Aug 30 (CT) Contemplated defusing the situation in private, but changed my mind when matters looked a lot more complicated. It all started (at least in the open), when National List MP and Field Marshall Sarath Fonseka (SF) made a statement at the Parliament on Aug 24, vilifying Senior DIG Latiff for the arrest of his supporters few weeks prior for allegedly having links to underworld crimes and/or for engaging in the narcotics trade. While it is a common practice for SL Police Department more..

Aug 30 (CT) Although SL�s waste management issues came to a head recently when the Meethotamulla Garbage Dump collapsed, garbage dumping has been a major issue in Asia for a while. It is no secret that after the ban of garbage purchases by China and several Southeast Asian countries, there is a search for new dumping grounds. This has resulted in a major debate on the free trade agreement (FTA) between Singapore and SL, as there are concerns it could be used to more..

Aug 30 (Roar) Things have changed so much in Sri Lanka. From being a country struggling with war and poverty, Sri Lanka is now reaping the the benefits of peace. The most visible of these are the highways snaking across the island and the numerous high-rise buildings springing up in the bigger cities, but look a little closer, and you�ll find other changes too. In the past nine years, the standard of living in Sri Lanka has increased more..

Aug 30 (DN) Provincial council elections which have become a bone of contention between the major political parties looks set to be postponed yet again after the events of last week when the vote on the Delimitation Committee Report for the Delimitation of Electorates in Provincial Councils was defeated in Parliament. In a rare show of apparent political unity, all major political groups including the UNP, SLFP,JO and TNA voted against the Report, albeit for very different reasons. more..

Aug 30 (Island) Elephants should be allowed to live in the wild, where they belong. The act of taming them is tantamount to cruelty, but it has, over the centuries, if not millennia, become a fact of life, as argued in some quarters. From a practical point of view, releasing all jumbos in captivity into jungles may not be possible, but they should, at least, be treated humanely. Some of them undergo tremendous suffering at the hands of their owners and handlers who either neglect them or more..

Aug 30 (CT) Attempts to reform an outdated piece of legislation, the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act (MMDA), and empower Muslim women to have a say in determining their conjugal life, appear to have hit a brick wall, partly because of a gutless woman Minister of Justice and partly because of the All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama (ACJU), an unelected body of theocratic delinquents arrogantly claiming monopoly over interpretation of Islam�s sacred texts. Much has been said about more..

Aug 30 (FT) Odel Plc of Softlogic Holdings Plc has paid Rs. 300 million for the acquisition of Cotton Collection Ltd from founder Niloufer Esufally Anverally. Odel said the acquisition is in line with the Company�s strategy of expanding the product portfolio and retail footprint. The move will give the Softlogic Group significant flexibility in terms of brand positioning utilising product portfolios of both Odel and Cotton Collection. Additionally, Odel sees significant synergies in terms of more..

Aug 30 (FT) Half-a-dozen of Sri Lanka�s highest net worth business leaders yesterday backed to the hilt stronger policy consistency and implementation by the Govt, acknowledging that the private sector was becoming increasingly frustrated by perceived policy stagnation but remained keen to engage with officials. Conceding that politics and business were closely aligned by necessity, Access Group Founder and Chairman Sumal Perera, more..

Aug 30 (LBO) SriLankan Airlines said it is expanding the capacity on the Colombo-Singapore-Colombo route with the introduction of wide-bodied Airbus A330 aircraft that are equipped with the latest in-flight entertainment systems, luxurious seating and onboard cuisine. Effective 29th October 2018, SriLankan Airlines will increase frequencies to 21 flights per week from the planned schedule of 17 flights per week. Of this, 7 flights will be operated by A 330-300 aircraft, more..

Aug 30 (Island) People from all over the world rally to his Trunk Call to sign the Petition after �The Island� published two articles on the sad plight of Bandula the Elephant at the Dehiwela Zoo. I was encouraged by many to start a campaign to save Bandula the elephant, chained for over 66 years. Dr. Rishani Gunasinghe an environmentalist, nature lover and a wild life photographer suggested we start a petition with change.org to Free Bandula. She drafted the petition. more..

