Jun 8 (Island) Former State Finance Minister and MP Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena said that the JVP proposed 20th Amendment to the Constitution meant to further dilute executive powers enjoyed by the President would never be acceptable to them. Addressing the media at MP Tilanga Sumathipala’s residence at Ananda Rajakaruna Mawatha, Abeywardena asserted that the county was in deep political crisis due to more..

Jun 8 (FT) Minister Mangala Samaraweera in Parliament yesterday once again challenged former President Rajapaksa to a debate on the economic situation of the country during his Govt as well as the current administration. He made this challenge while commencing yesterday’s debate on the five notifications under the Excise Ordinance. Minister charged that the former Prez was using Goebbels theory of deceit more..

Jun 8 (DM) Joint Opposition MP Shehan Semasinghe requested Speaker Karu Jayasuriya to take some action to prevent the MPs who had admitted that they have taken money from Perceptual Treasuries Limited (PTL) Owner Arjun Aloysius, from humiliating other MPs. “Two members of Parliament have already said that they have accepted money from Aloysius. Statements made by these MPs could result in more..

Jun 8 (SCMP) SL’s cabinet has approved a proposal for Singapore-based urban planning consultancy Surbana Jurong, owned by state investor Temasek Holdings, to draw up a plan for a Chinese investment zone in the country’s southern port city of Hambantota, a govt spokesman said on Wednesday. The move comes after a delay of more than 18 months in starting the Chinese investment zone around Hambantota port, which is on more..

Jun 8 (GDI) The European Union recognizing the progress made by Sri Lanka in protecting and enhancing human rights and fundamental freedoms in the country has urged the govt to address issues relating to religious and ethnic hatred and to maintain zero tolerance for hate speech and crimes. Third meeting of the Working Group on Governance, Rule of Law & Human Rights under EU-SL Joint Commission more..

Jun 8 (CT) While the current Govt has been criticized for its lacklustre approach on economic development, the other factor that has irked several segments of the community is the move towards signing various trade agreements with other countries. Over the past few years, we saw protests pertaining to the Economic and Technology Co-operation Agreement (ETCA) & Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), both of which were to be signed with India. more..

Jun 8 (FT) There was a time when one might have admired the country’s Grand Old Party (GOP). It was the party of the Grand Old Man (GOM) who put SL on the free world’s map as well as earned us a black mark against our name for national crimes committed in the face of pragmatic politics. Be that as it may, there was much to endorse in its ostensible ethos back in the day, if one did not examine its modus operandi too minutely. Then, as now, it wasn’t good for one’s stomach to more..

Jun 8 (CT) A group of 95 persons, mostly academics but including activists and other professionals, have petitioned for the withdrawal of the General Sir John Kotelawala National Defence University (KNDU) Bill which they claim attempts to expand the existing Kotelawala Defence University in alarming ways. The Bill which was gazetted on April 6, 2018, would, they claim, goes well beyond the original objectives of the institution which were to provide training to military personnel more..

Jun 8 (EN) Foreign investors had sold down about 2.8 billion rupees of bonds in the week to June 2018, amid political uncertainty, in a trend that began about four weeks ago. Foreign investor holdings grew up to April 25 and sales began as the rupee came under pressure and some political uncertainty with President Sirisena attacking the main partner in the coalition. In the week to May 02, foreign bond holdings fell by 5 billion rupees from a peak of 323 billion rupees to 318 billion rupees. more..

Jun 8 (EN) Seasonal Influenza, more commonly known as the flu, has become a hot topic for discussion during the recent months. What exactly is influenza? Is it serious as its reputation claims? If so, what can we do to prevent the spreading of this illness and avoid the complications associated with the disease? Health Capsule consulted Dr. Ganganath Gunathilake, Consultant in Paediatric Respiratory more..

Jun 8 (HT) Arjun Tendulkar, son of the legendary Sachin Tendulkar, was named in the India under-19 squad that’ll tour Sri Lanka next month. India are due to play two four-day and five one-day matches against the island nation. However, Arjun has only been picked to feature in the two four-day ties. Delhi’s Anuj Rawat will lead the side in the four-day format while Aryan Juyal has been named skipper for the limited-overs ties. Arjun, who is 18 years old, was part of the under-19 camp more..

Jun 8 (AD) Five faculties of Uni of Ruhuna located in Wellamadama complex in Matara have been closed indefinitely. Vice Chancellor Professor Gamini Senaratne stated that the decision was taken due to the actions of a group of students violating discipline. Therefore the Faculty of Technology, Faculty of Management and Finance, Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences, Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences & Technology and Faculty of Science have been temporarily closed. more..

Jun 8 (EN) Sri Lanka is set to establish another world record as its second international airport was left without a single scheduled flight from today (June 8) after the only airline using the jinxed facility scrapped its daily service. Dubai's Flydubai announced the sudden withdrawal from the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA) and offered to refund tickets of a handful who had bought tickets or re-route them to Colombo. more..

