Oct 18 (Island) Former director of the Sri J'pura General Hospital, Dr. Susitha Senaratne did not have the necessary qualifications to hold the position, Chairman of the hospital, Dr. Athula Kahandaliyanage told the PCoI yesterday. He said that Minister Rajitha Senaratne had asked him to take over the hospital in 2015. "I told him that I needed a full time director to run the place. Then the secretary to the ministry of health more..

Oct 18 (DN) At a time when various definitions on free education exist, there is an imperative to provide an understanding of C.W.W. Kannangara’s concept of free education and its philosophy, Prez Sirisena said. For this purpose, a research institute on Kannangara’s free education policy should be established immediately, he said. Prez was speaking at the commemoration of the 50th death anniversary of Father of Free Education in SL and first Minister of Education C.W.W. Kannangara, more..

Oct 18 (EN) Minister Mangala Samaraweera proposed to lift the requirement for a minimum 50,000 square feet (about 230 x 220 feet) to set up a private bonded warehouse, following requests from industry. SL has proposed the setting up of bonded warehouses in a budget proposal in 2016, but businesses had said the size should be decided by the requirements of the firm. Minister had proposed that the discretion of setting the size should be given to the director general of customs. more..

Oct 18 (FT) Minister Mangala Samaraweera defended the fiscal consolidation path the govt had taken over the last few years and cautioned the public against believing massive tax reductions peddled in the run-up to Prez Election, labelling them unrealistic and dangerous to existing economic stability. Samaraweera faulted SLPP prez candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa for saying that he would introduce a slew of tax cuts more..

Oct 18 (DM) One of the 35 prez candidates – the highest ever number to contest so far – is former Eastern Province Governor M.L.A.M. Hizbullah who was branded by many politicians, especially those aligned to the SLPP, as a Muslim fundamentalist. He was also accused, by the same politicos, of constructing a university to spread Sharia Law in the country. MP Athureliye Rathana Thera on May 31 this year launched a fast unto death demanding the expulsion of three Muslim politicians including more..

Oct 18 (DM) The Malaysian security authorities arresting as many as 12 persons for being involved in activities connected to the LTTE makes Sri Lanka tighten its security belt. Though this incident took place last week in Malaysia, what’s of concern to Sri Lanka is that the islanders are hearing of news about attempts to revive this rebel organisation months after celebrating the 10th anniversary after closing the lid on terrorism. Sri Lankans did close the lid on terrorism, but those efforts were more..

Oct 18 (DM) In conversation a few days ago while travelling in a tuk tuk, an elderly driver asked me why there wasn’t any law to disqualify candidates who did not present their political reason(s) within at least two weeks, for contesting elections. Over two dozen of the 35 candidates have not been heard of to date. Meanwhile, some claim they are the alternative to the chaotic political culture that ruins the country. more..

Oct 18 (FT) Int'l Chamber of Commerce SL (ICCSL) elected a new Executive Committee for 2019/20 at the 53rd Annual General Meeting of the chamber held recently in Colombo. In this interview, ICCSL Chairman Dinesh Weerakkody outlines many of the opportunities for the chamber given ICCs global network of over 45 million member companies, chambers of commerce and business associations in over 130 countries. more..

Oct 18 (AI) Sri Lanka’s next president must put human rights at the heart of their policies, Amnesty International said today. Ahead of next month’s prez election, the human rights organization called on candidates to prioritize key human rights issues, including commitments on transitional justice made in the aftermath of the decades-long internal conflict. “Human rights must be at the heart of the next Sri Lankan president’s policies. more..

Oct 18 (DN) People in the North and East will fully enjoy the dividends of Palali international airport within the next two to three years, PM Ranil Wickremesinghe said yesterday after commissioning the Palaly International Airport, which is the country’s third international airport. Addressing a large gathering in the new Jaffna Airport terminal, PM noted that the vesting of the new airport was highly significant not only for Jaffna more..

