Sep 2 (CT) National Thowheed Jama�ath (NTJ) Leader Zaharan Hashim and his associates have been conducting a training camp for more than four years at the Al Zuhaira Madrasa (School) in Pomparippu, Puttalam, which is registered under the Dept of Muslim Religious and Cultural Affairs. They have also provided training to a selected group of students at the School on the use of T-56 firearms & hand grenade making. more..

Sep 2 (CT) A person named M. Mastakeen, who acted as the Treasurer of the National Thowheed Jama�ath (NTJ), was arrested after the bombings on 21 April 2019, Easter Sunday and has now been released on bail, said Ruwan Pathirana of Terrorist Investigation Division (TID). Pathirana, who is attached to the TID unit on religious extremism, testified before the PCoI. According to him, on 27 March 2017, former DIG of the TID, Nalaka de Silva received a letter from Alhaj Abdul Jawaadh more..

Sep 2 (Island) Water Supply and Drainage Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara said that steps would be taken to draft a new bill on water as there was a need for legislation on matters such as protection of water resources, their organisation, ownership and liability. Addressing the media at the Ministry of Water Supply and Drainage, Minister said that the new Act would be brought so that legal action could be taken if it was violated and assured that it would not cause any inconvenience to the people. more..

Sep 2 (DM) Former President and incumbent Patron of the SLFP Chandrika Kumaratunga said she was regretted about the fate of the SLFP, which was formed by her father, late PM S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike and later strengthened by her mother Sirimavo Bandaranaike. "Sometimes, I think I am also responsible for what has happened to the SLFP today. It is not because of what I did, but because of what I did not do. more..

Sep 2 (Island) Lanka Hydraulic Institute Ltd (LHI) has commenced studies, particularly, on ash content and impact on water resources as regards the proposed fourth coal power plant at the Lak Vijaya Power Plant Complex at Norochcholai. The study would focus on water quality, coal ash and other related issues especially pointed out by the environment and renewable energy lobby. CEB Project Team now says it will take one year to complete Environmental Impact Assessment. more..

Sep 2 (AD) Attorney General has advised the Secretary to the Ministry of Justice that the draft bill of the 20th Amendment does not attract the holding of a referendum, in terms of Article No. 83 of the Constitution. AG has therefore informed the Justice Secretary that the bill may be enacted by the Parliament with a two-thirds majority of all members. On Tuesday, Minister of Justice, Ali Sabry said the 20th Amendment draft bill was directed to AG Dappula de Livera for his observation. more..

Sep 2 (CT) Peliyagoda Crime Division said, the main suspect and another suspect of an organised group were arrested, for allegedly smuggling vehicles into the country under the guise of importing spare parts from Japan and selling them with the assistance of Customs Officers and certain officers of Dept of Motor Traffic. A luxury Prado jeep, a luxury car, a crane and two vehicles used for the purpose of towing vehicles, more..

Sep 2 (CB) Mumbai Indians have signed Australian pacer James Pattinson as a replacement for Lasith Malinga for the upcoming season of the IPL 2020 in the UAE. Malinga made himself unavailable for personal reasons and to "be with family back home in SL", the franchise announced. "James is the right fit for us and adds to our pace attack options available at hand especially for the conditions we will play in this season," MI owner Akash Ambani said. "Lasith is a legend and more..

Sep 2 (AD) Softlogic Life Insurance PLC announced the inking of landmark deals with Development Financial Institutions; Finnish Fund for Industrial Cooperation Ltd � Finnfund and The Norwegian Investment Fund for Developing Countries. Norfund and financial have collectively signed a USD 15Mn Tier II Subordinated Debt transaction with the Company on 24th Aug 2020 that will provide funding to further develop the business objectives of the Company. more..

Sep 2 (CT) Greater coordination between the Police and academic institutions should be established on a permanent basis, while the institutions should review the management and regulation of hostels and canteens which are hotbeds of ragging. These recommendations were made by the Committee appointed to address the issue of providing relief to students who have been deprived of their education due to ragging in more..

