Aug 9 (ST) Sri Lanka�s voters have spoken, spoken so eloquently at Wednesday�s parliamentary elections where records tumbled, and political history was created. The first was the landslide 145-seat victory the SLPP-led alliance won, much to the surprise of even Prez Rajapaksa and PM Rajapaksa. Both, like many others in their ilk, had thought of a lesser number though confident of a comfortable majority. more..

Aug 9 (SO) Another underworld figure Eron Ranasinghe alias SF Lokka died in a hail of bullets this week when two unidentified assassins shot at the vehicle he was traveling in near the Dahiyagama junction, Anuradhapura. Two Police teams are now on the hunt to nab the killers. According to Police Spokesman Jaliya Senaratne the Police have already obtained statements from seven witnesses. He said the Police are yet to identify the suspects. Following the shooting, car he was traveling more..

Aug 9 (AD) The extraordinary gazette notification containing the names of the 196 new MPs who were elected from the General Election 2020. The extraordinary gazette notification containing the names of the 196 new MPs who were elected from the General Election 2020. The Election Commission had published the relevant extraordinary gazette notification Saturday night. The document carries the names of the general election candidates of each political party more..

Aug 9 (AD) Leader of SLPP Mahinda Rajapaksa took oaths as the new PM of Sri Lanka. He was sworn-in before President Gotabaya Rajapaksa this morning at the sacred site of Kelaniya Raja Maha Viharaya. This is the fourth time Mahinda Rajapaksa secured the prime ministerial portfolio. Mahinda Rajapaksa, who contested the General Election 2020 from Kurunegala, topped the preferential votes at the district level more..

Aug 9 (DM) A 30-year-old suspect had been arrested by the Aturugiriya Police for allegedly sexually abusing a Filipino woman at a house in Malabe yesterday. Police said the suspect was arrested following information provided by the victim when she was being admitted to the Malabe Nevil Fernando Hospital. The suspect had forcibly entered the Filipino woman�s house at Welivita in Malabe and tried to rape her. The police also recovered over 3 grams of heroin from suspect's possession. more..

Aug 9 (AD) A student has been killed and several others injured in an road accident which occurred near the Bogas Junction in Aralaganwila. Reportedly, a cab travelling towards Aralaganwila from Dehiattakandiya has run over 11 students who had been returning from a tuition class nearby. Eleven students aged between 14 to 16 years have been injured in the accident. Four among them have been admitted to the Polonnaruwa Hospital while the other 7 have been admitted to hospital. more..

Aug 9 (HRW) The SL govt of Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa is waging a campaign of fear and intimidation against human rights activists, journalists, lawyers, and others challenging govt policy, Human Rights Watch said. The crackdown on dissent under the Rajapaksa administration has intensified in recent months, facilitated by the govt�s highly militarized response to the Covid-19 pandemic, and has included more..

Aug 9 (AD) llankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) has nominated a party member for the National List parliamentary seat allocated to at the General Election 2020. ITAK Secretary Thurai Rajasingam mentioned this today. ITAK which ranked third in the polls obtained 09 seats and 01 National List seat. Accordingly, the party is entitled to 10 seats in the parliament. Accordingly, Thavarasa Kalaiarasan who contested the parliamentary polls has been nominated for the National List seat. more..

Aug 9 (TM) SLPP General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam said that the party is awaiting the hearing of their appeal request over the sentencing of Premalal Jayasekara, their party member who was elected with the second highest preferential vote count in the Ratnapura District. Jayasekara, alias Choka Malli, contested in last week�s election from the Ratnapura District under the SLPP and managed to secure a seat in the Ninth Parliament by gaining 104,237 preferential votes. more..

Aug 9 (EN) When President J R Jayewardene�s UNP won the 1977 parliamentary election with a 5/6th majority that paved the way for the creation of a new Constitution and an Exec. Presidency, he famously boasted that the only thing he could not do with all that power was to change a man into a woman and vice versa. Even though he exercised such power, changing the Constitution to suit his personality, more..

Aug 9 (AD) The support of all SLFP members who were elected to the parliament via General Election will be for Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa, said SLFP General Secretary Dayasiri Jayasekara. A meeting of SLFP representatives who won at the parliamentary polls was held today at the party headquarters in Colombo under the patronage of party chairman Maithripala Sirisena. Dayasiri Jayasekara stated that his party will extend its 100% support to the Prez and PM in any future more..

Aug 9 (DM) Athula Senanayake, the husband of Colombo Mayor Rosy Senanayake, passed away from a sudden illness at the age of 64 today, sources said. Mr. Senanayake had been admitted to a private hospital in Colombo yesterday and had passed away this afternoon. He was the son of former IGP Stanley Senanayake and a father of three. The remains of Mr. Senanayake would be brought to the Mayor�s Residence tomorrow. The funeral will take place on Tuesday at 4 pm more..

Aug 9 (AD) Academic activities at all govt schools will resume from tomorrow. As per the new schedule, only Grades 5, 10, 11, 12, and 13 will be allowed attend school on all five weekdays. Grades 1, 2, and 3 will have school for only one day per week. It has also been decided to reopen schools according to the number of students in the school. Schools with less than 200 students may reopen for all grades from Aug 10. more..

