Aug 2 (Island) Mahanayake of Asgiriya Chapter Ven. Warakagoda Gnanarathana Thera says SL Buddhists supported the One China Policy. Spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy said the Mahanayake’s reafirmation of the One China Policy had been conveyed to Chinese Ambassador Yi Xianliang during a meeting between the two in Kandy last week. Ambassador, expressing his felicitiations to the Mahanayake on more..

Aug 2 (LBO) Sri Lanka’s plans to boost foreign direct investment through a raft of pro-business policies and incentives are mapped out in a landmark report just produced by the global publishing, research and consultancy firm Oxford Business Group (OBG). The Report: Sri Lanka 2016 looks in detail at the govt’s vision for boosting economic growth, which places tourism development high on the agenda more..

Aug 2 (DM) Minister Mahinda Amaraweera welcomed TN Chief Minister Jayalalithaa’s request to Indian Central Govt to ban bottom trawling in SL waters. Minister said they would give their fullest support to Ms. Jayalalithaa’s decision to allow Indian fishermen to confine their fishing using long liners instead of bottom trawling. “SL waters have already become a dead sea with the impact of bottom trawling resorted to by TN fishermen. more..

Aug 2 (Island) Medical Specialists of the Maharagama Cancer Institute (MCI) said they were not willing to administer a Russian drug to patients with breast cancer due to questions regarding its efficacy and safety. Responding to allegations levelled by Minister Rajitha Senaratne that there were complaints against some doctors of the MCI were not administering the Russian drug to patients with breast cancer, the specialists said that as clinicians they could not use any drug that more..

Aug 2 (EN) Sri Lanka can boost customs revenue by 700 billion rupees to 1,500 billion rupees a year by installing scanning machines and cutting room for undervaluing goods, Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake said. He said only 800 billion rupees a year was collected from international trade now. But moves to install scanning machines was facing resistance, he said. "We cannot let 1,200 person affect the future of Sri Lankan citizens," he told an economic forum in Colombo more..

Aug 2 (Reuters) Shares ended at a seven-week high on Tuesday, led by sharp gains in Distilleries Company of SL after the company announced a reorganisation of shares and stated capital. Colombo stock index ended up 1.45% at 6,503.30, its highest close since June 14. Shares of Distilleries Company rose as much as 19.2% and touched their highest since Sept. 1, 2015, after the company said after market hours on Monday that investors would be allotted four shares of new parent more..

Aug 2 (CT) "The fundamental basis of terrorism lies within a political backdrop," says our PM Ranil Wickremesinghe, who made this statement in an interview with Channel News Asia, recently. The interview gives a much awaited preview of our govt's stance on the current issues of terrorism that has plagued the entire world. Recent reports of terrorist attacks and activities are reported throughout the media; from the Nice attack to the over embellished Indian reportage of Indian nationals more..

Aug 2 (DM) A closed-door discussion between Sri Lanka Cricket chief Thilanga Sumathipala and its two vice-presidents — Jayantha Dharmadasa and K. Mathivanan — recently seems to have ironed out the growing differences between the two factions, after Dharmadasa and Mathivanan had strongly opposed certain moves mooted by Sumathipala loyalists in the cricket executive committee. more..

Aug 2 (CT) It was an evening when what was best and beautiful about two people was celebrated by adoring offspring, admiring peers and ardent disciples. It was also a feast and a harvest of memories of a public servant of great learning who had mastered the chemistry of letting go and holding on. I am grateful to Migara, Menaka and Sonali for inviting me to celebrate the 80th birthday of their father A.S. Jayawardena and the 70th birthday of their mother Lalitha Jayawardena. more..

Aug 2 (Island) Supreme Court fixed for support on Aug 9, the fundamental rights violation petition by the All Ceylon Medical Officers Association complaining against the appointment of Prof. Asitha de Silva, Professor of Pharmacology of the Kelaniya University, as the Chairman of the National Medicines Regulatory Authority. Claiming that the appointment is arbitrary, the petitioner has requested the court to issue a mandatory order on Minister Rajitha Senaratne to revoke it. more..

Aug 2 (DM) The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, globally known as CITES, is an international treaty which has been signed among govts to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. Sri Lanka has been party to this agreement for over 20 years but the poorly structured national legislation has confined SL to Category 3. more..

Aug 2 (SLN) Two Holiday Bungalows dedicated for naval personnel wounded in action were declared open by the Commander of the Navy Vice Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne on the invitation of the President Sri Lanka Navy Seva Vanitha Unit Madam Yamuna Wijegunaratne in Diyathalawa on Saturday. These holiday bungalows are the only such dedicated facility available in the Navy for officers and sailors who sustained injuries during the conflict. Identifying the necessity of constructing more..

