Oct 22 (CT) The Court of Appeal, yesterday, rejected the writ petition filed by the ACMC MP Rishad Bathiudeen�s sibling, Riyaj Bathiudeen, seeking the prevention of his re-arrest by the CID, without costs and without even taking it up for perusal. The writ application was taken up before Court of Appeal Judges, Justices Mahinda Samayawardhane and Arjuna Obeysekara. Lengthy submissions on behalf of the AG more..

Oct 22 (AD) Quarantine curfew will be imposed in the Kotahena police area from 6.00 p.m. today (22), the Commander of the Army Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva said. Quarantine curfew had also been imposed in the Mattakkuliya, Modara, Wellampitiya, Bloemendhal and Grandpass police areas in the Colombo District this morning, effective until further notice. The move came after taking into account the rise in Covid-19 positive cases in these areas and localities as well as more..

Oct 22 (EN) Up to 863 people who have been to the Peliyagoda fish market, where a sub-cluster of COVID-19 patients were identified, have been directed to military-run quarantine centres, officials said. Of these 863 individuals, 180 were directed to the Diyatalawa quarantine center, 150 to the Kundasale quarantine centre, 192 to Batticalao campus quarantine centre, 85 to SL Airforce camp quarantine centre in Palali, Jaffna, 110 to Periyakadu quarantine centre and 68 to another more..

Oct 22 (AD) TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran says that the people of the country did not give Prez Rajapaksa the mandate to strengthen the Executive Presidency or even to retain it, at the last presidential election. Making his remarks today during the parliamentary debate on the 20th Amendment to the Constitution, he said that out of the 20 amendments to be made to the Constitution that have come through the House, more..

Oct 22 (CT) The foundation stone laying ceremony for the Deegawapiya Stupa renovation will commence under the guidance of the Chief Prelate of the Deegawapiya Temple, Ven. Mahaoya Sobitha Thera at its premises today. PM and Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa will be the Chief Guest. The procedure will continue with the assistance of the Armed Forces and the Civil Security Department under the directives of the Defence Secretary and more..

Oct 22 (MFA) The Foreign Ministry has decided to suspend all services offered by the Consular Affairs Division of the Ministry until further notice, to restrict the congregation of the general public and thereby to prevent the spreading of COVID-19 Virus. Accordingly, the Consular Affairs Division situated at the Ceylinco Building in Colombo will remain closed for visitors, including exporters who visit the Division for attestation of Export Documents, until further notice. more..

Oct 22 (AD) A man has been reported dead in a collision with the vehicle driven by his wife, a millionaire businesswoman, in the Polgasowita area, stated Ada Derana reporter. The deceased husband had jumped in front of the moving vehicle being driven by the wife, on the Welekumbura road towards Polgasovita Junction. It has been revealed that the deceased 42-year-old man had been a drug-addict and the police had previously more..

Oct 22 (AD) With the recent sharp decline in tourism arrivals due to the global pandemic and flight restrictions, Sri Lanka Tourism has initiated a novel approach to promote the island through a concept branded as Go on a Couch Safari covering wildlife streams from our most popular National Parks. Every year, hundreds of elephants gather to the manmade reservoirs inside Minneriya and Kawudulla National Parks in the dry season, creating a breathtaking sight. more..

Oct 22 (EN) As total confirmed COVID-19 cases in Sri Lanka surged past 6,000 today, Chief Epidemiologist Dr Sudath Samaraweera warned that the virus could have spread to 13 districts in the island including Colombo. In light of this, authorities are looking to adopt a data-based approach to imposing lockdown measures in affected areas, the country�s COVID-19 prevention task force said this afternoon. Some 35 police jurisdictions have been put under quarantine curfew under more..

Oct 22 (AD) Sri Lanka reported its fourteenth death from the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, a short while ago, confirmed the Ministry of Health. A 50-year-old female from Kuliyapitiya has succumbed to the virus in this manner. She had been receiving treatment at the Infectious Diseases Hospital (IDH) in Angoda. Reportedly, she had been ailing from pneumonia and a heart condition. The last COVID-19 related death was reported more..

