Dec 8 (AD) The World Health Organization (WHO) has put together a mechanism to distribute the Covid-19 vaccine to all countries equally, says State Minister Dr Ramesh Pathirana. The Health Ministry has made a request to the UN health agency with regard to the virus jabs, he said during the media briefing to announce Cabinet decisions earlier today. WHO will accordingly distribute the vaccine to Sri Lanka in accordance with their production capacity, he added. more..

Dec 8 (DM) The employees of Brandix Garment factory in Minuwangoda had worked extra hours to get their payments increased despite having symptoms such as fever, Minister Sarath Weerasekara told Parliament yesterday. “It has also been found that workers at the factory continued to work despite having fever. They have worked after taking paracetamol tablets to earn extra,” Minister said in response to a question raised by JJB MP Dissanayake alleged that the company doctor more..

Dec 8 (AFP) Sri Lanka announced Tuesday the first large-scale Chinese investment in manufacturing in the country, a $300-million tyre factory near a strategic deep-sea port. Western nations, as well as regional power India, have long been concerned about Chinese influence in SL through projects under its gargantuan Belt and Road infrastructure initiative. The factory will be adjacent to the Hambantota port, which was leased more..

Dec 8 (AD) SL’s first state-owned wind-powered electricity generating plant was declared open in Mannar this morning. Located in Mannar Thambapavani is the largest wind power plant complex in the country. Marking a historic milestone in SL’s power generation, the power plant was declared open by PM Rajapaksa. The phase of the wind power plant is expected to generate 100 megawatts of wind power. Thambapavani, operating as an eco-friendly project, more..

Dec 8 (CT) PM Mahinda Rajapaksa has instructed the Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi and the State Minister Dr. Sudharshani Fernandopulle, yesterday, to focus attention on the possibility, in compliance with health instructions in a proper manner, of commencing private tuition classes, so that 50 per cent of students to the capacity of a hall are permitted. PM had instructed the duo to look into how private tuition classes could re-commence in compliance with proper health guidance of more..

Dec 8 (AD) The post mortem examinations of any of the inmates who have died in the Mahara Prison riot incident has not been concluded, says Police Media Spokesperson DIG Ajith Rohana. He stated this clarifying the reason behind the delay in final rights of inmates who died in the incident despite them being tested positive for COVID-19. Among the 11 inmates who died in the riot, 08 have tested positive for coronavirus posthumously. more..

Dec 8 (ST) Mrs Nilushika Jayaweera first came to Singapore in 2001 to work as a domestic helper. At the time, she could not imagine creating products and having them sold here. Yet the intrepid Sri Lankan went on to found start-up Nilu Tea, and a herbal beverage the company co-created was launched to commemorate 50 years of diplomatic relations between Singapore and SL on Tuesday (8). Mrs Jayaweera, 40, said: "Singapore is like my second home and it has given me more..

Dec 8 (CT) Health authorities had closed down the OPD and two wards at the Gampola Teaching Hospital, after a COVID-19 positive doctor of the hospital organised a party to celebrate his transfer. Director of Gampola Teaching Hospital Chamil Wijekoon said several protective measures had already been taken. He stated that a few pregnant women had been transferred to the Peradeniya Hospital and Kandy General Hospital. COVID-infected doctor had been ready to go on more..

Dec 8 (Reuters) Veteran SL all-rounder Angelo Mathews is slowly coming to terms with the fact his body can no longer stand up to the rigours of test bowling and that his future role in the team will be as a specialist batsman. The 33-year-old, who has been battered by injuries throughout his career, has not bowled in a test match since 2018 in Christchurch due to concerns about the physical toll from his workload across all three formats. more..

Dec 9 (CT) This write up is an account of the recollections of my experiences at the Mahara prison as a detainee in December 1982. My sojourn was very short, only a few weeks, but many things discussed now as happenings inside the Prison, have a resemblance to what I witnessed then. Although the public attention remains heavily focused to these affairs in the context of the pandemonium that arose, things have continued over a long period of time unnoticed. more..

