Dec 16 (CT) After over two weeks of riveting action, the two best sides - Galle Gladiators and Jaffna Stallions - will lock horns in the final clash of the LPL today at Hambanthota. The inaugural tournament has thrown up some major surprises as it gears up for the final match.Both teams possess a plethora of stars, both domestic and international, and many of them have come up trumps on more than one occasion during tournament so far. more..

Dec 16 (DN) The My11Circle Lanka Premier League (LPL) organized by SLC will no doubt have given a big boost to the tourism industry, especially when the whole world is passing through a torrid time. With his dynamic approach of promoting sports tourism, a big bouquet should go to the Minister Namal Rajapaksa, without whose valiant efforts this tournament would never have turned into a reality. SLC president Shammi Silva and his team of officials never gave up hopes; strove hard to make it a success. more..

Dec 16 (FT) LOLC Holdings PLC�s strategic investment arm, Browns Investments PLC (BI), acquired the controlling stake of 55.65% of Serendib Hotel PLC (Serendib) for a consideration of Rs. 792 million, the company said in a statement. With this acquisition, BI will hold 56.67% of voting shares and 53.48% non-voting shares of Serendib. The investment was made by BI�s subsidiary leisure company, Eden Hotel Lanka PLC. �The carefully-executed investment strategy of BI more..

Dec 16 (TM) Ensuring the normalization of economic activity must be balanced with containing the spread of Covid-19, as prioritizing the economy over health could be detrimental in the long run, according to IPS Executive Director Dr. Dushni Weerakoon. �I understand the Govt�s urgency to get the economy back to normal as fast as possible. We were enjoying a good period; exports were picking up, so was FDI. more..

Dec 16 (SLN) Passing out Parade and Commissioning Ceremony of sixty two (62) Midshipmen of the 61st Intake of Officer Cadets of SL Navy and 35th Intake of Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, underwent training at the Naval and Maritime Academy (NMA), was held in a dignified sequence at NMA, Trincomalee on 12th Dec. Secretary of Defence, Major General (Retd) Kamal Gunaratne graced this occasion as the Chief Guest and took the salute at the invitation of more..

Dec 16 (FT) In line with Hemas� portfolio strategy of focusing on its core sectors of Consumer, Healthcare and Mobility, Hemas Holdings PLC (HHL) yesterday said it had divested its shareholding in Serendib Hotel PLC to Eden Hotel Lanka, a subsidiary of LOLC Holdings, for a total consideration of Rs. 791.7 million.Serendib Hotels is the majority shareholder of Dolphin Hotels, Hotel Sigiriya, Serendib Leisure Management, Frontier Capital Lanka and Sanctuary Resorts Lanka. more..

Dec 16 (SLE) Ambassador Ravinatha Aryasinha has called on Overseas Sri Lankans (OSLs) in the US to support economic promotion and strengthen advocacy of SL. He said, while engaging with the US Govt and State bodies to advance SL�s political, economic, defense and socio-cultural cooperation, the Mission will reach out to all OSLs and seek to upgrade its service to the Community - both directly and in collaboration with SL Consulate in Los Angeles, SL Permanent Mission to the UN more..

Dec 16 (Island) HNB PLC once again secured top rankings among SL�s Most Admired Companies for the 3rd consecutive year. The bank was selected for its achievement in business and financial excellence, as well as for offering significant value to their customers, employees and the general community. Conducted jointly by the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) and Int'l Chamber of Commerce SL (ICCSL), the evaluation for the awards found that more..

Dec 16 (FT) The Govt confirmed that the reopening of SL�s borders on 26 Dec is a pilot project and not a formal opening to welcome international travellers post-COVID, with the official lifting of restrictions slated for January. This particular pilot project aims to assess the protocols that have been put in place to handle the influx of tourists once the country�s borders are formally opened for int'l tourism by mid-January, more..

Dec 16 (SLN) Special operations carried out by the SL Navy and Coast Guard in several sea areas of the island today (15) led to the apprehension of 36 Indian nationals along with 5 fishing trawlers and fishing accessories, for poaching in SL waters. Although operations to prevent poaching by foreign fishermen in SL waters have been restricted since March this year due to COVID-19 concerns, the Navy resumed its raids on poaching, considering the impact of this wanton act on the livelihood of more..

Dec 16 (FT) Cabinet approved Rs. 365 million to construct an International Gem and Jewellery Trade Centre in Ratnapura to develop the industry. Cabinet The funds had been earmarked to construct the International Gem and Jewellery Trade Centre in Demuwawattha, Ratnapura by investing the funds of the National Gem and Jewellery Authority to enable sellers and buyers to avail all the services and facilities under one roof. �Independent quality testing services and laboratory services as well as more..

Dec 16 (ST) There is nothing to worry. If you are ill, don�t panic but seek treatment at a hospital. There is no stigma attached to the coronavirus. All health facilities are available and deaths can be prevented, was the earnest plea sent out by the newly-appointed State Minister Dr. Sudarshini Fernandopulle. �If there is any issue, go to the health sector as there is nothing to worry about. Do not worry about leaving your family, more..

