Aug 10 (Island) In the aftermath of the devastating events of April 21 in Sri Lanka, the first quarter of 2019 was adversely impacted. As the country copes with multiple challenges, SL�s economic growth is forecast at 2.7% in 2019. Overall, the performance of the services sector in the country declined to 4.1% year-on-year, compared to 5.5% GDP growth last year. Among other industries, tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka in May 2019 recorded a drastic decline of 70.8% from the arrivals in May of 2018. more..

Aug 10 (Reuters) Sri Lanka could lose access to global debt markets if a new govt shifts away from the country�s current fiscal policy that�s aimed at shoring up the economy and managing inflation, a central bank official said. The Indian Ocean island nation is preparing for prez election later this year and a parliament election in 2020, which is causing uncertainty among investors over potential policy shifts. more..

Aug 10 (Island) Mathyalagan Pathmanadan, an investor from Malaysia with ancestral roots in Sri Lanka has partnered with a SL company named Thico Group which launched its office at the World Trade Centre on Thursday, looking to compete with Lanka IOC and Cypetco, the companies which he said have monopolised the Sri Lanka oil and gas business. Pathmanadan, founder/chairman of Mapac Group of Companies in Malaysia announced that he would be bringing in his first shipment more..

Aug 10 (FT) The withdrawal of the Electricity (Amendment) Bill will prevent the renewable energy sector from developing, and increase the country�s dependence on costly and environmentally damaging sources to fulfil its growing energy demand, warned Minister Ravi Karunanayake in Parliament. Minister, explaining the necessity of renewable energy, held the laws have prevented the construction of renewable energy plants in Sri Lanka during the last 5 years more..

Aug 10 (FT) Two civil society activists, Gamini Viyangoda and Professor Chandragupta Thenuwara have lodged complaints with police headquarters demanding a probe into the revelations contained in the Daily FT last Monday about irregularities in Gotabaya Rajapaksa�s Sri Lankan citizenship, recent passport and political activities in Sri Lanka as an American citizen. Daily FT previously revealed that Rajapaksa, more..

Aug 10 (PMD) Sushma Swaraj, former Minister of External Affairs of Indian passed away earlier this week and PM Narendra Modi said, �A glorious chapter in Indian politics comes to an end. India grieves the demise of a remarkable leader who devoted her life to public service and bettering lives of the poor. Sushma Swaraj Ji was one of her kind, who was a source of inspiration.� SL shares the sentiments expressed by the Indian PM as Sushma Swaraj was a dear friend of this country. more..

Aug 10 (FT) In August 2019, the SL Army national team made its debut at the International Army Games in Russia, the multi-faceted military Olympics held since 2015 in a number of countries simultaneously, including Russia, China, India, Iran, Belarus, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Mongolia. This month, the first team from the SL Army, proudly representing Airborne Troops, Snipers and Field Chefs, have started competing with international counterparts more..

Aug 10 (Reuters) Sri Lanka�s tourism industry, badly hurt by Easter day bombings, is showing signs of gradual recovery, industry executives say, although a national election later this year is likely to weigh on holiday season arrivals. The island nation�s tourism sector, one of the country�s top revenue streams, suffered a massive blow following April 21 Islamist militant bombings of churches and luxury hotels, which killed more..

Aug 10 (SLN) SL Navy has deployed several life saving teams in view of protecting the lives of local and foreign tourists who come to beaches in Galle area for enjoyment and to see the natural beauty. Accordingly, under the directives of Commander of the Navy Vice Admiral Piyal De Silva and with the supervision of Rear Admiral Kassapa Paul, life saving teams attached to the Navy�s Rapid Respond, Rescue and Relief unit (4RU), have deployed at the Jungle Beach and more..

Aug 10 (FT) Amnesty International yesterday welcomed the decision of the Attorney General to recommence investigations into the killing of five Tamil students � known as the Trinco 5 � allegedly by the Sri Lankan security forces in Trincomalee on 2 Jan 2006. However, Amnesty says reforms are required if the investigations are to be effective. The decision follows the acquittal of 13 Special Task Force (STF) suspects earlier this month, reportedly due to a lack of evidence. more..

