Sept 20 (DN) A source close to Nuwan Kulasekara, involved in an accident this afternoon that rendered a 28 year old motorist dead, said the former world No. 1 ranked Bowler was visibly shaken by the incident. In his statement to Police, Kulasekara had said the motorist had been thrown onto his path as he was returning to Colombo from Gampaha via the Kandy – Colombo route. The accident occurred close to the AG’s office, more..

Sept 20 (CT) The newly appointed special seven-member environmental committee will launch an inquiry into the environmental impact of the Lakvijaya Power Station (Norochcholai Power Station), which is the largest power station in Sri Lanka, PUCSL Director General Damitha Kumarasinghe said. Residents living in the vicinity of the Norochcholai Power Station recently complained that the power plant was causing serious environment and health problems. more..

Sept 20 (CT) The exchange rate (ER) continued to weaken for the third consecutive market day, yesterday, due to continuous import demand and the govt having to settle an oil bill. As a result, the ER fell sharply by 15 cents to Rs 145/85/146 in two way quotes to the US dollar in interbank spot trading, over the previous day's (15) close. In the three market days to yesterday, the ER has had fallen by between 55 cents to 60 cents, having had closed last Tuesday (13) at Rs 145/30/40 to more..

Sept 20 (CT) People living in a number of districts of the dry zone are undergoing severe hardships due to the prevailing drought. The people in the dry zone are finding it difficult to find drinking water, due to the severe drought being experienced since August. Steps would be taken to distribute drinking water, to the people of the drought stricken areas, by way of bowser, with the assistance of the district secretaries. more..

Sept 20 (CT) Former Minister and Joint Opposition's SLFP Anuradhapura District MP S.M. Chandrasena was grilled yesterday, by the Financial Crime Investigation Division (FCID), over the misappropriation of funds, to the tune of Rs 20 million, in the distribution of wheat seed, during the previous regime. FCID sources said the JO MP had arrived at the FCID at around 9 a.m. and had been grilled for close on five hours. The FCID is conducting further inquiries. more..

Sept 20 (DN) Six professionals from Sri Lanka’s advertising industry and an undergraduate have been selected to represent the country at the annual Spikes Asia Festival of Creativity, held in Singapore from Sept 21 to 23. These three teams were selected to represent Sri Lanka following the recent Young Spikes Competition which was conducted in Colombo facilitated by Metal Factor in partnership with the industry bodies. These six young professionals will have the opportunity to more..

Sept 20 (DN) Colombo High Court ordered the registrar of the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court that the original case recording pertaining to the indictment filed against former UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake be handed over to the Colombo High Court. Judge made this order consequent to an indictment filed against Attanayake by the AG for displaying a fraudulent document to the media during more..

Sept 20 (CT) Former Media Minister Imthiaz Bakeer Markar was appointed as Chairman of National Media Centre (NMC) and assumed duties. This appointment was in line with a Cabinet decision last month to form a centralized system where information can be disseminated through accurate and reliable channels. In a bid to provide complete, reliable and accurate official information to the public, through a centralized system, PM table this proposal which was endorsed by Cabinet. more..

Sept 20 (DN) The water level of hydrel reservoirs have dropped sharply due to the current dry weather posing a possible danger to generation of hydro electricity. The water level of Randenigala reservoir has dropped to nearly 42% of its total capacity while Victoria has dropped to 62% and Kotmale to 59%. Meanwhile, the Rantambe water level had dropped sharply while Bowatenna is 11% of its capacity. Meanwhile, Samanalawewa had dropped to 23% of its full capacity and Uda Walawa to 10%. more..

Sept 20 (Island) Socialist Alliance (SA) yesterday alleged that the Value Added Tax (Amendment) Bill was meant to enhance state revenue at the expense of the vast majority of those struggling to make ends meet. General Secretary of SA Raja Collure, UPFA MP Vasudeva Nanayakkara and LSSP leader Prof. Tissa Vitharana alleged that the govt was going ahead with the VAT (Amendment) Bill at the behest of the IMF. more..

Sept 20 (PMD) President Maithripala Sirisena participated as a special invitee in the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Annual Meeting – 2016, held today (19) at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel in New York. This year’s theme of the CGI was Beyond Equality: Harnessing the Power of Girls & Women for Sustainable Development. Heads of 12 states participated in this meeting. The inaugural address of the meeting was made by Chelsea Clinton, Vice Chair of the Clinton Foundation. more..

Sept 20 (CT) An inmate of the Matara Prison had hung himself early yesterday (19) morning, the Police Media Unit said. The 51-year-old prisoner was serving a 10-year sentence on charges of child abuse. Meanwhile, the Officer-in-Charge of the Pussellawa Police Station has been transferred to the Gampola Police Station. This was in addition to the suspension of two Police officers attached to the Pussellawa Police following the death of a suspect inside a cell. more..

Sept 20 (EN) Petroleum minister said talks have begun with the finance ministry in a bid to reduce a prerogative tax imposed without consulting his ministry, pushing a state run distributor into the red. Finance ministry raised a tax on diesel to 13 rupees a litre by midnight gazette, but did not allow a retail price increase for distributors. "After I protested finance minister convened a meeting, and now we are more..

