June 22 (SO) A four member Committee that probed the conduct of officials in the National Olympic Committee (NOC) and the Sports Ministry in the run-up and during last December’s South Asian Games in Nepal fear that its Report will be swept under the carpet and end up in the where-are-they-now files like it is with most affairs in the country. The Report concerning the state of Olympic sports in the country was made public only after the Sunday Observer exclusively reported how more..

June 22 (ST) Last year 2019, Sri Lanka became a poorer nation than what it was in the previous year. From the average annual income of each Sri Lankan, US$227 got wiped out. This is because the per capita income was $3,741 in 2019, compared to $3,968 in 2018. Interestingly, SL’s per capita income level in 2019 was just only $4 ahead of the figure five years ago in 2015. What an achievement and how did this happen. more..

June 22 (Island) Former Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage has made quite a stir. He has claimed that Sri Lanka lost the ICC World Cup final, in 2011, due to match-fixing. He, however, has stopped short of naming names. Nearly a decade has elapsed. What has brought Aluthgamage out of his slumber? Did he try to grab public attention in the run-up to the next general election? Or, is it that he actually believes that corruption cost the country 2011 World Cup? more..

June 22 (ST) The coronavirus pandemic has paralysed sports the world over but it may have come as a blessing in disguise for football in SL with new head coach Amir Alagic producing a four-year Master Plan during the lockdown which could change the face of the sport in the country. Even as the national team prepares for the 2022 FIFA Doha World Cup Asian qualifiers with a return to training after a three-month hiatus tomorrow, Alagic unveiled proposals targeting stakeholders in the sport more..

June 22 (ST) The cold war between the National Olympic Committee (NOC) and the Ministry of Sports was identified as one of the main reasons for SL’s debacle at the 13th South Asian Games (SAG) in Kathmandu by a four-member SAG Review Committee. Despite SL returning home with a healthy haul of 251 medals, the exhaustive report documented among other issues negligence on the part of coaches and team officials, more..

June 22 (Island) The Hayleys Group’s geographical and sectoral diversity enabled it to deliver earnings growth in an extremely challenging year, with profit-after-tax increasing by 5% y-o-y and profit attributable to equity holders growing by 40% in 2019/20. Profitability was upheld by the strong performance of the Group’s export-oriented businesses which countered the weaker performance of the sectors which were directly impacted by the Easter Sunday attacks and more..

June 22 (SLA) SL contingent (SRIMED) serving with the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) in Bor, South Sudan, despite the challenges of operating in the midst of rising COVID-19 cases and going beyond its mandate to help the South Sudanese people, recently offered life-saving care to two severely-wounded South Sudanese men, sustained injuries in two separate shooting incidents in conflict- affected Jonglei and Lakes regions. The Bor State Hospital does not have x-ray facilities and more..

June 22 (TM) Milk powder importers of Sri Lanka have made a collective request from the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) to increase the prices of imported milk powder to reflect the rupee depreciation-led losses suffered by the industry. In a price increasing application sent to the CAA a month ago, milk powder importers have requested to increase the price of a kilogramme of imported milk powder by Rs. 60-70. more..

June 22 (CT) 2011 World Cup final match fixing allegation by former Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage rocked the sporting and political arena during the weekend. This isn’t the first time the said allegation has come up, as throughout the last nine years several people - including ex-cricketers - questioned the outcome: about the last minute changes on-field and toss decision; for which logical reasons were given by skipper Kumar Sangakkara and vice-captain Mahela Jayawardene on more..

June 22 (Island) There is no difference between the BBS and the Rajapaksas as they are one and the same, says a former Mayor and BBS member, Anju Perera. Perera said that he had joined the BBS since there were issues that the Sinhala Buddhists wanted resolved, but after sometime realized that the outfit was carrying out the contracts of Rajapaksa govts then and now. The actions of the BBS should be examined in the light of the political situation prevailing at the time, he stressed, more..

