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Sri Lankan all-rounder Angelo Mathews was dismissed in a controversial manner in the 2023 ICC World Cup match against Bangladesh.

The 2023 World Cup playing conditions state a new batter needs to be ready to face their first ball within two minutes of arriving.

He did not face a ball within the stipulated time and Bangladesh appealed for him to be given out. The former Sri Lankan captain tried to explain some to the umpires but to no avail.

As per the rules, a new batsman has to be ready to face the ball within three minutes. Mathews was out on the field but there was some issue with his helmet. The star all-rounder wasn’t ready to bat due to the issue with his gear.

Bangladesh decided to appeal against Mathews and the umpire had no option but to adjudge him out. The on-field umpires can only give a batsman out if the opposition players appeal. Mathews would have stayed in the middle had Bangladesh decided to withdraw the appeal. He is the first player to be given Timed Out in international cricket.

It has happened only six times before in any format, all in first-class cricket.

Mathews walked back to the pavilion without facing a delivery. His wicket left Sri Lanka reeling at 135/5. Dhananjaya de Silva has joined Charith Asalanka in the middle.

Earlier, Bangladesh won the toss and opted to bowl first. They got an early scalp of Kusal Perera, who managed a score of 4. Pathum Nissanka took the onus after the fall of early wicket and added 61 runs for the second wicket with Kusal Mendis (19).

Sadeera Samarawickrama also played a crucial knock of 41 before getting out. It was after his dismissal that Mathews came out to join Asalanka. But he ended up getting dismissed without facing any delivery.

With just 2 wins from seven matches, Sri Lanka are placed at the seventh spot in the points table. They are in contention to qualify for the semi-final. With just one win from seven matches, Bangladesh are at the ninth spot. They have crashed out of the tournament.

Source: Times Now

--Agencies

The National Dengue Control unit said that the number of Dengue high-risk zones is on the rise.

Its Director Dr. Nalin Ariyaratne stated that the number of high-risk zones has increased up to 36.

He adds that dengue breeding spots have been discovered from public places, and Government and Private institutions, in addition to houses.

The National Dengue Control Unit informs school students to refrain from wearing clothes that expose their skin, to protect themselves from the dengue mosquitoes.

69.0008 dengue cases have been reported from across the island so far in 2023.

The National Dengue Control Unit says that 4,000 dengue cases were reported in October 2023.

Almost 500 child dengue cases have been reported in the last three days of November alone.

Veteran singer Athula Sri Gamage, aged 60, passed away while receiving treatment at the Sri Jayawardenepura General Hospital, family sources said.

During his career, Athula Sri Gamage had several popular songs, including "Athmayen Athmaye," "Hima Meedum," "Paradeesaye," and "Susuma Vee Mage," which gained immense popularity among the people.

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe told a forum in Colombo that the country's economic model would be built on competitiveness, digital transition, energy transition and the transformation to a green economy.

Speaking at the first International Climate Change Forum at Temple Trees on Friday (3), Wickremesinghe said that Sri Lanka is making notable strides towards combating climate change and transitioning into a green economy.

He pointed out that the country’s small size could be advantageous, given its potential for excess green energy, including solar, wind power and hydrogen.

The President also said that in order to address the lack of expertise to formulate detailed plans for this transition, Sri Lanka is reaching out to multilateral development banks and bilateral partners to obtain the necessary knowledge and support.

He also noted that Sri Lanka would be presenting a Climate Prosperity Plan at COP28, with goal of reaching net zero emissions by 2040.

"This ambitious endeavour, while necessary for the planet’s well-being, comes with a substantial cost of over $100 billion USD over 20 years," the President said, as quoted by the President's Media Division.

"To meet these financial challenges, Sri Lanka is committed to raising a significant portion of the required funds through commercial means," said the President.

President Wickremesinghe revealed plans to establish the International Climate Change University (ICCU), emphasizing that it should be an international stakeholder university rather than a solely Sri Lankan institution.

The government has already allocated 600 acres overlooking the Kothmale reservoir for this purpose.

Minister of Urban Development and Housing Prasanna Ranatunga has issued directives regarding the administration of Viharamahadevi Park in Colombo 07.

Accordingly, he has instructed the Urban Development Authority (UDA) to transfer the administration of the park to the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC).

dailymirror

The Government of India provided a grant of USD 15 million to Sri Lanka to bolster the longstanding Buddhist connections between the two countries.

