Jun 13 (Island) We announce with deep regret the death on Thursday of Mr. Rajeewa Jayaweera, 63, a former senior manager of SriLankan Airline and a prolific journalist who contributed regularly to this newspaper of which he was a popular columnist. He also wrote letters to the Editor of The Island, our sister paper. A trenchant, well-informed writer, his contributions that included incisive political analysis, were without fear or favour. He was the most knowledgeable writer on SriLankan Airlines more..

Jun 13 (DM) Expo 2020 Dubai is gearing up to help shape a post-pandemic world and create a better future for all, after a two-thirds majority of the Bureau Int'l des Expositions (BIE) member states voted in favour of postponing the next World Expo by one year. This global mega event will now run from Oct 1, 2021 to Mar 31, 2022. As the number of COVID-19 cases in the UAE began to rise and global travel grounded to a halt, expo organisers on the ground in Dubai, along with UAE govt officials, more..

Jun 13 (CT) Former Jaffna District TNA MP, M.A. Sumanthiran, has mentioned that TNA would support the Govt led by Prez Rajapaksa, if it is ready to fulfil the political aspirations of Tamils in a new Constitution. Sumanthiran, who has been named as the number one candidate of the TNA, from the Jaffna District, held a media briefing in Jaffna on 11 June. He pointed out that despite remaining a pillar of strength to the previous regime, TNA didn�t join it. more..

Jun 13 (Island) Aug 5 parliamentary polls will see 25 political parties and 313 independent groups vying for election to the 225-seat Parliament. There will be a total of 7,452 aspirants in the fray � 3,652 fielded by 25 political parties and 3,800 candidates representing 313 independent groups. While 196 MPs will be elected through the ballot, 29 will be appointed from the National List. The leading contenders in the hustings are the SLPP led by PM Mahinda Rajapaksa, UNP headed by more..

Jun 13 (CT) Police have launched an investigation into a sum of Rs 492 million deposited in a Bank account maintained at the Bokundara branch of the Commercial Bank, by an accomplice of underworld gang member Darmasiri, the main associate of Kudu Anju, who is in Dubai. The individual who has handled the transactions of the said account has been identified as Prabath Chathuranga (32) and investigations have revealed that the money earned by the sale of drugs had been deposited more..

Jun 13 (EN) Prez has ordered police to stop leasing companies from re-posseing defaulted leases after a three-wheeler owner was allegedly beaten to death by workers employed by a leasing company. Sri Lanka�s Finance Houses Association which represent legal finance and leasing companies meanwhile said in a statement that the incident did not relate to any regulated firm but an unauthorised money lending company. more..

Jun 13 (IT) Legendary India batsman Sunil Gavaskar said the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 can be held in Sept-Oct if the T20 World Cup is postponed by the ICC. Sunil Gavaskar, speaking at Salaam Cricket 2020, said even if the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secures a window for IPL 2020, it will not be ideal to host the tournament in India due to the possible monsoon during September and October. Gavaskar said the BCCI can think about hosting IPL 2020 more..

Jun 13 (DM) Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said he would urge President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, PM Mahinda Rajapaksa and the Cabinet to conduct a thorough assessment of the interest rates charged by Finance Companies and those employed to seize vehicles from defaulting customers. While condemning the killing of Three-Wheeler Association Chairman Sunil Jayawardana on Wednesday after a clash that erupted between him and those employed by a finance company to seize a 3-wheeler, more..

Jun 13 (ST) A black beauty is dead � the magnificent black leopard which was captured by camera traps several months ago in the Central Wildlife Region succumbed on May 29 after getting caught in a snare in an estate in Nallathanniya, close to Adam�s Peak. Tranquilizing the growling, struggling and distraught, obviously-in-agony leopard, the Veterinary Surgeons of the DWC rescued the animal amidst curious and more..

Jun 13 (Island) Matara SSP Anil Priyantha, squashed rumours that explanation had been called from the woman chief inspector Aruni Bogahawatte who had given chase and arrested a doctor who bolted with Rs.7.9 million from the National Hospital, Colombo, for her presence at the scene of the crime, when she was attached to the Matara Police. The SSP commended the woman police officer for her bravery and efficiency. Chief Inspector Bogahawatte on Wednesday, seeing two police more..

