Oct 13 (FT) The Govt yesterday said the Plantation Industries Ministry had appointed a committee consisting of high-ranked officials to determine the procedure to distribute liquid nitrogen for the tea industry. The decision was made at the Cabinet of Ministers meeting on Monday, after Plantation Industries Minister Dr. Ramesh Pathirana highlighted the implications of not having liquid nitrogen for the tea industry which was on the verge of collapse due to the fertiliser ban. more..

Oct 13 (ICC) Sri Lanka, Ireland, the Netherlands and Namibia will contest Group A in the first round of the 2021 ICC Men�s T20 World Cup for the right to reach the Super 12 stage. SL, Ireland, Netherlands and Namibia will contest Group A in the first round of the 2021 ICC Men�s T20 World Cup for the right to reach the Super 12 stage. Only the top two teams will progress from the group after all four have played against each other once in the round-robin format, kicking off with the first games on Oct 18. more..

Oct 13 (wsws) Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla made a four-day visit to Sri Lanka last week as part of New Delhi�s efforts to pressure Colombo to break its close ties with China. Shringla met with Prez Rajapakse, PM Rajapakse and other top officials, including finance and foreign ministers Basil Rajapakse and G.L. Peiris respectively. He also visited the strategic Trinco oil storage facility on eastern coast more..

Oct 13 (IPS) The Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) hosted the first of a three-part webinar series to launch its annual flagship report Sri Lanka: State of the Economy 2021. The first webinar was on COVID-19 and the Sri Lanka Economy: Policy Choices and Trade-offs. It featured presentations by Dr Dushni Weerakoon and Dr Asanka Wijesinghe from the IPS with expert insights from Dr Missaka Warusawitharana, Financial Economist, Johns Hopkins University, USA. more..

Oct 13 (FT) Capital Alliance Research (CAL) forecasts that the impact from Sunday�s hike in LPG prices will be over 1% on inflation. �As per our estimates, a 65% average increase in LP gas may translate to a 1.4% month-on-month direct impact to inflation, providing everything else remains constant,� CAL said. �The month-on-month inflation measured by CCPI could cross 7% for the month of October, from 5.7% measured in Sept 2021.� CAL expects prices of bakeries and more..

Oct 13 (TM) Pressure is growing on the current chemical fertiliser ban from within the Govt, with a prominent State Minister urging the President to scrap the ban, while a group of about 40 ruling SLPP backbench MPs has requested an opportunity to meet with the President to discuss the fertiliser issue. State Minister Dayasiri Jayasekara requested Prez Rajapaksa to rescind the decision taken to ban the import of chemical fertilisers, more..

Oct 13 (FT) Govt said the Finance Ministry would decide on the timeline to make the upward price revision on fuel after exploring a suitable methodology amidst a looming economic crisis post-COVID pandemic. �As the winter season begins, the crude oil prices have skyrocketed by 130% in the world market. Unfortunately, whether we like it or not, when it�s a good that�s not being produced in our country, we have to purchase it at the world market price,� Minister Bandula more..

Oct 13 (FT) SL�s COVID-19 detections rose to 527,735 with 671 persons testing positive for COVID-19 yesterday. The patients detected yesterday were from the New Year cluster and 5,849 PCR tests were conducted yesterday. 5,299 PCR tests and 2,430 rapid antigen tests were conducted the previous day. On Monday, 667 persons from the New Year cluster and 14 persons from the Prisons cluster tested positive for COVID-19. The country�s total COVID-19 detections include more..

Oct 13 (ST) What was supposed to be a meeting scheduled for an hour stretched for 90 minutes, as visiting Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla met Prez Rajapaksa on Tuesday. A visiting Foreign Secretary is not usually granted a meeting with a Head of State, but given the importance of bilateral relations between India and SL, all protocol was set aside for a meeting fixed when the Prez had hardly the time to unpack more..

