Jul 24 (FT) Nidahasa People�s Collective this week requested voters to act wisely and elect those who will support and secure a democratic country. �This time, voters will have a very clear choice to decide between those who support democracy and those who oppose. �If you want the democratic institutions protected and the benefits of the 19th Amendment strengthened, then we ask the voters to think wisely and more..

Jul 24 (Island) The govt denied that it had already signed the USD 480 million MCC agreement with the USA. Minister Bandula Gunawardena responding to questions at the weekly post-cabinet press briefing, claimed that there was no truth in a statement made by UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe in Ratnapura, on Tuesday, that the govt had already signed the MCC compact and was waiting until the Aug 5, general election was over to proceed with the implementation process. more..

Jul 24 (FT) Cabinet has green-lighted a Rs. 1 billion reinsurance cover for the National Insurance Trust Fund (NITF) for 18 months from two Indian and Nepalese companies. NITF is mandated to underwrite 30% of the reinsurance coverage for SL. It in turn obtains retrocession from re-insurance companies to reduce risk. Following a tender process, two companies have been selected for the NITF to obtain coverage from: J.B. Boda and Co. headquartered in Mumbai and more..

Jul 24 (CT) Colombo Chief Magistrate Lanka Jayaratna, informed the prosecution that they should make a request to the Director of the CID, prior to recording a statement from Bathiudeen Mohammad Riyaj, in connection with the case filed against Bathiudeen Mohamed Rifkhan. Both Riyaj and Rifkhan are siblings of former Minister Rishad Bathiudeen. Rifkhan Bathiudeen has been charged over more..

Jul 24 (CT) Morison PLC, a subsidiary of diversified conglomerate Hemas Holdings, hopes to complete and commence operations at its newest research and pharmaceutical manufacturing plant within the next financial year, construction was delayed by the Easter Sunday bombings & COVID-19 pandemic. According to Hemas Holdings and Morison PLC Chairman, Husein Esufally, new plant by Morisons would focus on producing consumer trusted medicine on par with global standards. more..

Jul 24 (Island) SK E&S Co. Ltd., or SK Group, South Korea's third largest conglomerate (Chaebol) is currently in talks with the Sri Lankan authorities on the establishment of a number of investment ventures in Sri Lanka, including a $600 million LNG project. The proposed project would be able to supply LNG to 930 MW power plants in Sri Lanka and would be run on a Build-Own-Operate-Transfer (BOOT) basis, a press release issued by the Sri Lankan embassy in South Korea said. more..

Jul 24 (Island) 12 National Thowheed Jamaat (NTJ) members had remained in the East to carry out a second wave of attacks in Aug 2019, an SIS officer told the PCoI. The witness, whose name will not be divulged due to a request made by the PCoI, said the NTJ maintained eight safe houses in the East and they had stored a large quantity of explosives. "White coloured women�s clothes that were bought from a shop at more..

Jul 24 (Island) The Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE) would launch a programme to educate people on the need to play an active role to ensure a free and fair election, CaFFE executive director Manas Makeen said, yesterday, adding that the initiative would commence on July 24 and cover all districts in the country. The first phase of the programme could cover the Southern and Northern Provinces on July 24 with the participation of the representatives of all religions. more..

Jul 24 (DN) Continuing on their quest to introduce novel products to the local and export market the Palmyrah Development Board (PDB) has introduced Palmyrah Sugar to the local market. �The product was designed and developed at our R&D center and is now available at selected outlets in Colombo and Jaffna,� said PDB Chairman, Krishantha Pathiraja. He said that they would now invest to build a Mini Palmyrah Sugar processing plant in North to increase production and also for export. more..

Jul 24 (FT) Cabinet yesterday approved a proposal by PM Mahinda Rajapaksa to appoint a committee to evaluate the functions of all State banks and their affiliated bodies, and recommend legal and administrative measures to ensure that they carry out Govt decisions. The proposal was presented by PM Rajapaksa as the Finance Minister and the committee will be chaired by former High Court Judge Sisira Ratnayake. more..