Jun 13 (AD) Ministry of Health confirms that 56 more persons who had tested positive for COVID-19 were discharged from respective hospitals as they have returned to health. These patients had been receiving treatment at the IDH (10), Welikanda Base Hospital (2), Colombo East Base Hospital (1), Iranawila Hospital (16), Kattankudy Base Hospital (7), Welisara Navy Hospital (9), Homagama Base Hospital (7), Minuwangoda Base Hospital (3) and Hambantota District General Hospital (1). more..

Jun 13 (AD) The examinations of 4th-year students of all universities will commence from the 22nd of June, the UGC Chairman Sampath Amaratunge announced today. The faculties of Arts, Science, Law and Education at the Uni of Colombo will be reopened for exams on June 29, he said. Faculty of Agriculture at the Uni of Peradeniya will be reopened on June 28, meanwhile, the exams of Uni of Sri J'pura will continue from Aug 4. more..

Jun 13 (Island) The shortlist for the Gratiaen Prize 2019 will be announced at an online event on Saturday (20) at 6.30pm, live-streamed on the Facebook page of the Gratiaen Trust. For the second consecutive year, the judges announced a long list for the Prize and at the event, the long listed writers will introduce their work before the announcement of the short list. Gratiaen Prize was founded in 1992 by the SL-born novelist, poet and essayist Michael Ondaatje with his more..

Jun 13 (CT) Parliamentary Election date has finally been declared and this is nothing but a victory of the Sri Lanka Freedom People�s Alliance (SLFPA) and the citizens, opined former MP Rohana Dissanayake. He said this at a SLFPA Media briefing. �This is a victory for the people as well as a victory for us since the victory at the Prez Election. The Opposition is divided and when they could have spoken up to conduct the Poll, they instead chose to speak out against having it.� more..

Jun 13 (ST) Officials are preparing for a rise in dengue cases caused by rains and the resumption of normal life following the lifting of curfew. A three-day control programme organised by National Dengue Control Unit (NDCU) will commence from June 11-13, with schools, govt institutions, quarantine camps and hospitals the main focus. NCDU Director Dr. Aruna Jayasekera said because a peak is expected in June and July more..

Jun 13 (AD) The PCoI investigating the incidents of political victimization has issued summons to former Eastern Province Governor Rohitha Bogollagama. Accordingly, he is scheduled to make an appearance before the Commission on the 23rd of June. This is concerning a complaint Bogollagama had lodged with the Commission. In the meantime, Chairman of Avant-Garde Nissanka Senadhipathi is also set to appear before the PCoI on political victimization on the 15th of June. more..

Jun 13 (Island) The ongoing police investigations into May 19 and 29 attacks on an eatery in Soysapura in the Mount Lavinia police area have helped bust a notorious gang operating in the Angulana-Ratmalana area. Law enforcement officers on Thursday recovered one T-56 assault rifle, two magazines and 35 rounds of ammunition after taking another member of the gang into custody. Police headquarters identified the suspect as 40-year-old man from Beliyakanda, Galewela, more..

Jun 13 (ST) The Govt is facing harsh criticism over fresh plans to bring cattle from Australia after hundreds perished the last time they were imported in 2017. But the proposal has been widely rehashed to reflect concerns and correct mistakes, authorities insisted this week. It is now hoped to bring in Australian cattle for breeding and not milch cows as had been done earlier. Additionally, the livestock will not be distributed among more..

Jun 13 (NR) The time-frame for island-wide curfew has been revised once again. Accordingly issuing a statement the President�s Media Division said curfew will be enforced island-wide daily, from 12 midnight to 4 am, from tomorrow the 14th of June onwards. The govt however urged both the state and private sector establishments and the general public to continue to strictly abide by health and safety guidelines issued by authorities, with the aim of preventing the spread of COVID-19 in SL, more..

