Aug 14 (DM) A name that has come up with the death of Rugby player Wasim Thajudeen was of Yasara Abeynayake. Yasara said, �I never knew Mr. Thajudeen nor have I ever even spoken to him. These rumours started back in 2012 by a website named Lanka Leaks and it has spread like fire ever since then. I don�t know why they attach me to this story but they unfortunately picked me and spread it far enough for people to believe more..

Aug 14 (NTV7) Police have arrested a 37-year-old male, Sri Lankan citizen, suspected to be a senior member of the LTTE terrorist group. The IGP, Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar, said the Counter Terrorism Special Branch, launched an operation in the vicinity of Kuala Lumpur, which led to the arrest of the suspect on August 7th. It is believed that the suspect entered Malaysia in December 2012, using a social visit pass, and made the country his hiding place. Early investigations revealed, more..

Aug 14 (CT) Former British PM Tony Blair and his wife Cherie Blair, QC, a human rights advocate, will address two public forums at the Lakshman Kadirgamar Centre and the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) respectively. The Board of the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute invited former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair to deliver the Lakshman Kadirgamar Memorial Lecture on 24 August, at the Lakshman Kadirgamar Centre. Kadirgamar was assassinated in Colombo 10 years ago. more..

Aug 14 (AD) Colombo District Court today issued an enjoining order preventing Anura Priyadharshana Yapa and Susil Premajayantha from acting and discharging duties as the General Secretaries of the SLFP and UPFA respectively until Aug 28, 2015. President Maithripala Sirisena in his capacity as the Chairman of SLFP and UPFA has cancelled the party membership Anura Priyadharshana Yapa & Susil Premajayantha more..

Aug 15 (CT) In recent political meetings, press conferences, and several articles published in newspapers a number of SLFP seniors and the Chief Minister of Western Province have accused that the former President Madame Chandrika Kumaratunga was responsible for attempting to destroy the SLFP from the srilankan political map because her decision not to support the UPFA candidates, especially Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa and his close supporters. more..

Aug 15 (NS) Martial arts evolved all around the world throughout history for thousands of years. Combat techniques and strategies arose as an organic need for self-preservation and self-defense. In this manner, martial arts evolved through a complex combination of geographical factors, cultural beliefs, cultural interaction, and human instinct. A few martial arts have been elevated to global popularity. Fighting styles such as Karate, Kung-Fu, Judo, Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai, more..

Aug 15 (ST) After nine years at the helm as President, Mahinda Rajapaksa, paradoxical enough, is at the crossroads in many aspects. One is geographic but the others are political. This rock city, the capital of the North Central Province, lies at the cross roads between Kandy to Puttalam and Colombo to Anuradhapura. The paddy farming district has just seen a bountiful harvest. With money in hand, the people throng the town. more..

Aug 15 (CT) A sense of deja-vu is gripping the resplendent island of Sri Lanka. It�s the eve of another General Election, the many held every five years in the island nation with a nascent democracy. Campaigning is at its peak, so is the level of violence. All projections indicate to one inevitable conclusion. A UNP led alliance win. It won�t be that monumental landslide of 1977 under JR Jayewardene but good enough to form a govt according to latest polls. more..

Aug 15 (GV) When Sanjana Hattotuwa asked me to give the keynote today on the topic Beyond Violence and War- Imagining a Just Peace and to center that topic around the question of art, I promised myself that I will not allow myself to slip back into UN jargon. As you know I have been to over 35 countries and armed conflict sites as the Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women and the Special Representative on Children and Armed Conflict. Instead I thought I would speak to more..

Aug 15 (CT) After a month full of television debates, interviews, meetings, rallies, posters and leaflets, election campaigning will finally come to an end at midnight today (14). As the final praises of each party are sung, Ceylon Today interviewed several contenders of the two major parties to find out what their prospects for the next five years are. Excerpts of interviews: Agreement with Volkswagen today � Akila Q: Kurunegala District is the more..

