Aug 19 (ST) Reigning champions Udesh Chandima and Dineth Dulakshana of SL Air Force defended their titles at the 19th President Cup Carrom Doubles Championship 2019 at the Carrom Federation Headquarters, Nugugoda last weekend. Chandima/Dulakshana combination defeated Hasitha Anuruddha and Avon Wickremasinghe of SL Air Force 2-1 at the Men�s final while Joseph Roshita of SL Navy and Chalani Lakmali of SL Air Force won the Women�s title by overcoming Tashmila more..

Aug 19 (EN) Sri Lanka�s Softlogic Holdings Plc is planning to expand its new Glomark supermarket chain with five more outlets, a top official said. �We will be opening a Glomark Flagship store in CR&FC, Colombo 07 along with outlets in Mount Lavinia, Negombo, Rajagiriya and Malabe," Chairman Ashok Pathirage said in a statement. The opening of a Glomark Essential store which sells daily groceries in June at the Orion City IT park was delayed till August, he said. more..

Aug 19 (FT) Ambassador Alaina B. Teplitz allayed fears over SL�s move to sign up for the US Govt�s Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Compact entailing $ 480 million of grant assistance, saying it was highly beneficial for poverty reduction via sustainable economic growth. �MCC�s purpose is to catalyse economic growth. It is a 5-year program funded with $ 480 million grant aid from the people of US to the people of SL. more..

Aug 19 (EN) Sri Lanka plans to re-take unused coastal areas released for aquaculture and salterns as part of a project to re-generate 10,000 hectares of mangroves. The cabinet of ministers had approved a proposal by Prez Sirisena as the minister of environment to take back land released for aquaculture, if they are no longer used, the state information office said. Commissioner of Land and District Secretaries will be instructed not to renew leases of lands that have been abandoned. more..

Aug 19 (FT) Milinda Moragoda has issued the statement proposing that the President, PM and Opposition Leader Jointly Nominate a Presidential Commission of Inquiry to Investigate the 21/04 attacks. �It is very apparent that our society as a whole is seeking to understand exactly what happened and heal, and reach closure with these seemingly incomprehensible events. Our political leaders, despite their parochial differences that will intensify during this pre-election period, more..

Aug 19 (DN) Acting IGP C.D. Wickramaratne has directed the CID to submit reports on investigations conducted on six high profile cases including the murder of national rugby player Wasim Thajudeen and journalist Lasantha Wickramatunga on or before Aug 23. Earlier, on Aug 15, Attorney General Dappula de Livera had instructed the acting IGP to expedite investigations into five high-profile cases more..

Aug 19 (DN) American Chamber of Commerce in Sri Lanka (AmCham) reiterated its commitment to foster trade and investment activities between Sri Lanka and the USA, to better garner more economic benefits in the future. Speaking at the 27 Annual General Meeting of the AmCham, held in Colombo last week, Presantha Jayamaha, President of AmCham stressed that he would make every effort to add significant value to AmCham activities in the coming year. more..

Aug 19 (CT) Embassy of Sri Lanka in Beijing, in collaboration with the International Bamboo and Rattan Organisation (INBAR), organised a SL Handicrafts Day at the INBAR Pavilion at the Horticultural Expo 2019 in Yanqing, Beijing on 8 Aug. The event was attended by INBAR Deputy Director General, Professor Lu Wenming, as well as Sri Lankans living in China, foreign nationals, and diplomats. Ambassador, Karunasena Kodituwakku highlighted the cooperation between more..

Aug 19 (FT) A serious tussle has emerged over the appointment of a new Commander of the Army, with current Army Chief Lt. Gen. Mahesh Senanayake officially retiring from service yesterday. Prez looked set to appoint Army Chief of Staff Major General Shavendra Silva as Commander over the weekend, but the prospect of promotion for the controversial war time Commander has caused serious concern in several quarters. more..

Aug 19 (DC) The fishermen community here plunged into anxiety and anger on Sunday as over 2,000 Tamil Nadu fishermen were allegedly intimidated and chased away in the high seas while fishing in the Palk Strait near Katchatheevu islet off here on Sunday by the Sri Lankan Navy personnel. Reports reaching the pilgrim island said the Island-Navy personnel also allegedly destroyed GPS communication equipment and fishing nets in over 200 mechanised boats. more..

Aug 19 (Island) Minister John Amaratunga�s private secretary who was sacked for illegally sending youth overseas by nominating them as officials of the Ministry of Tourism, had yet not been questioned. A ministry official said: "A few months ago the Sri Lankan High Commissioner in Canada informed the Ministry that there was a tourism fair in Canada and asked the Ministry to send six representatives. The suspect sent six persons who were not attached to the Ministry. more..

Aug 19 (DM) As we approach another cycle of elections, it is democracy that is at stake. And by democracy I do not only mean electoral democracy with the periodic moments of voting, even though that is also important. Indeed, it is electoral democracy that is finally shut down when there is a military coup or fascist takeover. Rather, I am concerned here about a broader understanding of democracy to mean the space and process for expanding our freedoms & ensuring equality. more..

