Oct 26 (Island) Chairman of the Election Commission Mahinda Deshapriya says that six out of 35 prez candidates in the fray have failed to submit their declarations of assets and liabilities so far. Out of the six candidates who have so far not handed over their asset declarations, one is a candidate of a prominent party and the other five are independent candidates, Deshapriya said. Asked to divulge the names of the candidates more..

Oct 26 (DM) The police have launched an investigation into an incident that had taken place at the Elephant House Beverage Company in Ranala, Kaduwela, where its manpower employees had been allegedly threatened by some outsiders on Tuesday. Nugegoda Division SP Laksiri Geethal said police were aware of the incident and that an investigation would be carried out to determine whether it was an act of sabotage. According to the reports, operations of the beverage company more..

Oct 26 (AD) Otara Gunewardene who serves as a non-Executive Independent Director of the Singer SL board has tendered her resignation from the board of directors which will be effective from 31 Dec 2019. The company said that she does not have any relevant interests in shares of the Company as specified in the listing rules as at date. Otara joined the board on the 1 Aug 2018 as a Non-Executive Director, becoming the first female director in history on the Singer Sri Lanka PLC Board. more..

Oct 26 (AD) FCID could not function independently as expected due to the pressure from the high-profile politicians from the governing party, the former head of the FCID Senior DIG (retired) Ravi Waidyalankara claimed today (25). He further said the FCID�s investigations were only aimed at a certain group from the previous govt. Responding to questions raised, Mr. Waidyalankara said the FCID could have achieved greater more..

Oct 26 (Island) SL delegation headed by Thusitha Wanigasingha, Additional Secretary, Law & Order, Ministry of Defence of SL participated at the INTERPOLITEX-2019 exhibition, which commenced on Oct 23, 2019, at the All-Russian Exhibition Centre in Moscow. INTERPOLITEX is the largest exhibition in Russia and one of the largest in Europe, dedicated to the means of protecting state and public security. The event was officially opened by Dy PM of Russian Federation Yuri Borisov. more..

Oct 26 (NF) Sri Lanka and Azerbaijan have discussed expanding cooperation between the two countries, especially in the field of civil aviation during a meeting between the respective foreign ministers. SL�s Minister of Foreign Affairs Tilak Marapana has met with Azerbaijan�s Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov on the sidelines of the 18th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in Baku. Hailing the mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries, the two sides noted that more..

Oct 26 (DN) The Parliament Sectoral Oversight Committee on Anti-Corruption and the Media is considering a proposal to increase the number of Supreme Court Justices from the current 11 to 15. This recommendation by the Committee is for the purpose of enhancing the capacity of the judicial system to handle the mounting number of cases, according to Parliament sources. The Committee also agreed that the delays in more..

Oct 26 (CT) The Sri Lanka Tourism Promotions Bureau (SLTPB) welcomed Italian Celebrity Chef, Gabriele Rubini, aka Chef Rubio, who landed in Sri Lanka recently on a special invitation extended by the Embassy of Italy in Colombo. He was here to participate at the forum on Mediterranean Diet, which was held on 16 October at Shangri-La hotel, with the participation of the Chef's Guild of Sri Lanka and renowned personalities of Sri Lanka's culinary industry. more..

Oct 26 (DN) The clay lamps that Hindus across the world light in their homes on Deepavali symbolise the inner light that protects from spiritual darkness. These lamps and rituals associated with the festival that represent the victory of virtue over evil, and of freedom over slavery, both for individuals and the community as a whole, states PM Ranil Wickremesinghe in a Deepavali message. The message adds: �Some believe that Deepavali commemorates the return of Lord Rama to more..

Oct 26 (Island) The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) has launched its International Election Observation Mission to SL�s 2019 Prez Election. The engagement in Sri Lanka follows 10 previous election observation missions the organization has conducted in the country since 2001. ANFREL�s team of 41 professional election observers, representing 16 countries, began arriving this week, said a statement by ANFREL. more..

Oct 26 (FT) Supreme Court yesterday directed the Attorney General�s Department to gazette guidelines for the appointment of President�s Counsels. Supreme Court�s directive comes after consideration of a Fundamental Rights application filed by Attorney-at-Law Upul Kumarapperuma, against the criteria that had been followed when appointing President�s Counsels. The bench comprised Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya PC and Justices Gamini Amarasekera and S. Thurairajah PC. more..

Oct 26 (FT) Adding a new chapter to the civil aviation history in Sri Lanka, the Jaffna International Airport was declared open on 17 Oct. The officials and stakeholders of the Tourism industry visited the Jaffna International Airport to explore future tourism opportunities with Minister John Amaratunga last week. As an island nation, Sri Lanka depends very heavily on air access. At a time where the focus is on maintaining current lights and increasing current route capacity and frequency, more..

Oct 26 (AD) The prez candidate of NDF Minister Sajith Premadasa says he would revoke the duty-free vehicle permit given to the MPs. He made this promise while addressing a public meeting held at Dikwella area. �We should not govern the country, but serve it. We should not do politics but serve the nation� Premadasa said, putting emphasis on using the money saved from the revoking the MPs� duty-free vehicle permits for better use. more..

