Aug 29 (DM) The Mathiya Seyal Kuzhu (central working committee) of the ITAK also known as the Federal Party will be meeting today in Vavuniya. The committee is generally referred to as Mathiya Kuzhu (Central committee). Central Working committee is the key representative body of the ITAK. It comprises representatives elected by each district as well as ex-officio members. ITAK is the premier political party of SL Tamils of more..

Aug 29 (TM) On 29 August, the Miss Sri Lanka 2020 competition organised by Sky View Productions will be holding the competition’s mini pageants at Grand Mondo Hotel. The mini pageants entail the variety rounds where contestants must showcase their individual skills where contestants will take part in the “talent rounds”; there will also be a second round as a continuation of the mini pageants, which will be the catwalk and beachwear segments, following which there will be a select few contestants more..

Aug 29 (Island) Congratulations and celebration! Karu ready to lead UNP says headline of The Island of 25 Aug. “In a statement issued to media, Jayasuriya said that he had decided to inform the incumbent UNP leadership and seniors of his willingness to consider a large number of requests from various parties for him to accept the UNP leadership for the sake of the Party and the country.” Bravely he added: “I am ready to render all my services and take up the responsibilities of more..

Aug 29 (FT) Parliament yesterday approved the resolution to obtain around Rs. 1.7 trillion to cover expenditure for the next four months of the year by way of a Vote on Account (VoA). The resolution moved by PM Mahinda Rajapaksa, who is also the Minister for Finance, was approved by the House without a vote after two days of debate. A resolution for the Govt to borrow a sum of Rs. 750 billion by issue of Govt Treasury bills, too, more..

Aug 29 (CT) Tharanga Paranavitana officially informed his retirement from cricket while being 60 runs short of 15,000 runs in his first-class cricket career. He now hopes to continue with the game he loves as an umpire. Paranavitana, an opening batsman, made his last Test appearance for SL in 2012, and decided to call time on his career after he played his last first-class match in the SLC Major Tier ‘A’ tournament. The Cricket Board in a statement said that Paranavitana has more..

Aug 29 (Island) Army captain Dinesh Chandimal conceded that he opted to declare the innings when he had a chance to go onto score the highest First Class score by a Sri Lankan in a bid to win his team’s Premier League match against Saracens. The former SL captain shifted to Army this season having spent more than a decade with NCC. Leading a young side, he reached 354 not out to go past Kithruwan Vithanage’s record for the highest individual score in domestic cricket in SL. more..

Aug 29 (Island) SL Schools Cricket Association (SLSCA) will commence schools cricket tournaments in November for the U-19 and U-14 age categories under a new format to suit newly stipulated conditions by the Ministry of Education and health authorities. With the Ministry of Education expected to give the green light to commence schools sports soon Executive Committee of SLSCA finalised new formats for the two tournaments on Friday. more..

Aug 29 (DN) Education Ministry and Sports Ministry have to work together to develop school sports said Minister Namal Rajapaksa at a discussion held yesterday. Education Minister Prof G.L. Peiris, State Minister Thenuka Vidanagamage and senior officials of the Education Ministry also graced this occasion. Sports Minister Rajapaksa further said they that he was more concerned about the twenty five National sports schools and pointed out the importance of the restructuring of the National sports Schools. more..

Aug 29 (CT) Sampath Bank PLC announced the appointment of Harsha Amarasekera as its new chairman with effect from 30 Aug 2020 replacing Professor Malik Ranasinghe. Professor Ranasinghe, who retires today (30) has served in this position since 2 April 2019. Before assuming duties as its Chairman, Prof Ranasinghe was the Deputy Chairman of the Bank from 1 Aug 2016, during which he imbibed a deep understanding of the Bank’s core values which made him more..

Aug 29 (FT) Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa accused the Govt of arbitrarily terminating the services of the employees recruited by the previous Govt to the State sector and those recruited for full-time training. In a statement made to the House, he said that Prez had presented the present Govt’s policy statement on 20 Aug under the theme One country – One law but accused the Govt of committing serious injustice. more..

