Apr 24 (CT) The COVID-19 spread and fear has curtailed the freedom to hold the General Election. Holding a series of discussions and cancelling the date fixed for the polls earlier, the Election Commission has declared 20 June as the next best date. Election Commission Chairman, Mahinda Deshapriya, says for the first time in the history of SL, a pandemic has caused chaos in holding an election, and stated that nothing other than more..

Apr 24 (CT) Curfew measures were eased in most parts of the island on 20 April 2020, nearly four weeks after being declared by the Govt, in order to mitigate the spread of the disease. The abrupt implementation of the curfew at first caused bouts of panic buying by the public where all rules of social distancing were thrown out the window as hoarders bought loads of essential items such as masks, hand sanitisers and other healthcare products with no concern for fellow shoppers. more..

Apr 24 (DM) Our dwelling place which is often described as Home sweet home does not appear to be so at least to some of us. Amid the onslaught of the coronavirus pandemic, the various measures adopted to restrict its spread by confining people to their homes is known to have resulted in frustration, stress and strain in some of the families. Today�s column was prompted by a video clip telecast on a YouTube channel. It was about a recent Facebook post by the Colombo National Hospital (CNH) more..

Apr 24 (Island) Man has been put in his place, at long last. While humans are having lockdown blues, which are not likely to go away anytime soon, animals which were in hiding for fear of cruel bipeds are now enjoying unbridled freedom, which they richly deserve. A report we publish, today, says Albania�s pink flamingos and curly pelicans are flourishing in lagoons, thanks to Covid-19, which has forced humans, who pollute water and air, and disturb the world, to remain indoors. more..

Apr 24 (Island) There has been a lot of articles published on the coronavirus in both the print and digital media. For anyone who missed those, there have been plenty of material presented on radio and television. However, there appears to be a few gaps. Therefore, this is an attempt to address those. Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft predicted in 2015 that that the next great challenge facing humans would not be a nuclear war but an infection by a virus. Professor Devi Sridhar, more..

Apr 24 (DM) The political landscape in Sri Lanka is on the brink of another crisis with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa insisting that he will not reconvene the old Parliament despite strong pressure from the opposition. The opposition is now considering reaching a consensus on the steps to be taken while assuring the President the fullest support in Parliament for all steps taken to address the coronavirus pandemic. more..

Apr 24 (Island) Election Commission has, by Gazette Notification No. 2172/3 of April 20 2020, notified that the Parliamentary Election for the Election of Members to a new Parliament will be 20th June 2020. Furthermore, the notification states that it is in terms of Section 24(3) of the Parliamentary Elections Act No. 01 of 1981. However, the above notification raises three issues. They are: 1. The date set for the election violates Sec 10 of Parliamentary Act No. 1 of 1981. more..

Apr 24 (DM) The COVID-19 pandemic poses many questions regarding school education. One is why should students return to school at all if technology was used effectively in providing knowledge during this break taken from education inside an institution? Parents will vouch for the fact that students enjoyed the use of learning devices like laptops and smart phones in the task of down loading tutorials sent to them by their school teachers. One of the advantages of this method of providing more..

Apr 24 (Island) It is exactly a year since Sri Lanka experienced a bitter disappointment of witnessing Nilani Ratnayake stumble and collapse at the final barrier of the women�s 3,000 metres steeplechase after being in contention to win the silver medal at the Asian Athletics Championship in Doha, Qatar. The SL record holder of the 3,000 metres steeplechase missed a podium place after completing the race in the fourth place. more..

Apr 24 (Island) Cassandra, like many sensible women in this serendipitous island, (no longer truly serendipitous in that you are afraid the van driver who brings you veggies and foodstuff covers a COVID-19 cough behind his facemask) is glad and relieved the lockdown in our Colombo high-risk-zone was postponed from Apr 22 to 27. We truly do not mind, in fact we favour further shut-ins till there are no more new cases of the pernicious flu and are sure spread by social contagion is no threat. more..

