June 30 (DNA) The upcoming election to the Sri Lankan Parliament, slated for August 17, is yet another high-stakes gamble for not only President Maithripala Sirisena and PM Ranil Wickremesinghe but also former President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Sirisena�s dissolution of Parliament, which he had promised on April 23 after 100 days in office, comes 10 months before the term of the 225-member House was to end. In the normal course, elections were due only in April 2016. more..

June 30 (DN) JHU is now in a dilemma on how it should contest Parliamentary election. Although the party had a plan to align itself with the SLFP after the passage of 20th Amendment, dissolution of Parliament has plunged the party into a fresh problem. With the warring factions within SLFP negotiating to arrive at an agreement to contest together, JHU, a minor stakeholder of the govt, has now been left out of equation. more..

June 30 (CG) JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake slammed President Maithripala Sirisena for having talks with former President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Dissanayake said that while Sirisena and Rajapaksa had denied that the meeting took place at the Speaker�s official residence, the meeting did take place last week at another location. �Both Rajapaksa and Sirisena issued statements saying they did not meet. They met at President Maithripala Sirisena�s house,� he said. more..

June 30 (DM) Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe today said all Cabinet and State Ministers along with Deputy Ministers would continue to function until a new set of ministers was appointed in a new parliament following the general elections. However, according to the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, only Cabinet Ministers could function in a caretaker government during a general election. �The 19A will be applied once this general election is over. more..

June 30 (Island) Opposition alleged that the Governor of the CB Arjuna Mahendran had received instructions from PM Ranil Wickremesinghe as regards change of established procedures in the run-up to the controversial bond issue and such interventions were contrary to existing regulations. Prof. Peiris said that CB Governor himself had admitted premier�s intervention when he appeared before the special parliamentary committee more..

June 30 (CT) The newly formed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), which was opened in China yesterday will boost our infrastructure projects with low cost funding, Central Bank Governor Arjuna Mahendran exclusively revealed to Ceylon FT. I'm sure we would be one of the first beneficiaries of this bank. We wish to apply for at least US $ one billion project funding for our infrastructure projects, he said in an telephone interview from China. We hope to get those loans at around 2-3% rate, more..

June 30 (DN) The issuance of drugs at certain state hospitals was affected yesterday due to the strike by the Govt Pharmacists' Association. The drug issuing process at the Colombo General Hospital and Teaching Hospitals at Ragama, Anuradhapura etc had not been affected due to the strike. They said small hospitals such as the one at Bentota had been affected due to the strike. Arrangements were being made to plan and implement a substitute system to issue drugs to the patients, more..

June 30 (DN) Talks between President Sirisena and SLFP stalwarts over accommodating former President Rajapaksa in the SLFP nomination list at the next election ended without a conclusion last night. During the meeting however, UPFA General Secretary Susil Premajayantha and SLFP General Secretary Anura Priyadarshana Yapa had insisted that former President Rajapaksa should be nominated more..

June 30 (DM) The campaign for the clean candidacy for the forthcoming Parliamentary election is gaining momentum now that the Parliamentary elections have been announced by the Elections Commissioner on June 26. The oldest local election Watchdog, the PAFFREL in collaboration with several other civil society organizations has launched this campaign, under the name of March 12 Movement. The movement has laid down eight fundamental criteria for candidates aspiring more..

June 30 (DM) Sri Lankan voters placed immense trust and elected President Maithripala Sirisena for the top job on January 8. The President, thereafter, had the necessary courage to get the 19th Amendment approved in Parliament. The Parliament now stands dissolved. It is unfortunate that the President could not get the 20th Amendment passed by Parliament although it had been duly considered and approved by the Cabinet of Ministers too. Preferential voting which was to be scrapped more..

June 30 (DM) Click onto the TV in search of News: out pops segments of a local version of a bygone serial The Punch & Judy Show, currently in the vernacular, slotted on distinct channels; with smart editing, could be released as the Sarath & Chandrika Show. It is at comedy central as two septuagenarians� perform antics to provide entertainment for an evening of melancholy mirth with their foggy notions on current affairs more..

June 30 (ST) It is the wonder organ around the size of a fist that keeps us alive and even though sometimes we feel it thudding, its functioning is mostly taken for granted. Amazing heart beats about 75 times a minute and moves around 5.5 litres of blood at a given moment around the body. This ultra-efficient pump, working in tandem with the lungs, has the onerous double-task of sending blood through circulatory system more..

June 30 (SL) The Sri Lanka�s public transport system has gravely failed to provide people with an efficient service. Inefficiency and irregularities of the public transport system have become an accepted norm among people and they continue to suffer due to the lack of will of the transport authorities to improve the system. The majority of the people in the country continue to travel by overcrowded buses and trains in more..

June 30 (DN) Heart surgeries at the Karapitiya hospital in Galle has re-commenced today after a lapse of five months. It has been possible to resolve the dispute due to the commencement of talks with the hospital administration, through the mediation of Minister Dr. Rajitha Senarathne, Health and Indigenous Medicine Ministry said. Operations of patients on the waiting list will be performed as soon as possible. more..

