Oct 29 (DN) SL�s newest boxing star Purnima Jayasuriya won a silver medal on her maiden international while Dhananjaya Weerasinghe bagged a bronze medal at the Eindhoven Box Cup International Boxing Tournament in The Netherlands. The Police duo brought glory to Sri Lanka in this competition which attracted 128 boxers from 23 nations including Russia, Kazakhstan, France, England and Germany in Eindhoven city from October 17 to 20. more..

Oct 29 (Island) Sri Lanka Cricket had been investing a lot on women�s cricket in recent times and the results can be seen as they have reached the finals of Women�s Emerging Asia Cup. The hosts will take on a formidable Indian side at RPS today. Tournament conducted by Asian Cricket Council featured Bangladesh and Pakistan as well. SL and India reached the final after topping the points table. India are unbeaten while Sri Lanka finished second. Hosts and Bangladesh were tied on points more..

Oct 29 (CI) Almost everything that could go wrong, did go wrong for Sri Lanka in Adelaide. And the one thing that went right for them, turned out badly. Lasith Malinga called correctly at the toss and put Australia in. Twenty overs later they had 233 against them. The chase was equally, if not more, one-sided as SL limped to 9 for 99 to suffer their heaviest runs defeat in T20Is by a considerable margin. On a short tour they have just 48 hrs more..

Oct 29 (Island) Although SL's nine Independent Commissions are nominally accountable to parliament and are expected to submit their annual reports to the legislature through the President, there is no debate in parliament on these reports, Senior Consultant, Institute for Constitutional Studies (ICS), Colombo, Asoka Gunawardena said. Gunawardena, a former chairman of the Finance Commission of SL and a former Secretary, Ministry of Provincial Councils, was presenting more..

Oct 29 (PHC) High Commission of Pakistan, in collaboration with the Kashmir Study Forum, Sri Lanka organized a seminar to mark the Kashmir Black Day on Oct 27, at BMICH, Colombo. The seminar was addressed by the Chairman, Kashmir Study Forum, Jamal ud Din as well as senior analyst Latheef Farook with the view to highlight Indian atrocities in the State of Jammu and Kashmir. A documentary, highlighting the atrocities of Indian forces and their inhumane treatment of more..

Oct 29 (DN) An application has been filed before the President of Court of Appeal seeking an order to vacate the Interim Order issued by the CA which stayed summons requiring SLPP Prez candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa to appear before the Jaffna Magistrate�s Court over the disappearance of human rights activists, Lalith and Kugan. On Sept 24, 2019, CA Justice Deepali Wijesundera issued an Interim Order more..

Oct 29 (DN) Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts was recently shortlisted for the International Travel & Tourism Awards 2019 (ITTA) under the Best Digital Campaign in Tourism category for its innovative Travel Blogger Conference Asia (TBC Asia) - a pioneering digital strategy implemented to enhance Cinnamon�s digital footprint across the global travel market. The highly anticipated awards ceremony will take place at the Magazine London on Nov 5, and will be attended by an elite line-up of guests more..

Oct 29 (FT) The tourist arrivals estimate for this year has now been revised to 1.9 million from the previous forecast of 2.1 million, officials revealed. �Looking at the growth trajectory, we are now looking at around 1.9 million tourists by the end of the year,� SL Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) Chairman Johanne Jayaratne said. Sri Lanka originally planned 2.5 million tourist arrivals, but after the Easter Sunday terror attacks, the SLTDA revised the target in August, saying that more..

Oct 29 (TM) The primary reason for the recently announced abolition of the carbon tax was the lack of tax collection by the relevant authorities and bodies. A senior official at the Ministry of Finance told us on condition of anonymity that there were several issues which prevented divisional secretariats, provincial councils, and the Department of Motor Traffic (DMT) from generating the expected revenue under the carbon tax. more..

