Dec 26 (AD) All decisions concerning the Covid-19 pandemic are taken based on the advice of the health sector, State Minister Shehan Semasinghe says. He said the final rites of Covid-19 victims are also being carried out as per health sector’s recommendations. He also noted that people who are debating on the burial and cremation of coronavirus victims must realize that the government is taking all these decisions to protect the rights of the living. more..

Dec 26 (DM) Travel restrictions have been imposed in Galagedara East Grama Niladhari Division in Padukka, Padukka Medical Officer of Health Dumithra Kahangama said. The decision was taken following the death of a Covid-19 infected person at Arukwatta in Padukka. The area PHI said the 74-year-old man had died at home and he tested positiver for Covid-19 following a PCR test conducted at Avissawella Hospital. He said PCR tests were conducted on 40 close contacts of more..

Dec 26 (AD) Covid-19 infections registered in Sri Lanka crossed the grim milestone of 40,000 as 500 more persons were tested positive today, the Health Ministry said. 448 of the newly-identified patients are close contacts of earlier cases linked to the Peliyagoda fish market. In addition, 52 from the prison cluster were also confirmed as active coronavirus cases. total number of Covid-19 infections now stands at 40,282. more..

Dec 27 (Island) Former President Maithripala Sirisena emerged a few days ago from a long hibernation, interrupted only by his participation in the last parliamentary election to retain his long-held Polonnaruwa district seat. He recently awoke from his slumber sharing a platform with Prime Ministers Narendra Modi of India and Yoshide Suga of Japan at an international symposium on Shared Values and Democracy in Asia organized by the New Delhi-based Vivekananda International Foundation. more..

Dec 27 (SO) Responding to concerns, Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said his recent statement regarding the social media regulations has been portrayed in a garbled manner and the true meaning has not been conveyed. Clarifying his statement, Minister said the Govt’s intention is not to register social media users but to look into a mounting concern shared by Govts across the world that these digital multinational conglomerates are overwhelming & alienating local businesses more..

Dec 27 (SO) State Minister Shehan Semasinghe said considering this difficult period as well as keeping to the promise given by Prez Rajapaksa, Govt has brought down the interest rates. The rupee against the Dollar is now between Rs.180 and 186 which was almost Rs.200 when the Govt took office. He said in the circumstances and having taken over one of the worst economies ever, the Govt has been able to give some relief to more..

Dec 27 (CT) Pandemics make or break leaders; so is the ability to inculcate a sense of confidence in the electorate. One might remember famous bigot-gate and dither-gate confounding British general elections of 2010 when Gordon Brown lost to a rather innocuous conservative party led by David Cameron. Electorate in advanced countries do not like leaders who seem to waver or dither in making decisions. They would like someone who would forthrightly commit to something and more..

Dec 27 (SO) There has never been a year like 2020 unless we go back 100 years to 1920, when the Spanish Flu raged around the world, eventually killing 50 million people. A century later, we have not progressed much in terms of battling these sub-microscopic strands of DNA called viruses. It was on Dec 31, 2019 that the world was made aware of a new variety of Coronavirus that could potentially be deadly. Just three months later, the WHO declared it a Global Health Emergency and a pandemic, more..

Dec 27 (SO) The UNP is discussing about forming a broader political coalition, its Deputy Leader Ruwan Wijewardene said. But, he said, this should be done with care to avoid clash of ideologies of different political parties. Q: The UNP had a trying few months, especially with the breakaway of a faction to form a separate party. But you said during a media interview that you would re-emerge stronger. What did you mean by this? more..

Dec 27 (ST) Annus horribilis — a miserable and disastrous year is coming to a long-awaited end. An unforgettable year it was, for all the wrong reasons not just for Sri Lanka but the entire world stopped in its tracks by an unseen virus. As 2020 winds down, it’s as if we can’t wait for it to be over. Young and old, all will remember it for the COVID-19 pandemic that swept across a world that prided itself on its might and advanced technology, forcing a new reckoning of society and lifestyles. more..

