Jul 13 (Island) Special Task Force spearheaded by Past Rotary International President K.R Ravindran together with District Governor 2019-20 Sebastian Karunakaran and Rotary officials, handed over Rs. 120 million worth project to Prez Rajapakse at the Presidential Secretariat, recently. Rotary has installed at MRI a fully-automated Nucleic Acid Extraction and PCR System first of its kind in SL. The new system will enable MRI to carry out tests speedily, safely, consistently and accurately. more..

Jul 13 (CT) Cargo Boat Development Company PLC (CBD) - an associate company of the Renuka Hotels Group - has completed the refurbishment of its landmark building in Fort. The 38-year-old edifice underwent a Rs 609 million renovation over a period of one and a half years, and is now ready for occupancy by companies looking for contemporary office space in the heart of Colombo�s business district at a very reasonable rent. The newly-renovated CBD Business Centre holds more..

Jul 13 (EN) Sri Lanka authorities have ordered all schools and private tuition classes closed for a week from tomorrow as fears of the spread of COVID 19 increased. Ministry of Education said that parents, schoolchildren, school Principals and officials have become fearful due to some false information spread on Social Media regarding COVID 19. Public concern has grown after hundreds of staff and inmates at more..

Jul 13 (ST) Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) will renegotiate the terms offered by Sony Pictures Networks India to buy media rights of the SL national cricket team for the next three years. Sony who had long associated with SLC was the only bidder for the media rights when the bids were opened on Wednesday but SLC isn�t happy with what has been offered. Accordingly, they will engage in discussions with the Indian based broadcaster to hike the price. Sony offer was approximately around US$ 22.5 million more..

Jul 13 (Island) The cost of electing one member of Parliament was Rs. 50 million, Executive Director of PAFFREL, Rohana Hettiarchchi, said. He said that more than 10 billion rupees would be spent on holding the general election. One hundred and ninety six MPs would be appointed by vote and thus the cost of selecting a candidate was over Rs. 50 million, he said. Given the colossal cost of the election, the voters should choose candidates that were intelligent, corruption free and cares more..

Jul 13 (Island) CID had been conducting investigations to find out whether former Minister Rishad Bathiudeen et al had assisted Colossus, the copper factory at Wellampitiya, where the Easter bombs were allegedly assembled, knowing the final outcome, police spokesman Jaliya Senaratne said. He said that the CID probed whether those who had assisted the factory management to obtain the required copper without hassle did so more..

Jul 13 (Island) Principals of a number of schools were brazenly violating the instructions issued by the Secretary to the Ministry of Education as regards school reopening after COVID-19, General Secretary of the Ceylon Teachers Union (CTU) Joseph Stalin said. Stalin said that a student of Rajanganaya Track One Vidyalaya had tested positive for COVID-19 and a teacher attached to Saralankara Vidyalaya, Galle, had been asked to undergo quarantine after they had come into more..

Jul 13 (PMD) Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa called upon the farming community to increase the supply of finished agricultural products for export, so that they can earn higher profits. The re-export of pepper has been completely stopped. Therefore, the Prez advised the farmers to export the pepper in the form of seeds, powder or any other finished product. President Rajapaksa further pointed out that more foreign exchange earnings could be made by adopting the value added methodology. more..

Jul 13 (FT) Chairman of Constitutional Council and former Speaker Karu Jayasuriya called on the Director General of Health Services (DGHS) to issue the Gazette notification giving legal validity to the health guidelines for the General Election, due to widespread flouting of the COVID-19 safety measures by politicians and their supporters. �During the last few weeks, it was observed that many politicians, more..

Jul 13 (CT) With signs of a bigger COVID-19 cluster developing, with over 300 inmates, staff at Kandakadu Drug Prevention, Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre and their close contacts being tested positive of having contracted the virus, steps were taken to convert the Army-managed quarantine centre into a field hospital. The quarantine centre in Kandakadu was converted into a hospital in order to exclusively treat COVID-19 infected patients from the Kandakadu Treatment & Rehab Centre, more..

