Jul 11 (DM) UNP will have nowhere to turn if it continues to work in the next one and half years as they worked during the last three and half years, UNP MP Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka said. “We admit the fact that there are shortcomings in the UNP. However, we should rectify those mistakes soon,” MP said. “People know what the UNP delivered and what it did not and they will decide on the fate of the party, depending on the benefits they received during the UNP administration,” more..

Jul 11 (AD) Dr Mohamed Shafi of the Kurunegala Hospital has been further remanded until July 25 by the Kurunegala Magistrate’s Court. The case against Dr. Shafi, who is accused of allegedly amassing assets through suspicious means, performing illegal sterilization surgeries and having links to terrorist activities, was taken up for hearing today. He was produced before the Kurunegala Magistrate Sampath more..

Jul 11 (CT) Certain pensioners who had visited State banks and post offices to receive their amended July pensions, after the Govt had promised to sort out their salary anomalies, had been forced to return home disconsolate that the Govt had only provided the monthly pension and not the amended pension. Deputy President of Jathika Sevaka Sangamaya, Sunil de Silva said that it had been difficult to provide the amended pension salary for certain pensioners for July as more..

Jul 11 (Island) Some Governors were attempting to dismantle various age-old systems in provincial education sector, General Secretary of the Ceylon Teachers’ Union (CTU) Joseph Stalin said. "School principals act as the Head of School Development Societies. According to education ministry circulars, Principals should head such bodies established in schools. This is done to ensure that they have control over the affairs of schools. But now Governor of Northern Province, Suren Ragawan has more..

Jul 11 (DM) Facebook has significantly increased its investments to ramp up Sinhala and Tamil language expertise targeting to curb hate speech and other harmful contents originating from SL on the social media platform. “We have invested heavily on Sinhala and Tamil language expertises as we have promised. We significantly ramped up our language expertise in SL through hiring more experts after Digana more..

Jul 11 (DM) JVP MP Nalinda Jayatissa revealed that some doctors who were graduated from foreign universities were practicing at the SL Army without being registered under the Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC). He told parliament that it was illegal for any doctor to practice without the SLMC registration. "The doctors can obtain the membership of the SLMC only after undergoing an internship. Doctors graduated from foreign universities should pass the Act16 exam more..

Jul 11 (CT) UPFA MP, Dullas Alahapperuma said some people were involved in an attempt to heap blame on the Archbishop of Colombo, Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith in connection with the Easter Sunday carnage. He said the Acting IGP, Chandana Wickramaratne had exonerated former Minister Rishad Bathiudeen by sending a letter to Deputy Speaker Ananda Kumarasiri stating that there was no evidence found that links Bathiudeen with the recent terror attacks. more..

Jul 11 (AD) The motion of no confidence brought against the govt by the JVP, accusing the ruling coalition of failing to prevent Easter suicide bombings which killed more than 250 people, was defeated in Parliament today with a majority of 27 votes. A total of 92 MPs including the JVP and a majority of UPFA members voted in favour of the motion while 119 voted against it. UNF and TNA voted against the motion. more..

Jul 11 (DM) The SL Navy today seized a fishing vessel which was carrying 60 kilos of heroin in the seas off Galle and arrested nine suspects in it. The fishing vessel was sailing without flag state and registration markings. The Navy suspects that the fishing vessel is a foreign one. The vessel was being escorted to Galle Harbour for further investigations. The Navy suspects that the Sri Lankan multi-day fishing boat which was apprehended on Wednesday in the seas off Galle more..

Jul 11 (ANI) Two boats carrying banned drugs from Pakistani coast city Karachi to Sri Lanka were intercepted by SL Coast guards on Wednesday. The operation was successfully executed based on the inputs by Indian security agencies. The successful capture comes after the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) shared a specific input with information about two boats carrying banned drugs from Karachi to Sri Lanka. The input which was shared with Indian authorities by NCB was more..

