BY Dinitha RathnayakeSeveral international airlines are in talks with Sri Lankan authorities to launch new flights, according to the Ministry of Tourism. Currently, there are 32 airlines flying to Sri Lanka and four new airlines are in talks to launch new flights. Minister of Tourism Prasanna Ranatunga has agreed with a French airline and a Middle Eastern airline to expedite the launch of flights to Sri Lanka as well as to launch flights covering Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in Katunayake and Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA). In addition, Cinnamon Air has agreed to launch flights covering domestic airports throughout Sri Lanka. The number of flights is expected to increase in line with the worldwide tourism promotion campaign to revive the island’s tourism industry.

The two day debate on the no confidence motion against Gammanpila, moved by SJB Parliamentarian S.M. “The transport and fisheries industries were especially heavily affected by the fuel price hike,” added Appuhamy. When the fuel price dropped in the world market, instead of giving that relief to the public, you said that you would build a fund to stabilise the fuel price. However, on Monday, the SLPP stated that it would vote against the no confidence motion. Gammanpila has stated on multiple occasions that the fuel price hike was agreed upon after consultations with the fuel pricing committee and also authorised by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

BY Dinitha RathnayakeUniversity academics are to embark on large scale protest action against the proposed General Sir John Kotelawala National Defence University (KNDU) Bill, following the silent protest conducted by the Sri Jayewardenepura University’s Teachers Association against the KNDU Bill yesterday (20). Meanwhile, the Association also raised their concerns about not opening universities for academic activities. Meanwhile, even though the school teachers have been prioritised for vaccination by the Government, university lecturers have not been prioritised. Therefore, we oppose that the Government has not designated university teachers or students as a priority group for vaccination. The Inter University Students Federation (IUSF) said that while certain sections of the Government and the Opposition were speaking of introducing amendments to the Bill, the unions are united in their stand that it should be scrapped entirely.

Speaking in Parliament, Agriculture Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage said that according to this agreement, mill owners would purchase a kilo of paddy within the price range of Rs. “Rice mill owners will not increase this guaranteed price since we would take necessary action against them if they attempt to increase the selling price of rice. Henceforth, paddy prices and rice prices would be decided only by the Government and not by rice millers. Despite the continuous assurances given by the Government that it would end the rice mafia, the prices of many rice varieties have remained high during the past years. Many claimed that the high prices have been artificially created by the rice mafia operating within the country, including farmers, mill owners, and farmers’ unions.

Taekwondo might not be the most well known of the combat sports at the Tokyo Olympics this summer, but British fighter Jade Jones is helping to ensure its popularity is constantly on the rise. She cruised her way to the Taekwondo final at the ExCel centre - beating China's Hou Yuzhuo by six points to four to claim gold. 'If I won in Tokyo, I'll have so many points already I'll only need a few more to qualify for Paris.' She grew up on a council estate before being urged to get into taekwondo by her grandfather at the age of eight. Jones is the nO 1 ranked female taekwondo fighter in the world at her weight division of 57kg, with 519 points.

The Sri Jayewardenepura University Doctors’ Association staged a protest in front of the Sri Jayewardenepura University today (20) demanding the repeal of the Kotelawala Defence University Act. Pics by – Eshan Dasanayaka

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Sri Lanka Medical Association has warned that the Delta COVID variant is spreading fast in the country. Dr. Padma Gunaratne, the President of the Sri Lanka Medical Association speaking to reporters on Tuesday (20) said according to available data it can be assumed that 30% of COVID cases within the Colombo municipality are infected with the Delta COVID variant. ‘There could a higher number of cases because of the Delta COVID variant and a higher number could be seriously ill,’ she warned adding it could lead to a higher number of deaths as well. She said if the general public continues about their usual routine by ignoring the health guidelines the Delta COVID variant could easily spread across the country within two weeks.

Most of us follow basic security precautions at hotels, but I’m begging you to add one more to the list: Don’t use hotel wifi without protection from a VPN. Why is hotel wifi so sketchy? Connecting to a public network is a risk anywhere—coffee shops, libraries, and airports—but hotels are one of the worst since hackers have so many possible targets using the same connection. However, you should employ other data security measures even if you’re using a secure VPN at all times, such as enabling DNS over HTTPS (DoH). As we’ve previously explained, the safest strategy is to forego hotel wifi entirely and use your cellular connection wherever possible.

