Jun 21 (SO) Contrary to what may have been intended by former Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage�s claim that the country�s cricket team fixed the result of the 2011 World Cup final against India, the biggest fear now is that the charge can do more harm to the image of some of Sri Lanka�s most iconic players who featured in the contest. Among them were Kumar Sangakkara, who captained the team and is now the head of the world�s most acclaimed Maryleborne Cricket Club (MCC), more..

Jun 21 (SO) Certain folk have been whipping themselves into a state of apoplexy over the recent appointment by the President of a Presidential Task Force to build a Secure Country, Disciplined, Virtuous and Lawful Society. The relevant Gazette notification makes it clear that the Task Force would deal primarily with the drug menace and the illegal activities around prisons. Anyone who could read, should have a cursory glance at the Gazette itself and satisfy themselves of this reality. more..

Jun 21 (CT) Prez does not seize illicit liquor, he doesn�t catch rapists, drug peddlers or terrorists. Prez is entrusted with policy planning, giving directives and advising, was what former Prez Maithripala Sirisena insisted when the journalist who interviewed him last week for the BBC repeatedly asked whether he (Sirisena) feels, even slightly, responsible for the unfortunate Easter Sunday attacks in 2019 that occurred as a result of a major security lapse. more..

Jun 21 (Island) If Sri Lanka�s own experience is anything to go by, the chaos reigning on the streets of the USA should ensure the re-election of President Donald Trump at the presidential elections later this year. In 1988, PM R. Premadasa�s victory at the presidential elections of that year was more or less assured by the campaign of terror launched by the JVP. Many ordinary people who were not loyalists of any particular political party feared that if there was a change of government, more..

Jun 21 (Island) We are such a pathetic nation that we indulge in destroying the beautiful image that the world has about us. Rest of the world adores our hospitality, our friendly nature, our rich culture and a lot more that the country has to offer. Our politicians are busy tarnishing the nation�s image and this week it was Mahindananda Aluthgamage�s turn to project our cricket as being corrupt. Aluthgamage was shooting from the hip alleging that the 2011 World Cup was fixed. more..

Jun 21 (ST) Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage�s unsubstantiated claim that the 2011 World Cup final was fixed could land him in a soup. He can be charged for levelling false allegations under the recently passed Prevention of Offences Relating to Sports Act. The ruling party politician made the wild charge with apparent conviction regarding the match played in Mumbai between SL and India. That too after nine years of silence. more..

Jun 21 (SO) Former aspiring SL women�s cricketer who also played for Colts and the Colombo Cricket Club, Poojani Liyanage, met with a tragic death last Monday in Kurunegala. The 33-year-old Liyanage was an experienced cricketer in the domestic arena and played for the SL Development Squad and SL A team during her career as a leg spinner and lower order batter. She studied at Harishchandra College Anuradhapura and later joined Shakthi Sports Club A'pura and captained the team more..

Jun 21 (Island) Northshore International Campus, one of the pioneering non-state sector higher educational Institutes in SL, has shown immense resilience in the face of the recent Covid-19 pandemic keeping true to the SL spirit. Northshore, which has been offering internationally recognized British degrees in Engineering, Business and Computing/IT from highly ranked universities was one of the first higher educational institutes in SL to convert to online delivery of lectures from more..

Jun 21 (ST) Shocked by the fixing allegation of the 2011 WC, batting great Aravinda de Silva who was the Chairman of Selectors at the time not only refuted minister Aluthgamage�s comments as lies but urged the Indian govt and its board to push for an independent inquiry to unwrap the riddle. �We cannot let people get away all the time with lies. I request everyone, ICC, BCCI and SLC to investigate this immediately,� he said. more..

Jun 21 (SO) Six former SL cricket captains, who had showcased exemplary careers at school level and become Observer Schoolboy Cricketers during their time, have commended the great role played by the Observer-Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year contest over the past four decades. They shared identical views on the Observer-Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year show which has made a worthy contribution to promote school cricket. They were of the view that the Mega Show has more..

