Mar 15 (EN) Sri Lanka will raise foreign ownership in ship agencies to 60 percent in the first stage of liberalization with officials from Maersk coming for talks soon on bidding for a new port terminal, the investment promotion agency said. Minister Malik Samarawickrama has told European Union officials that Sri Lanka was going ahead with liberalizing the shipping sector, a BoI statement said. “In the first stage foreigners will be permitted to own 60 percent of the shipping companies,” it said. more..

Mar 15 (AD) The Permanent High Court-at-Bar has temporarily lifted the travel ban which had been imposed on former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa preventing him from traveling overseas. The order was issued when the case filed against the former Defense Secretary and six others for allegedly misappropriating Rs 33.9 million of state funds to build the D.A. Rajapaksa Memorial Museum, was taken up for hearing today. The case was heard before trial-at-bar bench more..

Mar 15 (EN) China has committed the most bilateral financing to Sri Lanka in 2018, with a billion US dollar syndicated loan for discretionary deficit financing, but other lenders are leading in project loans. In addition to the billion US dollar syndicated loan, which was disbursed during 2018, Sri Lanka has signed project financing worth US$ 1.13 billion in the first 11 months of 2018. In 2018, CB triggered monetary instability more..

Mar 15 (AD) Three persons have reportedly died while three others were wounded after a three-wheeler collided with a van on the Colombo-Kurunegala Road at Meddalanda in Polgahawela. Police said that a van, belonging to the Sri Lanka Navy in which several navy officers were traveling, had collided with the three-wheeler this morning (15). Two women and a man who were traveling in the three-wheeler, on their way to a wedding in the Alawwa area, had died in the crash. more..

Mar 15 (DM) A 67-year-old man set himself on fire outside the Jathika Sevaka Sangamaya (JSS) Office near Sirikotha at Kotte today. He was identified as Nimal Perera from Wanathamulla and a retired employee of the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB). Upon retirement, he had been re-recruited by the SLTB when MP Ranjith Madduma Bandara was transport minister. His employment had been terminated during the tenure of the then transport minister Nimal Siripala de Silva. more..

Mar 15 (DN) Sri Lankan fruit and vegetable businesses are set to boost exports following a new partnership with the dried fruits and nuts company Noberasco. The Lanka Fruit and Vegetable Producers, Processors and Exporters Association (LFVPPEA) signed MoU with Italy-based Noberasco on Feb 22. The signing comes after nearly three years of engagement and visits between Italy and Sri Lanka, through a project funded by more..

Mar 15 (CT) Colombo Chief Magistrate Lanka Jayaratna yesterday postponed the case filed against MP Wimal Weerawansa’s wife Sashi Weerawansa for having possessed an illegal passport, to 4 April. The Magistrate Jayaratna postponed the case to that date, as Deputy Solicitor General Dileepa Peiris, who is leading the prosecution, is currently overseas on official duty. When the case was called before Magistrate Jayaratna, JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva more..

Mar 15 (AD) President’s representatives should express only his standpoint at the session of the UNHRC, says MP Dinesh Gunawardena. The countries that have presented resolutions on Sri Lanka through the UN Commission on Human Rights are the countries which pressurized Sri Lanka to cease the war at its final stage, he said. Commenting further, the MP Gunawardena stated that the President should instruct the Minister of Foreign Affairs on the decisions that more..

Mar 15 (DM) Australia will conduct its largest ever defence engagement with SL from March 23 to 29 with the participation of more than 1000 Australian personnel, signifying SL’s strategic importance for maritime security. Acting Australian High Commissioner Jon Philip that a Joint Task Group comprising Australian naval, army and air force personnel would visit Sri Lanka as part of this event titled Indo-Pacific Endeavour 2019 more..

Mar 15 (DN) Almost 1,987 students have left after entering universities due to ragging and this is a very serious problem. Most of them have left because of inhumane ragging within the university system, said the Minister Rauff Hakeem joining the committee stage budget debate in parliament today. “The issue of ragging is a serious issue and the government has taken note of it. The UGC has been constantly discussing the matter with the Vice Chancellors of several universities. more..

