Jul 23 (GDI) Secretary, Ministry of Mahaweli Development and Environment Anura Dissanayake called on Dr. Ban Ki-moon, President of the Assembly and Chair of the Council of the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) at the Ban Ki-moon Center for Sustainable Development, Yonsei Uni in Seoul. The meeting entailed discussion on SL’s commitment to sustainable development and cooperation with the GGGI to mobilise climate finance for climate resilient projects. more..

Jul 23 (EN) Sri Lanka launched a trade information website Friday bringing together up-to-date information on regulations and procedures relating to exports and imports across 43 different government agencies for faster and easier cross-border trade, authorities said. Sri Lanka Trade Information Portal (SLTIP) brings together trade-related regulatory and other information across 43 govt agencies such as Customs on to one single, user-friendly website. more..

Jul 23 (CT) Muslim women are continuously being excluded from deliberations on the pending reforms to the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act (MMDA), Muslim Personal Law Reforms Action Group (MPLRAG) stated. In an official media communiqué, the group alleged that the Ministry of Justice has shown little to no interest in MMDA and it is proved by the delayed release of the report of the 2009 Committee on MMDA reforms more..

Jul 23 (DM) In the wake of the recent discovery of several mobile phones from prison cells, Police Narcotic Bureau (PNB) and Organized Crimes Division had decided to launch special operations in several major prisons countrywide. The detection followed the revelation of the fact that most of the drug trafficking was being operated from prisons by convicted drug traffickers, using mobile phones. A senior officer said that they would also analyze calls taken by convicted drug traffickers to more..

Jul 23 (DM) Northern Province Chief Minister C. V. Wigneswaran said it was difficult for him to gauge the role of India in resolving the Tamil National Question in Sri Lanka because that country seemed to be adopting a non-interference attitude. The Chief Minister said Sri Lanka would have to submit its report on the progress made in this regard to the UNHRC in Geneva in March 2019. Asked about the kind of influence of South Indian parties, he said Tamil Nadu factor was irrelevant. more..

Jul 23 (Island) CEB Engineers Union (CEBEU) had asked its members to be wary of making payments, amounting to Rs. 840 million, to ACE Embilipitiya Power Plant for the electricity CEB purchased after April 05, 2018, CEBEU President Saumya Kumarawadu said. Earlier this week Secretary to the Ministry of Power, Suren Batagoda instructed the Chairman and the General Manager of the CEB to settle outstanding payments, more..

Jul 23 (DN) Minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe said that he has given directions to look into administrative mismanagement allegedly taking place at the National Archives. He said that several complaints have been lodged against the National Archives’ administration. “We have received several complaints from the employees of the National Archives with regards to certain mismanagement taking place at the establishment. I have given directions to look into this matter. more..

Jul 23 (Island) Many an eyebrow has been raised over a govt decision to play the Sri Lankan national anthem after that of China, at a state festival, attended by President Maithripala Sirisena, on Saturday. The ceremony to mark the commencement of the construction of a special 200-bed hospital with Chinese financial assistance to treat kidney patients was held in Polonnaruwa on Saturday with the participation of President Sirisena and Chinese Ambassador Cheng Xueyuan. more..

Jul 23 (FT) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe said the Govt has offered tax relief for 300% of the income from capital investment to entrepreneurs who start business enterprises in the Northern Province to boost the local economic growth. Premier said the Govt’s aim is to restore the lucrative commercial economy the North had before the war, and the Govt is committed to assisting the local entrepreneurs to invest in the region. more..

Jul 23 (DM) July marks the commencement of one of the darkest periods in this country. Following the ambushing and killing of 13 soldiers in the north, the govt of this country condoned a section of its people to be brutally massacred by another section of our countrymen. Following these events, for a period of 35 years, 9 months, 3 weeks and 4 days -- both Sinhalese and Tamils unleashed brutalities and crimes against humanity on each other. Today, July 23, 2018, both Sinhalese and Tamils need to more..

Jul 23 (DM) The speech by the former State Minister Vijayakala Maheswaran has been magnified in the media as a call by her for the return of an LTTE administration to maintain law and order and secure the safety of women in the North. I have used the term outburst because the content of the speech is not in the form of a considered statement and is more in the nature of an emotional outburst. The sexual abuse and murder of a six-year-old child and another incident mentioned by more..

Jul 23 (ST) Health inspectors have intensified checks on canned fish in Sri Lanka following reports that some imported consignments contained worms, Health Services Director General Dr Anil Jasinghe said. According to the Customs Department more than 190 containers of canned fish have already been held back after the Health Ministry and SL Standards Institute declined to give approval for the clearance of the stocks. more..

Jul 23 (DM) Law and Order Minister Ranjith Madduma Bandara, shares his views on the current crime wave and plans for the elections pending at the moment. Q: There is a rise in the number of organized crimes and armed robberies. What is the reason behind this alarming increase? A: There are several aspects to it. Actually, the crime rate has dropped since 2015. There is a drop in robberies. more..