Oct 13 (Island) When England cricket bosses discussed the idea of T-20 cricket as a third form of the game in 2003, they would have never imagined the popularity of the game would have soared so high. The format was introduced for one specific reason; the dwindling number of fans in English County Cricket. It was a concern for the authorities and they thought a condensed version of the game with fans enjoying an evening under lights was the best way to bring them back to the game. more..

Oct 13 (Island) The European Union delegation that visited the country recently to review the GSP Plus facility granted to Sri Lanka observed that the incumbent govt was turning back one by one the democratic achievements gained for the people by the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, Chief Opposition Whip and Kandy District MP Lakshman Kiriella asserted yesterday. He said the EU had been monitoring closely what took place in the country during the recent years. more..

Oct 13 (CT) Discussions between leaders of Teacher Trade Unions and PM Mahinda Rajapaksa ended without a conclusion, but union leaders said they will announce today whether they are continuing with the union action. Ceylon Teachers� Union (CTU) General Secretary Joseph Stalin said PM Rajapaksa has given his word to provide the requested allowance in two stages, although the Cabinet Sub-Committee suggested more..

Oct 13 (TM) Claiming that nearly one million polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests and rapid antigen tests (RATs) have been performed every month over the past few months, the Health Ministry has stated that it is possible to maintain this level of testing in the future too. Health Ministry Director Dr. Hemantha Herath said that a proportion of the number of PCR tests and RATs performed on a daily basis at present are random tests while the rest is performed on targeted patients. more..

Oct 13 (DM) The Court of Appeal has issued a writ of mandamus against the Secretary to the Treasury and the Compensation Tribunal to pay the Seylan Bank PLC a sum of Rs.96.6 million over a mortgage loan granted under the Revival of Underperforming Enterprise or Underutilized Assets Act. The petitioner, Seylan Bank PLC states that Ceylinco Leisure Properties had been vested on the Secretary to Treasury under Revival of Underperforming Enterprise or Underutilized more..

Oct 13 (TM) CIABOC will be summoning Thirukumar Nadesan, the husband of former Deputy Minister Nirupama Rajapaksa, both of whom were named in the Pandora Papers files leak, to record a second statement on 15 Oct. Official sources said that Nadesan has been requested to make another statement on 15 Oct, following which the Commission will decide on a date to summon Rajapaksa for a statement. more..

Oct 13 (DN) Sri Lanka has a wealth of innovators and change-makers who are already laying the foundations for launching a green and innovative economy, their input is also essential to economic policy development, said Chief Political and Economic Officer of the Embassy of the US in SL, Susan Walke. She was addressing the 2th AGM of the American Chamber of Commerce in SL (AmCham SL) �SL has the drive, but the challenge lies in building the right environment more..

Oct 13 (CT) The GMOA called off their strike, which was to be held today, following discussions with Health Minister, Keheliya Rambukwella, who pledged to resolve issue surrounding post intern appointments and several other demands without further delay. GMOA Secretary, Dr. Senal Fernando said that Minister had requested for two days to resolve the issue on the Effective Date of the Annual Transfers list, which had been published for 2022 while suspending the current 2022 Annual more..

Oct 13 (TM) Prez Rajapaksa has instructed Minister of Public Security Sarath Weerasekera to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the allegations made by former CAA Executive Director Thushan Gunawardena, and accordingly, the Police have already commenced an investigation. Minister of Trade Bandula Gunawardana said: �Prez instructed Weerasekera to conduct a full investigation into the mysterious more..

Oct 13 (DM) The restrictions which are scheduled to be lifted from October 16 are likely to remain in effect until October 31, sources said. The Health Ministry on Sept 30 issued a new set of guidelines under two phases to be followed in the month of October once the curfew was lifted from October 1. Accordingly, a set of guidelines under the first phase were in effect from Oct 1 to 15 while another set of guidelines under the second phase will come into effect from Oct 16 to 31. more..

