Nov 26 (TM) As a liquified petroleum gas (LPG) cylinder-based explosion that occurred yesterday in Pannipitiya added to the list of such explosions around the country this month, Govt has vehemently denied reports and allegations that the butane-to-propane gas compositional ratio in gas cylinders had been changed and led to these explosions. State Minister Lasantha Alagiyawanna claimed that the butane-to-propane more..

Nov 26 (FT) SL COVID-19 detections exceeded 560,000 with 740 persons testing positive for COVID-19 yesterday. A total of 560,345 persons have tested positive for COVID-19 to date. The patients detected yesterday include 734 persons from the New Year cluster and six overseas arrivals. On Wednesday, 744 persons from the New Year cluster and one SL overseas returnee tested positive for COVID-19. SL�s COVID-19 detections include 455,498 persons from the New Year cluster, more..

Nov 26 (TM) The Ministry of Health has stated that the refusal of certain individuals suffering from co-morbidities and the elderly to get the Covid-19 vaccine is one of the main reasons for the increase in the Covid-19 death toll. Dr. Hemantha Herath said: �Certain individuals with co-morbidities and the elderly refuse to obtain Covid-19 vaccines. We don�t say that everyone does it, but very few do it and the same is one of the main reasons for the increase in Covid-19 deaths.� more..

Nov 26 (FT) Steps will be taken to develop all the roads in a timely manner as promised by Prez Rajapaksa to the people from the Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour policy statement, Highways Ministry Secretary R.W.R. Pemasiri said. He also said that all byroads and access roads in the country would be developed and connected to the main road network expeditiously. Secretary expressed these views while speaking at the news briefing held at the Presidential Media Centre more..

Nov 26 (DM) IMF says SL has not made any request for financial support. IMF�S Mission Chief for SL Masahiro Nozaki said that a staff team from the IMF is scheduled to visit Colombo from Dec 7�20. Responding to a question posed on the visit, IMF Mission Chief said that the delegation will be in Colombo to conduct 2021 Article IV consultations with SL. Under Article IV of the IMF�S Articles of Agreement, IMF holds regular bilateral discussions with all member countries to review more..

Nov 26 (CT) The CEB Engineers� Union (CEBEU) commenced an indefinite work-to-rule campaign yesterday as a trade union action until several demands, including that of terminating the New Fortress Energy LNG deal are met. Chairman of CEBEU, Saumya Kumarawadu, said this could lead to intermittent and prolonged recovery of power outages however, adding that a concerted effort would be made to minimise more..

Nov 26 (Island) TNA MPs met German Ambassador to SL Holger Seubert and his deputy on Wednesday to discuss the issues faced by the Tamil people in the North and the East. TNA delegation told the German Ambassador that the govt was postponing the provincial council elections and that the Tamils were not allowed to commemorate those who were killed during the war. TNA delegation spoke of the importance of Resolution 46/1, adopted on March 23, 2021 against SL presented to UNHRC more..

Nov 26 (DM) Laws that are being designed to control the media should not be enacted, both govt and the opposition MPS stressed in Parliament yesterday. Sri Lanka is among the worst countries when it comes to the media freedom index published by Freedom House. Sri Lanka is ranked 56 of the worst 100 nations Govt MP Anura Priyadarshana Yapa who was speaking during the committee stage debate in the House said no laws should be brought in to control media and social media while more..

Nov 26 (FT) The Govt yesterday unveiled the country�s biggest real-estate push with plans to attract over $ 6 billion local and foreign investments to promote the post-COVID growth trajectory of SL. The key planning and implementation body � the UDA, listed out around 50 projects in nine sub-categories providing equal opportunities to both foreign and local investments. Real Estate & Township, Hospitality/Leisure, more..

Nov 26 (DM) A Bell 212 aircraft and drones of SL Air Force have been used to monitor traffic congestion in Colombo in a joint operation with the SL Police. Air Force Spokesman said it was observed that heavy traffic congestion was reported in the Colombo area after the travel restrictions in the island were lifted due to the Covid-19 epidemic. He said Prez has directed to monitor the situation and to take appropriate action to reduce the traffic congestion in Colombo and its suburbs. more..

