Aug 1 (CT) In the year 2018, when France has a Macron, Croatia has a Kolinda Grabar and even Pakistan, a country with an estimated literacy rate of just 58%, elected an Imran Khan backed by its army in a moment of dangerous hope, editor of CT, Uvindu Kurukulasuriya has shown poor taste in sharing a two year old post from 2017 proposing Kumar Sangakkara for the Presidency of SL. This post suggests that Sangakkara is of presidential material based on the fact that he renounced more..

Aug 1 (GV) �If the majority thinks that a minority community is posing a threat to them or are developing in a manner that creates fear among them, then it is a problem for the majority.� In this interview, documentary film-maker T Jeyaraj comments on the formation of nationalist movements that resulted in violence in July 1983. He draws parallels to recent riots in March, where Buddhists targeted the Muslim community. He also draws attention to recent news reports of more..

Aug 1 (SO) Manager, Network Planning and Research at SriLankan Airlines, Priyadarshani Epitawala, who was the advertising manager of SriLankan Airlines in 2011 recently bared details on how her ex-boss fiddled with procurement standards to favour a party with links to the then administration. Testifying before the PCoI investigating allegations of fraud and corruption in the national carrier on July 19, 2018, Epitawala said, more..

Aug 1 (CT) Let�s realize our blessings: Sri Lankan politics isn�t yet quite like the Cambodian. It nearly became so, when attempters were stopped in their track in the year 2015. Cambodian elections have just completed and the country�s information minister said the ruling party won Sunday�s (29/11) election, ensuring PM Hun Sen, who has led the country for 33 years, will serve another five year-term. Cambodia�s Opposition leader, Sam Rainsy, remains exiled in France. more..

Aug 1 (CT) It is very sad to discover that someone you once admired has clay feet. It is even more depressing to find that he is made entirely of clay. Like the mechanical men in Lawrence Norfolk�s Lempriere�s Dictionary, it seems that all democratic predilections have been removed from Karu Jayasuriya�s insides, and he now functions like a robot in fulfilment of the denial by his masters of the predilections of the people. Three years ago, when he became Speaker, I wrote to him to more..

Aug 1 (CI) Just how far this SL top order has to go in ODIs could not have been made more clear in the first match on Sunday. Batting coach Thilan Samaraweera said his team had spoken about seeing out the likes of Kagiso Rabada in the first 10 overs, before taking more risks against the less experienced South Africa bowlers later in the innings, but the hosts nevertheless found themselves 36 for 5 in the ninth over, more..

Aug 1 (DN) The ancient capital of SL, city of Polonnaruwa, the seat of great kings, will awaken to its pristine glory once again with the completion of as many as 170 projects under the President Sirisena�s flagship, Pibidena Polonnaruwa on Aug 1, 2 and 3. Pibidemu Polonnaruwa (Awakening of Polonnaruwa) District Development Project was commenced on Oct 17, 2017. The President, symbolizing the commencement of the project laid the foundation stone for a new classroom more..

Aug 1 (DN) In recent years the reputation of the National Parks of Sri Lanka, especially that of the Yala National Park (Block I), has been severely dented, both locally and internationally, due to the uncontrolled and undisciplined behaviour of the jeep drivers and guides who take visitors into the Parks. At times, such has been their behaviour that they have not only endangered the lives of their passengers but, in several instances, wild animals have been killed too. more..

Aug 1 (Island) Sri Lanka have a wretched record against the South Africans in recent time having not won a game in five years. The last time Sri Lanka beat South Africa in an ODI was in Pallekele in 2014 and since then these teams have met in nine ODIs and all nine have been won by the Proteas. The hosts trail the ongoing five match series 0-1 having lost the opening fixture on Sunday by five wickets here in Dambulla. "Of those nine games, five were in South Africa. more..

