Dec 14 (CI) In Jan 2018, SLC's then-president visited a large plot of vacant land near SL's northern city of Jaffna, and pledged to build a cricket stadium there. Among headline-grabbing proposals tossed into the sky at this media-whirlwind was the notion that Jaffna could be developed into a sports city. Jaffna is no stranger to grand pronouncements, of course. It was the largest urban centre to have been ensnared in SL's civil war, more..

Dec 14 (EN) Central bank has ordered commercial banks and the National Savings Bank not to buy sovereign bonds except with new foreign financing, in move to reduce pressure on the forex market. SL�s sovereign bonds are trading at steep discounts and the purchase of near term bonds would result in large profits if Sri Lanka honours the maturity. "The CB, with a view to easing the pressure on the exchange rate and the stress on financial markets due to the impact of the Covid-19 outbreak, more..

Dec 14 (DM) SJB MP Champika Ranawaka said the Aryuvedic syrup which is claimed to be a cure for COVID- 19 should not become a drama which will mislead the people. He said that the syrup should be approved as a cure for CIOVID- 19 only after a proper testing by a recognised Aryuvedic medical body. �There is a recognised body responsible for regulating Aryuvedic treatment in SL. Such a body should carry out testing of the syrup and then approve the distribution instead of more..

Dec 14 (TM) Department of Excise under the newly retired Commissioner General of Excise had given approval for 39 liquor licenses for selected star hotels during his final weeks, following a directive issued to him by the Ministry of Finance. Outgoing Commissioner General A. Bodaragama stated that these liquor licenses were approved recently in a bid to promote local tourism amidst the prevailing restrictions more..

Dec 14 (TM) Local importers have expressed their concerns over the Cabinet�s decision to extend the validity period of the order issued under the Foreign Exchange Act regarding the restriction on outflows of foreign exchange by six months. Import Section of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce stated that they are concerned for the local importers who are suffering in silence due the current restrictions. They explained that the local importers are already operating at a very low level because of more..

Dec 14 (NR) The National Carrier of Sri Lanka and a member of the oneworld alliance, SriLankan Airlines is set to increase the frequency of passenger flights from Colombo to Singapore from once a week to thrice a week, commencing 18th Dec 2020. In addition to this, SriLankan will also operate a weekly service between Kuala Lumpur and Colombo every Friday. These flights are operated subject to COVID-19 entry restrictions and border closures imposed by the respective countries. more..

Dec 14 (Island) The Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) of Sri Lanka has not been subjected to proper Treasury or parliamentary oversight though it is a vital state institution, COPE has revealed. The failure on the part of successive govts to ensure proper oversight has revealed massive losses amounting to billions of rupees over the years, recent COPE investigations have found. more..

Dec 14 (Island) SJB that demanded scrapping of the traditional dinner hosted by the Speaker at the conclusion of the budget debate on grounds that funds spent thereon could be channeled to provide relief to pandemic hit people had had their own party the same night in a five-star hotel in Colombo, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena said. �There was no additional cost involving the dinner except the amount stipulated by Parliament for the purpose of maintaining the tradition. more..

Dec 14 (FT) Listed companies saw a Super September thanks to healthy earnings in most sectors owing to recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, according to First Capital Research. It said Sept 2020 quarter earnings surged by 61.1% YoY to Rs. 73.9 billion owing to the robust performance in most of the sectors primarily led by Food, Beverage and Tobacco (96% YoY), Transportation (578% YoY), Capital Goods (112% YoY) and Materials (154% YoY). However, more..

Dec 14 (EN) SL�s main opposition has questioned whether a new state owned which is being set up to finance and operated the country�s expressways would be 49% owned by a Singapore based firm. SL is setting up new state-run companies to manage land and hotel assets, invest in new technologies. Both existing and new expressways are expected to come under the new company which will also raised funds, more..

