Oct 7 (Island) It is now nearly two years since regime change took place in the USA but that change has not yet been felt in Sri Lanka. While change swept the world following the ouster of the Obama-Clinton led neo-liberal mafia, Sri Lanka remained for the past two years in an Obamaist time warp thanks to the presence of US Ambassador Atul Keshap. The latter, being a career diplomat, remained in office while the political appointees of the Obama regime lost their jobs. more..

Oct 7 (CT) President Maithripala Sirisena has expressed concern over land and water issues in the North and East, at the meeting of the Presidential Task Force to look into post-war development activities in the North and East. The meeting was held with the participation of Leader of the Opposition and the TNA, R. Sampanthan on Wednesday. In contrast to the adamant nature of the previous regime in releasing lands in the possession of Armed Forces, Prez Sirisena has sent out more..

Oct 7 (CT) Minister Mangala Samaraweera recently presented the Appropriation Bill to the Cabinet which states that next year�s State expenditure will be Rs 4,376 billion and the budget deficit will be Rs 644 billion which is 4.1% of the GDP. The highest amount of allocations under the Appropriation Bill, which is to be presented to Parliament by Minister Samaraweera, has been made for the Ministry of Defence. more..

Oct 7 (ST) The partnership between Wijeya Newspapers and Dialog Axiata in dishing out the Dialog 4G-the Sunday Times Schoolboy/Schoolgirl Cricketer of the Year has been overwhelmingly successful in the past two seasons. With the recent successes the two giants in different trades are eager to come out with the third instalment of the most looked-forward to event by the schoolboy and schoolgirl cricketers with the official announcement and launch of �Dialog 4G-Sunday Times more..

Oct 7 (SO) Over 350 runners from 44 countries will be participating in the Colombo Marathon that will take place today starting from opposite the BMICH at 6 a.m. They will join the SL runners who have entered in large numbers will count up to nearly 7000 runners in total. This is the 16th edition of the ever popular LSR Colombo which has always been dominated by the Nigerian athletes. Sadly, the entries among school children has reduced this year due to reasons best known to them. more..

Oct 7 (Island) A few months back, in an interview with The Island, popular artist Sunil Perera called the Cricket Board a den of thieves. Our Editor advised us to refrain from publishing such abrasive comments and as a result those words never came on print. But looking at what is going on at Maitland Place over the last couple of weeks, you can only agree with the comments of Perera, who never minces his words. more..

Oct 7 (ST) October rains have arrived and back-from-the-village Kussi Amma Sera was in conversation with Serapina and Mabel Rasthiyadu. Dollar-eka naginawa, apita loku prasnayak wei-da (Will the rise of the dollar create lot of problems for us?)? she asked, seated under the Margosa tree after the rains had taken a break and sunlight was attempting to get through the clouds. �Badu-mila wadiwela. Bus saha ko-chchi gastu wadiwela (Cost of goods has gone up, so have bus & train more..

Oct 7 (ST) With the Development (Special Provisions) Bill being a non-event through its rejection by all nine provincial councils in 2016, the government has introduced a new mechanism to deal with all major investment projects in a professional and transparent manner, a top official revealed. Agency for Development which was to be set up under the provisions of the bill to fast-track, streamline & attract Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) as a one stop shop for FDIs more..

Oct 7 (SO) The military history of ancient Ceylon is filled with episodes of invasions and how they were repulsed with resilience and indomitable gallantry. The first recorded military engagement unfolded on our serene beaches with the arrival of the banished Prince Vijaya. Our ancient monarchs who excelled in the theatre of combat were King Dutugemunu, Gajabahu, Dhatusena and Vijayabahu. Historical records indicate how more..

Oct 7 (CT) Unilever Sri Lanka together with the UN Global Compact (UNGC) Sri Lanka and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) convened the 2nd Annual Private-Public Partnership (PPP) Forum in Colombo, recently. The forum was held under the auspices of the Secretary to the President, Udaya Seneviratne. As a direct result of last year�s forum, a policy paper for the promotion of PPP for sustainable development was produced and handed over to Udaya Seneviratne. more..

