Sep 30 (Island) Sampath Bank today announced that the Sampath Bank Payment Gateway, the only online solution which provides the most cost-effective and secure payment authorization and processing service, now accepts UnionPay credit and debit cards. This new development in the eCommerce industry of SL will further empower merchant websites and consumers alike, with a wider range of customer experiences. UnionPay International (UPI) focuses on the growth more..

Sep 30 (DM) Mayoress of Colombo Rosy Senanayake today assured that there is no move to take any action against any owner of unregistered properties in Colombo City and there will be no acquisition of any property. �I tender an apology to the city dwellers for any inconvenience that may have caused to them and want to assure that CMC will not acquire any unregistered land,� Ms. Senanayake said. more..

Sep 30 (FT) Energy Minister Udaya Gammanpila yesterday faulted the headline of the Tuesday�s Daily FT article, �Prices for LNG arriving at New Fortress plant will be cheapest� based on an interview and article published by Bloomberg. Minister said that what he meant was that SL would go for the cheapest LNG based on pricing formulae of 3 options � America, East Asian & European and didn�t mean LNG reaching the specific facility of New Fortress will be the cheapest. more..

Sep 30 (FT) SL Association of Manufacturers and Exporters of Rubber Products (SLAMERP) in a statement expressed its deep concern over the Central Bank assertion that nearly $ 3 billion of earnings had not been repatriated back to the country. �The SL economy�s backbone is wealth and employment creation through exports. Today the country is going through a critical need of foreign exchange and our members are going beyond their means to expand & increase export revenues more..

Sep 30 (TM) Islandwide quarantine curfew or lockdown, which has been in place for 6 weeks, will be lifted at 4 a.m. tomorrow, but the prevailing inter-provincial travel restrictions will continue beyond tomorrow for a period of 2 weeks. Following the announcement of the plan to lift the lockdown, Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said that while the inter-provincial travel restrictions will continue beyond tomorrow for 2 weeks, more..

Sep 30 (FT) Prof. Mohan Munasinghe has received the 2021 Blue Planet Prize for his deep research on environment and sustainability, bringing great honour to Sri Lanka. Blue Planet Prize, sponsored by the Asahi Glass Foundation, is the Nobel equivalent, and top global award for environmental sustainability. It is presented to those who have continuously contributed to improving the global environment and making the world a better place for us all. more..

Sep 30 (Island) SL youth were reluctant to get vaccinated against COVID-19 because the govt had bungled the process of administering them, says UNP Deputy Leader Ruwan Wijewardene. Speaking to UNP youth activists via zoom on Tuesday, he said that less than 40% of youth between 20 and 29 years of age had obtained at least a single dose of the anti-Covid vaccine. �They delay getting the vaccines because the govt has not provided them with the vaccines that they prefer. more..

Sep 30 (Island) The Electricity Consumers� Association alleged that the US firm, New Fortress Energy, was gearing up to grab SL�s natural gas reserves. Association�s Secretary Sanjeewa Dhammika said that the authorisation of an agreement for the supply of LNG without any legal background would not result in LNG price control and American company would squeeze the country when opportunity came to sell gas at more..

Sep 30 (FT) PM Rajapaksa yesterday instructed the Governor of the CB Ajith Nivard Cabraal to minimise current import restrictions as much as possible on non-essential goods and equipment. The PM issued this directive considering the difficulties faced by entrepreneurs and the public due to the existing restrictions on imports of non-essential goods and equipment. A statement from PM's Office said Governor Cabraal is expected to render suitable suggestions in this regard shortly. more..

Sep 30 (CT) Supreme TV, SL�s fastest growing TV channel, has acquired the exclusive rights to broadcast the Lanka Premier League (LPL) from the IPG Group, the official franchise and broadcast holder. The multi-year agreement, positioned as one of the biggest broadcast deals so far in the Island Nation will help LPL penetrate deep into every nook and corner of the country, and Supreme TV is committed to play an integral part in the television and digital transmission of LPL starting from more..

