Jul 13 (TM) A ban on shopping bags and lunch sheets will be implemented, although no alternatives have been offered, said Minister Mahinda Amaraweera. He said that the Ministry of Environment has decided to implement the ban on shopping bags and lunch sheets in the next few weeks. Today at the Ministry of Environment, Lions Club 306 B 2 District presented to the Ministry of Environment the proposed Environmental Management Plan to be implemented during more..

Jul 13 (EN) SL police have arrested 41 suspects so far in connection with an online sex-trafficking ring that had victimised a 15-year-old girl. The police media division said the latest suspect who is a resident in Negombo was arrested on Monday. Among the more recently arrested suspects is a police officer and a former bank manager who were taken into custody Sunday. The arrests so far include the girl’s mother, more..

Jul 13 (DM) the COVAX Facility of the World Health Organisation (WHO) to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Sri Lanka, the Japanese embassy said. The vaccines are expected to arrive in SL from Japan during the coming weeks. Japanese embassy said the decision had been taken in response to the request by the SL Govenor and as a part of Japan’s support for ensuring equitable access to safe and effective vaccines for as many people as possible in the fight against COVID-19. more..

Jul 13 (FT) Sri Lanka Tourism Chairperson Kimarli Fernando commended the Govt on its accelerated vaccination program with over five million jabs to date, noting that the inoculation of all citizens would help put the country back on the map of prospective holiday makers. “Vaccination of our citizens and tourism workers is a tremendous boost to build confidence of the international traveller,” she said. As of yesterday, nearly 5.5 million vaccinations had been administered in the country, more..

Jul 13 (EN) Media minister Keheliya Rambukwella today dismissed an opposition allegation of an attempt to cancel a private TV network’s transmission licence, though he did not deny that lawyers had been consulted. Rambukwella told reporters that, as media minister, he will not hesitate to take legal action against any media organisation that attempts to disturb the peace or create disharmony among communities. more..

Jul 13 (DM) Cybersex crimes against women and Children in Sri Lanka have increased by 300 percent during the pandemic period in Sri Lanka that started early last year, child and women rights organisations said yesterday. Child and Women Organisations including Women’s Political Academy, Mothers and Daughters of Lanka, Shama Shakthi, and Women’s Development Trust which revealed this situation at a joint press conference, called for new laws, proper regulatory bodies and to mete out justice to more..

Jul 13 (MFA) Foreign Minister requested the Resident Consul Generals of Sri Lanka to mediate in obtaining foreign assistance to Sri Lanka, which has been affected by the COVID-19 epidemic. He made this request when the Honorary Consuls from the Philippines, Australia, Bulgaria, Seychelles, Ecuador and Poland residing in Colombo met the Foreign Minister at the Foreign Ministry on 2nd July. The Minister said that, since the Govt of SL with a non-aligned foreign policy has been cooperating more..

Jul 13 (DM) Cardinal Malclom Ranjith together with several bishops of the Catholic church in SL in a letter addressed to Prez Rajapaksa has requested him to provide a credible answer to all the questions that the church has raised on Easter Sunday attacks and take action against those who are responsible for it within one month. The letter signed by Cardinal Ranjith, Auxiliary bishops of Colombo Rev Anthony Jayakody, more..

Jul 13 (DN) Special permission is now required to send money even to a student studying in a foreign country, former Minister Navin Dissanayake stated. He stated that this Govt reduced the VAT that existed during their Govt. Govt believed that it would stimulate the economy. But the country’s revenue sources have completely collapsed. “There is a problem with the country’s foreign exchange. It also affects the fertilizer issue. Now the country has no dollars. more..

Jul 13 (DM) As the COVID-19 vaccination drive for people above the age of 30 is on the move at present in the country, authorities are considering vaccinating children below the age of 18. State Minister Prof. Channa Jayasumana said they had not yet received any recommendations with regard to vaccinating children below the age of 18. “However, the vaccines like Sinovac and Pfizer vaccines are given to school children in some countries. more..

