Jun 12 (DN) SL Volleyball Federation (SLVF) announced a 12-member Men�s and Women�s National Beach Volleyball Pool in preparation for the Sixth Asian Beach Games set to be held from Nov 28 to Dec 5 in Sanya, China. Over 40 top nations from Asia are set to compete at this biennial Asian Beach Games which would include a total of 19 sports. SL would compete in eight disciplines including beach volleyball, beach kabaddi, 3x3 basketball, aquatics, aquathlon, teqball, more..

Jun 12 (BBC) I was young when I first heard the music. It came from the earthen road outside where a man was selling bread from a tuk tuk. Unlike other colourful three-wheeled vehicles, the back of this one held a glass display cabinet piled high with neatly stacked baked goods. �It�s the choon paan man,� my father told me. Choon paan loosely translates to music bread in Sinhala. During my childhood, the fresh-off-the-oven kimbula more..

Jun 12 (CT) This week�s Tea Auction saw 6.6 million kg come under the hammer, making it the largest volume on offer since Sale No. 4 of 28/29 January 2020, according to Forbes & Walkers Tea Brokers. Although sale volumes are peaking, prices declined for the second consecutive week, bringing them back in line with pre-COVID-19 price levels, particularly for teas at the lower end of the market. High-priced teas declined further against mid-March price levels, which could spell an end to more..

Jun 12 (DN) The Cabinet of Ministers approved a proposal made by Higher Education Minister Dr. Bandula Gunawardena to obtain a loan to pay Mahapola scholarship for beneficiaries without any interruption. He said Rs.160 million is required monthly to pay Mahapola scholarship for around 60,000 beneficiaries and 51 percent of the required amount is collected from the Mahapola Scholarship Fund and 41 percent of the required amount of money is allocated by the Treasury, more..

Jun 12 (Island) NFF leader Wimal Weerawansa has said that civilians wouldn�t be able to achieve what was expected from the Presidential Task Force (PTF) to build a Secure Country, Disciplined, Virtuous and Lawful Society. He emphasized there shouldn�t be absolutely any issue over serving military personnel dominating the PTF headed by Defence Secretary (retd) Maj. Gen. Kamal Gunaratne. more..

Jun 12 (MFA) Comprehensive measures taken by the Ministry of Foreign Relations, in close coordination with the key Govt Economic Agencies and the private sector to address and mitigate the impact of COVID 19 particularly on SL exports, has helped in sustaining and regaining lost markets for traditional SL exports, while enabling new opportunities. Exportswhich accounted for US $ 277 Million in April 2020, had increased to US $606 Million in May, and is expected to grow more..

Jun 12 (Island) A section of the CEB has raised the alarm over spending between Rs. 400 million and Rs. 500 million on each of the three of its mini hydro plants, cheapest energy source, which they claim should not cost more than Rs. 15 million per plant. The tug-o-war is on among some officials in this regard. CEB Chairman Vijitha Herath says he remains focussed on renewable energy. A number of renewable power plants are in the pipeline. However, despite low hydro cost, more..

Jun 12 (CI) India will not tour SL for the scheduled three ODIs and as many T20Is in June as SLC had hoped, but the boards are still working towards playing that series in August. This is according to an SLC official, who confirmed that although the BCCI is not ready to send a team just yet (in light of the Covid-19 pandemic), SLC was working on getting official govt approval for the series to take place in a couple of months. more..

Jun 12 (AD) Covid-19 infections confirmed in SL reached 1,877 following the detection of another virus-positive patient last night. A total of 8 fresh Covid-19 cases have been detected yesterday. All of them are navy men at quarantine centres in Iyakachchi (4), Mullaitivu (3) and Vidaththatpalai (1). Meanwhile, 28 more persons who had contracted the virus recovered from the disease yesterday. They were receiving treatment at the IDH (7), Welikanda Hospital (10), Iranawila (1), more..

