Nov 18 (LR) Sarath Kumarasinghe is one of the foremost classical Esraj players in North America received a special honour from the National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada (NEPMCC) presented by Elizabeth Dowdeswell Lieutenant Governor of Ontario at Queen�s Park Legislature last week. He started playing the Esraj when he was of 12 years old. Sarath traveled to the Bhatkande College of Music, Lucknow, India and nurtured his skills in classical vocal & instrumental music. more..

Nov 18 (DN) Health authorities who inspected 120 schools during the recently completed two day intensive dengue control programme found 48 schools in the Colombo district with mosquito larvae, Health Ministry sources said. The health authorities also found 48 state institutions out of 134, with mosquito larvae. They inspected 158 construction sites during the programme and found mosquito larvae in 53 of them. A total of 38 factory premises out of 133 had mosquito larvae. more..

Nov 18 (Reuters) SEC announced new measures on Thursday to encourage companies to list their shares on Colombo Stock Exchange after earlier changes failed to raise market liquidity. Foreign investors have long complained about lack of volumes on the bourse, currently worth $18.3 billion with 223 companies listed on the main board and 68 firms on the second board. SEC reported a high level of non-compliance with more..

Nov 18 (ST) Cruises keep sailing into Colombo packed with tourists and the latest was the inaugural ship of Dream Cruises, Genting Dream a Hong Kong-based carrier that would be stationed at Guangzhou, China and is said to be the first Asian luxury cruise liner. Dream Cruises President Thatcher Brown told reporters on deck last� week that Colombo was their fifth call and noted that being committed to hospitality they were offering lifestyle products to its guests. more..

Nov 18 (FT) It was mismanagement and living beyond our means that caused the downfall of our economy, stated Dr. Indrajit Coomaraswamy, the Governor of Central Bank, when he addressed the 75th AGM of the SL Federation of University Women last Saturday. Our economy he said was next to Japan after the Second World War; Korea was behind us.�Continuing he said Sri Lanka had populist govts that indulged in classic borrowing systems to spend on a recurrent expenditure. more..

Nov 18 (Island) Chinese Ambassador Yi Xianliang has asked President and PM to ensure that incidents such as the suspension of the Colombo Port City Project, do not happen again. Addressing the China - SL Business Meeting for Investment and Trade on Wednesday, which has a clear view of the Colombo Port City, now renamed as the Colombo Financial City, the Ambassador said "During my recent meetings with both more..

Nov 18 (NS) Environmentalists have called for the issuing of govt circulars banning the use of polythene� and plastic in State institutions. They also called on the scientific academia to come up with alternatives to polythene and plastic. During a recent survey conducted by the Department of Zoology and Environmental Management of the Faculty of Science of the University of Kelaniya into the biological diversity in the Negombo estuary��and the Muthurajawela marsh, more..

Nov 18 (EN) A senior minister has started to push nationalism and called for restrictions on consumer freedoms after white supremacists won an election in the US, even as industries asked President-elect Donald Trump to re-think his trade policies. "When we look at the US presidential election and Brexit, what is clear is the global trend towards protectionism and nationalization," Minister Champika Ranawaka was quoted as saying in Sri Lanka's Daily Mirror newspaper. more..

Nov 18 (DM) Petroleum Resources Development Ministry will construct two oil refineries in Trincomalee and Hambantota with the technical and financial commitments from China and India. A reliable Ministry source on condition of anonymity said that the Trincomalee refinery with a capacity of 200,000 barrels per day would be constructed in association with India while Hambantota refinery will be built with china�s assistance. more..

Nov 18 (DM) Steps have been taken to ensure that the Kaffir community of African origin which resides in Puttalam and elsewhere are given equal rights as other SL citizens, Parliament was informed. Responding to a question raised by MP Buddhika Pathirana in the House, Deputy Minister Nimal Lansa said members of this community were given all rights and their children were being absorbed to schools while their culture had also been recognized as one that should be preserved. more..

