Aug 31 (Island) TMTK MP C.V. Wingeswaran said that Sri Lankans irrespective of their racial differences were fortunate that PM Mahinda Rajapaksa had obtained a two-thirds majority in Parliament. He said PM Rajapaksa had been given a golden opportunity to usher in a peaceful and prosperous country. �By granting what I call eksathism as opposed to ekiyaism this country could be transformed into a veritable heaven more..

Aug 31 (CT) SL yesterday reached the 3,000-plus mark in COVID-19 infected cases, with the latest addition to the figure being 15 Sri Lankans that had arrived from overseas, health officials said. Total number of COVID-19 cases recorded in the country stood at 3,010 and the figure was expected to increase periodically, after more Lankans are repatriated to the country from various foreign capitals. At present there are 138 active cases under medical care at various hospitals more..

Aug 31 (Island) Indian cricket supremo N. Srinivasan has revealed that he wanted ace spinner Muttiah Muralitharan in his IPL franchise � Chennai Super Kings � at any cost. In 2008, when the inaugural IPL auction was held, Murali was in the twilight of his career but still was a match winner. Srinivasan wasn�t part of the auction as he was Treasurer of BCCI then but says he had issued clear instructions on getting the services of Murali. �The late VB Chandrasekhar was very much part of more..

Aug 31 (DM) At least 25 criminal gangs operated in the Western Province with nearly 400 members, Senior DIG Deshabandu Thennakoon revealed. He said that a total of 388 members were operating in 25 gangs and that 20 gangs had been identified as highly active criminal gangs. �However, 130 gangsters in remanded custody,� he said. He made these revelations at a workshop held in Colombo on resolving more..

Aug 31 (AD) An unusual earth tremble has been reported from several areas in the Kandy District last night (29). Reportedly, the incident has taken place after 8.30 last night. Residents of several villages in the Anuragama area in Kandy have felt a shaking of this ground with a loud noise. Sajjana de Silva, Director General of the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau, said the incident was not an earthquake. However, a special investigation is being carried out into the incident today, more..

Aug 31 (CT) Former MP and senior Minister DEW Gunasekera, who served as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of SL, stepped down from his post. Consultant Dr. G. Weerasinghe has been appointed as his successor. DEW Gunasekera was a leading activist of the Left in this country. The appointment of the new General Secretary of the Communist Party was made at the Party Central Committee Meeting held yesterday and all seniors in the Party had agreed to it, Gunasekera said. more..

Aug 31 (Island) Minister Udaya Gammanpila said that the Cabinet hadn�t so far discussed whether to continue or do away with duty free permits issued to MPs. Pointing out SLPP prez candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa in his election manifesto promised not to import vehicles for the govt for a period of 3 years, The Island asked the co-cabinet spokesman whether the cabinet decided to continue the practice of issuing duty free more..

Aug 31 (DM) The past year, has been strangely, free of strike action. This is surprising given that the cost of living has been continuously rising, while at the same time wages of ordinary workers has been halved and large numbers have been laid off. This is in stark contrast to the status of workers in the 1930s up to the 1970s when Sri Lanka�s labour organisations grew into vibrant and powerful movements. From the period following universal franchise until the mid-1970s, more..

Aug 31 (SLN) Naval operations conducted in Norochcholai and on Wella Island in Kalpitiya on 29th August 2020 led to the recovery of about 1,428kg of dried turmeric attempted to be smuggled into the country by sea. Accordingly, the Navy had apprehended 02 suspects with a stock of dried turmeric in 26 gunny bags in Norochcholai area. Along with the smuggled turmeric consignment a lorry and a motor car used by the suspects for this racket were also impounded by the Navy. more..

Aug 31 (DM) I was brought up being told by my parents that respect is never obligatory, but must be earned everyday - even by them as too must I - and it is a principle I live by, and will continue unapologetically to do so. Respect, as I have learned, is only earned through being accountable, moral, and being a respectable person. I realise that this, in a society which values and makes unquestioning respect for elders compulsory above all else, may not be received too well. more..

Aug 31 (DM) The draft of the 20th Amendment has been sent to the Attorney General for his perusal after it was drafted by the legal draftsman. A senior govt source said that the AG received the draft last Friday and after he gives his opinion and nod, it will be tabled before the cabinet, to further scrutinize its clauses. If cabinet approval is also granted it will be presented before Parliament,. The Daily Mirror learns that the clauses in 20th Amendment does not include a special position for former Prez more..

