Jul 20 (ST) Just when it seemed the dreaded COVID cloud had rained its last droplet of plague and misery on SL landscape and had drifted away far beyond the horizon; just when life was starting to totter back to a new normalcy and the nation�s economic hive had begun to buzz again with activity; just when the rainbow had lit the island skyline with hope and promise, signaling the worst was over and happy days were here again, now comes the terrifying news: The worse is yet to come. more..

Jul 20 (CT) Local State institutions cannot deliver on time, is a well-known adage. Dilly-dallying and finding excuses to delay whatever that has been entrusted is the name of the game and the State sector is no exception. Even the tiniest of chores cannot get done sans inordinate delay and it is well known that there are both major and minor delays in the delivery of services by most Govt institutions in Sri Lanka. more..

Jul 20 (Island) A mountain went into labour and groaned for several weeks. Everyone expected something big to come out, but on Friday, it delivered a mouse! The much-awaited health regulations for the upcoming general election have been gazetted at long last. They specify the number of people permitted to attend election meetings and the precautionary measures candidates and organisers of such events have to adopt, among other things. more..

Jul 20 (TM) With just about two weeks to go before the cessation of propaganda activities for the 5 August general election, at least one party has realised the need to present its manifesto to the people. Not that it matters as to what the document contains, because history has shown us over and over again that manifestos are nothing but hogwash to hoodwink the masses and rob them of their precious vote. It has been said that if just 10% of what has been promised by various leaders more..

Jul 20 (TM) Less than three weeks before the long-awaited parliamentary election, the country has been rocked with another surge in Covid-19 patients, the looming spectre of another postponement, and scenes of public unrest, as internecine warfare engulfs the governing party alliance. The SLPP has assured that the general election will not be postponed for any reason. Former MP Namal Rajapaksa said there is no reason for general election to be postponed. more..

Jul 20 (Island) The current pandemic of COVID-19 has necessitated a very significant change in the behaviour patterns of the population of all countries. The New World as it is ever so attractively presented, needs a profound change in the way we get about things on a daily basis. With no respite from the virus, or an end to the pandemic visible in the horizon of time, it is more than likely that the new patterns of behaviour would have to be the new normal, at least for foreseeable future. more..

Jul 20 (FT) One thing that we now know for sure is that COVID-19, further abbreviated to C-19 for economy and convenience, is to deliver a massive negative shock to the entire world economy without exception. Economic growth at least in the current year is to recede to a negative range. If mishandled, economic recovery to pre-C-19 levels would be prolonged for another three to four years. more..

Jul 20 (ST) The Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR) president-elect Rizly Illyas is confident of getting the backing of the five provincial rugby unions who are eligible to vote at the forthcoming AGM (annual general meeting) after the Western Province Rugby Football Union (WPRFU) were barred from voting because they had not paid their subscriptions to the governing body. Just when it seemed it was all over bar the shouting after the incumbent SLR president Lasitha Gunaratne declared more..

Jul 20 (Island) Former SL and Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusingha has beaten a lengthy list of rivals to return to New South Wales as senior assistant and batting coach of the state side, having previously served as assistant coach between 2010 and 2014. The likes of former Cricket Australia pathways coach Chris Rogers and former West Indies assistant Toby Radford are also believed to have applied for the role, but they fell short of Hathurusingha�s deep/impressive CV, more..

Jul 20 (DN) The most important sports event of the calendar National Sport Festival is going to be held as usual and once again Provincial sports Directors have decided to conduct this big event after the successful meeting held at the Sports Ministry last week. Due to the Covid 19 pandemic there was a likelihood of postponing this event but all the provincial sports directors pointed out there is enough time until 31st December to finish more..

Jul 20 (SO) In the wake of the global pandemic, Sri Lanka has shown more resilient Distance Learning Methods (DLMs) compared to regional peers in South East Asia, Founder and Managing Director of ESOFT Computer Studies, Dr. Dayan Rajapakse said. Dr. Rajapakse who has hands-on experience in the higher education sector in regional countries believes that access to education in rural areas in Sri Lanka is comparatively stronger than neighbouring countries. more..

Jul 20 (TM) SL Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) is expected to send a letter to the Ministry of Lands and Land Development this week, requesting clarification on the ownership of a plot of land in Marble Beach, Trincomalee. The letter will be sent through the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation. On 25 June, the SLTDA requested the subject Ministry�s intervention to resolve the issue and it has been decided by the Ministry and the SLTDA that the issue is to be forwarded to more..

Jul 20 (ST) Would you believe it? There is a company in Sri Lanka which will repay COVID-19 induced, reduced salaries of staff. It is probably the only one in the world to do so. WSO2, an open-source technology provider will remit the salary portion which was cut from staff for the past three months back to them in the July salaries, Sanjiva Weerawarana, Founder and CEO of WSO2 said. He said the company had prepared for more..

