Feb 6 (NR) The Ministry of Finance today announced maximum retail price for rice. The Ministry announced the new prices following directives issued by the sub-committee appointed by the Cabinet on cost of living management. Accordingly the price cap on a kilogram of Nadu rice was set at 70 rupees while Samba rice was set at 80 rupees. However, previously the Ministry of Commerce issued directives to control the retail price of Nadu and Kekulu rice. more..

Feb 6 (DM) The JVP would work together with the GMOA to prevent private medical school graduates registering as doctors, JVP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said today. He said that his party had decided to work together with the GMOA in fighting against SAITM, when they met the medical officers� association leaders this morning. �We have made a decision to work together, while we will continue a dialogue to see how more..

Feb 6 (NR) Three-member Presidential Commission of Inquiry, appointed to investigate the CB bond issue, has convened for the inaugural session. The members convened at the commission�s office located at the Colombo Court Complex. Supreme Court judges KT Chithrasiri, PS Jayawardena and retired Deputy Auditor General K Velupillai were appointed to the commission last month. Accordingly, the three-member commission is due to discuss its activities today. more..

Feb 6 (FT) Supreme Court has ordered the filing of a MoU of 2012 along with an affidavit in respect to the leasing of land in Hambantota to China. A bench comprising Chief Justice K. Sripavan and Justice Anil Gooneratne re-fixed for support on 13 Feb the rights petition challenging the framework agreement with China to dispose 15,000 acres of land for investment promotion in Hambantota for converting debt into equity. Petitioner Vasudeva Nanayakkara cited the PM, Minister of Ports & Shipping, more..

Feb 6 (DM) A number of non-resident ambassadors would be appointed to selected countries as envoys of SL instead of resident ambassadors, Minister Mangala Samaraweera said. �Cabinet approval had been granted to go ahead with the concept. Appointments would be made in near future,� he said. He said that these non-resident ambassadors would travel to assigned countries occasionally on their own expense. more..

Feb 6 (FT) Annual National Law Conference 2017 of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (NLC) under theme Contemplatio: A contemplation of the Law and the way forward will be held from 15 to 17 Feb at the Galle Face Hotel. The objective of the NLC 2017 is to inspect the fundamental jurisprudential basis of the law, an exploration of the law as it is presently practiced from the side of the non-stakeholder, practitioner and the Judge and the future reforms that is required. more..

Feb 6 (CI) It has got to that point in the series where the dominant side is starting to wonder if its opposition will ever turn up. "Have Sri Lanka even sent a team?" was one of the questions asked when debating a likely XI to represent the visitors in Cape Town as they seek to avoid a whitewash. Though Sri Lanka's victory in the T20 series took place less than two weeks ago, it has been forgotten after three under-par ODI performances, where the batting has taken a beating. more..

Feb 6 (EN) Sri Lanka's Central Bank asked a company known for renting mobile toilets and sanitary services to clean up the mess, after its controversial bond auctions under the then governor Arjuna Mahendran. A leaked audit report showed that Mahendran favoured the sanitary and janitorial services arm of Abans to clean up the image of the bank after the proverbial hit the fan following the contentious 30-year bond sale in 2015. more..

Feb 6 (Island) Acting on a tip-off, the Maharagama police last Friday arrested a suspect wanted in connection with stealing of computers and accessories from a computer sales centre at Maharagama after entering the place in the night of January 17. He had stolen 18 laptops computers and three mobile phones. The police recovered 35 laptops and six mobile phones from the suspect�s den. Under interrogation the suspect had admitted to stealing such items from shops in more..

Feb 6 (AM) Former Deputy Minister Chandrasiri Sooriyaarachchi announced today that he would step down from his position as Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) Organiser for Minneriya electorate.�Issuing a statement, Sooriyaarachchi cited personal reasons for his resignation from the post. He added however that he would continue as party member of the SLFP. He also said he would contest the upcoming local govt polls representing Polonnaruwa district on the SLFP ticket. more..

Feb 6 (DM) PHU said the controversial SAITM was illegal and was established in a stubborn manner in 2009. MP Udaya Gammanpila said in 2011 the then Higher Education Minister issued a gazette notification granting medical-degree-awarding status to SAITM with conditions. �SAITM has failed to prove in writing that they have fulfilled required conditions though SL Medical Council had asked for documentary proof in Mar 2015. more..

Feb 6 (Island) Athurugiriya police arrested two men who gunned down underworld figure Chana alias Chaminda Perera when he was leaving the Homagama Magistrate�s Court recently where he was charged with assault. 37-year-old Chana was a married resident of Gaminipura, Meegoda. He had been a ganja (cannabis) peddler, the police said. The two suspects arrested in connection with the killing of Chana were close friends and residents of Gaminipura and Udupila, Imbulgodaa more..

Feb 6 (CG) Former President Chandrika Kumaratunga says police have unearthed evidence linking MP Namal Rajapaksa to a Dubai bank account with millions of Dollars. She said that the police have approached the bank and sought details of the account but the bank has so far refused to release the information. She says without the information in hand the police are unable to file any action in court. She said that some people are raising voices against the delay to take action more..

