Jul 21 (ST) Three solid knocks by skipper Kamil Mishara, Mohamed Shamaz and Ahan Wickramasinghe paved the way for Colombo to record a 4-wicket win with four balls to spare against Galle in the Under-19 Super Provincial cricket tournament encounter played at Dambulla yesterday. Chasing 283 to win, Mishara and Shamaz gave the Colombo side a flying start putting on 137 runs in 155 balls before Galle team removed Shamaz for 65 off 89 balls, with 7 fours. more..

Jul 21 (AN) On the eve of the three month anniversary of the Easter Sunday massacres, the Catholic Church of Sri Lanka continues its commitment in favor of relatives of the victims and survivors. The Archdiocese of Colombo and Seth Sarana, the name of Caritas in the island's capital, have activated a series of programs to support the most vulnerable, in particular children, and are also helping the Zion Church in Batticaloa, the only Protestant of 3 churches hit by the attackers. more..

Jul 21 (Island) Headhunting of new coaching staff for the national cricket team has started with Sri Lanka Cricket indicating to their current coaching staff that their services are no longer required after this month. The three match ODI series against Bangladesh that’s coming up will be the last assignment of current lot. Biggest casualty will be Head Coach Chandika Hathurusingha, who despite having 16 months more more..

Jul 21 (ST) When umpire Kumar Dharmasena signalled six runs off the fourth ball in England’s last over of their World Cup final run chase, there ensued a raging controversy over the validity of his call. This week, Dharmasena defended his decision but admitted the umpires had made a “judgmental error” at that moment. “It’s easy for people to comment after seeing TV replays,” Dharmasena said. “I agree that there was a judgment al error when I see it on TV replays now. more..

Jul 21 (ST) The girl in form and student of Ave Maria Convent Anjalika Kurera continued her winning streak as she clinched her second title of the ongoing 104th Colombo Championship when she coasted to a convincing 2-0 win over Tania Doloswala in the Under 18 girl’s final played at the SLTA tennis courts in Greenpath, Colombo yesterday morning. Anjalika who clinched the Women’s Open title with another easy win over Rukshika Wijesooriya, was in top form as more..

Jul 21 (ST) SL Tourism has cancelled all roadshows following a face-off between the board and officials of SL Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) that have been continuously blamed for the delay in implementing the recovery plan and promotional campaign post 4/21. Following cabinet approval obtained for the implementation of the promotional campaign and recovery plan by JWT, PR agency, authorities at the SLTPB more..

Jul 21 (SO) Apparel has the biggest potential to increase exports to UK markets, according to a latest report on ‘Sri Lanka-British trade activities. Bilateral relationship between the UK and Sri Lanka has grown over the last two decades, with average bilateral trade volumes in the last ten years topping US$ 1.4 billion and the trade balance has been in favor of Sri Lanka. Apparel is the top export item to the UK; in 2018, and three fourths of the island’s exports to the UK. more..

Jul 21 (SO) Police will seek direction from the Attorney General’s Department on how to proceed regarding the arrests of the Avant-Garde Maritime case suspects currently absconding. At present, three of the suspects wanted in connection to the case, including Chairman of Avant-Garde Maritime Services, retired Major Nissanka Senadhipathi have fled the country. “The investigations are continuing and the Police will seek direction from the AG on how to proceed with regard to the suspects more..

Jul 21 (EN) SL's National Film Corporation, a state agency set up in 1971 has re-nationalized film distribution under an administration of UNP of PM Ranil Wickremesinghe. Under a gazette notice issued this month, all films imported will have to be submitted to the NFC, and all local films have to be registered at the agency with a fee before production. A name will also have to be registered with payment. more..

Jul 21 (AD) Seven persons were injured and hospitalized after an out of control lorry collided with another lorry and 6 three wheelers on Central Road near Gas Works Junction, Colombo. Police said that the driver of the lorry had lost control of the vehicle due to a brakes failure, resulting in the multi-vehicle traffic accident this afternoon. The accident, which was recorded in a nearby CCTV camera, shows the speeding lorry coming down the road and crashing into several three-wheelers more..

Jul 21 (ST) The CID has moved to serve summons to a Sri Lankan capital market offender in Ireland through the Interpol in a crackdown after the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) went to courts against him at the Magistrate’s Court Colombo Fort. Ireland-based Dr. Muhammed Bafiq Nizar and his brother-in-law Mohomed Imtiaz Samsudeen based in Colombo were served summons on charges of market/price manipulation on E-Channelling PLC. more..

Jul 21 (ST) The Treasury has issued strict directives to all state institutions to cut down expenses, as a cash-strapped govt struggles to revive the economy in the aftermath of the Easter Sunday attacks. The state institutions have been told to cut down expenses on water, electricity and telephone bills, curtail overseas training and not to use public funds to print diaries and calendars for next year. In a circular, Treasury Secretary has instructed more..

Jul 21 (AFP) The Bangladesh cricket team arrived in Sri Lanka amid tight security on Saturday, the first foreign sporting side to visit the island since the deadly Easter attacks earlier this year. More than 250 people were killed in the April 21 bombings targeting hotels and churches that were claimed by Islamist militants, and Sri Lanka has been under a state of emergency since. The Bangladesh team was provided with a level of security usually reserved for visiting state dignitaries, more..