Dec 16 (DN) Most Ven. Warakagoda Sri Gnanaratana Thera, the Chief Incumbent of the Asgiriya Chapter, yesterday said it was the responsibility of the relevant authorities to complete tests at the earliest to determine whether the local medicine produced by Dhammika Bandara from Kegalle can cure COVID-19. �If Dhammika Bandara says that patients can be cured with his medicine, authorities should immediately conduct tests and determine whether this is true. more..

Dec 16 (DM) While saying that the CID has launched an investigation into the fire that erupted at the Supreme Court complex, Police Spokesman Ajith Rohana said neither documents nor any registry had been damaged in the fire. He said the CID would also be assisted by Police Scene of Crime Officers to collect scientific evidence. "The CID has summoned the experts of the Govt Analyst Dept to collect relevant data," Spokesman said. The fire was reported at the debris store more..

Dec 16 (DM) While warning that there could be a sudden spike in Covid-19 cases in the country at the end of the festive season, Public Health Inspectors (PHI) Union stressed the Govt must make sure that travel restrictions are imposed across districts ahead of festive season. Union President, Upul Rohana said there was no necessity to impose lock down but added it was of utmost importance that the Govt curtailed the movement of more..

Dec 16 (CT) The Director of the Wathupitiwala Base Hospital Dr. C.N. Bandara yesterday (15) said, he was not aware of any kind of clinical trial conducted on the portion invented by a shaman and traditional medical practitioner Dhammika Bandara in the Hospital premises. Dr. Bandara said: �We do not have any connection with that alleged clinical trial. I have not been informed about such a trial either. However, a doctor had made an observation. I have not been informed about it.� more..

Dec 16 (DE) The Peliyagoda fish market, source of the largest and growing COVID-19 cluster in Sri Lanka is set to re-open for wholesale trade on Wednesday (16), under strict virus control health guidelines. M. I. Ratnayakem Secretary, Ministry of Fisheries, in a statement issued on Tuesday (15) said the fish-market, temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will be re-opened under Health Ministry guidelines for limited wholesale activities. more..

Dec 16 (AD) Prez Rajapaksa has examined the possibility of rapidly adding renewable energy sources such as wind, solar and natural gas to the power grid. Many countries in the world today are turning to renewable energy sources for power generation, Prez has noted. As per Saubhagyaye Dekma Policy Statement, by 2030 the Govt expects to meet 70% of the total electricity demand from renewable energy sources. more..

Dec 16 (DM) PCoI probing the Easter Sunday attacks today issued summons on Attorney General's Coordinating Officer- State Counsel Nishara Jayaratne to appear before the Commission. Accordingly, the Commissioner directed the PCoI's Secretary to send notice to State Counsel Jayaratne to appear and provide a statement to the PCoI Police Unit today and to provide evidence to the Commission on Thursday (17). The order was made by Commissioner more..

Dec 16 (DM) Govt should come up with a mechanism to ensure that funeral rites of the SL people of all religions including the rights of the Buddhists to perform the rite of offering Pansakula, SJB MP Nalin Bandara said. He said the issue today was that SL�s failure to come up with a mechanism to ensure that funeral traditions of people belonging to all religions when they succumbed to Covid-19 pandemic. �Family members of Buddhists who succumb to Covid-19 more..

Dec 16 (FT) Over 30,000 COVID-19 patients from Divulapitiya, Peliyagoda, and Prisons clusters have been identified to date, with the detection of 643 patients yesterday, bringing the total patient count of the triple clusters to 30,459. 554 persons linked to the Peliyagoda cluster and 68 persons linked to the Prisons cluster were among the patients detected yesterday. This brings number of Covid-19 patients identified to 34,121. more..

Dec 16 (DN) The Cabinet of Ministers approved a proposal made by Foreign Relations Minister Dinesh Gunawardane to accept the BIMSTEC convention at the fifth summit of the BIMSTEC scheduled to be held in Sri Lanka next year. The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is an international organisation of seven nations of South Asia and Southeast Asia which includes Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, SL and Thailand. more..

Dec 16 (Island) Attorney General Dappula de Livera, PC, on Monday (14), alleged that the situation in overcrowded coronavirus-affected prisons wouldn�t have been so bad if specific instructions issued by him to IGP C.D. Wickremaratne had been properly implemented. The AG said so at the opening of a 12-storyed building complex for the Attorney General�s Department at Hulftsdorp. Justice Minister Ali Sabry and Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya were present on the occasion. more..

Dec 16 (CT) A 3-member committee, appointed by AG, Dappula de Livera has recommended to the Public Service Commission (PSC) that disciplinary action be taken against Deputy Solicitor General (DSG) Azard Navavi and State Counsel (SC) Malik Azeez. The recommendation has been made on the officials' failure to take necessary action on a file submitted to the AG's Dept in 2017 by the Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) more..

Dec 16 (FT) If you were a �flat Earther� and were presented with Copernican findings and later those of Galileo, the paradigm shift, even after the theological furore, would be some time in coming. Beliefs establish grooves, and finding our way to fresh grooves, even when evidence is clearly paving the way, isn�t always easy. It seems after the official prevailing narrative that we had sent COVID-19 scampering into the foothills of history once and for all, hasn�t quite held up, more..