Jul 24 (FT) Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) issued a ban on the use of paddy and rice for the production of animal feed. The Gazette, signed by CAA Chairman Shantha Dissanayake, has been issued under the powers vested in the CAA by Section 10(1) (b) (ii) of the Consumer Affairs Authority Act No. 9 of 2003. CAA directs that no manufacturer, trader or distributor shall sell, expose or offer for sale, store, transport, distribute or buy or purchase any locally produced rice or paddy more..

Jul 24 (EN) Election Commission requests all public servants with or without political rights to abstain from attending or directly engaging in events and activities of a political nature in the run-up to the upcoming elections. EC Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya said: �all in the public service irrespective of whether they have political rights or not should distance themselves from political engagements�, adding that �trade unions of public officers should abstain from directly engaging more..

Jul 24 (PTI) SL police said that they have not received any evidence to confirm the media reports that the wife of one of the Easter suicide bombers may have fled to India to avoid arrest. Police spokesman Jaliya Senaratne made the comments while responding to questions on the media reports that the PCoI was told that Pulasthini Rajendran alias Sarah, wife of bomber Achchi Mohammdu Hasthun, had fled to India by sea in Sept last. more..

Jul 24 (FT) From 1948 to 1978 SL had a parliamentary system of govt. A fully-fledged parliamentary system of govt on British Westminster model was established by the Soulbury Constitution, which gave SL the Dominion status. The position of the Governor General under the Soulbury Constitution and that of the Prez appointed under the Republican Constitution of 1972 was more or less similar to that of a Constitutional King. Cabinet, headed by the PM, who is accountable to more..

Jul 24 (FT) A two-thirds majority will give the ruling party a monopoly on power. It will serve another more salutary purpose. It will introduce method to madness � a spick and span majesty to pure and simple lunacy. It is an invitation to the lynch mob. The 19th Amendment has many flaws. They must be fixed. That said, we must not overlook its primary purpose which was to abridge and truncate excessive centralisation of executive power and enhancement of the authority of parliament. more..

Jul 24 (MFA) The Working Group appointed by Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena to assess the current status of implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Sustainable Development Goals presented their report to the Minister on Thursday (23). Presenting the Report, the Chair of the Working Group Ahmed A. Jawad, Additional Secretary, Multilateral Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Relations observed that high-level leadership would be crucial for more..

Jul 24 (FT) Bar Association of SL (BASL) is to launch a new Certificate Course in Digital Law. This will also be the second online course to be conducted by the BASL. The Course is due to commence on the 30 July and will comprise of a highly distinguished panel of legal and industry experts, who will conduct lectures over a period of 12 weeks, every Thursday afternoon on the Zoom platform. The Legal Experts as Resource Persons will include Kalinga Indatissa P.C., more..

Jul 24 (AD) Chandima Wijegunawardena is a Colombo district contestant from the UNP. Q: Your educational and professional qualifications? A: Doctor of Medicine, PhD in General Medicine, Manipal University. I hold several diplomas in economics, international politics and media studies. I have worked with many universities around the world including Sri J'pura University and Helsinki University. more..

Jul 24 (MFA) Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena and Minister for Int'l Trade of UK Ranil Jayawardena discussed stepping up bilateral trade and investment and expanding the areas of cooperation during a teleconference yesterday. It was the first official interaction between the two Ministers. Both Ministers welcomed further consolidating the longstanding bilateral engagement through increased trade, security, research and training, science and technology and cultural cooperation, more..

Jul 24 (AD) A couple, aged 43 and 40 years, died in a fatal car crash on Thursday night (23), leaving their two daughters orphaned. The accident happened near a filling station on the Yakkala � Kirindiwela road. In the meantime, the driver of the vehicle, who sustained injuries in the accident, is currently receiving treatment at the Colombo National Hospital. A family of four from Kinigama, Yakkala attended a wedding ceremony in Badulla and returned to their hometown in a bus. more..