Apr 24 (Island) The Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) has requested all listed companies to forward their declaration reports on the impact caused by the Covid 19 virus outbreak for the respective companies, a top CSE official said. It is said that almost all sectors have come to a standstill due to this global pandemic. Therefore, all listed companies have been requested to forward an impact declaration report to the CSE, Head of Market Development, Niroshan Wijesundere said. more..

Apr 24 (FT) Former Speaker Karu Jayasuriya yesterday told a Constitutional Council (CC) meeting that he had no intention of reconvening Parliament and pushing the country towards another crisis. �It is only the Supreme Court that can give an interpretation at a time like this, and we are bound to act on the Court�s advice,� said Jayasuriya, who chairs the CC, urging all party leaders and parties to not create any form more..

Apr 24 (DN) It is more than two decades since Sri Lanka Women cricketers made their mark in international cricket hosting the Netherlands for a three-match one-day series in 1997, but although there has been some significant improvements made in their standard of play overall over the years, Sri Lanka still find themselves lagging behind to bridge the gap with other top nations. The national team�s head coach Harsha de Silva who has handled the team twice from 2010-13 and more..

Apr 24 (Island) National Association for Professionals in Tourism (NAFPT) along with Tourist Police Division of SL has launched a campaign for foreign tourists who are currently stranded in Sri Lanka due to the COVID-19 Pandemic under the guidance of SL Tourism Development Authority. The programme is called Tourism Disaster Monitoring and Hosting Programme where a team will travel across the country for the next 4 days covering Colombo, Katunayake, Negombo, Kandy, more..

Apr 24 (HRW) Sri Lankan authorities should uphold due process rights and ensure that recently detained Muslim figures have proper access to lawyers, Human Rights Watch said. The arrests, soon after the govt adopted a Covid-19 funeral policy biased against Muslims, raise concerns about the safety of SL�s Muslim minority. On April 14, 2020, the authorities arrested Hejaaz Hizbullah, a prominent lawyer, more..

Apr 24 (CT) Despite the outbreak of the coronavirus which has halted schools rugby and cancelled the rest of the club rugby season, there have been some suggestions of commencing the schools league. However, veteran head coach Sanath Martis said that priority should be the safety of the country. "We have seen what this virus has already done to the whole world, so it's very clear for all of us that safety has to be the main priority. Rugby is the game that we all love. more..

Apr 24 (DN) SL�s real estate sector which is expected to take a major blow due to COVID- 19 pandemic is likely to return to normal in another 6- 12 months� time owing to SL Govt�s continuous efforts in controlling the spread of COVID-19 pandemic, Chairman of Home Lands Group Nalin Hearth said. He also noted that there will be a slowdown across the industry due to construction halts, decline in new sales of luxury residential units & inability to collect cash from presale stocks. more..

Apr 24 (FT) The apparent double standards on the part of the Govt and capital market decision makers is being exposed as the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) has remained closed for near five weeks whilst the bond market has been functioning despite the country�s battle against the spread of novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Colombo Bourse during the partial lockdown of the country has had a few hiccups in terms of more..

Apr 24 (Island) When Hatch opened in 2018, it quickly became a hub for innovators. It enriched the entrepreneurial spirit within its walls by offering generously curated regular programmes of mentoring sessions, learning workshops and events. In April 2020, Hatch in partnership with Lankan Angel Network (LAN) and through the support of the Ford Foundation, will officially launch first chapter of its start-up accelerator programme HatchX, establishing SL�s first fintech accelerator. more..

Apr 24 (EN) Sri Lanka�s rupee closed around 195.50/196.00 to the US dollar in the one week forward market Thursday with gaining from 196.60/198.00 levels a day earlier, amid heavy moral suasion dealers said. There were no active spot market quotes. Authorities have used heavy moral suasion on dealers, as the currency peg came under pressure from excess rupees injected by the central bank. Net open positions of some banks have been cut. more..

