Aug 16 (Island) JVP called on people to adopt all possible measures to ensure their protection without waiting till the govt to impose lockdowns. JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said that govt continued to keep the country open against the advice of doctors and health experts, and people should take action necessary for their protection. “Govt is adamant to keep the country open while people die in their hundreds. more..

Aug 16 (CT) State Minister Prof. Channa Jayasumana warned that there would be a drastic increase in the number of COVID positive cases and deaths within the next two weeks, when the virus completes its incubation period. He said, “The situation in the country is serious and there is nothing to hide.” As it is, there is a marked increase in the cases being diagnosed and the number of deaths. Next 2 weeks will be decisive as the incubation period of virus would have ended more..

Aug 16 (DM) Majority of bodies of COVID victims cremated in cemeteries within the Colombo City are of those who reside outside the city, Chief Medical Officer Colombo (CMC) Dr. Ruwan Wijayamuni said. It was said that out of 20 bodies of COVID victims that are cremated daily, only around four or five are city dwellers. “When it comes to burials we send the bodies to the Oddamawedi burial grounds in Batticloa,” he said. He also said there was currently no issue at the Kalubowila cemetery more..

Aug 16 (EN) As authorities continue to resist calls for a lockdown SL has become the country with fourth highest deaths per million persons after Georgia and Tunisia and Malaysia among countries with a population over a million. The island nation also saw the 6,000 death mark on Sunday with the last 1,000 deaths being reported in just eight days, compared to 15 days for the previous 1000. Govt is yet to lockdown the country more..

Aug 16 (FT) Tiffany Pham, creator of platform Mogul (https://onmogul.com/) for women throughout the globe to develop their entrepreneurial skills, has shared her professional experiences in the form of a semi-autobiography, You Are a Mogul, released in 2018. The sub tagline of the book tells it all: How to do the impossible, Do it yourself, and Do it now. Created in 2014 when Pham was 27 years old with her ICT geek brother David Pham, Mogul has attracted women throughout the globe more..

Aug 16 (FT) On Friday 13 Aug, I passed the 79th year in my life. The 80th looms ahead. An ephemeral memory nags me. I was born in 1942 in the British administered crown colony of Ceylon. In 2021, I live in in a family fiefdom politely described as a republic in the middle of a pandemic. In my 80th year I refuse to concede that life is a list of years full of fears and tears. Opinionative obduracy compels this essay. Measuring up my journey from a Lost Paradise to a shackled Shangri-La, I am reminded of more..

Aug 16 (AD) State Minister Ajith Nivard Cabraal says that social gatherings such as parties that had taken place in the nighttime had led to the spread of the Delta variant of the coronavirus in the country. SL imposed a quarantine curfew, effective island-wide, from 1 pm to 4 am daily. He said, “This has been especially imposed so that people stay at home at night instead of gathering and partying. It has been revealed at points that parties have spread this [Delta] variant. That is the reasoning here. more..

Aug 16 (Island) Supreme Court has directed that notices be issued returnable for 16 Sept 2021 on Minister of External Affairs Dinesh Gunawardena, Secretary Defence General (retd.) Kamal Gunaratne and IGP C.D. Wickramaratne, respondents in an alleged fundamental rights violation case filed by three petitioners representing the Sri Lanka Islamic Students Movement (SLISM), an organisation proscribed in April 2021 under regulations made by Prez Rajapaksa. more..

Aug 16 (AD) Prof. G.L. Peiris has been appointed as the new Foreign Minister while Dinesh Gunawardena is the new Education Minister following the Cabinet reshuffle today. Pavithra Wanniarachchi, who had been serving as the Health Minister, has been appointed as the Minister of Transport while Keheliya Rambukwella is the new Minister of Health. Gamini Lokuge has been given the portfolio of Minister of Power while more..

