News

The Teachers Unions announced that they will give the Government time until 21 October to resolve the issues pertaining to salary anomalies.

Joseph Stalin, the General Secretary of the Ceylon Teachers’ Union questioned the Government for not taking steps to provide teachers, who work tirelessly to provide education, with Rs. 30 billion as the Government clearly has the capability to do so.

Pointing out that the very same Government made the decision to give Rs. 120 Million to Chairmen and Vice Chairmen of District coordinating committees for the purpose of holding Provincial General Elections, Starlin said that the Government having funds for these expenses but not having funds to solve the salary issue of teachers and principals is a big question.

The teachers and principals union took a step back and asked for less than the prescribed amount in the Subodini Committee report, he continued.

” The Subodini Committee report prescribed for Rs. 71 Billion to be given to teachers and principals, yet what we requested was a proposal of Rs. 30 Billion. Therefore, We will continue this trade union action in the coming week. We will have to announce our decision on the re-opening of school if a solution is not given before 21 October” He further stated.

News 1st

A total of 31 more COVID-19 related deaths that occurred yesterday (12) were confirmed by the Director-General of Health Services today pushing the death toll to 13,408.

According to the Government Information Department, 11 females and 20 males are among the deceased.

A total of 23 people who are above 60 years of age are among the deceased while 8 of them are between 30 and 59 years of age.

A total of 21 more COVID-19 related deaths that occurred yesterday (13) were confirmed by the Director-General of Health Services today pushing the death toll to 13,429.

According to the Government Information Department, 6 females and 15 males are among the deceased.

A total of 16 people who are above 60 years of age are among the deceased while 5 of them are between 30 and 59 years of age.

The Teachers’ and Principals’ Trade Union Alliance today decided to continue the strike demanding a one-time increase in teachers’ salaries.

Speaking to the media today (12), the General Secretary of the Ceylon Teachers Service Union, Mahinda Jayasinghe stated that there is no purpose in continuing to hold discussions if the Government does not change its stance.

Emphasizing that none of the trade unions will accept the Education Minister’s proposal to divide the relevant salary increase into three installments and grant it to teachers, the trade unions stated that they will continue their strike.

Meanwhile, Ven. Yalwala Pannasekera Thero, the Chairman of the All Ceylon United Teachers Union stated that the unions are yet to discuss and make a decision on continuing academic activities at schools when schools with less than 200 students reopen on 21 October.

Former club rugby player Rohitha Rajapaksa yesterday denied that he wanted to play at the upcoming Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) Major League 50-over tournament, also shooting down media reports that he was bidding to feature in the Lanka Premier League (LPL) in December or potentially run for cricket administration.

The youngest son of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, Rohitha has had a long association with rugby, having represented Navy SC, Army SC and CH & FC as a player before taking on coaching roles at various levels of the sport.

Reports on social media claimed that Rohitha had participated in a practice match at the Surrey Ground in Maggona yesterday and had expressed a desire to lay for the Kalutara team at the 50-over club tournament.

Suggestions were that he was either trying to qualify for the LPL, the franchise-cricket tournament that features international cricketers, or attempting to meet the eligibility criteria to run for cricket administration.

“I have no intention of getting involved with the cricket administration and neither do I have any intention of playing for the LPL,” Rajapaksa said in a statement circulated by his Media Secretary, which was received at 10:25 p.m.

“If I’m playing any sport I give my 100% and that’s only because I love sports. I am currently preparing for the rugby sevens tournament on the 30th and 31st of this month and I am currently playing cricket with our old Thomian team,” the statement also said.

However, when Daily Mirror spoke to the President of the Kalutara TC earlier in the evening, he said that Rohitha had approached him about playing for the club.

“He came and spoke to me and said he was keen to play cricket with our club. He has been playing for the last six or seven months and he said he was interested in playing in the upcoming 50-over club tournament,” Kalutara Town Club President Deepal Perera told the Daily Mirror.

“I don’t know whether he wants to continue playing beyond the 50-over tournament, but his initial plan is to play in that tournament,” Perera added.

dailymirror

The Attorney General informed the Court of Appeal that the charges against Former Navy Commander Admiral of the Fleet Wasantha Karannagoda would not be carried forward.

Admiral of the Fleet Wasanna Karannagoda is the 14th suspect in the case filed by the Attorney General on charges including abduction and enforced disappearance of 11 youth from Colombo, at the Permanent High Court Trial-at-Bar.

On the 4th of August, the Attorney General informed the Colombo Permanent High Court Trial-at-Bar that the charges against former Navy Commander Admiral of the Fleet Wasantha Karannagoda would not be carried forward.

On Wednesday (13), an application filed by Wasantha Karannagoda was called up in the presence of Justice Sobitha Rajakaruna and Dhammika Ganepola at the Court of Appeal.

