Sep 26 (DN) Opening up new vistas in the SL Tourism sector Wickramarachchi Hearing Care will be introducing SL, as the best destination for hearing care implants in Asia. Founder and Managing Director, Wickramarachchi Opticians and Hearing Care Mihira Wickramarachchi said that they had planned to launch this initiative in March but was forced to postpone due to the corona pandemic. “Any person from eight month to 88 years can get his or her hearing restored even if more..

Sep 26 (CT) Faiz Musthapha PC making submissions to the Court of Appeal on 24 September said it was only the gods that would know the true motive of the Colombo High Court (CHC) Judge Gihan Kulatunga, who convicted former President’s Secretary Lalith Weeratunga and ex-Head of the TRC, Anusha Pelpita, over charges of the misappropriation of State funds towards the distribution of Sil cloth during the lead up to the 2015 Presidential Poll. more..

Sep 26 (AD) A member of the Ipalogama Pradeshiya Sabha, along with 02 others, has been arrested for the possession of heroin. The arrest has been made in a joint operation carried out by Ipalogama Police and Sri Lanka Army intelligence units, last evening (25). A stash of 3 grams and 65 milligrams of heroin has been recovered from the suspects, the Police said. The arrested suspects, aged 26, 28, and 32 years, more..

Sep 26 (DM) Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa has directed relevant officials to look into the feasibility of bringing down prices of cement and steel, in order to reduce the construction cost in the country. Prez said this during a discussion held with the State Ministry of Finance and Capital Markets and Public Enterprise Reforms with regard to its future activities, at the Presidential Secretariat. Prez Rajapaksa highlighted the need of identifying investment opportunities and improving infrastructure facilities more..

Sep 26 (ST) Expressing grave concern about the recent developments at the Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC), Association of Medical Specialists has said the current crisis is strongly linked to trade unionisation of the premier body. “There is an imminent threat of a trade union taking reins of the SLMC which would mark the beginning of the end of ethical medical practice of SL. Minister of Health has basically been held at ransom with a trade union action notice to get the assistant registrar more..

Sep 26 (ST) Lack of co-ordination among state agencies and their failure to monitor and act on problems has resulted in a surge of mass-scale destruction of forests and environmentally sensitive areas including the Knuckles Range, investigations revealed. The destruction of forest in Eluwankulama, Wanathawilluwa and of wetlands in Anavilundawa – both in the Puttalam district – more..

Sep 26 (CT) Colombo High Court Judge Adithya Patabendige on 25 Sept deferred further hearing of the case filed against former Kandy ASP Kulasiri Udugampola on charges of illegally raiding a safe house maintained by Army intelligence officers along with the arrests of Intelligence officers and the seizure of firearms, to 17 Dec. When the case was taken up, the accused Patabendige who is presently out on bail was present in Court. Further hearing of the trial was fixed to the said date and more..

Sep 26 (TM) Former Goldman Sachs and Nomura executive Jayamin Pelpola, who has been appointed to the Board of the BOI, wants to increase the nation’s competency and ambition through the avenues of investment, finance and technology. “I would be very happy to contribute to SL in a way that increases the nation’s competency and ambition. It is evident that SL has space to improve in the areas of investment, finance and technology to accelerate SL’s recovery and development” more..

Sep 26 (ST) The final report of a committee appointed to investigate the countrywide power failure on Aug 17 has been delayed because the CEB withheld crucial data, which it only handed over on Friday. The outcome of the inquiry is now expected to be handed over to the Power Ministry on September 25 or 27, an authoritative source said. The 9-member committee, which produced an interim report within 3 days of the blackout, more..

Sep 26 (CT) NPP Leader, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, yesterday (24), alleged in Parliament that Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena was biased towards the Government. Dissanayake said this, when the Speaker announced that a statement presented by ACTC Leader Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, under Standing Order 27(2) could not be allowed as it was sub judice. Following the Speaker’s announcement, Dissanayake said the NPP did not agree with the Speaker’s ruling. more..

