July 26 (LBO) Commercial High Court has ordered SLT to disclose the source of confidential information of Dialog, after Dialog initiated legal action. Court also required SLT to appear and show cause as to why interim injunction restraining SLT from using, disclosing or disseminating the confidential information contained in the Request for Proposals, pending the hearing and determination of the action, should not be granted. more..

July 26 (AD) Speaker resorted to postponing the Parliamentary session owing to a heated situation that arose during the session. The heated situation had arisen when questions were raised from the MPs of the Opposition. PM Ranil Wickremesinghe issued a special statement on the petroleum workers’ strike in Parliament today. Following the statement, JO and JVP had proceeded to ask various questions from the Opposition, which subsequently led to a situation of unrest. more..

July 26 (NR) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe says disruptive activities that will destabilize the country can never be allowed. Making a special statement in Parliament, PM said govt has no issue with trade unions voicing their objections and protesting for the welfare of their respective trade unions. However, he said govt is committed to ensure such trade unions do not misuse the freedom provided to them by the govt by disrupting the lives of the general public and destabilizing the country. more..

July 26 (CI) Seldom have Indian Test teams gone on tour and enjoyed a first day this dominant. Batting first at one of the most bat-first grounds in the world, they cruised along at more than four an over while losing only three wickets, one in each session, going to stumps one short of 400. Shikhar Dhawan, back at the top of the order after missing India's last 11 Tests, scored a century in a session for the second time in his career, more..

July 26 (DM) Former president Mahinda Rajapaksa said today he was open for discussions with anyone for the sake of the country including President Maithripala Sirisena. He said this in reponse to a question asked by Daily Mirror during this morning’s live Twitter Q and A session #AskMR. When asked whether he was ready to talk to President Sirisena with regard to finding solutions to the current issues in the country, Mr. Rajapaksa said he was open for discussions with anyone. more..

July 26 (DN) Deputy Solicitor General (DSG) Dileepa Peiris today informed Court of Appeal that Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) General Secretary Ven. Galagoda Atte Gnanasara Thera behaved in an aggressive manner after getting up before Homagama Magistrate on January 25 last year. DSG Dileepa Peiris gave evidence regarding the contempt of court action filed against Gnanasara Thera over his alleged offensive behaviour inside the Homagama Magistrate’s Court. more..

July 26 (Reuters) European Union's top court kept Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas on the EU terrorism blacklist on Wednesday and removed Sri Lankan separatist rebels, the Tamil Tigers. Judges at the European Court of Justice (ECJ) overruled the General Court's view of 2014 that the Council of European Union, 28-nation grouping, had insufficient evidence to maintain asset freezes and travel bans on Hamas. more..

July 26 (Island) Sukshar Ranasinghe graduate in medicine from the University Chittagong has complained to the Supreme Court that the holding of the Act 16 examination for foreign medical graduates has been postponed from May this year until further notice. This is due to the involvement of the first respondent, the Sri Lanka Medical Council, registration authority in Sri Lanka, in the SAITAM dispute, the petition has alleged. The petitioner has requested the Court to compel more..

July 26 (CT) The SAITM issue has become a national issue. This has become an issue for politicking for various politically motivated groups. Various groups and individuals have raised their voices for and against SAITM creating much heat and less light. The SAITM issue has brought out some important questions regarding state funded/private higher education in this country. SAITM assumes importance since it is an institution providing private medical degree. more..

July 26 (AD) CPC trade unions engaged in the strike action have agreed to carry out essential services until 6.30pm today, when discussions are expected to be held with relevant authorities.  The strike action was launched from midnight on Monday (24) based on three demands including the acquisition of Trincomalee Petroleum tanks complex to the CPC, acquisition of Hambantota Port Tanks Complex to CPC more..

July 26 (CT) Leader of JVP, Anura Kumara Dissanayake call upon Minster of Foreign Affairs and Lotteries, Ravi Karunanayake to resign from his post immediately. He said according to information unearthed by the Commission to inquire into the Bond Scandal, the minister had obtained a super luxury apartment at the Monarch Residencies leased by Arjun Aloysius while they, Ravi and Arjun, both were accused of robbing billions of public funds though two bond scams. more..

