Aug 17 (Island) The twice postponed General Election characterised by a lacklustre campaign, mostly due to the restrictions imposed in view of the COVD-19 epidemic, concluded on 5th August without any major incidents. There were no foreign observers either. We need to ask ourselves whether we need them but it is another story. The real interest in the election ignited after the polling; as results started pouring in on 6th August, the count being delayed due to the prevailing situation. more..

Aug 17 (FT) Exports recorded a strong rebound of 11.31% in July, surpassing the $ 1 billion mark for the first time since January and recording a 20.3% increase over the same period last year. Earnings from merchandise exports recorded a double-digit growth rate of 11.31% in July 2020 to $ 1,090.18 million compared to July 2019. Moreover, earnings from merchandise exports in July 2020 increased by 20.3% compared with more..

Aug 17 (TM) After swearing in 26 cabinet ministers and 39 state ministers, Prez had a very simple message for them: Get to work. He insisted that assuming work ceremonies planned for the week ahead was too long to wait and those appointed must assume their duties and responsibilities within the week itself. To make life easy for them, the subjects allocated to each ministry and minister were swiftly gazetted along with the designated office building, vehicles, and staff. more..

Aug 17 (DM) Sentencing children under 18 years of age to death is prohibited under SL law. Despite these laws and many other national and int'l provisions, there have been many persons sentenced to death for crimes they committed as children. These sentences are blatant violations of Children and Young Persons Ordinance, Youthful Offenders Ordinance, UN Convention on the Rights of the Child ratified by SL in 1991 and UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Administration of more..

Aug 17 (MoD) Defence Secretary Maj. Gen. (Retd) Kamal Gunaratne said national security and defence were paramount for country's development. He said without securing them, it was impossible for a country to progress and develop. Maj.Gen. Gunaratne emphasised that national security and defence were also crucial in attracting much needed direct investment to the country. Referring to the Prez�s election manifesto more..

Aug 17 (ST) Lalith Priyantha has come up with a brilliant idea during the pandemic period to keep people engaged in sports activity by inviting professionals to play table tennis. �I want to invite professionals such as doctors, engineers, lawyers, and even politicians to play table tennis,� said the former three-time national champion who is a renowned coach. �I was thinking most of the people who play other sports have a place to practice. But although people love to play table tennis, more..

Aug 17 (EN) Vietnam has donated medical supplies to SL to help battle Coronavirus. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Viet Nam Nguyen Quoc Dung had made a symbolic handing over medical supplies to Ambassador of SL to Viet Nam Prasanna Gamage at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Viet Nam in Ha Noi. Dung, while bestowing the donation, recalled the longstanding friendship between �the two countries and the mutual assistance extended during times of both hardship and prosperity� more..

Aug 17 (AD) Two more individuals have been arrested over the case of ill-treatment a 16-year-old boy on a fishing vessel while at Mirissa Sea. Earlier today (16), owner of the fishing vessel and 2 members of the crew involved in the incident were arrested by the Police. Accordingly, 05 suspects have been in connection with the incident so far. The suspects were remanded until August 27 when they were produced before the court today. more..

Aug 17 (SLN) The new Sangha Council Building of Amarapura Sect was declared open by the PM Mahinda Rajapaksa in Wellawatta on 15th August 2020 and the occasion was also joined by Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral Nishantha Ulugetenne. The construction work of this new facility was undertaken by SL Navy, utilizing its able manpower. Meanwhile, a prize awarding ceremony to recognize the contribution of the dedicated team of naval civil engineering personnel more..

Aug 17 (EN) State-run Bank of Ceylon, the largest commercial bank in the country has reported a loss 296 million rupees for the June 2020 quarter, from a profit of 2.8 billion rupees last year as the lender recognized interest losses on a Coronavirus moratorium early. Net interest income fell to 14.0 billion rupees in the June 2020 quarter from 20.7 billion rupees a year earlier, with interest income falling 7% to 57.5 billion rupees while interest income grew 7.2% to 39.4 billion rupees. more..

