Aug 3 (TM) It was in Nov 2019, just 9 months ago, that we went to polls to elect a Prez. We head to the polls again on 5 Aug 2020 for our general election to elect the representatives of the people in Parliament, that once august assembly. The word august to some means magnificent or majestic and marked by dignity or grandeur. To others, august is not just the eighth month of the year, it describes something esteemed or regal and originates from Augustus Caesar, first emperor of Roman Empire. more..

Aug 3 (DM) On July 30, US President Donald Trump floated an idea/threat of postponing the US Prez election, until people could properly, securely and safely vote. According to Trump, increased postal voting could lead to fraud and inaccurate results. Both Democrats and Republicans in a rare show of unanimity, immediately shot down the threat because, postponing elections, Mr. Trump, is what autocrats do. For instance in 1975, the High Court in Allahabad, convicted the then Indian PM more..

Aug 3 (ST) Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) will meet the country’s health authorities on Tuesday to seek their approval and guidelines to conduct the much-awaited the Lanka Premier League – SL’s first major T20 tournament since 2012. The board has set a window from Aug 28 to Sept 10 to conduct the five-team tournament which has attracted 70 int'l players and 10 top-notch coaches. This was after, they were forced to reschedule more..

Aug 3 (DN) SL Boxing Association nominations closed on 18th July with only one faction having submitted their nominations to the election which will be held on 20th Aug at the Sports Ministry. The incumbent President Dian Gomes will be elected to the top post once again for the next four years. This will be the third time Gomes is getting this responsibility to promote boxing in SL. Last time In 2017 Gomes was elected for the President post He was elected to this top post for the first time more..

Aug 3 (ST) The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is to enable the formation of Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) to be listed, sending its rules to the Govt Printer on Friday to be issued as a gazette, officials said. REITs are an alternative investment scheme, which offers investors an opportunity to invest in the real estate sector without the hassle involved in acquiring real estate property. It’ll generate income by owning and operating an income-generating real estate. more..

Aug 3 (TM) A tea for oil barter deal proposed mid last year to settle the CPC’s outstanding payments to Iran has been abandoned by the present Govt. This deal proposed by then Minister of Plantation Navin Dissanayake, has been given up on as the relevant authorities are of the view that tea and oil prices do not tally together. Sources told us that the barter deal was just a plan and progress was not made either by SL or Iranian govt more..

Aug 3 (Island) Baby Cheramy is a proud 100% SL brand with a legacy of 57 years of trust by SL mothers, and is recognized as the No. 1 baby care brand in Sri Lanka. In recognition of the high-quality products and manufacturing processes, the Sri Lanka Standards Institution (SLSI) has granted Baby Cheramy Soap the honour of being the only baby soap to be awarded with SLS quality certification. The certification was presented on 16th of July, at a ceremony held at the Hemas Holdings PLC. more..

Aug 3 (TM) The net foreign outflow from the govet securities and stock markets so far in 2020 have exceeded Rs. 122 billion ($ 680 million as per the exchange rate on 30 July), according to the latest data from the CB and the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE). Of the Rs. 122.55 billion net outflow, Rs. 91.85 billion has been from Treasury bills and bonds from 1 January to 24 July. This is a dramatic drop of Rs. 12.8 billion from the figure of Rs. 104.6 billion at the beginning of the year. more..

Aug 3 (ST) 10 p.m, July 29, 2020: An unlikely hour to be making history- but for eight people who had been orchestrating this moment for nine long months- a great triumph- and for Sri Lanka a chance to reach new heights on the world stage. The news from Mexico was that the SL team had made it to the finals of the World Schools Debating Championships (WSDC) – by beating Ireland at the semi-finals just an hour earlier. more..

