Dec 2 (CI) Jaffna Stallions lost early wickets. Jaffna Stallions rallied through the middle and late overs, thanks largley to Thisara Perera. Then Jaffna Stallions' bowlers locked the opposition out. The script for this match was largely the same as for the Stallions' victory on Monday over Dambulla Viiking. With Colombo Kings having lost earlier in the day, Stallions are now the team to beat in the LPL - only side that are yet to lose a more..

Dec 2 (Island) During the recent committee state debates in Parliament on the financial vote of the Ministry of Foreign Relations, exception was taken by MP M. A. Sumanthiran for the decision the by the govt to withdraw from co-sponsorship of Resolution 30/1 via 40/1, and went on to warn the govt of inevitable consequences for withdrawing from int'l commitments. Certainly, there are consequences if a sovereign State withdraws from int'l commitments on some whimsical pretext. more..

Dec 2 (MFA) Embassy of SL in Manila, as an initiative to further strengthen bilateral trade relations in identified priority sectors with the Philippines, continues to explore opportunities for Sri Lanka despite the constraints brought about by the pandemic. Embassy organized an exploratory meeting between the SL Association for Software Services Companies (SLASSCOM) and the IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) held online on 7 Sept 2020 more..

Dec 2 (FT) SL Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) said 63 hotels accounting for 6,187 rooms have received Safe and Secure compliance certification to resume operations post-COVID-19. �As part of recovery efforts, we initiated this compliance certification process to enhance cleanliness and hygiene practices. It is a pretty decent number to pass all the stringent measures introduced by the authorities� more..

Dec 2 (FT) Special Deposit Accounts (SDAs) introduced in April this year has drawn over $ 270 million by early October as the Govt yesterday announced the validity period to open same till April next year. �Considering the potential of SDAs to attract a substantial amount of foreign exchange into the country and the resultant positive impact on the foreign currency reserve position of the country and the overall economy, GOSL has decided to extend the validity period of opening SDAs up to more..

Dec 2 (ST) To continue their operations, private companies and factories will be required to set up their own Health Committees in the next two weeks to monitor the implementation of Covid-19 health guidelines, Labour Commissioner General Prabath Chandrakeerthi said. If they failed to do so, legal action would be taken against them in terms of quarantine laws. The measures had already been discussed with the the COVID-19 Task Force, Employers Federation and trade unions and more..

Dec 2 (TM) The fears expressed by international financial organisations, rating agencies and economic analysts about SL�s debt sustainability are unfounded, as the country�s debt-to-GDP ratio, if only foreign non-concessional debt is considered, is at a more than manageable level, according to CB Governor Prof W.D. Lakshman. �Several countries including Japan, Singapore & US have debt levels far exceeding their GDP. more..

Dec 2 (ADB) Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $400 million loan to support the Govt of SL in transforming its secondary education system to align with the demand for highly skilled and agile workers who can compete in the rapidly changing global economy. Sri Lanka aspires to be an advanced knowledge economy and has targeted education and skilled labor as national priorities. The Secondary Education Sector Improvement Program will support reforms under the govt�s more..

Dec 2 (DN) India will take several meaningful steps to narrow the trade gap between the two countries, said Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs of the Republic of India Nirmala Sitharaman, who was the guest of Honour at the opening day of the SL Economic Summit 2020 yesterday. Sitharaman said that the trade balance is strongly in favour of India and they are currently addressing this to create a better mix between the two nations. She said that recent budget has proposed many incentives more..

Dec 2 (AV) Airport and Aviation Services (SL) (Private) Limited (AASL), under the leadership of Maj. Gen. (Ret) G A Chandrasiri, Chairman AASL, has fulfilled a dire need to enhance and upgrade the airport security measures and latest technologies. The Incident Command and Control Operations Centre, which is a vital nerve center, at Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) was declared open on 30th Nov 2020. more..

