Sep 15 (CT) Sprinter Pradeep Ruwan Kumara has been banned for 4 years due to the usage of a banned substance where the Sri Lanka Anti Doping Agency (SLADA) has sent the letter with their decision following an inquiry yesterday. Kumara had been tested positive for 19- Norandrosterone from the test conducted on 1 June earlier this year and will be banned from sports till 31 March 2021. The 400m runner finished third at the National trials on the said day and more..

Sep 15 (DN) Buddhist and Pali University in its 35 years has done immense service to the country and Buddhism by producing well-qualified scholars to disseminate Buddhism in the local and international communities. Similarly, the university gives prime importance to the academic growth of the students as well as the academic staff. Sahithya Sankathana, the literary arts festival was first introduced to the university in 2016 as per a concept of the VC, Ven. Senior Professor Gallelle Sumanasiri Thera more..

Sep 15 (CT) Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL) announced that the discovery of the financial fraud by the suspended finance manager will not deter its plans and will go ahead with intended activities. A special media conference was convened on Wednesday at FFSL with the President of FFSL Anura de Silva, General Secretary U.L. Jaswar and Media Committee Chairman Samantha J. Pieris being present. It was revealed that in July 2017 the finance manager had forged more..

Sep 15 (DM) The swarthy big one who lost his high office soon after switching from finance to foreign affairs is said to be visiting places of religious worship one after another here and abroad these days seeking divine blessings to see an end to the malefic period he is going through.  The former purohita was seen taking things in stride until his kinsman running the development lottery was given the walking papers. Sources say that it was the authority in the highest echelons more..

Sep 15 (CT) Decision made by the Air Force to compel their athletes to undergo a compulsory 10-week Military training in China Bay has left several top National Athletes of various sports disciplines in misery. Air Force consists of many top national athletes, int'l medal winners and Olympians who are aiming at strong performances at the upcoming Asian & Commonwealth Games and the said decision comes as a big blow to them, more..

Sep 15 (CT) Wednesday's weekly Treasury (T)-Bill auction saw the weighted average yield (WAY) of the benchmark one-year maturity strike a 77-week low, when it fell sharply by 38 basis points (bps) week-on-week to 9.20%. The previous low this WAY had fetched was 9% which was at the auction held on 21 March, 2016, before rising by 90 bps to 9.90% in the auction held on 30 March 2016. Market sources said that the reason why there was a steep decline on the WAY, of the one year maturity, more..

Sep 15 (DM) Asgiriya Maha Vihara Chapter Registrar Ven. Medagama Dhammananda Thera making a special statement, regarding the insults made on Buddhist monks by certain politicians, expressed concern and condemned the act. Thera said: "At a time like this when President Sirisena has taken a timely action to introduce an insurance cover for the old Buddhist monks, there are various govt ministers & MPs who have made insulting remarks by levelling allegations in various forms. more..

Sep 15 (Reuters) For four months, Achini Dinesha’s life has revolved around water – or, more precisely, the lack of it. Bathing in privacy and safety is now a matter of careful planning and lucky timing for the 32-year-old mother of two small children. It also involves an arduous trek of 7km from her house in the village of Kiriyankale, in North Western Province, to the nearest full waterhole. “I have to make sure that I go there when more..

Sep 15 (CT) Veteran coach and former Olympian Sunil Gunawardana described the lack of the Sugathadasa Stadium track was the main reason behind downfall of athletics in the recent past. He stated that the Sugathadasa Stadium itself will not solve the current need of athletics and he pointed out there was the need for a few other tracks as well. "Why are we asked to beat whole of China, whole of India after training in mud or grass tracks here," asked Gunawardana. more..

Sep 15 (Island) The Chairman of the SAITM Dr Neville Fernando said that he would file a case against GMOA claiming Rs. 10 billion in damages. "GMOA has been tarnishing my name and attacking the SAITM. Come what may I will continue with SAITM. New batches of students are being enrolled at SAITM irrespective of the baseless and false accusations of the GMOA. Already more than 300 candidates have sent in applications. Some of them are foreign applicants. more..

Sep 15 (FT) Supreme Court was told that a ministerial committee was set up by the President to ascertain the possibility of a settlement on the SAITM issue. Counsel Romesh de Silva, appearing for the SAITM student, in his submission yesterday maintained that the judgment of the Court of Appeal was right and pleaded that the application for Special Leave to Appeal against the Court of Appeal should be dismissed. more..

Sep 15 (MoD) State Minister of Defence Ruwan Wijewardene graced the Critical Engagement phase of the ongoing Cormorant Strike Exercise carried out at Kuchchaveli in Trincomalee this morning (14). Secretary to the Ministry of Defence Mr. Kapila Waidyaratne PC was also present to witness the proceedings. Addressing the troops through a video link, President Maithripala Sirisena conveyed his good wishes to the troops involved in the Exercise. Appreciating the dedication, courage, more..