Aug 15 (Island) The UPFA lost power in Parliament last January because Mahinda Rajapaksa had refused to appoint Maithripala Sirisena Prime Minister. Sirisena�s all-out effort to shatter Rajapaksa�s prime ministerial dream in retaliation is likely to ruin the UPFA�s prospects of making a comeback. They have been settling their personal scores at the expense of the party. President Sirisena�s stinker to Rajapaksa on Thursday came as no surprise. more..

Aug 15 (Island) I am no psephologist with specialist skills in the analysis of elections but I have found that commonsense can serve well in the prediction of electoral outcomes. On commonsensical grounds I expect the UNP to win by a comfortable margin. Perhaps the most important reason is a sense of fatigue with SLFP-led Governments since 1994, except for a brief UNP inter-regnum. There is a deep human impulse that seeks renewal by turning to the new. Another important factor is that more..

Aug 15 (CT) The Ratnapura District with its eight polling divisions offers 10 members to be elected from the district to Parliament. In 2010, seven out of the 10 seats were won by the UPFA. The highlight in the UPFA list however, is former Deputy Minister Premalal Jayasekara who is currently campaigning for a seat in Parliament from jail. Ceylon Today interviewed UNP candidate Karunarathna Paranawithana and more..

Aug 15 (CI) About eight nautical miles off the coast of Sri Lanka, about 15kms from Galle, the continental shelf that south Asia is rested on, breaks off, the Indian Ocean dropping into marine canyons and the deep sea. India find themselves not so far away from that that kind of an edge. From a position of sure-footed security at the start of the third day in the Galle Test, they were made to get their sea legs going into day four. After session after session of crisp and controlled cricket, more..

Aug 15 (Island) There has been an unexpected development of the polls campaign for the General Election that ended yesterday. Its impact has gone far beyond the shores of Sri Lanka, and is drawing considerable interest among special interest organizations abroad. Chandaratne: Do you mean the Diasporas, whatever brand they may be? Chandawansa: No, no...It is from wildlife enthusiasts the world over. Chandagundu: Why, what has wildlife got to do with this election� more..

Aug 15 (FT) In Murungasyaya, a few villages away from Beliatta, the seat of Rajapaksa power, the king coconut seller scrunches up her face and furrows her eyebrows. Sharmali Subashini is trying to recall which party had been able to muster the bigger crowd at back-to-back rallies in Weeraketiya this week. Finally she decides it�s too difficult. �Sajith Premadasa had a huge crowd at his rally two days ago. But then yesterday, sandhanaya rally more..

Aug 15 (NS) In a few days Sri Lankan voters will pick the men and women they believe are best able to represent their interest in Parliament. This will be the seventh occasion that people will be elected through the Proportional Representation (PR) system that came into effect with the 1978 Constitution. Even the once ardent supporters of that piece of legislation and who of course benefited from it have gone on record to condemn it as being terribly flawed and that overall people more..

Aug 15 (NS) Could a reasonable prediction be made about the upcoming poll when the armchair experts say that a hung Parliament is the inevitable outcome? Cut to a different election, in quite a different place. It�s the British Parliamentary poll, May 2015. Trained pollsters such as Gallup and other big names in the opinion sampling industry opined, until the last day before the British people cast their ballots that the race would be very close, and all signs indicated a hung Parliament. more..

Aug 15 (NS) Cut-outs, banners and posters which is a colossal waste of money and environment pollutant have been minimized, thanks to Commissioner Deshapriya, and the President who stood by him. It is heartening to note that the public, in general, is becoming more mindful of the need to seriously reflect on the future of this nation. Vehicle parades, Kassippu Dansal [free illicit liquor] totally eradicated: Yahapalanaya deserves credit. more..

Aug 15 (EN) Sri Lanka�s ceramic industry has potential to expand exports using red clay deposits to make roofing tile and other products but would need to upgrade standards first, a forum was told. �Red clay is now used only in roof tiles and bricks but it is a potentially vaster field,� said Jude Fernando, director of the Centre of Technical Excellence in Ceramics (CENTEC). �Take wall tiles, floors tiles, bricks, cook ware, figurines � many products can be made from red clay,� more..

