Aug 27 (CT) Minister of Foreign Affairs during the UNF-led Govt, Mangala Samaraweera, ordered the removal of the names of two LTTE members from a document containing the names of proscribed terrorists and those who assist terrorists, which is maintained by the Chief of National Intelligence (CNI), said Lt Colonel Shammi Arjuna Kumara. Testifying before the PCoI appointed to probe into the political victimisation of public officials during the tenure of the UNF-led Govt yesterday, more..

Aug 27 (EN) A Chairman of a Committee or an official of Parliament cannot be summoned before Presidential Commission of Inquiry to record statements about matters pertaining to work done in Parliament, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardene has ruled. Speaker made the ruling in response to the summoning of the former COPE Chairman Sunil Handunetti to the PCoI into the Easter Attacks. The issue was raised in Parliament today by the by Leader of NPP Anura Kumara Dissanayake. more..

Aug 27 (DM) CCD today arrested an accomplice of underworld figure Angoda Lokka with 3 kg of heroin and a large amount of cash at Orugodawatte. Police said the 40-yar-old suspect Chathura Sanjeewa alias Keselwatte Krishantha had been engaged in drug trafficking for seven years but this was the first time he was apprehended by the Police. CCD also recovered Rs. 611,550 in cash and two cheque books from the possession of more..

Aug 28 (DM) Prez Rajapaksa, in his policy statement to Parliament, announced that a new Constitution would be evolved in keeping with the One Country, One Law principle. Govt which secured a two-thirds majority in Parliament intends to bring about constitutional changes in two stages. The re-modification of the 19th Amendment will be done as early as possible, and the draft proposals to be incorporated into the present Constitution in the form of 20th Amendment will be presented more..

Aug 28 (CT) During the election campaign the ruling party and its allies legitimized their call for a 2/3 majority in parliament on the basis that a change of constitution was needed to empower the future govt. But there was limited information about what needed to be changed. Focus was on the 19th Amendment that shared power more equitably between the president and parliament, protected state institutions from political interference and banned dual citizens from contesting elections. more..

Aug 28 (CT) The COVID-19 pandemic created misery, both in the country and around the world, but at the same time, it also was an opportunity for a group of unscrupulous individuals to make a quick buck, riding on the corpses of Sri Lankans that died overseas during this dark period. It all begins at the country�s international entry port � the BIA in Katunayake, the receiving point of the remains of Lankans who had died while more..

Aug 28 (DM) The recent news of a dance teacher having allegedly sexually abused a male member of his troop sent shock waves in the Sri Lanka society. Alarming facts regarding this incident are that this male member of the troop being a 17-year-old boy and the modus operandi of the dance teacher to lure the boy being the offering of a drug laced soft drink. Are our children safe in the hands of teachers who teach them extra-curricular activities like dancing or for that matter any subject? more..

Aug 28 (CT) It spurred me to retrieve from my archives, a clarion call of mine that appeared in the Press under the title Change PR arithmetic for seat allocation, in the aftermath of the 2015 General Election. Interestingly, my aforesaid article too commenced with a similar paragraph as follows. �Many good governance supporters ask the question why the JVP having polled a national vote of 543,944 votes won only 4 seats while the TNA with a lesser total vote of 515,963 confined to more..

Aug 28 (CT) The power and energy sector in Sri Lanka, mainly the CEB is alleged to be one of the most corrupt and most negligent entities in the country. In the past, even the state sector worked with the power sector in the most lackadaisical manner - cancelling competitive tenders and at the same time awarding them to those who curry favour with higher ups or private power suppliers based on deals. more..

Aug 28 (GV) Hejaaz Hizbullah is my younger brother, and this week, on Aug 25, he spent his 40th birthday in detention at the CID, having been wrongfully arrested and portrayed as being connected to the Easter Sunday terror attacks. My earliest memories of Hejaaz are from our home in Mt. Lavinia, where we had moved to from Kalubowila. Hejaaz was the youngest of three siblings. The three of us, being very close in age, would spend many hours playing together more..

