Aug 10 (DN) Until and unless political parties stop patronizing both the underworld and powerful economic elite in sponsoring elections, law enforcement is only wishful thinking. This whole process consequently makes Legislative power ineffective in the country�s governance. The legislative membership becomes subservient to these two corrupt institutional agencies for propping them up in high office and in turn politicians remain eternally obliged to them to the extent more..

Aug 10 (CT) The former President Mahinda Rajapaksa has warned buyers of our national assets that he would review those deals when returned to power. He has asserted most forcefully, that the current government had no mandate to sell national assets. He has vehemently condemned the authoritarian manner adopted by the govt in leasing out the sea port in Hambantota and the airport in Mattala � the outstanding national assets that he built for us after ending a debilitating war. more..

Aug 10 (SO) West Coast Power Ltd, a subsidiary of Lanka Transformers Limited, believes a recent report by Verite Research, a Colombo-based think-tank recruited by the Govt to study recent proposals to build a 300MW combined cycle power plant in Kerawalapitiya, is biased and unprofessional and rejected all allegations levelled in the report. The Verite Research report titled A case study of public sector loss through partnership more..

Aug 10 (CT) What should we expect from a different type of leadership in a country totally devastated by corrupt politicos? We now need to elect a group of people, who honour principles of public sector governance such as transparency, accountability, integrity, efficiency, effectiveness etc., which had been conspicuously overlooked by successive govts to-date. Nelson Mandela, Noble Laureate and former President of South Africa had said � A political leader must be honest to himself more..

Aug 10 (DN) In October last year the Governor of the CB went on a mission to find solution for indebtedness in the north having seen the scale of the problem and the scale of the suffering experienced by the families distressed in debt with solutions on three levels. 1. How to reduce the debt burden; 2. How to structure new credit so that the problem is not repeated; 3. Raising awareness and financial literacy among the population to prevent a repetition and prolonging of the situation. more..

Aug 10 (Roar) Every Friday, Benislos Thushan, a programme officer at the Office for National Unity and Reconciliation (ONUR) boards an overnight bus from Colombo to his hometown in Jaffna. He lands at dawn on Saturday and a few hours later, goes to the American Corner�the American Centre�s educational outreach branch�to conduct weekend classes on digital storytelling. more..

Aug 10 (CT) Assuming that plans are the results of policies which are formed in response to the needs of the people as it cannot be anything else if what is meant by the word governance is management of all the resources and everything else for the benefit of the people. In other words, it is the wise and careful use of the wealth of the nation for the benefit of its citizens, who are considered the most important element in the wealth of the nation. Representative democracy evolved over the years, more..

Aug 10 (CT) Yet another episode of violence against a group of citizens of this land, the lost paradise, has come to pass. No dictates or other forms of explanation can justify the violence imposed on a group of unarmed civilians that we have been witnessing sporadically in the recent past. An incident best labelled as road rage or one where the absurd suspicion of a pill to sterilize the majority community has been cleverly manipulated by a group of people, waiting to create chaos. more..

Aug 10 (Island) At present, seven of the ten members of the Constitutional Council are MPs with only three being outsiders. The task of the Constitutional Council is to recommend appointees to important commissions such as the Public Service Commission, Elections Commission, the National Police Commission and to high state positions such as the Attorney General, IGP, Chief Justice etc. The Speaker of Parliament is the ex - officio Chairman of the Constitutional Council. more..

Aug 10 (Island) Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) Chief Ven. Galabodaatte Gnanasara Thera has been sentenced to jail for contempt of court. Opinion may be divided on the severity of the punishment�19 years RI to be served in six years�but the fact remains that he committed a very serious offence and nothing could be cited in extenuation thereof. The convict is currently in hospital and his lawyers have said they will appeal against the judgement. Court Appeal, which sentenced him, more..

