Sep 14 (CT) Rising income disparities are more worrying to the UN than climate change, former UN Conference for Trade and Development Secretary General and Thai Premier Dr. Supachai Panitchpakdi speaking at a function organized by the SL Retailers' Association in Colombo, yesterday, said. He said that the effect of this was that those who invest in real estate, bonds and equities, find their income levels rising faster. This is what led to the Arab Spring, Wall Street Protest and more..

Sep 14 (DM) Four accused who stood indicted over a murder that took place in 1995, were today found guilty and sentenced to death by Kegalle HIgh Court Judge G.A. Dhammika Ganepola. The accused Ranhawadige Jayaweera of Pallegama, Karunage Nimal Ranthunga of Attanagoda, Jayasinghege Chandraratne Gunasiri of Pallegama and Rnhawadige Jayathunda had on September 29, 1995 stabbed to death Ethugal Pedige Sirimal Bandara of Alapalawala in Imbulhinna. more..

Sep 14 (CB) Rock bottom are the words former Sri Lanka captain Marvan Atapattu uses to describe the current state of affairs of cricket in his home country. The 46-year-old pointed to the lack of structure at the school level for the drastic dip in the quality of cricket in the island nation. Team was recently left clueless as Virat Kohli and his men completed a whitewash across three formats. Atapattu, who is here in his capacity as more..

Sep 14 (NR) The leader of the National Congress ALM Athaullah charges that attempts are being made to combine the Northern and Eastern Provinces based on the 20th Amendment. He said the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress and Tamil National Alliance are also of the same view. He said CV Wigneswaran agreed that the North should be united with the Eastern Province adding however the east must present a proposal and it must be passed. He noted the time frame to do so is also over. more..

Sep 14 (DN) A Money Laundering case filed against three accused including controversial drug dealer Samantha Kumara alias Wele Suda and his wife were today fixed for trial by Colombo High Court. The case was fixed for trial on Dec 14 by High Court Judge Sampath Wijeratne. Attorney General had filed indictments against three accused for laundering of black money to the tune of Rs. 190 million rupee in 2006 under 57 charges comes under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. more..

Sep 14 (DM) NFF leader Wimal Weerawansa said the govt was planning to pass the Bill on the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances in parliament on Sept 21, which would endanger the lives of the security forces. He said according to the 11th clause of the convention, the govt was bound by law to arrest and hand over any security personnel to a foreign country if more..

Sep 14 (DM) Former President Rajapksa’s son Yoshitha arrived at the FCID a short while ago to give a statement in connection with an ongoing investigation. He had been summoned before the FCID on Sept 12 but his lawyers had informed it that Yoshitha was unable to turn up on that day due to a personal reason and sought another date. He was asked to appear before the FCID in connection with the purchase of a land and house located in Mount Lavinia and another land in Ratmalana. more..

Sep 14 (AM) S.A.P. Sooriyaperuma has been appointed Chairman of the Development Lotteries Board (DLB), replacing Romesh Jayawardene who was removed from him post on Sep 6. Minister Mangala Samaraweera appointed Sooriyaperuma to his position, on the instructions of President Sirisena. Sooriyaperuma is an old boy of Nalanda Central Science College, Poramadulla Central College and Kandapola Mahinda Maha Vidyalaya. He received his BA in Business Management more..

Sep 14 (DM) Responding to a statement made by MP Vijitha Herath with regards to the privatisation of fisheries harbours, Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said that none of the fisheries harbours would be privatised or leased out to private firms. He said that JVP MP had been misled about what was contained in the Cabinet paper which was categorically envisaged only to allow both private and govt sector investors more..

Sep 14 (LBO) The Brandix Group has topped Sri Lanka’s ranking of exporters for the fifth consecutive year in 2016 to be declared the country’s Exporter of the Year by Export Development Board (EDB) at a ceremony presided over by President Maithripala Sirisena today. The coveted top award across all categories of exports was among five Presidential Export Awards presented to the Group at this high-profile event to recognise contributions by export companies to the national economy. more..

Sep 14 (AM) Five policemen indicted and arrested for involvement in the shooting of two Jaffna University students were today granted bail. The incident occurred at around 11.30 p.m. on October 20, 2016 when policemen opened fire at the two students for disobeying orders to stop at a police checkpoint. The two students – Vijayakumar Sulakshan (24) and Nadarajah Gajan (23), third-year students at the University of Jaffna were returning home after an event. more..

Sep 14 (DN) Tourism Development and Christian Affairs Minister John Amaratunga was elected a Vice Chair of the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) General Assembly by the Committee on South Asia. The appointment came in the light of Sri Lanka's ambitious plan of becoming a global tourism hub within the next three years. Apart from Amaratunga, five other Vice Chairs were also elected to more..

