Jun 19 (Island) Rotary International, which was responsible for eradicating polio from 97% of the world by partnering governments, has ventured to make Sri Lanka dengue-free in partnership with the Sri Lankan govt, Rotary District Governor Dushan Soza said. "As a pilot project, Rotary Sri Lanka is partnering with the Colombo Municipal Council and has introduced a product called OviTraps at a controlled geographical area in Grandpass in Colombo, to test the product’s efficacy more..

Jun 19 (FT) State Minister Eran Wickramaratne apologised yesterday in Parliament on behalf of the Govt for delaying the expansion of the Samurdhi program. Moving the orders made by the Minister of Finance under Section 3 of the Excise (Special Provisions) Act, No. 13 of 1989 relating to Excise duty and published in the Gazette Extraordinary No. 2113/9 of 05th March 2019, Gazette Extraordinary No. 2114/25 of 13th March 2019, Gazette Extraordinary No. 2114/49 of 14th Mar 2019, more..

Jun 19 (Island) Parliament Select Committee (PSC) was told that prior intelligence reports on the terror attacks by Zahran Hazhim’s group had not been provided to the police station in the Kattankudi area, where the National Thowheed Jamaath (NTJ) operated from. Testifying before the PSC, Kattankudy OIC IP Nishantha Kasturiarachchi said that he had not received any intelligence reports or warnings of Easter Sunday attacks more..

Jun 19 (AD) Hambantota District Secretary Bandula Harischandra stated that the post mortem of an 11-year-old child in Tissamaharamaya has ruled that the child died of starvation. Upon the statement of the District Secretary, Ada Derana arrived at Gonapura-Vijayapura in Tissamaharamaya today (18) to inquire of the deceased child. The deceased child had lived with his parents and 3 siblings in a small house in Gonapura, stated Ada Derana reporter. more..

Jun 19 (DM) Prez Sirsiena Sirisena has once again registered his protest to Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam over the plan to distribute free electronic tablets among schoolchildren. The govt has decided to spend Rs.2,275 million for this project but however, the Prez was of the view that a pilot project should be carried out first. At yesterday’s Cabinet meeting, he had asked why the minister was going ahead with the project despite his call to first carry out a pilot project more..

Jun 19 (FT) The supplementary estimate - seeking funds for various items such as the purchase of a vehicle for Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa and the renovation of Minister Kiriella's residence, was presented again today though it was earlier withdrawn by Minister Lakshman Kiriella. Opp. leader Mahinda Rajapaksa said a vehicle was allocated to him as the vehicles in the opp. leader's office had been taken by more..

Jun 19 (FT) Minister Mangala Samaraweera told Parliament the Govt had achieved stable growth and received $ 1.2 billion in foreign assistance recently to underscore the sound economic policies followed. According to the Minister, country has entered into the correct path despite the criticism of those who cannot tolerate success. “The reason for this achievement is the collective effort that left out personal agendas. Today, we were able to stand against a terrorist threat successfully while more..

Jun 19 (FT) Opposition lawmaker Mahinda Amaraweera charged the present and previous govts for failing to alleviate poverty using the Samurdhi program. Addressing the Parliament, MP held that all politicians have badly failed where the number of poor in the country has increased to two million in 2019. “When Samurdhi was started in 1995 to eradicate poverty there were 1.4 million recipients. But in reality, the number of poor has increased to two million this year. more..

Jun 19 (Island) Speaker Karu Jayasuriya told Parliament, yesterday, that he had invited foreign diplomats to Parliament to explain the current situation in the country and ally their concerns. Responding to a question raised by JO MP Dinesh Gunawardena, the Speaker said: "Several Muslim countries issued a statement on the situation here. I invited several diplomats from those countries and briefed them. more..

Jun 19 (DM) Boris Pasternak, the Russian novelist won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1958 for his famous work Doctor Zhivago. While the book was banned in the USSR it went on to become an international best seller and David Lean made it to a movie with legendary Omar Sharif as lead. It bagged five Oscars at the Academy Awards and to date remains one of the most popular movies ever, making Boris Pasternak a fabled figure. Boris Becker, an unseeded 17-year-old German more..

