Aug 29 (AD) The first Poppy flower to commemorate Remembrance Day was pinned on President Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the Presidential Secretariat on Friday (28). Chairman of the Sri Lanka Ex-Servicemen�s Association, Major General Upul Perera pinned the poppy flower on President Rajapaksa. In remembrance of all the martyrs who laid down their lives in the World Wars, Sri Lanka Ex-Servicemen�s Association organizes the Remembrance Day every year since 1944. more..

Aug 29 (AD) The govt is considering the possibility of reopening the airport closed off due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Ministry of Tourism said discussions on the matter are being carried out with relevant authorities. The focus fell on reopening the airport by next month as Sri Lankans stranded in foreign countries following the virus outbreak continue to be repatriated despite the current global lockdown. As more SL expatriates, affected by the pandemic, more..

Aug 29 (ST) The CEB's systems control centre (SCC) is a spanking new, Rs 3bn state-of-the art office in Kotte. Its remote terminal units collect data from different points in the grid, allowing for real time data analysis and decision-making. And it monitors 63 grid substations and 15 power plants. On Monday, the room was teeming with engineers. Where there were usually three or four manning a shift, there were now 20 to 30. more..

Aug 29 (SLN) The Navy declared open 03 more Reverse Osmosis (RO) plants for the benefit of community in several villages in Mahiyanganaya on 28th Aug. Going by the initiatives of the Ministry of Health, SL Navy enabled its technical expertise and manpower to set up these RO plants to facilitate the residents of Beligalla and Wavugampaha in Mahiyanganaya with safe drinking water. As such, the new facilities installed at Dharmavijaya Buddhist Centre and Diyabana Ela, more..

Aug 29 (ST) The Ninth Parliament�s inaugural session on Thursday and the ceremonial sitting held later in the day, were scaled down affairs, devoid of the usual pomp and pageantry associated with the event. In the lead-up to the inaugural session at 9.30 a.m, the entire complex was a hive of activity, as the newly elected MPs and their family members, friends and well-wishers arrived to take their seats. COVID-19 prevention guidelines issued specifically for Parliament meant that more..

Aug 29 (ST) The govt�s scheme for unemployed graduates is mired in confusion this week after thousands of job-seekers who received appointment letters before the election were booted off the list. And, while Cabinet approved 10,000 more slots in addition to the pre-poll quota of 50,000 after protests, rejected candidates were informed they would have to lodge appeals before Sept 15, at the nearest Divisional Secretariat, more..

Aug 29 (AD) Six new positive cases of COVID-19 have been detected this evening increasing the total number of positive cases in the country to 2,995. Four arrivals from the UAE and 1 each from Lebanon and UK have tested positive for the virus. 134 active cases are currently under medical care at hospitals. In the meantime, the number of recoveries from the disease in SL moved up to 2,849 as 7 patients were discharged from the IDH, Welikanda and Minuwangoda hospitals earlier today. more..

Aug 29 (NR) Minister of Justice Ali Sabry says the govt is yet to hold talks pertaining to establishing a post of Deputy PM, through the 20th Amendment to the Constitution. Speaking to media after visiting the Chief Prelates of the Malwathu and Asgiri Chapters, the Minister said the Cabinet of Ministers has not directed attention on amending the 13th Amendment to the Constitution. Minister Sabry said plans for the country�s development are formed through the 19th Amendment, more..

Aug 29 (EN) When Vedinigama Wimalatissa Thero, former General Secretary of OPPP confessed that the party had been bought from its owner few political activists were surprised. That is because registered political parties are bought and sold, head of the election watchdog group PAFFREL Rohana Hettiarachchie said. Wimalatissa Thero claimed that a group of Buddhist Monks who lead the OPPP �gave cash to Saman Perera who more..

