Oct 23 (AFP) A photo of a monk raising his middle finger has been shared hundreds of times in multiple Facebook posts that suggest the monk is making the obscene gesture at police in Hong Kong. The claim, however, is misleading; the photo was published in 2016 in a report about a monk at a protest in Sri Lanka. The photo was published on a Hong Kong-based Facebook page here on Oct 18, 2020. The page has more than 15,000 followers. The post�s traditional Chinese caption, more..

Oct 23 (NR) 609 individuals tested positive for the coronavirus today, the second highest number of cases reported in a single-day. The number of infections recorded in the country accordingly increases to 6,896. Of the 609 cases reported today are 496 identified from the Peliyagoda fish market, 48 persons in quarantine centres, 40 associates of Minuwangoda factory workers, 20 individuals from the Beruwala more..

Oct 24 (TM) Shipping and ports industry experts have raised concerns over the impending risk of losing Colombo Port�s transhipment hub status in the region due to the delay in developing its East Container Terminal (ECT). They have also warned that the port itself is at risk and posed a huge threat of losing cargo volumes. The delay in launching operations of the ECT has caused the govt a loss of around Rs. 50 billion per year. Govt is yet to take a decision on the development of the ECT more..

Oct 24 (CT) The world appears to be in a virtual mess. This is not purely due to the COVID crisis, but also for the reasons underlying its eruption, and the conflictual nature of reactions on the part of national and international leaders. The leaders are obviously reflecting the larger society depending on their personal interests, preferences and ideologies. It is ironic that while the COVID largely erupted due to the environmental degradation, present pandemic has already reduced carbon emissions to a significant extent. more..

Oct 24 (ST) As with any young person, Draupadie Weerapperuma�s college years had a major impact on her world view. But when she found herself at the Park Center for Business and Sustainable Enterprise, Ithaca College, New York double majoring in Business Admin. and Economics she little knew that a silky blue thrift store skirt would direct her to her purpose in life and her own sustainable clothing line almost a decade later: Maj�- a new story. more..

Oct 24 (Island) There are things that happen only once. But Paulo Coelho, who wrote the book, Alchemist, has said that everything that happens twice will surely happen a third time. Any statistician will say that something happens twice, the probability of happening it another time will never be zero. Covid-19 pandemic badly hit us once. It is hitting again. It or some other pandemic will surely hit us gain. It would be just a matter of time. Economists never anticipate such extremes more..

Oct 24 (CT) The coalition Government headed by the SLPP plans a 180 degree turn from its announced position prior to the Presidential Election in November 2019 on the signing of the Millennium Challenge Corporation Compact (MCC). Although many critics of the 20th Amendment have raised issues of importance with respect to internal governance, they have so far failed to understand or have wittingly or unwittingly neglected its possible link to the MCC agreement. more..

Oct 24 (CT) COVID-19 claimed the life of the 14th Sri Lankan on Thursday (22). Although the country may not have the epic number of deaths that are being recorded in other countries, the infected numbers were escalating by the 100s overnight. Meanwhile, the Epidemiology Unit of the Health Ministry continuous to hold steadfastly to its stance that that there was no community spread of COVID 19 till now. more..

Oct 24 (CT) At around 4 p.m. on April 14, a day after New Year dawned, Hejaaz Hizbullah received a call from a man identifying himself as an official from the Ministry of Health. It had been a month since the govt had imposed an island-wide lockdown due to the pandemic, and there was a palpable sense of fear, anxiety & dread everywhere. Man on the other side asked him whether he had withdrawn cash from a certain ATM. Apparently he had. Stay home until our fellows show up, he instructed him. more..

Oct 24 (Island) The SLPP govt had us believe that the biggest obstacle in its path, preventing the full implementation of its election manifesto, was the 19th Amendment (19A), which it has now abolished. The 20th Amendment (20A), which was passed in Parliament with 156 votes, on Thursday, has restored the executive powers of the Prez fully, and, now, the SLPP will have to fulfil its election pledges without trotting out excuses. The House was reeking of hypocrisy during the 2-day debate on 20A. more..