Jun 12 (DM) Unit 2 of the Norochcholai Coal Power Plant has experienced a breakdown following a steam leak. Lakvijaya Plant Manager Indrasiri Gallage said that it would take around four days to cool down. �After four days, we will repair it and it can be completed within two days." When asked if it would affect the total power generation, Gallage said that there would be no impact as it could be recovered from the Kerawalapitiya Plant and other power plants under the purview of the CEB. more..

Jun 12 (EN) China, which began financing Sri Lanka a little over a decade ago has overtaken traditional lenders Japan and the World Bank and is just behind the ADB. Mainly project loans to Sri Lanka from China were US$ 3.38 billion by end 2019, against US$ 3.36 billion for Japan and US$ 3.23 billion for the World Bank. China Development Bank Corporation has also loaned SL US$ 1 billion, in response to a call more..

Jun 12 (CT) Police Spokesman attorney at law Jaliya Senaratne has publicly turned down a demand by the Prime Minister�s son about conducting an investigation into the conduct of police officials disbanding the Frontline Socialist Party Black Lives Matter protest at Lipton Circus. �I strongly condemn the assault on protestors and call for it to be investigated,� Namal Rajapaksa the Hambantota District MP said in a widely publicized Tweet. more..

Jun 12 (FT) Hotels Association of SL (THASL) thanked the Govt and particularly Sri Lanka Tourism for granting a wage support scheme for employees of hotel businesses and concessions for the payment of utilities. THASL vehemently lobbied on behalf of the industry for this support and praise the Govt for helping the hotel industry�s recovery during these turbulent times. THASL stated that following the Govt�s nod in favour of the wage support scheme and utility concessions, more..

Jun 12 (Island) SDIG Nandana Munasinghe, who was the SDIG of Western Province in April 2019, told the PCoI on Easter Sunday attacks that he had been skeptical about the intelligence reports, which he received on April 9, warning of a Islamic terrorist attacks. The warning, a letter and a 3-page annex, sent by CNI Sisira Mendis to Pujith Jayasundara, the then IGP, was conveyed to Munasinghe, SDIG crimes and more..

Jun 12 (BBC) The 64-year-old BBC newsreader and journalist told The Times newspaper he was given the news by doctors in April, but only told his editor. However, he added that his condition is not at a chronic or terminal stage. Alagiah was first diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2014, and announced in 2017 that the disease had returned. It has now spread to his lungs, liver and lymph nodes, he said. "My doctors have never used the word chronic or cure about my cancer," he said. more..

Jun 12 (FT) The Govt has decided to end the voucher system to distribute school uniforms introduced by the previous administration and instead allow local textile companies to manufacture the needed cloth, which is estimated to cost Rs. 2 billion in public funds. The Govt has provided school uniform cloths since 1995 for students in Govt, Govt-aided schools and student bhikkus who study in pirivenas. The voucher system has been used for this purpose during 2015-2020 period. more..

Jun 12 (FT) President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is to meet with Central Bank officials next week to discuss the implementation of the Rs. 150 billion refinancing facility and find ways to smoothen bottlenecks following numerous complaints from the business community and public. Cabinet Spokesman Bandula Gunawardana said that the issue had been discussed in detail during the Cabinet meeting this week and more..

Jun 12 (FT) Govt has decided to amend SL�s labour laws, changing the minimum age of employment from 14 to 16 years of age to mark the World Day Against Child Labour, which falls today, 12 June. Cabinet approval was granted to amend the labour laws to increase the minimum age of employment to 16 years, to comply with the compulsory schooling age � to ensure that all children in the country are entitled to the privileges and rights as per the int'l Convention on Rights of the Child, more..

Jun 12 (PMD) The inquiring committee appointed to investigate alleged irregularities in the ETI Investments met President Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the Presidential Secretariat today (June 11). The Committee informed the President that the ETI Investments had not followed the proper procedures in their conduct from its inception. It had invested its assets in other institutes and at the same time, it had not been supervised by the Central Bank, the Committee pointed out. more..