Sep 3 (DM) What do Oppositions do? They oppose. Why do they oppose in the first place? Well, they are supposed to keep govts on their toes, help keep things in line, point out flaws etc. In a nutshell, offer constructive criticism and, in the event that parliamentary majority and executive authority is abused, mobilize the people to mitigate. In an ideal world, that is. What happens, typically, is that the Opposition or rather the major player(s) in the Opposition allow the intention to more..

Sep 3 (DM) Last Saturday the Daily Mirror in its editorial column drew attention to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), which is the leading environmental authority in the United Nations system. It uses its expertise to strengthen environmental standards and practices while helping implement environmental obligations at country, regional and global levels. With that in mind, we once again focus today on the wanton destruction of SL�s forest reserves such as that at Sinharaja more..

Sep 3 (DM) With several prison staff members accused of supporting inmates to obtain drugs, prisons and prisons officials have been in the spotlight in the recent past. Incidents where inmates have used different tactics to have narcotics delivered into the prisons, garnered attention, especially when authorities foiled an attempt to smuggle drugs through a cat at the Welikada prison. Against this backdrop, more..

Sep 3 (CT) On 31 Aug night, the second in command at Jaffna police, Mr. G. Jayantha came home with a Tamil speaking police-officer Mr. A. Jeyenthiran. To be clear, they were both courteous. They informed me that they had closed the investigation on my daughter�s May Quarantine and sent the file to Colombo but it had been returned with instructions to ask me why I took my daughter to the Election Commission on 18, 19 May 2019 without home-quarantine, and why I had more..

Sep 3 (CT) As expected, the govt is gearing up to enact a new constitution. In his first policy-statement delivered on August 20, Prez Rajapaksa declared that the govt would �formulate a new constitution suitable for the country. In this, the priority will be given to the concept of one country, one law for all the people.� The landslide victory in the parliamentary election, the ability to manufacture the two-thirds majority necessary to introduce a new constitution, more..

Sep 3 (DM) Dambulla Dedicated Economic Centre (DDEC) is a hive of activity from 5am onwards on any given day. Vehicles, both big and small, drive through the gates with fresh produce from many parts of the country. Farmers walk in with high expectations, but prices per kilogramme fluctuate daily. There was a time when they sold their produce to a collector but with the emergence of the middleman mafia and other issues, more..

Sep 3 (CT) Yesterday marked the 69th anniversary of the SLFP. And, in another 3 days time on Sunday (6), the UNP will be celebrating its 74th anniversary. The founding of the SLFP took place consequent to July 1951, when Solomon West Ridgeway Dias (SWRD) Bandaranaike (52) resigned from the then UNP-led Coalition Govt, including as being the Leader of the House, and crossed over to the Opposition with several of his close associates from the Sinhala Maha Sabha which he then led. more..

Sep 3 (Island) The SLPP govt is under fire for having nominated a murder convict�Premalal Jayasekera�to contest last month�s general election. Those who re-elected him from the Ratnapura District and their eastern counterparts who elected TMVP leader S. Chandrakanthan, who has been charged with murder, from Batticaloa have drawn a lot of flak. Critics of the SLPP maintain that the govt and those who enabled aforesaid duo to become lawmakers have, jointly, dealt a body blow to democracy. more..

Sep 3 (ST) The new Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) building fills up its space so organically, a tourist could be surprised to learn it was placed there just a few years back- and not built with that original grand dowager- the main Capitol-style pile- in the 1920s. The stark white building which now houses a good part of the CMC offices, is timeless and simple with a fresh immaculate feel that is only partly due to the simple four petal jasmine flower motif that forms its perforated screen. more..

Sep 3 (Island) Universal suffrage is a democratic right that we must all respect and uphold. Therefore, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all SL voters who exercised their voting right in this election. President Rajapaksa at the inaugural session of 9th parliament of SL. Now that the euphoria over the victories and the postmortems of the defeats have faded away it may be beneficial to take a look at a ballot number that has drawn less, if not no, attention: the Rejected Votes. more..

