COLOMBO (News 1st): A gazette notification has been issued today (5), setting a maximum retail price of Rs. 3,000 per oximeter. The recent demand for oximeters had increased with the rise of COVID-19 cases in the country. The Minister of Health, Keheliya Rambukwella has issued the relevant gazette notification under the Section 142 of the National Drug Regulatory Authority Act No.

Minister Namal Rajapaksa has reassured that the national vaccination drive is not conducted to gain political mileage, and neither is it based on language or religion. He made these statements while speaking to the media yesterday (04). Minister Namal further explained that the Ministry of Health decides on which district vaccines are delivered to, the number of vaccines delivered and which brand of vaccine is administered. “In recent weeks vaccines were provided in Mannar and Kandy. In Hambantota, that relevant brand of vaccine is being administered.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka Navy managed to recover a stock of Kerala cannabis weighing about 227kg and 400g (including packages), during a special operation carried out in seas off Aliyaweli, Vettalakeni this morning (5th September 2021). Having spotted a suspicious dinghy heading ashore from Aliyaweli sea area, the Northern Naval Command launched this special operation this morning (5th September) deploying the Inshore Patrol Craft P166 attached to the command. The operation led to the recovery of an abandoned stock of Kerala cannabis in a dinghy at the beach. The consignment full of give sacks left behind by smugglers as a result of the naval operation, included Kerala cannabis weighing around 227kg and 400g (including packages), contained in 100 packages. It is believed that the gross street value of the stock of Kerala cannabis seized by the Navy is over Rs.

Sri Lanka’s Maha “experiment” to yield uncertain results By Sunimalee Dias View(s): View(s):Sri Lanka is going into the Maha season not knowing the consequences of suddenly adopting organic farming methods. Dr. De Silva explained that they had ascertained the required nutrients by calculating and finding out the requirement of the relevant plant nutrients. The organic fertiliser product imported, he said has a high amount of Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium, which is a real requirement. Traditional compost has 1 per cent of Nitrogen but organic granular fertiliser is between 10-15 per cent, he said. “There will be a yield drop between 21.5 – 33 percent based on scientific research done at Batalagoda (the rice research centre),” he said.

Freshwater heavily polluted; refining cost surges By Namini Wijedasa View(s): View(s):Sri Lanka’s freshwater sources are now so polluted that the National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) is spending increasingly more money to refine drinking water, the National Audit Office (NAO) and officials said. The steep cost was owing to high levels of contaminants in the water obtained for treatment, said the NAO report published online. The Rathmalana wastewater treatment plant was opened in 2013 to cater to 408 industries and around 20,000 people. It also said the authorities have not regularly tested the quality of marine water and the beach in areas such as Wellawatte and Mutwal outfalls. Several hospitals were observed not to have environmental protection licences for their wastewater treatment systems, with the Central Environmental Authority having failed to follow-up.

Malan, Shamsi script easy Proteas win to level series cricket View(s): View(s):Adominant South African batting performance allowed them to level the series 1-1 with Sri Lanka with a crushing 67-run win on DL method, in a rain curtailed second ODI played at the R Premadasa Stadium last night. Charith Asalanka and skipper Dasun Shanaka (30) kept Sri Lanka in the hunt briefly and were 114 for 4 in the 25th over when rain stopped play. Asalanka continued his good form with the bat scoring a career-best 77 runs–his third half century but that wasn’t enough to take Sri Lanka over the line. Tabraiz Shamsi was the pick of the bowler taking his maiden 5 wicket haul for 49 runs to leave Sri Lanka reeling. Sri Lanka, eyeing their first series win over South Africa in eight years, cannot be too proud of their performance with the ball as South Africa negated the spin threat well.

Human rights commitments being implemented: Govt. Peiris this week handed over to UN Head in Sri Lanka Haana Singer-Hamdy the first copy of a 13-page response to obviate criticism over non-implementation of key elements in the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) Resolution passed early this year. “Notwithstanding the pandemic, Sri Lanka is determined and has made substantial progress on human rights issues through domestic processes and mechanisms,” the note says. The 48th Human Rights Council sessions begin on September 13 with an oral update by Human Rights High Commissioner Michele Bachelet on three countries including Sri Lanka. She is due to reinforce issues in Sri Lanka relating to human rights, rule of law, freedom and democracy.

A little learning is a dangerous thing, survey finds By Tharushi Weerasinghe Half of all students have been left out of education since pandemic View(s): View(s):More than half of the Sri Lankan student population has had no access to education since the pandemic hit. According to research conducted by the Education Forum, only 45 percent of the student population had access to online education, leaving 55 per cent of Sri Lanka’s children behind. “Policies targeted at the richer middle-class do not work for the poorer communities who are almost always off the radar.” Experts even argue that online education was doomed to fail before it even began. “Our system of learning was not successful to begin with but the shift online has made its unsuitability more apparent,” she said. Countries such as Finland teach subjects such as history and geography in what is known as a “phenomenon-based learning” method.

