Aug 22 (SO) On Aug 12 each year, International Youth Day is commemorated globally to encourage youth to organize activities to raise awareness on youth issues. In this context, a local group of youth launched a peaceful demonstration in front of the Election Commission office in Rajagiriya, on Monday. Their key demand was obtaining their right to vote. The registration of voters taking place annually adds new voters who completed 18 years before June 1 in the respective year. more..

Aug 22 (Island) The yahapalana govt bowed to the inevitable, on Tuesday, and withdrew its controversial land Bill, which the Opposition tore to pieces as an attempt to sell state land to foreign powers. The Supreme Court determined, last month, that the State Land Special Provisions Bill had to be approved by the Provincial Councils before being taken up in Parliament. The govt did not want to proceed with it for obvious reasons. Minister Lakshman Kiriella tore into the Opposition, more..

Aug 22 (DN) Since the turn of the present decade the P Sara Oval has not been a good hunting ground for Sri Lanka for out of seven Tests played here since 2010, they have lost five and won only two. The two wins have come against Pakistan and against West Indies both in 2015. The last occasion SL played at this venue they lost to Bangladesh by four wickets in 2017. SL it seems have a bad habit of winning the first Test of more..

Aug 22 (FT) The Govt is considering slashing prices of 27 medicines in the near future, Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne confirmed to Parliament yesterday. He made these remarks while moving a batch of regulations under the National Medicines Regulatory Authority Act to enforce price ceilings on medicines and medical devices. Moving the Motion, the Minister claimed the Govt was able to cut down people’s medical expenses by Rs. 4.4 billion and had saved money for the public. more..

Aug 22 (RN) Today marks four months since 259 men, women and children paid the ultimate price for the negligence, irresponsibility and sheer incompetence of the powers that be. Four months to the day since those entrusted with the lives of our citizens – the very people that pay their salaries – let them down in ways that redefine betrayal. Four months have passed, and the friends and families left behind have yet to see anyone of significance held accountable. more..

Aug 22 (DN) Kasturi Chellaraja Wilson, the new President of the Sri Lanka Chamber of the Pharmaceutical Industry (SLCPI), called for a deeper commitment from the Pharmaceutical Industry to self-regulate and said, the industry is prepared to partner with the govt to collaborate and implement a fair pricing mechanism, which would ensure sustainable supplies of quality products at affordable prices. more..

Aug 22 (ST) The second stage of Inter-Academy Football Carnival was successfully concluded last on March 16 at the City Football Complex in Colombo. Programme was organised by the Technical Department of Football Federation of SL (FFSL). A total of 19 Football Academies from Jaffna, Badulla, Ampara, Batticaloa and Kandy participated in the second phase of Inter Academy Football Carnival held in Colombo and its first phase was held in the same venue with the participation of more..

Aug 22 (FT) Earnings from tourism predictably declined in the first half but still managed to post $ 1.8 billion in earnings when compared with $ 2.1 billion earned in the same period the previous year. Tourist arrivals gradually recovered in June from the impact of the Easter Sunday attacks. Accordingly, tourist arrivals increased by 66.8% to 63,072 in June in comparison to 37,802 in May. However, tourist arrivals in June registered a year-on-year decline of 57%. more..

Aug 22 (CT) Sports Minister Harin Fernando shot down any possible reappointment of Asanka Gurusinha for the post of Chief Cricket Operating Officer, or any other post. Writing to SLC President Shammi Silva, Fernando instructed that all existing contracts of SLC should be re-advertised once they expire. This step has been taken by the Minister after he was informed about an attempt to reappoint Gurusinha more..

Aug 22 (Island) Commercial Bank of Ceylon recently recognised five groups of students from President’s College, Kotte, who created coded, real world applications in miniature form, after following a foundation course in computer programming supported by the Bank. This programme was conducted in collaboration with the STEMUP Educational Foundation which also hosted a coding competition as part of the course. Winning groups were awarded first to fifth places for their more..

Aug 22 (ST) Hemas Hospitals, first and only hospital chain in SL to have been accredited by the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards Int'l (ACHSI), recently established its first overseas laboratory facility in Mahe, Seychelles. Offering a comprehensive portfolio of over 3000 medical tests, facility is the first fully-fledged laboratory to be established outside the country by a SL hospital chain. Well equipped with the latest technology to cater to the needs of the island nation, more..

Aug 22 (CT) Front-runner in the 3000m steeplechase Nilani Ratnayaka trained long and hard to get to where she is today - which, it turns out, is nowhere. And she wants to know why. Nilani has made giant strides in performance over the years: a massive improvement that's reflected in her achievements in both the national and international arenas. She finished sixth in the 3000m steeplechase - her specialty - more..

Aug 22 (PHC) High Commissioner of Pakistan, Maj. Gen. (R) Dr. Shahid Ahmad Hashmat called on President Maithripala Sirisena on 20th August 2019 to apprise him about the current situation in the Indian Occupied Jammu & Kashmir. During the meeting, the High Commissioner briefed the President about India’s illegal and unilateral actions seeking to alter the disputed status of Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir and its demographic structure by revoking Article 370 and 35A. more..