Sep 3 (Island) Recently, the Cabinet of Ministers decided to amend/repeal (?) the 19th Amendment (hereinafter referred to as 19). The media divulged that the govt would retain positive features of the 19 and remove the unwanted. Concurrently, to identify and recommend these a Committee of five was appointed. The 19 has a chronological evolution. For conceptual value, let us review one aspect � the public service. more..

Sep 3 (TM) Fashion is the one thing that will never go out of style. With the pandemic bringing the whole world to a halt, many found the time to reflect, gather their strength, and pursue things they�d only thought of but never got around to actually doing. Kirihodi is one of those initiatives that found room to take root in the midst of the pandemic. A small streetwear brand launched by a boyfriend-girlfriend duo, Kirihodi, is a quirky brand that celebrates those little everyday things of being Sri Lankan; more..

Sep 3 (CT) Every time the ethnic issue comes into focus on the home front, it has become fashionable for some to use terms such as international community and threat of isolation, especially since the post-war period a decade back. Now that the ruling Rajapaksas have returned to power with a resounding victory in the Parliamentary Elections, the echoes of the old voices get reflected all over again. The question is if the fear of the international community (read: West) and more..

Sep 3 (DN) Two classic goals by Ahamed Shazny in each half enabled the Colombo Football Club to drub Blue Eagles Sports Club by 4 goals to nil to clinch the inaugural Vantage FFSL President�s Cup soccer tournament played at the Sugathadasa Stadium under lights, yesterday. Ahamed Shazny put up a belligerent performance to take sweet revenge over their rivals, after losing the group stage match. more..

Sep 3 (CT) T.D.R. Pieris won the SL Senior Chess Nationals convincingly, scoring six points out of seven games. Pieris was unbeaten. Of the seven games he won five � against A.J. Samuel, Joseph Jayasinghe, Sarath Rupasinghe, Jagath Samarasooriya and A.N.G. Piyadasa - and drew two � against Ajantha De Silva and A.H. Katugampola. Pieris, a former SL National Chess Champion (1981, 1983, 1995 & 2005), is a leading veteran player who has also participated in a lot of int'l events. more..

Sep 3 (FT) UDA has announced a much needed relief on rentals for businesses and selected residents impacted by COVID-19 pandemic. Keeping with Prez Rajapaksa�s Vision of Prosperity, the UDA has decided to implement several relief measures for business persons occupying projects of the UDA on monthly rental basis, in view of the business disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Tenants at the Dutch Hospital in Colombo and Galle, Independence Square shopping more..

Sep 3 (PMD) Pressure is being mounted against certain appointments recently made by the President and the Govt. All these appointments were made with the utmost consideration of our country�s sovereignty, national security and implementation of Saubhagyaye Dekma policy statement. Also, Prez emphasizes such appointments have been made after careful scrutiny of loyalty to the nation, qualifications/background of these individuals more..

Sep 3 (CT) At least 27 milk cows were killed in a lightning strike at a location in Vakarai, Batticaloa, on 31 Aug night, local authorities said yesterday. The owner of the dairy claimed that he had invested millions of rupees in the farm, with a loan obtained from a local bank. He added that he received a daily income of some Rs 20,000 from the farm, adding that he had now lost the main source of income for his family. Officials with the DMC in Batticaloa visited the farm yesterday more..

Sep 3 (FT) The latest LMD-Nielsen Business Confidence Index (BCI) survey � which was conducted in the first week of August � registered an increase of 20 basis points from July to 117. LMD notes that the index falls four points shy of its 12 month average. Nielsen�s Director � Consumer Insights Therica Miyanadeniya says in the magazine: �Although the presidential election held in November last year brought about a phenomenal jump in the BCI as well as the CCI, more..

