Sep 15 (FT) Govt clarified that there was no decision to impose a 5% tax on people earning over Rs. 100,000 monthly, stating that the idea was a personal view of Minister Bandula Gunawardena. �Remarks by the Trade Minister are not the view of the Govt nor the Cabinet. This was just a personal comment,� Minister Dullas Alahapperuma said. Minister Gunawardena this week suggested a 5% tax on people earning over Rs. 100,000 with a view to operate public services such as education more..

Sep 15 (EN) SL Foreign Employment Bureau (SLFEB) is awaiting a health ministry decision on a third dose of a COVID-19 vaccine for migrant workers flying to Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. �We have made a lot of inquiries on this and have requested and informed health ministry officials about this,� SLFEB Deputy General Manager said. �It is not only for Kuwait, even Saudi Arabia is asking for migrant workers to come with a third approved vaccine dose for those who got Sinopharm.� more..

Sep 15 (CI) 107 Lasith Malinga signs off as the leading wicket-taker in Men's Twenty20 Internationals, by the narrowest of margins. He has one more than Shakib Al Hasan (106). Malinga became the first man to scale the peak that is 100 T20I wickets in 2019, while playing against New Zealand. 170 Wickets for Malinga in the IPL, the most by any bowler. In 2013, he became the first player to complete 100 wickets in the league and progressed to 150 (in 2017) before anybody more..

Sep 15 (FT) Govt said the Rubber Research Institute (RRI) was liaising with global institutions to find a definitive treatment for the leaf disease affecting rubber production in SL. �The disease is affecting the productivity of the tree, but as of now, there is no definitive treatment found in the world for this,� Minister Dr. Ramesh Pathirana said. The rubber industry last week warned of a 15-20% drop in production this year, as leaf disease spread rapidly without enough fungicide to combat more..

Sep 15 (BBC) Sri Lanka has seen long queues to buy essential items amid tight lockdown measures to control the spread of Covid-19. Shelves at govt-run supermarkets have been running low - some even empty - with very little stock remaining of imported goods like milk powder, cereal and rice. The govt denies there are shortages and blames the media for stoking fears. It follows the govt declaring a state of emergency and more..

Sep 15 (TM) State Minister Kanchana Wijesekara has set a fresh target of $ 300 million for the country�s fish exports, despite Sri Lanka never having achieved a $ 300 million earning in fish exports before. This is the first time Sri Lanka is set to achieve such a new target, and things are on track to achieve the said target this year, Wijesekara noted. He mentioned on his Twitter account that Sri Lanka has so far maintained a trade balance of $ 100 million for the first 7 months of this year, more..

Sep 15 (Island) Sending police and tri-forces to raid rice mills and warehouses would not solve the prevailing shortages in the market, UNP Chairman Wajira Abeywardena said. Speaking to journalists outside the Chinese Embassy in Colombo, where the UNP Chairman accepted a stock of medical equipment sent by the Chinese govt in response to a request by UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, Abeywardena said that such raids could be shown on TV, but would not have helped bring down more..

Sep 15 (FT) Sri Lanka�s COVID-19 detections exceeded 490,000 with 2,475 persons testing positive for COVID-19 yesterday. The patients detected yesterday include 2,473 persons from the New Year cluster and two overseas arrivals. A total of 9,957 PCR tests were carried out yesterday. The Health Promotion Bureau states that 9,712 PCR tests and 2,571 rapid antigen tests were carried out the day before. more..

Sep 15 (FT) Over 50% of the country�s total population have received both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, minister Dullas Alahapperuma yesterday said. He added that SL was one of the few countries that has vaccinated over 50% of its total population. 89.3% of the population over the age of 30 has received both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. Second dose coverage exceeds 90% in the Gampaha, Galle, Polonnaruwa, Hambantota, Matale and Ratnapura Districts. more..

Sep 15 (FT) The EDB has introduced a new financial support scheme to encourage exporters of value-added industrial products. The scheme specifically supports product and or production process development activities to add value by exporters of apparel, rubber products, diamonds, gems and jewellery, boat building, light engineering products, footwear and leather products, plastics, chemicals and petroleum products, mineral based products and automobile components. more..

Sep 15 (Island) The govt laboratory service was prevented from testing passengers arriving in SL by a group of Health Ministry specialists who made large amounts of money from private laboratories and quarantine centres, President of College of Medical Laboratory Science (CMLS), Ravi Kumudesh said. Kumudesh levelled this allegation responding to a statement made by Dy Director General of Health Services, more..

Sep 15 (FT) The Govt has decided to maximise the productive use of mineral resources in the country to boost foreign exchange earnings. To this effect the Cabinet of Ministers at its meeting on Monday approved a proposal by Industries Minister Wimal Weerawansa to appoint a committee comprising experts to come up with a complete study of areas where minerals are located and the extent of deposits and quantities as well as recommend potential products that can be developed. more..

Sep 15 (EN) SL has spent US$ 225.5 million to defend a peg and give convertibility to newly printed rupees, official data shows, while US$ 49.5 million were bought amid a forced surrender rule. Central Bank has decreed a 203 to the US dollar exchange rate to the US dollar without monetary policy to back it on September revaluing from 226/233 levels day earlier. The rupee had fallen to around 231 to the US dollar by the first week of September after the central bank denied convertibility more..