Apr 24 (Island) Police headquarters said that that there was irrefutable evidence to link Attorney-at-Law, Hejaaz Hisbullah, who had been recently taken into custody by the CID, in connection with the 2019 Easter Sunday suicide bombings. Police spokesman denied accusations the arrest had been made without sufficient evidence. The suspect�s father, Naina Hisbullah, recently filed a Habeas Corpus application against more..

Apr 24 (CT) NDB Bank stated that it recently donated a high quality Air Disinfectant Unit (ADU) to the National Hospital of Sri Lanka. The Unit was handed over to National Hospital of Sri Lanka Deputy Director General, Dr. W.K. Wickremesinghe, by NDB's VP Legal Melody Wickramanayake and Senior Manager - Privilege and Privilege Select Banking, Prasanna Jayawardhana. This Disinfectant Unit from Sweden uses Hydrogen Peroxide Vapour, which is highly effective for disinfecting more..

Apr 24 (FT) Foreign Secretary Ravinatha Aryasinha has observed that even as the Foreign Ministry was preoccupied with endeavouring to mitigate a multitude of problems faced by Overseas Sri Lankans, it was in parallel also seeking to re-position Sri Lanka�s exports in the context of market conditions that have arisen as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. He said if this was successful, Sri Lanka would emerge one step ahead in the global supply chain, in a post COVID-19 world. more..

Apr 24 (Island) Former Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakse, yesterday, alleged that those opposed to the Election Commission (EC) fixing parliamentary polls, on June 20, feared to face the electorate in the wake of the drubbing they suffered at the last presidential election, comfortably won by Gotabaya Rajapaksa, in Nov 2019. Three-member EC, on Monday (20), declared parliamentary election, delayed due to more..

Apr 24 (AD) Showers or thundershowers will occur at several places in Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, North-western, Southern, Uva and North-central provinces and Mannar and Vavuniya districts after 2 pm, says Dept of Meteorology. Fairly heavy falls of about 100 mm are likely at some places in Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central and North-western provinces and A'pura, Galle and Matara districts. The general public is requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages more..

Apr 24 (Island) Health Officials and certain doctors ensured that the aggressive testing strategy, proposed by the Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA), had been delayed for three weeks, Dr. Anuruddha Padeniya, President of the GMOA, said, yesterday, in a letter to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The GMOA President said that COVID-19 was a local public health emergency, as well as a global challenge, and had to be dealt with through a scientific strategy. more..

Apr 24 (AD) Positive cases of COVID-19 were not detected among the 529 persons who underwent PCR tests for the coronavirus from the Central Fish Market Complex in Peliyagoda. Commencing on April 22, PCR tests were carried out on a total of 529 fish vendors and employees of the Peliyagoda Fish Market after it was revealed that one of the fish vendors had tested positive for COVID-19. more..

Apr 24 (FT) SLPP said it would not stand in the way if the Election Commission (EC) decided to further delay the General Election due to COVID-19 concerns. The SLPP made this comment in the wake of the EC deciding to meet in two weeks to evaluate whether a fresh date for the Parliamentary Elections may be necessary. Former SLPP MP Dilan Perera said they would not interfere with the EC and emphasised the EC should not call for fresh nominations if the General Election was more..

Apr 24 (EN) Sri Lanka has locked down a Navy camp and home village of a sailor after a surge of infections at a barracks where sailors involved in quarantine work had seen a surge, officials said as a think tank called for voluntary testing of high risk groups. �We believe the sailors had got infected after they worked in Suduwella to quarantine contacts of a person," Army Chief Shavenda Silva told privately owned Derana TV. �We have isolated the Welisara camp.� more..

Apr 24 (AD) 29 Navy personnel at the SL Navy base in Welisara have been confirmed to have contracted COVID-19, Army Commander Lt Gen Shavendra Silva said. The Navy personnel had been infected while on a recent search for suspects from Suduwella, Ja-Ela, Army Commander said issuing a special statement. A Navy officer attached to the Welisara Navy Base had been tested positive for the virus yesterday (22) upon admittance more..

