Jun 26 (CT) Sri Lanka Women’s 4x100m relay team advanced to the finals of the 60th National Interstate Senior Athletics Championship started at Patiala yesterday. Relay quartet comprised three 2018 South Asian Junior Gold medalists in Amasha de Silva, Shelinda Jansen and Safiya Yamic. They were joined by teenager Medhani Jayamanne. The team clocked 45.30 seconds, which is the 9th fastest SL 4x100m women relay time. The team had chaotic last few days ahead of traveling to India. more..

Jun 26 (Island) Two modest totals and two losses – SL’s sorry tale in the three-match T20I series against the formidable England side. In the first game, Sri Lanka ended up with 129 for 7, and in the next match, the visitors could muster only 111 for 7. It is true that the conditions for both the matches in Cardiff were tricky, but SL would hope for a better show from their batters in the third and final T20I in Southampton. If Sri Lanka have to pull one back, the visitors’ batting unit would have to find more..

Jun 26 (CI) Mickey Arthur has urged his SL side to stay patient after they slipped to a second defeat in as many nights in Cardiff, leaving them on a run of 11 defeats in their last 12 completed T20Is dating back to Oct 2019. Opting to bat first in both games after winning the toss, SL posted scores of 129 and 111, and while they came much closer to defending their total on Thursday night than in Wednesday's eight-wicket pasting, more..

Jun 26 (Island) Pelwatte Dairy Industries has shown resilience during the pandemic and its effects along with other challenges. The fluctuations in milk production, difficulty in transportation and logistics, disruption in the supply chains, worker shortage in the factories and increased production cost were amongst the many problems faced. “The lockdown imposed for the third wave wasn’t as challenging as the ones before. Our management and superiors had put effective measures in all processes more..

Jun 26 (TOO) PM Mahinda Rajapaksa received an Omani delegation from Shumookh Investment and Services which is the investment arm of Madayn (Public Establishment for Industrial Estates) of the Sultanate of Oman, at Temple Trees, the Official Residence of the PM , on Monday in Colombo. Shumookh delegation comprised of CEO Musallam Juma Al Hadaifi, Executive Director Abdullah Al Bulushi, and Shumookh Legal Counsel Robin Mande. Ambassador of Sultanate of Oman more..

Jun 26 (DM) All Island Canteen Owners' Association (AICOA) Chief Asela Sampath has been allegedly abducted, by a group who had claimed that they were CID, at his residence in Pelawatta, his family said. The people who came to the house were not in police uniforms, Mr. Sampath's wife said. The vehicle used to allegedly abduct the activist, a van, had borne the registration plate number NE 0833, she said. more..

Jun 26 (MFA) Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena received the newly appointed representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) to Sri Lanka Dr. Alaka Singh today (25) at the Ministry. Welcoming Dr. Singh to SL, Minister Gunawardena recalled the close cooperation between SL and WHO, being the very first UN agency to be established in Colombo in 1952. He appreciated the WHO’s assistance to SL during the COVID- 19 pandemic, and requested more..

Jun 26 (DN) Wooks.lk recently launched SL’s first Online Book Library for Children at Temple Trees recently under the patronage of Namal Rajapaksa, Cabinet Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, State Minister of Digital Technology and Entrepreneur Development. Wooks.lk was born out of the desire and need to offer interactive children’s books in a safe space online. “Our platform offers interactive books in both Sinhala as well as English, read aloud by Elocution teachers of both languages. more..

Jun 26 (FT) Less than 2,000 COVID-19 patients were detected in the island for the second consecutive day since 8 May, with health authorities stating that 1,876 persons tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday. Despite the drop in daily detections, health authorities warned that the country still faced the risk of COVID-19 spread, especially that of the Delta variant. State Minister Dr. Sudarshini Fernandopulle said: more..

Jun 26 (ST) Gulam S Chatoor, 87, one of the pioneers and a veteran in Sri Lanka’s spices industry and exports serving the corporate sector for more than 60 years, has decided to call it a day, announcing his retirement and stepping down from his responsibilities, but will always be available to offer his advice and share his vast knowledge on many disciplines he is well acquainted with. Mr. Chatoor, Chairman, Saboor Chatoor (Pvt) Ltd, a leading spice exporter of Sri Lanka, more..

Jun 26 (FT) Ahead of Prez Rajapaksa’s address to the nation, the main Opposition – SJB and JVP - yesterday listed priority issues for him to respond to. SJB Leader Sajith Premadasa listed them as the fuel hike, fertiliser issue, X-Press Pearl disaster, equitable online education, the Govt’s COVID response and the collapse of the economy. In his speech, Prez spoke at length about how the Govt has successfully dealt with the pandemic, how the economy is being revitalised after more..

Jun 26 (CT) A group of independent Muslim scholars will be assisting in the rehabilitating and de-radicalising process of those taken into custody following the Easter Sunday attacks, Commissioner General of Rehabilitation Major General Dharshana Hettiarrachchi said. “The de-radicalisation mission has not yet resumed as the selection process of the detainees for the rehabilitation programme is underway,” more..

