Jul 17 (TM) Govt is attempting to solve a non-existent problem with the import ban on chemical fertilisers, alleges the former chairperson of the Sri Lanka Tea Board Rohan Pethiyagoda. �I have not come across any evidence either in Sri Lanka or overseas that our tea is not safe. So it looks to me like the problem that the Govt is trying to solve is a problem that does not exist,� said Pethiyagoda. more..

Jul 17 (ST) The newly-constructed Sky Pet Animal Hospital of the SL Air Force was declared open at Guwanpura, Borella. On the invitation of the Commander of the Air Force, Air Marshal Sudarshana Pathirana, the hospital was declared open by First Lady Ioma Rajapaksa. Mrs Rajapaksa unveiled the plaque, after which she cut the ceremonial ribbon and declared open the pet hospital. She also made the first registration of a pet and was given a tour of the hospital where more..

Jul 17 (NR) Minister of Finance Basil Rajapaksa says the govt has given priority to take measure to fully reopen the country to manage the economy and provide concessions to the general public. The Finance Minister made this observation when he met with a group of Heads of Local Govt bodies at Temple Tress today. Minister Basil Rajapaksa said the present administration lost multiple local and international revenue streams due to the closure of the country on several occasions more..

Jul 17 (ST) As SL battles the COVID-19 pandemic set off by a spiked virus, another epidemic has been holding the agricultural heartland of the country in its vice-like grip. This is the spiral-shaped bacteria spreading Leptospirosis or Rat Fever, usually the poor person�s disease for which SL is a hotspot. Even in these challenging times though, diligent medical researchers based in Anuradhapura have not abandoned the humble farmers more..

Jul 17 (FT) As part of its emergency response efforts to help combat the COVID-19 pandemic in the country, Muslim Aid Sri Lanka, with the funding support of UNHCR donated essential medical equipment worth Rs. 5.5 million to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the Colombo South Teaching Hospital (CSTH) recently. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) received a High Flow Nasal Oxygen Therapy apparatus, a C-PAP/B-PAP machine and a Multipara monitor. more..

Jul 17 (PMD) SL received a multi-day fishing vessel monitoring system that contributes to ensure maritime security, under a financial grant from Australia. Australian High Commissioner David Holly said the monitoring system would help in preventing illegal fishing, ensuring border protection and security in Indian Ocean Region, preventing human and drug trafficking and rescuing fishermen in distressed vessels. The monitoring system consisting of 4,200 transponders, more..

Jul 18 (SO) Judging by recent developments, SL could well be on its way to a full re-opening of the country by September, as envisaged by Prez Rajapaksa in his recent Address to the Nation. The same sentiment was recently expressed by Army Commander General Shavendra Silva, who heads anti-Covid drive. There are several developments that can indeed make this a reality. Vaccination is the key to re-opening and SL has been extremely lucky in terms of procuring vaccines more..

Jul 18 (TM) For a govt that has shown signs of hypersensitivity to its carefully curated image, the forced quarantining of trade union leaders has proven to be an unmitigated public relations disaster. In what is increasingly proving to be a mission gone wrong, the Govt is scrambling to save face not only locally but internationally too with the tide turning against it on multiple fronts, following the arbitrary police action to force the trade union leaders into quarantine. more..

Jul 18 (SO) Minister of Wildlife and Forest Conservation C.B. Ratnayake said that there is no crisis within the Govt and no room will be provided for that to happen as well. All issues within the Govt will be sorted out amicably through discussions. Minister said the prime objective of the Govt is to uplift the standards of the entire people of the country socially, economically and politically. He said �We all act like children of one family. more..

Jul 18 (TM) Basil Rajapaksa, who recently took over the finance portfolio, is working overtime to fulfil his pledge to the public and the Govt led by Prez Rajapaksa and PM Rajapaksa by providing solutions to the country�s economic issues. Basil seems determined not to leave any stone unturned in his quest to overcome the country�s economic challenges and has set out an inclusive path to overcome the present economic quagmire. The importance of Basil�s role in the Govt more..

Jul 18 (CT) This pandemic is testing the moral fiber of our politicians. It is testing the mettle of our institutions dealing with public health and public order. The spontaneous portrait of Joseph Stalin � the Teachers Union Leader in people�s minds is that of a hero who stood up to the tyranny of power. After eight days in the health gulag in Mullaitivu, Joseph Stalin is finally free. Thanks to social media we know more about the man named after the Soviet Leader who led Russia after Lenin. more..

Jul 18 (TM) Amidst claims that SL�s economy is on the edge of a crisis with limited external finance, massive foreign debt repayments, and inadequate capacity of govt measures to ease mounting poverty, State Minister Ajith Nivard Cabraal assured that the Govt�s plans would stimulate economic growth. He said that the country envisions further growth in the economy since the country�s macro fundamentals are moving more..

