Colombo (LNW): The Ministry of Health announced that it will be conducting a full investigation into the recent death of a patient at the National Hospital in Colombo upon being administered an antibiotic.
The decision was taken during a special discussion held on the matter yesterday (28) at the Ministry, according to Deputy Director General of Health Services Dr. G. Wijesuriya.
He noted that the cause of the death of the patient was an infection caused by the antibiotic administered, and the post-mortem examination had raised concerns about it.
The deceased was a 50-year old male who was admitted to the Colombo National Hospital for treatment for a cut wound.
In the meantime, the use of the antibiotic in question, Co-Amoxiclav, has temporarily been suspended.
Colombo(LNW): Educate Sri Lanka Colombo Expo 2023, the prestigious annual higher education and study abroad exhibition, is set to empower students with knowledge, inspiration, and opportunities as they seek to navigate today’s world of higher education. The event is organized by Evolution Events and Corporate Services (EECS) and will be held from 1st to 3rd September 2023 at the BMICH. The Colombo Career Expo 2023 will be held in parallel on the same days and venue.
Educate Sri Lanka Colombo Expo 2023 serves as an informative event where aspiring students, parents, universities and higher education institutions gather on one platform in Colombo to explore a wide range of educational prospects for the students and help them navigate the world of higher education and international study with ease. The event is ideally suited for students who have received their local O/L and A/L results, Cambridge O/L and A/L results as well as those who have completed their undergrad studies.
The dynamic dual event serves to meet several key objectives. It provides a platform for students to explore higher education opportunities in various fields based on their preference. It helps them to independently select the most suitable career pathways through professional career guidance and counselling. It also provides an opportunity for leading universities and educational institutes to engage with these students directly, allowing them to create awareness about scholarships, grants, and financial aid options available for Sri Lankan students pursuing higher education in foreign countries. It also facilitates networking opportunities for students, allowing them to connect with professionals from various industries and explore potential internships and job opportunities.
Sharing his thoughts on the event, Mr.Meshach Reuben, Director/CEO of Evolution Events and Corporate Services (EECS) stated, “The year 2023 marked a momentous milestone for Evolution Events as we successfully concluded a series of exhibitions under the brand Educate Sri Lanka Expo in Gampaha and Batticaloa as well as the prestigious Jaffna Education Fair in Jaffna. These events stood as shining examples of our commitment to empowering students across the nation with access to quality education and delivering unparalleled opportunities. I warmly invite all students and their parents to join us at this extraordinary dual event as we unlock the doors to knowledge, inspire lifelong learning, and pave the way to a brighter future for our younger generations.”
The Colombo Career Expo 2023 is an exclusive career and internship fair designed to provide a platform for job seekers, students, and professionals to explore exciting career opportunities and connect with leading organizations in the country. Recent graduates in IT, Business, Engineering, Marketing, Law, and many other disciplines will find the Career Expo the perfect setting to launch their careers and fulfill their career aspirations by exploring internship opportunities at the best organizations in Sri Lanka. Participating organizations gain access to this talent pool, increasing their chances of finding qualified candidates who align with their varied requirements and company culture.
Evolution Events and Corporate Services (EECS) specializes in organizing exhibitions, trade fairs, corporate events and conferences and provides a wide spectrum of event related solutions and media services to the corporate sector.
Colombo (LNW): The government is undertaking a programme to issue national identity cards to those above the age 40 who are unable to obtain one due to the absence of a birth certificate, Commissioner General of the Department of Registration of Persons Pradeep Saputhanthri said.
Accordingly, a circular was issued in this regard to all Divisional Secretariats, he added.
Sri Lankans above the age of 40, who are permanently resided in a Grama Niladhari Division and are registered in the voter’s register, but have not yet obtained a national identity card due to the aforementioned issue, will be eligible to apply for the opportunity.
Fort Magistrate prohibits 24 individuals belonging to trade unions and political parties from entering several areas in Colombo: nevertheless, massive crowds demonstrate opposite the Fort Railway station against the Domestic Debt Re-structuring, the slashing of EPF & ETF Member balances, and the hardships of the IMF Programme.