Nov 26 (CT) Sri Lanka will not discuss a new programme with the IMF team who will visit the country next month for their (IMF�s) regular �Article IV� consultations with the Govt, CB Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal told reporters. He said, instead the Govt is pursuing Govt to Govt (G to G) consultations to uplift the country�s foreign reserves, which talks are at an advanced stage. Among those G to G talks are those with India as well, the Governor speaking from CBSL Headquarters in Colombo said. more..

Nov 26 (CT) Former Prez Maithripala Sirisena, in what appears to be a warning, told the Govt, in Parliament yesterday, not to be overconfident of the 2/3 majority as it is wielded by the 14 SLFP MPs in the House. In response to Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage�s recent claims on extravagant expenses of former Prez, Sirisena warned Aluthgamage and other ruling party members, who criticise coalition allies, not to more..

Nov 26 (FT) Last week, a soft-spoken Catholic priest had to mark his presence in the pleasant offices of the CID to record � not one, or two, but no less than three � statements regarding his comments on the alleged role of the State military and intelligence services vis-�-vis the Trojan horse we now know as �4/21�. And that the outspoken individual patiently treading the path to his own Calvary of a sort is a man of the cloth is not atypical in a country where personal religion turns into tribal politics soon enough. more..

Nov 26 (FT) For decades, the UNP and (until 1977) the Left held the multiethnic cities; the SLFP, the Sinhala countryside. The SLPP did even better than the SLFP. Today, with one nuclear policy bomb the epicentre of which is paddy cultivation, Prez Rajapaksa has erased that political map. The SLPP is almost certainly shattered in the countryside, doomed in the cities. PM Modi set a healthy example of leadership by addressing the nation, pledging to repeal the three pieces of legislation more..

Nov 26 (MFA) Foreign Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris was the Special Guest at the inauguration of the Annual Research Symposium 2021, at the University of Colombo on Nov 23. The symposium brings together distinguished academics representing a number of disciplines, and highlights the theme for 2021 � Impartial Research through an Interdisciplinary Approach. The event was also attended by the Acting High Commissioner of India to SL Vinod K. Jacob, notable academics from the Faculty of the university. more..

Nov 26 (DM) Majority of SLFP MPs will remain with the govt, even if one or two decide to leave, SLPP Polonnaruwa District MP Roshan Ranasinghe told Parliament today. He came out with this remark in response to the remarks made by former President Maithripala Sirisena who hit out at the govt on Thursday. �Mr. Sirisena said he will hit us in a different way. Zahran�s attack may be one of the different hits he talked about. Majority of SLFP MPs will stay with us even if one or two decide to leave ,� more..

Nov 26 (AD) Prez Rajapaksa has directed State Minister Prof. Channa Jayasumana to take required measures to import the antiviral medication for COVID-19, Molnupiravir, through the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation (SPC). Rolling out Molnupiravir antiviral pill to treat symptomatic coronavirus cases in Sri Lanka was discussed at the meeting of Special Committee on COVID-19 Control held earlier today. Molnupiravir, which works by interfering with the virus� replication, more..

Nov 26 (SLN) SL Navy made arrangements to provide safe passenger transport service at the Kurinchankerny bridge commencing from 25th Nov 2021. The residents in the area will be able to use this mode of transportation until the construction of the Kurinchankerny Bridge in Kinniya, Trincomalee is completed. Following the directives of Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral Nishantha Ulugetenne this initiative was set in motion taking into account the difficulties faced by the residents and school children, more..

Nov 26 (EN) SL�s central bank has blamed the usual suspects for surging inflation despite being the sole authority which is able to create or not create inflation by virtue of holding a legal monopoly on money issue in the country. The central bank blamed supply side disruptions and removal of price controls and raising administratively determined prices, a long time favourite, for inflation of over 8 percent in October. No mention is usually made in SL and other countries more..

