Aug 9 (PSL) A ceremony, organized by the Buddhist TV and radio channels, was held under the patronage of President Sirisena to illuminate the premises of historical Gal Viharaya in Polonnaruwa on Aug 6. Many meritorious ceremonies were held at Solosmasthana in this regard. President stressed the importance of making Sri Lanka a centre to spread the message of Theravada Buddhism to the world. more..

Aug 9 (CT) Minister Harin Fernando told reporters yesterday that the non digitization of the country's revenue authority resulted in revenue leakages amounting to US$ 2 million daily. Speaking in the backdrop of Sri Lanka's first ever broadband forum, which took place at a leading Colombo hotel, he said, "So far we have not come across any problems, relating to digitization, from the staff of revenue authorities." more..

Aug 9 (PMD) President Sirisena said he is determined to call for regional cooperation for prevention of drugs and narcotics smuggling as the drug menace is harming the youths of our region. He added that he would call for such cooperation at the next Summit of the SAARC. President said this while speaking with Air Chief Marshal Sohail Aman, Pakistani Air Force Commander, who called on him at the official residence in Colombo today. more..

Aug 9 (Island) The National Zoological Gardens, elephant orphanages, animal quarantine units of the airports and the ports will be affected by a two-day sick note campaign to be launched by the govt veterinary surgeons starting today. "There will be no one to look after the animals all over the country on August 09 and 10 as all our members will withdraw from all our duties in protest against the govt’s callous disregard for our problems," more..

Aug 9 (Island) The Govt Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) has planned a major agitation campaign against the govt move to finalise the Economic and Technological Cooperation Agreement (ETCA) with India despite pledges made by President Maithripala Sirisena and Minister of Int'l Trade Malik Samarawickrama to formulate a national policy on international trade agreements prior to signing the controversial agreement. more..

Aug 9 (CT) One may agree that only on paper SL is a representative democracy, which recognizes the constitutional supremacy and the sovereignty in the people. Sovereignty of the people is the foundation of democracy as expressed in the Constitution. Supreme law, the Constitution, protects people’s sovereignty and states that the sovereignty in the people cannot be denied or taken away unless people themselves give a mandate relinquishing their own democratic rights. more..

Aug 9 (CT) Recent reports of the increased Samurdhi benefits applicants have raised several concerns among the public. Whether this means that the country's poverty level has risen or not is at the top of the list of concerns for many individuals. According to the reports, a staggering 2.5 million individuals have applied to receive Samurdhi benefits. That is an additional 1.4 million individuals who had submitted new applications apart from the existing 1.4 million families that receive more..

Aug 9 (Island) The govt is planning to initiate a new project to remove all man-made constructions from elephant corridors to solve the human-elephant conflict, Deputy Minister Sumedha G Jayasena said. Addressing a seminar at Moneragala recently to discuss measures being taken to mitigate losses caused by human-elephant conflict, the deputy minister said that the country had around 70 elephant corridors and 95 percent of them were now blocked by constructions. more..

Aug 9 (EN) Sri Lanka will host the second Colombo International Maritime conference 2016 in September where opportunities provided from the Make in India initiative will be in focus. "The Make in India initiative will open up many opportunities in the shipping sector,” a statement from the organisers said. "The emerging situation will demand huge requirement of dredgers and harbour crafts to improve infrastructure in India alone." Apart from this, the experts say, more..

Aug 9 (LBO) Sri Lanka’s exports fell 12% to US$ 776.3 million in May 2016, while imports rose 0.3% to US$ 1,589.8 million from a year earlier. The trade gap has widened 15.7% to US$ 813.5 million from a year earlier. The subdued performance in tea exports, rubber products and textiles and garments contributed mainly to the overall decline in export earnings. Average export price of tea has decreased by 5.3% to more..

Aug 9 (SLN) Naval personnel attached to SLNS Vijayaba located in Nilaweli in Eastern Naval Command apprehended 10 local fishermen who engaged in illegal fishing activities using Monofilament Nets in the seas off Irankeini yesterday. Along with the suspects 2 dinghies, a diving mask, a pairs of diving fin, 2 Oxygen cylinders and an unauthorized fishing net were also taken into naval custody. The apprehended persons and items handed to Trinco Fisheries Inspector for more..

Aug 9 (DM) Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) had filed action in the Vavuniya Magistrate’s Court against former LTTE spokesman Velayutham Dayanidhi alias Daya Master, under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). Daya Master told the media that he received the summons to appear in court tomorrow. Daya Master and LTTE’s interpreter George Master had been found not guilty in the respective cases filed against them and acquitted in a previous case filed under the PTA. more..

Aug 9 (DM) A 14-year-old schoolgirl in Haputale was reported to have been raped by a bus driver recently. When the complaint was lodged at Haputale Police Station, female police constable who was an IP, beat and terrified the girl. The statement was recorded in Sinhala although the victim was not fluent in the language. As a result the initial police statement differed from the victim’s plight and primary suspect was not arrested. more..

