Sep 17 (FT) Minister Malik Samarawickrama called for investors to not be deterred by Sri Lanka�s political situation and continue to consider it as an attractive investment destination. Speaking at the Sri Lanka Investment and Business Conclave 2019 organised by the CCC Minister Samarawickrama while acknowledging that Sri Lanka has a vibrant political landscape with politics being knocked into a new gear with more..

Sep 17 (CT) The Sri Lanka Rugby team produced arguably their worst performance in 7s Rugby on the second day of the second leg of the Asia Rugby 'Sevens' Series which concluded on Sunday in Huizhou, China. Sri Lanka players committed a number of schoolboy errors from the start as they were thumped by Japan and Hong Kong on a day best forgotten for the Tuskers. Sri Lanka was hammered by 37 points to 0 in the last match by Japan to finish second in their Group. more..

Sep 17 (ST) The left-arm spin and pace combination of Atharva Ankolekar and Akash Singh guided defending champions India U19 to a thrilling five run win over Bangladesh U19 in a low scoring final of the Under 19 Asia Cup played at the R. Premadasa Stadium yesterday. The pair shared eight wickets between them with Ankolekar ending with impressive match figures of 5 for 28 while Singh bagged three for 12 to help the side defend a low score of 106 runs. more..

Sep 17 (TM) Plans for the construction of a second terminal at BIA have been renewed in hopes of completing construction by 2022. The terminal, which was delayed by years due to cost concerns, will now be fast-tracked with a committee appointed to resolve said concerns, according to a senior Airport and Aviation Services (SL) Ltd. (AASL) official. The renewed focus on the second terminal comes as the plan of more..

Sep 17 (Island) Makadura Central, Matara athletes Sasindu Sankalpa and Shashikala Dilshani followed up their impressive track performances at the Sir John Tarbat Senior Championship with the All Island Schools Road Race victories at Giriulla on Saturday to cap a remarkabale week of triumphs. Sankalpa was the winner of both the Under-20 1500 metres (4: 14.05 secs) and 5,000 metres (16:27.2 secs) at Sir John Tarbat Senior C'ships which concluded at Sugathadasa Stadium on Thursday. more..

Sep 17 (EN) SL has raised a paddy (rough rice) output from both cultivation seasons in 2019 to 4.613 million metric tonnes up 5.5% from an earlier estimate, and up 17% from last year. In the ongoing Yala season, 1,540 paddy is forecast to be produced after crop damage, up from a earlier forecast of 1.47 million metric tonnes. This years Yala forecast is around the same as 1.53 m metric tonnes produced in 2018. After wastage and seed paddy needs, 1.38m tonnes of paddy will be available more..

Sep 17 (TM) The country�s foremost economic event, Sri Lanka Economic Summit (SLES) 2019, kicks off at the Cinnamon Grand Colombo today. The two-day event is themed around Re-calibrating SL�s Economic Trajectory Towards 2025, to guide SL�s journey towards development and prosperity. Today�s event brings together over 450 local and int'l participants consisting of prominent business leaders, more..

Sep 17 (DM) Anti-Malaria Campaign (AMC) sounded alarm on the possibility of Malaria rearing its ugly head following the detection of five protozoan parasite Plasmodium-infected patients who returned from pilgrimage to India. In a communiqu�, AMC Media Director Dr. Nihal Kiriellage said though Sri Lanka had been declared a Malaria-free country by World Health Organisation (WHO) as not a single Malaria patient had been detected since 2012, patients infected with the virus while abroad more..

Sep 17 (FT) Eluha Thamil demonstrations were called by the Tamil People�s Council of which former Northern Province Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran is the Co-Chairman and essential catalyst. The parades and demonstrations were held over several issues: Sinhalese colonisation of Tamil homelands, the prosecution of war criminals, the release of Tamil political prisoners, an international inquiry into the disappeared, the militarisation of Tamil areas and the resettlement of those displaced during war. more..

