Aug 3 (AD) MP Rishad Bathiudeen�s residence was today (2) inspected by the Govt Analyst�s Dept and Scene of Crime Officers (SOCO). This was over the death of the teenage domestic worker who died of burn injuries while serving the Bathiudeen household. The officials from the Govt Analyst�s Department searched the residence for nearly an hour this morning, while the SOCO visited the residence in the afternoon. In addition, it is reported that officials of Children & Women�s Bureau more..

Aug 3 (CT) Three of the 11 domestic helpers who worked in SJB MP Rishad Bathiudeen�s residence since 2009 have died including the 16-year-old girl who passed away recently from severe burn injuries. One of the three deceased domestic helpers committed suicide after quitting her job at the MP�s home. According to the investigations, Bathiudeen�s brother-in-law, who is already in Police custody, allegedly sexually harassed another female domestic helper in the MP�s home previously. more..

Aug 3 (EN) The IMF said its Board of Governors had approved a 457 billion creation of Special Drawing Rights (about US$ 650 billion) that will be allocated to members effective August 23. �The SDR allocation will benefit all members, address the long-term global need for reserves, build confidence, and foster the resilience and stability of the global economy,� IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said. more..

Aug 3 (DM) A new mobile application has been introduced by the Health Ministry to help the general public to get an understanding about their health during the COVID-19 pandemic. The application which is called Self Shield has been launched in collaboration with the Health Informatics Society of SL (HISSL) and the Commonwealth Centre for Digital Health (CWCDH). �The app will help users check their health condition within a few minutes, obtain medical reports and thereby, more..

Aug 3 (DM) The COVID-19 ward at the Lady Ridgeway Hospital (LRH) in Colombo designated to treat COVID-19 infected children has reached its maximum capacity, Hospital Director Dr G. Wijesuriya said. He said the rate of children getting infected with the virus is on the rise. �Around 70 children infected with COVID are currently receiving in-house treatment at the Lady Ridgeway Hospital while around 15 cases are reported daily from the hospital,� he said. more..

Aug 3 (CT) Colombo Chief Magistrate Buddhika Sri Ragala yesterday informed Cinnamon Gardens Police that as the Constitution has granted freedom to engage in protests, demonstrations and express dissent or views, any effort to suppress that right using the COVID-19 pandemic as a ruse could bring the country and the Govt into disrepute in the eyes of the public. more..

Aug 3 (CT) The inquiry into the death of the 16-year-old domestic aide, who died at the residence of SJB MP Rishad Bathiudeen, has now shifted to a phrase reportedly written by her, in the room she was residing. The phrase, En Sawukku Karanam, translates to The reason for my death. Police said officials, including the Govt Analyst (GA), are paying close attention to it. As a result, despite the fact that the phrase is written in Tamil language, it contains English letters and she had used a pen. more..

Aug 3 (TM) The Mirigama-Kurunegala Section of the Central Expressway (E04) is to be opened towards the end of October or early November this year, according to the Road Development Authority (RDA). RDA Director General L.V.S. Weerakoon said the opening of this particular section was delayed due to an issue with the contractor. �We were able to solve these issues and we are hoping to open this section towards the end of October or the beginning of November,� he reiterated. more..

Aug 3 (Island) The overwhelming majority of principals and teachers did not turn up for work yesterday despite a circular issued on Sunday by Secretary to the Ministry of Education, Prof. Kapila Perera asking academic and non-academic staff to report for work. CTU General Secretary, Joseph Stalin said that members of 23 education unions and a significant number of those with no links to any unions would continue their strike until more..

Aug 3 (Island) Coronavirus is an elusive enemy, and it is a mistake to declare victory prematurely in a country�s war against it. Australian PM Scott Morrison and his NZ counterpart Jacinda Arden performed the hongi, a few weeks ago, presumably in a bid to show the world that their countries were safe. But, today, the virus is troubling Australia, again. Brisbane and Gold Coast have been locked down, and the army is patrolling Sydney to ensure that travel restrictions are fully enforced. more..

Aug 3 (FT) The institutional architecture proposed by the General Sir John Kotelawala National Defence Uni (KNDU) Bill should be a cause for concern and anxiety for proponents of education and of a democratic society. The KNDU Bill seeks to enable the KDU, despite being a Defence University to admit civilians for its programs of study. Therefore, the Bill read as a whole a) undermines the very purpose of higher education, for civilians, b) will change the landscape of higher education more..

Aug 3 (DM) Attorney General today informed the Supreme Court that CID has commenced an investigation into the Aranthalawa massacre that took place in 1987. Last year, the Buddhist monk Ven. Andaulpatha Buddhasara Thera who sustained critical injuries following the Aranthalawa Massacre filed a Fundamental Rights petition in the SC seeking an order to prosecute any living terrorist involved in the massacre. Accordingly, then Attorney General Dappula De Livera had directed more..

Aug 3 (DM) The brother of the 16-year-old girl who died due to burn injuries while serving as a domestic helper in the house of former minister Rishad Bathiudeen said that his sister did not have the level of education to write something in English letters. Responding after the police found a note on the wall of the room where she was staying, her brother Thiruprasad said that though his sister had the ability to write something, as far he knew, she did not have the level of education to write more..

