Moves away from the island z Over 10,000

pushed to safe locations

z One person missing and four injured

z Mannar District worst affected

The cyclonic storm Burevi was moving further away from Sri Lanka since last morning (3), the Department of Meteorology confirmed.

However, naval and fishing communities were advised not to venture into the deep and shallow sea areas off the coast extending from Colombo to Trincomalee via Mannar and Kankesanturai until this morning (4). In addition, fishermen in other sea areas were advised to be vigilant.

Contd. on page 2

epaper.themorning.lkepaper.aruna.lk

www.themorning.lkwww.aruna.lk

epaper.themorning.lkepaper.aruna.lk

www.themorning.lkwww.aruna.lk

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2020

SEE FULL STORIES ON PAGE 2

SEE FULL STORIES ON PAGE 2

*Stats updated as at 8.00 p.m. on 3 December

TOTAL CASES

21,994COVID-19

Interpol on Wednesday (2) warned authorities worldwide of the threat from organised crime groups during upcoming Covid-19 vaccination campaigns, including fake vaccines and the theft of supplies.

Interpol warns of moves against vaccine campaign

Stern action will be taken against those obstructing the duties of health officials engaged in Covid-19 preventive measures, warned Police Media Spokesman DIG Ajith Rohana yesterday (3).

Stern action against obstructors

COVID-19 CASES IN

THE WORLD

TOTAL CASES

65,027,288DEATHS

1,502,872RECOVERD

45,105,991

CASES DEATHSUSA 14,318,268 279,971INDIA 9,539,227 138,744 BRAZIL 6,436,650 174,531RUSSIA 2,375,546 41,607FRANCE 2,244,635 53,816

PROTECT YOURSELF FROM

COVID-19Suwasariya Ambulance

Service 1990

� Telephone 0114354854, 0114733600 � Hotline 0113456200-4

� Fax 0112333066, 0114354882 � Email ptf@pmoffice.gov.lk

PRESIDENTIAL SPECIAL TASK FORCE FOR ESSENTIAL SERVICES6,604DEATHS

129RECOVERED19,032

ACTIVE CASES TOTAL CASES

25,760 � Quarantine Unit

0112 112 705 � Epidemiology Unit

0112 695 112 � Govt. coronavirus hotline

0113071073 � If showing symptoms

0117 966 366

Health Promotion

Bureau 1999

For verified information on the coronavirus (Covid-19) contact any of the following authorities

THE ABOVE STATISTICS ARE CONFIRMED UP UNTIL 8.00 P.M. ON 3 DECEMBER 2020 SOURCE: HEALTH PROMOTION BUREAU

GCE O/L EXAM

Minister of Education Professor G.L. Pieris stated that the GCE Ordinary Level (O/L) examination for the year 2020 is expected to be held in March 2021.

Likely to be in March 2021

MATALE MC MAYOR

RELOCATION OF BBC

A motion has been tabled in the UK Parliament, urging to reconsider the decision to relocate the BBC Sinhala radio service to India, citing inability to report impartially on human rights-related matters in Sri Lanka in the event the news service was relocated.

British MPs urge reconsidering decision

COURT CASES

INDUSTRIAL DISPUTE

Minister of Labour Nimal Siripala de Silva has instructed members of the Labour Department’s dispute resolution panel to solve industrial dispute matters filed by employees or trade unions within three months.

Resolutions within three months

PARLIAMENTARY COUNCIL

STATE CHRISTMAS MASS

MAHARA PRISON CLASH

An inmate of the Mahara Prison who escaped while receiving treatment at the Ragama Teaching Hospital was arrested in the Orugodawatta area yesterday (3) and will be detained separately in the Welikada Prison, stated Police Media Spokesman DIG Ajith Rohana.

Contd. on page 2

Escaped inmate captured

DESERVING TREATMENT

A group of Covid-19-infected prisoners of the Welikada Prison were taken to the Kandakadu Quarantine Centre yesterday (3) PHOTO PRADEEP DAMBARAGE

The tally of Covid-19-related recoveries reported in Sri Lanka went up again as 728 patients were discharged from medical care upon returning to health yesterday (3).

SL records over 19,000 recoveries

Keels Supermarket, Kalubowila was closed after two of its employees tested positive for Covid-19 yesterday (3), the management said.

Keells Kalubowila to reopen after disinfecting

RESTARTING TOURISM IN JANUARY

BY SARAH HANNAN

The Minister of Tourism is awaiting the updated Covid-19 prevention guidelines from the Ministry of Health to resume the regular operations of the airport to reopen the country for leisure travel next month.

“Necessary arrangements are in place to open the airport hopefully by January 2021, when the country is geared to receive foreign tourists, and to restart the country’s tourism trade. We are now awaiting the approvals and guidelines from the Ministry of Health,” Minister of

Tourism Prasanna Ranatunga told The Morning.

Accordingly, Ranatunga along with officials from the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) held a special discussion yesterday (3) on the feasibility and the measures that need to be in place in preparation to

receive groups from countries that have agreed to send in travellers.

“Numerous requests and inquiries were made by a number of parliamentarians including Chandima Weerakkody, Premitha Bandara Tennakoon, and Diana Gamage at the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Tourism held on Wednesday (2) with regard to the need to expedite the opening of the airport to tourists. Therefore, we have taken these inquiries into consideration and will deliberate,” Ranatunga claimed.

Contd. on page 2

Awaiting new guidelinesz All arrangements in place

to reopen airportz 80 tourist service

locations identified

PROTESTING PHIS

Five Public Health Inspectors (PHIs) have withdrawn from duties in the Atalugama Grama Niladhari Division in the Bandaragama Medical Officer of Health

(MOH) Division due to non-co-operation of the public, stated PHI Union of Sri Lanka Secretary M. Balasooriya.

Contd. on page 2

PHIs withdraw from duties in Atalugama

BY MAHEESHA MUDUGAMUWA

The Joint Health Workers' Union (JHWU) staged a protest in front of seven government hospitals yesterday (3) demanding the reinstatement of non-

permanent health workers who have already completed their probation period currently working in government-owned health institutions including government hospitals across the country.

Contd. on page 2

Health sector woes to the fore

CYCLONE BUREVI

Central Province Governor Lalith U. Gamage on Wednesday (2) issued an extraordinary gazette notification removing Matale Municipal Council (MC) Mayor Daljith Aluvihare from his position.

Gazette removes Aluvihare

Daljith Aluvihare

Parliament has approved the appointment of Nimal Punchihewa as the new Chairman of the Election Commission (EC), stated the EC yesterday (3).

New EC Chairman approved

Nimal Punchihewa

Justice Minister Ali Sabry on Wednesday (2) said that a total of 231,506 cases in district courts were yet to be solved as at the end of last year.

Minister Ali Sabry

Over 200,000 pending cases

The Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) recently revisited the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Government of Japan on 19 June 2019, which launched the Specified Skilled Workers Recruitment Programme (SSWRP).

Contd. on page 2

Job opportunities in 14 fieldsz SLBFE to conduct Japanese

language proficiency testz Japanese language classes

to be implemented

SLBFE officials engaged in the special tripartite online discussion on 1 December

It has been revealed to the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) that a considerable number of public enterprises had not presented their annual reports within the stipulated time period.

Contd. on page 2

COPE gets tough with secretaries

COPE Chairman Prof. Charitha Herath

The committee appointed to inquire into the recent Mahara Prison riot visited the Prison yesterday (3) to record evidence.

The committee was appointed by Minister of Justice Ali Sabry on Monday (30 November).

