Aug 14 (Island) At the end of World War II, most Italians, badly affected by the war, lacked viable modes of transport, and the financial means to acquire full-sized four-wheeled vehicles. In 1947, Corradino D’Ascanio, aircraft designer and inventor, originated the idea of a light three wheeled commercial vehicle to power Italy’s economical reconstruction. The idea was in favour with Enrico Piaggio, the son of Piaggio Company’s founder which resulted in Piaggio introducing more..

Aug 14 (Island) The employees of Salu Sala, which is to be closed down soon, complained that their salaries for the month of June had not been paid yet. Hence, they have decided to organise a protest demanding the arrears. They said that their monthly salaries were not paid on time after Roshan Maddumage assumed duties as Salu Sala Chairman and the payment of salaries were delayed by two weeks every month. A spokesman for the protestors said that the institution had become a more..

Aug 14 (Island) CEO of Printcare, K.R. Ravindran has been selected as President of Rotary International – one of the world’s largest service organisations, for the years 2015-16. He will be the first Sri Lankan and only the 10th Asian to hold this post in the 108 year history of the organisation. Rotary International formed in 1905 consists of more than 1.2 million members in over 34,000 Rotary clubs in nearly every country more..

Aug 14 (Island) Kalutara police recently arrested a man who had forced his wife into prostitution to raise funds to repay his car loan. The suspect had been selling his wife for Rs. 5,000 to each customer at a guest house in Panvila, the police said. The police used a decoy to arrest the husband and wife engaged in prostitution. The owner of the guest house is also to be charged with aiding and abetting the couple, according to the police. Suspects would be produced before the Kalutara Magistrate more..

Aug 14 (SG) A mistake once committed is rarely repeated by a rational entity. However such is not the case with the government of Sri Lanka. It is becoming increasingly obvious that following the 30-year war with the Tamil minority, the Sri Lankan rulers have not learned their lesson. Today, they are busily spreading the seeds of discord against another minority; the island’s Muslim Sri Lankans. They are clever enough not to openly support a reign of terror directly. more..

Aug 14 (IL) Six new foreign envoys including five High Commissioners and an Ambassador taking assignments in Sri Lanka presented their credentials to President Rajapaksa on Monday. The ceremony for the handing over of credentials by the new diplomats was held at Presidential Secretariat in Colombo under the patronage of President Rajapaksa. Thereafter the new diplomats joined in a discussion with the President. more..

Aug 14 (CT) The National Teacher Transfer Board has not been convened for two consecutive years, the Ceylon Teachers' Service Union (CTSU) charged. CTSU General Secretary said the National Teacher Transfer Board should be convened in August every year, but it was put on hold last year and is yet to be convened this year. "According to the 2007/20 circular about the National Transfer Policy, the National Transfer Board should be convened every August. more..

Aug 14 (CT) The tension that prevailed in and around the prayer centre in Grandpass in the last few days, abated with the cutting down of the wild Bo-tree, by the CMC, yesterday. CMC workers moved into the area to cut down the Bo-tree, which is said to be a kaka or wild variety of the Bo-tree, following the tense situation that developed when attempts were made by some private individuals to cut down some of its branches, which had crept into the nearby building of a mosque. more..

Aug 14 (MED) Under the auspices of the Economic Development Ministry a foundation stone will be placed for the construction work of the Northern Province Central Bank branch at Killinochchi by Minister Basil Rajapaksa Monday (12). Under the first phase of the project, the nine storied building with a length of 30 feet 60 feet width will be built. The total cost of the project estimated to be around at Rs. 150 million. more..

Aug 14 (GDI) Shri Bala Bahskar, president of Indian media journalists union(IMJU) of India stated that he witnessed the mega development that is taking place in the North and east Provinces and that he will make the people of India aware of the high level of development process being carried out without racial prejudice. He further stated that his media team will make a maximum effort to erase the misconception created among the Indians as a result of certain misinterpretations more..