Aug 2 (Island) A Senior Research Officer at the Tea Research Institute (TRI) yesterday charged that Sri Lanka’s tea industry was at a huge risk due to the harmful policies being implemented by unqualified top level officials at the Tea Research Board (TRB). The whistle blower who spoke on condition of anonymity told The Island that appointments were being made in violation of the provisions of the Tea Research Board (Amendment) Act No.30 of 2003 by Minister Naveen Dissanayake. more..

Aug 2 (CT) National Olympic Committee (NOC) Chairman Hemasiri Fernando lambasted SL's flag bearer Anuradha Indrajith Cooray in a bizarre manner by giving a mouthful just before the team's departure for Rio de Janeiro for the Olympic Games yesterday which left Cooray badly shaken and in tearful eyes. Fernando wasn't clearly happy about Cooray's remarks to the media where the athlete had earlier stated that more..

Aug 2 (DM) Trial against Ven. Uduwe Dhammaloka Thera, over allegedly keeping an elephant calf without a license, was fixed for Sept 20 and 21 by Colombo High Court Judge Nissanka Karunaratne today. While acceding to the request by Defence Counsel Prasantha Lal de Alwis to obtain certain documents, which were not attached with the indictment by the prosecution, Judge directed Senior State Counsel Janaka Bandara to provide them within 3 weeks in order to proceed with trial. more..

Aug 2 (HCI) Applications are invited from the children of estate workers, who are resident on estates, for award of scholarships by Ceylon Estate Workers’ Education Trust (CEWET). These scholarships are available for GCE A/L, Undergraduate courses and for students undergoing Vocational/ Technical education in any other Govt Technical College. Students who have passed GCE O/L (with minimum 6 credit passes) or A/L exam and below 25 years of age are eligible to apply. more..

Aug 2 (DN) Supreme Court refused to grant leave to proceed with a Fundamental Right petition filed by a President’s Counsel challenging the existence of political parties with racial and religious identities in the country. While refusing to grant leave to proceed with the petition, SC three-Judge Bench observed that there is no legal basis to proceed with the petition, since it had not been filed within recommended one month time limit. more..

Aug 2 (CT) A female student who had drunk beer with a boyfriend, was left abandoned next to a railway line where she had collapsed, intoxicated. Police officers of the Anuradhapura Police Station took into their charge last Sunday a 16-year-old student who was lying unconscious due to intoxication, near the railway line under the central bridge on Harischandra Mawatha in the city of Anuradhapura and admitted her to A'pura Teaching Hospital for treatment. more..

Aug 2 (DM) GMOA demanded duty free vehicle permits for senior state officers once in five years from the present limit of twice during the entire service period. GMOA Secretary Nalinda Herath told a media briefing that they had written to President Sirisena on this matter. He said the 2016 Budget had deprived them of obtaining vehicle permits once in five years, a privileged they had enjoyed for several years. “According to the new circular issued by the Finance Ministry, more..

Aug 2 (PMD) “The members of the former govt are now walking on the roads by telling fairy tales. But the people are suffering due to the economic debacle caused by them”, President Sirisena said. President was speaking at the inauguration ceremony of Sri Lanka Economic Forum, held today. President pointed out that SL is now suffering from a loan burden of Rs. 9000 millions. “Politicians, govt officers & all people more..

Aug 2 (Island) The modern global aviation had a history of nearly 123 years with the Wright Brothers clipping the tape first in the into the sky race in 1903, Sri Lanka had a legend about a brave king called Ravana, who used his flying machine called Dandumonara to fly not only within the country but also in the region, Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva said yesterday. Addressing the 53rd Conference of Directors General of Civil Aviation-Asia and Pacific Region at the Colombo Hilton, more..

Aug 2 (CT) Former President Rajapaksa has been given a plush bungalow in Colombo 7 by the govt. Bungalow which was occupied by incumbent President Sirisena when he was Minister of Health, has been renovated at a cost of Rs. 30 million to suit former President’s taste. “Rajapaksa had initially refused to move into the bungalow as it was not fit for him because it was in a dilapidated state, subsequently steps were taken to renovate the two storied bungalow at a cost of Rs. 30m as per more..

Aug 2 (CG) The Sri Lankan govt and the Chinese company involved in the construction of the port city ay Galle Face have reached a compromise on the project which has been stalled for several months. Minister Gayantha Karunatillake said that Chinese company, CHEC Port City Colombo, has agreed not to seek compensation from the Govt for the losses incurred after the project was temporarily suspended. more..

Aug 2 (DM) Two skeletal remains, suspected to be that of human, has been unearthed from an abandoned well near Thiruketheeswaram mass grave Site in Mannar. Police conducted investigations under the inspection of Mannar Magistrate after being petitioned by several organisations belonging to this area, claiming that there were skeletal remains. Mannar Chief Magistrate said they couldn’t determine on the findings until investigations came to an end. more..

Aug 2 (DM) In response to Deputy Minister Ranjan Ramanayake's claim on the appointment of a large number of advisors, Minister Lakshman Kiriella said the Highways Ministry had only one advisor named Dr.Wimal Gunawardane. He said the others had been appointed only by the Road Development Authority to assist in addressing public concerns in the execution of road projects. "I have already explained this to the people. I am doing so again for the benefit of Mr. Ramanayake," he said. more..

