Aug 16 (DN) Veteran actor Jackson Anthony summoned before the PRECIFAC to record a statement yesterday, broke the monotony of the routine investigation process by breaking into Sinhala verse after making his statement. Not to be outdone, Senior State Counsel Janaka Bandara too proved his mettle by answering him in Sinhala verse. Anthony was summoned before the Commission to record a statement more..

Aug 16 (Island) JVP called on the govt to appoint a truth commission to find out what had really happened during the war. JVP MP Sunil Handunnetti, said that his party welcomed the govt�s recent move to set up the Office of the Missing Persons. Handunnetti said: "Rajapaksa govt�s theory was to empty the Treasury in the name of waging the war against the LTTE. That was why we said that the country had to be protected not only more..

Aug 16 (LBO) Sri Lanka vehicle registrations in July fell in almost every category compared with June. Buses and heavy truck registrations however showed an increase over the previous month. Motor car registrations in the July were 2,489 units, down from 3,026 units the previous month, and significantly lower than high of 14,544 units registered in September, after the govt took steps to curb imports. more..

Aug 16 (LBO) Sri Lanka should divest remaining plantations of expropriated from the people in 3000 acre parcels for commercial agriculture to domestic and foreign investors and retain forested areas in the state for conservation, an economist has said. Though Sri Lanka privatized the bulk of state plantations in the mid-1990s, about 20,000 hectares were retained in the original Janatha Estate Development Board and more..

Aug 16 (CT) Following a complaint about alleged corruption by high ranking officials of Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL), the organization has moved swiftly to violate the very principles of the whistleblower policy that it helped develop. In this case Ananda Jayasekara, an employee of TISL (until the 31st of July 2016) who developed a whistleblower policy with the participation of 60 trade union leaders which was accepted and adopted by 60 organizations including more..

Aug 16 (CT) Confusing friend and foe with right and wrong is an occupational hazard of partisan commentators. Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka is no exception to the rule. Despite the voluntary stepping on a discursive banana skin, his latest essay Politics Post-P�da Y�tr�: From Here To 2020, delivers some startlingly uncomfortable home truths to those in power. As the ideologue of joint opposition, he has decided to mentor his charges in the role of a Clausewitz & drawn a strategy map for them. more..

Aug 16 (Island) Retired Supreme Court Judge Sarath de Abrew passed away yesterday morning. His death is reported as an accidental one due to a fall from the balcony of his residence at Mt. Lavinia. The deceased was recently indicted in the High Court of Colombo on an allegation of grave sexual abuse of a domestic aide. De Abrew pleaded not guilty. His defence Counsel contended that the complainant domestic aide had, at first, complained to the police of assault. more..

Aug 16 (CT) SL politicians are known for their dual standards. When at one point they seem to be all polite and all citizen-loving, they can quickly change to the complete opposite. The most recent example for this is the allocation of funds for ministers and public officials to purchase duty-free luxury vehicles. Last June, govt presented a supplementary estimate seeking parliamentary approval for purchasing 32 brand new cars at a cost of Rs 1,175 million for the use of 30 ministers, State ministers and more..

Aug 16 (CI) For the past three weeks, Kaushal Silva has been stuck in an unhappy singles party that threatened never to end. Four, 7, 5, 2 and 0 - those were his scores for this series. Remember that Silva is an opening batsman. For an opening batsman, such numbers are not good. They are not even good enough to be called not bad. In his final innings of the series, Silva again did not make a double-figure score. more..

Aug 16 (Reuters) Sri Lankan shares closed slightly lower on Tuesday after posting a more than 11-week closing high in the previous session, as investors booked profits in beverage stocks and foreign investors trimmed their holdings. Foreign investors offloaded a net 89.85 million rupees worth of shares in their first selling in three sessions, extending the net foreign outflow so far this year to 3.35 billion rupees worth of equities. Fall seems to be a small downturn with some profit-taking more..

Aug 16 (LT) Six cabinet ministers of the present govt and eleven ministry secretaries should be sent home and if he had power he would definitely sack them says Prof. Sarath Wijesuriya. He said people expected a civilized administration when the two main parties got together but now there are very serious complaints against the present govt. He said, �I receive 10 to 15 telephone calls daily stating the such and such Secretary is a close associate of Basil Rajapaksa, so and so who is more..

Aug 16 (DM) Since retiring from the game in 2007 Russel Arnold has remained a prominent figure amongst Sri Lankan cricket fans, exchanging his bat and pads for a microphone, and becoming a well-respected cricket commentator. Arnold�s career was mostly spent in the middle-order, where he provided stability to a sometimes frail batting line-up, also contributing with his off-spin. Arnold spoke to Wisden SL about his time as a player more..

Aug 16 (DN) An elephant which had been a threat to farmers in Thirappane and Maradankadawala areas was trapped and captured after a three day operation by wildlife officers yesterday. The elephant had been roaming in the forests of Manewa and Machchagoda. Elephant had killed two people and damaged cultivations in chenas in the area. Wayamba and NCP wildlife veterinary surgeon Dr. Chandana Jayasinghe, Ampara division Dr. Nihal Pushpakumara and a team comprising more..