Contd. on page 2

Probe committee records evidence

This year’s state-sponsored Christmas mass is to be decorated in batik, handloom, and local crafts, the State Ministry for Batik, Handloom, and Local Apparel Products stated.

State Minister Dayasiri Jayasekara, during a recent visit paid to Archbishop of Colombo His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith,

proposed making arrangements to commemorate this year’s Christmas festivities with a touch of true Sri Lankan identity.

During the discussion, Jayasekara suggested that the state-sponsored Christmas mass this year be decorated using locally produced handicrafts.

Contd. on page 2

Decked in batik and handloom

Archbishop of Colombo His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith and State Minister Dayasiri Jayasekara

MIGRANT WORKERSMP Vijitha Herath

The National People’s Power (NPP) yesterday (3) questioned as to what happened to the video footage of the shooting that took place inside the Mahara Prison during the unrest.

Contd. on page 2

NPP seeks videos of shooting

Five more Covid-19-related deaths were reported last night (3), bringing the total deaths in Sri Lanka to 129.

Death toll increases to 129

the morningFriday , December 4, 2020NEWS

Cartoon of the day

Contd. from page 1

2

Awaiting new...The Minister highlighted that since the

UK has been declared as the first country to approve the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine, soon to be followed by Europe and the US, the airports can be opened soon if the said vaccine is effective amongst travellers from the said regions.

“We have identified 80 tourist service locations to facilitate tourists visiting the country in accordance with the Covid health guidelines. Hotels and institutions located in travel hotspots that are capable of providing the requisite services adhering to Covid-19 guidelines, are encouraged to register for this purpose and would be given approval to operate after those service establishments are checked by the health services authorities,” SLTDA Chairperson Kimarli Fernando stated.

Likely to...Speaking at a press conference yesterday

(3), he further said that students would be informed of the exam dates six weeks prior to their commencement.

New EC...The President nominated Punchihewa as

the new Chairman of the EC.In addition, Parliament approved the names

for the Police Commission, Social Services Commission, and Bribery and Corruption Commission.

Moves away...Cyclone Burevi made landfall late

Wednesday evening (2) in the Trincomalee District and moved across to the Northern Province impacting all five districts, forcing 10,336 persons from 2,911 families to seek shelter in 79 safe locations, according to the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) situation update as of noon yesterday.

The cyclone had caused partial damage to 192 houses, while 15 houses were fully damaged, and nine commercial properties were partially damaged.

“The cyclone, when it made landfall, got downgraded due to the change in the wind direction. Also, since we moved vulnerable families to safe locations, the casualties recorded were minimised to four injured persons and one person reported missing.

“A total of 12,252 persons from 3,575 families were affected by the cyclone over the past 36 hours,” DMC Assistant Director H.D.G. Priyantha told The Morning.

The Trincomalee District made arrangements to evacuate 2,558 persons from 884 families to 52 safe locations before the cyclone hit the region.

The Mannar District saw the worst of the cyclone, where 7,749 persons from 2,236 families were affected, out of which 6,795 persons from 1,778 families were moved to 18 safe locations.

– Sarah Hannan

Health sector...Furthermore, they demanded the return of

reduced transport facilities.The protests were held in front of the Kegalle

General Hospital, Kalutara Nagoda General Hospital, Kuliyapitiya Teaching Hospital, Kandy National Hospital, Colombo National Hospital, Colombo South Teaching Hospital (Kalubowila), and Nuwara Eliya General Hospital. These protests were held as the Government had not taken any steps to make permanent all non-permanent health workers even though it had taken me about 9 days to complete 180 days. JHWU General Secretary Tampitiye Sugathananda Thera told The Morning that there were about 3,000 non-permanent health workers across the country. Keells...

In a statement, it said all operations at the store were temporarily halted and the store was closed for sanitisation.

“The store will reopen following the recommended sanitisation procedures by the Epidemiology Unit of the Ministry of Health and approval by the Public Health Inspectors (PHIs). All team members that have come into contact will undergo PCR tests whilst also being self-quarantined for 14 days,” it said.

“We are committed to respecting the privacy of all our customers and team members, and kindly request your support in doing the same,” the management said.

It said Keels Supermarkets have conducted close to 1,100 PCR tests so far and would continue random testing for its team, as early detection will contain the spread of the virus.

Stern action...He said this in relation to an incident on

Wednesday (2), when a Covid-19 patient spat at the face of a Public Health Inspector (PHI) in Atulugama.

“When the PHI of the area visited Atulugama to transport the patient to a treatment centre, the person has rejected treatment, obstructed the PHI, and spat on his face,” the DIG said.

He said the Bandaragama Police has launched an investigation into the incident on charges of obstructing and intimidating a government officer. “We are conducting further investigations into the incident and taking stern action against these types of persons. The PHIs and other health officials are trying to protect the people from the pandemic. If a person is objecting to a PCR test or treatment, that person will be considered a traitor, and stern action will be taken against them,” he said.

SL records...According to the Epidemiology Unit’s data,

the recuperation count now stands at 19,032.Sri Lanka has confirmed 25,410 positive

cases of Covid-19 infections to date, and 124 of them have fallen victim to the virus. Meanwhile, 6,254 active cases were still receiving treatment as of last afternoon.

As per the daily situation report, the following hospitals and treatment centres reported the latest recoveries:National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID) – 6Welikanda Base Hospital – 16Iranawila Hospital – 12Minuwangoda Base Hospital – 3Colombo East Base Hospital – 7Anuradhapura Teaching Hospital – 1Dr. Neville Fernando Teaching Hospital – 9Hambantota District General Hospital – 17Rambukkana District Hospital – 14Teldeniya Base Hospital – 3Homagama Base Hospital – 3Galgamuwa District Hospital – 11Lunawa District Hospital –28Ingiriya District Hospital – 1Kosgama District Hospital – 1Divulapitiya District Hospital – 5Dompe District Hospital – 5Pimbura District Hospital – 7Radawana District Hospital – 1Palamune District Hospital – 27Narammala District Hospital – 3Mathugama District Hospital – 1Army Hospital Panagoda – 4Nochchiyagama District Hospital – 21Kandakadu Treatment Centre - 155Galella Treatment Centre – 63Punani Treatment Centre – 137Embilipitiya Treatment Centre – 2Kahawatta Treatment Centre – 55Bingiriya Treatment Centre – 30Rambukkana Treatment Centre – 02Polgolla Treatment Centre – 12Karandeniya Treatment Centre – 11Koggala Long Beach Treatment Centre – 1Panideniya Treatment Centre – 25Police Training School Kalutara – 25

COPE gets...Therefore, at the recent COPE meeting, its

Chairman Professor Charitha Herath informed all ministry secretaries to submit their annual reports within the given time frame.

This has been communicated to all the secretaries in writing.

The COPE also observed that the non-submission of annual reports prevents Parliament from receiving up-to-date data and information.

Accordingly, all the secretaries have been informed that the chairmen/heads of institutions under the purview of their respective ministries should submit their annual reports to Parliament within 150 days after the close of the financial year as per the guidelines issued by the Public Enterprises Department of the Ministry of Finance.

– Maheesha Mudugamuwa

Probe committee...Chaired by retired High Court Judge Kusala

Sarojini Weerawardena, the committee comprises President’s Counsel U.R. de Silva, Ministry of Justice Additional Secretary Rohana Hapugaswatte, former Commissioner of Prisons Gamini Jayasinghe, and former Senior Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Lalinda Ranaweera.

The committee is tasked with investigating the cause of the Mahara Prison riot and making recommendations on the necessary course of action to be taken. The committee is also to deliver recommendations for short-term actions within a week.

