Sep 22 (FT) COVID-19 vaccines were administered to 59,187 persons on Monday and a total of 11,124,145 persons have received both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine to date. Epidemiology Unit states that 13,802,944 persons have received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. In the over-30 age group, 94.9% have received both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. “We have administered the first dose to 13 million persons, which has increased our vaccination coverage to 63% of the population. more..

Sep 22 (TM) Economist and SJB MP Dr. Harsha de Silva yesterday during a parliamentary session disclosed that no investors have come forward to invest in Selendiva Leisure, a state-owned property development entity. He said that the reason why investors have not come is the state of the economy and demanded the Govt to provide details of the investors who have come forward to invest in Selendiva Leisure. more..

Sep 22 (Island) The Gratiaen Trust, in association with the John Keells Foundation, commemorates World Children’s Day with Write Back! – a workshop curated for young writers. The Trust invites young writers of 14 – 17 years of age to participate in this two-day, online workshop on the nuances of writing short stories in English, which will be held on 19 -20th October. Three Gratiaen Prize winning authors – Lal Medawattegedara, Prashani Rambukwella and Delon Weerasinghe – will be the mentors. more..

Sep 22 (ST) Scrambling for a way out of the fiscal crisis, converting proceeds of exporter remittances is an option the govt is exploring, Central Bank (CB) sources said. The CB is exploring ways which would require exporters to send money directly to the CB instead of their dollar accounts in different commercial banks. “Then CB plans to convert a certain amount of this to rupees,” a CB source told the Business Times on Wednesday. He said this is a model that India follows. more..

Sep 22 (FT) Sri Lanka’s COVID-19 detections rose to 507,330 with the detection of 1,321 COVID-19 positive persons yesterday. Persons who tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday include 1,321 persons from the New Year cluster. A total of 7,976 PCR tests were carried out yesterday. 8,338 PCR tests and 2,181 rapid antigen tests were conducted the previous day and 1,518 COVID-19 patients were detected. more..

Sep 22 (TM) Prisons Department Spokesman and Commissioner Chandana Ekanayake said yesterday (21) that the 10 prisoners currently protesting atop the roof of the Welikada Prison Complex have refused to enter into negotiations with the Prisons Department officials and are continuing their protest. According to Ekanayake, the prisoners, protesting on the roof of the Chapel Ward of the Complex since 20 September, are demanding a general amnesty as they are serving lengthy prison sentences. more..

Sep 22 (FT) Central Bank has announced the appointment of Assistant Governor (AG) J.P.R. Karunaratne as the Secretary to the Monetary Board (SMB) with effect from 15 Sept. Karunaratne holds a Master of Commerce Degree in Finance from the University of New South Wales, Australia, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Statistics and a Bachelor of Science (Physical Science) Degree from the Uni of Colombo. He is a Fellow Member of the Chartered Institute of Management more..

Sep 22 (TM) Prices of several commodities, namely milk powder, flour, gas, and cement, are to be increased to reflect global price changes, and the Govt will take a decision in this regard within the week, according to State Minister Lasantha Alagiyawanna. Speaking to the media at the opening of a Q-Shop outlet yesterday in Colombo Fort, he stated: “Definitely, in practical terms, we will have to resort to some kind of price hike, more..

Sep 22 (DM) Global Tamil Forum (GTF), a leading Diaspora group, said Prez Rajapaksa wanting to engage with the Tamil diaspora is certainly a progressive move. Asserting that it welcomes the move, the GTF, however, asked why the Prez had a sudden change of mind. It says, “However, when meeting requests are made by democratically elected representatives of Tamil people (TNA) in SL to meet with the Prez, which has been overdue and being deferred with flimsy excuses, more..

Sep 22 (TM) Respiratory Diseases Specialist at the National Hospital of SL (NHSL) in Colombo Dr. Ashaa Samaranayake said that most post-Covid-19 patients show common symptoms such as breathing difficulties, asthma, insomnia, extreme physical fatigue, and mental health complications such as depression and anxiety. “The first four weeks after a person contracts the virus is known as the active period. After the fourth week, it is known as the post-Covid-19 period. more..

