May 7 (SL) Western Province Chief Minister Isura Devapriya�has been a subject of discussion lately due to the Meethotamulla garbage dump issue. Devapriya and Minister Champika Ranawaka had differences of opinion on the garbage issue and the issue grabbed the attention of the media.�Devapriya said garbage management is the responsibility of the relevant provincial councils & local govt institutions. more..

May 7 (ST) My dear Geetha, I thought I must write to you when I heard the courts had declared that your election to Parliament was null and void because you also happen to be a citizen of Switzerland. This must have come as a shock to you because you had been protesting your innocence ever since you entered Parliament. Pardon me, Geetha, but we all knew that you could not be an MP if you were a dual citizen, ever since Maithri and the Green Man passed that amendment to the Constitution. more..

May 7 (CT) On 7 Nov last year we witnessed a turn for the worse in the Opposition's brand of politics. At their behest, disabled soldiers who threatened gate crashing into the Presidential Secretariat, demanding a pension, compelled the Police as the situation threatened to escalate, to resort to the use of water cannon and tear gas to disperse them. Interspersed between the disabled soldiers, obviously stalwarts of the movers and shakers in the Opposition were dissident more..

May 7 (NS) GMOA was once a respectable and esteemed organisation whose reasonable demands met with the backing and sympathy of both the general public as well as the free media. Its members had historically been the pillars of every community. Public then placed the highest degree of trust for their lives and well-being in the hands of such committed practitioners. To many they were miracle workers, to whom each patient was not merely a customer, but a life and death more..

May 7 (CT) My attention was drawn to a recent media release by SLC claiming how they have taken steps to eradicate spinners with suspect actions and especially the off spinning type. Today my attempt is to write on the subject and the dangers facing a species that is fast becoming extinct and that is a quality off spinner. To understand the subject of the off spinner one has to look at the origin or the purpose of them. An off spinner in the past was never your main weapon and more..

May 7 (ST) Sri Lanka Cricket has plunged into a fresh crisis with the resignation of Aravinda de Silva � chief of its Cricket Committee and Thilanga Sumathipala�s cricket mentor � over the Allan Donald spat. Last week SLC was in elation following the deal with former South Africa fast bowler Allan Donald for a two month stint � mainly during the SL�s Champion�s Trophy excursion. On the instruction of SLC president Sumathipala, more..

May 7 (ST) People wait� expectantly for a match to start, having, sometimes, paid a princely Rs� 1,000. They wait impatiently, looking at their watches, wondering where� the teams are and where the referee is. Wait, is the answer, as the� rituals of unfolding flags, singing anthems and introducing a chief� guest has to take place. The game starts at least 15 minutes late and� the impatient, even if they want to, cannot leave, as some car is� blocking their exit. Man next to me is impatient, more..

May 7 (NS) Alan Donald, former South African fast bowler, has become the latest addition to enter the rapidly increasing foreigner infested backstage set-up for SL cricket team. Donald, who has been installed as consultant fast bowling coach, joins Graham Ford (coach), Nic Pothas (fielding coach), Nick Lee (trainer), Simon Wills (high performance coach), Asanka Gurusinha (team manager), Ranjith Fernando (tour manager), Ajantha Wattegama (physiotherapist), Somayajula (analyst) more..

May 7 (SO) Sri Lanka�s drop in the ICC One-Day rankings from third in 2015 to sixth in 2017 can be attributed to many factors � the retirements of batting greats like Sangakkara, Mahela and Dilshan that has weakened the top and middle order, the drastic decline in fielding standards that has seen crucial catches being dropped and trickling of runs, and also the absence of one of the game�s best one-day bowlers Lasith Malinga more..

May 7 (DM) Cabinet has approved a proposal to grant President and PM the power to appoint a high level committee to provide uninterrupted essential services at times of trade union action, Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe said. �No proposal was made to appoint any individual, especially Minister Sarath Fonseka to head such a committee. President and PM will decide on the members of the committee which will comprise ministers and officials from different sectors as it is not one person�s more..

May 7 (ITN) Chief Monk of the Sri Paada Venerable Bengamuwe Dhammadinna Thera says that climbing of the Sri Paada Mountain in the night, during the off season will be banned. He said this during a special discussion at Nallathanniya Buddhist Centre. Chief Monk of Sri Paada Bengamuwe Dhammadinna Thera said that it was not banned earlier but some groups who have gone there had committed wrongful acts including instigating religious animosity and racism. more..

May 7 (ST) Proposed new tax laws, seen radicalising SL�s tax revenue structure, is a joint collaboration between the IMF and local authorities, the fund said this week, defending claims that it was an entirely IMF-driven product. �Inland Revenue Act (IRA) is a product of the IMF�s extensive collaboration with the Sri Lankan authorities over the past year and incorporates feedback from local experts,� the fund said in response to queries. more..

May 7 (ST) Anula Vidyalaya, Nugegoda, went one up in the series, when they scored an easy 8-wicket win over Ratnavali Balika Vidyalaya, Gampaha, in their inaugural Battle of the Queens Cricket encounter at the R. Premadasa Stadium. The experienced lasses from Nugegoda dominated the game to maintain their status as All Island Girls Cricket Champions and Runners-up on two occasions each. Winning the toss, Ratnavali Skipper Pabasara Ranabahu elected to bat in this more..

