion titled Eurocentrism is colonial baggage. He says "Yet she herself has clearly not understood what I was getting at." Yes true. Also if Eurocentrism as he says is part and parcel of the colonial baggage and wider in context and meaning than what she originally assumed more..

Apr 5 (DN) All eyes will be on the final reading of the Budget on which the vote will be taken up in Parliament tomorrow (Friday). This will signal the direction of discussions between the SLFP and SLPP, which will be of great political significance to the country in a year where presidential elections are due. At present preliminary talks are underway between the two parties which are led by President Maithripala Sirisena and his predecessor and Leader of Opposition, Mahinda Rajapaksa. more..

Apr 5 (Island) Less than 12 hours after claiming three wickets for Mumbai Indians in the IPL against Chennai Super Kings in Bombay, Lasith Malinga was captaining Galle in the Super Four Provincial one-day tournament in Kandy and finished with career best figures of seven for 49 as the hosts were shot out for 99 runs. Maverick Lasith Malinga not only kept his word to turn up to play Provincial Cricket but gave his Galle side more..

Apr 5 (Island) President Maithripala Sirisena is busy fighting a war against the powerful drug Mafia. Huge stocks of narcotics are being seized and drug dealers arrested. He took an oath, the other day, to eradicate the scourge of drugs. He should wait, letting political mileage accrue to him from his campaign, without making a public display of his commitment to the noble cause, for such action amounts to a propaganda overkill. Prez, however, deserves praise for his anti-narcotic more..

Apr 5 (Island) This week, a student at the Institute of technology, Uni of Moratuwa at Homagama committed suicide because of the mental and physical harassment during ragging he received at this Institute. Earlier, this student had been at the Uni of Jaffna where he was continuously beaten up for nearly six months and he was transferred to the Homagama Institute. There too, he was severely beaten up for several weeks and when he could not take it any longer, he decided to take his life. more..

Apr 5 (ST) Economists, making a dig at the 2019 budget, proffered it as one full of taxes and not poor-friendly, and alternate thinkers of the likes of Emeritus Prof. W.D. Lakshman opines a 5 per cent growth target is sufficient in a sustainable and equitable economic environment. Prof. Lakshman of the Uni of Colombo noted that most economists are concerned about the economic growth and believed in the thinking that more..

Apr 5 (DN) Hayleys Energy Services (HES), yesterday ushered in the first floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) asset to ever call Sri Lanka, in collaboration with the Hambantota International Port Group (HIPG). The FPSO asset, Dhirubhai-1, is expected to be docked at the Hambantota International Port for a minimum of six months for a warm lay-up. The owners of Dhirubhai-1, Aker Contracting FP ASA together with its technical manager Aker Floating more..

Apr 5 (FT) The Indian Rs. 1 billion donor to Rotary, Indian real estate investor Dokoju Ravishankar is in Sri Lanka to address the Rotary District Conference – Sri Lanka and Maldives to be staged at Galadari Hotel from 5-6 April. The Bengaluru-based real estate tycoon Ravishankar had his early education in a govt school. His father Kamesh was a freedom fighter and while in the final year of engineering, burnt all his books which were British and went to prison for about four years. more..

Apr 5 (Island) Crisis-hit exporters based at the Biyagama Export Processing Zone (EPZ) are seeking a govt intervention to solve problems caused by power and water cuts. Sources alleged that those responsible at the political level for providing for EPZs hadn’t intervened though they were aware of the deteriorating situation. Sources said that Biyagama EPZ had been experiencing severe difficulties since March this year. more..

Apr 5 (DM) Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT), the national ICT and digital services provider signed a landmark agreement with the University of Moratuwa, to carry out collaborative research in the areas of electrical, electronics and telecommunication that is anticipated to have major scientific, technological and economic impacts on the entire island. The MoU between SLT and the University was signed recently at the university premises by authorised signatories: University of Moratuwa Vice Chancellor more..

Apr 5 (Island) PAYable, announced that it has now officially launched its presence in Bangladesh. PAYable (Pvt) Ltd., formerly CBA Solutions (Pvt) Ltd., has partnered with Norville Pte. Ltd. to bring the company’s cutting-edge cashless solution to the SME sector in Bangladesh. PAYable's portable payment solution is a mobile point-of-sale (mPOS) device that connects to iOS and Android smartphones or tablets wirelessly via a Bluetooth connection. more..

