Jun 4 (CT) Sri Lanka is gradually becoming a dumping ground for low quality imports according to Director of Health Dr. Sapumal Dhanapala. Until the open economy was introduced to the country in the late seventies, Sri Lanka remained a paradise with several environmentally-friendly aspects in place. However, under the banner of the open economy, the Island Nation has, now, largely turned into a dumping ground of almost all discarded and low quality products from around the world. more..

Jun 4 (CT) SL’s former Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva Dr Dayan Jayatilleka is to be appointed as the Ambassador to Russia, Colombo Telegraph learns. Prez Sirisena has made this decision to which PM Ranil Wickremesinghe has not objected. Dr Jayatilleka was a strong confidante of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa and has of late backed a probable presidential bid by Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Dr Jayatilleka, when contacted on this, said As of now I am not aware of it. more..

Jun 4 (FT) The election of 92-year-old Dr Mahathir Mohamad, commonly known as Mahathir, to premiership by Malaysian voters, especially the young voters, has been a surprise to many. That was not only because of his age, but because of the challenge he successfully posed to the powerful 60-year rule of the incumbent Malaysian administration. He has been viewed as the destroyer of the party which he had led for 22 long years. Had Austrian-American economist Joseph Schumpeter more..

Jun 4 (Island) Special security measures are necessary to ensure the safety of vital documents pertaining the bond scam investigations, SLFP MP, Dayasiri Jayasekara says. "This is a country where drugs turn into wheat flour when they are sent for testing, "Jayasekera said. "Important files have gone missing. The document containing the names of 118 individuals who took money from companies belonging to Ajun Aloysius will have a devastating impact on many powerful politicians more..

Jun 4 (AD) Attorney General (AG) informs Supreme Court that at a glance, there is a prima facie case of contempt in Deputy Minister Ranjan Ramanayake’s statement. Supreme Court has decided to summon the case against Deputy Minister, on the 18th of June, for further inquiries. The petitioners were summoned today, before a bench comprising of Justices Eva Wanasundara and L.T.B. Dehideniya. more..

Jun 4 (Island) Police were attempting to create another Muslim-Sinhala clash in Colombo through a bid to place more restrictions on social media, Chairman of the Ceylon Motorcyclists Association (CMA) Chirantha Amarasinghe said yesterday. The President is being widely criticised in social media due to the inconsistencies in his actions and speeches. As a response, the President’s advisers have decided to suppress social media instead of assisting the President to rebuild his image. more..

Jun 4 (DN) A private bus driver who was recklessly driving a passenger bus under the influence of liquor was apprehended by two officers of the Galle Traffic Police on Sunday at Megalle, Galle. On observing that the driver was driving the bus in an exceptionally careless manner, the two Police officers who were on duty on Sea Street, Galle had ordered the driver to stop the vehicle. Driver who defied police orders had driven away without stopping. However, after a 2km metre chase more..

Jun 4 (DM) The 100-day programme was not a part of the UNP manifesto but a policy document which was prepared and marketed by those who supported the common candidate Maithripala Sirisena for the presidency, UNP Spokesman Harin Fernando said today. “The 100-day programme slogan which we marketed at that time was Maithri palanayak dina seeyakin aluth ratak (A Maithri administration & a new country in 100 days). more..

Jun 4 (Island) UNP MP Buddhika Pathirana has submitted a motion seeking parliamentary approval for updating archaic laws and regulations currently in operation in the country. The motion, included in the latest Addendum to the Order Book of Parliament, says: "That this Parliament resolves that since laws and regulations introduced during the Colonial Era are still in operation, that committees are appointed to review such laws and regulations and a national programme be implemented more..

Jun 4 (DM) PHU leader and MP Udaya Gammanpila said today there was no legal barrier to disclose the names of the 118 individuals who had obtained funds from Arjuna Aloyisus and pointed out that President Maithripala Sirisena had the power to order their release. He claimed there was political pressure that prevented the names being released. “A Presidential Commission does not possess the authority to give orders to the President. It makes recommendations. more..

Jun 4 (Roar) At a busy intersection in Colombo Fort stands a slim, tall tower, often perceived as an impediment to traffic rushing past in various directions. This is the Old Colombo Lighthouse Clock Tower, referred to as the Chatham Street Clocktower, seeing as it is located between Chatham Street and Janadhipathi Mawatha (formerly Queen’s Road). Getting to the clocktower requires a combination of agility and more..

Jun 4 (Island) Minister Champika Ranawaka proposed to have an adequate public transport system for Kandy to avoid the traffic congestion in the Hill Capital. Traffic congestion had become a serious problem in Kandy because at least 300,000 vehicles entered the city from four directions a day, Minister noted. The huge number of motor vehicles on the streets of Kandy had caused serious environmental problems, he said adding that Kandy had become a Killer Town. more..

