Dec 1 (CT) Much discussion is going on in SL into the perceived failure of Gotabaya Rajapaksa as President by reflecting on his performance of the first year of his term. Sections of the Opposition in Parliament and the Social media is awash with scathing criticism. The overwhelming nod he received at the Prez election and the General election that followed has been misread by the rulers once again. It is a common mistake made by successive rulers in SL that they are elected more..

Dec 1 (DM) Two important and relevant personalities had expressed concern over the COVID-19 situation in Colombo. The city Mayor Rosy Senanayake in an interview had stated that the situation was serious, pointing out a startling fact that results of 249 out of 991 PCR tests conducted on a day had been positive. Meanwhile, according to another media report, Public Health Inspectors (PHI) Union Prez had said that the pandemic situation in some areas of the capital city was out of control. more..

Dec 1 (DM) Contact tracing due to the COVID- 19 pandemic has led to privacy concerns. While this has become a global concern, unlike other countries, Sri Lanka has no law in place to protect privacy. The Data Protection Bill was presented to the parliament in Sept 2019 but no move has been made to pass the bill yet. Co-Chair of Communications, Technology and Data Protection Subcommittee of the Law Association for Asia more..

Dec 1 (CT) The UNHRC Sessions in March 2021 assume a greater political importance for the war victims of Sri Lanka and above all for the relevant roles of United Nations and UNHRC regarding their commitments to uphold Human Rights, Accountability Justice and Rule of Law in countries which have been subjected to UN and UNHRC Resolutions like Sri Lanka which is facing four UNHRC Resolutions commencing from 2012, the most important being the Resolutions 30/1 more..

Dec 1 (DM) On Sunday, police responded to a riot in Mahara prison killing at least 8 inmates and wounding 50 others. The inmates reportedly panicked after PCR tests conducted there revealed a sizeable cohort of infections inside the prison. Altogether 183 Covid-19 cases were reported from the prisons during the weekend, of which how many were from the Mahara prison is not clear. The country�s overcrowded prisons are now teeming with Covid-19 infections. more..

Dec 1 (CT) Eight inmates were killed and sixty three were injured in the Mahara Prison riot, when prison guards opened fire as inmates began to destroy prison property and hold prison officers hostage. There are more than 3,000 prisoners in the Mahara Prison. About 1,800 of them are remand prisoners. When the news that COVID-19 was spreading within the prisons, both convicted and remand prisoners began to protest, more..

Dec 1 (CT) Govt of SL (GoSL)�s sudden, currently effective, clamping of a 24-hour curfew, encompassing the totality of the Western Province (WP) and a few other Police divisions located outside the WP, spanning a total of 10 days and five hours and effective till 5 a.m. on Monday 9 Nov, has impacted the lives of more than 6.1million or over 29 per cent of the island�s population. This happened after GoSL, seemingly without any warning, on Sunday 1 Nov announced the clamping of more..

Dec 1 (DM) Once again, emphatic declarations are being made that there are zero risks of new COVID-19 clusters, just as earlier there were declarations that we had defeated COVID-19. I don�t have such confidence, because I see no evidence that the errors that allowed the current outbreaks to happen have been rectified. It�s not that I believe it is impossible to avoid large outbreaks. Far from it. Prez is right in his vision of proactive intervention to prevent any outbreak of COVID-19 within SL. more..

Dec 1 (Island) The Rajapaksa administration completed its first year in office, a few days ago, with Sri Lanka being in the midst of a raging Covid-19 second wave, which has seen confirmed cases of the virus in the country, pass the 20,000 mark, with the highly populated and economically crucial Western Province, being the new epicentre. Twelve months, since the historic and momentous victory of the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) and its prez candidate, have passed quickly. more..

Dec 1 (ST) Two interventions byHuman Rights Commission of SL (HRCSL) last week highlighted the role & significance of independent Commissions in protecting the rights of the citizenry against State encroachment of such rights. The first was the HRCSL�s letter to the Health Ministry Secretary and the Health Services Director General with regard to the Govt�s decision to only permit cremation of those who died due to COVID. This action of the Health authorities is in contravention of WHO more..

Dec 1 (CI) Thisara Perera, seemingly possessed by the spirit of Andre Russell, transformed an ailing Jaffna Stallions innings into a truly imposing one, with an awesome exhibition of power hitting, as his team secured an ultimately comfortable win to remain unbeaten in the LPL. Chasing 219 on most days is a tall ask, but it becomes downright daunting when it follows an innings as demoralising and deflating as more..

Dec 1 (Island) Mahara Prison riot has left eight inmates dead and more than 70 others injured. Some of them are in a very serious condition, we are told. Trouble started when about 183 inmates tested positive for COVID-19 and had to be taken to treatment centres, on Sunday. Others also wanted to be removed from the virus-ridden jail, and turned aggressive when their demand was not met. The STF was called in to restore order and prevent a mass breakout. more..

Dec 1 (CT) Sri Lanka Athletics (SLA) has shortlisted eligible athletes for the forthcoming National Athletics Championship 2020 to be held from 26 to 29 December at the Sugathadasa Stadium. Athletes whose names are not included in the list but wish to compete, can appeal to SLA on or before 8 Dec, and based on successful appeals a further limited number of entries will be considered. SLA is forced to limit participation for the National Championship due to the prevailing situation in the country. more..

