Dec 14 (CT) Chief Inspector of Police Kithsiri Herath saidthat ten persons who were involved in using a bull dozer to clear a Memorial behind the Belumgala, Alahapperumagama Mosque, belonging to the historic Vijithapura Fort, have been arrested. Based on the instructions of the Senior DIG in charge of the area, Nandana Munasinghe, a complete investigation had been conducted by officers of the Anuradhapura Division Crimes Investigation sector prior to the arrest of this group. more..

Dec 14 (EN) A resident of Kandakadu was taken into custody by the Sri Lanka Army today while trying to transport a consignment of raw turmeric worth Rs 25.8 million and cardamom worth Rs 1.6 million, the Army media unit said. The suspect was nabbed with 108 bags (approximately 4,300kg) of raw turmeric and five bags (approx. 80kg) of cardamom while transporting them in a Bolero Cab. According to the Army, the apprehended items amount to: Turmeric: Rs 25.8 million (4,300kg x Rs 6,000) more..

Dec 14 (AFP) Outrage is mounting in Sri Lanka after at least 15 Muslim coronavirus victims, including a baby, were cremated against family wishes and in contravention of Islamic funeral rites. Health authorities in Buddhist-majority SL insist all victims must be cremated -- even if they are Muslims, who traditionally bury their dead facing Mecca. As protests escalated, neighbouring Maldives said it was considering more..

Dec 14 (Island) A contracting company connected to a yahapalana govt minister for the construction of the stretch of the Central Expressway from Mirigama to Potuhera had been removed on the orders of Prez Rajapaksa, Highways Minister Johnston Fernando said. Highways Ministry said that another company had been contracted to complete the project, delayed for months. The stretch of the Central Expressway from Mirigama to Potuhera would be completed by Mar 31 next year, more..

Dec 14 (DM) Govt today advised the public not to experiment anti-covid medicinal recipes, circulating on social media. The State Ministry of Indigenous Medicine Promotion, Rural and Ayurvedic Hospitals said people have been encouraged through social media to consume different types of medicinal recipes used in indigenous medicine as a cure to the Covid-19 infection. �It is important to have a clear knowledge of which ingredients are used to make an indigenous medicine. more..

Dec 14 (EN) The govt is planning to intervene in the produce market by purchasing directly from farmers and fixing profit margins in yet another attempt to bring down rising prices, Agriculture Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage said. He said that he is �acting on the instructions of President Rajapaksa who has said that the unfair increase in vegetable prices must be controlled.� As a pilot project, more..

Dec 15 (CT) IMF, World Bank, Moody, Fitch, Citi, and now S&P global rating: they all cannot be wrong collectively and simultaneously in warning that Sri Lanka�s debt burden is at an unsustainable level, and that the country�s economy is in a perilous state to recover from the pandemic-struck recession. Only the CB Governor, who seems to have mortgaged his academic integrity for position and prestige, the State Minister Cabraal � whose own debacle over Greek bonds when he was the CB governor more..

Dec 15 (CT) Rampant corruption and waste are the reasons for many Govts in Sri Lanka to be short lived and the most recent Yahapalana Govt which was booted out of power at the Prez Poll in November of last year (2019) is one of the best examples. Yahapalana Govt was a Govt of Cohabitation, where the Prez was from the SLFP/UPFA and the Prime Minister from the UNP/UNFGG with the Cabinet comprising a mix of SLFP/UPFA and UNP/UNFGG MPs or more..

Dec 15 (TM) Marini De Livera, a child rights activist, human rights lawyer, and Founder of Sisters-at-Law, a free legal service supporting survivors of domestic and gender-based violence, was recently selected for the Commonwealth Points of Light Award 2020, for her unwavering efforts towards securing a brighter future for the children and women of SL. Q: Congratulations on your achievement! Tell us a little bit about your more..

Dec 15 (DM) The difference between developing medicines for COVID-19 pandemic in SL and the developed countries is that SL fist allows the distribution of medicines and then go for researches on them and the developed countries do the other way around. The vaccine jointly developed by the American multinational pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and the German biotechnological company BioNTech SE was researched in laboratories for months and clinically tested on more than more..

