Oct 8 (AFP) Sri Lanka on Thursday indicted the Greek skipper of a fire-damaged supertanker for causing an oil spill and failing to report the environmental damage to the island's waters. The Panamanian-registered New Diamond, travelling from Kuwait to India with 270,000 tonnes of crude oil, was passing by SL's east coast when the fire broke out on Sept 3. Firefighters succeeded in putting out the blaze, and the crude more..

Oct 8 (FT) Cabinet this week approved utilising a $ 400 million loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to make key reforms to SL’s education system including developing secondary schools, increase the numbers of teachers and raising the number of national schools to 1000. Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said that obtaining the $ 400 million loan was approved by Cabinet on 1 April. Subsequently at this week’s meeting Cabinet had also approved the way in which it will be more..

Oct 8 (CT) Attorney General’s Coordinating Officer, State Counsel Nishara Jayaratne said that the Attorney General, Dappula De Livera has informed the Secretary to the Ministry of Justice that since Vajira Dharshana de Silva has been convicted and sent to death row, he is no longer eligible to either occupy a seat as a Member of the Kahawatta Pradeshiya Sabha (PS) or exercise his franchise at the said Local Govt body. Jayaratne said that Minister of Justice M.U.M. Ali Sabry PC more..

Oct 8 (FT) In a bid to increase compensation paid to workers regarding workplace accidents, the Govt has decided to amend the Workmen’s Compensation Ordinance with the Legal Draftsmen’s recommendations receiving Cabinet approval this week. Changing the Ordinance was included in Prez’s election manifesto, Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said; adding that the Cabinet had approved the amendments proposed by more..

Oct 8 (CT) The way in which the Institute of National Security Studies of SL (INSSSL) received Intelligence information with regard to certain matters, was questioned at the PCoI into the Easter Sunday bombings, when former Director General of the INSSSL, Asanga Abeyagoonasekera testified before the Commission on 6 October. It was revealed that former Chief of National Intelligence (CNI) Sisira Mendis’ son, Ranuk Mendis had been working for INSSSL as a Research Analyst. more..

Oct 8 (Island) Responding to a statement made by Selvarajah Gajendran in Parliament on Tuesday (6), MP Sudharshana Denipitiya, raising a point of order, requested that the statement referring to the Sri Lanka military as child murderers be taken off the Hansard. The Speaker (SLFP MP Angajan Ramanathan was in the Speaker’s seat), however, noted that it was Gajendran’s opinion but said the matter would be inquired into and taken up with Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena. more..

Oct 8 (PTI) A high-powered Chinese delegation led by ruling Communist Party Politburo member Yang Jiechi is expected to arrive here on Thursday, amid SL struggling to boost its foreign reserves after its economy was hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. Yang, former China's foreign minister, will become the first top ranking Chinese official to travel to the South Asian region since the global outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, more..

Oct 8 (CT) Former Army Commander, General Mahesh Senanayake said that the Army had set up a separate unit to look into issues related to matters pertaining to the Islamic State (IS) ideology and that it was important to maintain it. He was testifying before the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the bombings on 21 April 2019 Easter Sunday, yesterday (7). General Senanayake who is currently in the UAE contacted the Commission via the Internet and gave evidence. more..

Oct 8 (CT) Former Director of the State Intelligence Service (SIS), Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police (SDIG) Nilantha Jayawardena has committed a serious omission by not sharing the Intelligence information he received on 20 April 2019, that a terrorist attack was imminent the next day, 21 April 2019, with the STF, said former STF Commandant, (Retired) SDIG M.R. Latheef. He was testifying before the PCoI into the bombings on Easter Sunday, yesterday. more..

Oct 8 (WO) A Dog who was attacked with a machete in SL and rescued by a local couple, is a finalist in the running for a Brave Briton award. Sinhalese hound Kandy, was savaged by her owner and dumped on the beach at just one-year-old. And now she has reached the final four in the Hero Pet category in hearing specialist Amplifon’s search for the Best of British. After her ordeal she was taken in by a local dog rescuer, more..

