Aug 18 (FT) Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam says that the Commissioner General of Examinations has been instructed to increase the allowances for the teachers and principals who are engaged in examination duties. Issuing a special media statement yesterday regarding the false stories published on social media and websites recently that steps were being taken to suspend wages of teachers during school vacations, he said that legal action had been instituted against spreading false news. more..

Aug 18 (FT) Ambassador A.L.A. Azeez, Permanent Representative of SL to the UN in Geneva, met with the UNHCR Filippo Grandi, at UNHCR Headquarters, on 15 Aug. Recalling the long-standing, productive partnership between SL and the UNHCR, High Commissioner Grandi remarked that at a time when there were many challenges around the world, Sri Lanka stood out as a country, which has achieved significant progress in resettlement of returning refugees and IDPs as well as in addressing issues of statelessness. more..

Aug 18 (Hindu) Cabinet minister Lakshman Kiriella will attend former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee's funeral on Friday, as an envoy of Sri Lanka, authorities said. Various SL leaders paid rich tribute to the three time-PM, hailing him as a friend of Sri Lanka. In a tweet on Thursday, Prez Maithripala Sirisena said: “Today, we have lost a great humanist and a true friend of SL. Former PM of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee was a visionary leader and an ardent defender of democracy. more..

Aug 18 (AD) Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe says that ragging is being carried out mentally, physically as well as sexually within universities. He stated that information has been received that students who are responsible for ragging are even renting out houses and are ragging new students even outside universities. He said that 1,352 students who had registered for enrollment into universities in 2015 had dropped out due to ragging and that the following year 637 students had dropped out. more..

Aug 18 (AD) The suspect who was arrested for defrauding millions of rupees through a fake human rights organization, was ordered released on a bail bond of Rs. 125,000 by the Marawila Additional District Judge Keminda Perera. The suspect was released on bail last evening (16). The suspect was arrested by the officers of the Polonnaruwa Division Crimes Investigation Unit yesterday morning (16), for allegedly defrauding millions of rupees by posing as a professor and a human rights activist. more..

Aug 18 (Island) One-time presidential human rights envoy and Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe on Thursday acknowledged that Sri Lanka’s decision to co-sponsor the Geneva Resolution 30/1 in Oct 2015 hadn’t been discussed by the Cabinet of Ministers. Minister said that the Foreign Ministry had handled the post-war process that led to the agreement on the Geneva Resolution. He asserted that there was no more..

Aug 18 (DM) The first phase of the Southern Railway Expansion Project -- the stretch from Matara to Beliatta, will be completed by the beginning of next year, a Chinese construction company consultant said. H. Piyadasa, who is a Senior Engineering Consultant for the China National Machinery Import & Export Corporation (CMC) on this project, said they had completed 90% of the work. He said railway lines were being laid and the construction of railway stations more..

Aug 18 (DM) Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) said the media reports that Sports Minister had distributed 800 tickets free of charge among his close associates were baseless and that SLC only allocated tickets to the Minister to accommodate people at the Minister’s Box, which is reserved for the Sports Minister, during International Matches. SLC said that certain parties had claimed that SLC had made an allocation of 800 tickets to Sports Minister Faiszer Musthapa, to be allocated to more..

Aug 18 (CT) Doctors urged the Govt to ensure that the proposed Amendments to the Medical Ordinance should be to protect the rights of patients than to appease needs of a group of NGOs. Secretary of the GMOA, Dr. Haritha Aluthge urged the Govt to pay special attention to the Amendments, proposed to Chapter 105 of the Ordinance, which had already been submitted in Parliament. more..

Aug 18 (DN) Sri Lanka Railways will refurbish 30 dilapidated carriages at the Dematagoda and Ratmalana yards and put them in to service, Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva said. “Ten of the refurbished compartments will be deployed on the Kelani Velly railway line in the near future,” the Minister said. Railway Department together with a private company Tantri Trailers has refurbished these carriages with all modern facilities imported in 1989 and 1992. more..