Sep 26 (MFA) On the initiative taken by the Ambassador of Sri Lanka in Egypt Damayanthie Rajapakse, First Secretary (Commercial) Shiwanthi Abeyrathne and Trade Assistant of the Embassy Ahmed Selim visited Suez Canal Authority in Ismailia, Egypt on 23 Sept, to discuss SL’s technological capacity in boat and ship building and dry-dock services, its potential for nautical tourism and to explore avenues to market these products to the Suez Canal Authority in Egypt. more..

Sep 26 (EN) Russian airman who created panic in Matara by seen shopping after testing positive for Covid 19 has had the disease and has recovered Chief Epidemiologist Dr Sudath Samaraweera said. Samaraweera said that the airman was tested at the Covid ward in the Hambantota hospital and antibodies for the Covid virus was found in his blood yesterday. “This means he has had the disease and recovered and more..

Sep 26 (FT) SL Association of Software Service Companies (SLASSCOM) has entered into a MOU with the National Chamber of Commerce of SL (NCCSL) to facilitate the promotion of the NCCSL initiative, an online platform known as fromsrilanka.com, among SLASSCOM member companies. SLASSCOM members will have the opportunity to feature their products and services on this online platform which operates as an online B2B marketplace for SL companies to promote more..

Sep 26 (EN) Former President Maithripala Sirisena is saying he was the victim of ultra-right-wing forces as much as the late slain PM S W R D Bandaranaike. “Bandaranaike was asked to lead the country and after three and half years he was shot dead,” Sirisena told a ceremony commemorating Bandananaike today. “Even though the ultra-right-wing forces in my govt did not shoot me to kill, they killed me by taking away my political power,” he said. more..

Sep 26 (Reuters) PM Mahinda Rajapaksa sought an additional currency swap facility and deferment of debt payments from India during an online bilateral summit with Indian PM Narendra Modi on Saturday. SL owes about $960 million to India and earlier this year India agreed to a $400 million currency swap facility for SL until Nov 2022. “An additional request for a bilateral currency swap arrangement worth around $1 billion by more..

Sep 26 (TM) Two of Australia’s most beloved rituals have been combined in one ground-breaking beer thanks to Port Adelaide Pirate Life Brewing and family tea company Dilmah. The Australian-first collaboration has produced tea and Biccies Brown Ale, combining the deliciousness of fresh beer with the refreshing taste & natural goodness of SL black tea. “We are planning to push the boundaries on what tea and beer can be," said Pirate Life Brewing Founder Michael Cameron. more..

Sep 26 (ST) The police will continue with trials of moving peak hour road traffic in dedicated lanes in select roads of Colombo and suburbs after shelving a decision to impose a fine of Rs 2,000 from tomorrow on offenders. “We will not impose fines immediately, but we plan to call those violating rules for [road] traffic classes," Senior DIG Deshabandu Tennakoon said. On Friday, the traffic police allowed three-wheelers and motorcycles into one lane, having restricted them to the bus lane earlier. more..

Sep 26 (MB) Bear! The very word may strike terror in the hearts of some, but unknown to many, this wonderful creature is on the brink of extinction in SL, with its numbers very drastically reduced, its habitats decimated, and the hand of man firmly turned against him out of abject fear. Many men of the jungle have told me they would rather face the charge of an elephant, as there is still some chance of escape. more..

Sep 26 (ORF) The results of SL’s parliamentary election held recently in August surprised no one. Ever since the Easter Sunday bombings last year, there has been an implicit acknowledgment across the media, policy making and strategic community, academics and scholars, both inside Sri Lanka as well as outside it, that the Rajapaksa brothers would return to power. However, that their party the SLPP succeeded in winning 145 seats and gaining five more, giving them the two-thirds majority more..