Sep 30 (FT) SL�s COVID-19 detections rose to 516,465 with 941 persons testing positive for the virus yesterday. This is the third day in a row where COVID-19 detections have remained below 1,000. 7,368 PCR tests were conducted yesterday and all COVID-19 detections were from the New Year cluster. On Tuesday, 7,231 PCR tests and 2,675 rapid antigen tests were carried out and 932 COVID-19 patients were detected. more..

Sep 30 (DM) While highlighting the diminished enthusiasm shown by the youth in getting their vaccine, Chief Epidemiologist Dr. Samitha Ginige said the youth population exceptionally contribute to virus transmission as they being frequently moving within society. He said it is a social responsibility of the youth population from 20 to 30 years to receive the COVID vaccine. "Though 50% of the total youngsters from 20 to 30 years of age have received their vaccines out of 3.3 m youth population, more..

Sep 30 (Island) SL received a significant number of tourists from countries that are known for the prevalence of forged PCR reports and thus, allowing people in without being tested at the Airport would have disastrous consequences, President of CMLS, Ravi Kumudesh said. During a meeting at the Health Ministry on Monday the officials decided that travellers arriving in SL should mandatorily carry PCR reports issued within 72 hours prior to embarkation to prove they're not infected. more..

Sep 30 (Island) Following the abolition of price control on rice and paddy, the govt is expected to review its controversial decision to establish the Office of CGES to ensure an uninterrupted supply of paddy, rice, sugar and other essential goods. A decision taken by Cabinet of ministers on Monday (27) to rescind the relevant gazette underlined the urgent need to examine the govt�s overall response to shortage of essential items. more..

Sep 30 (TM) Minister Namal Rajapaksa was on an inspection tour of the Hambantota International Port (HIP) over the weekend. Issuing a press release, Hambantota Port stated that port officials from all departments were available to answer questions regarding the development process of the Hambantota Port. �With HIPG Speed now used as the blueprint for attracting investments into the industrial zone within the port, minister was kept briefed on the processes used to attract FDIs more..

Sep 30 (DM) A noticeable decline in the spread and infections of COVID-19 could be observed at present where the number of houses where there were at least four Covid patients under home-management by Aug 30 had now reduced from 60% to 45%, a medical expert said. Department Head of Community Medicine of the Colombo Uni Prof. Manuj Weerasinghe said there were at least four Covid patients in 60% of the houses which registered for home management system by more..

Sep 30 (FT) Adding a new spin to the controversy surrounding the deal with US-based New Fortress Energy, subject Minister Udaya Gammanpila yesterday slammed the Govt over the move, and raised issues of lack of transparency, the likely monopoly it creates and threat it poses to the energy security of the country. �I am concerned that no officials from the Ministry, who are the experts on the subject, were represented in any of more..

Sep 30 (FT) Sri Lanka is now in the midst of its worst macroeconomic crisis since independence. Whether to seek financial support from the IMF in managing the crisis is a hotly-debated issue in SL policy circles. The debate is largely ideologically-driven: strongly-held, opposing views are expressed without facts. The purpose of this paper is to demystify the debate by documenting and analysing Sri Lanka�s experience under IMF-supported macroeconomic adjustment programs, more..

Sep 30 (FT) Now we know who makes the decisions on manifestly non-military, public health matters: ��The Vice-Chancellor of the Univ of Kelaniya, Senior Prof Nilanthi de Silva�said that although it was mentioned earlier that the Moderna vaccine would be available to students at the Army Hospital today and tomorrow, the Army had informed her last night (24) that the Moderna vaccine will not be given due to unavoidable reasons.� (Ada Derana) So, is UN Human Rights High Commissioner more..