Aug 17 (ST) Athletics Association of SL (AASL) buoyed by the sponsorship from Gnanam Foundation are revitalising their plans to qualify athletes for the Tokyo Olympics next year. �It is great of Gnanam Foundation to come forward and support a sport for the first time. The funding will be utilised to conduct national athletic meets, development of athletes and to provide kits and equipment,� said AASL President Palitha Fernando stressing more..

Aug 17 (DN) Two major events, Beach Football and Beach Volleyball in the men�s and women�s categories of the Hambantota Beach Games, came to a close yesterday. The tournament was organised for Hambantota Youth, to draw them into Beach Sports. Hungama Vijaya SC came out with a great comeback to defeat Carlton SC in a three-setter (21-9, 11-21, 16-14) to walk away with the Men�s Championship Beach Volleyball title. Meanwhile, in Women�s section, Hambantota Carlton SC, more..

Aug 17 (PHC) The High Commission of Pakistan and the Pakistani community in Sri Lanka celebrated the 74th Independence Day with traditional fervor and resolve to make Pakistan a strong, dynamic progressive tolerant and democratic Islamic welfare state, at the High Commission�s premises in Colombo, on 14th Aug. The Acting High Commissioner Mr. Tanvir Ahmad hoisted the national flag of Pakistan in vibrant and colorful ceremony at the Pakistan High Commission in Colombo. more..

Aug 17 (ST) The new Govt is facing the immediate challenge of finding additional financial resources to meet increased spending both on health and fiscal stimulus packages amidst volatility in cash flows and balances, economic analysts said. As an immediate remedy appropriate tools will be activated to manage cash flow and provide liquidity to tackle this issue, official sources divulged. The country�s manufacturing slowed due to more..

Aug 17 (Island) �The covid-19 experience has opened up new awareness and opportunities which will be explored by the institute in its efforts to serve the members and the rubber and plastics industry in Sri Lanka.� This was stated by Kaushal Rajapaksa who was re-elected President of the Plastics and Rubber Institute of Sri Lanka (PRISL) at its 55th Annual General Meeting held recently. The meeting which was a hybrid event had both physical and online participants. more..

Aug 17 (CT) This is the first in a two part series, based on a report released by the World Bank (WB) on 8 April 2020 Sri Lanka time, but dated 7 April 2020 and released during the time of the COVID-19 Pandemic, which examines the country�s financial landscape, both formal and informal, with particular emphasis on the consumer. The first installment gives an overview of the country�s formal financial sector and the second and the last, the informal financial sector. more..

Aug 17 (Island) Excavations are scheduled to commence tomorrow at a site, where human skeletal remains and clothes were unearthed last week, to ascertain whether it is a mass grave. Jaffna Magistrate V. R. Sivaram last week ordered the police to commence excavations at the site near Pannai Sri Meenachchi Amman Kovil at Kottadi, Jaffna. The Magistrate also ordered that the site be provided round the clock police protection. more..

Aug 17 (Island) Australian High Commissioner to SL David Holly and Australian Defence Adviser Group Captain Sean Unwin recently handed over Australian Department of Defence supplied Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to the Commander of SL Navy Vice Admiral Nishantha Ulugetenne. At the handover ceremony, High Commissioner Holly said �Australia Department of Defence is pleased to support SL�s armed forces in their effort to counter COVID-19 by providing much needed more..

Aug 17 (Island) Newly elected Jaffna district MP and retired Supreme Court Judge C.V. Wigneswaran attributed the overwhelming SLPP victory to the recent unity among the Sinhala people and that given the trends, he was not surprised. Asked whether such unity among the Sinhalese had not been prevalent before, Wigneswaran said that it was a recent development and that he appreciated the unity among the Sinhalese. The former TNA Chief Minister of the Northern Province said more..

