Sept 14 (AD) A process where the duty of the opposition is being carried out within the govt itself is currently in operation in the country, according to Minister Chandima Weerakkody. He said he thinks that SL�s opposition is feeling very relaxed due to this as they only have to keep making various statements. Responding to a question from a journalist, he said that SLFP supporters who love the party do not like to see the party split as it feels like their own child is getting hurt. more..

Sept 14 (LBO) Sri Lanka�s cabinet has approved a new draft bill revising the VAT liable threshold for wholesale and retail trade, a cabinet decision said. Under the new amendments, the threshold for VAT liability on wholesale or retail supply of goods has been revised to 12.5 million rupees for a quarter, or 50 million rupees per year. VAT would be charged only on VAT liable goods and the VAT rate will be increased to 15%. more..

Sept 14 (DM) Several days after Bharatha Lakshman�s daughter MP Hirunika Premachandra posted a photo of her father, showing his gunshot wound, sister of Duminda Silva, Dilini Silva, in a copy cat move also posted 17 pictures of her brother during his numerous surgeries and treatment at the Sri J'pura Hospital and Mt. Elizabeth Hospital, Singapore. On her Facebook page, Dilini Silva claimed the pictures, which were also published on a previous occasion, more..

Sept 14 (DN) UNP MP Hirunika Premachandra said she was glad that Duminda Silva's sister, Dilini Silva, went on to publish the pictures of her brother's surgery. "There were doubts about his medical reports. Many people assumed that he would not be able to lead a normal life, after being shot in the head. That was why certain questions were raised about his health condition," she said. "On the other hand, there were questions about the conduct of the doctor who treated him. more..

Sept 14 (AD) The amended bill on the VAT would not bring any benefit to people, the Joint Opposition claims. �A business that exceeds a daily turnover of Rs.136,586 would also be entitled for tax under the new amendment,� MP Bandula Gunawardena added. Meanwhile, former Foreign Minister G.L. Peiris while speaking at the press conference severely condemned the attack on SL High Commissioner to Malaysia I. Ansar more..

Sept 14 (CT) The Govt of Japan has decided to grant 52.6 million Japanese Yen (approx Rs 73.6 mil) worth of TV programmes to SL Rupavahini Corporation. This project aims to upgrade and improve knowledge and awareness of Japanese culture, value and lifestyle among SL viewers through specially designed Japanese TV programmes to be telecast in Sinhala and Tamil and reaching all areas of SL. It will be utilized for the procurement of 449 TV programmes, more..

Sept 14 (CT) Sir John Tarbet Athletics Championship began at Diyagama yesterday without electronic timing system, as the authorities had failed to address the issue though it's been a month since the media highlighted the issue. The trials are being held in preparation for forthcoming South Asian Junior Athletics Championships. Malfunctioning electronic time system was a much discussed topic during the past few months as it's the only electronic timing system in SL. more..

Sept 14 (DM) The disappearance of a youth in Hambantota after he was taken in along with two others, could be a result of a shortcoming on the part of the Police, SSP Ajith Rohana said. SSP Rohana, who attended the Cabinet briefing, said an investigation was being carried out to determine, what exactly had happened. �There has been a shortcoming on the part of the Police as the records of Tangalle Police had stated only two more..

Sept 14 (GDI) Parliamentary Reforms and Mass Media Ministry in association with the Department of Govt Information will hold an international Conference in Colombo under the patronage of President Sirisena to commemorate the International Right to Information Day. According to the Minister Gayantha Karunatilleke, by now all arrangements have been made to hold this conference at the Jaic Hilton Hotel on Sept 28 and 29 under the theme Right to Information and Media Reforms. more..

Sept 14 (Sun) An asylum seeker who avoided deportation back to SL after a public campaign was today jailed for 30 months after admitting a vile sexual attack. Sivarajah Suganthan, who spent 37 days in a detention centre, was allowed to remain in the UK in 2011 thanks to a petition backed by Lib Dem MP Stephen Williams. He lobbied immigration minister to grant him asylum and presented an 800-name petition to Parliament calling for the deportation threats to end. more..

