Dec 18 (TM) A gazette notification issued in April distressed the Muslim community due to the introduction of a regulation which stated that all bodies of victims who died as a result of Covid-19 would be cremated. This regulation was introduced despite the WHO issuing guidelines on the disposal of the bodies of Covid-19 victims, stating that they can be buried or cremated. Muslims make up 10% of the country and have been raising their more..

Dec 18 (DM) The pilgrim season to Adam�s Peak is set to begin on December 29 (Tuesday) and the challenge would be to control the crowds that would throng the jungle paths to make the 5-6 hour journey. During the COVID-19 pandemic Sri Lanka, despite being one of the least effected country�s by this virus, showed that its citizens might not care about health guidelines. Hence the authorities have limited the daily travel of pilgrims to the mountain peak to 200. more..

Dec 18 (CT) Joining the ranks of environmentalists protesting the rapid rate of environmental devastation in Sri Lanka, Veddah Chief Wanaspathi Wannilaeththo said he will take legal action if the massive destruction in the forest reserve of Galwalayaya, which is in close proximity to Pollebedde village, Mahaoya, in the Ampara District, is not halted. From leopard deaths to massive deforestation, 2020 has been one of the most harrowing years for SL�s natural treasures. more..

Dec 18 (TM) The official language policy in Sri Lanka is that both Sinhala and Tamil are to be acknowledged as the official and national languages and the same are to be utilised for the administrative activities under the purview of the State. Such a policy was mainly brought forth to recognise the rights of different ethnic groups living in the island and to improve the right of access to information, services, and institutions by all citizens. more..

Dec 18 (CT) In Sri Lanka, the practice of open waste dumping is caused by two underlying factors which are Municipal failures to collect and dispose of waste responsibly and lethargic public attitudes towards waste disposal. Waste management is regulated at a municipality level by Local Authorities. Although bound by legal provisions they appear to be rarely held accountable to national waste management policies and open waste dumping is the most popular Municipal waste disposal mechanism more..

Dec 18 (ST) Starting from next year, goods arriving from the UK to European Union (EU) countries would be subject to border taxes as well as customs procedures and inspections. The businesses located in the UK, supplying to the EU common market may also lose their market share due to higher border taxes and regulatory barriers; anticipating that, some have already left the UK soil. The UK is losing not just the EU market, but also the markets of 70 plus non-EU countries which are having more..

Dec 18 (Island) Many Sri Lankans are likely to miss the rare celestial dance of Jupiter and Saturn next Monday, due to bad weather, etc., but they need not worry. They have already witnessed something extremely rare: doctors and the Minister of Health have seen eye to eye. The GMOA, which is not at peace with the Health Ministry, has praised Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi. It is happy that she has sacked the members of the Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC). If only they agreed on more..

Dec 18 (Island) From 2012, Reconciliation and Accountability have been the twin pillars of the series of Resolutions that emerged from the UNHRC in Geneva. Perhaps, the thinking of those who developed the formula of linking Reconciliation with Accountability was guided by the notion that an effective accountability process that holds some members of the security forces and the associated leaders accountable and punished would somehow ease the humiliation of defeat, more..

Dec 18 (TM) The extradition of former CB Governor Arjun Mahendran, a key suspect in the controversial Bond Scam, from Singapore has heated the political arena once again, as allegations have been levelled against the present administration over its failure to make any headway. Bond Scam and Easter Sunday attacks were the two main allegations levelled against the previous Govt and also the two main points used by more..

Dec 18 (IPS) SL�s migrant workers are an integral part of our economy, with their remittances traditionally accounting for the second largest share of the country�s foreign exchange earnings (8% of GDP in 2019) after merchandise exports. After the COVID-19 outbreak and resultant difficulties, a sizeable proportion of migrants looked forward to a safe return home. This blog, written to mark Int'l Migrants Day, examines the experience and challenges in the repatriation process, more..

Dec 18 (FT) Renuka Holdings�s rights issue concluded on Wednesday, raising 1.082 higher than the required Rs. 1.03 billion for complete subscription of the offer, signalling strong investor confidence. This Rights Issue was carried out via online channels facilitated by the Colombo Stock Exchange. The managers to the rights issue were Capital Alliance Partners, while the registrars were the Central Depository System. The proceeds of the Rights Issue will enable strengthening more..

Dec 18 (FT) The development of the Port City took a significant step yesterday, with Browns Investments PLC entering into a landmark agreement with China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) to commence the Colombo Int'l Finance Centre mixed development project, which will involve an investment of $ 450 million. CIFC Mixed Development Project will be piloted over two phases, whereby Browns Investments more..

Dec 18 (Island) Global e-Tourism Frontiers expert Damian Cook recently urged SL Tourism Industry stakeholders to identify multiple ways to present a more inclusive destination image to the world thinking like tourists and more importantly thinking like millennial travellers who have upended the established order of the global travel business. Speaking from Kenya to a virtual meeting in SL hosted by Sri Lanka Tourism and Advocata Institute, Damian said the travel market today has more..