Sep 22 (Island) Outgoing Executive Director of Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) Thushan Gunawardena says top Sathosa management brazenly manipulated a Cabinet directive, meant to ensure the steady supply of food items to Sathosa outlets, for the benefit of a few. According to him, 56,000 kilos of garlic, released by SL Ports Authority (SLPA) to Sathosa, was sold to a regular Sathosa supplier at Rs 135 a kilo. more..

Sep 22 (AD) Fourteen million Pfizer jabs have been ordered to be administered as a booster shot for the COVID-19 vaccine, Chairman of SPC Dr. Prasanna Gunasena said. He said said that the advance payment for the stock of vaccines has already been made. The payment will be complete via the World Bank by Oct 1, he added. Dr. Gunasena said that the recommendation for a third dose was made by the Expert Committee on Vaccination and Epidemiology in May. more..

Sep 22 (CT) A special meeting of the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) was held in Parliament yesterday (21) under the chairmanship of Dr. Charitha Herath. A number of issues including the future proceedings of the Committee and the institutions to be summoned were discussed at this meeting. Dr. Herath drew attention to the fact that COPE meetings could not be held due to the prevailing COVID-19 situation and that they will be held three days a week from next week. more..

Sep 22 (TM) Following the transfer of Central Bank (CB) Assistant Governor K.M.A.N. Daulagala, there are plans afoot to transfer CB Deputy Governor in charge of Foreign Exchange Mahinda Siriwardana, alleged civil society activist Rajith Keerthi Tennakoon yesterday. “Just as Assistant Governor of the CBSL K.M.A.N. Daulagala was removed from the post of the Secretary to the Monetary Board, the Deputy Governor more..

Sep 22 (FT) Today we are in the midst of many conversations and debates on the impact of the recent govt directives about the import of agrochemicals aimed at an immediate shift to organic agriculture. Needless to say, an immediate shift comes with significant implications on the economy and rural livelihoods. Rainforest Alliance is cognisant that a sudden shift would affect farmers, reduce productivity levels, and impact on the export levels capacity of key commodities, including more..

Sep 22 (FT) Central Bank of SL (CBSL) has been subject to severe criticism over the rapid expansion of the money supply since last year. The aggregate money supply rose by 21% during the last 12 months. Currency held by the public, which is commonly known as money printing, rose by around 23% during this period. This was resulted from the continuous borrowings by the Govt from the CBSL and commercial banks. This trend would continue in the coming months unless the Govt reduces more..

Sep 22 (AD) A meeting between President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the President of the Republic of Latvia, Egils Levits, took place yesterday afternoon on the sidelines of the 76th Session of the UN General Assembly, the President’s Media Division said. The two leaders were of the view that strong steps should be taken to further the 25-year long diplomatic relations between the two countries. The two leaders discussed the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the economy and society, more..

Sep 22 (EN) Sri Lanka plans to obtain a supplementary loan of US$ 100 million from the World Bank for a COVID-19 emergency response and for the purchase 14 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, co-cabinet spokesman Ramesh Pathirana said. The cabinet of ministers have approved a proposal to obtain the supplementary loan, said Pathirana, to facilitate a strategic response to the epidemic. World Bank has agreed to grant the loan, a cabinet release said. more..

Sep 22 (EN) Sri Lanka’s exports grew 12.13% from a year earlier to US$ 1,083 million in Aug 2021, also overtaking a pre-pandemic level but forex shortages worsened, and a credit card operator imposed a 100 dollars a day limit on foreign transactions. Aug 2021 revenue of US$ 1,083.56 million is slightly up from the pre-COVID19 pandemic export earnings in Aug 2019 of US$ 1,033.00 million. more..

