Mar 20 (AD) UPFA MP Prasanna Ranaweera has been remanded until March 22 by the Mahara Magistrate, in connection with a case filed over an assault incident. Kiribathgoda Police had launched an investigation into a complaint filed alleging that the MP had assaulted an individual following a verbal dispute during a function. Ranaweera was produced before the court today in connection with the incident which had taken place several days ago. Police had already presented facts to more..

Mar 20 (ABC) Two migrants from Sri Lanka were part of a group attempting to get to the U.S. illegally when authorities found them in a small boat off Florida, the U.S. Coast Guard reported Monday. A Coast Guard airplane crew spotted six men in an 18-foot center console about 5 a.m. Saturday. The Coast Guard sector Miami deployed two crews to search for the boat and intercepted them east of Jupiter. The other migrants were from the Bahamas, Jamaica and Brazil. more..

Mar 20 (UCAN) Buddhist monks and army troops have begun rebuilding and renovating scores of properties damaged during a series of anti-Muslim riots near Kandy in SL's Central Province, an area known for its scenic tea plantations. The govt announced a nationwide state of emergency after two people were killed in the sectarian violence, which also saw nearly 450 Muslim-owned homes and numerous shops damaged. more..

Mar 20 (CT) The case against Chairman of the Avant Garde Maritime Security Services Nissanka Senadhipathy and the Chairman of the Rakna Lanka, former Major General Palitha Fernando, was fixed to be taken for Trial from 26 June, yesterday by Colombo HC Judge R. Gurusinghe. Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption has indicted the duo on 47 counts including soliciting a bribe to the tune of Rs 35.5 million to maintain a floating armoury off the Southern Seas. more..

Mar 20 (CT) The remaining body parts of underworld figure Kos Malli, whose severed head was found in Keselwatta, Colombo, were unearthed from the Angunakolapellessa area, the Police said. Investigations led by the Colombo Crime Investigation Division (CCD) had identified the crime scene where the body parts were believed to be buried. The CCD had discovered the location following the arrest of several suspects involved in the murder. more..

Mar 20 (EN) Earnings of listed Sri Lanka companies grew 17.4% to 86 billion rupees in the Dec 2017 quarter from a year ago, driven by growth in banking, finance and insurance, CAL Research says. Corporate earnings totaled 60.5 billion rupees in the previous quarter, down 1.4% from a year earlier. Combined profits of listed banks, finance and insurance companies grew 62% in the December quarter, to 46.7 billion rupees, more..

Mar 20 (AD) A private bank in Kiribathgoda has been robbed by an unidentified suspect armed with a knife, who made off with nearly Rs 1 million in cash today. Police said that suspect, who had entered the bank pretending to be a customer, had pulled out a knife and threatened the female employee before stealing cash from the counter and escaping. The robbery had taken place at around 1.40 pm at a private bank located near the junction turning towards the Kiribathgoda new road. more..

Mar 20 (Samaa) Javeria Khan�s second one-day international century was backed by a strong bowling effort as Pakistan strode to a 69-run win over Sri Lanka in the first of a three-match ODI series which contributes to the ICC Women�s Championship match. Khan marshalled the middle order and guided her side to 250/6 in their 50 overs after they were put in. The spinners then struck at regular intervals as the Sri Lankan reply was clipped at 181 in 45.2 overs. more..

Mar 20 (DM) The tax has been increased from 2.5% to 5% from the interests earned from Fixed Deposits and Savings Accounts of Banks and Financial institutions according to the new income tax act which will come into effect from 1st of April. The new tax revision will be applicable, if the income of a senior citizen is over Rs.1.5 million, according to new income tax act. The many changes have been introduced by new income tax act & P.A.Y.E. more..

Mar 20 (EN) The Sri Lankan govt wants to adopt advanced information systems that can provide real-time data to help policymakers do their job better, Karu Jayasuriya, Speaker of the Parliament, said. �For a country such as Sri Lanka, with established digital infrastructure, and 20.4 million people, gathering data should be more cohesive, and forward thinking,� he told the First National Symposium on Data for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). more..

