Nov 2 (AD) Sri Lanka has reported its 22nd death from the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, a short while ago, the Epidemiology Unit of the Health Ministry confirmed. The deceased is a 27-year-old male residing in the Panadura area. His death has been determined as a suicide, according to the Department. He had passed away upon admission to the Panadura Base Hospital on Oct 31. Subsequent PCR tests have posthumously more..

Nov 2 (FT) Sri Lanka has come second in the Top 20 countries in the world ranking by popular and influential Cond� Nast Traveler readers. In its ranking, published on 6 October, Italy comes on top and Sri Lanka is ranked second. Portugal, Japan and Greece figure in top 5. Other destinations listed as favourites in the order of rankings are Indonesia, Thailand, South Africa, Vietnam, Mexico, Ireland, Bhutan, Jamaica, Peru, Malaysia, Colombia, Israel, Turkey, New Zealand and India. more..

Nov 2 (DN) The second phase of the distribution of Rs.5000 allowance for the Gampaha district will commence tomorrow and the payments will be completed within a week, Minister Prasanna Ranatunga said. The allowance of Rs. 5,000 will be provided for families who lost their livelihoods due to the imposition of the quarantine curfew in the Gampaha district, the second phase of the distribution will commence tomorrow. Minister Prasanna Ranatunga has instructed more..

Nov 2 (DM) Parliament will meet for just two hours tomorrow during which Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi will present two new regulations under the Medical Ordinance, Parliament Media unit said. "Parliament will convene on Nov 3 from 10 am to 12 pm only and on that day, two regulations to the Medical Ordinance submitted by the Minister of Health Pavithra Wanniarachchi will be taken up for debate. more..

Nov 2 (WT) Milliman, Inc., a premier global consulting and actuarial firm, announced that it will begin operations in Sri Lanka after an agreement to acquire Colombo-based Spark Actuarial Private Limited came into effect today. The new Milliman office will support local and international clients with the firm's full range of actuarial services. Milliman now serves the region through offices in 13 key Asia-Pacific cities. "Asia's economic growth has led to a substantial demand for actuarial and more..

Nov 2 (FT) Joint Apparel Association Forum (JAAF) said the SL apparel industry is resilient despite internal and external challenges arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic. �The situation with regard to the apparel industry in SL is currently fluid but certainly not volatile. Time-tested systems of crisis management are in place and the industry is coping very well given the circumstances,� JAAF said. �We are a country that has faced 30 years of war and dealing with disruption is second nature to us. more..

Nov 2 (EN) A faith healer with VIP clients who claims supernatural powers has persuaded Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi to try his miracle water to end the coronavirus pandemic. Eliyantha White, 47, got Wannirachhchi to smash a pot containing his special water into the Kalu Ganga to contain the spread of the Coronavirus, footage broadcast over the internet showed. In the process, White had managed more..

Nov 2 (AD) Four officers attached to the Main Fire Station (Hq) of the Fire Services Dept have been identified to have contracted COVID-19. Reportedly, they are residents of Kadawatha, Piliyandala, Walallawita, and Minuwangoda areas. Meanwhile, a doctor at the obstetrics and gynecology unit of the Trincomalee General Hospital is also confirmed to be a COVID-19 patient. The Director of the hospital Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne stated that three other doctors who worked with the relevant doctor more..

Nov 2 (AD) High Commission of India in Colombo today confirmed that an auxiliary staff of the high commission tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday. Currently the person is undergoing treatment at a designated SL Govt medical facility. �Given the nature of the duties of the concerned staff, the person had minimal interaction with the chancery building and the official and the very few primary contacts have been subjected to PCR tests/relevant procedures, as per the stipulated more..

Nov 2 (DM) Attorney General Dappula De Livera has instructed the Acting IGP to commence an inquiry into the videos circulating through social media on forced acquisition of lands owned by Sri Lankans living abroad. According to the CCTV footages circulated via social media, a particular political group has forged deeds to acquire these lands illegally. The AG had advised the Acting IGP to submit a progress report within 7 days. more..