Aug 10 (ST) The people have spoken. Loudly and clearly. In no uncertain terms, they have reposed their collective faith in the untried but trusted SLPP out on its first excursion in the general election stakes; and handsomely allowed this Rajapaksa trained thoroughbred from the Rajapaksa stables, grand entry to the winning enclosure with its nearest rival panting and frothing far behind. SLPP bud bloomed mid-Nov last year with the meteoric ascent of Gotabaya Rajapaksa to Presidency more..

Aug 10 (ST) Any one of us indulging in melodramatic weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth on Wednesday�s election victory of the Rajapaksa-led SLPP must heed the admonition that this has come five years too late down the line. Clearly, these lamentations should have been evidenced when the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe alliance commenced betraying key electoral promises in its 2015 upset win which was hailed as stunning, in much the same way that editorialists gush over more..

Aug 10 (SO) �Citizens of the country have given the mandate that the SLPP asked for. The Govt, led by the President and the PM is ready to implement what we promised in our National Policy Framework (NPF). People should be ready to get down to work,� said Ajith Nivard Cabraal who is to be a National List MP of the SLPP. In an interview with the Sunday Observer, Cabraal highlighted the importance of understanding more..

Aug 10 (CT) Sometimes attributed to Winston Churchill, but probably much older than that, is the witty quote: The best argument against democracy is a five minute conversation with an average voter. Any doubt in it was convincingly quashed recently when the British electorate voted in the present Conservative government of Eton and Oxford-schooled Boris Johnson and his jolly buddies. Schooled, I say with care. Educated would be stretching it. more..

Aug 10 (CT) The Raja Political Academy has been in existence for the last 100 years. It has produced 3 generations of politicians from the time the first generation Grandfather decided to wash the mud off his back, as he was a farmer/landowner and entered SL politics. What is so special about this Academy is that it follows the educational method of learning by doing. The members of the Faculty Board have been there, done it, employed conventional and unconventional methods to succeed. more..

Aug 10 (SO) The NPP led by the JVP suffered a heavy setback at the recently concluded General Election. Despite the party coming forward to contest as a front that comprised a number of groups this time around it lost half of its seats in Parliament. The NPP secured only two seats through votes and another through the National List. According to its leader, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the party admits it has suffered a setback. more..

Aug 10 (TM) The people have spoken, loudly and clearly, this time around. The Sunday Morning would like to congratulate the second youngest political party in the country, the SLPP and PM elect, Mahinda Rajapaksa on the resounding landslide victory at last week�s general election, while also congratulating the youngest political party, the SJB on becoming the main Opposition party in Parliament. What is significant is that this is the first general election both these parties more..

Aug 10 (TM) The prediction made several weeks prior to the 2020 general election that it would be a decisive as well as historic event has now come to pass. Last week�s polls would be etched in history as the event that saw the emergence of two new political forces � Mahinda Rajapaksa-led SLPP and Sajith Premadasa-led SJB. The emergence of these two parties indicates the end of an era so to speak where the two main parties since Independence � UNP & SLFP � used to alternatively govern more..

Aug 10 (ST) It is a little-known secret that Julian Bolling, the pin-up boy of Sri Lanka swimming in the 80s decade who won a record six gold medals when Colombo hosted the SAF (South Asian) Games in 1991, had wanted to quit the sport just two weeks before the event. �I swam because I enjoyed and yes because there were results. But two weeks before the SAF Games, I quit the team because I was not enjoying it. I was struggling and the country had expectations. more..

Aug 10 (DM) From the time the date for elections were announced, a majority people in the country were certain that the SLPP or the Pohottuwa as it is popularly known, would win the election. The only question was the margin of victory. On Aug 5, the truth of the prophecy was proved when the SLPP romped home with an absolute majority and with the five seats of their political allies received a 2/3rd majority. The party�s election platform, despite many pressing problems in the country, more..

Aug 10 (MB) My love and passion for the wild elephants of Sri Lanka run deep within my veins, as deep as my love for photography. Big males known as �tuskers� are a sight to behold in the wild. When he steps out of the forest canopy and into the sunlight, he strides along the plains like a colossus exuding absolute confidence and dominance over all before him. The female elephants rumble and trumpet in excitement, more..

Aug 10 (DM) As Sri Lanka powerfully consolidates under the Rajapaksa-led SLPP, the Federal Party�s long hegemony of Tamil parliamentary politics is unravelling. The parliamentary election results are unsurprising given the long economic crisis in the making and the broader national developments since the local govt election of Feb 2018, the Easter Attacks of 2019, the decisive outcome in the presidential election late last year and the recent social environment with Covid-19 disaster. more..

Aug 10 (CT) In a spiritual atmosphere at the historic Kelaniya Raja Maha Viharaya SLPP Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa was sworn in as 13th PM of SL before Prez Rajapaksa and the event was significant in many ways as PM Mahinda Rajapaksa took his oaths before his younger brother Prez Rajapaksa to become the PM of SL for the fourth time. Beginning his political career at a very young age having been elected to Parliament in 1970 PM Mahinda Rajapaksa has successfully completed more..