May 7 (ST) Six new national records were established at the National and Sub-Junior Under 15 Aquatic Championships 2017 in progress at the Sugathadasa Stadium Swimming Complex. Three out of the four new records in Women�s 4x100m LC Medley Relay, Girls Under-15 4x100m LC Freesstyle relay, Women�s 4x50m LC Freestyle Relay and Men�s 4x50m LC Freestyle Relays were established by Visakha Vidyalaya and the other was by Killerwhale Aquatics in Men�s 4x50m more..

May 7 (ABC) Women and girls whose male relatives were killed in Sri Lanka's brutal civil war are now helping the country recover, taking on roles formerly reserved for men and heading to schools and universities to complete their education. The so-called Border Girls mostly come from towns and villages which formed a human buffer zone between the opposing sides during the 27-year conflict, which ended in 2009 and more..

May 7 (ST) A Central Bank union has urged President Sirisena not to provide extensions to two retiring deputy governors and immediately appoint a senior official who has been picked to replace one. The bank�s Executive Officers Union, representing over 500 senior staff including deputy governors, in a May 3 letter called for a policy where all officers are retired, without an extension, when reaching 60 years. The dispute arose over alleged attempts to extend the services of Deputy Governor more..

May 7 (CT) Central Bank, leveraging on falling interest rates, brought down govt's money printing (MP) borrowing costs to under Rs 7 billion, with a figure of Rs 6,912.04 million on Friday. This figure on the previous day, was Rs 7,009.43 million, a reduction of Rs 97.39 million (1.39%), despite such interest costs being prorated for three days due to the weekend. Meanwhile, govt's MP costs at the beginning of this year was more than Rs 10 billion, with a massive Rs 10,410.27 million as at more..

May 7 (ST) Mobitel, SL�s national mobile service provider, will operate as an independent entity exiting from Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT) after functioning as its subsidiary for more than 14 years. The company will be listed in the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) this year with the aim of broad-basing the ownership of Mobitel which is a fully owned subsidiary of SLT. Details of the listing and other steps are yet to be finalised. more..

May 7 (Hindu) Santhigiri could spread the message of peace in a world torn apart by hatred and violence, Ranjith Madduma Bandara, Minister for Public Administration, Sri Lanka, has said. He was speaking after inaugurating the Navoli Jyothirdinam, held in connection with the 18th anniversary of the samadhi of Karunakara Guru, here on Saturday. Mr. Bandara said Santhigiri could be the door to peace in the world. Karunakara Guru�s messages were very similar to that of Buddhism. more..

May 7 (SO) Indian PM Narendra Modi who will arrive on Thursday to take part in the 14th UN Vesak day celebrations is due to visit the Gangaramaya Buddharashmi Vesak Zone upon arrival in Colombo. An official source said the Indian Premier will be here from May 11-12 and will be the chief guest at the inauguration at the BMICH on May 12. President Maithripala Sirisena will host the Indian leader for lunch at the President�s Official Residence in Kandy on Friday. more..

May 7 (SL) A top Police officer is facing the axe over allegations being raised against FCID. IGP Pujith Jayasundara and Secretary to the PM Saman Ekanayake had been instructed to make inquiries into some allegations raised against the FCID. PM had called for the inquiries following claims that funding was cut to the FCID, files were missing and investigations had stalled. However, preliminary inquiries found that allegations were baseless more..

May 7 (ST) Sri Lanka has earned four more votes in European Parliament against a motion to deprive it of the GSP+ concession after four Members of the European Parliament (MEP) realised they had polled wrong. A few hours after the motion was defeated on April 27, SL�s EU Ambassador Rodney Perera made a round of calls to MEPs based on the voting sheet with the intention of double-checking their intentions. As a result, four MEPs changed their decision on account of misinterpreting more..

May 7 (ITN) President Sirisena says that cooperation between Govt and Provincial Institutions should be improved to achieve national development targets. He emphasized this at the 33rd Chief Ministers� Summit in Habarana. He pointed out that the nine provincial councils which are working in nine different ways have become a major problem to achieve common development targets of the country. He emphasized the need to work on a consensual method by all these institutions. more..

May 7 (CT) Govt will soon bring in new laws which will include new public services as essential to the life of the community so that trade unions will not be able to hold the country and the public to ransom with their crippling strikes etc. "It has now become necessary to have these laws so that we will not see trade unions holding the essential services to ransom, as we saw with the recent petroleum sector strike and more..

May 7 (ST) GMOA and several other trade unions will meet next week to decide on further trade union action similar to Friday�s strike that crippled state hospitals and railway services. Spokesman said GMOA leadership would hold a general meeting with 107 branch representatives on Tuesday. After they arrive at a decision, GMOA will meet with other union leaders. However, he said, if they decide to resort to further trade union action, it would be after the Vesak week. more..