Dec 9 (CT) In Sri Lanka, the closest event prior to the human rights day on Dec 10th, is the killing of 11 prisoners and injuring of over 100 other prisoners in the Mahara prisons. That incident clearly speaks about the massive contradictions involved in the claims about the protection of human rights and the actual reality that exists in the country. The prisoners, throughout the country, have been recently complaining about the spread of COVID-19. They have been attempting to get more..

Dec 9 (DM) SLPP National List MP Prof. Tissa Vitharana recently said that COVID-19 is now in the community and nobody has immunity against it since it’s a new virus. He made these observations in his capacity as a specialist in the fields of bacteriology and virology. Having obtained a Diploma in Bacteriology from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and a Ph.D. in virology from the Uni of London, he also served as more..

Dec 9 (ST) Containing COVID-19 while getting the economy functioning again is a challenging task. In as much as containing COVID-19 is vital for the safety of lives and livelihoods, the functioning of the economy in tandem with COVID are vital for the livelihood of people. The shutting down of economic activities to contain the virus is a threat to the livelihood of people, especially those with low income and daily wages. Govt has therefore chosen to open the economy as much as possible, more..

Dec 9 (DM) The medical mafia of developing nations are off-shoots of the huge invasive Transnational Pharmaceutical conglomerates branded as Big Pharma by the Western medical journalist. They operate individually and collectively in every third-world nation brining unspeakable misery to the poor patients, by simultaneously producing a cheap drug [with severe aftereffects and flood the market], for the costly remedy to follow. They buy over some of the politicians, health authorities, more..

Dec 9 (ST) Nimmi Harasgama a.k.a. Auntie Netta and more recently Brulee Silva, talks to Adilah Ismail of her acting career and her role in Funny Boy that brought back some uncomfortable memories. To get into character for Auntie Netta, Nimmi Harasgama compresses her jawline like an accordion to give the illusion of multiple chins. Since her initial appearances over a decade ago, her clothes are now updated to more..

Dec 9 (DM) On December 25, people around the world will celebrate the feast of Christmas – the birth of Jesus Christ -- whom Christians believe is the Son of God, born into this world to atone the wrong doings of mankind. Not surprisingly therefore, Christmas is a season of great joy, hope, festivities, revelry and of course Santa Claus. Homes and shops will be filled with goodies and people of goodwill will be helping their more unfortunate fellowmen and women. more..

Dec 9 (CT) Can the TNA say that the TNA did not have any alliance with the LTTE? However, it was seemingly an open secret that the TNA was a political wing of the LTTE. TNA may have denounced the LTTE when it killed innocent civilians, but they never asked the LTTE to renounce their arms and enter the democratic process. Neither did they ask the LTTE to surrender their cadres who committed such atrocities, or, ask the public in the North in particular to cooperate with more..

Dec 9 (Roar) What is good journalism? asked moderator Nalaka Gunawardene, opening a virtual discussion on Exploring The Future of Journalism, organised by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom on 24 Nov. Panelist Arjuna Ranawana, Chief Editor of EconomyNext, concluded that good journalism should aim to expose the truth, and to be as fair and as accurate as possible. Fellow panelist Roel Raymond, Chief Editor of Roar Media, contended with the function of a journalist more..

Dec 9 (ST) The National Olympic Committee of SL (NOCSL) is the highest body for sport in Sri Lanka and governs 33 of the main sports played in this country. In a groundbreaking announcement, the NOCSL has just launched the Sexual Harassment and Abuse Policy (SHAP) and the Harassment is No Game campaign to combat sexual harassment and other forms of abuse in Sri Lankan sport. Sexual harassment is a serious issue in Sri Lanka and is the initial focal point of this national campaign. more..

Dec 9 (Island) Apart from developing infrastructure and training facilities Sri Lanka Athletics has highlighted at a meeting with Tier 1 of National High Performance Sports Committee inclusive of Julian Bolling and Sports Council head Mahela Jayawardena on Monday the need to set up a mechanism for talented athletes identified at grass root level to reach high performance coaches. more..