Jun 13 (NR) 291 Sri Lankans who were stranded in the Maldives have arrived in the country. The group was brought back via a special SriLankan Airlines repatriation flight. The UL-102 flight landed at around 11.35am at the BIA. The group was employed in various sectors across the Maldives. They were subjected to PCR tests upon their arrival at the BIA. Authorities said the group will be held in four hotels in the vicinity of the Airport until the test results are known. more..

Jun 13 (ST) A new controversy has emerged over the decision by the airport authorities to send samples taken from airline crew members to the private Asiri Group of Hospital laboratories for testing on a payment-per-sample basis. This was as health authorities were channelling the samples of arrivals only to designated state laboratories at no cost, since samples were collected at the airport for RT-PCR testing from May 31. more..

Jun 13 (Island) COVID 19, has brought the world to its knees. With the pandemic, we face the risk of reversing years of progress, says the ILO�s Country Director for SL, Simrin Singh. World Day on Child Labour was marked yesterday. "I have spent 20 years working to bring an end to child labour, hand in hand with hundreds of diverse and dedicated partners. I have witnessed children working in leather tanneries exposing their young bodies and minds to toxic chemicals, handling more..

Jun 13 (AD) The BIA in Katunayake is expected to be reopened for tourists from August 01, says Minister of Tourism and Aviation Prasanna Ranatunga. The same procedure that is applied to tourists will be exercised on Sri Lankans returning to the country, however, prior to August 01, returnees will be quarantined upon arrival, the Minister said responding to media queries. Sri Lanka will continue to receive tourists after the repatriation procedure is concluded, he added. more..

Jun 13 (ST) Govt�s unpaid bills now amount to 2.2% of Sri Lanka�s GDP, and include claims worth Rs 1.8bn incurred in the conduct of last year�s Prez election, Finance Ministry�s 2019 Annual Report reveals. Treasury also owed commercial banks Rs 45.8bn in reimbursement for higher interest rates paid on senior citizens� fixed deposits on Govt instructions. Through its 2015 budget, it mandated commercial banks to grant more..

Jun 13 (DN) Sri Lankan Ambassador to Thailand, Samantha Jayasuriya, has called on Thai Foreign Affairs Minister Don Pramudwinai to discuss ways to consolidate bilateral and multilateral relations between the two countries. This was mentioned in a press release issued by the Sri Lankan Embassy in Thailand, recently. Both Sri Lanka and Thailand have facilitated the repatriation of their citizens stranded in either country due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the statement said; more..

Jun 13 (Xinhua) Medical materials donated by Chinese organizations worth 126,564 U.S. dollars have arrived in Sri Lanka. When the Sri Lankan govt announced an island-wide curfew on March 20 to contain the COVID-19 outbreak, Jinith De Silva, acting president of the Sri Lanka China Society (SLCS), was eager to use his connections with China to secure help for his country - Sri Lanka. "I wrote to several organizations in China and asked them to help us fight the virus. more..

Jun 13 (ST) Independent experts have slammed the Coast Conservation Department�s (CCD) hurried beach nourishment initiative in Mount Lavinia saying it was ill-planned, unnecessary and ineffective. The CCD claimed this week that the Artificial Soft Beach Nourishment Project was a success and will prevent erosion along the coast from Mount Lavinia to Kalutara. A total of 150,000 cubic metres of sand was dumped on more..

Jun 13 (Island) UNP Colombo District candidate Oshala Herath, 43, said that at the time he moved the Supreme Court against the acceptance of the SBJ as a recognized political party by the EC, he was not even a member of that party. Herath said that he had received UNP membership on the day he signed nominations papers to contest the Colombo District on the UNP ticket. UNP handed over nominations for Colombo on March 19, the last day of the 7-day nominations period. more..

Jun 13 (DM) Chairman of Elections Commission (EC) Mahinda Deshapriya said that the EC was yet to decide on the dates of marking of postal votes and the certain media reports that the dates for postal voting have been announced was totally false and misleading. �I have been informed by the official of the EC who is in charge of making arrangements to hold the postal voting that he had not submitted any document to the EC pertaining to the conducting of postal voting or dates of postal voting,� more..

