Aug 19 (DM) An organisation called Hela Bodhu Saviya has offered to conduct the final rites of Buddhist Covid victims through Zoom technology. Chairman of the Organisation Ven. Budugala Jinawansa Thera said that they decided to do so as some people were helpless without any means to carry out final rights for their loved ones who died of Covid-19. The Thera said they were prepared to conduct final rites in an open location by adhering to health guidelines or via Zoom technology. more..

Aug 19 (TM) Govt is in discussions with intermediate suppliers to acquire 1,000 vials of the highly sought-after tocilizumab drug, generally used for arthritis but now used for patients with severe Covid-19, while another stock of vials of the drug is expected directly from the manufacturer in September. These plans were disclosed by Secretary to the State Ministry of Production, Supply, and Regulation of Pharmaceuticals more..

Aug 19 (FT) Felice Leonardo Buscaglia, also known as �Dr. Love,� was an American author, motivational speaker, and a Professor in the Department of Special Education at the University of Southern California. One of his quotations resonates with the general approach of most human beings to worldly problems: �Don�t spend your precious time asking Why isn�t the world a better place? It will only be time wasted. The question to ask is, How can I make it better? To that there is an answer.� more..

Aug 19 (FT) The catastrophic outcome in Afghanistan impacts negatively on South Asia and the Asian balance. It emboldens Islamist fundamentalism which will now believe that divine providence permitted it to prevail over both the USSR and the USA. It had three intertwined root causes: (1) The great folly of President George W. Bush (a favourite of the Rajapaksas and Ranil Wickremesinghe, by the way) who invaded Iraq on false pretexts while the war in Afghanistan more..

Aug 19 (AD) Chief Prelates of the Malwathu-Asgiri Sects have written to Prez Rajapaksa requesting a country-wide lock for a period of one week. The Chief Prelates pointed out that the entire country is facing a catastrophe due to the spread of the coronavirus disease. The letter also noted that the health sectors have warned of the severity of the new mutant virus strains and the difficulty in controlling them due to their rapid spread. Further, WHO has also warned of a major health more..

Aug 19 (TM) The Samurdhi Arunalu Livelihood Development Program was launched recently with the aim of strengthening SL�s rural economy. Speaking at a media briefing on the Samurdhi Arunalu programme, State Minister Shehan Semasinghe said that Samurdhi officers have selected the beneficiaries for the first phase of this program which is currently being implemented covering all 25 districts islandwide. �Financial assistance of Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 100,000 more..

Aug 19 (EN) Ten constituent parties of SL�s ruling coalition have written to Prez requesting a lockdown of three weeks minimum to contain the growing COVID-19 epidemic. Key players in the govt including Ministers Wimal Weerawansa, Udaya Gammanpila and Vasudewa Nanayakkara have signed the letter, calling for a lockdown of at least three weeks to bring the daily COVID-19 caseload down to a manageable level. more..

Aug 19 (EN) Sri Lanka will place ceilings on dollar deposit rates of exporters to reduce the gap between rupee and dollar deposit rate and rupee loans, CB Governor W D Lakshman said. �Our intention is to impose these caps on export earnings that are held in foreign currency accounts,� Governor Lakshman said. �In order to sort out the problem created by it this is one of the measures that is proposed.� SL�s lending rates have fallen sharply despite a double digit budget deficit more..

Aug 19 (Island) Prez Rajapaksa could lock down the country within seconds, but he would not do so out of his concern for millions of people who had not contracted COVID-19 and were eking out a living on a daily basis, Minister of Trade, Bandula Gunawardane said yesterday following an inspection tour of the Pettah wholesale markets. �Some people ask us to lock down the country. There are millions of people who have not contracted COVID-19. We have to think of them as well,� more..

