Jan 29 (CT) Last Sunday morning Prez Rajapaksa telephoned Minister Prasanna Ranatunga to inquire into the Covid-19 situation in the Gampaha District and measures being contemplated towards tackling it. “Prasanna it seems that the public in general are not overly enthusiastic about getting the booster vaccine. Many in Gampaha District have also not shown any tendency to get the booster jab,” Prez said. more..

Jan 29 (CT) The birth of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) had its genesis after four CID Officers, investigating LTTE terrorism in the Vavuniya jungles, were ambushed and killed on 7 April 1978, followed five months later, on 7 Sept 1978, by these same terrorists blasting the Avro civilian aircraft when it was parked at the Ratmalana Airport Tarmac. The Avro used to do regular civilian flights from Jaffna to Ratmalana. No one was killed in the blast. Therefore, to counter LTTE terrorism, more..

Jan 29 (Island) A group of senior Police and Military officers attempted to overthrow the Sirimavo Bandaranaike Govt. They were driven by three critical events in the years leading up to Jan 1962. The coup participants belonged to the Westernised urban middle class who were alarmed at the undermining of the secular plural state and govt. The first trigger was the anti-Tamil violence of 1958. Second trigger was the growing confrontation between the regime & Christian community, more..

Jan 29 (DM) Sahara the warmest and the largest desert on planet earth reported snowstorms on 18 January last. Spread across 9.2 million sq. km stretching from parts of North Africa, the Atlas Mountains of the Maghreb or Northwest Africa to the Nile valley of Egypt and Sudan, Sahara Desert have had four snowstorms since the first reported in 1979 over 42 years ago. This Sahara snowstorm for whatever reason did not grab much importance and coverage in our local media. more..

Jan 29 (Island) Sri Lankans have earned notoriety for living dangerously. They drive and ride like bats out of hell and keep the Grim Reaper busy on roads; about 200 people have already been killed in road accidents since 1 Jan 2022! They eat, drink and smoke as if they had a death wish, and non-communicable diseases are snuffing out many lives daily. They have already forgotten the pandemic! Omicron variant of coronavirus is galloping, as we have reported, quoting public health experts. more..

Jan 29 (Island) Are we moving to the Bicycle Age in SL? Well, isn’t it even a little faster than the Bullock Cart Age? Don’t we remember a former Prez and PM riding a bicycle towards Parliament in a protest ride, not so long ago? That was in the Yahapalana or grab your power age in SL governance. We are now in the Pickpocket Era. Come on, this is in fact a Pick Millions Era, when a personal secretary can take millions of more..

Jan 29 (MFA) With a view to streamlining the procedure at the Consular Affairs Division and assisting the general public visiting the Division daily, Ministry in collaboration with the Govt Information Centre (1919 Call Centre) has introduced an appointment reservation system for the general public who wish to authenticate certificates/documents through the electronic Document Attestation System (eDAS) in addition to the prevailing practice of walk-ins. more..

Jan 29 (DM) SL will take steps to import essential medicinal drugs from India under the line of credit next month, State Minister Prof. Channa Jayasumana said. He said, along with Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa, held talks with the Indian HC Gopal Baglay on the sidelines of the Indian Republic Day celebrations. "We discussed arrangement for the use of the credit line to import pharmaceuticals from India," he said. India has offered US 1 billion credit line for the import more..

Jan 29 (DM) A video of a Tusker being harassed at Yala National Park recently went viral on social media. Wildlife groups and activists were quick to react to the incident as it is a known fact that Sando is an aggressive elephant roaming this area at this time of the year. However, apart from Sando many other elephants, especially in the North- Western Province are facing challenges as they struggle to coexist with humans. more..

Jan 29 (FT) National Peace Council is urging the Govt to deal with both symptoms and causes for reconciliation as it kicks off a major initiative in the north with the launch of its Adhikaranabhimani program. NPC said according to the Ministry of Justice, which is coordinating this work, it is meant to provide ameliorated access to justice for people of Northern Province. Several govt institutions, including those set up under the reconciliation process of the previous Govt, more..

Jan 29 (FT) Puttalam High Court yesterday rejected the bail application filed by the detained lawyer Hejaaz Hizbullah. The bail appeal of the human rights lawyer Hizbullah was taken up before Puttalam HC Judge Kumari Abeyratne yesterday. On 14 April 2020, Hizbullah was arrested by CID under the PTA. Hizbullah was being investigated for allegedly aiding and abetting the Easter Sunday bombers and for engaging in activities deemed detrimental to the religious harmony more..

Jan 29 (FT) The annual Jaya Pirith chanting ceremony, organised by Ministry of Defence to invoke blessings on the country and the people, was held under the patronage of Prez Rajapaksa at the BMICH this week. The Jaya Piritha chanting ceremony was held with the participation of 1,000 bhikkhus invited from across the country, including Maha Nayaka and Anunayaka Theras. Invoking blessings on family members of fallen war heroes, disabled war heroes and the Tri-Forces more..

