Nov 21 (AD) Six new provincial governors have been sworn-in before President Gotabaya Rajapaksa today. The newly appointed governors are as follows: Western Province – Dr. Seetha Arambepola; Central Province – Lalith U. Gamage; Uva Province – Raja Collure; Southern Province – Dr. Willie Gamage; North-Western Province – A.J.M. Muzammil; Sabaragamuwa Province – Tikiri Kobbekaduwa. These appointments came after the Prez Secretariat informed former governors more..

Nov 21 (AD) The Permanent High Court at Bar today acquitted President Gotabaya Rajapaksa from the D.A. Rajapaksa Museum case and lifted the overseas travel ban imposed on him. Considering a motion submitted by the attorneys representing President Rajapaksa, the case filed against seven defendants including the President over the alleged misappropriation of state funds accumulating to Rs 33.9 million was taken up more..

Nov 21 (AD) President Gotabaya Rajapaksa says all his decisions will only be communicated officially through the President’s Office, the President’s Media Division or through his official social media channels. Issuing a statement today, he said that that many false news items are being shared on social media, claiming to be his statements and decisions. “There are many false news items being shared on social media, claiming to be statements and decisions by me.” “Kindly note that all decisions will more..

Nov 21 (ANI) Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday extended wishes to Mahinda Rajapaksa over his appointment as Sri Lanka's prime minister. Modi also said he looks forward to working closely with Mahinda on further strengthening fraternal India-Sri Lanka ties. "Congratulations and best wishes to Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaka. I look forward to working closely with him for further strengthening fraternal India-Sri Lanka ties," PM Modi tweeted. more..

Nov 21 (EN) SL’s central bank has warned the public to be vigilant of online scams usually done through offers of easy loan schemes that dupe bank customers to reveal passwords to their accounts from which money is then stolen. The regulator’s Payments and Settlements Department said customers are advised to immediately inform their bank or other financial institutions of suspicious activity in their accounts. more..

Nov 21 (RN) Outgoing PM Ranil Wickremesinghe is promising to hand over the control of the UNP to a group of young leaders who can protect the Sinhala Buddhist base of the party. Wickremesinghe had said this at a meeting of the Cabinet Ministers held yesterday at Temple Trees. He said the results of the prez election show that the Buddhist community has lost confidence in the party and the main challenge is to build a youth leadership team that can protect the party’s Sinhala Buddhist base. more..

Nov 21 (DN) President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s character embodies the four-fold values namely, heroism, skill, eloquence and fortitude, Malwatte Chapter’s Anunayaka Most Ven. Niyangoda Vijithasiri Thera observed yesterday at the Maha Sangha Council meeting with President Rajapaksa. He said that national security has been assured and the people’s aspirations have become more meaningful with Rajapaksa’s election to the presidency. more..

Nov 21 (IANS) Muttiah Muralitharan, the famous Sri Lankan off-spinner of yesteryear, is tipped as a governor of Northern Province following the presidential elections that gave a clear majority to Gotabaya Rajapaksa, a former defence minister of the island nation who in his term defeated Tamil militants headed by the LTTE, media reports here said, citing anger in the Tamil minority community. more..

Nov 21 (Island) Well known novelist and political activist Dr. Gunadasa Amarasekera said that Gotabaya Rajapaksa came to power as a person who represented patriotic forces. Dr. Amarasekera speaking at a media briefing organised by the Forum of National Organsations said, "We are elated at Gota’s victory and we see it as the culmination of the campaign conducted by the Maha Sangha and all of us here contributed to his victory in which the masses fulfilled our wish by voting for him. more..

Nov 21 (Island) Non-Cabinet Minister Ravindra Samaraweera and another person had arrived at the Janatha Estate Development Board yesterday to lease two lands belonging to the JEDB, but had to leave due to the stiff opposition of some workers, a representative of Lanka Wathu Sewa Sangamaya said. "There were plans to lease out some estate lands on 30 years, but nothing was finalized. Then suddenly Samaraweera and another person arrived at our office to meet the Chairman, more..

