Sep 8 (AD) SL Police seeks public assistance to capture a suspect known as Bob Marley involved in drug trafficking activities. Bob Marley, a resident of Malabe and Battaramulla areas, has been identified as the person who guided the trafficking operation involving over 288 kg of heroin which was unraveled by the SL Navy on Aug 31. However, the suspect is currently evading arrest. Thereby, SL Police has issued a notice seeking public assistance to capture the suspect. more..

Sep 8 (FT) Govt has decided to shift the Foreign Affairs Ministry to Colombo 7 from Fort at present. A decision to this effect was made by the Cabinet at its meeting on Monday. Govt said several divisions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were maintained in different venues from the head office due to lack of sufficient building space within the Republic building where the Ministry is located at present. “This situation has led to various administrative shortcomings whereas construction of more..

Sep 8 (DM) Money, Capital Market and State Enterprises Reform State Minister Ajith Nivard Cabraal confirmed to Daily Mirror yesterday that he would take up the post of Governor of the Central Bank on the invitation of Prez Rajapaksa within the course of this week. “I expect to tender my resignation as a National List Member of Parliament of the SLPP and from the Post of State Minister to party leader, PM and Prez shortly”, he said. more..

Sep 8 (Island) The govt had not understood the gravity of COVID-19 and the national implications of the pandemic, JVP MP Vijitha Herath said. Herath said the govt should present a programme on how to tackle the national health crisis and present it to the people. If the govt does so, the JVP would support it, he added. “There is no point in whining that people are not supporting the govt, the JVP MP said. “The laws on disaster management have a framework to deal with an emergency of this nature and more..

Sep 8 (DM) Prisons Dept is to provide the second dose of Chinese Sinopharm COVID-19 Vaccine for the inmates who had already received the first dose, Prisons Commissioner, Administration and Media Spokesperson Chandana Ekanayake said. He said this is in order to protect them from the danger posed by COVID-19 and under the vaccination rollout, inmates in all prisons in the country will be included to receive the second dose. As part of the first phase of the programme, more..

Sep 8 (DM) Archbishop of Colombo, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, today alleged there were moves by the PM and Foreign Minister to mislead the Pope and international community over the Easter Sunday investigations during the PM's visit to Italy which will begin tomorrow. Opposing the move by the govt to brief the Vatican about the investigations on Easter Sunday attacks, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith said the SL Catholic Church had already more..

Sep 8 (TM) No matter what takes place in Parliament, the Yugadanavi Power Plant will be sold to the Americans, said SJB MP Champika Ranawaka. Ranawaka alleged that despite the power plant being state owned after tax payers pay off the foreign loan received to build it, it has been handed over to an American company without a tender process. He added that when this becomes a reality, the few employees at the CEB who care about the country will rise up against move, more..

Sep 8 (Island) The Uni of Peradeniya has been ranked among the world’s top 500 universities for the third consecutive year and the number one university in SL according to Times Higher Education Ranking 2022. A news release announcing the achievement from the Public Relations Office of the University of Peradeniya states: “Times Higher World University rankings provide the definitive list of the world’s best universities with an emphasis on the research mission. more..

Sep 8 (EN) Govt officials must plan for the resumption of economic and other activities in a way that will not allow further spread of COVID-19 if Sri Lanka’s lockdown is to be lifted next Monday (13), a health official said. Health Services Deputy Director Dr Hemantha Herath said on Wednesday that not planning for a controlled lifting of the ongoing quarantine curfew will complicate the govt’s plans to reopen the country. more..

Sep 8 (DM) SL Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) this week put forward a series of requests to Ministry of Health (MoH) to relax the health guidelines imposed to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 virus, an effort to make the island nation more appealing to tourists. SLTDA Chairperson Kimarli Fernando yesterday formally requested MoH Director General of Health Services Dr. Asela Gunawardena in a letter, to tweak the guidelines so that the local tourism industry can get more..

Sep 8 (AD) SL Customs has successfully foiled an attempt to smuggle in a consignment of oximeters through the air cargo terminal of the BIA. An individual, posing as a clearance agent, had produced forged documents to the officials of SriLankan Cargo to get the oximeters released. Later, the officers attached to the Customs Preventive Division intercepted the shipment at the exit point, after finding out that the oximeters were being released without submitting more..

Sep 8 (DM) National Medicines Regulatory Authority- the independent authority that regulates medicine and medical devices in the country- is continuously coming under severe criticism for failing to grant registrations to low cost brands of Rapid Antigen Test kits that have high efficacy and for issuing a registration waiver for a pharmaceutical drug that is still on a trial stage for COVID patients. more..

