Jun 28 (ST) SLC is exploring all possibilities of conducting the Lanka Premier League (LPL), a franchise-based T20 league in August by capitalising on opportunities following the global health crisis. A blueprint is being finalised to play it from August 8-20, possibly with foreign participation. Players from Australia, West Indies and Pakistan have shown interest with each expected to earn between US$ 10,000 and 60,000, more..

Jun 28 (SO) Former SL rugby centre and team manager Christopher Jordashe lashed out at the manner in which the sport has been left to languish without proper progress and blamed what he called voting syndromes and conflicts of interests on the part of administrators. SL team has had very little to crow about by way of international results in the recent past while the standard of club rugby has also dropped with just one club, Kandy SC, playing as a cut above the rest on the domestic scene. more..

Jun 28 (AD) Commander of the Army Lt Gen Shavendra Silva has appealed the general public to continue their COVID-19 preventive health practices further by using face masks, keeping social distancing and washing hands until further instructions are received from health authorities. He also expressed his gratitude to the general public for the overwhelming support they extended towards the near successful control of the spread of COVID-19 in the country. more..

Jun 28 (TM) Mahindananda Aluthgamage, who was the Sports Minister during 2011 on Wednesday (24) handed over his six-page report that is also consisting eight additional documents into the hands of the specially appointed officers, DIG T.G. Samaranayake and Inspector Supun Withanage, of the Special Investigative Unit (on sports-related corruption) attached to the SL Police and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. more..

Jun 28 (SO) Debunking allegations levelled by different factions, head of the Committee appointed to review the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Agreement, Prof. Lalithasiri Gunaruwan said that his committee enjoyed absolute freedom in preparing the final report on the MCC agreement with no political interference. During his Presidential Election campaign in 2019, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa promised to review the proposed MCC agreement between Sri Lanka and the US. more..

Jun 28 (CT) SLC President Shammi Silva stated they hope to resume the major league cricket tournament on 14 July. The league - which comprise 14 teams - played six matches each (except for Badureliya and NCC) in the group stage before it was interrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic around 15 March. The super eight stage of this premier domestic tournament will be four-day encounters, while the balance six teams will play in the Plate Championship. more..

Jun 28 (TM) Treasury has instructed SL Customs to release the consignments of imported ethanol held at the port by authorities, due to the ban imposed on imported ethanol from 1 Jan, on the condition that no further imports of ethanol will be allowed. Secretary to the Treasury S.R. Attygalle, in a letter addressed to the Director General of Customs dated Wednesday (24), stated that Prez has instructed to clear the consignments more..

Jun 28 (TM) Sri Lanka has one of the highest construction costs in the SAARC region, creating significant concerns regarding affordability for housing for most of the urban population. Many live far outside the business centres enduring prolonged commutes, resulting in increased pressure on infrastructure and a decrease in the productivity of workers. There are a few key reasons for the high cost of construction which can be alleviated by some appropriate action from relevant authorities. more..

Jun 28 (TM) Covid-19 pandemic has changed consumer behaviour, with customers choosing to sacrifice life’s luxuries and settling for the most essential products. This change is heavily felt by high-end fashion brands, with people caring less about the way they look due to the lack of events and social gatherings. Hameedia, a leading home-grown menswear brand, has not been immune to this impact, according to its Managing Director (MD) Fouzul Hameed. more..

Jun 28 (Hindu) SL’s request to India for a postponement of its debt repayment amidst the current economic crisis is under consideration, say officials, though no decision has been taken, more than four months after the request was made personally by SL PM Mahinda Rajapaksa to PM Narendra Modi. On Saturday, Mr. Rajapaksa renewed calls for int'l monetary organisations to provide debt relief for developing countries during an interaction more..

Jun 28 (ST) The Finance Ministry is poised to implement a fiscal stimulus package focusing across the country’s businesses to weather the coronavirus storm. The package provides tax concessions, extending deadlines for tax filing, deferral of tax payments, faster tax refunds, and some tax exemptions credit guarantees and collateral waivers, official sources said adding that these measures are under consideration to rescue COVID-19 hit corporates and SMEs. more..

Jun 28 (ST) Those who grew up in the 1970s will remember the hard times with bread queues and food shortages. I remember once travelling to a store in Kandana near Ja-ela from Colombo to buy a hard-to-get Linton’s shirt! Top two brands of shirts during that time were Hentleys and Linton’s. No imported shirts were permitted – a far cry from today where SL’s garment industry has mastered the art of producing high-quality shirts which sell under different brands like Marks & Spencer, more..

Jun 28 (TM) A shipment of ethanol ordered for the production of alcohol was held by Customs on suspicion that it was ordered after the Govt imposed a ban on the import of ethanol in January, but was cleared late on Friday evening following inspection. Director of Customs Sunil Jayarathna said that 20 tankers were being held by Customs under this suspicion. Shipment was ordered by the Harry Jayawardena-led more..