Dec 15 (CT) For some time now the obligatory Sunday Mass had been suspended because of COVID-19. Christians have been under some restrictions. First services were totally disallowed. Then, while those in Colombo were allowed services with 25 communicants, in Jaffna the PHIs restricted it to 5. Then two Sundays ago, at St. James� Nallur, the Vicar, The Rev. Fr. Stephen Jebachelvan, said Come what may, we will start with 5 communicants. Hearing about it, last Sunday (6) he had to more..

Dec 15 (CT) This has reference to the Article that appeared in Ceylon Today of 4 Dec 2020, titled Sharia Law played major part � Cardinal. The writer has added arbitrarily to the original statement I made saying that �Sharia Law should not be used to intimidate and influence other communities and that Sharia Law played a major part in the Easter Sunday attacks.� The report clearly misconstrues my interview more..

Dec 15 (ST) SL�s leading rugby referee Aaqil Jamaldeen is not in competition with his peers to become the number one referee but rather believes in developing himself with constant self-review and introspection. The 25-year-old is the youngest Sri Lankan to be accredited by World Rugby as a Level 3 referee having made a remarkable rise up the ranks since taking up the whistle just five years ago. Being the son of a former top referee Nizam Jamaldeen, Aaqil had to contend with more..

Dec 15 (ST) Poor Hon. Mr Ali Sabry, Minister of Justice, Att-at-Law & President�s Counsel. What other hidden assets he has not declared, the modest man that he is said to be, I do not know. At least he did, with much reluctance one would venture to surmise, admit that he has been 25 years at the Bar.I might admit as well that I know of prominent persons who have spent more years at the bar and never left the place until the doors closed at midnight. That, however, is another story. more..

Dec 15 (DM) In April this year, while the COVID-19 virus was rampaging through communities, forcing govts to lockdown cities, President of Madagascar Andry Rajoelina, a DJ turned politician launched with much funfair a herbal concoction which he said would cure COVID-19 in seven days. Known as COVID Organics, it was a tonic made from extracts of Artemisia, a plant with anti-Malarial properties that used to make Malaria drug Artemisinin. The govt of Madagascar dispatched the soldiers from more..

Dec 15 (DM) Three health ministers, both Allopathic and Indigenous [a professor of pharmacology & two lawyers] apparently encourage the producer and the anxious Public, while the newly appointed Covid Minister had warned users. While the officials led by Dr Sudath Samaraweera, Chief Epidemiologist are doing their utmost with dedication to stop the spread of virus, thousands of people, including police and army personnel queued up ignoring guidelines, for free samples of a preparation produced by more..

Dec 15 (TM) Concerns have been raised over the long delay in recovering tax dues from several leading palm oil companies which caused SL Customs losses in billions of rupees. It was revealed at the COPA meeting last week that SL Customs incurred a loss of Rs. 6,130 million during the period 2013-2016 due to two leading palm oil companies. COPA, chaired by Prof Tissa Vitharana, recommended that immediate action more..

Dec 15 (Island) Govt has reportedly undertaken to expedite the process of conducting the much-delayed Provincial Council (PC) polls. Why is it in a hurry? Nobody feels the absence of the elected PC members who hardly render any service to the public. In fact, the PC system has become a white elephant, and there have been calls for abolishing it, saving funds wasted on maintaining them and preventing duplication of administration, but SL has no say in the matter; it has to do as India more..

Dec 15 (ST) SL�s shipping industry together with the authorities are currently working out a strategy to ensure shipping lines will now return to the Colombo port as operations are reaching near normalcy. Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) Chairman Gen. Daya Ratnayaka said on Friday that the Colombo port has returned to normal with berthing of vessels and inter terminal transfers coming back to normal while there are about 10,000 containers to be transferred which is a normal occurance. more..

Dec 15 (CI) Colombo Kings topped the league, winning six of their eight games, and yet lost the LPL semi-final to a team that had suffered six defeats in the tournament. Perhaps understandably, they feel aggrieved at the tournament's format. On the day after their tournament exit, Kings captain Angelo Mathews said that although the LPL has been an overwhelmingly positive experience overall, the league would have been better off more..