Oct 26 (Island) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe and Minister Rajitha Senaratne will join members of the Civil Society and Trade Union Collective today at 7 pm at the Independence Square to mark the triumph of democracy over Prez Sirisena-JO leader Mahinda Rajapaksa attempt to grab power unlawfully. Spokesman for the grouping said that those who joined the UNP and the civil society to defeat the Oct 26, 2018 constitutional coup could join Independence Square vigil. more..

Oct 26 (BDC) SL cricket team which has no regular head coach but only the interim coach in Rumesh Ratnayake may soon have one. The team may have specialists batting, bowling and fielding coaches soon as well. Former England batsman Mark Ramprakash has applied for the post and is in negotiations with the SLC, it is learned here and confirmed by the player also. �Yes, I did register my interest with SLC�, he said. �He has been in negotiations with SLC CEO Ashely de Silva�, more..

Oct 26 (FT) Unveiling his much-awaited manifesto, SLPP prez aspirant Gotabaya Rajapaksa yesterday said his policy framework will achieve a slew of goals for SL, including increasing economic growth to 6.5%, per capita income to $6,500, sweeping tax cuts whilst maintaining the Budget deficit under 5%, and bringing interest rates to single digits. He also pledged to restore national security, more..

Oct 26 (DM) Six months ago the country was shaken by the dastardly Easter Sunday bombings carried out by Zahran Hashim�s terror outfit National Tawheed Jamaat (NTJ). April 21 blasts killed hundreds of innocent civilians and injured scores more, leaving people shocked and searching for answers. While the govt and law enforcement agencies failed to explain why the attacks were not prevented, the people were demanding the truth. They wanted to know what went wrong and more..

Oct 26 (DM) Tomorrow is the UN World Day for Audiovisual heritage and the world body in a statement says audio visual documents -- such as films, radio and tv programmes, are our common heritage and contain the primary records of the history of the 20th and 21st centuries. Unfortunately, that heritage is now endangered, because sound recordings and moving images can be deliberately destroyed or irretrievably lost as a result of neglect, decay and technological obsolescence. more..

Oct 26 (DM) Pallewatte Gamaralalage Maithripala Yapa Sirisena, the seventh and incumbent executive President, will retire in less than a month. With the prez poll on Nov 16, the winner of this congested race will assume office the following day. President Sirisena himself was sworn in a day after the prez election on Jan 8, 2015. Visitors to his official residence spoke about packed boxes, ready to be taken to Polonnaruwa as more..

Oct 26 (RN) Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA) is urging all prez candidates to address the violence in universities perpetrated on newcomers which they say is a grave humanitarian tragedy that takes place in State universities. In a statement signed by Dr Anula Wijesundere and Dr Tara de Mel they say �every Prez aspirant who speaks of major plans for advancement in education and higher education in this country, but no one has more..

Oct 26 (ST) While the dual citizenship of presidential election candidates has been a hotly-debated topic in the political arena, it is expected that thousands of other dual citizens will be in Sri Lanka by election day in November. Some of them are eligible for European passports while others come from Asian countries. None, however, will come through immigration channels, and they do not care at all about the political drama in SL. more..

Oct 26 (EN) Borrowers from banks in SL in difficulties will get an 18-month debt moratorium and a credit default agency will be reformed to allow new loans to be taken, if Gotabaya Rajapaksa is elected prez, ex-CB Governor Nivard Cabraal said. �We will reform the CRIB,� he said. �We will bring some re-structuring systems so that people who have shown good results, but have had difficulties repaying their loans as a result of the current downturn more..

Oct 26 (TM) The present Govt denied the Darusman Report that accused the Rajapaksa govt of war crimes, UNP Minister Rajitha Senaratne said. �We have denied the Darusman Report highlighting that no one was killed intentionally besides the causalities that took place during a war,� he said. The 2011 Darusman Report was produced by a panel of experts appointed by former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon more..

Oct 26 (TM) PM Ranil Wickramasinghe issuing a message in lieu of the constitutional coupe ensued a year ago urged all to put their political differences aside and work toward protecting the democracy of the country. On Oct 26, 2018 Prez Sirisena sacked Wickramasinghe and appointed former Prez Rajapaksa as PM. The illegal govt ran for 52 days until the SC ruled that the decision was unconstitutional. more..

Oct 26 (DM) While categorically refuting comments made by certain parties that NPP prez candidate former Army Commander Mahesh Senanayake has decided to step down from his candidacy in support of another presidential candidate, the NPP said there had no decision of such nature to support any allegedly preferred candidate whosoever. Issuing a special media announcement, it affirmed that more..

Oct 26 (CI) A coach not quite sacked, a raft of player withdrawals, a typically chaotic nexus between cricket administration and govt: all scenarios not uncommon when it comes to the endlessly fascinating story of SL cricket. And yet amid all these 2019 misadventures there have been remarkable, even transcendent moments: A Test series win in South Africa, a stunning World Cup match win over England more..