Dec 16 (FT) With the adoption of the 20th Amendment to the Constitution, the office of the executive president has once again assumed a decisive role in Sri Lanka�s social and economic excursion. Yes, it is no more than an excursion, a journey ought to have a clear destination. If the 19th Amendment whittled down the powers originally conferred on the President, the amendment which followed immediately after (20th), restored and further strengthened presidential powers. more..

Dec 16 (DM) Eight persons have been arrested in connection with a road accident which killed a 32-year-old mother and her three and a half-year-old son at Pahala Balalla on Padeniya- Anuradhapura Road yesterday evening. DIG Ajith Rohana said there had been eleven persons on the cab at the time of the accident and three suspects including the driver were absconding. Police also have recovered some empty beer cans inside the vehicle, he said. He advised people to take all precautionary more..

Dec 16 (NR) More than 25,000 persons have recovered from COVID-19 in SL. 785 persons who contracted the novel coronavirus have recovered and have been discharged from hospitals during the past 24 hours, raising the number of recoveries to 25,652. 146 persons had been discharged from the Punani Treatment centre, 94 from the Hambantota District hospital, 78 from the Dharga Town Treatment centre, 68 Police Training school in Kalutara and 58 persons from Kandakadu Treatment centre more..

Dec 16 (AD) Ministry of Health has decided to take over the hospitals with capacity to treat more patients and to convert them as Covid-19 treatment centres without delay, as daily infections continue to surge across the country. The decision was reached during a meeting of the Task Force on Covid-19 prevention held at the ministry this morning. Secretaries to State Ministries Dr Amal Harsha and K.R. Uduwawala, Additional Secretaries more..

Dec 16 (AD) The Police Media Division has published a photograph of the Covid-19 infected man who escaped from the National Hospital for Respiratory Diseases (NHRD) in Welisara, seeking public assistance in the search operation. Members of the public are requested to contact the nearest police station or the emergency hotline 119 if they have any information regarding the escapee. The 43-year-old, who was identified as a resident of Maradana area, had escaped the NHRD more..

Dec 16 (CT) MP Rishad Bathiudeen, on 14 Dec, informed the PCoI into the 21 April 2019, Easter Sunday attacks, that the evidence given by former SSP of Kurunegala, Mahinda Dissanayake before the Commission, alleging that Bathiudeen had telephoned him or otherwise spoken to him, is false. In a letter addressed to the Commission, Bathiudeen�s lawyer said his client �had not phoned Dissanayake or spoken with him as alleged by Dissanayake.� more..

Dec 16 (DM) There is no intention of imposing any travel restrictions to enter or leave the Western Province or impose a curfew or lockdown of the city or province during the long Christmas weekend, as yet, Lt. Gen Shavendra Silva said. He, however, said the situation will be reviewed again as there was a week more for the festive weekend but if the existing pattern continues, there will be no restrictions imposed. more..

Dec 16 (AD) The Department of Meteorology says Northeast monsoon conditions are gradually getting established over the island. Showers will occur at times in Northern, Eastern and North-central provinces and in Matale district. Meanwhile, showers or thundershowers are expected in several places elsewhere after 2.00 p.m. Misty conditions can be expected at Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Galle, Matara districts during the morning. more..

Dec 16 (DM) Intending to enhance the English learning skills in schoolchildren, Education Ministry has decided to provide smart classrooms for every school in the country by 2022. An event in this regard was held in Galle yesterday with participation of Minister G.L Peiris and several other officials. Under the programme, a total of 200 schools in the Southern Province will be equipped with smart classrooms, Minister said. Accordingly, the first phase of the programme was launched by more..

Dec 16 (Island) The SJB said that the govt was bound by a national responsibility to introduce a Constitution acceptable to all communities in the country. Chief Opposition Whip and Kandy District SJB MP Lakshman Kiriella, addressing the media, said that only the Soulbury Constitution had been able to ensure the contribution of the minority and minor parties to constitution making. more..

Dec 16 (AD) The Covid-19 patient who escaped from the National Hospital for Respiratory Diseases (NHRD) has been found in Maradana area, the Police said. The 43-year-old, who was identified as a resident of Maradana area, had fled last evening (15). He was admitted to the hospital to receive treatment for tuberculosis, however, a subsequent PCR test had confirmed that he is positive for the novel coronavirus. According to reports, he had given a fake address during hospitalization. more..

Dec 16 (Island) Minister Johnston Fernando yesterday ordered that the heads of the consultative firms responsible for the construction of the Kadawatha-Mirigama stretch of the Central Expressway be summoned for an urgent meeting. He gave this order at a meeting at the ministry over a protracted delay in the construction of the Kadawatha-Mirigama section of the Central Expressway, ministry sources said. Two top officials attached to the project were also transferred more..

Dec 16 (FT) Cabinet has approved special provisions when providing compensation for land acquired for the elevated Port City and Ruwanpura Expressways. Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said that land owners would have the opportunity to apply for additional relief beyond what was customarily provided by the Govt valuer. These provisions will be provided under the Orders (Compensation) for Land Acquisition more..