Jun 20 (SO) SL women�s cricket skipper Chamari Atapattu reached the seventh position in the latest ICC T20 all-rounder rankings while also being among the top 20 players in both ODI and T20 formats but regrets she was deprived of opportunities to rise further. She is in 12th position in the ODI batswomen category and in 14th position in the T20 format. In addition she is ranked 18th in the ODI all-rounder rankings. �If only I had more chances to take part in int'l matches more..

Jun 20 (TM) Sri Lanka�s fiscal landscape left much to be desired even before the repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic were felt. One year into the pandemic, the country�s already tight fiscal space has become further constricted, leaving some tough decisions to be made in the pandemic recovery period. A third wave of Covid-19 the country is currently experiencing will further delay such recovery efforts. Although some fiscal tools have been included in SL�s Covid-19 recovery plan, more..

Jun 20 (ST) The spread of news over COVID -19 in SL is as fast as the deadly coronavirus. Whilst the only formal source for the public is the Govt, reporting accounts which are diametrically opposite and often correct, is the social media. Sri Lankans discerning enough can gauge that in this age of new technology, including the wide use of smartphone, which is propaganda, and which is not. They do not get swayed by misleading more..

Jun 20 (SO) A daughter more often than not hero worships her father who dreams of his offspring achieving greatness in life. There are many instances of girls following their father in sports though it is a rarity in boxing. Laila Ali, widely regarded as one of the greatest female boxers of all time, winning multiple titles before retiring as an undefeated champion was one of them. However, boxing legend Muhammad Ali was unhappy when his daughter Laila followed in his footsteps more..

Jun 20 (ST) An unyielding effort which consumed years of hard work and commitment finally have provided the administration of the National Shooting Sport Federation (NSSF) a sense of achievement, when the Ministry of Sports assured its willingness to build a much needed shooting range. The intended national shooting range, which will become the nerve centre for national and aspiring shooters, will be ideally located at Kohuwela. The new national range, which will be the core site for more..

Jun 20 (ST) SL ODI cricket players� list beginning from Somachandra de Silva and ending at Ramesh Mendis has a total of 197 players. And out of that almost 80 have played dominant roles in the middle-order, an area the present SL white-ball team is exploring possibilities of laying a strong and permanent foundation. With many options in hand in the likes of Kusal Mendis, Niroshan Dickwella, Pathum Nissanka, more..

Jun 20 (Island) Post-announcement drama that followed the fuel price increase announcement would have been funny but for its ripple effect on the poor and not-so-poor. The rich and the well-to-do are one cup of tea; and the rest of the population another. The three-wheeler operator, whether he hires his own vehicle or that belonging to a mudalali, can and will increase his rate, but at the price of the number of hires he gets per day. A bus fare increase must follow, although how high that would more..

Jun 20 (SO) SL track and field athletes who were eager to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics will be kicking their heels as they will not be able to travel to Kazakhstan for an international meet. They only way they could qualify was by way of earning more ranking points at international meets. Five athletes, 400m runners Kalinga Kumarage and Nadeesha Ramanayake, javelin thrower Sumedha Ranasinghe, 800m runner Nimali Liyanarachchi and high jumper Thiwanka Perera were preparing for the meet more..

Jun 20 (ANI) With the Chinese Navy getting new port projects in SL, a top Indian Navy officer said that it could pose a threat to Indian interests in the region and there is a need to keep a close watch on such activities. Navy Vice Chief Vice Admiral G Ashok Kumar said the Indian Navy is very well prepared to secure the maritime boundaries of the country and there is no way anyone can surprise us. "If you want to analyse whether it is a threat more..

Jun 20 (DM) While urging the Prez to continue with the current lockdown measures uninterrupted, Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA) said lifting the lockdown even for a few days would escalate the COVID-19 situation increasing numbers of cases and causing unacceptable mortality. Govt has announced that the prevailing travel restrictions would be lifted from June 21 to 23 and re-imposed from 23 to 25. In a letter to Prez Rajapaksa, the SLAM said lifting the curfew would more..

Jun 20 (SO) Two specialist jumpers Sarangi Silva and Sreshan Dhananjaya who are currently training in Doha, Qatar are set to travel to Turkey to undergo further training for 30 days according to Maj. Gen Palitha Fernando the president of Sri Lanka Athletics (SLA). Silva is a long jumper while Dhananjaya is a triple jumper set to compete in three meets while in Turkey. The two have not competed in world athletics recognized competitions since Dec 2020. The two jumpers were sent to Qatar through more..

Jun 20 (EN) SL�s manufacturing and services activity has started to buckle under as a third wave of Coronavirus spread after New Year holiday celebrations, a Purchasing Managers� Index compiled by the island�s central bank shows. SL began a lockdown in the last week of May which is continued to June. The lockdown is expected to end in June after a Buddhist festival on June 24. CB said the expectations for business activities for more..

Jun 20 (TM) Despite claims made by residents in the Gampaha District that the recent floods in the area were due to Central Expressway Project (CEP)-related constructions, the RDA said that the initial plan would, for the most part, remain unchanged with only a few adjustments being made to enhance the waterflow capacities. RDA Director General L.V.S. Weerakoon said that several discussions have already been held with the relevant authorities including the Railways Department, and more..