Sept 20 (DM) The just-concluded 17th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in Margarita Island in Venezuela, has placed a great emphasis on the prevention and eradication of terrorism world over. Condemning terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, the final declaration of the two-day NAM Summit had strongly pitched for decisive and coordinated action to prevent and combat the financing and illicit transfer of weapons. The NAM countries also had reaffirmed that more..

Sept 20 (DM) Social status is also coupled with status symbols which can vary from one society to another. It reflects status and a perceived indicator of wealth. Many luxury goods are considered as status symbols; clothing and possessions are among them. People aspiring to high status pursue symbols whose values vary. For example before books were printed using machines, collections of hand-copied and hand-bound books were status symbols. But later when books were more more..

Sept 20 (DM) The govt stated that the Bill was brought forth in order to address several issues observed within the Sangha community and following persistent requests of chief prelates of the Theravadi Bhikku Chapters in the island. Director of the Postgraduate Institute of Pali and Buddhist Studies, Kelaniya University and the Anunayake Thera of the Kotte Chapter Ven. Kotapitiye Rahula Thera said that the Bill was more..

Sept 20 (EN) Sri Lanka's state-run Ceylon Petroleum Corporation wants to refurbish 30 tanks with Lanka IOC, for fuel storage and distribution, Minister Chandima Weerakkody said. The tank farm in Trincomalee, built by the British during World War II was unused until they were leased to Lanka IOC, a unit of Indian Oil Corporation in 2002 as part of a privatization deal, giving Indians a presence in the strategic port. more..

Sept 20 (ST) He went to the Maldives to work as a security guard. Within hours, Lahiru Madushanka was arrested for plotting to assassinate Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen. Police accused him of being an ex-military sniper and locked him up. This week, the middleman who sent Lahiru to the Maldives spoke to the Sunday Times. He insisted that Lahiru was not an ex-military sniper; and that the two of them had concocted a tale more..

Sept 20 (SL) More details have surfaced over a property in Malwana said to have been owned by a former Minister. The sub-contractor of the questionable construction at 111/3, Mahwatte, Gangabada Road, Mapitigama, Malwana alleged to be owned by former Minister Basil Rajapaksa told the The Sunday Leader how the Rajapaksa family was directly involved in supervision during the construction work of more..

Sept 20 (AJ) If you know where to look, you can find the numbers all over Ena de Silva's house. Faded yet still legible, the white scribbles mark each tile in the parquet floor, each pebble and boulder in the sunny interior courtyard. Under their layer of paint, the bricks are numbered, and so are the columns and the latticed windows. The numbers are sequential, grouped according to their location in the structure. more..

Sept 20 (CG) Ministry of Megapolis & Western Development the first phase of Techno City which will comprise of five technology institutes including the National Science Centre, Satellite Centre and Technology University, will be launched this week. Techno City, one of the main aspects of Urban Development Plan which is operating through a number of strategic fields is to be launched under the patronage of PM on Sept 22, more..

Sept 20 (ENS) Dr.Tilak Siyambalapitiya, former Chief Engineer in the CEB, has warned that Sri Lankans will have to face load shedding in 2018 and put up with high cost power thereafter, if the govt persists in rejecting cheaper coal-fired power plants, and going for the much more expensive diesel, LNG, Solar and Wind powered plants. Siyambalapitiya’s article in The Island is significant in the context of SL govt’s rejection more..

Sept 20 (PTI) When the Murali Harmony Cup T20 cricket gets underway on Wednesday in Northern Sri Lanka, it will be another step to bring together the people of this region, which was devastated by civil wars for almost three decades. It is the fifth edition of the championship which is one of the many initiatives taken by the Foundation of Goodness, founded by legendary cricketer Muttiah Muralitharan and more..

Sept 20 (DM) Asian nations will account for 50% of global GDP by the year 2050, as a result of first steps taken by countries such as Sri Lanka during the time of late President J R Jayewardene, PM Ranil Wickremesinghe said today. The PM came up with this remark at a ceremony held this evening to mark the 110th birth anniversary of the late President J R Jayewardene who introduced the free trade system. more..

Sept 20 (Island) "Our exams were of a very high standard, the examiners were from the state medical faculties and also from the teaching hospitals in Sri Lanka. Our theory exams were UGC monitored. I have confidence, despite some prejudice surfacing against our skills, that our training has been excellent and I am truly competent to work as a doctor in any circumstances, in this country", said Shane Halpe, from first batch more..

Sept 20 (CT) The word Hearts and Minds was first used by a French General Louis Hubert Gonzalve Lyaute in1870’s to counter the Black Flags rebellion in Indo China-Chinese border to gain much needed levy within the subjected population. This concept was also the cornerstone of the KESBAN; the strategy of Security and Development in countering Malayan emergency. British employed this concept with some success to eradicate the perceived feeling of seeing all Chinese as rebel more..

