Aug 3 (Island) My debate on OMINI TV with LTTE spokesman David Pooplapillai was considered the first occasion when a Sri Lankan diplomat took on the LTTE in Canada face to face. The programme was moderated by Angie Seth respected TV anchor who understood South Asia well. Pooplapillai came with another active LTTE backer, Manjula Selvarrajah. I had invited an Indian friend of mine Juhi to baffle them. Juhi knew all about the Sri Lankan situation. more..

Aug 3 (SO) Political parties have given nominations to their candidates for General Election. Much has been said on how to choose contestants for the election but most of it appears to have fallen on deaf ears. Mixture is almost as before, with a few new additions. National Lists of the respective parties do not appear to have effectively broken the monotony of the past. In this scenario, voter is called upon to make the best out of a bad bargain. more..

Aug 3 (ST) The auction on the 27th Feb 2015 for 30 year bonds was for Rs. 1 billion. Given the interest rate scenario at the time, the Central Bank (CB) had indicated a range of around 9.5% to 11% p.a. Also in the past the CB has not accepted bids of more than 1.5 times the offered value in this type of bond historically. Based on the above, most genuine bids were in the range indicated by the CB. As primary dealers are required to bid a minimum of Rs. 100 million and given that a 30-year bond is a more..

Aug 3 (Island) In the 1970s, an advertisement frequently aired on the state-owned radio station used to grate on listeners� nerves. It began with the earsplitting noise of a buzz saw followed by a boastful claim that it was the sound of a sawmill in Colombo! When we heard the staccato burst of gunfire on Poya Day on Bloemendhal Road, a stone�s throw away from our newspaper office, we wondered whether it was the sound of yahapalanaya! more..

Aug 3 (DN) Sri Lankan contingent at the Special Olympics 2015 brought honor and fame to the motherland by winning four gold, two silver and two bronze medals. Sri Lanka fielded seven athletes who competed in athletics and badminton at the Special Olympics, 2015 in Los Angeles, US. Akbo Jayawardana won brought two gold medals when he won the men�s 200m Division-52 and men�s 100m Division 62 events. more..

Aug 3 (CT) Dialog Inter-Club Sevens Title returned to the Hill Capital on Sunday as Kandy Sports Club defeated Havelock Sports Club 17 (3-tries, 1-conversion) to 10 (2-tries) in the final worked off at Race Course International Stadium under lights. Having conceded a 10-7 lead at half time Kandy were down and out, but their centre Richard Dharmapala left his best for last as he scored one of the finest tries of the tournament taking on the Havies defenders and beating them with more..

Aug 3 (CT) Zero based budgeting cannot be introduced without training the officials in project preparation and evaluation, financial and economics experts said. Can we introduce Zero based budgeting to our government budget? What we find is that projects are presently included in the budget without a detailed cost/benefit analysis properly discounted, they said. "The rate of discount must be the cost of borrowing. Our officials are not versed in such detailed cost/benefit evaluations more..

Aug 3 (LM) In Sri Lanka, around 80% of the population lives in rural areas. Among its 18 districts, Colombo has the highest urban population (54.6%), followed by Ampara at a distant 19%. Some districts such as Polonnaruwa and Moneragala are fully rural. Though the number of bank branches per 100,000 people at 14.12 for Sri Lanka is better compared with India�s 10.6, most of them are in urban areas. more..

Aug 3 (NS) With preparations for the upcoming General Elections gaining momentum, the major political parties recently laid down their plans for the people through their respective manifestos. The Nation Gain provides the readers a gist of the proposals made by the three major political parties in terms of the country�s economic development. The UNP has pledged to establish several economic zones for various sectors of the country�s economy in its manifesto. more..

Aug 3 (EN) Companies that pay poor dividends are oppressing the rights of minority shareholders, the former head of Sri Lanka�s main business chamber and a company chairman has said. Charitha de Silva, a former chairman of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, said Sri Lanka lacked energetic shareholder groups that could challenge the board of companies which pay poor dividends. de Silva recalled what he called a landmark order in Commercial High Court in a case where he more..

