Apr 20 (EN) Mobitel, a fully-owned unit of Sri Lanka Telecom, is still on the lookout for acquisitions in the local mobile phone sector where intense competition has prompted calls for consolidation. "In addition to investing in organic growth, the company will take advantage of opportunities presented in the form of acquisitions," the parent firm, SLT has told shareholders in its annual report. Both Mobitel, which accounted for 47% of SLT group revenue in 2014, and Dialog Axiata, had been in talks to more..

Apr 20 (AD) Former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Monday said some elements of the new govt struggle to destroy his reputation and goodwill that he had built for years by being instrumental in the country�s struggle to defeat the Tamil rubles. Rajapaksa went on to say that the move to summon him and his brother to the Bribery Commission is also a part of this conspiracy. He added that some powerful persons of more..

Apr 20 (EN) Sri Lanka's latest price controls are the most "intrusive and bizarre" and will lead to lower quality, products going of shelves, and worsening hygiene standards, an economist has said, if the controls are forcefully implemented. Sri Lanka's hapless tea and hopper sellers now face the prospect of being dragged to court after the Consumer Affairs Authority slapped a 10 rupee price control on hoppers a popular food made out of rice flour and 25 rupees for tea with milk more..

Apr 20 (CG) The early warning centre of the Department of Meteorology has issued a severe weather alert for tonight. The weather alert said that under the influence of an atmospheric disturbance in the vicinity of Sri Lanka, thundershowers can be expected tonight. It said that showers or thundershowers will also develop over the most parts of the island during afternoon and night tomorrow. Very heavy rain falls (more than 150mm) can be expected over hilly areas. more..

Apr 20 (CT) Minister of Health Dr. Rajitha Senaratne regretted for not studying Tamil during his school days and emphasized on changing the present educational system in order to allow the present day students to learn Tamil and Sinhala at schools. The Health Minister also enjoyed listening to National Anthem rendered in Tamil at the opening ceremony of the Emergency Unit and a new OPD at Kalmunai Base Hospital, on Thursday (16). more..

Apr 20 (CT) The former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, his family members and his henchmen who misused the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) aircrafts during the Presidential election campaigning period will have to pay their bills. SLAF helicopters and fixed-wing aircrafts have been exploited at the whims and fancies of the Rajapaksas and some of the Ministers of the former regime, which has resulted in a loss of millions of rupees. �We will call upon the passengers more..

Apr 20 (CT) Jaffna Medical Association President Dr. Murali Vallipuranathan has accused that Northern Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran was reluctant to talk to them over the contaminated well water in the Valikamam area in recent months. The Jaffna Medical Association released a documentary in DVD on the contaminated well water in Jaffna at the Kathiramalai Sivan Temple in Chunnakam on Friday. Dr. Vallipuranathan speaking at the event said that the contaminated water more..

Apr 20 (CG) The JVP says the SLFP has posed a threat to the 19th Amendment to the constitution by saying this afternoon that it cannot agree on the bill. JVP MP Vijitha Herath said that SLFP Parliamentarian and opposition leader Nimal Siripala de Silva had made a sudden u-turn by saying the SLFP will oppose the 19th Amendment. He said that President Maithripala Sirisena had assured that he will ensure both the 19th more..

Apr 20 (AM) President Mahinda Rajapaksa stated that he acted within his powers in giving a Cabinet Minister post to Tissa Attanayake. He said that as per the constitution the president can appoint Cabinet Ministers. Considering it as a bribe is nothing but a joke, Rajapaksa insisted. Rajapaksa added that the summons to the bribery commission was the New Year gift given him by the govt. He also said that the govt has started taking revenge from opponents. more..

Apr 20 (CT) The proposal by the SLFP to have 165 Members on first-past-the-post, 60 on district proportional representation and 25 national seats will remove the minorities from the political landscape of the country, the All Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC) warned. General Secretary of the ACMC, Y.L.S. Hameed said the minorities constitute almost 30% which means that out of the 250 MPs as being contemplated by the main parties, the minorities' share would be nearly 75 seats. more..

