Apr 18 (AD) President Maithripala Sirisena addressing the Sri Lankan community living in London said that the attempts made by some to hide the truth and promote falsehood are a hindrance to the forward march of the country. Therefore, the President invited the Sri Lankan community living in London to assist the journey of building the country with a proper understanding of the real situation of the Motherland. more..

Apr 18 (CT) SL holds dubious under-nutrition milestones despite being classified as a middle income country by the IMF. Therefore, unsurprisingly, food has played key roles in breaking and making Govts since 1970. At the May 1970 Parliamentary Poll, Sirimavo Bandaranaike led her United Front coalition to a landslide win because of her promise of providing two measures of rice per person, per week, free. However, after Bandaranaike was elected to power, more..

Apr 18 (FT) Ranil Wickremesinghe was criticised heavily directly and indirectly of his actions in the political and economic fronts by the supporters of the No-Confidence Motion as well as by those who opposed the same. Wickremesinghe is having his own weaknesses as a politician of the way he operates and the way he deals with the people. His policies may be modified in the coming 18 months with the view of securing victory at the next election. In this light we should examine the policies more..

Apr 18 (CT) The much-awaited cabinet reshuffle has run into several snags including the resignation of several ministers, the indecision of the UNP�s main partner in the Unity Govt (SLFP) and the limiting clause regarding cabinet size enshrined in the 19th Amendment. 19th Amendment allows cabinet to exceed 30 members only in the event there is a national govt. Although the amendment does not define what a national govt is, it has been assumed that such a govt would include more..

Apr 18 (CT) National Council for Road Safety (NCRS) said that it was yet to receive details regarding the inclusion of a clause on the driver�s licence to give prior approval for the donation of organs for transplant purposes in case of a fatal accident. Chairman of the NCRS, Dr. Sisira Kodagoda said that the matter was yet to be submitted for the perusal of the Ministry of Transport. It has to be channelled to the relevant Ministries upon receiving Cabinet Approval more..

Apr 18 (DM) The world's largest cargo aircraft, Antonov An-225 Mriya landed at the Mattala Rajapaksa Int'l Airport (MRIA) this morning, Airport Manager Upali Kalansuriya said. He said the cargo aircraft was being refuelled and that its crew was resting. �It is iconic to have the world�s largest aircraft at MRIA and it is the first time that this type of aircraft arrived in the country. The aircraft arrived from Kuala Lumpur and has scheduled to departure for more..

Apr 18 (DM) Police have launched an investigation into a robbery at a private bank in Seeduwa. Police said the suspect had stolen the money and fled the scene. Police said the suspect arrived at the bank around 9 o' clock this morning carrying a firearm and wearing a helmet. The amount of money stolen from the bank is yet to be estimated. The Seeduwa Police has launched further investigations to identify the suspect. more..

Apr 18 (DN) The timely heroic act of a brave soldier of the 3 Sri Lanka National Guard (SLNG) of the Kawantissapura camp at Kataragama who fought at the risk of his own life miraculously saved the lives of four three-wheeler passengers, trapped in a raging inferno after the three-wheeler had a head-on-collision with a bus near the Aluth Para junction on Colombo - Kataragama main road, close to Ambalantota on Monday. Four members of one family, including one toddler and a child more..

Apr 18 (Roar) Hot on the heels of the no-confidence, or no-faith motion against PM last month, the Joint Opposition (JO), the largest opposition group in Parliament, is in talks to bring a no-confidence motion against Opposition leader and TNA chief Rajavarothiam Sampanthan, on charges he sided with the govt during the no-confidence motion brought against the PM. JO is of the opinion that as the leader of the Opposition in the govt, more..

Apr 18 (DM) If new Constitution process was stalled permanently, TNA MP R. Sampanthan�s holding of Opposition leader�s post would be meaningless, Minister Mano Ganesan said today. He said in a tweet that the issue between the UNP and SLFP had put the Constitutional process to back seat. �Not the issue of the UNP and the SLFP but the new constitution as solution to national issue topped Sampanthan�s priority list. If new Constitution process is stalled permanently, more..

Apr 18 (DM) The apparel industry, which is SL�s leading export revenue earner, is set to gain fresh impetus from the U.S. market in the coming months, as American garment importers look for producers outside China due to the increasing threat of a trade war between the two economic giants. �Because of the U.S.-China trade war, some of the U.S. apparel importers who were sourcing their products from China are coming to SL,� SL Apparel Exporters Association President Felix Fernando said. more..

Apr 18 (TOI) The relics of Lord Buddha will not be transported to Sri Lanka. National Museum, part of the Ministry of Culture of Govt of India, had last month approached M S University, seeking the relics as a temporary loan from the university. The museum had in turn received a request from the Govt of SL which had sought the relics that were to be kept in display for people to pay veneration on the occasion of Buddha Purnima on April 30 more..

Apr 18 (Island) Galle branch of the GMOA alleged that though the Health Ministry had been warned of a doctor who performed heart surgeries without a license to practice, no action had been taken against him. Dr. Mangala Gunatiilake alleged that the particular individual had practised as a cardiac surgeon in the UK, but he had not been issued with a licence to practise after 2015 and he was a retired doctor. "The number of patients operated on by this person increased and more..

