Mar 20 (CI) Ah, Bangladesh, come, come. How are you little brother? Is it still okay to call you little brother? I mean of course your country has a bigger economy, and far more people, and you keep taking textile manufacturing contracts off our companies, but in cricket you are still not that big, no? I don't mean to offend you, but you have to admit, you have never won a Test match againt us. Remember how Sanga used to demoralise more..

Mar 20 (Island) Captain Rangana Herath has asked the administration to give more meat for Decision Review System (DRS) following his team’s shocking four wicket defeat to Bangladesh at P. Sara Oval on Sunday. DRS system used by Ten Sports and endorsed by SLC doesn’t include the snickometer or the hotspot, vital tools that detect edges by batsman. SLC has to pocket out the expenses for those two vial tools and the board has been aloof towards using the latest available technology. more..

Mar 20 (DN) Sri Lanka women's rugby team who played a sensational brand of sevens rugby shocked everyone to emerge Cup champions at the Borneo 7's rugby tournament held in Malaysia. In the final they beat Thailand Women by 12 points (2 tries, 1 conversion) to 5 (1 try) to become the first Sri Lanka women's rugby team to win a Cup championship in the country’s rugby history. The win was achieved under head coach Sudath Sampath, a former Sri Lanka national sevens captain. more..

Mar 20 (PSL) “The country needs not the politicians who say yes for everything, but young politicians who say that is not the way, this is the correct path", says President Maithripala Sirisena. He was speaking at the opening ceremony of Deshapalana Shasthralaya (political academy), inaugurated by the SLFP Youth Front today (19) at the SLFP Headquarters. “There is no need for songs of hosannas for the govt in the future. more..

Mar 20 (Stuff) West Otago dairy farmer Marloes Levelink says she has 3 jobs, but she still volunteered her time to share her knowledge with SL dairy farmers. Levelink milks 400 cows with her partner Jonathan Verkerk at Kelso, in West Otago, and they have been Fonterra shareholders since 2002. She also provides training and advice for farmers and rural professionals on herd management, feeding, cow behaviour and housing and enjoys working with people from more..

Mar 20 (APP) SL Deputy Minister Anoma Gamage termed Pakistani women parliamentarians strong and assertive as compared with the other countries in South Asia. “They were playing vital role for changing lives of women at grassroots level in the country,” she said this while talking to APP. Sri Lankan Minister, who came to Pakistan to attend International conference on Role of Women Parliamentarians in Strengthening Democracy and Social Justice said that more..

Mar 20 (Island) SLFP rebels have taken over the SLFP lawyers’ association in the Ratnapura District as the rift between SLFP factions widens. Ratnapura District UPFA MP Ranjith de Zoysa said that the SLFP lawyers’ association had been transformed into the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) lawyers’ association with attorney-at-law Walter Perera as its Chairman. Perera held the same post in the SLFP lawyers’ association. more..

Mar 20 (CT) The Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka (SEC) released the Capital Market Strategy 2020 on Friday (17). What follows is the full text of the plan: The Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka (SEC) releases the Capital Market Strategy 2020, a comprehensive transformative plan for Sri Lanka's capital market, with the intention of providing strategic clarity to market participants and the general public. The significance of ensuring more..

Mar 20 (Reuters) Chinese Defence Minister Chang Wanquan left on Sunday for official visits to Sri Lanka and Nepal, the Defence Ministry said, trips that could unnerve neighbouring India. China is vying to increase its influence in Nepal, which serves as a natural buffer between China and India, challenging India's long-held position as the dominant outside power in the landlocked nation. China has also invested heavily in Sri Lanka, funding airports, roads, railways and ports, more..

Mar 20 (LT) Any human rights violations committed during the war period should be investigated and punished only through an internal judicial process states the JVP. This was stated by the General Secretary of JVP Tilvin Silva addressing a meeting held in Vavuniya. He said, “There is no agreement within the govt. The left hand is unaware of what the right hand does. They have brought in an issue that doesn’t exist in our country. more..

Mar 20 (Island) Japanese govt is now in the process of assisting to introduce  an Integrated Services Digital Broadcasting (ISDB) system to Sri Lanka, which is a Japanese standard digital television radio used by the country's television and radios, Director for International Digital TV Policy  Global ICT Strategy Bureau Norifumi Yamaguchi said. "This new system will  replace the old analogue system to the latest  digital system, which will assist SL govt to transfer to this system. more..

Mar 20 (FT) Liberty Cinemas Ltd. will be investing over Rs.400 million to set up and convert its existing theatre circuit with the most advanced technology and take it to more locations around the country to upgrade consumer experiences. The firm has commenced conversion of its extremely popular single screen Liberty Theatre into a multiplex with the most advanced digital formats with an investment of over Rs. 120 million, Liberty Cinemas, Managing Director Imithiyaz Cader said. more..

Mar 20 (CG) Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers says the administration of justice in Sri Lanka deserves to be more transparent, decentralized and democratic. A report by Mónica Pinto, the former Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers on her visit to SL last year, has been submitted to UNHRC. Pinto visited SL from 29 April to 7 May 2016, at the invitation of the govt, more..

