Sept 22 (NR) Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam has called for a report pertaining to a ragging incident reported at the Nilwala National College of Education. He has notified the Commissioner of the College KMH Bandara to look into the matter and submit a report. The Education Minister said ragging incidents should be avoided in order to protect the right of all students to a free education. Minister added the lack of discipline in students studying to become teachers is a serious concern. more..

Sept 22 (AD) The national cricketers including 40 contracted players have called for an immediate inquiry in to certain shocking allegations made by former selector Pramodya Wickremasinghe insinuating unnatural and mysterious match patterns. The cricketers, in a petition signed by all including both captains Dinesh Chandimal and Upul Tharanga to Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), have drawn attention in to more..

Sep 22 (AD) Deputy Minister Ajith P. Perera discussed several judicial reforms proposed by the Anti-Corruption Secretariat which included the establishment of a trail at bar method where hearings will be held daily with only one appeal. He discussed several proposals submitted by the Anti-Corruption Secretariat aimed at reforming the judicial process within the country.  Accordingly he stated that steps will be taken to establish a trail at bar system for crimes pertaining to bribery, more..

Sep 22 (DM) Three live hand grenades had been found in Slave Island, Colombo this morning, Police said. They said that the hand grenades were found under a vehicle, which had been abandoned in the premises of SL Insurance Corporation. “It was disclosed in the investigation conducted by the Police that the hand grenades were trapped between concrete slabs and the Police security has been given to the site,” Police said. Police have started an operation in collaboration with more..

Sep 22 (Roar) Travis Gomez – Product Head at Frontier Research speaks to Roar Media on where SL’s tertiary sector stands at present as well as its growth and challenges. Since the end of the civil conflict, Sri Lanka has experienced a steady economic growth of 6.4% between 2010 and 2015. However, the country’s economy isn’t faring so well right now. Getting walloped like a ton of bricks by one natural disaster after another in recent more..

Sep 22 (ENS) Andhra Pradesh govt is contemplating to develop an industrial corridor in Sri Lanka. AP Industries Minister Amarnath Reddy and the officials concerned have already conducted talks with the SL govt for making the project fruitful. A MOU will be signed with the Sri Lankan govt in a few weeks. As the island nation is convenient for water transport, Sri Lanka is the best bet for AP for conducting trade in sea foods, pharma and tourism sectors, say officials.   more..

Sep 22 (DN) The construction plan of the SAARC Medical College will be finalised by December, this year, Health Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne had stated. Minister had stated that during the recent SAARC Health Ministers' meeting held in Colombo, that the SAARC Director General presented the proposal to construct a SAARC Medical College and that he pledged to extended his fullest support. The Minister has also proposed to construct the college in Sri Lanka. more..

Sep 22 (DM) Ministry of Tourism and Christian Affairs has proposed the removal of restrictions imposed on soft liquor sales in the 2018 Budget, Minister John Amaratunga informed Parliament. Responding to a question, minister said his ministry had requested the Minister of Finance to ease laws pertaining to soft liquor such as beer and wine so that these types of alcoholic beverages would be freely available. more..

Sep 22 (NR) Court today ordered Daisy Forest, the grand aunt of Yoshitha Rajapaksa, to record statements required at the FCID pertaining to investigations into the purchase of a plot of land down Mihindu Mawatha, Dehiwela worth 50 million rupees. The order was issued by Colombo Chief Magistrate Lal Ranasinghe Bandara. The FCID detailing facts before Court said a progress report of investigations has been handed over to the Attorney General’s Department. more..

Sep 22 (NR) Team Manager Asanka Gurusinghe says former skipper Angelo Mathews is eager to be part of the One Day International squad as an all-rounder. Mathews has had a long history of injuries and the veteran all-rounder has served more time off the field in the past 12 months than ever before in his career. Former SL skipper has also been ruled out of the opening Test against Pakistan with a grade one tear to his calf muscle, sustained during a training session. more..

Sep 22 (F2F) Deputy minister Harsha de Silva said the nation’s apparel industry is seeking govt concessions to import labour from regional economies, such as Nepal and Bangladesh, to tackle shortage of skilled labour. Thousands of jobs are vacant in the apparel sector in industrial zones. He, however, expressed doubts over the sustainability of the apparel industry, even if it was allowed to import labour. more..

Sep 22 (DM) JVP MP Bimal Ratnayake asked whether a scientific study had been carried out to assess the impact on animals due to the opening of the Dehiwala Zoo at night. He told Parliament that animals need rest at night and added that keeping the zoo open at night may risk the lives of the animals. "This is a serious matter. The animals may die,” he said. Mr. Ratnayake speaking at the debate on Sri Lanka's sustainable Development Bill said a zoo which was kept open at nights more..

Sep 22 (NR) Minister of Health Rajitha Senaratne says charges obtained at all private hospitals and laboratories will be regulated and brought to an equal level. Speaking in Parliament he said charges imposed by certain private hospitals are unaffordable. He said, an International team was brought down to formulate a report on the prices charged by all private hospitals and laboratories in the island adding that they were given a period of two months at the end of which more..

