Jan 16 (TH) Sri Lankans have a complicated relationship with the majestic wild elephants that roam their island. The animals are viewed as a national and religious symbol, but for subsistence farmers living in rural areas, the arrival of an elephant can spell devastation. It takes an elephant mere minutes to undo months of careful farming and inflict hunger onto an already poor family. Human-elephant conflict results when farmers defend their crops from the elephants, who are also trying more..

Jan 16 (AD) Cabinet has approved the proposal for implementation of a national program to eliminate poverty from the country. This decision was taken during the Cabinet meeting held yesterday (14). The proposal, tabled by Prez Rajapaksa, seeks the implementation of several programs on priority basis: Implementation of programs to ensure food security by providing essential food items to low income people Program of providing more..

Jan 16 (EN) Ceylon Petroleum Corporation will raise fuel prices in line with global trends, Minister Bandula Gunewardene said. �If import prices are up fuel prices will have to be adjusted,� Minister Gunewardene told reporters. �Some products are already sold at a loss. He said Lanka IOC, the second oil distributor in the country had already raised prices. Gunewardne said an adjustment will be made to fuel prices to reflect costs & it was not necessarily on a price formula. more..

Jan 16 (TM) Office of Missing Persons (OMP) has raised concerns over the govt�s move to amend the OMP Act No 14 of 2016. OMP said recent media reports have claimed that the govt plans to review the OMP Act with the view of amending it. �OMP was created in recognition of long standing demands of the families of the missing and disappeared and with a view to addressing the recommendations as well as the failings of past state mechanisms that sought to address issues related to missing and more..

Jan 16 (EN) SL�s Immigration Department has introduced time-bound separate queues for Sri Lankan passport holders at the BIA in Katunayake to manage passenger flows at the arrivals terminal. The new initiative has been implemented for two weeks. The priority queues for SL passport holders become active depending on the composition of passengers in a group of flights which arrive in close succession, more..

Jan 16 (AD) Justice will be served for those who were victimized by acts of political revenge, says PM Mahinda Rajapaksa. PM stated this, during a meeting held with the trade union members of SLFP & SLPP. Meeting took place at the Temple Trees. Trade union leaders who attended the meeting have voiced out the inconveniences faced by their colleagues during the administration of the previous govt due to various political reprisals such as arbitrary suspension of work, transfer, more..

Jan 16 (Island) A special event was held on January 15, at St. Henry�s College, Ilavalai in Jaffna during which new school buildings constructed with Indian assistance in 5 schools in Northern Province were simultaneously handed over to the people of Sri Lanka. At the event which coincided with the Thai Pongal festival, Governor of the Northern Province Ms. P.S.M. Charles and the Deputy High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka Vinod K. Jacob jointly inaugurated the new buildings. more..

Jan 16 (DM) A top US official who held talks with govt leaders here said it was the prerogative of the SL govt to clarify the areas under the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) that needs upgrading after the parliamentary elections. Deputy Principal Assistant Secretary for South & Central Asian Affairs Alice Wells said, on completing her visit to SL, that nothing was discussed about SOFA during her meetings with SL govt leaders. more..

Jan 16 (DN) While noting that today�s meeting to decide on the UNP Leadership was critical to the party, MP Nalin Bandara said that the group supporting Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa will take drastic measures if the UNP Deputy Leader is not given the party leadership. �A majority of UNP Parliamentary Group wants Sajith Premadasa to lead the party. Speaker Karu Jayasuriya�s name has also been mentioned. Speaker Jayasuriya should have been given the opportunity in 2015. more..

Jan 16 (AD) UNP MP Sarath Fonseka says Ranil Wickremesinghe must step down from party leadership. MP said Wickremesinghe has held the position for 25 years now, and a very small faction of the party is of the that the former Premier should continue to be the UNP�s leader. MP Fonseka suggests that as an alternative, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa must ascend to the party leadership. In the meantime, UNP MP Vajira Abeywardana pointed out that more..

Jan 16 (DM) UNP MP Vajira Abeywardene said the party's parliamentary group meeting to be held today will not result in any significant changes with Ranil Wickremesinghe continuing to remain as party leader. He told a news conference that according to the UNP constitution, the parliamentary group had no power to change the party leadership. �It could only be done at a party convention,� he said more..

Jan 16 (Island) Cabinet has decided to amend laws to relieve the Chief Justice of his duties on the Board of Trustees, which administers the Mahapola Higher Education Scholarship Trust Fund. Minister Bandula Gunawardena said that the Chief Justice as well as the Committee on Public Enterprises had proposed that the former should not be a member of the Mahapola Trust Fund Board of Trustees, since it would impinge on his independence, if called upon to determine a case pertaining to the Fund. more..

Jan 16 (AD) The remains of the three SL female students, who died of smoke inhalation in Azerbaijan, have been brought to the island this morning (15). The bodies were airlifted on Qatar Airways to arrive at BIA at around 9.15 a.m. today. The families of the deceased students had arrived at BIA to receive the remains. SL envoys in Doha and Tehran were in coordination with the Foreign Ministry of SL in expediting the repatriation of the remains of 3 SL students at state expense. more..

