June 24 (NS) CM C.V. Wigneswaran has denied reports of a rift within the TNA following tensed situations in the council the previous week. Accordingly, CM is to meet Leader of ITAK, Mavai Senathirajah today to discuss the future course of the party and NPC. He added that the people need not be worried about the developments the previous week, adding that they were being solved. “No. There is no split. We have come up more strong. Our people are backing us 100%,” more..

June 24 (NS) Govt following successful negotiations with Emirates is expecting by July that at least one Airbus A380 plane will come per week to the BIA. An average of four to five such flights is expected per month. Emirates subsequent to discussions with the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation had visited the country and inspected the runway at Katunayake which had been overlaid and currently has a total width of 75 m, with the track being 45m wide and shoulders (7.5m into two into two) more..

June 24 (Island) Govt Medical Officers’ Forum (GMOF) has decried what it called disgraceful move to promote alcohol, beer and wine consumption at the expense of much touted yahapalana pledge to curtail alcohol consumption. President of GMOF Dr Rukshan Bellana said that govt move couldn’t be condoned under any circumstances and, therefore, it should be strongly opposed both in/outside Parliament. more..

June 24 (PHC) Govt of Pakistan through its High Commission in SL has awarded scholarships to 170 bright Sri Lankan students of O/L & A/L under prestigious Jinnah Scholarship programme worth SL Rs. 4.225 million. The scholarships are named after the great statesman, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, who is the founder of Pakistan. The award ceremony was held in a local hotel in Colombo. The occasion was graced by VC Buddhist & Pali University Ven. Prof. Gallelle Sumanasiri Thero more..

June 24 (CT) Search for a team to defend the island's global Red Bull Campus Cricket title is set to begin, when Red Bull Campus Cricket – National Finals (SL's) takes off on 3 July. Stakes for Sri Lanka's Red Bull Campus Cricket tournament are higher than ever this year. Not only are twenty College sides set to take part, the winning outfit will progress to the World Finals, also to be held in the island in Sept – where expectations will be high for another rousing Sri Lankan show. more..

June 24 (DM) Minister Lakshman Kiriella said Neville Fernando Teaching Hospital (NFTH) would be taken over by the govt and turned it into a dengue treatment centre. Speaking at the debate on the attack on protesting uni students, he thanked Dinesh Gunawardane for giving legal cover to SAITM through a Gazette notice. He said 3 judges and 15 attorneys had in court accepted the fact that SAITM had the legal right to function. more..

June 24 (NS) The unexpected astounding victory of the Pakistan team for the first time in the Champions Trophy tournament played in England was the topic of many cricket enthusiasts. The final result of the tournament shattered the predictions of many critics. An overwhelming number of cricket fans believed that India, Australia, South Africa and the host country England would be the likely semi-finalists. The tables turned when World Champions, Australia, and ICC top ranker more..

June 24 (NS) Northern Province Chief Minister, CV Wigneswaran in a brief email interview stated that the tense situation which prevailed within the Northern Provincial Council is somewhat settled. The no-confidence motion against Wigneswaran was also withdrawn by 21 members of the Council after he agreed to revoke the decision of sending two provincial ministers on leave till investigations were complete. Wigneswaran refuted claims that the TNA was split over the issue and added that more..

June 24 (CB) Sri Lanka's head coach Graham Ford has stepped down after the team's poor outing during the Champions Trophy in England. Nic Pothas, the fielding coach, is set to take over the duties for the upcoming five-match ODI series against Zimbabwe, starting June 30. Sri Lanka will also play a one-off Test, starting July 14. Ford took over as SL's coach in February last year and was in the job for 15 months. more..

June 24 (CT) JVP Leader MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake says the failure of the Govt to issue a licence to the sugar factory at Hingurana raises the question as to whether the Govt is determined to ensure that the liquor production plant owned by Arjun Aloysius in Ampara benefits by it. He said it was Foreign Minister Ravi Karunanayake who has held back issuing a licence to the State–owned Hingurana Sugar Factory to produce ethanol, even 8 months after it began production. more..

June 24 (DN) Health Ministry yesterday said that there is a significant 20% rise in schoolchildren infected by the current dengue epidemic. Health Ministry requests all parents of schoolchildren to apply mosquito repellants on the skin of their children before sending them to the school or tuition classes. The Health Ministry said that the surge in the increase of schoolchildren infected by dengue is due to the dengue mosquitoes being active from 6 am and 9 am during the day. more..

June 24 (CT) The report of COPA revealed that undocumented bonds carrying an aggregate value of Rs 1,043 billion had been issued, by succeeding Govts and semi-govt institutions, since 2015. A special investigation was carried out by the PAC on June 7, 2016 concerning controversial Bond issues in Jan 2015. Report said: When asked whether there is any possibility of the existence of hidden loans within loans raised by the govt, more..

