Jun 14 (Island) Attorney-at-law Chrishmal Warnasuriya believes that receiving corporate funding for election campaigns was acceptable as long as recipients were subjected to stringent monitoring and controls. Warnasuriya called for comprehensive monitoring mechanism to ensure transparency in receiving and usage of campaign funds. The civil society activist was responding to a query on the continuing controversy over more..

Jun 14 (AD) UNESCO has notified SL’s Department of Wildlife Conservation that the Sinharaja Forest Reserve will be at risk of losing its status as a World Heritage Site if the two wild elephants roaming the reserve are translocated, according to the Protect Sri Lanka national movement. Chairman of the movement, Pahiyangala Ananda Sagara Thero, claimed that the UN’s cultural agency has informed more..

Jun 14 (AD) The Court of Appeal today lifted the stay order issued preventing the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) election from being held and allowed the calling of nominations for fresh elections. Sports Minister Faiszer Musthapha and the Secretary to the Ministry has informed the court that steps will be taken to hold fresh elections for the country’s cricket governing body. This was informed to the court by Deputy Solicitor more..

Jun 14 (NR) The General Secretary of the BBS Galagodaththe Gnanasara thera has been sentenced to six months rigorous imprisonment for threatening the wife of missing journalist Prageeth Ekneligoda, Sandhya. The sentencing was issued by Homagama Chief Magistrate Udesh Ranatunga. The thera was found guilty on two counts of harassing and intimidating Sandhya Eknaligoda. more..

Jun 14 (CT) The advent of the atom bomb in 1945, followed by the hydrogen bomb in 1952, has made it possible to obliterate all living beings from the face of the Earth in the event of a thermonuclear war. A rogue State that has been identified as being in possession of nuclear weapons is North Korea. Of late, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un threatened to rain the USA with nuclear weapons. This was before Tuesday’s summit at Singapore between Kim and US President Donald Trump, more..

Jun 14 (FT) Yahapalana Govt has been singularly unfortunate in having to face many natural and manmade disasters during their regime. Almost every year many citizens have to undergo the consequences of floods in certain parts of the country whereas there has been droughts in other parts of our relatively small country. In addition, manmade disasters like the Salawa Ammunition dump blast and the Meethotamulla garbage mountain collapse causing serious damages more..

Jun 14 (EN) Some SL finance companies will need more capital to support growth and comply with new capital-adequacy rules which will improve the sector’s resilience, Fitch Ratings said. Smaller finance companies are likely to be particularly affected by the new rules and are already struggling to raise capital to comply with previous increases, a new report by the rating agency said. “New capital-adequacy regulations for inance companies are likely to improve the resilience of the sector more..

Jun 14 (DM) Former cricketer Mahela Jayawardane has rejected the request made by Cricket selectors to be a consultant to Sri Lanka Cricket and said that no previous recommendations were implemented and I don’t have any trust in the system. “With all due respect to the selectors & the sports minister i have spent 1 year in the cricket committee & 6 months in a special advisory committee & no recommendations were implemented. I don’t have any trust in the system. more..

Jun 14 (CT) The Police will not back down from investigating UNP MPs alleged to have received monies from Perpetual Treasuries Ltd (PTL) and its subsidiaries despite PM Ranil Wickremesinghe taking issue with senior officers for naming certain parliamentarians in ‘B’ Reports submitted to court, according to Police sources. Sources close to the PM acknowledged to Colombo Telegraph that he had summoned Senior DIG more..

Jun 14 (DM) President’s Secretary Austin Fernando had informed Minister of Resettlement Rehabilitation and Hindu Affairs D. M. Swaminathan that Prez will be come up with a favourable solution to the grievances expressed by some Tamil politicians in the govt and the opposition on the appointment of a Muslim MP as a Deputy Minister in charge of Hindu Affairs. Minister Swaminathan in a statement said he had made president aware on the many statements expressed in media over the appointment of more..

Jun 14 (NR) The son of State Minister Palitha Range Bandara, Yashoda arrested over a road accident has been released on bail. The order was issued by Chillaw District Judge this afternoon. Accordingly, the suspect was released on a surety bail of 50,000 rupees. Meanwhile, the Judge ordered the suspect to hand over his driving license to Court and suspended him from driving till the hearing of his case is concluded. Yashodha Range Bandara was arrested by the Arachchikattuwa Police while more..

Jun 14 (DM) Outgoing US Ambassador Atul Keshap, in response to Journalist Himal Kotelawala on the Daily Mirror article on the Ambassador’s meeting with former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, said if they responded to every inaccurate news story that appears, they would have little time for anything else. Tweeting the Daily Mirror article which said US was not in favour of Gotabaya Rajapaksa becoming President, more..

Jun 14 (AD) Prez Sirisena has instructed relevant officials to allow the last two rare elephants to continue to remain at the Sinharaja forest reserve. Prez has instructed the Secretary to the Environment Ministry and the Director General of the Wildlife Conservation Department in this regard. Authorities had planned to translocate the two elephants to the Horowpathana elephant protection centre, however environmental conservationists had vehemently opposed this move. more..

