Jul 10 (EN) Ceylon Chamber of Commerce said it would hold a forum to discuss the powers of the President, under a 19th amendment to the constitution. In Sri Lanka politicians have many powers and agencies to interfere in the workings of private individuals, unlike in more market oriented countries, allowing them block economic progress, critics say. President Sirisena had some transitional powers to hold ministries, which would end when the next president is elected. more..

Jul 10 (AD) MP Roshan Ranasinghe says he received death threats from Prez Sirisena’s brother, Dudley Sirisena. PM stated this joining Derana ‘Wada Pitiya’ political programme. The CID even refused to accept his complaint in this regard, MP Ranasinghe alleged. Commenting that a brother of a president has not behaved in such a manner before, MP Ranasinghe said the Prez’s brother is greedy of power. In other parts of the world, the farmers who cultivate staple crops are economically more..

Jul 10 (AD) Justice Minister Thalatha Athukorale today strongly denied the claims made by the BASL President Kalinga Indatissa that she has no objections to establishing a branch of the American Bar Association or any affiliated institutions in SL. Issuing a statement in response to certain comments made by the President of the Bar Association of SL (BASL), during a discussion with Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa on more..

Jul 10 (EN) SL apparel exporter MAS Holdings and Hellmann Worldwide Logistics are expanding their joint venture for logistics and supply chain related activities by setting up a new unit. The Board of Investment said it signed an agreement with Hellman MAS Supply Chain Private Ltd. for an expansion unit and also provide additional services to their partnership supporting a leading global sports and activewear brand. “I am optimistic that demand continues to increase as is seen,” more..

Jul 10 (DM) Minister Akila Viraj instructed officials to take immediate action to admit the children of all teachers who had completed more than three years service in National Schools. Minister had taken this decision to make it easy for the teachers to admit their children to the same school because the teachers who engage in teaching thousands of students in those schools. “Teachers will be encouraged and they will tend to conduct their teaching activities more effectively,” more..

Jul 10 (AD) MP Dayasiri Jayasekara says that Sri Lanka’s authorities should investigate as to why one of the Easter Sunday attackers did not set off his bomb at the Taj Samudra Hotel in Colombo despite visiting it and to also find out who was at that hotel on that fateful day. The SLFP General Secretary today appeared before the Parliamentary Select Committee inquiring into the terror attacks on more..

Jul 10 (DM) Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa today said a leader who can create a disciplined country, who can ensure the national security and provide security to all Sri Lankans the same would be fielded as the presidential candidate of the opposition. Addressing a meeting represented by former members of parliament and provincial councils, Mr. Rajapaksa said he has been bestowed with the power to name the presidential candidate of the opposition led by the SLPP. more..

Jul 10 (FT) When I was reading Monday’s newspapers I was disturbed to see the Govt’s responses to the new Ceylon Chamber of Commerce Chief Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya’s very straightforward and candid comments on the proposed forces agreement SOFA and MCC, the logic being that Sri Lanka is facing the current governance issues because the private sector is non-vocal on the mismanagement of the country by the current policymakers. more..

Jul 10 (DM) While reiterating that the govt was behind the suspension of his Facebook page, popular musician Iraj Weeraratne today requested Prez Sirisena to intervene into the matter and to carry out an inquiry into the incident. He said that similar thing could happen any user and therefore the Prez should take immediate action against such suppression of social media. “I suspect the govt is behind the move but more..

Jul 10 (FT) Waters Edge recently announced its profits for the month of June 2019, revealing that the company recorded a profit of Rs. 18.5 million, despite difficulties the local tourism and hotel industries experienced after the major decline in arrivals and business due to the tragic Easter Sunday terror attacks. The company sees this as a major achievement under the vision of Champika Ranawaka and the guidance of its Chairman Chamath De Silva, and commends more..

Jul 10 (NR) The Attorney General has requested Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya to appoint a special three member bench to hear the case pertaining to the Rathupaswala unrest in 2013 where protestors who demanded clean drinking water were shot at, during the previous tenure of the UPFA led govt. When inquired, Coordinating Officer for the Attorney General Nishara Jayaratne said the request calls for the three member bench to be appointed at the Gampaha High Court. more..

Jul 10 (EN) Minister Harsha de Silva called out a nationalist teacher who has destroyed a child's property in a bid to enforce a boycott of products made businesses connected to the island's minority Muslim community. Atlas Axillia, a stationery controlled by SL's publicly traded Hemas group is one of several firms with Muslim shareholders that have become the target of Sinhalese nationalists. "Stop corrupting young minds!" Minister said more..

Jul 10 (DM) A week after the arrest of an individual with the largest stock of methamphetamine pills at the Colombo Central Mail Exchange (CME), the Customs today arrested another suspect with methamphetamine pills worth Rs. 14.7 million. The suspect, a resident of Mount Lavinia was arrested when he arrived at the CME to collect an Air Mail parcel. He was arrested with 2,952 pills which were concealed inside a foot massager. The parcel had been shipped from Belgium. more..