July 26 (DM) Submitting a special application Additional Solicitor General Yasantha Kodagoda today requested the commission to direct Arjun Mahendran, former Governor of CB, to hand over all communication devices he used since Jan 1, 2015 to date for the investigation. ASG made the application under section 6 of the Presidential Commission on Bonds Issue (PCoI) Act based on available material obtained during the investigation which was sufficient to make such a request. more..

July 26 (DN) Colombo Chief Magistrate issued an order directing the Wildlife Department that 15 elephants taken into its custody following CID investigations be temporarily released to the claimants to take part in the upcoming Kandy Esala Perahera. Each elephant was released on a bond of Rs. 10 million by Magistrate Lal Bandara consequent to requests by several elephant owners. 15 elephants were temporally released for more..

July 26 (CT) If Minister Ravi Karunanayake is an honourable man he should resign from at least his Foreign Ministry portfolio till his name is cleared from an alleged bribery scandal. This is in the backdrop of the charges made by East-West Properties plc Director Ms. Anika Wijesuriya at the Presidential Commission hearing the controversial Treasury Bond deals of 2015 and 2016 where an active participant was Perpetual Treasuries, a primary dealer company owned by more..

July 26 (NR) President Maithripala Sirisena says all issues surrounding grievances should be solved through the means of discussion. Head of State this morning requested employees of the Ceylon Petroleum Cooperation to take into consideration the inconvenience caused to the public as a result of the strike launched by trade union employees. President’s Media Division issuing a statement said the President’s attention has been drawn to the trade union action. more..

July 26 (PMD) President Sirisena, congratulating the newly elected Indian President Ram Nath Kovind expressed his willingness to work closely with the new Indian President to further develop and strengthen excellent bilateral relations and cooperation which exists between the two countries. Sending a congratulatory message to President Kovind, the President stated that the vision and maturity of the new President will enormously be beneficial in achieving harmony more..

July 26 (Island) One robber was killed and another was seriously injured in a shoot-out with the police when two armed men attempted to rob valuable artefacts from a temple at Lassanagama, Meegalewa in Galgamuwa on Monday night. The injured man is being treated at the Anuradhapura Hospital. The police recovered a T-56 assault rifle, a pistol and a hand grenade from the scene of the shoot-out. The police rushed to the scene acting on a tip-off that some man were coming to rob, more..

July 26 (AD) A Gazette notification has been issued last night declaring the storage and distribution of fuel as an essential service. All staff involved in petroleum distribution must report to work with immediate effect as it is now an essential service.  Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) employees who fail to report to work with immediate effect will be considered as having vacated their posts, Govt Information Department said. more..

July 26 (DM) Appearing on behalf of Minister Ravi Karunanayake, President's counsel Rienzie Arseculeratne today informed the Presidential Commission investigating the Bond issue that his client is unable to appear before the Commission because the minister had to attend the Security Council meeting summoned by the President. He also said the minister will be ready to give evidence next Wednesday (2). more..

July 26 (Island) The CPC workers have launched a countrywide strike against a govt bid to sell the CPC assets to China and India, but the Cabinet yesterday approved the agreement to lease out Hambantota Port to a Chinese company. Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe said that the agreement would be submitted to parliament and debated on Friday prior to the signing of the agreement on Saturday. more..

July 26 (ST) The suffering the people of Bandarawela undergo due to the controversial Uma Oya Project appears to be reaching calamitous proportions. Within the last week alone, 43 more houses were added to the official list of damaged houses. The water scarcity becomes more acute with each passing day, while the speedy solution the authorities have promised seems a pipe dream. Bandarawela’s Divisional Secretary more..

July 26 (DM) The govt yesterday decided to postpone the PC elections which were due to be held this year, until a new electoral system is worked out to conduct polls for the nine PCs on the same day. Elections were to have been held for North-Central, Sabaragamuwa and Eastern Provincial Councils this year when their terms end on October 1. Cabinet approved a memorandum reported to have been submitted more..

July 26 (CT) The Education Ministry will introduce 26 new subjects by 2019 that are related to vocational training in a bid to meet the demands of the economy, Secretary to the Ministry of Education Sunil Hettiarachchi, said. "The private sector always complaints that those who join the job market do not have the skills necessary. This is why we are attempting to introduce new subjects to fill the gaps," he said. more..

July 26 (BBC) Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) says that, fifty one women who were in Sri Lankan embassy overseas for various reasons have returned to the country today (25). SLBFE has received 193 Sri Lankan women in the Suraksha residence of the SL embassy in Kuwait. Out of them, 51 persons have been returned to SL. The rest of the women in that area would be brought back within the next period. more..