Jun 8 (AD) A worker has reportedly died after falling in the lift shaft of the Lotus Tower (Nelum Kuluna) in Colombo. Police said that Koneswaran Nidharshan, a 19-year-old from Kilinochchi, had died in the accident which had occurred at the tower which is currently under construction. The youth had fallen from a height of some 145 meters while reports say that the elevator he had fallen from was also under construction. Maradana Police is conducting further investigations. more..

Jun 8 (AD) Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Northern Provincial Council member M. K. Sivajilingam has reportedly been hospitalised due to suffering a heart attack. The former MP had suffered a sudden heart attack while he was at home last night and was immediately rushed to the Jaffna Teaching Hospital where he was admitted to the ICU. However, hospital sources said that Mr. Sivajilingam’s condition is now stable and that the 61-year-old is currently recovering. more..

Jun 8 (GDI) Sri Lanka has shown a significant improvement in the 2018 Global Peace Index (GPI) jumping 13 notches to rank 67th out of 163 countries with a global score of 1.954. SL was again the second most peaceful nation in South Asia, and the second largest riser in the region last year. GPI, produced by the Institute for Economics & Peace, covers 99.7% of the world's population in 163 countries, using 23 qualitative and more..

Jun 8 (Island) TNA MP P. Raviharan on Wednesday said that 131 sites of Buddhist religious worship in the North which he termed as unlawful would have to be removed immediately. Raviharan said during the nine years of the post war period, Buddha statues and temples had been built in areas where there were no Buddhists and added that it was done to demonstrate the power of the Sinhalese. He said that of the 131 such places, 67 had been built in Mullaitivu. more..

Jun 8 (CNN) Anthony Bourdain, a gifted storyteller and writer who took CNN viewers around the world, has died. He was 61. CNN confirmed Bourdain's death on Friday and said the cause of death was suicide. "It is with extraordinary sadness we can confirm the death of our friend and colleague, Anthony Bourdain," the network said in a statement. "His love of great adventure, new friends, fine food and drink and the remarkable stories of the world made him a unique storyteller. more..

Jun 8 (PMD) Prez Sirisena says a combined programme should be implemented by all the relevant responsible parties jointly to eliminate the brutal ragging from the university system. He made these remarks participating in a ceremony to vest the newly built 3-storied building at the Bandarawela Central College, with the students, today. In the past few years, uni students of this country had to face many unpleasant more..

Jun 8 (SL) Office for National Unity and Reconciliation (ONUR) says SL is still looking for answers, even after long years of conflict. Director General of ONUR, M.S. Jayasinghe, speaking during the Int'l Steering Committee of the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflicts held in Colombo said that reconciliation is also a spiritual philosophy and in a society where spiritual values are not considered, it is even more challenging to achieve the targets set in this more..

Jun 8 (NR) Attorneys representing TNL Television has informed court that it dismisses all information set out by the TRC pertaining to sealing the transmission towers of TNL Television in Polgahawela. Responding to the allegation that the broadcasts of other TV channels have been obstructed due to the Polgahawela transmission towers, the Attorneys said TNL Television had not been informed by the TRC regarding such an issue. Attorneys also called for an investigation on more..

Jun 8 (Roar) Sri Lanka is recognised by environmental and wildlife experts all over the world as a biodiversity hotspot—and many of the plants and animals recorded here contribute in their own way to maintain the ecological balance. However, several species of plants and animals in the island have been identified to be poisonous, and they can cause quite a lot of harm to humans and other animals. more..

Jun 8 (SL) A former top cricketer has urged several cricket clubs to back Thilanga Sumathipala at the Sri Lanka Cricket board elections. The former cricketer who is still a popular figure in Sri Lanka, has spoken to some clubs and convinced them that Sumathipala is the best option for the game in Sri Lanka. Sumathipala is expected to win the cricket board elections and defeat rivals Nishantha Ranatunga, Jayantha Dharmadasa and Mohan de Silva to the post. more..

Jun 8 (DM) The price of kerosene would be reduced from between Rs.25 and Rs. 30 with effect from Monday (11), State Minister of Fisheries and Rural Economy Dilip Wedaarachchi said. He said the decision was taken after considering the inconvenience faced by the fishing community and families of low income earners. “A liter of kerosene will be available for the price between Rs.70 and Rs. Rs. 80 from Monday,” he said. more..

Jun 8 (MFA) The Second Round of Bilateral Political Consultations at the level of Foreign Affairs Ministries of Sri Lanka and the Republic of Korea took place in Colombo on Thursday (7). Sri Lanka delegation was led by Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Prasad Kariyawasam and the delegation of the Republic of Korea was headed by the First Vice Minister of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Korea Lim Sung-nam. more..

Jun 8 (SL) Attorney General has cleared releasing section C350 of the CB treasury bond commission report. AG has informed the Secretary to the President Austin Fernando, releasing the report will not have an impact on ongoing investigations into the scam. The advice of the AG had been sought to release the full report of Presidential Commission on the CB treasury bond scam. Prez’s Secretary Austin Fernando had said that he had sought the advise of the AG to make public the full report. more..