Sep 17 (Island) Solar panels would be installed on the roofs of railway stations and the power generated sold, to obtain more revenue, says Minister Arjuna Ranatunga. The private sector will be invited to supply and fix the solar panels on a profit sharing basis, the minister said recently." This will also contribute to national power generation". He revealed that several programmes were in the pipeline to maximise Transport Ministry more..

Sep 17 (FT) Three new MPs will take oaths before Speaker Karu Jayasuriya in Parliament today. The group includes Manoj Prasanga Hewagampalage, who will fill the seat left vacant after the death of Matara District MP Chandrasiri Gajadeera while H.M.D.B. Herath will be appointed to fill the vacancy in the Kurunegala District created through the demise of Salida Dissanayake. Meanwhile, Shantha Bandara will be sworn in as a National List MP from the UPFA for the second time. more..

Sep 17 (SLN) SL Navy ships patrolling in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) had spotted 4 SL multiday fishing vessels named Danuji, Suba Pathum 4, Lakpriya Dehi and Nalin 10 engaging in fishing activities in waters belonging to the Maldives. Accordingly, Navy held those fishing vessels along with 27 persons onboard and escorted them to the harbours of Colombo and Galle for further investigation today (16). During further search, Navy managed to find a small quantity of drugs more..

Sep 17 (DM) Ananda Palitha, secretary of CPC chapter of the JSS alleged that the daily usage of kerosene which was at 300 metric tons had been increased to 700 metric tons per day due to widespread practice of buses and other commercial vehicles using kerosene mixed with diesel. He said the Prez should be held responsible as the Minister of Environment as he is unable to control the usage of kerosene by more..

Sep 17 (NR) Prez Sirisena has issued directives to open the Colombo Lotus Tower to the public in a week. The directive was announced by the President last evening after declaring open the Colombo Lotus Tower. The 356m tall Lotus tower constructed at a cost of $104.3 million with funding from the govt of China is considered to be the tallest tower in South Asia. Prez said Rs.2 billion granted to a Chinese company at the commencement of the work of the tower, is unaccounted for. more..

Sep 17 (FT) Govt moved one step closer to having CB former Governor Arjuna Mahendran extradited to SL with the extradition request reaching the Singaporean authorities yesterday. The extradition request was forwarded to the Govt of Singapore for necessary action by the SL High Commission in Singapore, an official of AG's Dept said. The 21,000 pages dossier pertaining to the extradition request was sent from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Colombo to SL High Commission in S'pore more..

Sep 17 (DC) Minister Mano Ganesan on Monday expressed the hope that India would step up its socia-economic collaboration with Sri Lanka considering that the Island nation is critical for India�s security being its closest southern neighbour besides the Tamils of both the countries share umbilical cord relationship. The Minister who was on a personal visit to Chennai felt that India, given its credentials, should involve more. more..

Sep 17 (DM) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe is reported to have called for a meeting with the TNA today to discuss matters related to the prez election. However, the TNA will have its parliamentary group meeting prior to the one with the premier. Party sources said the meeting would take place today at 3.00 p.m. in the parliamentary complex. The meeting takes place in the context of UNP Deputy Leader and Minister Sajith Premadasa trying to woo the TNA for support at the prez election. more..

Sep 17 (CT) It is reported that Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa had not been invited for the opening ceremony of the Lotus Tower, yesterday (16). Therefore, it heard that Rajapaksa had not attended the event. A source from the Opposition Leader's Office said that no invitation has been sent to the Opposition Leader to attend the event. Construction of the Lotus Tower was started during Mahinda Rajapaksa's tenure.Rajapaksa said that this Tower was built to render a service to more..

Sep 17 (Island) Disaster Management Centre (DMC), urged the public to be vigilant of floods and landslides with heavy rains. It warned that the inclement weather could wreak havoc in most parts of the country. DMC said that people, living in low lying areas as well as in landslide prone areas, had to remain viglant. There were severe traffic delays in the Kotahena area due to flooding near the Barber Street Junction more..