Aug 14 (Hindu) The National Fish Workers Forum and the Vangakadal Meen Thozhilalar Sangam has called for a subsidy package for taking up deep-sea fishing. Staging a demonstration outside the head post office here on Tuesday, members placed a three-fold charter of demands that would help settle disputes between the fisherfolk of Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka. According to them, a new joint-fishing statutory agreement should be entered by the fisherfolk of the two countries to create more..

Aug 14 (DM) Ven. Maduluwawe Sobitha Thera said the attack on innocent civilians who protested for clean water at Weliweriya was a serious warning about the future of the people in the country. “The people in Rathupaswala who suffered for a long time due to the contaminated water issue were fired on and killed. But now there was no one who ordered the army. No army in the world uses their arms without an order. more..

Aug 14 (DN) The public viewing period of the Colombo Port Expansion Project and International Container Terminal (South) has been extended till August 15 on the directive of Minister Rohitha Abeygunawardena. Minister after taking many requests from the public into account, has directed Sri Lanka Ports Authority Chairman Dr. Priyath Bandu Wickrema to extend the public viewing of the Colombo Port Expansion Project and International Container Terminal by another two days, more..

Aug 14 (Island) The Kiridiwela police yesterday thwarted an attempt by a deputy minister, representing Gampaha District, to rescue several suspects, taken into custody, along with a lorry transporting sand without a valid permit. The politician had been wearing a pair of shorts when he stormed the police station. Police said that a group of persons, led by the SLFP MP, had demanded that the police release the suspects along with the lorry or face the consequences. more..

Aug 14 (Star) While Canadians are engrossed in a debate over boycotting the Sochi Olympics, few have noticed that the Harper govt remains undecided as to whether it will skip another significant international gathering: the CHOGM to be held in Sri Lanka this November. Canada’s prime minister first threatened to miss the event in 2011 to draw attention to the Sri Lankan regime’s questionable human rights record. more..

Aug 14 (FT) The Maldives Govt has sought Parliament approval to obtain $ 29 million from Bank of Ceylon as budget support for the year. A letter from the President Waheed Hassan that was read out during the Parliament sitting on Tuesday stated that the Finance Ministry was working to secure the loan to enforce the budget passed by the Parliament for the year. The Finance Ministry had informed the President’s Office that a loan could be obtained from Bank of Ceylon, the letter said. more..

Aug 14 (Hindu) After having languished in the Welikada prison, it was a homecoming of sorts for the first batch of four prisoners from Tamil Nadu who were transferred here on Tuesday. The prisoners, including two women, escorted from Colombo by Tamil Nadu police teams, arrived by Sri Lankan Airlines flights. K. Sathyaseelan (59) and Ramasamy Jayaraj (55) were lodged in the Tiruchi Central Prison, while P. Arokiamary and Marimuthu Kanaku were lodged in the Special Prison for Women more..

Aug 14 (Island) In spite of President Rajapaksa’s intervention to settle the Weliweriya issue, the UNP is scheduled to launch a major protest campaign in Colombo today against the use of the military and the police to suppress democratic opposition. President on Monday assured residents of Rathupaswela, Weliweriya that the Dipped Products factory in their area would be closed down if it was found to have caused more..

Aug 14 (DM) The Daily Mirror, in several editorials during the past few years, has been urging the Rajapaksa regime to implement effective and wide-ranging measures to revive the fresh milk industry in Sri Lanka as a long-term solution to the problems and questions over imported powdered milk and other milk products. We pointed out that the revival of Sri Lanka’s dairy milk industry would have a multitude of benefits. The Sri Lankan people would be able to drink fresh cow’s milk more..

Aug 14 (DM) In a way, the Grandpass incident seemed like an answer to the Weliweriya mass uprising. In spite of stories made by the pro-government media, the protest of masses against the water pollution started out of their genuine concern for their basic health right. Water in that whole area was becoming unusable for day-to-day home use. The acid level rose sharply in the last few years. Though there could have been number of reasons, people were certain that more..

