Sep 27 (TM) Uber Eats announced its launch in Gampaha, its fifth city in Sri Lanka, bringing food and grocery to the region and connecting local restaurants and merchants with new customers. Uber Eats app is available in the Gampaha town and surrounding areas, such as Ganemulla and Moragoda. People can order from over 30 restaurants on the app, including global brands like KFC and Pizza Hut, and local favourites such as Hansa Village, Hogwarts Café, more..

Sep 27 (NR) The JVP says the market price of rice will inevitably increase in future. JVP Chief Secretary Tilvin Silva said the paddy harvest will further decline as the govt has restricted the import of fertiliser at a time when there is a shortage of rice in the market, adding the price of rice cannot be controlled through media gimmicks. Silva said the govt attempted to control prices by appointing military personnel to the Consumer Affairs Authority to ensure stocks are not being concealed or more..

Sep 27 (EN) If the circumstances call for it, Sri Lanka may consider going for a COVID-19 vaccine mandate, according to Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella. He said if the need arises, govt may discuss a legal framework for such a mandate with the advice of health experts. “Just as one has a right to one’s own life, there is a problem if one opposes decisions that will prevent someone else being infected. more..

Sep 27 (EN) Sri Lanka will start competitions on social media, photography and hold online webinars, the tourism promotions office said as the sector remained under lockdown on World Tourism day. “This year’s World Tourism Day will be celebrated under the theme Tourism for Inclusive Growth, focusing on fostering a people-centric, technology-driven, and sustainable tourism sector from the grassroots level, to achieve overall sustainable economic development,” more..

Sep 27 (AD) Total number people who fell victim to COVID-19 infection in SL moved up as 51 more fatalities were confirmed by the Director-General of Health Services on Sunday. The new development has pushed the official death toll from the virus outbreak in SL to 12,731. The latest victims include 29 males and 22 females. As many as 41 deaths were reported among the elderly people aged above 60 years. In addition, 10 individuals aged between 30-59 years have also fallen victim to virus more..

Sep 27 (FT) Cabinet of Ministers has approved an initiative to provide financial assistance to micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) industrialists who are grappling to continue business due to adverse impacts of the COVID pandemic. The proposal to this effect submitted by Industries Minister Wimal Weerawansa had been by the Cabinet of Ministers, with few amendments. “I presented a Cabinet proposal titled more..

Sep 27 (CT) Former Governor Rajith Keerthi Tennakoon has urged that all illegal agrochemicals sold in the country be confiscated immediately and that the smugglers should be prosecuted. According to him, the Registrar of Pesticides has ordered that just nine of the roughly 30 counterfeit pesticides being sold in the island be confiscated and punished. While it is heartening to see illicit agrochemicals being caught and prosecuted under the Pesticides Act, he noted that by more..

Sep 27 (CT) President’s Counsel U.R. de Silva says it is the sole prerogative of the incumbent Attorney General (AG) whether or not to prosecute the leaders of the previous UNF regime, who have been named as those responsible for their failure to prevent the Easter Sunday terror attacks of 2019 by the report compiled by the PCoI which probed the incident. He stated that though it is an accepted norm in law that justice hurried is justice buried, it is still the task of the AG more..

Sep 27 (TM) CID has reportedly grilled Minister of Trade Bandula Gunawardena for nearly four hours in order to obtain a statement from him regarding the recent garlic fiasco. This comes after a director of the CAA recently made a statement that Minister Gunawardena obstructed probes into the sale of two containers of garlic to a third party and pressurized the director in question to resign from his post. more..

Sep 27 (Island) SLPP MP Madhura Withanage says that the National Medical Regulatory Authority’s data were erased only after he had lodged a complaint at the CID seeking an investigation into alleged corrupt deals there. MP said he had lodged a complaint with the CID on 6 April, calling for a probe into NMRA’s deals during the 2015-2019 period. “Corruption was rampant at the NMRA during that period. So I made a complaint to the CID on 06 April. Thereafter, the CID started investigations and more..

Sep 27 (EN) SL’s central bank, which has printed large volumes of money, triggering outflows above total inflows (a balance of payments deficit), keeping rupee rates below credit trends discouraging spot and forward forex sales, has published a statement explaining surrender requirements. Surrender requirements are usually tightened by central banks who have undermined the credibility of the exchange rate system by liquidity injections. Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) imposed a 40-pct more..

Sep 28 (DM) The landmark judgment delivered by Moneragala High Court Judge Ranga Dissanayake on September 13 over an election petition has not been sufficiently discussed within the political circles or civil society, as it deserves. At a time the country is longing for a better electoral system, the judgment, we feel might throw light on at least one aspect of election. This judgment has been given in respect of a case filed by the PAFFREL in collaboration with the CMEV. more..

