Jul 29 (CT) In my recent article titled how JRJ Constitution and 20th A Continue to rot SL, I attempted to highlight that a good constitution must have vital built in checks and balances. These are essential to ensure the executive cannot carry out certain functions without the legislative branch approval. Additionally an independent judiciary will stop any illegal acts by the president or even parliament by way of unconstitutional laws being passed. A member of the public can file suit. more..

Jul 29 (Island) What on earth are our politicians doing at the Tokyo Olympics? The Opposition has called for action against some state ministers who are currently in Tokyo for having violated the MPs� Code of Conduct. The govt has claimed that none of its politicians have used state funds for the trip. Chief Opposition Whip Lakshman Kiriella has demanded to know how they raised funds and who the donors are. One wonders what even Minister Namal Rajapaksa is doing at the Olympics, more..

Jul 29 (CI) India, who anyway brought a replacement team to Sri Lanka, were further severely hamstrung by nine of their players having to go into isolation. They had Bhuvneshwar Kumar - a bowler who bats a bit - as high as No. 6, because they had only five recognised batters available to them. And yet, they almost defended 132, their spinners - Rahul Chahar, Kuldeep Yadav & Varun Chakravarthy - stymying SL's chase more..

Jul 29 (FT) National Development Bank PLC, SL�s fourth largest listed bank, said yesterday it continued to demonstrate its resilience to external shocks and ability to deliver consistent results in the first half of this year. It said the review period was marked by months-long travel restrictions imposed to curb the spread of the third wave of the pandemic in SL, which affected business momentum. NDB Director and Group CEO Dimantha Seneviratne commented that notwithstanding these deepening more..

Jul 29 (CT) Sri Lanka Cricket Board will start hearing against National cricketers Kusal Mendis, Danushka Gunathilaka and Niroshan Dickwella in the bio-bubble breach case today. Vice-captain Kusal Mendis, wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella and Danushka Gunathilaka were found guilty of breaching the biobubble during the recent England tour. Earlier, videos and images of these cricketers roaming in the Durham marketplace went viral. On receiving the news, SLC Board suspended more..

Jul 29 (FT) Board of Investment (BOI) said that it would continuously strengthen its foundation and lead the orchestration in attracting market transforming FDI (foreign direct investment) while contributing substantially to the Govt�s transformative economic agenda. To facilitate this, the BOI has set in motion an investment outreach program to target thrust sectors such as manufacturing, ICT, tourism and hospitality, more..

Jul 29 (FT) Director General of Health Services on Tuesday confirmed 63 COVID-19 deaths, raising the total number of COVID-19 fatalities in the country so far to 4,258. Of the fatalities confirmed on Tuesday, 35 were male and 28 were female. Of the total fatalities, 2,474 fatalities are male and the remaining 1,784 fatalities are female. Over 75% of the fatalities are in the above 60 age category. 75.26% of fatalities are over 60, 23.46% are between ages 30 and 59, and 1.29% are below 30. more..

Jul 29 (FT) Premier blue chip John Keells Holdings (JKH) announced strong performance for the first quarter of FY22 despite the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and its continued impact on the leisure segment. The Group�s businesses, except for Consumer Foods, recorded an improvement in profitability compared to the first quarter of the previous year. Group revenue was up 80% to Rs. 38.80 billion, and excluding the leisure industry group, it was Rs. 36.87 b, up 73% from 1Q more..

Jul 29 (TM) Department of Labour says that no companies are permitted to delay their EPF payments citing the new wave of the pandemic. The Department provided leeway for companies last year during the first wave to delay their EPF remittances considering the financial difficulties of businesses. Commissioner General � EPF Division D.P.K.R. Weerakoon stated that the delay of EPF payments was provided only for more..

Jul 29 (DM) The local automobile component manufacturers have granted over 5,000 new employment appointments in the Western province over the past few months, according to SL Automobile Component Manufacturers� Association (SLACMA) President Dimantha Jayawardena. Earlier this year, the Industries Ministry together with the stakeholders of the SL automobile assembly and automobile component manufacturers industries launched a standard operating procedure more..