Dec 2 (FT) Bank of Ceylon (BOC) yesterday successfully raised Rs. 10 billion through the issuance of Basel III Compliant, Unlisted, Rated, Unsecured, Subordinated, Perpetual, Additional Tier 1 (AT1) Capital bonds with a non-viability full and permanent write down at an issue price of Rs. 100 each. The initial issue of Rs. 3 billion was oversubscribed by more than three times on its opening day and the bank decided to close it on the same day. Commenting on the issuance, more..

Dec 2 (FT) Two prominent corporate leaders yesterday sounded positive on the outlook of their businesses, welcoming the thrust on exports, their revival, as well as some of the other core economic sectors. Speaking at the Ceylon Chamber�s Virtual Economic Summit, MAS Holdings Chairman Mahesh Amalean said he was very impressed by Prez Rajapaksa�s and the Govt�s thrust on exports. �This is key to SL�s future,� he said, especially when rebound in global trade takes place in a more..

Dec 2 (ST) Steeped in history, the Ward Place home of late President J R Jayewardene and his wife, Elena, is crumbling. It has been ravaged by time and neglected, but on the orders of PM Mahinda Rajapaksa, the groundwork is now being laid to turn the edifice into a museum and environmental centre with Govt support. The first discussion on this has been held between State Minister Vidura Wickramanayaka and more..

Dec 2 (CT) The much-awaited, Sri Lanka Economic Summit kicked off yesterday. The Chief Guest was President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The Summit was themed Roadmap for Take-off: Driving a People Centric Economic Revival. This year�s Summit is held for the first time in its 20-year history using a virtual format in compliance with the country�s health guidelines. Chairman of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya delivered the welcome address. more..

Dec 2 (TM) Sanjaya Mohottala, who is currently serving as the Director General of Board of Investment (BOI), is tipped to be appointed Chairman. If appointed he would replace former John Keells Holdings (JKH) Chairman and CEO Susantha Ratnayake, who resigned as Chairman of the BOI yesterday (30), after just under a year in the role. Mohottala was appointed as DG of BOI in early March 2020, and in addition to this role he is also a Board Member of Export Development Board more..

Dec 2 (CT) The Meteorology Dept warned that the low pressure zone forming in the South Eastern region of the Bay of Bengal, 590 nautical miles away from Trincomalee, is expected to intensify and even turn into a cyclone. Senior Duty Meteorologist, Mohammed Saliheen, also cautioned that it is expected that the depression could move in the Westerly or South Westerly direction, beyond the Northern Coast. more..

Dec 2 (CT) Speculation is rife of further violence expected inside the Mahara Prison complex overnight Tuesday, as Prez Rajapaksa made quiet moves to appoint Kandy District MP Lohan Ratwatte as prisons minister to quell the prisoners� protests. Ratwatte was the primary accused in the Dec 2001 Udathalawinna Massacre, before a High Court acquitted him and convicted five military personnel who were Ratwatte�s bodyguards of the gruesome murder of Muslims. more..

Dec 2 (Island) JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake called on the govt to submit an amended budget to Parliament because three new ministries have been set up after the presentation of Budget 2021. �A budget was presented to this House and it is being debated at the committee stage. After the tabling of the budget proposals three new ministries have been set up. Now, we are debating this budget without allocations for those ministries. Allocations have been made for more..

Dec 2 (AD) The total count of Covid-19 cases reported in SL reached 24,255 as more persons were tested positive for the virus. 268 more fresh cases have been detected within the day. All the new cases are close contacts of the Peliyagoda fish market cluster. With the new development, Minuwangoda-Peliyagoda cluster has registered a total of 20,716 cases to date. 17,817 of the confirmed patients have made complete more..

Dec 2 (NR) Four COVID-19 fatalities were recorded yesterday increasing SL�s death toll to 122. One individual was identified as a 74 year old male from Col 12 who had passed away at his residence on Sunday. The cause of death was identified as a stroke caused by a germ with COVID-19. The second victim was identified as a 74 year old female from Kolonnawa who also passed away at her residence on Sunday with the cause of death ascertained as brain haemorrhage with more..