Aug 30 (SLA) Cormorant Strike IX - 2018, the joint mega Tri-Service Field Training Exercise (FTX), organized by the SL Army for the 9th consecutive year will kick off on 6 September with a record participation of more than 100 foreign military participants and observers, in addition to 2500 Army personnel, 400 Sailors and 200 Airmen, a Media Conference, held on Tuesday at the SL Electrical & Mechanical Engineers auditorium was told by more..

Aug 30 (EN) Sri Lanka has prepared a National Cooperative Policy to modernise over 14,400 cooperatives around the country serving eight million people, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce said on Wednesday. With combined assets worth 418.4 billion rupees, the cooperative movement serves grass-root communities with a range of services from rural banking and insurance targeting agriculture, manufacturing, services, small and medium businesses & women empowerment. more..

Aug 30 (CT) Worker remittances declined for a second consecutive month in June - the third month this year to record a decline - as foreign employees sent home only US$ 524 million according to the Central Bank, which highlighted that the total foreign exchange earnings from the sector during the first six months of this year slowed down to 0.9%. Worker remittances declined in February for the first time this year, as migrant workers only sent US$ 571.5 million to SL, down 4.45% compared to more..

Aug 30 (DN) SL men's 400m relay team booked their berth in the final as they completed the preliminary round second race in 3:06.66 secs to finish third in the ongoing Asian Games continued in Jakarta, Indonesia yesterday. There were 13 relay teams in the preliminary round and Sri Lanka was placed overall fifth. Lankan men's relay team included Aruna Dharshana, Kalinga Kumarage, Pasindu Kodikara and Ajith Premakumara. more..

Aug 30 (Island) SL Rugby sevens team will carry all hopes of the island nation as they take the field in the Asian Games 2018 in Palembang, Indonesia today. Team led by forward Sudarshana Muthuthanthri will compete alongside South Korea, UAE and Afghanistan in Pool C. The islanders are yet to win a medal in Asian Games this year as all the participants have failed to make the podium in the 18th edition. Meanwhile in the past, Rugby sevens have not won a medal either. more..

Aug 30 (CT) Fast bowler Kasun Rajitha produced a brilliant spell of bowling as Galle sealed an important win over Dambulla in their SLC T20 League match played in Kandy yesterday. Chasing a target of 164, Dambulla could only manage to score 125 for 9 in their allotted 20 overs, which gave Galle a victory by 38 runs. Batting first, Galle scored 163 runs for 8 wickets thanks to a great knock from opener Kusal Mendis, who scored 58 runs 32 balls. The flamboyant batsman hit four 4s & four 6s more..

Aug 30 (CT) It is not a matter of whether Mahinda Rajapaksa can contest for the Presidency once again or not, as long as whoever becomes the President at the next election forms a govt with him (Mahinda) as the PM, former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa said. He was responding media queries after appearing before the Investigation Unit of PCoI yesterday, to give evidence regarding the formation and more..

Aug 30 (FT) The UNP yesterday sought to dismiss claims by the Joint Opposition (JO) that the Singapore-SL Free Trade Agreement would be used to establish a waste disposal factory in the Dompe area, hindering the initial purpose of the agreement. UNP MP Harshana Rajakaruna alleged that Minister Malik Samarawickrama had made false remarks that the FTA would be used to bring waste material from Singapore and a waste management factory would be established in the Dompe area. more..

Aug 30 (FT) Action will be taken if any of the SLFP Group of 16 take part in the SLPP protest rally in September, SLFP said. SLFP stalwart and Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva said that the party would take disciplinary action against SLFPers who take part in the massive protest march organised by the SLPP and the Joint Opposition. �We shall see who goes to take part in this rally and then decide what disciplinary measures to take against them,� the Minister said. more..

