Dec 18 (DN) Partnering one of the nation�s largest conglomerates, SL�s most innovative bank, HNB PLC announced the commencement of multiple long-term finance facilities totaling Rs. 8.5 billion for Hayleys PLC and the Group subsidiaries. The agreement was facilitated by HNB�s Corporate Banking Division, which is a key vertical within the Banks Wholesale Banking Group (WBG). Presently, the WBG manages the banking needs of bulk of the largest blue chip Corporates in the country. more..

Dec 18 (AD) Colombo District Court today further extended the enjoining order against MTV/Sirasa preventing defamation of George Steuart Health and its Chairman. The court further extended the enjoining order against MTV Channel (Pvt) Ltd until the 30th of Dec 2020. The enjoining order had been issued last month against MTV Channel Pvt Ltd after considering a defamation case filed by George Steuart Health (Pvt) Limited over defamatory news broadcast on its prime time news telecasts more..

Dec 18 (AD) Ven. Athuraliye Rathana Thero has been appointed by the Ape Jana Bala Pakshaya, also known as Our Power of People Party (OPPP), to fill its National List parliamentary seat. Chairman of the Election Commission Nimal Punchihewa said that the venerable Thero�s name has been sent to the govt printer to be gazette. Accordingly the former MP will be once again appointed as a MP under Article 99A of the Constitution. more..

Dec 18 (EN) Govt MP Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe is lashing out at the administration saying that all cabinet and state ministry appointments made in the current were given to close associates and relatives of the leadership. MP said that there is no scientific principles being followed in making appointments to Cabinet and state ministries as all are made on the basis relationships. Further, he said that he refused state ministries offered to him on two occasions by Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa, more..

Dec 18 (AD) The Ministry of Justice has decided to resume the activities of mediation boards, which came to a halt due to the Covid-19 outbreak, from the 9th of January 2021. The decision was taken during a meeting held between Justice Minister Ali Sabry and the members of Mediation Boards Commission on Thursday (17). Meanwhile the govt has decided to establish separate mediation boards (Samatha Mandala) in each district for resolving disputes pertaining to land & financial issues. more..

Dec 18 (AJ) Muslims in SL are outraged over the forced cremation of a 20-day-old COVID-19 victim last week against the family�s wishes, the latest in more than a dozen such cremations in the Buddhist-majority country since the pandemic erupted. Ignoring the WHO guidelines which permit both burials and cremations, SL in March made cremation mandatory for people who die or are suspected to have died from coronavirus. more..

Dec 18 (Island) Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara says that the govt has decided to hold the elections to the provincial councils as soon as possible to elect representatives who are responsible to the people. Speaking to the media after an inspection tour of the Ratmalana Main Store and Workshop of the National Water Supply and Drainage Board on Tuesday, the Minister said people in the country expect governance in three strata. �The first tier of govt is the Executive and the legislature. more..

Dec 18 (CT) Sixth round of the SL-Pakistan Foreign Office consultations was convened virtually on 16 Dec under the Co-Chairmanship of Foreign Secretaries, Admiral Jayanath Colombage and Ambassador Sohail Mahmood. A wide range of issues reflecting the collaboration between the two countries were discussed. This covered trade and investment, culture and tourism, defence cooperation, agriculture and animal husbandry, education and technical cooperation, sports, more..

Dec 18 (MFA) Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena leading the Sri Lanka delegation thanked all Member States for placing their confidence in Sri Lanka when its application for the position of Vice Chair was endorsed at 20th Council of Ministers (CoM) Meeting virtually hosted by the UAE today (17/12). Sri Lanka thereafter is expected to take over the Chair for the year 2023 to 2025. The CoM was preceded by the 22nd Session more..

Dec 18 (FT) SL�s diversified conglomerate Sunshine Holdings PLC yesterday announced the merger of its healthcare business consisting of Sunshine Healthcare Lanka and Healthguard Pharmacy with the healthcare arm of Akbar Brothers, which consists of Akbar Pharmaceuticals, Lina Manufacturing and Lina Spiro. The strategic merger will create SL�s first fully-integrated healthcare company starting from manufacturing up to retailing of healthcare products, including last-mile distribution more..

