Oct 12 (ENS) National Investigation Agency (NIA) has sought information about suspected LTTE members from Sri Lanka under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) as part of the probe into the seizure of five AK 47 rifles from a foreign vessel off the Kerala coast in March this year. The agency has also invoked various sections of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) in the case. It was on March 18 this year that more..

Oct 12 (Island) SL�s leading private sector bank HNB PLC partnered with the National Chamber of Exporters of SL (NCE) as the exclusive banking partner of the Sri Lanka Export Brand Exhibition organized by the NCE at the World Expo 2020 in Dubai, UAE. The trade exhibition showcases SL Export Products and Services as well as Service Providers to Exporters and will be an ideal platform for SL to create awareness among prospective buyers, and consumers, regarding the range of Products & Services offerings of the Country. more..

Oct 12 (DM) SLPP MP Dilan Perera said not only this govt but any govt could do nothing about fluctuations in prices of certain goods. He said that fluctuations in prices of most goods were decided according to the fluctuations of prices in the World market. He said prices of most goods such as fuel and medicine were decided by the prices in the World market. MP Perera said it was true that there were issues for farmers, teachers and health officials and added that Covid was the main issue that we have faced today before all. more..

Oct 12 (DM) Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa yesterday evening instructed his cabinet to cut down on all state expenses including unnecessary fleets of vehicles being used by ministries as the govt felt the heat over the soaring cost of basic items. The Daily Mirror learns that the high prices of basic goods was widely discussed in the cabinet last evening and Prez had instructed ministers to cut down all state expenses as more..

Oct 12 (AD) The prices of domestic gas cylinders would not have skyrocketed had the LPG pricing formula which was agreed upon with the companies was in operation, says the Chairman of Laugfs Gas PLC, W.K.H. Wegapitiya. He noted that Laugfs Gas PLC revised the prices to cover the company�s costs. He also pointed out that LP gas prices are expected to go up by USD 50 - 60 in the global market within the coming month. The public would not have been burdened like this if more..

Oct 12 (Island) Prices of wheat flour, gas, cement, bakery products and food items have increased due to the removal of price control. The Bakery Owners� Association said that the price of a loaf of bread would be increased by five rupees, effective from midnight yesterday (11). Earlier yesterday, Serendib Flour Mills (Pvt) Ltd, and Prima announced a 10-rupee increase in the price of wheat flour. The price increases came after the govt issued a gazette notice removing the price control. more..

Oct 12 (CI) Angelo Mathews could be in line for a return to the Sri Lanka fold after making himself available for selection again. While there has been no official communication from either SLC or Mathews in this regard, ESPNcricinfo understands Mathews had mailed SLC of his intentions and that the board will take a final decision on the matter at a meeting on Tuesday. Mathews had made himself unavailable for more..

Oct 12 (Island) Dialog Broadband, a fully-owned subsidiary of Dialog Axiata PLC introduced exclusive Home Broadband postpaid data packages for govt sector employees in appreciation of their continued and unwavering service to the nation. This exclusive offer comprises a range of lower-priced postpaid packages starting from Rs. 600/- (15GB Anytime Data and 15GB FREE Night Bonus Data), up to Rs. 9,900/- (360GB Anytime Data and 360GB FREE Night Bonus Data). more..

Oct 12 (EN) Sri Lanka�s health authorities are once again lamenting low youth turnout at COVID-19 vaccination centres, this time with state university students said to be foregoing a campus-administered jab in favour of the Pfizer-BionTech vaccine which is in short supply. Health Services Deputy Director Dr Hemantha Herath told reporters on Tuesday (12) that it is important that students are vaccinated before academic activity resumes in state universities. more..

Oct 12 (EN) SL�s 2021 economic growth projection has been downgraded to 3.6% by the IMF in its latest economic outlook from an earlier 4%, while global growth has also been lowered slightly. World output has been lowered to 5.9% from 6% in a July projection. �This modest headline revision, however, masks large downgrades for some countries,� IMF chief economist Gita Gopinath said. more..

Oct 12 (DM) The black market Mudalalis (players) have taken over Sri Lanka as they have been allowed to decide on the prices of essential goods, UNP Deputy Leader Ruwan Wijewardene said. Mr. Wijewardene who made these remarks while speaking to some UNP activists questioned as to why the govt had allowed the black market players to decide on essential goods such as rice, cement, flour, milk powder and gas. �One wonders whether a govt exists in Sri Lanka,� he said. more..

Oct 12 (DM) Fundamental Rights petitions filed by Bathiudeen brothers seeking an order to release them forthwith from the custody of the CID were today fixed for further support by the SC. Supreme Court 3-judge-bench comprising Justice Vijith Malalgoda, Justice Murdu Fernando and Justice Gamini Amarasekera fixed the petitions to be taken up for further support on Oct 15. The petitioners Rishad Bathiudeen and Riyaj Bathiudeen had been arrested and detained in connection with more..

Oct 12 (Island) Transport Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi has instructed her Ministry officials to further expand one-day services, including vehicle registration, issuance of driving licenses and transfer of vehicles provided by the Dept of Motor Traffic to overcome the backlog caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. She said that a large number of people had to postpone the services they wanted from the DMT owing to the closure of the offices, following the pandemic. more..

