July 29 (DM) The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) yesterday warned of a further restriction in the supply of electricity due to the reduction of hydro-power electricity generation as the water levels in the reservoirs had dropped drastically to 36% of capacity. The daily electricity demand in the country had increased by over 2,400 megawatts (MW) with 44 Gigawatt-hours (GWh) used in the day-time alone. more..

July 29 (NR) All Ceylon Port General Employees’ Union has vehemently condemned the Concession Agreement on the Hambantota Port with China Merchant Port Holdings Company which was signed this morning. The Secretary Chief Secretary of the Union Chandrasiri Mahagamage noted steps will be taken to host collective discussions with trade unions pertaining to what action should be taken in this regard. He noted the employees at the port were deceived in process of signing agreement. more..

July 29 (DN) Breeding of dengue mosquitoes through a biological method to control dengue is still at research level. It will take another two to five years to obtain successful results, WHO Representative to SL Dr Razia Pendse said. She said dengue is an issue of national concern in Sri Lanka. A societal approach is needed to tackle dengue. Every individual needs to contribute to arrest dengue upswing. The WHO implements the global strategy for dengue prevention and more..

July 29 (DM) Narahenpita Police have unearthed a con of two siblings who drive trishaws that threaten and demand money from female motorists as compensation, saying that the latter had accidentally hit and damaged their taxis. A con of ripping off money from especially female motorists of well-to-do background was reported recently in Cinnamon Gardens, where two siblings who were highly addicted to drugs had demanded more..

July 29 (Island) SLFP affiliated Joint Trade Union Alliance of Ports (JTUAP) lashed out at the JVP affiliated All Ceylon General Ports Employees Union (ACGPEU) accusing it of creating events over the Hambantota port agreement. It said the JTUAP would not support any trade union action against that deal. JTUAP Co-convener Ariyadasa Pathirana said that the ACGPEU had put on a media circus claiming they would go for a token strike yesterday to oppose the Hambantota Port agreement more..

July 29 (CT) The JVP warned yesterday that if the President and PM fail to remove the Foreign Affairs Minister Ravi Karunanayake, now mired deep in fraud related controversies from his portfolio, they will move a No-Confidence Motion against the latter shortly. JVP stressed that as there were several serious charges being brought against Karunanayake, it was imperative that the Foreign Minister be sacked to pave the way for legal action to be instituted against him. more..

July 29 (Stratfor) As a tiny island nation at the tip of a large subcontinent, Sri Lanka has long struggled to counterbalance its powerful northern neighbor, India. This often means bringing in powers from outside of the region, so it can fulfill its economic and security needs without having to bend to India's will. Fortunately for Sri Lanka, the country has an advantage that other Indian peripheral states, such as Nepal, more..

July 29 (CT) A group of parents of students with the SAITM met the GMOA on Thursday to discuss ways on forming a joint committee to look into the issues related to SAITM, Ceylon Today learns. According to a participant who wished to remain anonymous, the joint committee will be formed next week. It was further learnt that a group of academics representing medical faculties and parents of State university medical students had also participated in the discussion. more..

July 29 (Hindu) Outside Colombo’s famous shopping centre Odel, a group of university students were seated encircling the roundabout last week, as part of their ongoing campaign for nationalising a privately-owned medical college. Soon, riot police arrived at the spot and used water cannon to disperse the agitating group, citing a court order prohibiting the protest. They arrested as many as 13 students. Following the incident, social media was flooded with comments. more..

July 29 (NR) Former SL Ambassador to the US Prasad Kariyawasam has been appointed the new Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The appointment was made by President Sirisena. Esala Weerakoon, who served as the Secretary to the Ministry thus far, has been appointed Secretary to the Ministry of Tourism and Christian Religious Affairs. Kariyawasam joined Sri Lanka Foreign Service in 1981 and more..

July 29 (IT) China has acquired another port in the Indian Ocean. This time, the port is not very far from the tip of the Indian peninsula. Sri Lanka has leased one of its ports as it struggled to repay Chinese loan. After prolonged negotiations and deliberations, SL today signed a USD 1.1 billion deal with China to lease its Hambantota port to India's northern neighbour. The deal was signed days after SL assured India that the Hambantota port would not be used by China for military use more..

July 29 (CT) Ministry of National Co-existence Dialogue and Official Languages has requested the Govt to recruit at least 3,000 language officers as part of the trilingual policy implementation programme. Subject minister Mano Ganesan said, "I have requested the Govt to recruit at least 3,000 language officers to function at every State institution. It is a tough job, but I told the Govt that without recruiting language officers I cannot implement the trilingual policy," he said. more..

July 29 (Island) Health Minister Dr Rajitha Senaratne yesterday said he hoped to introduce e-health card, system for all citizens in 2018.  Dr Senaratne said that with an e-health card people would be able to keep close tabs on their health. Such a card will enable a doctor in any part of the country to retrieve all details regarding a patient’s health. He said the system was already functioning  in most countries of the world. more..

