Jun 25 (CT) Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s regime has demonstrated a pattern of rewarding murderers and providing those found guilty of the most serious crimes with presidential protection, former Justice Minister Thalatha Athukorale said in a statement condemning the release of murder convict on death row, Duminda Silva. Athukorale said that while the pardon might have shocked those who trusted the Govt, it comes as no surprise to those who knew their attitude towards protecting murderers. more..

Jun 25 (TM) SL has spent almost one-and-a-half years dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic, and it is during this period that SL had to become familiar with concepts such as working from home and online education. However, embracing these concepts sometimes requires the Govt’s support, and the online education system, especially, seems to be making very little progress when compared with the time the Govt first started promoting it. What promoting the online education system more..

Jun 25 (TM) Sri Lanka is all set to go ahead with the much discussed Colombo Port City project, which caused controversy in the past few months, especially after the Colombo Port City Economic Commission Bill and the SC’s verdict. Several changes were ordered by the Supreme Court, and in addition, the country saw many discourses for and against the project. While most discussions about the Port City project revolve around matters more..

Jun 25 (ST) The strains of the popular song Sarame was heard from a radio blaring in a neighbourhood residence. The song about the ubiquitous sarong in SL society sung by Sunil Perera, Desmond de Silva, Annesley Malawana and Rajiv Sebastian is also popular on social media platforms. Aldoris, the choon paan karaya in his modified tuk-tuk was at the gate offering breakfast pastries to the neighbourhood. Me, mila adika wena vidihata, apita ape saramath wekunande wei-wage more..

Jun 25 (ST) SL – Bangladesh currency swap has received much attention during the past two weeks. In fact, the news hit the headlines in both India and Bangladesh as well. The Daily Star of Bangladesh reported on May 26 quoting a spokesman from a bank that for Bangladesh …it is a good ego booster but raised the question that …what if SL becomes insolvent? as the sum being lent is not small. On June 2, Indian Express carried a column explaining the currency swap as a historic landmark: more..

Jun 25 (DM) The SL govt is determined to make farmers immediately switch over to organic farming citing health and environmental reasons as well as the severe foreign exchange shortage which impairs the import of chemical fertilisers. Govt has turned a deaf ear to fervent pleas from agricultural scientists and economists for a step by step approach to the change-over. It has ignored the argument that an overnight change would be impossible to implement and that the change-over itself could, in fact, more..

Jun 25 (ST) Institute of Valuers of SL, a legally established body, has rejected claims made in a recent media release issued by Lanka Property web over real estate prices rising. It was referring to a statement issued by the property website which was published in the Business Times headlined Land Prices in Western Province rise by 74% in 2018 – 2021. It said by law the sole authority and the competent person in regard to valuation is the Govt Chief Valuer and no other person or body. more..

Jun 25 (CI) SL's batting was not good. That much is clear, right? In fact, we're being diplomatic. It was awful. England's bowling was decent, and the pitch was not exactly a flatbed, and yet, even despite all that, 111 for 7 was still a pathetic total. One that was always going to be run down, even if SL had a good first 7 overs with the ball. SL's batsmen repeatedly struggled for timing. Imagine a T20 innings in which only more..

Jun 25 (CT) Long Jumper Sarangi Silva, the South Asian Gold medalist, shattered the Sri Lanka record with a leap of 6.44m at the 76th Memorial Meet held at the Ekrem Kocak Track, Istanbul, Turkey yesterday. Sarangi’s previous personal best of 6.38m won her the SAG Gold medal in 2019. She and Sreshan Dhananjaya have been training in Qatar since early this year. Dhananjaya leapt 7.78m to win the men’s event. Whilst training in Qatar, she did not compete in a single meet more..

