Jun 11 (Roar) Prabhash Subasinghe is a busy man. Appointed Chairman of the EDB just a few months ago, he is now at the forefront of resuscitating the sector sorely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Roar Media caught up with Subasinghe to find out what his plans are and how he expects SL’s export sector to perform in the coming months. Q: What is your assessment on how the export side of the economy will fare over more..

Jun 11 (CT) George Floyd yelled I can’t breathe and was begging for his life, when the white Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin looking calm and devoid of pity continued to keep his knee on Floyd’s neck for eight minutes until he sadly departed from the so-called land of the free. The banality of evil incarnate, as LA Times writer Kareem A. Jabbar called it. The other Policemen too did not help this man begging for his life; this becoming accomplices and partners in this dastardly crime. more..

Jun 11 (DM) The 75-day curfew, though relaxed in stages in some parts of the country, was finally relaxed countrywide from Saturday, June 6 with travel also permitted to and from the districts of Gampaha and Colombo. This will to a large extent help SL return to normal by resuming day-to-day business activities and resuscitating the economy, which was more or less lying dormant, amid the COVID-19 onslaught. Foregoing of course does not mean we are out of the woods just yet, more..

Jun 11 (MB) Legend has it that a group of pygmy hominids known as Nittaewo — meaning long clawed in the local language — lived in Sri Lanka up until the 18th century. The last of them were cornered in a cave by the indigenous Veddah community, who blocked the entrance with logs and branches and set them on fire, killing all those trapped inside, so the story goes. No bones or other artifacts have ever been found to prove more..

Jun 11 (CT) The incident at the Colombo National Hospital, where an attempt made by a doctor to rob Rs7.9 million was thwarted by two Policemen on Tuesday (9) has shaken the medical fraternity at a time the whole country is praising the good work carried out by the health sector to curb the deadly COVID-19. Preliminary investigations into the incident has revealed a doctor engaging in post-graduate studies was involved in the robbery of the Rs.7.9 million which was to be paid as more..

Jun 11 (ST) Last week a friend of mine had forwarded a picture of a receipt issued by a SL jewellery shop in 1975. I was confused initially but fascinated by the information on the receipt. Its description in Sinhala reads as one-pound coin and the price as Rs.15.00. First, I thought that it was a sovereign gold coin sold for Rs.15.00, but gold prices were much higher than that even in 1975. While the international price of a sovereign gold coin was about US$40 at that time, more..

Jun 11 (Island) As it appears, we need to be, and can even definitely be, quite sure of the fact that SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19 disease, has virtually come to stay, at least for the time being and into the immediately foreseeable future. There is anxiety, fear and uncertainty all over the place. There are various types of embargoes imposed on people and travel has become a real problem. These are likely to remain for quite some time, in view of the situation where this evil more..

Jun 11 (Island) More than a year after being included in the much hyped Kreeda Shakthi Programme thousands of athletes around the country are yet to receive the monthly allowances promised at the time of their admission. Up and coming athletes training under the guidance of Kreeda Shakthi coaches are paid a sum of rupees 1,500.00 monthly for their nutritional needs. But thousands of athletes in different sports are yet to receive the monitory benefit largely owing to bureaucratic delays. more..

Jun 11 (CT) On 20 April 2019, Mohamed Nazar Azad boarded a bus travelling from Colombo to Kalmunai, from a bus stop near Zahira College in Maradana. Time was 8:20 p.m. He was carrying with him an explosive laden backpack. A little over 12 hours later, and after travelling more than 300 km cross country without raising any suspicions, he detonated the bomb hidden in his backpack at the entrance of the Zion Church in Batticaloa, more..

Jun 11 (Island) It came to the attention of the Prahran Cricket Club that looming star Sri Lankan cricketer Aravinda de Silva was keen to improve his game under different conditions, than at home, and a visit to Australia was a possibility. Due to the many connections with Sri Lankan cricket already established by the Club, Bob Parish, former long serving President, and still then extremely heavily involved, (also a past Chairman of Cricket Victoria for many decades and more..

Jun 11 (Island) Chairman of the Election Commission (EC), Mahinda Deshapriya, is a headline-grabber. No stranger to controversy, he once made quite a stir by declaring, at a media briefing, that anyone who forced himself into a polling station to disrupt an election deserved to be shot in the head. A statement Deshapriya made during a television programme, on Tuesday, is of interest; it also shows that a prick of conscience troubles him owing to polls delays. more..

Jun 11 (TM) Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) Governor Prof. W.D. Lakshman should have stood up to the political pressure that resulted in two of the Monetary Board members tendering their resignation recently, former MP Eran Wickramaratne said last week. Wickramaratne, the former State Minister of Finance, said that he was astounded that an academic like Prof. Lakshman did not stand up against the Govt to protect more..

