Aug 1 (Island) NFF leader Wimal Weerawansa, told Parliament that Islamic doctrine and religious movement known as Wahabism had been founded by the Great Britain. Participating in the debate on Emergency Regulations and extending the state of emergency for one more month, MP said that the Great Britain had created Wahabism to fight against the Ottoman Empire. "The main tenet of Wahabism is that the Islamists more..

Aug 1 (DN) The launch ceremony of two books, the research-based scholarly compilation Polonnaruwa � Narapathi Yugaye Sita Janapathi Yugaya Dakwa and the pictorial volume Moragahakanda Dream Reservior, was held at the BMICH yesterday under the patronage of Prez Sirisena. PM, Speaker, MPs, Vice Chancellors of govt universities and other distinguished guests were present at the ceremony. more..

Aug 1 (EN) Sri Lanka will be setting up border control operations and certifying aerodomes in three domestic airports to serve regional air traffic, the office of the cabinet of ministers said. The Batticaloa Airport in the East, the Palali Airport in the North and the Ratmalana Airport in Colombo are being developed with better civil aviation facilities, a statement said. The cabinet had approved a proposal to more..

Aug 1 (RN) Army Commander Lt. General Mahesh Seneviratne says the National Security Council in the weeks before the terror attacks spent time discussing underworld don Makandure Madush without dealing with vital intelligence on terrorism. Giving evidence for the 2nd time before the PSC, General also said Army had gathered, processed and passed on information about the growth of extremist groups to Defense Ministry more..

Aug 1 (AD) The Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) today cautioned the customers to adhere to adequate safety measures when making e-payments. Issuing a release, the Payments and Settlements Department of the CBSL has requested the customers to be cautious when providing confidential information such as current and savings account numbers, credit or debit card details including the card number, CVV number and more..

Aug 1 (RN) Minister Arjuna Ranatunga requested the Speaker to appoint a Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) to probe alleged corruption charges against the Sri Lanka Cricket Board (SLCB). Speaking in the Parliament yesterday (31) the minister said that the present condition of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has worsened as Sri Lanka has gone down in ICC rankings from a time where we were always among the top three. more..

Aug 1 (DM) A telephone conversation between the Shangri-La Hotel bomber and his wife on April 21 reveals the series of explosions had been carried out in retaliation to Christchurch mosque shootings and harassment against Muslims, State Minister of Defence Ruwan Wijewardene told parliament. He said the CID managed to tap a telephone conversation between the Shangri-La Hotel bomber and his wife more..

Aug 1 (EN) SL's 12-month inflation eased to 4% in July 2019 from 4.2% in June the state statistics office said. Consumer prices in the month fell absolutely 0.2% with the Colombo Consumer Price Index falling from 130.2 points to 130.0. The food and non-alcoholic beverage sub group fell 0.7% during the month, after rising 2.6% in June. Non-foods were flat. SL rupee fell sharply in 2018 amid policy errors and strengthening US dollar. Global commodity prices had also been stable more..

Aug 1 (CT) There are feminist men who believe women are simply better than men. Not only are women capable of hard decisions but they are ready for heavy responsibility. On the other hand, more sensitive, sympathetic and less subject to vices of egoism and self pride. For these male feminists, it was not simply an appreciation of their partners, but they affirm in the process of advocating equal rights for women to vote and acquire political representation. more..

Aug 1 (AD) The officers of SL Grama Niladhari Association have launched a trade union action from today citing 13 demands. The chairman of the collective Sumith Kodikara stated that the Grama Niladhari officers would withdraw from the one-day service of issuing National Identity Cards (NIC) as the first phase of the trade union action. Grama Niladhari officers would resort to a stern trade union action in the future if the authorities fail to heed their demands, Sumith Kodikara continued. more..

Aug 1 (FT) Some things are hard to get rid of. Bad habits � like Bruce Willis in the eponymous movies � die hard. Even good stuff lurks, in one�s fridge for instance, well past its expiry date. Ugly bits and pieces float around after a night of fatty, chocolaty or alcoholic self-indulgence. So we�re well and truly stuck with a floater of an executive presidency. And it has seemed well-nigh unflushable despite the blushing protestations of a brace of gentlemen (I use the term in its non-cricketing political sense) more..

Aug 1 (AD) According to several MPs, the draft constitution for the proposed new alliance has not been approved at the UNP Working Committee meeting, contrary to the statements made by UNP General Secretary Akila Viraj Kariyawasam. The meeting was held at the Temple Trees chaired by Party Leader PM Ranil Wickremesinghe. It had been previously announced that the UNF and several political parties will sign MoU to enter more..

