Jan 15 (AD) Popular artists and music producer Iraj Weeraratne has been appointed to the Director Board of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB). Mr Weeraratne confirmed that he has been appointed to the SLTPB Director Board and that he has received the letter of appointment. He has been appointed to the position with immediate effect by Minister Prasanna Ranatunga by virtue of the powers vested in him in terms of Section 43 (2) of the Tourisms Act No. 38 of 2005. more..

Jan 15 (Island) Department of Customs is in the process of handing over 200 live scorpions which were detected while being smuggled out of the country to the Department of Wildlife. Customs Director and its Media Spokesman Sunil Jayaratna said that a Chinese national had been arrested over the incident and later released on Rs. 100,000 bail. The Chinese smuggler was attempting to return to China with the scorpions probably collected from Sinharaja or northern part of the country. more..

Jan 15 (Island) Communist Party General Secretary D.E.W. Gunasekera, said that the primary objective of a no holds barred investigation into UNP MP Ranjan Ramanayake’s controversial audio/video clip collection should be to establish the State Minister’s motive. Investigators should ascertain as to why UNPer systematically recorded conversations and whether he was acting at the behest of someone in the then govt, he said. more..

Jan 15 (Island) The Tamil National Alliance has decided not to help the govt muster a two-thirds majority in Parliament to amend or do away with the 19th Amendment to the Constitution. TNA spokesman parliamentarian M. A. Sumanthiran speaking to media said that his party would not vote in support of a motion to remove or amend the 19th Amendment. He said that the changes implemented by the 19th Amendment to the Constitution were needed for the wellbeing of democracy. more..

Jan 15 (EN) SL’s registrar of companies has suspended incorporation foreign owned companies in the island. “Incorporation of foreign owned companies in Sri Lanka with (sic) Registrar of Companies is temporarily suspended until further notice,” registry said in a public notice. No reason was given in the notice. The directive had come from the Prez’s office. Foreigners can usually incorporate companies in SL provided the activity is not on a negative list for foreign investment. more..

Jan 15 (FT) President Gotabaya Rajapaksa informed a top US diplomat that the people’s views in regard to the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) agreement must be given consideration. Rajapaksa made the comment when he met visiting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, Alice Wells, who was accompanied by US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Alaina Teplitz. more..

Jan 15 (DM) Sri Lanka is being touted as the best tourist destination by quite a few travel magazines. Certainly it is an achievement that makes any Sri Lankan proud. Unique locations, low cost, friendly and helpful locals, cleanliness, clean air and hassle free travelling have contributed to this feat. However, it is a fact that there are still some areas where improvements are necessary in the quest to make the island a much more pleasant place to visit. Even otherwise these changes can be considered more..

Jan 15 (CT) President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, addressing the convocation of the General Sir John Kotalawala Defence University recently, emphasised the importance of preventing brain drain by boosting higher educational opportunities and the quality of education provided by local educational institutions, and thereby uplifting the economy of the country. Prez also opined that if both the Government and the private sector could ensure that higher educational institutions including more..

Jan 15 (DM) A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. UNP MP Ranjan Ramanayake, who claims that he is waging a lone crusade against corruption & for social justice recorded incriminating phone calls he made to top cops, judges and the former director-general of the commission probing the allegations of corruption, without the knowledge of his callers. If that was not embarrassing enough, he had them copied to CDs. more..

Jan 15 (TM) Malls have always been considered a destination, a one-stop shop for most of life’s daily essentials and a place of social interaction driven by custom experiences. In today’s technology-driven world of online stores for clothes, food, electronics, and other goods, the need for malls to focus on experiences is vast. This change in the retail market has led many brands moving their stores online. more..

Jan 15 (DM) The Education Ministry has decided to go ahead with the much-criticized Suraksha Student Insurance scheme and the voucher system for school uniforms introduced by the Yahapalana govt. Accordingly, Education Minister Dulles Alahapperuma has said the Suraksha Insurance Scheme will continue further to pay compensation to 4.5 million school children and Samanera bhikkhus (novice monks) at Pirivenas more..

Jan 15 (RN) Mosque in Kattankudy where National Towheed Jamaat (NTJ) leader Zaharan Hashim once exhorted his followers to kill non-Muslims is to become a Harmony Centre where people from different religions can come together. Secretary of the Kattankudy Mosque Federation, Abdul Latif Mohamed Sabeel said “the govt has handed over the mosque to the Federation and we want to turn it into a Harmony Centre where more..

Jan 15 (RN) Environmental Activist Pahiyangala Ananda Sagara Thero says it is a ridiculous decision taken by the Cabinet of Ministers to provide AK-47 automatic rifles to Civil Defence Forces to chase away Wild Elephants invading the villages. Speaking to media at a protest held this morning (14) in front of the Wild Life Department in Battaramulla against the distribution of firearms, the thero said despite many studies done and more..

Jan 15 (FT) SLFP yesterday conceded that they were a secondary party in the coalition between the SLFP and SLPP. SLFP General Secretary Dayasiri Jayasekara said that they expect to work together as the Sri Lanka Nidahas Podujana Peramuna at future elections. “In alliances we have formed so far, it was the SLFP that was the main party,” he said, explaining that the main party usually overpowers the secondary parties. more..