Aug 29 (CT) Five A/L students were caught while using heroin inside a school in Killinochchi, Police said. The students had used the drug in the belief they could score high marks at the Exam. Investigations have revealed that an unidentified person from Trincomalee had given the students 80 milligrams of heroin for Rs 5,000 and had assured them that they would be able to answer questions at the exam with ease. Earlier, the same students had scored high marks at GCE O/L Exam. more..

Aug 29 (UCAN) Aruni Ruwandathi, a Christian graduate student, was surprised to find a bas-relief sculpture of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples at Tulana in Kelaniya. Buddhist monk Ven. Uttarananda Thera had depicted the Biblical scene on a wall at Tulana Research Centre for Encounter and Dialogue. When monks go looking for food with their begging bowls, the master of the house washes their feet as they enter and offers them food, recalling the image of Christ washing his more..

Aug 29 (CT) Ministry of Power has commenced disciplinary inquiries against the Electrical Superintendent, who is alleged to have made the error and precipitated the 17 Aug islandwide power breakdown. Director (Development) at the Ministry, Sulakshana Jayawardena noted that the preliminary disciplinary inquiries may conclude within 3 months. In this regard, Jayawardena said a committee more..

Aug 29 (EN) There is a certain pride and poise to the old poacher as he poses with his homemade gun assembled from a steering rod of a Morris Minor car and the iron spear he had beaten to shape on the anvil of a local blacksmith. His modest dwelling is nestled in the vast remote wilderness of the Central Province surrounded by the Wasgamuwa National Park and several forest reserves�providing verdant wildlife for him rich hunting ground. He is not the only poacher in these forests. more..

Aug 29 (EN) SL�s banks have been directed by the central bank to extend a Covid-19 debt moratorium for six months from Oct 2020 to March 2021 as airports remain closed. All Coronavirus affected businesses including tourism were asked to apply for a moratorium until the end of Sept 2020, and banks have said around 30-40% of their loans books were affected. �Considering the ongoing travel restrictions, disruption to economic activities and representations made by Ministry of Tourism more..

Aug 29 (ST) Taskforce appointed by the govt to bring reforms to the education sector has come up with major reforms to around 1,000 secondary schools. head of the taskforce, Dr. Upali Sedera, said critical outcomes of the programme will be to provide quality education across the board and prevent congestion in popular and overcrowded national schools. �For 40 years there have been no reforms, and this needs a major change,� more..

Aug 30 (CT) It has been said often but I need to repeat it. Although beneficiaries of seventy-eight years of universal free education and although literacy is said to exceed 90% the citizens of SL, if measured by their use of the ballot, are irrational. Even SLPP friends who were beneficiaries of this aberration agree. People have for over half a century been decrying our politicians as corrupt and criminal, but instead I believe that it is the masses who are asses, politicians are clever knaves. more..

Aug 30 (CT) It�s been 25 days since the conclusion of the General Election 2020, and one of SL�s oldest political parties � the UNP, is yet to nominate a member to fill the sole National List seat it has been awarded. The UNP suffered its most humiliating defeat in its history, receiving only 249,435 votes islandwide, which amounts to a mere 2.15% of votes cast. For the first time in its long history, the Party failed to win even a single seat in Parliament. It only managed to get just one National List seat. more..

Aug 30 (SO) On Aug 5, the people of Sri Lanka, yet again ensured a resounding mandate for President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to correct the wrongs committed by the previous govt and usher in prosperity. At the parliamentary election, the people renewed the mandate he received in November with a two-thirds majority. The people have done their part and now it�s up to the Govt to deliver the election promises. more..

Aug 30 (CT) Prez Rajapaksa�s Policy Statement that was presented to Parliament on Aug 19, is more a validation of his nine months in office than a road map for the rest of his mandate. Remarkable for its lack of rhetorical flourish, at least in its English version, the statement has about nine themes to it. The statement is not at all incoherent, but there are internal contradictions and tensions between priorities, which are indicative of the multiple pressures that the Prez has to accommodate more..