Feb 6 (PSL) �The current govt has given a new vigour to the program carried out by every govt to make the free education in the country strong�, says President Sirisena. He was speaking at the annual prize giving ceremony of Prince of Wales� College, Moratuwa today. President who arrived in the college was warmly welcomed by the students of the school. He said a country rapidly progresses towards the development when more..

Feb 6 (DN) The Inspector General of Police granted approval to conduct a survey whether the police uniform should be changed to improve the image of the Sri Lankan Police Service. Opinion from police officers and the civil community will be obtained for the survey. A survey was conducted following a feedback from the public, public officers, MPs and police officers. However, a proper analysis was not conducted due to limitations of the questionnaire and the methodology adopted. more..

Feb 6 (FT) Sri Lanka Red Cross Society (SLRCS), along with the International Federation of Red Cross & Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), launched the World Disasters Report 2016 in Colombo on Friday. The report, which focused on resilience, was aimed at providing key players in disaster management with an overview of the trend as to how disasters would affect vulnerable people and what action was required, according to the SLRCS. Speaking at the launch, SL Red Cross Director General more..

Feb 6 (CG) An application has been filed under the Right to Information (RTI) Act seeking information on the assets of President Sirisena and PM Wickramasinghe. Application was filed by Transparency International SL. Information has also been sought from Customs Department and Bribery Commission. RTI Act came into effect on 3rd Feb, 2017 bringing with it a promise � of open govt, of citizens� active participation in governance, more..

Feb 6 (Island) Switzerland, a co-chair of the UN intergovernmental consultations on the modalities for the process for adoption of the Global Compact for safe, orderly and regular migration, has� commended the Abu Dhabi Dialogue (ADD) chaired by Sri Lanka, for its proactive action to seek close engagement in the process of development of the Global Compact on Migration (GCM). Mr. Pietro Mona, Deputy Head, Global Program on Migration and Development of the Swiss Agency for more..

Feb 6 (KH) Sri Lankan Embassy on Friday marked the 69th anniversary of independence from colonial Britain as well as thriving ties with Korea officially extending to 40 years. The reception at Millennium Seoul Hilton drew dignitaries from both countries, including Korean minister Kang Ho-in, Sri Lankan Ministers Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, Ranjith Madduma Bandara, and Chandrani Bandara. Since independence on Feb 4, 1948, Sri Lanka has had to confront formidable challenges, more..

Feb 6 (AD) No one intends to raise concerns about the Kothalwala Defense University (KDU), Govt Nursing Officers Associations President Saman Rathnapriya said. Rathnapriya also questioned as to why the up and running KDU has not faced resistance unlike the SAITM. Rs.14000 million that would be spent by domestic students seeking higher education opportunities in foreign countries would be sufficient to more..

Feb 7 (CT) The constitutional reform process appeared to be on track with the presentation of the report of the Public Representations Committee in June last year followed by the reports of the six parliamentary subcommittees in November. However, time tables and road maps are necessarily contingent. Whether the time frames or the targets to meet are realistic will also depend on the actions of others and cannot be exactly predicted. The govt�s most ambitious reform project more..

Feb 7 (ST) Just last week an interview with the Minister of Higher Education was carried in a local newspaper under the headline We are marching forward. That was nice to know. After all Lakshman Kiriella is the Minister of Higher Education and who are we to dispute the claims of such a political worthy. No govt worth its salt would appoint a nincompoop to such an important job. That is if it�s worth the salt. Let us be frank. There have been many occasions in the past, more..

Feb 7 (CT) Once again Sri Lankans are debating whether homosexuality should be decriminalized. Ceylon Today interviewed Madu Dissanayake, Director Public Affairs, Policy and Advocacy of the Family Planning Association of SL to find out her views on the issue. Q: After media reported that the Cabinet rejected a proposal to decriminalize homosexuality, there is wide discussion on decriminalizing homosexuality, in our country. more..

Feb 7 (CT) While the processes of making a new Constitution are under way, there are conflicting signals emanating from the ranks of the Cabinet Ministers themselves, of the first ever UNP-SLFP National Unity Govt as to the duration of this exercise, as well as its final outcome. It has been generally expected that the new Constitution will be promulgated before the end of this year. However, some Ministers, particularly from the SLFP, who entered Parliament through the National List more..

Feb 7 (SL) There is a remarkable similarity in the politics of Donald Trump in America and the Rajapaksa aficionados of Sri Lanka. Donald Trump, on being sworn in as president on Capitol Hill, was not presidential in his behaviour and was more like a schoolboy when he claimed that the crowd that gathered to witness his inauguration was bigger than that of Barack Obama or any other president before him. But aerial photos showed that he had a much smaller crowd than Obama. more..

Feb 7 (DN) Oshin, Japanese serialized morning television drama, was originally aired on NHK TV from April 4, 1983. Although, it did not garner much attention at the start, the drama gained popularity as time passed by and word spread. Later every morning of the week except Sunday, Japanese people from all walks of life turned on their television sets after finishing breakfast to watch the struggles of a poor little girl (Oshin) more..

