Sri Lanka make four last-minute changes to final T20 squad
Sri Lanka make four last-minute changes to final T20 squad cricket View(s): View(s):Sri Lanka will make four changes to their squad for the upcoming men’s T20 World Cup with Pathum Nissanka, Lahiru Kumar, Binura Fernando and Akila Dananjaya likely to be included in the 15-man squad, which needs to be finalised by today. However, given Dananjaya’s experience, having played 31 internationals since making his debut at the 2012 World Cup held in Sri Lanka, the off-spinner stand a slight advantage over the uncapped leg-break bowler Tharanga. With the team’s think-tank making changes to the team composition, Nissanka has been identified as the ‘ideal’ opening partner to Kusal Janith Perera. Nissanka did so against Oman in the first game played on Thursday which Sri Lanka won by 19 runs but the right-hander managed just eight runs off his 14-ball stay in the middle. Sri Lanka will play Namibia, Netherlands and Ireland in round one where they need to be among the two teams in the group to earn a place in the main draw.
Source:Sunday Times
October 10, 2021 00:22 UTC
NDB Bank among “Top 10 Most Admired Companies” in Sri Lanka
NDB Bank among “Top 10 Most Admired Companies” in Sri Lanka View(s):National Development Bank PLC was recently named among the ‘10 Most Admired Companies in Sri Lanka’ for the 2020/2021 financial year. NDB Bank said in a media release that it was among the Top 10 due to the bank’s resilience during a year that challenged even the strongest of organisations. The panel of judges, chaired by Ravi Abeysuriya, consisted of Hajar Alafifi, Rolf Blaser, Sunil Dissanayake, Varuni Amunugama Fernando, Santosh Menon, Faizal Salieh, Dr. Sulochana Sigera, and Deepal Sooriyaarachchi. Adding to the many firsts the bank has achieved in its digital evolution, is the launch of the latest video KYC (vKYC) based account opening process. vKYC verification utilises artificial intelligence (AI) technology enabling customers to open NDB accounts from the comfort and safety of the home, without having to visit a branch.
Source:Sunday Times
October 10, 2021 00:22 UTC
Damning testimonies reveal the truth behind Qatar's expensive PR gloss
Rafiq, who is gay, says that over time his behaviour became a source of 'terrible shame for my wealthy family'. He signed a deal this year, thought to be worth at least £10 million, to be the media-friendly face of Qatar. The Qataris we interviewed, who spoke about the mental toll of hiding their sexuality, believe a well-judged pronouncement from Kane and Co ahead of the World Cup could stimulate debate and possibly reform. 'If the World Cup improves things marginally then that is good,' he says. Around the time Qatar began lobbying for the rights to the World Cup, stories about women punished under zina laws stopped appearing in state-run papers.
Source:The Nation
October 09, 2021 21:56 UTC
Portugal 3-0 Qatar: Cristiano Ronalde stars in friendly win
By Nathan Salt For MailonlinePublished: 17:26 EDT, 9 October 2021 | Updated: 17:48 EDT, 9 October 2021Cristiano Ronaldo netted his 112th goal for Portugal as he starred in a routine friendly win against Qatar. The 2022 World Cup hosts were handed a sobering reminder of just how big the task will be next winter when they come up against elite opposition. Ronaldo, teed up by Manchester United team-mate Diogo Dalot, set Portugal on their way before former Southampton defender Jose Fonte bundled in a second before the half-time whistle. Andre Silva capped off a comfortable evening with a third late on. More to follow.
Source:The Nation
October 09, 2021 21:56 UTC
Sunny Side Up: Theme song for SIS
A theme song and history book marking the 80th anniversary of the State Intelligence Service (SIS) was launched earlier in the month by Secretary of Defence and Disaster Management Maj. Gen. Kamal Gunaratne at a simple ceremony. The SIS began operations on 1 October in the year 1941. After paying floral tributes to the soldiers who laid down their lives for the country in front of the Heroes’ Monument at the SI Headquarters, religious ceremonies were held to pay tributes to the fallen heroes and wish good luck to the institution, officials, and the country. The Secretary of Defence had said that the SIS had fought against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) for over 30 years, and even today were playing an important role in pandemic control in the country.
Source:The Nation
October 09, 2021 19:18 UTC
Sunny Side Up: Gearing for polls?
October 10, 2021 by News Admin No CommentsState Minister of Provincial Councils and Local Government Roshan Ranasinghe had said that details related to holding the provincial council (PC) elections, including a possible time frame, were being discussed and prepared, and would be presented to the Cabinet of Ministers shortly. The State Minister had noted that the Minister in charge of the subject will submit these proposals to the Cabinet in the near future. The State Minister made this comment to the media during an event in Kandy.
Source:The Nation
October 09, 2021 19:18 UTC
Sunny Side Up: Jagath’s appointment halted
October 10, 2021 by News Admin No CommentsThe appointment of Dr. Jagath Wellawatte as Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to Australia had been reversed by the Government. It is learnt that the Government was looking at nominating another in place of Dr. Wellawatte. Politically aligned to Minister of Finance Basil Rajapaksa, Dr. Wellawatte is the former Chairman of the Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation (SLIC) and was nominated as the High Commissioner-designate to Australia in July this year.