Aug 1 (DM) The UPFA will announce its presidential candidate at the party convention to be held at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium on September 2, UPFA General Secretary Mahinda Amaraweera said today. He said the party convention chaired by party leader President Sirisena was expected to outline the party's future plan while addressing all outstanding matters affecting the party. The MP told the weekly media briefing that any party was free to announce their presidential candidates but more..

Aug 1 (DM) Abolition of Death Penalty Bill, which makes provisions to prevent the implementation of the death sentence, was presented to Parliament today. The legislation, which comes in the form of a private member�s bill, was presented by UNP MP Bandulal Banadarigoda to the House last morning. As per the Bill, the reference to any Act on the imposition of the death penalty shall be construed as punishable by imprisonment for life. The Bill provides a transitional provision under which more..

Aug 1 (NR) The govt today announced, just as steps were taken to increase the salaries of state sector employees, the same measures have been taken for private sector employees as well. Chief Government Whip Minister Gayantha Karunatileka revealed the incentive, in response to a statement made by Leader of the Opposition MP Mahinda Rajapaksa under standing orders. The Opposition Leader claimed that more..

Aug 1 (DM) Controller General of Immigration and Emigration, R.M.P.S.B. Rathnayake yesterday said a new passport was issued to former Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa on May 7 this year. However, he said the issuance of passport doesn�t necessarily mean a citizen has or has not renounced their dual citizenship. Earlier, Mr. Rajapaksa said he was issued a new passport by the Immigration and Emigration Department after his dual-citizenship was renounced. more..

Aug 1 (ANSA) A 46-year-old man from Sri Lanka shot at his 26-year-old daughter with a rifle in the province of Padua town of Teolo on Tuesday before trying to commit suicide, sources said Wednesday. The man unsuccessfully tried to take his own life with the rifle before then attempting to hang himself. Carabinieri police intervened and managed to save both the daughter and the father, who, however, is in a serious condition in hospital. more..

Aug 1 (Island) The Cabinet, on Tuesday, approved funds for 14 double cabs and a van for the National Election Commission (NEC) as it is getting ready to hold elections in 2019 and 2020. "The NEC is making preparations for holding national elections later this year and in 2020 and they need a number of vehicles to carry out their work effectively and productively," PM Ranil Wickremesinghe said. Presidential, Parliamentary and Provincial Council polls are to be held in the coming 12 months. more..

Aug 1 (IG) National Olympic Committee of SL (NOCSL) has welcomed a delegation from Hashima City to its Olympic House headquarters to formulate plans for the country�s team�s training camp in Japan prior to Tokyo 2020. The delegation representing the Hashima City Host Town - Executive Committee for Tokyo 2020 was led by President Eiichi Toji and vice-president Kyoto Toji. They and their team met with NOCSL secretary general Maxwell de Silva and member Gamini Jayasinghe to discuss more..

Aug 1 (AD) The Colombo High Court today rejected the preliminary objections presented by attorney on behalf of former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando and IGP Pujith Jayasundara stating that the High Court does not have the authority to hear the revision application filed by the Attorney General. The Attorney General on July 18th filed a revision application requesting the Colombo High Court to issue an interim order against more..

Aug 1 (RN) Strict action will be taken through the Consumer Affairs Authority (CFA) against those who misuse formalin for food preservation, State Minister Buddhika Pathirana said. He said that when he was the Acting Minister he took the initiative to present a Cabinet paper to take formalin monopoly under the State Trading Corporation (STC). �Formalin is given to embalm bodies, for medical faculties and laboratories. But in the recent past, formalin was used to preserve dried fish, fruits, vegetables. more..

Aug 1 (EN) SL will seek proposals from consultants and developers to set up a tourism resort in Dedduwa, the cabinet office said. "It has been planned to develop the Dedduwa area as a tourist destination through public and private partnership," a statement said. The govt said that it is planning an integrated tourism development project. The govt will obtain the services of a local or international consultancy agency with experience in transaction advisory services for large scale projects more..

Aug 1 (DM) Statistics released by the AG's Department indicates that the Dept had up to July this year concluded 7,503 criminal cases including 4,782 indictments in High Court. This is an unprecedented achievement when compared with previous years. AG's Department said that its officers were working tirelessly to conclude all pending cases by the end of this year. AG Dappula De Livera PC is reported to have instructed more..

Aug 1 (AD) Reinstatement of Rishad Bathiudeen as a minister is a blatant disregard of public opinion, says Venerable Omalpe Sobhitha Thera. The public is alleging that the police are partial to Minister Bathiudeen as they failed to arrest him despite the accusations levelled against him, Thera stated. A no-confidence motion against Minister Bathiudeen must be brought forth without delay and it is the responsibility of the Parliament to take action against the minister, Thera commented further. more..

