Jan 31 (CT) Muted media reports about the Police seizing a high quantity of explosives and explosions-linked equipment like detonators, should make the nation sit up and take notice. If investigations show that the explosives could be linked to possible acts of terrorism linked to the four Muslims arrested in this regard, discerning care should be taken not to brand the entire community with them and their purported cause, whatever it is. Credit should go to the national media to handle more..

Jan 31 (CT) So much water has passed under so many bridges, that doubtless no one will recall the last time I wrote about higher education in this column. It was in May, when it had been brought to my attention that the UGC had engaged in a retrograde step of deep stupidity. They had withdrawn recognition of the Sabaragamuwa University 3 year Special Degree in Arts of the grounds that �1,500 notional learning hours cover 30 credits per year and within 3 years only more..

Jan 31 (CT) UPFA MP Udaya Gammanpila says Mahinda Rajapaksa lost the Premiership due to Tamil Separatists� money power and the Central Bank thieves. Q: On political platforms, as of now, there is talk of a Constitutional crisis and devolution of power is being discussed. But what the govt is saying is what will happen is not devolution of power, but doing so, within a Unitary State. more..

Jan 31 (Island) President Maithripala Sirisena has declared war on narcotics. Firing on all cylinders, he has ordered the police and the armed forces to eradicate the drug menace the way they removed the scourge of terrorism. Vowing to do all it takes to crush the drug Mafia, he has reiterated that he will have the drug lords, on death row, hanged, but he is apparently hanging back perhaps due to pressure from human rights groups and foreign govts opposed to judicial executions. more..

Jan 31 (DN) Any literature reflects the life of people both men and women. Various genres � Poetry, short story, novel, one�act-play, drama are preferred by writers depending upon their liking. Though Poetry books don�t attract the general public, they influence poetic hearts and minds. There is no world and literature sans women. A man�s life is imperfect, if there is no woman in his life. Women were subservient to men once. This trend has been changing. Are women in all countries equal? more..

Jan 31 (DN) It is rather unclear as to when and why certain lies began to be accepted as truth in Sri Lankan Society concerning Corporal Punishment when it seems to be fairly obvious that it is an abomination. It is equally galling as to why a conference needs to be held to help some people understand that it is wrong hitting a child. However, that is the reality and that is why a conference needs to be held to highlight the obvious. What is obvious is that Pain is NOT an expression of love. more..

Jan 31 (CT) I am proud to be associated with today�s inauguration of the SL Centre for Investigative Journalism. I thank your Board of Governors for honouring me by inviting me to deliver the keynote address. I take delight for many reasons. I am the only SL member of the Washington based International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ). The membership is peer recommended. They are the first global organisation to use the cyber space to more..

Jan 31 (CT) Results of a recent local research study clearly indicated how the social construction of gender and marriage intersect to place divorced women at an increased risk of being harassed at work and make them hypersensitive to their treatment and experiences. Divorced women are seen by men as an opportunity to either fulfil their sexual needs or impose their male power based on social assumptions about divorced women more..

Jan 31 (CC) Canberra�s first-ever Test match is set to be played in front of a near full house, with only a few thousand tickets remaining for the opening three days of the match at Manuka Oval. The sold-out sign has already gone up for day two of the second Domain Test between Australia and Sri Lanka, while just 2500 tickets remain for Friday�s opening day and 4500 for day three on Sunday. Saturday�s local Premier (club) Cricket games have been called off to ensure cricket lovers can attend the Test. more..

Jan 31 (CT) Tatenda Taibu, the Ex-Zimbabwean cricket captain, was down here in SL playing in the Premier League tournament from Dec 2018. Taibu last played for his country way back in 2012, which was a T20 International against New Zealand. This barely five foot tall elegant right handed batsman decided to retire from all forms of cricket at the age of 29 in 2012 to dedicate his full time to the church. Six years passed by and he decided to return to do what he loves best - playing cricket. more..

Jan 31 (Island) The chatter behind the scenes during the Gabba Test was quite interesting. At one point Australian spinner Nathan Lyon told SL skipper Dinesh Chandimal that he could lose his job by the time the second Test comes and that summed up the state of SL cricket. SL�s Bowling Coach Rumesh Ratnayake is confident that the tough times his team is encountering both on and off the field will bring the best out of the side. more..

Jan 31 (DN) The newest addition of John Keells Holdings PLC, to the Plasticcycle initiative is the collaboration with the Department of National Zoological Gardens to place plastic collection bins at the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, Pinnawala Zoo, Dehiwala Zoo and Ridiyagama Safari Park which generate significant amounts of recyclable plastics. In addition to spreading awareness on Refusing, Reducing & Reusing Plastics, this initiative provides avenues for responsible disposal of more..

Jan 31 (CB) Sri Lanka Cricket have appointed 'A' team coach Avishka Gunawardene as the national team's batting coach until the return of Jon Lewis, who is on leave to attend a family matter. Gunawardene will leave for Australia tonight and be with the team until the end of second Test match in Canberra. Gunawardene, a former opening batsmen for Sri Lanka who's played 6 Tests and 61 ODIs, was appointed the batting coach of the 'A' team way back in May 2016. more..

