Aug 18 (ST) Treasury has rejected the proposal to meet the staggering bill of Rs 4.4 billion spent by the previous Mahinda Rajapaksa regime and declared it could not be met from state funds. Finance Ministry has informed the Cabinet that such authorised payments would be from 2015, in accordance with prevailing Financial Regulations, leaving out a larger sum unpaid. Prez Sirisena forwarded a Cabinet Memorandum seeking more..

Aug 18 (DM) The Sri Lankan Govt will soon begin a dialogue with India to develop Palaly and Batticaloa airports, PM Ranil Wickremesinghe said yesterday. The PM who was speaking at the opening of the Mailady Fisheries Harbour in Jaffna said the govt would start a dialogue with India to develop the two airports with a view of developing the tourism industry in the North and the East. �We will get into a dialogue with the Indian Govt to develop the Palali and Batticaloa Airports. � more..

Aug 18 (TM) Despite media reports of dates being allocated for President Maithripala Sirisena to testify before the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) probing the Easter Sunday attacks, there seems to be confusion about the President�s appearance before the PSC. PSC member MP Prof. Ashu Marasinghe said that the Committee had decided to invite the President to appear before it. �We agreed to invite the President to appear before the Committee this coming week. more..

Aug 18 (ST) After last Tuesday�s weekly Cabinet meeting ended, a handful of ministers turned up at Prez Sirisena�s upper floor office room in the Prez Secretariat, once the hallowed precincts of Parliament. �Are you going to support former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa as prez candidate?� one of them asked. If the tenor of the question reflected an angry note, so was the reply. �Are you crazy?� asked Sirisena more..

Aug 18 (Island) Case for a Sajith Premadasa candidacy is different from the case for a Sajith Premadasa Presidency. It is arguable that even those who prefer a Gotabhaya Presidency could opt for a Sajith candidacy if it leads to a stronger UNP showing, and results in a stronger balancing factor in SL politics which would act as a safeguard for democracy. What is a candidacy about? It's about winning largest no. of votes for one�s side. more..

Aug 18 (Island) Soon after the 1982 referendum, the Centre for Society and Religion conducted a series of lectures on the referendum experience and published them as a symposium entitled: Referendum�82: Eclipse of Parliamentary Democracy in SL. Contributors included the SLFP�s Felix Dias Bandaranaike and the LSSP�s Hector Abhayavardhana. Mr. Bandaranaike�s thesis was that main objective of the present govt more..

Aug 18 (Island) According to Articles 92 and 91 of the Constitution, the qualifications that a prez candidate should have are as follows: He should be qualified to be a voter. He should be at least thirty five years old. He should not be a person who has been previously elected twice to the office of President. He should not be a person who has previously been removed from the office of President on account of mental or physical more..

Aug 18 (CI) Before his 122 in the fourth innings of this Test, Dimuth Karunaratne had not hit a hundred in over a year. Although the team had won in South Africa earlier this year, he had not personally contributed much during that series. This had grated. So had the fact that in between his last hundred, also at Galle last July, and this Test, he had hit eight half-centuries, but had not been able to convert to a triple-figure score. more..

Aug 18 (Island) A week before his younger brother was anointed the SLPP�s prez candidate, Mahinda Rajapaksa made a portentous statement to the Virakesari. The newspaper had questioned Mr. Rajapaksa about minority angst concerning a Gotabhaya presidency. He responded with a standard denial thus: "In reality, further to the (19th) constitutional amendment, the PM has more powers. more..

Aug 18 (TM) The inability of the Norochcholai Coal Power Plant to curtail harmful emissions has once again highlighted the importance of SL accelerating its shift into renewable sources such as solar power. Authorities are unable to temporarily shut down the power plant to carry out mandatory maintenance as there is a serious shortfall of electricity in the country. CEB, electricity monopoly with a market share of nearly 100%, more..

