Oct 16 (AD) Notorious underworld figure Janith Madushanka, operating under the alias Podi Lassie, who was arrested and remanded for threatening the VIPs, has been granted bail. However, he will continue to be held by the CID on detention orders. The Galle Magistrate delivered the order when the suspect was produced before court today. During the proceeding, it was revealed in open court that Podi Lassie had used cosmetic products which weighed up to 5kg in total, while in remand custody at more..

Oct 16 (FT) A renowned writer and a foreign policy analyst, Dayan Jayatilleka in a recent media article titled Prez GR’s Foreign Policy deviation, has referred to the current foreign policy of Sri Lanka in a highly critical sense. As the subject matter is of utmost importance to all of us, certain observations made by him need to be reviewed and pondered over. Hence the following concerns, along with more information relevant to the issue both in the international scenario as well as our own. more..

Oct 16 (DM) High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka, Gopal Baglay called on PM Mahinda Rajapaksa on Thursday at the Temple Trees and discussed several ongoing projects as well as possible cooperation in new sectors. The primary purpose of the High Commissioner’s visit was to follow up on the virtual summit that was held between PM Rajapaksa and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi last month. more..

Oct 16 (NIA) Sri Lanka found itself in the middle of an open Sino-US confrontation last week, when US Ambassador Alaina Teplitz expressed concern over the current status of Sino-SL relations. The Chinese took no time, nor minced words in responding to Ambassador Teplitz’s comments, which was described as a despicable attempt to manipulate diplomatic relations between two nations. This exchange is only a premonition of an unwarranted battle that SL would find itself in the midst of, more..

Oct 16 (AD) Notorious underworld figure Janith Madushanka, operating under the alias Podi Lassie, who was arrested and remanded for threatening the VIPs, has been granted bail. However, he will continue to be held by the CID on detention orders. The Galle Magistrate delivered the order when the suspect was produced before court today. During the proceeding, it was revealed in open court that Podi Lassie had used cosmetic products which weighed up to 5kg in total, while in remand custody more..

Oct 16 (DM) Yoshitha Rajapaksa has been appointed as the new Chief of Staff to PM Mahinda Rajapaksa. The PM’s Office said Yoshitha assumed duties in the new post yesterday. Meanwhile, Chargé d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy, Hu Wei, congratulated Yoshitha for assuming office as new Chief of Staff to PM. “Bilateral friendship and follow-ups of recent high-level visit were discussed,” the Embassy said in a tweet. more..

Oct 16 (Island) On Oct 14 Woonjin Jeong, ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Sri Lanka met with Lt Gen Shavendra Silva, Chief of Defence Staff at the army headquarters. The ambassador donated a consignment of 4000 re-usable fabric masks for distribution among army personnel engaged in controlling COVID-19 especially in the area of Gampaha. Appreciating the great relationship shared between Sri Lanka and the Republic of Korea over time, more..

Oct 16 (wsws) SL’s secretary to the ministry of foreign affairs Admiral Jayanath Colambage announced last weekend that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will visit SL during his scheduled trip to India at the end of this month. Pompeo and Defence Secretary Mark Esper are visiting New Delhi for the 2+2 meeting—the highest-level consultation with their Indian counterparts—to discuss foreign policy, defence and strategic issues. Pompeo was previously scheduled to come more..

Oct 16 (CT) Most of the investigations conducted by Inspector of Police (IP) Nishantha Silva of the CID, who fled the country last year, were influenced and supported by certain NGOs affiliated with the LTTE, former Prez Maithripala Sirisena said testifying before the PCoI. An Additional Solicitor General (ASG) questioned the witness as to whether he had instructed the former IGP Pujith Jayasundara at a NSC meeting, more..

Oct 16 (AD) Notorious underworld figure and drug kingpin Makandure Madush, who is under the custody of the CID, has been transferred to the custody of the Colombo Crimes Division (CCD). He has reportedly been transferred to CCD custody for further investigations into the cases against him. Madush was previously under the custody of the Dubai authorities after being arrested at a drug-fuelled party thrown by him in a Dubai hotel, back in Oct 2018. Along with him, 31 Sri Lankans more..

Oct 16 (EN) The UNP said a state television journalist who has been tested for Coronavirus and attended the cabinet news briefing had also come to their press conference. The state information office asked journalists who had attended briefing to stay at home until they are contacted by health authorities, in case the test turns out to be positive. The UNP called for an inquiry to find how state TV sent a journalist who was PCR tested to work. However it is not clear whether more..

Oct 16 (EN) A group of public-spirited citizens have filed a Writ Petition before the Court of Appeal seeking better protection for the people who are either infected with Covid 19 or deemed at risk and therefore being quarantined. The petition filed this week by Attorney Randima Tennekoon said that there have been many instances where the authorities have not protected the people who are either being isolated or more..