Dec 2 (AD) The Ministry of Health today (01) issued guidelines for private sector institutions with regard to carrying out Rapid Antigen Tests to diagnose Covid-19 positive cases. As per the guidelines, the private sector institutions will also be permitted to perform the Rapid Antigen Tests. Since the onset of the pandemic outbreak, the World Health Organization had been urging more and more tests for Covid-19 in order to contain the transmission, however, many nations were struggling to more..

Dec 2 (Island) A high-level investigation into the Mahara Prison riot took an unexpected turn yesterday following the revelation that the prison dispensary had stored over 21,000 tablets prescribed for mental disorders & sleeping pills. DIG Ajith Rohana said that they were quite surprised that such a large stock of tablets was maintained. He said it had to be found out who had ordered the stock, how inmates got addicted more..

Dec 2 (FT) This Govt places great emphasis on technology, specifically on Information and Communication Technology (ICT). Amidst the Budget debate, a new Ministry of Technology grouping together ICT related agencies and companies was created with President as the Minister. Secretary has yet to be named but the newly-absolved Senior Advisor to the Prez, Lalith Weeratunga, is likely to play a significant role. A budget speech is an important indicator of more..

Dec 2 (FT) Dear Minister, Many eminent lawyers and even more concerned citizens have written on the need for a comprehensive land policy for the country. The writer articulated this in an article published in the Daily FT. The writer even sent a letter to the minister on 18 Nov which has not been acknowledged. To illustrate a cart before the horse situation, Minister of Agriculture stated in Parliament that his ministry will submit a National Agriculture policy for the country within a year. more..

Dec 2 (AD) Chairman of COPE, Prof. Charitha Herath, has informed Secretaries to the Ministries in writing that all govt institutions should submit their annual reports to the Parliament within the stipulated time period. Accordingly, all the Secretaries have been informed that the Chairmen/Heads of the Institutions that fall under the purview of respective Ministries should submit their Annual Reports to Parliament within 150 days following the close of the financial year, more..

Dec 2 (DM) Over 20 SL artistes are under quarantine and at least five have tested positive for the COVID -19 virus, supposedly from a dance rehearsal programme which they were involved in for a leading television entertainment channel mid last month. Sources said that some of the artistes had been admitted to the Neville Fernando Hospital after testing positive for the virus, after attending the rehearsals which was to be aired over the channel during the New Year. more..

Dec 2 (DM) The Police Force that remains currently at 80,000 personnel will be increased to 100,000 to fight crimes in a more successful and vigorous manner, Minister of Public Security Sarath Weerasekara said. Govt would also increase salaries of Police personnel shortly and much delayed promotions to ASPs would be given before the end of 2020,he added. �In the Police Dept, 90% officers are honest, more..

Dec 2 (TM) Information and Communication Technology Agency of SL (ICTA) Chairman Jayantha De Silva has been appointed Secretary to the newly formed Ministry of Technology by Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The Ministry of Technology was formed two weeks ago and was placed directly under the President�s purview without a Minister in charge, which is expected to provide De Silva free rein. He was appointed Chairman of ICTA in mid-Dec 2019, and prior to that was CEO and President of more..

Dec 2 (NR) Lohan Ratwatte has been sworn in before Prez Rajapaksa as the new State Minister of Prison Management & Prisoner�s Rehabilitation. State Ministerial post was previously borne by State Minister Sudarshini Fernandopulle. Lohan Ratwatte currently serves as the State Minister of Gem and Jewellery related Industries and takes on the new State Ministry in addition to his current portfolio. Meanwhile Sudarshini Fernandopulle was sworn in as State Minister of primary health services, more..

