Aug 26 (EN) Civil airports operator, Aviation Services (SL) Limited (AASL), reported sharply higher income from rents and concessions last year as it seeks to earn more from its terminals. Asset revenue, derived from property rentals and leases across airport terminal, airfield and cargo areas, grew by 38% in 2018 from the year before. This was mainly owing to stable relationships with our partners who have permitted us to develop medium to long-term rent strategies, AASL more..

Aug 26 (Xinhua) China's top legislature on Monday approved an extradition treaty with Sri Lanka. The 22-article extradition treaty covers issues such as extradition obligations, offenses eligible for extradition, reasons that can and should be used to refuse extradition, and the settlement of disputes. Authorized by the State Council, the Chinese negotiation team was made up of officials from various departments and started talks with the Sri Lankan side in Sept 2014. more..

Aug 26 (RN) United Nations Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief Ahmed Shaheed says he found after the Easter attacks Muslims felt harassed and victimised because of their faith. Shaheed made these remarks this evening in Colombo at a press conference where he unveiled the preliminary findings in his report about the assessment of the freedom of religion or belief in Sri Lanka. more..

Aug 26 (FT) Pungudutivu Food Manufacturers Society Secretary and Jaffna Palmyrah Handicrafts Guarantee Ltd. President Jamunadevi Ponnampalam was awarded the Sri Lanka Thilaka award at the recent National Honours 2019. Amongst 70 personalities, Jamunadevi was awarded for her work in the Northern Province by Prez Sirisena. Both the Pungudutivu Food Manufacturers Society and the Jaffna Palmyrah Handicrafts Guarantee are two entities that have been more..

Aug 26 (NF) A 32-year-old Sri Lankan has been shot dead in Oakland, USA on Tuesday (20) night. The deceased who has been identified as Janath Liyanage was shot about 11:13 p.m. on Tuesday in the 600 block of 20th Street between Rashida Muhammad Street and San Pablo Avenue. Police said he died at a hospital at 1:01 a.m. Wednesday. US authorities said Liyanage was standing outside his vehicle when he was confronted by someone who shot him & took off before police arrived. more..

Aug 26 (AD) The Rs 2290 million Thanthirimale Reservoir Project - the third largest reservoir in Sri Lanka once completed �launched yesterday (25) opens cultivation opportunity through both seasons for many northern farmers for the first time in a long time. �So far the farmers in this Northern region have been farming for only one season every year and this project enables them to farm through both seasons� said the Minister more..

Aug 26 (AD) The country can be saved from the economic crisis the govt is currently facing, says the former Governor of the CB Ajith Nivard Cabraal. He mentioned this following a visit to the Chief Prelate at the Ruwanweliseya Temple, last night. He stated that the country�s economy is deteriorating in every way possible. However, the economy can be rebuilt, he added. Pointing out that the previous regime too had challenges, Cabraal stated that, the only way forward is by overcoming the challenges. more..

Aug 26 (Island) Members of the Govt Medical Officers� Association (GMOA) had held the poor patients to ransom once again last week by launching a token strike while the govt hospitals were overflowing with patients, the Ministry of Health Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine said in a media statement yesterday. The govt doctors had acted in breach of the Hippocratic Oath, the statement signed by Media Secretary of the Ministry, M. I. J. Wijenayake said. more..

Aug 26 (DM) The PHU said today that there would be no necessity to mark second and third preferences at the presidential poll as cautioned by some NGOs. Addressing a news briefing, PHU leader and MP Udaya Gammanpila said the discussion of second and third preferences was opened up after the JVP decided to field its own presidential candidate. �The JVP which supported the UNP candidate at the last two prez more..

Aug 26 (UP) Pakistan PM Imran Khan Monday said that Pakistan deeply valued its close and friendly relations with SL which had been nurtured over decades through a continuous interaction at bilateral, regional and international levels. PM was talking to a SL delegation that called on him to gift eye corneas to sight-disabled people in Pakistan, PM office media wing said. The initiative was taken by the SL High Commission in Islamabad, in collaboration with SL Eye Donation Society. more..