Jul 24 (FT) The month of June saw a huge controversy springing up from the shores of Sri Lankan Cricket, when former SL sports minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage alleged that he has suspicions that the 2011 World Cup final between India and Sri Lanka was fixed. The allegations led to a criminal probe being launched by the Sri Lanka police. As part of the investigation, Kumar Sangakkara, who was captain of more..

Jul 24 (EN) SL�s Financial Intelligence Unit, the island�s anti-money laundering watchdog, said it had fined two banks and three finance companies for violating a Financial Transactions Reporting law. The penalties were imposed for violating customer due diligence on third party deposits obtaining approval for Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs), sanctions screening and financial transaction reporting, the FIU said. As the the regulator for Anti-Money Laundering and Countering more..

Jul 24 (CT) The increase in the number of suspected rat fever cases reported this year is due to the unexpected weather, specifically monsoon related changes and the cultivation of abandoned fields, said Consultant Epidemiologist of the Epidemiology Unit of the Ministry of Health, Dr. Manjula Kariyawasam. As of mid June, the number of such suspected cases stands at 3,500. When contacted, he noted that Ratnapura has turned out to be a high-risk area with 25.3% infections whereas more..

Jul 24 (EN) Ruling SLPP would have to submit to the law if the recently demolished building in Kurunegala is confirmed to be an archaeological site, SLPP Kalutara district candidate Vidura Wickremanayake said. Former MP said this country was not built overnight, in a decade or even a century but over a period extending over 3,000 years. �We have to respect our forefathers and what they have left for us. more..

Jul 24 (FT) The SLPP, headed by PM Mahinda Rajapaksa treats all citizens equally without any social or racial discrimination, said President�s Counsel Ali Sabry at the inauguration of the SLPP branch office in Maradana, Colombo on Wednesday. The office was jointly opened by former Minister Susil Premajayantha and SLPP leader of the Muslim Federation Sabry, in the presence of its National Organiser A.L.M. Uwais Hajiar. Former mayors of Colombo and Matale Omar Kamil and more..

Jul 24 (CT) Colombo Chief Magistrate Lanka Jayaratna yesterday (23), informed the Director of the Prisons Department in writing to pay attention to the safety of incarcerated drug lord Gampola Vidanage Samantha Kumara alias Wele Suda. She gave this order to the Prisons Director, after having perused a motion filed by President�s Counsel Anura Meddegoda on behalf of Wele Suda. Meddegoda informed Court that he was making submissions in connection with the case filed under more..

Jul 24 (EN) A group of activists staged a demonstration against PM Mahinda Rajapaksa today protesting remarks made by him allegedly insulting childless women, particularly Jalani Premadasa. The protest was held outside the PM�s office in Colombo. In a campaign speech Rajapaksa said �he (the SJB leader Sajith Premadasa) talks about pressing a button to summon the Midwife, of course he won�t need it�� in the audience more..

Jul 24 (Island) Tensions among the Muslim, Sinhala and Tamil communities in the East were growing rapidly by late 2016 due to activities of extremist groups, the State Intelligence Service had warned, an SIS officer stationed in the East, on Wednesday, told the PCoI investigating the Easter Sunday attacks. The witness, whose name will not be divulged due to a request made by the PCoI, said that the most dangerous of those groups was the National Thowheed Jamaat (NTJ). more..

Jul 24 (EN) SL�s paddy (rough rice) harvest for the 2020 Yala minor cultivation season is expected to rise 11 percent to 1.721 million metric tonnes, while the annual forecast is 4.772 million metric tonnes, up 3.3%. The final output for the Maha cultivation season for 2020 was estimated at 3,051 million metric tonnes, around the same level as last year�s 3.073 million tonnes. Dept of Agriculture said, 430,000 hectares out of a target of 475,000 hectares or 90%, had been sown by May. more..

