Jun 26 (CT) Minister Mangala Samaraweera is absolutely right in calling for an inquiry into the death of Chamara Jayasundera, a suspect in the failed jewellery shop robbery in Matara last week. Jayasundera was killed after police escorting him to recover some clothes, fired at him after he allegedly tried to lob a grenade at the officers. During last week’s robbery attempt, police traded fire with the alleged robbers and several officers and bystanders were hit and one Policeman died later more..

Jun 26 (DM) The govt has decided to curb underworld activities with the assistance of the tri-forces, State Minister of Defense Ruwan Wijewardene said. He said the decision was taken at the Defence Council meeting chaired by President Sirisena and assured that underworld activities that has raised its ugly head would be rooted out for the people to live peacefully. According to him, a large sum of money had been spent for national security and that would be given continuously. more..

Jun 26 (CI) 20: Wickets fell on the third day in Bridgetown, which is a new record for Tests in the West Indies, eclipsing the 18 that fell during England's tour in 2015. Here, SL were 99 for 5 in first innings at the start of the day, and at stumps, they were five-down in the second innings. 8-40: Jason Holder's match figures are already the second-best by a WI captain, behind Courtney Walsh's 13 for 55 against NZ in 1994-95. Holder's figures are also the second-best by more..

Jun 26 (FT) Bushman, Piotroski and Smith (2003) identified that the availability of information was considered to be a key determinant of the efficiency of resource allocation decisions and growth in an economy. Availability of information is linked to corporate transparency, defined as the widespread availability of firm-specific information to those stakeholders outside the firm. Corporate reporting plays a significant role in facilitating corporate transparency. more..

Jun 26 (DM) Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa would not have any difficulty to get former Sri Lankan Ambassador to Russia Udayanga Weeratunga, who was alleged to have involved in MiG deal, to return to Sri Lanka, PM Ranil Wickremesinghe said today. “Hitler’s brother would not have any difficulty in bringing back Weeratunga to Sri Lanka as he is still associated with the latter,” PM Wickremesinghe told more..

Jun 26 (NDTV) More than 50 boxes of abandoned ammunition, 41 Light Machine Guns, 22 Machine guns, five land mines trinitrotoluene detonators, and detonator launchers were recovered while a septic tank was being dug in a house near Thangachimadam area in the Ramesawaram district. Among other items seized were one SLR box, eight pieces of fused wire and eight dynamo motors, Ramanathapuram Superintendent of Police Om Prakash Meena told reporters. more..

Jun 26 (AD) A foreign tourist has been killed in a motor accident that has occurred on the Ella-Wellawaya road, this morning. The deceased is revealed to be a 78 year old French national, according to the Police. A bus carrying foreign tourists had stopped at the Ella Road and the said French tourist had crossed the road to take a photograph when a bus travelling towards Ella had hit him. The tourist had been admitted to the Wellawaya Hospital where he succumbed more..

Jun 26 (AD) Postal trade unions have decided to temporarily call off their ongoing strike after 16 days following talks held with the govt. The trade unions decided to end the strike at midnight today after a discussion held with Minister of Posts, Postal Services and Muslim Affairs, Abdul Haleem and other officials. Postal service had come to a standstill after the Joint Postal Trade Unions Front launched the strike on June 10 with more..

Jun 26 (NR) The case filed against Former Avant Garde Chairman Nissanka Senadhipathi and retired Major General Palitha Fernando over soliciting a bribe of 33.5 million rupees has been postponed to the 25th of July. The irder was issued by Colombo High Court judge Shashi Mahendran. The attorneys representing the defendants informed that retired Major General Palitha Fernando has undergone heart surgery and therefore called for the case to be postponed. more..