June 30 (Island) The Health Ministry is in the process of introducing a Traffic Light labelling System (Colour coding) initially on a limited range of packaged food items to indicate their sugar levels. As a preliminary step the Ministry would introduce the programme to indicate the amount of sugar included in ready to serve beverages such as colas, soft drinks and liquid milk. Ready to serve drinks containing more than 11 grammes of more..

June 30 (DM) The JVP urged the govt to postpone the general elections to the first week of September so that it won't affect students sitting the GCE A/L exam. JVP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake told a rally in Malabe that the date had been fixed for the polls is the earliest possible day in accordance with election laws. He therefore urged the govt to consider re-scheduling the election to early September. more..

June 30 (LBO) Northern Province calls for private investments in water disposal, recycling, construction, health care, hospitality, trade and vocational targeting at increasing household income of the people. �Some of the fundamental problems faced by the people of the North and the East are their socio-economic problems, the post conflict trauma, livelihood needs, human rights and issues affecting vulnerable groups,� more..

June 30 (Island) Indian Oil Company (IOC) Sri Lanka has once again requested the govt to either increase fuel prices or give them a tax reduction. They had separate meetings with Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake and Power and Energy Minister Champika Ranawaka. Both ministers asked for more time, while appreciating IOC�s role here. Ministry officials said that govt wouldn�t be in a position to take a decision till more..

June 30 (DM) The Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Sri Lanka would be closed by the end of the year and in Papua New Guinea this month, while radically downsizing in Indonesia, the UN said. Oliver Lacey-Hall, the outgoing head of OCHA's Asia-Pacific office in Bangkok has said the UN was downsising its humanitarian staff in some Asian countries where govts have stepped up with funds and more..

June 30 (EN) Sri Lanka is planning to use central bank profits expected to be earned in 2015 to fund an 8.5 billion rupee bailout of Golden Key Credit Card Company, an unregistered Ponzi-scam style firm that collapsed after promising high interest rates. A total of 8,545 million rupees are needed to bailout investors, according to a proposal made to cabinet. Of that 544 million rupees will go to investors who are owed less than 2 million, more..

June 30 (CT) If it is to benefit from a high-growth region and prosper among other nations in the world, Sri Lanka must drastically switch its focus away from narrow and claustrophobic identity and tribal battles onto modern, secular goals related to the prosperity of its people. We are facing a new version of the old guns versus butter debate central to economics. Do we allocate our time, resources and effort toward guns? (meaning, war or conflict) Or are we going to allocate more..

June 30 (CT) UNP, Sri Lanka's largest political party, has decided to go it alone at 15th General Election to be held in just under seven weeks, on 17 Aug. The JVP, SLMC and TNA will go it alone. Elections to 15th Parliament comprising a total of 225 seats will be held under the Proportional Representation System (PRS). It will be to elect 196 members or 87.1% of the members to the House under the PRS and the balance 29 seats or 12.9% of the Legislature as nominated members. more..

June 30 (CT) The 13-member Special Parliamentary Investigation Committee that probed the alleged insider trading and favoritism in the recent treasury bond issue has established Central Bank Governor Arjuna Mahendran�s direct intervention on behalf of his son-in-law Arjun Aloysius owned Perpetual Treasuries. Last month, the three-member lawyers committee appointed by PM Ranil Wickremesinghe to probe into more..

June 30 (Reuters) Shares fell on Tuesday, hovering near 2-1/2 month lows, led by large caps such as Nestle Lanka as political uncertainty before parliamentary elections weighed on sentiment. President Sirisena dissolved parliament on Friday and scheduled elections for Aug. 17, in an effort to consolidate power and push through political reforms. The main stock index ended 0.16%, or 11.35 points, weaker at 7,020.80, hovering near its lowest close since April 15 hit on Friday. more..

June 30 (ICC) Sri Lanka has been fined for maintaining a slow over-rate during the second Test match against Pakistan at Colombo which concluded on Monday. Chris Broad of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees imposed the fine after Angelo Mathews� side was ruled to be one over short of its target when time allowances were taken into consideration. In accordance with Article 2.5.1 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Players Support Personnel, which relates to more..

June 30 (EN) A criminal probe will be initiated into alleged mis-appropriation of hundreds of millions of rupees at a unit of Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation group which is building a 27 billion rupee hotel in Colombo, officials said. SLIC had invested 8.5 billion rupees in Canwill Holdings, an investment vehicle which in turn controlled SinoLanka Hotels and Spa, a firm with land and building expropriated from the Ceylinco group, which is more..

June 30 (Island) Govt Medical Officers� Association General (GMOA) Committee decided to help the existing office bearers to get re-elected as they had no faith in the opponents, GMOA Assistant Secretary Dr. Navin de Soysa disclosed. He said that though the GMOA wanted to hold the annual election to elect new office bearers for 2016, some group had filed a case against it. An injunction order had been issued by the Nugegoda District court by suspending election scheduled for June 27. more..