Aug 31 (FT) An alert reader of the previous part in this series has warned me that without knowing what the proposed 20th Amendment would contain we should not jump to conclusions about fate of the 19th Amendment. According to him, there are some good parts of that amendment like the independent commissions and the strengthened Constitutional Council or CC that need be retained after addressing to their existing weaknesses. more..

Aug 31 (FT) Two senior Sri Lankan journalist won prestigious global awards given by Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) for their reporting on the Easter Sunday attacks. Both Shihar Aneez and Ranga Sirilal were recognised with merit award by SOPA when the two along with a group of journalists reported the attacks for Reuters News Agency aftermath of the bombing under the Excellence in Reporting Breaking News. Their story appeared under more..

Aug 31 (DM) US Secretary of Defence, Dr. Mark T. Esper, phoned Prez Rajapaksa yesterday and congratulated the President on his successful handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, US Department of Defence said. In a statement, the Department said Secretary Esper also congratulated the President on the recently concluded parliamentary elections and urged continued progress on reconciliation and human rights in SL. During the call, two leaders have discussed more..

Aug 31 (EN) Premalal Jayasekara the convicted murderer who was elected to Parliament from the SLPP in the Ratnapura district is unsuitable to either sit in Parliament or vote in the House, the Attorney General has ruled. Jayasekara received over 130,000 preferential votes and came second in the district at the elections. The opinion was issued after the Commissioner General of Prisons asked Ministry of Justice to obtain more..

Aug 31 (AD) The 13 officers of the Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) who were arrested for their alleged links with drug dealers have been further remanded. They were ordered to be remanded until September 14, when the case was taken up before Colombo Chief Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne today. However, the suspects were not produced before the court today due to the COVID-19 pandemic precautions. At the hearing, Deputy Solicitor General Dileepa Peiris, who appeared on behalf of the CID, more..

Aug 31 (FT) Chinese Embassy Charg� d�Affaires Hu Wei last week congratulated the newly reappointed Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi and extended China�s full support to the latter�s Ministry. Health Secretary Dr. S.H. Munasinghe also joined the discussion. Hu Wei highly appraised the lady Minister�s re-assumption of office an important decision made by the new Govt, which shows full recognition and confidence of Prez Rajapaksa, PM Rajapaksa and the general public more..

Aug 31 (EN) A student of Sri J'pura University who was seriously injured in a recent ragging incident is asking the SC to lay down rules to compel staff to combat violence against freshmen. Pasindu Silva and his sister Attorney Sharmala Silva have filed a Fundamental Rights Application citing his injuries asking the Apex Court to ensure Uni staff stringently apply the existing rules and laws pertaining to student discipline to prevent more..

Aug 31 (AD) Governor of the North-Western Province A. J. M. Muzammil has taken oath as the new governor of the Uva Province. The governorship of Uva Province was previously held by D. C. Raja Collure. Accordngly, Collure has been sworn in as the governor of the North-Western Province, the post held by Muzammil. Both governors were sworn into their new positions before President Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the Presidential Secretariat this evening (31). more..

Aug 31 (Island) State Minister Siripala Gamlath, unveiled plans to cultivate 10,000 hectares of maize in Mahaweli Zones under the national food cultivation program Vision of Prosperity launched by the Prez and PM. He said the govt has taken a policy decision to suspend the import of non-essential food items. In this backdrop, moves are already underway to grow different varieties of food, including maize for which 10,000 hectares of land have been earmarked in the Mahaweli Zone more..

Aug 31 (DM) SL recently experienced a series of blackouts. While the reason was attributed to human error, energy experts claim its high time SL moved into renewable energy generation. Noraichcholai coal power plant has experienced repeated breakdowns, and this has been an excuse for various entities to opt for purchasing emergency power. The purchase of emergency power has taken a heavy toll on more..

Aug 31 (Island) The battle for the topmost position in the UNP has taken a dramatic turn with former State Defence Minister Ruwan Wijewardene and former Minister Arjuna Ranatunga tossing their hats in the ring. Speaking at a meeting in Anuradhapura on Saturday, Wijewardene said that he had been requested to accept the party leadership. Close on the heels of Wijewardene�s expression of interest, his former ministerial colleague Arjuna Ranatunga said he, too, was keen to be the UNP leader. more..