Jan 16 (FT) The Presidential Secretariat has issued a circular limiting the monthly allowance paid to Chairpersons of State institutions to Rs. 100,000 and the allowance for members of the Board of Directors to Rs. 25,000. In the circular addressed to all Secretaries to Ministries and State Ministries, Chief Secretaries, Secretaries to Governors, Heads of Departments and Statutory Organisations, the Secretary to the President more..

Jan 16 (DM) The audio clips recovered from actor-turned politician, UNP MP Ranjan Ramanayake`s home at Madiwela have opened as it were the proverbial can of worms if not having stirred a hornet�s nest, implicating various government officials including some in the Judiciary and the Police Department. These controversial audio clips containing recordings of conversations between MP Ramanayake and a retired female Judge about her promotion and with top CID officers on more..

Jan 16 (DM) Should public figures have private lives? This is probably a question that has been asked and answered countless times across time and space. A related question would be can public figures have private lives? Again an old question but one to which the possible response has and is becoming increasingly muted courtesy technological innovation and surveillance complexities that are hard to notice and even harder to keep track of. It is not the case that people didn�t know about more..

Jan 16 (ST) The mystery virus in China�s Wuhan area has been identified this week as a novel or new coronavirus, as SL health authorities urged the people not to panic or be alarmed as there seems to be no human-to-human transmission so far. The WHO has not sent out any alerts for special precautions over the pneumonia in Wuhan. SL is following all the usual protocols such as screening any traveller with fever who is referred to more..

Jan 16 (TM) Wildlife tourism is booming globally, with one study conducted in 2015 showing that the industry accounts to around 20-40% of global tourism. Further emphasising this fact, 2019 wildlife tourism statistics estimates that the industry has directly contributed $ 120.1billion to global GDP, with around 12 million trips happening each year. The term wildlife tourism is defined as the sector in tourism which brings in tourists with more..

Jan 16 (EN) Sri Lanka�s plantations firms will be given benefits in the form of free fertilizer, tax cuts and credit support, which would give space for them to give salary hike decreed by Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa workers, co-cabinet spokesman Ramesh Pathirana said. �We are hopeful that they should be able to pay these wages because we have provided a economic relief package,� Minister Pathirana said. more..

Jan 16 (EN) A host of Hollywood celebrities visited Sri Lanka over the past week, poised to give the island�s tourism industry, currently recovering from the Easter Sunday terror attack, a major boost. Social media networks Twitter and Instagram were abuzz with photos being shared of Hollywood stars Margot Robbie, Melissa Benoist and Bill Skarsgard visiting Sri Lanka over the past week. Melissa Benoist, who currently plays more..

Jan 16 (FT) S&P Global Ratings has revised its outlook on the Sri Lanka sovereign credit rating to negative from stable, affirming 'B' long-term and 'B' short-term foreign and local currency credit ratings on Sri Lanka. The transfer and convertibility assessment is affirmed at B. The negative outlook reflects S&P�s view that Sri Lanka's fiscal trajectory over the next two to three years could deviate from a fiscal consolidation path. more..

Jan 16 (CT) PM Mahinda Rajapaksa claimed that apart from singing the National Anthem in Tamil, the previous Govt had hardly done anything for the Tamils. He said thus when he met Tamil media personnel including publishers at his office yesterday where he responded to various questions raised on various issues. Elaborating further on singing the National Anthem in Tamil, he said that no decision had been taken on that more..

Jan 16 (CT) National Coordinator of the Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV), Manjula Gajanayake claimed that while MPs have the privilege of introducing Private Member Bills which have a people friendly impact and draws the citizenry's and legislature's attention towards a particular subject, MP Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe's 22nd Amendment Bill is a petty effort made in order to realise an opportunistic aspiration. more..

Jan 16 (EN) Sri Lanka will introduce a regulatory framework for agencies that place students in foreign universities after three undergraduates who were studying in a foreign university died in Azerbaijan, minister Bandula Gunewardene said. Many students are forced to go abroad for higher studies because strict govt regulations have prevented the expansion of domestic private degree awarding institutes more..

Jan 16 (Island) Ven. Ratkarawwe Jinarathane Thera, Convenor of IUSF, said the existing rule that students should be present on 80% of the days when lectures are conducted to receive Mahapola Scholarship funds was unfair by students. Asked whether this issue had been taken up at the Jan 9 meeting with govt representatives at the Prez Secretariat, Ven. Jinarathane, who led the IUSF delegation, explained they were yet to reach more..

Jan 16 (BBC) A Buddha statue from an important religious site has been returned to Sri Lanka, 100 years after it was gifted to a British man. Members of the Bell family have handed this statue down through the generations after archaeologist and explorer Harry Charles Purvis Bell, known as HCP Bell, was given the statue during a visit to a temple in the 19th century, while he was working in Sri Lanka. more..