Aug 18 (EN) Sri Lanka is planning to promote 31,540 policemen without regard to existing vacancies following a policy decision and a recommendation of the management service department and police commission. Out of a force of 85,000, 31,540 were between the grades of constable and inspector. Ministry of Defence had informed the Dept of Management Services to device a system to promote them more..

Aug 18 (CI) Test cricket might just return to Pakistan later this year. Sri Lanka could be open to playing at least one Test in the country, after a security delegation visited Lahore and Karachi, and gave SLC "very positive feedback". If everything goes to plan, Pakistan could host its first Test match since the Lahore attack on Sri Lanka's team bus in March 2009. Series against Sri Lanka, Pakistan's first of the World Test Championship, more..

Aug 18 (ST) The United States has told Sri Lanka that it will suspend talks on the controversial Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with Sri Lanka until the presidential election is over. US Ambassador Alaina B. Teplitz outlined her country�s position during a meeting with President Maithripala Sirisena. She had sought such a meeting weeks earlier and the President expressed regrets that a meeting before was not possible. more..

Aug 18 (EN) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe, who outsourced two presidential candidacies and is under pressure to appoint a party man ahead for upcoming presidential polls said he had not fallen politically. "I have not fallen politically," PM told a gathering at the opening of a vehicle assembly plant in Kalutara. "I will also not allow the economy to fall." He said following Easter Sunday bomb attacks steps were quickly more..

Aug 18 (CI) Dimuth Karunaratne played a big part in preserving his perfect record as Test captain as Sri Lanka brought up their third consecutive win since he took over, brushing New Zealand aside with a six-wicket win on the fifth day and picking up the full 60 points in their first World Test Championship match. In the process, Karunaratne also brought up his first century in 23 innings and his ninth overall as the hosts more..

Aug 18 (ST) The Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) has been bleeding money on waste transport and disposal for many years by dishing out business to private contractors, instead of using millions of rupees allocated to it for the purchase of its own tractors, tippers, compactors and bulldozers. Between 2010 and 2016, the CMC received nearly Rs 850 million to buy its own vehicles for solid waste management, AG's Department says. more..

Aug 19 (ST) When you turn to this column today, the pro-democracy mass protests in Hong Kong would be in its third month. How long the protestors will man the barricades if and when China decides to strike back and how as it becomes increasingly infuriated at the mounting violence, must worry the ordinary Hongkongers and foreign business alike. Certainly Beijing�s attempts to cow down the Hong Kong people by continuously chipping away at the former British colony�s freedoms & liberties more..

Aug 19 (TM) The local political stage is now a closely watched scene with great expectations on the candidates at the next presidential election. The SLPP led by former President and incumbent Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa has won the race of naming presidential candidates with the announcement of its candidate. Rajapaksa last Sunday (11) announced the SLPP�s presidential candidate, former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, at the party�s convention. more..

Aug 19 (SO) A Magistrate has issued notice on professor Ananda Samarasekera, the former JMO for Colombo to appear in court on Aug 28. The former JMO is facing charges of falsifying the post-mortem report and destroying evidence linked to the Wasim Thajudeen murder in May 2012. Last week, the AG also ordered the CID to expedite investigations into several emblematic cases, including more..

Aug 19 (CT) On Aug 11, SLPP or Pohottuwa held its inaugural convention at the Sugathadasa Stadium. Former Prez & current Leader of Opp Mahinda Rajapaksa (MR), who minutes earlier had been declared leader of the SLPP formally announced its Prez candidate. As expected, it was MR�s younger brother, a former soldier and onetime Defense Secretary, Gotabaya Rajapaksa (GR). Amidst thunderous applause and fireworks, GR declared, �I love my country, I am proud of my country.� more..

Aug 19 (CT) As the SLPP National Convention was taking place in Colombo, an intriguing dialogue was taking place on a social media platform between two people this writer seldom agrees with, but nonetheless acknowledges their commitment to their convictions, their experience in the political and media [and in the case of one of them, the diplomatic] fray. One of them was the editor of the Colombo Telegraph [CT], and the other was Sri Lanka�s serving ambassador in Moscow. more..

