June 8 (AD) More Sri Lankans wishing to return to Sri Lanka amidst the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak have arrived at the BIA early this morning (07). The group from England arrived from the Heathrow Airport in London on a SriLankan Airlines charter flight at 02.51 am today. Accordingly, a total of 278 Sri Lankan arrived on the flight and the passengers and their luggage had been disinfected. The flight crew, as well as the passengers, was subjected to PCR testing at the airport premises itself. more..

June 8 (Island) TNA leader R. Sampanthan has urged PM Mahinda Rajapaksa to spearhead fresh initiative to introduce a new Constitution. In a message issued to congratulate PM, on his completion of 50 years in active politics, Sampanthan said: "A strong leader with the support of the people is required to fulfill this urgent and compulsory need. Mahinda Rajapaksa is, undoubtedly, in that position. more..

Jun 8 (FT) COVID-19 has not gone away, but its deadly impact on peoples� life and livelihood has been managed with different degrees of success in different countries, depending on the quality and availability of medical expertise, equipment and hospital facilities, and above all, on the willingness of people to abide by the advice and instructions issued by their govts and authorities. Hundreds of thousands had died and millions have been are infected. While saving human life is more..

Jun 8 (AD) The Court of Appeal has issued an interim order suspending the hearing the case of the interdicted High Court Judge Gihan Pilapitiya at the Nugegoda Magistrate�s Court. Appeal Court Judge Bench consisting of President of the Appeal Court Justice A.H.M.D Nawaz and Justice Sobhitha Rajakaruna, today (08), concluded that the case will be heard once a writ application filed by the interdicted HC Judge Gihan Pilapitiya seeking an interim injunction order is considered. more..

Jun 8 (DM) Ministry of Health states that a total of 21 new cases of Covid-19 were detected within yesterday. 16 of them are returnees from Kuwait who are currently at Trinco and Minneriya quarantine centres. Two patients are returnees from Qatar who are undergoing quarantine at Ampara while another two had returned from the UK. The other patient is a returnee from Bangladesh who is at the Rantambe quarantine centre. This brings the total number of confirmed cases reported in SL to 1,835. more..

Jun 8 (DN) In a landmark Judgment, the Supreme Court held that the Court of Appeal could exercise its revisionary jurisdiction against an Order or Judgment pronounced by the Provincial High Court under Article 154P (3)(b) of the Constitution. The Judgment was delivered by Supreme Court three-judge-bench comprising Justice Buwaneka Aluwihare, Justice Vijith K. Malalgoda and Justice L. T. B. Dehideniya. It is for the first time in SL�s legal history, it has been held by the SC that more..

Jun 8 (EN) The US has given 48,000 masks, safety goggles and isolation gowns with hoods to SL�s Disaster Management Centre in a bid to boost the emergency response capacity during the Coronavirus crisis. �The US is proud to assist SL�s frontline responders as they care for Sri Lankans suffering from Coronavirus,� US Ambassador Alaina B. Teplitz was quoted as saying in a statement, �Helping to protect these healthcare workers more..

Jun 8 (FT) The business cycle theory presented by the Russian economist of the early 20th century, Nikolai Kondratieff (in Russian Kondratiev) has received attention of the mainstream economists in the West only recently. Until about the early 1990s, he had been relatively unknown, though his theory had had a profound impact on the understanding of business cycles. There was a reason for it. Except a few articles published in leading economics journals in the West, all his writings, more..

Jun 8 (Island) SLPP Gampaha District candidate, Dr. Nalaka Godahewa, told pocket meetings in some parts of the district that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa required the parliamentary support to ensure the successful implementation of his programme of action, unveiled at the last presidential poll, in Nov 2019. Acknowledging that the coronavirus pandemic had caused a setback, Dr. Godahewa said that the President was determined to go ahead with his project. more..

Jun 8 (AD) A strong objection had arisen against UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe at a meeting held with the UNP trade unions. A meeting of UNP trade unions including the Jathika Sevaka Sangamaya was held at the UNP Headquarters Sirikotha this morning. The meeting was attended by UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, Assistant Leader Ravi Karunanayake, General Secretary Akila Viraj Kariyawasam, and more..

Jun 8 (FT) The current crisis compels us to review all our operations from a ground zero position without taking knee jerk reactions. Experts who have examined many organisations that have survived major crisis whether they are internal or external driven, tell us one of the most important things is to consider what is the core purpose of the organisation, what are the core capabilities of the organisations and what are the strategic steps that must be taken leveraging them. more..

Jun 8 (TM) Several unauthorised devices including mobile phones were uncovered in the prison cell of notorious drug kingpin Kanjipani Imran at the Boossa Prison in Galle on Saturday. The illegal equipment was discovered during a special search operation carried out by the STF at the prison. The contraband had been concealed in the ceiling of Kanjipani Imran�s cell. A smartphone, a normal mobile phone, two SIM cards, a phone charger, and a hands-free device have been seized. more..

