Oct 22 (DM) Social media busy-bodies have again begun their dastardly deeds of maligning the COVID-19 infected workers at the Brandix Garment Factory in Minuwangoda. Similar incidents were reported in the wake of SriLankan airlines crew volunteering to airlift Sri Lankans stranded in the Middle-East and the Welisara Navy personnel, who contracted the virus in the line of duty while rounding up infected drug addicts at Ja-ela. In the case of the Brandix cluster, the source of the infection more..

Oct 22 (DM) Draconian. A plan for self-aggrandizement. The death of democracy. In violation of established parliamentary procedure. These are some of the terms and lines being used by those opposed to the 20th Amendment. What is funny is that most of the objectors played deaf and dumb when the 19th Amendment was brought in and were cosy with the Executive Presidency for decades or else supported the party that had absolutely no objection to it. For decades. more..

Oct 22 (NIA) The US$ 2.5 billion Indian film industry, which churns out more than a thousand movies a year and is watched by millions, is now facing an intense political heat it faced only once before, in 1975-77, when PM Indira Gandhi imposed a State of Emergency to tackle an uncontrollable opposition agitation. The industry has been coming under political pressure because of its tremendous reach and ability to shape people’s minds on a large scale. Competing political forces, more..

Oct 22 (FT) The LTTE forcibly expelled the Tamil-speaking Muslim people from the Northern Province in Oct 1990. Within a few days the Muslims were chased out of their homeland where they had lived for many, many centuries. This year 2020 marks the 30th anniversary of this cruel, inhuman episode in the history of Tamil-Muslim relations in SL. The mass expulsion of Muslims from the north in 1990 was a human catastrophe. more..

Oct 22 (Island) Sri Lanka’s Napoleon of Crime, Madush, who met his Waterloo, last year, died on Tuesday. The police shot him dead at Maligawatte, Colombo, in what has been described as a confrontation between them and some of his confederates who allegedly tried to help him escape. A stock of heroin was found in an apartment which he allegedly led the police to. Samarasinghe Arachchige Madush Lakshitha aka Makandure Madush was no ordinary criminal. more..

Oct 22 (ST) Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) has witnessed heavy retail play over the past few weeks on penny stocks. Analysts called it the ‘herd instinct’ and noted that retailers are comfortable with trading in shares below Rs. 10. These shares are termed as penny stocks. Atchuthan Srirangan, Assistant Manager – Research at First Capital said that low interest rates are pushing retailers to the CSE. Maturing fixed deposits don’t fetch good interest rates in the current environment. more..

Oct 22 (Island) There is new hope that individuals who engaged and encouraged match fixing in domestic cricket will be severely dealt with after Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa confirmed that he will hand over the reports pertaining to the incident to the Police to probe into the matter. Reputation of the game of cricket suffered damages beyond repair after a First Class match involving Panadura SC and Kalutara PCC was fixed more..

Oct 22 (CT) SL Women’s National Team qualified for the second round of the Asian Nations Cup 2020 online Chess Championships when they convincingly beat the strong 4th seeded Australians in the penultimate round, and battled to a draw against the strong Singapore team in the last round. The Asian Nations Cup Online Chess Championships is conducted by the Asian Chess Federation from 10 to 25 Oct, and the prize money on offer is USD 20,000. more..

Oct 22 (FT) Airtel Lanka said yesterday that it had been allotted 4G spectrum by the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) and would soon launch its high speed mobile broadband services across the country. Airtel 4G will operate in the efficient 850 Mhz band, which has higher signal propagation. This will translate into a superior 4G network experience for customers with wider network availability and, most importantly, better indoor coverage. more..

Oct 22 (CT) Attorney General Dappula de Livera, yesterday, served indictments to SJB MP Champika Ranawaka, before Colombo HC Judge Dhammika Ganepola, over the 2016 hit-and-run case in Rajagiriya which maimed a youth named Sandeep Sampath Gunawardena and another. The case was filed over the alleged hit-and-run incident, which took place on 29 Feb 2016, when the vehicle in which JHU Leader and more..