Jan 15 (FT) Department of Wildlife Conservation has taken steps to recruit 2,500 Civil Defence personnel as part of a solution to resolve the human-elephant conflict. The Cabinet approval has been granted for the proposal to recruit the Civil Defence personnel as a measure to resolve the long-term issue affecting people’s lives and livelihoods. It is reported that around 80 human lives and 250 lives of elephants are lost annually more..

Jan 15 (RN) Cabinet of Ministers has approved a proposal to draft a Bill called the National Intelligence Act to protect the duties, responsibilities, provide impunity and legal powers to State Intelligence Officers. According to Co-Cabinet Spokesman Bandula Gunawardena, the decision was taken by the cabinet to protect Intelligence officers being targets of political vendettas. He said that there were instances during the Yahapalana govt’s rule more..

Jan 15 (HRW) Respect for fundamental human rights in Sri Lanka is in serious jeopardy following Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s election as president in Nov 2019, Human Rights Watch said in its World Report 2020. Rajapaksa, along with his brother Mahinda Rajapaksa, who was named PM, were implicated in numerous human rights violations during their previous years in power from 2005 to 2015, more..

Jan 15 (AD) Prisons Commissioner has been ordered by the court to produce MP Ranjan Ramanayake before the Govt’s Analyst for a voice test on the 23rd of Jan. UNP MP Ranjan Ramanayake, who was arrested over the recordings of controversial telephone conversations, has been remanded until the 29th of January. He was produced before Nugegoda magistrate by the officers of CCD this afternoon. more..

Jan 16 (CT) The JVP is a Sinhalese party; that is its composition and the makeup of its leading committees. There is no denying that it is also leftist and strives as best as it dare to take a progressive attitude to minority (Ceylon Tamil and Muslim) issues. Historically though this is not true, especially during Wijeweera’s period in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Rohana was not progressive in his thinking on the national question and hostile to plantation Tamils. more..

Jan 16 (DM) Kindness is very important in life – no matter who or what you are, demonstrating kindness in all walks of life is important!!! In order to show kindness to others, we need to have a level of vulnerability ourselves!!! We need to be capable of opening up to the emotional, physical, psychological, sociological or religious needs of people whenever we are called upon to do so!!! We expect to be treated kindly but are sometimes afraid, hesitant to treat others kindly, perhaps because more..

Jan 16 (CT) The majority of theatre theatergoers in Sri Lanka were saddened by the news circulated on social and print media that veteran actor, playwright and a director Jayalath Manorathne has passed away in the early hours of 12th Jan 2020. Many Facebook notes and obituaries started being shared on the net. After a few hours, the news was verified by some of is close acquaintances confirming Manorathne has passed away. more..

Jan 16 (DM) Govt’s call to protesting undergraduates to chose the peaceful path of negotiating might not go well with university students. Though the path to negotiating is the preferred way in a civilised society, university students have got used to making demands and doing so from a position of strength. However aggressive the regime is, lawmakers are cautious when dealing with undergraduates because handling campus students and their issues are more..

Jan 16 (CT) As a Tamil I take the position that I am better off without the police because I get more harassment than protection from them. The video of an IGP assaulting an employee in a lift bears testimony to how committed the police are to law & order. I have dealt in my writings with how hazardous driving on the A9 is. I have been driven by my Sinhalese drivers at 110 km/hr. When stopped they make friendly small talk and move on. My Tamil drivers give their licence with Rs. 300 and more..

Jan 16 (SO) Commenting on the controversial revelations by UNP MP Ranjan Ramanayake’s audio clips, Chief Govt Whip and Minister Johnston Fernando said the UNP has almost damaged the country’s judicial sector but the blame cannot be just passed on only to Ranjan Ramanayake. UNP and the entire Yahapalana Govt should be held responsible for it. Minister said the attempt by the former Yahapalana Govt to more..

Jan 16 (DN) It was just two months ago that nearly 7 million voters gave a mandate to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to put the country on the correct track. Since then, Prez Rajapaksa has taken a series of measures that have earned him plaudits and public trust. His approach to governance was elaborated on in his Policy Statement delivered in parliament on Jan 3. The most obvious feature of his presidency is his hands-on approach. Never one to oversee things from an air-conditioned room more..

Jan 16 (Island) Ancient Roman leaders knew how to pull the wool over the eyes of the frustrated plebeians and prevent popular uprisings. Juvenal, the poet, derisively called their modus operandi bread and circus. Romans, at least, had panem or paan, but Sri Lankans have had to settle for circus sans any bread. Hulftsdorp has become our Circus Maximus, as it were. It looks as if arrests had become a form of entertainment. What we are witnessing may be dubbed arrest perahera. more..

