Mar 18 (FT) UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday renewed his call to the Got to summon an all-party conference to work out a comprehensive strategy to minimise the impact of COVID-19 and said his party would extend its fullest support to these efforts. �As there is a need to jointly work towards combating this problem, I called on the Govt last week to summon all political parties� leaders and discuss this issue. I also wrote to the EC Chairman requesting him to consider more..

Mar 18 (Island) Former Justice Minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapaksa, said that Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa could seek a consensus among all political parties represented in the last parliament to put off the general election scheduled for Apr 25. Wijeyadasa Rajapaksa, who represented the UNP, in the last Parliament, said that Prez could summon Parliament in terms of section 155 of Constitution to seek a consensus in that regard. more..

Mar 18 (AD) President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has extended the term of Presidential Commission of Inquiry appointed to probe the Easter Sunday terror attacks, which was set to expire on March 20. An extraordinary gazette notification in this regard was issued yesterday (17). President, under the powers vested in him by Section 4 of the Commission of Inquiry Act (Chapter 393), has extended the term of this Presidential Commission of Inquiry by six months, until Sept 20. more..

Mar 18 (Island) Several former SL cricketers and cricket officials are struck overseas following the shutdown of BIA yesterday mid-night (Tuesday). Former Test cricketer Roshan Mahanama was in Lahore, Pakistan to officiate the semi-finals of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) but the tournament was postponed yesterday. The decision to postpone the tournament was taken after reports emerged that one of the overseas players had shown symptoms of COVID-19. more..

Mar 18 (Island) EC Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya declared on Monday that the general election scheduled for April 25 wouldn�t be put off, but relevant authorities were now seriously discussing the likelihood of postponement. Responding to a query, sources pointed out that the decision to extend public sector holiday by three more days up to Thursday announced after EC Chairman�s assurance underscored the need for a fresh more..

Mar 18 (Island) Dialog Axiata, in partnership with Wavenet International Ltd and MyDoctor (My Health Solutions Ltd), has launched a free trilingual hotline � 1390 for all Sri Lankans to receive information and advice on the coronavirus, providing access to doctors without the requirement of physically visiting a hospital or a clinic. This convenient and easy-to-use service is a timely development, as the pandemic continues to spread. This trilingual advisory service is free of charge for all, more..

Mar 18 (DN) World today is so full of uncertainties that you never know what�s going to happen next. The coronavirus outbreak that has caused all major sports tournaments across the globe to be suspended indefinitely or being played behind closed doors is certainly going to have its repercussions. Sports it seems has taken one of the largest hits from the outbreak. This outbreak is something that the sports world least expected to happen, but it has happened and more..

Mar 18 (Island) Those who want to conduct their weddings in the immediate future should hold events with a small number of invitees, DIG Ajith Rohana said addressing a press conference on the latest situation regarding COVID-19. "We receive between 200 and 300 calls a day asking about this. We have not asked people not to hold wedding ceremonies. But they have to inform regional health officials who will come and give instructions" more..

Mar 18 (DM) Police have launched an investigation into a video circulating on social media showing an assault on a nude woman. Police media unit said that the Children and Women Bureau of the Police Department has commenced investigations into the incident. It was still not clear as to when and where the incident took place but according to some social media reports the incident took place in Thotalanga. The video shows a nude woman been dragged onto the road and assaulted by a group of men. more..

Mar 18 (LBO) SriLankan Airlines categorically refutes the contents of certain social media posts that are currently being circulated with regard to a flight operated from London to Colombo. The Airline emphasizes that the posts that state the Airline had facilitated a VIP flight to bring down stranded siblings of VIPs, is completely untrue and misleading. �In view of ensuring the utmost convenience and comfort of its valued passengers irrespective of the prevailing circumstances, more..

Mar 18 (CT) An Italian cruise liner Costa Fortuna which had arrived at the Colombo Port from Singapore on 16 March at about 8.20 p.m. with 109 Italians, three Chinese and 208 Indians, had left the Port yesterday at 7:30 a.m. to head to Salalah, Oman and is reported to arrive there in five days. There had been nearly 10 cruise ships scheduled to arrive in Sri Lanka by the end of March as planned several months before but more..

Mar 18 (DM) Despite Nuwara Eliya District Secretary Rohana Pushpakumara having requested the Buddha Sasana Ministry to suspend the annual pilgrimage to Sri Pada, the Chief incumbent of Sri Padasthana Ven. Bengamuwe Dammadinna Thera said on Monday that the pilgrimage would continue until the Vesak full Moon Day in May, as usual. However, he said that it was up to the Budda Sasana Ministry to decide whether to suspend the pilgrimage or not. more..

Mar 18 (CT) Defence Secretary, Retired Major Gen Kamal Gunaratne told Prez Rajapaksa, that about 400 calls were received on the 119 hotline and that those persons had confirmed their identity by giving their travel details. Gunaratne said these persons will be monitored and if needed, they will be self-quarantined in their homes. He also said they were visiting these homes and collecting other details before quarantining them. Gunaratne said every home would be monitored daily and more..

