Dec 28 (TM) Around this time last year, no one in his or her right mind would have ever imagined what 2020 would turn out to be. Partying and merry making were in full swing with zero indication of what was to come. Now a full 365 days later, the world is still trying to come to terms with the health and economic carnage that has been wrought upon it by a raging pandemic that has made 2020 a year from hell. About this time last year, we had not heard of a virus by the name Covid-19. more..

Dec 28 (TM) Provincial Councils have completed their terms for a near two-year period, and there have been various administrative issues that have cropped up due to the lack of authority in these institutions, presenting various challenges to the Govt. PM Mahinda Rajapaksa recently had issued directives to the newly-appointed Commissioner of Elections and his team that provincial council (PC) elections should be held at the earliest. more..

Dec 28 (ST) Never in the chequered history of mankind has one spectre so authoritatively commanded the undivided attention of the entire world for an entire year and brought every other pursuit of human activity in its path to a halt to let its flaming chariot of pestilence pass with its long train of scalps bagged during its siege trailing behind, than the awesome spectre that is the coronavirus-19, in the year of the Lord 2020. From the wind swept East Cape of New Zealand more..

Dec 28 (ST) After relentless political patronage of a covid-healing miracle syrup brewed by a kapurala, (keeper of a temple cum witch doctor), who chants that he is possessed by the Goddess Kali, it is the height of unseemly irony for Sri Lanka�s Health Services Director to threaten legal action against the kapurala and his despairing followers for creating a public disturbance in violation of quarantine regulations. If so, legal action may also be contemplated against a Govt patronised more..

Dec 28 (CT) Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella opens up on many issues Sri Lanka is tied up with; focusing on areas of concern including the 13A and giving the East Container Terminal to the Indians. Q: It has been one year since the Govt came to power and with the pandemic it could not execute much of the undertakings other than holding the General Election and enacting the 20A. more..

Dec 28 (DM) One single topic has dominated the year-2020 �Covid-19. All other events have paled into insignificance in the shadow it cast across the globe. From Brexit in Europe to the atrocities carried out by Islamic fanatics across the globe. From Parliamentary Elections in Sri Lanka to Presidential election in the US, to the antics of US Presidential candidate loser �Trump, to the mighty Indian cricket team being bundled out for a meagre 36 runs during the first test match in Australia, more..

Dec 28 (DM) The second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic that is more a The Colombo-centred spread shows the larger number of infected persons from the 16,311 reported as at Dec 23 since Oct 4 and also deaths are from the Colombo Municipal Council areas that are most crowded and cramped where most underserved settlements (Slums addressed diplomatically) are located Fifteen of the isolated Police divisions and Grama Niladhari divisions are in these most densely populated more..

Dec 28 (DM) A ferocious inferno is flaming the nation; Dhammika Bandara�s Kali Peniya offered to Dalada Maligava and Sri Maha Bodhi, has received registration from Ayurvedic Dept. Before the ink on the registration document dried, another preparation supposedly an ancient concoction formulated by mythical multi-headed Ravana and allegedly inscribed in a Ranpatha [Gold sheaves] which was unearthed in Ridigama has appeared. A plant-derived preparation as prescribed, more..

Dec 28 (ST) Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR) is on a hiring spree as they gear up for a return to int'l rugby next year and conducting domestic competitions after a hiatus of nearly nine months because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the positions advertised on SL Tuskers page of Facebook is that of a High Performance Manager. Former SL fullback Inthisham Marikar held this position two years ago when Asanga Seneviratne headed the SLR but his successor Lasitha Gunaratne discontinued more..

Dec 28 (CI) Dasun Shanaka batted well with the tail to complete his first Test fifty on the second morning of the Centurion Test, and yet, his more significant contribution so far may have been with the ball. Shanaka is a batting allrounder but was required to deliver almost 17 overs after two SL bowlers - a third of their serious bowling resources - were unavailable through injury. SL are unwilling to elaborate on the extent of Kasun Rajitha's more..