Aug 3 (AD) A tense situation has ensued near the entrance road to Parliament in Battaramulla due to a demonstration organized by the IUSF. The protesters also set fire to a casket as the police blocked them at the parliament entry road. The IUSF had organized the demonstration against the Kotelawala National Defence University Bill. Earlier, traffic congestion was reported from Ayurveda Junction in Rajagiriya to Borella more..

Aug 3 (FT) Sri Lanka is currently facing multiple economic challenges amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The budget deficit, which exceeded 11% of GDP last year due to tax cuts, has aggravated macroeconomic imbalances. Given the revenue constraints, it has become extremely difficult to meet public debt service commitments which absorb as much as 142% of total Government revenue annually. This necessitates further borrowings to roll over the maturing debt. more..

Aug 3 (DM) With the Delta variant being commonly detected making the number of patients increase, the relaxation of Covid restrictions is like adding fuel to the fire, the Association of Medical Specialists (AMS) said. AMS President Dr Lakkumar Fernando said relaxation should have commenced once we've achieved vaccination targets along with declining number of Covid 19 daily cases, may be in four to eight weeks from now. "We, as a professional body feel it is our prime responsibility to alert more..

Aug 3 (CT) Colombo High Court Judge, Damith Thotawatta yesterday deferred to 15 Sept further proceedings of the case filed against SJB MP Champika Ranawaka and two others on charges of causing grievous injuries to two youth in a traffic accident in Rajagiriya in 2016. The SJB MP and two other accused have been charged for fleeing after causing grievous injury to Sandeep Sampath, compiling fake evidence, more..

Aug 3 (EN) Speaker of Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena said he will inquire into an allegation of verbal sexual harassment directed at SJB MP Thalatha Athukorala. Raising a point of order, SJB MP Rohini Wijeratne expressed her regret over the incident, which she said was a violation of her colleague�s parliamentary privileges. Wijeratne was referring to a remark said to be of a sexual nature attributed to a govt minister during the no confidence motion debate against Minister Gammanpila more..

Aug 3 (DM) Minister of Energy Udaya Gammanpila has gone into self-isolation after several staff members of the Ministry tested positive for COVID-19. Minister Gammanpila said the Ministry of Energy would remain closed from today until August 06 due to disinfecting process. �Several officials at the Ministry were found to be infected with the virus, but my Rapid Antigen Test has returned negative,� he tweeted. �However, I decided to self-isolate as a precautionary measure,� he added. more..

Aug 3 (EN) With rising daily cases and the return of unrestricted movement, Sri Lanka�s COVID-19 situation over the next two weeks has already been decided, the Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA) said. SLMA President Dr Padma Gunaratne warned that cases will continue to rise. �The number of cases now being reported is very high. This is why we said two weeks ago that travel restrictions must continue,� more..

Aug 3 (CT) After the distribution and cultivation of coffee seedlings of an ancestral variety begin, the Ministry of Trade will sign a forward exchange agreement to purchase a kilogramme of coffee at Rs 1,000. To revitalise the country�s industries and generate foreign income, the Ministry will take steps to construct 300 Coffee Export Production Villages in the Nuwara Eliya District as soon as it is feasible. Minister Bandula Gunawardene speaking at the inauguration of the Coffee Export Production more..

Aug 3 (Island) There were many protests in the country because the govet had used force to disperse a demonstration by teachers near Parliament, the UNP said. UNP Chairman and former minister Wajira Abeywardena, addressing the media at the party office in Elpitiya said: �There was a small protest near the Parliament roundabout against the Kotelawala Defence Uni Bill. It was attended by only a handful of people. The govt used the police break it up and more..

Aug 3 (CT) Central Environment Authority (CEA) has found that nearly 800 sources from the Colombo District contaminate the Kelani River, where sewage from residents and industrial effluents flow in. Further, the CEA found 577 polluted sources in the Gampaha District which pollute the river. Meanwhile, the Kelani River which provides 80% of Colombo�s drinking water has been found to be the most polluted river in SL�s river system. more..

Aug 3 (CT) Agriculture Dept has upped its Yala Paddy Harvest forecast by 13.82% (0.25 million metric tons (mts)) to 2.06 million mts in its latest forecast released last Monday showed. This compares with its initial Yala prediction of 1.81 million mts made earlier this month. This increased forecast is based on a higher extent of Yala Paddy cultivation of 491,857 hectares as at last month (June) end as compared with a cultivated extent of 428,541 ha as at end May when more..

Aug 3 (TM) During a raid conducted by the Special Task Force in the Unakanda area of Hambegamuwa yesterday (02), 20,000 cannabis plants were destroyed. Senior DIG Ajith Rohana stated that two suspects have been arrested in connection with the cannabis cultivation. Meanwhile, the Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) arrested a 39 year old suspect along with 100 grams of Ice and 5 grams of heroin in the Bandaragama area. The suspect was found to be in possession of 9 million rupees. more..