Jul 21 (Island) Prez Sirisena will be invited to testify before the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) probing the Easter Sunday terror attacks, a member of the Committee said. "We have decided to request the Prez to come before the PSC this week so that his evidence can be recorded," he said. "We will be inviting the Prez to appear before the PSC, but in the event he is unable to attend, we will inform him that members of the Committee can visit the Prez Secretariat to record his evidence", more..

Jul 21 (CT) Attempts by Minister Ravi Karunanayake to amend the SL Electricity Act No. 20 of 2009 in a bid to transfer certain salient powers to the Cabinet have come under fire by senior officials of CEB. Under the planned amendments to the Act, the powers vested in country’s regulatory body, Public Utility Commission of SL (PUCSL), in approving the Least Cost Long Term Generation Expansion Plan (LCLTGEP), will be removed more..

Jul 21 (RN) Four men who allegedly attempted to assault the driver of a van on the Kandy Colombo road on Friday, July 19 will face an identification parade on Monday, police said. A video of a squad of men in White shirts in a Defender wagon blocking the way of a passenger van and then alighting to try and assault the occupants of the van was widely broadcast by TV stations that night. Media reports said that the owner of the luxury SUV that followed Defender was owned by Dinesh Amaratunga more..

Jul 21 (Island) The United National Party (UNP) has decided to field its candidate at the forthcoming presidential election under the elephant symbol. "Whoever the candidate the party may opt for to contest the presidential polls, the elephant will remain the symbol," a senior UNP spokesman said. The UNP had been denied a President to lead the nation for the past 25 years, and as a result, the party as well as the country remained in an unenviable position, he noted. more..

Jul 21 (ST) It is three months today after Sri Lanka made bad news the world over — the brutal massacre of 268 innocent men, women and children on Easter Sunday, April 21. About 500 were injured, some of them carrying permanent wounds that are a ghastly reminder of the terror inflicted on them by Islamic State (IS)-influenced Muslim extremists. That such horror and mayhem came after the armed forces and the Police, more..

Jul 21 (Island) The Island’s headline story on Thursday was that the JVP has had enough of common candidates and is going to field its own candidate in the next presidential election. The announcement was made by the JVP’s Kalutara District MP Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa, who went on to say that the Party will no longer be part of any electoral alliances. Asked by the media to reveal who the JVP’s prez candidate would be, Dr. Jayatissa went cagy, like Mahinda Rajapaksa more..

Jul 21 (Island) Upon a Sleepless Isle, the astonishingly good new book by Andrew Fidel Fernando has a vital lesson for new and generally excitable students of misinformation in Sri Lanka. Countering the spread of rumour, from the risible to the inflammable, is all the rage. Focus and framing are largely on Facebookas well as WhatsApp, but the general debate is fuelled by vague concepts like social media, which covers all manner of political, partisan and personal agendas. more..

Jul 21 (TM) The next presidential polls will be a unique and exciting one, as it would be the first-ever presidential election where the public will be kept in the dark till the 11th hour or till either of the two main parties, or in the current context, alliances, address their internal issues and announce their respective presidential candidates publicly. While political parties in the country are posturing themselves to face the forthcoming elections – more..

Jul 21 (CT) Toll revenue from the Southern Expressway (SE) and the Outer Circular Highway (OCH) from Kottawa to Kadawatha, year on year (YoY) as at last year (2018 over 2017) increased by 13.04 per cent (Rs 679.72 million) to Rs 5,893.92 million and from the Colombo-Katunayake Expressway (CKE) in the review period by 8.25 per cent (Rs 215.03 million) to Rs 2,821.78 million, the Highways Ministry said. more..

Jul 21 (CT) The authorities are in constant radio contact with the crews of 20 Lankan multi-day fishing trawlers that were dragged into deep sea after they were caught up in gale-force winds over the past several days and are currently anchored off the Maldivian Coast, official with the Ministry of Fisheries said yesterday. Vessels had left Puttalam and Wennappuwa one week ago and were taken unaware by inclement weather more..

Jul 21 (CT) The gale-force winds and heavy rains decreased over the past two days but the authorities are not letting their guard down and are maintaining a constant vigil on the weather pattern and at the same time they have warned the people in affected areas to stay alert at all times till the all clear is given. The inclement weather that included thunder storms accompanied with gale-force winds swept over several parts of the country more..

Jul 21 (ST) SL troops will join their British counterparts in Operation Spear, a joint military exercise from October 27 to Nov 4. For Britain, it will come as a trial exercise should any terrorism-related incidents warrant the evacuation of its nationals. For the SL troops, it will be more learning on providing humanitarian assistance, disaster relief and related matters. Theme of the exercise a post-terror attack scenario and is to be followed by more..

Jul 21 (TOI) Nalini Sriharan, India’s longest-serving woman prisoner and convicted in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, is set to walk out of the Vellore central prison on a month-long ordinary parole. Madras High Court had on July 5 granted her the parole, her first such leave in 28 years of incarceration, to make arrangements for the wedding of her daughter, Charithra Sriharan, who was born in prison and is currently a medical more..

