Sep 15 (AD) Director General of Health Services has confirmed another 132 Covid-19 related deaths for Sept 14, increasing the death toll in the country due to the virus to 11,699. According to the figures released by the Govt Information Dept, the deaths reported today includes 66 males and 66 females. Three of the victims including two females are below the age of 30 years while twenty-eight are aged between 30 - 59. A hundred and one of the deaths reported are persons aged 60 and above. more..

Sep 15 (TM) The son of a powerful senior official of the Govt has been awarded a tender to import 99,000 metric tonnes (MTs) of organic fertiliser made in China, which is, according to testing agencies, harmful to soil, plants and humans, while the samples have failed the mandatory tests carried out by local agencies. The value of the said stock of fertiliser is approximately $ 63 million. It is reported that the mandatory tests carried out more..

Sep 15 (CT) Pictures show the illuminated new Kelani Bridge, which is an extradoses type engineering design that uses stay cables to connect two main pylons with the bridge deck and share the weight of the bridge deck’s loads. Recently, engineers tested the lighting systems of the new bridge, which is set to open soon. Minister Johnston Fernando directed his Ministry to illuminate the bridge to attract both domestic and international visitors. Fernando stated that in 2014, more..

Sep 15 (CT) Govt of SL’s nondemand-pull inflationary face value money printing (FVMP) debt increased by Rs 13,092.72 million, thereby upping GoSL’s FVMP debt as a whole to a new record high of Rs 1,556,004.13 million yesterday. GoSL’s FVMP debt has been over Rs 1 trillion for a record 39 consecutive market days to yesterday due to a lack of revenue. GoSL’s highest to the twelfth highest FVMP debt has been registered in the 12 consecutive market days to yesterday, more..

Sep 15 (TM) Following the Cabinet of Ministers’ approval being granted to purchase a kilo (kg) of Nadu paddy at a price of Rs. 55, several farmers organisations have stated that the said price is not adequate and that they hope to organise protests against the matter in the future. At media briefings held yesterday, farmers belonging to several farmers organisations claimed that the new price introduced by the Govt was not sufficient, more..

Sep 15 (CT) Public Health Inspectors (PHIs) would inspect COVID-19 vaccine cards of people entering public places in the Mannar District from today (15) onwards, Regional Director of Health Services, Dr. Vinoden Dharmarajan said. Dr. Dharmarajan when contacted said yesterday (14) that they would carry out these inspections for a period of two weeks. From October, those who do not have a vaccine card would be subjected to an on-the-spot rapid antigen test. more..

Sep 15 (DM) The reopening of the schools would be done within the next two weeks, Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said. He said this while addressing the committee meeting held today at the Ministry. Accordingly, the Health Ministry's attention was drawn to the reopening of schools from pre-schools up to grade six. The decision was taken to reopen schools with lesser than 200 children immediately. It was revealed that about 5000 schools are functioning in the country with more..

Sep 15 (DM) Preliminary steps have been taken by the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau (GSMB) to establish the fifth seismic station in the Western Province (WP) to measure tremor activities in and around SL, the Environment Ministry said. The decision was arrived at following the recent statement made by Prof. Athula Senaratne, the professor at the Peradeniya Uni Geology Department, on the possibility of facing more..

Sep 15 (CT) Head of the PHI Union, Upul Rohana, says due to the still pertinent threat posed to the public, through the spread of COVID-19, if tourists are allowed to enter the country, then they should be monitored round-the-clock, till their departure, by the health and security authorities. He said after the recent reopening of the BIA, they had noticed that scores of Indian nationals had entered the country and after having spent a fortnight, they depart Colombo for the Middle East. more..

Sep 15 (Island) Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB) lawmaker Tissa Attanayake says that he moved the controversial Human Rights Organisation (Incorporation) Act on the request of Bills Office of the Parliament. National List MP Attanayake insists he only tried to help the Bills Office as he felt it was a quite legitimate request. The former General Secretary of the UNP acknowledged that he was aware of the unsuccessful bids made in 2013 and 2015 to move the same Bill. more..

Sep 16 (Island) The reason for the SLFP leaders to celebrate its 70th birth Anniversary, I believe was promoted by a desire to make a comeback out of the depths to which it has sunk in recent times. Despite the desire to come back, has it the vitality, the elan left to do so? This is a question to be asked not only by the SLFPers themselves, but by the vast majority that happens to be the children of ’56 and also by all those who are interested in the well- being of the country-the nation. more..

Sep 16 (CT) It was evident since the death of D.S. Senanayake, rituals of democracy in Sri Lanka have been one of the biggest scams on earth. The result of this hideous act carried out by the present and past politicians is evident through the two major violent uprisings carried-out by Sinhalese and Tamil youths of the country. The deceptive politicians of every colour survived the wrath of these young people due to the intervention of the impartial heroic armed forces of the country. more..

Sep 16 (CT) General Secretary of BBS Ven. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera says he has already warned Prez Rajapaksa of the possibility of terror attacks that could be launched in the country at any given moment by Islamic extremists based here, similar to the Easter Sunday blasts of 2019. He said having sent two letters addressed to the President on 4 and 9 Sept, he had warned of the serious threat posed to more..