Jun 20 (TM) A total of 8,139 suspected cases of dengue have been reported across the island over the course of this year, and there has been a spike in cases in the Colombo District. National Dengue Control Unit (NDCU) Director and specialist Dr. Aruna Jayasekara said that most recently, 305 confirmed dengue cases were reported and that 88 of these were from Colombo. Noting that there seems to be an increase in dengue cases in the Colombo District, Dr. Jayasekara requested more..

Jun 20 (ST) One of SL�s top military men, General (retd) Cyril Ranatunga, bid farewell to the nation at a private funeral sans any military formalities at the request of his family. The funeral took place on Thursday at the General Cemetery in Borella. General (retd) Cyril Ranatunga, who served as the General Officer Commanding, Joint Operations Command, Chief of Staff of the SL Army and Defence Secretary was 91 when more..

Jun 20 (ST) Essential food item importers have urged the Govt to reintroduce the banking system under which they were allowed to import goods on an assessed foreign currency value ensuring their losses were minimal due to the depreciation of the rupee against the US dollar. They have warned that if it was not reintroduced, their import quantities would have to be reduced. An Importers� Association spokesman said the system known as the Forward Exchange Booking Facility was scrapped more..

Jun 20 (SO) While SL�s rugby players have been languishing for the past 18 months or more without a cent in their pockets, the country is to dole out Rs. 2 million to each of the eight athletes taking part in the Olympic Games in Tokyo. In addition they will also be paid Rs 8000 for each of the 14 days the Olympics takes place. The coaches who accompany the players or athletes will receive Rs. 1 million plus the Rs. 8000 a day allowance. It will be the first time that SL�s participants at the Olympic Games more..

Jun 20 (ST) Hotly-contested election to appoint four crucial office bearers of the GMOA is scheduled for next Saturday, with battles between two factions being fought both in and out of court. The face-off for the important posts of President, Secretary, two Assistant Secretaries and Editor is between the old guard headed by current President Dr Anuruddha Padeniya and a potential ouster-group led by administrator Dr Jayaruwan more..

Jun 20 (SO) State Minister Ajith Nivard Cabraal said even after the recent fuel price hike, our petroleum prices are far lower than those of countries in the region particularly India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. �The per capita income of those countries is half of ours, as such the burden on our consumers is far less than the burden in those countries.� �No Govt likes to increase the prices of any commodity. However, if the cost price of a commodity is higher than the selling price, no business or more..

Jun 20 (ST) The Buddhasasana Ministry has decided to observe Poson festival on a low key this year, too, in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ministry said the country�s second most important Buddhist festival would be celebrated this year with religious programmes, mostly via online platforms. Ministry Secretary Kapila Gunawardena told The Sunday Times that even though the state celebrations would be largely online, Prez Rajapaksa would take part in the Aloka Pooja more..

Jun 20 (TM) SL Govt is set to receive the remaining $ 200 million out of the $ 700 million swap agreement from China Development Bank (CDB) within the next month. A reliable source, revealed that according to the negotiation between the SL authorities and CDB officials, the remaining amount of the agreement is set to come by July in order to support the country in curbing the Covid-19 pandemic. �The date has not been fixed. more..

Jun 20 (Island) CEB will float tenders to attract more investors willing to undertake solar power generation under free market demand-supply dynamics, officials said. While promoting solar energy from its inception, a gradual transformation from the Feed-in-Tariff (FIT) scheme to a competitive bidding process has been introduced by the CEB in keeping with the tariff reduction trend in the global market. �Prospective solar power developers can now bid for very competitive rates�, they assured. more..

Jun 20 (Island) CAA officers raided a leading supermarket in Bambalapitiya, Colombo 4, which was charging an additional Rs. 200 delivery charge from walk-in customers making over-the-counter purchases. Acting on a public complaint, a CAA officer posing as a customer had purchased some foodstuffs and the cashier had billed him an additional Rs. 200 for �delivery� on Thursday. After he was given the receipt, he had identified himself and the other CAA officers who were outside more..

Jun 20 (EN) Several dead turtles that turned up on SL�s beaches after a container vessel caught fire and sank off Colombo Port had burn injuries, other marine animals had plastic nurdles in their stomachs and investigations were underway on a dead whale. X-Press Pearl, a containers ship with hundreds of tonnes of chemical and plastic nurdles on board, blazed away for several days over May, partially burnt debris and tonnes of nurdles more..

Jun 20 (DM) Eleven cannabis growing chenas were raided during an operation carried out in Hambegamuwa, Sooriyawewa and Thanamalwila areas by the STF. STF said the operations were carried out with the help of drone cameras. Two suspects were also arrested during the raid and is was learnt that the two suspects arrested were members of the gang operated by underworld gangster Sooriyawewa Ratnaweera. About 800kg of marijuana were seized during the raid and more..