Aug 15 (ST) Counterfeit products have entered the market along with trade logos posing a problem to law enforcing authorities while impacting on the business of genuine companies. �The most dangerous thing is in the manufacture of medicinal drugs. We do not have enough resources to test whether such drugs were genuine or counterfeit products,� said Chairman Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) of Sri Lanka Dr. R.M. K. Ratnayake at a workshop in Colombo this week more..

Aug 15 (GDI) The election observers from the European Union and Commonwealth arrived in Sri Lanka to monitor parliamentary elections met with President Maithripala Sirisena yeterday at the President's Office. European and Commonwealth elections monitors are in Sri Lanka on an invitation extended by the Commissioner of Elections to observe the 2015 parliamentary elections on 17 August. more..

Aug 15 (DN) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday ordered an immediate probe in to the murder of two farmers in Medirigiriya. Secretary to the Prime Minister E.M.S.B. Ekanayake said the Prime Minister has ordered that a report be submitted after conducting a full scale investigation in to the incident. "Newspaper reports claimed that these two farmers had been murdered in a field at Medirigiriya, and the PM wanted to know the background behind the incident," Ekanayake said. more..

Aug 15 (Island) Deep-rooted convictions against offering land-ownership to foreign investors will not easily change even after the elections, Juergen Morhard, ambassador of Germany said recently addressing the SL-German Business Council. "When I go out and talk to the people I feel that most people have deep rooted convictions that 100% ownership of land should not be given to foreign investors despite the fact that they understand foreign direct investments can help more..

Aug 15 (NS) Responding to our lead story last week, Managing Director of ICTA, Muhunthan Canagey clarified that Google Loon project will result in �limited Internet offered free though not unlimited Internet�. �Taking away confusion on Google Loon Project. There will be limited Internet that will be free however not unlimited Internet. The free capacity decision will be a policy decision by the govt which will be from ICTA,� Canagey said. more..

Aug 15 (Island) The banking industry remains challenging with credit growth slower than anticipated and severe competition posed by a large number of banking and non-banking institutions. The macro-economic outlook also carries uncertainty with the parliamentary elections scheduled to be held in August 2015. Despite such factors, National Development Bank (NDB) is well focused on its strategy in achieving its targets and generating sustainable returns to all its stakeholders. more..

Aug 15 (CT) Blaming their woeful performance to the transition phase, Spin legend Muttiah Muralitharan on Thursday said, it is advantageous to India in the ongoing series and they would take a couple of years to rebuild the team. "We had so many great players who have retired and we're struggling. They're going through a transition phase with some new faces coming up. It'll take some time, at least one or two years for the team to build again. So it's advantageous to India at the moment," more..

Aug 15 (NS) With political observers predicting a strong possibility for the case of a Hung Parliament following the Aug 17 elections with no single party obtaining an outright majority, analysts warned last week that such a scenario could create political instability triggering economic uncertainty. Analysts added that hence a govt with a single party having the majority was essential and would be beneficial to the country in order to formulate and more..

Aug 15 (DN) This year's historic Kandy Esala Pageant of the Sri Dalada Maligawa will begin with the kap planting ceremony at the Natha, Vishnu, Kataragama and Pattini Devalayas in Kandy at 5.35 am on Aug 15 facing the South. Devala Peraheras will be held at the four devalayas for four consecutive days from today. The first Kumbal Perahera of the Dalada Maligawa will parade the streets on August 20 and continue daily until Aug 24. Randoli Perahera will commence on Aug 25 more..

Aug 15 (DN) Sri Lanka go winless in the pool stage of 2015 Netball World Cup as the Fiji Pearls topped their pool following the group stage of the 2015 Netball World Cup in Sydney, Australia. The Fijians came out on top ahead of Scotland, Barbados and Sri Lanka. Fiji are currently ranked seventh in the world, and qualified for the world cup after placing first in the Oceania qualification tournament last year in Cook Islands. This marks their fifth consecutive world cup appearance. more..

