July 9 (Island) PM, in Parliament on Thursday, while expressing his views on the ratification of the first Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, alleged that there had been a judicial coup against Parliament. His consternation is understandable. As much as it is wrong for the legislature to meddle with the affairs of the judiciary the latter should not make inroads into the preserve of the former if unfortunate conflicts between two institutions are to be avoided. more..

July 9 (SL) Without reference to the details of what was said � or, left unsaid � by now it can be safely concluded that both the UNHRC and the Govt have only gone through the past motions, once again at Geneva, with trained ease and/or hurt, as the case may be. High Commissioner Zeid Ra�ad Al Hussein�s report and Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera�s resonse a day later have an inevitable touch of de javu, dating back to the predecessor Mahinda Rajapaksa regime. more..

July 9 (CT) Joint Opposition (JO) cracker of the whip and Leader of PHU MP Udaya Gammanpila revealed tongue in cheek some undisclosed stories, pertaining to the recent encounter. Q: You were all of a sudden arrested on 18 June, creating a new precedence to the code of making an arrest. What do you feel about the series of events and the manner in which equality in the eyes of the law was applied to you? more..

July 9 (DN) A controversy that the government was embroiled in right from its inception has hopefully come to an end with the appointment of Indrajith Coomaraswamy as the Governor of the CB, succeeding the controversial Arjuna Mahendran. Various interpretations are being given to this saga with some portraying the long drawn out tussle for the Governorship as being a battle of wits between President and PM but in the end, if it was indeed such a contest, outcome was not a victory for more..

July 9 (ST) After one of Sri Lanka�s bruising elections not too long ago, someone with a penchant for coining phrases-not always elegant but telling-talked of a computer jilmart. That, I suppose, was another way of saying that technology was being manipulated to fix election results. There was insufficient evidence as our judges are prone to say now and then, to establish any computer fiddling but the phrase seem to have found a permanent place in our lexicon devoted to more..

July 9 (SL) During the recently concluded 32nd session of the UNHRC, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Prince Zeid Ra�ad Zeid Al-Hussein made an oral update before the Council on Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka. The report follows last October�s UNHRC Resolution which was adopted by consensus with SL�s co-sponsorship. According to Prince Hussein, �the resolution represents a historic commitment by the Govt of Sri Lanka more..

July 9 (Island) The newly built second bulk vessel of Ceylon Shipping Corporation named Mv. Ceylon Princess, which was constructed at AVIC International shipyard at Wehai, China was delivered on 23rd of June in the presence of a distinguished gathering led by chairman, Shashi Dhanatunge and Deputy Minister Nishantha Muthuhettigama. This vessel was built alongside its sister ship Mv. Ceylon Breeze, which was delivered early this year on Jan 20 having almost same specifications. more..

July 9 (Island) Text of address by Minister Malik Samarawickrama at the interaction with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Indian companies, June 5 in New Delhi. The multifaceted relationship between Sri Lanka and India is rooted in deep civilizational links, which stretch back many millennia. Today, India is Sri Lanka�s largest trading partner; ranked first in terms of the source of imports and the third largest export market. more..

July 9 (NS) Apart from its wrongfulness Thevapperuma drama brings to light another important aspect of our society�s ills � the issue of school admissions that needs a reasonable solution. It�s no secret that even among govt schools, urban schools are considered to be better than the others and the gap between the two categories have been widening over the years. The reason perhaps may be that popular schools have better teachers and facilities and as a result they are able to more..

July 9 (Island) We Sri Lankans have hitherto tended to view the ethnic problem in terms of a stark dichotomy between the Sinhalese and the Tamils: the Sinhalese according to Tamil perceptions are stuck with an enduring Mahavamsa mindset that will never allow them to give fair and equal treatment to the Tamils; the Tamils according to Sinhalese perceptions want Eelam and will be satisfied with nothing less than a wide measure of devolution that will lead ineluctably to Eelam. more..

July 9 (CT) Olympics high jumper Manjula Kumara narrowly missed the Rio qualification mark and was dejected and furious over AASL regarding lack of competition on the opening day of 94th National Athletics Championships at MR Stadium yesterday. Manjula followed a little bit of a different tactic to give him maximum energy to rest and get a leap over Olympics qualification mark of 2.29m. more..

July 9 (DN) Sri Lanka's Dulanjan Fernando was adjudged the Champion Diver at the seventh Singapore invitation National Diving Championship concluded at the OCBC Aquatic Centre in Singapore Sports Hub. Fernando, a student of Royal College Colombo, won three silver medals in the Group A boys category in the Springboard one-metre and three-metre and Platform events. Another Royalist Prasad Dissanayake won one gold and two bronze medals in the same events. more..

July 9 (DM) Over the recent past, Sri Lanka has seen an influx of cutting-edge electronics which have replaced in large quantities the existing equipment which are fast becoming obsolete in the middle of the speed technological advancements. While the life spans of the equipment become shorter, the accumulation of e-waste as debris has increased significantly, leading to one of the biggest challenges in the waste management in SL. Electronic waste or e-waste is an electronic more..

