Oct 3 (Island) Ambassador of SL to the Sultanate of Oman O.L. Ameer Ajwad paid a courtesy call on the new Minister for Economy of the Sultanate of Oman Dr. Said Al Saqri last week. Ambassador Ameer Ajwad expressed his greetings to Dr. Saqri on his appointment to the new portfolio as the Minister of Economy of the Sultanate of Oman and extended his best wishes for the Minister’s successful tenure. Ambassador Ameer Ajwad and Dr. Saqri discussed on a range of potential areas more..

Oct 3 (PMD) President Gotabaya Rajapaksa greeted with his presence at the religious ceremony to bless Most Ven. Agga Maha Panditha Mahopadyaya Maha Nayaka Kotugoda Dhammawasa thero of the Amarapura chapter, today (30). President wished good health for Most Ven. Kotugoda Dhammawasa Nayaka thero who is unwell at the moment. The religious ceremony was held in Dharmapalarama Vihara, Mount Lavinia and it was led by Maha Nayaka of the Amarapura Chulagandhi sect more..

Oct 3 (Island) AG having had to assure the Supreme Court that amendments would be moved to the proposed 20th Amendment during the Committee Stage revealed the chaotic way the ruling SLPP led coalition undertook high profile political project, SJB lawmaker Rohini Kaviratne said. There couldn’t be any other explanation, MP Kaviratne said, pointing out the absence of proper consultations within SLPP parliamentary more..

Oct 3 (EN) Sri Lanka has repaid a billion US dollar sovereign bond falling due this week, the central bank said with the country unable to roll-over the bond due to high secondary market yields following global jitters and credit downgrades. “This settlement reconfirms the Govt’s unwavering commitment to honour its foreign liabilities, thereby bolstering investor confidence and dispelling any concerns foreign investors may have in relation to the Govt’s ability and willingness to maintain more..

Oct 3 (CT) UNF-led Govt, including myself as the Defence Secretary, should collectively be held responsible for Easter Sunday bombings, said former Defence Secretary, Hemasiri Fernando. He was testifying before the PCoI probing the Easter Sunday bombings. He also said there was no prior warning regarding the number of suicide bombers of the National Thowheed Jama’ath and that its Leader Zaharan Hashim was identified as an extremist preacher before the foreign Intelligence info more..

Oct 3 (Island) A special committee, appointed by the Bar Association of SL to study the proposed 20th Amendment and submit a report, is of the view some of the provisions therein are inimical to the rule of law, the administration of justice and the sovereignty of people. The committee appointed on Sept 14, consisted of LMK Arulanandan PC (chairman), MM Zuhair PC, Prasantha Lal De Alwis PC, Nihal Jayawardene PC, more..

Oct 3 (AD) The benchmark all share price index (ASPI) of the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) recorded significant gains outperforming all other main indexes around the globe during the month of September. ASPI gained 12% in Sept and in value terms by Rs. 279.6 billion. The S&P SL20 index, which features the CSE’s 20 largest and most liquid stocks has also gained in Sept by 4.39%, closing at 2,463.27 points as of 30th Sept. The average number of trades carried out in a trading day more..

Oct 3 (DM) In the last few days, 27 large trees have been uprooted in Colombo owing to a number of reasons such as tree root decay, life expectancy, parasitism and increased weight caused by moss on trunks, a study has revealed. Study was conducted by the Environmental Unit of the Prez Secretariat, to identify the causes of trees falling in Colombo, especially during the rainy season. Study was conducted in areas such as Ananda Coomaraswamy Mawatha, Gregory's Road and more..

Oct 3 (CT) Certain senior officers of the Attorney General’s Department, who had served at the Anti-Corruption Committee Secretariat set up at Temple Trees, with the intention of politically victimising opponents during the previous Yahapalana regime, have engaged in professional misconduct. Evidence has surfaced that they were drawing salaries from Temple Trees in addition to being paid by the AG’s Dept. more..

