June 22 (AD) No matter when the next general election to be held, do not even think about an election without former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, former Minister Dilan Perera said. “Beyond any doubt, the former President will back the party at the forthcoming election,” Perera added. He said he is not of the view that Mahinda Rajapaksa would do anything to sabotage the party for personal gain. more..

June 22 (CG) The adjournment debate on the 20th Amendment will begin tomorrow and will be held over two days, UNP MP Ajith Perera said. MP said that the debate will be held tomorrow evening and on Wednesday following a request put forward by the party leaders. He said that by holding an adjournment debate the true position of all the political parties on the 20th Amendment will be revealed. Ajith Perera said that once the position of the political parties is clear, then more..

June 22 (SLAF) The last element of 81 SLAF supporting crew members of the Sri Lanka Air Force’s second Aircraft deployment overseas left the country today (21) from BIA. With the departure of this team, the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) completed dispatch of personnel and cargo for its Aviation Unit in South Sudan under United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS). The first element which comprised 2 Officers, 10 Airmen and the three MI 17 aircraft were transported by more..

June 22 (DM) President Maithripala Sirisena said that all 127 MPs of the SLFP elected at the 2010 General Elections, were not involved in programmes held at the SLFP Head Quarters for the betterment of the party. He was speaking at the Sri Lanka Freedom Youth Front Convention held at SLFP Head Quarters today said, though he had made several attempts to bring them together, they were unsuccessful. more..

June 22 (EN) Corporate Social Responsibility projects should be more strategic rather than philanthropic, international CSR experts have told Sri Lankan corporate executives. CSR activities have changed in large corporates and moved from general projects to strategic CSR and now to an ‘inclusive business’ approach, according to Stephanie Koch, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at cement maker Holcim International. CSR projects should be more strategic more..

June 22 (Xinhua) A top economic forum scheduled to be held in Sri Lanka in August will discuss the importance of establishing an A New Global Economic Strategy for Sri Lanka in order to make the island country a tough competitor in Asia, a statement said here Monday. The Sri Lanka Economic Forum 2015, the country's economic forum held annually, organized by Sri Lanka's leading business community the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC), will see the participation more..

June 22 (DM) A skeleton was recovered from a house at Silva Mawatha in Welikada, Rajagiriya, police said. They said skeleton of the 55-year-old householder who lived alone was found by his sister. She had visited the house because there was no communication from his brother in a long time. “Investigations are being carried out to determine if the skeleton is that of the householder” police said. more..

June 22 (DM) Minister Rajitha Senaratne’s son challenging former president Rajapaksa to contest the general elections from Beliatta is similar to a piglet challenging a lion, UPFA MP Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena said. He said that the former president was not bothered about the challenges thrown at him. “Mr. Rajapaksa is a hero who saved the country. People still respect him. Various people keep challenging him and these challenges are similar one thrown by piglets at a lion. more..

June 22 (GDI) The National Housing Day will be celebrated tomorrow under the patronage of PM Ranil Wickremesinghe and Housing and Samurdhi Minister Sajith Premadasa at the Dembarawewa Stadium Tissamaharamaya and Tangalle Town Hall. The govt has designated June 23 as National Housing Day from this year. Accordingly, it will be held under the theme Sahabagithwa Niwasa Sanwardanaya this year. PM Ranil Wickremesinghe will participate in the event as Chief Guest more..

June 22 (CG) The air quality at the Oak Room of the Cinnamon Grand Hotel in Colombo did not cause the incident where guests attending a function fell sick recently, Cinnamon Grand hotel said in a statement. Hotel said that it has also obtained external expert reports on the air quality systems in the function rooms which have been certified as compliant with applicable standards and ruled out as the cause of any concern. more..

June 23 (SO) It should not be any surprise that every attempt at constitutional reform in the country will reflect the dimensions of the governance challenge within it. With respect to the 20th Amendment to the Constitution and electoral reform, it is, in particular, the challenges posed by the diversity inherent in our peoples. The argument for electoral reform of the current system is arguably as old as the system itself, like the case of the executive presidency. more..

June 23 (CT) In the national process, 1956 is the crucial turning point. What was the historical nature and content of this event? The 1956 movement, spearheaded by the rural middle classes and the Sinhala Buddhist intelligentsia was an anti-privilege impulse directed against the English educated establishment. It had a dual character: culturally revivalist (languages, religion, customs, dress, etc.) and economically radical, or it is loosely termed now, socialist. more..

June 23 (SO) Monday, June 15, marked the first anniversary of the anti-Muslim violence in Aluthgama, Dharga Town and Beruwala, that saw at least four killed, widespread looting and destruction of property, rendering hundreds homeless and thousands more displaced. That the violence would literally trigger the political funeral of the Rajapaksa brothers, who were accused of either being directly involved or at the least more..

June 23 (CT) The President’s resolve to ensure the passage of 20A in its current form, is seen by more than twenty minor and minorities parties as a blatant attempt to dislodge them from parliament. His commitment to 20th Amendment may be due to the assurance that he gave the SLFP members when he sought their support for the 19th Amendment, yet it is important that this process is not bulldozed. The group of small parties that met at the headquarters of the SLMC wants the gazette notification more..