Aug 10 (CT) JVP Central Committee Member Convenor of Voice against Corruption Wasantha Samarasinghe says the Govt is avoiding revealing the names of UNP and JO MPs, who benefitted from the Treasury Bond Scam. Q: Have the leaders of the JVP burdened you, Wasantha Samarasinghe, with revealing various frauds and corruption while they stay away from issues to save their skin? A: Our Party has not been separated, more..

Aug 10 (Island) In recent years there have been many extremely disappointed citizens who have invested money in finance companies. Some of these citizens are in great distress as they have invested their life�s savings. They did so expecting the assured steady income monthly. There were also those who invested, in a company, called Touchwood, growing trees for timber, something like a sum of about 100,000 initially and a smaller sum of Rs. 150,000 to 200,000 annually over 17 yrs more..

Aug 10 (ST) With their next big concert fast approaching, rehearsals are becoming intense, stressful, but getting there, Soundarie David Rodrigo, founder of the Soul Sounds says. Sri Lanka�s premier female choral ensemble, Soul Sounds is all ready to showcase innovative choral arrangements in Totally Pop featuring the most loved cover hits from the 60�s, 70�s to the modern day. Their last two pop shows Totally 80�s and Totally 90�s were a runaway success, more..

Aug 10 (ST) The fire risk in high rise buildings in Colombo is very high according to Dr. David Kirkham. Why? Because many developers are using combustible cladding. Cladding is a covering or coating on a building. It was made infamous by the Grenfell Tower fire in the salubrious area of North Kensington in West London which left 72 people dead last year. Dr. Kirkham, an internationally recognised expert in fixed more..

Aug 10 (ST) While the lack of skilled personnel is well known, the Employers� Federation of Ceylon (EFC) is now assessing the skills of Sri Lankans and moving to recognise the existing skills of employees. Kanishka Weerasinghe, CEO, EFC mentioned the above while answering queries by the media at a panel discussion on the Education Budget Proposals 2019 for Human Capital Development held last week at the National Human Resources Development Council of Sri Lanka (NHRDC). more..

Aug 10 (DN) Gayan Sandaruwan marked his first victory of the year winning the Best Rider Trophy while Ashan Silva registered his sixth win of the year winning the Best Driver Trophy at the Commando Challenge Supercross 2018, conducted by the Commando Regiment, Sri Lanka Association of Racing Drivers and Riders (SLARDAR) and Asian Motor Racing Club (AMRC) in collaboration with Hutch Communication (Pvt) Ltd at the Uva Kudaoya Commando Regiment racing track recently. more..

Aug 10 (CI) With six overs left in the rain-hit fourth ODI, the ball was wet, and South Africa were ahead of the game, with 43 runs to get, and five wickets in hand. So what did Sri Lanka do? They bowled as if they were playing a Test. It sounds like an odd move, but in the situation, it turned out to be an inspired one. South Africa had David Miller - one of the cleanest strikers in the world - at the crease, and another batsman to come. more..

Aug 10 (CT) SL�s Emerging team, but filled with national players, completely outplayed the South African Emerging team by 215 runs in the first unofficial ODI played at Rangiri Dambulla Stadium yesterday. Batting first SL openers Sadeera Samarawickrema and Dimuth Karunaratne put on a massive opening stand of 252 runs with both batsmen scoring hundreds. Samarawickrema scored 141 runs off 127 deliveries and hit 17 boundaries and a six while Karunaratne scored 125 runs more..

Aug 10 (Island) Suresh Subramaniam, former national player who is currently the President of the National Olympic Committee (NOC), clinched the coveted Men�s Doubles Over-55 title partnering Sri Lanka�s Dan Mukunthan this week at the first International Tennis Federation (ITF) Veterans Tennis, ended at the Sri Lanka Tennis Association (SLTA) Playing Section clay courts in Colombo. Subramaniam also became runner-up in the age group�s Singles as well. more..

