June 20 (Island) Alleging that the politician responsible for a brutal attack on convenor of Web Journalists’ Association Freddy Gamage in close proximity to the Negombo MC premises on June 2 hasn’t been arrested yet, media activists have called for a protest opposite the Fort Railway station at 3.30 pm today. A spokesperson for the organisers said that two individuals who had been remanded till June 21 by the Negombo Magistrate carried out the attack at the behest of a politician. more..

June 20 (PMD) “I consider the Alfred Duraiappah Stadium as a centre for reconciliation as in such a place, religion, language, race or caste are all immaterial. The renovation of this Stadium is an important step in the path to reconciliation, President Maithripala Sirisena said. He was speaking after declaring open the newly renovated Alfred Duraiappah Stadium in Jaffna yesterday. Indian Premier Narendra Modi took part in the opening by the way of a video conferencing. more..

June 20 (Island) Former Minister G.L. Peiris said that the govt found itself in the current predicament owing to its irresponsible action. Prof. Peiris said: "They have solemnly committed themselves to binding agreements at the UNHRC in Geneva without giving any thought to the consequences. The sequence of events is really unbelievable. "Resolution which govt of Sri Lanka co-sponsored in October last year states more..

June 20 (FT) The latest nationwide survey, reveals that the majority of the people believe that Sri Lanka is in need of aid and donor assistance. According to the survey results 85% of those polled acknowledge that the country needs aid, while at least sixin 10 respondents opine that nations such as ours will continue to rely on such assistance. Furthermore, 83% of those consulted by the pollsters agree that it is right to borrow, to finance SL’s national development plans. more..

June 20 (ST) SriLankan Airlines is in talks with Turkish Airlines to lease out its new three Airbus A350s as per an earlier govt agreement of exiting from these new aircraft due to rising debt, officials said. The state-owned carrier had already made arrangements to find a buyer for one aircraft of these four planes (that were on order) and is in talks with Turkey’s national carrier over the other three, an official said. He said that they are close to wrapping up a deal with them. more..

June 20 (DN) Civil society leaders met PM Ranil Wickremesinghe on Saturday to discuss several important matters including the controversy surrounding the re-appointment of Arjuna Mahendran as the Governor of Central Bank. NMSJ Convener Prof. Sarath Wijesooriya said that the civil society leaders had pointed out that Governor Mahendran being in office with a probe being held against him, may raise questions more..

June 20 (DM) A day, we the people living on this planet, need to hang our collective heads in shame. For even as this editorial is being written, 65.3 million of our fellow-dwellers on this planet have been forced from their homes and forced to flee their cities and countries. Among them are nearly 20 million refugees, over half of whom are under 18 years of age. According to statistics, one in every 122 humans is now a refugee, an internally displaced person, or seeking asylum. more..

June 20 (DM) Parliament, in a representative democracy, according to John Stuart Mill (1862) acts as the eyes, ears and the voice of the people. The elected representatives are expected to watch and control the govt. They should throw light on the duties they perform as elected representatives and censure them if found unsuitable. The legislature secretariat therefore has an immense responsibility to lend legitimacy to the Parliamentary process and thereby contribute to more..

June 20 (SL) In a new twist of events it has now come to light how controversial Gangodawila Magistrate Kanishka Wijeratne allowed former Colombo Additional Magistrate Thilina Gamage who is caught up in the midst of controversy, to deposit cash bail the following day without even a request by the counsel appearing for the accused. Legal luminaries who wished to remain anonymous said it was the first time they had more..

June 20 (Island) Ayurveda workers who a token strike today by reporting sick threaten to surround the Health Ministry demanding payment of their special allowance the arrears as promised earlier by the ministry. General Secretary of the All Ceylon Ayurveda Health Service Union Mahinda Guruge said that they would report sick due to failure on the part of Health and Indigenous Medicine Minister Rajitha Senaratne and more..

June 20 (DN) National Police Commission (NPC) has formulated a new set of Code of Ethics for Police personnel to help SL Police improve its rapport with the public. NPC Secretary Ariyadasa Cooray said the new set of Code of Ethics would be launched island wide next month. He said the purpose of Code of Ethics is mainly to make Police service a people friendly and efficient one that caters to the aspirations of the people. more..

June 20 (DN) Parliament should first adopt the electoral reforms and then take up other aspects of the new Constitution, Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa said. He said their view is that the electoral reforms must come as a separate Bill in Parliament. He said this stance would be presented and ratified at a future SLFP Central Committee meeting. “Electoral reforms are time consuming. The political parties need time to adjust to more..

June 20 (DN) The resigned Wildlife Director General Dr. Sumith Pilapitiya had broken his silence and informed Minister Gamini Jayawickrema Perera that he will not resume his post as the Wildlife Conservation Department Director General. Meanwhile, without a Wildlife Director General to manage and regularise the wildlife conservation activities in the country’s national parks, Wildlife Ministry is in a tense situation. more..

