Aug 28 (FT) The Chinese Govt Scholarship Award Ceremony was held at the Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka recently. 22 Sri Lankan students were awarded the Chinese Governmental Full Scholarship. Among the 22 scholarship winners, 10 for Bachelor degree, four for Master degree and eight for Doctoral degree in different fields like medicine, art, environmental science, archaeology and museology, Chinese Language teaching, international economic and trade, etc. more..

Aug 28 (DN) The Permanent High Court-at-Bar set up to hear high-profile financial frauds and corruption cases has issued summons on former Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and six others, directing them to appear before court on Sept 10. This is in connection with the construction of the D. A. Rajapaksa Museum and Memorial in Medamulana using LRDC funds amounting to Rs.48 million. more..

Aug 28 (Island) ICTA since its inception, has played a key role on the development of ICT in the country. Digital Literacy has reached 39% and ICT exports have surpassed USD 1 billion making ICT the 5th largest foreign exchange revenue earner. In line with the national development priorities and digitization agenda of the govt, under the guidance of Harin Fernando, Minster of Telecommunication Digital Infrastructure and the Foreign Employment (MTDIFE), and the supervision of more..

Aug 28 (TD) The recent visit by Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera to India and SL shows the increasing focus on these countries on the part of Tokyo as a part of its free and open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) strategy. What is important about this visit was that it was the first visit by a Japanese defense minister to SL. This assumes particular significance in the light of a Chinese-state owned company gaining a lease of 99 years to the Hambantota port, which straddles the key sea lanes of more..

Aug 28 (FT) Speaker Karu Jayasuriya has put forward four names to be appointed to the expert committee to revise the report by the Delimitation Committee for the delimitation of provincial council electorates after it was defeated in Parliament last Friday. The office is now in the process of obtaining the consent of the individuals to be appointed to the committee. The committee to be appointed by Jayasuriya will be chaired by PM more..

Aug 28 (NR) The Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court today re-issued an open warrant for the arrest of former Sri Lankan Ambassador to the United States Jaliya Wickramasuriya. The order was issued by Colombo Fort Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne. The Magistrate also issued arrest warrants for Jaliya Wickramasuriya's wife and a female relative who paid Wickramasuriya's bail. Meanwhile the FCID requested Court to issue a declaration order citing the trio as suspects absconding Court. more..

Aug 28 (CT) The Railway Trade Unions decided to call off the strike, that was scheduled to be launched from midnight tomorrow, Railway Trade Union sources confirmed. Earlier, the Railway Guards, Railway Drivers, Station Masters, Controllers, Supervisors, and Managers planned to strike after President Sirisena informed the Trade Unions to await the decision of the Committee appointed by Minister of Finance Mangala Samaraweera on the agreed salary increments for these 6 Grades. more..

Aug 28 (MO) The police in Kottayam, Kerala were alarmed as a caravan of trucks bearing flags similar to that of the Tamil terrorist group LTTE arrived with flood relief material. The vehicle had a banner with the picture of late LTTE Leader V Prabhakaran, who was killed in the final day of fighting in the surroundings of Nandikadal lagoon in Muaitivu in May 2009. The policemen questioned those travelling in the vehicles more..

Aug 28 (Island) President Maithripala Sirisena disclosed at the Kandy Esala Perahera concluding ceremony at the Kandy President’s House that he had received a complaint that injustice had been caused to some artistes in selecting the best performers in the Perahera. The President stressed the need for adopting remedial measures to see that justice was done. The Divisional Secretary and others should take action regarding the complaint, the President added. more..

Aug 28 (DM) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe and Vietnamese Deputy PM Pham Binh Minh have stressed the need to establish peace and prosperity in the Indian Ocean Region, sources said. They had met in Hanoi prior to the third edition of Indian Ocean conference on Monday. The two leaders had also agreed to enhance trade between the two countries through traditional bilateral relations enjoyed during the past years and to increase the value of trade between the two countries to more..

Aug 28 (CT) A lawyer for the defence, in the journalist Keith Noyahr alleged abduction and assault case, yesterday, told Court that the safe house named Baduwatte Walawwa, which had come up in connection with the case, had been operated and maintained by the military intelligence. This was revealed before Mount Lavinia Additional Magistrate Lochana Abeywickrema by Attorney-at-Law Shehan de Silva, more..

Aug 28 (NR) Two forest rangers at the Minneriya National Park have been admitted to the Habarana Hospital following an assault incident. Police said the two rangers are not in critical condition. The forest rangers had arrested an individual who engaged in illegal fishing in the National Park last evening while a stock of nets was also seized. The individual was escorted to the Wildlife Office in Minneriya when another group of fishermen arrived at the office and begun assaulting rangers more..

Aug 28 (CT) The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and the ICT Enabled Services Industries have a shortfall of 40,000 skilled workers, Chairman of the Federation of Information Technology Industry Sri Lanka, Dr. Kithsiri Manchanayake said. The two industries currently employ 80,000 having had generated a total income of US$ 1.2 billion last year to be SL’s sixth largest debt-free foreign exchange (FX) earner. Project Manager of the State-owned ICT Agency, more..