Nov 21 (DM) While claiming that UNP Deputy Leader Sajith Premadasa was too hasty to have contested the prez election, Eksath Bhikku Peramuna Secretary Ven. Bopitiye Dhammissara Thera said he could have easily won it if he had contested the prez election after another five years. Thera commented that Mr. Premadasa should have contested the prez election 5 years hence, with more peoples’ power. more..

Nov 21 (AD) Former President’s Chief of Staff Gamini Senarath has been appointed as the new Secretary to the Prime Minister. Mahinda Rajapaksa was sworn in as PM before President Gotabaya Rajapaksa today while he officially assumed duties at the PM’s Office, a short while ago. Senarath, who had served as Mahinda Rajapaksa’s chief of staff until 2015 when the latter was President, was appointed as the Secretary to the Prime Minister after he assumed duties today. more..

Nov 21 (FT) Dilmah Founder Merrill J. Fernando accepted the prestigious Australian Consumer Award for Product of the Year for Dilmah’s Natural Infusions, last week in Sydney. Product of the Year accepts entries every year from products from around the world that demonstrate innovation and were launched within the previous year. The Product of the Year is the world’s largest consumer voted award for product innovation. Dilmah Infusions range has been voted number one in more..

Nov 21 (EN) SL’s recent elections may worsen policy uncertainty and ambitious growth targets may widen deficits with stimulus, amid planned tax cuts which may reduce revenues, Fitch, a rating agency has warned. Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s economic manifesto had targeted an average growth rate of 6.5% or higher and promoting commodity and apparel exports, construction and tourism. “Strengthening growth and exports would be more..

Nov 21 (TRT) For some, he’s a hero, others see him as a ruthless man who bombs hospitals. Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Sri Lanka’s new president, won the November 16 election race on the back of growing mistrust between the island state’s different communities. The Sinhalese Buddhists, who make up more than 70% of the country’s 22 million people, overwhelmingly voted for him, ignoring accusations that he is responsible for the murder of civilians during the war with ethnic Tamil fighters. more..

Nov 21 (AJ) On Saturday, Sri Lankans elected Gotabaya Rajapaksa, a former secretary of defence and brother of two-time former Prez Mahinda Rajapaksa, as their new president in an election that has seen rising religious tensions take centre stage. Gotabaya's election marked a return to majoritarian politics in the predominantly Buddhist South Asian island nation and left SL's myriad minorities, especially the Muslims who constitute roughly 10% of the population, in a precarious position. more..

Nov 21 (DW) On Thursday, newly elected Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa swore in his brother, Mahinda Rajapaska, as PM, finishing off a major political comeback for the powerful family. China's foreign ministry spokesperson, Geng Shuang, congratulated Sri Lanka's new president. "China and Sri Lanka are strategic cooperative partners with sincere mutual assistance and ever-lasting friendship," more..

Nov 22 (DM) The tide which brought Maithripala Sirisena and the UNP to power in 2015 has now turned the other way. That, at any rate, is what I gather from last week’s results. And that tide didn’t just turn: it grew and grew, until the gap between the two leading candidates, a paltry 500,000 four years ago, ballooned more than twofold to 1.3 million this time. There are a number of factors which can account for such an increase – the youth vote, the discontent of the middle-class, rising tide of more..

Nov 22 (Island) Yes, most Sri Lankans were seated in front of their TV sets watching the unspooling of the success of Gotabaya Rajapaksa and thus the defeat of the candidates of the other parties in the presidential polls. It was neck to neck between the Swan and the Lotus Bud and then the candidate fielded by the SLPP won with a larger majority than most thought he would. Sri Lanka was prepared for a long wait for presidential poll results. And wow! The winner was declared by 5 pm on Sunday more..

