Aug 17 (DM) GMOA has decided to launch an island-wide strike from Monday, GMOA Secretary Dr. Haritha Aluthge said. He said they would launch the strike action on any day of the week starting from Monday (19) and added the date would be announced on Monday. “The strike will be staged with regard to several issues, mainly over the failure to legalise minimum standards of medical education and amending of service minute for doctors,” more..

Aug 17 (CI) On the back of their openers' unbeaten 133-run stand across two sessions, Sri Lanka took a giant stride towards chasing down 268 with one day to go The partnership between Dimuth Karunaratne (71*) and Lahiru Thirimanne (57*) is the highest by a Sri Lanka opening pair in the fourth innings, and they denied New Zealand any wickets for 50 overs setting up an epic day in Galle. more..

Aug 17 (Island) Despite water levels in hydro-power reservoirs having improved remarkably by about 45% in recent days, as against the disastrous situation couple of weeks ago when they had less than 18%, Power and Energy Ministry claims the situation was still a challenge. The Mahaweli Hydro Complex yesterday contributed 7.79 Gwh or 19.32% and Kukule Ganga contributed 1.88 Gwh or 4.76% of the total generation. more..

Aug 17 (DM) Former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa has sufficient evidence to prove that he had renounced the US citizenship while the omission of his name in the list published as at June 30, 2019, is of no importance as per the law of that country, MP Udaya Gammanpila said. “According to the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, which enforces the law in US with regard to renunciation of US citizenship, more..

Aug 17 (Island) Huge losses running into billions of rupees suffered by the Hambantota Port were cleared in just three years after the current UNP-led govt assumed office in January 2015, says PM Ranil Wickremesinghe. He told a ceremony held earlier this week to pay compensation to farmers in the Kurunegala District, affected by crop failure last year, that the then President Mahinda Rajapaksa had called an early Prez Election in 2015, more..

Aug 17 (ST) Fifty—that is how many bags with body parts came to the Institute of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology in Colombo after the devastating bomb attacks of April 21. The job was so complex that it was feared some of the dead may never be identified. But on July 30, the remains of 21-year-old Suraj Nilanga, who was a waiter at the Shangri-La Hotel, were released to his family. His whole life fit into a small box. more..

Aug 17 (AD) Minister Sajith Premadasa says that he will definitely contest the upcoming Presidential Election and that there is no need to debate that. “The Presidential Election which will decide the country’s future will be held in another two or three months. Various people are making various statements, but one thing is clear. Sajith Premadasa will contest this Presidential Election. There is no arguing that,” he said. more..

Aug 17 (CT) Trying to reach a consensus on the existing UNP prez candidate conundrum, conditions have been laid down by Ranil Wickremesinghe's faction, who have agreed to name Deputy UNP Leader, Sajith Premadasa as the Presidential candidate, internal sources said. However, the Premadasa faction has still to respond. It is reported that these conditions include keeping to the Party leadership, more..

Aug 18 (SO) With the nomination of Gotabaya Rajapaksa as its presidential candidate, the SLPP has officially launched its presidential election campaign. Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa who has remained a nominal member of the SLFP and the UPFA so far, has also been declared publicly as the leader of the SLPP. This is likely to cause a mass migration of the SLFP’s rank and file, including its aspirants to political office at all levels, to the SLPP. more..

Aug 18 (CT) A few days ago, photos of a bony, aged she elephant, who was getting ready to take part in the annual Esala Perahera, started going viral on social media. Her face was gaunt. There appeared to be no muscles over her protruding bones. She presented a pretty pathetic picture. And, this enraged a great many people. Many alleged that she was starved and abused by her owners, and that accounted for her emaciated appearance. Animal rights activists were up in arms more..

Aug 18 (SO) Two police complaints made last week by civil society leaders about alleged irregularities in the SL citizenship, passports and electoral registration of Gotabaya Rajapaksa have threatened to derail the presidential candidacy of the former defence secretary before it can even get off the ground. Purawesi Balaya Convenor GaminiViyangoda and Prof Chandragupta Thenuwara lodged separate complaints with more..