Aug 3 (AD) An individual has been arrested at the Mulleriyawa area while in the possession of narcotic drugs. The arrested suspect has been identified to be a close associate of crime gang leader Lasantha Perera alias Angoda Lokka. The arrest has been made based on a tip-off received by Mulleriyawa Police. Reportedly, 8 grams and 60 milligrams of heroin had been in the possession of the suspect. The arrestee is a 48 year old resident of Parakum Mawatha area in Mulleriyawa. more..

Aug 3 (DN) Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) are exploring the possibilities of bringing forward the Lanka Premier League (LPL) franchise based Twenty20 Cricket Tournament, so that all top players would be able to participate in the high profile Indian Premier League (IPL) scheduled to be worked off in the UAE. The LPL which includes five franchise teams, is set to commence on August 28 and end on Sept 20 while the more lucrative IPL is scheduled to begin on Sept 19 and conclude on Nov 8. more..

Aug 3 (CT) Leader of the Colombo District Team of the National People's Power, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, says at the final rally in Colombo that Sri Lanka will face more calamities if Rajapaksas return to power. He said: The lives of the people of this country are not as valuable as the greed for power these rulers have. That is why they tried to hold an election amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. more..

Aug 3 (AD) Colombo Port trade union workers have called of their trade union action with immediate effect. This was following a successful discussion with PM Mahinda Rajapaksa, stated Port Trade Unions. Trade unions of the Colombo Port, who launched a strike action on the 2nd of July, later called off their strike action following a meeting held with PM. During this discussion, held on July 3, a decision was taken to unload the 03 gantry cranes brought down from China, more..

Aug 3 (NR) The number of coronavirus cases confirmed in the country has increased to 2,823 after the detection of eight COVID-19 patients yesterday. An associate of a COVID-19 patient reported from Lankapura and seven returnees from the UAE, who were undergoing quarantine measures, tested positive for the virus yesterday. Accordingly, 602 cases confirmed in the country are linked to the Kandakadu COVID-19 cluster while 926 persons who returned to the country recently from more..

Aug 3 (Island) Global Tamil Forum has called on all Tamils to cast their precious vote wisely at the forthcoming Parliamentary Election. GTF in a post published by the Canadian Tamil Congress said the Tamil people’s struggle for democratic rights in SL has a long history and since independence the desire of Tamils to live as a free people has not been diminished by the many setbacks and the tests of endurance faced by Tamils in their onward more..

Aug 3 (CT) A cat that was strapped with a pack of heroin and other banned items was discovered inside the Colombo Magazine Prison premises yesterday. Two packets of heroin weighing 1.2 grams, two phone SIM cards and a memory chip were also found in a tiny bag. The animal was detected by an alert Prisons intelligence officer positioned at the main entrance. The banned items had been handed over to the Borella Police, while the Prison Dept is conducting an inquiry more..

Aug 3 (AD) The baby born to a COVID-19 positive expectant mother have tested negative for the coronavirus following PCR tests, Dr. Priyantha Karunarathna, the Director of Colombo East Base Hospital said. On Saturday (01) an expectant mother, who was recently repatriated from Dubai, delivered her child at the special unit of the Colombo East Base Hospital for coronavirus-infected expectant mothers. However, she had been previously diagnosed with the coronavirus. more..

Aug 3 (AD) Interdicted Superintendent (SP) of the Negombo Prison Anuruddha Sampayo who was arrested in Kurunegala today (2) has been brought to the CID in Colombo. Following an operation carried out on intelligence received by a team including the Chief Inspector of the Negombo Police HQ, Sampayo was arrested near the St. Anne’s College in Kurunegla, at around 3.35pm. He was first brought to the Kurunegala Police more..

Aug 4 (CT) Poet and playwright Bertolt Brecht wrote this General your tank poem when he was a refugee fleeing Nazi Germany moving from one land to another until he found sanctuary in America. That man can think is something that those who wish to manipulate people often overlook. Man can be manipulated to fly or kill. Since man can also think at some point, man will think about what is right and wrong. In this masterpiece of sardonic disdain for the dictator, Brecht informs the autocrat more..