Jun 4 (DM) Close associate and a financial handler of notorious underworld kingpin Makandure Madush, his associate and wife of well known drug kingpin Devundara Chamil were arrested by the Police Special Task Force during a raid in Pettah. The suspects were arrested on charges of drug smuggling and possession of heroin. Investigations revealed that Madush’s associate, known as Akila had been involved in drug smuggling and financial activities of Makandure Madush. more..

Jun 4 (CT) With reports of politicians receiving funds from Perpetual Treasuries Limited and its owner Arjun Aloysius, accused in the Treasury Bonds scam, being unearthed since last week, authorities investigating the matter revealed that a personal security officer (PSO) of a State Minister and an office assistant of the Central Bank are currently being questioned regarding six cheques issued to their respective bosses. more..

Jun 4 (NR) The wife and the daughter of the Eastern Provincial Council Governor Rohitha Bogollagama, who surrendered to Court today, have been released on bail. NewsRadio Court correspondent said the duo surrendered before the Colombo Magistrate’s Court this morning. Court on Friday issued an order for the arrest of Eastern Province Governor Rohitha Bogollagama's wife Deepthi Bogollagama and daughter Dilshani Bogollagama, on charges of attempted assault of a woman. more..

Jun 4 (AD) MP Udaya Gammanpila has sworn through an affidavit that he has never received any financial gratuities from Arjun Aloysius. In the said affidavit, he has sworn that he has not received money from the Perpetual Treasuries Limited (PTL), any company under PTL, its owner Arjun Aloysius, CEO Kasun Palisena or any of its employees. He points out that if he has lied under an affidavit he can be sentenced up 2 years in prison. He will present the said affidavit to the Speaker tomorrow more..

Jun 4 (Island) A UNP minister representing the Eastern Province is abusing his political power to launch a new mineral sand extraction project that would have a devastating impact on three divisional secretariats, Alayadiwembu, Thirukkovil and Pottuvil, in the Ampara District, environmentalists claim. Sajeewa Chamikara of Movement for Land and Agricultural Reform (MONLAR) said that the company involved expected to extract zircon, ilmenite, rutile, and garnet in coastal areas. more..

Jun 4 (AM) Deputy Director General of Health Services, Dr. Lakshman Gamlath says that the parasite found in canned fish caused no health risk, but were merely repugnant. “Once the fish is processed and canned, these worms die. Thus, there is no health risk, but it is repugnant,” he said. 74 containers of canned fish were recently rejected due to the presence of the Anisakid worm, a form of parasites that live on the flesh of the fish, in the sea. “It is only if a raw fish containing more..

Jun 4 (DN) The Food Advisory Committee of the Health Ministry has stopped 117 containers of canned fish for testing against repugnant substances that may be found in the fish. On Monday (28), the Food Advisory Committee together with other Health Ministry officials met to discuss the recent finding of some parasitic worms in containers of canned fish imported into the country. The first detection was on April 11, more..

Jun 4 (DM) The UNP will at no time defend thieves, Party General Secretary and Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam said today. He said this in response to a question asked by journalists at to what the party intended doing with regard to the UNPers who were alleged to have obtained money from Perpetual Treasuries owner Arjun Aloysius. “We will not defend thieves but one must be not label anyone as a thief until it is proven that they have stolen money,” he said at a media briefing yesterday. more..

Jun 4 (DM) Four suspects including the Chairman and a Councillor of the Thalawakale-Lindula Urban Council were arrested yesterday on charges of kidnapping a 5-year old girl in 2017. Nuwara Eliya Police arrested the suspects after police received a complaint yesterday stating that the girl, a resident of Portmore Estate in Agarapathana was kidnapped last year to be sold. Police said the Urban Council Chairman, Anagipura Ashoka Sepala, Councilor Ishara Manchanayake and more..

Jun 4 (AD) Influenza A virus has been identified as the cause for the spreading virus flu in the South, Medical Research Institute announced. 15 child deaths were reported from the viral fever which is spreading in Southern Sri Lanka. All children who had died were below 2 years of age, hospital authorities claimed. According to doctors, the symptoms of the virus include fever, cough, cold and headache. more..

Jun 5 (ST) So now we know, don’t we! We have law makers (and law breakers I dare say) who are ready to confess to their sins of commission and omission as some call them. Rarely do we find such a transmogrification unless of course they are caught with their pants down, or their hands straying into the public purse or some dubious businessman’s undeclared assets. But in recent days the Sri Lankan public has been treated to two main confessions, second admittedly more serious more..

Jun 5 (CT) President Maithripala Sirisena’s speech at the commemoration event for the late Ven Madulawave Sobitha Thero, was another indication that all was not well within the unity govt. The venerable monk was the person who welded several disparate political parties and civic groups together to challenge the might of the Rajapaksa govt. Previous govt exemplified the Rule of Men and not the Rule of Law, which its own Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission warned against. more..

Jun 5 (SO) Popular social media network, Facebook which recently attracted a barrage of criticism following a bout of anti-minority violence in SL’s central district, has announced plans to step up efforts to quell spread of misinformation and hate speech. In a wide ranging exclusive interview a fortnight ago, Director of Public Policy for Facebook in India and South and Central Asia, Ankhi Das says she is hopeful that a host of more..