Jan 29 (DM) The UNP is willing to have a dialogue with the SLFP and other parties to form a national govt and to prepare a national policy, UNP Deputy Leader Ruwan Wijewardene said. “There is no move to form a Yahapalana type of alliance with the SLFP but UNP is willing to have a dialogue with the SLFP on broader grounds especially to form a national govt or to prepare a national policy for the nation,” Mr. Wijewardene said speaking to media after a function at Maha Vihare of Malwatte chapter more..

Jan 29 (CT) Power outages have been widespread in SL, despite repeated assurances from the Govt that sufficient fuel had been purchased for generating electricity. In fact, Public Utilities Commission of SL (PUCSL) published a statement declaring that no power outages are required until 31 Jan. PUCSL stated that there were sufficient fuel inventories to provide energy for these three days, and the declaration came after more..

Jan 29 (FT) Daily detections remain above 900 for the third consecutive day with 961 persons testing positive for COVID-19 yesterday. According to health officials, the Omicron variant is now the dominant variant in the country. “Laboratory studies confirm that over 95% of COVID-19 spread in SL is the Omicron variant. With this, patient detections are rising,” Health Promotion Bureau Director Dr. Ranjith Batuwanthudawe said. According to National Hospital Physician Dr. Upul Dissanayake, more..

Jan 29 (FT) Free Trade Zone Manufactures’ Association (FTZMA) has expressed serious concerns over the planned two-hour power cut. In a letter to Power Minister Gamini Lokuge, FTZMA said power cuts could lead to very tragic effects on the lifeline of the economy as it would result in hampering the country’s exports which bring in much needed foreign exchange into the country. “Some of the major impacting areas are timely processing, producing and delivering of goods more..

Jan 29 (Island) Former Chairman of the COPE Prof. Charitha Herath has said the govt is duty bound to prevent questionable actions of those who are at the helm of public sector enterprises. MP has suggested that those responsible for such actions be made to compensate the relevant enterprise for losses they cause. He revealed that the state-owned Litro Gas had resorted to legal action more..

Jan 29 (FT) Propelled by the stellar performance of its Logistics Sector, Expolanka Holdings PLC delivered its strongest-ever quarterly financial performance during the three months ended 31 Dec 2021 (3QFY2021). Compared with the third quarter of the previous financial year (3QFY2020), Expo delivered a Group Revenue of Rs. 204.9 billion, representing an outstanding 254% year-on-year (YoY) growth. Similarly, group Gross Profit for the quarter stood at Rs. 38.7 bil, up 299% YoY, more..

Jan 29 (DM) Portugese and Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva is currently on holiday in SL, social media posts suggest. According to posts shared on Instagram by Silva's partner Ines Degener Tomaz, the 27-year-old midfielder and Tomaz embarked on a Safari at Yala as part of their holiday in SL. A verified Twitter handle by the name of City Xtra, a page dedicated to news about Manchester City and its players, re-posted images that suggest the couple have been in the island for more..

Jan 29 (FT) Asian Development Bank (ADB) this week assured to help Sri Lanka diversify its exports by supporting the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). ADB Country Director Chen Chen said export diversification strategy will fulfil an increase in foreign exchange earnings and mobilise Foreign Direct Investments (FDI). “SL’s SMEs sector is important, unique and significant to the economy as it provides 42% employment, contributing 20% export value,” Chen said at the NCCSL. more..

Jan 29 (CT) MP Mano Ganesan said, his party, the Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA), is of the view that instead of bringing amendments, the govt should promptly take measures to repeal the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). He said the current govt had been forced to introduce amendments to the PTA as they had failed to do away with it effectively to date. The MP added that the time provided to the Govt to remove the PTA altogether has now lapsed, and he alleged that they are now attempting to more..

Jan 29 (CT) Quality of hand sanitisers available in the local market has come into question as manufacturers are found to be using methanol instead of propyl alcohol or ethanol due to high price of ethanol. Price of a 200kg methanol barrel is currently Rs 50,000, while ethanol costs up to Rs 90,000, prompting both unregistered and registered traders to rush to buy methanol from paint & thinner importers, among other industrial more..

Jan 29 (FT) Wildlife and Nature Protection Society (WNPS) is appalled to learn that so-called birdwatchers from the capital are visiting Mannar armed with drones, endangering the continued stay, and future migration, to this unique place of these special, rare and beautiful species of birds. WNPS said most are migrants, some flying in from thousands of miles away, to feed and breed in the hitherto haven of Mannar. Flamingoes are the most noticeable, hundreds of them, more..

Jan 29 (Island) Ambassador of France to SL and the Maldives Eric Laveru awarded Roshani Leanage and Niroshani Leanage with the insignia of Knight of the Orders of Arts and Letters in a ceremony held at the French Residence for their constant devotion to the cause of bilateral relations between France and SL. Both of them were bestowed with Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters (Chevalier des Arts et Lettres in French) in recognition of their creations in the artistic field as well as the contribution more..

