Sep 22 (Island) Former Prez Maithripala Sirisena had placed ex-Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando�s life at risk by issuing a media statement that the evidence given by the latter before the PCoI investigating the Easter Sunday attacks was malicious and fictitious, Att. Dilshan Jayasuriya appearing for Fernando said. Jayasuriya told PCoI that by issuing that statement Sirisena had also undermined PCoI. more..

Sep 22 (PHC) Maj. Gen. (Retd) Muhammad Saad Khattak, High Commissioner of Pakistan, held a meeting with Minister of Justice, Mr. Ali Sabri at his office on 21st Sept. HC congratulated the newly appointed Minister of Justice of SL and wished him and his party a strong and peaceful tenure ahead. Mr. Ali Sabri appreciated the strong ties that the two countries have always enjoyed. The meeting was held in a very cordial environment and several topics of mutual interest came under discussion, more..

Sep 22 (AD) Public Utilities Commission of SL (PUCSL), the electricity sector regulator, together with CEB and LECO has launched the first-ever island wide provincial mobile service to solve the complaints of the electricity consumers with the participation of more than 500 electricity consumers in Southern Province. The mobile service will be held in all the 09 provinces addressing the electricity complaints of the consumers and offering them with a solution or a procedure then and there, more..

Sep 22 (FT) The Central Bank said the headline inflation as measured by the year-on-year (Y-o-Y) change in the National Consumer Price Index (NCPI) increased marginally to 6.2% in Aug 2020 from 6.1% in July 2020. This was driven by the monthly increases in prices of items in both Food and Non-food categories. Food inflation increased to 13.2% in Aug 2020 from 12.9% in July 2020, whereas Non-food inflation increased to 1.1% more..

Sep 22 (ST) SL remains firm in its stance in not allowing tourists but its repercussions continue to hurtle the tourism industry to a further abyss. As reserves of travel companies continue to go down they are increasingly looking at further downsizing their organisations. Layoffs depend on reserves of each company, Travel Agents Association SL, Prez Trevor Rajaratnam said. He noted that however, this would be different depending on each company�s ability to respond to current situation. more..

Sep 22 (CT) The Ministry of Education has planned to discuss with the Treasury and make arrangements to provide special provision to improve existing dental and veterinary hospitals at the University of Peradeniya. The Minister of Education, Professor G.L. Peiris held a discussion with the Chairman of the UGC, Senior Professor Sampath Amaratunga and the Vice Chancellor of the University of Peradeniya and other officials at the University of Peradeniya recently. more..

Sep 22 (CT) Former Prez Maithripala Sirisena, in 2018, had instructed former IGP Pujith Jayasundara to stop investigations into the National Thowheed Jamath (NTJ) and its Leader Zaharan Hashim, saying that the State Intelligence Service (SIS) would conduct them, former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando said. Adding that more than 75% of the investigations into the NTJ and Zaharan had been handed over to the SIS more..

Sep 22 (Island) SJB would oppose the 20th amendment to the constitution to be presented to Parliament, today, Chief Opposition Whip, MP Lakshman Kiriella said. The SJB had studied all the proposed amendment in detail and they couldn�t agree with any of them, he said. Therefore, the SJB had no choice but to work with like-minded forces inside and outside parliament to prevent the bill from becoming law, the MP said. SJB MPs met yesterday in Parliament to discuss the matter more..

Sep 22 (Island) Indian PM Narendra Modi will have a virtual summit with his Sri Lankan counterpart Mahinda Rajapaksa on Saturday (26). This will be his first with any leader in the neighbourhood. With this, India�s immediate neighbourhood is coming into focus again. The summit could be right on the heels of Modi�s address to the UN General Assembly, which will be delivered virtually this year, during the UN�s high-level segment which begins this week. At month-end, External Affairs Minister more..