Oct 29 (Island) CIPM Sri Lanka � nation�s leader in human resource management appointed SL cricket captain Dimuth Karunaratne as its Brand Ambassador recently to take CIPM�s value proposition to the masses. Dimuth like CIPM, is a leader in his own chosen career which is the world of cricket, a sport close to the hearts of many in Sri Lanka. The relevant document of understanding was signed at the media conference held recently to announce the World HR Congress2020 more..

Oct 29 (DN) A recent opinion survey has revealed that nearly 57% of the Sinhala-Buddhist population do not believe that the so-called Sinhala nationalist organizations possess the capability to safeguard the rights of the Sinhalese community in Sri Lanka, legal activist Shiral Lakthilaka said. The survey findings show that a mere five percent of those surveyed believe that such self-proclaimed patriotic organizations as the Ravana Balaya, Mahason Balakaya and Sihala Ravaya possess more..

Oct 29 (FT) Security has become the key issue in Sri Lanka in the aftermath of Easter Sunday bombings, but if other pressing problems are ignored in lieu of security, they would themselves escalate into security threats, warned a visiting conflict expert and Brookings Institution Fellow from Qatar on 26 Oct in Colombo. �Easter Sunday bombings really delayed progress in many aspects of Sri Lanka. more..

Oct 29 (RN) Chief Elections Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya sent a letter to Hiru TV asking them to explain themselves over allegations that the Channel wilfully misinterpreted a speech by Senior Vice President of SLFP A H M Fowzie as saying he wanted Gotabaya Rajapaksa assassinated. Deshapriya said that the letter followed a complaint made by former Minister Fowzie to the National Elections Commission regarding the matter. Elections Chief also said that Fowzie should more..

Oct 29 (FT) Advocata welcomed the recommendation to include representatives of AG Dept at CoPE proceedings and urges the Govt to prioritise this suggestion. The third report of the CoPE was presented to the Parliament on 23 Oct. While presenting the latest report, its chair MP Sunil Handunetti requested the Speaker to allow the AG�s Dept representatives to observe the proceedings of the CoPE in efforts to expedite the accountability of those responsible. more..

Oct 29 (FT) Central Bank yesterday called for holistic approach to drive micro and small and medium enterprises via greater coordination and cooperation among promoting agencies as markets remained the biggest challenge for smaller entrepreneurs and businesses. �We have a plethora of institutions for SMEs but cooperation and collaboration remain a challenge. Rationalising the institutional structure is important to ensure more..

Oct 29 (FT) President Maithripala Sirisena offered clear indication yesterday that he planned to continue in active politics after his term in office ended with the election of his successor following the 16 November election. �I prefer active politics to a life of retirement,� the Prez said through his official Twitter account last evening. This is the clearest indication that he plans to enter Parliament through the National List at the end of his term as has been speculated for days. more..

Oct 29 (NIP) In a heartbreaking news coming in at the wee hours of Tuesday morning, 2-year-old Sujith, who was trapped inside a borewell, has been declared dead after 80 hours of non-stop rescue efforts. Tamil Nadu Revenue Principal Secretary J Radhakrishnan confirmed the news at 2.15 am. At around 1 am on Tuesday morning, a heavy police force was deployed at the rescue spot. While the drilling work was still going on, ministers and the higher officials held serious discussion near more..

Oct 29 (FT) The decision to allow outgoing President Maithripala Sirisena to retain the official residence he now occupies in Colombo-7 after retirement was taken disregarding a Supreme Court to the contrary due to special circumstances he has had to face while in office, the Cabinet paper submitted in this connection discloses. �Supreme Court (SC FR503/2005) in its judgement laid out the procedure for more..

Oct 29 (DN) Over 200,000 public servants will be deployed for the Prez election and a minimum of eight officials will be on duty at a polling station, Election Commission said. A Commission official said over 48,000 officials will be deployed for the district level counting centres. �The largest number of public servants, totalling over 100,000, are to be deployed to polling stations,� he said He added that district returning officers are currently in the process of assessing the number of officials more..

