Nov 7 (DN) Police will conduct a special surveillance operation in the weekend in the areas where the Quarantine Curfew has been imposed, Police Spokesman DIG Ajith Rohana said. He said Police mobile and motorcycle patrols would be deployed in these areas. “The public is requested to be at home during the weekend. We are also strictly enforcing the provisions of the Gazette notification that was published on Oct 15 regarding health regulations,” he added. more..

Nov 7 (FT) Divulapitiya and Peliyagoda dual COVID-19 cluster increased to 9,492 cases, with 400 contacts of the Peliyagoda cluster testing positive for the virus yesterday. A total of 12,970 confirmed COVID-19 cases have been identified in the island to date. In addition to the dual cluster, the count includes 1,465 SL returnees from abroad, 950 Navy personnel and their contacts, 651 persons connected to Kandakadu cluster, more..

Nov 7 (FT) The obsessions associated with the advice and freely offered steering by some missions, ostensibly standing for humanitarian objectives and good governance with the high recognitions gained by them, leave many of us with no alternatives of any choice to reject or refuse their pronouncements, without being accused as fanatics. These dicta are so deep-rooted in the social web, that even govts with different political ideologies are compelled to include such thinking in their agendas and more..

Nov 7 (FT) SL’s voiceless and helpless Muslim community, sandwiched between corrupt Muslim politicians and an equally controversial religious body, is deeply disturbed at the Govt’s indifference to their repeated appeals not to cremate Muslims who died of coronavirus, but to allow to bury them in keeping with the religious requirements. Views expressed by people of different walks of life in the community is that a decent burial is basic human rights in any civilised society. more..

Nov 7 (AD) The wife of Easter Sunday terror attacks’ ringleader Zahran Hashim, is reportedly among the inmates who were tested positive for Covid-19 at Welikada Prison. Department of Prisons said she is currently under medical care at Welikanda Hospital for coronavirus treatment with the other inmates. A total of 30 novel coronavirus infections were reported among the Welikada Prison inmates within the last two days. 26 female inmates and 3 male inmates had contracted the virus. more..

Nov 7 (TOI) The Border Security Force (BSF), on Wednesday, nabbed three Sri Lankan nationals while they were sneaking into India from Bangladesh across the Indo-Bangladesh border near Tarali in North 24-Parganas. All three have been handed over to authorities of the Searupnagar police station. "Early on Wednesday, troops of the 112Bn BSF posted at BOP Tarali were patrolling the border when the Quick Reaction Team spotted movement and nabbed the three. more..

Nov 7 (AD) Health Ministry says the criteria for discharging confirmed Covid-19 patients has been revised based on growing evidence and global recommendations. Accordingly, patients who remain asymptomatic for 14 days since the diagnostic test are discharged without a subsequent PCR test. In addition, mildly symptomatic patients, absent of fever and respiratory symptoms (cough, sore throat, SOB) are also being discharged more..

Nov 7 (EN) Seven inmates of a transit centre for transferring prisoners in Bogambara in have tested positive for the Covid 19 virus and have been admitted to the Welikanda Prison hospital. Commissioner of Prisons said these inmates were not in the main Prison which is now located at Pallekelle, away from the city of Kandy. Part of the old prison, which was earmarked to be developed into a Mall, has been turned into a “transit centre where Prisoners brought from other areas more..

Nov 7 (TM) Keells supermarket branch at Union Place has been closed after two of its members had tested positive for COVID-19 today, the management said. It said the two employees were tested positive during random PCR tests carried out yesterday evening. “These two team members will be treated based on the advice of Public Health Inspectors (PHI) and the relevant authorities and all team members that have come into direct and indirect contact with them will undergo PCR more..

~Nov 7 (AD) Embassy of Sri Lanka in the Sultanate of Oman has introduced a new procedure to curb irregular migration of SL female domestic workers into the Sultanate of Oman. It has been initiated in coordination with the SL Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) and the Omani authorities concerned. According to the new procedure, Directorate General of Passports & Residence of Royal Oman Police will issue more..

Nov 7 (AD) The use of Rapid Antigen Covid-19 test, which provides results in just 20 minutes, is expected to begin in the country soon, says the Chief Epidemiologist Dr. Sudath Samaraweera. He added that the World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended the antigen-based rapid diagnostic test to identify Covid-19 cases in addition to the PCR testing. “At the moment we are validating in our country to see whether this is a suitable test for us,” he said further. more..

Nov 7 (DM) China’s BGI Genomics, the country’s leading provider of genomic sequencing and proteomic services has gifted Sri Lanka a backup PCR machine, Chinese Embassy Officials said. Taking to Twitter with an update the Chinese Embassy said that the PCR machine which malfunctioned at the Mulleriyawa Base Hospital has been restored to its full functional capacity. The Embassy also said that the desk which the PCR machine was kept on would be gaveled to more..

Nov 7 (FT) Celebrated HR Guru Prof. Dave Ulrich who has helped shape modern HR, participated in a webinar organised by Daily FT, ACCA, AHRP and ICCSL. Prof. Ulrich emphasised the fact that leaders must learn to harness uncertainty to be able to help countries and organisations to prosper in the unknowable new normal. Following are excerpts from the virtual interview: Q: Dave, it’s a long time since more..