May 7 (SL) President Sirisena warned cabinet members not to make public comments against each other. President had last week told his cabinet to keep issues they have within the cabinet. The warning was given after Ministers Rajitha Senaratne and John Seneviratne had made statements against each other to the media. Seneviratne had told the media that Senaratne had given wrong information as cabinet spokesman on Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka being offered a new post. more..

May 7 (ST) Secretariat tasked to direct public complaints on bribery and corruption to different agencies is facing closure amid allegations that vehicles from the PM�s office have been used by it for surveillance work. Anti-Corruption Committee Secretariat, located near Temple Trees, was set up after prez election in Jan 2015. It was an adjunct body of a high-powered committee that met weekly to review anti-corruption work. more..

May 7 (ITN) PM Ranil Wickremasinghe says that a Govt elected by the people will not be suppressed by unjustifiable demands of trade unions. Participating at a function in Badulla, the PM said that he is thankful to public servants for not joining the strike. The Prime Minister said that there are problems in the state and private sectors and that workers engage in various acts to win their demands. He said that the Govt tries to solve these problems through discussions. more..

May 7 (ST) Students passing out of both state and private medical universities are set to be delayed due to the ongoing protests over the SAITM issue. Pasan Hewawasam a representative of the Professors of the Medical faculty of Ruhuna said that Act 16 examinations (now known as ERPM) for students from the Kotalawala Defence University and students graduating from foreign universities will not be held until govt resolves the SAITM issue. He said medical faculty students island-wide more..

May 7 (ST) Neither leaders of the ruling coalition nor those in Opposition envisaged last Monday�s main Joint Opposition (JO) May Day rally at Galle Face Green, would turn out to be significant in the country�s political history. Believing there would be a poor turn-out, not enough to fill the vast space, PM declared the vast expanse by the sea close to the Colombo Fort area should be given to the JO. more..

May 7 (Island) Nearly 25 years after his killing, a book titled Lalith Athulathmudali Assassination � The Whole Truth by Prof. Ravindra Fernando was launched last week. Among the speakers at this event was Dayanthe Athulathmudali, Lalith�s brother, who cogently urged that the investigations into this case which remains unsolved in the sense that nobody has been charged for the murder and there has been no conviction, be resumed as in the Lasantha and Thajudeen cases. more..

May 7 (Island) With Meetotamulla politically conveniently fading into bad memory, May Day took poetic, rather garbage, revenge on the political class. After weathering verbal garbage from political platforms all afternoon, May Day left Colombo with tons of litter on the ground. In the wake of Meetotamulla, May Day this year could have been the ideal occasion for political organizers and leadersto set a national example for collectively dealing with litter at large public events. more..

May 7 (ST) Defence Secretary Karunasena Hettiaratchchi must have raised his eye brows the other day when he opened a letter that had arrived addressed to him from P.B. Abeykoon, Secretary to the President. It conveyed the news that he has been named as SL�s next Ambassador to Germany. His personal details, known in diplomatic parlance as agreement, had even been forwarded by the Foreign Ministry more..

May 7 (CT) The Department of Immigration and Emigration will be strengthening the Immigrants and Emigrants Act of 1948 No. 20 relating to the detention of persons for examination and inspection and plans to introduce tough punishment for human traffickers. The proposal has been submitted for Cabinet approval. Immigration and Emigration Department has proposed to rewrite the current Act. more..

May 7 (Island) The late Mr. Lalith Athulathmudali�s brother, Dayanthe, last week made an impassioned appeal that the investigation to Lalith�s killing be re-visited as in the Lasantha Wickrematunga and Thajudeen cases, and a conclusion be reached nearly 25 years after his death. He was speaking at the launch of Prof. Ravindra Fernando�s new book, Lalith Athulathmudali Assassination: Whole Truth more..

May 7 (SO) Senior academics, human rights activists, and judicial experts are strongly critical of the proposed policy and legal framework on the proposed CTA, a draft of which had been submitted before the Cabinet last week. Prof. Nihal Jayawickrama, former Secretary to the Ministry of Justice, a Professor of Law at the University of Hong Kong and first Director General of TI described the law as worse than draconian. more..

May 7 (SL) A customs trade union leader who had fought against fraud at Customs Department had been sent on compulsory leave by its Director General. W.M.R.P. Wijekoon� Secretary,� SL Independent Govt Trade Union Organisation who is also an Assistant Superintendent of Customs attached to the CIB had been sent on compulsory leave by Director General of Customs (DGC) Chulananda Perera last week more..

May 7 (CT) The conflict between CEB Engineers' Union (CEBEU), and CEB's former Chairman Anura Wijepala, who were once united against the issue of coal power plants, ended two weeks ago when Wijepala relinquished his post. The resignation provides a basis for the allegation that the CEBEU is maintaining control over the Board. The Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya admitted the sudden resignation promptly, more..

May 7 (Island) Sri Lankan politics is going through a unique period at the moment. The two major parties have formed the govt of good governance, but the progress is too slow as they represent entire different political ideologies. The UNP is aligned towards capitalism whereas the SLFP is more towards socialism. When these two ideologies come together, there is little progress. It is extremely difficult to stick to a middle path. more..