Oct 3 (Island) Historically, Sri Lanka had demonstrated its commitment and political will to promote gender equality and the empowerment of women, being cognizant of their invaluable contribution to the social and economic development of the country, Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena said. Addressing the High-Level Meeting on the 25th Anniversary of the 4th World Conference on Women, minister said women in SL, comprised more than half of its population, more..

Oct 3 (DM) A total of 331,694 students have applied for the Grade 5-Scholarship Exam this year. Out of the total applicants, 248,072 students would be facing the exam in Sinhala medium while 83,622 students were facing the exam in Tamil medium. It said the exams were scheduled to be held on Oct 11. The ministry said the exams would be held at 2,936 exam centres and all applicants would receive a ticket mentioning their index number and the respective exam centre prior to the day of more..

Oct 3 (FT) Attorney General (AG) Dappula de Livera yesterday made a case in support of the 20th Amendment (20A) Bill stating its provisions did not contain anything new and most of the clauses can be found in 1978 Constitution and its 17th and 18th Amendments. These he said were removed with the introduction of the 19th Amendment and are merely being reintroduced by the 20A. more..

Oct 3 (TM) BIA services have been temporarily halted until the first quarter (Q1) of 2021 due to the potential growth in the COVID-19 pandemic, Minister of Tourism Prasanna Ranatunge said. “As WHO reports have predicted worsening of the pandemic owing to the winter season, we have temporarily halted the immigration of tourists until the first quarter of 2021,” he further stated. However, the Minister said that if clearance is given by the Ministry of Health or the COVID-19 committee, more..

Oct 3 (FT) Colombo Chief Magistrate issued an arrest warrant yesterday for the arrest of former Minister Arjuna Ranatunga which was later recalled after he appeared before the Magistrate on a motion. Senior Counsel Prasad Thirimanna producing Ranatunga before the Magistrate told the court that he had not received the summons which were served to his office in Nugegoda. Magistrate had issued this warrant for the arrest of Ranatunga on a request made by more..

Oct 3 (AD) The Supreme Court will resume further consideration of petitions filed challenging the draft bill of the 20th Amendment on Monday (5). Consideration of the petitions commenced this morning (2) before the five-member judge bench, chaired by CJ Jayantha Jayasuriya, for the third day. The bench consists of SC justices Buwaneka Aluwihare, Sisira de Abrew, Priyantha Jayawardhane & Vijith Malalgoda. more..

Oct 3 (FT) The current proportional representation system, while it has its own merits, does not produce MPss who effectively and for all intents and purposes, represent the people who elect them to Parliament. It is a political party or an independent group that is voted in, and people neither have any say in any party’s promises to the people, and programs nor how candidates are picked by the parties to contest within a district. The specific MPs cannot be held accountable to more..

Oct 3 (FT) Moody’s this week downgraded the Govt of SL’s long-term foreign currency issuer and senior unsecured ratings to Caa1 from B2 and changed the outlook to stable. The decision to downgrade Sri Lanka’s rating two notches from B2 to Caa1, citing wide budget deficits, slow reforms and weak institutions was according to analysts too harsh and unwarranted given that SL has done extremely well in the containment as well as handling of COVID-19 and this has been recognised by WHO. more..

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Oct 3 (AD) Nine more individuals infected with COVID-19 made complete recoveries today, the Ministry of Health stated. The situation report issued by the Epidemiology Unit said, 05 receiving treatment at the National Institute for Infectious Diseases (NIIH), 01 each at the Iranawila Hospital and Colombo East Base Hospital and 02 at Hambantota District General Hospital were discharged in this manner. COVID-19 recuperations confirmed in SL thereby reached 3,254. more..

Oct 3 (DM) EC’s Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya said the political parties resolved to engage the govt for the conduct of the provincial elections, at a recent meeting with his office. The provincial councils had remained defunct since 2017 due to a technical issue in the new Act that provides for the conduct of the elections under a mixed system. The govt should either complete the delimitation process to have the polls under the new system or to revert to the old system by enacting a new more..

