Dec 22 (CT) Two opinions were presented at the PCoI yesterday, as to whether the Attorney General's (AG’s) Coordinating Officer (CO), State Counsel Nishara Jayaratne insulted the Commission when she testified last week. The Chairman of the Commission said he observed that Jayaratne had given evidence in a manner that was insulting to the Commission, and that it was correct to take appropriate action against her in accordance more..

Dec 22 (DM) The decision to allow resumption of tuition classes will be announced after January 25, 2021, considering the candidates who will sit for the GCE (O/L) examination, Education Minister Prof. G.L. Pieris said. He said the O/L examination scheduled to be held on March 1, 2021. After a lengthy discussion with several officials, including the Health Minister and other health officials, he said the attention has been drawn on the opening of private tuition classes. more..

Dec 22 (DM) In addition to Russia, Germany and India have also sought to send their tourists to Sri Lanka, once the airport is open for normal tourism. The govt has planned to open the airport on Dec 26 for tourists and SL nationals stranded abroad to return to the country without prior approval from the Foreign Relations Ministry. Tourism Ministry Secretary Sunil Hettiarachchi said the health authorities had consented to entertain 300 tourists a day in adherence to strict health guidelines. more..

Dec 22 (FT) Divulapitiya, Peliyagoda and Prisons triple COVID-19 cluster that emerged on 4 Oct expanded to 33,954 patients with 364 persons testing positive for the virus yesterday. Patients detected yesterday include 364 associates of the Peliyagoda COVID-19 cluster. Total number of patients detected in the island is 37,631, and the patients include 1,632 SL returnees from abroad, 950 Navy personnel and their close contacts, more..

Dec 22 (CT) Special repatriation flights will be arranged for migrant workers, students, patients, short-term visa holders, Government and military officials from 26 December, the Foreign Ministry announced. These flights will be arranged by the Foreign Ministry, National Operation Centre for the Prevention of the COVID-19 Outbreak (NOCPCO) in coordination with Sri Lankan Missions abroad. Those arriving in Sri Lanka will be directed to Government quarantine facilities. more..

Dec 22 (PT) SL High Commissioner vice admiral Mohan Wijewickrama on Monday called on Navy chief Admiral Amjad Niazi at the Naval Hq in Islamabad. The two “dignitaries discussed matters related to mutual interests, regional security & bilateral collaborations”. The visit comes a day after Wijewickrama, while addressing members of the business community, during his visit to Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI), observed the two countries shared deep more..

Dec 22 (AD) Director-General of Health Services has sent a letter to the Minister of Justice Ali Sabri regarding the bodies of COVID-19 victims. This was in response to the proposal to place the bodies of Muslims who died of COVID-19 infection in refrigerated containers until a definite decision is made regarding their burial. Director-General, through his letter, has requested for 05 refrigerated containers to be provided to more..

Dec 22 (Island) Nalinda Illangakoon, who assumed duties as the Vice Chairman of the CEB, recently, said he would strive to achieve Prez Rajapaksa’s of goal promoting renewable energy and providing electricity at a minimal cost. Minister Dullas Allhaperuma said that the newly appoint CEB Vice Chairman’s professional experience and leadership skills gained through in various fields would be a great strength to the National Power Development Programme being carried out by the Ministry more..

Dec 22 (DM) There is an alleged move by the govt to get all news websites registered and construct a database of all Facebook account holders which is going to be a violation of the right which people have to express themselves, Leader of Opposition Sajith Premadasa said. He said SJB has received reliable information that the govt is trying to suppress the media by getting all news websites to be registered with the media ministry and set up a date base of all Facebook account holders. more..

Dec 22 (FT) Cabinet yesterday gave approval to seek advice from the Attorney General (AG) to amend the Public Utilities Commission of SL Act and the SL Electricity Act and related legislation as the Govt pushes ahead with winding up the PUCSL, which opponents say will weaken industry regulation and open the door to large-scale corruption. Ministerial sources confirmed the proposal to Cabinet to reduce the powers of the PUCSL more..