Aug 30 (FT) The two fund management companies set up to handle Mahapola Higher Education Trust Fund are to be liquidated after incurring losses of over Rs. 2.5 billion during the last 15 years. Govt this week gave approval to a proposal by Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe to liquidate both National Wealth Corporation Ltd. and National Wealth Corporation Ltd., transferring all assets held by the two companies to more..

Aug 30 (Island) Over 1100 schools have received fewer than five applications each for Grade One admissions according to the Schools� Census Report 2017. Among them are 433 schools which have not received a single application. Report says 137 schools have received one application each; 138 schools two applications each, 176 schools three applications each and 223 schools four applications each. 49 schools in Ratnapura District have not received a single application. more..

Aug 30 (FT) UNP recapped the milestone achievements of the Good Governance Govt, highlighting efforts to end fraud and corruption within the country. UNP MP Mujibur Rahman remarked that the Govt was able to bring about major political and legal reforms by transferring the powers of the Executive President to the Constitutional Council of Parliament. �Before the 19th Amendment CJ AG, IGP, Court of Appeal judges, HC judges were all directly appointed by the Prez. more..

Aug 30 (PMD) President Maithripala Sirisena, who left for Nepal to attend the 4th Summit of the BIMSTEC arrived at the Tribhuvan Int'l Airport in Kathmandu, today (29). Prez was received by the Nepali Deputy PM Ishwar Pokhrel and senior officials. A guard of honour was held in Honour of Prez Sirisena. Both sides of the road where the Prez is travelling decorated with the national flags of both countries displaying the relationship more..

Aug 30 (CT) The proliferation of crypto-currencies poses a serious threat to Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL), warned former CBSL Deputy Governor W.A. Wijewardena, further highlighting the necessity for CBSL to implement its own crypto-currency. He was delivering the oration at CBSL�s 68th anniversary, held under the theme A revisit to Central Bank independence: How to resolve emerging issues, on Tuesday this week. �Today there is a much more pressing problem for more..

Aug 30 (DM) The father of leading underworld figure Makandure Madush succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment at the Nagoda Hospital yesterday. He said the 62-year-old, Kamburupitiya Samarasinghe Arachchige Lakshman, was injured in an accident on August 22. Police reports said the victim sustained serious injuries when a lorry crashed into him at a pedestrian crossing in Waskaduwa, Kalutara. �He succumbed to his injuries yesterday,� the Spokesman said. more..

Aug 30 (DM) Court of Appeal deferred for Friday to consider for granting of permission to file an appeal in the Supreme Court against the conviction and the sentence of Ven. Gnanasara Thera by the Court of Appeal on Aug 8. Bench comprised Justices P. Padman Surasena (President/CA) and Arjuna Obeysekera. The Court of Appeal on August 8 in its judgment found guilty of all four counts of charges on the alleged more..

Aug 30 (NR) The island wide work to rule campaign launched by wildlife rangers was called off this evening. Wildlife officers launched a work to rule campaign yesterday following an incident where a group of unidentified men assaulted officers attached to the Minneriya Wildlife Office. However the Chairman of the Wildlife Officers Association Indika Peiris said the work to rule campaign was called off after several suspects involved in the incident were arrested by Police today. more..

Aug 30 (DN) SL cricket�s anti-corruption unit detained two Indian spectators on suspicion of match-fixing during a domestic Twenty20 league game. The men were apprehended after officials spotted them behaving suspiciously and making repeated calls on their mobile phones during the match between Galle and Dambulla at Pallekele. �We saw suspicious behaviour of the two Indians and ACU (anti-corruption unit) officials handed them over to the police for further investigations,� more..

Aug 30 (Island) SriLankan Airlines had reimbursed the Sri Lankan Embassy in Russia, to the tune of Rs. 24 million, for the expenses incurred on a party to provide publicity to the airline�s General Sales Agent (GSA) for Russia, Upekha Abeysekera, Senior Manager, Revenue Accounting at the Airline told the PCoI probing irregularities at SriLankan Airlines, SriLankan Catering and Mihin Lanka yesterday. more..