Jun 28 (SO) The Govt has begun to use the cargo flights of the national carrier to bring down Sri Lankans in small clusters with commodities from other parts of the world to expedite the Covid-19 repatriation, a Foreign Ministry official said. Cargo flights of the national carrier fly to 19 cities in 13 countries - 35 per month. Therefore, the Govt and the Foreign Ministry will use cargo flights to expedite Covid-19 repatriation, apart from the commercial and charter flights, he said. more..

Jun 28 (SO) A move to conduct an illegal showbiz cricket series featuring former ODI players in Anuradhapura has been rubbished by Sri Lanka Cricket and subdequently abandoned by its shadowy organisers. The tournament that was to be run bordering the lines of the Indian Premier League (IPL) was to be the franchise property of an unnamed outside party and worked off from June 25 to July 6. It was to have teams with rousing names like Hurricane Blasters, Royal Lions and more..

Jun 28 (ST) At least three countries have expressed concern over the no-questions-asked Special Deposit Account (SDA) the govt introduced in April to induce Sri Lankans living abroad to remit foreign money into the country. Senior officials of the German Embassy and two other European missions have met the Central Bank (CB) last week to clarify the so – called no questions asked SDA, well – placed sources said. more..

Jun 28 (EN) Former MP Harin Fernando has met Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith and two have made up after a spat between the Catholic Bishop of Colombo and the former Minister made news for a few days last week. The SJB leader Sajith Premadasa and Fernando called on the Cardinal today Saturday June 27, and exchanged views. “We had a cordial exchange and the issues that were there have been resolved,” Premadasa told reporters outside the Archbishop’s House. more..

Jun 28 (ST) SL, which is credited with successfully controlling the COVID-19 pandemic, is not on the list of 54 countries whose citizens will benefit from the reopening of the European Union external borders from early next month, an official EU website reported. The list included countries which have higher COVID-19 death tolls than SL. India which has so far reported 16,096 COVID-19 deaths and 527,994 cases and Canada which has reported 8,516 deaths & 102,954 cases are on the list. more..

Jun 28 (ST) At one time, he was the most trusted military commander of the LTTE leader, V Prabhakaran, who led a near three-decade-long failed separatist war. That high level of trust prompted the LTTE leader in 2004 to name him to the delegation for Norwegian-brokered peace talks between the govt and the LTTE. Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias Karuna was then the LTTE’s Eastern Commander. more..

Jun 29 (CT) Few weeks ago Ven Galagoda Atte Gnanasara Thero, known for inciting Sinhalese and unleashing violence against Muslims, said he would dissolve his organisation BBS as it has achieved its target of setting up a Sinhala Buddhist govt without minority support. Following the election of the present govt to power on 15 Nov 2019, he was rather quiet. Now that the parliamentary election is forthcoming, he has started his campaign once again pitting the Sinhalese against Muslims. more..

Jun 29 (SO) The recent approach of the US to the UN and its agencies has left many shaking their heads. The US, under President Roosevelt, played a seminal role in creating the UN and its key agencies after WWII and subsequently nurturing them. The UN was intended by Roosevelt to bring lasting peace to the world raising itself from the dust and agonising over the thousands of graves, marked and unmarked and nursing the thousands separated from their families. more..

Jun 29 (CT) The sand filling project of the coastal belt south of Colombo including Mount Lavinia beach has come under severe criticism due to drastic changes that took place in the beach after the implementation of the project. Some of the criticisers have not paid any focus on the technical features of this project. Therefore, we decided to study this project in deep. Sri Lanka has been facing the problem of sea erosion for a long time. more..

Jun 29 (ST) Governance in Sri Lanka today is transitioning from a constitutional (albeit flawed) system of checks and balances to tugs of war between competing political power centres that are constrained not by the Constitution or statute but by the sheer praxis of force. In that unseemly struggle over which looms the spectre of a militarised command hierarchy, civil liberties of individuals will receive short shrift. We see that with powerful effect today. more..

Jun 29 (TM) In what would usually be a volatile pre-election period, keeping the peace would by now be on top of the agenda for the govt in power. That responsibility involves keeping the protagonists from each other’s throats, especially the more extremist elements. On that score, the Govt seems to have done a commendable job so far. That apart, the Covid-19 pandemic has thrown up a multitude of ancillary challenges which the Government will have to deal with pre-election such as more..

Jun 29 (CT) It is surprising how the COVID-19 outbreak sent the entire world into a state of unnecessary panic, despite having previously experienced two world wars. From the moment the first COVID-19 positive patient emerged from the City of Wuhan in China, a total of 9,393,862 people have tested positive for the Virus Worldwide while 480,587 individuals have succumbed to the COVID-19. Within the number of individuals infected, more..

Jun 29 (TM) The past week was a case of a political potpourri with preparations for the 2020 general election continuing while several other political issues also took centre stage in the latter half of the week. One of the main focal points of the week was the handing over of the final report of the Committee appointed to review the US Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Compact agreement with Sri Lanka to Prez Rajapaksa on Thursday (25) and PM Rajapaksa on Wednesday (24). more..

