Aug 23 (Island) Chairman, British Sri Lanka Chamber of Commerce, Jayampathi Perera urged the newly-elected govt in Sri Lanka to give due priority to promoting trade opportunities between the two countries. "Previous govts missed the bus and this resulted in the country losing out on the deal", he said. As a bilateral trade body, the British Sri Lanka Chamber of Commerce wants the new govt to give prominence to international trade and foreign investment, he noted. more..

Aug 23 (NS) Central Environment Authority (CEA) has suspended Environmental Protection License of beverage giant Coca-Cola over an incident which occurred on Monday where diesel from an underground fuel pipe had leaked into the Kelani river basin. “CEA is concerned over the environmental damage, which is largely evident in this case,” said Ajith Weerasundara, Director of Waste Management at CEA. more..

Aug 23 (CT) Campaign for a Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE) stated that according to the results of the general election, the female representation in Parliament has drastically decreased, and that it is a sign of increasing discrimination against women. Executive Director of CaFFE Keerthi Tennakoon said that although the 20th Amendment to the Constitution proposed better representation of women in politics, the representation has sunk even lower this time. more..

Aug 23 (CT) General Secretary of the JHU Champika Ranawaka has tried to undercut Athuraliye Rathana Thera by attempting to get Nishantha Sri Warnasinghe to Parliament through the UNP National List, but UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe has rejected Ranawaka's repeated requests. Political sources confirmed that Wickremesinghe had told Ranawaka, he would not entertain losers in the National List and that agreements reached between the UNP and more..

Aug 23 (CG) Former UNP MP Rosy Senanayake confirmed that she had rejected a diplomatic posting offered to her. Senanayake, who lost the election, said that she feels she needs to remain close to the public despite losing the election. “I understand I can do a lot for my country as a diplomat but I do not want to distance myself from the people who voted for me,” she said. She said that she had also raised concerns over more..

Aug 23 (IBN) Lahiru Thirimanne was fined 30 percent of his match fee for breaching the International Cricket Council (ICC) Code of Conduct during the third day's play of the second Test against India at the P Sara Oval on Saturday. "Thirimanne was found to have breached Article 2.1.5 of the ICC Code of Conduct for players and player support personnel, which relates to showing dissent at an umpire's decision during an international match," the ICC said in a statement. more..

Aug 23 (CG) TULF has urged TNA to join the National Govt. TULF Secretary General V. Anandasangaree, in a letter to TNA leader R. Sampanthan, said that the minorities have innumerable problems all of which cannot be sorted out overnight or even in a short period. “A silent revolution had taken place providing an excellent opportunity for all of us to sort out matters that could be sorted out. The minorities have innumerable problems all of which cannot be sorted out more..

Aug 23 (CI) There was no fairytale finish to Kumar Sangakkara's Test career as R Ashwin dismissed him for the fourth time in four innings, on his way to picking up two wickets that gave India a big push towards a series-leveling victory at the P Sara Oval. Set 413 to win in three-and-a-half sessions, after a declaration march led by an Ajinkya Rahane century, Sri Lanka were 72 for 2 at stumps on day four. more..

Aug 23 (DM) Former JVP leader Somawansa Amarasinghe said it was sad to see the JVP being wiped out at the general election. Mr. Amarasinghe said the main reason for the debacle was that the JVP was toeing the UNP agenda. He claimed that the JVP, the main socialist party in the country, had not adhered to the original JVP principles because it was being misled and hoodwinked by the UNP. “The fate of JVP does not surprise me. Only the JVP could speak out on behalf of the people. more..

Aug 23 (ST) 1. UPFA has lost its vote share in every district. The only district where it lost less than 10% was Hambantota. In 11 of 22 districts, it lost more than 20% of its 2010 vote. 2. The UNP had its 2nd largest gains (24%) in Polonnaruwa — home base of President Sirisena. 3. The DP and the JVP saw their greatest aggregate loss in support in the Colombo District (-5% from DNA 2010), despite having both their party leaders contesting from the Colombo district. more..

