Jun 24 (DM) Free Trade Zone Manufacturers Association (FTZMA) stressed the need for an urgent and short-term strategy to protect SL�s market share in the EU, in a proactive manner. Acknowledging that the withdrawal of GSP Plus would have serious and negative consequences on the country�s export industry, FTZMA said it is imperative for the govt to take a proactive approach in resolving the hurdle without more..

Jun 24 (FT) The SL Association for Software and Services Companies (SLASSCOM) was a key partner at the recently concluded SL Invest Forum (SLIF) 2021. They brought in a team of renowned global keynote speakers that gave positive insights into their experiences of investing in SL, outlining success stories of their ventures and providing their expertise of the diverse investment portfolios available in SL. �The exposure the event gave to SL as a unique country to invest was immense,� more..

Jun 24 (DN) It is with great devotion that we, Sri Lankan Buddhists, celebrate Poson Poya that marks the arrival of a great compassionate teacher who had enormous loving kindness, Arahat Mahinda Thera, with the wonderful message of the Buddha. It is somewhat unfortunate that this year too we have to celebrate Poson from the confines of our homes due to the COVID pandemic. But this should not be an obstacle to reflecting on the greatness of this singular event. more..

Jun 24 (CT) The 10-member Sri Lanka Athletics team finally left to India yesterday after a chaotic day, to compete at the 66th National Interstate Athletics Championship to be held from 25 to 29 June in Patiala upon an invitation extended by Athletics Federation of India (AFI). The team had to undergo a logistic nightmare yesterday, which were all sorted out at the eleventh hour. This included Sports Ministry getting clearance from more..

Jun 24 (Island) National athletes who left the island yesterday to compete in the 65th Interstate Athletics Championship in Patiala, India were geared with new competition kits by BELIEVE Sportswear. Believe is the sports and active wear arm of Ceylon Sports which is to be launched in the near future. The groundbreaking initiative by Ceylon Sports will see international style running gear manufactured in SL for the first time. The trendy and modern collection include a wide range of sports gear more..

Jun 24 (FT) Hotels Association of SL (THASL) in a statement yesterday rejected the allegation by MP Patali Champika Ranawaka that tourism had aggravated the COVID pandemic in SL, especially the third wave. The MP made this charge recently at a media briefing and blamed Sri Lanka Tourism Chairperson Kimarli Fernando and former Lankan Envoy to Russia Udayanga Weeratunga who promoted tourists from Ukraine as a pilot project during the second wave. more..

Jun 24 (FT) In a bid to reduce overcrowding and delays at the BIA, the number of Immigration and Emigration counters has been increased from 18 to 23. Following a recent visit to inspect the BIA expansion project progress, Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga said steps were being taken to further increase the number of Immigration and Emigration counters up to 30. �There were many complaints from tourists about delays more..

Jun 24 (DN) Port City Colombo donated 20 laptop computers to the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) to be used at vaccination centers, in support of the Council�s ongoing public vaccination drive against COVID-19. Mr. Jiang Houliang, Managing Director of CHEC Port City Colombo, handed over the laptops to the Mayor of Colombo, Her Worship Rosy Senanayake today (17) at the Colombo Municipal Council. The Mayor highly appreciated the philanthropic gesture of Port City Colombo more..

Jun 24 (DN) Five sports bodies will be given seven days time to complete their annual general meetings and to elect new office-bearers for the ensuing year. Football, netball, taekwondo, weightlifting and judo are the pending sports bodies which are likely to be taken under the DG of Sports. Already these bodies have completed their official tenure and are serving on an extension granted by a Gazette notification released by the Sports Minister which expires on June 30. �We have granted a final deadline more..

Jun 24 (TM) The state-owned Selendiva Investments Ltd. is now set to take up its mission of revitalising underutilised govt assets up north, as the company looks to develop 63 acres of underdeveloped land in Kankesanthurai, Jaffna. The project, which falls under the real estate arm of the company, Selendiva Real Estate, is set to develop the land that is currently occupied by the Jaffna International Co-ordination Centre. more..

