Aug 3 (Island) A possession where the maintenance outweighs its benefits and cannot be got of rid of in a hurry is often referred to as a White Elephant. It should be noted however; the application of this phrase is relative to the competence or the capability of the user/manager. This phrase is often used in Sri Lanka, these days, for underperforming assets. For example, the PM described the Hambantota Port as a white elephant and explained the lease for 99 years was for the benefit of more..

Aug 3 (CT) An alleged peculiar retender has been called in to find a new company to print scratch lottery or the instant lottery by the National Lotteries Board (NLB), even though a 2016 April tender had already finalized a bidder who quoted the lowest price to print the same, subject to technical evaluation and Cabinet approval. Aqua Flex Lanka, submitted its proposal in April last year and was awarded the tender as it quoted 90 cents for more..

Aug 3 (CI) M Vijay injured his hand in the first Test in the West Indies last year. He had been India's premier opener since they started a long leg of overseas Tests in Dec 2013. The hand healed in time for the third Test, but in the meanwhile KL Rahul came in and scored 158. Fit for the third Test, Vijay was left out to give Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan another go. This didn't get as much attention then because a more questionable selection was made in that Test: Cheteshwar Pujara was left out more..

Aug 3 (Island) Left-arm spinner Malinda Pushpakumara is set to make his debut in today’s second second Test against India at SSC grounds. The 30-year-old veteran has taken more than 550 First Class wickets at an average of 19 and has been the highest wicket taker in domestic cricket in the last couple of seasons. Pushpakumara will pair fellow left-arm spinner Rangana Herath and off-spinner Dilruwan Perera as SL are likely to stick to one medium paceman in Nuwan Pradeep. more..

Aug 3 (CT) Skipper of World Cup winning SL Cricket team – turned Minister, Arjuna Ranatunga, said that the ICC should probe the recently concluded Zimbabwe Cricket Tour of SL. He said he had heard reports of certain suspicious individuals walking into the Sri Lanka dressing room, though he said that he did not know what the deliberations were. "It is up to the ICC, which has all the tapes of the recorded conversations," he said. more..

Aug 3 (ST) Sri Lankans do get under the skin of the Indians! Let’s start at the very beginning. A very good place to start. it’s not do-re-mi, but the Prudential World Cup of 1979 and the Sri Lanka-India game at Old Trafford. Skipper Tennakoon sat out the game, but no matter. The reliable trio of Duleep Mendis (64), Sidath Wettimuni (67) and Roy Dias (50) did not fail. Mohinder Amaranath (3-40) was intriguing and miserly. The Indians could only muster 191. more..

Aug 3 (Xinhua) Chinese Embassy in Colombo offered Govt Scholarship and Chinese Ambassador Scholarship to 18 Sri Lankan students to study in China. Speaking at the awarding ceremony, Chinese Ambassador Yi Xianliang said China was the leading foreign investor in Sri Lanka with many development projects, and China was also providing the highest number of scholarships and training programs to SL students. "Economic development is important, but this is not enough. more..

Aug 3 (DN) Plans were afoot to establish medical faculties at the Uni of Wayamba, Sabaragamuwa and Moratuwa said Prof. Mohan de Silva, Chairman UGC recently. He said there has been various constraints in the progression of the higher education sector in the country. He noted that the country has suffered in terms of rankings both in a global and regional context and continue to have a poor visibility as an int'l destination for more..

Aug 3 (FT) The long-fought battle between Informatics International Lanka Ltd. and IFS AB Sweden yesterday came to an end in the Supreme Court. The Commercial High Court on 26 April 2016 dismissed a derivative action instituted by Informatics (petitioner) against IFS (first respondent), the global software vendor giant and 14 other respondents. The derivative action was filed under the Companies Act of SL by Informatics in a representative manner for and more..

Aug 3 (CT) Power-up your wallet with the BOC Travel Card, your trusted companion on a foreign tour, a company press release urged. Bank of Ceylon produces the most secured and reliable multi currency travel card accepted around the world to assist travellers to conduct their transactions seamlessly. This card was launched jointly with MasterCard Int'l whose current global market share is over 30% and considered as a significant participant in the global payment industry. more..

