Aug 10 (EN) Partnership trade agreements Sri Lanka is seeking with India, China and Singapore will give it a distinct advantage in attracting foreign investment but would be done while protecting local industry, Central Bank governor Indrajit Coomaraswamy said. The trade agreements were part of the new govt�s strategy of improving the island�s competitiveness, he told the Colombo International Tea Convention more..

Aug 10 (SCMP) Hong Kong�s top cricketers will be hoping for a shot at facing one of the greatest bowlers of all time � SL�s Muttiah Muralitharan � when they turn out for Kowloon Cricket Club at this weekend�s Singapore T20 tournament. The KCC side are led by the club�s director of cricket Charlie Burke and are bolstered for the eight-team event by three guest players in Hong Kong players Anshuman Rath, Nizakat Khan and Karandeep Singh. KCC are grouped with SSC (SL). more..

Aug 10 (DC) Once regarded as one of the country�s most talented spinners along with Muttaih Muralidharan, former Sri Lanka cricketer and 1996 World Cup winner Upul Chandana now makes a living as the owner of a sports goods store.�The former Sri Lankan all-rounder revealed his interest was influenced due to the Indian Premier League, which he was banned from. �It was a stupid decision. The next year, they started the IPL, and they still owe me 60,000 USD. more..

Aug 10 (DM) Minister Susil Premajayantha said he was disappointed with certain activities of the govt and that even SLFP leaders did not accept his ideas. He said UNP did not accept the ideas of the SLFP. He also said some have come to power with the intention of selling state resources but the SLFP would not do so. �There was a practice of selling state properties during the previous UNP govts. more..

Aug 10 (AD) Railway Department has incurred huge losses through the utilization of a reserved Railway Department land to operate a car-park. Reportedly the proprietor of the car-park had acquired the warrant for the land through a political manipulation.�Chairman of Ceylon Railway Employees Union S.P. Vitanage stated that the land area had been utilized as a car-park from Sept 2016.�It was reported that a monthly fee of Rs. 30,000 was charged from owner of car-park. more..

Aug 10 (MFA) State Minister Vasantha Senanayake led Sri Lanka delegation to the Foreign Ministers Meeting of the 24th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) held on 7th Aug 2017 in Manila, the Philippines. ARF is the primary Asian forum in which members discuss current regional security issues and develop cooperative measures to enhance peace and security in the region. 24th Meeting of the ARF is significant as it coincides with the 50th Anniversary of the establishment of ASEAN. more..

Aug 10 (DM) MP Ravi Karunanayake who resigned from his ministerial portfolio today questioned why others, against whom allegations had been made, could not resign if he could do so simply because there were allegations against him. Arriving to his residence at Rajamalwatta after the special statement made in Parliament on his resignation, he said he had resigned with pride from his ministerial portfolio to set a good precedent. more..

Aug 11 (CT) This compilation is to explore and focus attention on the issues of political forthrightness and the fight against corruption as essential components of the process of strengthening democratic institutions. It aims at contributing a set of initial contemplations on crucial�topics related to political integrity, such as the blueprint of conflicts of interest, the role of the press in monitoring the abuse of political office and, most of all, control of the role of money in democratic elections. more..

Aug 11 (CT) Here is a victim: �I saw plastic pipes, bottles filled with something, a tap with a hose attached, a plastic can or bottle filled with something. In the corner of the room there were wooden batons, PVC pipes, wires and nylon rope. I noticed a barrel full of water in the corner of the room. I think I saw some polythene bags next to the water barrel. I could see a table, wires, wooden sticks, blood marks on the wall. It looked like a torture room�. more..

Aug 11 (ST) She has been named a 2017 winner of the Ramon Magsaysay award, but Gethsie (Gnanatheepam) Shanmugam does not understand what the fuss is all about. So you are interested in this old lady? she laughingly asks. Having worked as a psychosocial counsellor for children, youth and women, especially those affected by war and disaster, today she has been recognised by this award which is regarded more..