Aug 29 (FT) The committee appointed to investigate alleged irregularities and malpractices that occurred in State banks during the past five years, yesterday called on the public to submit any complaints. The Finance Ministry, in a statement, said members of the public willing to share information could submit their inputs before 15 September. Information can be sent to the Finance Ministry, Public Enterprises Dept Director General, or emailed to ananda_sl@yahoo.com more..

Aug 29 (Island) Dialog Axiata PLC has proved its adaptability and resourcefulness by bringing to the fore the long-standing, revolutionary agricultural service Govi Mithuru. A simple, farmer-focused agriculture advisory service, Govi Mithuru is perfectly placed to strengthen the government’s appeal to the public to invest in more self-sufficient agricultural activities by cultivating their own food in their home gardens. Sri Lanka’s primary mobile agricultural information service, more..

Aug 29 (AD) Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena announced that the Prisons Commissioner has been instructed to allow Ratnapura District MP Premalal Jayasekara, who was recently sentenced to death, to attend the Parliament sitting on the 8th of Sept. He made this observation in response to a question raised by SLPP MP Premanath Dolawatte as to why the convicted MP was not brought to Parliament more..

Aug 29 (DN) President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is scheduled to visit the Lankagama site skirting the Sinharaja forest on an inspection tour today (29), said Environment Minister Mahinda Amaraweera, giving an assurance that the incident that arose in Lankagama would be managed while protecting the environment and resolving the people’s issues. The second day of the Vote on Account debate was held in Parliament yesterday and Minister Amaraweera made these comments joining the debate. more..

Aug 29 (CT) The Sri Lanka Cricket Board (SLC) is planning to host a T10 tournament involving national and overseas players after the conclusion of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) which is scheduled to commence from 14 November to December 7, a source close to SLC revealed to Ceylon Today. “We are in talks to conduct the T10 tournament after the conclusion of the LPL by including foreign players along with our national and domestic players,” the source added. more..

Aug 29 (CT) The bombings on 21 April 2019 Easter Sunday could have been prevented only if the Leader of the National Thowheed Jam’math (NTJ) Zaharan Hashim, his mentor Noufer Moulavi or the Ibrahim brothers were arrested following the foreign Intelligence information regarding a possible terror attack, said former State Intelligence Service (SIS) Director, SDIG Nilantha Jayawardena. more..

Aug 29 (MFA) Export Development Board (EDB) and the Foreign Ministry are working closely together to increase the country’s export revenue and mitigate the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the export industry. SL’s export income which stood at US$ 277 Mn in April 2020 has increased to US$ 1,090 Mn in July 2020 and is projected to grow in the coming months. There are several joint initiatives taken by the EDB and the Foreign Ministry to enhance exports. more..

Aug 29 (FT) As part of continuing support to the learning and development of Sri Lankan students, the European Union (EU) Delegation to Sri Lanka is proud to announce the award of 13 scholarships under the European Union’s Erasmus+ Joint Master Degree program. The degree programs are tailored to help address critical issues facing our societies and equip students with knowledge, which transitions them from the classroom to the workplace. more..

Aug 29 (ST) Negombo Prison’s interdicted superintendent, Anuruddha Sampayo, had allocated luxury cells to inmates for sums ranging from Rs 10,000 to Rs 200,000, AG’s Dept told court this week. When the case was taken up before Negombo Magistrate Rajindra Jayasuriya, DSG Dileepa Peiris said some of the cells resembled hotel rooms and that the interdicted prison superintendent had taken money from more..

Aug 29 (FT) Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena yesterday promised to review the seating arrangements in discussion with Party Leaders after questions were raised about first-time MPs being given front row seats. SJB Kurunegala District MP Nalin Bandara Jayamaha raising a point of order said that the front row seats had been allocated for the members who were selected for the first time while former Cabinet, State and Deputy Ministers had been allocated seats in the back rows. more..