Dec 18 (CT) Tournament Director Ravin Wickramarathne, after the successful conclusion of the inaugural Lanka Premier League (LPL) said, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has decided to redraw their plans by adding one more team to the LPL next season, probably from the Eastern Province, to add more glamour to the League. He said: �We have basically identified some small hiccups here and there and will tighten them. We will be starting to prepare for our next tournament may be in more..

Dec 18 (Island) A large number of senior intelligence officers had left the service after 2015 and that had caused the inability of the service to prevent the Easter Sunday attacks, former acting Director of the SIS, retired ASP Parakrama Lankapura told the PCoI. Lankapura said that producing an experienced intelligence officer was as difficult and resource intensive as producing a diplomat and that losing senior officers affected intelligence services. more..

Dec 18 (Island) Run outs over the years have played their part to decorate our beautiful game. There have been some famous ones; Allan Donald being run out in Birmingham to deny South Africa a place in the 1999 World Cup final and Sir Don Bradman being left stranded on 299 after his batting partner � Australia�s last man Pud Thurlow was run out in a Test match against South Africa in Adelaide in 1932 are just a few. The Lanka Premier League saw some high profile run outs as well. more..

Dec 18 (Island) The US has supported Verit� Research in producing its latest youth labor market assessment. The findings were presented to the public via a webinar titled, Improving Youth Employment & Entrepreneurship in SL: Insights & Strategies on November 19. It was supported under the U.S. govt�s development arm the United States Agency for International Development Agency (USAID)-funded youth skills development and entrepreneurship project, YouLead. more..

Dec 18 (CT) The number of students studying in Govt schools declined by 153,119 (3.63%) to 4,061,653, 2019 over 2018, the latest official data showed. Meanwhile, number of GCE A/L students studying in Govt schools declined by 155,862 (27.49%) to 411,161, 2019 over 2018. Of this number, those in both the Arts and Commerce streams fell by 104,919 (28.72%) to 260,416 and in the Physical Science & Bioscience streams more..

Dec 18 (DN) Bauddhaloka Mawatha is a wide, tree-lined avenue in Colombo. It runs from Galle Road in the west towards Sri J'pura Kotte, the administrative capital of SL, in the east. The avenue runs past a few university playgrounds and several colonial-era buildings, now occupied by embassies and ministries in a leafy part of Colombo 7. The cluster of buildings across the side of the road leads to the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC). The foundation stone at the entrance confirms more..

Dec 18 (DN) Sri Lanka will finally open its airport for tourism from December 29 to accommodate around 5,000 Russian region based tourists, former SL Ambassador to Russia, Udayanga Weeratunga said. He said this would be under a trend setting pilot project which is very well planned and coordinated by Weeratunga himself and has also received the Cabinet approval and health authorities� green light. Weeratunga said that he wanted to execute this project two months ago but due to more..

Dec 18 (Island) The much-touted Millennium Challenge Corporation Compact (MCCC) would have undermined Sri Lanka�s status as a sovereign country, Prof. Lalithasiri Gunaruwan said yesterday. Prof. Gunaruwan, an economist, who headed a four-member committee that examined the controversial agreement was responding to the US decision to terminate the offer of USD 480 mn (Rs 89 bn) development assistance against more..

Dec 18 (Island) Continuing its commitment in transforming SL with digitization, Mobitel, the national mobile service provider together with the Ministry of Education, launched an online system to facilitate the evaluation of Grade 5 scholarship results for school application. Upon receiving outstanding marks at the highly competitive Grade 05 Scholarship exams, students currently rely on a manual system that is prone to human setbacks and unexpected delays, causing inconvenience more..

Dec 18 (ANI) Amid reports regarding the apprehension of 36 Indian fishermen by the SL Navy, New Delhi on Thursday said it is in close touch with Colombo to verify the information, as well as to ensure consular access to the Indians and facilitate their early release. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said that the fishermen issue has been on the agenda of bilateral discussion between India and Sri Lanka for many years. more..

Dec 18 (FT) Public Utilities Commission of SL (PUCSL) Employees Union defended the regulator and said not only had it not caused delays in implementing power generation plans, but had worked to protect public interest and saved significant amounts of taxpayer funds by rejecting emergency power purchases. Releasing a statement the union stated allegations made by certain parties that the PUCSL had delayed more..

Dec 18 (DN) Jaffna Stallions� victory in the Lanka Premier League (LPL) T20 Cricket Tournament final in Hambantota on Wednesday was celebrated by cricket fans in the Jaffna peninsula as well. Excited cricket enthusiasts in Jaffna displayed their joy and happiness by lighting firecrackers soon after the Stallions defeated the Galle Gladiators by 53 runs in the final encounter played under lights at the Mahinda Rajapaksa Stadium. In fact, cricket fans had gathered in the main streets in Jaffna more..

Dec 18 (DM) While raising concerns over certain Christmas programmes broadcast on several television channels over the past few years, the Cardinal Archbishop of Colombo Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith said that certain such programmes celebrated Christmas where the people in it weren't even dressed properly. "Certain media programmes celebrated Christmas where the people in it weren't even dressed properly. Don't do this. Christmas isn't about a jolly celebration. more..

