Jul 26 (ST) The decision of the Sports Ministry to hear pleas of three former cricketers and a cricket board employee over what they called unjust suspension on allegations of corruption had opened up a debate with some arguing the ministry has no jurisdiction over matters concerning the ICC � the global body investigating the charges. Cricketers Avishka Gunawardana, Nuwan Zoysa and Dilhara Lokuhettige � and the video analyst more..

Jul 26 (SO) Former Test batsman Malinda Warnapura has been appointed as SL high performance batting coach. Warnapura made his SL Test debut in 2007 and scored a swashbuckling innings of 120 against the West Indies before retiring at a very young age in 2009. He is the son of former Colts cricketer Upali Warnapura and the nephew of SL�s first Test cricket captain Bandula Warnapura. A product of St. Peter�s College, Warnapura started his career in 1994 while leading the U-15 team more..

Jul 26 (ST) In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and an alarming increase in criminal activities involving prisoners in jails, video conferencing and tele-presence technology in court rooms and prisons will soon become a reality in Sri Lanka. The Ministry of Justice will be introducing video conferencing solution under a courts �prison collaborative entrusting Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT) to carry out this task. According to the initial plan 20 courts will be linked up with the same number of prisons more..

Jul 26 (ST) The Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (TRC) has embarked on a mission to wipe out the dark spots or areas with low connectivity by investing Rs.1 billion in a project that will ensure total connectivity across the country. �We are using part of the Telco Development Levy (TDL) to set up base stations starting from Ratnapura to negate the accessibility issues in areas that experience call drops,� more..

Jul 26 (ST) The inaugural Dialog Schools Rugby League Championship is highly unlikely to recommence this year with many issues surrounding the competition and its logistics. Officials of the SL Schools Rugby Football Association (SLSRFA), Sri Lanka Rugby and sponsors Dialog Axiata PLC have sat down for a meeting, to discuss the future of the competition, which was stalled after the first week itself on March 12. According to reliable sources, the Dialog Schools League will most probably more..

Jul 26 (EN) SL�s state-run Lanka Fertilizer Ltd (Lak Pohora) and Colombo Commercial Fertilizer Ltd has awarded contracts for 92,000 metric tonnes of fertilizer to three companies, the state information office said. The cabinet of ministers had approved the purchase of 60,000 metric tonnes of Urea (Granula) from Valiancy Int'l Trading (Pvt) Ltd from 259.99 dollars a tonne. 7,319 metric tonnes of Urea (field) will be purchased form Agrifert Liven Int'l Private Ltd for 266.48 dollars a tonne. more..

Jul 26 (ST) Questions are being asked about why the Sports Ministry is rushing ahead with the proposed Sports University project without have the required legal provisions passed. Dr. Chandra Embuldeniya, Chair of the expert panel that carried out a feasibility study for the Sports University which is a part of the Govt�s national policy framework, suggests a law similar to the Indian Sports University Act which more..

Jul 26 (SO) It may look one of the healthiest sports on the outside but deep down inside, Sri Lanka�s rugby set-up could just be waiting for a total collapse unable to keep abreast with current demands as the sport�s administration is about to change hands in what is been seen as a final make or break chapter. Apart from schools rugby that has kept the flame alight, club and national rugby in the country has hit abysmal levels save for the existence of one entity, Kandy Sports Club, more..

Jul 26 (TM) Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) has kept on hold the waste reception licenses of around 12 private companies engaged in ship waste disposal activities in SL, due to the failure to adhere to the necessary rules and regulations. MEPA General Manager (GM) said the decision was taken after the cancellation of the Environmental Protection Licenses (EPLs) of those companies by the CEA following a survey conducted by the two authorities recently. more..

Jul 26 (TM) The UK�s Environmental Agency has agreed to accept the controversial waste containers exported to Sri Lanka by a UK company, according to Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ) Chairman Attorney-at-Law Ravindranath Dabare. The waste containers would be accepted once the ongoing inquiry against the UK company that exported the containers is completed. more..

Jul 26 (ST) After nearly 5 years, an Australian company has finally secured approval to set up two waste recycling plants in Katunayake and Bingiriya with both set to provide at least 20 megawatts of electricity plus organic fertiliser. Endeavour Energy Corporation, an Australian-based int'l corporate entity, is the investor that has been knocking on the doors to seek approval for the investment. But its problems are not over yet. Approvals sought since 2017 from CEB are yet to be given. more..

Jul 26 (AD) People who are in quarantine centres and those who are undergoing self-isolation will get the opportunity to mark their votes of the General Election 2020 on the 31st of July. This was confirmed by the Election Commission following the discussions held with the representatives of political parties, GMOA and the Public Health Inspectors Association. During the talks chaired by the Chairman of the Election Commission, Mahinda Deshapriya, focus fell on the voting process more..

Jul 26 (AD) Prez Rajapaksa says that pre-schools will be brought under the purview of a Ministry in order to resolve issues concerning this system. During Prez�s recent visits to several areas, problems faced by pre-school teachers were bought to his attention. Last Thursday, nursery teachers from Galle too discussed their difficulties with the Prez. In response, Prez said measures are afoot to pay a monthly allowance more..

