Aug 27 (FT) Maldives� Sea Horse Yachts Ltd., (SHY) will invest $ 58 million (Rs. 11.5 bil) to set up and operate a state-of-the-art yacht building facility at the Hambantota International Port Group (HIPG) premises. Production is set to commence by early 2022 and the project will generate over 500 direct and indirect employment opportunities. The newly incorporated SHY is a premium luxury yacht manufacturer and will be managed by a highly experienced team of experts from Sri Lanka, more..

Aug 27 (TM) A discussion was held between the representatives of teachers� and principals� trade unions (TUs) and Minister of Education Dinesh Gunawardena at the Ministry of Education yesterday, which the trade unions saw as a progressive discussion regarding the teacher-principal salary anomaly issue. Ceylon Teachers� Union (CTU) General Secretary Joseph Stalin, Ceylon Teachers� Service Union (CTSU) more..

Aug 27 (Island) Leading SL apparel manufacturer Brandix recently donated essential medical equipment to the Kegalle District General Hospital, Mawanella General Hospital, and the Seeduwa Intermediate Care Centre to support the ongoing efforts towards the treatment of COVID-19 affected patients. An extension of the Manusathkara CSR initiatives of the company, the contribution included 12 non-invasive ventilators and 18 oxygen concentrator units in total. more..

Aug 27 (FT) State-owned gift and souvenir shop � the world-renowned Laksala � yesterday inked agreements to open the first-ever franchise outlet overseas in Miami � USA, to promote SL traditional handicraft items, manufactured by local craftsmen. Franchisee, Boom Lanka Batik and Gifts LLC-USA Chairman Sudharma Warnakulasooriya and franchiser SL Handicraft Board Chairman Lakmal Wickramaarachchi signed the agreement at the Laksala flagship store office in Colombo 7. more..

Aug 27 (FT) Shortage of essential food items is being forecast by the private sector due to multiple issues, including the foreign exchange crisis and the Govt�s mismanagement. They said the buffer stocks of sugar, milk powder, tinned fish, dhal and flour that are remaining will be only sufficient for another month. The matter was also taken up at the Cost-of-Living (CoL) Sub-Committee meeting held yesterday chaired by Trade Minister more..

Aug 27 (DM) While claiming that the govt was using the police to intimidate and harass those who criticize the former, the National People�s Power (NPP) yesterday denounced the govt�s move to use the police for political ends. NPP said that social activists such as Malaka Gamage, who had expressed their opinions on the Easter Sunday attacks, were being investigated by the police. The statement said that health professionals who had shared their experience of Covid pandemic more..

Aug 27 (Island) Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena certified the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (Covid-19) (Temporary Provisions) Bill yesterday. Bill was taken up for debate on Aug 16 and passed without a vote on Aug 17. The objective of the bill is to make temporary provisions in relation to situations where persons were unable to perform certain actions required by law to be performed within the prescribed time periods due to Covid-19 circumstances; to assign alternative courts more..

Aug 27 (TM) Claiming that more than 81% of those infected with Covid-19 are cured even without realising that they were infected, SLPP MP S.B. Dissanayake opined that a sense of fearing for one�s life should not be instilled among the people as Covid-19 is not a deadly disease. Speaking at a media briefing yesterday, he alleged that such fears themselves have led to an increase in the number of deaths. more..

Aug 27 (DM) It has been revealed that the Delta variant could cause heart failure in individuals with no previous history of any chronic ailment including cholesterol hypertension or diabetes and without developing any symptoms of COVID-19. Senior Cardiologist of the Colombo National Hospital (CNH) Dr. gotabhaya Ranasinghe said more than 20 such cases were subject to angiograms to find that they had suffered a heart attack without any other complications or chronic diseases. more..

Aug 27 (FT) Overseas travellers can now request a COVID-19 Smart Vaccination Certificate online with the launch of a platform developed by the Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) in collaboration with the Health Ministry and WHO. Persons who will be travelling overseas can submit the required information and images to the COVID-19 Smart Vaccine Certificate Portal and track progress as well. The smart vaccination certificate is issued only for foreign travels. more..

Aug 27 (FT) A WHO-backed study has projected that Sri Lanka lifting its nationwide lockdown on Monday (30) with gradual relaxation afterwards could contribute to an eventual Covid-19-related death toll in the country of 16,700, but limit the economic impact of the lockdown to $ 1.1 billion, or 1.3% of GDP. However, the study has projected that an extension of the lockdown to 18 Sept would result in a death toll of 13,712 and more..

Aug 27 (Island) Over 57,000 families in Jaffna were eligible for the Rs. 2,000 dole given to those adversely affected by the lockdown to control COVID-19, Jaffna District Secretary said. He said that the govt had allocated funds and the money would be distributed through local level officers. Mahesan also said that 239 COVID-19 cases were detected in Jaffna on Wednesday (25), which was the highest number of infections reported from the district since March 2020. more..

Aug 27 (DM) Covid-19 death toll in SL exceeded 8,000 mark with 209 more deaths being reported today. A total of 209 more COVID-19 related deaths that occurred yesterday (25) pushing the death toll to 8,157. 101 females and 108 males are among the deceased. A total of 163 people who are above 60 years of age are among the deceased while 46 of them are between 30 and 59 years of age. No deaths have been reported below 30 years of age. This is the first occasion where more..