Aug 1 (Island) For some reason, many of us have forgotten the fact that mere descriptive writing about chosen topics cannot to be counted as research. Research must include an element of re-thinking. Without that element the research in the humanities can end up reinforcing existing conventional thinking and habits. Education means lifting human mind and making life free at least a little bit. To achieve that goal all our educational efforts need to be undergirded by a strong sense of critique. more..

Aug 1 (DN) Cabinet has approved a proposal made by President Maithripala Sirisena to declare the holy shrine of Our Lady of Madhu a sacred area. Prez visited the Madhu Shrine on Sunday. This is a most welcome measure for Roman Catholics in the country. Madhu is a mystic jungle shrine dedicated to Mother Mary and venerated not just by the Catholics of this country, but by members of all religious faiths. more..

Aug 1 (Island) The ICC Cricket World Cup is less than 12 months away and more importantly, Sri Lanka have little over 20 ODIs to sort out their woes in ODI cricket that has seen them slip through the official ICC Rankings drastically. Sri Lanka are currently placed eighth according to rankings, one slot behind Bangladesh and how they will fix the issues remains to be seen. One of Sri Lanka�s biggest problems has been batting through the 50 overs and it was showcased again on more..

Aug 1 (Island) Minister of Higher Education Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakse seems determined not to give in to undergraduates on the warpath, who have caused the Peradeniya Uni to be closed indefinitely. He fired a broadside at university student unions, accusing them of having their protests funded by certain political forces hell bent on disrupting universities. Minister has got it right. External forces use university students as a cat�s paw to pull political chestnuts out of the fire. more..

Aug 1 (CI) SL's Test cricketers will be out of the country for almost three months between Dec and late Feb, with three back-to-back Test tours scheduled for the Southern Hemisphere summer. These away tours will also come close on the heels of England's full tour of the island in October and November, which will end on Nov 27, so long as the SSC Test runs its full duration. As a result, SL will play nine Tests in the space of four months, more..

Aug 1 (DN) Cricket legend Kumar Sangakkara who retired from int'l cricket three years ago has been in the news for the wrong reasons. The name of the former captain and iconic player has been doing the rounds especially in political circles that he is going to enter local politics. Some have even spoken about Sangakkara becoming a candidate for the next Presidential elections in 2020. Last week, Minister Rajitha Senaratne told that they would support Sangakkara if he enters politics. more..

Aug 1 (CT) Sri Lankan spinner Akila Dhananjaya is going through a golden patch in his career, and has worked hard towards cementing his place in all three formats of the game with his splendid performances, both with the ball and some valuable late order batting. Dhananjaya, who made his debut in 2012 as a 19-year-old, had an impressive start, but wasn�t featured in the National team from January 2013 until mid-2017, when he was recalled for the home series against Zimbabwe. more..

Aug 1 (FT) Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne yesterday slashed the prices of 25 additional drugs, including cancer medication, with immediate effect under a new drug policy. He made this announcement at a special felicitation ceremony where he was honoured with the title of Suwapathi after he was appointed the Vice President of the WHO. He said that 10 expensive drugs would have their prices reduced with immediate effect more..

Aug 1 (Island) Sri Lanka Golf (SLG), the national body for Golf in Sri Lanka together with HSBC will host for the second year running the international junior golf championship to be played among the countries in the region; SL, Pakistan and India. Sri Lanka won the inaugural tournament played last year beating Pakistan in a cliff hanger. This year Malaysia too have entered a two member team. This event which was created to offer a platform for juniors to compete among the best more..

Aug 1 (Island) National Chamber of Commerce of SL in association with the Hony. Consul to Hungary in SL, Rohan Nanayakkara has organized a Business delegation to Hungary from the 29th of September 2018 to 04th October 2018, led by Karu Jayasuriya Speaker of Parliament, invites the Business community of Sri Lanka to join this business delegation. This event would be an ideal platform for business communities in Sri Lanka dealing with irrigation, waste-management, more..

