Jan 29 (DM) SL Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) Chairman Kimarli Fernando said SL does not require a minimum number of days to stay in SL within the Bio Bubbles introduced by the SL Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB). While participating in the virtual Hello Again - SL tourism awareness session to announce re-opening of SL for int'l tourists from the 21 Jan, she said SL is safe and exciting even during the pandemic. more..

Jan 29 (DM) Army medical teams at both Narahenpita and Panagoda Army Hospitals jabbed 1,000 doses of AstraZeneca Covishield vaccine to the frontline military personnel who serve in the fight against transmission of COVID-19 after its inauguration took place this morning. The Army said that another 7,500 more vaccines are scheduled to be administered in the military hospitals in Anuradhapura, Minneriya, Trincomalee, Mannar, Vavuniya and Ampara, while more..

Jan 29 (FT) A collection of COVID-19 stories compiled by Sarvodaya Shanthi Sena Sansadaya was launched last morning as a part of an initiative supported by the UNDP in Sri Lanka and the European Union’s Service for Foreign Policy Instruments. The launch took place at the Homagama Divisional Secretariat in the presence of District Secretary – Colombo Pradeep Yasrathne; Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement President Dr. Vinya Ariyaratne, more..

Jan 29 (AD) Sri Lanka has registered 394 more positive cases of Covid-19 today. The total number of Covid-19 infections confirmed so far in the country now stands at 61,980. Recoveries from the virus meanwhile climbed to 55,398 earlier today, as 963 more patients regained health. However, 6,285 active cases are still under medical care at selected hospitals and treatment centres located across the island. more..

Jan 29 (CT) Report of the Buddhist Rights Commission, set up to prevent immoral conversion of Buddhists to other religions and to protect Buddhist rights and entitlements, will be launched today. Jagath Sumathipala, President of the All Ceylon Buddhist Congress (ACBC) said, the Report would be unveiled at a ceremony to mark the 101st Anniversary of the ACBC today. Following COVID- 19 regulations, only 150 members will attend the conference, which will be held today more..

Jan 29 (USE) The United States, in coordination with zonal and provincial education and health services authorities, is setting up health rooms at 120 schools around the country, an initiative to support the health and well-being of thousands of Sri Lankan students. The health rooms promote Ministry of Education recommendations to ensure basic precautionary measures against COVID-19 and will include beds, mattresses, first aid kits, portable screens, and water dispensers. more..

Jan 30 (DM) The Covid-19 pandemic has shaken the economies in countries the world over. Sri Lanka too has been shaken as the pandemic worsens and the numbers of those contracting the disease and the death rate rising rapidly. Today we are witnessing a growing dissatisfaction in the govt’s failure to take necessary measures to control what is becoming an apparent community spread. While during the initial stages of the pandemic, health authorities and the govt were able to control more..

Jan 30 (CT) Among the laws enunciated by the Roman Emperor Justinian (482 AD-565 AD) was that a person is innocent until proven guilty. The British system of justice, to which Sri Lanka adheres, also operates on the basis that a person is innocent until proven guilty. And, that stance is true even in the German, US, EU and Indian systems of justice. This presumption is one of the bedrocks on which the justice system of the civilised world operates. But, going by what the Office of OHCHR said more..

Jan 30 (DM) Jan 28, 2021 was the third death anniversary of famous filmmaker Dharmasena Pathiraja. The renowned academic cum film director, referred to as Pathi by almost everybody he interacted with, breathed his last on the morning of Jan 28, 2018 at the Lakeside Hospital in Kandy. He was 74 years and had been ailing for some time. The funeral of Dharmasena Pathiraja took place at the Mahaiyawa cemetery in Kandy on more..

Jan 30 (DM) Govt on Jan 22 announced one of its countermeasures against the possible resolution that would be adopted in the UNHRC sessions in Geneva. A gazette notification issued by Prez Rajapaksa said a 3-member Commission of Inquiry has been appointed to review the reports of the preceding commissions and committees that investigated human rights issues in SL and make recommendations. This seems to be in accordance with an announcement made by more..

Jan 30 (GV) From Lithuania, Italy, Korea, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and other many countries the plea is the same: bring us home. From cities and villages across Sri Lanka the plea is the same: bring our family members home. Since the first Covid-19 case was discovered in Sri Lanka over one year ago, the warnings have been consistent; the country needed a plan to bring home its migrant workers, especially the most vulnerable – women working as domestic helpers in the Middle East. more..

Jan 30 (DM) Buddhist scripture condemns violence in every form. But exactly a month after Ven. Olande Jinarathana Thera’s body was found floating in the Rathgama Lagoon, the charred remains of another monk were found at the Nawana Cemetery in Kotadeniyawa earlier this month. While investigations are underway to determine the cause of events that led to the two incidents one may also wonder how Ahimsa more..

Jan 30 (CT) The present situation is characterised by three crises, economic, epidemiological and ecological. The dispute with regard to the Eastern Container Terminal (ECT) is likely to lead towards a political crisis if the Govt fails to come to an amicable solution with the workers of SLPA. These quadruple crises are not isolated events. They are interlinked and superimposed on each other so that an understanding of them needs the cognition of the structure and the process in its entirety. more..