Oct 22 (CT) SJB MP Imthiaz Bakeer Markar yesterday said in Parliament that he is of the opinion that PM Mahinda Rajapaksa is also against the 20th Amendment to the Constitution Bill, which takes away all his powers and makes the Premier�s post a nominal one. Participating in the debate on the 20th Amendment Bill, he said: �I do not agree with the conduct of PM Rajapaksa. But his charisma helped you (the Govt) to come to power. Now, you are trying to make his post like that of a puppet. more..

Oct 22 (AD) Monetary Board of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka has decided to maintain the Standing Deposit Facility Rate (SDFR) and the Standing Lending Facility Rate (SLFR) at their current levels of 4.5% and 5.5%, respectively, thereby continuing the prevailing accommodative monetary policy stance. The Board, at its meeting held on 21 Oct, noted the decline in overall market lending rates, following the unprecedented monetary easing measures taken by the CB thus far more..

Oct 22 (CT) A total of 200,000 women between the ages of 20 and 40 are unemployed, SJB MP Eran Wickramaratne, speaking in Parliament on 20 Oct, said. He therefore requested that to make these women employable in the private sector, the Govt should come forward to pay these women their maternity benefits as and when applicable, as an incentive to the private sector to employ such. Such a forward-looking step can be taken by the Govt for a low expenditure of Rs 4.2 billion, more..

Oct 22 (AD) Wife of Zahran Hashim, ringleader of Easter Sunday terror attacks, will be recording a statement with the PCoI today. She accordingly arrived at the Commission�s office a BMICH premises. Five days into the coordinated bomb blasts on the 21st of Apr 2019, extremist militants had opened fire and set off explosives at Sainthamaruthu in Kalmunai as the security forces closed in to raid their safe house. A total of 15 bodies including six men, three women and more..

Oct 22 (SLN) The annual SL Navy - Indian Navy bilateral naval exercise popularly known as �SLINEX�, held from 19th to 21st October 2020, came to a successful completion off the Eastern Coast of Sri Lanka today (21). In 08th edition of this naval exercise SL Navy was represented by SL Navy Ship (SLNS) �Gajabahu� and �Sayura� . Representing the Indian Navy, Indian Naval Ship (INS) Kamorta, INS Kiltan with onboard helicopters also played their intended roles, more..

Oct 22 (TM) Several members of the main opposition SJB voted in favour of the 20th Amendment while the SJB had officially decided to oppose the legislation. Among the SJB MPs who voted in favour were MPs Diana Gamage, Ishak Rahuman, Faizal Cassim, H.M.M. Harees, M.S. Thowfeek, A.S.M. Raheem, Nazeer Ahamad and Aravindh Kumar. While several MPs from the SLMC and ACMC voted in favour of 20th Amendment, more..

Oct 22 (AD) MP Rishad Bathiudeen, who is currently in remand custody, arrived at the Parliament premises a short while ago to attend the parliamentary session today. The former minister, wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), was transported to the Parliament in a prison bus accompanied by several prison guards. He was reportedly allocated a special seat within the chamber. The debate on the 20th Amendment to the Constitution commenced for more..

Oct 22 (CT) NFF Leader and Minister, Wimal Weerawansa, said they are not satisfied with the dual citizenship clause in the proposed 20th Amendment. A discussion about the steps which could be taken to eliminate that clause was held between the NFF and the Communist Party. He also said even if the Govt announced its decision to amend three clauses in the 20th Amendment at the Committee Stage debate in Parliament, the dual citizenship clause was not among them. more..

Oct 22 (AD) The Second Reading of the 20th Amendment to the Constitution was passed in Parliament with a two-thirds majority, a short while ago. A total of 213 MPs were present during the vote and 156 voted in favour of the constitutional amendment while 65 voted against it. A division was taken using the electronic voting system at around 7.40 p.m. today while MPs who were unable to use electronic system more..