Oct 12 (AD) The four officials from Sathosa who were arrested by the CID yesterday in connection with the recent garlic scam have been remanded by the court. They were ordered remanded until October 14 after being produced before the Wattala Magistrate�s Court. Officers of the CID had yesterday arrested Lanka Sathosa�s Assistant General Manager of Purchasing, Senior Manager-Supplies, Manager-Supplies and Manager of the Welisara Wholesale Store. more..

Oct 12 (EN) Cabinet of ministers on Monday approved a proposal by Prez Rajapaksa to draft a Defence Cyber Commands bill and a separate bill of cybersecurity laws outside the defence purview, a spokesman said. The two bills, proposed by Prez Rajapaksa in his capacity as minister of defence and minister of technology, are expected to keep criminal and terrorism related activity online in check, more..

Oct 12 (AD) State Minister Dilum Amunugama has assured that bus fares will not be increased amidst the recent price hike in several essential items. State minister clarified a statement made by the chairman of Lanka Private Bus Owners� Association, Gemunu Wijeratne. What Wijeratne said was that the bus owners will have to face some serious issues if the fuel prices are increased again, he explained adding that, �We have no intention of increasing bus fares or diesel prices.� more..

Oct 12 (DM) SL is among the countries which has reportedly expressed interest to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games, the BBC reported. Accordingly, Australia, Canada, India, and SL have expressed interest in staging the 2026 Games but, as yet, a host has not been secured. �I am quietly confident that we will be announcing [the 2026 host] in the first quarter of next year, prior to Birmingham. We are working with cities and countries,� Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) more..

Oct 12 (AD) The Cabinet of Ministers has given the nod to the draft bill to be presented to the Parliament by Labour Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva to extend the retirement age of private-sector employees to 60 years. On March 23, 2021, Cabinet granted the approval to prepare a bill to amend the existing minimum age limit for the retirement of private-sector employees. The bill prepared accordingly was further discussed more..

Oct 12 (NR) 23 COVID-19 deaths have been confirmed today. The deaths were confirmed to have been reported yesterday, the 11th of October. Sri Lanka�s coronavirus death toll accordingly increases to 13,377. 11 males and 12 females were among the victims. 19 individuals, eight males and 11 females, were 60 years or above while three persons, two males and a female, were between the ages of 30 and 59. One male victim was identified as below 30 years of age. more..

Oct 12 (Island) The govt had to rectify the salary anomalies affecting principals and teachers before reopening schools on 21 Oct, principals and teachers trade unions said yesterday. The govt had not held any discussions with the unions on solving their long-standing salary issues, they claimed. Parakrama Weerasinghe, Chairman of the SL National Principals Association said that they did not want to extend their trade union action and that the govt could easily resolve the crisis. more..

Oct 12 (TM) Following assertion by the Chinese Embassy in SL that the recent decision to suspend the importation of organic fertiliser from a Chinese company to SL is problematic, a prominent SL testing agency that carried out tests on these fertiliser samples has denied the Embassy�s claims. The agency emphasised that as per the international agreements, one country should respect the other country�s test reports and their test results more..

Oct 12 (CT) Central Bank of SL will hold its largest face value (FV) weekly Treasury (T) Bill auction tomorrow (13), an auction for the issuance of Rs 85,000 million T-Bills (Rs 85 bil), to repay Rs 84,095 million worth of FV T-Bills maturing on Friday (15). Settlement date of tomorrow�s T-Bill auction is also on Friday. The splits for tomorrow�s auction are the issuances of 91-day maturities comprising Rs 30,000 million, 182- day maturities of Rs 25,000 million and 364-day maturities comprising more..

Oct 12 (Island) Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa says the country is currently confronted with the serious degradation of its ecosystems. �It is a well-known fact that a reduction in the ecosystem will have an adverse impact on the country�s economic development. Reversing the current trend of ecosystem degradation should be the priority of every SL regardless of our political affiliations, Premadasa said. �The govt will worsen deforestation and cause irreversible damage to biodiversity. more..

Oct 12 (TM) Further to discussions with Prez Rajapaksa, Minister of Public Security Sarath Weerasekara appointed an all-female committee of Police officers to lead a team that would focus on building a safe and secure environment for women and children. The all female team of officials was appointed to protect and safeguard women from domestic abuse, blackmail, rape and to promote safe work place environments. more..

Oct 13 (CT) Domestic credit extended to the Govt of SL (GoSL) and its agents, namely public corporations, by the banking system together with the monetary authorities, i.e. the Central Bank vis-�-vis money printing, surpassed credit extended to the private sector for the first time after 382 months or by 31 years and 10 months in August, CBSL�s latest data showed. Total domestic credit given to both of these sectors, i.e. the GoSL and its agents together with the pvt sector in Aug was Rs 13,614.5 b. more..

