Oct 26 (CT) Lanka Premier League (LPL) will boost cricketing interest among young cricketers in the Island nation and offer real opportunities in the future, according to Jaffna Stallions franchisee CEO, Selva Waran. Thisara Perera, Dawid Malan, Wanindu Hasaranga, Shoaib Malik and Usman Shinwari are some of the key players picked in the Players Draft by the team. Three home-grown talented youngsters from Jaffna -Theivendram Dinoshan (18), Vijayakanth Viyaskanth (19) more..

Oct 26 (NIA) The US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, who will be here on Oct 28, is expected to ask SL leaders, point blank, to review relations with China; consider the options US is offering; and accept American advice on domestic and foreign policy. A top foreign ministry official said that Lankan leaders, Prez Rajapaksa, PM Rajapaksa and Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, will politely tell Pompeo that more..

Oct 26 (SO) Defending its decision to exclude Doubles champion Jason Homer from the National pool, Sri Lanka Badminton (SLB) said that all its players are bound to adhere to sign allegiance and any failure on the part of anyone will result in non-recognition. “It is a mandatory requirement that all players invited to join the National Pool sign a Code of Conduct (CoC). “The CoC, among other items, restricts any player being a member of the Pool, from playing under any other brand identity more..

Oct 26 (SO) Health Ministry is now preparing the country for a vaccination against Covid-19, Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi said.She said, WHO had informed the Health Ministry that a vaccine approved by the WHO may be available for Covid-19 shortly. Therefore, steps are now being taken to prepare the country for vaccinations. The WHO has advised us to prepare the country for the vaccine. They have not informed us exactly what the vaccine is, but preparations are now under way, she said. more..

Oct 26 (Island) Muslims from all over the world donated to the National Thowheed Jamaath (NTJ), a former chairman of the terrorist organisation, Yusuf Mohamed Tawfiq Moulavi, who is currently in remand custody told the PCoI on Saturday. “I don’t know much about the specifics. I don’t know who exactly donated to the NTJ account. But there is a ledger on the expenses. I maintained that with the NTJ Treasurer, a man named Mastakeen.” more..

Oct 26 (FT) National Development Bank PLC and ThinkCube Solutions Ltd. have signed a partnership agreement to promote the breakthrough Cloud based Business Application ezBiz to NDB’s Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) customers. As a key endeavour within the Jayagamu Sri Lanka initiative NDB hopes to increase the business robustness of the MSME sector of its customer base through the adoption of cutting edge technology, business tools and insights. more..

Oct 26 (ST) In the wake of a possible second wave of COVID-19, fresh financial support for public health services, households and businesses will add new spending pressures for the govt amid lower revenue collection in 2020. This will increase the fiscal deficit, amidst the already high public debt and external refinancing needs, Finance Ministry sources revealed. The current account deficit is expected to widen to 2.8% of GDP in 2020 before falling to 2.6% in 2021, Treasury data showed. more..

Oct 26 (FT) The Board of Investment (BOI) has approved the start of a comprehensive feasibility study for deployment of an electrified high-speed rail project from the BIA to the Colombo Port City, and from Katunayake to Mattala Int'l Airport. The latest breakthrough was disclosed by President of High-Speed Train and Mixed Development Project Dr. Parimalam Michael, who conceived the project over a decade ago. more..

Oct 26 (EN) A belief among some that the strain of Coronavirus that is spreading in Sri Lanka is less dangerous that earlier ones is a false and there is no evidence to support it, a top health official said. “The disease has been spreading mostly among young people so far,” Deputy Director of Health Hemanthe Herath told Sirasa TV. “It has not spread very much to older groups with other underlying conditions. “There is no evidence to say that this strain is less dangerous than others.” more..

Oct 26 (DN) SL Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) has drafted a proposal regarding visa validation from one month to six months for tourist planning to visit the country, and the draft is yet to be handed for Cabinet’s approval. SLTDA Chairperson Kimarli Fernando said, the suggestion was made to give six months visa, with an app consisting of all the COVID-19 protocols for tourists planning to visit the country after the airport is open. “The draft has been sent to the Tourism Ministry, more..

