Jun 25 (CT) Not fully aware of the real state of affairs on the ground anywhere in India as far as the COVID -19 pandemic is concerned, the facts presented to us about the state of people�s minds relating to the pandemic, as well as apparently, perhaps some isolated men on the herd taxed Indian Police Force too, might suggest that the whole of India is perhaps weighed down extensively more than we are in Sri Lanka by the scourge. We can only send out our heartfelt wishes that more..

Jun 25 (Island) Former State Finance Minister, Eran Wickramaratne, at a SJB press conference recently, and UNP leader Ranil Wickramasinghe last week at a meeting of UNP lawyers at the party headquarters, staunchly defended the 19th Amendment and independent institutions, even as the ruling SLPP sought to achieve a two-thirds majority to amend the Constitution, at the upcoming general election. The political lines and governing philosophies are on open display during this election period as more..

Jun 25 (DM) The dry zone is home to a majority of the estimated elephant population of Sri Lanka. This population is scattered in small pockets of habitats as small herds and individual elephants. Efforts to mitigate the human-elephant conflict by conservationists haven�t proven the desired outcomes since most elephant habitats and elephant corridors (also called elephant passes) have been destructed. more..

Jun 25 (DN) Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) hopes of hosting the 2020 Asia Cup received a huge boost when the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officially issued the green light to the island-nation. �We are hopeful of having the Asia Cup because SL has not had too many cases of the Coronavirus,� PCB CEO Wasim Khan had stated during a media conference. �The Asia Cup will go ahead. Pakistan team returns from England on Sept 2. So, we can have the tournament in Sept or Oct. more..

Jun 25 (DN) The 2020 General Election campaign is moving in to top gear, undeterred by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and is proving to be a contest of a different kind, where public opinion will be shaped by media statements and not by crowd pulling mass rallies. None of the major parties - the ruling SLPP and opposition parties, SJB, UNP, the TNA and JVP will be holding campaign rallies on a mass scale. Instead, parties and their candidates fighting for preference votes within their own more..

Jun 25 (TM) Former Deputy Governor of Central Bank Dr. Ranee Jayamaha and Nature�s Beauty Creations Ltd. and Multichemi International Ltd. Chairman Samantha Kumarasinghe were officially confirmed as the newest members of the Monetary Board of the Central Bank today (24). The Constitutional Council (CC), which met this evening at its Chairman Karu Jayasuriya�s Residence, more..

Jun 25 (FT) Fort Magistrate Ranga Dissanayake yesterday disallowed the Police from presenting detained attorney Hejaaz Hizbullah for an identification parade after counsel for the suspect objected to the move. Wasantha Bandara, PC, who appeared for Hizbullah, said that the 10 children lined up to identify the suspect have been shown his photograph by the Police when they recorded a statement from them, and hence objected to holding the identification parade. more..

Jun 25 (ST) National Shooting Sport Federation of SL (NSSF) and the shooting sport community of SL, were taken by surprise when a news telecast in one of the leading electronic media institutions and subsequent newspaper articles communicated completely incorrect facts criminalising the shooting sport community of SL. It said that according to the Police spokesman, the firearm used by an individual, who supposedly committed suicide on June 12, where the body of the deceased was found more..

Jun 25 (Island) Parliament had authorised finance companies to seize vehicles in case of delayed payments, one-time Justice Minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakse, PC revealed. The former lawmaker, who held several other portfolios, in addition to justice alleged that Parliament, was responsible for the creation of the underworld engaged in seizing vehicles on behalf of the leasing companies. more..

Jun 25 (Island) The Ceylon Bank Employees Union (CBEU) said that they have decided to go on strike on July 7 and 14 with a view to receiving redress to some long-standing employee related issues and admin issues of state banks. "Over 20,000 state bank employees will be mobilized for the token strikes out of our 30,000 strong membership to make it a truly successful movement. And if the Finance Ministry authorities still don't provide solutions to these issues even after more..