Jun 8 (AD) The date for holding the General Election will be declared within this week, stated the Elections Commission a short while ago. The Elections Commission is currently holding a press conference regarding the General Election 2020, in Colombo. Earlier today, the members of the Elections Commission convened to decide on the date to hold the upcoming general election. Chairman of the Commission Mahinda more..

Jun 8 (DM) The Govt had reportedly suspended repatriating Sri Lankans who were stranded in the Middle East until the General Elections were over, JSB Colombo District candidate Dr Harsha de Silva alleged today. He demanded the Govt to bring all stranded Sri Lankans in the Middle East to SL without delay. �Govt is of the opinion that bringing Lankans from Middle East would hinder their election campaign and become a disadvantage as more Covid-19 cases can be reported,� more..

Jun 8 (TM) Ministry of Education is to make a final call on whether to postpone the A/L and Grade Five Scholarship exams scheduled to take place in August after a decision is made on the date of the impending parliamentary election. Secretary to the Ministry of Education N.H.M. Chithrananda stated that based on the Election Commission�s (EC) decision today on declaring the date of holding the election, the Ministry will consult Department of Examinations on postponing the A/L exam. more..

Jun 8 (Island) Federation of National Organizations (FNO) spokesperson, Dr. Gunadasa Amarasekera, cautioned the current political leadership as regards on-going talks between govt and TNA. Referring to the top TNA leadership, having talks with PM Mahinda Rajapaksa, at his official residence, immediately after attending a meeting at Temple Trees, boycotted by all other political parties, Dr. Amarasekera said that more..

Jun 8 (AD) In a backdrop where the COVID-19 outbreak has been controlled and a suitable environment for holding the election has been facilitated, the behavior of certain officials of the Election Commission is controversial, says Prof. Rohana Lakshman Piyadasa. The former General Secretary of SLFP mentioned this during a press conference held in Kandy yesterday. Prof. Piyadasa says that the opinions of certain members of the Elections Commission are debatable. more..

Jun 8 (EN) Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena says that the arriving US diplomat who was controversially allowed to exit the BIA without a PCR test has subsequently been tested. Gunewardena said the diplomat in question had been allowed to leave without the test not because of fear or love for any country but due to an unclarified clause related to diplomatic privileges. He said that once the clause was clarified within the same day and the diplomat was brought back to do the PCR test. more..

Jun 8 (EN) Police hq is confirming that the three police officers involved in the alleged assault of an autistic teen in Dharga town last month have been interdicted because they did not arrest him. Police Media Dept said that there was dereliction of duty on the part of the three officers because they did not detain the 16-year old. �He should have been arrested,� police said because he was wandering around during a curfew. more..

Jun 8 (TM) Police has obtained court orders preventing protests from being staged in front of the US and Chinese Embassies in Colombo. Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) was to stage an protest in front of the U.S. Embassy in Colombo tomorrow against the killing of George Floyd. The protest themed I can�t breathe was to staged at 1 pm tomorrow. A Court order was also obtained against the National Movement for Consumer Rights Protection from staging a protest on 8,9,10 or 11th June more..

Jun 8 (TM) PAFFREL is to deploy more than 340 election observers during pre-election period, PAFFREL Executive Director Rohana Hettiarachchi said. He said following the declaration of the election date by the Election Commission today, PAFFREL will deploy its pre-election observers to monitor election propaganda activities. Hettiarachchi speaking further said PAFFREL will deploy 1000 election observers for postal voting and 3000 election observers during general election. more..

Jun 8 (Island) he 104 MW wind power project, in Mannar, would contribute to the national grid by the end of August and it would also make a cost saving of Rs. 10 billion annually. CEB Chairman, Vijitha Herath, said that already 12 towers had been installed and another 18 were to be erected. He termed the project as the largest and most economical among the Wind Power projects here. "Our next target is to harness more..

Jun 8 (AD) The Sri Lankan Department of Immigration has extended the validity period of all types of visas issued to all foreigners currently in Sri Lanka up to 11th July, 2020, as many were unable to get an appointment before the previous deadline of June 11. Accordingly, All applicants are advised to pay the relevant visa fee and get the visa endorsed in the Passport by securing an appointment on or before 11th July 2020 using the following online link. https://eservices.immigration.gov.lk/vs more..

Jun 8 (TM) The public has been requested to report fraudsters using Prez Rajapaksa�s name to exert influence and derive favours from officials of govt institutes. �It has come to light that certain individuals are using the President�s name, forging his signature and submitting forged documents to exert influence on officials of Ministries, Departments and Govt Corporations,� PMD said in a statement. PMD said information about such scammers should be provided to the Presidential Secretariat. more..

Jun 8 (EN) The opposition is accusing the govt of collecting personal data that can be used to threaten or intimidate citizens. Lawyer Shiral Lakthilaka, a National List nominee from the Samagi Jana Balavegaya, told reporters that the recent collection of data done by the police accompanied by unidentified civilians is part of a Big Data project the Intelligence Agencies in the country have been wanting to do for several years. more..