Jun 21 (ST) Labour Ministry on Friday reached agreement to extend the consensus between employers and workers to ensure that private sector staff continues to be paid half the basic or Rs. 14,500 for the next three months. This extension of the agreement, initially reached in May, between the Employers� Federation of Ceylon, the trade unions and the Labour Ministry came after much discussion since trade unions insisted that employers continue to layoff despite the agreement to retain more..

Jun 21 (TM) An ongoing legal dispute between the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) and a local investor over a plot of land is preventing the arrival of a foreign investor with a $ 15 million investment, industry sources said. The investor, Dubai-based One Nature (Pvt.) Ltd., is willing to commence construction on the seven-acre land in question situated in the Yala Palapatuna area, despite the devastation more..

Jun 21 (TM) Stringent import restrictions imposed by the Govt to avoid a possible foreign exchange crisis have strengthened the rupee, which was depreciating at a significant rate following the outbreak of Covid-19 in SL. SL rupee appreciated by 7.3% as of last Monday (15), to Rs. 185.9 from its peak of Rs. 199.7 against the US dollar on 9 April 2020. Analysts say the appreciation against the US dollar was mainly driven by the ban on imports, excluding fuel, medicines, and a few other more..

Jun 21 (SO) The Central Bank has begun discussions with key stakeholders of banking and financial institutions and work closely with them to ensure financial stability of the sectors to support the revival of the economy, said Central Bank Governor Prof. W.D. Lakshman on Friday. He said there will be close supervision and mentoring of all institutions in the financial sector and added that the bank will come down hard on those who fail to comply with the regulations. more..

Jun 21 (TM) SL�s first floating hotel, being developed by former cricketer Tillakaratne Dilshan and local entrepreneur Kalum Perera, has allegedly hit a roadblock in the form of former MP Indika Anuruddha Herath. Perera accused the former MP of creating issues with the development in order to garner bribes. He explained that Herath was retaliating as he (Perera) did not support Herath�s campaign and refused to give money to more..

Jun 21 (SO) As another General Election approaches with a host of promises to be made by candidates, business leaders in advance urge those who would steer the country�s future course, to shun bribery, corruption, misappropriation of public funds, waste and inefficiency, to be competitive in the global business arena and leapfrog in economic progress. They called upon the to-be policy makers to learn from the global pandemic which has opened the eyes of everyone to abhor all forms of more..

Jun 21 (EN) SL�s poultry meat supplies would tighten in the coming weeks as frozen chicken stockpiled during a Coronavirus lockdown end with farmers not growing a new batch and import control disrupting maize for feed, an industry official said. Sri Lanka has kept maize prices high in the past with import taxes with few collectors controlling the maize market which had prevented the growth on an export business of poultry products. Taxes may add up to 85 rupees to a cost of kilogram of chicken, more..

Jun 21 (ST) State fiscal and monetary authorities have announced a series of measures, following the criticism of Prez Rajapaksa of the Treasury and the Central Bank, to expedite economic recovery and resurrect SMEs in the COVID -19 crisis. Responding to the Prez�s direction, Finance Ministry and CB will be taking fiscal, monetary, and financial market measures following proper procedures to mitigate more..

Jun 21 (TM) Enlisting the help of industry leaders as mentors has become a staple in the life cycle of most startups, due to their experiences and knowledge of the market. This need for guidance and advice has only increased during the recent Covid-19 pandemic, as many startups face newer challenges and have to navigate through a massive change in consumer behavior. Seeing this need, Hatch, a local co-working space for innovation, growth, and collaboration based in Colombo, more..

Jun 21 (SO) International election observers of the European Union (EU) and Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) will arrive in the country ahead of the parliamentary election on August 5, despite Covid-19 fears, the Sunday Observer learns. The Election Commission (EC) is awaiting a response from the Commonwealth Election Observer Mission. A special committee headed by EC member Prof. S. Ratnajeevan Hoole decided this week to facilitate the arrival of the foreign observers. more..