Aug 16 (CT) Former Australia Under-19 rugby player Rowan Perry, who was born in Belihuloya, Sri Lanka - expressed his desire to wear the Tuskers jersey. Perry born to an Australian couple who visited Sri Lanka 22 years ago, excelled for Walkers CML Vipers in the recently concluded SL Super Sevens Rugby Tournament. "This is the first time I played rugby here. The first time I came over to Sri Lanka 22 years ago was in my mother's tummy. I was actually born in Belihuloya and more..

Aug 16 (CI) Australia's wicketkeeper Peter Nevill has defended his delayed stumping of Dimuth Karunaratne on day four of the Colombo Test match, while Sri Lanka have indicated they would have done the same. Nevill successfully appealed for Karunaratne's wicket after hovering with his glove next to the stumps as he waited for the batsman to switch his feet and momentarily leave the crease, following more..

Aug 16 (CI) 298: Most runs added by the sixth wicket in a Test against Australia, by India at Wankhede Stadium in 1986-87, before Tuesday. At the SSC, Sri Lanka's sixth wicket aggregated 301 runs - 211 in the first innings and 90 in the second. For India, the sixth wicket had added unbroken 298 runs in the only Indian innings in that Mumbai Test. 8: Fifty-plus partnerships for wickets five and lower for Sri Lanka in this series - their joint-most in any Test series. more..

Aug 16 (Island) The construction of 20 houses for 20 families displaced by the massive landslide in Bulathkohupitiya in Aranayake was inaugurated by Rhino Roofing Products Limited with the laying of the foundation stone in Aranayake. Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya, officials of the district administration, politicians of the area and officials of Rhino Roofing Products Limited graced the occasion. The project to provide houses for families displaced by the severe landslide more..

Aug 16 (DT) A group of distressed would be asylum seekers has been saved from drowning at sea while trying to reach Australia after their derelict boat was found adrift in the middle of the Indian Ocean by an Australian aerial patrol. The vessel containing six SL men was without engine power and had been at sea for several weeks when it was located by a surveillance aircraft operating under Operation Sovereign Borders. more..

Aug 16 (DN) The elderly Sri Lankan pilgrim who went missing after landing at Delhi�s Indira Gandhi Airport was found, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed. MFA said: The SL High Commission in Delhi confirms that missing SL pilgrim has been traced, is well and has re-joined pilgrim group. Ramanayaka Mudiyanselage Jayasekara, a resident of Mahiyangana, in his late 60s or early 70s had arrived at the T-3 Terminal of the IGI airport from Colombo at 6.45 PM on Thursday, more..

Aug 16 (EW) Eighteen months ago, a new president and govt came to power in Sri Lanka. SL has had a national-unity govt since August 2015. So what has changed? The political atmosphere is freer, ethnic tensions are much lower, and foreign policy has been rebalanced, with much better relations with India and the West. However, govt�s Achilles heel is the economy. Here expectations have been dashed. What has gone wrong? The present govt has continued a post-independence pattern of more..

Aug 16 (CT) Dr Kamalini Lokuge​'s heart broke when she heard how a Sri Lankan preschool child told his teacher that "his dad always drinks and his mum runs around the house at night saying she's going to kill herself". His teacher was telling the senior research fellow at ANU, who recently set up a preschool education program in Sri Lanka targeting family violence and alcohol abuse, how the once cheerful, fast-learning boy became a destructive, inattentive student when his father more..

Aug 16 (AD) A case has been filed against former MP Sajin Vass Gunawardena over an alleged illegal contact which obliged Mihin Lanka to pay Rs.883 million. The CIABOC filed the case with the Colombo Magistrate�s Court this afternoon. The case has been filed against Gunawardena for allegedly entering into the illegal contract to supply ground support equipment from a Singaporean company, and thereby obliging the Mihin Lanka to pay Rs.883 million, it was reported. more..

Aug 16 (AD) PHU leader Udaya Gammanpila has been summoned by the Keselwatta police to record a statement, the police said. The MP was summoned following a directive issued by the Attorney General�s Department over a statement he made to the media in connection with a court order, an official said. Gammanpila had arrived at the police station to give the statement at 10.30 p.m. today, the official added. more..

Aug 16 (AM) Nithya Samaranayake, who is a director of NR Consultants and Gowers Corporation allegedly owned by UPFA MP Namal Rajapaksa, was remanded till August 22 by Colombo Additional Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne. She is accused of aiding and abetting money laundering in the two companies. She was arrested by the FCID and produced before courts today. UPFA MP Namal Rajapaksa and another individual named Sudarsha Ganegoda were remanded yesterday. more..

Aug 16 (AM) The Sampur power plant has been a topic of much contention over the last few years. Now there is a school of thought that the plant should be fueled by LNG, as opposed to Coal. Many analysts, and also top level corporate titans, see this as a problem as the project timeline will get pushed back. If the project is continuously delayed, many fear an interim power crisis may develop if increases in electricity demand are robust. However, what about Solar Energy? more..

