Oct 4 (EN) SL is to finalise a decision on a COVID-19 booster dose this week, the State Pharmaceutical Corporation (SPC) said. With the vaccination of people over the age of 30 almost complete, and vaccination of those aged 20 to 29 and children with congenital disorders ongoing, the govt is considering a booster shot as per the recommendations of a panel of experts. �The decision has yet to be finalised. more..

Oct 4 (DN) Among those expelled from services are the University�s works engineer, Pushpika Panditharatne and works superintendent U. Bandaranaike. The Registrar, the works engineer and the works superintendent are under investigation for allegedly using a group of university workers during a renovation of the Registrar�s house in the Riverton area during office hours last December and obtaining a stockpile of equipment belonging to the university�s Works Dept more..

Oct 4 (AD) Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who attended the 76th Session of the UNGA in New York, has returned to the island, a short while ago. He had left for the United States on September 18 to attend the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly. This year�s session was themed �Building resilience through hope � to recover from COVID-19, rebuild sustainability, respond to the needs of the planet, respect the rights of people, and revitalise the United Nations.� more..

Oct 4 (EN) SL can only develop its 100 oil tanks in Trincomalee with Indian support as per the Indo-Lanka accord signed in 1987, Minister Udaya Gammanpila said. Even after a 35-year lease deal with the state-run Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) ends in 2038, the island nation will still have to develop the tanks with India and India only, Gammanpila told parliament. Responding to speculation that SL was going to sell all more..

Oct 4 (Island) Asian Development Bank Country Director Dr Chen Chen has stated that the Southern Expressway is the best expressway in the South Asian region. He said so during last week�s meeting between ADB Director General for South Asia Department, Kenichi Yokoyama and Minister Johnston Fernando at the Ministry of Highways. During the meeting Minister Fernando told the ADB top officials that Prez Rajapaksa has a plan to build an interconnected network of expressways more..

Oct 4 (TM) Minister of Energy Udaya Gammanpila says there is no need to mention the name of former Minister and cousin of the President Nirupama Rajapaksa over the alleged revelations of illegal apartment and art deals as detailed in the Pandora Papers. �The Bribery and Corruption Commission must investigate the assets of a politician if their name is mentioned. I have heard that there is a retired politician from a business family. There are seven in Asia. One is from Sri Lanka,� he said more..

Oct 4 (AD) The Colombo High Court Trial-at-Bar today served charges on 24 suspects accused over the Easter Sunday terror attacks. Hearings pertaining to the case are set to commence on Nov 23, 2021, the court decided when the case was taken up today. The court issued summons on 25 defendants in the case who are in custody to appear before the court today. However, only 24 of the defendants were produced before the court more..

Oct 4 (AD) Director General of Health Services has confirmed another 43 coronavirus related deaths for Oct 3, increasing the death toll due to the virus in the country to 13,102. Victims confirmed today include 14 males & 19 females. 12 of the deceased are aged between 30-59 years while the rest are aged 60 and above. Meanwhile the Ministry of Health says that another 572 persons have tested positive for Covid-19. This brings the tally of Covid-19 cases registered in the country thus far to 521,004. more..

Oct 4 (TM) The Ministry of Justice has announced through a media release that effective today, all formalities related to the Ministry would be digitalized and a digital signature would be implemented. Additionally, the release goes on to state that under the patronage of the Minister of Justice Ali Sabry, a committee has been appointed to overlook the digitalisation of the Ministry affairs, with Sabry launching the programme by placing his own digital signature. more..

Oct 4 (Island) The govt is now planning to appoint retired SLAF Commander Air Marhal Sumangala Dias as SL�s High Commissioner in Malaysia. SL�s Ambassador in Malaysia AM Kapila Jayampathy, who, too, served as the Commander of the SLAF previously, is likely to complete his term next December. Having served the SLAF since 1984, Air Marshal Dias retired on Nov 2, 2020, as the SLAF�s 17th Commander. more..

Oct 4 (DM) The bodies of a man and a woman were found hanging in a room of a house at Lindara in Mirigama this afternoon, Police said. The deceased were aged 23 and 26 and residents of Lindara in Mirigama. The woman's hands were tied behind her back while the man's body was found hanging near hers. Police suspect the man, believed to be the husband of the woman, had strangled her to death and then he too had committed suicide. The two victims had worked in a garment factory and more..

Oct 4 (TM) Ministry of Environment Secretary Dr Anil Jasinghe arrived at the BIA last night for a flight to South Korea, where he was denied boarding as he did not have his Covid-19 vaccination card in his possession. Ministry sources said that Dr Jasinghe usually carries his vaccination card, but due to a human error, Dr Jasinghe had forgotten his vaccination card at home. Another reason for Dr Jasinghe not to have his vaccination card was that South Korea does not insist on more..

Oct 4 (DM) Cabinet is expected to give the nod for the increase of milk powder by Rs.200 shortly and thus push the price of a one kilogram packet from Rs.945 to Rs.1,145, UNP Deputy Leader Ruwan Wijewardene said over the weekend. Speaking to party activists, Mr. Wijewardene said there is no sign of a salary increase especially for public servants though the prices of essential goods have been increased. �People have to wait in queues to purchase a packet of milk powder today. more..

