Nov 27 (EN) Central Bank has called out reports that The Finance Company was in talks with three investors keen to acquire its banking license by injecting funds to revive the firm, as not true and correct. The Finance Co. (TFC) earlier this week said in a stock exchange filing that it had asked the Central Bank for more time to negotiate with investors after the regulator issued the cancellation notice. �Since publication of the Notice of Cancellation, TFC was approached by more..

Nov 27 (DM) Sri Lanka's new interim govt has dismissed a statement made by a leading official in the US State Department who has claimed that the controversial MCC agreement would be launched in SL soon. Govt sources said that Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa had instructed the relevant authorities under the Finance Ministry to review the MCC agreement and study its clauses in depth and to renegotiate or reject any agreements more..

Nov 27 (DM) The train services on the Nothern railway line was temporarily halted due to the derailment of the Colombo-bound Yal Devi express train from KKS/Jaffna this afternoon, The Railways department said. The Railways Superintendent (Transportation) A. D. G. Seneviratne said the rail track was badly damaged and two compartments had toppled. The derailment had taken place between Galgamuwa and Ambanpola stations causing heavy damage to 5 compartments, more..

Nov 27 (EN) Food industries should disclose any risks or hazards they encounter promptly to prevent bigger problems and loss of trust from occurring later, a top health official said. Anil Jasinghe director general of health said there were various management option for avoiding or controlling risks or likely hazards one they were known. �Industry has a part to play in this communication,� Jasinghe told a forum in Colombo. �If identified, it should be strongly notified to the authorities and more..

Nov 27 (RN) Police are investigating an alleged incident where a Sri Lankan woman staffer at the Swiss Embassy had been abducted on Monday and released after two hours, official sources said. They said that information about the abduction had been relayed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by the Swiss Embassy in Colombo. The staffer was reportedly questioned by her abductors about the issuance of a Visa more..

Nov 27 (AD) The administration of the University of Jaffna has declared the university premises out of bounds for students, today (27) and tomorrow (28). Students have been advised to refrain from entering into the university main premises and from taking part in all unauthorized activities. The notice has been issued following a tip-off on a Maha Viru celebration program organized to be held in the university premises today. It is reported that a group of students had celebrated the more..

Nov 27 (AD) Ministers Bandula Gunawardana and Ramesh Pathirana have been appointed as joint spokesmen of the Cabinet of Ministers. This appointment was made during the Cabinet meeting that was convened this morning (27). The first Cabinet meeting of the new government was held at the Presidential Secretariat. In the meantime, the first press briefing to announce Cabinet decisions of the new govt is scheduled to be held at the Dept of Govt Information at 4 pm today. more..

Nov 27 (DM) The Chief of the Veddha Community Uruwarige Vanniyala Eththo mentioned the importance of having a secure place to deposit the human skulls and bones presented to him by officials of the University of Edinburgh. The Veddha chieftain said that the Veddha Museum at Dambana needed to be restored in order to securely deposit the skeletal remains including seven skulls of their ancestors which were handed over to him more..

Nov 27 (AD) Two separate bail applications lodged by former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando and IGP Pujith Jayasundara were taken up before two judges of the Colombo High Court today. Colombo High Court Judge Aditya Patabendige sat for the proceeding of the former Defence Secretary�s bail application this morning. Accordingly, the hearing of Fernando�s bail application was scheduled for Dec 17th. Fernando was arrested and remanded alongside IGP Pujith Jayasundara more..

Nov 27 (Island) Dr. Ranali Perera has been ranked within the top 10 future leaders and one amongst the 100 most influential professionals in the Global Energy Industry As featured in the Global Energy Elite Magazine launched by the Petroleum Economist Journal, which is one of the industry recognized best-selling global petroleum regular publications, Dr. Ranali Perera presently serving as a Petroleum Analyst at the Petroleum Resources Development Secretariat (PRDS), more..

Nov 27 (NR) High Commissioner of India Taranjit Singh Sandhu delivered Lalith Athulathmudali Commemoration Freedom Speech yesterday at the BMICH. The topic of the address was �ndia- SL relations for a shared and secured future. The Oration was organised by the Lalith Athulathmudali Foundation, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, and the Institute for Democracy and Leadership. more..

Nov 27 (F2F) Sri Lanka�s weft knitted fabric manufacturer Ocean Lanka (Pvt) Ltd plans to expand its market in Japan, according to company managing director Austin Au, who recently said discussions are under way to start exports early next year. He said the company has a market presence in Japan and is looking at more markets in the high-end European sand US segments. Au was speaking on the sidelines of a media briefing last week to mark its system partnership with Bluesign, more..

Nov 27 (Island) The US US embassy in Colombo yesterday said that that there has been a notable increase in fraudulent emails and letters sent to Diversity Visa (DV) program (Visa Lottery) applicants and urged the public to be vigilant. "Don�t be fooled by DVLottery scams!! We will never send you an email asking you to pay fees," the embassy said. Given below is thearning they issued; "The Department of State, Office of Visa Services, advises the public of a notable increase in more..

