Freshwater heavily polluted; refining cost surges By Namini Wijedasa View(s): View(s):Sri Lanka’s freshwater sources are now so polluted that the National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) is spending increasingly more money to refine drinking water, the National Audit Office (NAO) and officials said. The steep cost was owing to high levels of contaminants in the water obtained for treatment, said the NAO report published online. The Rathmalana wastewater treatment plant was opened in 2013 to cater to 408 industries and around 20,000 people. It also said the authorities have not regularly tested the quality of marine water and the beach in areas such as Wellawatte and Mutwal outfalls. Several hospitals were observed not to have environmental protection licences for their wastewater treatment systems, with the Central Environmental Authority having failed to follow-up.

Malan, Shamsi script easy Proteas win to level series cricket View(s): View(s):Adominant South African batting performance allowed them to level the series 1-1 with Sri Lanka with a crushing 67-run win on DL method, in a rain curtailed second ODI played at the R Premadasa Stadium last night. Charith Asalanka and skipper Dasun Shanaka (30) kept Sri Lanka in the hunt briefly and were 114 for 4 in the 25th over when rain stopped play. Asalanka continued his good form with the bat scoring a career-best 77 runs–his third half century but that wasn’t enough to take Sri Lanka over the line. Tabraiz Shamsi was the pick of the bowler taking his maiden 5 wicket haul for 49 runs to leave Sri Lanka reeling. Sri Lanka, eyeing their first series win over South Africa in eight years, cannot be too proud of their performance with the ball as South Africa negated the spin threat well.

Human rights commitments being implemented: Govt. Peiris this week handed over to UN Head in Sri Lanka Haana Singer-Hamdy the first copy of a 13-page response to obviate criticism over non-implementation of key elements in the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) Resolution passed early this year. “Notwithstanding the pandemic, Sri Lanka is determined and has made substantial progress on human rights issues through domestic processes and mechanisms,” the note says. The 48th Human Rights Council sessions begin on September 13 with an oral update by Human Rights High Commissioner Michele Bachelet on three countries including Sri Lanka. She is due to reinforce issues in Sri Lanka relating to human rights, rule of law, freedom and democracy.

A little learning is a dangerous thing, survey finds By Tharushi Weerasinghe Half of all students have been left out of education since pandemic View(s): View(s):More than half of the Sri Lankan student population has had no access to education since the pandemic hit. According to research conducted by the Education Forum, only 45 percent of the student population had access to online education, leaving 55 per cent of Sri Lanka’s children behind. “Policies targeted at the richer middle-class do not work for the poorer communities who are almost always off the radar.” Experts even argue that online education was doomed to fail before it even began. “Our system of learning was not successful to begin with but the shift online has made its unsuitability more apparent,” she said. Countries such as Finland teach subjects such as history and geography in what is known as a “phenomenon-based learning” method.

China-owned ports report more than Rs 1b dividend to Sri Lanka Ports Authority By Kapila Bandara View(s): View(s):China Merchants Port Holdings (CMPH) has declared a dividend of Rs. China Merchants Port Holdings, said the roll-on/roll-off terminal handled 281,000 vehicles in the first half, up by 56.2% year-on-year. China’s port projects in Sri Lanka have become intertwined with national debt and corrupt domestic politics and business. China Merchants Port Holdings agreed to plough up to US$1.12 billion into Hambantota Port and port and marine-related activities. China Merchants Port Group, founded 149 years ago, is based in Shenzhen in southern Guangdong province and owns China Merchants Port Holdings, which says it is the leading port developer, investor and operator in China and a leading world player.

Typos in WHO report trigger fake news; Health Minister hails removal View(s):Something strange occurred when the World Health Organisation’s Sri Lanka office took down two critical reports compiled by an Independent Group of Experts from its website. It was the newly appointed Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella who took up the matter with the local WHO chapter on the basis that fake news was being spread based on those reports. Minister Rambukwella has long been a Government spokesperson and often defends a bad brief. The embassy also sent statements from ambassadors to local media institutions as part of the counter campaign. It was titled “The U.S. Intelligence Report on COVID-19 Origins: Ugly Agendas Under a Worn-Out Cover”.

Economic emergency to squash food hoardings Opposition expresses fears of ‘Govt acting in bad faith’ View(s): View(s):On Monday, by midnight gazette, the President invoked the provisions of the Public Security Ordinance, effectively placing the country under a state of emergency. The proclamation stated that this was being done to ensure the supply of essential food. Accordingly, in terms of Section 5, imposing Part II of the Ordinance took effect throughout Sri Lanka from thenceforth. And, armed with the new emergency powers, the crackdown on hoarders has begun in earnest. “After hearing the song,” Yohani says, “I did a small Tik-Tok of it.

