Sep 28 (TT) India plans to set up its first overseas petroleum hub, along with a refinery and power plant, in Sri Lanka. The move is expected to spur Indian investment in the island nation. A delegation of oil and power ministry officials along with representatives of Indian Oil Corporation and NTPC will soon visit Sri Lanka to push through the much-delayed project. The two nations want the project to start before the signing of the Indo-Lanka Economic and Technological Agreement, more..

Sep 28 (DM) The work on a hotel project at Galle face has been put on hold following the discovery of a ancient artillery gun at the construction site on Saturday, Archaeology Department Director General Senarath Dissanayake said. He said the work was suspended in keeping with the law on the Prevention of Destruction and Theft of Antiques. Dr. Dissanayake said his Department would dispatch its analysts and more..

Sep 28 (CT) Sri Lanka team consisting of 18 track and field athletes and 5 boxers left the country early today to participate at the 6th CISM World Military Games to be held in Mungyeong, South Korea from 2 Oct to 11 Oct 2015. The team consists of some of the country's top athletes' in the calibre of Olympians Manjula Kumara Wijesekara and Nadeeka Lakmali, and soon to be Olympian Niluka Rajasekara, who was the only female athlete to represent Sri Lankan at the last World Championship. more..

Sep 28 (SLN) A naval craft on patrol in the seas north west of Thalai-mannar sighted a sinking Indian trawler, Paleiperiyal on 26th Sept. Three Indian fishermen, who were in the sea, were rescued by the SLN craft since their trawler had been sinking by the time it arrived and it was not in a position to rescue the sunk trawler. The timely action taken by the SLN craft saved the lives of the Indian fishermen, who are aged 50, 53 and 56, as there had been no other fishing trawlers in more..

Sep 28 (CG) Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa says the resolution on Sri Lanka tabled before the UNHRC has hostile provisions which need to be removed. Rajapaksa said that the govt has decided to accept and pass by consensus the USA sponsored draft resolution on Sri Lanka tabled before the UNHRC on the grounds that it has been watered down in Sri Lanka�s favour. �When this resolution was under discussion, more..

Sep 28 (LBO) Sri Lanka�s maritime industry can boost and support the islands efforts in international trade and investments to enable further long-term growth, a senior official said. �Sri Lanka has to be a hub for more than South Asia to realize the full potential of our valuable ports and shipping,� Mohan Pandithage, Chairman, Hayleys said. �Given the capacity of the Colombo Port Sri Lanka should formulate strategies and policies to harness and fully leverage the advantages of more..

Sep 28 (FT) As part of improving the investor climate, the Finance Ministry will hold the next Ease of Doing Business Forum on Thur, 1 Oct at Miloda Centre Auditorium Colombo 01. This event - which will bring on-the-spot solutions for business entities to uplift the business environment in Sri Lanka - will be chaired by Minister of Finance Ravi Karunanayake. Endeavours made by the Ministry of Finance to transform trading & commercial activities in the country into an investor friendly more..

Sep 28 (ST) Unloading of coal at the Lakvijaya power plant in Norochcholai has been hampered by rough seas, worsening an ongoing delay in replenishing stocks caused by a disputed tender. Power plant should have received a fresh consignment of coal by mid-Sept. However, differences over the awarding of a lucrative multibillion rupee contract to a company named Swiss Singapore Overseas Enterprises more..

Sep 28 (CT) Ministry of Labour is now considering lifting the stipulation imposed on the withdrawal of the Employees' Trust Fund (ETF) benefits to employees who are above the retirement age of 55 years, and have been reemployed on a contract basis. Labour minister W.D.J. Seneviratne said that he was examining the possibility as retired employees working on contract basis have to wait five years from the age of 55 to withdraw their benefits after withdrawing the benefits more..