Aug 3 (FT) Parents of SAITM students expressed confidence that Supreme Court will rule in favour of the controversial private medical college, allowing its graduates to receive provisional registration at the Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC), resolving the crisis once and for all. Private Medical College Parents Society called for a common exam for medical graduates from all state faculties, foreign universities & SAITM. more..

Aug 3 (Island) Dinesh Chandimal has been given permission by cricket’s world body to use an inhaler during the second Test against India starting Thursday following a bout of pneumonia. Chandimal, who was appointed Test captain last month, missed the opening Test thrashing by India because of the illness. He returns for the second of the three Tests. The hosts have also been boosted by veteran spinner Rangana Herath being declared fit after injuring his finger in the first game. more..

Aug 3 (PMD) The awarding of certificates of the 5th batch of the Diploma Course on Media Studies and Journalism conducted by the Sri Lanka Press Council was held under the patronage of President Maithripala Sirisena at the BMICH, today (02). The special guest lecture titled, Mass media guiding and media freedom, was delivered by the Chairman of the Press Council of India, Chandramauli Kumar. Minister Mangala Samaraweera, Deputy Ministers Lasantha Alagiyawanna, more..

Aug 3 (SLN) SL Navy’s first Advanced Offshore Patrol Vessel, built at the Indian shipbuilding facility, Goa Shipyard Ltd, was commissioned in a graceful ceremony by the President Maithripala Sirisena, at the Eastern Container Terminal, port of Colombo today (2) at 4 PM. Religious dignitaries including the Venerable Maha Sangha, Ministers, Secretary to the Ministry of Defence Mr. Kapila Waidyaratne, more..

Aug 3 (DN) Finance and Mass Media Minister Mangala Samaraweera urged media personnel not to misuse the media freedom. The Sri Lanka Press Council (SLPC), which started in 1973, has been doing a yeoman service to the media sector while abiding by the principles on which the SLPC was formed, he said. He made these observations at a certificate awarding ceremony of Diploma in Media Studies and Journalism of the Sri Lanka Press Council (SLPC) at the BMICH yesterday. more..

Aug 3 (FT) Implying that the tense situation that erupted in Parliament last Friday, disrupting the debate on the Hambantota Port’s public-private partnership, was instigated by a diplomatic mission, Cabinet Co-spokesperson Dayasiri Jayasekara said the Opposition had missed an opportunity to propose amendments to the agreement. “One of the Joint Opposition members received a telephone call from a certain diplomatic mission and then all the commotion began. more..

Aug 3 (DM) Priority bus lanes will be in force in Colombo and its suburbs from Aug 15, officials from the Ministry of Megapolis and Western Development and the Police Traffic Division confirmed Today. Officials said the programme will initially be implemented for traffic coming into Colombo along the Galle Road with other major roads and outbound traffic roped into equation in the coming months. If followed successfully more..

Aug 3 (DM) Cargills group yesterday said it entered into an agreement with Bank of China Limited to promote cooperation and strengthen business ties between the two entities. Cargills group has interests in supermarkets, FMCG, restaurants and banking through Cargills Bank. Bank of China, fourth largest bank in China, is expected to open a branch in Colombo this year, its first in South Asia. Bank of China officials are said to be in contact with the SL authorities to finalize the process. more..

Aug 3 (FE) The South Asian region’s struggle to reconcile benefits of a progressive trade policy with the arguably detrimental effects that such a policy can have on several domestic constituencies continues. It is not only India that lives with this struggle. It remains an equally important struggle for Sri Lanka, the country with the history of adopting outward-oriented trade policies much before any other country in the region, or for that matter most other countries in the world. more..

Aug 3 (DM) Minister Ravi Karunanayake said that the undated letter, sent to the then Central Bank Governor Arjuna Mahendran was completely an oversight. He said that he had not indicated the date and the reference due to an oversight. When Additional Solicitor General wanted to know the reason as to the origin of such a letter the Minister explained the situation he had as the Finance Minister in the beginning of the 2015. more..