Sep 28 (DM) The World Food Systems Summit, which was held virtually on Sept 23, evoked both enthusiasm and strong disapproval. The division was between rich and poor countries, the proponents of corporate export-oriented agriculture on the one hand, and people’s movements fighting for food democracy and the interests of the poor farmers on the other. Even as the US announced a multi-year investment of US$ 10 billion in global food security, climate change and adaptation more..

Sep 28 (CT) Remember the fear that gripped Sri Lanka and the scary stories that were aired over radio and television channels earlier this year when the black fungus was detected from COVID-19 patients in India? Our giant neighbour, who was going through a traumatic period with people succumbing by the thousands to the deadly COVID-19 delta wave was also victim to the deadly black fungus – Mucormycosis, more..

Sep 28 (CT) COVID-19 terror on a net basis infected 235 persons on the calendar day, Saturday (25), according to latest Health Promotion Bureau (HPB), a Health Ministry adjunct, data available at the time of writing, with the breakdown being 1,078 new cases being identified, with recoveries being a mere 843. This is far from the ideal situation which the country experienced more than two months ago, where for 10 consecutive days beginning from 3 July 2021 to 12 July 2021, Sri Lanka, more..

Sep 28 (TM) At a moment when the country is trying its hardest to deal with the scarcity of several essential food items and fight arbitrary price increases by businessmen, a large-scale irregularity at the state-run Sathosa has come to light. The alleged irregularity, which is said to be a multi-million rupee fraud, was revealed by a brave act of an ordinary employee. Sathosa Chairman Ananda Peiris told the media that he had received a tip-off from a female employee at Sathosa, more..

Sep 28 (TM) An intense emotional outrage may lead to a murder. Although it satisfies inbuilt rage of a person, are the consequences thought through? The law does not permit a criminal to reside in society as they become a threat to others. This article will explain how the crime of murder is analysed under the SL legal system. The objective of this article is to dissuade or demotivate those contemplating murder. more..

Sep 28 (Island) Several persons including a trader have been arrested and remanded over the Sathosa garlic racket. Media pressure seems to have jolted the police into action at long last. Since a judicial inquiry is now underway into the allegations against the suspects, the matter is best left to the learned judges concerned. One, however, cannot help wondering why no action has been taken against all high-ranking officials of Sathosa responsible for the questionable garlic deal. more..

Sep 28 (CT) Three prominent Buddhist monks representing national Organisations here said the response from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva Michelle Bachelet, to the request made by the Prez to the Tamil Diaspora to engage in a productive dialogue with Colombo, has been a deafening silence. The monks charged that this dubious behaviour on the part of Bachelet, further underscores the double standards adopted by the UNHCHR in Geneva towards SL, more..

Sep 28 (Roar) In 2020, Sri Lanka was met with a formidable obstacle: the COVID-19 pandemic, the most severe contagion to plague the country in recent memory. As the nation scrambled to set up measures and enable mechanisms that protected its citizenry against the spread of COVID-19, it became more evident that one segment of the population was at higher risk than had been predicted—the elderly. This brought up two questions: how can effective, age-responsive strategies help uplift more..

Sep 28 (ST) Britain’s PM Boris Johnson is mostly bluster, braggadocio and baloney. He has blundered along and right now he is brandishing his Etonian elitism around even as the country is on the brink of a crisis with sharply rising energy prices and cut backs in social welfare threaten to throw several millions of the country’s households into desperate struggles to survive the coming winter. If at times his bluster and prevarications have sounded as though we have suffered these before from ministers more..

Sep 28 (DN) SL’s women’s cricket captain Chamari Atapattu left the island to play for Perth Scorchers in the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL). This will be the first time in 11 months that Atapattu will play competitive cricket after playing for Supernovas in the Women’s T20 Challenge organized by BCCI last year. She was the most successful batter in the Women’s T20 challenge (women’s IPL) having scored back to back more..

Sep 28 (Island) The Board of Control for Cricket in India announced their home fixtures for next year and SL have been slotted in for a Test series. However, unlike three Tests that has been customary between the countries, this time around, India has reduced the series for just two Test matches. Accordingly, SL will play in Bangalore and Mohali early next year, the first time they will play in a southern state since 2005. Interestingly, it seems that the big 3 – India, Australia & England more..

Sep 28 (FT) To further enhance and expand investment corridors between SL and Thailand, the Embassy and Permanent Mission of SL in Bangkok, together with the Board of Investment of SL and China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) Port City Colombo Ltd., co-hosted a high-powered dialogue by inviting leading line agencies and trade chambers of commerce of Thailand to an opportunity exploration meeting recently. Several senior level dignitaries from Thai-SL Chamber of more..

Sep 28 (TM) Gender equality and equity, or the lack thereof, has been one of those discourses that have a multitude of aspects that keep changing the discourse from time to time. In addition to most prominent concepts such as patriarchy, other factors relating to the economy, politics, psychology, and art, among others, have had a significant impact on how gender inequality is discussed, and due to its multifaceted nature, finding permanent, or more..