Meanwhile, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), which launched its investigation into the matter on Tuesday (1), has so far recorded statements from 26 people regarding the incident, according to Police Media Spokesman DIG Ajith Rohana.

Statements have been recorded from eight medical officers and two male nurses who worked at the prison hospital, 10 prison officers including the Chief Jailor, and six inmates who were injured in the incident and hospitalised.

DIG Rohana added that further investigations will be carried out to determine whether there was any provocation, conspiracy, or abetting that led to the incident, taking into account the statements of the injured and prison officials, and the assessment reports of the damage to the prison.

Resolutions...At a discussion held with dispute resolution

panel members, it was revealed that of 220 matters filed with the Department, a total of 183 matters were still being investigated by its 19-member team.

Minister de Silva stressed that the matters should be solved so as to avoid any unfairness to the victims.

He also instructed department officials to provide the necessary facilities to conduct investigations on weekends, so as to expedite the process.

– Maheesha Mudugamuwa

Escaped inmate...Ragama Hospital Director Dr. Shelton

Perera stated that the suspect had been admitted to the Ragama Teaching Hospital for treatment due to injuries sustained during the unrest at the Mahara Prison, and added that he had escaped from the hospital at around 9 p.m. on Wednesday (2).

Interpol warns...Distribution of three new coronavirus

vaccines is set to begin soon, and many people will be desperate to protect themselves as quickly as possible, offering ready targets for criminals.

“As governments are preparing to roll out vaccines, criminal organisations are planning to infiltrate or disrupt supply chains,” Interpol Head Juergen Stock, based in Lyon, France, said in a statement.

“Criminal networks will also be targeting unsuspecting members of the public via fake websites and false cures, which could pose a significant risk to their health, even their lives,” he said.

The agency had already in July warned about the proliferation of fake Covid-19 testing kits and other medical products as countries worldwide rushed to secure supplies during the pandemic.

Its cybercrime unit recently investigated some 3,000 websites linked to online pharmacies selling illicit drugs and other medical products, of which 1,700 also used phishing techniques to try to trick people into handing over personal data, or other malicious software.

“It is important to be vigilant, be skeptical, and be safe, as offers which appear too good to be true usually are,” the agency said.

(AFP)

NPP seeks...NPP MP Vijitha Herath said video footage

showing a fight between two groups of inmates at the prison was released to the media.

“There was a shooting inside the prison during the attempts taken to control the unrest. What happened to that video? Where is the footage?” he questioned in Parliament yesterday.

He said the unrest at the prison was a result of authorities’ failure to conduct enough PCR tests on the inmates.

Meanwhile, he said there were fabrications about inmates behaving in an unruly manner after consuming medicinal drugs.

“What are these medicines that provoke people? Has the Ministry of Health recommended such medicines in the first place? It is a grave mistake if it has done so,” he said.

British MPs...The motion titled “Human Rights in Sri

Lanka and the Relocation of the BBC Sinhala Service” was signed by three MPs and was tabled on 30 November.

In the motion, the MPs said that the human

Gazette removes...The Governor explained that he had

appointed a Commission of Inquiry to investigate allegations against Aluvihare, which were made by the Matale MC Deputy Mayor, together with a group of council members.

Retired High Court Judge Kusala Sarojini Weerawardena from the Commission of Inquiry handed over the report of its investigation to Gamage on 24 November.

“Since I am satisfied that there is sufficient proof of misdeeds on the part of Aluvihare, by virtue of powers vested in me, I hereby remove him from the office,” he stated in the Gazette.

“Furthermore, I order the Commissioner of Local Government and the Central Province, and Municipal Commissioner of the Municipal Council, Matale to act according to the provisions of the amended Local Authorities Elections Ordinance,” he said.

Over 200,000...Responding to a question raised by

Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Hesha Withanage, he went on to say that 49,801 cases of the total pending cases had been undergoing proceedings for one to five years.

“The number of cases ranging from 5-10 years old were 20,586, cases from 10-15 years old were 8,947, and cases from 15-20 years were 3,418. The number of cases older than 20 years totalled 4,620 at the end of 2019,” he said.

MP Withanage asked how the cases filed against allies of the Government are being completed expeditiously, whereas the cases filed against others seem to be lagging behind.

“Had all cases been given the same treatment, the cases against inmates in the Mahara Prison could have also been completed, averting the unrest,” he said.

Minister Sabry responded that there had been no case hearings held for about three months due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We requested the Judicial Service Commission to give the orders of cases that have already been heard and finalised. The Civil Court of Appeal has given around 70 orders during the last three days of the cases that have already been heard. There is a difference between filing cases and hearing cases,” he explained.

rights environment in Sri Lanka worsened with the continuation of surveillance and intimidation of activists and human rights defenders, the detention without charge of a high-profile human rights lawyer, and a presidential pardon of the only member of the armed forces convicted of a wartime atrocity.

They said the House of Commons further noted the Sri Lankan Government’s withdrawal of support for United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) resolutions on post-conflict transitional justice, accountability, and reconciliation, coupled with the Sri Lankan military forming task forces operating beyond parliamentary scrutiny and being given oversight of civilian functions, as a result of the delays to the parliamentary elections without reconvening the Sri Lankan Parliament.

“The House believes now is not the time to be re-locating the BBC Sinhala service to India with the consequent loss of jobs in the UK as well as the experience, continuity, and ability to report impartially on events and to hold the Government and military of Sri Lanka to account for their actions; and therefore urges the BBC to reconsider its decision,” the motion said.

Decked in...He added that the priests and choristers

are also to use attire made out of batik and handloom materials.

Accordingly, instead of importing textiles from foreign countries, in order to encourage

Sri Lankan handloom fabric manufacturers as well as local weavers, discussions were held to use local textiles and handloom fabrics for Christmas this year.

It is hoped that this will enable the local economy to recover from the current downturn.

Discussions were also held about the need to provide room to earn a living for families who have lost their jobs and are facing financial difficulties due to the Covid-19 epidemic, especially since Christmas symbolises compassion towards all and the need to be charitable towards the needy.

A programme is to also be developed to empower daily wage earners who have lost their income, given the present situation in the country.

The expansion of the fabrics produced in this manner throughout the country, as well as measures to popularise them among the people, were discussed during the meeting.

Jayasekara also consulted His Eminence on the proper procedures that need to be followed when designing the attire the church would use. In this regard, suggestions were made on manufacturing the robes, belts, and sashes worn by Catholic priests and bishops using local textile in the months to come.

– Sarah Hannan

PHIs withdraw...“Over 300 Covid patients were identified

from the Atalugama area so far, but because of it being declared an isolated area, most patients have been subjected to home quarantine and random PCR testing. However, there were many incidents of abusive behaviour towards the PHIs from the residents of this area, resulting in an infected person spitting at a PHI when he was instructed to stay in his house,” he told The Morning.

Owing to this incident, two out of the seven PHIs of the Bandaragama MOH Division were sent to quarantine centres, Balasooriya said.

The five remaining PHIs refused to carry out their duties in the Atalugama area but continue to work in other areas of the MOH Division, he said.

“We cannot expect the health officials to carry out their duties properly if the people fail to co-operate with them and treat them

respectfully. I urge all citizens to co-operate with the relevant authorities to navigate these challenging times,” PHI Balasooriya concluded.

Job...“In order for the candidates to secure jobs

that are available, it is mandatory that they achieve a language proficiency of Level N4 in the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT). To facilitate this, we are looking at hosting Japanese language classes. Along with that, we are also looking at avenues to incorporate the language test with vocational training programmes,” SLBFE General Manager of Promotions Jagath Batugedara told The Morning.