Dec 15 (Island) All year long, most of the national athletes have been training without a goal in sight. As in most sports, Badminton too had its fair share of missed competitions, both local and international. A frustrating sojourn in fact for many players who remain frustrated with a cascade of cancelled tournaments all over the world. The Olympics now saved for August 2021 would rekindle some hope and for Sri Lanka Badminton (SLB), Niluka Karunaratne remains in contention to qualify more..

Dec 15 (Island) RSS (Ribbed Smoked Sheets) rubbers are the prime raw material particularly processed by smallholders from latex extracted from rubber trees by tapping under certain methodological recommendations specified by the Rubber Research Institute (RRI). People who are engaged in tapping trees on occupational basis are called tappers who are also technicians though it is not a white collar job. Their skillfulness in this extraction process is indicated by thickness more..

Dec 15 (CI) The Jaffna Stallions will meet the Galle Gladiators in the finals of the Lanka Premier League. Though the hope for those watching will be that it will be a touch higher quality affair than the semi-finals that preceded it. This is not to say there wasn't quality on show in this second semi-final; to the contrary, Wanindu Hasaranga once again highlighted why he's the leading wicket taker in the tournament, Johnson Charles played more..

Dec 15 (Island) There was a major upset in the Lanka Premier League yesterday as table toppers Colombo Kings were sent packing by Galle Gladiators, who won a thrilling contest to book their place in the finals of the competition. Chasing a target of 151, Galle Gladiators won with two wickets to spare in the penultimate delivery of the game. Dhananjaya Lakshan, a seam-bowling all-rounder from Richmond College, Galle emerged the match winner when it looked all lost for Galle. more..

Dec 15 (DN) Former South African opening batsman Herschelle Gibbs, who was in SL as the head coach of the LPL team Colombo Kings, resigned on Saturday and immediately left to South Africa after three of his family members back home tested positive for Covid-19. �The team owners informed us that Herschelle Gibbs had resigned as coach of Colombo Kings for personal reasons� said Colombo Kings skipper Angelo Mathews. Gibbs� Mother, brother and Sister has been hospitalised more..

Dec 15 (CT) Riyaj Bathiudeen, brother of MP Rishad Bathiudeen, said Mohamed Ibrahim Inshaf Ahmed, the suicide bomber who attacked the Cinnamon Grand Hotel in Colombo on 21 April 2019, Easter Sunday, was married to the daughter of his relative and that he also attended the wedding. He said he got to know Inshaf for the first time when he attended the wedding. However, Riyaj said he did not have such a close & strong more..

Dec 15 (Island) The Bank of Ceylon took the opportunity to join with the Sri Lanka Police Department to extend its support towards COVID 19 Precaution awareness campaign in locked-downed areas. The Bank deployed its Branch on Wheels mobile banking vehicle in order to provide essential banking services to people in these areas. This service will be following the schedule arranged by the Sri Lanka Police Department to cover the eight currently restricted areas. more..

Dec 15 (FT) Health authorities yesterday confirmed two more COVID-19 deaths, bringing the country�s COVID-19 death toll to 154. A 65-year-old individual from Colombo 14 died in a private hospital on 13 Dec. His death was reported the next day and the cause of death is cited as COVID pneumonia. A 73-year-old individual from Bandaragama died on 11 Dec and her death was reported two days later. The cause of death is cited as a heart attack induced by high blood pressure with COVID-19. more..

Dec 15 (FT) Steep falls in October imports and exports pushed SL�s trade deficit contraction to nearly $ 1.6 billion for the first 10 months of the year, as the impact from the second COVID-19 wave hit the start of 4Q hard. The external performance report released by the Monetary Authority showed the biggest reduction of $ 1.1 billion came from reduced expenditure on fuel, followed by $ 520 million from textiles, more..

Dec 15 (MFA) Malaysian High Commissioner in Colombo Tan Yang Thai paid a Courtesy Call on Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena at the Foreign Ministry premises on 11 Dec. Discussions between the two dignitaries focused on enhancing bilateral cooperation in trade and security between the two countries. HC while commenting that all countries are struggling to stay afloat amidst the raging COVID-19 virus which continues to claim heavy toll in their economies, more..