Oct 8 (Island) Develop a short three minute video in English on a theme nominated by the partner university in Australia. SL School students in Grades 9 – 12 with outstanding English language, analytical and video production skills are invited to participate in the Study Australia Video Competition. Organised by The Australian Trade and Investment Commission, Australian Govt, the competition is open to students in grades 9 to 12 from schools across India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. more..

Oct 8 (AD) Another COVID-19 infected person has been detected from the Ambakadawila village in Chilaw, this afternoon (08). The person in question had visited the Chilaw Hospital on October 06 over different illness. However, a PCR test conducted at the hospital has confirmed, today, that the patient had contracted the virus. Subsequently, the man has been rushed back to the Chilaw Hospital on an ambulance before being transferred to the Iranawila Covid-19 treatment unit. more..

Oct 8 (AD) Another COVID-19 infected person has been detected from the Ambakadawila village in Chilaw, this afternoon. The person in question had visited the Chilaw Hospital on October 06 over different illness. However, a PCR test conducted at the hospital has confirmed, today, that the patient had contracted the virus. Subsequently, the man has been rushed back to the Chilaw Hospital on an ambulance more..

Oct 9 (CT) State Minister Ajith Nivard Cabraal’s bravado about the economy was more to satisfy the gallery than to convince the discerning. Economists have not forgotten Cabraal’s gamble in 2012 with Greek bonds worth 22 million Euros, when he was the Governor of Central Bank and which ended in a loss of 3.4 billion rupees to the country. He has now dismissed the need to seek assistance from IMF’s Rapid Financing Instrument, is guaranteeing effective debt service management, more..

Oct 9 (CT) Nearly ten months on from the declaration of COVID-19 as a global pandemic, many countries eased restrictions, lockdowns and curfews in an attempt to stimulate their economies and commence the recovery process. Among these countries, SL has made notable strides in controlling the spread of the virus thus far. However, moving out of a lockdown is no guarantee that the outbreak is being kept at bay, even while borders remain closed to the extent that they currently are, more..

Oct 9 (MB) Gayan Chamila, a resident of a village near Horana in western Sri Lanka, recalled rushing to his backyard in response to hearing an animal cry. There, he found a golden jackal (Canis aureus naria) chasing his dog. The jackal then turned on Chamila, snarling. The villager managed to grab a wooden pole to defend himself, beating the jackal until it was dead. A necropsy carried out later confirmed villagers’ fears: jackal was rabid. more..

Oct 9 (CT) Minister G.L. Peiris recently revealed in Parliament that prosecution has been initiated in connection with only 303 child abuse cases, out of a staggering number of 3,900 cases that have been fully investigated from 1 Jan to 23 Sept 2020. Responding to an Oral Question raised by NPP MP, Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, the Education Minister further said that the NCPA has received 6,063 child abuse related complaints in the first nine months of 2020 alone. more..

Oct 9 (DM) With over 1000 garment workers from the Minuwangoda factory testing positive for COVID-19, several allegations were levelled against the parent company – Brandix Apparel Ltd about how they handled the upsurge of cases. At the onset of the indefinite curfew period in March, many garment workers were at the receiving end of a challenging situation where many junior workers lost their jobs and those who went on leave weren’t paid. In this backdrop another period of unemployment more..

Oct 9 (CT) Hollywood has been one of the most effective soft power instruments of America; a medium that charmed the global citizen on liberal values, popular culture and the American way of life. The recent release of Disney’s live action remake of Mulan - a story of a girl who breaks cultural stereotyping and barriers to become a soldier in China’s Imperial Army - marked an interesting turn of tables; more..

Oct 9 (DM) It seems we’re going to have our kids stuck at home for sometime again. Schools are closed for an indefinite period again and lets hope that this wait at home would not be too long. Alarm bells have been sounded by parents and tuition masters have had no option, but to put up shutters at their institutes for a while. Online education will continue, and so will fears of whether parents engaged in essential services will be exposed to the virus. more..