Jun 26 (FT) National Movement for Social Justice (NMSJ) Chairman Karu Jayasuriya warned that the country as a whole is declining politically, economically and socially. “We can only get out of that abyss by strengthening democracy in the country,” he told the media. He urged the Govt not to gamble with the lives of the people but to take steps to save the country from the brink of bankruptcy. “Today our country is on the brink of a catastrophe. The country is facing a huge risk of more..

Jun 26 (Island) Election Commission Chairman Nimal Punchihewa says in terms of the Parliamentary Election Act a person who hasn’t contested a general election, or not included in the National List, can be appointed to Parliament when a vacancy occurs. Attorney-at-law Punchihewa explained that when a political party named its share of NL members immediately after a general election, they would have to be either defeated candidates or those included in the NL handed over to more..

Jun 26 (FT) Prez Rajapaksa reassured the nation to deliver socio-economic prosperity without fail despite unprecedented challenges, including the pandemic. In his address to the nation of one hour and 10 minutes, he laboriously listed multiple challenges faced since assuming office, as well as success achieved amidst the pandemic, and a host of measures in motion and planned to overcome challenges & usher prosperity. more..

Jun 26 (DM) Basil Rajapaksa will enter Parliament next month after he is sworn in as a national list MP, political sources confirmed to Daily Mirror yesterday. After he takes his oaths as a MP, Rajapaksa is likely be sworn in as the Minister of Finance and Economic Development. Presently the Finance Ministry portfolio is being held by PM Mahinda Rajapaksa. According to sources, Basil is likely to be sworn in as an MP on July 6 after MP Ranjith Bandara resigns, for him to take the seat. more..

Jun 26 (FT) A total of 17,426 COVID-19 vaccines were administered on Thursday, raising the country’s fully vaccinated population to 870,992. 2,513,654 persons have received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. On Thursday, 13,226 persons received the first dose of the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine and 4,160 persons received the second dose of the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine. As of Thursday, 1,474,958 persons had received the first dose of the vaccine and 483,910 persons had received more..

Jun 26 (Island) Retired General Daya Ratnayake says his unceremonious removal as Chairman, SLPA, took place at a time the state enterprise was undergoing an unprecedented transformation. Ratnayake insisted that he hadn’t been specifically told why he had been suddenly replaced over a week before. Asked whether disciplinary action taken in respect of a female doctor recently, attached to SLPA, more..

Jun 26 (FT) I am sad to report there seems a swelling tide of things we don’t know and cannot rely on. This toxic combination renders any attempt at intelligent pandemic response more than questionable. It is clear that the PCR test, a mutant adaptation from something designed to detect not diagnose, just is nowhere close to diagnostically definitive. But national fortunes are hostage to its outputs as if these were definitive read-outs we could and should steer by. more..

Jun 26 (FT) Pandemic and investment are the two most used words in Sri Lanka today. Pandemic needs boosting immunity. Investment needs boosting prospects. Air, pregnant with opinions, thoughts, arguments and the coronavirus, is blowing through our corridors. While trying to escape from getting infected by the virus, I could not escape from sharing some of my thoughts and experience on investment. I am a man who succeeded as a practitioner but failed as a researcher. more..

Jun 26 (TM) Uni of Sri J'pura’s Dept of Immunology and Molecular Medicine has completed its study on how the immune response evolves following the first dose of the Covishield vaccine, the Uni said. The Department is also conducting studies on immune responses to the Sinopharm and the Sputnik V vaccine. “As the vaccination only started recently, these studies are not yet complete and are currently ongoing. When the studies are complete, we will release the data of these studies,” more..

Jun 26 (Island) Nestlé’s much-loved Milo brand announced that it has switched to paper straws for its popular ready-to-drink (RTD) variant. This makes it the first RTD beverage in SL to offer consumers the more sustainable alternative of paper straws. The landmark move will enable the company to eliminate 90 million plastic straws a year, and makes the all-new Milo packaging 100% recyclable. This initiative is one of the many actions Nestlé is taking to reduce the impact of its packaging. more..

Jun 26 (EN) Sri Lanka is in the biggest economic crisis after independence from British rule and there was hardly any tax money left for other expenses after paying state workers, Minister Bandula Gunewardene said. “In 2020 the revenue of the govt was 1,373 billion rupees,” he told parliament. “To pay the salaries of state workers 794 billion rupees are used. To pay pensions another 258 billion rupees are spent. more..

Jun 26 (DM) “We were assured that Pfizer will also deliver 205,000 vaccine doses next month in batches. The first lot will arrive on July 5” SL plans for the completion of inoculation of all people above 60 with at least the first dose against Covid-19 by the middle of next month. There are 2.7 million people belonging to this age group, and one million of them have already received their jabs. State Minister Prof. Channa Jayasumana said the govt would purchase 1.5 m doses of Sinovac jabs more..