Aug 28 (CT) Another leopard was killed by a snare at a private estate at Ambagasthenna, Doluwa, in the Central Province, raising the total number of leopard deaths to eight for this year, Police and Wildlife officials said recently. The animal was hanging by the snare wire by the time rescuers reached the scene. The death was caused by asphyxiation due to the pressure exerted by the snare on the leopard�s diaphragm. A Wildlife official said that locals and estate managers more..

Aug 28 (DN) What the CEB succeeded in achieving was amazing. Covid19 wreaked havoc around the world but could not turn out the lights. The world continued to be lit up. But the CEB, either accidentally, due to an unmanageable cause or otherwise, succeeded in plunging the whole country into darkness just as a newly elected govt was establishing itself in power and a new Minister with little experience in powering the nation was taking over. One begins to wonder why the plunge more..

Aug 28 (Island) It is ironical that the suspension of a workers� protest against a move to shift the Dehiwala zoo to a suburb of Colombo has coincided with an expression of regret, such as it is, by a US zoo for having kept an African boy in a cage 114 years ago. Ota Benga, a Congolese, was only 12 years old when he was captured and shipped to the US, where he was made to share a cage with apes as an exhibit in Bronx Zoo, New York, for about 3 weeks; large crowds gathered there to see him. more..

Aug 28 (CT) CCC emerged Champion of the SLC Major League Tier �A� Cricket tournament for the second consecutive year yesterday. Skipper Kusal Mendis scored his third century in the second inning against Chilaw Marians when he made 157 runs in 183 balls with 14 boundaries and 4 sixes. Ashan Priyanjan also scored 170 runs in 172 balls with 24 boundaries and 3 sixes. NCC beat Colts CC by an innings and 79 runs at CCC more..

Aug 28 (DM) There is a saying which goes be aware of the invader from South India because he is here to loot. In much later years there were Indian invaders who tried their best to destroy the Sinhala culture, writes Prof. Hector Alahakoon in his book Janasammathawadaya (ISBN 978-955-98585-7-7). Right now there is much rhetoric from Sinhala Buddhist monks and Cabinet Ministers. They are going through great pains to underscore the fact that this is a Sinhala Buddhist country more..

Aug 28 (ST) Transparency and integrity are two key words which are lacking in the lexicon of administrators running national sports associations in Sri Lanka. This may be a thing of the past if the National Sports Council (NSC) headed is given more teeth by Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa who is keen to overhaul the structure of sports in the country. Whereas changing the archaic Sports Law of 1973 remains the top priority of the youthful minister, his selection of fmr cricket captain more..

Aug 28 (AD) President Rajapaksa directed officials to devise a sustainable solution to the human-elephant conflict in Sri Lanka within 2 years� time. The problem of intrusion of elephants into human settlements in several districts has been discussed for nearly 40 years. Although various solutions have been implemented, the problem remains unresolved. President emphasized that finding a quick and durable solution to protect more..

Aug 28 (DN) Unseeded Savit Weerasinghe delivered a stunning blow to reach the final of the Men�s Open Singles final on day seven of the Clay Court Tennis Nationals, which continued at the SLTA Courts in Green Path, Colombo yesterday. The unfancied Weerasinghe rallied around magnificently to beat the more experienced third seed Sankha Atukorale 7-5, 6-3 in a spectacular manner. The Men�s Singles second semi-final also produced an upset as the 7th seed Yasitha de Silva had the better of more..

Aug 28 (CT) England are looking into the possibility of holding a training camp in the sub-continent for their Test squad ahead of planned tours of SL and India. Their red-ball side completed a 2020 home Test programme with a 1-0 win in a three-match series against Pakistan following a rain-marred drawn finale at Southampton on Tuesday. That was the last of six Tests this season � all played behind closed doors because of the coronavirus pandemic � after England�s 2-1 win over West Indies more..