Aug 1 (Island) Criminal liability couldn�t be avoided by private arrangement under any circumstances, top constitutional lawyer Manohara de Silva PC said. There was inordinate delay on the part of the Attorney General in dealing with UNP MP and former State Minister Vijayakala Maheswaran over her July 2 call for revival of the LTTE, De Silva said. The previous govt brought the war to a successful conclusion in May 2009. more..

Aug 1 (DM) World�s second largest cargo aircraft, Antonov An-124 Ruslan, landed at the Mattala Rajapaksa Int'l Airport (MRIA) this afternoon, Airport Manager Upali Kalansuriya said. He said the cargo aircraft was being refuelled and that its crew was resting. �It is iconic to have the world�s second-largest aircraft at MRIA and it is the first time that this type of aircraft arrived in the country. The aircraft arrived from Indonesia and had scheduled to leave for Muscat at 1.40 a.m. tomorrow,� more..

Aug 1 (FT) Megapolis and Western Development Ministry will next week consult all stakeholders, including professional bodies, on their views regarding a port-related logistics hub and proposed logistics park in Welisara. With the Govt�s Vision 2025 initiative of transforming Colombo Port into a logistics and maritime hub within the Indian Ocean region, the ministry said the support and cooperation of professional bodies representing the areas of supply chain, logistics and transport more..

Aug 1 (FT) The report on the PC elections, which proposes several amendments to the Provincial Council Election Act, drafted by the committee of experts and civil society members will be presented to Speaker Karu Jayasuriya today. Committee is to meet the Speaker at 10.30 a.m. today. Committee head and PAFFREL chief Rohana Hettiarachchi said the Committee had come with six proposals to assist the Govt more..

Aug 1 (CT) Former Sri Lanka Medical Council Chairman Prof. Carlo Fonseka yesterday hinted that Minister Rajitha Senaratne may be a possible candidate for the Presidency. Prof. Fonseka made this remark while delivering the keynote speech at the Suvapathi honouring ceremony at the Nelum Pokuna Mahinda Rakapaksa Theatre, which was held to appreciate Minister Senaratne for being elected as one of the four Vice Chairmen of the World Health Organization (WHO). more..

Aug 1 (DN) SL and South Korean officials have finalized policy recommendations and a framework to develop the future Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) tax administration system by capitalizing the experiences of the advanced tax information system in Seoul, South Korea. Colombo is the economic centre of the country experiencing rapid urbanization and land development resulting on higher tax rates imposed on land and buildings which account for 28% of total budget of CMC. more..

Aug 1 (DM) JO said it has filed a petition in the Supreme Court against the Finance Minister over allegedly misusing public funds to publish newspaper advertisements on fuel prices which contained false facts. JO MP Bandula Gunawardana said the motive of these advertisements, which were focused on fuel prices and pricing formula, was to sling mud at former Prez Rajapaksa through the State media. more..

Aug 1 (Island) Bilateral trade between Germany and SL has grown steadily by 40% during the last three years and Germany was optimistic of Sri Lanka�s further potential, ambassador of Germany to SL J�rn Rohde said recently. "We are not here to connect only the govts but also its people. Key areas are increasing business relations between Germany and SL. Last few years trade between Germany and Sri Lanka grew by 40%. Last year alone German exports to Sri Lanka grew by 8%," more..

Aug 1 (FT) The Supreme Court fixed for support on 20 September the motion filed by the Bribery Commission seeking to set aside the interim order issued by the Supreme Court staying the proceedings in the Colombo Magistrate�s Court against former Chief Justice Mohan Peiris and the incumbent superior Court Justice Nawaz. The bench comprised Chief Justice Priyasath Dep and justices Vijith K. Malalgoda and Lalith Dehideniya. The Bribery Commission in its motion states that more..

Aug 1 (DM) During the magisterial inquiry relating to the alleged abduction of 11 youths in 2008, Director of the CID Shani Abeysekara today revealed that, several years ago, some of the defence lawyers, who currently represent the suspects, have requested him to favour several Navy individuals, who were at that time not named as suspects into the inquiry. At the onset of the inquiry, President�s Counsel more..

