Nov 19 (DM) Virology expert MP Prof. Tissa Vitharana requested the Got to reduce importing Pfizer vaccine and focus more on other vaccines saying that Pfizer vaccine could be harmful to people. He told Parliament that Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine was a messenger RNA vaccine and that no one could predict how it would react after a gene was injected directly into the human body. He said RNA has been used in vaccines to inject humans for the first time and added that he, as a medical officer, had doubts about the Pfizer vaccine. more..

Nov 19 (MB) Environmental activists in SL have slammed a court order releasing endangered elephants into the custody of individuals suspected of involvement in their illegal capture and trade. 38 captive SL elephants (Elephas maximus maximus) were taken into the custody of the state in 2015 following an investigation that uncovered a trafficking racket targeting baby elephants born in the wild. On Sept. 6 this year, however, acting on a request from the AG’s Department, more..

Nov 19 (AD) Showery condition is expected to reduce from today. Several spells of showers will occur in Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central and North-Western provinces and in Galle and Matara districts. Showers or thundershowers will occur at a few places in Uva and Eastern provinces and in Polonnaruwa district during the evening or night. The general public is advised to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershowers. more..

Nov 19 (DM) The approval for final decision with regards to closure of a school due to a COVID related issue, should be obtained from Director General of Health Services. The directive has been issued by the Director General of Health Services Dr. Asela Gunawardena himself through a special circular issued to relevant officials including all Provincial, Regional Directors of Health Services, Medical Officers of Health and School Medical Officers. According to the circular, a decision to close a school more..

Nov 19 (EN) Opposition MP Kumara Welgama chastised both the govt and the opposition in parliament on Friday in an innuendo-filled speech that called for, among other things, a new constitution drafted with minority consultation, a revert to agrochemicals, and a culture of unity. Speaking for over 20 minutes, Welgama said the curse of the 2019 Easter bombings has rebounded on the present administration, with people openly questioning the mental faculties of the current leadership. more..

Nov 19 (DM) More than 800,000 gas cylinders will be released into the market this week to meet the heavy demand for gas, Sales and Marketing/Corporate Affairs of Litro Gas Lanka Ltd. Director Janaka Pathirathna said. He said more than 700,000 domestic gas cylinders were issued to the market during the past seven days. Due to kerosene shortage and bad weather, the country's domestic gas consumption had increased. However, we released 25% more than the total gas requirement to the market, he said. more..

Nov 19 (CI) SL fielding coach Shane McDermott has tested positive for Covid-19 days out from the start of the first Test between SL and the WI in Galle starting Nov 21. He is now self-isolating, away from the team hotel. McDermott's was the only positive result from a round of testing that saw all players and staff tested, however he is understood to have been in close contact with head coach Mickey Arthur, batting coach Grant Flower and physio Brett Harrop - all of whom are self-isolating as well. more..

Nov 19 (TM) Dr. Vajira Chitrasena, a veteran SL traditional dancer, choreographer, and teacher, is regarded as SL’s first prima ballerina. Performing on stages in SL and cultural capitals across the world, including Moscow, Berlin, New Delhi, London, and Sydney, Dr. Chitrasena was viewed as the epitome of the female performance and was referred to as the prima ballerina of Kandyan dance. She is the first SL woman to practise the traditional Kandyan dance more..

Nov 19 (TM) A felicitation program for the new generation Singer Yohani Diloka de Silva is scheduled to be held on Nov 23 in Parliament. It is organized by the Members of the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus (WPC), the Communications Department of the Parliament said in a statement. PM Rajapaksa, Speaker of Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, WPC Chairperson and State Minister Dr. Sudarshini Fernandopulle, and a number of ministers are expected to participate in this occasion. more..

Nov 19 (CT) Marine Environmental Protection Authority (MEPA) and environmental groups called on the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to classify plastic pellets as hazardous substances in consideration of the impact caused by way of the plastic pellets released by way of the MV X-Press Pearl vessel. Environmental Investigation Agency, UK in partnership with Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ) backed the SL proposal and outlined the issues pertaining to the IMO more..

Nov 20 (DM) During the past 18 months of the COVID-19 pandemic in SL, most people have been living in fear but the calamity has had a more devastating effect on vulnerable sections of the population. One of these areas is domestic violence against women. According to a website report, the Sri Lankan take on tackling this crisis apart from the employment of the traditional 24-hour helplines shows fewer steps being taken to aid women subject to domestic violence in comparison with more..

Nov 20 (DM) I wish to offer my sincere and heartfelt congratulations to Rev. Fr. J. C. Pieris for his well thought out article, brilliant in its exposition, comprehensively covering all aspects without missing a beat, with material that would truly constitute an AC or home grown Constitution, in his article in two parts titled Constitution the only worthwhile alternative which appeared in your esteemed paper on October 30 and Nov 6, 2021. In this context I hope the comments which more..

