Jun 26 (CT) Recently Northern Governor, Suren Raghavan instructed pharmacies in the Province to only operate with the presence of a Registered Pharmacist working full-time with them. All pharmacies in the Province were instructed through their relevant Regional Directors of Health Services to function only with a registered pharmacist who had to be present during all hours in which the pharmacy was open to the public. more..

Jun 26 (ST) Recent reports that the IOC is urging the NOCSL to engage the Ministry of Sports in amending the Sports Law and Regulations governing Sports, making it compatible with the principles that govern world sports, as defined by the Olympic Movement, reverberates across corridors of many Sports organisations. In step with the IOC comes the news that FIFA delegates are in Colombo to guide and propel the FFSL in its long delayed constitutional reform that is designed to more..

Jun 26 (FT) Citi on 24 June partnered with the Central Bank of Sri Lanka on behalf of the SL Govt to raise $ 2 billion in a dual-tranche five-year and long 10-year bond offerings. The Notes were priced at a yield of 6.35% and 7.55% for the five-year and 10-year long tranche, respectively. Both tranches were priced well inside the respective initial price guidance. The bonds were rated �B2�, �B� and �B� by Moody�s Investors Service Standard and Poor�s and Fitch Ratings respectively. more..

Jun 26 (CT) When 21-year-old Avishka Fernando faced his first-ever delivery in a World Cup match Sri Lanka was in deep trouble at two down for just three runs with their leading in-form run-getters � including skipper Dimuth Karunaratne � back in the pavilion and Jofra Archer � the tournament�s joint highest wicket-taker � straining at the bit, pumped up and poised for the kill; but rather than hunker down in the bunker on more..

Jun 26 (Island) It is said that when elephants fight grass suffers. Nothing describes the predicament of SL, which has become a big-power battleground, better than this African proverb. The US is all out to exact much more than China has got. At this rate, Sri Lankans will be left without ports, airports and land before long. Prez Sirisena, speaking at a recent function, launched into a tirade against the suppliers of sand and soil, calling them racketeers who posed a grave threat to the environment. more..

Jun 26 (CI) Australia played Test match cricket in miniature to get the better of England and a set of conditions at Lord's that were not really in the blueprint for Eoin Morgan's side ahead of a tournament in which they now face the tightest of ropes to qualify for the semi-finals. Australia, meanwhile, are now in the final four, the first team to get there. The cut and thrust of this Lord's ODI was a world away from the virtual home run derby of Trent Bridge a year ago. more..

Jun 26 (Hindu) Scores of SL refugees living in various camps in Virudhunagar district on Monday submitted separate petitions seeking Indian citizenship to Collector A. Sivagnanam. Stating that they had lived most pat of their life in India, the refugees said they did not have the economic wherewithal to set up their life and livelihood on returning to SL. Over 3,200 refugees, who fled their war-torn nation in 1990s, more..

Jun 26 (DN) The world�s most immersive virtual reality cricket - iB Cricket that has bowled over int'l cricket legends like Dilshan, Sehwag, Fleming, Kohli, is at Sri Lanka to engage fans this World Cup season. Organising a series of events in association with Mobitel, iB Cricket is taking cricket closer to its fans. During the Mobitel 5G launch event, Prez Sirisena visited iB Cricket zone and was impressed by the implementation of advanced technologies to create an innovative product like iB Cricket. more..

Jun 26 (DN) Sri Lanka has been starved of wins in One-Day Internationals that their victory over hosts and one of the favourites to win the World Cup England was treated by some sections of the population as if they had won the World Cup. Reports reaching here indicate that the win was celebrated with firecrackers in most parts of the country back home and some websites even went overboard bringing politicians into the limelight for the win and jumping to the conclusion that more..

Jun 26 (FT) The Central Bank yesterday said it has raised a $2 billion international sovereign bond to bolster reserves and refinance debt, which was oversubscribed three times and received most interest from fund managers in the US and Europe. On Monday, the Central Bank, on behalf of the SL govt, returned to the US Dollar bond markets, successfully pricing a new issuance of $500 million five-year and $1.5 billion 10-year more..

Jun 26 (CT) In terms of sheer numbers soccer is undoubtedly the world�s most popular sport, with an estimated four billion fans worldwide. The sport that comes in second, however, is a little more of a surprise � cricket, with a roughly 2.5 billion fan base. However, when you realise that India alone likely accounts for half that it becomes a little less impressive, especially when you realise that cricket only has 12 full member nations. By contrast if you take baseball, which comes in eighth place more..

Jun 26 (FT) Standing in solidarity with fellow Sri Lankans who had to reckon with an unprecedented tragedy on Easter Sunday this April, Litro Gas Lanka donated Rs. 5 million to the fund for the victims of the day. Representatives of Litro Gas including Muditha Peiris handed over the donation to Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith on 10 June at the Archbishop�s House. The donation will be used as financial aid in the efforts to assist those who continue to suffer in the aftermath of attack to rebuild their lives. more..