Oct 23 (DM) Understandably this article is being written before the outcome of the voting on the 20th Amendment Bill which was debated yesterday and the day before is known. Whatever the outcome of it is, the amendment well exposed the political culture of the politicians as well as the ordinary people of the country again. What was to be taken for the debate on Tuesday was not the original Bill that was published in the Gazette on Sept 2 and presented in Parliament on Sept 22. more..

Oct 23 (CT) Information Department on Wednesday announced that curfew in the totality of the Gampaha District has been imposed from 10 p.m. on that day Wednesday, to 5 a.m. on Monday, a total of four days and seven hours, as a prevention measure to avoid the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, news.lk, Govt�s official website yesterday announced that quarantine curfew has been imposed in the Police jurisdictions of Mattakkuliya, Modera, Bloemendhal, more..

Oct 23 (CT) Even after lockdown is lifted, Ministry of Education limited the number of students in tuition classes and seminar halls in a bid to preventing congregation in classrooms. The present crisis has now precipitated a three-fold challenge for educational institutes, to provide online, undisrupted education that is high-quality, scalable and secure during the examination. Examinations Dept ordered a ban on organising and conducting of more..

Oct 23 (CT) This is not about which party, which symbol or which person. This is about Democracy, Sovereignty of the People and the Parliament, Rule of Law, Independence of the Judiciary and Governance. Was Plato prophetic when he famously said, �O, men of Athens, if I was engaged in politics, I would have perished long ago and done no good either to you or to myself?� Plato, the ancient Greek philosopher had the desire to be in active politics but the death sentence passed on his teacher more..

Oct 23 (DM) When India wanted to make a movie about Sri Lanka�s cricket legend Muttiah Muralitharan the islanders were upbeat for many reasons. And chief among these reasons was India giving value to one of Sri Lanka�s sporting products. It�s not that India is short of cricket personalities and anyone of these big names can serve in the task penning the script for the protagonist. If India asks the question Why Murali? Sri Lanka has just one response and that�s Why not? more..

Oct 23 (DM) Juwairiya Mohideen is a name familiar among displaced people in the North and East. Having been evicted from her hometown in 1990, Juwairiya has worked towards uplifting the lives of the displaced, especially those of women and children. Through her organisation, Muslim Women�s Development Trust (MWDT), Juwairiya has led women to parliament to lobby for reforms to the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act (MMDA). more..

Oct 23 (ST) Imagine if it is not you who decides your own affairs and your own destiny. Well, if you didn�t get my point clearly, let me explain it further. Imagine a situation where it is somebody else who decides what you should eat, what you should wear, how you should travel, and after all how much you should pay for all that. Let�s explain a little further and expand it to say that it is somebody else who decides how much you should earn, what kind of living you should have, what your own destiny should more..

Oct 23 (Island) The govt is cock-a-hoop, having secured the passage of the 20th Amendment (20A) to the Constitution and thereby got rid of the 19th Amendment (19A). It has no doubt scored an impressive win on the political front, but got badly beaten by another �19�; it has been bowled over by COVID-19, which is rapidly spreading in the country. A quarantine curfew had to be imposed in some parts of Colombo, yesterday. Fear is being expressed that similar measures more..

Oct 23 (GV) Two young men from Ambilitiya, Shanaka and Eishan Wickramage, were arrested on suspicion of theft. At the police station, they were tortured. Family members said the police denied having taken them into custody. Later a police officer contacted their father and demanded a million rupees for their release. The men were later let go and are being treated for their injuries. Gayan Pushpkumar, 21, was arrested by the officers of the Pugoda police station as a robbery suspect. more..

Oct 23 (CT) On Oct 8th, the day that a member of the Political Bureau of the Chinese Communist Party (and a former Foreign Minister) arrived in Sri Lanka, a State Minister of the Govt of Sri Lanka frontally criticized India and PM Modi in the SL Parliament. The Associated Press (AP) gave the politician a promotion in its rendition of the story, but captured the essence of what happened. The story was captioned Sri Lankan minister criticizes India for power-sharing call and kicked-off thus: more..

