June 8 (Island) The Monetary Board, with the concurrence of the Minister of Finance, has promoted Assistant Governor, K D Ranasinghe to the post of Deputy Governor of the Central Bank with effect from 30th April 2017. He has nearly 31 years of experience in the Central Bank especially in the areas of Economic and Price Stability, and other Agency Functions carried out by the Central Bank. Prior to the appointment as a Deputy Governor, he held the position of the Assistant Governor more..

June 8 (CT) The Sports Act will be reintroduced as a completely new Act, Minister of Sports Dayasiri Jayasekara informed Parliament yesterday. The Minister made this observation while moving a motion in the House regarding provisions under the Sports Act. While noting that some provisions needed updating, the Minister said that important changes are required to be made to the Act to meet the needs of the present and that a committee had been appointed for the task. more..

June 8 (CT) Cabinet approved a cumulative sum of rs. 848.8 million for the renovation of Sugathadasa Sports Complex, which will be utilized for upgrading the flood light system, electric light and sound system of the indoor stadium and to establish a solar power generator for electricity needs. These allocations are in addition to the amount which the budget allocated for the renovation of Sugathadasa Stadium, more..

June 8 (DN) Sri Lankan state is bound to implement the UNHRC resolution and it cannot be repudiated by Parliament as demanded by the Joint Opposition (JO), Opposition Leader R.Sampanthan said. The Opposition Leader speaking at the Adjournment debate moved by JO Dinesh Gunawardena in Parliament, called for the full and expeditious implementation of the Geneva Resolution. “This is not a resolution against Sri Lanka, but a resolution pertaining to certain acts committed by more..

June 8 (NR) The JVP has opposed the move to recruit retired officers to fulfil the posts of Grama Niladhari Officers. Leader of the JVP MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake raised a question in Parliament today over the delay to fulfil vacancies of Grama Niladhari officers. MP Dissanayake also questioned why the results of the examination held to fulfil vacancies of Grama Niladhari officers have not been released yet after the examination was held in September. more..

June 8 (LM) SL foreign minister Ravi Karunanayake defended his country’s move to join China’s controversial One Belt One Road (Obor) infrastructure initiative, stating that it was a considered decision taken on the basis of its foreign policy, whose motto is friends with all and enemies with none. In New Delhi on his first visit as foreign minister after taking office less than a fortnight ago, Karunanayake said India had discussed more..

June 8 (Island) Health Minister, Rajitha Senaratne said that a second Director General would be appointed to manage the finances of the Health Ministry. Participating at the opening ceremony of the new clinic complex and Cardiology Unit at Kalutara General Hospital, he said the ministry was planning to improve the quality of its services by appointing a separate Director General to handle its funds. He said one of his objectives was to obtain four percent of the GDP for the health sector. more..

June 8 (DN) The visit of Arahat Mahinda to Sri Lanka heralded in a new chapter in the country’s history, with the hallowed principles of non-violence and compassion as enshrined in Buddhism, taking centre stage, PM Ranil Wickremesinghe said. It not only transformed the Sri Lankan way of life but also made a strong impact on our social discourse; agriculture, hydro civilisation, cultural pursuits and governance were some of the key areas that were influenced by Buddhist values and traditions. more..

June 8 (Island) Justice K.T. Chitrasiri, Chairman of Presidential Commission, probing alleged bond scams ordered CEO of Perpetual Treasuries, Kasun Palisena, who was listening to the proceedings while a Central bank official was testifying before it, to leave the place immediately as the latter had entered the place without prior permission. Commission Chairman also admonished the Counsel appearing for the company, more..

June 8 (PSL) President Sirisena presided over a special meeting on flood devastation and the relief work for flood victims in Hambantota today (6). The meeting was held at the Hambanthota District Secretariat. The President advised officers to rebuild the affected houses in Hambanthota district, undertake repairs to the destroyed road system, school and public places, restore the affected irrigation system and restore cultivable lands affected by floods as soon as possible. more..

June 8 (FT) Following the Cabinet reshuffle two weeks ago, President Maithripala Sirisena appointed five new Ministry Secretaries. Udaya Seneviratne has been appointed the new Secretary to the Ministry of Health, while Anura Dissanayake has been appointed as the Secretary to the Ministry of Mahaweli and Environment. Further, Upali Marasinghe has been appointed to the Ministry of Petroleum while Jayantha Wijerathne has been appointed Secretary to Ministry of Irrigation more..

June 8 (CT) Fitch Ratings' Associate Director, Sagarika Chandra, predicted SL's growth would drop to 4.4% of GDP this year, from last year's 4.5%, primarily due to the recent floods which would hamper the agriculture sector led by tea. She said she expected the current account deficit to increase this year from the previously projected 2.2% of GDP to 2.3% led by higher imports driven by rising oil prices. more..

June 9 (CT) Mangala Samaraweera is clearly the ideologue of the Yahapalana administration. This does not mean that he speaks for the entirety of the govt. He certainly does not speak for the majority of the SLFP Minority tendency that is in the govt. Nor does he speak for the majority of the UNP MPs. However he does speak for the dominant faction of the govt. To paraphrase Marx, the ideology of the dominant faction of the govt is the dominant ideology of the govt. more..

