Jul 27 (FT) Rakna Property Holdings, a subsidiary of State-owned Rakna Arakshaka Lanka, is foraying into the mixed development sector. It recently signed an agreement with the BOI for a project with an initial investment of $ 33.8 million in Colombo 04. It will be a 20-storey office complex of high-tech and energy efficient rentable open spaces, complete with adequate parking facilities, executive luxury suites, a conference hall, a hi-end roof top restaurant and other amenities. more..

Jul 27 (TM) A committee has been appointed by the Environment Ministry to investigate the process surrounding the disposal of fuel oil in SL by ships that come to the country’s ports and the local industry that refines this fuel oil, as this has led to severe environmental harm to the country. At a discussion held last week, Minister Mahinda Amaraweera noted that fuel oil disposal in SL has polluted the country’s water sources. As such, he has appointed a committee to probe into the more..

Jul 27 (TM) All Ceylon Nurses’ Union (ACNU) has alleged that the rapid antigen tests (RATs) carried out on patients admitted to hospitals islandwide are not being conducted properly due to certain arbitrary actions of two nurses’ trade unions, namely the Govt Nursing Officers’ Union (GNOU) and the Public Services United Nurses’ Union (PSUNU). ACNU President S.B. Medawatte alleged that GNOU and PSUNU have withdrawn more..

Jul 27 (DN) SL swimming coach Manoj Abeysinghe said it is too early to predict anything on tomorrow’s Olympic Games Men’s 100m freestyle heats where Matthew Abeysinghe will be competing. “It’s not easy to predict anything right now because we could not make the ideal preparations due to COVID-19 pandemic. True it affected everybody but we cannot judge how much valuable training period we have lost,” he said. “It’s not the same volume of training we put in for the last 2016 Olympics or more..

Jul 27 (FT) The Govt is seeking feedback from stakeholders and the public on its draft National Industrial Development Policy aimed at establishing a globally competitive industry for sustainable and inclusive growth. The draft National Policy for Industrial Development is based on the Industry Diagnosis Report, the compilation of which was the first step in the policy formulation process. It had found that Sri Lanka’s industrial transformation was exhibiting signs of stagnancy more..

Jul 27 (CNN) For almost two weeks, a thick, black smudge stained the sky off Sri Lanka's western coast -- smoke from a burning container ship nine nautical miles out to sea. The Singapore-flagged X-Press Pearl caught fire on May 20 en route to Colombo carrying 350 metric tons of oil in its tanks and at least 81 containers of dangerous goods, including nitric acid -- a highly toxic chemical used to make fertilizers. more..

Jul 27 (DN) Tea Small Holders will bring in increased USD 200 million export revenue from tea for 2021 in comparison to last year despite controversy of chemical fertilizer. Chairman of TSHDA Dr. Thushara Priyadharashana said that last year the Smallholders segment contributed to around USD 285 million from total exports of tea (despite a severe drought) and in the first six months of 2021 the segment has contributed to around USD 325 million export revenue. more..

Jul 27 (Island) Out of the 2,930 specialist doctors in the country, 24.7% (726) were to be transferred in January this year, GMOA Secretary, Dr. Senal Fernando says. Those transfers had not taken place due to the inefficiencies of the Ministry of Health. As a result many of the doctors had been waiting for the transfers due to them for over seven months, the GMOA official said. “These transfers have to be effected through Office of Dy Director General, Medical Services, Dr. Lal Panapitiya. more..

Jul 27 (TM) A discussion between Prez Rajapaksa and representatives of the SLFP, including its Chairman and MP Maithripala Sirisena, was held at the Presidential Secretariat yesterday. In addition to Sirisena, SLFP General Secretary and State Minister Dayasiri Jayasekara, SLFP Senior Vice Presidents and Ministers Nimal Siripala de Silva and Mahinda Amaraweera, SLFP Treasurer and State Minister Lasantha Alagiyawanna, more..