Mar 20 (IAEA) IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano reviewed the cooperation between the IAEA and Sri Lanka during his visit to the country on 14 March. The IAEA supports the island nation in many areas including nuclear medicine, non-destructive testing in industry and assistance in introducing nuclear energy. While joining the Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya at the inauguration of the new offices of the SL Atomic Energy Board, Mr Amano was informed of the progress the country more..

Mar 20 (CT) The JVP yesterday said that it would support the Joint Opposition�s no-confidence motion against PM Ranil Wickremesinghe on the basis that he had allegedly protected thieves in both the current and former Govts by making deals with them. JVP Propaganda Secretary MP Vijitha Herath said that the JVP has not seen the no-faith motion which the JO is going to bring to Parliament yet, but the JVP would support more..

Mar 20 (NR) Deputy Minister Karunarathna Paranawithana says the faction represented by those objecting the measures to make the legal system efficient will be revealed promptly. He said there is a faction that is attempting to disrupt the initiatives of the govt of increasing the efficiency of the judiciary and speed up the process of bringing the guilty to book. Deputy Minister said they are filing cases in court in opposition of punishing the guilty and increasing efficiency of judiciary. more..

Mar 20 (LBO) SL�s statistics office says economic growth rate for the year 2017 has been estimated as 3.1%. Agriculture, Industry, Services and Taxes less subsidies on products have contributed their share to the GDP at current price by 7.7%, 27.2%, 55.8% and 9.3% respectively for the year 2017. �Agriculture sector has been affected badly mainly due to the unfavorable weather conditions (severe drought as well as heavy rainfalls) prevailed during last 2 years in many districts of the country,� more..

Mar 20 (EN) Sri Lanka is developing a National Financial Inclusion Strategy focusing on payment gateways and digital financial services, in a broader effort to improve accessibility to finance and global markets for citizens and small businesses. Separate working committees have been set up to look into establishing a national payments gateway and improving infrastructure to support digital financial services platforms. more..

Mar 21 (GV) In the aftermath of further ethno-religious violence in Sri Lanka, stories are shared and explanations attempted, with each person trying to make sense of what is happening around them. People dwell on how in the good old days everyone lived together peacefully. The meme Keep Calm We are all Sri Lankan [1] is shared on social media in the hopes of reminding each other that we are united. That what has happened has been a sort of nightmare we can all wake up from. more..

Mar 21 (CT) Not small are the tragedies Sri Lanka has witnessed because of the irrational beliefs of the masses. The modern myth we have created regarding the purity and the supremacy of the Sinhala Buddhist hegemony has gained so strong a stance in the society that every logical proposition made against it through facts, scientific evidences, statistics, and simple common sense are proving to be unable to eradicate the perception from the social consciousness. more..

Mar 21 (SO) Chairperson of Valpola Rahula Institute and Senior Lecturer, Department of History, Kelaniya Univ Ven. Galkande Dhammananda thera stressed the importance of healing a nation that has been exposed to terrorism and violence for over three decades, in the aftermath of the Digana riots. Citing the serious setbacks the country suffered as a result, Ven. thera said, govt must take the Digana lesson seriously, more..

Mar 21 (CT) I walked into a pocket of Muslim houses in a village in the district of Kandy with a tiny voice in my head seeking for splinters of something to hold on to as hope; amid the burnt homes and livelihoods. It seemed almost unnatural and unforgivable that I had sought so. For what I encountered, beyond the scenes of destruction, was a bitter cry far more critical and sad. It was evident we have, as a community and as a country, passed the threshold to yet another mayhem of more..

Mar 21 (GV) On March 21, 2018 UN High Commissioner for Human Rights will provide an oral update to the UNHRC on the human rights situation in Sri Lanka and the status on the commitments contained in UNHRC Resolution 30/1 which was adopted in October 2015 and extended by Resolution 34/1 in March 2017. While some progress has been made on these commitments, including the recent operationalisation of the OMP; the enactment of domestic legislation more..