Mar 15 (MD) Two women Sri-Lankan nationals were detained by customs officers at Pune Int'l Airport on March 15, 2019 for allegedly attempting to smuggle gold into the city. The detained flyers who had boarded a flight from Singapore to Pune were carrying 24 carats of gold which is estimated to be worth Rs 30.31 lakh in the Indian market. The customs officials at Pune Int'l Airport intercepted the two women passengers at the departure area on Thur and confiscated the gold. more..

Mar 15 (CI) They have won the first four games so easily that South Africa might now be thinking whether they can really read that much into these results against Sri Lanka. So weak has their opposition been that it is hardly the pre-World Cup priming that South Africa would have yearned for. Only occasionally have Sri Lanka put South Africa under pressure with the ball, while SL's batting has been consistently brittle - no more so than more..

Mar 15 (CT) Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE) claims that the current Govt is on a journey to cling to power at the expense of the people who had voted them into office. Acting Director General of CaFFE Ahmed Makeen alleged that the current regime has also not shown any interest at all in conducting elections, be it the long delayed Provincial Councils Polls or even a General Election and that the only thing they were interested in was to remain in power come what may. more..

Mar 15 (DM) High-power explosives weighing approximately 250 kg were taken into police custody from Pahala Andarawewa in Hambanthota today. The explosives have been seized by the Walsapugala STF officers when searching a mini lorry which had fled ignoring the police signal on the Andarawewa road. Among the seized items, there were 25 kg of 09 bags of ammonium nitrate, 196 gelatin sticks and 100 electric detonators. Lorry and the driver had also been taken into custody. more..

Mar 15 (CT) The poverty cut-off income value, for the first time after four months, dropped last month aided by the deceleration in inflation. Consequently, the poverty cut-off income value decreased from Rs 4,752 in January, to Rs 4,730 last month, a decline of Rs 22, or by 0.46%. Complementing these developments, inflation, last month over January, fell to 4.5% from 5.8%, 1.3 percentage points or a 22.41% decline, more..

Mar 15 (AD) One Million Trees Project, initiated by Manusath Derana Nature Force for the celebration of the 13th anniversary of TV Derana, has successfully concluded today. Accordingly, trees were planted for 17km, along the road from the historic Ridi Viharaya (Silver Temple) to Mallawapitiya in Kurunegala. The Nature Force of Manusath Derana then planted the millionth tree at the Ridi Viharaya. The youth committee of the temple had organized the event more..

Mar 15 (MFA) The 5th meeting of the Joint Readmission Committee between Sri Lanka and the European Community was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Colombo on 11th March. The Meeting was co-chaired by Additional Secretary (Multilateral Affairs), Ahmed A. Jawad of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Deputy Head of Unit of Irregular Migration and Return Policy, Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs (DG-Home) of European Commission, Dan Rotenberg. more..

Mar 15 (CT) The UNHRC does not have the power to implement the resolutions adopted by the UNHRC and nor does the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR), claimed former Permanent Representative to the UN Dr. Palitha Kohona. He said this yesterday while addressing the media briefing at the Viyath Maga. Dr. Kohona claimed that Sri Lanka has now co-sponsored the new resolution brought by Canada, Germany, more..

Mar 15 (NR) National Police Commission has suspended the transfer issued to the Officer in Charge of the Colombo Crimes Division, Chief Police Inspector Nevil de Silva. The order was issued after considering an appeal filed by the Chief Police Inspector over his transfer. The appeal claimed he was issued a transfer as he failed to carry out an unlawful order issued by two senior police officers, over an arrested suspect. The National Police Commission stated more..

Mar 15 (Hindu) A list of 2,451 pilgrims has been finalised for the two-day annual St Antony’s Church festival being held in Katchatheevu on March 15 and 16. Inspector General of Police (south zone) K.P. Shanmuga Rajeswaran inspected the arrangements made at Rameswaram fishing jetty on Thursday. Rameswaram – Verkodu Parish, which organised the Indian pilgrimage, has finalised the list of pilgrims after scrutinising applications received from pilgrims,including those from other States. more..