Aug 29 (ST) National Joint Committee (NJC) has urged the Govt to scrap the provincial council system and do away with the existing proportional representation system of elections. The NJC, while expressing confidence that the Govt would fulfil its pledge to remove numerous provisions introduced to the Constitution through many amendments, expressed concern about a reported statement made by Justice Minister Ali Sabry that the ‘provincial councils would not be abolished’. more..

Aug 29 (Island) The SJB, on Thursday, raised questions over the govt‘s use of funds for the period between April and August this year without the authorisation of Parliament. Participating in the debate on Vote on Account, SJB MP Champika Ranawaka said: “The Treasury Secretary issued a circular dated March 10, 2020, that the Prez had authorised the utilisation of funds under Article 150 (3) of the Constitution, more..

Aug 29 (CT) Navy has been placed on alert for illegal migrants arriving by boat from neighbouring India, after authorities warned that such persons pose a serious health threat. Navy has not only doubled its sea patrols, but has also implemented a broader mechanism on shore, starting from the coast in Chilaw to Point Pedro and beyond, a senior official said on 27 Aug. The Navy, along with the Police and other State security agencies, are conducting round the clock mobile and more..

Aug 29 (AD) A gunman of the team orchestrated by the notorious underworld figure Samayan, identified as Indunil Vajira Kumara alias Indra, has been shot dead by the Police. He was arrested on the 27th of Aug, while in possession of heroin. The suspect was shot dead by Nawagamuwa Police in his attempt to escape from Police custody, when he was taken to hand over the weapons used in crimes. He had blocked the driver of the Police jeep and attempted to overturn the jeep into Kelani river, more..

Aug 29 (Island) The Opposition attempted to destabilize the country economically and politically during the COVID-19 pandemic without cooperating with the Prez and the PM, Leader of the House, Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena said. He said that despite Opposition’s obstructions Prez Rajapaksa successfully overcame the challenges that emanated from the pandemic situation. more..

Aug 29 (FT) Eastern Province (EP) is the rice basket of Sri Lanka. It is also a province in which all three communities, Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims, live quite peacefully with an understanding of each other’s cultural heritage and sensitivities. It is also a fact that since independence there had been a concerted attempt on the part of the majoritarian state to populate that province with more and more Sinhalese from the south in the name of economic development of the Dry Zone, more..

Aug 29 (AT) On August 5, a new govt was elected in Sri Lanka, bringing down the previous regime associated with the Central Bank bond scam, the Easter Sunday bomb attacks and controversial international agreements. The new govt has come into office with a two-thirds majority in parliament, promising to bring prosperity, security and communal harmony to the beleaguered country. Achieving these goals depends to a large extent on how neocolonialism & sovereignty are addressed. more..

Aug 29 (Island) SJB Gampaha District MP Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka told TMTK MP C.V. Wigneswaran not to try to emulate Velupillai Prabhakaran by making racist statements because he was too old for that. Participating in the debate on Vote on Account, Field Marshal Fonseka said: “It was sad to observe MP Wigneswaran making a statement undermining other communities. MP Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, too, supported Wigneswaran’s views. more..

Aug 29 (DM) The committee which was appointed to study the 19th Amendment and make recommendations for changes to it will submit its report to the Cabinet in two weeks, a source said. The govt appointed a committee at its first Cabinet meeting to look into the 19th Amendment and identify areas to be changed. It consists of Ministers Ali Sabry, Prof. G.L. Peiris, Udaya Gammanpila, Dinesh Gunawardena and Nimal Siripala de Silva. A source close to the committee said, more..

