Sep 1 (DM) Is Sri Lanka making any headway in its fight against the COVID pandemic? From what we can gather from media reports, it is only too apparent that the fight has lost it momentum or the thrust we experienced at the initial stages. We are into the middle of the latest lockdown imposed on Aug 20 and now extended until Sept 6. A question that most people ask is whether the current lockdown -- listless at most times, lackadaisical at others & reluctantly imposed on the request more..

Sep 1 (DM) Is SL making any headway in its fight against the COVID pandemic? From what we can gather from media reports, it is only too apparent that the fight has lost it momentum or the thrust we experienced at the initial stages. We are into the middle of the latest lockdown imposed on Aug 20 and now extended until Sept 6. A question that most people ask is whether the current lockdown -- listless at most times, more..

Sep 1 (TM) SL�s management of Covid-19 has been questioned on occasions, and sometimes, the issues that entailed Covid-19 management efforts were preventable ones that were worsened due to the lack of vision and action. One such mistake the authorities tried to rectify was the authorities� ill-advised endorsement of the infamous Dhammika Peniya, a local concoction. In response to a question about endorsing and promoting Dhammika Peniya when the authorities� focus more..

Sep 2 (GV) Drug abuse is a menace that many societies are attempting to come to grips with. There has been a global rise in the number of drug users while accessing the substances has become easier with time. Substance abuse not only affects the individual but also his or her community and the wider society. While there are efforts to raise awareness on the menace of drug abuse in Sri Lanka, there have been few attempts to understand the root causes. more..

Sep 1 (CT) A Colombo based journalist asked me; Venerable Karawilakotuwa Dhammathilaka Thero has said without solving the problems of the Disappeared there cannot be reconciliation among the several communities in SL. What is your view on that? My response was; I do not know what exactly was said by the Venerable Thero. But his statement as reported in the press appears true. What is significant about the disappeared is that they were made to disappear surreptitiously & covertly. more..

Sep 2 (DM) What should a citizen do in a situation that is certainly worrisome and is probably reason for alarm? What should you do what should I do? These are questions to which there are many possible answers. Citizen-responsibility is has talked about often enough. Indeed, we are all reminded of our responsibilities at every turn, literally. The signs are too numerous and repeated in multiple platforms for anyone to say I didn�t know, we know period. That�s at the basic level, though. more..

Sep 2 (FT) The warnings were clear. Churches will be attacked on Easter Sunday. Authorities turned a deaf ear. The massacre happened. 269 innocent lives were lost. Three days later Gotabaya Rajapaksa arrived from the US declaring his candidacy. He vowed to protect the good and punish the bad and rode the patriotic horse to a landslide win. Now he and his family�s Govt are being forewarned by a team of medical experts. more..

Sep 2 (Island) Due to pressure from the European Union, which has, in keeping with UNHRC resolution, in March 2021, decided to consider, the withdrawal of GSP+, action is pursued back home to adopt countermeasures. Justice Minister Ali Sabry has launched a website of the Office of National Unity and Reconciliation, and the Cabinet has approved policies and guidelines for the Office for Reparation, and the government opened an Office of Missing Persons (OMP) in Kilinochchi. more..

Sep 2 (TM) Laugfs Gas PLC has recorded a loss of Rs. 658 million for FY2020, despite the 166% profit growth of its subsidiary SLOGAL Energy. This loss, as specified by Laugfs Gas PLC Chairman W.K.H. Wegapitiya in the annual report for FY2020, was largely due to its Sri Lankan operations, which is its largest revenue contributor and the only loss-making sector of the company. Explaining further, Wegapitya claimed that price regulations relating to LP gas which haven�t been revised since Oct 2019, more..

Sep 2 (CI) South Africa have some great quicks, but on Khettarama's surfaces, Sri Lanka's batters need not fear them. Not only this, said SL's captain Dasun Shanaka, but the hosts also have a better spin attack, and as such, should be targeting a 3-0 series sweep. South Africa are missing fast bowler Lungi Ngidi on this tour, and no longer have Imran Tahir, who would often torment Sri Lanka in the format. more..

Sep 2 (EN) SL has failed to sell 63% of a 68.5 billion rupee Treasuries auction with a pre-declared controlled yield, data from the state debt office showed. The debt office set a pre-auction price control of 5.97% for one year bills, 03 basis points below the 6% rate at which money is printed for overtrading banks to clear final transactions and maintain statutory reserves. 23.33 billion rupees of 3-month bills were sold at 5.92% up 05 basis points from a week earlier after offering 18 billion. more..

Sep 2 (FT) Govt has called for offers for an unspecified value of Foreign Currency Term Financing Facility (FCTF) denominated in US Dollars, Euro, Chinese Renminbi and Japanese Yen. The FCTF is expected to be raised at a fixed rate or a floating rate with a maturity period of one year or more. The proceeds of the FCTF will be used for the purposes of financing the expenditure as approved in the Annual Budget, according to the Ministry of Finance. more..

