Jul 29 (Island) A pioneer in the bitumen business in Sri Lanka and established in 1964, Industrial Asphalts (Ceylon) PLC, a listed company, is going through a capital-raising exercise with the announcement of a rights issue. The company foresees rapid investment in infrastructure on the back of the govt's development initiatives. The infrastructure sector in general and roads sector in particular will be experiencing significantly higher growth rates from 2021 to 2025. more..

Jul 29 (DM) In the run up to last year�s Prez Elections, Facebook visibly increased its interactions in SL. Officials from the social media platform were in the island meeting with govt officials as well as those working outside of govt. Several officials who attended these meetings said that two traits stood out. There was no denying that Facebook wanted to be more active on SL. Equally clear was the desire for control. Facebook representatives sought to control how much of their involvement more..

Jul 29 (DM) Founder of SLPP Basil Rajapaksa responds to queries about the nomination of a large number of Rajapaksas to contest the elections, post pandemic economic challenges and his future role as a non-MP. Q: You spearheaded the task force dealing with economic activities during the pandemic. How challenging is to ensure economic recovery? A: It will be more challenging than saving lives from pandemic. more..

Jul 29 (Island) The manner in which Prez Rajapaksa is stumping for the SLPP candidates reminds us of the late Prez R. Premadasa�s presidential mobile service, which was launched to provide quick solutions to problems the ordinary people were facing, at the village level. Wherever President Rajapaksa goes, people jostle to submit a myriad of grievances to him, and he redresses some of them, then and there, and undertakes to address the others later. more..

Jul 29 (EN) Sri Lanka�s lockdown came swiftly, as a necessary measure to flatten the curve of COVID19. This put enormous pressure on a fragile food supply chain and a decimated food industry. Keeping a food shortage at bay to support the efforts of the medical frontline was the need of the hour. For a food manufacturer, this meant working in small numbers of critical employees and a complete transformation of complex operations to navigate unchartered terrain. more..

Jul 29 (Island) Exactly 24 years ago on this day, brushing shoulders against the world�s best, Sriyani Kulawansa clocked 12.91 seconds in a photo-finish in the women�s 100 metres hurdles at the Atlanta Olympics. She missed the semi-final by the skin of her teeth but it was a remarkable achievement as she made the presence of the Asian continent felt at the world�s biggest stage. She was the only Asian to reach that higher in a field more..

Jul 29 (DN) Former SL wicket keeper batsman Lanka de Silva has been appointed as the Interim Cricket Coach of Sri Lanka Women�s team from immediate effect and this decision was taken at the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) Executive Committee meeting held on Monday. The 45-year old Lanka de Silva played in in three tests and eleven one day Internationals for the Lankan side with a batting aggregate of 63.5 including two half centuries under captaincy of Arjuna Ranatunga, all in 1997. more..

Jul 29 (Island) The National Dengue Control Unit has warned of an increase in the number of patients diagnosed with dengue due to the rainy weather experienced in various districts. Entomological surveys report a high number of dengue cases in the latter part of this year in comparison to the beginning of the year. The National Dengue Control unit said 50% located in and around the Colombo Municipality had been identified as grounds conducive for the breeding of dengue mosquitoes. more..

Jul 29 (TM) The long-delayed global tourism campaign of Sri Lanka has been put on hold once again until SL tourism returns to its pre-pandemic levels, Ministry of Tourism & Civil Aviation Secretary S. Hettiarachchi said. After years of delay under consecutive govts, the campaign which was scheduled to be launched in Jan 2021 is now expected to be delayed further by several months as relevant authorities are still contemplating more..

Jul 29 (Island) Sri Lanka Cricket has informed their Bangladesh counterparts that the postponed series between the countries could be rescheduled for mid October provided the board gets the green light from the health authorities. The two countries were set to play three Tests in July but that was postponed due to outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic. However, with the situation now under control and travel restrictions expected to be released next month, SLC is confident of resuming int'l cricket. more..

