Nov 1 (DM) The much-hyped 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland commenced yesterday, 31 October. US President Biden�s Special Envoy for Climate John Kerry described the summit at Glasgow as having summoned more climate ambition than the world has ever seen and added it was the last, best chance to beat the climate crisis. UN describes Climate change as being long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. more..

Nov 1 (DM) Continuing failures and confusion in policymaking and implementation are at the heart of SL�s governance crisis What has Gotabaya Rajapaksa achieved when he enters his third year in office as SL�s Prez on Nov 18? A not-so-attractive record of failures in governance. Prez has also been losing much of the public support, popularity and trust that brought him into power in Nov 2019. The present crisis which Prez and his regime are facing has four interconnected dimensions more..

Nov 1 (DM) Mung Okkoma Horu Malli � handcuffed Ranjan Ramanayake [RR] was making a general appraisal of our legal fraternity, the outspoken law-maker yelled to the media crews that thronged to hallowed precincts of Hulftsdorf, while he was being led to a prison bus. Sentenced to four years RI by the Supreme Court on Jan 12, 2021, Ranjan�s call resonance with, History Will Absolve Me [HWAM] by Fidel Castro and more..

Nov 1 (CT) The gazette announcement that Ven. Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thera will be heading a new Presidential Task Force to study �the implementation of the concept, One country; One law, and prepare a draft Act for the said purpose,� was more befuddling than it was shocking or infuriating. It defies comprehension, said The Island editorial on Thursday. Many also found the announcement somewhat hilarious while mindful of its ominous implications. more..

Nov 1 (TM) A great and necessary leap forward: This is what the Government of Sri Lanka led by Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa has sought to do through its overambitious, ill-conceived, and even poorly executed �100% organic agriculture with immediate effect� fiasco. Said fiasco is already having and will continue to have a gargantuan and catastrophic impact on the farmers and ultimately the people � the consumers, who are the eventual funders of this well-intentioned but terribly executed act. more..

Nov 1 (TM) The marine ecosystems of SL are renowned for their diverse aquatic species and their habitats of coral reefs, seagrass meadows in the vast Indian Ocean. These ecosystems provide a primary source of income for the marine communities who depend on fishing, and protect the island from the irreversible impacts of climate change such as tidal waves and storm surges. Furthermore, they are significant to more..

Nov 1 (ST) Interestingly enough, this week�s Presidential appointment of a controversial monk who once served a jail term for contempt of court, as head of a Presidential Task Force to suggest law reform to bring about one country, one law no less, has provoked freewheeling ridicule rather than fury in SL. It is not only the imagery thereof that serves as wonderful inspiration for satirical cartoonists giving unfettered rein to their mockery but also, the very intertwining of two diametrically opposed more..

Nov 1 (ST) Controversial BBS chief Galagoda-Aththe Gnanasara Thera was appointed this week as the head of a Presidential Task Force (PTF) to revise the nation�s statute books and usher in an enlightened era of a multicultural, multiethnic society governed by the dictum: One country, one law. His appointment was made by an extraordinary gazette issued on Tuesday night by Prez Rajapaksa establishing a PTF for One Country, One Law concept, naming 13 men as its members, more..

Nov 1 (GV) In a media release dated Oct 21, Dr. Anil Jasinghe, Secretary to Ministry of Environment, in requesting a National Eco-tourism Plan to promote the tourism industry as well as environmental protection, had this to say: �SL has a vast flora and fauna biodiversity, pristine beaches and priceless ancient sites. The mangrove system can also attract a large number of tourists. But biodiversity is under serious threat due to the unintentional destruction by certain people in our country.� more..

Nov 1 (Island) Irrespective of whether Sri Lanka go through to the semi-finals of the ICC T-20 World Cup or not, there is a lot to be happy about given the way they have gone about things in this campaign. The emergence of several young players augurs well moving forward. Former under-19 skipper Charith Asalanka has been the find of the competition with his match winning knock against Bangladesh and an equally gutty effort against a formidable Australian side. more..

Nov 1 (CT) Chinese Govt attempted to checkmate SL State institutions and their officials, such as the Ministry of Agriculture, the Department of Agriculture, the National Plant Quarantine Service (NPQS), the Ceylon Fertiliser Corporation, and the Colombo Commercial Fertiliser, by blacklisting the State-owned People�s Bank, when the State entities said the Chinese fertiliser was toxic and harmful, loaded with pectobacteria (Erwiniaspp). more..

Nov 1 (CT) As of October, South Korean drama, Squid Game, has become Netflix�s most-watched show. The drama series depicts a group of desperate individuals competing in a number of violent versions of children�s games to win a 45.6 bil won (US$ 38 mil) jackpot, while doing their best to stay alive. Like the pop music coming out of South Korea, the show quickly grew in popularity and steadily grew a fan base with Squid Game�s aesthetics being adopted from everything more..

Nov 1 (Island) Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. (M&M), together with Ideal Motors, a fully owned subsidiary of the Ideal Group, recently unveiled the new Bolero City Pik-Up in Sri Lanka in the presence of Minister of Industries, Wimal Weerawansa. Minister took a tour of the Mahindra Ideal Lanka Automotive Assembly Plant and saw the assembly process of the new Bolero City Pik-Up. The plant was inaugurated in August 2019 under a joint venture between M&M Ltd. and Ideal Group. more..

