Jul 21 (CT) The Sri Lankan unit of global rating giant Fitch Ratings stated on Monday (20) that there will be further sovereign credit profile deterioration, while the operating environment will also worsen, including weakening of public- and private-sector balance sheets, funding market dislocations and macroeconomic volatility. Fitch believes that there is a strong link between the sovereign credit profile and the operating conditions for banks in Sri Lanka. �This is because our forecast of 1.3% GDP more..

Jul 21 (DN) Mattala Int'l Airport (MRIA) will play an even bigger role in the future not only as a hub for crew changers, but for passenger and cargo movements as well, Board member of Airport & Aviation Services (SL) Ltd, Tilak Weerasinghe said. He said that the Katunayake Int'l Airport is forced to operate half of its capacity due to the Covid-19 health guidelines and hence MIRA has to be used as an alternative airport. It takes around 5 hours to clear passengers from one aircraft due to more..

Jul 21 (Island) National Thowheed Jamaat (NTJ) members, occupying two houses at Sammanthurai and Nintavur, had a large amount of gelignite and material for high explosives, SSP Deepal Wijesekera yesterday told the PCoI. Those houses had been rented by Mohamed Niyaz, who was killed on April 26, 2019, during a confrontation with security force members at Sanithamaruthu. Wijesekera was the SSP of Ampara in April 2019. more..

Jul 21 (FT) People�s Bank has stepped forward to fulfil its obligations and assist the Govt�s ongoing efforts to re-start the SL economy and help the people of the country to get some form of normalcy to their lives by reducing interest rates to 9% onwards across several loan schemes. In accordance with the clear direction and guidance of the Govt, the Chairman and Board of Directors together with the management of the bank has announced special concessionary interest more..

Jul 21 (ST) Most conglomerates do not adopt modern digital technology due to hierarchical decisions and face the risk of disruption that affects their businesses altogether, according to Managing Director Orel Corporation Kushan Kodithuwakku speaking at a webinar on the topic of �Have We Stepped into Industry 4.0? held last week. He said the industry 4.0 revolution has begun and will transform lives of people rapidly. The industry revolution includes smart phones, Internet, more..

Jul 21 (DN) Expert Committee appointed to investigate the demolition of the historic Hotel Buwaneka in Kurunegala is to submit its interim report on July 23. According to Committee chairman and Director General of Archaeology Dr Senarath Dissanayake, the committee is in the process of preparing the interim report. This committee comprising five members was appointed by the Secretary of Cultural and more..

Jul 21 (Island) At present the concept of providing software as a service has created tremendous interest among software companies due to the importation of substandard software systems and the migration of skilled software professionals has impeded the growth of the sector, Managing Director- Interwave Solutions, Thushara de Silva said. "Software development and IT education & training are two segments of information technology, which could immensely benefit SL. more..

Jul 21 (AD) The CID handed over more than 320 kilograms of heroin and Ice (Methamphetamine) seized by the Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) during raids, to the Govt Analyst�s Department today (20). This was to determine whether the composition of the relevant drugs had been changed. Investigations are currently underway on several PNB officials arrested by the CID on the allegations of drug trafficking. Police stated that the last batch of narcotic drugs which were to be handed over more..

Jul 21 (CT) Election Commission (EC) has requested Acting IGP C.D. Wickramaratne to defer inquiries on ACMC Leader Rishad Bathiudeen�s alleged connections to Easter Sunday attacks in 2019, until after 10 Aug, following a complaint made by Bathiudeen. Bathiudeen complained that summoning him to the CID, to record statements regarding the Easter Sunday terror attacks was disrupting his election campaign. more..

Jul 21 (SLN) Sri Lanka Navy inaugurated the initial stage of a mega campaign of planting cashew saplings, in the Northern Naval Command on 19th July 2020. This new venture opens another chapter of Navy�s contribution to preserve marine bio diversity and the green environment in the Jaffna Peninsula. Accordingly, Northern Naval Command collaborated with the Cashew Corporation and obtained 560 Nos. of cashew plants to distribute among naval bases within the Command. more..

