Aug 10 (Island) SL Army has provided financial assistance to 15 ex-LTTE combatants recently freed from jail on a Presidential pardon to launch their own self-employment projects. The event was held at Jetwing Hotel in Jaffna over the last weekend with the participation of General Shavendra Silva, Chief of Defence Staff and Commander of the Army, who was on a tour of the North to assess COVID-19 transmission impact as Head of the NOCPCO. The Army Chief witnessed more..

Aug 10 (DM) No matter what could be done in the next two weeks, the number of COVID positive cases and COVID-related deaths will rise sharply, Public Health Inspectors' (PHI) Union President Upul Rohana said. He said the increase in the number of patients, which is unbearable for the health sector, should be controlled immediately. He stressed that all types of gatherings, including protests, should be suspended while minimising the economic damage. Rohana further said that while imposing more..

Aug 10 (Island) A health sector decision maker had told a major Middle Eastern airline that the govt laboratories did not conduct rapid PCR tests and those tests needed to be conducted at private labs, College of Medical Laboratory Science (CMLS) President, Ravi Kumudesh said yesterday. Last week, UAE announced that fully-vaccinated residence visa holders from India, Pakistan, SL, Nepal, Nigeria & Uganda more..

Aug 10 (DM) The inter province travel restriction will be strictly monitored from today and no one will be allowed to cross provinces other than essential and health workers, Army Commander General Shavendra Silva said a short while ago. He said following discussions, it had also been decided to limit the number of attendees to a wedding to 50 guests, from the 150 proposed earlier. In addition, the Health Ministry will release a set of new health guidelines & restrictions today late afternoon. more..

Aug 10 (Island) Central Environmental Authority (CEA) would investigate and submit a report on all unauthorised constructions, along the Mahaweli River in Kandy City, and the suburbs. Environment Minister Mahinda Amaraweera has instructed the CEA to submit a report on all unauthorised constructions in the Gannoruwa area, in Kandy, and within the boundaries of the Mahaweli River, in Kandy city, suburb. A complaint has been lodged by MP Wasantha Yapa Bandara, more..

Aug 10 (EN) SL Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) is in the process of getting rapid PCR machines installed at the Bandaranayake Int'l Airport (BIA), with health ministry approval pending. The move comes after the UAE mandated rapid PCR tests for Sri Lankans waiting to return to work in the UAE to be taken four hours prior to departure. A rapid PCR is the same as a regular PCR but rapid PCR machines more..

Aug 10 (DM) Education Minister also requested teachers and principals not to opt out of online education as the online education is essential for our children as there is an inability to open schools in the country today. Education Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris said 622, 000 students who sat for the GCE O/L Exam are awaiting their results. Therefore, the Minister urged teachers not to embarrass school children by taking harsh measures over a problem that had been on their minds for 24 years. more..

Aug 10 (EN) Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa is in the process of directing financially struggling state institutions to borrow funds at a 4 percent interest rate, Cabinet Spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella said on Tuesday (10). �If any of the 270 plus government institutions are facing difficulties, they can obtain loans at 4 percent interest rate instead of getting it from the treasury. The current finance minister is on the process of doing this,� Rambukwella told the reporters. more..

Aug 10 (Island) COPE has asked the govt to act under the provisions of the Public Property Act against all responsible for an attempt to deprive the govt of its ownership of the SL Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT), established by the Mahapola Higher Education Scholarship Trust Fund, and its control by an agreement signed on 12.05.2015 without any formal authority. The COPE, chaired by Prof. Charitha Herath, more..

Aug 10 (DN) The Sri Lanka Coast Guard (SLCG) seized an Indian dhow with over 5,300 Kg of dried turmeric in the seas off Chilaw Point on Saturday (07). The suspicious Indian dhow was in Sri Lankan waters, via the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL), when the seizure was made by the SLCG. The Sri Lanka Coast Guard Ship Suraksha patrolling the waters off Chilaw Point on Saturday morning had spotted the dhow in Sri Lankan waters, through the IMBL, and searched it on suspicion. more..

Aug 10 (GDI) Representative of SL to the State of Palestine Nawalage Bennet Cooray presented Letters of Credence to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Palestine Dr. Riad Al-Malki at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates in Ramallah, Palestine. During the meeting, that followed the presentation of Letters of Credence, Minister Al-Malki appreciated the longstanding ties with Sri Lanka and stated that Palestine is keen to expand the scope of bilateral cooperation more..

Aug 10 (DM) Supreme Court Judge A.H.M.D. Nawaz today recused himself from hearing the Fundamental Rights petition filed by former Western Province Governor Azath Salley. Azath Salley had filed a fundamental rights petition in the Supreme Court seeking an order to release him from CID custody. Justice Nawaz who was a member of yesterday's bench declined to hear this petition. more..