Jan 30 (CT) The UK High Commissioner to SL, Sarah Hulton OBE, has stated the UK will officially raise human rights concerns at the UNHRC, with special emphasis on the issue of forced cremation of COVID-19 victims. Though there may be several issues at play, the politics and the principles of the matter must not be confused. Firstly, the emotional reaction will be to shake our fists at the western hemisphere’s double standards surrounding human rights. Then there will be liberal consensus, more..

Jan 30 (CT) John Calvin wrote: When God wants to judge a nation, He gives them wicked rulers. The Bible also says in Jeremiah 23:19 See, the storm of the LORD will burst out in wrath, a whirlwind swirling down on the heads of the wicked. These are timely warnings as boasts are made of having killed Velupillai Prabhakaran like a dog, as if justice is not to be feared. Indeed, no one of decent family kills even a dog. That divine warning, as this article puts forward, is indeed, more..

Jan 30 (Island) Bits and pieces of news surreptitiously move along the grape vine and in social media, and touch even an electronics moron like Cassandra. She received a picture of a former First Lady with younger brother smiling beside her as ambassador-designate to the Seychelles. Cass deleted it immediately as if it could incriminate her but remembered a Bank of Ceylon Branch was opened in that holiday resort with few SL residents. Rex Clementine wrote about more..

Jan 30 (CT) U.S. Embassy, Colombo, organised a Media roundtable with Ambassador Alaina B. Teplitz on 26 Jan, where she spoke on SL’s political landscape and issues with China and the Indo-Pacific openness. Q: Looking at the US Govt it is continuously reiterating about China in SL and that we need to balance. Is this the actual scenario because we know the U.S. is a major trading partner of China and many say that more..

Jan 30 (Island) Sri Lankans rise and fall with the performances of our boys. When Jayasuriya was out of form, we felt it deeply. Every time Aravinda pulled a ball on a good length, our hearts leapt up to our throats. The team recently suffered a painful test series defeat at the hands of a well-prepared and professional England team, and while many will debate the reasons, ranging from personnel to fitness to extracurricular activities to commercial interests; the cricketing aspect more..

Jan 30 (Island) The trouble-torn UNP shows signs of further disintegration with some of its rebels giving up their positions and criticising their leader in public. Curiously, some of them have already stressed the need to field a common Opposition candidate at the next presidential election. There is much the UNP will have to do on the political front before the next presidential election. Interestingly, those who cannot even get rid of their party leader are planning to oust a powerful Prez, more..

Jan 30 (CT) Duruthu Poya dawned this year with fresh hopes as all was set to welcome the special Air India Flight carrying the consignment of half a million vials of Covishield vaccine. Indian High Commissioner Gopal Baglay before departing to the BIA visited Gangarama Temple and offered prayers seeking blessings. He also offered meals (alms) to devotees at the Temple. Incidentally, High Commissioner Baglay who more..

Jan 30 (FT) An agile business model was the cornerstone to Expolanka Holdings sustaining its strong growth momentum during the latest quarter which ended 31 Dec 2020. The company attributed its performance to staying on the path of a focused and consistent growth strategy while remaining flexible and optimising opportunities in a dynamic operating environment. The quarter’s performance has resulted in the group generating a Revenue of Rs. 143.2b and a profit After Tax of Rs. 10.8b more..

Jan 30 (ST) Tourist guides in SL face the challenge of being quarantined following a tour as a result of which they have requested that tour operators pay them accordingly and assure safety standards are adhered to strictly when on tour. In this respect, the SL Institute of National Tourist Guide Lecturers (SLINTGL) in a letter to the SL Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) Chairperson Kimarli Fernando has stated that since their members will be working in a Bio Bubble Tourism Concept more..

Jan 30 (FT) The Govt is planning sweeping changes to SL’s labour laws, including changing regulations governing the insurance industry and worker compensation, as well as introducing formal income protection and mandatory injury insurance for employees. Labour Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva, speaking at an event to award scholarships under the Ministry’s Shrama Vasana scheme this week, noted that injury protection given to more..

Jan 30 (CT) Former SL skipper Arjuna Ranatunga, in response to an invite made by Minister of Sports Namal Rajapaksa to help develop cricket, said he has no intention of getting personally involved but would provide suggestions for the necessary upliftment. He added that if Rajapaksa,who has sufficient support from the President and Prime Minister to make the required changes, does not take steps to establish an Interim Board, a drastic downfall will be evident in the next 2 years. more..

Jan 30 (FT) Tharshani, now 45, had already been struggling to make ends meet since her husband died 15 years ago due to the conflict. But since the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns that started last year, her income from poultry farming has dropped, and her eldest daughter, who they relied on for household expenses, has found no daily-wage work. “During the lockdown we had to take loans from our neighbours,” said Tharshani (not her real name). “We were struggling to find money for food, more..