Sep 16 (DM) As the SL Govt contends with urgent economic and public health crises, the specter of the 48th session of the UNHRC hangs over it. Recent sessions have emphasized SL’s short-comings in the context of previous commitments. A Jan 2021 UN report “warns that the failure of SL to address past violations has significantly heightened the risk of human rights violations being repeated. It highlights worrying trends over the past year, such as deepening impunity, militarization more..

Sep 16 (DM) In a way, it is a stroke of irony that His Eminence Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, had to end up seeking justice from the international community, the UN affiliated western establishment in particular, with regard to the Easter Sunday bombings. It was the very same Cardinal, who in his homily at the Annual Feast of the St. Matthew’s Church, Ekala in Sept 2018, denounced those western countries and the Human rights regime they represented calling it a secular religion. more..

Sep 16 (AI) Responding to reports that SL’s State Minister Lohan Ratwatte, forcibly entered a state prison in Anuradhapura on 12 Sept and held Tamil prison inmates incarcerated under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) at gunpoint and threatened to kill them, Yamini Mishra, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific Director said: “These dumbfounding reports go to show that our ongoing concerns regarding SL’s treatment more..

Sep 16 (TM) The story that Lohan Ratwatte allegedly stormed into the Welikada and Anuradhapura Prisons while drunk and threatened certain suspects with a firearm at the Anuradhapura Prison spread like wildfire, becoming the most recent example of how politicians abuse their powers not only to entertain themselves, but to interfere with public officials’ duties. Ratwatte remains the State Minister of Gem and Jewellery-Related Industries, even though he decided more..

Sep 16 (GV) As the UNHRC meets for its 48th session, the dire situation in Sri Lanka is under int'l scrutiny. Amidst ongoing concerns, work has begun on holding the SL state accountable, according to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet on 13 September. The UN Core Group on Sri Lanka consisting of the United Kingdom, Canada, Malawi, Germany, North Macedonia and Montenegro also flagged grave and persisting problems, while Foreign Minister G.L. Peiris more..

Sep 16 (DM) We begin today’s column with a plea to those who have still not obtained their vaccines to visit one of the vaccination centres and get their jabs as soon as possible. It is one of the most important ways of safeguarding themselves and those they come in contact with. In the wake of the vaccination programme launched for those between 29 and 30 years of age, media reports quoted CMC’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ruwan Vijayamuni as saying that there is a lack of enthusiasm among more..

Sep 16 (CT) “The Honuorable Minister of Finance, In July, 1948, the Govt of Ceylon transmitted a request to the Govt of the United States through the American Embassy at Colombo asking for the service of an official of the Federal Reserve System to advice upon the establishment of a Reserve Bank for Ceylon. As a result of subsequent negotiations you accepted on Nov 25th the offer of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System to lend my services for an initial period of six months. more..

Sep 16 (FT) SL should carry out urgent and credible economic reforms to create a stable environment to emerge from one of the worst economic crises in its history triggered by unsustainable spending, debt and stifling controls, a panel of economists said. “There is no doubt that SL is facing a severe economic crisis. Macroeconomic stabilisation is the need of the hour,” said Advocata Institute Senior Research Fellow more..

Sep 16 (Island) Lohan Ratwatte is reported to have resigned as the State Minister of Prison Management & Prisoners’ Rehabilitation over two separate incidents where he and a group of persons, described as his friends, forced themselves into two prisons and threatened some inmates and made a nuisance of themselves to the prison officers. He, however, will continue to function as the Sate Minister of Gem, Jewellery related Industries. (A gem of a minister!) It is a criminal offence more..

Sep 16 (CT) The UPFA convened yesterday, after a lapse of many years, under the leadership of ex-Prez and SLFP leader MP Maithripala Sirisena. The meeting which was conducted via Zoom technology had also been attended by MEP leader and Minister Dinesh Gunawardena as well as the leader of the SLMP SLPP MP Asanka Navaratne and other party leaders. At the commencement of the meeting former leader of the SLMC and CWC Arumugam Thondaman, ex-Minister Mangala more..

Sep 16 (TM) SL national cricket selectors, headed by Pramodya Wickramasinghe, are to meet the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) hierarchy today (16) with a view to evaluating the progress of the national team following their defeat against South Africa in the recent limited-over series. Sri Lanka won the 3-match ODI series 2-1 against South Africa before being trounced by them 3-0 in the subsequent 3-match T20Is on Tuesday (14). more..

Sep 16 (FT) High Commissioner-designate of SL to India Milinda Moragoda paid a courtesy call on Foreign Secretary of India Shri Harsh Vardhan Shringla yesterday at the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi. This was in keeping with the established practice of calling on the Foreign Secretary by newly arrived Heads of Diplomatic Missions in the Indian Capital. Foreign Secretary Shringla warmly welcomed the High Commissioner-designate of Sri Lanka and more..