Oct 7 (SO) Sri Lanka�s badminton players in the under-17 and U-15 age categories have been knocked out in the second round at the Badminton Asia Junior Championship that is being played in Mandalay, Myanmar. Most of them were knocked out in the first round itself which goes to show the poor preparation of the team for this tournament. Those who won in the first round were, Janodya Adhikari, Senuji Umagiliyage, Sethum Perera and Dumindu Abeywickrama in the singles event. more..

Oct 7 (CT) Amid controversies surrounding the extension of the power purchase agreement between the CEB and ACE Power Embilipitiya (APE), it was revealed that the former had issued a comfort letter to the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation, guaranteeing to undertake financial obligations in the event APE falters in due payments. Decision may result in causing additional cost of approx. Rs 7.2 billion to the CEB. more..

Oct 7 (SO) Sandhya Ekneligoda, wife of missing journalist Prageeth Ekneligoda, has threatened to take a drastic step if justice is not delivered regarding the disappearance of her husband. Ekneligoda is to stage a protest campaign and an invocation before the Sri Dalada Maligawa in Kandy on October 10, demanding that investigations into her husband�s disappearance be expedited. According to Ekneligoda, family members of other missing persons will also join her on the day. more..

Oct 7 (CT) After thrilling win against Afghanistan on Friday the Sri Lanka youngsters will be looking to clear the final hurdle to seal the Under 19 Asia Cup when they meet India in the final at the Shere Bangla National Stadium Mirpur. Sri Lanka advanced to the semi final as champions in group �B� beating Bangladesh, Hong Kong, and Pakistan in the first round. Sri Lanka beat Afghanistan by 31 runs in the semi final and remained unbeaten up to the final in the tournament. more..

Oct 7 (Island) The investigation into the abduction and the murder of 11 children has taken a new turn with fresh evidence showing the involvement of former navy chief Wasantha Karannagoda, a magistrate has been told. Criminal investigators told the Colombo Fort Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne last week that Karannagoda intimately knew about the abductions and is continuing to suppress evidence and more..

Oct 7 (SO) Airtel Lanka recently signed an agreement with the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka (BoI) to further invest in its operations in the country. The investment commitment was made under the aegis of the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (TRC) of Sri Lanka. Commenting on this occasion, Jinesh Hegde, Airtel Lanka CEO/ MD stated �This investment underscores our commitment to SL and the fact that we are bullish on the future of the country�s economy. more..

Oct 7 (CT) For the first time in many years, one could safely say that Sri Lanka are at the door of a full series, without the level of confidence and possibly the required preparedness. I wish to clarify this point a bit further and desire to add that, it has nothing to do with the support staff or the players selected but the prevailing circumstances that caused it. Even before the drama of the ICC and anti-corruption stories unfolded, Graeme Swann the former England off spinner stated in public more..

Oct 7 (ST) Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) this week enlisted Ernest & Young to carry out a comprehensive audit on its broadcast earnings amidst new findings that a separate sum of USD 187,000 (Rs 32mn) was transferred to an offshore account before the alleged USD 5.5mn fraud attempt. This could have been a trial run by the perpetrator(s) who later allegedly attempted to transfer a big chunk of the broadcast money for the current England-SL more..

Oct 7 (ST) More than 7,000 people had deposited about Rs 6.1 billion in the two finance companies, whose licences were cancelled by the Central Bank this year. The two are the Central Investments and Finance PLC (CIFL) which had its license cancelled in March this year and the Standard Credit Finance Limited (TSCFL) which had its licence cancelled in July this year. In response to a Right to Information (RTI) application, the CBSL said there were 43 licensed finance companies operating more..