Aug 2 (ENS) A five year economic plan for Sri Lanka is on the anvil, and will be made public in a few weeks, Central Bank Governor, Dr.Indrajit Coomaraswamy, told the Sri Lanka Economic Summit 2016 today. “PM Ranil Wickremesinghe is working on it and it will be out in the next few weeks,” Coomaraswamy said. Five Year Plan will give the govt, the private sector, and foreign investors and lenders an idea of more..

Aug 2 (AD) Two teenage girls aged 17-year-olds who committed self-immolation over a love despite have succumbed to injuries in Badulla, the police said. The girls, both are cousins, have reportedly set themselves on fire after a father of one of the victims had lodged a complaint with the police for his daughter of having an affair with a boy. The incident has occurred last evening in Madulsima area. According to the reporter, one girl has succumbed to injuries on the same day, more..

Aug 2 (DM) Cabinet has approved a proposal to build an armoury in Oyamaduwa to store weapons and ammunition currently temporarily stored at various locations. Govt said that during the conflict in the North and East, ammunition and explosives were stored temporarily in various places, and in 2011 the cabinet had approved the construction of an armoury complex which meets international standards in an area with low population. As it is suitable to store armaments in an area with more..

Aug 2 (AFP) Sixteen years ago sprinter Susanthika Jayasinghe was a national heroine, having become SL's first woman to win an Olympic medal. Today she is a struggling single mother with only bitterness towards a country she says has given her nothing in return. She won bronze in 100m in Sydney when she was 24 and was upgraded to silver in 1997 when winner Marion Jones admitted taking performance enhancing drugs. more..

Aug 3 (CT) Staff of national carrier SriLankan Airlines are upset over the withdrawal of the facility of the usage of the Business Class lounge in Colombo. The Pilot community are up in arms over the issue. Previously, staff entitled to Business class travel were permitted to avail themselves of lounge facility at Colombo Airport during both Duty and Personal travel for themselves and dependents. Since lounge facilities at overseas stations involved the payment of a fee on per person basis, more..

Aug 3 (DN) It is the elephant in the room, the thorn in the path laid out by the govt to reconciliation and one of the biggest questions of accountability a govt needs to answer after conflict- how will we respond to the question of missing persons? This year has been a busy year in the search for the missing. With both domestic and international pressure mounting on the govt to find the answers that have been missing for seven years, the govt has had to take proactive steps in the direction to providing more..

Aug 3 (SO) It is the implementation of the Law that sustains our society. Upholding the Law with impartiality remains a rather daunting challenge. The year 2016 marks a grand milestone as the Police Service can take pride in celebrating 150 years of service to the people of Sri Lanka. It has been a long journey with onerous demands, including threats of insurgencies and violent acts of terrorism that were met with courage and efficiency. more..

Aug 3 (GV) 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. So I write this firstly as a cathartic process because more..

Aug 3 (GV) It is one of the greatest honors of my professional life to be asked to deliver this lecture in honor of Dr. Neelan Tiruchelvam. Neelan embodied all of the virtues of what makes a great human rights advocate, lawyer and statesmen. In his life and work he straddled boundaries – boundaries between the academy and the street; between the law and other social sciences; between scholarship and activism; between the ideal and the pragmatic. He was deeply committed to and embedded in more..

Aug 3 (SL) SL has gained the lost reputation due to the good governance policy of the govt, says Deputy Minister Ranjan Ramanayake. He says that new UNP-SLFP govt has commenced the investigations on the killing of Lasantha Wickrematunge and Prageeth Eknaligoda which were going nowhere during the previous regime. In the cases of Eknaligoda and Raviraj, some suspects have been taken into custody and more..

Aug 3 (Island) Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva took pride in telling the world the other day about Ravana, mythical Lankan king thought to have been capable of super human feats. He told an int'l conference of aviation high-flyers in Colombo that Ravana was the first to fly an aircraft—of course, according to legend. It was a supreme irony that the civil aviation minister had to admit almost in the same breath that his govt was looking for a partner to operate Mattala airport! more..

Aug 3 (NS) The tussle to establish an economic centre in the North came to an end last week with a decision reached to establish two centres in Mankulam and Vavuniya. The establishment of an economical centre for the North was a hugely-debated topic with several views and arguments expressed from various quarters with regard to the location at which it should be established. There were conflicting views which resulted in the delay in reaching a permanent solution. more..

Aug 3 (CT) The Monetary Board in its latest monetary policy review done last week has decided to make money more expensive to people. People here include all within Sri Lanka – the general public, companies, state-owned corporations and the Govt proper. In central banking jargon, this is called the tightening of monetary policy. In terms of this tightening, the Board has decided to increase its policy interest rates by a mega dose of half a percent, while keeping the mandatory reserve more..