Dec 9 (DM) The kith and kin of the inmates of the Mahara prison are still gathering in front of the prison to know the fate that befell their incarcerated family members after the violence that took place on Nov 29, which left, reportedly and according to the official accounts, 11 inmates dead and more than a hundred injured. There is no independent or transparent estimate of the real numbers involved and as the families complain, the fate of those who are still inside are not known. more..

Dec 9 (Island) A committee that probed the recent Mahara Prison riot, which left a dozen inmates dead and scores of others injured besides causing extensive damage to the correctional facility, has submitted its interim report to Minister of Justice Ali Sabry. The Opposition has expressed displeasure at the composition of the probe committee and demanded that an independent commission be appointed to conduct an impartial investigation into the tragic incident. more..

Dec 9 (TM) National Chamber of Exporters (NCE) has sent a letter to the Ministry of Finance a few days ago, expressing their concerns over a number of proposals announced in the Budget 2021. NCE CEO Shiham Marikkar said that these proposals were vague and lacked a clear direction on how to implement, and would be hurtful to the export industry if implemented. The first proposal that has concerned the exporters was more..

Dec 9 (FT) Lankem Ceylon Plc is to raise Rs. 677 million via a Rights Issue to fund working capital requirements. The Rights Issue will be on the basis of one new share for every share held at Rs. 20 each. The current stated capital of the company is Rs. 930.3 million with 33.85 million shares in issue. The Lankem Board of Directors is of the view that the consideration for which the shares are to be issued is far and reasonable. The Rights Issue is subject to shareholder and CSE approval. more..

Dec 9 (CT) The LPL has a unique combination of four pairs of brothers either taking part as players or officials in the ongoing tournament. Wanindu Hasaranga de Silva and Chaturanga de Silva are brothers. Both are SL national players currently playing for Jaffna Stallions as all-rounders, and even batted together. Hasaranga is the younger of the two, and both of them are happy they got an opportunity to represent the same team in a tournament of this magnitude. more..

Dec 9 (FT) Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga has updated the Cabinet on the progress of the talks with health authorities to reopen borders for int'l travellers. Preparations to open the country’s airports were discussed at the Cabinet meeting held on Monday under the patronage of Prez Rajapaksa. “Joint Tourism and Health Committee has been directed to submit their final recommendations by end of this week more..

Dec 9 (TM) SL’s exorbitant taxes on sanitary napkins had the media spotlight over the last few weeks – this is not a new issue. In 2018, the total tariffs on sanitary napkins was over 101.2%. Since then, we have seen some progress, with the tax being reduced from 101.2% to its current rate of 52%; a result of several tax revisions. The 2020 Budget revised down general duties for sanitary napkins to 15% and introduced a CESS tax of 15%, causing an uproar in social media and in Parliament, more..

Dec 9 (Island) SL’s national provider of LPG, Litro Gas Lanka Limited was showcased on the international stage when its chairman and CEO, Anil Koswatte was awarded the CEO of the Year at the Sri Lanka Best Employer Brand Awards 2020 hosted by the World HRD Congress. For the 15th consecutive year, The Sri Lanka Best Employer Brand Awards has recognized and feted industry leaders for their exceptional leadership in empowering key stakeholders of their more..

Dec 9 (CT) Prez Rajapaksa has pressured members of Public Utilities Commission of SL to resign, as his Govt faces an internal crisis after he made the unilateral decision to scrap the independent regulator for public utilities. Govt was in a dither last week after Senior Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara publicly slammed the Prez’s move to scrap the PUCSL saying it could disrupt ongoing projects and consumer programmes in the pipeline more..