Jul 10 (DM) UNP MP Hirunika Premachandra said today that the court decision given to release former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando and IGP Pujith Jayasundara on bail was an example of that the rule of law prevails in the country and no one can intervene with the Judiciary. She said that the Magistrate’s order to release former defence secretary and the IGP was a historic decision. She said that even during the 52-day Govt they saw the Judicial system stood firm. more..

Jul 10 (DM) UPFA MP and SLFP General Secretary Dayasiri Jayasekera who testified before the parliamentary select committee probing the Easter Sunday attacks said an international force is behind the Easter Sunday attacks. MP said he also does not think that ISIS was behind the attack. He said National Thowheed Jama'at Leader Zahran was used by some international forces to fulfil their objectives. more..

Jul 10 (CI) It was a semi-final spread over 28 hours and 24 minutes, and it contained some of the defining features of this World Cup. Rain, enough of it to force the match into a reserve day. Terrific new-ball bowling. Incredible fielding. A tricky, two-paced surface that kept scoring rates down, but also ensured neither team was ever entirely out of the contest. At the end of it, it was New Zealand who remained standing, reaching their second successive WC final with an 18-run win. more..

Jul 10 (EN) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe wanted anti-Muslim riots to create 10,000 refugees and bring the US military and UN interventions to Sri Lanka's Vasudeva Nanayakkara claimed in parliament. "Using this crisis he wanted to bring the US military to SL," Nanayakkara said. "They are salivating to come to SL (kela hala hala innawa)." Nanayakkara, a leftist legislator aligned with ex-Prez Rajapaksa claimed that Wickremesinghe wanted to generate 10,000 Muslim refugees in areas more..

Jul 10 (DM) US President Donald Trump has reiterated his commitment that the US would stand with Sri Lanka in the aftermath of the Easter Sunday terror attacks and expand counter-terrorism, maritime, and border security cooperation with the island nation. President Trump has expressed this when Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the US, Rodney Perera presented his credentials to the US President on Monday. more..

Jul 10 (NR) A report compiled by the Presidential Task Force on Drug Prevention, National Dangerous Drugs Control Board and the Police has revealed that over 115,000 children under the age of 18 are addicted to narcotics. The report was handed over to Prez Sirisena recently. The report revealed that 6,100 children were addicted to heroin while around 100,000 persons including 1,500 women are on the lookout for heroin. Almost 300,000 persons including 1,500 women are addicted to marijuana. more..

Jul 10 (AD) University of Ruhuna has been closed from 4 p.m. today until further notice, says Vice-Chancellor of the university. The decision was taken owing to a clash between the students’ union and the non-academic staff. The two groups got into a brawl yesterday as a heated argument escalated. VC had held discussions with the non-academic staff of the uni on the matter. Speaking further, central committee member of the Clerical and Industrial Services Association more..

Jul 10 (DM) The retail prices of fuel have been revised with effect from midnight today based on the fuel pricing formula, the Finance Ministry said. Accordingly, the prices of fuel were decreased as follows: Petrol (Octane 92) per litre will be decreased by Rs.2 and the revised price is Rs.136, Petrol (Octane 95) will be sold at Rs.159, decreased by Rs.5 per litre. One litre of Super Diesel will be lowered by Rs.5 & new price will be Rs.131. more..

Jul 11 (CT) July 7th Rally of the Un-Enlightened (Colombo Telegraph, 4 July 2019), that fizzled out without the expected turnout of 10,000 Buddhist monks, was the most emphatic demonstration yet by the majority Sinhala Buddhists that they would not allow hatred and bigotry to hijack the millennial legacy of peaceful coexistence of different religions and cultures in Sri Lanka. The low turnout to that rally brought a sigh of relief for hundreds of thousands of Muslims in and around Kandy, more..

Jul 11 (CT) Hon Mangala Samaraweera my dear friend for a long time Hon Sajith Premadasa Minister, Hon Ministers Hon State Ministers Hon Deputy Ministers Hon Members of Parliament Chief Ministers of Provincial Councils Former Provincial Councilors Present Chairmen of local govt institutions members of local govt institutions and my dear friends. I am deeply honored to be able to say few words on this memorable occasion where we are felicitating Mangala Samaraweera on more..

Jul 11 (Roar) “Are you ready?” the referee asks the fighter in the blue corner. The fighter nods, fists clenched, eyes locked on target. “Are you ready?” the referee asks his opponent in the red corner, who cracks his neck to relieve the pressure, and steps forward in response. “Then, fight!” The gloved fists meet in the middle and the brawl commences. Aggressive and fast-paced, the fight stays in tempo with pounding heavy metal more..

Jul 11 (CT) The ideology of a country being a Nation State is derived from two separate words – Nation and State. Nation refers to people of a country, formed on the basis of a shared history and psychological make-up manifested in, under one common culture. A Nation is not limited to one particular group, but it represents all races and religions under one common culture, that has become conscious of its autonomy and unity as one community. more..