Jul 20 (FT) Building on efforts to finance a grassroots revival of the national economy, SL�s highest ranked private sector bank in the Banker Top 1000 world banks ranking, HNB PLC, ramped up assistance to individuals and enterprises negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic by granting debt moratoriums worth Rs. 350 billion as at the end of June. In total, HNB granted over 65,000 moratoriums across the entire spectrum of the bank�s clients; spanning corporate, more..

Jul 20 (NIE) Imports of pepper from Sri Lanka for domestic use have shot up to 717 tonnes in the January to June period, of which nearly 50% or 372 tonnes came in the month of June. According to data compiled by the Kerala chapter of the Indian Pepper and Spice Traders, Growers, Planters Consortium, in the first six months of 2019 (January-June), imports were 408 tonnes, which means this year there has been a significant growth of 56% in the same period. more..

Jul 20 (FT) Fighting corruption remains a high priority among voters despite the change of Govt and no party making it their main campaign platform ahead of the Parliamentary Election, a well-known think tank expert said last week. Verite Research Executive Director Dr. Nishan de Mel presenting the findings of a public research survey on corruption perception in Sri Lanka done in partnership with Vanguard noted that there was a significantly more..

Jul 20 (FT) Election watchdogs are expressing alarm that the Gazetted rules the Aug 5 election is to be conducted under are considerably more relaxed than the guidelines to avoid the spread of COVID 19 issued by the Health Services. They point out that relaxing the regulations at a time when the COVID 19 pandemic appears to be worsening is a matter of serious concern. The Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV) in a statement issued today pointed out that the Govt Regulations more..

Jul 20 (EN) Sri Lanka�s economy which is already hit by Coronavirus, would suffer further from an extension of import controls, which deprives inputs to domestic industry, pushes up costs and raises living costs, generally harming export competitiveness, a think tank has said. Only 19.8% of imports were consumer goods while 57% of imports were intermediate goods use to produce other goods and services, Colombo-based Advocata Institute, a free market think tank said. more..

Jul 20 (FT) Export Development Board (EDB) Chairman Prabhash Subasinghe says June data confirmed that exports are bouncing back after initially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. EDB said earnings from merchandise exports rebounded in June to $ 906.02 million as per the Customs statistics, with the export sector progressively commencing actions following the relaxation of lockdown measures and more..

Jul 20 (CT) Capt. (Rtd) R.K. Indrasena, a former National champion and coach Instructor, was re-elected uncontested as Hony. President of the Boxing Referees and Judges Association (BRJA) for a third term, while former National champion and Asian boxer Lt Col (Rtd) Hemantha Weerasinghe was declared elected with majority votes for the key post of Secretary, at their AGM held on 18 July at the Duncan White Auditorium of the Ministry of Sports to elect office-bearers for the year 2020-2021. more..

Jul 20 (CT) With the aim of assisting in the process of reviving the country�s economy, Agri Machinery Division of DIMO together with its partner Mahindra tractors has stepped forward to support the country�s national initiative to re-cultivate barren paddy lands. Govt has identified the need to re-cultivate these lands in its vision to bring forth a self-sufficient economy and the national project Waga Saubhagya was launched as a result. National event of Waga Saubhagya 2020 was held in Kegalle district. more..

Jul 20 (TM) Treasury has received requests worth Rs. 17.29 billion, asking for letters to be issued to construction sector contractors and suppliers which they could then use to obtain concessionary loans from banks. The requests have been sent to the Treasury through several ministries on behalf of their contractors who are in severe financial strife due to long-outstanding dues for state construction projects, more..

Jul 20 (Island) The Kurunegala police were awaiting the report of the expert committee appointed to investigate allegations that an archaeological building in Kurunegala was bulldozed, to take necessary action, a senior police officer said. On July 14, Kurunegala Urban Council demolished a building that is said to contain historical artifacts. The Government Information Department says part of the building was constructed in the 13th century. "We are also investigating the matter more..

Jul 20 (NR) 20 new cases of coronavirus were reported in the country yesterday, increasing the total confirmed infections to 2,724. Four individuals, associates of persons who tested positive at the Kandakadu Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre, nine individuals who returned from Saudi Arabia recently, three persons who arrived from Qatar, two returnees from India and another two returnees from the UAE are among the new cases confirmed yesterday. more..

Jul 20 (CT) Organised crime groups have used bank accounts of university students to transfer money to drug traffickers and other criminals, Western Province Senior DIG (SDIG) Deshabandu Tennakoon revealed. He said that these organised crime groups have given these students a small dividend (allowance), for letting their bank accounts to be used. SDIG Tennakoon said he will reveal the names of the criminals more..

Jul 20 (TM) Around 170 Indian nationals stranded in Sri Lanka were repatriated on a special Air India (AI 0282) flight from Colombo to Delhi last Saturday (18), the Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka said. The flight was scheduled as part of Phase IV of Vande Bharat Mission, an initiative of the Govt of India to undertake the largest-ever repatriation from all over the world for the return of Indian nationals stranded abroad due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Acting High Commissioner of India more..

