Aug 15 (TM) The construction of the first-ever airport hotel at BIA is facing uncertainties, with the contractor to whom the project is awarded yet to begin construction even after three years since the awarding of the project. The recently hyped-up airport hotel, which is being falsely reported to commence operations in Dec 2022, is a project that was awarded to a Japanese firm and the investment is yet to be announced. While reports note that hotel is set to commence operations in Dec 2022, more..

Aug 15 (TM) With the onset of the exponential spread of the virulent B.1.617.2 Delta variant of Covid-19 in the country, Sri Lanka must anticipate the possibility of the said variant mutating locally. Dr. Chandima Jeewandara stressed that this is a high-risk scenario. �When you have a variant which is spreading rapidly, the chances of it mutating are very high. Therefore, we must anticipate local mutations of the Delta variant,� he explained. more..

Aug 15 (ST) With trolleys piled high with milk cartons, rice, frozen food and dry rations and items being grabbed before other shoppers could reach them, crowds went supermarket sweep style following rumours of a curfew or lockdown over the rising COVID death toll. All grocery shops were packed, particularly supermarkets in main towns due to their acceptance of credit cards, the availability of many items in one place, and hygiene practices. A spokesperson of a leading supermarket chain more..

Aug 15 (ST) Inland Revenue Department (IRD) officials have called on Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa to reduce the period for the proposed tax amnesty for undisclosed income, warning that the govt could lose a revenue of up to Rs 300 billion. The request was made during a meeting presided over by the Finance Minister and attended by senior IRD officials and trade union representatives. At last week�s meeting, they discussed the implications of the proposed Finance Bill. more..

Aug 15 (ST) The loss of an estimated two terabytes�or 2,000 gigabytes�of classified information from the Lanka Govt Cloud (LGC) risks endangering the business relationships of local drugs companies with their foreign principals, industry sources warned this week. The files comprised information pertaining to the formulation of drugs and other confidential supporting documents uploaded via the NMRA portal. more..

Aug 15 (ST) There is a major discrepancy in the COVID-19 case numbers being issued by two units of the Health Ministry. Ministry�s COVID-19 Operational Room reported the first time positive cases for Friday (13) up to 10 p.m. as 4,137 from 18,174 RT-PCRs done. There were also 1,064 positive cases from 6,883 Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs). This brought the total of positive cases for the day to 5,201. Even though the ministry�s Epidemiology Unit had not released its more..

Aug 15 (AD) The daily global case-fatality percentage for COVID-19, or the daily number of COVID-19 deaths compared to the daily infections, is as low as 1.4%. However, the figure is as high as 5% in Sri Lanka, indicates the severity of the coronavirus situation in the country. On both Aug 11 and 12, SL�s daily case-fatality percentage was at 5%. As per the report on Aug 6, the percentage was at 3.5%. Data indicates a gradual increase of the percentage as 3.3, 3.7, 3.9 & 4.2 respectively. more..

Aug 15 (ST) The Govt�s ambitious course correction efforts, on hold for many weeks, are now set to get under way. This is during the most explosive phase of THE COVID-19 pandemic, particularly the Delta variant, taking the lives of at least six Sri Lankans every hour. There are fears among medical specialists that it may double and paralyse country�s health services. Compounding the situation are serious doubts over more..

Aug 16 (DM) Afghanistan is once again on the brink of civil war. After 20 years of attempting to bomb the Afghan people into submission, the US as it did in Vietnam has cut and run. US has abandoned the puppet regime it set along the lines of the Vichy Govt in France during German occupation. Vichy govt ruled France in accordance with the wishes of the Nazi Germany. Just as the Vichy regime served the interests of the German occupiers of France, so the present Afghan govt is seen as serving more..

Aug 16 (DM) In the early phase of the pandemic where there were only clusters (not a community spread), one to one testing for contact tracing was a strategy to identify all possible asymptomatically infected individuals for the purpose of prevention of community spread. The idea was to quarantine and isolate all-infected people to delay the community spread as much as possible till the other effective measures such as satisfactory vaccination level is achieved. more..

