Aug 24 (DM) Tourist Hotels Association of SL (THASL) in a statement has said the visit of Dr. Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin, Head of the internationally diverse Dawoodi Muslim Bohra community to SL at this point of time is an event of great significance. �The spirit of goodwill which has co-existed amongst the religious communities in our country throughout history. Despite the efforts of a very small number to disrupt this solidarity and togetherness which binds us all, more..

Aug 24 (DN) Two Sri Lankans, Ranga Madupathma and Sudam Gamage, who climbed to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa, returned to the island yesterday morning. Mount Kilimanjaro, located in Tanzania, is the highest free-standing volcanic mass in the world. Mount Kilimanjaro National Park spreads over an area of 756km and it is listed under the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Ranga Madupathma (33) and Sudam Gamage (36) are both residing overseas more..

Aug 24 (Island) SLFP spokesman MP Thilanga Sumathipala yesterday said that former lawmaker M.L.A.M. Hizbullah shouldn�t be allowed to retain control of the Batticaloa Campus (Pvt.) Limited also called the Sharia University under any circumstances. Hizbullah functions as the founder Chairman of the Batticaloa Campus situated on Hizbullah Mawatha, Punani. Former Deputy Speaker Sumathipala said that no one should be more..

Aug 24 (DM) Over a decade on since the launch of revolutionary services, People�s Bank is now implementing over 750 new Palmtop machines into service. Chiefly aimed at small and medium-sized enterprises and sole proprietors, the service affords customers the ability to make deposits, apply for loans, and make balance inquiries, all from the comfort of their home or place of work. The service is currently available for all savings and current account holders at People�s Bank, more..

Aug 24 (Island) Salinda Dissanayake�s political life was no ordinary journey and despite his memorable political career, farming was at his heart and he had evinced a keen interest in organic farming, said PM Ranil Wickremesinghe joining the condolence vote on the late UPFA MP Salinda Dissanayake in Parliament. "After the assassination of Vijaya Kumaratunga, Salinda Dissanayake was very concerned about the safety of Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga and more..

Aug 24 (PMD) President Maithripala Sirisena says there is a need of a construction industry which gives priority for the sustainable development. President made these remarks participating at the inaugural ceremony of the CONSTRUCT 2019 international construction exhibition, today (23). The exhibition organized annually since 2001 by the National Construction Association of Sri Lanka will be held more..

Aug 24 (CT) Colombo Chief Magistrate Lanka Jayaratna yesterday dismissed a lawyer's plea that summons be served on the Director of the CID, Shani Abeysekera and his passport impounded. Attorney-at-Law Jagath Jaliya Samarasinghe has accused Abeysekera with allegedly failing to apprehend four persons, including two Police officers, in connection with the case against former Senior DIG and now death row inmate Vaas Gunawardene and seven others. more..

Aug 24 (NR) Prez Sirisena has ordered Tri-Forces personnel to be deployed and stationed island-wide to maintain public security, despite the decision to no longer extend the State of Emergency. Accordingly by powers vested with the President under Section 12 of the Public security Ordinance (Chapter 40) an Extraordinary Gazette Notification has been issued in this regard. Yesterday Ministry of Defence announced that the State of Emergency in the country will not be extended. more..

Aug 24 (Island) Chief Accounting Officer (secretary) of the Ministry of Power and Energy Dr. Suren Batagoda, yesterday, did not appear before the parliamentary watchdog committee � COPE which was waiting to grill him over several issues including the questionable power deals that caused colossal losses to the state coffers. Dr Batagoda did not appear before COPE & sent an acting secretary instead so the committee postponed more..

Aug 24 (DN) Galle Additional Magistrate Pavitra Pathirana further remanded the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh suspects in the Avant Garde floating armoury that operated near the Galle harbour until September 6 when they were produced before her yesterday. The four suspects further remanded are the fourth suspect, former Rakna Lanka Chairman Victor Samaraweera, fifth suspect, retired Major General Palitha Fernando, sixth respondent, retired Major General Karunarathna Egodawela more..

Aug 24 (DM) The visiting UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, Ahmed Shaheed, when he called on Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa at the latter's Chamber at the Parliamentary Complex, has said that all ethnic groups in SL enjoyed freedom of religion in comparison to some other countries in Asia. According to a statement issued by the Opposition Leader's Office, UN Expert had also said the reconciliation among the different ethnicities more..

Aug 24 (Island) Prez aspirant Sajith Premadasa declared in Matara, that he would shun living in palaces and bulletproof vehicles and like his late father breathe his last among the masses. Premadasa was addressing a large gathering of his supporters who braved inclement weather to flock to the Jayasuriya grounds to welcome him. Premadasa said that the future of the nation would be decided within the next few months. more..

Aug 21 (DM) The April 21 Easter Sunday Islamic State suicide bombing catastrophe turning into a blessing through the consolidation of an all-religions solidarity alliance, there was special significance for Sri Lanka in Thursday�s United Nations international day commemorating the victims of acts of violence based on religion or belief. About 260 people were killed and more than 500 injured when IS-affiliated suicide bombers attacked three churches during Easter Sunday services, more..