Apr 18 (DM) Thunderstorms accompanied by severe lightning and thunder can be experienced in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, Southern, Uva & North-western provinces during next twelve hours, Met Dept warned. Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre said that heavy rain falls of about 100 mm was also expected in some areas until 01.30 am tomorrow. �There is a possibility of experiencing temporary strong gusty winds of up to 70 to 80 kmph during thundershowers,� more..

Apr 18 (DM) Colombo Zonal Education office has withdrawn an order it issued in February to Principals in Colombo schools demanding they pay due respect to MPs and PC members who attend special school functions. In a letter dated Feb 20 sent to all schools in the Colombo Zonal Division, Zonal Education Director P.N. Silva ordered that MPs and PC members, public representatives, be invited to special school functions. more..

Apr 18 (CT) Approximately 1,523 Court cases have been filed against persons selling food unfit for consumption during the festive season and around Rs 2.5 million has been obtained by way of fines. National Public Health Inspectors Union said that around 1,523 cases were filed against shop owners and vendors who sold food unsuitable for human consumption in the first two weeks of April, during which 523 raids were conducted. It was also revealed that 25 shops were permanently more..

Apr 18 (DM) President Maithripala Sirisena will have to issue another gazette notification specifying the time as to when the new Parliament sessions would commence if the House is to convene on May 8, 2018, Parliament sources said yesterday. Deputy Secretary-General of Parliament Neil Inddawela who confirmed this situation told Daily Mirror that President will have to issue another gazette notification specifying the time which the House would convene. more..

Apr 18 (DN) Buddha Rashmi Vesak Zone 2018 and the exposition of the Sacred Relics and the display of Buddhist creations organised by the Gangaramaya Temple together with the PM�s office will be held for the 12th consecutive year from April 29 to May 2 at the Gangarama Temple, Temple Trees, Beira Lake roundabout and surrounding areas. Addressing the media at the Seemamalakaya of Gangarama Temple, Ven Dr Kirinde Assaji more..

Apr 18 (DM) Sri Lanka would be felicitated at the ongoing CHOGM 2018 in London for excelling in preserving mangrove forests, Sri Lanka�s Acting High Commissioner in UK, Sugeeshwara Gunaratna said. He said the CHOGM was a good platform to highlight and let the world know the measures taken by Sri Lanka to achieve sustainability. �The summit will provide us investing opportunities as well as recognition of our efforts to achieve sustainability,� he said. more..

Apr 18 (EN) Engineers at the CEB said they were delaying industrial action till May 08, until a Buddhist holiday period was over. CEBEU had earlier given notice to the management of the CEB and the power ministry that they would work-to-rule from April 20. "We had a number of requests not to work-to-rule from April 20, because Vesak week starts on April 30," CEBEU President Saumya Kumarawadu said. "If we start work-to-rule power outages cannot be prevented. more..

Apr 18 (Island) National Council for Road Safety (NCRS) said the newly introduced vehicle category, quadricycle would be a solution for the problem of traffic congestion. NCRS Chairman Dr. Sisira Kodagoda said that most of road accidents were due to indiscipline, ignorance of the rules and neglect and disobedience and therefore new vehicle category quadricycle would be an innovative method in the country's road traffic management that more..

Apr 18 (DM) Customs officers attached to the Airmail Parcel Section of the Colombo Central Mail Exchange (CME) had detected Rs.1.4 million worth Hashish sent to a freelance Journalist in Nugegoda, Customs Media Spokesman Sunil Jayaratne said today. He said the parcel weighing 1.4 kilograms was concealed in a skateboard sent from Spain.The parcel was handed over to the Narcotics Bureau at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) for further investigations, Mr. Jayaratne said. more..

Apr 18 (NR) The Ministry of Finance has decided to impose a 15 percent duty on value for imported gold. Finance Ministry said the move came into effect last night. The decision to increase the duty imposed on gold was taken due to the high demand for imported gold, resulting in a decline in the production of gold in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka has imported 8,000 kilograms of gold within the first 3 months alone of 2018, while 9,000 kilograms of gold was imported in 2017. more..

Apr 18 (PMD) �Our Govt�s Blue-Green economic plan will ensure the full utilization of the ocean and other natural resources of Sri Lanka in an environmentally friendly and sustainable manner�, said President Maithripala Sirisena delivering the keynote address at the Commonwealth Business Forum, today. I call upon everyone present here to join hands with the Commonwealth countries as well as others to more..

Apr 19 (CT) In general, concepts of political corruption vary as bribery, cronyism, kleptocracy, economic corruption, electoral fraud, legal plunder, nepotism, slush fund, and political scandal. Of these kleptocracy is a govt by thieves. It is govt with corrupt leaders (kleptocrats) that use their power to exploit the people and natural resources of their own territory in order to extend their personal wealth and political power. Typically this system involves embezzlement of funds at more..

