Sep 29 (FT) With the possibility (at the time of writing) of the 20th Amendment removing the 19th Amendment’s restriction on dual citizens becoming MPs, it is worth considering why such a move is necessary. As an issue that would affect a relatively small number of people, the arguments in favour of protecting the right of dual citizens to candidacy have not received enough consideration. This article therefore attempts to summarise a few reasons why it actually matters whether dual citizens more..

Sep 29 (AD) Cabinet of Ministers approved a proposal submitted by Minister of Justice Ali Sabry to establish a special unit under the Ministry of Justice to implement a Judicial Reform Program. It has been noted that there have been 766,784 pending cases in the courts by the end of 2019 and that delays in the judicial process in Sri Lanka have severely affected the people involved as well as the country’s economy. The govt said in a notice that the National Law Committee, in 2016, more..

Sep 29 (AD) Army personnel have seized a consignment of 946 kilograms of turmeric, suspected to have been smuggled into the country illegally via the sea route, concealed at Kondachchi, Mannar. A joint team of the 8 Battalion Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment and 3 Commando Regiment troops of the 54 Division in Kondachchi, Mannar after apprehension of a suspect on Monday (28) night took the consignment of turmeric into custody early this morning (29). more..

Sep 29 (AD) Cabinet of Ministers has given its approval to terminate the Japan-funded Light Rail Transit (LRT) project, which was planned to be implemented in the western region of Sri Lanka as a solution for the severe traffic congestion. The approval of the Cabinet was previously granted to launch the project under the funds provided by JICA. However, the observations made by the Minister of Transport have revealed that more..

Sep 29 (Island) Accelerating local game development and gamification while helping to foster the developer community of SL, Dialog Axiata, will be powering the SL edition of Game Jam+, a global movement by Google promoting entrepreneurship in the creative industry. Aiming to help transform games into businesses, 5th edition of this local game development and gamification marathon will feature 100 cities worldwide with more than 50,000 participants, 4,000 projects more..

Sep 29 (TN) CEOs of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment, Mr. Sayed Zaman Hashemi, and Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Manjula de Silva, virtually signed a historic MOU of Cooperation between the two Chambers on Monday (28), the Afghan Foreign Ministry in Columbo reported in a statement. "MOU provides for the establishment of an Afghanistan-SL Trade Desk within both Chambers, helping implement both sides’ shared commercial goals," more..

Sep 29 (AD) The Cabinet has granted approval to implement the proposals tabled by PM Mahinda Rajapaksa, on banning of cattle slaughter in the country with immediate effect, subjected to the implementation of relevant measures. “As a country with an economy based on agriculture, the contribution of the cattle resource to develop the livelihood of the rural people of Sri Lanka is immense,” govt said in a statement. more..

Sep 29 (AN) Hundreds of SL migrants, Catholic and non-Catholic, have been stranded in various countries. Among them, those in Middle Eastern countries are facing huge problems due to the lack of food, shelter, clothing, etc., as they wait to go home. “Unless the SL govt raises awareness about the need for social cohesion, the pandemic could have a negative impact on the people who live thanks to foreign remittances, and prevent them from taking part in socio-economic activities,” more..

Sep 29 (AD) The Colombo High Court has issued an arrest warrant on Dilum Thusitha Kumara, the then-driver of former Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka. This is with regard to the case filed over the alleged hit-and-run incident which took place on February 28, 2016 where the vehicle in which the former Megapolis and Western Province Development Minister was traveling in collided against a motorcycle in Rajagiriya, causing life-threatening injuries to its rider. more..

Sep 29 (AD) The PM will not be made a nominal role through the 20th Amendment to the Constitution, says Premier Mahinda Rajapaksa. Responding to the questions raised by heads of media institutions and newspaper editors during a meeting held today, the PM said noted that he stands by the govt’s stance on the 20th Amendment. Ministers Keheliya Rambukwella, Wimal Weerawansa, Udaya Gammanpila, more..

Sep 29 (AD) The owner of the collapsed building in Buwelikada, Kandy, Anura Lewke, has been arrested by the police. A 5-story building on the Sanghamitta Mawatha in Buwelikada, Kandy collapsed onto a nearby house on Sept 20, and a family of three – father, mother, and one and half month old infant – was killed in the incident. While the owner of the collapsed building, former Basnayake Nilame of Dodanwala Natha Dewalaya Anura Lewke, claimed that more..

Sep 29 (AFP) A claim that a local eatery in Sri Lanka was serving plastic eggs has been shared in multiple posts on Facebook. The posts also include tips on how to identify fake eggs. However, the claim is false; local health officials investigated the matter and found now evidence that plastic eggs were being served to customers. The photos in the posts were published in reports about fake eggs being produced in China. The claim was published on Facebook here on Sept 15, 2020. more..

Sep 29 (FT) Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has reprimanded national cricketer Kusal Mendis for being involved in a fatal motor accident in Panadura and said that they are taking steps to include a Players’ Code of Ethics to the contracts of the national players. Mendis was involved in a fatal motor accident in Panadura on 5 July that killed a 64-year-old cyclist while driving home in his vehicle after attending a dinner in the wee hours of more..