Jun 19 (DM) What could Sri Lanka’s independent leaders have thought as key challenges that awaited them, when the country received independence some seven decades ago? That is a lot more intricate question than it may sound. In the first place, given the absence of strong institutions and established traditions in those nascent states, the new ruling elites had to rely on their hunch. Even where there were substantially equipped bureaucracies in places such as India, and more..

Jun 19 (DM) Sri Lankans had many lessons to learn from the Easter Sunday terror attacks. One lesson was that state security isn’t something that should be taken for granted. The other was that the country had become vulnerable to such incidents as a result of weakening links between communities. A once united nation is slowly dividing on different grounds, leaving room for terrorists & extremists to foster their agendas. more..

Jun 19 (DM) HONESTY is such a LONELY word and hardly ever heard today!!! The great Nelson Mandela was quoted “As I have said, the first thing is to be honest with yourself. You can never have an impact on society if you have not changed yourself. Great peacemakers are all people of integrity, of honesty, but humility!!!” It is said that HONESTY has a power that very few people can handle & it prospers in every condition of life! more..

Jun 19 (ST) Groundwater in Dehiwala-Mt Lavinia is highly contaminated with faecal matter from domestic septic tanks and soakage pits as well as chemicals from industries, a report on a proposal to extend pipe-borne sewage disposal there says. A comprehensive study in the project area identified a deterioration of surface water quality as well as “extremely high total and faecal coliform levels were detected in all water bodies”, more..

Jun 19 (EN) State-run SriLankan Airlines is to sell a 175 million US dollar bond to roll-over a similar sized issue that is maturing this month, which is fully guaranteed by the govt. Fitch Ratings said the bond has been a given provisional rating of 'B(EXP)' in line with the sovereign rating. "The proposed bonds are rated at the same level as the bonds issued by SLA's parent, the govt of SL(B/Stable), due to the unconditional and more..

Jun 19 (Island) Police personnel attached to PCoI on the irregularities of the present administration, yesterday, visited the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital and recorded statements from Oncologists on the side effects of cancer drug, Herticad. The PCoI instructed them to study the side effects of Herticad by recording statements from patients and Oncologists. Last week, former head of Maharagama Cancer Hospital, more..

Jun 19 (Island) Easter Sunday carnage mastermind Zahran Hashim’s aide Army Mohideen had been an army informant, Parliament Select committee probing the Easter Sunday carnage was told yesterday. Former OIC of Kattankudy police station Chief Inspector Ariyabandu Welagedera told the PSC that Army Mohideen had maintained links with the army and was known as an informant of the army. more..

Jun 19 (Island) Zharan Hashim’s call for the Muslims to kill people of other faiths had been brought to the notice of Prez Sirisena in March, 2017, but there had been no response, the PSC was informed yesterday. Testifying before the committee, Secretary of Al Haj Abdul Jawadh Alim Waliyyullah Trust, Sufi Moulavi KRM Sahlan said that his organisation had submitted a written complaint against Zahran’s call for the killings more..

Jun 19 (DM) The Government Medical Officers' Association (GMOA) had decided to lodge a complaint with the Sri Lanka Office of the World Health Organization (WHO) asking it to clarify on what grounds the WHO had spent over Rs. 1.5 million for the felicitation ceremony organized when Health Minister Rajith Senaratne was awarded with the Suwapathi Kirula title, GMOA Assistant Secretary Dr. Naveen de Soyza told Daily Mirror. more..

Jun 19 (DM) The Finance Ministry is reported to have instructed all ministries to curtail their capital expenditure announced in the budget by 15% because of financial constraints faced by the govt. Sources said the govt is cash-strapped and unable to meet its revenue targets for this year in the aftermath of the terrorist attack and facing difficulties to find money for additional expenditures triggered by Easter Sunday attack. more..