July 30 (SO) At long last one of the country’s costliest development projects may be given a new life that will ensure a less costly implementation while providing for its long term sustainability as a major stimulus for prosperity in that long-ignored and impoverished region. That is, if those political elements ever eager to undermine govt, do not further disrupt project implementation. Hambantota never had any natural potential as a deep seaport. Unlike Trinco or Galle, Hambantota is not more..

July 30 (SL) Recently there was much hullabaloo about attempts to abduct a student activist at a public place by a group of unidentified persons who had come in a white van. It was a story lapped by senior well known opposition politicians, renowned professors, and students by the thousands, the pro-Rajapaksa, anti-govt media and all who want to pillory this govt. Even though much umbrage & horror was expressed by critics over the alleged abduction, they seemed to revel in the story. more..

July 30 (SL) SLFP is having talks to decide its future with the unity govt, Minister Nimal Lanza said. He said that as of now 41 members of the SLFP are in talks regarding their future in the unity govt. However Nimal Lanza said the SLFP members will respect any decision taken by the party leadership. Q: What has happened to the Unity Govt? A: As SLFP members we joined the national govt for 2 years. more..

July 30 (Island) Evidence led last week before the Presidential Commission is keeping most people on edge wondering what Minister Ravi Karunanayake is going to say when he appears before the commissioners later this week. There are two sides to every story and Karunanayake must be heard before any conclusions are reached. The public are already aware that Perpetual Treasuries, a company owned by Arjuna Mahendran’s son-in-law Arjun Aloysius, had made super profits. more..

July 30 (CT) When PM Ranil Wickremesinghe said in Parliament on Friday that the Govt had worked out a better agreement with China Merchant Ports Holdings (CMPH) than the one under which the previous regime brought China into the equation, he was only part right, but oceans away from the fact that clauses in the new agreement, as far as we are aware of such facts, will have lasting detrimental economic effects too. True the massive JO and JVP mounted onslaught on the more..

July 30 (SO) 10 a.m. Monday, July 24. A busy day like any day for the Anuradhapura Teaching Hospital. A few of the staffers at the Hospital carrying out their routine work, were aware that at precisely this time, a team of six doctors, were poised to make medical history, not just at this provincial hospital, but in the entire country. For the next ten hours, until 8 p.m when they were finally able to down their gloves and surgical tools, more..

July 30 (ST) It was only last week we wrote in this space about the culture of torture prevailing in SL. Just then, news broke out that there was cruelty to animals taking place as well following the extermination of stray cats and dogs within the premises of Uni of Moratuwa. Incident brought into focus, once again, the rights of animals and the attendant issue, the spread of disease, especially rabies. WHO and others have an alternative policy in CNVR (Catch-Neuter-Vaccinate-Release) more..

July 30 (ST) My dear Ravi, I thought I should write to you this week because you seem to be in the news right now for so many reasons. Many people are saying many things about you and some are even asking you to leave your job – and all you have done so far is to maintain a silence that can only be called deafening! I think, Ravi, the root cause for all this fuss is the promise the Greens and Maithri together made to usher in what they called yahapaalanaya. That was quite useful in getting more..

July 30 (SO) 90th Anniversary of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army of China (PLA) was held at Galle Face Hotel, Colombo on July 26 under the auspices of State Minister of Defence, Ruwan Wijewardene. Over 400 distinguished guests from a wide spectrum of the Sri Lankan society, especially, from Govt and the Military graced the occasion. Addressing the reception, Senior Colonel Xu Jianwei said, China’s armed forces that have passed an extraordinary 90 years more..

July 30 (Island) The signing of the Agreement with China Merchant Co to lease out the Hambantota port for 99 years went ahead on Saturday as scheduled. This announcement took place in the context of rumours that were swirling around that India had brought pressure on SL to postpone the signing of the agreement. Fact that this agreement was signed yesterday is arguably the biggest foreign policy debacle that India has faced since that country gained independence from British. more..

July 30 (CI) Sri Lanka had specifically ordered the unusual batting-friendly Galle deck, on which India achieved their biggest ever victory in terms of runs. Rangana Herath did not reveal why such a request should be made when facing a team who have an outstanding top order. Instead, he laid the blame on his team's execution of what he felt was a good strategy. Where India made 840 runs at a run rate better than 4.5 an over more..

July 30 (CI) Away Test wins rarely come any easier than the one for India in Galle. Ever since Shikhar Dhawan was dropped on the first morning - Asela Gunaratne injuring himself out of the series in trying to catch him - this Test for India was about as tough as an arrack joint in Sri Lanka. The toss was won, runs were scored and scored at a frenetic pace, the wickets were taken, more runs piled on, and then India's biggest away win was sealed on the fourth evening. more..

July 30 (AD) Minister Dr Rajitha Senaratne says that he fully supports the suggestion with regard to establishing a South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Medical University and he is willing to initiate setting it up in Sri Lanka. He said that he is very interested about the idea put forward by the SAARC Secretary General for a SAARC Medical University. “If the SAARC ministers are ready, I will actually initiate to have it in Sri Lanka. It’s a very good idea.”   more..