Aug 27 (DM) A decision will be taken today whether the countrywide lockdown will be further extended after Monday when COVID-19 Task Force convenes with Prez Rajapaksa, Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said. In a meeting held between Rambukwella and the health trade unions yesterday morning it was discussed that extending the lockdown further would not be of much purpose as the only way out of the crisis more..

Aug 27 (FT) Even the Catholics themselves did not show much enthusiasm except a lukewarm response to the appeal made by the Archbishop of Colombo Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith to hoist black flags on the 21st to protest against the Govt's failure to do justice to the Easter Sunday tragedy. Apparently the weak approach of the Cardinal himself and the Catholic Church have contributed considerably to this situation. Nowadays, a mere appeal is not adequate to inspire more..

Aug 27 (FT) SL�s debt problems are a topic of national conversation. Foreign reserves, already low at $ 4 b in May 2021 fell to $ 2.8 b after the most recent bond repayment of $ 1 b in July 2021. The Govt claims that the timely repayment of the bond is proof that doomsayers were wrong and that it indicates a robust economy. Is this correct? While it is true that a default has been avoided thus far it does not necessarily mean that the economy is sound. The recent bond repayment comes more..

Aug 27 (AF) The Strengthening Social Cohesion in Sri Lanka project, implemented by The Asia Foundation with support from Global Affairs Canada has opened a call for proposals for SL organizations. This two-year project aims to build capacity for local civil society organizations (CSOs) focusing on strengthening women�s networks and movements to ensure that local communities, particularly women and girls, and marginalized groups, benefit from greater social cohesion and improved more..

Aug 27 (DM) A new portal has been opened on the Sri Lankam Foreign Employment Bureau (SLBFE) website in order to pre-register migrant workers for COVID-19 vaccination programme, SLBFE said. They said the portal has been set up under the govt's directive to vaccinate those who are leaving for foreign employment. The SLBFE requested migrant workers to visit the SLBFE's official Website (www.slbfe.lk) and use the Web Portal for Covid-19 Vaccine for Migrant Workers. more..

Aug 27 (EN) With nearly 90% of samples sequenced confirmed to be the deadly delta variant, extending Sri Lanka�s COVID-19 lockdown to Sept 18 and Oct 2 will save 7,500 and 10,000 lives respectively at an economic cost of 1.9% and 2.2% of GDP, an expert report said. Drawing from a projection model by the Monash University in Australia, an independent group of experts convened by WHO Sri Lanka on more..

Aug 27 (EN) It is now too late to convert Sri Lanka�s soft-pegged central bank into a credible currency board (hard peg) which brings discipline to politicians and central bankers as too much foreign reserves have been lost, W A Wijewardena, a former Deputy Governor of the agency has said. �The currency board is the best for a country which has a chaotic monetary and fiscal situation,� Wijewardene said in an online forum hosted by Advocata Institute, a Colombo-based think tank. more..

Aug 27 (ENS) Chief Minister MK Stalin on Friday announced a package of welfare measures at a cost of Rs.317.40 Crore for the welfare of SL Tamil refugees living in special camps in the State. Making a suo motu statement under Rule 110, the Chief Minister said his government would ensure decent and better livelihood opportunities for the Lankan Tamil refugees. The new measures follow the inspection made in their special camps. He said Rs.231.54 crore would be allocated to more..

Aug 27 (UCAN) Interfaith leaders in SL have condemned a statement by senior police officers named by the PCoI into the Easter Sunday attack that investigations and legal work connected to the probe had a racist and religious dimension. "The statement appears to have a nefarious purpose of pushing the investigation and legal action of the Easter Sunday attack to a racist and religious level," Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu and Catholic leaders said more..

Aug 27 (DM) A total of 14,152 Covid patients are being kept under home quarantine, while 36,220 patients had fully recovered after home quarantine by now, Dr. Avanthi Karunarathne said. 68% of the home quarantine patients were from Western province while the rest were from other parts of the country. She said only 435 out of the 36,220 patients who are under home quarantine, required hospitalization within the 14-day quarantine period while the others recovered at home. more..

Aug 27 (Island) Purposefully misquoting or misinterpreting information to discourage people from taking vaccines was immoral and unethical, given that a large number of unvaccinated Sri Lankans were dying, Prof. Neelika Malavige said. Prof. Malavige said that she had shared a preprint titled Morbidity and mortality from COVID-19 post-vaccination breakthrough infections in association with vaccines and the emergence of variants in Bahrain which is the first study to compare more..

Aug 27 (EN) Standard and Poors�, a rating agency has cut the outlook of SL�s CCC+ rating to negative as foreign reserves fell below two months of imports. �We revised our outlook on SL to negative to reflect our views that the govt may face an increasingly challenging financing environment over the next 12 months,� S&P said. �The negative outlook reflects our expectation that SL�s financing environment may get more difficult over more..