Sept 14 (AFP) Sri Lanka today announced it was planning to relocate farmers living on the edges of forests inhabited by elephants to reduce the numbers killed on both sides. Minister Gamini Jayawickrama Perera said the island's elephant population had dropped to 6,000, from 7,379 counted five years ago, as deadly encounters between animals and humans increase. "Although various measures like erecting of electric more..

Sept 14 (DM) The number of vehicles registered during the first eight months of 2016 has seen a 50% decline to 313,465 from the highest figure of 668,907 recorded in 2015, according to the latest data released. 313,465 vehicles had been registered under the department in the first eight months of this year. About half of them were motor cycles. 668,907 vehicles had been registered in 2015 and this was record. No any other year recorded such high number of registrations. more..

Sept 14 (HCI) High Commissioner of India, Y.K. Sinha and Governor of Sabaragamuwa province, Marshal Perera jointly inaugurated an English Language Lab in Kahawatta, Ratnapura on Sept 13, at a function held at Ruwanpura National College of Education, Kahawatta. Assistant High Commissioner of India, Kandy, Ms. Radha Venkataraman, Director, Tamil Schools Development of Ministry of Education, S. Muralidharan and other senior officials were also present during the occasion. more..

Sept 14 (DM) Supreme Court today directed the Uva Province Director of Agriculture to make necessary measures to pay compensation to the affected farmers for their crop loss as a result of the Uma Oya Project. Bench comprising Chief Justice K. Sripavan and Justices Eva Wanasundere and Priyantha Jayawardane made this direction for payment on the application of the affected farmers after assessing their application. more..

Sept 15 (CT) Issues get dramatized over facts often in news story lines. Insider information is valuable stuff similar to inside deals done in stock and bond exchanges for speculative gains through a commercial transaction. Many such stories were dominating in print and electronic media starting from the Central Bank Bond scam to the recent unfolding of the tender irregularity in People�s Bank in SL. Such stories get twisted according to the power and influence of the actors involved more..

Sept 15 (CT) We have been split apart and torn asunder with hateful division, having to endure a brutal, protracted war simply because we have not found the way to embrace each other in solidarity, infused with a liberating humanity, to share and nurture this beloved Land and coexist peacefully as a human family. Whether Sinhala, Tamil, Moslem, Ja, or Burgher, whether Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Islamic or Bahai, whether North, East, South, West or Hill Country, we have all paid the price. more..

Sept 15 (SO) The Pearl of the Indian Ocean, our island home might be but, at the same time, the earth under our feet, no longer firm, according to natural disaster experts. Sri Lanka ranks high on the list of landslide and flood risk in the world. Worse, we also rank high among those countries lacking disaster mitigation capabilities. According to researchers at Univ of Stuttgart, who have released World Risk Index for 2016, more..

Sept 15 (DN) The national unity govt should spare no effort to keep the marauding racists and pseudo-patriots at bay. The post-Jan 8 Presidency, followed by the Aug 17 General Election, heralded the formation of the unprecedented National Unity (NU) Govt comprising the age-old rivals: UNP and SLFP. The good governance has been the stated trajectory of the NU Govt. First of all, the efforts to tighten the noose around the neck of the sharks involved in rampant corruption, bribery and more..

Sept 15 (DN) In a major development, the Police will exhume the remains of former Sunday Leader Editor Lasantha Wickrematunge, on Sept 27, following an order by Mount Lavinia Magistrate�s Court. The order was issued after the CID informed the Mount Lavinia Magistrate that the postmortem inquiry into the former Editor�s death was suspicious. After the exhumation, the CID will conduct tests to ascertain whether the findings of the JMO report tally with Wickrematunge�s remains. more..