Jan 16 (DN) Thai Pongal is one of the first Hindu festivals of the year which is celebrated by Tamils across the world. The multi-day harvest festival of South India is observed during the second week of January. It is dedicated to the Sun God (Surya). Farmers worship the Sun and celebrate the harvest for the whole year. The festival is largely celebrated in India for four days and it includes Bhogi Pongal, Surya Pongal and Mattu Pongal. Sri Lankans generally celebrate Thai Pongal for two days more..

Jan 16 (Island) The erosion of hegemony of the ruling historic bloc, and the crisis of the state and democratic institutional decay reached a new phase after 1977. After gaining a landslide victory with a 5/6ths majority at the 1977 elections, UNP govt under J.R. Jayewardene initiated a new policy regime identified as the Open Economic Package. Corollary to the policy of trade liberalization and deregulation of the economy after 1977, the state withdrew from its direct role in day-to-day more..

Jan 16 (TM) The leaked audio clips of MP Ranjan Ramanayake’s alleged phone calls, or Ranjangate, has caused an upheaval in society with many questioning the ethics and motives of the actor-turned-politician for carrying out his controversial operations, which he claims were on behalf of the masses. However, some charge that his tampering with the judiciary crossed a line, possibly weakening the credibility of our entire legal system in more..

Jan 16 (ST) Baseball in Sri Lanka has rapidly grown in the past year or so with Sri Lanka winning the West Asia Baseball Cup for the second consecutive year. This win helped Sri Lanka qualify for the Asian Championships where they played alongside Baseball heavyweights such as Japan, Korea and Taiwan. These superb performances were rewarded as the Sri Lanka Baseball team was recognised at the 5th SLT Silk Sports Awards ceremony winning the Best Team Award. more..

Jan 16 (SO) Sri Lanka should create a new policy for textile and clothing aiming to attract more investments, create new jobs and add value to the apparel industry value chain, a leading professional said. “A policy must emerge soon and steps must be taken to implement the policy decision and at the same time, all stakeholders should come together to make the change and carry it forward,” said Chairman, Textile Institute SL Section of Dept of Textile & Clothing Tech, Uni of Moratuwa, more..

Jan 16 (FT) Cabinet this week approved the substantial debt relief package to boost the economy via SMEs, with licensed commercial banks and licensed specialised banks issued with guidelines on giving effect to the proposed scheme. Minister Bandula Gunawardana said that the scheme includes a relief package to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) that are struggling to pay back loans due to the downturn more..

Jan 16 (ST) Hela Clothing, a global apparel manufacturer with factories across Kenya, Ethiopia and Sri Lanka, was recently awarded the Most Inclusive Employer of the Year by the Ethiopian Centre for Disability and Development (ECDD) at the Inclusive Employers Forum. This award was in recognition of Hela’s efforts to nurture a culture of inclusivity within their workforce that is further exhibited in their hiring, promoting and retention policies. more..

Jan 16 (DN) The 67th National Badminton Championships 2019 and the 2020 Junior Nationals kicked off on Monday at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium in Colombo. The six-day tournament which sees hundreds of top shuttlers from all over the country hunting for the coveted National Champion titles, offers a total of Rs. 1 million in prize money. The two most important tournaments in the country’s badminton calendar, are being organised by Sri Lanka Badminton (SLB) with the support of more..

Jan 16 (DM) The govt has begun internal consultations by inviting several ministries and leading experts to express their views on the 30/1 UNHRC resolution which Sri Lanka co-sponsored in 2015, sources close to Prez Rajapaksa said. Last month the DM reported that the govt would review the resolution and look at making a fresh presentation to the UNHRC when it begins its sessions in Feb-March. more..

Jan 16 (DN) A consortium of investors from Europe, Korea and China will combine with Micro Cars Sri Lanka to invest USD 300 million to build state-of-the-art city buses, luxury coaches and also get involved in light railway project. Chairman Micro Cars, Dr. Lawrence Perera said that these vehicles would be environmentally friendly and built to EU standards and will open a new chapter in public transport. “We will invest another additional USD 200 million for the second phase of this project.” more..

Jan 16 (Island) An army deserter who stormed a house in Ganegama, Warakapola on Tuesday shot dead a 22-year-old woman and caused serious gun shot injuries to her mother. The deceased was Nirosha Nimalshantha. The suspect a father of two had had an illicit affair with the victim, who had broken off with. The suspect had been engaged in distilling moonshine after deserting the army. The victim had complained to the Warakapola police about the disputes she had with ex-soldier more..

Jan 16 (TM) The Sunday Morning caught up with the man of the hour – actor-turned-politician, United National Party (UNP) MP Ranjan Ramanayake. He was in the midst of a shoot for his upcoming movie when he met with us to discuss the recent revelations that were made as a result of his recorded telephone conversations being leaked through social media, thereby stirring up major controversy. more..

Jan 16 (DN) SL is far away from been self-sufficient in milk as the country only supplies less than 50% of the local demand said, Managing Director of Fonterra Brands SL and the Indian Subcontinent, Sunil Sethi. He said that SL producers only around 42% of liquid milk of the total annual demand which forces companies to import milk powder from overseas. The productivity of local cows too is low as they give around 3.5 liters of fresh milk as against around 7 liters of Indian cows. more..