Jun 26 (TA) Flag carrier SriLankan Airlines is offering travellers from the Middle East the opportunity to explore the wide variety of Sri Lanka's abundant wildlife and natural beauty. With 68 weekly flights to the SL capital from the cities of the GCC, SriLankan Airlines is rolling out the red carpet for Middle Eastern travellers looking for a brief stopover on their onward journey or for a more comprehensive island getaway this summer. Late summer is also the ideal time to witness more..

Jun 26 (NDTV) World Cup-winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga on Tuesday hit out at Sri Lanka Cricket accusing them of mishandling a ball-tampering scandal that saw national captain Dinesh Chandimal fined and banned for a match. Ranatunga, who has aspirations of heading the board, said the island's cricket officials were to blame for the misconduct that saw Sri Lanka's skipper, coach and manager penalised during more..

Jun 26 (GDI) High Commission of Sri Lanka in London facilitated a business promotion event on the theme Help Sri Lanka for a Better Tomorrow, organized by InfoMate (Ptv) Ltd SL, a subsidiary of the John Keells Group. The event focused on the role of Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) in creating employment in Sri Lanka through impact sourcing. The main purpose of the session was to promote the Rural BPO sector of SL and to attract businesses from the UK market to create more..

Jun 26 (AD) Colombo Chief Magistrate rejects bail application filed by President’s former Chief of Staff and former Chairman of the State Timber Corporation (STC) over the Rs 20 million bribe case. On June 19th, the bail pleas of President’s former Chief of Staff, H.I.K. Mahanama and former Chairman of the State Timber Corporation (STC), P. Dissanayake, until today. The suspects were arrested by the Bribery Commission for allegedly soliciting a bribe of Rs 20 million from more..

Jun 26 (CT) A protest, in the form of a silent demonstration, will be held in front of the Gangodawila Magistrate’s Court today, at 8 a.m., against a proposed move to send children, relocated from the Darun Nusra orphanage in Dehiwala by Court order, back to the latter. It was previously reported, back in July 2017, that several girl children had suffered alleged sexual abuse while at that children’s home. more..

Jun 26 (NR) The Sri Lanka Army has requested the public to notify the nearest police station of information pertaining to Army deserters. Army Media Spokesman Brigadier Sumith Atapattu said close to 8,000 army personnel have deserted the service without notice. Brigadier Atapattu said operations are underway to arrest those who have deserted. Information has also been uncovered that those who vacated the service are engaged in various criminal activities. more..

Jun 26 (DN) Twenty-three people die daily due to road traffic accidents and nearly 9000 fatalities are reported annually due to the same, Non Communicable Diseases Unit Director Dr. Thilak Siriwardana said. Addressing a press conference held at the Health Promotion Bureau (HPB) he said that majority of deaths are reported due to accidents. Providing a resolution he added that the media, especially radio channels can play a leading role in preventing accidents. more..

Jun 26 (CT) Federation of University Teachers’ Association (FUTA), called for the UGC and the Ministry of Higher Education to probe the investment of the monies from the University Provident Fund (UPF), through the National Savings Bank (NSB), in purchasing shares from primary dealer Perpetual Treasuries Private Limited (PTL). FUTA Secretary, Prof. Arjuna Parakrama, alleged that the NSB had invested Rs 880 million more..

Jun 26 (Island) SriLankan Airlines management had not taken into account extra fuel costs due to transporting large stocks of inflight duty free items, Rashmore Ferdinands, Manager Inflight Services, Administration and Duty Free told the PCoI on irregularities at SriLankan Airlines, SriLankan Catering and Mihin Lanka. Last week Marlon Perera, former Director of Sales and Development of Phoenix Duty Free Services, concessionaire for inflight duty free services for both SriLankan more..

Jun 26 (Island) Ten out of 16 SLFP MPs who voted for the no-confidence motion against PM, Ranil Wickremesinghe will join the Joint Opposition prior to the next parliamentary sitting on July 03. Political sources said that those MPs would take part in the Parliamentary Group meeting of the JO next week. These MPs are also attempting to get the other six MPs to join the Joint Opposition as well. Meanwhile, the 16 MPs will hold a discussion with the NFF today the NFF Headquarters. more..