Oct 29 (DM) Elections Commission (EC) has called for a meeting with political party representatives this morning to discuss matters related to the forthcoming presidential election, an official said yesterday. This is the third such meeting to be called by EC since the declaration of the election. �The prez poll will be conducted on Nov 16. Besides, postal voting will take place on Oct 31 and Nov 1. All arrangements have been made to conduct voting at respective polling stations. more..

Oct 29 (Island) Damage that the Easter Sunday Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) has caused to national security by revealing sensitive information about state intelligence operations is far worse than what resulted from the Athurugiriya Millennium City betrayal, senior intelligence officers say. The adverse fallout of the Millennium City betrayal came to an end with the conclusion of the war, but the country will more..

Oct 29 (Island) NDF Prez candidate Sajith Premadasa says that though some may think that he followed a certain kind of economic and social system as the deputy leader of the UNP, he actually followed a mixed economic system and social equality and democracy. Speaking at a conference organised by several leftists groups and organizations in Colombo yesterday, Premadasa said that as a person who very strongly stood for equality, social democracy and social justice more..

Oct 29 (Island) SLPP Prez candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa, campaigning in Vavuniya, urged Tamils to repose their faith in him. They should be not be cheated by politicians unlike in the past, he said stressing that he was focusing on doing his utmost for the welfare of the people. He said he would rehabilitate more than 250 former LTTE cadres still held in custody and reintegrate them into society under his rule. "There had been around 5,000 Tamil youth at camps even before 2005. more..

Oct 29 (DM) If there is a written request from NDF for a one-on-one debate on TV with its presidential candidate Sajith Premadasa and SLPP contender Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the latter will consider it, Galle District SLFP MP Ramesh Pathirana said. In response to Daily Mirror at today�s joint SLFP-SLPP news briefing at Rajagiriya, he said the SLPP was not ready to accept challenges thrown at it from street corners or political rallies. more..

Oct 29 (DM) A senior sub editor at the editorial had grown chillies in his home garden. One fine day he found that the leaves of the plants had caught a worm disease. This gentleman who is from Bandaragama in the Kalutara district went and met the govt-appointed agriculture officer in the area. The officer asked him to pour the water of the first wash of Masoor dhal (or Mysore dhal/ lentils) over the plants. He said after a couple of days the plants would be back to normal. more..

Oct 29 (DM) With less than a month left to remain in office, Prez Sirisena is reportedly pondering a presidential pardon for Royal Park murder convict Shramantha Jude Anthony Jayamaha. If he actually signs an order to that effect, it could well be the last act of folly from a President who, from day one in office, has worked hard to demonstrate that he has neither the potential, the wits, the wisdom, the compassion or the intelligence it takes to make a successful national leader. more..

Oct 29 (DM) As days are nearing the much looked forward to Presidential Election, candidates have started launching their manifestos and making pledges to the public. Apart from the two or three major parties, several other independent parties too have fielded candidates; one of them being the NPP. During the recently concluded NPP election policy launch, its candidate General Mahesh Senanayake pledged that more..

Oct 29 (TM) As the country gears up for its eighth prez election, the North Western Province populace, while most remain largely undecided on who to support, seems to be heavily influenced by the Easter bombings and national security, and are calling for a peaceful country where communities co-exist in harmony � their demand from the future president of the land. With Kurunegala being one of the most populated more..

Oct 29 (FT) Sir Tim Clark, President of Emirates, the world�s largest airline, last week spoke his heart and mind on the challenges and opportunities for Sri Lanka tourism in his keynote at the Annual General Meeting of The Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (THASL). PM Ranil Wickremesinghe was the Chief Guest, and THASL President Sanath Ukwatte, industry leaders and diplomats were present. more..

