Aug 25 (Island) MEP Leader Dinesh Gunawardena told Parliament that the latest electoral register prepared by the Elections Commission had disenfranchised thousands across the country.  Participating in the debate on the Local Authorities Elections Bill in Parliament yesterday, he called upon the govt to take immediate steps to register those who had been denied of their voting rights.  Gunawardena demanded to know from the govt the date of holding long overdue LG elections. more..

Aug 25 (DM) Six people were arrested today in connection with Thursday's attack on two army soldiers at Uttrampulam in Kilinochchi. Two soldiers attached to Murugandi Army Camp in Kilinochchi were returning home when they were ambushed and later attacked with a sharp instrument near the Uttrampulam market on Thursday by a group of youngsters. Two soldiers were admitted to Kilinochchi hospital following which, one of them was transferred to Colombo General Hospital more..

Aug 25 (CI) Dinesh Chandimal and Lahiru Thirimanne have been called up to the Sri Lanka squad for the remaining ODIs against India in place of opening batsman Danushka Gunathilaka and captain Upul Tharanga. Gunathilaka has been ruled out for 10 days due to a shoulder injury, while Tharanga has been given a two-match suspension by ICC for SL's slow over rate in the second ODI against India in Pallekele. more..

Aug 25 (DM) A purohita who has taken over a new ministry has given the nod for constructing a new reception counter at an estimated cost of Rs.6 million to replace the existing counter despite it being still in good condition. The proposal to construct a new counter has been mooted by a political authority handling employment on a request by an establishment head, they say. A grant extended by the Asian Development Bank is to be utilized for this uncalled for project. more..

Aug 25 (Heart) A jealous husband who beat a love rival to death in Milton Keynes is facing a life sentence after a jury found him guilty of murdering the man. Sri Lankan Gnanachandran Balachandran, 38, was incensed after discovering his estranged wife was seeing another man. Balachandran 38, who was watching his wife's every move, organised the abduction of his rival, Suren Sivananthan, 32, after the couple had gone to the Secklow Gate shopping centre in Milton Keynes in January more..

Aug 25 (DN) State Minister Palitha Range Bandara and another individual were acquitted and released by Colombo High Court following the virtual complainant's decision not to proceed with the vehicle permit case, today. AG had filed indictments against State Minister and Jagath Kumara Liyanage for allegedly conspiring to present a vehicle registration permit for an illegally assembled vehicle.  more..

Aug 25 (NR) The Colombo Fort Magistrate today ordered that the Convener of the Medical Faculty Student Action Committee Ryan Jayalath further remanded till 7th of Sept. Order was issued by Colombo Fort Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne. Warrants were issued against Ryan Jayalath and 5 others to appear before court on charges of engaging in a protest that inconvenienced the public. Ryan Jayalath was arrested recently over failing to appear in court. more..

Aug 25 (SK) Sri Lankan ODI skipper Upul Tharanga has been suspended from Sri Lanka's next two ODI matches against India due to slow over-rate. The right hand-left hand combination of Dinesh Chandimal and Lahiru Thirimanne has been recalled to the ODI squad courtesy Tharanga's unavailability. Sri Lanka are trailing 2-0 in the five-match ODI series at home, and losing their captain for the crucial third game is the last thing they needed right now. more..

Aug 25 (NR) UPFA MP Bandula Gunawardena today filed a petition at the Supreme Court challenging the draft of the 20th amendment. MP filed the petition with the intention of requesting court to issue an order that the amendment must be passed with a two thirds majority in Parliament or a public referendum. The petition states that the draft bill has proposed that all provincial councils and general elections be held on the same day. more..

Aug 25 (GDI) The main transportation hub, from where buses will be deployed to all expressways will be built in Pettah, said Minister Champika Ranawaka. He made these comments at a function held to vest the Meegoda Atygala Road with the public recently. He said that the first land auction of the Port Authority will be held next year while it is planned to build seven railway lines of which two are funded by Japan connecting Colombo and suburban cities within the next five years. more..

