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Home » NewsTight security ring for Pompeo at Kochchikade church
The US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Sri Lanka on Tuesday night and Wednesday for talks with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena. Before his departure from Sri Lanka to the Maldives, Mr. Pompeo visited the well-known St. Anthony’s Church at Kochchikade to pray for those who had been killed in the [...]
SC bench to be expanded from 11 to 17; CA 12 to 19
The Government is fasttracking the expansion of the Supreme Court bench from 11 justices to 17 under an amendment that was moved at the Committee Stage of the 20th Amendment to the Constitution, the Sunday Times learns. The Court of Appeal bench will be increased from the present 12 justices to 19. Justice Minister Ali [...]
WHO says COVID vaccine only in mid-2021, Sri Lanka applies for it
Sri Lanka is one among 180 countries that have signed up for a COVID-19 vaccine from the World Health Organisation (WHO), but the UN agency has said it won’t be available till the middle of next year. The vaccine is still in trial stage. “…We expect doses to begin arriving in countries in the middle [...]
Ministry revises discharge criteria as COVID cases rise
As the numbers affected by COVID-19 rose drastically this week, the Health Ministry on Friday revised its ‘discharge criteria’ from isolation facilities and hospitals for ‘asymptomatic’ (without symptoms) and ‘mildly-symptomatic’ patients respectively. The ministry has decided to do away with the mandatory RT-PCR testing which should be negative before discharge, the Sunday Times learns. However, [...]
UDA setting up land banks for investors; six properties identified
Six plots of foreclosed lands in Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte, Moratuwa and Ratmalana have been gazetted by the Presidential Secretariat for takeover under the Urban Development Projects (Special Provisions) Act as part of a wider push to build a “land bank” for the Urban Development Authority to offer up to investors. These properties are part of [...]
Lanka’s petroleum storage and pipeline facilities need urgent upgrading, warns national audit
A national audit has warned of dire outcomes if Sri Lanka’s petroleum storage and pipeline facilities are not urgently upgraded to meet demand growth. At several points during its inquiry, diesel, petrol, aviation fuel and kerosene stocks had fallen to a mere 13, eight and six days (respectively) of the country’s total requirement by the [...]
85 Police CIs stuck without promotions for 15 years
Some 85 Chief Inspectors are stuck in their current position for more than 15 years and have not been promoted to the Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) grade, as the seniority-and-merit-based promotion scheme remains suspended, the Sunday Times learns. The affected CIs say there are about 90 male and 15 female ASP positions vacant, but [...]
Education, transport, and health bureaucrats fail A/L exam candidates
Parents and Advanced Level exam candidates in locked down areas are suffering because public transport has ground to a halt and alternatives are rare. If and when available, hired transport can be prohibitively expensive. Parents are accusing public officials of letting them down. There have been instances when several students were late to exams centres [...]
COVID-19 strategy-change
Assuming duties as the new Director-General of Health Services on Thursday, Dr. Asela Gunawardena made a strong plea to people to come on board with their support to bring COVID-19 under control. “New clusters are being reported from our country and the health sector and tri-forces are working together to control the situation. Quarantine curfews [...]
Dicing with a deadly disease in the struggle of life
Some Sri Lankans have been seen in public ignoring the potentially deadly coronavirus in their midst despite the rapid spread of the disease and the desperate official efforts to contain its resurgence. Many are converging on pharmacies, public markets, grocery stores, supermarkets, bakeries, to stock up on essentials for their families, the sick and the [...]
Food stores streamline online delivery modes to meet curfew time demands
Big time food stores are gearing up to strengthen their online delivery services as the authorities imposed a curfew in the Western Province and urged the public sector employees to work from home to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Lanka Sathosa Chairman Nushad Perera told the Sunday Times the state-owned enterprise would join [...]