Feb 7 (CT) The most accepted definition of independence is the freedom from being governed or ruled by another country. In other words independence is the complete freedom of control or influence from another party, be it a single individual, a group of people, or an organization. There is no argument that what we gained from the colonial rulers on 4 Feb 1948 was not the full independence as described above. After 69 years, we are still re-examining if we have the fullest freedom. more..

Feb 7 (DN) Legal assistance to the vulnerable groups of a country constitutes an important segment of the administration of justice. The Legal Aid Commission of Sri Lanka (LAC) is the foremost among the various other institutions and organisations that cater to this important requirement, mainly due to its sustainability and stability. The LAC was established by Act No 27 of 1978 and at present has 80 centres islandwide. The vision of the LAC is to create a society where more..

Feb 7 (CT) It is quite obvious that the Sri Lankans have not competed well at all in the One day series so far. No amount of criticism is going to help the team unless and otherwise they show the determination needed. With three games to go the next game is do or die for SL as this will naturally tell us whether the series will be lost or not. Hence from a Sri Lankan point of view it is hoped the effort and result will be better. In the two games so far the Lankans have been out classed more..

Feb 7 (CT) Exactly two months after the death of her mentor, the beloved politician fondly known as Amma � Jayalalithaa Jayaram, AIADMK General Secretary Sasikala Natarajan was unanimously elected leader of the AIADMK, paving the way for her to become the Chief Minister of TN. Sasikala, as expected, took up her rightfully handed down position as the new CM of TN earlier this week, paving the way to new possible political era in TN � closest Indian State to our own island nation. more..

Feb 7 (ST) Sri Lanka have won 2 Olympic medals, 4 World Championship titles, 2 Para Olympic medals and has emerged as a major force in the South Asian region. Duncan White (1948 London Olympics), M.J.M. Lafir (1973 World Billiards & Snooker), 1996 Cricket World Cup, Susanthika Jayasinghe (2000 Sydney Olympics), Nishantha Fernando (2012 World Carrom C'ship), Pradeep Sanjaya (2012 London Para Olympics), more..

Feb 7 (FT) Sri Lanka�s investment climate presents a far less attractive proposition with inconsistent policies and unreasonable tax structures, where the private sector insisted the Govt tackle these issues before too long.� With Sri Lanka competing for significant foreign direct investments (FDIs) in the South and Southeast Asian region, a stable policy and effective administrative structure could encourage the investment needed to grow, Jetwing Hotels Executive Director more..

Feb 7 (DN) Certain individuals had allegedly earned unconscionable profits amounting to million of rupees for themselves from the Press Club maintained in Fort, Colombo for the benefit of journalists thereby depriving the state of nearly Rs. 5.5 million income during the Rajapaksa period of rule, investigations by PRECIFAC have revealed. Following this revelation, Commission has summoned several former directors of information and the person said to be the manager of more..

Feb 7 (DN) Women�s cricket teams from ten nations will be seen in action in Colombo from today to February 21 where the top four teams among them will qualify to play in the 2017 Women�s World Cup which is to be held in England in June 2017. Host Sri Lanka, India, Ireland, Zimbabwe and Thailand will battle in the Group �A� while South Africa, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Scotland and Papua New Guinea are slotted in the Group �B� more..

Feb 7 (FT) Access Engineering, has recorded a profit before tax of Rs. 820 million for the quarter ended on 31 Dec 2017, up by 73% from an year earlier and first nine months figure grew by 37.5% to Rs. 2.3 billion.�At the group level before tax profits for the quarter and nine months were recorded at Rs. 906 million and Rs. 2.5 billion respectively with YoY corresponding growth levels of 35.6% and 14.4%. �Performance of the company in terms of revenue is commendable too with more..

Feb 7 (SS) Back at home, it�s a memorable day, members of the Sri Lanka community here said as they gathered to mark their 69th independence day last Saturday at the Don Bosco Institute, Henderson. It was a moment of pride for the community here, as the day marked a long struggle their country endured to gain political independence from Britain in 1948. �Sri Lankans living outside of their country would also converge in big numbers to commemorate the day,� they said. more..

Feb 7 (PSL) National Week on Sports and Physical Fitness Promotion, organized by the Sports Ministry under the directive of President Maithripala Sirisena was commenced today (6). Inaugurating the national week, a sports and physical fitness program was held today at the premises of the President�s Office, under the patronage of the President. President also joined the fitness walk. more..

Feb 7 (CT) There has been a lot of talk on how sports could be run as a business and Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) was one of the first to get into the act by renaming the Board of Control for Cricket Sri Lanka as SLC. Whereas the international sports market has grown to over US$ 500b we in Sri Lanka have managed to run to ground the only international level sport we could compete in. Cricket is the only sport where Sri Lanka has managed to reach international standards, which more..

Feb 7 (CT) Sri Lanka Schools Rugby Football Association (SLSRFA) yesterday confirmed that the much awaited Inter-Schools rugby League Tournament which was scheduled to commence on 24 February has been postponed. According to B.A. Abeyratne, President of the (SLSRFA) and Principal of Royal College, certain issues of the participating schools led to the postponement and the new date for the kick off will be finalized at an emergency meeting planned to be held on Friday. more..