Cardinal Ranjith says if a bridge is to be constructed connecting Sri Lanka and India, a referendum should be held in order to seek the people’s consent for such a move: also says it is the rulers who betrayed the country to foreigners throughout history.
Public Security Minister Tiran Alles charges that the Catholic Church hadn’t given the Govt an opportunity to thrash out all issues regarding the continuing controversy over the 2019 Easter Sunday carnage: claims the Church, instead of frankly discussing any outstanding issues with the government and law enforcement authorities, had turned down that request.
Brother of Foreign Minister Ali Sabry and Ceylon Petroleum Corporation Chairman Uvais Muhammad says the proposed forensic audit to ascertain the financial status of the CPC could be conducted despite the absence of a former senior official: also says the CPC had chosen a private organisation to conduct the forensic audit, on the instructions of the Power and Energy Minister.
State Finance Minister Shehan Semasinghe says the Treasury has released Rs.5 bn to banks to provide relief for 800,000 “Aswasuma” beneficiaries and the funds will be transferred to the relevant accounts during the next couple of days.
Minister of Public Security Tiran Alles says unregistered Non-Governmental Organisations will not be allowed to operate in Sri Lanka.
Around 20 public officials reported to have flouted a Presidential Secretariat directive to travel on Economy class instead of Business class for their official visits overseas: a Treasury circular to be issued soon to secure the reimbursements of the difference in fare if it has been out of state funds: the original circular was issued 4 months ago to cut down state expenses.
Dept of Meteorology announces that the sun will be directly over the latitudes of SL from Aug 28 to Sept 7.
State Finance Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya says legal action will be taken against organizations and individuals who are carrying out or involved in Pyramid schemes; Central Bank also warns people against participating in Pyramid schemes, deeming it a punishable offence.
FIFA Council lifts the suspension of the Football Federation of Sri Lanka, but will continue to monitor the situation until the FFSL elections on September 29, 2023.
Colombo (LNW): The lawsuit filed by the Commission to Investigation Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) against Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) MP Milan Jayathilaka and a Member of the Dompe Pradeshiya Sabha over the allegation of receiving a bribery of Rs. 600,000 for the issuance of a licence for quarrying metal stones will be taken up for hearing from November 11, 2023, ordered the Colombo High Court.
This was when the case was called in before Colombo High Court Judge Navaratna Marasinghe yesterday (28).
The case was filed by the CIABOC on eight counts including the demanding of Rs. 700,000 as bribery for the issuance of a licence to operate a quarry, the reception of Rs. 600,000, and aiding and abetting the affair, during defendant Jayathilaka’s tenure as the Chairman of the Dompe Pradeshiya Sabha in 2012.
Dompe Pradeshiya Sabha Member Ajith Sisira Kuamra is cited as the other defendant to the case.
Colombo (LNW): Secretary to the Ministry of Information Technology Prof. Niranjan Gunawardena has reportedly decided to resign from his position.
Prof. Gunawardena also serves as the Chairman of the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka and recently has been appointed as the Vice Chancellor of the University of Moratuwa.
Gunawardena’s decision to resign from his position as the Secretary to the IT Ministry comes upon the pressure exerted by what speculators describe as ‘a higher fist’ to award the digital identity card tender to a well known blacklisted company, sources said.
Gunawardena, on the other hand, responded to the speculations stating that he has decided to resign from his position at the Ministry due to being appointed as the Vice Chancellor of the Moratuwa University.
Colombo (LNW): Showers will occur at times in Western and Sabaragamuwa provinces and in Galle and Matara districts, and several spells of showers will occur in Kandy and Nuwara Eliya districts, the Department of Meteorology said in its daily weather forecast today (29).
Showers or thundershowers will occur at several places in Uva province and in Ampara, Batticaloa and Mulathivu districts during the evening or night, the statement added.
General public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimise damages caused by temporary localised strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.
