Oct 8 (CT) The ICC announced the appointments for Round One matches and the Super 12 phase of the ICC Men�s T20 World Cup 2021, comprising 20 of the best match officials from around the world. The 16 umpires and four match referees finalised for the 45-match tournament include three umpires who will be officiating in their sixth ICC Men�s T20 World Cups � Aleem Dar, Marais Erasmus and Rod Tucker. SL�s Kumar Dharmasena, who was one of the on-field umpires for the final of of more..

Oct 8 (FT) The recent 41-day lockdown has resulted in the consumers defaulting in the payment of electricity tariff amounting to Rs. 44 billion, Power Minister Gamini Lokuge told Parliament yesterday. He made the disclosure in response to a question raised by SJB MP Mujibur Rahaman. The Minister said the Govt has decided to allow the consumers to settle the dues in 12 monthly instalments. �Those who defaulted on payments can settle their bills in 12 monthly instalments. more..

Oct 8 (TM) SL�s export industry is discouraged by the decision taken by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) to suspend interest rates for foreign currency accounts of export proceeds. During a webinar, hosted by the National Chamber of Exporters (NCE), its Vice President Jayantha Karunaratne noted that the decision taken by the CBSL not to pay interests for dollar deposits made by exporters, discourages SL�s exports, more..

Oct 8 (CT) THE human rights of minority religious groups in SL are being ignored, and there has been a surge in hate speech against Muslims as a result of govt policies to combat Covid-19, the Church of Ceylon reports. The Church is increasingly concerned by the deterioration of human rights in SL and has called for urgent action from the UNHRC. A report setting out the Church�s concerns has been submitted to the 48th session of the Council, whose meeting concludes today, by the Anglican more..

Oct 8 (FT) Exporters yesterday charged that the Export Development Council (EDC) has yet again gone into slumber after its first discussion a year ago following reactivation. The EDC was reactivated in 28 years, after it was established in 1972 with a focus on resolving issues related to exports in tandem with the National Export Strategy (NES) to be a game-changer in the post-COVID-19 economic transformation of SL. �The Govt last year enacted Export Development Council of Ministers more..

Oct 8 (DM) Following a lengthy discussion by the GMOA central committee, it was decided to launch an island-wide four-hour token strike next Wednesday (13), until the currently published effective date of the 2022 Annual Transfer List is updated. Accordingly, the token strike is scheduled from 8.00 am to 12.00 noon next Wednesday and it is also decided not to apply for transfers as a trade union until the effective date of the annual more..

Oct 8 (CT) in Maldives Sri Lanka delivered an improved performance to hold seven times Champion India to a goalless draw in their third fixture of the SAFF tourney worked off at the National Stadium, Maldives on Thursday (07). With dangerous scoring opportunities as rare as a dodo bird, 90+8 minutes of soccer could not produce a goal as the two teams played out a 0-0 draw on a gorgeous evening in Male. Both halves in regulation followed a similar script, as both sides more..

Oct 8 (TM) As per a report published on Sri Lanka by HSBC Global Research, the expected GDP growth of Sri Lanka in 2021 will be 3.5% due to the effect of recurring waves of Covid-19. According to the HSBC Sri Lanka report, initially, 2021 started on a strong note, with 1Q21 growing smartly, aided by a favourable base and pent-up demand following the second wave of the pandemic in 4Q20. However, the recovery momentum was dampened by the onset of the third wave of Covid-19 in April, more..

Oct 8 (FT) SL has seen the highest tourist arrivals growth post-COVID in September with 13,547, propelling the cumulative figure to over 37,000. Tourist arrivals in September recorded a sharp increase of 169% from August, largely influenced by the relaxed travel restrictions, aggressive vaccination programs around the world and growing consumer confidence. Arrivals in the first nine months were 37,924 more..

Oct 8 (Island) Aitken Spence PLC was ranked amongst the top 15 in the Most Respected of the nation�s most admired corporations for 2021. The annual ranking is by LMD through an exclusive survey conducted by NielsenIQ�s to gauge peer perceptions based on a weighted ranking system. Amidst a business climate dampened by uncertainty, Aitken Spence moved up a position in its rankings and is widely recognised as a catalyst in the country�s social economic progress. more..

Oct 8 (PP) ITV, Tiger Aspect Productions and Acorn TV with Acorn Media Enterprises (AME) have announced the commission and start of principal photography on the fourth series of Dan Sefton�s hit drama, The Good Karma Hospital. Acorn TV with Acorn Media Enterprises join as co-commissioners on series four. Set in Southern India and shot on location in Sri-Lanka, the six-part drama, which gained an average audience of 5.9m viewers across Series 3, will return to ITV in 2022. more..

Oct 8 (Island) The priorities related to the institutional and legal framework of the Ministry of Finance have been amended via a govt gazette issued on Oct 6, with the objective of achieving a faster economic growth post-pandemic. As per the above gazette, twenty more special priorities and responsibilities have been added to the Finance Ministry. Accordingly, the Finance Ministry, among other things will now implement more..