Aug 26 (CT) Authorities are holding discussions with several Western countries, aimed at obtaining a satellite cover over the country's territorial waters, in a bid to nab those dumping solid waste and oil into the sea. The discussions with several foreign missions based in Colombo are being facilitated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and it hoped that there will be a positive outcome at the earliest, Dr. Terney Pradeep Kumara, CEO with the Marine Environment Protection Authority said. more..

Aug 26 (RN) The govt is planning a massive expansion of passenger and cargo boat services that will link Colombo with the suburbs, Negombo as far as Hanwella. Chairman of Sri Lanka Land Reclamation Development Corporation (SLLRDC), Roshan Gunaratna said that the corporation plans to expand the boat passenger services from Wellawatta to Battaramulla via Nawala within six months. more..

Aug 27 (CT) As anticipated, the appointment of Lt General Shavendra Silva as the 23rd Commander of the Sri Lanka Army has raised concerns in Western capitals especially, even as their Eastern counterparts, including not only China, but also Japan, have looked the other way. If anything, Japan, acting alone or in consort with the traditional Western ally, has despatched the forgotten Peace Envoy, Yasushi Akashi, to Colombo, and he has conferred with different sections of more..

Aug 27 (CT) I wrote last week about the requirements that should be laid down in the Constitution about Ministries and Ministers. There should be a limited number of Ministries and the Departments under them should be specified in a Schedule to the Constitution, to stop the lunatic allocation of subjects that we now see, for purely personal reasons as when Ravi Karunanayake wanted to keep control of lotteries while being Foreign Minister. more..

Aug 27 (SO) At the 2015 Presidential election, the National Movement for Social Justice (NMSJ) led by the late Ven. Maduluwawe Sobhitha Thera championed the idea of a common candidate with the hopes of ensuring extensive political reforms in the country. Though Sobhitha Thera is no more and his hopes for good governance have been left unfulfilled, the activists of the movement continue in their struggle to more..

Aug 27 (CT) Sea turtles have been around for more than 100 million years � even surviving dinosaurs who became extinct. Today, nearly all species of sea turtles are classified as endangered by the IUCN Red List. Entanglement in carelessly discarded fishing gear, plastic pollution, consumption of turtle eggs and meat are few of the battles that they have to fight for survival; so much so that only about one in a thousand survives to adulthood. more..

Aug 27 (CT) The Editorial of the Daily Mirror of 7th Aug, under the heading A Candidate�s vision cannot be winning Polls alone, highlights the decadence and degeneracy of Political Parties. It is an obvious and self-evident truth that Govts elected, based on Political Parties, are innately corrupt, inefficient and motivated by Party Interest over National interest. Editorial states that �the attitudes of Political Parties indicate their vision towards the Country and the people. more..

Aug 27 (CT) Leader of the PHU, MP Udaya Gammanpila says Ranil, Sajith and Karu should be held responsible for the destruction caused in the country by this govt. Q: There is less than 100 days to go for the Prez Election, how prepared are you for that? A: There can be no other party in the history of Sri Lanka who has prepared for the Prez Election as much as us. Quite often, Opposition decides on the Candidate after Prez election is announced. more..

Aug 27 (ST) Last week that irascible US Prez Donald Trump suddenly called off his State visit to Denmark next month. After huffing and puffing over Denmark�s rejection of a Trump feeler to purchase the world�s biggest island, he decided to teach Denmark a lesson in Trumpet power. Like a peeved child he decided to deny the great Danes an opportunity of paying homage to this tweeting twit from the White House. All because the Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen said that more..

Aug 27 (Island) Garbage disposal has become a seemingly intractable problem because successive govts have adopted haphazard solutions or kludges thereto, without making a serious effort to solve it once and for all. Trucks carrying Colombo�s waste or kunu to the Aruwakkalu landfill in Puttalam and police vehicles escorting them have been attacked by irate residents of the area. The people must not be denied their right to protest, but they must not be allowed to take the law into their own hands. more..