Jun 5 (CT) It is not rocket science to realize that the underlying plans of this Hindu fundamentalist outfit is to create further dissensions among the Muslim and Tamil Hindu communities at a challenging time in history where religious fundamentalism and anti-Muslim hate has almost mainstream in our society. Sometime back, there was a big commotion in a Trinco school where a Muslims teacher was not allowed to wear her Abhaya which created lot of bad blood and bitter taste in already more..

Jun 5 (CT) JVP is a Party that has kept a proud record for decades as a party consistent with its policies, despite political ups and downs. However, the current leadership of the party turned to socialist democratic path after two bitter experiences of armed militancy, apparently adapting the age-old political strategies of convenience as followed by other political parties. The first deviation was the support extended to Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga to be the President; more..

Jun 5 (CT) SLFP strongman and former Minister S.B. Dissanayake, fondly known as SB to all, said that he and the 15 others who were in the Cabinet of Ministers in the Maithripala Sirisena Govt left on a matter of principle as they felt that they could not tolerate PM Ranil Wickremesinghe’s antics anymore. He said that it was the UNP MPs and Ministers who told Sirisena to remove Wickremesinghe as Prime Minister, more..

Jun 5 (CT) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe travelled to Jaffna last week and when the SL Air Force VIP helicopter touched down at the Jaffna Municipal Council grounds, he was received by one of the leading business magnates in Jaffna T. Thuvarakeswaran who is the brother of the late UNP MP T. Maheswaran and the brother in law of State Minister Vijayakala Maheswaran. PM descended from the SLAF chopper amidst heavy showers and tight security, to once location of Jaffna MC, more..

Jun 5 (Island) It looks as if a determined bid were being made in some quarters to obliterate the country’s archaeological sites. Hardly a day passes without several such incidents being reported. Treasure hunters are the worst culprits. They have not spared places of historical significance in any part of the country. Blinded by greed, they destroy invaluable, ancient statues and buildings. Almost all ancient temples have suffered damage at their hands. more..

Jun 5 (ST) Despite an impressive export growth last year, the trade deficit widened owing to an increase in imports. Will higher imports this year too offset the increase in exports to result in a further expansion in the trade deficit? The expectation that the export growth since March 2017 would reduce last year’s trade deficit was not realized as imports increased more than exports. Although exports increased by 10.2% in 2017, the trade deficit expanded from the previous year’s US$ 8.87 billion more..

Jun 5 (Island) The Tourism industry has been referred to as a Thrust Industry and Engine of Growth by the state ad nauseam, while in reality the industry is paid only lip service. The immense benefits both direct and indirect often go un-noticed. Today the industry earns Rs. 3.5 B in foreign exchange earnings (third largest in 2017) and provides employment to some 300,000 persons. It is a well-known fact that the trickle down and multiplier effects in the tourism sector is quite large. more..

Jun 5 (Roar) Sri Lanka’s Muslims, though religiously obliged to observe a moon long fast, are not as abstemious at other times. They have their feasts and festivals which they look forward to with much delight. This is especially so of the Muslims of Colombo who have two great festivals and plenty of weddings to celebrate. In the olden days they found occasion to celebrate other events like circumcisions and regular mouloods or more..

Jun 5 (Island) It is an Int'l norm that any FTA (Free Trade Agreement) document shall include a National Interest Summary: a description of the reasons why a particular country should become a party to such an agreement. It should not be weighted towards economy only but include a happiness index of its people, permitting them to live in the manner of their choice. It should then go through the normal legal processes, especially if it includes investment, services, govt procurement, more..

Jun 5 (Island) In a recent interview to a Tamil newspaper, M A Sumanthiran, TNA MP and international spokesman, has made an offer that sections of the Sinhala polity truly desirous of a political solution to the ethnic issue cannot resist. Unless the idea of a new Constitution is to use the omnibus content to deny the Tamils their due post-war, the ruling UNP-SLFP duo should take the TNA offer seriously and act accordingly. Going by the interview, Sumanthiran’s exposition is more..

Jun 5 (FT) Notwithstanding the global trade decline and sanctions, Sri Lanka has set an ambitious export earning target of $17.4 billion by the end of this year, with 29% of the total target being achieved in the first four months. According to Export Development Board (EDB), during the first four months the country has achieved $5 billion export earnings, compared to $4.7 billion recorded in corresponding period last year. more..

Jun 5 (ST) The name Weerakeppitipola National School, Akuramboda will be etched in the memory of sport fans for quite sometime because of the feat of 19-year-old lad Aruna Dharshana, who stunned athletics fans in Sri Lanka by bagging three gold medals at last months South Asian Junior Athletics Championships (SAJAC) held in Colombo. The 200metres, the 400metres and the 4x400m relay event were all grist to his mill. The Sunday Times caught up with this slim, tallish, more..