June 9 (Island) Indian PM Narendra Modi on his recent Vesak visit to Sri Lanka had stated in his speech made at the BMICH to celebrate the International Wesak Day, among other things that "Whether it is on land or in the waters of Indian Ocean the security of our societies is indivisible." This idea deserves scrutiny. Is it in fact so? Not from Sri Lanka’s point of view. It reminds use of one of those de Lanerole’s plays (Ralahamy Rides Again?) where the Ralahamy in his pretended more..

June 9 (SO) Quick thinking and vigilance on the part of the Ayagama Police OIC, IP Ranga Perera, despite no warnings of landslides saved many lives on the day preventing the town from claiming the most number of deaths reported in the Ratnapura district. With the heavy rain and loud thundering IP Perera says the precarious location of the Police Station located directly under a hill did not allow him to have a restful sleep. more..

June 9 (CT) While the entire country was tangled in a crisis, it was possible to see persons with overflowing humanity. At the same time the disease of delaying making decisions and judgments was also apparent in some places. Not only during the disaster of the floods but during all events due to the severely punishing decisions of nature (except for the Salawa explosion) it was the tri-forces which protected the govt and saved face for them. It was the same, this time too. more..

June 9 (CT) Meethotamulla garbage dump landslide was a disaster everybody expected. Experts had warned that there was a possibility of the massive garbage dump giving way with disastrous results. Today there are similar garbage dumps all over the country and garbage disposal has been badly neglected. Unknown to ordinary people garbage is a money spinner. The collection and disposal of garbage involve millions of rupees. As the local authorities are unable to handle the problem more..

June 9 (CT) Human Rights Commissioner and Media Spokesman for the Human Rights Commission, Saliya Peiris said that the advocacy of hatred based on race and religion, and incitement to violence, are an affront to the essence of the freedom of expression. He said that the right of freedom of expression ordinarily extends even to the expression of what may well be regarded as offensive, shocking or disturbing. more..

June 9 (DM) Just before sitting down to write this morning (7), I received a notification on social media. It was about a panel discussion at the Public Library to be held later in the afternoon. The title was in Sinhala. It read as follows: Let us defeat the Constitution, let us get rid of Ranil.  It implies on first reading a call for anarchy, but the organizers /publicists were probably referring to the proposed new Constitution, A-Z of which has not exactly been shared with the general public, by the way. more..

June 9 (Island) French parliamentary polls are around the corner. President Emmanuel Marcon’s La République En Marche (Republic on the Move) is likely to secure a majority according to the decision of expatriate French voters who have already exercised their franchise. It is being argued in some quarters that the constituencies these voters represent are not representative of the French polity as such, but the LREM is evidently in the ascendant if polls survey results, public enthusiasm more..

June 9 (CT) In the long history of the Tamil ethnic struggle, the Tamil people had faced several hardships, disappointments and losses that included innumerable human lives and billons worth of properties, more than anything else, their self respect. Several opportunities that came on our way to find a solution, were missed. The one we got in 2004 due to, over two years of untiring efforts of several interest groups in N&E, particularly Thamilar Marumalarchi Kalagam in Batticaloa, more..

June 9 (CI) 322: Target successfully chased by Sri Lanka - their joint-highest in ODIs. They had chased down 322 against England at Headingley in 2006. This is also the highest successful chase in the Champions Trophy, beating England's 306 against Bangladesh in the first game of this edition. 9: Instances Sri Lanka have scored 300-plus in successful chases away from home - the most by any team, going past India's eight such wins. 159: Second-wicket partnership between more..

June 9 (FT) Despite drawing up master plans to accelerate the establishment of a vibrant capital market a decade ago, Fitch Ratings this week termed the endeavour disappointing given its extremely slow progress and raised concerns about fresh policies mooted by the Govt. Fitch Ratings SL Country Director Maninda Wickremasinghe pointed out that at a time when the country is talking of pretty good growth rates, more..

June 9 (DM) This is in response to Minister Champika Ranawaka’s interview about ISIS’ presence in the island and alleged Muslim involvement published in the Daily Mirror, Time and again, top police and intelligence officers and several others clearly and repeatedly denied the presence of ISIS -- a fascist entity allegedly created by the United States, trained by Israel and funded by their client state Saudi Arabia as part of their ongoing murderous global campaign more..

June 9 (CI) India's bowling attack is one of the best in the tournament. Their bowling is their strength for a change. That was the reading and verdict of pundits, opposition captains and even India skipper Virat Kohli. The variety in the Indian fast bowling attack coupled with the experienced spin pair of R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja contributed to such a conclusion. India's fast bowling contingent comprising Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya and more..

June 9 (CI) Angelo Mathews, SL's captain, hailed his players for defying expectations after their seven-wicket victory over India at The Oval kept alive their hopes of a Champions Trophy semi-final. He dedicated the performance to SL's supporters, who made their presence increasingly felt as the game went on, as well as the victims of last week's flooding in the country. India had looked in control after posting 321 for 6 more..