Oct 22 (FT) NDB Bank has announced plans to raise Rs. 8 billion via a Rights Issue to enhance capital and part finance business growth. The bank has resolved to issue 106.78 million shares on the basis of 28 new shares for 61 held at Rs. 75 each. NDB share price closed unchanged yesterday at Rs. 83.40. Its net asset value per share as at 30 June was Rs. 184.25, up from Rs. 178 as at 31 Dec 2019. The current stated capital is Rs. 8.79 billion represented by 232.63 million shares. more..

Oct 22 (DN) State Minister Ajith Nivard Cabraal assured the private sector that the rupee was going to be stable and that interest rates would remain low and stable. Cabraal was delivering the keynote address at the Certified Management Accountants of SL Conference held virtually. SL is negotiating new financial instruments to handle the downturn caused by the pandemic. Cabraal said “we need special instruments in place so the downturn is managed, so we can have reasonable interest rates. more..

Oct 22 (FT) Headline inflation as measured by the year-on-year change based on the National Consumer Price Index (NCPI) has been compiled as 6.4% as against 6.2% in August. DCS said contributions to the inflation rate in September from food group and non-food group were 5.5% and 0.8% respectively, as compared to 2.1% and 2.9% respectively from Sept 2019, resulting in a headline inflation of 5.0%. more..

Oct 22 (FT) An independent tribunal in the UK has ordered the British Home Office to lift the ban on the LTTE. The LTTE was proscribed in the UK in 2001. In 2019, Tran-snational Govt of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) officially requested the British Home Office to lift the ban, claiming that the proscription of the LTTE was misperceived as a ban on advocacy for the establishment of a sovereign state of Tamil Eelam and had a chilling effect on people’s participation in TGTE work towards that goal. more..

Oct 22 (AD) The Govt has decided to obtain suggestions from the members of the public for drafting a new Constitution, Secretary to the Ministry of Justice, M.M.P.K. Mayadunne. The Experts Committee to Draft a New Constitution accordingly requests the citizens who wish to submit their suggestions to do so on or before the 30th of November. Submissions typewritten on A4 papers, either in Sinhala, Tamil or English languages, can be directed via post or e-mail to following more..

Oct 22 (DM) SL Customs is willing to provide the seized stocks of Ethanol imported into the country through illegal channels, for the local production of disinfectants to be used during the COVID - 19 pandemic, instead of using them to manufacture liquor, its chief said. Customs Director General Rtd. Maj. Gen. Vijitha Ravipriya said, the smuggled stocks of Ethanol seized by them, would be provided to health authorities more..

Oct 22 (DM) There is always a possibility of sub-clusters emerging from the Minuwangoda main cluster and one has already been created from a private apparel factory in Katunayake, Chief Epidemiologist Dr Sudath Samaraweera said. Each case reported daily was either directly or indirectly linked to the Brandix apparel factory cluster. “There are Covid-19 positive cases reported from 18 companies in the Gampaha district and accordingly, a sub-cluster has been created from more..

Oct 22 (TM) Only 11% of social delivery organisations (SDOs) in Sri Lanka have contracts with the govt, compared to the Asian average of 26%, while foreign funding is increasingly scarce with the rise in SL’s per capita income, according to a new report. “Today, 71% of Sri Lankan SDOs surveyed receive foreign funding, making up 54% of their budget. With SL having been classified as a lower middle-income country in 2010 and upper middle-income in 2019, foreign funding more..

Oct 22 (CT) We will fight against the 20th Amendment Bill till the Prez and his Govt amends the dual citizenship clause, said Chief Incumbent of the Abhayarama Temple, Ven. Muruththettuwe Ananda Thera. “The public is well aware of dual citizens and what they can cause because of figures such as former CB Governor Arjuna Mahendran. If these dual citizens are patriotic to get involved in the State apparatus, more..