Oct 3 (CT) The sand distributed and sold locally for construction purposes subsequent to the removal of minerals have an unusual amount of radiation and can be carcinogenic. A study conducted by the Chair Professor of Geology at the University of Peradeniya, Professor Atula Senaratne on 2 October revealed, using that sand for construction purposes can cause many issues including putting up substandard buildings. more..

Oct 3 (DM) Unusual behaviour of turtles in the vicinity of the seas affected by the New Diamond vessel which caught fire off the east coast recently, has been observed by scientists. Principal Scientist at National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency Dr. Prabath Jayasinghe said that an abnormal observation of these turtles has been recorded. Speaking to Daily Mirror, he said they had informed the relevant officials regarding the behavioural change of these turtles. more..

Oct 3 (SLN) Navy nabbed 2 suspects with a stock of over 902kg of dried turmeric, while being smuggled by sea. The apprehension was made at the Thalvupadu Beach in Mannar, during a special search conducted by the Navy on 2nd Oct. Accordingly, North Central Naval Command, during a special search operation, had found this consignment of dried turmeric attempted to be smuggled into the country by sea, after inspecting a suspicious dinghy arrived at Thalvupadu more..

Oct 3 (FT) The proposed 20th Amendment will weaken democratic institutions and open the door to dictatorship, UNP Deputy Leader Ruwan Wijewardene warned, pledging that his party will do its utmost to block the legislation from being approved. Issuing a statement, he said that UNP will work to prevent the erosion of peoples’ sovereignty, which is at risk if the proposed 20th Amendment is implemented. more..

Oct 3 (AD) Prez Rajapaksa today expressed wishes for a speedy recovery for President of US Donald Trump and his wife Melania Trump, who tested positive for COVID-19 in the early hours of Friday. Taking to his official Twitter account today, the Prez posted: “I wish speedy recovery for @POTUS @realDonaldTrump & @FLOTUS from the #COVID19. Prayers of the People of #SriLanka are with you in this difficult times.” The U.S. President and the First Lady were tested for COVID-19 more..

Oct 3 (CT) Sri Lankans working in Cypress urged the SL Govt to mediate diplomatically for them to obtain the anticipated benefits of their social insurance. SL Collective of Employees in Cypress made this request on behalf of around 50,000 SL migrant workers. Employees in Cypress have to contribute a percentage of their salary to this social insurance while the Govt pays another percentage. However, the Govt of Cypress has been avoiding paying the dividends of the insurance to more..

Oct 3 (AD) Nearly 300 vehicles imported to Sri Lanka during the novel coronavirus pandemic outbreak, in violation of import regulations are currently in the custody of SL Customs. The Spokesperson of the Customs Sunil Jayaratne said the letters of credit of the vehicles in question, imported within the past 4 to 5 months, have not been opened on time. The govt in May halted the import of several goods including more..

Oct 3 (AD) Four including the wife of the notorious drug dealer alias Army Samantha were arrested on Friday in the area of Kehel-Ella in Divulapitiya. Police made the arrest, acting on information obtained from several suspects who were previously arrested over narcotic drug charges. Interrogations into the suspects have led to the recovery of 6g of heroin and Rs 2.4 million in cash from a house in the same area. Army Samantha is currently serving a sentence at the Negombo Prison. more..

Oct 3 (ST) Health Ministry has raised concerns over a spike in the number of suspected dengue patients with the onset of monsoon rains. The National Dengue Control Unit (NDCU) said the curve in dengue case numbers, which had flattened during past months during the COVID-19 threat, is beginning to edge up again. To date this year, the number of suspected dengue patients has decreased by 75%, with most districts recording only double and single digits between Apr & Aug, more..

Oct 3 (ST) A first in SL’s state health service – providing hope for the country’s children. Nestling within the premier Lady Ridgeway Hospital (LRH) for Children in Colombo, a Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) Unit, a dire need of the country, is to be opened on Thursday (1) by PM Mahinda Rajapaksa. The finishing touches are being carried out as the Sunday Times takes a walk around the Rs. 50 million, state-of-the-art BMT Unit more..