Aug 16 (CT) Death could not be humbler as it is in Sri Lanka at this very moment, so much so that even reality show producers could be fooled into thinking that it is the new rising star, having made its presence felt in our island nation since last year. COVID-19 only hesitated in levying much of a price during the first wave where only 13 deaths occurred. The virus�s second wave claimed the lives of 596 people. more..

Aug 16 (ST) Like lambs to the slaughter, can the non-conformists be led to compulsory vaccination which fear, born of ignorance, has made the world believe that the inoculation drive is the only A1 road towards returning to a new normalcy to the total exclusion of other pathways. Should the disbelievers of the creed laid down as gospel truth by western science, should the heathens, whom science brands as infidels, who refuse to bend the knee before its altar or surrender their personal convictions more..

Aug 16 (ST) Confounding its claim to an ancient and painfully established legal heritage of some note in South Asia, SL is degenerating to a primordial nation-state, where the very meaning of law is reduced to a farce. Ad hoc statements of officials, from the Army Commander to Director General of Health Services (DGHS) are fast replacing legal standards and even constitutional protections. Take the recent holding, quite correctly, by a magistrate�s court that a letter sent by DGHS to IGP more..

Aug 16 (TM) The issuance of a liquor licence to W.M. Mendis & Co. Ltd in early July, after the licence had been suspended earlier for non-payment of excise tax, was met with widespread criticism, as the company is owned by controversial businessman Arjun Aloysius. Aloysius is the son-in-law of former CB Governor Arjuna Mahendran and the central figure in the 2015 and 2016 CB Treasury Bond Scam, more..

Aug 16 (CT) Govt in its magnanimity has taken steps to provide funds to the ex-LTTE cadres, convicted by the country�s Courts of Law for engaging in terrorist activities during their over three-decade war against the State, on top of their being freed by Prez Rajapaksa, recently, exercising the power of Prez Pardon vested in him in terms of the provisions of the Constitution. The historic event took place last week under the patronage of Army Commander General Shavendra Silva when more..

Aug 16 (Island) SL�s Covid-19 case-fatality rate (about 5%) has exceeded the global average (1.4%), according to media reports. This rate may look accurate, given the officially confirmed cases, but there is reason to believe that it is misleading; many cases have gone undetected, and if testing is stepped up, the morbidity rate will increase exponentially, bringing the case-fatality rate down. The fatality figures, however, remain undisputed, and, therefore, could be considered reliable. more..

Aug 16 (DM) The facets of the human needs are linked to the concept of security. As a result, eliminating the threat to human survival requires immediate attention. In the context of a pandemic, the spread of COVID-19 necessitates immediate action to control the spread and cure the patients. In modern discourses of security, it clarifies the movement of the referent object of security (According to current definitions, referent objects include not only the state but also individuals more..

Aug 16 (FT) Sampath Bank on Friday said it has posted a profit after tax (PAT) of Rs. 7 billion for the first half of 2021, against Rs. 3.9 billion for the same period in 2020. It said this significant increase of 78.1% in profit after tax was the result of a 16.7% increase in total operating income coupled with strict cost controls and other innovative efforts implemented by the management. Considering the impact and uncertainty created by COVID-19 in 1H 2020, the bank provided a sufficient amount more..

Aug 16 (Island) Senior SJB politician Dr Rajitha Senaratne says that the govt�s crisis calendar is overflowing. Teachers and principals are on strike. Corpses are heaping up in morgues and doctors are calling for an immediate lockdown to contain the spread of pandemic. The country�s political landscape is fast changing with unrelenting stress leaving people emotionally numb or tired, leading to crisis fatigue. more..

Aug 16 (CT) Magistrates from all parts of the island were left reeling on Friday (13) after the Chief Justice and three other SC judges urged them to rule in favour of the police to curb and ban protests and public gatherings in light of the Covid-19 situation. Instructions to use their common sense to stop demonstrations from Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya and Justices Buvanekha Aluvihare, L.T.B. Dehideniya and Mahinda Samayawardena shocked the magistrates, CT learns. more..