Oct 8 (DM) SJB working committee which met today decided to expell Diana Gamage from the party. SJB General Secretary Ranjith Madduma Bandara told the Daily Mirror that the decision was made by the working committee considering the reformation of the disciplinary committee which was appointed to look into her case. "We have expelled Ms. Gamage from the party for acting against party decision to vote against the 20th amendment to the constitution" Mr. Madduma Bandara said. more..

Oct 8 (FT) SL�s COVID-19 detections rose to 523,550 with the detection of 772 COVID-19 patients yesterday. The patients detected yesterday were from the New Year cluster. 6,282 PCR tests were conducted yesterday. On Wednesday, 6,505 PCR tests and 3,878 rapid antigen tests were conducted. The COVID-19 patients detected on Wednesday include 771 persons from the New Year cluster and five persons from the Prisons cluster. A total of 418,887 persons from the New Year more..

Oct 8 (CT) Over 50 State health service categories, comprising over 100,000 employees, including nurses, professions supplementary to medicine, paramedics clerks, drivers and health assistants, will stage a walk out today (8) making eight demands, including the repayment of the COVID risk allowance, which was stopped on 20 August 2021, HSTUA, Joint Convener Ravi Kumudesh said. more..

Oct 8 (CT) The State Ministry of Money and Capital Markets and State Enterprise has been annulled while its functions have been transferred to the Ministry of Finance by a Gazette Extraordinary notification. The annulment comes following the resignation of the previous State Minister of Money and Capital Markets and State Enterprise Reform Ajith Nivard Cabraal to take up the position of the Governor of the Central Bank. Gazette extraordinary No.2248/35 was issued by Prez more..

Oct 8 (TM) The Appropriation Bill for the 2022 financial year was presented in Parliament yesterday by Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa, with the budgetary allocations for the defence, education, and finance sectors being increased whilst those for the health sector and the President being decreased when compared to the 2021 financial year. Appropriation Bill notes that the total expenditure of the Govt allocated for the year 2022, including for both recurrent and capital expenditure, more..

Oct 8 (EN) SL�s Consumer Affairs Authority which creates shortages with price controls as the central bank prints money and triggers forex shortages, is likely to raise the controlled prices of several goods which have disappeared from shelves, report said. Media reports said at a meeting of key ministers with Prez Rajapaksa on Thursday night a decision was taken to remove the current price controls on LPG, wheat flour & cement more..

Oct 8 (FT) Where does the SL crisis take the country to? Even though the pandemic will end slowly relieving the nation, it is evident that the country is facing a serious problem of not having a pragmatic vision to escape the socio-political and economic crisis that has gripped the country for long. In this backdrop, there is a real risk that the collapse of the socio-political system and economy will inevitably reach at its worst plunging the country into a state of failure, bankruptcy and anarchy. more..

Oct 8 (FT) Since the Rajapaksa brothers were brought to power since 2019, and with the onset of an economic depression, management of the country�s economy has fallen into disarray and become a laboratory for experimenting uncoordinated policies emanating from Prez GR�s thought bubbles and pushed through by his Viyath Maga experts. Overall, economic management in this challenging environment has become an art of winning political battles rather than more..

Oct 8 (DM) Prez Rajapaksa has instructed the relevant authorities to immediately deport all the Nigerian nationals, who are held at the Mirihana Detention Centre on charges of on-line scams, informed sources said. Accordingly, the President had directed the Controller General of Immigration and Emigration to take action to deport 44 Nigerian nationals at the detention centre utilising state funds. These Nigerian nationals were arrested during the last few months in relation to on-line scams. more..

Oct 8 (GDI) The SL community in the Sultanate of Oman donated a consignment of medical equipment including ICU beds to treat COVID � 19 patients. SL Quantity Surveyors Fraternity, bankers and other professionals in Oman were the contributors to this donation which will be distributed to hospitals. The donation from the SL community in Oman was handed over at a ceremony held at the Foreign Ministry in Colombo. Foreign Secretary Admiral Prof. Jayanath Colombage handed over more..

Oct 8 (DM) Following reports that businessman Thirukumar Nadesan and his wife Nirupama Rajapaksa had fled the country to an undisclosed location following the allegations levelled against them in the Pandora Papers, Nadesan said he and his wife were very much in SL and had no intention of leaving. �We have not run away to any other country and we do not intend to do so. I have requested for more..

Oct 8 (BelTA) The body of a SL citizen was found near the Belarus-Lithuania border, Belarus 1 TV channel informed, BelTA has learned. The man's body was found on 5 October in the shrubs 500 meters from the state border with Lithuania. The police found a mobile phone, bank cards and documents with him that helped identify the man as a 29-year-old citizen of SL. �According to the available information, this citizen made part of a group who the Lithuanian security forces tried more..

