Aug 18 (CI) SL captain Angelo Mathews has said Kusal Mendis' 176 in Pallekele was the performance upon which the series against Australia pivoted. Mendis had come to the crease with Sri Lanka still 80 runs behind, and already two second-innings wickets down. But his faultless innings spurred a middle-order resurgence, and Sri Lanka posted a score of 353, on a quickly wearing track. Australia fell well short of the target of 268. more..

Aug 18 (TOI) When singer and music composer Srinivas went to Jaffna in Sri Lanka, he met a nadaswaram vidwan and was mesmerised by his music. That is when he thought of composing Adadadada Kadhaippoma, a single that also doubles up as an ode to Sri Lankan Tamils. "When you go to a place like Jaffna, you automatically feel a Tamil connect there. And the experience just gets enriched when you meet a talented nadaswaram player like KP Kumaran. more..

Aug 18 (TG) Mahela Jayawardene hit his 21st one-day century as Somerset cruised into the Royal London One-Day Cup semi-finals with a crushing nine-wicket victory against Worcestershire at Taunton. The visitors were bowled out for 210 with only Moeen Ali (81) and Daryl Mitchell (64) making any impression. Both fell to Peter Trego (three for 33) and there were two wickets apiece for Craig Overton and Josh Davey. Under no pressure to score quickly, Jayawadene (117 not out) and more..

Aug 18 (EN) Sri Lanka is planning to boost renewable energy to 70% of total by 2030 from the current 50%, building 3000 MW of solar power capacity in the country, Minister Gayantha Karunathilake said. The cabinet has approved a proposal to given incentives to smaller power users as part of the plan. Total renewable power which is already high at 50%, will be boosted to 60% by 2020, 70% by 2030, under a cabinet proposal more..

Aug 18 (IANS) Australian legend Allan Border has hit out at his country’s cricket team saying that finding a solution to the side’s woes on the subcontinent is the million-dollar question after they suffered a 3-0 whitewash in the Test series against SL. Australia’s 163-run loss in the third Test, which consigned them to a 3-0 series defeat and the loss of their No.1 Test ranking, meant they’ve now won just one of their past 18 Test matches in Asia, stretching back almost eight years. more..

Aug 18 (Island) Sri Lanka Insurance (SLIC) reported on Tuesday that it had resounding success during 2015 with growth in almost all areas of business. Growth for the year was at 18.65%, a significant improvement over 2014. Total revenue grew to Rs. 31 billion in 2015 from Rs. 29 billion in the previous year. Meanwhile, Gross Written Premium (GWP) increased to Rs. 24.5 billion from Rs. 20.6 billion while Net Earned Premium increased to Rs. 20 billion from Rs. 17.8 billion the previous year. more..

Aug 18 (Island) Combined Trade Union Alliance of Auditor General’s Department alleged that an attempt was being made to change even the amended National Audit Bill much to the disappointment of the department and to the detriment of the national interest. Deputy Auditor General and Convenor of the trade union grouping A.H.M.L. Ambanwela said that the amended Bill had been sent to senior prime ministerial adviser more..

Aug 18 (DN) The first quarter financial results of FY2016/17 reflected mixed fortunes for Softlogic Holdings PLC. The floods and landslides that affected Sri Lanka in May, had taken its toll on some parts of the economy dampening the business sentiment further. Healthcare Services reported a top line of Rs. 2.4 Bn, a 4.6% increase, during 1QFY17 with sector’s operating profit reaching Rs. 428.3 Mn, down by 14.1% to conclude quarterly PAT at Rs. 296.0. more..

Aug 18 (Island) Left-arm spinner Rangana Herath, who finished with a rich haul of 28 wickets in the Test series against Australia, says that he was humbled by coach Graham Ford’s praise. Herath, who hurt his groin while batting during Sri Lanka’s first innings in the third Test, went onto take 13 wickets in the game and was named Man of the Match and Man of the Series. Speaking after stumps on day three, Ford paid a rich tribute to Herath when he said. "I can’t say enough about the bloke. more..