Aug 25 (GDI) The opening ceremony of the 4th International Conference on Applied psychology was held today under the patronage of Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratna in Colombo. The conference will be held until 27th Aug where representatives from 15 countries are present. Minister addressing the conference said that this conference is important as decisions will be taken on the issues and reasons for mental illnesses. Ministry has taken a decision to appoint 25 specialist psychatric consultants more..

Aug 25 (AD) PM Ranil Wickramasinghe stated that the govt has taken steps to reorient state expenditure on govt buildings, to channel funds to erect buildings where people can live for 24 hours, opposed to buildings that people will use for only 08 hours to help curtail the severe shortage of houses in the country.  Speaking at the CONSTRUCT exhibition organized by National Construction Association of SL at BMICH, more..

Aug 26 (CT) Suddenly, corruption has come centre stage again in Sri Lankan politics at a time when the Yahapalana govt led by the UNP and supported by official SLFP is completing two years of governance under an outfit called a national unity govt. Corruption and anti corruption were main talking points of the election platforms in 2015. They were focus areas of civil society organisations such as the one led by Rev Maduluwawe Sobhitha prior to the election. more..

Aug 26 (CT) Attorney General’s Department  has increasingly come under the  spotlight in recent weeks particularly after the Commission to inquire into the controversial CB Bond issues has started functioning. This is mainly due to the members of the AGs Department team succeeding in eliciting hitherto unknown aspects of the whole Bond exercise before the Commission whereas it is reported that in the case of investigation files numbering over 70 sent to AG, more..

Aug 26 (CT) Eminent Agronomist and Founding Director of the Sugarcane Research Institute of Sri Lanka, Dr. Nandasri Dharmawardene said that a sustainable agriculture policy was a dire need for Sri Lanka at the present juncture. Dr. Dharmawardene is a Colombo University Science Degree Holder and possesses a Doctorate from The University of Dundee, Scotland. Dr. Dharmawardene lectures at The University of more..

Aug 26 (NS) A transition period requires time. Any living being would need time to adapt and acclimatize to new surroundings and situations. Take for instance a scenario where you join a new workplace or a new school. You will definitely need some time to get to know the surrounding and the new colleagues that you will be dealing with for months or even years. The getting to know phase is most important in any relationship, be it friendship, marriage, or even professional. more..

Aug 26 (SO) A new phenomenon has been born. This time too it is a Mahinda Rajapaksa and his kith and kin offshoot. This cat refers to the screaming mobs that now invade the Courts Complex premises each time a son or brother of the ex President Rajapaksa is questioned in a court of law. The cheering reached frenzy proportions when the man himself was summoned to give explanations before a court of law, and on Tuesday this week - August 15- when men & women went berserk hailing more..

Aug 26 (SL) Despite concrete evidence the CID is now in possession about the Defender Jeep SL Red Cross Society handed over to Shiranthi Rajapaksa for the use of Siriliya Saviya Foundation work, it is suspicious as to why the former First Lady and her son pretends not to know its fate thereafter. White coloured Defender Jeep, bearing registration number WP KA–0642 had been handed over to Shiranthi Rajapaksa more..

Aug 26 (NS) Indian music composer AR Rahman celebrates 25 years in film industry this year. His journey has been phenomenal and his feats are unmatched, and he continues to mesmerize us with his infectious melodies. Aug 15, 1992 ushered in a new era in Indian film music. The release of Roja introduced a young talent by the name of AR Rahman. The film created many records all over India and help Rahman bag the prestigious National Award in his debut. more..

Aug 26 (Island) Bar Association has taken Deputy Minister Ranjan Ramanayake to task for making some remarks allegedly derogatory of lawyers and judges. Ramanayake has no control over his restless tongue and plays to the gallery wherever he goes. He, however, is no threat to anyone. He is only an irritant. He is like the washed-up movie star, trying to regain lost glory in Hollywood super flick, Birdman. He seems to consider politics an extension of celluloid world. more..