Mar 21 (Roar) On a quiet by-road in the heart of Colombo, is a faded old house in which hang paintings by the famed �43 Group of artists. The house, once owned by Harry Peiris, is now the Sapumal Foundation�a gallery of art and other memorabilia. A series of interconnected rooms reveal myriad works of art�the private collection of Peiris, who was the secretary of the �43 Group, from the time of its formation, till the very end. more..

Mar 21 (DN) The govt has made education compulsory for thirteen years and plans to make Sri Lanka a hub of education. If properly done, it has the potential of making many individuals conscious of humanness in themselves and in all others. This enables them to coordinate their complex relationships in an acceptable way and bring about a well-ordered civilized and cultured society which will contribute to further the progress of the people of Sri Lanka and Asia. more..

Mar 21 (DN) The concept of sovereignty has a different connotation in the field of international law. When the term sovereign is used by writers on international law, it describes the position of a State � whether a State is independent or whether it is subject to foreign domination. On the other hand the sovereignty� in the municipal law involves a discussion of the extent of the law making powers of the main legislative authority. The Independence Constitution was construed by more..

Mar 21 (Island) Geneva-based UNHRC meets thrice every year in regular sessions � in Feb-Mar, June, and Sept. The ongoing 37th Session of the Council convened on Feb 26 will conclude on March 23. Having considered the implementation of Resolution 30/1 of 1 Oct. 2015 co-sponsored by the govt of SL, the Council, at its 34th Session (27 Feb � 24 Mar 2017) adopted Resolution 34/1 on 23 March 2017. By this Resolution, the Council requested the Office of the High Commissioner to continue to more..

Mar 21 (Island) The numbers are out. The new Local Authorities system designed to have 25% women is a resounding success. Local Authorities Elections Ordinance required nominations to be on two lists � List 1 for the Wards, consisting of 60% of the seats of a local authority, and List 2 for the old Proportional Representation (PR) system making up the remaining 40%.Ten percent of the ward nominations had to be of women and 50% of the whole should have been of women. more..

Mar 21 (ST) Nestling within a historic building is a rare treasure trove of knowledge coming down the ages. Ordinary is the door within the home of the Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA), Wijerama House, in Colombo 7 which gives entry to the Sri Lanka Medical Library (SLML). Walk through this door and an enthralling world of books, collected since 1844, opens up, transporting the reader to unimaginable arenas. more..

Mar 21 (Island) The outcome of Russia�s presidential election came as no surprise. President Vladimir Putin has secured a landslide victory and a fourth term. There has been a muted response from the western bloc to his spectacular win and that is understandable. But Russians have obviously done what they think is good for them and their country. Russia, or any nation for that matter, needs a strong leader capable of defending its interests with might and main. Putin fitted the bill and became more..

Mar 21 (DN) The smooth functioning of the Hero Nidahas tri-nation T20 series was sullied by an incident involving Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan which to say the least was outrageous and left a black mark on Bangladesh�s cricket internationally. A captain or a coach getting upset at an umpiring decision is not new in cricket or sports in general but one cannot recall an instance of a captain calling his players off because of his disagreement with the umpire�s decision. more..

Mar 21 (Island) Former St. Joseph�s Balika, Kegalle sprinter Rumeshika Rathnayake beat her personal best in the 100m sprint at the Sydney Grand Prix as she clocked 11.51 seconds to improve on the previous mark of 11.60 seconds. She also came close to beating her personal best in 200m with a time of 23.62 seconds. It was a great achievement for Rumsehika who has surmounted many obstacles in her career. more..

Mar 21 (Island) "Although Sri Lanka has enough scientific research personnel with lots of skills and knowledge, the inadequate allocation of funds for Research and Development (R&D), to mainly SL universities, is the main factor preventing SL from coming out with new products for the export market, a local specialist in the manufacture of herbal medicine said. "Sri Lanka is a country with rich bio-diversity but the sad part is that the relevant authorities are paying less attention to R&D. more..