Aug 18 (DM) All Ceylon Private Bus Workers' Association (ACPBWA) said they will stop the ongoing strike and launch a work-to-rule campaign from midnight today, unless the President intervenes to solve their issues. ACPBWA convener Kumararatna Renuka said that they had decided to call off the strike tonight following threats received by the workers, from bus owners. “Now we are depressed and 40 per cent of bus operators have reported for work as they were forced to more..

Aug 18 (Island) Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa denied all accusations levelled against him by a team of CID interrogators when they questioned him over the 2008 abduction of Associate Editor of The Nation newspaper Keith Noyahr, according to sources.The CID interrogators, led by Senior DIG Ravi Seneviratne, questioned the former President for nearly three hours to record his statement, more..

Aug 19 (SO) The judges of the Nuremberg War Crimes tribunal who prosecuted Nazism-inspired German doctors surely anticipated the recurrence of such horrific abuse of medical knowledge to harm humans when they helped compile the historic Nuremberg Code on medical experimentation on humans. Who would have thought that over a half-century later, in little Sri Lanka, thousands of miles from the theatre Nazi atrocities, a leading doctor would publicly threaten the deliberate misuse of more..

Aug 19 (CT) The private bus strike by a section of operators against increased fines for traffic offences is another example where strikes have been used as a weapon, especially in the immediate aftermath World War II. Its potentiality then was unleashed by the traditional Marxist parties, the LSSP and the Communist Party (CP). Strikes reached their zenith after S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike was elected Premier in 1956, led by the then Opposition and LSSP leader Dr. N.M. Perera. more..

Aug 19 (SO) The CID’s manhunt for Navy Sampath ended quite by accident. OIC of Gang- robbery branch of the CID, Nishantha Silva was on his way to deliver a letter to former President Rajapaksa, that CID officials would visit his residence on Friday to record a statement from him about the night of journalist Keith Noyahr’s abduction. OIC Silva was travelling by jeep on Lotus Road, Colombo Fort, when he thought a man walking on the road looked familiar. more..

Aug 19 (Island) Not even his bitterest enemies, however much they may pillory him on other grounds, will believe that former President Rajapaksa would have caused journalist Keith Noyahr, then associate editor of The Nation newspaper, to be abducted and brutally tortured on May 22, 2008. But the fact that Noyahr was abducted and savaged on whoever’s order is incontrovertible. There is no doubt that the journalist, now self-exiled in Australia following a hard-to-match ordeal is alive today more..

Aug 19 (ST) The Joint Opposition (JO) is all but flogging a dead horse calling for Provincial elections in the midst of so many other outstanding issues in the country – knowing only too well that the chances of these elections taking place are as unlikely as a snowball’s chance in hell. They ought to know, if they don’t already, that a bigger election is scheduled any time after January 8 next year, but not later than Jan 2020 and therefore, given the bitter lesson more..

Aug 19 (SO) The site is tucked into the corner of two busy streets, fenced by metal; the entrance hidden from view. Blue tarpaulin covers the entire site, shielding it from the scorching midday, when excavators are at their busiest. Through a narrow opening, visitors must walk single file to reach the excavation site before the bones become visible. Human skulls, femurs, hands, feet and entire skeletons protrude through the soil about 1.5 meters below the entrance to the dig. more..

Aug 19 (ST) My dear Kumar, I thought of writing to you when I heard you saying that you will not be running for the top job when the contest is held in little over a year. Hearing that, I was very disappointed – and quite surprised too because I always thought you would have been the ideal candidate to run the race next time around. I suppose the recent election victory of Imran in Pakistan must have got you thinking. If he could do it, why couldn’t you, you must have asked yourself. more..

Aug 19 (SO) Political discussions in the country at present are largely dominated by questions around two themes: which individual will win the next presidential election and which political party will win the next parliamentary election. These are no doubt important questions, but there is a more serious political question about what will happen to Sri Lanka’s democratization agenda in the years to come. Political and social activists, who have made direct contributions to regime change in 2015, more..