Sep 22 (PMD) We expect the United Nation will place due emphasis on non-interference in domestic affairs of other states, Prez Rajapaksa said in a pre-recorded statement at the High-Level Meeting to Commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the UN. �At a time when the world is facing a common and an unrivalled threat, the United Nations We Need, I am certain, will place due emphasis on the sovereign equality of States, more..

Sep 22 (FT) The SJB appointed a committee to take action on the proposed 20th Amendment. The decision to appoint the committee was taken at a SJB Parliamentary group meeting held yesterday; SJB General Secretary Ranjith Madduma Bandara told Daily FT. The meeting had been chaired by the Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa. The SJB plans to take their concerns about the proposed 20A to the Supreme Court after the first reading of the draft proposal in Parliament on 22 Sept. more..

Sep 22 (LBO) The committee appointed to look into the irregularities in four state banks during the last 5 years has received over 100 complaints so far. These complaints have been lodged by the relevant banks, their affiliated unions, and the public. Meanwhile, the deadline for receiving complaints has been extended to Sept 30. A four-member committee has been appointed to systematically study the irregularities that have taken place in the four major state banks since Jan 8, 2015. more..

Sep 22 (FT) Prez Rajapaksa yesterday won unanimous backing for the 20th Amendment to the Constitution from both Cabinet as well as the Govt Parliamentary Group, hours before the Bill is presented to the House today. Prez Rajapaksa held a special Cabinet meeting last morning and met with the Parliamentary Group in the evening to allay any concerns that Govt members may have regarding the Bill, more..

Sep 22 (FT) In Nov 1936, during the Battle for Madrid in the Spanish Civil War, Dolores Ibarruri or La Pasionaria as she came to be known, the impassionate Left orator and freedom fighter, issued the famous slogan No Pasaran � They Will Not Pass. Can similar sentiments be aroused about amendments to or repeal of a constitutional amendment aimed at strengthening parliamentary democracy through instituting checks and balances on exercise of executive power & authority? more..

Sep 22 (AD) Prof. Charitha Herath has been appointed as the new Chairman of the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE). His name was proposed by Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage and seconded by State Minister Jayantha Samaraweera. The other members of the COPE are as follows: Mahinda Amaraweera; Mahindananda Aluthgamage; Rohitha Abegunawardhana; Susil Premajayantha; Dilum Amunugama; Indika Herath; Dr. Sarath Weerasekara; more..

Sep 22 (DM) Twelve women and three men were arrested during raids carried out on three brothels which were being operated under the guise of massage parlours in the Thalawathugoda area. Police said the suspects were taken into custody following a search warrant issued by the Kaduwela Magistrate's Court. They said the arrested men had acted as the managers of the brothels. The arrested women aged between 18 and 30 are residents of Hanwella, Kesbewa, Kataragama, Passara more..

Sep 22 (FT) Starting from 24 Aug 2020, Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC) asked foreign medical graduates to apply for the Examination to Register to Practice Medicine (ERPM), parts A and D. Hundreds of graduates lined up outside the SLMC, paid the due fee of Rs. 20,000, and promptly completed their registration for an exam for which they had already waited for over a year. Even though the SLMC had not declared the dates for the exam, they � reasonably � assumed it would be held more..

Sep 22 (FT) The Bar Association of SL (BASL) has written to the Acting IGP Chandana Wickremaratne, requesting that an immediate investigation be launched into the collapse of a building in Boowelikada in Kandy, in which three persons including a lawyer and her one-and-half month old child were killed. �We request you to immediately launch an investigation into this incident and ensure that all aspects of more..

Sep 22 (AD) The 13 officers of 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 Sept 28, 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. Speaking on behalf of the CID, Deputy Solicitor General Dileepa Peiris said that more..

Sep 22 (CT) Bimshani Jayasinghearachchi has been nominated to the rank of woman DIG Police. This is a first in the history of the Police Department. Jayasinghearachchi who served as an SSP presently functions as Directress of the Children and Women�s Bureau attached to the Police Department. She had entered the police service as a Sub Inspector in 1997. She also happens to be the most senior SP among female SSPs in the Police Department. more..