Aug 16 (MFA) Foreign Ministry wishes to clarify the following with regard to the current situation in Afghanistan and the ongoing efforts to evacuate Sri Lankan nationals there: The Foreign Ministry is currently in the process of working with international partners to facilitate the return of SL nationals in Afghanistan, if they wish to return. The Sri Lanka Embassy in Kabul, which is functioning from a hotel, currently does not have any SL nationals present and is manned by one local staff. more..

Aug 16 (CT) The journalist who predicted the assassination of drug kingpin Makandure Madush has been arrested by a police division notorious for extra-judicial execution of suspects and fabricating evidence to charge critics of the Rajapaksa regime. Keerthi Ratnayake, who writes on defence and political affairs for the website LankaEnews exposed a plot to kill Madush 3 days before he was gunned down more..

Aug 16 (AJ) Taliban fighters entered Kabul and President Ashraf Ghani left Afghanistan saying he wanted to avoid bloodshed, signalling the end of a 20-year Western experiment aimed at remaking Afghanistan. Taliban fanned out across the capital on Sunday and took control of the presidential palace. Al Jazeera gained exclusive footage of Taliban commanders in the palace with dozens of armed fighters. Taliban also said it had taken control of most of the districts around the outskirts more..

Aug 16 (IHC) The 75th Independence Day of India was celebrated in different parts of SL on 15 August 2021 in strict compliance with COVID-19 protocols. The celebrations this year are part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav initiative launched by PM Narendra Modi in March 2021, to commemorate 75 years of a progressive and self-reliant India. A media release by the Indian High Commission said: The main event was held at India House, official residence of High Commissioner of India. more..

Aug 16 (FT) Despite ongoing restrictions, imports appear irresistible for SL � that is judging by a strong 30% growth in the first half of this year and it crossing the $ 10 billion mark. The country's imports in the first six months ended June 2021 amounted to Rs. 10.015 billion, up 30.5% from the $ 7.67 billion figure in the corresponding period of last year. Imports peaked at an unusually high figure of $ 1.92 billion in March, more..

Aug 16 (ST) Sri Lanka�s premier Esports company Gamer.LK announced the Singer Esports Premier League � a franchise based PUBG Mobile League consisting of 12 teams and a Rs.1 million prize pool. With over 2,000 Esports athletes expected to compete for a spot in the 12 teams, will be SL�s largest Esports league. The event will be held throughout August, September and October of this year. Nine of the franchises are based on the Sri Lanka provinces more..

Aug 16 (FT) Govt is facilitating the import of gold for genuine export-oriented jewellery manufacturers whilst continuing with the licencing scheme for others, it has been revealed. Support is for those registered under TIEP scheme of SL Customs and BOI and for those who have non-foreign currency (NFC) exchange. This is aimed at legitimising jewellery manufacturers. According to NFC, buyers transfer gold for the manufacturers and the finished products are then re-exported. more..

Aug 16 (FT) A total of 3,435 persons tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday, raising the country�s COVID-19 detections to 354,968. The patients detected yesterday were from the New Year cluster. The total patient count of the New Year cluster is 248,889 and the Prisons cluster is 7,965. The country�s local cases also include 82,785 persons from the Peliyagoda cluster and 3,059 persons from the Divulapitiya cluster. more..

Aug 16 (CT) Football Sri Lanka (FSL) is on the lookout for a foreign head coach to replace current men�s head coach Amir Alagic, FSL President Jaswar Umar confirmed. However, Alagic who is also the Technical Director, will remain in that position to overlook the technical strategy and pathways for the next generation of young players. �We are looking for a foreign new head coach for the Men�s National team to replace Amir Alagic. However, our present coach Alagic more..