Sep 14 (AD) Former Deputy Minister Arundika Fernando stated that every possible move will be taken to topple the present govt in future. He expressed these views while commenting on the deprivation of his Deputy Ministerial portfolio recently. The Former Minister said that there are people of good quality in both parties and his disappointment is with the govt, not with the President. “I made a policy decision considering the people of the country. more..

Sep 14 (DM) People living downstream of the Attanagalu Oya are advised to be vigilant as it has reached flood level in the Dunumale area, the DMC said today. Water level could rise further if the rain was to continue. The statement further said that Rukgahavila, Warana in Gampaha was already flooded and warned that Kirindiwita, Akaravita and Makevita on the Gampaha-Ja-Ela Road, Gampaha-Minuwangoda Road, Ihalagama, Medagama and Pahalagama areas in  Gampaha could flood more..

Sep 14 (PTI) Maldives may seek SL's help to deport former president Mohamed Nasheed, country's envoy said, a day after the exiled leader's lawyer raised fears for his safety. Male's ambassador-designate to Colombo, Hussain Shareef, said that Nasheed, first democratically elected president, is a fugitive and left the Maldives midway through a 13-year-jail sentence after being allowed to seek medical treatment abroad. more..

Sep 14 (CT) Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) has raised serious concerns over the issuing of a Gazette notification, signed by President Sirisena, as Minister of National Integration & Reconciliation, operationalizing the Office of Missing Persons (OMP), saying that it was in violation of the Constitution. CPA added that it is disappointed by what seems a complete disregard of the constitutional framework in SL and commitments made in 2015 to usher in good governance more..

Sep 14 (NR) The regulator of medical education in the UK, the General Medical Council, has included the Malabe South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine to their list of medical qualifications that are not accepted in Britain. The list consists of 11 medical institutes from around the world including India, Liberia, Saint Lucia, Cook Islands, Seychelles, Ukraine, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Belize, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal and Sri Lanka. The General Medical Council said more..

Sep 14 (NR) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe says he seeks to develop the economy through a new path. Speaking at an event held at the Temple Trees today, Premier said it is also the main objective of the unity govt. He said for the first time in history, two political parties united and formed a govt adding that the parties have to work together even for a short term in order to solve the issues in the island. more..

Feb 14 (DM) Megapolis and Western Development Minister Champika Ranawaka lamented that the govt had neither given a cent to his Ministry nor an authoritative power for Western Development though the Yahapalana Govt completes two years on Sunday Minister Ranawaka however added that all social development, transports and environment related projects and mega construction programmes were carried out with no prejudice and malice with any one. more..

Feb 14 (EN) New taxes effective from April 2018 could drive capital away from Treasury bill and bond markets to commercial banks due to a large tax incentive available, especially for individuals. Under the existing regime, a 10% withholding tax was the final tax for individuals. For companies, there was a 10% tax credit, which was paid upfront. For individuals, there will be a final unrecoverable 5% tax next year, up from 2.5% now for bank deposits. For provident funds, which are taxed at 14%, more..

Feb 14 (PMD) President Sirisena emphasized the need of a national highways policy which does not change from time to time when the construction of expressways being carried out. President made these remarks at the progress review meeting of the RDA at the President’s Office today. President also inquired regarding ongoing construction works of the expressways, renovation works of roads and construction of new roads more..

Feb 14 (TN) Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union want clubs from the Arabian Gulf to join them in a Super Rugby style competition for West Asia. Abu Dhabi Harlequins are playing Kandy in Sri Lanka this weekend, in the second match of the Western Clubs Champions League. The competition is generally regarded as a pre-season tune-up by the teams involved – Bahrain are the third side in this year’s competition. However, Sri Lanka hope the tournament could become a precursor to more..

Feb 14 (PSL) Environmental Pioneer President Medal Awarding Ceremony was held under the patronage of President Maithripala Sirisena at the President House, today (13). With the aim of creating an environmentally friendly future generation the Central Environmental Authority in collaboration with the Ministry of Education implemented the National Environmental Pioneers Programmes in schools. 40 pioneers representing 16 schools in 9 districts received more..

Feb 14 (Sun) A BRIT tourist is feared dead after being pulled underwater by a crocodile at a popular surf spot in Sri Lanka today. The male holidaymaker, believed to be in his early twenties, was seen waving his hands in the air for help before being dragged under at a lagoon known as Crocodile Rock. He is understood to have been with a group of friends and had wandered away to find a toilet before he was snatched. more..

Sep 15 (CT) It is said that hypocrisy or double‑facedness is the evil characteristic of the person who assumes an outward appearance and simulates a behaviour that is contrary to his inner state. Such a person may give an impression of friendship and pretend to be sincere and sympathetic, while in his heart he harbours an opposite feeling. These are those who behave in one manner in front of people and differently in their absence. To masquerade displaying more..