Oct 26 (CT) As of yesterday (25), authorities had imposed quarantine curfew in 64 Police areas. Quarantine curfew was imposed in four more Police areas in the Colombo District with effect from 6 p.m., yesterday. Media Spokesman DIG Ajith Rohana said Fort, Pettah, Borella and Welikada Police areas will be under curfew until further notice. In addition, several more police areas in the Colombo and Kalutara Districts, more..

Oct 26 (TM) Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) will be open for trading today despite the imposition of curfew in Fort, where it is situated, and other parts of Colombo, unlike the previous Covid-19-imposed curfew period earlier this year. “Yes, we plan to stay open for trading. We have run the proper preparatory exercises and are ready to operate remotely,” he said. This would be a welcome change for investors and stockbrokers from the first Covid-19 lockdown/curfew period in Sri Lanka when more..

Oct 26 (FT) National Peace Council (NPC) in a statement has called for inclusivity in governance in the aftermath of the Parliament approving the 20th Amendment by a two-third majority. Full text: The rushed passage of the 20th Amendment by the requisite two-third majority in Parliament reinforces the dominance of the presidency in the governance of the country. There was unprecedented criticisms of the 20th Amendment by sections of the religious clergy and civil society. more..

Oct 26 (FT) Air Force Commander Air Marshal Sumangala Dias, who is to retire shortly, has been nominated as SL’s High Commissioner to Canada. His name, along with the names of eight others, has been forwarded to the High Post Committee of Parliament for confirmation. The others named to head Sri Lankan overseas missions are career diplomats; namely, A.M.J. Sadiq as High Commissioner to Nigeria, Ahamed Jawad more..

Oct 26 (NR) The Minuwangoda-Peliyagoda cluster has increased to 4,398 following the detection of 348 cases yesterday. Three arrivals, two Filipino nationals and a returnee from the UAE, also tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday. Accordingly, the number of coronavirus cases confirmed in the country since January has risen to 7,872. Ministry of Health confirmed that 4,054 COVID-19 patients are currently receiving treatment at 30 medical facilities across the country. more..

Oct 26 (EN) Sri Lanka’s indigenous Veddah tribe has halted domestic tourists from visiting their village as the latest Coronavirus outbreak spread across the country infecting over 4,000 persons and claiming at least two lives. “Rutter podge-jer wutterthanaymer may ledder podge-jer mung-gutch-cher vellar,” Vedda leader Uriwarige Wanniela Attho told reporters in footage broadcast over Sri Lanka’s privately-run Swarnavahini Television, referring to the spread of Covid-19. more..

Oct 26 (CT) GMOA said although there was no necessity to overreact with regard to the prevailing COVID-19 situation, there was an urgent need to ensure timely action in locking down the identified red zones, where there were large pockets of patients. GMOA Secretary, Dr. Senal Fernando, said even according to the exit strategy the Union had submitted in April this year, identifying procedures that needed to be followed when more..

Oct 26 (AD) Another person infected with Covid-19 died today, bringing the total number of deaths reported in Sri Lanka to 16, says the Director General of Health Services. The deceased was identified as a 70-year-old male from Colombo 02 area. He was admitted to the Colombo National Hospital on the 23rd of Oct to be treated for blood infection. Due to complications, he had been moved to the ICU of the hospital, where he was under medical until he passed away this morning. more..

Oct 26 (Island) The US even before sending its State Secretary Mike Pompeo to Sri Lanka has issued a veiled threat that Sri Lanka had to decide with what foreign powers it should align itself, says the JVP, demanding the Rajapaksa govt to explain its stance on US bullying. JVP National Organiser Bimal Ratnayake addressing the media at the party headquarters in Pelawatte, said the US State Department had commenced cranking up pressure on Sri Lanka days ahead of Pompeo’s visit. more..

Oct 26 (FT) The rise in COVID-positive cases forced the Govt yesterday to impose indefinite quarantine curfew in business hubs Fort and Pettah among a few other new areas, triggering fresh fears of a major hit to economic activities. Adding Pettah, Fort, Borella and Welikada expanded the quarantine curfew to 64 Police jurisdictions by yesterday, including the Gampaha Dist where most of Export Processing Zones more..