Oct 26 (AD) The Chairman of Election Commission Mahinda Deshapriya has requested the general public to refrain from conducting model polls ahead of the upcoming Prez Election 2019. Deshapriya says the Election Commission has received reports on such model elections that have been carried out at private institutions and tuition classes and their results were released via social media platforms. more..

Oct 26 (AD) The prez hopeful of NPP, Anura Kumara Dissanayake says a legal obligation will be established in the future to implement the manifestos presented at political platforms. Dissanayake�s prez election manifesto titled Hope of Nation was unveiled in a ceremony held at The Foundation Institution this morning. It primarily focuses on educational reforms, health, housing facilities, sports, arts and culture, more..

Oct 27 (SO) Just over six months after the deadly Easter terror attacks, the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) that investigated the incidents released their report this week. The report makes interesting reading but the parliamentary opposition insists on rejecting it - and this raises even more intriguing questions. It will be recalled that when the PSC was set up, the JO which now comprises mostly of members of the SLPP agreed to the proposal to have a PSC investigate attacks. more..

Oct 27 (CT) When the final report of the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) appointed to look into the Easter Sunday terror attacks was presented to Parliament on Wednesday, it confirmed our worst suspicions: that the highest political office and the topmost intelligence unit in the country failed to ensure national security and public safety. That their actions - or inaction - led to the carnage where over 250 men, women and children, including foreigners, perished and several hundreds more..

Oct 27 (SO) Former Vice President of the UNP and former Media Minister Imthiaz Bakeer Marker, who had a stormy relationship with the present UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe but had always been a party loyalist, in an interview with the Sunday Observer pours his heart out on why the New Democratic Front leader Sajith Premadasa should be the next Prez. Q: Election manifesto of SLPP candidate was launched last week. more..

Oct 27 (Island) Prez Sirisena has gone on record that he will remain neutral during the run-up to the Nov. 16 presidential election. He has mounted no political stage or made any campaign appearance since the election was proclaimed. So much to the good. But the president has since October last year clearly demonstrated that he is not neutral politically. Although he was elected in 2015 on a platform where the major plank was getting rid of the Mahinda Rajapaksa regime. more..

Oct 27 (ST) It was interesting to see that the Private Bus Operators Union had decided to throw its collective weight behind one of the presidential candidates at the upcoming elections. It is this same union that admitted recently that its members drive their buses on Ice � the stimulant drug even more potent than the methamphetamine Speed. For this year alone, there have been 32,560 accidents reported so far. The number of reported accidents is actually much more given that more..

Oct 27 (CT) It is astounding to see the length people go to experience things they think are different and exhilarating; some break rules, some take risks and some challenge their very existence. Among many a risky behaviour humans engage in, the use of mind-altering substances, or simply what we call drugs, takes a special place. Although many consider the use of drugs a new social menace, researchers claim that humans have been more..

Oct 27 (CT) My dear Sajith, I thought I must write to you this week even as you try to cover the entire country in a few weeks while campaigning for the big race. It must be a difficult task, especially when you are up against the entire �R� family, the blues and the purples, not to mention even a few Greens who don�t like you. It would have been ideal if you had a little more time to prepare yourself but your nomination came only at the last minute. However, you must be thankful for small mercies; more..

Oct 27 (ST) Oops � I have got writer�s block. This sunny Thursday morning after a rainy Wednesday I was staring at the computer wondering with unease what to write. For the first time in many months I was stumped � no topic, no idea for the Sunday column. I then turned towards the Margosa tree looking for inspiration from Kussi Amma Sera and her friends, Mabel Rasthiyadu and Serapina. That apparently worked! �Ada puvathpathvala meda peradiga kamkaruvan gena honda kathavak thiyenawa more..

Oct 27 (Island) President Maithripala Sirisena has asked the Governor of the Uva Province Maithri Gunaratne to resign so that national list MP Dilan Perera can be appointed as the Uva Governor and he himself can come into Parliament as Dilan�s replacement after he ceases to be President when the result of next month�s prez election is announced. According to the Constitutution, the new President has to assume office immediately after the results of the prez election are announced. more..

Oct 27 (DM) It is simple now. TNA is reported to have submitted a set of 13 conditions to be agreed upon as the price for supporting a prez candidate. SLPP has refused to bite. JVP is reported to be willing to agree to a couple. UNP has maintained a solid silence. UNP candidate has a steep hill to climb as it is and does not need distractions and kakul-maattu of this kind. First of all, the collectives that voted against Mahinda Rajapaksa (and for Maithripala Sirisena) in 2015 are scattered. more..

Oct 27 (CT) The rift between two groups of the SLFP became quite evident with former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga (CBK) and Party's General Secretary Dayasiri Jayasekara taking to social media to criticise each other. While the former accused Jayasekara of trying to uprooting the Party from its soil, the latter accused Kumaratunga of having underhand deals with UNP to destroy more..