Jul 13 (FT) The SJB yesterday called on the Govt to allow the democratic space needed to criticise policies and to release the recently detained teachers’ union activists. “The State has forced those who spoke up for free education into quarantine after they were arrested and granted bail. The Govt is trying to suppress those who criticise their policies. This needs to stop. We call on the Govt to release them,” more..

Jul 13 (AD) Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) has intercepted a drug racket after discovering a drug parcel concealed inside a doll. DIG Ajith Rohana said the narcotic substances had been concealed inside the doll and couriered as gift to the Anuradhapura area. Subsequently, an infamous drug racketeer named Kudu Noni has been arrested at the Slave Island area over the incident. PNB officials have also recovered 56 grams of heroin at the residence of the suspect in Kaduwela. more..

Jul 13 (TM) Former MP Hirunika Premachandra is yet to receive a response from Prez Rajapaksa with regard to the open letter she sent to him on the long speculated Presidential pardon granted to former MP and murder convict Duminda Silva. Colombo High Court gave Silva the death sentence in 2016, over the murder of former MP Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra, father of Hirunika Premachandra. “While I am yet to receive a response from the Prez, my extended family including more..

Jul 13 (CT) Assuring that he has the people’s trust, Energy Minister Udaya Gammanpila stated that if the Govt sacks him under any circumstances, he would be happy to return to the public domain. When asked about the rumour that he will be fired from the Govt, Gammanpila stated that people trust him because he always tells the truth, and that the people’s faith in him is his greatest strength. more..

Jul 13 (DM) General Secretary of Vinivida Peramuna Nagananda Kodituwakku today filed a Fundamental Rights petition in the Supreme Court seeking declaration that the UNP leader Ranil Wickremasinghe and Rev. Athuraliye Ratana Thera are disqualified and not entitled to be elected as a Member of Parliament of the UNP and Ape Jana Bala Paksaya respectively. Petitioner said in accordance with the constitution, National List nominations shall be presented to EC more..

Jul 13 (CT) Govt intends to widen a one-kilometre stretch of road between the Kochchikade Bridge and Colombo to four lanes to ease daily traffic congestion. The city boundary is three and a half km long, and it is scheduled to be developed with four lanes in the first phase, with the extremely crowded onekilometre length being widened to four lanes. After visiting Kochchikade yesterday on Prez Rajapaksa’s orders, State Minister Nimal Lanza said they made this decision as an expedient more..

Jul 13 (EN) Sri Lanka will develop a strategic plan to promote electric vehicles in line with an expansion in renewable energy, Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said though the country. “The cabinet has approved to prepare a strategic plan to create the background needed to import and promote the use of electric vehicles,” Minister Ramukwelle said. The proposal was submitted by the Minister of Environment. A study by the Uni of Moratuwa has found more..

Jul 13 (EN) Sri Lanka will pay a subsidy of up to 25,000 to rice farmers who produce organic fertilizer in the upcoming Maha main cultivation season, Plantations Minister Ramesh Pathirana said, amid a ban on chemical fertilizer. About 800,000 hectares are expected to be sown with paddy in the upcoming season. The cabinet had cleared making a payment of 12,500 rupees per hectare up to two hectares (5 acres) to farmers who produce their own organic fertilizer. more..

Jul 13 (DM) National Operation Centre for Prevention of COVID-19 Outbreak (​NOCPCO) has granted permission to operate inter-provincial trains from tomorrow, SL Railway Station Masters'Union (SLSMU) said. They said arrangements have been made to operate trains in the morning and even in the evening to provide transport facilities for people who are engaged in essential services. Accordingly, one train service to operate between Maho and Colombo Fort, two train services to operate more..