While people between the ages of 18 and 45 are eligible to apply for the jobs that are advertised, they will need to possess Level N4 in the JLPT, along with the respective skills in their selected field of work.

A special tripartite online discussion was held with the participation of State Minister of Foreign Employment Promotion and Market Diversification Piyankara Jayaratne, Japanese Ministry of Justice Assistant Deputy Minister Rokuichiro Michi, SLBFE Chairman Kamal Ratwatte, and respective ministry and bureau officials.

The three groups deliberated on the methodology of bringing especially skilled workers to Japan and the basics that are required to prepare for the forthcoming JLST to be held in Sri Lanka. During the discussion, senior officials of the Bureau pointed out that due to the vast opportunities for learning Japanese in Sri Lanka, there are a large number of applicants with Japanese language and skills in the country.

Japanese Deputy Minister Michi had noted that the Japanese delegation was very pleased to learn about the proposals. During the two-hour meeting, the delegation stated that they would soon hold discussions with the relevant government agencies in the country and make arrangements to conduct a language and proficiency test in Sri Lanka expeditiously.

Vacancies under the SSWRP are available in the following fields:1. Ship building and ship machinery industry2. Aviation industry3. Electric, electronics, and information

industries4. Manufacture of food and beverages5. Fishery and aquaculture6. Agriculture7. Construction industry8. Industrial machinery industries9. Machine parts and tooling industries10. Care worker11. Building cleaning management12. Automobile repair and maintenance13. Food service industry14. Accommodation industry

More information can be obtained through the official website at www.slbfe.lk.

– Sarah Hannan

Death toll...The deaths were of a female from Kolonnawa

and four males from Colombo 2, 10, and 12, according to the Government Information Department.

Annual revenues for ride hailing in Sri Lanka could increase by more than a quarter if gaps between men and women’s ridership were closed, according to Sri Lanka’s first-ever study on the women’s role in the country’s ride-hailing industry.

The study “Women and Ride-Hailing in Sri Lanka” was conducted as part of the Women in Work Programme – a partnership between IFC (International Finance Corporation), a member of the World Bank Group, and the Australian Government – along with the local ride-hailing platform PickMe, and consulting and research agency, Kantar Public.

Survey results from 280 drivers and over 780 riders reveal that women who use ride-hailing services are more than 40% more likely than men to use it as their primary mode of transport. The findings showed that over half of the

women riders were able to work more frequently because of ride-hailing services, with almost two-thirds saying ride hailing enabled them to access more and better job opportunities.

“We realised the impact that safe transport has on women’s empowerment and financial independence. Our company and our investments in technology enable women passengers to make safe trips

while providing flexible and lucrative employment for women drivers,” said PickMe Chief Executive Officer Zulfer Jiffry.

In recent years, ride hailing, which includes both four-wheeled and three-wheeled vehicles, has become an increasingly important part of Sri Lanka’s transportation system. However, women face barriers both as passengers and transportation service

providers, ranging from underrepresentation across the sector to widespread safety and security concerns – 90% of women using public transport have experienced sexual harassment in Sri Lanka.

The study finds that increasing the number of women drivers would improve women riders’ perceptions of safety. 58% of women riders surveyed said they felt more secure when driven by another woman. The study also finds a high demand for gender segregated transport. Around 90% of women riders would like the option to select a woman driver at least sometimes, and particularly at night or when travelling alone.

“Progress is achieved when we understand the challenges and the constraints related to gender. Both as passengers and as transportation service providers there are barriers that women face,” said IFC Country Manager for Sri Lanka

and Maldives Amena Arif. “Increasing mobility through ride hailing will create new economic opportunities for more women in a traditionally male-dominated industry, and will help women safely and economically reach workplaces.”

Accord ing to the Internat ional Labour Organisation (ILO), lack of safe, affordable, and accessible transport accounts for more than 15% of the gap in women’s labour force participation by keeping women from work, limiting their choices, and/or reducing their hours of work. 32% of women who work in Sri Lanka’s private sector reported turning down work at night due to lack of safe or reliable transport.

IFC – a member of the World Bank Group – is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets.

Female drivers could boost ride-hailing revenues in SL: IFC study

Swedish consumer electronics retailer NetOnNet recently chose Creative Software as their technical partner to help drive immediate and long-term goals to innovate, scale, and ultimately optimise the overall customer experience, Creative Software announced last week.

Founded in 1999, leading Scandinavian retailer NetOnNet expanded into the bricks and mortar arena in 2001 and was recently awarded “the best Nordic company in omni-channel” by Google. Today, NetOnNet offers their customers a shopping experience through online operations and a number of warehouse stores across Scandinavia.

“This partnership is the first offshoring experience for us, a 20-year-old company. When a decision was made to increase our capacity, the question emerged whether to consider offshoring, especially as it is difficult to find the right knowledge and experience locally due to NetOnNet being one of the few companies in Sweden that possesses developer licenses for IFS. We prefer to develop all software in-house, therefore the offshore team

needed to work as one with our team,” said NetOnNet Development Manager Anne-Sofie Johanson. “I am happy to say that we found the extensive knowledge and insight, as well as great communication, professionalism, and other skills of the Creative Software team very impressive. Even in the absence of on-site training due to the pandemic, the team has been given complete autonomy due to their commendable ability to grasp end-customer needs and numerous software integrations to deliver successful solutions.”

Software Engineering Director Channa De Silva said: “We allocate the best engineers, familiar with the required technologies, possessing

significant domain knowledge and the ability to develop back-end apps. We are thrilled to exceed the level of expertise expected by NetOnNet and look forward to continuing working with them to grow the local team.”

Evolving alongside the pandemic, Creative Software said it has adopted an efficient approach to seamlessly integrate their extended teams, allowing clients to collaborate and quickly build confidence in their engineers. Creative Software consistently provides in-depth technical expertise, development competencies, and comprehensive communication to deliver maximum value to their clients and help them grow their businesses, it added.

Swedish electronics retailer partners Sri Lanka’s Creative Software

businessthe morningFriday, December 4, 2020

3

SLT and Mobitel employees planting trees in the Rajawaka Forest Reserve as part of the GPL 2020

SLT and Mobitel together began a green initiative project simultaneously with the Sri Lankan Premier League (LPL) 2020 called “SLT-Mobitel Green Premier League” (GPL), as a sustainable environmental conservation project. According to the winning score of each team in every match of the LPL, SLT and Mobitel will take necessary actions to plant the equivalent number of plants for forest restoration at the Rajawaka Forest Reserve in Kalthota, Balangoda. Thus, by the end of the LPL tournament, SLT and Mobitel will have taken the necessary actions to plant possibly around 4,000 plants in the forest reserve and would have arranged a sustainable maintenance programme with the Forest Department in accordance with the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Developments Goals (SDGs). This would be a pioneer project within the context of any cricket premier league in the world.

From 26 November 2020 till 16 December 2020, SLT and Mobitel will be conducting this initiative aiming to increase the

forest cover in Sri Lanka by planting these trees in six hectares of the Rajawaka Forest Reserve, which has been identified as a site with rich biodiversity and is also the major water catchment area for the Samanalawewa Reservoir. With an islandwide reach as the national telecommunications service provider, SLT said it hopes to inspire sports fans and the youths of the country to undertake their own steps towards environmental conservation and sustainability. SLT will continuously monitor this project in the next two years with the support of the Forest Department to ensure the desired outcomes.

