Sep 7 (Hindu) The best old buildings that remain in Sri Lanka all look at life in Ceylon squarely in the face, Geoffrey Bawa had once famously said. The grand old man of architecture clearly carried forward that ethos in his own work, especially when it came to building his beautiful and expansive home in Bentota, the Lunuganga Estate. Built to take in the views, maximise rain water, and enjoy the natural greenery, Lunuganga is a tropical modern paradise, a pleasure to walk through more..

Sep 7 (CI) 3-nil in the Tests, 5-nil in the ODIs, a crushing 7-wicket win in the one-off T20I. Virat Kohli followed up successive hundreds in the last two ODIs with another display of ruthless efficiency in a chase, and ensured India left Sri Lanka no crumbs of comfort at the end of a long and chastening month and a half of one-sided contests. Set 171 to win, India romped home with four balls remaining and Manish Pandey making his more..

Sep 7 (DM) The SriLankan Airlines today said that eight passengers scheduled to fly in flight UL195 from BIA on Tuesday had failed to check-in on time and therefore, had not been allowed to get on board the flight. Airline said this group of passengers had reported to the check-in counters after the check-in counters had been closed. “SriLankan staff at the counters informed them that the airline is unable to accept them on the flight due to the closure of the counters. more..

Sep 7 (Island) The Good Market, which lives up to its name, began its journey four years ago. I first read about the market in the newspapers when I was out of the country. It was the year 2012. They got widespread publicity with the then Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, visiting the Good Market at the Diyatha Uyana at Battaramulla. It is no secret he was open for new ideas. I was curious to find out more about the Market, which they described as a market that is Good. more..

Sep 7 (DM) Ministry of Public Administration and Management issued a circular changing the office hours of govt institutions in the Battaramulla area to 7.15 a.m to 3.15 p.m. from Sept 18. Secretary to the Ministry J.J. Rathanasiri said the steps were taken to support measures taken to reduce the traffic congestion in the area. “This is a pilot project which works hand in hand with the priority bus lane project implemented by more..

Sep 7 (FT) The country has faced a difficult time in achieving its targeted goals because certain groups continue to hinder the Govt, believes former Foreign Minister Ravi Karunanayake. MP Karunanayake expressed these views at a ceremony held to open a drinking water supply project in Mihintale, Galkulama, Halmillawa and Sattambikulama on 31 August. About 200 families in these villages will benefit from this water supply project built at the expense of the Govt. more..

Sep 7 (HT) Former SL batsman Sidath Wettimuny had scored two brilliant Test centuries, in Pakistan and England, in the country’s formative years at international level. Two years ago, he headed the interim committee of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC). However, the national team is on the verge of suffering a full series whitewash against India after timid performances in the Test and ODI series. He blames SLC’s top brass and whimsical selection, and urges urgent revamp of the domestic more..

Sep 7 (AD) SLC issued a statement refuting news reports and rumours circulating via both mainstream and social media claiming that SLC President Thilanga Sumathipala is involved in the gaming industry. Statement, which is signed by CEO Ashley de Silva, refers both generally to the allegations being instigated by interested parties through Facebook & Twitter, and specifically to the allegations contained in the news articles. more..

Sep 7 (FT) The removal of the European Union’s ban on fish exports and regaining the GSP+ tariff concession have opened up a Rs. 7 billion market for Sri Lanka’s fisheries industry, Minister Daya Gamage said. He made this remark recently during a meeting with shrimp farmers in the Puttalam District. The Minister, noting that the shrimp industry was under pressure due to the prevailing dry weather, told the shrimp farmers that with the rains arriving the problems would be resolved. more..

Sep 7 (CT) Security was beefed up yesterday at the premises of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI), on a special request made by the Commissioners. Two Sub Inspectors and 10 Police Constables were deployed to the Commission premises in Hulftsdorp following a full inspection of the security detail at the premises. Sumithipala Udugamasooriya, Secretary to the Commission said that the security was increased on a request made by the three Commissioners to the Police. more..

Sep 7 (CT) Minister Mangala Samaraweera, informed Parliament that the granting of vehicle permits to public servants and to those in the Foreign Service would be reinstituted. He said that although there was an initial delay, he was pleased to reinstitute the vehicle permits that were cancelled through Budget 2016, adding that the 50% tax relief had been upped to 60%. "This relief is introduced for more..

Sep 7 (AD) UPFA Gampaha District MP Prasanna Ranaweera appeared before the Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) yesterday. Police said, the UPFA MP arrived to give a statement in connection with a complaint against him. The MP has been accused of selling a State-owned property of 80 perches located in Kiribathgoda, during his tenure as the Chairman of the Kelaniya Pradeshiya Sabha. Police said the MP had allegedly sold a portion of the land to a one of his relatives. more..

Sep 7 (DM) A 12-year-old boy of an under 17 cricket team from India visiting the country had died after he drowned in a hotel swimming pool in Pamunugama last evening, Police said. They said the victim arrived in the country with his 19 team members to participate in a cricket match tournament He had drowned while swimming in the hotel swimming pool with four other team members and died on admission to the Pamunugama hospital. The victim was a resident of Gujarat in India. more..