June 24 (CT) Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) Governor Dr. Indrajit Coomaraswamy cut down the country's growth forecast from the initial 5% to end up the year at between 4½-5% this year. Speaking to reporters yesterday he said, when the country's growth projections were made at the beginning of the year, the drought was discounted. But now with the drought playing an integral role in the economy, such a projection may have to be revised downwards to 4½-5%, he said. more..

June 24 (NS) The govt is currently looking at making police reports, attesting to their behaviour compulsory for graduates applying for jobs in the govt and public sector. A senior official in the Govt said that the move was to ensure that those with prior convictions of vandalism or are accused of such will not be incorporated into the govt work force. Accordiingly, those who apply for administrative, accounting, management, medical, engineering, and teaching professions, more..

June 24 (Island) The latest report of Public Accounts Committee (PAC), released yesterday, reveals many instances of corruption and irregularities which have caused staggering losses to the state coffers. PAC Chairman Lasantha Alagiyawanna, tabling the report, said it contained the findings of 33 probes in respect of 32 institutions and 3 key issues which had attracted the attention of the committee, during May-Oct 2016. more..

June 24 (FT) Former Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake credited insights received from ex-veteran Ronnie De Mel for the recent award of Best Finance Minister of Asia Pacific. Minister Karunanayake who met de Mel said his discussion with the veteran politician centered on the Govt’s program to take the country forward.  “During my tenure as the previous Minister of Finance, I amply employed the advice and guidelines given by former Finance Minister Ronnie de Mel. more..

June 24 (AI) Amnesty International calls on SL authorities to immediately implement the much delayed Office on Missing Persons. “The people of SL cannot wait any longer. Tens of thousands of families, from all communities, have waited far too long already. The Office on Missing Persons must be established as soon as possible,” said Biraj Patnaik, AI’s South Asia Director. “It is encouraging that both President PM have reached out to families of the disappeared over recent days. more..

June 24 (Island) Police investigating Wednesday’s IUSF raid on the health ministry arrested three key student leaders yesterday as the GMOA strike against the heavy handed use of the police to oust the protesters, entered its second day. Among the suspects taken into custody are Ven Thampitiye Sugathananda, Convenor of Inter-Uni Bhikku Balamandalaya and IUSF convenor Lahiru Weerasekara. more..

June 24 (DM) For thousands of years, widows have been among the most oppressed in society. But many religious leaders have made historic proclamations about the widow’s mite, saying it is more valuable than all the wealth, gold and silver of the rich and ruling elite in society.   Significantly, the UN marked International Widow’s Day yesterday, saying that, “Absent in statistics, unnoticed by researchers, neglected by national and local authorities and mostly overlooked by more..

June 24 (DM) New Constitution proposals of the Steering Committee of the Constitutional Assembly are already facing criticism by the Joint opposition in Parliament and there are protests and agitation outside parliament by nationalist elements. Ultimately a new Constitution must be acceptable to all sections of the Country. LLRC Report refers to the need for reaching a political settlement that addresses the grievances of all communities and the aspirations & acceptability of all communities more..

June 24 (DM) National Movement for Consumer Rights Protection (NMCRP) was established in 2007 with the purposes of making sure that the fundamental rights of all consumers are upheld and protected by the govt and corporations and fighting against violations of consumer rights. Chairman of NMCRP, Ranjith Vithanage discussed about the plastic rice scare, increasing number of sub-standard imported cosmetics in the market, more..

June 24 (DM) The body of a 26-year-old woman, who was hacked to death in her bedroom in a three storey house on Thursday, was recovered last morning, police said. They said the deceased Tharindi Aloka was the eldest daughter of a billionaire businessman in Kottawa. A senior police officer in the Nugegoda Division said the victim had been killed between 9 a.m. and 11a.m. on Thursday when she was alone in the house. more..

June 24 (CI) Graham Ford has stepped down as SL coach, ending his second tenure with the side after 15 months. SLC president Thilanga Sumathipala said the decision had been arrived at mutually, after careful consideration & deliberation. Ford's relationship with SLC was understood to have been strained due to what he felt were unacceptable intrusions into team matters by the board. Ford had already left the island on leave, more..

June 24 (SL) PM has issued orders to expedite the investigations pertaining to the 2012 Welikada Prison riot and called on the appointed committees to forward their reports and those found guilty are to be brought to book. In this regard Minister D.M. Swaminathan has been entrusted with the task of ensuring the relevant reports are issued and on measures to be taken to punish those responsible for the incident. more..

June 24 (EN) Sri Lankan airlines may have shot itself in the foot by terminating a pilot who had refused what he called an irregular breathalyser test administered by a security officer with a seriously blemished record. Captain Sujith Jayasekera, a former head of the influential Pilots’ Guild, and a teetotaller maintained that he would be stressed and unable to fly if he was forced to take an unlawful test. more..

June 24 (DBS) Well-known lawyer and human right defender Lakshan Dias has flown out of SL to an undisclosed destination for reasons of personal safety, it is learnt. Outspoken lawyer had been receiving threats from different quarters after stating in a TV forum that over a 190 incidents of violence, harassment and intimidation against Christians and christian places of worship have occurred in SL for the past 2 years more..