Furthermore, aligning with the LPL, SLT has initiated the SLT Virtual Premier League (SLT VPL) – an online cricket tournament for cricket fans across the country. Details on this can be accessed by visiting the SLT Facebook page. Fans can support their favourite team and stand a chance to win exciting gifts from SLT by guessing the winning team, Man of the Match, highest wicket taker, and highest six hitter.

SLT and Mobitel launch Green Premier League 2020

For the first time in Sri Lanka’s pay TV history, Dialog Television (DTV) has introduced an exclusive service by allowing its customers to activate a single channel or channel packs via a simple toll-free missed call from any network.

DTV customers will be enabled to add any channel by simply giving a missed call to 0760 079 XXX where the last three digits “XXX” should be the channel number they want to activate. Channel numbers less than 100 should be preceded by a zero. For example, if a DTV customer wishes to activate Ten Cricket (channel number 69) to their existing channel bouquet,

they can request this service via a missed call to 0760 079 069. The same method applies to channel pack activations as well. The rental fee for the activated channels will be included in the customer’s bill.

Speaking on this occasion, Dialog Television Head of Business Chirantha De Zoysa stated: “Dialog Television is happy to empower our customers with an innovative and quick solution to self-activate a single channel or channel pack at their convenience via a simple toll-free missed call. For the first time in Sri Lanka, customers can now have total control over what they want to watch and when

they watch it, paving the way for a convenient, hassle-free channel activation experience.”

Customers can update their registered contact number by dialling 1777. In addition to activating channels via missed calls, customers can also activate channels of their choice via SMS, IVR (Interactive Voice Response) service by dialling 679, the MyDialog app, and dialog.lk. The customer’s Dialog Television accounts should be active whilst also having adequate credit available prior to the channel activation via the missed call activation service.

Dialog TV enables channel activation via missed call

Nestlé Managing Director Fabrice Cavallin (second from left) and Hatch Co-founder Jeevan Gnanam (third from left) alongside representatives from both companies

Nestlé Sri Lanka and Hatch have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop open innovation solutions for products that are sustainable, and which use local ingredients to meet local nutritional needs. The two companies will work with local start-ups, entrepreneurs, and Nestlé’s own employees to shape disruptive innovation, with the goal of bringing ground-breaking ideas on nutrition and sustainability to market more quickly, Nestle said.

“For 114 years, we have enhanced Sri Lankan lives with good food and beverages that meet nutritional and lifestyle needs. We want to enhance this positive impact through our partnership with Hatch, which will help us use more local ingredients and offer products that are not just nutritious but also sustainable. We’ll combine the insight and ingenuity of external innovators with our scale and expertise as the world’s largest food and beverage company. Together, we’ll tackle

projects that will make a genuine difference,” said Nestlé Managing Director Fabrice Cavallin.

“As Sri Lanka’s largest incubator/accelerator space for start-ups, we’re proud to bring large companies and start-ups together to collaborate and grow. Our vision has always been to support innovation and transform the way local businesses work. We look forward to collaborating on projects with the potential to create lasting impact to Sri Lankan consumers,” said Hatch Co-founder Jeevan Gnanam.

The two companies have launched a hackathon challenge, calling on local innovators to submit ideas centred on healthy products and sustainable solutions before 31 December 2020. Twelve shortlisted submissions will win cash prizes of Rs. 100,000 and the winner will receive Rs. 1 million. More information can be found by contacting 0740 930 973 or visiting https://www.nestle.lk/innovation/innovation-news/open-innovation.

Nestlé and Hatch partner for homegrown open innovation solutions

Fashion for Good, a global platform to make all fashion good through innovation, collaboration, and community, celebrated the progress achieved over the past year since launching their South Asia Innovation Programme during their annual end of year event.

To round off the year, Fashion for Good announced their newest regional partner, Birla Cellulose, a part of the Aditya Birla Group, as well as the graduation of nine, first batch start-ups, many of whom have successfully engaged with leading manufactures

to bring their solutions to the market in a year filled with unprecedented challenges.

Scaling along the growth curve

Throughout the year, Fashion for Good, working closely with key supply chain players, identified the critical challenges posed to the circular transformation in the region: Lack of knowledge around circular solutions, lack of capacity to work with innovations, lack of funds to invest in new technologies, and lastly, the limited

engagement from major fashion brands.In a newly released report titled

“The State of Circular Innovation in the Indian Fashion and Textile Industries”, Fashion for Good highlights these challenges as well as the opportunities for innovation and investment. Fashion for Good addresses these challenges through their programmes to accelerate and scale these technologies as well as through collaborative initiatives with key players in the industry.

“With more than 100 deal flows and 83% engagement in pilot projects, it’s encouraging to see the pace and momentum of transformation in

the region, driven by the Fashion for Good South Asia Innovation Programme. We’re extremely proud to have brought together our partners, manufacturers, Arvind Ltd., the Welspun Group, and Birla Cellulose, and innovators to achieve so much in such a short period, and under such adverse circumstances; we’re excited to be leading the change,” said Fashion for Good Managing Director Katrin Ley.

Looking aheadMaintaining their momentum,

Fashion for Good continues to expand their presence across South Asia, including Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, while also looking farther eastward into other South Eastern Asian markets, inviting industry players, innovators, and ecosystem actors to collaborate.

In the coming year, Fashion for Good will continue to focus on scaling promising new technologies in key areas to address critical challenges in the region, while driving adoption through pilot projects and mobilizing funding through a robust investor network.

Fashion for Good completes first year in South Asia

Fashion for Good Managing Director Katrin Ley officially opening the Fashion for Good South Asia Innovation Programme in Mumbai on 28 January.

PHOTO © UMED JADEJA

Bank of Bhutan (BoB), Bhutan’s oldest and largest commercial bank, has commended MTI Consulting for developing their India market entry strategy.

Commenting on this MTI assignment, BoB Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dorji Kadin said: “The MTI team was very supportive and had done this study well. The Chairman and Board of BoB were appreciative of the report and the presentation.”

Over the last six months, a team of MTI consultants from India and the South Asian Region worked closely with the BoB team to research, analyse, conceptualise, and strategise their India entry plan. The process culminated with a presentation to the Board of BoB.

With the bank’s vision “to be the nation’s premier financial institution” and having a significant presence in Bhutan, the bank intends to make its presence in the Indian financial market as well. The main objective of this project is to prepare a detailed project report for opening a branch office of BoB in India.

MTI CEO Hilmy Cader stated: “MTI is proud to be part of this historic initiative of BoB, since this will be first foreign operation to be set up by a Bhutanese bank and it is very important to understand the challenging dynamics BoB will have to encounter when setting up and continuing its operations in India. The study included stakeholder inputs from international banking professionals and exploring other opportunities created by converging domains like fintech. The analysis and recommendations were supported by MTI’s panel of much experienced international banking and financial specialists.”

BoB is 80% owned by Druk Holdings & Investments (DHI), which is Bhutan’s state investment holding company, and 20% by State Bank of India (SBI).

Bank of Bhutan commends MTI for India entry strategy

The NetOnNet team

the morningFriday, December 4, 2020

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brunch

Finco Trading (Pvt.) Ltd., a member of Finco Holdings, has introduced the EGGER laminated flooring 2021 collection to the Sri Lankan flooring market. EGGER is the latest addition to Finco’s luxury living solutions brand portfolio which includes Häcker, BOSCH, De Dietrich, Brandt, and KOHLER. German-based EGGER has a strong market base in 124 countries in the world.

Be it for living and working spaces, a private retreat,or a business with public traffic, the perfect basis for all this is flooring from the EGGER PRO Flooring Collection 2021+.