Dec 14 (FT) SLMC has requested for explanations in writing from the four MPs who supported the Govt in securing majority approval for the 20th Amendment in Parliament. This was decided when the office bearers of SLMC high command met yesterday after a long absence due to the COVID-19 situation and prevailing quarantine law. This special meeting of the office bearers of the SLMC was held to discuss issues pertaining to the four MPs voting in favour of 20A, their subsequent conduct and more..

Dec 14 (TM) Despite reports to the contrary, Sri Lanka remains on the agenda for this week�s meeting of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Board. �SL is on the agenda for the upcoming meeting of the MCC Board. I believe the meeting is on the 15th of this month in Washington DC,� US Embassy Spokesperson Nancy VanHorn said. However, she added that the US Embassy could not speculate on board decisions when asked about the likely outcome of the meeting. more..

Dec 14 (FT) COVID-19 clusters that emerged from Divulapitiya, Peliyagoda and Prisons have exceeded 29,000 patients with the detection of 650 patients yesterday. 503 patients linked to the Peliyagoda cluster and 147 persons linked to the Prisons cluster tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday. This brings the total count of the clusters to 29,152. 1,599 SL overseas arrivals have also tested positive for COVID-19, more..

Dec 14 (NR) Three COVID-19 fatalities were confirmed yesterday increasing the country�s virus death toll to 152. One individual was identified as a 62-year-old female from Col 10, who passed away on Saturday at the Colombo East Base Hospital. She was transferred from the Colombo National Hospital after testing positive for COVID-19. The cause of death was determined as a heart attack aggravated by coronavirus pneumonia. A 71-year-old female from Wattala passed on Saturday more..

Dec 14 (AD) The CID has so far recorded statements from 255 individuals regarding the recent violent incidents at the Mahara Prison. Police Media Spokesman DIG Ajith Rohana stated that 27 statements were recorded yesterday (12) alone. Among them are statements from 11 prison officials and 16 inmates. The CID launched investigations into the incidents on Dec 1. Meanwhile, the expert committee appointed for the postmortem of the inmates who died Mahara Prison riot has more..

Dec 14 (AD) The isolation orders on several areas will be lifted while several more areas will be assigned under isolation from tomorrow (14) morning, Lt Gen Shavendra Silva said issuing updating the current isolation announcements. Accordingly, the following areas will be no longer under isolation from 5 am tomorrow (14). Colombo District: Sirisanda Sevana Housing Scheme (Grandpass); Sirimuthu Uyana (Grandpass); more..

Dec 14 (FT) Aseni, the wiz kid who is interested in everything that is economic, has been dismayed by media reports that SL Govt�s long term int'l borrowings have been downgraded by Fitch Ratings from B- to CCC. She asked her Grandpa, Sarath Mahatthaya, an ex-officer of the Ministry of Finance, for a clarification. The following is the discussion that took place between them: Aseni: Grandpa, I read in the papers that Fitch Ratings had downgraded SL govt�s long term int'l borrowings from B- more..

Dec 14 (FT) I enjoyed reading a rare revelation of resilience, jointly written by a globally renowned business leader and a globally acclaimed veteran academic. No wonder that it is another New York Times best seller, which has high relevance to the pandemic times that we are passing through. Today�s column is a reflection of Option B, the mind-opening treatise. Sheryl Sandberg is the Chief Operating Officer at Facebook. Prof. Adam Grant is a psychologist at Warton Business School, more..

Dec 14 (AD) The Attorney General has informed the Court of Appeal that the CID has not refused permission for lawyers to meet Hejaaz Hizbullah, who is currently being held in connection with the Easter Sunday terror attacks. The petition filed by attorney-at-law Chalana Perera, seeking a court order on the Director of CID to grant permission for Hizbullah to access his lawyers, was taken up before Appeals Court Justices Priyantha Fernando and Sobitha Rajakaruna today (14). more..