Jul 11 (CT) On 1 July, the UNP launched sudhujulee (white July) and kicked off their presidential campaign. Obviously, the intention is to convey the impression that is opposite to Black July. However, until all those who were living in the early ‘80s start pushing up daisies the UNP will never escape from the Black July’s stigma. The White July is a campaign of incredible concessions to almost all Govt sectors - from State employees to Special Forces and even to the pensioners. more..

Jul 11 (CT) Controversy surrounds the three Agreements between Sri Lanka and the US namely the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) which is also known as Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), the Millennium Challenge Corporation Compact (MCCC) and the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA) that is to be signed but the worry is because of the broad spectrum of the Govt’s Free and open Indo-Pacific policy, more..

Jul 11 (Island) UPFA MP and SLFP General Secretary Dayasiri Jayasekera finally chose to bite the bullet, yesterday; he appeared before the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) probing the Easter Sunday attacks. He had previously ignored summons, claiming that the PSC proceedings undermined the judicial process and, therefore, he did not want to participate therein. Is he now convinced that he thought wrong? President Sirisena vehemently opposed more..

Jul 11 (FT) Each year, usually in November, the Finance Minister presents the National Budget on behalf of the Govt. Over several weeks that follow, the budget is debated in Parliament and put to the vote. If it is not approved, the Govt falls. If approved by a simple majority, it goes into effect for the following January-December financial year. Thereafter, the Parliament that approved it, both Govt and Opposition, is responsible for its implementation. more..

Jul 11 (FT) Islamophobia is not an easy subject to deal with and, therefore, to write about. To start with, there is the question of definition: Does Islamophobia exist? Is it useful to use the expression Islamophobia? Shouldn’t we simply talk of discrimination or intolerance? Is it true that the usage of the term Islamophobia can provoke more Islamophobia and hence further victimise Muslims? Islamophobia is more visible today as the delicate int'l situation has increased the fear more..

Jul 11 (Island) The report card will show, we won three, lost four with two matches abandoned due to rain. Die-hard supporters of a team being thrashed regularly, both at home and abroad, might call it a reasonable performance. Sri Lanka lost 24 out of the last 28 matches leading up to the World Cup. All our World Cup losses were by significant margins. We lost to NZ by 10 wickets with 34 overs to spare. The Australians beat us by 87 runs, South Africa beat us by 9 wickets with 12 overs to spare, more..

Jul 11 (DM) After terminating its contract with Emirates Airlines in 2008, SriLankan Airlines encountered various issues over liabilities. By 2010, the airline lacked funds to proceed with re-fleeting plans and was facing mounting challenges and a precarious future. Against this backdrop, PCoI into alleged irregularities at SriLankan Airlines, SriLankan Catering & Mihin Lanka concluded sessions more..

Jul 11 (EN) Central bank is propping up overnight rates about 20 basis points above its floor policy rate which was lowered 50 basis points on May 31, allowing a de facto target rate to fall 84 basis points since the last policy meeting, official data show. The central bank cut the floor rate of its policy corridor through which excess liquidity is withdrawn from 8% to 7.5% on at the last monetary policy meeting amid weak private credit. The policy announcement is scheduled for July 11. more..

Jul 11 (Forture) Wow, OK, let’s start the day off with a bang. Two years ago, I wrote about Social Capital’s Chamath Palihapitiya’s lofty goal of helping billion-dollar startups get liquid sooner. At the time, he had raised $ 600 million in an IPO for his blank check company, Social Capital Hedosophia Holdings. Idea was that Social Capital Hedosophia would acquire a big tech company and help it circumvent the initial public offering process. Process for a tech company valued at more..

Jul 11 (PMD) Prez Sirisena has given instructions to the National Rehabilitation Authority for Drug addicts to implement a special programme at the provincial level to rehabilitate the drug addicts in the country, as around 150,000 children under the age of 18 years are reported to be the victims of this menace. The report of the survey jointly conducted by the Presidential Task Force on Drug Prevention, more..

Jul 11 (FT) A lawyer who sustained severe burn injuries from the Easter Sunday suicide attack at the Shangri-La Hotel has filed a Fundamental Rights petition before the Supreme Court, seeking Rs. 500 million compensation from the Got. The lawyer, identified as Moditha Ekanayake, in his Petition states that the Govt had prior knowledge of the attacks but failed to act, and as such breached his and the public’s Fundamental Rights. Forty-four officials, including more..

Jul 11 (DN) Almost 85% of claims for payment for projects undertaken by private construction companies have been settled, according to Chamber of Construction Industry (CCI). Govt owes around Rs. 97 billion for private construction companies for building of roads, bridges, buildings and several infrastructure projects. This amount has been accumulated for the past several years and the 15% of these claims have now been honored by the govt. “15% of claims that have not been paid more..

Jul 11 (CT) Sports Minister Harin Fernando is, in due course, likely to announce that Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) is deciding to make some drastic changes to their National team coaching staff and the National Selectors with immediate effect. After the team’s dismal performance recently following the World Cup, the hierarchy of the Cricket Board in alliance with the Sports Minister opted for some major changes to important aspects of more..