Oct 4 (DM) The first batch of 304,000 doses out of the total volume of four million Pfizer vaccine vials has been flown into the country from the US and freighted by Qatar Airways, SL Pharmaceuticals Corporation General Manager Dinusha Dasanayake said. He said the air cargo weighing 1817 kg packed in 53 cartons touched down at the BIA around 2.00 am today. The vaccine was originally flown via Amsterdam, the Netherlands to Doha, Qatar and from there to Colombo, Mr. Dasanayake said. more..

Oct 4 (EN) Authorities must present evidence against detained opposition MP Rishad Bathuideen or release him from prison, former PM and opposition UNP MP Ranil Wickremesinghe said. Wickremesinghe requested Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena on Monday to write to the Attorney General for clarification on whether a case can be filed against the MP with the available evidence. Bathiudeen & his brother Riyaj were arrested more..

Oct 4 (TM) The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $110 million loan as additional financing for the ongoing Health System Enhancement Project that is improving the primary healthcare system (PHC) in SL. The Health System Enhancement Project, approved in October 2018, is upgrading primary medical care units and division hospitals in Central, North Central, Sabaragamuwa, and Uva provinces. It is strengthening health information systems and disease surveillance capacity, more..

Oct 4 (CT) Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has vowed to file a fundamental rights petition, in order to seek justice for local farmers who have been unable to farm owing to the lack of fertiliser. He said the Govt's arbitrary conduct was the source of the damage done to the farming community and that steps will be taken to seek justice for the farming community through Court. Premadasa gave this pledge after meeting farmers in Agbopura, Lunugamwehera, Hambantota, yesterday more..

Oct 4 (AD) Foreign Secretary of India Harsh Vardhan Shringla called on PM Rajapaksa at Temple Trees this morning. At the outset, Secretary Shringla conveyed the very personal greetings of Indian PM Narendra Modi and the best wishes of External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar. During the meeting, the two delegations discussed a number of sectors of mutual cooperation, including the further strengthening of bilateral relations, more..

Oct 4 (TW) In the past decade, China has been the largest foreign investor in and the second-largest foreign lender to Sri Lanka. In the past 24 months, China, surpassing India, has become Sri Lanka�s top import partner (in 2020, Sri Lanka imported $3.58 billion worth of goods and services from China compared to $3.01 billion from India). Nevertheless, Sri Lanka exported $654.44 million worth of goods and services to India, compared to only $252 million to China. more..

Oct 4 (CT) SL Govt is to secure a US$ 3.6 billion loan, from the Govt of Oman, to finance SL�s oil procurements. A Cabinet Paper will be tabled within the next few days for approval to offer two blocks - Block CB 034 to CB42 (formerly known as Block C2) in the Cauvery Basin and Block MB001 to MB011 (Formerly known as Block M3) to the Sultanate of Oman, for joint oil exploration studies. The loan facility of US$ 3.6 billion for petroleum procurement by the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) more..

Oct 4 (Hindu) On Sept 30, the Gujarat-headquartered Adani Group signed a Build Operate Transfer (BOT) agreement with Sri Lanka�s largest listed company John Keells Holdings and the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) to jointly develop the Colombo West International Container Terminal (CWICT) at the strategically advantaged Colombo Port, located amidst one of the busiest shipping routes in the world. more..

Oct 4 (TM) Container ship THALASSA PATRIS interrupted her voyage from Singapore to Suez on Sep 30 in the Lacadive sea north of Maldives, and sailed to Colombo, after one or more containers containing hazmat material or liquid, started to leak. The fleetmon vessel tracking service reports that THALASSA PATRIS arrived at Colombo on Oct 2 and was berthed, in order to remove damaged containers. Its estimated arrival at Suez was already delayed from scheduled Oct 5 to Oct 11. more..

Oct 4 (AD) SriLankan Airlines has been summoned before the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) on Oct 7th, said its Chairman Prof. Charitha Herath. Accordingly, matters pertaining to the report submitted to the COPE Committee by the State Ministry of Aviation and Export Zones Development regarding the investigations carried out, when the Sri Lankan Airlines Ltd. was summoned before the COPE Committee on July 07 is scheduled to be taken into discussion. more..

Oct 5 (DM) Two Pettah businessmen and a Deputy General Manager of the SATHOSA have been arrested and four SATHOSA officials have been interdicted over the Garlic scam that has allegedly taken place at SATHOSA. The two businessmen had been remanded till today by the Wattala Magistrate and the Deputy General Manager was released on bail. Investigations conducted so far, have not indicated any connection of any journalist or media institution to the scam. more..

Oct 5 (CT) Petroleum Resources Development Secretariat (PRDS) is currently negotiating with a local bidder in respect of giving them prospective offshore petroleum oil blocks M1 (a Mannar basin block) and C 1 (a Cauvery basin block) for oil and gas) exploration. The Cauvery basin is located in the North&East of the island bordering India. Negotiations with this successful local bidder, whose name PRDS sources refused to divulge, are expected to be finalised by the year end and more..