Jan 16 (CT) There comes a time at which a limb or portion of a person's body goes numbed with the need to satisfy one's self to deal with some pressing issues and yet, the issue remains sustained. This is common in today's scenario of global politics and especially so of geopolitical issues which have placed Sri Lanka in the precarious position of being that stranger in the dark who has to either suavely or deliberately manoeuvre the manner/manners in which leadership demands evasive more..

Jan 16 (FT) The public is watching with dismay how the main political parties and the respective leaders have commenced canvassing for votes to get back to the Parliament. In this regard I would like to draw the attention of the general public to what we have witnessed over the last several months/years with regard to their actions and in particular their behavior within Parliament during this period. We saw in the electronic media how they behaved in the most disgraceful manner even going to more..

Jan 16 (SLN) The Navy in coordination with the Police apprehended two persons who were transferring cannabis in Lahugala area on 14th January 2020. Accordingly, the SL Navy who is an active counterpart in National Mission of foaming a drug free country, in coordination with Police STF apprehended two persons with about 2kg of cannabis which was transporting for sale. The suspects who were on their way for selling the cannabis, on a motor bike, were searched more..

Jan 16 (DM) Wennappuwa Pradeshiya Sabah UNP member Dulakshi Fernando, who was earlier remanded on charges of obstructing the Police, after her sister was arrested for a traffic offense, apologised to the Police at the Marawila Magistrate's Court on Monday. On Aug 20 last year the police had stopped a young woman near the Cey-Nor junction in Wennappuwa for riding a motorcycle without a helmet. Within few minutes the PS member had arrived at the scene, more..

Jan 16 (RN) Police have received instructions to record statements from the three judges whose recorded phone conversations with Actor-politician Ranjan Ramanayake were released to the public, the Attorney General�s Department said today. AG Dappula de Livera instructed the Director of the Police Colombo Crimes Division to record statements from those judges without delay, department�s spokeswoman more..

Jan 16 (IT) In what appears to be a balancing act, the Kamal Nath govt continues to forge its soft Hindutva out-reach while continuing its opposition to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC). After making budgetary provisions for setting up of the Ram Van Gaman Path (route taken by lord Ram during his exile) and model Gaushalas across the state, the Madhya Pradesh govt has now decided to finance renovation of Sita Mata Temple in SL. more..

Jan 16 (FT) Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA) has played an influential role in SL, enriching and empowering student entrepreneurs since 2015. Over the years, SL has produced three global finalists. This year marks the sixth consecutive year of the competition taking place locally. GSEA is a competition open to all undergraduates who have been running their own startup for six consecutive months and generated $500 or Rs. 90,000 in total revenue, or more..

Jan 16 (AD) Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa is currently on an inspection at the BIA in Katunayake. Reports said that the Prez has spent time speaking to the staff of the Katunayake Airport. This unannounced visit came after Prez�s surprise visit to Dept of Motor Traffic (RMV) Office in Werahera and Narahenpita Special Economic Centre last month and the recent unannounced inspection at the Colombo National Hospital. more..

Jan 16 (AD) Judicial Services Commission has sent its recommendations to President on High Court Judge Gihan Pilapitiya as well. This too has been over involvement in phone coversations with MP Ranjan Ramanayake. As the Commission has no power to interdict a High Court judge, it has sent its recommendations to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in this manner. Baddegama Magistrate Dhammika Hemapala has been interdicted by the Judicial Services Commission. more..

Jan 16 (EN) State Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage offered a guarantee yesterday that the government will be able to control the price of rice in two weeks� time, adding however that nothing can be done with regard to vegetable prices. Insisting that the biggest and only problem faced by the people is the sudden increase in the price of rice and vegetables, Aluthgamage said the govt is already expecting a big harvest from the Eastern Province once paddy harvesting begins more..

Jan 16 (FT) Cabinet approved a proposal to direct the Secretary to the Treasury to take measures to wind up the National Agency for Public-Private Partnership, which was set up by the previous Govt in 2017. Proposal by PM and Finance Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa said that with the measures taken by the new Govt to amalgamate the workings of several agencies, there was no need for this unit to continue to operate. more..

Jan 16 (AD) Measures will soon be taken to commence operations of the Kantale Sugar Factory, says State Minister Susantha Punchinilame. Decision to commence work at the factory was taken following discussions with the Plantation Industries Minister, Secretary to the Prez and the Secretary to the Ministry of Finance, Punchinilame said. This would generate numerous employment opportunities as well as save the money spent on importing sugar, he pointed out. more..

Jan 16 (Island) Coloma, a contemporary brand of stylishly crafted sanitaryware with cutting edge technology, was launched recently at a gala evening at the Lanka Tiles showroom in Nawala. Marketed exclusively by the Lanka Walltiles Group, a name trusted in Sri Lanka and the world over for more than 40 years, Coloma represents the next step in the evolution of sanitaryware. Speaking to a gathering of guests, which included some of Sri Lanka�s leading architects, developers and construction more..