Sept 15 (CT) Alliance for Economic Democracy (AED) is an organization formed by a group of persons who insists upon the importance of economic justice. Ahilan Kadirgamar, a member of the AED, insisted how the possible outcomes of the IMF Agreement hurt the ordinary people of the country. Very often, when tax increases are suggested it is the indirect tax such as VAT that increases, which hurts the public. more..

Sept 15 (Island) Many war criminals are reported to have avoided deportation from the UK thanks to some serious lapses on the part of the British authorities, who have taken no further action after blocking their bids for citizenship. A recent article in The Daily Mail tells us that some human rights campaigners have faulted the British officials for not reporting the criminal elements including some Sri Lankans to Scotland Yard�s special war crimes unit. It was obvious that the UK and other more..

Sept 15 (FT) Ban has come and gone, but his shade lingers like a long shadow over a slow tropical sunset. There was no drama this time, with the likes of protesting demagogues on a pathetic hunger strike conspicuously missing in action � unlike the last-time the UN Secretary General visited Sri Lanka in 2009, in the aftermath of our civil war�s conclusion. Where Wimal Weerawansa, that great post-war agent provocateur, was, in the first week of September this year, is anyone�s guess more..

Sept 15 (FT) Money laundering, which is commonly known as washing black money, can be defined as the process of hiding the true origin of illegally made money and giving such proceeds a legitimate outlook. The money laundering risk for financial institutions can be defined as the risk of non-detection of laundering of money through bank accounts or by using any products of the bank. It allows drug traffickers, smugglers and other criminals to expand their operations. more..

Sept 15 (Island) Major General, Kamal Gunaratne who commandeered the elite 53 division of the SL Army retired from on the 5th of September and launched his book Road to Nandikadal - True story of defeating the Tamil Tigers both in Sinhala and English, on his birthday, 6th Sept. I have met Kamal twice or thrice before he came on the programme, Pathikada the day after his retirement. It was the longest chat I had with him. Sri Lankans know him and how his elite division ended more..

Sept 15 (DN) Sri Lanka is once again promoting passenger transport in canals across Colombo city. The govt will soon call for international tenders to find a partner to run this service initially from Battaramulla to Wellawatte. Megalopolis Project Investment Head Nayana Mawilmada said that though waterways are commonly used in many countries SL has ignored this valuable asset. �We now want to offer this facility for investors more..

Sept 15 (CT) Last week a function was held at Ananda College, Colombo to launch the book Road to Nandikadal by Major General Kamal Gunaratne. Neither President, nor PM or any MP or Minister had been invited for this function. Only former President Rajapaksa and former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa had received invitations. Major General presented the book to MR. During the MR govt, if a Major General invited only the Opposition and presented a book he had written, more..

Sept 15 (DN) A 9-year-old girl and an 11-year-boy who had been reported missing in Uppuweli since Monday evening were found in Valachchenai last noon. Children had travelled all night from Trincomalee to Valachchenai in the Baticaloa bound train and got off the next morning at Valachchenai station. A woman in the train had noticed the two children and alerted a child probation officer in Valachchenai who traced them at the station. He then handed children to Valachchenai OIC. more..

Sept 15 (EN) Google will resume trial balloon flights in Sri Lankan under its Project Loon aerial wireless network in November, Minister Harin Fernando said. Google Loon Project, which aims to make high-speed internet accessible to as many people as possible and at lower cost, was allocated the required frequency only in August, he said. "Google will fly a balloon to Sri Lanka to resume tests in November," Fernanddo said. more..

Sept 15 (Island) Dharmasoka College, Ambalangoda athlete Ridma Nishadi joined a limited number of athletes to have cleared the 12 metres mark in the triple jump at school level when she cleared 12.21 metres to establish a new meet record on day two of Sir John Tarbet Senior Athletics Championship at Diyagama on Wednesday. Under-18 girls� triple jump meet record had stood at 11.67 metres since 2007. Nishadi broke the record held by P.V.D. Priyadharshani of St. Thomas� more..

