Jul 10 (CT) Minister of Justice Ali Sabry failed in efforts to incorporate progressive amendments to the Code of Criminal Procedure Act (CCPA) of Sri Lanka which would have allowed magistrates to visit suspects held in detention under the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) as a measure to prevent torture and other cruel and degrading treatment. Justice Minister backed the proposal in his speech in Parliament as he presented changes to the Criminal Procedure Code. more..

Jul 10 (CT) Thank you Deputy chairman of committees for the opportunity to speak a few words at the very important debate when the Minister of Justice has presented to the House amendments to the Code of Criminal Procedure Act, and to the Convention Against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment Act, and certain Orders for approval. I must thank the Minister for remaining in the House after presenting these Bills and listening to more..

Jul 10 (CT) With Basil Rajapaksa occupying the 9th front row seat on the ruling party side of the Chamber, on the days Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa visits the House, the public can witness three siblings of the same family occupying seats next to each other in Parliament – a scene that is not very common in the world. The 7th front row seat is occupied by PM Mahinda Rajapaksa. Basil Rajapaksa took oaths as a new MP of 9th Parliament before more..

Jul 10 (Island) Way back in the 16th Century, there lived a man in Cambridge by the name of Thomas Hobson. He rented and sold horses and was the proud owner of a stable that had 40 stallions of all colours and breeds. Anyone who wanted to rent a horse from him to ride the paddock or journey into the far horizon, paid money and got a horse. There was one condition, the renter was not allowed to select the horse. The wanna be rider had only one choice. He had to take the horse that was more..

Jul 10 (Island) A sinister attempt is being made in certain quarters to trigger a run on banks if some social media posts are anything to go by. Several self-appointed financial experts have urged the public to withdraw their money in local banks immediately as there is the likelihood of all accounts being frozen. Thankfully, their efforts have not yielded the intended results because the public has not taken their claim seriously. This may be the reason why the govt has not reacted yet, but more..

Jul 10 (FT) Govt this week announced a host of new initiatives to secure and revive the tourism industry with vaccination starting today. Vaccinating tourism staff on the frontline will commence today morning at DoubleTree by Hilton in Weerawila under the observation of Minister Prasanna Ranatunga and State Minister Namal Rajapaksa. The program will also be extended to safari drivers at Shangri-La Hotel in H'tota; more..

Jul 10 (CT) Shooter Tehani Egodawela is one of the nine athletes representing Sri Lanka at the Tokyo Olympic Games. Accompanying these athletes are 17 officials - coaches, managers and officials. Tehani is one of two athletes who will not have her coach in Tokyo besides showjumper Mathilda Karlsson, who was the first to guarantee an Olympic slot for Sri Lanka. Unlike Mathilda, Tehani is one of the six athletes to earn a Tripartite Commission Invitation Place. more..

Jul 10 (UNFPA) Nidahase, the latest single by Ashanthi de Alwis with UNFPA puts a spotlight on intimate partner violence in SL and supports women’s shelters so that more women are able to access shelters to end cycles of violence. One in five (20.4%) ever partnered women in Sri Lanka have experienced physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime (Women's Wellbeing Survey, 2019). Shelters are essential services that protect women from such more..

Jul 10 (FT) The Colombo stock market yesterday displayed a rebound in investor sentiment and activity as both indices shot up amidst new high turnover. The All Share Price Index gained by over 40 points or 0.5% whilst the S&PSL20 improved by 23 points or 0.78%. Turnover moved back to above-average level at Rs. 3.4 billion involving a high 447 million shares on account of a strategic acquisition. But the deal involving Panasian Power also resulted in net foreign selling rising to Rs. 780 million more..

Jul 10 (EN) The overall human rights situation in Sri Lanka continued to deteriorate in 2020, the UK’s annual report on human rights and democracy said. Titled Human Rights and Democracy: 2020 Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office report, the document noted an alleged increase in surveillance and intimidation of civil society, limited or no progress with regard to accountability, militarisation and other issues. “The govt of SL delivered free and peaceful parliamentary elections despite more..

Jul 10 (FT) Daily COVID-19 detections yesterday rose to 1,537 after a slight drop in numbers due to reduced testing this week. 13,940 PCR tests were performed yesterday. Tuesday saw the lowest number of daily tests performed this week, with 5,631 PCR tests and 2,433 rapid antigen tests. On Monday, 869 persons tested positive for COVID-19 and 934 persons tested positive on Tuesday. more..

Jul 10 (Island) Nimali Liyanarachchi will represent Sri Lanka in the women’s 800 metres at the Tokyo Olympics which starts in 13 days time. The athlete from Sooriyawewa received a Universality Place from World Athletics to represent the country in Japan after other female athletes did not reach qualifying standards. Universality Places are offered only in sprint events and 800 metres. The athlete trained by Sujith Abeysekara currently has two national records against her name and more..