Jul 13 (FT) The UNP yesterday said that the Got should take an early decision if the upcoming General Elections should be postponed due to the prevailing situation with the COVID-19 outbreak. �Govt should take a decision early in consultation with the Election Commission and health authorities, and inform all parties and the public if the elections are to be postponed,� said UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe. Speaking at an election meeting in Kandy yesterday, Wickremesinghe charged more..

Jul 13 (AD) Five arrivals from Belarus have tested positive for COVID-19 raising the total number of cases reported in the country. Thereby the tally of virus-positive cases in Sri Lanka is now at 2,612. A total of 620 patients infected with the virus are currently under medical care, as per a tally of the Epidemiology Unit of the Health Ministry. Meanwhile, the total figure of recoveries has risen to 1,981. The country has confirmed 11 deaths more..

Jul 13 (RD) Sri Lanka has announced that they will open up their borders for all international travel on 1 Aug. This is the perfect opportunity to get rid of all of that pent up coronavirus stress! Want to recover from your busy work life? Give your health a boost? Plan a trip to SL! Not just because of the beautiful nature with tropical beaches and forests, but because of the healing effects of Ayurveda. Sri Lanka has announced that they will open up their borders for all international travel on 1 Aug. more..

Jul 13 (CT) The Govt yesterday vehemently denied rumours and reports on social media that it had planned to declare public holidays in the coming days and warned of stern action on those responsible, topmost official with the Information Dept said. Director-General of Govt Information Department, Nalaka Kaluwewa, stated on Twitter that rumours that the Govt has declared a three-day holiday was completely false and that no such decision had been reached at any stage. more..

Jul 13 (FT) Minister Prasanna Ranatunga said the reopening of the BIA will be pushed back further from previously planned mid-August. �BIA will not be reopened in mid-August as previously planned,� he said. Considering the recent developments with new COVID-19 infected clusters found within the country, Ranatunga said it was difficult to give a timeline for the reopening of the airport. �We cannot give an exact date for more..

Jul 13 (FT) Amidst an avalanche of awful teledramas, you get a rare gem amongst the mundane. I had an enjoyable time watching one such rarity, particularly during COVID-19 related lockdown. It is titled Thanamalvila Kollek (A lad from Thanamalvila). I saw much depth and breadth of unravelling a powerful untold chapter (Aprakashitha Parichchedaya) of a rural youth going global amidst a multitude of challenges. It could be viewed as a rare rendering of rags to riches, more..

Jul 13 (FT) With the pandemic wreaking its havoc across the length and breadth of the world, the news out there is bad. Not only for those seeking jobs in developed countries but also those who have gone looking for greener pastures, using higher education as a conduit to seek permanent residency in those countries � especially the west. According to a CNN Business report, millions who lost their jobs in the USA have no hope of gaining them back anytime soon. more..

Jul 13 (DN) PM Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday said that a new SLPP govt will amend the Constitution if it has to and hold the Provincial Council election. The new SLPP Govt will not hesitate to hold the Provincial Council election even under the First-Past-the-Post (FPP) electoral system to avoid further delays. PM Rajapaksa also said that this is the first time in political history that an Opposition is not requesting the public to vote for them to establish a govt. more..

Jul 13 (AD) Attorney General has informed the Supreme Court that the content of the SL-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (SLSFTA) still under the study of the Prez Committee appointed to review the agreement. The petition filed seeking a court order pronouncing that the SLSFTA is against the Constitution, was taken up before Supreme Court judge bench consisting Justices Priyantha Jayawardena, and Yasantha Kodagoda, today. AG pointed out that there had been some delay more..

Jul 13 (EN) Central Bank said it has suspended the license of ETI Finance Ltd and Swarnamahal Financial Services Plc, will pay compensation to depositors up to 600,000 rupees from an insurance scheme. Already up to 30% of the deposits have been settled, central bank said. From the CB administered deposit insurance scheme 75% of ETI Finance depositors (28,554 depositors out of 38,111 total depositors) will be settled in full. more..

