Dec 20 (CT) The news last week that the Govt of SL had decided to pay USD 6.7 million (including the USD 5 million cash deposit) to the Chinese fertiliser company Qingdao Seawin Biotech on the advice of the AG's Dept to remanufacture the fertiliser to comply with required standards before sending it to Sri Lanka was not entirely surprising because the Letter of Credit (LC) is active and the contract to send five consignments from more..

Dec 20 (ST) Even at the brink, if not firmly in the abyss of moral, legal and financial bankruptcy as a nation, SL�s vicious peddlars of racial and communal hatred continue unabated with their grisly mischief. This week, utter confusion reigned in regard to the reinstatement (or not) of a Muslim medical professional accused of forced sterilisation in 2019. We may recall that no evidence existed then or surfaced later, to substantiate that allegation. Indeed some women who brought the charges more..

Dec 20 (DM) In SL, in recent times Parliaments were prorogued for achieving, other objectives. The committees including the COPE and COPA stand dissolved except for three; and when the House meets again, they have to reappoint fresh committees; an opportunity to appoint more affable Chairmen, and also they could even delay the process. Both watchdog committees have been exposing massive frauds, wastes and corruption in the current and Yahapalana Govts. more..

Dec 20 (CT) In Feb 2020, the Doha agreement was signed between the US and the Taliban, whereby it was agreed that US forces stationed in Afghanistan would be withdrawn within 14 months. The agreement was signed without the involvement of the democratically elected Govt of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan headed by former Prez Ashraf Ghani. As soon as the American forces started withdrawing, despite more..

Dec 20 (TM) International Human Solidarity Day falls today (20), at a time when the world is in desperate need of unity among the people in order to face increasing poverty and the seemingly endless Covid-19 pandemic. The world does not have a shortage of people who can help. However, there is definitely a shortage of people who actually help. Solidarity is one of the most discussed topics in Sri Lanka but it has long been limited to a concept and has never truly been implemented. more..

Dec 20 (CT) Southern Expressway (EO1) is a marvel of modern engineering and a testament to SL�s post-war progress. Completed in November 2011, the 222 km multi-lane elevated highway links Colombo to key locations in the south, shortening travel times to destinations such as Galle, Matara and Hambantota to just a couple of hours compared to the long, but scenic jaunt on the A2 Galle-Colombo Highway that meanders along the south-western coast. more..

Dec 20 (ST) Christmas has come early this year for the political class of Lanka. Shortly before the President�s own departure in the wee hours of Monday morning to Singapore on a two day private visit with his wife, he prorogued Parliament, sending its 225 members on a compulsory 5 week holiday till January 18 next year. Prez and wife returned on Wednesday morning. But hours before the First Couple�s arrival home, Minister Basil Rajapaksa had packed his bags and left the country more..

Dec 20 (Island) Head of the PHI union, Upul Rohana, has flayed some Health Ministry panjandrums for lowering their guard although the daily count of Covid-19 infections is still very high. He has said complacency has to be avoided, and health regulations must be ramped up in view of the highly transmissible omicron variant of coronavirus spreading in the country. Sadly, Rohana has drawn flak from some social media activists who want the country kept open regardless of a possible more..

Dec 20 (CT) The debate on the inclusion of religion and ethnicity in SL birth certificates has been persistent while many welcomed proposals to include the term Sri Lankan as opposed to ethnicity and religion. Previously there were reports that ethnicity, religion and marital status of parents will be removed from the new birth certificate but was rejected by Registrar General N.C. Vithanage who stated that while more..

Dec 20 (EN) SL based information technology company, NCINGA said it designed and installed a core-transport network for Fiji Telecom which will provide high speed connections and also built a cloud based data centre services for private and state agencies. NCINGA had designed and implemented Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) and Multiprotocol Label Switching technology optical multiplexing technology across Fiji Telecom�s fibre wireless network more..

Dec 20 (FT) COVID-19 vaccines were administered to 61,827 persons on Saturday and 74.27% of the country�s population has received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine. 64.23% of the population has received the second dose as well. 15,967,577 persons have received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 13,809,954 persons have received the second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. The booster dose has been administered to 2,430,484 persons and the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is more..

Dec 20 (FT) The Govt on Saturday faulted and strongly disputed what it described as hurried downgrading of SL's international sovereign rating to CC (Very high levels of credit risk) from CCC (Substantial credit risk). In a statement the Govt said Fitch Ratings in its hasty move demonstrating its failure to recognise the positive developments taking place in SL, in an environment in which the entire world is grappling more..

Dec 20 (FT) SL�s COVID-19 detections rose to 579,685 with the detection of 1,246 COVID-19 positive persons over the weekend. 551 COVID-19 patients were detected yesterday, all of which were from the New Year cluster. 6,504 PCR tests were conducted yesterday. On Saturday, 8,815 PCR tests and 4,415 rapid antigen tests were conducted and 695 COVID-19 patients from the New Year cluster were detected. Of the total COVID-19 detections, 474,979 persons are from New Year cluster, more..