Sep 29 (wsws) Last Thursday, a Russian visitor, who was staying in a tourist hotel in the crowded city of Matara, tested positive for COVID-19. News about the case created widespread anxiety and some panic amongst the city’s residents. Many parents rushed to their local schools to bring their children home immediately. The justifiable concern exposes the general distrust, within the population, of the boasts and false assurances of the Rajapakse govt to have controlled the spread of pandemic. more..

Sep 29 (EN) Finances of SL’s tea exporters have been hit by delayed payments from international buyers due to a Coronavirus pandemic, an industry official said. “The tea export sector has been experiencing severe cash flow difficulties due to delays in receiving remittances from overseas buyers, as a result of the worldwide economic upheaval created by the Covid-19 pandemic, “Jayantha Karunaratna, re-elected president of the Colombo Tea Traders Association said more..

Sep 29 (EN) The NPP believes resistance to the proposed 20th Amendment cannot be limited to a court challenge. NPP MP Dr Harini Amarasuriya, said that the 1978 Constitution is “exploitative and anti-democratic in its very intent. We believe we have come to the very end of what can be done to improve this constitution through amendments. We need a new constitution and our struggle is for a new constitution that ensures social justice more..

Sep 29 (Reuters) SL govt bonds tumbled heavily on Tuesday, a day after one of the main credit rating agencies, Moody’s, warned about the mounting pressure on the country’s finances. The govt bonds fell as much 3.7 cents on the dollar ballooning the spread - bond market speak for risk premium - to 1,300 basis points. Only basket cases such as Venezuela and Lebanon, or countries like Zambia, Belize and Argentina, which are either going into or coming out of debt restructurings, more..

Sep 29 (AD) Eight new cases of COVID-19 infection have increased the total number of COVID-19 cases in Sri Lanka to 3,373. Seven of the new patients are recent arrivals from Oman and the remaining one is from Qatar. In the meantime, 2 other arrivals from the UAE and Lebanon also tested positive for the virus earlier this evening. 130 active cases are currently under medical care at various hospitals across the island. Meanwhile, the number of recoveries in the country moved up to 3,230 more..

Sep 29 (EN) Presidential Secretariat is warning that stern legal action will be taken against parties or individuals who intentionally feed misinformation and mislead the public in response to media reports of widespread environmental destruction in mainstream and social media. In a Press release issued today the Secretariat says it has identified a fake news campaign that is saying that unprecedented environmental more..

Sep 29 (PMD) A fake news campaign that alleges unprecedented environmental destruction is taking place since the present govt came into power has now been identified. These false reports highlight that forest reserves are being burnt down and trees in natural forests are being cut down. People, who create such fabricated news, are attempting to convince the public that an environmental destruction of this scale has never happened before and that the govt remains tight lipped more..

Sep 29 (SLN) Commander of Navy, Vice Admiral Nishantha Ulugetenne, after being appointed as the 24th Commander of the SL Navy, left for Northern Naval Command for a sudden visit on 26th Sep. Accordingly, Commander of the Navy made tours of inspection at SL Navy Ship (SLNS) Uththara, Elara, Agbo, Gotaimbara, Kanchadewa and Welusumana as well as Coastal Observation Points manned by those bases, in the Northern Naval Command. Besides, Vice Admiral Ulugetenne took part more..

Sep 29 (CT) MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake said the statement made by former PM Ranil Wickremesinghe to the effect that the Anti-Corruption Committee Secretariat (ACCS) was established with the permission of the National Executive Council (NEC), is untrue. Testifying before PCoI on political victimisation, he added that Wickremesinghe had in reference to a Cabinet paper, formerly testified at the PCoI that more..

Sep 29 (CT) To improve the property and land registration system, the Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) has developed a cloud based system which could enter, update, register and transfer data using a digital platform. Programme Head of ICTA, Gavashkar Subramaniyam noted that this project will be implemented in Colombo by December 2020 and that by Jan 2021 it is expected to be implemented in all 45 land registry offices. more..

Sep 29 (CT) Despite the hartal campaign organised by all Tamil political Parties in the N&E Provinces yesterday expressing their objection against the activities of the Govt, the day-to-day activities in the Ampara District took place as usual without any hindrance. The hotels, textile shops and other business establishments remained open and roadside vendors were seen actively engaged in their business in many areas in the Central Camp, Kalmunai, Sawalakkadai and Sammanthurai more..

Sep 29 (AD) Attorney General Dappula de Livera today informed the Supreme Court that the Govt has decided to add several amendments to the draft of the 20th Amendment to the Constitution during the committee stage in Parliament. He informed this when the petitions challenging the draft bill of the 20th Amendment, which was tabled in Parliament by the Govt, were taken up for consideration before more..