Sep 22 (AD) Consumer Affairs Authority (Amendment) Bill, which was introduced in Parliament today, has been passed without amendments. Ministerial Consultative Committee on Trade, which met yesterday under the chairmanship of the Trade Minister Bandula Gunawardana, was in agreement to present the Bill in Parliament. The Extraordinary Gazette Notification relating to this (Amendment) Bill was issued on 19th Aug 2021. Accordingly, Consumer Affairs Authority more..

Sep 22 (TM) The Colombo Bird Sanctuary project in Madiwela is to be set up on a plot of land in extent of over 37 acres belonging to the UDA. Accordingly, proposals have been invited under competitive procurement methodology for implementing the same and related structures and facilities development on the grounds of planning, financing, construction and implementation of the project. The proposal submitted by Colombo Bird Park (Pvt) Limited has been recommended by more..

Sep 22 (Island) Underhand deals or unsolicited proposals would lead to power cuts in the near future, warn CEB engineers. They said they were puzzled by the manner in which the govt had acted as regards its deal with the US based energy firm learns that a number of trade unions along with representatives of some political parties are teaming up to take up the matter with Prez Rajapaksa when he returns from the US. more..

Sep 22 (AD) Police have arrested two individuals including the main suspect involved in the recent shooting to death of a 14-year-old boy at Gajanayakagama in Weeraketiya. Two suspects were arrested last night by officers attached to Weeraketiya police station, while they had been hiding in a forest area. Following the interrogation of the chief suspect, police have also recovered the firearm used in the shooting. A locally-manufactured firearm found in the possession of more..

Sep 22 (Island) SL Collective for Consensus (SLCC) welcomed President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s call for a dialogue with the Tamil Diaspora to explore ways and means of addressing reconciliation issues through domestic systems. The following is the text of the statement issued by the SLCC: “We are glad to note the stand of the President at the UN General Assembly in New York and the Foreign Minister at the UNHRC in Geneva. We are pleased that they have spoken of carrying on those changes more..

Sep 22 (EN) Justice Minister Ali Sabry has condemned an incident involving the ex-Prisons Minister who has been accused of threatening detainees at the Anuradhapura prison, an allegation that Sabry said will be investigated by a retired high court judge. “At the outset, let me unequivocally and unconditionally condemn the incident which has taken place,” the minister of justice told parliament when an opposition MP raised the issue more..

Sep 22 (EN) Cabinet had cleared a proposal to call expressions of interest investors to develop the historic Port of Galle as a regional commercial port with additional services including tourism, Minister Ramesh Pathirana said. “The project involves deepening the port from the current 10 metres to 18 to 20 metres and building a new breakwater,” he said. “It has been estimated to cost approximately US$ 175 million. The cabinet approve calling of expressions of interest to take the project more..

Sep 22 (TM) United National Association of Self Employed traders filed a Fundamental Rights application before SC yesterday challenging the decision to allow wine stores to remain open while a quarantine curfew is still in place. In the case filed, the Director General of Health services, Excise Commissioner, IGP and the Covid-19 Prevention Committee were named as respondents. “The Covid-19 Prevention Committee had not approved the decision for the opening of wine stores. more..

Sep 22 (Island) Civil Society Platform (CSP) says Prez Rajapaksa’s call for a dialogue between his govt and the expatriate Tamils is not realistic. Prez Rajapaksa made the declaration in talks with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. CSP says an environment conducive for such an initiative is not available at the moment. Dr. Ms. Nimalka Fernando was a member of the Office on the Missing Persons (OMP) from 2018-2021 & Brito Fernando, more..

Sep 22 (CT) Milinda Rajapaksa, former Director of the National Media Centre for Development has been appointed as the Additional Director General of the Government Information Department. Minister of Mass Media and Information, Dullas Alahapperuma yesterday (21) handed over the letter of appointment. Rajapaksa holds a Bachelor's Degree in Management from the Wayamba University and a Postgraduate Degree in Development Media from the University of Miami in the US. more..