Aug 14 (DM) There was a time in this Country when the name on practically everybody’s lips was “Prabhakaran”, There was an earlier time when it was “Wijeweera”. Still later the name on practically everybody’s lips was “Shirani Bandaranayaka”, the allegedly ‘former’ Chief Justice. Today, it is “Wigneswaran”. Wigneswaran’s name is looked upon with horror, by one segment of the people; and with hope, by another, more..

Aug 14 (Island) The govt had claimed that there was a fifth party involved in the recent Weliweriya incident, but it was yet to identify at least the third party it had earlier referred to, the UNP said. UNP MP Gayantha Karunathillaka said that immediately after the army had fired on Weliweriya villagers who were asking for clean water on August 1, resulting in three deaths and injuries to 60 persons, the military spokesman had more..

Aug 14 (ST) Campaigning for the first ever Northern Provincial Council (PC) elections is reported to be low key compared to the campaigning in the other two constituencies, North-Western and Central provinces. Though the campaign for the elections scheduled for Sept 21 is in its initial stage election monitoring groups say they have received reports of a number of election law violations including abuse of state resources, more..

Aug 14 (SL) Security deposit holders at the failed Ceylinco Company – Golden Key (GKCC) – are to receive a further payment imminently. This latest move is seen by many as a ‘quick-win’ for the efforts made by the Central Bank-appointed Task Force and the Central Bank led management team in place at Golden Key. Many depositors were mindful of the ‘tremendous progress made by the Task Force’ which was appointed by the more..

Aug 14 (LBO) Sri Lanka's car registration have surged forward to a 15-month high of 2,305, up 74.6% from a year earlier, mostly driven by pre-registered cars. Luxury Sports utility vehicles registrations rose to an 11-month high of 594 in July. Total vehicle registrations in July were 27,797 up from 26,898 a year earlier with 13,639 two wheelers and 7,369 three wheelers. The two categories have been broadly stable. more..

Aug 14 (AD) The Industrial Technology Institute (ITI) totally rejected claims that it does not have the necessary technical tools or the knowledge to test imported milk powder for dicyandiamide or DCD. Director of ITI Sirimal Premakumara stated that ITI’s credentials in testing any product for DCD is accepted worldwide. He explained that the tests were conducted on the direction of the Health Ministry that more..

Aug 14 (Xinhua) The Sri Lankan army on Wednesday said it has not sold or purchased weapons from India during or after the war against the Tamil Tiger rebels. Army spokesman Brigadier Ruwan Wanigasuriya said that Sri Lanka does not manufacture weapons that are able to sell them to any country, and does not obtain weapons from India. India was very sensitive to the support it extended to Sri Lanka during the war, more..

Aug 14 (CT) The Crime Investigation Unit of the Matara Police has taken into custody four naval personnel and 10 others, on the charge of assisting people to illegally migrate to Australia, on board multi-day fishing crafts. Police said one naval staff member, who was among the suspects, is a civil employee. The unit had received information about the 14 suspects while interrogating a suspect taken into custody on an earlier occasion, more..

Aug 14 (Xinhua) South Korean Prime Minister Jung Hong-won is expected to visit Sri Lanka later this month to hold talks on deepening economic ties between the two countries, according to a statement from Sri Lanka's External Affairs Ministry. The proposed visit by the prime minister, scheduled from Aug. 28 to 30, was considered as a positive way to further harness political goodwill between the leaders of the two countries. more..

Aug 14 (ABC) A senior executive with New Zealand dairy giant Fonterra has resigned over last month's infant formula botulism scare. Gary Romano quit his role as managing director of New Zealand Milk Products today. Fonterra chief executive Theo Spierings will temporarily take over Mr Romano's responsibilities. Two weeks ago, Fonterra revealed that 38 tonnes of potentially contaminated whey protein more..