Aug 27 (ST) The political compulsions of electoral politics are destabilising the economy. The overriding current public interest is the presidential election. Economic issues are of little public concern as matters of electoral politics have taken centre stage. Meanwhile, economic fundamentals are being eroded and the country is heading towards an economic crisis. The political compulsions of the elections are driving the govt to adopt policies that would enhance the govt�s votes. more..

Aug 27 (Island) Mr. Amarabandu, posted on Facebook nearly a year ago has garnered 15.1K views. Named after announcer and journalist, Amarabandu Roopasinghe, and made further famous by President Sirisena's song,� Mr. Amarabandu is a novel concept of animated political cartoon. The short cartoon clip revolves around what Mr. Amarabandu faces during the day and the Daily Mirror and Tamil Mirror cartoonist Namal Amarasinghe has deftly utilized his training more..

Aug 27 (FT) Palm Oil Industry Association (POIA) yesterday regretted that its issues remain unresolved with the Govt turning a deaf ear to the pleas of the industry. Outlining a plethora of hardships at POIA�s inaugural AGM President Dr. Rohan Fernando called on the Govt to give the industry a proper hearing and a tangible solution as soon as possible and to review the situation with scientists who are knowledgeable on subject. more..

Aug 27 (CT) SLA's Artillery Regiment, firing on all cylinders, finished the day with a significant lead on points and medals as seven meet records tumbled on the first day of the Army Athletics Championship 2019 which commenced at the Sugathadasa Stadium, yesterday. A total of 23 out of 32 national athletic champions are employed in the Army; hence it was nothing short of another National C'ship where 22 out of the 23 competed in the meet with only Nadeesha Ramanayaka - Asian C'ship 400m more..

Aug 27 (CT) Govt revenue during the first six months of this year declined 4%, according to data released by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka while State expenditure and lending widened 10.9%. The Central Bank pointed out that during the first half of 2019 ended June, Govt revenue reached Rs 888 billion, down 4 per cent compared to Rs 925.7 billion recorded a year earlier. However, State expenditure widened 10.9 per cent to Rs 1,410 million from Rs 1,271 billion ayear ago. more..

Aug 27 (CI) On a dark day in Colombo, in a rain-afflicted match that has no rights to be even close to yielding a result, New Zealand are on the hunt. They have mostly been supreme predators over the last few years. Eight times they have bowled last, under Kane Williamson; on six of those occasions they've defended fourth-innings targets. One time, in Hamilton, when the match seemed destined to end in a comatose draw more..

Aug 27 (FT) Germany is stepping up its economic engagement with Sri Lanka via a spate of bilateral initiatives whilst calling for greater liberalisation and reforms to spur more investments and trade. German Ambassador Joern Rohde this week will be attending in Germany the S-German Business Roundtable which the Ambassador said has expanded considerably in the past few years especially after the change of Govt in Jan 2015. Later this week German�s Federal Ministry of more..

Aug 27 (Island) People�s Bank celebrated its triumphant 58th anniversary on July1. To coincide with the anniversary, Bank has launched a new campaign focusing on children born within the period of July to Sept. Bank presents a gift voucher worth Rs 1000/- to each and every newborn. This initiative was first launched successfully in 1998, and has been an annual event ever since. In addition to this promotional campaign, People�s Bank conducts a similar scheme every year during more..

Aug 27 (FT) Sri Lanka�s largest Ferris wheel will soon make its first spin, soaking up bird�s eye views across the capital city and its suburbs. The iconic wheel will be part of a staggering 1.5-acre entertainment zone, Fantasy Island, which also houses a large water park and an impressive snow cave. With its ground-breaking ceremony having taken place on Friday (23), under the patronage of Minister Champika more..

Aug 27 (SO) One time SL rugby great Hisham Abdeen has joined the chorus in exposing the unprofessional behaviour of the conductors of schools rugby by implementing a strict code of conduct for players who will contest his annual Academy tournament at the Race Course ground in Colombo today. Sri Lanka Schools Rugby Football Association has come under heavy criticism that has also fallen on deaf ears over a litany of on-field violence and crowd disruptions during more..