Jul 29 (CT) The granting of international television rights for the deferred three-Test series between Sri Lanka and England due to the impact of COVID-19, which is now slated to kick off in January next year, is set to have run into problems. It is reliably learnt that SLC has decided to release Sony Pictures Network, an Indian firm which had hither to been the owner of television rights for international cricket here, and to call for fresh tenders. The series between SL and England was originally more..

Jul 29 (FT) The Govt has announced wide-ranging tax exemptions for the Colombo International Financial Center (CIFC) Mixed Development Project within the upcoming Colombo Port City. Minister Prasanna Ranatunga has issued the relevant Gazette, granting the concessions under the Strategic Development Project to set up the CIFC Project, which will consist of five iconic vertical towers at the Port City premises in Colombo. more..

Jul 29 (DM) Amid govt plans to hold discussions with the Indian government and the Indian Oil Company (IOC) on reclaiming 25 oil tanks in the Trincomalee fuel storage complex CEYPETCO is exploring the possibility of wooing a foreign investor to build a new oil tank complex at Hambantota, Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said. He said India had been informed of SL's need to take back 25 fuel storage tanks from the Trincomalee complex given to the IOC on a 30-year lease agreement signed in 1993 more..

Jul 29 (DM) Lanka IOC PLC reported extremely sluggish revenues, resulting in a deeper loss during the 3 months to June 30, 2020, as the demand for gasoline was at its lowest since much of the quarter remained economically inactive amid COVID-19 lockdowns. Company reported revenues of Rs.10.7 billion during the April-June 2020 period, down 42% from Rs.18.4 billion in the year earlier period, recording perhaps the worst decline in the revenues for the company in a single quarter. more..

Jul 29 (PMD) President Gotabaya Rajapaksa says Colombo will be developed under a well-designed plan while addressing main issues faced by the people. Lack of housing facilities, difficulty in garbage disposal and flooding are some of the issues affecting the people in the district. The said programme will resolve these problems. President made these remarks while touring the Colombo district today (28) more..

Jul 29 (CT) International Institute of Health Science (IIHS), a leading healthcare education institute recently announced the offering of Doctor of Nursing programme to address the healthcare training needs of the nurses of South Asia. The Doctor of Nursing degree programme is a four-year coursework and dissertation-based international programme offered by the Open University Malaysia (OUM) and is relevant for nurses in administrative and educational roles. more..

Jul 29 (Island) Department of Meteorology yesterday warned of strong winds, rough seas and heavy rains in most parts of the country during the next couple of days. The rainy weather, particularly in the south-western part of the country is expected to enhance to some extent today due to a low level atmospheric disturbance in the vicinity of Sri Lanka. Heavy showers above 150 mm are likely at some places in Western, Sabaragamuwa and Central provinces and in Galle and Matara districts. more..

Jul 29 (Island) A 3-member committee appointed to probe the alleged financial malpractice at the Central Cultural Fund has found that over Rs. 11 billion was misappropriated during the 3-year period from 2016 to 2019. The committee handed over its report to PM Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday. The report has revealed an unauthorised removal of Rs. 400 million from the Fund during the presidential election in 2019. more..

Jul 29 (Island) The interest paid to Employees Trust Fund members had been reduced to 8% in 2019, C. Mallikarachchi ETF Deputy General Manager -Member Services said. Interest paid to members was 9% in 2018. A group called the Organization to Protect ETF has sent a letter to Prez Rajapaksa informing him that there are serious issues with the management of the fund. The letter has said: "Given the present situation we urge you to appoint an expert on finance to head the fund. more..

Jul 29 (AD) COVID-19 cases confirmed in Sri Lanka escalated to 2,809 as two more persons tested positive for the virus today (28). One of them is a contact of a novel coronavirus patient at the Senapura Rehabilitation Centre and the other positive case is an arrival from the UAE. Two other arrivals from the UAE were also confirmed COVID-19 positive this evening. According to statistics, 502 patients infected with the virus are currently under medical care at hospitals. more..