Oct 26 (FT) Let me make an unequivocal statement: SL, by and large, is clearly winning in its aim to contain and manage COVID-19, and our results are among the best in the world, the new cluster is utterly irrelevant to that assessment. As the mortality needle has only moved by two additional people as of this writing, and we will be two weeks past the so-called surges of the first 10 days of October by this current weekend, and if indeed the mortality needle doesn’t move further beyond that, more..

Oct 26 (FT) The short-notice Colombo visit of a high-level Chinese delegation, to be followed now by US secretary of state Mike Pompeo’s this month-end should be of interest as much to the Indian strategic community as to their counterparts in Sri Lanka. The question is that if the Chinese visit was a reaction to the recent Quad Ministerial at Tokyo, and the delayed one by Pompeo, likewise, has been influenced by the latter. “Negotiations are underway for a ¥10 billion (Renminbi) currency-swap more..

Oct 26 (Island) The four SLMC MPs who voted in favour of the ‘20A’, had been asked to explain their position to the High Command of the party, SLMC Secretary, Nizam Kariapper said on Saturday. “Consequent to the SJB Parliamentary group meeting, the leader of the SLMC Rauff Hakeem, summoned its parliamentary group for a meeting at his residence Friday evening. After a lengthy discussion on the matters relating to vote on ‘20A’, it was decided that the SLMC MPs, more..

Oct 26 (DM) Let us start respecting the virus at least now. Boastful statements and media circuses will not get rid of it. No country has been spared. Bigger and more powerful countries than us have been brought to their knees by it. The countries and States that were held as lighthouses of COVID-19 control had to eat humble-pie within months. Swift and decisive action taken by the President, the Armed Forces, the Public Health and Hospital staff from March to June protected us. more..

Oct 26 (FT) Institute of Policy Studies or IPS is famous for presenting a comprehensive analysis of a hot theme in its annual State of the Economy or SOE reports. Last year, it was on how SL should prepare itself for the Fourth Industrial Revolution or Industry 4.0. The year before, it was on Climate Change, Food Security and Disaster Risk Management. This year, it is on the hottest issue faced by Sri Lanka. more..

Oct 26 (CT) From November, sand will be transported by train, which will enable the public to buy quality sand at lesser prices, Minister Gamini Lokuge, said. A tipper load of sand is about Rs 30,000 and when sand is transported by train, the price of a tipper load of sand can be reduced by about Rs 5,000, Minister pointed out. Sand will be transported from Punanai in Batticaloa to Colombo from 1 Nov and a trial run was done on 24 Oct, which he said proved to be very successful. more..

Oct 26 (AD) Parliament will remain closed for business today and tomorrow, Deputy Secretary-General of Parliament Neil Iddawala announced. As the Parliament premises will be disinfected during these two days, all staff have been instructed not to report for duty. While operations will resume from Wednesday (28), the staff needs to report for duty only if informed by the relevant department heads, Iddawala added. A Sub-Inspector of Parliamentary Special Intelligence Unit more..

Oct 26 (AD) Ten Special Task Force (STF) personnel are reported to have contracted the COVID-19 virus. Reportedly, they had recently visited the Peliyagoda Fish Market where a COVID-19 outbreak was detected. They had been identified as infected while undergoing quarantine at quarantine centers. The 10 officers reportedly serve attached to the Kelaniya, Kalubowila, and Rajagiriya camps of the STF. more..

Oct 26 (FT) Oman Air, the national carrier of the Sultanate of Oman, will provide scheduled services to SL, Kuwait, and Bahrain, effective 25 October, and increase frequency to destinations in Oman. The airline will operate two weekly flights each to Colombo, Kuwait and Bahrain. Earlier this month, Oman Air resumed services to Delhi, Mumbai and Kochi, and Islamabad and Lahore. Oman Air will also increase flight frequency to cities, including Salalah, with three daily round-trip flights; and more..