Sep 29 (CT) A consultation paper was put out by the Public Utilities Commission of SL (PUCSL), titled Provincial Council cooperation for a coordinated, national approach to provide safe and affordable drinking water for all by 2030, to ensure coordination among multiple suppliers and entities such as the Department of Irrigation, which controls water resources, to meet the national policy objectives. PUCSL Chairman, Professor Kithsiri Liyanage, said it is necessary to create more..

Sep 29 (AD) Further consideration of the petitions filed at the Supreme Court challenging the draft 20th Amendment to the Constitution has been postponed until tomorrow (30). The petitions challenging the draft bill of the 20th Amendment, which was tabled in Parliament by the Govt, were taken up for consideration before a five-member Supreme Court judge bench this morning. Four Supreme Court justices, namely Buwaneka Aluwihare, Sisira de Abrew, Priyantha Jayawardhane and more..

Sep 29 (DM) None including Prez Rajapaksa, PM Mahinda Rajapaksa, Cabinet are in the know as to what would be finally passed in Parliament as the 20th Amendment, Minister Udaya Gammanpila said. He said the proposed constitutional amendments has resulted in a major debate for and against in and out of Parliament, among the legal fraternity, the society and among the intelligentsia but more..

Sep 30 (GV) Following parliamentary elections, Prez Rajapaksa wasted no time in obtaining cabinet approval and thereafter gazetting the proposed 20th Amendment to the 1978 Constitution of SL. Many commentators have noted how the 20th Amendment as proposed will diminish parliamentary powers, erode judicial independence, and weaken independent commissions.[1] But it is also critical for ordinary people—especially those who voted for the current govt—to know that more..

Sep 30 (Island) President Rajapaksa’s statement that his verbal orders should be considered as circulars to be implemented has generated considerable interest. There has been much commentary on it, not all of it positive. The president issued this directive at a meeting organised for him in one of the country’s most underdeveloped areas. His desire to cut through layers of bureaucracy could be based on his previous experience as a serving military officer & later as Defense Secretary. more..

Sep 30 (CT) The people cast their votes to elect a leader in the belief that he will ensure the security of both human and physical resources of the country and will be committed to fulfilling aspirations of the people. It is, therefore, the sole responsibility of the Head of State to act accordingly and to address any potential threat to the security of the people or the country's physical resources and also to provide appropriate advice to the relevant authorities more..

Sep 30 (ST) Trade deficits have been a recurrent feature of the country’s balance of payments. There have been trade deficits in most years and balance of payments surpluses in some. Reducing the endemic trade deficits are vital to strengthen SL’s external finances. Although trade deficits have been a regular feature of the country’s post-independent economic history, there have been balance of payments surpluses in several years. These have been achieved due to financial inflows, more..

Sep 30 (Island) A retired Professor of Electrical Engineering has claimed that “the CEB’s long-term generation expansion (LTGE) plan is the best strategy for this country to follow at this time, which is revised once or twice a year” in a write up appearing in The Island of 03.09.2020. Obviously, the learned Professor does not seem to be familiar with the CEB plan because it is not revised once or twice a year but only once in 2 or 3 years. Nor has he studied the proposals made by CEB more..

Sep 30 (CT) It’s no secret; Sri Lanka is suffering from a severe affliction in terms of child abuse. Well over 5,000 cases have been reported­ in the country since 2012, with enough gruesome, revolting accounts to leave readers scarred; one cannot even begin to imagine how the victims might feel. This is not even the entire story, as cases more often than not remain unreported – likely due to society’s tendency to look down on victims, more..

Sep 30 (DM) When J.R. Jayewardene, after the landslide victory his party the UNP obtained in the 1977 elections, wanted to introduce the 1978 Constitution to signal a conversion of the Political and Governing Structure of this country from a Westminster Type cabinet democracy to an Executive Presidency, there were two factors he dangled as reasons for such change: rapid economic growth and national security. After a disastrous economic experiment by more..

Sep 30 (SO) That Colombo campus legal luminary by reputation, Savithri Gunasekera made a legal argument not many months back about Parliament being required to convene without lapse of no longer than three months. She stated in an article in the public domain that such a provision is constitutionally mandated. Supreme Court in a manner of speaking at least, laughed that contention out of Court. She also said that the proclamation made by the Prez dissolving Parliament more..

Sep 30 (DM) Yesterday, the New York Times (NYT) in a bombshell report, exposed the US President as a charlatan and an also ran. According to the NYT, Donald Trump the 45th president of the United States, whose nett worth according to Forbes is $ 2.5 billion, paid a measly $750 as income tax for the period 2016-2017! Yes, the master of the Art of a Deal, paid less taxes than an ordinary worker in the US and claimed all of his businesses were loss-making ventures. more..

Sep 30 (Island) The govt may not have anticipated so much of resistance to its 20th Amendment (20A) to the Constitution, much less seen serious flaws therein. Otherwise, it would not have jumped in with both feet. Perhaps, the mammoth mandate it received at the last general election may have blinded it to reality, and its euphoria may have lulled it into thinking that its opponents were too weak to put up a fight. Someone should have cautioned President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. more..