Dec 5 (FT) SL Pavilion at the Third China Int'l Import Expo (CIIE) held in Shanghai from 5-10 Nov attracted many business persons particularly in the food sector. SL Embassy in China and Consulate General in Shanghai in coordination with SL Export Development Board (EDB) and the Foreign Ministry teamed up with 7 SL companies through their representatives in China to showcase tea, coconut products, spices including Ceylon cinnamon, herbal products, rubber products & confectioneries. more..

Dec 5 (CI) That Jaffna Stallions had hit only 39 for 1 the end of the Powerplay was not unusual - they've generally made a habit of going slow at the start, then making up ground rapidly through the remaining overs. But it was the choke-hold that Colombo Kings' spinners put the Stallions in through the middle overs that went on to define the match. Qais Ahmad made the biggest moves from among the Kings spinners, taking three wickets more..

Dec 5 (Island) Uber Eats is marking its second year anniversary in Sri Lanka after successfully delivering 10 million orders to hungry eaters. The platform more than doubled its orders in the second year of operations, compared with the 3 million orders it delivered during its first year. Uber Eats remains committed to an ethos of inclusive growth, providing eaters access to a range of cuisines while simultaneously offering economic opportunities to courier and restaurant partners. more..

Dec 5 (TM) Considered the oldest building in the Colombo Fort area and dating back to the Dutch Colonial era, the Old Colombo Dutch Hospital has held great significance to the people of Colombo, and even more so since its adoption as a heritage building and a shopping and dining precinct back in 2011. Dutch Hospital Complex celebrated its ninth anniversary on Wednesday (2), with the merchants of Dutch Hospital gathering to commemorate the occasion. more..

Dec 5 (FT) SJB MP Thushara Indunil charged the Mahara Prison unrest highlighted the Govt’s failure to protect those entrusted in their care. “Mahara Prison incident underscores the inefficiency of this Govt. It shows that the Govt failed to secure the lives, health and wellbeing of the prisoners and remandees in their care,” Indunil argued. He charged that the Govt was trying to hide behind the COVID-19 outbreak more..

Dec 5 (FT) Habitat for Humanity SL, an int'l non-profit organisation dedicated towards providing every family in Sri Lanka with a safe and stable place to call home, appointed Daraz Managing Director Rakhil Fernando as its Goodwill Ambassador. The announcement significantly took place on 1 Dec, widely known as Giving Tuesday – a global day of generosity and charity. Habitat for Humanity SL is no stranger to Rakhil Fernando and Daraz, as it has been an active charity more..

Dec 5 (Island) SK Group of South Korea, the third largest conglomerate/chaebol in the country, gifted 10,000 test kits to the embassy of Sri Lanka in the Republic of Korea to be used in Sri Lanka to contain and to control the COVID-19, since a sudden upsurge of COVID-19 cases had taken place. The SK E&S of the SK Group shipped the test kits to Sri Lanka, last week, by air since the test kits had to be delivered within a space of 72 hours. The total cost of the test kits was over USD 120,000 and more..

Dec 5 (FT) The dual COVID-19 cluster that emerged from Peliyagoda and Divulapitiya yesterday expanded to 23,005, with the detection of 517 patients linked to the Peliyagoda COVID-19 cluster. 26,559 COVID-19 patients have been identified in the island to date, including four new cases found yesterday that are not linked to the dual cluster. This includes 1,519 SL returnees from abroad, 950 Navy personnel more..

Dec 5 (FT) Singapore Airlines will resume flights to and from Colombo from tomorrow (6) after a lapse of nine months. The airline will operate three flights per week to Singapore on Mon, Wed and Sat and to Colombo on Sun, Tue and Fri. Before the pandemic SIA operated 11 flights per week. Airline sources said whilst there were no restrictions on outbound flights, the Civil Aviation Authority had set a limit of 50 passengers per incoming flight from Singapore and all passengers must have more..