EGGER offers its customers three different product categories for different applications and requirements in the PRO Flooring Collection 2021+. From Comfort Flooring, characterised by its pleasant feel and acoustics, to

the popular all-round Laminate Flooring, which is also available as water-resistant Laminate Flooring Aqua+, to the water-resistant and robust Design Flooring GreenTec, you will find

the right wood-based flooring solution at EGGER.

All EGGER and other brands of Finco are now available to explore at No. 55, Iceland Building, Galle Road, Colombo 3.

Finco Trading launches EGGER PRO Flooring Collection 2021+Uber Eats is

marking its second year anniversary in Sri Lanka after successfully delivering 10 million orders to hungry eaters. The platform more than doubled its orders in the second year of operations, compared with the three million orders it delivered during its first year.

Speaking about the journey, Uber Eats Sri Lanka Lead Bhavna Dadlani said: “It has been an exciting two years for Uber Eats, understanding the very distinct needs that we Sri Lankans have. Our commitment to the Sri Lankan community and to the economy remains absolute. As we steal a short moment to reflect

on our eventful journey here, I’d like to thank all the restaurant partners, courier partners, and our loyal eaters for their unwavering support. We’re only getting started with our range of services, and there’s many exciting additions in the works.”

Over the past two years, the courier partner with the highest

deliveries completed 11,500 Uber Eats orders.

Uber Eats continues to support the needs of the Sri Lankan people, especially through the challenging times the country faced during the Covid-19 curfews. The platform enabled a “tipping” feature to help courier partners make extra earnings and help them support

their families. The organisation worked with the Government to distribute Rs. 8.5 million worth of dry rations to the marginalised, even as the country reeled under a national curfew. As a responsible business, Uber Eats has always endeavoured to give back to the community.

Uber Eats allows people to search for and discover local restaurants, order a meal at the touch of a button, and have it delivered reliably and quickly. Since launching the Uber Eats app, the business has leveraged Uber’s technology and logistics expertise to serve more than 6,000 cities globally.

Uber Eats marks second anniversary in Sri Lanka, completes 10 million orders

Uber Eats delivery partners

BY DIMITHRI WIJESINGHE

Considered the oldest building in the Colombo Fort area and dating back to the Dutch Colonial era, the Old Colombo Dutch Hospital has held great significance to the people of Colombo, and even more so since its adoption as a heritage building and a shopping and dining precinct back in 2011.

The Dutch Hospital Complex celebrated its ninth anniversary on Wednesday, 2 December, with the merchants of Dutch Hospital gathering to commemorate the occasion. Notably far less grand than in the past years, this year saw a quiet affair, with Christmas decorations going up, but exuding far less a sense of exuberance than times gone by.

We spoke to each of the merchants that gathered for the occasion, about their way forward, how they had made adjustments for the first Christmas since Covid-19 wreaked havoc globally, and also how they hope to carry out their operations come 2021. The merchants brought a unique perspective to this matter, especially considering that the complex was heavily reliant on tourist traffic, and with tourists taken entirely out of the equation, their circumstances have drastically changed.

We asked the merchants whether their mindsets lean more towards hope for things to soon go back to normal once the pandemic is dealt with, or whether they are preparing to make some very real changes, considering the possibility that things are less likely to ever really go back to “normal” and we might be facing a drastically different arena in business.

We have to start somewhere: Harpo Gooneratne

Harpo Gooneratne, of the Harpo’s-owned Colombo Fort Café, shared: “It has been nine years. From a seasonal point of view, I must say that we are opening after one-and-a-half months;

we were under lockdown and things have not been great, but we have to start somewhere. So we thought, since it is December and it is the festive season, let’s get this place up and running.”

He added: “Not forgetting that we are celebrating nine years, which is a great achievement. It’s a great iconic building that has been restored by His Excellency President Rajapaksa. It has benefited a lot of people in Colombo from both a touristic point of view and even from a local consumer point of view; it has been a great venue for people to come and sit in, and wine and dine.”

Harpo also noted: “Last year was awful. We had the Easter Sunday disaster and since then, there has been a huge dip. From then, things improved a bit in November and December last year, but since then, the industry has not been able to resurrect itself. We are of course trying to remain positive; all of us, we can feel the good times coming up. We have stuck it out for nine years and we can do it for a few more.”

Sharing some of the more specific changes they are making for their outlets, he said: “Beyond the health regulations, and adhering to all of that – and of course that we had to change our menus and what we offer has been switched up – there is a lot more focus on the local market and what they can afford.”

We are hopeful: RnR Operations Manager Sampath Perera

“We are hopeful; we will do what we can to keep the business going. We have cut down on the number of pax we can host, and with all the safety guidelines, obviously there is a huge

drop. This time last year, we were very busy, and if we were to get busy again, we will still have the responsibility to follow those guidelines. We are mainly focusing on delivery, but we have traditionally been a very high-footfall kind of operation, and we will move to a more intimate laidback kind of setting during the next few months. We are focusing on things like ghost kitchens that are focusing only on delivery,” said RnR Operations Manager Sampath Perera.

All that we can do is encourage everyone to be safe: Dharshan Munidasa

“It is 2 December now, and the second wave came around only two months ago. It is difficult to predict anything, and I think all that we can do is encourage

everyone to be safe,” said Dharshan Munidasa of Ministry of Crab and Next Innings, adding that in terms of changes, they had made some effort to appeal to the Lankan market and had seen some breakthroughs.

“We have introduced the crab biryani, which came around during this pandemic, and our Indian partner shared that no one has ever made a crab biryani before – not a single crab biryani in a single famous restaurant in the world, and so we kind of own it now.

“That has been how things are going; crabs are not cheap, and we do not want to reduce the quality of what we do,” he said. “We are down by 95%, and just a few months ago it was a negative 100%. Since September, we were doing alright, I suppose, under the circumstances. We saw a little bit of traction and went right back to zero – these are trying times for all of us.”

He shared that when they reopened in end-May, the Government was also talking about opening the airport by end-August; they had hoped things would get back to normal soon enough, but of course, it hasn’t been the case.

It is unpredictable: Heladiv Tea Club Operations Manager Shane Cramer

“For the moment, we are not looking towards anything much. We are looking to get PHI (Public Health Inspector) approval, so we can at least get some live music here, get a

two-piece band playing, hopefully at least for the month of December, and maybe attract the local crowd to the complex. Otherwise, it will be like a dead one,” he said, adding: “We won’t be doing many changes because we can’t afford to in this current climate. It is unpredictable and we do not know how anything that would affect the way things will turn out in order to move forward,” shared Heladiv Tea Club Operations Manager Shane Cramer.

He shared that for their establishment specifically, they were rather reliant on the staff workers from the World Trade Centre. He said that Heladiv Tea Club, unlike a number of the other establishments in the vicinity, experiences an even split between foreign and local customers. However, due to safety regulations and locals working from home, they have experienced a dip in sales as well.

We have a lot of special gift offers: Spa Ceylon Operations Manager Chandana Nishantha

“We are really just taking cues from how everyone else is going to be moving forward, and we will play it by ear. We have a lot of special gift offers and also corporate offers for our

customers, and we have heavily focused on making lots of new products for the festive seasons, changing our themes, and developing our range,” shared Spa Ceylon Operations Manager Chandana Nishantha.

Barefoot will go online: Dominic Sansoni

“We need to limit our production and we decided to re-look at what we do to make it better, and re-look at our designs – we’ve been doing that for the last eight months.

Yes, we retailers have been affected badly,” said Dominic Sansoni, from Barefoot.