Nov 27 (BN) SL must come up with a plan to narrow its budget deficit as the top Asian issuer of sovereign dollar debt after China this year prepares to sell $3 billion of bonds annually. The island-nation, which elected Gotabhaya Rajapaksa as its president last week, has to raise debt commercially to service earlier borrowings, CB Senior Deputy Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe said. �We need to have clear govt policies more..

Nov 27 (AD) Nine intelligence officers of the Army were served indictment by the Colombo High Court on the abduction of journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda and were released on previous bail. The case was taken up today before a three-judge bench comprising of justices Sampath Abeykoon, Sampath Wijeratne, and Gihan Kulatunga. The indictments filed by the Attorney General were handed over to the defendants before being released on bail. The court banned the foreign travel of more..

Nov 27 (AD) The TNA is ready to work with Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa, although he did not largely receive the votes of the minority communities. MP M.A. Sumanthiran, the spokesperson of the TNA, stated that their party is willing to work cordially with the incumbent President, in keeping with the people�s mandate. Sumanthiran also urged all political parties in the country that represent the Tamil community to come under its wing and to stand united to fight for Tamil issues. more..

Nov 27 (DM) Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa appointed secretaries to 20 ministries and handed over the letters of appointment at the Prez Secretariat today. The new secretaries are; Ms. S.M. Mohammad :Tourism and Aviation Services; Mr. R.W.R. Pemasisri: Road and Highways; Mr. J.J. Rathnasiri: Justice, Human Rights & Legal Reforms; Mr. Ravindra Hewavitharana: Plantation Industries and Export Agriculture; Mr. J.A. Ranjith: more..

Nov 27 (Xinhua) Five people died and over 2600 people affected by days of winds and heavy rains which has lashed out across SL since last weekend, DMC said. Over 200 people had been evacuated to safe locations while over 50 houses have been partially or fully damaged. DMC said that tri forces were on alert and would assist in rescue operations if rains continued. DMC said more rains were expected in the coming day due to the northeast monsoons gradually establishing over SL. more..

Nov 27 (NR) A total of 42 Sri Lankans who were employed in Oman as domestic workers have arrived in the island. The group had faced various hardships, harassment and were subjected to fraudulent activities while employed in Oman. Although they had informed relevant employment agencies of the mistreatment, they had reportedly received no support for almost two years. According to reports, the employees had paid the salaries of the workers to employment agencies directly. more..

Nov 27 (AD) The Cabinet has given its approval to remove the Nation Building Tax (NBT), Pay As You Earn (PAYE) Tax and Withholding Tax on interests, Co-Cabinet Spokesperson Bandula Gunawardena said today. He mentioned this during the first press briefing to announce the decisions of the new govt�s Cabinet of Ministers. He also said that the Cabinet has further decided to reduce the telecom levy by 25%. more..

Nov 28 (CT) Muslims are least bothered about ministerial portfolios; They expect positive overtures from Prez Gotabaya. In the wake of Prez elections which brought former Secretary to the Ministry of Defence Gotabaya Rajapaksa to power, Dinesh Gunerwadena said both �Rauf Hakeem and Rishard Bathiudeen would not be accepted into the new govt.� This was reiterated by both Mr Wimal Weerawansa and Udaya Gammanpila, known for their racist mindsets and extreme hostility more..

Nov 28 (FT) In England and Wales, ownership of property is presently registered electronically. There are no deeds or documents held at the Land Registry. Transferring ownership of a property can be done at a click of a button. Is the legal profession and courts ready, to prevent land fraud? England and Wales adopt the Torrens System. Under the Torrens System, the State guarantees legal title and once ownership of a property is registered, the title is indefeasible or cannot be challenged. more..

Nov 28 (ST) Around 4.15 p.m. the tell-tale sound of the Skype ringtone is heard in their simple ICT lab and a few of the older children from the Sudhaar programme gather around a laptop. Good morning, they happily chorus to the children on the other side of the screen for whom it is still morning. The children then go on to exchange details about the different religions practised in our country � the chosen topic for the day. more..

Nov 28 (CT) Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa will travel to India on 29 Nov at the invitation of PM Narendra Modi. This not at all a surprising move as both India and SL follow a common policy of nonalignment and neighbourhood first. The invitation from the Indian Premier was personally handed over by External Affairs Minister Subramaniam Jaishankar who air-dashed to Colombo a day after the new Prez took oaths. This will be Rajapaksa's first official visit abroad after assuming office. more..

Nov 28 (CT) Electoral defeats do demoralise leaders and cadres alike, particularly when the distance from the govt is either growing or you have just lost it. Seldom however, have poll-reversals led to immediate flagging of internal difference as with the ousted Govt of the UNP led by PM Ranil Wickremesinghe, who has just bowed out - not without creating some anxious moments. UNP is the nation's GoP, and has seen electoral successes and defeats through the past decades. more..

Nov 28 (CT) State Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara says the election result in the North and East can be identified as a tactic of the western forces. "They first thought of getting Sajith to win and get their needs fulfilled". Q: How do you feel now, after the victory your side gained in the presidential race? A: All are excited. All are waiting to see what will happen next. They want to see how the govt is formed and what will happen to more..