Aug 3 (Reuters) Sri Lanka paid a $1 billion bond last week, but the alarming state of its finances suggests it may have been just another step towards its first sovereign default. All the tell-tale crisis signs are there: bonds at nearly half their face value, debt-to-GDP levels above 100%, over 80% of govt revenues being spent on interest payments alone and barely enough reserves to cover a few months of spending. more..

Aug 3 (CT) The Govt has decided to extend the retirement age of doctors attached to Govt hospitals to 63. The Gazette notification in this regard has been published. It is reported that presently there is a shortage of doctors attached to the Ministry of Health and with the majority due to retire in the next few years, the Ministry has decided to extend the retirement age of doctors to prevent a shortage of doctors from Government hospitals which could lead to a crisis situation. more..

Aug 3 (Island) Leader of the House Minister Dinesh Gunawardena told The Island yesterday that four bills would be taken up for second reading in Parliament this week. Gunawaredena said that the decision had been reached at the last party leaders� meeting which met with Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena presiding. Parliament will meet for four days from today (3) to Friday (6). Registration of Electors (Amendment) Bill, National Minimum Wage of Workers (Amendment) Bill, more..

Aug 3 (AFP) SL lifted a ban on chemical fertiliser imports Tuesday after farmer protests, forecasts of severe food shortages and worries about the island's crucial tea exports. Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa issued regulations replacing the ban with an import licensing scheme which goes into effect immediately. Fertilisers were added earlier this year to a list of banned imports that includes vehicles and luxury goods more..

Aug 3 (Island) Most of the COVID-19 patients detected now were those who had come for treatment of their own volition, President of College of Medical Laboratory Science, Ravi Kumudesh said. He said only a small percentage of detections were made by the tests carried out by the Health Ministry. In fact, the manner in which those tests were done ensured that detections were minimal, he said. �Govt is now trying to have us believe that things are under control. more..

Aug 3 (NIP) SL armed forces allegedly fired upon a group of Nagapattinam fishers when they were fishing near Kodiyakarai on Sunday evening. One fisher suffered a bullet wound to his head. E Kalaiselvan, a 33-year-old trawler boat driver from Akkaraipettai, is still shocked that he survived a bullet to his head. He was allegedly fired upon by SL armed forces when he was fishing with his colleagues near Palk Strait on Sunday evening. Kalaiselvan is now at Nagapattinam more..

Aug 3 (DM) Despite allegations that the probe into the sexual exploitation case on a 15-year old girl from Mount Lavinia had been swept under the carpet, the police today said investigations were continuing and two more arrests had been made. SDIG Ajith Rohana said that in total 43 suspects had been arrested as of Monday (2) including the arrest of a 42-year-old building contractor from Kalutara and an owner of a mobile shop in Moratuwa. more..

Aug 3 (CT) A marked increase has been seen in the number of children testing positive for COVID-19 at the Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children (LRH) in Borella, Secretary of SL College of Paediatricians (SLCP), Dr. Channa de Silva said. He said that only four to five children tested positive for the virus a few months back but the numbers have swelled to about 15 to 20 cases per day. �We still haven�t been able to pinpoint the exact cause behind the increasing number of cases among children. more..

Aug 3 (DM) Sri Lanka High Commissioner-designate to India Milinda Moragoda, in his blueprint for fostering bilateral ties with India, has proposed electrical grid connectivity between the two countries, highlighting that it would be mutually beneficial. In his 27-page Integrated Country Strategy (ICS) for SL Diplomatic Missions in India for 2021/2023, he outlines the importance of connectivity between the two countries. The report, handed over to Prez Rajapaksa, more..

Aug 3 (TM) The gazette published on 06 May which detailed the ban of imports of chemical fertiliser was fundamentally flawed. SJB MP Dr. Harsha De Silva explained that the gazette contained a mistake where both chemical fertliser and mineral fertiliser were categorised into the same HS code and banned. �They wanted to bring in nitrogen and other supplements to complement the use of organic fertiliser, but how were they more..

Aug 3 (FT) Export Development Board (EDB) is accelerating efforts to develop a national logistics marketing plan involving digital and non-digital promotions to position SL as the Indian Ocean maritime, logistics and distribution hub providing all services and facilities. As the apex State institution responsible for the development and promotion of exports, the EDB is inviting proposals from eligible marketing agencies with Public Relations (PR) skills to develop a national logistics marketing plan more..

Aug 3 (EN) Cabinet of ministers have approved a proposal to increase the compensation paid for loss of life caused by protected animals up to 1 million rupees, and other compensations for disability and property damage. Wildlife on SL�s protected animals list are elephants, leopards, bears, wild buffalo and crocodile. The Minister of Wildlife and Forest Conservation had tabled the proposal to amend the compensation payments for death and for completely or partially disabled persons more..

Aug 4 (DM) The UN-created problem in Palestine -the arbitrary setting up of the state of Israel- on Palestinian land continues to fester to this day, with continued evictions of Palestinians and seizure of their homes and lands. Approximately 750,000 Palestinians were displaced and became refugees as a result of the 1948 war, in the lead up to the founding of Israel. None of these displaced persons were ever allowed to return to the homes or communities from which they were displaced. more..