Sep 26 (Island) Badulla District SLPP MP Chamara Sampath Dassanayake told Parliament, yesterday, that the SJB MP Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka was under the delusion that he was still commanding the army. “He should realise that he is in Parliament. Yesterday, he threatened to take on the entire front row of govt ranks single-handedly. We do not need an entire row of members to match him. We could send a single person that is our minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara. more..

Sep 26 (ET) India on Saturday announced a grant assistance of $15 million for the promotion of Buddhist ties with Sri Lanka besides affirming to expand defence partnership eyeing to stabilise the Southern Indian Ocean. These decisions were announced at the first ever virtual summit between PM Narendra Modi and Sri Lankan PM Mahinda Rajapaksa. This was also India’s first such summit with a neighbour. more..

Sep 27 (CT) The authoritarian most pertinent to the SL scene today is not Stalin or Hitler and interestingly not JR either, because none of these stood atop a gush of populism; it is Benito Mussolini; elected by the people, admired by an array of sycophants, darling of the army and eventually strung up from a lamppost in Milan. The commonality with Lanka is the psychological bond linking Mussolini and the people. In our case at this stage in our political conjuncture we need to more..

Sep 27 (SO) SJB MPs made their first futile attempt in Parliament on Tuesday (22), enacting a big drama protesting against the 20th Amendment. No sooner Justice Minister Ali Sabry presented the 20A Bill to the House, SJB MPs who began protesting against the Bill later came to the well of the House wearing black armlets and badges shouting No to 20. The SJB MPs’ unparliamentary behaviour created a tense situation in the House and Govt lawmakers also came down to the well and shouted more..

Sep 27 (SO) Minister Chamal Rajapaksa said they could understand the difficulties faced by the then Prez, PM and Govt officials under the 19A. It did not bring any benefit to the country or to the people. Therefore, we decided to introduce the 20A as we do not wish to undergo the same old experience anymore. Minister said that the Constitution has been amended 20 times that means it has numerous shortcomings, more..

Sep 27 (ST) The Retired Judges Association and the Bar Association have come out with some negative observations on the 20th Amendment now before the Supreme Court to test the constitutionality of the wide-ranging provisions contained therein. They have both questioned the Prez’s sole power to appoint senior judges, including the Chief Justice, but while the retired judges prefer civil society members vetting the process, the Bar has an interesting rider to their concerns. more..

Sep 27 (SO) The very elements that undermined the security of the state and brought the nation to the brink of failure are seen carrying placards into Parliament claiming that the 2Oth Amendment is illegitimate (avajathaka) or bastardised. It’s not a cause for concern; rather, it is a cause for the Govt to be bemused at how tone deaf the current Opposition ranks are. This Opposition has collectively not a single self-effacing thought for self scrutiny and correction in the face of more..

Sep 27 (CT) Retired Major Gen. G.V. Ravipriya who was appointed as the Director-General SL Customs, is gearing to bring about a vast change in his institution namely, paperless documentation by end October, and to end corruption where Customs officers are involved. Recently, Customs Preventive Division also filed a case against him over releasing a suspect cargo to the importer where Rtd Major Gen. is now dealing with. more..

Sep 27 (ST) My dear JR, I thought of writing to you because, had you been with us, you would have celebrated your 114th birthday last week. Hardly anyone remembered, but it’s not because you haven’t left a legacy. In fact, you can be happy that you have left an enduring legacy – Constitution you drafted for Paradise. You are being remembered on a daily basis these days, because the Constitution you imposed on us, which was designed to make you king, is being revived in a hurry. more..

Sep 27 (CT) National Congress Leader A.L.M. Athaullah was compelled to leave the Parliament Chamber on Tuesday, following a chaotic situation created by the SJB when he entered the Chamber wearing un-decorous clothing as far as Parliament is concerned. He came in a Kurta top and an Afghan Pashtun vest worn over it. Athaullah arrived in the Chamber amidst the protest of the SJB against the Govt presenting the 20th Amendment to the Constitution on the same day. more..

