Sep 6 (DM) The World Health Organization (WHO) today declared Sri Lanka as a Rubella-free-country. Health Ministry�s Media Secretary Nipun Ekanayake said that the certificate declaring Sri Lanka as a Rubella-free-country was given to Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne by WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia Poonam Khetrapal Singh at WHO South-East Asia Region meeting in New Delhi, India. �Sri Lanka was declared as Malaria-free-country in 2015, Filaria-free-country in 2016 more..

Sep 6 (DN) Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage which is a major tourist attraction is losing out to private elephant owners in the vicinity. The orphanage, launched in 1975, attracted hordes of tourists in the past. Tourists particularly enjoyed the elephant bath and feeding baby elephants. However, the number of tourists visiting the orphanage has been diminishing since private elephant owners along the Kegalle - Pinnawala road have used various ruses to get tourists to visit their sheds instead of more..

Sep 6 (FT) The PM had sought the advice of the Attorney General on whether the Govt could swiftly take over the Rs. 11 billion frozen in the bank accounts of the Perpetual Treasuries Group through some form legal avenue, Parliament was told. PM said that he and Minister of Finance Mangala Samaraweera had consulted Attorney General Jayantha Jayasuriya on whether this money could be seized by the Govt before more..

Sep 6 (CT) Speaker Karu Jayasuriya, said he regretted JO leader, Dinesh Gunawardena�s confusion over being invited to visit New Delhi for a familiarization tour, where bilateral matters will be discussed with that of being denied the Opposition Leader�s post. Jayasuriya was responding to Gunawardena�s refusal to join a multi-party SL delegation to New Delhi, led by him yesterday. Gunawardena had been invited by the Speaker to be a part of the delegation representing JO. more..

Sep 6 (FT) Supreme Court yesterday rejected the revision application made by the Bribery Commission which contested the Order dictated by Justice Eva Wanasundera who stayed the proceedings in the Colombo Magistrate�s Court against former Chief Justice Mohan Peiris and the incumbent superior Court Justice A.H.M.D. Nawaz. Bench comprised Chief Justice Priyasath Dep, Justices Vijith Malalgoda and Lalith Dehideniya. Bribery Commission cited former CJ Mohan more..

Sep 6 (ST) Counter-terrorism police in Australia are investigating how SL student Kamer Nizamdeen, an attractive poster boy of the prestigious Uni of NSW in Sydney, became apparently radicalised and allegedly schemed to attack the Australian PM, foreign minister, NSW premier and members of the public. Threats against Australian political leaders, contained in documents allegedly belonging to and prepared by Nizamdeen, more..

Sep 6 (DN) While the vast majority of the protestors left Colombo Fort by 8PM yesterday, a small group remained behind for a Satyagraha on Lotus Road outside the Colombo Hilton. The rally organisers got Angampora dancers to keep the small crowd entertained during their vigil. There were also skits by men in demon-masks and other activities for the vigil-keepers. Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa also arrived briefly on the scene, while former Ministers Mahindananda Aluthgamage and more..

Sep 6 (AD) Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa says that today everybody in the country - from the poor man to the businessman � are hurt due to the actions of the ruling govt. Addressing supporters at the Joint Opposition rally at Lake House Roundabout in Colombo, he also accused the govt of secretly introducing bill which look to divide the country. �Not only are they dividing the country, they are burdening the public even more by continuing to impose taxes,� he said. more..

Sep 6 (DN) Full of sound and fury, the JO/SLPP Janabalaya demonstration reached Colombo Fort yesterday, but the protest took on a carnival like atmosphere with no major political speeches or centralized coordination to drive its key messages home. The rally, which was set up to be a launch pad for Hambantota District MP and former first son Namal Rajapaksa, brought thousands to the Lake House round-about by 4 PM. more..

Sep 6 (DM) The 72nd anniversary of the UNP is set be celebrated today at Sirikotha. UNP General Secretary and Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam told a news briefing that arrangements have been made to hold the 72nd anniversary of the UNP at Sirikotha, at 9.30 am under the patronage of UNP leader and PM Ranil Wickremesinghe. All UNP Ministers and MPs and other senior UNP regional leaders across the country will participate at the event which will be celebrated in a grand scale. more..

Sep 6 (NR) The interim report compiled by the Office on Missing Persons has been handed over to President Sirisena and PM Wickremesinghe. Chairman of OMP, President�s Counsel Saliya Pieris said the interim report was handed over to the President and the PM during an event in Parliament. Commission was mandated to compile a comprehensive report on missing persons. Accordingly, President�s Counsel Saliya Pieris said the interim report contains recommendations more..

Sep 6 (FT) Nearly 3,000 loyalists of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday occupied the Lake House Roundabout in Fort and held a sathyagraha after the Janabalaya Colombata protest march organised by the JO was wrapped up. Govt members discredited the campaign as unsuccessful as it had failed to garner support from the wider public. Addressing his supporters amidst loud cheering, more..

Sep 6 (Island) President Maithripala Sirisena�s much-advertised promise to hang convicted drug dealers responsible for carrying out criminal operations via mobile phones, from their cells, made quite a stir a few weeks ago. The President received both praise and flak for his pledge. We argued, in this space, that the convicts concerned did not have to worry and human rights groups were protesting in vain because the government rarely fulfilled its pledges. Nobody has been hanged so far. more..