Aug 11 (CT) All nine provinces in the country are suffering from a severe drought due to insufficient rainfall. Govt requests the residents in these areas to use water with much care and minimize wastage, especially due to the despite the little rainfall received in the past few weeks. Country's drinking water crisis continues as storage levels of many tanks have dropped drastically. What is worse is that according to Meteorological Department there will be no rain in these areas until Oct. more..

Aug 11 (CT) One cannot fathom what has happened to this country as it has become so confusing. There are so many issues to address, that we really don't know where to start. In order to address the issues, one would need to be extremely determined. If this country had complications related to its geographical background, one can be sure that it could never have been anything to do with vastness. The population of Sri Lanka is made up of one major ethnic group and several minorities. more..

Aug 11 (CT) Families of several persons arrested on suspicion of involvement with the Aava group have filed a complaint with the Human Rights Commission (HRC) in Jaffna. They claim that their sons have been arrested on baseless allegations following recent incidents blamed on the Aava group. Incidents of sword attacks have been reported in the North recently, including attacks on Policemen. more..

Aug 11 (Island) Maha Sangha (community of Buddhist monks) of SL are on the march. But please don�t jump to the conclusion that I am going to assert that they are on the warpath or are going to voluntarily assume or advocate for others a literally militant role in the context of the country�s simmering politics, as would any reader predict on the basis of the righteous rage of violated Truth and Justice depicted in the lines from the 19th century American poet Julia Ward Howe�s famous poem more..

Aug 11 (Island) Yahapalanaya reminds us of a tale from Greek mythology about a ruthless bandit, named Procrustes, who either lopped off the limbs of his captives or stretched them so as to fit them into an iron bed. Yahapalana leaders are doing to the country�s laws what Procrustes did to his victims; they lay constitutional provisions on the Procrustean bed of expediency. All laws must conform to their political agenda or be amended. Wednesday was a sad day for SL democracy or what remains more..

Aug 11 (DN) Dear Professor Peiris, I thought I must write to you despite your obviously busy schedule, both because you at least nominally lead one aspect of Rajapaksa comeback project under the banner of the nascent SLPP and also because you are, unarguably, as a former foreign minister, a key advisor to defeated President Rajapaksa on matters relating to post war, national reconciliation. I must at the outset explain why I stated that you lead one aspect of the Rajapaksa comeback project more..

Aug 11 (ST) 18th century Kasthane sword, believed to have belonged to a Kandyan aristocrat was taken to the UK in 1906. How and who engineered its journey still remains a mystery. The 480.5 mm long kasthane sword with the mythical serapendiya head-adorned pommel, embellished with hammer work, moulding, bench-work, gold plating and engraving was auctioned at Sotheby�s London a century later on Dec 19, 2006 in the elite section of Property of a princely family & Other aristocratic estates. more..

Aug 11 (Island) About a year before the Rajapaksa govt was ousted from power, moves were made to build a memorial at the location where the late D.A. Rajapaksa was interred in Medamulana. The spot stands not far away from the home he lived in, which is now occupied by the eldest in the family, former Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa. On 26 Feb 2014, a decision was taken at the Board meeting of Land Reclamation and Development Co more..

Aug 11 (Island) Singer (Sri Lanka) PLC announced its results for the first half of 2017. Despite tough business conditions, the results for the six months ending June 30, 2017, showed a good Revenue growth of 13.6% to Rs. 25.1 billion compared to the same period in the previous year. There was a strong growth in several product categories such as smart phones that grew by 46%, bottle coolers & deep freezers by 32%, televisions by 22% and furniture by 14%. � more..

Aug 11 (FT) Aitken Spence reported a pre-tax profit of Rs. 678 million for the first quarter, while the group�s profit attributable to shareholders of the parent grew by 42% to Rs. 355 million over the previous year. Company�s financial results for the 3 months ended 30 June 2017, reported that the revenue for the first quarter increased by 54% to Rs. 11.6 billion, whilst earnings per share for the quarter grew to Rs. 0.87, an increase of 42% over the corresponding period of the previous year. more..