Aug 17 (CT) Police arrested a 33-year-old person with 12 kilos of Mandy, a new drug in Sri Lanka, worth Rs 200 million. The raid was conducted following a tip-off received by Senior DIG of Western Province Deshabandu Tennakoon. SSP Jaliya Senaratne said the narcotic was found hidden in a scrap material store at Patabandimulla, Ambalangoda. A suspect engaged in large-scale trafficking of drugs had over Rs 27 million more..

Aug 17 (FT) Three new COVID-19 cases were reported yesterday, raising the total number of confirmed cases to 2,893 while 496 people were repatriated over the weekend. The 3 patients are recently repatriated persons from Oman and had been in quarantine when they tested positive for COVID-19. 212 infected patients are under medical care. Four persons recovered yesterday and were discharged from care, pushing the total number of persons who have recovered to 2,670. more..

Aug 17 (DM) Twenty-five trained dogs attached to the Police Kennels Division in Kandy have been auctioned yesterday. Accordingly, several dogs that took part in operations to detect large-scale crimes in several parts of the country were auctioned. Among those dogs were a dog named Reggie who located a group of children stranded in the Meemura area as well as a dog named Rosie who assisted in the arrest of drug traffickers. According to the Police, trained dogs such as more..

Aug 17 (FT) The SJB raised concerns about the possibility of the Govt trying rush through Parliament the proposed 20th Amendment when the House convenes on Thursday. SJB MP MP Dr. Harsha de Silva stated that the Govt should allow ample time for the public to have a broad discussion on the proposed amendment and for MPs to debate its content. �Govt should not rush the 20th Amendment. They have a majority Govt, more..

Aug 20 (FT) The recently-concluded General Election has been taken on board in a variety of ways. From apathy to unadulterated joy, it has touched just about everyone from Medamulana to the Magul Maduwa. There has been a panoply of celebrants to hymn it, a plethora of critics to decry it, and a pittance of cynics to capture its persona in a meme or two. Some have seen the show of strength by the SLPP as a sure sign that SL�s security and sovereignty at the very least are in safe more..

Aug 20 (FT) A decade-and-a-half after his assassination, Lakshman Kadirgamar remains an iconic figure whose presence, personality and policies were influential, not just from the perspective of an individual but more for a country and its relations with the world. As Sri Lanka sees the formation of a new cabinet in Aug 2020 in the wake of a General Election, it is fitting to reflect on that which has been, especially in the Foreign Policy arena, and the contribution of an individual, more..

Aug 17 (AD) The BoI has signed an agreement with HTCey Aqua Culture (Pvt) Limited for a 12 million pl (Post Larvae) capacity shrimp farm in Karikatti, Puttalam. The agreement was signed on behalf of the BOI by Mr Susantha Ratnayake, Chairman of the Board and on behalf of HTCey Aqua Culture by Mr Mansur Hassen, Managing Director and Ms Sithara Hafeel, Director. The project, with an initial investment of USD 1.8 million envisages the conversion of an existing shrimp farm more..

Aug 17 (Island) The Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) has decided to appoint an independent committee to find the causes of the setback it suffered at the recent general election. It was decided to appoint this committee at its Central Committee meeting to be held on August 29. The decision was taken when the ITAK politburo met at TNA leader, R. Sampanthan�s residence on Saturday. The Committee is expected to give its findings soon. more..

Aug 17 (FT) It appears that all Sri Lankan governments in the past and the one in power today have taken the country�s foreign debt crisis lightly. They have been on a blame game charging their political rivals for indebting the nation to foreigners, whereas they themselves have been responsible for committing that crime when they were in power. There are two indicators which they use to frighten people and in return earn their sympathy. more..

Aug 17 (DM) SJB MP Dr. Harsha de Silva yesterday said he would be happy to accept and perform the post of Chief Opposition Whip, if given the opportunity. Dr. De Silva came up with the remark in response to a question raised by the journalists whether he would be appointed as the Chief Opposition Whip. It was reported earlier that Dr. De Silva's name among the others was considered to the post by the SJB. "I have served in Parliament for ten years, both in Opposition and in Govt. more..

