Jul 26 (TM) Protection and Indemnity Insurance (P&I) Club of the MV X-Press Pearl ship has requested further proof of the damages that occurred as a result of the fire on board the said vessel in order to pay the remaining amount of the initial interim claim. Official sources told us that further documents are currently being prepared by the AG’s Dept, as requested by the insurers. The insurers have so far only agreed to pay more..

Jul 26 (DM) Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) issued another Extra Ordinary Gazette notification today making it mandatory to state the weight in Kilograms of any domestic Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Cylinders. The Gazette notification was issued by Order of the CAA Chairman Shantha Dissanayake, under the powers vested in him by Section 10 (1) (a) of the CAA Act, No. 09 of 2003. Accordingly, the CAA directs that no manufacturer, distributor, dealer or trader of LPG Cylinders more..

Jul 26 (Island) Highways Minister Johnston Fernando has instructed his officials to provide him with weekly progress updates on the the project to develop 25,000 km of road to be completed by the end of this year. The project is under the 100,000 road development programme and the targets that had been set should be achieved on time, he told his officials during a meeting held at the Ministry auditorium yesterday. The Minister said that he would personally visit to inspect the progress more..

Jul 26 (TM) SL stands to receive an allocation of $ 780 million by the end of August, through the IMF new Special Drawing Rights (SDR) proposal, pending approval from the IMF Board of Governors. The SDR facility, if approved, will be received by SL after a request made to the Fund for emergency financial assistance in 2020 did not materialise due to shortcomings in finalising the agreements. Under the proposal, due to be reviewed in early August, SL is entitled to 0.12% of more..

Jul 26 (EN) SL received 90,090 more doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine Monday through the COVAX facility, State Ministry of Production, Supply and Regulation of Pharmaceuticals said. A Qatar Airways flight carrying the consignment landed at the BIA around 2.30 am, and the vials were then transported to the National Blood Centre at Narahenpita to be stored in minus 70 degrees Celsius. With the new consignment, SL has received a total of 205,920 doses of the vaccine. more..

Jul 26 (CT) The Sri Lanka team hasn’t had a very good time on the ground lately. After having a disappointing series against England, they lost the ODIs to India but were able to fetch a win in the last game. However, in the T20Is, they couldn’t hold their fort as India took a 1-0 lead. The problems do not seem to end for them as the team now has to deal with some injury blows as well. Three players of the Sri Lankan side are expected to miss the second T20I against India owing to injuries. more..

Jul 26 (Island) The Health Ministry bureaucracy had not taken steps to purchase equipment worth Rs. 4 billion, which were vital for COVID-19 eradication, although the government had allocated funds two months back, President of the College of Medical Laboratory Science (CMLS), Ravi Kumudesh alleged yesterday. The Ministry officials had taken steps to make COVID-19 eradication measures taken by more..

Jul 26 (DM) Nearly 100 tons of used plastic yoghurt cups are discarded into the environment annually, Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said. While having a discussion at the Ministry, he said, only seven percent of the used empty yoghurt cups are collected for recycling and the remaining 93% are either dumped into the environment or some are burnt and destroyed. It was also revealed that around 45 million yoghurt and similar plastic containers are getting accumulated in more..

Jul 26 (CT) A quarry in the Egalla Grama Niladhari Division in the Kegalle District is said to pose several environmental and social issues in the area, Environmentalist Jayantha Wijesinghe claimed. He said a quarry located near the Beligala Historical Cave Temple and Mukalana, which are both archaeologically significant was causing environmental damage to the area. In a communiqué, he noted that according to the title Deeds submitted by the quarry owner to more..

Jul 26 (DM) SJB MP Eran Wickramaratne responds to questions both on the economic condition of the country & new political developments in the opposition. Q: Fuel prices are beyond the control of the local authorities alone to a great extent. Then, why did you bring an unsuccessful no faith motion targeting the subject minister only? It is nothing against the minister personally. It was propelled by more..