Aug 26 (DN) Five corruption cases filed against former Minister Johnston Fernando and two others for allegedly causing a Rs.40 million unlawful loss to the government by employing 153 employees of the Cooperative Wholesale Establishment (CWE) for election work during the period 2010 to 2014 were yesterday, taken up before the Colombo Chief Magistrate's Court. When the five cases came up before the Colombo Additional Magistrate Buddhika Sri Ragala, defence party filed their written more..

Aug 26 (SL) Expensive drugs prescribed for MPs are not available at the Parliament pharmacy,” said Health Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne. It is reported that there is no medicines at the Parliament pharmacy that caters to the medical needs of Parliamentarians. According to most of the MPs, there is no medication at the Parliament pharmacy. Hence, this has been a topic that has been extensively discussed and it had been taken up even at the party leader’s meetings. more..

Aug 26 (NS) President Maithripala Sirisena spoke to the Rivira Group on several issues including matters pertaining to the division within the SLFP, former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, and the importance of solving the National question. Q: Is the SLFP ready to celebrate the 66th anniversary which is coming soon? A: Yes. Everything is ready. It will be held on September 03 at 2 p.m. at the Campbell park in Borella. more..

Aug 26 (NS) With many Court houses in the country being in a state of dilapidation resulting in hardships for both litigants and attorneys alike, the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) complained of lawyers and judges including magistrates not following the established procedural measures to be taken concerning addressing such. President of the BASL, Udaya Rohan De Silva pointed out that lawyers and judges were not taking proper advantage of the infrastructure committee of more..

Aug 26 (FT) SLIM, the national body for marketing in Sri Lanka, notched up yet another highly successful delivery of its mandate of creating opportunities to receive global knowledge and competencies for the Sri Lankan business fraternity with an international workshop with the world’s top service guru, Ron Kaufmann. The secrets to successful customer service and service excellence were shared by the eminent educator with over 1,000 Sri Lankans attendees.    more..

Aug 26 (DM) It was ex-President Mahinda Rajapaksa who is responsible for the present predicament of the SLFP because he did not agree to nominate former Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa as the Prime Ministerial candidate at the August 2015 election, Minister S.B. Dissanayaka charged. He said that if the former President had done so the party would have won more 113 seats and a SLFP govt under Prez Maithripala more..

Aug 26 (DM) A Buddhist monk from a District North of the central capital called on the former strongman the other day. The monk well versed both in astrology and the country’s history made several interesting predictions during the long conversation that ensued, they say. “Our nation today is going through a chaotic period reminiscent of the reign of our last king, Sri Wikrama Rajasinha,” the monk was explaining to the onetime powerful politico. “This situation will soon take a turn for the worse. more..

Aug 26 (Island) From our company's point of view, labour costs in Sri Lanka are still lower than those in Thailand and are workable. Therefore, establishing a manufacturing zone in Sri Lanka would be commercially viable for us, Chaff Vinichbutr, Director Rojana Industrial Parks,-Thailand, said. Chaff said so at a media briefing held at the BOI where a letter of intent was signed between the BOI and Rojana to establish an industrial park in Millaniya, Horana. Speaking further the Rojana director said more..

Aug 26 (DM) Northern Province Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran has proposed a caretaker govt for provincial governance in place of the clause, in the proposed 20th Amendment, which seeks to vest control of the provincial councils in Parliament. The 20th Amendment also provides for the holding of elections to the nine PCs on a single day and until then the PCs whose terms of office had expired to be vested in Parliament. more..

Aug 26 (Island) UNP had decided to conduct disciplinary inquiry against its six provincial council members who abstained from voting when the 20th Amendment bill was presented to Uva Provincial Council on Thursday, party spokesman said. He said that party leader PM Ranil Wickremesinghe had called for disciplinary action against those who acted against the party’s position on the 20th Amendment. Party had issued instructions to all its provincial council members to vote for the bill. more..