Jul 21 (Island) A group of Sri Lankan doctors, who have developed a steroids protocol for the management of dengue and post complication syndrome, has asked the WHO to authorize an expert committee with clinical experience in dengue management and knowledge of immunology and pharmacology to evaluate the new corticosteroids based treatment regime. "For possible immune mediated post infection complications, more..

Jul 21 (AD) One person has reportedly been killed after police opened fire at suspected members of the Awa group who attempted to attack several police officers at Manipai, Jaffna. An Awa group member as killed when the police officers opened fire at the suspects who were attempting to attack them with swords. He said that five other members of the criminal gang, which has been linked to multiple incidents of violence and more..

Jul 21 (ST) A new political and civil society alliance, headed by UNP leader and PM Ranil Wickremesinghe, will be formally announced on August 5 in preparation for the upcoming presidential election. For this purpose, a meeting will take place at the Sugathadasa Stadium and initially comprise the UNP and its current UNF constituent partners — the JHU, SLMC, ACMC, National Union of Workers, United Left Front, Democratic People’s Front. more..

Jul 21 (RN) It is three months today since a group of suicidal extremists upended our society by killing Easter Sunday worshippers in three Churches and Brunching holidaymakers in three five star hotels in the capital. These tragic events destroyed post-war glow we had been enjoying sans checkpoints and body searches. Our politicians promptly bought hundreds of millions of rupees worth of armoured limousines, more..

Jul 22 (CT) The unrestrained freedom extended by the current regime to a bunch of saffron-clad street vendors of Sinhala Buddhist zealotry is pushing Sri Lanka once again into a cauldron of ethnic and religious convulsion. The nationwide spread and virulence of these hate mongers is jeopardising the very survival of the nation’s democratic polity, economic recovery – especially after the failed constitutional coup of October 2018 and worsened by April Easter carnage – social cohesion, more..

Jul 22 (CT) “Hitler found that he could gain power and consolidate it, in part, by whipping up a frenzy of hatred toward imagined internal national enemies, including Jews and Communists (often identified and conflated with each other). He played the nationalism card and promised to destroy the enemies who hated Germany. Historians said that Germany proved susceptible to this radical message because of the extreme political and economic circumstances it faced and because it lacked more..

Jul 22 (SO) Although truncated of much of its original powers, the Presidency is yet viewed as Sri Lanka’s top job, at least by those who aspire full-time political service to the country. The Executive Presidency still has many centralized powers, including that of control of the armed forces and national security, a subject crucial in a nation that has been wracked by socially divisive struggles and remains so today. more..

Jul 22 (SO) The multi-task National Program to provide a sachet of milk to every schoolchild under the Grama Sahkthi People’s Movement will commence on Tuesday. It would be a forerunner in an expedited mission to eradicate poverty, while making the country self-sufficient in liquid milk and also build a healthy future generation. The first phase of the program to provide milk to more than half a million primary Grade schoolchildren will be inaugurated at a rural school, more..

Jul 22 (ST) The ship of Lanka’s state has been cast adrift. It’s rudderless, it’s leaderless. And it’s clueless as to where it’s heading. From the captain’s high table to the lowly galley of the commonest tar aboard, it’s all at sea. Even though, even now, it raises, from its prized celebratory quarterdeck of command, the national flag to fly its ceremonial humbug with the starboard gangway exclusively reserved for the entrance of the corrupt and the incompetent to climb its steps to more..

Jul 22 (CT) The extremely cruel conditions, in which tuskers and elephants are paraded in Peraheras, have been condemned by animal welfare activists and environmentalists who say that it is in violation of Buddhism. The Buddha preached that all living beings should be treated with loving kindness, but ironically his relics are taken on the backs of tuskers and elephants in Peraheras. more..

Jul 22 (ST) Let us not dissemble about the fact that the killing of five students of Tamil ethnicity in Jan 2006 was a cold blooded murder of innocents. The dead victims had been awaiting university entrance when they were mowed down. Bright, eager students, these were the best that Sri Lanka promised. No connection to terrorist activities were established even though this was the immediate reaction by some state officers when public outrage arose over the killings. more..

Jul 22 (Island) If one continues the study of the amendments to the 1978 Constitution of Sri Lanka, 7th Amendment was brought to make provision for increasing the number of administrative and electoral districts. The 8th Amendment was about the appointment of President’s Counsel. The 9th Amendment was to adjust the salary scales of public servants who are not qualified to be elected as MPs. The 10th Amendment was brought to remove the requirement of a 2/3rds majority in Parliament more..

Jul 22 (SO) With Prez Elections only a few months away there is a sudden focus on a different type of elections- PC elections. Elections to these bodies are long overdue but are mired in a complex legal process which prevents them from being conducted. The last provincial polls in the country were held in 2013 when Mahinda Rajapaksa was President. Rajapaksa made a fine art of conducting provincial elections, staggering them in such a way that it was beneficial to him and his party. more..