Oct 22 (FT) Ministry of Health, WHO SL, the Itukama Project, and the GMOA have launched and are currently running the Towards a New Normal campaign to reinforce the importance of practicing public health behaviours to control COVID-19. The campaign focuses on crucial prevention measures, captured in the acronym DReAM. D – Distancing – maintain a physical distance of at least one metre from others; avoid public gatherings, crowded places, close-contact settings, and more..

Oct 22 (EN) Parliament time being spent debating the divisive 20th amendment to the constitution might be better spent discussing a brand new constitution, Minister Dullas Alahapperuma said. “19th amendment is the past and the proposed 20th amendment is the present. What are we doing? We are taking up time for a debate between the past and the present,” he told parliament. Given the unprecedented mandate given to Prez Rajapaksa, who in the run-up to the prez polls promised more..

Oct 22 (Island) An unexpected crisis has erupted in the ruling coalition with the NFF accusing SLPP National List MP Jayantha Ketagoda of making an attempt to bribe some of its members, ahead of the vote on proposed 20th Amendment scheduled for today. Ketagoda previously entered Parliament on the JVP-led DNA ticket in March 2011 after the then General Sarath Fonseka, MP, was disqualified after being jailed by military court. more..

Oct 22 (FT) Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has been identified as a second-level contact of a COVID-19 infected individual and the govt has taken swift action to prevent him from being infected, Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi told Parliament. Minister said that Premadasa had visited a hotel in Yala where a COVID-19 infected person was found. “Within hours our authorities informed the Opposition Leader of the situation so that he could take necessary action. more..

Oct 22 (Island) Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, yesterday , in writing, requested Director General Health Services and the Prisons Commissioner to make arrangements for SJB lawmaker Rishad Bathiudeen, now in remand custody, to attend Parliament today. This follows a party leaders’ meeting, chaired by the Speaker. Earlier in the day, State Minister of Prisons Sudharshini Fernandopulle said MP Rishad Bathiudeen, in remand custody, would be more..

Oct 22 (AD) Serjeant-at-Arms of Parliament Narendra Fernando has informed the Secretary to the Ministry of Health and Indigenous Medicine to take steps in order to allow Vanni District Parliamentarian Rishad Bathiudeen to participate in the sittings of Parliament at 10.00 am on October 22 and October 23. Copies of this letter have been forwarded to the Commissioner-General of Prisons and Director-General of Health Services, more..

Oct 22 (DM) Whilst reiterating that those holding dual citizenship should not be involved in SL’s administration, Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara called for an amendment to the 20th Amendment to include a clause to prevent such persons from being appointed to Parliament. “Even a person who holds a second class citizenship of another country should not be allowed to get involved in SL’s administration. Therefore we expect the Minister of Justice to make an amendment to this effect even during more..

Oct 22 (CT) A group of Party Leaders, representing the Govt, met Prez Rajapaksa to discuss their concerns about certain Clauses in the 20th Amendment to the Constitution Bill. The discussion was mainly focused on the disagreements within Govt ranks on removing the barrier on dual citizenship. Accordingly, nine Party Leaders including Ministers Wimal Weerawansa and Udaya Gammanpila and MPs Tissa Vitarana, Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, Weerasumana Weerasinghe, more..

Oct 22 (FT) As cases continues to surge topped the 300 mark in just 48 hours, the Govt yesterday placed the Gampaha District under curfew to contain COVID-19 after fresh cases popped up at critical economic centres. Curfew was imposed at 10 pm last night and will continue until 5 a.m. on Monday in the 33 Police jurisdictions belonging to the Gampaha District. Curfew is also in place in the Kuliyapitiya, Pannala, Giriulla, Narammala, more..