Jul 18 (CT) Three articles last week by three widely read commentators, Kumar David, Ameer Ali, and Dayan Jayatilleka provide a remarkable instance of convergence in the diagnosis of the current political situation and prescriptions for its treatment. It might be trite and commonplace to say that many people in SL are quite unhappy with what the no-longer-new Prez and his govt are doing, or a are not capable of doing. But it is a function of the art of politics to elaborate on popular dissatisfaction more..

Jul 18 (SO) Defence Secretary Gen. Kamal Gunaratne responding to the media regarding the damage to Mannar religious shrines by pelting stones recently said that directives were given to the law enforcing agencies to conduct an inquiry with immediate effect to nab all those involved. He also pledged that every action would be taken to prevent the recurrence of similar incidents in future by executing legal proceedings against the wrongdoers. The Defence Secretary and Chairperson of more..

Jul 18 (ST) What happened to school-going children like the idiom what happened to the man who fell from the tree and got gored by the bull. For this entire week, secondary school principals, teachers, non-academic employees and external staff across the country have stopped online teaching, condemning the ham-handed action that subjected their union Secretary and other activists to mandatory quarantine after being arrested, and despite being granted bail for protesting more..

Jul 18 (ST) My dear Namal baby, I thought I should write to you because everyone is concerned about something that is very near and dear to most of us and they are relying on you to ensure that it stays that way. No, I am not thinking of the Royal family of which you are the Crown Prince, but the future of Sri Lanka cricket. You don�t have to be a genius to realise that our cricket is at its lowest point in half a century, 25 years after Captain Cool led our country to its highest-ever sporting honour, more..

Jul 18 (ST) Nuwara Eliya SJB MP Palani Thigambaram has been missing from Parliament in recent months. It turned out that he had been abroad on a personal visit and on three-months leave from sittings. He returned to the country early this month and attended a meeting at Sirikota, the party under which he contested in the past before joining with the breakaway SJB group. When asked by one of his confidants as more..

Jul 18 (Island) Wild Life and Nature Protection Society of SL, established in 1894 when we were Ceylon under the British Empire, has over one and a quarter centuries rendered yeoman service for the preservation of our rapidly vanishing wilderness. Thus the alert it sounded last week that there may, we repeat may, be a possible attempt to intrude into the Yala National Park by the construction of an illegal road must be taken seriously. WNPS is not accusing anybody, least of all the Govt, more..

Jul 18 (SO) SL�s boxing chief Dian Gomes slammed the National Olympic Committee (NOC) where he is persona non-grata as being �politically driven� and indulging in unethical vote-buying practices which he said are against the norms of proper financial governance. He also debunked the notion that boxing depends on wildcards or Tripartite Invitation places to participate in the Olympics, accusing the NOC of giving step motherly treatment to national sports associations like boxing more..

Jul 18 (ST) A depleted, decimated and a demoralised SL will start this afternoon against a still-strong second string India in the tour-opening first ODI, to be played behind closed-doors at 3pm in an all-day-night tour at the R. Premadasa Stadium. Host come into the contest in horrendous form with on-and-off the field fiascoes. The severely depleted side would be led by yet another new 50-over captain for the umpteenth time, more..

Jul 18 (SO) We are only five days away from the launch of the world�s most spectacular sporting event � the Olympic Games, the XXX11 edition of the summer Olympic Games, postponed exactly by a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic that will finally start in the Japanese capital of Tokyo on Friday, July 23. Over 11,200 athletes drawn across 206 nations from all corners of the globe will vie for honours for supremacy during the 16-day competition, now in its 125th year. All in all, there are 339 gold, more..

Jul 18 (Island) Not too long ago, a friend of mine observed that many if not most NGOs, in their quest for values such as transparency and reconciliation, embark on lavishly funded projects that target a broad audience, yet appeal to a narrow base. Exhibitions at galleries in and around Colombo, discussions with foreign experts in Colombo hotels, and art, essay, and photography competitions: these, she pointed out to me, tend to leave out people who matter to those who want to more..

Jul 18 (TM) The cross-country pipeline from Colombo Port to Kolonnawa, the absence of which has caused losses of millions of rupees to the country, is yet to make notable progress, with it still being at its procurement stage. The project is yet to be awarded to a contractor and added that he is unaware of the reasons for the delay in doing so. Construction of a cross-country pipeline, which was launched in 2015, more..

Jul 18 (TM) The Covid-19 pandemic spread across the world at an unprecedented rate, forcing the WHO to declare it a global pandemic. This resulted in lockdowns, curfews, travel bans, and various guidelines that surrounded the theme of social distancing on a global scale. Many industries that were thriving prior to the pandemic faced massive revenue losses, forcing entire economies to take a step back and re-evaluate the situation. Naturally, the event management industry was one of more..

Jul 18 (ST) It�s being 16-days since Niroshan Dickwella, Kusal Mendis and Danushka Gunathilaka were flown home after allegedly breaching the team�s bio-secure bubble during SL�s recent tour to England, but no show-cause letters have been issued. The trio are facing disciplinary inquiry following the highly-publicised unauthorised late-night-out fiasco, which showed them roaming the city without adhering even to the basic health guideline of wearing a mask. more..

