News

ICC bans transgender players from women’s international cricket

Published

1 year ago

November 22, 2023

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Danielle McGahey, who became the first transgender player to feature in international cricket earlier this year, will no longer be able to participate in women’s international games following a key change to the ICC’s gender eligibility regulations.

Under the new rules, approved by the ICC board on Tuesday, any player who has transitioned from male to female and has been through any form of male puberty will not be allowed to participate in women’s international cricket, regardless of any surgery or gender reassignment treatment they may have undertaken.

McGahey, a 29-year-old batter, is originally from Australia but moved to Canada in 2020 and underwent a male-to-female medical transition in 2021. In September 2023, she appeared for Canada in the Women’s T20 Americas Qualifier, the pathway tournament to the 2024 T20 World Cup. So far, she has played six T20Is, scoring 118 runs at an average of 19.66 and a strike rate of 95.93.

Brazil Women’s captain Roberta Moretti Avery, against whose side McGahey played two T20Is and registered her best of 48, respected the ICC’s decision but called its timing “unfortunate”.

“It’s a decision that appears to have been made by the ICC in good faith with the benefit of the most recent scientific advice,” Avery told ESPNcricinfo. “That said, the timing of the decision is really unfortunate.

“Danielle McGahey was allowed to play in the recent World Cup Qualifier on the basis of the rules that applied at the time. As a result, she was subjected to a lot of abuse from people who have never met her and who do not understand the difficult journey she has been on.

“She and her team-mates also had a reasonable expectation that she would be allowed to play in future matches. So it’s unfortunate that this decision has been made after the event, once Danielle’s hopes had been raised and after she has already been exposed to a huge amount of scrutiny and abuse. That can’t be good for anyone’s mental health. The ICC lifted the hopes of a whole community and it feels like those hopes have now been dashed.”

The ICC finalised the new policy following a nine-month consultation process with the sport’s stakeholders. “It is based on the following principles (in order of priority), protection of the integrity of the women’s game, safety, fairness and inclusion,” the board stated in a release. “The regulations will be reviewed within two years.”

ICC CEO Geoff Allardice added: “Inclusivity is incredibly important to us as a sport, but our priority was to protect the integrity of the international women’s game and the safety of players.”

For now, the review, which was led by the ICC medical advisory committee chaired by Dr Peter Harcourt, relates to gender eligibility for international women’s cricket only. “The gender eligibility at domestic level is a matter for each individual Member board, which may be impacted by local legislation,” the ICC said.

(espncricinfo.com)

News

Customs seizes three containers linked with an organized crime gang

Published

1 hour ago

March 25, 2025

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Sri Lanka Customs has seized three shipping containers imported by an organized crime gang under false declarations, containing a large stock of goods worth over Rs.120 million, including food items and cosmetic products.

The containers, imported from Dubai, were discovered at a private cargo clearance facility in Dematagoda, Colombo. The stock included turmeric, ginger, coffee, and cashew nuts, among other food products.

A team of officials, including Director General of SL Customs Sarath Nonis and Customs Media Spokesman, Additional Director General Sivali Arukgoda, inspected the seized goods.

The containers also contained cosmetic items, soap, chocolates, clothing, and footwear. The cosmetics were packed in cardboard boxes, with cashews, coffee beans, etc., hidden from view.

Upon inspection, the seized containers were found to hold six metric tons of turmeric, three metric tons of ginger, three metric tons of cashew nuts, and 1.5 metric tons of coffee beans.

The food items had been imported without the approval of the Plant Quarantine Division, while the cosmetic products, valued at millions of rupees, had been brought in without obtaining the necessary approval from the National Medicine Regulatory Authority of Sri Lanka (NMRA).

The Customs Media Spokesman stated that if these goods had not been intercepted, the government would have lost over Rs.120 million in tax revenue.

Investigations also revealed that the addresses provided for the shipment’s consignees were fake.

The Customs Media Spokesman also stated that steps will be taken to arrest individuals involved in this smuggling.

He also stated that around seven cargo clearance companies are operating in Colombo, with organized crime gangs allegedly linked to these firms.

Customs officials stated that the seized turmeric and ginger stocks will be inspected by the National Plant Quarantine Service before being distributed to the public through Sathosa, while the clothing and footwear will be sold through a tender process.

Meanwhile, cosmetic products and soaps imported without NMRA approval will be destroyed, according to Customs Media Spokesman.

News

Cabinet proposal to slash solar panel tariffs

Published

2 hours ago

March 25, 2025

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It’s reported that the government has decided to revise the payment rate per unit of electricity generated by rooftop solar panels.

Sources from the Ministry of Energy indicate that a cabinet paper has been submitted to the Cabinet of Ministers to implement these revisions based on recommendations from the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB).

Accordingly, the unit price paid for rooftop solar electricity will be revised, with proposed adjustments based on the amount of electricity generated.

At present, the payment per unit is Rs.27, but under the new revisions, it is expected to be reduced to Rs.19.

For solar power systems generating less than 20 kilowatts, the proposed payment per unit is Rs.19. Systems generating between 20 – 100 kilowatts will receive Rs.17 per unit, while systems generating between 100 – 500 kilowatts will receive Rs.15 per unit.

However, these new tariff rates will apply only to newly installed rooftop solar systems, while existing installations will continue to receive payments at the current rate.

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Another suspect arrested over Dondra shooting

Published

2 hours ago

March 25, 2025

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Police have arrested another suspect in connection with the fatal shooting incident on Sinhasana Road, in front of the Sri Vishnu Devalaya in Dondra.

The suspect was arrested on March 23rd in the Gandara police division.

According to the police, officers from the Matara Divisional Crimes Unit arrested the suspect for his involvement in setting fire to the van used by the assailants in the shooting incident. He was subsequently handed over to the Gandara Police Station.

The arrested suspect is a 34-year-old resident of the Dondra area.

The Matara Divisional Crimes Unit and the Gandara Police, are continuing further investigations.