Dec 28 (CI) This was a long time coming from South Africa's openers. Three years, actually. That's the last time a South African top two put on a 100-plus stand, 22 Test matches and 43 innings ago. Since then, South Africa's starts have been more shaky than stable, with the result that inconsistency has riddled the entire line-up. Specifically, this was a long time coming for Aiden Markram. Almost two years. That's the last time he crossed 50 in a Test match, against this same opposition eight innings more..

Dec 28 (EN) US financial support will be contingent on SL asserting its sovereignty against influence by China, and improving human rights and promoting inter religious and ethnic reconciliation, a 900 billion dollar spending bill before the congress says. The bill as amended by the US Senate mainly involves Coronavirus relief but also assistance to a number of foreign countries and other spending. Future financial support for Sri Lanka will be available after the secretary of state certifies more..

Dec 28 (CT) Gymnast turned Pole Vaulter Sachini Perera set a new Sri Lanka record as she cleared 3.56m in the women�s pole vault at the 98th National Athletics Championship 2020 held at Sugathadasa Stadium yesterday. She shattered the previous record of 3.55m held by Jaffna�s Anitha Jegatheeswaran. A resident of Gampaha District, which was one of the worst affected Districts of the COVID-19 Pandemic, Sachini could not train more..

Dec 28 (TM) The alliance woes between the governing Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) and its main coalition partner, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), that recently became public with the actions of the SLFP local govt members and the party General Secretary�s statement, are now being addressed by Prez Rajapaksa. SLFP General Secretary Dayasiri Jayasekara recently made a public statement on the issues faced by the SLFP members due to being sidelined by the SLPP. more..

Dec 28 (Island) It was the first week of April 2019. A conspiracy was hatching in secret in a dark cell in Negombo Prison. �Pastor you have nothing to fear. We can do this job easily. If we load a load of heroin from Pakistan we can become millionaires.� Ibrahim, a Maldivian national was talking to Dunstan, a Catholic pastor. �Pastor you know all boatmen do this kind of things to live. Don�t worry. We can do this job easily.� Ibrahim was explaining to the pastor about smuggling heroin into Sri Lanka. more..

Dec 28 (CT) Dilshi Kumarasinghe, SL�s Star at the 2019 South Asian Games, made a memorable comeback following the COVID-19 pandemic enforced hiatus with a record breaking 800m run at 98th National Athletics C'ship, continued at the Sugathadasa Stadium. The 21-year-old hailing from A.Rathnayaka CC Walala became an overnight star in Dec 2019 after her triple Gold medal winning performance at SAG, more..

Dec 28 (FT) As part of Turkey�s ongoing humanitarian aid, development and capacity building assistance to SL through her official aid agencies, the Embassy of Turkey donated 12 Nos. NF-400 N�VE Benchtop Centrifuges to the Ministry of Health to fulfil the requirements of the Sri Lankan health authorities in the fight against COVID-19. The NF-400 Benchtop Centrifuges, produced by the Turkish company N�VE, is designed for daily routine centrifugation requirements. more..

Dec 28 (CO) all-rounder Ellyse Perry and keeper-batter Alyssa Healy also feature in both teams, while spearhead Megan Schutt has been included in the T20I side. Two Australians also feature in each format for the men�s Teams of the Decade. David Warner appears in both the men�s Test and ODI XIs, joined by Steve Smith in the red-ball team and Mitchell Starc in the ODI side. Aaron Finch and Glenn Maxwell claimed spots in the men�s T20I team. Indian MS Dhoni was named captain more..

Dec 28 (CI) Aiden Markram sped to fifty, Dean Elgar made an assured 95, and then Faf du Plessis combined with Temba Bavuma for a 97-run stand late in the day, as South Africa wrested control of the Test from a substantially depleted SL attack. They finished day two only 79 runs behind, with six wickets in hand. Aside from a brief period early in the third session, when they lost three wickets for 20 runs, their progress was more..