Aug 14 (DN) Sri Lanka is on track to become the Wonder of Asia. The opportunity to hold an international meeting such as the CHOGM is a good opportunity to strengthen new bonds with foreign govts, Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi said. She said hosting summits such as CHOGM is important to impart a correct picture about Sri Lanka to the world. “Sri Lanka is developing in all sectors. We should be able to tell the world about the progress made by the country. more..

Aug 14 (CT) A mosque in Grandpass came under attack last night and a police curfew followed. The attacked mosque was a newly built one located next to a Buddhist temple in Grandpass. The land, apparently, belongs to the UDA. Earlier, it had been assured that the mosque would be relocated within a period of one month but that never happened. Members of ‘Sinhala Ravaya‘ took law onto their hands and threatened to relocate the mosque all by themselves. more..

Aug 14 (CG) The Sri Lankan govt says there is no rift with the United States despite differences of opinion on some issues. The govt says genuine support received from the US in terms of technology, training, intelligence sharing and curbing the activities of LTTE front organizations in the US soil has been vital for Sri Lanka’s success in overcoming terrorism. Statement from the Sri Lankan Embassy in Washington quoted more..

Aug 14 (Island) Due to the elections complaints unit intervening, seven transfers and promotions granted to government servants, following the announcement of forthcoming Provincial Council elections, have been annulled. Elections Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya had decreed that no recruitment, promotions or transfers could be effected in any government institution until the proposed elections in the Northern, Central and North-Western Province were over. more..

Aug 14 (CT) In what is becoming the new norm of dispute resolution in Sri Lanka, President Mahinda Rajapaksa was once again required to step in with a solution to the Weliweriya crisis, which earned Sri Lanka yet another black mark in the condemnation Richter of the international community. The issue, as mentioned by one of our columnists, was about service delivery, or rather its failure. The villagers of Weliweriya and neighbouring areas, on finding that the groundwater at their disposal more..

Aug 14 (DM) A similar ‘reign of terror’ with complete police and political patronage to that of Noori - Deraniygala is reported from Maliboda - Deraniyagala. Villagers in the area said, a gangster by the name of Dammika and his gang had unleashed many atrocities for over a decade in the area with the police not taking any action despite repeated complaints. “When we go and complaint to the police, they would call Dammika and tell him more..

Aug 14 (Island) Despite bold statements by the govt to hoodwink the public, the National Transport Commission (NTC) had agreed to permit an increase in private bus fares, Gayantha Karunathillake MP said. He told a press conference that the authorities were marking time and would permit the 10 per cent bus fare hike demanded by the Private Bus Owners Association, with effect from September 1. The govet was behaving like a hero, but in reality had given into the bus operators. more..

Aug 14 (Island) Reference our lead story yesterday, ‘N’cholai doubling output too much to be absorbed: Hydro plants likely to be shut down’, a govt spokesman said that under no circumstances would the cheap hydro electricity generation be suspended. However, contacted for comment, Colombo Transmission and Distribution Loss Reduction Project Manager, Nandika Pathirage, said in case of excess coal power generation the CEB would have to stop the hydro plants. more..

Aug 14 (DM) Irrigation and Water Resources Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva yesterday said he was proud to hear that he was doing the laundry for his party. “I consider it as a duty of the ministers,” he said. “Some violate party discipline while some others are good party members whether ministers or provincial ministers.” The minister said it was wrong for members to criticize the political party they belong to. more..

Aug 14 (CG) A Sri Lankan woman was arrested in Singapore after she was found in a vehicle inside a cabin. The immigration offender was found crouched behind a partition curtain in a vehicle by immigration officers. Immigration and Checkpoints Authority officers had directed a departing Malaysia-registered lorry for checks at the cargo zone of the Tuas Checkpoint. The lorry was driven by a 54-year old Malaysian man. While checking the vehicle, officers noticed that the driver’s cabin was more..