Nov 9 (CT) Director of Technical Services at the Ministry of Health Dr. Anwar Hamdani stated plans are underway to issue Digital COVID-19 vaccination cards to the general public by the end of the year. He said that at the moment, priority is given to people who are going abroad and this number is increasing by the day. However, the backlog is expected to be cleared by the end of November or the beginning of December. Issuing of digital cards to the general public too will begin soon more..

Nov 9 (TM) The UDA said yesterday that it seeks to find suitable solutions for the families living within the Muthurajawela Sanctuary area that the UDA hopes to conserve, amidst large protest in Kandana and the objection raised by Govt MP Nimal Lanza. �Our final master plan will seek suitable answers for the families living there. In Colombo, for example, there were those who lived in slums spanning 10 to 12 acres in areas such as more..

Nov 9 (DM) Bribery Commission today filed a fresh indictment against two accused including SLPP Gampaha district MP Milan Jayatilleka instead of the indictment withdrawn previously. Accordingly, CIABOC filed an indictment against MP Milan Jayatillake and Ajith Sisira Kumara for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs. 600,000 from a businessman as a gratification to issue a permit for a quarry while they were serving as the Chairman of Dompe PS and a member of PS respectively more..

Nov 9 (CT) Weed scientist and expert on climate change and food security Prof. Buddhi Marambe who is attending the ongoing COP26 conference in Glasgow, Scotland, on hearing of the Chinese company Quigdao Seawin's attempts to sue the National Plant Quarantine Service (NPQS) of Dept of Agriculture, citing test results and claims of contaminated organic fertiliser. He said SL is not liable to their claims and that the NPQS is bound by National Plant Protection Act No. 35 of 1999 more..

Nov 10 (CT) More than 100 world leaders gathered in Glasgow, Scotland to discuss the future of the planet at the 26th UN National Climate Change Conference (COP26) as countries around the world face frequent natural disasters driven by rising global temperatures. Due to the COVID pandemic, the Conference which was to be held in November 2020 was postponed until 31 � Oct �12 Nov 2021. For this conference, 200 countries are being asked for their plans to cut emissions by 2030. more..

Nov 10 (DM) Numerous videos uploaded on social media have documented police officers, not excepting senior officers using excessive force on innocent and unarmed civilians in this country. These viral videos have been useful in capturing police misconduct and their brutality as and when they occur. Today practically everyone carries high quality smart phones and cameras and this has made it possible for anyone to capture police misconduct & their brutality often in real time more..

Nov 10 (CT) �Vaccines are what essentially stand between you and I, and permanent lockdown � the thought of which is horrid,� leading researcher and academic Professor David Welwyn of the Uni of Pretoria�s Graduate School of Technology Management, during a recent webinar pointed out. As more citizens receive their COVID-19 vaccinations, the hope is that lockdown regulations would ease, allowing restaurants, more..

Nov 10 (DM) Whatever else might be said against the government, a positive aspect amidst gathering storm clouds is that COVID-19 numbers are down. Even better, the fatalities are also down. At the time of writing today, Tuesday�s figure is down to 12 fatalities. President Rajapaksa and the medical team in charge, need to be congratulated. The role of the armed forces in organizing the vaccination process throughout the country has been nothing short of brilliant. more..

Nov 10 (Island) A beggar woman has been arrested for going on a shopping spree by using a credit card that a kind-hearted lady happened to drop while giving her some money. It has been revealed that the culprit has amassed a considerable amount of wealth by begging, and owns two houses. Among the goods she has fraudulently purchased are a washing machine, a stock of liquor (for her husband) and a lot of expensive food items. One can only hope bogus beggar will get her just deserts more..

Nov 10 (DM) The much anticipated budget reading for the year 2022 will be presented on Nov 12, followed by the debates. But this time, people seem to have given up hopes as the Finance Minister himself said that Govt will have to take more from people rather than give them relief. In this backdrop many factions have questioned what the govt�s priorities would be and whether they would allocate equal budgets for every sector. more..

Nov 10 (CT) Hobbling about our Covid-19 devastated landscape are many a breadwinner, having lost their employment, now desperate to feed their families. Even among those lucky enough to retain their jobs, many are on reduced pay, the prices of daily essentials meanwhile have reached stratospheric heights. We now learn that there is another reality. There are a handful of our countrymen busy hiding their wealth, away from the country, the public eye and the tax man. more..

Nov 10 (CT) Prez Rajapaksa has reassured the people that he has no intention diverting from the democratic path and has no intention of resorting to the military to govern the country. Although he was brought to power by an alliance of political parties led by the SLPP, the president has not sought membership in any of those parties. He can be considered to be the first non-party president of SL and, therefore, free from the obligations that bind a member of a political party to be subjected to more..