Sep 15 (FT) In Sri Lanka, one in four households are headed by women, of which more than 50% are widowed. Social stigma in male-dominant societies brings about many challenges for women headed households, including increased incidents of gender-based violence, poverty through denied access to land rights, and limited opportunities for livelihood development. The three-decade conflict in Sri Lanka is a leading contributory factor to this socio-economic issue. more..

Sep 15 (Island) SLFP commended the decision of the Presidential CoI, probing the alleged bond scams, involving the Central Bank and Perpetual Treasuries Limited (PTL) in Feb 2015 and March 2016 for not  compelling the owner of PTL, Arjun Aloysius’s to give evidence. State Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena said,  "Anybody could refrain from giving evidence but that strengthens the weight of the complaint." more..

Sep 15 (CT) Secretary to the Ministry of Higher Education (MHE) has denied any knowledge about the legal aspects of SAITM, the GMOA told the media. "Through reliable sources, information has reached us that a SAITM parent had requested information on the legality of SAITM under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, from the Secretary of the MHE. His view on the legality of SAITM was sought, alongside the possibility of providing a certification on the legality of SAITM," more..

Sep 15 (DN) The SLFP will contest the forthcoming elections including the Local Govt Election under the UPFA banner as an alliance with other political parties, State Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena said. He said this decision was taken at the SLFP Parliamentarians’ meeting held recently under the chairmanship of President Maithripala Sirisena. At the discussion, it has been decided to appoint 10 committees to strengthen the party further to face the elections successfully. more..

Sep 15 (Island) Senior Additional Solicitor General Dappula de Livera PC the chief counsel of AG’s Department before the PCol probing the treasury bond scam said that he could not agree with the Commission’s decision not to compel the owner of Perpetual Treasuries Ltd Arjuna Aloysius to give evidence before the commission. "We do not agree with the Commission’s decision not to compel Aloysius to give evidence. more..

Sep 15 (Island) Secretary of the GMOA, Dr Haritha Aluthge warned that doctors would stage a token strike in 5 districts including Colombo & Gampaha simultaneously during the final lap of the vehicle parade organised by the People’s Movement Against the South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine (PMASAITM) which is scheduled to reach Colombo at 1 pm today. He said that the remaining districts in which token strike would be operational today would be Kalutara, Puttalam & Kegalle. more..

Sep 15 (AD) CEB employees on casual and probation and those in essential duties have been ordered to report for duty at 7.30am tomorrow (15), while those who fail to do so are to be considered as having vacated their posts. The announcement was made by the Ministry of Power and Renewable Energy, a short while ago, after CEB trade unions opted to continue their strike. CEB trade unions have decided to continue with their strike action as discussions with authorities have failed.  more..

Sep 15 (Island) The principal shareholder of the owning company of primary dealer, Perpetual Treasuries Limited (PTL), Arjun Aloysius, could also refuse to give evidence in the High Court of Colombo on the same basis that he refused to give evidence before the CoI probing the alleged bond scams involving the Central Bank and PTL during Arjun Mahendran’s tenure as the Governor of the CB, legal sources said. more..

Sep 15 (DM) This has extra special significance for Sri Lanka where in January 2015 the people elected a new govt which said its main aim would be to restore democracy and the rule of law, transparency, accountability and other virtues of a just society.  There are positives and negatives on the extent to which the National Unity Govt has  progressed with the main complaint being the failure to bring to justice former VIP politicians, officials and their associates who allegedly more..

Sep 15 (DM) Since this major victory was achieved by the security forces a few months after they recaptured the entire Eastern Province culminating in the fall of the Tamil rebels’ Thoppigala Camp, an unprecedented confidence of final victory had been infused in the minds of the people in the southern parts of the country. Hence, banners and posters sprang up all over those parts of the country applauding the security forces, though many people did not know even where more..

Sep 15 (DM) Deputy Minister Arundhika Fernando -dubbed rock star for allegedly trying to rock the Yahapalana boat-was announced sacked from his post of Deputy Minister. No reasons given to the public. A news website said Arundhika Fernando demanded a pound of flesh and lost even the bones. The website claimed with much authority, that he demanded millions and contracts for his company to be with the Govt. more..

Sep 15 (DM) The Joint Opposition said that they would not let the govt to pass the Bill on the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances (ICPAPED) which would be debated in parliament on Sept 21. JO member Prof. G.L. Peiris told a news conference that the debate on the ICPAPED was earlier postponed due to JO's opposition as well as of the public outcry. more..

Sep 15 (DM) Dailymirror conducted an interview with Director General of the Public Utilities Commission of SL (PUCSL) Damitha Kumarasinghe to obtain his views on the future of power generation in Sri Lanka and the current crisis in the power sector. The following are excerpts of the interview. Q: Energy experts predict that Sri Lanka will face a power crisis by 2019 as the existing power plants in operation wouldn’t be more..