Apr 19 (CT) I have labeled Sri Lanka as a failed case of reconciliation in some of my previous writings. In the immediate aftermath of the end of the war, the Tamil and Sinhala communities were drifting away from one another and stood polarized. The SL govt�s policy of consolidating national security through militaristic schemes mainly contributed to this polarity. Although the drift was halted to a certain degree under the new unity govt, reconciliation did not take place more..

Apr 19 (DN) At a press conference held on April 11, the GMOA stated that fresh laws should be introduced to take stern action against people involved in smuggling in such harmful chemicals like glyphosate. The GMOA considers glyphosate to be harmful because it allegedly causes cancer and kidney disease. However, just last November, the world's largest study on the health effects of glyphosate covering over two decades and more..

Apr 19 (Island) JVP has decided to go ahead with its May Day rally, in defiance of a govt decree that the Int'l Workers� Day be celebrated on May 07 instead of on May 01, in view of Vesak celebrations. JVP rally is scheduled to be held in Jaffna on May 01, followed by another one in Colombo on May 07, for the benefit of its members who cannot attend the rally in the North. Whether the current govt leaders or their counterparts in other political parties have any concern for religion is in doubt. more..

Apr 19 (CT) For all those, both inside Sri Lanka and outside, who want an instant closure to war-crimes probe and all, they only need to look at fellow South Asian nation Bangladesh. Full four decades and more after the Bangladesh freedom war, the nation has put those that indulged in mass-killings, with and for the Pakistani armed forces, have been tried and punished � and even executed after following the due process of law � no questions asked. There is more than one lesson for Sri Lanka in all this. more..

Apr 19 (FT) A top Singaporean legal expert said that the SL Govt should ensure ethnic and religious harmony by introducing stringent laws to prevent racial discord. Dato Paul Supramaniam, Founder and Chairman of Law Asia, an international law firm based in Singapore with branches across Asia, said that the Govt needed to implement policies enshrining equality for all ethnic groups while strictly controlling clerics on more..

Apr 19 (DN) Ravindra Vimal Jayewardene who led a life of austerity and simplicity, was asked why didn�t he become a politician. �Politics? My father did not want me to. But he asked me to consider about it a long time ago. I told him that I was not concerned about politics at that moment, but would reflect upon it later. But I never considered about it and he never ever again.� Not only his father, the first Executive President of the nation, but his uncles and ancestors were in politics. more..

Apr 19 (DN) SL�s indigenous people, the Veddas fondly referred to as wanniya-latto are believed to have originated through Kuveni�s twins. A community that thrived in the past, today, has had many of them blend in with the fast developing world and are gradually moving away from their traditional lifestyles. However, although today the Vedda community is reduced to a few hundred, there is still a group left under its able leader Uuruwarige Wannila Ettho, who is keeping their ancient more..

Apr 19 (CT) While the application of universal jurisdiction by individual states to prosecute war criminals must be pursued rigorously, the way forward for member states of the UNHRC is to lobby the UN Security Council for an ICC referral or for the establishment of an international special criminal tribunal for Sri Lanka. This is part 3 of a series of articles showing the UNHRC cannot rely anymore on the SL govt toprosecute members of its armed forces and senior political leaders more..

Apr 19 (FT) Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU) is one of China�s best universities in foreign studies committed to introducing China to the world and the world to China, and has fostered over 400 ambassadors and over 1000 counselors thus known as the Cradle of Diplomats of China. Currently, the university offers programs of 84 languages, including Sinhalese, Tamil, Sanskrit and Pali. BFSU has signed up bilateral agreements with University of Kelaniya, University of Colombo, more..

Apr 19 (Roar) Not too long ago, Pettah used to be the heart of commercial Colombo. It was where simply anything could be found, from foreign currency exchangers lining the roads, to second-hand bookstores tucked in nooks, and sprawling wholesale marketplaces. This has been gradually changing over the years�with the floating market coming up, then the St. John�s fish market being relocated to Peliyagoda, and so on. more..

Apr 19 (DN) St. Joseph�s College Colombo all-rounder Dunith Wellalage will lead the Sri Lanka Schools U15 cricket team to the International Under 15 Cricket Challenge for the Tuanku Ja�afar Trophy 2018 in Malaysia. The tournament which will be played for the 14th time since its inauguration in 2004 will be worked off from 23 to 28 April at two venues in Malaysia. Sri Lanka the defending champions have won the title on 11 occasions. SL team will leave for Malaysia on 20 April. more..

Apr 19 (Island) I was told that my niece Hansi is the airport expert and she helped me with her expertise, one very windy morning to drop me at the airport in Melbourne. I was taking Tiger Air after a long time to fly to Canberra. Things had changed and it was very much better than before and it was a smooth check in though, I am not happy when there is less human contact. Flight to Canberra was smooth. Over the years, I had begun to like Canberra though there was a time I thought it was a boring city. more..

Apr 19 (DN) The activities of water pirates, who tap water flowing along the feeding canals to Huruluwewa, Thisawewa, Nachchaduwa, have become a serious problem. Anuradhapura Govt Agent said that farmer organizations and other officials had received complaints in this regard. The inhabitants of the Huruluwewa scheme have also complained to the Anuradhapura Govt Agent and the District Agricultural Committee that more..