Sep 15 (CT) Human rights groups in Latin America have filed lawsuits against a former Sri Lankan general who was the ambassador to Brazil and accredited to Peru, Chile, Argentina and Suriname. Carlos Castresena Fernandez, the lawyer coordinating the effort has said “This is one genocide that has been forgotten, but this will face democratic countries to do something.  The lawyer coordinating the lawsuit against Jagath Jayasuriya, has worked on international cases against more..

Sep 15 (SO) Living in crime free societies is a global concern today. The police service is the manifestation of the law and government authority, whose officers must maintain law and order with equality to all. In today’s digital domain and new criminal trends upholding the law becomes a challenging task. After jubilantly celebrating 150 years in 2016 the police service has many aspirations for the future. The police has endured a long journey more..

Sep 15 (IPS) Even though 35 developed countries pledged to provide 0.7% of its Gross National Income (GNI) to foreign aid, only six nations – the UK, Denmark, Netherlands, Norway, Luxembourg, and Sweden – currently fulfil this obligation. In fact, the failure to adequately financially assist developing countries is considered one of the foremost failings of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). As a result, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have looked at alternate means more..

Sep 15 (Island) The International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance is to be voted on in Parliament on the 21st of this month. Just 6 days away. Convention came into force on the 23rd Dec 2010. So far, of the 193 member states of the UN, only 57 countries have become State Parties by ratifying it. State Parties have voluntarily undertaken to be bound by its provisions.  Sri Lanka became a State Party on the 26th of May 2016. more..

Sep 15 (CT) Retired UN Under-Secretary General for Disarmament, immediate past Chairman and 11th Chairman of the global Pugwash Conference (founded in 1955 by Bertram Russell) and SL envoy to Washington and the UN, Dr. Jayantha Dhanapala asserted late Wednesday night that, on 7 July 2017 when the Conference on the Nuclear Ban Treaty concluded in New York, Sri Lanka was among the brave and principled non-nuclear more..

Sep 15 (DM) Ivan Corea recollects life with his father Vernon Corea, sharing 7 important life lessons his father taught him. Legendary Radio Ceylon and BBC Broadcaster passed away 15 years ago on the 23rd of Sept. His birthday falls on 11th of Sept. Vernon Corea was the older brother of Ernest Corea, former Editor-in-Chief of the Daily News. Recently I came across information about an iconic BBC radio programme called Listening with Mother, a children’s programme which ran from 1951 to 1982. more..

Sep 15 (DN) The judgment delivered by the Colombo High Court last week, finding former Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga and former Director General of the TRC Anusha Pelpita guilty of criminal misappropriation of public funds, sent a powerful message to public servants throughout the country- and will not be without a political fallout. Colombo High Court Judge Gihan Kulatunga found Weeratunga and Pelpita guilty of all charges against them. more..

Sep 15 (Island) The central expressway project is riddled with corruption, the JVP tells us. We don’t intend to question the veracity of the Rathu Sahodarayas’ claim because they are quite au fait with the affairs of the present govt as one of the yahapalana allies. It may be recalled that they were represented on the National Executive Council, which was formed after the defeat of the previous administration, to usher in good governance among other things! What one gathers from more..

Sep 15 (FT) Sri Lanka has high food costs. Consumer prices are 25.22% higher (and grocery prices 34.48% higher) than in India according to data gathered for August by Numbeo, a crowd-sourced database. One reason for high food prices is the high import taxes on food items. The Government intervenes heavily in the trade regime for food items through para-tariffs such as a CESS and Special Commodity levy.  The public is unaware of the extent to which food is taxed, so more..

Sep 15 (DM) As a result of negative experiences that several ayurveda chicaneries have created, people had lost faith in ayurveda (a form of alternative medicine). Situated amidst a busy street alongside Duplication Road in Colombo 03, is the Ayurveda Specialized Treatment Centre that offers treatment. The success associated with this centre is underscored by the fact that the medical facility is hustling with patients from all ethnicities more..

Sep 15 (CT) Sri Lanka is like a patient who has become the guinea-pig for a set of physicians whose capacities have been proven to be merely academic and therefore have their visions completely shrouded by prejudice. All the remedies that they introduced were ineffective. The guinea-pig has no say. All the medication was prescribed based on the predetermined policies and therefore the actual condition of the patient never mattered. Therefore, condition could never have become better more..

Sep 15 (GV) The govt of Sri Lanka recently announced plans to widen the scope of the law on abortion.  This initiative was subsequently put on hold because of strong opposition from religious leaders and groups in the country. As this has raised a lot of controversy, particularly on social media, I thought I would share some of my thoughts on the subject, which will hopefully show that there are some serious questions we must answer as a society before making such a decision. more..

Sep 15 (Island) In a television show earlier this week, Sports Minister Dayasiri Jayasekara was offended that SLC officials, selectors and the Sports Ministry have been singled out for criticism for the recent slump of the national cricket team. Minister felt that a large proportion of the blame should be shouldered by the players. Minister’s outburst at players came following some unfounded allegations levelled by a former bowler. more..