Dec 2 (AD) Cyclone Burevi is expected to blow across the Eastern Coast of Sri Lanka between 7 pm and 10 pm tonight, the Department of Meteorology warned. The cyclonic storm Burevi over the south-west Bay of Bengal, lay centered near latitude 8.4�N and longitude 83.4�E, about 240 km east-southeast of Trincomalee at 0530 hrs today. The system is very likely to move west-northwestwards and cross the north-eastern more..

Dec 2 (CT) �How can the Govt promise to pay Rs 60 billion as interim allowance to teachers and principals to resolve salary anomalies, without including it in the 2021 budget proposal,� General Secretary of the Ceylon Teachers Union, Joseph Stalin queried. �If the Govt is going to pay interim allowances amounting to Rs 60 billion, until they solve the salary anomalies of teachers and principals, as stated by Education Minister Professor G.L. Peiris in Parliament. more..

Dec 2 (Island) State Minister of Wildlife Wimalaweera Dissanayake should tender an apology to wildlife officials and solve the dispute between them through negotiation, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa told Parliament. �There was a recent incident between the Wildlife State Minister and two Wildlife officials. What happened could not be approved. The two officers involved in this incident are known for their exemplary services. Among the two officers was one by more..

Dec 2 (AD) Minister of Justice Ali Sabry says he has sought a report from the Attorney General with regard to the extradition of former Central Bank Governor Arjuna Mahendran. The relevant report is expected to be received today or tomorrow, the justice minister added. He made these remarks, in response to a question raised by Chief Opposition Whip MP Lakshman Kiriella during the parliamentary session. more..

Dec 2 (EN) The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka, which regulates the power sector has been ordered closed after a budget proposal said the laws of the regulator and the power utility will be reformed, industry sources said. President�s Secretary P B Jayasundera had informed the Treasury to start the process to close the Commission and re-assign staff to other agencies, making references to a requirement to speed up the execution of a power generation plan. more..

Dec 2 (EN) SL has failed to sell 14% of Treasuries offered at an auction on Dec 2, with 34.3 billion rupees out of 40 billion rupees of bills offered being sold, data from the state debt office showed. Ceiling rates of 4.65%, 4.76% and 5% were announced before the auction, in a yield curve targeting exercise where any unsold bills have been bought by the central bank with printed money. After offering 22 bil rupees of 12-month bills 13.29 bil rupees were sold at 5%, unchanged from last year. more..

Dec 2 (CT) Students and lecturers of Jaffna University are in a quandary as to how the Disciplinary Committee Report, on the recent clash between the second- year and the third-year Arts Faculty students, was leaked to the Media, mainly to the Tamil news portals, with their names, University registration numbers, and personal details. Also, they lamented the harsh punishment recommended to those involved in the clash, such as more..

Dec 2 (Island) Teachers earned less than kottu makers and it was only natura that they were downhearted, Parliament was told. Matale District SJB MP Rohini Kumari Wijeratne said that the analogy was not made with the intention of denigrating the kottu makers but to highlight the present plight of the teachers. �This is the situation in the country and how the teachers are being treated. Even Minister Bandula Gunawardena admitted in public once that the salary of more..

Dec 2 (MoD) The Disaster Management Centre (DMC) has initiated all the necessary steps to mitigate the risk of cyclonic storm �BUREVI� while coordinating all the stakeholder institutions under the directives of the Defence Ministry, said Maj. Gen. (Retd) Kamal Gunaratne, Defence Ministry Secretary short while ago. Defence Secretary said he has directed respective Govt Agents/District Secretaries of the prone areas to cyclone hit to be standby for possible eventualities. more..

Dec 2 (DM) A violent protest erupted in one of the country�s largest high security prisons on Sunday, as gunfire rang out and some parts of the prison set ablaze. The Mahara prison housing more than 2,000 convicts jailed and suspects remanded for various offences became the nation�s hotbed of violence, with the gunfight between security personnel and inmates resulting in the death of eleven inmates. more..