Sep 7 (CT) 74th anniversary of the UNP was celebrated yesterday at 10:30 a.m. at the Sirikotha, with the participation of Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe and 24 other members. The anniversary celebrations were limited to about 20 minutes and neither the leader of the party nor anyone else made any comments. Ranil Wickremesinghe, Akila Viraj Kariyawasam, Navin Dissanayake, Vajira Abeywardena, Daya Gamage, Ashu Marasinghe, John Amaratunga, more..

Sep 7 (EN) A returnee from Dubai has died while undergoing quarantine in Nuwara Eliya but not from Covid related symptoms. 56-year old man had tested negative for Covid, but was undergoing mandatory quarantine at a hotel in Nuwara Eliya, Colonel Vijitha Hettiarachchi who speaks for the National Operations Centre for the Prevention of Covid 19 said. He had been admitted to hospital to be treated for an infection on his leg which had been wounded while he was still in Dubai. more..

Sep 7 (FT) SL Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) confirmed that it had received over 160 requests from hotels for Safe and Secure COVID-19 standard compliance, with 14 registered accommodation providers certified so far. �Of the requests received so far, which is around 160, about 10 to 15 hotels have pulled out to convert their hotels as quarantine centres. Priority has been given to certification of accommodation, more..

Sep 7 (PMD) The copies of the novel Pathalayo and the English version of GOTABAYA written by the Secretary of Defense, retired Major General Kamal Gunaratane were presented to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa today (6). Pathalayo is based on real life events. The Sinhala version(original) of the Gotabaya was published last year and the English version was launched today (6). Both these books were launched at the Kularathna Hall, Ananda College, Colombo 10. more..

Sep 7 (DM) Police have arrested a total of 1,280 suspects over various offences including possession of narcotics and liquor during special police operations carried out in the Western Province within the last 24 hours. A total of 637 suspects including three close associates of gangster Badowita Asanka were arrested in possession of narcotics during the raids carried out from 6 a.m yesterday to 5 a.m today under the directions of Senior DIG Deshabandu Thennakoon. more..

Sep 7 (EN) Sri Lanka has slipped down seven places in Forbes�s ranking of the safest countries on earth during the Covid pandemic, but still makes the top hundred, the updated survey said last week. In June Sri Lanka ranked 85 out of a hundred but last week slipped to 92 in the ranking that is based on a complex series of assessments based on multiple medical, economic and political factors which increase or decrease the ranking. more..

Sep 7 (EN) The main Opposition SJB will launch a protest movement against the proposed 20th Amendment tomorrow at the statue of the late Maduluwawe Sobhitha Thero. A statement from the party issued last night said the launch will take place at 4 pm at the Japan Friendship Road near the Parliament. SJB has called for a broad coalition to be formed against the govt�s proposal which they say will create an all-powerful presidency and take power away from Parliament. more..

Sep 7 (CT) Sate Minister Dayasiri Jayasekara said that a tax of one US Dollar should be imposed per kilogramme of imported cloth. The proposed tax will be applicable to all types of cloth imported into the country except for cloth imported through the BOI. A Cabinet paper has already been drafted in this regard, the Minister stated, adding that cloth used to sew bed sheets and curtains used at tourist guest houses and five star hotels should be locally-manufactured handloom material. more..

Sep 7 (AD) Minister of Justice Ali Sabry says that Independent Commissions have created a confusing situation within the country in the past few years. Speaking at an event held in the Wettamakada area in Kalutara yesterday, he said that they have come to serve and not make amendments and write books. He says that the 19th Amendment to the Constitution is removed to create an environment where the President can work better. more..

Sep 7 (CT) Govt, by gazette notification published on their website on Friday (4) has halved the ports and airports levy (PAL) from 5% to 2.5% applicable to certain imported machinery and parts with retrospective effect from Thursday (3). They include industrial machinery, plant or equipment for the treatment of materials by process involving changes to temperature not elsewhere specified or included by Customs under their Harmonised System (HS) Code. more..