Sep 2 (FT) Business leader Dhammika Perera�s philanthropic initiative DP Education has attracted 500,000 students in record time and plans to offer a diploma bundling Math, English and IT in collaboration with DP Education is a first-of-its-kind platform in the world on which the entire school curriculum is available for students to study online for free. Considering the fact that SL�s student population is 4.2 million, reaching half a million in less than a year is impressive. more..

Sep 2 (BBC) Sri Lanka has declared an economic emergency, after a steep fall in the value of the South Asian country's currency caused a spike in food prices. Authorities say they will take control of the supply of basic food items, including rice and sugar, and set prices in an attempt to control rising inflation. The SL rupee has fallen by 7.5% against the US dollar this year. The wide-ranging emergency measures came into effect on Tuesday. Former army general has been appointed by the govt more..

Sep 2 (FT) Colombo stock market reigned itself to an all-time high yesterday, and more importantly crossed the magical 9,000-point level and Rs. 4 trillion combined value, amid increased investor activity. The stellar performance, despite COVID-19-induced setbacks and challenges to the economy and society, has dumbfounded critics and even surprised the more optimistic within the Govt. However, analysts opined more..

Sep 2 (CT) Three cricketers - Pawan Sandesh de Silva, Jeewaka Shasheen and Sasanka Wijenayake - from Devapathiraja College Rathgama in the Southern Province, have been picked by the selectors in the squad of 26 for the upcoming youth cricket tours, including next year�s ICC Youth World Cup. It is a notable milestone in the cricket history of the college. They emerged runner-up of the Division One Tier �B� Inter schools Cricket tournament 2021. It is not the first time that Devapathiraja more..

Sep 2 (Island) Sri Lanka�s apparel industry must increase value addition to its exports to the EU from the current 52 per cent to 65 per cent quickly if the industry wants to utilise the fullest extent of the GSP+ benefits, Hemantha Perera, Secretary of the Sri Lanka Chamber of Garment Exporters, a constituent member of Joint Apparel Association Forum (JAAF) said last week. �Vertical integration in Sri Lanka�s apparel industry is one of the quickest ways to do that,� he said. more..

Sep 2 (FT) Sri Lanka�s COVID-19 detections rose to 444,130 with 3,828 COVID-19 more patients identified yesterday. This is the first time daily COVID-19 detections have dropped below 4,000 since 21 August, when 3,884 were detected. The patients detected yesterday were from the New Year cluster. 13,336 PCR tests were carried out yesterday. On Tuesday, 13,936 PCR tests and 4,323 rapid antigen tests were carried out, more..

Sep 2 (FT) Over 70% of the country�s population over the age of 30 have received both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, with the first dose administered to 12,468,949 persons and the second dose administered to 8,169,232 persons. Second dose coverage exceeds 70% of the eligible population in the Western Province and Galle, Matale, Kandy, Hambantota, and Ampara Districts. 71.1% of the country�s population over the age of 30 have received both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. more..

Sep 2 (TM) The Chinese Govt has assured its utmost support to help Sri Lanka overcome the economic and Covid-related challenges it is currently facing. National People�s Congress of China (NPC) Standing Committee Chairman and Speaker of Parliament of China Li Zhanshu made this assurance to Speaker of Parliament of SL Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena at the first diplomatic meeting held virtually on Monday (31) between a high-profile delegation of Parliament of China more..

Sep 2 (UCAN) A politician and indigenous doctors have urged the Sri Lankan govt to legalize cannabis and its production for self-immunization amid protests by religious leaders. �Legalize cannabis with regulations for adult use. It is an important and revolutionary decision to be taken for the betterment of the people of this country as well as for the promotion of indigenous medicines,� said Thusitha Balasuriya, secretary of the SDP. more..

Sep 2 (Island) The lockdown should be extended by two more weeks, State Minister Dr. Sudarshini Fernandopulle said. She said that the final decision on the lockdown had to be taken by the COVID-19 Task Force. However, given that number of Covid-19 cases were increasing, the lockdown should remain in place, she said. �About 5,000 cases are reported daily. The real number must be 10 times more. There is no noticeable drop in new cases or deaths. We need to keep people at home. more..

Sep 2 (Island) Mannar District govt officials and regional politicians agreed on Tuesday (31) that a crematorium should be constructed fast, considering the urgent requirement at present. The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by the District Secretary of Mannar, Nandani Stanley de Mel. The meeting was attended by officials of the Mannar Urban Council, urban councillors and regional health officials. The District Secretary said that COVID-related deaths were increasing in Mannar more..

Sep 2 (FT) Essential food items rice and sugar will come under the Maximum Retail Price (MRP) regime with effect from today, The announcement was made by State Minister Lasantha Alagiyawanna as the Govt wrestles with the shortage of and resultant spike in prices of these and other essential commodities. �Govt conducted over 1,000 raids during the past couple of weeks to seize stashed warehouses around country. more..

Sep 2 (TM) Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya PC yesterday appointed a Special Trial-At-Bar at the request of the Attorney General (AG) to hear 23,270 indictments against 25 accused parties, including Mohamed Ibrahim Mohamed Naufer, alias Naufer Moulavi, in connection with the Easter Sunday terror attacks of 21 April 2019. Moulavi was singled out by Minister of Public Security Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekera as the mastermind of the terror attacks � a charge he has subsequently reiterated. more..