Jun 26 (DM) In the Contempt of Court application filed against Sri Lanka Medical Council members over their failure to register a SAITM student according to the Supreme Court Judgement, the Court of Appeal yesterday issued a warrant against one respondent for failing to appear in court and directed another three respondents to submit reasons over their absence. This application was filed against SLMC citing all its members more..

Jun 26 (Island) Brandix Apparel, Fonterra Brands Lanka and John Keells Holdings held the orientation for fifteen diverse, talented interns at Hatch, Colombo, formally commencing the Fast Track Summer Internship Programme 2019. First introduced in 2011, the FastTrack Summer Internship Programme returned in April 2019 to provide fifteen selected undergraduates a unique opportunity to participate in a six-week internship at diverse companies spanning SL�s largest more..

Jun 26 (FT) Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has strengthened its intelligence network with India, following the latest Indian intelligence reports that warned of possible renewed attacks by the Islamic State (IS) terrorists. SLA Commander Lt. Gen. Mahesh Senanayake said that the country was confronted with global terrorism, and needed the assistance of the neighbouring countries to fight against the IS. �We are confronted with a global threat and need to join regional cooperation, more..

Jun 26 (AFP) Sri Lanka's police Tuesday stepped in to prevent a local council from banning Muslim traders from a weekly fair in another backlash from the devastating Easter attacks blamed on Islamic extremists. The local govt body had ordered minority Muslims not to participate in the farmer's market in the town of Dankotuwa. "We got a court order against the Wennappuwa PS because we can't allow this Islamophobia," more..

Jun 26 (DN) Public sector red tape retards national development. Even if discussions are held with a broad team of public servants to launch an urgent development project, it takes nearly six months for it to get off the ground because the red rape obstructs it. This should be changed for the better if we are to achieve rapid development keeping pace with regional developed countries, Colombo Mayor Rosy Senanayake said. She was addressing a seminar themed, Mind and Life Change attended by more..

Jun 26 (SLA) The pride of the Nation, the Army�s elite Special Forces (SF), having once again Vowed to Reach the Goal Fearlessly, translated literally their motto, Adhishtanayen Abheethawa Aramuna Karaa bestowed SF graduation on 4 Officers and 315 Other Ranks in the Intake-49 during a glittering passing-out ceremony, held on Saturday (22) morning at the Special Forces Training School in Maduruoya. Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne, Chief of Defence Staff as the Chief Guest for more..

Jun 26 (DM) President Maithripala Sirisena told the Cabinet meeting yesterday that each clause of the agreement with the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) of the US should be scrutinized before it was approved by Parliament. The MCC, which is an independent US foreign assistance agency helping in the fight against global poverty has approved a grant aid of US$480 million to Sri Lanka for three main projects to be more..

Jun 26 (CT) It�s revealed that the Batticaloa University College (Private) had been planned to accommodate a student population of 10,000. This information was included in the committee report produced to Parliament by the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Education and Human Resources Development. The following information was also included in the report: The College planned to enroll 60 students per programme and at the present, lectures can be provided to 3,500 students. more..

Jun 26 (DM) The Cabinet today decided to amend the circular on the dress code for public servants, enabling them to wear any decent clothes without covering their faces. In the aftermath of the Easter Sunday terror attack, the Public Administration Ministry issued a circular stipulating the saree or the osariya as the dress for female workers. However, the dress code came to be highly criticised even from govt sources calling it a violation of the workers' human rights. more..

Jun 26 (CT) Colombo Chief Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne yesterday, put forward to 29 August, the hearing of the case against four persons, including the owner of the primary dealer, Perpetual Treasuries Limited (PTL), Arjun Aloysius for allegedly deleting the telephone data records of the PTL. Aloysius, Kasun Palisena, Nuwan Salgadu and Sachin Devathanthri have been named as the suspects in the case. more..

Jun 26 (DN) US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo�s decision to cancel his visit to Colombo on Thursday has more to do with rising local sentiments against a proposed American military base in SL than scheduling issues, people tracking the developments said. US mission in Colombo cited scheduling issues over the cancellation of the June 27 trip that was aimed at showing solidarity with victims of terror attacks. It said the secretary of state hopes to travel to Sri Lanka at a later date. more..

Jun 26 (Island) In addition to three Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) plants to be built, discussions were underway for a fourth plant, Head of Development Communications Unit at the PM�s office Sudarshana Gunawardana said. He revealed that moves were also underway to construct a renewable power cable to India and a coal power plant. LNG Plants would be built only after obtaining approval from the Central Environment Authority and the Public Utilities Commission, Gunawardana stressed, more..

Jun 26 (Island) SLFP General Secretary Dayasiri Jayasekera, claimed that President Sirisena hadn�t been really aware of the implications of the 19th Amendment, enacted in May 2015, four months after the last presidential election. He alleged that MP Dr. Jayampathy Wickremaratne had misled the President. When The Island pointed out that Dr. Wickremaratne hadn�t been in parliament at that time, a smiling Jayasekera said more..

