Oct 21 (DM) SL�s health authorities yesterday warned that they had gone on alert over the mutated version of the Delta variant, known as the Delta Plus which was already spreading in countries such as the UK, New Zealand and Israel, infecting even those fully vaccinated. So far, there is no indication that it is considerably more transmissible as a result of these changes, but it is something experts are studying The govt having to concentrate on more..

Oct 21 (FT) Whoever would have thought that post-war SL, which under Prez Mahinda Rajapaksa was clocking the second highest growth-rate in Asia after China, would wind up in the abyss it is today, on his younger brother Prez Gotabaya�s watch. It was a path-breaking intellectual giant, the radical economist Andre Gunder Frank (his last book �Re-Orient� was often mentioned admiringly by Lakshman Kadirgamar) who first pointed out that backwardness was not more..

Oct 21 (FT) India is perhaps the most important market for SriLankan, not only because of the many Indian tourists coming to SL and our people going there, but also because of the many Indian passengers transiting through Colombo to the Middle East and Southeast Asia. It is not an international hub, but as one of my MBA students, Ajith Wickramarachchi, established, it is a secondary regional hub. In 2017 and 2018, the CAA reported 15.8% transit as a share of the total of more..

Oct 21 (DM) SJB MP Champika Ranawaka today alleged that the CID had listened to his telephone conversations during 2018 and 2019. Raising a privilege issue in Parliament he said that it was a violation of his privileges as a Parliamentarian and requested the Speaker to take necessary action with regard to the incident. MP said he had been summoned to CID over a misappropriation of funds during his tenure as the Minister of Megapolis and Western Province Development and more..

Oct 21 (DM) On October 16, 2021, Colombo Dockyard PLC (CDPLC) technically completed and dispatched two vessels to Iraq: buoy tender vessel Al-Faw and pilot station vessel Shatt Al-Arab, for General Company for Port of Iraq (GCPI). For these vessels, Toyota Tsusho Corporation (TTC) of Japan signed the main contract with GCPI and subcontracted the shipbuilding work to CDPLC. The project was funded under Japanese ODA loans by the Japan Int'l Cooperation Agency (JICA). more..

Oct 21 (DM) Those who used the Easter Sunday mayhem to come to power will not be able to stay in power for long if they are a part of it, Archbishop of Colombo His Eminence Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith said yesterday. Cardinal Ranjith who was speaking at a service held to mark the 30th month since the gruesome suicide attack said it has become a curse as no one can live happily today while many are unable to earn a living. more..

Oct 21 (MFA) Ambassador of France to SL Eric Lavertu paid a courtesy call on Foreign Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris at the Foreign Ministry. During the meeting, both sides welcomed the multifaceted cooperation and friendship existing between the two countries and underscored the necessity to further strengthen bilateral relations. The discussion focused on bilateral political relations; inter-parliamentary cooperation; expansion of bilateral trade, investment and tourism; education; more..

Oct 21 (AD) The birth of sextuplets has been reported for the first time in SL. A 31-year-old mother has given birth to six babies, three boys and three girls, at a private hospital in Colombo. Hospital sources said that the mother and the infants are in healthy condition. The caesarean section was performed by a medical team led by Obstetrician and Gynaecologist Prof. Tiran Dias at the Ninewells Hospital. This is reportedly the first instance of a mother giving birth to sextuplets in SL. more..

Oct 21 (DM) UNP is to be handed over to a youthful team, which will take the party and the nation to a new era just like its founder leader late PM D. S. Senanayake did, Party Leader cum MP Ranil Wickremesinghe said yesterday. Speaking during a programme held at Sirikotha to mark the 137th birth anniversary of Late PM D. S. Senanayake and to launch the party�s new digital app, Mr. Wickremesinghe said youth will be more..

Oct 21 (Island) SL-born Bollywood star Jacqueline Fernandez appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in New Delhi on Wednesday for questioning in connection with an over INR2-billion money laundering case filed against alleged conman Suresh Chandrashekar, officials said. The actor deposed before the federal agency around 3:30 pm after skipping its summons four times earlier because she was professionally busy shooting for a film called Ram Setu in Ooty, more..

Oct 21 (EN) Sri Lanka Ports Authority has been given the go ahead to initiate a waterfront mixed development project as a public private partnership at a former stone quarry north of the capital Colombo, which is now filled with water. The SLPA had an eight hectare land in Mahara, Ragama, which had been used to extract granite to build the port. The land area now submerged in water. �Therefore, it has been planned to develop this portion of land under a mixed development more..

Oct 21 (EN) Spokespersons for the govt of SL continue to advocate the regulation of social media, as the general public increasingly take to online platforms to vent over the rising cost of living and other frustrations. In the most recent of such pronouncements from the govt, MP and general secretary of the ruling SLPP Sagara Kariyawasam called for the regulation of social media content claiming that it has become the primary more..