Jun 25 (CT) SL Cricket head coach Mickey Arthur said the team is ready to play cricket by 25 July. Commenting during the second National training camp in Pallekele yesterday, Arthur stated they had 25 July on their minds as the day to be ready when they set their programme, and they will be ready to play cricket by then - whether it�s Test cricket, T20s or ODIs. �Boys work extremely hard and guys look strong and fit. We worked unbelievably hard yesterday & they had a hard conditioning day. more..

Jun 25 (DN) The bilateral loan agreement between the SL and Japanese Govts has no conditions on compensation or penalties to be paid in case of delay or cancellation of the JICA-funded Colombo LRT project, Urban Development, Water Supply and Housing Facilities Ministry Secretary Dr. Priyath Bandu Wickrema said. He denied the claim that the Govt of SL will have to pay compensation of US$ 100 million along with more..

Jun 25 (DN) Sports Minister Dullas Alahapperuma has given his approval to conduct the Lanka Premier League (LPL) cricket tournament yesterday. This tournament is conducted by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), with the participation of franchise players, and is scheduled to be held next August. Several countries have tried to conduct tournaments after the COVID-19, crisis but most tournaments couldn�t be held due to the development of the Coronavirus crisis. SLC already made discussions to more..

Jun 25 (CT) Since Sri Lanka has the COVID-19 pandemic under control, the Island has a good chance of hosting the prestigious Indian Pro Kabaddi League in October- November, according to SL�s Kabaddi President Anura Pathirana. �We discussed with the relevant authorities regarding the possibility of hosting the event in SL, and they have expressed their interest at the idea. So, Sri Lanka has a good chance of hosting this prestigious Indian Pro Kabaddi League in Oct-Nov�. more..

Jun 25 (AD) Responding to Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) leader Sajith Premadasa�s statement on the controversial comments made by Karuna Amman recently, PM Mahinda Rajapaksa charged that it was Premadasa�s father who supplied weapons to the LTTE. �Who provided weapons? Who supplied weapons to Karuna and others and the LTTE? It was none other than Sajith�s father.� The PM also claimed that weapons more..

Jun 25 (TM) The National Dengue Control Unit (NDCU) reported that for the month of June, the highest number of cases reported from a single area is recorded from Biyagama, with a total of 15 cases. NDCU Director Dr. Anura Jayasekara, said: �Looking at the daily reports that are at hand, I can confirm that this is the highest number of cases reported from one single area. The overall number of cases reported across the country for the first three weeks of the month amount to 1,056, with more..

Jun 25 (DN) The writ petition filed by the Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ) seeking an order to quash the clearing of the Wilpattu National Park forest and constructing a housing project adjoining the National Park was yesterday fixed for judgment by the Court of Appeal. The Court of Appeal two-judge-bench comprising Justice Janak de Silva and Justice Nissanka Karunaratne fixed the petition for judgment to be delivered on July 31. The Court was informed that all parties including more..

Jun 25 (CT) Former Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage said that he has given all relevant information, including 8 documents and a six-page complaint, to Special Police Investigation Unit that recorded his statement last morning in connection with match-fixing allegation. �I gave to the Police a copy of the complaint I lodged with the ICC on 30 Oct 2011 regarding the said allegation as then Sports Minister� more..

Jun 25 (TM) Bus associations will go before the Supreme Court (SC) to increase bus fares if the semi-luxury service is not disbanded, The Morning learnt. Lanka Private Bus Owners� Association (LPBOA) President Gemunu Wijeratne told The Morning that they will seek judicial help if the semi-luxury bus service is not done away with. �We have been calling for some time now, asking them to discontinue the semi-luxury bus service, but the Govt seems to be dragging its feet. more..

Jun 25 (DM) The UNP engineered the defection of Vinayagamurthy Muralitharan alias Karuna Amman from the LTTE to weaken the Tamil Tigers for political gain, former UNP MP Prof. Ashu Marasinghe said yesterday. Prof. Marasinghe said this in response to a question raised by journalists. �It was true that the UNP Govt engineered the defection of Karuna from the LTTE, but we did not appoint him to Parliament. We never gave him the ticket to contest from the UNP,� he said. more..

