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The Director General of Health Services has confirmed another 35 coronavirus related deaths for October 09, increasing the death toll in Sri Lanka due to the virus to 13,331.

According to the figures released by the Govt. Information Department, the victims confirmed today includes 18 males and 17 females.

One of the deceased, a female, is below the age of 30 years while four of the victims are between 30-59 years.

Meanwhile the remaining thirty fatalities are persons aged 60 years and above.

40 COVID-19 deaths were confirmed for Monday (4), said the Director-General of Health Services. The COVID death toll in Sri Lanka increased to 13,142.

According to the figures released by the Govt. Information Department, the victims include 22 males and 18 females while four are between the ages 30-59.

The remaining thirty-six patients are aged 60 and above.

The total number of people, who fell victim to COVID-19 infection in Sri Lanka, moved up as 29 more fatalities were confirmed by the Director-General of Health Services on Friday (October 08).

The new development has pushed the official death toll from the virus outbreak in the country to 13,296.

Latest victims include 18 males and 11 females, the Department of Government Information said.

According to official data, 23 deaths were reported among elderly people aged above 60 years. In addition, 06 people aged between 30-59 years have also succumbed to the virus infection.

Former Minister Rishad Bathiudeen has been further remanded until October 08 (Friday).

The case filed against the parliamentarian was taken up before Colombo Fort Magistrate Priyantha Liyanage today.

Rishad Bathiudeen and his brother were taken into custody on April 24, under the provisions of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), for allegedly aiding and abetting the suicide bombers who perpetrated the deadly bombings on April 21, 2019.

A complaint has been lodged with the Police Headquarters requesting the arrest of the Secretary of the Ceylon Teachers Union Joseph Stalin. This complaint has been filed by Ape Jana Bala Party.

The party calls on the police to take legal action against him on charges of violating quarantine regulations and gathering people illegally.

The trade union action launched by the Ceylon Teachers Union and the Teachers' and Principals' Trade Union Alliance is still in progress and teachers had organized protests all over the country on the day before yesterday.

Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp are currently down in many countries.

Foreign media reports suggest that the outage had begun at around 9:15 pm.

WhatsApp and Instagram are popular apps owned by parent company Facebook.

The Director General of Health Services has confirmed another 38 coronavirus related deaths for October 08, pushing the country’s death toll due to the virus pandemic to 13,267.

Accorindg to the figures released by the Govt. Information Department, the Covid-19 deaths reported today includes 20 males and 18 females.

Twelve victims are aged between 30-59 years while the remaining 26 are ages 60 year and above.

Nirupama Rajapaksa, a Former Sri Lankan Minister has been named in the Pandora Papers, the most expansive leak of tax haven files in history.

It reveals the secret offshore holdings of more than 300 politicians and public officials from more than 90 countries and territories in the Pandora Papers.

Rajapaksa, is a cousin of Sri Lanka’s president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

She is also a former member of Parliament and served as deputy minister of water supply and drainage from 2010 to 2015.

Her husband, Thirukumar Nadesan, has worked as a consultant and hotel entrepreneur, according to a biography on his company website, quoted by international media.

According to the ICIJ, in 2016, he was charged with embezzlement in connection with a real estate deal involving another member of the president’s family Basil Rajapaksa, accused of using public funds to build a villa.

The case is pending; Nadesan and Basil Rajapaksa, Sri Lanka’s current finance minister, have denied wrongdoing.

The report goes on to detail that Nirupama Rajapaksa and Nadesan together controlled a shell company they used to buy luxury apartments in London and Sydney, and to make investments, according to leaked files.

Nadesan set up other shell companies and trusts in secrecy jurisdictions, and he used them to obtain lucrative consulting contracts from foreign companies doing business with the Sri Lankan government and to buy artwork.

In 2018, one of the companies, Pacific Commodities, transferred 31 paintings and other South Asian art pieces to the Geneva Freeport, an ultra-secure warehouse where assets are not subject to taxes or duties.

In confidential emails to Asiaciti Trust, a Singapore-based offshore services provider, a longtime adviser of Nadesan’s put his overall wealth, as of 2011, at more than $160 million. ICIJ couldn’t independently verify the figure.

Asiaciti Trust managed some of Nadesan’s offshore companies and trusts, with assets valued at about $18 million, according to an ICIJ analysis.

The firm listed him as a politically connected individual because of his wife’s political position.

Asiaciti kept the family as clients even after Nadesan was charged with embezzlement in 2016.

ICiJ reports that Rajapaksa and Nadesan declined to answer ICIJ’s questions about their trusts and companies.

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Sri Lanka’s Environment Secretary Dr. Anil Jasinghe, was appointed as the Chairperson of the 4th Session of the Forum of Ministers and Environment Authorities of Asia Pacific (4th AP Forum) of the United Nations Environment Program.

The 4th AP Forum was organized jointly by the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Korea and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

The Forum serves as a platform for the Member States and other stakeholders to contribute regional perspectives to the resumed fifth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-5.2) to be held from 28 February to 2 March 2022 as well as to the Special Session of the United Nations Environment Assembly to mark the 50th anniversary of UNEP on 3-4 March 2022 in Nairobi, Kenya.

The Forum will focus on UNEA-5’s theme: Strengthening Actions for Nature to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. At the Forum, Member States will:

– Review progress on implementation of UNEA resolutions in Asia and the Pacific.

– Review progress of regional forums and platforms where UNEP is the secretariat, including Asia Pacific Clean Asia Partnership, Asia Pacific Adaptation Network, and Acid Deposition Monitoring Network in East Asia.

– Identify priorities and engagement with Major Groups and Stakeholders in Asia-Pacific.

– Identify priorities and emerging issues from the region to be reflected in preparations for the UNEA-5.2.

– Provide regional inputs to the UNEA-5.2 theme and its draft outcome documents.

– Regional Inputs to the Special Session of United Nations Environment Assembly to mark the 50th anniversary of UNEP.

– Discuss challenges and opportunities to strengthen the regional environmental agenda for delivering the sustainable development goals and regional commitments to international agreements; and

– The Forum is also an occasion for UNEP partners, UN agencies, private sector representatives, scientists, academia, and civil society to bring their perspectives and ideas to achieve the environmental dimension of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.

A new study has underlined nine core long-COVID symptoms, occurring 90-180 days after COVID-19 was diagnosed, Dr. Chandima Jeewandara, Director of the Allergy, Immunology and Cell Biology Unit of the Sri Jayawardenepura University said.

Dr Jeewandra said the term 'long COVID' is commonly used to describe signs and symptoms that continue or develop after acute COVID-19, which Includes both ongoing symptomatic COVID-19 (from 4 to 12 weeks) and post-COVID-19 syndrome (≥12 weeks).

“Long-COVID symptoms were more frequent in those who had been hospitalised, and they were slightly more common in women.” he pointed out.

43 COVID-19 deaths were confirmed for Tuesday (5), said the Director-General of Health Services. The total number of COVID-19 fatalities in Sri Lanka increased to 13,185.

According to data released by the Department of Government Information, the latest victims include 23 males and 20 females.

As many as 36 deaths were reported among elderly people aged above 60 years. In addition, 07 people aged between 30-59 years have also succumbed to the virus infection.

40 COVID-19 deaths were confirmed for Saturday (2), said the Director-General of Health Services on Sunday (3),

The total number of COVID-19 fatalities increased to 13,059

According to the figures released by the Department of Govt. Information, the Covid-19 deaths reported today include 22 males and 18 females.

Just one of the victims are below the age of 30 years while eleven of them are between 30-59 years.

The remaining twenty-eight victims are in the age category of 60 years and above.