Aug 3 (ST) After a near 2-year struggle, Sri Lanka�s active female labour movement has succeeded in forming the country�s first women�s trade union with the Women�s Solidarity Union (WSU) close to be registered by the authorities. �We have applied for registration of the WSU with the labour authorities and the process is being finalised,� said Padmini Weerasooriya � Executive Director Women�s Centre, Ekala, a FTZ pioneer in more..

Aug 3 (DN) For the first time in the Sri Lankan shipping industry a private enterprise is set to launch a feeder service linking Sri Lanka with India and Myanmar. The mentor behind this project, Herbie De Silva said that he saw that Sri Lanka is losing considerable amount of transshipment cargo destined to Middle East Europe, Africa US East Coast and Europe due to non availability of dedicated feeder connecting Yangon-Colombo. Presently there are approximately 42 vessels more..

Aug 3 (FT) The Ministry of Food Security said that it has allocated Rs. 6 billion to purchase paddy produced by farmers during the Yala season. The purchasing process started island-wide on 29 July and there were 120,000 MT of paddy to be purchased. Ministry of Food Security Secretary P.H.J.B Sugathadasa said that the purchasing certified price of paddy under the process would be Rs. 50 for Samba and Kiri Samba while Rs. 45 would be charged for Nadu. more..

Aug 3 (CT) Lasith Malinga, is going through a bad patch in his career as he was dropped from the squad in the 5th ODI against Pakistan, and conceded 86 runs in the two T20 games which SL lost under his captaincy. "In my 10 year cricket career I have been out of the team for about 2 and half years due to injury and came back strongly, but I have lost my rhythm. I'll continue training and if I can get back my rhythm, more..

Aug 3 (GDI) The construction work of the Colombo-Kandy expressway will start on Monday under the patronage of President Maithripala Sirisena and the Prime Minister. The Chairman of the Road Development Authority Saman Bandara said that the construction work of the first segment of Kadawatha to Mirigama will start on Monday. The 2nd stage of the expressway will be constructed from Mirigama to Kurunegala and under the third stage it will be constructed from Kurunegala to Kandy. more..

Aug 3 (Island) Welikada police raided a large scale kasippu distillery at Kotiyagoda marshland between the Diyawanna Oya and Madinnagoda canal and took into custody moonshine and distilling paraphernalia worth around Rs 1.6 million along with two suspects last week. The mastermind of the moonshine distilling operation had been identified as the two suspects divulged details, the police said adding that he had fled the area following the raid. Police are now on his trail. more..

Aug 3 (DN) In a startling turn of events to the multimillion-dollar coal tender, Power and Energy Ministry Secretary Dr. B.M.S. Batagoda has written to the Senior Assistant Secretary to the President, stating that there were gross irregularities in the awarding of tenders for the supply of coal to the thermal power plant in Norochcholai during the past five years. Letter has been sent to T.T. Upulmalee, Senior Assistant Secretary more..

Aug 3 (IANS) India captain Virat Kohli said that the basic idea in cricket is to take 20 wickets and for that he needs five bowlers in the team which would then put the responsibility on the batsmen to score runs. Speaking to reporters ahead of the team's departure for Sri Lanka, Kohli said there is a need to play with a stronger bowling side and the team can field up to three spinners in upcoming series against the Lankans. "Ashwin and Harbajan are also good with the bat," he said. more..

Aug 3 (Island) Indian cricket team will arrive in the island this evening for their month long tour. The tour gets underway with a three day warm-up game at R. Premadasa Stadium against Sri Lanka Board XI on Thursday. The tourists then will travel to Galle for the first Test between the countries starting on the 12th August. The second and third Tests will be played in Colombo with P. Sara Oval and SSC hosting the matches. Second Test at Oval will mark the end of Sangakkara�s international career. more..

