July 13, 2021 03:37 pmThe Ministry of Health says that another 1,328 patients who were being treated for COVID-19 have been discharged after completing their recovery. This increases the country’s coronavirus recoveries to 247,569. Sri Lanka has thus far confirmed a total of 276,106 positive cases of Covid-19 while 25,004 patients infected with the virus are currently under medical care. The death toll due to the virus currently stands at 3,533.
COLOMBO (News 1st); The Head of Sri Lanka’s Catholic Church His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith has vowed to continue his call for justice for the victims of the 2019 April 21st Attacks. There are certain mysteries surrounding the 2019 April 21st Attacks that need to be investigated immediately, he said. ‘Questions arise with respect to the investigations when there is political intervention in the police, criminal investigations departments as well as the legal system,’ he said. ‘The government of Sri Lanka and the relevant authorities would only be deceiving themselves if they assume they can please the people by filing multiple cases, without investigating the important factors that we mentioned,’ said His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith. He said the people have a right to know the ‘Grand Conspiracy’ surrounding the 2019 April 21st Attacks, as mentioned by the Former Attorney General of Sri Lanka.
By Aazam AmeenSri Lanka is on the list of signatories of a joint statement sponsored by China which raised concerns on the human rights situation in the United Kingdom (UK). This joint statement which was delivered during the 47th Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva was also signed by Belarus, Bolivia, North Korea (DPRK), Iran, Russia, Syria and Venezuela. The UK was also accused of spreading disinformation which provoked confrontation out of political purposes, using human rights as a pretext to interfere in other countries’ internal affairs. “Politicized acts as such have seriously undermined international human rights cooperation and are deeply concerning,” the delegation stated. “We call on the Human Rights Council to look into human rights violations in the UK and take necessary steps to monitor actions of the UK government to correct its mistakes,” the Chinese delegation concluded.
The Cabinet of Ministers has given the go-ahead to a resolution to draw up a strategic plan for promoting the use of electric vehicles in Sri Lanka. According to the Department of Motor Traffic, the number of vehicles registered in the country by the end of year 2020 has exceeded 8 million. A considerable portion of these vehicles are older than 10 years and it has been identified that the lack of proper maintenance of such old vehicles lead to poisonous gas emissions, the Government Information Department said in a press release. Meanwhile, several researches carried out by the University of Moratuwa in tandem with a few other institutions have confirmed that 60% of air pollution in Sri Lanka is caused by vehicular emissions. Thereby, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the relevant resolution furnished by the Minister of Environment to devise a strategic plan to promote the use of electric vehicles in the country, the Government Information Department said further.
There is an attempt to hand over all the operations of the Yugadanavi Power Plant in Kerawalapitiya as well as the supply and storage of LNG, to a US-based firm, alleged Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake today (13). Speaking to reporters, Dissanayake said that based on this attempt a Cabinet Memorandum was presented to the Cabinet of Ministers by the Finance Minister recently. New Fortress already announced that it has signed a Framework Agreement with the Government of Sri Lanka to supply natural gas or LNG to the existing 300 MW Yugadanavi Power Plant. New Fortress Energy Inc. announced that it is negotiating the purchase of the Government’s 40% stake in the company that owns the Yugadanavi Power Plant in Kerawalapitiya. According to Anura Kumara Dissanayake Cabinet has given the green light for change in stake of the Yugadanavi Power Plant in Kerawalapitiya.
Navigating through the pandemic and lockdowns, LEXCO has continued to provide high quality electrical appliances to its customers. Even during the travel restrictions, LEXCO continued to provide doorstep delivery through selected courier services island wide. Speaking on the changes made within their operation Pubudu Suraweera, Co-Founder/Managing Director of LEXCO said, “During the lockdowns many consumers were stuck with getting high quality home appliances delivered to them. LEXCO commenced operations in February 2016 and is today one of the leading suppliers of household electronics and smart living apparatus. LEXCO Australia specializes in home & kitchen, living & wellness, and tech products.
TL;DR Tag Heuer is partnering with Nintendo to debut a Super Mario-themed smartwatch. Luxury watchmaker Tag Heuer is collaborating with Nintendo on a new limited edition Super Mario-themed smartwatch (h/t The Verge). For Tag Heuer, it bolsters the firm’s smartwatch program. The watch is effectively a Tag Heuer Connected based on Wear OS. A watch like no other!#Nintendo’s iconic character, Mario, is taking over the TAG Heuer Connected with a new limited edition timepiece in a daring, creative style.