Nov 22 (Roar) Nangi oya hari lassanai dear. Oyata boyfrand kenek innawada? To many SL females, receiving such a message is just another Tuesday. This doesn’t mean she actually gave her out her number indiscriminately, it just means that the person texting her got hold of her number through a myriad other ways, perhaps through an app, a promotional database, stolen off a contact sheet or even an advertisement. more..

Nov 22 (DN) We walk in and around Colombo city; we step into various shopping malls, and also restaurants to enjoy food and beverages from all parts of the world. Sometimes, we tend to think that those places have been constructed very recently and that is why they look so attractive and modern. Some will tell you or your kids that these are the latest development projects that have been implemented in Colombo city by the Govt very recently. more..

Nov 22 (DN) Arcade Independence Square has been created to fulfill a unique requirement. That is to create “one space” where entertainment, shopping, leisure and dining can all be offered to please the requirements of an entire family. The portfolio of brands that are present at the Arcade becomes a crowd puller for they are the most coveted global brands available. Furthermore, the many different restaurants, theatres and the entertainment opportunities laid out create more..

Nov 22 (Roar) Some distance away from the swanky cafes and surfing schools that dot Hikkaduwa town is the quiet, rural charm of Dodanduwa, a small village on the southern coastal strip. When we visit, a heavy morning storm had faded into a light drizzle, but the residents still remained indoors, leaving the streets empty. The main office of the Rosie May Foundation was difficult to miss — parked outside were six bright pink tuk-tuks, more..

Nov 22 (CT) In Jan 2015, SL embarked on a new political journey. It was supposed to be the new era of good governance. However, in all seriousness whether SL was ready for Good Governance is highly debatable. One of the main goals of those who voted for the Yahapalana Govt was somehow to bring lawbreakers of Rajapaksa Administration to justice. If there was any economic discourse, it was to disparage on strategic economic assets such as Hambanthota Port as white elephants. more..

Nov 22 (Island) Former Prez Mahinda Rajapaksa has been sworn in as the PM. The architects of the 19th Amendment (19A), who sought to keep the Rajapaksas at bay, must be really disappointed. They reintroduced the presidential term limit to prevent Mahinda from running for President again and imposed a minimum age limit on presidential candidates while banning dual citizens from contesting elections, to place members of the Rajapaksa family at a disadvantage. more..

Nov 22 (CT) Celebrating World Food Day on 16 Oct 2019, UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) want action to make healthy and sustainable diets affordable and accessible to everyone as an unhealthy diet is the leading risk factor for non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular, strokes, diabetes, obesity and cancer. With a view to facilitating development of healthy and sustainable diets, four food value chain development proposals were developed by teams of national more..

Nov 22 (GV) In the aftermath of the 2019 Presidential Elections which concluded another era of the Sri Lankan political journey, it is necessary to delve into the fragility of the Sri Lankan State. The results of this election depict that the Sri Lankan State continues to be aversive to the One Nation – One State concept, signifying further polarization within the voter base and questioning the efforts of nation-building and reconciliation in the recent past. Having won the election with more..

Nov 22 (DN) With all the players available for selection unlike in the ODI and T20I series where ten of them pulled out on grounds of security concerns, Sri Lanka have named an experienced and strong 16-member squad to take on Pakistan in the two-Test series which will be part of the ICC Test Championship. The Tests are scheduled to be played at Rawalpindi (Dec 11-15) and Karachi (Dec 19-23). more..

Nov 22 (Island) As the dust settles on one of the stormy prez elections in SL which was studded with an unprecedented amount of promises by both the main candidates, it is opportune to seriously evaluate certain aspects of it, in retrospect. There are both positive and negative points of which we the SL citizenry need to take serious note of. First of all, it is one of the most perfect ever, in recent times in our country. Similarly, the relatively non-violent aftermath of the election is also significant. more..

