Aug 10 (Reuters) Shares erased early losses to close at a more than six-month high on hopes of political stability after the Aug. 17 parliamentary elections and better corporate earnings in the April-June quarter, brokers said. The main stock index edged up 0.1%, or 7.34 points, at 7,377.95 on Monday, its highest close since Jan. 28. The bourse has gained 6.6% in a month through Monday. "Market recovered from the morning decline with gains in telecom shares and distillers," more..

Aug 10 (EN) Former star batsman Sanath Jayasuriya is set for a political reverse sweep by ditching his mentor Mahinda Rajapaksa and joining the UNP ahead of next week's elections. Jayasuriya, 46, who was known as master blaster at the height of cricketing ability had become a junior minister under Rajapaksa. However, during the latter stages of the Rajapaksa regime, Jayasuriya had complained he had no authority. It is too late for Jayasuriya to join the UNP, but more..

Aug 10 (DM) Missing journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda's wife Sandya today requested the Army to handover any army officers connected to the disappearance of her husband to the CID. She told a news conference that she had received information regarding an army officer connected to her husband’s disappearance imprisoned in a camp at either Girithale, Minneriya or Batticaloa. more..

Aug 10 (Island) Rear Admiral Samantha Wimalathunge has been appointed new Director General of Sri Lanka Coast Guard with effect from 11th July 2015. His letter of appointment was handed over to him by the Commander of the Navy Vice Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne at the Naval Headquarters. Rear Admiral Wimalathunge joined the S Navy as a cadet officer of the 12th Intake in 1984 and successfully completed his basic training at Naval & Maritime Academy, Trincomalee. more..

Aug 10 (DM) The driver of UPFA Galle District candidate Manusha Nanayakkara’s jeep was arrested in connection with an accident in Wawulagala on Deniyaya-Colombo Road where a motor cyclist was killed yesterday, police said. The 76-year-old motor cyclist travelling in the centre of the road had collided head on with the speeding jeep coming from Akuressa towards Galle on Deniyaya-Colombo Road. The motorcyclist had ridden the bike in a careless manner. more..

Aug 10 (EN) Sri Lanka's Red Cross Monday admitted that a Land Rover Defender belonging to them had been seized by police CID probing the murder of rugby star Wasim Thajudeen. Head of Sri Lanka Red Cross Jagath Abeysinghe had been questioned extensively on how a Red Cross vehicle was used in the abduction of Thajudeen in May 2012 shortly before he was killed. Defender vehicle now forms part of the evidence. more..

Aug 10 (AM) Former UPFA MP Namal Rajapaksa said that he has been summoned by the police Financial Crimes Investigations Division on August 12. In a Twitter post published a short while ago, Rajapaksa said that it was another attempt to disrupt his campaign. "In the end, all these election tactics won't work" he also said. Namal Rajapaksa is contesting the forthcoming general election from Hambantota District. The campaigning ends on August 14. more..

Aug 10 (AD) A bail application, which was filed by a Counsel on behalf of former UPFA MP Sajin de Vass Gunawardena, was dismissed by the Colombo High Court. The bail application was rejected when the case was heard before High Court Judge Padmini Gunathilaka on Monday. UPFA MP Sajin de Vass Gunawardena, who was arrested for allegedly misusing vehicles belonging to the President Secretariat Office, has been remanded until August 11 by the Fort Magistrate’s Court. more..

Aug 10 (Xinhua) Sri Lankan govt said it had not received any official communication from India to establish a road and rail link between India's southern coast of Rameshwaram and SL's northern town of Talaimanner. According to reports, the Indian govt has asked the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to carry out a pre-feasibility study for financing the project across Palk Strait between India and Sri Lanka. more..

Aug 10 (Xinhua) Forty Indian fishermen were released from Sri Lankan custody on Monday after they appeared before two separate courts in the northern part of the island nation. An official from the Foreign Ministry said that 14 of the Indian fishermen were released following an order from the Mannar court while 26 others were released by a court in Point Pedro. Sri Lankan authorities were now working out the procedure on handing over these fishermen to the Indian authorities, more..