Jul 26 (TM) Govt and the private sector are looking at introducing an outgrower model for the plantation sector in response to demands made by trade unions for a wage hike. �We are talking on broader terms with the plantation companies to determine if we can establish an outgrower model with proper rules and regulations that would benefit the workers as well as the companies.� �That is one of the options forwarded by the trade unions in relation to proposed salary hike for plantation workers� more..

Jul 26 (TM) A system upgrade is required to implement the point system on driving licenses and therefore, the implementation of the system would require additional time, Police Media Spokesman said. �We need to establish a proper method on how the demerits would be awarded from each police precinct. Therefore, an update is needed in this regard to implement the point system for driving licenses,� he said. He added that this was the only issue preventing its implementation. more..

Jul 26 (ST) The destruction of a supposed archeological heritage site in Kurunegala�reportedly the royal pavilion of King Buwanekabahu II�caused outrage this week, even entering the political arena and prompting finger-pointing among Govt officials over who was responsible. The archeological value of the building was in dispute throughout the continuing controversy. New town was constructed during the British period more..

Jul 26 (TM) As of mid-July, the number of recorded child abuse cases reached 5,242 while sexual abuse cases of women stood at 1,642, the Police Media Division reported. During a parliamentary session held in early January, it was revealed that for the first 15 days of 2020, the number of child abuse cases had been at 54. In addition, incidents of rape had amounted to 142 and cases of serious sexual abuse to 42; these were reported from various police divisions in the country. more..

Jul 26 (AD) Seven suspects including two females, who had thrown heroin and other illegal substances over the Negombo Prison walls, have been taken into custody. The main suspect of this incident has been identified as an individual named Rukshan Nilanga, aged 31. 127g of heroin, 4kg of Kerala Cannabis and 300 narcotics pills were uncovered from the houses of the suspects. The two female arrestees are revealed to be a 21-year-old and a 28-year-old, residing in Colombo 14 and more..

Jul 26 (ST) There are more roadside stalls selling Durian and Rambuttan fruits all along a cross-country run on the main road from Colombo through four districts � Ratnapura, Badulla, Nuwara Eliya and Kandy � due to a glut from a rich yield. The only exception is in Nuwara Eliya where there is more. They are stalls with fresh vegetables. Strange but true, the prices, if not more, are as steep as those in Colombo and suburbs. more..

Jul 26 (TM) On 21 July 1977, exactly 43 years to the day, when J.R. Jayewardene�s UNP won 140 of the 168 seats in Parliament, the more enlightened of the 14 million Sri Lankans at the time would have expected the victor to put national unity at the top of the agenda, given the widening fissures between the majority and minority ethnic groups. Such expectations have been too much to ask of our politicians back then as much as it is today, where the very same electoral considerations more..

Jul 26 (CT) SL politics today is characterized by an absence and a presence; on the one hand by a mystery which no one raises a question about, and on the other, by something so obvious that I cannot understand why anyone is surprised. The absence is the lack of an obvious question: why are those who supported 19A then, opposed to it now, and why has JO/SLPP�s foundational strategy been completely inverted? The presence which is no less inexplicable is why is there a sense of surprise more..

Jul 26 (CT) The Govt had decided to accelerate the revival of stalled or under-performing and under-utilised State-owned ventures to realise the vision of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to revamp State-owned entities to its fullest potential, profitable and high-performing units to compete with the private sector. Enhancing the value of Colombo city as a top tourist attraction and establish investor-confidence. more..

Jul 26 (CT) This piece will address three aspects of the Millennium Challenge Deal (MCD). MCD-Sri Lanka is an offer of a grant of $480 million ($350m for Transport, $67m for a Land Project LP; the US Embassy Infographic is unclear on $63m). Traditionalists, nationalists and leftists object to LP�s intention to digitise deeds to improve tenure security and move land registration from a Deeds System to a Title Registration System. It is alleged that this is a furtive attempt to encourage more..

Jul 26 (ST) Thousands of migrant workers are stranded in West Asia; some have lost their jobs, others are not getting their wages while many more are forced to find accommodation and food on their own as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Several Asian countries like India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Nepal have been organising repatriation flights for their nationals but the numbers are too high to cope. In Sri Lanka�s case, more..

Jul 26 (SO) MP Namal Rajapaksa, Attorney-at-Law in an interview with the local media explained the Govt�s stand on various issues reiterating the efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus. Q: How does the current situation affect your election campaign? A: As we comply with the quarantine regulations there are no big rallies but meeting small groups and conducting house-to-house canvassing. more..

Jul 26 (ST) There is a measure of dreadfully coincidental irony in President Rajapaksa determining this week that Sri Lanka�s pre-colonial Antiquities Ordinance must be amended in order to reverse destruction caused to antiquities following a meeting held by his Buddhist Advisory Council even as public outrage grew over a 13th century Kings Court in Kurunegala being summarily torn down by the town�s ruling party mayor. The bulldozing of what is touted to be King Buvenekabahu�s more..