Aug 28 (EN) SriLankan Airlines had been drained by unusually high commissions paid to general sales agencies operating in several countries owned one person, amid interference by a former chief executive and chairman in agent appointments, a commission of inquiry heard. Agencies controlled by one Dilan Ariywansa, had been given the General Sales Agency (GSA) for SriLankan Airlines in key revenue markets and contracts extended more..

Aug 28 (DN) Former Army Commander General Rohan Daluwatte passed away yesterday at the age of 77 after a brief illness, while being treated at the Army Hospital. He was born on May 9, 1941 in Ambalangoda and is an old boy of Ananda College, Colombo. He joined the SL Army as a Cadet Officer in 1961 and served until 1998. He received military training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, UK. At the Sandhurst Military Academy, he excelled in athletics, badminton and basketball. more..

Aug 28 (AD) The issuance of a bill to the patients at the Colombo South Teaching Hospital is only done to educate people of the expenditures the govt bears to provide healthcare facilities, says Minister Dr Rajitha Senaratne. This measure was introduced by a specialist doctor in the Colombo South Teaching Hospital during an event held in the hospital, the Minister added. He denied the recent claims by social media websites that the govt health service is going to charge money from patients. more..

Aug 28 (CT) Investigations have been launched following a number of suspicious Indian bookmakers being spotted at Dambulla Cricket Stadium during the T20 Inter-Provincial Cricket Tournament matches last weekend. It is understood that 15 Indians had arrived at the playground on both 25 (Sat) and 26 (Sun), though this was not an international tournament. All SL players participated and cricket fans were provided opportunities more..

Aug 28 (DM) One cannot understand why the govt, knowing well that the majority MPs would not vote for the report on delimitation of provincial council wards, presented it in the House for approval. And it is even hilarious that Minister Faiszer Musthapha who presented the report to Parliament for approval, had himself voted against it. Now that the report has been rejected by the Parliament, a committee which is to be appointed by the Speaker under the chairmanship of the PM will review it more..

Aug 28 (DM) Last week, the Japanese Defence Minister was in Sri Lanka on a two-day visit, a first by a Japanese politician of that capacity to the island. Pacifist Japan did not have a habit of sending their defence top brass and warships to every other country, until very recently. In the same week, the Japanese naval ship Ikazuchi arrived in the Trincomalee harbour on a goodwill visit. The vessel was part of a dispatch of three ships sent on a month-long tour to India, SL, Singapore, more..

Aug 28 (CT) With the release to the public by the Ministry of Justice, the Report of the Committee appointed to consider amendments to the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act (MMDA), there has been quite a bit of chatter. Many among Muslims who had apparently not read the full report of, more than 300 pages, were disputatiously commenting on it. Interestingly, part of the commentaries came from the quarters of more..

Aug 28 (ST) Following a recent article relating to the production of Sri Lanka’s banknotes, published in the Sunday Times, De La Rue Lanka has issued the following statement, to present a more accurate picture of the current situation reported in the media recently. As confirmed by the Central Bank of SL statement, SL’s banknotes have been produced by De La Rue Lanka, since the set up of the joint venture between De La Rue more..

Aug 28 (CT) SL’s average value addition in spice exports, including cinnamon and pepper, is at a mere 20%, SL Institute of Nano Technology (SLINTEC), a public-private partnership (PPP), in a recent report said. Yet, the industry suffers from problems of low yield, traditional methods of manufacturing and minimal in-country value addition. Around 15,000 people are employed in the spice sector it said. more..

Aug 28 (CT) Rainforests in the wet zone are under risk due to the increasing number of tea plantations in Districts such as Kalutara, Matara, Galle and Ratnapura, the Young Zoologists Association (YZA) noted. Advisor to the YZA, Dilup Chanda Nimal said that the trend had been intensifying day by day and was in fact invasive. He pointed out that many tea plantations were located near rainforests, and that the boundaries of more..

Aug 28 (Island) Democracy was not an alternative but a bare necessity, Chairman of the Elections Commission Mahinda Deshapriya said. Addressing the opening ceremony of the 2-day fourth Asian Electoral Stakeholders Forum (AESF-IV) that commenced in Colombo, Deshapriya said that democracy could be strengthened by holding free and fair elections on time. Holding elections on time would ensure the voters’ right to cast their more..

Aug 28 (DN) Minister Faiszer Musthapha said no one could point their fingers at him with regard to the delimitation report, and that as per Provincials Councils Act Section 3A, he was statutorily bound to table the report in Parliament within two weeks of receiving it. He said that taking into consideration the in adequate time provided by the committee to submit the views and concerns of political parties, he made a request to more..

Aug 28 (PMD) President Maithripala Sirisena says there is no differentiation or discrimination in the development of the country and the responsibility of delivering development benefits for the people living in the Northern and Eastern provinces will be fulfilled. President further said that the assistance of the all the people’s representatives in the province as well as the public servants is expected in this regard. more..