Aug 10 (Island) Local businessmen irked by a recent statement by PM Ranil Wickremesinghe to the effect that his govt was seriously looking at fast-tracking thee CEPA negotiations with India, have sought the assistance of UPFA to stand against it. Chairman of the Maubima Lanka Foundation, Ariyaseela Wickremanayake in a letter addressed to UPFA General Secretary Susil Premajayantha says that CEPA is not an agreement favouring the local businessmen. more..

Aug 10 (CG) JHU member and UNFGG candidate Champika Ranawaka says he is ready to expose former President Mahinda Rajapaksa on some deals he had allegedly made with the LTTE through South Africa. Ranawaka also challenged Rajapaksa to face him in an open debate on claims Rajapaksa never gave funds to the LTTE. Ranawaka said that Rajapaksa is already under investigation over funds diverted to LTTE more..

Aug 10 (CT) Elections Secretariat said that any citizen of the country has the right to take legal action against candidates who win the election by engaging in illegal election propaganda activities and that their elections as MPs could be annulled. Assistant Commissioner of Elections M.M. Mohammed said that the Elections Commissioner does not have the authority to file legal action against persons who engage in unlawful election propaganda campaigns. more..

Aug 10 (Island) Fielding a question on the upcoming Geneva UNHRC session and the war crimes report on Sri Lanka, Weerawansa said two civilian leaders and over 40 military officers involved in the country’s war on terror would face war crimes charges according to Erik Solheim, who had spoken to the media. Weerawansa was speaking a UPFA press conference attended by the coalition’s Prime Ministerial Candidate and former President Mahinda Rajapaksa. more..

Aug 10 (BBC) As Sri Lanka prepares to go to the polls next week, the country's controversial former president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, is fighting a battle for his political life. He has faced a dizzying reversal in his fortunes. This is the man who presents himself as the warrior king who, in 2009, ended the island nation's 26-year-long civil war. The country's Tamil minority paid a terrible price for his victory. more..

Aug 10 (Island) You've considered running a business but keep wondering whether conditions are right to support your winning idea. Or perhaps you have been dabbling with something on the side and can't yet convince yourself that it's the right time to take the career leap with a startup. When Everjobs asked whether it's the best time to be in the startup scene in Sri Lanka, Ruwindhu Peiris, a dynamic Angel Investor and Managing Director of the Stax Inc. Colombo office says, more..

Aug 10 (NS) Sri Lanka and India will face off in the first of a three-Test series at Galle on Wednesday with one eye on the ICC Test Team Rankings as both teams aim to improve their respective positions. Fifth-ranked India knows that a 3-0 victory can propel it up the rankings table, and depending on the final outcome in the ongoing Ashes series, it could even climb to as high as third place, provided Australia defeats England at The Oval. A 2-1 victory would see India gain three points. more..

Aug 10 (DM) The UNFGG will set up a special court to hear cases on harassment of women, PM Ranil Wickremasinghe said. He said this was being done to expedite the process of bringing culprits to book. A UNFGG govt would also enact a Women's Rights Bill to pave the way to setting up of a National Woman's Rights Authority. He said the serial killings at Kahawatte had given rise to the need for such laws. more..

Aug 10 (S24) The Proteas crushed Sri Lanka 89-17 in their final first round match at the Netball World Cup in Sydney on Monday. The South Africans finished second in Pool C, behind Malawi. Coach Norma Plummer used the opportunity of playing one of the weaker teams to ensure that all 12 players had time on court, with Lindie Lombard making her first appearance in the tournament, playing at goal attack. It was five minutes before Sri Lanka were able to score, and more..