Oct 13 (DN) The Trincomalee Police took into custody 63 males who had been provided with accommodation at Orr�s Hill Trincomalee and were planning to illegally migrate to New Zealand by sea. This raid was carried out based on a tip-off received by the Trincomalee Unit of the State Intelligence Service. The Police also arrested a woman who had arrived from Kilinochchi together with her child, to cook for these 63 persons, while at the place of accommodation. more..

Oct 13 (FT) Senior Cabinet Ministers yesterday defended Prez Gotabhaya Rajapaksa�s recent remarks on shortcomings under his administration, citing it was a sign of humility, not weakness or failure, and that it did not signify the end of the Govt. �Admitting shortcomings is a humble quality. It cannot be defined as a failure or the end of the Govt,� Minister Dullas Alahapperuma said in response to a query more..

Oct 13 (FT) Humans with their constant curiosity and taste for advancement are known for seeking avenues to enhance their ever-changing lifestyle. The future beckons us as a formidable force. Are you ready to embrace technological innovation or be beaten in the race for survival? Will man have supremacy over machines and will we soon be living in an age where all routine work will be totally automated? COVID-19, a pandemic that has created upheaval and havoc in our everyday lives, more..

Oct 13 (FT) Budget 2022 is a decisive one for SL. The raging pandemic disrupted lives and livelihoods for two years, as the Govt grapples with an unprecedented revenue and foreign exchange crisis that threatens our outlook for the medium term. Import restrictions and foreign exchange pressures contributed to rising prices and shortages of essential goods leading to severe stress and frustration to the public and those in govt. The 2022 Budget promises a policy framework to more..

Oct 13 (Island) State Minister Susil Premjayanth recently told Parliament that the GCE A/L Exam would be put off, but the Education Ministry has not yet made an official statement to that effect. Lawmaker Premjayanth made the declaration in Parliament on 07 Oct. following consultations with Education Minister Dinesh Gunawardena. Both ministries yesterday said that an official announcement as regards the examination hadn�t been issued so far when The Island more..

Oct 13 (DM) Shedding light on post-COVID condition in Sri Lanka, a medical expert said at least 10 to 30% of total patients infected with COVID-19 suffer from post COVID symptoms. Dr. Waruna Gunathilake, Consultant and Diabetologist of the National Eye Hospital said this has been identified in scientific research carried out globally. �If a person continually suffers from several complications even after four weeks of infection, he/she is considered to be in post-COVID condition,� he underlined. more..

Oct 13 (AD) Indian Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane met SL�s top civilian and military leadership on Wednesday and discussed steps for further enhancing the excellent defence cooperation between the two neighbouring countries. Gen Naravane, who arrived in SL on Tuesday on a four-day visit at the invitation of his SL counterpart Gen Shavendra Silva, called on Prez Rajapaksa, who is the Commander-in-Chief more..

Oct 13 (TM) While explaining that 60 laws that have not been amended or modernised by the Ministry of Justice in the last 20 years, Minister of Justice Ali Sabry said that amendments will be made to the same. He also detailed that such changes will be presented in Parliament and accommodated into the progressive law system he plans to implement in future. Sabry made these statements while attending a meeting at the State Ministry of Reforms and Prisoners Rehabilitation today (13). more..

Oct 13 (AD) Colombo High Court has ordered the prison superintendent to produce the incarcerated former Western Province Governor Azath Salley before the court on October 25. A motion filed by Azath Salley through his attorney, President�s Counsel Maithri Gunaratne was taken up by Colombo High Court Judge Amal Ranaraja earlier today. Stating that his client was incarcerated for a prolonged period of time, the defence attorney sought the high court to hear the case more..

Oct 13 (AD) Central Bank of SL (CBSL) has made an order permitting Swarnamahal Financial Services PLC (SFSP) to resume business for a limited period of six months with effect from today. CBSL�s Monetary Board allowed the resumption of business in terms of Section 31(5)(a) of the Finance Business Act, No. 42 of 2011 (FBA), for the purpose of exploring the possibility of absorbing the Company to the Master Plan for Consolidation of more..

