Jul 15 (TM) Sri Lanka will host a regional conference in October with the participation of over 150 youth leaders from the region and Europe, as well as a few high level officials from the World Economic Forum (WEF). Despite the cancellation or postponement of several MICE (Meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) events since the Easter attack, this event is set to go ahead with full participation. The regional gathering of Global Shapers titled Shape South Asia 2019 will be more..

Jul 15 (AD) Prez Sirisena has said the people will have the opportunity to elect a new govt within the next five months and that he expects them to use their franchise wisely to select honest individuals who love the country. The only way to re-build this economically backward and the corrupted country is to elect a got with honest politicians, the President has stated attending a ceremony to declare open the newly-constructed more..

Jul 16 (CT) About three years ago when passing through Punanai along the arterial road between Habarana and Batticaloa, I noticed a few brick structures appearing in a parched land amid thick shrubs and woody trees. It was almost a desolate spot where I could not see any people living close by. On inquiring from friends, I understood that it was a Saudi funded huge madrasa built by one Muslim parliamentarian and minister from the Batticaloa District. more..

Jul 16 (CT) In the Sri Lankan mind, politicians are thought to be engaged in the destruction of the lives of the people and the foundations of the nation. In the subconscious or unconscious, this has gone so deep that to speak of them as archetypes in the Jungian sense is no exaggeration at all. It is commonly said that all 225 members of parliament should be dismissed for the good of the people. To be an archetype of destruction is worse than being a mere dictator or tyrant. more..

Jul 16 (SO) Popular singer, Iraj Weeraratne, following the saga of his Facebook page going down on Friday (05), claims that he suspects that sections of the Govt had instigated the Silicon Valley based Social Media giant, to block his account for political reasons. Weeraratne has publicly accused the Media Secretary to the Megapolis and Western Development Ministry, Dhanushka Ramanayake of being involved in more..

Jul 16 (CT) So, one more No-Trust Motion has been moved against the Govt, and one more has been defeated. If nothing else, the incumbent Govt of PM Ranil Wickremesinghe may have the dubious distinction of being faced with so many No-Trust Motions in Parliament. To its notso-dubious credit should go their ability to defeat all those No-Trust Votes, through the past nearly four years of its post-poll existence, since Aug 2015. The same cannot be said of Team Ranil in Jan-Aug, 2015. more..

Jul 16 (CT) I looked last week at the security functions of govt, which were indeed the reasons for society establishing govts, for men and women accepting authority, not just because it was powerful, but because it fulfilled very necessary needs. In Political Principles and their Practice in Sri Lanka, I noted that �Before what we may term the Modern Period beginning in the eighteenth century, security and justice were seen as the primary duties of a govt. more..

Jul 16 (CT) Kalutara District JVP MP Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa says, those who became President and PM through a people�s mandate and established a Govt have turned their back on that mandate, �Therefore, what has to be done now is to build up an alternative force against these rulers who created anarchy in the country while breaking all promises.� Q: The allegations that you debated a No-Confidence Motion last week more..

Jul 16 (GV) Several months on, the effect of the Easter Sunday attacks on April 21, 2019 is being felt even in remote areas like Wasgamuwa, affecting both children and elephants. As an indirect result of the attacks, the world�s first and only EleFriendly bus which runs along an ancient elephant corridor in Wasgamuwa may not be able to operate any more. The bus is owned by the local community and run by the Sri Lanka Wildlife Conservation Society (SLWCS). more..

Jul 16 (ST) Non-economic conditions have been the determining factors in Sri Lanka�s below-potential post-Independence economic development. The preconditions for rapid economic development have been missing and successive govts have been unable to pursue and implement pragmatic economic policies. Consequently, high sustained economic growth has eluded the country and only an annual average economic growth of 3.5% was achieved in the past seven decades. more..