Dec 9 (DN) Former, South African paceman, Dale Steyn is optimistic that the Kandy Tuskers could reach the semi-finals of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) T20 Cricket Tournament. The 37-year-old veteran fast bowler is set to spearhead the Tuskers’ bowling attack when they take on the Jaffna Stallions, in a second-round fixture at the Mahinda Rajapaksa Stadium in Hambantota today, commencing at 3.30 p.m. The Tuskers are currently at the bottom of the points table and more..

Dec 9 (FT) A 20-day-old infant, who tested positive for COVID-19, passed away at the Lady Ridgeway Hospital, Hospital Director Dr. G. Wijesuriya stated yesterday. This is believed to be the youngest COVID-19 death in the country. Dr. Wijesuriya said that medical professionals believed the cause of death was COVID-19 with pneumonia. “Based on the child’s health condition, we see that this child suffered from an acute case of pneumonia before this,” Dr. Wijesuriya added. more..

Dec 9 (DM) Massive crowds thronged Hettimulla, Kegalle last morning, upon receiving the news that a cure for Covid-19 would be distributed free of charge. The commotion resulted in several police teams including the Kegalle police, being deployed to the site to control crowds. Images of dozens of people donning face masks but standing hardly an inch away from each other, began circulating on social media with the phenomenon being more..

Dec 9 (DN) Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) is likely to postpone the National Cricket team's tour of South Africa which was scheduled to commence from December 15. This decision was taken after an emergency meeting held at the SLC headquarters yesterday. Due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic which affected the England tour, a few players from both sides have tested positive, resulting in the Englishmen curtailing their tour and deciding to return home. more..

Dec 9 (Island) CSE activities were bullish and the ASPI gained more than 50%, less than six months after start of trading on May 12, 2020 following the two month shut down of the stock market due to the Covid 19 global pandemic situation, stock market analysts said. To date the market has recorded 6500 points, which is the highest after a lapse of two and a half years. Accordingly, the market witnessed very active retail participation yesterday with the touching of more than the Rs. 4 billion turnover mark. more..

Dec 9 (AD) Magistrate’s order on the Attorney General’s application for the appointment of an expert panel to conduct the post mortem examinations of the inmates who were killed in the Mahara Prison riot was reserved for tomorrow (9). Eleven inmates died in the recent violent events at the Mahara Prison and 08 of them have been diagnosed with COVID-19 infection posthumously. AG’s Department today (8) requested more..

Dec 9 (MFA) Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena and Fisheries Minister Douglas Devananda met with the Indian High Commissioner Gopal Bagley on 7 December 2020 at the Foreign Ministry. The two Ministers discussed matters of mutual interest with the Indian High Commissioner, mainly focussing on the Palk Strait fisheries issue and possible post Covid-19 mutual cooperation. It was agreed to find solutions to the existing fisheries matters through the established bilateral mechanisms, more..

Dec 9 (FT) The COVID-19 Analytical Committee yesterday met to discuss the COVID-19 spread in the country as well as preparations that should be made for the forthcoming festive season. Officials involved in COVID-19 prevention, including Health Ministry Secretary Dr. Sanjeewa Munasinghe, Primary Health Care, Epidemiology and Coronavirus Disease Control State Ministry Secretary Dr. Amal de Silva, Director General of Health Services Dr. Asela Gunawardena & Chief Epidemiologist more..

Dec 9 (DM) Although the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) was able to provide information on Islamic extremism to the State Intelligence Service (SIS), SIS was hesitant to receive them, former TID Director DIG Nalaka de Silva informed PCoI. Commencing the testimony, Commissioners had played the voice recordings which former Police Informant Namal Kumara had released in 2018, where former TID Director made certain more..

Dec 9 (CT) Health authorities yesterday confirmed that 50 doctors, 19 members of the nursing staff, 13 members of the junior staff and four persons from the Gampola Teaching Hospital Police Unit, had been forced to undergo the mandatory quarantine after they had attended a party given by a COVID-19 positive doctor from the said Hospital. Already, the Out Patients Dept (OPD) and several wards of the Hospital had been temporarily shut down and Director Chamil Wijekoon said that more..