June 9 (FT) Conglomerate Softloigic Holdings Plc has seen its profits dip sharply in the 2016/17 financial year with the company attributing this drop to external factors. Pre-tax profit was down 41% to Rs. 1.68 billion and after-tax by 48% to Rs. 1.08 billion. Profit from connoting operations was down by 58% to Rs. 825 million. After a profit of Rs. 145 million from discontinued operations, the profit figure was Rs. 970.6 million, down by 48.5%. Net profit attributable to equity holders more..

June 9 (CI) In the crucial segment between overs 25 and 40, which included the third Powerplay, India managed to score just 80 runs. In the same phase of their innings, SL added 103 runs. Having started on a steady note, did India fall short of what could and should have been an insurmountable target? Until the final ten overs began, India were scoring at a run-rate of about five an over despite Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma giving them a solid opening with a 138-run stand in first 25 overs. more..

June 9 (DM) MP Ven. Athuraliye Rathana Thera said his dreams to get good and valuable things done from the present govt were shattered and he is now left with only one dream, and that is to prevent the govt from at least making any harmful decisions. Thera expressed these views during a news conference in Colombo over the detrimental conditions of the proposed China-SL Free Trade Agreement (CSLFTA). more..

June 9 (CT) 15-year old Anika Seneviratne powered her way to the Women's Singles crown at the oldest and most prestigious 102nd Colombo Championships being conducted at the SLTA courts. Last year she was the runner-up in the women's singles, losing a closely contested final and won the under-18 singles and the women's doubles. But this year she made amends and took a well deserved women's singles title with some superb ground strokes and consistency. more..

June 9 (CI) Until the eve of this match, Danushka Gunathilaka wasn't even part of Sri Lanka's squad. He came into it after a knee injury ruled Chamara Kapugedara out of the tournament, but he may not have featured in the playing XI against India - Angelo Mathews, after all, was returning from injury and would fill Kapugedara's middle-order slot - had it not been for another turn of fate. Upul Tharanga, who had captained Sri Lanka against South Africa, in Mathews' absence, more..

June 9 (ICC) The legendary off-spinner, with 800 Test wickets to his name, became the first Sri Lanka to be inducted into the prestigious list. The most successful bowler in Tests and ODIs, Muttiah Muralidaran, was today formally inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame by ICC Chief Executive David Richardson during the innings break of the India versus Sri Lanka Champions Trophy match at The Oval. more..

June 9 (SK) ICC Champions Trophy 2017 finally received a much-needed shake-up as a tight game at the Oval saw the biggest upset of the tournament so far. Sri Lanka posted a historic seven-wicket win over the defending champions India as they chased down a mammoth total of 322 with one over remaining. Kusal Mendis was the star of the run chase as he scored a match-winning knock of 89 and the returning Angelo Matthews who scored a brilliant 52*.  more..

June 9 (PMD) 26th Dam Sabha Mandapa of the series of Sadaham Yathra Dhamma sermons was held today (8), Poson Full Moon Poya Day in the premises of sacred Vatadageya in Medirigiriya with participation of President Sirisena. Dhamma sermon was delivered by the Chief Incumbent of Purana Dakshinagiri Rajamaha Viharaya in Viharagala, Ven. Viharagama Sirinanda Thero. The President who listened to the Dhamma sermon, offered atapirikara to the Maha Sangha. more..

June 9 (Island) The Joint Opposition (JO) practices opportunistic politics and it is clearly displayed in its varying positions on the SAITM issue, Minister Lakshman Kiriella told Parliament. He said so in answer to a question raised by JO MP Dinesh Gunawardena, who said functioning of SAITM as a medical faculty was illegal since it had been set up as an institute of technology and management. more..

June 9 (DM) Angelo Mathews said that he wished his former captain Kumar Sangakkara was in the team, and had even asked him if he could come out of retirement and join them. When asked if he would ask Kumar Sangakkara to come back from retirement, he smiled and replied in jest: I always asked him that! "Even a couple days ago, I was asking him can you come and play for us, you know, in this game.  He has been in tremendous form (for Surrey in County). more..

June 9 (NR) Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya says steps will be taken to provide solar panels to places of religious worship. Minister said the solar panels will be granted free of charge. Speaking at a function in Dodangaslanda Minister said govt has launched several programmes for the public to benefit from the use of solar power. Minister added the public should understand the importance of introducing solar power and should grasp the idea without negativity. more..

June 9 (Island) In the continuing fallout between the JHU and its erstwhile stalwart, Ven. Aturaliya Rathana Thera, the former has urged the UNP to take disciplinary action against the latter over his criticism of the 2017 Budget proposal to do away with the import Cess on some 100 imported items. Rathana Thera alleged that the Cess had been in place to protect local industry and, therefore, its removal amounted more..

June 9 (DM) Renowned artiste Prince Udaya Priyantha passed away today at a private hospital in Colombo at the age of 47. Speaking to Daily Mirror, Sri Lanka Singers Association (SLASA) President Keerthi Pasquel said Prince was hospitalised for a long period of time. Its past President Madumadawa Aravinda said Prince’s sister Shiromi Priyangika was the only family member left for him, and that she was the one who looked into his health until his demise. more..