Aug 21 (NR) A number of senior officers of Lanka Sathosa have been summoned to appear before the PCOPE today. The COPE Committee had also issued summons to several other state institution heads pertaining its on-going investigation. Accordingly, officials of the National Water Supply and Drainage Board are scheduled to appear before the committee tomorrow while CEB officials will testify on Friday. more..

Aug 21 (EN) Central Bank has injected 2.76 billion rupees in permanent money and is lending new money to the banking system near its policy deposit rate, following a drop in liquidity and its treasury bill stock. On August 20, the central bank bought 500 million rupees of bills maturing on May 22, 2020 at 7.86%, 1.25 billion rupees of May 2020 bills at 7.86% and 1.0 billion rupees of June 05, 2020 bills at 7.86% more..

Aug 21 (TM) Election Commission (EC) is taking new steps to implement a expenditure ceiling on polls campaign financing in efforts to conduct a free and fair presidential election. The framework handed over to the Attorney General’s (AG) Department for legal drafting in June 2019 is still pending before the Department. The EC is hopeful of implementing the new reform in the wake of the 2019 presidential elections, more..

Aug 21 (DN) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe said attention has been drawn on creating an export based economy. PM made these remarks while participating in a ceremony for the opening of a new office building complex Mehewara Piyasa of the Labour Department in Narahenpita yesterday. PM said the social welfare mechanism will be streamlined for the well-being of retired persons so as to make a comfortable life for more..

Aug 21 (Island) NFF leader Wimal Weerawansa, MP, said that an unprecedented US statement critical of the appointment of Lt. Gen. Shavendra Silva as the Commander of the Army should be examined against the backdrop of the US backing war winning Army Chief retired Gen. Sarath Fonseka’s candidature at 2010 prez election. US threw its full weight behind Gen. Fonseka, in spite of him being called a war criminal more..

Aug 21 (CT) SLPP Prez Candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa has given an assurance to EPDP Leader, MP Douglas Devananda, that under a future regime headed by him, all burning issues of the people of the North will be looked into and resolved. Rajapaksa and Devananda were discussing issues faced by the people of the Northern Province, due to the alleged failure of the current regime to carry out any development more..

Aug 21 (DM) Former minister Duminda Dissanayanke denied the statement made earlier at the PCoI that the lease agreement was signed with D.P.A. Jayasinghe & Company without the Attorney General’s approval said he had signed the lease agreement in 2016 with the AG’s approval. PCoI Chairman Upali Abeyratne directed the former minister to submit those documents to prove that the AG’s approval was obtained more..

Aug 21 (AD) The Cabinet has approved the proposal to amend the Muslim Marriage & Divorce Act. The proposal was tabled by Minister of Muslim Religious and Cultural Affairs Abdul Haleem and Minister of Justice and Prison Reforms Thalatha Atukorale. On the 15th of July, SL’s Muslim MPs handed over a proposal to Minister Thalatha Atukorale regarding the amendments required to be made to the Muslim Marriage & Divorce Act. more..

Aug 21 (FT) Sri Lankans undoubtedly are inclined towards slogans, and the time of elections is the high season. They appear everywhere; on walls, bus stands, huge boulders, vehicles and even on the garments worn by the campaigners. Usually we are given somewhat pedestrian catchphrases /exhortations like grow trees, the country will grow, a roof over your head, food in your stomach, one for all, all for one. When elections are announced the temperature is raised several degrees, more..

Aug 21 (CT) Call it a historic twist of the worst ever imaginable thing anyone could think about in the annals of our post-independence Sri Lankan and especially, UNP political changes. It just about had to happen as anyone with just that least bit of brain sense has been thinking about. We're not talking here about just any old thing about the UNP. We're talking about the bare fact that what we have been trading in all these past 20 years or more has been the surviving of perhaps more..

Aug 21 (SLN) Sri Lanka Navy apprehended Four (04) Indian fishermen with their trawler who engaged in illegal fishing, in Sri Lankan territorial waters on 21st August 2019. The Indian poachers were apprehended by the Northern Naval Command during a patrol carried out in the Northern seas. These Indian fishers and the trawler are due to be handed over to Assistant Director of Fisheries-Jaffna for onward legal action. The apprehended fishers are in the ages between 25-35. more..

Aug 21 (RN) Megapolis and Western Development Ministry says that a boat service will be launched tomorrow, operating along the Beira Lake from Union Place to Colombo Fort. Passengers are said to be able to use the service free of charge for the first month she said. Officers of the Navy will be deployed to assist in the operation of the boat service which is set to be equipped with safety measures. The service would be managed by SL Reclamation and Development Corporation. more..

Aug 21 (DM) The decision of the incumbent govt to terminate the agreement to acquire 14 modern aircraft for SriLankan airlines, which was signed during the Mahinda Rajapaksa govt, had resulted in staggering losses amounting to a sum of US$ 115.77 million (Rs 17,058.1 million), COPE report submitted to Parliament said. The report had also held the management of the national carrier who decided on the re-fleeting for the losses. more..

