Apr 18 (ST) No one has the foggiest as to what the Economic and Technology Cooperation Agreement (ETCA) to be signed by Sri Lanka and India really is for the simple reason that no details as to its exact terms and clauses have so far been revealed. But this has been no impediment for the Govt doctors union, the GMOA, from launching a no-holds-barred campaign against its signing and subsequent implementation based on what has trickled down the grapevine. more..

Apr 18 (Island) We convinced the President of Rwanda-Canada Association not to join protests against Sri Lanka because LTTE in Canada made an attempt to join or work with other groups and to brainwash them. Toronto Police thwarted an LTTE fundraiser at 80, Alton Tower when a Sri Lankan Tamil Canadian informed me from the venue what was taking place. We had several successes like that and many wanted to teach a lesson to the LTTE in Canada. more..

Apr 18 (ST) Japanese PM Shinzo Abe�s decision to invite President Maithripala Sirisena as a guest at the G7 summit next month is a singular honour for Sri Lanka and underlines the significance of the relationship between the two nations. So far, the only other guest at the summit, scheduled to take place in Shima in Mie Prefecture on May 26 and 27, is Vietnamese PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc. The meeting of the world�s seven most powerful more..

Apr 18 (ST) There is a view taken by some who are engaged in the process of constitutional reform that a new or radically revised constitutional document for Sri Lanka will be the proverbial panacea for many if not all the country�s ills. This is however dangerously misleading. The question is simple. If provisions of the existing Constitution, (including amendments with their warts and all) are not adhered to properly, what possible faith can citizens have in a new document, more..

Apr 18 (CI) Sri Lanka Cricket has confirmed that the ECB has made a request for the upcoming series between the two teams to use a points-based system - following the lead of the women's game - to decide a winner across all formats. England are scheduled to host SL for 3 Tests, 5 ODIs, and a T20I. The proposal will be discussed by the SLC committee at its next board meeting although even if it is agreed each format will continue to be contested for separately as well. more..

Apr 18 (CI) Sri Lanka left-arm spinner Rangana Herath has announced his retirement from limited-overs cricket in order to focus on the remainder of his Test career. Herath informed Sri Lanka Cricket of his decision to step away from the shorter formats in the past week, and the board has since accepted his decision. "In the next eight months or so, we're scheduled to play something like 12 Test matches," Herath said. more..

Apr 18 (SO) Former PM D.M. Jayaratne said divisions in the SLFP should be eschewed and the party should move forward as a united entity under its leaders. He said at present the challenge faced by the SLFP-led UPFA coalition is that all its leaders should unite, irrespective of differences. When people-friendly leaders join hands, those at the grassroot level would also unite and strengthen the party. The trend on the part of the people is to follow popular leaders, the SLFP veteran said. more..

Apr 18 (KH) Sri Lanka, known as the Pearl of the Indian Ocean, is a cool getaway for restive minds, offering exotic travel, fine food and superb relaxation. From pristine beaches lined with palm trees to Buddhist sites exuding beguiling beauty, Sri Lanka provides a melange of experiences for visitors. Throughout the country, Buddhist shrines, Hindu temples, churches and mosques dot the verdant landscape teeming with wildlife, flora and fauna. Religious festivals such as more..

Apr 18 (CI) Lasith Malinga has been ruled out of the IPL, after Mumbai Indians' medical team deemed him unfit for at least another four months. The bone bruise to his left knee is also expected to keep Malinga out of Sri Lanka's forthcoming tour of England, as well as Caribbean Premier League. Sri Lanka Cricket doctors will now assess Malinga to determine whether surgery is required. more..

Apr 18 (EN) Lamudi.lk, a portal covering SL's property listings said it is holding a real estate exhibition in May where developers will showcase upcoming projects. Lamudi Avic Real Estate Expo 2016, will be held at Colombo, Sri Lanka Exhibition and Convention Centre (SLECC). AVIC is a Chinese conglomerate that is building a mixed development project in Colombo. "This two day convention will welcome thousands of visitors hoping to explore the projects currently available all over more..