Mar 15 (PSL) President Maithripala Sirisena who is in Nairobi to attend the fourth session of the UN Environment Assembly held bilateral discussions with the President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta, today (14). Kenyan Prez extended a warm welcome to Prez Sirisena. During this meeting, Prez Sirisena appreciated the govt of Kenya for organizing this conference in a highly successful manner and further said that more..

Mar 16 (CT) The plight of the estate workers has become one of the most burning issues in recent years. With grossly low wages and even more appalling living conditions, the tea plantations have been compared to nothing more than modern slavery. Tea estate labourers are reduced to a desperate and forgotten section in society, forever turning the gears of industries in misery while the owners reap enormous profits. The whole picture is reminiscent of a propaganda piece written more..

Mar 16 (CT) Every budget introduced in the parliament ushers in with plenty of hopes and promises but the record of achievements had always fallen short of initial promises. This had been the sad history of SL govt budgets at least until the demise of the most successful finance minister and budget critique, Dr. N.M. Perera. Minister Mangala Samaraweera’s 2019-20 budget will not be an exception to this historic reality. No one in the parliament keeps tracking the record of more..

Mar 16 (CT) March 24 will mark the 29th anniversary of the departure of the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) from Sri Lanka. Was the role of a portion of the Indian Army in that Island-Nation one of intervention or one of peacekeeping? Those involved from the Indian side still say this issue continues to be a subject of debate and deliberation, and is yet to see closure. The immediate fact to be noted is Indian Army, more..

Mar 16 (CT) A memorandum was handed over by the representatives of the aggrieved families of the disappeared persons two days ago to Northern Governor Dr. Suren Raghavan who is one of the five members of the delegation sent by President Sirisena to attend the UNHRC session in Geneva. It was on the request made by Governor Dr. Raghavan, soon after he was handpicked by Prez Sirisena to be present at the 40th UNHRC session, a delegation of eight persons including more..

Mar 16 (CT) Dear Mr. President Maithripala Sirsena, An Important Note of Caution: To be Aware of the Historical Outcomes: Prior to the Launch of the National Action Plan for Combating Bribery and Corruption I note that you will be the Chief Guest at the Warrant of Integrity: The Launch of the National Action Plan for Combating Bribery and Corruption, scheduled to be held on the 18th of March 2019, at the Shangr-La Ball Room. I believe it is my duty as citizen activist committed to more..

Mar 16 (Roar) South Asia is yet to practice sustainable living and equal rights with conviction, for all its inhabitants. It is imperative that South Asia collectively and persistently strives to design transformative frameworks that are grounded on egalitarianism, human rights and social consciousness within their respective nations. Riddled with numerous ongoing issues ranging from poverty, and political instability, to religious more..

Mar 16 (DN) The commitments made by the Govt of SL four years ago at the UNHRC session in Geneva have had lasting impressions on its citizens. While some perceive the commitments of Resolution 30/1 (Res 30/1) as an international obligation that threatens our sovereignty or a political tool and a box ticking process, others even view the resolution as an unpatriotic mechanism that will result in the prosecution of our war heroes due to international intervention in our domestic affairs. more..

Mar 16 (DN) The Tripikatabhivandana Week from March 16 to 23 will culminate with the grandiose event at Mahamaluwa of the sacred Daladamaligawa in Kandy on March 23, where the official announcement of submission of an application to the UNESCO would be made. SL, together with several other Theravada Buddhist countries would urge in a joint application to recognize Theravada Tripitaka as a World Heritage under the category of Memory of the World. more..

Mar 16 (DM) Constitutional reforms to whose benefit? Will it provide any consolation to the national economic crisis? Was there a demand from the masses for a new Constitution? You may find answers to these questions once you peruse this article. Article 3 of Chapter 1 of the Constitution states that “in the Republic of Sri Lanka, sovereignty is in the people and it is inalienable.” Article 4 of same chapter states that “sovereignty of people shall be exercised and enjoyed in the manner more..

