June 25 (CT) The world is embarking on its sixth mass extinction with animals disappearing about 100 times faster than they used to, said a study led by experts at Stanford University, Princeton University and the University of California, Berkeley. But Sri Lanka is different, here we are finding new species at a rate about 100 times faster than they used to and all this in a background of rapidly disappearing habitat throughout the island. Apart from the ability to attract the tourist market more..

June 25 (CT) Kathurumurunga is a very tasty mallung which we all like. It is also a good curry. Kathurumurunga leaves and flowers made into a mallung or a tasty curry is also popular among many people. It is used as a tasty food as well as an effective drug in ayurveda. This tree grows commonly in warm areas in countries such as Sri Lanka, India, Malaysia and the Philippines. The origin of the tree is Malaysia. It does not grow very well in cold climes. more..

June 25 (SO) The highly jinxed Queen’s birthday party - at the Oak Rome of Cinnamon Grand Hotel; where 12 guests collapsed and had to be hospitalised could have ended in tragedy, if the guests themselves had not taken speedy action. Guests accuse Hotel authorities of feigning ignorance and charge that no higher ups came to inquire about the situation, when they informed the management about unfolding drama. more..

June 25 (NS) Savannah the Vast on competence and the importance of a good lube Sri Lanka’s former dominatrix President Savannah the Vast says that she serviced and lubedsix ministers throughout her two terms. “It was exhausting for those six but I got off on it. When you are a dominatrix, you’ve got to get off any way you can”, the Vast one said. Cialis, the drug for people with erectile dysfunction, says that it is extremely keen to speak to any of the three living Prime Ministers more..

June 25 (NS) Pensioners’ Association of People’s Bank has appealed to President Sirisena, demanding that an independent Commission of Inquiry be set up to address grievances. There are allegations and accusations involved. These include a fraud that (as the Association states) is costing pensioners what they are owed. This is not the first time an association of (former) employees has appealed to have their grievances addressed. What stands out here is what is being alleged. more..

June 25 (CT) State Minister of Youth Affairs Niroshan Perera, at 44 years, is one of the youngest ministers in the govt and is appropriately in charge of the youth of this country. The biggest challenge before his ministry is unemployment and the minister believes that high-tech industries, not unlike the garment factories of the 90s, would be the solution to the employment crisis. Q: According to the 2011 census there are 5.6 million youth more..

June 25 (CT) Animal welfare activists have voiced their concerns over the trauma that cattle saved from slaughter have to undergo when Y.M.B.A. officials use men from the slaughter house/butchery to load these animals in to vehicles. Ceylon Today was informed of a recent incident where on Poson day (2 June) a cow saved from slaughter as part of the Y.M.B.A's annual cattle saving programme was cruelly treated when it refused to get into the vehicle. According to eyewitnesses animal out of fear more..

June 25 (CT) In his 2005 Election Manifesto Rajapaksa, when campaigning for the Presidency for the first time, with full support of the JVP, promised to the people to abolish the Executive Presidency (page 97 – 2005 manifesto). Then again in his 2010 manifesto, when contesting for the second term, Rajapaksa promised to take whatever measures needed to eliminate frauds, corruption and malpractices. But what he did after elected to the office was completely the opposite. more..

June 25 (FT) “This could be our last chance in bringing Mahinda Rajapaksa into the party,” stresses SLFP bigwig John Seneviratne. “There are certain avenues that have been suggested by President Sirisena. Now we need to know whether Mahinda Rajapaksa will agree to avail himself of those opportunities or whether he expects anything more than that,” said former Minister. Seneviratne, who is heading the six-member more..

June 25 (CT) Our yesterday's lead story was about the JVP taking Minister Champika Ranawaka and some of his officials to the Human Rights Commission of SL for the alleged establishment of a SL Atomic Energy Authority laboratory at Halbarawa, Thalahena, Malabe. The contention by the JVP's former WPC member Sarath Pathirana was that the lab which is alleged to be built underground is to test radiation levels of imported food, is to be located at a residential area. more..

June 25 (CT) Misbah-ul-Haq, the Pakistan captain, has said the win in the first Test in Galle has helped his side regain confidence and got rid of the nervousness they felt ahead of the series. He also said that offspinner Mohammad Hafeez, who was reported for a suspect action in the first Test, could still have a significant role to play in Colombo. "We got a lot of confidence from the first Test and we just want to carry that momentum in the second Test here," Misbah said. more..

June 25 (FT) As President Maithripala Sirisena grows more assertive in the presidency and focuses predominantly on consolidating power within the SLFP, will he continue to allow Mahinda Rajapaksa to dictate the political agenda? After a disastrous meeting at the Parliamentary Complex in early May, President Maithripala Sirisena and his predecessor Mahinda Rajapaksa had a chance encounter last week, under less official, more..

June 25 (CT) A demoralized Sri Lanka will hope spin ace Rangana Herath will rediscover his mojo as they aim to square the series, while a resurgent Pakistan looks to clinch their first Test series in Sri Lanka since 2006, when the second match starts (the 50th between the rivals) at the P. Sara Oval in Colombo today. Herath bamboozled Pakistan with 23 wickets when the two met in a two-match series last year in Sri Lanka as he engineered a 2-0 series win virtually single-handedly. more..

