Aug 7 (CT) About a month ago, Govt teachers and principals withdrew from online teaching, in protest of Kotelawala National Defence Uni Bill and urging immediate solutions for long-standing salary anomaly issues. Just like with any other issue, this matter too is multi-faceted. Although many sympathise with the issue of low wages of teachers, organising massive gatherings in times of a raging, oftentimes fatal, pandemic and withdrawing from online teaching when students have been more..

Aug 7 (DM) Shelton Ranaraja known to many as Shelly Aiya passed away on Aug 11, 2011. Shelton or Shelly Aiya was a politician for whom I have the greatest respect. The lawyer who represented the Senkadagala constituency in SL Parliament for more than fifteen years was arguably the conscience-keeper of the Nation in his own modest way. My regard and admiration for Shelton Ranaraja is mainly due to the fact that the former Deputy Minister of Justice was a courageous more..

Aug 7 (CT) With the overcrowding of hospitals and the shortage of oxygen in India owing to the increasing number of COVID-19 patients, countries have been cautious with regard to measures to be adopted in the event of an unpredicted spike in the number of patients. However, with certain hospitals having reached maximum capacity, and having been forced to declare an emergency, this raises more..

Aug 7 (DM) Director General of Health Services (DGHS), Asela Gunawardena on August 5 had confirmed the occurrence of 94 COVID-19 related deaths on the previous day. This might be the highest number of such deaths on a single day in SL since the pandemic began to spread in the country in March 2020. Unprecedentedly, on June 11 the Epidemiology Unit of the Health Ministry announced the occurence of 101 deaths due to COVID 19, but it later transpired that the deaths more..

Aug 7 (CT) As the SLPP is reaching its first year of governance, which some may call non governance, the question that may be in the minds of many is where is it going? That is a question relevant not only for the SLPP but for the people of the entire country. It is easy to answer where the SLPP is not going. It is certainly not going towards democracy, the rule of law or respect for human rights. That is obvious. It is a political decision that the Govt has taken to abandon that path. more..

Aug 7 (DM) COVID-19 cases are rising again, triggering fears over the capacity of the health sector to cope with the daily challenges. After the latest relaxation of restriction of public movements, intermixing took place, leading to a spike in cases in the aftermath of the outbreak of Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 that is more transmissible. The newest surge is not a phenomenon in SL alone. It is the same story with the entire globe. WHO said four million new cases were reported last week more..

Aug 7 (CT) This quote is from a World Bank Group report titled Hidden Debt, released in July 2021, highlighting the concealed aspects related to the risks exposed to by the Countries in the South Asian region with special focus on their heavy reliance in the SOEs, SOCBs and PPPs. AS we are aware, the region consists of the countries, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, SL and Maldives. The WB report focuses on the growing liabilities and the resulting effect on more..

Aug 7 (FT) The Associated Press has appointed Daisy Veerasingham, its Executive Vice President & COO, as the news cooperative�s President and CEO, setting her up to replace the retiring Gary Pruitt at the beginning of next year. She will become the first woman, first person of colour, and first person from outside of the United States to lead the AP in its 175-year history. Veerasingham, 51, is a first-generation Briton of SL descent. more..

Aug 7 (FT) The Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) of Sri Lanka yesterday announced that Professor Lalith Gamage would step down as Chairman with effect from 5 August. However, he will continue to serve the ICTA Board. Professor Lalith Gamage has been instrumental in setting the foundational strategy for ICTA towards a path of driving digital transformation, and it is evident that ICTA has evolved as an organisation under his leadership. more..

Aug 7 (CT) An unbeaten 39 by Shehan Fernando and four wicket haul by Gayan Chandraboos helped Seekkuge Prasanna lead Super Fashion Northern Warriors to emerge champions by beating Event TV Western Warriors by 64 runs in the finals of the 2nd Army Commander�s League T20 Cricket tournament held at Army grounds Dombagoda yesterday. Chasing Northern Warriors 142, Western Warriors were bowled out for just 78 in 16.1 overs with slow left arm orthodox Gayan Chandraboos more..

Aug 7 (ST) With more than 20,000 Jaffna district war-affected families not being included in any state housing development programmes, when the list of housing beneficiaries for war-affected people was showcased in Divisional Secretariat offices recently, there were allegations of administrative flaws in the selection process of beneficiaries and political influence. Among the complaints received from various DSs, more..

Aug 7 (ST) A section of the multi-billion rupee Moragahakanda project has come to a standstill and the iron rods are being cut down to pay the salaries of the employees, a SL Mahaweli Authority official said recently. They said the construction of Elahera ela, which began with the objective of diverting water to the north, has come to a standstill after the private constructing company was removed. D. M. Wijeratne, project engineer for the Moragahakanda scheme�s Kalu Ganga project, more..

Aug 7 (ST) Kanugahawewa model village renovation project�s second phase has been completed, after it was launched by Prez Rajapaksa on Dec 30 last year. This project was taken over by the Air Force Commander Sudarshana Pathirana to mark the 70th anniversary of the SLAF this year. Minister Namal Rajapaksa presided at a ceremony to mark the event, at this model village in the A'pura district. Kanugahawewa village is home to more than 300 families comprising about 900 people. more..