Mar 20 (DN) Sri Lanka enjoys impressive health indicators with a life expectancy for males and females standing at 72 years and 80 years respectively, Minister Rajitha Senaratne said. As per WHO Global Report 2016, the incidence of tuberculosis in SL is estimated at 65 per 100,000 population while prevalence and mortality stood at 99 and 5.6 per 100,000 population. Pulmonary TB notifications, which showed an increase till 2011, has remained steady since then more..

Mar 20 (CT) A group of students have reportedly vandalized a memorial plaque for a new hostel building, at Peradeniya University, constructed by Ministry of Higher Education, in protest over the move to name the complex after the late Education Minister Lalith Athulathmudali. Vice Chancellor of Peradeniya Uni Prof. Upul Dissanayake is currently leading a team investigating the incident. New hostel building, with 100 rooms and the capacity to give accommodation to over 400 students more..

Mar 20 (EN) The value of assets seized as part of on-going investigations against immediate family members of former president Rajapaksa exceed five billion rupees (US$ 30 m), according to minister Mangala Samaraweera. Real estate and bank accounts of former president's two elder sons and his minister brother Basil, amount to two billion rupees and money laundering investigations were underway, he said. more..

Mar 20 (FT) The Govt has made a policy decision to recruit 1,500 personnel as Mosquito Eradication Health Service Assistants to intensify the battle against dengue mosquitoes. Already 500 Mosquito Eradication Health Service Assistants have been recruited in the Western Province. President Maithripala Sirisena, at a ceremony organised by the National Dengue Eradication Unit of the Health Ministry, yesterday presented appointment letters to the new recruits. more..

Mar 20 (DM) A leading member attached to the North-based criminal gang 'Awa' that committed armed crimes in the Jaffna Peninsula has been arrested in the Dehiwela area by a special police team attached to the Jaffna Division, Police said. After a thorough interrogation the police have found a sword which is suspecting to have been used at the gang's criminal activities. Investigation has revealed that the sword-wielding gang that created fear psychosis in the Jaffna Peninsula more..

Mar 20 (CT) The TNA opposes the decision, taken by the UNHRC, to give Sri Lanka two additional years to implement resolution 30/1 of 2015, Party MP M.A. Sumanthiran said. "SL Govt has no real intention of implementing the resolution which it co-sponsored in 2015. Both, the President and the Prime Minister have repeatedly said, the govt will not implement a war crimes tribunal or allow foreign Judges to come in. more..

Mar 20 (DM) On Wednesday a UN agency – UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) published a report accusing the state of Israel of imposing an apartheid regime of racial discrimination on the Palestinian people. Apartheid was the legislation of racial segregation imposed by the White South Africans on non-white people in that country. It’s goal was not only to separate South Africa’s white minority from its non-white majority, but to decrease their political power. more..

Mar 20 (DM) This is a debate about the future of SL; our future; our fate. Which side are you on? Pick one, Dr. Jayatilleka’s Facebook page screams right above his response to my critique. I agree. In his response he calls for non-digression, although such diversion is what his response is all about. None of the issues brought to light were addressed, instead he conflates on the theoretical paradigm of the internantional vs the national, with Gotabaya’s practical sensibilities. more..

Mar 20 (SL) Swift action led to a peaceful end to the hijacking of a ship with a Sri Lankan crew by Somali pirates. Foreign Ministry said that int'l assistance, particularly from the US and a Whatsapp call lend to the release of the ship and its crew on Thursday. Sri Lankan crew was expected to return to SL to be reunited with their family members. The vessel Aris 13 that was hijacked by pirates was released along with 8 SL crew more..

Mar 20 (DN) Bar Reef in Kalpitiya, which was hit for the second time by a severe coral bleaching event last year, since 1998, is under threat of destruction posing a severe risk to fishing resources, Marine Environmental Specialists cautioned. IUCN Coastal and Marine Programme Coordinator Arjan Rajasuriya pointed out that most of the fish could disappear when the corals get affected, thereby affecting the fisheries industry. more..

Mar 20 (DM) Elections Commission Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya today ruled out the possibility of postponing the elections to the provincial councils when their terms end. He said this amid speculation that the government was planning to postpone the elections to the North-Central, Sabaragamuwa and Eastern Provincial Councils whose term ends in September this year. Mr. Desapirya said he believed that the govt more..

Mar 20 (SLA) A mega Field Training Exercise (FTX) that complements SL Army to undertake the forthcoming UN Combat Convoy Tasks in MINUSMA - Mali will start off from Kankesanthurai on Monday (27) and cover a distance of about 1166 km across the country during the 9-day long assignment after its preliminary formalities officially commence on Tuesday (21). Hypothetically-designed FTX, code named Ex Harmattan, more..

Mar 20 (FT) In a bid to trigger off a fresh round of investor interest, the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) today will kick off a series of road shows in Australia and New Zealand. It is the first concerted capital market-led investment promotion on SL in Australia since the end of the conflict in 2009.  Previously, the CSE conducted a road show in Australia in 2005 and post-war investors in New York, London, Singapore and Mumbai more..