July 9 (Island) Lack of interest of country�s sports authorities and the athletic establishment to upgrade existing sports facilities was laid bare at the top competition of the country�s premier Olympic sport as the 94th National Athletics Championships got off to a bizarre start without wind gauges and electronic timing at the MRIS at Diyagama on Friday. Crucial 3-day competition, which is also the final qualifying opportunity more..

July 9 (NS) Global Resources International (Pvt) Ltd clinches a Sri Lankan first with the introduction of Sri Lanka�s first ever Smart Switch LED Bulb, a modern electronic accessory that offers consumers the smart option of operating the lighting system in their home through flick of a button on a remote control. �This Smart Switch LED light bulb is unlike any other in the market locally today. It can be operated with any remote control giving the consumers, the convenience, a sense of safety and more..

July 9 (Island) The so-called Joint Opposition, which was never an elected Opposition, has taken a bigger stride to call itself the Shadow Cabinet. There is little doubt this gives them more feeling of being Cabinet Ministers, even in shadow, which was denied them through the machinations of electoral politics, with the failure of the MR team in the UPFA to win a majority in parliament. They have scored a big victory at the outset � a victory in numbers. This Shadow Cabinet is larger than more..

July 9 (Hindu) Ahead of the arrival of China�s Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Colombo on Friday, a controversy has arisen over an exhibition on the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, which reportedly took place in Kandy a few days ago. A section of the media reported that China took an exception to this, but the the spokesperson for the Chinese govt was not available for comment. Asked for reaction, Foreign Affairs Ministry more..

July 9 (EN) South Korea�s rice cultivation technology introduced into Sri Lanka has helped raise productivity at a model farm that also tested transplanting mechanization. Model farm at Rajanganaya aimed to improve productivity and quality of rice in the region by using Korean agricultural technology, South Korean embassy said. Project is a partnership between KOPIA (Korea Program on International Agriculture) SL Centre and RRDI (Rice Research & Dev. Institute) more..

July 9 (EN) Dialog Axiata has improved its disaster early warning system to send localised message alerts by mobile phone to only warn people at risk in specific areas in Sri Lanka. The improvements were part of upgrades to Dialog�s Disaster Early Warning Network (DEWN), mass alert early warning system, said Charitha Ratwatta, Head of Group Sustainability at Dialog. Improvements include SMS messages being sent to the first responders of govt hierarchy & digital broadcasting. more..

July 9 (Island) Private Medical College Parents Society President T.M.K.B. Tennekoon urged the govt to run the hospital of SAITM at Malabe in a private-public partnership. He said, the society had already met Minister Rajitha Senaratne. Asked what the outcome of discussion had been, Tennekoon said, It was positive. Asked whether the parents� association would also make representations to the President and PM on more..

July 9 (PMD) The official ceremony to declare July 01 to 10 as the National Scout Services and Relations Week � 2016 was held today (8), under the patronage of President Maithripala Sirisena. The National Scout Services and Relations Week has been introduced as an annual program to enhance the self confidence of the scouts of their pride about their labour. This national week helps earn funds for training camps community service projects and other programs carried out by the scouts. more..

July 9 (MoD) Reconstruction work in Salawa, Kosgama has seen all partly damaged houses being renovated and handed over to the owners while work on houses with major damages is continuing. As of today (7) troops have completed repair work on a total of 766 damaged roofs while work on another 42 are currently underway. The Sunday inferno at the Army ammunition dump in Salawa last month (5th June) had caused damages to houses and commercial buildings around the camp. more..

July 9 (Island) The govt has agreed not to sign the Economic and Technological Cooperation Agreement (ETCA) with India without formulating a national policy on trade agreements, the GMOA says. GMOA President Dr. Anuruddha Padeniya said that his outfit had met Minister Malik Samarawickrema and Adviser to PM Charitha Ratwatte to discuss the appointment of a commission to prepare a national policy on more..

July 9 (Island) Three brothers in the Muttur police area killed their brother-in-law on Thursday inside a mosque there by attacking the victim with a sword and a knife. A top police officer investigating the killing that occurred around 6 a.m on July 07 told The Island that the victim who was on bail had come to attend his father�s funeral from Colombo and he was hacked to death by the suspects at Jinna Nagur Mitha Thakiya Mosque. He was a suspect in the killing of suspects� elder brother more..

July 9 (ENS) After the Lankan Navy on July 7 arrested 16 more Tamil Nadu fishermen and seized three boats, the CM J Jayalalithaa has highlighted the importance of the Centre to begin a strong diplomatic offensive against Sri Lanka for the rights and interests of Indian fishermen. �There should be strong and decisive action by the Centre in this matter and the present situation cannot be allowed to continue. I once again seek your urgent directive to the Ministry of External Affairs to more..

