The number of persons, who died during the tense situation at the Mahara Prison has risen to 11.

Director-general of Health Services Dr Asela Gunawardane said yesterday active SUB-COVID-19 clusters in the country had been triggered by infected persons, who moved out of the isolated areas to other parts of the country.

Dharmasiri Perera, the main suspect in the murder of Ranjan de Silva, the father of Sri Lankan cricketer Dananjaya de Silva, has been arrested in Abu Dhabi, police said.

The turmoil which unfolded at the Mahara Prison yesterday could be depicted as a massacre where a considerable number of inmates were killed than what was reported, the Committee for Protecting Rights of Prisoners alleged.

A virologist turned government MP Prof. Tissa Vitarana said in Parliament that COVID -19 spread in Sri Lanka was no longer confined to clusters since cases were found from the community.

Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) and Jathika Jana Balawegaya (JJB) stressed in Parliament yesterday that it was the duty of the government to safeguard inmates in prisons.

Sri Lankan origin Ms Dileeni Daniel-Selvaratnam, has been appointed next Governor of Anguilla, a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. She will succeed Tim Foy, OBE, in January, 2021.

While reporting a total of 439 new Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infected persons, the Health Promotion Bureau today said that there was an increase of HIV infections among young people during the last year (2019).

The movement of the general public has been restricted in the eastern province, specialy in the Akkaraipattuwa area since the COVID-19 situation is not yet brought under control, Provincial Governor Anuradha Yahampath said.

Two more Covid-19 related deaths were reported today taking the death toll to 118, the Government Information Department said.

A total of 318 more individuals tested positive for Covid-19 bringing the total cases in the country to 23,987, the Health Ministry said.

The today’s Cabinet meeting was held through video technology for the first time in the history of Sri Lanka, the President’s Media Division (PMD) said.

Minister of Justice Ali Sabry has appointed a five-member committee to look into the unrest which erupted at the Mahara Prison, advising the committee to submit a full report on the incident with recommendations.

The Minuwangoda-Peliyagoda cluster today exceeded 20,000 with 178 more individuals testing positive for Covid-19.

Dr. Sudarshani Fernandopulle was sworn in as the State Minister for Primary Health Services, Infectious Diseases and Covid-19 Prevention before President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the President’s Media Division said.

Defence Secretary Maj.Gen( Retired) Kamal Gunaratne has directed the IGP to conduct a special investigation into the tense situation erupted at the Mahara Prison, the Ministry of Defence said.

A total of 558 more Covid-19 patients recovered and were discharged from hospitals bringing the total number of recoveries in Sri Lanka to 17,560, the Health Ministry said.

The Health Authorities and the Epidemiology Unit should take maximum effort to control the emerging of new sub-COVID-19 clusters in the country, the Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) said today.

An independent investigation would be carried out into the Mahara Prision riot to identify the invisible hand in orchestrating mayhem, Prison Reforms & Prisoners’ Rehabilitation State Minister Sudarshini Fernandopulle informed Parliament today.

A total of eight inmates were reportedly killed and nearly 71 other inmates were hospitalized during unrest taken place at the Mahara Prison yesterday, the Prisons Department said.

The Colombo High Court today acquitted former Minister Basil Rajapaksa and three others from the Divinaguma case.

The Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ) filed a Writ application in the Court of Appeal against revoking of Circular No. 05/2001 dated 10.08.2001 and Circular No. 01/2006 dated 17.05.2006.

The use of poisonous chemical concoction to produce artificial toddy, which is the key ingredient of manufacturing vinegar in Sri Lanka, has been brought to the knowledge of the State Minister of Finance, who admitted a tax leakage of Rs.40 billion p

Colombo Mayor Rosy Senanayake has warned that the situation in Colombo is serious with the Covid-19 death toll increasing and more people being infected. The recent coronavirus deaths and infections have mostly been from the Colombo District.

A national action plan to revive the United National Party (UNP) which faced a humiliating defeat at the last Presidential and Parliamentary elections would be declared in January next year, party’s Deputy Leader Ruwan Wijewardene has informed the

The MP’S presence in Parliament is questionable as he had paid tribute to an LTTE Leader who happened to be a notorious killer.

Efforts have been made to control media with the latest move by the government to give advertisements to private media only on President’s Secretary’s approval while 20th Amendment is also being used to suppress democracy,unp Deputy Leader Ruwan

Another leopard that was caught to a snare succumbed to injuries in Yatawatta, Matale on Saturday (Nov.28). This raises the total count to 12 leopard deaths for the year while 11 of them were due to snaring.

In the village of Moragahawewa, Nawagattegama, a group of children were seen climbing into a 60 feet high water tank every day for their education in the face of the ongoing corona pandemic.

The Public Health Inspectors (PHI) Union yesterday warned that the COVID-19 pandemic had reached an ‘uncontrollable’ level within the Colombo Municipal Council city limits as a high number of patients were being detected on a daily basis.