Aug 10 (EN) SL Institute of Tourism & Hotel Management (SLITHM) is to be upgraded as a degree awarding institute as it has adequate courses up to management level as well as practical training, the cabinet office said. The minister of tourism had submitted a proposal to amend the Tourism Act No. 38 of 2005 so that the institute can be promoted into a tertiary level higher education institution. Cabinet office statement said that although there are many universities and more..

Aug 10 (CT) During the Cabinet meeting yesterday, Minister Basil Rajapaksa had said that it was possible to give an empty Laugfs gas cylinder, payment made for gas and a full Litro gas cylinder could be obtained. Minister said he had instructed the Litro gas company to ensure that this exchange be effected. Minister responding to a question as to whether there will be a gas crisis said an empty Laugfs gas cylinder could be given and payment made for a full Litro gas cylinder more..

Aug 10 (CT) Last evening Cabinet decided not to increase milk powder prices but to amend taxes imposed on imported milk powder to avert a shortage of milk powder in the market. Minister of Finance, Basil Rajapaksa gave a lengthy explanation regarding the matter when Cabinet met yesterday. Discussions revolved around avoiding increasing the price of milk powder and as to what action could be taken to prevent a shortage more..

Aug 10 (DN) About 12- 15 midwives contract COVID-19 daily due to the prevailing situation, Govt Midwives� Association (GMA) President Devika Kodituwakku said. She said more than 500 midwives were infected with COVID-19 in the past few days. �Even maintaining our services could become a problem if the situation worsens. There is no special procedure for health workers to receive treatment, as yet. Four midwives at the Negombo Hospital have got infected. more..

Aug 10 (DM) The Centre for Environmental Justice yesterday filed a writ petition in Court of Appeal seeking an Interim Order directing the authorities to take necessary steps to detain the Captain and the crew of MV X-Press Pearl to institute necessary criminal and civil actions against them. Filing this petition through Attorney-at-law Ravindranath Dabare, the petitioners are further seeking an order directing the respondents to dispose of the plastic pellets, nurdles & other debris of MV X-Press more..

Aug 10 (EN) Sri Lanka�s govt has no intention to impose a lockdown at the moment despite a spike in COVID-19 deaths and daily cases, according to a top minister who said Tuesday (10) morning that a lockdown will be a last resort. Co-cabinet spokesman Minister Keheliya Rambukwella told reporters at the weekly cabinet briefing that the govt has yet to take a decision on a lockdown to slowdown the spread of COVID-19 more..

Aug 10 (AD) The court has ordered to remand MP Rishad Bathiudeen until the conclusion of the case file against him. He was produced before the Fort Magistrate earlier today. The MP and his brother were arrested on April 24 for allegedly aiding and abetting the suicide bombers who perpetrated the deadly terror attacks on April 21, 2019. The former minister was taken into custody at his residence in Bauddhaloka Mawatha in Colombo while his brother Riyaj Bathiudeen was apprehended in more..

Aug 10 (DM) Whilst expressing his willingness to support the govt to overcome the current medical crisis, Leader of Opposition Sajith Premadasa today questioned the govt's delay in calling for an All Party Conference. �Though it would be appropriate to call for an All Party Conference to discuss and decide on the steps that should be taken to save the nation from the disaster it is facing, the govt does not seem to be prepared for such a course of action. This clearly indicates stubborn attitude of govt.� more..

Aug 10 (EN) As an ongoing strike by school teachers and principals over long-running salary anomalies is about to move into its second month, the cabinet of ministers on Monday appointed a 4-member committee to recommend a mutually agreeable solution to the crisis by next week. Ministers Wimal Weerawansa, Dallus Alahapperuma, Prasanna Ranathunga, and Mahindananda Amaraweera comprise the committee, more..

Aug 10 (EN) Cabinet of ministers had cleared a proposal to extend a central bank credit scheme for Covid hit small and medium enterprises to provide working capital for state enterprises. Covid-19 had hit working capital of 282 state or partially state owned entities or para-statals. The central bank finance Covid-19 credit facility had given 156 billion rupees of loans to 53,200 businesses, a govt statement quoting a cabinet memo said. �Therefore, ventures have confronted a difficulty to supply more..

Aug 10 (TM) Vaccination of pregnant women is not being carried out at Army-run 24-hour vaccination centres owing to the requisite special consent letters allegedly not being provided by the relevant health authorities to these centres. When inquired about the vaccination process for pregnant women from the Army, it was learnt that these centres are also not provided with the essential facilities to vaccinate pregnant women. �There is a special consent letter provided for pregnant women. more..

Aug 10 (CT) DSG Dileepa Peiris yesterday informed Colombo Additional Magistrate Rajindra Jayasuriya thata Chief Inspector (CI) of Police would soon be produced in Court and named as a suspect on charges destroying and concealing evidence and conspiracy to do so in connection with the suspicious death of the 16-year-old maid Jude Ishalini who was employed at the house of MP Rishad Bathiudeen. more..