June 20 (Island) The UK-based Global Tamil Forum (GTF) hadn’t influenced voters of Sri Lankan origin in the run-up to the EU referendum to decide UK’s future in the organisation, the grouping’s spokesperson Suren Surendiran said. Surendiran said that it would be the prerogative of each individual to vote for or against Brexit on Thursday (23). Asked whether the GTF had covertly influenced voters, Surendiran said: more..

June 20 (Island) Gampaha Acting Magistrate on Saturday enlarged on personal bail Olympic silver medalist Susanthika Jayasinghe’s husband, who was in custody for allegedly attacking her. The Magistrate also ordered suspect Dhammika Kumara (43) of Ganteragedera, Aluthgama in Bandaragama to report to the Weliweriya Police between 9 am and 12 noon on first as well as last Sunday of every month until further notice. more..

June 20 (Island) A task force (SF) and a Regulatory Committee (RC) have been appointed by Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development Ministry to regulate and monitor the prawn farming industry (PFI). Decision was taken to protect the PFI as it had faced severe threats from diseases like White Spotted Disease and some people in North Central Province were engaged in PFI without following proper regulations. more..

June 20 (CT) JVP Leader Anura Dissanayaka hit out at the UNP's manoeuvres to extend the term of Central Bank Governor Arjuna Mahendran, by another year. He said, "Mahendran should not be reappointed to the position of Governor and prompt investigations should be conducted against the former Governor Ajith Nivaard Cabraal on the misappropriations that occurred during his tenure." more..

June 20 (ST) Sri Lanka’s two main ruling parties have joined the chorus of global voices urging British citizens to vote to remain in the European Union at next Thursday’s crucial referendum. As opinion polls indicate that British support for leaving the European Union has surged, Minister Harin Fernando said that several ministers and deputies who would be visiting Britain in the next few days on official matters would more..

June 20 (CT) Indian PM Narendra Modi declared open the renovated Duraiappah Stadium in Jaffna via a video link from New Delhi last Saturday. Through the hi-tech video link from New Delhi, the Indian Prime Minister joined hands with Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena who was physically present at the Duraiappah Stadium to open the renovated sports arena for the cheering of nearly ten thousand school children from the Jaffna Peninsula. more..

June 20 (CT) There have been indications of a growing gap between the positions taken by UNP and SLFP which are the two main constituent parties of the UNF Govt. Some months ago it took the form of PM Ranil Wickremesinghe speaking positively in terms of international involvement in the country’s post-war accountability process while President Maithripala Sirisena said the reverse. At the present time the point of concern would be the fate of the Central Bank Governor Arjuna Mahendran. more..

June 20 (CT) Solutions to the recent controversial Value Added Tax (VAT) increase were proposed, when several ministers met the protesting business owners in Galle last Saturday. Ministers Ravi Karunanayake and Vajira Abeywardane met with the protesters, who had commenced a hartal last Friday. The hartal was called off following the discussions between the two parties. The citywide protest was organized by the Industry and Commerce Committee of the Galle City against more..

June 20 (AD) Media Spokesman of the NFF, Mohammed Muzammil, has been arrested by the Financial Crime Investigation Division (FCID) a short while ago on Monday. Mohammed Muzammil was arrested as he arrived at the FCID to give a statement, the police said. The NFF Media Spokesman was arrested in connection with an investigation on the misuse of vehicles belonging to the Presidential Secretariat Office. NFF leader Wimal Weerawansa is currently abroad on a visit to Japan. more..

June 20 (EN) Central bank has generated 4.8% inflation up to May 2016, a tad short of the 4.9% ceiling set for June by an International Monetary Fund deal agreed with the authorities. Under a monetary policy consultation clause set in a 3-year Extended Fund Facility, consumer price inflation has been made a performance criteria for the first time instead of a simpler reserve money target or the domestic assets ceiling of the central bank. more..

June 20 (Island) Scientists attached to the NARA have discovered a way to counter the threat faced by the inland fisheries industry from an invasive fresh water fish species popularly known as Tank Cleaners or Scavenger fish. NARA Extension Officer Tharanga Buddhika said that a team led by their Inland Aquatic Resources and Aquaculture Division scientist Rochana Weerasingha had found a solution for the tank cleaner problem by drying and grinding them to a powder to more..

June 20 (AD) Venerable Uduwe Dhammaloka Thero, who was indicted for the alleged illegal possession of an elephant calf, has been granted bail by the Colombo High Court today. Thero was released on two personal bails of Rs. 10 million each and a cash bail imposed on by the Magistrate earlier. Attorney General filed indictment against Dhammaloka Thero for the possession of the elephant calf without a valid permit on 11 May. The Thero, who was arrested and subsequently remanded, more..

June 20 (TG) Images that appear to confirm the use of cluster bombs in the end stages of Sri Lanka’s 26-year civil war have been uncovered as new testimony emerged suggesting the country’s armed forces may have deployed the munition against civilians. The revelations are likely to prompt serious questions for the current Sri Lankan govt, which includes several senior members of the cabinet who oversaw army activity during the last days of the conflict. more..