Nov 20 (CT) “May Sri Lanka never see blood baths and massacres and may the people in Sri Lanka never experience fear for their lives again!” PM Mahinda Rajapaksa said on Thursday (18), at the unveiling ceremony of the Sandahiru Seya. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa vested the Sandahiru Seya in Anuradhapura with the Buddhist clergy amidst religious observances. more..

Nov 20 (DM) Atamasthana is a common term used by Buddhists in SL when they refer to the eight historical places of worship in North Central Town of A'pura. The eight places of worship which come under the Atamasthana include the Jaya Siri Maha Bodhi, Ruwanweliseya, Thuparama, Lowamahapaya, Abayagiriya Dagoba, Mirisavetiya and Lankaramaya. However a Modern-day Dagoba the Sandahiru Seya is all set to attract devotees. The Sandahiru Seya is expected to be more..

Nov 20 (CT) Thursday marked the 10th Anniversary celebrations of this newspaper Ceylon Today and its sister paper Mawbima, both published by Ceylon Newspapers (Pvt) Ltd. The strength of these two newspapers is their being unbiased: published without fear or favour, being truly a voice to the voiceless, thereby fulfilling their mandate. Such a free and independent editorial stance taken by these two newspapers has not only enabled them to merely survive, but to also thrive and grow, more..

Nov 20 (CT) The Govt released the footage recorded by Easter Sunday attackers including Zaharan Hashim clad in black suits on the eve of the Easter Sunday attacks. Zaharan says that he carried out the attacks on Kafirs (unbelievers) in revenge of killing Muslim worshippers in New Zealand by a white supremacist. These new revelations were explained by Director General, INSS Prof. Rohan Gunaratna. more..

Nov 20 (GV) Since mid 2020, there has been a key feature emerging from the justice system in SL – a trend that people with political affiliation have been either acquitted by courts, cleared and set free or provided presidential pardons despite charges for financial fraud, financial misappropriation, misuse of public property and murder. Insufficient evidence, technical errors, procedural errors and the filing process by legal institutions can be identified as reasons that have prevented further more..

Nov 20 (Island) Protesting Indian farmers have prevailed after a year-long struggle. PM Narendra Modi was left with no alternative but to bite the bullet and make a course correction; he has chosen to repeal the controversial farm laws which led to farmers’ protests across India. It is being argued in some quarters that the Modi government would not have conceded defeat but for the crucial elections due next year in some of the states, where farmers have turned extremely hostile towards BJP. more..

Nov 20 (CT) In 1930, SL introduced a new agricultural system to improve the harvest. The system was initiated with the use of chemical fertilisers on H grade paddy. Traditional rice has a high concentration of Glutamic acid, and a high concentration of vitamin fibre with a low concentration of sugar. However, due to the usage of chemical fertilisers, it has lost many nutrients, said State Minister Shehan Semasinghe. Samurdhi Department has implemented a programme more..

Nov 20 (Island) Newton Gunasinghe, easily one of the most brilliant minds of 20th century Sri Lanka, was the country’s first Marxist anthropologist. Gunasinghe’s contributions to the fields of social science and anthropology have not gone unacknowledged. Yet it took some time for his essays and scholarly works to be published: his doctoral thesis on Kandyan social relations came out in 1990, two years after his death, while a collection of his articles followed six years later. more..

Nov 20 (Island) The beginning of November is known for its Remembrance Events — All Souls, Poppy Days and in our political past the Suriyamal Day too. But as we move to mid-November it marks the highlights of Political Power. Who could forget the election of Gotabaya Rajapaksa as President of Sri Lanka, by 69 lakhs of voters! Just two days after that is the birthday of PM Mahinda Rajapaksa – reaching 76, more..

Nov 20 (TM) Even though serious complications result from illegal abortions, causing both maternal morbidity and mortality, since reducing such has proven a challenge due to ethical, religious and political factors taking precedence over health related aspects, academics in the field of forensic medicine called on the medical and legal communities to initiate a discussion to reduce the number of maternal deaths resulting from illegal abortions. more..

Nov 20 (TM) US and Indian engagement in SL, as in the other smaller South Asian states, is increasingly shaped by the fear of losing ground to China. In the past decade-and-a-half, China’s footprint in SL has rapidly expanded through infrastructure projects, financial aid, as well as growing Chinese tourism. In the shadow of these changes, US and Indian engagement has become increasingly wary of antagonising the often intolerant Sinhala Buddhist sentiment that dominates the island’s politics more..

Nov 20 (CT) The Sapugaskanda oil refinery was doing its best while struggling half the time. Since 1969, the Iranian-built facility had never been upgraded or replaced and this resulted in the plant shutting down for the first time. This is amidst the rapid spread of technology used worldwide for sustainable and cost cutting of importation of oil products. Certainly it did not go well with Sapugaskanda and the decaying plant more..

Nov 20 (ST) Red Bull Outriggd returned for 2021 bringing back the age-old tradition of outrigger canoeing to SL after a two-year absence, promoting the sport among the youth. All the action took place last week at Port City, Colombo and this is the very first water sport event which took place on the beach promenade inside this new location. Through this interesting competition of outrigger canoeing, the mind and body were put to the ultimate test as participants took on the choppy waters of more..

