Aug 25 (DN) Rehabilitation of Persons, Properties and Industries Authority (REPPIA) was established in 1987, in consequent to the 1983 July riots, by an Act of Parliament No. 29 of 1987. The objective of REPPIA is to assist in the rehabilitation of affected persons through compensation. As provided by law, REPPIA provides financial assistance to affected persons, properties and industries. REPPIA is mandated to provide compensation to persons affected by conflicts such as wars & riots. more..

Aug 25 (Island) The withdrawal by the govt, on Thursday, of a motion for increasing Auditor General Gamini Wijesinghe�s salary and allowances, from the Order Paper, raised many an eyebrow. No specific reason was given for the govt�s sudden decision, and questions raised thereon went unanswered. The Opposition was simply asked to take up the issue at the next Party Leaders� meeting. Such crucial matters, we believe, should be discussed, at length, in the House itself more..

Aug 25 (CT) The lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community has been afflicted with rights violations for over 13 decades, and the fight for LGBT rights in Sri Lanka has followed with the new millennium, with some having struggled from the beginning and others having only begun to express themselves, especially since the change of govt in 2015, and its promises to uphold human rights in Sri Lanka. more..

Aug 25 (CT) While the multicultural aspect of our society is reflected in the several ethno-socio-culturally diverse people living here, the pluralist character of the Sri Lankan society is mirrored in the multitude of religious communities that inhabit this country. In a healthy pluralistic society, where there is a dominant group and minority, the sharing and absorption of traits of each other takes place without any bias or prejudice. more..

Aug 25 (CT) Hajj and its rites were first ordained by Almighty Allah during the time of Holy Prophet Abraham (Ibrahim). Muslims believe in all the prophets sent by Almighty Allah, starting from the first Prophet Adam (PBUH) and the last Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). All of them had a common goal, to guide humankind on the right path. The five pillars of Islam are the foundation of a Muslim�s life. They are the belief in the oneness of God and his last Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), more..

Aug 18 (DN) Excerpts from the Uva Wellassa Uni Convocation address 2018 delivered by Prof. Ananda Jayawardane, Director General, National Science Foundation, Senior Professor in Civil Engineering, Uni of Moratuwa and Former VC, Uni of Moratuwa. I have noted that over a relatively short history of 13 years, UWU has earned great reputation as an enterprising university in SL with its vision to become the centre of excellence for value addition to the national resource base in SL. more..

Aug 18 (FT) By notice published in the Gazette Extraordinary No. 6437 of 2 Jan 1991, President R Premadasa announced the mandate for appointing the last Presidential Commission on Finance and Banking. This happened during a period when the Govt was concerned with the primary economic objective of raising the rate of real income growth to the highest feasible level. The focus was centred on inter-alia: Maintenance of monetary and price stability; Alleviation of poverty; Creation of more..

Aug 25 (EN) Sensitive domestic industries like footwear and confectionery remain protected in SL�s free trade agreement with Singapore, although that might not be to the benefit of consumers, a govt statement said. Ministry of Development Strategies and Int'l Trade, which has responsibility for trade deals, said the govt gives due consideration to protecting local industry in free trade deals it signs with other countries. more..

Aug 18 (EN) Sri Lanka one of the sovereigns that are most sensitive to rising global interest rates given forthcoming debt repayments that are more than its foreign exchange reserves, Moody�s Investors Service said. The rating agency said SL's high external vulnerability is reflected in an External Vulnerability Indicator (EVI), the ratio of external debt payments due over the next year to foreign exchange reserves, of nearly 160%. �Renewed financial market correction highlights more..

Aug 18 (DM) Provincial Councils and Local Govt Minister Faizer Musthapha today said that he too had reservations on the report of the provincial delimitation commission. He said this delimitation commission report was debated in the House. �Do you mean to say that there are no issues with regard to the delimitation commission report� the minister asked Chief Opposition Whip Anura Kumara Dissanayake. �I also have issues with regard to the report,� he said. more..