June 20 (Island) Food served at Poson dansalas in Kandy was hygienic the Kandy Municipal Councils public health officers said yesterday afternoon. A team of Health Inspectors inspected the food served by about a dozen dansals in the Kandy town. They were organised by religious bodies as well as business organisations. Among them were by some leading hotels of Kandy. Famous hotels, Queens and Swisse had their Poson dansalas at the Mahamaluwa in front of the Sri Dalada Maligawa and more..

June 20 (CG) Toronto police are investigating after a Sri Lankan man said he was followed on his way home from a night shift by two men Sunday morning and assaulted inside Union Station. A new permanent resident, Suresh Ommi immigrated from India and has been in Toronto for just one month. From Monday to Friday, he works at a bank. On weekends, he works the night shift at a grocery store. But what began as a bright and beautiful morning is suspected of turning ugly when more..

June 20 (EN) Moody's Investors Service said it confirmed Sri Lanka's foreign currency issuer and senior unsecured sovereign ratings at B1 but downgraded the outlook to negative from stable. Two key drivers underpin the outlook downgrade, the rating agency said. These were Moody’s expectation of a further weakening in some of Sri Lanka's fiscal metrics in an environment of subdued GDP growth which could lead to renewed balance of payments pressure. more..

June 20 (CG) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe today said that the country will go forward under the leadership of President Maithripala Sirisena. He said that President Sirisena will achieve more than what former leaders have achieved in the country. The Prime Minister said that the two main political parties have now united in the best interest of the country. He said under the leadership of the President a major development drive will take place over the next five years. more..

June 20 (LBO) PickMe, Sri Lanka’s own mobile taxi hailing solutions provider, says they have close to 4,000 vehicles on the road, with over 2,000 three wheelers, one thousand mini cars, and the rest categorized as sedan cars and vans. The startup, which successfully raised capital in three rounds of funding, has now expanded to Kandy and wants to expand until the app is used island-wide. “We launched in Kandy about a month ago, and are doing well. We need to ensure that, more..

June 20 (DM) Local Govt elections could be held later this year if the Delimitation Committee completes its work and gazette the wards by August this year, Elections Commission Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya said today. He said that the local govt election could be held in one-and-a-half months to two-months time if the gazette notice on the delimitation was issued in August this year. The committee had assured that it would do its utmost to complete its work by then. more..

June 20 (AD) The executive presidency should not be abolished, Minister Patali Ranawaka asserted. The observation was made while speaking at the launching ceremony of his book Warning! An Econmic Crisis is Ahead held this afternoon. The Minister also went on to say as a democratic country though the independence of judiciary exists here, a proper mechanism should be implemented in a bid to manage the judicial system. Minister Ranawaka also admitted the fact that more..

June 20 (DM) PHU today alleged that a political party electoral organizer had promised to pay Brian Shaddick, the Australian businessman, who alleged he was swindled by PHU General Secretary and MP Udaya Gammanpila. Mr. Gammanpila was arrested on Saturday on charges of having used a fraudulent Power of Attorney to sell shares of an Australian Company owned by Mr. Shaddick. PHU Propaganda Secretary Thushara Dissanayake said that the organiser had sent an email more..

June 20 (CI) The most recent shot played in contests between England and Sri Lanka was a vast six over midwicket, as Kusal Mendis dispatched Joe Root's offspin into the Tavern Stand during the soggy last rites of the third Test at Lord's. An irrelevance in the bigger picture, maybe, after England's thumping victories in the first two Tests at Headingley and Chester-le-Street, but an indication nonetheless of a squad with renewed confidence. more..

June 20 (Reuters) Shares edged down on Monday as investor sentiment took a hit on continued foreign fund outflows and rising interest rates, brokers said. Investors were also concerned over a govt proposal to reintroduce capital gains tax. Overseas funds offloaded a net 137.8 million rupees worth of equities on Monday, extending the year-to-date net foreign outflow to 5.77 billion rupees worth of shares. The benchmark Colombo stock index ended 0.08% weaker at 6,461.12. more..

June 20 (DC) There is a memorable gift for the fellow Tamils of Sri Lanka from a city Tamil sangam. Sixteen impressive statues of the Tamil savant Thiruvalluvar, made in Chennai, will be shipped to Colombo to be installed in 13 schools and 3 colleges in the island nation, soon. The nearly 6.5 foot high statues made of fiberglass depict the sage sitting on an adhara peedam (pedestal) 1.75 foot high. They would be shipped to Colombo on Tuesday to be installed at 16 locations. more..

June 20 (DM) Australian businessman Brian Shaddick is to fly to Colombo to attend court proceedings in the case in which opposition MP Udaya Gammanpila is charged with the sale by fraudulent means 4.1 million Pan Asia Bank shares valued at Rs.110 million belonging to Mr. Shaddick. Mr. Gammanpila was arrested by the Police Special Investigation Unit (SIU) on charges of having used a fraudulent a Power of Attorney said to have been issued by more..

June 20 (AD) Two Court of Inquiries were established to investigate the misplaced documents in the cases pertaining to the disappearance of journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda and murder of Lasantha Wickramatunga, the Army said. The Army has also dismissed allegations that it did not support in investigations into the murder of senior journalist Lasantha Wickrematunge. The statement also added that regardless of status, the army is committed to uphold the law of the country more..