Sep 28 (CG) Opposition MP Udaya Gammanpila claims the Govt is ignoring warning signals from China and Russia over the repercussions of agreeing with the United States on the text of the resolution at the UNHRC. Speaking to reporters yesterday, Gammanpila said that the US and UN have begun to whitewash Sri Lanka these days. He noted that the US and UN had earlier accused Sri Lanka of human rights abuses as more..

Sep 28 (NYT) Earlier this month, the UN’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights released its long-awaited investigation into alleged crimes during Sri Lanka’s civil war. The conflict, which began in 1983 and lasted nearly three decades, pitted the Sri Lankan government against various ethnic Tamil rebels, most prominent the LTTE, which were fighting for the creation of a separate state in the country’s north and east. The 272-page report makes for grim reading. more..

Sep 28 (DN) Arrangements will be made within the next two years to issue drugs to patients in generic names, Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne said. Addressing the gathering after launching several state hospital development projects in the Kalutara district recently, he said that he had made a request to the UN to include dengue and CKDU controlling and immunization into the 17 UN Development Goals to be launched on Jan 1, 2016. more..

Sep 28 (LBO) RDA Engineers’ Association (RDAEA) has written to the PM regarding the demotion of the Director General of the RDA as they have not yet received a response from the President’s office. “We have written to the President, and we had a discussion with the Minister. We have now written to the PM,” Rukshan Rupasinghe, secretary of RDAEA, said. “He is a strict official, a disciplinarian, and more..

Sep 28 (DN) A tense situation arose when Minister P. Digambaram and MP Arumugam Thondaman met each other when both ministers visited landslide victims in the Kotmale area. Eye - witnesses said a heated verbal battle arose between the two politicians after MP Thondaman parked his vehicle blocking Minister Digambaram's vehicle on Saturday afternoon. After blocking Digambaram's vehicle, Thondaman had said his vehicle could not be moved due to a technical fault. more..

Sep 28 (CT) Minister of Education, Akila Viraj Kariyawasam, has pledged to support the educational activities in the Northern Province. He expressed his concerns over developing the educational activities at the Jaffna Hindu College's 125th anniversary celebration on Wednesday. Minister who was the Chief Guest at the 125th anniversary celebration arrived in a helicopter along with Deputy Minister Vijayakala Maheswaran and landed at the college grounds from where more..

Sep 28 (PMD) US Secretary of State John Kerry called on President Maithripala Sirisena at UN Headquarters yesterday. President and the Secretary of State discussed bilateral issues of mutual interest. Issuing a Press Statement regarding the Resolution on Sri Lanka at the 30th Session of the UN Mr. John Kerry said that Sri Lankan govt’s decision to join as a co-sponsor paves the way for all of us to work together to more..

Sep 28 (CG) The 17 year old boy arrested over the murder of 4 1/2 year old Seya Sadewmini in Kotadeniyawa has been further remanded till October 2 together with another suspect. A third suspect who was arrested later, identified as 33 year old Dinesh Priyashantha, had confessed to the killing. The police were earlier investigating the laptop used by the 17 year old boy. The police media unit had said that pornographic materiel had been recovered from the laptop and more..

Sep 28 (GT) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe said in the Parliament that he had invited his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi to visit Sri Lanka to sign the Indo-Lanka Economic and Technological Agreement. The PM said that he had not discussed the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with India during his tour from Sept 14 to 16. The Sri Lankan government had thanked India for its assistance in development and resettlement projects, the Prime Minister said. more..

Sep 28 (EN) The Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) has joined the United Nations Sustainable Stock Exchanges (SSE) initiative which aims to work together with investors, regulators and companies to promote sustainability initiatives. The SSE Initiative, launched by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in2009, is a partnership among the UN, UN-supported organizations, stock exchanges, investors, companies, regulators & govts more..

Sep 28 (DM) CEB said the power outage experienced countrywide on Sunday night was caused by an increase in the power supply amid a major drop in the demand. Demand for power had dropped because of the prevailing wet weather conditions and the long weekend. CEB said the maximum peak demand during night on an ordinary working day was about 2,100 MW and declining to about 1,100 MW after midnight. During weekends, maximum peak demand at night was around more..

Sep 28 (DM) UPFA MP Geetha Kumarasinghe and three other respondents were noticed to appear in the Appeal Court on Oct 19 over a petition filed by five voters in the Galle electorate against Ms. Kumarasinghe’s election to parliament. The petitioners said she was not qualified to be a MP because she was a dual citizen of SL and Switzerland. Controller of Immigration and Emigration, UPFA general secretary and parliament chief secretary are among other respondents. more..

Sep 28 (EN) Sri Lanka has spent all the savings from lower oil prices this year to import cars financed through cheap and easy credit, Central Bank Governor Arjuna Mahendran said. Foreign exchange savings from international oil prices which fell sharply this year on the back of a rising US dollar had gone back to import motor vehicles, mainly cars and three-wheel taxis. He warned that Sri Lanka's financial institutions, more..