Jul 27 (DM) In what appeared to be a breakthrough in the production of medical items, the govt will fully depend on locally manufactured saline and other related liquid used in healthcare from Sept 1 ,2021 onwards , a move that will save US$ 5 million spent otherwise for imports annually, Daily Mirror learns. Cabinet approved the memorandum in this regard yesterday evening. The govt started manufacturing such products in line with the policy that all drugs and medical consumables with the potential more..

Jul 27 (FT) The Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) and its Executive Director Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu yesterday filed a Petition in the Supreme Court, challenging the proposed Finance Bill, which was placed on the order paper of Parliament on 20 July. The bill seeks to provide an amnesty from tax, penalty or interest, or from any investigation or prosecution, to anyone who has not disclosed any taxable supply, income or asset which was required to be disclosed by law, more..

Jul 27 (FT) Against widespread fears and claims of default sans multilateral donor help, SL yesterday completed the groundwork towards the settlement of $ 1 billion worth of Int'l Sovereign Bonds (ISBs) maturing today. The move, according to State Minister Nivard Cabraal, has proved all the doomsayers and sceptics, both globally and locally, wrong. “Right along we have been consistently saying Sri Lanka will pay despite more..

Jul 27 (TM) The ward dedicated to Covid-19 patients at the Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children (LRH) in Colombo has reached its maximum capacity, LRH Director Dr. G. Wijesuriya said. “The capacity at the ward is for around 35 patients. Therefore, we are transferring the patients that we cannot accommodate to other hospitals. During the three waves of the pandemic, the LRH has treated about 500 patients in total for Covid-19,” he said. More than five children are admitted to the LRH more..

Jul 27 (Island) Sri Lanka has proposed holding the BIMSTEC summit in early December. This will be the fifth such summit of the grouping. Sri Lanka is the currently the chair of the grouping and had earlier proposed holding the summit in August. The proposal had been made during a recent virtual meeting of BIMSTEC foreign ministers, Foreign Ministry sources said. The last summit took place in Kathmandu in 2018, with Indian PM Narendra Modi & other regional leaders attending the meet. more..

Jul 27 (FT) Health officials yesterday warned that the Delta variant is likely to have spread across the country, adding that estimates found that 30% of samples collected from Colombo are of the Delta variant. Percentage of the 1,666 COVID-19 patients detected on Sunday could also be of the Delta variant. “There could be patients with the Delta variant more or less in every district. As per estimates received thus far, more..

Jul 27 (FT) COVID-19 has affected the livelihoods of millions of people across the globe. Apart from the fast-spreading health hazards, the pandemic has caused severe economic setbacks in almost all countries. Lockdowns, travel restrictions, social distancing and other health precautionary measures are severely restraining production and business activities. Worldwide, the pandemic has caused cascading collapse of production, distribution, transportation and financial activities more..

Jul 27 (FT) Amending the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act No. 48 of 1979 (PTA) would be an expeditious way of getting rid of the draconian provisions in that law, than experimenting with new legislation. Blatant provisions in the PTA include, the deprivation of the liberty of the subject by Executive fiat without the arrested person having a clear judicial remedy in any court whatsoever, in violation of Article 13(2) of the Constitution and int'l treaties to which SL is a signatory. more..

Jul 27 (Island) The Anamaduwa Police yesterday took into custody a monk for allegedly assaulting a nurse who was obtaining a swab sample from him at the Base Hospital there. The nurse had been admitted to the hospital with injuries to her head, police said. The police said that the bhikku residing at a temple at Kumaragama had been undergoing treatment for a common cold and fever at the Anamaduwa base hospital. He had been referred for a PCR test at Covid unit of the same hospital. more..

Jul 27 (EN) Colombo Int'l Container Terminal, a unit of China’s CM Ports group has proposed a 200 million US dollar cargo services centre inside Colombo Port, Minister Keheliya Rambukwelle said. “We believe that we can make our country a shipping hub with its geographical location,” he said. “So in order to gain a considerable amount of market share in Asia, there are a few shortcomings. There is a need to invest to clear the shortcomings. We expect an investment of US$200m for this.” more..