Oct 13 (Island) Revenue from seafood exports had exceeded the cost of seafood imports by over US$ 110 million during the first seven months of 2021 the State Minister Kanchana Wijesekera said on Sunday. The Minister said that 99% of the annual requirement of dried sprats was imported and in 2020 over Rs. 31 million rupees had been spent to import dried sprats alone. Wijesekera said so, addressing the 261 entrepreneurs in the Matara district engaged in 11 related industries more..

Oct 13 (Island) Ex-president Maithripala Sirisena should take the responsibility for the present predicament of paddy farmers, says State Minister Roshan Ranasinghe. State Minister said it was Sirisena�s presidency that most of the problems in the agricultural sector had begun. Ranasinghe said so when he was asked by journalists to comment on former President�s Sirisena�s recent remark that he would not be able to visit Polonnaruwa as he could not face the grievances of farmers. more..

Oct 13 (EN) Sri Lanka will commence a pilot project to vaccinate children aged 18-19 against COVID-19 on Thursday (15). Ministry of Education Additional Secretary L M D Dharmasena told reporters on Wednesday that the rollout will begin in Homagama, Colombo, Piliyandala and Sri J'pura educational zones in the Colombo district. �This is for students who have sat for their GCE A/L once and more..

Oct 13 (AD) Speaker of Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena endorsed the certificate on the Registration of Electors (Amendment) Bill and Employees� Provident Fund (Amendment) Bill this morning. The two Bills were taken up for debate in Parliament on Oct 7. Employees� Provident Fund (Amendment) Bill has been amended to enable SL workers who are working in India to withdraw contributions to the Social Security Fund before the age of 58. Prior to the amendment, more..

Oct 13 (Island) Parliament would convene on Thursday the 21st and Friday the 22nd next week, House Secretary General Dhammika Dasanayake said. The decision was taken at the meeting of the Committee on Parliamentary Business chaired by Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena on 7th Octobner. Accordingly, on both sitting days from 10 am to 11 am, time has been set aside for Questions for Oral Answers. Parliament would convene on October 21 at 10 am and from 11 am to 3 pm more..

Oct 13 (EN) Having rejected a govt proposal to increase their salaries in two installments from 2022, an alliance of school teachers� and principals� trade unions in SL said on that they will continue what has turned out to be one of the longest strikes in the island�s history. Now into its fourth month, the strike is likely to derail the govt�s plans to reopen around 5,000 schools out of over 10,000 that have been closed for the better part of the year more..

Oct 13 (Island) Power Minister Gamini Lokuge, during a visit to the Norochcholai Power Plant, on Monday said the govt would do everything in its power to ensure an uninterrupted power supply. Speaking to journalists, Minister Lokuge said necessary arrangements should be made to maintain the Puttalam Lakvijaya Power Plant, which was making a significant contribution to the country, to be more productive. Lokuge emphasised that such a vital power plant should provide more..

Oct 13 (TM) Singing sensation Yohani returned back from India to a warm welcome at the BIA yesterday (12) by Airport staff and Media. �We had very good feedback from our tour in India. We played in Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai, and the band performed very well along with me. There are plans for the future as well, and lets see how it goes. I never expected such great feedback, so I am very happy now,� stated Yohani. Yohani spent the last 2 weeks touring India with her band LUNU. more..

Oct 13 (DM) Referring to the recent video by a tourist that went viral on social media, the Airport & Aviation Services SL said that what was said in the video is misleading and not the real picture at the airport. Posting a video on social media recently, a tourist from US has claimed that he was forced to leave the country barely five hours after he had arrived saying the country was under lock-down and was offered no services. more..

Oct 13 (FT) SL is in the process of transforming its current development trajectory into a green and low carbon pathway, with a concerted push towards a green economy and green development. Particularly, the recognition of progress made towards the targets of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the necessity of increasing the contribution of renewable energy sources to our national energy needs is testament to SL�s commitment to advancing balanced, more..