Apr 5 (Island) The CITES CoP18 to be held in Colombo from May 23 to June 3 might be cancelled if the prevailing disputes were not resolved soon, JVP MP Bimal Rathnayake told Parliament, yesterday. The CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) Secretariat in Geneva announced as far back as December 2017 that the next meeting of its Conference of the Parties (CoP18) more..

Apr 5 (DN) The 10th Golden Battle of Ruhuna between Vijitha Central and Rajapaksa Central ended in controversy at the Uyanwatte Stadium following a mankading incident. The incident took place when the scores were tied. Rajapaksa Central requiring 71 runs to win were 70/9 when the bowler Sumudu Prabath dislodged the bails with batsman Nadun Kaushalya out of his ground. The umpire however ruled the batsman not out but the game could not continue due to the controversy and more..

Apr 5 (FT) Solar power generation can be used as a low-cost short term solution for the power crisis, while exploring more sustainable methods to cater to growing demand in the long run, SLPP Engineers’ Union said. “The country should look for cheaper and reliable solutions to address the crisis in the short term. If the Govt had a proper long term plan, the current power crisis would not have risen,” SLPP Electrical Engineers’ Union Executive Member Malaka Gunasekara said. more..

Apr 5 (Island) The Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI), investigating corruption of the current administration, yesterday, instructed a senior official of the Ministry of Rural Economic Development to furnish the original copy of the controversial agreement signed between the Ministry of Economic Development and Wellard Rural Exports Pvt. Ltd. Australia in 2014 over the import of high-yielding pregnant milch cows. more..

Apr 5 (ST) Newly introduced in Sri Lanka, 3×3 Basketball is going great guns, as the Sri Lanka Under (U)-18 Boys and Girls teams have qualified to play in the 2019 3×3 World Cup and 3×3 Asia Cup championships. SL beat Japan and Egypt for the 1st time in the history of the game and qualified for the Knockout stage of the Asian Championships, and participation in the 2018 Youth Olympics are some of the notable achievements of our Cagers in the short space of time more..

Apr 5 (FT) Lt. Col. Manthri Coswatte (Retd), the incumbent president of SL Ex-Army Women’s Association (SLEAWA), received the prestigious Asian Arab Awards recently under the category Peace and Activism at Hotel Taj Krishna in Hyderabad, India. The event focused on improving trade and investment to collaborate with communities and build an inclusive culture. The three-day Summit and Awards Gala was attended by delegates from more than 29 countries more..

Apr 5 (PMD) The release of military acquired lands in the North and East has been accelerated following the establishment of the Special Task force for the development of North and East Province. This was stated by the security forces at the meeting of the Presidential Task Force for the Development of the North and East today (4) chaired by President Maithripala Sirisena. The Task Force was established in August last year more..

Apr 5 (PMD) President Maithripala Sirisena said that severe rules will be imposed against those who import, sell, and keep toxin drugs. He made these remarks during a meeting held regarding the draft of the new act on drug control and reduction of crimes, at the President’s office today (2). The meeting discussed the issues of delays in taking legal actions against those who are in prison related to drug offenses due to delay in obtaining reports on quantity of drugs and more..

Apr 5 (DM) A team of MPs from the SLFP are in contact with the UNP in a move to join hands with each other in view of future elections, the Daily Mirror learns. These SLFP MPs are likely to abstain or be absent during the vote on the budget to be taken up in Parliament today evening. According to highly placed political sources, these SLFP MPs are not happy about the move by SLPP to field former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa as a presidential candidate. more..

Apr 5 (DN) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe said yesterday that Sri Lankan universities should climb up the rankings if Sri Lanka is to reap the benefits of the Fourth Industrial Revolution through the knowledge-based system and approaching the new economic patterns. The present govt has modernized the country’s education system. “However, we should also be modernized within Asia. more..

Apr 5 (AD) An organization of ETI depositors has today (4) filed a Fundamental Rights (FR) petition at the Supreme Court urging the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) to intervene in releasing their deposits. The petition has named 18 respondents in total including the Central Bank, CBSL Governor, CBSL Monetary Board, ETI Finance Limited and its board of directors, IGP and the Secretary to the Finance Ministry. The petitioners say ETI Finance Limited is registered under more..

Apr 5 (FT) Sri Lanka will be hosting the third meeting of the Asia-Europe Political Forum (AEPF) and the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP) in Colombo from 5 to 7 April. Approximately ninety participants, representing political parties in Asia and Europe, are expected to be in attendance at this Int'l Conference. Launched in Manila, Philippines in Sept 2000, ICAPP is a forum of political parties of Asia-Oceania countries. ICAPP is headquartered in Seoul, Republic of Korea. more..

