Oct 28 (CT) SLMC Leader MP Rauff Hakeem is presently struggling to institute disciplinary action against four of his MPs who had voted in favour of the 20th Amendment. SLMC sources said MP Hakeem has already notified the four MPs who had voted for the Bill, demanding written explanations as to why they went against the party decision and voted with the Govt. It has also been reported that the supreme council of more..

Oct 28 (CT) Police have arrested another 46 individuals and taken seven vehicles into custody, during the past 48-hours, for violating curfew regulations. Police Spokesman, DIG Ajith Rohana said Police have arrested 1,122 persons and taken into custody 163 vehicles so far, since 4 October, for violating curfew regulations imposed to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. He said that they will file charges against the suspects according to quarantine law. more..

Oct 28 (DM) As the Central Bank sponsored Saubagya COVID-19 credit scheme came to an end fortnight ago, another loan re-finance scheme aimed at small businesses, this time sponsored by Asian Development Bank (ADB) and implemented by the Finance Ministry is expected to be launched early as December. To this end, the Cabinet of Ministers has already approved a proposal to take receipt of US$ 165 million, which has a rupee equivalent of Rs.31 billion from ADB, upping the earlier more..

Oct 28 (Island) Cricket South Africa (CSA) seem to have learned from their embarrassment last year, when SL became the first Asian nation to win a Test series in South Africa and have left no room for complacency when they host Dimuth Karunaratne’s side in December this year. Accordingly, CSA has chosen Wanderers in Johannesburg (also known as the Bull Ring for its intimidating atmosphere for visiting teams) and Centurion for the two Tests. While officially CSA would say that more..

Oct 28 (CT) Cabinet gave its consent to a proposal submitted by the PM, as the Minister of Finance, for entering into a new Memorandum of Understanding with the Govt of India. Addressing the weekly Cabinet Media briefing yesterday, Co-Cabinet Spokesman Ramesh Pathirana claimed, Govt of lndia has awarded financial grants to Sri Lanka since 2005 with a view to implementing small-scale development projects strengthening the bilateral relationship between the two countries. more..

Oct 28 (CT) Medical laboratory technologists (MLTs) warned that they would be forced to suspend PCR tests, if timely measures were not taken to replace the Acting Deputy Director General of Laboratory Services (DDG Lab Services), who was not willing to discuss the issues of the service with professionals. President of the College of Medical Laboratory Science SL (CMLSSL), Ravi Kumudesh, said a permanent DDG more..

Oct 28 (CT) “Is US Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo here to finalise agreements such as the MCC Agreement and SOFA? Are there other secret agreements to be signed that have not been revealed before the country?” several Buddhist monks questioned. Ven. Muruththettuwe Ananda Thera, Ven. Elle Gunawansa Thera, Ven. Malwane Chandraratana Thera, and Ven. Kapugollagama Ananda Thera sent a letter to the Prez expressing concerns regarding Pompeo’s visit. more..

Oct 28 (DM) As SL awaits a national budget for the year 2021 next month, after a hiatus with no national budget presented for 2020, an analysis has shown that 41 percent of the proposals in the Budget 2019 were not implemented. According to BudgetPromises.Org platform, it is revealed that there is divergence in what is said in the budget speech and what is implemented, in both expenditure proposals and policy proposals. “Openness on proposals was hindered by more..

Oct 28 (Island) Election Commission (EC) Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya has denied accusations that controversial SJB National List lawmaker Diana Gamage is a dual citizen, and therefore not eligible to be a MP. Responding to a spate of allegations, EC Chairman has said that both the Registrar of Persons and the Immigration & Emigration Dept confirmed she was born at Kalubowila in 1965 and carried a SL passport more..

Oct 28 (NR) The number of COVID-19 cases confirmed in SL has surpassed the 9,000-mark following the detection of 211 patients today. The number of coronavirus infections reported in the country is currently at 9,081. 211 new cases include 202 persons identified as close contacts of COVID-19 patients and nine infections from quarantine centres. Accordingly, the Minuwangoda-Peliyagoda cluster has increased to 5,607. Coronavirus recoveries rose to 4,075 after 32 individuals more..

Oct 28 (CT) Army’s Quick Reaction Rider Team (QRRT), to further strengthen the ongoing preventive mechanism against COVID-19 transmission in the Colombo District and its suburbs, on a directive given by Lt Gen Shavendra Silva, is now engaged in conducting random temperature checks on people in congested areas. The Army said in this connection, QRRT soldiers yesterday morning (27), operated at Rajagiriya, Modara, Maligawatta, Gothatuwa, Pettah, more..

Oct 28 (FT) SJB MP Dr. Harsha de Silva recently in Parliament urged the Govt not to build a wall around SL, instead build bridges to connect the country with the rest of the world. He made this appeal as well as highlighted a host of issues concerning SL’s foreign relations especially with the US including the then Prez Mahinda Rajapaksa’s request for US MCC during the adjournment debate in Parliament on International Agreements. more..

