Aug 20 (TM) Newly elected MP Madhura Vithanage today arrived for the inaugural parliamentary session by boat. After arriving at the parliamentary complex by boat, Vithanage said that since the parliament is situated in the middle of a lake, it was best to use a boat for transportation. He explained that a boating service was the ideal mode of transport to the parliament as it helps avoid vehicular traffic on the road leading up to parliament. �Prez has introduced the boat service for transportation to more..

Aug 20 (CT) SL�s vehicle registrations in July were only slightly down from June but remain at healthy levels indicative of existing inventory driving sales, an equity research report said. Meanwhile, the crisis-hit Ceylon Motor Traders Association (CMTA), recently urged the Govt to provide a clear direction on the period of the vehicle import suspension and emphasised the need to regulate automotive imports to legitimate more..

Aug 20 (AD) Five more individuals infected with COVID-19 made complete recoveries today , says the Ministry of Health. According to the situation report , 1 patient at IDH, 2 at Welikanda Base Hospital, 1 at Minuwangoda Base Hospital, and 1 at Iranawila Hospitals have been discharged upon recovery. COVID-19 recuperations confirmed in Sri Lanka thereby reached 2,765. In the meantime, the total count of positive cases of novel coronavirus found in SL currently sits at 2,902. more..

Aug 20 (AD) Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena says that a Vote on Account, for the govt expenses from Sept 1, will be presented to the Parliament on August 27. The party leaders who met today under the chairmanship of the new Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena decided to hold sittings of Parliament tomorrow and on the 27th and 28th of August respectively. Accordingly, the Govt Policy Statement presented by Prez Rajapaksa in Parliament today will be taken up for debate tomorrow more..

Aug 20 (EN) Central Bank will announce a housing loan program for low and middle income borrowers in line with government policy directions on priority areas, Governor W D Lakshman said. �The Central bank would be looking at priority areas in the economy as indicated in the overall govt policy directions to initiate appropriate credit and other programs,� he said. �Given the widespread benefit to a very large number of people from such scheme we hope to soon begin with announcements more..

Aug 20 (AD) National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) has taken a new step to prevent parents from abandoning their newborns or children aged below 1 year at various places over diversified reasons. Authority stated that the necessary steps have been taken to establish Infant receiving windows affiliated to the pediatric wards of 9 major hospitals in the 9 provinces, to receive such rejected children. The release further read that expedited investigations have been launched into more..

Aug 20 (EN) Many of us who watched MPs brawling like street thugs inside the well of the House of Parliament in Nov 2018, didn�t want any of them to be returned. Well, a bit of that wish has come through, as 83 of the 225, almost one-third, were not returned but some of the stars of that drama are back, and we have voted them in. Among the leading Parliamentary pugilists back in the House are Chilli powder throwing Prasanna more..

Aug 20 (EN) SL�s newly appointed cabinet of ministers will appoint a five-member subcommittee to draft the proposed 20th amendment to the country�s second republican constitution. The amendment will effectively repeal the 19th amendment but retain some of its salient features, co-cabinet spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella said. These salient features include the two five-year term limit imposed on the president. According to co-cabinet spokesman Udaya Gammanpila, more..

Aug 20 (AD) Attorney General has directed the Acting IGP to conduct investigations with regard to the statement made by the Police Media Spokesman and the conduct of Negombo HQI with regard to the execution of the warrant against former Superintendent of Negombo Prison Anuruddha Sampayo. This was revealed by the Attorney General�s Coordinating Officer, Senior State Counsel Nishara Jayaratne. On July 22, following directions of AG, CID obtained arrest warrants on more..

Aug 20 (EN) SL�s domestic economic activities and exports are recovering fast with Coronavirus under control, but a 1.6% contraction in the first quarter and an even steeper fall in the second quarter may lead to barely positive growth in 2020, officials said. SL is one of the global leaders in controlling the spread of Coronavirus up to now. �Domestic economic activities have recovered relatively fast, in spite of the bleak more..

Aug 21 (DM) In a policy statement yesterday to the newly elected Parliament where the ruling SLPP has a majority of almost two-thirds, Prez Rajapaksa made what most independent analysts saw as a calm thirty-minute speech that was an example of being humble in victory but clear cut and concise in what he and his Govt hoped to do in the coming months and years. Apparently on the Prez�s direction there was little pump and pageantry, no 21 gun-salute or guard of honour or military parade, more..

Aug 21 (CT) Other than a terse remark about problems at Kerawalapitiya switching station, the CEB and the Power Ministry have kept the public in the dark about what happened, why it spread to an all-Island blackout and why it took 8 hours to restore supply. There may be valid technical reasons, but the first thing the donkey of a Minister said when he opened his mouth was sabotage; an example of why people have lost confidence in the Cabinet. The CEB for its part has done no good by keeping more..

Aug 21 (FL) Mahinda Rajapaksa�s resurgence has smothered the hopes and aspirations of the Tamils and signals the beginning of an era that is not in India�s best interests. The process of doing something all over again can be terrifying for some, especially for a minority group that had made some progress on its demands and was hopeful of an equitable future in a majoritiarian milieu. Regardless of who the northern Tamils in SL more..

