Jun 9 (AD) A large amount of money cash being transported to the Colombo General Hospital has been robbed at gunpoint, stated the Police. An amount of nearly Rs 35 million has been robbed in this manner. Reportedly, the money was being transported to pay the overtime salaries of the hospital employees. The perpetrator had fled the scene after robbing the money. However, the Maradana Police have managed to arrest the suspect at the Punchi Borella area. more..

Jun 9 (DM) In line with the Govt�s decision to re-open all govt schools from June 29 in four stages, all Catholic schools will also be re-opened on the same dates, National Director of Catholic Schools Fr. Ivan Perera said. He said they would also follow the Govt�s decision with regard to re-opening of schools. "We have to abide by the Govt�s decisions taken during this pandemic as it has the best information with regard to the prevailing health issue in the country," Fr. Perera said. more..

Jun 9 (EN) Sri Lanka is raising concern over a press release issued by the UN which alleged that the govt has clamped down on the freedom of expression during the COVID 19 pandemic. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet on June 3 issued a press release which named a number of countries, including Malaysia, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar and SL as those which have arrested and prosecuted more..

Jun 9 (TM) Department of Inland Revenue has issued a revised circular for deduction of Withholding tax (WHT) and Advance Income Tax. The circular No SEC/2020/03 dated May 19 2020 has been replaced by this circular. The revised circular says that payment of any amount by any bank or institution as interest (excluding exempt interest) or similar payments such as discounts and income received from Islamic Finical translation (Referred in Section 32 of IRA) more..

Jun 9 (Island) More than 14,500 human-elephant conflicts (HEC) were recorded within nine years, a comprehensive countrywide analysis indicates. This is the first time a study of this nature has given details of deaths due to the HEC district wise. A total of 14,516 HEC incidents were recorded in the country during the 2010--2019 period, when 807 humans and 2,631 elephants were killed; 579 humans suffered injuries and 10,532 instances of property damage were reported. more..

Jun 9 (EN) Sri Lanka is planning a budget deficit of 8.5% of GDP in 2020 up from 6.8% a year earlier and a revenue loss 440 billion rupees following tax cuts, while capital expenses will be slashed. Sri Lanka is expecting tax revenues to fall 429 billion rupees to 1305 billion rupees and non-tax revenues by 11 billion rupees to 145 billion rupees, taking total revenues down 440 billion rupees to 1,450 billion rupees more..

Jun 9 (AD) 67 more COVID-19-positive patients have been discharged from hospitals today. Accordingly, SL�s recoveries count has moved up to 1,057. The new recoveries are reported from IDH (3), Welikanda Base Hospital (6), Colombo East Base Hospital (6), Iranawila Hospital (5), Welisara Navy Hospital (35) and Homagama Base Hospital (12). The coronavirus-positive cases confirmed in the country hiked to 1,857 on Monday (8) as 22 more persons tested positive for the virus. more..

Jun 9 (Island) A section of the Kurunegala Teaching Hospital, yesterday , held a demonstration in support of Director of the hospital, Dr. A. M.S. Weerabandara, who has been removed by the Ministry of Health. He was removed from the position in May after some staff of the Hospital had lodged a complaint with the Minister of Health that he was acting in a manner that hindered the anti-COVID-19 programme at the hospital. Dr. Weerabandara had refused to adhere to more..

Jun 9 (EN) Kumari is a 45-year-old mother of four living in Puttalam. She is a sex worker by trade. Today, with life brought to a virtual standstill by a global pandemic and with strict social distancing rules still in place in the absence of a verified vaccine, sex work has become prohibitively impractical and Kumari has no choice but to look for alternative avenues of income. COVID-19 has forced her to find temporary work in a more..

Jun 9 (PMD) Prez Rajapaksa reviewed the present status of the National Education Policy which is being formulated currently. Members of the Prez Task Force on SL Education updated the Prez on the current status of the formulation of the National Education Policy yesterday. National Education System is being restructured according to the theme of Equal learning opportunity for every child envisaged in the national policy framework, Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour. more..