Aug 10 (FT) The establishment of independent commissions under the Unity Govt has elevated democracy to new heights and garnered global accolades, PM told Parliament while seeking House approval to increase the allowances of the members of all commissions appointed by the Constitutional Council of Parliament. According to the motion, Cabinet approved revising the emoluments and other allowances, more..

Aug 10 (FT) The Top 50 Professional and Career Women Awards 2018 were celebrated on Tuesday with remarkable women leaders from Sri Lanka recognised for their significant contributions within their corporations, communities, or livelihoods. Achievements like these have, in turn, led to more inspiring stories of SL women entering the global market, and has spurred more women to enter the workforce. With only one in three women participating in SL�s formal labour force, more..

Aug 10 (CT) Salinity intrusions from the Kalu Ganga have caused liver and kidney diseases among children in Beruwala, Beruwala UC UNP Chairman Mazahim Mohamed complained. Speaking at a public consultative meeting on water and electricity organized by the regulator the Public Utilities Commission at the BMICH premises, Mohamed however said that a Rs 38 billion water project, inaugurated in his area with Japanese funding a few days ago, is expected to solve this issue. more..

Aug 10 (DN) Former administrators of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) fears that the country will definitely be suspended by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for its failure to hold a democratic election and elect office bearers. ICC has already served notice that it will suspend SLC if an election was not conducted within a six month period which means that time is now running out for the govt installed Competent Authority. more..

Aug 10 (Island) Sri Lanka skipper Dinesh Chandimal returned to their Twenty20 squad Thursday after serving an international ban for breaching the spirit of the game. Chandimal was included in a 15-member squad for the one-off T20 that will round off South Africa�s tour of the island nation Tuesday in Colombo, Sri Lanka Cricket said in a statement. The 28-year-old missed the two-Test series, which Sri Lanka won, and was out of the first four one-day internationals. more..

Aug 10 (GDI) President Maithripala Sirisena opened the Bosath Mapiya Sevana built in Ethagama, Kalutara, to provide shelter to the parents who sacrificed their children for the benefit of Buddha Sasanaya, yesterday (8). This centre was built according to a concept of the Chief Incumbent of the Payagala Malegoda Sri Pushparama Vihara Ven. Malegoda Nanda Thero. This Centre which is built in two and a half acres of land can accommodate around 50 persons. more..

Aug 10 (Island) Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa demanded to know why IGP Pujith Jayasundara had not followed recommendations by the National Police Commission as regards the service promotions. Participating in the debate on the VAT (Amendment) bill, he said: "Today, this parliament is debating the revision of emoluments and other allowances of the chairpersons and members of the 9 independent commissions. more..

Aug 10 (CT) Minister Sajith Premadasa and JO MP Wimal Weerawansa locked horns in Parliament, despite repeated orders from Speaker Karu Jayasuriya to stop arguing after Weerawansa alleged that Premadasa was hiring workers in excess of the need, to the National Housing Development Authority (NHDA). Weerawansa, at the beginning of yesterday�s Parliamentary sitting, claimed that Premadasa was hiring workers in excess of needs to NHDA, on daily wages. more..

Aug 10 (DN) Govt will offer a Rs. 1 billion tea replanting subsidy this year to increase the area under tea cultivation. The area under tea cultivation is stagnant and shrinking. Replanting is essential for increasing and remaining competitive, Minister Navin Dissanayake said. �It is with this objective that the govt is offering Rs. 1 billion as a tea subsidy,� he said. Currently the tea is grown in 225,000 hectares and up to June 2018, total export earnings were at Rs. 113,940 million. more..

Aug 10 (Island) High Post Committee yesterday endorsed the posting of Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka as SL�s Ambassador to Russia. Committee which delayed the appointment on July 17, observing that it needed more inspection had been divided in its opinion yesterday, too, a committee member said. Both sides had been allowed to contact Prez Sirisena on the phone and inform him of their reasons for/against appointing Dr Jayatilleka more..