Jul 13 (EN) Cabinet has cleared a proposal to give visas for up to one year for foreign visitors who can work remotely and stay in the country for long periods. “SL is positioned well to promote the work from your own tropical paradise concept and Sri Lanka Tourism recognizing this is facilitating the expansion of the Digital Nomad market as part of its sustainable strategies,” SL Tourism said. “Digital Nomads not being sensitive to seasonal more..

Jul 13 (CT) Minister Udaya Gammanpila has demanded Rs 500 million from SJB MP Kabir Hashim for defamation. He said, “Kabir Hashim recently said I am selling our identity and building oil tanks spending Rs 10 billion. Also, he said I am going to give the ownership of the oil refinery to a Chinese company through a Cabinet Paper. These are utter lies.” Gammanpila said he sent a Letter of Demand to Hashim, through Attorney-at-Law Minoli Jayawardena, on 29 June seeking more..

Jul 13 (AD) Cabinet of Ministers has approved a proposal to set up video recording facilities to record evidence from children who have been victims of abuse. The evidence given by the children who have been subject to various abuses is important in the judicial process. As such victimized children have to face various inconveniences at providing evidence before the court publicly, Sri Lankan legal system has been furnished with provisions to collect these evidence as video recordings more..

Jul 13 (CT) Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) verifies that the fatalities of sea turtles are linked to the X-Press Pearl incident, and that the claim for damages from the ship owners would be a substantial amount, MEPA Chairperson Dharshani Lahandapura said. “Over 220 sea turtles have died following the X-Press Pearl disaster. Dept of Wildlife, Govt Analyst’s Dept, and Veterinary Research Institute in Peradeniya more..

Jul 13 (SNA) Seychelles is considering destroying Sri Lankan vessels illegally fishing in Seychellois waters in the future following a half dozen incidents over the last year, authorities said Tuesday. Johnny Louys, manager of control and surveillance in the Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA), said six vessels registered in Sri Lanka or with SL crew were caught in Seychelles over the last year. He was responding to a question from Philip Arrissol, Member of the National Assembly for more..

Jul 13 (PTI) Several SL cricketers have been involved in a contract dispute with the central board for several months. Many senior players like ex-captains Angelo Mathews and Kusal Perera have refused to sign central contracts provided by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC). SL player went to England for a limited-overs series on a tour contract and it is likely that they will against India on the same deal till the central contract issue is resolved. SL board had provided a deadline for players to sign more..

July 14 (DM) Relations between the world’s two strongest powers; US and China - have reached a dangerously new low. Both nations are presently indulging in sabre rattling and use of bellicose and threatening language. Relationships between the two powers deteriorated in 2020. Earlier, soon after Trump’s election to the US presidency, he (Trump) enjoyed a good relationship with the Chinese President Xi, praising Xi as a great gentlemen, referring to him as the most powerful more..

July 14 (DM) Yesterday morning a colleague of mine Lasantha de Silva had penned a Facebook column on the latest media gimmick. The story that a TV station had floated that an image of Ravana had emerged from the side of the rock, where legend has it that the fabled flying machine was parked. Lasantha’s is an icy vocabulary, but no holds barred. ”දැන් ගලෙහි ස්වභාවික ඛාදනය නිසා මතුවූ විපරීතයක් රාවණ රුවකැයි කියා අවට ඉන්නා බඩඉරිඟු‍ වෙළෙඳුන් ද සාක්කිකරුවන් කරමින් පචලොරියක් ටිපර් කර ඇත” more..

July 14 (DM) The Daily Mirror recently spoke to Chairman of the COPE Prof. Charitha Herath on the recent reviews carried out by the committee on state entities. The live discussion on Twitter Spaces offered the audience a unique opportunity to engage with the COPE Chair directly. Q: The COPE is often seen as a toothless body. Critics have often pointed out that this leaves questions about accountability, stating that more..

July 14 (CT) Two articles, published by two multilateral development agencies and released on their websites three days apart, focused on the plight of the poor and the vulnerable in SL in respect of two different circumstances. The ADB on Thursday highlighted the impact of ageing on the poor and the vulnerable and the other by the World Bank (WB) released three days later, on Sunday, emphasised the importance of preparing for future pandemics in the light of the present more..