Aug 3 (FT) Undeterred by the upcoming election, a confident Minister Ravi Karunanayake has declared that 2016 fiscal program will be presented under the more effective Zero-Based Budgeting, claiming that past practices had been imprudent. New method and its benefits, along with the ills of previous practices, came under discussion at last week�s Cabinet meeting, where preparations for 2016 Budget were approved. more..

Aug 3 (LBO) Govt plans to restore provision of electricity connections free of charge to 20,000 resettled families in the North, Minister Rajitha Senaratne said. At present, 232,828 families (796,342 members) are resettled in the Northern and Eastern Provinces, with the end of Tamil tiger war in 2009. The govt will also grant an additional allocation of 105 million rupees to facilitate free domestic power supply connection to 5000 resettled families in this year. more..

Aug 3 (CG) Travel advisories have been issued for Sri Lanka as a result of the August 17 Parliament elections and fears of violence taking place ahead of and on election day. Australian Govt has urged its citizens to exercise a high degree of caution in its travel advisory while a few other countries are also scheduled to release travel advisories closure to election day. �Parliamentary elections are scheduled to be held on 17 Aug. We advise you to exercise a high degree of caution at this time due to more..

Aug 3 (Hindu) SLFP has rejected the contention that the previous Rajapaksa regime had ignored India. SLFP general secretary, Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, who was Petroleum Minister during Rajapaksa regime, asked: how can you ignore India ? He went on to say that most of Sri Lanka�s imports including food items were from India. Apart from tourists, a large number of Indian companies were operating in Sri Lanka and more..

Aug 3 (DM) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe, at an election rally in Vavuniya, on Saturday, promised to set up a special centre for the empowerment of war widows, and another centre for the benefit of those physically handicapped due to the war, under a future govt led by his UNFGG. He pledged to look into the cases of missing persons and to give redress to their families. He said his party would get a majority in eight provinces, but that he needed representation from the Vanni as well. more..

Aug 3 (CG) TMVP and UPFA have reached an agreement on giving TMVP leader S Chandrakanthan, alias Pillayan, a seat in Parliament through the National list if he loses the election this month. TMVP had initially decided to contest the election independently. However, a MoU was later signed with the UPFA for the TMVP to contest under the UPFA ticket. Under the MoU, in the event Pillayan lose, he has been guaranteed a seat through the National list. more..

Aug 3 (CG) Govt is to examine the report made public by the International Truth and Justice Project and will receive due consideration to it in keeping with the Govt�s commitment to uphold and strengthen the rule of law and good governance as well as uphold human rights. Mahishini Colonne, Spokesperson at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, Govt is committed to study ways and means to expand the scope of more..

Aug 3 (DM) As the Dailymirror said in an editorial, veteran educationist Prof. Nihal Amerasinghe has pointed out that Sri Lanka spends too little on education. The country�s public expenditure on education has remained low at around 2% of GDP during the past decade and a half, compared to an average of 4-6% in the rest of Asia. The upshot of low investment in education means that school leavers are poorly prepared as they join the workforce or are unemployed. more..

Aug 3 (DM) It does not reflect well on the UNP, when rival underworld gangs clash in its election campaign. Now police suspect that shooting in Kotahena that killed one woman and injured 13 others was due to a longstanding rivalry between the two underworld gangs; The members of one gang were canvassing for Ravi Karunanayake, when the members of the rival gang opened fire. But, why do politicians of all political parties hire the underworld to conduct their election campaign? more..

Aug 3 (DM) Former MP, Nalin Bandara, who took over the position vacated by Kurunegala District MP Dayasiri Jayasekara, received 29,663 preferential votes at the last General Elections. Mr. Bandara currently serves as the organizer of the Bingiriya electorate. In a candid interview with the Daily Mirror, Mr. Bandara shared the progress of his election campaign as well as his views on the present regime and the upcoming elections. more..