Jul 16 (CT) Govt wants to trim the powers and responsibilities vested in the Public Utilities Commission of SL (PUCSL) and vest them in the Ministry of Power and Energy. Govt, since Minister Ravi Karunanayake took on the mantle of the Power Ministry, apparently plans to implement projects to generate 1800MW of solar energy, 650MW of wind energy, 200MW of Biomass and 100MW of solid waste projects by 2022 with the construction of additional transmission capacity at the Ports more..

Jul 16 (DN) If Vesak is important because Prince Siddhattha was born, then Esala is equally important as the prince was conceived in Queen Mahamaya. If Vesak is important because of the Buddha�s awakening, then Esala is equally important as Siddhartha left all his luxuries for an ascetic life; this is when his son Rahula was born. Queen Maya was born to King Anjana and Queen Yasodhara of the Koliya caste. That night she dreamt of gods, arrived from four directions, take her to lake Anotatta. more..

Jul 16 (EN) SL�s factory production recovery gathered momentum in June with services also recovering from a record low after April�s suicide bombings as the Manufacturing Purchasing Managers� Index rose 3.2 points to 53.9 from May. �This expansion in manufacturing PMI is mainly attributable to significant recovery in employment, especially, in manufacturing of food and beverages and textiles & wearing apparels sectors,� more..

Jul 16 (DN) Sri Lanka pulled off a nerve-wracking 2-1 victory over India in the opening match of the XIV West Asia Baseball Cup at the Sri Lanka-Japan Friendship Baseball Stadium at Diyagama yesterday. The game was tied at 1-1 with Sri Lanka batting the bottom of the ninth when Sahan Gunasekera grounded out for vice-captain Naveen Anuradha to complete the winning run to jubilation of the home team after an enthralling three-hour contest. more..

Jul 16 (DN) Dineshkanthan Thangaraja and Sharmal Dissanayaka will battle for the men�s singles crown as both players have qualified for the final after yesterday�s semifinals in the ongoing Colombo Championship Tennis tournament at the Sri Lanka Tennis Association clay courts. Sharmal beat Liu-Hui-Retalli 6/2, 6/1 in semis while Dineshkanthan had the better of Chathurya Nilaweera in easy stright sets 6/1, 6/1 in the other men�s singles semifinal. Final between Dineshkanthan and Sharmal more..

Jul 16 (ST) Sri Lanka is likely to sign a deal with Iran to sell its famed tea over the next two years in exchange for the settlement of loans obtained for the purchase of oil. Two weeks back a discussion was held at the Foreign Ministry among Ministers Tilak Marapana and Navin Dissanayake together with other relevant officials of the two ministries, Plantation Industries Ministry Secretary J.A. Ranjith said on Thursday. more..

Jul 16 (AD) Four persons have been arrested while in possession of 290 electric detonators at Hedigama, Piliyandala. They were taken into custody from a house in the Hedigama area acting on a tip-off was received by the Piliyandala Police on the matter. The arrest was made in a search jointly carried out by the SL Army and the Police. Accordingly, the arrestees were identified as the owner of the house, his two sons and the person who had given them the stock of detonators. more..

Jul 16 (DN) Sri Lanka Emerging team led by Charith Asalanka emerged champions when they beat University Sports South Africa X1 by eight wickets with 78 balls to spare in the final played at Pretoria, South Africa on Sunday. Lahiru Madushanka the paceman took 4 for 35 while opener Pathum Nisssanka stroked an unbeaten 84 which paved the way to become champions in this triangular tournament. SL emerging team invited University team to bat first but they were 180 for 7 wts more..

Jul 16 (FT) US 31st President Herbert Hoover once claimed: �If we could have but one generation of properly born, trained, educated, and healthy children, a thousand other problems of govt would vanish.� The overall health of the future generation is such crucial factor for any country. Especially for a developing country like SL, the future generations are hugely important. The malnutrition has been a persistent problem more..

Jul 16 (FT) Veteran hotelier Chandra Wickramasinghe expressed concern over the scaling down of the banks moratorium and working capital support to the Easter Sunday terror-hit industry. He said as per the CB�s original Circular; the moratoriums and loan facilities were valid until 31 March 2020. However Dept of Development Finance of Ministry of Finance had issued a new circular, where the 3.46% concessionary interest rate is only valid till 31 Dec. more..