Dec 28 (Island) Stinking landfills and waste imports are likely to earn Sri Lanka, which was once known as the Granary of the East, the epithet of Garbage Dump of the East. An investigation is reportedly underway into the importation of 28 shipping containers of agricultural waste from Ukraine. The waste arrived here, the other day, in the guise of a consignment of coriander seeds. One of the companies that imported the foreign garbage has claimed that it has been cheated; more..

Dec 28 (Island) The MMBL-Pathfinder Group and the Washington DC based Centennial Group Holdings LLC., have launched a joint venture company for providing strategic advisory and project management services to policymakers as well as prospective foreign and local investors, with a view to attracting foreign investment and establishing new business ventures in the island. The Agreement was signed on Dec 22nd, 2020 on a virtual platform in the presence of signatories from both sides. more..

Dec 28 (FT) Sri Lanka is scheduled to see the arrival of the first set of international tourists post-COVID-19 from Ukraine today. Industry sources said that the first flight by charter operator SkyUp Airlines is scheduled to arrive at 2:40 p.m. today at the Mattala Int'l Airport with 215 passengers from Ukraine, the capital of Kiev. SL had not allowed global leisure travellers since the closure of the BIA in late March more..

Dec 28 (DN) Treasury Secretary S.R. Attygalle has advised all Heads of public institutions to pay special attention to manage expenditure within the budgetary provisions next year due to fiscal constraints owing to COVID-19. The Circular was sent to all Ministry Secretaries, State Ministry Secretaries, Provincial Council Chief Secretaries, Department Heads, District Secretaries and Chairmen of Statutory Boards and Corporations. �Given the uncertainty due to the Covid-19 more..

Dec 28 (Island) Global Tamil Forum (GTF) says that while appreciating Sri Lanka�s relative success in the management of COVID-19, it would like to express its strong condemnation of the mandatory cremation of all bodies suspected to have been infected with coronavirus; it has called upon the leaders of all communities to do all they can to have this irrational and discriminatory government policy reversed. GTF statement: SL�s mandatory cremation policy has caused major outrage and trauma more..

Dec 28 (Island) Russian Ambassador in Colombo Yury Materiy has warned that extremist Islamic terrorist organizations may channel funds to their Lankan counterparts on the pretext of extending COVID-19 aid. The warning was issued by Ambassador Materiy when he met Minister Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekara at his ministry last week. Ambassador Materiy had told Minister Weerasekera that many extremist groups more..

Dec 28 (AD) Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara says a report on two locations having deep water table was submitted to PM Rajapaksa and Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi. The minister has attended a discussion which was held by the PM with the Muslim MPs and was assigned to locate areas with a deep water table. �So, I asked out geologist to look for areas with a deep water table. He highlighted via a report two locations which do not have groundwater, even at a depth of 30 feet.� more..

Dec 28 (Island) PM Mahinda Rajapaksa in his capacity as the Minister of Cultural Affairs has instructed the National Film Corporation to reopen cinemas starting from Jan 1 with limited seating capacity in keeping with the health guidelines. The cinemas except those in areas currently under lockdown will operate from Jan 1. The decision was taken after a group of cinema artistes, film producers, directors and members of the cinema hall owners� association met with PM Rajapaksa more..

Dec 28 (AD) The isolation orders on certain areas in the Colombo District will be lifted tomorrow (28) while several new areas will go under isolation. The isolation orders on the following areas will be lifted from 5 am tomorrow morning. Dam Street, Keselwatta, and Maradana Police Divisions. Slave Island Police Division: Wekanda, and Hunupitiya Grama Niladhari Divisions- Mayura Place of Wellawatte Police Division. more..