Oct 22 (DM) With the emergence of the COVID-19 cluster at Peliyagoda Fish Market, people need not fear eating fish, Chief Epidemiologist Dr Sudath Samaraweera said. However, he reminded that it was important to always wash your hands with soap for at least 20 seconds after shopping, handling food packages, or before preparing or eating food. “An infected person can transfer the virus by coughing or sneezing on a surface, or touching their face and then touching a surface. more..

Oct 22 (FT) As usual COVID-19 is going to test everything in the world. There is no exception for Sri Lanka as well. The second wave of the coronavirus officially hit SL by questioning certain human resource practices of leading companies in SL. A few decades back we discussed a subject called Personnel Management. But it has changed into Human Resource Management clamming that humans are invaluable resources for any company. Now we can see experts using different more..

Oct 22 (Island) Trade Minister Dr. Bandula Gunawardane told Parliament on Tuesday (20) that the strengthening of the export economy was vital for solid economic growth and to balance macroeconomic variables of the country. Presenting several orders under the Export Development Act for the approval of the House, Minister said that the Ministerial Council on Export Development established to develop the export sector in the country had not met for 28 years. more..

Oct 22 (FT) Sri Lankans around the world remain bemused at revelations from the ongoing investigation in to the 2019 Easter attacks. PCoI has so far seen a roll call of former leaders and high ranking officials from the previous regime providing any number of vague excuses and abdicating responsibility for their inaction. The former Prez, who is now a member of the ruling party and was the Minister of Defence and Commander in Chief at the time, must provide better answers than more..

Oct 22 (AD) Govt of SL says that it has been made aware of the Open Judgement by the Proscribed Organizations Appeals Commission (POAC) of the UK on delisting the LTTE as a proscribed terrorist organization. The govt also said that it will appeal against the judgement of the independent tribunal in the UK which has reportedly ordered the British Home Office to lift the ban on the LTTE. Sri Lanka’s Foreign Ministry, more..

Oct 22 (EN) Many Sri Lankans who fled violence and persecution in the country and have become citizens of other countries must be given the opportunity to return and serve their motherland, SLPP MP Sagala Kariyawasam said. Joining the debate on the 20th Amendment, he said that many Sri Lankans fled the country either due to the 1983 anti-Tamil riots or the violence unleashed by the JVP in the late 1980s. “Many of these people are patriotic Sri Lankans who consider this country as more..

Oct 22 (EN) Leader of SLMC Rauff Hakeem is urging the members of his party not to vote in favour of the 20th amendment, especially in those who are representing the eastern province hoping that would be politically pragmatic given the development needs of the area. Speaking in the parliament earlier today, he said that SLMC has met few times to consider these amendments which have far-reaching consequences to the equilibrium of power between the executive, legislative & judiciary. more..

Oct 22 (Island) Everyone in power during the Easter Sunday attacks should take responsibility for failing to prevent the incident as it was clearly a system failure, former IGP Pujith Jayasundara yesterday told the PCoI. He said that the attacks could have been prevented if the Minister of Defence at that time, Prez Sirisena, and the National Security Council (NSC), had acted appropriately on the information provided by the SIS, more..

Oct 22 (AD) President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has arrived in the Parliament while the debate on the draft bill of the 20th Amendment to the Constitution is in progress. MPs commenced the two-day debate on the proposed bill last morning (21) and are proceeding with the debate from until 7.30 pm for the second consecutive day today. The Committee Stage of the proposed 20th Amendment is expected to commence at 7.30 pm post the debate and the legislators will vote on the draft bill thereafter. more..

Oct 22 (CT) The Supreme Court yesterday fixed 6 November for the hearing of the contempt of Court case against SJB MP Ranjan Ramanayake. Ramanayake has been charged with issuing a denigrating statement opposite Temple Trees, three years ago, where he had alleged that 98% of Judges serving in the local Judiciary were corrupt. The case was perused by a three-Judge Bench of the Apex Court, comprising Justices Sisira de Abrew, Vijith K. Malalgoda and Preethi Padman Surasena. more..