Jul 23 (FT) The Vehicle Importers Association of Sri Lanka (VIASL) recently called on the authorities to remove the current monopoly enjoyed by franchise dealers in bidding for Govt tenders, while issuing a clarion call urging the authorities to consider a series of concerns detrimental to the industry. The association pointed out that the agents had an unfair advantage as new vehicles imported by parallel importers more..

Jul 23 (EN) Sri Lanka's transport sector costs will rise with the ban on the import of vehicles falling below Euro 4 standard and the more expensive fuel required operate them will also push up running costs, a heavy vehicle firm has warned. Euro 4 standard vehicles will require more expensive engines, Lanka Ashok Leyland, a publicly listed company, which sells trucks and buses in SL said. "Higher initial investment in purchase of more..

Jul 23 (Island) The Department of Registration of Persons pays a monthly rental of Rs. 18 million for using 139,458 Sq. Ft of the Suhurupaya building where the department is now located, according to the latest Performance Report of the department. The department had to shift from No. 38 Keppetipola road, Colombo 05, where it had been located since its inception to 25.09.2017 to the Suhurupaya building. more..

Jul 23 (DM) The death penalty will be imposed on some 1,090 prisoners if this decision comes to effect. Church of Ceylon said it cannot condone the move to resume the execution of both those sentenced to death for drug related. Apart from hanging, beheading, lethal injection and shooting are also used as execution methods in the world. Meanwhile, the Department had also separated the convicted drug traffickers from more..

Jul 23 (CI) Theunis de Bruyn scored his first Test century, in his sixth match, to make SL work for their series win. But he could not prevent the inevitable. The hosts wrapped up victory 40 minutes after lunch on the fourth day, to seal the series 2-0. SL's spinners took all 20 wickets in the match, and 37 of South Africa's 40 wickets in the series. Dilruwan Perera finished as the joint leading wicket-taker with 16 scalps, more..

Jul 23 (DM) Minister Champika Ranwaka requested to prove links between the Govt Ministers’ and underworld or drug smugglers if there are any. He made this remark while attending the ceremony to launch several development projects in Katharagama area. He denied the fact that country’s present crime and drugs rate have been increased at an alarming rate. According to the statistics, Minister said in 2013 during more..

Jul 23 (EN) Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau is starting campaigns to promote the island during the off-season with the first one to be launched from September to November 2018, a slow period before winter season starts. The promotions bureau has called for bids from advertising agencies for an international campaign for digital, social and print media, which is expected to be carried for three months targeting Middle East, China & India. more..

Jul 23 (Island) Chairman, SLPP G.L. Peiris in conversation with the Venerable Keppetiyagoda Siriwimala Nayake Thera of Getambe Rajopawanaramaya said that Rajapaksa govt held all elections as scheduled, but Yahapalana regime did not do so being scared of Rajapaksa. Local elections were delayed for two and half years and the govt lost while SLPP which was only 16 months old won 70% of local bodies, more..

Jul 23 (CT) In response to Prez Sirisena’s expectation to increase S%’s forest cover to 32% in year 2020, Department of Forest Conservation (DFC) has pointed out that the country increasing its forest cover to 32% in 2020 would be a very difficult task. Prez speaking at the Sixth World Forest Week session which was organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Rome on 16 July said that he would ensure that SL’s forest cover would be increased to 32% in year 2020. more..

Jul 23 (NR) Prez Sirisena today accused the media of misconstruing information and claimed that private media channels are engaged in anti-govt propaganda. Speaking during the inauguration ceremony of the Kalu Ganga reservoir Prez said the govt has ensured media freedom in order to work for the betterment of the country. The Head of State noted massive development projects have been carried out by the present govt adding however media does not broadcast such programmes. more..

Jul 23 (CT) Trustees of Jaffna College Funds, a group of volunteers based in Boston that manages the funds sent to Jaffna College, Vaddukoddai, have demanded Bishop Daniel Thiagarajah, the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Jaffna College and Ms. Vijulaa Arulanantham, Vice Chair to step down from the Board to make way for new leadership following allegations of corruption, physical abuse, nepotism, inefficiency, and administrative irregularities at Jaffna College. more..

Jul 23 (FT) Let me congratulate all those who receive their degrees today at this General Convocation on the achievements they have made. It is no secret that embarking on an academic enterprise is stressful, heart-burning and fear-stricken. Yet, the nature of humankind is to breed such ambitions, go for the impossible and finally, emerge as winners. We are here today to appreciate and recognise the job well done by you. All the best for a fruitful and productive career ahead! more..

Jul 23 (CT) According to a massive cache of documents released by SriLankan Airlines to the RTI Commission this week, SriLankan had incurred a gargantuan loss of LKR 25,698,782,200 to Aercap as a result of the termination of lease agreements entered into for four Airbus A350s, a few years ago. Also among the information released were salary particulars of three top officials of SriLankan, the CEO (LKR 3, 270,000/-), more..

Jul 23 (Island) The CID had been called in to probe the phone records in respect of a police constable, attached to the Nuwara Eliya Police station, who was arrested recently at Welimada with heroin weighing 3,780mg, to determine if other policemen were also involved in the racket, a senior police officer said. The suspect, a resident of the Kosgahaarawa, Welimada, had been attached to the Intelligence Division of the Nuwara Eliya Police station until recently. more..

