Sep 7 (Island) U.S. Ambassador to SL Alaina B. Teplitz in a wide ranging interview on SL�US relations says; �Unfortunately, there has been a lot of misinformation surrounding our engagement and several of our programs in recent times, but none of our programs infringe upon SL�s sovereignty and we are very transparent in their design and implementation�. She says,� By relying on your long history of democracy more..

Sep 7 (Rediff) No one could have said it better. Analysing the recent parliamentary elections in SL, Dayan Jayatilleka, former ambassador to Russia and France and SL's permanent representative to the UN at Geneva, and now advisor to the Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa, wrote: 'Prez Rajapaksa repeatedly made two requests of voters during his electioneering walkabouts. One was that they had given him 6.9 million of votes at the prez election, but now he wanted 7.9 mil votes.' more..

Sep 7 (ST) SLC has taken a significant step forward in looking after the mental well-being of cricketers with the inclusion of a psychiatrist into the newly formed five-member Medical Advisory Committee. Though the committee�s first priority would be to help SL create a bio-secure environment to resume int'l cricket � a major challenge amidst the global health crisis created by COVID-19 � they will play an important role in helping cricketers to cope with the surging mental issues. more..

Sep 7 (FT) Sri Lanka dropped 12 places to be ranked at 101st place in the latest Global Innovation Index (GII) 2020 from last year�s 89th rank with a score of 23.78 on a 0-100 scale, 100 being the most innovative. The 2020 edition of the Global Innovation Index (GII) released by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) presents the latest global innovation trends and the annual innovation ranking of 131 economies. more..

Sep 7 (TM) CEAT Kelani Holdings announced the achievement of an 85% increase in the production of tyres for the two-wheeler segment over just three months, as a response to the needs of the local market consequent to the temporary import restrictions introduced by the Govt. By maximising capacity utilisation at its manufacturing plants in Kelaniya and Kalutara, it pushed the production of tyres for motorcycles and scooters from 27,000 units a month in June 2020 to 41,000 per month more..

Sep 7 (FT) Despite global and local challenges, Sri Lanka�s merchandised exports for the last three months have nearly achieved the $1 billion mark, proving its resilience and rebound. �Provisional data shows that merchandise exports in August were $969 million,� EDB Chairman Prabhash Subasinghe said. Sri Lanka saw continuous pick-up in exports as against $906 million in June and $1.09 billion in July. Soon after COVID-19 pandemic erupted exports in April fell to $ 277.4 million. more..

Sep 7 (FT) Ceylon Association of Shipping Agents (CASA) has warned Colombo�s status as a maritime hub is under threat by the failure to expedite capacity expansion, ease of business as well as major port development moves to by neighbouring India. A growing list of challenges and pending unresolved issues was highlighted by CASA Chairman Iqram Cuttilan at the AGM held recently with new Ports & Shipping Minister more..

Sep 7 (EN) Sri Lanka is in the process of estimating the financial and environmental cost of the crisis created by the fire on board the Supertanker MT New Diamond, officials said. Spokesperson for the Attorney General�s Department Nishara Jayaratna said that AG Dappula de Livera had had a three-hour-long meeting with the Navy Commander, the Chairman of the Ports Authority, Head of the Marine Environment Protection Agency (MEPA) and others do discuss the issues surrounding the crisis. more..

Sep 7 (SLN) The naval operations seized about 815kg of dried turmeric, attempted to be smuggled by sea, at Ettalai in Kalpitiya today (6). Meanwhile, the Navy also held 3 suspects in connection to this smuggling racket. Accordingly, this special operation by the Navy has led to apprehend 3 suspects and seize about 815kg of smuggled dried turmeric stuffed in 30 gunny sacks which were made ready to be transferred. Along with the suspects a small lorry was also detained by the Navy. more..

Sep 7 (Island) TMTK Jaffna District MP C. V. Wigneswaran says he will seek India�s help to win the rights of Tamil people in the North and the East. Addressing the media in Kilinochchi, MP Wingeswaran said that his inaugural speech in Parliament on the historic supremacy of Tamil language and Tamil people had marked the beginning of his campaign for winning the rights of Tamil people in the North and the East. more..