Oct 26 (EN) SL is to use Rapid Antigen testing to detect COVID-19 patients as the number of people infected with the virus continues to increase exponentially a member of the country’s National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) said. Member of NMRA Dr Ananda Wijewickrema said that the Authority has given approval last Friday to order the new Rapid Antigen testing kits which were approved by the WHO to identify COVID patients. SL is expected to receive 20,000 test kits more..

Oct 26 (AD) Moving forward Sri Lanka intends to maintain a neutral foreign policy while remaining a non-aligned country, Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Admiral Prof. Jayanath Colambage said. He pointed out that Sri Lanka is in the center of the spheres of influence of major players in the world such as USA, India, China, Japan, Australia, and the European Union and that their focus of attention is crisscrossed on SL. more..

Oct 26 (AD) The Z-score cutoff marks of the 2019 G.C.E. A/L Examination have been released online, the Chairman of the UGC Senior Prof. Sampath Amarathunga said. He stated that the minimum Z-scores for selection to courses of study of universities in respect of each district and detailed information of course selection based on the A/L Exam in 2019 can be accessed through the website- www.ugc.ac.lk The release of the cut-off marks was repeatedly delayed due to COVID-19 more..

Oct 26 (Island) The govt would go ahead with the fourth power plant at the Norochcholai coal power complex, as soon as the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was completed, CEB Chairman Vijitha Herath said. He that the Cabinet had already endorsed the plant’s fourth unit although the Attorney General’s Dept and the Public Utilities Commission of SL (PUCSL) were still studying the proposal. The EIA is be conducted by the CEA following a request from the CEB. more..

Oct 26 (EN) Tamil Opposition MPs signed a petition to the President to pardon and release convicted politician Duminda Silva on humanitarian grounds MP Mano Ganesan said. Silva, who was sentenced to death five years ago for the murder of fellow politician Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra, has exhausted all appeal processes. Ganesan and the five MPs from the TPA, part of the group headed by the SJB, joined all MPs from ruling SLPP more..

Oct 26 (Island) SLT (Sri Lanka Telecom) has once again put their customers first. With the launch of the sltgo Wi-Fi solution, SLT broadband customers and overall internet consumers of Sri Lanka will be able to enjoy Wi-Fi connectivity on the go via community Wi-Fi networks. This connectivity will extend to over 23 million Wi-Fi hotspot connections in over 25 countries around the world. Community Wi-Fi networks offer wireless network access to visitors and nearby users more..

Oct 26 (Island) Police investigations have revealed that drug baron Madush Lakshitha, alias Makandure Madush had purchased a 3-star hotel in Dubai for Rs. 40,000 million he had earned from dealing in drugs. Madush was shot dead allegedly in a crossfire between the Police and other suspected underworld figures at the Maligawatte Housing Complex last week. Investigations into Madush’s financial transactions have revealed that he owned a 60-room luxury hotel complete with more..

Oct 26 (AD) There is a risk of a crisis in the country if steps are not taken to control the spread of the COVID-19 virus under a new methodology, says the GMOA. GMOA Editor Dr. Haritha Aluthge said that SL is now on the verge of a community spread. “Nearly 300 new cases were identified yesterday, and the majority among them have been identified from the general society. If SL reaches a community spread, there will be congestion more..

Oct 26 (Island) Minister of Plantation Dr. Ramesh Pathirana said on Friday (23) that Parliament should commend all those doing their utmost to control the COVID-19 epidemic in the country. Participating in the adjournment debate on the COVID-19 pandemic, the Minister said: “It’s the people’s responsibility to adopt a healthy lifestyle while the govt, led by the President takes the responsibility of protecting their lives. “To date, 427,000 PCR tests have been conducted in the country. more..

Oct 26 (AD) Kelani Right-Bank (KRB) Water Treatment Plant is the joint-largest in the Country, and is expected to benefit more than 1.7 million people in industrial zones and fast-growing suburbs of Northern Colombo & Gampaha. It is a significant milestone in the Govt’s efforts to enhance access to safe drinking water for all citizens, while preparing to meet future demands of a rapidly developing country. Newly constructed water treatment plant will be ceremoniously opened in Nov 2020, more..