Jun 19 (AD) Two UNP MPs Kabir Hashim and Abdul Haleem have today (19) sworn into the ministerial positions held by them before tendering their resignations, according to sources. MP Kabir Hashim has taken oath as the Minister of Highways & Road Development and Petroleum Resources Development. Meanwhile, MP Abdul Haleem has sworn in again as the Minister of Postal Services & Muslim Religious Affairs. more..

Jun 19 (CT) One does not know exactly what connotation Deputy UNP Leader Sajith Premadasa had in mind when he (reportedly) said that ex-Minister Kabir Hashim had stood up to Xenophobia and stood firmly between his colleagues and those who preach hatred and division along ethnic and religious lines. The use of that word however does give food for deeper thought, deeper consideration about the safety of the considerable Muslim community in this country and more..

Jun 19 (FT) On Easter Sunday, suicide bombers from an extremist group caused carnage in six separate locations in Sri Lanka. Over 250 lives were lost and as many injured. The magnitude and co-ordination of their operation indicate several months of preparation by many people. Since then, Govt has brought some semblance of control to a dangerous situation. However, the authorities’ lack of foresight and preparedness that allowed organised mob attacks three weeks afterwards, more..

Jun 19 (Island) Former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa was a strong leader but not an ideal candidate for the forthcoming Presidential Elections, said SLFP General Secretary Dayasiri Jayasekera. Jayasekera said members strongly believed that incumbent President Maithripala Sirisena was the best choice. Jayasekera said that even if the former Defence Secretary became the President he could not carry out tasks as he would be shackled by the 19th Amendment. more..

Jun 19 (AD) The railway trade unions have decided to temporarily suspend the planned strike action that was set to commence from midnight today. The strike action, which was based on existing salary anomalies in the railway service, was slated to be carried on as the discussions with the authorities had failed. A discussion on the matter was held with Minister Arjuna Ranatunga this morning. The minister has agreed to schedule a meeting between the railway trade unions & Finance Minister. more..

Jun 19 (AD) U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo has canceled a planned visit to Sri Lanka due to scheduling conflicts while also expressing regret that he will not be able to visit Colombo. “Due to unavoidable scheduling conflicts during his upcoming visit to the Indo-Pacific region that includes accompanying President Donald J. Trump to the G20 Summit in Japan, U.S. Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo is unable to visit SL more..

Jun 19 (AD) Five persons including 4 females have died following a collision involving a van and a tractor at Welikanda on the Batticaloa-Polonnaruwa Road. The accident had occurred at around 1.45 a.m. today at Kolakanawadiya in Welikanda on the Maradankadawala-Thirukondiyamadu road. A van traveling towards Welikanda had collided with a two-wheel tractor pulling a trailer traveling in the same direction. The five persons traveling in the hand tractor were killed in the crash more..

Jun 19 (DN) Attorney General Dappula de Livera PC has instructed CID and TID to continue probes into members of three proscribed extremist Islamic organizations including National Thawheed Jamaath (NTJ). The Attorney General’s Co-ordinating Officer State Counsel Nishara Jayaratne said that the AG had given instructions to the police directing them to forward the progress of the investigations regarding these three organizations and their members for AG’s perusal. more..

Jun 19 (AD) The CID has so far recorded statements from 758 persons including 601 females over allegations against Dr Mohamed Shafi, Police Spokesman SP Ruwan Gunasekara said. He stated this today while revealing certain information pertaining to the CID’s ongoing investigation into the Kurunegala Hospital doctor Seigu Siyabdeen Mohammed Shafi. He stated that the CID took over the investigation on May 27 more..

Jun 19 (DM) UPFA MP Nimal Lanza questioned whether MPs Kabir Hashim and Abdul Haleem were sworn in as Ministers because the probe on Easter Sunday attacks had been completed or whether the one month deadline they gave was over. Mr. Lanza was referring to the one month deadline which the Muslim Ministers gave the govt to probe the Easter Sunday attacks. “We would like to know whether one month is over or the investigations have been completed. more..