Aug 16 (Island) Plans are afoot to set up a special emergency unit attached to the Ministry of Environment to respond to public complaints. Environment Minister Mahinda Amaraweera has instructed the Secretary to the Ministry of Environment, Dr. Anil Jasinghe to take steps to set up a Special Internal Investigation Unit within the Ministry. Amaraweera said that at a discussion with the Secretary and other Additional Secretaries, Minister of Environment should set up more..

Aug 16 (DN) Govt is prepared to go for a lockdown if health and other experts recommend, State Minister Prof. Channa Jayasumana said. Speaking at a public function yesterday the state minister said however, the govt will not dance to the tune of some people who are pawns of petty politics and politicians. “The allegations made by the Opposition and some others that the govt is not listening to the health authorities to control the spread of the pandemic should be investigated first. more..

Aug 16 (TM) The prices of reconditioned vehicles have increased substantially – in some cases by over 50% – according to the Vehicle Importers’ Association of SL (VIASL). VIASL President Indika Merenchige confirmed a massive rise in the prices of reconditioned vehicles. “Maruti Suzuki Wagon R prices in 2018 were around Rs. 3.5 million; the current market price is Rs. 6 million. Jeep models are in the price range more..

Aug 16 (EN) SL Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) is set to resume vaccination of Sri Lankans leaving the country for work, an official said. SLBFE plans to begin vaccination on Tuesday, starting with workers leaving for countries that accept the AstraZeneca COVID-19 jab. Only those registered with the SLBFE will be vaccinated, and they will be jabbed at the army hospital in Colombo. SLBFE have vaccinated 8,000 plus workers so far and some 25,000 are awaiting their shot. more..

Aug 16 (AD) The GMOA urges the government to cut down public circulation in society by 80% to 90% to control the spread of COVID-19. GMOA says that the govt should declare that country is at the COVID-19 Risk level 04. They say the COVID-19 Task Force and the Ministry of Health should take the necessary steps as soon as possible and monitor whether these measures are carried out properly. GMOA further says that the country’s vaccination process is outside the scope of more..

Aug 16 (TM) Archbishop of Colombo His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith said on Friday (13) that a public letter sent to Prez Rajapaksa on the investigations into the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks had not received a reply signed by the Prez or Secretary to the Prez Dr. P.B. Jayasundera. “After waiting for 24 days the reply we finally received was not a letter signed by the Prez or even the Prez’s Secretary, but a trivial letter more..

Aug 16 (EN) Laugfs Gas Plc, badly hit by price controls from the Consumer Affairs Authority said it had expected resume supplies to the domestic market on Aug 20, though it will still make losses at a raised controlled price. “We have placed an order for a shipment and we expect to re-start operations in a small way on Aug 20,” Laugfs Gas CEO Chaminda Ediriwickreme said. CAA used its coercive powers to block a price increase throughout 2020 making the firm lose 1.8 billion rupees more..

Aug 16 (TM) The Cabinet Sub-Committee appointed to resolve the teacher-principal salary anomaly, after discussions with the relevant teachers’ and principals’ trade unions, will discuss their demands and proposals with the Ministry of Finance. Cabinet Sub-Committee Member and Minister Prasanna Ranatunga confirmed that the trade unions’ demands would be discussed with the Finance Ministry, while the Sub-Committee’s recommendations would be presented to more..

Aug 16 (TM) There are numerous posts circulating on social media platforms, in particular on Facebook, regarding an incident where between 12 and 14 dogs that were staying at the premises of the BMICH in Colombo have allegedly been injected with poison and their bodies dumped somewhere in the Negombo area. The posts alleged that the dogs had been injected in this manner on 8, 9, and 10 August. Some individuals claimed to have more..

Aug 16 (EN) SL received another 74,880 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine Monday morning, the SPC said. So far, 31,605 Sri Lankans have been fully vaccinated with Pfizer, while 152,290 have received the first dose of the US-made vaccine. On Sunday, 2nd dose was administered to 4,697, while 61 received the first shot. Meanwhile, health authorities on Sunday administered the first and second doses of Japan-donated AstraZeneca vaccine to 409 & 2,204 respectively. more..