Nov 26 (PMD) The United Nations will always work closely with Sri Lanka, said Mr. Khaled Khiari, UN Assistant Secretary General for Political, Peacebuilding and Peace Operations. Mr. Khiari made these remarks when he met with Prez Rajapaksa at the Presidential Secretariat, today (25). UN Assistant Secretary General Khiari is visiting Sri Lanka as a follow-up to the bilateral meeting with the President and the UN Secretary- General Antonio Guterres held in September this year more..

Nov 26 (DM) Former President Maithripala Sirisena is fully responsible for the Easter Sunday attack and legal action should be taken against him, Minister Prasanna Ranatunga said. He told the media after participating in a ceremony organised in Yakkala that he did not have issues with the SLFP, but action should be taken against Sirisena. "The SLFP is our beginning, and my honour is given to the party. But we have a problem with the people who led the SLFP in the past. more..

Nov 26 (EN) With Germany now following an Indo-Pacific strategy to keep sea lanes open for global trade, the frigate Bayern will visit Sri Lanka in January, Ambassador to SL, Holger Seubert said. Germany unveiled an Indo-Pacific strategy in 2020. �Is there any hidden agenda by the Germans of assertion for new zones of influence? What�s the background of this decision?� Seubert said addressing Top German Brands in SL. Ambassador Seubert said there were two pillars to Germany�s Indo-Pacific strategy. more..

Nov 26 (AD) Chief Justice has appointed a five-member judge bench of the Supreme Court to hear the Fundamental Rights (FR) petitions filed against the Yugadanavi Power Plant deal. Relevant petitions were called before Supreme Court Judges Murdu Fernando, Gamini Amarasekara and Arjuna Obeysekara this morning. The bench consists of Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya and Supreme Court Judges Buwaneka Aluvihare, Priyantha Jayawardena, Vijith Malalgoda and L.T.B. Dehideniya. more..

Nov 26 (DM) Another explosion was reported at a house in Kandegedara in Nikaweratiya today due to a suspected gas leak, causing severe damage to the house. No injuries were reported as the mother and father of the house had gone out from the house at the time of the incident while two sons of their's were also not in the house. Severe damage had been caused to the house due to the incident. However, when contacted the OIC of the Nikaweratiya Police, said he an investigation was underway to determine the cause of the incident. more..

Nov 26 (AD) Director-General of Health Services has confirmed 26 new coronavirus-related deaths for Nov 25, increasing the death toll in the country due to the virus pandemic to 14,258. The deaths include 16 males and 10 females. The latest victims include one male aged below 30 years and three others between the ages 30-59 years. The remaining 22 are in the age group of 60 years and above. Meanwhile, Ministry of Health has reported that another 508 persons have tested positive for COVID-19 today. more..

Nov 26 (EN) SL�s health authorities are on alert for a mutated variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, currently spreading in South Africa. Health Services Deputy Director Dr Hemantha Herath said that a technical committee of the health ministry is reviewing available data on the new strain which is said to be unresponsive to vaccines currently in use around the world. The variant, named B.1.1.529 was first detected on Nov 24 and has since been observed in multiple countries, more..

Nov 26 (DM) Ceylon Petroleum Storage Terminals Ltd (CPSTL) today introduced drone technology to the petroleum industry for the first time in Sri Lanka. While introducing the new system, CPSTL Chairman a Uvais Mohamed said this technology has been designed in line with the company's effort to modernise its operations as well as the massive infrastructure development projects it is engaged in. "The new drone camera unit is capable of monitoring and responding to any sort of petroleum industry emergency, more..

Nov 26 (Island) The govt has allowed India to play a bigger role in SL agriculture due to its recent actions regarding agrochemicals, moderator of MONLAR Chinthaka Rajapakshe alleged yesterday. Rajapaksa told The Island that the govt had banned agrochemicals to break the existing cartel that controlled fertiliser imports and thereby help its business associates. Rajapakshe said that the actions of successive govts had greatly undermined the country�s food security and sovereignty. more..

Nov 26 (CT) A number of Jaffna Uni students organised an event at the Campus premises yesterday to observe the Maaveerar Naal (Heroes� Day), commemorated on 27 November. University students placed floral tributes at the memorial located inside the University of Jaffna. Meanwhile, the restraining order issued by Mullaitivu Magistrate, on 17 Nov banning the Heroes� Day commemoration was revoked yesterday. �To mourn the dead, is human,� said lawyer V.S.S. Thananjayan, more..

