Sep 4 (Island) Govt authorities on Monday began investigating the deaths of wild elephants in the east of the island after pulling seven carcasses out of a marsh, a minister said. Wildlife Minister Palitha Thewarapperuma said six out of the seven animals found in the swamp were young — below the age of 12 — and he suspected that many more may have died there. "We have wildlife experts and vets who are investigating the cause," more..

Sep 4 (Island) A representative of the Treasury was not on the board of directors at SriLankan Airlines, after the departure of Emirates to look after the interest of the govt, the main shareholder of the institution, it was revealed at the PCoI yesterday. Yasantha Dissanayake, Head of Financial Management at SriLankan told the PCoI that SL govt was the main shareholder of the airline, and it currently owns 99% of the shares. more..

Sep 4 (EN) The govt has introduced a bill on recovery of damages for the death of a person to be legislated in parliament. Bill was published by the Ministry of Justice and Prison Reforms through a supplementary gazette on 3 Sept 2018. Parents, children, sibling, grandparents or a guardian of an individual who died through a wrongful act, omission, negligence or default of another are eligible to apply to recover more..

Sep 4 (ABC) The family of a New South Wales student accused of planning to assassinate senior Australian politicians say the alleged Islamic State affiliate is "just like any other boy". Mohamed Nizamdeen, 25, was studying and working at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) and was arrested after a colleague found a notebook allegedly containing details of plans to kill Malcolm Turnbull and his former deputy Julie Bishop. more..

Sep 4 (CT) In an unusual move China has revealed details of Sri Lanka’s debt to Beijing at its regular Foreign Ministry Media briefing, stressing that Sri Lanka’s main debt burden is not caused by loans from China. Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Hua Chunying told reporters in Beijing on Friday (Aug 31), that Chinese loans accounted for only around 10% of Sri Lanka’s total foreign debts last year. more..

Sep 4 (EN) The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will loan 145 million US dollars for four Sri Lankan universities to develop applied science and technology programmes, the regional lender said. “The project will help nurture a new breed of technology-oriented graduates equipped with skills and entrepreneurial spirit for the economy,” ADB Principal Social Sector Specialist Gi Soon Song said. more..

Sep 4 (DM) Referring to MP Chathura Senaratne’s wedding reception held at the hall adjoining Temple Trees, Deputy Minister Nalin Bandara said the MP had paid Rs. 2,180,000 (Two million one hundred eighty thousand) to reserve the hall. He said that there was no misappropriation of public funds because he paid for the entire cost of the wedding such as for decorations, food and beverages. more..

Sep 4 (AD) The Colombo Additional Magistrate has rejected a request made by Welikada Police seeking a court order prohibiting the JO from protesting within the Welikada police division. Welikada Police stated that they had received intelligence reports of protest rallies which would disrupt public peace in the Welikada police division and had requested the court to order barring such protest rallies being held within more..

Sep 5 (ST) Perhaps, many Sri Lankans know about Venezuela because it is a country of many Miss World winners. In fact, Venezuela has maintained even a world record for being the country with the most number of Miss World winners! I don’t think that Sri Lankans had any other good reason to take note of Venezuela which is located on the other side of the globe. About 40 years ago Venezuela was one of the richest countries in the world. In 1980, its per capita GDP was more than US$ 4,000; more..

Sep 5 (CT) There has long been a suspicion that there is a force other than Carbon Dioxide that is pushing climate change. In fact, the changes predicted are coming faster than expected, the forgotten agent that is exasperating the changing climate is ‘new water’. Burning fossil fuels does not only produce new carbon dioxide it also produces new water vapor. But it seems that we were lulled into a sense of false complacency by considering the water vapor produced as harmless. more..

Sep 5 (SO) With hands placed on a wooden post and their feet spread apart, aligned for the mandya-position three boys are busy practising the basics of Sri Lankan traditional dance as another youth, much older than the three boys, walks in with his head held high and followed by a group of youths around the same age. Youth sits on a low stool next to a mud tacked hut, and the group sits on the mats that are laid on the ground. more..

Sep 5 (CT) Kamer Nizamdeen, an alumnus of St. Thomas’s prep and the Asian International School in Colombo pursued his higher education at the University of South Wales [UNSW] in Sydney, Australia. He has been arrested on charges of planning to blow up Sydney and assassinate prominent Australians on behalf of IS or Islamic State. During the time of his arrest, he was studying at UNSW and was working on a highly classified project with the Australian police. more..

Sep 5 (GV) The diverse profusion of contributions on this subject reminds me of an apocryphal story of a man of Abrahamic faith (Christian/Muslim/Jewish), ship- wrecked on a land unknown to him. He kept wandering, hoping to find human beings but also nervous that they could be of other faiths and could harm him. Before he met any living being he stumbled on the scene of several dead men and women hung from trees in an orderly manner, which, he interpreted as a sign of systematic more..

Sep 5 (CT) MP Namal Rajapaksa said that they are ready to topple the govt and that the Janabalaya march, today, is the first stage of that endeavour. Q: Though it was said that the Govt will be toppled in two Poya Days, so far, there seems to be no readiness for it? A: We are ready to topple the govt; Janabalaya march, today, is the first stage of that endeavour. By next Vesak, we would have toppled the Govt. more..