June 25 (wsws) Punguduthivu Island, 20 km southwest of Jaffna, was the scene of a gang rape and murder of a teenage student, Vithya Sivalohanathan, on May 13 that triggered mass protests in the war-ravaged north of Sri Lanka. The demonstrations spread to the eastern province as well. The protests reflected widespread anger over the horrific crime, as well as the unbearable social conditions and de facto military rule in the north. This repressive situation has continued since more..

June 25 (WB) World Bank Board approved a $50 million credit to improve the quality and increase equitable access to Early Childhood Development (ECD) services in SL. Early investment in human capital development is particularly effective at increasing the ability of disadvantaged children to access learning opportunities. It will also contribute to improve learning outcomes and support SL to become more..

June 25 (EN) Sri Lankan professionals say regulations are still not in place to allow liberalization of professional services but trade experts maintain these changes will come only if talks on opening up the economy are allowed to proceed. Talks on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) with India, one of Sri Lanka’s most important trading partners, have been stalled owing to resistance from professionals bodies and protectionist local businesses. more..

June 25 (DN) Tim Evans, the Regional Head of Middle Market Enterprises, Asia Pacific HSBC who oversees 19 markets including Sri Lanka, is in the country on a two day visit to meet with customers, senior management and staff of the bank. Prior to his current posting, he was the Regional Head of Global Trade & Receivables Finance for a period of 3 years covering the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) region consisting of a presence in 10 countries. more..

June 25 (CT) SL Badminton Association faces a 30 June, deadline to revise some points in the first draft of its constitution and to hold the election of new office bearers for the 2015-2016 year before the end of 30 June, in order to retain its international membership. World governing body of badminton, stressed that sports ministry should revise some points from the sport law which was imposed recently. more..

June 25 (LBO) Sri Lanka will commence the extension work of the Southern Expressway early next month. “It’ll be inaugurated by the President on 4 July 2015,” Highways Minister Kabir Hashim said. “Then within the next two weeks we’ll be calling bids to construct the Colombo–Kandy highway and also will expedite the process with regard to the Colombo–Ratnapura highway.” This will be apart from the commencement of the pending rural road development projects in the country. more..

June 25 (ST) Celco Airtel, as well as IT companies Virtusa and MillenniumIT were some of the firms recognised at the Top 20 Best Companies to Work for Sri Lankan honours for 2015, which was held recently. This June 10 event was organised by the Great Place to Work (GPTW) Institute along with the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce. The selection of these three companies, as well as the 17 others recognised locally, resulted from a survey conducted by GPTW, of 60 firms operating more..

June 25 (GDI) Politicians should not waste public money for the banners and cutouts for their election campaigns. They should spend that money for the welfare of the people instead, said President Maithripala Sirisena. He pointed out that the politicians of the former governments used the money of state organizations to promote their personalities. They spent thousand billions on that regard, the President said. more..

June 25 (DN) Plantation Association (PA) is looking at introducing a novel performance based wage scheme for the sector. This is to be discussed with the trade unions. PA Chairman, Roshan Rajadurai said that this way the workers too will get better returns for their work and also they could expect high productivity. This will help to narrow the production costs, a burning issue for the sector. He said the wages and living standards of SL plantation workers are the best in the world. more..

June 25 (CT) In the recent weeks President Sirisena has undertaken the task of consulting groups of intellectuals and captains of industry with a view to sharing their views and experience to improve Sri Lanka's economy. His pre-occupation should be seen in the context of the current status of the economy as well as the general elections due to take place in the near future. During a meeting held on Tuesday Bernard Goonetilleke, Chairman of Pathfinder Foundation (PF) handed more..

June 25 (ITN) PM Ranil Wickremasinghe has said that Sri Lanka can be transformed into the main hub of the Indian Ocean and in this context it is essential to work in a friendly manner with neighbouring countries. He said his intention is to pave the way for the people to lead a virtuous life. PM was addressing a function organized to hand over letters of appointment of BoC, People’s Bank, NSB and SL Customs. more..

June 25 (CG) TNA had talks with President Maithripala Sirisena on a political solution for the Tamils and on the land issue in the North. TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran said that the talks held today is part of a series of discussions the TNA hopes to have with the President. He said that the land issue has not been addressed in a satisfactory manner and so the issue was raised with the President. Sumanthiran said that the President had assured he will look into that and take appropriate action. more..

June 25 (DN) Over a 100 families living around Meethotamulla garbage mountain in Kolonnawa received cheques worth Rs 160.5 million from Minister Ravi Karunanayaka to move away from the garbage dump to more conducive places. He handed over cheques to 107 families in 101 Watta, at a ceremony presided by Mayor A.J.M. Muzammil. Recipients received Rs 1.5 million each. Garbage mountain in Meethotamulla has spread to a level that people can no longer live in the area. more..