Sep 30 (TM) A head and shoulders image that seems to show Kenyan Deputy President William Ruto wearing a full military uniform has been widely shared on Facebook. However, africacheck.org reports that this is an edited image, depicting Ruto�s head photoshopped onto the uniform of Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka. �Africa Check first looked at the crest on the cap to see if it was identifiable. We couldn�t locate its source, but it�s not used by Kenya�s army, navy or air force. more..

Sep 30 (AD) Another shipment of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines, provided by the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) facility, arrived in Sri Lanka today. A special flight carrying the 400,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine touched down at the Bandaranaike International Airport in the early hours of the day. Sri Lanka is expected to receive 400,000 more Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine doses tomorrow as well, State Minister Prof. Channa Jayasumana said. COVAX, the vaccine initiative, more..

Sep 30 (Island) Canada has granted asylum to four people, originally from SL, who hid former US National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden in their tiny Hong Kong apartment when he was on the run after stealing a trove of classified documents, agency reports said yesterday. The four � Supun Thilina Kellapatha, Nadeeka Dilrukshi Nonis and their children Sethumdi and Dinath � landed in Toronto on Tuesday and more..

Sep 30 (MT) Sri Lanka, an island nation south of India, is experiencing a food and economic emergency. Just a decade ago, the country emerged victorious from the destructive and protracted war waged by the Tamil Tigers occupying the northeastern part of the country. After winning the battle against the internal insurgents, Sri Lankan govt started to rebuild its economy. Its march to recovery was successful until it was halted by the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. more..

Sep 30 (DN) Prez Rajapaksa in his address to the 76th General Assembly of the UN made a number of points regarding the steps taken by the Govt with regard to environmental protection in our country, states Secretary to the Ministry of Environment Dr. Anil Jasinghe in a special press release. The release added: "The steps taken by the Prez in recent times with a special focus on the environmental protection of our country are the commendable taken for the country's future well-being as well as on more..

Sep 30 (DM) Eight prisoners detained under the PTA at A'pura prison today filed a Fundamental Rights petition in Supreme Court against the alleged criminal conduct on the part of the State Minister Lohan Ratwatte. The petitioners are seeking an order in respect of the alleged serious offences committed by State Minister Ratwatte at the A'pura Prison on I2th of Sept. The petitioners are also seeking an interim order transferring them more..

Sep 30 (DM) Supreme Court in a judgment delivered on Wednesday determined that a Diga married daughter (when a woman is settled in her husband�s home) has no rights to her father�s property in accordance with Kandyan Law, a customary law in SL. There are two types of marriage under Kandyan Law. A Diga marriage is when a woman is given away and is settled in the home of her husband. A Binna marriage is one where the bridegroom is received into the house of the bride. more..

Sep 30 (Island) Marine biologist Dr. Asha de Vos was repremanded by police for going to work, during curfew hours. Dr. de Vos tweeted that she had headed to the Kinross beach to assess the damage caused by the storm on Tuesday. She said she went with her father, who drove the car. However, she said she was stopped and questioned by the police for not having a curfew pass and refused to accept the letter issued by her institute. �I�m sharing this because those of you telling me that more..

~Sep 30 (TM) The Ministry of Information in Cambodia, through the Permanent Secretary of State, has issued a letter to the owners of all types of television stations to ban the broadcast of the movie Methagu on all kinds of television and cable networks, Cambodia News English reports. The ban on screening Methagu is due to Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Int'l Cooperation receiving a request from Govt of SL. more..

Sep 30 (DM) A total of 59 more COVID-19 related deaths that occurred yesterday (29) were confirmed by the Director-General of Health Services today pushing the death toll to 12,906. According to the Government Information Department, 31 females and 28 males are among the deceased. A total of 47 people who are above 60 years of age are among the deceased while 11 of them are between 30 and 59 years of age. One death has been reported below 30 years of age. more..

