Nov 10 (DN) Justice Minister Ali Sabry, PC said on Sunday that on an initiative made by him, action is being taken to reconsider the Govt’s decision on cremation of COVID-19 infected bodies. Minister was speaking at an event at the Kollupitiya Jummah Mosque on Sunday. On a directive from the PM’s Office to the Dept of Islamic Affairs, a number of mosques in principal towns in the city conducted special prayers to invoke more..

Nov 10 (SLN) Special operations conducted by SL Navy led to the seizure of over 106kg of Kerala cannabis and apprehension of six (6) suspects across the island. Northern Naval Command during a special search operation carried out in the beach area of Madagalthurei today (10th Nov) managed to recover over 100kg of Kerala cannabis in a suspicious dinghy abandoned in fear of naval operations. The recovered haul of Kerala cannabis, attempted to be smuggled by racketeers, more..

Nov 10 (DN) The Sri Lanka Economic Virtual Summit (SLES) will have a session focusing on unlocking competitiveness for domestic industries by leveraging on technology, skills, policy and value addition. This session will examine how Sri Lanka can position itself to be competitive with the global trend of trade realignment. Case studies of countries and companies that are punching above its weight will be examined as examples for Sri Lankan private sector to take note of. more..

Nov 10 (KT) A group of Sri Lankans on visit and expired residential visas has taken refuge at a park in Dubai, awaiting repatriation. This is the second group of Sri Lankans to have taken refuge at Al Hudaiba Park since September this year. SL diplomatic mission has vowed to move this group of job-seekers to shelters by Tuesday (10). “At least 275 Sri Lankans seeking repatriation and currently living in shelters are expected to leave on more..

Nov 10 (DM) Ministry of Health says that it has not taken a decision to change the current procedure of cremation of those who succumbed to COVID-19, Health Ministry Spokesman Dr. Jayaruwan Bandara said. He said current decision to cremate corpses of persons who tested positive for COVID-19 was taken by the Director General of Health considering scientific and technical reasons both related to the pandemic as well as the soil in Sri Lanka. He said a circular was issued in this regard. more..

Nov 10 (CT) Acting IGP C.D. Wickramaratne has issued a special Circular to send pregnant Police Officers and other officers who have children under the age of two, on leave, taking into account the sudden spike in COVID-19 cases within the Police Department. Regardless of whether the area they live in is under lockdown or not, these Police Officers will be given their wages, salaries and other allowances that they are supposed to get even though they don’t report to work. more..

Nov 10 (AD) Four more persons including a woman who were infected with Covid-19 have died in Sri Lanka, Director-General of Health Services confirmed. One of the deceased was identified as a 51-year-old male from Rajagiriya. He was admitted to the Colombo National Hospital on the 7th of Nov and succumbed to the virus while receiving treatment. The cause of heath has been determined as Covid-19 related pneumonia. more..

Nov 10 (AD) The head office of the Department of Motor Traffic at Narahenpita which had been closed due to the risk of Covid-19 cannot be re-opened as the risk is not yet eliminated, the department said. “We have planned to provide many of the services provided by the head office including motor vehicle transfers, through Jaffna, Anuradhapura, Kurunegala, Gampaha and Hambantota district offices, with the aim of minimizing the inconveniences faced by our clients.” more..

Nov 10 (DM) The govt will only take a decision to bury Muslim citizens who died due to Covid-19 disease on the advice of a committee appointed by the Ministry of Health, Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said. Responding to questions on whether the govt has taken a decision to bury Muslims who died due to Covid 19 disease, the Minister said the govt would only agree to act on the recommendation given by the health sector. He said govt will give its approval most likely today. more..

Nov 10 (EN) With up to 500 new COVID-19 cases reported every day, Sri Lanka ought to conduct 40,000 to 50,000 PCR tests a day, well above the current rate of less than 12,000, if it is to successfully contain the ongoing outbreak, a leading epidemiology expert said. Exec. Director of Institute for Health Policy Dr Ravindra Rannan-Eliya has called for increased testing in order to contain the outbreak without resorting to lockdowns. more..

