Dec 4 (Island) The safety of drinking water from small scale community drinking water projects could guaranteed only after the implementation of a project to check the quality of water and that would take four years, Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara told Parliament. He said so, when SJB MP Buddhika Pathirana pointed out that although the safety of drinking water from the National Water Supply and Drainage Board was guaranteed the same could not be said of water from small scale projects. more..

Dec 4 (AD) A recycling drop box for disposable pens and toothbrushes was handed over to PM Mahinda Rajapaksa by Environment Minister Mahinda Amaraweera. This initiative was launched based on the shared theme of Discipline, Not Law to promote recycling and find economic-based sustainable waste solutions in SL. The govt�s sustainable agenda to collect empty carbon pens and used toothbrushes for recycling will play a prominent role in reducing the amount of plastic released to more..

Dec 4 (FT) Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) marked its 35th anniversary yesterday, with a special bell ringing ceremony at the bourse. The event was titled A Transformative Past � A Vibrant Future and CSE Chairman Dumith Fernando said major market infrastructure developments were on the cards with emphasis on product diversification and building a sustainable business model for the bourse as it takes on more..

Dec 4 (NR) National People�s Power MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake charges the govt of failing to provide concessions for rice despite issuing five gazette notifications. Speaking in Parliament during the debate on expenditure heads of the Ministry of Trade, MP Dissanayake said a suitable programme is needed to control rice prices. He recalled of an Army General claiming the govt was in possession of a database with the location and quantity of rice and paddy in stores island wide. more..

Dec 4 (Island) Sparks of terrorism were still surfacing from the smoldering ashes even though the political leaders boasted in air-conditioned rooms that they had ended the war, former army commander and SJB MP Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka said in Parliament yesterday. Participating in the third reading debate on the budget 2021 under the expenditure heads of the Ministry of Defence, Field Marshal Fonseka said that a former female LTTE cadre had been captured with a bomb more..

Dec 4 (NR) A loss of Rs 6130 million during the time period of 2013-2016 incurred by the SL Customs due to two leading palm oil companies was brought to the attention of the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) which was held yesterday (03). An audit conducted by the Auditor General�s Dept revealed that the loss of money was due to the negligence on the part of SL Customs officials having failed to clear specific goods under more..

Dec 4 (FT) Global giant Unilever�s Head in Sri Lanka this week called for partnerships and building brands with a purpose for the revival of the private sector post-COVID. �We need all like-minded people to come together. Private sector needs to cooperate,� Unilever SL Ltd. Chairperson Hajar Alafifi told the Ceylon Chamber�s Virtual Economic Summit this week, where the specific role of the private sector came under discussion. �In these uncertain times, no one can say which method will work best more..

Dec 4 (Island) There was an attempt to create a new post, Director General � Sports, at the Ministry of Education and to appoint a political henchman, Ceylon Teachers Union (CTU) General Secretary, Joseph Stalin told The Island yesterday. �According to the Education Administrative Service minute, any appointment has to be made through a competitive exam. However, this post has been created through a Cabinet paper and an SLPP henchman is to be appointed to it.� more..

Dec 4 (DM) Known to be one of the top five beaches in SL, the Mawella beach in Tangalle is a two-kilometre stretch of an undisturbed marine environment surrounded by a Bay. Over the years, a niche market for small boutique properties had emerged in the area and many foreign investors too had shown an interest in developing the area to the level of the French Riviera. But these plans seem to have been short-lived considering more..

Dec 4 (Island) Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, accused SJB MP S. M. Marikkar of misleading Parliament and asked him behave without wasting the time of the House. MP Marikkar during the question time got up raising a point of order and said that 28 Sri Lankans who had arrived at the BIA, Katunayake were stranded because officials had asked them to pay for quarantine at luxury hotels. �Authorities are not releasing them until they make the payments,� more..

Dec 4 (AD) Total COVID-19 related recoveries reported in SL observed another increase as 406 patients were discharged from medical care upon returning to health. The recuperations count now stands at 19,438. SL has confirmed 26,038 positive cases of COVID-19 infections to date, and 129 of them have fallen victim to the virus. Meanwhile, 6,471 active cases are still receiving treatment. As per the daily situation report, the following hospitals and treatment centres had reported more..

Dec 4 (EN) Sri Lanka will admit tourists from countries which will begin to vaccinate their populations using a WHO-approved plan the country�s Tourism Minister told a Parliamentary Consultative Committee meeting yesterday. Minister of Tourism Prasanna Ranatunga, he said that the island �should consider opening the Airport for tourism when the US and Europe initiate the COVID vaccination process. more..

Dec 4 (FC) A video has been viewed thousands of times in multiple posts on Facebook, TikTok and WhatsApp which claim it shows a storm in Sri Lanka in 2020. It was shared just hours before tropical cyclone Burevi hit Sri Lanka in December 2020. The claim is false; the video has been circulating online since at least 2016 in reports about a storm in Sri Lanka. The 22-second clip was published in this Facebook post on December 2, 2020. The post�s caption reads: Make another person aware more..