On the apparent southward relative motion of the sun, it is going to be directly over the latitudes of Sri Lanka during 28th of August to 07th of September in this year. The nearest towns of Sri Lanka over which the sun is overhead today (29) are Palavi (Kilinochchi District), Chalai (Mulathivu District) about 12.11 noon.
Marine Weather:
Condition of Rain:
Showers may occur at several places in the sea areas off the coast extending from Colombo to Matara via Galle.
Winds:
Winds will be south-westerly and speed will be (30-35) kmph. Wind speed may increase up to (50-55) kmph at times in the sea areas off the coast extending from Hambantota to Pottuvil, and from Puttalam to Trincomalee via Mannar and Kankasanthurai. Wind speed may increase up to (40-45) kmph at times in the sea areas off the coast extending from Puttalam to Hambantota via Colombo and Galle.
State of Sea:
The sea areas off the coast extending from Hambantota to Pottuvil and from Puttalam to Kankasanthurai via Mannar may be rough at times. The sea areas off the coast extending from Puttalam to Hambantota via Colombo and Galle may be fairly rough at times.
Colombo (LNW): The Ministry of Urban Development has taken steps to implement a project to improve the convection facilities in the Sigiri region which will generate a huge income for the country from tourism.
The project is being implemented at a cost of US$15million under the assistance of Asian Development Bank (ADB) with the aim of improving tourism facilities, rural development, income generation and investment promotion in Sigiriya region.
Sigiriya tourism zone will be developed under nine sub projects under the ministry of urban development and housing minister Prasanna Ranatunge disclosed adding that this project will be foreign exhnge money spinner after its completion.
The nine sub projects include new car parks for surrounding villages, improvement of sanitary facilities and the Sigiriya entrance road, establishing an information centre at Sigiriya, conservation of Mapangala archeological site,and rehabilitation of Sigiri Lake and the , establishment of a heritage path from Ramakele to Pidurangala.
The othersubprojects are the conservation of the archaeological site surrounding Kaludiya Pond, improvement of infrastructure facilities at Inamaluwa Lake for recreational activities, development of infrastructure for tourist and recreational activities centred on Galewela Lake, and development of a solid waste management system in the Digampathana area.
The Sigiriya Rock Fortress was listed as one of the new Seven Wonders of the World, making Sri Lanka the only Asian country to make it onto the list along with six other iconic sites appealing to the new age traveller with a thirst for adventure.
These marvels include archaeological and natural treasures spanning far wider than the ancient Greek world and catering to all types of modern explorers
Dating back to King Kashyapa in the fifth century A.D., Sigiriya is the “perfect amalgam of human-made treasure and natural wonder” enthuses Bloomberg.
Known as Lion Rock — a reference to the paws sculpted into the base of the 660-foot-tall stone — it includes elaborate cisterns and gardens, frescoed caves, and a winding stairway to the crowning citadel.
Sri Lanka Tourism has strategically embarked on developing Sigiriya, a World Heritage site, into a sustainable destination under the National Sustainable Destination Certification (NSDC) initiative.
Sustainable tourism is essential to protect natural, cultural, and environmental resources which are critical for the wellbeing of Sri Lanka’s tourism industry. If these valuable resources are not sustained, Sri Lanka could see dwindling tourist numbers in the future.
Colombo (LNW): In the wake of the government’s efforts to collect highly personal data for e-grama niladari project distributing forms to be filled by the people and handed over to grama nildaris this week has created public confusion, civil society activists said.
The right to privacy includes the right of individuals to lead their lives in a manner that is reasonably secluded from public scrutiny, and the right to make personal decisions regarding their lives, they claimed.
The importance of privacy and the multitude of practises through which privacy is breached are not fully appreciated by policymakers, businesses as well as the general public in Sri Lanka.
Proposed reform such as the revival of the National Register of Persons recommendations for invasive surveillance methods2 as well as violations of privacy,in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic3 raises grave concerns, especially in the absence of legislative protection of the right to privacy in Sri Lanka, several leading legal luminaries pointed out.
These developments, among others, need to be closely monitored, and wide debate and awareness generated on their potential implications and risks.