Aug 18 (CT) Sri Lanka registered its first win in 40 years at the Asian Games, with a 4-0 drubbing of Hong Kong 4-0 in a group stage encounter, during the 18th Asian Games 2018 in Indonesia yesterday. The Islanders took the lead in the first quarter and were 2-0 at half time. They scored two more goals in the last quarter to register the country�s first win since 1978 when they beat the same country. Sandaruwan scored two goals more..

Aug 18 (FT) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe will leave the country for Vietnam today to attend the third Indian Ocean Conference which is scheduled to be held from 27-28 August in Hanoi. The Conference, themed Building Regional Architectures, is expected to promote strategic cooperation and trade ties between countries, consolidate security frameworks and administrative processes, and contribute to maintaining regional peace, stability, development and connectivity. more..

Aug 18 (DM) The athletic events of the Asian Games in which SL hopes to win medals will begin today at the Glora Khan Karno ground. Aruna Dharshana and Kalinga Kumara of SL will take part in the 400 metres heats in the morning followed by the Long Jump event in which Janaka Wimalasiri is scheduled to take part. Hiruni Wijeratne will be seen in action in the 10,000 metres events in the evening. SL athletes who practiced yesterday were confident of winning medals in their respective events. more..

Aug 18 (PMD) President Maithripala Sirisena says at present there are many projects being implemented with the aim of ending the mournful stories related to the farming community as well as to make their lives prosperous. He made these remarks participating in the commencement of the Second Stage of the Wayamba Ela to be built at a cost of Rs.16,000 million, in Polpithigama, today (24). Meanwhile, the inauguration ceremony more..

Aug 18 (CT) Colombo will take on Dambulla in a crucial match today under lights in Dambulla and the winners will top the SLC T20 League points table. Colombo and Dambulla are the only unbeaten teams in the tournament as both have won two matches each. But, Dambulla with a higher net run rate, takes the top spot on the table. Whatever team that wins today could be the leader by two points. Colombo has so far relied upon senior batsman Upul Tharanga to get most of their runs. more..

Aug 25 (DN) Governor�s Jetty� in Trincomalee was opened recently by Ambassador of Japan Kenichi Suganuma on the invitation of the Governor Eastern Province Rohitha Bogollagama. Akiko Suganuma and Deepthi Bogollagama also participated. The main objective of opening the jetty is to promote tourism in East. Trincomalee would also be repositioned as the Eastern Tourism Hub,� said the Governor Eastern Province Rohitha Bogollagama. He said that a Master Plan for has more..

Aug 18 (Reuters) China wants to build houses and roads in Sri Lanka�s north, much of which is in a state of disrepair nearly a decade after the end of civil war, Chinese and SL officials said, in a bid to expand it influence beyond the island�s south. China�s latest push in the Indian Ocean island nation comes despite criticism that a big Chinese port project and related infrastructure in the south are dragging the country of 21 m more..

Aug 25 (CT) Govt yesterday made a clarification in Parliament, as why it decided to withdraw the motion, included in the Order Paper, to increase the salary and allowances paid to the Auditor General. Minister Lakshman Kiriella on 23 Aug informed the Parliament that the Govt would withdraw the proposal, in the Order Paper, which was presented to place the AG Gamini Wijesinghe on the Eighth Salary Step of S - 4 Salary Scale of the Public Administration Circular No 06/2006 more..

Aug 25 (Island) SriLankan Airlines in 2014 selected a company as General Sales Agent (GSA) for the national carrier in Japan although six out of the seven members of the evaluation panel had given it zero marks for its ability to handle cargo, it was revealed at the PCoI on Thursday. Shiromi Cooray, Manager Industrial Relations at SriLankan, referring to documents, told the commission that the airline had decided to close down its office in Japan in mid-2014 and the senior management of the more..