Aug 27 (DM) The attention of the Health Ministry was drawn to make available self-diagnosis kits for people to test themselves at home and determine whether they are infected with Covid virus, Health Promotion Bureau (HPB) Director Dr. Ranjith Batuwanthudawa said. He said that the matter was discussed at today�s Covid Task Force meeting as well. He said the Health Minister and Laboratory Services Unit of the Health Ministry had also paid their attention to make available more..

Aug 27 (DM) PM Mahinda Rajapaksa is not infected with the COVID-19 virus and neither has he been admitted to the ICU, and rumors of his critical health are false, Chief of Staff of the PM Yoshitha Rajapaksa said. Following increasing reports that Rajapaksa was under critical care at a private hospital in Colombo, after being infected with the COVID-19 virus, Yoshitha said such reports were false and the PM was in good health. "PM is continuing his daily work and more..

Aug 27 (DM) In a public petition signed by 75 individuals including Christian and Catholic priests, they have called upon members of the Human Rights Council and all members of the int'l community to urge the SL govt to release Attorney-at-law Hejaaz Hizbullah forthwith. They also urge the int'l community to call upon the govt to desist from deploying the PTA against Hizbullah. The public petition states the 26th Aug marks the 500th more..

Aug 27 (DM) State Minister Sudarshani Fernandopulle said today that lockdown would not be effective if people do not behave responsibly and fail to follow health practices. She told reporters after an event in Colombo that locking down the country is not the only solution to stem the spike in Covid cases and said people's cooperation is vital in the endeavour to combat the disease. "Lockdown alone will not be effective if people don't follow health practices such as wearing face masks, more..

Aug 27 (Island) The untimely demise of Mangala Samaraweera is a grievous cause for sorrow to those who knew him and a great loss to those who shared his belief in a country in which there are equal rights to all, the National Peace Council (NPC) said. The following is the full text of the NOC statement: �The late Minister passionately believed in a Sri Lanka that was united and belonged to all in equal measure irrespective of ethnicity, religion, caste or gender. more..

Aug 27 (MB) Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its natural significance, the Peak Wilderness rainforest in Sri Lanka�s central highlands is a difficult terrain to explore. But determined to study the Strobilanthes genus of flowering plants in the country, Nilanthi Rajapakse of the Dept of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) scaled the slippery slopes of the cloud forests here in search of more. During one such journey, in 2015, more..

Aug 27 (CT) The Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) raided and sealed nearly twenty illegal intermediate paddy warehouses, including a large paddy warehouse in Chavalakade, Ampara. On 25 Aug, a team led by Chairman of the Consumer Affairs Authority, Major General (Rtd) Shantha Dissanayake, began raiding and sealing intermediate paddy warehouses in Polonnaruwa, Ampara, and A'pura Districts. The large paddy warehouse owner has voluntarily decided to more..

Aug 27 (AD) Total number people who fell victim to COVID-19 infection in SL soared yet again as a record high of 214 new fatalities were confirmed by the Director-General of Health Services on Thursday (26). This is the highest number of deaths reported within a day since the beginning of the pandemic and the second consecutive day the daily fatalities count crossed the grim milestone of 200. The new development has pushed the official death toll from the virus outbreak in SL to 8,371. more..

Aug 27 (AD) The President�s Media Division has announced the decisions which have been taken at the meeting of the Special Committee on COVID-19 Control held at the Presidential Secretariat this morning (27), chaired by Prez Rajapaksa. It has been decided to extend the quarantine curfew which is in force until 4 am on Sept 6. The progress of the vaccination drive was reviewed at length during the meeting. more..

Aug 27 (CT) A doctor attached to the Primary Care Hospital, Kokkavila and a midwife were transferred to Puttalam Base Hospital, till a probe was conducted into an incident where the medical practitioner�s child, who was below 18 years, was administered a dose of the Pfizer vaccine. Puttalam District Deputy Director of Health Services, Dr. Dinusha Fernando, when contacted yesterday (26), denied claims that several children had been given the Pfizer vaccine. more..

Aug 27 (CT) Convener of IUSF Wasantha Kumara and three others who were arrested over their participation in the protest against the General Sir John Kotelawala National Defence Uni (KNDU) Bill have tested positive for COVID-19. President of Sri J'pura Uni Students� Federation Amila Sandeepa and Chameera Koswatte, a representative of the Center for Labor Struggle were also amongst the infected. IUSF said that they had tested negative at the time of their arrest. more..

Aug 28 (DM) Frustration growing in adults in SL and around the world is making the controlling of the COVID pandemic tougher each day. Americans and even citizens of some leading European countries are showing dissent or protesting against forced vaccination. In SL there is a lockdown, but the huge number of vehicles on the roads in Colombo suggest that people have not taken health warnings seriously. Children have already begun rebelling at home. Just the other day we heard on TV more..

Aug 28 (DM) The opposition that has been rightly blaming the govt�s failure to restrict the people�s movement during the last Sinhala and Hindu New Year Period which resulted in the third wave of the COVID 19 in the country, does not see the impact of the demonstrations and the processions by trade unions, especially by those of the teachers and the principals on the spread of the pandemic. Similarly, the leaders and the supporters of the govt who are attempting to put the total blame for 4th wave more..