Jul 27 (CI) Krunal Pandya has tested positive for Covid-19, forcing the second T20I between SL and India, scheduled for Tuesday evening, to be pushed back by a day. Pandya's positive test result came not too long before the scheduled start of play - 8pm local time - and eight other members of the Indian contingent have so far been identified as Pandya's close contacts and asked to isolate in their hotel rooms. more..

Jul 27 (MFA) A joint stamp release ceremony was held at the Foreign Ministry, Sri Lanka on 27 July to mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties which took place on the same day in 1970. This milestone event was held with the participation of the Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Singapore Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, joining virtually. The two stamps ceremonially unveiled at the event, were especially designed for the occasion to more..

Jul 27 (EN) Ruling SLPP sees a conspiracy in the wave of protests and trade union campaigns that seem to have engulfed the country, SLPP general secretary MP Sagara Kariyawasam said. He said that the same forces that he claimed had attempted to sabotage the SL military’s victory against the separatist Tamil Tigers in 2009 are behind the ongoing protests, 12 years after the war. “The same groups who tried to prevent the war victory have come out today to create a wave of protests more..

Jul 27 (BBC) Sri Lankan authorities say the world's largest star sapphire cluster has been found in a backyard - by accident. A gem trader said the stone was found by workmen digging a well in his home in the gem-rich Ratnapura area. Experts say the stone, which is pale blue in colour, has an estimated value of up to $100 million in the international market. The cluster weighs around 510 kilograms or 2.5 million carats more..

Jul 27 (FT) A former Deputy Secretary of the Ceylon Bank Employees Union (CBEU) yesterday filed a Special Determination petition in Supreme Court, seeking a declaration that the Bill titled Finance requires the approval by the people at a referendum in addition to the two-thirds approval of Parliament. The petitioner, Ekeshwara Vithana, filed this petition through Attorney-at-Law Dharshana Weraduwage, in terms of Article 121 of the Constitution read with Article 120, more..

Jul 27 (DM) Announced early this morning, the 2021 Booker Prize longlist includes the book A Passage North by SL author Anuk Arudpragasam. In recent weeks SL authors have come to the limelight for their literary works and this latest announcement once again shines the spotlight on SL's burgeoning literary talent. Arudpragasam's book published by Granta Books, Granta Publications is one of desire, loss and the legacy of a civil war. It traces a young man's journey into SL's war-torn North and more..

Jul 27 (EN) The SLFP is not satisfied with the outcome of a meeting with Prez Rajapaksa held on Monday, a party office bearer said. SLFP vice president Prof Rohana Lakshman Piyadasa said that the meeting wasn’t very successful. “Nothing very productive happened [other than] the president agreeing to give funds to SLFP organisers and local councillors in development projects,” he said. The SLFP, partner in the ruling SLPP-led coalition, more..

Jul 27 (CT) A proposal mooted to supply a jersey with the national colours and logo for the Sri Lankan athletic team presently competing in the 32nd Olympic Games in Tokyo, has not been fulfilled by the National Olympic Committee (NOC), sources said. The Ministry of Youth and Sports proposed a national jersey containing the national flag for Sri Lankan athletes participating in the Tokyo games. The NOC had consented to supply the jersey through its coffers, sources stated. more..

Jul 27 (CT) The SJB that it would not work with those found guilty of child trafficking, child labour and sexual abuse of children. “The SJB is a party that works with several political parties such as the SLMC led by Rauff Hakeem and ACMC led by Rishad Bathiudeen. We have come to an agreement with these parties regarding several issues. As far as they are concerned, there might be internal issues within these parties and they may have their own policies over some aspects,” he said. more..

Jul 27 (DM) As an internal audit has begun on the alleged demand of money by some of the staff members attached to Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) to provide COVID 19 vaccines to city dwellers, the opposition members of the council today called for the expediting of the audit inquiry and to let the council members know the outcome of it. Some of the councilors have threatened to lodge a complaint with the CID more..