June 23 (GV) It is very gratifying to see Pope Francis declare in his encyclical that, in terms of the Earth, “We have grown up thinking that we were her owners and dominators, authorized to loot her” he states that “Violence that exists in the human heart, wounded by sin, is also manifest in the symptoms of illness that we see in the Earth, the water, the air and in living things.” The problem is aggravated, Pope said, “by a model of development based on intensive use of fossil fuels.” more..

June 23 (CT) A prominent member of TNA and Leader of Democratic Organization Against Oppression, Thampi Mu Thambirajah said, currently the international inquiry preceding the investigations on war crimes and the international community is at a stage to release the report by September. At this stage the govt is emphasizing on a local inquiry to mislead the people. more..

June 23 (CT) Minister D.M. Swaminathan had tabled a wonderful Cabinet paper at the last Cabinet meeting. He had sought Cabinet approval to pay compensation for terrorists who died and injured during the war. If the proposal was approved, it would be a bad precedence in encouraging terrorist activities. No nation has paid compensation for terrorists. The USA did not pay compensation for the Al Qaeda terrorist who attacked the World Trade Centre in New York in 2001. more..

June 23 (CT) Female Comrade Juliet who was shot, hid in the jungle. The date was 5th December 1971. They were travelling along the Wilpattu border in Pahariya area of Puttalam. Since the team was enormous, it was decided to retreat in small groups of ten each and as a result they travelled along jungle trails. Since the armed uprising launched on 5th of April, after a lapse of several months they had arrived at the Wilpattu site. In an ambush by a small group of the Army, 13 year old, Chooti Nangi, more..

June 23 (CT) The hot topic these days is electoral reforms. Each and every political party is concerned with the electoral reforms and many proposals have been brought in. One of the major election monitoring bodies, Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV) Technical Advisor D.M. Dissanayake, expressed views about these proposed electoral reforms. He noted that there are decisions taken based on the interest of more..

June 23 (Island) There has been no let-up in the UNP’s efforts to have Parliament dissolved; it continues to crank up pressure on President Sirisena to go for a general election without further delay. The unfolding political drama is not something President Sirisena and his allies bargained for. President Rajapaksa was expected to dree his weird upon being defeated and bow out. What we are witnessing on the political front reminds us of a clichéd scene in Hollywood action flicks. more..

June 23 (Island) The demand for the dissolution of parliament is getting increasingly compelling. Civil society leaders, such as the Ven Maduluwave Sobitha, who led the movement for good governance during the presidential elections have come out strongly to insist that President Sirisisena should use his presidential powers to dissolve parliament and hold the much anticipated general elections. Public opinion surveys and everyday conversations on the topic indicate that more..

June 23 (NS) The former Governor of the Central Bank Ajith Nivard Cabraal last week spoke on subjects pertaining to the economy and shared his opinion on the recent controversy over the Treasury bond issue. Q: Since the position of a Central Bank Governor is deemed independent, why did you resign from your position on January 9 as soon as the new govt took over? A: I was responsible for the Central Bank and more..

June 23 (CT) When Chandika Hathurusinghe was the assistant to coach Bayliss in Sri Lanka, it was soon found that he was getting to be the confidant to many of the players at the time. The management of Sri Lanka at the time was in the hands of D.S. de Silva. An ex Sri Lanka captain of two Test matches, losing both against New Zealand, was good enough to get into a CV. Under his leadership at SLC Hathurusinghe was singled out, harassed and finally thrown out. more..

June 23 (CT) The venue for the second Test match between Sri Lanka and Pakistan at the historic P. Sara Oval Colombo in the on-going three-match Test series may point to another hard graft by the hosts to get back to winning ways. The P. Saravanamuttu Stadium has so far staged 17 Tests since Sri Lanka's inaugural Test way back in 1982 against Keith Fletcher's men. That game ended in a seven wicket victory for the Englishmen. Overall out of the 17 games Sri Lanka has played at more..

June 23 (DN) Sri Lanka’s solitary medalist at the recently concluded Asian Athletics Championships, Nimali Liyanarachchi eased to victory at the first leg of the Asian Grand Prix (AGP) series which was held at in Thailand yesterday. Among 13 Sri Lankan athletes who took part in the first of three AGP legs this year, Nimali was the only gold medalist. She clocked 2:07.18 secs in her pet event, the women’s 800 metres event while more..

June 23 (ST) Before getting down to the nitty-gritty, a few illuminating facts about the cricketing life and times of Russel Arnold, the former St. Peters College, NCC and Sri Lanka player, would be in order. Speaking to the Sunday Times at the Galle International Stadium where he is currently part of the International Panel of Commentators, Russel said has a special affinity with Pakistan. Making his Test debut against them, he started off with a knock of 27, but followed it with a half century more..

June 23 (Island) According to a study by Nielsen, a global research company, 50% of the global consumers have agreed to pay more for eco-friendly goods and services. On the contrary, a house is a much bigger commitment compared to goods and services, yet, there is an increased demand for eco-friendly homes in most emerging nations. Based on a research by Lamudi Global, it was identified that emerging nations such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Sri Lanka, are attractive more..