Aug 19 (Roar) Every so often since 2015, the proposed Animal Welfare Bill seeking to refine existing legal frameworks protecting urban animals and pets, gets its fifteen seconds of fame before being forgotten once again. The proposed Bill is considered the only comprehensive piece of legislature that ensures the safety of animals�domestic or otherwise. It is the only available alternative to outdated provisions more..

Aug 19 (CT) A new book titled, Tamil Tigers Debt to America authored by Daya Gamage, has been published by the Library of Congress (under control No. 2016913508) ISBN: 1537053485 and 13:9781537053486 respectively. The author is an old Trinitian who read Economics and European Political history at Peradeniya; subsequently became an academic at a U.S. University, prior to joining the U.S. Federal Service. Daya Gamage had worked with Dr. Robert K Bloggs, more..

Aug 19 (Island) President Maithripala Sirisena has called upon the prospective presidential candidates to reveal their stand on the drug menace. The scourge of narcotics, no doubt, has to be tackled as a national priority. The President has sought to do so and his efforts are praiseworthy though much more remains to be done if the country is to be liberated from the clutches of the drug Mafia. But there is much more to governance than hunting down drug dealers. more..

Aug 19 (ST) There is a familiarly relentless logic to the political trauma that is currently paralysing SL. The too-premature, too-euphoric frenzy that preoccupied yahapalanaya grandees and their coat-hanging enthusiasts in the aftermath of the 2015 electoral win for the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe coalition as they pronounced the electoral demise of the Rajapaksas is one definitive factor. That history cannot be dismissed by casual waves of hands at this stage by civil society leaders, more..

Aug 19 (CI) Yes, the previous best chase at this venue was only worth 99, and sure, 268 seemed like an excellent total to defend, but this particular surface got slower, not harder to bat on. So, at least, said Kane Williamson after New Zealand's six-wicket defeat. His analysis was not without strong evidence. New Zealand's own tailenders had appeared comfortable on the surface during long stints in the middle on days three and four. And although there was significant turn, more..

Aug 19 (ST) Chaminda Vaas, the Head Coach of Sri Lanka Emerging Cricket team was highly contended with the performance of his team against the Emerging side of South Africa, one of the toughest cricketing countries to tour. When the tour was announced it was evident that is was a challenging task, to beat the formidable hosts on their home soil. However, the energy and hunger the Emerging Lions displayed against more..

Aug 19 (Island) The writer published an article in The Island of 27th and 28th Dec 2018 on the topic Delay in building new power plants" posing the question: "Who�s to be blamed? Now, the Chairman of the PCoI, after conducting a hearing on this issue, has found "if all those who were involved in the procurement process of the construction of a 300 MW LNG power plant at Kerawalapitiya had acted responsibly, the construction of the power plant would have been completed by now and more..

Aug 19 (CI) 3 - Sri Lanka openers who have scored a fourth-innings century in Tests. Dimuth Karunaratne joins a select group which includes only Kusal Mendis (102 in Port of Spain last year), and Sanath Jayasuriya, who achieved the feat twice, both against Australia, in Adelaide and in Kandy. 4 - Sri Lanka batsmen who have scored fourth-innings centuries in wins. The others in this group are Aravinda de Silva (against Zimbabwe in 1998), Mahela Jayawardene (against SA in 2006), more..

Aug 19 (Island) Lakshika Sugandi claimed her third title of the meet in dramatic fashion as she established a new national record becoming the first athlete to aggregate more than 5000 points in the heptathlon on the final day of the 97th National Athletics Championship on Sunday. She won the 800 metres with a time below her personal best but beamed from ear to ear as she realised her ambition of going pass the 5000 points mark. more..