Sep 28 (Hindu) Sri Lankan govt has decided to take up the construction of 65,000 houses on a priority basis for Eelam War-hit families in the Northern and Eastern Provinces. This is inclusive of the total requirement of 1,37,529 houses to be built in the two provinces. However, the total figure is over and above 46,000 houses being constructed under a programme funded by the Indian govt. After a meeting between SL President Sirisena and Indian PM Narendra Modi in New York more..

Sep 28 (FT) Charting SL�s development agenda for the next 15 years, President Sirisena told the UN that Sri Lanka would act to achieve the Post-2015 Sustainable Development Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals and targets that have been adopted by the UNGA. Addressing the UNGA Session on Sustainable Development in New York, he said sustainable development encapsulates the equilibrium between social and economic more..

Sep 28 (EN) Sri Lanka's motor traffic chief has taken the unusual step of placing a 72-square centimeter advertisement in a Sunday newspaper requesting motorists to fulfill the shortcomings in their vehicles. The barely visible notice written in incomprehensible language may be an attempt to address the growing number of fatal accidents on Sri Lankan roads which have become South Asia's most dangerous. "It is kindly requested to fulfil the shortcomings of your vehicle or the vehicle being driven by you more..

Sep 28 (CT) A robbery took place yesterday at a private bank in Dharmapala Mawatha, Colombo 7 by an armed suspect wearing a helmet. Rs 5.5 million were robbed at the bank at 7:10 a.m. The police also added that the helmet worn by the suspect was not one that covered the entire face. This robbery comes in the wake of contention with regard to the banning of full face helmets due to its threat to security. In the past several bank robberies took place by gangs wearing full face helmets, more..

Sep 28 (CT) Sri Lanka has the opportunity to investigate alleged instances of human rights violations during the war through a domestic mechanism with the new resolution placed at UNHRC, PM Ranil Wickremesinghe said. SL faced a number of issues because Rajapaksa administration made a number of promises to UN & UNHRC about addressing alleged Human Rights violations but failed to follow through. more..

Sep 28 (DM) n the afterglow of Binara Poya, we need to reflect on the Buddha Dhamma�s main theme May all beings be happy and on some practical issues connected to it. At a time when United States policies, especially on human rights issues, are being widely discussed in Sri Lanka, we wish to focus today on the San Diego based Dharma Voices for Animals (DVA). DVA is a movement of those committed, both to practising the teachings of the Buddha (The Dharma) and more..

Sep 28 (DM) The Parliament of Singapore some time ago passed a bill to abolish the Parliamentary Pensions Act after a review of ministerial salaries, which recommended that the pension scheme be scrapped for office holders such as Ministers, Deputy Ministers and Members of Parliament since it had become necessary to fall in line with the principles of having a transparent, open wage system where there are no hidden perks for politicians and politicians alone. more..

Sep 28 (SL) The Campaign for a Free and Fair Election (CaFFE) says the resolution submitted on Sri Lanka to the UNHRC last week was a decisive moment in Sri Lanka�s history as the Sri Lankan Govt is to co-sponsor the consensual resolution supporting the reconciliatory measures to be taken by the SL govt to establish a Commission for Truth, Justice, Reconciliation & Non Recurrence, an Office of Missing Persons, more..

Sep 28 (ST) All appointments to the Independent Commissions, under the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, are to be completed and activated by end October, said Constitutional Council (CC) Chairman Karu Jayasuriya. Evaluation of the nominees received from civil society representatives and individuals, will commence when the CC meets on Oct 9. At least 250 nominations have been received for more..

Sep 28 (DN) The Chinese Communist Party praised Sri Lanka�s new govt�s drive against corruption and expressed its willingness to help in this process. Chinese Vice Minister of the International Department of the Communist Party, Chen Fengxiang made these remarks when he met with a Sri Lankan delegation headed by Additional Secretary to the Prime Minister Saman Athaudahetti. more..