Jul 26 (ST) It should have been a simple open and shut case. A 13th century historical site, considered an archaeological reserve and protected under the Antiquities Ordinance of 1940, had been violated, bulldozed and reduced to rubble by an unknown gang of vandalisers in Kurunegala, with suspicion cast on the town�s mayor as the chief culprit. Police should have investigated the matter, interrogated the suspects &, if satisfied as to their guilt, filed criminal charges in court for wanton destruction. more..

Jul 26 (TM) With a little over a week to go for the 2020 general election, all political parties are now gearing to make its last push for the polls with full force. The caretaker Govt led by PM Mahinda Rajapaksa last week held its last cabinet meeting before the general election. The next cabinet meeting will be held once the new govt is formed and the ninth parliament holds its ceremonial opening. Until then, it is now officially the last stages of the general election campaign and more..

Jul 27 (Island) PM Mahinda Rajapaksa has undertaken to rid the Colombo city of slums and shanties by implementing housing projects for the low-income groups. We have heard this promise before. The late Prez R. Premadasa was the first to pledge to do so. He, in fact, made a serious effort to help the urban poor, but more than one half of the people in Colombo are said to be living in slums and shanties. Successive govts have adopted densification by way of a solution, more..

Jul 27 (CT) Ranjith Chandrasekara, Secretary to the State Ministry of Education and who�s in charge of sports, believes non-contact sports like Badminton, Table Tennis, Tennis and others, were in line to restart soon. According to Chandrasekera, only the Schools Tennis Association came up with a request to restart the game, while none of the other Associations made any request to restart their games. more..

Jul 27 (CT) An extensive investigation has been initiated following the shocking revelation of fifty records containing the details of crimes committed by a notorious underworld gangster called Samsunge Sampath Chamara alias Army Sampath going missing from the Grandpass Police Station in Colombo. The records which had gone missing, mysteriously, contained detailed of the crimes such as drug peddling, murders and extortions committed by the deadly underworld gangster. more..

Jul 27 (Island) Apologies to the voters who will cast their votes on 5th August in case if they feel that the noble act of discharging a civic duty is belittled by the title of this article. In fact, this election should have been the most serious of all, being conducted whilst most countries around the world are fighting hard to bring a nasty pandemic under control. Fortunately, Sri Lanka has done well allowing a general election to be held. Unfortunately, it has become funny in many ways; more..

Jul 27 (FT) To strengthen quality and preserve originality, the Export Development Board (EDB) has kicked-off licencing of Ceylon Spices trademark for qualifying producers, processors and exporters of cinnamon, pepper, clove, nutmeg and mace as well as cardamom. The latest initiative follows the EDB in September last year unveiling Ceylon Spice master brand as part of the latest global marketing initiative for the spice sector. more..

Jul 26 (TM) Apparel is one of Sri Lanka�s main exports that has given rise to many large-scale apparel manufacturers to penetrate several international markets and brands. However, smaller apparel manufacturers usually lack the same reach as these larger companies. In order to combat this issue, Chanodil, a UK-based start-up, is now giving local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and manufacturers a platform to reach international brands. more..

Jul 27 (CT) An unidentified gang attacked the Chavakachcheri, Kalvayal Grama Niladhari�s office and his house early morning yesterday and escaped before the neighbours and villagers arrived at the scene, according to Chavakachcheri Police. The gang forcibly entered the house of the Grama Niladhari with iron rods, wooden rods and swords and carried out this attack, Police said. They caused damage to the household items, doors and windows of the house and when they escaped more..

Jul 27 (TM) The CMEV has mapped out the Kurunegala, Nuwara Eliya, and Trincomalee Districts as having the greatest risk, should crowds be exposed to an asymptomatic person carrying the Covid-19 virus. This is according to a Covid-19 Risk Map designed and published by the CMEV, given the non-adherence to health guidelines by candidates as well as their supporters along their campaign trails. more..

Jul 27 (EN) SL needs hard reforms under an IMF program from a stable govt after elections to restore investor confidence and provide a stable policy environment for companies to operate, analysts said. SLPP of Prez Rajapaksa is widely expected to win upcoming parliamentary polls in August with insiders pushing for a two thirds majority. Two thirds majorities from 1978 however had brought constitutional changes that fostered illiberal arbitrary rule and undermining of the judiciary and more..

Jul 27 (FT) The Hotels Association of SL (THASL) welcomed the latest update of the UK travel advice on Sri Lanka, noting that it is timely and positive news for the industry. �This is very positive news for our travel industry and very timely. Although we may not see an immediate impact on arrivals as the country is closed for foreign visitors at the moment, it is an endorsement of the great steps taken by the country collectively in handling the virus and builds confidence for future travellers more..

Jul 27 (CT) Sri Lanka�s largest source of foreign exchange, worker remittances, which has come under serious threat due to the COVID-19 pandemic affecting the global economy, has shown a growth in June this year for the first time since the country went into lockdown in March. According to data released by CB, worker remittances increased 6.7% during June this year to US$ 572.5 million compared to US$ 536.6 million last year. more..