Jun 25 (Island) Amritha incense sticks is a product, without which no Buddhist or Hindu religious activity is complete. Darley Butler, the manufacturers, has engaged themselves in an almsgiving of a different sort; an album of Buddhist devotional songs in CD format, released to coincide with Vesak season and to be aired on radio. CD consists of songs sung by veterans and new generation artistes alike, such as Nanda Malini, TM Jayarathna, Sunil Edirisinghe, Sanath Nandasiri, Latha Walpola, more..

Jun 25 (DN) LP Gas will be purchased with the intervention of the Govt in the future, Environment Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said. “These activities will be carried out by a high level board of the Treasury. This will put an end to all alleged corruption, irregularities and commissions in the purchase of gas. Therefore, these companies will be able to save a lot of money that has gone out of their companies,” he noted. more..

Jun 25 (CT) Colombo District Judge Aruna Aluthge issued an enjoining order on the 23rd preventing holding the election of the Sri Lanka Carrom Federation (SLCF), which was scheduled to be held at the Ministry of Sports on the 28th of this month. This enjoining order was issued by the District Judge having considered a case filed by affiliates of SLCF. Former officials of SLCF and many other affiliates have lodged several complaints to Namal Rajapaksa, Min. of Sports, Secy of Sports, more..

Jun 25 (FT) SS Equity Holdings, linked to high net worth individual investor Shankar Somasundaram, has acquired the BreadTalk franchise for Rs. 245 million. The acquisition is via FoodBuzz Ltd, subsidiary of RIL Property PLC. BreadTalk has 10 outlets in the country. Somasundaram is regarded as one of the most successful investors. He founded Lanka Bell and was a leading shareholder of Brown and Company, among others. RIL said it has transferred the entire equity of 108.18m more..

Jun 25 (FT) SJB claimed the Prez pardon for convicted murderer and former MP Duminda Silva had challenged the independence of the rule of law and democratic governance, whilst demanding Prez Rajapaksa to withdraw the order. SJB General Secy MP Ranjith Maddumabandara issuing a statement questioned whether due process was followed when granting a special Prez pardon to Silva who was on death row. more..

Jun 25 (Island) Plans were underway to lift the 202-year-old ban imposed by the British colonial rulers on popular indigenous martial art, Agampora, said Minister Namal Rajapaksa. He said that the colonial ban imposed on local martial art would be lifted through a gazette notification and it would be promoted as a national sport locally and internationally. While visiting the Korathota Angam Combat School, Rajapaksa said SL’s traditional martial art had been banned by the British more..

Jun 25 (TM) The local telecasting rights of the much-anticipated India cricket tour of Sri Lanka have been won by a private channel, Siyatha TV. In the history, of course, international cricket played in Sri Lanka has almost entirely been shown by the govt-owned Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC). The India white-ball series, which is scheduled to comprise three ODIs and three T20Is respectively and to be held from 13 to 25 July at Khettarama, now to be shown by a private channel, more..

Jun 25 (CT) Despite the necessity of following online learning due to the COVID-19 situation in the country, parents should ensure that their children do not overdo it, and thereby face longterm mental, physical problems, Secretary of the SL College of Paediatricians (SLCP) Dr. Channa de Silva warned. As it is children who are burdened with staring at either a computer, phone or television screens for long hours following classes more..

Jun 25 (FT) Sanasa Development Bank (SDB) plans to raise Rs. 4.5 billion via its secondary public offering. The bank said this week it would offer 68 million shares at Rs. 51.50 each (Rs. 3.5 billion) and in the event of an oversubscription of the initial issue it would make available a further 20 million shares at the same price (Rs. 1.03 billion). Previously only the number of shares was announced. The issue price is based on one month Volume Weighted Average Price of SDB bank share as at 20 May 2021 more..

Jun 25 (DN) With traditional sports coming to a standstill in the pandemic-stricken new normal - esports take the limelight as Uni students go head-to-head virtually in their favourite video games commencing from July 5. Organised annually by SL’s premier Esports Tournament organiser Gamer.LK, the Inter-University Esports Championship Powered by Softlogic and Dell this year will attract participation surpassing those of its traditional sports counterparts. more..