Aug 29 (Island) Former lawmaker and constitutional affairs expert Dr. Jayampathy Wickramaratne denied having fled the country following the change of govt. Wickramaratne said that he had not received any threats from anyone over his involvement in the enactment of the 19th Amendment. One-time LSSP stalwart said so when The Island sought his response to a recent claim by SJB lawmaker Rohini Kaviratne that more..

Aug 29 (CT) The SIS in February 2019 received intelligence information from a prominent Western intelligence agency that NTJ Leader, Zaharan Hashim, was hiding in a foreign country, said former SIS Director, SDIG Nilantha Jayawardena. This was revealed when Attorney Major I.P.D. Prageeth appearing for a former senior official of the Directorate of Military Intelligence (DMI) cross-examined SDIG Jayawardena on 28 Aug at the PCoI probing the bombings on Easter Sunday. more..

Aug 29 (FT) Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) celebrates its 70th Anniversary today. The establishment of the CBSL was a proud moment in the post-independence history of Sri Lanka. The Bank, as the apex financial authority in the country, is entrusted with the mandates of maintaining economic and price stability and financial system stability. These two objectives are complementary to each other and they affect all sectors of the economy. more..

Aug 29 (Island) SLPP National List MP Gevindu Kumaratunga told Parliament that the dignity of parliament and its MPs had been compromised by certain actions of the former Speaker who allowed the USAID to creep in with its own agendas to manipulate the process of parliament. Raising a privilege issue MP said: The orientation workshop held on 25 and 26 in the Parliamentary complex was very fruitful for the newly elected MPs. more..

Aug 29 (AD) Minister C.B. Rathnayake a committee has been appointed to probe the clearing of the Anawilundawa Wetland Sanctuary in Mundalama, Puttalam. The 5-member committee is headed by the Secretary to the Ministry of Wildlife Forest Conservation Bandula Harischandra. On Aug 25, the mangrove ecosystem in the sanctuary had been cleared illegally by using machinery. The area where the illegal activity had taken place is approximately 0.697 hectares, according to reports. more..

Aug 29 (DM) World Bank had predicted that SL's economic growth would be -3.2 by the end of the year while ADB had predicted a negative growth of 6.1%, Leader of Opposition Sajith Premadasa told Parliament. Mr. Premadasa who was speaking during the debate on VoA in the House, said this data has already been put out by accepted sources. "The ruling party members questioned about the sources from whom we got the data when we revealed country's economic performance. more..

Aug 29 (AD) Prez Rajapaksa has directed officials to complete construction of the Neluwa-Lankagama Road within 90 days without damaging the surrounding sanctuary’s and the eco system. Prez visited the site where the road is being constructed together with the relevant Ministers and officials today. Prez previously ordered the road construction taking place in the buffer zone and inside the Sinharaja Rainforest to more..

Aug 29 (ST) A District Development Committee (DDC) Co-Chair wrote to the District Secretary this week instructing him not to implement any ministerial development programmes or authorised projects without his approval in the district. MP Angajan Ramanathan, who was appointed as Jaffna DDC Co-Chair last week by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa during the Cabinet swearing in ceremony, wrote to the Jaffna District Secretary on Tuesday. In the letter, Mr Ramanathan requested more..

Aug 29 (EN) Sri Lanka is eying more exports to China in the Covid-19 era by participating in an import fair in the country and also reactivating talks on a proposed free trade deal, the Indian Ocean Island’s state export promotion agency said. Prabash Subasinghe, Chairman of Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB), has met Yang Zuoyuan, Economic and Commercial Counsellor of China Embassy in Colombo to discuss ways to boost trade between the two countries. more..

Aug 29 (AD) The businessman involved in clearing of the Anawilundawa Wetland Sanctuary in Mundalama, Puttalam has been taken into custody. The 35-year-old arrestee is to be produced before the Chilaw Magistrate’s Court. In the meantime, the backhoe driver, who is suspected of clearing the Anawilundawa Wetland Sanctuary, was arrested on Friday at his home in Kiriyankalliya, Mundalama. The backhoe loader used by more..