Aug 28 (Island) Dilshi Kumarasinghe, the golden girl of the last South Asian Games had been permitted to stay in the hostel of Sports School Ratnayake Central College, Walala for months after completing her education until she found employment, because of the far-sightedness of Central Province authorities, both past and present, Susantha Fernando, who trained her to win three Golds at the regional event, revealed more..

Aug 28 (LBO) The global COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the vital need for an agile public sector that can effectively respond to rapidly evolving challenges. As an institution that provides a front-line service to the public, Department of Motor Traffic (DMT) is committed to building back better systems to deliver an efficient and people focused service to the public. To this end, Citra social innovation lab set up as a partnership between the State Ministry of Skills Development, more..

Aug 28 (MB) When it comes to conducting research on wild animals in SL, there are two broad categories. First is research that�s based on observing an animal in the wild, and the second involves the capturing of wild animals. The captured animal would be either released back into the wild after being tagged or ringed and measured, or after tissue samples or other parts have been collected for testing. Alternatively, whole animal could be kept in captivity or be killed and preserved for more..

Aug 28 (CT) Former Minister MilindaMoragoda is tipped to be the next Sri Lankan High Commissioner to India, govt sources claimed. Meanwhile, sources close to Moragoda confirmed that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in a bid to have close relations with PM Narendra Modi's govt will appoint Moragoda with powers of a Cabinet Minister. This will be the first such instance where SL is appointing a head of a diplomatic mission more..

Aug 28 (CT) Bank of Ceylon has concluded the first half of the year earning industry leadership in terms of assets, deposits, advances and revenue. Despite the challenging economic conditions, the Bank has reported the highest industry growth rates in terms of revenue, deposits and advances for the first half of the year. The revenue of the Bank for the period was Rs 118.3 billion with a YoY increase of 2.4 %. It reported a Profit before Tax (PBT) of Rs 6.9 billion and Profit after Tax (PAT) more..

Aug 28 (CT) The financial sector regulator, Central Bank has decided to extend the prevailing debt moratorium to COVID-19 affected businesses and individuals for a further period of six months commencing from 1 Oct 2020 to 31 Mar 2021, the CB said. CB also stated that eligible borrowers who wish to avail the moratorium shall make a request seeking such moratorium to the relevant licensed bank on or before 25 Sept 2020. With a view to meeting the challenges faced by the tourism more..

Aug 28 (ST) Extensive investigations have been launched to identify and seize the assets of known drug lords who are known to have made hundreds of millions of rupees through this illegal trade, Police say. The Western Province�s Senior DIG Deshabandu Tennakoon said that under the Money Laundering Act, the Police would charge the underworld narcotic smugglers and this would enable the authorities to seize their assets. more..

Aug 28 (AN) The number of people infected with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus continues to rise in SL, especially at one rehab centre and from the growing number of SL migrants coming home. Overall, some 2,984 cases have been reported in the country with 12 deaths. The authorities added ten more cases at the Kandakadu Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre and two cases involving Sri Lankans returning from the Maldives. The possible spread in correctional and other facilities is of great concern. more..

Aug 28 (TM) Sri Lanka Telecom Group said it welcomes the TRC�s progressive moves towards bringing number portability to Sri Lanka. It said one of the first decisions taken by the new Board of SLT was to lobby for number portability in SL. �The SLT Group, being the fastest network connecting SL�s deep rural to the world, is excited with the new possibilities number portability brings. SLT Group stands perfectly poised to offer its best-in-class plethora of communication solutions more..

Aug 28 (DM) Despite some 54,000 Sri Lankans in the Middle East requesting the govt to bring them home, Chief Epidemiologist of the Epidemiology Unit, Dr Sudath Samaraweera said the capacity in quarantine centres in the country has already exceeded its limits. He said that quarantine centres could only accommodate 6,000 persons. However, Army Commander Shavendra Silva said 7,058 persons are currently under quarantine more..

Aug 28 (FT) Cabinet has requested the Minister of Power to submit estimates of cost needed to implement a range of precautionary measures which have been recommended by the committee investigating the power outages on 17 Aug. Report points to a mistake made by an officer responsible for general maintenance at Kerawalapitiya Grid Sub-Station at the time as the cause of the outage. Committee who investigated the blackout has recognised of the non-availability of more..