Nov 10 (GV) President Gotabaya Rajapaksa�s visit to Scotland for an international environmental summit put the regime�s grim human rights track record in the spotlight. Failure to care for the environment has already been noted. As campaigners held rallies, ran newspaper advertisements and projected a Wanted notice on to the Scottish parliament building, broader abuses drew global attention, although pro-LTTE flag waving by some protestors weakened the impact. more..

Nov 10 (Island) Remember the bygone years! Daughters got married and became pregnant a few rounds more than the current rate. The average production line extended to about four. Some even went further; �A� team types came close to two-digit figures. Today, the story is different. �One is enough, and he will get all we have,� is quite a common comment and a few over-step the planned reproduction limitations purely by accident and reach the second round. more..

Nov 10 (TM) As time passes, the Govt�s plan to establish a 100% organic farming culture in the country keeps facing new challenges. However, due to the likelihood of these challenges not being taken into account in the planning phase of the organic plan, Govt had to take hasty decisions to resolve these issues. Even though one of the main objectives of this plan was to stop the importation of fertilisers and thereby save more..

Nov 10 (ST) Royal Turf Club (RTC) is on the verge making necessary arrangements to draw its event plan for the year 2022, after most sport events were forced to abandon during this year. Currently sports events in Sri Lanka are gradually making a comeback after several lockdowns and health related issues caused cancellation of most events due to COVID-19, and horse racing is one sport that has made several attempts to hold events, but failed. �We were keen to hold events, but more..

Nov 10 (Island) Western Province Badminton Association (WPBA) will revive the badminton competition calendar by conducting their Open Ranking Championships 2021 from Nov 10-14 at the MBA (Mercantile) and OSC (Otters) Courts. �The Open Ranking Tournament will be held respecting health protocols and making appropriate arrangements with access restricted to players and one guest only,� a statement from the WPBA said. �The Covid 19 pandemic disrupted more..

Nov 10 (FT) World Bank Vice President for South Asia Hartwig Schafer yesterday concluded a six-day visit to SL, reiterating the World Bank�s commitment to support SL�s inclusive and resilient recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, and emphasising the importance of investing in human capital. During meetings with Prez Rajapaksa, PM Rajapaksa, Minister Rajapaksa and other senior officials, Schafer discussed more..

Nov 10 (TM) On top of the Covid-19 pandemic, people of 43 countries are now on the brink of a famine, and the UN food agency warned that 45 million people are at risk. According to the WFP, the cost of preventing a famine at the global level has climbed to $ 7 billion, from $ 6.6 billion earlier in the year. Unfortunately, Sri Lanka too has come to a point where it has to deal with a food shortage, even though it may not be as acute as the situation in other countries, and therefore, more..

Nov 10 (FT) PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) yesterday presented its latest assessment of the Port City�s economic impact to the Economic Commission. The assessment evaluates the potential impact of the Port City Colombo across five key macroeconomic variables: Employment, Gross Domestic Product, Foreign Direct Investment, Balance of Payments and Govt Revenue. Having initiated the original report in early 2020, the Nov 2021 update explores the effect of more..

Nov 10 (CT) SL Test opener Lahiru Thirimanne has made himself unavailable for the upcoming two-match Test series against WI, as his wife is awaiting the birth of their second child. Thirimanne who is currently in Melbourne, clarified rumours circulating in social media. �I have no intention of retiring as I feel I�m in a very good space in my career right now. But unfortunately, I will be missing the West Indies Test series due to the fact that we as a family are welcoming a newborn at this time. more..

Nov 10 (TM) A statement made by batting maestro and current cricket Technical Committee Chairman Aravinda de Silva�s has thoroughly upset the cricket fraternity of S. Thomas� College, Mount Lavinia. In a live talk show of a private TV channel, de Silva said he watched on TV a school match after a long while, which happened to be the recently held 142nd Royal-Thomian Big Match. The batting stalwart said he noticed that the Thomian boys lacked the basics. S. Thomas�, who got bundled out for 89 runs more..

Nov 10 (TM) The FUTA, the Colombo Uni�s Academic Federation, the Faculty of Medicine Teachers� Association (FMTA), and the GMOA condemned the appointment of Ven. Muruththettuwe Ananda Thera as the Chancellor of the Uni of Colombo. The FUTA said yesterday that Prez Rajapaksa�s statement that Narahenpita Abayarama Temple�s Chief Incumbent Ven. Muruththettuwe Ananda Thera had helped the Govt to more..

Nov 10 (ST) Sri Lanka�s two Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) providers � state-owned Litro Gas Lanka Ltd and Laugfs Gas PLC � are waiting for a government solution of settling the present issues of US dollar shortage and the inability in opening LCs in banks, officials of the companies said. This was the main issue faced by Laugfs for the unnecessary delay in the import of LPG triggering the shortage of LPG in the market, chairman of the company W.K.H. Wegapitiya told the Business Times. more..