Oct 21 (CT) The Youthful Offenders (Training Schools) (Amendment) Bill, which aims at establishing provisions to repeal the death sentence given to minors and replacing it with custodial sentences will be presented in Parliament today. The Bill aims to amend the age limit of persons that can be rehabilitated to 22. The current age limit is below 18. The Bill also amends for the purpose of being gender neutral. Apart from the Youthful Offenders Bill, Penal Code (Amd) Bill and more..

Oct 21 (USE) The United States, through the USAID, announced an additional $2.5 million in urgent COVID-19 assistance for Sri Lanka. This assistance will accelerate equitable access to safe and effective COVID-19 vaccinations and strengthen the ability of health workers to address COVID-19. �The U.S. is working hand in hand with partners at the community, provincial, and national levels to address COVID-19,� said Reed Aeschliman, USAID Mission Director for Sri Lanka and Maldives. more..

Oct 21 (FT) Cinemas and theatres are to reopen while adhering to strict health and safety guidelines from today. On 15 October, the Govt announced revised health guidelines, providing some breathing space with a conditional resumption of business for the film industry. Accordingly, cinemas can operate with 25% of its seating capacity. �We are extremely pleased with the Govt�s decision to allow resumption of more..

Oct 21 (CB) Ireland captain Andrew Balbirnie conceded that his side were taken by surprise when Wanindu Hasaranga walked out to bat at number 5 for SL in their T20 World Cup Round 1 encounter on Wednesday. SL handed Hasaranga a promotion at a very critical stage when Josh Little put them in trouble by castling both Dinesh Chandimal and Avishka Fernando off successive deliveries in the second over. At that stage, the Asian side were reeling at 8/3 only for Hasaranga to more..

Oct 21 (AD) Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa has arrived in Parliament chamber while proceedings are in progress. Parliament Sittings commenced at 10.00 a.m. today and time has been allotted in taking up Questions for oral Answers from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. From 11.00 a.m. to 3.00 p.m. the Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Bill, Regulations under the Civil Procedure Code, Youthful Offenders (Training Schools) (Amendment) Bill and the Penal Code (Amd) Bill are being taken up for debate. more..

Oct 21 (Island) Election Commission Chief Nimal Punchihewa says that National List MP Ven. Atureliye Rathana thera can move the Supreme Court against Ape Jana Bala Pakshaya decision to remove him from Parliament. Attorney-at-law Punchihewa said that Ven. Rathana could seek Supreme Court intervention within a month after Secretary General of Parliament Dhammika Dasanayake received a letter more..

Oct 21 (EN) Stocks closed at a fresh all time high on Thursday as speculative buying in Commercial Leasing and Finance and earning hopes in export related shares boosted the sentiment, brokers said. The Colombo benchmark All Share Price Index gained 1.78% or 172.36 points to close at new all-time high at9,881.50. The index touched intrastate peak of 9,917.87 during the mid day trade. The S& P SL20 index of more liquid stocks gained 0.54% of 19.25 points to close at 3,572.70. more..

Oct 21 (DM) The 142nd Royal-Thomian Cricket big match, which was postponed twice this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, will be played on 28th, 29th and 30th of October at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo. The relevant government authorities have granted permission for the match to be played with strict guidelines to be adhered by the organisers, the Royal-Thomian joint match organizing committee said. The statement by the Royal-Thomian Joint Match Organizing Committee: more..

Oct 21 (CT) SL�s low cost and environmentally-friendly clean electricity led by CEB hydroelectricity generation, powered by the rains, provided over 50% of the island�s electricity requirements for 15 consecutive days to Tuesday (19) and beginning from 5 Oct after a lapse of 113 days, data showed. Clean electricity led by hydro and followed by wind, solar and biomass (municipal waste or garbage electricity) provided more..

Oct 21 (Island) Federation of National Organizations (FNO) says that a petition will be filed today in the Court of Appeal seeking the annulment of the recently concluded agreement between SL and US firm New Fortress Energy Inc., in respect of the 310 MW Yugadanavi Power Plant and a contract for developing a new LNG Terminal off the coast of Colombo. As part of the transaction, New Fortress will have rights to supply gas to the Kerawalapitya Power Complex, where 310 MW of power more..

Oct 21 (AD) Supreme Court has ordered the IGP to carry out an investigation, under the Code of Criminal Procedure and on the advice of the Attorney General, into the recent incident at the Anuradhapura Prison involving State Minister Lohan Ratwatte. The order was issued when the Fundamental Rights (FR) petition filed by 08 prison inmates against former State Minister of Prison Management & Prisoners� Rehabilitation were taken up for consideration today. more..

Oct 21 (PTI) The US needs to build constructive relationships with Sri Lanka, which is positioned in a strategic location at the heart of the Indian Ocean, a senior American diplomat nominated by President Joe Biden as his envoy to the island nation has said. Foreign service officer Julie Chung, during a Congressional hearing on Wednesday, told members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that more..

Oct 21 (FT) Sri Lanka Tourism is planning to appoint young singing sensation Yohani de Silva as a brand ambassador to promote the country. �There is a plan, but it is still at the discussion stage,� a top official confirmed to Daily FT on the basis of anonymity. Singer-songwriter and rapper Yohani rose to global fame with her cover version of Menike Mage Hithe, which became an instant hit, and in the process won the hearts of millions of people around the world, such as more..