Aug 22 (AD) The Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court yesterday (21) ordered the CID to obtain statements from five prison inmates over the alleged plot to assassinate President Maithripala Sirisena. The direction was given when the CID informed courts that intelligence reports revealed that four detainees of the Welikada Prison sentenced to death as well as another death row inmate at Agunukolapelessa Prison allegedly plotted the President’s assassination. more..

Aug 22 (EN) Sri Lanka is making plans to attract a foreign investor by offering a 49% stake and taking off some of the debt off the balance sheet of the airline who will need to invest at least US$ 250 million to modernize the airline, an official has said. Sri Lanka's Public Private Partnership Agency has prepared an information memorandum which can be offered to prospective investors after a cabinet appointed negotiations committee approves it more..

Aug 22 (FT) SAARC Development Fund will hold its 31st Board Meeting in Colombo this week, taking decisions on key issues to further promote regional integration and economic cooperation among its eight Member States. The Fund’s CEO Dr. Sunil Motiwal called on Minister Mangala Samaraweera in his office. As SDF Governing Council member, Minister expressed his continued support to SDF’s role in enhancing regional connectivity and economic cooperation. more..

Aug 22 (EN) Sri Lanka should restore the freedom taken away from owners of film halls so that they can make better use of their properties if they wish, a legislator said. "In our area in the Gampola electorate three film halls have been closed," MP Ananda Aluthgamage told parliament. "Near Peradeniya town I have seen a large film hall which has been closed. I believe the govt has banned owners from using these important properties for a different industry through a law." more..

Aug 22 (Island) PCoI will decide whether to file charges against Secretary to the Ministry of Education Nihal Ranasinghe after the latter said he would rather face action by the commission than cancel the transfer of a ministry official who had testified before it. Ranasinghe was summoned before the PCoI again after it was revealed that the Edu Ministry had transferred another official who had testified before the Commission on alleged more..

Aug 22 (DN) Akila Dananjaya who was reported for a suspect bowling action at the end of the first cricket Test against NZ at Galle will travel to Chennai with team consultant Jerome Jayaratne on Aug 28 to have his action tested. Dananjaya will undergo the test on Aug 29 and will return the same day. The young Lankan spinner has been reported for the second time this year and if he fails to have his action cleared he will be in danger of being banned from playing int'l cricket for a year. more..

Aug 22 (EN) Govt plans to buy nine x-ray scanning machines to detect explosives at the Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayake, north of the capital Colombo. The Cabinet of ministers Tuesday approved a proposal by the ministry of transport and civil aviation to call for bids for the airport x-ray baggage scannersý, the state information office said in a statement. The tender is for the supply, installation and maintenance of the x-ray explosives detection equipment. more..

Aug 22 (Island) TNA leader R. Sampanthan, MP, told visiting Japanese peace envoy Yasushi Akashi that the failure on the part of the govt to fulfil commitments given to the Tamil community would be bad for the whole country. Full text of the statement issued by MP Sampanthan’s Office following his meeting with the Japanese official at his Colombo residence on the previous day: "Sampanthan expressed upon more..

Aug 22 (DM) Once the alliance led by the UNP is formed, Speaker Karu Jayasuriya will resign from the post to contest the prez election, the SLPP said. MP Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena said the Speaker will resign as soon as the alliance is formed. “I challenge Speaker Jayasuriya to admit if he can, that he will not be a presidential candidate,” the MP said. He said UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe was attempting to protect his party leadership and that Mr. Jayasuriya supports him in this. more..

Aug 22 (DN) Grade Medical Officers’ Union (GMOU) does not support the two-day island wide strike of the Govt Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA), its Secretary Dr. Niroshan Premaratne said. The Secretary has informed the Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine Ministry in writing that it does not support the strike because it the strike is unfair and irrational and politically motivated. “The reasons for the strike are not genuine and are aimed at misleading the public. more..

Aug 22 (FT) CoPE called for an independent investigation into the losses of SriLankan Airlines, to understand the causes and identify people responsible for the losses and to hold them accountable. Efforts to revamp the SriLankan aircraft and the subsequent termination of the agreement for the acquisition of eight Airbus A350-900, which resulted in the Govt having to pay a Rs. 17 billion penalty, sent national carrier into a tailspin more..

Aug 22 (FT) ITAK lawmaker S. Shritharan raised a privilege issue with Speaker highlighting the recent raiding of his house in Kilinochchi by Police and TID with the assistance of the Army in search of explosives. According to the lawmaker, he and his family are harassed frequently by security personnel. “My house at No. 882, Arumugam Road, Vattakachchi in Kilinochchi had been surrounded by more than 100 service personnel when I was attending the Parliament. more..

Aug 22 (DN) Education Ministry is drawing up a plan to offer Govt National School admission opportunities to children of parents who pay Income Tax. The idea is to incentivise payment of Income Tax, Ministry communique said. A discussion in this regard was held on August 20 at the Education Ministry presided over by Education Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam. The main objective behind this move is to appreciate the contribution made by tax payers to state coffers and more..