Jul 18 (ST) In what has become representative of the times, empty stadiums will host events of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, which starts in Japan this week, despite the emergence of positive cases amongst those travelling for the games and widespread public opposition. The Tokyo games� organisers have repeatedly attempted to allay concerns from Japanese residents, who fear event could become a super spreader for virus, more..

Jul 18 (Island) The Cricket Committee chaired by former great Aravinda de Silva and comprising some of the finest brains to have played the game is one of the best things to have happened for the game in the last ten years. Methodically, they seem to be building up a structure which will make domestic cricket and the game at grass root levels stronger and it will help in the longer run. But there are also one or two areas they need to bring their expertise in and maybe put their foot down. more..

Jul 18 (ST) New entrepreneurs are being encouraged in doing business by offering unprecedented tax breaks and other concessions and introducing financial sector reforms. As an initial step 50% tax concession will be offered for the years 2021/2022 for such companies that are listed before 31 Dec 2021 and to maintain a corporate tax rate of 1% for the subsequent 3 years, a top Treasury official said. 50% concession for the first year and 14% tax rate for next 3 years will be granted more..

Jul 18 (CT) Moving with lightning speed, Prez Rajapaksa has appointed convicted murderer Duminda Silva his Chairman of National Housing Authority, dealing another crushing blow to his electoral pledge of technocratic, intellectual governance. A letter under the signature of presidential secretary Dr. P.B. Jayasundera, has notified the Secretary to Ministry of Rural Housing and Construction of Silva�s appointment more..

Jul 18 (ST) The debt-ridden Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) is heading towards an unprecedented financial crisis due to a dollar shortage in state banks to settle its fuel import payment bills when clearing shipments from the port. The CPC had to face severe difficulties in clearing its recent crude oil shipment which arrived on July 5 at the port and another refined petrol cargo is expected on Thursday July 22, a high ranking Customs official told the Business Times. more..

Jul 18 (ST) In the light of recent cybercrimes rising at an alarming rate and most recently the sexual trafficking case which left the country dumbfounded has led the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRC) to act swiftly to deal with cybercrimes and criminals. As a first step, the telco regulator is amending the archaic law the authority is currently empowered with. �The TRC received the cabinet approval to amend the TRC Act nearly three weeks ago. more..

Jul 18 (ST) CEB has signed operation and maintenance advisory services (O&M) contracts worth around US$ 67mn�amounting to Rs 13.3bn at prevailing rates�with China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC) in the ten years since its commissioning of the Lakvijaya power plant, some of them without prior Cabinet approval. CEB is unable to settle around US$ 20mn (Rs 4bn) of these contracted amounts since more..

Jul 18 (ST) Sri Lanka Cricket has sent workers in breach of strict Covid 19 protocols in place for the supplementary squad of players training at the R Premadasa Stadium, resulting in cricketer Sandun Weerakkody contracting the virus. Weerakkody, who was called up for training by national selectors in one of the two backup squads, tested positive on July 10, two-days after two support staff of the national team that toured England tested positive for the Delta variant. more..

Jul 18 (Island) Sri Lanka has over 50% living below the poverty line, and the malnutrition rate is estimated to be 18%. It is obvious that first priority should be given to relief of hunger. Then to fighting the COVID 19 epidemic, a health care problem. It is after relieving these that money should be devoted to infrastructure like highways. But in Sri Lanka it appears to be the other way round. Health care is a priority, but even on this aspect, are we acting sensibly? more..

Jul 18 (TM) The matter of handing over the 40% share of the Yugadanavi Power Plant to a US-based power company would be taken up by the Cabinet on Monday. The matter was not discussed at the previous meeting and was scheduled to be taken up at the upcoming meeting. However, allegations have been levelled against the Govt by the Opposition that cabinet approval had already been obtained last Monday (12) to hand over more..

Jul 18 (TM) Health Ministry assures that the data on vaccination of people against Covid-19 since January this year was secure, available, and had not been misplaced. Public Health Services Deputy Director General Dr. Hemantha Herath said some health workers recorded the data on books and that data would be fed manually to be computerised. General Shavendra Silva raised concerns regarding data of nearly 300,000 people who were vaccinated during first vaccination drive. more..

Jul 18 (TM) SL is scheduled to receive several consignments of Covid-19 vaccines over the course of the upcoming weeks. State Minister Prof. Channa Jayasumana said: �The country is to receive two million doses of the Sinopharm vaccine, which would probably arrive in the island on 22 or 23 July, and it is a commercial purchase of State Pharmaceuticals Corporation (SPC).� Furthermore, the country is set to receive 1.6 million doses of the Sinopharm vaccine as a donation from the Chinese Govt, more..

Jul 18 (ST) Three of the 8-member Expert Advisory Panel for COVID-19 vaccines of SL�s drug regulator resigned yesterday, soon after National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) Board granted approval for the use of the Chinese vaccine, Sinovac, on Friday. The letter of resignation signed by immunologist Dr. Rajiva de Silva, virologist Dr. Kanthi Nanayakkara and respiratory physician Prof. Channa Ranasinghe, more..