Jul 24 (EN) Since SL produced the first-ever woman PM of the world in 1960 with Sirimavo Bandaranaike�s landslide victory, and one the world�s first women Presidents representation in SL politics has taken a hit, to say the least. With nominations being concluded for the upcoming parliamentary election, questions have been raised as to whether women are adequately represented in nomination lists of major parties vying for power. more..

Jul 24 (DM) Public Health Inspectors Union has decided to continue their trade union action as there was no positive response from the Ministry of Health over their demands as of today. PHIs Union Secretary Mahesh Balasooriya said that the decision was made at the Central Executive Council, which was convened today to discuss the issue. He said they had not battle with any trade union but a genuine struggle to protect people from Covid-19. Union arrived at the decision to withdraw more..

Jul 24 (AD) A total of 150,000 PCR tests have been carried out in the country so far, says the Minister of Health Pavithra Wanniarachchi. In the meantime, positive cases of COVID-19 confirmed in SL increased to 2,753 on Thursday (23) after a returnee from Saudi Arabia tested positive for the virus. The total count of recoveries from the novel coronavirus reached 2,094 today as 17 more patients returned to health. The IDH and Iranawila Hospital have reported 04 recoveries each, more..

Jul 24 (EN) Sri Lanka has appointed a committee to look into ways to pay losses of 507 million rupees to depositors of a co-operative society bank that lost money from a bondscam by the defunct Entrust group, a minister said. �Over 60,000 depositors of the Hewagama Korale East Co-operative Society have lost money from this,� Minister Gunewardene said. �This is not a finance company but a co-operative society. more..

Jul 24 (Island) The Association of Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes (APHNH), the Charted Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) and the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC) will be hosting a seminar on 'Post-COVID Economic Recovery of the Private Health Sector' on July 25. The session, hosted at the Lanka Hospitals Auditorium, will place a selective focus on the economic recovery of small and medium level hospitals. This seminar aims to address the challenges faced by more..

Jul 24 (AD) The police have obtained permission to detain and interrogate the 08 suspects including the Excise Department�s officer who were arrested while in possession of Crystal Methamphetamine, commonly known as Ice. However, they have been released on bail on a bail condition of Rs. 100,000 each. The suspects were arrested last morning (23) in the area of Puttalam along with 126g of Ice. The police said 04 females were also among the arrestees. more..

Jul 24 (DM) Those who traditionally voted for the UNP should decide whether they are going to destroy the party or not at this election, UNP Leader and former PM Ranil Wickremesinghe said yesterday. He said Tuesday's Appeal Court decision to reject the petition filed by SJB against the UNP decision to suspend those members who joined SJB to contest the general election, was an indication that more..

Jul 24 (AFP) Multiple posts shared hundreds of times on Facebook claim that SL President Gotabaya Rajapaksa appointed a committee of three former ministers to review an expert committee�s report. The claim also circulated on WhatsApp. The claim is misleading; the offices of the president and the former ministers cited in the misleading posts said no such committee was ever formed. The claim was published on Facebook here on July 17, 2020. more..

Jul 24 (CT) Human Rights Commission of SL (HRCSL) stated that all State sector workers are duty bound to carry out their duty in keeping with the provisions in the Constitution. With the Election being declared All State sector employees have to perform their duties in an impartial manner, it stated adding that those who fail to either intentionally or otherwise carry out their functions in the aforesaid manner would be flouting the Constitution and hence legal action by the HRCSL could be more..

Jul 24 (AD) The Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) has approved 3,985 new loan applications, amounting to Rs. 11,829 million, submitted by licensed banks under the Saubagya COVID-19 renaissance facility Phase II & III during the period 13-23 July 2020. With the new approvals mentioned above, the cumulative number of loan applications so far approved by the CBSL under the Saubagya COVID-19 renaissance facility increased to more..