Archeology Department officials told us that permission has been given for the construction. However, they added that during the construction, artefacts had surfaced, which had immediately garnered the attention of the Archeology Department Director General Prof. Anura Manatunga. They added that while the construction is not a car park, it can provide access to vehicles if necessary. Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious, and Cultural Affairs Secretary Professor Kapila Gunawardana yesterday denied any allegations that a car park construction was done last week harming the historic Jetavana Stupa at Anuradhapura. Meanwhile, speaking to The Morning yesterday, Jetavana Monastery Chief Monk Ven.

By Dinitha RathnayakeThe Covid-19 vaccination programme for 12-19-year-olds diagnosed with cancer, which commenced at the Maharagama Apeksha Hospital on 4 October, has seen some delays due to parents’ fears over getting their children vaccinated, according to consultant microbiologist in charge of the programme Dr. Samanmalee Gunasekera. Speaking to the media yesterday (10) regarding the progress of the hospital’s vaccination programme, Dr. Gunasekara stated: “This vaccination process is not going fast because of the fears of parents. “Children from all over the country come to our hospital for treatment. In case of any emergency, we have a separate team for that treatment as well,” Dr. Gunasekera added. The Covid-19 vaccination programme for children over 12 years of age who are suffering from chronic diseases commenced on 24 September from the Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children (LRH) in Colombo.

Jeff Bezos’ spaceflight company Blue Origin said Sunday it will postpone the flight that is slated to fly William Shatner to space due to forecasted high winds at its launch site. The flight of the company’s New Shepard spacecraft is now scheduled for 9:30AM ET on October 13th, a day later than originally planned. It’s targeted to lift off from Blue Origin’s Launch Site One in Texas. A statement on Blue Origin’s website said New Shepard NS-18 has met all mission requirements, and the astronauts have started their training. New Shepard’s first crewed flight in July brought Bezos, his brother Mark, aviator Wally Funk, and teenager Oliver Daeman to space.

By Dinitha RathnayakeThe dispute between members of the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) and the Municipal Commissioner has been resolved, according to CMC Councillor I.A. However, Colombo Municipal Commissioner Roshini Dissanayake has now agreed to a budgetary allocation of Rs. Colombo Municipal Commissioner Roshini Dissanayake said there are no funds, and she avoided attending the finance committee meetings,” claimed Rahuman. Meanwhile, stating that the dispute between CMC members and the Municipal Commissioner had put the CMC in crisis, UNP MP Ranil Wickremesinghe requested Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa to intervene to resolve the issue. Speaking in Parliament, he had stated: “There is a crisis in the CMC, as a dispute arose between the Municipal Commissioner and the council members.

Ali Sabry PC has stated that a community-based correction system would prove effective taking into consideration the proposal of correcting those who are imprisoned for less than two years within the community itself instead of imprisoning them. Sabry had made these remarks at the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Justice Meeting held last Friday (8), according to a parliamentary press release. “The Justice Minister was of the view that there is no point in sending people behind bars without reforming them and therefore, a community-based correction system would be a more effective method. He has further instructed that public views be obtained regarding the draft report “Community Based Correction System in Sri Lanka”. Thus, he had proposed a two-tier via the Ministerial Committee to achieve this objective.

Litro Gas company says that the price of a 12.5 kg LP gas cylinders has been increased by Rs. Accordingly, the new price of a domestic LP gas cylinder will be Rs. Litro Gas, the largest importer and supplier of LP Gas in Sri Lanka, was expected to announce its final decision today (10) with regard to increasing the price LP Gas. Wegapitiya had stated that they would also be making a decision today on how the price increase will take place. Following repeated requests from the relevant companies, the government this week decided to remove the price controls imposed on milk powder, LP Gas, wheat flour and cement.

The largest importer and supplier of LP Gas in Sri Lanka, Litro Gas says that a final decision is expected to be taken within today (10) with regard to increasing the price LP Gas. Wegapitiya stated that his company would also be making a decision today on how the price increase will take place. Accordingly, it is planned to sell gas under the new prices with effect from tomorrow (11), he said. Following repeated requests from the relevant companies, the government this week decided to remove the price controls imposed on milk powder, LP Gas, wheat flour and cement. Meanwhile a decision on the increase of wheat flour prices is expected to be taken tomorrow, according to company reps.

By Kusumanjalee ThilakarathnaSanaya Goonawardena is a grade six student from St. John’s College who dreams of becoming a NASA scientist in future. Before the pandemic, I used to love reading books from our school library and going to the public library with my mother. Out of all the books I have read, my favourite book is “Kuda Hora” by Sybil Wettasinghe. I used to play chess and go for swimming lessons, but I had to stop these due to the pandemic. I would love to join NASA one day.

