Nov 3 (CI) Irfan Pathan, the former India allrounder, has signed a contract to play in the Lanka Premier League (LPL) for the Kandy Tuskers franchise. Irfan, and Tuskers coach Hashan Tillakaratne, both confirmed the signing. Pathan joins a Tuskers roster that includes Chris Gayle, Liam Plunkett, Wahab Riaz and Kusal Perera. Irfan, 36, had not played T20 cricket since February 2019, turning out only for the India Legends side in a charity tournament since then. He is currently commentating on IPL. more..

Nov 3 (FT) A land currently belonging to Urban Development Authority will be used for the construction of state-of-the-art pharmaceutical factory with an investment of Rs. 8 billion. MoU to provide a 65-acre land at Meelawa Kalutara for this project was signed recently with the patronage of State Ministers Dr. Nalaka Godahewa and Prof. Channa Jayasumana. he Ministry said the Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour policy statement of Prez calls for encouraging local manufacturing more..

Nov 3 (CI) Lanka Premier League's 21 Nov start date is being reconsidered, while there is also now a possibility the tournament will be moved to the UAE or Malaysia. Tournament director Ravin Wickramaratne said that SLC would much prefer to play the tournament on the island. However, 14-day quarantine that SL's health ministry is insisting on increasingly appears a dealbreaker for some foreign players, as well as more..

Nov 3 (Island) Chaminda Vaas was Mathews’ hero at school. He has been one ever since, as Mathews shares his views on Vaas. “When I think back to my early days in school, there was one name that monopolised our conversations: Chaminda Vaas. I must have been about seven when he made his debut for Sri Lanka. Up until then I had looked up to my brother and my father in terms of sporting idols, but it wasn’t long before Vaas aiya dominated my thoughts. more..

Nov 3 (Island) Sri Lanka Athletics has set separate qualifying standards to select athletes to form a pool for the Asian Athletics Championship and to pick the team for the Asian Athletics Championship 2021. The Asian Athletics Championship which will be held in Hangzhou, capital city of East China’s Zhejiang province will be the final opportunity for SL’s track and field athletes to achieve qualifying standards for the postponed Tokyo Olympics. In the event the National Championship 2020 is cancelled more..

Nov 3 (FT) SL will push for high level discussions with the European Union (EU) Commission to resolve issues pertaining to Country of Origin criteria under the GSP+ to support exporters to reap the maximum benefit of the agreement. “To address the rules of Country of Origin criteria, apparel sector in SL has submitted as a joint request to the EU Commission for cross regional cumulation for raw material origin from Indonesia. more..

Nov 3 (Island) SL Chamber of Pharmaceutical Industry (SLCPI) lauded all those involved in the pharmaceutical supply chains for their proactive efforts in ensuring the uninterrupted supply of medicine throughout the country in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite challenges posed by the coronavirus to global manufacturing and distribution supply chains, the Chamber reaffirmed that patients across the island received a consistent delivery of quality medicine. more..

Nov 3 (CT) Despite uncertainty surrounding LPL, former SL cricketers Farveez Maharoof, Nuwan Kulasekara and Lanka de Silva have been appointed as support staff of the Kandy Tuskers. Maharoof who last played for SL in 2016, has been appointed as Team Manager cum Cricket Director. Maharoof played 22 Tests, 109 ODIs and 8 T20I and was involved with cricket administration after his retirement. He was the Manager of the under19 team last year. more..

Nov 3 (TM) Duty Free stores at the country’s two int'l airports – BIA and MIA – saw their sales drop drastically since March this year due to the restrictions in international travel as a result of Covid-19. The stores, which were reopened for a while in parallel to the reopening of the country following the 3-month-long lockdown, are now being operated only at the departure terminals. Revenue of most of the Duty Free stores went to zero more..