Jul 10 (CT) Tokyo Summer Olympics is almost here and SL is sending her largest ever delegation to the Games. LOVI is proud to dress our Olympic athletes and the delegates for the opening ceremony on 23 July—the crown jewel event, when all countries will march together in Olympic solidarity. “Like many kids, I loved watching the Olympic games on TV and dreamt of somehow representing SL one day,” said Asanka de Mel, CEO of LOVI, adding “Even if not as an athlete, I’m thrilled to be part of the event more..

Jul 10 (CT) Suspicions have arisen over the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation (SPC) opening Letters of Credit (LCs) to import a large stock of Human immunoglobulin IV from an Indian company, when the vaccines imported earlier from the same company have allegedly reacted to HIV antibodies and investigations into the matter are still on-going This vaccine is used to treat patients who have a weak immunity. more..

Jul 10 (Island) Tea brokers reports this week commenting on price trends said price decreases in the first 6 months of this year’s trading compared to YOY 2020, are clear indication that tea quality gravely affected auction prices. Although some 7 million kilos were traded this week, and the low grown catalog indicated some 3 million kilos auctioned, demand was not described as increasing which left some doubt as to future price stability. The lack of NPK mixture, more..

Jul 10 (FT) Sri Lanka’s COVID-19 fatalities rose to 3,434 yesterday with the confirmation of 43 COVID-19 deaths the previous day. According to the Department of Govt Information (DGI), the Director-General of Health Services on Thursday confirmed the death of 29 persons over the age of 60 and 14 persons between ages 30 and 59 as being COVID-19-related. 30 persons were male and 13 persons were female. Of the total COVID-19 fatalities, 2,009 are male and 1,425 are female. more..

Jul 10 (FT) Amidst the pandemic, the first quarter has seen the economy rebound by 4.3% reflecting a strong start for 2021 though the ongoing third wave of COVID-19 is likely to have waned the momentum thereafter. The positive growth comes on the back of a 1.8% contraction in the economy in the first quarter of last year and a 1.3% improvement in the fourth quarter. DCS yesterday released Jan-Mar 2021 GDP more..

Jul 10 (FT) SL and Japan this week agreed to strengthen defence cooperation between the countries and emphasised the importance of a free and open Indo-Pacific region. These and other issues were discussed when Japanese Defence Minister Kishi Nobuo held a video teleconference with Prez Rajapaksa, who is also the Minister of Defence. Both sides exchanged views on bilateral defence cooperation and exchanges and welcomed the steady progress being made in more..

Jul 10 (Island) Secretary to the Governor of Northern Province has written to the Secretary to the Ministry of Higher Education, Kapila Perera, requesting to close the Jaffna Uni because the Vice Chancellor is not adhering to health guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The letter states that all universities of the country have been closed due to COVID-19, but the VC of the Jaffna Uni has organised a number of events with the participation of students. more..

Jul 10 (TM) Regardless of rumours that local fuel prices will be reduced following the recent appointment of the new Minister of Finance, subject Minister Udaya Gammanpila said that the local fuel prices will not be subjected to any revisions, according to his knowledge. Gammanpila stated that even though the Govt would prefer to go for a price reduction, increasing global oil prices will prevent the Govt from doing so. more..

Jul 10 (CT) Committee on High Posts approved the appointments of three Secretaries to Cabinet Ministries and four Secretaries to State Ministries, Secretary General of Parliament Dhammika Dasanayake said. The approval was given after convening the secretaries and examining their qualifications at the Committee on High Posts Chaired by Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena. Ministers Nimal Siripala de Silva, Douglas Devananda, Udaya Gammanpila and more..

Jul 10 (DM) The Health Ministry said there is a possibility that COVID-19 patients of the new Lambda variant, could be found in the country at any time. However, Deputy Director-General of Health Services Dr. Hemantha Herath told Daily Mirror that Sri Lanka has not yet reported any case of Lambda variant as of now. "It has to be noted that such cases could be detected in Sri Lanka at any time and health authorities are on high alert on the matter,” Dr. Herath stressed. more..

Jul 10 (Island) Former Catholic Church spokesman Rev. Cyril Gamini Fernando says that ongoing govt efforts to rein in the media, including social media platforms is actually a sign of weakness. Rev. Fernando insists the incumbent administration cannot suppress the truth by muzzling the media as no govt ever succeeded in doing so. Rev. Fernando, currently the parish priest of St. Anne’s Church, Kurana, more..

Jul 10 (DM) Ceylon Teacher Services Union (CTSU) today decided to refrain from conducting online teaching practices from Monday (12) against the Govt’s move to direct Ceylon Teachers’ Union (CTU) General Secretary Joseph Stalin and 15 others for forcible quarantine after being released on bail and until providing a solution for online teaching, CTSU Chief Secretary Mahinda Jayasinghe said. He said CTU General Secretary Joseph Stalin and 15 others from the group of 33 arrested for staging more..

Jul 10 (Island) Education Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris said there were two schools of thought as regards when the GCE A/L Exam could be held. Addressing the media following the commencement of a programme to vaccinate officers of the Examinations Department, Prof. Peiris said at least 200,000 school candidates were to sit the GCE A/L exam for the first time and about 150,000 candidates for the second time. “Most of them who are sitting the examination for the first time have asked us to postpone it. more..