Oct 24 (CT) When the first tsunami wave of coronavirus cases hit Sri Lanka in March this year, we were grossly underprepared to handle the emerging health emergency. Fortunately, we had a highly skilled health service, an efficient military and a Govt that was willing to take daring decisions to curb the highly infectious virus from spreading. However, we did not have enough facilities to treat a large number of patients that was sure to have been reported if prompt actions were not taken. more..

Oct 24 (DM) Adjusting to the new normal also meant adjusting ourselves to be aimed at point-blank � not to be shot dead but to check if the body temperature is normal prior to entering a building. Over time this has become more of a gesture, rather a joke, than serving its actual purpose. In most instances the job is now handled by security officers and a popular saying is that if you want to check your temperature you don�t have to visit a doctor anymore. Experts say that these Non-Contact Infrared more..

Oct 24 (DM) The controversial 20th Amendment has been passed with a two-thirds majority. 156 MP�s voted in favour while 65 voted against. Among those who voted for 20 A were eight MP�s from the opposition. Widespread speculation about the possibility of some dissidents within Govt folds voting against it and preventing a two-thirds majority has come to naught. The projected storm of revolt was transformed into a tea-cup tempest more..

Oct 24 (CT) A good economist observes not only what is seen today but also foresees what is to be, the Former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka Dr. W.A Wijewardena commented in this regard in his IDA (Space) column of the week, on the YouTube Channel. Following are extracts of his speech: Economists are known for providing diverse opinions on related issues. There is nothing wrong in this since in any science, the progress depends on not on consensus but on disagreement. more..

Oct 24 (DM) Today is United Nations Day and Sri Lanka has much to be grateful to this world body, especially some of its affiliated groups like the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), UNICEF, UNESCO and WHO. During and after the war, Sri Lanka had some issues with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) but the problems are now being sorted out. Many Sri Lankans have held top posts in the UN and one important area which SL helped work out more..

Oct 24 (DN) The local hotel industry, facing a major hit by the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic, is now moving towards a new lease of life through the services it offers in the quarantine process and domestic tourism. President City Hotels Association and Director, Ramada Colombo, Shanthi Kumar said, already 1,200 hotel rooms have been offered to this service by nearly 40 hotels which includes global hotel chains such as more..

Oct 24 (AD) Court of Appeal today (23) fixed a petition filed by notorious underworld figure Janith Madushanka, operating under the alias Podi Lassie, for support on the 10th of Nov. The petition was taken up before Appeals Court President, Justice A.H.M.D. Nawaz and Justice Sobhitha Rajakaruna. Through his petition, Podi Lassie, claiming to have received threats to his life, has requested the Appeals Court to order the prison officials take measures to ensure his personal safety. more..

Oct 24 (CT) Minister of Fisheries Douglas Devananda has taken steps to release lands coming under the purview of the Department of Wildlife Conservation in the Kilinochchi District, as a way to boost the agriculture sector in the area. The Ministry of Fisheries stated that a discussion in this regard had been held between the Minister C.B. Ratnayake and Devananda at the former�s Ministry on 19 Oct. Devananda had stated that during the height of the war, some thousands of acres in more..

Oct 24 (ST) 28-year-old Kasuni is among hundreds of garment workers hustled off unprepared to quarantine centres from their boarding houses. �Most of us are still in a state of shock and disbelief over how we were dragged away to these quarantine centres like criminals,� she said. �We were taken by army personnel. There was no PHI or grama sevaka even. There was no female officer. They arrived at night and shouted at us more..

Oct 24 (DN) Two of the biggest entertainers of the shortest format of the game, Andre Russell and Shahid Afridi are set for a massive showdown in the Lanka Premier League (LPL) T20 Tournament curtain-raiser match scheduled for November 21 at the Mahinda Rajapaksa Stadium in Hambantota. West Indian all-rounder Russell will turn out for the Colombo Kings coached by veteran Dav Whatmore, while former Pakistan Captain Afridi will represent the Galle Gladiators coached by Moin Khan. more..