Jul 11 (DM) Indika Bamunusinghe, a prison inmate on death row received his Master’s Degree at the Kelaniya Uni Convocation which was held at the BMICH today. He is the first in Sri Lanka and fifth in the world to obtain a Master’s Degree during the period of imprisonment. He was serving life imprisonment after being sentenced to death. Mr Bamunusinghe graduated in his Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree programme in Social Sciences more..

Jul 11 (DM) All Ceylon National Bhikshu Forum (ACNBF) today requested President Sirisena, PM Wickremesinghe and Minister Sajith Premadasa to render their support to nominate Speaker Karu Jayasuriya as the national candidate in the upcoming Presidential Election. Speaking to the media, Chief Incumbent of Tantirimale Vihara Venerable Tantirimale Chandrarathna said that Speaker Karu Jayasuriya was the most appropriate person to be the national candidate more..

Jul 11 (AD) The three-month detention order against Dr. Mohamed Shafi has been withdrawn as the evidence presented against him was inadequate to prove that he was linked to terrorist activities, Deputy Solicitor General Thusith Mudalige told the Kurunegala Magistrate’s Court. The case against Dr. Shafi, who is accused of allegedly amassing assets through suspicious means, performing illegal sterilization surgeries and having links to terrorist activities, was taken up for hearing today. more..

Jul 11 (Reuters) Sri Lanka is still in talks with the United States on a status-of-forces agreement (SOFA) for visiting U.S. military personnel, the prime minister said, disregarding a warning by the president that it would undermine sovereignty. President Maithripala Sirisena and PM Ranil Wickremesinghe have been at loggerheads since last year and their political differences have now stretched to security ties with the US. more..

Jul 12 (DN) The clock is slowly but surely ticking towards the presidential election which must be held by December and the country is likely to see a series of interesting political developments until then, the first few of which emerged last week. A period of campaigning is required before the presidential poll which means that major political parties should decide on their candidates by mid-October at the latest which is just over three months away. more..

Jul 12 (Island) Thanks largely to our erstwhile colonial master, who experimented with various forms of self-govt before granting us natives full Independence we can claim to be Asia’s oldest democracy. It is a fact that we were the first country in Asia to enjoy universal adult franchise from 1931 onwards even before we gained Independence. Going by that record, we should by now be an example for the whole of Asia to follow at least with regard to constitutions and systems of govt. more..

Jul 12 (Roar) There was a time, decades ago, when comic strips were very popular in SL. This was when there were newspaper pullouts dedicated solely to local comics or chithra katha (literally, picture-stories), as they were known then. Over time, the popularity of comic strips dwindled, and now exists primarily in the form of the daily political cartoon, a meme, or the work of an independent artist trying to make a name more..

Jul 12 (DM) In Sri Lankan society, the word democracy is often referred to in a protesting manner against anyform of injustice or inequality. We hear people say this is a democratic Country in the presence of perceived injustice or discrimination. This implies that in a democratic system, inequality, discrimination and injustice are abhorred, and the opposite qualities of justice, equality and impartiality are upheld and protected. When the general public reiterate that this a democratic country, more..

Jul 12 (DM) We are still struggling to come to terms with the fact that our country was attacked and it brought everything and everyone to a screeching halt. Thanks to the efficiency and commitment of our security forces, a sense of normalcy prevails. But there is an underlying unease and an apathetic lethargy that pervades. The need for more comprehensive and stringent operations cannot be overlooked. There seems to be an economic pall over the country, non-stop discounts more..

Jul 12 (CT) Chairman of Elections Commission Mahinda Deshapriya says there is no proper planned election system in SL. Q: Though there is an Elections Commission and a Chairman, there no elections in the country, isn’t that so? A: If the Chairman and the Commission could hold elections the election would have been held by now. For the Elections Commission or the Chairman to hold an election law is required. more..