Instead there are only exemptions for very limited groups of key workers, including some frontline NHS staff and parts of the food chain. One in five NHS Covid app users have contact tracing turned OFF New YouGov research today threw light on the changing ways Britons are using the NHS Covid app. One in ten online Brits (10%) have deleted the app, having previously installed it. 'App deserters' are more likely to be in the younger age group, with 17% of those aged 18-24 deleting the app having previously installing it. 'App deserters' are more likely to be in the younger age group, with 17% of those aged 18-24 deleting the app having previously installing it.

The Motion of No Confidence brought against Energy Minister Udaya Gammanpila by the opposition has been defeated by a majority of 91 votes. The no-confidence motion against Minister Gammanpila was handed over to the Speaker of the Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena on June 22. Meanwhile former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s proposed amendment to the no-confidence motion was deemed not acceptable by the Speaker today. The no-confidence motion filed by the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) against Energy Minister Udaya Gammanpila over the recent hike of fuel prices commenced in the parliament yesterday (July 19). When the case of no-confidence motion was tabled at the parliament yesterday, former Premier Ranil Wickremesinghe proposed to amend the motion against all ministers of the government instead of just the Energy Minister.

COLOMBO (News 1st); The No-Confidence Motion against Energy Minister Udaya Gammanpila was defeated in Parliament on Tuesday (20). Against: 152In Favor: 61The two-day debate on the no-confidence motion against Energy Minister Udaya Gammanpila commenced on Monday (19) morning. 43 SJB MPs signed the motion in which they alleged that Gammanpila has failed in his responsibilities as Energy Minister and had not obtained Cabinet approval for the recent fuel price hike. Ten allegations were levelled at Gammanpila, including failing in his duty of obtaining Cabinet approval for the fuel price hike and failure to pass on the benefit of global oil price reductions to the public last year. The motion stated that while world oil prices have been falling since March last year, fuel prices in the country have remained the same with consumers not given the benefit of falling prices.

The UAE Chapter of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (CA Sri Lanka) recently donated urgent medical supplies to help Sri Lanka’s fight against COVID. The urgent medical supplies consisted of Oxygen Pulse meters and 10 litre Oxygen Concentrator for the use of health authorities in Sri Lanka. The Consul General expressed his appreciation for the efforts taken by the members of the CA Sri Lanka UAE Chapter towards this worthy cause. The medical supplies were airlifted to Colombo on a gratis basis by SriLankan airlines. The UAE Chapter was inaugurated in 2015 to cater to the professional needs of CA Sri Lanka’s overseas membership based in the United Arab Emirates including Dubai.

Sri Lanka’s premier automotive solutions provider, Ideal Motors (Pvt) Ltd’s subsidiary Ideal First Choice has broken new ground introducing the Schwing Stetter Self Loading Mixer to the local market recently. Ideal First Choice is the sole representative for the equipment, manufactured and distributed by Schwing Stetter India (Pvt) Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the acclaimed German group, Schwing Stetter. Schwing Stetter India (Pvt) Ltd also manages five plants across Chennai, manufacturing a wide range of concrete construction equipment. As both our organizations are attuned to support customers, Ideal Motors is the best suited local authorized dealer for the Schwing Stetter Self Loading Mixer.”Top construction firms such as ELS Construction, NEM Construction, Tokyo Super Mix (Pvt) Ltd use the Schwing Stetter Self Loading Mixer. Our decision to obtain authorized dealership status from Schwing Stetter India (Pvt) Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the renowned German group, Schwing Stetter, is due to these reasons,” Tennekoon added.

July 20, 2021 04:07 pmAs many as 980 COVID-19 patients have been discharged from hospitals and treatment centres as they have recovered from the virus infection, says the Ministry of Health. This brings the total number of recoveries in the country to 262,828. Sri Lanka has so far confirmed 286,419 cases of COVID-19 in total and more than 19,000 virus-infected patients are currently under medical care. Meanwhile, the death toll now stands at 3,827.

COLOMBO, July XX, 2021- Citizens Development Business Finance PLC (CDB), lauded as one of the Top Ten Corporate Citizens for Sustainability in Sri Lanka, has come forward to support and enhance the agriculture sector in Sri Lanka. CDB will be at the forefront in supporting the government policies to enhance the sector with tailor-made finance facilities for the growth and sustenance of agriculture. Commenting on the initiative, Director Sales and Development, CDB, SasindraMunasinghe said: “Rice production is one of the main resources of our country. With this in mind, CDB initiated these facilities which will empower all farmers’ aspirations and create a better livelihood for them”. CDB has special payment plans for those in the agricultural sector, where seasonal payment methods are tailor-made as per the different harvesting periods and yields in the area.