Sep 17 (DN) UNP Deputy Leader, Minister Sajith Premadasa says he has formally requested UNP leader and PM Ranil Wickremesinghe in writing to announce the party�s Presidential candidate, without further delay. Speaking at a ceremony to vest with the public two Uda Gammana villages in Tissamaharama, yesterday, the Minister said he strongly believed the delay in naming the UNP presidential candidate was detrimental to the interests of the party, ministry media unit said. more..

Sep 17 (NR) Water levels of several rivers in the country have receded following the reduction in rainfall during the past few hours. The Disaster Management Centre said water levels of the Kelani and Attanagalu Oya have seen a notable decrease although the water level of the Kalu river remain on alert level. Meanwhile owning to gusty winds in the Kurunegala District, several houses were damaged. Three persons sustained injuries due to strong winds in the area. more..

Sep 17 (DM) The JHU said the prez candidate of the UNF should be selected without any delay and through a secret ballot by its parliamentary group. Minister Champika Ranawaka said that PM Ranil Wickremesinghe and UNP Deputy Leader Sajith Premadasa were proposed to run for presidency and that one of them should be nominated through a secret ballot by 106 members representing the govt including members of more..

Sep 17 (DM) Handling demanding, rebellious teenagers and balancing multiple roles as parent, spouse, son/daughter, son-in-law/daughter- in- law while holding on to a competitive career beset with never-ending challenges, all with deteriorating stamina are enough to make one exhausted for sure. Financial woes can only make matters worse. Mid-life, starting from the early forties and runs up to mid-fifties, therefore, can certainly drain one�s energy & leave one feeling eternally stressed. more..

Sep 17 (DM) The UNP�s all lose�no winners cold war over the Prez candidacy seems to be heading to a saner end. Party heavyweights, including the leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, and constituent parties of the UNF are gradually leaning towards Karu Jayasuriya, Speaker of the House as the national candidate, who will pledge to abolish the Executive Presidency within a set time. Mr Jayasuriya is a decent political choice, who can command the support of the Buddhist clergy more..

Sep 17 (DM) Speaker Karu Jayasuriya in a candid interview said the country could have saved billions of rupees had the respective Presidents elected since 1994 to date got the presidential system abolished as promised on election platforms. He also criticizes the current presidential system, designed to serve the interests of one man or woman as going against the fundamentals of democracy. Speaker pledges to ensure that more..

Sep 17 (TM) Election monitors from several countries have been invited for the upcoming prez election. The European Union (EU) said that EU election observers are expected to monitor the election and that they were awaiting a formal invitation from SL. �We have been given the indication by the Elections Commission (EC) that EU monitors will be invited to monitor the pre-election and election day activities once the election more..

Sep 17 (TM) Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa has assured the European Union (EU) that a future SLPP-led govt will look to continue with the EU GSP+ trade concession, EU sources said. SL lost the trade concession in 2010 when Rajapaksa was Prez after the then Govt failed to comply with the 27 conventions linked to GSP+, which included human rights. The then Govt remained undeterred following the withdrawal more..

Sep 17 (TM) An agreement was reached yesterday (14) to release additional land under military control in the North to civilians. Northern Province Governor Dr. Suren Raghavan said that following a discussion between the Jaffna Army Commander and MPs representing the North, it had been decided that land areas that had no affiliation to national security would be released from Army control. �We have made some solid progress. more..

Sep 17 (ST) The Ceylon Teachers� Union (CTU) has hit out hard at the Ministry of Education�s for a proposal to conduct a massive publicity campaign regarding the distribution tabs to advanced level students and teachers in public schools. The ministry has sought cabinet approval to spend a whopping Rs. 55 million for the publicity campaign of its programme to distribute 234,321 tabs to A/L students and teachers more..