Sep 7 (DM) There is more likelihood of minor earth tremors taking place in the buffer zones of the Mahaweli Reservoir in the near future, Professor C. B. Dissanayake of the Geological Faculty of the Peradeniya University said. He stressed that such earth tremors were significant with the pressure in the reservoirs or the impact caused by the blasting of limestone in the vicinities of the reservoirs and when the water levels increased or decreased in the reservoirs. more..

Sep 7 (Island) Only 3% of the total land area of SL is covered with rainforests, out of which only 65% have been declared protected areas, environmentalist Sajeewa Chamikara said. The remaining 35% are under the control of Land Reform Commission (LRC). Due to the rapidly shrinking forest cover, even the SL�s wet zone had been affected by changes in annual rainfall patterns and water shortages, Chamikara said more..

Sep 7 (AD) The wanted Constable attached to the Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) who was arrested in India has been remanded. The suspect was taken into custody by the Tamil Nadu police officers, on Saturday (5), when he attempted to enter India via sea routes. The arrested Constable, Pradeep Kumar Bandaranayake, is a suspect wanted over the 23kg of heroin seized in Sapugaskanda. The Indian police officers had launched a search operation acting on information received by Coast Guard officers more..

Sep 7 (AD) National Building Research Organisation (NBRO) has issued a Level 2 (Amber) landslide early warning for parts of Colombo, Galle, Kalutara, Kegalle, and Ratnapura districts. The warning states that since the rainfall within the past 24 hours has exceeded 100 mm, if the rains continue, people living in following areas are be alert on the possibility of landslides, slope failures, rock falls, cut failures and ground subsidence, being ready to evacuate to a safe location if the need arises. more..

Sep 7 (EN) Fresh flames have risen in the funnel section of the MT New Diamond Supertanker and firefighters are battling the fire using foam to contain the blaze. Navy Spokesman Captain Indika de Silva said that all day tugs had been spraying water on the ship to keep the metal cool, but high winds had ignited the flames once again. �It looks like an oil fire but is coming from the funnel area and behind the funnel,� he said. more..

Sep 8 (CT) A number of active SL Tamil diaspora organisations around the world have urged the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to declare Brigadier Sawrna Bothota a �persona non grata� and curtail his diplomatic visa in order to allow the Met Police to arrest him and investigate him for war crimes. �The first was Major General Prasanna Silva, named in three UN reports as a war criminal. Silva was asked to leave because of the threat of a judicial review. more..

Sep 8 (CT) It is generally observed that most of the people living in Kalutara District happen to face severe water crisis causing endless sufferings and hardship in the drought season particularly during the period of March and May. Based on the climate patterns in our country, we may consider those periods as summer due to high humidity or dry weather. Salinity of water is one of prime feature that people in Kalutara District experience during these periods. more..

Sep 8 (FT) This is the 500th article in this series. Started in January 2011, it appeared on every Monday without failure over the last 10 years. Many have been puzzled by its tagline, Economics Matters. What it means is that everything under the Sun, or for that matter even that is above the Sun, could be explained in terms of economics. It does not matter whether it is economics proper, politics, history, religion or art. more..

Sep 8 (ST) At the time the 1978 Constitution was enacted, the left parties led by the Lanka Sama Samaja Party and the Communist Party pointed out the dangers that could befall a developing country like Sri Lanka from the governance structure that the J R Jayewardene Constitution envisaged. Left leaders like Dr N M Perera and Dr Colvin R de Silva argued that the executive presidency would facilitate authoritarian tendencies by centralising power and vesting in one individual more..

Sep 8 (CT) On Sunday, UNP celebrated its 74th anniversary at its party headquarters at Sirikotha, Kotte. The event was presided over by UNP�s first dictatorial leader Ranil Wickremesinghe. Nonetheless, this celebration was more akin to performing the UNP�s funeral rites, a Party which won eight of the 16 Parliamentary Polls or 50% of such polls, contesting either as a single Party or as the Party leading a coalition of parties and three of the eight Prez Polls, with its candidate, more..