Jul 21 (DM) The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) has initiated an inquiry into the threats said to have made by prominent underworld criminals currently under detention in the Boossa Prison to three senior prison officers, that they have the capacity to kill anyone they want, even the president or the defence secretary. �We have weapons, we have our men out, and you can do nothing keeping us in a cell. We will kill all of you - the head of the prison, defence secretary, even the president. more..

Jul 21 (FT) The Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV) has raised concerns regarding a number of important omissions in the election guidelines gazetted by the Health Ministry last week and called for them to be resolved soon with the involvement of healthcare officials. Releasing a statement, CMEV said it welcomed the Ministry of Health finally gazetting the COVID-19 Elections Regulations on 17 July. more..

Jul 21 (AD) Chaminda Kumara, an associate of the organized crime gang leader Samayan, has been arrested by the Nawagamuwa Police, yesterday (19). The 42 year old arrestee from Pahala Bomriya, Kaduwela has been arrested over the possession and sale of heroin. He is said to have operated the heroin racket and been in charge of financial administration of Samayan. Nawagamuwa Police has also arrested a follower of organized crime gang leader Uru Juwa as well. more..

Jul 21 (DM) UNP National Organizer and Nuwara Eliya District UNP candidate Navin Dissanayake said that the leadership of the UNP, which had remained unchanged for 26 years, needed to be changed and that he had the required qualifications to become the leader of the party. He also said: �I am a straight-forward politician. I am one of the seniors in the party; I think I can be its leader. I will become the party leader and if I reach the top post of this country; Prez or the PM, more..

Jul 21 (FT) The reopening of the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) for all incoming passengers has been pushed back further to September by authorities due to the sudden spike in COVID-19 cases in the country. �Considering the recent developments of new COVID-19 infected clusters found within the country, the Govt has decided to further delay the reopening of BIA for all incoming passengers,� more..

Jul 21 (DN) The Meteorology Department yesterday warned of heavy rain, strong winds, rough seas and landslides today in several parts of the country due to low level atmospheric conditions prevailing in the vicinity of SL. According to the warning issued for the land area, �due to the low level atmospheric disturbances in the vicinity of SL, the prevailing showery condition in Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, Southern and Uva Provinces is expected to continue during the next 24 hours. more..

Jul 21 (DM) UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe today urged the govt to take quick legal action against those responsible for the recent destruction of the Assembly Hall of King Buwanekabahu in Kurunegala. Mr. Wickremesinghe stressed for such action at the launch of the book Totagamuwe Gunawardene Wickremesinghe Parapura penned by Somadasa Abeywickrama in Colombo today. �It is good to know the history. We have seen the importance of history today. more..

Jul 21 (FT) Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) yesterday committed to establishing a people-oriented system of governance in their election manifesto that also included focus on national security, a special task force to attract investment, eschewing unsolicited proposals and maintaining a unitary State. Speaking at the manifesto launch, party leader Sajith Premadasa said that the aim of the SJB was to bring more..

Jul 21 (FT) Psychiatrist and spiritual explorer M. Scott Peck wrote the monumental The Road Less Traveled (RLT) which unexpectedly, but blessedly for the rest of us, spent over 10 years on The New York Times best-seller list. When writer Phyllis Theroux remarked, �Not just a book, but a spontaneous act of generosity,� she referred to the book reading like an outpouring of rich and rare wisdom, at times not seeming to be fashioned by strictly human agency. From a correspondent relationship that more..

Jul 21 (FT) Two parliamentary committees appointed during the previous govt have failed to probe into certain significant disclosures made in Parliament on 31 July 2019 by the then State Minister of Defence at the debate on the extension of the Emergency. The disclosures, though skimpy touched on a few, hitherto publicly unknown reasons alleged by a suicide bomber for launching the 21/4 attacks, as per the minister�s revelations. More importantly, recent investigations unearthed by the govt more..