Aug 21 (RN) UNP MP Palitha Range Bandara says President Maithripala Sirisena is directly involved in creating conflicts in his party. Talking to reporters at Temple Trees this morning, Bandara said the present division in the UNP is a result of a conspiracy carried out by the President. “There wasn’t a division in UNP before. In 2015, we worked together for a govt. Ranil Wickremesinghe, Karu Jayasooriya or Mahinda Rajapaksa will not have a problem even if they win or not. more..

Aug 21 (CT) Based on Section 3 of the UDA Act, No. 41 of 1978, Colombo Port City was yesterday confirmed as a place coming under the purview of the UDA. Minister of Megapolis and Western Development Champika Ranawaka had taken this measure based on the powers vested in him as the Subject Minister, said a top official of the Ministry. He said that henceforth all development activities of the Colombo Port City will take place under the supervision of the UDA. more..

Aug 21 (AD) Attorney General today directed a letter to the Chief Justice requesting the appointment of a Trial-at-Bar in Colombo High Court over MV Avant Garde arms trafficking case involving Nissanka Senadhipathi and 12 others. AG’s Coordinating Officer State Counsel Nishara Jayaratne said the 13 defendants in the case will be prosecuted under 7573 charges. The defendants will accordingly be charged for the commission of more..

Aug 21 (DM) Work on the second phase of the Central Expressway would be completed by January next year, Minister Kabir Hashim said today. He told Parliament that construction of the second phase was carried out by a local contractor and that 80 per cent of the work had been completed. "It was scheduled to complete the construction by August. But they will complete it by January next year," he said. Minister said construction of the first and third phases had also started by now and more..

Aug 21 (AD) The term of the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) appointed to probe the terror attacks took place in different places in Sri Lanka on 21st April 2019 has been extended till the 30th of Sept. Parliament granted the committee an extension of time to present its final report in terms of Standing Order 102 of the Parliament. PSC was appointed by a resolution passed by the Parliament on the 22nd of May to look into and report to the House on the Easter Sunday terror attacks. more..

Aug 21 (RN) MP supporting SLPP Lakshman Yapa Abeywardana says that UNP is not commenting on the appointment of the new Army Commander Shavendra Silva as they want to play both sides. He said that UNP won’t say anything negative or positive about the new Army Commander’s appointment because they want to protect their votes and also get the support of the western powers for the election. more..

Aug 21 (CI) Chaos has been a constant in Sri Lankan cricket in 2019. Captaincy change - check; coach sacking - check; interim committee - check; sports ministry interference - check; contract terminations - check. Yet, quite incredibly, Sri Lanka are on a three-match winning streak in Tests, on the verge of consecutive Test series wins against South Africa and New Zealand. If results go their way in the Ashes, they could end up above either Australia or England in the Test rankings. more..

Aug 21 (CI) When you're doing well in SL, make sure you ride that wave for as long as possible. This, according to wicketkeeper-batsman BJ Watling, is where NZ have the most to improve, following their loss in Galle. Essentially the thinking is this. In conditions as bowler-friendly as those in SL often are, wickets will almost always fall in heaps. In between those inevitable collapses though, make sure the partnerships that do get started prosper long enough to hurt the opposition. more..

Aug 21 (CI) Dimuth Karunaratne, SL's relatively new captain, doesn't ride players hard, doesn't tear them down for taking aggressive options, and when criticism is required, he ensures it's constructive. Perhaps this is all a bit sappy, but it is the feedback from several members of this SL dressing room. Thisara Perera spoke of Karunaratne being like a brother during the World Cup campaign. Acting coach Rumesh Ratnayake spoke of more..

Aug 21 (Island) Colombo Municipal Council has requested the Acting IGP to provide security to dump trucks that are carrying garbage to the sanitary landfill at Aruwakkalu in Puttalam. CMC officials said that stoning and attacks on the trucks that were transporting garbage to Aruwakkalu had become a serious problem. CMC Solid Waste Director Engineer Yogarani Sylvester said that protection had been given to the sanitary landfill site. However the protestors had now shifted to more..

Aug 21 (AD) Minister Champika Ranawaka says that all the issues that had existed with regard to the forming of the UNP-led alliance Democratic National Front (DNF) had been resolved at the party leaders’ meeting last Saturday. He said that now they have provided the UNP with the opportunity to resolve their problems before August 31. He said they hope to announce the new alliance and their candidate before August 31 and kick start the DNF’s presidential election campaign. more..

Aug 21 (CT) A slight increase has been seen in the maternal mortality rate in 2017. Sources said that in 2017, the maternal mortality rate had been 39.3 for every 100,000 live births. According to Family Health Bureau (FHB) statistics, in 2015 the maternal mortality rate was 33.7 per every 100,000 live births. In 2016 it was 33.8 per every 100,000 live births. However, in 2017, the number increased to 39.3 per every 100,000 live births. more..

Aug 21 (Island) Minister Kabir Hashim told Parliament, that he has allowed new private bowser owners to bid for the transporting of fuel. Minister said: There was a monopoly. We will give the opportunity to any willing private bowser owner to provide service for the fuel transportation activities under comprehensive and fair charges. He said that there were 421 members in the Association of Ceylon Petroleum Private bowser owners. He added that there were a total of 743 bowsers more..