Aug 10 (Island) Opposition MPs who were critical of agreements being signed with the US forgot it was their would-be presidential candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa who had signed the Acquisition and Cross Servicing Agreement (ACSA) with the US, Minister Lakshman Kiriella told Parliament. Speaking during the adjournment debate, moved by the UPFA on obtaining Parliamentary agreements entered more..

Aug 10 (FT) Parliament received copies of three petitions filed at the Supreme Court under Article 121(1) of the Constitution in respect of the Bill entitled Abolition of Death Penalty, the Deputy Speaker and the Chair of Committees Ananda Kumarasiri informed the House yesterday. UNP MP Bandula Lal Bandarigoda was granted leave to move his controversial bill in Parliament on 1 August to abolish the death penalty and to make consequential provisions. more..

Aug 10 (Island) The Secretary to the Prez has written to the Attorney General, stating that, President will accept recommendations for the mechanism to appoint President�s Counsel, the Additional Solicitor General, Indika Demuni de Silva PC told the Supreme Court, yesterday, when the fundamental rights violation petition filed by Upul Kumarapperuma, lawyer challenging the manner the President appointed recently the President's Counsels was called before the Court. more..

Aug 10 (Island) UPFA MP Dinesh Gunawardena, accused the govet of entering into international agreements which were detrimental to the country. Moving a motion at the time of adjournment of the House, Gunawardena alleged that the govt was planning to sign several agreements with some foreign countries, namely, Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA) more..

Aug 10 (TOI) Sri Lanka has emerged as a key transit point and consumption hub for narcotics, seizures made by intelligence agencies in Tamil Nadu indicate. While the most popular drugs being smuggled to Sri Lanka are heroin and cannabis, ferrying of synthetic drugs such as methamphetamine is on the rise. Last month, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized 10.61kg of crystal meth and 1.475kg of ketamine that were on their way to SL through the sea. more..

Aug 10 (AD) Leader of Opposition Mahinda Rajapaksa has promised that he would not allow any injustice to be inflicted on the MPs of Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). He stated this during a meeting held with a group of SLFP members today (9). A group of SLFP local govt representatives for Kandy met the Opposition Leader at his official residence. Meanwhile, another group of SLFP members representing the Batticaloa district also held discussions with the Opposition Leader. more..

Aug 10 (DN) Megapolis and Western Development Ministry Secretary Nihal Rupasinghe blamed the CMC for not taking action to send the metropolis� solid waste to Aruwakkalu in Puttalam despite being informed last September that the Kerawalapitiya temporary dumping site was reaching its capacity. He said the Aruwakkalu state-of-the-art garbage dumping site, which is a permanent solution to the issue, more..

Aug 10 (Island) Minister Navin Dissanayaka and High Commissioner of India Taranjit Singh Sandhu inaugurated the 6th Edition of COMPLAST (Complete Plastic Exhibition) in Colombo yesterday. The 3rd Edition of International Rubber Expo and 4th Edition of COMEXPO (Complete Manufacturing Expo) were also inaugurated. P.L.U. Rathnamalala Director General, Industrial Development Board of SL, Kaushal Rajapaksa, President, Plastics & Rubber Institute of SL, B. Swaminathan, more..

Aug 10 (CT) Constitutional Council (CC) yesterday (9), unanimously rejected President Maithripala Sirisena's nominee to fill the vacancy in the Court of Appeal, Parliamentary sources said. President Sirisena had nominated former Director General of the CIABOC and incumbent Additional Secretary Legal at the Presidential Secretariat, Attorney-at-Law Lakshmi Menaka Minu Jayawickrema to the Council to fill the vacancy left due to the retirement of Justice M.M.A. Gafoor. more..

Aug 10 (FT) Brushing up his credentials as a leader that supports democratic principles, PM Ranil Wickremesinghe said the country needs a leader who will promote democracy and not a Terminator who will destroy the gains made by democratic institutions in the past four years. Referring to comments made by SLPP National Organiser Basil Rajapaksa, PM noted he has championed democratic rights since 2015 more..