Dec 1 (CI) Kandy Tuskers had no standout players, but for the first time in the tournament, pulled together as one to put up a solid total and defend it, despite an outstanding solo effort from Galle Gladiators' opener Danushka Gunathilaka. Gunathilaka's 82 off 53 balls was easily the best individual performance of the night, with only one other batsman passing 50, and no bowlers delivering standout spells. more..

Dec 1 (EN) Sri Lanka was at one time talking about trying to be a Singapore, and then a Malaysia, and now it is talking about trying to be a Korea and others are also talking of Vietnam as a poster child. Sri Lanka is not a Vietnam largely because of a bad central bank, import substitution, rent seeking and unstable policy involving the state, and strong anti-private sector attitude prevalent among bureaucrats and politicians. There is an overall lack of a framework to develop some working policies, more..

Dec 1 (FT) Team 501 Implementing representing APIIT, a leading private higher education institute in Sri Lanka, became one of the two teams winning the prize for the Asia-Pacific region at the world�s largest telco application development hackathon � TADHack Global 2020. A total of eight teams qualified for global judging to represent Sri Lanka at the event which connected teams from over 20 cities in the world to an overnight hacking marathon on 10 and 11 October. more..

Dec 1 (DM) While reporting a total of 439 new HIV infected persons, Health Promotion Bureau said that there was an increase of HIV infections among young people during last year (2019). Addressing the media on World AIDS Day, which falls tomorrow (1), Health Promotion Bureau Director Dr Palitha Karunapema said the number of HIV infections were among young people aged 15-24 years & 359 of them were male persons. more..

Dec 1 (FT) Business leader and former Chairman of John Keells Holdings Susantha Ratnayake has stepped down as the Chairman of the Board of Investment with effect from yesterday. The move is due to personal reasons whilst originally he had volunteered to serve for a year only. Ratnayake was appointed as BOI Chairman in December last year. The BOI comes under the purview of Prez Rajapaksa who is likely to appoint a new Chairman shortly. more..

Dec 1 (FT) Budget Highlights 2021: Challenges and opportunities for SME sector organised by CMA SL COVID-19 SME Development Committee was held last week via Zoom. Chief Guest State Minister Ajith Nivard Cabraal in his address stressed the importance of the SME sector and that it was the backbone of the economy as stated by the PM at the inauguration of the SME Conference in Hambantota. He stated that many of the SMEs are in difficulties and if we are to help them there should be more..

Dec 1 (DM) Sri Lanka�s vehicle registrations in October crashed to a new record low across the board, including all commercial vehicle categories, due to the economic impact of the second wave of COVID-19 outbreak and import restrictions on personal vehicle imports. The country had 4,236 units of vehicles registered in October this year, a massive slump compared to 29,659 units registered in October last year, more..

Dec 1 (CT) The 11th of Nov 2020 saw Daraz.lk successfully double its sale day record, with over 300,000 shoppers as opposed to the 150,000 that visited the site on the sale day last year. This record reflected the highest number of visitors to visit the platform on a single day sale. The fast-growing e-commerce platform was ranked as the No 01 App on Play Store during this period depicting the popularity of the platform. With over three million products on sale & over Rs 20 million worth of discounts, more..

Dec 1 (BT) A cricket fan who travelled to Sri Lanka in March to watch England�s tour is still there eight months after it was cancelled � and has vowed to remain until Joe Root�s team returns. Rob Lewis, a web designer from Sunbury-on-Thames, has been on a personal adventure during his unplanned stay in the island country, adopting a stray dog while living on a beach, becoming a DJ with his own alter ego, getting a tattoo and befriending members of the Sri Lanka cricket team�s coaching staff. more..

Dec 1 (FT) To resume international tourism in a COVID-19 safe environment, guidelines are being finalised with a draft strategy document under discussion among key stakeholders. The Health Ministry�s COVID-19 Clinical Management Expert Committee in collaboration with Sri Lanka Tourism has prepared all-inclusive guidelines to resume tourism gradually. �We have suggested reopening both airports more..

Dec 1 (Island) The government had begun the construction 12,000 km of roads last year, Minister of Highways Johnston Fernando said yesterday, adding that the overall objective of the government was to build 100,000 km of rural roads within the next four years. �The previous government also launched an initiative to construct roads under the I � Road Project. However, in most cases contractors have taken over two years to build roads that are not longer than three kilometres. more..

Dec 1 (CT) United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN Global Compact Network SL (UNGCSL) signed a four-year MoU, to prioritise urgent public-private partnerships, that would work towards the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda (SDA). This MoU is an extension to an ongoing partnership to support the Govt to advance a sustainable development plan, including financial strategies for COVID-19. UNDP stated that with only 10 years left to achieve more..

Dec 1 (FT) The Divulapitiya and Peliyagoda dual COVID-19 cluster yesterday exceeded 20,000 cases with the detection of 503 COVID-19 positive persons. 496 associates of the Peliyagoda COVID-19 cluster tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday, bringing the cluster total to 20,442. Over 13,000 COVID-19 cases were identified in November alone, mainly from the dual cluster. Situation report on 1 Nov records 20 more..