Nov 10 (CT) The newly appointed Rugby Advisory Committee headed by Asanga Seneviratne, are taking steps to re-start the much-awaited school rugby season, and they hope to kick off from next month with a inter schools rugby seven-a-side tournament. SL Schools Rugby Football Association (SLSRFA) has submitted their future tournament calendar to Rugby Advisory Committee yesterday, which conducted their first meeting with all rugby stakeholders attached to Sri Lanka Rugby. more..

Nov 10 (TM) Representatives from the TNA are due to leave for the US this week for discussions with the US State Department officials regarding the proposed new Constitution, The Morning learnt. It is learnt that TNA representatives will be at these discussions in the US from 13 November. When the TNA met representatives of the European Union (EU) in September this year, they stressed the need for a new Constitution to resolve more..

Nov 10 (AD) The Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU) has proposed providing women 50% representation from the national list and 25% representation from the candidate list in the forthcoming elections. This was brought to attention at the meeting of Select Committee of Parliament to Identify Appropriate Reforms of the Election Laws and the Electoral System and to Recommend Necessary Amendments, chaired by the Leader of the House, Minister Dinesh Gunawardena on Monday. more..

Nov 10 (DM) People are suffering due to the protests carried out by various trade unions and political activists at a time when the COIVD pandemic situation is at a certain control level, Power and Energy Minister Gamini Lokuge said. He said the COVID pandemic situation in the country has reached a certain level of control due to the vaccination program initiated by the President. "Various NGOs and some trade unions are planning to boycott this program. more..

Nov 10 (AD) The low-pressure area still persists in the southeast Bay of Bengal. It is likely to intensify further into a depression during the next 36 hours and move west and north-westward towards North Tamil Nadu, closer to the North coast of SL. Under the influence of the aforementioned low-pressure area, showers or thundershowers will occur at times over most parts of the island. Very heavy showers about 150mm are likely at some places in Northern, North-central, North-western and Western more..

Nov 10 (DM) The three underage girls who had disappeared from Colombo 12 on Monday, returned home this evening, police said. Police spokesman said that a complaint had been lodged with the Keselwatta Police over the disappearance of the three underage girls. The girls, Fathima Rakza (15), her sister Fathima Kadera (13) from Colombo 12 and a cousin Fathima Varya (13) from Gampola had reportedly left the house on Monday morning and had not returned home since then. more..

Nov 10 (TM) Against the backdrop of farmers predicting a major decline in the Maha harvest due to the 100% organic agriculture policy the Govt sought to implement earlier this year, Trade Ministry and Co-operative Services, Marketing Development, and Consumer Protection State Ministry will analyse Maha season harvest in order to determine if increased imports of essential goods, especially rice, are needed. more..

Nov 10 (FT) COVID-19 vaccines were administered to 40,730 persons on Monday. 63.18% of the country�s population have received both vaccine doses. The first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine has been administered to 73.5% of the population. As of 7 November, 92.9% of the country�s population over the age of 20 had received both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. 15,816,302 persons have received the first vaccine dose and 13,591,413 persons have received the second dose. more..

Nov 10 (FT) COPE Chairman Prof. Charitha Herath has summoned the Board of Investment (BOI) tomorrow. COPE is to take up the Auditor General�s Report on the Evaluation of Performance of the Process of Establishment of New Export Processing Zones. Separately, the National Youth Services Council along with Youth Services Ltd., Land Reform Commission, Geological Survey and Mines Bureau, along with Technical Services Ltd, Gal Oya Plantation Ltd, and more..

Nov 10 (CT) Fifteen people were killed and nine injured due to inclement weather that hit 17 Districts over the past three weeks which has affected 23,638 individuals from 8,820 families. A landslide in Dombemada in the Kegalle District last morning (9) killed a mother, daughter and their relative in the same house while another was severely injured and hospitalised. A 23-year-old was also reported dead from Wennoruwa more..

Nov 10 (FT) SL�s COVID-19 detections rose to 546,653 with 718 persons testing positive for COVID-19 yesterday. This is the first time COVID-19 detections have exceeded 700 since mid-October and Deputy Director of Health Services said the public must act responsibly so health officials are not required to recommend another lockdown. He explained that the slight rise in patients could be an indication of increased spread of COVID-19. �If we start following health guidelines now, more..

Nov 10 (Island) The CIABOC is yet to submit a report to Prez Rajapaksa pertaining to former SLFP lawmaker Nirupama Rajapaksa and her husband Thirukumar Nadesan regarding offshore accounts and properties held by them. President Rajapaksa�s Legal Division on 06 Oct. asked for a report within a month. The Island yesterday asked CIABOC Secretary Apsara Caldera whether the report had been submitted as requested, and she said an interim report would be handed over soon. more..