June 6 (Island) A cabinet paper would be submitted soon to absorb the manpower employees at the CEB into the permanent cadre of the institution, Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya said yesterday. The minister told The Island that among the beneficiaries would be meter readers who had been working for years and the interviews would be held on Wednesday for that purpose. All manpower workers who had necessary qualifications would be absorbed into the permanent cadre, he said. more..

June 6 (CT) Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake yesterday said the No-Confidence Motion (NCM) brought against him, which will be debated in Parliament tomorrow, will also test the govt's popularity. "The Joint Opposition is insane enough to bring in such a NCM at a time like this, when we are concentrating on developing the country, but it is also good as it would test the popularity of the govt and ourselves," he said. more..

June 6 (DM) MP Namal Rajapaksa had been summoned to record a statement by the FCID today, informed sources said. MP Rajapaksa who had been summoned on several previous occasions with regard to a number of ongoing probes had been asked to report to the FCID office in Fort at 9.00 a.m. today. He is expected to be quizzed regarding a property which is said to be owned by his mother and former first lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa in Mihindu Mawatha, Dehiwala. more..

June 6 (Island) Mahanayake of the Rangiri Dambulu Vihara and Chief incumbent of the historical Dambulla cave temple and devales, Ven Inamaluwe Sumangala Thera has lodged a complaint at the Police station there on Saturday that some unidentified persons have damaged the ancient frescoes and statues in the temple. Vandals have drawn graffiti on the statues and frescoes, the Thera has said in his complaint to the Dambulla Police. A spokesman for Department of Archaeology, more..

June 6 (Island) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe has instructed his officials to prepare a report on military officials appointed to ministries and statutory boards on recommendations of former Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa. The officials have been requested to submit their report to the PM within a week. The officials have also been directed to include the details and information of all top officials of public organisations, more..

June 6 (DN) The 12th World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF) will be an ideal opportunity for Sri Lankan Micro sector entrepreneurs to gain exposure to the world said, Tun Musa Hitam, Chairman of WIEF Foundation. This year, the forum will be held at Jakarta Convention Centre from August 2 to 4. He said it would also give them a chance to speak and interact with some of the world�s leading companies and share their experiences. Some 2,500 delegates and 60 role players from more..

June 6 (CT) All govt MPs have been banned from travelling abroad, as a no-confidence motion against Minister Ravi Karunanayake is due to be taken up in Parliament on 8 June. Chief Govt Whip's office has instructed all govt MPs to be present in the House on 8 June and the President and PM have personally called several MPs who were to go abroad. Several govt MPs have openly criticized several decisions taken by Karunanayake and President and PM have attempted to prevent more..

June 6 (Island) A major fire erupted at the Kosgama Salawa Army Camp around 5.47 pm yesterday triggering a series of explosions in ammunition dumps. One person was killed. The area had been cordoned off to prevent people from rushing to the scene. Colombo-Avissawella road was closed near the camp as a precautionary measure. Families living within the radius of 6 km were asked to leave their houses by army as there was a risk more..

June 6 (DM) In the afterglow of World Environment Day yesterday, one important practical step would be to reflect on the extent to which we have polluted Mother Earth and made the soil virtually infertile. As a result most of us, including little children are eating or drinking doses of poison with each meal and this may be one of the main reasons why most of us are falling sick more often while hospitals have become like market places or big profit-making businesses. US� Food and Agriculture Organization�s more..

June 6 (DM) President Maithripala Sirisena has been invited for a second official visit to China, says Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe. The timing of the invitation, which came after the President�s visit to Japan, as a guest Head of State at the G 7 summit is interesting. China and Japan haven�t been in best terms recently, worse, still under the administration of the President�s Japanese host, Nationalist PM Shinzo Abe, who wants Japan to play a more muscular role in the world stage, more..

June 6 (DM) German Ambassador to Sri Lanka Dr. J�rgen Morhard, in an interview said that last year�s change of govt brought about a dynamic re-launch of political relations between his country and Sri Lanka. Noting that the govt of Sri Lanka is striving to strengthen the rule of law, he said Sri Lanka was well on its way to reforms. Q: How do you see the relationship between Sri Lanka and Germany after the change of govt here? more..

June 6 (CT) Recently, it was reported that the President of the Lanka Private Bus Owners' Association (LPBOA), Gemunu Wijeratne came up with a proposal to levy an additional fee for tickets issued on buses plying in the Western and Central Provinces because of the excess fuel burned as a result of delays in heavy traffic congestions. Wijeratne had noted that LPBOA has already informed President, PM Ministry of Transport more..

June 6 (ST) 16-year-old N.D. Saumya Dilki has lost interest in school. The grade 11 student of Hathgampala Maha Vidyalaya is due to sit her GCE O/L Exam this year. However, the landslide at Samasara Hill in Aranayake has tragically altered her life forever. She lost both her father and her younger brother that day when their home was buried under rubble. Saumya, originally from the Elangipitiya colony, is now among more..