Aug 10 (Hindu) The State govt has decided to provide 1,000 solar-powered houses to repatriates from Sri Lanka living in the State. This follows the publication of a news item, When home has not been welcoming enough, by The Hindu on April 21, highlighting the plight of living conditions of the repatriates in The Nilgiris district. On July 9, the govt told the Assembly about its decision to construct new houses for the repatriates under a scheme of providing such houses. more..

Aug 10 (PMD) President Maithripala Sirisena asked the newly appointed ambassadors and high commissioners to serve the interests of the country with utmost dedication and commitment while serving abroad representing Sri Lanka. Addressing 10 ambassadors and high commissioners at the Presidential secretariat today (9), he said the first and foremost duty of the envoys is to promote Sri Lanka abroad and obtain maximum possible cooperation from the host nations. more..

Aug 10 (EN) Mihin Lanka, a failed budget carrier set up with ex-Prez Rajapaksa's brother Gotabhaya as Chairman had been given loans from state-run Bank of Ceylon without collateral amid repeated defaults and had been bailed out at public expense, a commission of inquiry heard. Bank of Ceylon (BOC) Corporate Credit Division Relationship Manager Prageeth Balasuriya, presented documents to the PCoI more..

Aug 10 (DN) Minister Mangala Samaraweera said that he would bring in an amendment to prevent the Letters of Credit (LC) opened on Aug 1 from obtaining the tax amendment exemption on vehicles with an engine capacity of less than 1000cc. He made this comment in reply to concerns raised by UPFA MP Bandula Gunawardena who pointed out that a large number of LCs had been opened on the eve of vehicle tax revisions to give undue advantage intentionally to certain parties. more..

Aug 10 (DM) A proxy owner and a publicity officer of a private event organising company, which organized the party at a hotel in Wadduwa in which four persons died, had been arrested. The private company was registered under the name of a female but her husband, the proxy owner, was operating the company. The 36-year-old proxy owner was identified as a resident of Kaduwela and the 36-year-old publicity officer was a resident of Gothatuwa New Town. more..

Aug 10 (DN) Govt is planning to set up a Special Public Commission (PSC) to increase the salaries of public servants including railway workers, Minister Mangala Samaraweera told Parliament. He also said Prez had instructed him to prepare a Cabinet Paper to establish a new Public Service Commission to look into the salaries and wages of public sector employees. He requested the railway workers to wait for 3 months to solve their issue more..

Aug 10 (DM) The efforts taken by President Maithripala Sirisena to take development to the villages reminds us of the time of the Late President R. Premadasa. Prez Sirisena was quoted in in newspapers recently saying that people are happy with the development programmes carried out in the hamlets. His latest efforts in this type of endeavour was the building of a hostel for the priests at Hingurakdamana Kashyapa Pirivena under the Pibidemu Polonnaruwa Programme. more..

Aug 10 (DM) The political parties that launched a massive protest against the Provincial Council system 31 years ago, leading to hundreds of deaths are making a big hue and cry now demanding the Govt to hold elections for the same provincial councils. The SLFP, the main party that took to the streets then claiming that the Provincial Councils would lead to the division of the country has been running the administrations of several Provincial Councils since 1994. more..

Aug 10 (ST) The Customs Department is examining the practices of their foreign counterparts and consulting on the possibility of equipping their officers at BIA with non-lethal means of defence�such as batons and handcuffs�to restrain unruly persons, Director General P S M Charles said. The necessity to better train and equip Customs officers was highlighted after the recent fracas at BIA involving a Kuwaiti couple more..

Aug 10 (DM) Last Monday, the GMOA leadership held a media briefing in Colombo, perhaps to tell the Govt the present Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC) should not be touched. They threatened; any move to restructure the SLMC would compel them to take trade union action immediately and without warning. They would launch the most drastic strike action ever in Sri Lankan history, they said. more..