Aug 11 (ST) The massive parliamentary electoral victory of the SLPP led by PM Mahinda Rajapaksa would ensure political stability so vital for economic development. One of the foremost tasks of the new govt would be the progressive reduction of the fiscal deficit (fiscal consolidation) that is a prerequisite for economic stabilisation and growth. The fiscal deficit that has probably increased to about 9% of GDP would require to be halved in 2021-22 to stabilise the economy and enable economic growth. more..

Aug 11 (SO) Former UNP MP, Prof. Ashu Marasinghe, a candidate in the Parliamentary election 2020 said the party leadership must acknowledge the people�s message in the Parliamentary election result. �We must accept the fact that there needs to be a genuine effort to reorganise the UNP, it is a long-felt need and today more than ever it has been felt. And if we don�t succumb to that call, the party will not survive,� he said more..

Aug 11 (GV) The results of Sri Lanka�s parliamentary election held on Wednesday show a seismic shift in the country�s electoral map as well as the balance of political power in the new legislature. The near two-thirds parliamentary majority, easily achieved by the SLPP by reducing all opposition parties into insignificance, has only one parallel from the past � the electoral victory with a 5/6th parliamentary majority in July 1977 scored by the UNP, then led by J. R. Jayewardene. more..

Aug 11 (DM) SL has elected a new govt from a newly-formed party to rule for the next five years. The new and the not-so-new, young and old and a variety of elected lawmakers will soon fill the 225 seats in Parliament. But, voters are yet to see if their hopes for a Clean Cabinet have been fulfilled. Having said that, things look grim from an economic standpoint. Politically speaking, an unchallenged majority could give rise to authoritarianism. Exercising power in a democracy is a tricky more..

Aug 11 (GV) The relationship between international bodies and national leaders can be tense. For instance, a United Nations official may produce a critical report on human rights violations. The govt that was criticised may indignantly defend its record, backed by its allies in the media. Views in that country may be divided, while many people will not know whom to believe. The issues flagged up may be set aside � until the next such report, speech or resolution. more..

Aug 11 (CT) It becomes a landslide victory, when a change in people�s views on political matters results in one party receiving an overwhelming majority of the votes or seats in the Parliament, virtually decimating the opponents, with part of the reason also being a bandwagon effect. In such a scenario, as more people come to believe in something, others also hop on the bandwagon regardless of the underlying evidence. This is exactly what happened in Sri Lanka few days ago. more..

Aug 11 (FT) It was a cakewalk for SLPP, headed by Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa, to seize power in Parliament. Within a matter of a few months of its formation as a political force, it has kept a record by rising to the pinnacle of the country�s power cathedral. In the process, it has disrupted the two oldest political powers in SL, namely, the UNP and SLFP. The emergence of a disruptor, though the name sounds more..

Aug 11 (Island) Cabinet of the newly elected SLPP govt is scheduled to be appointed tomorrow. Prez and PM must be having a hard time, selecting their ministers. There are many aspirants to the Cabinet although most of them do not measure up. Various factors come into play in the selection process, which is sure to leave many ambitious elements disappointed. With the Prez and PM trying to square the circle, one need not be surprised if the swearing-in of the Cabinet happens to be postponed. more..

Aug 11 (DN) A society on behalf of Sri Lankan lyric writers was established on July 31. Lyricists from the elder generation as well as modern day upcoming young lyric writers got together to establish this group. The society was the brainchild of seasoned vocalist Keerthi Pasquel. Veterans in the field like Wimaladasa Perera, D C Jayasinghe, D B T Edirisinghe, Hector Wijayasiri, Jayantha Kalupahana, and Tissa Dias as well as the next generation of lyricists like more..

Aug 11 (CT) CCC skipper Kusal Mendis was the first centurion in the Super-8 round of the SLC Major League Tier �A� Cricket tournament (2019/2020) when cricket returned yesterday. Mendis scored an unbeaten 132 runs in 213 balls with 18 boundaries against Ragama CC at MCG Katunayake. Mendis and Ashan Priyanjana put on a partnership of 122 runs for the third wicket. Wanindu Hasaranga chipped in with an unbeaten half-ton. more..

Aug 11 (DN) LOLC Group (LOLC), the blue chip conglomerate concluded another financial year on a high note for the year ended March 31, 2020 posting an impressive Rs.19.8 billion Profit after Tax (PAT) for the year in comparison to Rs.19.6 billion PAT in the last year, becoming the most profitable listed entity in Sri Lanka for two consecutive years. LOLC has emerged as a SL global player having operations in over 10 countries. LOLC has been able to enjoy its stellar performance more..

Aug 11 (DN) Our memories are taken back to the era where we were able to witness the respect with absolute authority and commitment, to the men who were in charge of the most important area, where rugby is concerned the refereeing said DIG (retd) Nimal Lewke a former player, referee, coach and later SLRFU president elaborated about how the standard of refereeing can be improved and how the stakeholders should react in this regard in an interview with Daily News recently. more..