Aug 25 (Island) JO/SLPP yesterday said that forthcoming two-day Asian Electoral Stakeholders Forum IV (AESF-IV) scheduled to be held in Colombo early next week would be the ideal forum to examine the inordinate delay in holding scheduled Provincial Council polls. JO MP Shehan Semasinghe said that there couldn�t have been a better place to discuss deepening political crisis in Sri Lanka than the Colombo forum scheduled more..

Aug 25 (CT) Ceylon Teachers Union (CTU) is up in arms against teachers who have served in schools for over ten years and were still serving the same school, despite the Ministry of Education�s recently instituted teacher-transfer programme. CTU attributes it to teachers having political and administrative connections and thus continuing to serve in these schools even though transfer orders have been served. Meanwhile, an audit for teachers in the A/L Section has revealed that around more..

Aug 25 (DN) The final Randoli Perahera of historic Esala festival in Kandy will parade streets today. Tusker, Nedungamuwe Raja carrying the Sacred Relics Casket of the Buddha will join the Perahera at an auspicious time of 7.58 p.m. The perahera will parade along the Dalada Veediya, Yatinuwara Veediya, Hill Street, D.S. Senanayake Veediya and back to the Dalada Maligawa via Raja Veediya. Kandy Esala festival will conclude with the water cutting ceremony to be held at Gannoruwa more..

Aug 25 (Island) Minister Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka railed against STF Commandant Senior DIG M.R. Latheef making a controversial statement in Parliament. He used the time allocated to him in the Parliamentary debate to speak on the recent arrests of his political supporters, trying hard to convince that those arrests were made based on fabricated and false evidence. The irked minister heaped a series of accusations more..

Aug 25 (CT) SL Association of Govt Medical Laboratory Technologists urged the Ministry of Health to suspend enrolling students for the Higher National Diploma in Medical Laboratory Science (MLSc) without assessing the cadre requirements for MLSc. Chairman of the Association, Ravi Kumudesh observed that there were Medical Laboratory Scientists graduating from State-run universities who could be absorbed into the free health service to fill in the vacancies in MLSc. more..

Aug 25 (CT) A SL environmental organization is due to file a Fundamental Rights Petition, in the Supreme Court, against the Govt�s recent decision to lift the ban on Glyphosate, and would seek compensation for patients afflicted by chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology (CKDu). Movement for Land and Agricultural Reforms (MONLAR), said this follows the landmark Court ruling in the US which held Monsanto Corporation, manufacturers of Glyphosate-based weedicide Rounduo, more..

Aug 25 (CT) Fort Chief Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne yesterday ordered the managers of 19 banks and 46 financial institutions to hand over details of accounts maintained by former SL envoy to Russia, Udayanga Weeratunga and five of his close relatives, to the FCID. Order was given in connection with the probe being conducted by the FCID on the case involving the alleged misappropriation of a sum of US$ 14 m more..

Aug 25 (FT) Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) earns the highest revenue for the Treasury, earning over Rs. 148 billion in 2017, Petroleum Resources Development Minister Arjuna Ranatunga claimed this week. Speaking at the felicitation ceremony for CPC employees, the Minister said that in 2016 the institution earned Rs. 148 billion in revenue while in 2017 also it was Rs. 148 billion. Further he said that within the first six months of 2018 that amount was Rs. 68 billion. more..

Aug 25 (NR) Railway drivers, controllers, station masters, guards and technical officers have decided to once again launch a strike action from midnight on Wednesday. Secretary of the Locomotive Engineering Operators' Union Indika Dodangoda said the decision to launch the strike was reached following a stalemate in talks with authorities yesterday and today to address salary anomalies. He noted the Cabinet approved a decision on the 8th of May and called for this decision to more..

Aug 25 (Island) Minister Malik Samarawickrama informed Parliament that the Attorney General had said that there was no need to present the SL-Singapore Free Trade Agreement to Parliament. The Minister said so when Ministers Lakshman Kiriella and Arjuna Ranatunga contradicted each other in Parliament yesterday while speaking on Cabinet approval for the Sri Lanka-Singapore FTA. more..