Oct 7 (ST) Sri Lanka�s Finance Ministry will face an unavoidable void and tug of war among few top officials for the high post, following the retirement of Ministry Secretary and eminent SLAS officer Dr. R.H.S Samaratunga scheduled for end December, official sources said. Dr. Samaratunga counts more than 30 years of experience in the public sector and is tipped to receive a top advisory post at the Treasury after his retirement, a reliable source said. A deputy secretary to the treasury and more..

Oct 7 (ST) President Maithripala Sirisena and his predecessor Mahinda Rajapaksa met this week to discuss a potential caretaker grand coalition govt. A fruition of the talks could see Rajapaksa emerging as the new PM. In Beruwala, yesterday, Rajapaksa spoke of a caretaker govt, but said it would never be with those �who sold the country�. The talks come on the initiative of President Sirisena and were held at more..

Oct 7 (CT) The defamatory action filed by former Chairman of the BoI, Upul Jayasuriya, against Azath Salley, in connection with certain defamatory statements made against him, was settled on 4 Oct, in the District Court of Colombo on a proposal made by Azad Salley. Settling the matter, Salley stated that comments made on 14 July 2016, at a press conference, against Jayasuriya, the then Chairman of the BoI and the members of his family, were false and factually incorrect. more..

Oct 7 (ST) The unlikelihood of Provincial Councils elections being held has heightened after a meeting President Maithripala Sirisena held this week to discuss the matter. Taking part in the discussions were members of the Executive Committee of the UPFA which included seven parties in the Joint Opposition. At the meeting held at President Sirisena�s official residence, participants disagreed on the electoral system under which the PC polls should be conducted. more..

Oct 7 (ST) Govt Analyst has confirmed that the voice of DIG Nalaka Silva, former head of the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID), contained in recorded telephone conversations over an assassination plot now under probe is authentic and that of the DIG. In the light of this, DIG Silva faces arrest anytime now, Police sources said. He has already been directed to appear before Colombo Fort Magistrate�s Court on Oct 8. more..

Oct 7 (ST) The Treasury has assured the tourism industry that the cess fund comprising of 1 per cent remitted by the sector would not be taken over by Consolidated Fund, as earlier planned. This assurance was given by Minister Mangala Samaraweera to the Tourist Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (THASL) President Sanath Ukwatte at a meeting on Monday. The Minister gave this assurance when the THASL met with him requesting for a clarification on the TDL issue being more..

Oct 7 (ST) A ruling whether court should allow to proceed in the case regarding former Minister Ravi Karunanayake allegedly giving false evidence before the Central Bank Bond Commission, has been further delayed until next week. The delay was caused after the Criminal Investigation Department submitted to Courts the wrong CD containing the former Minister�s evidence before the Commission. Colombo Chief Magistrate Ranga Dissanayaka said the order will be delivered on Oct 10. more..

Oct 7 (ST) Prez Sirisena and his predecessor Mahinda Rajapaksa met last Wednesday to discuss a potential caretaker grand coalition which the two leaders agreed was necessary to pull the country out of the economic mess and address other critical issues badly affecting the people. If the upcoming dialogue ends successfully, it will see Mahinda Rajapaksa ensconced as the new PM, replacing Ranil Wickremesinghe. more..

Oct 7 (Island) The postgraduate study of social media often dates me. Someone with a proclivity to what I have in recent months learnt is a phenomenon called rage-tweeting sent me a letter last week that was at the time circulating amongst a limited number on Facebook. The affordances and nature of the platform, I knew, would result in the creation of outrage that would soon spill over on to Twitter and Instagram. It took less than two days. From alumni to those who wait with more..

Oct 7 (Island) President Sirisena�s second act of defection, if it were to happen at all, will be very different from his first act four years ago. The defection on 21 November 2014 was historic, heroic and dramatic. The likely second defection will be none of that, but unheroic, undramatic and opportunistic. There is more than speculation about a Sirisena defection from the shambolic unity govt to a new and mutually beneficial Rajapaksa arrangement. more..

