Sep 26 (ST) National Zoological Gardens director P.M Anura de Silva yesterday called on authorities not to use the zoo as its hospital or Pinnawala as a dumping place for animals smuggled and detected at the Customs. “A zoo plays an important role. We exhibit animals that are good specimens to educate the public as well as carry out research to breed animals that are under threat. We do not run a refugee camp,” he noted. He said the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) and more..

Sep 26 (DN) Work on a new medical complex named Razaavi Medical Complex is being carried out on a land adjoining the Maharagama National Cancer Institute at a cost of Rs. 1,450 million. The sources said funds will be provided by Ahmad Tea Limited, London and the Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine Ministry for the project which commenced on February 7, 2013. The complex includes 373 beds, five operating theatres, a surgical ICU with 12 beds, a medical ICU, more..

Sep 26 (Island) Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne said that he had urged the UN to include the eradication of renal disease and dengue and the need for universal immunisation among its development goals for Health. Quoting the Health Minister, a Spokesman who was present at the laying of corner stones for several hospital development projects in the Kalutara District early this week, said that the UN had fixed a new set of development goals for the next few years from January 2016. more..

Sep 26 (CT) Indian PM Narendra Modi has met Daham Sirisena at UN Headquarters in New York last night. President Sirisena participated in the 70th Session of the UN General Assembly in New York, accompanied by his son Daham Sirisena who has no official status whatsoever in the Sri Lankan delegation. When President Sirisena left for New York and when he arrived in NY Presidential Media portrayed more..

Sep 26 (Island) The Intel® Compute Stick, a new pocket-sized computer based on a quad-core Intel® Atom™ processor is now available in Sri Lanka for local users. The Intel Compute Stick can transform any HDMI display such as TV in the house into an entry computer capable of working with productivity apps, playing local or streamed content, driving basic digital signage or enabling thin clients. The Compute Stick comes as two versions. The Windows version (STCK1A32WFC) which more..

Sep 26 (CT) The MP from Kurunegala, Mahinda Rajapaksa, recently released a statement explaining his position on the recently released UN investigation into allegations of human rights abuses and crimes that occurred during and after the war in Sri Lanka. His statement contained five major factual inaccuracies. 1. “The investigation on Sri Lanka was not carried out by an independent Commission of Inquiry but for the very first time, by the OHCHR.” This was not the first time more..

Sep 26 (DM) The two suspects including the 17-year-old schoolboy who were arrested on suspicion in connection with the rape and murder of Seya Sadevmi were remanded to produce them before the Judicial Medical Officer (JMO) and get the DNA test done. Western Province senior DIG Pujitha Jayasundera said this in response to a question why they were remanded without being questioned in police custody. more..

Sep 26 (CG) UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has noted India’s influential role in Sri Lanka, during talks he had with Indian PM Narendra Modi. Ban and Modi met in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly which began yesterday. UN said that the UN Chief underlined India’s influential role in supporting the democratic transitions in both Nepal and Sri Lanka. They also focused their discussion on the importance of implementing the Sustainable Development Goals, more..

Sep 26 (Island) A total super lunar eclipse known as blood moon would occur on Monday commencing from 5.42 am, Prof. Chandana Jayaratne of the Colombo University said. He said only the first part of the eclipse would be visible to Sri Lanka in the western horizon as a penumbral lunar eclipse from 5.42 a.m. till the sun rises. It would be the last of the four eclipses of the year and it would end at 10.52 am when the moon dipped below the western horizon in Sri Lanka, he added. more..

Sep 26 (NT) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe has promised a long-term solution for problems faced by Tamil fishermen, said Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu. Venkaiah said, 'During a meeting with the Lankan PM Ranil Wickaramsinghae, I requested him to find a permanent solution for the problems faced by Tamil fishermen. He has promised that he will look into the issue once the Sri Lankan Parliament settles down.' more..

Sep 26 (Island) Recognising its continued efforts toward humanitarian causes, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) has invited the Capital Maharaja Organisation Limited (TCMOL) to be represented at the World Humanitarian Summit’s Global Consultation in Geneva, Switzerland in October 2015, according to a statement issued by the Maharaja Group. TCMOL, which was also represented at the recent UN regional consultations held in Tajikistan, more..

Sep 26 (DM) A 50-year-old man was arrested by the police today in connection with the killing of a 10-year-old boy in Athurugiriya on Friday. Police said the suspect is a resident of Kothalawala in Kaduwela and had been working in a quarry at the time of the arrest. The 10-year-old schoolboy was reportedly hacked to death and his body was recovered from an abandoned house in the area. Police said the victim was a grade-five student at Panagoda Sri Parakrama Vidyalaya and more..

Sep 26 (CT) Elections Commissioner, Mahinda Deshappriya, said the interest that youth of the North and the East had some time back to participate in elections has once again waned. He pointed out that at present they are disgusted with the entire procedure. Mahinda Deshapriya made this comment while participating at a meeting held in Colombo to prepare strategic plans of PAFFREL for the next five years. more..