Nov 26 (EN) SJB is wondering whether a highly publicised war of words between former Prez Maithripala Sirisena and Agriculture Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage on Thursday was a deliberate diversion, an SJB MP said. MP Nalin Bandara told parliament that the issue between the two should�ve been resolved internally. �It has now come out. We wonder if they�re doing this on purpose to divert attention away from the farmers� issue, if they�re staging a quarrel, like they�re playing cops and robbers,� more..

Nov 26 (PMD) President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has instructed the health authorities to take necessary steps to launch a mobile vaccination service to administer a booster dose for people over the age of 60 who had their second dose three months prior. President gave these instructions at the meeting of the Special Committee on COVID-19 Control today (26). It was decided to administer the booster dose to all those over the age of 60 who come to the hospital medical clinics. more..

Nov 26 (CT) The General Court of Luxembourg dismissed on Wednesday the European Political Subdivision of the LTTE�s plea to repeal the decision of placing the LTTE on the European list of terrorist organisations. The failed applicant (LTTE) claimed that the Court should, �annul Decision 2019/25, Decision 2019/1341, Regulation 2020/19, Regulation 2020/1128 and Decision 2020/1132 (together, the contested measures), in so far as they concern the LTTE; more..

Nov 26 (DM) Hewa Lunuge Lasantha alias Tinker Lasantha, who was allegedly involved in a number of murders and crimes, was shot dead by police at Diyagama in Kalutara, police said. They said he was the main suspect in the murder of notorious drug trafficker Amila Prasanna Hettihewa alias Sunshine Sudda who was shot dead in Matara in September this year. The suspect Lasantha, a resident of Matara and has been involved in 13 crimes including murders, police said. Lasantha was taken to the Diyagama area more..

Nov 26 (AD) Bill to amend the Mahapola Higher Education Scholarship Trust Fund Act, No. 66 of 1981 has been approved at the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Trade. The approval was given at the committee meeting of the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Trade chaired by Minister Dr. Bandula Gunawardana in Parliament yesterday. Minister stated that three main points are being amended by this (Amendment) Bill. Namely, renaming the Mahapola Scholarship Fund as the Lalith Athulathmudali Scholarship Fund, more..

Nov 26 (TM) Responding to the news of wanted suspect Hewa Lunuwilage Lasantha alias Tinkering Lasantha�s death this morning, which SL Police said happened during a shootout with the Police, the Bar Association of SL in a statement said that it has all the hallmarks of an extra judicial killing. �Once again, SL Police is involved in an incident which has the hallmarks of an extra judicial killing. This killing comes at a time when SL�s human rights record is under scrutiny and more..

Nov 26 (CT) Development work on the Central Expressway will be completed by 2024, according to Director General of RDA, Sardha Weerakoon. The RDA has taken steps to consult the appropriate agencies to discuss proposals outside the present system in order to prevent the damage to completed roads during the implementation of development projects such as water, electricity, and telecom. Weerakoon, stated that a two-metre area will be set aside on each side of the road to be used in development initiatives more..

Nov 26 (CT) As an importer of LPG to the country, LAUGFS Gas follows the standards published by the Sri Lanka Standards Institute (SLSI) and LAUGFS Gas PLC has its LPG specifications accordingly, LAUGFS in a statement yesterday. LAUGFS has never released LPG with low standards as said by certain sections of the media, it said. LAUGFS further said: �Composition of LPG is used according to the temperature zones and in a range of propane/butane: 30%/70% used in Sri Lanka accordingly. more..

Nov 26 (EN) Sri Lanka will go ahead with a fuel price stabilisation fund and though the benefits won�t be immediate, the fund shall decide fuel prices going forward and not govt ministers, Energy Minister Udaya Gammanipla said. �What such a fund does is keep fuel prices as stable as possible irrespective of global price fluctuations,� Gammanpila told reporters. �We decided to establish this fund after thoroughly studying similar funds elsewhere. more..