Dominic shared how they have been adjusting, considering the new climate. “Barefoot in Colombo is a bit of a destination,” he said, adding that he was happy to see people come and enjoy the garden, regardless of whether they shop or not, and that these norms have changed.

“Of course, the lack of tourism has taken a big chunk of customers away, but we are a 56-year-old company, and the

backbone of everything we have done has been our Sri Lankan clientele. Our place must be interesting to Sri Lankans, and if it is a place where Sri Lankans like to go and they enjoy it, I think a traveller would also want to go there – and I use the word ‘traveller’, not ‘tourist’,” he added.

Sansoni shared that they have people who have been their clients for ages, that they come from all walks of life, and that “it’s not at all just a Colombo thing”.

About the future and moving forward during these pandemic times, he said: “We have had to realise we can’t make any long-term projections, so we re-evaluate often and frequently. The news changes every day.”

As for what Barefoot is doing that is new, he said: “Barefoot will go online. It is something we have been talking about for ages, but we’ve been putting it off. This gave us a big jolt and very soon, the Barefoot shop online will be working, and the main target for that will be Sri Lankans. But looking ahead, we would hope that things would come back to normal. I can’t speak for everyone, but I do not know what the new normal would be.”

He went on to share a little more about the Barefoot online store, saying: “I must be honest, it will not be as large as we would like it to be. There will be restrictions for various reasons as to what we will show online. We get a lot of interest from the Sri Lankan diaspora.”

Sansoni shared with us a lovely story of how a lady abroad had sent pictures of a saree she had bought 25 years ago, which still looks fantastic to this day, saying she would like to purchase another. He noted that they would start making some things that would be specific for the online store, but added that “it’s a long process; it will be a few months before we get there”.

“Everything behind this is people,” said Sansoni, adding: “And we must do the right thing by the good people who work with us.”

PHOTOS ESHAN DASANAYAKA

Dutch Hospital Complex celebrates 9th anniversaryMerchants shed light on new normal and how they’re coping

EGGER flooring enriching the look and feel of the room

The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced on 25 November that their “Awards of the Decade”, a one-off edition of the annual awards programme, is aimed at celebrating the stand-out performers and moments from the past 10 years of international cricket.

The ICC Awards of the Decade are:1. Sir Garfield Sobers Award for ICC

Male Cricketer of the Decade – the best overall performer in men’s international cricket (Tests, ODIs, and T20Is) during the performance period

2. Rachael Heyhoe Flint Award for ICC Female Cricketer of the Decade – the best overall performer in women’s international cricket (Tests, ODIs, and T20Is) during the performance period

3. ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Decade – the best overall performer in men’s Test cricket during the performance period

4. ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Decade – the best overall performer in men’s ODI cricket during the performance period

5. ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the

Decade – the best overall performer in women’s ODI cricket during the performance period

6. ICC Men’s T20I Cricketer of the Decade – the best overall performer in men’s T20I cricket during the performance period

7. ICC Women’s T20I Cricketer of the Decade – the best overall performer in women’s T20I cricket during the performance period

8. ICC Men’s Associate Cricketer of the Decade – the best overall performer in men’s Associate cricket during the performance period

9. ICC Women’s Associate Cricketer of the Decade – the best overall performer

in women’s Associate cricket during the performance period

10. ICC Spirit of Cricket Award of the Decade – an action, moment, gesture, or decision on the field of play in international cricket during the performance period which best reflects the spirit of cricketFurthermore, Teams of the Decade (TOTD)

will be compiled for the following five formats:1. ICC Men’s Test TOTD2. ICC Men’s ODI TOTD3. ICC Women’s ODI TOTD4. ICC Men’s T20I TOTD5. ICC Women’s T20I TOTDThe performance period for the awards will

be 1 January 2011-7 October 2020.

Vote for SangakkaraOur Kandy boy Kumar Sangakkara has

been shortlisted for the Sir Garfield Sobers Award for Male Cricketer of the Decade for his performances in Test, ODI, and T20I cricket during the said performance period.

The others shortlisted in this category are India’s Ravichandran Ashwin and Virat Kohli, England’s Joe Root, Australia’s Steve Smith, New Zealand’s Kane Williamson, and South Africa’s A.B. De Villiers.

One can vote for only one nominee in one category.

Sangakkara is also among the nominees for the ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Decade Award. He is there with compatriot Lasith Malinga. The others are Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Kohli and Rohit Sharma (India), Mitchell Starc (Australia), and De Villiers (South Africa).

Sri Lanka’s prolific left-arm spinner and an earnest servant of the game Rangana Herath is among the nominees for the Men’s Test Cricketer of the Decade award. The other nominees are James Anderson and Root (England), Kohli (India), Yasir Shah (Pakistan), Steve Smith (Australia), and Kane Williamson (New Zealand).

Malinga is also among those who have been nominated for the best T20I Player of the Decade Award. He is there with India’s Kohli and Sharma, Australia’s Aaron Finch, West Indies’ Chris Gayle,

Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan, and South Africa’s Imran Tahir.

The fourth Sri Lankan in the nominations list is none other than Mahela Jayawardene. He is there in the ICC Spirit of Cricket Award of the Decade nominations, along with Dhoni and Kohli from India; Daniel Vettori, Brendon McCullum, and Kane Williamson of New Zealand; and Misbah-ul-Haq of Pakistan; along with two women’s players, Katherine Brunt and Anya Shrubsole, both from England.

Votes from experts and fansICC Player of the Decade Award fan

voting began on 25 November. The fan vote will make up 10% of the voting, while votes from an expert panel will make up the remaining 90%. The panel includes Geoff Allardice (ICC General Manager – Cricket), Benedict Bermange (statistician), Ian Bishop (broadcaster), Tim Cutler (journalist), Natalie Germanos (broadcaster), Peter Lalor (journalist), Alison Mitchell (broadcaster), and Sharda Ugra (journalist).

Vote ends on 16 DecemberFans will provide 100% of the vote for the

ICC Spirit of Cricket Award of the Decade, from a list of the past winners since 2011. The voting opened on 25 November and closes at 9 p.m. on 16 December. Fans can register on icc-cricket.com/awards and vote for those shortlisted. Make our boys win!

sportsthe morningFriday, December 4, 2020

Advertising racism!A Nike advert highlighting racism and bullying in Japan has caused a stir on social media, with some users even calling for a boycott of the company. Nike, which sponsors biracial Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka, released the two-minute commercial on Monday (30 Nov) and it has since racked up more than 14 million views on Twitter. The Japanese-language clip shows three teenage girls of mixed or non-Japanese heritage being bullied at school before finding confidence through their football prowess.

Hey, where’s the pitch?Cricket fans were left stunned yesterday (3) after New Zealand unveiled one of the greenest pitches for a Test match in recent memory. Day one of the Black Caps’ first Test against West Indies began at Seddon Park, Hamilton. New Zealand is famous for its green-tops but nothing compared to the green monster unveiled last morning. The pitch looked exactly like the infield grass. “There should be a home advantage. If we go to the subcontinent, we don’t expect to see a wicket like this,” said a commentator on Spark Sport.

5

ARGENTINE SKIPPER REINSTATEDDisgraced Argentina rugby Captain Pablo Matera has been reinstated in his position but he won’t face Australia in tomorrow’s (5) final Tri Nations clash in Sydney, reports from Australia said yesterday (3). Matera was sensationally stripped of the captaincy on Tuesday (1), along with teammates Guido Petti and Santiago Socino, after the resurfacing of racist tweets, originally shared between 2011 and 13 related to Bolivian and Paraguayan domestic staff and Black people. The Argentina Rugby Union (UAR) called them “discriminatory and xenophobic”, yet confirmed yesterday the players had faced a disciplinary hearing and the ban had been lifted. In Matera’s absence, Centre Jeronimo de la Fuente will lead Argentina tomorrow.