Nov 18 (CT) Expo Rail, a subsidiary of Classic Travel, celebrated a milestone in its journey by marking the company's 5th anniversary last month. In the short span of five years, Expo Rail has redefined rail travel in Sri Lanka driven largely by its customer care-centric model employed by its team. Since its inception in 2011, Expo Rail has facilitated over 250,000 passengers travelling around Sri Lanka in style and comfort via a luxury train service. Expo Rail service is available to travellers more..

Nov 18 (FT) Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, a new political party chaired by former Minister G.L. Pieris, vowed to claim the mantle of the true SLFP at its inaugural media briefing, in a sign that rifts within President Sirisena�s party were widening.�Speaking to reporters at former President Rajapaksa�s political office in Battaramulla, Pieris claimed SLFP�s role in SL politics had been reduced to whitewashing a UNP administration. more..

Nov 18 (LBO) SL Telecom has been chosen as the total communication service provider and communication infrastructure provider to Lanka Govt Network, in a collaborative move by national govt and Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA). LGN is a strategic project produced and designed in order to unify and upgrade govt establishments by use of a single network. �Local Govt Network integrates all govt establishments so they can enjoy effective communications� more..

Nov 18 (CT) JO and SLFP MP Mahinda Rajapaksa celebrates his 71st birthday today. Several religious observances have been organized at temples and elsewhere today and tomorrow to mark the day beginning with an alms-giving to mothers at the Abhayarama Temple, Narahenpita commencing 5:30 a.m. This will be followed by a Bodhi Pooja at 7:30 p.m. at the Kelaniya Temple which has been organized by JO MPs. Several religious programmes will also be held in A'pura more..

Nov 18 (Island) Joint Opposition alleged that top govt officials were being humiliated by the UN, pro-LTTE diaspora groups as well as those sympathetic to the eelam project. UPFA MP Udaya Gammanpila said that unsubstantiated allegations had been directed at Chief of National Intelligence (CNI) DIG Sisira Mendis, who appeared before Geneva-based UN Committee Against Torture (UNCAT). more..

Nov 18 (FT) A petition against the Director General of Customs (DGC) Chulananda Perera was filed in the Supreme Court yesterday, under the Right to Information Act for denying access to information on vehicles imported tax-free through MPs� duty free car permits. Petitioner Nagananda Kodituwakku, a public interest litigation activist, who has conducted an in-depth investigation into the abuse of tax-free car permits by MPs, both from the ruling party and the Opposition, has requested the SC to more..

Nov 18 (EN) Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, country's largest trade association, backed the proposed budget with a lower deficit, but cautioned on govt interference in business and some proposals made without consultation.� The budget planned to cut deficit to 4.6% of GDP in 2017 from 5.4% this year and raise revenues to 13.5% of GDP. "We believe that many of the tax revenue measures outlined in the Budget are attainable, if implementation is carried out successfully," more..

Nov 18 (FT) JVP MP Sunil Handunetti expressed disappointment that Perpetual Treasuries remained on the list of registered primary dealers with Central Bank several weeks after the COPE that he chaired had released a damning report implicating the controversial investment company in the Treasury bond scam of Feb 2015.�COPE Chairman said that Govt and CB should at least have delisted Perpetual more..

Nov 18 (DM) 30-year-old Nishantha Weerathunga alias Suncha, who was wanted by the police for several allegedly committed by him, had shot himself this evening inside a house at Walgama in Bandaragama when the police tried to arrest him. Investigations had begun into the involvement of two suspects, including Suncha, in a robbery that took place at a supermarket in Bandaragama. The two suspects, who arrived on a motorcycle, had robbed the supermarket and fled the scene after more..