Nov 10 (AD) The court has issued a restraining order suspending all sessions of the Mawanella Pradeshiya Sabha for 7 days, DIG Ajith Rohana said. Commenting further on the issue, he said reports were received about the Mawanella PS making an attempt to hold its monthly meeting earlier today, in violation of quarantine regulations. The police have presented submissions to the Mawanella Court regarding the situation. Upon examining the submissions, the court decided more..

Nov 10 (AD) Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court today ordered to re-remand MP Rishad Bathiudeen until the 13th of November. He is accused of misusing 222 buses belonging to the state-owned Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) for transporting IDPs from Puttalam to polling stations in Silavathurai, Mannar during the 2019 Prez Election, along with the director of the project Mohamed Yaseen Samsudeen and the project accountant Alagarathnam Manoranjan. more..

Nov 10 (TT) Ministry of Health has issued an advisory as the number of rat fever cases surges in the country. SL has registered close to 7,000 cases and more than 70 deaths through Sept 2020, the highest in the last decade, according to the data from the Epidemiology Unit, Ratnapura, capital city of Sabaragamuwa province, recorded the highest number of cases for the fifth consecutive time this decade — 1,440 cases through September. more..

Nov 10 (FT) Known as the nation’s management mentor the PIM, Sri Lanka has garnered a reputation for promoting advanced education and professionalism in management, for a plethora of leading professionals in Sri Lanka through the provision of their top-grade postgraduate instruction, training and research, in the various branches of management. The PIM vision of becoming a centre for management excellence in South Asia by developing leaders with global presence and more..

Nov 10 (EN) SL will provide tax relief under the Strategic Development Project Act for a 400-acre pharmaceutical investment zone in Hambantota. “Declaring it as a strategic development project, it is expected to provide applicable relief and encouragement for the investors step forward to invest in this pharmaceutical manufacturing zone,” statement said. SDP Act allows wide discretion for officials to give sweeping negotiated tax relief running into decades. more..

Nov 10 (AD) Total number of police officers who were infected with Covid-19 has neared 460, says DIG Ajith Rohana. However, several of them have made complete recoveries, he said. Acting IGP, in the meantime, has appointed three senior superintendents to look into the coronavirus-positive police officers in the city of Colombo. Nearly 3,000 police officers are undergoing quarantine procedure at various facilities and more..

Nov 10 (FT) Following up on several successful bilateral and multilateral conferences, its Trincomalee Consultations on the Bay of Bengal held in 2017 and 2018, and a high-level International Advisory Group Meeting, Chaired by Ambassador Shivshankar Menon in 2019, the Pathfinder Foundation is due to convene The Pathfinder Indian Ocean Security Conference as a webinar on 10, 11 and 12 Nov. 36 littorals and IORA Dialogue Partner countries were invited to the conference, more..

Nov 10 (Island) A wild elephant that roamed in the Katuwewa, Nagarawewa and Walsapugala areas in Hambanthota and destroyed cultivations was captured by Wildlife officers at Walsapugala on Sunday evening. Wildlife officials fixed a GPS/VHF transmitter around ite elephant’s neck. They said that the animal would be released to a wildlife reserve and its movements monitored. Chairman of the Center for Conservation and Research (CCR) SL and a member of Prez Committee more..

Nov 10 (Island) Former Speaker and Chairman of National Movement for a Just Society (NMSJ) Karu Jayasuriya on the occasion of the 5th anniversary of the death of the founder of the movement, Ven. Sri Sobhitha Thera on Sunday called for a just society that values democracy. Following are the remarks by NMSJ Chairman on the occasion: Today is an opportunity to commemorate a Most Venerable Thero, more..

Nov 10 (AD) Keells Supermarkets today (10) released an official statement announcing that three of its team members from the Thimbirigasyaya store and one team member from the Havelock Road store have tested positive for COVID-19. "This was identified as a result of the random PCR tests carried out on Sunday (8)." statement said. "Hence, all operation at Thimbirigasyaya and Havelock Road stores have been temporarily halted and closed for sanitization purposes," more..