Aug 19 (EN) Weeks after a video surfaced of a person identifying herself as a counsellor openly making homophobic remarks at a police training in Kandy, the Sri Lanka College of Psychiatrists has said it does not consider homosexuality a mental illness and called for its decriminalisation. �The SL College of Psychiatrists would like to categorically state that we do not endorse the view that homosexuality is more..

Aug 19 (DM) Bar Association of Mount Lavinia unanimously passed a resolution to refrain from court work except urgent matters from 19th of Aug. to 27th of Aug. 2021. Accordingly, the Bar Association of Mount Lavinia urges the judges of Magistrate's Courts, District Courts and Civil Appellate High Courts in Mount Lavinia to postpone all trial and calling matters during this period by way of notices. Mount Lavinia Bar Association further request to keep the lawyers' room and more..

Aug 19 (CT) Minister Dr. Ramesh Pathirana, explained reasons behind the recent implementation of a night-time curfew. Responding to a question raised in this regard, Pathirana stated that the directive was imposed in an attempt to restrict the movement of persons to a certain extent, and encourage the public to self-impose travel restrictions amongst themselves. He further explained that a complete lockdown is not a feasible option as of now, as it would not only more..

Aug 19 (AD) MP Dr. Harsha de Silva says that SL is today facing its worst economic crisis since independence and that there are no US dollars available anywhere at the rates specified by the central bank. He stated that in the unofficial market the US dollar is being sold for around Rs. 235-240 and sometimes for even more, despite the exchange rates of the Central Bank stating that the buying price and selling price of the US dollar more..

Aug 19 (KT) The SL embassy staff in Abu Dhabi performed the last rites of a Covid-19 victim after the rest of his family members were found to be afflicted with SARS-CoV-2, which causes the viral disease. Initially, Jay, the Sri Lankan expatriate, who was in his early 60s, had complained of a mild headache and breathing problems. Later, his wife called on the emergency number 999 after his health suddenly worsened. However, unfortunately, he passed away while the emergency medical team rushed more..

Aug 19 (PTI) A well-informed source in the PCB said that they had got positive signals from their counterparts in Afghanistan about the series. "The series appears to be on and the indications we have got is that the Taliban authorities have given green light for the series," he said. The Pakistan Cricket Board is confident that the political upheaval in Afghanistan will not affect their ODI series and, in fact, the Taliban authorities have given green light to the national team to play the matches in SL more..

AAug 19 (Xinhua) The low hum of excavators and dump trucks echoes across 228.5 hectares of land belonging to the Hambantota Int'l Port's (HIP) industrial park, as contractors scramble to complete ground leveling for a US$ 300 million tire factory. SL's southern district of Hambantota is mostly known for its sprawling paddy fields, peacocks and ruins from the ancient Kingdom of Ruhuna. But the sound of heavy machinery more..

Aug 19 (DM) Former PM Ranil Wickremesinghe today urged the govt not to recognise the Taliban administration and to shut down the SL mission in Kabul, Afghanistan. "SL should focus on Afghanistan, as it could become a hub for terror groups such as Jihads and even Al-Qaeda'. Therefore SL should not recognize the new administration in that nation. SL should also close down its diplomatic mission in Afghanistan & open a new office in another nation in the same region" more..

Aug 19 (CT) The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) has expressed its willingness to support a project aimed at analysing and improving air quality in Colombo. The proposal to launch the project titled "SL's Air Quality Benefits Sustainability Project: Implementation of 25 Identified Procedures in COVID-19 Period" was tabled by the Minister of Environment Mahinda Amaraweera. The relationship between COVID-19 and air quality in many South Asian cities has been assessed. more..

Aug 19 (Island) Evidence has emerged that there is a significant discrepancy in COVID-19 numbers, reported by Health Ministry�s Epidemiology Unit & Regional Directors of Health Services (RDHS) offices in the Kegalle District and Uva Province. On 9 Aug, the Epidemiology Unit reported that there had been only 2 COVID cases in Kegalle District, but Kegalle RDHS office reported that there had been 321 cases. more..