Jun 29 (ST) In peace times, too, have the laws fallen silent and ceased to apply to self-confessed mass murderer Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan, better known as the dreaded Karuna Amman, who, as a regional commander of the Tamil Tigers during its reign of terror, carried out dastardly attacks on the Lankan Forces and has now taken to gloat over his gory deeds on public platforms with impudence? Does the killing of over two thousand Lankan soldiers in the name of establishing a utopian more..

Jun 29 (Island) No sooner had Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa torn into a group of Central Bank (CB) officials than Minister Wimal Weerawansa inveighed against them, during a recent interview. He made a very serious allegation against some CB officials. Minister Weerawansa claimed that certain CB officials were in the pay of rogue finance companies and, therefore, did not monitor those outfits properly; he was aware of the identity of one of them, he added, stopping short of naming names. more..

Jun 29 (EN) Sri Lanka has announced a series of taxes to keep prices of some goods high and increase profits for manufacturers, as many imports are controlled after printing money unprecedented amounts of money. Leaf-springs will be taxed at 30% or 100 rupees a kilogram (leaf-springs are dense), aluminium structures and frames including windows 30% or 300 rupees a kilogram (aluminum is light), electric motors 30% or 330 rupees a unit and batteries 30% or 165 rupees a kilogram. more..

Jun 29 (NZ) Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute community is mourning the loss of Shanthi, beloved member of its Asian elephant herd and ambassador for her species. After decades of managing and treating Shanthi’s osteoarthritis, animal care staff recently noted that her physical condition had irreversibly declined. They elected to humanely euthanize her June 26. more..

Jun 29 (Island) It was in 1984, 36 years ago, that I returned to Sri Lanka, from India, after completing my Sub Lieutenant Technical course. My new appointment was at the Northern Naval Command and I was based in SLNS Elara shore establishment, in Karainagar. Six batchmates of mine were also transferred to the North. It was in mid-1984. I now feel that transferring seven batchmates—boisterous Sub Lieutenants—was a very big mistake on the part of the Navy. more..

Jun 29 (Island) We watched Prez Rajapaksa recently admonishing senior officials of the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank, requesting them to bring new thinking and new ideas. There is no doubt that many officials in the public sector are merely time-keeping in their positions, and generally speaking, public officials need to be cajoled into action; there is no question about that. Nonetheless, I must comment on this specific instance, with my personal experience in the field. more..

Jun 29 (EN) SL will turn billions of rupees worth contractors bills due from govt into money at 4%, by re-financing them though the CB, Minister Bandula Gunewardene has said. There were 240 billion rupees of arrears due to contractors for work carried out for the govt in the past, Minister Gunewardene said. Contractors were completely stuck due to payment delays he said. “If the govt has approved work done by your company more..

Jun 29 (EN) Sri Lanka is ended nightly curfews on June 28, the Presidents office said as most economic activities are resuming subject to contact tracing and new cases are limited to quarantined sailors and foreign returnees. “The curfew has completely been lifted effective from today, June 28th Sunday,” the Presidents office said in a statement. Sri Lanka is opening museums from July 01. However people have been advised not to hold large cultural and religious events. more..

Jun 29 (Island) When thinking of Sanath Jayasuriya's Test career it wouldn't be inaccurate to say that it was underwhelming compared to white ball cricket. This however wouldn't be a surprise since his technique was unorthodox and very rarely people with unorthodox techniques perform consistently in the red ball format. Despite this, there were moments of brilliance in Sanath's Test career. Double century at Oval in 1998, triple against India in 1997 are few that come to top of the mind. more..

Jun 29 (Island) An opinion poll conducted by the four- member committee appointed to review the proposed Millennium Challenge Corporation Compact (MCC) has found that 75% of country’s population were against Sri Lanka signing the agreement with the US. The final report of the Expert’s Committee was handed over to Prez Rajapaksa at the Presidential Secretariat on Thursday. more..

Jun 29 (FT) Pathfinder Foundation Founder and former Minister Milinda Moragoda has called on political parties to clearly state their positions on the Provincial Council system in their policy platforms for the forthcoming General Elections. He urges parties to consider repealing the 13th Amendment, thereby abolishing the Provincial Council system. Moragoda reiterated his earlier proposal that the Provincial Councils should be abolished and power be directly devolved to empowered & reconfigured local, more..

Jun 29 (Island) Stepping up its assistance to businesses and individuals affected by the global health and economic crisis, Sampath Bank rolled out a host of special business loans and gold loans under its Revive SL initiative at a significantly low interest rate of 9% p.a. Sampath Bank is now offering special low interest Sampath Diriya loans of Rs.10 million up to Rs. 100 million at 9% p.a. under the Revive SL program. It includes capital loans for up to 120 months and working capital loans more..

Jun 29 (DM) While requesting the people of SL to always have the broader picture in mind when it comes to politics, PM Mahinda Rajapaksa has stressed the necessity of having a very strong mandate at the forthcoming election in order to conclusively defeat domestic and foreign conspiracies against SL. “You will recall that at the end of 2018 when the yahapalana govt began to break up, diplomats of certain Western more..