Sept 20 (CT) Last week, a cold war erupted between GMOA and Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam due to the demand of GMOA to admit the children of doctors to popular national schools. Doctors went to the extent of striking in Kandy and Matara Districts demanding their children be admitted to better schools. The issue reflects the existence of a deeper crisis. While the doctors had faced certain injustice due to transfer policy, issue clearly reflects status which doctors are attempting to maintain. more..

Sept 20 (Reuters) Shares fell for a fourth straight session on Tuesday, led by large caps, as selling pressure on stocks expected to take a hit from a proposed tax increase weighed on sentiment. The benchmark Colombo stock index ended 0.32% weaker at 6,429.94, its lowest close since Aug. 1. It fell 0.34% last week, its fourth straight weekly loss. A govt proposal last week to raise the VAT to 15% from 11% hit sentiment on Tuesday. "The downtrend continued today also. more..

Sept 20 (DM) Former MP and ex- CEO of budget airline Mihin Lanka Sajin Vass Gunawardena had been released on bail today by the Colombo Magistrate’s Court in connection with charges of entering into an illegal contract worth Rs.883 million with a Singaporean company to obtain ground handling equipment for the airline. He appeared appeared before the Court today upon a notice. The case was filed by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption. more..

Sept 20 (HCI) India and Sri Lanka today signed an MoU to establish a training school for Sri Dalada Maligawa at Pallekele, Kandy. MoU was signed at the Ministry of Buddhasasana of SL by Y.K. Sinha, High Commissioner of India and Wasantha Ekanayaka, Secretary, Ministry of Buddhasasana in the presence of Sarathi Dushmantha, Acting Minister of Buddhasasana and Pradeep NilangaDela, Diyawadana Nilame, more..

Sept 20 (DM) A man is reported to have been hacked outside the Moratuwa Magistrate’s Court by an unidentified gang who had arrived in a three-wheeler. Police said he was currently undergoing surgery at the Kalubowila Teaching Hospital. His fingers had been severed and his legs and neck were badly injured in the attack. Victim had accompanied his mother who was facing drug charges when group of unidentified men had arrived in a three-wheeler & attacked him with knives more..

Sept 20 (AM) Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa's second son Yoshitha Rajapaksa requested from Colombo High Court to grant him permission to travel abroad for medical treatment. High Court Judge A.A.R. Heyiyanthuduwa fixed the consideration of the request to September 22, after Yoshitha Rajapaksa's lawyer informed court that he is unable to attend court proceedings today. Rajapaksa's passport was impounded by Kaduwela Magistrate's Court regarding CSN case. more..

Sept 20 (EN) Seven international companies have been shortlisted to supply Sri Lankans with a digital identification, known as the Household Transfer Management (HTM) card, aimed at enabling a host of transactions to be done online. “Sri Lanka is getting ready for a digital transformation,” Ministe Harin Fernando said. “The country is losing $2 million daily by not going digital. There’s a lot of abuse in transactions like more..

Sept 20 (Island) Supreme Court fixed for support on October 7, the fundamental rights violation petition filed by PAFFREL, complaining of the failure of the state authorities to hold the local govt polls as scheduled. The petition said that the demarcation of electoral areas and the registration of elections had been completed and there was no reason for postponing the LG polls further. It was a violation of the right to franchise of the voters, the PAFFREL argued. more..

Sept 20 (CT) The Joint Opposition has declared that it will take every measure possible to oppose the VAT Bill, including go to courts if necessary. Former Minister G. L. Peiris said that the Govt should not introduce such bills in an ad hoc manner, and any new taxes should only come via the annual budget. He also castigated SLFP MPs saying they had no moral right to support the Bill. Last week the Cabinet gave the green light for the amended VAT bill, however speaking to reporters more..

Sept 20 (Island) LSSP leader Prof. Tissa Vitharana appreciated US support received by the previous govt to bring the war against the LTTE to a successful conclusion, while urging the govt not to renew the military cooperation agreement with Washington. Prof. Vitharana who had been a minister in the previous administration acknowledged critical US backing during Eelam War IV. Asked whether it was fair to criticise govt more..

Sept 20 (AM) Three out of the five who were convicted for the murder of former MP Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra and three others filed appeals with Colombo High Court today. Accordingly, Anura Thushara de Mel, Chaminda Jayanath alias Dematagoda Chaminda and Sarath Bandara filed appeals against their convictions and sought they be acquitted and released. Their appeals will be forwarded to the SC. Former MP Duminda Silva, who was also convicted, more..

Sept 20 (DM) Joint opposition told Parliament today the death of a Tamil youth while in police custody was a matter of grave concern. MP Dinesh Gunawardane said the youth was an estate labourer and that the Police were bound to protect the lives of arrested and anything untoward happening to them while in custody would amount to a serious breach of their fundamental rights. He said the politicians representing the estate areas were silent on the tragedy despite the public protests more..

Sept 20 (CG) Former army commander and Minister, Sarath Fonseka says a book which will be released in the near future will give a clear picture on the war. He said that while one military officer had recently released a book on the war more books are expected to be released by other officers who were involved in the war against the LTTE. Fonseka however said that a book which covers his role as army commander will give more..