Aug 31 (TM) The fire that was reported at the Karadiyana Gargabe Dump in Piliyandala last night was caused by some cigarette butts and took place in the land adjoining the dump, according to authorities. �It was a small fire and the Moratuwa & Mount Lavinia Fire brigades were at the scene to control and extinguish it. Also the fire took place in the land that�s adjoining the dump. This land is been used as an illegal dumping site and we have informed the relevant authorities as well as more..

Aug 31 (TM) Former Superintendent of Negombo Prison Anuruddha Sampayo and three other prison officers have been granted bail by the Negombo Magistrate�s Court. On July 22, following directions of the AG, CID obtained arrest warrants on Anuruddha Sampayo and 3 other officials of the Negombo Prison from Negombo Magistrate. Arrest warrants had been issued on the interdicted Superintendent Anuruddha Sampayo, more..

Aug 31 (DM) While claiming that the AG had no power to decide on Premalal Jayasekara attending Parliament sittings, Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara said it should be decided by the Speaker and Parliament. He said that the AG can only appear in court on behalf of the plaintiff. �AG has said that MP Jayasekara cannot attend Parliament sittings. He has no power to decide that. It should be decided by the Speaker and Parliament. The AG can only appear in court on behalf of the petitioner,� more..

Aug 31 (Island) Commercial Bank of Ceylon has launched Sri Lanka�s first LANKAQR supported Android OS based Point-of-Sale (POS) device in collaboration with PAYable (Pvt) Ltd. to further facilitate cashless payments at merchant outlets countrywide. Positioned as the most advanced Android POS device in the country, the Android Smart Terminal combines the functionality and portability of an Android terminal with tailored security-certified payments software, more..

Aug 31 (Island) Justice Minister Ali Sabry, on Friday, said that MPs should take the duty of leading their followers seriously and therefore had to be careful with their public statements while keeping in mind that they could not act against the Constitution. Participating in the debate on vote on account, the Minister said that the members had taken oaths to uphold and protect the Constitution and not to directly or indirectly within or more..

Aug 31 (TM) The fire that was reported at the Karadiyana Gargabe Dump in Piliyandala last night was caused by some cigarette butts and took place in the land adjoining the dump, according to authorities. �It was a small fire and the Moratuwa & Mount Lavinia Fire brigades were at the scene to control and extinguish it. Also the fire took place in the land that�s adjoining the dump. This land is been used as an illegal dumping site and we have informed the relevant authorities as well as more..

Aug 31 (AD) Three new cases of COVID-19 have been detected this evening (31) increasing the total number of positive cases in the country to 3,018. Two among the latest cases are recent arrivals from UAE. The Epidemiology Unit says 138 active cases are currently under medical care at hospitals. In the meantime, the number of recoveries from the disease moved up to 2,868 as 08 patients were discharged earlier today. SL has thus far witnessed 12 deaths due to the virus outbreak. more..

Aug 31 (EN) Environmental activist Pahiyangala Ananda Sagara Thero is saying Prez Rajapaksa should provide a solution to the Lankagama-Neluwa road issue being built through Sinharaja after a wider study with experts instead of providing solutions by proposed by locals in the area. Thero said that the post-development that will take place after the construction of the road such as shops and house along the road will destroy more..

Aug 31 (Sputnik) Admiral Tributs and Admiral Vinogradov, Udaloy-class destroyers of Russia's Pacific Fleet, made a business call at a SL port, the fleet's spokesman said. "Today, in accordance with the long voyage plan, a detachment of the Pacific Fleet warships consisting of the large anti-submarine ships Admiral Tributs and Admiral Vinogradov, and large sea tanker Boris Butoma arrived on a business call at the port of Hambantota on the southern coast of Sri Lanka," Nikolai Voskresensky said. more..

Aug 31 (AD) Police says that around 400 individuals were arrested during special police operations carried out within the Western Province between 6.00 a.m. yesterday and 5 a.m. today. This includes underworld figure Mohamed Faiz Mohamed Faroos, also known as Pichche Faiz, who is a close associate of imprisoned underworld leader Kanjipani Imran. He was arrested by Maligawatte Police. Meanwhile three individuals allegedly responsible for the distribution of crystal methamphetamine, more..

Aug 31 (CNN) SL fashion designer Amesh Wijesekera has become known for his colorful designs that combine local handwoven textiles with deadstock fabric to create distinctive pieces. "My work is all about celebrating a new version of Sri Lanka and representation of South Asian beauty," Wijesekera said over the phone. "When I moved to London I questioned: How can I share who I am to the world? How can I share my story, more..