Aug 10 (TM) Despite SL�s direct discussions with the Indian Govt on reclaiming 25 fuel storage tanks in Trincomalee failing, the Indian High Commission in Colombo has given renewed hope to the SL Govt on the subject. Even though the Indian Govt has been critical about giving 25 fuel storage tanks in Trincomalee back to SL, the new High Commissioner to India Gopal Bagley has been positive and has assured the SL counterpart more..

Aug 10 (Island) What is hoped for to be written, starting from next week, on this new page in the tome of our country � not legends and glorification like in its first chapters � the Mahavamsa, and not like the later chapters post independence of corruption and mismanagement. From 1948 to around 1960 we had some remarkable pages of progress, albeit slow but steady; with honesty and integrity from our leaders; the people disciplined and hardworking, leaving governing the country to more..

Aug 10 (FT) The Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of SL (FCCISL) in a statement congratulated newly elected PM Mahinda Rajapaksa over his resounding victory at the recently concluded General Election. �We note that election victory is a further endorsement of the manifesto of Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the eighth Executive President of SL,� it added. Being the apex body of the chamber movement consisting 63 chambers and business associations more..

Aug 10 (DM) Port City Colombo is marking yet another milestone event in the country in its next phase of development. Project recently launched Envision the Future, a sculpture design competition to design a beach sculpture and an interactive wall targeted at budding local designers. The iconic sculptures and first of its kind interactive wall that will adorn the country�s largest landmark development project, more..

Aug 10 (FT) The National Chamber of Exporters of Sri Lanka (NCE) representing export fraternity of the country, in a statement yesterday congratulated the newly concluded election and the great victory achieved, in the formation of a new Govt. NCE President Ramya Weerakoon stated that the Chamber welcomes the new Govt led by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa with a strong decree in developing and promoting exports of the country. more..

Aug 10 (Island) Lanka Hospitals, the internationally accredited multiple award-winning healthcare provider has unveiled a new state-of-the-art cath lab that offers the latest technology for cardiac and neurological interventional procedures. The advanced technology provides patients the ability to undergo cardiology and neurological procedures such as angiograms, angioplasties, stenting and device-implants. The latest and advanced cath lab technology at Lanka Hospitals provides more..

Aug 10 (FT) Senior Southern politician Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena is to be named Speaker of th Parliament. Abeywardena is the most favoured, as Chamal Rajapaksa, who was tipped to be appointed to the post, has indicated he prefers the subject of Agriculture and Irrigation as he has once served as the Speaker. Yapa who came fifth in the Matara preferential election list has been a MP since 1983, first entering Parliament more..

Aug 10 (TM) The election is over and a strong and secure mandate has been provided to Prez Rajapaksa and the Govt. President has already announced that the new Parliament will be convened on 20 Aug and I congratulate all the members who will represent our citizenry in this Parliament. It is certainly going to define a new era for SL if the newly elected members take it seriously. Regardless of which party won or the composition of the govt, SL�s challenges were always more..

Aug 10 (DN) Sri Lanka is among the two latest recipients of World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) Safe Travels stamp for safety protocols. The global safety and hygiene stamp was launched by the WTTC to allow potential travellers to identify places and companies that have adopted standardised health and hygiene protocols, especially during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The other recipient of the stamp, alongside SL, is Grenada. The country was set to welcoming more..

Aug 10 (FT) The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country increased to 2,844 with three more new patient identified yesterday. The latest patients to be identified were one returnee from India yesterday and two inmates from Senapura T&R Centre. On Saturday two returnees tested positive for the virus. A total of 943 Sri Lankan returnees from abroad have tested positive along with 32 foreigners. more..

Aug 10 (Island) Bank of Ceylon announced the appointment of a new Chief Marketing Officer to their setup. Sameera Liyanage, a Chartered Marketer with over 22 years of experience within the public sector and in top-rated private institutions, considered a marketing expert industry-wide, was recently appointed to the post. In addition to completing a stint of 6 years with SDB bank in the capacity of Head of Marketing and Retail Banking, he had previously held manager-level more..

Aug 10 (CT) Pakistani PM Imran Khan made a telephone call to PM Mahinda Rajapaksa, to congratulate him on his party�s resounding victory in the General Election held on 5 August 2020. Khan informed about his Govt�s strategy against COVID-19 in Pakistan, with particular emphasis on saving lives, securing livelihoods and stimulating the economy. PM Rajapaksa shared SL�s current COVID-19 situation and in particular its negative impact on the tourism industry in Sri Lanka. more..

Aug 10 (FT) Hotels Association of SL (THASL) in a statement congratulated Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa and PM Mahinda Rajapaksa for their overwhelming victory at the recently concluded General Elections. THASL said it also welcomes all new MPs and wishes all members a successful tenure in Parliament. �The election results have shown that the country has overwhelmingly voted for a strong Govt,� more..