Apr 18 (EN) Foreign investors had bought 5.6 billion rupees worth Sri Lanka rupee bonds over the week ending April 12, reversing a trend of heavy sell-downs seen in 2016, official data showed. Foreign investor holdings in rupee bonds rose to 228.9 billion rupees in the week to April 12, up from 223.2 billion rupees a week earlier, central bank data showed. Since a low of 220 billion rupees hit on March 23, foreign investors have been net buyers in the market. more..

Apr 18 (AD) Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa said that he believes the primary cause for the current economic crisis is due to the new govt discontinuing the work commenced by the previous govt. �I told this govt very clearly to continue the work we carried out. If there are any mistakes to look into, do that. We have no issue with that,� he said. He compared the situation to keeping a vehicle unused for a year and attempting to more..

Apr 18 (Island) Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) recently brought together professionals from the fields of agriculture, fisheries, livestock, trade, health, nutrition and finance of various ministries, universities, private sector, NGOs and civil society to develop strategies for sustainable food value chains integrating poor producers into them. A concept paper of their recent workshop pointed out that the most challenging question for development policy today is to develop suitable value chains more..

Apr 18 (ST) As Sri Lanka agreed to sign the Paris Agreement on Climate Change (CC) coming Friday at the United Nations headquarters in New York, a comprehensive strategy has been put in place to meet the global challenges on CC. A Blue-Green development strategy was adopted by the Government for the sustainable development of the country including the setting up of 10,000 environment friendly villages throughout the country by 2020. more..

Apr 18 (FT) India�s top IT industry body that commands 55% of the total global outsourcing market has called on its Sri Lankan counterpart to visit and discuss the proposed Economic and Technology Cooperation Agreement (ETCA) in an effort to build trust and find a mutually-beneficial way forward. India�s National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) President R. Chandrashekhar assured that the association more..

Apr 18 (Island) Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa didn�t participate in the oil anointing ceremony during the Sinhala and Tamil New Year claiming that the time given was inauspicious and followed another time. Rajapaksa visited the new Mahanayake of the Asgiriya Chapter Ven Warakagoda Gnanaratana Thera after visiting the Temple of Tooth and the prelate anointed him with oil after 1.00 p.m. more..

Apr 18 (DM) A trishaw driver who had abducted two young Scottish women from Kandy town and attempted to sexually abuse one of them at an abandoned house in Hantane had to flee the place as the second woman had stabbed him with a pen. However, the man had managed to grab the valuables of the women before he fled in his trishaw. He had taken away a mobile phone worth Rs. 90,000 and a bag containing Rs. 30,000 belonging to the women. more..

Apr 18 (AD) Sri Lanka Cricket says that Lasith Malinga has been called for a fitness assessment test before an expert panel of doctors appointed by the cricket board on Wednesday (20). Malinga joined the Mumbai Indians squad on Friday evening, following uncertainty surrounding his availability for the ninth edition of the IPL. Responding to the concerns of the media with regards to Malinga�s current status with the Mumbai Indians, more..

Apr 18 (AD) President Maithripala Sirisena, in a message to Japanese Emperor Akihito, expressed his deepest condolences and sympathies to the victims of the earthquake that struck the Kumamoto Prefecture in Japan. President, further in his message, expressed confidence that the resilient people of Japan will overcome the calamity with their indomitable spirit and courage. �President also expressed the readiness of the govt and people of SL to stand by with the people of Japan, more..

Apr 18 (DN) SL cricketers who are due to tour England will be bound by only a tour contract as their annual contracts are not yet ready. SLC secretary Mohan de Silva said long term contracts cannot be given yet because they are planning to change the system. �We are in the process of working out a formula that will be more on a performance based system,� he said. �We will give them a reasonable annual retainer then thereafter it will be on the basis of their performance,� more..