Dec 27 (ST) My dear Santa Claus, I thought I should write to you, even though it is a couple of days late, but I thought you might still be doing your Christmas rounds in this island paradise of ours, what with the lockdowns, local curfews and quarantine restrictions because of the coronavirus making a comeback. Just in case you are running late, Santa, you do not need to rush because not everyone in Paradise needs presents this Christmas as some of them have got them early, well before Christmas. more..

Dec 27 (Island) Ignazio Silone is reported to have told Palmiro Togliatti, the Italian Communist Party leader, that “the final struggle will be between the communists and the ex-communists.” It’s not too much to claim that in SL the final struggle will be between the nationalists and the ex-nationalists. Communists claim the ex-Communist has betrayed his conscience. The ex-Communist claims the Communists have betrayed his ideals. In the end the ex-Communist, branded a heretic, more..

Dec 27 (CT) While appreciating SL’s relative success with the management of COVID-19, the Global Tamil Forum (GTF) would like to express its strong condemnation of the mandatory cremation of all dead bodies suspected to have been infected with the coronavirus, and calls upon the leaders of all communities to do all they can to have this irrational and discriminatory govt policy reversed. SL’s mandatory cremation policy has caused major outrage and trauma for Muslim & Christian more..

Dec 27 (ST) An official news release said last week that the Govt has sought the help of the UN and its agencies to help SL obtain vaccines for Covid-19 used by other countries. The task does not appear to be easy with manufacturers contracting large orders, particularly with the US. Here is an account that gives an idea: Operation Warp Speed (OWS), US govt’s ongoing initiative funding vaccine development & distribution, more..

Dec 27 (CI) Dhananjaya de Silva is a doubt for the rest of Sri Lanka's Test series in South Africa after retiring hurt on 79 on the first day of the Centurion Test. De Silva came in with Sri Lanka in trouble at 54 for 3, but his fluent innings had taken them to 185 with no further loss when he completed a single off the bowling of Lutho Sipamla. However, he immediately looked to be in severe discomfort, collapsing to the ground, and had to be helped off the field and into the dressing room. more..

Dec 27 (TM) Ceylon Fisheries Corporation (CFC), which has not conducted auditing since 2016, has commenced a full audit for the years from 2016, State Minister Kanchana Wijesekera said. The last audit of the CFC had been completed in 2015 and it was revealed that no audit has been done since 2016. He that the newly appointed Deputy General Manager (DGM) – Finance will look into the matter. “No audit has been done at the CFC for 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019. We are auditing it now. more..

Dec 27 (CI) They're back. And they seem to mean business. Let's be honest, there are very few of us that expected SL to return to South Africa after the coup they pulled off 22 months ago and establish control immediately, but that's what they've done. Through a get-runs-before-you-get-out approach, their batsmen are on the brink of recording their highest total in SA and have already asked SA to score more runs than they have more..

Dec 27 (SO) Volleyball, branded as the national sport of Sri Lanka, a declaration that even cricket does not have, has been thrown into cold stage and its players disbanded from training and ordered to go home. The governing body of the sport, the Sri Lanka Volleyball Federation, has decided not to take part in any tournaments conducted by the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) in 2021 which means the national team will not contest as many as eight international competitions in the new year. more..

Dec 27 (ST) Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is probing the Rights Issue of On’ally Holdings (On’ally), which owns and manages the Unity Plaza Complex in Bambalapitiya, on a complaint made by On’ally’s major shareholder, Urban Development Authority (UDA). The preliminary inquiry was held on Wednesday. The UDA (with 44.8%) complained that Renuka Capital Plc (Renuka) had acted in concert with certain shareholders in acquiring the 5.4 million more..

