Jul 14 (CT) Cheap and clean electricity, after a lapse of 14 days, provided over 50% of SL�s power needs for three consecutive days to Monday (12), CEB�s yesterday�s, data showed. Cheap and clean electricity comprises hydro and wind electricity. Prior to those three consecutive days beginning on Saturday through to Monday, the last time clean electricity provided over 50% of SL�s electricity needs for at least three consecutive days was from 24 May 2021 to 28 June 2021, more..

Jul 14 (DM) There is no any other alternative and satisfactory way other than the school classroom environment for children to continue with their studies, Minister G. L. Peiris said. Owing to COVID outbreak, schools had to close and many alternative methods such as online teaching were implemented to continue the studies of children. There is no complete alternative other than school environment for students to learn. We must use alternatives, but it is not the solution to all the issues. more..

Jul 14 (CT) Doctors vehemently protest against the General Sir John Kotelawala National Defence Uni (KDU) Bill, claiming that it aims to militarise the higher education and that there was a vast difference between providing higher education to military officers and militarising higher education. Secretary of the GMOA, Dr. Senal Fernando accused the Military of getting involved in even the national vaccination programme when more..

Jul 14 (NR) Minister of Health Pavithra Wanniarachchi urges trade unions to suspend their strikes until the spread of the novel coronavirus is controlled to a certain extent. Making a special statement, Health Minister Wanniarachchi said it is unacceptable that trade union actions are launched with political motives at a time the country is facing a health crisis. She said the COVID-19 pandemic is a global phenomenon and not a political slogan of the present govt. more..

Jul 14 (CT) Writ Petition, challenging illegal landfills and waste disposal in Muthurajawela wetlands by Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ) and its Executive Director, Hemantha Withanage will be heard by the Court of Appeal on 26 July. The petition was filed by the CEJ on the issuance of an interim injunction restraining land filling in the Muthurajawela wetland and three other grounds together with a motion, where a request to declare the proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) more..

Jul 14 (EN) Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa has claimed that the govt is planning to use 12,000 acres of the Yala National Park for an unknown purpose. �There is reliable information that the government is planning to take away 12,000 acres From the Yala National Park, Block 1 for unknown purposes. Reliable sources have also confirmed that illegal roadways are to be constructed through the National Park up to Akasa Chaitya,� more..

Jul 14 (Island) The People�s Action for Free & Fair Elections (PAFFREL) has been invited today (14) before the Parliamentary Select Committee on election law reforms to present their proposals. The Select Committee chaired by the Leader of the House, Minister Dinesh Gunawardena is scheduled to convene in Parliament today (15) afternoon. At the invitation of the Committee, PAFFREL is scheduled to present their proposals with regard to the electoral law reforms. more..

Jul 14 (DM) Attorney General today gave an undertaking to the Supreme Court that MP Harin Fernando will not be arrested until 1st of September this year, in connection with the Easter Sunday attacks. When the matter came up before SC 3-judge-bench comprising Priyantha Jayawardena, Justice Kumuduni Wickremasinghe and Justice Mahinda Samayawardena, the Attorney General assured court that the petitioner Harin Fernando will not be arrested until the matter is taken up more..

Jul 14 (CI) SL batter Dinesh Chandimal has asked SLC and its technical committee for clarity about his future in the national team. In a letter addressed to the head of the technical committee Aravinda de Silva, which also has several SLC officials copied, Chandimal asked for "an opportunity to meet with you and the respected committees to discuss my future, in playing cricket for Sri Lanka". more..

Jul 14 (AD) Commander of SL Army General Shavendra Silva says that there are data issues regarding the information of nearly 300,000 people who received the COVID-19 vaccine. He said that most of these issues had arisen during the first vaccination drive in which the health sectors collected data. He said, �Army computerized the collected data from day one. But in the health sector, we saw a system of writing in books. So the Air Force was used to collect the data of more..

Jul 14 (AD) The general public above 30 years of age in the Western Province are able to receive the first dose of Sinopharm vaccine at the Colombo Viharamaha Devi Park open theatre from tomorrow (July 15), says Sri Lanka Army. The latest community vaccination centre will be manned by army medical teams. The vaccine clinic will be held between 8.30 am and 4.30 pm from tomorrow until further notice, the Army said further in a media release. more..

Jul 15 (Island) Colombo Port City is a special economic zone and international financial centre and it is an important concept for the country�s economic enhancement. It is considered an extension of the existing Colombo Central Business District. In order to achieve the expected goals, it is necessary to manage the Port City in an efficient manner. The Colombo Port City Commission Bill was passed in Parliament recently and thereafter the commission has been established to manage Port City. more..

Jul 15 (CT) Addressing the Media on Tuesday, Archbishop of Colombo, Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith said there were several mysterious circumstances about the Easter Sunday attacks that still remained unanswered almost two years on. He urged the Government to refrain from trying to sweep the entire tragedy under the carpet by making a few arrests and stop conducting haphazard investigations. However, with a Police force, a CID, and legal system that act according to more..