Aug 18 (Island) Opinion is divided, even among government leaders, on national security and threats thereto. President Maithripala Sirisena would have us believe that terrorism is a thing of the past! He has torn into those who are convinced otherwise. Former Army Commander Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka is of the view that terrorist threats persist and it will be several years before they are fully neutralised. The President has taken a swipe at Fonseka without naming him. more..

Aug 18 (TM) The governing UNP continues to be in turmoil over the inability of its leadership to nominate a candidate to contest the upcoming presidential election. In a rather irrational move, UNP Deputy Leader Sajith Premadasa has chosen to go public and nominate himself as the candidate, while the party, even a week later, has maintained a deafening silence on the matter. It seems Premadasa has already shown his immaturity and lack of temperament for the job, by jumping more..

Aug 18 (CT) Several pictures taken at the Colombo North Teaching Hospital were circulated on social media a few days ago, where patients were seen lying on the hard cold cement corridors outside the wards due to a number of them being diagnosed with Dengue. Although, hospital staff provides the best care they could give to patients, there was a severe shortage of beds and other necessary resources. more..

Aug 18 (ST) ST’s story that Prez Sirisena had submitted a Cabinet paper seeking approval for Rs. 4.4 billion to settle unpaid bills of the previous Govt seems to have passed by as if a regular, everyday matter in the affairs of the SL State. Yes, Rs. 4.4 billion. No doubt, Treasury has been asked to go into all of this, but one might ask what it was doing all this while, and why the Prez is moving for this only now, when he is bending backwards to strike a political deal with former Prez. more..

Aug 18 (ST) My dear Mahinda maama, I thought of writing to you after seeing and hearing you at the big tamasha last week to introduce your malli, Gota, as the candidate of the pohottuwa party at the next big election for the top job. It was impressive as an evening of entertainment rather than a political event, with more songs than slogans! Mahinda maama, for several months, you had kept us wondering as to who the pohottuwa candidate would be. Of course, everyone thought it would be more..

Aug 18 (SO) The identity of one contestant for SL’s next prez election, due to be held before the end of the year, was unveiled last Sunday. That it was Gotabaya Rajapaksa who will be running from the newly formed SLPP does not come as a surprise. Announcing the decision at an event that was more in line with a showbiz extravaganza than a political launch was former Prez and now Leader of the Opposition, Mahinda Rajapaksa who also happens to be Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s elder brother. more..

Aug 18 (SO) Former SL captain and current SL U-19 head coach Hashan Tillekaratne was optimistic about the future of SL cricket, when he said that there is plenty of young talent which should be carefully groomed to fill the future vacancies in the national pool. After being the batting coach of the SL team, Tillekaratne now plays an all-important role as the U-19 head coach for the past one-and-a-half years. This has given him an opportunity to bring the performances of youth cricketers under more..

Aug 18 (CT) The Govt, led by UNF elected in Aug 2015 General Election, completed four years yesterday and the party leaders gathered at Minister Rajitha Senaratne's residence for a decisive discussion to take a final decision regarding the new alliance. UNP General Secretary Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam, Ministers Ravi Karunanayaka, Patali Champika Ranawaka, Mano Ganeshan, Rauff Hakeem and Senaratne more..

Aug 18 (SO) Diploma holders and students who have passed the A/L are good enough to be recruited to the software development sector to fill the workforce gap in the IT-BPM sector, said an industry expert in response to the shortage of employees in the sector highlighted in the IT-BPM Workforce survey 2019 launched by the Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA). Former Vice President IFS, Jayantha de Silva said it is good to have graduates but more..