Oct 23 (FT) Sri Lanka Customs said the digital tools have empowered the organisation to provide efficient service to its users while keeping in line with health authority guidelines amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. �Sri Lanka Customs embarked on several modernisation processes which include trade facilitation agreement and implementation of paperless procedures. These measures helped immensely to maintain social distance to more..

Oct 23 (Island) Let us start respecting the virus at least now. Boastful statements and media circuses will not help get rid of it. No country has been spared. Bigger and more powerful countries than us have been brought to their knees by it. The countries and States that were held as lighthouses of COVID control had to eat humble-pie within months. Swift and decisive action taken by the President, the Armed Forces, the Public Health and Hospital staff from March to June protected us. more..

Oct 23 (ST) SL cricketer Minod Bhanuka and SL Under-19 World Cup captain Nipun Dhananjaya and other emerging cricketers were felicitated by the North Western Province Cricket Association (NWPCA) at a grand ceremony held at the Ruvisha Beach Hotel in Kochchikade. Bhanuka, the left-handed wicketkeeper batsman and a product of Maliyadeva College, Kurunegala won the SL ODI and Twenty20 cap against Pakistan when Sri Lanka toured last year for the first time after more..

Oct 23 (TM) Only around 100 hospital beds allocated for Covid-19 patients remain at present due to the sudden resurgence of the second wave of the coronavirus with the identification of more than 2,000 infected persons in a single and the largest-ever cluster created in the country, according to the health authorities. 2,341 Covid-19 patients have been identified in connection with the Minuwangoda Covid-19 cluster and more..

Oct 23 (TOI) Beneath the southernmost tip of the Indian subcontinent, lies the island country of SL. Geographically, the country is separated from India by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait. Sri Lanka has a rich cultural heritage and its trade in luxury goods and spices has attracted traders of many nations since centuries. Moreover, it is home to many languages, ethnicities, and cultures. SL has a very rich and historical food tradition which has been shaped by many historical & cultural factors. more..

Oct 23 (CT) �The Lanka Premier League (LPL) is a tournament that will position Sri Lanka on the global sports map and has already attracted the attention of local and international sports spectators and the Media,� wrote Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Namal Rajapaksa on his personal blog. He further added that he is �confident that this tournament will build the country�s sports economy and set the stage for exposing the talents of Sri Lanka�s young athletes to the international arena.� more..

Oct 23 (CT) TMTK MP C.V. Wigneswaran, predicted in Parliament, that those very same persons who were working hard to bring the 20th Amendment, and all those who support it today, would surely take to the streets tomorrow to fight for the abolition of the same Amendment. Participating in the second reading stage debate on the Amendment, he said: �This Amendment you bring today will have a boomerang effect more..

Oct 23 (Island) Genie platform offered by Dialog Axiata PLC, was re-certified the coveted Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) Version 3.2.1 for the 4th consecutive year from Qualified Security Assessor (QSA) SISA Information Security together with TechCERT, the local consultant and the technical service provider. PCI DSS ensures the security of cardholder data for credit/debit cards from major card schemes by preventing frauds and data breaches. more..

Oct 23 (Island) Sri Lanka Athletics on Monday will consider rescheduling the performance test which was canceled following the closure of the Sugathadasa Stadium due to Covid 19 concerns yesterday. Officials decided to cancel the performance test which was scheduled to be held over the weekend after police curfew was imposed in several areas in Colombo North including Col 13 where the Sugathadasa Stadium is situated. �Test was crucial for athletes who had trained. more..

Oct 23 (Reuters) The US is urging Sri Lanka to make difficult but necessary choices to secure its economic independence instead of choosing opaque practises, a senior State Department official said, in an apparent reference at China deepening its influence over the South Asian country. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will visit Sri Lanka next week as part of a wider trip that includes India, Maldives and Indonesia with more..