Sep 22 (DM) Chief Opposition Whip Anura Kumara Dissanayake said they would support the Constitution-making process based on several facts including the abolishing of the executive presidency and changing of the electoral system. The JVP MP told Parliament that the constitution was meant to protect the social and economic policy of the country and added that they were against that policy and the constitution in general. more..

Sep 22 (LBO) Business tycoon Harry Jayawardena has been reappointed to the board of Distilleries as a nominee of Melstacorp. Distilleries said in a stock exchange filing that Harry Jayawardena, Cedric Jansz, and Hasitha Jayawardena resigned from the Distilleries Board after the conclusion of the AGM held today. However, in a board meeting held after the conclusion of the AGM, they have been reappointed as directors of the company as nominees of Melstacorp. more..

Sep 22 (AD) The report of the Demographic and Health Survey – 2016 conducted jointly by Department of Census and Statistics (DCS) and the Ministry of Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine (MoHNIM) launched on 18th Sept. The First copy of the report on SLDHS – 2016 was presented to Mr. Faizal Cassim, Deputy Minister of Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine. Data collected in this survey include demographic and household characteristics of the housing units more..

Sep 22 (ST) The Ministry of Science, Technology and Research together with the UNDP have come together to establish Sri Lanka’s first Social Innovation Lab. The establishment of this lab comes as one of the main outcomes of the First National Summit on Foresight and Innovation for Sustainable Human Development which was hosted by UNDP and other public and private sector partners in May 2016. more..

Sep 22 (DN) Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera yesterday placed his signature of a newly minted Rs. 5000 note making it the first time to do so since he assumed the role of Finance Minister. He was presented a framed picture of the note by De La Rue CEO Martin Sutherland, Mark Filer and Nadeesha Epasinghe. Minister Mangala Samaraweera, the second Finance Minister of the national unity govt, was appointed to the position during the Cabinet reshuffle of May 22. more..

Sep 22 (AD) Dialog network announced that all Voice Call and SMS charges incurred by its costumers on Wednesday (20) will be waived in full, due to disturbance to Mobile Services experienced on that date. “We regret the inconvenience caused due to the disturbance to Mobile Services on 20/09/17,” the service provide a said in a text message sent to all customers. “As a token of gratitude, your Voice Call charges & SMS charges incurred on 20/9 will be waived in full. more..

Sep 22 (NR) State Minister Eran Wickramaratne says the govt doctors are attempting to create a monopoly and in doing so impose pressure on essential services to the public. He said the trust individuals have in doctors has been compromised. There is no one trusted as much as a doctor adding that however this trust has been compromised. He said there is a doctor dictatorship prevalent in the country at the moment more..

Sep 23 (CT) Broadly speaking, children can encounter the law in three ways: as criminals, as perpetrators, and as witnesses. That there are problems in our justice system stems partly from the fact that we refuse to accommodate those children as children with respect to these categories. Even though we do treat them differently, at the end of the day they tend to find our courts and processes difficult and overwhelming. Our collective refusal to identify and treat children for who they are more..

Sep 23 (NS) The process of Constitutional reforms reached a crucial juncture last week when the interim report of the Steering Committee was handed over to the Constitutional Assembly. This is a crucial point since groups with conflicting ideologies had made their proposals which have now taken shape as an interim report. However, there is a long way to go. The content of the interim report has to be debated following which the outcomes of the debates would be handed over to the steering committee. more..

Sep 23 (SO) Humaid, son of Mohamed who championed the campaign to raise funds for a PET scanner for the Maharagama Cancer Hospital passed away on Sept 12, 2017. Mohamed still echoes the words of his son, one day at the Apeksha Hospital, on experiencing the sufferings undergone by cancer patients in Sri Lanka, “Dada why cannot we donate a PET scanner to Apeksha Hospital so everybody would benefit?” more..

Sep 23 (CT) It is not my intention at present to comment on the matters contained in the Interim Report submitted by the Hon Prime Minister or the annexures tabled therewith. These matters will be dealt with at future meetings of the Constitutional Assembly that will be held for that purpose. I wish to lay emphasis on the urgent relevance and importance of some aspects of the process that we are engaged in. We are engaged in the process of making a Constitution for our country, more..

Sep 23 (SO) The Economic Development Plan of the present unity govt Vision 2025: A Rich Country was launched at a ceremony held recently at the BMICH in Colombo under the patronage of the President Maithripala Sirisena and PM Ranil Wickremesinghe. Speaking to Sunday Observer, top ICT policy and regulation think tank Prof Rohan Samarajiva said that the Vision 2025 document is a policy framework which will take the country to the next level. more..

Sep 23 (CT) Chathurika Sirisena, launched Janadhipathi Thaththa (My father the President), on 15 Sept at the BMICH. The first copy of the book was presented to President Sirisena by the author. The following is based on an interview with Chathurika, the President's eldest daughter. Q: Did you give any thought to becoming a writer or did it happen by chance? A: We have dreams when we are small. more..