Sep 17 (Island) Environmentalists alleged that plans were underway to grab a five-acre land, declared as a Ramsar site. Centre for Environmental Justice Executive Director, Hemantha Withanage said that through the project management unit of the task force on resettlement of protracted IDPs had made a request to release five acre area on the left side of Mannar Bridge, which is under the purview of the Department of Wildlife for more..

Sep 17 (NR) Speaker of House Karu Jayasuriya for the first time has indicated that he will consider contesting the upcoming Prez Election, if a request was made by a broad spectrum of society, including by a he majority of the UNF. In the past few weeks, a number of intellectuals, civil society, trade union and groups of monks have requested Speaker Karu Jayasuriya to field himself as the national candidate at more..

Sep 17 (AD) Three UPFA member took oaths as MPs a short while ago. The UPFA members Shantha Bandara, Manoj Sirisena and D.B. Herath took their oaths before the Deputy Speaker in this manner. Kurunegala District UPFA member D. B. Herath was assigned to the MP seat made vacant by the demise of the UPFA MP Salinda Dissanayake. However, Shantha Bandara resigned from his post as a National List MP more..

Sep 17 (AD) Minister Rauff Hakeem says that there is a good chance that he will support Minister Sajith Premadasa at the upcoming prez election. He says that he hopes the UNP will nominate a popular candidate for the prez election. However, a final decision regarding the matter has not been informed yet, he said. He believes that the decision will be made by the end of next week, he added. more..

Sep 17 (DM) Minister Sajith Premadasa said today there has been no scientific survey done on the maintainability or the abolition of the executive presidency and his personal views are of no value. Addressing a press conference early morning at the official residence of Minister Mangala Samaraweera, Minister Premadasa said that he is willing to listen to the people of the country and it is their decision. more..

Sep 17 (CT) Should readers have been perplexed about the visions of Yahapalanaya as espoused by the late founder Ven. Madoluwawe Sobitha Thera, it was almost as on cue that the Bhikkhu Front of the National Movement for Social Justice came to the fore at a media conference in Colombo on Saturday to insist that the ideal couple to lead the UNP into the future was a leadership comprising of Speaker Karu Jayasuriya as President and Deputy Leader Sajith Premadasa as the follow-in-fact more..

Sep 17 (FT) In the backdrop of the $ 93 billion economy, Sri Lanka is wobbling with overall household consumption declining to 4.7% growth and GDP forecasted at 2.7%, which means Sri Lanka is in for tough times. In this backdrop the first candidate off the block to the prez candidacy was brand Gotabaya. Last week he announced to Sri Lanka the promise to the nation, which was interesting. A point to note is that brand Gotabaya�s promise comes in the regional background of more..

Sep 17 (SLN) A Visit Board Search & Seizure (VBSS) course for the boarding teams of Indonesian, Malaysian and Philippine Coast Guards commenced at the Special Boat Squadron (SBS) Headquarters in Trincomalee today (16). UN Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) partners with the SL Navy in conducting this training programme. Under the directives of Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral Piyal De Silva the programme is conducted at the Training School of SBS and more..

Sep 17 (DN) A revision application filed by former Minister Minister Johnston Fernando, challenging a Chief Magistrate�s court order regarding a corruption case filed by Bribery Commission (BC), was yesterday fixed for submission by the Colombo High Court. The case was filed by the BC against MP Johnston Fernando for allegedly causing an unlawful loss of Rs.40 million to the govt by employing 153 employees of the Cooperative Wholesale Establishment (CWE) for election work more..

Sep 17 (Island) The civil society grouping Purawesi Balaya has called on the govt to abolish the Executive Presidency immediately or within a specified time period. The request was made when a Purawesi Balaya delegation which included Prof. Sarath Wijesinghe, Gamini Viyangoda, Lal Wijenayake and K.W. Janaranjana met PM and UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe at Temple Trees on Sunday. more..