Aug 18 (AFP) UN's cultural agency expressed concern over the poor maintenance of a centuries-old cave temple in SL, which risks being struck off the list of world heritage sites. UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova said she raised the maintenance issue at the Golden Temple of Dambulla with local authorities. SL govt is bound by int'l treaty obligations to protect the cave monastery which is home to 2,000-year-old murals and more..

Aug 18 (Island) Speaker Karu Jayasuriya, has granted Combined Trade Union Alliance of Auditor General’s Department an opportunity to discuss the delay in enacting the National Audit Bill. Convenor of the trade union grouping and Deputy Auditor General A.H.M.L. Ambanwela said that they really appreciated the opportunity to explain the situation to the Speaker. The meeting is scheduled to take place on Aug 23. Ambanwela sustained severe damage to his eyes in an acid attack more..

Aug 18 (CT) Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa has expressed his willingness to attend the 65th Convention of SLFP which is scheduled to be held in Kurunegala on 4 Sept. He has said that he was hoping to attend the Party Convention when the official invitation to the 65th Convention was handed over to him on Tuesday. SLFP senior Deputy Chairman and Minister W.D.J. Seneviratne said he went to Rajapaksa's Mirihana residence Tuesday to personally hand over the invitation to him. more..

Aug 18 (CT) Northern Provincial Council (NPC) Tuesday adopted a motion to go ahead with an inquiry into accusations against NPC Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran, who also holds several ministerial portfolios in the Council. NPC's UPFA Member V. Jayatilleke said a motion was submitted seeking authorization for a special investigation into accusations made against Ministers of NPC by a committee comprising more..

Aug 18 (CT) Minister Rajitha Senaratne claimed that there was no need to bring in international experts to identify the cause of death relating to several former LTTE cadres in the Northern Province who had died recently, shortly after release from incarceration. He made this statement in response to a proposal made by CM C.V. Wigneswaran's mooting invitations to int'l medical experts to inquire into the allegedly suspicious deaths of several former LTTE cadres due to an unknown disease. more..

Aug 18 (DN) Legal action will be taken against 338 mosquito breeders in the Western Province following detections by 1,393 teams deployed in the Western Province during the intensive mosquito control programme which ended several days ago. According to the sources, the teams detected 661 premises with mosquito larvae and issued notices on owners of 2,389 premises which had possible mosquito breeding grounds. The teams inspected 72,173 premises under the programme. more..

Aug 18 (DN) With the SLFP Convention to be held in Kurunegala on Sept 4, President Sirisena appointed 40 new Electoral and District Organisers removing 13 SLFP rebels from their posts of electoral organisers in 10 districts. President had informed the JO members that they would lose their organiser posts unless they support the party activities in future, at a meeting between President and them on July 25. more..

Aug 18 (DM) Joint Opposition MPs Keheliya Rambukwella and C.B. Ratnayake, who were removed from their posts as SLFP organisers, said they did not regret being ousted from their posts. MP Rambukwella said he was very happy about being removed as the SLFP organiser of the Kundasale Electorate and added that it should have been done earlier. He said people were not ready to accept the organisers appointed by SLFP Chairman and President Maithripala Sirisena. more..

Aug 18 (Island) A meeting was held between Chairperson of Office for National Unity and Reconciliation (ONUR), former President Chandrika Kumaratunga and former Japanese PM Yasuo Fukuda, who is currently visiting SL. Following is the text of a statement issued by Kumaratunga’s office: The strong bond and friendship between Sri Lanka and Japan was reiterated in the discussion. Mrs Kumaratunga spoke about the commitment of the govt towards national unity and reconciliation more..

Aug 18 (DM) Two weeks after the decision by National Police Commission to appoint SDIG M.R Latheef as the Commandant of STF, moves are afoot at a very high level to override the recommendation. SDIG M.R. Latheef was appointed as the head of STF upon recommendation by the IGP Pujith Jayasundera on Aug 4. Latheef, who was a member of the 1st batch of STF officers since its creation in 1984, more..

