Aug 6 (FT) SL�s COVID-19 detections rose to 321,429 with 2,674 persons testing positive for COVID-19 yesterday. The Divulapitiya, Peliyagoda, Prisons and New Year clusters have expanded to 312,834 patients as yesterday�s detections include 2,669 persons from the New Year cluster. The cumulative patient count of the clusters includes 216,429 persons from the New Year cluster, 82,785 persons from more..

Aug 6 (FT) Teejay Lanka PLC has made an encouraging start to FY 2021-22 with solid top and bottom line growth in the three months ending 30 June, shrugging off the pandemic-imposed shackles that retarded Q1 growth last year and overcoming the impact of the third wave of COVID-19 on the industry. SL�s largest textile manufacturer more than doubled revenue to Rs 10.4 billion at Group level for the three months posting growth of 119%, achieved a 27-fold improvement in its profit before tax more..

Aug 6 (DN) Gaja Holdings a multinational conglomerate associated with global organizations and joint ventures is building Sri Lanka�s first Cold Storage facility in Meerigama on an one acre land and the largest grated housing for employees. The total investment for the two projects would be Rs. 5 billion. Gaja Holdings, CEO, Gayath Jayasinghe said that the Cold Storage facility, a first of its kind in Sri Lanka would be a joint venture with a Malaysian counterpart. more..

Aug 6 (CT) Medical officers raised serious concerns about the surging numbers of COVID-19 patients and deaths, with statistics showing at least three to four patients dying every hour. Vice President of Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA), Dr. Manilka Sumanatillake said that if the country was to win the race between the rapidly increasing COVID infections and the numbers being vaccinated it would have to re-impose stricter more..

Aug 6 (FT) The first-ever airport hotel at the Bandaranaike Int'l Airport has been announced to be operational by December next year. Promoted by Colombo Int'l Airport Hotels Ltd., the 185-room four star venture is poised to expand into a mega value addition to the expanding capacity of the BIA. �We are especially pleased with the timing of this project. This will not only add value to the BIA but also offer a unique option for the Free Trade Zone visitors as well as transit, crew and business travellers. more..

Aug 6 (CT) It has been recorded that 45,831 children have been infected with COVID-19 until now while 14 children have succumbed to the virus, Minister of Health Pavithra Wanniarachchi informed Parliament yesterday (5). Fifty per cent of deaths have been reported from the 0 � 5 year age group. Responding to a question by the Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa under the Standing Order 27/2, Wanniarachchi said that 19,688 of the cases are of children under 10 years of age. more..

Aug 6 (TM) A protest led by the Movement Against the Militarisation of Education, and the FUTA, at the Lipton Roundabout yesterday demanded that the Government completely and permanently withdraw the General Sir John Kotelawala National Defence University (KNDU) Bill, following a Govt statement on 4 August that the vote on the Bill will be delayed. �Military and civilian education should be completely separated. more..

Aug 6 (FT) In the political sense, SL can be considered as a country where the most indecent and uncivilised things happen frequently which usually do not occur in a civilised country. This phenomenon also can be considered as an important factor among several other factors that have contributed to the bankruptcy and the failed status of SL. The present Govt has committed a terrible mistake which no civilised govt should have committed. It has pursued a policy of more..

Aug 6 (FT) According to Reuters, the IMF recently approved a bailout worth nearly $ 449 million for OPEC member Congo Republic, giving a clear message to other nations struggling under the weight of large commercial debts and reeling from the impact of the pandemic to come to them for forex relief. Congo�s economy is worth around $ 50 billion in GDP terms and its debt levels have ballooned to 120% of GDP by 2020. This is despite having oil and being part of the OPEC. more..

Aug 6 (DM) NPP MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who raised concerns over the arrest of protesters by the policemen in civvies, today urged the Govt to adopt a proper procedure when making the arrests. He told Parliament that Policemen in civvies had arrested the protestors who were heading home after the protests and said it was totally unacceptable. "These policemen in civvies got onto the buses and arrested the protesters. Several university students have been abducted by more..

Aug 6 (DM) Imprisoned former MP Ranjan Ramanayake who is in remand at the Angunukolapelessa Prison tested positive with COVID-19. Prison Spokesman Chandana Ekanayake said that former MP who is serving a four-year prison sentence for contempt of court is being treated at the Angunukolapelessa COVID-19 treatment centre. He said the condition of Ramanayake is not critical. On Wednesday, Ranjan Ramanayake, attended his relative's funeral more..

Aug 6 (AD) Three MPs from SLPP and SJB have tested positive for COVID-19. Matale District SLPP MP Rohana Dissanayake, Badulla District SLPP MP Tissa Kuttiarachchi and Hambantota District SJB MP Dilip Wedaarachchi have contracted the virus. In a post published on his official Facebook page, the SJB parliamentarian said he was referred to a rapid antigen test due to a severe headache and was found to be positive for the virus. more..