Jun 8 (DN) As at 1pm today, Colombo�s air pollution status stood at a Good level of 42, as measured by PM 2.5 (fine particulate matter). The �good' level, which ranges from 0-50, means the air quality � is considered satisfactory, and air pollution poses little or no risk,� according to the Air Quality Index (AQI) categorizations. Colombo�s air pollution status will stand at 'good� level today and tomorrow, NBRO said citing the AQI predictions of the US Embassy in Colombo. more..

Jun 8 (FT) Minister Prasanna Ranatunga pulled no punches yesterday when he criticised former Prez Sirisena for decisions taken when he was in office, saying that even though he now heads the alliance formed between the SLPP and SLFP, that does not absolve him of negative decisions made when he was in office. He said the SLPP had only made an agreement with the SLFP to contest the forthcoming General Election and not specifically with Sirisena. It was only due to the alliance with the SLFP, more..

Jun 8 (AD) Prez Rajapaksa has instructed the heads of all govt institutions and their directors to refrain from engaging in any political activities during the forthcoming General Election. Accordingly the heads and members of the Board of Directors of govt institutions including state corporations and statutory boards appointed by the incumbent government are instructed to refrain from engaging in any political activities for more..

Jun 9 (GV) In what must surely count as one of the most hilarious, unintentionally ironic and terrifying proclamations ever uttered by a modern head of state, Prez Rajapaksa has established a task force to create a virtuous, disciplined and lawful society in the country. Terrifying: the body, led by Defense Secretary Kamal Gunaratne, consists almost exclusively of high-ranking Sinhalese military officers. They�ll guarantee the body count rises. Ironic: many of the Force, beginning with more..

Jun 9 (ST) For several years, the authorities, essentially based on requests from the tourist and travel industry, have been contemplating building a multi-purpose events and exhibition centre in or around Colombo, ideally within a distance of 10-15 km. Many proposals have been made during previous regimes but these proposals, after initial interest, have not taken off. For exhibitions and conventions, SL�s main venue is BMICH and adjoining Sirimavo Bandaranaike Memorial more..

Jun 9 (TM) Not many of us experience having to light a hearth in the wee hours of the morning to boil a pot of water or keep the embers alive to continue the days� cooking. But prior to the 1980s, almost all houses in SL had an outdoor kitchen which had a covering to protect it from the rain, so the cooking could continue even during the rainy season. Cooking was a task of its own in any household with sourcing firewood to light more..

Jun 9 (ST) The SL economy cannot recover until the global pandemic is contained and international trade recovers. Even achieving last year�s low level of output and growth is not possible without the resuscitation of international trade. Nevertheless there are signs of economic recovery. Economic enterprises that are reviving would hopefully gain momentum and other economic activities too would commence production. It is also important that economic activities that were least affected more..

Jun 9 (CT) As the protests against the racist killing of black George Floyd are taking momentum in the US, the subject of police brutality is coming to the public fore, casting doubt on the role of the Police as peace officers and their impartiality. In Sri Lanka too, the unacceptable conduct of some rogue sections of the Police forces are being highlighted in the social media in the form of corruption as well as brutality. A Young autistic Muslim boy of 14 years Tariq Ahamed was recently seen to be tortured more..

Jun 9 (TM) Prior to Covid-19, SL struggled with managing its clinical waste with illegal and irresponsible dumping observed on several occasions with outsourced private companies failing to adhere to the guidelines that were agreed upon. With a highly infectious virus still threatening to derail the country�s day-to-day activities, it has also presented more challenges that need to be tackled, with short-term and long-term plans. more..

Jun 9 (DM) It is amazing and difficult to believe that so many white Americans, Europeans and Australians have so far been anti-racists or against white supremacist views as they are being seen after the killing of George Floyd, an African American by an American policeman on May 25. Demonstrations are being held in hundreds of cities in the US against the killing with demonstrators carrying placards with slogans Black lives matter, No justice-No peace and I can�t breathe, more..

Jun 9 (DM) Last week Prez Rajapaksa established a Presidential Task Force to build a Secure Country, Disciplined, Virtuous and Lawful Society. The title might sound grimly comical, right off the 1984 or the local comedy, Puswedilla. But the trigger was well known: a shooting in Moratuwa blamed on an underworld rivalry. The incident received wide media coverage, and was an embarrassment to the govt and especially the president who had been elected on a promise to uphold the law and order. more..

Jun 9 (CT) SriLankan Airlines Chairman Ashok Pathirage who was once supposed to testify against Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa in the D.A. Rajapaksa Memorial case, concocted his plan in packing off over 400 staff on compulsory leave without pay, in the plush comfort of his own Softlogic Office CT can reveal today. The meeting was chaired by Chairman Pathirage himself and attended by Committee Members representing the Airline Pilots Guild of SL, Nidhas Sevaka Sangamaya, more..

Jun 9 (TM) A would-be hub of Indo-Pacific commerce and global tourist gem, Sri Lanka was already struggling to deliver on grand visions before the coronavirus crisis struck the world economy. The next few months may determine its ability to avert a painful debt restructuring. The South Asian nation is locked in talks with the International Monetary Fund for emergency-financing aid, after its second longer-term program with the fund in less than a decade expired last Tuesday. more..