Jul 29 (AD) The high court has ruled at the conduct of SJB is an attempt to harm the UNP, says the party leader Ranil Wickremesinghe. He made this remark defending the decision taken by the UNP�s Working Committee on Tuesday (28) while addressing a public meeting held in Rambukkana. The UNP�s Working Committee on Tuesday approved the removal of party memberships of 115 members. more..

Jul 29 (CT) Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has decided to conduct a disciplinary inquiry against batsman Kusal Mendis, who is accused of causing a motor accident that resulted in the death of a person. It is said that such a disciplinary inquiry has been proposed as a measure to prevent unfortunate incidents of this nature by cricketers. SLC has the authority to conduct disciplinary inquiries against contract players. Meanwhile, Kusal Mendis who agreed to pay Rs. 1 million as compensation to more..

Jul 29 (EN) Over 1.2 million new votes are expected to be cast in the upcoming parliamentary election which is scheduled to be held on Aug 5 this year. According to the data published by the Election Commission, 1,219,395 new voters have registered for the 2020 parliamentary elections since the 2015 polls. EC data showed a total of 16,263,885 voters have registered to vote at the upcoming election, 31.95% of them being youth voters in the ages 18-25 and 1.67% first time voters. more..

Jul 29 (Island) State Intelligence Service (SIS) had, in 2018, warned former minister of law and order, Ranjith Maddumabandara that the proliferation of places of worship, especially mosques, could lead to conflict between various religious groups, former SIS Director, Nilantha Jayawardena told PCoI. Jayawardena said he had, in that report, highlighted the fact that those places of worship were being established without following proper more..

Jul 29 (FT) At the onset of this pandemic, employers became concerned about their employees. Initially, their prime concern was combatting the health risks of COVID-19 and ensuring the wellbeing of the staff. Then companies found that they have to struggle with the emotional repercussions of the disturbed, locked-down minds of the staff owing to the pandemic. For example, many employees started worrying about the future of their jobs. As a result, companies had to deal with their more..

Jul 29 (FT) An opportunity has emerged for Sri Lanka to attract high quality Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) in the prevailing COVID-19 backdrop. The study has identified the biggest pain point which influences the lack of FDIs being non-conducive policy. Policy reform will serve as a critical enabler that will set-in place the appropriate ecosystem to attract FDIs into SL. Critical cogs in the wheel of FDIs will need to be identified, relevant policy streamlined & bottlenecks eliminated. more..

Jul 29 (AD) Commissioner General of Elections Mr. Saman Sri Ratnayake says a separate date will not be allocated for those who are under self-isolation and quarantine to mark their votes for the General Election 2020. These individuals can cast their votes on the 5th of Aug after 5 pm, he said. Mr. Ratnayake further noted that all necessary measures have been taken to carry out this year�s parliamentary election in compliance with the health guidelines put in place by the health authorities. more..

Jul 29 (DM) Former Prez Chandrika Kumaratunga has returned four of the allocated fleet of vehicles for her office to the Presidential Secretariat earlier this month considering the financial constraints of the govt. A spokesman for Ms. Kumaratunga said she was ready to return another vehicle allocated to her office shortly. She said in a letter addressed to Secretary to the Prez P. B. Jayasundara, that she had been allocated nine vehicles for her personal use and another three vehicles more..

Jul 29 (FT) Today (29) is the 33rd third anniversary of the Indo-Lanka Accord. It was on 29 July 1987 that former Indian PM Rajiv Gandhi and then SL President Junius Richard Jayewardene signed in Colombo the agreement between India and SL known as the Indo-Lanka Accord along with two letters described as annexures. The Indo-Lanka Accord at that time brought an end to the ongoing armed conflict between SL armed forces more..

Jul 29 (EN) Sri Lanka produced 129.04 million tonnes of tea in the first half of 2020 down 18.76% from a year earlier, and exported 129 million tonnes, down 14.5%, with Iraq, Turkey, Russia and Iran the top buyers. Sri Lanka saw production and sales disruption after a Coronavirus lockdown was imposed on March 20, but the sector gradually came back to operation as the govt selectively allowed economic activity to resume. Iraq had bought 16.2 million tonnes in the first half of 2020, more..