Sep 3 (FT) To meet the clamour for capital the Govt will work to develop markets, including venture capital, bond and equity segments, promote better debt management and introduce fresh risk reduction regulations to attract new investors. Addressing the fifth investor symposium organised by SC Securities Ltd., a fully-owned subsidiary of Sampath Bank PLC, State Minister Ajith Nivard Cabraal laid out Govt expectations and plans. more..

Sep 3 (Island) As the National Mobile Service Provider, Mobitel, has spearheaded the corporate sector in the battle against COVID-19 in numerous ways. Going one step further, Mobitel donated face masks to the Department of Archaeology as part of its CSR initiative. This endeavor will facilitate field officers from the Department who often work at sites where general public gather to carry out their day-to-day operations in a safe and hassle free manner. Mobitel has collaborated closely with more..

Sep 3 (Island) State Minister Rear Admiral (Retd) Sarath Weerasekera says he has been against the Provincial Councils right from the beginning and there is no change of that standpoint even though he has been appointed as the minister in charge of them. Speaking at a ceremony held at the Sri Wickramasingharamaya in Dematagoda on Tuesday, Minister said that it was his primary duty to ascertain whether the provincial council system should be continued. more..

Sep 3 (TM) The Western Province (WP) Waste Management Authority (WMA) said the decision to ban dumping of unsorted waste to Karadiyana was temporarily relaxed until a proper mechanism is introduced to process the garbage that gets collected. �Garbage from seven local councils is dumped at the Karadiyana waste disposal site. We are yet to adapt a method to have separate sites to dispose segregated waste. more..

Sep 3 (AD) The preliminary report of the PCoI probing the alleged incidents of political victimization was handed over to PM Mahinda Rajapaksa today (02). A total of 6,952 individuals, who were purportedly subjected to administrative retaliation in public and semi-public services from 2015 to 2019, have filed appeals with the PCoI. The relevant report contains details of investigations, observations and further action on the appeals submitted by 1,152 of these persons. more..

Sep 3 (DM) Two Colonels of the SL Army including Maj. Gen. Priyankara Perera and the UDA have been summoned to appear in the Hatton Magistrate�s Court on Sept 15 on charges of forcibly establishing a quarantine centre at a private land. President's Counsel Maithree Gunaratne said the order was issued by Hatton District Magistrate J. Trotsky today. Gunaratna said several buildings in a sizeable land belonging to his client, situated along the Hatton-Nuwara Eliya main road more..

Sep 3 (PMD) President Gotabaya Rajapaksa hands over letters of appointment to a selected group of graduates symbolizing the recruitment of 60,000 graduates to the public service in order to create a culture of Rata Wenuwen Weda (Work for the country) as envisaged in the Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour policy statement. The simple ceremony that lasted just for 25 minutes was held at Presidential Secretariat, today (2). more..

Sep 3 (Island) A stock of illegal cigarettes worth Rs. 17 million in 12 boxes with ready-made garments was seized by the Customs recently. Customs Additional Director General said that the stock was consigned to an address of a non-existing company in Avissawella. The customs officials had initiated investigations as nobody had arrived at BIA to claim the goods. �A team of customs officers visited the address and found a house at the location. Its inmates were unaware of such an import,� more..

Sep 3 (CT) JJB Leader and MP, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, said, as the Constitution has been amended regularly during the past 42 years, the need of the hour was for the present regime to adopt a new Constitution geared towards overcoming local and foreign challenges to the Nation. However, JVP Leader asserted that merely formulating a fresh Constitution would not be the panacea to all the ills of the country. Dissanayake said amendments to the Constitution had taken place since 1978, more..

Sep 3 (FT) The NBRO yesterday extended warnings to five districts on the possibility of landslides after heavy rains displaced 633 people from 210 families. According to the DMC an amber (Level 2) warning has been issued for Galle and Kalutara districts, while a yellow warning (level 1) has been issued by the NBRO to Colombo, Ratnapura and Kegalle. In Colombo Padukka and Seethawaka areas are at the highest risk. more..