Aug 19 (Island) Permanent High Court Trial at Bar which was set up recently, is to commence hearings with a case involving former President Rajapaksa’s Chief of Staff Gamini Senarath. The first B report in this case bearing No. 788/15 was filed before the Colombo Fort Magistrate on 17 April 2015 by the FCID. Title of the case as given in the original B report was "The financial fraud that took place in the transfer of the Hyatt Regency project which belonged to the Ceylinco Group of more..

Aug 19 (ST) It was a good, morning: No … a great, morning. The rain had ceased the previous day and the Thursday morning rays came clearly through the leaves of the Margosa tree in the garden. I was watching the tranquil scene from my office window with a steaming cup of tea for company, made by myself as Kussi Amma Sera was away. Away? Yes she had gone to her home town for a couple of days to attend to some family business; something connected with her niece returning from a two-year stint in West Asia more..

Aug 19 (CT) A team of CID officers led by SDIG Ravi Senevirathne and CID Director SSP Shani Abeysekara arrived at the official residence of former President Rajapaksa at Wijerama Mawatha last Friday (17) at around 11.30 a.m. to record a statement from him based on a previous statement given to the CID by Speaker Karu Jayasuriya in connection with the abduction of senior journalist and then Associate Editor of the Nation newspaper, Keith Noyahr. more..

Aug 19 (SO) While the rest of the SL contingent were getting their shoes shined for the opening ceremony at the 18th Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang, swimming ace Akalanka Peiris had his head buried in exams at the residence of the SL embassy in Jakarta. In a first for SL sport, 19-year-old Peiris was given special permission by SL education authorities to take three of his papers for the GCE A/L exam in Jakarta. Without him, SL would not have been able to field a team in the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay. more..

Aug 19 (ST) The 77th Men’s and Women’s Layton Cup Boxing meet which concluded at the Royal MAS Boxing Arena yesterday saw two pugilists from the forces J.M.N. Jeewankumara of Air Force BC and L.G. Chandrika of Army BC bagging the Best Boxers award in the Men’s and Women’s categories respectively. Jeewankumara outfoxed M.P.G. Sanjeewa Nuwan of Army BC in a thriller of the light flyweight 49kg bout with the decision ending on a split decision in favour of Jeewankumara while more..

Aug 19 (ST) With a little more than four months left before an ICC deadline to hold SLC elections, Sports Minister Faiszer Musthapha expects to meet the ICC hierarchy at the end of this month in a desperate bid to buy more time to comply with their demand. The ICC issued a stern warning to the SLC in July to ensure fair and democratic elections are carried out by the end of 2018 or risk suspension. Given the present status-quo, however, it seems all but impossible to more..

Aug 19 (ST) Ministry of Sports has suspended the elections of SL Aquatic Sports Union (SLASU) after continuous complaints about a possible manipulation kept flowing in to the top authorities. According to sources, the letters and emails that reached the Ministry of Sports have highlighted the conduct of the elections, which were to be held today, as being conducted violating the rules and regulations approved as mandatory and not in compliance. One such letter in possession of the Sunday Times, more..

Aug 19 (ST) Teenage women’s tennis player Savini Jayasuriya this week left to Indonesia to join the rest of the squad competing at the Asian Games but her participation at the game still hangs in the balance. Her father Shermal Jayasuriya said that Sports Minister Faiszer Musthapha intervened to implement a court order which demanded Savini’s participation at the Games. Last week, the Court of Appeal (CA) ordered sports authorities to include a 15-year-old tennis player in a doubles event more..

Aug 19 (CT) Sri Lanka’s quest for honours, at the Asian Games gets underway with swimming, today. Haren Nugawela and Cherantha de Silva will participate in the 200m free-style and 200m butterfly heats respectively, in Jakarta, Indonesia. St. Peter’s swimmer Akalanka Peries faced the GCE A/L exam yesterday at the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Indonesia. Peries, who is part of the SL team, in the 4x100m free-style relay and the Education Ministry accepted the request to more..