Jul 12 (DN) A decade has passed since the death of dreaded terrorist leader Velupillai Prabhakaran but his name as well as the ruthless movement founded by him; the LTTE continue to figure not only in Sri Lanka but also in neighbouring India. Tamil Nadu maverick politician V. Gopalaswamy, better known as Vaiko, was sentenced to a year in jail by a Chennai court which had convicted him for sedition. The court also stayed the execution of the sentence for a month on his application. more..

Jul 12 (Island) Undoubtedly, one of our national obsessions is processions, be it religious, political or otherwise. If affordable, there will be elephants too, to add to the glamour created by dancers, musicians and the like. While the country is still coming to terms with the Easter Sunday bombings, yet unaware who the masterminds are or whether all the ring-leaders are arrested or dead, politicians and saviours of the nation seem only interested in swelling the ranks of Presidential Perahera, more..

Jul 12 (CT) The SL army twice within a week has denied it received any surrendering LTTE cadres during the closing stages of the civil war that ended on May 18, 2019. On 05 July, 2019 Responding to a Right To Information (RTI) Act request, the Information Officer of the Sri Lanka Military, Brigadier Sumith Atapattu claimed “LTTE members have not surrendered themselves to the Sri Lanka military during the last stages of the war and they have handed themselves over to SL govt”. more..

Jul 12 (CT) DEW Gunasekara belonged to a great progressive camp and powerful current in world history: that of socialism, tracing its origins back to the October Revolution of 1917 (and intellectually to 1848 and the Communist Manifestoof Karl Marx), and led globally and historically by the land of Lenin. In choosing that path, he belonged to a camp with hundreds of millions the world over. He also belonged to a current in Sri Lanka that was strong, influential and numerous. more..

Jul 12 (FT) Plantation Industries Minister Navin Dissanayake this week assured tea factory owners of financial relief to withstand the difficulties faced by the industry. This assurance was given to over 18 tea factory owners at a high-level meeting held with 15 State and private sector financial institutions, along with Plantation Industries Ministry Secretary J.A. Ranjith, Additional Secretary Tharangani Wickremasinghe, more..

Jul 12 (Island) The PM’s Office has taken the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce to task over the latter’s comments on the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA). PM Ranil Wickremesinghe has declared, in Parliament, that the govt will never enter into agreements that are detrimental to Sri Lanka’s interests. He has torn into those who erroneously claim that the SOFA was signed a couple of years ago. It has not been inked. In fact, the govt has baulked at signing it due to protests. more..

Jul 12 (CT) Harshana Thilakarathne (Maliyadeva College Kurunegala) and Sayuni Jayaweera (Dharmasoka College Ambalangoda) emerged winners of the SL Chess Nationals and Women’s National Chess Championships 2019 respectively at the Chess Federation Headquarters in Nugegoda recently. Harshana Thilakarathne won the National Chess Championship Trophy with the Gold Medal and Rs 100,000. Isuru Alahakoon (SL Navy) finished in 2nd place to win Silver Medal & Rs 50,000. more..

Jul 12 (Reuters) Sri Lankan prosecutors said on Thursday tests would be needed to establish whether a Muslim doctor had sterilized Buddhist patients, while there was no evidence to support other charges against him of links to terrorist groups or money laundering. The case of Shegu Shihabdeen Mohamed Shafi has become a focus of national attention in Sri Lanka since he was arrested in May and more..

Jul 12 (SO) The govt should address the rising crime rate in the country by other means and not at the expense of losing the GSP Plus concession which deprive exporters the opportunity to access a large market, exporters and trade chamber heads cautioned. EU is Sri Lanka’s second largest trading partner after India, absorbing 31% of Sri Lankan exports in 2015. Textiles and clothing accounted for about 61% of Sri Lanka’s exports to the EU followed by food products with 12.3% in 2016. more..