Oct 16 (AD) Five more patients who were under treatment for the Covid-19 were discharged today as they have made complete recoveries, the Ministry of Health said. According to the Epidemiology Unit’s situation report, 2 patients from Homagama Base Hospital and 01 each from the IDH, Welikanda Base Hospital and Hambantota District General Hospital had returned to health. The new development has brought the total number of Covid-19 recoveries in Sri Lanka to 3,385. more..

Oct 16 (AD) Two persons were killed after a temporary elevator collapsed at a clothing store located on Dharmashoka Mawatha, Kandy. Two masons who were carrying out repairs at the said building had died in the incident. The elevator had reportedly collapsed while they were carrying out repairs. The deceased have been identified as Gurugedara Aravinda (54), a resident of Kandy, and Upali Jayaratne (57), a resident of Katugasthota. Kandy Police is conducting investigations. more..

Oct 16 (CT) The CID has uncovered during investigations that when former Minister Rishad Bathiudeen had heard the news that he would soon be arrested, on his vehicle radio, he had abandoned the vehicle on the Puttalam-Chilaw Main Road and fled. He had arrived in Colombo from Puttalam with an escort vehicle on 13 October. He had been listening to a private radio channel on the vehicle radio while travelling, CID said. more..

Oct 16 (CT) Committee tasked with probing the alleged acts of ragging and sexual molestation of first year students of the Jaffna University by its undergraduates has recommended that four fourth year students of the University who had allegedly committed the sordid acts to be imposed with a one-year ban. The Committee has also recommended that the University premises should be considered as out of bounds to the students who have been found guilty of the offence. more..

Oct 16 (AD) Minuwangoda Covid-19 cluster has confirmed 49 more positive cases this evening. Thirty-five of them have been identified as apparel factory workers and contacts who are in quarantine centers. The remaining 14 are contacts of Covid-19 positive patients from the cluster. Sri Lanka registered 110 novel coronavirus infections so far within the day. Thereby, the total number of Covid-19 cases reported from the Minuwangoda cluster has soared to 1,899. more..

Oct 16 (CT) Former Prez Sirisena admitted, before the PCoI said that he did not appoint anyone to act as the Prez or Minister of Defence on many occasions when he went abroad. He further said, at present, the technology is at an advanced level, and that it is therefore, possible to provide advice from anywhere. He also said the former State Minister of Defence, Ruwan Wijewardene, was appointed as the Acting Minister of Defence more..

Oct 17 (CT) This presentation is a response to the above question raised by a recognized academic deeply committed to the socio-economic wellbeing of the nation and its people. This Op-ed is also an opportunity to recognize and pay a tribute to a civil society activist, late Rajeewa Jayaweera, an expert on airline industry issues, who was a person with whom the writer debated many issues connected to SriLankan Airlines. In answering the question it is an important priority, to review the current more..

Oct 17 (DM) Most world religious leaders have called on the international community and political leaders to give the highest priority to poverty alleviation. After 1970 when the globalized capitalist market economic system took control of most of the world, the gap between the rich and the poverty- stricken people has widened so much that independent social analysts say we may come to a catastrophe where about half the world’s people will watch on television the tragedy of more..

Oct 17 (TM) The topics of renewable energy and LNG (liquefied natural gas) have resurfaced in the news yet again, with Minister Dullas Alahapperuma recently stating that two LNG power plants will be constructed by the year 2023 as a solution to the prevailing power crisis in the country in the future. He said that although discussions have been going on since 2007, not a single LNG plant has been built during the past 13 years. more..

Oct 17 (CT) Several recent letters in the Opinion columns of your paper have dealt with ragging at our Institutes of higher learning, including, of all betrayals, – the Bhikkhu University. That this perverse practice has caused distress, permanent injury and even death of some sensitive students due to so-called ragging is unacceptable. That this vulgarity is meant to welcome Freshers is utter hogwash or bullshit. That a huge investment in the Universities, stringent filtering of aspirants more..

Oct 17 (CT) Nobody falls sick on purpose. Absolutely no one will chase after a deadly, highly contagious virus, and willingly contract it. And, most importantly, the sick and those who are potential carriers of the virus are not criminals who have committed punishable offences. Unfortunately, this is how the authorities, the Media and the general public have been treating those who have tested positive for COVID-19, their family members and those who have been sent for quarantine. more..

Oct 17 (TM) The National Environmental Act of Sri Lanka is to undergo amendments in order to increase fines and terms of imprisonment against those who violate the Act, Minister of Environment Mahinda Amaraweera revealed. “The fines and terms of imprisonment will be increased up to 10 times to curb the destruction that is caused to wildlife, forests, and the biodiversity of the country. more..

Oct 17 (DM) There seems to be at the moment a heated controversy about health and politics as to which issues have to be looked at as more urgent and therefore priority of attention to be given, in order the best interests of not politicians but the common good of the people could be achieved as quickly as possible. Many learned commentators in recent media articles, press conferences and other social media have made prolific presentations in defense of their choice of priority. more..