Mar 18 (FT) Govt yesterday decided to ban the entry of visitors from tomorrow for one week in a partial shutdown of the BIA as a drastic measure to contain the spread of new coronavirus (COVID-19). The move, decided by Prez Rajapaksa, was first revealed when he chaired a meeting of the COVID-19 National Task Force last morning. From 4 a.m. on 19 March, the entry of any national including Sri Lankans will be banned whilst the BIA will continue to service transit more..

Mar 18 (FT) Due to the spread of the COVID-19 virus in the country, Dept of Immigration & Emigration has decided to extend the validity period of all types of visas issued to all foreigners who are currently residing in SL. These foreigners have been requested to follow the following guidelines: 1. The validity period of all types of visas will be extended for a period of 30 days with effect from 14 March to 12 Apr 2020. A visit to the Visa Division of Dept of Immigration & Emigration more..

Mar 18 (FT) Dept of Immigration & Emigration, which was assigned to State Minister of Defence Chamal Rajapaksa, has been brought under the Ministry of Defence by Prez Rajapaksa. Matters relating to Immigration and Emigration and matters relating to SL citizenship were assigned to the Defence Ministry by an Extraordinary Gazette notification issued by the Prez. Dept was initially placed under Defence Ministry after Prez Election, and assigned to State Minister in January. more..

Mar 18 (CT) With the total number as of yesterday evening, Director General of Health Services, Dr. Anil Jasinghe said all nightclubs and betting centres would be instructed to shut down temporarily, to control the spread of the Virus. Dr. Jasinghe, addressing a Media briefing held at the newly-opened centre of the National Task Force to combat COVID-19, noted that those places have been identified as potential high risk areas as more..

Mar 18 (DM) The spread of coronavirus or COVID-19 has prompted the following question: how responsible are we as citizens? This is not a disease like Dengue which is close to home for the local populace. Coronavirus is the first-ever malady to spread almost worldwide within a short spell of time. Just within three months, the latest member of the coronavirus family has invaded more than 120 out of 200 countries, infecting over 160,000 people and killing more than 6,000. more..

Mar 18 (DM) With the discovery of the 34th active Covid-19 positive patient in SL, the municipal council of Nuwara Eliya is taking preventive measures and raising awareness seriously. Although the government declared Monday (16) a public holiday, all the essential services including health and other services as well as wholesale and retail shops had been requested to function as per usual. The usual vacationers you see during this time of the year were a rare sight owing to the current more..

Mar 18 (DM) There are those who form the opinion that Sri Lanka might have been worse off under the administration of the Yahapalana Govt during this Coronavirus pandemic. We remember those five years where alleged financial corruption chocked the country�s economy. Now what�s suffocating the people is a virus which has the potential to spread far and wide within the island nation. This will happen if Lankans don�t act more..

Mar 18 (EN) The immediate reaction to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa�s address to the nation last Tuesday night is mixed at best with many on social media calling it more of an election speech rather than a rallying call to the nation faced with a rapidly spreading coronavirus. Former JVP MP Bimal Ratnayake expressed his disappointment. �With all respect to d mandate, how poor was our President�s speech in a crisis situation. more..

Mar 18 (DN) With sport around the world and in the country coming to a virtual standstill because of the corona virus epidemic it will be pertinent to recall that today (17) marks the 24th anniversary of Sri Lanka winning the Cricket World Cup in Lahore. When it will happen again is a matter of conjecture. We have come twice come close to laying our hands on the World Cup and lost the finals in 2007 and in 2011. more..

Mar 18 (FT) Former MP Athuraliye Rathana Thera and Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) General Secretary Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thero are joining hands to give leadership to a new political party led by Buddhist monks to contest the forthcoming General Election. The party, named Ape Jana Bala Pakshaya, hopes to become a leading political force in the country and win at least 20 seats in Parliament, Rathana Thero said on Monday. more..

Mar 18 (ST) Multiple crucial events occurred simultaneously in Sri Lanka and across the world as the new coronavirus continued its rampage, spreading mass fear and panic, which officials in the country said were unwarranted. As Sri Lanka detected its first confirmed local case infected with COVID-19 this week (mar 10), followed by nine more (at the time of going to press), there was a frenzy of panic buying in attempts to stock up more..

Mar 18 (Island) Election monitors, PAFFREL, CMEV & CaFFE, urged election commission to postpone general election given the increasing number of COVID-19 patients. Election campaigns include many activities that bring people into close contact with each other and thus increasing the risk of virus transmission. Not only are party activists and politicians at risk but also thousands of state officials on election duty. more..

Mar 18 (EN) SL has limited the transit time in Colombo for int'l passengers to six hours and asked int'l passengers to have a confirmed onward connection before coming to the island as part of tightening measures contain a Coronavirus epidemic. CAA told airlines operating through or connected to Colombo that the maximum permitted transit time at BIA for any passenger transiting via BIA should be strictly not more than 6 hours. more..