Nov 3 (CT) SLIIT BSc (Hons) Degree in Architecture is a 3-year full-time degree, awarded by the Liverpool John Moores Uni (LJMU) UK, and fully accredited by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). The programme provides recognised quality education on par with international standards, within the shortest possible duration. Adaptability, timely decisions-making, and responsible leadership, are essential skills which SLIIT aims to instill in students apart from subject and technical knowhow. more..

Nov 3 (CT) Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT) Group released its financial results for the first nine months of 2020 recording a remarkable 35.4% YoY growth in its Net Profit to Rs 6.7 B. The Group revenue reported at Rs 67.2 B, a 5.2% YoY growth, assuring a resilient performance amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. Broadband revenue of the Group surged significantly over the same period last year underpinned by the increase of FTTH (Fiber-to-the-Home) footprints across the Country by more..

Nov 3 (CT) It is important to identify alternative income methods for the tourism sector as it is unable to predict a date to open the country’s borders for tourists due to the emergence of COVID- 19 second wave, emphasised Minister of Tourism Prasanna Ranatunga. Minister stressed on this at the first meeting of the newly appointed Tourism Advisory Committee held recently at the Institute of Tourism & Hotel Management Colombo. more..

Nov 3 (FT) Ceylon Grain Elevators (CGE) said yesterday that its feed mill operations had been temporarily suspended following the detection of COVID-19 in four employees. “We wish to inform you that four staff members from CGE’s Feed Mill Business Unit, located at No. 15 Rock House Lane Col 15, tested positive for the COVID-19 virus on 31 October. Only one of the four staff members was at the premises at the time, and was immediately isolated from the rest of the staff and more..

Nov 3 (CT) Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) officials will have a special meeting with health authorities today at 3 p.m. to discuss matters related to hosting the Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2020. The meeting was scheduled as a result of Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa’s intervention in the matter following Media reports regarding the situation which SLC was facing, with the deadline approaching and still no Govt clearance. “The Health Minister, DG & I had a fruitful discussion on the importance of more..

Nov 3 (FT) SJB accused the Govt of having failed to contain the recent COVID-19 wave and was instead blaming the public rather than taking responsibility for its shortcomings, while also calling for the resignation of Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi. SJB MP Harin Fernando called for Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi to take responsibility for the mismanagement of the situation and resign. more..

Nov 3 (EN) Sri Lanka has found 275 new Coronavirus cases on November 03 taking the total active cases to 11,335 and the latest cluster to 7,857, official data showed. There were 6,065 active cases in hospital. Sri Lanka has relaxed discharge criteria and are releasing patients without a final PCR test as needs for community and contact testing went up. Data from the Health Promotion Bureau showed that around 11,700 tests had been done. more..

Nov 3 (AFP) Rescuers and volunteers were racing Monday to save about 100 pilot whales stranded on Sri Lanka's western coast in the island nation's biggest-ever mass beaching. The short-finned pilot whales began beaching at Panadura, 25 km (15 miles) south of Colombo, shortly before dusk and within an hour their numbers swelled to around 100, local police chief Sanjaya Irasinghe told AFP. "With the help of local residents we are trying to push them back (into the ocean)," Irasinghe said. more..

Nov 3 (FT) SL’s growth is expected to contract by 1.7% in 2020 before rebounding to an optimistic 5% next year, Central Bank said yesterday, but the monetary authority warned a recovery was dependent on strong reforms, including better fiscal management, strong exports and increased investment. The latest projections were published in a CB report titled Recent Economic Developments: Highlights of 2020 and Prospects for 2021. more..

Nov 3 (CT) Education Ministry yesterday decided to postpone the reopening of schools for the third term by two weeks. Accordingly, schools are set to re-open on 23 Nov, Secretary to the Education Ministry, Professor Kapila Perera said. Schools were scheduled to re-open on 9 Nov. Considering the current country situation, the Govt has taken this decision with the advice of the Health authorities, he said. Prof. Perera noted that they discussed with the other Education officials on how to conduct more..