Cabraal pushes for pension with arrears for all Central Bank governors By Namini Wijedasa View(s): View(s):The Monetary Board (MB) has approved pensions with arrears for several former and the incumbent Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka irrespective of the lengths of their tenures, the Sunday Times learns. The MB’s decision follows requests from Ajith Nivard Cabraal, State Minister of Finance, Capital Markets and State Enterprise Reforms. He was CBSL Governor from July 2006 to January 2015. Until 1998, all CBSL employees including Governors and State Bank workers were eligible for pensions similar to other public officials. However, Mr Cabraal in 2015 sent a request to Governor Coomaraswamy asking to also include Governors in the new scheme.

Sunday Times Deputy Editor Namini inducted to prestigious ICIJ View(s):The Sunday Times Deputy Editor (Investigations) Namini Wijedasa has been selected by the US-based International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) as one of its distinguished worldwide members, the consortium announced this week. She is only the second Sri Lankan journalist to be inducted to this prestigious body, the first being Sunday Times Consultant Editor/Political Editor and former Defence Correspondent, Iqbal Athas. Officially announcing the selection of Ms. Wijedasa, the ICIJ stated that they have “boosted its network of trusted journalists”. Thirteen new members, including four from Africa were selected by the consortium’s Network Committee. The new members have worked on several recent ICIJ projects including FinCEN Files, West Africa Leaks, Panama Papers, Implant Files and others.

Some Lankan exporters shifting manufacturing to West Africa By Duruthu Edirimuni Chandrasekera View(s): View(s):Some exporters, in the wake of the currency exchange crisis, are contemplating or have already decided to shift their manufacturing businesses to countries in the burgeoning West African region depriving Sri Lanka from earning export dollars. The exchange rate crisis has brought about this new situation with more and more businesses opting to balance their eggs. “Other manufacturing firms will follow suit sooner or later,” a second economist said. He pointed out that the US dollar exchange rate gap between the published rate by the Central Bank and the going rate in the black market has widened to unprecedented levels over the past month. This situation has made a compelling case for local exporters looking to go out and start in Africa – especially in countries like Ghana and Kenya which stand out for their relative political stability and economic diversification.

Four South Asian countries jointly write to FIFA football View(s): View(s):Four South Asian nations, namely Bangladesh, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka, have joined hands in support of proposals to review the international match calendar, while the global governing body of football, FIFA, too has acknowledged its support to the notion. “Four-year gaps between FIFA World Cup is too great – and the window of opportunity too small – to preclude whole generations of talent. Less than a quarter of current AFC (Asian) member associations have been represented in almost a century of FIFA World Cup finals in a situation where these tournaments are the real drivers of development,” the press release stated. players and traditional of leagues and competitions in Europe, but football is a truly global sport, and Asia is an equal shareholder in that,” acknowledging the concerns raised by the four nations, FIFA added. “Our aspiring players, coaches and officials should have a dream of playing their part in a truly global sport.

The Geoffrey Bawa Trust brought five artists to respond to the ‘gift’ that architect Bawa’s serene country estate has always been, having creatively nourished the likes of writer Michael Ondaatje and artist Laki Senanayake when working on his fantastic sculpted beasts. Each of the five chosen artists’ works was their gift back – to Bawa and to Lunuganga, for the deep inspiration always generously given. As The Gift project comes to a close, the Trust hosted a virtual conversation where the five artists talked about their work, inspiration, exchanging ‘gifts’ and creating art in troubled times. Dayanita Singh’s work, Lunuganga Chairs, was another attempt to get at the elusive soul of Lunuganga. Artist Lee Mingwei’s work for The Gift was perhaps the most stirring, because he brought Zephyrus’ Breath to the garden; a circle of brass tubes hung from the tall trees.

I don’t think there is anyone who would refuse to consume chemical-free food; we all like to switch from chemical-laced food to organic food, and there is no dispute about it. It is in this context that we have decided to make an abrupt change from chemical fertiliser usage to organic fertiliser usage. Poverty and inequalityAt the end of the day, we have chemical-free “good food” for domestic consumption; it’s a good thing! As a nation, it is not unwise to anticipate food shortages and increase in food prices; I must say that Sri Lanka has been a country with high food prices in the region. Therefore, there will be “good food” for the rich who can afford to it, but not so easily for the poor.

Dr. Ranasinghe creates clear images of how COVID-19 can affect the heart. Maybe about 20-30% of those patients who get the infection in the heart would go into heart failure. Such clots can travel to the heart or block the blood flow to the heart, causing a heart attack. “In the first two waves, we saw some damage to the heart but it was not that widespread among COVID-19 patients. Dr. Ranasinghe’s advice to those in home-based care is: If you get chest pain; chest pain when you walk or a chest pain that keeps getting worse; or have either little or excessive breathing difficulties; then go to hospital immediately.

Crowned corruption hits Sri Lanka to the core View(s):The fact that corruption has become a way of life in Sri Lanka is accepted by all and sundry. In the wake of the current COVID-19 crisis, corruption has taken on a new dimension of free rein for corruption. To date, however, there has been no will to reinstitute the EC administrative measures for control of bribery and corruption. The result is that this useful means in the EC to control corruption is blatantly disregarded. Plainly, the propaganda was in lieu of effective action to control corruption.