Sep 26 (LT) Edward Rienzi has recently bought more than 30 businesses in Sri Lanka. He is a powerful agent of Rajapaksa project that converts black money into white. It is reported that FCID has launched investigations into this person’s moves. Officers of FCID took statements from the person on the 23rd and had asked him to come to the FCID today (25) for further investigation. However, he failed to appear at the FCID for the statement and later it was found out that more..

Sep 26 (LR) Dheepan star Antonythasan Jesuthasan says Sri Lanka’s majority Sinhalese population holds the keys to uplift minorities to equal status. He says such moves will help heal a country which he once fled, and hopes to return someday. French director Jacques Audiard’s film Dheepan won the Palme d’Or considered the highest prize at the Cannes festival, had its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). The film follows Tamil refugees who more..

Sep 26 (CT) Commissioner General of Prisons, Rohana Kumara has informed the IGP and DIG in charge of CID to send him a written list of names of the 45 prison officers whom the CID had revealed had accepted money from Wele Suda according to the eZ-Cash system. Samantha Kumara alias Wele Suda is considered to be a large scale drug dealer. Rohana Kumara said that he had informed the Secretary to more..

Sep 26 (GDI) The vision of Prime Minister S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike led to end the shackles of feudalism and begin a new culture with a futuristic vision, President Maithripala Sirisena said. The President in a message to mark the 56th death anniversary of Prime Minister S.W.R.D Bandaranaike who left an indelible imprint in the political history of the country, said the 1956th renaissance paved the way for the down trodden to reach the top rung of administration. more..

Sep 26 (CG) MEP says it is disappointed over the actions of Speaker Karu Jayasuriya in Parliament. MEP leader Dinesh Gunawardena said that Speaker has so far failed to ensure discipline is maintained in the House. He said that Speaker has turned a deaf ear to the unparliamentarily language used in Parliament, particularly by PM Ranil Wickremesinghe. The opposition MP noted that former Speakers had often taken measures to protect the culture of Parliament. more..

Sep 26 (GDI) A Child Ordinance would be formulated in Sri Lanka to provide guidelines on handling incidents involving children, said Minister Chandrani Bandara. She said that it would provide guidelines as to how the authorities would act on incidents such as the arrest of the school boy in connection with the Seya Sadewmi murder. She also said Police and media had to act responsibly when publishing and reporting on stories on more..

Sep 26 (CT) Political sources have reported that there is a problem as to whether approval for implementing the death penalty will be meted or not, by Parliament. The main reason is that there are Members of Parliament who do not like the death penalty, nor the implementation of it. Only the Executive President's approval is required according to the law to implement the death penalty. However, President Maithripala Sirisena had decided to obtain parliamentary approval. more..

Sep 26 (CT) A special team of CID officers have been sent to places where the chief suspect in the murder of Seya Sadewmi, who is in the custody of the CID and is being questioned, in order to uncover hidden past information on where he is said to have been seen. The chief suspect who is being questioned while being detained in CID custody regarding the girl's murder, had secretly inquired about instances when the child was alone in the house, prior to abducting her, more..

Sep 26 (CG) Global Tamil Forum (GTF) cautiously welcomes the draft resolution on Sri Lanka tabled at the UNHRC, which Sri Lanka is widely expected to co-sponsor. GTF said the text is a product of a consensus endorsement including Govt of Sri Lanka, and reflects the sometimes competing interests of a wide range of stakeholders. GTF has consistently called for an international accountability mechanism, more..

Sep 27 (SO) Your chances of a healthy life are improving by the day, thanks not so much to a vast number of high class hospitals, as to a strict compliance with WHO. Our public health system – even with its meagre resources – has successfully complied with many basic health standards that United Nations member states are legally obliged to meet under numerous protocols and institutional arrangements established by the World Health Organisation (WHO). more..

Sep 27 (SL) The tragic death of five year old Seya has led to frenzied calls for the implementation of the death penalty in Sri Lanka. President Maithripala Sirisena himself weighed in on the question last week when he announced that he will place the question of the death penalty before Parliament. Social media has gone viral with online petitions and calls for the immediate restoration of executions, assuming that is the panacea for crime. One online petition subscribed to by more..

Sep 27 (SO) The Sri Lankan forces should not be penalised for liberating thousands of people from the grip of the LTTE. War crimes allegations should have been investigated soon after 2009 to prevent white nations waging a witch-hunt, said famed legal luminary Gomin Dayasri adding "This is where the former govt missed the bus". He said, "The litmus test for the govt is the wording in US backed resolution UNHRC." more..

Sep 27 (Island) Some supporters of the present regime are fond of saying that former President Mahinda Rajapaksa was routed at the presidential election in January this year. If we may borrow from Winston Churchill, that is a terminological inexactitude. While Rajapaksa was unexpectedly defeated, that was fortuitously possible because various political and civil society forces got together to make that happen after the former president had capriciously amended the constitution to more..

