Aug 2 (Island) Doctors of both sexes must be having saucy times within and outside their practice of medicine. With their commitment to healing of the sick, one does not grudge them the pleasures or excitement of such experiences. But the sauce that flowed in his week’s clash between doctors of rival "trade union" groups at the National Hospital, Colombo, is not the stuff of such pleasure and relaxation. One could well imagine the whacking more..

Aug 2 (LMD) Some nations may have the ability to survive without international trade, but is that feasible in the long term? Can a nation become completely self-sufficient with little or no change to its people’s standard of living? Sri Lanka’s production economy is being encouraged to reach a level of self-sufficiency that will eliminate the need for costly imports. How would that impact the economy? And is the Government willing to close the economy, and refuse trade with more..

Aug 2 (NS) Those who talk about human rights and war crimes have been the jokers in this world. Any small incident could be described as a “war crime” or “human right violation”. But it all depends on the way you look at it. Suppose if you want to punish a wrong doer, sometimes you may not have patience to wait until the law takes its action. If you take the law on to your hands for the betterment of the future generation, critics say it is wrong, but the people who got protected out of more..

Aug 2 (ST) When my explorer buddy Minol Peiris and I finished our A’Ls, we could not wait to kick start our life as campers. Surfing the net, we came across the Lakdasun Forum (www.lakdasun.org) and a trip report to a mountain called Havagala. The pictures were so stunning, we felt we just had to see it ourselves. So after much preparation we fixed the second weekend of January 2014 for the expedition. The book Collins’ Camping and Hiking more..

Aug 2 (Island) NWP Chief Minister Dayasiri Jayasekera and UNP MP and Uva chief ministerial aspirant Harin Fernando drew a great deal of flak for coming to blows during a recent television debate and critics lost no time in tearing into all politicians. Within days of that incident came news of an ugly clash at the National Hospital of Sri Lanka (NHSL). July 30, 2014 has been described, in some quarters, as the darkest day in the history of the medical profession in this country. more..

Aug 2 (Island) I argued in my last article that the world is becoming a unit, and that what happens inside a country today carries with it an external dimension to a far greater extent than it did in 1983. I argued further that the Sri Lankan Muslims have no alternative to using that external dimension to safeguard their lives and legitimate interests. They have no alternative partly because the civil society is not yet effective enough to pressurize the Government into giving fair and equal more..

Aug 2 (FT) …That they may honour these Gods, and procure their aid and assistance, they do yearly in the Month of June or July, at a New Moon, observe a solemn Feast and general Meeting, called Perahar. The greatest Solemnity is performed in the City of Cande… The priest bringeth forth a painted stick, about which strings of Flowers are hanged, and so it is wrapped in branched Silk, some part covered, and some not; before which the people bow down and worship; more..

Aug 2 (GV) It is a ‘must see’ play which is a bold and insightful critique on the rapidly changing landscape of Colombo. It describes the good, the bad, the ugly and the beautiful that is taking place as a consequence. The play creates a youthful atmosphere with plenty of comedy and entertaining rhythmic aerobics performed to lively music. However, it also carries a more somber message about Colombo’s beautification drive subtly entwined in the fun and games encountered in the new more..

Aug 2 (CT) Sri Lanka suffers from a democratic deficit and a shrinking space for fundamental rights, the very rights that are enshrined in the Constitution. That the govt has succeeded in clamping down on the media coverage of those frequent acts of violations, could well hide the grim reality from the public. But that would not undo the strains they have on the democratic fabric of the country. Sri Lanka's decay into authoritarianism is slow and steady. more..

Aug 2 (SO) Chairman of the Presidential Commission on Missing Persons, former High Court Judge Maxwell Parakrama Paranagama said that over 19,000 complaints received during the past seven months is testimony to the trust people have placed on the Commission, notwithstanding the politically-driven criticism of it being an eyewash. Q: What was the need to appoint an international advisory panel to the Commission on missing people, Was it due to international pressure? more..

Aug 2 (CT) I wrote an article under the tittle NPC- “Driving” Or “Driven” To “Failure Of Administrative Machinery”? on 20th April this year. It was due to the messy events that were taking place in the NPC due to lack of understanding of due processes, precedence, experience etc and ongoing political manipulations. I observed such during a short visit to Jaffna with my friends Late Professor Emeritus Ranjith Amerasinghe and Attorney Jayampathy Wickramaratne, PC. more..

Aug 2 (CT) Chanaka Amaratunga died 18 years ago on August 1st. Like Bishop Lakshman Wickremesinghe, he might have said that he had failed in everything he tried to do. But, like Bishop Lakshman, the impact of his thought continues, and with every day that passes the principles he enunciated seem more important. His masterwork was the volume of Ideas for Constitutional Reform which was based on widespread consultations with a range of parties and thinkers. more..