Aug 10 (TM) Attorney General Sanjay Rajaratnam has sent indictments to Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya this afternoon seeking the appointment of a Trial-at-Bar against 25 suspects indicted for conspiracy over the Easter Sunday terror attacks. The suspects are to be tried before Court for 23,270 charges consisting of 9 volumes. Meanwhile, the SJB recently condemned the recent release of Ahmed Alawdeen, the father of Alawdeen Ahmed Muaath, who carried out the suicide bombing more..

Aug 10 (Island) Close contacts of COVID-19 patients should undergo PCR testing between three and five days after exposure, Dr. Chandima Jeewandara of the Allergy, Immunology and Cell Biology Unit, Department of Immunology Molecular and Molecular Medicine of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura said yesterday. Dr. Jeevandara said that previously it was recommended that a test should be done on close contacts between five to seven days after the exposure. more..

Aug 10 (TM) Prof. Ranjith Bandara has been appointed as the Chairperson of the National Trade Policy Committee. Trade Minister Dr. Bandula Gunawardana said that the new National Trade Policy Committee was implemented recently and discussions were held via Zoom. �Because of the current situation, we held Zoom meetings and discussed the new National Trade Policy Committee and the other relevant details. more..

Aug 10 (DM) Immigration Services Agency of Japan on Aug 10 released a final report on the death of a SL woman at a regional detention center in central Japan, pointing to the lack of a proper medical response after she said she was feeling unwell and stating that the facility "lacked a sense of crisis and failed to accurately grasp the circumstances as an organization." The SL woman, Wishma Sandamali, then 33, died at the Nagoya Regional Immigration Services Bureau in Aichi Prefecture on Mar 6, more..

Aug 10 (AD) The government has decided to further bring down the maximum number of guests allowed at a wedding function. Accordingly, only 50 guests are allowed at a wedding, irrespective of the seating capacity of the venue. The decision will be in effect from midnight today (August 10), Army Commander General Shavendra Silva stated. Previously, that number was 150 if the seating capacity of the venue was over 500, and 100 if the seating capacity was less than 500. more..

Aug 11 (DM) SL is in crisis. Since April 2021, SL saw a sharp increase of Covid-19 positive cases and deaths. Despite health authorities warning the public to limit celebrations and shopping sprees during the traditional new year festival, large gatherings and cross border travels resulted in a deadly spike of Covid-19 cases. However the dominant disease variant at the time was the Covid-19 variant also known as the UK variant. It must be noted that this variant was also considered a highly more..

Aug 11 (DM) Many lives, both human and elephant, are lost as a result of the human-elephant conflicts that are prevalent in most parts of Sri Lanka. The number of victims (on both sides) and the intensity of occurrences has been increasing over the past few years as the Table below clearly depicts. Typically, when an elephant is killed, the carcass is buried or burnt. No further thought is given to the effect that the death of this elephant has on the herd it belonged to. more..

Aug 11 (CT) Rajanganaya Yaya 18 of the Rajanganaya Divisional Secretariat area is a village which has faced many difficulties over a long period of time. Developing the village was a dream the residents had. According to the saying, �people who suffer a lot will be bestowed with happiness one day�, the first step in making this true has happened. �The process of development has begun in the village� the residents said. more..

Aug 11 (Island) Naming former lawmaker Milinda Moragoda as SL�s HC in New Delhi had been one of the most controversial decisions taken by Prez Rajapaksa at the onset of his administration. Appointment was made in spite of strong objections, even by some of those who had backed Gotabaya Rajapaksa�s candidature at the 2019 presidential election. Prez went to the extent of issuing a statement vowing to go ahead with appointments made following careful consideration. more..

Aug 11 (GV) Young people from the ages of 16 to 35 around the world have been particularly hard hit by the effects of COVID-19. Discussions and forums targeting the wellbeing and development of youth have gained traction on various platforms. Studies in several countries have found that young people are struggling to cope with the pandemic with elevated levels of stress, anxiety and depression that could be due in part to the difficulties they were experiencing in adapting to online education. more..

Aug 11 (TM) Although the vaccination drive was expected to mark the beginning of the end of the Covid-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka, the country is seeing more Covid-19 cases and deaths at present, despite the drive being successfully underway. While the number of deaths reported per day has increased up to around 100, the number of daily Covid-19 cases has increased to almost 3,000. To make matters worse, more..

Aug 11 (CT) �The economic crisis is a social crisis careening into a political crisis. With no solutions the rulers are militarizing. Realising that the elites and their parties have no way out within the current system, students and the working masses have taken to the streets. Leaders of NPP such as Anura Kumara Dissanayake say they are ready to give leadership for a new governance model to overcome the crisis. The faith people placed in the current system has been shattered�. more..

Aug 11 (TM) It is easy to proffer advice, put forward proposals, and make recommendations when you do not have any responsibility to take action. But when you are the decision-maker and the decision-implementing body, addressing problems means something extremely different to merely saying what should be done. The Covid-19 pandemic has dealt a heavy blow to the people�s health, economy, and day-to-day activities, and there is no doubt or argument that the Govt has to do something more..