Sep 6 (FT) This column gave rise from many a communication and observations after a discussion with my Head of Dept at Uni of Moratuwa. Not having direct evidence myself, I was quite intrigued by what I heard and there was the need for some quiet fact checking. I found the situation really disturbing. My initial take home point was that two children from a lower grade deciding or pushed on two different pathways can find themselves in very different positions with time. more..

Sep 6 (ST) The proposed plan to transport garbage to a landfill in the Puttalam District is to take place ahead of schedule as the Kerwalapitiya site is running short of space. Accordingly, from the Western Province, more than 600 tons of garbage will be transported by road daily to Puttalam from next month until arrangements are put in place to provide transport by railway wagons mid next year, Megapolis and Western more..

Sep 6 (EN) Sri Lanka's central bank has slashed dollars held for trading overnight by banks called Net Open Positions, dealers said after the rupee fell from the pressure of tens of billions rupees generated from a currency swap over the last few weeks. The rupee recovered to 161.65/75 to the US dollar in late afternoon trade after falling as low as 162.50 the US dollar in intra-day trading Thursday, dealers said, more..

Sep 6 (LBO) Tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka were up 5% to 200,359 in August 2018 from a year earlier. This month, the largest source market for tourists is from India, followed by China and UK. Almost 99% of tourists traveled by air to Sri Lanka. India was the largest source of tourist traffic to SL with 16% of the total traffic received in Aug 2018. China accounted for 13% of the total traffic, while UK, France and Germany more..

Sep 6 (Island) The national cricket team started preparations ahead of their Asia Cup campaign yesterday at RPS. The three hour training session started at 2pm with all members of the squad present. Today the team will train under lights at the same venue and on Friday they will work on match scenarios. The training will conclude on Monday before the team travels to Dubai on Tuesday. more..

Sep 6 (DN) Speaker Karu Jayasuriya yesterday said that he deeply regretted that MP Dinesh Gunawardena mixed up the official visit to India with the Opposition Leader post in Parliament. The Speaker made the above observation in a reply letter to JO Parliamentary Group Leader Dinesh Gunawardena. MP Gunawardena wrote to the Speaker on Monday, refusing to join the multi-party SL delegation to India. more..

Sep 6 (PMD) Representatives from international donor agencies that are providing development assistance to Sri Lanka said that they are ready to extend their fullest support for the efforts taken by the SL President to achieve goals of development and reconciliation. A meeting between President Maithripala Sirisena and those representatives was held at the President�s Official Residence, yesterday. more..

Sep 6 (AD) The CEB has informed the Supreme Court that the six activists of the Joint Trade Union Alliance of the CEB, who had been suspended from duties, will be re-employed. They had been suspended from work under the charges of launching a struggle against the large-scale financial fraud that occurred within the CEB. The six trade union activists had filed a fundamental rights petition, pleading to void the decision of more..

Sep 6 (Island) Artistes have decided to resort to protests against the govt�s new Inland Revenue Act, which, they say, would sound the death knell for the country�s art and culture. Addressing a Society for Socialist Art press conference JVP National Organiser MP Bimal Ratnayake said that artistes had now realised that the govt had taken them for a ride. "None of the promises made by the govt have been honoured. more..

Sep 6 (GDI) The cabinet has approved a proposal for the SL Air Force to take over the Dr Neville Fernando Hospital in Malabe. Govt said that approximately 900 students of the SAITAM in Malabe have been absorbed to the Sir John Kothalawala Defence University. The cabinet has now approved a proposal by President Maithripala Sirisena, in his capacity as the Minister of Defence, to appoint a committee to consider and more..

Sep 6 (AD) Referring to the rally organized by the JO yesterday, PM Ranil Wickremesinghe today questioned as to how individuals who cannot even stage a proper protest, govern the entire country. He was speaking during the 72nd anniversary celebrations of the UNP which was held today at the party headquarters � Sirikotha. The PM said that he had received several phone calls the day before yesterday inquiring as to whether more..

Sep 7 (CT) Justice must not only be done, it must be seen to be done, if the legal system is to retain the trust of society. One of the key principles of natural justice in law is Audi alteram partem- i.e. nobody should be condemned unheard. The logical extension of this principle is that everybody should be provided with legal aid to defend himself or herself in the court of law so as to prove his/her innocence. The presumption of innocence on the other hand, is a right that is intended to apply more..

Sep 7 (CT) The 1978 Constitution introduced by the late President JR Jayewardene had limited the terms of Presidents to two in terms of Article 31(2). This term limit was lifted through the 18th Amendment which enabled former President Rajapaksha to contest for the third time after two successful terms. However the 19th Amendment reintroduced the restriction on the terms of Presidents to two by Article 31(2). Arguments are now being brought out to the effect that more..