Sep 27 (Island) Ratnayake Central Walala athlete Tharushi Karunaratne said that the absence of reputed coach Susantha Fernando at the premier Sports School has made her train by herself. She said that she was following Fernando’s schedules in his absence in reply to a query by The Island at a function organized by the National Olympic Committee to announce Crysbro Next Champ sponsorships for up and coming athletes at the Foundation Institute on Thursday. more..

Sep 27 (ST) The battle over the 20th Amendment began amid chaotic scenes in Parliament this week when the Govt presented it to the House even as Opposition MPs staged a protest inside. As soon as Justice Minister Ali Sabry rose to present the motion on Tuesday , MPs from the SJB, wearing black armbands and carrying placards, started shouting slogans against 20A. The MPs, who also wore vinashakari 20 epa (No to Destructive 20) badges, marched to the Well of the House, more..

Sep 27 (CT) Prez Rajapaksa, in a pre-recorded statement at the High Level Meeting to Commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the UN, on Monday said; “We expect the UN to place due emphasis on non-interference in domestic affairs of other States. At a time when the world is facing a common and an unrivalled threat, the UN We Need, I am certain, will place due emphasis on the sovereign equality of States, more..

Sep 27 (CT) The picture and the caption above are from the Daily News, dated July 3, 2019, announcing the commencement of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) project construction work under the patronage of (then) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe, with (then) Urban and Western Development Minister Champika Ranawaka calling the LRT project a measure to ease the traffic congestion in and around Colombo city. Four months later on October 11, 2019, Daily News again reported that more..

Sep 27 (Island) There was a babble of righteous indignation when new MPs elected to the incumbent Parliament were told during an orientation session that meals served to them at the Diyawanna restaurant cost the taxpayer a cool three thousand bucks per meal though they paid only a relative pittance for what they ate. The figure, which seemed highly unlikely, was later corrected to say that a fish meal cost Rs. 950 to provide while a vegetarian meal cost Rs.629 with MPs charged Rs.200 more..

Sep 27 (ST) With the 20th Amendment pending approval in Parliament, the independent Police Commission has come into much focus. Just last week, former IGP Pujith Jayasundara told the PCoI, that ex-Prez Maithripala Sirisena transferred officers frequently through the Commission. As reported earlier, carrying out the instructions was an official who once wielded power at the Defence Ministry more..

Sep 27 (ST) Fast bowler Shehan Madushanka who was arrested in May for alleged possession of heroin is to be produced before Courts on Oct 8. Madushanka was arrested on May 24 in Pannala when he was hanging around the Kudalupoththa tank, allegedly to sell the stash. He was carrying just over two grams of heroin when detained. He has been in remand prison since. He faces a jail term for drug-peddling, a criminal offence. His cricketing career too remains suspended. more..

Sep 27 (SO) For nearly six months SL’s beleaguered cricketers have been waiting to play a shot against international opposition while its bad neighbour Bangladesh has been playing spoil sport in a manner that has made them bigger than the game and more important than global health demands during the coronavirus pandemic. Frustratingly for the unassuming team captain Dimuth Karunaratne the wait has been too long and probably draining them of the enthusiasm to get back to more..

Sep 27 (Island) Sri Lanka Cricket has been left with Hobson’s choice and postpone the three match Test series against Bangladesh after their cricket board had informed on Friday that they are willing to follow only three days of quarantine in Colombo ahead of the series. Earlier, Bangladesh had informed SLC that they were willing to do only 7 days of quarantine as opposed to two weeks of mandatory quarantine stipulated by Health M. more..

Sep 27 (CT) The newly elected govt has realised the importance of increasing the number of electrical and electronic goods manufacturing factories / assembly plants to overcome the prevailing foreign exchange crisis in the country. They have also realised the importance of giving priority to local industries in the govt procurement process to promote local entrepreneurship. “We need to provide necessary infrastructure facilities and a healthy investment climate with a more proactive more..