Sep 23 (Island) There were so many elections under the Rajapaksa administration that cynics derisively claimed that the country was suffering from polls diarrhea. What will they call the current situation? Polls constipation? The govt has, in its wisdom, decided to place three provincial councils (PCs) under their Governors after the expiry of their terms shortly until elections to all PCs are held on a single day. Whether that day will ever dawn under the present dispensation more..

Sep 23 (DN) All those interested in resolving the national problem accept that a major step was taken by the Yahapalanaya when interim report of the steering committee set up under the Constitutional Assembly was presented by its Chairman PM stressing that SL should remain one undivided & indivisible country where maximum devolution should be granted. PM explained that it states, there shall be specific provisions included in the Constitution to prevent secession. more..

Sep 23 (DN) While the Supreme Court earns the worthy respect of the people for its decision on the proposed 20th Amendment, the decision has also shown that the independence of the judiciary is a reality today, which is a major change from the situation that prevailed for more than a decade before the major political change of January 2015, and especially bad during the near decade of the Rajapaksa Regime. In deciding that the proposed changes to the PC electoral process, more..

Sep 23 (SLN) The training module on Preventive Medicine and Casualty Care came to a successful end today (22) in Welisara. Director Naval Land Operations, Commodore Udeni Serasinghe, as the Chief Guest, graced the closing ceremony of this training engagement which commenced on 11th of this month. The initiative was hosted by the SL Navy in collaboration with the US Marine Corps Forces Pacific (MARFORPAC). The 12-day training programme consisted of two modules, more..

Sep 23 (Island) The Supreme Court’s order on the proposed 20th Amendment was one that wholly supported the democratic rights of voters. It clearly stated that any move by the government to postpone the Provincial Council polls – even to have them all on a single day – should be approved by a 2/3rd majority in Parliament and also at a referendum, because it is a major constitutional change. So what does the Govt do? more..

Sep 23 (Island) Former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara, who will retire from First-Class cricket at the end of the current season, was honoured with five awards as English county Surrey reflected on their 2017 season at the club’s annual end of the season awards. The prolific left-hander walked away with the Members’ Player of the Year, Player of the Year, Sylvester Clarke Large Rum Moment, Kia Batsman of the Year and Players’ Player of the Year awards. more..

Sep 23 (Hindu) It is only with a great degree of caution and circumspection that the interim report of the Steering Committee of the Constitutional Assembly of Sri Lanka can be welcomed. The panel, chaired by PM Ranil Wickremesinghe, has done creditably by producing a forward-looking proposal within 18 months of its first sitting. However, there have been several such reports in the past that envisioned far-reaching reforms in the country’s structure. more..

Sep 23 (CT) Jaffna's vaulting queen Anitha Jagatheeshwaran once again renewed her own SL record in the Pole Vault at the 43rd National Sports Festival started in Matara yesterday. Anitha who already renewed the SL record less than a month ago with 3.47m went over 3.48m here before the rain interruption. Downpour for a few minutes halted her progress making the take off area muddy and that affected her performance. more..

Sep 23 (Island) Concept of extradition features prominently in the recent debate over SL’s Enforced Disappearance Bill. Opponents of the Bill claim that it enables the extradition of SL citizens to foreign countries with no jurisdiction over offences committed in SL. These claims are likely ill advised. Yet they probably stem from fears that such opponents genuinely hold. Thus they must be respectfully engaged through a careful analysis of the law, & ultimately by appealing to reason. more..

Sep 23 (CI) They call him, simply, The King. And, really you can see why. For Kumar Sangakkara, in his 40th year, is lording over English county cricket like it is his own personal fiefdom. Here, in his last ever first-class game at The Oval, and the penultimate one of his career, Sangakkara was majestic, clinical and chanceless yet again. In isolation, this was an innings to enrich any autumnal day. In the context of a magnificent career, it produced memories that more..

Sep 23 (SO) Promising results from trials on vaccines to fight dengue, are likely to see the introduction of the long awaited dengue vaccine, and hopefully mitigate morbidity and mortality from the disease that until last month had the country in its grip. “We looked at three vaccines from France, USA and Japan. Regarding the French vaccine, certain issues have to be resolved. The other two have so far had promising results. more..

Sep 23 (DN) Munchee, the flagship brand of Ceylon Biscuits Limited (CBL) has once again come forward to sponsor the National Volleyball Championship 2017 organized by SL Volleyball Federation. This is the tenth year that the country’s National Game is being sponsored by Munchee. Tournament will be conducted in four categories for men and women, played at two levels – Novices and Super League. The Championship will commence on Sept 30 at Galigamuwa Maha Vidyalaya grounds more..

Sep 23 (DN) As part of its contribution to regional cooperation, the Government of Sri Lanka through the Ministry of Tourism Development and Christian Religious Affairs recently offered two scholarships in tourism and hospitality management to students in SAARC countries. The offer was made during the 18th SAARC Summit held in Nepal. Consequent to this the SAARC Secretariat has nominated two students namely Deki Wangmo from Bhutan and Fatima Mosavi from Afghanistan to follow more..