Aug 10 (CI) India will be without opener M Vijay, their most consistent and prolific batsman over the last year, as they begin a three-Test series against Sri Lanka in Galle on Wednesday. A hamstring injury sustained in Zimbabwe, said team director Ravi Shastri at the media briefing this afternoon, had not healed enough. "He is still under recovery, not fully recovered, and we don't want to take a chance with weather like this and slippery outfield." Vijay will be replaced by KL Rahul, more..

Aug 10 (ABC) The musical journey of singer-songwriter Sheyana Wijesingha led to a reunion with her father after 26 years apart - and now to a hit song in Sri Lanka. Based at Turners Beach near Ulverstone, Ms Wijesingha and The Sheyana Band have received widespread air-play in Sri Lanka with their song Keep the Change, recently charted as high as number six. A Sri Lankan radio personality recently suggested that more..

Aug 10 (PSL) A special meeting was held at the Presidential Secretariat today to apprised the President Maithripala Sirisena regarding the establishment of a new Faculty of Engineering and Technology at the University of Sri J'pura. Uni of Sri J'pura has initiated work to establish the Faculty to introduce Professional Education which targets job market. President Sirisena also commended the project by University of Sri J'pura which fulfill the responsibility of the Govt by identifying more..

Aug 10 (Island) Only the JVP would be albe to wolve the problem faced by manpower workers, JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said. "Manpower workers are modern-day slaves who are being exploited in every possible manner. We don’t deserve to be called a democracy society unless these workers are delivered from their suffering. The owners of manpower agencies sell the workers for hefty sums and give less than half of that amount to workers. Manpower workers are not entitled more..

Aug 11 (CT) I had the privilege of spending two weeks in Sri Lanka on holiday during July. Considering that a parliamentary election is looming, I took every opportunity to speak to ordinary people from different backgrounds both in and outside Colombo, so as to understand the realities of local politics at ground level. As good governance had been a buzz word during the recent presidential election, I was particularly interested in understanding the correlation of this term more..

Aug 11 (SO) The Master Blaster of the deep South is ready to extend his support to the UNP officially. The world famous blaster resigned from electoral politics soon after the announcement of Parliamentary elections and a few days later his mother publicly extended her support to the UNP campaign. Political sources told the Sunday Observer that the Master Blaster would get on the UNP stage within the next few days, giving a clear edge to the green party in Matara. more..

Aug 11 (SO) It remains to be seen if Sri Lanka will agree to India’s proposal to build a bridge across the Palk Strait to link Rameswaram in TN with Talaimannar in North Sri Lanka. The Indian Road Transport Minister, Nitin Gadkari, had proposed in June, to conduct a feasibility study of the project estimated to cost US$ 3.6 billion. Apparently, Gadkari had not consulted Colombo prior to making the statement because more..

Aug 11 (CT) The election campaign of the TNA and the TNPF in the Tamil-majority regions in the Northern and Eastern provinces has re-animated the discussions on the political solution to the national question. While the major political parties in the south have rejected national self-determination and federalism, the solutions presented by the two major Tamil political groups are, for the most part, in line with the fundamental principles of Tamil nationalism put forward by collective of Tamil groups more..

Aug 11 (SO) Four major political forces are pitted against each other in the coming parliamentary general election. One of them, the TNA, is concentrating on the North and East and although its impact elsewhere cannot be discounted, it may not be necessary to bring it into the electoral equation in most other districts. The major electoral contest, as everyone knows, is between UNFGG, largely dominated by UNP and UPFA dominated by Bring Back Mahinda wing the of the SLFP. more..

Aug 11 (CT) A number of environmentalists and environmental organizations have pledged support both to the UNFGG and the JVP in the run-up to 17 August General Election. Ceylon Today spoke to Environmentalists: Sajeewa Chamikara, JVP national list nominee and Bandula Bambarenda, of UNFGG, to fathom why they support JVP and UNFGG. Need for sustainable development: Bandula Bambarenda; more..