Oct 21 (AD) SJB has filed a Fundamental Rights (FR) petition before the Supreme Court against the transfer of shares of Yugadanavi LNG Power Plant in Keralawalapitiya. It was put forward by SJB�s General Secretary, MP Ranjith Madduma Bandara. PM Rajapaksa and other Ministers of the Cabinet, the West Coast Power Ltd � the owner of 310 MW Yugadanavi Power Plant in Kerawalapitiya, US-based New Fortress Energy, Attorney General and several others have been named as more..

Oct 21 (DM) SL has denied allegations raised over its participation at the Dubai EXPO, including with regards to the funds allocated and the events and activities organized by Sri Lanka Tourism. Chairperson of Sri Lanka Tourism Kimarli Fernando said that the former Govt had made a 580 Million LKR commitment for the EXPO. She noted that the Official commitment of SL took place on the 08th of July 2019, more..

Oct 21 (AD) China National Energy Engineering and Construction Company Ltd (CNEE), a Chinese state-owned energy conglomerate, has offered to invest USD 800 million on 400 MW Renewable Energy Projects in SL. The equipment and knowhow will be supplied by KE Electric. Ambassador of Sri Lanka to China Dr. Kohona had recently visited the massive KE Electric plant in Shijuazhuang producing a range of equipment for the generation and distribution of electricity. more..

Oct 21 (EN) SL will start vaccinating all children between 16 and 17 years of age against COVID-19 in an island-wide rollout commencing Friday (22), a health official said. Authorities started vaccinating 18-19-year-olds in on Oct 15 and expanded island-wide on Thursday. Director General of Health Services said with the experience gained from the pilot project commenced on Oct 15, it was decided by the health authorities to start vaccinating all teenagers aged16 and 17 starting Friday. more..

Oct 22 (DM) It has always been a challenge to deal with the youth of this county. Most of them receive free school education and nurture dreams of securing university entrance with the final motive of obtaining state sector employment. That process has been disturbed due to many reasons; chief among is the delays caused by the pandemic. But this Covid story is getting a bit old and the youth of this country are demanding new and innovative ideas and strategies from the govt to restart more..

Oct 22 (CT) India should take aggressive steps to stop Indian fisher poaching to avert tragedies like that which took place on the SL side of Palk Straits on Monday. In this respect, Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) in statements issued on Tuesday and Wednesday said that on the previous day Monday it rescued two allegedly poaching Indian fishermen who had been aboard a sunken Indian fishing boat on Sri Lankan waters, across the International Maritime Boundary Line, northwest of the Kovilan Lighthouse. more..

Oct 22 (CT) Self-employed seamstresses and the demand for products have been reduced drastically among the village people due to them not having a proper market to sell their products and because of the impacts of COVID-19. Previously, the self-employed people of Gampaha, only stitched dresses. However, now they have started stitching bags, dolls, curtains and other items as well. The women of Gampaha District have started more..

Oct 22 (CT) In my previous article in the Colombo Telegraph, I dealt with the organic potassium chloride imported by the Ministry of Agriculture. It is nothing other than the normal potassium chloride (KCl) in the mineral form which is used as a chemical potassium fertilizer. The word �organic� has been inserted to deceive general public and farmers. But this attempt was not successful because general public in this country is more educated than the rulers. It has also been reported more..

Oct 22 (SO) In the backdrop of renewed calls to hold the Provincial Council Elections expeditiously the Yuthukama Organisation President and SLPP national list MP Gevindu Kumaratuna made a statement in Parliament recently elaborating on his organisation�s position on the matter. The Parliament Select Committee appointed to identify Appropriate Reforms of the Election Laws and the Electoral System and to recommend amendments which met recently decided to amend the law soon, more..

Oct 22 (TM) Obstetricians taking the decision to report cases of pregnant teenagers to the Police for medico-legal purposes so as to safeguard the best interests of child victims should be done on a case-by-case basis upon taking a holistic view of all aspects of each such pregnancy separately, noted local medical practitioners. In this regard, the College of Forensic Pathologists of Sri Lanka should formalise the procedure pertaining to more..

Oct 22 (GV) A food shortage brewing for several weeks, coupled with a stagnant economy and indecision, has pushed Sri Lanka to the brink of a crippling crisis. It is ironic that SL, which was known as the Granary of the East in the ancient times, will go into the history as a country that faced a food crisis. A food crisis (widespread scarcity of food) is caused by a disruption at the production level and/or in the movement of food from farm to the plate. Literature claims that such a disruption more..

Oct 22 (Island) His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith has once again demanded that the recommendations of the PCoI, which probed the Easter Sunday terror attacks be fully implemented. The PCoI has not revealed the mastermind behind the carnage; it has only cursorily dealt with the alleged foreign involvement in the attacks. However, those who are seeking justice for the families of the terror victims have been left with no alternative but to call for the implementation of PCOI more..