Sep 29 (ST) Reading about the haps and mishaps in Mother Lanka over the last several weeks I was reminded of Othello’s words to Iago in Shakespeare’s tragic drama. It was perhaps unavoidable these words should come to mind as most media coverage, be it in print or electronic media, revolves round politicians, political doings and political goings-on that swing pendulum-like between the tragic and the comic sometimes leading to farce. One cannot of course ignore the more..

Sep 29 (CT) On 20th Feb 2011 Ranil Wickremesinghe, then the opposition leader writing to the Sunday Times said, “We cannot allow the people’s sovereignty to be disregarded or usurped. In the past, whenever the people’s sovereignty was at risk, the Parliament of this country always reasserted the power of the people. Parliament of Sri Lanka today has a duty to the people of this country to ensure that our sovereignty is safeguarded.” more..

Sep 29 (SO) A longstanding advocate of Tamil rights who has sought to mainstream human rights issues at international fora, Spokesman of Global Tamil Forum, Suren Surenthiran believes that OHCHR- proposed hybrid court would be the correct mechanism to take the process of investigating rights abuses in the island. He called upon all Sri Lankans to support the process to ensure a peaceful SL for all people. more..

Sep 29 (ST) Enormous economic challenges confront the coalition govt. Facing up to these economic problems after months of political preoccupations and electoral politics is no easy task. It is much more than changing the mindset from electoral politics to economic management as it has to deal with more serious fundamental economic problems than before elections. Strong resolve that transcends immediate political popularity is essential to solve deep-seated economic weaknesses. more..

Sep 29 (CT) Sri Lankan Muslim community of 21st century is in desperate crisis to understand and reconcile between the scriptural text and the exemplary traditions of prophets in line with the higher values and objectives of Islam such as justice, dignity and respect to humanity in a rational form. The Oxford Professor Tariq Ramadan’s philosophical thoughts explicitly interconnect the scriptural values (that are Sri Lankan values as well) with prophet Mohamed’s tradition and more..

Sep 29 (CT) She couldn't do anything to stop it. She was always told to keep quiet about it if she wanted her mother to live. 35-year-old Subashi finally decided to break her silence. It was apparent that her daughter was in the same danger she suffered for years at the hands of her own father. "From the time we were kids, nangi and I had problems with our father. From as long as I can remember, our mother would wake up early more..

Sep 29 (CT) JVP was a radical political party which scoffed at the Capitalist UNP and the Socialist SLFP from 1971. It boasted that it was the only political party in the country that would never experience divisions. However, they never dreamt that they would face the same fate, UNP and SLFP faced over the years. All smaller socialist parties like the CP, LSSP and the MEP which clung onto the Saree Pota or the Saatakaya either fragmented or started fading away from politics. more..

Sep 29 (CT) The controversial domestic mechanism to investigate alleged war crimes committed by the Govt of Sri Lanka and the LTTE in the period 2002 till the war end on 19 May 2009 was seemingly only briefly spelt out by Premier Ranil Wickremesinghe to State controlled Daily News yesterday. It's controversial because it also allegedly includes foreign Jurists to investigate such alleged war crimes as appears to be as per the resolution co-presented by the USA to the UNHRC more..

Sep 29 (CT) Two police officers who came fast riding a motorcycle entered a coconut estate in Galpoththa, Naiwala on 10 September. They arrived there to probe a complaint made to police emergency number 119. The caller who came there to buy meat informed police that there was a pungent smell emanating from the house. They did not see anybody in the garden. In one side of the estate, there is a poultry farm. Pineapple was grown underneath the coconut cultivation. more..

Sep 29 (SO) Parliament passed the Local Authorities Elections (Amendment) Act No 22 of 2012, in Oct 2012 with the objective of addressing issues concerning the present electoral system, which is usually marred by violence due to the existing Proportional Representation system or popularly known as manape system to elect representatives to Local Govt bodies. Therefore, the enactment of Local Authorities Elections Act was considered a step towards bringing more..

Sep 29 (NS) The annual joint field training war exercise by the three forces was held last week for the sixth consecutive year. Cormorant Strike VI – 2015 which began on Sept 3 concluded on Sept 23 with a final mock fight which showed how to defeat the enemy. Army, Navy and Air Force troops who actively joined in numerous live attacks to defeat LTTE terror outfit began their war exercise which is known as Diyakawa in Kokilai more..

Sep 29 (DN) The new govt, elected to govern the country for the next five years, has vowed to implement its flagship Megapolis project which was included in its election manifesto. It was reported that the conceptual plan was initially mooted in 1991 by the then Sri Lankan Industries, Science and Technology Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, when he made a presentation in the presence of the visiting Japanese PM, Toshiki Kaifu. Objective of the presentation was to seek Japanese govt more..

Sep 29 (CT) Poor organization and planning took centre stage at the Junior National Badminton Championship 2015 which was held at SLBA Headquarters, Royal College, and S.Thomas College - Mt Lavinia from 23 to 26 this month. Championship had a number of problems even before the commencement, and resulted in becoming the poorest edition in the history of junior nationals according to participants. Poor communication skills had resulted in more..