Jun 14 (DN) The Court of Appeal ordered to continue an order preventing Gotabhaya Rajapaksa being arrested under the Public Property Act over a complaint that the D.A. Rajapaksa Museum and Memorial in Medamulana were built using public funds amounting to Rs.90 million. The order was made in view of submissions and consent of both lawyers of former Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and Attorney General. Court of Appeal (President) Preethi Padman Surasena and more..

Jun 14 (PMD) The Gama Hadana Gamana parallel to Gramashakthi People’s movement was launched yesterday (13) in Puttalam District under the patronage of President Maithripala Sirisena. Last evening, after the Gramshakthi progress review meeting of the North Western Province, the President visited Mahawewa-Medagoda in the Puttalam District, where he provided immediate solutions to more..

Jun 14 (EN) President Donald Trump is also raising taxes to favour some domestic businessmen such as steelmakers harming not only ordinary Americans but exporters who use steel for value added products. Current administration had lowered some of the excessive taxes on sanitary ware. "Domestic manufactures of sanitary ware is in danger from imported competition and there were discussions on the possibility of raising cess taxes to previous levels," a statement from Prez's office said more..

Jun 14 (FT) Speaker of Parliament Karu Jayasuriya, while addressing a seminar on New Ways of Working in the Public Sector, held on 12 June at the Organisation of Professional Associations (OPA), directed attention towards the lack of efficiency and transparency of the public sector. “We have to accept the fact that in a modern world, the public sector is also subjected to rapid changes and reforms. So we have to move with the times. SL, at the moment, is a developing country. more..

Jun 14 (DM) After introducing the new Euro 4 emissions standard fuel from July, Petrol 92 Octane or Lanka Auto Diesel would not be removed from the market, Petroleum Ministry Secretary Upali Marasinghe said. He said the Euro 4 emissions standard Diesel and Petrol would be introduced to the market before the end of July and the first shipment of Euro 4 standard diesel and petrol stock would arrive in the country within next 2 or 3 weeks. more..

Jun 14 (AM) Fisheries Minister Wijith Wijayamuni Soysa's son Udara Wijayamuni Soysa has been removed from his position as the Chairman of Fisheries Corporation. Udara Wijayamuni Soysa, a lawyer and a Provincial Councilor, was appointed to the position by his father, the subject minister. Asian Mirror learns that the Chairman has been removed following a directive of Prez Maithripala Sirisena. Dr. Sajith Manjula has been appointed the new Chairman of the Fisheries Corporation. more..

Jun 14 (SL) A Fundamental Rights (FR) petition filed by former Chief Justice Sarath N Silva against the Provincial Councils (PC) Elections (Amendment) Act was rejected by the Supreme Court today. The petition was rejected by a majority in the three-member bench. Sarath N Silva filed the petition at the Supreme Court against the Provincial Council Elections Amendment Act in September last year. The Provincial Council Elections Amendment Act was passed by Parliament last year. more..

Jun 14 (CI) While Sri Lanka Cricket is in govt-imposed limbo, national selection committee under has lobbied govt to appoint Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Aravinda de Silva and Roshan Mahanama as cricket consultants for SLC. Generally, Sangakkara and Jayawardene are kept at arm's length by the board - the pair constantly critical of the self-interest they believe is rampant in SL's cricket administration. more..

Jun 14 (EN) Sri Lanka is developing seafront infrastructure and regulations to promote boat building and nautical tourism, Minister Malik Samarawickrama said. “The boat building industry is a billion-dollar industry and Sri Lanka should take full advantage of this emerging trend,” he told a news conference to announce the launch of the island’s annual boat show. Boat Show Sri Lanka 2018, which this year will also include a boating festival, will be held during 26-28 Oct, 2018 more..

Jun 14 (LBO) On June 12, 2018, 7:39pm Azzam Ameen went live on BBC Sinhala’s Facebook site with his interview of State Minister Sujeewa Senasinghe. The State Minister has been caught up in the controversial bond issue which continues to dominate the headlines in Sri Lanka. The interview showed the power of BBC Sinhala’s social media audience. With almost 1 million likes, many Facebook users received a notification that the Facebook interview had gone live. more..

Jun 14 (CB) The coach of Sri Lanka's women's cricket team, Hemantha Devapriya says defeat to Thailand in the recent Asia Cup tournament in Malaysia prompted him to quit the post with before his contract expired. Sri Lanka suffered a shock four-wicket defeat to Thailand in what turned out to be a low-scoring last-ball thriller. They finished fourth in the competition with two wins and three defeats. "Thailand aren't a strong side and more..

Jun 14 (Island) UNP MP Ravi Karunanayake once again faulted Central Bank officials for the economic crisis in the country. "Economy is in shambles thanks to some officials in the Central Bank. 95% of officials there are those who supported the previous govt. Now, they deliberately place the country’s economy in harm’s way. I call upon the President to go for a complete restructuring of the Central Bank if he wants to steer the nation out of the current crisis situation. more..