Jun 12 (Island) Over ten rupees must be added to the production cost of a unit of coal power if the external cost � the social and environmental expenditure that the country incurs due to power generation from thermal plants � was factored in, Public Utilities Commission of SL (PUCSL) said in a report. The power sector regulator calls for stakeholder comments and proposals based on the discovered figures of the study named more..

Jun 12 (FT) This, I hope, will be the last of my explicitly COVID pieces, as we transition to recreating competitiveness in Sri Lanka, which I want to pick up as a theme. However, should we be tempted to relapse into this self-destructive temptation, I thought I would do a grand tour of COVID fallacies, once and for all, grounded in data and the best medical assessments we have from around the globe. Should you need to reframe a discussion, seek grounds to help influence more..

Jun 12 (FT) The Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary can be described as the three main pillars of support of any form of democratic political system. The sovereignty of a democratic political system rests with the citizens of that state. Constitution is reckoned to be a written agreement which illustrates how the sovereignty of the people in a democratic State shall be exercised through the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary and the manner in which the system of governance is structured more..

Jun 12 (DN) The doctor�s wife and the two men who were arrested Tuesday in connection with the Treasure hunting incident at the archeological site near the Kimbulagala Mountain in Nandimithragama, Vavuniya, were remanded till June 24 by Vavuniya Magistrate Tashmin Fouzan, yesterday. Fouzan also ordered the police to collect an archaeological record of the excavations. Equipment used for the treasure hunting, magical books, battery acid, battery powder, brass rings and more..

Jun 12 (Island) PM Mahinda Rajapaksa said that his party SLPP was looking forward to a general election devoid of mudslinging. He said the Opposition politicians always engaged in mudslinging. "Hence I have distanced myself from such people", he said. Rajapaksa said the Opposition would not be able to woo the masses with its bogus claims and the present govt that won the hearts of the people and proved that it could deliver its promises. more..

Jun 12 (Island) Civil society organization calling itself Lawyers for Democracy has alleged that the recent formation of a Presidential Task Force headed by Defence Secretary Maj. Gen. Kamal Gunaratne (retd) to create a disciplined the society posed a grave danger to democracy. Attorney-at-law Lal Wijenayake, in a statement issued on behalf of his organisation alleged: "There is no doubt that this is a long step forward more..

Jun 12 (TM) In keeping with the govt decision to permit all places of worship to be open from today, the waqkfs board of SL has permitted all mosques to be open for individual prayers from today subject to all conditions specified in the Wakfs board directives on 3rd June. �The govt has permitted a maximum of 50 persons at time, the earlier limit of 30 is now increased to maximum of 50,� the Waqkfs Board said. As per the govt decision, in the event the premises within which the prayers are to be more..

Jun 12 (DN) The govt announced a 5-day work week for postal workers only for the next three months. Minister Bandula Gunawardena said that this decision had been taken considering the demands made by postal workers during the recent strike. �They were protesting against the authorities� decision to cut overtime pay by closing post offices on Saturdays. Considering the service rendered by the postal workers during the lockdown, the Cabinet decided to pay overtime and close more..

Jun 12 (EN) With complaints mounting that a promised six-month debt moratorium for lease agreements has yet to materialise, a group representing vehicle loan payers in Sri Lanka is set to meet President Rajapaksa today to discuss the matter. President of the All-Island Vehicle Leasing and Loan Installment Payers Association D N Uggalla announced the meeting on Facebook earlier today. more..

Jun 12 (SLN) The Navy held a stock of Kerala cannabis attempted to transfer ashore by sea routes during a special operation carried out at Kusumanthurai beach area in Jaffna on 12th June 2020. SL Navy is conducting frequent patrols to curb the illegal drug trafficking attempts through sea routes. During such operation, naval personnel of Northern Naval Command, had observed some persons who were carrying suspicious sacks withdrawn from a dinghy landed ashore. more..

Jun 12 (AD) Ministry of Health confirms that 46 more persons who had tested positive for COVID-19 have were discharged from respective hospitals as they have returned to health. These patients were receiving treatment at the Infectious Disease Hospital (09), Colombo East Base Hospital (12), Iranawila Hospital (01), Kattankudy Base Hospital (10), Welisara Navy Hospital (03) and Minuwangoda Base Hospital (11). Sri Lanka�s coronavirus recoveries count thereby shot up to 1,196. more..

