Jan 29 (Island) Minister of Ports and Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister’s Office, Sagala Ratnayaka yesterday (27) visited chief incumbent of the Gangaramaya Temple, Ven. Galaboda Gnanissara Thera, popularly known as Podi Hamuduruwo, who is undergoing treatment at Mount Elizabeth Hospital, Singapore. Ratnayaka went on the instructions of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. Ratnayaka also spoke to the hospital staff about the Thera’ health. more..

Jan 29 (CT) The Sri Lanka Women’s cricket team left to South Africa yesterday to take part in a series which includes 3 ODIs and 3 T20s. Chamari Atapattu will lead the side. The visitors will kick off the tour with the first T20I in Cape Town on 1 Feb, before travelling to Johannesburg and Centurion for the remaining two T20I games. Sri Lanka will look to move out from the bottom of the ICC Women’s Championship table in the succeeding ODI series. They have just one win in nine games and more..

Jan 29 (DM) State Minister Ranjan Ramanayake today found fault with UNPers who attended the wedding of former President’s son Rohitha Rajapaksa last week. “I feel that those who attended the wedding have let down the ordinary UNPers. Ordinary UNPers kept vigil at Temple Trees during the political crisis right from Oct 26 last year. However associating with some of those who created the crisis is wrong and more..

Jan 29 (ST) A team, comprising Sajeer Ahamed, M.I. Inzamam and Saif A.C. from the University of Moratuwa will represent Sri Lanka at the Microsoft Imagine Cup 2019 Regional Finals. The trio were the only participants from the South East Asia New Markets to be selected. The team from Sri Lanka (named The Straw Hats) will compete with 11 teams for over US$20,000 in prizes in Sydney, Australia on Feb 12 and for a spot in the Imagine Cup World Championship this May, more..

Jan 29 (Island) While the Ceylon Workers Congress and several other plantation unions signed an agreement with the Estate Owners Association (EOA) to increase the basic daily wage to Rs.700, from the current Rs.500 in Colombo yesterday, some workers protested in several parts of the country, demanding Rs.1000. The unions not satisfied with the solution to their grievances, demonstrated opposite the EOA in Rajagiriya and other areas such as Bogawantalawa, more..

Jan 29 (Island) EU’s GSP+ programme comes with appropriate conditions and SL must respect these, a member of European Parliament’s Int'l Trade Committee, Jude Kirton-Darling wrote to the EU Parliament’s magazine. She said that although the EU reaffirmed Sri Lanka as a beneficiary of GSP+ scheme despite the fact that women’s labour rights in the SL textile industry were virtually non-existent. more..

Jan 29 (DN) A Nairobi-based Sri Lankan company has launched a bid for contracts to supply electricity cables to two State-owned power agencies after securing an additional Sh80 million capital injection from a local bank and its Colombo parent shareholder. Sierra Cables East Africa CEO Ruwan Fernando said the firm had ramped up production to 24 hours to meet fresh demand from Kenya Power and the Rural Electricity Authority (REA) as well as boost sales and earnings. more..

Jan 29 (DN) The govt has imposed an immediate ban on the import of pepper as a measure to grant more incentives to local pepper farmers and ensure their future welfare, Agriculture, Rural Economic Affairs, Livestock Development, Irrigations, Fisheries and Aquatic resources Minister P. Harison said. The Minister disclosed this participating in a ceremony held at Dambulla to mark the issuing of loans to farmers in the area under the Enterprise Sri Lanka Programme recently. more..

Jan 29 (DN) Deputy Speaker Ananda Kumarasiri said no details regarding the names on the report of the Committee appointed to probe the unruly incidents in Parliament in November last year had been revealed nor have any political party been mentioned. He noted that the Speaker and himself would meet with the Secretary General of Parliament and discuss the procedure to forward the report to the Attorney General. more..