Sep 7 (ST) Dilani frets over the health of her one-month-old infant. The 37-year-old mother had endured a difficult pregnancy, which required a lengthy stay in hospital due to a respiratory illness. She and her husband, Sarath (42), are in no doubt as to its cause. It�s all that dust from the plant, Dilani said, referring to the Lakvijaya Coal Power Plant, situated several hundred metres from her home in a Kalpitiya village. more..

Sep 7 (GV) On Apr 28, 2015, 19th amendment to the Constitution was passed in Parliament, with a two-thirds majority. 212 MPs voted in favour of its passage, with just one MP at the time, former Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekara, voting against it. 19th amendment was part of a promise to abolish the system of Executive Presidency. Apart from reducing the number of years in a Presidential term from six to five, one of the notable aspects of the 19th amendment was the re-introduction of more..

Sep 7 (FT) So, the rally was a success. No, it wasn�t. Yes, it was, because it was bigger than ever and everyone knows that bigger is better. Also, beggars can�t be choosers, so we chose some scoundrels off the streets to represent us at the showdown (like the House), and primed them with a bottle and a buth packet, and sent them to the barricades (as we did to Parliament). Maybe it would have been a bigger success if social media had swallowed it whole � not the booze or buth, more..

Sep 7 (CT) These days the spotlight in on the performance of State-owned enterprises (SoE) in general and a few such institutions in particular. Business sections of national newspapers have narrowed their focus to the area. Hence, the readers have got the opportunity of sharing authentic and responsible versions of certain facts that remained so far as gossipy allegations. This Sunday a leading newspaper carried more..

Sep 7 (CT) Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa�s (73), Janabalaya Colombata campaign of Wednesday�s , is somewhat similar to the islandwide Satyagraha campaign launched by the then 67- year-old J.R. Jayewardene soon after he took over the leadership of the UNP upon the demise of Dudley Senanayake in April 1973. Those peaceful, non-violent Satyagraha campaigns ultimately led to the defeat of Sirimavo Bandaranaike�s Government at the July 1977 parliamentary elections. more..

Sep 7 (DN) The citizens of this country are utterly disappointed by the govt�s pusillanimous responses to the profusion of unconscionable strikes that are called by various groups that cause immense inconvenience and hardship, loss of time and money, and even deprivation of life and limb of fellow citizens. The timing and nature of most of the strikes that have taken place over the past 3-4 years indicate that the motivation behind them is less the direct self-interest of more..

Sep 7 (DN) 19th Amendment passed by the Parliament in 2015 has become the talking point in the country. The main reason for this is the manner in which Article 4.2 of the said amendment has been interpreted by the so-called legal luminaries supporting Mahinda Rajapaksa. According to them, the Article 4.2 of the amendment, which clearly states that no person who has been twice elected to the office of President by the people, shall be qualified thereafter to be elected to such more..

Sep 7 (DM) Back in 2015 when Syriza won more than 70 seats in the Greek Parliament and with it the mandate to govern (with its leader Alexis Tsipras as the president), socialists the world over celebrated the coming of the Global Left. But as Stathis Kouvelakis notes in Syriza�s Rise and Fall (in the New Left Review), Syriza erred by moving from a militant party of the left (�with a strong culture of internal debate, heterogeneity, involvement in social movements and mobilizations�) more..

Sep 7 (AFP) It was like a scene from a Bollywood blockbuster as staff at one of New Delhi's most luxurious hotels performed an elaborate dance routine in the lobby to celebrate a historic Supreme Court ruling on gay rights. The Lalit hotel's Keshav Suri, one of the court's petitioners, entered the lobby to rousing applause, gave his husband a peck on the cheek and declared: "It is time to celebrate. It is time to come out of the closet." more..

Sep 7 (DC) Supreme Court on Thursday without granting any relief to the seven convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, asked the Tamil Nadu Governor to consider the mercy petition submitted by A.G. Perarivalan, a life convict in December 2015. With this observation a bench of Justices Ranjan Gogoi, Naveen Sinha and K.M. Joseph disposed of the Centre�s petition questioning the Tamil Nadu govt�s proposal to release all the seven convicts viz Murugan, Santhan, Perarivalan more..

Sep 7 (CT) Chamari Atapattu has returned to lead Sri Lanka women�s 15-member squad for the three Women�s Championship matches against India, starting 11 Sept in Galle. Atapattu, the team�s most prolific batswoman, missed the team�s previous international assignment - the Asia Cup T20 in June - with dengue, but has since recovered and featured in a full Women�s Super League season for Yorkshire Diamonds. Among the new faces, batswoman Imalka Mendis has returned more..

Sep 7 (Island) Top officials of the Central Province Department of Health were blamed, at the Central Provincial Council meeting, on Tuesday, for the recent crisis at the Galaha hospital following the death of an infant. Central Province Minister Bandula Yalegama told the meeting that the high ranking administrative officers of the Department of Provincial Health had not responded to a spate of complaints in respect of more..

Sep 7 (EN) The govt will bring in new laws to update regulations to provide better protection for consumers in electronic commerce, Minister Rishad Bathiudeen said. �We are planning to establish a modern consumer protection framework suitable for the e-commerce marketplace and encourage the development of SL digital economy,� he said. Five priority areas have been identified with the help of international experts, he told a forum on e-commerce reform held by the CAA more..