May 22 (ST) The perception that Sri Lanka’s proposed Counter-Terror Act (CTA) will affect only those of one community or another engaging in terrorist activities and is therefore, of incidental concern to the citizenry at large is a misapprehension that is most unfortunate. Let us be clear. Vaguely drafted laws that seriously abuse civil liberties are not selective as to the categories of individuals to whom they apply. If Sri Lanka has learnt anything during all its painfully more..

May 22 (ST) Hallelujah! It was Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Second Advent to Sri Lanka. And even as he stepped foot on the newly made tarmac at Katunayake’s Bandaranaike International Airport last Thursday evening, he would have whiffed in the hot breeze that blew from abroad, the distinct touch of strong soy sauce; and, no doubt, wondered what a difference two short years can make to the culinary choice and habits of a nation and how fickle taste buds can be. more..

May 22 (Island) The patience of SL Muslims is at a breaking point and can certainly boil over if the govt does not take any immediate positive steps to bring the rabble mongers to book we are likely to see more bloodshed than the butchery that happened during the thirty years of civil strife between the Sinhala and Tamil communities. Vested interests, probably foreign wants to see our beautifully country in turmoil once again. The latest of the attacks on a Muslim business in Wennapuwa more..

May 22 (Island) It looks as if the UK were emulating SL where attractive promises in election manifestoes are concerned. Instead of addressing core policy issues the UK is faced with, Conservatives and the Labour Party are busy trying to endear themselves to voters by offering to liberate the masses from the clutches of big businesses; they have also promised enhanced welfare measures. As the article on this page today points out, their manifestoes resemble shopping lists, as it were, more..

May 22 (CI) This was, barring a WWE-style rebirth, Rising Pune Supergiant's last ever IPL game. They made sure it went the distance, all the way to the last ball, despite keeping Mumbai Indians down to the lowest first-innings total in an IPL final. Somehow, Pune managed to drag a chase of 130 to the last ball. The first ever IPL final had come down to the last ball too. Then, nine years ago, Sohail Tanvir pulled L Balaji for a single more..

May 22 (ST) A game of Football basically, involves players, coaches, referee and spectators. Each category on its own is important, but woven together, the game necessarily, becomes richer in quality. While the game has developed from humble beginnings to that of a major national sport, we have not produced coaches in proportion to this growth. Only quality coaches could produce quality players. The ideal situation is for each school, club to have a trained coach, be it in the highest division or more..

May 22 (CT) Hammer Thrower Ayesha Maduwanthi, Pole Vaulter Anitha Jegatheeswaran and Decathlon athlete Ajith Karunathilaka will compete in their first international championship as they have been included in the eight member SL team for the forthcoming Thailand Open Athletics Championship to be held from 12-15 June. This is the first instance in the athletics history of Sri Lanka where a female hammer thrower has been given an int'l competition when Ayesha competes in Thailand Open. more..

May 22 (ST) Advisory Mission sent by ICOMOS has recommended that Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) take the under mentioned action to preserve the Outstanding Value of World Heritage site of Old Town of Galle and its fortifications and while keeping the Galle International Cricket Stadium functional. It is understood that SLC has called upon its architects to make the required alterations as recommended by advisory panel. more..

May 22 (FT) Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI) has launched a Hot Desk, giving journalists on the move a place and computer to do their work. The computers were donated by Rangana Fernando in memory of his late father Elmo Fernando, who was the former BBC correspondent in Sri Lanka. The computers were handed over at a ceremony held at the SLPI on 16 May, to launch the biography of the late Elmo Fernando. Minster Gayantha Karunathilaka was the Chief Guest. more..

May 22 (SLN) An Advanced Offshore Patrol Vessel of the Indian Navy, Indian Naval Ship INS Sumedha arrived at the Colombo harbour on a 3-day official visit today (21). On her arrival, SL Navy welcomed the visiting ship in compliance with naval customs. During the stay of INS Sumedha, its crew is scheduled to take part in an array of programmes including; training exercises, display of cultural performances and friendly sporting events organized by their Sri Lankan counterpart. more..

May 22 (Roar) Following weeks of speculation, Yahapalana Cabinet will finally be reshuffled today, with two key and at times controversial UNP Ministers trading places as a result. Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake will reportedly be appointed as Minister of Foreign Affairs, while incumbent Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera will take his place as Minister of Finance, in addition to being handed Media portfolio which has more..

May 22 (CT) Google IO Extended, the largest developer conference organised outside the US by tech giant Google, took place in Colombo last week as the Google Developer Group of SL joined hands with Dialog's Ideamart Team for the second consecutive year. This year's event was further enlivened by the Innovation Exhibition that ran parallel to the conference, which also included a robot battle for the first time in SL; providing a platform for robotic engineers to showcase more..

May 22 (PHC) On the invitation of Govt of Pakistan, a 34-member delegation, led by Venerable Kanumuldeniye Chandavimala Mahanayaka Thero, comprising senior Monks/Religious Scholars, Govt Officials and pilgrims left for Pakistan to attend the Vesak Festival at Taxila hosted by Govt of Pakistan for the second consecutive time May 21-24. Acting High Commissioner of Pakistan Dr. Sarfraz Sipra and other officials of the HC were there to see-off the delegation at the BIA. more..