Oct 5 (DM) SL lost approximately 460 elephants in 2019 mainly as a result of the Human-Elephant Conflict. Besides that, deliberate attempts of ivory poaching have been reported from time to time. With every passing World Animal Day, that falls on Oct 4, more wildlife, flora & fauna are threatened by anthropogenic events. Recent footage of a dismembered tusker at Yala Block III has once again raised concerns on ivory poaching in SL. more..

Oct 5 (DM) The horror stories are too legion to be repeated here � so and so contracted Covid-19, recovered and returned home only to die while sitting on a chair. Veteran journalist Elmo Gunaratne and his son were gone in a day, the son suffering a heart attack when he got the bad news about his legendary father. Even Mangala Samaraweera, at 65, seems too young to die. Faced with stark choices, the population is hunkering down, feeling besieged. The govt�s goal is this � more..

Oct 5 (DM) Last week, the Balangoda Magistrate passed a suspended prison sentence on a young couple who was found guilty of shooting a pornographic video in the idyllic settings of the Pahanthudawa waterfall. The sentencing was the culmination of an intricate investigation by the CID which is generally tasked with probing the matters of major national interest. So much so, that the Computer Crime Unit of the CID was also called into action, sleuths reportedly visited the places more..

Oct 5 (DM) Former CAA Executive Director Thushan Gunawardena says that he will not expect fair play during the ongoing garlic scam investigation unless Lanka Sathosa Chairman, its top management along with the subject Minister and his officials are removed from their positions. �How can I expect an unbiased investigation when the CID did not want to assist a govt institution- the CAA-when their assistance was sought at a time when more..

Oct 5 (TM) Sri Lanka is set to celebrate International Teachers� Day, which falls today (5), amidst countless debates about teachers. On the one hand, unlike in the past few years, this year, this day is being celebrated in a context where teachers and principals are fighting a struggle for demands that have remained unaddressed for years, and on the other hand, teachers� trade unions� actions are not being seen in a favourable light due to the prevailing Covid-19 situation. more..

Oct 5 (Island) On Sept 17, New Fortress Energy (NFE), a US-based energy infrastructure company, signed a momentous legal agreement with the Govt of Sri Lanka (GOSL). The signing apparently took place in the dead of the night, at 12.06 a.m., and the foreigner who came for the signing swiftly returned to the US on a flight at 2 a.m. The back-door deal allows NFE to build a terminal for liquefied natural gas (LNG, natural gas kept in a liquid form for ease of transport) off the coast of Colombo. more..

Oct 5 (CT) Former Minister and a niece of Prez Rajapaksa, Nirupama Rajapaksa�s name has been mentioned in Pandora Papers. According to the ICIJ report Nirupama Rajapaksa and Nadesan together controlled a shell company they used to buy luxury apartments in London and Sydney, and to make investments. Nadesan set up other shell companies and trusts in secrecy jurisdictions, and he used them to obtain lucrative consulting contracts from foreign companies doing business with the SL govt more..

Oct 5 (Island) Pandora Papers investigation into about 12 million documents leaked from financial companies around the globe has shaken the world. A large number of global elites have been exposed for their questionable financial deals that helped ring-fence their wealth and evade taxes with the help of offshore companies. Among them are some of the world�s most influential people including political leaders, billionaires and others. Journalists numbering more than 600 from 117 countries more..

Oct 5 (FT) SL�s COVID-19 detections rose to 521,218 with 786 persons testing positive for COVID-19 yesterday. 786 persons from the New Year cluster tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday. Total of 6,479 PCR tests were conducted yesterday. On Sunday, 7,566 PCR tests and 3,086 rapid antigen tests were conducted, and 802 COVID-19 patients were detected. This includes 764 persons from the New Year cluster, more..

Oct 5 (CT) Muthumali Priyadarshani performed well to enter the pre quarter-finals of the Women's Single event at the Asian Table Tennis Championship in Doha, Qatar. She was the only South Asian paddler to reach this stage when she beat her Iranian opponent Farei Mayam 5-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-9. However, she stumbled at the next hurdle when Hayata Hino (Japan) beat her 0-3 in the pre-quarter-finals. 15-year-old Senura Silva, and the two 16-yearolds Bimandi Bandara and more..

Oct 5 (DN) SL�s white-ball Captain Dasun Shanaka expressed his confidence of making an impact at the ICC T20 World Cup as the team left for Oman for a two-match series yesterday. SL�s departure was originally scheduled for Sunday but had to be put off by one day due to a cyclone situation in Oman where all flights to and from Muscat were suspended due to bad weather. Shanaka believes their two T20 games in Oman will be good preparation and will provide the opportunity to test their skill level more..

Oct 5 (FT) Sri Lanka aims to boost tourism, investments and exports through its participation in the six-month World Expo 2020 in Dubai � the largest global gathering since the outbreak of the COVID pandemic. �We have created tourism, trade and investment opportunities at World Expo, which will generate great growth avenues for SL� Commissioner General for Expo for SL/Tourism Chairperson Kimarli Fernando said. more..