Oct 3 (TM) Pavithra Wanniarachchi, Minister of Health, has been commended by the United Nations and International Organizations in Sri Lanka on the steps taken to control the COVID-19 epidemic in the country. This was stated at a special discussion held by a group of representatives of international organizations in Sri Lanka with the Minister of Health on the future health development program of Sri Lanka. The discussion was held at the Ministry of Health yesterday. more..

Oct 3 (DM) Road Development Authority (RDA) will take over the road development projects on which the work have been delayed by the contractors, Minister of Highways Johnston Fernando said. “Contractors who have delayed work and were requesting for some more time to begin the work, will not be excused and the RDA will take over those projects,” Minister Fernando told a meeting at his ministry recently. “They will not be given contracts in the future,” the Minister added. more..

Oct 3 (Island) Journalist Rahul Samantha Hettiarachchi, an avid user of Right To Information and has submitted over 1150 RTI applications, said that Information officers of govt and semi govt institutions were not conversant with the Right To Information Act. He said so as a panelist at the International Right To Information day celebrations organized by Journalists for Rights at the Sausiripaya auditorium on Monday. more..

Oct 3 (ST) Some domestic business people are showing interest in the govt’s plan to make Sri Lanka self-sufficient in pharmaceutical drugs in the next three years. State minister for pharmaceutical drugs, Dr. Channa Jayasumana, said 20 local manufacturers have shown interest and some have already started production. Products include gloves, masks, and saline widely used in the health care. Plans are also underway to target the most commonly used drugs by patients with more..

Oct 3 (CT) TNA Leader R. Sampanthan has emphasised to the Govt that they cannot escape from the impact being made by the Indian Govt to completely enforce the 13th Amendment to SL’s Constitution. Sampanthan said this, while expressing his views to the Media regarding the statement made by Indian PM Narendra Modi, that 13th Amendment should be implemented in full. Modi had stated so during the bilateral summit held recently between him and PM Mahinda more..

Oct 3 (CT) Former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando testified that former President Maithripala Sirisena had without any preliminary investigation made him (Fernando) and former IGP Pujith Jayasundara the fall guys for the 21 April 2019 Easter Sunday bombings, just two days after the attacks, because he would not be able to run for a second term in office if his reputation was tarnished. He was testifying before the PCoI more..

Oct 3 (ST) Until August this year, the CIABOC was able to file bribery charges against 48 people, but not a single corruption case, a progress report by the commission revealed. The report covers January 1 to August 31. Only five cases have been filed in Magistrates’ Courts in which six are accused, while another 31 cases filed in the High Courts, 42 are accused. Among the 42 accused, most are low-ranking state officials, including police constables, sergeants, main bus stop recorder, watcher, more..

Oct 3 (NC) On Sept 25, hundreds of tea workers in Nuwara Eliya district went for a strike to raise their complaints against regional plantation companies. Tea plantation workers have been carrying out repeated demonstrations in SL’s central highlands demanding better pay and work conditions. The workers demanded an increase in their daily wages to a minimum of LKR 1,000 (USD 5.42). They also complained about plantation owners imposing productivity demands and wage cuts. more..

Oct 3 (CT) Former State Intelligence Service (SIS) Director, Senior DIG Nilantha Jayawardena, had informed, during a meeting held with Pakistani Envoys, on 16 April 2019, five days prior to the 21 April 2019, Easter Sunday bombings, that there was no Islamist extremism in Sri Lanka. This was revealed on 30 Sept, when the former Director General of the Institute of National Security Studies of SL (INSSSL), more..

Oct 3 (ST) In the north, monumental stones built centuries ago, for the common good are in danger of disappearing. No effort is made to protect them, and the young are not being taught their cultural value. In the past when there was no modern transport, men carried loads on their back and shoulder-high chumai-thaangi (load carrier) stones allowed them to rest a load and carry it again without help from others. There were also other stones for cattle to scrub themselves against more..