May 22 (CT) At a moment when a series of events threaten the reconciliation and ethnic harmony of the country, it has been revealed that Ministry of National Integration & Reconciliation has only spent 13.4% of their capital budgetary target for 1st quarter of 2017, on the actual expenditure at the end of Q1 of 2017. What is remarkable is that the Rs 8 million spent as capital expenses amounts to 0.4% of the total capital allocation for 2017. more..

May 22 (Island) Migrant worker remittances have mainly contributed to the surplus in the nation's secondary income account which is earned by unskilled and housemaid categories, the Central Bank's Annual Report 2016 reveals. CBSL Annual Report further notes that the surplus in the secondary income account mainly backed by these worker remittances have helped in cushioning the deficit in the trade and primary income accounts of the current account to a certain extent. more..

May 22 (SO) Vesak celebrations in New Delhi would further augment the historic Indo – Sri Lanka socio-cultural linkages and the time tested goodwill between the two peoples as amply manifested during the visit of PM Narendra Modi to Sri Lanka for the UN Vesak Celebrations last week, Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam stated, while the Indian Minister of State Kiren Rijiju welcomed a significant leap in New Delhi’s cultural calendar symbolizing one of India’s greatest gifts to mankind – Buddhism. more..

May 22 (FT) Sri Lanka’s exports, which have suffered two consecutive years of negative growth, have bounced back in the first quarter of 2017, registering a modest yet welcome 2% gain. Export Development Board’s Policy and Strategic Planning Division said that January-March 2017 merchandise exports amounted to $ 2.7 billion, up 2% from the same period of last year. In the first quarter of 2016, exports were down by 5.4% more..

May 22 (Sun) Ivana Tensek’s devastated family are now desperately trying to raise £50,000 to bring her back to London and cover her medical costs. The yoga teacher and keen surfer was forced to undergo a 12-hour operation after the severe collision last Thursday left her with broken bones in her legs, pelvis and hands. She is now in a critical condition in a Sri Lankan hospital and her family are trying to get her home so she can receive the best care possible. Close friend Yenabi Talitha-Cumi more..

May 22 (FT) Govt’s first ever expenditure report for the first quarter of this year is to be presented in Parliament this week following Cabinet approval last week. Report was prepared in line with the 2017 budget proposal to present quarterly reports on Govt spending. This is the first time any Govt is presenting such a report, which will enable MPs and the public to track the Govt’s spending and the performance of each ministry. “This is keeping in line with endeavour to follow good governance more..

May 22 (CT) General Secretary of the militant monk movement BBS Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera is likely to be arrested today. Over the past two weeks hate crimes perpetrated against minorities escalated to 19 incidents when a petrol bomb was thrown at a mosque in Kurunegala, causing severe damage to property. Last week Gnanasara Thera stormed in to the Ministry of National Co-existence Dialogue and more..

May 22 (FT) Condemning the attacks on mosques in Sri Lanka, the United States said it expects the Govt to take immediate measures against the attacks. Issuing a Twitter message, US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Atul Keshap denounced attacks on any religious place. The Ambassador was responding to the petrol bomb attack on the Kurunegala Maligapitiya Jumma Mosque on Sunday morning. The Police are investigating the attack on the church hall which is used for education activities. more..

May 22 (Island) Former war winning army commander and current Minister Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka yesterday said that the govt would not dance to the tune of every Tom, Dick and Harry; it would not withdraw the security forces stationed in the north. Fonseka said: "We will not give in to pressure from Northern Province Chief Minister C. V. Wigneswaran." Fonseka said that Wigneswaran was making a vain attempt to urge the government to withdraw forces from the North. more..

May 22 (Island) SAITM acknowledged and provided the following views regarding the govt’s policy decisions to improve standards of medical education, in Sri Lanka subject to SC proceedings on the case filed by SLMC:  "Management of SAITM will be co-operating with the policy decisions presented by the Govt and the suggestions made by President Sirisena. Primarily among these is the recommendation to more..

May 22 (CT) Karunasena Hettiarachchi, Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, is likely to be appointed as SL's envoy to Germany, a top Govt source said. He said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has already sent Hettiarachchi's credentials to German Govt for approval. Defence Secretary confirmed that he was already aware of the development. "However, I do not know when this will take place. The German officials also have to ratify and accept this appointment," Hettiarachchi stated. more..

May 22 (AFP) Kyle Coetzer and Matthew Cross both scored hundreds as Scotland beat Sri Lanka by seven wickets at Beckenham, southeast England, for a historic success on Sunday. The victory was Scotland’s first over a full member of the ICC — one of the sport’s leading 10 Test nations — in any format. Sunday’s fixture was not a full one-day international but nothing could take the shine off Scotland’s day in a fixture that forms part of Sri Lanka’s preparations for more..