Jul 29 (Island) State Intelligence Service (SIS) had maintained its balance when sharing intelligence with the previous govt, which was divided, former State Intelligence Service (SIS) Director and SDIG of Eastern Province, Nilantha Jayawardena on Monday night, informed the PCoI investigating the Easter Sunday attacks. Jayawardena told PCoI that the previous govt comprised two political parties and he and his outfit had to be careful when sharing information with such an administration. more..

Jul 29 (AD) Former Director of State Intelligence Service (SIS) Nilantha Jayawardena revealed at the PCoI that Mawlawi Naufer, who is currently under arrest, had served as the theoretician of the banned-terror group National Thowheed Jamaath (NTJ). He said that Mawlawi Naufer, who had lived in Qatar for 19 years, had played a role at NTJ similar to the role played by Anton Balasingham in the LTTE. more..

Jul 29 (AD) The two Negombo Prison�s Chief Jailors Sarath Bandara and Nishantha Senarathna, who surrendered to the Negombo Magistrate�s Court earlier today, have been remanded until the 4th of Aug. The verdict was delivered when the duo was produced before Negombo Magistrate. Arrest warrants had been issued on them for allegedly providing special facilities to inmates. On July 22, the CID, on the directives of the Attorney General, obtained arrest warrants from more..

Jul 29 (EN) SL�s Finance Companies which have seen rising bad loans as the rate cuts of April 2018 triggered currency collapses, will be continue to be hit due to the latest import control imposed after the 2020 money printing, analysts said. A regulatory push for further consolidation is also expected by some. Central Bank made a pro-cyclical rate cut in April 2018 and injected money through open market operations, amid a so-called buffer strategy to enforce the cuts as credit recovered. more..

Jul 29 (EN) Sri Lanka will fly home some 600 migrant workers from Abu Dhabi and Dubai on July 31 and Aug 1, but begin full repatriation flights after the elections on Aug 9, senior officials said. They said that flights from other countries are also scheduled. Repatriation flights from the Middle East, in particular, were stopped after the breakout of COVID 19 at the Kandakadu Rehabilitation centre in Polonnaruwa in early July. more..

Jul 29 (TM) Former MP Harsha de Silva today claimed that the govt was withholding first quarter GDP data. Speaking to reporters out side the Census and Statistics Department (DCS), the former MP said that the Department had still not released data on first quarter GDP growth rate. �I spoke to the officials of the Department today with regard to the delay in releasing the relevant data.� �We know for a fact that the GDP growth rate is negative for the first quarter. more..

Jul 29 (AD) Vice President of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) K. Mathivanan has resigned from his position. Mr. Mathivanan says he officially tendered his resignation letter to the administration of the cricket governing body. In his letter of resignation addressed to the Secretary of SLC Mohan de Silva, the vice president says he will be stepping down with immediate effect, however he does not cite any reasons for the abrupt decision. Mathivanan was elected as one of the 2 vice presidents of more..

Jul 29 (DM) The Education Ministry had decided to restart all Govt and Govt approved private schools from Aug 10 under several stages following recommendations of the health officials. Education Minister Dullas Alahapperuma said only Grade 11, 12 and 13 were reopened from July 27. Only these students would be allowed to schools until Friday (31), he said. Meanwhile, the Ministry also decided to close all schools for 3 days more..

Jul 29 (NR) Jayantha Dharmadasa has been appointed as the new Vice President of Sri Lanka Cricket following the resignation of K Mathivanan from his position. Issuing a statement, SLC said the Executive Committee at its Emergency Meeting held this afternoon, approved the new appointment. Mathivanan who held the post of Vice President of SLC tendered his resignation today and the Cricket Board has accepted the resignation. SLC said the resignation of Mathivanan more..