Jul 26 (DM) While reiterating the fact raised by medical experts that Delta variant would be dominant in SL, the Health Ministry said patients with Delta variant could be seen in every district in the country. Deputy Director General of Health Services Dr. Hemantha Herath said in a situation where Delta variant cases have been detected in Western, North, South and Eastern provinces, such cases could be found in every district in the country. Health authorities have so far detected 68 more..

Jul 26 (Island) Work on the 100th herb garden, under the Environment Ministry’s Osu Wana Dahasak Programme commenced yesterday at the Pillewa Temple, Boralesgamuwa. Under this Osu Wana Dahasak programme, 24 native medicinal plants each were provided to each religious place of worship. The maintenance of the plants was also the responsibility of the board of trustees or trustees in charge of the religious places, Environment Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said. more..

Jul 26 (CT) The National Trade Union Front (NTUF) alleged the Govt purposely avoids conducting PCR tests, and as a result, the number of patients reported has recently decreased. “The number of PCR tests performed had decreased by 50 per cent compared to the number of PCR tests performed in February. The current decrease in the number of COVID-19 patients was not satisfactory, and there could be more more..

Jul 26 (AD) The general secretary of the SLPP Sagara Kariyawasam says that certain MPs of the SLFP are still in the same mentality as before when the SLFP was the main constituent party of the ruling alliance. Speaking at a press briefing in Colombo today, he said that a very small minority in the SLFP are of the opinion that they are being treated differently by the govt and that one minister had even claimed that the ministerial portfolio he had received was a joke. more..

Jul 26 (SLN) A special operation conducted by the Navy in seas north of Kankasanthurai, Jaffna led to the seizure of about 216kg and 750g of Kerala cannabis and apprehension of 3 suspects along with a dinghy on 25th July 2021. As part of Navy’s operations in SL waters to thwart wide-ranging illegal activities including the smuggling of drugs, Inshore Patrol Craft P 177 of the Northern Naval Command made this interception in northern waters, after spotting a suspicious dinghy speeding off more..

Jul 26 (EN) Sri Lanka expects to recoup around US$ 200 million from a billion US dollar International Sovereign Bond repayment on July 27, State Minister Nivard Cabraal said. Out of the billion US dollar ISB which is being repaid this week US$ 310 million is held by resident investors. “That 310 million will be an inflow,” Cabraal said. “We expect to take about US$ 200 million through swaps to build reserves.” more..

Jul 26 (DM) The Court of Appeal today issued an order directing the Surveyor General to expedite the demarcation of physical boundaries of Muthurajawela Sanctuary, to clarify the legal status. Court of Appeal two-judge-bench comprising Justice Sobhitha Rajakaruna and Justice Dhammika Ganepola made this order under writ petitions filed by Colombo Archbishop Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith and Centre for Environmental Justice. Additional Solicitor General Sumathi Dharmawardena, more..

Jul 26 (Island) Foreign Secretary Admiral (retd) Dr. Jayanath Colombage said that SL followed what he called a foreign policy of neutrality whilst remaining non-aligned amidst strategic competition in the Indian Ocean, regardless of the global crisis caused by the raging the Covid-19 pandemic. FS Colombage said so during a virtual dialogue arranged by the Pathfinder Foundation (PF) and the UK-based Int'l Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) on the current status of SL-UK relations. more..

Jul 27 (DM) The death of the teenage housemaid who had been employed by the family of former minister Rishad Bathiuden on July 15 has been politicized in both mainstream and social media and communalized for some extent in social media. Almost all, including leaders of political parties and various other organizations rightly demand the justice be meted out to the 16-year-old girl’s family. However, apart from the representatives of the plantation community to which Ishalini, more..