Jun 9 (CT) A moulavi from a mosque in Dehiwala, testifying before the PCoI to investigate the Easter Sunday bombings on 21 April 2019, acknowledged that certain portions of the Quran contain elements that do not fit the present society. He said, this when the President's Counsel (PC) appearing for the Archbishop of Colombo, Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, questioned him about certain sections of the Quran. When the PC queried him as to whether a certain section of the Quran stated that a person who more..

Jun 9 (DM) A total of 53 individuals including Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) Politburo members Duminda Nagamuwa and Kumar Gunaratnam have been arrested for protesting outside the US Embassy in Kollupitiya violating a court order, Police Spokesman SP Jaliya Senaratne said. He said the suspects are to be produced in the Colombo Fort Magistrate Courts today. The Colombo Fort Magistrate yesterday issued an order more..

Jun 9 (Island) SL Scout Association launched the SL Scouts Care Covid-19 Pandemic Relief Project for 500 scouts and families in ten scout districts. The project provided dry rations, food items and medicines for needy families of scouts and leaders due to the lockdown situation in the country, SLSA said. The project was funded by the World Organisation of the Scout Movement by the Scouts Emergency Response Fund to Covid- 19. Ten scout districts that applied were given 50 relief more..

Jun 9 (Island) Grasshoppers detected at several places in the North were not the same pests found in the Southern districts, Agriculture Director of the Northern Province S. Sivakumar said on Sunday. Sivakumar told The Island that agriculture officials conducted an inspection after farmers from Kuppilani, Jaffna reported the detection of around 15 grasshoppers, which they feared were the same Yellow Spotted Grasshoppers that had become a threat to cultivations in other provinces. more..

Jun 9 (AD) Cash worth over Rs 7.9 million was robbed at gunpoint from the cashier of the Colombo National Hospital this afternoon. Reportedly, the money had been brought in for the payment of overtime salaries of hospital employees. The perpetrator had fled the scene in a three-wheeler following the robbery. However, hearing the commotion, two rookie police constables attached to the State Intelligence Service, more..

Jun 10 (CT) Supreme Court�s decision to deny leave to proceed in the eight cases filed before it regarding the dissolution of parliament and the date of the general election places a great responsibility in the hands of Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The SC�s decision means that he remains the sole national repository of the people�s mandate until such time as the general elections are held and a new parliament is elected. Although speculation centres around a date in August for those elections, more..

Jun 10 (GV) The murder of George Floyd in the United States has in the past week resulted in a renewed focus on Police violence, torture, brutality and impunity. Coincidentally, two cases of Police brutality and violence � those of Kavinda Isuru and Thariq Ahamed � have received a lot of attention on social media in SL, but unequally. Thariq�s case � of an autistic 14 year old whose brutal assault by the Police was captured on CCTV has received much more attention than Kavinda�s case more..

Jun 10 (CT) Someone asked me: �You have been reported in a Tamil paper as having said that what the SL Tamils want is the right to govern themselves. What is your solution to the ethnic Question?� My response was � I did say so. Let me start from pre-Independence days. Sri Lankans consider Rajapakse Wickremasekera Mudianselage Bandaranaike Monarawila Keppetipola, known as Keppetipola Disawe as a National Hero. more..

Jun 10 (GV) It is easy to feel disconnected from incidents of police brutality in the USA, and ongoing race-wars across the world that continue to marginalize and disenfranchise Black communities, when we fail to recognize our own connection to the issue at hand. The truth is that, regardless of where you are Sri Lankan in the world � be it a member of the diaspora, or a resident at home � Sri Lankans are complicit in systems of anti-Blackness. And, as long as colonial legacies continue to govern more..

Jun 10 (GV) Anti-blackness has no place in 2020, not even at your dining table. At dinner tonight, when that awkward silence creeps up, when those pregnant looks are exchanged, and your family decides to talk (or not to talk) about the murder of George Floyd, be the voice for the black community. It is important for us to remember that this is not just an American issue, we have to talk about where anti-blackness rears its ugly head in Sri Lanka, why it exists, and what we can do about it. more..