Aug 22 (Island) The govt, in Parliament, asked for six months to answer a question raised by JVP MP Nalinda Jayatissa pertaining to the purchase of vehicles for the use of Ministers since the day the Yahapalana regime came to power. Dr. Jayatissa demanded to know from the PM on the number of vehicles that had been purchased for the use of ministers since Jan 8, 2015. It was listed in yesterday’ Order Paper of parliament. more..

Aug 22 (DM) Minister Sajith Premadasa is experiencing days where everyone is loving him. Interestingly Prez Sirisena and opposition leader Mahinda Rajapaksa have had encouraging words for him. Recently Rajapaksa had asked Sajith whether he should congratulate him now or wait till the UNP names him as the election candidate. Sajith in a friendly manner had responded by saying it was Rajapaksa’s wish. Even Prez Sirisena has said that Sajith is an epitome of clean politics. more..

Aug 22 (DM) In the wake of Britain’s colonization of Sri Lanka then known as Ceylon came to be popular the world over as the producer of the world-famous Ceylon Tea. But from time immemorial, Sri Lanka was at various times described as Taprobane, Thambapane and prompted by its shape, as the Pearl of the Indian Ocean or the Tea Drop Island and the land of the Esala Perahera, which was watched annually by tens of thousands of Sri Lankans and foreign tourists. more..

Aug 22 (DM) UNP used to be a disciplined party. When party members, stalwarts or others, went off course from the strict code of discipline which it imposed upon itself, they were punished, without exception. That was the code of conduct under which J R Jayewardene built up the party from 1973 onwards. In fact, it was R Premadasa -- one of the first offenders at the time -- who went astray during Dudley Senanayake era and was disciplined more..

Aug 22 (ST) Postal Department continues to run at a loss, incurring a deficit of more than Rs. 5 billion last year. The department had an accumulated deficit of almost Rs. 20 billion from 2012 to 2016. Rs. 5 billion deficit comes amid a rise in customer complaints that delivery of mail is slow and sometimes never reaches the intended recipients. “Only the pension documents come on time with any regularity. more..

Aug 22 (AD) The new Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations, Kshenuka Senewiratne, presented her credentials to UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Wednesday. Until her latest appointment, Ms. Senewiratne served most recently as Ambassador to Thailand beginning in 2015, and was also accredited to Cambodia and the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. more..

Aug 22 (FT) UK’s High Commissioner James Dauris last week completed his four-year tenure in Sri Lanka, a country he emphasises is resilient and full of promise provided there is true reconciliation. He also strongly advocates Sri Lanka must open up with greater liberalisation and the private sector be facilitated to create economic growth and employment opportunities. In a farewell interview with the Daily FT, more..

Aug 22 (EN) State-run SriLankan Airlines is carrying up to 50% extra crew above regulatory requirements on some aircraft types due to a collective agreement with unions, questioning by a parliamentary committee on public enterprises had revealed. SriLankan has a 123 crew member shortage due to the collective agreements with staff, CEO Vipula Gunatilleke said. Legislators asked why SriLankan Airlines had much higher levels of more..

Aug 22 (AD) The report on Wasim Thajudeen and Lasantha Wickrematunge murders and four other high profile cases, submitted by the CID, has been handed over to the Attorney General by the Acting IGP. On August 16, the Attorney General instructed the Acting IGP to expedite the conclusion of police investigations into six high profile cases including the assassination of journalist Lasantha Wickrematunge, more..

Aug 22 (DM) Efforts are being made to create another constitutional coup similar to that of the one on October 26 last year and to appoint a new premier, UNP MPs Ashu Marasinghe and Palitha Range Bandara alleged . Speaking at a media briefing, the MPs said creating a division within the UNP was part of the conspiracy. “It is only Prez Sirisena who has an issue with regard to the forthcoming presidential election. more..

Aug 22 (Island) The Ministry of Education often exceeded the budgetary allocations for various projects as it placed importance on other aspects, PCoI was told. Former Secretary to the Ministry of Education, Sunil Hettiarachchi told the PCoI that they placed higher importance on the safety of children and final outcomes. He was questioned on the Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC) that decided on the types of tablet more..

Aug 22 (AD) It is revealed that Lanka Sathosa has incurred a loss of billions of Rupees by storing a stock of imported rice at the Sri Lanka Customs. The officials of Lanka Sathosa were summoned to the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) hearing. COPE member MP Mahindananda Aluthgamage said that the Lanka Sathosa has intentionally left the relevant stock of rice, imported to SL in 2015, to be stored at the Customs. more..

Aug 22 (AD) The passenger boat service operating on the Beira Lake from Union Place to Colombo Fort has been launched under the patronage of PM Ranil Wickremesinghe a short while ago. The boat service, which was proposed as a solution for the heavy traffic congestion in the city, is managed by SL Land Development Corporation. The passengers will be given the opportunity to utilize the boat service free-of-charge more..