Dec 18 (AD) Minister Prasanna Ranatunga says the airport is expected to be reopened for tourists from the 26th of Dec. Accordingly, the tourism industry will resume in compliance to guidelines introduced by the health authorities to prevent the spread of Covid-19, he said. The minister made these remarks speaking to media persons while in Baddegama. Tourism industry was adversely affected in the wake of the Easter Sunday terror attacks last year and the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic, he said. more..

Dec 18 (DM) While clarifying the number of staff members to be transferred from the Motor Traffic Department (DMT) due to various illegal activities, Transport State Minister Dilum Amunugama said several employees were added to the annual transfer list. The state minister said the media reports on transferring more than 600 staffers were not true. �Altogether, there are nearly 600 employees, number includes staff members more..

Dec 18 (CT) PM Mahinda Rajapaksa in his capacity as the Finance Minister announced on 15 Dec, special commodity levies (SCLs) ranging from a minimum of Rs 55 a Kg to a maximum of Rs 375 Kg on 34 imported food items with immediate effect, valid for six months in order to protect the foreign reserves. The lowest SCL of Rs 55 a Kg is on imported potatoes and the highest SCL of Rs 375 a Kg is on pomelos, a type of a sour fruit. Meanwhile, imported clementines have been levied more..

Dec 18 (CT) Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage, said all measures have been taken to prevent the damage caused to the maize cultivation in the Maha season by the fall armyworm caterpillar menace, and that they are ready to compensate those who were affected by it. He said the fall armyworm menace is most prevalent in the Ampara, Monaragala, Anuradhapura and Kurunegala Districts and that steps have been taken to distribute the NGV Virus used to control it, to farmers, more..

Dec 18 (AD) Five persons who were leaving the Western Province today have tested positive for Covid-19 in random rapid antigen tests. A total of 451 individuals were subjected to rapid antigen tests today as they were moving out of the provincial limits. Of these tests, five have tested positive for the virus. Earlier today, Random rapid antigen tests will be performed on persons leaving the Western Province. more..

Dec 18 (CT) A total of 205 Sri Lankans who were repatriated from two countries arrived at the BIA today. Among them were 42 persons from Japan and 163 persons from Qatar. The group was subjected to PCR tests within the airport premises and was scheduled to be sent to quarantine centres. In addition, 599 persons from Germany, Qatar, Italy, Bangladesh, UK, India, Turkey, Malaysia, UAE, NZ and China are expected to arrive today. 7,961 persons are currently being quarantined more..

Dec 18 (FT) The newly-appointed Election Commission, which held its inaugural meeting yesterday, said that the cost of last November�s Prez Election had reduced from the estimated Rs. 7 billion to Rs 4.56 billion. The Commission said that the cost of conducting the election was reduced due to proper management of monies allocated for holding the poll. The newly-appointed 5-member EC is headed by Nimal Punchihewa who has served as Commission�s Legal Adviser for several years more..

Dec 18 (CT) Foreign Secretary, Admiral Jayanath Colombage, said yesterday (17), the US Govt has not officially informed the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) about the cancellation of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) grant of US$ 480 million. He added though the GoSL had explained the issues related to the MCC Agreement to the US Govt, the cancellation of the Agreement has not been informed to them officially. more..

Dec 19 (DM) The panic on the COVID-19 threat has totally eclipsed many issues that would have otherwise become hot issues. Main among them is Tamil nationalistic politics. Some others are the plight of the UNP and the bickering within the Our Peoples Power Party (OPPP) led by Ven. Athureliye Rathana thera and Ven. Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thera. The UNP which was the ruling party when SL gained Independence and the OPPP, an unknown party until the previous parliamentary election more..