Jun 21 (ST) A joint venture between Avant Garde Maritime Services (AGMS) and the Defence Ministry�s Rakna Arakshaka Lanka Ltd (RALL), promoted by the President�s office to monopolise a lucrative business � the transfer of seafarers between vessels, hotels, ports and airports � met with stiff objection from the country�s shipping agents who handled the business all these years. more..

Jun 21 (ST) Sri Lanka will be going ahead with the tea-for-oil deal with Iran and is currently preparing to sign the agreements required between the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) and the Sri Lanka Tea Board (SLTB) in this regard. The CPC is due to sign the agreement with the SLTB to ensure that payments for oil from Iran will be made through sales of tea, although no date has been fixed as yet (to sign the agreement), Tea Board Chairman Jayampathy Molligoda said on Tuesday. more..

Jun 21 (Island) Today (21), the people in Sri Lanka will have the rare opportunity of witnessing a partial solar eclipse from around 10.30 am to 1.30 pm for a duration of about two hours and fifty minutes with about 30% of the solar disk covered by the moon at the time of maximum eclipse, says Prof. Chandana Jayaratne. This will be the last solar eclipse visible to Sri Lanka for the next two years. It will be followed by another penumbral lunar eclipse on July 4 � 5, he said. more..

Jun 21 (ST) Following the decision by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to suspend its financial support for a 220 kilovolt underground cable project from Kerawalapitiya to the Colombo port, a new controversy has arisen over the Govt�s intention to abandon Japanese funding for the Light Rail Transit (LRT) project in favour of a public-private partnership (PPP) with a yet-unnamed entity. more..

Jun 21 (Hindu) SL�s probe into the April 2019 Easter terror bombings is in its final stages, authorities have said, while raising suspicion that the suicide bombers were funded by two foreign outfits. CCD, CID and TID, who are investigating the attacks of last summer, have arrested over 200 suspects since. The coordinated bomb blasts at three luxury hotels in Colombo and three churches in Colombo, nearby Negombo, and the eastern city of Batticaloa, were the deadliest attacks in SL�s post-war decade, more..

Jun 21 (AD) Three suspects have been arrested by the Western Province Intelligence Unit over a drug racket operated within the Negombo Prison. Investigations on a tip-off received that a narcotics racket is in operation at the Negombo Prison had led to the arrest of a Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) Sergeant attached to the Air Force Base in Katunayake at Seeduwa. Reportedly, 100 grams of heroin and 400 grams of Kerala Cannabis had been in the possession of the arrested officer. more..

Jun 21 (ST) Thanks to Prez Rajapaksa�s initiatives, the coronavirus pandemic in Sri Lanka is lower down the list of affected countries in the world. By next week, the number of infected cases is expected to reach the 2,000 mark. However, that is not to say that all is well and good for Sri Lanka. If the fight against the horrendous scourge has led to no clusters remaining, returnees from abroad are adding to the total. more..

Jun 22 (CT) A new normal has landed. In a stunning development last week, Sri Lanka�s President upbraided Central Bank�s senior officials, and before that Bank of Ceylon officials, for apparently failing to follow government directives and implement specific measures to stimulate the lockdown or social-distance economy. The bankers were not given the benefit of social distance in what a newspaper called, back-to-back barrage on the banking sector. The specific trigger for more..

Jun 22 (GV) The morning of July the 25th 1983 is etched in my brain. I saw a group of people running or walking very fast away from the environs of Colombo. On enquiring I found they had shut up their shops and were escaping the riots that were taking place. Later in the day I saw the suburbs of Borella and Maradana ablaze. I witnessed mobs looting and burning properties belonging to Tamils and assaulting the inhabitants of those properties with impunity. more..