Jun 10 (DM) While the cause of death of the black leopard is yet to be known, conservationists raise concerns over lapses in enforcing the law on those who lay snares and traps. It is a known fact that people in the plantation sector lay snares and traps to protect their vegetable plots from animals such as pigs and wild boar. The trapped animals, when killed and sold for meat, in turn put some extra bucks on the table. more..

Jun 10 (DM) Castle Street Hospital which has played a pivotal role in improving the standards of maternal and child health care in SL with a dedicated staff turns 70 years this year. Today the hospital performs more than sixteen thousand deliveries per year besides offering a slew of services to patients with gynaecological and sub-fertility issues and also attends to the conditions of the new born babies. Its OPD, which operates round the clock, cares for over hundred thousand more..

Jun 10 (Island) Prez Rajapaksa has called upon all public officials to refrain from doing political work. There are laws and regulations governing the public service, and they do not permit state officials to engage in political work or spend public funds to humour politicians, but over the last several decades, the process of politicisation has reduced the state service to a handmaid of those in power. Public officials go out of their way to please ruling politicians and get away with more..

Jun 10 (DM) Sri Lanka plunged into a vortex of seething rage and sheer despair when the CCTV footage of a 14-year-old autistic boy being brutally assaulted by policemen triggered the public domain thus instigating a reign of agony and bellow of wrath. Not only did the surveillance videotape constrain people to hurl backlash at cops through a shrilling social media uproar latched on the trending hashtag #JusticeForThariq, it also prompted a belated probe on the detestable crime more..

Jun 10 (Island) The unprecedented split in the UNP has compelled the ITAK led TNA to change its political strategy. Having jointly engineered, with the LTTE, UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe�s defeat at the 2005 presidential polls, the TNA worked closely with the UNP, since 2010, till the last presidential polls. The TNA threw its weight behind the UNP picked presidential candidates, General Sarath Fonseka, Maithripala Sirisena and Sajith Premadasa, at the 2010 Jan, 2015 Jan, more..

Jun 10 (MB) Bundala is SL�s first Ramsar wetland and is popular with migratory and pelagic birds. The ibis nesting colony was discovered near a safari jeep track popular with tourists; but because all national parks across SL have been closed since mid-March in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the birds were able to enjoy undisturbed parenting time. Authorities now plan to keep this particular jeep track closed beyond the lockdown period to more..

Jun 10 (Island) Our Scholar Athletes are short-changed by the national and provincial school sports associations and school administrators, especially in cricket and soccer. The cricket matches for under 19 of Division I, II and III are scheduled by the National School Sports Association. The tournament matches are scheduled nationally. That is a school from one province travel to another province to play a two innings match. For example, Division III Jaffna Central College travel to a school more..

Jun 10 (ST) Uzbekistan and China grabbed major honours by emerging champions at the Asian Junior Boys/Girls online Rapid Chess Championships 2020 conducted by the Asian Chess Federation worked off from May 27 to June 4 at the chess.com site. The boys finals which was worked off on Thursday turned out to be an absorbing game and after a long battle Abdusattorov Nodirbek of Uzbekistan defeated Tahbaz Arash of Iran keeping a clear one point lead. Nodirbek scored 7 and half points out of more..

Jun 10 (FT) The apparel industry yesterday voiced concern over the absence of fall season orders for Aug and Sept, which are usually locked in by June, and warned it could prolong the COVID-19 impact on the industry and deepen revenue losses. JAAF Secretary General Tuli Cooray acknowledged that no orders had been forthcoming for the fall season. In August 2019 the industry earned $ 473 million, which was an increase of 6.62% more..

Jun 10 (CB) Bangladesh's tour of Sri Lanka scheduled for July is unlikely to go ahead, BCB cricket operation chairman Akram Khan has said. "Yes we had spoken with some of the players and they did not show any interest," Akram told Cricbuzz. "I think chances are very slim about the Sri Lanka tour commencing on scheduled time frame." The Bangladesh board officials held a video conference with senior players, who cited risk of the virus as the reason behind their decision. more..