June 25 (FT) Minister Ravi Karunanayake’s Cabinet Paper on the Electronic National Identity Card (ENIC) project came under fire yesterday in Parliament. Leader of the Opposition, Nimal Siripala de Silva, accused the Govt of taking the project away from the Department of Registration of Persons, which comes under the Ministry of Public Order and Christian Religious Affairs and getting ICTA, which comes under more..

June 25 (FT) The Sri Lanka-Singapore Business Council (SLSBC) of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce will be organising a trade and investment promotion mission to Singapore from 29 July-1 August. This will be the fifth such outward mission to Singapore organised by the SLSBC since 2010. The mission is planned to coincide with the IE-SBF Seminar on Business Opportunities in Sri Lanka followed by one-to one business meetings organised by the Singapore Business Federation (SBF), more..

June 25 (RW) Service provider Sri Lanka Telecom today announced a plan to deploy an islandwide Wi-Fi network to serve some 20 million people with the help of Ruckus Wireless and Alepo. Sri Lanka Telecom will use the Ruckus ZoneFlex indoor/outdoor access point managed by the company’s SmartCell Gateway. Alepo will provide the business support system and operations support system software. SLT plans to offer Wi-Fi access with single-use prepaid plans, as well as more..

June 25 (DN) If all print and electronic media institutions voluntarily stop all children's milk powder advertisements, it will be a great service to the country and the people. Unhealthy and dangerous food patterns popularized in the country by misleading and inaccurate food advertisements have made people sick, Dr. Palitha Mahipala said. Over 22% of men and 26% of women in the SL workforce are overweight more..

June 25 (GT) Saudi-based Gammon Middle East is all set to invest $1.2 billion to develop a Dubai-model Free Zone in Sri Lanka. Leading Free Zone industrial infrastructure development group Gammon has concluded preliminary agreement at a day-long discussion held between President Maithripala Sirisena and Chairman of Gammon Middle East Group Rafik Mohammed. The biggest motivation to Sri Lanka to enter the Free Zone segment came from the example set by Dubai, more..

June 25 (DM) State Minister of Defence Ruwan Wijewardene said that statements portraying danger to national security citing a recent report by the US State Department were baseless and made by persons with ulterior political motives. Issuing a statement, Wijewardene said that elements were using a report of the United States State Department as a base for such false notions. “The President, the PM and I have placed utmost diligence in ensuring and furthering national security. more..

June 25 (FT) Govt said that the Highways Ministry was in debt to many local banks to the tune of Rs. 151 billion for various projects carried out during the previous administration. Minister Kabir Hashim said from August last year Ministry had obtained loans via local banks to develop the national road network. In a bid to develop the national road network during the previous regime, Highways Ministry had more..

June 25 (DN) Former diplomat Thamara Kunanayakam did not inform the Foreign Affairs Ministry officially with regard to her allegations against Kshenuka Senaviratne. Ministry Spokesperson, Mahishini Colonne said that Kunanayakam did not deal through the Foreign Affairs Ministry but she made accusations through the media. D.H.B. Edirisinghe, a retired commissioner of the SL Accountants Service was appointed by the secretary to the ministry to more..

June 25 (CT) Director of the National STD/AIDS Control Programme, Consultant Dr. Sisira Liyanage said that during the first six months of this year 23 schoolchildren have been infected with HIV/AIDS due to having unprotected sex. During the past six months, 900,000 persons in the island have been subjected to medical tests to find out whether they were infected with the virus. There is a severe risk of the youth between the ages of 15 and 25 years contracting the virus, more..

June 25 (DN) Urban Development Minister Rauff Hakeem said in Parliament that there was a dictatorship of a small group within the Cabinet of Ministers that prevails against minor and minority parties. Participating in a debate on electoral reforms, Minister said the country was being run by a Kitchen Cabinet of close associates of the President. The small group is led by a minister aspiring to become President of this country. more..

June 25 (DM) Hundreds of millions of people in India, Sri Lanka and other countries participated in exercises and various events to mark the first International Yoga Day on Sunday June 21 which significantly happened to be the longest day of the year. On June 5 we marked World Environment Day with the theme this year focusing on food cultivation, production and processing. The UN Environment Programme pointed out that among other factors, the diet and lifestyles of more..

June 25 (DM) Kudu Karayos and Kudu Viyaparayos have been the popular phrases used by politicians during the past few months. The question is are these utterances merely for public consumption or is there a genuine desire on the part of the politicians and the law enforcement agencies to eradicate the ever-increasing drug abuse and drug trafficking in our country? Demand and supply The number of detections of large quantities of Heroin, whilst being smuggled into this country, more..

June 25 (SL) In a digital era, it is unavoidable children using various digital platforms to communicate and share information. However, the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) has identified a growing threat of cyber bullying, harassment and extorting targeting children and young adults. To combat this threat, the NCPA recently appointed a Task Force that comprises members from the NCPA, AG’s Department, more..

June 25 (DM) We have stopped all the unsolicited Bills. Ad hoc policy implementations no longer exists under new administration. We will also consider open, transparent bidding to give everyone a chance. Last year, tax revenue was Rs.1050 billion. Debt repayment was Rs.1076 billion. Obviously, there is no funds left. If someone claims that they gave us an overflowing treasury, must get his brain examined. more..