Aug 6 (Island) UNP MP Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday told Parliament that the pandemic was not an issue that should be politicised and all should extend their support to the govt to save the lives of people. �All of us must join hands to overcome this crisis. The Cabinet should act fast without leaving that responsibility to a task force appointed for this purpose. In that sense, I regret to say that I share the remarks made by the Director General of Health Services with regard to more..

Aug 6 (AD) More individuals have been arrested by Talangama Police and Cinnamon Gardens Police in connection with the protest campaigns held within the last three days, says SDIG Ajith Rohana. Five of the suspects were taken into custody over the demonstration carried out near the entry road to Parliament on August 03 during which the OIC of Maharagama Police sustained critically injured. The officers of Talangala Police had made the arrests on Thursday (5). more..

Aug 6 (EN) A university student union leader was arrested by policemen in civvies in the early hours of Friday, the latest in a series of similar arrests that opposition MPs claim are emblematic of an alleged <>law of the jungle the govt is trying to perpetuate. Footage aired on NewsFirst network showed IUSF Convenor Wasantha Mudalige being handcuffed and arrested by police officers dressed in civilian clothing around 3am Friday more..

Aug 6 (CT) It was revealed, at the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) sitting this week, that the Dept of Probation and Childcare Services has failed to formulate a national policy to protect the rights of the child, enact relevant laws and formulate policies in line with international standards to safeguard the rights, development and protection of orphaned, abandoned and vulnerable children in Sri Lanka until now. In addition to that, COPA Chairman Prof. Tissa Vitharana pointed out more..

Aug 6 (AD) The body of a woman has been recovered from a gunny sack at a shop located in Valachchenai. On Thursday evening (5), Valachchenai Police had received a complaint about a missing woman. The 55-year-old had left her home in Valachchenai to go to the bank. While looking into the missing female, the police officers received a tip-off about two suspicious gunny sacks at a shop selling aquarium fish and aluminium equipment in the Valachchenai town. more..

Aug 6 (Island) SLPP National List MP Gevindu Cumaratunga yesterday said that the recent decision to call all public servants to return to work from this week should be immediately reversed against the backdrop of alarming situation at hospitals treating Covid-19 patients. �Let us not play politics. Several hospitals have declared an emergency situation as the daily caseload and deaths go up.� more..

Aug 6 (Island) Ministry of Labour, last year, recovered over Rs. 9 billion from companies that had not been contributing to the Employees� Provident Fund. According to the 2020 Annual Performance Report of the Ministry, Rs 5,065 million was recovered by issuing 12,232 first notices and Rs. 3,941 million was recovered by issuing 9,253 red notices. The Ministry states that 2.91 million employees have active EPF accounts with the Central Bank, while 167,352 new accounts more..

Aug 6 (EN) SL�s crepe rubber production at farms and some high-end rubber exports by multinationals could be hit as key ingredients in their manufacture are stuck at port, with banks unable to issue dollars amid money printing, industry officials warned. SL produces sought-after light-coloured crepe rubber and one of the ingredients that go into their making is sodium metabisulfite and sodium sulphite. But shipments are stuck at the port as money printing has triggered forex shortages, threatening more..

Aug 6 (EN) SL will not go into lockdown despite surging daily cases and deaths, though certain restrictions pertaining to public gatherings will be imposed, according to Gen Shavendra Silva. At an emergency meeting held with Prez Rajapaksa Friday on the COVID-19 situation in the country, it has been decided to limit wedding guests to 150 for weddings at reception halls with a seating capacity of over 500. more..

Aug 6 (Island) Two sea cucumber farms, managed by a Chinese company in Kilinochchi, recommenced its operations after fishermen�s associations in Jaffna and Kilinochchi said that they no longer opposed the farms. The operations of the two farms were stopped about a month ago due to protests by fishermen; the Chinese nationals working there left. Minister of Fisheries Douglas Devananda too threatened to take stern action if the sea cucumber farms operating allegedly without a licence. more..

Aug 6 (AD) Delta variant cases of COVID-19 detected in Sri Lanka so far now stand at 117, says Dr. Chandima Jeewandara, the Director of the Dept of Immunology & Molecular Medicine at Sri J'pura. The increase has been observed in an island-wide random sample check of COVID-infected individuals. Dr. Jeewandara also warned that the Delta variant is spreading in Colombo at an alarming rate. According to him, more than 75% of patients identified in Colombo last week are infected more..

Aug 6 (Island) Sri Lankan fishermen should adhere to globally accepted norms when operating in international waters, but the country should not agree to conditions that were impossible to implement due to local and regional conditions, Minister of Fisheries Douglas Devananda said. He made this statement during a meeting at the Ministry to discuss amendments to standards that SL fishermen should adhere to when operating in international waters. more..