Jan 29 (AD) The Committee appointed to receive suggestions on restructuring SriLankan Airlines has submitted its report to Prez Sirisena. The committee was appointed by the Prez on the 7th of January to receive suggestions on restructuring SriLankan Airlines and make recommendations. The 12-member committee, chaired by Minister Eran Wickramaratne, was given two weeks to produce a report of recommendations to the Prez on improving the service of SriLankan Airlines. more..

Jan 29 (DN) Trincomalee and Galle harbours will operate 24/7 with night navigation before the end of this year, Minister Sagala Ratnayaka said. He said the Trincomalee harbour, a natural resource with immense economic potential will have night navigation in April. The project is supported by a JPY 1 billion grant by the Japan International Cooperation System (JICS). He added speedy measures would be adopted to set up new radar systems and other necessary infrastructure more..

Jan 29 (Island) Blaming the govt and Parliament for the inordinate delay in holding Provincial Council polls, National Election Commission (NEC), ruled out the possibility of moving court against those responsible for the crisis. NEC Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya said that the NEC wouldn’t seek judicial intervention under any circumstances though it would unhesitatingly throw its weight behind anyone who would do so. more..

Jan 29 (DM) The agreement between the estate workers’ trade unions and the regional plantation companies to increase the daily wage of estate workers from Rs.500 to Rs.700 does not seem to end the struggle for higher wages by the said workers. The issue has to be resolved soon, not only because of the workers’ struggle for a Rs. 1,000 daily pay might severely affect the plantation industry, but also they deserve a higher salary. Although the main plantation workers’ more..

Jan 29 (DM) This year, I had the honour and privilege to visit several cities in Sri Lanka. I have met many people who strive with all their might to build a better society for themselves, and for the Tamil, Sinhalese and Muslim societies. I would like to share with you some of my experiences and offer some reflections now that I am back home in Oslo, Norway. During this trip, I had the opportunity to meet with and listen to women of various backgrounds, arrange workshops on more..

~Jan 29 (DM) Kumar Welgama, MPs from Kalutara is a colouful personality. Recently, he is in the limelight due to a revelation by the COPE that 18 buses which had been given to the SL Transport Board (SLTB) had gone missing during his tenure as the Minister of Transport. Earlier, he was indicted in a separate case of financial misappropriation for allegedly creating a non-existent position of vice chairman at SLTB more..

Jan 29 (CT) A request for the release of Rs 30 million, from the Health Ministry, to establish a plant to manufacture dialysate locally, required to treat chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology (CKDu) patients, two years ago, has received no response from the Ministry, the State owned Industrial Technology Institute’s (ITI’s) Senior Deputy Director (SDD) of the Residue Analysis Laboratory, M.N.A. Mubarak said yesterday. more..

Jan 29 (DM) SL coach Chandika Hathurusingha will have no longer have a role in choosing the national cricket team, either at home or on tour. A directive has been issued by the Sports Minister Harin Fernando to the selection committee headed by Asantha De Mel that the team for the matches will now be selected by the captain, manager and selectors and that the majority opinions of the new management will prevail. more..

Jan 29 (ST) Delays in the exam that allows foreign medical graduates to practise in SL, and the granting of subsequent internship appointments, have left around 300 such students without a job for almost a year to date. Examination for Registration to Practise Medicine (ERPM) is a requirement for medical students from foreign universities, to obtain provisional registration as interns and is held by the Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC). more..

Jan 29 (CT) A Norwegian survey of SL’s coastal seas found that the North West Coast, ie the seas off Mannar, are susceptible to Indian fisher poaching, having the lowest catch of edible fish, an estimate of 967 metric tons. This survey of SL’s coastal seas, executed by the Norwegian Govt during last year’s South-West Monsoonal season, also found that the coastal seas off the North-West were the most polluted seas off the island. more..