Legal approval has been granted for subscribers to obtain Number Portability Service among telecom service providers in Sri Lanka, says the Director-General of the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRCSL).

Preliminary steps on implementing this service were initiated by the TRCSL last year.

Mobile Number Portability (MNP) is a facility that allows mobile subscribers to retain their mobile numbers when switching from one service provider to another and creates an environment that fosters consumer choice.

Enabling subscribers to switch between service providers, removing the barriers and inconveniences automatically promotes effective competition among different telecom networks.

A document compiled by the TRCSL says this paves way for improving quality of service, network coverage which rewards the service providers who maintains networks successfully. Hence number portability was recognized as an important driver of competition by regulators around the world.

Number portability service benefits porting user and callers by eliminating the cost of informing other parties of the number, the need to reach directory enquiries and/or change entries in their address books or computer systems. It increases the competition for the telecom industry by lowering the cost to users of switching or service provider and improvements in service quality.

However, the subscribers need to be completely aware of the services offered by the new operator and the terms and conditions of the new contract prior to switching operators, as only the number that is ported but not the existing services or tariff plan given by the existing service provider along with the number.

The negotiations between Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and the representatives of the Teacher-Principal Trade Unions at Temple Trees today (12) ended without a definite solution. Accordingly, the trade unions are set to assemble a meeting tomorrow (13) in discussing the proposals made during the discussion and making a final decision.

The Prime Minister has agreed to pay the salaries in two phases instead of the three phases proposed by the Cabinet Sub-Committee.

It was in the Prime Minister's proposition to pay one part of the salary in January next year and the other part in January 2023.

LNW

Former Minister Rishad Bathiudeen who was remanded previously, was granted bail today (14).

Ex-Minister Rishad Bathiudeen was previously remanded in the case filed over the death of 16-year-old Jude Kumar Ishalini, who died while employed as a domestic aide at the Colombo residence of the MP.

While the Ex-Minister was remanded further, the MPs Wife & Father-in-Law, the 02nd and 03rd suspects in the case were released on 04 surety bails each, and each amounting to one million rupees.

Ex-Minister Rishad Bathiudeen was named as the fifth suspect in the case filed over the death of 16-year-old Jude Kumar Ishalini.

Moreover, Ex-Minister Bathiudeen was also granted bail subject to strict conditions in the case filed over giving priority to a firm owned by Ibrahim Ahamed, one of the suicide bombers responsible for the 2019 April 21st Terror Attacks, by providing scrap metal and copper owned by the Ministry of Industries, and using the funds generated through that scheme to fund terrorism.

Bathiudeen was arrested and remanded under the provisions of the Prevention of Terrorism Act.

The total number of people, who died of COVID-19 infection in Sri Lanka, moved up as 23 more fatalities were confirmed by the Director-General of Health Services on Monday (October 11).

The new development has pushed the official death toll from the virus outbreak in the country to 13,377.

Latest victims include 11 males and 12 females, the Department of Government Information said.

According to official data, 19 deaths were reported among elderly people aged above 60 years. In addition, 03 people aged between 30-59 years and one male below 30 years have also succumbed to the virus infection.

Rohitha Rajapaksa, youngest son of Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, is making his cricket debut today in his bid to participate in the upcoming domestic 50-overs tournament, Cricket Age exclusively learns.

Rohitha, a former rugby player, represented Army rugby team in past. According to sources, at the moment, Rohitha is playing a practice match at Surrey Village, Maggona for Kalutara town club.

“The club is organizing a practice match today to identify players for the upcoming 50 over tournament. He (Rohitha) is also playing in the practice match” a source told Cricket Age.

50 over tournament is scheduled to kick off on October 27. The Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) Tournament Committee is hoping to finish off the tournament before the Lanka Premier League (LPL). It will be followed by the all-important National Super League with the participation of 5 teams – Colombo, Kandy, Dambulla, Galle and Jaffna. This will be the highest standard of domestic cricket in the country.

The players will be selected for the National Super League upon their performances in the Inter-Club competitions. The National Super League will be played as four-day first-class matches and 50-over matches in January, February and March.

The new structure was designed by the Tournament Committee of the Sri Lanka Cricket headed by Samantha Dodanwela in consultation with the Technical Advisory Committee led by Aravinda De Silva.

Cricket Age

One kilo of wheat flour and a bag of 50kg cement has been increased with immediate effect, the suppliers said.

A spokesman from the Serendib Flour Mills (Pvt) Ltd said they have increase the price of 1 kg of wheat flour by Rs. 10 from today.

Meanwhile, a spokesman from the Sanstha Cement Corporation has increased the price of 50kg cement bag by Rs.93 from midnight yesterday.

Accordingly, one bag of cement will now be sold at Rs. 1,098 from its earlier price of Rs.1,005.

However, the price increase for the above commodities is to be officially announced today.