Dec 19 (DM) In ten days� time we will be celebrating Christmas -- the birth of Jesus the Christ -- a man Christians believe is God made man and whose central message is love, sharing, forgiveness and peace. But today, we live in a strange world. Supposed Christian leaders promote war, religious leaders preach hatred against particular religious beliefs and differentiate people by the colour of their skin and the areas they live in. They overturn the universal message of love taught by more..

Dec 19 (CT) Sri Lanka lost USD 480 million or nearly a half billion dollars when the Board of Directors of the US Govt Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) cancelled the already approved grant. At its most recent meeting on Dec 15 the MCC Board decided to discontinue the already approved grant to Sri Lanka while unanimously adding Sierra Leone, Kiribati and Solomon islands to the programme and continuing assistance to Benin, Burkina Faso, more..

Dec 19 (CT) It completely misses the point, doesn�t it? The Women�s Bureau of SL aspires in its Vision Statement to create a generation of prudent, sensitive and faithful women for SL Society. This institution which functions under the State Ministry of Women And Child Development, downsized under the current administration from a Cabinet Ministry, understands its central role to be one that prescribes the transformation of SL women into an arbitrarily imagined model of womanhood more..

Dec 19 (CT) Son-in-law of the deceased, a medical doctor who served for many years in SL until recently, pens down his own experience via his Twitter account as follows. He urges all Sri Lankans to raise their voice against the injustice done to Sri Lankans who die due to COVID-19 and their burial rights being denied: SL, my home country has continued to deny Sri Lankan Muslims who died contracting COVID-19 the dignity and the right to be buried despite scientific evidence, more..

Dec 19 (DM) The recent announcement by Tamil Cinema Superstar Rajinikanth that he would be forming a political party to contest all 234 seats in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly at the forthcoming May 2021 elections, has led to much speculation and excitement. An immediate consequence of Rajinikanth�s political announcement was the inevitable comparison with yesteryear actor turned politician more..

Dec 19 (CT) December is the season of joy and celebration: The joy at the birth of Christ and celebration of the Christian faith. Not only for Christians around the world, but for every person of every faith, or those with no faith, the month of December brings with it a sense of festivity and a renewal of hope for a new year. Yet, this December, all festivities are subdued. There�s a deadly pandemic raging around us. Over the last 10 months, we had to get used to a new normal; more..

Dec 19 (CT) In a recent debate in Parliament, State Minister Ajith Nivard Cabraal joined issue with the Opposition over fiscal management between the two Rajapaksa regimes, the incumbent and the previous one (2005-15) and the intervening Govt of National Unity (GNU), where unity too was in great deficit. As the Central Bank Governor during the previous administration of Prez Rajapaksa, he should know better than the rest in the House, possibly excepting one or two in the Opposition, more..

Dec 19 (TM) The maiden budget of the Govt for 2021 was passed in Parliament last Thursday (10) with a majority of 97 votes. The Third Reading of the 2021 Budget received 151 votes in favour and 54 votes against. However, the number of votes cast against the Govt�s 2021 Budget at the Third Reading vote saw two additional votes being cast by the Opposition. The Second Reading vote of the Budget held on 21 November saw the proposals being passed with a majority of 99 votes with more..

Dec 19 (CT) Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa is positive about the success of LPL 2020 in Hambantota, which drew record television and digital viewership during the Inaugural edition amid the turmoil of the COVID-19 pandemic. Via his official website the Sports Minister expressed his gratitude to each and everyone who put in their effort to make the campaign a success. �The LPL was a turning story for many during these trying times. It exposed some great young talent to more..

Dec 19 (AD) In the opening pages of the 1994 Canadian novel Funny Boy, a young Sri Lankan boy named Arjie refuses to play cricket with the boys as his father insists. He'd rather bedazzle in bridal reds and join the girls' make-believe wedding. Novelist Shyam Selvadurai's gay coming of age novel became a critical and commercial sensation in Canada when it was first published, enduring as a pioneering story more..