Aug 11 (SO) A remark by MP Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe that SL�s Parliament was the country�s most corrupt state institution has upset a few, but nevertheless, provides much food for thought. Rajapakshe�s comments were in the context of claiming that two hundred and twenty-five laptops donated to MPs by the Chinese govt were a bribe. Interestingly, taking issue with Rajapakshe and raising a Point of Order was fellow opposition MP Nimal Lanza. more..

Aug 11 (CT) After months of speculation, denials and contradictory statements, the SLPP is finally ready to unveil its much-hyped Presidential Candidate, at its maiden convention, slated to convene this afternoon at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium. The coalition is also set to formally recognise former Prez and incumbent Opposition Leader, Mahinda Rajapaksa, as its leader, at the convention. This is a momentous occasion for both SLPP and former Prez Rajapaksa. more..

Aug 11 (SO) Two police complaints made last week by civil society leaders about alleged irregularities in the Sri Lankan citizenship, passports and electoral registration of Gotabaya Rajapaksa have threatened to derail the presidential candidacy of the former defence secretary before it can even get off the ground. Purawesi Balaya Convenor Gamini Viyangoda & Prof. Chandragupta Thenuwara lodged separate complaints more..

Aug 11 (Island) Speaker Karu Jayasuriya is at great pains to restore public faith in Parliament. As part of his strategy to achieve that end, he has decided to open the proceedings of the COPE as well to the media. This is a salutary move, which will go a long way in guaranteeing the people�s right to information and ensuring the transparency of investigations carried out by parliamentary watchdog committees. PM has recently lamented that the people are disgusted with all 225 MPs. more..

Aug 11 (MB) In the early 1980s, a common sight along the still unpolluted beaches of southern SL was that of fisherfolk sun-drying small, blackish, cylindrical objects. They called them sea slugs, sea leeches, or sea cucumbers. These marine invertebrates were so abundant in the shallow coastal regions that they could be picked by hand during low tide. But growing demand for sea cucumbers, considered a delicacy across Asia, has since driven the largely export-oriented more..

Aug 11 (CT) Chairman of the Elections Commission Mahinda Deshapriya says his Office is on call just like the Fire Brigade - ready to hold Elections be it Prez or PC Elections this year. "If Parliament is dissolved on a particular day, we can hold elections within the next ten weeks, keeping in mind that we need 50 days for a Presidential Poll. Chairman Deshapriya who gave an ultimatum to the Govt to hold PC Elections more..

Aug 11 (TM) Chinese say it is good to live in interesting times and so it is, especially in the context of SL politics. The past few weeks have seen many twists and turns in the local political arena with all parties engaged in political posturing in preparation for the presidential election. The formation of political alliances have taken centre stage while objections raised on the formation of one such alliance has resulted in a total change in one of the presidential candidates more..

Aug 11 (ST) My dear Gota, I thought I must write to you today because today is the day you hope to be formally declared as the candidate for the pohottuwa party for the next big race in about a hundred days from now. I know you must be very busy today, but I hope you will have the time to spare a few minutes to read this. The journey for you to get where you are today � just to get endorsed as the pohottuwa nominee � has been tough. There were those who doubted that you will ever get there because more..

Aug 11 (EN) Errant Regional Plantation Companies (RPCs) in Sri Lanka need to be punished under new reforms to be brought in the future, Plantations Minister Navin Dissanayake said, while estates stil under the state are eating up hundreds of millions of rupees in tax money. "Unfortunately, RPC reforms could not be done while I was in office," Dissanayake said at the Annual General Meeting of the Colombo Tea Traders' Association, which celebrated its 125th anniversary. more..

Aug 11 (ST) With about four months at most to go for what would be a crucial prez election (arguably all Prez elections are), guessing game continues on the likely candidates in the fray. In a country where politics is the most talked of subject, election fever is just about hotting up. Unlike prior to the previous prez election in Jan 2015, it is the Opposition candidate that has been � or is to be � announced first. Up until the last moment, Opposition leaders kept the nominee�s name under wraps, more..