Oct 18 (ST) Australia has increased its commitment towards assisting Sri Lanka prevent drowning fatalities, the second most common cause of accidental death after road accidents. Sri Lanka, which recently won the bid to host the 2021 World Conference on Drowning Prevention, counted 825 drowning deaths last year. That is 2.2 fatalities per day. The numbers point to an urgent need for preventive measures. more..

Oct 18 (TL) SLFP MPs who have extended their support to the SLPP before the SLFP Central Committee officially decided to support the SLPP’s presidential candidate, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, face the risk of being sidelined when forming a govt in the event Gotabaya wins the November 16th prez election. The agreement between the SLFP and SLPP ensures that the SLFP receive a 30% quota of every benefit. more..

Oct 18 (ST) With Prez Sirisena choosing to remain neutral during the run up to the Prez Election, the SLFP, which he heads, this week appointed Prof. Rohana Luxman Piyadasa as its Acting Chairman, until the conclusion of the Nov 16 poll. Shortly after the SLFP signed a MoU with SLPP, on Thursday (10), to back its candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Prof. Piyadasa insisted that the SLFP had not been swallowed up by the SLPP. more..

Oct 18 (AD) A MoU has been signed between the SLPP and the CWC with regard to the upcoming Prez Election. The agreement was signed during a ceremony held at the SL Foundation Institute this morning. The chairman of SLPP Prof. G.L. Peiris and the CWC leader MP Arumugam Thondaman inked the MoU on behalf of their respective political parties. Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa and SLPP prez hopeful more..

Oct 18 (AD) In terms of the provisions of the Financial Transactions Reporting Act, No. 6 of 2006 (FTRA), the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) of Sri Lanka entered into an agreement with INTERPOL National Central Bureau for SL (NCB Colombo) on October 11, at the Central Bank of SL to obtain direct access to the INTERPOL Information System. Senior DIG, Head of NCB Colombo, D W R B Seneviratne and D M Rupasinghe, more..

Oct 18 (AD) UNP MP Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe says he would support the SLPP’s candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the Prez Election 2019. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe revealed this holding a press conference along with the members of the SLPP. Media briefing is chaired by MP Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, prez candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa, SLPP chairman Prof. G.L. Peiris and MPs Dayasiri Jayasekara, Udaya Gammanpila, more..

Oct 19 (ST) Even as a seven-year-old I regarded the KonTiki expedition of the Norwegian anthropologist-historian Thor Heyerdahl and his crew sailing in 1947 from the South American coast to an island near Tahiti as an inspirational event as did so many of my generation. Scrutinising the original raft at the Maritime Kon Tiki Museum, in Oslo, Norway in 1967, 20 years after the event, I was astonished that such a tiny, fragile craft could overcome the Pacific ocean’s mighty waves. more..

Oct 19 (CT) At this juncture, there is much discussion and reflection about the way politicians, particularly those affiliated with main parties, are campaigning to gain power at the forthcoming election in order to elect a President. Some references are also made about the way power was exercised by those who held it during the last ten years or so. Such discussions are aimed at garnering support for one’s party or criticising the opponents. more..

Oct 19 (CT) SLPP Prez candidate, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, says his vision is to set up an environment where all citizens can live in peace and dignity. He asserted that all promises given by him to the electorate, ahead of Prez Poll, are not hollow rhetoric, merely to attract voters. The former Defence Secretary said all promises and assurances are given by him, having considered the future of the Nation, and all programmes aimed at more..

Oct 19 (CT) Nominations have been filed and Sri Lanka will go to the polls on 16th November to elect a President. The Constitution demands so and this will be a crucial election to all Sri Lankans and especially so to the young first time voter. Though over 30 nominations have been presented only two serious contenders have emerged. This has been the pattern and not much has changed in our history since Independence. We Sinhalese have governed since Independence and therefore must take more..