Aug 11 (CI) Despite all the hype around mystery cricketers, Sri Lankan cricket would not have risen without a more prosaic, solid supply line from the schools. Arjuna Ranatunga's one big lament has been the decline of schools cricket, otherwise "the best system in the world". Schools cricket in Sri Lanka has been stuff of legend. There are about 30 Big Matches, traditional annual matches played between two certain schools. more..

Aug 11 (LBO) In a move aimed at supporting the expansion planned for the organization going forward, Central Depository Systems (Pvt) Ltd (CDS), a fully owned subsidiary of the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE), relocated its operations to a larger premises located at the Ground Floor of the M & M Centre, No.341/5, Kotte Road, Rajagiriya today. While the new address will be used for correspondence, all other details including the Company�s website (www.cds.lk), more..

Aug 11 (CI) Fast bowlers Dushmantha Chameera and Lahiru Gamage have been added to SL's squad for the third Test, while batsman Danushka Gunathilaka - who played in Galle - has been omitted. Nuwan Pradeep, who is injured, and Rangana Herath, who is being rested on account of a stiff back, also exited the squad. Chameera's inclusion was somewhat expected following the injury to Pradeep. Though he has not played a Test since Dec last year, he has had success more..

Aug 11 (DN) The VAT revenue collection has increased by Rs 72.7 billion during January to April 2017, a significant YoY growth of 90.9% compared to same period in 2016. This has been as a result of the increased VAT rate and removal of some VAT exemptions in late 2016. VAT revenue exceeded the estimated revenue target for first four months by LKR 27.6 bn and accounted for 40.2% of the 2017 annual VAT revenue estimate. more..

Aug 11 (DN) Govt has undertaken water and electricity related projects to the tune of Rs. 300 billion this year, said Minister Rauf Hakeem. Speaking at the inauguration of Sri Lanka�s biggest, four-in-one International Expo on Water, Building, Power and Air Conditioning technology at the Sri Lanka Exhibition and Convention Centre yesterday, the Minister said that some projects like the Moragahakanda multipurpose irrigation project have already been completed. more..

Aug 11 (FT) 13th edition of LMD�s Most Respected entities in Sri Lanka has been released, its publisher Media Services announced recently. �Yet again, John Keells Holdings (JKH) is nominated as the Most Respected entity in the island with the highest number of golds for a record 12th year� JKH strengthened its position in 2017 with 296 gold nominations compared to 239 last year,� magazine notes. MAS improved its position by gaining one place to take the No. 2 spot in the rankings more..

Aug 11 (DN) Reports in some media that the TRC of SL has assigned frequencies to some institutions in a fraudulent manner are false and baseless, a statement from President�s Office said. Digital TV frequency bands has not been released to the market yet and in this backdrop allegations that the govt has incurred losses by selling frequencies to private sector without proper tender procedures were false and baseless. more..

Aug 11 (PSL) The presentation of title deeds of the lands to the farming community in Walawa zone and Mahaweli H zone under the National Programme to offer 100,000 title deeds to Mahaweli settlers will be held on 11th �and 12th August �2017 under the patronage of President Maithripala Sirisena. This is the first time such a large number of title deeds are to be presented, giving solution for a prolonged issue faced by the Mahaweli settlers. On 11th, 5,000 title deeds will be presented more..

Aug 11 (FT) Opposition Leader R. Sampanthan commended MP Ravi Karunanayake�s decision to step down from his post as Minister of Foreign Affairs. He said MP Karunanayake has not yet been found guilty by any confident court and he was entitled to the presumption of innocence as it was his fundamental right. �I commend that bold step. He has done so in the interest of good governance, in the interest of the people of this country and the interest of the country itself. more..

