News

The Director-General of Health Services has confirmed 18 more novel coronavirus-related deaths for December 09, increasing the death toll in the country due to the virus pandemic to 14,573.

According to the figures released by the Govt. Information Department, the deaths reported today include 09 males and 09 females.

Three of the patients are between the ages 30-59 years while the remaining 15 are in the age group of 60 years and above.

Meanwhile, the Health Ministry announced that another 567 persons have tested positive for COVID-19 today (Dec. 10).

Former Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) Executive Director Thushan Gunawardena questions as to why the government has not taken action against the relevant gas company for endangering the public life by changing the gas composition in LP gas cylinders and reducing the percentage of the odorant mercaptan.

He asserted that the government's lack of action in the matter was rather questionable, especially since the company itself had admitted that it made a change in the gas composition.

Gunawardena further said that the company in question is a state-owned company and if an offense is committed, the law should be enforced against the culprits.

In July, the former CAA Executive Director had submitted in writing that the composition of the gas has been changed, which could have a detrimental effect on the safety of the users.

Trade Minister Bandula Gunawardena had given the written notice to all responsible parties including State Minister Lasantha Alagiyawanna.

However, the former CAA Board member alleged that the authorities did not take appropriate action despite being informed about the issue.

CT

The third reading of the 2022 Budget was passed in parliament a short while ago (10).

At the vote, 157 members voted for the budget, while 64 opposed.

Accordingly, the third reading of the 2022 Appropriation Bill was passed with a 93-vote majority.

The Colombo High Court Trial-at-Bar has released 10 defendants including former minister Ravi Karunanayake from 11 charges out of the 22 in the case filed over the Central Bank bond scam in 2016.

The case pertaining to criminal misappropriation of bonds valued at Rs. 15 billion during the Central Bank’s treasury bond auction held between March 29 and March 31, 2016 was taken up before a Trial-at-Bar comprising Amal Ranaraja, Namal Balalle, and Aditya Patabendige.

Raising preliminary objection related to the case, attorneys representing the defendants had previously stated that the relevant charges could not be pursued against the defendants and therefore requested the court to release them from these charges.

Delivering its decisions today (06) on the preliminary objections, High Court judge Aditya Patabendige stated that 11 of the charges against the defendants cannot be pursued and released them from those charges.

Appearing on behalf of the Attorney General, the Additional Solicitor General Priyantha Nawana stated that out of the 22 charges filed by the plaintiff, the court had decided to release the accused from 11 charges.

He also requested the court to provide a date to decide whether the charge sheet filed against the accused will be amended or withdrawn or if alternate legal action would be pursued.

Accordingly, the case was postponed until January 26, 2022.

Veteran film director Sunil Soma Peiris has passed away at the age of 73.

He is also known as the "King of Box Office" in Sinhala cinema.

He was a prolific director who directed the most number of films in Sri Lankan cinema with 45 commercial films in various genres to his name.

He entered Sinhala cinema with a minor uncredited role in Henry Chandrawansa's film Vanagatha Kella. Then he made group characters the films Lakseṭa Koḍiya and Vahal Dūpata. While acting in the 1973 film Thushara as a stuntman, he informed the director Yasapalitha Nanayakkara about his passion to become a filmmaker. Therefore, he was finally selected as the second assistant director of the film. After the film, Sunil Soma became the first assistant director to Yasapalitha Nanayakkara and together they made 18 movies.

In 1985, he made his debut cinema direction with Obata Diwura Kiyannam. Then within 25 years, he made forty-five films. Out of the 45 movies made by him, eight were co-directed with his son Sudesh Wasantha.

The Director General of Health Services has confirmed another 23 coronavirus related deaths for November 05, raising the country’s death toll due to the Covid-19 pandemic to 14,484.

The deaths reported today include 15 males and 08 female patients while three of the deceased are between the ages 30-59 years. The remaining 20 victims are in the age group of 60 years and above.

Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa says the importation of vehicles and recruitment of public sector employees will not be carried out in 2022.

Addressing an event, the lawmaker stressed that the government will have to impose restrictions on the aforementioned. Accordingly, new vehicles will not be imported and approval will not be given for recruitment to the public sector next year, he added.