Jan 30 (FT) Despite global negativity, CSE has emerged the best performing stock market in the world as of 19 Jan due to local positivity. Analysts expect global equity market growth to move away from the US to favour the rest of the world. The capital flow into emerging markets can also be expected to flow into frontier markets while SL has the potential to outperform other frontier equity markets during 2021 since it is trading at more..

Jan 30 (FT) Ambassador Santhush Woonjin Jeong had the pleasure to meet the winners of the Korean language speech contest and felicitate them at the Korean Embassy on 21 Jan 2021. The Ambassador offered congratulations to the winners and expressed his appreciation for their excellent skills in speaking Korean. Due to the prevailing pandemic, the Korean language speech contest was held online last December as an event of Korea Week. Embassy of Korea in SL in collaboration with more..

Jan 30 (CT) For the overwhelming majority of football enthusiasts in Sri Lanka, the inaugural Sri Lanka Super League promises to revolutionise the country’s football scene like never before. After almost two years in the planning stage, the inaugural event will become the country’s second professional league after the Lanka Premier League (LPL), and has high hopes of succeeding in several key areas. There are signs this new sporting venture will end up in triumph. more..

Jan 30 (FT) The Divulapitiya, Peliyagoda, and prisons COVID-19 clusters that emerged on 4 Oct yesterday expanded to 58,489 patients, with the detection of 859 COVID-19 positive persons. 839 associates of the Peliyagoda cluster and 20 persons linked to the prisons cluster were among those who tested positive for the virus. In addition to the triple clusters, 950 Navy personnel and their contacts and 651 persons linked to more..

Jan 30 (TM) Belluna Co. Ltd. Japan announced that Asia Capital PLC will not act as the local co-ordinating partner in the 447 Luna Tower project at Union Place, Colombo 02, with effect from 13 Jan 2021. Asia Capital PLC was the local partner facilitating the project on behalf of Belluna Co. Ltd. Japan. 447 Luna Tower is solely funded and fully owned by Belluna Lanka, the local subsidiary of Belluna Co. Japan. Project is said to be one of the few equity-funded real estate developments more..

Jan 30 (CT) Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi who was at the Hikkaduwa Intermediate Treatment Centre after being COVID-19 infected was transferred to the IDH last evening (28). The Minister was under medical supervision at the hospital, a hospital spokesperson said. Meanwhile, a young doctor from Ragama Hospital who was also COVID-infected was admitted to the ICU of the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital yesterday. He was earlier under medical supervision at Mulleriyawa Hospital. more..

Jan 30 (Island) Former President Maithripala Sirisena has opposed the proposed Indian investment at the East Container Terminal (ECT) of the Colombo Port, but he himself agreed to Indian and Japanese investment during discussions with Indian PM Narendra Modi on March 11, 2018 in New Delhi, and with the then Japanese PM Shinzo Abe in Tokyo on March 14, 2018, according to highly placed govt sources. more..

Jan 30 (FT) Pelwatte Dairy Industries expresses its delight on the promise of the Prez to allocate special lands for the dairy farmers following several issues pertaining to the lack of land for cattle grazing in the districts of Ampara and A'pura. While conveying their gratitude to the Prez for taking the matter into concern and for promising to support the industry and people, Pelwatte Dairy has expressed its willingness to help establish milking sheds and chilling centres in govt proposed lands. more..

Jan 30 (Island) NFF leader Wimal Weerawansa requested five political parties, represented in the SLPP govt, for urgent talks in case the govt decided to go ahead with the Indian investment at the East Container Terminal (ECT). Well informed sources said that Minister Weerawansa had explained the need for them to take decisive action if the govt submitted a Cabinet paper next week on the ECT deal. Among those who had received invitations for the meeting at Minister Weerawansa’s more..

Jan 30 (Island) It was ridiculous that some govt officials were saying they would take full responsibility for the COVID-19 vaccines, but not even vaccine producers have given such an assurance”, President of College of Medical Laboratory Science, Ravi Kumudesh said. Govt couldn’t take the full responsibly because vaccines were not 100% safe and the person who took the jab did so knowing that there were risks, he said. more..

Jan 30 (FT) United States Senator and a former co-chair of the SL Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives Chris Van Hollen has written to Lankan envoy in the United States, Ravinatha Aryasinha to allow the burial of those Muslims who have passed away due to COVID-19. Following is the full text: I write to you as a former co-chair of the SL Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives and a longtime friend of the people of SL. Today, I am also writing on behalf of my constituents, more..

Jan 30 (Island) President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa had instructed the formation of a special unit of retired military personnel to check all prison officers who enter and leave prisons, State Minister Lohan Ratwatte said yesterday. Ratwatte told The Island that earlier only junior prison officers were frisked, but recent developments had shown the need to frisk even the most senior prison officials. The objective was to stem the flow of drugs, cellphones and money into the prisons, he said. more..

Jan 30 (FT) The Govt vaccinated over 5,200 frontline and healthcare workers yesterday at eight hospitals and two camps as it rolled out the first round of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine targeting 250,000 people, including the Tri-Forces and Police. Epidemiology Unit said that 5,286 people were vaccinated in total, which included 1,886 staff of the National Hospital, 803 at the Colombo North Teaching Hospital, more..