Apr 18 (Hindu) Tuesday (19) is going to be a special day for 194 families of the Chithambarapuram camp of IDP, about 20 km from the Vavuniya town. The day will mark a partial fulfilment of the longstanding demand of the families � concerning the ownership of the area that the IDPs have been occupying. Uthayakumar (26), a worker in a rice mill in Vavuniya, and Devika are among those who have been staying in the camp for years. more..

Apr 18 (CG) TNA leader R Sampanthan says he urged LTTE leader Vellupillai Prabakaran to enter politics. Sampanthan told a gathering in Kilonochchi that he had several meetings and discussions with Prabakaran before the war ended in 2009 and had urged him to convert his fighting skills to politics. He said that the LTTE leader, who was killed in 2009, had in the year 2000 claimed that the then Government agreed to peace talks since the LTTE was a powerful military force. more..

Apr 18 (DM) As the stage is set for the commencement of the Port City Project after the recent visit of PM Ranil Wickremesinghe, the Peoples Movement against Port City is planning more protests against the project in the days to come. The joint coordinator of the Movement and Environmentalist Hemantha Withanage said that they have planned for more street protests if the government goes ahead with it. �We are currently engaged in educating the fishermen in more..

Apr 18 (EN) Sri Lanka could get funds from an IMF in June 2016, if a preliminary deal is reached in Washington on the side lines of annual meeting of the agency and World Bank, an official said. Sri Lanka is hoping to get at least a billion US dollars under a structural reform driven Extended Fund Facility (EFF) which will run for three years. IMF and Central Bank officials said that a preliminary deal or staff-level agreement is more..

Apr 18 (DM) Constitutional Council (CC) will meet tomorrow to decide on the appointment of the 34th Inspector General of Police (IGP) of Sri Lanka in consideration of three names proposed by President Maithripala Sirisena, it is learnt. President has sent three names to be considered in making the appointment in conformity with the provisions of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution. They are senior DIGs S.M. Wickramasinghe, C.D. Wickramaratne and Pujitha Jayasundara. more..

Apr 18 (CT) With just a few more hours to go for a crucial Constitutional Council meeting to select the country�s 34th Inspector General of Police (IGP), Minister Champika Ranawaka, who is a member of the Constitutional Council is coming under increasing pressure to sit out of the meeting. Highly placed sources said that the decision would be an inherently personal decision on Ranawaka�s part, even though there was no clause to demand him to sit out of Monday�s meeting. more..

Apr 18 (Island) Attorney-at-law Chrishmal Warnasuriya stressed the pivotal importance of having asset declarations furnished by all members of parliament to the Election Commission/National Elections Commission (NEC) thoroughly investigated. NEC comprises Mahinda Deshapriya, Dr. Nalin Abeysekera and Prof. Ratnajeevan Hoole. Asset declarations made to Elections Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya more..

Apr 18 (DM) n the afterglow of the National New Year celebrations where Kiribath and rice-based sweet meats were delicious short-eats, we need to sound an alarm bell regarding any hidden, deep -rooted agenda in a so-called rice-fortification programme being planned here by the World Food Programme (WFP). In a media announcement, the WFP office here said a pilot study on rice fortification to increase the daily intake of vitamins among the people was being undertaken by it. more..

Apr 18 (IE) Resolution of the impasse between Sri Lanka and China on the construction of a Chinese-funded port city at Colombo is not only indicative of the pragmatic policy posture of the Sri Lankan govt, but also an important first step towards the materialisation of the maritime silk route initiative (MSRI) proposed by China. The new port city in Colombo, envisaging $1.4 billion investment by China on the SL coast, had run into problems after the current Sri Lankan govt headed by more..

Apr 18 (SL) As the country celebrated the dawn of yet another Sinhala and Tamil New Year last week with milk being boiled at auspicious times, several groups of individuals spent the day on the streets struggling to win their demands from the rulers. Manpower workers attached to the CEB, who have been engaged in a fast over the last 16 days, are preparing to celebrate the traditional New Year on the streets. more..