In a historic move to mark the 72nd Anniversary of the Sri Lanka Army also known as the Army Day (10 October), promotions have been granted to 567 Officers and 10,368 Other Ranks, the SL Army said. The promotions have been made with the approval of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces on the recommendation of General Shavendra Silva, Chief of Defence Staff and Commander of the Army and the Ministry of Defence. The Sri Lanka Army says that after General Shavendra Silva took the mantle of the Army Command on 18 August 2019, the highest-ever number of promotions have been granted to both Officers and Other Ranks in the organization within a short period of two years after his assumption of office. Unprecedented in its history of 72 years, a record number of 3,873 promotions to Officers and 78,707 promotions to Other Ranks including today’s ones have been granted to-date after 18 August 2019. In his Army Day Message, the commander said they have also been able to successfully enhance the cadre vacancy of the Volunteer Force with 07 Brigadier Ranks, 17 Colonel Ranks, and 48 Lieutenant Colonel Ranks to avoid any hurdle to career progression of the Volunteer Force Officers.

Many of these universities had constituent colleges for women, a few examples being Girton at Cambridge, St. Anne’s at Oxford and Radcliffe at Harvard. I remember another tradition about dating at Oxford, regrettably not through personal experience. This practice used to be called “sporting the oak”, the American campus equivalent of hanging a tie on your door. I am hopeful that many who know my ex-wife, even my ex-wife herself, would find this obvious canard deliciously infuriating. Based on this nugget of wisdom, I have finally aged well enough to become the man my ex-wife thought she married.

Campaigners say victims of sexual violence 'can easily become the accused' in the authoritarian Gulf state, due to the government's extreme interpretation of Islamic law. Campaigners say victims of sexual violence 'can easily become the accused' in the authoritarian Gulf state, due to the government's extreme interpretation of Islamic law. The country's Khalifa football stadium is pictured above'In addition, support for sexual violence victims is non-existent. Around the time Qatar began lobbying for the rights to the World Cup, stories about women punished under zina laws stopped appearing in state-run papers. Around the time Qatar began lobbying for the rights to the World Cup, stories about women punished under zina laws stopped appearing in state-run papers.

US dollars returning to market at snail’s pace By Duruthu Edirimuni Chandrasekera View(s): View(s):Artificially managing the currency will not mark the return of dollar export earnings, exporters say. A free float would redirect export earnings to the host nation. The exporter categorically stated that his company will not be bringing proceeds to Sri Lanka if the exchange rate is at Rs.203. “If the US dollar exchange rate is at Rs. “With the managed exchange rate, we do not see the point in converting or bringing back our dollars,” a second exporter said.

Special fertiliser for tea industry, says President By Sunimalee Dias View(s): View(s):President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has told a special cabinet meeting on Thursday that special fertiliser can be brought down for use in the tea sector although this is not a reversal of the ban on chemical fertiliser application. In response to this request the President had stated that they can import a special fertiliser for the tea industry. It is learnt that this special fertiliser is likely to be new varieties of fertiliser available specially for the tea sector. Commenting on the possible blacklisting of the Qingdao company against the provision of sterile organic fertiliser, he noted that this was a matter left to the two state fertilizer companies and pertaining to the bid document conditions. At present the government is hoping to rely on the locally available liquid nitrogen fertiliser and is likely to identify two suppliers from India to purchase organic fertiliser in future.

CA Sri Lanka conference: Human beings responsible for destroying the planet By Jayampathy Jayasinghe View(s): View(s):The world faces the unprecedented and multiple crisis of climate change due to nature’s degradation and pollution where the hottest decade is recorded in history. He was delivering the keynote address in an online presentation at the 20th CAPA (Confederation of Asian and Pacific Accountants) Conference and the 42 National conference of Chartered Accountants (CA Sri Lanka) Conference held in Colombo this week. President of CA Sri Lanka Manil Jayesinghe said that CAPA and the 42nd National conference of the Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka has unveiled the biggest accounting regional assembles ever to be hosted in the country. It was unfortunate that COVID-19 prevented foreign delegates visiting Sri Lanka. In the past 30 years floods in Sri Lanka have affected 10 million people due to increased rain intensity and reduced forest cover.

Russian film crew in orbit to make first movie in space View(s):A Russian actor and a film director rocketed to space Tuesday on a mission to make the world’s first movie in orbit, a project the Kremlin said will help burnish the nation’s space glory. Actor Yulia Peresild and director Klim Shipenko blasted off for the International Space Station in a Russian Soyuz spacecraft together with cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov, a veteran of three space missions. Their Soyuz MS-19 lifted off as scheduled at 1:55 p.m. (0855 GMT) from the Russian space launch facility in Baikonur, Kazakhstan and arrived at the station after about 3½ hours. Peresild and Klimenko are to film segments of a new movie titled “Challenge,” in which a surgeon played by Peresild rushes to the space station to save a crew member who needs an urgent operation in orbit. After 12 days on the space outpost, they are set to return to Earth with another Russian cosmonaut.