Jun 12 (AD) General Secretary UNP Akila Viraj Kariyawasam has filed objections with the Colombo District Court, seeking the dismissal of SJB�s petition calling for an injunction invalidating the UNP Working Committee�s decision to oust 294 members. Kariyawasam had been cited as a respondent in the petition lodged by General Secretary of SJB Ranjith Madduma Bandara. In his objections, filed via Vidanapathirana Associates Lawyers, more..

Jun 12 (AD) A group of Sri Lankans in the Philippines have been brought back to the country yesterday (11). A SriLankan Airlines flight returned to the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) with 223 Sri Lankans aboard at around 10.30 pm last night. They were directed to PCR testing upon arrival and moved to several hotels located near the airport until the test results are received. Meanwhile, two Sri Lankan sailors in Narita, Japan are scheduled to return to the island today (12). more..

Jun 12 (EN) SL�s central bank has not yet tripled a re-finance (printed money) facility to 150 billion rupees (about US$ 800 million) to give COVID-19 relief loans as ordered by Prez Rajapaksa, Minister Bandula Gunewardene said. �I said as cabinet spokesman last week that President had ordered the central bank to give 150 billion rupees of re-finance,� he said. �But it has not happened.� The central bank had already provided 50 billion rupees central bank credit (printed money) re-finance facility more..

Jun 12 (DM) Body of a man which was found with gunshot wounds near the Independence Square in Colombo this morning was identified as 63-year old Rajeewa Jayaweera. Police found a Point 22 pistol hanging in his neck and a letter. It was revealed that the victim is a resident of Rajagiriya who was a manager of SriLankan Airlines and also a freelance writer. Police suspect that the victim had shot himself due to family dispute. more..

Jun 12 (CT) Dialog Axiata and the first and only network to offer Voice over Wi-Fi (VoWiFi or WiFi Calling), VoLTE (Voice over LTE) and eSIM service in Sri Lanka for the latest Galaxy Z Flip, SL�s first foldable smartphone from Samsung announced the purchase availability for the latest Samsung Galaxy device at the Dialog Iconic Customer Experience Centre for a limited time period. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip is an avant-garde in technology making its mark in history as SL�s first, more..

Jun 12 (DM) As SL is highly vulnerable to external shocks, such as those stemming from climate change and natural disasters, senior economist and former CB Governor Indrajit Coomaraswamy stressed it is essential for the country to look at building buffers instead of choosing to continue to live on the edge. �Going forward with this (building buffers) is going to be very important. In SL, we like to live on the edge and that is what we have been doing for the past decades. more..

Jun 12 (NR) Prez Rajapaksa has advised Basnayake Nilame to organise processions at religious places by prioritising traditional and religious practices. Prez said processions organised centred around the Kandy Temple of the Tooth Relic and the Kataragama, Devinuawra and Sabaragamuwa Devala should adhere to health guidelines implemented for the prevention of the spread of the coronavirus. more..

Jun 12 (CT) The longest ballot paper for the 5 August General Election will be from the Digamadulla District, sources from the Election Commission (EC) said. This ballot paper will be 22 inches long and 10.5 inches wide. The ballot paper for the Gampaha District will be 21 inches long. The ballot papers for the Districts of Jaffna and Puttalam will be 20 inches long, the ballot paper for the Colombo District will be 13.5 inches long, for Vavuniya it will be 14.5 inches long, more..

Jun 12 (DM) UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe today appointed its National Organizer Navin Dissanayake as the President of the UNP-affiliated Lanka Jathika Estate Workers Union (LJEWU). Mr. Dissanaysake announced his new appointment at a media briefing today and said former MP R. Yogarajan was appointed Secretary. �We were appointed in place of Harin Fernando and Vadivel Suresh who had previously held these posts. They were removed from these posts after more..