Jun 20 (ST) A deadline for rice producers and traders to register their stocks with the CAA ended yesterday amid plans by the Trade Ministry to buy their supplies and keep prices affordable. CAA in keeping with a gazette notification issued last Friday has collected the details from some dealers, but others have not done so. Accordingly, Minister Bandula Gunawardena is to seek cabinet approval to purchase rice stocks held by private traders and sell them at govt outlets as a measure to more..

Jun 20 (ST) Sri Lankans � men, women and children now confined indoors due to the lockdown � were mostly asleep when the worst economic catastrophe hit them last Friday midnight, threatening to change their lifestyles forever. Without the glare of publicity, fuel prices were increased to unprecedented levels. Octane 92 petrol by Rs 20 a litre (Rs 75.70 a gallon), Petrol Octane 95 by Rs 23 (Rs 87.06 gallon), Auto Diesel a litre by Rs 7 more..

Jun 21 (CT) I am not sure whether Court of Appeal Judges Karunarathna and Gurusinghe appreciate that their judgement in the Shani Abeysekera appeal case has done more for the country than strike a blow for justice and the rule of law. The judgement came at a time when people were despondent. The universal theme in conversations in all circles and social classes was: The country is going to the dogs; it�s hopeless, SL is finished; there is moral leprosy at the top; democracy is corroding day by day. more..

Jun 21 (GV) People all over the world get displaced from their houses, villagers, countries due to natural disasters, development projects, war, violence, discrimination and other forms of persecution. Globally, the numbers of displaced continues to increase, with 82.4 million displaced at the end of last year, with 48 million internally displaced in their own countries, 26.4 million having being recognized as refugees and 4.1 million having pending refugee applications (asylum seekers). more..

Jun 21 (TM) With the recent hike in fuel prices, burning issues on the cost of living continue to arise among the public. The cost of living cabinet subcommittee, headed by the President, had decided to increase fuel prices after considering the existing loans which were taken by the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC), amounting to $ 3 billion. In an interview with The Sunday Morning, Minister of Energy Udaya Gammanpila said more..

Jun 21 (CT) Democracy is defined as Govt of the people, by the people and for the people. In a lighter vein it is also called fools govt because the large majority of the people, who periodically vote to elect govts do so, not so much being convinced of the merits of the policies, put forward by parties contesting elections, but due to rather being swayed by slogans creating waves of public opinion. So, naturally govts coming to power on the strength of such slogans creating huge waves of public more..

Jun 21 (GV) Almost every conflict around the world from Bosnia to Syria, Myanmar, Ethiopia and SL, involves Conflict-Related Sexual Violence (CRSV). It refers to rape, sexual slavery, forced prostitution, forced pregnancy, forced abortion, enforced sterilization, forced marriage and any other form of sexual violence of comparable gravity perpetrated against women, men, girls or boys that is directly or indirectly linked to a conflict. Perpetrators are often affiliated with a State or more..

Jun 21 (CT) The rise of extremist movements in Sri Lanka is a fairly recent phenomenon. The Islamist fundamentalism, particularly in the Eastern Province, saw a cataclysmic rise over the past decade, the culmination of which was the devastating Easter Sunday Attacks in 2019. The most alarming factor in the rise of fundamentalism is the contribution made to the ideology by the increasing number of unregulated Muslim more..

Jun 21 (ST) Even as arrests of SL social media critics and opposition protestors continue in a covid-afflicted nation with an oppressive net slowly tightening on democratic spaces, the appellate court�s acting in revision to grant bail to former head of the country�s CID Shani Abeysekera this week is akin to a deep and veritably life-saving breath of (judicial) fresh air. Indeed the decision is remarkable not only for the fact of bail being afforded to Abeysekera in deeply (political) pressurizing more..

Jun 21 (ST) Energy Minister Gammanpila found himself stranded on the govt highway and left holding the can for the oil hike, after the governing party secretary accused him last Saturday of being responsible for the increase and called for his immediate resignation. In a letter sent last week to Gammanpila, the SLPP Secretary, Sagara Kariyawasam, stated the Govt had to face this critical situation as the subject Minister had failed to take correct decisions at the right time. more..

Jun 21 (SLN) Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) training ships KASHIMA and SETOYUKI which arrived in Sri Lanka on a 3-day visit on 18th June 2021, conducted a passage exercise (PASSEX) with SL Navy, as they departed from the port of Colombo today (20). The exercise which comprised formations and ship manoeuvres, communication exercises and other naval exercises was joined by SL Naval Ship (SLNS) Sagara off the Colombo harbour. more..

Jun 21 (TM) Colombo Port City Economic Commission Bill was passed last month. However, Bill that was passed was not what the Govt wanted. The decision of the Supreme Court (SC), which held that 25 of the proposed clauses contravened the provisions of the Constitution and that nine of them required a referendum, meant that the Govt had to revise the bill. From a legal point of view, these revisions are of a fundamental nature. Therefore, the bill that was passed is substantially different more..

Jun 21 (TM) The fire aboard the MV X-Press Pearl container ship did not just leave debris, pollution, and dead marine animals in its wake; it also left a number of questions concerning the true nature and extent of the destruction it caused, and Sri Lankans are concerned as to what would be the results of the ongoing investigations. Who are the responsible parties; what is the true extent of the damage caused to the environment; more..