Sep 22 (AD) The draft bill of the 20th Amendment has been tabled in Parliament a short while ago. It was presented to the MPs by the Justice Minister, President�s Counsel Ali Sabry, amidst protests from the Opposition. The Opposition members protested while carrying signboards against the 20th Amendment. They also displayed stickers on their tops and wore black stripes of clothes as a token of protest. more..

Sep 22 (FT) Denying any shortage local tyre producers are urging the Govt not to import motorbike and three-wheeler tyres. The companies said their factories have the capacity to supply the demand for tyres locally, and that they are already supplying products to the market, thereby fulfilling local needs. In 2019, Rs. 1,062 million worth motorbike and three-wheeler tyres and tubes have been imported to the country. The country has made Rs. 1,062 mil in foreign exchange savings more..

Sep 22 (Island) The continuation of protectionism by America, the largest economy body in the world, will only result in further contraction of the world economy and aggravation of unemployment, poverty and deprivation, said Luxman Siriwardena, president of the SL-based Pathfinder Foundation told People�s Daily Online during a recent meeting. Siriwardena added that the unilateralism and protectionism currently being championed by the American administration goes against more..

Sep 22 (AD) Prior to the Easter Sunday terror attacks, former President Maithripala Sirisena pulled out former IGP Pujith Jayasundara from the investigations into Zahran Hashim and assigned former Director of State Intelligence Service Nilantha Jayawardena in his lieu, former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando claims. He made this accusation while giving evidence before the PCoI probing the Easter Sunday carnage, more..

Sep 22 (AD) The latest data points out that the govt securities held by foreign investors in SL (Treasury Bills and Treasury Bonds) had gradually increased recording an inflow of Rs.858 million in a week, during the period from 9 Sept to 16 Sept. The value of Govt Securities held by foreigners grew from Rs. 12,647 million to Rs.13,505 million during the period. Total foreign investment in govt securities was Rs. 104,020 million, as of 1 Jan 2020, and showed a gradual decline over the past period. more..

Sep 22 (Island) Dialog Axiata PLC announced the launch of SL�s Best Couple Plan Couple Blaster facilitating all Dialog mobile customers with Unlimited Calls and SMS between two numbers for as low as Rs. 123 (including taxes) per month. The unique feature of this plan is that only one user needs to activate it for both users to enjoy the benefit of unlimited calls and SMS.Dialog Mobile postpaid customers can activate the package and register the couple number by dialling #171#. more..

Sep 22 (AD) A special application has been filed before the Supreme Court, challenging the draft bill of the 20th Amendment. The petition filed by a lawyer seeks a court decision declaring that the 20th amendment draft bill, which has been presented to the parliament by the govt, requires a public referendum to be passed as it violates basic rights. The petition has been filed by Attorney-at-Law Indika Gallage through Attorney-at-Law Dharshana more..

Sep 22 (CT) SJB MP Rohini Kaviratne claimed that at the rate at which forests in the country are being cleared up in an unauthorised manner, there will not be any forests left in the country, let alone in the Central Province, for future generations. �Out of the entire elephant population here, more than 50 per cent are known to roam in forests rather than in reservations. From 2010 to date, some 2,631 elephants and 807 humans have perished due to the raging human-elephant conflict. more..

Sep 22 (CT) Wayamba Handa organisation and the Department of Wildlife Conservation commenced a mangrove tree-plantation project at Anawilundawa on 19 Sept. Organiser of Wayamba Handa organisation, Ajith Gihan said, this land was previously cleared by an unidentified group using machines for the purpose of shrimp farming. We planted about 200 plants there with the help of the students of the Management and Science Institute of Colombo and the youth from the vicinity. more..