Jun 11 (CT) Six SL junior athletes who produced excellent academic results at the Dec 2019 GCE O/L exam while simultaneously competing at the 13th South Asian Games in Kathmandu, Nepal, was felicitated by Minister Dullas Alahapperuma at Sports Ministry yesterday. Six athletes are twin sisters Chathuni Karunaratne and Chamodi Karunaratne (Fencing), Alana Seneviratne (Tennis), Ayla Chitty (Table Tennis), Yeheni Kuruppu (Squash) and Ganga Seneviratne (Swimming). more..

Jun 11 (DN) SL’s premier Women’s cricketer Chamari Atapattu said that her ultimate goal is to win a top ICC Award before quitting from the game after an illustrious career. The 30-year-old batting all-rounder received a tremendous morale booster when she became the only player to be retained in the ‘A’ Grade of the SLC central contract list. With another stalwart Shashikala Siriwardene having already announced her retirement from int'l cricket in March this year, more..

Jun 11 (FT) UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe called on the Govt to disclose how an estimated $ 230 million (Rs 42.6 b) provided by the WHO to fight the COVID-19 virus was utilised. Addressing a meeting of candidates from the Kalutara and Matara districts, he said the Govt had not purchased new PCR tests, Personal Protection Equipment (PPE), face masks, or ventilators with the funds. Wickremesinghe urged the Minister more..

Jun 11 (DN) Asian Football Confederation after having consultations with FIFA has finalized the dates for the remaining three matches of the Preliminary Qualifying Round Two of World Cup 2022 to be played by Sri Lanka which were postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This decision was taken as the present situation of the pandemic has shown an easing condition throughout the world including Sri Lanka. The three matches SL has to play are 2 games against DPR Korea more..

Jun 11 (Island) With more countries seeming to take control of the COVID-19 pandemic and lifting lockdowns, dare we ask if the worst is behind us? Experts are hesitant to answer this question, as there is still no effective treatment for the virus. However, there appear to be signs of recovery and hope. The Sri Lanka Tourism Alliance in its latest Resilience Webinar dived into consumer travel intent with a panel of experts including Sarah Mathews, Group Head of Destination Marketing more..

Jun 11 (PMD) Prez Rajapaksa instructed the officials of the State Development and Construction Corporation to pay attention to the construction of housing schemes for middle and low income families. Prez gave this directive at a meeting to review the progress of the State Development and Construction Corporation held at the Prez Secretariat today (10). Prez emphasized the need for State institutes to deviate from more..

Jun 11 (CT) Prez directed relevant officials to prepare a joint time-table after carefully studying the long-standing issue relating to the same in consultation with National Transport Commission, Provincial Road Passenger Transport Authorities, and the Ministry of Transport. Prez issued these directives during a meeting with private bus owners held on 8 June. Bus Owners’ Association pointed out that they have to pay ransom to certain individuals due to various reasons. more..

Jun 11 (Island) People who were disgusted with Parliament had to bear in mind that the only way to reform that institution was to elect the right people as lawmakers, JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said. He said: "The general consensus is that people are not happy with Parliament because of the conduct of MPs. They demand that MPs elected to make laws on behalf of the people conduct themselves with dignity. MPs throw chilli powder, wieldknives, pour water on more..

Jun 11 (FT) SLPP called for a background check of all members of various independent commissions before they are appointed, and said a new mechanism to follow such appointments will be introduced if the SLPP wins the upcoming General Election. Former PM Rohitha Abeygunawardana said the public has raised concerns about the impartiality of certain independent commissions that were more..

Jun 11 (CT) The Plantations industry continued to offer employment to about 140,000 people directly employed and almost 1.5 million dependents during the countrywide shutdown owing to COVID 19. The industry is now engaged in supporting the Government further in achieving self-sufficiency in food, by undertaking the cultivation of large extents of short-term agricultural consumables that were earlier imported. The production of edible oils is very much a part of it. more..

Jun 11 (CT) The Bourse suffered net foreign outflows for the sixth consecutive market day yesterday, this time by an amount of Rs 662.37 million, increasing such NFOs in the calendar year to date to Rs 14.32 billion. Complementing these developments, the benchmark ‘spot’ fell for the second consecutive market day, this time by between five and 10 cents to close 10 June at Rs 185.15/25 to the US dollar in two-way quotes. Meanwhile, CB cut its Treasury (T)-Bill sale more..

Jun 11 (EN) SL has recorded a budget deficit of 443 billion rupees or about 2.8% of GDP in the first quarter of 2020 amid slightly lower revenues, mostly due to a spike in spending. Total revenues were 420 billion rupees down from 442 billion rupees a year earlier, partly helped by non-tax revenues working out to about 2.9% of GDP. SL is expecting full year revenues of 1,450 billion rupees or 9.2% of GDP down 440 billion rupees, more..

Jun 11 (Island) UNP General Secretary Akila Viraj Kariyawasam has withdrawn his fundamental rights petition, challenging the dissolution of Parliament. Roland Perera, PC, who appeared on behalf of the petitioner, on Tuesday, sought permission from the court to withdraw the petition, stating that the petitioner was not expecting to proceed with the petition. SC 2-judge bench comprising Justice Vijith Malalgoda and Justice Murdu Fernando ordered the dismissal of the petition. more..