Jun 25 (TM) Amidst local rice price issues, Ministry of Trade has proposed a strategy to implement price controls on locally-produced rice, replacing earlier plans of importing rice to lower soaring prices in the local market. Trade Ministry Secretary Bhadranie Jayawardhana stated that SL does not expect to import rice, in an effort to protect local farmers and preserve foreign exchange. She said the decision pertaining to price controls more..

Jun 25 (AD) An individual had hijacked and driven away with a car parked in the Karapitiya Town while a young woman was still inside it. While the vehicle and the female have been found, the perpetrator has not yet been arrested. Reportedly, two young females had arrived in the car which was subsequently parked close by to a bank near the Karapitiya Hospital. One of the women had gone to the bank when an unknown person had carjacked while the other woman was still inside. more..

Jun 25 (AD) Two youth aged 19 and 24 were killed when their motorcycle collided with a car near the 59th KM post of the Central Expressway which is under construction. Senior DIG Ajith Rohana said that the motorcycle had entered the expressway illegally and travelling towards Kurunegala at around 7.00pm today (24) when the incident occurred. He said the expressway is not opened for vehicular movement as yet. It was reported that motorcycle and the car caught fire after the accident. more..

Jun 25 (ST) Bloodshot eyes, bleeding gums, burned and discoloured shells show that the final moments of more than 50 sea turtles and some dolphins were filled with pain, experts said, fearing that hundreds of sea creatures lie dead in the ocean following direct exposure to the chemicals from the sunken X-Press Pearl. The container ship sank on June 2 after catching fire in late May, spilling tons of toxic acids, more..

Jun 25 (FT) Hambantota Int'l Port Group (HIPG) has partnered with Shenzhen Xinji Group to set up a plug and play Park in Park manufacturing facility within the port’s industrial zone. The concept is a fully-fledged standalone industrial facility with some very unique features, set to operate within the Hambantota Int'l Port’s Industrial Zone. The signing of the Joint Venture agreement between the Xinji Group and HIPG took place on 11 June at H'tota Maritime Centre with key officials more..

Jun 25 (CT) Market’s aversion to lend to the private sector due to uncertainty has caused Central Bank of SL (CBSL) to cut the maximum administered yield (MAY) of the 2028 maturity Treasury T-Bond from its previous 8.05% rate to eight per cent, a reduction of five basis points (bps) at next Tuesday’s T Bond auction, CBSL T Bond announcement notice of last Wednesday showed. CBSL is offering Rs 22,500 million worth of 2028 maturities at a MAY of 8% at Tuesday’s auction. more..

Jun 25 (TM) According to the data, there has been a sharp decline in the number of Covid-19 vaccines administered during the 12 days period from 12 to 23 June. A total of 137,067 vaccines were administered on 12 June, and by 23 June it had reduced to just 22,055. 181 doses of the Oxford AstraZeneca Covishield vaccine, 136,496 doses of Sinopharm and 390 doses of Sputnik V were administered on 12 June, more..

Jun 25 (FT) SL Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO) and One Industry One Voice partners endorsed The Hotels Association’s (THASL) statement urging Opposition politicians not to vilify tourism, whose success benefits three million livelihoods with baseless allegations. “We wouldn’t want the tourism industry to be made use of in a political crossfire. We kindly urge all parties to refrain from making irresponsible and inaccurate statements, giving the idea to the public that more..

Jun 25 (CT) A special discussion under the patronage of Prez Rajapaksa is to be held today, which will take up a number of issues including imposing travel restrictions in the future and controlling the spread of the coronavirus. Attention is to be focused on implementing travel restrictions in the future and whether inter-provincial travel restrictions will be in place going forward and Heads of health sectors as well as persons connected to relevant sectors are scheduled to participate more..