Sept 15 (CI) Inoshi Priyadharshani and Imalka Mendis have earned call-ups to Sri Lanka Women's ODI squad, while there were recalls for Chamari Polgampola and Inoka Ranaweera for the upcoming four-match home series against Australia Women. Priyadharshani played two T20 internationals for Sri Lanka Women, both in 2014 in a home series against South Africa Women, and has been out of the side since. Mendis is uncapped at the international level. more..

Sept 15 (FT) Top ministers yesterday held a special meeting to discuss and draft guidelines to increase cigarette tax up to 90%, ahead of presenting it for Cabinet approval in the coming weeks. According to a proposal made by Health Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne the Government has decided to increase the tax imposed on tobacco companies to 90% and the relevant Cabinet paper is expected to be submitted to the Cabinet eventually. more..

Sept 15 (EN) Sri Lanka has condemned a nuclear test by North Korea and asked the country not to de-stabilize the region. "Govt of Sri Lanka condemns the nuclear test carried out by Democratic People�s Republic of Korea (DPRK) on 9th Sept 2016," Foreign Ministry said in a statement. "Sri Lanka notes with concern that this is the second such test to be carried out by the DPRK this year. "Sri Lanka calls upon the DPRK to abide by its international obligations and refrain from more..

Sept 15 (Island) The recent series of cricket matches played against the Australian cricket team poses a lot of questions to the cricket administrators as to where the national cricket team is heading and to what steps it should take to solve the present problems encountered by our team. Whereas we should be proud of the fact that we were able to whitewash the Australians in the Test Series, we must squarely face the problems that were responsible for the virtual drubbing more..

Sept 15 (CT) Informed sources said that by throwing out bags full of cash, attempts are being made through various means to cover up the alleged Rs 700 million digitization project scam at the People's Bank. As the first part of this hidden agenda, the management of the Bank had incurred millions in public funds to run advertisements in the print media. As the second stage the bosses had attempted to silence more..

Sept 15 (FT) As a ban on asbestos looms, leading members of the Rs. 30-billion industry defended their product and expressed disappointment at the blanket silence of policymakers while urging them to initiate independent research into its health implications. Roofing sheets manufacturers in Sri Lanka represented by Fibre Cement Product Manufacturers Association went on the offensive against what they say is misinformation being spread about the dangers of asbestos. more..

Sept 15 (FT) Realising Megapolis ambitions will depend on the faster release of State land for more accessibly-priced real estate development and strong policy cohesiveness for implementation, experts said as the Govt prepares to roll out fresh urban investment projects. Addressing a special forum by Guardian Acuity Asset Management titled Investment Opportunities from the Western Region Megapolis Plan, top experts, including TW Corp Chairman Thilan Wijesinghe more..

Sept 15 (DM) The country should be governed either by President Sirisena or PM Wickremesinghe without contradicting each other, Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa said. He said President, PM and Cabinet of Ministers were making contradictory statements on issues relating to the country and that showed the coalition govt had no plan for the country. He said UNP and SLFP had joined together only to share power more..

Sept 15 (DN) The Small and Medium Industries is planning to cultivate pineapple in 25,000 acres in a move to support local pineapple growers.One thousand nurseries are to be established across the country, Minister Daya Gamage said. The Ministry has also arranged a matching fund to financially help investors to start businesses to support the processing industry.It is also planned to set up 5,000 nurseries to help develop the recently introduced Kaprukata Gammiris program. more..

Sept 15 (EN) Axiata group said it was looking to optimise its balance sheet, following a report that the Malyasian telecom group was planning to raise US$ 700 million from sales of stock in foreign units including a 30% sell-down in SL's Dialog Axiata. Axiata was planning to sell a 30% stakes in Dialog Axiata and a Cambodian unit, and 11% of a unit in Indonesia, amid a rise in debt. Axiata said that it "continuously reviews various strategic options to enhance shareholders� value. more..