Nov 3 (Island) Matale District SJB MP Rohini Kaviratne alleged that over 2.7 million kilos of vegetables at Dambulla special economic centre would go to waste as there was none to purchase them. MP Kaviratne said that the suppliers and farmers transported vegetables to the economic centre planning to send them to Colombo after the end of the weekend quarantine curfew. However, govt extended the curfew on Sunday and many traders who were expected to visit more..

Nov 3 (FT) The dual cluster that emerged from the garment manufacturing facility in Minuwangoda and the Peliyagoda Fish Market yesterday rose to 7,857, with 275 new cases. In addition the govt late last night isolated selected areas in the Kegalle and Kurunegala districts. As such the Hemmathagama, Mawanella and Bulathkohupitiya police divisions and the Galigamuwa PS in the Kegalle district, more..

Nov 3 (FT) This is a response to the question Will SriLankan Airlines as a smaller carrier retain a sustainable competitive advantage post-COVID-19? raised by a recognised academic deeply committed to the socio-economic wellbeing of the nation and its people. This op-ed is also an opportunity to recognise and pay a tribute to a civil society activist, late Rajeewa Jayaweera, an expert on airline industry issues, who was a person with whom the writer debated many issues connected to more..

Nov 3 (FT) Amidst the severe disruptions triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important for economies to formulate and implement effective policies to mitigate the negative impacts induced by the crisis. As noted by the IMF, the pandemic has intensified the need for fiscal policy actions at an unprecedented level. As such, governments must intervene to protect the well-being of people during this challenging period. The length and depth of global economic shocks can be shortened by more..

Nov 3 (Island) Health authorities, on Sunday, closed Kambaramali Muttumariamman Kovil at Vadamarachchi in Jaffna for 14 days and directed 63 persons including the Chief Kurukkal of the Hindu temple to undergo self-quarantine. The decision to isolate the Kovil was taken after a COVID-19 infected person participated in a pooja conducted there. The patient was a close contact of another COVID-19 case detected in Jaffna. He had undergone a PCR test, and more..

Nov 3 (PN) A SL man has been charged after police found more than $10,000 worth of stolen parcels in his suburban Melbourne home. A joint investigation was launched by Australia Post and Victoria Police after a number of packages went missing in Portsea, Rosebud, Rye, Sorrento and Tootgarook areas between August and October. On Oct 21, police raided the 24-year-old's Mount Waverley home and found 67 packages containing designer shoes, fitness equipment, homewares, more..

Nov 3 (AD) Sri Lanka has reported another Covid-19 related death. The deceased, a 68-year-old female, had been pronounced dead on the 1st of Nov while at a house in Jampettah Street in Colombo. Epidemiology Unit says her remains were subsequently referred to the JMO for the post-mortem examination, who posthumously declared that she was infected with the novel coronavirus. One of the family members of the deceased more..

Nov 3 (FT) LAUGFS Gas Plc (LGL) has bounced back to profit in the first half of FY21 thanks to a strong second quarter. As per interim results released, LGL posted a Group pre-tax profit of Rs. 189 million in the first half of FY21 as against a loss of Rs. 155.3 million. In FY20, the Group suffered a Rs. 1.84 billion loss. After tax profit in the first six months ended 30 September 2020 was Rs. 221.7 million in comparison to a loss of Rs. 241 million. In FY20 the after tax loss was Rs. 1.7 billion. more..

Nov 3 (AD) Minister of Fisheries Douglas Devananda has been appointed to the Parliamentary Council as the nominee of the PM. Speaker of Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena on Monday assented to the nomination submitted by PM Mahinda Rajapaksa. Under the recently-passed 20th Amendment to the Constitution, the composition of the Parliamentary Council was revised to 06. Thereby, the council now consists of the PM, Speaker, Opposition Leader and more..

Nov 3 (EN) Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi says that a Specialists Committee is to meet this week to discuss the contentious issue of the cremation of the remains of Muslim victims of Covid 19 when she answered Opposition questions in Parliament. Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa brought up the question pointing out that the Ministry of Health had promised a solution to the issue many months ago. more..