Aug 1 (Yahoo) The Sri Lankan govt has tendered an "unqualified apology" to PM Narendra Modi and TN Chief Minister Jayalalithaa for a controversial article on the two leaders on its defence ministry’s official website. The Sri Lankan govt said in a statement that the article was published "without proper authorization and it doesn't reflect the govt's official position." A statement posted on the Lankan Defence Ministry website said: more..

Aug 1 (AD) UNP Southern Provincial Council member Kapila Wellappili has passed away today at the age of 58. He was receiving treatment at the Kalubowila Hospital for liver failure when he passed away this morning, a close relative of the Provincial Councilor said. Kapila Jayantha Wellappili entered politics in 1980 as an active member of the Youth Front of the United National Party and made his electoral debut at the Southern Provincial Council election in 1994. more..

Aug 1 (LBO) Urban Development Authority is planning to sell up to 30 billion rupees of Treasury guarantee listed debt in three tranches, Chairman Nimal Perera said. The sale will be managed by state-run People's Bank. The agency wants to first sell 10 billion rupees of debentures in the first tranche, followed by another 10 billion tranche next year. "Like that will go up to 30 billion in a period of 3-4 years," Perera said. The cash will used to build 30,000 houses he said.

Aug 1 (DM) International Cricket Council (ICC) has informed all its members including Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) that they would not be in a position to make a payment due to members, sources told Daily Mirror. The payment which amounts to US $8 million (Rs. 1.056 billion) was to be received by SLC before the end of July as Sri Lanka’s due share of the forthcoming ICC World Cup to be played in Australia and NZ early next year. more..

Aug 1 (Island) Nearly 1,000 acres of forest were destroyed by fire during the last month in various parts of the country. The Forest Department and Wildlife Department of officials complain that they are badly handicapped by a severe shortage of staff and vehicles to carry out their duties and functions. More than 10 acres were destroyed by a fire in a forest area in Ambalamulla Rajapaksapura in Seeduwa on Wednesday evening. The fire was doused by the Fire Brigade with more..

Aug 1 (OI) How meaningful are Jayalalitha’s love letters to Narendra Modi?: Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned they say and that aptly puts to context the feelings of Jayalalitha towards Sri Lanka. But, the BJP high powered delegation led by Dr. Subramaniam Swamy who arrived in Sri Lanka at the invitation of the Bandaranaike Centre for International Studies recently made explicitly clear that Tamil Nadu would not come between Indo-Lanka relations and also thanked the more..

Aug 1 (DM) The body of the witness, who gave crucial evidence in the case in which Wayamba Provincial Councillor Ananda Sarath Kumara was convicted of ordering a teacher to kneel down, was found inside an abandoned well, close approximate to the Navagattegama Navodya Vidyalaya today. Relatives said the witness identified as Punyasoma Bandara had gone missing a few days ago. Magisterial inquiries will be begin soon. more..

Aug 1 (DM) Colombo Additional Magistrate A.M. Shahabdeen refused to release on bail the fourth suspect Priyantha Sanjeewa who is alleged to have connived with former DIG Vaas Gunawardena to transport weapons and explosives to a hideout at Kalagedihena from his residence. The Magistrate overruled the request made by Counsel Jaliya Samarasinghe to release his client on bail and upheld the prosecution objection which emphasized that if the suspect was released on bail more..

Aug 1 (Island) Govt said that all NGOs would be investigated since it had a duty to ensure national security. Minister Keheliya Rambukwalle, said that they had received information about the ‘irregular’ conduct of some NGOs lately and they were being probed. "It’s the duty of the State to safeguard national security and, therefore, in keeping with that obligation we are keeping a tab on all NGOs without exception, he noted, adding that appropriate action would be more..

Aug 1 (DM) Thisara Perera is unlikely to play any part in the homes series against Pakistan starting with the first cricket Test starting in Galle on Aug 6, according to chief national selector Sanath Jayasuriya who said that the key all-rounder will have to get medical clearance before being considered for national selection. Perera pulled himself out of Sri Lanka ODI squad during the recent home ODI series against South Africa more..

Aug 1 (DN) A separate desk has been opened at the Department of Registration of Persons to provide National Identity Cards for those who don't have NICs and have to vote at the forthcoming Uva Provincial Council Election said the Assistant Commissioner of the Department of Registration of Persons Bagya Jayaratne. She made these observations at the press briefing held at the Media Centre for Defence and Urban Development Ministry in Kollupitiya on Wednesday. more..

Aug 1 (CG) India and Sri Lanka have had talks on boosting bilateral relations, the Sri Lankan High Commission in New Delhi said in a statement today. Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to India, Prof. Sudharshan Seneviratne presented his credentials to the President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee, at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi, yesterday. At a cordial meeting which followed the Credentials Ceremony, High Commissioner Prof. Seneviratne conveyed greetings of President Rajapaksa more..