Dec 1 (TM) Today�s Cabinet meeting was held through video technology for the first time in the history of SL, Prez�s Media Division (PMD) said. It said Prez Rajapaksa joined the meeting from the Presidential Secretariat while the Ministers joined from their offices. �The meeting was a success. The cabinet meeting was held through video technology not only because of the COVID-19 epidemic but also taking into consideration the efficiency, convenience and saving cost,� PMD said. more..

Dec 1 (DM) The movement of the general public has been restricted in the eastern province, specialy in the Akkaraipattuwa area since the COVID-19 situation is not yet brought under control, Provincial Governor Anuradha Yahampath said. She said as many as 9877 PCR tests had been conducted. She said 13 new cases were detected within 24 hours that ended by noon on Monday. �We have found 86 cases from the Kalmunai Municipal limits. Besides, we got one case from Thirukkovil. more..

Dec 1 (CT) State Minister Dr. Sudarshani Fernandopulle claimed in Parliament that the Govt believes there is an invisible hand behind the unrest at Mahara Prison on 29 November. Responding to questions raised by the Opposition, Fernandopulle said an independent investigation would be carried out into the incident to identify the culprits behind the unrest. The Opposition queried from Fernandopulle as to whether the govt more..

Dec 1 (DN) Mahanayake of the Asgiriya Chapter Most Ven.Warakagoda Sri Gnanarathana Thera was of the view that Mahanayake Theras of the three Chapters should always issue a joint statement with regard to national and religious issues of the country. Mahanayake of the Asgiriya Chapter Most Ven.Warakagoda Sri Gnanarathana Thera made this statement when new Mahanayake of Ramanna Maha Nikaya Most Ven Makulawe Wimala Thera visited the Asgiri Maha Viharaya yesterday. more..

Dec 1 (PMD) MP Dr. Sudarshani Fernandopulle has been appointed as the State Minister of Primary Health Services, Pandemics and COVID Prevention. The new State Minister was sworn in before President Rajapaksa this evening (30). State Ministry for Primary Health Services, Pandemics and COVID Prevention is a new portfolio. Promoting and maintaining the highest standards of primary health care is one of the main objectives of the Saubhagyaye Dekma Policy Statement. more..

Dec 1 (Island) DIG Ajith Rohana said that the Police had identified a senior member of the Mahara Prison Hospital staff as the mastermind of Sunday�s prison riot. Prisoners clashed with their guards, police anti-riot squads and the STF, on Sunday, for several hours and the clashes left eight inmates dead and more than 70 others injured. The injured were removed to the Ragama Teaching Hospital. Among them were 2 prison officers. more..

Dec 1 (CT) JJB Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said Govt should address the root cause of unrest in prisons, which is heavy congestion, rather than coming up with conspiracy theories. He said, �Over 1,000 inmates in several prisons have tested positive to COVID-19. Since there is heavy congestion in prisons, the unrest of inmates is understandable. This congestion is increasing the risk of the spread of COVID-19. In Mahara Prison, more than 180 inmates have tested positive more..

Dec 1 (FT) Health authorities yesterday confirmed seven COVID-19 deaths, including three that occurred within the day, bringing the total count to 116. Five of the seven persons were from the Colombo District, with three being from the Colombo city. This includes an individual from Colombo 13 who died of COVID-19 yesterday. She was 90 years old and upon having tested positive for COVID-19, was transferred from the National Hospital of SL to the Homagama Base Hospital, more..

Dec 1 (CT) The riot at the Mahara Prison left at least eight inmates dead and more than 70, including two Prison Officers, injured, said Director of the Ragama Teaching Hospital, Dr. Shelton Perera. The 16 detainees were in critical condition and that more injured inmates could be in Prison, adding that they were being brought to the Hospital from time to time. 16 among the injured persons are in a critical condition and more..

Dec 1 (FT) The Central Bank, at its recent monthly monetary review meeting, decided to continue its accommodative monetary policy stance to boost economic growth while recognising the absence of demand-driven inflationary pressures. Accordingly, CB will maintain its Standing Deposit Facility Rate (SDFR) and the Standing Lending Facility Rate (SLFR) at their current levels of 4.50% and 5.50%, respectively. The CB also intends to introduce maximum interest rates more..

Dec 1 (FT) There is no gainsaying that the economy is in dire straits. Although the Budget submitted to the Parliament glossed over the gravity of confronting challenges, and described it as development oriented to pave the way for realising GR�s Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour, the situation on the ground tells a different story. Some months back when Moody�s, one of the three international credit agencies, downgraded Sri Lanka�s credit rating from B2 to Caa1, more..

Dec 1 (GNW) SimCorp, a leading provider of integrated, front-to-back, multi-asset investment management solutions and services to the world�s largest buy-side institutions, today announces that the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL), has signed an agreement with SimCorp Asia Pacific. The CBSL will implement SimCorp�s flagship front-to-back investment platform, SimCorp Dimension, to manage the investment operation of the country�s official reserves. more..