Sep 30 (CT) Ministry of Defence (MoD) yesterday refuted claims that have been circulated on social and electronic media, pertaining to a possible terrorist attack on SL churches. The Ministry said such claims have not been analysed or confirmed by the relevant authorities. It added that the Defence Secretary, General (retired) Kamal Gunaratne has affirmed that there is no need to fear over such claims. This statement was issued by the Ministry in a backdrop where a group of Navy officers more..

Sep 30 (Hindu) Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla is scheduled to visit Colombo in early October, official sources in New Delhi told The Hindu, as India and Sri Lanka seek to engage at high levels amid a perceived strain in ties. The scheduled visit comes 10 days after External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and his Sri Lankan counterpart G.L. Peiris met on the sidelines of the UNGA session in New York. more..

Sep 30 (Island) Public Security Minister Sarath Weerasekera has directed IGP C.D. Wickremaratne to probe why the CID had sought to question journalists, including editors of The Island, Divaina and Lankadeepa over news reports and editorial comments on the garlic scam at the Lanka Sathosa, ignoring specific instructions issued against the move. The CID wanted to question journalists following a complaint lodged by Trade Minister Bandula Gunawardena. more..

Sep 30 (EN) Sri Lanka central bank�s last month policy rate hike has not met its real objective of making export credit expensive and allocating more funds to green energy initiatives, President Secretary P B Jayasundera said. Sri Lanka�s central bank in August raised its overnight rate at which money is printed to 6% from 5.5% and also doubled the statutory reserve ratio (SRR) to 4% taking out around 150 billion rupees from banks and parking them at the central bank. more..

Sep 30 (Island) While SL�s national team will be engaged in the T-20 World Cup in UAE next month, there will be two int'l teams playing in SL simultaneously with Bangladesh Under-19 and Pakistan �A� expected to arrive in the island next month. That will be followed by the West Indies tour of SL and Galle is set to host two Test matches followed by the Lanka Premier League in December. With the LPL set to finish on the 23rd of Dec, more..

Sep 30 (DM) Dept of Motor Traffic (DMT) is set to resume its services at the Narahenpita and Werahera offices from tomorrow under the strictest control and following health care practices, DMT Commissioner General Sumith Alahakoon said. He said the dept suspended it's services due to the rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. People who wish to obtain its services should contact the department on 0112677877 to make their appointments. more..

Sep 30 (EN) Chandra Jayarantne, a former head of Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and governance activist has proposed a reforms and taxes for next year�s budget as the country is in the grip of severe monetary instability, trade controls and a budget deficit. Many of SL�s post independence administrations have ended up fire fighting the balance of payments after economists advising politicians printed money through a Latin America-style central bank to keep interest rates and more..

Sep 30 (EN) Sri Lanka�s tea output could fall 40% in 2022 and rubber could be wiped out by leaf disease, threatening livelihoods and export revenues, if a fertilizer agro-chemical ban suddenly imposed this year is continued, industry officials said. �In 2022, all experts estimate that we will record reduction in tea exports over 40%,� Bathiya Bulumulle, President of SL�s Planters� Association representing managers of commercial tea more..

Sep 30 (TM) Ceylon Teachers� Service Union (CTSU) has lodged a complaint with the CIABOC, alleging that the Education Ministry has violated the due procurement process in the process of seeking to send 300 officers of the SL Education Administrative Service (SLEAS) to the UK to pursue a postgraduate degree programme at a cost of Rs. 2,400 million. Speaking to the media after the complaint was lodged, CTSU General Secretary Mahinda Jayasinghe stated that more..

Sep 30 (TM) Justice Ministry has stated that the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act, No. 48 of 1979 as amended (PTA) would be amended within the next six months, Justice Ministry Secretary M.M.P.K. Mayadunne said. This assurance was given to the visiting EU's GSP+ trade concessions Monitoring Mission for the Third Cycle during its meeting with the Justice Ministry on Tuesday. �We assured the delegation that the PTA will face some necessary amendments within more..