June 22 (FT) PM Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday expressed confidence of the SLPP mustering a two-thirds majority at the upcoming General Election, adding that the parliamentary majority was needed to repeal the 19th Amendment (19A). He made these remarks at public event held in Wariyapola after officially launching his campaign. The SLPP yesterday officially launched its election campaign and declared open PM’s more..

June 22 (PMD) Chief Incumbent of the Lankarama Vihara, Anuradhapura Ven. Ralapanawe Dhammajothi Thero stated that no one could impede the President’s endeavour to redirect the country towards prosperity. Thero went on to note that Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa is the only leader to stand firm with his principles and policies in a political arena where all others merely criticize each other. These comments were made by the Nayaka thera during Prez’s visit to Lankarama Vihara, A'pura. more..

June 22 (Island) Dialog Axiata, in partnership with Petralex, the global leader in smartphone-based hearing enhancement solutions, announced the launch of the Petralex app for all popular mobile devices. Petralex allows users to utilise their smartphone with any wired or Bluetooth headset as a hearing enhancement tool. The revolutionary app is an affordable and accessible solution targeted at those experiencing hearing impairment or concerned that they may be experiencing hearing loss. more..

June 22 (FT) SLPP is threatening the 19th Amendment and independent institutions like the Election Commission, Police Commission and Public Services Commission, UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe charged. He made the allegations addressing the National Lawyers Association of the UNP at Party Hq yesterday. He stated that the SLPP was threating the 19th Amendment which they had fought to get installed in 2015. more..

June 22 (TM) The Department of Posts would resort to using the barcodes on the 45,000-odd packages of which the mailing addresses were erased. Union of Post and Telecommunication Officers General Secretary and Postal Service Superintendent H.K. Kariyawasam said that the barcode option was the best available remedy for the situation. “Most of the barcodes are still visible so they can be used to refer to the sending countries and get details of the recipients,” Kariyawasam said. more..

June 22 (DM) Over 25,000 suspects have been arrested for various crimes including for the possession of narcotics, firearms and explosives by the police during island-wide raids conducted from June 6 to June 20 midnight, police said. A total of 25,912 suspects were arrested during the crime prevention raids. Total of 6,420 suspects were arrested with 5.5 kgs of heroin, 217 kg of cannabis and 758 grams of Ice drugs while 52 suspects have been arrested over possession of weapons more..

June 22 (Island) Top SJB spokesman former Policy Planning and Economic Development Deputy Minister Dr. Harsha de Silva, said that the party supported Prez Rajapaksa’s call for an immediate debt moratorium in respect of Sri Lanka in view of the rapid economic deterioration caused by the deadly coronavirus pandemic. Economist de Silva said so in response to a query whether the SJB backed Prez’s efforts in that regard. more..

June 22 (ST) The failure to raise US$ 86 million (Rs 31.7 billion) in foreign currency has further delayed govt plans to resume the first phase of the Central Expressway project between Mirigama and Kadwatha. Plans were underway to resume the project this month after a lapse of five years. A senior Treasury official said that under the agreement Sri Lanka should raise the local component of the project in US dollars and the inability to do this had delayed the project. more..

June 22 (SO) Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) should innovate and think out of the box to survive and be sustainable in the post-pandemic economy, said President, SL Chamber of Small and Medium Industries (SLCSMI), Rohan de Silva. “Some of our members have been asking what the govt is going to do about us? My response to them is that they have to work hard instead of depending on others to survive,” de Silva said. The chamber revised its motto to Be Lankan; Buy Lankan more..

June 22 (AD) Chairman of the Elections Commission Mahinda Deshapriya says that the counting of votes will commence on August 6, the day after the general election. The Chairman mentioned this when he arrived at the Kandy District Secretariat to attend a meeting today (21). District Secretary Tissa Karunaratne and officials of the Kandy District who are involved in the election activities met with the EC Chairman more..