Jun 26 (AD) The inmates who were engaged in a hunger strike on top of the Chapel Ward at Welikada Prison have called off their protest today, says the Prisons Spokesman. On June 24, a group of inmates at Mahara Prison hadcommenced an indefinite fast-unto-death urging the authorities to commute their death sentences to life imprisonment. Following suit, a group of inmates on death row at Welikada Prison also launched a hunger strike. Later, showing support to their fellow inmates more..

Jun 26 (AJ) SL’s top criminal investigator insists he has done nothing wrong after he was released on bail earlier this week after more than 10 months in prison remand in a murder case in which a senior police officer has been implicated. Shani Abeysekara, 59, the former senior superintendent of police who headed the CID, is accused of fabricating and concealing evidence in the case against former DIG of Police more..

Jun 26 (ST) The decision to give COVID-19 deaths-by-date is a crucial need and should be done even with the past data as well (with retrospective effect) to get accurate evidence of the trajectory of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country, said many experts. It is also important for RT-PCR case numbers to be reported on a daily basis, stratified into the categories of testing, it is learnt. One expert argued that death numbers are critical for analysis because COVID-19 cases reported may be more..

Jun 26 (AD) Vaccinating people aged over 60 years against COVID-19 will be ramped up from Monday (28), says Dr. Prasad Colombage, the Central Committee Member of Govt Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA). Accordingly, arrangements have been made to set up vaccination centres at each main hospital, he stated further. “The senior citizens only have to bring their identity card. We will hand them over an application to be filled and submitted to the vaccination centre in order to more..

Jun 26 (SNA) Two Sri Lanka-registered vessels have been intercepted in the Seychelles' waters on suspicion of illegal fishing, the Seychelles People's Defence Forces (SPDF) said on Friday. SPDF said that the interception was made "in a coordinated operation carried out by the Seychelles Coast Guard, Seychelles Air Force, Special Forces Unit, and the National Information Sharing and Coordination Centre." more..

Jun 26 (CT) It was decided at the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus to submit a proposal in writing to the Parliamentary Select Committee on election law reforms in order to ensure 30-70% representation of women at the Parliamentary and Provincial levels within the existing electoral structure of the country. In addition, it was also decided to propose to ensure that the 25% quota of votes at the local govt level remains unchanged and to add to the electoral rules that all political more..

Jun 26 (CT) Govt will provide financial assistance from Rs 1.5 million to Rs 5 million to unemployed graduates who join businesses to increase the value of agricultural products. Unemployed graduates who submit successful project reports in relation to businesses to increase the value of agri-fields will be paid from Rs 1.5 million to Rs 5 million for each project and that export market connections will be supplied for their businesses with the intervention of govt, State Minister Janaka Wakkumbura more..

Jun 26 (ST) A British-Sri Lankan company has created a digital tool that can cover 17.5mn people and send out 500,000 SMS messages a day to push forward the COVID-19 vaccination programme–but has found no interest for it among local legislators. The application was recently used with success in several Medical Officer of Health (MOH) areas of the Galle Four Gravets Divisional Secretariat. This was after more..

Jun 26 (TM) National Department of Zoological Gardens, stated that the veterinarians associated with the Public Zoological Services Association had not acted in a timely manner when ‘Thor’ the lioness became infected with Covid-19. They stated that this resulted in a worsening of the disease of the lion and the need for international help. However, they stated that the lion is currently under treatment and is faring well. The Public Zoological Services Association in response to this statement more..

Jun 26 (EN) Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry Sri Lanka, an umbrella grouping has written to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, seeking credit relief and also a re-think of the chemical fertilizer ban. The full statement is reproduced below: Trade and Investment Issues faced by our membership and probable solutions proposed by them. First of all we would like to thank the govt for introducing a package of concessions by circular no 5 of Central Bank more..

Jun 27 (TM) The country witnessed an amusing spectacle last week where govt members of the august assembly seemed delirious on the arrival of a humiliated former prime minister while the current Opposition sat in studied silence. But the enthusiasm of the govt benches quickly evaporated once the seasoned politician, now the sole representative of his party, began to speak. Holding forth amidst pindrop silence in the usually raucous chamber, the longest-serving member of more..

Jun 27 (SO) The travel restrictions now in effect are likely to be extended and tightened over the coming days. It might even amount to a full lockdown, as we experienced last year in the immediate aftermath of the first cases being reported from the country. Judging by what happened in the past few weeks, the authorities have not been left with many options. This is because the travel restrictions were largely observed in the breach, with nearly 80,000 vehicles entering Colombo alone on any given day. more..

Jun 27 (TM) Along with the Covid-19 pandemic posting record numbers of cases daily, the cost of living that was already on the rise was further affected by the recent fuel price hike. The banning of chemical fertilisers, food shortage, and food security are some of the other pressing concerns weighing on the minds of the public. Trade Minister Bandula Gunawardana spoke about the present situation in the country and more..