Aug 19 (DM) Rituals of ragging can be gruesome, sometimes deadly. Since 1975, there has been 16 ragging-related deaths and according to UGC, over 2000 students drop out every year in order to stay away from ragging. The experiences of ragging-exposed students are not only brutal and horrific but also expose the existence of such barbaric acts within our universities. Recently, the UGC along with Ministry of Higher Education, UNICEF and other universities, conducted a study titled more..

Aug 19 (DM) MP Kumara Welgama in an interview with The Hindu said former Prez Rajapaksa should not field a sibling as the next Prez candidate. He said family bandysm is not appropriate for the country and MR faced defeat at the last election due to his family- centred approach. Close ally of former Prez, Welgama who was a senior cabinet minister of his govt, said many seniors were disheartened as former Prez positioned his relatives above more..

Aug 19 (DN) The Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) is to take action to recover arrears of Rs 10.8 million from two private companies and several govt institutions for air transportation facilities provided on commercial basis, a memorandum submitted to Parliament by the SLAF states. Already, the Air Force has sent formal letters of demand to these institutions for the prompt recovery of dues. Replying a query about financial arrears raised by the COPA, more..

Aug 19 (CT) The rapid growth in the global demand for Graphite and associated products has encouraged SL to move towards an increased extraction of graphite and production of graphene with the aim of improving itself in the competitive global market which in 2020, is estimated to reach USD 17.56 billion in terms of value and 4.48 million tonnes in terms of volume. Graphite and Graphene Graphite is a form of crystalline carbon and more..

Aug 19 (CT) Sri Lanka would extend its partnership with China beyond trade and investment to enhance regional security to combat terrorism and support a solution for climate change, non-Cabinet Minister of Economic Reforms and Public Distribution, Dr. Harsha de Silva said. He was speaking at the opening of a photo exhibition titled 40 years of Reforms and Opening Policy of China held at the BMICH. more..

Aug 19 (CT) SLPP Presidential candidate, Gotabaya Rajapaksa visited the Vice Chancellor of University of Sri J'pura, Ven. Iththepane Dammalankara Thera, yesterday. There, Dammalankara Thera highlighted that the selection of Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who can be considered more as a national leader than a political leader, as the SLPP presidential candidate, was a historic event and a bold decision. more..

Aug 19 (ST) Political party names for the use of prez candidates at the upcoming elections are on offer for amounts varying from Rs 5 to six million. One of the candidates not affiliated to a political party and set to contest the prez election has been offered the party name and symbol for cash. Under existing election laws, a prez candidate should be a former MP if he or she wants to contest the elections independently or should contest more..

Aug 19 (DM) The factions of the UNP agreed to form the National Democratic Front (NDF) with the like -minded parties, but would retain the discretionary right to nominate the presidential candidate, Daily Mirror learns. However, the nominated candidate has to be endorsed by the Leadership Council of the NDF once formed. The UNP factions and the leaders of the other parties sat together at the residence of Health Minister more..

Aug 19 (DM) Minister Sajith Premadasa, for the first time, asserted that he would contest for the presidential election for sure. Addressing a function, Mr. Premadasa said there was no second thought about his move to contest. �The country is heading for a critical political juncture. We will face the Prez Election in another few months� time. That is the elections that shape the future of the country. more..

Aug 19 (AD) After just one year since the war, the TNA requested for unconditional votes for former Army Commander Sarath Fonseka who assassinated Tamil civilians, according to Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias Karuna Amman. He expressed these views at the Tamil United Freedom Party committee meeting held at the party office Kalladi, Batticaloa, yesterday. He stated that he has decided to suppor more..

Aug 19 (TM) President Maithripala Sirisena today appointed Major General Shavendra Silva as the new Commander of the Army. He replaces Lt. Gen. Mahesh Senanayake whose term ended yesterday. International Truth and Justice Project (ITPJ) said that Silva�s appointment throws into question US assistance to the SL Army which is subject to Leahy Laws which prohibit the US from providing military assistance to more..

Aug 19 (CT) In the backdrop of hue and cry over garbage brought down from abroad in containers and dumped at the Free Trade Zone area in Katunayake in the past few weeks, not only managing the usual garbage but the clinical waste from hospitals and e-waste have thrown a big challenge with regard to waste management. Efforts taken to dump the garbage collected from Colombo in Aruwakkalu in the Puttalam area has backfired following a mass protest staged by more..

Aug 19 (DM) Any constituent party in the proposed National Democratic Front (NDF) can leave the alliance and contest separately if they do not support the presidential candidate nominated by the UNP, Minister and TPA leader Mano Ganesan said today. �What is important is for the UNP to name its candidate for the presidency without delay. UNP parliamentary group and working committee should choose its candidate and send the nomination to the NDF for approval. more..