Aug 18 (ST) Anjalika Kurera the young girl from Ave Maria Convent continued champion winning streak when she clinched the Women’s Singles title of the 104th National Tennis Championship when she coasted to a convincing two sets to nil against top seeded Janali Manamperi in the final played at the SLTA tennis courts in Greenpath, Colombo yesterday. Anjalika was in terrific form since the tournament when she overcame her opponents with ease and in the run up to the final more..

Aug 18 (CI) The selectors are making strange picks, the board is trying to sack another coach, the sports minister is making serious overreaches, the XI changes from series to series, but from amid this chaos, which to many has seemed like the wreckage of a once-was cricketing power, Dimuth Karunaratne has eked out a small but significant patch of stability. He came to the captaincy at a time of extreme vulnerability. more..

Aug 18 (SO) Shadowy school rugby officials, most of whom have not held a ball, are holding Sri Lanka Rugby to ransom after side-stepping and turning their backs on a proposed Agreement to bring youth players into a mainstream system. The proposed deal would have brought in a massive windfall for both youth rugby as well as the SL team that has been fragmented without funds to contract players for national duty. “Everything was done and ready to sign the MOU with schools rugby for more..

Aug 18 (Island) Scientists have discovered six new day geckos, and with the latest discovery the total number of the Cnemaspsis species found in Sri Lanka has gone up to 32. The entire species is endemic to Sri Lanka. Of the six new species, two have been named after the ten giant warriors in King Dutugemunu’s army – Gotaimbara and Nandimithra — and the other four after national heroes, who sacrificed their lives in Sri Lanka’s struggle for independence – Kohukumbure Rate Rala, more..

Aug 18 (Island) Sprinters Aruna Dharshana, Nadeesha Ramanayake and Himasha Eshan lived up to their billing and Lakshika Sugandi grabbed women’s 100 metres title in a dramatic sprint final on day two of the 97th National Athletics Championship at the Sugathadasa Stadium on Saturday. Injury concerns sent shock waves across the arena for the second consecutive day in the women’s 100 metres dash as South Asian Games gold medallist more..

Aug 18 (CT) Sprinter Shehan Ambepitiya, who at one time was the fastest man in South Asia, ended his track career, following the 200m heats at the 97th National Athletics Championship yesterday. The 29-year-old famously won three Gold medals at the 2008 Youth Commonwealth Games in the 100m, 200m and the 4x100m relay, shattering the meet records. At the time he was among the eight fastest junior sprinters in the world, becoming a finalist in the IAAF World Junior Championship. more..

Aug 18 (Island) SL’s coach Rumesh Ratnayake said that his team is left with a daunting task to chase down the target of 268 to take a 1-0 lead in the two match series against New Zealand despite the openers adding an unfinished 133 run stand for the first wicket. Both Dimuth Karunaratne and Lahiru Thirimanne posted half-centuries to give Sri Lanka a solid start but Ratnayake said that more hard work needs to be done by his team to win the game. "The opening stand itself was huge. more..

Aug 18 (PTI) Expanding its global footprint, Indian auto major Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) on Saturday opened its first completely knocked down automotive assembly plant here in joint venture with Ideal Motors of Sri Lanka. M&M claims it is the first major passenger car assembly unit in Sri Lanka with local sourcing. Christened Mahindra Ideal Lanka Pvt Ltd, the local assembly plant located in Welipenna near Colombo more..

Aug 18 (CI) 133* - The partnership between Dimuth Karunaratne and Lahiru Thirimanne, which is Sri Lanka's highest for the first wicket in the fourth innings of a Test. Karunaratne was involved in the previous highest as well - 124 with Kaushal Silva, against Pakistan in Dubai in 2014. SL were chasing a target of 137 then, and won by nine wickets. This is also the highest stand by any opening pair in the fourth innings of a Test in SL. In fact, there has only been one other century stand more..