Nov 1 (ST) SL U-19s cricket team commenced their preparations for the ICC Youth World Cup in an extraordinary manner, when they whitewashed the defending champions Bangladesh on home soil in the five-match One Day International series. Since the conclusion of the previous Youth World Cup, held in South Africa in 2020, where SL returned home empty-handed. They were pushed to an embarrassing 10th position in final standings. more..

Nov 1 (FT) Most valuable and profitable corporate, Expolanka Holdings, has raised the bar yet again with a record first half performance, pointing to a likely new SL corporate benchmark by the year�s end. For the quarter ended 30 Sept 2021 (Q221), Expolanka recorded a Profit After Tax (PAT) of Rs. 12 billion at a 166% increase Year-on-Year (YoY). Revenue for the quarter was Rs. 151.4 billion marking a YoY increase of 208%. Its Gross Profit was Rs22.6b for quarter, 114% increase YoY. more..

Nov 1 (TM) SL Test Captain Dimuth Karunaratne, who will lead the national team in the forthcoming two-match home Test series against West Indies in November-December, will likely be reappointed as SL�s ODI Captain, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) sources revealed. This means that Dasun Shanaka, who was permanently appointed as the country�s short-format or white-ball Captain in June, for both ODI and T20I formats, will have to shed his duties in the 50-over format and will be leading SL only in T20Is. more..

Nov 1 (CT) SL opener Pathum Nissanka, 23, was not included in the original squad for the T20 World Cup, but mentor Mahela Jayawardene was instrumental in bringing him in and giving him a permanent place to open the innings, where now he has become the tournament�s leading run scorer with 169 runs with two half centuries. Nissanka who carried SL�s inning single handed on Saturday, said the target was to score 160 against SA, but then later decided it was between 140-145 runs, more..

Nov 1 (CT) Pakistan �A� team took all the honours in the drawn match against host Sri Lanka �A� in the first 4-Day encounter at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy yesterday. In reply to Sri Lanka �A�s 141 runs in 46 overs, Pakistan �A� scored 324 runs for two wickets in 115 overs and declared. Left hand opener Saud Shakeel (retired hurt) scored 118 runs in 223 balls with 13 boundaries. Right hander Omair Bin Yousuf scored 93 runs in 250 deliveries with 11 boundaries. more..

Nov 1 (CT) Four Sri Lanka records were shattered during the Sri Lanka Athletics National Championship stage two held at Sugathadasa stadium over the weekend. On Saturday hurdler Roshan Ranathunga stunned the arena when he clocked 13.97 seconds in the 110m hurdle to erase the 24-year-old record of 14.0 set by Mahesh Perera in 1997. Then in the afternoon, he renewed the record once again clocking 13.89 seconds. more..

Nov 1 (ST) Dept for Registration of Persons will be continuing with the Preprinted Polycarbonate National Identity Cards (NIC) until new biometric NICs applicable to the whole population are ready for issuance. A procurement committee has selected a prospective company to print and supply one million Preprinted Polycarbonate Cards after a proper evaluation of bids, dept sources said. However when perusing documents, it was observed that the selected French company more..

Nov 1 (CI) England's performance against Australia on Saturday was bewilderingly absolute, and for so many more reasons than just their crushing 50-ball margin of victory. On the same night that they romped to the tournament's highest powerplay total (66 for 0), they restricted Australia to a flatlining 21 for 3, just one run off their lowest ever total in the first six overs of a T20I (and with a fourth wicket falling one ball later). On the same night that Jos Buttler rained sixes into the Dubai stands more..

Nov 1 (FT) SJB MP Dr. Harsha de Silva over the weekend faulted the Govt for maligning an independent and world reputed institution such as Moody�s whilst warning hardships are piling on people due to the current regime�s sheer mismanagement of the economy. �Govt is on a foolish stance that what it says is right and what others such as Moody�s are all lies,� the SJB MP said in reference to the Finance Ministry more..

Nov 1 (FT) COVID-19 vaccines were administered to 116,151 persons on Saturday and 13,460,092 persons have received both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine to date. The first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine has been administered to 15,548,834 persons. On Saturday, 61,713 persons received the first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine and 1,896 persons received the second dose of the vaccine. In total, first dose of Pfizer has been administered to 1,207,173 persons, more..

Nov 1 (CT) SL is ready to begin administering the third dose, or booster dose, of COVID-19 vaccines to its citizens starting from today, with frontline health professionals being the first to receive the booster dose. Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine will be provided as a booster dose. The booster dose will be given six months after the second dose. He added that first, frontline health professionals and Tri-Forces who are assisting in virus control will receive the booster dose, followed by more..

Nov 1 (Island) Senior Prof Buddhi Marambe of the Agriculture Faculty of the Peradeniya Uni, removed from all positions held under the Agriculture Ministry for his stance on the fertilizer issue, was in Glasgow this month as a member of a delegation headed by Prez Rajapaksa attending the 2021 UN Climate Change Conference (COP26). Marambe was removed last week from advisory positions held under more..

