Jul 23 (Island) While SL’s immediate goal in the upcoming three match ODI series against Bangladesh will be to beat them, looking long term, captain Dimuth Karunaratne sounded a word of caution as life could be tough following the retirement of Lasith Malinga. The 35-year-old with 335 wickets to his credit, is the highest wicket taker among active cricketers in ODIs and he will retire from ODIs after the first game at RPS on Friday. "Our biggest concern has been the lack of more..

Jul 23 (FT) European Chamber of Commerce of SL (ECCSL) on Thursday will be hosting a breakfast discussion titled Let’s Build Local to Go Global, on elevating the SL tourism industry to reignite confidence in the European market. The panel will consist of Dilmah Tea – MJF Holdings Director Malik Fernando, Santani Wellness Resort & Spa Founder Vickum Nawagamuwage, Keells Food Products PLC Non-Executive Director Shehara De Silva and SLTPB Managing Dir. Charmarie Maelge. more..

Jul 23 (DN) Bangladesh will be looking to put behind them a disappointing World Cup campaign and start afresh the 3-match ODI series against SL under stand-in captain Tamim Iqbal. Bangladesh are due to play the first of 3 ODIs at the R Premadasa Stadium under lights on Friday and Tamim leading his country for the first time in the one-day format was keen they should start on the right foot. more..

Jul 23 (Island) Bangladesh were comfortable with the high level of security as they became the first foreign team to visit Sri Lanka since the Easter bombings, skipper Tamim Iqbal said Monday. Speaking to reporters two days after arriving in Colombo, Tamim said security was not a concern for them although the hosts had arranged tight protection following the April 21 attacks that killed 258 people. "The security has been fantastic. The facilities they have given us are top notch," more..

Jul 23 (FT) High-Level Forum on sustainable development and the High Level Segment of Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) meeting was held from 8 to 19 July at the UN Head Quarters in New York and this important event was attended by over 125 heads of states or their representatives and over 2,000 participants from countries with representative of development partners, academia and civil society representatives. Theme of the Forum for the year 2019 was on empowering more..

Jul 23 (DM) Veteran cricketer Lasith Malinga today said he officially informed SLC that he would retire from One Day Internationals after the first ODI against Bangladesh at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on July 26. In a Facebook video, Malinga requested all cricket enthusiasts and his fans to attend his ODI finale. “Today, I officially informed SLC that I would retire from ODIs after the 1st match with B'desh more..

Jul 23 (CT) Two of SL’s most prominent young female shuttlers, Thilini Hendahewa and Kavindi Sirimanne left for Nigeria to take part in the Lagos Int'l Challenge which begins on July 24. Hendahewa, national women’s singles champion, and her doubles partner Sirimanne will be targeting a ticket to the next Olympics and are currently positioned at an impressive 85th in the BWF doubles rankings. The tour is part of Sri Lanka Badminton’s (SLB) effort to provide maximum exposure to more..

Jul 23 (FT) Supreme Court re-fixed to support on 21 Nov the petition for granting of Special Leave to Appeal filed by Sandya Ekneligoda to set aside a suspended sentence given by the Homagama High Court to Ven. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara and restore a sentence given by the Magistrate Court. Petitioner, the wife of disappeared Journalist Prageeth Ethnaligoda filed her petition contesting the judgment of Homagama High Court that suspended a sentence given by more..

Jul 23 (FT) UNP Parliamentary group meeting heated up yesterday with some members openly calling for nomination of Sajith Premadasa as the presidential candidate. First time to be discussed, Minister Kabir Hashim raised the question of presidential candidate during the meeting nominating Sajith Premadasa. The suggestion received support from a large crowd present with number of other MPs including Minister Malik Samarawickrama, Minister Thalatha more..

Jul 23 (FT) Marking the 36th Anniversary of Black July, which falls this week, SLPP called on the Govt to take measures to prevent a repetition of communal violence in the country. MP Dullas Alahapperuma said peace and harmony among communities was the key to develop an economy. Black July falls on Wednesday. “The UNP was behind attacks of Black July and now they are introducing White July, which we view as something unacceptable. more..

Jul 23 (DM) Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam instructed its officials to make arrangements to enrol orphaned children who are residing in state registered or sponsored orphanages into the national schools. Decision was taken following complaints received by the education ministry regarding the rejection of applications of orphaned children. Principal who rejected an application of orphaned child had stated that by admitting an orphaned child into the school, it will bring more..

Jul 23 (DN) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe said the country’s intelligence service should be restructured and new laws formulated to curb violent extremism and terrorism. He pointed out that terrorism and violent extremism related to organizations such as the Islamic State (IS) cannot be defeated in the same manner that LTTE terrorism was defeated and that the country needs new laws for it. more..

Jul 23 (FT) Sectoral Oversight Committee (SOC) on Economic Development has instructed relevant parties linked to the recent import of clinical waste from the UK to be present in parliament on Wednesday. Sectorial Oversight Committee Chairman and UNP MP Harshana Rajakaruna said that officials of the International Trade and Development Strategies Ministry, SL Ports Authority, Customs, Environment Ministry, and Central Environment Authority had been requested more..