Aug 3 (CT) President has ordered an investigation to identify who was responsible for the issuing of a Foreign Ministry media release which condemned the firing of a ballistic missile of intercontinental range by North Korea after it was learnt that neither the PM nor the Foreign Minister had approved the communiqué. Minster Dayasiri Jayasekera said, "This press release was discussed at the Cabinet Meeting and it was discovered that neither PM nor Foreign Minister had any knowledge of it. more..

Aug 3 (DM) Referring into the relationship between Arjun Aloysius and Minister Ravi Karunanayake, Additional Solicitor General Dappula de Livera submitted travel details pertaining to Aloysius and the Minister and said that there were 13 visits to Singapore by both with coinciding dates. ASG produced the travel details relating to the time period between Sept 2016 and April 2017. When questioned, Minister said he had met Aloysius there on a few occasions. more..

Aug 3 (DM) Some of the messages were recovered from Arjun Aloysius' Apple Account. BOC Subani is going to inform the court. Is there a way for us to stop her from going to court? Please remind me to speak with RK on on PPP set up and meeting with PM tom with US Treasury. Social media is a strong weapon these days. Allow us to start our gossip column. We can give a massive support to PM and Hon Ravi K. more..

Aug 3 (CT) MAS, Sri Lanka's largest design-to-delivery service provider in the apparel industry and the Colombo International Nautical and Engineering College (CINEC), initiated a Research Centre. The Centre will be a one-of-a-kind research facility, which will create an environment where students and industry experts can work together to innovate and solve industry specific issues and identify novel solutions through engineering and automation. Opening ceremony was held on 3 July 2017, more..

Aug 3 (CT) Thousands of foreign tourists and expatriates who visit Kandy to observe the Esala Perahera are being exploited by certain unscrupulous vendors, Ceylon Today learns. According to several websites and advertisements, to view the perahera, some unscrupulous vendors are charging an exorbitant sum in US Dollars from expatriates and foreigners who are now thronging in Kandy to view the historical parade where nearly 90 elephants are to participate, it is learnt. more..

Aug 3 (FT) Minister Ravi Karunanayake remained defiant before the Presidential Commission denying any knowledge of payments made on the Monarch apartment allegedly rented on his behalf and rejecting conflicts of interest with Perpetual Treasuries Director Arjun Aloysius even though he admitted to a longstanding friendship. Karunanayake, who was Finance Minister when the bond auction under inquiry took place on more..

Aug 3 (DM) In this modern era, one of our most important missions is the battle against climate change. This is a reality though the US President Donald Trump claims climate change is a Chinese hoax. It is in one of the many absurdities which have caused concern among some international analysts that the Trump administration appears to be going crazy with its contradictory claims or twitter messages causing outrage or amusement. Thankfully, in most countries thousands of more..

Aug 3 (DM) We must unlearn the constellations to see the stars… — Jack Gilbert. Jack Gilbert (1925-2012), celebrated poet from the USA, in a poem titled Tear it down was essentially calling for self-criticism, for the recognition and subsequent erasure of bias, and perhaps even reflection on the error (let’s say) of being fixated with political projects or preferred outcomes. There were many who voted for Maithripala Sirisena in Jan 2015 not because they believed a word about Yahapalana promise more..

Aug 3 (ST) The country has sufficient stocks of rice until the beginning of next year and there was no necessity to import, a farmers association said. All Island Farmers’ Federation, national organiser Namal Karunaratne said thousands of acres of paddy-cultivated lands in A'pura, Polonnaruwa, Ampara and Kilinochchi are ready for harvesting this Yala season and farmers would be forced to sell their paddy more..

Aug 3 (EN) Sri Lanka's Central bank held policy rates unchanged in July as private credit slowed pressure on the currency eased and market interest rates also fell. "The Monetary Board, at its meeting held on 02 August 2017, was of the view that the current monetary policy stance is appropriate and decided to maintain the policy interest rates of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka at their present levels," the Central Bank said. more..