Aug 19 (ST) Coconut prices to consumers are soaring and three times that of the farmgate price. While the farmgate price is Rs. 23 per nut, prices on the street is around Rs.68-69 per nut, a coconut producer said adding that the middle-man was fleecing the consumer. The industry is also facing a crisis in the form of spurious imports of palm oil in the form of palm olien which is then mixed with coconut oil and sold as pure coconut oil. “This is a serious problem we are facing,” he said. more..

Aug 19 (ST) SL is expected to launch its much awaited global tourism promotion campaign in November this year at the World Travel Mart in London. This annual travel mart attended by international travel agents and destination promotion companies, including state tourism organisations is tipped to create the platform for the launch of the global promotion campaign, Minister John Amaratunga said. He confirmed that this launch would take place at the WTM and has been in the planning stage more..

Aug 19 (ST) The Govt is set to take a fresh look at the East Container Terminal and Bandaranaike Quay in the Colombo Port by improving its infrastructure, shipping and naval services through public private partnerships (PPPs), official sources confirmed. Several key renowned players in the shipping industry including two local conglomerates and a Chinese company have shown keen interest in bidding for the Bandaranaike Quay development project, more..

Aug 19 (CT) A total of 6 Sri Lankan apparel manufacturers and 2 designers will participate in the four-day Texworld/Apparel Sourcing fair in Paris from 17 to 20 Sept 2018, a press release stated. Texworld/Apparel Sourcing Paris is one of the best options for Sri Lankan RMG sector to improve their market share not just in France but all over Europe, the release added. Texworld/Apparel Sourcing Paris is considered one of the most effective apparel sourcing exhibitions in Europe for more..

Aug 19 (Island) Higher Education and Cultural Affairs Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapkshe, yesterday, said 1,352 students who entered universities in 2015/16 had abandoned their studies due to inhuman ragging, which had left 14 students dead. The Minister said 637 students admitted to universities in 2016/17 had not attended lectures due to ragging. Addressing the media, Rajapakshe alleged that the underworld was within the universities and not in places like Maradana. more..

Aug 19 (ST) Sri Lanka’s cash-strapped govt continues its spending spree and local borrowings to meet recurrent expenditure despite heavy debt servicing obligations, Finance Ministry sources said. According to Treasury reports the govt has spent Rs.403 billion, 91 per cent of the revenue earned during the first quarter of fiscal year 2018. The revenue collected by the govt was Rs.469 billion which was 90.2% of the expected revenue, ministry data showed. more..

Aug 19 (Island) Only 5% of the population of the Vavuniya District had access to pipe-borne drinking water when he assumed duties under the present govt, Minister Rauff Hakeem said at a meeting held in Mankulam Primary school in Vavuniya on Thursday. During my tenure of office several water supply projects have been carried out to increase it by 30%, Minister Hakeem declared open water purification centres in pawatkulam, Anaivilunthan, Periyaulukulam, Eecchankulam, Nandimithragama, more..

Aug 19 (EN) Bangladesh is hoping to attract SL investments by opening up new sectors and providing fast-tracked approvals, incentives and guaranteeing protections against expropriation, officials said. Bangladesh will open education, energy, healthcare, insurance, maritime services, processed foods, pharmaceuticals and tourism for SL investors. "We hope to encourage a second wave of investments from SL," Bangladesh Investment Development Authority Executive Chairman more..

Aug 19 (EN) Sri Lanka's price floor on graded hotels has not yet been removed, tourism Minister John Amaratunga said amid reports that the price controls had been lifted. "I have not removed it. The regulation is still in place," Amaratunga said Friday. State-run Daily News reported SLTD Chairman Kavan Ratnayake as saying that the minimum room rates would be removed to allow market forces to decide room rates in Colombo. more..

Aug 19 (ST) A Danish company has been selected for a US$ 200 million project to generate power by installing windmills in Mannar, Power and Energy Ministry Secretary Suren Batagoda said. This will be the first of three major projects of the CEB, which has decided to boost its supplies from wind and solar power and hopes to generate 300 megawatts of electricity by the end of next year. Dr Batagoda said the Asian Development Bank (ADB) would provide a soft loan for the project to be awarded next week more..