Nov 7 (SLN) SL Navy apprehended 06 suspects with over 5711kg of dried turmeric attempted to be smuggled into the island, during special operations conducted in Northwestern Naval Command on 6th Nov. Accordingly, the Navy managed to seize a stock of dried turmeric, brought by an Indian dhow, while being laden to a local dinghy at the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) off the Kudiramalei Point on 6th Nov. Stock contained over 3218kg of dried turmeric stuffed in 78 sacks. more..

Nov 7 (AD) The Ministry of Health confirms that 537 individuals who were previously diagnosed with Covid-19, have been discharged from medical care as they have made complete recoveries. According to the situation report, the following hospitals have reported the latest recoveries: National Institute for Infectious Diseases (NIID) – 12 Iranawila Hospital – 09; Minuwangoda Base Hospital – 01; Colombo East Base Hospital – 03; Dr Neville Fernando Teaching Hospital – 22; more..

Nov 7 (Island) Thousands of students who had sat the 2019 GCE A/L exam were in difficulty as the govt failed to release their cut-off marks to select universities 14 months after the exam; JVP led Socialist Students Union said. National Organiser of SSU, Rangana Devapriya said the govt had taken more than one year to release the cut-off marks for the 2019 exam. “The cut-off marks should have been released before commencing this year’s more..

Nov 7 (DM) Number of Sri Lankan nationals, died abroad from COVID-19 has increased to 90,. The majority were low-skilled migrant workers in Middle Eastern countries from where 74 deaths have been reported including 31 from Saudi Arabia. Foreign Affairs Ministry, complying with international COVID-19 related health and protection standards had imposed several conditions for the family members who had requested the bodies of their loved ones, succumbed to the virus, to be repatriated. more..

Nov 7 (FT) Ceylon Tea dyed and branded masks were distributed at the Salon Zen, a pioneer in trade fairs dedicated to personal development and the art of living, which was held recently in Paris and attended by over 35,000 visitors during the five days of the show. Having the objective of increasing the awareness of Ceylon Tea as a global brand, SL Tea Board has introduced a Ceylon Tea branded face mask to be distributed among business community worldwide on a complimentary basis. more..

~Nov 7 (DM) Health Ministry has revised the criteria of discharging Covid-19 confirmed patients from isolation based on growing evidence and global recommendations. Accordingly, Covid-19 infected patients can be discharged from isolation facilities/intermediate Care Centres or Hospital without subsequent testing if all of the criteria recommended are fulfilled. A patient can be discharged from the isolation facility more..

Nov 7 (AD) PCoI probing incidents of political victimization has decided to seek legal action against four MPs of SJB. According to PCoI chair, former Supreme Court Justice Upali Abeyratne, MPs Harin Fernando, Nalin Bandara, J.C. Alawathuwala and Mayantha Dissanayake have allegedly made derogatory comments about the commission and challenged its authority. It is reported that notices were issued on the four lawmakers to appear before the police unit of the commission to more..

Nov 7 (CT) Joint Secretary of the FTZGSEU, Anton Marcus, has informed the COVID-19 Coordinating Officer for the FTZ, Admiral Prasanna Hewage that around 500 garment workers who have returned from quarantine centres to their boarding houses in the FTZs lack basic facilities including meals. He said, those 500 workers are in self-quarantine for another 14 days and are left with no food or rations to cook, mainly due to the curfew as shops are closed. more..

Nov 7 (AD) Total Covid-19 cases confirmed in SL went past the grim milestone of 13,000 today as 257 more persons were tested positive for the virus. All the fresh cases have been identified as close contacts of the earlier patients from the Minuwangoda-Peliyagoda cluster which has registered a record total of 9,749 cases since the beginning of October. Sri Lanka has confirmed 13,227 novel coronavirus infections to date. more..

Nov 8 (Island) To many of us in Sri Lanka, born and bred in the Westminster tradition of One Man One Vote, the Electoral College system of electing the President of the United States makes little sense. The USA is a country that prides itself as the cradle of democracy, condemning other systems of elections as inferior, authoritarian, even dictatorial. Proponents of the Electoral College claim, according to a Google search, that “the nationally popular system promotes political stability, more..

Nov 8 (SO) While there is hardly any doubt that all sectors of the economy have been hit very hard by the ongoing pandemic, there is one sector in particular that has virtually been decimated – global tourism and travel. Global tourism has plummeted to such low levels that experts are predicting a comeback only in 2024. This is bad news for countries such as Sri Lanka, which depend on tourism for a major part of the earnings. For Sri Lanka, this is a double blow. more..

Nov 8 (SO) Minister Udaya Gammanpila said our health sector has performed extremely well with the support of the Security Forces and intelligence set up to control the novel Coronavirus outbreak in the country. The Minister in an interview with the Sunday Observer said we should note that amid the increasing number of Covid-19 positive cases, every single day we have around 200 to 300 recoveries as well. more..