Sep 27 (CT) Yesterday this newspaper reported that DLF, Vasudeva Nanayakkara, had said that he will complain to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) at Geneva, of the allegedly dictatorial attitude of Premier Ranil Wickremesinghe in Parliament. Nanayakkara first entered Parliament 40 years ago in 1970, representing the LSSP as its Kiriella candidate. LSSP was a coalition partner of the then SLFP-led United Front which swept the general election held that year. more..

Sep 27 (SL) Minister Gayantha Karunatilleka says that since the Tamil parties have agreed to a local mechanism, no one should be allowed to create unnecessary racial issues. He said that there still are many including certain media, who are trying to stir up tensions by propagating various theories. He said that even the UNHRC has agreed to a local mechanism and there is no need for anyone to worry about this more..

Sep 27 (ST) The Americans eventually get it right – after they have exhausted all other alternatives, said Winston Churchill. The British wartime Premier was disappointed that the US did not take part in the early years of World War II. When they finally entered the fray and saw to the war’s conclusion, he would famously acknowledge that the US — eventually got it right. Today, we see the US strenuously trying to get it right vis-a-vis SL. Having publicly announced only a few weeks ago more..

Sep 27 (ST) My dear Mangala, I thought I must write to you even though you are a busy man these days, shuttling between Colombo, Geneva and New York, trying to negotiate a solution to our problems in Geneva where some people are trying to punish us for defeating the Tigers and ending the war six years ago. I would agree that it has been slightly different this year at Geneva because normally it is that time of the year when ministers like Mahinda Sam and GL start fighting with each other trying to more..

Sep 27 (SL) Minister Champika Ranawaka is of the view that we do not need an international mechanism to deal with crimes alleged to have taken place during the war. He says our Constitution does not allow for an international mechanism. Hence, to resolve these issues, “we need to go for a local mechanism in accordance with our Constitution and look at the issue as the LTTE being the aggressor and armed forces the defenders.” more..

Sep 27 (ST) The opposition within the Opposition got off to a fighting start in Parliament this week, staging a walkout in protest at the manner in which the Govt introduced several finance regulations, prompting PM Ranil Wickremesinghe to declare, “what we have in the country today is a dictatorial Opposition and democratic govt.” It was a sure sign that the theatrical politics that dominated the previous Parliament is likely to continue in the new Legislature too, with added confusion more..

Sep 27 (SL) In the past year, the SL people have twice voted to put Sri Lanka on the path to peace and turned their country away from a divisive approach that for too long sapped Sri Lanka’s strength.” – US Secretary of State John Kerry Confusion initially emerged among govt ranks over the recently proposed US resolution at the UNHRC. Previously, Minister Mangala Samaraweera, had expressed govt’s satisfaction at the OHCHR report, stating that it could have been much worse. more..

Sep 27 (SL) Chairman National Trade Union Center (NTUC) K.D. Lalkantha while hailing the govt’s present stand on having an internal inquiry to probe into the alleged war crimes, accuses the former President Rajapaksa of not taking any action for ethnic reconciliation and not finding solutions for the people living in war torn areas. He says SL had an internal conflict with Tamil terrorists but not a war against another country. more..

Sep 27 (SO) A few months after evading the summons issued by the Bribery Commission by an engineered sleep over protest tamasha in the country’s legislature, former President Rajapaksa had to deal with a similar situation again last week. He was informed by the Presidential Commission of Inquiry to investigate and inquire on Serious Acts of Fraud, Corruption and Abuse of Power, State Resources and Privileges (PRECIPAC) that it needed to record a statement from him. more..

Sep 27 (Island) The govt should take great care with the American sponsored draft resolution that was tabled before the UNHRC on Thursday especially because they have decided to make it a consensus resolution. Dayan Jayatilleke recently said that his father Mervyn de Silva – a notable expert in international affairs - regarded consensus resolutions as a case where if an enemy wants to pass a resolution against you saying that you are a no-good scumbag, you tell the enemy, more..

Sep 27 (ST) Chairman of selectors, Sri Lanka Cricket Kapila Wijegunawardene feels that they could finalise during the next few days the combination to take on the visiting West Indian cricketers. So far the only drawback has been the inclement weather that they have been experiencing during the past few days. According to Wijegunawardene this has hampered their plans to have some practice games ahead of the squad being finalised. more..

Sep 27 (ST) Sri Lanka Table Tennis team left for Thailand in the early hours on Friday to take part in the 22nd Asian Table Tennis Championship which commenced yesterday and will end on October 3, 2015. An experienced squad of six players consisting of three men and three women players will no doubt be planning to give the strong counterparts tough competition. The men’s team is led by former national champion and Sri Lanka’s No.1 ranked player Nirmala Jayasinghe while more..

Sep 27 (CT) Once again Sri Lanka made costly mistakes as defending champions Hong Kong finished on top in Group B in their first round matches of the second leg of the Asian Sevens Series worked off here at the SCG Stadium, Nonthaburi, Thailand yesterday. In their last group match Hong Kong defeated Sri Lanka by 33 (five tries, four converted) points to 14 (two converted tries). Hong Kong intercepted the SL ball 3 times, much to the disappointment of the team. more..