Aug 23 (AFP) Kumar Sangakkara was dismissed for 18 in his final international innings, ending a remarkable 15-year career during the second Test against India in Colombo on Sunday. A full house of around 7,000 was in attendance at the P. Sara Oval to watch the fifth-highest run-getter in Test history play for the last time as Sri Lanka chased a tough victory target of 413. Sangakkara did not have to wait long more..

Aug 23 (AM) All Ceylon Makkal Congress leader Rishad Bathiudeen said yesterday that his party was deprived of a seat it was entitled in the Digamadulla District in the recently concluded general election. He said that he was taking legal measures to fight for the seat the ACMC has lost. ACMC contested the election in several districts under the UNP ticket and four of its members were elected to parliament. Meanwhile, one member was appointed through the national list. more..

Aug 23 (Island) GMOA is breathing fire over moves to legalize the National Blood Force (NBF) through a proposed Blood Act "in gross violation of the basic concepts of voluntary donation and safe collection of blood". GMOA, which represents over 17,000 medical officers in govt health sector, has expressed concern over attempts to undermine the integrity of SL’s widely acclaimed National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS) by affording legal recognition to NBF, a so-called voluntary organization, more..

Aug 23 (PSL) People of Kinniya appealed to President Maithripala Sirisena to seek a second term to fulfill the expectations of the people. The people made this request when the President visited Kinniya and met the people there today (22). They told the President that the development expected by them has not yet been received to their areas. They also presented the problems faced by them to the President. more..

Aug 23 (AD) Presidential Commission to Investigate into Complaints Regarding Missing Persons held Public Sittings in Batticaloa Distinct today. Public Sittings will be held in the Kaluwanchikudy DS tomorrow as well. Commission earlier held its previous Public Sittings in Northern and Eastern Provinces covering Jaffna, Mannar and Trincomalee Districts. To date, over 20,000 complaints have been received by the commission, inclusive of approximately 5,000 complaints more..

Aug 23 (NS) Despite reports of ITAK rotating one of the two seats obtained through the national list among two MPs, newly-elected ITAK MP M A Sumanthiran said the party has made no decision in this regards. “There is more time and we will take a decision in the coming week,” he said. Former ITAK MP Suresh Premachandran too reiterated this statement saying no decision has been made. According to reports, Premachandran too is in line to be appointed as a MP through more..

Aug 23 (EN) The naming of the new finance minister in a coalition govt has led to friction between President Sirisena and PM Wickremesinghe. Even as the cabinet was being finalised over the weekend, there was uncertainty over the finance portfolio. There was speculation that President wanted to keep the finance portfolio. However, it turns out that the president's choice for the job is Eran Wickramaratne, former deputy minister more..

Aug 24 (ST) The nation awakes this Sunday morning to a new splendorous dawn of hope and promise having discharged its duty faithfully and acquitted itself with honour at the this week’s general elections. Taking his oaths on Friday for a record fourth time as PM of the sixth government born under the proportional representation system, Ranil Wickremesinghe’s call for a broad national policy that addresses the main issues the country faced worked out with more..

Aug 24 (CT) We have emerged, as a nation that is maturing politically and can determine its future in a participatory, democratic manner. Now that the process of lying out of our future has begun, the vision should never again be left to a few individuals, but discussed widely and embarked upon with the widest consensus. We all have to imagine, the future that we want, for us, our children and their country. For without any well-considered goals, there will be a perpetual journey with no direction. more..

Aug 24 (SO) In a lopsided representation of the people only 10 women were elected to the new Parliament, leaving one to wonder just how truly representative the new govt is, especially in terms of social composition. Never ideally represented in Parliament, the number of women elected at the Aug 17 polls is three less than the number represented in the previous Parliament. In what is looking like a classic more..