Aug 11 (ST) Sri Lanka�s coronavirus-wrecked aviation sector is flying through its biggest economic turbulence in modern history with the country�s five international airports being almost at a standstill. �It is virtually a struggle for survival now before the resumption of normal operations at BIA and MIA,� an official source said. The shutdown in the country has had a significant adverse impact on passenger traffic at the BIA during more..

Aug 11 (TM) Leather goods make for great investments because when it�s well made and treated with care, it tends to be durable and weather beautifully. However, leather is among some of the most niche segments when it comes to the apparel sector, due to the amount of labour needed for its production. This has also led to fewer leather product-based start-ups in SL. However, Peiris Leather Studio is now looking to change that with handmade, detailed and sustainable more..

Aug 11 (ST) Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) is awaiting the clearance from health authorities to resume Women�s District and Provincial Under-23 tournaments in a bid to scout for new talent in preparation for the inaugural ICC Under-19 Women�s World Cup to be held next year. �We initiated lot of big matches and were planning to conduct District and Provincial Under-23 tournaments before the epidemic happened,� said Apsari Tillakaratne, who began her more..

Aug 11 (FT) Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC) congratulated the new Govt and said it stood ready to engage on key reforms and policies needed to strengthen management of fiscal deficits, reform State enterprises, establish an efficient public service and improve governance. Releasing a statement, the CCC said it congratulated PM Mahinda Rajapaksa and the newly-elected Govt on its victory at the 2020 General Election and more..

Aug 11 (DN) Sri Lanka Badminton held its AGM on Friday, 31 July, 2020, at the 80 Club, with a near perfect attendance by its Affiliates. The AGM was deferred from the original date, 31 March, 2020, due to the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic and countrywide shutdown. Whilst there was no election of office bearers since this was only the first year in a 04-year term, the AGM was conducted in a very cordial manner, with changes being proposed to the existing Constitution, more..

Aug 11 (Island) SL National Chess team had to settle for the fifth position in Pool �B� of Division III when they conceded a 1-5 defeat to Botswana in the FIDE Online Chess Olympiad 2020 on Sunday. The team did well to record victories against even number one, Int'l Cripple Association team and strong Tajikistan team in earlier rounds, but failed to turn tables on strong Portugal and Scotland teams in the round two and round eight. They also recorded a draw against the UAE National team. more..

Aug 11 (NAR) SL's parliamentary election on Aug 5 delivered a thumping victory for President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his older brother PM Mahinda Rajapaksa's SLPP, party. Following Gotabaya Rajapaksa's decisive victory in the presidential election last November, what does the Rajapaksa family's unlimited rule portend for Sri Lanka and its external relations? Illiberal democracy, a state-led economy, Sinhala-Buddhist more..

Aug 11 (FT) Tikiri Toys, the hugely successful SL brand of natural play products, has been awarded the prestigious Ethical Gift of the Year title at the recently held NEC Spring Fair Birmingham 2020. DSL Lanka Ltd., manufacturer of the locally-designed and produced toys that have captured the hearts of toddlers and infants the world over, and chief exporter of organic toys from SL � was one of only 14 honourees at this year�s Gift of the Year Awards ceremony, organised by more..

Aug 11 (DN) People�s Bank held a discussion with the Spices and Allied Products Producers� and Traders Association (SAPPTA) with the aim of creating tailor-made financial solutions to boost spice exports. The discussion, held at the Colombo Chamber of Commerce recently, was attended by the Chairman of SAPPTA Romesh Jayasuriya, official members of the association, People�s Bank Chairman Sujeewa Rajapakse, CEO / General Manager Ranjith Kodituwakku, more..

Aug 11 (CT) Cheap and clean hydroelectricity, uplifted by the monsoons, provided over 50% of Sri Lanka�s electricity needs sourced from the CEB for the first time after 224 days on Sunday (9), CEB data on its website showed yesterday (10). Prior to Sunday, the last time hydroelectricity provided over 50% of Sri Lanka�s electricity needs were 224 days ago on 29 Dec, CEB records on the public domain also showed. more..

Aug 11 (FT) National List candidate and Muslim Federation President Ali Sabry declared that Muslims in various parts of the country contributed in their own way in support of the SLPP landslide victory at the Parliamentary Election. Sabry said members of the Muslim community responded to the call of the SLPP to fall in line with the mainstream of politics instead of the religious party politics. To mark the victory of the SLPP, Sabry was accorded warm reception in Muslims areas in Colombo more..

Aug 11 (Island) International Institute of Health Science (IIHS), SL�s premier and leading healthcare education institute renowned for the high quality education provided for nurses in SL has once again taken nursing education to a new realm by offering a Doctor of Nursing to help further to address the health care training needs of the nurses of South Asia. Doctor of Nursing degree programme is a 4 year coursework and dissertation-based int'l program offered by Open Univ of Malaysia more..

Aug 11 (Island) The UNP was a national party with sound policies and through the historic 19th Amendment strengthened democracy in the country, but was defeated in last week�s General Election, mainly because it had shun propogating racism as a means of capturing power, says senior UNPer and former Minister John Amaratunga. Asked to analyse the UNP�s shocking electoral performance, Amaratunga said that more..