Nov 20 (DN) The Sri Lanka lasses pulled off a close 12 (2 tries 1 conversion) to 10 (2 tries) victory over Malaysia in their curtain raiser in the Dialog Asian Rugby Sevens Tournament played at the Dubai Sport Centre grounds yesterday. Trailing 0-5 within the first five minutes, the lasses bounced back and scored their first try through skipper Dulani Pallekondage, who sneaked through the rival defense to equalize, but Anushika Samaraweera failed to add the extra points, more..

Nov 20 (Island) Thrower Jayavi Ranhinda Alwis of Royal College, Panadura accomplished a remarkable achievement in the shot put at the Youth Selection Trial held at the Sugathadasa Stadium last week. The 16-year-old hurled the 5kg implement to a distance of 17.74 metres, the furthest a SL athlete of his age has ever thrown the put in history. The massive throw rightly puts him in contention for a place in the country’s team for next year’s Youth Asian C'ship which will be held in Kuwait. more..

Nov 20 (CT) It is a well-known fact that SL is lacking in world class football stadiums. The Island nation has many international standard cricket stadiums, but football stadiums are scarce. And the ones that do exist have served their purpose and are not up to the mark anymore. However, football in SL is about to rise from the ashes, where Football Sri Lanka (FSL) are going ahead with plans on a much-needed project - building of a new international-standard football stadium, FIFA Prez Gianni Infantino more..

Nov 20 (Island) Having dumped several seniors from SL’s white ball teams, the national selection panel has recalled them for the two match Test series against West Indies that will get underway on Sunday at the Galle Int'l Stadium. This is SL’s first assignment in the World Test Championship and a total of 24 points (12 points per Test) is on offer. Skipper Dimuth Karunaratne along with former captains Angelo Mathews, more..

Nov 20 (Island) Dr. Hiranthi Wijemanne who is well known for her role at UNICEF SL as a national professional for 27 years contributing her expertise to many children related projects pre/post and during the civil war of SL has launched her autobiography. Titled as In the best interest of every child tells us about the relentless pursuit of her journey to give every child the best possible healthcare in SL, how they achieved remarkable healthcare milestones during the peak of the war, more..

Nov 20 (FT) A heated argument took place in Parliament yesterday as the SJB challenged the permission given for the ruling party-led religious event held in Anuradhapura, where the Prez and PM participated. The SJB MP Rohini Kumari Wijerathna argued on the justification of the Govt to hold such an event with a large gathering of people amidst COVID, whilst penalising the Opposition on its protest staged this week. “COVID does not choose between protests and religious events,” more..

Nov 20 (TM) According to allegations by Lanka Industrial Services Agencies (Pvt) Ltd. and its associate company, Assent International (Pvt) Ltd, which took part in the tender process for the supply of alcohol breathalysers to the SL Police in 2020, Securatec Lanka (Pvt) Ltd, which also took part in the tender process, had fraudulently represented itself as a foreign supplier of alcohol breathalysers with the intention more..

Nov 20 (CT) During the first eight months of this year, Govt incurred an overall budget deficit of Rs 1.118 trillion, up 14.7% compared to Rs 974.8 billion recorded during the same period last year. During the period under review, ended August 2021, Govt revenue and grants increased 3.8%, while expenditure and lending increased 9.5%, according to data. During that time, Govt Revenue and Grants reached Rs 943.56 billion, up 3.8% compared to Rs 908.88 billion recorded a year earlier. more..

Nov 20 (FT) Vistara Airlines of Tata SIA Airlines joint venture resumed its thrice-a-week services to Colombo from New Delhi yesterday after having suspended operations owing to the COVID pandemic. An Indian full-service airline, Vistara first began operations to Colombo in 2019. The first flight yesterday (UK138) (A320 Neo) arrived at BIA at 1010 hours with 138 passengers (3 business class, 16 premium economy, and 119 economy class). The first flight was welcomed with more..

Nov 20 (DN) Minister Dullas Alahapperuma told Parliament yesterday that all parties claim to be innocent like Bodhisathvayo when they are in the Opposition and become Devadattas when their government takes over. Alahapperuma said that this is what has happened throughout history, adding that all are pointing the finger at an unpleasant and irresponsible past and not the future. Minister said this while participating in the Fifth Day Debate on the Second Reading of the Budget. more..

Nov 20 (MFA) Delivering the Keynote address of the 5th South Asia Forum on Sustainable Development Goals in Colombo, on Tuesday (16), Foreign Secretary Admiral Prof. Jayanath Colombage said that Sri Lanka has improved its global rank by 7 positions and is now placed at the 87th rank out of 165 countries, according to the Sustainable Development Report 2021, despite the challenges of the ongoing Covid 19 pandemic. Highlighting the priority attached to the SDGs by the Govt, more..