Jun 26 (DM) This year celebrated the last year of the International School Awards in Sri Lanka and the occasion was marked by the presence of Sunil Hettiarachchi, Secretary to the Ministry of Education and James Dauris, British High Commissioner. 170 school principals and 340 teachers from government schools covering all parts of the country celebrated the occasion with special recognition being made of the many more..

Jun 26 (CT) National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol (NATA), said that although the prevalence of cancer of the lip, oral cavity and pharynx in 2010 had been 1,888, the total number of oral cancer patients in the country were many more. NATA Chairman, Dr. Palitha Abeykoon quoting statistics from the National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP) said that NCCP had collected data from hospitals around the country only up to 2010. Prevalence data gathered in 2008 shows that more..

Jun 26 (SLN) The captain and 10 seamen who were onboard the distressed merchant ship Mutha Pioneer in the seas 11.6 nautical miles off Colombo harbour, were rescued by Fast Attack Craft attached to Western naval command, at the dawn today. Ship which was sailing under Dominican flag had lost its control over the captain and listed to the port side and it had been informed to the SL Navy. Accordingly, two FAC were promptly dispatched by the Navy and the safely rescued crew was more..

Jun 26 (CT) Committee for Protecting the Rights of Prisoners, lodged a complaint with the National Police Commission against the alleged custodial, extra-judicial killing of a suspect, suspected of involvement in a recent attempted robbery in Matara and the subsequent killing of a Police Officer in a shootout that ensued. Secretary of the Committee, Sudesh Silva, made the said complaint urging that an independent inquiry more..

Jun 27 (CT) In its search for a scapegoat to blame the failures of neoliberal economics, industrialised nations, led by the US, found Islam a fitting candidate, thanks to al-Qaida’s misadventure on 11 Sept 2001. Until that infamy, protests against neoliberalism and its economic models grew international and grew metamorphosed into a global anti-globalization movement threatening not only the political stability of Western democracies but also, more importantly, economic dominance of US more..

Jun 27 (CT) Architecture is the production of an idea, the physicality of which envelopes the lives of all who function within the interior and exterior spaces and fabrics of built environments comprised of various building types and construction projects including stationary human habitation forms, designed and constructed through heterogeneous processes. In addition, there is also the physical environment created by civil engineering. In seeking to better articulate this idea of architecture more..

Jun 27 (Roar) Mohini* is a 23 year old trans-woman from the North. She identified as a female when she was as young as 10 years old, and has gone through bureaucratic processes to legally change her name and gender. She is now married to a distant cousin from a neighbouring village, and wants to adopt a child. While this may seem rosy, it isn’t really. The neighbours know she had a gender transformation, and often pass jibes. more..

Jun 27 (SO) On the upcountry railway line, Station No 68 is Idalgashinna. This small town located between Haputale and Ohiya, in the Badulla district, is 1,615 m above sea level. Numbering eight lucky hikers, we started our journey from Haputale to Idalgashinna (IGH) sharp at 7 a m by foot. There were no dark clouds nor any signs of rain, and it was not so cold either. On our way, passing the Tangamale sanctuary, on the left we could see the famous IGH Haputale gap. more..

Jun 27 (Island) Govt politicians are expressing outrage at a senior Buddhist monk’s reference to Hitler in a recent sermon. They are treating the prelate to lectures on Dhamma. The country has come to such a pass that monks make political statements and politicians preach Dhamma. The yahapalana leaders would have the public believe that the country is faced with the danger of being under a dictatorship, and they alone are equal to the task of warding it off. more..

Jun 27 (CT) Ministry of Health and Indigenous Medicine has commenced an inquiry into an alleged attempt to misuse the contingency allocation of the World Bank (WB) project amounting to USD 1 million by Acting Director of the National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS), following a complaint by the GMOA. It has been alleged that Acting Director of NBTS, Dr. Rukshan Bellana had tried to overrule recommendations by more..

