Mar 9 (GV) Today is the International Women�s Day. It is 41 years since this day came out as a result of an event the Socialist Party of America organized. The Feminists have been mostly focused on balancing the gender numbers, getting women to important positions in the political and bureaucratic hierarchy. There has been some success. For example, the proportion of women in workforce has substantially increased and comprise about 46% of the Australian workforce. more..

Mar 9 (CT) Dr. Anuruddha Padeniya, Medical Specialist and President of the 18,000-member strong GMOA � better known in its acronym as GMOA � has always been a newsmaker. He has led his professional body, standing firm despite attacks by critics, against what he has believed to be threats to his profession, state sector medical service, healthcare delivery, senseless bureaucratic and political interference in the country�s medical system � all relating to his professional field. more..

Mar 9 (CT) SLMC MP and former Minister of National Unity Govt Basheer Segu Dawood said that merging the Northern and Eastern Provinces as one province will create injustice to the Muslims in finding a political solution due to a reduced representation. "If the North and East are merged the percentage of Muslims will reduce to 17% although they are a majority in the Eastern Province. Merging the North and East will more..

Mar 9 (SL) The latest downgrading of Sri Lanka by Fitch ratings has raised many concerns within the local financial sphere and has gained the attention of the international community as well. Concerns were raised in the backdrop of Fitch Ratings downgrading Sri Lanka�s Long Term Foreign and Local Currency Issuer Default Ratings down one notch to �B+� from �BB-�. According to Fitch Ratings, a negative outlook has been assigned to the IDRs. The issue ratings on Sri Lanka�s senior unsecured more..

Mar 9 (DN) International Women�s Daybegan as an annual tradition more than 100 years ago initially as a way to honour women�s role in labour, advocate for political rights, and end discrimination in the workplace. Every year on March 8, people around the world reflect on the progress women have made, celebrate acts of courage and determination by women making a difference in their communities and countries, and urge greater effort to ensure the success of women. more..

Mar 9 (Island) Former BBC journalist and analyst, Mark Salter, recently declared in Colombo that a meeting of Co-Chairs of Sri Lankan donors - the US, EU, Japan and Norway - in Washington, on April 14, 2003 led to the collapse of the Norway-led peace initiative. Salter categorized the Washington confab as the primary reason for the failure of the peace process. He was addressing a gathering at the International Center for Ethnic Studies (ICES) at Kynsey Terrace, Colombo, more..

Mar 9 (Island) Spotlight has received a turbo boost from its recent Oscar win and recorded an impressive 140% uptick at the box office, according to a report we carry on page six today. The best film Oscar for Spotlight must have been welcomed by all movie buffs capable of separating the wheat from the chaff. A super flick chronicling the Pulitzer-winning investigation the Boston Globe conducted into a clergy sex abuse cover-up way back in 2002, Spotlight has been placed in general more..

Mar 9 (SO) Providing quality education to children is a wish of any parent. There are thousands of parents who fight tooth and nail to get a good school for their children. However, a mother in Kuliyapitiya had to wage a different battle against the discrimination of her child to secure admission to the school of her choice due to rumors that her child is HIV positive. The attention of education and health authorities has been more..

Mar 9 (Island) Although Article 3 of the International Convention against the taking of hostages, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1979 does not apply to non-International Armed Conflicts, the general principle that any State Party should "take all measures it considers appropriate to ease the situation of the hostages", has relevance. Article 3 of the Additional Protocol II, entitles State Parties to take "all legitimate means to maintain or re-establish law and order in the State or more..

Mar 9 (Island) In the beginning there was the Royal-Thomian. Then followed the others, pre-fixed as Big and identified by different colours, religious figures, fruits and thus invested with significance; The Battle, of this, that and the other!!! But The Royal � Thomian, supreme in its uniqueness, stands aloof from the herd and will always be The Big Match. This match is not all about playing cricket, although there is cricket out there on the green; it is a meeting of people and attitudes, more..

Mar 9 (ST) With the recent directive of the President to repay the actual balance due to Golden Key (GK) depositors, the Treasury is in a dilemma over disbursing more public money as it has already doled out Rs.4.48 billion from its funds for this cause. In a letter sent on behalf of the president to the Treasury Secretary and to the Central Bank Governor, Private Secretary to the President, Anil Amaratunge, has informed more..

Mar 9 (LBO) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe told Parliament that island�s debt has now increased to 9.5 trillion rupees after adding hidden govt dues which amount to 1,442 billion rupees. He said as at end of 2015 the state debt amounted to 8,475 billion rupees or 74.9% of GDP. A total of 1,209 billion rupees has to be paid this year as debt service payments from which 647 billion rupees as loan repayments and 562 billion rupees as interest payments. more..

Mar 9 (EN) Sri Lanka's bank credit to private business slowed to 43.6 billion rupees in December 2016 from 91 billion rupees a month earlier, in a month where excess liquidity was withdrawn by authorities. Central Bank credit to govt, or the stock of printed money, fell to 229.9 billion rupees in December from 268.5 million rupees as the central bank conducted active open market operations and withdrew some liquidity from the banking system in December. more..