Jun 25 (FT) The country’s daily COVID-19 detections dropped below 2,000 for the first time since 8 May, with health authorities stating that 1,941 persons tested positive for the virus yesterday. On 8 May, 1,896 persons tested positive for the virus and daily detections have remained between 2,000 and 3,700 since then. During this period, daily testing has remained below 25,000 for the most part. more..

Jun 25 (Island) It was difficult to say whether the lockdown had helped reduce the transmission of coronavirus because of the drop in testing and changes in how deaths are reported, Executive Director of the Institute for Health Policy (IHP), Dr Ravi Rannan-Eliya said yesterday. Those developments had made it very difficult to assess the trend in infections, he said, adding that it was quite possible transmission had increased. “One sign of this is the steady rise in fatality rate. more..

Jun 25 (FT) SJB MP Champika Ranawaka responded to The Hotels Association of SL (THASL) criticism of his allegation that the resumption of tourism aggravated the present third wave of COVID-19 in SL. “This is in response to the article carried by the Daily FT today titled THASL rejects Patali’s allegation of tourism aggravating COVID. “I would like to take this opportunity to inform you that I, under no circumstance, called into question the role of the THASL. more..

Jun 25 (FT) President Gotabaya Rajapaksa yesterday came under a volley of criticism for pardoning convict and former MP Duminda Silva, a move which dwarfed the positive and country’s international profile-boosting development of the release of 16 former LTTE cadres jailed for years without trials. Strong rejection of the Presidential pardon on Silva was across the board, ranging from Opposition politicians, more..

Jun 25 (FT) In my article last week titled The puzzles of Sri Lanka’s crisis I analysed the role of Champika Ranawaka in the political arena, a prominent figure in the queue of political leaders aspiring for national leadership, raising two simple questions. One question was on the presidential system; and the other on organic fertiliser. In the prevailing political culture in Sri Lanka the questioning of this nature may not be palatable to political leaders, and it is more so with their followers. more..

Jun 25 (FT) The return of Ranil (RW) has created an unnecessary media blitz of imagined relevance. Some in the media have attempted to create a tardigrade (a micro-animal thought to be indestructible) like figure out of the hollow shell that is the former PM. I have sung his praises when he has deserved it and I have noted his strengths and accomplishments. However when one overstays their welcome by over a decade, whatever accomplishments there were, become diluted more..

Jun 25 (AD) Nearly 150 death-row inmates held at Mahara and Welikada prisons are currently engaged in a hunger strike. They are demanding the authorities to commute their death sentences to life imprisonment, reports revealed. A group of 70 inmates at Mahara Prison had launched an indefinite fast-unto-death on Thursday and following suit, a group of inmates at Welikada Prison had also commenced a hunger strike later in the day. The discussions with relevant parties are more..

Jun 25 (DM) Environment Ministry instructed the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau (GSMB) to provide their laboratory facilities to facilitate soil testing on farm land, Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said. He said the Environment Ministry and all its affiliated institutions should make their full contribution to the programme being carried out by the govt to promote organic farming. All ministries should cooperate in the organic farming programme initiated by govt at the instructions of Prez. more..

Jun 25 (EN) Sri Lanka has aborted an earlier decision to import sterilized compost with domestic production of the fertilizer also starting to pick up, Director General of Agriculture W M Weerakoon said. SL’s cabinet earlier cleared a plan to import a range of organic fertilizers. Sterilized compost is a product where all the microbes have been destroyed. “Now organic fertilizer production has started in Sri Lanka,” Weerakoon said. more..

Jun 25 (EN) SL’s central has added the Thai Bhat to a list of currencies that are permitted to be used for offshore banking, taking the total to 15. SL’s dollarized Colombo Port City is expected to operate using central bank designated currencies. Central Bank added the Chinese Renminbi to the list in 2011 in a direction to be used in both offshore and domestic banking units. Hong Kong dollar which is issued under a currency board to the Fed and its exchange rate is unchanged for 3 decades more..