Aug 16 (FT) Quarantine curfew will be in effect from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. starting tonight, the NOCPCO Head Gen. Shavendra Silva yesterday announced. Only essential services will be permitted to operate during this time. A ban on gatherings came into effect last night, while weddings, whether they are held at home or at a reception hall, will not be permitted from midnight tomorrow. In addition to this, restaurants will only be permitted to cater to 50% of its capacity at any given time. more..

Aug 16 (Island) The SJB says the SLPP govt owed an explanation regarding manipulation of Covid-19 figures, especially against the backdrop of one of its constituents alleging daily alteration of figures. The NFF spokesperson Mohammad Muzammil, MP, has accused a senior Army officer, holding the rank of Maj. Gen. and two specialists attached to the Epidemiology Unit, of revising figures. more..

Aug 16 (FT) SL�s COVID-19 death toll crossed the 6,000 mark with the confirmation of 161 COVID-19 fatalities on Saturday. A total of 6,096 COVID-19 fatalities have been confirmed to date. It was only on 6 Aug that SL exceeded 5,000 COVID-19 fatalities. COVID-19 deaths confirmed on Saturday include 122 persons over the age of 60, 38 persons between ages 30 and 59, and one person below the age of 30. 75.4% of the total fatalities are over the age of 60, 23.49% between ages 30 and 59, more..

Aug 16 (FT) Innovative technology solutions firm 99x has received a $ 20 million investment as part of its capital restructuring program and to fund its next phase of planned growth. The funds were through an investment from Herkules Deal-by-Deal, a Scandinavian private equity company. The investment entails setting up a holding company in Europe, funds for future acquisitions, and cash remuneration for part of the shares held by the current shareholders. more..

Aug 16 (FT) SJB MP Eran Wickramaratne emphasised that the Govt must abandon what he labelled its stubborn arrogance, follow the advice of the health authorities and take immediate steps to protect the country and its people from the COVID-19 pandemic. �If the Govt does not impose travel restrictions as it did in May 2021 as a solution to this rapidly spreading COVID catastrophe, people should make self-imposed travel restrictions more..

Aug 16 (Island) Former SL Ambassador to Russia Udayanga Weeratunga has challenged MP Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe to come for a TV debate on the latter�s allegation that Ukrainian tourists had brought COVID-19 to the country. Weeratunga said that MP Rajapakshe had made that allegation in an open letter to Prez Rajapakshe. �The Ukrainian and Kazakhstan tourists who came here as a tourist bubble underwent PCR tests. As per the test results 99.6% of those tourists were free from virus. more..

Aug 16 (FT) Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga yesterday vehemently denied allegations by certain Opposition MPs and activist groups that the COVID-19 spread was due to the opening of the country for international travellers. �These claims are completely false and misleading,� the Minister emphasised in a statement. He pointed out that since the initiation of the pilot project for Ukrainian travellers from 28 December 2020 till 12 August, Sri Lanka saw 21,951 tourist arrivals. more..

Aug 16 (TM) The country�s 3 main political parties in the parliamentary Opposition have placed the blame for the escalating Covid-19 cases and deaths on the Govt, slamming it for allegedly not heeding the advice and warnings of the health authorities. JVP stressed that a proper plan for the future must be formulated based on accurate statistics and data. �We are in doubt about the current statistics that the Govt is presenting. more..

Aug 16 (DM) The Taliban insists it had no links with the LTTE before or after the defeat of the rebels. Speaking exclusively to Daily Mirror, Taliban spokesman and international negotiator Suhail Shaheen said that the Taliban is an independent liberation force. �we don�t have any links to the Tamil Tigers. We are an independent liberation force which struggled against foreign occupation for the last 20 years for the liberation of our country, Afghanistan,� Shaheen said. more..

Aug 16 (ST) Tourism authorities are considering allowing tourists to witness the Esala Dalada Maliga Perahera that commenced on Thursday and ends on Aug 22. Despite the Kandy Perahera being out of bounds to the general public the tourism authorities, according to a source at SL Tourism, are hoping that tourists already in the country will be able to witness this spectacle. This is yet to be confirmed by health authorities. Perahera this year, similar to last year, is being held amid tight health guidelines more..