Sep 22 (AD) Former Chairman of Arachchikattuwa PS, Jagath Samantha, has surrendered to the court. He had been issued an arrest warrant over the clearing of land at Anawilundawa Wildlife Sanctuary. Following his surrender, Chilaw Magistrate ordered the suspect to be held under remand custody until Sept 24. Jagath Samantha is also the brother of State Minister Sanath Nishantha Perera. On Aug 25, it was reported that more..

Sep 22 (DM) The carcass of a six-year-old-female leopard that had been shot to death was discovered yesterday at the Brownlow Tea Estate at Maskeliya, Nallathanniya, Wildlife officer Prabash Karunathilake said. He said the leopard was a well grown female who had been shot in the head thrice. �Investigations are underway in search of the perpetrators. The Post-mortem examination is being carried out and the Hatton Magistrate Court has been notified regarding the killing,� more..

Sep 22 (AD) Total number of positive COVID-19 cases reported in SL escalated to 3,312 this evening as 13 more persons were confirmed to have contracted the virus. Accordingly, 7 recent arrivals from Kuwait and 2 each from Saudi Arabia and UAE, 1 Indian national and 1 inmate at the Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre in Kandakadu had tested positive. The recoveries moved up to 3,118 earlier today after 18 more patients were discharged from hospitals upon regaining health. more..

Sep 22 (DM) Italian goods such as cheese, liquor and pasta worth more than a million rupees sent by members of the SL expatriate community in Rome, Milan, Florence and Bologna to their local relatives by abusing a special door-to-door courier facility was busted by the Customs recently. Customs officials seized a large stock of foreign liquor, Italian food items like pasta, sauces, cheese, specialized cooking oils and many other more..

Sep 22 (DM) Archbishop of Colombo, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith said today the presidential commission of inquiry into the Easter Sunday attacks would mete out justice to those who were killed that day. He told the media that the inquiry being carried out by the Presidential Commission was commendable. "I genuinely believe that the investigations will be a success. I will wait until the commission report arrives and will make further comments after the report," the Cardinal said. more..

Sep 22 (VNS) The past half-century has witnessed progress in the special cooperation between Việt Nam and Sri Lanka in both breadth and depth, said professor Đặng Nguy�n Anh. Nguy�n Anh, who is currently deputy president of the Việt Nam Academy of Social Sciences (VASS), spoke on Tuesday during an international video conference 50 years of Việt Nam-SL relations: Achievements and Prospects. The conference, organised by the Institute for Indian & Southwest Asian more..

Sep 22 (NA) C.V. Wigneswaran MP and leader of TMTK has said in a letter to Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, that SL�s statecraft is a potential threat to regional peace and development. �The record of successive administrations demonstrates clearly that the developments you have identified are intrinsic to Sri Lanka�s model of governance. This country�s means of statecraft poses a potential threat to peace more..

Sep 22 (CT) Based on information provided to the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) by consumers regarding the illegal sale of cosmetics and creams, the investigation officers of the CAA have seized a large amount of creams and liquids, with the support of the Pettah Police. Director of Consumer Affairs and Information at the CAA, Asela Bandara, said all those creams and liquids are imported and were to be sold wholesale. The cosmetics which were seized are worth more than Rs 10 million. more..

Sep 22 (AD) Police informs that only public transport buses, school service buses, and office transport van and buses will be allowed to use the bus priority lane from tomorrow onwards (23), SSP Jaliya Senaratne, Police Media Spokesman, announced. Accordingly, three-wheelers and motor bicycles are to use the second lane on the road. Speaking further, Senaratne noted that the traffic speed has increased today compared to the first day when the new lane law was implemented. more..

Sep 22 (NIA) The absence of the US in the UNHRC is going to make it difficult for the SL Tamil lobby to get a resolution against Sri Lanka passed in the March 2021 session of the Council when the current resolution expires. Informed political sources said that geo-political realities in the absence of the US will militate against any resolution censuring Sri Lanka. �When the US was there, and sponsoring resolutions as it did more..