Sep 16 (CT) The Royal Challengers Bangalore's (RCB) Sri Lankan duo of Wanindu Hasaranga and Dushmantha Chameera have left for the UAE, ahead of the upcoming second phase of IPL 2021. The duo will ply their trade for the ViratKohli-led side after being roped in as replacement players for the remainder of the season. The two cricketers were part of the recently concluded Sri Lanka-South Africa T20I series and hence will have to serve just a two-day quarantine upon their arrival in the UAE. more..

Sep 16 (CI) Kusal Perera may miss the T20 World Cup after sustaining a hamstring injury during Sri Lanka's third T20 International against South Africa. Allrounder Lahiru Madushanka, meanwhile, is definitely out of the World Cup, having fractured his collarbone while fielding in the same match. Perera was clearly struggling with his hamstring while running between the wickets during his innings, in which he top-scored for SL with 39. Dr. Daminda Attanayake, a team physician, said. more..

Sep 16 (MI) Lasith Malinga’s T20 dominance has been undisputed. He climbed highs none dared to see, took strides so massive that he swept through records with every run-up of his. His phenomenal career set the bar for a T20 bowler very high, and the numbers speak for themselves. And his 16-year-old career came to an end with a heartfelt tweet from the man himself. Malinga was the Captain and kingpin amongst Sri Lanka’s pantheon that lifted the 2014 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. more..

Sep 16 (FT) New Governor of CB Nivard Cabraal yesterday assured that he would stabilise the economy amidst unprecedented times by guiding markets with prudent policies and being mindful of repercussions. Reducing foreign debt, increasing non-debt inflows and thereby increasing the foreign reserves, better managing the external account, stabilising the rupee, navigating the GDP growth upwards & enhancing infrastructure, more..

Sep 16 (MFA) State Minister of Regional Co-operation Tharaka Balasuriya undertook an official visit to Russia from 5– 8 Sept 2021, to participate at the opening of the SL pavilion at the OTDYKH Leisure Fair and a Sri Lanka tourism promotion campaign in Moscow. SL’s participation at these events were organized by the SL Tourism Promotion Bureau targeting the winter season tourists from Russia. During the visit, the State Minister participated at the opening of the SL pavilion more..

Sep 16 (EN) SL’s reappointed central bank governor will be giving leadership to address prevailing challenges including foreign exchange rates and lower reserves, President’s Secretary P B Jayasundera said. Former State Minister Ajith Nivard Cabraal assumed duty as the 16th central bank governor on Wednesday. He held the same post from 2006-2015 and led the central bank in transforming SL’s economy from a lower income to middle income economy in post-war growth. more..

Sep 16 (FT) Economy in the second quarter had grown by 12.3% as against a 16.4% contraction a year ago, while full recovery is yet to be achieved. All 3 major economic activities recorded significant positive growth rates with Agriculture up 8.1%, the Industrial sector up 22.1% and Services by 7.5%. “These recorded high growth rates come back as a result of the contraction reported in these activities in 2nd quarter last year” more..

Sep 16 (FT) Nivard Cabraal justified his request to elevate the post of Central Bank Governorship to the rank of a Cabinet Minister. “There is nothing wrong in giving that kind of recognition. The Cabinet ranking is not only for me. I will finish this and go, but others to follow will have that recognition,” Cabraal said after assuming duties as the 16th Governor of the Bank and his third term in the role. Noting that the Central Bank Governor controls the main features of the entire economy, more..

Sep 16 (Island) Lankan born Kamzy Gunaratnam has been elected a member of the Norwegian Parliament. Jonas Gahr Støre’s Labour Party won the Norwegian parliamentary election. Gunaratnam was elected to Parliament from the Labour Party. Stoere, 61, is expected to replace Conservative Prime Minister Erna Solberg, 60, as tallies showed a decisive swing in favour of the centre-left. Gunaratnam was born in SL and came to Norway as a refugee when she was three years old. more..

Sep 16 (FT) Sri Lanka’s COVID-19 detections exceeded 496,000 with the detection of 2,314 COVID-19 cases yesterday and the addition of over 3,000 delayed cases. The patients detected yesterday were from the New Year cluster. Health officials yesterday added 3,152 COVID-19 cases reported between 6 and 14 Sept to the total patient count after verification. This raises the country’s total COVID-19 patient count to 496,423. more..

Sep 16 (EN) Several Sri Lankans including children who recovered from COVID-19 have been diagnosed with a rare disease known as multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS) which has been identified as a long COVID condition, an expert said. Prez of College of Pulmonologists Dr Geethal Perera said that some COVID-19 patients can develop MIS about two to six weeks after recovery from the virus. MIS is a condition that causes different body parts to become inflamed, more..

Sep 16 (Island) The United Nations (UN) office in Sri Lanka says it condemns any ill-treatment of prisoners. The UN Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka, Hanaa Singer-Hamdy said that it is the duty of the State, as per the Mandela Rules, to protect the rights of prisoners. “In our work on prison reform and drug rehabilitation UN Sri Lanka works to strengthen capacities to uphold the rights of all those in custody and condemns any ill treatment of prisoners,” Hanaa Singer-Hamdy tweeted. more..