Oct 8 (TM) The Working Committee appointed by the Central Bank to study and suggest new remittance channels for Sri Lanka and to make recommendations on reducing the cost of remitting money, has proposed the implementation of a National Remittance Mobile Application titled SL-Remit to attract more remittances to SL. This committee was put together having identified the need to introduce new and low-cost remittance channels with the objective of increasing more..

Oct 8 (Island) It has been revealed at the COPE that the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) spent Rs. 89 million in excess of the amount of funds allocated for the purchase of computers in 2018. The SLTB had planned to purchase 139 computers and 74 laptops for the year 2018 at an estimated cost of Rs. 15,290,000, but acquired 800 computers and 47 laptops at a cost of Rs. 113,303,750. more..

Oct 8 (Island) President of the National Movement for a Just Society, former Speaker Karu Jayasuriya said that Sri Lanka must be concerned about the professional dignity of the Sri Lankan teachers and that the government must place great emphasis on education. Jayasuriya has said that they salute the teachers for their service. The entire nation must be mindful of the dignity of the teachers given the important role they play in shaping the future generations of the country. more..

Oct 8 (EN) Funerals in Sri Lanka have traditionally been a somewhat communal affair that sees extended family, neighbours, friends, colleagues and sometimes the entire village come together to mourn the dearly departed and to comfort the living. This sense of shared loss often transcend ethnic and religious lines and, depending on custom, the number of hours, days, or even weeks spent with the dead offer the surviving loved ones at least a semblance of closure. more..

Oct 8 (AD) SL designer Ruwanthi Pavithra Gajadeera has won the first prize at the Taiwan Fashion Design Award 2021 (TFDA), the first South Asian to represent and win the award. The finals selection show of TFDA successfully concluded at Taipei Fashion Week, in Songshan Cultural and Creative Park, Taipei, Taiwan on October 6th. Among nearly 450 designers from 18 countries and regions including Europe, America and Asia, Ruwanthi from SL became the winner of more..

Oct 8 (DM) The Ceylon Teachers' Union (CTU) today urged the govt to bring about solutions to the teachers and principals salary anomalies issue before the reopening schools on Oct 21. CTU Secretary Joseph Stalin said. He said until then their trade union action would continue. If the govt is unable to find a solution to their issues, a decision has to be made on opening the schools too, Mr. Stalin said. "It has been 89 days since the teachers' and principals' struggle. more..

Oct 8 (EN) SL has decided to abandon price controls which were creating shortages of essential goods amid rising global prices and a weakening of the rupee against the dollar, Consumer Minister Lasantha Alagiywanna said. �We admit that the price controls created shortages,� Minister said. �We apologize for the inconvenience caused to consumers. But the govt did this with the best intentions. more..

Oct 8 (CT) Minister Namal Rajapaksa was elected as the President of the Sri Lanka - France Parliamentary Friendship Association at the revival meeting of the association for the ninth Parliament held on Wednesday. The meeting was held under the patronage of Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena. Ambassador of France to SL Eric Lavertu participated in the meeting as the special guest and Secretary General of Parliament Dhammika Dasanayake was also present. more..

Oct 8 (DM) The Govt would arrange a meeting with the PM and all the relevant teacher-principal trade unions before the budget to discuss the solutions proposed in the budget next month, Education Minister Dinesh Gunawardane said. He told parliament that he would make arrangements to convene the meeting at a time convenient to the PM. He said this responding to a question raised by National People's Power MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who asked whether it was more..

Oct 8 (Island) Several private businessmen were fleecing passengers who come through BIA and they were behind the shutting down of the state-of-the-art PCR lab there, Ven. Omalpe Sobitha Thera said. Such action had allowed the businessmen to make colossal amounts of money, the Thera said, adding that there were indications that a group of businessmen and professionals was attempting to make money out of vaccines more..

Oct 8 (TM) Former Sri Lanka test captain Bandula Warnapura is currently receiving treatment at an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a private hospital in Colombo, The Morning learns. Warnapura had been admitted to hospital 3 days ago after suffering from a sudden unexplained illness. Dismissing claims of being infected with Covid, sources told The Morning that Warnapura has had an untreated diabetic wound on his right leg which led to an amputation and is currently on a ventilator. more..

Oct 8 (Island) People were ignoring good health practices a few days after the lifting of the lockdown, President of the Public Health Inspectors� Union said. Rohana said that the PHIs across the country had reported that the public compliance of health rules was low and that the govt must take action to rectify the situation. �People are not adhering to health guidelines when they use public transport and visiting public places. Some work places have ignored the health guidelines issued by govt� more..

Oct 8 (Island) The govt suffered a loss of Rs 125.5 million owing to a mistake committed in levying taxes on coal imported for the Norochcholai Thermal Power Plant, says the Second Report of the COPA presented to parliament on Wednesday by Committee�s Chairman Prof. Tissa Vitarana. The report says: It was observed that, SL Customs has conducted a customs investigation and Rs. 205 million of penalty had been imposed more..