Aug 11 (CT) Much hyped DNF led by the UNP which was to be launched last Monday (5) proved to be a damp squib with PM Ranil Wickremesinghe and his allies having to give in to the pressure mounted by Deputy Leader Sajith Premadasa and his supporters to name the Prez Candidate prior to signing any MoU. It was in this context that the UNP Parliamentary Group met on Monday (5) at 4 pm at Temple Trees more..

Aug 11 (EN) Profits at Sampath Bank Plc fell 39% to 2.06 billion rupees in the June 2019 quarter from a year earlier, as bad loans spiked amid weak credit growth, interim accounts showed. The group reported earnings of 6.84 rupees per share. Interest income grew 5.6% in the June 2019 quarter to 27.1 billion rupees, interest expenses grew 7.7% 16.8 billion rupees and net interest income grew at a slower 2.2%. From December 2018 to June 2019 customer loans grew 1.7%. more..

Aug 11 (SO) SL�s school cricket is considered as probably the most organized structure in the world. In such a world class school cricket structure, winning the best schoolboy cricketer of the year prize is the dream of every youngster. Winning that unprecedented honour twice in successive years makes it even greater. In the 40-year-old proud history of Observer-Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year, six cricketers, including the great Arjuna Ranatunga, have accomplished this task. more..

Aug 11 (Island) Not often we Sri Lankans compete with Japan and come on top. Japana Hapana is a popular saying among locals to appreciate the work ethic and efficiency of one of our friendliest nations who have made giant strides since the end of World War II. However, if you scrutinize carefully, we Lankans have done better than the Japanese in certain fields. Despite all their financial success, Japan had one of the most unstable govts in more..

Aug 11 (SLA) Secretary to the Ministry of Defence General (Rtd) Shantha Kottegoda, making a formal visit to the Security Force Headquarters - East, met senior Tri service and Police officers and exchanged views on the present security situation in the area on Saturday. Upon his arrival at the premises, Defence Secretary, accompanied by the Commander of the Army, Lieutenant General Mahesh Senanayake was greeted to a drive-past Guard Turnout by 3 Mechanized Infantry Regiment soldiers and more..

Aug 11 (ST) Sri Lanka recalled axed former captain Dinesh Chandimal for the two-match Test series against New Zealand but prospects of the wicket-keeper batsman making it into the playing XI for the opening Test in Galle look bleak. Chandimal, a veteran of 53 Tests with an average of 41.86, was dropped from the team and its leadership ahead of SL�s tour of South Africa in March when the right-hander aggregated just 24 runs in four innings in the two-match Test series in Australia. more..

Aug 11 (ST) The impending sacking of Head Coach Chandika Hathurusingha may cost it an arm and a leg but SLC, pressured by Sports Minister Harin Fernando, is determined to do it in order to achieve on-field success. Changing coaches has done hardly any good for a team in transition, a term used to describe the national cricketers since the retirement of the Fab 3: Sangakkara, Mahela & Dilshan. more..

Aug 11 (ST) No steps have been taken to upgrade the standard of the Sugathadasa Swimming Pool and the Diving Area even after a Sports Minister-appointed committee had given the recommendation a few months ago. Following a complaint made by a father of a school swimmer, Sports Minister Harin Fernando had appointed Saman Amarasinghe, the Chairman of National Sports Museum to investigate and inquire about the wrong timing recorded at the Novices Swimming & Diving C'ship 2019 more..

Aug 11 (ST) Five new meet records were established at the time of going to press on the rain hampered first day of the 36th Mercantile Services Athletic Championship 2019 at the Sugathadasa Stadium yesterday. Athletes of various age groups braved the inclement weather to show their prowess on the track and field events. I.L.I.K. Gunatilleke of MAS Capital established the day�s first new meet record when she cleared a jump of 3.78mts in the Women�s Over 45 Long Jump event. more..