Aug 30 (SO) Every MP has to take an oath that he or she would not either directly or indirectly espouse the cause of a separate state within the territory of SL. Ministers, PM and Prez also have to take this oath. This was one of the features added to State administration following the LTTE�s separatist campaign that lasted for nearly 30 years. It ended just 11 years ago, in May 2009. Unfortunately, even the eradication of the LTTE does not seem to have eliminated separatist ideologies in some more..

Aug 30 (SO) Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage said that the former Yahapalana Govt introduced the 19th Amendment for their political survival. The sole purpose of the 19th Amendment was to prevent the Rajapaksas re-entering politics. He said that at present the 19th Amendment has created many controversies. Whoever is opposed to it , it won�t be an issue as there are many MPs in Parliament willing to extend more..

Aug 30 (ST) The report that the new Govt is preparing to recall the labour officers attached to the various SL diplomatic missions in 14 countries, especially in West Asia and the Gulf region is disturbing, to say the least. This is a matter that needs serious reconsideration for it involves nearly a million and a half Lankan citizens who generate a life-saving US$ 7 billion foreign exchange earner. In return, a mere pittance is spent for their welfare as they toil in often inhospitable conditions. more..

Aug 30 (ST) My dear Karu, I thought I would write to you after hearing that you had offered yourself as a potential leader of the Green party. Apparently, this has led to some controversy, with some claiming that you are no longer a member of the Greens and others suggesting that they need a younger person to lead the party. These are the most difficult times for the Green party. When they were routed in �56 by SWRD, they still had eight seats. When Sirima defeated them in �70, they had 17 seats. more..

Aug 30 (SO) The controversial speech by Jaffna District MP C.V. Vigneswaran at the inaugural session of the ninth Parliament turned into a hot topic during the two-day debate on the VoA on Thursday and Friday. A heated debate arose in the well of the House as some Govt and Opposition lawmakers were highly critical of Vigneswaran�s controversial remarks and demanded that it be expunged from the Hansard, pointing out that he was trying to fuel animosity between more..

Aug 30 (Island) National List MP and State Minister Seetha Arambepola placed her finger right on the spot when she remarked in Parliament last week that this is why people hate MPs. She said so in the context of a bit of a shindig in the chamber about an official claim that a meal which cost Rs. 3000 of public funds was served to MP at just Rs. 200. The figures eventually turned out to be wide off the mark. The actual cost of a fish meal was Rs. 950 and a vegetarian meal, Rs. 629. more..

Aug 30 (CT) The attempts made to arrive at a final decision regarding the vexed issue of the UNP Leadership by the present Party leader through staging of several Working Committee (WC) and related other meetings has still not ended. UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, headed to Sirikotha last Thursday morning in order to attend few such talks. Most inquired from the leader whether a new leader would be selected on 5 Sept or more..

Aug 30 (Island) The govt has made an official statement to the effect that it�s reconsidering the 19th Amendment but no such official statement has been made with regard to the 13th Amendment. However opposition politicians have expressed the view that the govt is trying to use its two thirds majority to do away with the 13th Amendment as well. The govt does not have to take the trouble to do anything to get rid of the 13th Amendment. It has been tied up in knots by the yahapalana more..

Aug 30 (ST) The news came as a shock to migrant workers, associations and NGOs working on behalf of migrant workers. A report in the Sunday Times last week said that newly-appointed Labour Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva had directed the shutting down of the labour offices in SL missions overseas, saying the govt was spending more than Rs. 900 million annually to maintain them and was losing money. The Minister had said that the govt had decided to hand over to Foreign Ministry more..

Aug 30 (ST) The SLFP is to take up the cudgels with its parent counterpart, the SLPP, over its onetime Chairman and Secretary Rohana Luxman Piyadasa being overlooked for a National List appointment as MP. The SLFP�s grouse is that instead its partner had picked Dr Suren Raghavan, a former Governor of the Northern Province. The issue is knotty since all SLFP members, with the exception of Angajan more..