Sep 7 (DM) Complaints of organized groups using social media to advertise and defraud money have been reported to the CID's Computer Crimes Investigation Unit, Police said. They said the SL Embassy in Bangkok had requested the CID to inform the public about an organized crime group using social media to advertise job vacancies in Thailand and swindle money. It was also reported that fraud was taking place by groups by informing to credit money to various bank accounts more..

Sep 7 (Island) Kandy will be the focus of the cricketing world next month as SLC has decided to play two of the three Tests involving Bangladesh at the Pallekele Int'l Stadium. The remaining Test match of the series will be played at SSC. This will be the first cricket series SLC will be hosting after the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic and officials said that the decision to restrict the games to two venues instead of three was to restrict regular movements of players, support staff and more..

Sep 7 (TM) Sri Lanka�s alcohol industry is concerned over the possible ban on quarter arrack bottles that is likely to be brought in by the CEA in line with their recent regulations for environmental protection. In addition to their move to ban single-use plastic, the CEA is planning to ban 180 ml quarter bottles of arrack, mostly made of glass, as these disposed of after single use, thereby damaging the environment. more..

Sep 7 (DM) As UNP stepped into its 75th year today, party�s Deputy General Secretary Ruwan Wijewardene urged all party members to come together for the struggle to safeguard the party and its identity for another one hundred years. Mr. Wijewardene said this in a statement which he issued on the occasion of UNP�s 74th anniversary which was celebrated today (6) at Sirikotha. �We have to stand up amidst destruction and defeat. It is obvious that one could meet a precipice once more..

Sep 7 (CT) The benchmark spot continued to make gains for the fourth consecutive market day on Friday (4), increasing in value by 10 cents to be trading at Rs 185.10/20 to the US dollar in two way quotes as at 4 p.m. These gains were aided by Govt's import control regime. In the four market days to 4 p.m. on Friday, the �spot� has steeply gained by Rs 1.40-1.50 (0.77-0.83%). Nevertheless, in the calendar year to 4 p.m. on Friday the �spot� has declined by Rs 3.80 (2.10-2.09%), more..

Sep 7 (TM) The Task Force on SL�s Education Affairs proposed that at least one national school should be established for each divisional secretariat (DS) under the 1,000 national schools programme. The decision was reached by the Task Force members after they found out that 124 divisional secretariats in Sri Lanka did not have national schools and that most national schools were established in urban areas. more..

Sep 7 (EN) Pasindu Silva, the Sri J'pura student who was seriously injured when a tyre fell on him, has gone to court, but unlike most people who would seek monetary compensation, his plea is quite different. Pasindu and his sister, co-petitioner, Attorney Sharmala Silva, in a Fundamental Rights Petition filed before the Supreme Court are requesting the Apex Court to direct University staff to strictly apply existing laws and regulations that deal with student discipline, more..

Sep 7 (DN) Kumar Dharmasena is one of the Elite Umpires of the ICC who have declined to officiate in lucrative IPL Twenty20 Cricket Tournament, which begins on Sept 19 in the UAE. Instead, the veteran SL umpire who has officiated in 65 Test matches is set to stand in as one of the on field umpires during SL�s home series against Bangladesh, scheduled to commence on Oct 14. Dharmasena is a regular umpire over the years in this high profile Franchise based T20 tournament, more..

Sep 7 (TM) Efforts are being taken by the CEB to expand the existing grid capacity to allocate more space for renewable energy. Ministry of Power Director Sulakshana Jayawardena said that the grid capacity can be expanded by installing more transformers and at present the CEB is exploring the possibilities for augmentation. �Renewable energy is a variable energy source and to maintain stability, reliability, quality and supply of the system, more..