Dec 5 (Island) Sierra Cables, a leading manufacturer of copper and aluminium cables at the forefront of meeting multiple needs across industrial sectors, posted commendable results for the second quarter, registering a positive economic growth for the company and for the economy. ‘Operating in a challenging economic climate, the Group posted a revenue of Rs 2.2 billion during the first half of 20/21 with a net profit of Rs 70 million. Company yielded a Rs 87 million net profit during the first half, more..

Dec 5 (Island) Chairman of the COPE Charitha Herath said that judicial process in respect of the treasury bond scams perpetrated in Feb 2015 and March 2016 had been delayed due to SL’s inability to serve indictment on fugitive CB Governor Singaporean passport holder Arjuna Mahendran. He said so when The Island sought clarification with regard to the status of action taken by Parliament in that regard. Herath said that the report on more..

Dec 5 (NR) Sri Lanka’s 130 COVID-19 related death was reported last night. The Director General of Health Services said the individual was identified as a 72-year-old male, a resident of Piliyandala. The Govt Information Department said he was detected as COVID-19 positive and was being treated at the National Institute of Infectious Diseases where he passed away yesterday. The cause of death was identified as a bacterial infection, a heart attack and COVID-19 pneumonia. more..

Dec 5 (DM) Sri Lanka can pin hopes on a vaccine approved by the WHO by the middle of February, next year, State Minister Channa Jayasumana said. He said WHO conveyed it to the SL health authorities last week. Earlier, the WHO indicated that a successful vaccine could be approved by the middle of next year only. Prof. Jayasumana said the health authorities had appointed two committees, and were vigilant on vaccine developments in countries such as US Russia China UK India. more..

Dec 5 (Island) The govt was planning to abolish the Public Utilities Commission of SL (PUCSL) to help its cronies to jack up electricity prices, JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake told Parliament. He said that the abolition of the PUCSL would cause major problems for consumers. “Now work related to the 300MW LNG power plant has begun. So, PM in his capacity as the Minister of Finance presenting the budget proposals said more..

Dec 5 (CT) AG’s Dept has revealed that a loss of Rs 6,130 million had incurred, between 2013-2016, due to negligence on the part of SL Customs officials failing to clear specific products imported by two leading palm oil companies under the Harmonised System (HS) Code. This was revealed during the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) meeting held on 3 Dec. COPA heard that Secretary to the Treasury S.R. Attygalle has already taken measures to investigate & recover the losses incurred. more..

Dec 5 (Island) State Minister Ajith Nivard Cabraal told Parliament that Rs. 1,196.8 billion had been spent on importing machinery during the yahapalana govt. Responding to a question raised by SLPP MP Mohamad Muzammil, the Minister said that action had been taken to promote machinery production in the country thereby saving a huge sum of foreign exchange. When the procurements were made in public sector institutions for machinery, EU standards were made a requirement, more..

Dec 5 (FT) Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa slammed the Govt on its handling of the economy, calling its policies medieval and restrictive, while appealing for more transparency on the impact of COVID-19 and multiple downgrades by int'l rating agencies. “This Govt has embarked on medieval economic policies, putting import restrictions in place and moving towards a command and restricted economic model, which stifles int'l trade more..

Dec 5 (FT) Prez Rajapaksa speaking at the SL Economic Summit 2020 said: “In some ways, this new normal has had beneficial consequences. It has forced the adoption of many new work practices.” Further he said: “Working from home has been normalised for most knowledge workers. Offices where the physical presence of staff remains necessary are devising means to improve efficiency so that work can be carried out even by a skeletal staff. Innovative technology driven solutions more..

Dec 5 (FT) It seems every time we move forward, there is an outbreak of paranoia from some of the health unions and some elected officials telling us to remember to continue to quake in our proverbial boots. Global pandemic, PCR tests and whatnot. Hearteningly, the policymakers and Government leaders have been taking a sober, balanced cost/benefit approach, increasingly focusing on a twin inescapable set of priorities: Lives and Livelihoods. more..