Aug 21 (DM) Reconciliation is not only for victims of war. It is a concept which should reach out to every citizen of SL equally. Consultations that were carried out countrywide showed that while equity and fairness are vital concepts, there is also a need for targeted assistance (Final Report of the CTF, 59) for vulnerable groups considering the specific ways in which they experience harm. Women in this case were identified as vulnerable because of the way they experience harm more..

Aug 21 (ST) Residents, religious representatives and politicians have been holding several protests charging that the Aruwakkalu sanitary land fill was not being operated as it was assured earlier. Around 1000 residents participated in the latest protest on Friday. Religious leaders who also were among the protectors voiced their concern over the manner in which garbage was being disposed of in the area. more..

Aug 21 (ST) Tiny dengue mosquito is spreading death and disease across the country. There have been 55 confirmed dengue deaths and 38,000 people affected by this viral disease so far this year, leading to the hospitals being flooded by patients. Amidst the gloom, the Director of the National Dengue Control Unit, Dr. Aruna Jayasekara gives a glimmer of hope when he tells Sunday Times that there seems to be a descending trend now. more..

Aug 24 (DM) Sri Lanka has a coastline running approximately 1600 km where about one-third of the population lives. Of late, natural and man-made phenomena have heightened coastal erosion, causing danger and environmental degradation along many coastlines. Erosion takes place when wind, waves and long-shore currents move sand from the shore and deposit it elsewhere. Residents in areas like Negombo-Pitipana more..

Aug 21 (Island) The SLFP had three options at the forthcoming 2019 presidential election, SLFP spokesman Thilanga Sumathipala, MP, told the media at his Punchi Borella office yesterday. Lawmaker Sumathipala said that the SLFP could field a candidate, throw its weight behind the SLPP nominee Gotabaya Rajapaksa or carryout a countrywide campaign to propagate its policies without supporting any candidate. more..

Aug 24 (CI) A compact century from Tom Latham and a more adventurous one from Dhananjaya de Silva headlined an absorbing day of cricket at the Colombo's P Sara Oval. De Silva's 109 off 148 balls - of 77 of them came today, off 86 balls, in the company of the tail - carried Sri Lanka to 244 and seemingly a position of strength but Latham did well to stand up to their spin barrage even as the track showed signs of breaking up. more..

Aug 24 (EN) Sri Lanka's price controlled drugs are still lower than pre-control price, Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne said, despite two price hikes given due the collapse of the currency by the central bank. CB has busted the rupee from 4.70 to the US dollar when it was set up in 1950 to around 180 rupees to the US dollar by 2019. The rupee was fixed from 1885, under a currency board which had no money printing powers. more..

Aug 24 (CB) As many as nine players who featured in the Sri Lanka squad for the T20I series against South Africa earlier in the year have been left out of the 15-member squad announced on Saturday (August 24) for the upcoming three-match T20I series against New Zealand. Lasith Malinga will continue to captain the T20I team while Niroshan Dickwella has been named his deputy. Danushka Gunathilaka, who last played an int'l game more..

Aug 24 (ST) Albert Abeygunawardena (105) and his wife Leelawathi Wijegunawardena (93) enjoy the distinction of having voted at every single election since the first parliamentary election in 1947. The couple, hailing from Ihala Lellawala Village in Wanduramba, Galle, last cast their votes at the 2018 Local Govt Elections. Mr Abeygunawardena was 103 at the time, while his wife was 91. more..

Aug 21 (Island) Parliament was not aware why the letter of invitation asking President Maithripala Sirisena to appear before the Parliamentary Select Committee probing the Easter Sunday carnage to give evidence had not been sent to him, JVP MP Bimal Ratnayake said, on Thursday. Raising a point of order, the MP said that it the letter had been drafted sometime back, but not delivered to the President�s office. more..

Aug 24 (CT) As a token of appreciation for what the Tamils did in January 2015 to bring him to power, former Northern Province Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran urged President Sirisena to release Tamil prisoners currently being held under the PTA before he relinquishes office. It is not too late to act prudently he told the President in a letter titled Problems of the Tamil Speaking People dated yesterday. more..

Aug 25 (SO) The appointment of Lt General Shavendra Silva as Commander of the SL Army has raised eyebrows in SL and elsewhere in the world where a few countries and organisations have rushed to raise concerns and what some perceive to be veiled threats. Lt General Silva played a key role in ensuring the defeat of the LTTE and ending the Eelam war. In its final phase, he commanded the 58th Division of the Army for which he was handpicked by the then Commander, Sarath more..

Aug 25 (CT) Wildfires erupted in two different locations in the country last Thursday. The fire that broke out in the Maragala Kanda forest Reserve set 30 acres of forest land ablaze before the joint efforts of DMC and military personnel managed to douse it out completely. The fire that broke out in Ella Rock Mountain Reserve proved to be a much formidable for fire fighters as the blaze that erupted on a precipice of Ella Rock made it extra harder to douse and as gusty winds that blew that day fuelled more..