Apr 20 (DM) SL Labour Party Leader and businessman A.S.P. Liyanage said that he had decided to postpone the offer to hand over his �Peacock Mansion� at Nawala to former President Rajapaksa due to certain circumstances, which had arisen recently. Mr. Liyanage earlier offered his residence to Mr. Rajapaksa and his family to occupy for the convenience of Mr. Rajapaksa�s possible comeback to active politics. more..

Apr 20 (BS) High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to India Sudharshan Seneviratne invited industry from Chandigarh and Punjab to tap the opportunities in the island nation. "There is an immense untapped potential for stronger trade cooperation, collaboration and business ties between industry from north India, especially Punjab, Chandigarh and Haryana region, and Sri Lanka in the sectors of pharmaceuticals, tourism, livestock management, light engineering and healthcare." more..

Apr 20 (GDI) Sri Lanka Army announced that the General Amnesty period has been extended till April 25. Sri Lanka Army on the directions of the Ministry of Defense and the Commander of the Army offered a general amnesty period for Army absentees, enabling them to receive their legal discharge from the Army within a day or two, effective from April 02. General amnesty was scheduled to end on April 16. The declaration of General Amnesty was very successful as over 13600 army absentees more..

Apr 20 (CI) Sri Lanka Cricket has expressed shock at its recent treatment by the ICC, and has described the ICC's withholding of funds due to the board as "unlawful". SLC also said the ICC's account of what transpired at the April 16 board meeting was "misleading", and has provided its own version of events, which suggest the ICC had been repeatedly informed of developments within SLC, particularly pertaining to more..

Apr 20 (GDI) Free wi-fi with a 100MB limit in urban areas and villages may cast the impression progress in the field of ICT engagement and the public. However, strategic areas remain to be focussed over this noble govt endeavour. Sri Lankan authorities and stakeholders of the ICT industry should target their focus on the ten pillars of the Global Information Technology report. The Sri Lankan ICT sector needs improvement. Its important to develop strategies to improve each pillar. more..

Apr 20 (GDI) The handing over of credentials to the new Mahanayaka of the Sri Rohana Chapter of the Siyam Maha Nikaya the Most Ven. Udumalagala Sri Mahinda Nayaka thero was held at Kottagama Sri Sumanagama Viharaya in Galle on Sunday evening. President speaking during the ceremony said that the govt is committed to protect and foster the Buddha Sasana and promote all Buddhist activities. He emphasised that advices and guidance given by the members of the Maha Sangha more..

Apr 20 (Reuters) Former president Mahinda Rajapaksa will not appear before an anti-bribery commission investigating allegations that he may have illegally induced a rival to support his campaign during the recent presidential elections. Rajapaksa will ignore a summons to appear on April 24 because the exact nature of the complaint and the person making the allegations have not been disclosed, Rohan Weliwita, Rajapaksa's more..

Apr 21 (CT) The President of Sri Lanka for the next five years (assuming the constitutional reforms are passed in parliament) is Mr. Maithripala Sirisena. However, it appears that the new political race, precisely owing to the reforms, are for the Prime Minister post, and possibly that of the Leader of the Opposition. The same kind of politicking that was there for President, Chief Minister and Mayor is now being played out for the PM post! Even parties within the coalition, including the SLFP and the JHU more..

Apr 21 (CT) Pornography is now very much a celebration of the misguided sexuality that dominates nearly every aspect of youth culture and lies at the core of Sri Lanka�s �open� economy. Adult entertainment, as it is benignly called, glorifies the dehumanization of �sexy� (often white) women. It champions a section of the human community that is devoid of compassion, empathy and love. Young Sri Lankans see on their mobile phones or laptops and tablets sex scenes, eroticized more..

Apr 21 (SO) On arrival visas was a promise extend by the India Premier Narendra Modi during his historic visit to Sri Lanka in March this year. His promise elicited a lot of excitement, for obtaining visa to India had become somewhat a tedious task for the scores of thousands who visit the giant neighbour for reasons ranging from shopping to medical care and everything in between. Converting the promise to a cyber reality, more..