Sep 15 (CT) Finance Act recently passed in Parliament is an effort to turn black money held by the Govt and among a handful of politicians to white, those who voted in favour of the Act are those who possess such wealth, JVP Leader, Anura Kumara Dissanayake alleged. He said there is a large amount of undeclared wealth held by such politicians and officials who supported them to become rich by illegal means, more..

Sep 15 (DM) SL novelist Anuk Arudpragasam�s A Passage North has been shortlisted for the 2021 Booker Prize. The final shortlist of six novels has been revealed for this year's Booker Prize. The final six includes debut novelist Patricia Lockwood with No One Is Talking About This. Damon Galgut makes the list for the third time with The Promise, and Richard Powers makes his second shortlist appearance with Bewilderment. Also making the list are Anuk Arudpragasam for A Passage North, more..

Sep 15 (DM) TNA has called on the govt to immediately remove State Minister for Prisons, Lohan Ratwatta and have him arrested and charged after an immediate inquiry for allegedly threatening to kill prisoners in A'pura Prison on Sunday. TNPF MP, Gajen Ponnambalam on his official Twitter account said that his party can confirm that on the evening of Sept 12, Ratwatta had gone to A'pura Prison, summoned the Tamil political prisoners and had got two of them to kneel in front of him. more..

Sep 15 (TM) State Minister Lohan Ratwatte who had forcibly entered the Welikada Prison premises with a group of his friends whilst under the influence of liquor, had similarly entered the Anuradhapura Prison on Sunday evening. The pistol-brandishing State Minister, who hails from an influential political family, had attempted to degrade & punish LTTE suspects by ordering them at gunpoint to kneel down in front of him. more..

Sep 15 (TM) There is no scientifically definitive agreement on giving Covid-19 vaccines to children, noted Chief Prelate of the Ramanna Sect in Southern Sri Lanka Ven. Dr. Omalpe Sobitha Thera. He also said that children should not be used for research and experiments. Ven. Sobhitha Thera called on the Govt to implement the decision to reopen schools. He also said that attention should be paid to methods used to develop immunity according to indigenous medicine. more..

Sep 15 (FT) The Govt yesterday justified the prioritised overseas travel schedule of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and PM Mahinda Rajapaksa and claimed there was no misuse of State funds. �The Premier was invited to Italy by a foreign organisation to attend in person at the G20 interfaith forum. No State funds were misused during PM Rajapaksa�s visit,� Co-Cabinet Spokesman and Mass Media Minister Dullas Alahapperuma said at the post-Cabinet meeting media briefing. more..

Sep 15 (TM) Foreign Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris, addressing the 48th Regular Session of the UNHRC in Geneva, Switzerland, yesterday via online technology, said that the Govt of Sri Lanka (GoSL) rejects any external initiatives established by Resolution 46/1, which was adopted at the Council earlier this year, as it will polarise the SL society. �We reject the proposal for any external initiatives purportedly established by Resolution 46/1 more..

Sep 15 (FT) SL was a prosperous country a few decades ago but currently is faced with many issues. A survey was carried out among a group of 60 academics and professionals and other thinkers based in SL and overseas. The purpose of the survey was to gather information on progress in SL over time in terms of socio-cultural, political, economic and environmental aspects and to highlight limiting factors. The survey probed on the historical evolution, focusing on 2 questions more..

Sep 15 (FT) SL is at the precipice of an economic disaster. The country�s foreign debt is suffocating the country, it is its biggest immediate problem, and the problem for the foreseeable future unless urgent and drastic action is taken, now. The crisis arises due to several factors, the primary factor being the high component of market borrowings in the form of Int'l Sovereign Bonds (ISBs) in the country�s foreign debt portfolio. ISBs account for 47% of the debt, as shown by a Central Bank chart. more..

Sep 15 (SLN) SL Navy took hold of about 47kg and 100g (with wet weight) of Kerala cannabis, during a special foot patrol conducted in Vankalai beach area, Mannar this morning (15). Incidentally, a special foot patrol conducted by SL Naval Ship (SLNS) Pussadewa in the North Central Naval Command in the beach area of Vankalai this morning (15) made way for the recovery of this stock of Kerala cannabis weighing about 47kg and 100g with wet weight. more..

Sep 15 (DM) The COVID-19 patients who have been diagnosed with Black fungus have been detected from several areas of the country, Deputy Director General of Health Services said. He said the cases had been reported from several hospitals including Colombo National Hospital, Kurnegala and Rathnapura. "The symptoms of this disease develop depending on the place where fungus appear on the body. The fungus can be found on the skin, around eyes, nose, brain and lungs," more..

Sep 15 (DM) State Minister of Prison Management, Lohan Ratwatta has resigned from his portfolio a short while ago. He has sent his resignation letter to Prez Rajapaksa. Prez's Media Division in a statement said Ratwatta had tendered his resignation acknowledging his responsibility for the incidents that took place at the Welikada and A'pura Prison premises. Ratwatte informed Prez Rajapaksa regarding his decision today and more..