Nov 18 (CT) A complaint has been submitted to Speaker Karu Jayasuriya with regard to an engineer attached to Parliament staff sitting in the Speaker's chair, for the first time in the history of nation's Parliament. A UNP MP, in a written complaint to Speaker said an engineer, by the name of Saman Perera, had sat on Speaker's chair, after Parliament hours. Individual in question had proceeded to give orders to the cleaning staff, who were carrying out their duties within chambers, more..

Nov 18 (DN) FCID arrested former SL Ambassador to the US, Jaliya Wickramasuriya. He was arrested for allegedly accepting a USD 245,000 commission while serving as the SL Ambassador to US, under the previous govt. It is alleged that he had accepted this commission following a contract awarded to refurbish the embassy. The former ambassador had reportedly remitted this money to Sri Lanka. more..

Nov 18 (DN) President Maithripala Sirisena, met with the 17-year-old who hacked into his official website twice this year. On August 26, the schoolboy hacker took down the President�s website and posted a message that expressed displeasure at the A/L exam being scheduled for April, during the traditional Sinhala and Tamil New Year. On the August 27, the message that was first posted in Sinhalese was posted in English. FCID arrested the schoolboy from Kadugannawa on August 29 more..

Nov 18 (CT) The world's second ranked construction economy came forward to partner with Sri Lanka's ambitious Megapolis project recently. "Turkish contractors are world renowned. They can partner in various construction projects in Sri Lanka including the planned Megapolis," said Turkish PM Binali Y�ld�r�m on 12 Nov in Istanbul. According to the latest ranking of the world's top 250 contractors by Engineering News Record (ENR) magazine, after China (which leads the ranking), more..

Nov 18 (FT) Plans to provide leasing facilities to obtain 58 new vehicles for MPs engaged in monitoring activities came under fire, with opposition lawmaker Anura Dissanayake demanding an explanation on how State officials tasked with the execution of the project would not be accused of corruption in the future. Highlighting the grave condition of State coffers and the prevailing economic turmoil in the country, MP asked more..

Nov 18 (DM) Whether people know it or not an autoimmune disease epidemic is sweeping the globe. It has already hit tens of thousands of Sri Lankan people and most of them do not even know they are having some of these secret diseases. The mysterious epidemic is aided and abetted by the poisons used in agriculture and in our food. Subtly marketed by multi-million dollar profit-making multi-national corporations and so called local experts including specialist organizations.� more..

Nov 18 (DM) A hilarious debate on the Muslim Personal Law or particularly the Muslim Marriages and Divorce Act (MMDA) is ongoing on social media between certain Muslim and non-Muslim groups. It is indeed hilarious because the contending parties have no basic difference of opinion, but they keep shouting at the top of their voices.�The bone of contention is whether the MMDA should be amended. Several individuals and groups press for the amendment of the Act, arguing that more..

Nov 18 (DM) Minister Ranjith Madduma Bandara, speaks about the national unity govt and the way forward. Q: How do you analyze the current political situation? A: Within the past one and half years, we cleared all obstacles to the country in the int'l arena. Int'l community is friendly with us. We have created a rule-based environment in the country. Today all the govt institutions can function independently. We have undertaken more..

Nov 18 (DN) Infrastructure and human resources should be developed to establish a national operational ocean forecasting system for ocean based disaster mitigation through scientific and technological exchange among the Indian Ocean Rim (IORA) countries, Fisheries Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said. He was addressing the Expert Group Meeting on Capacity Building for Indian Ocean Operational Forecasting more..

Nov 18 (ST) The Govt of India�s decision to demonetize Rs. 500 and Rs. 1000 currency notes has had its impact on Sri Lankans who hold currency. The foreign money exchange counters in Sri Lanka have stopped accepting Indian currency for exchange, though the demonetized currency notes are valid till Dec 31. �We don�t accept the demonetized Indian currency now and will only accept the newly introduced currency notes�, more..