Jul 15 (CT) There was a time not so long ago, when our medical practitioners and University students, including medical students, were engaged in an everlasting conflict peppered with the demonstrations and flash strikes against the govt of good governance over the SAITM demanding its closure. Many were the crocodile tears that were shed by the GMOA which considers itself to be the watchdogs of health service over the plight more..

Jul 15 (DM) All top professionals in this country have benefitted from teachers and no one would wish to harm them or stand in their way. Even president, defence secretary and the minister of law would agree that teachers are immensely helpful in education and character building and even qualify to be worshiped. But this is not what we saw a few days ago when teacher union activists coming out of a court after receiving bail were rounded up and sent to quarantine centres. more..

Jul 15 (DM) The govt�s move to ban chemical fertilisers has taken a heavy toll on many agriculture-related sectors including the tea industry. At the onset of the decision many tea planters explained why compost fertilisers will not give an expected yield when compared to chemical fertilisers. With the islandwide shortage of fertilisers and dealers opting to sell fertilisers at black market prices, many tea planters including tea smallholders in the Southern region took to streets. more..

Jul 15 (TM) A little over a month has passed since the X-Press Pearl vessel caught on fire, approximately nine nautical miles off the Colombo Harbour, and a subsequent explosion onboard the vessel caused several containers to fall overboard, releasing hazardous chemicals as well as tonnes of plastic pellets into the waters and leading to the largest maritime disaster the country has ever witnessed. Although it has been over a month more..

Jul 15 (TM) The Cabinet of Ministers recently reached a decision to establish nine Provincial level units with video technology to record evidence from children who have faced abuse, in a bid to avert inconveniences faced by children due to having to give evidence publicly in courts. The Govt�s decision to expand this facility, which is currently limited to Colombo, to other Provinces, is indeed an admirable move. However, in a context where various forms of child sexual abuse and exploitation cases more..

Jul 15 (CT) The Military Wife is a highly respected social status that only a few ladies would be privileged to be adorned with pride, purely due to altruism and patriotism of their spouses who dare to opt for the profession of arms in their lives. This honorary title and prestige glows military wives, conversely, their sense of devotion and philanthropy towards the military families and makes this title recognised and appreciated in society. Particularly, the SL Army Seva Vanitha Unit (ASVU), more..

Jul 15 (DM) Political commentary is easy. Good political commentary is rare. Think of a jigsaw puzzle. A tough one; not the one with just a dozen pieces, but one with a thousand and where the picture to be obtained has colour-line elements that are similar and scattered all over it. Poor political commentary or in fact poor analysis on anything, political or otherwise, is when the whole picture is described by looking at a single piece of the puzzle. Poor debate is about, well, debating points. more..

Jul 15 (ST) One fine afternoon around 3 pm, a 4-wheel cab was seen descending through misty mountains and endless bends along the Haputale � Balangoda road. The passenger, occupying the front-left seat appears to be exhausted by the work which he attended since that early morning; he was L. Jayasinghe, a business consultant working for a private business holding in Ratnapura. He was returning to Ratnapura on the same day after a business trip to a tea plantation in Haputale. more..

Jul 15 (FT) Sri Lanka Tourism and SriLankan Airlines have partnered to attract more visitors from August with the launch of a �buy-one-get-one-free� offer. �We are currently working with SriLankan Airlines and the tourism industry to launch a buy-one-get-one-free offer mid-August in several key markets. We are planning to start the promotion immediately with Germany and the Middle East,� SL Tourism Chairperson Kimarli Fernando said. more..

Jul 15 (Island) The yahapalana govt found itself on the rack for its failure to prevent the Easter Sunday carnage, which became its undoing. The SLPP, which came into power, promising to bring the perpetrators of the savage attacks to justice, is also in dire straits; it is drawing heavy flak for its failure to have the carnage properly investigated. It may have thought a presidential commission of inquiry would help put the matter to rest, but the issue refuses to go away. more..

Jul 15 (TM) Ranindu Dilshan Liyanage, the reigning national chess champion of Sri Lanka, had to end his World Cup journey when he lost his back-to-back second game to the Russian Grand Master (GM) Operin Grigoriy (2654) yesterday (14) in the second round of the FIDE Chess World Cup 2021. In the game of Sicilian Defence, the GM sacrificed a pawn on the 12th move and even exchanged the Queen. But after two moves, he managed to get a favourable double-rook ending for Black. more..

Jul 15 (FT) SL�s COVID-19 detections rose to 279,059 with the detection of 1,540 COVID-19 positive persons yesterday. 12,848 PCR tests were carried out yesterday and the COVID-19 detections include 1,453 persons from the New Year cluster. In total, 270,988 patients have been detected from the Divulapitiya, Peliyagoda, Prisons and New Year clusters. The cumulative patient count of the clusters includes more..