Sep 28 (ICRC) Wednesday morning began differently for ten-year-old Ragulesh. Instead of the usual classroom lessons, his teacher announced that the school would be organizing a tsunami mock drill. �I don�t know what a tsunami is. All I know is that it�s a bad thing and that my parents suffered from it,� the little boy said excitedly. In coordination with the District Disaster Management Centre of Mullaitivu and several other more..

Sep 28 (DM) Police today released CCTV footage on the robbery of the private bank at Dharmapala Mawatha in Colombo 7 and sought public assistance to identify the suspect who had escaped with Rs.5.5 million last morning. According to reports security officers of the bank were attacked by the suspect. Police said any information could be conveyed to Slave Island OIC on 011 2384382 or to Crime Division OIC on 011 2323330. more..

Sep 28 (SL) The issue of the alleged involvement of prison officials in aiding and providing various facilities to suspects in remand and convicts in jail came out in to the open last week. Last week it was confirmed that certain prison officials are involved in aiding and abetting alleged drug smugglers in custody in order to make quick money. Incident took place at the Colombo Chief Magistrate�s court, where prison officials were more..

Sep 28 (CG) Australian High Commissioner Robyn Mudie says the Australian Govt�s policy against maritime people smuggling is clear and unchanged � the way to Australia is closed. Australia, under new PM Malcolm Turnbull, remains committed to protecting its borders and will continue to stop anyone who attempts to come illegally by boat � regardless of where they are from. High Commissioner Mudie said that cooperation more..

Sep 28 (Island) The man arrested in connection with the killing of ten-year-old boy Kavindu Kapuruge in the Aturugiriya police area last Friday has allegedly claimed that he wanted to inflict unbearable pain of mind on the victim�s father. Fifty-year-old suspect Abraham Perera, an IRC, had allegedly claimed that he had been relentlessly harassed by the victim�s father since he started working at a stone quarry over a year ago. more..

Sep 28 (Island) Global Tamil Forum (GTF) spokesman Suren Surendiran said that the draft resolution tabled at the Geneva-based UNHRC fell short of their expectations. UK based Surendiran expressed confidence that the proposed resolution could pave the way for what he called a credible accountability process. Sri Lanka has accepted the resolution, thus ensuring unanimous approval for a series of recommendations, more..

Sep 28 (Island) Rebel UPFA MP Vidura Wickremanayake said that far reaching political reforms were urgently required to rid the country of dirty politics. He said that post-war SL needed a new political order to prevent political parties from exploiting the situation to their advantage. "I may incur the wrath of some for speaking out. But, it will be a grave injustice to remain mum when the country is rapidly descending into chaos, more..

Sep 28 (Island) British govt has launched a new programme to teach English classics in schools. Education Secretary Nick Morgan has evinced a keen interest in the new scheme. This is a move worthy of emulation in other countries as well. Mention of great literary figures like Dickens and Austen is usually met with blank stares even in some prestigious schools in London, we are told. A similar situation, we believe, prevails in other parts of the world as regards classics in different more..

Sep 28 (Island) Liberal party of Canada shamefully supported the LTTE purely to garner votes from those sympathetic to that outfit to win elections. They did not care about Sri Lanka or bilateral relations between the two countries. The late NDP leader Jack Layton had the audacity once to compare Prabhakaran to Mandela! It is no secret that Harper later followed both the NDP and the Liberals and backed the LTTE to for electoral reasons. I am happy I wasn't there when more..

Sep 28 (Island) A sanitary labourer of Nawalapitiya hospital charged with raping a female patient sixteen years ago was acquitted and discharged by the High Court Judge of Kandy S.U.B. Karaliyadda. The labourer had been indicted for raping the female patient being treated in Ward No. 3 of the Nawalapitiya hospital on 06.09.1999. Following a long drawn out trial, High Court Judge Karaliyadda decided that the charge had not been proved beyond reasonable doubt. more..

Sep 28 (CT) In a throwback to the previous regime when the media team of President Rajapaksa indulged in creative photoshopping to show Queen Elizabeth II shaking hands with him, the managers of President Maithripala Sirisena�s Facebook page has edited out both the President and his son Daham from a photograph taken at the UN General Assembly sessions. Much furor was caused over Daham Sirisena�s presence in the UN sessions with questions raised over his status. more..