Aug 6 (DM) Several professional bodies and political parties have pleaded the teachers and principals who are currently engaged in a massive protest campaign, to suspend all their protests for the sake of safety and health of the nation in the middle of this dreaded pandemic. Association of Medical Specialists (AMS) President Dr. Lakkumar Fernando requested the organisations of the teaching fraternity with respect to focus on the marauding spike in Covid-19 infections with the deadly more..

Aug 6 (PMD) President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has instructed the Heads of Health Services not to allow any patient coming to hospitals with COVID-19 symptoms to be inconvenienced. There has been an increase in the number of patients being treated at hospitals in several major Cities including Colombo due to COVID-19 symptoms. President emphasized that they should not be inconvenienced due to the congestion more..

Aug 6 (TM) Bishop of Kandy Vianney Fernando has written to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa proposing a number of reforms on behalf of the upcountry estate sector tea plantation communities, including land rights for workers, noting that line rooms are breeding grounds for abuse. This letter comes in the backdrop of the death of a 16-year-old girl hailing from the upcountry region, who was employed as a domestic worker at MP Rishad Bathiudeen�s house. Bishop Fernando had said that more..

Aug 6 (TM) A large number of people, the majority being elderly persons over 60 years of age, were seen waiting in long queues outside the National Hospital of Sri Lanka (NHSL) in Colombo yesterday (5) to obtain their first doses of the Sinopharm vaccine due to a distributional miscalculation. These elders had initially gone to the Covid-19 vaccination drives conducted at the Viharamahadevi Park and the National Institute of IDH but had been directed to the NHSL more..

Aug 6 (TM) A protest is scheduled to be held in Anuradhapura today (6) with the participation of nearly 10,000 teachers and principals to protest against what the protestors claim is the Govt�s failure to address the issue of the teacher-principal salary anomaly, and the arrest of more than 40 teachers and principals during a protest on 4 August near the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo. The teachers� and principals� trade unions more..

Aug 6 (AD) Prez Rajapaksa has directed the health authorities to make arrangements to administer the first dose of Sinopharm vaccines to those aged above 30 years at any vaccine centre rolling out the second dose. The govt has placed purchase orders for COVID vaccines in order to achieve the target of fully vaccinating the citizens above 18 years of age before this September. The govt is even ready to roll out a booster dose for the vaccinated individuals, the PMD added. more..

Aug 6 (DM) Former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando and former IGP Pujith Jayasundara were today ordered to be released on previous bail conditions by Colombo High Court Trial-at-Bar. Two former high ranking public officials were summoned before the Trial-at-Bar bench comprising High Court Judges Namal Balalle, Adithya Patabendi and Mohomed Irshadeen in connection with their criminal negligence and failure to prevent Easter Sunday Terrorist attacks. more..

Aug 6 (TM) Health Ministry is still undecided on the commencement of vaccinating schoolchildren and a final decision in that regard will be taken after the next meeting of the Advisory Committee on Communicable Diseases (ACCD), according to Family Health Bureau Maternal and Child Health Services Director. Advisor to the President Lalith Weeratunga, on 29 July, said that the Govt is currently looking into vaccinating more..

Aug 6 (DM) Those people who have been vaccinated with both the doses are still susceptible to get infected or succumb to virus until two weeks, the Health Ministry said today. Health Promotion Bureau Director Dr. Ranjith Batuwanthudawa told media that there is a wrong perception in the society that those who have been administered with both to the doses are fully protected. �There will be no protection for anyone who has got both shots until two weeks. more..

Aug 6 (AD) An amended circular on recalling state sector employees to work under new health guidelines has been published today (6). The communiqu� with amendments to Circular 02/2021(III) was issued by the Secretary to the Ministry of Public Services, Provincial Councils and Local Govt, J.J. Rathnasiri. The circular says that each public servant is required to report to the office at least three days per week. Accordingly, they will work from office on shift basis to ensure that more..

Aug 7 (DM) Sri Lanka is a nation which has seen many rebellions staged against the state or the government. These rebellions suggest that past govts have hardly been people friendly regimes. There is a section of the society which still maintains the idea that Sri Lanka would have been better off under British rule. But history shows us that the Ceylonese were brutally repressed during colonial times and their incomes were taxed with the introduction of taxes. more..

Aug 7 (Island) Sri Lanka is in dire economic strife, its politicians are a discredited lot, and are produced by a system that perpetuates corruption, inefficiency and ineffectiveness. Inter community harmony is as facile as the cloak of ritualism that passes as Buddhism. A new governance model is needed that meets the inherent psyche of its people, and which lessens the power of politicians and enhances the real power of people. It is strongly suggested that the concept of a Union of Regions authored more..

Aug 7 (CT) Minister Douglas Devananda has been struggling to enter clean politics while representing the Tamils of the North and East, but his dreams have never been realised. He says the Tamil people have always been misled and turned against him by Tamil politicos, which is why he has no mandate to implement what he thinks is right for the Tamil people. �When I returned from India I came to be part of the national efforts in more..