Dec 14 (AD) A stock of 25,000 kilograms of turmeric, illegally imported into the country in containers declared as big onions, has been detected and seized by SL Customs. The stock of dried turmeric, valued at Rs 19 million, was discovered inside four shipping containers that had been declared as big onions. Customs spokesman said that containers had been imported from Dubai by a trader in Pettah. Turmeric had been concealed within containers carrying 80,000 kg of big onions. more..

Dec 14 (Island) The LSSP and CP of Sri Lanka have opposed the abolition of the Public Utilities Commission. In a joint statement, the LSSP and the CP have said that the Commission was established by the Parliament Act No. 35 of 2002 and �no institution outside Parliament has the power to abolish an institution established by an Act of Parliament, and that this can only be done by Parliament itself.� more..

Dec 14 (DN) SL�s State-owned Gift and Souvenir Shop, the world-renowned Laksala is expected to open overseas franchise model mini- outlets in England, Australia, Canada and the USA to promote SL traditional handicraft items, manufactured by local craftsmen. Laksala, Chairman Pradeep Gunawardana made this assurance in the presence of over 300 SL traditional and young craftsmen who are expected to join the handicraft sector at a programme organized to introduce more..

Dec 14 (FT) DHL Express, the world�s leading express service provider, is celebrating four decades of service excellence and pioneering work in SL�s logistics sector this year. Established in 1980, DHL Express SL has continued to invest in the future of Sri Lanka and the development of its logistics industry. In the past four decades, the company has unceasingly deployed best practices from its international operations, showcased industry-leading solutions, strengthened its service presence more..

Dec 14 (CI) Angelo Mathews is likely to be unavailable for SL's tour of South Africa, thanks to the hamstring injury he sustained during Colombo Kings' LPL semi-final. The extent of Mathews' injury is not yet known, but the initial prognosis is that he will miss the two Tests in South Africa, the first of which starts on Dec 26, although he will perhaps be able to return before the home Tests against England, which start on Jan 14. more..

Dec 14 (EN) Sri Lanka and Thailand have expressed hope to revive talks on a free trade deal following a meeting with the Thai envoy in Colombo Chulamanee Chartsuwan and Indian Ocean island�s foreign secretary Jayanath Colombage, a retired admiral. The first round of negotiations for a Sri Lanka-Thailand Free Trade Agreement had been held in 2018 during a visit of Thai Prime Minister. A second meeting of a SL-Thailand Trade Negotiating Committee had been held in 2019. more..

Dec 14 (FT) Sri Lanka has endured its fair share of hardships, but that hasn�t fazed travellers who have just voted it the world�s best island according to popular Australian publication Escape. The publication says: �It was named Lonely Planet�s top destination for 2019, but the Easter Sunday terror attacks in Sri Lanka saw the country�s booming tourism industry suffer tremendously. Now things are on the mend, with a new world number one ranking � and this time it�s voted by travellers. more..

Dec 14 (Island) Former Minister Rishad Bathiudeen had called him on the day Dr. Segu Shihabdeen Mohamed Shafi, accused of steralising women without their consent, was granted bail, and spoke mockingly, former Kurunegala SSP Mahinda Dissanayake told the PCoI investigating the Easter Sunday attacks. Dissanayake said there were subtle interferences throughout the investigation into allegations against Dr. Shafi. more..

Dec 14 (Island) For over a decade, Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT) has emphasised their aim to bring the value, beauty, reflection, pride and immortality of Sri Lankan culture to the forefront through the annual calendar, in different artistic ways under the main theme Preserving Heritage for tomorrow. For the year 2020, SLT focused on the Narration of Art, considering how mediums of art are combined with different and unique techniques to communicate people�s imagination. more..

Dec 14 (CT) SL Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (SLEME) manufactured AVALON 6X6 Vehicle, which is targeted to support UN peacekeeping missions overseas, is expected to get the UN green light, which means more of these vehicles will roll out of the SLEME�s manufacturing yard, the Army said. SLEME is a unit that functions under the Army. The AVALON 6x6 is capable of gathering intelligence with real-time information from any terrain with the help of its sophisticated accessories, more..