Oct 7 (SO) SL�s flagship carrier, SriLankan Airlines had fully outsourced its call centre operations in 2009 to HelloCorp, despite the controversial entity submitting a higher bid for the contract, the PCoI into irregularities at SriLankan Airlines learnt last week. HelloCorp, initially set up as a subsidiary of Expolanka Holdings PLC in 2002 was first acquired by NR Consultancy (Pvt) Ltd in 2012 and its shareholding was transferred more..

Oct 7 (SO) Justice Minister Thalatha Athukorale and former Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa are likely to be appointed as members of the Constitutional Council, when PM Ranil Wickremesinghe returns from an official visit to Norway and London this week, authoritative sources told Sunday Observer. Together, the PM and the Opposition Leader, who are ex officio members of the Constitutional Council must more..

Oct 7 (ST) Air Force Group Captain Channa Dissanayake, SL�s Defence Attache in Moscow, has been re-called to Colombo. Instructions went out last week after an official complaint by SL new Ambassador in Moscow Dayan Jayetilleke. Air Marshal Kapila Jayampathi presents an SLAF memento to Sri Lanka Ambassador Dayan Jayatilleke during his visit to Moscow. The ambassador has said the Air Force officer more..

Oct 7 (CT) Ashvini Yogaraj was just 16 at the time of her death, due to alleged medical negligence on the part of a surgeon and the ICU of a renowned private hospital in Nawala. In 2014, a student of Holy Family Convent, Bambalapitiya, Ashvini was in her GCE O/L Class when she developed a growth on her jaw. Her parents, Jeyaranjan and Dilki, took her to two general physicians who referred child to a surgeon more..

Oct 7 (ST) Importers raised prices of household electrical and electronic items this week � and despite a drop in sales in the local market and at airport duty free shops, they warned prices may be raised further for new stocks. Reports said there was a 20% increase in the prices of television sets, washing machines, fans, refrigerators, rice cookers and imported foot wear among other items over the week. more..

Oct 7 (SO) The pressure on Sri Lanka�s currency is expected to abate with the anticipated receipt of US$ 1 billion through a syndicated loan from the China Development Bank (CDB) this week followed by projected inflows of another US$ 1.5 billion in the coming months boosting reserves, a top Central Bank official said. According to CB Governor, Dr. Indrajit Coomaraswamy, Sri Lanka is likely to go for a sovereign bond issue of more..

Oct 7 (SO) In the early hours of Sept 30, Ajantha Perera (51) a Police Inspector, along with his family met with a tragic accident while travelling near Wickramaratne Mawatha, Pepiliyana around 12.45 am, when a vehicle driven by a drunk driver collided head-on with the motorcar they were travelling in. Scrambling out of the wreckage Perera, with the support of others in the area had rushed his seriously injured wife & two sons to hospital. more..

Oct 7 (MT) The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said it was willing to finance more water projects to provide safe water supplies to member-countries, similar to the Jaffna water project. Jingmin Huang, principal urban development specialist of ADB, said that if a remote water irrigation system for drinking and planting, like that in Jaffna, can be financed, easier that other potential sources of drinking water can be funded. more..

Oct 7 (Island) Minister Malik Samarawickrema yesterday dismissed allegations that all economic decisions had been made by the Cabinet Committee of Economic Management (CCEM) and the Prime Minister as misleading. These allegations, attributed to a cabinet minister, had been carried by several sections of the media, a statement from Samarawickrema said. "(These reports were) erroneous and misleading. more..

Oct 7 (DM) England were warned on Saturday to watch out for approaches by match-fixers as cricket's governing body stepped up their investigation into serious allegations of corruption in Sri Lanka. The total wash-out of England's second and final warm-up game ahead of Wednesday's first one-day international shifted the focus here on to the presence of the International Cricket Council's anti-corruption unit in Colombo. more..