Jun 3 (DN) SLT Rainbow Pages, the national Business Directory was rewarded for being one of the largest contributors to the Printing industry in Sri Lanka and for printing and publishing the Single largest book for the last 15 years. SLT Rainbow Pages had a humble beginning in 2002 to comply with license conditions stipulated according to the Telecom Act. By starting the printing process locally, it not only created opportunities for local businesses, but also generated substantial employment more..

Jun 3 (CT) The Election Commission (EC) is meeting today (3), to set a date to hold the General Election 2020, Chairman of the EC, Mahinda Deshapriya said yesterday. Deshapriya made this remark, after the Supreme Court decided to dismiss seven Fundamental Rights (FR) Petitions filed against the dissolution of Parliament and holding of the General Elections on 20 June. He said that, to set the Election date, a meeting should be held with the participation of all 3 members of the EC. more..

Jun 3 (DM) According to the Treasury, the public debt balance payable by the govt stood at Rs.12.18 trillion, at the end of 2019. However, Auditor General W.P.C. Wickramaratne, making his observation to the 2019 annual report of the Finance Ministry, following an audit test check, pointed out that the Treasury understated the govt debt by Rs.701.15 billion, for 2019. The understated debt includes Rs.318.2 billion Treasury bond liabilities, more..

Jun 3 (KJD) Police on Monday arrested a 26-year-old Sri Lankan man as he was allegedly attempting to flee to China by crossing the North Korean border after killing his co-worker days earlier. The Jindo Police Precinct, located in South Jeolla, said the man was taken into custody near the border of the Civilian Control Line, a couple miles south of the demilitarized zone at 10 a.m., police said. Military officers stationed near the line arrested the man after a surveillance camera captured him more..

Jun 3 (AD) Thirty more confirmed cases of Covid-19 have been reported increasing the total number of cases in the country to 1,683. Total of 40 new cases were reported on Tuesday. Of them 32 are returnees from abroad, 7 are navy personnel and the other is a close associate of a navy sailor. As of 11.50 p.m. yesterday (2), approximately 849 patients are under medical care for COVID-19 while the number of recoveries stands at 823. Eleven deaths have been reported due to the virus in SL. more..

Jun 3 (PTI) The unprecedented crisis triggered by the coronavirus pandemic has severely dented SL's economy, causing a steep fall in the earnings from tourism, remittances and outflow of foreign investment, nation's central bank has said. Statement from the CB came on Monday as the country was facing the worst financial crisis in its history due to the economic and travel curbs imposed after the coronavirus outbreak. more..

Jun 3 (FT) With the chaos resulting from COVID-19, many have questioned the effectiveness of the neoliberal economic model. A debate about the negative impacts of the open economic system has been on going in SL ever since the introduction of free market reforms in 1977. Although successive govts have experimented with economic liberalisation policies with varying degrees of openness, it is fair to say that we have neither experienced a fully open market economy nor more..

Jun 3 (FT) Year 2020 is the year that USA renewable energy will outpace coal, while the UK grid is now on its second month without any coal generation. Germany�s grid is boasting over 60% renewables while India�s coal plants are operating at 42% load factor � scaled down. This global surge of renewables over fossil fuels during a COVID-19 shutdown was not seen in SL, which until 16 May was largely running on high diesel & coal with large hydro reserves used in a limited manner. more..

Jun 3 (DM) Defending the arrangements made for the funeral of former minister Arumugam Thondaman, UNP National Organiser Navin Dissanayake said it would have been difficult to practice quarantine laws at a state funeral. He told a news conference that the security forces did their best to maintain them. �The late Mr. Thondaman was a minister and a person who had done some service to the estate sector. Therefore there is no issue in according him a state funeral. more..

Jun 3 (DN) Health Ministry had stated that wearing a mask is not mandatory for those who travel in their own vehicles. Many motorists wear masks while they are driving their vehicles to protect themselves from COVID 19. Deputy Director General of Public Health Dr. Paba Palihawadana, however, stated that advisories have not been issued for the people to wear masks when they drive their vehicles. Senior DIG Deshabandu Tennakoon said that it was useless for a family travelling their vehicle more..