Nov 18 (NR) UPFA MP Padma Udaya Shantha says the country�s debt has increased drastically within the past two years. The MP attributed the increase to the govt�s inefficiency. Large sums of money have been allocated in order to maintain the Cabinet. MP said exorbitant amounts have been allocated for maintaining a giant cabinet adding in 2015, allocations were increased to Rs.374 billion. He said it is a 27% increase from 2014. more..

Nov 18 (SL) The SAITM and IUSF are on the warpath over the SAITM University in Malabe. The IUSF last week continued to oppose to SAITM being recognised but SAITM says it has every right to be recognised under the law. The founding chairman of SAITM Dr. Neville Fernando said that SAITM offers a duly recognised degree under the University ACT of 1978 and published in Gazette No : 1721/19 dated 30.08.2011 and more..

Nov 18 (Island) The GMOA accused Minister Ravi Karunanayke of going against the President�s and Health Minister�s battle against the tobacco industry by requesting Ceylon Tobacco to donate Rs. 500 million to the Presidential fund to be utilised by Presidential Task Force for the anti-smoking campaign. GMOA Assistant Secretary Dr Haritha Aluthge said that President and Health Minister were both bent on ratifying the WHO Charter on more..

Nov 18 (Hindu) �We protested so much but tell me, what�s the point?� S. Padmavathy asks, her voice bearing the fatigue of a long day�s labour. �All we have got is a 50-rupee increase in our basic salary. What�s 50 rupees today?� She was referring to the collective agreement that Sri Lanka�s regional plantation companies and labour unions signed a month ago, to increase the daily wage of estate workers to LKR 730 (roughly INR 335). more..

Nov 18 (NR) Minister Mangala Samaraweera says Sri Lanka is deeply conscious of the impacts of Climate Change. Addressing 22nd Session of Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Marrakesh, Morocco, he said Sri Lanka is deeply conscious of the impacts of Climate Change adding that the country is facing its adverse impact already in the form of droughts, more..

Nov 18 (NR) Govt says it has not taken any official decision to provide vehicles under a monthly rental of 700,000 rupees for 58 MPs. MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake raised a question in Parliament today over the provision of funds to provide vehicles to 58 MPs. Minister Ravi Karunanayake said there is a difference between govt MPs and MPs of the Opposition, adding that MPs of the got will be handed vehicles for official work. more..

Nov 18 (ENS) When Jayanthi Kuru-Utumpala became the first Sri Lankan and also the first Sri Lankan woman to have climbed the 8848 meter Mount Everest in May this year, the Sri Lankan media went to town on it and accolades were showered on her by the elite of the island. Only three women before her had had the distinction of being the first in their respective countries to have climbed the Everest. 37-year-old Jayanthi more..

Nov 18 (CT) While expressing his concern only over the cost of taxes that the govt will incur from the vehicle allowance to be granted for 58 MPs, President Maithripala Sirisena appears to be attempting to score points by informally agreeing to bribe MPs in his attempt to further secure their support. According to a leaked letter, Sirisena�s has at no point vehemently objected to the allowance as a whole but had instead expressed his concern over the tax components in the allowance. more..

Nov 18 (NR) The 5 policemen arrested on suspicion of the death of the two students of the Jaffna University have been remanded till the 2nd of Dec. The order was issued by the Jaffna Magistrate�s Court. The request by the Attorney representing the suspected Policemen to grant bail to the five policeman was rejected by court. CID also produced evidence acquired by Eye Witnesses in court today. On the 20th of Oct, Police Headquarters announced that the two Jaffna University students more..

Nov 18 (CT) Sri Lankans, even after a bloody civil war are continuing to suffer from a viral hatred towards others' race, religion and ethnicity. After countless lives lost, after countless lives victimized, left crippled and left behind, we are still fighting a battle against racism. Recently, the issue of racism became hotcakes for our readers and the rest of the country. Since the Aluthgama- Dharga Town incident in 2014, where a hard-line BBS group allegedly attacked the Muslim community more..