Jun 19 (AD) Non-Cabinet Minister Ajith P. Perera has made an apology to the public over supporting Prez Sirisena to get elected. He stated this joining Derana Wada Pitiya political programme last night. PM and the Prez have disregarded the people’s sovereignty and stay divided on their opinions, the no-Cabinet minister complained. None other than Prez Sirisena, who had unlawfully sabotaged the prevailing govt, is responsible for the terrorist attacks on Easter Sunday, he alleged. more..

Jun 19 (EN) Sri Lanka will seek parliamentary approval to raise up to 480 billion rupees in additional debt through the Active Liability Management Act (ALMA) to repay maturing borrowings after obtaining cabinet approval. The cabinet approved Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera's proposal to seek parliamentary approval for the debt raising, the cabinet office said in a statement. more..

Jun 19 (CT) If a General Election is proposed, then the Joint Opposition will agree to it, said MP Anura Priyadarshana Yapa yesterday (18). “A referendum is just an opinion. There is no point in holding one for something like this. It’s just a waste of public funds. If the Govt brings a proposal to Parliament stating that they want a General Election, we will agree to it. This Govt really likes to talk about democracy, but they are so reluctant to hold Elections,” he added. more..

Jun 19 (PND) Philippine President Rodrigo Roa Duterte on Tuesday conferred the Order of Sikatuna on outgoing SL Ambassador to the Philippines Aruni Ranaraja during a Palace farewell call. The Order of Sikatuna, with the rank of Grand Cross (Datu) gold distinction, was awarded to the SL envoy for her major contributions in strengthening and deepening of relations between the Philippines and SL, as well as for her role in facilitating the state visit of SL Prez Sirisena to Philippines last January. more..

Jun 19 (AD) The Permanent High Court at Bar has decided to extend the time period granted to former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa to travel overseas for medical treatment until July 24th, said Ada Derana correspondent. The case filed by the Attorney General against the former Defence Secretary and six others were taken up before the Special High Court Judges Sampath Abeykoon, Sampath Wijeratne and more..

Jun 19 (FT) Dialog Axiata, SL’s premier connectivity provider, launched an interactive digital Poson experience – Dialog Nethrabhiwandana Poson Digital Aloka Pooja – which was accessible via poson.dialog.lk from 15-16 June, following the ceremonial initiation of the Poson Aloka Pooja at Mihintale Raja Maha Viharaya. Dialog Nethrabhiwandana Poson Digital Aloka Pooja was developed to provide a truly transcending and interactive experience to Buddhist devotees more..

Jun 19 (MFA) A Parliamentary delegation from Sri Lanka, headed by Hon. Kumara Welgama, undertook a visit to Germany from 2-9 June 2019 on an invitation extended by the German-South Asia Parliamentary Friendship Group. The delegation was comprised of Hon. Members of Parliament, Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena, Sunil Hadunnetti, S.M. Marikkar, Wijepala Hettiarachchi, Shanthi Sriskandarasa and Assistant Director /Administration of the SL Parliament, Janakantha Silva. more..

Jun 19 (Xinhua) China on Wednesday donated a batch of security equipment to the SL Parliament to ensure the safety of the public and legislators following the recent terror attacks in the island country. The security equipment, which is worth 33 million SL Rupees (an estimated 187,000 USD), including three state-of-the-art portable X-Ray machines and five walk-through metal detectors, were handed over more..

Jun 19 (DM) Leader of the House Lakshman Kiriella said today there was no obstacle to resubmit a document which was withdrawn on the same day and that he resubmitted the supplementary estimate on Wednesday according to Standing Orders. He told this in Parliament responding to a point of order brought on by joint opposition MP Chandima Weerakkodi. MP Weerakkodi said the Speaker had not given his ruling on the matter cropped up in parliament on Wednesday with regard to more..