Nov 22 (DN) Chathuni Galbadage of Visakha Vidyalaya, Colombo is a young talented karateka who has proved her skills at local and international level. 17-year-old Chathuni brought glory to her motherland with a Gold Medal in Junior Individual Kumite event at the 5th South Asian Championship held in Bangladesh this year. She also won the silver medal at 4th South Asian Championship held in Sri Lanka in Individual 14-15 years Kumite event in 2017. Chathuni bagged Bronze Medal more..

Nov 22 (DN) Central Bank (CB) has recognised its role in supporting financial sector stakeholders and guiding financial institutions to effectively manage environmental and social risks in business ventures that they finance whilst promoting finances towards greener and climate friendly initiatives, Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe, Senior Deputy Governor of CB said. CB indicated its intention to promote sustainable financing more..

Nov 22 (FT) National Savings Bank (NSB) has won two Grand Awards for its 2018 Annual Report at the International ARC Awards – the world’s largest Annual Report Competition – in which the winners are selected for several categories for making awards. This year NSB has also won two Gold, one Silver and three Bronze awards. In fact, the Bank received the said Awards at the 33rd Annual International ARC Awards – Gala ceremony held on 17 Oct in Seoul, South Korea. more..

Nov 22 (DM) The Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) has decided to expel its MP A. H. M. Fowzie from the party, SLFP Spokesman and MP Weerakumara Dissanayake said today. He said a disciplinary committee appointed by the party and comprising of lawyers probed the matter of MP Fowzie supporting the United National Party (UNP). “This committee came to a conclusion that MP Fowzie should be removed from the party and we will convey this to Parliament Secretary General tomorrow,” more..

Nov 22 (CT) Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has appointed Grant Flower as the batting coach and David Saker as the bowling coach of the National team. These two are to join the team beginning of next month. After finalising the posts of head coach (John Michael Arthur) and fielding coach (Shane Timothy McDermott) last week, SLC had short listed David Saker and Grant Flower to strengthen the coaching department. more..

Nov 22 (Island) Dialog Axiata PLC, Sri Lanka’s premier connectivity provider partnered with Health Informatics Society of SL (HISSL), to establish a Digital Health Innovation Laboratory, the first of its kind in the country, to incubate innovative digital solutions for the healthcare sector. The primary goal of the proposed laboratory is the development of new technology based digital products and services in healthcare to uplift the living standards across communities through more..

Nov 22 (CT) A total of 5 million kg came under the hammer this week, and there was good demand, according to Forbes & Walkers Tea Brokers. Ex-Estate offerings totalled 0.67 million kg, the lowest quantity on offer since September 2018. The quality of offerings was barely maintained. In the backdrop of the sharp decline in availability, prices for most teas on offer appreciated Rs 20 per kg and more, with the lower end of the BOPF gaining up to Rs 50 per kg. more..

Nov 22 (Island) President Gotabaya Rajapaksa yesterday appointed ENT surgeon Seetha Arambepola as the Governor of the Western Province. Dr. Arambepola succeeded A.J.M. Muzammil. Dr. Arambepola, a leading speaker on the platform of civil society organization Viyathmaga received her letter of appointment from Prez Rajapaksa at the Presidential Secretariat. Viyathmaga launched high profile campaign in 2016 to promote more..

Nov 22 (DM) State Counsel Nadee Suwadurugoda informed Colombo Chief Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne that former Minister Ravi Karunanayake had given the entire statement regarding the inquiry conducted in connection with giving false evidence at the Bond Commission on Aug 2, 2015. The case was taken up at the Chief Magistrate's Court today. The State Counsel informed the magistrate that further inquiry into the case was being conducted based on statements given by all the parties more..

Nov 22 (Island) Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT), the ultra-fast broadband internet service provider and the digital lifestyle provider announced that the company will be powering the largest corporate level eSports event in Sri Lanka, the Mercantile Esports Championships 2019, organized by Gamer.LK. SLT will be the Title Sponsor for the tournament and will be responsible for powering the entire tournament with the company’s ultra-fast broadband connectivity powered by fibre technology. more..