Sep 5 (DN) The National Hospital in Colombo was saddled with the enormous problem of disposing the clinical waste that had accumulated over a period of time, creating a severe health hazard. It was found dumped in the hospital premises and then moved to another place, but the threat of people being exposed to infectious elements remained high. Health authorities made several moves to get rid of this dangerous waste, but to no avail. Now the Health Minister has sought Cabinet more..

Sep 5 (DN) The universe has endowed the human beings with a higher cognitive capacity, which surpasses that of all other living beings, probably as a means of ensuring the existence of the world. Thus, we are born into this world and lead our lives as social beings. Concerning our lifespan from womb to tomb, and even further in case of illegitimate conceptions or illegal exhumations, SL Police is entrusted with the bounden duty of shouldering the constitutional responsibility more..

Sep 5 (Island) Two days before the inauguration of BIMSTEC in Kathmandu, the UN called for the immediate resignation of Myanmar’s Commander-in-Chief, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, for what the global body called genocide in the north of Rakhine State. The UN also called for the prosecution of six top Myanmar military officers, including Hlaing, in an international court. BIMSTEC member immediately dismissed the allegations. UN also blamed one-time darling of Western powers, Aung San more..

Sep 5 (Island) It is too early to comment on the detention of 25 year old Kamer Nizamdeen, a popular PhD student affiliated to the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia as the matter is under investigation by the NSW Joint Counter Terrorism Team. His arrest on accusations of planning terror attacks has shocked almost everyone in the University and back at home in SL as his life in Sydney was a story of successes with robust achievements, respected & admired. more..

Sep 5 (CT) During the war, the Mannar district had its share of terror and grief as people had to flee from their villages. One major incident that took place in Mannar was the LTTE blasting the main bridge, connecting the island in late 1989. Apart from that there were skirmishes between the govt troops and the LTTE during the war. What has emerged since is a chaotic burial pit where archaeologists are saying bodies appear to more..

Sep 5 (DN) The four-member delegation headed by Sports Minister Faiszer Mustapha that travelled to Dubai last week to meet the ICC hierarchy chairman Shashank Manohar and CEO David Richardson and returned with nothing new except that the ICC had given them instructions to hold the Sri Lanka Cricket elections by Feb 9, 2019. In all probability the instructions to appoint a management committee was issued in advance by the ICC although it was not revealed to the public here. more..

Sep 5 (ST) Road accidents occur due to many reasons such as negligent and rash driving, driving under the influence of liquor and drivers falling asleep. Consequent to research, it has been found that 12 per cent of accidents in Sri Lanka are caused due to drowsy and sleepy drivers. These numbers exceed the number of accidents that occur due to drunken drivers. Around four years ago, a young engineering graduate from the Moratuwa University, Ashok Kumara and Ian Karunaratne, more..

Sep 5 (CT) President of National Three- Wheelers Federation of Self Employed Workers, Sunil Jayawardena alleged that when Smoke Emission Tests are issued, Govt gets only a mere 2% of the fee collected from customers, while the entire balance is appropriated by Minister Champika Ranawaka and his cronies. Jayawardena alleged that during a period of 20-months (from 2010-2011), when Ranawaka was the Minister of more..

Sep 5 (CT) Sri Lanka produced a sensational effort to defeat Singapore 74-61 in the first match of the cup segment of Asia Netball Championship at OCBC Arena at the Singapore Sports Hub in Singapore yesterday. Sri Lanka led by Chathurangi Jayasuriya won the first set 18 points to 12 points and then they sealed the second set 19 points to 16 points. SL kept up the good work winning the third round 21-14 but Singapore came back with a solid effort in the final round and won it 19-16. more..

Sep 5 (Island) One of our readers posed a very pertinent query yesterday. He asked us whether the placement of the picture of Vajira, Iranganie and Nanda above that of PM Ranil Wickremesinghe, in yesterday’s issue of this newspaper had been by accident or by design. We told him we had done so purposely, and a connoisseur of art and culture, the PM would have liked it that way. After all, a video which has gone viral on social media shows a sprightly Ranil whirling round a materteral more..

Sep 5 (DN) Cricket selections in this country are becoming bizarre by the day. Not so long ago the chairman of selectors Graeme Labrooy had gone on record stating that fast bowler Lasith Malinga was not in his plans for the 2019 World Cup in England. In the IPL this year Sri Lanka Cricket even issued him a NOC (No Objection Certificate) for him to play the role of bowling mentor to Mumbai Indians team which in other words more..

Sep 5 (Island) Sri Lanka wouldn't be grumbling about its debt crisis so much if it had enough tech innovations, like in many other countries, whose tech innovations drive their GDP and add substantial financial stimulus to finance their debt and growth seamlessly, Dr. Dhammika Elkaduwa, Head of Dept- Computer Engineering of the Uni of Peradeniya said at Dialog Axiata headquarters in Colombo at an event where dialog launched Sri Lanka's first inter-school app-development challenges. more..