Aug 26 (CBC) At this weekend's Tamil Fest, Sri Ramalingam will stand proudly beside a gleaming piece of his past — a light green A40 Somerset he spent years fixing up. The elegant car, produced in the early 1950s for Britain's Austin Motor Company, was a common sight in the Sri Lanka of Ramalingam's childhood, and was the car his parents drove when he was young.  Being in a Somerset figures prominently in one of his early memories, he told CBC Radio. more..

Aug 26 (Island) Uva Chief Minister Chamara Sampath Dassanayake (SLFP/UPFA) strongly defended his council’s decision to overwhelmingly reject the draft of the 20 Amendment (Local Authorities Elections (Amendment) Bill. Uva PC comprising Badulla and Moneragala electoral districts spurned the draft with 12 elected on the UPFA ticket voting against whereas five UNPers voted for the proposed law. more..

Aug 26 (DM) Through proactive engagement with stakeholders and a genuine commitment to excellence, Sri Lanka Wood has evolved in line with industry demand and is globally recognized for doing so. Evidently, exhibitors continue to value the strength of Sri Lanka wood as a strategic. At Sri Lanka Wood 2017, representing a vast array of furniture production technologies, woodworking machineries, tools, fittings, accessories, raw materials and products, will take part more..

Aug 26 (ENS) AG Perarivalan, one of the life-term convicts in the assassination of former PM Rajiv Gandhi, has been granted parole for 30 days by the Tamil Nadu govt. A letter by Niranjan Mardi, Additional Chief Secretary to Govt, to the DIG of Prisons, Vellore, cited the health condition of the convict's father and instructed that he should be provided with strong police escort during the period of leave. This is the first time he has been granted parole since his arrest as a 19-year-old more..

Aug 26 (DN) Spinner Akila Dananjaya who nearly fashioned out a win for Sri Lanka in the second ODI against India at the Pallekele Int'l Stadium on Thursday with career best figures of 6 for 54 hardly had time to spend his honeymoon with his newly married wife Nethali Tekshini. “Wedding was in the afternoon (Wed) at Moratuwa. It finished around 4 pm and when I got back to the team hotel it was around 11:30 in the night. more..

Aug 26 (DM) Former minister Basil Rajapaksa ystressed that they would contest under the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna at the forthcoming Provincial Councils’ elections, adding that any party except the UNP was free to join them. He further said the proposed Bill with regard to the upcoming Provincial Councils’ elections was contrary to what was promised to the public by the govt. “Let’s wait and see which party would secure most number of seats at the elections. more..

Aug 26 (CT) Sri Lanka Sevens rugby team is hit by injures after three regulars Richard Dharmapala, Srinath Sooriyabandara and Danushka Ranjan were ruled out from the squad that is preparing for the first leg of the Asian Sevens series scheduled to kick off in Hong Kong on 1 and 2 September. Altogether six key players are now not available for the first leg after three of them, former skipper Fazil Marija, winger Anurudda Wilwara and forward Shehan Pathirana pulled out from initial 30-member more..

Aug 26 (DM) MP Ravi Karunanayake said they would defeat the no-confidence motion brought against Minister Rajitha Senaratne by the Joint Opposition MPs. He said they would show that they have faith in Minister Senaratne. “Today, the JO is making a joke out of no-faith motions. The latest motion had been signed by 39 thieves and handed over to the Speaker. We vehemently condemn this motion as this is an attempt to more..

Aug 26 (DN) Softlogic Holdings Principal Sponsor Sri Lanka Open 2017 facilitated the conduct of the SL Open in Nuwara Eliya after a lapse of many years, and amidst a happy home crowd and the rendering of fire crackers K. Prabagaran comfortably clinched the Sri Lanka Open by seven strokes. Prabagaran won the prestigious and only Golf Open Championship providing platform to talented Golfers who are non- members of any recognized Golf Club to display their skills and bring glory to SL. more..