Aug 7 (TM) National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) Chairman Prof. Muditha Vidanapathirana said that an agreement was reached following discussions with the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) to set a specific date for the hearing of child abuse cases pending in High Courts. Furthermore, he said that the Circular No. 449 of the JSC has been sent to all High Court judges on 28 June in order to give priority to cases involving more..

Aug 7 (ST) It is with a very heavy heart that I pen down these words of appreciation on late Mr. Raja Mahendran�the man who contributed immensely to SL cricket. As a former SL cricketer and captain, I was privileged to come under his wings along with several other cricketers of my era. His contributions in cricket and beyond, to me and many cricketers of my era, were simply incredible. After I left school way back in 1972-73, I came under his wings and he became my guiding light ever since. more..

Aug 7 (Island) German Ambassador Holger Seubert donated eight electronic chess sets to the Chess Federation of SL (CFSL) at a handover ceremony at his residence on Wednesday. The donation from Germany aims to assist the promotion of chess within disadvantaged groups in SL. The state-of-the-art chess equipment from Germany, worth LKR 1.5 million, has been designed to cater for handicapped persons in particular. During the handover ceremony, Ambassador Seubert declared that more..

Aug 7 (FT) SJB MP Harin Fernando yesterday in Parliament exposed what he alleged as a year of failure on the part of the Prez Rajapaksa-led Govt. With 6 Aug 2021 marking the first anniversary of the new Parliament, Fernando charged that the Govt has failed to save the country and the people from the pandemic and economic crisis. SJB firebrand MP recalled that Prez Rajapaksa and the Govt promised to punish more..

Aug 7 (FT) A total of 184,695 first and second doses of COVID-19 vaccines were administered on Thursday and 93.8% of the country�s population over the age of 30 has received at least one dose of a vaccine thus far. Both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine have been administered to 23.3% of the country�s population over the age of 30 and 100% first dose coverage has been achieved in the Colombo, Gampaha, Kandy, Matale, Vavuniya, and Polonnaruwa Districts. more..

Aug 7 (FT) As a proactive measure to address any issues or grievances faced by microfinance clients, the Lanka Microfinance Practitioners� Association (LMFPA), in consultation with the State Ministry of Samurdhi, Household Economy, Microfinance, Self-Employment and Business Development, has established a Microfinance Helpline 071 832 0000 to the general public and to persuade and encourage the stakeholders to take timely corrective measures for such grievances. more..

Aug 7 (EN) SL Foreign Employment Bureau (SLFEB) has misused and wasted large amounts of funds and a committee has been appointed by the president to look in to the misappropriations and submit a report in two weeks, labour minister Nimal Siripala De Silva said. �A huge sum of money has been misused due to waste and unnecessary spending by the SLFEB, misappropriation of funds, and weak financial management,� more..

Aug 7 (MFA) High Commissioner of India to SL Gopal Baglay called on Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena on 3 August. Minister Gunawardena thanked the govt and the people of India for extending assistance to Sri Lanka in combating the COVID 19 pandemic and appraised the opening of the country for economic activities. The HC also appreciated Sri Lanka for lifting entry restrictions imposed on Indians if they are fully vaccinated as lifting of such restrictions would provide more..

Aug 7 (Island) Kilinochchi Magistrate, S. Lenin Kumar on Thursday ordered police to determine whether a site where skeletons, Army uniform and equipment had been found in Vilavotei was a mass grave. The Magistrate said the Police should immediately start the excavation process. A few days earlier a farmer detected a part of a uniform similar to the one worn by the Army and skeletal remains while he was preparing his paddy field. He informed the Police, who arrived at the site more..

Aug 7 (EN) With three parliamentarians testing positive for COVID-19 on Friday, bringing total legislators infected in Sri Lanka to at least 18 to date, concerns have been raised over the possibility of a parliament cluster. Ruling SLPP legislators Rohana Dissanayaka (Matale district) and Thisakutti Arachchi (Badulla district) along with SJB MP Dilip Wedaarachchi tested positive for the virus on Friday, Serjeant-at- Arms said. more..

Aug 7 (FT) Colombo stock market bounced back yesterday after suffering one of the steepest falls in recent times whilst it ended the week with an average turnover of Rs. 5 billion, reflecting higher investor activity. All Share Price Index gained by over 1% or 87 points and the S&PSL20 improved by 0.6%, or 18 points. Turnover improved to Rs. 4 billion, from Rs. 3.5 billion on Thursday when the ASPI and S&P declined by over 2%. During the week, ASPI and S&P SL20 lost 0.26% and more..

Aug 7 (Island) Mobile vaccination centres would be set up in the Colombo Municipal Council area soon, General Shavendra Silva said. Army was planning to go from one neighbourhood to another to vaccinate people. The decision to launch the mobile service was made at the NOCPCO meeting held on Thursday. General Silva added that more than one million jabs of Sinopharm had been allocated for the second dose and that most people had been given the second dose of AstraZeneca vaccine. more..