Apr 21 (GV) I first visited Sri Lanka in 2003. I took leave from the Australian Dept of Immigration and Citizenship for a short humanitarian stint with a Sri Lankan NGO during a Norwegian Peace Initiative-ceasefire. The civil war spanning over 25 years ended with the defeat of the LTTE in 2009. During my brief experience in 2003 in Jaffna, I did not fully understand the history of the conflict, the implications and impact on civilians but I do recall Jaffna in the North was heavily militarised. more..

Apr 21 (GV) Darkness, movement in the bathroom. No need for lights until somebody breaks a toe. Ouch. I would�ve never known it was broken if it weren�t sticking so clearly in the wrong direction. There is not that much pain, but a visit to the emergency room seems to be in order. And then I�m there and before I know it am in a private room. This is a good hospital, but Baylor Hospital (in Dallas) is also a teaching hospital so the first guy that comes in is clearly the new guy. more..

Apr 21 (CT) Opposition Leader Nimal Siripala de Silva said that he has a list of signatures of over 70 MPs expressing support to him as the Opposition Leader and that it has been handed over to the Secretary of the UPFA, Susil Premajayantha who first directed the request to appoint him as the Opposition Leader. Q: You appealed in Parliament not to backstab and said you were ready to give up position of Opposition more..

Apr 21 (NS) How many calendars does one country need? There is the globally-accepted Gregorian calendar, the Chinese calendar, solar and lunar calendars. But Sri Lanka is probably the only country that makes use of three calendars. We work by the Gregorian calendar, observe the lunar calendar for religious purposes, there is that added advantage of poya holiday and we observe the solar calendar just so we could celebrate the Sinhala, recently christened Sinhala and Hindu New Year. more..

Apr 21 (CT) Going by a recent report on a 'behind the news' segment on TV, President Sirisena has told the UPFA leaders that he is under tremendous pressure from the West and India. What Prime Minister Modi wants cannot be done but nor can we refrain from doing so; he is supposed to have said. He explained his advocacy of a National Government which included the UNP by saying that it was an unavoidable answer to western pressure because Ranil Wickremesinghe and the UNP more..

Apr 21 (CT) The SLFP Central Committee (CC) headed by Party President Maithripala Sirisena sacked five CC Members, on Saturday,11 April. Former Ministers Bandula Gunawardene, Rohitha Abeygunawardena, Salinda Dissanayake, S.M. Chandrasena and T.B. Ekanayake were replaced in the CC by Ministers Arjuna Ranatunga and Nandimithra Ekanayake and Western Provincial Councillors Ediriweera Weerawardena, more..

Apr 21 (Island) The inability of the govt to force through its decisions, and the appearance of opposition forces supportive of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa gaining ground, has generated concerns about the government�s long term stability. The defeat of the govt�s money bill in Parliament has highlighted the structural weakness of the govt. The difficulty that the govt has been experiencing in fulfilling its main election promises, catching the corrupt and passing 19th Amendment, more..

Apr 21 (Island) The JVP may have thought that everything was hunky dory after the defeat of President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the Jan. 08 presidential election and the resultant collapse of the UPFA govt. Having helped dislodge the Rajapaksa dispensation, it sought to arrest the erosion of its support base and eat into the SLFP�s vote bank while tapping the so-called floating votes with an eye to the next parliamentary election. But, its plan to shore up its image and regain lost ground more..

Apr 21 (NS) Gotabhaya Rajapaksa earned the respect and admiration of the citizens of this country with his leadership and excellent management skills that resulted in ending a 30-year- long-war. As impressive are his post-war efforts to transform Colombo and other cities through development of infrastructure under the ten -year Urban Development Framework (UDF). In a short period of 5 years, Colombo has blossomed more..

Apr 21 (DN) The shipping industry is making inquiries from the SLPA if proper marketing has been done for the Magampura Mahinda Rajapaksa Port Hambantota Container Terminal (under the second stage) which is to be opened soon. The shipping industry say that no shipping line has given an undertaking to call over at the MMRP in Hambantota. �This is also on course of becoming another major white elephant in the future adding another major financial burden to economy.� more..