Aug 19 (CT) All-rounder Waindu Hasaranga showcased his brilliance with the bat and ball to help the Sri Lanka Emerging Team defeat the Bangladesh Emerging Team by 186 runs at Savar in Bangladesh, yesterday. Sri Lanka Emerging Team's Captain Charith Asalanka won the toss and decided to bat first on a very good pitch. They were given a good start by Sandun Weerakkody and Pathum Nissanka who scored 48 runs for the first wicket. Nissanka scored 18 runs in 18 balls more..

Aug 19 (ST) Easter terror has dampened corporate results for the last quarter and firms will feel the brunt of elections-related dreariness in the next quarter, research analysts say. Lower consumer demand owing to the falling purchasing power has not spared any sector after the April 21 terror, Dimantha Mathew, Head of Research at First Capital noted. �Especially in the manufacturing sector staff wasn�t working for two to three weeks after the bombing. This has hit them badly.� more..

Aug 19 (TM) The awarding of the tender for Sri Lanka�s first automated railway ticketing system has been completed and is likely to reach the Cabinet for approval in two weeks. The ADB, the fund provider of the $ 20 million project, approved a $160 million loan to modernise SL Railways through a number of improvements. The smart ticketing system is also included in this grand railway modernisation initiative. more..

Aug 19 (Island) Bank of Ceylon (BOC) launched BOC SmartPay- QR (quick response) code based payment solution offered to its valued customers which will be the latest addition to the digital product range of the bank. This will be a key milestone to support bank�s strategic direction towards cashless, paperless & branchless banking model and enrich payment ecosystem in Sri Lanka. BOC SmartPay is introduced to process transactions using LANKAQR code- the national QR code introduced by more..

Aug 19 (DN) Three SL records, six new meet records and one equaled in the 97th National Athletics Championships concluded at the Sugathadasa Stadium yesterday. Middle distance runner Nimali Liyanarachchi, triple jumper Vidusha Lakshani and sprinter Lakshika Suganthi established new Sri Lanka records in the championship. Nimali won the women�s 1,500m event in a time of 4 minutes and 15.87 seconds, Vidusha soared to a new high of 13.66m in women�s Triple Jump more..

Aug 19 (EN) Sri Lanka is forecasting 1.471 million tonnes of paddy to be produced in the Yala 2019 minor cultivation season with 12,278 metric tonnes lost due to crop damaged mostly due to drought, after recording a strong main season harvests. In the main Maha 2019 cultivation season SL harvested 2.59 million metric tonnes of paddy (rough rice), putting the country in line to produce 2.73 million tonnes of rice for the full year, more..

Aug 19 (FT) The first quarter of the financial year 2020 is already promising for LOLC as it surpassed $ 1 billion in equity to become one of the first corporates in the country with a billion-dollar equity base. Notwithstanding the deteriorating macroeconomic conditions in Sri Lanka, LOLC thrived to showcase uninterrupted financial stability with an asset base of Rs. 1.14 trillion along with an equity base of Rs. 190 billion. Group recorded an impressive PBT of Rs. 12b & PAT of Rs. 10b more..

Aug 19 (SLN) Navy apprehended 12 Sri Lankans who were on an attempt to illegally reach Australia by sea route, on 17th Aug. Western Naval Command in coordination with the Chilaw Police conducted a joint search in between Chilaw and Thoduwawa regions and intercepted a suspicious small lorry. During further investigation, they managed to apprehend these 12 individuals who were plotting to sail to Australia by illegal means. Among the 12 are 10 Tamils & 2 Sinhalese. more..

Aug 19 (DM) Whoever the candidates contesting for the forthcoming presidential election, they should pledge to eradicate narcotics, President Maithripala Sirisena said today in Polonnaruwa. He said the candidates should also pledge to implement the death penalty for the drug dealers. President made this remarks after inaugurating a model village constructed at Dimbulagala in Polonnaruwa. more..