Oct 17 (CT) Absolute executive powers were centralised on one individual, the Prez, under the 1978 Constitution then arrogantly declared he could do anything other than transforming a man into a woman or a woman into a man with the powers bestowed on him. Realising the precarious nature of such a situation, all Presidents of the country who came to power after 1978 had, in their Election pledges in the run up to the Elections, assured the people of the country that in the event of more..

Oct 17 (Island) It is being argued in some quarters that the Easter Sunday carnage could have been averted if the police had been given clear orders to arrest Zahran when a foreign intelligence agency warned of the impending terror strikes. But the long arm of the law has not been able to arrest even Opposition MP Rishad Bathiudeen despite an order from the Attorney General himself. The Colombo Magistrate’s Court has also said he can be arrested without a warrant, given the severity of more..

Oct 17 (ST) Even in his earliest memories, Amesh Wijesekera was always the arts and crafts kid. From painting, playing dress up and setting up his own puppet shows, to expressing his creativity through art, dance and later theatre in school — design and creativity surrounded him, encouraged by his mother and unhindered by the rigid societal expectations for boys. He would even help his mother, an interior designer, with choosing colours, materials and objects for her projects, and more..

Oct 17 (FT) SL exporters are hopeful of a moderate growth for their businesses and economic recovery over the next 12 months despite the growing number of COVID-19 cases, a survey from the Economic Intelligence Unit (EIU) of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce said. The findings of the three-week survey that began in mid-September were outlined in the latest Business Survey on Trade & Labour Market Impacts more..

Oct 17 (ST) Tharmapalan Tilaxan’s photograph of a herd of elephants eating from a rubbish dump in the Ampara district has won first prize in this year’s Royal Society of Biology (RSB) photography competition. On the evening of Feb 8, Tilaxan saw a herd of wild elephants foraging for food in a garbage mound close to the forest bordering the Oluvil-Pallakadu area in the Ampara district. The haunting visual stuck and he began researching and collecting information about SL elephants. more..

Oct 17 (Island) The total number of Covid-19 patients in the first seven months was around 3,500 but during the past two weeks another 1,600 were found as the result of the Minuwangoda outbreak. I call it the Minuwangoda outbreak as obviously some people have had the virus infection without being reported before it entered the Brandix factory. It has spread its way into farther parts of the country such as Jaffna and Monaragala and the numbers are rising. Gradually more and more districts more..

Oct 17 (CT) The action-packed drama, involving Rishad Bathiudeen, was causing much damage to the people. Bathiudeen, who was piggy-backing on the previous Yahapalana regime, was the mastermind behind the destruction caused to the Wilpattu and adjacent forest areas. There were serious allegations levelled against his sibling and henchmen that they were all connected to the rising wave of Islamist extremism in the country, more..

Oct 17 (Island) In 1602, the year of the Dutch East India Company’s founding, Joris van Spilbergen reached the shores of Sri Lanka after setting sail from the seaport of Veere in Holland a year earlier. Tasked with opening up trade negotiations with the King of Kandy, Vimaladharmasuriya, Spilbergen bore with him a letter from the Prince of Orange, acknowledging their willingness to counter the Portuguese. Not for one moment underestimating the Portuguese presence in the island, more..

Oct 17 (ST) Scores of modern technologies are being introduced to the agriculture sector regularly to enhance agricultural productivity that is imperative to feed the ever-increasing population in the world as the available arable land area is a near constant leaving no room for expansion. Maintaining the balance between the forest cover and agriculture is ever more important with global warming threatening the sheer existence of life on the earth. In such a scenario, it is of utmost importance for more..

Oct 17 (FT) President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has emphasised the importance of establishing a market that guarantees higher prices for farmers and a concessionary price for consumers. He made these remarks at a discussion with the Committee on Cost-of-Living at the Presidential Secretariat on Wednesday. The President pointed out that this objective can be realised by preparing a background that enables farmers’ islandwide more..

Oct 17 (Island) The current women’s economic empowerment interventions around the world have proven that there are many obstacles faced by female entrepreneurs. The emerging evidence from psychology and experimental economics on agency, mindset, and leadership show that for successful interventions to be transformative, they need to move beyond basic access to financial and human capital and also tackle central psychological, social & skill-constraints on women entrepreneurs. more..

Oct 17 (Island) Two SL financial services giants, the Commercial Bank of Ceylon and Ceylinco Life Insurance are collaborating to enhance the convenience and security of paying premiums online, and have introduced Easy Payment Plans for the purpose. Ceylinco Life has appointed Commercial Bank as its Internet Payment Gateway (IPG) service provider, augmenting the online payment experience for users of Credit or Debit cards of any brand from any issuing bank more..

Oct 17 (CT) Sri Lanka Athletics (SLA) decision to limit the number of events and number of athletes for the upcoming performance test next weekend (24 and 25) at Sugathadasa Stadium, has created an uproar among athletes and coaches islandwide. Originally, the trials were set to be held from 23 to 25 October at the same venue, and both senior and junior athletes trained hard for it since there were no national events during the entire year due to more..