Mar 18 (DM) The Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) has decided to close down all of its recreational parks including the Vihara Maha Devi Park, clinics, sports grounds and libraries for two weeks, Mayoress Rosy Senanayake said. Speaking at a news briefing, she said all fitness centres, reception halls and community centres operated by the Municipal Council would also be closed as a measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19. more..

Mar 18 (DM) The Health Ministry, yesterday reiterated that the country was not at risk from the Chinese nationals who had recently returned back to SL for work, saying no Chinese national was under observation for the COVID-19 in hospitals in the country. A senior official from the Ministry said that all Chinese nationals who had arrived in SL in recent weeks to date, were workers who were involved in development projects, more..

Mar 18 (AD) The govt has decided to impose police curfew in the Puttalam District and Kochchikade Police Division in Negombo from this evening (18). Accordingly, the curfew will be imposed from 4.30 pm this evening until further notice, stated DIG Ajith Rohana. The curfew will be enforced in 11 police divisions in Puttalam, 7 in police divisions in Chilaw and the Kochchikade police division in Negombo, he added. more..

Mar 18 (AD) Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) has launched investigations into the controversial statements made to the media by former MPs Rajitha Senaratne and Sarath Fonseka on COVID-19. The police media Division said in a statement that it is to be investigated whether the statements had been made to cause undue fear and turmoil among the public regarding the spread of coronavirus. DIG Ajith Rohana said that the police dept has received both video clips in question more..

Mar 18 (FT) The lifestyle of Sri Lankans cannot be what it was before COVID-19 entered Sri Lanka. Neither can it be in other countries where COVID is creating havoc. Any pretence that it is or can be is both irresponsible and moronic. In a sense this virus is taking over the world and leads one to wonder whether this is an invasion from outer space as we have seen in movies. The world�s economy is collapsing and the global supply chain is being disrupted where food, medicine and more..

Mar 18 (SLN) In the backdrop where COVID-19 outbreak has turned out to be pandemic across the world, Sri Lanka Navy shouldering the national responsibility has swiftly set up a quarantine centre at the Boossa naval premises on 16th March 2020 to accommodate the influx of passengers from affected countries. To augment the govt efforts to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus in the country, a four-storied building at Boossa Navy Base was prepared for quarantine, more..

Mar 18 (CT) In the days of the Socialist-Marxist Govt of the SLFP regime led by Sirimavo Bandaranaike of 1970-77, there were only a few private hospitals as the political environment was anti-capitalist. The Health Sector was a virtual monopoly of the State. But despite a Socialist-Marxist Govt in place, State health services were not free, as it is now, then. A patient entering a Govt hospital for treatment had to pay 25 cents. Going by the fact that the basic bus fare rate for adults then was 10 cents as more..

Mar 18 (AD) Leader of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya and Sajith Premadasa today signed nomination papers for the upcoming General Election. The former Opposition Leader signed the nominations as the Colombo District Group Leader, at the party�s office in Ethul Kotte. General Secretary of the SJB Ranjith Madduma Bandara, former General Secretary of the UNP Tissa Attanayake, former MPs Chandrani Bandara and more..

Mar 18 (EN) Sri Lanka�s treasury yields fell over 14 percent across all maturities at the weekly bill auction held on Wednesday, data from the public debt office showed. Yields had fallen for three auctions before marginally gaining last week. The 12-month bill weighted average yield fell 16 basis points to 8.32% today from the previous auction a week earlier. The 6-month bill yield fell 19 basis points to 7.82% and 3-month bill yield fell 14 basis points to 8.27%. more..

Mar 18 (NR) Director General of Health Services Dr. Anil Jasinghe says for the first time the govt has decided to allow private hospitals in the country to conduct Polymerase Chain Reaction test or PCR tests to identify COVID-19 patients. He said permission has been granted only to hospitals that agree to abide by strict guidelines. He said the test results should be made available within a 24-hour period adding that a PCR test should not cost more than Rs.6,000. more..

Mar 18 (MFA) Foreign Secretary Ravinatha Aryasinha has requested foreign govts to facilitate the appropriate extension of visas for Sri Lankans currently visiting their countries, and facing difficulty to return to SL on account of the travel bans that have and will become applicable as part of the control measures on COVID- 19. He noted that the Govt of SL had on Tuesday announced a one-month extension of all types of visas for those more..

Mar 18 (AD) The Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) says that a maximum retail price of Rs 150 per kilogram of Big Onions (B. Onions) has been gazetted effective from today (18). Meanwhile the said gazette notification also imposes an maximum retail price of Rs. 65 per kg of Mysore Dhal, and MRP of Rs. 100 per net weight of 425g of Canned Fish. The Consumer Affairs Authority orders that no importer, producer, packer, distributor or trader shall sell, expose or offer for sale, more..

Mar 18 (NR) Former MP Harsha De Silva has resigned from his post as the Treasurer of the UNP. Former MP said he submitted his letter fo resignation to party leader Ranil Wickremesinghe at noon today. Former MP said he reached a decision to contest the upcoming Parliamentary Election under the Samagi Jana Balawegaya ticket. He said members of the party are severely affected by the present crisis. He said he believes he had a responsibility to inform the party leader of more..