Jul 13 (SLN) SL Navy apprehended a dinghy with 2 persons who were on an illegal attempt to migrate via sea routes with other 2 persons during a special operation carried out in the seas north of Thondamannar in Jaffna, on 11th July. Accordingly, a craft attached to the Northern Naval Command spotted this dinghy 11 nautical miles off Thondamannar North, Jaffna. By investigation to the incident it was revealed that two of them are Sri Lankans who had attempted to migrate from more..

Jul 13 (NR) Ministry of Transport Services Management says a decision has not been reached to increase private bus fares to match semi-luxury bus fares. The Ministry issued a statement in this regard following a recent statement by the Chairman of the Lanka Private Bus Owners Association Gemunu Wijeratne published in a newspaper that bus fares will be increased to meet the fares of semi-luxury buses. The Ministry rubbished such reports claiming there was no truth to it. more..

Jul 13 (EN) The govt deliberately chose not to gazette the pandemic guidelines issued for the upcoming parliamentary polls as laws in order to continue its election campaign unhindered, National People�s Power (NPP) leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said. Dissanayake, who is also leader of the JVP, accused the govt of playing down the threat of COVID-19 and creating a false sense of security among the public. more..

Jul 13 (AD) Fundamental Rights petition filed against cremation of persons deceased from the COVID-19 virus is a violation of their fundamental rights has been set for consideration on Sept 9. Supreme Court judge bench comprised of Justices Priyantha Jayawardena and Yasantha Kodagoda heard the petition today. The petition was lodged by former Minister and Leader of ACMC Rishad Bathiudeen, former MPs Seyed Ameer Ali, Abdullah Mohamed Mahroof, and Hussein Ahamed Bhaila. more..

Jul 13 (Island) PM Mahinda Rajapaksa said, on Saturday, most followers of former Minister Mangala Samaraweera and former Chief-of-Staff of the prime minister�s office, Sagala Rathnayaka, would vote for the SLPP at the forthcoming parliamentary election. The PM was addressing an election meeting organised by former Matara district MP Manoj Sirisena at Akuressa on Saturday (11). PM was in the Matara District to address a series of meetings in support of the SLPP�s 10 candidates. more..

Jul 13 (AD) Leader of JVP Anura Kumara Dissanayake and former Director of CID Shani Abeysekara have filed two writ applications at the Court of Appeal. This is seeking a court order to cancel the summoning order issued on them by the PCoI on political victimization. Previously, 17 parties, including Dissanayake and Abeysekara, were issued summons to appear before the PCoI regarding the complaint lodged by Chair of Avant-Garde more..

Jul 13 (CT) Maize cultivation has recovered from last year�s devastation caused by the fall armyworm (FAW), with this year�s (2020) Yala production estimated to be 167 per cent more from the currently-cultivated extent over Yala 2019 as at end May (2020). Whereas maize production from the currently-cultivated extent of 10,731 hectares is expected to yield 42,049 metric tons (mts), Yala 2019 saw only an extent of 6,070 ha being brought under maize cultivation, which yielded more..

Jul 13 (EN) Central Bank has sold down its Treasury bills stock for the second week, taking its holdings of Treasury bills purchased to trigger monetary instability in March and April to 296 billion rupees on Friday from 303 billion rupees a day earlier. The week earlier the central bank also sold down its Treasury bill stock taking the stock down by about 8 billion rupees to from 311 billion rupees. Over the past two weeks the central bank had sold down about 14 billion rupees of Treasury bills more..

Jul 13 (Xinhua) Early Saturday, young Ranjani Gunatilake, who is planning her wedding in December, traveled to the Waters Edge resort in Colombo to attend Wedding Boutique 2020, the first wedding exhibition held in the country after a COVID-19 curfew was lifted. She has been looking forward to the event since she saw the advertisement on social media a few days ago. Ranjani is a client manager in more..