Nov 2 (SLN) Navy managed to seize over 4150kg of smuggled dried turmeric and apprehend 16 suspects involved in the racketeering, during special operations conducted in Northwestern and North Central Naval Commands on 30th and 31st Oct. After noticing suspicious behaviour of a group of persons and interrogating them, the Northwestern Naval Command was able to seize a stock of smuggled dried turmeric, during a patrol carried in the beach area of Erambugodella in Ettalai, more..

Nov 2 (NR) Anunayaka of the Chapter Most Venerable Vendaruwe Upali Thera says citizens should take steps to ensure their own safety, instead of waiting until the government implements certain programmes to mitigate the COVID-19 crisis. Issuing a special statement, Vendaruwe Upali Anunayaka thera said the govt should be commended for the steps it had taken to ensure the physical and mental wellbeing of the public. The Anunayaka thera also noted that the public should appreciate more..

Nov 2 (DM) Army Chief Lt. Gen Shavendra Silva yesterday said that due to COVID-19 infections rising in the Western Province, especially in Colombo, the govt had decided to extend the quarantine curfew for a further one week, going back on an earlier decision of lifting the curfew this morning. Despite repeated assurances that curfew in several areas of the Western Province would be lifted today, Silva, in a surprising more..

Nov 2 (CT) A couple engaged in the cultivation of groundnut at Sagamam in the Thirukkovil Police area on Friday evening met with an untimely death. It was revealed at the inquest that when the couple along with their seven relatives including their son and daughter set out to their field and were engaged in the cultivation of groundnut at Sagamam in the evening there was a sudden downpour along with thunder and lightning. This interrupted their work and forced the seven relatives to abandon more..

Nov 2 (CT) All Ceylon Wildlife Officers' Association (ACWOA) points out that there is no need to hand over the albino python, found in Ritigala recently, to the National Zoo. The association said, in a letter to the Director General of the Dept of Wildlife Conservation, there were reports of a plan to hand over the python to the National Zoo, and that they would strongly oppose such a move. A member of the Association said although investigations were warranted to conserve animals, more..

Nov 2 (FT) Former SLMC MP Seyed Ali Zahir Moulana has urged the Govt to facilitate burial of unfortunate Muslims who pass away due to COVID-19. His appeal via twitter over the weekend is after three last persons to die of COVID-19 were Muslims. �It is truly disheartening that today�s 20th reported COVID death and the two prior to that were all Muslims, and the remains were cremated,� Moulana said in his tweet. more..

Nov 2 (EN) The several dozen large marine mammals who have been beached off Panadura today are short-finned Pilot Whales and may be suffering due to Nitrogen Saturation, a Marine expert said. Dr Terney Pradeep Kumara, General Manager of the Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) said the whales may be very seriously injured. He said they are showing signs of the effects of a deep dive probably forced by encountering ships using sonar. more..

Nov 2 (EN) Sri Lanka is to regulate Covid 19 testing being carried out by the private sector. Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi met with heads of five private hospitals this afternoon November 2, and asked them to accept guidelines and regulations that the Department of Health Services will provide for them. The private sector organisations present at today�s meeting were Lanka Hospitals, Asiri Hospitals, Durdens, Nawaloka and Genetech, the Minister�s spokesman Viraj Abeysinghe said. more..

Nov 2 (AD) Arrangements have been made to distribute essential items through mobile vendors, as was done earlier during the curfew period, stated DIG Ajith Rohana. DIG Rohana stated that the procedure for this will be finalized today. �The methodology was developed between March and May, June. After obtaining the certificate from the Grama Niladhari and the Divisional Secretary in those areas, the police will give permission to more..

Nov 2 (CT) 2,600 SL migrant workers contracted COVID-19, while 64 have died of this disease in their destination countries as of the beginning of last month, the CB said. As per SLBFE data, 39,489 migrant workers have lost their jobs as of August 2020 and many others have faced reduction in their incomes, said the CBSL. However, despite departures for foreign employment declining sharply by 57.2% to 40,689 in the first half of 2020, from 95,007 in the corresponding period of 2019, more..