Jul 16 (CT) The Sri Lanka team of three athletes left the country yesterday (14) to compete in the Vietnam open athletics championship to be held from the 17th to 19th. The Athletics Association had selected the team considering athletes with best performance this year and closest to get to the world Championship qualification mark. The team includes South Asia�s fastest man, Himasha Eashan, who broke his own South Asian and SL record with 10.22 seconds earlier this year. more..

Jul 16 (FT) An international study revealed that Sri Lanka is yet to regulate per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which contain over 4,500 man-made fluorinated chemicals that may cause cardiovascular diseases, asthma, elevated blood pressure, and many other health complications. The study found blood contamination among Sri Lankans due to PFAS. IPEN, which is a global network of interested NGOs more..

Jul 16 (DM) A team of 18 Australian travel and tour operators arrived in Sri Lanka on a 10-day familiarisation tour hosted by the SL Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB). Tourist arrivals from Australia have shown a steady increase in recent months and it is envisioned that the familiarisation tour would capitalise on this wave of interest. Over 4000 tourists had arrived from Australia to SL, mostly by air, during June this year. The tour operators prior to the familiarisation tour more..

Jul 16 (Island) Chairman of the SLPP Prof. G.L. Peiris yesterday said his party�s manifesto for the next Presidential election would be made available for a public debate in the first week of August. Prof. Peiris said the election manifesto was being prepared by 29 expert committees. The SLPP Presidential candidate�s election manifesto was expected to be released on October 8, he said. Prof. Peiris said the SLPP and SLFP were having talks with a view to forming an alliance. more..

Jul 16 (Island) It was a mistake for the Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC) appointed to select the type tab computers to be given to GCE A/L students, not to mention that the ceiling for bids should be Rs. 5 billion, reflecting the govt allocation for purchasing the computers, former head of the TEC, Narendra Meegama told the PCoI. Commenting on the fact that the TEC had rejected a bid by Abans for Hayer, citing that more..

Jul 16 (FT) Govt is set to move a resolution in Parliament next week to alter the limits of the Administrative District of Colombo by the inclusion of the reclaimed area of land known as Port City Colombo. The resolution will be moved by the Minister Wajira Abeywardana under Section 3 of the Administrative Districts Act No. 22 of 1955 to bring Port City Colombo within the area of authority and the limits of the Administrative District of Colombo. This reclaimed area of land will be annexed more..

Jul 16 (FT) Energy and Business Development Minister Ravi Karunanayake yesterday criticised the Finance Ministry for not releasing Rs. 81 billion due to the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) so it could settle dues to the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC). The Energy Ministry owes Rs. 69 billion to the CPC for purchasing fuel for power generation. Recently, CPC refused to release fuel to thermal power plants, resulting in power cuts in several areas of the country. more..

Jul 16 (CT) National Anti-Drug Front (NADF) claimed that it feared that Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera and his Ministry officials were being influenced by interested parties, who do not want the taxes on the 67 millimetre (mm) and 72 mm cigarettes to be increased. NADF Convener Chathura Liyanarachchi claimed that Minister Samaraweera, on 10 July, had signed a gazette notice to be implemented on 11 July, increasing excise duty of more..

Jul 16 (DM) Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), in cooperation with the Tourism, Wildlife and Christian Religious Affairs Ministry, successfully completed a joint seminar themed Recovery of tourism sector in SL after the Easter bombings 2019, targeting the officials and professionals in the tourism sector. The presenter, Masato Takamatsu, Managing Director and Head of Tourism Crisis Management Consulting at JTB (Japan Travel Bureau) Tourism Research & Consulting, more..