Jul 13 (NR) The number of coronavirus cases in the country increased to 2,631 today. Ministry of Health said 14 individuals tested positive for the virus today. The 14 have been identified as persons who associated inmates of the Kandakadu Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre. Meanwhile the Epidemiology Unit today recorded no new coronavirus recoveries. Unit noted that 639 persons continue to receive in-house treatment for the coronavirus with recoveries at 1,981. more..

Jul 13 (EN) Elections Commission has issued a statement regarding the granting of leave for private-sector employees so that they can cast their votes for the Parliamentary Elections to be held on 5 Aug. Accordingly, Commission says the employer is mandated to grant paid leave to the employees to cast their votes depending on the distance between the polling centre and the workplace. If the distance between the polling centre and the workplace is less than 40 Km then more..

Jul 13 (FT) Amidst growing concerns over the escalating COVID-19 situation in the country, EC Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya assured the elections would go ahead as planned. �Unless the Earth stops spinning, we will go ahead with the election,� Deshapriya told reporters after he met with officials of the District Secretariat at Gampaha to discuss election arrangements. He said the EC had made all arrangements to hold the election more..

Jul 13 (CT) Galaha Police have received a complaint that a parcel that was supposed to contain Rs 140,000 in pension money had only contained bundles of scrapped paper instead of currency notes. The parcel was sent through the Peradeniya Post Office by the Postal Dept to the Nillamba-Gampola Sub-Post Office. The complaint lodged by Post Master of the Nillamba Sub-Post Office, stated the parcel had been delivered in a van belonging to Postal Dept similarly to how letters and more..

Jul 13 (CT) The envisaged pumpkin harvest from the currently cultivated extent in the ongoing Yala 2020 season, as at end May (2020), is estimated to be 37.51 per cent (6,761 metric tons (mts)) more to 46,725 mts compared with the totality of the Yala 2019 harvest of 35,797 mts, data on an Agriculture Dept report released on Friday showed. Dept further said that pumpkin cultivation has met 100 per cent (3,114 ha from the original target of 3,122 ha) of the Yala 2020 cultivation target. more..

Jul 13 (EN) SL�s govt is playing politics with people�s lives, former Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa said today. In a discussion with Media-persons in Colombo, the leader of the SJB said that by not postponing the elections until the threat of COVID 19 is over the govt is placing the people in danger. �They must postpone the elections and create an atmosphere for people to campaign & vote without fear� more..

Jul 13 (AD) Thirty-six suspects arrested for allegedly vandalizing several Buddhist statues in the Mawanella area have been further remanded until July 27. The Mawanella Magistrate delivered the order when the suspects were produced before the court today (13). Sixteen of the suspects are currently detained at the Kegalle Prison while another 13 are at the Pallekele Remand Prison. The suspects were taken into custody following the investigations carried out in January 2019. more..

Jul 13 (DM) Japanese Govt has agreed to provide Rs.340 million to strengthen the investigation and detection capacities of drugs and related anti-narcotic activities of SL Police. The financial grant will be provided under the Japanese non-project grant aid scheme for provision of necessary equipment based on the request of the SL Govt. The prevalence of drug related activities in Sri Lanka has increased in recent past and it has been recognised as an emerging social problem in the country. more..

Jul 13 (EN) A tongue lashing given by Prez Rajapaksa over a delay in the central bank giving loans with re-finance (printed money) erupted without prior discussion, but the issue has been resolved a channel of communications established, Governor W D Lakshman said. �This is something that had given rise to a lot of debate, accusations and counter accusations,� Governor W D Lakshman told reporters in Sinhalese. more..

Jul 13 (VN) Pope Francis on Monday appointed a new Auxiliary Bishop in the Archdiocese of Colombo. Father Anton Ranjith Pillainayagam, a priest of the archdiocese, is the third auxiliary bishop of the metropolitan archdiocese. The 53-year old priest has been appointed the third auxiliary bishop of the archdiocese, which is headed by Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith. The other two Auxiliary Bishops of Colombo are Maxwell Silva and J D Anthony Jayakody, appointed in 2011 and 2018. more..