June 30 (Island) A development project of the Yala National Park commenced under the guidance of Navin Dissanayake, Minister of Tourism and Sports recently. The project is designed to enhance the quality of visitor-experience as well as the facilities provided to the Park�s staff to make their service more efficient. Once it is completed, the National Park will have a ticket counter with the latest technology, a cafeteria, a tourist information centre, a drinking water project, more..

June 30 (GDI) Lieutenant General Crishanthe De Silva, Commander of the SL Army on Monday addressing a representative gathering of about 175 senior officers of the Army Headquarters and those serving nearby formations called upon the Army to sustain the reputation of the organization by strictly adhering to disciplinary code. De Silva, specific in his articulation throughout the near one-hour address, also did not mince words to more..

June 30 (HP) Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena recently dissolved parliament. The election will be held on August 17; a new parliament will gather on September 1. Yet what happens next is still far from clear. To complicate matters, Mahinda Rajapaksa could contest in the country's upcoming parliamentary election. Rajapaksa has stated that he'd only be interested in contesting as a member of the SLFP and has indicated that he'd like to become prime minister. more..

June 30 (DM) The UPFA has finally agreed to nominate former President Mahinda Rajapaksa as a candidate at the August 17 general election under the betel symbol, a party leader said. UPFA General Secretary Susil Premajayantha, SLFP General Secretary Anura Priyadarshana Yapa and Opposition Leader Nimal Siripala de Silva communicated President�s message to Mr. Rajapaksa today. Mr. Rajapaksa agreed to reach a settlement on this matter with the President. more..

June 30 (CI) Sri Lanka Cricket has reiterated its commitment to holding elections before the end of January next year, in the wake of the ICC's warning that further non-compliance could result in more sanctions. SLC interim committee chairman Sidath Wettimuny, who recently attended ICC annual conference, maintained that while ICC had publicly urged SLC to hold elections before end of Oct, that date served only as a soft deadline. more..

June 30 (AD) The Court of Appeal has further extended the stay order issued against the circular imposing a ban on full-face helmets. The stay order was extended until July 14 when two petitions filed against the circular, issued by the Police Department, were taken up before the Court of Appeals today. A recent surge in crimes such as bank robberies and shootings committed by individuals wearing full-face helmets had led to the police department introducing the ban, which more..

June 30 (CT) Leader of the TNA R. Sampanthan said the international community has given first priority to the problems of the Tamil speaking community in Sri Lanka. Hence the Tamil people in the North and East will give vital attention when voting at the forthcoming parliamentary elections. We would have made a historical blunder if we failed in our utmost duty in this regard. He further appealed to the Tamil people to strength the TNA to capture more parliamentary seats more..

June 30 (CG) JVP accused the Govt of failing to meet the requirements of the people, despite being elected by the people. JVP MP Vijitha Herath said that the Govt had promised to arrest those responsible for corruption but yet arrested only a few people. He also said that forming a coalition Govt between the SLFP and the UNP led to the investigations on corrupt politicians being affected since the President is also from the SLFP. more..

June 30 (DM) The National Council for a Better Tomorrow Chairman Ven. Athuraliye Rathana Thera said today they would not be worried if former president Mahinda Rajapaksa returned to politics by contesting at the general elections. He told a media briefing at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute that the only problem they had was the party through which Mr. Rajapaksa would contest. �It is not important if he contests or not. We have no intention of teaming up with politicians accused of being thugs, more..

June 30 (AD) Pradeep Nilanga Dela has been appointed as the acting Diyawadana Nilame of the Sri Dalada Maligawa from July 01 until an election is held for the next Diyawadana Nilame. In a statement issued today, Commissioner General of Buddhist Affairs Chandraprema Gamage said that Pradeep Nilanga Dela has been appointed as the temporary custodian of the Temple of the Tooth Relic in Kandy until the next Diyawadana Nilame is chosen or until another temporary custodian is appointed. more..

June 30 (LT) Mr. Maithripala Sirisena, who contested the presidential election under swan� symbol promising he would, like the swan that separates milk from water, take legal action against all fraudsters and the corrupt, is now involved in protecting all fraudsters and the corrupt complains the Leader of the JVP Anura Dissanayaka. He said this addressing the meeting held at Malabe on the 28th to establish more..

June 30 (AD) Ministry of Education today announced that the dates of the school term holiday have been amended due to the General Election and the revision of the timetable of the 2015 G.C.E. A/L exam. Accordingly the schools which will be used as A/L exam centers will commence their 3rd term on September 09 while the other schools will begin on Aug 31. Department of Examinations had revised the dates for the 2015 A/L exam due to the General Election being held on August 17. more..

June 30 (CI) Sri Lanka Cricket has reappointed allrounder Shashikala Siriwardene captain of the women's ODI and T20I teams, while batsman Chamari Atapattu has been named vice-captain. Siriwardene, 30, previously led Sri Lanka in 80 limited-overs matches between 2005 and 2014 before giving up the captaincy in April last year over administrative hassles. As captain, Siriwardene guided Sri Lanka to their maiden T20 series win, against India in January 2014, and more..