Oct 24 (DN) Attorney General Dappula De Livera had directed Acting IGP to record a statement from a Buddhist monk who survived the Aranthalawa Bhikkhu massacre in 1987 and commence criminal investigations over the incident. The Buddhist monk Ven. Andaulpatha Buddhasara Thera who survived the attack but sustained severe injuries filed a Fundamental Rights (FR) petition before the SC recently seeking an order to prosecute any living terrorists involved in the massacre. more..

Oct 24 (FT) The decision by the US to blacklist and impose a travel ban on Army Commander Lt Gen Shavendra Silva was a result of the last Govt�s decision to co-sponsor the UNHRC resolution No: 30/1, Parliament was told. �It was due to that betrayal of our war heroes that the US imposed sanctions on them,� Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena said. He said this when Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa more..

Oct 24 (FT) Planters� Association of Ceylon (PA) commended the exhaustive measures taken by Regional Plantation Companies (RPC) in completing 39,150 houses for estate workers on their plantations. In observance of World Habitat Day earlier this month, the PA said that 10,000 more houses will be constructed in the next five years and handed over to registered estate workers, by the Plantations Human Development Trust (PHDT), a tripartite organisation of RPC�s, more..

Oct 24 (FT) Nations Trust Bank, American Express has partnered with PickMe to make it convenient and rewarding to have your favourite cuisine and groceries delivered to your doorstep. This partnership with its rewarding offers, will add convenience to AMEX card members� new normal routine. NTB Head of Cards Niluka Gunatilake said: �We are pleased to partner with PickMe, SL�s leading mobility solutions provider. With this partnership we are rewarding our card more..

Oct 24 (Island) SJB MP Diana Gamage told Parliament yesterday that she had voted with the govt, according to her conscience, the previous day when the vote was taken on the 20th Amendment to the constitution because she loved the country over her party affiliations. Participating in a debate at the time of the adjournment of the House, MP Gamage said: We must love our country over political affiliations. I take an example from history. more..

Oct 24 (CT) PM Mahinda Rajapaksa, in his message on the 75th anniversary of the United Nations (UN), expressed hope the UN would continue to extend its support to Sri Lanka in order to achieve Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, moving past all obstacles on the way. He expressed his wishes to the UN, which he described as the pre-eminent organisation seeking to establish world peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations while establishing international cooperation. more..

Oct 24 (CT) Organised Crimes Division (OCD) said they are currently keeping close tabs on five gunmen involved in killing people on contract at the behest of underworld figures. An officer from the OCD said, these five hit men had earlier been arrested by the security forces on similar charges and produced in Court and remanded. Subsequently the suspects had been released on bail and returned to their trade in underworld. Officer said, a further 12 gunmen who carried out contract killings. more..

Oct 24 (Island) Justice Minister Ali Sabry told Parliament that the govt would present the draft of a new Constitution to the House within one year. He said Prez Rajapaksa had appointed a committee comprising nine experts, including several President�s Counsel under the leadership of Romesh de Silva, PC, to draft a new Constitution. �We will also allow a representative from the estate-workers community in the the hill country more..

Oct 24 (FT) The UDA recently kicked off the construction of a 10-storey car park to ease traffic congestion in Colombo on the instructions of Prez Rajapaksa and Minister of Urban Development and Housing PM Mahinda Rajapaksa. The move is part of building around 12 new car parks in urban cities including eight in the Colombo city. The first phase of the project commenced with the construction of a Telecom car park behind Lake House, Colombo Fort, at a cost of Rs. 1.1 billion. more..

Oct 24 (TM) MP Aravindakumar, who voted in favour of the 20th Amendment yesterday (23), has been suspended from Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA) party, the leader of TPA Mano Ganesan stated in his official Twitter account. �I hereby suspend Aravindakumar MP from TPA. He will be sacked from #TPA by the Politburo. TPA Parliamentary group will discuss this matter in few hours. His party, Upcountry People�s Front will be asked to take further action against him,� the tweet said. more..