Jul 23 (CI) The Pakistan Cricket Board has invited Sri Lanka to play their upcoming two-match Test series in Pakistan. Pakistan are due to host Sri Lanka for two Tests later this year, and by default, the matches were scheduled in the UAE, where Pakistan have played almost all home Test matches since the terror attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in March 2009. SLC has not dismissed the proposal out of hand, and appear to have consented to a security assessment. more..

Jul 23 (Island) Chairman of the Elections Commission Mahinda Deshapriya, acknowledged that a new law as regards campaign financing was required to prevent political parties/candidates receiving undisclosed funding from both foreign and local sources. Deshapriya asserted that the EC couldn’t do anything about such funding and it was the responsibility of Parliament to bring in laws to stop the practice. more..

Jul 23 (DN) The govt has disbursed Rs. 88 billion under the Enterprise Sri Lanka loan scheme since its launch in Sri Lanka. Furthermore, a total of 55,000 loans have been distributed so far for eligible applicants under this loan scheme, Eran Wickramaratne, State Minister of Finance told the media yesterday. Sri Lankan govt announced the Enterprise Sri Lanka loan scheme in a bid to support the govt vision of creating 100,000 entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka by 2020. more..

Jul 23 (CT) Attorney General (AG) Dappula de Livera, yesterday, instructed Acting IGP C.D. Wickramaratne to submit a report on the suspects arrested following the Easter Sunday terror attacks within two days. The AG in a letter instructed the Acting IGP to include in the report the number of suspects arrested over the Islamic State-affiliated suicide bombings, Apart from that, the report should include the progress of the investigations on each of those suspects. more..

Jul 23 (AD) “Just within three weeks, we were able to completely destroy terrorism and arrest those who were linked to terrorist activities. The CID and the intelligence units did an excellent job in conducting the probes in this regard,” President Sirisena said today (22). He made these comments addressing Sathviru Abhiman 2019 event held at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium this evening to grant welfare benefits to war heroes. more..

Jul 23 (DM) Rajagiriya flyover and the parliament road are two stretches that motorists prefer to take any day. While the flyover offers a panoramic view the tree lined parliament road is a lush green haven in the country’s capital. Till a few days back both these places were treated with care by everyone and as a result they retained their spruced up look. However, everything changed last week. Everyone was dismayed and horrified to find that some over-ambitious politician has ventured to more..

Jul 23 (DM) Two weeks back Dayasiri Jayasekara, MP told the PSC probing the Easter Sunday attacks that it was not the Islamic State that was behind the attack. He alleged that certain foreign countries have used Mohammed Zahran to fulfil their objectives in SL. He opined that a bomber refrained from blowing himself up in the Indian- owned Taj Samudra hotel because there were certain people in it. Like the majority of MPs, Jayasekara MP was not clear as to what he was talking about. more..

Jul 23 (DM) Violence against women and children remains to be another one of those social issues which are poorly highlighted and addressed. From time to time we hear cases of women experiencing domestic abuse, children sent for labour etc., but no authority has thus far come forward to put an end to them. In most instances, it is the middle and lower-income families that are vulnerable to such circumstances more..

Jul 23 (EN) Sri Lanka's new car registrations fell to a 1,580 units in June 2019, down from 6,819 units in 2018, and a 7-year low in the wake of Nixon-shock style controls that were slapped last year as a soft-pegged exchange rate collapsed amid money printing. Total vehicle registrations fell to 26,201 units in June from 32,635 in May, data compiled by J B Securities, a Colombo-based equities brokerage shows. more..

Jul 23 (EN) Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has said it is time to separate the roles of chairman and chief executive officer in listed companies and called for public comments on the move. “The best practice on corporate governance discourages concentration of power in one individual,” it said in a published consultation paper. “An established norm is that there should be a clear division of responsibilities at the level of more..

Jul 23 (FT) The SLPP yesterday said they will kick off a fresh discussion this week with the SLFP to work together to support their presidential candidate who is due to be announced on 11 August. Speaking to media, Chairman Prof. G.L. Peiris said previous discussions conducted with the SLFP were only targeted at forming a strong anti-UNP front but neither side had specifically discussed a presidential candidate. more..

Jul 23 (DM) All forms of animal cruelty carried out in the name of religious beliefs should be put to an end and parliament should pass the Animal Welfare Bill without further delay to make such possible, Ven. Omalpe Sobitha Thera said yesterday. Addressing a news briefing organised by the Justice for Animals Organisation, the prelate said many people believed in the myth that the world is only meant for humans. more..

Jul 23 (Island) The Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC) appointed to select the suitable bidder for the Suraksha health insurance scheme for 2019 had been without an expert on insurance, the PCoI was informed. Hewawasam Puwakpitiyage Rukmani, an additional director at the Ministry of Education as well as a member of the TEC, accepted that they had been without an expert on insurance though they had informed more..