Aug 9 (CTK) A Sri Lankan man who probably experienced torture at home due to his Hindu religion arrived in Prague late last year to seek asylum and dignified life, but he ended in a Czech prison instead, sentenced for abusing other person's passport, daily Hospodarske noviny reported. The man, 28-year-old V.M., whose name the reporters know but respect his request for anonymity, is a Tamil who faced the govt troops' violence in Sri Lanka, the daily writes. more..

Aug 9 (ABC) A Sri Lankan-born doctor who bludgeoned her sleeping husband to death with a mallet in Geraldton after years of abuse will not apply for parole because she fears being taken into immigration detention. Chamari Liyanage, 36, is serving a four-year prison term in Greenough Prison after being convicted of the manslaughter of fellow doctor Dinendra Athukorala at their home in June 2014. She was acquitted of the more serious charge of murder. more..

Aug 9 (DM) Supreme Court said that the due constitutional procedure and the parliamentary Standing Orders had not been followed when presenting the VAT (Amendment) Bill and as such the entire process had been nullified. SC announcement was communicated to Parliament by Speaker. The Court said a determination on the constitutionality of the bill could not be made on the grounds of the challenge raised by the petitioners one of more..

Aug 9 (USE) Let me welcome all of the senior govt officials, private sector representatives, ladies and gentlemen. On behalf of the Government and the people of United States, I want to welcome all of you to the National Trade Portal and Single Window Best Practices Forum. I particularly want to thank Minister of Finance Ravi Karunanayake for joining us, recognizing his efforts and that of his Ministry in launching the Single Window platform in Sri Lanka in January. more..

Aug 9 (DM) Former Embilipitiya ASP D.W.C Dharmarathna would be reinstated into the Police Service following the approval of the National Police Commission on Aug 4. Dharmarathna was arrested in connection with the death of a 29-year-man in Embilipitiya in February. NPC Secretary Ariyadasa Corey said the Commission met on Thursday and approved to reinstate ASP Dharmarathna in the service as a response to a recommendation received by the Commission from the IGP. more..

Aug 9 (AD) Minister of Health is not obliged to obey GMOA all the time, says Minister S.B. Dissanayake. He also stressed that approval should be given for the students of SAITM to become doctors. He said that SAITM, is better that the medical faculties of Rajarata, Batticaloa and Jaffna universities in every way. He said that facilities-wise only uni of Colombo, Peradeniya, Kelaniya and J'pura are equal or better than more..

Aug 9 (Reuters) Shares closed almost steady on Tuesday, with investor sentiment boosted by foreign investor buying, while markets waited for some firm direction on govt's economic policies. Colombo stock index ended 0.05%, or 3.18 points, firmer at 6,510.11, hovering near a more than seven-week high hit on Friday. Foreign investors, who have sold a net 3.56 billion rupees in shares so far this year, bought shares worth a net 252 million rupees on Tuesday, extending the net foreign inflow more..

Aug 9 (DM) The Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) today informed court that based on a complaint from the Former IGP, it had initiated an inquiry against Motor Traffic Commissioner General for allegedly acquiring public funds abusing his position and for fraudulent activities at the Motor Traffic Department. The complaint had been lodged with the FCID on Dec 4, 2015 based on a news article published on a website, which had reported anonymously. more..

Aug 9 (PMD) President Sirisena emphasized that academics and intellectuals should come forward to solve the problems and issues before the country for the sake of the future generations. He made these remarks addressing the Alumni Awards Ceremony of University of Sri J'pura. President recalled the statement made by the American humanitarian leader, Martin Luther King that the main obstacle to progress of more..

Aug 9 (Variety) Suba Sivakumaran’s has been presenting her debut project The House of My Fathers, at the 69th Locarno Open Doors showcase, devoted this year to national cinemas from South Asia region. A fantasy fable, in House, two tiny villages – one Tamil, one Sinhala – have been locked in a feud since time immemorial. Women cannot conceive anymore. But the Tamil and Sinhala people receive a message from the gods offering a slimmer of hope: a man from more..

Aug 9 (DN) Foreign Ministry informed the Colombo Fort Magistrate that they were unable to serve notice on the former SL Ambassador to Russia, as he was not at his expected residence in Ukraine. FCID had previously sought to serve notice on Weeratunga at his residence in Thalapitiya, but were informed he no longer resided there. FCID had attempted to issue notice to Weeratunga via email but Colombo Fort Magistrate struck the process down, citing failure to follow proper procedure. more..

Aug 9 (AD) A court order has been issued to investigate into the misplacement of several documents of the controversial 2006 MIG aircraft deal. The order issued when the case was taken up for hearing before Fort Magistrate Lanka Jayarathna this afternoon. The FCID investigating the matter apprised the court that several documents of the controversial deal are missing, thus an investigation need to be carried out. more..

Aug 9 (LBO) Sri Lanka’s Parliamentary Committee on Public Enterprises has presented its summarized interim report for the first 3 months of this year in Parliament on Tuesday. Chairman of COPE, MP Sunil Handunnetti said the report contains progress of 19 Public Enterprises and covers the period of January 26 to April 08 this year. “We present this summarized version today because we wanted to present the report in a timely manner,” Handunnetti told Parliament. more..