Jul 21 (Island) The govt is seeking a two- thirds majority not to do away with the MCC agreement with the US but to continue with it, says the JVP. JVP Propaganda Secretary and NPP Gampaha District candidate Vijitha Herath said that an expert committee, appointed by the govt, had pointed out, in its report, that to abolish the agreement a simple majority in Parliament would be sufficient but if the govt wanted to go ahead, then it would need a two-thirds majority. more..

Jul 21 (DN) GMOA has presented three main proposals to avoid the adverse effects of the strike launched by Public Health Inspectors (PHIs), GMOA Secretary Dr. Senal Fernando said. Addressing the media, he said that all required facilities should be provided to all Medical Officers of Health (MOHs) in the country to provide a better service to the public. According to Dr. Fernando, more MBBS doctors should be attached to the required MOHs as another effective solution to the issue. more..

Jul 21 (AD) The Western Provincial Civil Appellate High Court today dismissed an appeal filed by former Minister and General Secretary of SJB Ranjith Madduma Bandara, without taking it up for hearing. The appeal challenged the verdict of the Colombo District Court which rejected SJB members� request seeking an order to prevent the UNP Working Committee from suspending their UNP membership. more..

Jul 21 (AD) Bank of Ceylon acknowledging its inherent responsibility as the beacon of hope, for the SL community to elevate itself from crisis and rebuilding, has extended a gamut of benefits for the development of micro and SME sector in the country. Aligned with the Government�s economic and social development goals, the Bank has formulated a series of loans to assist sectors that have been adversely affected by COVID 19 pandemic. BOC Divi Udana will be focusing more..

Jul 21 (DM) The local construction sector yesterday expressed dissatisfaction in the manner in which the govt is handling the settling of funds due, amounting to over Rs.50 billion, for projects already completed. The Chamber of Construction Industries of Sri Lanka (CCI) stressed that the prolonged delay in payment has added to the mounting challenges faced by the players, in the backdrop of the coronavirus-induced economic and financial hardships. Despite the govt having promised the construction players more..

Jul 21 (AD) The final three patients in the SL Navy�s COVID-19 cluster have been discharged upon making complete recoveries. However, these sailors will spend another 14 days under self-quarantine, adhering to health precautions. Thereby, all 906 navy men who were infected with the novel coronavirus had returned to health as of this morning. On the 22nd of April, a naval officer attached to the Welisara Navy Base had more..

Jul 21 (TM) Colombo Chief Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne today told the CID to launch an investigation on journalist Dharisha Bastians if she had tried to obstruct their probe into the alleged Swiss Embassy abduction case. Chief Magistrate pointed this out following a clarification made by Bastians�s Lawyer with regard to the date on which her laptop was seized by the CID. When the Swiss Embassy abduction case was taken up today, Bastians�s Lawyer Shiraz Noordeen said more..

Jul 21 (AD) STF has arrested a close associate of crime gang member Barrel Sunil at Bowala area in Walasmulla. The arrest has been made at a raid carried out by the officers of the Tangalle Camp of the STF. The suspect has been identified as a 58 year old male name Udeni alias Kiriya. He is also said to be a deserter of the Army. STF have found several Sri Lanka Army uniforms, a live hand grenade, several rounds of live ammunition concealed at the suspect�s house. more..

Jul 21 (DM) At least 152 people including students had been subjected to quarantine after they are alleged to have maintained close links with a physics teacher of a semi-govt school at Gamapaha today, Gampaha Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Subash Subasinghe said. He said the teacher had tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday and had caught the virus from his brother-in-law, who had driven the vehicle more..