Dec 4 (CT) When the famous Moroccan traveller Ibn Battuta visited Sri Lanka between Sept and Nov 1344, the island was fabled for its wealth. It was a hub of international trade in the Indian Ocean, welcoming foreign traders and travellers with open arms. It was a rich mosaic of ethnicities and a picture of religious and ethnic harmony. The story of Ibn Battuta�s visit to Sarandib (Adams Peak) has been told by sociologist Ameena Hussein in an engaging manner in her book: more..

Dec 4 (IFJ) The BBC has closed the Sinhala Radio service broadcast due to financial crisis, effective from Nov 30. The International Federation of Journalists and its SL affiliates the Free Media Movement (FMM) and the Federation of Media Employees Trade Union (FMETU) express concern at the closure of BBC�s Sinhala broadcast and urge the media organisation to reconsider its decision. The BBC made the urgent ruling to cease more..

Dec 4 (WN) Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Asia Cup 2020 was one of the biggest cricket events to have taken a hit as it got postponed. While Pakistan was scheduled to host the 2020 edition of the Asia Cup, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) CEO Wasim Khan has said that Sri Lanka will host the Asia Cup 2021 with Pakistan hosting the 2022 edition of the event. The PCB CEO said that Sri Lanka has the rights to host the 2021 Asia Cup. The Asia Cup 2020 was ultimately postponed due to more..

Dec 4 (FT) There is no international consensus on how to best tackle COVID-19 before an approved vaccine is rolled out and much debate has been ongoing about the necessary extent of lockdowns, whether masks are essential, and on the importance of testing. Although the WHO urged the world in March to test, test, and test, policymakers and medical experts in SL could not agree on what could be termed as �adequate testing�. Ministry of Health did not significantly increase testing or more..

Dec 4 (Island) The filling of the solitary UNP National List vacancy is likely to be further delayed due to the recent resignation of its General Secretary Akila Viraj Kariyawasam. Sirikotha sources said that in terms of the UNP Constitution the appointment of the General Secretary was solely the prerogative of the leader contrary to the belief that it required Working Committee approval. Responding to another query, sources pointed out that more..

Dec 4 (EN) Cyclone Burevi was off the coast of Mannar and moving towards the South Indian coast around 6 pm tonight but has left tens of thousands affected in Sri Lanka after making landfall in Kilinochchi Wednesday night. Met Dept issued an advisory for strong winds and rough seas extending from Puttalam to Kankesanturai via Mannar asking Naval and fishing communities not to venture out to shallow and deep waters in these areas. These warnings, Met Dept said, are valid until more..

Dec 4 (DM) In response to a query on the projection of the symbol of a flower considered by the LTTE as the national symbol of its Tamil Eelam,the British High Commission in Colombo brushed off it saying that it was a policing matter. Karthigaipoo or Niyagala flower was projected on Britain�s Houses of Parliament in Westminster, Central London on November 26 when PRO-LTTE activists commemorated Maveerar Day. Responding to a query raised by Daily Mirror in this regard, more..

Dec 4 (AD) Attorney General Dappula de Livera has submitted a note of clarification to Singapore today, regarding the request to extradite former CB Governor Arjuna Mahendran. State Counsel Nishara Jayarante, the Coordination Officer of the Attorney General stated that the Secretary to the Ministry of Justice has been informed of the clarification note. The AG has further told the Justice Secretary that the extradition request more..

Dec 5 (DM) Has the authorities assessed the correct COVID-19 situation in the country? It doesn�t seem to be so. We seem to soothe ourselves with misleading numbers and attempt to contain the virus threat. In short, the official numbers about the COVID-19 situation are apparently far below than the reality. According to the data, the number of people infected with the coronavirus since March 11- the day when the first local COVID-19 case was detected - was 26,038 as at 10 am yesterday. more..

Dec 5 (CT) SL�s democracy completely changed and is now ruled by a dictatorial Sinhala Buddhist President elected by the majority Sinhala Buddhist voters. 20th Amendment to the Constitution has placed him with absolute powers over judiciary, police, election and other independent Commissions which functioned independently without political interference to some extent. The recent incidents and oppressions against the Tamils and Muslims very clearly indicate that Sri Lanka is now more..

Dec 5 (CT) Father of South Africa, Nelson Mandela once said that no one truly knows a nation until one has been inside its jails and that a nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones. Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) states that every human being has a right to life. The Constitution of the World Health Organisation, the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard more..

Dec 5 (DM) The 20th Amendment to the Constitution of SL has been approved by Parliament. Now, people are talking about who voted for it and why. Let us forget who voted for it and why. To me, the most important thing is the Prez�s promise that he will introduce a new Constitution for the country within a year. The Constitution is the most important document of the nation that will be written. This means all of us should think �out of the box� and come up with some suggestions more..

Dec 5 (CT) The position of our govt is that no war crimes were committed by our forces at the end of the war. Contradicting that, last week (23 Nov.) I wrote of how we committed horrendous crimes on the battlefield in May 2009 and of how Australia has approached its own charges of war crimes. I commended its example for our govt beginning trials, asking for forgiveness, and rescinding the medallions, promotions, and high offices given to our accused war criminals in uniform. more..