Aug 15 (CI) Govt buses clunk their way around the fort in Galle, while trains trumpet into the station nearby. At an election rally on Friday, the shrieking speech from the podium runs away like a locomotive as well. To the east, a top offspinner is reverse-slapped against the turn. To the west is an angry sea. There is noise. It is mayhem. This is Sri Lanka. The day had begun with a whimper. Dhammika Prasad was bounced more..

Aug 15 (FT) Several local and international election monitors said that the forthcoming general election would be more peaceful than previous votes. Addressing a media briefing , representatives of the People�s Action for a Free and Fair Election (PAFEREL), Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE), Movement for Free and Fair Elections (MFFE) and Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV) revealed the facts and statistics uncovered by their ongoing monitoring work. more..

Aug 15 (GDI) President Sirisena gave assurance to implement a national program for efficient treatment and care of cancer patients. Meeting with the Association of Oncologists, the President promised that the govt will take every possible measure for the welfare of the patients. During the meeting it has come to light that he programs, which were implemented for the welfare of cancer patients when President Sirisena was the Minister of Health, have been stopped under the previous govt. more..

Aug 15 (BBC) Sri Lanka has everything a holidaymaker could want: a wonderful climate, friendly people, delicious food and beautiful beaches. But some of its resorts hide dark secrets. Fact that you have to go through a military checkpoint is a warning that the Thalsevana resort is no ordinary hotel. Troops want to see passports and check car for cameras. I don't mention that I am a journalist, I know they are not welcome here. more..

Aug 15 (CT) Supreme Court has ordered the IGP to refrain from taking any action against former Deputy Minister of Justice Sujeewa Senasinghe without consulting the Attorney General. Issuing a media statement, former Deputy Minister said that the order was given following a petition Senasinghe filed in the Supreme Court. He stated that he had initially lodged a complaint against a Police Sergeant who allegedly disturbed Senasinghe's campaign while under the influence of alcohol. more..

Aug 15 (DN) All Expressways will be opened free-of-charge for people leaving for their villages to cast votes on August 17 from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Highways and Investment Promotion Ministry Secretary D.C. Dissanayake said that people will be able to use the Colombo-Katunayake expressway, Outer Circular Highway and Southern expressway free of charges for 12 hours from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on August 17. This decision was taken on a request by PM Ranil Wickremesinghe, he said. more..

Aug 15 (CNA) The Ocean seafood restaurant at Colombo�s five-star The Kingsbury was once famous for its magnificent view of the Indian Ocean. Its open-air wooden terrace that runs along the hotel�s western fa�ade used to be so close to the beautiful coastline that waves lapped the rocks, sending sprays of sea foam into the air.Not anymore. The once popular ocean view is now a massive construction site of what is slated to more..

Aug 15 (NS) Sri Lanka has been heavily influenced by India when it comes to spirituality. From the Lord Buddha, Swami Vivekananda, Sathya Sai Baba to Srila Prabhupada, Sri Lankans have shown a huge urge to embrace the religious doctrines these great spiritual leaders presented to the world. Hare Krishna devotee Nimai Sundar Das, who has undertaken a mission in Sri Lanka, is of the opinion that Sri Lankans are naturally religious and have the potential to make progress spiritually. more..

Aug 15 (CT) Wasim Thajudeen's family yesterday met President Maithripala Sirisena and appealed for protection for the family and an impartial inquiry in Thajudeen's alleged killing. The body of the former ruggerite was exhumed on 10 August at Dehiwala. The Colombo Additional Magistrate, acting on the request of the CID, ordered that the body of Wasim Thajudeen should be exhumed. The order was given to Judicial Medical Officer of Colombo. Meanwhile, UPFA candidate Udaya Gammanpila more..

Aug 15 (Island) UNP candidate and economist Dr Harsha de Silva said that a sharp increase in state tax revenue should be a priority to the next administration elected at the polls. He said far reaching tax reforms were required to stabilize the national economy. Commenting on Chairman of COPE Dew Gunasekera�s warning of the country having to face dire consequences unless drastic change in tax policies, he said more..