Jan 31 (FT) Delays in Govt payments for construction projects countrywide, amounting to billions of rupees, has resulted in thousands of construction companies facing hardship with many facing bankruptcy, an industry body warned. National Construction Association of SL (NCASL) appealed to the Govt to release at least Rs. 500 million from the outstanding payments to Provincial and District level projects, to provide more..

Jan 31 (Island) Admittedly, I am new to pink ball cricket. But any game which starts at 1.00 pm and goes on till nearly 10 for five days, while allowing the ball to do what it does so markedly after dinner, is moving into unchartered waters and taking Test cricket with it. Such a game upsets the equilibrium acquired through years of conditioning and knowledge, in what was essentially a daytime sport. Cynics of pink ball cricket may call it yet another example of what is not cricket. more..

Jan 31 (Island) SL�s vice-captain Dimuth Karunaratne is set to join English county Hampshire as their overseas player for the upcoming season. He will become the first Sri Lankan to sign a deal since Kumar Sangakkara in 2015 to play the First Class cricket in England. Karunaratne, who was named in the ICC Test team of the Year for 2018, has been SL�s best batsman in the last two years. Karunaratne is expected to play the entire First Class season and part of limited over games, more..

Jan 31 (FT) Court of Appeal fixed the appeal filed against the High Court Order in the Former MP Raviraj murder case to be mentioned for April 4 yesterday, and directed to re-issue notice on Chaminda Hettiarachchi, alias Navy Sampath. The Bench comprised Justices Deepali Wijesundera (Acting President/CA) and Achala Wengappuli. Court had already granted Leave to Appeal to the Petition filed by the wife of deceased MP Raviraj, more..

Jan 31 (FT) The Cabinet on Tuesday gave approval to secure funds to establish a Sustainable Agricultural Development Centre, with the objective to further strengthen national food security in the country. The proposal to set up a Sustainable Agriculture Development Centre, presented by Agriculture, Rural Economic Affairs, Livestock Development, Irrigation and Fisheries, and Aquatic Resources Development Minister P. Harrison, was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers. more..

Jan 31 (FT) Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) will sign an agreement with Colombo Dockyard PLC to build two pilot boats for Colombo Port, enabling it to handle a greater volume of activities with more efficiency. A pilot boat is a type of boat used to transport maritime pilots between land and the inbound or outbound ships that they are piloting. The Colombo Port currently has four pilot boats and the fleet was last upgraded in 2007. �Colombo Port has become busier over the years more..

Jan 31 (ST) Owing to the political turmoil that prevailed in the country during the past two months, potential lending agencies were reluctant to lend any money to SL. Staff level Agreement that was reached with the IMF on Oct 26 last year fell apart due to political upheavals in Sri Lanka and the Minister of Finance on the following day tabled a motion in parliament to raise US$310 million to circumvent the problem, more..

Jan 31 (FT) The Socio Economic and Planning Centre of the Department of Agriculture has launched a new website for Sri Lankan farmers, which aims to provide updated information in order to educate them to make productive decisions regarding their crops. This website is a very useful information source for farmers, consumers, agricultural producers and food processing institutions as it provides information harvest of paddy, vegetables and other field crops. more..

Jan 31 (DN) Regional and bilateral trade agreements need to pave the way for SMEs to be meaningfully integrated with global value chains, Asela De Livera, newly appointed President of the National Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka (NCCSL) told the 60th AGM of the National Chamber of Commerce held on Tuesday. To ensure SMEs are well connected with global markets, the authorities have to introduce and maintain SME friendly policies, these policies should focus more..

Jan 31 (CT) Mohan de Silva and his team challenged his rivals who are levelling baseless allegation at them, which is in preparation for the forthcoming Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) elections scheduled to be held on 21 Feb, at a press conference held at the Gymkhana Club yesterday. He thanked the Sports Minister for giving them an undertaking that he would play a very impartial role to ensure a free and fair election. more..

Jan 31 (Island) Consultant Psychiatrist Prof. Athula Sumathipala has been honoured with the National Award for Individual outstanding leadership in promoting and developing science and technology and his team including Dr. Godwin Kodithuwakku, Dr. Nihal Abeysinghe and him by the Institute for Research & Development (IRD). They were presented with the Merit Award in the category Excellence in international collaboration for the advancement of science & technology. more..

Jan 31 (FT) Finlays Colombo Ltd. (Finlays) and Emergent Cold LP (Emergent Cold) yesterday announced that they have signed a Sale and Purchase agreement for the transfer of Finlays� temperature-controlled logistics business in SL to Emergent Cold. The transaction was completed this week. Finlays has been operating in Sri Lanka since 1893 and is part of Finlays, which itself is part of the worldwide Swire Group of Companies. Finlays is one of the world�s leading suppliers of tea more..

Jan 31 (CT) A charter flight, directly booked by former Sri Lankan Ambassador to the US, Jaliya Wickramasuriya, without the approval of the Ministry of External Affairs, owed a staggering Rs 7.8 million to SriLankan Airlines. Testifying before the PCoI, Manager - Financial Compliances of SriLankan Airlines, Kasun Rathnayake said the charter flight was booked in April 2013 to fly from Washington to Mattala more..

