Sep 1 (NS) Perhaps it�s the allure of hearing a foreigner, a Caucasian at that, speaking in our own tongue, albeit falteringly. The Sinhala profanity coming from this staggering, sarong-clad sudda in the short video Bar Wahala is quite hilarious. His adaptation Sudda Dance, which involves him attempting to dance like a drunken Sri Lankan, did the Facebook rounds as soon as it was uploaded. His heavy accent coupled with, at times comic presentation no doubt strikes a chord, more..

Sep 1 (DN) The political fallout from the resignations of ministers Ravi Karunanayake and Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe are still being felt within govt, the latter more than the former, even as the Joint Opposition hands over yet another motion of no-confidence, this time against Minister Rajitha Senaratne. Karunanayake�s resignation, in a sense, was straight forward enough. Following evidence led at the Commission of Inquiry into the sale of CB Treasury bonds, it emerged that more..

Sep 1 (NS) Paralympian track and field athlete in the F46 class standing throws category, retired Corporal of the Sri Lanka Army formerly attached to the Third Battalion of the Gajaba Regiment, Dinesh Herath won the Bronze medal in the men�s javelin throw event at the 2016 Summer Paralympic Games Olympics held in Brazil and the silver medal for the same at the 2017 World Para Athletics Championships. more..

Sep 1 (CT) I refer to the statements by two Ministers, both legal minds, Minister of Justice, Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe and the new Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tilak Marapana, in the Daily Mirror on (a) Independence of the Attorney General�s Department and (b) International Inquiry into alleged War Crimes, respectively. Minister Rajapakshe states that- I quote �the Judiciary and the AG�s Dept act as independent institutions today and are free to act on the Police Reports given to it�. more..

Sep 1 (DN) According to World Economic Forum�s Global Gender Gap Report 2016, Sri Lanka is ranked in the 100th place out of 144 countries. Study used four major criteria to establish each country�s status in terms of gender equality in economy, education, health, and political representation. SL�s gender gap and gender equality rank declined from 79 in 2014 to an 84 in 2015 and the downward trend continued in 2016. We have been slipping from our privileged position more..

Sep 1 (CT) Traffic congestion was reported in and around Colombo Fort during the last week due to a protest conducted by polythene manufacturers against the polythene ban which is to be implemented from 1 Sept 2017. The protest was conducted on 21 August in front of the People's Park Complex. Several polythene manufacturers took part in the protest organized by the All Ceylon Polythene Manufacturers and Recyclers Association. more..

Sep 1 (GV) Above was the last line in a press release issued on 17th August, by Association for Relatives for Enforced Disappeared in Kilinochchi district, at a press conference in Colombo. It came in context of 6 month long protests by Tamil families of disappeared in the North and East, and empty promises by President Sirisena and much talk about a new Office of Missing Persons. Today, 30th August, the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances[i]. more..

Sep 1 (Island) President Maithripala Sirisena has told media heads and editors at a recent meeting in Colombo that he will complete his full term come hell or high water. He may be able to retain the presidency, but what guarantee is there that there won�t be any change in the composition of Parliament. Nothing is so certain as the unexpected in politics. What befell the Kumaratunga govt in 2001 is a case in point. President Kumaratunga lost her parliamentary majority due to crossovers more..

Sep 1 (CT) We believe that maintaining the Freedom of Navigation is of paramount importance for Sri Lanka to become the Hub in the Indian Ocean. It is only then that we can reap the full benefits of our strategic location as well as the availability of ports on all coasts and two international airports with good land connectivity. The air and sea connectivity will naturally promote logistics.�Colombo will also be a center for offshore finance and business. more..

Sep 1 (DN) The curtain raiser of Asian Rugby Sevens first leg, which is the selection trial to determine the two Asian qualifying teams for the World Rugby Sevens Championship in America will see Sri Lanka taking on stronghold Japan at the Kowloon Bay Sports Ground in Hong Kong today, commencing at 11 a.m., local time. Slotted in Group �B� Sri Lanka will play their other two first leg group matches at the same venue today. Sri Lanka will face Chinese Taipei at 1.30 p.m. more..

Sep 1 (CI) The last time Virat Kohli had elected to bat after winning an ODI toss, Rohit Sharma made an unbeaten 264 in an India total of 404. Now, against the same opponents, it seemed as if Kohli and Rohit were on course to become the first pair of batsmen to score double-hundreds in the same ODI. By the end of the 29th over, they had put on 219 in 165 balls. Kohli was batting on 131 off 93 balls, Rohit on 86 off 75. more..

Sep 1 (Island) Former Indian Test captain Mohammad Azharuddin is in town to witness the ongoing bilateral series between India and SL. Although Sri Lankan fans have adored a host of legendary Indian cricketers from Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Sachin Tendulkar to M.S. Dhoni, the respect and admiration Azar receives here is unimaginable. Perhaps the best Indian batsman of spin bowling, Azhar dominated SL attacks for many years. SL was his first overseas tour in 1985. more..