Aug 16 (CI) Dimuth Karunaratne's momentary doze on the batting crease and Peter Nevill's sharp response to stump him, released a torrent of sanctimony familiar to anyone who has read much about the Olympics these past two weeks. Spirit of cricket had been trampled on by Nevill's alertness, reinforcing Australia's reputation as a team up to no good - or so the opinion went. Nevermind that Karunaratne had ignored more..

Aug 16 (BT) National Savings Bank (NSB) is calling for expressions of interest (EOI) as it looks to upgrade its core banking system. It is now inviting bidders to supply, implement, rollout and maintain the new core banking system. EOIs should be submitted on or before 19 Sept 2016. Once the EOIs have been evaluated, the process will move to a shortlist and the parties will be issued request for proposals (RFPs). In terms of its present system, Banking Technology understands that more..

Aug 16 (GDI) Board of Investment of Sri Lanka (BOI) recently hosted a delegation of 26 foreign diplomats from 20 countries who are currently undergoing training at Bandaranaike International Diplomatic Training Institute (BIDTI). Group of diplomats was from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Iran, Iraq, Kenya, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Palestine, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles, Tanzania, Thailand, Vietnam & SL. more..

Aug 16 (USE) Thank you so much for joining us on this beautiful rooftop on an absolutely gorgeous, gorgeous evening here in Jaffna. I have a few prepared remarks. The first thing I want to say � and I know I am going to get points off for pronunciation � is Vanakkam. And the second important thing I want to say is Ayubowan. And the third thing I want to say is Assalaamu alaykum. But most importantly, from my heart, I want to say more..

Aug 17 (CT) The grapevine says �Daham, the son of President Maithripala Sirisena is learning fast the tricks of the trade his fathers predecessors mastered. He has quickly learnt that protecting the corrupt and underworld is probably the best business in town�, but the truth probably is somewhat different. The Independent Police Commission headed by Prof. Siri Hettige (Chairman) and comprising members Mrs. Savithree Wijesekara, Mr. Y.L.M. Zawahir, more..

Aug 17 (SL) A report last week of herbal decoctions, Arishta, being laced with alcohol � as much as 10% � took us long years down memory lane to our Aachi-amma (granny) who took great care of her Arishta bottle taking just one sip of it after dinner. It was called dasamula arishta - extracts of ten herbal roots meant to cure, we suppose, a variety of diseases. Grandmother who was nearing the Biblical span of three score and ten, declared it easing her aches and pains. more..

Aug 17 (SO) The most talked about topic today is the cost of living. To illustrate this issue we have gathered data from a wide and varied sample. In this survey we have found many observations. The controlled prices while helping to stabilize the cost of living has given assurance of the maximum price a good can be sold. Govt is making efforts to bring down the cost of living and raise living standards. more..

Aug 17 (GV) The corner of Bauddhaloka mawatha near Independence Arcade was relatively quiet at 4:30 pm, apart from a small group holding white umbrellas. These were participants of Different Yet Equal an online-led campaign aiming to hold a peaceful vigil to advocate for a pluralist Sri Lanka, united against hatred and divisiveness. As the crowd slowly grew, vigil participants eventually lined themselves up along the pavement, holding placards proclaiming We all have the same blood more..

Aug 17 (CT) The recent gimmicks seen at the passing of the Office of Missing Persons Bill (OMP), reminded me of a couplet I used to hear often in the heyday of Thuppahi Culture. It ran, If you want to marry me darling, come the proper way � Peeping through the window darling what will people say? According to the Govt, the OMP had been tabled three months back. No one had raised objections against it in Courts or in the House. The debate on the Bill had been fixed at a meeting of more..

Aug 17 (CT) Sri Lankan health service while playing a crucial role in human development over the years has also faced many issues. CT spoke to President of All Ceylon Nurses' Union (ACNU) Gamini Kumarasinghe regarding the problems faced by nurses. He stressed about the declining quality of Nurses' Training Schools. He said the nursing schools are not up to standard as a result of which nurses who more..

Aug 17 (CT) S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike contested the 1947 General Election from UNP with the agreement of the Leader of UNP D.S. Senanayake. Bandaranaike thought that because DS was elderly, DS would be the PM first and later he would be able to claim the post of PM. If Bandaranaike became the PM after DS it would have been Bandaranaike who would have taken over the leadership of the UNP subsequent to DS. If that had happened a party named the SLFP would not have been born. more..

Aug 17 (DM) A Buddha appears in this World, out of great compassion, to benefit and delight countless suffering beings. Being fully enlightened, he is defined as Tathagata. All Samma Sambuddhas in the past and in the future fulfil the identical purpose in awakening the spiritually dormant beings. Now, is the era of Tathagata Gautama. At the time he was born as Prince Siddharta 2640, years ago, there lived an eminent soothsayer named Asitha. He was a dignified Brahmin of widespread renown. more..