Jun 25 (Island) Deputy Solicitor General Dileepa Peiris, yesterday, told the Fort Magistrate�s court that attorney-at-law Hijaz Hizbullah arrested in connection with the Easter Sunday attacks was the theoretician of the National Thowheed Jamath (NTJ) responsible for the carnage. DSG Peiris compared the role played by Hisbullah to that of the LTTE theoretician Anton Balasingham. The Attorney General Dept counsel regretted more..

Jun 25 (DN) Elpitiya Plantations PLC an associate company of Aitken Spence PLC, recently entered into a Shareholders� Agreement with Sim Leisure Group Ltd., a listed company in Singapore Stock Exchange, to develop and operate an adventure theme park under the ESCAPE brand in Galle, Sri Lanka. The investment for the ESCAPE Sri Lanka project is estimated at over US$ 4 million. While the partnership will formalise and strengthen the business relationship between 2 companies, more..

Jun 25 (FT) Central Bank has approved 13,861 loan applications under the Phase-I of the refinancing scheme, totalling Rs. 27.9 billion, the CB said. Having identified the urgent need of reviving the businesses adversely affected by the COVID-19 outbreak and thereby to promote economic activity in the country, the CB and the Govt of SL launched a novel refinance facility under the Saubagya (Prosperity) Loan Scheme, named Saubagya COVID-19 Renaissance Facility, more..

Jun 25 (AD) Former minister Mangala Samaraweera says he is impressed by former MP Harin Fernando and praised the courage of his convictions. �I am very impressed by Harin F who has the courage of his convictions to challenge the hypocrisy of sections of the Catholic Church who seems to have forged an unholy alliance with the extremist Buddhist clergy supporting this majoritarian/facist regime (sic),� he tweeted. more..

Jun 25 (SLN) Govt recently took several steps in order to resume operations at the state-owned Valaichchenai Paper Mill in Batticaloa. Backing the govt�s efforts, Navy also came forward to render technical assistance to restore this paper mill which has been defunct for a long period of time. Since the machinery at the paper mill premises has been left behind without use over a long period of time, the steering group of the project was in need of technical experts to refurbish such machine more..

Jun 25 (PSL) Prez Rajapaksa has given one year�s time to Lanka Salt Limited which runs at a loss since 2018 to earn profit. The profit earned by the Lanka Salt Ltd in 2016 stood at Rs. 70 million. In 2017 it declined to Rs. 32 million. The organization made a loss of Rs. 2.8 million and Rs. 10.91 million in 2018 and 2019 respectively. Prez emphasized the Chairman and the Board of Directors should take the responsibility of investigating causes for loss occurred during these three years more..

Jun 25 (Island) The CID has launched an investigation into a complaint that some officers attached to the Police Narcotic Bureau (PNB) sold a consignment of 100 kilos of heroin in their custody to a drug dealer operating in Dubai. According to the CID, the consignment had a street value of Rs.1,000 million. One of the PNB officers responsible for the deal is being interrogated by the CID. more..

Jun 25 (FT) It was hardly a textbook example of the correct handling of contradictions (Mao). Future historians may conclude that the achievable dream of the 21st century as an Asian Age in a multipolar world order, died in mid-June 2020 in the Himalayas, in the Galwan valley in Ladakh. Ferocious and lamentable clash between India and China with its tragic loss of lives is probably unlikely to escalate into armed conflict, but it marks a parting of the ways; relationship will never be the same more..

Jun 25 (FT) With the harsh reality of a global recession slowly descending on SL, questions about Government expenditure and its allocation of resources have begun to dominate dinner table discussions. Fears of higher taxation to cover the losses earned and to sustain the blows from the impending recession, have started to emerge. There is a simple solution: introduce reforms to prevent areas for corruption and inefficiency within SOEs � thus preventing the State from bearing more..