Aug 19 (CT) The new Kelani Bridge, SL's first high-tech cable-stayed bridge, will be completed next month. Highways Minister Johnston Fernando said that 98.5 percent of the new Bridge's construction, which is an extradosed type engineering design, has reached the final stage. Stay cables connect two large pylons to the bridge deck and disperse the weight of the bridge deck's loads. However, the Minister directed Secretary of the Ministry of Highways R.W.R. Pemasiri to complete more..

Aug 19 (EN) For Sri Lanka to move out of its dollar and debt crisis, it needs to attract new investors to the country by portraying as a investor friendly country with returns, a business leader said. �What we need at this point is export dollars, foreign exchange and get us out of the debt trap that we are in,� Vish Govindasamy, the newly elected president of Ceylon Chamber of Commerce said. �This means SriLanka has to be portrayed around the world for investors to come and invest in Sri Lanka.� more..

Aug 19 (AD) A new procedure has been introduced for triaging COVID-infected patients in the Western Province to direct them to treatment centres and home-based care. The NOCPCO stated that this new process is implemented with effect from today, based on SMS and over the phone services. Accordingly, COVID patients in the Western Province are urged to send a text message to the hotline 1904, mentioning their details more..

Aug 19 (TM) National Peace Council (NPC) has urged the Government of Sri Lanka to actively participate in the international effort to provide refuge to those fleeing Afghanistan. �We urge the government to provide emergency visas for human rights defenders, journalists and others who have well-founded fears of persecution and to instruct the department of immigration not to deport any asylum seekers arriving in the country,� the NPC said in a press release yesterday (18). more..

Aug 19 (AD) According to the Ministry of Health, 97.7% of those who succumbed to COVID-19 as of August 13 had not been vaccinated against the virus. As per the data, Sri Lanka had witnessed 5,775 deaths from the coronavirus. Reportedly, 5,295 of them had not received any COVID-19 vaccine. The remaining 480 victims had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Of those, a total of 417 had died after receiving only one dose. This accounts for 7.2% of the total deaths. more..

Aug 19 (DM) Former JVP MP Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa today urged the Health Ministry Secretary, Director General of Health Services and Chief Epidemiologist not to become a cat's paw of the Govt by issuing manipulated data and statistics of the Covid mortality and positive cases. He said that the three officials as the head of the health ministry had a responsibility to reveal the true statistics pertaining to the pandemic, more..

Aug 19 (EN) Stock fell 0.99% on Thursday, ending a three-session gaining streak, after the country�s central bank in a surprise reversed its monetary policy stance to hawkish from dovish to ease the pressure on the rupee, brokers said. The central bank, which has maintained an accommodative monetary policy with record low interest rates, from last year, unexpectedly tightened the key policy rates by increasing them by 50 basis points. ASPI lost 82.77 points to close at 8,260.08 more..

Aug 19 (CT) One individual was critically injured when military personnel in mufti opened fire on a group of illegal sand miners yesterday around 7 a.m. The incident occurred while the group was engaging in illegal sand mining in the Mundhakkumaraveli River in Batticaloa District, Karadiyanaru Police said. The critically injured person has been identified as 26-year-old Murugaiya Sadheeshkumar. He is a resident of Karadiyanaru. The victim was rushed to the Teaching Hospital, Batticaloa. more..

AAug 19 (EN) Bakers in SL have been compelled to increase the price of their products to reflect rising costs, starting next Monday (23), SL Bakery Owners Association said. Bakers have been complaining of a painful price hike in ingredients, amid an ailing economy that�s facing a double whammy of a public health crisis and a foreign exchange shortage. �Prices of all ingredients have gone up and we cannot bear it anymore,� more..

Aug 19 (HRW) Several international human rights organizations, including the Human Rights Watch, have called for a review of Police Scotland training for Sri Lankan police in a letter to the Scottish govt. In a letter addressed to the Scottish Justice Secretary Keith Brown, the Human Rights Watch, Freedom from Torture, the Sri Lanka Campaign for Peace and Justice, and Pax Christi Scotland expressed their concerns over allegations of abuse by the Sri Lanka Police. more..