Aug 3 (SL) Death traps have emerged at several railway crossings as rail gate keepers have vacated their posts. Over 800 rail gatekeepers have vacated their posts at bamboo rail gates owing to poor salaries. General Manager of Sri Lanka Railways, B.A.P. Ariyarathne told The Sunday Leader that the bamboo rail gatekeepers get Rs. 7000 a month as a monthly allowance and they are not very happy with that. more..

Aug 3 (DM) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe reached the 40th milepost in his Political Career recently. He also earned the reputation of being in Parliament continuously for 40 years. This interview with PM touches on both his experiences in the political arena as well as the current political situation in SL.  Q: PM, when we speak about your 40 years in politics it’s pertinent to find out how you first entered politics. more..

Aug 3 (DM) Sri Lanka had been ranked among the 23 countries that have achieved exclusive breastfeeding rates, a scorecard released by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UNICEF at the start of the World Breastfeeding Week said. The World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated every year from August 1 to 7 to encourage breastfeeding and improve the health of babies around the world. more..

Aug 3 (Island) The Joint Opposition (JO) emphasized that the outfit hadn’t called for an early general election and was keen to contest long overdue local govt polls. The govt should test its popularity at local govt polls without trying to divert attention of the electorate. The JO was responding to President Sirisena declaration that those who had been in public protest campaign wouldn’t get parliamentary polls till 2020. more..

Aug 3 (Island) The contempt of the Court of Appeals applications against Dr. Anuruddha Padeniya, president of GMOA was called before the Court of Appeal. Gamini Marapana, PC objecting to the summons issued on Dr. Anuruddha Padeniya, said his client, had been considered guilty before the trial. There was no presumption of innocence. The law barred that. The rule issued on Dr. Padeniya should be discharged. more..

Aug 3 (ANI) External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Thursday said that PM Narendra Modi has consistently flagged India's concerns over the detention of fishermen with the Government of Sri Lanka. "The fishermen matter was raised in each meeting of the PM Modi with Sri Lankan President and Prime Minister. Same has resulted in the release of 42 boats and 251 fishermen," Swaraj told members of the Rajya Sabha today. more..

Aug 3 (DM) Minister Ravi Karunanayake speaking to the media after testifying before the Presidential Commission appointed to probe the CB bond issue said that the AG’s Department was hell-bent on tarnishing his image by calling him before the Commission. Minister Karunanayake also claimed that certain media houses had tried to hang him without trial but he was able to prove his innocence before the Commission yesterday. more..

Aug 3 (AD) Presidential Commission has ordered the CEO of Perpetual Treasuries, Kasun Palisena to hand over all communication devices he had used since 2015.  On July 28, Commission member SC judge Prasanna Jayawardene had stated that the commission should look into the investments made with the large sums of money earned by Perpetual Treasuries, through bond trades in the primary and secondary market. more..

Aug 3 (CT) Deposed Pakistani PM Nawaz Sharif's critics and enemies yelled Al Hamdulillah when the Pakistani Supreme Court kicked him out of the premiership, all the way, (they hope) into political oblivion, and all because he had defrauded the Pakistani Inland Revenue of taxes on a mere Rs 420,000 in SL rupees. Apparently he had been receiving nominal monthly salary of UAE Dirhams 10,000, as a partner of his sons' firm in Dubai, or some such arrangement. more..

Aug 3 (EN) Sri Lanka is to sell a 100 percent stake in Canwill Holdings, a state company which owns Colombo's Grand Hyatt project. The cabinet of ministers had decided to sell a 100% stake to a strategic investor. At the moment it has no workers and there are no plans to give shares to employees. Canwill Holdings is 45.09% owned by SL Insurance Corporation, 27.03% by Litro Gas Lanka, and 27.03% by EPF. Canwill Holdings owns the Grand Hyatt project through Sinolanka Hotels more..