Jul 1 (DM) Three more persons including the Deputy Chairman of the Mihintale Pradeshiya Sabha and a leading businessman have been arrested for sexually exploiting the15-year old girl. SDIG Ajith Rohana said 21 suspects have been arrested so far by the Police Children and Women's Bureau in connection with the sexual exploitation on the girl for over three months. Police have launched an investigation to nab several persons who paid money for this malicious act, following an arrest of a 35-year old man. more..

Jul 1 (FT) Arumadura Lawrence Romelo Duminda Silva known as Duminda Silva was the fortunate recipient of a munificent Presidential pardon on Poson Poya day. The convict on death row was released as a result of the pardon. Duminda Silva, a former MP and ex-Provincial Councillor, was involved in a shooting incident in October 2011 during Local Authority Elections, where former MP Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra and three of his bodyguards were killed. more..

Jul 1 (DM) The retirement age for medical officers of all grades in the public service will be extended to 63 years. The announcement was made today following the publication of an extraordinary Gazette notification. "The provisions of Sections 2 and 17 of the Minutes on Pensions are amended from time to time, further amended by removing the clause "The age limit for compulsory retirement of medical officers in the public service will be extended to 61 years" and subsequently added," more..

Jul 1 (EN) A cabinet reshuffle is on the cards in which a number of ministers representing minor parties in Sri Lanka�s ruling alliance may be removed, the main opposition SJB said. SJB MP Nalin Bandara told reporters Thursday that govt will attempt a gimmick in the coming days by reshuffling the cabinet to hide the administration�s failures. Bandara claimed the ruling SLPP will try to clip the wings of cabinet ministers that represent minor parties in the SLPP-led alliance. more..

Jul 1 (AD) A Major General of the SL Army has been arrested for allegedly obstructing the duties of the wildlife officers at the Minneriya National Park. This was after he surrendered to the Habara Police this morning. Subsequently, he had been produced before the Kekirawa Magistrate�s Court. Allegations had been leveled against the relevant Major General claiming that he obstructed the wildlife officers at the Minneriya National park from performing their duties. more..

Jul 1 (TM) �There have been a number of strikes due to the inability of health officials to make decisions and the failure to resolve issues,� stated the President of Medical Laboratory Technologists Association Ravi Kumudesh. He said that health staff are deeply dissatisfied, especially as the Ministry of Health has been manipulating their decisions and had interfered in their efforts. He that the Ministry of Health, including the Secretary of Health, should speak directly to these trade unions to resolve these issues. more..

Jul 1 (Hindu) The U.S. State Department announced the appointment of Atul Keshap, a senior foreign service officer with years of experience in South Asia, as Charg� d�Affaires (CDA) ad interim, in New Delhi, to replace Daniel Smith, who is retiring. Mr. Keshap�s appointment highlights the fact that the White House is yet to send to the U.S. Senate the nomination of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, whose name has been doing the rounds for the Ambassador role in New Delhi since the end of May. more..

Jul 1 (EN) SL has put on hold a decision made earlier this week to treat COVID-19 patients at home as hospitals and treatment centres have yet to run out of capacity. Deputy Director of Health Services Dr Hemantha Herath said there is sufficient capacity for treatment at state hospitals and temporary treatment facilities dedicated to COVID-19 treatment. �The best treatment a patient can receive is from a hospital or a treatment centre. So we always try to bring patients to the hospital,� more..

Jul 1 (DM) Considering the number of minor tremors reported from several areas in Digana, Teldeniya and Kundasale in Kandy since last year, the Environment Ministry has installed 10 high-frequency seismometers around the dam of the Victoria Reservoir. The Environment Minister, Mahinda Amaraweera, appointed a committee of experts to submit a scientific report on the matter and the committee's report said the tremors did not affect the Victoria Reservoir dam, nevertheless a comprehensive study was needed. more..

Jul 1 (AD) If the price of wheat flour is not revised, the price of a loaf of bread will go up by Rs 10 from Monday (5), the All Ceylon Bakery Owners� Association says. President of the Association M.K. Jayaratne said that the prices of other bakery products could also hike by Rs 5 - Rs 10. This decision was taken after the price of wheat flour used for bakery products was increased by Rs 18 from last Friday (25), he added. He said, �We urge the govt to intervene and find a solution to this problem immediately. more..

Jul 1 (FT) The bizarre rise of LOLC Development Finance PLC (NIFL) continued yesterday, at one point surpassing market value of both CTC and JKH before settling lower � yet up by 12% � as the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) sought further information from the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE). NIFL opened the day with a jump to Rs. 630 from Tuesday�s close of Rs. 618.75. Its intra-day peak was a whopping Rs. 773.25, but it also dipped to a low of Rs. 465 before recovering to more..

Jul 1 (FT) The Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) in collaboration with PricewaterhouseCoopers Sri Lanka (PwC) yesterday unveiled key findings of a survey to accelerate the tech startup ecosystem, titled Towards a Startup-Friendly Govt. The comprehensive report focuses on the impediments faced by startups and enablers in Sri Lanka. The study also recommends respective remedial action plan to overcome such impediments. more..