Aug 28 (EN) State-run Bank of Ceylon (BOC) had requested early repayment of a 12.9 billion rupee loan taken by SriLankan Airlines while the Treasury wants the loans to be extended for another year, until an investor is found, a witness told a commission of inquiry. Treasury had given Letters of Comfort to cover the principal of the loans in arrears, while the airline keeps paying interest. BOC Offshore Banking Division Chief Manager more..

Aug 28 (DM) The Buddha Sasana Karya Sadhaka Mandalaya comprising some 15 prominent Buddhist organizations in a letter to the President has requested him to obtain a comprehensive interpretation of Article 9 of the Constitution and take necessary steps to implement it. The letter signed by the joint secretaries of the Mandalaya, Most Ven. Tirukunamale Ananda Maha Nayaka Thera and more..

Aug 28 (EN) SL's freedom of navigation initiative is to create a rules based mechanism where Indian Ocean littoral states and major users can discuss and resolve issues amid a changing world order, PM Ranil Wickremesinghe said. "SL's initiative on the freedom of navigation in the Indian Ocean is primarily aimed at maintaining a rules-based order," PM said in Vietnam. "Our aim is not to draft a new code but initiate a process." more..

Aug 29 (GV) Another July has passed. A month filled with dark associations, thanks to Black July, a month that only escalated events leading to a three-decade war and a whole host of other ill effects that pushed the country backwards. However, the month of August also holds huge importance in my memory. Half of my immediate family, including myself, was born in August, but some of the darkest memories I carry are also from that month. August 1990 – the year of the infamous massacre more..

Aug 29 (CT) There are numerous criticisms of politicians, politics and political culture by those concerned with the directions of the country, governance style, policies and programs, corruption, delay, and costs of living pressures. However, little attention has been paid to the manner politicians in Sri Lanka become capitalists during their tenure and move away from the socio-economic contexts that they were born into in the Provinces. In order to understand the reasons as to why more..

Aug 29 (SO) Asian Games which is hailed as the Olympics in Asia has always been a favourable arena for Sri Lankan athletes. Susanthika Jayasinghe, Damayanthi Darsha, Sugath Thilakerathne, Shriyani Kulawanshe were some of the shining stars in Asian Games history who brought glory to this island nation. Ushan Thiwanka is an emerging sport star who has produced the third best high jump performance (2.24m) of the country so far. more..

Aug 29 (CT) Speaking at an event a few days before in Colombo, Dr. Sarath Amunugama, the Minister of Science, Technology, Research, Skills Development and Vocational Training including Kandyan Heritage has dealt with the need to investigate into Public money wasted ! Since this is a state that has been in existence over a long period of time and is highly relevant in the current context as well, we have to look at the Ministers statement carefully. Hence before doing so I wish to more..

Aug 29 (CT) Former Indian PM the late Atal Bihari Vajpayee very well understood the disunity that prevailed between the moderate SL Tamil politicians and the Tamil militant outfits and pointed out clearly in the early eighties that unless the SL Tamil politicians were united they could not fulfil their political aspirations. Representing the BJP Vajpayee attended the TESO (Tamil Eelam Supporters Organization) meeting convened by the late TN Chief Minister & DMK Leader M. Karunanidhi more..

Aug 29 (DM) Acting Basnayake Nilame and the Chief Kapurala of the Ruhunu Maha Kataragama Devalaya are to face charges on contempt of court for attempting to block the effect of a court order which had been given by the District Court and the Supreme Court on multiple occasions. Padmasiri Adikaram, who possesses hereditary rights, was duly inducted as a kapurala in 1960. His hereditary right through his grandfather Manisappu, more..

Aug 29 (ST) One day during a TV interview, interviewer – Sonali, asked me a question: “If a foreign professional is allowed to practise in SL, will it affect the income of our professionals? For instance, if my income as a lawyer is, say is Rs. 250,000 a month, an unemployed lawyer from another country comes here and offers the same service for a lesser amount, say Rs. 50,000; then would I lose my customers and my income? What is your response?” I believe that Sonali being more..

Aug 29 (DN) At a recent interview of Minister Field Marshal Fonseka he had stated that a group of people had gone to Wilpattu with him when he went there as the Subject Minister. A media channel had accused him of keeping underworld figures as his bodyguards. The Police had started going after the latter since. He was certain that they are not involved in criminal activities at present. It is strange that the Field Marshal did not make a move against the media channel that made the allegation. more..

Aug 29 (CT) Free Trade Agreements are international agreements binding among and between State party or parties and international organizations generally involving commerce, trade politics and international relations among States and international organizations. The Agreement between Sri Lanka and Singapore is mainly on the economic aspects, than on political, unlike some other agreements that we have signed with governments and international institutions. more..

Aug 29 (Island) The hot topic in town is whether former twice elected Presidents Chandrika Kumaratunga and Mahinda Rajapaksa are qualified to seek reelection under provisions of the 19th Amendment. Dr. Nihal Jayawickrama in a legally well analyzed article titled Disqualifying Twice Elected Presidents – A Failed Endeavour argues that since Parliament did not provide in the 19th Amendment, a disqualification that would apply retrospectively former twice elected Prez more..