Oct 29 (TM) With a lot of misinformation and hate speech being promoted via social media ahead of the prez election next month, int'l as well as local election monitors are keeping a close watch on social media, apart from just traditional media. European Union Election Observer Mission (EU EOM) Deputy Chief Observer Dimitra Ioannou said that at the end of the election, the Observer Mission will present an analysis more..

Oct 29 (RN) PHU leader MP Udaya Gammanpila accused the UNP of hatching a conspiracy to link SLPP prez candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa to the Easter Sunday attacks. He said the UNP was looking to create a scandalous talking point till 14 Nov. Phase one of the plan, said Gammanpila, is to release a video that shows a supposed confession made by a National Thawheed Jammath (NTJ) member, in which he says more..

Oct 29 (AD) The Supreme Court has extended the interim order preventing the implementation of death penalty till the 10th of Oct. The petitions lodged against the implementation of the death penalty were called up before the SC Justices Buwaneka Aluvihare, S. Thurairajah and Gamini Amarasekara this morning. Attorneys representing the petitioners requested the judge bench to proceed with the hearing of the petitions as more..

Oct 29 (Island) National Zoological Gardens in Dehiwela has lost 60 animals so far this year and reports on deaths that occurred in previous years are damning. Director (Animal Health) Dr. Chandana Rajapaksha said that among this year�s deaths was a Nile Hippopotamus which died due to internal bleeding while delivering a baby, Camel Bindu due to a disease, Antelope and a Leopard due to old age, though such deaths are common more..

Oct 29 (MM) A total of 10 Malaysians were today charged in separate courts nationwide with several counts of terror-related criminal offences connected to a now defunct Sri Lankan militant group. They were accused of either supporting the LTTE in charges framed under Section 130J(1)(a) of the Penal Code, or possession of material related to the separatist group under Section 130JB also of the same criminal law. more..

Oct 29 (LBO) Finance Ministry says that the luxury tax imposed on motor vehicles will not be relevant to small motor vehicles. Accordingly, prices of Toyota Vitz, Suzuki Every, Toyota Roomy, Suzuki Alto, Suzuki Baleno, Daihatsu Petrol, Honda Grace, Suzuki Wegon R, Toyota Aqua will not be affected by this luxury tax. The Finance Ministry said that the basic models of Axio, Premio and Allion will also not get affected by this tax. more..

Oct 29 (ST) Prez Sirisena has cautioned secretaries of underperforming ministries after a Prez Secretariat report revealed that several key ministries, including Defence, National Policies and Economic Affairs and Power and Energy, had not recorded adequate progress in the first half of the year. Acting on a Prez�s directive, Prez Secretary Udaya Seneviratne has written to underperforming Ministries urging them to more..

Oct 29 (FT) What is past is past � except when it makes the present � and future � tense. The findings of the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) probing the Easter Sunday attacks of April 2019 has set several cats among the pigeons. On one hand, it feels like taxpayers� money is being wasted when simplistic recommendations (but more later) that a schoolchild could suggest are presented as sage remedies. On the other, the assignation of blame and/or responsibility leaves an more..

Oct 29 (CT) ISIS terror leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is dead, killed by United States military forces in Syria on Sunday. Al-Baghdadi is believed to have been the inspiration behind breeding likeminded Islamist terror leaders locally such as Mohamed Zahran, responsible for the spate of Easter Sunday terror bombings in the island on 21 April that led to the deaths of over 250 innocent civilians including tourists and injuries to nearly 500. It's reported that Prez Donald Trump is making good more..

Oct 29 (SLN) With the intermittent rains prevailing in these days, as a prior preparation for the possible flood emergencies and natural disasters, SL Navy has deployed several relief teams at identified locations. Accordingly, the Navy has deployed relief teams belonging to the Rapid Response Rescue and Relief Unit (4RU) and Navy Diving Unit, at Thawalama and Neluwa areas in Southern Province. Further, during the past few days, as a prior precaution to minimize the flood effect, more..