Oct 24 (FT) Department of Census and Statistics (DCS) yesterday indicated that the release of the latest GDP data may be delayed further. Last week it said the GDP estimates for 2nd Quarter and 3rd Quarter would be released on 15 Dec. �However, considering the limitations faced at the present period this date may be further changed,� DCS said � the second on the controversy over delay in GDP data. more..

Oct 24 (Reuters) Sri Lanka�s govt bonds fell heavily on Friday after the US urged the country�s govt to make difficult but necessary choices regarding its ties with China. Worries that this year�s COVID-19 crisis could see the country struggle to pay its debts have already seen its bonds slump almost 40% this year. On Friday its 2021 and 2022 dollar-denominated bonds dropped 5 cents or more. Meanwhile its 2025 and 2026 bonds dropped below the 60 cents on the dollar threshold. more..

Oct 24 (Island) Widow of NTJ leader Zahran Hashim, Abdul Cader Fatima Hadiya, testified yesterday before the PCoI investigating the Easter Sunday attacks. Hadiya began testifying around 11 am. The session however was not open to the media and journalists covering the PCoI had to wait for the next witness. Journalists were compelled to sit on the staircase near the PCoI entrance as there were no seats for them. CEO of the BMICH where the Commission its, Sunil Dissanayake more..

Oct 24 (CT) Indefinite quarantine curfew was imposed in Dematagoda and Maradana Police areas from Friday night. Meanwhile, quarantine curfew was also imposed in Payagala, Beruwala and Aluthgama Police areas until 5 a.m. Monday (26). Army Commander Lt. General Shavendra Silva also said Gulavita North and South, Wedawatte, Magurumaswila and Makandalawa villages in Walallawita DS more..

Oct 24 (EN) India�s ICICI Bank Ltd has been given approval to close down its business in Colombo, the island�s banking regulator said. �The Monetary Board of the Central Bank of SL, having considered the request made by the ICICI Bank Limited, India, has granted approval to close down business operations of ICICI Bank Ltd in Sri Lanka and cancel the licence issued to it in terms of the provisions of the Banking Act, No. 30 of 1988, subject to several terms and conditions,� regulator said. more..

Oct 24 (FT) The UNP called on the Govt to take immediate steps to increase the national capacity of PCR testing to identify COVID-19 patients in the country. Issuing a press release, UNP charged that the Govt has not recognised the severity of the recent outbreak that began in the district of Gampaha. �The health authorities have indicated that this current wave of COVID-19 could have spread to as many as 13 Districts, Govt must recognise the severity of this outbreak,� more..

Oct 24 (FT) Sri Lanka�s highest number of COVID-19 patients identified in a day was recorded yesterday, with over 860 persons testing positive. 865 patients were identified yesterday, of which the majority were from the Peliyagoda Fish Market sub-cluster and the Minuwangoda Brandix cluster. Of the remaining cases, 48 are employees and contacts at quarantine centres, 40 are other contacts, more..

Oct 24 (DM) The GMOA said COVID-19 patients are now reported from the community. GMOA Secretary Dr. Haritha Aluthge said two out of 259 COVID-19 positive patients reported yesterday were from quarantine centres and the remaining individuals were reported from outside the centres. �The detection of COVID-19 positive patients from outside the centres mean they have emerged from the community. The situation which prevails now is transparent, and we cannot leave it to more..

Oct 24 (CT) Many of people knew that the 20th amendment will pass. I was one of them. When the debate on it was taking place in the parliament, I was busy reading in the largest library in the country � the main library of the Uni of Peradeniya. I was working on something else, and it had very little to do with the 20th amendment. The book I was reading and taking notes about was a collection of speeches and writing by Sir Ponnambalam Arunachalam. I have been a big fan of more..