Nov 28 (DM) The mandate was overwhelming; overwhelmingly Sinhala and Buddhist. So was dissent and rejection; overwhelmingly non-Sinhalese and non-Buddhist. Looking at the Graphics, Charts and the numbers of votes-cast they projected, it seemed more like citizens of two countries, instead of one, were at a break neck race, voting to get their respective candidates elected for Presidency. So striking was the disparity of the result that the two main candidates obtained in the N&E more..

Nov 28 (DM) According to recent newspaper reports, the leader of BBS organisation Ven. Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thera has confirmed that his organisation will be dissolved after the next General Election. He said, �The spiritual power of the robes had finally defeated the extremist and anti-religious forces. After the General Election, there will be nothing for us to struggle for. We can get involved in our other work and help to work for the betterment of this Sinhala Buddhist country� more..

Nov 28 (Island) This is an issue which has been very close to my heart for many years for much different reason let alone the reason why I have been an expatriate, not by choice. Let�s first discuss the definition of the term expatriate and even try to redefine it to do justice to those are referred to as expatriates. The Oxford dictionary definition of an expatriate is that someone who is living abroad for long periods, expelled from own country, expelled or removed from his/her native country, more..

Nov 28 (Island) Dirty politics, which has eaten into the vitals of the Sri Lankan society, has not spared even the country�s forest cover, according to media reports. The forest degradation, which is usually attributed to increasing population, logging, farming and development projects, does not seem to have caused any serious concern to successive governments. We have had self-proclaimed patriots as leaders, but none of them cared to conserve our forests properly. more..

Nov 28 (DN) SL exporters would be offered a special simplified tax system to encourage exports, Minister of Industrial Exports and Investment Promotions, Tourism and Aviation, Prasanna Ranatunga said. He said under the new simplified tax system, more the entrepreneur exports the tax component would come down. �This is being done not only to increase exports but to rope in new exporters. �SL�s export basket is still small more..

Nov 28 (DN) SL�s top eight rugby clubs, Kandy, CR&FC, CH&FC, Havelock�s SC, Police SC, Army SC, Navy SC and Air Force SC, will vie for the coveted Dialog Rugby League 2019/20 commencing Friday, when Navy SC scrum down against a strong Havelock SC XV at Welisara and one of SL�s oldest rugby clubs, CH&FC host Army SC at the Race Course Rugby Stadium. Kick-off of both games is at 3.45 pm. As introduced last year, in the 2018/19 season after the round robin matches more..

Nov 28 (DN) At a press briefing on the opening of an innovation centre, foreign representatives with decades of expertise in the construction sector questioned the widespread usage of Ordinary Portland Cement in Sri Lanka. They said that given the increasing height of buildings and the environmental damage caused by the product it was likely that widespread usage would decrease. �I know what I am doing. In Singapore Ordinary Portland Cement is forbidden for a reason. more..

Nov 28 (CT) SL contingent for the South Asian Games was largely in misery following an utterly disorganised preparation for the Games carried out by the Sports Ministry as athletes were left without even proper competition gear as of yesterday while they are due to fly tomorrow to Kathmandu. For the first time in the last two decades Sports Ministry undertook the travel arrangements, preparing the team & providing kits for a multi sports event, more..

Nov 28 (FT) Veteran lawyer Susantha Katugampala announced the Govt�s decision to pass a new law encouraging immigration to Regional Australia. Elaborating on the landmark decision, Susantha shared the new Government�s sentiments behind easing the immigration process under the new program by the name of visa subclass �491�. Katugampala is a veteran lawyer in Australia specialising in immigration and business law in Melbourne for the past 22 years. more..

Nov 28 (CT) UN Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) announced that, with the public sector, it has granted hi-tech machinery for the production of bamboo boards from within SL for the first time. Being the first such hi-tech machinery series used for the production of bamboo boards to be set up in SL, it greatly enhances creation of glue-laminated timber boards based on local bamboo supplies. The latest breakthrough is a part of Bamboo Processing Sri Lanka, more..

Nov 28 (Island) In its series of recommendations from page 911 to page 922 of its report, the Prez Commission of Inquiry that probed the Bond Scam has, inter alia, recommended: "As set out earlier, there is adequate evidence before us to form the view that, there is a likelihood that some irregularities have taken place in the acceptance of Direct Placements prior to 2015. Therefore, we recommend that, an appropriate investigation more..

Nov 28 (DN) Minister of Roads & Highways, Ports and Shipping Johnston Fernando ordered relevant officials of the port ministry to submit a detailed report on decisions that should be made to expedite the next phase of the Eastern Container Terminal development project during a meeting held yesterday at the ministry auditorium to examine the progress of the ECT construction project. The meeting was organized to look into the proposals made by almost all the trade unions more..

Nov 28 (Island) SL�s premier connectivity provider, Dialog Axiata PLC, continuing its promise of developing sports in Sri Lanka has come forth once again to power the Dialog National Netball Championship for the second consecutive year. The national tourney will be played from 14th to 15th Dec, at Anuradhapura Mahajana Kreedanganaya. This is the major tournament conducted by NFSL (Netball Federation of SL) annually, to identify talented players, coaches and umpires more..