Aug 27 (DN) Parliament recently determined that the recovery of pension gratuity of judges of the superior courts in 120 months, is in accordance with the Constitution. In Jan 2018, Pensions Dept decided to deduct in installments the commuted pension paid to the retired superior court judges following an audit query and a directive from the AG�s Dept to recover the payments. However, concerns were raised against the Pensions Dept�s decision alleging that the move violates the Constitution. more..

Aug 27 (DN) A former key Ministry secretary and a former senior SLAF officer have been linked to a major case of misuse of State funds amounting to Rs. 2.7 billion now being filed by the FCID before the Colombo Fort Magistrate�s Court. The case, allegedly involving the purchase of two merchant ships by the Ceylon Shipping Corporation at an overrated price of US$ 35 million also alleges that a Chinese father-son business duo more..

Aug 27 (CT) The Court of Appeal yesterday decided to hear the Contempt of Court case against the Convener of the National Movement for Social Justice (NMSJ) Prof. Sarath Wijesuriya on 25 Nov. When the case was taken for hearing yesterday, the Court of Appeal decided to postpone the hearing as only Justice Achala Vengappuli was present though a two-Judge Bench had been appointed. Two Contempt of Court charges had been submitted to Court against the Convener of NMSJ alleging more..

Aug 27 (RN) SLPP questioned calls expressed by some quarters for its prez candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa to obtain SLFP membership before the upcoming election. SLPP spokesman MP Rohitha Abeygunawardana dismissed the idea as impractical as, according to him, Rajapaksa will run for Prez as a national candidate. �Gotabaya Rajapaksa has not even taken membership of the SLPP. He will run for prez as a national candidate representing all the parties (in an as-yet-unannounced allianced)� more..

Aug 27 (FT) Army will seek to enhance its intelligence apparatus in the future, Army Commander Lt General Shavendra de Silva said to improve intelligence gathering and sharing following the Easter Sunday attacks. He acknowledged the importance of enhancing Army intelligence to meet new national security challenges. �Intelligence is vital, we deploy our troops and conduct missions based on more..

Aug 27 (SLA) One more milestone project of the Sri Lanka Army, Exercise Cormorant Strike X - 2019, the joint mega Tri-Service Field Training Exercise (FTX), organized for the 10thconsecutive year will kick off on 3 September with a record participation of more than 100 foreign military participants and observers, in addition to 2400 Army personnel, 400 Sailors and 200 Airmen, announced during a Media briefing held this evening (26) at Hotel Kingsbury. The Media briefing which focused on more..

Aug 27 (AD) MP Lasantha Alagiyawanna has been appointed as the new Treasurer of the SLFP at the SLFP Central Committee meeting. MP Alagiyawanna had replaced MP S.B. Dissanayake, who held the post previously. Further, MP Weerakumara Dissanayake was appointed the new SLFP Spokesperson replacing MP Mahinda Samarasinghe. SLFP Central Committee meeting was held earlier this evening (26) chaired by President Maitripala Sirisena. more..

Aug 27 (Island) Massive malpractices and financial misappropriation at Govt Printer�s Department, under the current administration, were exposed during an investigation conducted by the Committee on Public Accounts of Parliament last week. It was found that a whopping sum of Rs 108 million had been paid as overtime for those attached to the canteen of the institution. Canteen is maintained by more..

Aug 27 (AD) TID has uncovered a haul of weapons hidden at the Karandiaya area in, Palai, Jaffna, stated the Police Media Spokesperson. The weapons have been discovered based on the information divulged through the questioning of the Judicial Medical Officer of the Palai Hospital who was arrested over links to terrorist organizations. Accordingly, an AK47 rifle, 2 magazines, 120 live bullets, 11 hand grenades and 10 kg of PE10 explosives have been found in Palai. more..