Jul 12 (SBS) Modern Slavery Act was seen as a big achievement for combating the issue of forced labour. But since it was passed by the UK govt in 2015, many have pointed out its shortcomings - in particular, how the legislation helps cover up serious forced labour issues, all the while making citizens who are concerned about the problem feel better. Less well known is how Article 54 of the act, which assigns British companies the responsibility to clean up their global supply chains, more..

Jul 12 (EN) Sri Lanka banks may give relief about 100 billion rupees in hotel borrowings for one year to help the tourism industry recover from the Easter Sunday attack, official said. Governor Indrajit Coomaraswamy said that there have been 3,641 requests to banks for a moratorium. "The amount considered for moratorium is 101 billion rupees and so far 945 requests have been approved and 2,696 are under process for approval." more..

Jul 12 (DN) Two experienced paddlers Rohan Sirisena and Ishara Madurangi will lead the Sri Lanka Table Tennis team for the 21st Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships scheduled to be held from July 17 to 22 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadum, Cuttack, Oshida, India. Four men and four women were selected to play in this tournament after the Selection Committee held two trials at S. Thomas’, Mt. Lavinia gymnasium. more..

Jul 12 (CI) How does that old song go again? Thirty years of hurt? Make that 44 and counting (and contrary to the lyrics, England's cricketers certainly gave up dreaming for at least 20 of those). But suddenly it's all up for grabs. On home soil, with the wind behind their backs and the fates screaming in their favour. Is it coming home this time? If you don't believe it now, you truly never will. One thing is for sure. New Zealand await in the World Cup final at Lord's on Sunday, more..

Jul 12 (Island) A team of auditors from Export Finance Australia has arrived in Sri Lanka to cover up the fact that inferior cows were sent here from Australia under an agreement with Wellard Rural Exports Pvt. Ltd., Australia, under the guise of providing high-yielding pregnant milch cows, investors who took part in a controversial project said. Amal Suriyage of Lammermoor Estate in Maskeliya, who filed a complaint with PCoI, more..

Jul 12 (DN) Sri Lanka Tourism is recovering faster than expected as the arrivals from 1,200 per day in April has shot up to 2, 200 in May and to 3,200 per day in June, said Chairman Sri Lanka Tourism Promotions Bureau Kishu Gomes. Gomes said that they also expect more arrivals to pick up towards the mid year and also subsequent to further relaxing of travel advisories especially by Russia which would happen when the state of emergency is lifted by the govt. more..

Jul 12 (DN) Apparel exports of Sri Lanka has achieved the highest growth rate recorded in the past five years accounting for a 6.38% growth in May against last year and a compound growth rate of 8.7% for the period from January to May against the same period last year. Chairman, Sri Lanka Apparel Exporters Association (SLAEA), Rehan Lakhany said that so far they are proceeding successfully on the track to achieve the target of US $ 8 billion by 2025. more..

Jul 12 (CT) A top official from the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) said that due to no official from CPC being involved in the formulation of the fuel pricing formula, the CPC has to date not given its approval to the formula. He pointed out the CPC will not bear the losses brought about by the implementation of fuel price formula, which had been drawn up with the involvement of 4-5 officials of Ministry of Finance. more..

Jul 12 (CT) The Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) states that following its intervention, It had been able to bring down 858 Sri Lankan women expatriate workers who had been put up at Suraksha houses maintained by the labour units attached to overseas embassies. Issuing a press release, the SLBFE stated a majority of these expat workers, numbering 588, had returned to the country after they were put up at Suraksha houses run by the Kuwait Embassy. more..

Jul 12 (EN) Central bank which is propping up overnight rates a little above the 7.5% floor policy corridor with overnight liquidity withdrawals may cut the floor at the next policy meeting, Governor Indrajith Coomaraswamy said. At the July 11 meeting the central bank kept the floor rate, which is now active, amid a private credit collapse that came in the wake of monetary instability in 2018, unchanged. "It's a wait and see policy the (rate setting) Monetary Board has taken," more..