Dec 15 (FT) Institute of Chartered Accountants of SL (CA SL) last week kicked off a dynamic new initiative which aims to transform business owners in the SME sector into successful entrepreneurs across the county, with the ability to add value to the business world while contributing to the national economy. The mentoring initiative by CA SL which is conducted in collaboration with Sanasa Development Bank (SDB) was launched in Galle with the participation of a large number of more..

Dec 15 (Island) The SLMC has threatened disciplinary action against those who voted for the 20th Amendment on Oct 22, but it is struggling to cope with the situation as rebels are in the majority, according to political sources. The expulsion of the rebel group was certainly not possible, sources said, pointing out that of the 5-member SLMC group, four elected MPs, H.M.M. Harees & Faizal Cassim (Digamadulla), more..

Dec 15 (IC) SL�s head coach Mickey Arthur provided insight into his selection philosophy while on LPL commentary duty recently. �Rotate bowlers, not batsmen,� Arthur opined after being bemused by the resting of an in-form batsman during an LPL match. Arthur�s rational thinking could be a blessing for Sri Lanka who have suffered from years of haphazard selections. The absence of continuity in selections, resulting in the inexplicable axing of key batsmen in an already fragile batting line up, more..

Dec 15 (FT) Cumulative net outflow from rupee-denominated Govt securities rose to $ 523 million in October, Central Bank said, but emphasised exposure remained low. Foreign investment in the Govt securities market recorded a marginal net outflow during the month. A net outflow of foreign investment amounting to $ 20 million was recorded in the rupee-denominated Govt securities market in Oct 2020, increasing the cumulative net outflow to $ 532 m during period from Jan to Oct 2020. more..

Dec 15 (CT) Former Minister of Muslim Religious and Cultural Affairs, MP M.H.A. Haleem, reiterating that the number of mosques is adequate, said there was no need to build more mosques, and therefore steps should be taken to stop the construction of mosques. He also said it is essential to take the necessary steps to register all existing mosques. Further, he said there was no need for a large number of Moulavis, more..

Dec 15 (Island) State Minister Dr. Sudarshini Fernandopulle has been elected unanimously as the Chairperson of the Women Parliamentarians� Caucus. Accordingly, the State Minister Dr. Seetha Arambepola and MP Rohini Kavirathna were appointed as Deputy Chairpersons. These appointments were made at the inaugural meeting of the Women Parliamentarians� Caucus held at the Parliament Complex recently. Thalatha Atukorale, Harini Amarasuriya, Diana Gamage, more..

Dec 15 (Island) The claim that the burial of dead bodies of COVID-19 victims could lead to the spread of coronavirus is nonscientific, says Prof Malik Peiris, a world renowned Pathologist and Virologist, currently serving as the Chair Professor of the Dept of Virology at the Uni of Hong Kong. He is also one of the leading scientists who discovered the virus that causes SARS. Dr Peiris said: �The answer is simple. Viruses can only replicate in living cells unlike certain bacteria like Ebola. more..

Dec 15 (FT) The total number of COVID-19 patients linked to the Divilapitiya, Peliyagoda, and Prisons clusters yesterday rose to 29,837 with the detection of 688 new patients. The patients include 627 persons linked to the Peliyagoda cluster, 58 persons linked to the Prisons cluster, and three overseas arrivals. A total of 33,478 COVID-19 patients have been identified in the country to date. In addition to Divulapitiya, Peliyagoda, and more..

Dec 15 (CT) Country�s foreign reserves fell for the third consecutive month to November, this time by USD 306.40 million (5.23%) to USD 5,549.30 m, led by the country�s foreign debt servicing commitments. In the three consecutive months to last month, reserves have fallen by USD 1,880.70 m (25.31%) to USD 5,549.30 million, a 43 month low. A figure lower than this was last recorded 43 months ago, in end Apr 2017; when SL�s foreign reserves showed a lower figure of USD 5,045.52 m, then. more..