Sri Lanka government has already embarked on another project of collecting personal data of the people for a digital database at grama niladari divisional level in addition to similar initiatives of setting up of various databases for e –passport, e –national identity card, e -driving licence etc.
The aim is to Utilize this community – based database of ‘e – Grama Niladhari’ project instead of the previously existed house holders’ register.
According to the document issued to the pubic via grama niladaris countrywide, the ministry of public administration and home affairs, it has been planned to eliminate obstacles in providing development project benefits to the people.
People will have to fil forms distributed by grama nildaris these days among households divulging almost all of their personnel details including email address, passport number,driving licence details , mobile number and the number of residential phone., bank account number.
It is also compulsory to provide highly personnel details of details of bank account, monthly income, and the extent of housing land if there is any employment, etc
By now ‘e – Grama Niladhari’ project has been inaugurated under the State Ministry of Home Affairs and a house and citizens database is being developed while it has been planned to implement throughout the 14,022 Grama Niladhari divisions under several phases.
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal submitted by the President as the Minister of Defence to conceptually accept the database of ‘e – Grama Niladhari’ project as the national database for the requirements of previously existed householders list method.
Householders’ lists are confined to only basic details of the house holder and occupants and the current comprehensive system includes all personnel details.
Quite apart from exposing confidential details ,there are the inherent risks of holding the nation’s entire identity information in a central database that is accessed by various government — and possibly private — entities,several social activists , community organiastions and socio economic experts claimed.
The system immediately becomes a magnet for hackers. In the age of cyberwarfare and the usual sloppiness with which information security is treated by those in the Sri Lankan government, this should be a serious concern, they complained.
Colombo (LNW): The Sri Lankan government, in its bid to stimulate the country’s economy, has announced plans to ease import restrictions on an additional 300 items, State Minister of Finance Ranjith Siyambalapitiya disclosed.
The move, set to take effect next week, is expected to further invigorate the nation’s domestic markets and foster economic recovery.
This policy shift comes on the heels of a similar decision made a month ago, when the government relaxed import controls on 300 different items.
The previously relaxed list included a wide variety of goods, such as electronic equipment, sanitaryware, and various food items, which took effect on June 9.
The relaxation of import restrictions is part of a broader government strategy aimed at easing supply chain constraints, improving the availability of goods, and stabilizing market prices.
Sri Lanka is looking at demand, domestic substitutes, and its foreign exchange position in relaxing the country’s import restrictions which have been in place since March 2020, as the country phases out control measures under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
He said that in the approach, the criteria the Finance Ministry had considered were items that had no domestic substitute, items that were essentials for agriculture, fisheries, tourism, and other industries.
Despite these progressive measures, Siyambalapitiya clarified that import restrictions on vehicles are likely to remain in place for the foreseeable future.
He cited the country’s current economic conditions as the primary reason for this ongoing restriction. This announcement may come as a disappointment to many potential vehicle buyers and importers who were hoping for a relaxation of vehicle import restrictions.
The government’s decision to maintain vehicle import restrictions has stirred concerns within Sri Lanka Customs.
Officials recently communicated their apprehensions to the Sectoral Oversight Committee (SOC) on National Economic & Physical Plans.
The main point of contention lies in achieving the set target revenue. With the ongoing vehicle import restrictions, meeting these targets becomes significantly more challenging.
The Government has already relaxed 638 HS codes including those of commercial vehicles since June 2023, but imports declined from May to June from $ 1.46 billion to $ 1.38 billion with a slight reduction in export numbers from $ 1.01 billion to $ 1 billion.
The government’s dual approach reflects its delicate balancing act: on one hand, it seeks to boost economic activity by loosening import restrictions, and on the other hand, it remains cautious about overextending the country’s economic capacity by keeping restrictions on potentially high-cost imports like vehicles.
As Sri Lanka navigates its way through these economic challenges, the focus remains on managing the financial health of the nation while also ensuring that consumer needs are adequately met. How these dual objectives are balanced will undoubtedly be the subject of ongoing scrutiny and debate.