Sep 8 (Island) Saving lives and protecting the population has become Sri Lanka’s highest priority, says Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella. Addressing the 74th conference of the WHO’s South East Asia Region via zoom technology, the Minister said that the govt was doing its best to contain the pandemic through a combination of proven public health and social measures and accelerated Covid-19 vaccination, especially for the priority and vulnerable population. more..

Sep 8 (AD) The UNP has pointed out that a general election system should be introduced for Parliament, Provincial Councils and Local Govt Institutions and that 65% of the members should be elected under the divisional system and 25% under the proportional representation system. Representatives of the UNP made these observations while testifying before the Select Committee of Parliament to Identify Appropriate Reforms of the Election Laws and the Electoral System and more..

Sep 8 (MB) Born in the frozen Arctic tundra, a population of Heuglin’s gull (Larus fuscus heuglini) heads to tropical SL every year during the harsh Northern Hemisphere winter. On the Indian Ocean island, they hunt for fish and recuperate from their long flight while also building up their energy reserves for the journey back. This year, as they prepared for the return with the onset of spring in their Siberian home, one of the gulls more..

Sep 8 (TM) Former President of the College of Anaesthesiologists and Intensivists of SL Dr. Ashoka Gunaratne resigned from the Health Ministry’s COVID-19 Technical Committee as he felt that he would not be able to contribute anything fruitful to the Committee any longer, The Morning learns. “Though I joined the Committee by virtue of being the President of the College of Anaesthesiologists and Intensivists at the time, I decided to leave the Committee as I felt that I will not be more..

Sep 8 (FT) Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga-led delegation will leave for Ukraine today (8) in a fresh destination promotion effort targeting the coming winter season. During the three-day official visit, Tourism Minister Ranatunga is scheduled to hold bilateral discussions with Ukraine’s tourism and aviation ministers, followed by a meeting with tour operators. The Minister is accompanied by Regional Cooperation State Minister Tharaka Balasuriya, Aviation & Export Development State Ministry more..

Sep 8 (CI) It was a very late-aughts move. In the age of Ajantha Mendis and Muthiah Muralidaran, SL were flagbearers for mystery spin, batters the world over frequently failing to read Murali's doosra, or Mendis' carrom balls and googlies. In the series decider against South Africa, on Tuesday, SL brought in a spinner of similar gifts. Maheesh Theekshana, 21-years-old, showcased his variety on a big-turning surface, troubling batters more..

Sep 8 (AD) The CID has arrested the CEO of the private company in charge of the National Medicines Regulatory Authority’s (NMRA) database. This was over the recent incident where several files in the database were erased due to an alleged mistake by an engineer. It was revealed last July that some data in the system had been deleted and several parties, including the Opposition, had accused it of being a conspiracy. However, on Sept 4, it was revealed that the lost data were restored and more..

Sep 8 (DM) Water Supply Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara said the Ministry expects to continue water supply without any increased charges and determined to meet water consumption needs of the people. Addressing the media, he said during this pandemic situation, paying various bills has become a serious issue for consumers. "The ministry's goal is to increase revenue without raising the water tariff," the Minister explained. The Ministry is hoping to increase the revenue from water supply more..

Sep 8 (EN) SL Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) drew heavy flak on Wednesday when a letter its chairperson had written to the Health Services Director General requesting further relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions for inbound passengers went viral. Defending the letter, SLTDA Director General Dhammika Wijayasinghe said that it was merely a list of international best practice. “The request made was from a tourism more..

Sep 8 (Island) Police have taken into custody two persons including an engineer attached to the highway building project at the Kelani Bridge, over alleged removal of over 60 tonnes of steel. An engineer and a driver were arrested by the Kelaniya Division and handed over to the Peliyagoda police on Monday night on information elicited from two persons, arrested in connection with removing 19 steel pipes worth Rs. 1,615,000. The engineer and his accomplice had removed over 60 tons of more..

Sep 8 (Island) SL Ambassador in Bangkok Chaminda Colonne has requested Thai PM Gen. Prayut Chan-o-cha, to explore the possibility of investing in Colombo Port City project. During her first courtesy call on the Premier at Govt House in Bangkok, Ambassador Colonne on Monday (6) invited Thai investors and on her request General Prayut directed the Board of Investment of Thailand to conduct a virtual meeting with the Colombo Port Commission and SL Board of Investment. more..

Sep 8 (Island) SJB MP Eran Wickramaratne says Sri Lanka should have an Office of Prosecutions independent of the Attorney General (AG). Such an apparatus can inspire public confidence at a time the rationale behind the dismissal of a spate of high profile cases is being questioned, the SJB National List MP points out. In a brief interview, the former UNPer and one-time banker emphasised the responsibility on more..

Sep 8 (DM) Sri Lanka has reiterated that the study on the origin tracing of SARS-Co-V-2 should be based on scientific and evidence-based methods and should not be politicized. Foreign Ministry said that the next phase of the study should reflect the key findings of the previous WHO-led joint study report. It said in a statement that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused severe disruptions to the health, safety, and livelihoods of people around the world and therefore, multilateralism and more..