The Deputy Director General of Health Services Dr. Hemantha Herath today (13) confirmed that 24 people infected with the Delta COVID variant were detected in Sri Lanka so far. Dr. Hemantha Herath stated that even though travel restrictions have been relaxed, people should operate in a manner that would prevent the spread of the virus. The University of Sri Jayawardenapura said it commenced another study on the spread of the Delta COVID variant in Sri Lanka. Dr. Chandima Jeewandara, the Director of the Department of Immunology and Molecular Medicine of the University of Sri Jayawardenapura said tests will be carried out on 96 samples obtained from COVID-19 patients. These samples were obtained from across the country at random, he said.
Sri Lanka yesterday (July 12) recorded the highest number of COVID-19 vaccines administered within a single day, according to the Epidemiology Department of the Ministry of Health. Accordingly, a total of 232,526 vaccine doses have been administered yesterday. State Minister of Production, Supply, and Regulation of Pharmaceuticals Prof. Channa Jayasumana stated that 173,988 first doses and 40,276 doses of the China-produced Sinopharm vaccine were administered yesterday. Further, 13,357 doses of the Sputnik V vaccine, 4,725 of the Pfizer vaccine, and 18 doses of the AstraZeneca (Covishield) vaccine have been administered as well. Sri Lanka yesterday commenced the vaccination of teachers and non-academic staff of schools island-wide.
Police say five people have been arrested in the past week on charges of releasing obscene photos and videos online. Police Media Spokesman, Senior DIG Ajith Rohana stated that the suspects were arrested during investigations into complaints received by the Police Computer Crimes Division. The 31-year-old man was arrested on a complaint that he had accessed another person’s Facebook account, changed his password and posted obscene photos, a police spokesman said. Police Media Spokesman, Senior DIG Ajith Rohana stated that the suspects will be produced before court and further investigations will be carried out. Senior DIG Ajith Rohana said that there is a tendency to post pre-wedding photos and videos on social media in various ways when marrying someone else.
Under the Covid immunization program, the maximum number of vaccinations per day done in 24 hours was done yesterday (12). Accordingly, 232,526 doses were given yesterday (12), the Epidemiology Unit said. The Epidemiology Unit says that 1,504,809 people have been vaccinated so far. Meanwhile, 224 persons have been arrested in the past 24 hours for violating quarantine rules, said Police Media Spokesman, Senior DIG Ajith Rohana. Accordingly, 49,643 persons have been arrested for violating the rule so far, the police spokesman added.
Japan will make additional donations of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to Sri Lanka and other Asian neighbours, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said on Tuesday. An additional 11 million doses donated through the COVAX sharing scheme will be sent this month to Bangladesh, Cambodia, Iran, Laos, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, as well as various Pacific Island states, he said. Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry expressed thanks for the gesture, particularly at a serious stage in Japan’s own coronavirus battle. Japan has donated about 3.4 million doses to Taiwan in a show of support for the Chinese-claimed island. Japan has pledged $1 billion and 30 million doses to COVAX.
The Cabinet of Ministers approved the resolution furnished by the Minister of Environment to prepare a strategic plan for promoting the use of electric vehicles in Sri Lanka. According to the Department of Motor Traffic, the number of motor vehicles that have been registered by the end of the year 2020 has exceeded 8 million. A considerable portion of those vehicles are older than 10 years and it has been identified that lack of proper maintenance of such old vehicles lead to poisonous gas emissions. It has been confirmed by several researchescarried out by the University of Moratuwa with a few other institutions that 60% of air pollution in Sri Lanka is caused by vehicular emissions. Attention has been drawn to utilize renewable energy even for vehicular operations since, immediate implementation of renewable energy projects is one of the foremost actions the Government has to be taken.
Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has requested the government to postpone the scholarship examination scheduled to be held on October 3 and the GCE Advanced Level examination scheduled to begin on October 4. In a statement, the Leader of the Opposition requested that the examinations be adjourned and given the opportunity to cover the syllabus. Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa said in a statement that the two examinations were being held in a situation where the children were facing severe mental distress. Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa says that the children are in a state of confusion as the school education and tuition classes have almost completely collapsed. The Leader of the Opposition said in a statement that the online education system is still foreign to many parts of the country and that more than 2,000 schools have no online facilities and that the government has so far failed to formulate a practical program to promote online education.
A man has been arrested on charges of aiding and abetting the reorganization of the LTTE since 2019. The suspect was arrested by the Terrorist Investigation Division at the Mulliyaweli Quarantine Center yesterday (12). Police Media Spokesman, Senior DIG Ajith Rohana stated that the suspect had fled Sri Lanka to Qatar in 2019. The Terrorism Investigation Division has since obtained a blue notice through Interpol to arrest him. The suspect had been in Sri Lanka for 14 days and was arrested by the Terrorism Investigation Division shortly afterwards.