Aug 24 (ST) As the intense heat of electioneering gradually subsides, sober relief intermixed with reasonable wariness is reflected in the public mood this week. Monday’s tensely played out general elections echoes this curious combination of emotions in no uncertain terms. A deeply divisive Satakaya-factor (a word play on the maroon shawl habitually worn by former President Rajapaksa) worked its anticipated black magic as it united perpetually questioning floating voters more..

Aug 24 (CT) The election is now over, a PM has been sworn in and a new Cabinet is to be appointed shortly. Many in the govt party as well as those planning to cross over from the Opposition are aspiring to be Ministers. The new Govt, as announced at the election, is committed to delivering an extensive program within 60 months. The ability of the Govt to do so will depend on the competence of the Chief Managers – known as Ministers – who are in charge of the program. more..

Aug 24 (SL) TNA which contested under the ITAK at last week’s general election secured a landmark victory in North and East with 515,963 (4.62%) votes and bagged 16 seats – including two national list slots. TNA has been considering extending conditional support to the UNP to form a national govt. However, newly elected TNA MP E. Saravanabavan said they are yet to discuss whether the TNA will join new govt. more..

Aug 24 (Island) This country had many wayside rests or ambalam for the benefit of wayfarers in days of yore. Some of them have survived ravages of time and can still be seen in some areas. Unlike those ancient structures which benefited ordinary travellers dead on their feet there are some deluxe ambalam of relatively recent origin for the exclusive use of politicians. Run by the state at an enormous cost to the public purse they are also known as provincial councils where more..

Aug 24 (Island) It was another working day for us at the Consulate General in Toronto on 27 Jan 2009. Though we were on alert, as we had to be in Toronto, considered the capital of Eelam, we did not expect what happened that morning at our office in St Clair Avenue. At about 11 in the morning, my staff led by the Attaché Segi Ismail came running into my office and said about 20 LTTE supporters clad in black had forcibly entered the premises and was occupying the reception area. more..

Aug 24 (Island) Cyber Politics can be interpreted as the use of cyberspace or the Internet for political activities. This includes journalism, fundraising, blogging, volunteer recruitment, and organisation building. The term, cyber politics, came into being during the campaign carried out by Howard Dean, who contested the 2004 Presidential nomination from the Democratic Party of the US. more..

Aug 24 (CI) 57.40: Kumar Sangakkara's batting average, the fifth best among batsmen with at least 5000 runs. Sangakkara made 12400 runs including 38 hundreds and 52 fifties in the 134 Tests he played. He finished with 6830 runs in Sri Lanka, the second most by any batsman behind Mahela Jayawardene. 4: Test hundreds by Ajinkya Rahane, all of which have come away from home. His only match at home was his debut Test, at the Feroz Shah Kotla. Among India batsmen only more..

Aug 24 (CT) Sri Lanka Tourism will tap the lucrative German outbound tourism market, estimated at US$ 92 Billion and a team of German journalists are in Colombo to promote the country in their magazines and blogs. The latest UNWTO Report reveals that Germany has elevated itself to be most attractive source market globally with it's outbound travellers spending US$ 92 billion dollars last year with a per capita expenditure of US$ 1,137 dollars which is higher than UK, France or Italy more..

Aug 24 (CI) The two guards of honour and fireworks were unusual, but there was nothing strange about the scoreline Kumar Sangakkara arrived to. Sri Lanka's total has been in single figures in more than a quarter of his 207 walks to the crease at first drop. In a career multi-layered with staggering statistics, gems that shed further light on why he means so much to team and nation are still being discovered. more..

Aug 24 (CI) Wriddhiman Saha and M Vijay have been ruled out of the final Test of the Sri Lanka series due to hamstring injuries. Wicketkeeper-batsman Naman Ojha will replace Saha in the squad, while Karun Nair comes in for Vijay. Saha had picked up the injury, to his lower right hamstring, during the second Test at the P Sara Oval. He retired hurt while batting on day four of the game, but came back out at the fall of India's seventh wicket and was at the crease when more..