Mar 16 (Island) A lawyer has drawn heavy flak, in the social media, for seeking to prevent the SL law enforcement authorities from arresting notorious drug lord and killer, Makandure Madush, currently being detained in Dubai. The consternation of the netizens is understandable, given the heinous crimes Madush and his gangsters have committed all these years, but the fact remains that even savage criminals have a right to get their interests looked after by lawyers in the civilised world. more..

Mar 16 (Island) Columnist Kusal Perera of the Daily Mirror has today (15) described many of the latest Budget proposals, especially on education, as fantasies — imaginary or improbable things. He has got it right. But such fantasy is now the stuff of all aspects of governance and certainly goes beyond supposed scholarships abroad for Educational Excellence at the GCE A Level or toilets for unsanitary schools. more..

Mar 16 (Island) Cassandra, as she sits at her computer ready to word process her comment on the past week, decided definitely to avoid writing about SL. She is too confused, lacks competence and is afraid to touch on the behaviour of SL in respect of the UNHRC, which is looking at how matters are proceeding in SL that was blacklisted for alleged crimes against civilians at the end of the civil war in 2009. There is a team in Geneva augmented by some govt sent dpls to speak for SL. more..

Mar 16 (ST) The SL Wheelchair Tennis team made Sri Lanka proud by winning the championships at the recently concluded BNP Paribas World Team Cup qualifying round held in Malaysia. The Sri Lankans were unbeaten during the course of the tournament. Lanka took an unassailable 2-0 lead against China, in the 1st stage. In the opening singles, current National champion of Sri Lanka Gamini Dissanayake had to recover from a set down to beat the Chinese player Chaodu. more..

Mar 16 (FT) In successive Budgets, Govt has consistently reduced public funding for education as a percentage of GDP and failed to disburse the pledged funds, the Opposition said, pointing out that the shortfall equalled billions of rupees. In 2015, the Budget allocation was Rs. 75 billion but spending was limited to only Rs. 36 billion. In 2016, the Govt spent Rs. 40 billion out of Rs. 83 billion allocated in the Budget, more..

Mar 16 (DN) The 12TH one-day cricket encounter between the two historical schools from the new capital of Sri J'pura, Kotte - Sri Jayawardenepura College (former Christian College, Kotte) and St. Thomas’ College Kotte for the late Dr. G N. Perera Memorial Trophy will be played tomorrow (Sunday) at St. Peter’s College grounds, Bambalapitiya with the match commencing at 9.30 am. This year Sri J'pura College are celebrating their Centenary in cricket having commenced in 1919. more..

Mar 16 (DM) Concussion substitutes in international cricket could come a step closer this week following concerns over Sri Lanka's handling of an incident in Australia last month. Batsman Kusal Perera retired hurt after being hit on the head by seamer Jhye Richardson during the second Test in Canberra, and was advised by the Australian team doctor not to bat in the second innings. But Sri Lanka, who did not have a doctor of their own, ignored the advice. He was out for a duck. more..

Mar 16 (CT) Quarter-miler Navishka Sandesh and sprinter Milinda Perera won their respective heats with ease, while Sadeepa Henderson finished fourth in her heat to advance in the third Asian Youth Athletics Championship in Hong Kong, yesterday. Navishka was the most impressive of all, clocking a new personal best of 48.51 seconds to win the Boys’ 400m heat 02 and qualify for the finals as the second fastest runner in the heats. more..

Mar 16 (CT) Chalani Ekanayake’s double strike gave Sri Lanka Women a 2-0 victory over Maldives in the SAFF Women’s Football Championship 2019 at Shahid Rangasala Stadium in Nepal yesterday. SL Women controlled the game from the start and looked to attack with quick passing moves and the Maldivian defenders did well in the early stages to hold off any attacking threats which came their way. However, SL Women broke the deadlock in the 39th minute when a blunder by Maldivian goalie more..