Dec 27 (CI) Dinesh Chandimal and Dhananjaya de Silva raised SL from 54 for 3, before each producing effective but contrasting innings that were each brought to a close by misfortune, rather than any significant flaws of their own. Their 131-run stand not only turned around a day that seemed to be going poorly, but also set SL on track for their highest ever total in SA - their 340 for 6 at day's end on the cusp of beating the previous best more..

Dec 27 (Island) Sri Lanka Athletics is set to conduct its 98th National Athletics Championships at the Sugathadasa Stadium from Saturday, as it looks forward to provide the competition-starved national athletes an opportunity to weigh in their strengths after being in the sideline for more than a year due to Covid 19 pandemic. In two years Sri Lanka Athletics will celebrate the centenary year. Today we review a National Championship which was held 75 years ago. more..

Dec 27 (EN) Mortgage loans at a state mandated 7% rate given to salaries workers could be used to build houses, purchase a land or an apartment, the CB said in explaining direction to commercial banks. The 7% rate would apply for 7 years, and the borrower could repay the loan in full at the time without a penalty. After 7 years the loan would be priced at the average weighted prime lending rate plus one percent. There is no upper limit to the loan, but it will be determined by monthly income. more..

Dec 27 (ST) Most respondents in a Business Times poll conducted this week believed the COVID-19-affected economy will recover in 2021 but were less confident about the prospects of SL meeting its foreign debt obligations and on business activities recovering. BT poll, examining the prospects for 2021, asked about 200 respondents from different backgrounds including business and professionals, their views on more..

Dec 27 (ST) Former SL sprinter Kalinga Kumarage made a spectacular return to the sport after two years of battling a doping ban when he won the 200 metre title on the opening day of the 98th National Athletic Championship at the Sugathadasa Stadium yesterday. A promising 400m runner, who won a silver medal at the 2016 South Asian Games in Guwahati, India, the 28-year-old Army athlete is reinventing himself in the 200 metres scorching the track with a blistering run of 20.79 seconds. more..

Dec 27 (Island) The world is celebrating the election of Kamala Harris, the first female Vice-President of the US. But hey, we Sri Lankans had a woman as our PM more than half a century ago. Some of our women have been trendsetters and their visionary leadership has been remarkable and exemplary. In cricket circles, you find more and more women taking up leadership roles. SL set the trend in appointing a woman to run one of game’s showpiece events when they hosted World T-20 in 2012. more..

Dec 27 (ST) Just as a large entourage of tourists from the CIS bloc were due to arrive yesterday, the tourism industry earlier in the week was thrown into confusion as health guidelines were still under preparation. However, at the time this edition went to print on Thursday, the authorities were believed to have reached a decision on the health guidelines. In a letter dated Wednesday (20) to the health authorities, more..

Dec 27 (ST) The economic misery of 2020 triggered by the COVID-19 crisis pushing people into untold sufferings which resulted in the government spending Rs. 70 billion to battle the pandemic, is likely to end in the New Year amidst renewed hopes of optimism. The country’s public finances have been executed by the Treasury with severe constraints arising out of four Votes on Accounts in the whole year without an annual budget. It has allowed only the financial provisions more..

Dec 27 (NIA) An Indian Ocean Naval Symposium COVID- 19 workshop through Video Conference on Standard Operating Procedures, Best Practices in COVID management was held with the participation of Indian and Sri Lankan naval experts on December 23. The Webinar was inaugurated by Cmde Ajit Gopinath, Principal Director Medical Services (HS), Indian Navy after which presentations on public health strategies, guidelines and best practices adopted by Indian Navy were made. more..

Dec 27 (TM) The controversial Australian company Titanium Sands Ltd. (TSL), which was reported to be exploring Sri Lanka’s ilmenite reserves, is operating in the island illegally according to investigations conducted by GSMB. The investigations have revealed that the company was neither offered a license to engage in mineral exploration activities in Sri Lanka, nor had it entered a joint venture with a local license. more..