Sep 28 (CT) Asoka Jayasena, National Rugby Selection Committee Chairman and Kandy coach and former national sevens captain Fazil Marija, believe Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR) will give a solution to make available all club players to play in the invitational rugby sevens tournament scheduled to be held on 30-31 Oct at Police Grounds, which will be considered as national selection trials. After approval was granted from the Govt authorities to restart rugby under health guidelines, more..

Sep 28 (CT) State Minister Sathasivam Viyalanderan, said all possible steps have been taken to improve the skills of young sportsmen/women in the rural villages in the Batticaloa District with the intention of transforming them to be athletes of international standard capable of bringing honour to the motherland. He said that the Vantharumoolai Diamond Stadium, Meerakerney Stadium and Koddaikallar Stadium in the Batticaloa District, renovated under the first phase of more..

Sep 28 (EN) SL stock index gained 3.69% on Monday, after the new central bank governor’s statement over the weekend pointed to some stable interest rates and exchange rates in the near future, brokers said. Foreign investors, however, sold a net 722 million rupee worth of shares on Monday. The market has suffered a net foreign outflow of over 43.2 billion rupees so far this year. Reappointed central bank governor Nivard Cabraal during a weekend told a virtual forum that more..

Sep 28 (FT) SL-born Kamzy Gunaratnam who was elected to the Norwegian Parliament recently said she would promote engagement between SL and Norway and focus on cooperation in areas such as women’s empowerment among all communities. “I don’t believe in boycotting. There need to be investments. Only that will ensure employment,” she said during a virtual press conference on Sunday. Gunaratnam, who migrated to Norway at the age of three with her parents, contested from more..

Sep 28 (FT) CB yesterday exposed that exporters are estimated to have hoarded nearly a staggering $ 3 billion in earnings overseas without repatriating, an act which the monetary authority alleged was a key cause for the foreign exchange crisis and resultant impact on the rest of the economy. Export earnings in the first eight months of this year amounted to $ 7.88 billion, up by 22.3% from the corresponding period of last year. more..

Sep 28 (Island) The Conservation Tourism webinar series organised by Sri Lanka Tourism Alliance was held last month, to explore the topic of Wildlife and Nature Conservation, as it applies to the Future Sustainability of SL’s Tourism Industry. The webinar attracted a record number of virtual attendees and featured an eminent panel of speakers. The session was introduced by Co-Chair of the SL Tourism Alliance, Malik J Fernando, and moderated by Niranga Gunaratna, more..

Sep 28 (DM) The officers attached to the SL Customs Narcotics Control Division today thwarted an attempt to smuggle 16 kg of gold into the country. Two suspects were arrested over this smuggling. The gold suspected to be smuggled into the country through courier companies through the cargo sector using fake trade names. The gold in the form of spare parts and machine components were found packed in several packs and were declared to customs as vehicle motor spare parts and more..

Sep 28 (TM) There have been reports of consumers complaining that there is a shortage of rice in all parts of the country for the past few days, despite the Govt having imposed emergency regulations on the supply of essential food items. Consumers had posted on social media platforms, particularly on Facebook, that there was a shortage of keeri samba and samba rice even in supermarkets, in some areas, more..

Sep 28 (FT) Second dose vaccine coverage of persons over the age of 30 has risen to 99.1%. Second dose coverage is below 70% in only two districts in the country, with 61.2% coverage in Kilinochchi and 69.9% coverage in Vavuniya. 48.5% of the 20 to 29 age group has received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 12.7% has received the second dose as well. Vaccination of children with comorbidities and cognitive impairments in the 12 to 19 age category began across WP yesterday. more..

Sep 28 (MFA) Foreign Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris and British Minister of State for South Asia, UN and Commonwealth Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon had discussions recently at the Sri Lanka Mission in New York. The Ministers discussed a wide range of issues including trade, investment opportunities available in the Port City and elsewhere, resumption of tourism, and matters relating to development and reconciliation with particular reference to relations with the diaspora. more..

Sep 28 (FT) Energy Minister Udaya Gammanpila has said prices for cargo arriving at an upcoming LNG facility by US firm New Fortress Energy Inc. will be the cheapest. He made this comment in an interview with Bloomberg which reported that SL was pushing on with LNG imports even as gas surged. Gammanpila said he expected gas prices to have declined from record highs when the LNG plant started in 2023. more..

Sep 28 (MC) As a lawyer and human-rights champion who led the first-ever national study of prisons in SL last year, Ambika Satkunanathan is vocal against the violence that is an endemic part of prison systems, and the retributive and vengeful nature of state justice that creates worse problems in society and creates criminals rather than rehabilitating them. “Violence is used to maintain order, which robs the person in prison of dignity and agency from the moment they enter prison more..