~Jan 29 (FT) As the Govt has failed to implement any new power projects over the past 3 years, Power and Energy Ministry has decided to purchase emergency powerin 2019 sans approval from the Public Utilities Commission Sri Lanka (PUCSL), as an expensive stopgap measure to offset predictions of low rainfall. Ministry has called for bids to purchase 100MW of emergency power, terming it as supplementary power, more..

~Jan 29 (Island) Health Ministry announced that it would adopt the colour scheme that was adopted to categorise the sweetened drinks to solid foods as well. The decision was taken after taking into consideration the fact that a large number of people were becoming sick after consuming too much of sugar, salt and oil. In 2017, the colour scheme was introduced to categorise the sweetened drinks with a view to minimising more..

Jan 29 (EN) Computer literacy in Sri Lanka had fallen while digital literacy has increased in the first half of 2018 from a year earlier, showing a move from personal computers, especially desktops, to smartphones and tablets. Computer literacy in the first half of 2018 was 27.5%, down from 28.3% a year earlier. Computer literacy refers to the stare of population between the ages of 5-69 who can use a computer on their own. more..

Jan 29 (DM) The Governor of the Sabaragamuwa Province Damma Dissanayake said that out of the liquor bars opened countrywide 90% belong to the politicians. Dissanayake, who visited the Seevali Madhya Vidyalaya unannounced, in the midst of various programmes coinciding with the Prevention of Narcotics Week, made this revelation. He also requested the school children to present any proposals or any allegations regarding this more..

Jan 29 (CT) The Fall Armyworm (FAW) or Sena caterpillar, which is attacking the Maha season maize crop, was also detected attacking a paddy crop at a rice field of under 100 hectares at Dehiattakandiya, Ampara in the Mahaweli System C area this current Maha harvesting season, but was contained by using imported pesticides, Agriculture Department’s Director Horticulture Priyantha Weerasinghe said. more..

Jan 29 (CT) The statement Who’ll watch the watchmen? is found in the work of Roman poet Juvenal, referring to keeping the faithfulness of Govt in check. Studied at length in Plato’s Republic, the statement has not lost importance down the centuries. But who really watches the watchmen? Some say the Police/Courts. But how long is the long arm of the law? Is it long enough to grow and grow till it can reach the high places and catch those in power implicated of crimes? more..

Jan 29 (FT) A week is a long time in politics. In terms of the type of realpolitik practised in certain republics, it’s a grain of sand. Or, to coin a phrase, a line of crack on a glass table. Today (your yesterday, dear unsuspecting reader), marks the end of a week-long campaign against drugs. Declared by the president of the republic, it was expressed in another fit of pique that is becoming typical for certain republican politicians. In an interesting irony, the anti-drug drive was more..

Jan 29 (EN) SL's publicly traded commercial farms which grow tea, rubber and oil palm, saw prices fall after a new pay deal which industry spokesman said may increase wages by 350 million to 450 million a year on average for each company. The regional plantation companies announced a collective agreement with trade unions over the weekend which will raise the daily wage of a plantation worker from 500 rupees to 700 rupees. Voting shares of 10 of 18 listed plantation companies fell Monday. more..

Jan 29 (AD) Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court has acquitted MP Johnston Fernando from the case over allegedly failing to prove his annual assets and liabilities for the year 2010. Following a lengthy trial, Colombo Chief Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne, today, ruled that the case filed by the Bribery Commission has not been proven beyond reasonable doubt. Accordingly, Fernando was acquitted of the relevant charges and released. Bribery Commission had filed 5 cases in total against former Minister more..

Jan 29 (CT) The scam appeared to have begun nearly one and a half years ago. The victims of the fraud say their cheques and the slips amounts were manipulated and balances were added as Over Drafts (ODs). The fraud came to light when their accounts were audited last year. CID, on 15/01/2019, arrested the suspected bank manager and the other individual and presented them before the Kaduwela Magistrates’ Court. more..