Aug 3 (DM) Prasanna Ranatunga, the Chief Minister of the Western Province was caught up in a controversy regarding a land deal which resulted in him and his wife being questioned by the Financial Crimes Investigation Department. He is contesting at the upcoming General Elections from the Gampaha District. In an interview with the DailyMirror he discussed the present political climate of the country. more..

Aug 3 (ST) Shunned, isolated and marginalised, they have mostly been given a deaf ear or a blind eye and not accorded their rightful place in society. Having come to the sad conclusion that enough is enough, they have now decided to take not only their future into their own hands but also their troubles and demands to a different level, creating history. Uniting under banner of Raising our voices for us (Api venuwen apeyma handa), more..

Aug 3 (Island) Ven. Maduluwawe Sobhitha Thera, the leader of the NMSJ, said that the killing of two innocent persons engaged in political activity at Bloemendhal Road on Friday due to rival gang warfare pointed to the urgent need for doing away with the nexus between the underworld and politics. "Political party leaders should take the responsibility for ensuring that the underworld does not raise its ugly head again more..

Aug 3 (SL) A cross section of Samurdhi beneficiaries claim that neither Kurunegala District UPFA candidate Mahinda Rajapaksa nor most of the candidates who had held portfolios during his tenure as President have the moral right to go before the people seeking yet another mandate to govern the country for a better tomorrow. One of the allegations levelled against the Rajapaksa regime is the alleged misuse of more..

Aug 3 (DM) The TULF, which is contesting the general election in the northern and eastern provinces except in the Digamadulla district, has advocated a political solution to the national question based on the Indian model of power devolution. The TULF led by V. Anandasangari in its manifesto states states that all the ethnic groups should forget their differences and live in peace and harmony based on equal rights. more..

Aug 3 (DM) Sri Lanka�s inflation measured by the change in the Colombo Consumers� Price Index (CCPI), declined to -0.2%, on a year-on-year basis in July 2015, from 0.1% recorded in June 2015, the data showed. It was for the first time since March 1995, Sri Lanka experienced a deflation. Annual average inflation declined from 1.7% in June 2015 to 1.3% in July 2015. CCPI increased by 0.7% from June to July 2015. more..

Aug 3 (EN) Sri Lanka will need to have economic medicine administered in the third quarter to correct imbalances that are now building up, former Central Bank Governor Nivard Cabraal has said. He said after the elections a United People's Freedom Alliance administration will have to fix the economy and then implement an economic plan outlined in their strategy. Sri Lanka is going for parliamentary polls on August 17. more..

Aug 3 (Island) The Elections Secretariat said that Parliamentary Elections Act of 1981 should be amended to discourage independent candidates joining the parliamentary elections fray usually to function as proxies for major parties. A senior official alleged that successive govts had ignored their plea to sharply increase the deposit that had to be paid by independent groups. Such a move would have discouraged many, he said, more..

Aug 3 (Island) The SLFP said that UPFA�s recently released manifesto for the August 17 general election was a combination of Mahinda Chintanaya and President Maithripala Sirisena�s policy statement. Former Media Ministry Secretary and UPFA National List Nominee Charitha Herath explained far reaching political reforms proposed in accordance with an understanding of all constituents of the alliance. more..

Aug 3 (CT) I think it is for the first time that the idea of social market economy is introduced into SL election discourse. Champika Ranawaka appears to have borrowed the concept of social market economy (SME) from Dr. Harsha de Silva and used it as it was his invention for the purpose of portraying the economic policy framework of the future UNFGG govt for the next five years. As far as I know, the concept of social market economy has never been discussed in serious manner in SL. more..

Aug 3 (CT) The GCE (A/L) Exam is due to commence tomorrow. The Commissioner General of Examinations W.M.N.J. Pushpakumara has appealed to all candidates in the fray for the 17 August General Election not to conduct propaganda affairs in a manner that would disturb the students sitting the examinations at all exam centres. Therefore, the Police should take serious note of the Examinations Commissioner's directive issued to all candidates. more..