Jun 27 (DN) It is evident from the chronicles relating the early history of Sri Lanka that before the introduction of Buddhism in the reign of King Devanampiya Tissa (250-210 BCE) there was no single religion which was widely accepted as the national religion of the country. Nevertheless, there was a wide range of religious beliefs and practices, different from one another, and each individual seems to have freely observed his religion according to his belief. more..

Jun 27 (DN) Today we celebrate the arrival of Arahant Mahinda and the introduction of Buddha Dhamma in SL. This event was the outcome of the dissemination programme of the Buddha Dhamma by the great Indian King Ashoka, the third monarch of the Mauryan dynasty. He has come to be regarded as one of the most exemplary rulers in world history. The British historian H.G. Wells has written: “Amidst the tens of thousands of names of monarchs that crowd the columns of history more..

Jun 27 (SO) Almost 200 states are parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention (the Convention), int'l disarmament treaty that outlaws the development, production, stockpiling, and use of chemical weapons and their precursors. Put another way, that’s almost all the countries in the world. Only three UN member states have neither signed nor acceded to it. Here’s what Article 1 of the Convention provides: 1. Each State Party to this Convention undertakes never under any more..

Jun 27 (Island) Ven. Endaruwe Upali, Deputy Chief Priest of the Asgiriya Chapter in the Buddhist ecclesiastical order, is in the news. But it is not for his knowledge of the Dhamma or for the erudite delivery of a sermon worthy of Buddhism’s timeless appeal or for his strict adherence to vinaya, the set of disciplinary rules, which is expected to embellish the moral and ethical character of the Buddhist clergy. In fact, he is in the news for all the wrong reasons. more..

Jun 27 (DN) During his brief stay in the island, Arahant Mahinda made use of five works of the Pali Canons: Cullahatthipadopama Sutta (Majjhima Nikaya I, 3. 7), Peta Vatthu and Vimana Vatthu, two books of Khuddaka Nikaya (short volume) on celestial and ghostly mansions, Devaduta Sutta (on Heavenly Messengers - Majjhima Nikaya III 3. 10) and Balapandita Sutta (on Wise and Fool - Majjhima Nikaya III, 3. 9.). more..

Jun 27 (CT) Sixth season of Football for Friendship (F4F) Programme implemented by Gazprom, the Official partner of FIFA and the 2018 FIFA World Cup™, concluded successfully in Moscow. The programme, which took place from 8-15 June 2018, brought together young football players and young journalists aged 12 years from 211 countries and regions. The young footballers were united in 32 Int'l Teams of Friendship, and were accompanied by young journalists who were selected to report more..

Jun 27 (Island) Sri Lanka is many things. Yet arguably apart for a brief time after the cricket world cup final in 1996, one country it is not and has never been. Variously projected and perceived as strength in diversity or a bone of contention, many imagined nations within the 65,610 square kilometres of our island coalesce and converge, as much as they grow distant and diverge. These existential fears and myths are rich fodder for parochial, political gain. more..

Jun 27 (ST) He walked down the aisle more than once down the aisle and there was cheering and fanfare that shook the BMICH. Then at the end he sneaked from behind the chief guest of the day Graeme Labrooy and yet, the cheering was deafening. Yes, it was how ambidextrous Kamindu Mendis of Richmond College Galle became the Dialog 4G Sunday Times Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year 2018 this Wed, giving a fitting end more..

Jun 27 (Island) Video footage and images of villagers killing a leopard that mauled several people last week received the attention of parliament. Print, electronic media, as well as social media, carried the horrific images from the Vanni heartland. The animal that frequented the area to snatch cattle and goats had pounced on the villagers, leading to the it being hunted and killed. Minister Lakshman Kiriella, assured an investigation into the killing of the beast at Ambalakulam, Kilinochchi. more..