Dec 5 (Island) State Minister for Prisons Management and Prisoner Rehabilitation Lohan Ratwatte on Thursday (3) told Parliament that none of those killed during clashes within the Mahara Prison had suffered gunshot injuries. He said that there was no basis for accusations they had been shot dead. Having visited the Mahara Prison, where he discussed the situation with senior Prisons staff there, Kandy District lawmaker Ratwatte said that victims had died in clashes among inmates. more..

Dec 5 (DM) A woman was killed and two others sustained injuries during an accident near the Nugaduwa colour lights near the Southern Expressway entrance. A lorry which was speeding from Akuressa crashed head on with a car which was approaching the Southern Expressway entrance. The deceased has been identified as a 46-year-old female, a resident of Padinnoruwa in Wanchawala. The deceased was on board the lorry. Both the drivers of the car and the lorry more..

Dec 5 (Island) SJB MP Champika Ranawaka said, on Thursday, that SL’s defence strategy should have its focus on developing the Navy. Participating in the third reading debate on Budget 2021 under the expenditure heads of ministries of Defence and Public Security, MP Ranawaka said that countries with a bigger landmass prepared their defence strategies focussed on ground forces, more..

Dec 5 (DN) Minister of Labour Nimal Siripala de Silva has instructed the Labour Department arbitrators to accelerate the arbitration process related to various complaints and demands made by workers and trade unions and try to complete proceedings within a maximum of three months. Nineteen members appointed by the Department of Labour are currently in the process of mediating under the Labour Dispute Settlement Process. During a recent meeting with the Minister, more..

Dec 5 (Island) One-time Chief of State Intelligence Service (SIS) DIG (retd) Chandra Wakishta has been appointed a member of the CIABOC. Other Commissioners are retired Supreme Court Justice Eva Wanasundera (Chairperson) and retired Appeals Court Justice Deepali Wijesundera. In terms of Section 2 (2) (a) of Act No 19 of 1994, the Commission consists of two retired judges of the SC or Court of Appeal and an experienced investigator. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa named more..

Dec 5 (ST) The govt’s decision to open public schools on Monday for the final term despite the worsening pandemic came under heavy criticism by teachers, principals and parents. They declared with one voice that the decision was sudden and that teachers and principals had not been consulted. “[Education ministry] Secretary Professor Kapila Perera claimed the decision to reopen had been taken after consulting with more..

Dec 5 (DM) SL born Dr. Maheshi Ramasamy, the Principal Investigator for the Oxford COVID-19 Vaccine trial, has said that the oxford vaccine which will be available by end of 2020 at a low cost, will benefit low and middle income countries. During a webinar with the SL High Commissioner in London Saroja Sirisena Dr. Ramasamy has said that that the Pfizer vaccine will be rolled out across the UK next week. “One of the strengths that Sri Lanka has is its high female literacy rate,” Dr Ramasamy more..

Dec 5 (AD) The Ministry of Health says 652 more individuals, who were previously diagnosed with Covid-19, have made complete recoveries. The new development brings the total number of novel coronavirus recoveries reported in the country to 20,090. Sri Lanka’s confirmed infections count meanwhile stands at 26,559. The Epidemiology Unit says 6,339 active cases are still under medical care. According to the situation report, the following hospitals have reported the latest recoveries: more..

Dec 5 (CT) The ashes of musician Pundit W.D. Amaradeva have been kept in a funeral parlour for more than four years as the construction of the Amaradeva Aesthetic and Research Centre, which was promised to be built after his funeral by former Prez Maithripala Sirisena and the former PM Ranil Wickremesinghe, came to an abrupt halt in late 2019. Constructing the Amaradeva Aesthetic and Research Centre more..

Dec 5 (Island) Former President and Polonnaruwa District MP Maithripala Sirisena told Parliament, on Thursday, that the prisons sector should be revamped in its entirety to ensure that inmates could spend their time meaningfully. Participating in the third reading debate on Budget 2021 under the expenditure heads of the ministries of Defence and Public Security, MP Sirisena said that the prison system and its conditions had deteriorated during the past 40 to 50 years. more..