Sep 5 (USE) The U.S. Embassy signed a MoU on Aug 30 with the Matara Chamber of Industry & Commerce to open a new American Corner in Matara. Ms. Nancy VanHorn, U.S. Embassy’s acting Public Affairs Officer, and Mr. Metta Widanagamachchi, Chairman of the Chamber, signed the MoU. Located on the ground floor of the Chamber’s building at No. 149 Hakmana Road in Matara, American Corner will offer free programs & training for Southern Province’s residents. more..

Sep 5 (CT) Govt acknowledged in Parliament that there are several loopholes in the law regarding Family Background Reports (FBRs) being mandatory for Sri Lankan women, to travel to the Middle East as housemaids, and suggested that the law should be amended. In 2013, the former Govt made it mandatory for women, who wish to go abroad to work as domestic aides, to submit a report on their family background, which should be more..

Sep 5 (DM) The JO is planning to sacrifice the lives of innocent people to satisfy its political agenda, UNP said. UNP spokesman and minister Harin Fernando said that the JO was planning to create a commotion tomorrow. “The plan is to create a clash and blame the govt for any loss of life. The JO should take the full responsibility if someone is killed or public property is destroyed,” he said. “The JO is also planning to give a wrong picture to the world that they are being attacked and more..

Sep 5 (DM) Tomorrow's protest is a sacrifice being offered by the JO to get MP Namal Rajapaksa freed from court cases against him, Minister Mangala Samaraweera said. He said MP Namal will be offering a large human sacrifice against his court cases with the help of his father’s supporters. Minister said MP Namal Rajapaksa was a person who is out on bail in connection with several court cases. “We are not going to do anything to the protesters as what had happened during more..

Sep 5 (CT) Rehabilitated Liberation Tigers of Tamil Party said that Ven. Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thera should be released soon. Speaking at a meeting, members of the Party opined that the monk had always acted in favour of the public. Leader of the Party, Kandasami Inbarasa claimed that the monk has warned about the rising Islamic extremism in the country. “As we know, the monk has not acted against any ethnicity. more..

Sep 5 (DM) Minister Ranjith Madduma Bandara said that information has been received on possible ramming by the protesters into the places where important documents in connection with the special court cases have been preserved, during the tomorrow's Joint Opposition protest. He said that despite the Govt having no intention to attack or obstruct any peaceful protests they have received information on possible attempts to create a chaotic situation in Colombo tomorrow. more..

Sep 5 (DN) The govt’s accelerated key development programmes, Enterprise Sri Lanka and Gamperaliya will have a transformational impact on both rural and urban economies. “Enterprise SL provides a range of targeted interest subsidies to stimulate economic activity through private investment and boosting small business. Gamperaliya will infuse life into the rural economy through a rapid public investment programme for rural infrastructure, which will help the recovery from setbacks in 2 successive more..

Sep 5 (CT) The body of the eighth elephant has been discovered from the marshy area of Periyaru yesterday, Department of Wildlife Conservation said. According to the post-mortem conducted on the previous seven elephants’ carcasses discovered in the marsh last week, the cause of death has been identified as asphyxiation due to drowning. It was further said that there was a layer of water hyacinth a few feet thick more..

Sep 5 (DM) A motion filed by a group of MPs to appoint a select committee to study and report on its recommendations with regard to ensuring communal and religious harmony in the country was passed in Parliament. The motion presented by MPs Ananda Kumarasiri, Lakshman Kiriella, Gayantha Karunatilleka, Talatha Atukorala, Ruwan Wijewardene, Velu Kumar, Ranjith Madduma Bandara, M. A Sumanthiran, Selvam Adaikkaranathan, Douglas Devananda, more..

Sep 5 (DM) Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka, who was appointed as the Ambassador of SL to the Russian Federation, has assumed duties on Monday. M.M. Jaffeer assumed duties as the Ambassador of SL to Brazil on August 31. “Mr. Jaffeer who is a career diplomat, has previously served as the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Vietnam, Austria and Norway,” the ministry said. Meanwhile, Ms. N.M.D.A. Gunasekera has been appointed as the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to the United Kingdom. more..

Sep 5 (FT) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe along with other top govt officials including Minister Mangala Samaraweera censured what they termed deliberate efforts by the JO to cause maximum public inconvenience by their rally today, but insisted the Govt stood ready to protect public rights. PM, responding to a question by JO Parliamentary Group Leader Dinesh Gunawardena on whether the Govt had ordered the police more..

Sep 5 (Island) The JO had received information that some members of the security forces, dressed in civvies, might attack its supporters during its protest in Colombo today, former President Rajapaksa said. "We think these attacks might be carried out to provoke us. We have taken steps to ensure that such provocations will not lead to violence. The govt is scared because hundreds of thousands of people will be on the roads. Thus it wants to provoke people & order a crackdown." more..

Sep 5 (AD) Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation Nimal Siripala de Silva has agreed to increase the salaries of all employees of the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB). Accordingly the minister has instructed SLTB officials to implement the wage hike with effect from Oct 1, 2018. The minister participated in discussion with representatives of all trade unions within the SLTB with regard to the strike launched by employees attached to 11 depots coming under SLTB Ruhunu regional office. more..