Nov 2 (AD) A group of Pakistani nationals who are in Sri Lankan prisons for various drug related offences are to be handed over to Pakistani prison officers at the BIA. Commissioner General of Prisons Thushara Upuldeniya stated that 44 Pakistani prisoners will be handed over to prison officers from their country at the BIA tomorrow (03). The prisoners are expected to complete lengthy prison sentences for drug-related offenses in their home country close to family and friends, in accordance with more..

Nov 2 (CT) Just over one third (38.8%) of women who experienced sexual violence by a partner left home because of such violence, Census & Statistics Dept (CSD) said. The CSD, which released their first ever national survey on violence on women on that day also said that most (81.9%) of such abused women went to their relatives, a smaller percentage went to friends or neighbours (8.4%), to his relatives (5.1%), or more..

Nov 2 (EN) Sri Lanka has no backlogged PCR tests or issues in the PCR testing process currently being carried out in the country, an official said. �We have carried out more than 12,000 PCR tests in the past few days,� Deputy Director of Health Dr Hemantha Herath said. �As per the reports and information we have now, there are no backlogged tests to run and we can assure you that all results will be published soon,� he added. Complaints were made by the GMOA about certain PCR tests being more..

Nov 2 (EN) SL has cancelled a two-day window given to areas under curfew to shop for essential goods citing impracticality, with plans underway to employ a home delivery system, the COVID-19 prevention task force said. �We have cancelled the two-day system for obvious reasons, but home delivery will start the way it did in the first lockdown,� a spokesman for the NOCPOC said. �We will not be delivering medicines, but we�re discussing the feasibility of opening pharmacies at least more..

Nov 2 (AD) Health officials have decided not to count the death reported as the 22nd coronavirus death in SL as a death caused by COVID-19. Accordingly, the country�s death toll has been revised back to 21. On Oct 31, a 27-year-old male suicide victim died on admission to the Panadura Base Hospital. A PCR test carried out during the post mortem had determined that the deceased had been infected with COVID-19. more..

Nov 3 (CT) SL�s 1978 constitution kept the existing immoral foremost position for Buddhism and introduced a strong presidency that every govt promised to abolish but once elected, never did. It allowed the Rajapaksa family � Mahinda, son Namal, brothers Basil and Gotabaya � to do egregious wrongs. Mahinda had a deal with the separatist Tamil Tigers to prohibit Tamils from voting in the 2005 prez elections. The then Election Dept under a Commissioner failed to declare more..

Nov 3 (CT) Someone asked: What are your observations on the visits of the Chinese and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in recent times? My response was: I am frankly alarmed. We have stepped into a Geo-Political game taking place in the Indo-Pacific region where SL is a key chess piece in the rivalry among big powers. SL must remember it was its unfortunate emotive anti Tamil stance that has got it into this mess. One of its objectives is to deprive India of the power to bring about more..

Nov 3 (DM) Our workload is high and it�s extremely stressful, � this is how Pushpa de Soyza, Chief Nurse, National Coordinator (Training) and Triage Team Leader at Accident and Orthopedic Service at the Colombo National Hospital described how all healthcare workers are feeling at present. The already overwhelmed healthcare workforce in SL is facing a challenge with the emergence of COVID positive patients more..

Nov 3 (DM) The way the 20th Amendment was passed on Oct 22 has again opened the debate over the party politics and conscience of members of political parties. The ruling coalition led by the SLPP had only 148 votes, one less than the required two thirds of members of the whole Parliament for it to adopt the Amendment. Hence, it was expected beforehand that the party would persuade or buy over MPs from the Opposition to pass the controversial piece of legislation. more..