Jul 27 (TM) Amidst a series of protests initiated by various sectors and a strike action launched by the education sector trade unions, Govt led by Prez Rajapaksa and PM Rajapaksa managed to show its strength in the Legislature by defeating the No-confidence Motion (NCM) moved by the SJB against Minister Udaya Gammanpila with a two-thirds majority in the House. Despite friction within the governing SLPP alliance, all bickering factions as well as several members of the Opposition more..

Jul 27 (DM) With more than three decades of experience in Parliament former Media and Housing Minister Imthiaz Bakeer Markar returned to Parliament from the main Opposition SJB. The son of former Speaker Mohammed Abdul Bakeer Markar, Imthiaz was attracted to politics as early as from his schooling days. A strong campaigner for the total representation of every section in the society- more..

Jul 27 (CT) Effective 1st July 2021, Licensed Commercial Banks and Licensed Specialized Banks operating in SL are required to be guided by the restrictions imposed on them till 31st Dec 2021, by the Central Bank. These restrictions appear to be short- term measures taken by the CBSL, mainly to address the Foreign Exchange Reserve quandary currently before the country overriding all other financial problems. They are applicable to All Licensed Commercial Banks including more..

Jul 27 (DM) The Delta variant is on the verge of going out of control. The 24 letters in the first alphabetic script in history, the Greek alphabet, used to denote Covid-19 variants, will not suffice to name fast spreading inimical Sri Lankan Viruses; considering the growing protest clusters created by the on-going teacher agitation campaigns and the govt’s irresponsible attitude in not settling their purportedly rational demands on the issue of salary anomalies, et al. more..

Jul 27 (TM) Managing Covid-19 pandemic has demanded a great deal of efficient resource management from countries’ administrations, whether in terms of monetary capital or human resources, and many nations can be seen struggling to manage their expenses and income at this juncture. As the pandemic worsened, public health expenses increased in all countries, while national income and production decreased severely. more..

Jul 27 (CT) Govt of SL (GoSL) must tame inflation in the context that countrywide inflation increased by 6.1% year-on-year (YoY) last month (June), the Census and Statistics Dept said on Thursday. One factor for this situation may be the availability of low cost money to enterprises by the Central Bank of SL (CBSL)/GoSL to avert job losses in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. But this has resulted in the maximum administered yield of the benchmark one year Treasury Bill kept at 5.26% currently, more..

Jul 27 (CT) The Covid-19 pandemic, which shows no sign of retreating yet, is threatening to unleash instead its fourth wave with the highly contagious Delta strain. People who would normally adhere to advice from health experts to avoid close personal contacts and large gatherings, are turning a blind eye to the orders of military men who advise the same, and are engaging openly in protest rallies and marches against the govt, although the official media hides the facts. more..

Jul 27 (DM) The debate that is being hyped and ballooned at present among Colombo Yahapalana groups is on militarisation of higher education with Sir John Kotalawela National Defence University (KNDU) Draft Bill in parliament. While the common allegation is that this Bill aims at commodifying free education, the protest gaining momentum now is against militarisation. It would be worth reading politics entrenched in both the proposed KNDU Bill and in protests against it. more..

Jul 27 (Island) Kerry Packer was a godsend to Australian cricket. So was Killi Rajamahendran. At a time when cricket in Sri Lanka had no money, he financed the sport, single-handedly. He passed away yesterday at the age of 78. Killi, as he was fondly known, employed many cricketers; Duleep Mendis, Roy Dias, Arjuna Ranatunga, Ashantha de Mel, Sidath Wettimuny…. the list goes on. Players need not turn up for work at Maharaja’s, but if they did not attend training, Killi had a bone to pick. more..

Jul 27 (TM) Rajandram or Rajendran Rajamahendran, the Chairman of the Capital Maharaja Group, passed away on Sunday (25) aged 78. R. Rajamahendran, affectionately known as Killi Maharaja passed away while he was receiving treatment for Covid-19 at a private hospital in Colombo. Leading SL national cricketers who helped raise country’s game into world standards particularly in the 1980s, hailed in unison more..