Aug 28 (DN) The Govt has decided to review all project loans amounting to over nine billion rupees, PM Mahinda Rajapaksa told Parliament yesterday presenting the Vote on Account for the coming four months. He said that around half of the loans comprise foreign loans and the time has come for the Govt to give priority to investment promotion rather than depending solely on loans. �The Govt has to consider the fact that there is a huge amount of unsettled bills for 2019,� he said, more..

Aug 28 (AD) The Vote on Account, for the remaining 04 months of the year 2020, was tabled at the Parliament a short while ago. The Vote on Account for a sum not exceeding Rs. 1300 billion, valid from Sept 1 until the budget for 2020 is passed, was given the nod by the Cabinet Ministers last evening (26). Accordingly, the Vote on Account will be debated in the Parliament for two consecutive days until tomorrow evening. more..

Aug 28 (Island) Dehiwela National Zoological Gardens Trade Union yesterday decided to postpone a protest scheduled for today after the Ministry Secretary agreed to meet them to discuss a plan to shift the zoo to Piliyandala. The meeting would be held on Aug 31, an official said. Annually, the Dehiwela zoo attracts more than 1.4 million visitors and generates nearly Rs. 175 million in revenue. The Island learns that the Ministry of Tourism has appointed an Expert Committee more..

Aug 28 (AD) Norwegian Ambassador to SL Trine J�ranli Eskedal called on PM Mahinda Rajapaksa this evening at Temple Trees. She congratulated PM Rajapaksa on winning the parliamentary election and commended the well-organized election, held in a peaceful manner with respect for Covid-19 guidelines. She also noted that SL has had great success in preventing the spread of Covid-19 with early and rapid mobilization. Ambassador Eskedal stated that Norway is looking forward to more..

Aug 28 (FT) The Cabinet this week approved revising six Acts on taxes, including the Inland Revenue Act and the Value Added Tax Act with the aim of simplifying taxes to aid in the post-COVID-19 economic revival and improve the business environment in line with promises made in the run up to elections. PM Mahinda Rajapaksa in his capacity as the Finance Minister proposed to table the draft bills prepared by Legal Draftsman more..

Aug 28 (Island) Indian High Commission said that 174 Indian nationals including an infant had been repatriated from Sri Lanka on a special Air India flight AI 0282 from Colombo to Delhi on 25 Aug, 2020. The flight was scheduled as part of Vande Bharat Mission a Govt of India initiative to undertake the largest ever repatriation from all over the world for the return of Indian nationals stranded abroad due to COVID-19 pandemic. Indian nationals who were stranded in SL due to restrictions more..

Aug 28 (AD) SriLankan Airlines says that the airline continues to fly to selected international destinations including Italy- Milan, UK-London, Japan � Tokyo, Maldives- Male, Germany- Frankfurt, France- Paris and Australia-Sydney during the current global lockdown period. Passengers who are intending to travel with the airline to these destinations and beyond are requested to book their tickets from SriLankan Airlines ticket office in Colombo, Galle, and Kandy or any preferred travel agent. more..

Aug 28 (CT) The controversy surrounding the price of meals provided to MPs surfaced once again, when an Opposition MP sought the Speaker�s involvement in putting the record straight on the costs involved,stating that they do not want to face the wrath of the public. Raising a point of order, Colombo District SJB MP S.M. Marikkar said there were newspaper reports stating that a meal of an MP costs Rs 3,000, but more..

Aug 28 (FT) I think it is an old idea: senior generals serve civil society best when they�re civilians at heart. Classical Greek civilisation and Roman republic before Augustus grasped the mantle of the Caesars abound with examples. Modernity is much less teeming with such paragons of virtue. But we make do with beribboned retired field marshals, bureaucratic ex-staff officers barking orders at military and market forces alike, and declawed field commanders of modern nation states under more..