China-owned ports report more than Rs 1b dividend to Sri Lanka Ports Authority By Kapila Bandara View(s): View(s):China Merchants Port Holdings (CMPH) has declared a dividend of Rs. China Merchants Port Holdings, said the roll-on/roll-off terminal handled 281,000 vehicles in the first half, up by 56.2% year-on-year. China’s port projects in Sri Lanka have become intertwined with national debt and corrupt domestic politics and business. China Merchants Port Holdings agreed to plough up to US$1.12 billion into Hambantota Port and port and marine-related activities. China Merchants Port Group, founded 149 years ago, is based in Shenzhen in southern Guangdong province and owns China Merchants Port Holdings, which says it is the leading port developer, investor and operator in China and a leading world player.

Typos in WHO report trigger fake news; Health Minister hails removal View(s):Something strange occurred when the World Health Organisation’s Sri Lanka office took down two critical reports compiled by an Independent Group of Experts from its website. It was the newly appointed Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella who took up the matter with the local WHO chapter on the basis that fake news was being spread based on those reports. Minister Rambukwella has long been a Government spokesperson and often defends a bad brief. The embassy also sent statements from ambassadors to local media institutions as part of the counter campaign. It was titled “The U.S. Intelligence Report on COVID-19 Origins: Ugly Agendas Under a Worn-Out Cover”.

Economic emergency to squash food hoardings Opposition expresses fears of ‘Govt acting in bad faith’ View(s): View(s):On Monday, by midnight gazette, the President invoked the provisions of the Public Security Ordinance, effectively placing the country under a state of emergency. The proclamation stated that this was being done to ensure the supply of essential food. Accordingly, in terms of Section 5, imposing Part II of the Ordinance took effect throughout Sri Lanka from thenceforth. And, armed with the new emergency powers, the crackdown on hoarders has begun in earnest. “After hearing the song,” Yohani says, “I did a small Tik-Tok of it.

Cabraal pushes for pension with arrears for all Central Bank governors By Namini Wijedasa View(s): View(s):The Monetary Board (MB) has approved pensions with arrears for several former and the incumbent Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka irrespective of the lengths of their tenures, the Sunday Times learns. The MB’s decision follows requests from Ajith Nivard Cabraal, State Minister of Finance, Capital Markets and State Enterprise Reforms. He was CBSL Governor from July 2006 to January 2015. Until 1998, all CBSL employees including Governors and State Bank workers were eligible for pensions similar to other public officials. However, Mr Cabraal in 2015 sent a request to Governor Coomaraswamy asking to also include Governors in the new scheme.

Sunday Times Deputy Editor Namini inducted to prestigious ICIJ View(s):The Sunday Times Deputy Editor (Investigations) Namini Wijedasa has been selected by the US-based International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) as one of its distinguished worldwide members, the consortium announced this week. She is only the second Sri Lankan journalist to be inducted to this prestigious body, the first being Sunday Times Consultant Editor/Political Editor and former Defence Correspondent, Iqbal Athas. Officially announcing the selection of Ms. Wijedasa, the ICIJ stated that they have “boosted its network of trusted journalists”. Thirteen new members, including four from Africa were selected by the consortium’s Network Committee. The new members have worked on several recent ICIJ projects including FinCEN Files, West Africa Leaks, Panama Papers, Implant Files and others.

Some Lankan exporters shifting manufacturing to West Africa By Duruthu Edirimuni Chandrasekera View(s): View(s):Some exporters, in the wake of the currency exchange crisis, are contemplating or have already decided to shift their manufacturing businesses to countries in the burgeoning West African region depriving Sri Lanka from earning export dollars. The exchange rate crisis has brought about this new situation with more and more businesses opting to balance their eggs. “Other manufacturing firms will follow suit sooner or later,” a second economist said. He pointed out that the US dollar exchange rate gap between the published rate by the Central Bank and the going rate in the black market has widened to unprecedented levels over the past month. This situation has made a compelling case for local exporters looking to go out and start in Africa – especially in countries like Ghana and Kenya which stand out for their relative political stability and economic diversification.

Four South Asian countries jointly write to FIFA football View(s): View(s):Four South Asian nations, namely Bangladesh, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka, have joined hands in support of proposals to review the international match calendar, while the global governing body of football, FIFA, too has acknowledged its support to the notion. “Four-year gaps between FIFA World Cup is too great – and the window of opportunity too small – to preclude whole generations of talent. Less than a quarter of current AFC (Asian) member associations have been represented in almost a century of FIFA World Cup finals in a situation where these tournaments are the real drivers of development,” the press release stated. players and traditional of leagues and competitions in Europe, but football is a truly global sport, and Asia is an equal shareholder in that,” acknowledging the concerns raised by the four nations, FIFA added. “Our aspiring players, coaches and officials should have a dream of playing their part in a truly global sport.