Dec 27 (SO) SL’s growth will return to medium term trend levels of +3% to 4% in 2020-2021 weighing up the various risks and the government’s economic response to the pandemic, said Senior Research Associate at the Overseas Development Institute in London Dr. Ganeshan Wignaraja. He said there seems a consensus among forecasters that SL’s growth in 2020 will be negative and one of the worst years on record since 2000. Projections indicate that the country’s growth will return to positive more..

Dec 27 (ST) The economic misery of 2020 triggered by the COVID-19 crisis pushing people into untold sufferings which resulted in the govt spending Rs. 70 billion to battle the pandemic, is likely to end in the New Year amidst renewed hopes of optimism. The country’s public finances have been executed by the Treasury with severe constraints arising out of four Votes on Accounts in the whole year without an annual budget. It has allowed only the financial provisions of public services and to provide more..

Dec 27 (TM) Plantation companies are unlikely to abide by the instructions given by Labour Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva last week to come up with a final decision on increasing the minimum daily wage of estate workers to Rs. 1,000. Instead, the companies are discussing a radical proposal which they say would increase both the salaries of the workers as well as the work hours. Last Monday, Minister de Silva instructed the relevant more..

Dec 27 (ST) When state employees begin their work on Jan 1, 2021, they will be taking a fresh oath not only vowing to serve the public but also to implement Prez Rajapaksa’s election manifesto — Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour. This will be a new inclusion to the affirmation of the public service. According to the Public Administration Circular issued by the Ministry of Public Services, Provincial Councils and Local Govt, a brief ceremony should be held at each state institution more..

Dec 27 (ST) A multi-pronged law enforcement investigation has been launched to trace the whereabouts of a large stock of explosives believed to have been stolen from a rock quarry in Mawanella. The owner of the quarry at Molliyagoda in Mawanella had complained to Mawanella police about the alleged theft of the explosives. Mawanella Divisional Secretary has also informed the Kegalle District Secretary and Sabaragamuwa Province Governor about the matter. more..

Dec 27 (ST) Finance Ministry has rejected the extension of agreements with three furnace-oil fuelled private power plants based on a Power Ministry Cabinet paper that had inflated the price per kilowatt hour. The relevant Cabinet paper has also wrongly called the three plants–Ace Power Embilipitiya, Ace Power Matara and Asia Power–auto-diesel fired when they run on furnace oil. The discrepancy is significant as furnace oil costs more..

Dec 27 (TM) Prez Rajapaksa visited Pahalagama, Elapattu in Anuradhapura this afternoon to inspect the maize fields damaged by the fall armyworm or Sena Dalambuwa. Farmers have been severely affected by the fall armyworm infestation for the past two years. It said the farmers have informed the Prez that fall armyworms have damaged crops in many districts this year as well resulting in reduced harvest. They have also briefed the Prez on the threat posed by wild elephants to plantations. more..

Dec 27 (Island) Police sleuths probing the mysterious death of the Dutch monk are expected to use underwater cameras in an attempt to trace the stone that’s believed to be at the bottom of the Ratgama lagoon after it had dislodged from one of the bhikku’s legs. Two stones had been tied to the legs of Ven. Olande Jinawansa thera but only one was found intact at the time his body was found floating in the lagoon. “We will be looking for a stone of similar size and weight as it would help more..

Dec 27 (ST) A horrendous 2020 ends in just four days with fears over what 2021 would hold for Sri Lankans battered by the coronavirus and rising prices of essential consumer goods. True, they are not alone in the spread of the deadly disease. It is the same in other parts of the world but to varying degrees. Locally it has forced closure of shops, businesses, restaurants, and left thousands unemployed. more..

Dec 28 (CT) Year 2020 has been one of stark realities. Among them is the recognition that the health of the planet — we call home — is in danger. This danger comes from multiple fronts: issues such as climate change, habitat destruction, and biodiversity loss are all driving factors. Yet one such danger that has become increasingly pervasive in our ecosystems can be changed by simple human choice. That is the choice to reduce plastics. Plastic is found everywhere – including plastic bags more..