Aug 4 (DM) Some 100 years ago when the demands for the franchise in Sri Lanka was gaining ground slowly, the British rulers had reportedly attempted to reject it on the grounds that SL masses then were not matured enough to use the franchise. Then it was perceived as an insult to the local people by the colonial rulers. However, SL gained the universal suffrage through the Donoughmore Commission recommendations in 1931. Going by the maturity that voters have been showing in selecting more..

Aug 4 (CT) National People’s Power (NPP) Leader, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, in frank conversation with our sister paper Mawbima. Q: We had seen previously how the JVP had faced past elections. However, next Wednesday’s Poll is going to be decisive. How crucial is this Poll going to be for the NPP? A: Yes, there are no two words about it; the looming Poll is going to be extremely crucial for us. more..

Aug 4 (CT) Many years ago, former Govt Agent of Jaffna, Dr Devanesan Nesiah, explained northern sentiment when elections were taking place. He said there was apprehension at the possible turn of events over which they had no control. The minority status of the Tamil people would invariably mean that their future would be determined by the outcome of the power struggle in the south of the country. I was reminded of these words of Dr Nesiah during discussions organised by more..

Aug 4 (DM) As SL goes to polls tomorrow, its outcome is a foregone conclusion. This is one of the most uneven elections in recent history, not least due to the fratricidal struggle within the UNP, and the fragmented opposition. Rather, the Sri Lankans decide on their future Parliament, when they elected a president or vice versa. However, this election is one of many ironies. First of all, given the public mood, when most voters exercise their universal suffrage to elect a new parliament, more..

Aug 4 (CT) PM Mahinda Rajapaksa in conversation with our sister paper Mawbima says he did not see any disadvantageous areas as far as the SLPP was concerned and that he expects a majority in the Tamil and Muslim community to vote for the SLPP this time around. Q: The election propaganda campaign ends today. Both the President and the PM participated in election campaigns covering the entire island. more..

Aug 4 (CT) A total of 16,263,885 citizens will be eligible to cast their vote at Sri Lanka’s 16th Parliamentary Poll which will be held islandwide tomorrow, according to the Election Commission’s 2019 voter registration list. This number includes those who were eligible to vote for the now concluded postal voting as well. This number of 16,263,885 is an increase of 271,789 (1.7%) from the 15,992,096 who were eligible to vote as per the recently concluded Prez Polls of Nov 2019. more..

Aug 4 (DM) SL is in the throes of a parliamentary election soon to be held on 5 August amidst challenges being faced like never before. These challenges come in the form of an inherited weak economy worsened by a global COVID-19 pandemic. Adding to the country’s woes are foreign remittances from migrant labor, earnings from apparel exports, foreign tourism and traditional exports virtually coming to a standstill. A second wave of the COVID-19 infection is now more..

Aug 4 (Island) The Attorney General’s Department has caused quite a stir; it says it can seek the assistance of the armed forces to execute arrest warrants in case the police fail to do so. Deputy Solicitor General Dileepa Peiris made a statement to that effect, at a media briefing, on Friday, as we reported yesterday. The consternation of the state prosecutor and his staff is understandable. The police, more often than not, run around like headless chickens when arrest warrants are issued more..

Aug 4 (Island) Reading the articles published in The Island over the last few weeks, it seems that most of the political analysts, regardless of the party they support, agree on a few assumptions with regard to the upcoming general election and subsequent issues of governance. Firstly, that the current constitution needs some kind of reform if not a complete overhaul in order to at least facilitate a smooth process of governance. Secondly, that the SLPP will come into power. more..

Aug 4 (CT) Former TNA MP Sivagnanam Sritharan is contesting the General Election from Jaffna. This is the third time he is representing the TNA. Q: Is there any reason why Tamil political parties in the North carry negative propaganda and want to defeat the TNA in the polls? A: The TNA is strong and the Govt has this military-backed governance to reduce the strength of the TNA. They have advocated many independent group more..