Oct 28 (CT) One of the challenges in establishing a strong implementation structure for preschool education in Sri Lanka is that there is currently no clear precedent for State engagement in the provision of early childhood care and education (ECCE) because, unlike health and social services, ECCE, particularly early education, is not traditionally provided by the State, the World Bank (WB), in a report released recently said. However, where ECCE is free, it may be overused, more..

Oct 28 (AD) Army Commander Lt Gen Shavendra Silva appealed to the public to exercise maximum restraint and avoid congested gatherings as much as possible to avoid further transmission of Covid-19. Request came during a special media statement issued from NOCPCO this evening, to announce the recent quarantine curfew arrangements. At present, the entire district of Gampaha, 21 police jurisdictions in Colombo District, 5 police jurisdictions in Kalutara District are under quarantine curfew. more..

Oct 28 (AD) The US wants the people of Sri Lanka to be successful and sustained in development, but China has a very different vision, says US Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo. He mentioned this speaking at the joint press conference held with Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, today. Pompeo says that the US seeks to strengthen our partnership with democratic, peaceful, prosperous, and fully sovereign SL. more..

Oct 29 (CT) A legitimate Constitution cannot be drafted under opaque conditions in a backroom and approved with the votes of the party in power (and those of a few crossovers). All but the 17th and 19th Amendments to the 1978 Constitution lacked legitimacy for this reason. There are those who point to the way the US Constitution (the shortest, oldest, and possibly least amended) and the Indian Constitution (the longest and possibly the most amended) were drafted and adopted. more..

Oct 29 (CT) Executive Committee Member of the GMOA, Dr. Haritha Aluthge, warned that the country will experience an unconceivable number of deaths within the next two months if correct and timely measures are not taken to control the spread of COVID-19. He said that a community spread at this stage would result in COVID-19 patients in hospital wards and an equally large number in ICUs. The authorities still seem hesitant regarding the extent of the spread of COVID-19 and are full of more..

Oct 29 (CT) SJB MP, Imthiaz Bakeer Markar, says the SJB members who voted in favour of the 20th Amendment did not betray their political alliance, but the people who elected them to Parliament. Q: With the Govt having passed the 20th Amendment with a two-thirds majority, the Opposition has been defeated again. As the main Opposition what have you got to say about this? A: It has to be said at the outset that it was not more..

Oct 29 (GV) S.P. Huntington has presciently warned that democratic transitions are vulnerable and reversible if ruling elites do not show genuine commitment to democratic values. He argues: “When they are out of power, political leaders have good reason to advocate democracy. The test of their democratic commitment comes once they are in office.” Many leaders that now rule several major countries have autocratic personality traits. Many of them share similar character traits and flaws more..

Oct 29 (GV) Eyes closed, imagine a space where, interspersed among us mere mortals, Demi-Gods (DGs) roam. Each one of us has our own imagination about who or what a DG would look like or be like. Most probably imagine lightness and goodness, a sense of wonder permeating the air and an all pervading sense of well-being. Wake up to the DGs – the doctors and health care service providers and the private hospitals; the money making machines for whom & Mere Mortal (MMs) more..

Oct 29 (DM) It is indisputable that Covid-19 is a tragedy, claiming thousands of lives and crippling economies and livelihoods worldwide. But in Sri Lanka, where the death toll and number of cases have been relatively and significantly low, does Covid-19 qualify as a disaster? We ask Prof. Dilanthi Amaratunga, Professor of Disaster Risk Reduction and Management at the University of Huddersfield, UK, and the Head of more..

Oct 29 (DM) Despite Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi continuing to maintain that the virus has not reached community spread, the GMOA says several infected patients are emerging from within the community and that they fear the community is unsafe. “Therefore, we should take measures to control the current situation to prevent a further spread of the virus in the community,” GMOA Secretary Dr. Haritha Aluthge said. The danger is that by living in denial, the health authorities more..

Oct 29 (DM) Sri Lanka’s voters do have short memories. Just turn the pages of time in the history of local politics and we will see how former heads of state Sirimavo Bandaranaike and JR Jayewardene abused power with the intention of becoming ever so powerful. Mrs Bandaranaike who came to power with a 2/3 rd majority extended her reign from five to six years sans a referendum. Prez Jayewardene brought in the executive presidency and prevailed over the rest of the ministers of his Cabinet. more..

Oct 29 (CT) As Meelad un Nabi, the commemoration of the birth of Prophet of Islam (OWBP) dawns, it is heart-warming to listen to many melodious and emotional songs of praise in his great memory, written in a language which may be quite unfamiliar to today’s younger generation.- Arwi- Arabu-Tamil. It is also sad to reflect on the sad decline of a versatile language which once provided a great medium to effectively and succinctly convey many Islamic teachings, poetry & other kinds of knowledge, more..

Oct 29 (DM) As a country, we’re in a moment of great peril. More than at any time during this pandemic. Unless we shift course, single-mindedly focus on the critical issues, and make the correct decisions and implement them decisively, we face not only an out-of-control epidemic, but economic disaster. Fixating on how the Minuwangoda outbreak started or who is to blame, or whether we have community spread or not, or is utterly pointless and has become a dangerous distraction from more..