Nov 10 (FT) Sri Lankan women, including female entrepreneurs, are expected to have increased access to insurance and more of a chance of a job in the insurance industry, in the wake of an agreement between IFC, a member of the World Bank Group and AIA Sri Lanka – subsidiary of the life insurance group, AIA Group. Under the agreement, IFC will help AIA Sri Lanka develop a women’s insurance program strategy and suitable products for Sri Lankan women. more..

Nov 10 (Island) The National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) should come up with a protocol on validating rapid antigen test kits, President of the College of Medical Laboratory Science, Ravi Kumudesh said. He said, “The sample to validate these kits must be chosen randomly. Given that these antigen tests only detect those with a high viral load, someone can do the tests among people they suspect to have more..

Nov 10 (MFA) The Foreign Ministry has decided to resume document attestation services offered by the Consular Affairs Division of the Ministry to limited number of clients per day strictly on prior appointment basis with effect from 11 Nov 2020, in order to ensure uninterrupted efficient service for the general public in line with the health protective measures introduced. Accordingly, an appointment should be made through the following web extension or telephone number prior to visit more..

Nov 10 (CT) Health Services Director General (HSDG) Dr. Asela Gunawardena said the decision to send a daughter of a man who had tested positive for COVID-19 following a test done at a private hospital in Colombo, to a COVID-19 centre in Iranawila, along with her father in an ambulance, was unacceptable. He said a probe will be conducted on the incident forthwith. Secretary of the GMOA Dr. Senal Fernando said, the incident cannot be condoned and urged Minister Pavithra more..

Nov 10 (DM) Inter-Provincial Private Bus Association (IPPBA) yesterday informed the Transport Ministry that they will not support the new COVID Transport Policy which is to be introduced today. Addressing media, IPPBOA Secretary Anjana Priyanjith said the new COVID transport policy is better for the bus owners who used to run their buses using Kerosene. “Ministry had discussions with fake private bus associations. more..

Nov 11 (DM) Agriculture Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage who was in Nuwara Eliya on Sunday to get first-hand knowledge on the plight of vegetable farmers during COVID-19 restrictions, said that a Vegetable Mafia was in action. He told this after comparing vegetable prices in Nuwara Eliya and Colombo through a telephone conversation with another person in Colombo. According to the conversation, leeks is being bought by traders from farmers in Nuwara Eliya at more..

Nov 11 (CT) Mr Eliyantha Lindsay White is not a medical doctor. I knew this since 2005, when he meddled with my late father’s life and we lost him to this man’s criminality. Also, those people there who have access to this information, the former president/current PM Mahinda Rajapaksa and all entities who endorse Mr White so fearlessly as a medical doctor know that Mr White is not a medical doctor as well. Since I last reported in relation to Mr White, I have come to learn that more..

Nov 11 (TM) Last week, the ambient air quality above SL reached unhealthy reading levels for about four days straight. The restriction of movements and the public being mandated to wear facemasks when outdoors, somewhat reduced the possible exposure of the masses to the pollutants that were present. Apart from the southern parts of SL, the particulate matter level in the atmosphere in Colombo, Kandy, Puttalam, Vavuniya, Jaffna, more..

Nov 11 (CT) As those of you who do me the honour of keeping in touch with my columns know I have been a critic of American capitalism and imperialism, but on one point I have been firm. America (and some other liberal democratic countries) are less racist, bigoted, and culturally primitive on these matters, than SL, India, Burma, Japan and Islamic majority states. (I use the word racist for racial, ethnic or religious differences). This thought came back to mind again today (7/11). more..

Nov 11 (DM) While the country focuses on the COVID-19 pandemic, reports of large-scale deforestation are emerging from Pottuvil in the Ampara district. Deforestation has been continuing in the area since 2000 and Dept of Forest has been unable to stop it due to interference from politicians and officials. Furthermore, all Govts have turned a blind eye to the issue for political gains. Local residents have continued to clear forests for cultivation and settle on protected lands. more..