Dec 22 (FT) Headline inflation as measured by the year-on-year (Y-o-Y) change in the National Consumer Price Index (NCPI, 2013=100)1 decreased to 5.2% in Nov 2020 from 5.5% in Oct 2020, the Central Bank said yesterday. This was due to the statistical effect of the high base prevailed in Nov 2019. Meanwhile, Food inflation (Y-o-Y) decreased to 9.4% in Nov 2020 from 10.6% in Oct 2020, whereas Non-food inflation (Y-o-Y) increased to 1.7% in Nov 2020 from 1.5% in Oct 2020. more..

Dec 22 (DM) National Research Council of SL (NRC) has said that the Council is yet to receive the proposal on the syrup used for Covid-19 by Ayurvedic practitioner Dhammika Bandara from Kegalle. "The Council is yet to receive the proposal by Mr. Dhammika Bandara and will take immediate action when the proposal is received, to facilitate the trial in advisory and monetary capacity," NRC Chairman Prof. Hemantha Dodampahala said in a letter to State Minister of Skills Development, more..

Dec 22 (FT) With just four days to go, the tourism industry is still in the dark on arrangements for the first set of tourists to arrive in SL since COVID-19 restrictions were imposed earlier this year, with approval from health authorities and Cabinet still pending on some critical protocols despite assurances by authorities that arrangements are underway. Sri Lanka Tourism informed the industry stakeholders that it was still awaiting more..

Dec 22 (FT) One needs a sense of history to understand our current predicament, especially if we are to drive purpose and context into seeking a solution. Even though we have never been exposed to a pandemic before, Sri Lanka, in the past 140 years or so, has experienced many epidemics. We have had to deal with outbreaks of smallpox and malaria, infectious skin diseases like yaws, and the high death count that accompanied some of those epidemics. more..

Dec 22 (Island) Those involved in the constitution-making process have reportedly expressed their concern over the govt’s decision to hold the Provincial Council (PC) poll before a consensus is reached on constitutional proposals, etc. Some pro-govt civil society activists are also of the view that the PC elections must wait. Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has questioned the govt’s wisdom of rushing to hold the PC elections while the country is facing a grave health crisis. more..

Dec 22 (AD) The Cabinet of Ministers has approved a proposal not to charge airport landing and parking fees from international flight operators. Sri Lanka will reopen its airports from December 26, 2020, to January 19, 2021, as a pilot project in the plans to open the airports on the island for foreign tourists. Accordingly, international airlines will operate according to specific schedules prepared by the Ministry of Tourism and the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka. more..

Dec 22 (DN) The third stretch of the Central Expressway from Meerigama to Pothuhera will be vested with the public before March 31, 2021, Highways Minister Johnston Fernando said. He said that the Road Development Authority (RDA) will undertake the construction, supervision, planning and design of the third stretch. Although then President Mahinda Rajapaksa laid the foundation stone for this section in 2014, the former Yahapalana Government did not continue the work, more..

Dec 22 (DM) National carrier Srilankan Airlines has been convicted by an Indian court for non-compliance of Indian law. The complainant’s lawyer Ajay Verma said that Srilankan Airlines was convicted yesterday by Judge Dev Saroha of the Metropolitan Majistrate-05, at the Patiala House Court, New Delhi in a Criminal Case No.38533 of 2016 filed against the Airlines for non-compliance of Indian law. Indian law relates to the protection more..

Dec 22 (AD) Random rapid antigen tests on those who leave Western Province borders will continue at 11 locations from tomorrow. DIG Ajith Rohana said random rapid antigen tests will be carried out at expressways as well. He noted that the purpose of random testing is to expedite the detection of novel coronavirus cases and prevent sub-clusters from emerging. Eleven persons crossing the Western Province borders have been tested positive for Covid-19 in random rapid antigen tests so far, more..