Nov 1 (Island) Following a meeting with the SLFP leader, former Prez Maithripala Sirisena, TPA leader, Mano Ganesan, MP, claimed that Sirisena has assured SLFP support to continue the present Proportional Representation (PR) system of election. Ganesan who met Sirisena on Thursday told the media that the meeting was to clarify the SLFP stand on electoral reforms and discuss it further. Attempts are being made to completely change the electoral system, dilute PR and implement a mixed more..

Nov 1 (FT) Exporters have expressed concerns over the CB�s latest move to make repatriation and conversion of foreign exchange earnings to rupees mandatory saying it signals over regulation. On Friday, the CBSL issued a Gazette which requires repatriation of export proceeds (by both merchandise and service exporters including tourism and IT) into SL and conversion on or before the seventh day of the succeeding month. However, exporters could retain and use such proceeds more..

Nov 1 (TM) The Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) has said that even if the Seiyo Explorer vessel, formerly known as Hippo Spirit, which is carrying tonnes of Chinese fertiliser that have failed quality tests, has entered Sri Lanka�s territorial waters, it is not illegal. �Several vessels pass through our waters for the purpose of innocent passage, this is not illegal,� SPLA Harbour Master Capt. Nirmal P. Silva said. more..

Nov 1 (TM) Trade unions representing the CEB, SLPA, and CPC are set to carry out a protest from 12 p.m. on Wednesday (3) at their respective offices. CEB General Secretary Ranjan Jayalal said the protests would take place at the 3 headquarters of the 3 state-owned enterprises. United Trade Union alliance would protest against several issues related to the Govt. CEB trade union action is being staged to urge the Govt to immediately suspend the agreement with US-based energy company more..

Nov 1 (AD) Inter-provincial travel restrictions have been lifted from today with the aim of maintaining the people�s daily lives under the new normalization. Accordingly, the restrictions imposed preventing the general public from crossing provincial borders has been lifted from 4.00 a.m. this morning (31), according to NOCPCO. The inter-provincial travel restrictions have been lifted today after a period of six months, when it was imposed following a surge in Covid-19 cases and deaths in the island. more..

Nov 1 (TM) LSSP Leader and SLPP MP Prof. Tissa Vitharana said that the governing coalition parties or the People�s Council are yet to reach an agreement on what its proposals would be regarding the Govt�s controversial agreement with New Fortress Energy. �We will have to respond with our proposals. My party will also discuss what kind of proposals need to be submitted and the People�s Council will have to come to an agreement,� more..

Nov 1 (FT) SL�s COVID-19 detections rose to 541,073 with the detection of 1,107 COVID-19 positive persons over the weekend and the addition of 550 delayed cases yesterday. 550 COVID-19 cases reported between 22 Oct and 28 Oct were added to the total yesterday after verification. Health officials state that 542 COVID-19 positive persons from the New Year cluster were detected yesterday, with a total of 5,957 PCR tests conducted. On Saturday, 6,232 PCR tests & 2,949 RATs more..

Nov 1 (AD) The cremation ceremony of the Chancellor of the Uni of Kelaniya, Aggamahapandit Most Venerable Welamitiyawe Dharmakirthi Sri Kusala Dhamma Thero, held with full state honours, concluded at the Independence Square in Colombo this evening (31). The govt had declared Sunday a day of mourning in view of the final rites of late Dr. Most Venerable Welamitiyawe Kusaladamma Thero, who passed away on October 28 at the age of 85. The remains of the Most Venerable Thero more..

Nov 1 (Island) Prez�s Counsel Ali Sabry, only Muslim among the Cabinet ministers, is likely to quit the justice portfolio over the recent appointment of Ven. Galagodaatte Gnanasara Thera as the head of Presidential Task Force (PTF) to make recommendations in respect of One Country, One Law concept. Well-informed sources say Sabry, who campaigned alongside civil society group Viyathmaga, at the 2019 prez election, more..

Nov 1 (Island) It has been reported that the Rajapaksa brothers saw red when one of the SLPP coalition leaders, at a recent meeting, expressed his displeasure at the appointment of Ven. Galagodaatte Gnanasara as the head of the so-called one-country-one-law presidential task force. They reportedly demanded to know what right the dissenting leader had to question the decision of a President who had received a mandate from 6.9 million people. Their line of reasoning more..

Nov 1 (FT) The present day United National Party (UNP) may lack many things, most importantly for a political party, a popular following; its abysmal failure was displayed so starkly at the last General Elections, when the old warhorse failed to win a single seat in Parliament. This was not the case in the past; even when it could not form the govt at the elections, the UNP generally commanded the confidence of a very large number of voters, sometimes even more than governing party. more..

Nov 1 (FT) Orel IT, a Sri Lankan based premier IT services provider operating with a key focus to empower humanity with Industry 4.0 recently established operations in Singapore, a major technology hub. The move was as part of the company�s expansion efforts in the South-East Asian region with the view of revamping its services to the customers based in the area. The newly-opened branch came up in the Gambas Crescent Region, Singapore where there is a huge demand more..