Aug 11 (EN) Sri Lanka is now proceeding steadily into greater balance of payments pressure, with some mild signs of debt distress also emerging and in a twist not seen in the past, Central Bank itself is getting increasingly into debt. Since the last column by Bellwether, the Treasury bill stock of the Central Bank, which is the key proxy for printing money and triggering balance of payments trouble has also doubled. On June 01, the Treasury bill stock was 5.4 billion rupees after terminating all term repos more..

Aug 11 (ST) In eight days voters will head once more to polling stations this time to elect the country’s 15th parliament. Those who like their perceptions summed up in pithy phrases say this will be the mother of all elections — parliamentary elections that is. Why is this appellation attached to this particular election when the country has witnessed previous battles for political and personal supremacy? The word battle is used advisedly for over the years our elections have more..

Aug 11 (NS) UNP promises to build a new country in 60 months while the UPFA guarantees a better future and new life. Since DP Leader Sarath Fonseka is suffering from a throat problem a recording is played at his party meetings. DP has still not circulated a manifesto. JVP manifesto Voice of Conscience seeks to find solutions to the problems Sri Lanka is facing. It asks for a remote control by which the party can more..

Aug 11 (ST) Last Sunday’s column asserted that the election manifestos of the two main parties were for most part a catalogue of extravagant promises that were not financially viable. Most persons know that these promises, especially of the UPFA, are not financially feasible. Now that D.E.W. Gunasekera has pointed out that current govt revenue was inadequate to implement the election promises, their credibility is shattered. Former Minister and Communist Party leader Gunasekera, more..

Aug 11 (Island) It is just a week more till the general elections. Two salutary features have stood out at this election. Both are evidence that the principles of good governance are getting more deeply embedded in the minds of the electorate as well as in the political system. The first is the decrease in the level of violence and generally low profile of the election campaigning. This has not been due to any lack of passion or eagerness to win on the part of individual contestants or their political parties. more..

Aug 11 (PSL) The piriven education in this country should be enhanced to build a disciplined bhikku generation with knowledge of Dhamma, says President Maithripala Sirisena. Priority will be given to boost piriven education among the actions to be taken to strengthen the religious activities with the new government to be elected from forthcoming General Election, he added. The President made these remarks at more..

Aug 11 (CI) Ravi Shastri's absence at the start of the Indian team's tour of Sri Lanka was responded to with general disquiet, as the team's director was only said to be parachuting in five days before the first Test in Galle for a series loaded with portent. Shastri's contract with Sky TV, ending after four Ashes Tests, did not take into account a change in the Sri Lanka tour schedule, brought forward by nearly two weeks. Hence the late arrival well after the practice-match formalities more..

Aug 11 (Island) Galle has always said goodbye to loyal servants of Sri Lankan cricket in style. From Arjuna Ranatunga, who retired in 2000 to Mahela Jayawardene, who retired in 2014, many cricketers have been overwhelmed by magnanimity of the people of Galle and the ground staff, who put up grand shows exhibiting their gratitude. This time its star batsman Kumar Sangakkara’s turn to feel Galle’s warmth as he brings his illustrious career to an end. The first Test starts on Wednesday. more..

Aug 11 (CI) Arjuna Ranatunga is not one to shy away from making his point. The island, and parts of the cricket world, may be on a nostalgia trip as Sri Lanka's batting great, Kumar Sangakkara, gets ready to go into retirement, but the World Cup-winning captain believes it is long overdue. Ranatunga praises Sangakkara's contribution to SL cricket, but criticizes him for carrying on, having planned to quit even before the World Cup. more..

Aug 11 (Island) Sri Lankans take pride in their high literacy rate – 95.7% (male 96.9% and female 94.6%). It is no mean achievement for a developing country and this healthy situation is attributable mainly to free education in the post-Independence era and an education system which, coupled with a culture of learning and intertwined with religion, dates back to millennia ago. President Maithripala Sirisena has recently said in Polonnaruwa that a plan is underway to ensure that more..