Aug 11 (FT) UNP has reportedly considered submitting a no-confidence motion against Minister of Justice Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe for blocking investigations on fraud and corruption during the previous regime. There is a plan to bring in a no-confidence motion against Minister Rajapakshe and several UNP members met with the PM in this regard. Govet ministers as well as Opposition MPs have already signed more..

Aug 11 (CT) Cabinet agreed to seek a new investor to develop one of the land plots within the BIA premises, belonging to Airport and Aviation Services, after the Malaysian investors backed down. However, according to Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva, Malaysia based ECM Libra Financial Group has informed that they are not interested in the project. Accordingly, the minister sought Cabinet approval to identify an investor for the land plot in a bid to establish a 100-roomed hotel. more..

Aug 11 (DM) Sri Lankan connoisseurs can now indulge in one of the world�s top gourmet cheese ranges that�s a cut above the rest. Fonterra Brands Sri Lanka unveiled its premium Kapiti Cheese range at an exclusive cheese and wine tasting experience at the Galle Face Hotel in Colombo recently. The launch event � hailed the Opera of Cheese - was hosted by Fonterra Brands SL Managing Director Sunil Sethi. Guests sampled a selection of the finest cheeses harmonised with more..

Aug 11 (DM) Some 43 files on which investigations had been completed by the FCID, BC and CID on various crimes have been forwarded to the AG�s Department some two years ago and they are gathering dust, Minister Rajitha Senaratne said. He expressed his disappointment and disapproval on what he called a go slow policy by the AG�s Department on cases against politicians and top officials of the Rajapaksa regime and more..

Aug 11 (Island) North and East doctors threatened to go on strike next week if the Health Ministry did not implement their transfers which were overdue. GMOA Secretary Dr Haritha Aluthge said doctors who had been given appointments to North-East hospitals had been forced to stay on for over two years. Their service in difficult stations was for a period of one year. Dr. Aluthge said that his union had held several discussions with the Health Ministry to resolve the problem. more..

Aug 11 (DH) At 88, Neil Perera�s tall frame betrays few signs of the handsome hunk he was during his playing days. There is hesitation in each of his steps as he moves along with the help of his walking stick. His memory fails him every now and then. My memory is bad now, he says with an innocent smile as he proudly flips through numerous clippings about himself in Sri Lankan newspapers. His spirit, though, is still intact. His eyes light up as he talks about Sri Lanka�s first win away from home more..

Aug 11 (DM) Govt has increased traffic fines to Rs. 25,000 which will be implemented for offences such as driving without a valid driving licence, deploying persons without driving licence in services, driving under the influence liquor and drugs, access of vehicle in to a railway road unsafely and driving a vehicle without a valued insurance cover. Cabinet that met on Tuesday gave the nod to increase traffic fines drastically on a memo more..

Aug 11 (NT) A delegation of students and staff from the Sri Lanka Defence Service Command and Staff College is in the country for a two-week geo-strategic international study tour. After visiting Kigali Genocide Memorial, the 16-person delegation headed to the Ministry of Defence where they were briefed on the roles and functions of Rwanda Defence Forces. Col. Kithsiri Ekanayake, who led the delegation, explained that Rwanda is a country Sri Lankans need to learn from. more..

Aug 11 (CT) Several Govt MPs charged towards opposition benches across the Well of Parliament, angered by a remark by JO Leader Dinesh Gunawardena. However, their advance was prevented by UNP veteran Gamini Jayawickrema Perera and Minister Wijayamuni Soyza, who rushed to the scene and pushed back the MPs to their seats. Gunawardena lashed out at Leader of Opposition, R. Sampanthan, after the latter commended MP Ravi Karunanayake for more..

Aug 11 (Island) Upholding objections raised by Deputy Solicitor General (DSG) Milinda Gunatilake assisting the Attorney General's Department, Chairman of the Presidential Commission Justice K. T. Chitrasiri, yesterday, asked Chief Executive Officer of Perpetual Treasuries (PTL) Kasun Palisena to testify before the Commission without looking at a document on the screen of a laptop brought to the witness box. more..