Sep 1 (Island) Main reason why SL has on the whole regressed and has got stuck in a geopolitical mud hole as it were while other countries in the region have progressed and sprinted ahead is because of the political, economic, nationalist, religious, moral, ideological and social blind spots encrusted in the collective political leadership of political parties that governed this country. Genuine national feeling that embraced the common good of all the people of SL was wanting in them. more..

Sep 1 (Island) A new 1.4 billion rupee worth pharmaceutical company fully-owned by a Sri Lankan family that has its roots in the pharmaceutical industry, Wednesday opened the country�s first sterile pharmaceutical manufacturing plant in Millewa, Horana. This new plant has the capacity to save US$ 7 million worth of imports per year by immediately meeting the national demand of 12 products in the Penicillin category. more..

Sep 1 (DN) Fonterra Brands Sri Lanka can now meet demand for an extra 10 million servings of locally-sourced Anchor Newdale yoghurt each month, with the investment in its second state-of-the-art Rs. 450 million form-fill-seal (FFS) machine. The dairy co-operative said the high-tech FFS machine will enable the company to produce 125% more yoghurt than its previous capacity, re-energising the appetite for fresh dairy nutrition. This investment is the latest in the company�s more..

Sep 1 (CT) Many people have expressed their displeasure at a competition that is to be conducted sacrificing small children. It will include a Martial Art which has been banned in Sri Lanka. A fraudulent federation named the Sri Lanka Martial Art Federation (SLMAF) is supposed to promote the event. This particular organization (SLMAF) is being maintained, even without registration with the Ministry of Sports. This event is called the Bhanu Manupriya Challenge more..

Sep 1 (Island) There were hardly any upsets on day one except for SL Air Force jumper Chathurdika Thilakarathne winning the women�s long jump, in the absence of a couple of leading contenders, at the 95th National Athletics Championship at Diyagama on Thursday. A leap of 5.93 metres was enough for Thilakarathne to bag her first National title in a competition that featured only four jumpers. The event did not see defending champion Sarangi Silva who cleared six metres last year. more..

Sep 1 (Island) The highly skilled and experienced team at SriLankan Catering (SLC) bagged no less than 29 medals (7 Golds, 10 Silvers and 12 Bronzes) at Culinary Art Expo 2017, the premier international exhibition and competition organized by the Chefs Guild of Sri Lanka that was held for the 17th time in Colombo recently. Rakhita Jayawardene, Executive Director of SriLankan Catering, said: "Once again, our highly skilled team has demonstrated its extraordinary talent, more..

Sep 1 (DN) 27th edition of the FACETS International Gem and Jewellery Exhibition began yesterday with a grand inauguration ceremony at the BMICH. Gracing the event as chief guest was PM Ranil Wickremesinghe, along with a number of MPs, representatives of the diplomatic corps, members of the National Gem and Jewellery Authority and the Export Development Board as well as buyers and other special invitees. more..

Sep 1 (ST) Over 80% of Sri Lanka�s 21 million people use either a debit card or a credit card for their financial transactions. Responding to a RTI request on data on credit and debit cards and the exposure, the CB said there was a total of 17,093,239 debit cards and 1,355,704 credit cards in use, making it a sum total of 18.4 million cards. While credit cards permit the cardholder to buy goods on credit, debit card confines purchases based on one�s bank balance. more..

Sep 1 (Island) For the first time in Sri Lanka, Dialog Television introduces a state of the art all in one media and satellite decoder with Wi-Fi connectivity - The Dialog TV ViU HUB. Viewers can enjoy over 1000�s of hours� of local and international movies, TV series and tele-dramas via Video on Demand and uninterrupted access to some of the most highly sought after local and international content libraries including Vinode, AXN, Sony, the HBO movie library and ThePapare.com. more..

Sep 1 (EN) Sri Lanka plans to push for an international arrangement to guarantee freedom of navigation in the India Ocean as naval build up is underway by major powers and economic potential is untapped, PM Ranil Wickremasinghe said. The security concerns are not fully addressed by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), Wickremesinghe told an intenational forum on the Indian Ocean in Colombo. more..

Sep 1 (DM) The Yala National Park would be closed for two months from Friday (1) as a result of the extremely low rainfall in the area and due to the prevailing drought.The park will re-open again on October 31, provided rains being experienced during this time. However, it should be noted that last year too the park reopening following the dry season had to be extended as the drought had continued to effect the availability of water for the animals to survive. more..

Sep 1 (DM) The new Justice Minister, Thalatha Athukorala, should make finding out how her brother (Gamini) died her first priority, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa said. He said the new minister had been given a mandate to operate the judiciary and the Attorney General's Department against the enemy. �However, before all this, I invite her to find out how her brother died,� he said. He was responding to a question raised by a journalist following an event held at the BMICH. more..

Sep 1 (WI) Sri Lanka�s chances of sealing direct qualification to the 2019 World Cup took another hit after their loss in the fourth ODI to India at the R Premadasa Stadium�on Thursday.�The former World Cup winners needed two wins in the five-match series to book their berth in the marquee event before the cut-off date of�September 30. In pursuit of India�s 375 for 5, Sri Lanka stuttered to 207 all out in 42.4 over more..