Aug 25 (SO) This past week saw the senior leadership of the CID come under extraordinarily acute attack, with the elite sleuth arm�s Director SSP Shani Abeysekara being accused of wrongdoing in a number of lawsuits, press conferences and media releases by defence counsel representing underworld kingpin Makandure Madhush, murder convict and former DIG Vaas Gunawardena, SLPP Prez Candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa, more..

Aug 25 (Island) No sooner had the state of emergency lapsed, the other day, four months after the Easter Terror attacks than President Maithripala Sirisena issued a Gazette Extraordinary, deploying the armed forces to maintain public order countrywide. He seems to know more than one way to shoe a horse! His move has raised many an eyebrow though his action is said to be well within the constitutionally prescribed confines of his power. The govt never misses an opportunity to say, more..

Aug 25 (ST) It is one thing for an assortment of UN Special Rapporteurs to fly in and out of SL and make homilies on what is happening here, but UNHRC, EU and US State Dept have taken a step further the West�s favourite pastime of whipping this country into shape by issuing statements on who should, or should not be appointed SL�s Army chief. That the UNP Foreign Ministry defended the SLFP Prez, notwithstanding the chronic bickering within the cohabitation govt is creditable. more..

Aug 25 (CT) Prez candidate of the National People's Power (NPP) movement, JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake, denies allegations that there is a conspiracy involving the JVP and the UNP. "No matter what measures we take, this label is stuck on us. The only solution is for the JVP to get into a room, shut the doors and sleep alone," he says in an interview. Q: The JVP did not field a candidate in the past three prez polls, more..

Aug 25 (ST) My dear Anura Kumara sahodaraya, I thought I must write to you when I heard that you would be running the big race against Gota in a few months� time. I must say that last Sunday�s announcement came as a surprise because the rathu sahodarayas haven�t run the big race for some time now- for the last 20 years, in fact. If memory serves me right, 25 years ago, Nihal sahodaraya ran the race for your party. Satellite sold him a dummy, promising to abolish Presidency in 6 months more..

Aug 25 (ST) Kussi Amma Sera was in an angry mood on Thursday morning. Balanna Nangi, Grama Niladhari mahattaya sanduda hitiye Neha (See � the Grama Sevaka was not there on Monday),� she told Mabel Rasthiyadu and Serapina. Samahara vita eya rajaye karyalayakata yanna aeti (Maybe he went to some govt office),� opined Serapina, chatting under the Margosa tree. Namuth pasugiya satiye-th eya hitiye Neha (But last week too he was not there),� replied a furious KAS. more..

Aug 25 (Island) Last Thursday, SLPP/JO prez candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa, addressing a gathering of local govt representatives of the party at the Nelum Mawatha hq, finally made a public statement to the effect that he had relinquished his US citizenship; he had received a letter from the USA, stating that he had lost his US citizenship; he had submitted that document to the Dept of Immigration and Emigration in SL and got his old SL passport which stated that he was a dual more..

Aug 25 (ST) 18-year-old Thaha Irshath representing the MICH and H.A.M. Rimzan of Moors SC booked the berths to the final of the 67th National Snooker Championship by winning the two semi-final encounters played at the AAC billiards table yesterday. Thaha who took to the game only recently outclassed an experience cueist in M.M. Mubeen of Army with ease by five frames to nil in the nine frames encounter while Rimzan underwent some anxious moments before he got more..

Aug 25 (CT) On Monday, Indian High Commissioner Taranjith Singh Sandhu called on Prez Sirisena for a routine meeting where the former most probably may have briefed the latter about recent developments taking place between India and Pakistan over Jammu and Kashmir. When the High Commissioner was leaving the Presidential Secretariat Major General Shavendra Silva was entering the premises. more..

Aug 25 (Island) Not too often you have got to say complementary things about Sri Lanka Cricket, but their move to invite ICC Chairman Sashank Manohar for the second Test at P. Sara Oval must be commended. Here�s a man who changed the politics of cricket and democratized the governance of the sport after the ugly takeover by the big three � India, Australia and England. Manohar was BCCI President from 2008 to 2011 and stepped down from cricket�s most powerful position gracefully. more..

Aug 25 (SO) The 40th Observer-Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year 2018 meeting between the first and the latest winners of the most prestigious event in school cricket was a great moment. The winner of the Observer-Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year 2018, Hasitha Boyagoda had the honour of receiving the glittering trophy form the recipient of the same title in its very first year 1978/79 Ranjan Maduglle, now the Chief Match Referee of the ICC. Madugalle too had his primary education at more..

Aug 25 (CI) So you think you have style. People compliment you on your outfits. You're at a high-end hairdresser a couple of times a month. In between the visits, there is never a strand out of place. When you go out, you order the classiest drinks - spirits, neat. Your vehicle is the envy of your peer group, washed, waxed, vacuumed, scratch-free: immaculate. At weddings, you're cutting up the dance floor, admirers staring from all corners more..

Aug 25 (SO) �It was not Marx�s aim to discover the eternal laws of economy. He denied the existence of such laws. The history of the development of human society is the history of the succession of various systems of economy, each operating in accordance with its own laws. Transition from one system to another was always determined by the growth of the productive forces, i.e., of technique and the organization of labour. Up to a certain point, social changes are quantitative in character more..