Dec 20 (CT) A calm half century by Janith Liyanage kept Dambulla Giants� hopes alive for the LPL final as they beat Colombo Stars by 6 wickets in the eliminator played in Hambanthota yesterday. Chasing 146 to win, Dambulla Giants lost opener Niroshan Dickwella in the very first delivery, shortly followed by Sandun Weerakkody, leaving them two down for 20 in the fourth over. Phil Salt (32) and Liyanage added 48 for the third wicket keeping their chances alive. After Salt was dismissed, more..

Dec 20 (FT) Asian Development Bank (ADB) has entered into an agreement to invest up to $ 80 million in John Keells Holdings PLC (JKH) to boost the country�s food value chain and promote economic growth and job creation. The investment will be a two-phase private placement to support the expansion of JKH�s modern retail and distribution infrastructure as part of a multibusiness corporate capital expenditure program, through an initial investment of $ 50 million with an option more..

Dec 20 (FT) Tokyo Cement Group recently commissioned operations of the newly expanded capacity at the Tokyo Cement Colombo Port Terminal in a soft opening ceremony. The event is the culmination of a Rs. 2.5 billion worth investment by the cement giant, held under the auspices of Managing Director S.R. Gnanam and Executive Director Christopher Fernando. This operations expansion further reiterates the company�s commitment to boost the local economy as more..

Dec 20 (EN) Minister Vasudewa Nanayakkara who has been agitating from within against a controversial power generation deal has proposed that essential foods and fuel be sold on a coupon basis. He told reporters that the price of essential food items in SL has reached unbearable levels. �As a solution to this, we propose that essential foods be sold on a coupon basis to low income people,� he said. more..

Dec 20 (CT) Young talented players from five Districts in the North (Jaffna, Mullaitivu, Kilinochchi, Mannar and Vavuniya) have joined hands to form Solve Cricket team. Training has commenced in earnest under the watchful eyes of Coach Vinothkumar and Team Manager Ashok. An under-23 team travelled to Colombo last week to play against a Bloomfield under-23 X1 on 13 December. They have some outstanding bowlers in Darveen, James and Piriyalaxan, and more..

Dec 20 (Island) The SL Sailing Nationals 2021 concluded on Dec 11 after two days of sailors of all ages battling it out on the clear waters of the Bolgoda Lake. With a record number of 117 sailors fighting for the coveted titles under clear skies on December 10 and 11 at this year�s nationals, the races concluded with clear wins as well as close shaves. SL Navy emerged as winners in five of the seven classes including the GP14, Enterprise, Laser Standard, Laser Radial and Windsurfing. more..

Dec 20 (ST) Concerns and worries on many issues linked not only to Omicron, the latest Variant of Concern but also whether the booster should be taken and whether it is safe are gripping the people of Sri Lanka. The anxiety has heightened as health officials declared that four people infected by Omicron had been identified. With the Sunday Times receiving many such queries, we asked Consultant Immunologist, more..

Dec 20 (Island) Some academics and graduands of the Colombo Uni boycotted their convocation during the past 3 days at the BMICH, Colombo in protest against the appointment of Ven Muruththettuwe Ananda Thera as the Chancellor of the Uni. Some graduands abstained from obtaining their degree certificates from Ven Ananda Thera by walking past him at the graduation ceremony. When the names of graduands were called to accept their degree certificates they went to the stage but just more..

Dec 20 (FT) A victim of burn injuries resulting from a gas stove defect has sued the manufacturer and seller of the stove for Rs. 4.5 million in damages. The petitioner, Anoma Wasanthi of Pilyandala, had filed a civil suit in the District Court of Colombo under Case No. DMR 147/15, citing the manufacturer (Singer SL PLC) and the dealer (Paradise Lanka Marketing Services Ltd.) that sold the stove. Senior Counsel Ian Fernando appearing with Senior Counsel Sumudu Ratnayake for more..

Dec 20 (FT) Global Rubber Industries (GRI) recently acquired specialty tyre company Protyre in the Baltics. With the acquisition of Protyre in Estonia, and together with its previous acquisition of Nortire, GRI said it had now strengthened its position to service the material handling, agriculture and OEM customers, throughout the Baltics region. �The acquisition of Protyre is another significant step in GRI�s expansion plans in the Baltics and is a part of GRI�s overall strategy in terms of expanding more..

Dec 20 (FT) With local manufacturers assuring 80% self-sufficiency in ceramic manufacturing the Govt will continue its policy of import restriction and import substitution, Minister Wimal Weerasinghe said recently. �Not only in tile and ceramics, but a lot of businesses had to face hardships with the introduction of import restrictions due to the devaluation of the rupee and dwindling of foreign reserves. As such the Govt will not turn back on its policy of import substitution and encouraging more..