Jun 11 (DN) A reptile from an unknown subspecies has been found in a flatbed truck carrying goods for a private company which was imported from China. When contacted about the matter, Western Province Assistant Wildlife Director said that Dept has taken the animal into their custody after being notified by the company. He further noted that details pertaining to the discovery of this animal was presented to court yesterday, and that the animal would soon be handed over to the Dehiwala Zoo. more..

Jun 11 (Island) The release of two of the four suspects arrested at the Wanathawilluwa jihadist training camp on Jan 2019 was a mistake, CID CI Janaka Marasinghe, who led the police team that raided the camp yesterday admitted at the PCoI. This followed revelations that STF officers who searched the camp found a locally made 12 bore shotgun and an air rifle, from the building that the two released suspects were living. more..

Jun 11 (TM) Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) is to lodge a complaint with the Human Rights Commission of SL (HRCSL) against police brutality following Tuesday’s protest incident. FSP Educational Secretary Pubudu Jagoda said that the Police had assaulted their party members during unlawful arrests. “We were protesting police brutality and we were assaulted by the Police without restraint. We will be lodging a complaint at the Human Rights Commission in this regard,” more..

Jun 11 (CT) Minister Johnston Fernando has given instructions to his Ministry to expedite the construction work of the Ruwanpura Highway. He observed that instructions had been given to him by both the President and the Prime Minister to speed up the process of the construction work related to the said Expressway. Fernando made these remarks during a review meeting held with officials of the Ministry last week on the progress of the Highway system and related projects. more..

Jun 11 (FT) Police department justified their actions in arresting and disbanding protests organised by the FSP, stressing that the protestors had violated a court order issued against staging the demonstration. Police action to arrest and disband the protests on Tuesday which were broadcast live, led to an outcry about Police brutality, with many taking to social media to express frustration at the lack of accountability for what is seen as more..

Jun 11 (DM) US diplomatic staff adhere carefully to SL COVID-19 guidelines including quarantine restrictions in close coordination with Ministry of Foreign Relations, a US Embassy spokesman said. Spokesman made these remarks in response to a query about the Foreign Relations Ministry issuing guidelines for foreign diplomats arriving in the country. The Ministry announced earlier that PCR tests at the airport would be compulsory for all inbound foreign diplomats. more..

Jun 11 (TOI) Hundreds of Indian seafarers are now getting back to their jobs on ships at different ports across the world as Sri Lankan authorities have facilitated a crew change. A large number of trained seafarers from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, despite spending up to Rs 5 lakh on training, could not take up jobs because of the Covid-19 lockdown. Similarly, those who completed their time on various ships are also able to return to India with Sri Lanka opening up its ports to facilitate sign off. more..

Jun 11 (TM) The STF is conducting raids in all prisons countrywide, with special focus on the Boossa and Angunakolapelessa Prisons, where notorious drug kingpins and underworld criminals have been imprisoned, in a bid to combat the drug mafia and other organised crimes carried out by some noteworthy underworld criminals serving prison sentences. STF raids, which had been conducted from time to time, more..

Jun 11 (FT) Prez Rajapaksa appointed a Task Force of the heavy mob, which will press its collective knee into the neck of the new, socially legitimate Parliament that will arise thanks to the Supreme Court judgment which cleared the way for the Election Commission to name a date for voting. Lankans live at the overlap of two hinge-points of contemporary history. Lankan hinge is stamped by the two gazettes issued on Prez Rajapaksa’s instructions on the night of 2 June 2020 more..

Jun 11 (FT) In the first few days, as America burned, the world looked on amazed and bewildered, wondering what this would mean for the immediate and long-term future. As the protests settled down and drew larger crowds with an overwhelming number of young people, one began to think of other movements in Hong Kong, in India, with regard to climate change, the Me Too movement where young people battled police and began to insist on a world based on principles. more..

Jun 11 (Island) A remand prisoner undergoing quarantine at the old Bogambara prison was found hanging from the roof of his cell on Tuesday morning. The remand prisoner Malakage Sumith Aponsu (50) was found dead. He was remanded by the Mt. Lavinia courts in connection with a heroin related case, according to Kandy police conducting investigations. Investigations are conducted by Kandy police on the directions of its HQI Chief Inspector Thusitha Halangoda. more..

Jun 11 (Island) The govt was using quarantine laws for its advantage, JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake charged. He said the govt had got exposed for its double standards in implementing quarantine laws. "The first occasion was at the funeral of CWC leader Arumugam Thondaman. Thousands attended the funeral. But people are prevented from holding peaceful demonstrations. Everybody witnessed the brutal manner a protest was suppressed on Tuesday." more..

Jun 11 (AD) A 53-year-old man has been assaulted to death in the area of Mirihana last night. The victim was identified as the Chairman of Self-Employed Professionals’ Three-Wheeler Association, Sunil Jayawardena, a resident of Kesbewa area. According to a piece of information received by Mirihana Police at around 6.20 pm last evening via the 119 Hotline, an argument had broken out between two men including more..