http://www.sundaytimes.lk Official website of the Sunday Times Newspaper in Sri Lanka Sat, 14 Aug 2021 18:25:04 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 http://www.sundaytimes.lk/210815/news/hospitals-packed-van-becomes-makeshift-treatment-point-452618.html 14 August 2021 @ 11:46 pm lt;div gt; lt;img class= quot;aligncenter size-full wp-image-452619 quot; title= quot;9Y1A2938 quot; src= quot;http://sundaytimes.lk/210815/uploads/2021/08/9Y1A2938.jpg quot; alt= quot; quot; width= quot;600 quot; height= quot;787 quot; / gt; With a huge upsurge in the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals and nursing homes are filled beyond capacity with doctors and other medical staff reported to... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/210815/news/unions-warn-of-rs-300b-loss-if-tax-amnesty-is-not-changed-452616.html 14 August 2021 @ 11:45 pm Inland Revenue Department (IRD) officials have called on Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa to reduce the period for the proposed tax amnesty for undisclosed income, warning that the government could lose a revenue of up to Rs 300 billion . The request was made during a meeting presided over by the Finance Minister and attended by senior IRD officials and trade union representatives. At last week... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/210815/news/high-court-judges-magistrates-summoned-by-jsc-for-briefing-on-health-issues-452614.html 14 August 2021 @ 11:44 pm The country's High Court judges and magistrates were summoned by the Judicial Services Commission on Friday to discuss the current COVID-19 situation and the functioning of the courts during the pandemic. The issue of trade union protests and the role of the courts also came up for discussion at the meeting presided over by Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya at the Sri Lanka Judges Institute. Se... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/210815/news/big-gap-in-covid-19-figures-issued-by-health-ministrys-two-units-452612.html 14 August 2021 @ 11:43 pm There is a major discrepancy in the COVID-19 case numbers being issued by two units of the Health Ministry. The ministry rsquo;s lsquo;COVID-19 Operational Room rsquo; reported the lsquo;first time positive cases rsquo; for Friday (August 13) up to 10 p.m. as 4,137 from 18,174 RT-PCRs done. There were also 1,064 positive cases from 6,883 Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs). This brought the total of p... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/210815/news/political-undercurrents-in-deal-with-malaysian-firm-ceb-engineers-tell-president-to-order-probe-452610.html 14 August 2021 @ 11:42 pm The Ceylon Electricity Board Engineers Union (CEBEU) has requested the President to hold an impartial investigation into the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) over action filed by a Malaysian energy company claiming US$ 160 million for violating an agreement. The case has been filed by KLS Energy of Malaysia requesting compensation for the loss it had to incur as a result of the ... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/210815/news/ceb-to-revise-power-plan-to-reach-70-renewable-energy-target-452608.html 14 August 2021 @ 11:41 pm The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) has instructed the Ceylon Electricity Board to submit a new Long-Term Electricity Generation Plan (LTEGP) reflecting the national policy of 70 percent renewable energy, Chairman Janaka Ratnayake said. The CEB last week submitted its existing LTEGP to the PUCSL, authoritative sources said. But this plan was drawn up according to the earlier Go... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/210815/news/scotland-suspends-training-programme-for-lanka-police-on-hr-issues-minister-says-he-is-unaware-452606.html 14 August 2021 @ 11:40 pm Scottish Police are reported to have put on hold an ongoing scheme to train Sri Lankan Police officers but is yet to officially inform the authorities in Colombo. Public Security Minister Sarath Weerasekara said yesterday that he was unaware of reports that Police Scotland had put the long-running programme to train Sri Lankan police officers on hold. The training programme was renewed again... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/210815/news/laugfs-nods-to-gas-hike-but-milk-importers-want-more-452599.html 14 August 2021 @ 11:38 pm lt;img class= quot;aligncenter size-full wp-image-452600 quot; title= quot;LPGas quot; src= quot;http://sundaytimes.lk/210815/uploads/2021/08/LPGas.jpg quot; alt= quot; quot; width= quot;600 quot; height= quot;439 quot; / gt; The government rsquo;s consent to increase the price of cooking gas and to grant a tax reduction on milk powder had mixed reactions from importers who have been lobbying ... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/210815/news/party-leaders-meet-tomorrow-as-more-test-positive-for-covid-in-parliament-452597.html 14 August 2021 @ 11:32 pm With five MPs and several members of the Parliament staff testing positive for COVID-19 inside two weeks, a special party leaders rsquo; meeting has been convened for 11 a.m. tomorrow to decide on whether to proceed with next week rsquo;s scheduled Parliament sittings. Leader of the House Dinesh Gunawardena called the meeting as the country rsquo;s COVID situation worsened and more MPs tested p... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/210815/news/pakistan-marks-independence-jubilee-452593.html 14 August 2021 @ 11:31 pm lt;div gt; lt;table border= quot;0 quot; gt; lt;tbody gt; lt;tr gt; lt;td gt; lt;img class= quot;aligncenter size-full wp-image-452594 quot; title= quot;9Y1A3052 quot; src= quot;http://sundaytimes.lk/210815/uploads/2021/08/9Y1A3052.jpg quot; alt= quot; quot; width= quot;400 quot; height= quot;600 quot; / gt; lt;/td gt; lt;td gt; lt;img class= quot;aligncenter size-full wp-image-452595 q... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/210815/news/slfp-pushes-for-mixed-electoral-system-backs-executive-presidential-system-with-amendments-452591.html 14 August 2021 @ 11:29 pm The Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) has called for a mixed electoral system for elections while calling for the executive presidency to be retained, subject to amendments. The SLFP presented its proposals this week to the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) appointed to identify appropriate reforms of the election laws and the electoral system and to recommend necessary amendments. The PSC is h... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/210815/news/government-throws-new-learning-methods-into-mix-as-teachers-stay-away-452585.html 14 August 2021 @ 11:27 pm [caption id= quot;attachment_452586 quot; align= quot;aligncenter quot; width= quot;600 quot; caption= quot;With schoolgoing days at a standstill and online teaching also a no-show, the Govt. says it amp;#39;s looking at other options to reach out to schoolchildren islandwide. Pic by Akila Jayawardana quot;] lt;img class= quot;size-full wp-image-452586 quot; title= quot;_DSC3413-copy quot; src= qu... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/210815/news/161-allowed-to-buy-paddy-but-small-millers-say-path-cleared-for-kingpins-452578.html 14 August 2021 @ 10:45 pm lt;div gt; lt;img class= quot;alignright size-full wp-image-452579 quot; title= quot;IMG_0013 quot; src= quot;http://sundaytimes.lk/210815/uploads/2021/08/IMG_0013.jpg quot; alt= quot; quot; width= quot;500 quot; height= quot;375 quot; / gt;The Ministry of Trade last week announced that only small and medium mill owners registered with the Consumer Affairs Authority will be allowed to buy pad... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/210815/news/clash-of-trolleys-as-lockdown-rumours-spark-panic-shopping-452568.html 14 August 2021 @ 10:34 pm lt;div gt; [caption id= quot;attachment_452569 quot; align= quot;alignright quot; width= quot;500 quot; caption= quot;Panic buying at supermakets in Colombo. Pix by Indika Handuwala quot;] lt;img class= quot;size-full wp-image-452569 quot; title= quot;IMAG5112 quot; src= quot;http://sundaytimes.lk/210815/uploads/2021/08/IMAG5112.jpg quot; alt= quot; quot; width= quot;500 quot; height= quot;339... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/210815/news/mystery-deepens-over-missing-files-on-nmra-cloud-service-provider-had-no-backup-452555.html 14 August 2021 @ 10:05 pm lt;div gt;The loss of an estimated two terabytes mdash;or 2,000 gigabytes mdash;of classified information from the Lanka Government Cloud (LGC) risks endangering the business relationships of local drugs companies with their foreign principals, industry sources warned this week. lt;/div gt; The files comprised information pertaining to the formulation of drugs and other confidential supporting d... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/210815/news/remembering-kadirgamar-an-exemplary-leader-on-his-16th-death-anniversary-452551.html 14 August 2021 @ 10:03 pm lt;img class= quot;alignright size-full wp-image-452552 quot; title= quot;IMG_0434 quot; src= quot;http://sundaytimes.lk/210815/uploads/2021/08/IMG_0434.jpg quot; alt= quot; quot; width= quot;500 quot; height= quot;333 quot; / gt;The late Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar was a great minister and an excellent and exemplary leader, Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena said at an commemorative ev... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/210815/news/migrant-workers-who-lost-valuable-goods-on-the-x-press-pearl-appeal-to-govt-for-compensation-452547.html 14 August 2021 @ 10:02 pm lt;div gt; [caption id= quot;attachment_452548 quot; align= quot;alignright quot; width= quot;500 quot; caption= quot;Sri Lankan migrant workers who lost their cargo in the X-Press Pearl disaster addressing a news conference on Friday quot;] lt;img class= quot;size-full wp-image-452548 quot; title= quot;20210813_140924 quot; src= quot;http://sundaytimes.lk/210815/uploads/2021/08/20210813_14092... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/210815/news/another-covid-hit-year-sees-first-kumbal-perahera-on-empty-streets-of-kandy-452540.html 14 August 2021 @ 9:48 pm lt;div gt; lt;img class= quot;alignright size-full wp-image-452541 quot; title= quot;RUM_9927 quot; src= quot;http://sundaytimes.lk/210815/uploads/2021/08/RUM_9927.jpg quot; alt= quot; quot; width= quot;500 quot; height= quot;333 quot; / gt;The Esala Perahera began on Friday with the first kumbal perahera parading the streets of Kandy. The perahera began at 7.18 p.m. with the Kataragama tuske... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/210815/news/move-to-clear-access-for-ritual-on-final-night-of-randoli-perahera-452537.html 14 August 2021 @ 9:45 pm Illegal constructions are to be cleared to provide unhindered access for the lt;em gt; lsquo;Diya Kapeeme Mangallyaya lt;/em gt; rsquo;, (the lsquo;cutting of water rsquo;) on the final night of the Randoli Perahera of the Kandy Esala Perahera. The ritual is held before dawn at the Getambe Thota of the Mahaweli River. Officials have directed the Central Environmental Authority to clear and su... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/210815/news/no-vaccine-no-entry-to-perahera-city-452534.html 14 August 2021 @ 9:44 pm Sri Lankans who are not vaccinated against the coronavirus disease will be prohibited from entering Kandy city during the Esala Perahera, the police said. The entire procession route will be out of bounds after 2:00pm today (Sunday). About 2,000 police will be on duty, said Senior Superintendent of Police Chamil Krishantha Ratnayake. Also on the advice of health authorities only police within K... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/210815/news/a-cry-for-help-covid-stricken-and-no-one-to-turn-to-452507.html 14 August 2021 @ 9:18 pm lt;strong gt; lt;em gt;Api antheema asarana wela! lt;/em gt;(We are totally helpless.) lt;/strong gt; This was the agonised cry of COVID-19 positive Chamodi who lives in Piliyandala off the 255-Paara (the Piliyandala-Kottawa Road), when we contacted her on Wednesday night and Friday evening, having heard of the pathetic plight of her family. Even as she answered her mobile and spoke to us,... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/210815/news/environment-ministry-secretary-outlines-climate-protection-moves-452504.html 14 August 2021 @ 9:17 pm Sri Lanka is only responsible for 0.03 percent of the world rsquo;s green-house gas emissions and yet it is one of the countries identified as most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. It is ranked 2nd in the Global Climate Risk Index for 2019 and 6th for 2020. ldquo;Sri Lanka is more vulnerable to climate change because our ability to withstand the consequent natural disasters and inv... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/210815/news/as-global-report-warns-of-climate-catastrophe-visiting-envoy-says-lankas-future-lies-in-renewable-energy-452498.html 14 August 2021 @ 9:14 pm The Sixth Assessment report by the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) appraising the climate change situation globally has warned that the global surface temperature will continue to rise until at least the mid-century under all emissions scenarios considered. The rise in the earth rsquo;s average surface temperature will cross the 1.5 deg;C barrier in the next 20 years and the 2... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/210815/news/we-are-forced-to-play-god-who-should-live-who-should-not-452483.html 14 August 2021 @ 9:02 pm lt;div gt; [caption id= quot;attachment_452487 quot; align= quot;aligncenter quot; width= quot;600 quot; caption= quot;With lots of patients needing oxygen we may soon see scenes like in India. Pic by Indika Handuwala quot;] lt;img class= quot;size-full wp-image-452487 quot; title= quot;_MG_4899 quot; src= quot;http://sundaytimes.lk/210815/uploads/2021/08/MG_4899.jpg quot; alt= quot; quot; wid... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/210815/news/dengue-cases-up-by-a-third-similar-symptoms-to-covid-452478.html 14 August 2021 @ 9:01 pm lt;div gt; lt;img class= quot;alignright size-full wp-image-452484 quot; title= quot;Potential-mosquito-breeding-grounds- quot; src= quot;http://sundaytimes.lk/210815/uploads/2021/08/Potential-mosquito-breeding-grounds-.jpg quot; alt= quot; quot; width= quot;500 quot; height= quot;334 quot; / gt;Dengue cases are up by a third compared to the same time last year, and physicians are warning the... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/210815/news/state-institutes-fall-like-dominoes-to-covid-19-452481.html 14 August 2021 @ 8:56 pm People and institutions like the Department of Immigration and Emigration and the Department of Motor Traffic fell like dominoes in the COVID-19 rampage. This COVID-19 tsunami is causing a hospital overload, while among those seeking treatment, there are more patients with severe disease needing oxygen. lt;em gt;The Sunday Times lt;/em gt; learnt that home-based care in the Western Province... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/210815/news/top-national-experts-voice-great-concern-452474.html 14 August 2021 @ 8:54 pm Sri Lanka could soon face a health crisis of ldquo;unprecedented rdquo; proportions, top national experts have warned, noting with ldquo;great concern rdquo; the current surge in COVID-19, nearly overwhelmingthe capacity of the health system to provide the required adequate care for the people. These experts are in the Independent Expert Group convened by the World Health Organization (WHO) w... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/210815/news/the-bench-and-bar-must-be-equal-partners-in-expediting-justice-new-ca-president-452472.html 14 August 2021 @ 8:51 pm lt;div gt; [caption id= quot;attachment_452473 quot; align= quot;alignright quot; width= quot;200 quot; caption= quot;Justice Priyantha Fernando quot;] lt;img class= quot;size-full wp-image-452473 quot; title= quot;583A6562 quot; src= quot;http://sundaytimes.lk/210815/uploads/2021/08/583A6562.jpg quot; alt= quot; quot; width= quot;200 quot; height= quot;253 quot; / gt;[/caption] Any new law... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/210815/news/colombo-beautification-continues-452423.html 14 August 2021 @ 8:25 pm [caption id= quot;attachment_452424 quot; align= quot;alignright quot; width= quot;200 quot; caption= quot;SSP Roshan Rajapaksa quot;] lt;img class= quot;size-full wp-image-452424 quot; title= quot;SSP-Roshan-Rajapaksa quot; src= quot;http://sundaytimes.lk/210815/uploads/2021/08/SSP-Roshan-Rajapaksa.jpg quot; alt= quot; quot; width= quot;200 quot; height= quot;233 quot; / gt;[/caption] While th... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/210815/news/deitys-chariot-worthy-of-preservation-guardians-say-452417.html 14 August 2021 @ 8:13 pm [caption id= quot;attachment_452418 quot; align= quot;alignright quot; width= quot;400 quot; caption= quot;The 300-year-old artefact quot;] lt;img class= quot; wp-image-452418 quot; title= quot;wheel-cart-1 quot; src= quot;http://sundaytimes.lk/210815/uploads/2021/08/wheel-cart-1.jpg quot; alt= quot; quot; width= quot;400 quot; height= quot;300 quot; / gt;[/caption] Lord Murugan rsquo;s spear,... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/210815/news/more-heavy-rains-expected-in-three-provinces-452411.html 14 August 2021 @ 8:11 pm [caption id= quot;attachment_452413 quot; align= quot;alignright quot; width= quot;400 quot; caption= quot;Hatton Pix by Manula Sellahewa quot;] lt;img class= quot;size-full wp-image-452413 quot; title= quot;7 quot; src= quot;http://sundaytimes.lk/210815/uploads/2021/08/74.jpg quot; alt= quot; quot; width= quot;400 quot; height= quot;400 quot; / gt;[/caption] The Western, Sabaragamuwa and Centr... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/210815/news/as-covid-pandemic-rages-public-service-remains-partially-paralysed-452406.html 14 August 2021 @ 7:41 pm lt;div gt; [caption id= quot;attachment_452407 quot; align= quot;alignright quot; width= quot;500 quot; caption= quot;Public sevants have no option but to travel to work in overcrowded public transport. Pic by M.A. Pushpa Kumara quot;] lt;img class= quot;size-full wp-image-452407 quot; title= quot;9Y1A2377 quot; src= quot;http://sundaytimes.lk/210815/uploads/2021/08/9Y1A2377.jpg quot; alt= quo... http://www.sundaytimes.lk/210815/news/politically-backed-sand-mining-mafia-wrecking-deduru-oya-and-livelihoods-452394.html 14 August 2021 @ 7:31 pm lt;div gt; [caption id= quot;attachment_452397 quot; align= quot;alignright quot; width= quot;500 quot; caption= quot;Illegal activities continue unabated quot;] lt;img class= quot;size-full wp-image-452397 quot; title= quot;6 quot; src= quot;http://sundaytimes.lk/210815/uploads/2021/08/65.jpg quot; alt= quot; quot; width= quot;500 quot; height= quot;281 quot; / gt;[/caption] Illegal sand m...