Aug 18 (DM) Former Supreme Court Judge Sarath de Abrew succumbed to his injuries after falling off the balcony of the second floor of his residence in Ratmalana on Monday. His remains were taken to his residence in Ratmalana and the funeral was held yesterday. Neighbours state that his house was usually very turbulent and noisy, that the house was in uproar all the time and that they did not notice anything unusual on Monday (August 15, 2016) when he fell off the balcony. more..

Aug 18 (DM) It was on August 12, 2005 that Lakshman Kadirgamar was assisinated by a LTTE sniper from the house of an unsuspecting neighbour. LK, as he was affectionately referred to by us, was without doubt the best Foreign Minister we ever had. It was way back in the 1950s that I first met LK when he came to visit his classmate and friend Terrance Unamboowe, who was residing then in the home of my grandmother at Selby House in Wellawatte. I recall that, from the time that we heard that more..

Aug 18 (SL) Ten years is a significant milestone: A decade; a generation. A lot can happen in ten years and a lot has. Ten years ago, the smartphone was still a concept that was being tried and tested; MSN Messenger was the way people communicated with each other. Ten years is also a long time to carry a personal burden, a memory that has been buried deep within yourself, of a trauma that you are unfamiliar with. more..

Aug 18 (DM) This interview with President Sirisena covers the controversial issues of the Paada Yathra, VAT Bill, Port City project and plans to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the SLFP. President shared his views with our sister paper The Sunday Lankadeepa. Q: The JO staged a walk in protest of your govt. What is your idea about the large crowd that took part? A: Do you mean the crowd that walked? The figures produced by more..

Aug 18 (DM) It appeared to be a gain for the Joint opposition or the UPFA faction loyal to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, when the Supreme Court declared the process of Value Added Tax (Amendment) Bill a nullity. This was done in answer to a petition against the Bill by MP Sisiria Jayakodi. The glow of this victory was short-lived as the Joint opposition suffered a legislative defeat as it failed to thwart the govt more..

Aug 18 (ST) The COPE which examined the accounts of the CEB found that consumers are paying more for electricity due to years of poor financial management of the Board and also raised serious questions about the composition of the Boards of Directors of the CEB’s subsidiary companies. Committee in its report submitted to Parliament on Tuesday noted that while the actual cost of a unit of electricity was four rupees, more..

Aug 18 (DN) The Ofiice on Missing Persons (OMP) Act is likely to come into force on Friday, with the endorsement of the Speaker, Parliament Secretary General Dhammika Dasanayake said. He said yesterday: “The Legal Draftsman’s Department has to finalise the legislation by incorporating the Amendments made at the third reading. Hansard Department of Parliament has already sent it to Legal Draftsman’s Dept more..

Aug 18 (Island) Information Technology professionals, representing the public and private sectors, have ruled out future discussions with the govt on the ETCA. They have vowed to join forces with other professionals to torpedo the controversial pact. Secretary of the Society for IT Professionals (SFITP) Lasantha Wickremesinghe said that they had had enough talks with the govt and President Sirisena on ETCA but nothing had come of them. more..

Aug 18 (Island) Unjustifiable investments made by public institutions in various commercial ventures would be investigated, Media Minister Gayantha Karunathillake said. He said that in view of details that had surfaced with regard to the manner in which public funds had been pumped into commercial projects under the previous govt, it had become imperative that all of them be thoroughly probed. more..

Aug 18 (RM) Huawei does seem to be getting their fair share of the limelight these days, and with good reason too. During PM Ranil Wickremesinghe's visit to Huawei Headquarters, PM witnessed the signing of a MoU on ICT cooperation between the SL Ministry of Telecommunication and Digital Infrastructure and Huawei. MoU demonstrates Sri Lankan govt’s commitment to furthering its cooperation with Huawei. more..