Mar 9 (FT) Sri Lanka�s burnished fortunes provide an exciting opportunity for investors, believes Dialog Axiata in Malaysia Chairman Datuk Azzat, who made a clarion call to international businessmen to growth their ventures along with the country. Delivering the keynote address at the inauguration of the Sri Lanka Investment and Business Conclave 2016 organised by the CCC, Azzat was full of praise for more..

Mar 9 (CT) It did come eventually. The defeat faced by Sri Lanka at the hands of Bangladesh; of which, writings were on the wall for some time. What is salt on the wound for Sri Lanka is the fact it was a dream come true, not only for the Tigers, but more for their coach who was discarded by his own country. Remember the famous story when tempers flared and then President of SLC D.S. de Silva who had no vision for the future for Sri Lanka's cricket, wanted Hathurusinghe to get lost fast! more..

Mar 9 (FT) February�s LMD-Nielsen Business Confidence Index (BCI) continued to head south, recording a 16-month low, with the unique the barometer standing at 138. �Economic and investment-related woes struck a further blow to business confidence, with corporates looking to policymakers to make good on promises and accelerate development,� it explains. A majority (54%) of the sample population expect economic conditions to deteriorate in the medium term, more..

Mar 9 (PSL) President Maithripala Sirisena congratulated the members of the Sri Lankan Cricket Team who are leaving for India to participate in the Twenty-Twenty World Cup tournament. President met them at the Colombo Racecourse today (8). Minister of Sports Dayasiri Jayasekara also was present at this occasion. Theme of the Sri Lanka Cricket Team for this tournament is One Team � One Nation. more..

Mar 9 (ST) Surging property prices, rising rentals and demand seen growing for corporate space in Colombo and the suburbs were among a host of interesting issues that surfaced at a recent panel discussion on the real estate market. There was general agreement that joint marketing of the property markets through overseas roadshows was necessary to market the new corporate space. Panellists Sunil Subramaniam, Head � Transactions, JLL Sri Lanka; Roshanie Jayasundera more..

Mar 9 (CG) MEP leader Dinesh Gunawardena told Parliament that most people reported missing sought asylum overseas. He claimed that of 7000 Tamils reported missing during the war some had sought political asylum in Canada, Europe and India. TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran then accused Gunawardena of insulting those killed during the war by saying they are living overseas. Gunawardena however stood by his comments and accused TNA of working with a UN panel to create false more..

Mar 9 (DM) A photograph in which some men are seen attempting to kill an eagle in an inhumane manner after peeling off its skin and cutting off its legs has gone viral on social media and news websites. Commenting on the matter, two wildlife organizations, Freedom Sri Lanka Foundation and the Let Them Live said they would take measures to charge the culprits with inhumane animal slaughter under Flora & Fauna Protection Ordinance more..

Mar 9 (CT) Japanese Govt signed an aid grant to provide Rs 10.4 million for the improvement of Maternal and Child Health and the nutritional environment in Padaviya, Anuradhapura under its 'Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human security Project (GGP) to Plan International Sri Lanka, an international NGO. Japan's Ambassador Kenichi Suganuma speaking on his recent visit to Anuradhapura, observed the state of health and living conditions of the people in those areas. more..

Mar 9 (Island) The govt is planning to present a mini budget for this year and is likely to reintroduce the capital gains tax, while VAT will not be imposed on essential commodities and electricity, PM Ranil Wickremesinghe said in parliament. Nation Building Tax (NBT) will not be increased and remains at 2%, while VAT will be brought up to 15%, PM Wickremesinghe said in his statement in parliament. "We are now planning to bring a mini budget to parliament before the end of this month. more..

Mar 9 (DN) Former chairman of cricket selectors Kapila Wijegunawardene spoke to the Daily News and gave his version of the events that led to the removal of his selection committee which also included Brendon Kuruppu, Amal Silva and Hemantha Wickremaratne. Their bone of contention was they were unceremoniously removed. "We feel humiliated about the fact that without adducing any tangible reasons the media was informed that more..

Mar 9 (Hindu) Minister Mangala Samaraweera told Parliament that the govt was in the process of repealing the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). Responding to Leader of Opposition R. Sampanthan�s persistent query on the issue of PTA repeal, he said the Law Commission of Sri Lanka, entrusted with the task of formulating an alternative draft law in keeping with international practices, had just submitted a draft. Hopefully, the matter would be finalised in a couple of months. more..

Mar 9 (DN) Sri Lankan govt will be entering into discussions with two of the world's largest sovereign funds over the next two weeks to strategise restructuring of the ailing state owned enterprises, Deputy Minister Eran Wickramaratne said. Speaking at the first Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) CEO's Breakfast Forum 2016 at JAIC Hilton, sharing key insights on "Constitution reforms and trade and investments," he said that through this initiative the govt is planning on looking at more..

Mar 9 (Island) President Maithripala Sirisena has invited All Ceylon Customs Services Union (ACCSU) and other Customs unions for a discussion today over the Toyota Prado TRJ 150 scam which has caused a loss of Rs. 3 bn to the country according to auditors. President will meet them at the Presidential Secretariat at 4 p.m. President Sirisena has invited the customs unionists, Independent Govt Trade Union Organisation, more..