Jul 16 (AD) A 45-year-old father and 11-year-old daughter died today (15) after the motorcycle they were riding collided with a Colombo Fort-bound train on the Wadurawa level crossing in Veyangoda police division. The accident has taken place at around 6.45 a.m. this morning. The police said that the duo died on the spot after the train arriving from Kankesanturai hit their motorcycle at the unprotected level crossing. The remains of the deceased are currently placed at more..

Jul 16 (Island) In 2017, then Minister of Agriculture Duminda Dissanayake had asked for various improvements to his office on the 9th floor of the D. P. Jayasinghe building and that had compelled the Ministry officials to extend the contract period given to companies to furnish and carpet the building by four months, the PCoI was told. Although the Ministry had signed an agreement with D.P. Jayasinghe company more..

Jul 16 (CT) Navy yesterday (12), was probing the all foreign crew of a ghost ship, that was apprehended late 10 July on the high seas off Galle, to ascertain if the men were linked to an extremist Islamist militant organisation based in Pakistan. Approximately 60 kilograms of an unidentified narcotic substance, suspected to be heroin, was also recovered from the vessel which was nabbed some 100 nautical miles off the Galle Coast, Navy Spokesman, Lieutenant Commander Isuru Sooriyabandara said. more..

Jul 16 (ST) Sri Lanka will be able to witness a partial lunar eclipse shortly after midnight on Tuesday July 16, which is full moon Poya day. Coincidentally, the date also marks the 50th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. The lunar eclipse will also be visible in Australia, Africa, South America, most of Europe and Asia. It will not be visible in North America except in the southern and eastern part of the continent. This will be the last lunar eclipse for 2019 and the next lunar eclipse more..

Jul 16 (DN) Court of Appeal directed the Attorney General to obtain advice from the Conservator General of the Forest Conservation Dept to inspect whether a portion of the land in the Maraichukkaddi-Karadikkuli (Kallaru) Forest Reserve situated at the Northern boundary of the Wilpattu National Park is currently being cleared as claimed by the writ petition. Court of Appeal two-judge-bench made this direction pursuant to more..

Jul 16 (FT) The SLPP criticised Jalani Premadasa, the wife of Minister Sajith Premadasa, for her statement that she would be the future First Lady. Premadasa, addressing an event on Saturday, said that she came in front of the crowd as the First Lady of the future President. Following the statement, various parties expressed their views on the matter. SLPP Chairman Prof. G. L. Peiris told media their party was not facing any disagreements on their Prez candidate or the future First Lady. more..

Jul 16 (DM) Minister Harin Fernando said yesterday that despite social media attempts to destroy Sajith Premadasa�s name and fame fabricating a Lady and Wife story, it would not pose a problem to him because the villagers are with him. The Minister told journalists in Badulla when asked about the Presidential candidate of the UNP. He added, � This is a time when the UNP is fed up with the politics for our country. There is a ray of hope about Sajith Premadasa to some extent. more..

Jul 16 (DN) TNA has decided to move an adjournment motion on Constitutional reforms in Parliament next week. Following a request made by TNA leadership during a Party Leaders� Meeting, Parliament has agreed to facilitate a 2-day Adjournment Debate on Constitutional Reforms in SL. Debate will be held on July 25 and 26. TNA has requested the debate with the aim of reviving discussion on constitutional making exercise more..

Jul 17 (CT) Sajith Premadasa has put his hands up for leadership in the party and for nomination by the UNP in the forthcoming presidential elections. I wish Sajith had tested himself, and gave the public a chance to test, his distinctive capabilities and resourcefulness as a leader in governance. He has, indeed, proved to be an effective speaker resonating with our memory of his illustrious Dad. But that is just one qualifying factor. In the complex and most challenging situation more..

Jul 17 (CT) With a presidential election looming in the vicinity of six months and the two main political streams undecided on their champion who would lead them to an ultimate victory, the political environment in Sri Lanka is full of space, opportunity and choice. Even before the clarification by the Chairman of the Elections Commission Mr Mahinda Deshapriya that the Presidential election will be held between 15th Nov and 7th Dec 2019 there were few individuals who apparently more..