July 26 (Island) Minister Sagala Ratnayake expressed his regret in Parliament yesterday over inconvenience caused to the general public, the President and the PM by the police who tried to arrest Medical Faculty Students’ Action Committee convener Ryan Jayalath last week. He said that he had observed some serious mistakes and shortcomings in the operation carried out by the Colombo Crime Division policemen more..

July 26 (SL) Compensation for those who died in the Meethotamulla garbage dump collapse took place recently. However according to those affected by the disaster, compensation paid for their houses that were damaged or destroyed has not been fair and even the assessment of the extent of damage and determining of compensation has not been done in a fair manner. In response to these allegations, the govt claims that more..

July 26 (DM) Leading Buddhist monk Ven. Elle Gunawansa Thera, who works with the nationalist groups, speaks about the present status of politics in the country and what he envisages. Q: In the wake of the call by the Mahanayake Theras against a new Constitution, how do you see the current process? A: I also hold the view that there is no need for a new Constitution. It is not something demanded by the people. more..

July 26 (DM) At the very outset, allow me to draw your attention to an oversight in my previous column on Who represents the real SLFP. In the 8th paragraph I write thus: The passage of the 19th Amendment... It should read as the 18th Amendment. Please forgive me for this error. Now to my current column:   The mighty Mahaweli River begins its history-laden journey from the zenith of Sri Paada, pinnacle of Buddhist belief that Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha laid his footprint, more..

July 26 (DM) Mindfulness has taken the world by storm.  From Hollywood’s Hugh Jackman to farmers in South Africa call it the new age panacea that heals the mind. That’s more than 2500 years after the practice was originated in the East, with its pioneer, Buddha advocating it to his disciples thus introducing a new psychological tradition to the world. Today millions across the globe belonging to almost every religion and ethnic community have embraced this tradition more..

July 26 (Island) The JO alleged that President Sirisena and the SLFP group in UNP-led govt couldn’t absolve themselves of the responsibility for unprecedented CB bond scams in Feb 2015 and March 2016. former Minister G.L. Peiris and MP Bandula Gunawardena pointed out that President Sirisena had appointed a three-member Commission of Inquiry (CoI) in Jan 2017, ten months after the second scam, more..

July 26 (DN) Minister Champika Ranawaka on a mission to transform Colombo and suburbs into clean environs, has ordered municipal commissioners, public health heads and the police to file charges against individuals and companies that put up posters and banners in the city ignoring respective municipal authority’s requirements. Legal action will be taken against those putting up posters illegally in public places or public property in keeping with the ongoing waste management drive. more..

July 26 (CT) Shiranthi Rajapaksa, the wife of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, has been summoned to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) tomorrow (27) at 9:30 a.m. in order to obtain a statement in connection with the murder of national Rugby Player, Wasim Thajudeen. A top official told Ceylon Today the former President's son Yoshitha Rajapaksa too has been summoned to the CID on Friday (28) to obtain a statement from him regarding the murder. more..

July 26 (DN) The CPC unions vowed to continue with their strike as discussions with the govt reached a deadlock yesterday. President of CPC General Employees Trade Union Asoka Ranwala said they would engage in continuous strike action until their demands are met. Unions launched their strike as of 12 midnight on Monday in protest of tendering the Cabinet paper to lease out the Hambantota Port Oil Tank to CMPort. more..

July 26 (Island) Joint Opposition (JO) yesterday ruled out the possibility of moving a no-faith motion against Minister Ravi Karunanayake in the wake of sensational revelation regarding the then finance minister’s dealings with Perpetual Treasuries’ Arjun Aloysius, son-in-law of the then Governor Arjuna Mahendran, both now under investigation. JO MP Bandula Gunawardena emphasised that there was no purpose in moving a no confidence motion over bond scam revelation. more..

July 26 (SK) The excitement is building up for the series opener between Sri Lanka and India at the iconic Galle International Stadium but few of the cricket loving public were left disappointed with the exterior periphery of the stadium set to be closed for the first time since 2012. Corrugated iron sheets with the branding of SLC have come up on the exterior, thus preventing the view from the roads which was otherwise a common feature at the stadium, allowing passersby to get a free view more..