Jun 22 (FT) My dear PM and Minister of Finance, The hysterical manner in which your brother, the President, acted last week in blaming the Central Bank for all our country�s present economic woes prompted me to pen this open letter. In my capacity as your predecessor at the Ministry of Finance, I write to you today not only as the Prime Minister but also as the Finance Minister, under whose purview all aspects of the economy fall. more..

Jun 22 (DM) Last August, the Indian govt revoked the autonomy of the Jammu and Kashmir region, annexing the disputed region also claimed by Pakistan, which had the status of a state under the Indian Constitution. It then divided the former state into two separate territories: Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, the latter being home to territory claimed by China. Indian Interior Minister Amit Shah, went further suggesting India would extend its writ to portions of Kashmir under under the control more..

Jun 22 (ST) Face masks, meant as the first shield of defence against any airborne COVID droplets, came to the unexpected aid of Central Bank�s squirming top league of officials to hide their shame behind its veil, when Prez Rajapaksa delivered a no-holds-barred tongue lashing over their gross failure to come with a solution to kick start the corona hit moribund economy back to dynamic life. The charge sheet the President waived during a meeting with top CB officials led by the bank�s Governor more..

Jun 22 (ST) Countrywide, Police have launched night operations to nab drunken drivers after reports that traffic accidents were on the rise. They take place mostly on Friday evenings, long-weekends and Monday mornings, Motor Traffic Director Indika Hapugoda said yesterday. �We have arrested 45,750 drunk drivers from July 5, 2019 until June 15, 2020,� Senior Superintendent Indika Hapugoda said. more..

Jun 22 (ST) If Prez Rajapaksa can be so bold as to set up institutions running parallel to constitutional bodies situated in his Presidential Secretariat, the consequential question arises as to what need is there of a Constitution for SL? This query becomes pertinent in regard to the recent appointment of an Ombudsman, a retired DIG to boot, tasked with inquiring into public grievances and complaints. That appointment was made despite a constitutional office of the Parliamentary Commissioner more..

Jun 22 (DM) What we witnessed across the world over the last four decades is the unfolding of a process of unprecedented globalization of economic production, consumption of goods and services, human mobility and communication. The result was an interconnected and interdependent world system that created conditions highly conducive for the spread of the Covid-19 virus across the world within weeks. Today, there is hardly any country which is not affected by the pandemic. more..

June 22 (Island) For sure, I have had a good life. With my roots firmly wedged in a very ordinary middle-class family that was barely able to make ends meet, I have so far come quite a distance. I have reached the top levels of a career in medicine and specialised. I returned to the country after postgraduate training, giving up a very lucrative job and a bright future in the UK, at a time that now appears to be eons and many eras ago. I did that for very many reasons, one of which was more..

June 22 (CT) Attorney General Dappula de Livera undertook an inspection tour of the Welikada Prison last Friday (18) and lambasted the state of prisons in the country. It is the first time an Attorney General of Sri Lanka has undertaken an inspection tour of one of the premier prison houses in the country and expressed his views on how the hardcore criminals continue with their nefarious activities, even while serving their imprisonment period within the prison houses. more..

June 22 (DM) Assistant Leader of UNP, Ravi Karunanayake speaks to Daily Mirror regarding the recent split in the party, the bond scam, his political ambitions and the need to reform the party. Q: How do you look forward to the parliamentary elections? A: We look at it positively. It is necessary to re-position the UNP as a people�s party- actually a country-driven people�s party. That is what we want to do and to ensure that SL is great again. more..

June 22 (FT) Organisation of Professional Associations (OPA) will host its 33rd Annual Conference on 27 and 28 June with the PMs of SL and Pakistan as its Chief Guest and Guest of Honour respectively. Due to the prevailing global health situation, this conference titled Bounce Bank � Disasters are Opportunities will be the OPA�s first-ever online annual conference, with sessions taking place between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. and registration free for the public and professionals alike. more..