Jan 29 (FT) SL’s exports in 2021 recorded $ 15.12 billion, up by 23% from 2020 sustaining its resilience, despite an unprecedented economic crisis. The year 2021 performance comes second only to $ 15.91 billion recorded in 2018. Releasing the latest provisional data, Minister Bandula Gunawardena appreciated the contribution of exporters to the economy, despite the unprecedented economic conditions more..

Jan 29 (DM) A fresh Covid-19 cluster was reported from Parliament with two higher-ups including Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardene being tested positive yesterday. Sergeant-at-arms Narendra Fernando confirmed that there is a fresh cluster with Assistant Secretary General Kushani Rohanadeera testing positive a few days ago. He also confirmed that around six members of the staff attached to the catering department have also tested positive. However he said he is not aware of more..

Jan 29 (CT) A monthly loss of Rs 6 billion is incurred by the State for using diesel in Combined Cycle Unit of the Kelanitissa Power Plant, instead of Naphtha, a source at the CEB said. He stated that the plant is the only one in the country which could run on Naphtha. “Due to the Sapugaskanda Oil Refinery’s closure as well as the ongoing power crisis, the CEB has been forced to operate the said unit on diesel”. The CEB source added that the unit which has a capacity of 165 MW, has been built more..

Jan 29 (CT) Special attention of His Holiness, the Pope and the Vatican City State administration has been drawn to the delay in justice for the SL Catholics, following information provided on the local investigation into the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attack and the finding of a hand grenade at the All Saints’ Church in Borella recently, reliable sources revealed. An official at Catholic Church said wide support is being provided by Vatican more..

Jan 29 (FT) Omicron positive tests posing as cases are rising in Lanka, and are as irrelevant as ever, looking at the mortality stats. We’ve seen this everywhere with Omicron. South Africa, the original site that brought this to our attention, has had plummeting deaths, and even cases since. But note, even the falling cases there are three times the number pre surge. And it hasn’t mattered. They have removed their restrictions with no impact. Despite a similar case swell, more..

Jan 29 (FT) COVID-19 is an ongoing global health crisis and one of the major threats globally. This subsequently identified as the pathogen named coronavirus and currently breeds in different variants around the world. SL is also facing this ongoing crisis. As a result of this health crisis, the education process has changed drastically with the distinctive rise of e-learning, whereby teaching is undertaken remotely and on digital platforms. This pandemic has hit on children’s lives indirectly and more..

Jan 29 (EAF) In 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic provided additional cover for a regressive turn in SL politics. The consequences of economic and political crisis became starkly evident shortly before the year ended as the hold of the Rajapaksa family on the SL state tightened. From early 2021, the dead came to haunt the Rajapaksa regime, as the govt — against all medical and scientific advice — continued to enforce the cremation of deceased Muslims. This drew major backlash from local civil society more..

Jan 29 (DN) Environment Minister Mahinda Amaraweera states that more than 600 million plastic spoons are dumped into the environment in our country every year. The Minister said the environmental damage caused by the plastic spoons that are widely used in the country at present was immense. Plastic spoons are often issued to consumers, especially for food such as yogurt and ice cream, as well as by food preparation companies. These are used only once, more..

Jan 29 (EN) SL will add dedicated cycling lanes to its road network to encourage commuters to cycle to work, officials said, as the island nation battles a worsening economic crisis compounded by a forex shortage. Environment Minister Mahinda Amaraweera, who presented the initiative to the cabinet, said that it was proposed with environmental concerns in mind rather than any fuel shortages or price hikes. more..

Jan 29 (EN) Singapore Monetary Authority which operates on currency board principles said it will further appreciate the currency from January 2022, after inflation hit 4% in Dec 2022 as SL struggles to maintain a 200 to the US dollar peg with a 12% rise in consumer prices. The MAS does not print money to impose an artificial interest rate and bust the currency, accommodate supply shocks saying they are cost-push but appreciates or depreciates its currency to counter inflation, more..

Jan 29 (ST) Public and private buses that load up with passengers exceeding their seating capacity have become a common sight in Colombo despite strict Covid-19 restrictions. And for some passengers the options are limited. “I also travel standing up most of the time,” said Ayesh Eranda, 23, who takes the 138/176 bus routes to work. “They always exceed seating capacity and during rush hours you can’t even stick a finger in the crowd,” he noted, adding that while he understood more..

Jan 29 (FT) A booster vaccination week will take place starting today to mark the completion of a year since the country’s COVID-19 immunisation program commenced. Special vaccination programs will be carried out in hospitals as well as MOH offices. On 27 Jan 2021, Sri Lanka received its first batch of COVID-19 vaccines, which was a donation of 500,000 doses of AstraZeneca from India. more..