Oct 9 (DM) The detection of a COVID-19 patient for the first time in two months has triggered a fear psychosis regarding the possible of community transmission of the viral infection. A garment factory worker from the Gampaha district tested positive for the disease beginning the third outbreak of the disease in Sl, a country that had contained the spread successfully until then. Worrying is the fact that health and defence authorities are at a loss to trace where she contracted the virus. more..

Oct 9 (ST) Govt is considering the construction of two stages of the Central Expressway on a Build Operate and Transfer (BOT) basis despite its high cost. This is in contrast to a previous proposal to raise foreign loans to complete the two stages — from Pothuhera to Galagedara and Kurunegala to Dambulla — covering a total distance of 92 km. Cabinet approval has been granted to consider the BOT option where the Govt will gain control of the two stretches and collect toll revenue only more..

Oct 9 (ST) Three people have been taken into custody over the killing of a Hindu priest in Pungudutheevu, Jaffna, police said. The priest’s body with severe assault injuries was found yesterday morning in the Pungudutheevu Urativu Lord Shiva temple premises. Among the arrested are two priests and an assistant to the victim. Jaffna’s DIG P.P.S.M. Senaratne said preliminary investigations revealed that a personal dispute among the group had led to the killing. more..

Oct 9 (FT) The SJB called on the Govt to expedite delivery of essential food items to the public in areas where quarantine curfew regulations have been in effect for four days. SJB MP Harshana Rajakaruna addressing the media charged that the Govt had failed to put in place the emergency supply mechanisms which were used during the islandwide curfew for the people of Gampaha District. “This is affecting many people in Gampaha District more..

Oct 9 (Island) Having risen from a blissful slumber, the health authorities with the help of military intelligence are doing their darnedest to figure out how the latest COVID-19 cluster, which turned Gampaha into SL’s Wuhan, came about. There are two possibilities according to those engaged in contact tracing: it was caused by new infections from another country, or the virus had been spreading unnoticed during the last two months or so while the govt, the health authorities and more..

Oct 9 (DM) The release of former Minister Rishard Bathiudeen’s brother Riyaj Bathiudeen who had been in the custody of the CID for more than five months seems to have created an embarrassing situation for the leaders of the govt including Prez Rajapaksa. Several govt leaders along with the President had been compelled to issue clarifications on the matter. Riyaj was arrested on the Sinhala and Hindu New Year day by the police over his alleged links with the suicide bombers more..

Oct 9 (ST) A Foreign Ministry audit into Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute of Int'l Relations and Strategic Studies (LKI) has found weak internal controls in significant functions, decision-making that is non-compliant with Treasury circulars and an absence of overall supervision by higher level management. Compiled by the Ministry’s Chief Internal Auditor, the system audit of LKI’s finance and administration functions more..

Oct 9 (TM) The major shareholders of the Altair project have filed legal action in the District Court of Colombo against PricewaterhouseCoopers Lanka (Pvt.) Ltd. (PwC SL), a leading professional body, for its alleged contribution to facilitate a hostile takeover of the Altair project in Nov 2019 through what the shareholders term a fabricated and unauthorised report. “AA Infraproperties (Pvt) Ltd, 100% owner of the Altair project together with its parent company South City Projects (Kolkata) Ltd (plaintiffs) more..

Oct 9 (DN) Doc990, SL’s digital health solutions service provider, extended its channelling platform free of charge to the Lady Ridgeway Hospital (LRH). The launch of 1390 toll-free, trilingual channelling hotline at Lady Ridgeway Hospital (LRH) was part of its continued efforts in uplifting use of technology in the healthcare sector. This will be an integral step forward in the digitisation journey of LRH, allowing patients to reap the benefits of a remote doctor channelling service. more..