Oct 13 (DM) Let�s face the Truth: No Sri Lankan has ever received the international fame and acknowledgement that young Yohani De Silva has received in the last few months. By all indicators, she is at the peak of her popularity after her mashup of the song Menike Mage Hithe went viral on Youtube making her an int'l hit. The song has caught all seven Continents spell bound with the catchy tune, the loveable voice and the smiling and unassuming personality of the ever-beaming more..

Oct 13 (DM) Heaps of garbage, smelly sewage water problems, and poorly maintained public places have plagued the public ever since urban spaces started to be developed. After tormenting the living, these problems are now creeping up on the deceased. Colombo�s main burial ground and crematorium, Borella Cemetery, also known as Kanatte, run by the CMC, which is covered with wild plants and bushes, more..

Oct 13 (TM) In a new development, the Justice Ministry has paid attention to issuing and serving summons using modern communication methods such as mobile phones and electronic mails, and at the last Cabinet of Ministers meeting held on 11 Oct, the Cabinet approved a proposal tabled by the Justice Minister, President�s Counsel (PC) Ali Sabry, with regard to drafting an Amendment Bill to amend Chapter 101 of the Civil Procedure Code to provide for the said move. more..

Oct 13 (DM) With the President having virtually absolute power and the ruling SLPP Alliance having a patched up two-thirds majority in Parliament, many independent analysts and possibly most of the people fear Sri Lanka is heading towards a situation like in Myanmar. Partly due to world market forces, the cost of living is soaring to unprecedented levels. Not only the poverty-stricken people, but even most middle-income families are finding it difficult to have 3 proper meals a day and to provide money more..

Oct 13 (TM) With the lifting of the lockdown, Sri Lankans thought that they could breathe a sigh of relief now since Covid-19 infections and related deaths have dropped considerably; however, the increasing prices of essential goods, including food items, say otherwise, and now, in addition to the national health crisis, Sri Lankans are in an economic crisis which is severe than it was before. Immediately after the Govt�s decision to more..

Oct 13 (DM) Recently, SL�s foreign policy is showing a newly dawned wisdom. Some observers consider it as a swing from China to the West and India. The recent twist in the foreign policy is highlighted by several key events. First, India�s Adani ports signed an agreement with the government to jointly develop a deep water terminal in Colombo port with its local partner, John Keells Holdings. The Indian conglomerate will hold the majority stake of 51% of the new Colombo West Terminal under more..

Oct 13 (CT) Challenges such as the three month long teachers� strike, the organic fertilizer crisis and the unconscionable case of prisoner intimidation remain to be resolved. But since returning from the US where he addressed the UNGA, Prez has expressed his views on matters concerning the country with pledges to enact a new constitution and to provide for electoral change. These are changes that have not been possible to implement for the past several years, if not decades, more..

Oct 13 (Island) The govt has demonstrated a disgraceful abdication of responsibility; it does not care to protect consumers, who have been left without anyone to turn to. In fact, one wonders whether there exists a govt at all, for some unscrupulous tycoons are running the country to all intents and purposes. A cartel of powerful millers is determining the prices of rice. The govt leaders, who boast of having defeated the world�s most ruthless terrorist outfit, cringe and cower before more..

Oct 13 (Island) State universities in general, and the Humanities and Social Sciences in particular, are often charged with not doing research. Such allegations and complaints have been in circulation for many years. How much research do these faculties produce? What is the quality of this research? Is it objective? Why can�t they match up to the Sciences? Why don�t these academics publish much? These are all good questions that need to be answered. more..

Oct 13 (FT) In a bid to preserve the great social beneficial fund for university students, the Mahapola Higher Education Scholarship Trust Fund, is to be renamed after founder Lalith Athulathmudali. Cabinet of Ministers, at its meeting on Monday, cleared the Mahapola Higher Education Scholarship Trust Fund title after the creator late Lalith Athulathmudali. �We decided to amend the fund title to Lalith Athulathmudali Mahapola more..

Oct 13 (CI) Sri Lanka's lower order bailed them out from a precarious situation to secure a tight win over Bangladesh. Chasing 148, Sri Lanka had slumped to 79 for 6 in 12 overs, before Avishka Fernando (62 off 42 balls) and Chamika Karunaratne (29 off 25 balls) put together an unbroken 69-run stand to seal victory with one overt to spare. The pair, only two nights ago, had rescued Sri Lanka in a tricky chase against Oman in a T20I. Bangladesh's own innings was in a fair degree of disarray. more..

Oct 13 (FT) COVID-19 vaccines were administered to 97,166 persons on Monday and a total of 14,716,803 persons have received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine to date. The second dose of the vaccine has been administered to 12,480,870 persons, which is 57.67% of the total population. The first dose has been administered to 68.39% of the total population. 85.4% of the over-20 age group have received both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. On Monday, 11,882 persons received more..

Oct 13 (DM) Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has rescinded the domestic cricket ban handed to Kusal Mendis, Danushka Gunathilaka and Niroshan Dickwella, subject to the players paying their respective fines. The three cricketers were banned from int'l cricket for a year and from domestic cricket for six months, along with a fine of approximately Rs. 10 million, after breaching the bio-secure bubble while on tour in England in July. more..