Sep 22 (TM) A SL entrepreneur living in the UK, has embarked on a mission to introduce a wax figure of SL Musical Legend Sunil Perera to the world-famous tourist attraction point in London, The Madame Tussauds. The Morning contacted Sunil’s son, Sajith Perera who confirmed that the Lankan-Brit Entrepreneur Faleel Marikkar has indeed contacted the Perera Family, and consent has been given by the family to proceed. Sajith went on to say that the Perera family is personally not involved in more..

Sep 22 (EN) State-run national carrier SriLankan Airlines will start operating flights from Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA) for the first time with a scheduled one flight a week to Male, Maldives, and a domestic flight from Colombo to Mattala from Oct 14, an official said. “SriLankan Airlines does not have any scheduled operations at MRIA at the moment,” Shehan Sumanasekara, Director-Chief Operations more..

Sep 22 (Island) SJB MP Manusha Nanayakkara told Parliament yesterday that he had been summoned to the CID with no reasons given, and that amounted to breach of his parliamentary privileges. “This is an indication of attempts to silence legislators,” the MP said. MP Nanayakkara requested Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena to have the parliament’s Privileges Committee inquire into the matter and declare that the actions of the CID officers involved had violated his privileges as an MP. more..

Sep 22 (DM) A total of 92 more COVID-19 related deaths that occurred yesterday (21) were confirmed by the Director-General of Health Services today pushing the death toll to 12,376. According to the Government Information Department,41 females and 51 males are among the deceased. A total of 71 people who are above 60 years of age are among the deceased while 19 of them are between 30 and 59 years of age. Two deaths have been reported below 30 years of age. more..

Sep 22 (TM) A principal and a teacher who support the ongoing teachers’ and principals’ trade union actions demanding solutions to their issues including salary anomalies, have been summoned before the CID to record a statement yesterday in connection with a complaint lodged against them over allegedly threatening a group of teachers. The complaint had been lodged by a group of teachers of a leading govt school in Colombo regarding more..

Sep 22 (FT) Hotels Association of SL (THASL) yesterday welcomed the move by the UK to remove Sri Lanka from its travel Red List ahead of the winter season. The move, which comes into effect from Wednesday, is likely to result in the return of high-spending travellers from the UK to SL. “We are extremely delighted with the decision to remove SL from the travel Red List of the UK. The move has brought hope to the industry, which has lost three winter seasons post-Easter Sunday attacks,” more..

Sep 22 (TM) India is set to resume the export of Covid-19 vaccines in the quarter commencing from October 2021 but Sri Lanka has not yet placed any orders for vaccines, The Morning learnt. The Health Minister of India Mansukh L. Mandaviya had recently told the media that India would resume exports of Covid-19 vaccines in the latter quarter of the year, prioritising the global vaccine sharing platform Covid-19 Vaccines Global Access (Covax), and neighbouring countries first. more..

Sep 22 (FT) State-owned LPG provider Litro is in crisis due to sabotage, a trade union formed to save it has warned. Litro Surakime Jathika Ekamuthuwa (LSJE) or Litro Surakeeme National Unity, a collective of employees and members of civil society seeking to preserve the organisation, said in a statement that Litro Gas, commanding an 80% market share, was currently incurring a loss of Rs. 847 per cylinder more..

Sep 22 (DM) Referring to the hesitancy shown by the younger population to receive the COVID vaccine, Chairman of SPC Dr. Prasanna Gunasena said it could result in high danger increasing the viral loads in the society. He said that the turnout of young people to vaccination centres is extremely low at present. “The young people may not get the illness severely. But it will continue the viral loads in society. If the viral loads remain in the society, it can give rise to new variants,” he pointed out. more..

Sep 22 (AD) Cabinet of Ministers has approved a proposal to increase the Govt Credit limit of Rs. 2,997 billion by another Rs.400 billion, thus increasing amount to Rs 3,397 billion. Appropriation Act No. 7 of 2020 has approved a credit limit of Rs. 2,997 billion for the year 2021. However, the approved credit limit has to be raised for the year 2021 due to declining govt revenue under the situation that has arisen due to the COVID -19 pandemic. There has been an increase more..