Jul 1 (TM) The fertiliser gazette which was recently implemented by the Govt will be reversed soon, SJB MP Dr. Harsha De Silva said. He made these statements in response to questions raised at a press conference held at the Office of the Leader of the Opposition today. �All I can say is that the fertiliser gazette is wrong and they will have to reverse it,� he stated. When queried further if this will take place in the near future, De Silva stated that announcement will follow soon. more..

Jul 1 (SLE) Embassy of SL in Japan in connection with expatriates living in Japan donated over $225,000 worth of Covid related emergency equipment to 14 govt hospitals. Many philanthropists came forward due to a special program introduced by Sanjiv Gunasekara, Ambassador of SL. This model allowed donors to choose their preferred medical equipment directly from authorized SL suppliers and donate to a hospital of their choice. more..

Jul 1 (EN) Mattala Rajapaksa Int'l Airport has been accredited by Airports Council International (ACI) Airport, an industry body on its compliance with health processes, the state airport agency said. ACI�s Airport Health Accreditation assesses health measures and procedures introduced by Int'l Civil Aviation Organization�s Aviation Recovery Task Force recommendations for a safe passenger experience at airports. �Programs such as ACI health accreditation will boost passenger confidence more..

Jul 1 (TM) �There have been a number of strikes due to the inability of health officials to make decisions and the failure to resolve issues,� stated the President of the Medical Laboratory Technologists Association Ravi Kumudesh. He said that health staff are deeply dissatisfied, especially as the Ministry of Health has been manipulating their decisions and had interfered in their efforts. Kumudesh said during a media briefing held today that the Ministry of Health, including the Secretary of Health, more..

Jul 1 (TM) The IMF will build the trust that SL has lost with the int'l community with regard to the country�s ability to repay debts, stated SJB MP Dr. Harsha De Silva today. He said that SL�s debt is more than $29 billion which has to be repaid by the year 2025 and that many countries have lost hope in SL�s economy and do not believe that SL would be able to repay the same. He stated that engaging with the IMF will not result in pulling the country into further debt. more..

Jul 1 (IANS) n stateless societies, the rule of law is usually suppressed. In such societies, people turn into unfree pawns as a result of worsening political conditions. The arrival of anarchy to the island nation of Sri Lanka is due to a series of factors. It is mainly driven by the worsening domestic political environment, curtailment of democracy, weaponising and the exertion of undue influence on courts and Judiciary. The recent political victimisation of neutral agencies more..

Jul 1 (AD) Seven individuals have sustained injuries in a sword attack which took place in the area of Selvapuram in Kopay, Jaffna on Wednesday night. DIG Ajith Rohana said a group of 14 individuals who arrived on motorcycles had perpetrated the attack. The assailants wielding swords have attacked several individuals who were inside a building. They have also caused damages to a three-wheeler and a car that were in the vicinity. The attack is suspected to have been carried out over a personal dispute, more..

Jul 2 (DM) These days we see a leading television station going all out to send a message to the state authorities that there are less affluent students who don�t have access to online education. Most of these visuals show students walking up mountains and climbing trees, so that they�ll have better reception. Though at times viewers tend to think that this television channel is trying to exaggerate the given situation the air time allocated for this news has produced the results. more..

Jul 2 (DM) People entering the Parliament as MPs during a mid-term of it is a common phenomenon, but the gossipmongers among politicians and journalists attempted to have a field day with the appointment of former PM Ranil Wickremesinghe to the solitary national list seat in Parliament won by his party, the UNP. Some media outlets gave a running commentary after the UNP took the decision on its national list seat a few days ago, by carrying stories about UNP�s decision on appointment more..

Jul 2 (CT) Discussions on English medium education have surfaced, once again. Every few years, or if ever a Govt decides on touching this topic, rumblings begin, on the merits or demerits of such an initiative. It�s perhaps pertinent to trace events from recent history. The emphasis placed on improving English education was unambiguous and remained consistent. In primary school the thrust was on Activity Based Oral English (ABOE) more..

Jul 2 (CT) The gazette notification was issued on 5th May stating that the import of manure, insecticides and pesticides are to be banned. This impulsive decision was arrived at by the president without prior consultation with farmers and other stakeholders engaged in agriculture, resulting in grave unrest among the agriculture community especially farmers. It is evident that no attention has been paid so far to address this surprising decision taken impulsively to ease the apprehension more..

Jul 2 (DM) M. R. Latiff, a lion hearted legend, renowned for his exemplary commitment to the mission he was tasked with - a mission to protect his country from the tyrannical forces that threatened to destroy the sovereignty and unity of the motherland. The erstwhile Commandant of the Special Task Force (STF) and Senior Deputy Inspector of Police � his illustrious career spanning over 40 years, leaves a legacy of profound patriotism and love for his country and people. more..

Jul 2 (CT) Instead of the ideal of returning to complete normalcy in a Covid-19 free environment, the world is now focusing more on embracing what has come to be known as the new normal, as that is identified by most as the way out of the crisis begotten by the Covid-19 pandemic. Adapting to the new normal is also the way forward for SL�s tourism industry, according to both industry employees as well as relevant authorities, and more..