June 22 (DM) Former Deputy Minister V. Muralitharan alias Karuna Amman had challenged the rule of law in SL by stating that he had killed 2,000 to 3,000 soldiers in Elephant Pass and another 2,000 in Kilinochchi, former State Minister of Defence Ruwan Wijewardene said. “We vehemently condemn this statement made by Karuna Amman,” he said. “People such as these talk of patriotism in the South but talk of killing SL soldiers when they go to the North, and we pity these persons,” more..

June 22 (AD) No novel coronavirus infections have been reported from the country yesterday (20), according to the Health Ministry. The total number of COVID-19 positive cases recorded in the country stands at 1,950. Among them, 467 are active cases and are under medical care at selected hospitals across the country. The tally of recoveries in the country hiked to 1,472 as a total of 26 more patients regained health and were discharged from medical care, yesterday. more..

June 22 (AD) With former Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage’s controversial claim that the 2011 Cricket World Cup was fixed, several former cricketers spoke out on the matter requesting the former Minister to provide evidence for his allegations. In this context former SLC Chairman Thilanga Sumathipala made a statement at a press conference criticizing the former players’ objections. more..

Jun 22 (FT) There have been many challenges that the world has experienced in the last hundred years. Starting from the great pandemic in the 1920’s, The Vietnam War in the 1970’s and the attack on the WTC in 2001. Sri Lanka in particular had to achieve the crushing of the LTTE In 2009 and the Easter attack in 2019 – yet Sri Lanka always bounced back from ground zero. However, the most devastating challenge that we have been up against has been the ‘COVID-19 Pandemic’ in 2020. more..

Jun 22 (FT) President recently referred to the stimulus packages given by several foreign govts. When he addressed the Central Bank recently, he wanted them to put forward a single proposal to rebuild the economy. Many govts have launched stimulus packages to cushion the outbreak’s economic hit to businesses and households. Whatever the stimulus it must aim to sustain household income, business activity, and the macroeconomic fundamentals to allow for more..

Jun 22 (NI) Sri Lanka received another round of Chinese-made face masks and medical equipment to combat the coronavirus in mid-June, which is further evidence that Sri Lanka is a major target of Beijing’s foreign policy and donation diplomacy. China’s continued Indo-Pacific expansion and Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) promotion, culminating in the launching the Health Silk Road, have caused a swell in U.S.-China tensions. Sri Lanka, referred to as an important piece of real estate by more..

Jun 22 (DM) Through an Extraordinary Gazette notification, the Motor Traffic Department advised that temporary extension of the validity period of all driving licence, which expires during the period between March 16 and June 30, has been extended for six months from the date of expiry due to COVID-19 pandemic situation. The temporary validity period of the driving licence which is set to expire on July 1, has been extended for another three months (until September 30). more..

Jun 22 (AD) Immediate police investigations have been directed into the controversial statements made by Leader of the TUFF Karuna Amman regarding crimes committed while he was in the LTTE. Acting IGP has issued these directions to the CID today to immediately probe the comments. Former LTTE commander and ex-MP V Muralitharan alias Karuna Amman, at a meeting in Navadinveli last Friday made a controversial statement more..

Jun 22 (DM) Whilst stating that former Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage had confirmed the allegations of match-fixing he made previously, former State Minister and Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) candidate Ranjan Ramanayake said he will lodge complaints with the CID, Bribery Commission and ICC calling for investigations on the 2011 Cricket World Cup final. “I made these allegations both at a press conference and in Parliament years ago and no one took any notice. more..

Jun 22 (DM) Two persons were arrested in Ariyalai, Jaffna today when they attempted to carry 4.5 kilograms of TNT explosives from the Muhamalai area in Jaffna, the Police said. They said the explosives were recovered following information received by the Palai Police and the Army. The Police said the two men who attempted to carry the explosives had fled the scene when officers arrived. However, the suspects were arrested during a search by the Police and the Army. more..