Aug 1 (PTI) Taking strong exception to an alleged derogatory article about her on the Sri Lankan defence website, TN CM Jayalalithaa today accused it of trying to create fissures in India's federal polity as she demanded an unconditional apology from Colombo for the insinuations against her. In a letter to PM Narendra Modi hours after the controversy broke out, leading to a furore in Tamil Nadu's political circles, she said that it also more..

Aug 1 (GDI) During the first five months of this year, 159,202 foreign tourists and 865,777 local tourists have visited botanic gardens in Sri Lanka and the revenue earned during the period is Rs.219.8 million. According to the prevailing trend, an average number of 900 foreign tourists and 2000 local tourists visit the gardens daily. The visits, particularly during festive seasons and weekends exceeds above 4000 local visitors and 1000 foreign visitors. A large number of local and foreign tourists more..

Aug 1 (Island) The appeal filed in the Court of Appeal by the Chief Minister of the Southern Province, Shan Wijayalal de Silva seeking to set aside the Galle High Court order that Maithri de Silva be reinstated as Mayor of Galle will be supported in the Court of Appeal on August 8. Maithri Alexander de Silva was removed from the past of Mayor of Galle by the Chief Minister. De Silva moved the High Court against the removal. The High Court ordered his re-instatement. more..

Aug 1 (AM) Asian Mirror is now in a position to reveal that SLBC Chairman Hudson Samarasinghe has scolded Nirmala De Alwis, the wife of the late Premakeerithi De Alwis, in obscene language this morning. SLBC Chairman had informed Nirmala De Alwis and accused her of tarnishing his image before President Rajapaksa. At the commemoration event which took place yesterday Nirmala De Alwis had told more..

Aug 1 (SD) The single limestone aquifer, which is the main source of freshwater in Sri Lanka's northern Jaffna peninsula, is gradually depleting through overuse, researchers say. "The area suffers from severe groundwater imbalance which might reach crisis proportions in the future," Shanti de Silva, one of two scientists who carried out the research for the agricultural department of the University of Jaffna, told SciDev.Net. At a presentation of the research results more..

Aug 1 (CT) For a polity that yearned for change in the better part of two incumbencies, the coming together of multiple formations is strikingly inspiring. The single resolve welding them together is Regime Change. It is seen as the most powerful rallying cry to fuse the discordance into purpose. Executive Presidency should be terminated is the slogan. It is not the goal nor the ideal. Nor are illusions nourished that it can dazzle the multitude or win their allegiance. more..

Aug 1 (Island) The Jaffna University Science Teachers’ Association (JUSTA) claimed that recruitment procedures in the university were abused through political interference by a member party of the ruling UPFA coalition. According to a report prepared by the JUSTA’s Subcommittee for Academic Integrity––summary of the report appears on page seven in today’s edition of this newspaper––the political party concerned has been more..

Aug 1 (Island) About seven doctors whose membership had been suspended by the GMOA were behind a move to topple its present leadership, spokesman for the GMOA Dr. Chandika Epitakaduwa said. GMOA General Committee members had been distributing some important leaflets among about 1,400 of its members at the National Hospital of Sri Lanka (NHSL) on Wednesday afternoon when the suspended members went to the hospital canteen to more..

Aug 1 (SIL) Staten Island audiences have seen Sri Lankan dance over the past six or eight years, but not the rite-of-passage piece that will be performed Aug. 9 at the College of Staten Island's Center for the Arts. Called "Pahim Path Mangalya," this ceremonial graduation dance has probably never been performed in this country. The piece will be danced by 15 members of the National Womens' Dance Troupe (NWDT) of Sri Lanka, an Island-based company. more..

Aug 1 (Island) Environmentalists on Tuesday raised concerns over lack of transparency within the Wildlife Conservation Department (WCD) in issuing permits, registration of captive elephants, and confiscation of illegal held elephants. They alleged that the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery and Corruption (CIABOC) was trying to protect the officials of the WCD and others involved with issuing permits more..

Aug 1 (EAR) President Rajapaksa’s popularity among Sinhala and Muslim people in Sri Lanka shot up following the military victory over the LTTE in 2009. He won the presidential election in 2010 with 57.88% of the votes cast, about a 7% increase from what he obtained in 2005. The President’s confidence was such that he modified the Constitution to remove the two-term limit through the 18th Amendment. The underlying assumption was that he was popular enough to win more more..

Aug 1 (LBO) Sri Lanka's stocks closed 0.06% lower with Ceylon Tobacco Company losing ground amid net foreign selling. All Share Price Index closed 3.77 points lower at 6,810.13, down 0.06%. The S&P SL20 closed 13.09 points lower at 3,759.42, down 0.35%. Turnover was 775.04 million rupees, down from 1.05 billion rupees a day earlier with 110 stocks closed positive against 80 negative. Laugfs Gas non-voting closed 50 cents higher at 30.70 rupees with an off-market transaction of more..