Sep 1 (DN) Brazil's External Relations Ministry hosted a farewell reception in honour of the Sri Lankan Ambassador to Brazil General Jagath Jayasuriya on August 24 at the Itamaraty Palace in Brasilia. The reception was attended by diplomats from Asian and Latin American countries and representatives from Brazilian Govt agencies. Ambassador Georges Lamazire, General Under-Secretary for Asia and the Pacific of the Ministry of External Relations of Brazil appreciated more..

Sep 1 (DM) GMOA said that they have doubts on the statement made by President Sirisena on providing a final decision to the SAITM controversy during the meeting recently held with media heads. GMOA Secretary Dr. Haritha Aluthge said that President had said to the media heads that he had only assured of giving a statement with regard to the SAITM, not a final solution. �During the meeting held at Presidential Secretariat last week, President has assured to give a final solution to this issue. more..

Sep 1 (Island) Justice Minister Thalatha Atukorale yesterday stressed that her predecessor Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, PC, had been removed solely due to him violating collective cabinet responsibility in respect of the leasing of Hambantota port to China. Sri Lanka and China finalized the agreement on a 99-year lease on July 29, 2017. Atukorale will continue to hold the foreign employment portfolio in addition to Justice. more..

Sep 1 (Reuters) Govt will cut down on expenditure to stick to its 2017 budget deficit target of 4.6% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and compensate for a fall in revenue, the top bureaucrat in the Finance Ministry said. Sri Lanka will fall short of its 2017 revenue target because of delays in adopting budget proposals, while flood relief after the worst torrential rains in 14 years pushed up Govt spending. �We will rearrange and cut some expenditure to meet the deficit target,� Finance Secretary said. more..

Sep 1 (DN) A case filed against former Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage for allegedly purchasing a house worth Rs.27 million at Kynsey Road, Colombo 7, over a complaint that he had allegedly purchased properties through illegally acquired money was yesterday, fixed for trial by the Colombo High Court. Accordingly, the case was fixed for trial on Nov 20 and 21 by High Court Judge Gihan Kulatunga. Attorney General had filed indictments against Aluthgamage alleging more..

Sep 1 (DN) RDA Chairman Nihal Sooriyarachchi yesterday cited technical reasons for the increase of Rs.36 billion in the cost of the Southern Expressway project. RDA Chairman Sooriyarachchi responding to COPE Chairman JVP MP Sunil Handunetti�s allegation that there was a loss of Rs.36 billion incurred due to an extension, explained that the road extension was a result of their soil investigations in the area and more..

Sep 1 (Island) Former World Cup winning national cricket captain and Petroleum Minister Arjuna Ranatunga has stepped up pressure on President Maithripala Sirisena and PM Ranil Wickremesinghe to remove Sri Lanka Cricket chief Thilanga Sumathipala. Political sources said Ranatunga was awaiting President Sirisena�s response to his recent letter. President Sirisena told the media at the President�s House on Wednesday he would take up the issue with Sumathipala. more..

Sep 1 (DN) A fundamental rights petition filed by TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran seeking an Interim Order preventing any steps being taken by Minister D.M. Swaminathan with regard to entering into a contract with a French construction company to construct 65,000 of prefabricated steel houses in the N&E Provinces was withdrawn by himself before the Supreme Court. Sumanthiran decided to withdraw his petition while it was being heard before a Supreme Court three-judge-bench more..

Sep 1 (Island) Presidential Commission probing the bond scams, resumed yesterday with Senior Additional Solicitor General (SASG) Dappula de Livera PC stating that Chief Dealer of Perpetual Treasuries Nuwan Salgado, who had ordered that the data in the PTL voice logger system be deleted would be arrested forthwith. SASG told Commission that Salgado had committed a serious offence under Penal Code of SL. more..

Sep 1 (DM) All those who wish good governance to flourish in SL must welcome the RTI Commission�s recent orders directing the NPC to give information on appointments of management assistants and office assistants to the provincial councillors. This had been refused on the ground of privilege when an information request was filed by the Uthayan. �Commission had dismissed this objection and said these are public posts paid out of public funds and the people are entitled to the information. more..

Sep 1 (DM) On Aug 23 and 24, two Ministers in the North and the South were sacked from their ministerial portfolios. One was former Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe and the other was the former Minister of the NPC P. Deniswaran. � There were some interesting parallels between the two Ministers. Both had been given time by their respective parties to tender their resignations but later were kicked out from their posts as they did not make use of the time given to them to more..

Sep 1 (CT) Minister of Power and Energy Ranjith Siyambalapitiya said Govt will install solar power units on the roofs of a million houses, in a bid to generate environmentally friendly power. He also said the Ministry and the CEB have tabled all the reports of the power cuts of the past in a true spirit of transparency but conceded that it was a lapse on the part of the govt not to disclose these revelations to the media and the public. more..

Sep 1 (DM) Recently in a live TV panel discussion, Deputy Minister Dr. Harsha de Silva said this country as a whole is totally corrupt.�He complained that corruption was everything and everywhere and it was being only talked of superficially.�With corruption, he said politics had become so nauseating, he was disgusted and wouldn�t mind leaving politics.�What he did not say is that it is this open market economy that more..