Jun 22 (AD) The Colombo District Court has refused to issue an injunction order on the decision of the UNP to suspend the memberships of 99 party members. The decision was passed when the complaint filed by the former MP Ranjith Madduma Bandara was taken up for consideration today. Passing the decision, Colombo District Judge Amali Ranaweera stated in the open court that the plaintiff is required to disclose more..

Jun 22 (Island) Village thugs had been entrusted with the task of recovering microcredit loans granted by many companies, Movement for Land and Agricultural Reform (MONLAR) Moderator Chinthaka Rajapakshe said. Rajapakshe said that a large number of people who had obtained microcredit loans, at high interest rates, were in trouble. "They always had it bad because of the high interest rates. Things got worse because of the COVID-19 crisis. more..

Jun 22 (EN) The SLPP is distancing itself from its former ally V. Muraleetharan the LTTE leader better known by his nom-de-guerre Karuna Amman. This is after the former Eastern Commander of the LTTE controversially boasted he had been part of the attack on the Army at Muhamalai that killed between 2,000 and 3,000 soldiers. In fact the fighting in Muhamalai, the Forward Defense Line of the Army which went on from 2001 to about 2008 did see heavy casualties but between 2,000 is more..

Jun 22 (CT) Former UNP MP Harin Fernando said that it was the Archbishop of Colombo who deprived UNP candidate Sajith Premadasa of votes during the last Prez Election. He made this statement at a SJB meeting held in Polonnaruwa. He added that if 5% of the number of votes received by Gotabaya Rajapaksa came to Sajith Premadasa’s side then it would have been 47% for Sajith. “More than 300,000 voters who marked first more..

Jun 22 (CT) High Commission of India organised a yoga session in collaboration with the SL Army at the Headquarters of SL Army in Colombo to mark the sixth International Day of Yoga yesterday (21). Special messages from PM Narendra Modi and Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa were telecast on the occasion. High Commissioner of India, Gopal Baglay, and Lt. Gen. Shavendra Silva, Commander of the SL Army, along with various dignitaries and armed forces personnel participated in the session. more..

Jun 22 (EN) The SJB is extending an apology to Malcolm Cardinal Ranjit over remarks made on Sunday at a public rally in Polonnaruwa by one of its candidates, Harin Fernando. Former MP Tissa Attanayake said that the SJB apologizes for the statement “if it has caused him any distress.” Attanayake said the speech made by Fernando yesterday was a long speech in which he spoke about the Easter Sunday attacks and how it impacted on the election campaign of more..

Jun 22 (AD) Three suspects including a close associate imprisoned underworld leader Indunil Kumara alias Indra have been arrested by officers of the STF organized crime prevention unit at Embulgama, in Hanwella. STF said that the arrested suspects include underworld figure Dasun Jayathilaka alias Akku and two others. Officers also took into custody a fake pistol, three swords, a dagger and 325 grams of Kerala more..

Jun 22 (EN) Bad loans at banks in Sri Lanka picked 5.1% of gross credit by March 2020 from 4.9% in Dec 2019, in continuing fallout from the last currency crisis in 2018, with a Coronavirus crisis also erupting in the month, official data shows. The effects are more pronounced in licensed specialized banks where non-performing loans rose to 6.6% of gross loan in the March 2020 from 5.5% in December, CB data showed. SL’s bad loans spike about a year to 18 months after each currency crisis, more..

Jun 22 (AD) Court of Appeal has rejected the writ petition filed by Ape Jana Bala party – from which Ven. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thero is contesting the General Election 2020 – over the rejection of their nominations papers. The decision was taken by the Court of Appeal Judge bench consisting of CA Chairman Justice A.H.M.D. Nawaz, and Justice Sobhitha Rajakaruna, today. Judge bench, in its ruling, stated that it refuses to issue notices to hear the relevant petitions. more..