Jul 23 (DN) Four schoolchildren drowned in two separate incidents in Kalutara and Veyangoda on Saturday. Two 11-year old girls who were among a group of people bathing in the sea off Calido beach, Kalutara drowned on Saturday. Four people including a man, woman and the two girls who were caught in the underwater currents while bathing in the sea were rescued by Police and Navy life guards at the beach and admitted to the Nagoda Hospital. Two girls had died while receiving treatment more..

Jul 23 (GDI) As diabetes has become a major health problem, Sri Lanka is focusing attention on ways to prevent the disease and the latest in these efforts is the research into new varieties of rice, the staple food of Sri Lankans. Ambalantota Rice Research Institute has introduced a rice variety named as Nirogi that would help prevention of diabetes. The Low glycemic indexed, red Basmati type rice variety has a low more..

Jul 23 (NR) The protest by the JO/SLPP organised for the 17th of August has been postponed to the 5th of Sept. UPFA MP Namal Rajapaksa speaking at a media briefing this morning said the decision to postpone the protest was reached owing to the GCE A/L Examination that commences on the 6th of August. The MP said the Jana Balaya Colombata protest was due to be held on the 17th of August, to protest the three year anniversary of the good governance govt assuming office. more..

Jul 23 (DM) A 26-year-old Sri Lankan who holds UK citizenship, was arrested by the Kollupitiya police last night in connection with an alleged rape of a Norwegian woman at a star class hotel in Kollupitiya. Police said the 23-year-old Norwegian woman had lodged a complaint with the BIA police stating that she was raped at the hotel in Kollupitiya on Saturday. Meanwhile, Sports Ministry sources said the arrested suspect is a friend of Danushka Gunathilake who was also accused more..

Jul 23 (AFP) A SL Test cricketer has been suspended after a Norwegian woman accused his friend of raping her in a hotel room where he was present, an official said Monday. Dhanushka Gunathilaka, 27, and his friend, who cannot be named, took two Norwegian women to the hotel where the player was staying in Colombo in the early hours of Sunday. One of the women later accused the second man, a British passport-holder of more..

Jul 23 (DM) Hayleys Advantis Limited, the transportation and logistics arm of Hayleys PLC, won Gold at the recently concluded CILT Sri Lanka National Logistics and Transport Excellence Awards – 2018. The event organized by the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) Sri Lanka, recognized individuals and corporates that have made exceptional contributions to the development of the Sri Lankan transportation and logistics industry. more..

Jul 23 (AD) Former Minister Johnston Fernando stated at the Colombo Magistrate’s Court that, he is being charged against by the Bribery Commission because he rejected a ministerial portfolio offered by the Yahapalana govt. A case against Fernando, filed under the Bribery act for not providing assets and liabilities for the year 2010, was taken up today at the Colombo Magistrate’s Court. Defendant former minister Fernando made a statement that he was offered a ministerial portfolio by more..

Jul 23 (CI) Until South Africa finally located their batting backbone in the last innings of the series, SL opener Dimuth Karunaratne had outscored their entire team in the series. Karunaratne's aggregate of 356 runs at an average of 118.66 and a strike rate in the mid-sixties is staggering enough in a bowling-dominated series. But, that he was so prolific - passing 50 in each of his innings - after having missed last series more..

Jul 23 (NR) Minister Malik Samarawickrama has refuted charges levelled against claiming he made a statement that purported that Sri Lanka received investments worth US$ 16 billion over the past two months. He refuted the allegation levelled by MP Bandula Gunewardene, who he alleges, has taken a statement he made out of context. MP Gunewardene claimed he will step down as a MP if the Central Bank officially states that investments worth 16 billion rupees has been received more..

Jul 23 (EN) SL’s national inflation rose to a four-month high of 2.5% in June 2018 from a year ago, the Department of Census and Statistics (DCS) said. “Inflation remained below 3% over the last four months,” Amara Satharasinghe, Director General of Census and Statistics said in a statement. Inflation in May 2018, measured by the National Consumer Price Index (NCPI), was 2.1%. The NCPI, increased to 126.5 in June from 124.3 index points in May 2018, the statement said. more..

Jul 23 (DM) The GMOA said today it would resort to an islandwide trade union action on August 3 over ten demands. However, services of the Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children, Apeksha Hospital Maharagama, De Soysa Maternity Hospital and National Blood Bank would not be affected due to the strike. GMOA Secretary Dr. Harith Aluthge said both state and private sector medical services would be disrupted due to the strike. more..

Jul 23 (NR) Three members of Uva Provincial Council representing the govt faction have taken their seats in the Opposition. The three took their seats in the Opposition in protest to the Chairman of the Provincial Council rejecting a No-Confidence Motion filed against the Chief Minister of the Uva Province Chamara Sampath Dasanayake. Three include the Former Chief Minister Shasheendra Rajapaksa, and Councillors Kumarasiri Ratnayake and Sudarshana Denipitiya. more..