Jan 29 (MN) Minister for Foreign Affairs Senator the Hon Marise Payne: Today I announce the appointment of Mr David Holly as Australia’s next High Commissioner to Sri Lanka with non-resident accreditation to the Maldives. Australia has a close and long-standing relationship with Sri Lanka, underpinned by extensive bilateral cooperation and people-to-people links. Australia’s Sri Lankan community of 170,000 people makes a significant contribution to Australian society. more..

Jan 29 (EN) New species of marine and new records of marine fish including rays and skates may have been discovered by researchers from Norway and SL who surveyed the coastal waters of the island. Dr. Fridtjof Nansen, a Norwegian research vessel conducted the survey during the South West Monsoon season in June and July 2018. Researchers from Institute of Marine Research (IMR), Norway and the NARA of SL had recorded 593 species of fish during the survey more..

Jan 29 (FT) Minister Harin Fernando ordered the Competent Authority to carry out a forensic audit on the financial transactions of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) from 2016-2018. Minister Harin Fernando has requested the competent authority Sports Ministry secretary Chulananda Perera to produce a report on the audit within two weeks. “The audit was commissioned to investigate into irregularities in the SLC and we will see what the outcome is” more..

Jan 29 (DN) News Director of the Sirasa Media Network informed the Supreme Court that the original video clip pertaining to the alleged contemptuous statement made by State Minister Ranjan Ramanayake was not currently available from his media institution’s computer system. The witness, Gayan Sampath explained that there is a practice of deleting old video footage from the computer system and thereby the original video clip pertaining to this incident no longer available more..

Jan 29 (DN) Cargills Bank Ltd. said it is joining with WorldRemit, a leading digital money transfer service, to strengthen cross-border inward remittance services offered by the bank. By partnering with WorldRemit, the bank is enabling the diaspora in over 50 countries to send money home to its network of 350+ countrywide cash pick up locations at Cargills Bank and Cargills Food City outlets. Approximately, 1.7 million Sri Lankans live abroad. more..

Jan 29 (DM) Sri Lanka has failed to show progress on the 2018 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), compiled by Transparency International (TI), where Sri Lanka has scored 38 on the index retaining the same score from 2017, the Transparency International (TI) said today. Sri Lanka is ranked 89th in the world and 3rd in South Asia, behind Bhutan (25th) and India (78th); on a scale of 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean). more..

Jan 29 (EN) Sampath Bank has confirmed a media report about a fraud at the bank, saying it occurred a few months back and that it could not give details owing to on-going investigations. The bank in a statement referred to an article published on a website Tuesday morning and being shared on social media about a financial irregularity at Sampath Bank. “Some of the information published is inaccurate and misleading,” it said. “However, due to ongoing investigations, more..

Jan 29 (AD) Mohamed Muzammil, spokesperson of NFF, has arrived at the CID this morning to record a statement. This is pertaining to the investigation carried out by the CID on the alleged VIP assassination plot. Meanwhile, NFF leader MP Wimal Weerawansa, yesterday, arrived at the CID, to record a statement in this regard. On the 12th of Sept 2018, Director (Operations) of Anti-Corruption Movement Namal Kumara had revealed information on an alleged conspiracy to assassinate more..

Jan 29 (AD) A tense situation has arisen between the resident of Kinniya and SL Navy personnel who had been on a raid to apprehend a group of illegal sand miners. This morning, a group of Navy personnel, based on a tip-off received by them, had arrived near the Savaru Bridge in Kinniya to arrest a group of people involved in illegal sand mining. The persons engaged in the racket had fled the scene upon the arrival of Navy officials. more..

Jan 29 (DN) Minister of Justice and Prison Reforms, Attorney at Law Thalatha Athukorala said, that the govt is commending the German Govt for the support given to develop the country's judicial system. A meeting between Minister Thalatha Athukorala and Jorn Rohde, Ambassador of Germany to Sri Lanka was held at the Ministry of Justice and Prison reforms. The discussion was on further strengthening the cooperation between the two countries in the field of law. more..