Nov 3 (DM) With 21 deaths and 6065 active cases (as at Nov 2) SL is experiencing another one of those troubled times. However, unlike in a war the enemy is common to all and more medical. Therefore battling it requires adequate technical guidance and support. Delayed PCR results, administrative issues, ball games and ego issues will certainly not do any good at this critical juncture. While the public have been urged to place their trust in the healthcare services, more..

Nov 3 (DM) Norwegian Ambassador to Sri Lanka Trine Eskedal speaks about the direction of bilateral relations under current circumstances. Norway played the role of peace facilitator between Govt of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and the LTTE. Bilateral ties have also faced ups and downs over the years. However, the ambassador emphasises on the need for more Norwegian investment in SL. In what direction does Norway-SL relation take? more..

Nov 3 (CT) Govt of SL (GoSL)�s sudden, currently effective, clamping of a 24-hour curfew, encompassing the totality of the Western Province (WP) and a few other Police divisions located outside the WP, spanning a total of 10 days and five hours and effective till 5 a.m. on Monday 9 Nov, has impacted the lives of more than 6.1 million or over 29% of the island�s population. This happened after GoSL, seemingly without any warning, on Sunday 1 Nov announced the clamping of a week-long, more..

Nov 3 (CT) The situation in SL, which was not bad, is now at a very challenging juncture. Persons infected with the Covid-19 virus are being reported from all areas, except for one district. Although during the first wave, the spread of the virus was brought under control, it is now observed that the second wave is rising at a rate. There are different ideas about steps that should be taken at this decisive moment. On the face of it, it is very complex. While trying to prevent the risk, more..

Nov 3 (Island) Former Director of Rubber Research Institute (RRI), Dr. L. M.K. Tillekeratne�s article in The Island of 26 Oct, has dealt with several core issues that have contributed to the near collapse of the rubber industry in the country. The importance of clone balancing appears to have escaped the attention of the stakeholders. His piece has not only aroused much public interest but also served as an indictment of the Rubber Development Dept (RDD) & Ministry of Plantation Industries (MPI). more..

Nov 3 (FT) Specialty tyre manufacturer GRI begins supplying agricultural tyres to Joskin, a leading agricultural Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), based in Belgium. JOSKIN has been in operation since 1968 and is one of the world�s leading producers of agricultural trailers, tankers, and related equipment to meet the changing needs of global farmers. �For Joskin, quality, price, reputation of the supplier and the service of the distributor are key factors in choosing partners. more..

Nov 3 (Scroll) When Karunanidhi became chief minister for the first time following Annadurai�s death in 1969, he proudly announced that he had chosen a hymn in praise of Tamil Tai (Tamil mother) to be sung at all govt functions. The song, Neerarum Kadaluduththa, composed by Professor Sundaram Pillai, became in effect the anthem of the state. Metaphor of the Tamil language as mother and the Tamils as her children strengthened more..

Nov 3 (Island) The whole world is watching the US. The outcome of today�s presidential election will have repercussions across the globe; they are diplomatic, economic, military and environmental. Stakes are extremely high for Prez Donald J. Trump in the race, but his rival, Joe Biden, has emerged stronger. This has made Trump even more aggressive. Biden is ahead of Trump according to pre-polls surveys, but it ain�t over till the fat lady sings. Trump is still a force to be reckoned more..

Nov 3 (Island) It was a shocker, indeed � the news that Nihar Hamid is no more with us! Yes, it was sadness all round, especially to all those associated with the showbiz scene � both local and abroad � when it was revealed that Nihar had succumbed to Covid-19. The renowned drummer, and leader of the group Friends, did have some health issues, but no one expected him to depart so quickly. I�m told that Nihar had, in fact, invited some of his friends, for a SL-style dinner, and then a few days later, more..

Nov 3 (CT) The public and several sections of the medical fraternity are questioning the govt and Health Ministry over their capability of curbing the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis which ignited at the Brandix Facility in Minuwangoda. The questioning regarding the possibility of a community spread, has troubled not only health workers, but also the Media, despite the strict restrictions imposed, at the onset, more..