Sep 8 (CT) �Children should not be prisoners, but neither are we monsters. We feel for our children, and need them as much as they need us. There will be only one mother and no one can replace a mother�s position under any circumstance. I will carry my kid whereever I go, no matter what.� This was the lament of Nalini,* a former inmate and mother of indomitable spirit, who was incarcerated when her infant was 4 mo more..

Sep 8 (CT) Father Sleemanpillai Joseph Emmanuel is back in Sri Lanka and appealing to the immigration for leave to remain. He wants to die in SL, a country that he spent the last three decades demonising. In spite of his record of supporting the LTTE and glorifying violence by Velupillai Prabhakaran, the generous people of SL have decided to accommodate his plea. The foundational culture of Sri Lanka has been compassion, mercy, and forgiveness. more..

Sep 8 (ST) The reduction of the fiscal deficit is of utmost importance to achieve economic stability, economic growth and social development. The high fiscal deficit has to be reduced by enhancing govt revenue through higher direct and indirect taxes that are progressive and fall on the rich and the affluent. The Vote on Account (VOA) of Rs 9.1 trillion for expenditure in the last four months of this year that was passed by Parliament unanimously on Aug 28, together with the expenditure more..

Sep 8 (DM) SL is one of the success stories in the world in respect of containing COVID-19 threat. It is so successful that people have even totally forgotten the threat and now media rarely carry stories about the disease. However, does it mean that we are absolutely safe? Relevant authorities say No. Chief of the Health Ministry�s Epidemiology Unit Dr. Sudath Samaraweera on Saturday warned of another wave of the pandemic, citing the reckless behaviour of the people in the country, more..

Sep 8 (CT) Asanga Seneviratne has been co-opted by Asia Rugby Executive Committee to fill the vacant position that was created by the resignation of Indonesian Gondo Gambiro earlier this year. Sri Lanka Rugby endorsed and nominated Seneviratne to take over the role with immediate effect. Seneviratne is not new to Asia Rugby�s Executive Committee and has served as the Honorary Secretary General in 2013-2015. He has served as President of SL Rugby Football Union more..

Sep 8 (ST) The prestigious Royal Colombo Golf Club (RCGC) founded as the Colombo Golf Club in 1879, conducted the 99th RCGC Golf Championship and the year 2020 continued to serve up surprises after the epic action of mother nature locked down the world with the COVID-19 pandemic, what is just about blowing over at least in Sri Lanka. The diminutive, athletic, pocket-missile of Sri Lanka Golf, Yannik Kumara, launched more..

Sep 8 (Island) The UGC is reported to have suspended external arts degree programmes. It has pledged to update the courses of study conducted by the arts faculties of the state universities. This, we have heard umpteen times, but nothing of the sort has been done for the last several decades. Reflected in the UGC action is the govt thinking that preparing students for the job market is the be-all and end-all of uni education, and the arts stream is something to be tolerated and not promoted. more..

Sep 8 (ST) The stage is finally set to inaugurate the Lankan Premier League (LPL), newest addition to the mushrooming domestic leagues in the world starting Nov 14, a few days after the conclusion of the world�s biggest cricketing extravaganza, the IPL (Indian Premier League). The tournament will run from Nov 14 to Dec 6. Although the agreement is yet to be signed between Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), the owner of the franchise based T20 league, and Innovative Production Group (IPG), more..

Sep 8 (FT) State Minister Ajith Nivard Cabraal last week told stockbrokers that �SL investors who acquire shares now would make substantial capital gains very soon.� Cabraal made these remarks when he addressed SL�s Stockbrokers at the Finance Ministry. Cabraal explained that the Colombo Stock Exchange�s All Share Price Index was at around 7300 points by end Dec 2014 and the market cap was around $ 25 billion. more..