Nov 8 (CT) Gota knows no other way than to talk tough, hand authority to Army Silva and military brass, undermine confidence of civilian authorities and via 20A erase the democratic ethos that has caught on in SL since Independence. Mind you, it is true that democracy has landed us in pretty much of a mess; it has empowered racism and been the midwife of economically damaging populism. Yes, SL democracy has been a disappointment – look at the composition of Parliament, more..

Nov 8 (TM) Sri Lankans are facing unprecedented challenges to their lifestyles with the abrupt identification of new Covid-19 clusters. Along with this, the building up of insecurities and unrest in the public is inevitable. This article is based on a discussion with officials of the Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA), on the current Covid-19 situation in the country. At the time of writing, the total number of cases had passed 12,000 with 24 deaths in Sri Lanka. more..

Nov 8 (CT) The tenure of the Chairman of the Election Commission Mahinda Deshapriya will end on 13 Nov. Deshapriya, who was awarded the best Public Servant of the Year 2016 by TV Derana and the Sri Lankan of the Year in 2015 by Lanka Market Digest, is well-loved for his bold statements and witty remarks. In this interview, we try to catch a glimpse of his career and colourful personality. Q: How did you enter the SLAS? more..

Nov 8 (ST) Despite all the powers now vested in the Executive Presidency with the passage of the 20th Amendment to the Constitution, the Govt seems compelled to submit that not only the sovereignty, but also the safety of the people is vested only with themselves. It is almost like when the all-powerful Executive President of yesteryear, J.R. Jayewardene, at wits’ end with terrorist bombs exploding all around conceded that the people would have to look after themselves. more..

Nov 8 (ST) My dear Donald, I thought I must write to you after hearing that you are about to lose your job as arguably the most powerful person in the world – although your performance exceeded most expectations and for a moment, many people were worried that you may get another four-year term at the White House. You sent that chap Mike to visit us just before your election but that was too little, too late. If only you had sent him earlier, we could have given you a few tips on how to handle this. more..

Nov 8 (CT) When the 5-bench apex court unanimously upheld the high court’s verdict of the death penalty for Duminda Silva and his criminal cohorts, his supporters screamed hysterically saying that they will bring Sir to the presidency and get their leader released from prison. Since then there was a relentless campaign by his brother, who is the owner of one of the two privately-owned major media institutions, which played a highly unethical and extremely biased but effective role in getting more..

Nov 8 (Island) Sri Lanka Cricket is in for a major financial windfall with Lanka Premier League tournament getting the go ahead from health authorities after the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic delayed the event several times. SLC will earn a total sum of US$ 10 million over a period of five years having outsourced the event to a Dubai based company – IPG. The organizers announced that the franchise based tournament will now take place from the 27th of Nov to the 17th of Dec. more..

Nov 8 (CT) The same Govt that won two-third majority in Parliament in August General Election by polling close to 6.9 million votes mainly due to its successful campaign to curtail deadly coronavirus disease, has been faced with a threat of losing its popularity for failing to arrest the recent outbreak of COVID-19 even after a month of developing Minuwangoda Brandix cluster. People were inconvenienced with no proper access to essential items owing to more..

Nov 8 (Island) Rather than discoursing on the profound truths expounded by the Buddha, some Bhikkhus have specialised in telling stories. Worse still, they are spreading canards the latest being that the Buddha was born in Sri Lanka. Though I would love for this to be true, unfortunately, there is no archaeological evidence even to support that the Buddha visited SL, leaving aside being born here. The excellent article by Bhante Dhammika of Australia printed in this newspaper proves more..

Nov 8 (TM) The seven-week islandwide lockdown necessitated by the local outbreak of Covid-19 has transformed the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) into a profit-making, state-owned enterprise for the first time in years. CPC has managed to record a net profit of Rs. 830 million in the first three quarters of this year, following a loss of Rs. 9 billion in the same period last year, according to CPC Deputy General Manager – Finance Varuna Nilanga Weerasooriya. more..

Nov 8 (Island) Patrick, an int'l businessman was holding a 720-carat diamond intending to sell it through an Austrian broker named Morrison. This diamond was to be auctioned in France but that did not happen. It was then sent to Sri Lanka for safekeeping until the next auction was due. But Morrison was detected at Katunayake by the customs. After intense negotiations a deal was struck. Morrison and was to be released on more..

Nov 8 (Island) When one examines the successful sports systems around the world, it becomes apparent that not only do they function on democratic principles, but they are closely integrated with various cognate within the govt. Sri Lanka, in its efforts to develop and implement a sports system, would be well advised to follow the countries which are currently leaders in the field. Therefore the establishment of a democratically based sports system is essential; and at the same time, more..

Nov 8 (SO) Anuda Jayaweera of Ananda College, Colombo 10 became the 2020 Observer-Mobitel Most Popular Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year as the voting concluded last weekend. Nimesh Wijesundera of Marapola MV, Minuwangoda accounted for the 2020 Observer-Mobitel Most Popular Schoolgirl Cricketer of the Year as the counting ended last Monday. The winners of the 42nd Observer-Mobitel Most Popular Schoolboy and Schoolgirl Cricketers of the Year will receive more..