Sep 15 (Island) Moneragala High Court Judge Ranga Dissanayake delivered a landmark judgment on Monday opening a new chapter in the polls history of Sri Lanka on fighting clean elections. Rohana Hettiarachchi, Executive Director, PAFFREL has issued the following statement explaining the judgment: This judgment has been given in respect of a case filed by PAFFREL in collaboration with losing candidate and the Centre for Monitoring Election Violence against a candidate more..

Sep 15 (AD) Finance Bill No. 18 of 2021 has been certified by Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena today, Communications Dept of the Parliament said in a statement. The Bill was taken up for debate on Sept 7 and was passed in Parliament with amendments by a majority vote. The vote took place as a division was called for by the Chief Opposition Whip Lakshman Kiriella during the second reading of the Finance Bill. The second reading was then passed with 134 MPs voting in favour and more..

Sep 15 (EN) Sri Lanka�s central bank will push for stability and consult with businesses newly appointed CB Governor Nivard Cabraal has said. �The govt, bankers, importers, exporters, lenders, borrowers, investors, developers, service providers, industrial businesses, exchange houses, retailers, wholesalers and most importantly, the people of Sri Lanka must experience economic stability,� Cabraal said. �It is then that undue fears are allayed, more..

Sep 15 (DM) Medical Technical Services Director Dr. Anver Hamdani said that the Oddamavadi burial grounds in Batticaloa have room only to bury about 2,000 COVID-19 victims. While addressing the media in Kandy, he said no one could predict as to when the COVID pandemic would be wiped out from this country. There are no concrete conclusions, he said. "The travel restriction was imposed on Aug 20 and more than 3,500 COVID positive cases were being reported daily, and more..

Sep 15 (AD) PM Rajapaksa on Tuesday engaged in a cordial discussion with SL expatriates from various parts of Italy. The audience has recalled the triumphs gained through the diplomatic relations established during the PM Rajapaksa�s tenure as the President, the PM�s Office said in a media release. The foresighted decision taken to establish a SL Consulate General in Milan has drastically increased efficiency in providing consular services, the expatriates have pointed out. more..

Sep 15 (Island) The GMOA says the civilian health administration is capable of handling the inoculation of those between 12 and 19 years of age. Its General Secretary Dr. Nalinda Herath on Monday (13) briefed the media on their stand regarding the vaccination of that particular age grouping. Asked by The Island whether the GMOA believed the civilian health administration could handle the vaccination of student community more..

Sep 15 (FT) IPEK S.A. Switzerland is to take up a 33% stake in Tess Agro PLC for Rs. 84 million via a private placement. IPEK is a diversified group of companies involved in oil trading, engineering and waste recycling. In a bid to enter the food industry, it has expressed interest to make an investment in Tess via a private placement. The private placement will be at 50 cents per share and is subject to approval from the SEC, Colombo Stock Exchange and shareholders at an EGM. more..

Sep 15 (TM) Despite it being three days since the Anuradhapura prison was allegedly raided by former State Minister Lohan Ratwatte, no statement has been obtained from the political prisoners who were reported to be held at gunpoint at the hands of Ratwatte, The Morning learns. Superintendent of Prisons Thushara Upuldeniya stated that a probe is yet to be initiated and further mentioned that hopefully by tomorrow, the statements from the respective prisoners will be obtained. more..

Sep 15 (EN) Sri Lanka hopes to boost foreign inflows in the near future through investments, remittances, and tourist arrivals, Cabinet Co-spokesman Minister Ramesh Pathirana said as imports hit a 17-month high in July, as money printing boosted credit and created forex shortages. SL is facing a severe external crisis as well as a domestic crisis with revenues falling and expenses continuing to go up, more..

Sep 15 (Island) Tusker, Bhanu, which had been roaming free at the Ridiyagama Safari Park in Hambanthota since September 2019 was returned to the Ruhunu Kataragama Devalaya on Tuesday (14) in keeping with a court order. Officials of the Department of Wildlife took Bhanu into their custody in October 2016 as the custodians of the Ruhunu Kataragama Devalaya were unable to produce necessary documents. The tusker was handed over to Dept of National Zoological Gardens more..

Sep 15 (TM) The Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) has expressed concern regarding the incidents involving the State Minister Lohan Ratwatte. Referring to allegations of him abusing his position by entering two prisons inebriated, along with attempts to assault remand prisoners at gunpoint, the CPA in a statement said that it reflects �the alarming trend of flaunting political office for personal gratification, the callousness and disregard for the rights of prisoners and human dignity, more..

Sep 15 (AD) The Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the United States of America Ravinatha P. Aryasinha has retired from public service. Aryasinha, who has an illustrious career as a diplomat, was assigned to his post as the Ambassador to the US in Dec 2020. Reportedly, he is retiring from public service as he has reached the age of 60 years. Accordingly, the veteran diplomat is to return to Sri Lanka nine months after being appointed to the post. Prior to his posting as the Ambassador to the US, more..