Apr 21 (DM) We understand why the National Elections Commission (NEC) indefinitely postponed the general election that was scheduled for April 25 -- it was nothing but the heightening of the COVID-19 threat. Later on April 20, the NEC set the new date of June 20 for the poll. That may be on the inference that the coronavirus threat might ease by mid-May and contesting political parties and independent groups would be able to launch their campaigns henceforth. Yet, we laymen are unable to fathom the legal ground more..

Apr 21 (DM) The earliest known pandemic was recorded in France, known as Great Plague of Marseille in 1720, exactly 300 years ago. This plague was the last of the significant European outbreaks of bubonic plague. The virus killed a little over 100,000 people. Out of this number, 50,000 were city dwellers, while during the next two years an equal number in the north and surrounding provinces. However, unlike in Corona, and despite the large number of fatalities, Marseille recovered fast from the outbreak. more..

Apr 21 (EN) Thirty more SL Navy personnel in the Welisara Navy camp have tested positive for COVID 19 bringing the total in the facility to sixty, Army Commander Lt Gen Shavendra Silva said. Eleven more patients in quarantine have been detected today bringing the total number of COVID 19 patients in SL to 409. Along with this discovery thousands of Navy personnel and their families went into lockdown at the huge base as well as at Navy-run Quarantine centres, Silva said. more..

Apr 21 (NR) The SriLankan Airlines flight carrying 76 Lankan students from Kathmandu, Nepal has arrived in the island. The flight UL-1424 landed in the country around 3:30 this afternoon. The students were stranded in Nepal owing to travel restrictions imposed in the country. The SriLankan Airlines flight departed for Kathmandu at 8:00am, with no passengers, manned by eight crew members. SriLankan Airlines commissioned an A320-24 aircraft for this journey. more..

Apr 21 (Island) Scientists, environmentalists and animal lovers have requested President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to intervene to ensure the safety of Wildlife officers following the killing of Iniyagala Forest Ranger, Pradeep Bandara, at the Gal Oya National Park, on Wednesday night.Wildlife Conservation Department (DWC) Publicity Director Hasini Sarathchandra said that the Dept�s initial investigations indicated that the rangers had captured four poachers, during the raid, more..

Apr 21 (AD) Attorney General has sought clearance from relevant authorities to gain access and resume work at the at the Attorney General�s Dept as PCR tests carried out on private security officers have come back negative for Covid-19, the AG�s Coordinating Office said. AG�s Dept was temporarily closed off until further notice after a female security officer attached to the department had been identified to have had direct contacts with COVID-19 patients. more..

Apr 21 (EN) Fitch Ratings had downgraded Sri Lanka to �B-� with a negative outlook, as the country cut value added tax in January and printed large volumes of money to target the call money rate, pressuring the currency amid a Coronavirus crisis. �The shock to SL�s economy from the coronavirus pandemic will exacerbate already-rising public and external debt sustainability challenges following tax cuts and an associated shift in fiscal policy late last year,� Fitch Ratings said. more..

Apr 21 (Island) The Muslim community should not interfere with the heath authorities as regards the post mortems conducted on Muslims at a time when the coronavirus pandemic is causing severe health threats, City Coroner Ashroff Rumi says, Rumi has urged the Muslim community to cooperate with the authorities to carry out their duties, according to the country�s laws.The City Coroner said: "I wish to bring to the notice of all concerned and request your understanding and co-operation in this regard. more..

Apr 21 (FT) Labour unions and organisations that represent the Export Processing Zone (EPZ) employees have written to Minister Dinesh Gunawardena with a set of proposals to ensure their employee rights and wellbeing within the COVID-19 pandemic situation and recovery process. Among these are a proposal to the Govt to provide the Rs. 5,000 subsidy allocated to poor families to the EPZ employees, especially to those who have been engaged in temporary work through manpower agencies. more..