Aug 30 (DN) After a decade of country-wide efforts involving eight million members, the first ever national policy for Sri Lanka�s historic cooperative sector has finally arrived at Cabinet levels for ultimate approval. Once the approval by the Cabinet of Ministers for the National Cooperative Policy (NCP) submitted by the Minister Rishad Bathiudeen is granted, NCP will become the sole framework of reference and guidebook for Sri Lanka�s coop sector way forward. more..

Aug 30 (AD) The govt has no intention to establish new colonies in the North, Minister Rajitha Senaratne. He stated this at the post-Cabinet press briefing held today (29), responding to queries raised by media persons regarding a statement made by the Northern Provincial Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran recently. Further commenting, the Minister stated that cenotaphs in the Northern Province have become a concern only to CM C.V. Wigneswaran and not to the public. more..

Aug 30 (Island) SLFP spokesman Mahinda Samarasinghe and Senior SLFP Vice President Nimal Siripala de Silva said there was no way their party could endorse the delimitation report on the basis the 5-member committee that produced it had been named by Prez Maithripala Sirisena. They explained it was an independent committee given a vital specific task though political parties could not reach consensus on it. more..

Aug 30 (CT) Concerns are raised by many parties if the garbage from Singapore would be brought to Sri Lanka through the controversial Singapore-SL Free Trade Agreement (SSFTA) because the waste is included as one of the tax-free items. According to the Govt of SL, the SSFTA was signed in a bid to strengthen the bi-lateral economic ties and to facilitate trade flows from Singapore. Although the Govt emphasizes on the positive side of the trade agreement, the negative aspects of it more..

Aug 30 (DM) Today is the UN International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances and the topic has deep relevance to SL because of what happened, especially after the end of the war in 2009 and during the past few decades. In a statement the UN says enforced disappearance has frequently been used as a strategy to spread terror within the society. The feeling of insecurity generated by this practice is not limited to the close relatives of the disappeared, but more..

Aug 30 (ST) The govt�s decision not to bar youth from becoming trishaw drivers has crushed the hopes of the construction industry, which wants young people to get out of three-wheelers and boost the painfully thin ranks of building industry workers. �There is a huge demand for construction workers in the country. The ration of skilled to unskilled workers is 1:16,� Tertiary and Vocational Education Commission (TVEC) Chairman Professor more..

Aug 30 (DM) New political alliances and formations are common occurrence when the national elections are around the corner. The presidential elections are scheduled to be conducted at the end of next year. Now, the country�s political air is pregnant with preparations for such happenings. The latest is a move to forge an electoral pact between President Maithripala Sirisena & former Prez Mahinda Rajapaksa. more..

Aug 30 (Xinhua) Sri Lanka hoped to attract more Chinese investments under the Belt and Road Initiative and aimed to increase trade and investment ties with other global partners in order to emerge as a dynamic trading hub, a Sri Lankan minister said. State Minister Harsha De Silva said that Sri Lanka had the potential to emerge as a trading nation due to its strategic location in the Indian Ocean and the govt was committed to more..

Aug 30 (EN) An exhibition to promote entrepreneurship in rural Sri Lanka coupled with a village infrastructure development drive that has kicked of in the island's poorest district will bring opportunities advancement, Minister Mangala Samarasweera said. Enterprise SL exhibition will have banks, companies and state agencies in place for aspiring entrepreneurs to get training and credit from several schemes which are subsidized by the state. more..

Aug 30 (EN) A United States navy amphibious ship from the Seventh Fleet with marines on board has conducted a joint exercise with Sri Lanka�s navy, the latest event in growing naval ties between the two countries. �The exercise allowed the ships to improve each crews' knowledge and strengthen a wide variety of seamanship skills critical to operating throughout a free and open Indo-Pacific region,� US Embassy said. more..