Jun 3 (Island) Former Minister Lakshman Kiriella alleged that the then Prez Maithripala Sirisena ignored specific intelligence received as regards the impending Easter Sunday attacks as he wanted to teach a lesson to the UNP. Kiriella contesting the Kandy district at the 2020 parliamentary polls on the SJB ticket claimed Prez Sirisena had been furious over the UNP-led opposition parties thwarting what he called more..

Jun 3 (LBO) Commercial Bank of Ceylon has been declared Sri Lanka�s Best Bank in 2020 by the US-based Global Finance magazine, an accolade the Bank wins for the 20th time in the 27 years that Global Finance has presented awards to the world�s best banks. Global Finance�s just-released list of the 28 Best Banks in Asia Pacific has Commercial Bank ranked alongside banking behemoths such as the Commonwealth Bank (Australia), Westpac New Zealand, ICBC (China), more..

Jun 3 (TM) GMOA warned that opening up public transport for all districts could pose a severe health risk if relevant health guidelines are not followed. GMOA spokesman Dr Navin de Zoysa said it was not advisable to commence operations as usual in all districts and that if done so it was vital that health guidelines be followed strictly. �Opening up public transport poses a risk when there are two active clusters namely, Welisara Navy Camp cluster and cluster of foreign returnees.� more..

Jun 3 (DM) Threat from the COVID-19 within the society is almost basically over in Sri Lanka and authorities have formulated a plan to prevent a fresh threat emerging within the public from the infected persons who are being repatriated from overseas, Army Commander. Lt. Gen Shavendra Silva said. He said that SL was committed in getting back all its nationals stranded overseas, as many wanted to return back more..

Jun 3 (AD) Second penumbral lunar eclipse of 2020 will begin on June 5th night at 11.15 p.m. SL Time, when the shadow of the Earth falls on the Moon, said Prof. Chandana Jayaratne, Dept of Physics at Colombo University. This penumbral lunar eclipse is called Strawberry Moon Eclipse. Lunar eclipses occur on full moon days when the Earth comes between the Sun and the Moon, which results in obstructing some or all of the Sun�s light from reaching the Moon. more..

Jun 3 (AD) Eighteen more persons are confirmed to have contracted the COVID-19 virus, according to the Health Ministry. The latest cases have been identified among those who had recently returned from Qatar. Previously today (3), nine new cases were reported from Sri Lanka. With the new 18 cases, Sri Lanka has reported 27 cases within the day so far. Accordingly, with the latest 18 cases, the total count of coronavirus cases in the country has jumped to 1,710. more..

Jun 3 (EN) Disaster Management Centre has laid out detailed plans and is ready to face any challenges in the upcoming monsoon season amidst the COVID 19 pandemic, its Director-General said. Major General (Retired) Sudantha Ranasinghe said that this year�s monsoon season is different. �Along with floods we have to deal with COVID 19 as well as dengue. So we started preparing for this from April onwards.� Ranasinghe said that more..

Jun 3 (DM) Former cricketer Kumar Sangakkara said today that the activism in the US against systemic racism and injustice is a powerful lesson to us all. In a series of tweets, Sangakkara said, �Whichever country we live in, be it America, Sri Lanka or another, it is not the State that should determine our sensibilities and sensitivities. That�s your choice and mine.� He further said, �The State should not determine our wisdom, compassion, empathy and understanding. more..

Jun 3 (EN) Govt took every possible measure to avoid a spread of COVID-19 at late Minister Arumugam Thondaman�s funeral last week, former MP Susil Premajayantha said. He said the govt had issued guidelines to be followed by attendees and even announced curfew on Saturday (30) in the Nuwara Eliya district along with the all-island curfew that followed the next day. Premajayantha�s defence of the govt�s action � or alleged lack thereof � comes in the wake of widespread criticism that more..