Aug 18 (CG) Carlton Sports Network (CSN) has denied reports that funds seized by the Govt last week belongs to CSN. CSN Director Rohan Welivita said that it was widely reported in the media that a sum of Rs. 157.5 million belonging to the CSN Channel had been confiscated by the Govt. However he says the money said to have been confiscated does not belong to CSN nor does that money belong to any directors or more..

Aug 18 (CG) The US was this week briefed on the latest developments taking place in the reconciliation process in the country. Deputy Minister Dr. Harsha de Silva was on a brief visit to the US capital to continue Sri Lanka’s expanding engagement with the United States on multiple areas of cooperation. During his meetings he requested the US Govt to urge American businesses to invest in Sri Lanka. more..

Aug 18 (CT) The immigrant problem is not something that is unique to us. The entire world is facing this issue with growing concerns of civil conflict and economic stagnation in countries such as Syria. While many leave war torn Syria, there are an equal number of people who come into Syria with hopes of joining numerous terrorist factions. Getting into a country facing anarchy is easy, getting out of it is comparatively harder as proven by the many accidents involving immigrants more..

Aug 18 (CT) Who represent the Muslim community in the govt? The shocking answer is NONE. One may ask “how could the Muslims complain as there are several Muslim ministers and deputy ministers in the govt”. Yes there are many Muslim ministers, but they do not represent the community as most of them entered into deals and got into the govt. For example the presence of SLMC, in the govt is deceptive as they contested in UNP tickets and entered the govt. more..

Aug 18 (Reuters) Sri Lankan shares posted a three-month closing high on Thursday, led by gains in blue chips such as John Keells and Ceylon Tobacco Company, while foreign investor buying also boosted sentiment. Colombo stock index ended 0.23%, or 15.30 points, firmer at 6,593.25, its highest close since May 20. Foreign investors, who have been net sellers of 3 billion rupees of shares this year, bought a net 343.2 million rupees in their highest purchase since Aug. 1, more..

Aug 18 (Island) Public Health Department (PHD) of Colombo Municipal Council said it had started inspecting kiosks selling kola kanda (herbal porridge) in the city. Acting Food Inspector, M.B. Lal Kumara said Food Inspectors and PHIs had inspected several places selling kola kenda during the last few days. Chief Medical Officers of PHD Dr Ruwan Wijayamuny had instructed teams to carry out inspections to ensure that the herbal porridge was hygienically prepared and served. more..

Aug 18 (CG) Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa fears an attempt is being made to weaken the SLFP. He noted that the removal of several SLFP electoral organisers including Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, Pavithra Wanniarachchi, Rohitha Abeygunawardena, C.B. Ratnayake, Gamini Lokuge, Keheliya Rambukwella and others by the President was part of this move. “This is the latest round of reprisals against more..

Aug 18 (CI) 18.50: Bowling average of Sri Lanka spinners in the series; they took 54 of the 60 Australia wickets that fell in the series striking every 41.5 deliveries, with three five-wicket hauls from Rangana Herath and one from Dilruwan Perera. In comparison, Australia's spinners took 24 wickets at an average of 38.29 with a best of 4 for 123 by Nathan Lyon. 54: Wickets taken by Sri Lanka spinners - the most by them in a series. Their previous best was a tally of 50 wickets more..

Aug 18 (Island) Director National Hospital, Dr Anil Jasinghe said his institution was short of two Deputy Directors to fill the existing vacancies. He said the National Hospital required five deputy directors. The two remaining positions needed to be filled by medical administrators. A Sri Lanka Administrative Service (SLAS) official attached to the Health Ministry was functioning as the Deputy Director Administration of the NHSL, in an acting capacity for a few days a week, more..

Aug 18 (DM) Plantation Industries Minister Naveen Dissanayake today threatened to resign from his ministerial portfolio if the Finance Ministry tried to take a sum of US$ 60 million belonging to the Sri Lanka Tea Board, which falls under his Ministry. He said it was reported that Finance Ministry intended to take the funds from the Tea Board. “I can’t give Tea Board funds. If they were to take it, I will resign as I can’t more..