Aug 1 (Island) Police investigating the links between convicted drug kingpins and prison officials have found that drug smuggler known as Dharmaraja Surendran alias Susei, on death row, footed the bill for purchasing four TV sets for the use of prison officers. Soon after the arrest of a confederate of Susei with 120 kilos of heroin recently, the four TV sets went missing according to sources. Police investigators have traced the mobile number used by Susei and there are records of more..

Aug 1 (Island) Senarath Premathilaka de Silva, who is suspected to have sold heroin to two British ruggerites, who died due to a drug overdose in May, was remanded till August 10 by the Fort Magistrate�s court yesterday. The Fort Police arrested the 38-year-old suspect, a resident of Wellawatte, on Monday after questioning several three-wheeler drivers over the incident. British rugby player Thomas Howard (26) and Thomas Baty (27) died in a private hospital in Colombo after more..

Aug 1 (CT) The Attorney General (AG) Jayantha Jayasuriya has stated that the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) has no authority to amend the Least Cost Long Term Generation Expansion Plan (LCLTGEP) which the CEB had prepared, Ceylon Today reliably learns. The AG has said that it is only the CEB which could prepare the LCLTGEP according to Section 43(8) of the Sri Lanka Electricity Act No. 13 of 2013. more..

Aug 1 (WT) The decision to list five Sri Lanka tarantulas as endangered drew cheers from wildlife advocates even as U.S. collectors worried that the regulatory web will actually reduce the number of captive-bred spiders by discouraging breeding. Fish and Wildlife Service posted its final rule Tuesday granting Endangered Species Act protection to the five vividly colored tarantulas, among the largest in the world, whose population is declining in the wild as a result of habitat loss. more..

Aug 1 (DN) Social Welfare and Primary Industries Ministry will commemorate the third anniversary of the govt on August 15 by conducting 12,000 health camps and building 5,000 export villages during the ensuing year. The 12,000 health camps would be held on the basis of 1,000 camps per month, covering divisional secretariat divisions in all districts. The health camps themed Dayawe Mehewara, will include western and ayurveda clinical examinations and more..

Aug 1 (FT) Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who arrived in Colombo on Tuesday on an official visit, called on Prez Maithripala Sirisena to examine the expansion of bilateral relations. During the meeting, Prez, recalling the friendly relations between Iran & SL and his recent visit to Iran, had assured Iran�s top diplomat that there was no obstacle to the path of development of ties between Colombo & Tehran. more..

Aug 1 (DM) Next week on August 9, the UN marks the International Day of the World�s Indigenous People -- disclosing the little known fact that there are an estimated 370 million indigenous people living across 90 countries. They make up less than 5% of the world�s population, but account for 15% of the poorest. They speak an overwhelming majority of the world�s estimated 7,000 languages and represent 5,000 different cultural. According to the UN, indigenous people are inheritors and more..

Aug 1 (DM) Recent revelations on the detailed course of Eelam War IV in its last phase in 2009 made possible by Lord Michael Naseby�s extraction of the contemporary readings of the battle theatre provided by the British Military Attache in Colombo, Lt. Col. Gash, permits one to chart specific strands of deceit and conspiratorial design perpetuated by the Western states led by USA and Norway with the implicit or explicit participation of a host of humanitarian agencies, such as ICG, AI and more..

Aug 1 (ST) The Govt�s IT Park, the Trace Expert City, will not be moved out of its current location at Maradana in Colombo, despite railway trade unions� demand that the land be given back to the Railways Department to build a control tower, UDA Chairman Jagath Munasinghe said. He said that this land should be used for activities that bring economic benefits to the country, and the purpose of Trace Expert City was just that. more..

Aug 1 (CT) The RDA has decided to commence a Roadside Landscaping Programme to recreate the forest cover which was destroyed when constructing the Southern Expressway and to ensure the safety of the drivers travelling on the Southern Highway. Additional Director General of the RDA, S. Opanayake said that they expect to set up a green belt on either side of the Southern Expressway through this Programme. more..