Minister Rajapaksa urged the public sector authorities not to ask for new staff members. He stated that there is not enough workspace at some divisional secretariats for the employees.

Increasing the number of staff members will not improve the efficiency, he added.

Speaking further, the finance minister said an increase in foreign reserves was observed last year, but it drastically dropped this year due to the decrease in remittances sent by the migrant workers.

The country annually sends about 230,000 migrant workers overseas, but this figure shrunk to 53,000 last year, he added. However, more than 100,000 migrant workers are sent abroad now, Minister Rajapaksa continued, adding that the government’s target is to increase this number to 300,000 next year.

The Director General of Health Services has confirmed another 21 coronavirus related deaths for November 04, increasing the death toll in the country due to the virus to 14,461.

The deaths confirmed today include 14 males and 07 females while three of the victims are between the ages 30-59 years. The remaining 18 are in the age group of 60 years and above.

Admiral of the Fleet Wasantha Karannagoda has been appointed as the Governor of the North-Western Province, says the President’s Media Division (PMD).

He was sworn in before President Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the Presidential Secretariat today (December 09).

Karannagoda has previously served as the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Japan.

His new appointment came two days after the demise of Raja Collure, the Chairman of the Communist Party of Sri Lanka.

Collure served as the North-Western Province Governor until he passed away at the age of 83 while receiving treatment for COVID-19.

Another person who was injured in the ferry accident in Kinniya - Kurinjankarni Lagoon has died at the hospital this morning (05), reports say.

The deceased has been identified as a 42 year old woman.

Another 6-year-old girl who was hospitalized in a ferry accident in Kurinjankarni Lagoon also died on the 28th of November.

The accident took place when the ferry capsized at around 7.00 am on the 23rd of November, killing six people, including four school children.

About 25 to 30 people were on board the ferry at the time of the accident and several others, including school children, were hospitalized with injuries.

Meanwhile, the Kinniya Mayor, the owner of the ferry and the two operators were later arrested and remanded in connection with the incident.

The Kinniya Kurinjankerni Lagoon Bridge, built in 1977, collapsed six years ago.

The Director-General of Health Services has confirmed 28 more coronavirus-related deaths for December 07.

The new development has pushed the death toll in the country due to the virus pandemic to 14,533.

A first information report (FIR) has been registered against 900 workers of Rajco Industries garment factory in Sialkot for murdering their Sri Lankan general manager Priyantha Kumara Diyawadana.

The Sialkot police arrested 235 people, including those who tortured him and recorded videos, dawn.com reports.

The FIR was registered against the 900 workers under the Pakistan Penal Code and the Anti-Terrorism Act.

The applicant admitted that the protesters had slapped, kicked, punched and hit the deceased with sticks in his presence, and dragged him out of the factory on Wazirabad Road where he died.

They then set the body on fire.

The SHO said he was helpless in front of the mob owing to shortage of personnel.

Sialkot police are conducting raids in the city, adjoining villages to arrest the booked 900 suspects.

Police are trying to identify the culprits through CCTV footage from the factory cameras as well as video clips that have gone viral on social media.

The 230 arrested include two main suspects, Mohammad Talha and Farhan Idrees, and all of them have been shifted to an undisclosed location.

Rajco Industries remained closed yesterday, and its workers were on the run to evade arrest.

The Sri Lankan’s post-mortem was completed at Allama Iqbal Teaching Hospital in Sialkot according to which most of his body was burnt and several bones were broken due to the torture he suffered, said hospital sources.

The remains had been transported to a Lahore hospital amid tight security, and after fulfilling formalities, would be sent to Colombo.

Local businessmen also hung pictures of Mr Kumara outside the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry and laid garlands on it.

Quoting unidentified police sources, Geo TV said some factory workers disliked the deceased general manager, a textile engineer, for being strict in enforcing discipline.

After a routine inspection on Friday morning, he had snubbed the sanitary staff over poor work.

The channel further reported that as the factory was about to undergo a whitewash, the manager started removing posters from walls.

As one of the posters was an invitation to a religious moot, some workers objected to it.

The channel’s sources said Diyawadana offered an apology, but a supervisor instigated the workers, who attacked him.

He ran to the roof and tried to hide under solar panels, but the enraged workers got hold of him and killed him there and then.