MORGAN DEFENDS ‘CODED MESSAGES’ PLOYEngland white-ball cricket captain Eoin Morgan has defended his team analyst’s use of real-time signals in the T20I series against South Africa saying the ploy is “100% within the spirit of the game”. England’s analyst Nathan Leamon placed two clipboards – one with a number and the other with a letter – on the dressing-room balcony to help Morgan in his decision-making throughout the series which England won comprehensively by 3-0. Their three-match ODI series starts today (4) under lights in Cape Town. ESPN Cricinfo yesterday (3) reported England had cleared their plan to use signals with referee Andy Pycroft. But former England skipper Michael Vaughan has criticised the move in his Daily Telegraph column. It is understood that those signals referred to a suggestion as to who should bowl the next over and a possible field setting. For example, in the signal “2C”, the “2” might have been a suggestion that Chris Jordan should bowl, with the ‘C’ referring to a field set for wide Yorkers.

SOLID START BY KIWIS IN FIRST TESTNew Zealand finished day one of their first Test against West Indies in Hamilton at 243/2 with skipper Kane Williamson being unbeaten on 97. Williamson shared 154 runs for the second wicket with Tom Latham as Windies’ pacers toiled hard on a greenish wicket.SCORES New Zealand 243/2 in 78 overs (Kane Williamson 97 n.o. in 219 balls, Tom Latham 86 in 184 balls, Ross Taylor 31 n.o.; Kemar Roach 1/53) vs. West Indies (won toss)

EFL JOINS PREMIER LEAGUE TO RESCUE CLUBSThe English Football League (EFL) and their Premier League have agreed to a £ 250 million (Rs. 62.7 billion) rescue package to help ease the financial challenges faced by EFL clubs as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The EFL will be assisted in getting a £ 200 million loan for championship clubs. A £ 50 million grant has been agreed for League One and Two clubs. EFL Chairman Rick Parry has said it was a “welcome, tangible commitment to the professional game at a time when it has needed it most”.

F1 TO INVESTIGATE GROSJEAN CRASHFormula 1’s governing body FIA has launched an investigation into Romain Grosjean’s fiery accident at the Bahrain Grand Prix three days ago. The FIA said it would conduct a “detailed” analysis of the incident, in which Frenchman Grosjean’s car penetrated the barriers creating an inferno. FIA Safety Director Adam Baker has said the data will allow them to accurately determine “every element of what occurred”. It would take six to eight weeks to publish the findings.

In Brief THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2020

Aus Open postponed by 20 daysThe 2021 Australian Open tennis tournament, which was set to be held from 18-31 January, will get underway on 8 February, according to an email obtained by the Herald Sun which had been sent by Tennis Australia (TA) Boss Craig Tiley (pictured). Players will enter two weeks of quarantine in Melbourne from 15 January, where they will be allowed to train on the condition of providing a negative coronavirus test. Tiley also confirmed the entire $ 71 million (Rs. 13 billion) prize purse would be up for grabs and that TA would foot the bill for players to quarantine.

England’s analyst Nathan Leamon sends coded messages to captain Eoin Morgan in the middle of the England vs. South Africa third T20I on Tuesday (1) in Cape Town

During the recent T20 International against South Africa this week, England’s Analyst Nathan Leamon was picked up by television cameras holding up large cards on clipboards on the team balcony. The action got a lot of media attention this week with some sections criticising the move while others pointing out that it was alright as long as England adhered to the rules of the game.

Cards showing messages reading “4E” and “2C” were held up, as Fox Sports reported yesterday (3), in what was thought to be an attempt to give England white-ball Captain Eoin Morgan more information about possible match-ups between batsmen and bowlers.

An experiment“It’s a little help, a suggestion,”

wicketkeeper Jos Buttler said after the match. “Eoin and Nathan work closely on analysis. It’s just a little bit of an experiment.

“Eoin is one of the best captains in the world, a fantastic, instinctive captain, and there’s a nice balance going on.”

‘World has gone nuts’But former England Skipper

Michael Vaughan condemned the idea, tweeting: “Signals sent from an analyst on a balcony to the Captain on the pitch!!!! The world has officially gone nuts!!!”

Writing in his column in the UK Telegraph, he said he would never have considered such a move when he was leading the team.

“If I were the England Captain and the Analyst suggested sending messages to me through signals from the dugout, he would get short shrift,” he wrote.

Do it instinctively

“Absolutely no chance would I let that happen. I love innovation and always encourage new ideas and thinking, but there is very little an analyst can tell you from the sidelines that you do not already know.

“I would be a bit worried that Eoin Morgan, a World Cup-winning Captain, and Jos Buttler behind the stumps, cannot react instinctively to what is happening on the field.”

England said the coded system had been cleared with the International Cricket Council (ICC) match referee before the game began, in case there were suggestions of match-fixing involved.

Part of new wave?“Yet the wider issue of whether

offering on-field information to players, and specifically one of the most intuitive captains in the game in Morgan, is ethically right remains

open to debate,” said inews.co.uk yesterday.

Mark Wood, who did not feature in the T20s but is expected to play in today’s (4) opening ODI, said: “Well they’ve cleared it with the match referee first so if they didn’t think it was ethical I’m sure they’d say ‘no’. Maybe this is part of the new wave of cricket. We’re always looking for ways to improve it – maybe this is it?

“I think it’s good for the Captain to have. Morgy is a very instinctive captain anyway so I’m not sure he needs that much, but it’s great to have the information there.”

Can cricket benefit?Speaking to Tim Wigmore and

Freddie Wilde for the acclaimed book “Cricket 2.0: Inside the T20 Revolution”, Leamon said: “If you compare our skills in certain areas with other sports, there’s definitely evidence that we’re not close to the limits of how well you can field.”

In the same book, Wigmore and Wilde suggested: “It is possible field settings will become more predetermined. Fielding teams may employ something akin to set piece routines in football. A code signal from the coach or captain might be all it takes for the field to snap into a certain shape and the bowler responds with the relevant delivery.”

We can assume the signals Leamon sent on Tuesday were something similar. But is this in the spirit of the game, asked inews.co.uk.

Smith’s brain fade in 2017In cricket, part of the on-field

challenge, particularly for captains, is to solve problems independently of coaches. Yes, messages are sometimes sent on with drinks or a new set off gloves but explicit signals are frowned upon, said the above news website.

Witness Steve Smith’s “brain fade” during Australia’s Test match against India in Bangalore in 2017 when he looked to the balcony for advice on whether to go for a review after being given out lbw.

Cronje-Woolmer incident in 1999

In the 1999 World Cup, South Africa Captain Hansie Cronje took to the field for a match against India at Hove with an earpiece that allowed Bob Woolmer, his coach, to relay messages to him.

Cronje was eventually instructed to take the device off and earpieces were subsequently banned by the ICC, who deemed them “unfair”.

There have been no such complaints over Leamon’s signs because England got them cleared by the ICC beforehand.

But whether this is the start of a new trend in cricket will not be down to ethics. As ever only one thing counts – results. If the signs give England an edge, expect others to follow, opined inews.co.uk.

In May 1999, late South African cricketer Hansie Cronje was caught wearing an earpiece to receive instructions from Coach Bob Woolmer in the pavilion during the World Cup opening fixture against India at Hove, England. ICC was quick to intervene to stop the move

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