Oct 19 (DM) As SL prepares for the crucial prez election on Nov 16, the major crisis is clearly political corruption with the abuse of power and the failure to take effective legal action. Since independence, few if any leading politicians have been jailed for corruption including bribery and fraud. Furthermore little or nothing has been recovered from the hundreds of millions of rupees if not billions they plundered from public funds which means the people’s money including the poor people. more..

Oct 19 (Roar) As a young physics major at the Uni of Southampton in the UK, Mahesh Herath (27) had little interest in astronomy. “I stumbled into it while helping a friend with his project,” he told Roar Media, recalling a class field trip to an observatory in Tenerife, in the Canary Islands. “My friend wanted to observe the crossing of an exoplanet. I had nothing better to do, so I said I would help him.” more..

Oct 19 (CT) Thursday (17), this newspaper quoting two UN adjuncts, the WFP and the FAO, said that 45% of women of reproductive age (15-49 years) in SL were either overweight or obese. Paradoxically, the WFP/FAO also said that the island was facing the dual burden of malnutrition with stagnant rates of under nutrition as well. With reference to overweight and obesity, the UN agencies said that in recent decades people have dramatically changed their diets and eating patterns more..

Oct 19 (ST) Multi-coloured mermaid tails, with gold detailing and cookies influenced by just anything and everything – TV shows, movies and books. Lotsa Dough’s custom cookies have something for everyone, although you might feel eating them is a shame since they look so beautiful. Simply not just cookies, Lotsa Dough creates edible art. Lotsa Dough started seven years ago when aunt and niece duo, Ruvi Johnpillai-Forbes and Vihanga Mendis pooled their creative talents. more..

Oct 19 (Island) A scientific study has unearthed a wealth of information from proposed Morapitiya-Runakanda Nature Reserve. According to the outcome of the study, when considering the amphibian diversity of this forest, there had been records of 39 species belongs to 15 Genera within six families such as, Bufonidae, Dicroglossidae, Microhylidae, Ranidae, Rhachophoridae and Icthyophiidae, while 29 of them are endemic to SL. Out of 15 genera, Adenomus, Lankanectes, more..

Oct 19 (Island) All the presidential candidates are very promising, for they are making a lot of promises. It looks as if they were taking part in a promise-making contest. The promising messiahs are falling over themselves to take Citizen Perera to the Promised Land, come Nov. 16. The only thing they expect in return for the promised journey is his vote! One of the candidates has even pledged to travel in disguise, at night, in case of being elected Prez, to see how the ordinary people live. more..

Oct 19 (Island) As the polls campaign gets under way there is a growing similarity between the two lead players in what they offer to the people, and what they don’t. Green and Purple offers have strong links to one’s family. Sajith keeps reminding us of what his father did or promised - like preparing a title deed to the people on the political assets of one’s father. Gota sees no way of moving away from what his elder brother and former prez did, more..

Oct 19 (ST) A strong set of 400 junior squash players will fight for a place in the national squash honours at the Air Force Squash Courts Complex Ratmalana, commenced yesterday and the curtain to come down on October 16 with the prize distribution. The tournament is organised by Sri Lanka Squash to coincide with World Squash day on October 12 and the tournament kick off been scheduled with a series of events. The event will begin with a series of exhibition matches more..

Oct 19 (ST) The story of Anjalika Kurera has been an incredible one. Her journey started when she was 8-years-old. From that day onwards, she dreams of becoming a professional tennis player. Recently, she won the Under (U)-18 championship, beating her Indonesian opponent, Jessica Christa, in the ITF Juniors Circuit 3 tournament. After her success, she sat down for an interview, to express her thoughts on how her career started and her dream to play in the Wimbledon Juniors in the near future. more..

Oct 19 (Island) Sports Minister Harin Fernando explained the reasons of banning former Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) president Thilanga Sumathipala from holding any position at SLC yesterday. "I don’t wish to meddle with the day-to-day affairs at SLC. But, as the Sports Minister it is my responsibility to make sure nothing illegal happens in any of the sports bodies under my purview. " Sports Minister said at a press conference more..