Jun 25 (AD) A special flight carrying 254 Sri Lankan nationals who were stranded in Seychelles arrived at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in Katunayake this afternoon. The passengers had arrived onboard SriLankan Airlines flight UL-708 from Seychelles International Airport in Victoria, the capital city of Seychelles. The majority of the passengers are Sri Lankan nationals employed in Seychelles. They have been subjected to PCR tests at the BIA premises, more..

Jun 25 (Hindu) Ship managers and manning agents using Colombo as a hub for crew change involving Indian seafarers received a setback after 29 crew who flew there tested positive for coronavirus, forcing the SL govt to ban crew arrivals by air. The crew had reached Colombo on a chartered flight arranged by a Mumbai-based ship manager. Following this, SL has suspended movement of crew by air to Colombo. �This is really unfortunate,� said a Mumbai-based crewing more..

Jun 25 (AD) The Court of Appeal has issued an interim injunction preventing the Colombo High Court trial-at-bar from hearing the case against former Navy Commander Wasantha Karannagodaover the alleged abduction of 11 youths in 2008 and 2009. A two-judge bench consisting of Appeals Court President A.H.M.D. Nawaz and Justice Sobhitha Rajakaruna had delivered the interim injunction today (25), while more..

Jun 25 (Island) Power Minister Mahinda Amaraweera halted a decision to pay Rs. 17.5 million for legal consultations, stressing that the CEB should make use of its legal division. The CEB is in the process of allocating Rs. 17.5 million for legal consultation on the upcoming fourth unit of the first coal fired plant complex in Norochcholai. The Minister also said that Prez Rajapaksa had ordered that state institutions make the maximum use of their own resources. CEB has 5 legal officers. more..

Jun 25 (DM) Vinayagamurthi Muralitharan alias Karuna Amman would not be welcomed into a new govt formed under Prez Rajapaksa after the parliamentary polls, or given any position in the SLPP or SLFP either, Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said. Responding to journalists, Minister condemned the recent remarks made by Karuna Amman that he had killed between 2,000 � 3,000 soldiers in one night. �Not only we reject him and condemn him totally, we also had already initiated more..

Jun 25 (EN) With the govt increasingly confident that there is no community spread of the COVD 19 virus, the Health Authorities say there is a relaxation of the rules where people gather. Senior officials at the Ministry of Health said that Temples, Kovils, Churches and Mosques can now hold worship for 100 people at a time. The number to gather at weddings and political rallies has also been increased to a hundred they said. more..

Jun 25 (Island) The interrogation of a suspect arrested on June 12 in the Minuwangoda police area has revealed that over a period of time Rs 10 to 40 mn had been moved through an account maintained by him on a monthly basis. The police intercepted the suspect as he was driving a cab at Yatiyana, Minuwangoda following a tip off received. The police recovered 5 grammes of heroin from the suspect. Subsequent investigations led to the recovery of four shot gun cartridges concealed in a car parked more..

Jun 25 (EN) Sri Lanka will issue Treasury guarantees for up to 80 billion rupees to state banks to fund for roads and water projects, Minister Ramesh Pathirana said. The Treasury will issue credit guarantees of up to 50 billion rupees to state banks to give loans to the Road Development Authority. The funds will be used to upgrade 100,000 kilometres of roads and also provide funds to start section 1 of Central Expressway and Section II which is already under construction, more..

Jun 25 (AD) Tamil United Freedom Front (TUFF) Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias Karuna Amman left the CID, a short while ago, after giving a 07-hour long statement. The former deputy minister had arrived at the CID at around 10.30 a.m. this morning to record a statement with regard to recent controversial comments he had made on the killing of SL soldiers while he was a member of the now-defunct terrorist organization. more..

Jun 25 (Island) A new UNICEF report has found that 30 of families in SL had reduced food consumption in May as a result of the effects of COVID-19 pandemic. UNICEF report titled Lives Upended: How COVID-19 threatens the futures of 600 million South Asian children released ion Tuesday said that the COVID-19 pandemic was unravelling decades of health, education and other advances for children across South Asia, and govts must take urgent action to prevent millions of families from more..