Aug 7 (FT) A total of 2,794 persons tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday, raising the country�s total COVID-19 detections to 324,223. Of this, a total of 117 are of the Delta variant, as 56 Delta variant samples were detected yesterday after 94 random samples from across the island were tested. When asked if this number was accurate, Health Ministry Spokesperson Dr. Hemantha Herath said it was not accurate as it could be more..

Aug 7 (FT) An online system has been made available to the public to obtain copies of birth, marriage, and death certificates. This facility has been introduced to reduce difficulties in requesting copies of birth, marriage, and death certificates during the ongoing COVID pandemic crisis. Accordingly, the system can be accessed at rgd.gov.lk. using a mobile device or desktop computer while the relevant payments can be made online using MasterCard or Visa cards. more..

Aug 7 (DM) Posts claiming that there is a bomb threat in two leading five-star hotels in Colombo and in places in Bambalapitiya, Wellawatta, Mirihana, Nugegoda, Mount Lavinia and Dehiwala are completely false and people have been urged not to panic, the Police said. General Shavendra Silva also confirmed that these reports were false and the panic had spread as a result of a post, which had circulated on social media, soon after the Easter attacks in 2019, being re-edited & circulated more..

Aug 7 (Island) COVID-19 deaths would rise rapidly in the near future as the number of patients who needed high-flow oxygen had increased rapidly, Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA) President, Dr. Padma Gunaratne said yesterday. Dr. Gunaratne said that members of the general public needed to act more responsibly to prevent the collapse of the health sector. During the first two waves of the pandemic, more..

Aug 7 (FT) A 24-hour call centre, reachable via the 1390 hotline, has been introduced as part of the Patient Home Isolation and Management System (PHIMS) for low-risk COVID-19 patients between ages two and 65 years who are asymptomatic or only show mild symptoms. A call centre and medical care team will observe the patient for a period of 14 days and take steps to arrange hospitalisation for any patient requiring urgent medical care. The guidelines for homecare for Covid patients more..

Aug 7 (FT) SL�s COVID-19 death toll neared 5,000 with the confirmation of 98 COVID-19 deaths on Thursday. Of Thursday�s COVID-19 deaths, 54 were male and 44 were female. Of the total fatalities, 2,853 fatalities were male and 2,066 fatalities were female. COVID-19 fatalities confirmed on Thursday include 70 persons over the age of 60, 27 persons between ages 30 and 59, and one person below the age of 30. 74.96% of the total fatalities were over the age of 60, 23.81% were between ages more..

Aug 7 (Island) Deputy Director General of Health Services, Dr. Hemantha Herath yesterday told the media that he might not be allowed to speak to the media again if he spoke candidly about the trajectory of the pandemic in the coming days. Dr. Herath made this statement when a journalist asked him to comment candidly on the situation Sri Lankans would face in the coming days. �There are a lot of new cases. more..

Aug 7 (FT) Well, the alarmists are at it again, and their divorce from data continues. Dire predictions are rolled out, based on increasing positive tests and a spike in daily deaths being reported. Medical prognosticators indicate that relaxing of restrictions should have happened when vaccination goals were met and cases truly plateaued, perhaps in four to eight weeks. In a brief flirtation with reality, they concede the suffering imposed on the people (perhaps these good more..

Aug 7 (MFA) Addressing the first International Forum on COVID-19 Vaccine Cooperation held virtually on 5 Aug, Foreign Minister Gunawardena called for enhanced global efforts to forge closer cooperation between countries to enable the availability and affordability of COVID-19 vaccines to everyone in line with SDG 3 target to ensure access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all. While highlighting GoSL�s success in vaccinating more than 90% of more..

Aug 7 (DM) SJB MP Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka yesterday said he is not against the proposed Kotelawala Defence Uni but he would not approve charging fees for courses. Speaking during the debate on the registrations imposed under Emigration Immigration Act, MP Fonseka said charging fees will prevent the poor students from gaining access to education. �I also don�t approve criticizing of Security Forces,� commented MP Fonseka. more..

Aug 7 (Island) The Principals and teachers unions had not yet decided to change their tactics to win their demands, Ceylon Teachers Union (CTU) General Secretary, Joseph Stalin said yesterday. When asked whether they would change tactics, after a number of health unions and prominent individuals, including former election commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya called for an end to public protests, Stalin said that they would soon meet a number of stakeholders and take a decision. more..

Aug 7 (AD) The govt has urged the members of public not to go out unnecessarily as Delta variant of concern of SARS-CoV-2 is spreading at an alarming speed. In a notice, Dept of Govt Information stated that approximately 1.5% of virus infections end in deaths. �Every individual is at risk of contracting the virus,� the department stressed, appealing to the public to get themselves vaccinated against COVID-19 without delay. more..

Aug 7 (EN) The slowdown in property price gains in Colombo (disinflation) had ended with a near double digit annual gain, according to an index compiled by the country�s central bank. Land, residential and commercial property prices inflated a little under 20% in 2018 amid a strong economy recovery where pro-cyclical liquidity injections to target an output gap triggered a currency crisis and a credit slowdown. In 2018 the economy was recovering from an earlier currency crisis in 2015/2018, more..