Dec 22 (DM) Civil Aviation Authority of SL (CAASL) said that they will be suspending all flights from UK over fears of the new strain of coronavirus from tomorrow morning. CAASL Chairman Upul Dharmadasa said the decision was taken to suspend all flights from the UK from 2 a.m tomorrow. The decision was made to prevent the new coronavirus strain entering the country. The new coronavirus strain spreading over 40 countries including the UK. more..

Dec 22 (AD) Police today said that a suspect has been arrested for operating a baby farm in Moratuwa where around 30 newborn babies are believed to have been sold. DIG Ajith Rohana said that a certain individual has used a video published on YouTube and Facebook several months ago as an advert to reach pregnant mothers including victims of sexual abuse and other helpless pregnant women, in order to get them to more..

Dec 22 (AD) A decision has not yet been taken on whether or not to impose a quarantine curfew during the festive season, says Lt Gen Shavendra Silva. Addressing the media today, Army Commander said that they do not intend to impose a quarantine curfew or unnecessarily isolate areas that are not currently isolated. “There is no need to impose travel restrictions. Or impose laws. People in this country are intelligent. The intelligent public must understand the global behavior regarding COVID-19.” more..

Dec 22 (Island) Minister of Agriculture Mahindananda Aluthgamage says that a National Agriculture policy would be formulated within the next three months. The Agriculture Ministry has said that an expert committee appointed to formulate a National Agriculture Policy met for the first time on Saturday at the Gannoruwa Horticultural Crops Research Institute. The 13-member committee consists of experts in various fields, including experts in the field of agriculture. more..

Dec 22 (AD) The Ministry of Health says that another 618 patients who were previously tested positive for Covid-19 have recovered and discharged from hospital within the last 24 hours. This brings the total number of Covid-19 recoveries in the country to 29,300. The majority of the recoveries were reported from Punani Treatment Center (95), Hikkaduwa Treatment Center (39), Dr. Neville Fernando Teaching Hospital (35), more..

Dec 22 (EN) Sri Lanka is planning to market the island highlighting experience based tourism and branding targeting mainly millennials in a post Covid growth drive, SL’s tourist agency chief said. “In the future what we will be looking at is experience rather than countries,” Chairperson of SL’s Tourism Authority, Kimarli Fernando said. After a 30-year civil war ended in 2009 Sri Lanka became a tourist attraction immediately and there was no marketing strategy was implemented, she said. more..

Dec 22 (AD) The official term of the PCoI appointed to probe the Easter Sunday terror attacks has been extended until Jan 31, 2021. An extraordinary gazette notification has been issued extending the term of the presidential commission, which was set to end on Dec 20. The Presidential Secretariat has issued the gazette enlarging the period of time of Presidential Commission of Inquiry for rendition of the final report on the suicide bomb explosions which occurred on 21st April, 2019. more..

Dec 22 (FT) Murder in the Cathedral is a drama written in verse by the great poet, essayist and playwright Thomas Stearnes Eliott known to the literary world as T.S. Eliot. It is based on the assassination of Archbishop Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral in December 1170 during the reign of King Henry II. Eliot had relied heavily on the eyewitness account of the murder by a monk Edward Grim published later. I first came across TS Eliot’s more..

Dec 22 (FT) UNP expressed concern over the Govt’s decision to reopen borders to tourists in the New Year, especially given the uptick in global cases and a new strain reported from the UK, and called for clear plans to be communicated to stakeholders. The recent days have seen an increase in the number of cases reported throughout Europe, with many countries choosing to re-impose lockdowns in the lead-up to the New Year. Speaking to the media, former UNP Provincial Councillor more..

Dec 22 (EN) Health authorities isolated the Maliban Biscuit factory in Ratmalana this afternoon after identifying an unspecified number of COVID-19 cases within the premises, the national COVID-19 task force said. The number of patients has yet to be determined by the health authorities and PCR tests are being conducted at the factory premises at the time of writing. Maliban Group operates under three segments, Maliban Agri, Maliban Kiri (milk) and Maliban Biscuit employing over 1,250 more..