Source:The Nation
October 09, 2021 19:07 UTC
Sunny Side Up: Namal in Kenya
October 10, 2021 by News Admin No CommentsMinister of Youth and Sports Namal Rajapaksa last week travelled to Kenya to further develop bilateral ties. Details of Rajapaksa’s visit to Kenya were not immediately known. Rajapaksa tweeted about his visit to Kenya last Thursday (7), saying: “Just arrived in #Nairobi #Kenya. Looking forward to a series productive meetings to further strengthen both bilateral relations & people to people friendships between our nations (sic).”
Source:The Nation
October 09, 2021 19:02 UTC
Sunny Side Up: Mahindananda’s revelation
He made this revelation in Parliament last Monday (4) while responding to a question on an allegation levelled by him last year that Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) was involved in match-fixing during the 2011 cricket World Cup finals. He informed Parliament that he was not satisfied with the investigations carried out on the cricket match-fixing allegation made by him. “During the investigation, the Chairman of the Cricket Board was not questioned; a statement also not taken from the Sri Lanka Cricket Team Manager. Former Head of Sri Lanka Cricket’s 2011 ICC World Cup Suraj Dandeniya, Secretary Nishantha Ranatunga, and Chairman D.S. Aluthgamage went on to say that to his disappointment, the 2011 ICC World Cup match-fixing investigations ended abruptly, without any conclusion.
Source:The Nation
October 09, 2021 18:56 UTC
Sunny Side Up: Basil-Suma exchange words
October 10, 2021 by News Admin No CommentsMinister of Finance Basil Rajapaksa and Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP M.A. Sumanthiran were last Thursday (7) involved in an exchange of words during the parliamentary party leaders’ meeting. Legislators representing the Opposition had questioned the governing party leaders about the prolonged detention of MP Rishad Bathiudeen without initiating legal action against him. However, the exchange of words between Sumanthiran and Rajapaksa had taken place when the latter had responded to the points raised by the TNA MP.
Source:The Nation
October 09, 2021 18:56 UTC
Covid-19 jabs and overseas travel: Concerns over US, UK entry criteria
The entry criteria announced last week by the UK and the US for fully vaccinated individuals caused concerns among Sri Lankans anticipating foreign travel. While the UK is yet to accept Sri Lanka’s vaccine certification, the US announced that it does not accept Russian-manufactured Sputnik vaccines. Due to a technical anomaly, we understand that the date of birth is not clearly reflected in the QR code on the vaccine passport. Due to this, Sri Lanka saw many youngsters hesitant to receive the Sinopharm, AstraZeneca, and Sputnik V vaccines due to fears of not being eligible to enter these countries. However, foreign news reports indicate that the WHO, as of 29 September, put on hold approval for the Sputnik V vaccine.
Source:The Nation
October 09, 2021 18:56 UTC
Dilum hints at resumption of interprovincial public transport services
October 10, 2021 12:28 amInterprovincial public transportation services will resume from October 21, State Minister of Vehicle Regulation, Bus Transport Services and Train Compartments Dilum Amunugama says. The government recently extended the interprovincial travel restrictions until October 21 in a bid to keep the pandemic situation under control. Buses returned to operations after the quarantine curfew was eased, however, only within provincial limits. Train services are yet to be resumed.
Source:The Nation
October 09, 2021 18:56 UTC
Sri Lanka records 29 new COVID-related deaths
October 9, 2021 04:10 pmThe total number of people, who fell victim to COVID-19 infection in Sri Lanka, moved up as 29 more fatalities were confirmed by the Director-General of Health Services on Friday (October 08). The new development has pushed the official death toll from the virus outbreak in the country to 13,296. Latest victims include 18 males and 11 females, the Department of Government Information said. According to official data, 23 deaths were reported among elderly people aged above 60 years. In addition, 06 people aged between 30-59 years have also succumbed to the virus infection.
Source:The Nation
October 09, 2021 10:41 UTC
Govt damaged Agri Sector : Activist
COLOMBO (News 1st); The All Ceylon Agrarian Federation alleges that the most serious damage that could be done to the agricultural sector, has been done by the Government. Speaking to media, Namal Karunaratne, the National Organizer of the All Ceylon Agrarian Federation said that the farmers are being told not to irrigate by the Government, are boycotting Maha season meetings, and have entered a massive wave of protests. ” The next gazette which will be reversed by the Government is the decision they took regarding fertilizers. The Government that came to cultivate barren paddy fields has created a situation where even the existing, good paddy fields have become barren,” he said. Karunaratne added that the area under cultivation in the country has reduced, alongside the relevant yield of the agriculture.
Source:The Nation
October 09, 2021 09:33 UTC
OnePlus 9 RT specs officially confirmed, sales begin October 19
Yesterday OnePlus announced it will unveil the OnePlus 9 RT on October 13, and today the company confirmed the smartphone's key specs. The OnePlus 9 RT will be powered by the Snapdragon 888 SoC paired with LPDDR5 RAM and UFS 3.1 storage. OnePlus doesn't tell us how much RAM the 9 RT will come with, but thanks to Geekbench, we know it will have 12GB RAM onboard. Those interested can pre-book the OnePlus 9 RT through online retailer JD.com and Suning.com, and the images shared by the retailers on their websites confirm the 9 RT will feature a 50MP primary camera. OnePlus 9 RTWe are still four days away from the launch, so expect OnePlus to reveal more about the 9 RT in the lead-up to the event.
Source:The Nation
October 09, 2021 09:00 UTC