Jun 10 (CB) Sri Lanka Cricket, on Tuesday (9), offered six-month contracts to 20 national women players and 15 emerging women cricketers, effective from May 1. The contracted players were nominated by the National Women's Selection Committee, based on the performance, availability and future requirements. Even as the number of contracted cricketers hasn't reduced, the A category now has only Chamari Atapattu, with Shashikala Siriwardene retired & Inoka Ranaweera getting demoted. more..

Jun 10 (TM) A leading alcohol manufacturer in Sri Lanka has been barred from purchasing ethanol from a local private company, owing to the Govt�s recent attempts to create a state monopoly in ethanol production. After the ban on ethanol imports since 1 January this year, manufacturers were purchasing ethanol from Royal Casks Distilleries (Pvt.) Ltd., the only distillery that produces ethanol closest to the quality of imported ethanol, more..

Jun 10 (TW) Besides an economic challenge, as well as the challenge of battling the COVID-19 pandemic, Sri Lanka also faces a challenge of the constitutional kind, as the country is set to go to polls after the same were delayed twice�with a decision on the dates awaited later this week and elections likely in August. �There is no Parliament,�� said Jehan Perera, executive director, National Peace Council of Sri Lanka at a webinar organised by the Indian Council of World Affairs. more..

Jun 10 (ST) The Govt has been dipping into the savings of Samurdhi beneficiaries to the tune of more than Rs.50 billion to pay the Rs. 5000 dole for two months to four million beneficiaries. As a result of this withdrawal, Samurdhi banks are facing liquidity and capital adequacy challenges including subdued loan growth, liquidity issues and erosion of deposits amid lower interest rates, economic analysts said. More than Rs. 50 billion has been paid to these beneficiaries affected by more..

Jun 10 (Island) There was a sigh of relief yesterday at Sri Lanka Cricket board room as confirmation came from Bombay that the Indian cricket team was willing to tour the island in August. Board of Control for Cricket in India had confirmed their Sri Lankan counterparts that the postponed series between the countries can go ahead provided the Indian govt gives clearance. SLC will now write to Ministry of Sports seeking permission more..

Jun 10 (DN) For the first time SL will be formulating two new sports associations, SL Women�s Beach Netball Association and SL Masters Netball Association. Five members each for a temporary committee will be nominated on June 11 at 11 a.m at the Sports Ministry to handle the groundwork to get the associations formed. President Netball Federation Lakshmi Victoria said that SL netballers have been representing the country at many int'l Beach Netball and Masters Games in more..

Jun 10 (Island) Sustaining valuable engagement with its base of SME customers, Pan Asia Bank recently organized a successful webinar via Zoom for more than 250 of its customers. The webinar which was moderated by Naleen Edirisinghe, Snr. DGM of Pan Asia Bank was live-streamed on the bank�s official Facebook page and attracted a large number of viewers. The webinar focused on the theme, Revitalizing the Small & Medium Enterprises and was conducted by Dr. Nirmal de Silva. more..

Jun 10 (IE) Dawoodi Bohra leader Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin will travel from his headquarters in Mumbai to Sri Lanka�s hill resort of Bandarawela later this month, a top SL official has told media in that country. The Syedna and his immediate family have been camping in Khandala since the lockdown began in Maharashtra. A spokesperson for the Syedna told The Indian Express that the Syedna had no travel plans at the moment. more..

Jun 10 (Island) The JVP took up the cudgels for Election Commission (EC) member Prof. Ratnajeevan Hoole and asked what was wrong in him calling on the voters not to vote for cheaters and candidates with corrupt track records. Former JVP MP and Chairman of Parliamentary watchdog committee- COPE Sunil Handunnetti said that Prof. Hoole in his request to voters had expressed the latter�s personal opinion. "We see nothing wrong with that request. more..