Oct 9 (Island) UNP MP Harin Fernando, on Wednesday, called for conducting PCR tests on all MPs to ensure that they did not have COVID-19. He said so in his response to SLPP MP Premanath C. Dolawatte’s accusation that MP Fernando had deliberately puts others’ lives in danger by coming to Parliament. MP Dolawatte said that MP Harin Fernando had put up a post in his twitter account that he underwent a PCR test Tue more..

Oct 9 (CT) Dimo Southern Warriors beat Prima Stella Eastern Warriors by 6 wickets and Super Fashion North Warriors beat Melbn Western Warriors by 13 runs in the inaugural Army Commander’s T20 League tournament at the Army grounds Dombagoda yesterday. Dimo Southern Warriors with three wins lead the points table with 12 points. Melbn Western Warriors and Super Fashion North Warriors with two wins each are on 8 points. Southern Warriors openers, more..

Oct 9 (Island) I am told that our new President is going to make another attempt to handle the burning issue of the human-elephant conflict (HEC). I have nothing but good wishes for his attempts and to those well qualified academics who have been appointed to a committee to handle the task. Engaging the groves of academe in the task is well and good, but please remember that practical experience in handling elephants is essential. The following are extracts from my book; more..

Oct 9 (AP) A SL minister said that India has no moral right to interfere in the country’s internal affairs by insisting on power sharing with minority Tamils because New Delhi failed to fulfil its obligations under a 1987 agreement to disarm separatist rebels and ensure an end to SL’s civil war. Provincial Councils Minister Sarath Weerasekara’s comments in Parliament are seen as the island nation’s response to Indian PM Modi’s request more..

Oct 9 (DN) Starch Industries Pvt. Ltd, (a SL agri pharma company) and Via Agri Pvt. Ltd (into agriculture and fruit processing) which entered into a joint venture will initially invest over USD 5 million to set up plants to process organic cassava and for fruit dehydration. “We will initially set up one factory in the North Western province and subsequently add five more factories within the next two years, said Group - Managing Director, Via Tropic Foods (Pvt) Ltd, LTD T. H. Cambal. more..

Oct 9 (CT) Due to the sudden spike in COVID-19 cases from the Gampaha District leading to heightened measures being taken to prevent the spread of the deadly virus, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has decided to limit office operation work by limiting the attendance of non-essential employees, informed sources said. SLC closed a few of its offices yesterday, but is set to have their scheduled meeting as planned today, but sources indicated it all depends on the prevailing situation. more..

Oct 9 (CT) As the number of COVID-19 patients being identified from the Brandix cluster increases, Ministry of Health has taken the decision to prepare more hospitals to receive them, Chief of the Epidemiology Unit, Dr. Sudath Samaraweera said. He said that other than the hospitals which have already been identified, the Hospitals in Horana, Ambanpola, Laggala-Pallegama were being prepared to receive patients. more..

Oct 9 (FT) The Govt’s first Budget which is scheduled to be presented to the Parliament mid-November will introduce a stimulus package aimed at reviving the battered economy, Minister Bandula Gunawardana said. Responding to a question raised by the Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa, Gunawardana said the Govt would extend the concessions provided on leasing and loans along with many other concessions. “This Budget will take the form of a stimulus package,” he said. more..

Oct 9 (Island) Institute of Sports Medicine informed all Sports Associations, coaches and those using public sports facilities to strictly adhere to guidelines provided by health authorities when using stadiums and gyms due to the current health situation in the country. The Institute of Sports Medicine directive comes in the midst of Covid 19 concerns which forced authorities to close the Sugathadasa Stadium yesterday. Health authorities provided strict guidelines to resume sports after more..

Oct 9 (DN) PM Mahinda Rajapaksa assured that the govt has no intention of legalising narcotic substances. He said tobacco sales had decreased due to its high prices as a result of prohibitive taxes and increased awareness among the public of the ill-effects of smoking cigarettes. “There is no evidence and reports about a campaign promoting Cannabis, but there are posts on social media platforms which attempt to promote more..