Sep 7 (EN) Media watchdog organisations are expressing the hope that the arrest of the Editor of the lankanewsweb.org website, will not lead to restrictions on journalists reporting on the working of the court in Sri Lanka. Editor Desmond de Silva, was arrested on Aug 31, based on a complaint received by the Computer Crimes Division of the CID, was produced in court on 1st Sept and remanded until 14th Sept, a joint press release issued by three press freedom watchdog organisations said. more..

Sep 7 (Island) National Peace Council (NPC) urged the govt to reconsider the need to proceed with the 20th Amendment in its present formulation as it is excessively centralizing and does not reflective of the plural nature of the SL society. �The proposed 20th Amendment to the constitution has been approved by the cabinet of ministers and put before the general public prior to being debated in parliament. This far reaching constitutional change seeks to centralize power more..

Sep 7 (FT) Finance Ministry has issued strict guidelines to State institutions for preparation of their Budget for 2021, putting curbs on funding for new or stalled projects, maintenance of project offices and staff, and imposing a ban on construction of new buildings for govt institutions for the next two years. Finance Ministry Secretary S.R. Attygalle issued a circular last week detailing the guidelines for the preparation for more..

Sep 7 (AD) Contraband including mobile phones have been recovered in a special raid carried out at the women�s section of Welikada Prison. Commissioner of Prisons Chandana Ekanayake stated that raid was carried out by the prison intelligence unit. Accordingly, 13 mobile phones, 7 SIM cards, 150 batteries, and 2 hands-free devices have been found in the raid. An internal investigation has been launched into the inmates of the prison cells where relevant contraband were found. more..

Sep 7 (AD) All Ceylon Egg Producers Association has agreed to reduce the price of an egg by Rs 2 from tomorrow (7). This decision has been taken following a discussion held between representatives of the Association and PM Mahinda Rajapaksa. Issues of egg producers had been discussed at the aforementioned meeting which took place at the PM�s Carlton House in Tangalle, yesterday (5). Accordingly, the retail price of an egg could be between Rs 21 and 22, said R.M. Sarath, more..

Sep 7 (AD) The fire onboard the crude oil tanker MT New Diamond has been completely doused, the Commander of SL Navy confirmed. However, there still remains a risk of the ship catching on fire again due to the temperature of its current location, the Commander told media following a meeting held with Attorney General today (6). Tanker MT New Diamond had been sailing 38 nautical miles off Sangamankanda Point more..

Sep 7 (DM) On Thursday, the massive super oil tanker MT New Diamond, carrying 270,000 tons of crude oil and 1,700 MT of diesel issued a distress call of a fire on board its engine room. The ship was drifting close toward our eastern coast - 37 nautical miles off Sangamankadai Point in the East coast. Efforts to put out the fire had failed and the fire was spreading rapidly. Local navy personnel who were the first to reach the scene, were helpless as they lacked fire fighting equipment to put out more..

Sep 7 (DM) Economies around the world are in free fall with a great economic depression triggered by the COVID-19 disaster and prolonged capitalist crisis. Our economic, social and political world as we have known it is going to drastically change. Amidst such a depression, what is in store for the rural world long neglected by the urban centred visions of development? As economic growth data for the quarter year from April to June 2020 are released, severity of the economic crisis is sinking in. more..

Sep 7 (AD) The Colombo High Court today issued summons on former minister Rajitha Senaratne and two others to appear before the court on Oct 29, over the case filed regarding the leasing of the Modara fisheries harbor. The other two defendants in the case, former Chairman of the Ceylon Fisheries Harbour Corporation (CFHC) Upali Liyanage and its former Managing Director Neil Ravindra Munasinghe, have also been issued summons. more..

Sep 7 (EN) Though prevailing showery and windy conditions in SL are expected to temporarily reduce in intensity today, showers and thundershowers can still be expected in several parts of the island, the Dept of Meteorology said. Met Department said the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central and Northwest provinces can expect showers or thundershowers during the day. Wind speeds can increase up to 50 kmph across the island in the Northern, North Central and Northwestern provinces more..