Aug 4 (Island) Sri Lanka Telecom and Epic Technology Group, proudly launched the Helaviru Digital Economic Center online platform for the first time in South Asia on the July 31. Helaviru Agro-produce & Commodities Trading Platform is a cloud-based digital marketplace that facilitates trading activities (buying & selling) of agriculture and farm produce and Commodities among diverse stakeholders on a seamlessly connected supply chain. more..

Aug 4 (EN) SL’s little used Mattala Airport has heightened activity amid a Coronavirus crisis with over 50 flights in the past two months and is eying scheduled flights in the post-Covid era, airport agency said. Airport had been handling ship crew changes and repatriation flights, which had raised the activity levels of the airport, which has had hardly any scheduled flights before the crisis. Indigo Airlines had flown ATR72 and Airbus A320 aircraft into Mattala 20 times during June 26-July 31. more..

Aug 4 (CT) SJB Leader, Sajith Premadasa, addressing the final rally in Colombo, said he is ready to go to prison for constructing temples. His full speech: Dear friends, I went all over the country. During this short time, I visited every electorate. People gathered around the Telephone daily. As of today, an extremely large wave of people have been created around the Telephone across the country. I would like to tell you all that this wave more..

Aug 4 (ST) When some 16 million voters eligible to trek to their polling booths on Wednesday, maintaining their social distance and carrying their own pens to mark that all important cross on their ballot paper at SL’s 16th general election to elect 225 MPs, it will truly be an election like no other this country has ever seen. That is not only because the twice-postponed poll — the country’s most expensive to date with each vote costing the state 625 rupees — is being held under the cloud more..

Aug 4 (CT) The National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) has commenced investigations into a viral video doing the rounds on social Media showing footage of a child being ill-treated by the child’s guardians. The incident was reported to the NCPA on 2 August. Chairman of NCPA, Professor Muditha Vidanapathirana said as soon as they find the suspects, the NCPA will file action against them. “Since we haven’t found any evidence of assault or injury on the child in the video footage, more..

Aug 4 (CT) SL’s General Election, held once every five years, see the nation’s politicians vying for 196 of the 225 seats in Parliament, as voters exercise their mandate through a polling system that has remained mostly unchanged over the past 36 years. Next week, however, might pose new challenges, as citizens contend with the ongoing pandemic and try to avoid the threat of a second wave. Adapting to the situation, more..

Aug 4 (Island) Negombo Police, probing the alleged links between prison officials and inmates serving time there for drug offences, said that there had been numerous complaints about drug cartels operating from the Negombo Prison but former Superintendent (SP) of the Negombo Prison, Anuruddha Sampayo, always told them that there were no such rackets. SP Sampayo was of the opinion that some elements were spreading such stories to tarnish the good name of officers more..

Aug 4 (ST) The Election Commission will take steps to remove election campaigning content and propaganda material from social media sites during the cooling period which begins from midnight today, a senior EC official said. Suranga Ranasinghe, Assistant Commissioner who heads Election Dispute Resolution Unit, said that since social media platforms had a communication channel with the Election Commission, Commission would take proactive steps to remove them immediately. more..

Aug 4 (ST) Until a rash of pages impersonating her emerged in a coordinated misinformation campaign on Facebook, first-time election candidate Sashikala Raviraj had no idea how powerful the impact of social media could be. Numerous misleading and obscene posts about her and other candidates of her party have appeared on newly-created fake IDs on Facebook and are being shared across other social media. more..

Aug 4 (Reuters) President Gotabaya Rajapaksa hopes to tighten his hold on the nation’s fractious politics in an election on Wednesday that could elevate his brother and allow the two to change the constitution if they prevail. Rajapaksa, who claims credit for controlling the spread of the new coronavirus in the island nation, hopes to install his elder brother and former president - current caretaker PM Mahinda Rajapaksa - in the post formally with an outright election victory. more..