Aug 17 (FT) Experienced and versatile business professional Dinal Peiris was appointed as the Chairman of Lanka Aluminium Industries PLC, SL�s premier manufacturer of high quality aluminium extrusions for high-rise buildings and other applications, where he has held the position of Managing Director since 1999. Under his direction, Lanka Aluminium has grown and diversified into many related businesses and is undoubtedly the most innovative and technically competent more..

Aug 17 (EN) Public Utilities Commission of SL (PUCSL) has demanded that the CEB submit an investigative report within three days of today�s island-wide power failure. A countrywide power failure that happened just as the new Minister for Power Dullas Alahapperuma took office left the country dark for nearly six hours. His Ministry announced that a committee to investigate the breakdown and a report submitted to him more..

Aug 17 (AD) Use of drugs by school children in both urban and rural areas of SL has been a significant concern for well over a decade particularly because it is a sensitive age where such use can lead to long-term addictions and resulting health and social issues. Many children who have engaged in drug use were found to have dropped out of school. Drug-use behaviours in children and youth are also found to adversely affect cognitive skills, family and other relationships and livelihoods. more..

Aug 17 (EN) SL�s power blackout which started around mid-day has extended towards nightfall as grid failed repeatedly while engineers were attempting to restore power, CEB officials said. The cascading failure was suspected to have been triggered by a transmission line failure in the Kerawalapitiya area. But attempts to restore the grid had failed repeatedly, with supply fluctuating and de-stabilizing frequency and voltage. Frequency had been surging above 50 Hz at times. more..

Aug 17 (EN) The SLFP is deeply unhappy over the treatment given to it by the governing SLPP in the distribution of Cabinet positions as well as the allocation of National List Seats, Prof Rohana Luxman Piyadasa, a former General-Secretary of the party said. He said that there is �disappointment within our ranks that there is no sharing of power with us as we were the main ally which gave the alliance a two-thirds majority.� more..

Aug 17 (EN) SL�s new ministers have been given a �to do� list in the form of specific subjects by Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa, State Minister for Finance and Capital Markets, Nivard Cabraal said. �All ministers and state ministers have been given a clear set of tasks with a time table,� Cabraal said after taking office. �In English we call it a �to do� list. We all will be measured on that. It will be outcome based management. This used to be in the private sector. Now it is also in the state sector. more..

Aug 17 (AD) The water supply in several areas has also been disrupted due to the island-wide power outage experienced in the country. A spokesman of the National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) said the water supply from pumping stations without electric generators. According to the NWSDB it will take nearly 3 to 5 hours to restore the water supply once the power supply is restored. Thereby, the NWSDB advises the general public to use water sparingly in the meantime. more..

Aug 17 (CT) Although a van allegedly used to transport explosives found in Wanathavilluwa in January 2019 was found by the CID on 19 Feb 2019, Sub Inspector of Police (SI) Dias Padmasiri who conducted investigations into it, failed to seize it until 25 Feb 2019. Chief Inspector of Police (CI) Janaka Marasinghe, who acted as SI Dias� supervising officer in connection with the investigations testified before the PCoI probing the bombings on more..

Aug 17 (AD) Steps will be taken to create a comprehensive database of information on Sri Lankans currently employed abroad, said newly appointed State Minister of Foreign Employment and Market Diversification Piyankara Jayaratne. State Minister expressed these views assuming duties at his ministry in Narahenpita earlier today. He stated that the database will be created with the aim of providing immediate relief or intervention to migrant workers or their families. more..

Aug 17 (AD) Former President Maithripala Sirisena has been summoned by the PCoI probing the 2019 Easter Attacks. The Commission has requested the now-MP Elect to appear before the Commission�s Police Unit on Aug 26. Meanwhile, former PM Ranil Wickremesinghe, former Minister of Defense Ruwan Wijewardene, and former Minister of Law and Order Sagala Ratnayake have been summoned by the Commission to record statements regarding the Easter Sunday terrorist attack as well. more..