June 6 (SL) With the unprecedented and senseless borrowing of the previous Rajapaksa regime plunging the country into a massive debt burden of 8,475 billion rupees, many more scandals of former President Rajapaksa and the misappropriation of public fund by the family members are being exposed to the public showcasing the unbelievable levels of corruption created by a SL head of state & his cohorts. more..

June 6 (ENS) Francis A Boyle, Professor of International Law at the University of Illinois and a renowned expert on human rights, war crimes, genocide, and the Right to Self-Determination, has joined the Tamil Peoples� Council�s team to fight for an international Judicial Mechanism to investigate and try war crimes cases in Sri Lanka. The TPC was set up with the blessings of C.V.Wigneswaran, Chief Minister of Northern Province, more..

June 6 (DM) The Govt is to set up an Australian style University of Police and Criminal Justice, shortly, PM Ranil Wickremesinghe said on Saturday. �This university will be different. It will not be a traditional British and Sri Lankan style university. It is going to be a university based on the model of Deakin University Australia,� he said speaking at a seminar organised by the University of Sri J'pura over the weekend. more..

June 6 (LBO) JVP said the party will vote in favor of the upcoming no-confidence motion against Minister Ravi Karunanayake. No-confidence motion handed over in March by the Joint Opposition will be taken up for debate on Wednesday and the vote will be taken at the end of the debate on the same day. MP Vijitha Herath said present govt has obtained over 1,113 billion rupees as loans and planning to get more loans. more..

June 6 (AM) Former Minister Basil Rajapaksa was arrested by the FCID a short while ago over a land issue. He was arrested after he appeared before the FCID to give a statement over the purchase of a 17 acre land and a house in Malwana, Biyagama. He is expected to be produced before the Pugoda Magistrate. This is the second time he was arrested over land issues by the FCID in recent weeks. In early May, he was arrested over more..

June 6 (DN) The people who voted for the govt with hopes of a great change now experiencing the outcome of the so called change, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa said. People of the country voted for the present govt with keen hopes of a great change. However, they perceive the real taste of the so called change when they go shopping and learn the change of prices of all commodities and daily needs. more..

June 6 (Island) Minister Ravi Karunayake said that IMF�s releasing of the first tranche of US$ 1.5 billion loan was expected to catalyze an additional US$ 650 million in other multilateral and bilateral loans, bringing total support to about US$ 2.2 billion over and above existing financing arrangements. He said that with those infusions and loans promised by ADB, Sri Lanka would receive around US$ 4 billion in loan facilities by Dec. more..

June 6 (CT) The June session of the UNHRC is expected to be an important test for the govt. The resolution that it co-sponsored in Oct 2015 stated that UN High Commissioner would submit an oral update to the UNHRC at its 32nd session (June 2016) and a comprehensive report followed by discussion on the implementation of the present resolution at its 34th session (March 2017). In recent weeks there have been several announcements by the govt to highlight the progress that more..

June 6 (Island) Education Non-academic Employees Union has brought to the notice of Minister Akila Wiraj Kariyawasam that the schoolchildren continue to stagger under the weight of their school bags. Children seemed to carry the heavy load with an average weight of over five kilos each, Secretary of the Union Ajith Thilakaratne said, adding that they had pointed out to the minister in a letter that children were compelled to carry heavy loads could face health risks. more..

June 6 (FMT) Khazanah Nasional Berhad and a Singapore hospital chain have both shown interest in buying majority shares in Lanka Hospitals Corporation (LHCL) amidst reports that Sri Lanka Govt may decide to let it go. State-owned Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation (SLIC) holds a 54.61% stake in LHCL, previously known as Apollo Hospitals Colombo. Hemas and the Softlogic Group, both local companies, were the first to express interest in LHCL. Softlogic, which controls Asiri Hospital more..

June 6 (CT) "Why should I go and fight against Vietnamese. They didn't do any harm to me or to my family. They didn't kill or rape any of my people. So I don't won't to join the Army and fight against the people who didn't do anything to me or my people", these were the words uttered by the legendary World Boxing Champion Muhammed Ali when he refused to join the US Army to engage in the Vietnam War. In 2013 the whole world mourned the death of Dr. Nelson Mandela, who got rid of more..

June 6 (CT) Anti-Corruption Front (ACF) accused Central Bank Governor Arjuna Mahendran of abusing his power at the bank protecting Chairman of the Lankaputhra Development Bank (LDBL), Lasantha Gunawardena, despite an order issued by the Central Bank�s Department of Bank Supervision calling for his ouster. �Governor who through two bonds issues has been involved in a conflict of interest is at present misusing more..

June 6 (EN) Central Bank said the cost of overseas travel and related work by present governor Arjuna Mahendran and staff was sharply reduced in 2015 compared to expenses incurred under former governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal. The bank said in a statement that it rejects allegations by opposition politicians that Governor Mahendran and staff had spent public money on personal expenses or improperly. Official overseas travel costs are borne by the Central Bank in accordance with more..