Jul 15 (FT) 37 COVID-19 deaths were confirmed on Tuesday, raising the country�s COVID-19 death toll to 3,611. Of the deaths confirmed, 19 persons were female and 18 persons were male. In total, 2,102 COVID-19 fatalities are male and 1,509 COVID-19 fatalities are female. 30 deaths confirmed on Tuesday were above the age of 60 and the remaining seven deaths were between ages 30 and 59. Epidemiology Unit states that 75.07% of all COVID-19 fatalities in the country are in more..

Jul 15 (Island) Table Tennis Association of SL has picked eight players to be included in its High Performance Development Programme funded by the Ministry of Sports. The eight players selected in the programme are Senura Silva, Krishan Wickramaratne, Chameera Ginige, Milinda Lakshitha, Ishara Madurangi, Bimandee Bandara, Muthumali Priyadarshani and Hansani Piumila. The TTASL in a statement said that a sum of rupees 35 million has been allocated for the programme more..

Jul 15 (FT) Manufacturers dependent on imported inputs are frustrated over Customs charging demurrage on delayed clearance for no fault of firms but scarcity of US Dollars. �Non-availability of dollars and other restrictions have placed on banks by the Govt have created numerous issues to the local manufacturers who depend on imported inputs,� private sector sources said. �While the Govt�s stance from an exchange rate management stand point is understandable, Customs imposing more..

Jul 15 (FT) For the Colombo bourse, the exit of billions to overseas appears to be happening faster. Having crossed the year-to-date (YTD) net foreign outflow milestones of Rs. 27 billion, Rs. 28 billion and Rs. 29 billion within five market days, the Rs. 30 billion figure is looming. Colombo stock market saw net foreign selling of Rs. 583.5 million yesterday, bringing the month-to-date figure to Rs. 3.46 billion and the YTD amount to Rs. 29.9 billion. Yesterday, foreign selling was most seen in Lanka Milk more..

Jul 15 (TM) The charges for the Long-Term Visa Category that is anticipated to be introduced for visitors to SL under the digital tourism programme is to be decided by Cabinet. Department of Immigration and Emigration Deputy Controller of Visa and Border Control B.G.G. Milinda stated that the charges on the aforesaid visa for these digital tourists would be decided by the Cabinet, noting that the amount has not been decided by Dept. more..

Jul 15 (DM) The currency in circulation rose the most during the first half of the year, as the Central Bank provided unprecedented stimulus by way of liquidity injections, which gained pace since the onset of the pandemic last year. The currency held by the public rose by a mammoth Rs.104.5 billion during the year through July 7, compared to the expansion of Rs.156.8 billion in the entirety of 2020 and Rs.37 billion in 2019. As a result, the stock of currency in circulation rose from Rs.678.0 b more..

Jul 15 (TM) Attorney General�s (AG) Department has on Tuesday (13) informed the Colombo Magistrate�s Court that an extensive investigation is being conducted into the allegedly erased communications between the Captain of the MV X-Press Pearl ship and the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) Harbour Master. Appearing on behalf of the AG, Deputy Solicitor General (DSG) Madhawa Tennakoon has stated that investigations into the lost data, which have been conducted by questioning more..

Jul 15 (FT) Despite restrictions and forex crisis, imports remain substantial, ballooning the trade deficit sharply year-on-year (YOY) in May though month-on-month it was down. Imports in May rose YOY by 61.7% to $ 1.6 billion whilst the first five months figure was up 26% to $ 8.35 billion. However, in comparison to April�s $ 1.7 billion, May figure was lower. Exports on the other hand, rose YOY by 52% to $ 892 million and by 33% more..

Jul 15 (CT) Sri Lanka cricket will look to put up an improved performance in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2021-23 cycle, after the Islanders failed to impress much in the first edition. ICC on Wednesday confirmed the fixtures for each side in the new edition of the tournament. SL, like all the other side�s participating in the second cycle, will take part in six series across the two year timeline. The home fixtures include Test series against West Indies, Australia and Pakistan, while. more..

Jul 15 (DN) Diyawadana Nilame Pradeep Nilanga Dela says all the artistes participating in the Kandy Esala Perahera this year may go into a bio-bubble, if health authorities recommend it. He said a decision in this regard will be taken in the near future. However, he said all artistes slated to take part in the Kandy Esala Perahera have already been vaccinated against COVID-19. He also said that all arrangements have been made to hold the Perahera successfully, in keeping with ancient customs. more..

Jul 15 (FT) Centre for Equality & Justice (CEJ) is implementing a project on Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV). The project will focus on women from Sinhala, Tamil & Muslim communities in the Puttalam, Kilinochchi and Polonnaruwa districts and will raise awareness on the barriers they encounter when accessing the criminal justice system while also suggesting possible solutions to the challenges they face. CEJ is a women�s organisation based in Colombo and more..