Sep 28 (LBO) Sri Lanka�s currency is now competitive after being floated last month and will support export growth, central bank governor Arjuna Mahendran said. �Like other currencies in emerging markets, the SL currency has also adjusted to become slightly weaker against the U.S. currency,�, he said. �Economy is progressing on an even keel. Trade deficit hasn�t grown too sharply & imports have been relatively well contained,� more..

Sep 28 (Haveeru) Sri Lankan budget airline Mihin Lanka will resume flights to Maldives from Nov 12. According to Mihin Lanka�s General Sales Agent in Maldives, Ace Aviation Services, customers to purchase tickets from Sept 23 to Nov 15 will receive special fares of USD 85 and USD 143 for one-way and return tickets respectively. After the promotion, ticket fares for return tickets will be USD 163, 174 and 203. Business class return tickets cost USD 172 if purchased two weeks prior to flight, more..

Sep 28 (Island) Bank of Ceylon (BOC), banking giant in Sri Lanka and the major driving force behind the country's economic and social development, is opening the subscription list of its Rupee debenture issue - 2015 on 1st Oct 2015. "Launching of this seventh listed debenture issue has been arranged while BOC retaining its position as the largest debenture issuer in the country, having issued debentures with par value of Rs 37 billion so far" stated S.M.S.C. Jayasuriya more..

Sep 28 (DM) The CEB said that the exact reason for the three-hour island wide power failure last night is yet to be identified and the power supply to some areas in the country is being restored. CEB Chairman Anura Wijepala said that there may be several reasons for the failure, among them were due to high voltage electricity supply to the main grid or tripping of transmission lines due to lightening. more..

Sep 28 (CT) The Disaster Management Centre (DMC) issued warnings to seven districts as landslides could occur if rains persist. The DMC and the National Building Research Organization (NBRO) said the Badulla, Ratnapura, Kegalle, Kalutara, Galle, Matara and Hambantota Districts have been issued warnings of possible landslides due to the persisting rains. Furthermore, the DMC requested residents around banks and slopes, to be more cautious due to this situation. more..

Sep 28 (EN) Sri Lankan stocks fell for the third straight day with daily turnover hitting a nearly five-week high amid foreign selling as talk of a central bank rate hike hit investor sentiment. All Share Price Index lost 32.16 points or 0.45% to close at 7,078.64 while the S&P SL 20 index, which tracks the top 20 largest and most liquid stocks, lost 17.59 points (0.45%) to close at 3,869.55. Daily market turnover hit a nearly five-week high of 1.9 billion rupees, passing the one billion mark for more..

Sep 28 (ENS) Northern Province CM C.V. Wigneswaran publicly lashed out at concentration of power in the ITAK, party to which he belongs. ITAK is the single largest constituent of TNA. Striking a belligerent note in his address at a function in Jaffna Hindu College, Wigneswaran vowed to stick to his convictions and urged younger generation to do likewise. �In certain political parties one or two persons are taking all decisions. more..

Sep 28 (PSL) President Maithripala Sirisena has said that his Govt will take steps to strengthen the freedom, democracy and human rights in the country by introducing a new Constitution. President, who arrived in New York to attend 70th Session of UNGA, made these observations after engaging religious observances at the New York Buddhist Temple, yesterday. Speaking to the SL community, President said that the new govt has received a significant assistance from the international more..

Sep 28 (TD) On Sept 24, the U.S.-led UNHRC resolution on Sri Lanka was tabled. This would be the fourth HRC resolution passed on the island nation since 2012. SL govt has praised the resolution and it appears that the original idea of passing it by consensus will go ahead as planned. Resolution calls for wide-ranging reforms and a domestic accountability mechanism with international involvement. Some commentators have stated that what the resolution demands more..