Aug 19 (FT) We begin a new series on conversations with Sri Lanka�s top economists, penned by our columnist W.A. Wijewardena. These conversations will bring out how these economists were made, what beliefs they hold for life, why they have chosen the dismal science as their career and what main contributions they have made and so on. We believe that Wijewardena is best suited to write this series, going by the twisted proverb Set an economist to catch an economist. more..

Aug 19 (AD) The SL Army had arrested a person who had been serving as the Judicial Medical Officer at the Palai Hospital in Kilinochchi and handed him over to the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) in Jaffna. According to the Police Media Spokesperson, the arrest had been made over alleged connections to a terrorist organization. The suspect has been arrested last night (18) at the quarters reserved for hospital staff. The suspect is currently under interrogation. more..

Aug 19 (AD) The United States of America says it is deeply concerned by the appointment of Major General Shavendra Silva as the new Commander of Sri Lanka Army. The Embassy of the United States of America in Colombo today (19) issued a press release stating that the allegations of gross human rights violations against the new Army Commander, documented by the United Nations and other organizations, are serious and credible. more..

Aug 19 (FT) SLIM Ignite 2020 was held in a spectacular manner at the BMICH, with the voices of legends speaking on behalf of the spark of change. The direction was set towards ultimate prosperity by establishing the right tone for top professionals in the corporate sector. Lt. Gen. Mahesh Senanayake who was the keynote speaker and the guest of honour was welcomed by SLIM President Suranjith Swaris and SLIM National Initiatives Project Chairman Charaka Perera. more..

Aug 19 (AM) A prominent Buddhist monk has requested permission from the govt to install VIP emergency lights in his SUV and tint its windows. The letter requesting permission, which is now shared widely on social media, has been written by the Chief Incumbent of the Keragala Padmavati Rajamaha Viharaya. The justification for the installation of VIP emergency lights and tinted windows, according to the letter, is his frequent visits to Kandy to meet the Mahanayake and more..

Aug 19 (AD) Field Marshall Sarath Fonseka says that the UNP must appoint a candidate by thinking of the country to win the upcoming presidential election. Stating that the UNP has a party leader and party policies, Fonseka said that the candidate will be chosen according to them. The former Army Commander says that he never thought that Gotabaya Rajapaksa was capable of ruling a country. more..

Aug 19 (ST) Sri Lanka has offered to assist Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) members in anti-piracy efforts as a part of the regional body�s maritime security work plan which was finalized recently. IORA had finalised a two-year work plan focusing on building an integrated policy and developing a framework for maritime security, during its first Maritime Safety and Security (MSS) Working Group meeting in Colombo this month. Sri Lanka will take the lead role in assessing more..

Aug 19 (PMD) Prez Sirisena awarded Veerodhara Vibushana medals to two war heroes today. This highest gallantry medal awarded by the Commander-in-Chief for all the serving officers in Army, Navy and Air Force in recognition of their unmatched valour, dedication and unfailing commitment. Corporal Ratnayake was decorated with this medal for his selfless act to save lives of four people who were faced with the danger of drowning in a lagoon in Batticaloa on more..

Aug 19 (EN) Sri Lanka is planning to deploy technology to cut through traffic congestion, connect rural farmers to markets abroad and transform a land registration to eliminate deed fraud replacing a archaic system started during British rule. Sri Lanka is using grant funding from the Millennium Challenge Corporation to make the reforms. Changes to the land registry laws will also strengthen the rights of female spouses, more..

Aug 19 (DM) The Govt Medical Officers' Association (GMOA) has decided to launch an island-wide work stoppage on Thursday, GMOA Secretary Dr. Haritha Aluthge said. �The strike will be staged with regard to several issues, mainly over the failure to legalise the minimum standards of medical education and amending of the service minute for doctors,� addressing a news briefing, Dr Aluthge said. He said the strike action would be launched from Thursday 8.00 am to Friday 8.00 am. more..

Aug 19 (DN) Three new European envoys accredited to Sri Lanka presented their credentials to Prez Sirisena at the President�s House in Colombo today. The Envoys who presented credentials were Ms Trine Eskedel � Ambassador of Norway, Mrs Sarah Hulton � High Commissioner of UK of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Mrs Tanja Gonggrijp � Ambassador of Netherlands. Addressing the new envoys, Prez said that all three countries represented by the new envoys more..

Aug 19 (EN) Sri Lanka is starting to upgrade its ageing railway network loan to win back passengers as congestion and delays hits road transport, with ADB credit to upgrade signaling, communications and ticketing. �Nobody is paying attention to railway�, Minister Arjuna Ranatunga said. �Today, everyone�s focus lies on the prez elections.� �However, my focus is on how we can improve this country�s transportation.� more..

Aug 19 (Island) The govt and the Elections Commission must take immediate action on revelations that former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa had voted in the 2005 Presidential Election while he was a citizen of the United States, National Coordinator of the Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV,) Manjula Gajanayake told The Island. "Gotabaya Rajapaksa�s name was in the 2005 voters list of Medamulana. By that time he had become a citizen of the United States. more..