Sep 2 (FT) Health officials on Tuesday confirmed 215 COVID-19 deaths, raising the country�s total COVID-19 death toll to 9,400. A total of 4,892 COVID-19 deaths were confirmed in August. The deaths confirmed on Tuesday consist of 167 persons over the age of 60, 46 persons between ages 30 and 59, and two persons below the age of 30. Majority of COVID-19 deaths are in the over-60 age category. 75.98% of the total fatalities are in the over-60 age group, more..

Sep 2 (TM) Catholic Church has stated that Archbishop of Colombo Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith would agree to a meeting with Foreign Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris if the Govt takes actions to implement the recommendations of the PCoI that probed the bombings, prior to the meeting. Prof. Peiris has sought to meet the Archbishop of Colombo, Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, to brief the latter about the Govt�s actions concerning more..

Sep 2 (Island) TNA has raised concerns over Prez Rajapaksa�s decision to declare a State of Emergency. �This spells a great danger to the country,� TNA MP M. A Sumanthiran said. He said that the move is an unwarranted act and could lead to a state of repression in the country. There had to be a separate law for public health emergency, he added. The govt had chosen to use the Public Security Ordinance instead of passing a Bill in Parliament for the relevant purpose, he said. more..

Sep 2 (EN) SL is looking to update a MOU with the UK signed in 2007 to enable more employment opportunities for SL marine professionals, a cabinet statement said. The cabinet of ministers have granted approval to a proposal submitted by the Minister of Ports and Shipping to sign the updated MOU. A sailor possessing a certificate of marine expertise should compulsorily obtain a similar certificate of recognition from the country where the vessel has been registered more..

Sep 2 (DM) Senior medical experts warned the public against the use of Ivermectin tablets which are being prescribed by some health consultants to prevent or fight the COVID-19 virus, saying a local study was presently underway to study this drug but it had not been approved. According to doctors, Ivermectin is a tablet used to treat parasital infections, especially in animals and at times in humans suffering from more..

Sep 2 (AD) The govt�s decision on whether or not to extend the ongoing quarantine curfew will be taken tomorrow (3). The final decision on this will be taken at the COVID-19 task force meeting, chaired by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The relevant meeting is scheduled to be held tomorrow. The quarantine curfew is currently in effect island-wide is scheduled to lift at 4 am on Monday, September 06. The curfew was first imposed on August 20 and was extended once until Sept 6. more..

Sep 2 (Island) Investigations into three Sri Lankan boats carrying drugs and arms, intercepted in Indian waters, has shed light on an attempt to revive the LTTE, according to the Indian media. A probe conducted by the National Investigations Agency (NIA) following the seizure of a haul of heroin, five AK-47 assault rifles and 1,000 rounds of ammunition from a boat taken into custody off the coast of Vizhinjam in Kerala has led to speculation that an int'l drug trafficking & gun running outfit more..

Sep 2 (FT) On 27 August, a report on COVID-19 origins was hastily released by the US intelligence agencies, which took them 90 days to cook up after an executive order from its President. As predicted, this report couldn�t reach any conclusions, and failed to satisfy the White House�s tireless intention to incriminate China. The only result of this so-called �scientific� report is to make Washington�s circus show and its ugly hidden agenda exposed to all. The domestic agenda for the US blaming China more..

Sep 2 (DM) Responding to a video being circulated on social media in which a police officer was seen using his baton on Weligama residents during a vaccination programme on Wednesday, the police said they had to remove the residents to prevent health authorities from being attacked. It was reported on social media that among a group of police officers, the Weligama Police HQI was using his baton on Weligama residents. The Weligama Police said that they had to remove more..

Sep 2 (FT) Saumiyamoorthy (spelled sometimes as Saumyamoorthy or Saumiamoorthy) Thondaman was the legendary co-founder and long-time leader of the Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC). Thonda, as he was widely known, played a prominent role in the country�s post-independence politics for many decades. His political life was intertwined with the vicissitudes of the Indian Tamil people of Sri Lanka, more..

Sep 2 (AD) Prisons officers have recovered a mobile phone from the prison cell of MP Rishad Bathiudeen, who is currently in remand custody at the Magazine Prison. Prisons Spokesman stated that the mobile phone was found in the possession of the MP yesterday while at the Magazine Prison. He stated that when the chief jailor and another jailor of the prison were walking by the MP�s cell, they had observed him speaking on the phone and he had then thrown it out of a window in the cell. more..

Sep 2 (FT) The Govt yesterday said no final decision had been taken yet with regard to seeking financial support from the IMF. �It has not been decided yet whether to seek a facility from the IMF or not. The Government will consider such an option only after analysing future local and global economic conditions,� Cabinet Co-Spokesman and Plantation Industries Minister Dr. Ramesh Pathirana said in response to a question posed at the post-Cabinet meeting media briefing yesterday. more..