Oct 19 (DM) Board of Investment of SL signed a supplementary agreement with Senaka Zenn (Pvt) Ltd to set up a project to manufacture pre-stressed spun concrete electrical poles, piles and railway sleepers with improved technology, for both local and export markets. The Initial investment made by the company was US$ 10.3 million. The supplementary agreement was signed by Mangala Yapa, Chairman of BoI and Senaka Gurusinghe, Chairman of Senaka Group of Companies. more..

Oct 19 (Island) Sleuths of the Divulapitiya police raided a luxury house at Ullapola yesterday and recovered a haul of heroin with a street value of Rs 620 million. Police arrested three persons including a woman from the house suspected to be a distributing center where bulk of heroin had been packed into small sachets. Police earlier nabbed a businessman, on Thursday, while transporting a stock of heroin worth over Rs 1,200 million at the Southern Hiway entry point at Athurugiriya. more..

Oct 19 (DN) Sri Lanka will have to prove that their 3-0 whitewash of Pakistan in the T20I series was no flash in the pan when they embark on a three-match T20 Int'l tour to Australia today. SL’s complete dominance over Pakistan, the no. 1 ranked T20 side with an almost second string team has put them in an enviable position to beat Australia and continue the winning trend that began with their victory against NZ in third T20I more..

Oct 19 (DM) The Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA) yesterday handed over its set of twenty proposals to SLPP presidential candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the Opposition Leader’s official residence in Wijerama. GMOA Assistant Secretary Dr. Naveen de Soyza told Daily Mirror that they would hand over the proposals to other presidential candidates as well and added that the proposals were based on sustainable development. Their proposals were as follows: more..

Oct 19 (CT) Sri Lanka Cricket named their under 19 four-day and one day squads to their tour against Bangladesh which does not feature three of their top under 19 cricketers who are serving a one year ban on deciplinary grounds. Three cricketers are Ashain Daniel (St Joseph's College), Kamil Mishara (Royal College) and Ahan Wickramasinghe (Royal College) all were part of the Sri Lankan Under 19 team at the last Asia Cup, and the trio pleaded guilty for violating decorum after consuming alcohol more..

Oct 19 (Island) UPFA MP Thilanga Sumathipala said that abolition of the executive presidency shouldn’t be an issue at the Nov 16 presidential poll. He emphasized that abolition of the executive presidency posed a grave danger to SL’s unitary status. He said so at the regular Friday morning briefing at his Ananda Rajakaruma Mawatha residence. National List MP was flanked by attorney-at-law Keerthi Udawatte & Sumith Vijithamuni more..

Oct 19 (AD) President of Lanka Private Bus Owners’ Association (LPBOA) Gemunu Wijeratne says that a majority of the members of his association have agreed to support SLPP Prez Candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Trade union leader said that he and several other members of the association met with Mr Gotabaya Rajapaksa at his residence in Mirihana this evening and informed him that he will have their support at the election. Wijeratne further said that personally he will definitely give his full more..

Oct 19 (CT) Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) is making arrangements to re-introduce the Lanka Premier League (LPL) next June. With a view to improving the shorter version of the game, SLC decided to include the LPL, a popular version of the game to their cricketing calendar to encourage youngsters to showcase their skills and contribute to the National side. SLC tried to introduce the tournament last year but due to the appointment of an Interim Committee by then Sports Minister, more..

Oct 19 (FT) the IMF, this week, downgraded Sri Lanka’s economic growth in 2019 by 0.8% to 2.7% in its October update in comparison to forecast made in April. The downgrade comes midst IMF adopting a similar move for global growth as well as Asia in its World Economic Outlook October release this week. Due to trade and geopolitical tensions, the IMF lowered 2019 global GDP growth forecast to 3%, lowest in a decade and more..