Mar 21 (DM) A news item in the Daily Mirror of Mar 15, titled Private Co. grabs Muturajawela land for housing scheme, has caused alarm to environmentalists who feel that the rich biodiversity of this wetland would result in irreparable and extensive damage to the fauna and flora especially the migrant bird life. Muturajawela area is identified to contain peat, which is a low form of coal that could be used to generate electricity. I shall in this short report try to trace more..

Mar 21 (ST) As Sri Lanka�s woes continue to grow in international cricket, former SL cricket skipper Mahela Jayawardene urged local cricket authorities to embrace the significant changes taking place in world cricket to be a competitive force in international cricket. SLC has been under fire from most quarters with many past and present cricketers uniting in their call for a radical change to existing first class structure more..

Mar 21 (CT) Shaheed Hilmy beat defending and national champion Chamil Cooray of Seylan Bank (2-1, 25/14, 05/25, 25/10) to clinch the GRAND SLAM Championship -2018 held at the Carrom Federation, Kohuwela from 17-19 March . Shaheed is old boy of Royal College, Colombo and this is his first victory at National Level Yashika Rahubaddha of SL Air Force clinched the women�s title beating national champion Joseph Roshita of SL Navy (2-0, 25/14, 25/16). more..

Mar 21 (CT) Sri Lanka Railways (SLR) is yet to obtain a sum of Rs 9.78 million from a private firm, on a contract granted to them to renovate railway carriages and attach them to trains, to offer a luxury service to tourists, Deputy Minister Ashoka Abeysinghe said in Parliament. He made this revelation, responding to an oral question raised by UNP MP Lucky Jayawardana. MP queried as to whether all the payments due from the private institution, to which those carriages were more..

Mar 21 (FT) Ultra luxury, state-of-the-art hospitality, breathtaking surroundings, signature amenities, world-class dining experiences, three towers comprising two luxury hotels (a total of 473 keys), a luxury retail mall, a commercial office complex which will be the last word in corporate ambience and style, as well as 638 beautifully-crafted apartments, located on 4.3 acres of prime real estate, will undoubtedly position more..

Mar 21 (Island) FlySmiLes, frequent flyer programme of SriLankan Airlines, has relocated its Service Centre, in order to provide an enhanced service to its members in SL and around the world. New FlySmiLes Service Centre is located at Iceland Business Centre No.30, Sri Uththarananda Mawatha, Col 3. It is open for business Mon-Fri from 0830-1700 hours, including Public and Mercantile holidays. FlySmiLes Call Centre can be contacted 24 hours a day on 0197 333333. more..

Mar 21 (Island) SEC and CSE conducted the 8th domestic investor forum in the series of island wide forums titled Kotas Welanda Pola; Nagarayen Nagarayata. The forum was the second Tamil language based programme in the series and was held on March 17 at the East Lagoon Hotel in Batticaloa. The programme was concluded on a successful note with the attendance of over 200 participants. Audience included businessmen, lawyers, engineers, doctors and various other more..

Mar 21 (DN) Several high ranking Cabinet Ministers urged the President and PM to work together and iron out their differences if any for the betterment of the country. As a No-Confidence Motion looms over the PM in Parliament, Minister Champika Ranawaka had submitted a Cabinet Paper highlighting the way forward for the govt. The last Cabinet Paper, the 59th paper was a political one, said Minister Mano Ganesan said. more..

Mar 21 (CT) Colombo Chief Magistrate Lal Bandara yesterday remanded, till 3 April, a suspect charged with spreading comments, social media sites, aimed at inciting hatred and disharmony among different communities. Suspect was identified as A.K.S. Perera, a resident of Gampaha. He was arrested by the CID following a complaint lodged by the State Intelligence Service on 12 March. S.K. Senaratne, appearing for the CID, told the Court that at the time of the arrest, suspect had informed the Police more..