Apr 18 (PTI) Hitting back at AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa for blaming him for the ceding of Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka, DMK president M Karunanidhi accused her of enacting a farce drama by promising now to retrieve the islet after failing to act on her earlier assurance in 1991. He said Jayalalithaa in her speech during Independence Day celebrations in 1991 had said her govt would retrieve Katchatheevu islet from Sri Lanka. more..

Apr 18 (ST) A kitchen blowtorch in the checked-in luggage of a team of Sri Lankan chefs returning after a culinary exhibition in Singapore led to the recall of a SriLankan Airline flight soon after it had taken off from the Changi International Airport on Thursday. The drama unfolded when five Sri Lankan chefs were returning to Colombo after they participated in FoodAsia2016, an International Exhibition of Food and Drinks. more..

Apr 18 (ENS) The environmental NGO Green Trincomalee is mulling legal action against the proposed Indo-SL project to build a 500 MW coal-fired power plant at Sampur in Trincomalee. �The environmental impact study done by the Central Environment Authority was conducted when there were no people in the area. People had been driven out at the beginning of Eelam War IV in Aug 2006 & they had returned only recently. more..

Apr 18 (Island) The Sinhala and Tamil New Year celebrations have left 1, 288 persons injured. They were admitted to the National Hospital and Colombo South Teaching Hospital, Kalubowila. 7 of them were pronounced dead on admission to the two hospitals. More than 500 persons who met with accidents during this period were admitted to both hospitals while 938 others sought treatment at the Accident Service of more..

Apr 18 (DM) The Sri Lankan population will have to put up with the uncomfortable situation they have to undergo as a result of excessive sweating during the month of May as well, where winds are unlikely to become active till around that time, the Met Department said. A spokesman from the Department said that the winds are not likely to get active till end of May. �The uncomfortable situation is caused by lack of winds. more..

Apr 18 (DN) "There were many major issues in the Port City agreement which was detrimental for our nation, but we have negotiated and amended them now," said Minister Sagala Rathnayaka in reply to a question Why the govt is going ahead with the highly controversial Port City agreement rather than abrogate it as promised on election platforms. He made these remarks after attending the oil anointing ceremony held at more..

Apr 18 (DN) University of Sri Jayewardenepura is to sign a MoU between Japan, India and Sri Lanka tomorrow, for trilateral collaboration in Science and Technology. The MoU will be signed by Dr. Yoshihiro, OHMIYA, Director, Biomedical Research Institute (BMRI), Advanced Industrial Science (AIST) and Prof. Sampath Amarathunga, Vice Chancellor of University of Sri J'pura. Dr. Sunil Kaul, Chief Senior Research Scientist, AIST, more..

Apr 18 (DN) Local authorities have taken a hands off approach into investigating Sri Lanka's role in the Bangladeshi Bank heist. The CID as well as the Central Bank have said that it was now Bangladesh's case to prosecute and not theirs. CID Director, SSP B.R.S.R Nagahamulla said: "We have given the Bangladeshis the information we have and now it is up to them to investigate". more..

Apr 18 (PTI) TNA is seeking a federal solution to resolve the long-pending issue of political independence for Tamil community. This was conveyed by opposition and TNA leader R Sampanthan in Jaffna to TNA representatives. Commenting on the talks, TNA NPC member M K Shvajilingam said Sampanthan had briefed them on the party's approach to the constitutional reform coming up at national level. more..

Apr 18 (CT) The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) has ignited a tremor worldwide by releasing a list of names including those of prominent leaders such as British Prime Minister David Cameron and Russian President Vladimir Putin, along with the names of some of the super rich persons in the world, over their clandestine offshore financial transactions. Nearly 11.5 million documents, held by Panama-based Mossack Fonseca, which have been released more..