Aug 16 (DM) Claiming that the curfew imposed in the night is not effective in restricting people’s movement, Govt Nursing Officers' Association (GNOA) President Saman Rathnapriya today said Trade Unions of the Health sector would take to the street forcing the Govt to impose islandwide lockdown. He told a news conference that health sector trade unions have already discussed steps to be taken to force the Govt to impose a scientific lockdown after these two days. more..

Aug 16 (TM) Teachers’ and principals’ trade unions have launched an online petition to force the Govt to address their salary issues, which the unions claim had garnered more than 30,000 signatures by last (13) morning. According to CTSU General Secretary Mahinda Jayasinghe, petition has been signed by more than 30,000 people as of last morning. The petition is part of the trade union actions that have been more..

Aug 16 (EN) Ex-Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera is in intensive care after contracting Coronavirus despite being fully vaccinated an ally said. “@MangalaLK is afflicted with COVID pneumonia and related complications, having contracted the virus despite being fully vaccinated,” Asitha Rajapaksa, his former media secretary said in twitter.com message. “Presently, he is receiving medical attention under intensive care. Urging you all to kindly pray for his quick & full recovery.” more..

Aug 16 (FT) Hatton National Bank said it continued to demonstrate resilience amidst volatile conditions, posting a Profit Before Tax (PBT) of Rs. 10.9 billion and a Profit After Tax (PAT) of Rs. 9.1 billion. The Group profits also improved in line, with PBT and PAT at Rs. 12 billion and Rs. 9.8 billion, respectively. The loan book recorded a growth of 8.6% over the past 12 months to June 2021. Despite this, the reduction of over 280 bps in AWPLR over the same period resulted in a 10.6% YoY drop more..

Aug 16 (TM) The FUTA yesterday made a public appeal from the SL people to intervene and stop the private mercenary behaviour of the police force, while the Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) on Friday requested the Human Rights Commission of SL (HRCSL) for an immediate investigation into the alleged threats that activists are facing from the Police. This follows several arrests of education sector activists and protestors by the Police more..

Aug 16 (TM) The only electricity-run crematorium in the Jaffna District will function on a 24-hour basis from this week to cope with the increasing number of Covid-19 deaths. Official sources at the Jaffna Teaching Hospital said that the hospital’s mortuary has about 12 bodies of Covid-19 victims which are yet to be cremated as the Jaffna crematorium can only cremate four bodies per day. To overcome this problem the Jaffna Municipal Council has decided to function the crematorium more..

Aug 16 (FT) Veteran banker K.E.D. Sumanasiri will assume duties as the General Manager of Bank of Ceylon (BOC). He succeeds D.P.K. Gunasekera, who is retiring after a 41-year career at BOC. Sumanasiri, who joined the bank in 1990, rose up in the different grades as a career banker and has been a Deputy General Manager and member of the bank’s corporate management team since 2013. His experience and industry acumen as a banker ranges across many key areas of banking. more..

Aug 16 (CI) Sri Lanka batter Kusal Perera has tested positive for Covid-19 and will now have to isolate for at least ten days. The development should not, at this stage, rule him out of the limited-overs series against South Africa at home in the first half of September. Perera had also missed the home series against India in July with a shoulder injury, and was just preparing to make a comeback to competitive cricket when a test on Sunday more..

Aug 16 (DM) SSP Nihal Thalduwa has been appointed as the new Police Media Spokesman with immediate effect. Public Security Ministry Secretary approved the appointment. SSP Thalduwa who served as the Director of the Terrorism Investigation Unit was appointed as the new Director of the Police Media Unit in March 2021. He succeed SDIG Ajith Rohana who served as the Police Media Spokesman for 11 years in four different occasions since 2011. Ajith Rohana recently promoted more..