Mar 20 (FIsland) The CIABOC has recorded a statement from Dr. Rukshan Bellana, President of the Govt Medical Officers’ Forum (GMOF) in respect of alleged irregular registration of two cancer drugs produced in the Russian Federation. Dr. Bellana complained to CIABOC in December last year in the wake of govt deciding to import Trustuzumab and Bivasuzumab from Russia to treat cancer patients. more..

Mar 20 (FMT) Several NGOs co-organised a screening of a controversial documentary on the SL civil war last night, ahead of the sentencing of Lena Hendry who was found guilty of screening the same four years ago. However, the difference was that last night’s screening was done via online streaming, and not with any other form of media, such as film reel, videotape or DVD. The screening last night did not break any more..

Mar 20 (ST) The draft Hambantota Port privatisation agreement — which is to go before Cabinet on Tuesday — includes a new clause making it compulsory for China Merchant Port Holdings Company (CMPort) to divest a quarter of its 80% shareholding to a Sri Lankan entity within ten years of taking over the facility. Provision was inserted into the final working draft of the agreement around 10 days ago to appease critics more..

Mar 20 (FT) Calling for a genuine commitment to the constitutional process, Opposition Leader R. Sampathan last week said that the country should not miss the opportunity to form a Constitution that represents all communities of the country. Speaking at a counterterrorism conference held in Delhi, he highlighted the importance of the opportunity before the country to move from bullet to ballot. more..

Mar 20 (CG) More countries extended support to the resolution on Sri Lanka submitted to the UNHRC last week, strengthening Sri Lanka’s request for more time to address the issue on accountability over the war. Titled Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka the draft text of the resolution had, as its main sponsors, Montenegro, Macedonia, UK and Northern Ireland and the US. more..

Mar 20 (CT) Timely action has been taken by the govt to curb the inflow of religious fanatics into the country. According to Immigration and Emigration Chief Nihal Ranasinghe, his office will coordinate closely with the Ministry of Defence to monitor religious fanatics who come under the guise of religious scholars with ulterior motives. The emergence of Islamic State (IS) terrorism remains a huge threat to human civilization in recent years. Islamic State terrorism uses the Islamic faith more..

Mar 20 (EN) State-run Lanka Sathosa retail chain aims to set up 8,000 franchise outlets across the country after completing an expansion of its store to 500 by the end of this year. Minister Rishad Bathiudeen said that 50 new Lanka Sathosa outlets will be opened across the island on March 28. At present, Lanka Sathosa has 325 outlets across Sri Lanka with an annual network turnover of Rs. 30 billion, Bathiudeen told the Cooperatives Provincial Ministers’ Summit. more..

Mar 20 (CT) There are times in history when one can remain above the fray and there are other times when one has to pick a side, make a choice. There are times when one can content oneself by diagnosing the problem and there are other times when one has also to indicate a solution. If one is serious about what one says and does, the solution has to be viable. I do not believe that any society can tackle all its major problems at once. Nor do I believe that any society can fulfil its full more..

Mar 20 (DM) Two chain snatchers were injured while escaping the scene of crime this morning, when police shot them near the Baththuluoya Bridge in Chilaw. Suspects had tried to snatch a gold chain from a woman who was taking her child to pre-school in Arachchikattuwa. The suspects had fled when the woman’s husband and neighbours arrived at the scene. Several residents had chased the suspects and then informed two policemen who were passing by in a motorbike of incident. more..

Mar 20 (EN) Sri Lanka is developing a price formula for fuel, Minister Ravi Karunanayake said, raising the possibility that the economic strategy promoted by opposition legislator Wimal Weerawansa, which repeatedly destabilized the country, will end. Karunanayake said that a price formula for fuel has been developed and with some int'l input, but declined to say when it will be implemented. Economists have been calling for fuel to be more..

Mar 20 (LBO) Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited (Fairfax) announced that it has successfully completed the amalgamation of Fairfirst Insurance Limited (Fairfirst) and Union Assurance General Limited (UAG). The amalgamated entity will operate as Fairfirst Insurance Limited with effect from 28th Feb 2017. Rights and obligations arising from all insurance policies issued by Union Assurance General Limited will continue to be honored by Fairfirst Insurance Limited, more..

Mar 20 (DN) An Indian IT company is looking to create a smart village in the eastern province along with the Eastern Provincial Council, a first such initiative in the region. CEO, Inspriedge, Sumit Bothra who met the Chief Minister, Eastern Province, Nasser Ahamed in Batticaloe yesterday said that they are now in the process of identifying a small village and clearing the red tape. This is not a huge investment but what is needed is to get the IT infrastructure in to place. more..

Mar 20 (PTI) India should oppose a UNHRC resolution to give two more years to Sri Lanka to submit report on killings of Tamils in the island nation, AIADMK said today. Raising the issue during the Zero Hour in Rajya Sabha, V Maitreyan said 1.5 lakh Tamils were killed in the planned and systematic genocide but so far no reliable investigation has taken place and not a single guilty has been punished. more..