Jun 24 (FT) Govt is preparing to face the eventuality of EU withdrawing GSP+ tariff concessions from SL, State Minister Ajith Nivard Cabraal said but assured that diplomatic efforts to avoid such a situation were being pursued. �We have to be prepared to face the situation if the GSP+ facility is withdrawn. We have started a risk assessment to see how we can face any outcome. While steps are underway to deal with this on the diplomatic front, we also have to be prepared to deal with it on economic front� more..

Jun 24 (FT) Sentiment surrounding the economy continued to decline in May as a mere 11% of respondents to the latest LMD-Nielsen Business Confidence Index (BCI) survey believe that conditions will improve in the next 12 months � down from 27% in the previous month. Furthermore, a majority (57% � up from only 10% in the preceding month) of corporate executives say the economy will get worse during this period while another 32% expect conditions to stay the same. more..

Jun 24 (FT) A total of 78,000 doses of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines are due to arrive in the island during the first three weeks of July and the vaccines will be used to meet AstraZeneca second dose demands in the country. Pfizer vaccine doses will be used to vaccinate persons who received the first dose of AstraZeneca and are awaiting their second dose. SL will receive the doses in shipments of 26,000 doses per week, with the first lot due more..

Jun 24 (FT) India and Sri Lanka will seek to expand training opportunities between the coast guards of both countries. The decision was taken at the 5th annual high-level meeting between the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and SL Coast Guard (SLCG), held virtually on Tuesday (22), under the provisions of the bilateral MoU signed between both agencies. The meeting was co-chaired by the Director General ICG Krishnaswamy Natarajan and Director General SLCG Rear Admiral Anura Ekanayake. more..

Jun 24 (DN) SLC decided to offer annual player contracts for a total of 60 domestic cricketers during their inaugural Executive Committee Meeting held last week. This is to help those cricketers sustain themselves financially at a time when cricket is not being played due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The eligible players will be chosen by the Selection Committee of SLC. Meanwhile, responding to the appeals made by the member clubs, SLC also decided to provide financial assistance to more..

Jun 24 (TM) While the Govt maintains that only 12% of the student population had no access to online education, Ceylon Teachers� Union (CTU) said that a staggering 60% of students have not received education. CTU General Secretary Joseph Stalin said that the current Govt was not successful at giving online education for school children and providing them with the required equipment. more..

Jun 24 (CT) Govt is considering increasing the current Rs 5,000 fine up to Rs 50,000, for those who regularly violate health guidelines put in place to control the spread of the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi warned. She affirmed that this measure was being seriously mulled by her Ministry, as the public continue to act oblivious to health guidelines imposed to tackle the countrywide spread of the fatal illness. Minister stressed that she was optimistic that more..

Jun 24 (CT) SL Customs has found a shipment of smuggled cigarettes worth over 24.8 million. It is estimated that the Govt would have lost Rs 20.5 million if this illegal import had been successful. While inspecting a 40-foot container imported from China, officers of the Central Goods Inspection Division found a stock of illegally imported Chinese-made cigarettes hidden in small chair-like boxes. The container was imported under a company located in Geli Oya area with 1,415 bags of more..

Jun 24 (FT) SL�s COVID-19 detections rose to 246,109 with the detection of 2,196 COVID-19 positive persons yesterday. 2,178 of yesterday�s patients are from the New Year cluster. This brings the cumulative patient count of the Divulapitiya, Peliyagoda, Prisons and New Year clusters to 238,925. The cumulative patient count of the clusters includes 144,026 patients from the New Year cluster, 82,785 patients from Peliyagoda more..

Jun 24 (CT) The Delta-plus variant was declared as a Variant of Concern (VOC) in India on Tuesday (22). The plus in the Delta-plus name, is in reference to an additional mutation (namely K417N � which refers to a change of the amino acid Lysine to Asparagine at position 417) that has been noted in the original Delta variant or B.1.617.2. The technical name for the Delta-plus variant is B.1.617.2.1 or AY.1. A variant is designated as a VOC, if there is evidence of fulfilling at least one of several more..