Jul 29 (TM) The shady player-manager mafia, which has been making use of the national cricketers for their own selfish financial benefit, has been unrelenting even at a time the national white-ball team is trying to slowly come out of its long-running predicament. One of the leading such player managers, who was known for taking 10% commission from the first edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) last year from many of his clients, still tries to force his players into more..

Jul 29 (FT) Chief Opposition Whip Lakshman Kiriella called on the Govt to withdraw the controversial Kotelawala National Defence Uni Bill (KNDU) and provide space for a broader discussion on it. SJB MP urged the Govt to enter into stakeholder consultation of the bill and allow educators, academics and students to have their say. �We are being told that the Govt plans to table the bill on Friday. more..

Jul 29 (Island) The UNP called on all Sri Lankans to unite in the name of democracy to form a broad alliance to abolish the 20th Amendment to the Constitution. UNP Chairman Vajira Abeywardena said that the country was heading for a dictatorship owing to the draconian powers vested in the executive presidency. �Those who came forward under the Viyath Maga to support the SLPP are now in power, and they should realise the mistake they made. more..

Jul 29 (Island) State Minister Roshan Ranasinghe yesterday denied Co-Cabinet spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella�s statement that several lawmakers, including him, had visited Japan to participate in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Opening with the help of the private sector. In a statement issued on behalf of Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa and State Ministers, D.V. Chanaka and Thenuka Vidanagamage, State Minister Ranasinghe said there was absolutely no basis for the claim. more..

Jul 29 (Island) Parliamentary watchdog-COPA (Committee on Public Accounts), in its latest report has highlighted significant loss of revenue and misuse of public money caused by the failure on the part of the Department of Inland Revenue, SL Customs and Department of Excise to streamline their operations. COPA Chairman Prof. Tissa Vitarana presented his first report to Parliament on July 20. more..

Jul 29 (FT) The Epidemiology Unit states that 72.3% of Sri Lankans over the age of 30 have received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 17% of Sri Lankans over the age of 30 have received both doses of a vaccine. 100% of Matale�s eligible population has been vaccinated. Over 90% of the eligible population in the Colombo, Gampaha, Kandy, and Mannar Districts have received the first dose of a vaccine, while 29.4% of the eligible population in Colombo, more..

Jul 29 (DN) Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) has summoned the SL Football Federation before the Committee on August 3 whilst The Department of Probation and Child Care Services has been summoned before the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) on Aug 4. The Committee on Public Enterprises, the Committee on Public Accounts and 13 Committees including a number of Consultative Committees are scheduled to meet during the first week of August, more..

Jul 29 (CT) A thorough investigation will be launched to determine why the SL squad, to the ongoing Tokyo Olympic Games, was not provided with attire bearing the national flag and country name, Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said. He said that concerns have been raised within the Govt that athletes representing SL, at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, are no longer clad in attire bearing the SL national flag more..

Jul 29 (FT) Govt assured adequate supply of fertiliser to the tea industry, allaying fears over shortages. Plantation Industries Minister Dr. Ramesh Pathirana said the Govt had gone ahead with a tender process of securing organic fertiliser, with the consignment set to arrive by October, whilst also assuring that the country had sufficient stocks of chemical fertiliser until then. �As of end-May we had 49,000 tons of chemical fertiliser and we had distributed 25,000 tons as of last week. more..

Jul 29 (CT) SJB MP Lakshman Kiriella urged the Govt to take action against Ministers who had travelled to Japan to watch the Tokyo Olympic Games for violating MPs� Code of Ethics. Kiriella noted that action can be taken against these State Ministers as per the code of ethics for MPs introduced a few years ago. �An MP is expected to inform Parliament if they get any benefit from anyone, including the private sector. The ministers who went to Japan should have informed more..