Dec 18 (Island) Digital Forensic Laboratory of the CID had been unable to recover deleted data from the mobile phone used by former Director of the State Intelligence Service (SIS) SDIG Nilantha Jayawardena during the Easter Sunday attacks, PCoI was told on Wednesday night. OIC of the Digital Forensic Laboratory, Sampath Kumara Senaratne told the PCoI that Jayawardena�s wife was using the phone now and more..

Dec 18 (CT) In the backdrop of the United Kingdom (UK) gearing up to host the United Nations COP26 conference in Glasgow, Scotland, in November 2021, the British High Commission in Colombo, said they welcome President Gotabaya Rajapaksa�s recent climate commitments, which include a move to generate 80% of all power through renewable energy by 2030, banning single-use plastic by 2021, and its work on the Colombo Declaration, which aims to halve nitrogen waste by 2030. more..

Dec 18 (FT) Church services including midnight mass on Christmas Eve will be limited to 50 persons along with adherence to strict health regulations, Archbishop of Colombo Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith said yesterday. Hourly Christmas services in Catholic churches will begin at 6 p.m. on 24 December in place of the usual single midnight service to enable devotees to attend church while adhering to health guidelines, Cardinal Ranjith told reporters at a press briefing. more..

Dec 18 (FT) The total number of COVID-19 patients detected in the island yesterday exceeded 35,000 with the detection of 650 patients. The patients detected yesterday include 638 persons linked to the Peliyagoda COVID-19 cluster and 12 persons linked to the Prisons cluster. The triple clusters, which emerged with the Divulapitiya cluster on 4 Oct, has thus increased to 31,720 patients. The total count of 35,387 patients more..

Dec 18 (CT) Govt has decided to shutdown six project offices that had functioned under the former Ministry of Megapolis and Western Development, which had squandered monies amounting to over Rs 1,300 million during the previous UNF-led regime. For six advisers, who had served in the project offices, a monthly salary exceeding Rs 1.1 million each had been paid, along with other benefits. Auditor General Chula Wickremaratne said, an audit inquiry had been launched into the 6 projects. more..

Dec 18 (Island) Port workers yesterday held a silent protest opposite the Colombo Port, alleging that moves were afoot to sell the East Container Terminal (ECT). Chairman of the Liberated Port Workers� Union Prasanna Kalutharage said that the workers would jointly oppose moves to sell the ECT to an Indian company. Kalutharage said: �All port employees are against the sale. Sri Lanka has the technology and the capability to operate the ECT.� Members of the All Ceylon General Port more..

Dec 18 (DM) Rapid Antigen Tests (RAT) would be conducted on the passengers crossing the borders of the Western Province with effect from today (18) 8 a.m. until further notice to prevent Covid-19 spread to outside the Western Province during the forthcoming festive season, informed sources confirmed last night. According to a letter to Provincial Director of Health Services (Western Province) it stated that the testing would be more..

Dec 18 (FT) How can Sri Lanka overcome the crisis it is facing in a situation where the country has become a failed state with all the leaders, all political parties, and the Legislature, the Executive and the Judiciary has failed? The country�s political leaders still do not seem to understand the real reasons behind this failure, and the extent to which they themselves have contributed to it. They appear to think the more Gota fails, the more it increases the chances of them being successful. more..

Dec 18 (FT) Ready? First of all stop. Then take a deep cleansing breath. And check your pulse. Heart beating? Blood pumping? Still breathing? Congratulations � you�re alive. Still. Barely. Perhaps clinically. As the poet said: �For man, the vast marvel is to be alive. For man, as for flower and beast and bird, the supreme triumph is to be most vividly, most perfectly alive.� Not with COVID-19? �Whatever the unborn and the dead may know, they cannot know the beauty, marvel of being alive in the flesh.� more..

Dec 18 (AD) The Dept of Prisons has announced that family members and relatives will not be allowed to visit inmates on Christmas Day this year. The decision was reached taking into account the prevailing Covid-19 pandemic situation which continues to overwhelm the country, Prisons Dept�s media spokesperson explained. Family members and relatives of inmates are usually allowed visitations on Christmas Day and are given the opportunity to exchange gifts and treats. more..

Dec 18 (DM) The public service must be digitized to make SL embrace modern digital technologies, Minister Dullas Alahapperuma said. He said as per the Prez's vision of prosperity, his main target is to convert the country to embrace the digital-based system. "The main role of a politician is to identify the roots for problems," he further said. He also stressed that being the Minister in charge of the subject, he would identify, address and eliminate the causes of the issues within the power sector. more..

Dec 18 (CT) Shavindra Fernando PC, yesterday, requested the PCoI into the 21 April 2019, Easter Sunday bombings, to name the Attorney General�s (AG) Coordinating Officer, State Counsel Nishara Jayaratne, as a witness who insulted the Commission. Jayaratne testified before the Commission, yesterday, and the Chairman of the Commission also advised her to act like a witness. She was summoned to testify in connection more..