Jun 14 (FT) The Govt has decided to award ilmenite tender to Rescom Mineral Trading FZE, based in the United Arab Emirates. Earlier, State-owned Lanka Mineral Sands Ltd. called tenders to sell 25,000 metric tons of ilmenite, where the technical committee evaluated the rate offered by Rescom Mineral Trading FZE at $ 145.25 a ton to be the best price. Accordingly, the proposal made by Industry and Commerce Minister Rishad Bathiudeen was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers, more..

Jun 14 (SI) Swiss Federal Criminal Court has given no prison terms to alleged financiers of Tamil separatist group LTTE. The 13 accused were either given suspended custodial sentences or acquitted. The court said accusations of participation in and support of a criminal organisation did not stand and released all of the accused. It noted that the hierarchical link between LTTE and WTCC was not sufficiently established. more..

Jun 15 (CT) Your Excellency, The UNHRC had adopted Resolution No.30/1 of Oct 1, 2015 and co-sponsored by SL that called for an international investigation into war crimes with foreign judges, prosecutors and investigators. Clause 6 of Resolution 30/1, inter-alia, states as follows: ‘Welcomes the recognition by the Govt of SL that accountability is essential to uphold the rule of law and to build confidence in the people of all communities of SL in the justice system, more..

Jun 15 (CT) The results of a survey on the implementation of official languages policy at the ministerial level were unveiled at the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute of International Relations and Strategic Studies at a special ceremony on 28th of May. The survey is a joint project of the Ministry of National Co-Existence, Dialogue and Official Languages, the Official Languages Commission and the Centre for Policy Alternatives. The primary objective of the survey was to assess more..

Jun 15 (Roar) Last March, Sri Lanka was in a state of emergency. Racial tensions which had long been brewing online lead to rioting mobs, who subsequently damaged nearly 500 buildings: including homes, mosques, and businesses. Businesses across Akurana, Digana, and Katugastota were irreparably damaged, leaving behind buildings which were later condemned. The petrol bombs hurled into these structures more..

Jun 15 (CT) Former UNP General Secretary Kabir Hashim is on record that he had no need to accept money from Perpetual Treasuries. He claimed that he has enough personal wealth that he could even lend money to Perpetual Treasuries. He is clearly trying to disassociate himself from the 118 MPs to have allegedly accepted money from Arjun Aloysius. In the meantime, Maithripala Sirisena is on the war path with the UNP. He is clearly trying to pin the blame of country’s present economic woes more..

Jun 15 (CT) Oceans cover two thirds of world’s surface, and over 7.6 billion people directly or indirectly benefit from oceans around the world. Global fishery production is ever expanding, and according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), fisheries and aquaculture assure the livelihoods of 10-12% of the world’s population. Ocean resources can boost the growth of a country’s economy, but human activity also takes a toll on ocean health. more..

Jun 15 (FT) Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) Chairman Dhammika Ranatunga speaks about the performance of the State enterprise, recent decisions made, its challenges and the future. He also responds to allegations against the debt-ridden CPC while highlighting the importance of getting the right energy mix for Sri Lanka to avoid any crisis. Q: There has been much discussion on expanding the Sapugaskanda refinery. more..

Jun 15 (Island) The country’s first ever permanent High Court Trial-at-Bar proceedings are scheduled to commence from the beginning of next month, we are told. The tardiness of the judicial process has been an intractable problem all these years. Some cases drag on for decades. Land cases are the worst. This situation, which has benefited only lawyers, has to be rectified, but there should be no room left for political agendas to be advanced. Justice, as we have been arguing in this more..

Jun 15 (DN) Conflict Prevention and Peace Building are key to a future without armed conflicts. Therefore, it is a field of study that is of the utmost importance since only a proper understanding of Conflict Prevention and Peace Building can bring about sustainable peace. Daily News met up with Exec Director of GPPAC (Global Partnership for Prevention of Armed Conflict) Darynell Torres and discussed the goals of GPPAC and the future that we all can create together. more..

Jun 15 (GV) ‘I used to give this space for people to hold dansals at on Vesak and Poson poya days’ says Jazeel, indicating the parking area of his showroom. Jazeel’s shop was centrally located at the 8th Mile Post, and he is certain that the perpetrators were Sinhalese, and from the village bordering theirs. He says that the mob did not enter from the main Kandy-Matale road, but from the byroads that led out from the Sinhalese villages. Then, half of the assembled mob jumped into more..

Jun 15 (Island) Well! Well! Well! Page one of the Sunday Island of June 10 gave this jaundice-eyed dame plenty informational cud to chew and regurgitate in this column covering the week’s news from last Saturday to Thursday 14 June. "President crosses redline, escalates tensions within coalition" blared forth the headline in the Sunday Island of June 10. It referred to our own Prez not the one in the White House of the US of America who is known for his presidential tantrums. more..

Jun 15 (Island) On Friday 15th of this month Muslims all over the world will be celebrating the culmination of one month of fasting from dawn to dusk during the lunar month of Ramadhan. Eid means a celebration and event of festivity and Eid al Fitr is the celebration of breaking the fast at the end of the month of Ramadhan. Ibn Hajar writes in Fath Al-Bari, "It is related that the Prophet said that day: ‘Let the People of other religions know that our more..