Jul 29 (FT) SL�s COVID-19 detections exceeded 300,000 with the detection of 1,940 COVID-19 positive persons yesterday. A total of 301,832 persons have tested positive for COVID-19 in the country to date. 12,887 PCR tests were carried out yesterday. The COVID-19 detections include 1,919 persons from the New Year cluster. The cumulative patient count of the Divulapitiya, Peliyagoda, Prisons, and New Year clusters more..

Jul 29 (Island) The dedicated COVID-19 wards and the ICU at the Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children were almost full, hospital Director, Dr. G. Wijesuriya said. Children were admitted at the rate of 5-6 a day and on some days the number increased to 12, the youngest COVID-19 patient was 21 days old. So far 500 children and 350 mothers had been treated by the hospital during the third wave of the pandemic. �We have two dedicated wards and an ICU and these are now almost full. more..

Jul 29 (DM) The health authorities have been highly concerned with the fact that a proportion of people has ignored getting the COVID-19 vaccine. This has come to the spotlight in the wake of COVID-19 deaths seems not decreasing though the number of positive cases remains at a moderate level. Chief Epidemiologist Dr. Samitha Ginige said reluctance to receive COVID jab could be seen in people above 60. �The main objective of the vaccination is to bring down the number of deaths more..

Jul 29 (TM) The Youth and Sports Ministry claimed yesterday that it is not aware as to who is bearing the expenses of the Ministerial delegation that travelled to Japan for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, but said that no money had been paid for Minister of Youth and Sports Namal Rajapaksa�s visit through the Youth and Sports Ministry. �I do not know who paid for the other State Ministers,� Youth and Sports Ministry Secretary Anuradha Wijekoon said more..

Jul 29 (FT) Crucifixion of two men, but not to exact a torturous death. The assailants in Balagalla, Kandy, last Friday, wanted a bestial vengeance solely by inflicting the intense pain of actual nailing to a cross. The hapless victims were apparently guilty of merely casting insults via social communications tool. Humiliation, clearly, is severe enough a suffering to justify the brutal nailing of a person on the cross which, itself, is an ancient instrument of very cruel execution after a long period of intense more..

Jul 29 (FT) CEB publishes its Least Cost Generation Expansion Plan every year, updating the present data in it and revising generation additions to suit the future forecasted electricity demand. If we go back to 2009, Figure 1 shows the predicted demand growth and the required generation additions. Construction of the coal fired power station in Norochcholai was started in 2006 and three units were connected to the national grid in 2010, 2011 and 2012 respectively. more..

Jul 29 (FT) The Colombo stock market yesterday managed a marginal recovery as, judging by low activity, investor sentiment remained lacklustre. The All Share Price Index gained by 15 points, or 0.19%, and the S&P SL20 was up nine points, or 0.30%. Turnover was Rs. 1.8 billion involving 75 million shares. First Capital said the bourse restored its position in the green zone by closing marginally higher although turnover recorded less than Rs. 2 billion since almost two weeks. more..

Jul 29 (TOO) Tyron Thomas, a 31-year-old Sri Lankan national employed on Masirah Island, was so scared of what would happen to him, his wife, and young daughter if he was infected with COVID-19 that he made a 200 km trip to Jalan Bani Bu Ali to get vaccinated. He was travelling to the town with his public relations officer and his colleagues, when tragedy struck. Like many other vehicles, the one in which Tyron�s group was travelling also got caught in the furiously fast wadis, a result of heavy rain more..

Jul 29 (DM) U.S. Ambassador Alaina B. Teplitz, who commented on the proposed investment by the U.S. based New Fortress Energy (New Fortress) in SL�s energy sector, said she would argue for it as a crucial project for SL needing capacity improvement and new technology in the related field. The company announced earlier that it signed a Framework Agreement with the SL govt to construct a new offshore liquefied natural gas more..

Jul 29 (AD) Minister Wimal Weerawansa has subjected himself to a voluntary self-quarantine as several police officers attached to his security detail have tested positive for COVID-19. Posting on his Facebook account, the Minister said that he will be self-quarantining at his home for a period of 14 days from today, considering it his civic duty. Weerawansa added that his office in the Ministry of Industries will be disinfected and the section would be closed off for 2 weeks. more..