Sep 7 (FT) The BOI has consulted the Attorney General to identify any irregularities in the agreement relating to the controversial acquisition of Oruwala Ceylon Steel Corporation by the Chairman of the ONYX Group of UAE, SL entrepreneur Nandana Lokuwithana. Highlighting the acquisition in question, which took place during Rajapaksa regime, Minister Malik Samarawickrama rejected any involvement of his or the staff more..

Sep 7 (LR) Anne Marie Mediwake, Sri Lankan-born co-host of CTV’s Your Morning recently interviewed Canadian PM Justin Trudeau ahead of Canada’s 150th anniversary. Mediwake told the PM, her parents decided to select Canada as the destination to migrate upon hearing former PM Pierre Trudeau speak during his 1971 visit to Sri Lanka. It was a story that Mediwake’s father had always recalled, and she shared the story with the current Prime Minister while interviewing him at his office. more..

Sep 7 (DN) Parliament has revised the prices of meals and tea offered to MPs and the staff from yesterday following a decision made at the House Committee chaired by Speaker Karu Jayasuriya. Accordingly, the price of Parliamentarians’ breakfast meal has been raised from Rs. 60-100 and the price of lunch has been raised from Rs.150-200. The price of tea and short eats offered at 3 pm has been increased from Rs.25-50. The prices of additional dishes such as fried fish (200g), more..

Sep 7 (Island) Alleging that proposed new Constitution would give separatists what they had failed to achieve through terrorism, wartime Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa yesterday said, vowing to defeat the project. The proposed constitutional reforms were meant to appease the LTTE rump, pro-LTTE Diaspora and a section of foreign powers, Rajapaksa said, lambasting the ruling UNP-SLFP govt for more..

Sep 7 (DN) Treasury Bond Commission yesterday acquired a safe to keep sensitive evidence of its investigation under lock and key. The safe was brought in a military truck, accompanied by the Special Task Force officers. Commission Chairman justice K. T. Chitrasiri informed Additional Solicitor General Yasantha Kodagoda that the safe has been arranged and they are now able to place all critical evidence in it. Meanwhile, today’s proceedings were carried on under special police security. more..

Sep 7 (GSN) A trans woman who was a tireless community advocate was killed in a violent attack in Sri Lanka. Sanath Kumara, 34, received head injuries after she was beaten over the head with a club on Tuesday. Police said they had found multiple wooden clubs at the scene. The brutal attack happened in Dambulla in the Matale District about 150km north-east of the capital, Colombo. Kumara’s body was found in the parking lot at Dambulla Hospital at 5am on September 5. more..

Sep 7 (FT) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday detailed development plans and the economic framework his Govt has for Sri Lanka to woo 250 SAARC investors, as well as calling for more trade and investment cooperation between the South Asian bloc’s member states. Delivering the keynote address at the annual SAARC Trade Fair and Investment Forum titled Unleashing South Asia organised by the FCCISL and more..

Sep 7 (DM) Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa said since President Maithripala Sirisena visited the top floor of Pohottuwa (The Lotus Tower), he may also join with the Pohottuwa Party. Speaking to journalists outside the Welikada Prison after visiting former MP Sarana Gunawardane, Mr. Rajapaksa said Pohottu would bloom all over the island in the near future apart from the Lotus Tower in Colombo. "The President will also come to our Pohottuwa as things proceed,” he said. more..

Sep 7 (DM) Leader of the House Lakshman Kiriella said that Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka's statement on former Army Commander Jagath Jayasuriya was not the stance of the Govt and that it was his personal opinion. He said that the Good Governance Govt would never imprison Army Commanders like the previous Govt. He said this in response to a question posed by JO MP Dinesh Gunawardane whether Field Marshal Fonseka's statement on Mr. Jayasuriya represented the Govt’s policy. more..

Sep 7 (Island) Presidential Commission of Inquiry, resumed sittings yesterday, with Chief Dealer of Perpetual Treasuries (PTL), Nuwan Thilina Salgado, testifying. He said the company had been able to make unprecedentedly huge profits because of inside information and price sensitive confidential information PTL Chairman Arjun Aloysius had received from the CB. Salgado told the commission that from 2015 to 2016, more..

Sep 7 (DM) Former Army Commander Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka seems to be an interesting person. Having told many a time that the Army that he commanded during the extremely successful last lap of the war against the LTTE, never committed war crimes or violated international human rights or humanitarian laws, he occasionally opens a Pandora’s Box by accusing one of his comrades-in-arms of committing crimes during the same military campaign. The controversy he provoked, more..

Sep 7 (DM) Time it was…and what a time it was…it was…a time of innocence…a time of confidences. Long ago it must be…I have a photograph…preserve your memories… they’re all that’s left of you. That’s Simon and Garfunkel and it’s from their song Bookends, which speaks of aging and nostalgia. The nostalgia part is something that we often encounter. For example, we have seen how the passing of years prompts remarks such as never in our days, and those were the days, more..