Jul 23 (ST) President Maithripala Sirisena launched an ambitious anti-narcotic drive and vowed to hang convicted drug lords. Only a Supreme Court directive till October 30 is keeping him away. His declared objective, repeated publicly, is to curb drug use and thus deal a death blow to that trade. However, an investigation by the Sunday Times this week revealed a more damning concerns about this exercise. more..

Jul 23 (Xinhua) Survey Department has launched an updated map of the island country due to developments such as the China- invested Colombo Port City, Surveyor General P. Sangakkara said. The 50,000 series of the SL map which was completed in 1995, had been updated and a new version had been launched recently. The notable changes in the new map are the Colombo Port City, Hambantota Port in the south, more..

Jul 23 (AD) The revision application filed before the Colombo High Court against the Colombo chief magistrate’s order granting bail to IGP Pujith Jayasundara and former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando is scheduled to be considered on August 1st. When the revision application was taken up before the Colombo High Court Judge Vikum Kaluarachchi today, the respondents of the revision, more..

Jul 23 (AD) The Supreme Court today ordered the Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC) to register students with medical degrees from recognised foreign universities and who have passed the SLMC examination, for medical profession in Sri Lanka. The directive was issued by a three-judge bench comprising Justices Prasanna Jayawardena, L.T.B. Dehideniya and Murdu Fernando, delivering the verdict in FR petition more..

Jul 23 (FT) One of my most treasured memories is that of NM, better known as Dr. N.M. Perera. It was when I was a student in the UK that I first met him. NM was already a formidable left leader in Sri Lanka, an accomplished parliamentarian, a larger-than-life figure among the Sri Lankan student population. I had no interest in ideologies or politics, although very many of my close friends in the UK were deeply involved in such pursuits then. One day when we heard that Dr. N.M. Perera was more..

Jul 23 (CT) It is shocking to understand the importation of discarded items from abroad into the island violating the Customs Ordinance and the Environmental Act through highhanded manipulations. Following the open market policy introduced to enhance the economy of the country in the midseventies, the Island nation has largely turned into a dumping ground of all used items from all over the world. The importation of all types of reconditioned vehicles began in the Island more..

Jul 23 (Island) UNP Deputy Leader and Minister Sajith Premadasa should be the Party’s Presidential candidate, UNP chairman and Minister Kabir Hashim proposed at the party parliamentary group meeting chaired by PM Ranil Wickremesinghe at temple Trees yesterday. Minister Ranjith Madduma Bandara supported Hashim’s proposal. About 25 UNP MPs expressed their opinions in support of party chairman’s proposal. About 25 UNP MPs expressed their opinions in support of more..

Jul 23 (AD) Three suspects, who were involved in the attempted attack by Awa group on several police officers at Manipay, have been arrested yesterday. Two of the suspects, arrested by the Kopay Police at around 3.30 pm yesterday, have been handed over to the Manipay Police. Meanwhile, the other suspect was arrested after he surrendered to the Manipay Police at around 6 pm last evening. The suspects, aged 18-20 years, were identified as residents of Manipay area in Jaffna. more..

Jul 23 (CT) Former Navy Commander Ravindra Wijegunaratne recommended the purchase of an extravagantly priced Russian ship in August 2017 to Prez Sirisena just days before he received his promotion to the rank of Chief of Defence Staff Colombo Telegraph can now reveal. Wijegunaratne, then Commander of the Navy informed Prez that they should purchase the Russian frigate at a colossal cost of $135 m more..

Jul 23 (CT) State Minister of Fisheries Dilip Wedaarachchi stated that as the Met Department has predicted that the ongoing inclement weather could last till 24 July, a set of emergency guidelines have been put in place for fishermen who venture out to sea, with effect from yesterday (22). He said that following the emergency, guidelines will be important and compulsory for fishermen. The Minister stated the emergency guidelines had been formulated by his Ministry, more..

Jul 23 (FT) A delegation led by Deputy Minister Nalin Bandara comprising officials from both the public and private sector visited UAE and met several important trade partners in the region. The delegation had very fruitful discussions with the Dubai Chamber of Commerceand Industry, Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry as well as Al-Maya Group and the Lulu Supermarket International. Sri Lankan delegation included Export Development Board Chairperson Indira Malwatte and more..

Jul 23 (TA) Australian govt charter plane carrying failed asylum seekers has left Christmas Island for Colombo, just days after their vessel was intercepted in the Indian Ocean. The long-range jet took off from Christmas Island airport shortly after 3am today and is on its way to SL. The secretive Australian Border Force operation was known only to a few inside govt but The Australian has confirmed the group was ushered more..

Jul 23 (EN) India has delivered the fourth of six Class S13 train sets to Sri Lanka along one Class M11 engine, the ministry of transport and civil aviation said. Trains for Sri Lanka Railways (SLR) are being supplied under an Indian govt soft loan to the SL govt. The Class S13 diesel multiple-unit (DMU) trains were built for SLR by India’s Integral Coach Factory and imported through RITES Ltd, an Indian state-owned firm. Each DMU consists of two diesel-electric locomotives and 13 coaches. more..