Jul 29 (SIS) Deputy Minister of Tourism and Antiquities for Tourism Affairs Ghada Shalaby confirmed that the ministry is paying a great attention to the tourist experiment tourists witness during their visits to Egypt. The ministry is keen on helping visitors have a distinguished tourist experiment, which encourages them to repeat the visits, given the fact that Egypt is enjoying several and unique tourist places of attraction, added Shalaby during a meeting with more..

Jul 29 (EN) Sri Lanka police has announced an operation to nab people who upload child pornographic content to the internet. SDIG Ajith Rohana said that 18,000 images and videos related to child porn has uploaded from Sri Lankan IP addresses between June 17 and July 26, as per Police Child & Women Bureau�s data. �It includes child pornographic content of our children and children from abroad. more..

Jul 29 (DM) Fundamental Rights petition filed by former Governor of Western Province Azath Salley seeking an order to release him from CID custody was today fixed for Aug 10 by Supreme Court. Deputy Solicitor General Dileepa Pieris appearing for the AG sought a new date for the matter to be taken up for support owing to a personal difficulty. The SC was informed that the indictments have been filed in Colombo HC against Azath Salley in connection with the controversial statement more..

Jul 29 (Island) The passenger Vessel Vadatharaki, repaired by the SL Navy, resumed its operations between Punguduthivu and Delft Islands recently. SLN said the passage between the two islands had been suspended after Vadatharaki deployed by the RDA became unseaworthy. In response to a RDA request, the SLN undertook repairs of the redundant vessel in March 2021. Thereafter, the vessel was towed from Kankesanthurai harbour to the Naval Dockyard, Trincomalee for repairs, more..

Jul 29 (DM) The SC today concluded arguments put forward in support and against the proposed Finance Bill. Accordingly, all parties relating to the Special Determination petitions were directed to submit their written submissions before August 2. Later on, the SC�s determination over the proposed bill is to be communicated to the President and the Speaker. Meanwhile, Attorney General presented in court a list of amendments to be moved more..

Jul 29 (CT) Diplomats of the Middle East and Asian countries met Minister of Finance Basil Rajapaksa on 27 July. Thereby, the High Commissioner of Bangladesh, Tareq Md. Ariful Islam, Acting High Commissioner of Pakistan, Tanvir Ahmad, Ambassador of Saudi Arabia, Abdul Naser, Ambassador of the State of Kuwait to SL, Khalaf Bu Dhhair, and Egypt Ambassador Hussein El Saharty met Rajapaksa to discuss at length the manner in which bilateral relations between Sri Lanka more..

Jul 29 (CT) SL Police have set up a phone line for the public to report any activity involving child labour in Colombo or its precincts. SDIG Ajith Rohana said if the public has any information regarding child labour, they should contact the Colombo Emergency Centre at 0112433333. He further stated that on 27 July, a special operation was launched in Colombo and suburbs to track down offenders involved in child labour. Minors have been taken to Colombo for labour, particularly from the hill country more..

Jul 29 (EN) The ruling SLPP and the main opposition SJB are two sides of the same coin, former foreign minister Mangala Samaraweera said. Samaraweera, who in 2019 supported the presidential bid of then UNP deputy leader Sajith Premadasa, took to Facebook on Wednesday (28) to decline an invitation by SJB working committee member Rehaan Jayawickreme to rejoin the SJB, the party now led by Premadasa more..

Jul 29 (AD) CID has arrested a woman, who is allegedly involved in narcotics trafficking, along with drug money circulated through five bank accounts maintained by her. The 41-year-old from Dehiwala areas was taken into custody under the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act. Up to Rs. 60 million drug money had been circulated through these bank accounts for the past four years. The arrest was made based on a tip-off given by the Financial Intelligence Unit of Central Bank. more..