Dec 22 (Island) The SJB said that the proposed handing over of the Colombo Port’s East Container Terminal to India’s Adani Group contravened the govt’s repeated pledge to give priority to SL firms. SJB MP Lakshman Kiriella said that the Adani Group was facing allegations of serious malpractices and the govt should explain to the nation the criteria it had adopted in giving that company the contract to operate the ECT. more..

Dec 22 (Island) Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) announced the following changes in S&P Sri Lanka 20 index constituents made by S&P Dow Jones Indices at the 2020 year-end index rebalance. The exclusions and inclusions as announced by S&P Dow Jones Indices, effective from 21st Dec 2020 (after the market close of 18th Dec 2020) are presented below in alphabetical order. The S&P SL 20 index includes the 20 largest companies, by total market capitalization, listed on the CSE more..

Dec 22 (FT) Govt has sought fresh input from industry stakeholders to identify new tourism zones throughout the island to protect and to enhance socio-economic development. In the past, Nilaweli, Maadu River, Arugambay, Trincomalee, Kalkudah, Pinnawala, Dedduwa, Bentota, Kuchchaweli, Kalpitiya, Unawatuna, Negombo, Beruwala, Mount Lavinia and Yala were identified as tourism zones. These areas are all popular tourist spots. However, over the past years, their development, more..

Dec 22 (CT) A team of experts is scheduled to visit the island next year to assure the stability of the Victoria Dam which is maintained according to international standards, said State Minister, Siripala Gamlath. Engineers and the Technical officers attached to the SL Mahaweli Authority, who have been using modern equipment to monitor the stability of the Dam round the clock, were quoted as saying that no effect more..

Dec 22 (CT) Beruwala Police have launched a probe into an alleged secret burial of a 78-year-old woman’s body, after she had died in a house belonging to a head of a mosque in the area. The residence of the head of the mosque had been subjected to quarantine, after four members of his family had tested positive for COVID-19. According to Police, the owner of the house had gone to the Beruwala Health Office on 11 Dec to seek approval to hold an event at his house. more..

Dec 22 (TM) Govt has decided to re-introduce the conditional repatriation for all inbound travellers in the wake of new strain of COVID-19, the Foreign Ministry said. “In the wake of the discovery of a fast spreading new strain of Coronavirus in certain countries, the Govt decided to continue with the existing procedure of obtaining prior approval from the Foreign Ministry and the Civil Aviation Authority for all inbound travellers to SL,” it said. It said the revised guidelines on repatriation more..

Dec 22 (CI) SLC's medical personnel are concerned about the new strain of Covid-19 that is believed to have emerged in England, but those concerns are unlikely to put England's two-Test tour of SL, starting Jan 14, in jeopardy. There may, however, be additional medical protocols for the England team, either before they leave England or after they arrive in Sri Lanka. SLC's medical staff are expected to have discussions with more..

Dec 22 (CT) Responding to the claims regarding the transfers of employees of Department of Motor Traffic (DMT), Public Services Management Assistants’ Union (PSMAU), said this violates the regulations of their annual transfer principles and other procedural rules relevant to their profession. In a letter to Minister Janaka Bandara Tennakoon, PSMA said there is an already established procedure to transfer their members (Management Assistants) who are employed at institutions more..

Dec 22 (CT) Fisheries Minister Douglas Devananda, on 17 Dec, advised Northern fishers not to take the law into their own hands by confronting Indian fisher poachers, but to be patient till this issue is solved, the Fisheries Ministry said yesterday (21). Meanwhile, the Govt of Sri Lanka (GoSL) plans to reopen the Jaffna International Airport once the COVID-19 pandemic is controlled, Devananda told India’s Deputy High Commissioner S. Balachandran in Jaffna on 19 December. more..

Dec 22 (AD) The pharmacology unit of Dept of Ayurveda has given approval to the indigenous medicine for Covid-19 virus, produced by Dhammika Bandara, says Minister Ramesh Pathirana. He added that the Health Ministry and State Minister Prof. Channa Jayasumana are working on a proper trial on the said tonic formulated as a solution for novel coronavirus. Findings of the trials will be submitted to the ethical review more..