Nov 3 (NR) JVP MP Vijitha Herath has directed a letter to the Chairman of the UGC to resolve concerns that have arisen over the admission of students to universities for the 2019 and 2020 academic year. The cut off marks of students who sat the 2019 A/L Exam was released last week while the MP points out that many students who sought university admission based on their exam results and ‘Z scores’ and the number of students admitted to universities in previous years from more..

Nov 3 (Island) Police commandos, on Sunday, destroyed a lethal haul that once belonged to the LTTE. It was found in the Rasendrakulam Konnawarasankulam area in Vavuniya. Nelukulama police and the STF took into custory T-56 automatic rifles, hand grenades and mortars. The STF received information about the arms cache and the police excavated the area using a backhoe and found the explosives and weapons. The firearms were corroded but the ammunition and more..

Nov 3 (AD) Cabinet of Ministers has granted permission to re-use discarded materials from several state institutions as resources for other industries or departments. Accordingly, the Cabinet has approved the obtaining of railway sleepers removed from the railways of Sri Lanka Railway Dept for affixing the electric fence and secure fence to minimize the elephant-human clash. The elephant-human clash is reported in 133 DS more..

Nov 3 (Island) DPF leader Mano Ganesan, MP, has strongly defended signing a petition initiated by SLPP seeking a presidential pardon for former UPFA lawmaker Duminda Silva currently serving a life sentence for 2011 killing of ex-MP Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra. Ganesan, who is also the leader of the TPA explained how he sought to draw public attention to approximately 100 Tamil political prisoners languishing in jail by backing the move to secure presidential pardon for Silva. more..

Nov 3 (AD) The govt’s proposal to appoint former Chief Justice Mohan Peiris as the new SL Ambassador and Permeant Representative to the UN in New York has been approved by the Committee on High Posts. Mr. Mohan Peris was called in to the Committee on High Posts held in Parliament today under the patronage of the Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardane. Ministers Dinesh Gunawardena, Johnston Fernando, Douglas Devananda, Keheliya Rambukwella and more..

Nov 3 (DM) Minister of Health Pavithra Wanniarachchi today said she is willing to sacrifice herself to the sea if such an act would stop the COVID-19 in Sri Lanka. She made this remark speaking during a debate in Parliament said she and the govt would do everything possible to end the pandemic in SL. “Various comments have been made over facebook on the religious observances in which I was engaged in. more..

Nov 3 (AD) The list of institutions, corporations and offices whose employees do not require a curfew pass to travel to their place of employment or duty assigned locations has been updated and released. Accordingly, the previous list of 84 institutions has now been increased to 107. Employees of these institutions are permitted to use their office IDs or National Identity Cards (NICs) along with a letter from the head of their dept/institutions calling them to report to work, instead of curfew passes, more..

Nov 3 (DM) With the current security measures in place, the possibilities of the current Covid-19 situation leading to a community spread have been curbed, Chief Epidemiologist Dr Sudath Samaraweera said today. He said measures such as imposing a quarantine curfew in the Western Province and other high-risk areas have contributed to containing the virus in the country. “It is very important that the public should cooperate by adhering to the restrictions in order to bring more..

Nov 3 (BS) India’s Adani Group is the front-runner to develop SL’s stalled East Container Terminal in Colombo port, people with knowledge of the matter said, helping billionaire Gautam Adani expand his port business overseas. Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd. and a local partner received an in-principle approval to sign a deal with SLPA, which will hold majority stake in the project, the people said, more..

Nov 3 (Island) John Keells Logistics (JKLL), a leading third-party logistics (3PL) services provider in the country, partnered with Infor, a globally renowned industry-specific business cloud software provider, in September 2020 to implement a state-of-the-art Infor Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) solution. Being one of the latest technological advancements in the 3PL industry, Infor WMS will enable JKLL to gain a substantial edge in comparison to the other offerings more..