Aug 18 (DN) SLFP Kalutara District MP Kumara Welgama said on Friday, that he would not support Gotabaya Rajapaksa in the upcoming Presidential Election. MP Welgama said he would support President Sirisena, the leader of the SLFP if he contests in the forthcoming Presidential Election. “However, if the SLFP does not field a candidate of its own for the upcoming Presidential Election, there is a possibility of supporting an independent candidate instead. more..

Aug 18 (ST) Just a few months before the Prez elections, Finance Ministry is taking on critical issues affecting the country’s economy while providing concessions for the people. The govt is to deviate from norms to make key announcements shortly relating to relief for farmers, small and medium businesses especially to Easter terror affected sectors and the middle class. Vote on Account (VOA) has already been approved more..

Aug 18 (AD) The SLFP would join the alliance formed by SLPP, stated UPFA MP Dullas Alahapperuma. He also said that Prez Sirisena’s comments make clear the extent to which he is pressurized by giving the UNP a govt. He expressed these view addressing the media following a meeting of JO party leaders chaired by SLPP Chairman Prof. G. L. Peiris last evening (16). Prof. G.L. Peiris stated that all parties of the JO discussed forming an alliance. more..

Aug 18 (GT) Qatar’s leading logistics provider GWC welcomed Sri Lankan ambassador Kithsiri Athulathmudali at the Logistics Village Qatar (LVQ) on Saturday. The Sri Lankan envoy’s site tour was to get a general idea about GWC’s offering and the Sri Lankan employees and included a tour of the integrated logistics hub, which offers bespoke supply chain logistics and warehousing solutions, spanning 1mn sq m infrastructure; the largest logistics of its kind in the region. more..

Aug 18 (RN) There is still uncertainty as to who the final candidates will be in the forthcoming Prez Elections, although one is already campaigning around the country and another will enter the race today. This afternoon the JVP will announce a Prez Candidate from its party, making it the second major political formation after the SLPP to enter a horse into the race slated to run before Dec 7 this year. The candidate tipped to be the JVP Leader more..

Aug 18 (AD) PM says that Sri Lanka has to take a critical look at what happened on the day of the Easter bombings, and that otherwise, the country can never be ready for this type of situation again. He said a critical examination is really required to look at why the information regarding the attacks that came and how it was handled. He said that the observations should in fact be forwarded to the PSC investigating the Easter Sunday attacks because they are looking at many aspects. more..

Aug 18 (HT) India, Turkey, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka are among the new countries where the Islamic State (IS) terror group has found a footing as its influence has diminished drastically across Iraq and Syria, its territory of origin, according to a leading conflict monitor. Spearheaded by jihadist leader Abubakr al-Baghdadi, IS has this year regrouped and carried out more activity outside of West Asia than inside it for the first time, according to data released by Armed Conflict Location more..

Aug 18 (AD) An agreement has been reached at a meeting with the coalition parties to form the coalition following the nomination of the prez candidate of the UNP. The discussion was held today (17) at the official residence of Minister Rajitha Senaratne. However, Deputy Leader of the UNP Sajith Premadasa says he will definitely contest at the upcoming Prez election. Several Ministers including UNP Deputy Leader Sajith Premadasa, more..

Aug 18 (AD) Former Chief Minister of Northern Province C. V. Wigneswaran says that a true Tamil would not vote for Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the upcoming Prez election. He mentioned this speaking to journalists in Jaffna, today (17). He says, “No true Tamil would vote for Gotabaya. He has several court cases filed against him. I have no idea why Mahinda Rajapaksa nominated him”. According to Wigneswaran, Gotabaya coming into power will prove a dark age for the Tamil people. more..

Aug 18 (CT) At least two shops had their roofs blown off and one person was slightly injured on Friday, shortly after the SL Air Force VIP helicopter, carrying President Maithripala Sirisena, lifted off at a location in Naula. The incident had caused extensive damage to the roofs owing to the impact of the rotor blades sending those inside the shops running for cover. The President's Office had swiftly informed the local authorities to assess the damage and pay compensation at the very earliest. more..