Jun 3 (EN) Prez Rajapaksa has appointed a Task Force entrusted with creating �a virtuous, disciplined and lawful society,� in Sri Lanka. Task Force headed by Secretary to the Ministry of Defense Retired Major General Kamal Guneratne includes heads of the Armed Forces and Police and Intelligence Heads, Chief of Customs and the Additional Secretary of the Defence Ministry. In an extraordinary gazette issued last night (2), more..

Jun 3 (EN) The JVP is hopeful that SL�s National Election Commission (NEC) will announce a suitable date for the upcoming election set between nine to 11 weeks after health authorities have formally declared that the COVID-19 pandemic is under control. As things stand now, with a nightly island-wide curfew imposed from 10pm to 4am and curfew declared for tomorrow and day after in all districts, the situation is clearly not under control at the moment, former JVP MP Vijitha Herath said. more..

Jun 3 (DM) Colombo Additional Magistrate today refused to issue an arrest warrant on former Welikada Police OIC, ASP Sudath Asmadala, and granted him bail over allegedly fabricating evidence in the 2016 Rajagiriya accident case. When the case was taken up, Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) requested Colombo Additional Magistrate to issue an arrest warrant on former OIC for allegedly fabricating evidence in the case filed against former minister Champika Ranawaka on charges of more..

Jun 3 (EN) Sri Lanka is providing anchoring, sludging and crew transfer services to two Princess Line ships anchored outside Colombo port which can be seen from Marine Drive and Galle Face. The cruise ships are the Crown Princess and Island Princess. �Both the vessels came for sludge and garbage removal, and to receive bunkering services,� Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) said. more..

Jun 3 (DM) A man and his daughter surrendered themselves to the Madu Police yesterday after arriving in Talaimannar by boat from India fearing COVID-19 virus spread in India. The man was originally a resident in Mannar but had left for India with his wife and two children in 1990 during the war and had settled in a refugee camp in Tamil Nadu. Fearing the high risk of being infected with COVID-19 virus in India, he had fled to Sri Lanka with his elder daughter with the expectation of more..

Jun 3 (AD) Two more suspects have been arrested over the recent shooting attack on a restaurant in the area of Soysapura in Moratuwa. A team of officers from Mount Lavinia Police arrested the suspects last night (02) at Angulana and Ratmalana areas. According to the Police Media Division, the arrestees are residents of Angulana area, aged 26 and 36 years. Reportedly, a total of 2 grams 225 milligrams of heroin had also been found in the possession of the suspects. more..

Jun 3 (AFP) Cricket's world body is investigating three former Sri Lankan players over alleged corruption, officials said Wednesday, in the latest scandal to hit the sport in the country. Sri Lanka Cricket did not name the targets of the probe by ICC Anti-Corruption Unit, but insisted no current national players were involved. The board was responding to media reports on comments made by Sports Minister Dullas Alahapperuma on Tuesday. more..

Jun 3 (Hindu) The domestic pepper farming community has raised apprehensions over the likely inflow of Sri Lankan pepper here in the wake of reports on the sale of of 500 tonnes to importers in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The deal � under SAFTA at 8 per cent import duty on ₹500/kg � will work out at ₹40 per kg so that the import cost will be around at ₹265. This will enable importers to sell the commodity in the domestic market at ₹300/kg, traders said. more..

Jun 3 (LBO) Ookla, global leader in internet testing and analysis, has declared Mobitel as the Winner of the Speedtest Award� for 2019, successfully winning the award for all four quarters consecutively as the Fastest Mobile Network in SL. Speedtest Awards are licensed to Internet Service Providers and mobile carriers around the world that are determined by Ookla to be the fastest in their markets. SL�s Award was determined using a Speed Score� that incorporates a measure of more..