Jun 24 (Island) Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi told Parliament that experiments were being conducted by a team of Lankan experts to use Pfizer vaccines as the second dose for those who had been given the first jab of AstraZeneca vaccine. Wanniarachchi said that in several countries those who received the first dose of AstraZeneca vaccine had been given Pfizer booster shots. The results were encouraging, she added. The team of experts was expected to submit its findings within the next two weeks more..

Jun 24 (Island) Depending on the scale of production of Covid-19 vaccines, within the country, India is aiming at July-end or August to at least release those vaccines that have been bought by Bangladesh, SL and Nepal and are now in pending status. Supplies to Bhutan, which received vaccines from India as grants, will be prioritised, too. India, the largest vaccine producer in the world, started sending Covid shots abroad, more..

Jun 24 (FT) A delay in purchasing 600,000 AstraZeneca or Covishield vaccines for the second dose cannot come at a worse time for the Govt than this, when its popularity is at its rock-bottom level. Govt has been struggling to manage bad publicity on every issue, but every week there is a new one. The bad publicity includes a fire on the MV X-Press Pearl and its sinking, marine pollution and deprival of fishing due to the ship fire; Minister Sarath Weerasekera, strong ally of Prez Rajapaksa, more..

Jun 24 (DN) There was no other Govt in SL history that granted more tax relief than the current Govt to provide a cushion to the entrepreneurs and the public who had been heavily taxed by the former UNP led Good Governance Govt, said Trade Minister Dr. Bandula Gunawardena. He said that the tax revenue in 2014 at the end of Mahinda Rajapaksa govt was Rs. 1,050 billion and thereafter its successor the Good Governance Govt imposed tax rates to collect more than Rs. 1,700 billion more..

Jun 24 (FT) Note to reader: I am a long-time reader of many opinion pieces that have appeared on this publication. This is my first contribution and hopefully not the last. I have read many articles over the past few years and personally enjoy the shorter versions most. In writing this article, I have realised the difficulty in striking a balance between the details and making the article short enough to keep the reader engaged. My solution is to write what is effectively an executive summary more..

Jun 24 (DM) In the wake of the release of former MP Duminda Silva under a presidential pardon, several inmates of the Mahara and Welikada Prisons who have been sentenced to death have commenced a hunger strike from this afternoon. Prisons spokesman Chandana Ekanayake said that the inmates are requesting that the death sentence be commuted to life imprisonment. He said that discussion is underway with the Justice Ministry that the death penalty to be commuted to more..

Jun 24 (DM) A 2017 census done by the Dept of Census and Statistics estimates that around 8.7% of the population in SL fall into the category of People with Disabilities (PwDs). This is around 300,000 people. But four years down the line, this number could be much more or less. As a result, miscalculations in the numbers have made it difficult for groups advocating for the rights of PwDs to keep track of how many of them are affected, more..

Jun 24 (TM) The United National Party (UNP) today (24) questioned the President over the decision to release former Member of Parliament, Duminda Silva, who was convicted for murder and sentenced to death in 2016, the Party said in a statement. Accordingly, the Party stated that the President should explain his decision to include the former MP in his list of Presidential pardons. �What was the criteria used in determining those who were eligible for the Presidential pardon? more..

Jun 24 (DM) US Ambassador Alaina B Teplitz today said that Prez pardon of Duminda Silva was undermining SL�s rule of law. �The Pardon of Duminda Silva, whose conviction the SC upheld in 2018, undermines rule of law,� Teplitz tweeted. However, she welcomed the early release of prisoners held under the Prevention of Terrorism Act. "We welcome the early release of PTA prisoners, but the pardon of Duminda Silva, whose conviction the SC upheld in 2018, undermines rule of law. more..