The exchange of bilateral documents in this regard took place in Colombo on Thursday (2) in the presence of Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

President Wickremesinghe and Hon Finance Minister of India Nirmala Sitharaman engaged in lengthy bilateral discussions during this event, said the President's Media Division.

The grant could be allocated towards various initiatives, including the construction and renovation of Buddhist monasteries, capacity development, cultural exchange, archaeological cooperation, reciprocal exhibition of relics and other areas of mutual interest.

In recognition of the evolving economic landscape in Sri Lanka, both countries have agreed to recalibrate the grant amount from Sri Lankan Rupees to Indian Rupees, aligning it with the prevailing market conditions.

This adjustment is being formalized through diplomatic Letters of Exchange and Acceptance, signifying a shared commitment to further enhancing these ties.

High Commissioner of India, Gopal Baglay and Secretary of the Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs, Somaratne Vidanapathirana, exchanged these documents.

The first project to be initiated under the USD 15 million grant is the solar electrification of religious sites across Sri Lanka, with an allocation of USD 10 million.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for this significant project was jointly finalized by the governments of India and Sri Lanka.

State sector employees will receive a salary increase of around Rs. 10,000 from 2024 budget, said government sources.

An estimated 1.5 million workers will begin receiving the hiked salaries from January.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe told his ministers on 30 October that the budget would propose to raise the salaries of all state sector workers.

He asked the private sector to follow suit and provide a salary increase for its workers.

The budget for next year, Wickremesinghe’s third, will be presented to parliament on 13 November.

Litro Gas has decided to increase the prices of its products from Saturday (4) midnight.

The price of a 12.5 kg cooking gas cylinder can increase by Rs. 75/- to Rs. 90/-, said the Litro Chairman.

The current prices of Litro Products:

12.5 kg : Rs. 3,470/-

5 kg : Rs. 1,393/-

2.3 : Rs. 650/-

The previous price hike took place on the 4th of October, 2023.

Eleven Sri Lankan nationals from two families including two adults and nine children, who were stranded in the Gaza Strip have safely arrived in Sri Lanka early morning today (05 November).

The Consular Affairs Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs coordinated the arrangements for their return in collaboration with Sri Lanka Missions in Cairo, Ramallah and Tel Aviv.

Foreign Ministry officials received the returning Sri Lankan nationals this morning, upon their arrival at Bandaranaike International Airport, Colombo.

The entry of the eleven Sri Lankans from Gaza Strip into Egypt via Rafah Border Crossing was facilitated by the Sri Lankan Embassy in Cairo in coordination with the Egyptian authorities on

November 2, 2023. The Embassy officials visited the Rafah Border to receive the stranded Sri Lankans.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs facilitated the arrangements of logistics and air transportation of the returnees with the assistance of the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe has stated that the Sri Lanka Cricket executive committee and Selection Committee should bear responsibility for the recent defeats of the Sri Lanka Cricket team.

In his statement, the Minister emphasizes that the accountability for these losses lies with the officials rather than the players.

The Minister has insisted that both the Sri Lanka Cricket executive committee and the Cricket selection committee should step down from their positions before he initiates stringent actions against them.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe has informed the Constitutional Council in writing that he has recommended only incumbent C.D. Wickramaratne to be the police chief, reports ‘Deshaya’.

This week, he wrote to speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, the chairman of the CC, after it asked the defence secretary for a list of four probables for the position of IGP.

In his letter, the president quoted the relevant constitutional clauses and questioned the legal basis for the CC’s request.

Also, there are several court rulings that highlight presidential powers with regard to matters of national security, he wrote further.

Thereafter, Abeywardena got in touch with the Presidential Secretariat and noted that with the CC having twice recommended Wickramaratne, it would not object if the president names him to be the IGP.

According to sources at the Presidential Secretariat, the president intends to keep him in the position until the presidential election is held.

The licenses of five liquor manufacturing companies have been suspended, due to failure to pay taxes in time, sources said on Thursday (02 Nov.).

Accordingly, the distillery licenses of Synergy Distilleries (Pvt) Ltd, Finnland Distilleries Corporation (Pvt) Ltd, Wayamba Distilleries, W M Mendis & Co Ltd and the Randenigala Distilleries Lanka (Pvt) Ltd were suspended, the source said