Nov 11 (TM) Many incidents of illegal land grabs have been reported in the media, and yet another such land grab came into the spotlight recently. A video of former Hambantota MC Mayor Eraj Fernando allegedly being involved in what seems like illegal land encroachment went viral on social media recently. Fernando, however, denied the allegations directed at him relating to the video. The video gained more traction after Minister more..

Nov 11 (CT) The Minuwangoda-Peliyagoda COVID-19 cluster, also known as the second wave of COVID-19 in SL, came as a surprise to most Sri Lankans, who were revelling in their regained freedom post the successful containment of the first wave of COVID-19. The emergence of the second wave of COVID-19 was certainly an unexpected and a horrifying development. As of 10 Nov, SL’s COVID-19 death toll had climbed to 36, while the total number of Covid-19 cases risen to 14,285. more..

Nov 11 (Island) Former Speaker Karu Jayasuriya, who heads National Movement for a Just Society, has paid a moving tribute to the founder leader of the association, the late Ven. Sobitha Thera. Employing apostrophe for dramatic effect, he has apologised to the Thera for unfulfilled yahapalana promises. In fact, all yahapalana grandees and their associates should kneel around the statue of Sobitha Thera & ask for forgiveness. Yahapalana movement was foredoomed to failure. more..

Nov 11 (ST) As the world watches transfixed in amazed horror, the spectacle of these United States seemingly heading into a meltdown over the peaceful transition of power with the 2020 Presidential election racing to an unnerving photo finish, the clash here is not purely of civilizations a la Samuel Huntingdon, (Christianity versus Islamic). Even with the underplay of racism intertwined with cultural and religious tensions as stoked by inflammatory rhetoric of US Prez Donald more..

Nov 11 (Island) A conspicuous innovation of the neoliberal era that was portrayed as a panacea has been the extensive resort to privatization of state-owned or nationalized enterprises and assets in all countries, both in the global north and the global south. Its widespread adoption in the 1980s and 1990s may be attributable to the fact that it was foisted on virtually all developing countries as one of the conditionality in receiving assistance from int'l financial agencies like the IMF and WB. more..

Nov 11 (TM) The outlook for the airline industry continues to be bleak, as the combination of travel bans, quarantine laws, and health concerns have seen passenger numbers nosedive, leaving the national carrier, SriLankan Airlines, on life support. Although every industry has suffered due to the coronavirus pandemic, few have been as hard hit as the airline industry. SriLankan Airlines, having no passenger flights operating more..

Nov 11 (TM) Hayleys Group pre-tax profit tripled to Rs. 5.52 billion in the first 6 months of Fiscal Year 2020/21 compared to the corresponding period of last year, making it the strongest six-month performance in the group’s operating history. This was driven by solid improvements in the core performance of the group’s export-oriented businesses and proactive efforts on driving cost efficiencies through the Haysmart programme. Despite numerous challenges stemming from more..

Nov 11 (Island) Dialog Axiata announced the launch of 5G roaming that would enable Dialog subscribers to roam on 5G networks while overseas. With 5G outbound roaming, Dialog customers with 5G compatible handsets will be able to enjoy data speeds up to 1 Gbps while roaming with networks partnered with Dialog for 5G roaming services. Dialog 5G out roaming service will be initially available with four operators in 3 countries at launch, namely, China Mobile in China, Hong Kong more..

Nov 11 (DN) Darren Ganga, Aamir Sohail, Mike Heysman, Herschelle Gibbs, Russel Arnold and Roshan Abeysinghe are in the commentator’s panel for the upcoming Lanka Premier League (LPL) scheduled to kick-off from Nov 26 till Dec 16, at Mattala Cricket Stadium in Hambantota. Five franchisee teams, named after Colombo, Kandy, Galle, Dambulla and Jaffna, will compete in 23 matches over a 15-day period for the title. more..