Aug 16 (DM) Sri Lanka Navy vessel Shakthi to set sail to Chennai in India today to freight Oxygen from India to Sri Lanka, the Navy said. Earlier, the Health Ministry said that Sri Lanka will import 100 metric tonnes of medical grade oxygen from India to meet the scarcity in hospitals. Navy Spokesman Captain Indika de Silva said that vessel will leave today after formalities to bring the oxygen. He said it will take round 36 hours to reach the Chennai port. SLNS Shakthi is the largest tanker ship of SL Navy. more..

Aug 16 (EN) Despite a countrywide ban on weddings in Sri Lanka starting midnight Tuesday (17) amid surging COVID-19 cases, marriage registration will be permitted with minimal participation, police said. SDIG Ajith Rohana said on Monday that marriage registration may take place with the participation of the bride and groom, the registrar, the couple’s parents and two witnesses only. Sri Lanka has imposed curfew from more..

Aug 16 (Island) The UNP demanded to know from the govt yesterday on what grounds that it could justify its decision to keep the country open while hundreds of people die daily from the COVID-19 virus. UNP Chairman and former Minister Wajira Abyewardena addressing a press conference yesterday said that none would be able to comprehend the rationale behind the govt’s decision to not going for a countrywide lockdown against the calls by doctors, PHIs and WHO experts. more..

Aug 16 (Island) State Minister Ajith Nivard Cabraal says Sri Lanka will receive USD 780 mn in terms of Special Drawing Rights (SDR) in support of efforts to meet difficulties caused by the Covid-19 crisis. Asked whether the govt had agreed to a programme, the former Governor of the Central Bank Cabraal said that the funds were made available to all countries regardless of a programme. Pointing out that the total IMPF allocation was about USD 650 bn, SL was entitled to USD 780 mn. more..

Aug 17 (DM) The unprecedented COVID-19 spike which is not represented by the official figures has eclipsed or suppressed the struggles by the principals and the teachers for the resolution of their salary anomalies which remains unresolved for the past 24 years. Under growing pressure from the health sector and the general public teacher-principal unions suspended their protest march on August 7 at Pasyala and vehicle procession started from Kandy days ago – but they vowed to more..

Aug 17 (DM) If there were any doubts over the last year as to whether SL was sliding into a crisis, the shortages of milk powder and cooking gas have awakened people to the deep economic depression. As cost of living rises, incomes from the informal sector grind to a halt and the salaries of workers decline in real terms, what kind of demands should working people make on the state? It is budget season now, but this time around the promises of the Govt that the economic problems facing more..

Aug 17 (DM) The Kotelawala National Defence Uni (KNDU) Bill is wrecking serious havoc in Sri Lanka’s educational landscape. Students and teachers unionised or otherwise, seem to have reached a rare consensus about its undesirability, though perhaps for varying reasons. The bill’s ridiculously obvious militarisation drive is what has attracted the most criticism, and for good reason. more..

Aug 17 (CT) Afghanistan’s Govt collapsed on Monday (16) after its capital Kabul was relinquished to advancing Taliban militants following weeks of fierce fighting between Afghan troops and jihadi fighters. Afghanistan Prez Ashraf Ghani has fled to Uzbekistan with the former Prez Hamid Karzai offering to lead the transition of power with the Taliban. Thousands of residents and foreign nationals are trying to escape, with scenes of chaos and panic seen at Kabul airport since more..

Aug 17 (Roar) With International Youth Day celebrated world over on August 12, it comes as no surprise that the theme for 2021 anchors on a very pressing and vital topic, which is Transforming Food Systems: Youth Innovation for Human and Planetary Health with the aim of highlighting the challenges of climate change and how related efforts globally need the meaningful participation of the youth in order to be solved. Vositha Wijenayake, Executive Director of SLYCAN Trust, more..

Aug 17 (CT) The recent Circular to demarcate State lands issued by the Secretary to the Ministry of Lands to District Secretariats and Divisional Secretariats in reference to the previously issued MWFC/1/2020 circular issued by the Ministry of Wildlife and Forest Conservation has raised several concerns. While the ambiguity of the Circular has been questioned, two main concerns are that of the possible impact on forest land more..