Jun 8 (AD) State Minister Palitha Range Bandara’s son Yasodha Range Bandara, who was arrested in connection with a traffic accident, has been remanded until June 12 by the Nugegoda Acting Magistrate. He was arrested by officers of the Arachchikattuwa Police this morning on charges of drunk driving and misuse of public property, while receiving treatment at Sri J'pura Hospital. He was produced at the Nugegoda Magistrate’s Court. Yasodha Range Bandara, 25, and more..

Jun 8 (DM) State Minister Sujeewa Senasinghe, who was accused of receiving monies from W.M. Mendis Company affiliated to Perpetual Treasuries (PTL) said that he would donate the rs. 3 million his campaign team had obtained to social welfare if Speaker Karu Jayasuriya or a Chief Prelate asked him to do so. He said that he would resign as MP if any one could prove that he personally received funds from PTL. more..

Jun 9 (Island) Dr. Sarala Fernando raised an interesting question in her article titled Theory and practice in foreign policy published in the Sunday Times of May 27. The question was: "How should the calls for transitional justice by international human rights activists be balanced with local sensitivities on the role of the armed forces who are considered war heroes?" Having raised the question, she states: "In the long term the best response may be in structural changes within more..

Jun 9 (CT) On the face of it, we exercise our franchise, vote and often turn out governments. We have retired public servants working as election staff. By all accounts they are very honest poll workers and the result is inexorably the will of the electorate. However, there is a lot more to democracy than taking a good record of the will of the electorate. There are related issues: are people whom we would really choose as our representatives able to contest? more..

Jun 9 (Roar) When you have a past that’s as eventful and colourful as Sri Lanka’s, some stories seem wilder than the movies. But it’s precisely these stories that filmmakers often pounce on to make a stunning, compelling film. Recently films like Silence in the Courts and According to Matthew made the news. Here are four of Sri Lanka’s best known films based on true stories. 1. Machan: When you speak of SL films based on a true story, more..

Jun 9 (DN) It has been close to four months since the Local Govt Elections were held with a 25% quota for women. For the first time in the country’s history, over 2,526 women entered the halls of local councils around the country. In some, it was the first time that a woman member sat in its chambers. As a whole, the quota system managed to increase the number of women in local govt from a mere 2% to 29%. Political parties had fielded 17,128 women candidates as a result of the quota this year. more..

Jun 9 (DN) Govt of SL has introduced a number of policies and programmes to increase paddy production since Independence and the Fertilizer Subsidy programme is one of them. It was initiated in 1962 (that is, at the onset of the Green Revolution) and has been in operation for more than five decades. The main objective of the programme is to induce farmers to adopt high-yielding varieties with a view to achieving self-sufficiency in rice in the country, as well as to ease the burden on more..

Jun 9 (DN) It’s an iconic sight: the large gopuram of the Sri Kailawasanathan Swami Devasthanam Kovil towering above the train tracks in Maradana, greeting passengers as they travel to and from Colombo. The temple, in its modern form, celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. But the place of worship is actually much older. And few know the history of the city’s oldest and largest temple to Shiva. more..

Jun 9 (ST) Sri Lankans, more than two-three decades ago, didn’t hear a lot about disasters from floods and even earth-slips as we do today. Now, with just after a few days of rain, there are floods and earth-slips. It is obvious that the frequency and intensity of these natural hazards have multiplied and, their negative impact on people has increased; almost every year, there are tragic deaths. Govt has to spend millions and billions with greater frequency to provide relief to victimised families. more..

Jun 9 (ST) When hospitality branding specialist QUO CEO David Keen walked into the lift of the new Jaz hotel in Amsterdam on opening day some years ago, he was surprised to find a saxophonist and a singer in that tiny space. “The duo started to play as the 1 metre x 1.5 metre lift became moving. I almost cried with delight. It was a sublime and memorable experience. Just imagine moving up to live music … just for you?” recalls Mr. Keen, a pioneer in creating new brands and re-branding existing ones more..

Jun 9 (CT) The purpose of this study is to evaluate the significance of Ediriweera Sarachchandra‘s (1914-1996) experiments in the development of a modern Sinhala theatre in Sri Lanka in comparison with the attempts made by main experimental dramatists and dramatic trends of the 20th century world. The 20th century was a period of experiments in the field of world theatre. Many dramatists from the main cultural centres felt that contemporary theatre faced several challenges, and more..

Jun 9 (Island) President Maithripala Sirisena has lamented the ever increasing rate of brain drain. Addressing a group of newly appointed teachers, on Thursday in Colombo, he said the professionals who had benefited from free education were duty bound to resist temptation to leave for greener pastures and serve the motherland. One cannot but agree with the President on this score; no country can achieve progress without the help of the crème de la crème of its professionals. more..