June 24 (Island) Media Secretary of Ramanna Maha Nikaya Ven. Omalpe Sobhitha Thera said that the Maha Sangha had been very restraint about unsavoury statements made by certain elements with political agendas and their behaviour was totally unacceptable. He warned those sowing seeds of racial hatred and others creating religious disharmony in in the country to forthwith stop their activities or face consequences. more..

June 24 (DM) The govt has lost Rs.3,000 million by way of taxes in the importation of 407 Prado vehicles in 2016, COPA revealed in its report presented to Parliament. Report presented by COPA Chairman Lasantha Alagiyawanna said tax revenue was lost because of the constant changes in assessment process for the purpose of charging customs duty. However, Customs officers had said there were no losses incurred by the govt more..

June 24 (ST) As the dengue virus ravages the country like an unstoppable wildfire, sparing no one, a health expert was concerned over certain peculiarities he is seeing in this epidemic. Naming this the worst dengue epidemic in terms of numbers he has experienced in 20 years as a Physician, Prof. Thilak Jayalath, who is part of the Professorial Team looking after a ward with 48 beds for men and 48 beds for women at more..

June 24 (AD) The GMOA says that they have decided to call off the island-wide strike action with immediate effect following discussions with President Maithripala Sirisena. GMOA President Dr. Anuruddha Padeniya stated that a decision was taken to end the strike action after representatives of the association met with President this morning.  Doctors commenced the strike action at 8 am on Thursday more..

June 24 (CT) Dengue has reached an alarming level and the so-called dengue prevention programmes have not reduced the incidence, as the number of dengue patients reported from the country by the end of the second week of June reached 69,000. Thus far, more than 200 people have died due to dengue and the number is increasing day by day. There is a rapid rise of dengue and the number of deaths reported due to dengue last year has more than doubled during first 6 months of this year. more..

June 24 (FT) I was very hopeful when circumstances necessitated a national govt of sorts in a hazy summer concatenation now long forgotten. At the time, we all thought the union of two major mainstream mindsets would result in a smorgasbord of good things – governance included.  There would be a unitary vision; a joint effort at ensuring things were done in a unified national interest; a strategic streamlining of mission and passion just short of symbiosis whereby all would be well more..

June 24 (Hindu) The recent no-confidence motion in Northern Provincial Council (NPC) in Jaffna, moved by a section of the Council members against Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran, has brought the deep divide in Tamil nationalist politics to the fore. The turbulence lasted a week, after he called on two ministers to resign on corruption charges and two others to go on compulsory leave, until TNA leader R. Sampanthan engineered a compromise that let Mr. Wigneswaran continue in power. more..

June 24 (DM) Chief Opposition Whip Anura Kumara Dissanayake said yesterday that Foreign Minister Ravi Karunanayake had no authority to give orders to lotteries board officials according to the Lotteries Board Act. He told parliament that the finance minister should be the subject minister of the lotteries board according to its Act and added that the govt had not amended the Act to authorize the foreign minister to handle the activities of the lotteries board. more..

June 24 (DM) IUSF charged that it would take stern action against the govt if IUSF Convener Lahiru Weerasekara and IUBF Convener Ven. Tampitiye Sugathananda Thera are not released immediately. IUSF Acting Convener Mangala Maddumage said Lahiru Weerasekara, and Faisal Ahamed, a Moratuwa Engineering Faculty student were arrested yesterday on charges of damaging state property and violating Court orders. more..

June 24 (Island) UNP MP Chaminda Wijesiri told parliament yesterday that Minister Faizer Mustapha deliberately avoided answering his questions as the latter was protecting the thieves of the yahapalana regime. MP Wijesiri raised a question listed in the order paper expecting a response from Minister Mustapha. Minister Mustapha was not present in the House and Minister Gayantha Karunathilaka said that Minister Mustapha had asked for two weeks to answer the question. more..

June 24 (AD) A mother and her two children were rushed to hospital in critical condition following a stabbing incident in the Kithulwala area in Kotadeniyawa. However, the six-year-old daughter had succumbed to injuries before being admitted to the Meerigama Hospital.  The mother and her other daughter are currently being treated in the ICU of the Colombo National Hospital while they are said to be in critical condition. Police suspect that the knife attacks may have been carried out more..

June 24 (DM) FUTA urged the govt to resolve the SAITM issue through a consultative rather than a confrontational process. FUTA Secretary Prof. Arjuna Parakrama condemned the attack on the protesting university students and said the violent repression of legitimate protests must cease. “Conflicts and differences of opinion should be resolved through informed discussions free from violence and intimidation. more..

June 24 (Island) Minister Rajitha Senaratne warned the JVP not to talk about taking up bludgeons against the SAITM as such action would pave the way for the FSP members to arm themselves with assault rifles. Participating in the adjournment debate on Wednesday’s Police crackdown on university students occupying the Health Ministry, the Minister told JVP not continue with outdated socialist ideals. more..