By Rathindra Kuruwita
The government has stockpiled millions of PCR kits that are low in sensitivity and they may be incapable of identifying new variants that are spreading in Sri Lanka, President of the College of Medical Laboratory Science (CMLS,) Ravi Kumudesh says.
Kumudesh said that out of the four variants , three had already spread in the country. However, there was still only one gene sequencing machine in the country to detect them, he said.
“Our inability to identify variants that are entering Sri Lanka has caused many issues. Another problem is that the PCR kits we are using might not be the best to detect new variants.”
By Sanath Nanayakkare
The internationally accepted practice was to classify domestic debt and external debt based on the resident or non-resident status of the holder of such debt, Dr. Chandranath Amarasekara, the Director Economic Research at the Central Bank told
The Island yesterday.
Dr. Amarasekera said so when he was asked to explain why the Central Bank had decided to reclassify US$ 2.2 billion worth of international sovereign bonds held by local entities as domestic debt.
“We did not have accurate information on ISB holdings by the resident/non-resident status of the holder, and accordingly a new survey was commenced in 2020 to collect this information, and this survey is continued on a monthly basis. According to the survey, ISB holdings of resident banks was around USD 1.1 billion at end 2019, which increased to over USD 2.2 billion by end 2020. With this new information, adjustments were made to external debt for 2019 and 2020. This does not mean that they are not
Miguel Angel Card Ayuso Guixot
Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue has said that the current situation of the COVID-19 pandemic would strengthen bonds of friendship and further unite people in service to the human family, adopting “a culture of dialogue as the path, mutual cooperation as the code of conduct; reciprocal understanding as the method and standard.
The following is the text of the message issued by Miguel Angel Card Ayuso Guixot. MCCJ, President, to mark Vesak: On behalf of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. I am writing to YOU on the occasion of the feast of Vesak to offer my heartfelt greetings. It is my prayer that this annual Buddhist festival commemorating the birth, enlightenment, and passing away of Gautama Buddha may bring joy, serenity. and hope to the hearts of Buddhists throughout the world.
By Shamindra Ferdinando
The Influential Ontario Legislative Assembly has resolved that Sri Lanka subjected the Tamil community to genocide during the armed conflict. The Legislative Assembly voted in favour of Bill 104
(aka the Tamil Genocide Education Week Act),moved by Sri Lankan asylum seeker-turned Scarborough-Rouge Park member of Parliament Vijay Thanigasalam, at the third reading in the legislature, Canada and the UK-based sources told
The Island. The first reading took place on April 30th, 2019, and the second on May 16, 2019.
A key member of the Sri Lanka Core Group, at the Geneva-based United Nations Human Rights Council, Canada backed the vote on March 23, 2021 against Sri Lanka at the UNHRC. Argentina, Armenia, Austria, the Bahamas, Brazil, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Fiji, France, Germany, Italy, Ivory Coast, Malawi, Marshall Islands, Mexico, the Netherlands, Poland, South Korea, Ukraine, United Kingdom and Uruguay voted against Sri Lanka.
The High Commissioner noted that Gurudev Tagore was an incredible amalgamation of talents.
The Indian High Commission said in a release that a special edition of ‘Sri Lanka Hindi Samachar’, the annual Hindi journal of Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre (SVCC), cultural arm of the High Commission, dedicated to Gurudev Tagore, was released by the High Commissioner on the occasion. This special edition comprises articles, essays, and art works of more than 70 scholars and students of Hindi from both India and Sri Lanka.
Week-long celebrations of Tagore Jayanti were marked by an online music and dance competition and documentary screenings organized by SVCC.