Jan 31 (DN) A driver who attempted to flee police by biting the shoulder of a cop was arrested in Moneragala on Tuesday evening. The incident had occurred around 5:45 p.m on Tuesday evening when two police constables on duty near the Diyasenpura checkpoint on the Moneragala - Wellawaya road signalled a speeding vehicle which was plying towards Wellawaya to stop. However the driver defying the police signal had proceeded.The cops had given chase and blocked their way. more..

Jan 31 (CT) Epidemiology Unit yesterday, said that it was prepared to face an emergency pandemic situation of influenza H1N1. Responding to questions regarding its preparedness following four deaths reported in India, owing to the seasonal virus infection, Unit sources said that the respiratory infection could be present in any country during the monsoon season. Sri Lanka too, is into the North East monsoon season during which the public could be vulnerable to the seasonal flu. more..

Jan 31 (DN) President Maithripala Sirisena said he will ensure the death sentences passed on drug offences are carried out soon. Addressing the Matara district national programme on drug prevention themed Mathin Nidahas Ratak held at the Sanath Jayasuriya stadium last morning (30), President said the death penalty is carried out for drug offences in the Philippines. It is also carried out in India and even in America. more..

Jan 31 (Island) The CEB was expected to incur a loss of Rs. 80 billion this year, Minister Ravi Karunanayake said. Minister, however, said that the govt would not increase electricity tariff. "The loss incurred by CEB is similar to what we spent on constructing the Mahaweli Project and politicians must take responsibility for this situation," he said. Karunanayake said that he would ensure that the CEB would not be privatized and he would turn it around. more..

Jan 31 (Island) The fact that a serious constitutional crisis had been resolved democratically through Parliament proved that Sri Lanka was a mature democracy, Speaker Karu Jayasuriya said on Monday, addressing an event in Anamaduwa. "Although recent incidents made us doubt the strength of our democracy, we solved everything democratically. I believe that we are still respected around the world as a democracy. The emergence of a strong civil society movement was more..

Jan 31 (Island) A group of lawyers has called on President Maithripala Sirisena to consider the broad public implications of the decision to grant a pardon to Ven Galagodaatte Gnanasara Thera and "to decide against such pardon based on the immensely negative impact it will have." A statement signed and issued by attorneys at law, Lal Wijenayaka, K.S. Ratnavale, J.C. Weliamuna, Sudarshana Gunawardane, more..

Jan 31 (DM) M.A. Sumanthiran of the TNA makes much of caveats in the proposed constitution that makes division impossible. The call then is for a new constitution where indivisibility is scripted in. That�s lovely. On paper. Politics doesn�t happen on paper and neither are constitutional proclamations worth the ink they are written on (if you have doubts, think of the 19th Amendment). Loveliness on paper can be misleading. In this instance it is a clear sign to be cautious simply because more..

Jan 31 (DM) When a suspect is taken into custody by a law enforcement officer or a law enforcement agency, the suspect�s safety and security are guaranteed under the law of the country. But often, this is not the case. We have come across several reports of suspects in custody being unmercifully beaten with some even losing their lives. The resultant backlash by the suspect�s relatives and the villagers has compelled the authorities to transfer or interdict the police personnel allegedly more..

Jan 31 (DM) It seems that President Maithripala Sirisena is heading for another collision course with the UNP as he has presented a Cabinet memorandum seeking approval to conduct the provincial council elections before May 31, this year. The elections are already overdue for six provincial councils. By April, the Western and Southern provincial councils will stand dissolved as their terms end. more..

Jan 31 (ST) The SL Army has released more than 90% of military acquired lands in the Northern Province to the original owners under the direction of Prez Sirisena, Presidential Secretariat said. The Secretariat said that, on January 21, the army delivered documents to release 1201.88 acres, including state and private land, which was previously used by the army. After accepting these documents from more..

Jan 31 (CT) MP Ven. Athuraliye Rathana Thera, appealed to Prez Sirisena to grant a Presidential pardon to the General Secretary of the BBS, Ven. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera, who was convicted of four charges including Contempt of Court and sentenced by the Court of Appeal to 19 years of rigorous imprisonment, to be served within six years. Ven. Rathana Thera said that there had been more..

Jan 31 (DM) The carbon dating results of bone samples obtained from the Mannar mass grave site would be handed over to Sri Lanka by the US laboratory in February 2019, the Office on Missing Persons (OMP) said yesterday. The OMP said its officials observed the process of handing over six bone samples obtained from the mass grave to Beta Analytics in Miami, Florida on January 25, for radiocarbon dating. more..

Jan 31 (FT) UPFA MP Gamini Lokuge yesterday called on the Govt to provide fertiliser subsidies and other incentives to enable plantation companies to increase the worker�s salary to Rs. 1000 per day. Speaking to reporters, Lokuge argued that the daily wage of Rs. 1000 for plantation workers could be achieved if the Government provides tax concessions for the plantation sector, to reduce the production cost. more..