Jul 20 (Island) The JVP called for an impartial investigation into the partial destruction of an archaelogical monument in Kurunegala. JVP propaganda Secretary Vijitha Herath, addressing the media, said that the damaged site had been known for centuries as the Royal Assembly Hall of King Buwanekabahu II. "It has been gazetted as a site of archaeological importance. The royal pavilion is in the centre of the town and the monument was under the supervision of the Dept of Archaeology. more..

Jul 20 (Island) Director of State Intelligence Service (SIS), Nilantha Jayawardena, had ignored a request made by the former head of the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) and incumbent Commandant of the Special Task Force (STF), Waruna Jayasundara to obtain permission from the President Maithripala Sirisena to take action against National Thowheed Jamaat (NTJ) leader Zahran Hashim the PCoI was informed on Friday. more..

Jul 20 (PMD) President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has stated that plans are afoot to promote pepper cultivation as a major export crop. India is the major buyer of pepper from Sri Lanka and other countries. India purchases pepper on a quota basis. Increasing the quota given to Sri Lanka is one of the key elements of the strategy. In addition, steps will be taken to identify new markets for local pepper. Farmers are encouraged to export pepper as a finished product. more..

Jul 20 (TM) Despite the continuous attempts made by the Govt to rectify the issue, public health inspectors (PHIs) have intensified their trade union action as they have now withdrawn not only from Covid-19-related duties, but all activities related to communicable diseases including dengue control. PHI�s Union (PHIU) President Upul Rohana said that they held several discussions with the Director General of Health Services last weekend (18, 19) but ended up without a conclusion. more..

Jul 20 (Island) Ongoing investigation into some officers and men of the Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) dealing in heroin, has taken an unexpected turn with SLPP Gampaha District heavyweight Prasanna Ranatunga claiming that the Minuwangoda police made the initial breakthrough on information provided by him. In a letter to Acting IGP C.D. Wickramaratne, Minister Ranatunga has reminded the Acting Police Chief that more..

Jul 20 (FT) He is a general manager of a very large manufacturing outfit. He is being considered to take up a bigger responsibility of the group in the future. Before COVID-19 our discussions had been how he can get his top team in the factory to buy in to the ideas he has. And how to think one step above. How to think the way the board would look at challenges situations and opportunities. The COVID -19 made his situation very challenging as many other in similar situation. more..

Jul 20 (FT) We have the Police to uphold law and order, and to support democratic institutions. Unfortunately, there are dangerous signs that they, the Police, are a tool in the hands of the Govt in power. It is as sad an indictment as it is ominous to our democracy. There is ample evidence that criminal activity by those aligned with the Govt in power have no investigations going on against them. And then, with the change of Govt, there is sudden interest in such long forgotten cases. more..

Jul 20 (Island) SL�s second underwater museum situated off the Sandy Bay beach in Trincomalee was brought to life recently, adding another must-experience hotspot to the Country�s extraordinary travel itinerary. Declared open by the Former Commander of Navy Admiral Piyal De Silva, this Underwater Museum; set to provide an incomparable diving experience in the picturesque Sandy Bay off Trincomalee Bay, was made possible with the support given by Tokyo Cement more..

Jul 20 (DN) The total number of PCR Tests performed so far has reached 137,407. A total of 2723 PCR Tests had been done on Friday and another 1888 PCR Tests had been done on Saturday. COVID-19 recovery rate of Sri Lanka has reached 75.26% and it is only 59.73% in the world. Sri Lanka�s recovery rate is above the USA (46.31%), India (62.84%), Russia (71.33%). The fatality rate of Sri Lanka�s COVID-19 patients is only 0.41% and it is 4.19% in the world. more..

Jul 20 (EN) Nearly a week since the controversial demolition of a purported 13th century archaeological site in Kurunegala, an arrest has yet to be made, Former Speaker Karu Jayasuriya said. �A week has passed since the demolition of the 13 Century heritage site in Kurunegala, that survived many invasions and the colonial period. It�s a grave crime, but none has been arrested yet. Do not let people lose confidence in law enforcement. more..

Jul 20 (AD) Ministry of Education has decided on dates to hold the GCE A/L exam and the Grade 5 Scholarship exam for the year 2020. Following a meeting held today, it has been decided to postpone the GCE A/L exam by one month. Accordingly, the university entrance exam will commence on the 12th of Oct, 2020. Secretary of the Ministry Ranjith Chandrasekara said that the decision to postpone the exam was made on a request by students. This will allow adequate time to cover syllabus, more..

Jul 20 (DN) SJB leader Sajith Premadasa�s Coordinating Secretary, former Western Provincial Councillor Nimal R.Peiris was released on bail by the Kaduwela Magistrate�s Court yesterday. He was arrested by Police over misappropriating Rs. 113,460 under the free postal service provisions given for Provincial Councillors last Saturday. He was arrested under the Public Property Act and was produced before the Kaduwela Magistrate�s Court yesterday over the incident. more..