Sep 15 (LBO) A 12-member Sri Lankan delegation has visited Vietnam this month to explore trade opportunities and establish long-term connections with electronic and electrical industries. Initiated by the Sri Lanka Export Development Board, representatives from Tos Lanka Co., Lanka Harness Co., Noratel International, Hitech Solutions, Sierra Cables, St. Theresa Industries and Kelani Cables PLC were part of the delegation. more..

Sep 15 (DN) Attorney General was yesterday noticed to appear in the Colombo High Court on Sept 20 to inform his stance regarding the bail applications filed by former Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga and former TRC Director General Anusha Palpita. They were sentenced to 3-years rigorous imprisonment by the Colombo High Court for misappropriating Rs. 600 million of funds belonging to TRC. more..

Sep 15 (ST) It is pouring in Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central and Southern provinces, leading to floods in several areas, but the agriculture dependent districts in the dry zone have not got adequate rain to see the end of the long punishing drought that has affected nearly two million people. Northern, Eastern & North Central Provinces remain largely dry though these regions have received intermittent rains in the past few days. more..

Sep 15 (DN) A sum of Rs 1.5 million has been spent per individual in the Hambantota district during Rajapaksa regime whereas the allocation per head in the rest of the country was only Rs 75,000 during the corresponding period, Minister Champika Ranawaka said. He said that the capital expenditure spent on Hambantota during 2005 to 2014 was Rs 900 billion. “But there is only a population of 1.5 million in H'tota district” more..

Sep 15 (DM) A group of medical doctors representing the Health Ministry met with religious leaders of the the Congress of Religions at Sri Sambodhi Maha Viharaya in Colombo yesterday to explain and discuss about the proposed amendments to abortion laws. Ven. Ittapana Dhammalankara Mahanayaka Thera, Prof. Ven. Bellanwila Wimalaratana Thera, Ven. Dr. Akuratiye Nanda Thera, Ven. Thiniyawala Palitha Thera, more..

Sep 15 (TG) The body of a British journalist believed to have been killed by a crocodile has been found in Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan police said the body of 24-year-old Paul McClean, who worked for the Financial Times, had been recovered a day after he was seen being dragged into a lagoon by a crocodile. James Lamont, the FT’s managing editor, said: “Our thoughts are with his family, friends and loved ones. more..

Sep 15 (DM) During the cross-examination, PTL CEO Kasun Palisena yesterday accepted that he placed bids and took other appropriate steps at the March 29, 2016 auction following instructions received from Arjun Aloysius, who was in possession of inside information according to the phone recording played before the Commission. Continuing the Cross-examination of PTL CEO Kasun Palisena, more..

Sep 15 (CT) Office of Missing Persons (OMP) will come into operation from today as authorized by the gazette notification signed, by President Maithripala Sirisena in his capacity as the Minister for National Integration and Reconciliation, on Tuesday. While this is indeed a commendable decision one can't escape feeling that this was done to please the international community, which has been applying pressure on the govt to keep its promises among which is the establishment of the OMP. more..

Sep 15 (FT) I have been thinking about prison and their inmates a lot recently. Not because it is the pleasantest of subjects. But because I have been bombarded by media, social media, and antisocial elements on the subject. And I’m beginning to smell a rat. Or half a dozen. On the one hand, there is just cause to consider the present prison system. Our jails are overcrowded for starters. And there is no guarantee that those within the walls of Welikada and other accommodation courtesy the State more..

Sep 15 (LBO) Chamath Palihapitiya, founder of the venture-capital firm Social Capital, has launched a new blank-check company in partnership with the London-based VC firm Hedosophia, named Social Capital Hedosophia Holdings Corp. Social Capital Hedosophia said it had raised 600 million dollars in its IPO to invest in private tech companies, Business Insider reported. Blank-check public companies, or special purpose acquisition companies, which raise money first and then figure out more..

Sep 15 (AD) CEO of Perpetual Treasuries Kasun Palisena informed the Commission that Arjun Aloysius lied at the COPE committee hearings regarding his involvement in PTL transactions. Kasun Palisena made these remarks during proceedings today, placing Arjun Aloysius under further scrutiny.  The COPE was established to investigate several confidential bond transactions in Feb 2017. The committee formulated a 55-page report making a recommendation to hold more..

Sep 15 (NR) The govt has allocated special police protection for officers of the CEB who has opted out of engaging in the strike launched by electricity trade unions. Trade Union Collective of the CEB said it will continue its strike due to failed discussions with authorities. Convenor of the Collective Ranjan Jayalal said the strike will continue due to the failure to meet demands following negotiations with the Minister of Power. more..

Sep 15 (DM) Electricity supply to several areas in the Southern Province, Mount Lavinia and Piliyandala was interrupted due to acts of sabotage by CEB employees and also due to the heavy rains, Power and Renewable Energy Ministry Media Spokesman Sulakshana Jayawardane said today. He said repairs were affected by the strike by CEB employees and that repair work was carried out by the workers on a contract basis and by those who did not participate in the work stoppage. more..