Dec 19 (CT) Ministry of Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), launched the Food-Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDGs) for Sri Lankans on 10 Dec at BMICH. During the launch, the project�s purpose along with the launching of the official website and the revised guidelines were discussed. Dr. (Mrs). L. Somatunge addressed the audience beginning with the advice, �Diet is a critical component of daily life more..

Dec 19 (Island) The US has terminated the much-touted 480-million-dollar MCC compact with SL. In fact, there was no need for the discontinuation of that agreement; it was dead as a dodo following Colombo�s refusal to sign it. Opinion is divided on the MCC grant. Some observers think the US was acting out of altruism, and Sri Lanka should have grabbed the offer with both hands as it is desperate for foreign exchange. Others who are capable of seeing through the wiles of the US view more..

Dec 19 (CT) The shaman who gathered momentum in the past several days through a concoction made using a god gifted recipe and was carefully treading his way to become a millionaire, by selling it to the fear-stricken pandemic-hit society, blew his cover when he was unceremoniously rejected by a leading Buddhist monk in the sacred city of Anuradhapura. After organising a mass gathering of more than more..

Dec 19 (FT) BMICH � SL�s iconic landmark has been crowned as the Gold Award winner in the Leading Convention Centre category of the prestigious 2020 South Asia Travel Awards (SATA) competition bringing recognition to Sri Lanka as the premium convention destination in the South Asian region. The SATA Awards Ceremony was held as an online virtual event on 15 Dec. This is the third time that BMICH has been presented with the Gold Award as the Leading Convention Centre more..

Dec 19 (AD) The Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC has announced the appointment of former Chief Justice Kanagasabapathy Sripavan as Chairman and senior academic Prof. A.K.W. Jayawardane as Deputy Chairman with effect from 21st and 29th Dec 2020 respectively. Justice Sripavan and Prof. Jayawardane succeed Messrs. Dharma Dheerasinghe and Preethi Jayawardena, who retire from the positions of Chairman and Deputy Chairman of SL�s benchmark private bank more..

Dec 19 (FT) The Govt should put forward a credible plan for debt management and begin a dialogue with international financial markets to seek a debt moratorium or risk losing investor confidence after multiple sovereign downgrades, SJB MP Dr. Harsha de Silva warned. Recalling sovereign downgrades by the three major international rating agencies of Moody�s, Fitch and Standard and Poor�s in the last few weeks more..

Dec 19 (FT) The latest LMD-Nielsen Business Confidence Index (BCI) survey reveals that sentiment surrounding the economy diminished in November with only 23% of businesspeople consulted expecting economic conditions to improve in the coming 12 months � a decline from 34% in the preceding month. Nearly half (48%) of the survey respondents say the economy is likely to deteriorate during this period while 29% of executives expect it to stay the same. more..

Dec 19 (Island) It was a crying shame that South Asia�s biggest meat processing factory had been set up in Katunayake, although Sri Lanka was called a Buddhist state, Ven. Dr. Omalpe Sobitha Thera said on Thursday, addressing the media. The factory is expected to meet 10% of the world�s processed meat requirement. The press briefing was jointly organised by the National Intellectual Sangha Council and the Justice for Animals and Nature Foundation. more..

Dec 19 (CT) Out of the three main pillars of the country�s administration, the Legislature, the Executive and the Judiciary; people have a great respect for the judiciary. Be it written or not, there is a set of rules as to how one should behave in Court premises. There have been numerous instances in recent history where people have been prosecuted for making various statements in contempt of Court. Out of them, some were even arrested and more..

Dec 19 (FT) During the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in SL, earlier this year, China-SL Cooperation Studies Centre (CSLCSC) of the Pathfinder Foundation (PF) translated and published the Chinese book Prevention & Control of COVID-19 to Sinhala and presented copies to senior officials of the Ministries of Education, Health, etc. The book features a range of easy to understand, practical, scientific and targeted information that assists people in following protocols that will prevent more..