Sep 8 (DN) The idea of conducting this tournament is to reorganise women�s football in the country after the effects of Easter Sunday, inclement weather and the COVID-19 pandemic, which almost kept women�s activities on hold for the last 18 months. This tournament will be an ideal opportunity for the young girls to actively participate in football, as well as to be scouted for the national pool, which will be under the supervision of former National player Dudley Steinwall. more..

Sep 8 (ST) SPAR SL (Pvt) Ltd, a joint partnership between Ceylon Biscuits Ltd and SPAR South Africa, has opened a new 9,500 sq ft store at Pepiliyana, near Nugegoda. This is the company�s fifth store in SL as plans for expansion continue to grow. The latest addition to their portfolio features local and imported products, organic and gourmet food as well as new additions like home goods, electrical appliances, tools, cosmetics and the first-ever wood-fired Harpo�s pizza container truck, more..

Sep 8 (TM) Several of Sri Lanka�s corporates have issued notices cancelling all their employees� annual leave for the year 2020 due to the three-month lockdown following the Covid-19 outbreak in the country. Employees from local companies, big and small, told us that their organisations have issued several notices via email, informing them that their request for annual leave will be denied. more..

Sep 8 (CT) Despite the collapse of the private bus industry due to the COVID-19 pandemic, bus owners have to pay around Rs 200 million per month to those seeking bribes working at State institutions, including timekeepers at bus stations, alleged the President of Lanka Private Bus Owners� Association (LPBOA), Gemunu Wijeratne. He claimed that bus owners have to face a loss of about 25% of their revenue due to this. Wijeratne urged Prez to take steps to crackdown on more..

Sep 8 (TM) Sri Lanka�s involvement in the One Belt and Road initiative of post-pandemic China will help the economic recovery of Sri Lanka, a senior Chinese diplomat in Sri Lanka noted recently. �The Chinese Government has taken the most comprehensive, thorough, and rigorous measures to fight against the pandemic. There were many heart-warming moves and active support from the Sri Lankan Govt and people from all walks of life to China at that critical moment. more..

Sep 8 (DM) PM Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday instructed to commence the Buduputh Suraksha Health Insurance programme which covers 15,000 Buddhist monks, from Oct 1, 2020. PM gave the instructions while addressing the 84th Board of Officials meeting of the Buddha Sasana Fund which was held at Temple Trees. Accordingly, the PM instructed to initially donate Rs. 40 million from the Buddha Sasana Fund to more..

Sep 8 (CT) The Commercial Bank of Ceylon together with PAYable (Pvt) Ltd. recently announced the launch of an Android Mini Point-of-Sale (POS) device to enable merchants anywhere in Sri Lanka to accept card payments. The Smart POS-Mini is a fully functional Android terminal, able to process transactions via Mag-stripe, EMV and Chip readers. The device is also capable of processing Near Field Communication (NFC) transactions and can scan QR codes at a high speed. more..

Sep 8 (DM) Trade Minister Bandula Gunawardane said he told Indian High Commissioner Gopal Baglay that the new govt would take its position on the Economic and Technology Cooperation Agreements (ETCA) with India only after the adoption of a national trade policy. Minister said that he briefed the Indian envoy of the govt�s position, during a recent meeting with him. He said he secured Cabinet approval last week for the appointment of a panel of experts to more..

Sep 8 (KT) More than 20 Sri Lankans found sleeping in Al Hudaiba Park have been provided shelter, thanks to good samaritans in the community. Social workers, the SL Welfare Association Sahana, and the Consulate-General of Sri Lanka in Dubai came to the aid of the stranded nationals who were in the UAE on visit visas. All of them came here on visit visas and were unable to find job opportunities, more..

Sep 8 (FT) A meeting between the officials of the Central Bank, including CB Governor Professor W.D Lakshman and the Rural Development Societies (RDS), Women's RDS, Agriculture Societies, Fisheries Societies, Cooperatives Societies, and other societies in the Jaffna District, was held at the District Secretariat of Jaffna yesterday. Deputy Chairperson of Committees and Co-Chairperson of District Coordinating Committee of Jaffna Angajan Ramanathan more..