Dec 14 (EN) Police Spokesman is saying that a person who refuses a PCR test can be charged with maliciously spreading Covid 19 and could face imprisonment. DIG Ajith Rohana, said that a person refusing PCR testing can face up to three years of imprisonment. This is because a person who intentionally does not attend PCR testing he or she could be seen as someone who does not love the country, he added. more..

Dec 14 (CT) The PCoI into the 21 April 2019, Easter Sunday bombings recorded evidence from BBC journalist Shirley Upul Kumara, on 11 December, regarding a controversial interview he had with former Prez Maithripala Sirisena. His evidence was recorded after the video of the said interview, recorded by the BBC Sinhala Service, was played before the Commission. The interview has been recorded on 14 July, 2020 in Colombo. Commission paid attention on the question raised by more..

Dec 14 (AD) Four individuals who had recently recovered from coronavirus infection at the Punani Treatment Center have been arrested by the Valaichchenai police. The suspects have been arrested on suspicion of stealing equipment from the relevant treatment center. On Dec 12, the 4 patients were due to be released from the Punani Treatment Center in Valaichchenai after complete recovery. However, a doctor at the treatment center stated that 4 patients had stolen a stock of electronic more..

Dec 14 (DM) Maldives Govt, last week sent an official communiqu� to the SL Foreign Ministry, stepping in to bury COVID-19 victims following serious concerns raised by the Muslim community here over the mandatory cremation only policy in SL. Dr Hemantha Herath, the Deputy Director-general of Public Health Services said that following the communiqu� received by the Foreign Ministry, the Ministry, in turn, informed the Health Ministry more..

Dec 14 (CT) Legal action is to be taken, under Criminal Law and Prison Laws and Regulations, against approximately 100 detainees, who provided leadership to the rioters and engaged in destroying property during the recent riot at the Mahara Prison. A senior Prisons spokesman said that legal action is to be taken against these detainees on several allegations, including conspiracy, unlawful assembly, destruction of Public property and attempting to break out of prison. more..

Dec 14 (Island) The Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS) of the National University of Singapore has invited Milinda Moragoda, the Founder of the Pathfinder Foundation, to be an Honorary Fellow. The ISAS was established in 2004 as an autonomous research institute at the National University of Singapore. Its establishment reflects the increasing economic and political importance of South Asia and the strong historical links between South Asia and Southeast Asia. more..

Dec 14 (DM) Govt should provide facilities for teachers to conduct online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic, Ceylon Teachers� Service Union (CTSU) said. CTSU General Secretary Mahinda Jayasinghe said that most of the teachers do not have the necessary equipment. �Teachers don't get a salary which can be satisfied about. They can't afford to buy the equipment that are needed neither able to bear the expenses incurred on more..

Dec 14 (CT) With MP Patali Champika Ranawaka resigning from the JHU and joining the SJB, expecting to be offered a top post, such as Deputy Leader of the Party, a highly controversial situation has arisen within the SJB. During the last General Election, Ranawaka came fifth in the Colombo District and it is said that severe injustice will result if he is given a position ahead of Sarath Fonseka and Rajitha Senaratne, who obtained first place in the preferential votes list from the Gampaha more..

Dec 14 (AD) The Minister of Health has requested the Court of Appeal to dismiss the writ petition seeking an interim injunction restraining the activities of five members of the Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC). Three members of the SLMC including its former Chairman Prof. Harendra Silva have filed a writ petition challenging the appointment of the new chairman and four members. The petition was taken up today (14) before Justices Arjuna Obeysekera and Sobhitha Rajakaruna. more..

Dec 14 (AP) Swiss govt acknowledged Monday that authorities in the Alpine nation had failed to prevent the illegal adoptions of children from Sri Lanka up until the 1990s. Govt said it regretted that such adoptions had gone ahead despite strong indications of, in some cases, serious irregularities. The issue came to light several years ago after adults who had been adopted as children in the 1980s and 1990s returned to Sri Lanka more..