July 9 (ENS) The visiting Chinese Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, said here on Friday, that China's relations with Sri Lanka are not meant to hurt any other country. Wang Yi said this while briefing the media after talks with his Lankan counterpart Mangala Samaraweera, Ministers Ravi Karunanayake, and Malik Samarawickrama. Chinese FM's assurance about the benign nature of China's engagement with SL was clearly aimed at India, more..

July 9 (NS) The Ministry of Healthcare and Nutrition informed that the number of children whose weight gain was increasing and reaching proportions of childhood obesity was rising, and while the statistics changed from school to school, and area to area, percentagewise the figure was 10%-15%. There are approximately 4.8 million schoolchildren in Sri Lanka. A recent national research report published by the Department of Census and Statistics observed that one out of six Sri Lankans, more..

July 9 (DM) In the wake of PM Wickremesinghe calling for the Speaker to overrule a SC ruling, former UPFA MP G.L. Peiris said it looked like an attempt to make way for the appointment of foreign judges to try war crimes against the armed forces. In the Singarasa case the SC held that the judicial power of the Republic could only be exercised by courts and tribunals set up under the Constitution of SL. Referring to this direction, Mr. Peiris said this power could not be alienated to others. more..

July 9 (AP) China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi said his country will align its maritime silk road project with SL's development plans to enable the island nation to become a shipping hub in the Indian Ocean. Wang's comments came after meeting SL Minister Mangala Samaraweera, starting a two-day visit. It is a sign of SL's new govt's increasing receptiveness to Chinese projects having previously suspended some to investigate corruption more..

July 9 (EN) Sri Lanka is not trying to stifle the smaller start up hotels and apartments at the behest of large operators who cannot face competition, Minister John Amaratunga said, as tourism officials prepare to bring new rules. "We are doing it in the interest of the industry not because hoteliers want it done," Amaratunga said. Sri Lanka's tourism authorities is planning to gazette new rules of get small guest houses and apartments to register with tourist authorities. more..

July 9 (PMD) Asian Development Bank (ADB) says it is ready to continuously assist Sri Lanka for its development activities. �That is because we see the funds provided by the ADB to Sri Lanka are being properly utilized under the current govt�, stated a group of representatives of the ADB, headed by its Vice President Wencai Zhang, met President Maithripala Sirisena today (8) at the Official Residence of the President. Speaking at the meeting the President said the funds, more..

July 9 (PMD) President Maithripala Sirisena emphasizes he will not allow any foreign court, judge or organization interfere into the internal administration and judiciary in the country in future too. �Though whatever views are expressed in various places regarding bringing of foreign judges and establishing of foreign military courts to take actions against the so called human rights violations during the period of war� he said. more..

July 9 (DM) Monday July 11 is World Population Day and the theme this year is interesting and significant�Investing in teenage girls. It comes during a year when Hilary Clinton is likely to become the first female President of the most powerful country in the world, the US. Reports indicate Ms. Clinton is likely to select a female as her running mate for the November elections against the controversial Donald Trump who complained recently he was fighting against two parties� more..

July 9 (DM) Some politicians always want to be in command of and at the apex of the ladder. When people are determined to climb higher, they attempt to reduce the standing of competitors. Gossip and spreading rumours is one of the main weapons people use to diminish another person�s status. The caveman beating up another caveman for control of the clan in tribal clans was replaced by cruel whispers and petty remarks, in advanced societies. Sir John Kotalawala related an imaginary tale more..

July 9 (DN) We conclude a week of considerable political and economic significance, with new CB Governor, Dr. Indrajit Cooomaraswamy, assuming duties. This culminates a critical period for the govt of consensus, with an impact of relevance to both President and PM, where good governance had the best result. Dr. Coomaraswamy�s appointment, if not bringing to an end, has pushed back to a necessary long period, more..

July 9 (Island) Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya has once again instructed relevant authorities to expedite the probe into the misappropriation of Rs. 300 mn of EPF funds belonging to the CEB employees, invested in Treasury bonds in 2009. During a meeting with CEB unions on Thursday, Minister said several documents related to the misappropriation were also missing and a separate internal investigation more..

July 9 (NS) Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) whilst acknowledging that there was a constitutional impediment to having foreign judges and prosecutors in a new local court to try war crimes, also highlighted that a judgment of a war crimes tribunal would be subject to review by a higher court, especially the Supreme Court. Minister Mangala Samaraweera recently announced that that govt would finalize the basic architecture of a more..

July 9 (DN) Auditor General Gamini Wijesinghe flanked by high rank officials of his Department took the time to explain the nitty-gritty of his report on the Treasury Bond transactions before the COPE members this week. The COPE, Parliamentary watchdog on govt business undertakings, has gathered momentum as never before with the cumbersome task to probe into the Central Bank�s alleged Treasury Bond scam. more..

July 9 (DN) If there are charges against anyone, they can be questioned by the law enforcement authorities such as the Courts, CID and FCID regardless of their social status and political connections, Left Centre Co-Convener Chameera Perera said. He said the statement made by UPFA MP Bandula Gunawardene that public officials hesitate to perform their duties fearing FCID would question them is nothing short of laughable. more..