Aug 1 (NR) Court today issued an open arrest warrant for Former Prisons Intelligence officer Indika Sampath Imaduwa, the third suspect in the case related to the 2012 Welikada Prison riots. The order was issued by the Permanent High Court-at-Bar, by a bench comprising judges Gihan Kulathunga, Pradeep Hettiarachchi and Manjula Thilakaratne. The first and second suspects in the case, the then Welikada Prisons Superintendent and current Prisons Commissioner Emil Ranjan more..

Aug 1 (EN) Sri Lanka's The Kingsbury Plc, which was one of the hotels bombed on Easter Sunday, had incurred 93 million rupees in damages to assets from the terror attack, the firm said in its interim financial statement. The hotel, part of the Hayleys Group, was among three luxury properties which were bombed, along with three churches, killing over 250 persons, including 44 foreigners. The bomb at The Kingsbury hotel had been set off inside its Harbour Court main restaurant. more..

Aug 1 (Island) The tug-of-war between the SLMC and TNA on establishing a separate Tamil Divisional Secretariat in the Kalmunai Pradeshiya Sabha area would be settled shortly, an SLMC MP said yesterday. SLMC Digamadulla MP Faizal Cassim told The Island that SLMC leader Rauff Hakeem would discuss the matter this week in Colombo with party members, provincial councilors and Pradeshiya Sabha members. He said the disputed would be settled in an amicable manner. more..

Aug 1 (RN) Just weeks before the political campaign for the forthcoming Presidential Election begins in earnest the UNP plunged deep into crisis today as a raucous meeting of the Working Committee exposed the deep divisions within the Grand Old Party. For the third meeting in a row, the defiance of the Party Leader PM Ranil Wickremesinghe reached a crescendo. Wickremesinghe has faced such storms more..

Aug 2 (DN) Sparring within and between ruling and opposition parties is likely to intensify in the coming weeks as they get down to the task of finalising their candidates for the country�s eighth presidential election since the presidential system of govt just over forty years ago. What was shaping up to be the nation�s first presidential poll that would be a real three-cornered tussle has now almost certainly been whittled down to a contest between alliances led by the UNP and SLPP. more..

Aug 2 (CT) UNP is in my blood. When I voted for Sarath Fonseka placing a cross in front of the swan, my fingers trembled. When I placed a cross in front of the same swan in 2015 to elect the current joker president to his office, the same. But I did it. Because I am UNP. The UNP to me represented what I believed was my class. The idea of class is complex, It includes different elements: your address, wealth, primary language, how you speak English, what you read, the art you discuss, more..

Aug 2 (SO) Is a dual citizen as loyal to a country as a citizen with undivided loyalties? Is a dual citizen qualified to be bestowed the nation�s executive leadership? As the next prez election looms on the political horizon, citizens may have to watch a legal drama first, before they actually vote, if the issue of foreign citizenship is brought to the fore by certain political personalities controversial ones - entering the fray. more..

Aug 2 (CT) Objections filed by the Police Department at the Kurunegala High Court outlining their opposition to the granting of bail to writer Shakthika Sathkumara presently under remand custody, have upon analysis, found to not only contain multiple logical fallacies, but also that they seek to justify and legitimize the imposition of a heckler�s veto approach to free speech/expression law and thereby create a chilling effect. The heckler�s veto occurs in a situation where more..

Aug 2 (DN) Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB) celebrates its 40th Anniversary today. EDB has been playing a significant role in helping develop Sri Lanka�s economy for the last 40 years with a remarkable contribution towards the socio-economic development of the country as the key national institution for export development and promotion. It is of vital importance to assess the service made by EDB during the last 40 years. SL enjoys export trade with a proud history more..

Aug 2 (Roar) Earlier this month, on July 12, Muslim MPs made an unprecedented but welcome decision to reform the controversial Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act (MMDA), that has for years limited the rights of Muslim women and girls. Under the announced reforms, a key issue of underage marriage will be addressed, with the minimum age for both the bride and groom to be changed to 18. more..

Aug 2 (DM) As Sri Lankans ready themselves for the much awaited Presidential Elections one of the minority communities, the Tamils, are left wondering as to what their future in the island would be. Former Northern Province Council member M.K Sivajilingam has said that Tamils would abstain from voting for a Sinhalese leader from the south. These utterances are a clear indication of the hostile feelings the Tamil politicians want to embed in the minds of the Northern minority Tamils. more..

Aug 2 (DM) Strategies work in politics. But, the same strategy is unlikely to work twice. It will yield on the first occasion, but not on the next. Ahead of the Presidential Elections, the two main political forces are now occupied with strategizing for the purpose of mustering more than 50 percent of votes to be polled at the presidential elections. The political force led by the UNP worked out the finest ever election strategy in 2015 by cobbling together an electoral alliance of more..