Jul 27 (Island) The whilom yahapalana leaders are in the news again. Former PM Ranil Wickremesinghe has gone on record as saying he will reveal, on 06 September, when the 75th Anniversary of his party falls, how the UNP is going to form a govt. He is obviously trying to boost the sagging morale of his supporters with such rhetoric. His erstwhile yahapalana chum, former Prez Sirisena, met Prez Rajapaksa together with an SLFP delegation for a discussion to iron out more..

Jul 27 (ST) Merely two decades after her father put a pair of boxing gloves to her hands for the first time, Nelka Shiromala will go down in history as the first female technical official ever, to represent Sri Lanka at an Olympics. The 45-year-old mother of a young daughter, today realises her father’s dream, yet with a heavy heart, after her mentor and father, Thambu Sampath passed away in June. Yet, she is determined as ever to walk on the path he paved her in boxing. Through her qualifications and more..

Jul 27 (ST) With different vaccines being brought to Sri Lanka, crucial vaccine studies are underway, comparing and contrasting one against the other. Some of the findings of these studies were announced this week. The vaccines currently used in SL are AstraZeneca, Sputnik V, Sinopharm, Pfizer and Moderna. Prof. Neelika Malavige, Uni of Sri J'pura, states that she and her team have been carrying out studies since more..

Jul 27 (CI) SL have lost 13 of their last 14 completed matches. Athough this is not India's main team, they are more experienced in the format than SL, and won comfortably on Sunday. So how do the hosts turn this series around? With a T20 World Cup coming up late in the year, how do they turn their whole game around? On Sunday's evidence, it is SL's middle order that needs the most work. With Dasun Shanaka out of form, and Wanindu Hasaranga having so far failed to provide more..

Jul 27 (CT) National Chess Champion Ranindu Dilshan Liyanage (Ananda College) showed excellent form at the FIDE Online Chess Olympiad 2021 selection trials held on 23, 24 and 25 July on the Chess. com flatform. Ranindu scored a total of 7½ out of 9 games and remained unbeaten to win the event convincingly. He drew three games - against Minul Doluweera, Susal de Silva and Isuru Alahakoon - and beat the rest of the participants. Minul Doluweera (Medical Fac. of Colombo) more..

Jul 27 (TM) In addition to trade union action taken to withdraw from all online teaching activities, which continued for the 15th day yesterday, nearly 5,800 teachers and principals have also decided to withdraw from practical exam duties of the GCE O/L exam that commenced yesterday. This latest trade union action is in protest against what the teachers’ and principals’ trade unions claim to be govt’s continued delay in providing a solution more..

Jul 27 (FT) The Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) yesterday called on the Govt to ban domestic child labour in Sri Lanka with immediate effect. Addressing a press conference, SJB MP Eran Wickramaratne urged the Govt to update existing legislation by including domestic child labour into a group of 51 work categories already listed by the State as hazardous for children in line with the conventions of the International Labour Organization (ILO). Sri Lanka has ratified the convention. more..

Jul 27 (FT) The Govt has floated a fresh $ 110 million (maximum) Sri Lanka Development Bonds (SLDB) issue. The initial issue is for $ 30 million worth SLDBs and possible upsizing by another $ 80 million. The tenors are nine months, one year eight months, two years and nine months, and five years. They offer fixed rate determined through competitive bidding. The issue opens today with 30 July as the date of settlement. The previous SLDB issue was in June aimed at raising $ 100 million. more..

Jul 27 (CT) Colombo Additional Magistrate Rajindra Jayasuriya yesterday ordered that the remains of the minor, who died under suspicious circumstances while working as a domestic help at the residence of MP Rishad Bathiudeen, be exhumed, in order for an autopsy to be conduct by a team of senior doctors. Magistrate gave this order on a request made by the prosecution, who stated that the autopsy conducted on more..