Aug 11 (FT) The Colombo stock market remained subdued for the second consecutive session, in an apparent failure by investors to cheer the landslide victory by the SLPP at last week�s General Election. The All Share Price Index declined by over 25 points or 0.5% and the S&P SL 20 Index was down over 16 points or 0.7%. Turnover was a lacklustre Rs. 671.6 million. The market closed sans any excitement on Friday too following final results of the 5 Aug Parliamentary Election on Thursday. more..

Aug 11 (CT) Sri Lanka is expected to resume economic activities ahead of most countries as the country had managed to control the pandemic successfully. Colombo Dockyard Chairman Hideaki Tanaka said that the overwhelming impact of COVID �19 pandemic is already slowing a downward trend in economic growth and impacting businesses across the globe. �However, Sri Lanka has managed to successfully recover through strong leadership,� he said. more..

Aug 11 (DM) SL�s budget deficit for the five months up to May rose as the economic shutdown triggered by the pandemic hit the tax revenues, but the govt cut public investments to keep the deficit from over-stretching. Tax revenues during the first five months to May fell to Rs.508.3 billion from Rs.705.0 billion during the same period in 2019 as the economy lost momentum half way through March. Due to the coronavirus outbreak, more..

Aug 11 (DM) The SLFP which contested in alliance with SLPP and secured 14 seats in Parliament said that it would extend its active cooperation to Prez Rajapaksa in key areas such as the introduction of new constitutional reforms, party�s Galle District MP Shan Wijeyalal de Silva said. He said that the SLFPers met at the party HQ on Sunday evening with its leader Polonnaruwa District MP former President Maithripala Sirisena. He said no political decision was taken at the meeting. more..

Aug 11 (DM) Former LTTE fighter and leader of TMVP, Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan has been invited to attend the swearing-in ceremony in Kandy tomorrow and accept a ministerial post. A source close to Pillayan said that he is still unaware what post will be offered to him and if it will be a cabinet or non-cabinet post. Pillayan, who is currently in remand prison, contested the just concluded General Election in the East on TMVP ticket and secured a seat more..

Aug 11 (DM) UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe has decided to step down from the party leadership paving the way for a new one to take over. UNP General Secretary Akila Viraj Kariyawasam said that Mr. Wickremesinghe apprised the party seniors of his intention to quit the leadership post. UNP leader mentioned seniors Ravi Karunanayake, Vajira Abeywardene, Daya Gamage and more..

Aug 11 (FT) The new govt will have to face the serious task of reviving the economy. Those who governed the country after the independence, those who were in the opposition during that period and the people who have voted in the elections from the independence are responsible for the economic plight of the country. There is a Sinhala saying that the mansion is according to the devil. As a person who voted from 1977, I feel that I am also responsible for this. more..

Aug 11 (Island) A team of ichthyologists in their latest study on carnivorous fish of Sri Lanka points out that Channa orientalis also known as the Ceylon snakehead, is the only pelvic-fin less snakehead in Sri Lanka. Snakeheads are one of the main carnivorous groups of freshwater fish in SL. They belong to the family Channidae and the genus Channa. There are six species of Channa in SL, two of which are endemic. The two endemic species are Channa ara and Channa orientalis. more..

Aug 11 (DM) Several special police teams had been deployed to arrest the Kurunegala Mayor and others who were issued arrest warrant, Police Spokesman Jaliya Senaratna said today. He said that special operations are underway by several police teams, under the direction of Senior DIG of North West to arrest and produce them before the next court date, August 13. Spokesman said the suspects were not found at their usual places of residence. Kurunegala Magistrate yesterday re-issued the warrants more..

Aug 11 (FT) Our constitution is a written instrument of the state. It embodies the fundamental principles and laws that determine the powers and duties of the govt. It guarantees specific rights, privileges of the citizens. It lays down the role of the Executive President, the executive govt and the composition of the legislature. It also defines how the Provincial Councils share power and the functions of the judiciary including the nine independent commissions. more..

Aug 11 (AD) The Mayor of Kurunegala, Thushara Vitharana has filed a writ application before the Court of Appeal requesting the suspension of arrest warrant issued on him by the Kurunegala Magistrate�s Court. Kurunegala Magistrate on Aug 6 issued arrest warrants on the Kurunegala Mayor, the Municipal Commissioner, Engineer and two others in the case filed over the demolishing of the Buwaneka Hotel, a building of historical more..

Aug 11 (FT) Having claimed several lives and affected countless more around the world, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought with it a widespread economic crisis as well. Lockdown measures and other restrictions put in place to control the spread of the infection has quickened the impact on many industries. The World Bank notes that, �COVID-19 has delivered an enormous global shock, leading to steep recessions in many countries. The baseline forecast envisions more..

Aug 11 (CT) NDB recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Maersk under NDB�s Jayagamu Sri Lanka initiative. This initiative aims to support exporters with services and expertise in the shipping sector. NDB Bank�s Vice President of SME, Middle Markets and Business Banking � Indika Ranaweera said �Developing the SME sector in SL by providing tailor-made solutions has always been an important aspect of the NDB Jayagamu Sri Lanka initiative. more..