Jul 10 (Island) Basilaagamanaya or the New Rise of Basil Politics is having its immediate impact on the Rajapaksa Power Display. Here is a clear warning to protest politics. Covid-19 is the new tool of Rajapaksa Power, with quarantine being the system of dominance. Leading trade unionists and student protesters are the showpieces of the new Basil Power in SL politics. Those who protested against the crisis facing paddy production, more..

Jul 10 (FT) Has civil society lost its spark? In the glory days of yore, it was a many-splendored thing. From politically motivated marches against State terrorism (1992), through standing still and firmly in solidarity by the roadside holding hands in the name of peace (2001), to taking to the streets to decry and try to defeat a pernicious coup (2018). Today, a glory has passed away from the earth. It is only the salt of the earth – e.g. abject farmers facing a severe fertiliser shortage – more..

Jul 10 (FT) Basil Rajapaksa, who celebrated his 70th birthday few weeks ago, became the fourth Rajapaksa brother after Prez Gotabaya, PM Mahinda and Agricultural Minister Chamal to enter the Cabinet. With the entry of Basil into the Cabinet, there are now as many as seven family members in govt. This is certainly a first for South Asia. But not new to SL. UPFA led by Chandrika Bandaranaike had her mother Sirimavo as PM and her brother Anura as a Minister in the same Govt. more..

Jul 10 (MFA) Ambassador of SL to Poland Dhammika Semasinghe presented the Letters of Credence to the President of Poland Andrzej Duda at Belvedere Palace in Warsaw, on 6 July. The formal presentation ceremony was followed by a meeting between the Ambassador and the Prez of Poland. Prez Duda welcoming Ambassador Semasinghe, appreciated the longstanding ties with SL, and stated that Poland was keen to proactively expand the scope of bilateral cooperation more..

Jul 10 (AD) Two flights, chartered by SriLankan Airlines, have departed to China to bring 2 million doses of Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines, says State Minister Prof. Channa Jayasumana. This is reportedly the largest consignment of coronavirus vaccines SL will be receiving on a single day. The two flights are expected to return from Beijing to the island at around 5 am tomorrow. Sri Lanka ramped up coronavirus vaccinations upon the receipt of 2 million more Sinopharm shots on more..

Jul 10 (EN) Ceylon Petroleum Corporation has lost 57 billion rupees up to May 2021 after as prices were kept fixed and also due to forex losses from dollar loans, Minister Udaya Gammanpila said. SL’s current administration abandoned under its Saubhagyaye Dekma manifesto jettisoned price formula that was aimed at balancing input and output costs. Retail prices were raised last month, after keeping them more..

Jul 10 (Island) As long as the queues at COVID-19 vaccination centres are outdoors and people wear masks, the risk of viral transmission is minimal, Association of Medical Specialists (AMS) President Dr. Lakkumar Fernando says. He made this statement when he was asked whether the long queues at vaccination centres would boost the tranmission of the virus. “Theoretically, there is a possibility. You have to look at the pros and cons. I think it makes sense to inoculate as many more..

Jul 10 (EN) National Building and Research Organisation (NBRO) has issued a level two warning of possible landslides for Galle, Kegalle and Ratnapura disitricts. “Since rainfall within the past 24 hours has exceeded 100mm, if rain continues, be on alert for possible landslides, slope failures, rock falls, cut failures and ground subsidence,” an NBRO statement said Saturday (10) morning. Residents have also been asked to be prepared for evacuation if the need arises. more..

Jul 10 (AD) Director-General of Health Services, Dr. Asela Gunawardena has issued an updated notice on relaxation of existing travel restrictions and permitted public activities. Accordingly, existing travel restrictions will be further relaxed from today. However, the restrictions to limit interprovincial movement will be effective for a period of another 14 days, the communiqué read further. more..

Jul 10 (AD) The new Kelani Bridge at Peliyagoda has been connected at the centre over the river today. The event was held under the patronage of Minister Johnston Fernando. The six-lane bridge, which aims at easing the traffic congestion in Colombo and suburban areas, is the first ever to be constructed in Sri Lanka with hi-tech stay cables. Construction of the new state-of-the-art bridge is scheduled to be completed by the end of September. more..

Jul 10 (ST) Artistes scheduled to perform at the Kandy Esala Perahera in August will not be allowed to leave the Maligawa premises once they come for the perahera rituals until the conclusion of the pageant, even though they would have been administered the COVIDid-19 vaccine. The vaccine programme was organised by Diyawadana Nilame Pradeep Nilanga Dela. Devaleartistes and others involved in the perahera are undergoing vaccination at the Maligawa complex. more..

Jul 10 (TM) In a letter addressed to the Director General of Health Services Dr. Asela Gunewardena and the IGP Chandana Wickremeratne, Bar Association of SL (BASL) expressed its grave concern at the arrests and detention of protestors by the SL Police ostensibly for violating Health Regulations relating to COVID-19. “These arrests have occurred subsequent to a Press Release by the Police Media Division more..