Aug 25 (CT) Former President Rajapaksa�s Chief of Staff Gamini Senerath and three other suspects, charged with the alleged misappropriation of Rs 500 million belonging to Litro Gas Lanka Limited, were released on bail by a 3-Judge Bench of the Special High Court at Bar yesterday. Bench comprised Justices Sampath Abeykoon, Sampath Wijeyaratne and Champa Rajaratne. During Court proceedings, the indictments filed against the four suspects by the AG were handed over to them. more..

Aug 25 (Island) SLMC leader and Minister Rauff Hakeem told Parliament that his party was ready to break ranks with the govt if it did not consider forming multi-member constituencies for the benefit of minor and minority parties at the forthcoming provincial council elections. He said that the delimitation committee had done a great injustice to the Muslim community and other minority communities. The issue of overlooking the minor and minority parties could be settled only by more..

Aug 25 (DN) The Parliament today rejected the Provincial Delimitation Commission report with all those present voting against it while 86 MPs including those of the JVP, who supported the report being absent at the time of voting. Minister Faizer Musthapha voted against the report even though he was the one who presented it in the House and the one who moved the motion for the debate last morning. more..

Aug 25 (DM) President Sirisena yesterday launched the Cascaded Tank-Village system in the Dry Zone and the second stage of the Wayamba River irrigation scheme near the Kubukulawa Tank at Polpithigama in the Kurunegala district. The Cascaded Tank-Village system in the Dry Zone has been described by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) as a globally important agricultural heritage system. Speaking at the launching ceremony President Sirisena more..

Aug 25 (DM) Buying expensive cars, and now even expensive chairs for the WPC members to place their �DELICATE� bums on, seems to be the order of the day!!! This is at the cost of ONLY Rs. 650,000/- PER CHAIR FOR 104 CHAIRS FOR THE WPC!!! Apparently, buying these chairs is �SIMPLE� FOR THE CASH-RICH WPC!!! In our last week�s column we highlighted the lessons we could learn from some countries around the world!!! However, this seems to have had no impact whatsoever!!! more..

Aug 25 (DM) Timing and manner of a cricketer�s retirement can often tell you much about the player�s career. In Rangana Herath�s case, both seem, if not perfect, nearly so. Herath is still at the top of his game, arguably the world�s number one spinner at present. It may justifiably be asked why he chose to retire. His aging legs, however, seem to offer him a message that they cannot take the physical strain any longer. more..

Aug 25 (ST) SriLankan Airlines suffered a staggering loss of USD 90, 261 (Rs.14.5 million at today�s exchange rate) due to transit passengers missing their connecting flights after former Chairman Nishantha Wickramasinghe overruled a decision by one of the airline�s Operations Control Managers to reschedule a flight from Colombo to Paris in January, 2014. This was revealed during this week�s sittings of the CoI probing more..

Aug 25 (ST) A three-time fuel price increase within a short period of four months has snowballed into price hikes in a variety of goods and services. A packet of rice � the common man�s food � that was sold at Rs 120 a few months ago has gone up by twenty rupees. Though bread remains at the old price of Rs 55 a loaf, prices of pastry items have increased by five rupees and bun by a rupee. Taxi fares for a trip from Colombo Fort to the BIA, more..

Aug 25 (DM) Speculation is now rife as to why, though vital evidence have surfaced regarding the abduction of two Tamil youths in Hendala, Wattala in 2009 allegedly by navy officers, CID has taken a step backward from the initial investigations by not recording a statement from the main suspect, Navy Intelligence Officer Lt. Commander Sumedha Sampath Dayananda. According to the facts reported to more..

Aug 25 (EN) A member of the controversial de-limitation committee died of a heart attack in Jaffna Saturday hours after a report he co-authored was shot down by parliament in an unprecedented move. Professor Shahul H. Hasbullah, 67, was a member of the committee which drew up new electoral boundaries for the next provincial council election. The panel had presented a 804-page report to the House five months ago more..