Dec 28 (AD) Sri Lanka has recorded four new Covid-19 related deaths, the Director-General of Health Services confirmed. Following the new development, the country�s death toll from the virus has escalated to 191, the Govt Information Dept said. One of the victims was identified as a 66-year-old man from Pitakotte area. He was moved to the Homagama Base Hospital from Colombo National Hospital after testing positive for the virus. He died on December 26 due to Covid-19 pneumonia. more..

Dec 28 (DM) There is a political virus which harasses people in addition to the real COVID-19 virus, Leader of Opposition Sajith Permadasa said. Speaking during the launch of Leader of Opposition Mobile Service at Gothamigama in Kataragama over the weekend, he said suppressing the rights of people and political victimisation were the main symptoms of political virus that were being spread all over. �Leader of Opposition Mobile Service� will contain this political virus that is spreading,� more..

Dec 28 (CT) Anunayake Thera of the Malwatte Chapter Venerable Dimbulkumbure Wimaladhamma Thera says until the committee of experts submits their report, all COVID-19 dead should be cremated. He says the idea that people can take to the streets and demand permission for COVID-19 dead to be buried cannot be approved. A dilemma has arisen as to whether it is suitable to bury bodies infected with the Covid-19 virus. more..

Dec 28 (DN) Govt has initiated a rural trade network that follows the govt�s trade related decisions and protects the farmers and consumers, State Minister Shehan Semasinghe said. He said this rural trade network supported by the govt will replace the present system where farmers and consumers were not given due priority. He expressed confidence on this network of female entrepreneurs which will create a strong distribution network even in the face of epidemics such as COVID-19. more..

Dec 28 (DN) Prez Rajapaksa paid homage to the Sacred Tooth Relic at Sri Dalada Maligawa, Kandy and obtained blessings on Dec 25. The President was warmly welcomed by the custodian of the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, Diyawadane Nilame Nilanga Dela. Prez called on the Chief Prelate of the Malwathu Chapter, Most Ven. Thibbatuwawe Sri Sumangala Nayaka Thera and inquired into his well-being. The President also called on the Anunayake Theras of more..

Dec 28 (EN) One of the country�s biggest Chapters of Buddhist Monks the joint Amarapura-Ramanna sect is asking Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa to permit the burial of the remains of Christians and Muslims who die of Covid 19. This is the first time that a major group of Buddhist Monks have taken a stand to allow burials since the controversy broke in April. Signed by the joint Registrars of the Amarapura and Ramanna sects, more..

Dec 28 (FT) To apprise ourselves of the present state of global technology and where we are heading, I have borrowed some thoughts from a tech-Guru, ex-President of Thailand based Asian Institute of Technology, Professor Worsak Kanok-Nukulchai. In an address delivered before the Royal Society of Thailand � that country�s counterpart of National Science Foundation in Sri Lanka � Worsak emphasised the need for converting Thais from digital natives to global citizens. more..

Dec 28 (DN) The Govt will impose a special tax on imported readymade dresses from April, State Minister Dayasiri Jayasekara said. He said in Kurunegala this tax will help to protect and encourage local textile manufacturers. He said the Govt will discontinue importing low- quality garments from abroad as Sri Lankan textile manufacturers can produce high- quality readymade dresses. He said around Rs. 23 billion is spent annually on importing dresses and readymade garments to SL. more..

Dec 28 (FT) Global economies, including SL, have significantly fallen due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and all social groups including govts, professionals and the general public have been crippled in face of this novel pandemic. At such a point in time, the collapse of a country�s banking and financial sector is extremely hazardous, proving disastrous for some countries who, during the COVID-19 pandemic have allowed these industries to fail, prompting govt to rebuild the banking and financial industries. more..

Dec 28 (DN) Justice Minister Ali Sabry PC has decided to double the resolving of minor disputes through Mediation Boards in line with govt's vision of building a just society. The Minister decided to take these arrangements following a discussion held with the Chairman of Mediation Boards retired Supreme Court Judge Hector S.Yapa. It was decided to increase the meetings of Mediation Boards to six days from four per month. It has also decided to establish Mediation Boards relating to more..