Aug 19 (CT) Doctors accused the Health Ministry of being unable to probe the discrepancies in COVID-19 data collection till date, which had resulted in the public being unable to get an accurate idea of the prevailing situation. GMOA Secretary Dr. Senal Fernando said Epidemiology Unit, the Health Secretary and other Health Ministry officials should explain to the people why there were such disparities with regard to the COVID-19 fatalities that were being announced through the media. more..

Aug 20 (DM) A few in Sri Lanka are aware that a substantial part of the population of the Wanni region in North Sri Lanka, comprising the districts of Vavuniya, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu and Mannar, are Indian Origin Tamils (IOTs). Estimates of their number vary from 135,000 to 200,000. Since Wanni was the main theatre of the war from 1995 to 2009 after the fall of Jaffna to government forces in 1995, the IOTs were the ones who (predominantly) bore the brunt of the war. more..

Aug 20 (DM) COVID-19 origins-tracing is a matter of science, which plays a significant role in preventing and controlling the pandemic. Scientists from China, SL and all over the world are intensifying their efforts on relevant research. However, the Biden Administration of the United States dictated its intelligence community in late May for a report on the origin of coronavirus within 90 days; they also openly claimed to press China for a so-called full investigation on this matter. more..

Aug 20 (TM) Playing the blame game is part and parcel of SL�s political culture, & battle between the Opposition and the Govt to point the finger at each other whenever something detrimental occurs is quite common. However, this culture has prevented Sri Lanka from achieving its full potential, since it is impossible to initiate a constructive dialogue about how to move forward as a country without someone taking responsibility. more..

Aug 20 (CT) Prez Rajapaksa will not impose a lockdown to stop the spread of Covid-19�s deadly Delta variant because he has been advised against such a move before the Kandy Perahera is properly concluded by his trusted Soothsayer from A'pura, Colombo Telegraph learns. Gnanakka, a famous astrologer in A'pura has been Prez Gotabaya�s trusted confidant ever since he took power in 2019. The Prez travels to A'pura nearly every other weekend for advice and poojas to ward off more..

Aug 20 (CT) Judging by the current statistics, it looks as if the Coronavirus disease has assumed uncontrollable proportions. Who is to blame? Is it the present Govt? It is ventured to suggest it is rather the economic policies of all post-Independence Govts, if not of the last colonial power, that embarked on a plantation economy that have to be held to account, for wealth is anterior to health! It is indisputable that the real reason for the present predicament caused by the enormity and more..

Aug 20 (CT) Influential sections of the Buddhist clergy continue to come out strongly against Prez Rajapaksa�s Govt with Omalpe Sobitha yesterday accusing the regime�s cronies of making obscene profits from Covid-19 disaster facing the country. The senior monk said that the company importing Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) kits to SL makes a pure profit of approximately Rs 24,000 on each test kit sold to private hospitals in the country. more..

Aug 20 (ST) Veteran singer and entertainer Sunil Perera, who is recovering after contracting the COVID-19 virus, made a pithy remark during a recent TV interview. He said: �When I was growing up (in the 1960s) it was said that Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) is a Third World country. Now, when I am (in my old age), Sri Lanka is still a Third World country.� This analogy describes best how the country has failed more than 70 years after independence in moving up the ladder of growth � more..

Aug 20 (ST) Senevirathna and Piyarathna are the sons of Ukku Banda who came with his family to the North Central Province after receiving a few acres of agricultural land from the govt. The village they resided, which was called Padikaramaduwa, was created under the Huruluwewa colonisation scheme in the 1950s. Ukku Banda planted his entire land with coconut, leaving some parts for paddy and vegetables. He would send his tomato harvest every week to a vegetable trader in Pettah, more..