Jul 2 (CT) Parallels may be found in relation to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill that occurred on 20 April 2010 and the X-Press Pearl Container Ship disaster carrying over a thousand containers of chemicals that took place off the Coast of the Western Province nearly one and a half months ago on 21 May 2021. The Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill caused serious repercussions to marine life, bird life and impacted the USA�s tourism and fisheries industries, similar to that which took place consequent to X-Press more..

Jul 2 (Island) You may justifiably wonder whether ole Cass has finally gone batty, beyond the pale of sanity. Such jubilation? What about when the country is drowned in C19 infection with even the worst variant invading; rock bottom on dollars; and farmers (40% of working population) up with their mammoties, very justifiably protesting. Cass�s jubilation is because she got the second jab and it was Astra Zeneca. On Monday at around 4.30 she got a telephone call more..

Jul 2 (CT) A senior Govt Minister has advised Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa to kill a crow and hang up a feather in order to silence dissent that was hampering state development projects. Johnston Fernando, Minister of Highways and Chief Govt Whip of Parliament made these remarks at a meeting in Kurunegala about progress on the Construction of the Maha Ela project. Different arms of the same govt were at odds with each other, Minister Fernando said. more..

Jul 2 (Island) Govt nurses are on the warpath. Their sick-note campaign affected all state-run health institutions except some places such as the pandemic treatment centres, yesterday. They have claimed that their trade union struggle was a huge success. That means the hospitals were crippled and poor patients who cannot afford treatment elsewhere underwent untold suffering. Thus, the success of the nurses� trade union action has been measured in terms of human suffering! more..

Jul 2 (CI) Sam Curran's maiden int'l five-for set England up for victory and their top order sealed the deal, despite Dhananjaya de Silva putting up a fight for SL in the second ODI at The Kia Oval. Curran took 5 for 48 from 10 overs, while fellow left-armer David Willey took 4 for 64 as SL reached 241 for 9, largely on the back of Dhananjaya's run-a-ball 91. But, led by half-centuries from Eoin Morgan, Joe Root & Jason Roy, England overhauled more..

Jul 2 (ST) The severest blows dealt by COVID, globally and in SL, is the deprivation of employment and income, which has increased poverty and starvation. Resolving or even ameliorating this human tragedy in poor countries around the world is a near impossible task. It is a near impossible challenge in SL too owing to the fragile economic situation of the country that limits state interventions. Public finances and external finances are in a perilous state and inappropriate policies more..

Jul 2 (Island) 13-year-old Thomian & SSC bowling all-rounder, Chrishen Warnasuriya has been awarded a scholarship by a specialist cricket school based in Surrey Hills in England to study & play cricket. Chrishen is a talented all-rounder who can open batting as well as adjust to playing anywhere in the top or middle-order. Gifted with a natural Chinaman, left arm wrist spin action he has the ability to spin the ball both ways. In addition to playing for his College in Mount Lavinia more..

Jul 2 (FT) SL�s COVID-19 detections yesterday exceeded 260,000 with the detections of 1,883 COVID-19 positive persons. 16,279 tests were carried out yesterday. The patients detected yesterday include 1,815 persons linked to the New Year cluster. The cumulative patient count of the Divulapitiya, Peliyagoda, Prisons and New Year clusters have risen to 253,429. The cumulative patient count includes 158,705 persons from more..

Jul 2 (CT) Sri Lanka Golf Union (SLGU) became the first National Sports Federation to adopt the Safe Sport policy formulated by the National Olympic Committee�s Women�s arm to create awareness on Make Sports a Safe Zone in SL. Associated with the signing of the MOU were Michael Magala (Prez, SLGU), Suresh Subramaniam (Prez, NOC SL), Niloo Jayatilake (Chairperson, NOC Women�s Committee), Shirantha Peiris (Chairman, NOC Junior Development Committee) and more..

Jul 2 (FT) New entrant to agriculture with impressive success, DIMO, has flagged off concerns over the sudden and aggressive shift to 100% organic fertiliser urging the Govt to reconsider it or adopt a staggered approach. �Recent announcement banning the import of inorganic and agrochemicals will have an adverse effect,� DIMO Chairman Ranjith Pandithage said. �This decision will affect our business prospects in the short and medium term, unless a revision is made to new regulations more..

Jul 2 (FT) Epidemiology Unit states that 173,520 persons received either the first or second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday. This includes 2,523 persons who received the second dose of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. At present, 925,242 persons have received the first dose of the vaccine and 378,307 persons have received the second dose of the vaccine. On Wednesday, 91,759 persons received the first dose of the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine and more..

Jul 2 (Island) It would not be a surprise if, at times during this tour of England, Sri Lanka�s bowlers had cast suspicious glances across the dressing room at their batsmen. After all, in three of the four white-ball matches so far, SL�s bowlers have had periods of play when they have been on top of England�s much-heralded batting line-up. All of those matches ended in defeat, of course, but had Sri Lanka�s batsmen been able to contribute more, a different result may have been possible. more..