Jun 13 (ST) Prices of essential items have started rising after the Govt imposed taxes on a range of items, claiming the move would boost local cultivation and curb imports. The price of palm oil, margarine, sugar, canned fish, imported chillies, garlic and potatoes increased directly after the imposition of the Special Commodity Levy on such goods. Margarine tripled in price with a levy of Rs. 650. The Rs. 50 levy on canned fish, sardines more..

Jun 13 (ST) Ban tobacco smoking in Sri Lanka. This is the strong plea by Consultant Psychiatrist Dr. Amila Isuru in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic that has gripped the world including SL. As a country grappling with COVID-19 and thousands of lives being at stake across the world, we have taken commendable measures including a lockdown, curfew in high-risk areas, closure of ports of entry including the airport, shut down of universities and schools, social distancing, hand-hygiene and more..

Jun 13 (DM) Elections Commission (EC) has decided to conduct mock polls at 15 more areas during the next few days to work out the logistics involved in conducting a general election under the pandemic situation in the country. These mock elections, which will cover the entire country, are to be held today at Wellawaya in the Monaragala District, Dimbulgala in the Polonnaruwa District, Kalpitiya in the Puttalam District, Rattota in the Matale District, Akuressa in Matara District, more..

Jun 13 (DM) Police on duty at the Colombo National Hospital on August 27, 2018 had failed to conduct a thorough inspection when Zaharan Hashim's brother Rilwan was admitted to the hospital with blast injuries and this led to the escape of a major suicide bomber from in-depth investigations, PCoI into the Easter Sunday attacks observed. When the Commissioners showed a video done by the suicide bombers before more..

Jun 13 (CT) A large share of youth opt for the most convenient and appealing work available, including driving a three-wheeler, the World Bank (WB) in a recent study said. In a discussion with eight male three-wheeler drivers in Colombo with an average age of 27, high earnings and the freedom and flexibility inherent to the job were the two main reasons for taking up this type of a job, the WB said. Drivers reported earning Rs 45,000-50,000 per month, significantly more than more..

Jun 13 (ST) Construction Industry Development Authority (CIDA) has issued a supplementary health directive to all construction industries to include traditional ayurvedic herbal concoctions and ingredients in food supplied to workers, to aid the fight against COVID-19. The industry, which started work at construction sites early despite the lockdown period, has already been provided with a mandatory set of guidelines by health authorities on precautionary measures to be taken against more..

Jun 13 (ST) An alarm has been sounded for agriculture over sightings of yellow-spotted locusts in many areas outside their normal habitats of jungles and domestic gardens. �They have not reached any of the main cultivation areas but we�re on alert: farmers have been made aware of this news and have been advised on how the locusts should be eradicated in the event that it affects cultivation,� Director of Agri Dept, more..

Jun 14 (SO) Around 300 voters in Ambalangoda, coincidentally the hometown of National Election Commission Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya, had a rather novel experience last week. They stood in line to vote at a mock election, a prelude to what could be seen on the actual date of the poll, Aug 5, 2020. The voters and election staff had to wear face masks, wash their hands, get their body temperature checked and then maintain social distancing in the queue and inside the polling booth. more..

Jun 14 (TM) With the Election Commission (EC) announcing that the long-delayed general election will finally take place on 5 August, the battle cries that were being raised against the Commission have finally abated. The outspoken Head of the Commission, Mahinda Deshapriya, took great pains to explain why the election had to be postponed and the many new measures that will be in place for the first time at the August poll. Today marks the beginning of the 50-day countdown to more..

Jun 14 (SO) Minister Johnston Fernando said he is optimistic that at the upcoming General Election the people will give a resounding mandate to the broad political alliance, SL Nidahas Podujana Sandhanaya led by Prez Rajapaksa and PM Rajapaksa exceeding the total number of 6.9 million votes given to the President at the last Prez Election. Minister said those who love the country will definitely vote for the Govt at the election more..

Jun 14 (TM) 2020 parliamentary election, which was postponed twice due to the Covid-19 pandemic, is scheduled to be held on 5 Aug, according to Election Commission (EC). EC Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya said that its members unanimously decided to hold the general election on 5 August. Last Tuesday (9), EC issued the Gazette indicating the preferential numbers of the candidates and the designated polling stations islandwide. The parliamentary polls were initially to be held on more..