Jun 24 (DM) The Bar Association of SL (BASL) has requested President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to make the public aware whether the due procedure was followed when granting pardon to Duminda Silva. The BASL said in a statement that although article 34(1) of the Constitution allows the President to grant such a pardon, either free or subject to lawful considerations, the proviso to Article 34 (1) requires the Prez to call for a report from the Judge more..

Jun 24 (CT) The number of unconvicted female prisoners fell by 37.71% (1,619) to 4,293; 2020 over 2019. Meanwhile, in 2020 there were 12 unconvicted female graduate convicts as opposed to a higher figure of 15 in 2019. Majority of the unconvicted female prisoners were between the ages of 30 and under 40 years of age, comprising a total of 1,244 under that age category last year, commensurate with a similar pattern observed in 2019 where this number was 1,879 out of more..

Jun 24 (Island) The Embassy of SL to Lebanon and Syria donated Nebulizers, Infrared Forehead Thermometers, Sanitizer Nano Spray Guns, metal furniture Mattresses, etc., to the newly-established 300 beds Intermediate COVID -19 treatment centre attached to District Hospital, Dompe, Lankan Embassy in Beirut said in a statement. �This request was made to the Embassy of SL by Chairperson of the National Women�s Committee of the State Ministry of Women and Child Development more..

Jun 24 (EN) The steep forward discounts in SL with state banks are taking dollars to pay back in one year at 182 rupees in buy/sell swaps, a sign of a deep crisis from modern monetary theory style money printing, which need immediate solutions, opposition legislator Harsha de Silva said. �As a responsible MP I do not want to scare people,� he told parliament. �I am telling look at the reality and take a decision fast. more..

Jun 24 (FT) State-owned Lakdiva Engineering Ltd., is all set to repair discarded vehicles belonging to Ministries and Departments for re-use. The State venture currently assembles bus bodies for the use of the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB). The Cabinet of Ministers this week approved the formal transfer of a 23-acre land in Ekala on a free-hold basis to be used for the new project of Lakdiva along with the SLTB, following a proposal submitted by Transport Minister Gamini Lokuge. more..

Jun 24 (CT) Regional Director of Health Services of Batticaloa District, Dr. Nagalingam Mayooran, said 3,968 persons in the Batticaloa District have been infected with COVID-19 and 63 of them have passed away. Even though the number of COVID-19 cases were gradually declining in the country, more cases have been detected in the Batticaloa District, Dr. Mayooran said. He also requested the public in the district to follow health guidelines to the letter and to cooperate with health officials to curb more..

Jun 24 (AD) Duminda Silva, who is currently imprisoned under a death sentence, has been granted a Special Prez Pardon. Prez Rajapaksa today granted prez pardon to 93 prison inmates to mark the Poson Full Moon Poya day. Media Spokesperson of Department of Prison said that former MP Duminda Silva was also among them. Former MP Duminda Silva was jailed in Sept 2016 after the Colombo High Court found him more..

Jun 25 (CT) Yesterday this newspaper as its lead story carried a news item which had a strapline called Regular health guidelines violators with the heading Rs 50,000 Fine Mulled. To quote excerpts it said, �The Govt is considering increasing the current Rs 5,000 fine up to Rs 50,000 for those who regularly violate health guidelines put in place to control the spread of the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi warned. more..

Jun 25 (CT) Not many choose to get involved in highly controversial issues because of inevitable retaliations and reprisals to follow. Few dares confrontation, hence things continue unabated. National Wage policy is one such that remains an outstanding with no remedy possible for want of someone to bell the cat! Besides the objectives, concepts and considerations underlying a Wage Policy a new requirement has arisen due to the rapidly changing land scape centered round more..

Jun 25 (CT) One of the biggest English newspapers in SL has come under the influence from the Rajapaksa regime and their Chinese backers sources told Colombo Telegraph. Journalists and executives at the institution are alarmed by the infiltration. These agents are working as a unit inside the newspaper to stop over the top criticism of Chinese projects and the Embassy activities in SL & promote Chinese interests. more..