Jul 27 (DM) Minister Prasanna Ranatunga today said the Tourism Ministry together with the Ministry of External Affairs was working on removing the travel restrictions imposed on the entry of tourists to Sri Lanka. The minister said that 21 countries have currently banned travel to Sri Lanka due to the Covid-19 situation. He said he hoped to hold discussions with Norway, Bahrain, Nepal, Japan, France, Australia, New Zealand, Qatar and Vietnam through the Ministry of External Affairs. more..

Jul 27 (AD) The govt does not have the financial capacity to resolve the disparities in the salaries of teachers and principals right away, although the issue has been identified, says Minister Ramesh Pathirana. The govt is not in a position to make the immediate changes due to the current financial situation of the country, the minister said. He stated that the Cabinet of Ministers has decided to appoint a sub-committee headed by the PM to eliminate the teacher-principal salary anomalies. more..

Jul 27 (AD) The discussion held between PM Mahinda Rajapaksa and the representatives of teacher-principal trade unions on disparities in salaries has ended without reaching an agreement. Speaking to media on the matter, General Secretary of the Ceylon Teachers’ Union (CTU) joseph Stalin stated that they would carry on their trade union action until the demands are met. The discussion went on for nearly two hours more..

Jul 27 (DM) A 32-year-old man has been arrested by Nugegoda Divisional Crime Investigation Unit for selling rented out vehicles which was hired from car rental companies. The suspect identified as Pramuditha Wickramasinghe is a resident of Kotugodella in Kandy. The suspect had gone missing after renting out a vehicle worth in the range of Rs. 5 million from a rent-a-car dealer in Homagama. It was revealed that the documents provided by him also were found to be fake. more..

Jul 27 (CT) The CEB on 19 July 2021entered into a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Sobadanavi Ltd for a 350 MW LNG Combined Cycle Power Plant at Kerwalapitiya. This is the first agreement signed to construct a major power plant in the country after six years. The first stage of the power plant of 212 MW will be connected to the National Grid in early 2023 and the second stage, of 138 MW in early 2024. Power Plant is envisaged to run on Liquefied Natural Gas once completed in early 2024. more..

Jul 27 (DM) Agriculture Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage said the rice prices would be brought down drastically next week in accordance with the agreement to be signed with the mill owners. The Minister said that the mill owners had agreed to purchase paddy from farmers at Rs.50-52 a kilo. He said a similar agreement would be reached with them for the supply of rice at controlled prices. more..

Jul 27 (AD) Avant-Garde Chairman Nissanka Senadhipathi and former Chairman of Rakna Lanka, Major General (Retired) Palitha Fernando have been released from the Avant-Garde bribery case. The verdict was delivered when the case was taken up before Colombo HC Judge Amal Ranaraja today. Attorney-at-Law Ajith Pathirana, appearing on behalf of the defendants, pointed out that the HC Judge had earlier rejected the preliminary objection raised by the defendants that the case could not be more..

Jul 27 (DM) Liberty Plaza Shopping Complex in Kollupitiya had been closed for the weekend after several persons were detected with the COVID-19, area Medical Officer of Health (MOH) said. According to the MOH, initially, several security officers were found infected with the virus while several other employees working in several shops were identified as COVID-19 infected following PCR tests. The operators at the complex had closed down their shops till the first contacts more..

Jul 27 (CT) Court of Appeal yesterday directed authorities to demarcate physical boundaries for the Muthurajawela sanctuary to control waste dumping, illegal reclamation and land filling. Directions were issued when the Writ Petitions challenging illegal landfills and waste disposal in the Muthurajawela wetlands filed by the Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ) and its Executive Director, Hemantha Withanage and more..

Jul 27 (DM) COVID-19 pandemic has been a blessing in disguise for the tea industry, two officials attached to the plantation sector said yesterday. Chairman Tea Smallholders Development Authority (TSDA) Dr. Thushara Priyadharshana said the pandemic is a blessing in disguise as the production has increased by 20 per cent because people are more and more involved plucking due to free time during lockdowns .“We are expecting the total production of tea to exceed 300 million Kg more..