Mar 9 (Island) Fisheries Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said the ministry would take steps to issue licences to large trawlers to fish in international waters. He said that the European Union (EU) ban on Sri Lankan fish exports would be lifted soon and the problem was to find large stocks of fish to export thereafter. Therefore, the ministry would give another 245 licences to large scale fishing vessels and foreign vessels could also apply with a Sri Lankan investor. more..

Mar 9 (TS) Malaysian Govt should not allow the hiring of former Sri Lankan soldiers as security guards in view of security and human rights concerns, said MIC Youth chief C. Sivarraajh. He said any move to hire them must take into consideration the sensitivities of the Tamil community in the country. Deputy Home Minister Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed had been quoted as saying that the Govt might lift the ruling of allowing only Nepalis to be hired as security guards. more..

Mar 9 (Hindu) Leader of Opposition R. Sampanthan slammed the govt over continuing detention of people booked under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) even after it committed itself at the UNHRC last year to review and repeal the law. Speaking on a motion on the subject of missing persons and those in custody, Mr. Sampanathan recalled how the previous govts had granted amnesty to those who were arrested during more..

Mar 9 (FT) Supreme Court has rejected the petitions filed against the two bills Budgetary Relief Allowance of Workers and National Minimum Wage of Workers on par with Article 121(1) of the Constitution. According to the determination moved in Parliament yesterday, the Supreme Court has held that it has no jurisdiction to proceed further with the petitions, as the jurisdiction of the Court has not been duly invoked because the petitioners have failed to satisfy the requirement that more..

Mar 9 (Xinhua) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe on Tuesday told investors that his govt had created the right business climate for enterprises to enter. In a statement read on behalf of Wickremesinghe at the Sri Lanka Investment and Business Conclave 2016 held in Colombo, PM said that his govt, led by President Maithripala Sirisena, was putting in place mechanisms that would not only strengthen the country's economy but also many others sectors such as the political and social aspects. more..

Mar 9 (Island) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe announced changes to the govt�s first budget proposals increasing the VAT and removing tax relief given to several sectors. Such action. he said, was essential to maintain GDP at 5.4% and the economic growth rate at 6% in 2016. PM said: "I promised this House on Jan 28 that I would make a special statement with regard to the current economic situation in the country more..

Mar 9 (DM) President Maithripala Sirisena, in one of the most powerful speeches since his historic election victory in January last year, said on Monday that Sri Lanka�s people and Mother Earth had been poisoned by agro-chemicals for more than 60 years -- and he solemnly pledged there would be no turning back from the decision to go for organic cultivation. Addressing an international conference of organic agriculture scientists and other specialists, President said he also came from more..

Mar 9 (DM) As we Pledge For Parity on this year�s International Women�s Day, it has to be noted that countless women worldwide face harassment at the hands of male dominance as well as various other prejudices which unfairly restricts certain freedoms that are supposed to be protected by the law of the country. In Sri Lanka females constitute 51.6% of the total population i.e. there are nearly 650 000 more women than men. One out of four women is sexually abused by the time more..

Mar 9 (SL) A Task Force appointed on the reconciliation process is preparing the groundwork as the consultation process begins to gather views on how best to take forward the domestic mechanism to address issues related to the war. Secretary to Commission Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu said that Task Force is looking at several aspects related to the reconciliation aspect as part of initial preparatory work. more..

Mar 9 (Xinhua) Sri Lanka assured that there was no security threat in the island nation despite an increase in the crime rate, mostly in the western and southern provinces. ASP Ruwan Gunesekara said that security had been tightened in many areas in the capital and the south, but most of the incidents had occurred due to personal conflicts. In the recent weeks, Sri Lanka has recorded a surge in gang-related shootings, more..

Mar 9 (Island) The JVP threatened to block all six roads leading to the Colombo City if the govt was not ready to give the fertiliser subsidy to farmers. JVP trade union wing leader K.D. Lal Kantha said the date of their protest would be announced later as the govt intelligence services were all out to sabotage the protest. He said they would send a letter to President Maithripala Sirisena and PM Ranil Wickremesinghe spelling out their demands. more..

Mar 9 (ST) Sri Lanka�s High Commissioners, Ambassadors, Consuls General and Consuls have been summoned to Colombo for a meeting with PM Ranil Wickremesinghe, to take place from Mar 31 to Apr 2. The venue for the 3-day conference is yet to be decided but could be in Bentota, Galle or Negombo, sources said. The meeting has been called to inform Sri Lanka�s diplomatic machinery about national priorities more..

Mar 9 (DN) Homagama Magistrate ordered the Army Commander to hand over all documents belonging to SL Army in connection with the investigations into the abduction of journalist Prageeth Ekneligoda. Army Commander was also ordered not to destroy the documents maintained at Giritale Army camp where Ekneligoda is suspected to have been detained. Magistrate issued this order after considering a request by ASP Shani more..