June 23 (ST) Illegal and undervalued footwear imports are badly hitting local industry and resulting in potentially a massive foreign exchange loss annually to the country, local manufacturers warned. They say Sri Lanka is losing over US $112.5 million annually in much needed foreign exchange as a result of cheap footwear imports from countries like China and India. Local manufacturers are on the verge of collapse more..

June 23 (NF) In the video on this page, you will see the life of a broken man. The choices he made have left him so helpless and alone, that even on father’s day, he does not have the company of his own children. What were those choices? The answer to that is a tragically common story of substance abuse. There are many like him who want a fresh start in life. Some of them can be found seeking assistance at the newly created Rehabilitation Centre established under the National more..

June 23 (CT) Nearly 40 Sri Lankan firms and a visiting Dutch delegation took part in a Business Matchmaking which was managed by the CCC Solutions, a fully owned subsidiary of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, on behalf of the Embassy of the Dutch Embassy. The nine member high profiled Dutch delegation, who visited early this month was headed by Ms. Sara Knijff, Director of International Agribusiness at the Ministry of Economic Affairs of Netherland and they were more..

June 23 (EN) SL govt revenues are likely to continue to fall and its foreign reserves position remains weak and vulnerable to changes in investor sentiment, Fitch Ratings has warned. Island’s ‘BB−’/Stable rating reflects high and less volatile real economic growth compared with peers, and a favourable level of basic human development against persistent political uncertainty, weak public finances and a frail external liquidity position more..

June 23 (Island) Minister of Finance Ravi Karunanayake recently said that the public debate on the country’s current economic status is all set to be telecast live through state-run Rupavahini today. Extending an invitation to former President and Minister of Finance Mahinda Rajapaksa and former Minister of Education Bandula Gunawardena, Minister Ravi Karunanayake said that he is prepared to take on both Gunawardena and former President at a public debate relating to more..

June 23 (Island) Sri Lanka’s leading ICT solutions provider and National Backbone operator, Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT) is aggressively pursuing new markets in the region. Building international connectivity is a key aspect of this strategy. SLT’s global coverage was significantly strengthened via multiple undersea optical fibre cable systems: SEA-ME-WE 3, SEA-ME-WE 4, Bharat-Lanka (between India and Sri Lanka) and Dhiraagu (between Maldives and Sri Lanka). more..

June 23 (FT) Despite being bullish on tourism, Sri Lanka is maintaining conservative targets for 2015 with 1.8 million projected arrivals and a revenue target of $ 2.5 billion while still keeping an eye on hitting 2.5 million travellers by next year, which would require an increase of 700,000 tourists. Already in the first five months of this year Sri Lanka has attracted 714, 584 tourists, recording a growth of 14.5%. more..

June 23 (Island) Pedestrians complain a govt decision to lift the ban on pavement hawkers and wayside businesses will cause inconvenience to them. Several pedestrians said Colombo which had been declared the cleanest capital in South Asia was now fast becoming an ugly and congested city. They said they ran the risk of being victims of pickpockets, snatch thieves and other anti-social elements on the busy city roads as hawkers had been allowed to erect their business outlets more..

June 23 (DN) President Maithripala Sirisena condemned the terrorist attack on the Afghanistan Parliament. Describing it as a heinous act of terrorism, the President stressed the collective need to defeat terrorism and other threats to democracy. Full statement issued by the President is as follows, “I condemn the attack on the Parliament of Afghanistan, a fellow democracy in the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), as a heinous act of terrorism. more..

June 23 (CT) Colombo Additional Magistrate granted permission for Avant Garde Chairman Nissanka Senadipathi to travel abroad for three months to attend to his business. Permission was granted as the CID had informed the Additional Magistrate that they did not object to Avant Garde owner leaving the country. Avant Garde is being investigated in relation to their floating armoury found in Galle Harbour earlier this year. more..

June 23 (DN) One of the world’s top four poultry farms based in Thailand will be investing in Sri Lanka, Thailand’s Ambassador in Sri Lanka Nopporn Adchariyavanich said. Speaking to Daily News he said the Thailand based company has done a comprehensive study in Sri Lanka and was satisfied to invest in Sri Lanka. The company will bring in new technology to Sri Lanka and have their complete products range done in Sri Lanka. This also includes manufacture of Chicken feed. more..

June 23 (Island) Doctors who have got annual transfers are unable to have their children admitted to national schools, Govt Medical Officers Association (GMOA) complains. GMOA Assistant Secretary Dr. Navin de Soysa said that all these years the children of doctors who were transferred under the govt’s annual transfer scheme had been admitted to national schools. But, around eighty children of doctors had been left without schools this year, the GMOA official said. more..

June 23 (DN) The UPFA never demanded or asked anyone to name former President Mahinda Rajapaksa as the next Prime Ministerial candidate, give him nominations or anything else. It is a section of the SLFP which are making these demands, NFF leader MP Wimal Weerawansa said. Weerawansa addressing a press briefing, said it is former President Rajapaksa who should decide whether he should contest or not. more..