Aug 30 (SO) Hundreds of well-wishers swooped in and swarmed all over the new President of Sri Lanka Rugby, Rizly Illyas, who was elected uncontested at what was a gentlemanly meeting at the Ramada Hotel in Colombo yesterday. Among them were famous ex-SL legends Priyantha Ekanayake, Hisham Abdeen and Michael Jayasekera and many others that also included the former Air Force commander and player Roshan Goonetilleke who is also governor of WP. more..

Aug 30 (ST) Sachini Ranasinghe, former Musaeus College chess player representing Nf3 Chess Club was crowned the Queen of Sri Lanka Chess when she emerged champion at inaugural SL Women�s Chess Grand Prix 2020 at the Chess Federation Headquarters. Coming into the event with a bundle of experience behind her, Sachini maintained her lead up to the final round until she faced an unexpected defeat at the hands of young Tharushi Sandeepani of Devi Balika Vidyalaya. more..

Aug 30 (TM) The Govt last week held discussions on the Economic and Technology Co-operation Agreement (ETCA) for the first time in nearly a year, possibly signalling a resumption of bilateral negotiations on the controversial agreement with India. The discussions took place last Tuesday amongst officials of the Ministry of Foreign Relations, according to Ministry Secretary Admiral (Prof.) Jayanath Colombage. more..

Aug 30 (SO) Safety equipment donated by the US and over 200 swimmers came together to foster a life-saving project last Sunday at the Kinross Swimming Club Wellawatte that was graced by former Olympian Julian Bolling under the patronage of State Minister for Urban Development, Coast Conservation and Waste Disposal Dr. Nalaka Godahewa who pledged the govt�s fullest support for life-saving endeavours. The project was initiated by the My Friend Foundation and more..

Aug 30 (ST) Despite uncertainty prevailing on the possibility of playing this year�s edition of the Bradby Shield encounter, the school authorities of Royal and Trinity colleges have to totally rely on the decision to be given by the govt authorities. According to available information, school officials of Royal and Trinity are anticipating the resumption of schools sports events, with expectations of playing the blue-riband school rugby encounter at least towards the end of the year. more..

Aug 30 (ST) With the govt�s extension of vehicle import ban till Dec 31 this year, around 32,000 people directly and indirectly employed in the motor trading sector would lose their earnings and even jobs as motor vehicle dealer companies� move towards closure within months, motor traders warned. Vehicle sales revenue of motor traders was zero during the countrywide curfew period during COVID-19 between mid-March to May 2020 more..

Aug 30 (AD) Election Secretariat says that distributing the enumeration forms (BC forms) pertaining to the revision of the Electoral Register for the year 2021 will commence from the 1st of Sept. The relevant forms will be distributed to all households through Grama Niladhari, the state officer at the village level who carries out the enumeration. The revision of the Electoral Register was forced to be postponed due to the recent general election which was pushed to August more..

Aug 30 (ST) A self-employment venture has been kick-started by a SL inventor who believes that his product made of paper could replace the fruit mesh cover made of plastic. Udaya Gunaratna recently said that his product is an environmentally-friendly mesh that absorbs any moisture but retains its size and shape and would not allow the fruit to slip through either. At present he has sent his product to obtain patent rights for the design of the paper which stretches, is considered to be biodegradable. more..

Aug 30 (TM) The establishment of Sri Lanka�s first-ever automated railway ticketing system has been temporarily suspended due to a lack of funds, with no sign of resumption in the foreseeable future. �This is one of those projects that have been stopped by the new Govt, citing issues with funds. But there was a local requirement for this project to be halted,� sources involved in the project said on the condition of anonymity. more..

Aug 30 (ST) Cabinet and State Ministry secretaries who were deprived of their jobs due to the change of govt in November last year are in for a bonanza with the Govt deciding to offer an alternative package including a first class duty-free vehicle import permit if they decide to revert to previous service. Previously the officers had to be in service for 3 years, but according to a new circular issued by Prez Secretary P. B. Jayasundera this week, a period of 1 year was sufficient to be entitled more..