Sep 7 (CT) Spear gun dealers and ornamental fish export organizations are having a tug-of-war with SL Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA), Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC), and National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA). This is over the spear fishing ban that is currently in place. Recently, a second meeting was held with Minister Mahinda Amaraweera, more..

Sep 7 (ST) Some Sri Lankans with a social consciousness are creating ripples of hope of reducing the mountains of polythene waste, while owners of eateries who add millions of lunch sheets into the garbage piles every day are becoming defiant following the ban on polythene and plastic in all their forms. ST has noticed some Sri Lankans who cared to bring their own bags and chose to use fewer polythene bags at supermarkets/malls. more..

Sep 7 (DM) Former Minister Basil Rajapaksa, in an interview with Daily Mirror, spoke about his plans in view of the next elections. Rajapaksa, who spearheads Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna under the Flower Bud symbol, said that his side will win at future elections under any circumstances. Q: There are reports about a group SLFP MPs planning to leave the Govt to team up with the Joint Opposition. more..

Sep 7 (DM) Minister Lakshman Kiriella, in an interview with Daily Mirror aired his views on the current status of politics in the country and the progress made in constitution making. He also made his stand clear on the SAITM issue. Q: The Unity Govt has completed two years. What should be the way forward now? A: Definitely, the MoU will be extended. I have no doubt about it. It will be done so that this union continues till 2020. more..

Sep 7 (CI) India were so clinical in the cross-format trouncing of SL, that Virat Kohli's side has drawn comparisons with perhaps the most successful rugby team in the world: the All Blacks. Kohli and his team have largely been confident in public but have veered away from effusive self-praise, nor have they dwelt much on the paucity of SL's performance. SL's own interim head coach Nic Pothas, however, has showered compliments more..

Sep 7 (DM) The SLFP Central Committee held a special meeting yesterday that went on till late last night. Speaking at the meeting President Maithripala Sirisena asked those present to brace themselves for the LG and PC elections, it is learnt. President reportedly told the Central Committee that though the govt had come up with the 20th Amendment to postpone the provincial council elections due this year, more..

Sep 7 (Island) In spite of serious differences between coalition partner SLFP in respect of political reforms, including the abolition of executive presidency, the UNP strongly believes their marriage of convenience can be extended till 2025. Dismissing threat by a group of SLFP members loyal to President Sirisena to function as an independent group, Minister Kabir Hashim claimed they had already made plans more..

Sep 7 (AD) In a written submission yesterday, Acting Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs of the US Alice Wells stated that the commitment shown by Sri Lanka to its reforms agenda has prompted the US to increase ties with Sri Lanka that may include military-to-military relations.   In her submission Alice Wells commended the SL govt for prioritizing the reforms agenda and acting in a progressive, more..

Sep 7 (DM) Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka called Ven. Elle Gunawansa Thera, who condemned the statement he made with regards to war crime charges, a mad man in robes. "That monk is mad. That’s all I have to say," he said in response to a question asked by a journalist. Speaking further, Minister Fonseka said the Thera had never visited him or helped him as claimed by certain news reports. more..

Sep 7 (SK) As India emerged victorious in the one-off T20I against SL, they extended their winning run to nine straight matches against the hapless hosts. However, things could have gone very differently if not for the blunder made at the very beginning of the match during the toss. Video replays suggest that Murali Kartik, who was the presenter at the moment was the man who made the mistake of awarding India the toss more..

Sep 7 (CT) After months of drought like weather, spanning well over a year, if not moving closer to two, certain parts of the island, including its capital city Colombo and moving down, to the southern parts of the country covering Galle, witnessed a deluge on Tuesday, making certain key roads impassable. Those heavy rains witnessed in several areas of the country on Binara Full Moon Poya Day, marking the day when the Bhikkhuni Sasana or the Order of Buddhist Nuns was founded, more..

Sep 7 (FT) I do not think that there’s anyone that will disagree with me if I say that Galle Face Green is one of the key landmarks of the City of Colombo. If you talk to any foreigner about Colombo, only a few would fail to mention this long stretch of green bordering the Indian Ocean. After travelling to so many cities in the world, I can say that it’s only a few places that leave unforgettable, marks in our minds, and those are mainly the cities that have unique characters.  more..

Sep 7 (AD) Second Reading of the Inland Revenue Bill was passed in parliament today, with 100 voting for and 41 voting against. Draft bill that was presented to Parliament back in July was passed following much debate and discussion. During the reading of the Bill, Minister Samaraweera said that one must pay as much income tax as possible, out of love for the country. He also said that he was happy to be able to introduce a new Inland Revenue Bill if the House required it. more..

Sep 7 (DM) The Mount Lavinia Police initiated a special investigation into the mysterious death of a newly-wedded businessman who was found lying unconscious in a hotel room on the Beach Road, Mt. Lavinia on August 31. Police said the injured who was admitted to the Kalubowila Teaching Hospital succumbed to his injuries on Tuesday night while being treated at the Intensive Care Unit. They said the deceased, identified as Mohan Wijethilaka (42), was found lying unconscious more..