Sep 8 (ORF) India and SL have enjoyed a cordial and relatively stable relationship since their independence. In the post-LTTE era, the neighbours align over key security and economic objectives, which includes maintaining freedom of navigation in the Indian Ocean region, combating the threat of terrorism, and working together towards a more prosperous South Asian neighbourhood. Yet the relationship is in need of a fresh impetus. Over the years, SL has drifted towards China for more..

Sep 9 (DM) It didn’t take too long for diehard Yahapalanists, who had been gung-ho about what they believed was imminent incarceration of political opponents following the victory of Maithripala Sirisena over Mahinda Rajapaksa in January 2015, to turn their guns on their heroes. They were upset that the wrongdoers weren’t being put behind bars en masse. Now these Yahapalanists weren’t really interested in justice, truth, accountability and other such goodies which lend themselves to more..

Sep 9 (DM) Hemmed in by the Covid-19 pandemic, the skyrocketing cost of living, the shortage of essential food items, dwindling foreign reserves and a depreciating rupee, which even prompted State Minister Ajith Nivard Cabraal to say that he was puzzled and surprised at such a strange outcome amid the massive injection of US dollars into the country and attributed it to some error that needed to be looked into. Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa too revealed in Parliament yesterday that more..

Sep 9 (DM) A controversial new gazette has been issued seeking to employ elephants for work and tourism, which critics argue is a racket disguised as measures to protect SL’s elephants. Gazette Notification No. 2241/41 dated Aug 19, 2021 seeks to introduce new means of protection for the majestic beasts to ensure the animal’s welfare, according to the govt. However, conservationists have voiced concerns on more..

Sep 9 (ST) It was another lockdown period with the week ahead full of uncertainty and by the time this column reaches you on Sunday courtesy your favourite Sunday newspaper, we would know whether the lockdown will be continued or not for a third week. While we are ravaged by news of new variants and mutations of the COVID-19 virus, for the moment this Thursday morning, the news of the week was the food emergency though govt ministers painfully try to project an image that more..

Sep 9 (GV) I thought I would talk about Sunila’s involvement in the seminal moments of the international violence against women movement. Given the violence that has engulfed the world today, this may be a good time to refresh our thoughts and approaches. Today practically every donor and every important NGO has a project on violence against women, either in terms of service delivery, advocacy or research. And yet until the 1990s, violence against women was a taboo more..

Sep 9 (TM) Last week, Prez Rajapaksa declared emergency regulations on the provision of essential foods. The stated aim was to prevent traders from hoarding stocks of essential food items to create an artificial shortage and charge exorbitant prices for them. The Govt has justified the emergency regulations stating they allow the confiscation of these stocks while setting a price ceiling to benefit consumers. more..

Sep 9 (CT) The purported reforms to the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act (MMDA) are an exercise similar to the above quote. Specifically relating to the new recommendations namely to undermine the Quazi Court system and the abolition of polygamy. These came neither from a collective of respected personalities from the Muslim community nor from a collaboration of any reputed Muslim organisations. And, the jewel in the Crown is that none of the govt appointed Committees had ever made more..

Sep 9 (Island) Afghanistan now has an interim government of the Taliban by the Taliban for the Taliban; it is an all-male administration sans any inclusiveness. Even the Taliban groups considered moderate and politically pragmatic have been left out. Worse, 17 out of the 33 Cabinet ministers are reportedly on the UN sanction list; Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani and his uncle, Rehman Haqqani, who is the Minister for Refugees, are on the FBI’s list of most wanted terrorists. more..

Sep 9 (CT) While SL is faced with many crises, the Prez has acquired the powers to act under the National Security Law by taking emergency powers into his hands. Will that contribute to SL’s ever deepening crises or will the situation aggravate, as all power is taken away from everyone else except the Prez? However, the issue depends on how we look at these many crises. Govt seems to look at the economic crisis purely as a Dollar crisis, meaning not having enough Dollars in hand to more..

Sep 9 (Island) National record holder Yupun Abeykoon will get a rare opportunity to compete against a world class field including Olympic medalists Fred Kerley and Andre De Grasse in the men’s 100 metres of the Diamond League in Zurich today. Abeykoon who represented SL at the Tokyo Olympics became the first Sri Lankan to compete at a Diamond League when he took part in the Rome edition of the event in June. His fourth place finish there helped Italy based sprinter to improve more..

Sep 9 (TM) Covid-19 has blurred distinctions between the political Left and Right in many other parts of the world. Civil society groups, organisations, unions, and political parties that are usually concerned with labour, minorities, women’s, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ) rights and freedoms, increasingly embrace and promote travel restrictions, militarised healthcare, more..