Aug 24 (CI) India fast bowler Ishant Sharma has been fined 65% of his match fees for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct. Ishant had given send-offs to Lahiru Thirimanne and Dinesh Chandimal in the Colombo Test, which is against Article 2.1.7 relating to "using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batsman upon his/her dismissal during an International Match." The on-field umpires Bruce Oxenford and more..

Aug 24 (FT) Further strengthening its hub status in South Asia, the Colombo Port has attracted four new services so far this year, boosting volumes and profitability. “We have been successful in luring four new major shipping services during the first half of the year,” SLPA Chairman Dr. Lakdas Panagoda said. The four new services are Australian/Falcon – MSC serviced Jaya Container Terminal (JCT); more..

Aug 24 (DN) Exports which now stand at around 13% of Sri Lanka’s GDP, down 33% compared to a decade ago, need to be developed fast to face global competition, says Sarada De Silva- President of the National Chamber of Exporters of Sri Lanka (NCE). “The export sector need to be developed fast, to match the achievements of our competitors, whose exports constitute over 75% of GDP and in countries like Singapore this amounts to over 100%. In this regard , the Chamber stands ready to more..

Aug 24 (Island) As part of its development partnership with Sri Lanka in the field of higher education, the Govt of India is undertaking a project to establish a Centre for Skill Development for the Faculty of Agriculture at the Kilinochchi Campus of the University of Jaffna, at a total cost of SLR 300 million. The project encompasses building construction as well as supply of equipment and furniture, in addition to training and curriculum development. more..

Aug 24 (EN) The setting up of a coalition administration by the UNP with main opposition SLFP will be credit positive for Sri Lanka as it would allow policies to address fiscal problems and boost growth, Moody's, a rating agency said. Moody's said with the UNP boosting its seats to 105 in the 225 parliament, a two-thirds majority could be obtained when SLFP, second largest party where ex-President Rajapaksa is a member, joins. more..

Aug 24 (CT) Govt-owned National Insurance Trust Fund (NITF) is looking to expand its investment portfolio by investing in heath sector business NITF Chairman Manjula de Silva said. "We are ready to enter in to the private sector health business with strategic partnerships and we can inject up to Rs 1 billion", he said. According to NITF's governing laws, they were empowered only to invest in govt securities. "The prevailing low interest rate scenario has led us to more..

Aug 24 (EN) Sri Lanka’s company earnings growth picked up in the June 2015 quarter as consumption increased, driven by low borrowing costs and higher disposable incomes, a research report said. Overall market earnings growth in the June 2015 quarter picked up 10.7% year-on-year to 46.7 billion rupees after a slowdown to 2.2% year-on-year during the March 2015 quarter, CAL Research said. Trailing 12 month market earnings grew 16.5% from a year ago to 207 billion rupees due to more..

Aug 24 (Island) Decreasing prices of synthetic products and declining oil prices, prompted lowering demand for natural rubber. Producers, particularly of the formal rubber sector and the Regional Plantation Companies (RPCs) are currently in a spin, pondering the make or break position enforced by dictates of the market. Rubber brokers said 2015 will continue to be a bad year. Identifying a foreseeable salutary position, more..

Aug 24 (Island) The Peradeniya University Faculty of Medicine, the second medical school in the country was established in 1962 due to the need to produce more doctors for the nation. Within three years of its inception in 1965, the young faculty was able to set a record by organizing the first ever medical exhibition for the public in Sri Lanka. Since then this exhibition has been held every five years for the past 50 years. The Peradeniya Medical Faculty believes that doctors should have more..

Aug 24 (FT) The second International Conference on Fisheries and Aquaculture 2015, organised by the International Institute of Knowledge Management, will begin Tuesday at Hotel Galadari in Colombo. The conference and an exhibition as part of the conference will be held from 25-27 August under the theme Aquaculture in a Global Age. The exhibition will provide a unique opportunity for exhibitors to showcase their products and services to participants with more..