Dec 20 (AD) Discipline of the highest degree is one of the most important aspects in a military officer�s life, says Prez Rajapaksa. �Optimism, self-belief, and confidence in yourself and those in your teams will be at the heart of your success,� he said, while participating at the 96th Commissioning Parade of the SL Military Academy, Diyatalawa. �The attention you pay to simple tasks builds discipline, it fosters attention to detail, and more..

Dec 20 (DM) The got has launched novel programme to prepare an error free House Holders Register (HHR) utilizing a community based database of e -Grama Niladhari project. Ministry of Home Affairs prepares the HHR annually via Grama Niladharis and the information in the HHR like the place of residency, occupation, land ownership etc are used by the public for all official matters. A set of instructions issued by the Presidential Secretariat says that numerous issues have occured more..

Dec 20 (DM) How the graduates of the Colombo University acted during the convocation ceremony was exemplary and a great move, Ven. Omalpe Sobitha Thera said today. The prelate told a news conference held in Embilipitiya that graduates of the Colombo University had displayed their self-respect and that the President and the Govt should realize their message. Ven. Sobitha Thera said all religious leaders including the Mahanayakes and social activists should take this as a lesson. more..

Dec 20 (TM) The controversial Yugadanavi deal was proposed to the Govt of SL by New Fortress Energy (NFE) Head of Power Jatila Ranasinghe and was mediated by two individuals, one a Board Director at a leading conglomerate in SL as well as a former PC member, and the other, CEB Chairman M.M.C. Ferdinando. �Yugadanavi agreement was initially proposed by Jatila Ranasinghe, and the local agents are more..

Dec 20 (DM) Free Media Movement (FMM) said over the weekend that a Initial agreement had been reached for a code of ethics for digital journalism together with a programme to bring together digital journalists. A set of principles for digital media professionals and a code of ethics for digital journalists are expected to be published in the next few days, the FMM said. These principles were formulated collectively through a broader participatory process based on the MOU, more..

Dec 20 (Island) National Cleaner Production Centre (NCPC) SL will hold its 2nd International Conference at a time a huge number of environmental events draw the world�s attention to saving the planet Earth, Several international speakers from renowned international organisations in the field, will share their insights at the conference titled, Resource Efficiency and Circular Economy, which will be held at the Waters Edge on 19th Jan 2022, The audience of the forum will mainly comprise more..

Dec 20 (TM) Govt has decided to make it mandatory for people to have Covid-19 vaccination cards in possession when entering public places from 1 Jan 2022, according to Minister Prasanna Ranatunga. He said that govt has decided to make the Covid-19 vaccination cards mandatory when entering public places from 1 Jan 2022. He also said that Ministry of Health is taking necessary steps to implement the said decision. more..

Dec 20 (FT) COVID-19 pandemic that has been hitting the entire globe since Nov 2019 has been disruptive of economic, social, cultural, and political landscapes of all peoples of the world. Within the two-year time period from Nov 2019 to Nov 2021, 271 million persons accounting for 3% of the world population became victims of the virus. Number of deaths so far has been over five million people. Pandemic is not yet fully subdued. more..

Dec 20 (FT) The country is nearing a major electricity crisis, as CEB failed to implement any major power project since Norochcholai in 2015, although a number of tenders were called for electric power generation. The CEB�s latest tender to convert existing and future power plants into Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) stored in a Floating Storage and Regassification Unit and a pipeline system delivering gas to power plants. Meanwhile, Prez Rajapaksa agreed to award the LNG supply to more..

Dec 20 (AD) The 8-member presidential committee appointed to look into the recent LP gas-related incidents has handed over its final report to Prez Rajapaksa. Prez had appointed the committee on Nov 30 to look into the recent incidents of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinder fires and explosions that have occurred at domestic, commercial and sales outlets in various parts of the country. The committee had also been tasked with finding possible causes of the problem in order to more..

Dec 20 (CT) Police Children and Women�s Bureau has launched an extensive investigation into the disappearance of two children from Kotadeniyawa. They have been missing for more than 26 days. DIG Investigations at the Bureau Renuka Jayasundara said, an investigations team, led by an Assistant Superintendent of Police, has been appointed to investigate the case of missing children. According to reports, the investigations team have already taken statements and studied telephone data. more..

Dec 20 (EN) Anura Kumara Dissanayake, leader of NPP, an opposition coalition led by the Marxist-Lenninist JVP, on Monday declared the party�s willingness to lead the country. Addressing a convention of NPP agents/ representatives at the Monarch Imperial in Colombo, Dissanayake acknowledged a pledge made by the NPP membership to turn the party into a people�s movement with the capacity to mobilise. more..