Apr 5 (DM) Ahead of bilateral talks scheduled for April 10, SLPP said everyone would cast doubts about the genuineness of the SLFP if it abstained from voting on the budget today. SLPP Chairman Prof. G.L. Peiris said yesterday that people would seriously doubt whether the SLFP was trying to protect the UNP-led govt if it abstained from voting today. He said the two expenditure heads of the govt were defeated. more..

Apr 5 (CT) The SLFP will take a decision today, on whether to vote in favour or against the third reading of the 2019 Budget. This was revealed yesterday, by UPFA General Secretary and MP Mahinda Amaraweera. He added that the SLFP could not arrive at a decision with regard to the vote at the special Opposition Members’ meeting that took place yesterday. The meeting was chaired by President Maithripala Sirisena and Leader of the Opposition Mahinda Rajapaksa. more..

Apr 5 (DN) State Minister Ranjan Ramanayake questioned on re-naming Sri Rahula Maha Vidyalaya in Madiwela, Kotte as Isura Vidyalaya. He brought the attention of President Maithripala Sirisena, who was in the Chamber listening to the debate, to the public and social media criticism on Western Province Chief Minister Isura Devapriya re-naming a school after him. He pointed out that the 25-year old school was initially named after Ven. Thotagamuwe Sri Rahula Thera. more..

Apr 5 (DM) Minister of Foreign Affairs Thilak Marapona had gone to Dubai and met his counterpart in the Emirates to discuss matters pertaining to the deportation to Sri Lanka of underworld leader Makandure Madush who is in police custody in Dubai. Minister Marapona had met their Minister of Foreign Affairs Anwar Bin Mohamed Gargash in Abu Dhabi. While there Minister Marapona had handed over a letter more..

Apr 5 (DM) SL is on a mission to discipline this nation and a major part of this endeavour is aimed at bringing some order when people are driving their cars, bikes and tuk tuks. Recently we read that Ministry of Transport had issued a gazette notification to increase seven traffic offenses. This news is music to the ears of disciplined drivers, because they are often inconvenienced when sharing the road with errant drivers and riders who thrive on breaching laws for motorists. more..

Apr 5 (DM) It was also on April 5 that the first insurrection of the JVP broke out against the newly-elected govt of the world’s first woman PM Sirima Bandaranaike. One of the significant facts of the 1971 JVP insurrection or the first JVP insurrection was that it was the first-ever armed rise up by a group of ordinary people against the govt in power, after the famous Matale rebellion against the British rule in the country in 1848. Interestingly, the JVP insurrection of 1971 too was more..

Apr 5 (DM) Almost 10 days ago, an invitation titled Mega Minds was hand-delivered to me. It had two taglines. One said Towards the future we dream… and the other Nation’s call on its brilliant minds and patriotic hearts. The invitation was for the launch of the Colombo District Strategic City Development Plan on the evening of April 2 and the venue was PM’s official residence, Temple Trees. Three years ago in late Jan 2016, more..

Apr 5 (ST) With under 60 days to go before the 18th World Wildlife Conference (CITES COP18) opens in Colombo, the event received a blow this week with the resignations of key officials Samantha Gunasekara and Dr. Sevvandi Jayakody. Both officials belonged to the CITES Sri Lanka Secretariat, established last April to drive the organisation of the conference. Mr. Gunasekara, the former head of Biodiversity Protection Unit more..

Apr 5 (CT) Stocks of milk powder imported from New Zealand have been released to the market without testing for Melamine based on the certificate of conformity issued by the country of origin, the latest report of the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) revealed. The second COPA report of the Third Session of the 8th Parliament was presented to the House today (4) by the COPA Chairman Lasantha Alagiyawanna. more..

Apr 5 (CT) Minister of Plantation Industries Navin Dissanayake told Parliament that instructions have been given to all the tea manufacturers to stop adding sugar in excess levels during the tea production process immediately and that if they fail to adhere to the instructions, stern action would be taken against them. He said, the Sri Lankan tea sector was not facing a crisis as claimed by some. more..

Apr 5 (Island) Recent media reportage of a graduate seeking employment as an executioner should be viewed against the backdrop of much touted UNP pledge at the last presidential election in January 2015 to create a million jobs within five years, top UPFA spokesperson MP Dullas Alahapperuma said on Wednesday (3). The plight of that graduate reflected the deepening crisis, Alahapperuma told the media more..