Aug 21 (AD) Rear Admiral (Retd) Sarath Weerasekera says that the United States cannot act in the manner of an individual or NGO when accusing another country of various abuses, but must base those accusations on reports accepted and approved by the international community. He stated this in a letter addressed to the US Ambassador in Sri Lanka to register his protest over the US Embassy’s statement regarding the appointment of the new Army Commander. more..

Aug 21 (LBO) Backed by the global industrial giant South Korea, Sri Lanka launched its most modern national hi-tech training facility to-date on Wednesday. As it unveiled its Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) facility in a Colombo suburb, Sri Lanka also said that its skills development work has shown results so much so the country retained its ranking in the firmly established global benchmark for more..

Aug 21 (RN) Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV) is calling on the Elections Commission to investigate a complaint made by a journalist against SLPP Presidential Candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa that his name was in the annual electoral list used for the 2005 Prez Election at a time when he was not a SL citizen. It is also alleged that Rajapaksa voted in the election. CMEV points out that according to the SL Constitution, a person who is not a SL citizen is not entitled to vote more..

Aug 21 (AD) TNA Parliamentarian M.A. Sumanthiran has filed a petition for intervention with the Supreme Court stating that the President does not have the jurisdiction to call Provincial Council (PC) election without delimitation of electorates. The petition was filed with regard to the reference application by President seeking the opinion of the Supreme Court if the law permits the PC elections to be held in the absence of the Report on Delimitation of Electorates. more..

Aug 21 (EN) SL's nationwide inflation edged up to 2.2% in July 2019 after slowing down in the two previous months. National Consumer Price Index compiled by the Census & Statistics Dept had risen 2.1% in June 2019, the lowest in five months, down from 3.5% in May. The marginal rise in the National Consumer Price Index in July was owing to the monthly increases of prices of items in both food & non-food categories, more..

Aug 22 (CT) I marched in the 1963 United Left Front May Day demonstration and was at the Galle Face rally jointly chaired by NM, Dr Wicks and Philip. I was also at the 18 Aug 2019 Galle Face rally which launched the national People’s Power movement and named its presidential candidate. The latter drew about 150,000 people and was comparable in size. A political alternative has been born. More than 40 years after the 1977 election debacle left in tatters, finally a radical left-democratic option more..

Aug 22 (CT) In politics there are no absolute truths, rights or wrongs. All relative. Politics is about choices and alternatives. It is also the art of the possible. The best policy for the people is to work through the given alternatives and keep vigilant about deviations from accepted norms, principles, and treasured values. The major hurdle for Sri Lanka at present is the forthcoming presidential election (hopefully) to be held in November or early December. more..

Aug 22 (TM) SLFP General Secretary MP Dayasiri Jayasekara said that the masses should not expect democracy and human rights to be safeguarded if they elect Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Jayasekara said that a strongman character such as Gotabaya Rajapaksa would not care for democracy or human rights and would suppress any dissenters. He added that neither UNP nor SLPP could win the election without the backing of SLFP. more..

Aug 22 (CT) Following nearly 30 years of LTTE terrorist war that ended in 2009, SL's economy grew at an average 5.8% during the period 2010 to 2015, reflecting a peace dividend and a determined policy thrust towards reconstruction & growth. Economy had been transitioning from a predominantly rural-based economy towards a more urbanised economy, oriented around manufacturing and services. Country had made significant progress in its socio-economic & human dev. indicators. more..

Aug 22 (DN) If you were to examine any of the issues that have come to shape the SL political terrain, you are likely to encounter the issue of language somewhere in the background, never too far from view. From Sinhala-only and the tensions surrounding the country’s official language to divisions resulting from the privileged position occupied by English in a post-colonial society, the issue of language has been a consistently contentious one. more..

Aug 22 (CT) In the face of climate change and in order to face future challenges, it has become essential that the water resources in the country should be managed properly. Hydrologists have already warned that fierce clashes could take place in the future among people over access to water. However, although a project launched to monitor and safeguard groundwater resources in the country, encompassing 103 river basins, more..

Aug 22 (Island) I remember how Dr Piyal Walpola, who became my kind doctor and friend, in Toronto, asked me to meditate on my way to see him. It took about one hour for me to reach Piyal’s clinic. There were times, when I was in pain. However, he told me: "Bandula, just meditate on your way. You will be fine. Don’t think about your illness". I did just that and fell asleep. I woke up only when the chauffeur told me that we reached Piyal’s clinic. Good Buddhist Mahoshada Pandit took care of me more..

Aug 22 (SO) Learning from past experience, the Elections Commission is now gearing to explore possible avenues of combating violations of election law through the use of social media, especially during the upcoming election season. Chairman EC, Mahinda Deshapriya firmly believes that there is no rationale to block social media platforms during an election with the hope of preventing misinformation or hate speech. “Current society is of the view that voting is an extension of the right to express. more..