Oct 29 (ST) The fat is well and truly in the fire. Over the years, coconut oil has been swirled and twirled in controversy……..it is bad for your health, we were told many years ago, and more recently, it is very good for your health. The lid has finally been blown off the miracle that is coconut oil by a local team of experts who have pored over scientific publications, in a literature review to reveal fact from fiction. more..

Oct 29 (CT) Five out of seven Provincial Unions affiliated to Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR) unanimously decided to back the previous system, where all ‘A’ Division clubs come under Provincial Unions, at the Special General Meeting (SGM) held online on Tuesday (via Zoom) due to the current COVID-19 situation in the country. Previously the former Committee under President Lasitha Gunaratne wanted to hold an SGM on 19 June 2020 to pass the new amendment for its Constitution, more..

Oct 29 (DN) The Bogambara Stadium, also known colloquially as Bogambara, Which is within walking distance of the city and has served all sports since it was founded in 1897. It has undergone numerous renovations. In 2019 August they started to renovate, but still it is not completed. This is the only public playground in Kandy, housed in the heart of the city which has for over several decades been used for all sports particularly by all schools and clubs. At one time it was used for carnivals, more..

Oct 29 (DM) As many as 43,000 Sri Lankans stranded overseas have been repatriated to Sri Lanka and operations are underway to repatriate more once the prevailing situation is under control. Returnees have to undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine and apart from Govt-run quarantine centres, several hotels have also been converted to quarantine centres for those who can afford a paid quarantine. But returnees have observed more..

Oct 29 (Island) AG Dappula de Livera, PC, deserves public plaudits for having directed the police to find out how an explosive transmission of COVID-19 came about, in Minuwangoda, and whose lapses led to the second wave of infections. This country needs more such intrepid public officials. One can only hope that there will be no political interference with investigations to be conducted. The police already have a lead; some garment factory workers brought here from India are believed to have triggered more..

Oct 29 (FT) HR guru Prof. Dave Ulrich, a key influencer in HR and credited for shaping the HR profession, will deliver the keynote at the ICCSL webinar on Saturday. The webinar will address how HR can help achieve growth in new markets, new working arrangements, how to optimise HR investments to deliver results and how to navigate cultural, business challenges, language and customs nuances to become an employer of choice. Int'l Chamber of Commerce of SL (ICCSL), more..

Oct 29 (Island) His love for the game of cricket forced Aman Uditha to take up one of the toughest coaching assignments at Vijayaba National School, Hungama (Hambantota District), a place that does not have a strong cricket culture to attract highly qualified coaches. The school which has produced a pace bowler in the Sri Lanka Under-19 team in recent times is one of the many lower division schools struggling to pay their coaches after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. more..

Oct 29 (CT) DFCC Bank bagged four awards at the recently concluded BestWeb.lk 2020 Awards, organized by the LK Domain Registry. With a corporate strategy focused on becoming the best customer centric and digitally enabled bank, the host of newfeatures on the DFCC website enabled the Bank to be aptly recognised and rewarded in the following award categories; Most Popular Website – Winner, Best Tamil Website – Bronze Winner, Best Sinhalese Website – Merit Winner, and more..

Oct 29 (CT) Arrangements are being made to admit asymptomatic COVID-19 patients to intermediary institutions which would treat them, Dy Dir General of Health Services, Dr. Hemantha Herath said. He stated that at present, Health Ministry had lined up 5,209 beds to treat COVID-19 patients. Of them, 4,729 were occupied, while 368 remained unoccupied. He noted intermediary institutions, which were not hospitals, more..

Oct 29 (FT) Raja Edirisuriya has assumed duties as the Executive Project Management Director for Colombo Port City Development Project. This appointment was made as per a cabinet decision on a paper submitted by PM Mahinda Rajapaksa as the Minister of Urban Development & Housing. Prior to this appointment, Edirisuriya was serving as the Chairman of Urban Settlement Development Authority (USDA). A celebrated civil engineer by profession, Edirisuriya obtained his more..

Oct 29 (DM) Online shopping platform Takas.lk has been taken over by Ideal Group, a diversified business headed by business leader Nalin Welgama. In a communiqué to the client base of Talak.lk, Chief Executive Officer Lahiru Pathmalal announced the ownership transfer. “Takas.lk is now under the IDEAL family. The Chairman of the group Nalin Welgama saw value in what Takas.lk sought to create in Sri Lanka as a home-grown e-commerce solution catering to the SL consumer,” more..

Oct 29 (CT) National Thowheed Jama’ath (NTJ) had maintained eight safe houses in the Eastern Province, in which a large quantity of explosives was stored, to carry out a second wave of attacks in Aug 2019. This was revealed on 27 Oct when an Officer attached to the CID testified before the PCoI into the bombings on Easter Sunday. According to him, Mohamed Azam Mubarak and Atchchi Muhammadu Hastun, more..