Jun 3 (EN) It will be an election in the time of COVID 19 and the concerts and the razzle-dazzle of a typical South Asian poll campaign will not be there. That�s because the Health Dept has given strict guidelines on how the politicians, voters and officials should act when the campaign starts and ends with the count. There will be no huge rallies and candidates are advised to hold meetings of around 30 people during the campaign for more..

Jun 3 (AD) A countrywide curfew will come into force from 10 pm tonight (3) until 4 am on Saturday (6), the govt has announced. With that, the country will be under curfew for the entirety of Thursday (4) and Friday (5), in view of the Poson Poya. In the meantime, June 04 has been declared a holiday for all govt entities, taking into account the island-wide curfew that is to be imposed tonight. From Saturday (6) onwards, the curfew will be effective in all the districts as before � more..

Jun 3 (DM) The US Ambassador to SL Alaina Teplitz says Americans across the US are expressing their anger over the death pf George Floyd and are demanding change. She tweeted saying the killing of George Floyd is disturbing. "In a democracy, rule of law must always be upheld and security forces must be accountable for their actions," she said. The Ambassador said that the US Justice Department has announced a full criminal investigation into the circumstances of Floyd�s death. more..

Jun 4 (Island) It is heartening to note that action is being taken to resurrect the Valaichenai Paper Factory. I had the occasion to see paper being made, when I used the circuit bungalow there. While travelling to Batticaloa, in 2019, I drove up to the closed gates of the factory, thinking what a loss it was. The govt deserves praise for its decision to reopen the factory. In its heyday, it received truckloads of straw from Hingurakgoda and Polonnaruwa for manufacturing paper. more..

Jun 4 (TM) The past week has been the most prolific in the detection of Covid-19 cases since the global pandemic arrived in Sri Lanka mid-March. The five days from Monday to Friday last week saw over 400 individuals being detected with the virus, sending the overall number of infected soaring past the 1,500 figure. Although the majority of the new cases have been those returning from the Middle East via especially arranged repatriation flights, the fact of the matter remains that each one of those more..

Jun 4 (CT) What is the role of a country's Election Commission? As the topmost constitutional authority responsible for administering and overseeing all Elections, its primary task is to ensure that Elections are held democratically and on time. This is the same in Sri Lanka too - or at least it used to be. Ever since universal adult suffrage was introduced to the then British colony of Ceylon in 1931, Sri Lanka has seen many Elections. more..

Jun 4 (CT) It is sad to hear about the passing away of comrade Marshal Perera, President�s Counsel, former Governor of the Uva Province and the father of former MP and Minister Dilan Perera. If my memory serves right, I met comrade Marshal Perera in Badulla, during the latter part of 1977. The political activities of the Movement (which later became the JVP) in Badulla district commenced towards the latter part of the sixties. Late comrade Sumith Athukorala was the first full-time act more..

Jun 4 (DM) The eagerly awaited ruling, of the five-Judge Supreme Court Bench comprising Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya as Chairman and Justices Buwaneka Aluvihare, Sisira de Abrew, Priyantha Jayawardene and Vijith Malalgoda, was delivered today with the refusal to grant leave to proceed to the seven fundamental rights petitions challenging the presidential proclamation dissolving Parliament on March 2 and the Election Commission fixing June 20 as the date of general election. more..

Jun 4 (DM) The death of Minister Arumugam Thondaman (56) a few days ago is sure to affect the struggle of Tamil estate workers to survive the 30 days of the month. The living conditions in tea estates is appalling to say the least. The late minister was part of discussions with plantation companies or Gotabaya Rajapaksa; when the latter was bidding for presidency last year, in attempts to raise the living conditions of estate workers. more..

Jun 4 (TM) The major political parties are hedging their bets this week, as their fortunes and, in some cases, survival depend on the outcome of the legal battle before the Supreme Court (SC) on the fate of the dissolved Parliament and postponed general election. The UNP, smelling blood in the water, lashed out by suspending the party membership of its members who had filed nomination papers through the SJB that is led by former Opposition Leader & UNP Dy Leader Sajith Premadasa. more..