Sep 7 (AD) Department of Prisons has been informed to allow Premalal Jayasekera to attend Parliamentary sittings. The Court of Appeal has issued an interim order on the Commissioner General of Prisons with this regard. The writ application had been filed before the Court of Appeal requesting to grant Premalal Jayasekera, who was sentenced to death in July, permission to attend parliamentary sessions. more..

Sep 7 (SLN) Another 169 A/L students in Jaffna Peninsula were felicitous to get aboard a Navy ship for a cruise in northern waters on 06th Sept. The whale watching passenger craft (A 543) welcomed the cheerful bunch of students aboard for this voyage which had been specially arranged for them by the Navy. The cruise was also joined by a group of teachers and parents of the students. The students who joined this excursion were acquainted with the marine ecosystem and were also more..

Sep 7 (AD) Former SL Foreign Secretary Dr. Palitha T. B. Kohona is to be appointed as the new SL Ambassador to China, the Foreign Ministry said. Dr. Kohona, the former Permanent Representative of SL to the UN in New York, was formally nominated to the post by Prez Rajapaksa. The Foreign Ministry has referred the nomination to the High Posts Committee of parliament for its clearance. Dr. Kohona has a distinguished record in academics, international law and practical diplomacy. more..

Sep 7 (EN) The 20th amendment was not drafted to serve the interests of any individual but will, in fact, be a reversal of problematic provisions in the 19th amendment that had specifically targeted a single family, Minister Prof G L Peiris said. He said the 19th amendment introduced by the previous govt had singled out the family of former Prez and incumbent PM Mahinda Rajapaksa by including provisions against virtually every Rajapaksa. more..

Sep 7 (EN) A team of six experts is now at the location of the burning Supertanker MT New Diamond and are expected to conduct an assessment of the current situation. Captain Indika de Silva said that eleven members of the team of experts rare still ashore in Sri Lanka and will be taken to the location of the stricken vessel later. Several tugboats surrounding the Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) are keeping it approximately 30 Nautical Miles which is around 58 km east more..

Sep 7 (CT) Large-scale felling of trees in over 100 acres of land belonging to the Forest Dept in the Eluwankulama Mangalapura Grama Niladhari Division in the Wanathawilluwa DS Division has been reported. A few years ago, this land was leased to the Ceylon Cement Corporation by the Forest Department and leased to another private company. More than a thousand large trees were cut down and the trees were set on fire. Among the felled trees are a number of valuable trees, more..

Sep 7 (EN) Opposition activist, Attorney at Law Harshana Nanayakkara is saying that the 20th Amendment to the Constitution if enacted, will take Sri Lanka back to the Stone Age. Nanayakkara, who represents the Lawyers of the opposition NPP alliance, told reporters that the 20A has given the power to the President to kick away the mandate given by the people to the elected parliament. more..

Sep 7 (AD) Over 6,000 persons are currently occupying the tri-service-managed quarantine centers, the NOCPCO said. Accordingly, 6,610 individuals are undergoing the mandatory quarantine process at 63 quarantine centers (QC). As of this morning (07), 38,359 individuals in total have been sent back home after the quarantine process. A total of 32 quarantined individuals have left for their homes today following subject to PCR tests. Among them, 4 persons are from Nipuna Bossa QC, more..

Sep 7 (NR) The NPP led by the JVP charges that the 20 Amendment has opposed state financial policies. Former MP Bimal Ratnayake said the 20 Amendment cites that the National Audit Commission should be abolished. He charged that the expenditure of the Prez, PM and their respective offices cannot be tracked thereafter. Ratnayake claimed that when a Budget proposal is defeated in Parliament, or when there is political turmoil in the country provisions that were in place to more..

Sep 7 (PMD) Prez Rajapaksa decides to remove the 14% income tax imposed on the profit earned by the gem and jewelry manufacturers and the 15% tax on gold imports. Income tax concession given to the gem and jewelry industry since 1971 was done away with under the income tax policy introduced in 2017. This created a situation where actual income earned from export of gem & jewelry could not be disclosed. more..