Jul 21 (DN) The Covid-19 lockdown has changed the Sri Lankan consumer habits just like the rest of the world, Dr Rohantha Athukorala Country Head for the Global Artificial Intelligence Company for perception and strategy development Clootrack Sri Lanka, Maldives and Pakistan told the Rotary Club of Metropolitan at the Hilton Hotel. Quoting the research study done by Kantar Sri Lanka Post the lockdown in SL the insight is that the E consumer basket has increased from $11 to $38 in SL. more..

Jul 21 (Island) The historical annual Kandy Perahera would be a low-key event with a fewer number of elephants and dancers, Diyawadana Nilame Pradeep Nilanga Dela said at a meeting of the Perahera Trust jointly Chaired by him and the Kandy Govt Agent Tissa Karunaratne. As the prelude to the pageant, the planting of Kap customarily takes place at dawn on 21 July at the auspicious time of 2.26 am at the four main devales of Kandy and devales in the periphery, Diyawadana Nilame announced. more..

Jul 21 (EN) Chairman of SLPP Prof G.L. Peiris is saying that the govt needs a two-thirds majority in the parliament in the upcoming general elections in order to fight extremism. He said that extremism has led to violence and to the deaths of more than 256 people in the country. �So there is a paramount obligation in the part of the incoming govt to ensure such a calamity does not take place in the future and for that as well a strong majority more..

Jul 21 (TM) Appeal Court has rejected a petition requesting the court to issue a directive to the Acting IGP to arrest Leader of the TUFF Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias Karuna Amman over the controversial statement he made on 19th June. The FR petition was filed by Kaduwela Municipal Council member Boseth Kalahepathirana. Respondents in the petition include the AG Dappula De Livera, Acting IGP C.D. Wickramaratne and former deputy minister V. Muralitharan. more..

Jul 21 (NR) 13 officers of the Police Narcotics Bureau, who were arrested over ties to drug racketeers, have been further remanded till the 4 of August. The order was issued by Colombo Chief Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne this afternoon. Several officers of the Police Narcotics Bureau were arrested, detained and questioned over the past few weeks for selling a stock of confiscated narcotics to drug racketeers and for assisting them in transporting narcotics. more..

Jul 21 (EN) Demand for Sri Lanka�s apparel exports is still weak, though much better than feared at the beginning of the Coronavirus crisis and the industry is also seeing competition in personal protective equipment, an industry official said. The industry�s key focus is to survive the next few months and be ready for a pick in global demand in 2021, SL Apparel Exporters more..

Jul 21 (TI) Telangana Police busted an international kidney racket that was spread across foreign shores as far as Sri Lanka and Turkey for a hefty amount by luring poor and unsuspecting people. The police said one person had been arrested and �it seemed that the racket had been operating since long�. The incident came to light when a family who had paid Rs 34 lakh for a kidney complained to the police. Police in Hyderabad arrested 25-year-old DS Pavan Srinivas, a native of Guntur in Andhra more..

Jul 21 (CT) Following instructions received from President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the Urban Development Authority (UDA) has taken measures to provide new houses to low-income families in Delgahawatta, Madiwela and to 12 families living without authorisation in the area. The Ministry of Urban Development, Water Supply and Housing Facilities, issuing a Media release, stated that these families had been residing illegally in Delgahawatta, Madiwela in the recent past and due to more..

Jul 21 (DM) Harini Amarasuriya is a national list nominee of the National People�s Power (NPP). A renowned academic, she began her activism in 2011 with the FUTA and has been a vocal supporter of the NPP. Q: Your educational and professional qualifications? A: PhD in Social Anthropology from the Uni of Edinburgh, UK. Senior Lecturer at the Open University of SL, Department of Social Studies. Researcher. more..

Jul 21 (AD) Two additional days have been declared for postal voters, who were unable to mark their ballot so far. They will accordingly be allowed to mark their absentee votes on the 24th and 25th of July at their respective District Election Offices. On Friday (24), the postal voting will take place between 8.30am and 4pm, meanwhile, on Saturday (25) the process will go on from 8.30am to 2pm. The postal voting process of the General Election 2020 came to an end at 4 pm this evening. more..