June 6 (DM) The authority vested with the IGP to appoint or transfer the post of Officers-in-Charge (OIC) of Police Stations had been taken over by the National Police Commission with immediate effect, the Commission said yesterday. Secretary to the Commission Ariyadasa Cooray said however the IGP still had the authority to appoint posts below OICs. Earlier, the IGP had the authority to appoint or transfer positions below the Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP). more..

June 6 (AD) A fire that erupted was brought under control as of Monday morning. Attempts were made to douse a fire that erupted in the ammunition dump at Kosgama Army Camp according to the Commander of the Army Lieutenant General Crishanthe De Silva. Firefighters with the cooperation of soldiers had thrown their full weight behind the efforts after setting up road blocks on both sides of Kosgama�Avissawella road. more..

June 6 (Island) As the country is struggling back to normalcy following a series of natural disasters, authorities have warned of more inclement weather in the offing. The Meteorological Department yesterday predicted strong winds particularly over Western slopes of the central hills and surrounding sea area during the next 36 hours while the National Building Research Organization (NBRO), too, has issued a fresh landslide warnings for five districts. Met Department Duty Meteorologist said that more..

June 6 (CG) Permanent Under-Secretary at the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office Simon McDonald and Permanent Secretary at the UK Department for International Development Mark Lowcock arrived in Sri Lanka today. McDonald, the most senior UK diplomat and Lowcock will meet with PM Ranil Wickremesinghe, Leader of the Opposition R. Sampanthan, members of the govt, senior officials and UK funded civil society partners, the British High Commission in Colombo said. more..

June 6 (EN) Asian Development Bank is giving technical assistance to develop a comprehensive master plan for the Sri Lanka capital market, including required policy and institutional reforms. The plan will cover equities, bonds, derivatives including commodities, money market, and a capital market tribunal. The Capital Market Development Program, which will support govt�s commitment to meaningful capital market reform, more..

June 6 (Reuters) Shares ended steady on Monday as concerns over rising interest rates and foreign outflows erased early gains from positive sentiment after an IMF loan approval. Turnover was very low at 476.2 million rupees, well below this year's daily average of around 788 million rupees. The International Monetary Fund's (IMF) executive board has approved a three-year $1.5 billion loan to support Sri Lanka's economic reform agenda, the global lender said on Saturday. more..

June 6 (DN) Court of Appeal ruled that former Sports Director General�s decision to hold the elections of the Executive Council of the SL Automobile Sports (SLAS) was made ultra vires and the Executive Council so elected on Aug, 27, 2014 was elected during an election that was also ultra vires. Therefore, Court of Appeal (President) Justice Vijith Malalgoda issued a writ order preventing 26 respondents from holding office and functioning as the Executive Council of the SLAS. more..

June 6 (AFP) Flying shrapnel triggered by explosions at an ammunition depot on the edge of Sri Lanka's capital destroyed a hospital and hundreds of homes, sending thousands scrambling for cover, authorities said on Monday. At least one soldier burnt to death in the worst ammunition depot fire in Sri Lanka's history and nearly 50 people were treated for injuries or smoke inhalation, Colombo medical chief Palitha Mahipala said. more..

June 6 (CT) A Police team led by Galle DIG W. Jayalath, sent to investigate what appeared to be an accidental fire during the opening of Shangri-La Hotel in Mirijjawela, Hambantota last week, will be handing over their preliminary report to SDIG - Southern Province D.C. Wickremaratne tomorrow. Ambalantota Police have also questioned around 10 eyewitnesses and recorded their statements. When the President arrives at a ceremony, the surrounding area becomes High Security Zone. more..

June 6 (ET) Sri Lanka has topped the list of drop in India's engineering exports showing a degrowth of over 90%, followed by China and UAE during April, 2016 in the midst of 19% decline in the sector which has also slipped in terms of its contribution to the country's overall export basket. Marked by a huge fall in the exports of aircraft and spacecraft parts, engineering exports to Sri Lanka fell to mere $63 million in April, 2016 from $648 million in the same month last year. more..

June 6 (DN) Blood of all foreigners who arrive in Sri Lanka on residence visa and all locals and foreigners in the tourism and hotel industry should be tested, Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne said. There is an increase in Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) and decrease in Dengue and Filaria. Testing blood of above categories is the only practical way of eliminating HIV/AIDS and detecting Malaria patients. I instructed health officials to more..

June 6 (CG) Joint opposition says the no-confidence motion on Minister Ravi Karunanayake will test the SLFP. The joint opposition said that the SLFP was originally formed to defeat the UNP. However the statement notes some members of the SLFP are now working with the Govt and the no-confidence motion will be a test to see if the SLFP really stands for the policies of the SLFP or the UNP. The vote on the no-confidence motion on Finance Minister will be taken in Parliament on Wednesday. more..

June 6 (AM) Joint opposition says the no-confidence motion on Minister Ravi Karunanayake will test the SLFP. The joint opposition said that the SLFP was originally formed to defeat the UNP. However the statement notes some members of the SLFP are now working with the Govt and the no-confidence motion will be a test to see if the SLFP really stands for the policies of the SLFP or the UNP. The vote on the no-confidence motion on Finance Minister will be taken in Parliament on Wednesday. more..