Jun 26 (DM) The TIME magazine has pulled off a coup of sorts. For its latest cover it has got United Nations Secretary-General Ant�nio Guterres knee-deep in waters in the Polynesian island of Tuvalu, one of the worst hit territories from sea level rising. With the title �Our sinking planet� and with a disillusioned Guterres standing in the middle the cover, the TIME points to the urgency of the topic in hand. The latest climate reports say that the global sea level is likely to rise by six feet by 2100 more..

Jun 26 (DM) Political parties in Sri Lanka are playing for time in announcing their candidates for the upcoming Presidential elections at a time when the whole country is screaming for a change in the entire political set-up. Names of veteran politicians like UNP�s Ranil Wickremesinghe, SLFFP�s Maithripala Sirisena, Sajith Premadasa, Chamal Rajapaksa, Karu Jayasuriya, Rajitha Senarathne and that of the not so experienced Gotabaya Rajapaksa have been mentioned on more..

Jun 26 (DM) Once again, maybe for the umpteenth time in the midst of election euphoria, we are talking about the upcoming presidential poll and its candidates. Who is coming from the UNP, who is representing the Pohottuwa and is Maithripala Sirisena, the incumbent President, preparing to contest again and if so from which party, is the JVP fielding a candidate, what are the chances for any candidate if the TNA decides more..

Jun 26 (Independent) As I pull back my curtain to watch the sun set over the Kandalama reservoir, I suddenly find myself inches from a beady-eyed grey langur monkey peering at me from the other side of the glass. He�s perched nonchalantly on the rail that runs round my window, while a handful of others swing through the trees behind him. The forest almost engulfs the two low, lateral wings of the camouflage green, more..

Jun 26 (EN) SL's main coconut auction has been in limbo for over a month after a floor price of 28 rupees a per nut was set by authorities, in the wake of falling nut prices and a recovery in production. The floor price was set by the ministry in charge following requests from growers, who said they could not sell below 28 rupees a nut. With no bids below 28,000 rupees accepted, lots offered at the auction are withdrawn. more..

Jun 26 (Island) SLFP General Secretary Dayasiri Jayasekera, declared that according to the Constitution President Sirisena could remain in office for a longer period though preparations were being made for a presidential election to be held towards the end of the current year. Last presidential election was held on 08 Jan, 2015. MP Jayasekera, citing various constitutional provisions claimed that Prez Sirisena�s five-year term more..

Jun 26 (ST) A decision to allow the import of cigarettes could have grave consequences as they are cheaper and will drive more people, especially youths, to become addicted, Minister Rajitha Senaratne has warned. He said that Chinese cigarettes were being smuggled into the country by Chinese workers and sold in the illicit market. If the import was legalised, it would encourage more people to buy them, as they would be more..

Jun 26 (AD) Sri Lanka�s victory over tournament favorites and hosts England has provided the team with a good mindset ahead of their next three crucial games in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, says coach Chandika Hathurusingha. He said that England are one of the strongest teams in the tournament and that they are also the host nation which makes the victory quite significant. He said that the benefit for the team from more..

Jun 26 (ANI) PM Narendra Modi's visit to Sri Lanka is proof that the country is safe, said SL Tourism Minister John Amaratunga. "PM Modi came to Sri Lanka and it is the proof that Sri Lanka is safe. He visited churches there. He was cordial and comfortable and what is a better proof of safety than that," Amaratunga told ANI. Modi paid a stopover visit to the island nation earlier this month on his way back to India from the Maldives. more..

Jun 26 (MFA) The Sri Lanka delegation to the UNHRC briefed the Council today on progress made in addressing human rights concerns, national security imperatives, as well as reconciliation priorities. Sri Lanka�s intervention under Agenda Item 2 of the Council, followed the Oral Update provided by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Madam Michelle Bachelet at the opening of the 41st Session of the UNHRC more..

Jun 26 (AD) President Maithripala Sirisena says that he has already signed the order to impose the death penalty for prisoners convicted for drug dealing. The President stated this addressing the heads of media institutions this morning (26). He added that these four death penalties will be carried out soon. The President also highlighted that he is completely against the proposed Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with the US. more..

Jun 26 (AD) Commander of SL Army Lieutenant General Mahesh Senanayake has commenced giving evidence before the Special Parliamentary Select Committee appointed to look into the terrorist attacks on Easter Sunday. The committee reconvened this afternoon (26) at the Parliament premises. Meanwhile, former minister MP Rishad Bathiudeen is also due to testify before the PSC this evening. more..

Jun 26 (FT) The political mafia in Sri Lanka have tried everything evil � manipulating one ethnic community against another to create an upheaval � deviously manipulating the destruction of the revered Buddhist statues � in the hope that it will create a backlash against the Muslim community by the majority Sinhala Buddhists. Another major plot nurturing, patronising and supporting extremist organisations to stage a devilish massacre in a Catholic Church in the hope that another more..

Jun 26 (CT) Major bilateral issues, especially those which potentially have a tendency to impact negatively on what are perceived to have embedded in them and some national security-sensitive issues, are beginning to get more play in the national media these days than at any period in post-WW2 history. That�s because the players involved in national politics are those who have sprung up from within the INDO-ASIA-PACIFIC REGION�s area of impact and influence such as India, China, US, more..