Sep 29 (ITN) Minister Ravi Karunayake has said that the budget of the new Govt for next year will be presented in Parliament on Nov 20th. He pointed out that Govt expected to take into consideration the views expressed by every faction incorporating all constructive proposals in the budget. Much relief will be granted to the public in this budget. He appealed to the public to submit good views on budget to Finance Ministry. more..

Sep 29 (DM) An underworld gangster was today seriously injured in a shooting incident at the Ambagahawatta Junction on the Minuwangoda road. Police said he was transferred to the Colombo National Hospital from the Gampaha Base Hospital. SSP Priyantha Jayakody said Lasantha Wijethunga who had been charged with several killings and the possession of a shotgun was driving a car at the time he was shot and injured. Two unidentified motorcyclists who had trailed the gangster more..

Sep 29 (CT) Deputy Minister Faizal Cassim who visited the Pottuvil Base Hospital promised to allocate a sum of Rs 25 million to fulfil the immediate needs of the hospital including allocating a dental chair, which has been a long felt need of the hospital. Deputy Minister, accompanied by a team of high ranking officials of the ministry, headed by ministry's Director General Dr. Palitha Mahipala and the Regional Director of Health Services Dr. A.L. Alavudeen visited wards, dental units, ICU more..

Sep 29 (FT) In order to support the Yahapalanaya Govt’s aim to gradually raise expenditure on education to 6% of the GDP, Asian Development Bank Vice President Wenchai Zheng said that lending on education would be tripled to target $ 1 b over the next five years. Educational development will focus on secondary and tertiary education with an emphasis on enhancing research & development in academic institutions. more..

Sep 29 (CT) An individual was beaten to death and another was injured in the Chilaw Police Division on Sunday evening. SSP Priyantha Jayakody said the death and injury was a result of a heated argument between two groups. Accordingly, the victim was beaten to death in his front garden and another was injured during the clash. The police mentioned that the critically injured victim was rushed to Anawilundawa Hospital, where he was pronounced DOA (Dead on Admission). more..

Sep 29 (EN) Mid-priced hotels are being squeezed out with tourists either going for luxury properties or budget travel, an official from market research firm EuroMonitor said. Market research showed that in 2014 the concept of luxury and budget accommodation witnessed the strongest growth, said EuroMonitor’s Shabori Das. Mid priced hotels are still popular in the United States, Germany and the UK but not so much in India and China where budget hotels had more demand. more..

Sep 29 (CT) Daham Sirisena, son of President Sirisena, who came in for a lot of flak for accompanying his father to the UN General Assembly although he had no official representative status has posted a rebuttal on his Facebook page (where he describes himself as a public figure). The following is the full note posted by the young Sirisena; Dear friends, What is nepotism? Real meaning behind it is the abuse of power with influence favoring more..

Sep 29 (CT) Security of traditional Tamil homeland of Tamil people in Kalmunai is questionable under the present circumstances due to proposed new development project of Kalmunai town, said TNA MP A.K. Kodeeswaran in a memorandum sent to President Sirisena, PM Wickremesinghe and Leader of Opposition R Sampanthan. He said that justice should be meted to Tamils in the area, in seeing that Tamil people living in the area and their traditional history is not affected. more..

Sep 29 (CG) Govt has welcomed the promulgation of the new Constitution of Nepal. Foreign Ministry said that Sri Lanka join hands with the International Community to welcome the promulgation of the new Constitution of Nepal which is a key step in its journey towards national reconciliation, political stability and development. As a sincere friend of Nepal, the Foreign Ministry said that Sri Lanka will continue its partnership in Nepal’s development and work towards further enhancing more..

Sep 29 (HRW) UNHRC should adopt a resolution ensuring a robust international role in Sri Lanka’s justice mechanism for abuses during country’s brutal civil war, Human Rights Watch said. The resolution, expected to be adopted on Oct 1, 2015, contains a number of strong provisions but will need to be thoroughly implemented for victims to obtain genuine justice. “This resolution makes it clear the time has more..

Sep 29 (DN) A Cabinet Memorandum to regulate international schools will be forwarded soon, Education Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam said. He pointed out that an opportunity would be presented to maintain the standards of the international schools. "The ministry is not trying to promote international schools but to improve the country's educational standards. However, measures will be taken to bring to book those international schools that are trying to make profits rather more..

Sep 29 (DN) Two Sri Lankan pilgrims were reported missing following the stampede in the Holy city of Mena, Saudi Arabia which killed over 700 pilgrims last week. A couple residing in Wellawatte who were on a pilgrimage to the Holy city have been reported missing and they were identified as Abdul Aziz, 55 and Roshan Hara Abdul Aziz of Wellawatte. The Foriegn Ministry is seeking information about them with the assistance of Sri Lanka Consul General Office in Jeddah. more..

Sep 29 (EN) Actress-turned-politician Geetha Kumarasinghe was noticed to appear in court in response to allegations that she holds dual citizenship that would prevent her from remaining a MP. Court of Appeal asked Kumarasinghe, 60, to be in court on Oct 19 following a challenge to her election in violation of the 19th amendment to the constitution which prohibits dual nationals from holding any elected office. more..