Apr 21 (EN) There has been much debate about the 19th Amendment conferring rights to foreigners, albeit foreigners who went to the trouble of setting up unincorporated associations along with three Sri Lanka citizens. The matter was settled by an amendment to the Gazetted text, approved by the Supreme Court. Let us leave aside the vexed question of whether foreigners should benefit from the right to information (RTI). An important question that has been neglected in the rush is more..

Apr 21 (Island) Uva Province CM Hareen Fernando�s nomination for the post of President of Athletics Association of Sri Lanka was rejected by the General Committee of AASL on Monday paving the way for former national athlete Sugath Thilakaratne to enter a two horse race for the top post of the athletics governing body. Retired DIG Upali Kumarasiri is the other contestant for the post of president. more..

Apr 21 (Island) If withdrawals from the ATMs of Commercial Bank in the �Avurudu� season are anything to go by, Sri Lankans celebrated their New Year on a grand scale in 2015, establishing new records for cash dispensed from the largest automated teller network owned by a single bank in the country. The previous record of Rs 2.05 billion for cash withdrawals in a single day set on 11th April 2014, was broken on Friday, 10th April 2015, when users of the Commercial Bank�s more..

Apr 21 (DM) The Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) in association with the South Asian Federation of Exchanges (SAFE) will host the South Asian Investment Conference and SAFE Annual General Meeting on April 26th and 27th in Colombo. Minister Ravi Karunanayake, Deputy Minister Dr. Harsha de Silva, the Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Tilak Karunaratne and the CSE Chairman Vajira Kulatilaka, will grace the inauguration ceremony on the 27th. more..

Apr 21 (DN) Bank of Ceylon has recorded the highest ever profit before tax (PBT) in the bank�s history as well as in the Sri Lankan banking industry of Rs.20.3 billion, achieving a growth of 29% compared to the previous year. Post tax profit stood at Rs. 13.6 billion, a 12% growth. Group has reported Rs.21.4 billion PBT recording a 33% growth over last year with the Bank dominating the results of the Group accounting for 95% of earnings more..

Apr 21 (DN) Sri Lanka�s mobile industry is fast developing and mobile handsets have overtaken the country�s population, Technomedics Healthcare Solutions consultant Murali Prakash said. Speaking at their annual conference at the Kingsbury Colombo, he said that today there are over 21.5 million mobiles. Sri Lankan mobile landscape is fast changing. He said that similarly the internet usage too is on the rise and it is estimated that 4.2 million surf the net. more..

Apr 21 (DN) Two more prominent commercial organizations have joined hands with the Certified Management Accountants (CMA), Sri Lanka in its efforts to produce management accountants who are skilled and well trained in their valued profession. One is, the CEB, long standing, govt owned, largest electricity supplier in the country. The other, Fentons Limited, renowned commercial entity has a history that goes back to 1921 and is engaged in multiple and diverse businesses. more..

Apr 21 (Island) Minister Rosy Senanayake recently addressed the International Conference on Population and Development at the UN headquarters in New York, USA. At the conference, Minister pledged Sri Lanka�s ongoing commitment to the ICPD Programme of Action which was developed 20 years ago to realize human rights in the process of development, to ensure that all persons benefit from their individual rights more..

Apr 21 (CT) Trincomalee Urban Council Member, S. Nanthakumar has appealed to the government to allow international and local Non-Governmental Organizations to assist in resettlement of IDPs from Sampur when they are allowed to resettle in their own areas. When the Sampur region was declared a High Security Zone in 2006, around 2,000 IDPs from 800 families were compelled to live in temporary shelters in Kaddaiparichchan, Killiveddy, Manalasenai and Pattithidal. more..

Apr 21 (Island) Highways and Investment Promotion Minister Kabir Hashim praised Tourism and Sports Minister Navin Dissanayake for taking a bold step to open the Zoo at Pinnawala despite alleged threats by a senior politician in the area. Speaking at the opening of the first Open Air Zoological Gardens in Pinnawala last Friday, he said Dissanayake had allocated Rs. 374 million from his Ministry, while the Treasury contributed Rs. 487 million to construct the zoo. more..