July 14 (TM) Dutch PM Mark Rutte on Monday (12) openly acknowledged that his Govt had made an error of judgement when it decided to relax Covid-19-related restrictions by end-June, which turned out to be too early and contributed to an increase in Covid-19 cases in the country. Not only did he regret the said decision and apologise for it, he also went back on his and the country’s Health Minister’s earlier statements that this decision was a responsible one and was made based on more..

July 14 (TM) After the arrests of some 30 activists who staged a protest against the General Sir John Kotelawala National Defence Uni (KNDU) Bill and the quarantining of about 16 of them, widespread opposition against the said Bill has morphed into an opposition against the Police’s arbitrary employment of quarantine regulations and a defence of the people’s right to engage in peaceful assembly and association. more..

July 14 (TM) About two months ago (I can’t recall the date) I went out on a limb and said people’s anger would boil over, strikes and civil disobedience would sprout and trouble spill onto the streets. It has been a most extraordinarily rapid fall from grace for Gota. To get to know more about the unrest you need to meet or talk to people and visit social media; the formal media is muted. The immediate reason is near collapse of the economy and the asinine behaviour of Gotabaya & his cabal of bums. more..

Jul 14 (ST) With travel restrictions ending but social distancing advocated as the new Delta COVID-19 variant caused havoc in many countries, the down-the-lane trio was meeting more frequently. “Basil amathi kenek wuna-ne. Mama kalpana karanne ethuma kochcha avashyada kiyala Rajapaksa aanduwata (Basil became a minister. I wonder how important he is to the Rajapaksa regime),” said Serapina, sipping a mug of tea under the margosa tree. more..

July 14 (GV) The decision to ban chemical fertilizer is one of the crucial policy changes taken by the current govt since coming to power. It received mix reactions from the public. The govt’s argument was that this policy change rested on two factors: to avoid the harmful effect of fertilizer getting mixed with water sources and affecting people’s health and to save $400 million required for the importation of chemical fertilizer and to spend it on improving living conditions of the public. more..

Jul 14 (Roar) Susantha Fonseka (46) has been working in the funeral industry for over 26 years. He runs Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Co-op Florist Shop in Kohuwala & is a third-generation florist. His business is one among many that had to make drastic changes due to COVID-19. Fonseka also recently introduced something new to the family trade, something that neither his father nor grandfather provided; his is currently one of few funeral businesses providing cardboard coffins. more..

Jul 14 (DN) Sri Lanka Cricket has brought in their Under-19 coach to fill in for Grant Flower, the Batting Coach of the national cricket team. Flower tested positive for COVID and currently is in isolation. SLC had other senior coaches to look after batting like former Test cricketer Roy Dias, former captain Hashan Tillekeratne, Ruvin Peiris or Malintha Warnapura, but the board opted for Sudarshana, who joined SLC this year. more..

Jul 14 (CT) Ranindu Liyanage is playing positive Chess at the FIDE Chess World Cup 2021, but lost a hard fought game yesterday in the 1st round against a strong opponent, Russian Grandmaster Oparin Grigoriy (2654). He played 90 moves in a marathon game fighting all the way to get a draw, and was in a favourable position having a Rook for his opponent’s Rook and a Bishop. However, the experienced Grandmaster proved too strong and Ranindu having less time in his clock made the game more..

Jul 14 (ST) The Central Bank (CB) of Sri Lanka issues coins to commemorate special events in Sri Lanka. For the first time in Sri Lanka, the CB has thought it fit to issue a coin to commemorate an event unrelated to Sri Lanka, the 100th Anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and to make matters more ridiculous issue both a 1.5 sovereign gold (25.4mm) coin in addition to a sterling silver crown size (38.6mm) coin, both with the same Rs. 1000 face value. more..