Aug 9 (Island) Protests by irate villagers against five large piggeries at Malwathu Hiripitiya in Gampaha are about to spill over onto the streets. Residents of the villages of Eastern and Western Ooruvala, Buthpitiya South and Atikehelgalla complain that five hog lots in the area have become a health hazard while the authorities responsible look the other way and they had no option but to resort to an agitation campaign. "A paddy field in the area had to be abandoned due to waste discharged by more..

Aug 9 (DN) Provincial Councils and Local Govt Minister Faiszer Musthapha instructed the Chief Medical Officer of Health Colombo, Dr. Ruwan Wijayamuni to develop infrastructure facilities immediately in Borella and Madampitiya Cemeteries. Minister Musthapha expressed these views at a field inspection tour to Borella and Madampitiya cemeteries recently. Ministry of Provincial Councils and Local Govt officers more..

Aug 9 (CG) Nepal is investigating if more migrants are hiding illegally in Sri Lanka. At least 79 migrant workers were rescued by Nepali authorities over the past few weeks, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) in Nepal. As many as 19 Nepali nationals were rescued from Sri Lanka and more than 60 migrant workers were rescued from Bangladesh, according to Bharat Raj Paudyal, spokesperson at MoFA. All aspirant migrant workers rescued from Sri Lanka were female, more..

Aug 9 (BBC) An Israeli woman and a baby who returned from Sri Lanka have been kept at Tel Aviv airport since Saturday amid questions over the child's origins. Galit Nakash is to take a DNA test to determine if the girl is her biological daughter, following a court hearing. If the results are negative, authorities say they will return the child to SL straight away. Ms Nakash was stopped when airport officials found she had used another child's passport to leave Sri Lanka. more..

Aug 9 (APP) Pakistan Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Sohail Aman has said Pakistan and Sri Lanka are historically bonded in a relationship of trust, mutual respect and deep friendship which is reflected in the strong multifaceted relationship between the two countries. He said the two brotherly countries had an excellent record of defence sector cooperation. He was talking to President Sirisena during a call-on at latter’s official residence more..

Aug 10 (DM) Sri Lanka has been recognized as a country with a high literacy rate. These statistics however do not reveal the factual situation. Reduced govt spending, absence of national educational policy, inefficiency and politicization have contributed largely to the destruction of an excellent human capital development system – the Free Education Scheme, which was called the Pearl of Great Price. In 2001, 6.19% of children in the age group of 5 - 14 had not attended school. more..

Aug 10 (FT) Daily FT on 5 Aug 2016 reported that the GMOA would not settle for any compromise and was pressing for a total takeover of SAITM and its hospital by the Govt. It is unclear whether the GMOA wants SAITM as an institute to be taken over by the Govt or its medical faculty only. Many claims by the GMOA are very questionable since much of its leadership lacks credibility and integrity. The Daily FT quoted GMOA Co-secretary Dr. Haritha Aluthge as saying, “SAITM Chairman Dr. Neville more..

Aug 10 (SO) Their colours are as dazzling as their claims. Make a bee line to your nearest supermarket or favourite kade down your lane and you will find them prominently displayed on the shelves or front counters. Packed in different forms, colours and sizes, sold at different prices, there is no question that the market for fruit drinks whether artificial or natural is growing by the minute. All thirsty adults and children nowadays never fail to pluck them off their more..

Aug 10 (CT) "And the same derealization of the horror went after the World Trade Centre (WTC) collapse: while the number of victims – 3,000 – is repeated all the time, it is surprising how little of the actual carnage we see - no dismembered bodies, no blood, no desperate faces of dying people in clear contrast to reporting on Third World catastrophes, where the whole point is to produce a scoop of some gruesome detail: Somalis dying of hunger, raped Bosnian women, men with their throats cut. more..

Aug 10 (CT) We live in a country where the govt is expected to provide education and health free to the people. The country needs to produce competent professionals to provide such free services without any interruption. Is our education system capable of producing the required number of professionals? Do we need private institutions to shoulder the burden? This has been a much debated topic for many years. State universities alone produce about 1,200 medical graduates every year. more..

Aug 10 (SL) NPC member Sivakkolunthu Agilathas claims that Northern people are not in the least interested in protests and demonstrations to topple the govt. He further said the new good governance regime have not been given the space to make a difference in the country. He said that reconciliation should be a two-way street. He went on saying that although he was a Tamil from the North, he was saddened to see Tamil people more..

Aug 10 (DN) In a strong hitting statement recently, PM Ranil Wickremesinghe criticised the country’s certain media for adopting a two-faced approach when reporting on certain incidents in the country. He requested them to take a proper stand without hiding the truth. His sentiments are nothing new. 16 years ago, President Kumaratunga speaking on media freedom said: “What we lack very much today are media persons with a backbone who can stand up what is right and wrong more..

Aug 10 (DN) Elections Commission of Sri Lanka (ECSL) estimates that every year 2.5 to 3 million citizens become eligible to vote. Unfortunately however, only a small percentage of these youth voters actually show up to vote on Election Day. This week as we celebrate International Youth Day on August 12, the ECSL along with the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) will aim to tackle the serious challenge of getting more youths to actively take an interest in political affairs more..