July 30 (CT) Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL) has suspended the Finance Manager of Finance Committee with immediate effect after losses in their finances were discovered. FFSL has discovered that large sums of money have gone missing from their bank accounts due to malpractices adopted by this Finance Manager. Chairman of Finance Committee Mohamed Ilham said: "Finance Manager had admitted that more..

July 30 (Island) Sri Lanka’s fielding has been something that has been discussed at length over the last 12 months or so. Fielding has cost the team heavily; for instance during the first ever Test defeat to Bangladesh at P. Sara Oval in March, during the virtual quarter-final clash against Pakistan in Champions Trophy in June and more recently against Zimbabwe in the bilateral ODI series. During that painful defeat to Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka dropped as many as nine catches in five games, more..

July 30 (SO) Veteran marathon runner Anuradha Indrajith Cooray will be the first SL athlete to be seen in action at the 2017 IAAF World Championship which begins in London later this week. 39-year-old Cooray, one of the most successful long distance runners that Sri Lanka has ever produced, will compete in his pet event on August 6 at 10.55 am (3.25 pm SL time). He qualified to compete at London 2017 World Championship for his timing of 2h15m38s more..

July 30 (CI) Sri Lanka are scheduled to play India a second time in 2017, when they tour India for three Tests, five ODIs and a T20I in Nov and Dec. That tour could have an impact on India's tour of South Africa, which is also in December; the itineraries of both series have not yet been released. While confirming the development, a BCCI official remained non-committal on the schedule for India's tour of South Africa. Cricket South Africa wanted to host India for a Boxing Day Test more..

July 30 (PTI) Chief Minister K Palaniswami today thanked PM Narendra Modi for his efforts to secure the release of 75 TN fishermen languishing in SL jails. In a letter to Modi, Palaniswami said he was happy to learn that "SL govt had ordered the release of 42 fishing boats and 75 fishermen languishing in SL jails." "On behalf of the people of TN, I thank you for your personal intervention and sincere efforts which have enabled the release of the fishermen and the boats", he said. more..

July 30 (ST) Sri Lanka is the proud home to AmSafe Bridport, one of the leading manufacturers and designers of complex aircraft solutions which has expanded continuously since starting in 2001 with an initial investment of Rs. 500 million. Providing solutions from fueling an aircraft in-flight to fire containment covers that could resolve the issue of laptop bans on airlines in the US, this US owned company by Transdigm is today given more..

July 30 (NR) The govt has condemned the firing of a ballistic missile of intercontinental range by North Korea, and the series of recent similar hostile acts by North Korea in violation of the resolutions of UN Security Council. Issuing a statement, Ministry of Foreign Affairs said North Korea’s continued pursuit of nuclear and ballistic missile programs and proliferation related activity pose a significant threat to int'l peace and security. It urged North Korea to refrain from such hostile acts more..

July 30 (ST) Chamika Kumara of Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT) put up a fine performance to clinch the Overall Championship at the SLT Speedup Cycling Tour which concluded in Embilipitiya yesterday. Kumara, despite finishing the fifth and final stage of the race from Bandarawela to Embilipitiya in eighth place managed to secure the overall title with a time of 18 hours, 23 min and 20 sec. Sanju Deemantha of SL Air Force who secured the fifth place in the final stage of the race more..

July 30 (CT) On 29 July 1987, SL President J.R. Jayewardene and Indian PM Rajiv Gandhi sat together at old Parliament building (now Presidential Secretariat) facing Galle Face Green to ink the Indo-Lanka Peace Accord with the objective of resolving SL War by enabling the 13th Amendment & Provincial Councils Act of 1987. Unspoken objective at the time however, was keeping America away from gaining a foothold in Sri Lanka. more..

July 30 (Independent) We debrief before heading into the jungle. Stay close, our guide Sagara instructs us gravely. And if you see an elephant, drop your bike and jump in the van. Myself and the two English women that make up our small cycling tour are grinning like fools at the prospect, but Sagara is dead serious. He knows the damage that can be done by 5,500kg of skin, bone and tusk: after all, 200 Sri Lankans are killed annually by elephants roaming age-old elephant corridors more..

July 30 (SL) Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL) has imposed the Right To Information (RTI) Act on three institutions, including two State institutions. RTI Manager at TISL Sankhitha Gunaratne said that information had been sought from the SL Transport Board, SL Railway Department and Department of Elections. Gunaratne said that Transport Board and Railway Department had been asked to reveal information on expenses incurred on May Day. more..

July 30 (ST) The SEC, has dealt a tough blow against pump and dump operators of the past, reopening eight cases. The regulator, under fire for not doing much during the past 3 years, is now flexing its muscle. Amidst implementing and shoring up the capacity to implement structural changes, governance practices and many other changes, the regulator has completed three probes into market manipulations while 26 cases are in progress. more..