Aug 21 (CT) upon appointing the new cabinet of the ninth parliament, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has called for progress reports at the lapse of six months. Both ministers and state ministers are expected to embark on their respective tasks immediately and showcase their capability under Saubhagya Dekma Goals. This parliamentary talent show will review each minister�s contribution, implementation of initiatives and the achievement of targets. However, for these to be realized more..

Aug 21 (GV) Until recently, the Office on Missing Persons (OMP) was housed in a magnificent colonial building in a leafy Colombo suburb that used to house members of parliament; now it has been relegated to a small office on Galle Road in Colpetty. Once it was part of the Ministry of National Integration and Reconciliation; that ministry has ceased to function. After this month�s general election, OMP was handed over to the Justice Ministry under Minister Ali Sabry. more..

Aug 21 (CT) In SL, it is incredibly challenging for manufacturer authorised franchisees to carry out a legitimate business with huge investments into infrastructure, staffing and development. Unlike in most countries around the world, SL has no regulations on who can import vehicles, and imposes no criteria or even registration for importers. This has led to a huge number of private importers who have no affiliation to more..

Aug 21 (DM) Despite SLMC having an issue with the SJB over the sharing of the National List seats allocated to it, in a way, it must be happy with the adamancy of the latter. The reason is that its deprivation of seats has prevented another split within the party. SLMC must be the political party that has been affected most thus far, by the conflicts over the National List seats. The conflicts have twice resulted in the formation of new Muslim political parties by second rung leaders of the party more..

Aug 21 (CT) A significant proportion of news headlines today have something to do about the drug trade as the administration continues its hard stance against narcotics and the notorious criminal underworld that has infiltrated law enforcement agencies. Arrest of PNB, STF and Prisons Officers has become a routine as investigations delve deeper into the intricate web of lies, corruption and murder. All in all, wiping out the drug menace completely will be a victory akin to defeat of Eelamist terror more..

Aug 21 (Island) Gazette Notification No. 2187/27 of 09.08.2020 stipulates the mandates of ministries, both Cabinet and State, and the institutes coming under their purview. One common requirement of these mandates is that they should align with the Prez�s policy document Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour. In assigning functions among ministries, one deviation from the past practice hitherto followed is the division of Ministry of Power & Energy into two separate ministries, more..

Aug 21 (Island) Members of the fourth estate never miss an opportunity to haul roguish characters among politicians, public officers et al over the coals, and rightly so. They have amongst them those who even consider themselves the custodians of public morality so much so that they are accused of moral grandstanding. During the last few weeks, they have been inveighing against the police, the Govt Analyst�s Department, the Department of Prisons for corruption and other such illegal practices. more..

Aug 21 (DM) The lungs of Sri Lanka are gasping for air. The Sinharaja Forest Reserve was declared a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO in 1988 and is arguably the most important biodiversity site in the country. With over 11,187 hectares of land the Forest Reserve spans through Galle, Ratnapura and Matara districts. Back in 2013 the Neluwa-Deniyaya road construction project began in the borders of the Sinharaja Forest more..

Aug 21 (Roar) Once completed, Port City Colombo will become one of South Asia�s most-distinguished architectural landmarks, not least because it will also be Sri Lanka�s first-ever large scale land reclamation and city expansion project. But for now, perhaps what is even more exciting�at least if you take a keen interest in art and design�is that you can make your own artistic contribution to the design of this monumental infrastructure. Architecture and design sensibilities in Sri Lanka have been more..

Aug 21 (LR) Drs.Sivakumar Gulasingam and Harindra Wijeysundera were recognized with awards from Dept of Medicine at their Uni of Toronto as part of their 2020 Annual Day this month. The doctors, both of SL background, were among over a dozen to receive prestigious recognition. The celebration was an opportunity to acknowledge about a dozen faculty members and trainees who have generated and translated new knowledge, and demonstrated innovation in scholarship, research, teaching more..

Aug 21 (ST) The role of a quality left-arm fast bowler has become an important factor when a team is in hunt for consistency. Ironically that�s an area where the SL cricket team has been struggling ever since the retirement of legend Chaminda Vaas. Since then Sri Lanka have tested out several replacements but none of them were able to be successful at international level. This is a story of an all-rounder who was regarded more..

Aug 21 (CT) New Minister of Sports Namal Rajapaksa has given instructions to officials from the Badminton Federation that his aim is to allow a SL badminton champ to occupy the 50th position in the int'l badminton rankings and advised his Ministry officials to formulate a programme to that effect, informed sources said. It is said Rajapaksa had given these instructions following talks he had held with officers from the Badminton Federation as part of his exercise to probe issues faced by more..

Aug 21 (DM) Preliminary arrangements have already been made to commence the first phase of Nandikadal Lagoon rehabilitation in the coming week. Rehabilitation of the Nandikadal Lagoon which has been in operation for the past few months, has now been completed with special attention of Minister Douglas Devananda. Final observations with the participation of the Dept of Fisheries, Fisheries Harbour Corporation, NARA institute, Wild Life Department, and more..