May 22 (DN) Muslim MPs in the Govt have collectively decided to meet the President and Prime Minister to urge immediate intervention of the two leaders to stop the BBS campaign that instigates communal tensions. UNP MP M.H.M. Navavi said they hope to hand over a letter signed by all Muslim MPs to the President today seeking an appointment with him as Prez was to leave for Australia on Tuesday. more..

May 22 (FT) In a strange turn of events, hard-line leader of the Bodu Bala Sena Organisation Galagoda Atte Gnanasara Thero commenced a fast at the Malwathu Maha Vihara premises yesterday, protesting attempts by the Police to arrest him, only to call it off within hours. The Thero claimed he ended the fast following a request by the prelates to take into consideration the investiture ceremonies of young monks that are to take place in Kandy during the week. more..

May 22 (DM) Foreign Affairs Minister Mangala Samaraweera and Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake are to swap portfolios in a Cabinet reshuffle scheduled to take place this morning at the Presidential Secretariat, it is learnt. Mr. Samaraweera will take oaths as Finance Minister and Mr. Karunanayake as the Minister of Foreign Affairs. PM notified a few of the proposed changes to the UNP parliamentary group at a meeting conducted late last night at Temple Trees. more..

May 22 (EN) SL's cabinet and state ministers have been asked to attend a meeting at the President's Office in Colombo today fuelling speculation that the long-awaited reshuffle of the govt was likely to go ahead. Centre piece of the change is swapping finance and foreign portfolios, according to sources close to both Prez & PM. Cabinet changes were initially mooted in early March, but coalition politics held up the process. more..

May 22 (DM) On 18 May, the long drought the country had been facing came to an end. The rains came and came, and came in an abundance. In fact 89.9 mm of rain fell in a few hours. Before the rains came, the situation was getting so bad a few religious groups had taken to praying for rain and calling on the Gods to perform miracles.    The govt meanwhile, called on the populace to prevent waste of the precious commodity and minimize its use for essentials only. more..

May 22 (DM) We have always been good at political slogans. Api Wenuwen Api, created to advertise the previous regime’s all-out war, was hugely successful. It was very clever psychology too, gift wrapping a very self-centred idea (api standing for the majority) as an altruistic social exercise when the whole idea was rooted in a completely selfish Me generational thing. This became abundantly clear by the way the Rajapakse regime cut the cake after the war was won. more..

May 22 (SL) The Govt has come under fire for remaining silent as the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) last week continued its own version of a holy war  ridiculing Muslims and even the chief prelates. Muslims expressed concerns over the manner in which BBS General Secretary, Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thero, was making open statements against the minorities which could threaten the peace between the two communities. more..

May 22 (CT) Is your computer not working? Is it giving you a hard time, when you try to log in? Have you tried switching it off and on again? No? Didn't work, huh? Did you try taking it to a professional to get it fixed, but gained no leeway whatsoever? Does it make you wanna cry? Okay. Bad puns aside, this is a serious matter that has incidentally become a legitimate threat to the entire world. The WannaCry ransomware attack is more..

May 22 (EN) In February this year while a group of freshers of Peradeniya Uni were being abused and tortured in a rented house off campus by senior students of the university, a group of schoolboys allegedly underwent a similar fate at the Rantambe training camp. A group of junior cadets of the Pilawela Maha Vidyalaya in Kundasale who were taken to the Rantambe training camp for an eight day cadet programme, were brutally more..

May 22 (Island) Minister Sajith Premadasa has called for immediate re-imposition of the capital punishment though Sri Lanka has assured the UN and EU that the death penalty will not be carried out. He has urged the govt to hang those who had been found guilty of narcotic related offences. Premadasa said capital punishment was needed as a deterrent to tackle the growing drug menace. more..

May 22 (DN) High oil prices, airport closure, cost of flight diversions to Mattala airport, difficult market conditions and several other issues were some of the key factors in the increase of losses of SriLankan Airlines, its Chairman Ajith Dias said. Speaking at the PATA Summit on Saturday he said that they had to cancel over 600 flights during the closure of the Colombo airport which he said was an exercise that had to be done. more..

May 22 (DN) There is a sinister group of people in this country who come forward to oppose any country willing to extend a helping hand to Sri Lanka. They are only trying to disrupt development work by making false allegations that Sri Lanka will become a colony of India, China or America, said Most Ven. Tibbotuware Sri Siddahartha Sumangala Mahanayake Thera of Malwatte Chapter. “They are resorting to this lowly more..

May 22 (ST) Hundreds protested at Oddamavady and Valachchenai in the Batticaloa district on Friday against the setting up of an ethanol factory by a liquor company headed by Arjun Aloysius, who is associated with the Central Bank bond issue now under investigation. “Today, we proceed a mass rally [sic] against this liquor factory with many thousand people including all three communities,” petition addressed to Prez, more..

May 22 (CT) It will not be necessary for the Muslim MPs to sit independently in Parliament, demanding action for recent attacks on mosques and Muslim owned properties, as the govt will take the necessary steps to curtail hate crimes against minorities, Cabinet Spokesperson, Gayantha Karunathilaka said. However, Muslim MPs affiliated with the govt said that they are disillusioned with the action taken by the govt hitherto. more..