Dec 5 (TM) The Govt has settled on a target of improving the renewable energy generation of Sri Lanka up to 70% of the energy mix during its tenure. With the national grid seemingly running out of the required energy generation and the breakdowns that were experienced in 2019 and at the beginning of 2020, much development is needed in the energy sector. This week, State Minister Duminda Dissanayake took more..

Dec 5 (CT) Archbishop of Colombo, Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith insisted Sharia Law should not be interpreted or introduced as the law of the country and forced on other communities or used to intimidate and influence other communities, even though Muslims may hold it in high regard. Supporting his statement the Cardinal also pointed out that investigations conducted so far on the brutal Easter Sunday Attacks have shown that Sharia Law and institutions that advocate or preach more..

Dec 5 (Island) No sooner had State Minister Wimalaweera Dissanayake barked at a group of Wildlife Officers, ordering that villagers be allowed to graze their cattle inside a wildlife reserve in Polonnaruwa than some Forest Officers felled trees on an ait, known as Parapankotuwa, in Andawala, Matugama. Environmentalists were shown on Hiru News, yesterday, protesting against the destruction of trees near the Benthara Ganga, and one of the Forest Officers present at the scene claimed more..

Dec 5 (DM) Annual budgets announce the Govt�s priorities for the domestic economy. But we cannot address the historic challenges facing Sri Lanka without considering the global context. In our last article on the domestic implications of Budget 2021, we argued that it lacks meaningful proposals to rebuild an economy falling into depression and a society ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic. These intersecting crises are affecting countries all over the world. more..

Dec 5 (FT) Respected business leader Suresh de Mel has been appointed as the new Chairman of the SL Export Development Board (SLEDB) with immediate effect by Prez Rajapaksa. He replaces another prominent exporter and industrialist Prabhash Subasinghe, who gave notice this week after completing one year of service. Suresh is well known for campaigning for exports and tourism especially by the small and medium sector as well as a passionately championing more..

Dec 5 (Island) The Mahara Prison and its 11 inmates who have died, or were killed by gunshots or other means, is certainly in the mind of the people. As the Covid-19 pandemic spreads beyond the often declared expectations of hopes of the govt, Mahara Prison has raised the question of how Covid infected persons, whether symptomatic or not, are actually handled by the State, or the Prison authorities. more..

Dec 5 (Island) Hundreds of students following Physical Education and Sports course in advanced level classes have spent more than eight months during the Covid 19 pandemic not knowing the destiny of their course while some of them have given it up. Badra Withanage, Director, Education for All, at the Ministry of Education said that discussions were underway to resume stalled courses including Physical Education and Sports. She said that the delays were due to unprecedented more..

Dec 5 (Island) It is good to see and read the hoo haa that is being raised over rapid deforestation in Free SL. Sunday Punch in the Sunday Times of Nov 29 dealt this blow: New writ opens season to slam the country�s rainforest canopy: 700,000 hectares of forest land condemned to face the axe before the altar of Mammon. Punched well but will it have any effect? Will the new ordinance be changed? Will racketeers and shitty money makers stop felling trees, even if it�s forbidden by law? more..

Dec 5 (TM) Sri Lanka�s Ambassador Designate to China, Dr. Palitha Kohona last week called for the expediting of the proposed Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with China but urged the SL Govt to ensure it would not be unfavourable to Sri Lanka. He made these comments delivering the keynote address at an interactive session hosted by the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Sri Lanka (FCCISL). more..

Dec 5 (FT) Sri Lanka Tea Board has stepped up its support of the industry by setting up a funding scheme for high shade trees for tea lands of over 10 acres. It is offering subsidies for tea plucking lands falling in the medium and large-scale tea estate categories of over 10 acres, where tea has been cultivated already and establishment of high shade trees has not been made. However, the relevant estates should be registered under the Sri Lanka Tea Board. more..

Dec 5 (FT) Sirio Ltd. in Badalgama � a leading apparel manufacturer in the country yesterday announced that 23 of its employees have tested positive for COVID-19, and thereby the firm has decided to temporarily close the factory for a few days to prevent further spread of the virus until the pending PCR results are received. The company said that all those who closely associated with them were traced and directed for PCR tests with the help of the Regional MOH Director and other more..

Dec 5 (ST) Totally relaxed, she comes on Zoom on Wednesday � at the appointed hour of 12 GMT in Oxford, England, and 5.30 p.m. in Sri Lanka. No one would imagine that pretty Dr. Maheshi Ramasamy, who is quick to smile and chats leisurely, has been having a �crazy� time since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world. For, 43-year-old Dr. Ramasamy is the Principal Investigator for the Oxford COVID-19 Vaccine Trial. more..

Dec 5 (DM) SriLankan Airlines, the national carrier of Sri Lanka and a member of the oneworld alliance has won the World�s Leading Airline to the Indian Ocean title once again at the World Travel Awards Grand Final held in Moscow. SriLankan Airlines� Chairman Ashok Pathirage said the latest accolade demonstrates the airline�s commitment to delivering the Govt of SL�s vision of making Sri Lanka an aviation hub in Asia and the company was building on its business plan to strengthen its position more..