Aug 21 (Island) Representatives of four leading bodies associated with seafaring assignments and maritime services in Lankan seas, Ceylon Association of Shipping Agents (CASA), Colombo Logistics, Avant Garde and Rakna Lanka (Pvt) Ltd during a high level meeting co-chaired by Secretary to Ministry of Foreign Relations, Admiral (Retd) Prof Jayanath Colambage and Head of the national operation centre for prevention of COVID-19 more..

Aug 21 (Island) Ali Asghar (Asgi) Akbarally has been appointed as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Am�na Bank upon the retirement of the Bank�s Founder chairman Osman Kassim. Leaving a strong legacy in the Islamic banking industry in SL, Osman Kassim retired from Am�na Bank having completed the maximum 9 year statutory period of holding a directorship in a Licensed Commercial Bank as per CBSL directions. Despite retiring from the bank, Osman Kassim continues to be one of more..

Aug 21 (FT) The combined value of debt moratorium afforded by banks and financial institutions has topped Rs. 2 trillion mark, a top Central Bank official revealed this week. CBSL Assistant Governor Yvette Fernando said a total of 1.4 million requests were received and approved under the debt moratorium, resulting in capital of about Rs. 2.2 trillion being provided. �This shows that 90% of requests for the moratorium have been favourably considered by banks,� Fernando told more..

Aug 21 (CT) The SLPP Govt which is as powerful as the UNP regime of 1977 should be wise not to follow the latter�s example and end up as they have in the present day with only a sole Parliamentary seat, instead learn from past mistakes to steer the country forward, TPNA Jaffna District MP C.V. Wigneswaran noted. He expressed these sentiments yesterday in Parliament while congratulating MP Mahinda Yapa more..

Aug 21 (Island) Women in Management (WIM) will launch its Top 50 Professional and Career Women Awards in or around November this year. Chairperson WIM Dr. Sulochana Segera introducing the awards programme said the awards ceremony this year would mark the 10th year these awards are made. This year would also mark the sixth consecutive year these awards are made in association with the Int'l Finance Corporation (IFC), a sister organization of the World Bank, more..

Aug 21 (DN) Pearl Energy (Pvt) Ltd., signed an agreement with the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka to launch Hambantota LNG Hub � a floating storage LNG trading facility at the Port of Hambantota, bringing LNG to the doorstep of SL, with a primary aim of trading LNG in the region utilizing the strategic location of Hambantota. The LNG Hub will become a landmark infrastructure development for the region paving the way to broader access to natural gas as a primary fuel in South Asia. more..

Aug 21 (Island) Colombo Chief Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne ordered the OIC of the Children�s and Women�s Bureau of the Maradana police to detail an officer to explain to court how a female law student had been molested in an office complex of the Colombo High Court by a Buddhist monk on Aug 7. Counsel appearing for the victim Manju Sri Chandrasena, Achala Seneviratne and others told court that the OIC of the Bureau more..

Aug 21 (CT) NCC opening batsman Lahiru Udara, who is also the leading batsman in the series, scored his third ton in the SLC Major League Tier �A� Cricket Tournament (2019/2020) yesterday. The right hander scored 111 runs in 165 balls with 16 boundaries against CCC. He has now scored 973 runs in 13 innings with three centuries and five half centuries. Right arm paceman Asitha Fernando of Chilaw Marians CC took 5 wickets for 87 runs against Colts. Matches will continue today. more..

Aug 21 (FT) With the appointment of the new Cabinet of Ministers bringing about a re-start to SL�s economic activities, Colombo Stock Brokers Association (CSBA) extended its wholehearted congratulations and best wishes to the new Govt, PM Mahinda Rajapaksa and newly-appointed State Minister Ajith Nivard Cabraal for Finance, Capital Markets and State Enterprise Reforms. In a statement CSBA also extended its gratitude to Prez Rajapaksa and PM Rajapaksa for seeing and more..

Aug 21 (CT) Cricketing legend Mahela Jayawardene was appointed Chairman of the National Sports Council by Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa yesterday. The new Sports Council comprises renowned sportsmen and business leaders such as Hemas CEO Kasthuri Wilson, Dialog Axiata CEO Supun Weerasinghe, SLT CEO Rohan Fernando, Director Manufacturing MAS Ruwan Keragala and Chairman EWIS Group more..

Aug 21 (CT) After a lapse of more than a year, the Clay Target Shooting Club of Colombo (CTSCC) resumed shooting activities with its first Club Day, which was held last Saturday at the clay target shotgun range in Payagala. The Club Day not only signified the resumption of shooting sports � which was forced to stall activities due to a circular issued by the Ministry of Defence in 2019 � but also was an opportunity for the members who were deprived of their favourite sport to practice their skills. more..

Aug 21 (FT) SLPP Ratnapura District MP-elect Premalal Jayasekara, who was convicted of murder last month, could not attend the inaugural session of the House yesterday. Parliament officials granted him permission to attend sittings and takes oath as a MP, after he submitted documents relating to an appeal he filed against his conviction. However, Prison officials did not bring him to Parliament. Daily FT learns that the Attorney General did not give the go ahead for him to attend Parliament. more..