Dec 5 (AD) Covid-19 infections registered in Sri Lanka swept past the grim milestone of 27,000 as 501 more persons were tested positive today, the Health Ministry revealed. 319 of the newly-identified patients are close contacts of earlier cases linked to the Peliyagoda fish market. The remaining 182 have been detected from the prison cluster. As per Epidemiology Unit data, the total number of Covid-19 infections confirmed in the country to date now stands at 27,060. more..

Dec 5 (CT) Health Ministry will continue to cremate COVID-19 infected bodies as recommended by the Technical Committee, appointed to look into the cremation and burial of COVID-19 bodies. Committee which was appointed earlier this year, by the former Director General of Health Services Dr. Anil Jasinghe, said this on 4 Dec in response to a written communiqué by the Human Rights Commission of SL regarding more..

Dec 5 (DM) Another minor tremor was occurred at the Aluthwatta area in Digana, Kandy this morning, Geological Survey and Mines Bureau said. The tremor of magnitude 2 on the Richter scale was reported at around 5.41 this morning. Apart from this, there have been similar tremors reported for the recent past from the same area and several other areas in the Central Province. Ministry of Environment appointed an expert committee to look into these earth tremors and they recently more..

Dec 5 (EN) SL has collected 1.2 trillion rupees so far this year, showing that a steep tax cut did not result in a linear fall in taxes despite a shock from Coronavirus and an economic slowdown, Treasury Secretary Sajith Attygalle said. “Clearly it appears the revenue numbers reported to date indicates that we have collected nearly 1.2 trillion so far,” Attygalle told a virtual business forum hosted by CCC on Dec 2. “This is in an environment of having low imports activity due to the pandemic.” more..

Dec 5 (DM) Dismissing certain media reports where it was mentioned that cyclone Buruvi would become a violent storm, Met Dept Director General Athula Karunanayake today clarified saying that he never mentioned that the cyclone Burevi would become a violent storm. He said the typical features of a violent storm were not shown by Buruvi and therefore he never said it was a violent storm. “I said very categorically the path of the storm more..

Dec 5 (FT) China State Construction Engineering Corporation Ltd. has been awarded the contract to construct a 27.7-km-long tunnel as part of the 95.86-km-long North Central Great Canal Project. Cabinet approved the proposal tabled by the Minister of Irrigation Chamal Rajapaksa to award the contract to the company as recommended by the Standing Committee on Procurement appointed by the Cabinet of Ministers. Int'l competitive bids have been invited to select a suitable contractor. more..

Dec 5 (CT) The Communist Party of SL stated that it is imperative that the State Ministry of Primary Health Services, Pandemics and COVID-19 Prevention formulates a mechanism to provide knowledge to people freely on the means of protecting themselves from the debilitating illness. The Party has also proposed to the State Ministry to draw up a programme which could bring about community participation with the aim of bringing about a behavioural change among the more..

Dec 5 (CT) PM Mahinda Rajapaksa, in his capacity as the Finance Minister, on Thursday (3), gazetted Ports and Airport Development levies (PALs) on 41 items ranging from five per cent to 7.5% with retrospective effect from 30 November, in order to protect the foreign reserves. The highest PAL of 7.5% is being levied on the importation of yachts and other vessels for pleasure or sports, rowing boats and canoes. more..

Dec 5 (AD) An expectant woman sustained critical injuries while her two daughters died in a motor accident that took place in Egoda Uyana, Moratuwa. The Police said the injured children, aged 01 and 07 years, have succumbed to injuries while being admitted to hospital. The mother has been transferred to the Colombo National Hospital for further treatment. A motorcycle had crashed against them on a pedestrian crossing at around 10.00 pm last night (04). more..

Dec 5 (DM) The BIA departure public concourse would be opened for visitors with effect from 9 a.m tomorrow (5). However, airport officials said that only one visitor would be permitted with a passenger. Further, visitors are advised to adhere to the health practices and guidelines implemented by the airport in addition to wearing a face mask and maintaining social distance at all times when using the airport. Meanwhile, passengers who did not utilize their Duty-Free passenger baggage allowance more..