May 12 (ST) President�s Secretary has asked all public sector employees to donate their May salary, or a part of it, to reduce the Budget deficit. The Govt, he beseeched, needed at least Rs.100 billion to pay State workers their salaries and allowances. This looks like an administration in crisis. The poor are clamouring for a trifling Rs 5,000 promised to them to soften the blow of lost incomes. They are all lined up in queues falling at the feet of their local political types to receive this handout. more..

May 12 (ST) My dear Mahinda maama, I thought I must write to you because you too have an important role to play in this coronavirus pandemic. I hope you are not too annoyed by most people � such as Maco and young Sajith � writing to Gota maama instead. What they get in return is, of course, a rather rude reply written by PB! You had summoned a meeting of former MPs at Temple Trees. Some of them attended. Some didn�t. The Greens, who initially said they will attend, more..

May 12 (ST) Punchi Banda Jayasundera, when he was Secretary to the Treasury, was once regarded as the financial brains behind Prez Mahinda Rajapaksa�s govt from 2000 to 2015. PB as he is fondly called, was most sought-after during times when a budget is presented in Parliament. For five months now, he has been Secretary to the Prez. This week, he appears to have opened a Pandora�s box. This is by addressing a private appeal to more..

May 12 (DM) Now we, especially those living in Colombo and Gampaha Districts are enjoying a new kind of freedom which interestingly we ourselves have voluntarily curtailed. In many parts of these two districts, people are obeying the health and defence authorities despite the fact that they can disregard their instructions. In fact, working amidst curfew or lockdown situations, a concept introduced by authorities of many countries is a new and interesting experience. more..

May 12 (Island) Poland has recently had a ghost election owing to a political tug of war between the govt and the Opposition. A presidential election was held, on Sunday, but nobody voted due the coronavirus pandemic. There have been about 16,000 Covid-19 cases and 800 deaths from the disease, in that country, and it is only natural people did not want to vote. One may want to know why on earth that election was ever held. The answer is that Poland is in the same predicament as more..

May 12 (CT) Sri Lanka will be open for business from Monday onwards. It will not be business as usual as the government has laid several conditions on those who will be permitted to leave their homes in the two most populous districts of Gampaha and Colombo. If the experience of the earlier opening that have taken place in the rest of the country is to be a guide, the general population will be cautious in making their entrance onto the roads and shops. In the case of Colombo in particular there is still more..

May 12 (Island) A bond between a cricketer and a ground is undoubtedly an enchanting association in the game of cricket. Brian Lara and Antigua, Sir Don Bradman and MCG, Sachin Tendulkar and Wankhede are few of the most renowned associations. There seems to be an invisible charm that gets some players going when they set foot on certain arenas. Once set, it remains lifelong, dishing out superlative performances during the course of a player's career. In an island like Sri Lanka, more..

May 12 (ST) Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) last week dispatched Invitation to Tender (ITT) documents to all potential bidders for the national team�s media rights for the three years starting Apr 1, 2020, but left the bid submission date open until India�s limited-over tour to SL is finalised. The Indian team is due to arrive in the island for six limited-over matches (3 ODIs and 3 T20Is) on June 21 this year. more..

May 12 (CT) Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, two incidents of animal cruelty on domestic animals, took place last week, attracted the attention of media as well as animal rights activists. One of these two vicious incidents, unfortunately, took place on the Vesak Poya Day, a day dedicated to commemorate crucial life events of Buddha, who preached loving kindness for all living beings and taught that hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love. The two separate incidents, more..

May 12 (Island) Life will not be same again after Covid-19. No one knows as to when the virus will lose its lethal virulence in contact with humans. This pandemic has called to question the globalization myth. Promoted as unique interconnectedness for international cooperation and collective development globalization had always been a ploy by more powerful nations to lure the weaker and the less developed countries into that international fold and gain free access to their rich and untapped more..

May 12 (DN) Sri Lanka�s scheduled cricket tour by India and Bangladesh will be decided by the end of the week, Sri Lanka Cricket CEO Ashley de Silva said yesterday. �The Cricket Boards of India and Bangladesh wanted time till May 15 to assess the situation and we have given them time till then,� said De Silva. �We will take a collective decision only by that time.� India are due in June-July for 3 ODIs and 3 T20Is and Bangladesh in July-August more..

May 12 (ST) Champion pistol shooter Suranga Fernando has not given up on his dream of representing SL at the Olympics in Tokyo next year after achieving the minimum qualifying score (MQS) at the Asian Shooting Championship in Doha in November. Sharp shooters have represented SL at the Olympics since Pushpamalie Ramanayake first took part in the 1992 Barcelona Games in addition to competing in Atlanta (1996) and Athens (2004). Malini Wickramasinghe (1996, 2000 Sydney), more..

May 12 (ST) With the impact of COVID-19, SL�s fiscal outlook is bleaker than ever, making it extremely tough for the Treasury to meet public expenses and maintain cash-flows with limited cash balance from total allocations made in the revised Vote on account that was sanctioned by the President on March 6. In a bid to save resources, the Finance Ministry has already placed restrictions on expenditure and funds being diverted towards the fight against COVID-19, official sources said. more..

May 12 (ST) SL banks have received thousands of applications for loan moratoriums and refinancing facilities declared by the Central Bank (CB) on March 25. A top commercial banker noted that so far they have received about 45,000 applications for the moratorium on existing outstanding loans and the refinancing facility targeting a working capital loan at the annual interest rate of 4% for eligible customers. more..

May 12 (ST) The govt is to consider extending the free visas policy in future and removal of taxes for the tourism industry as it has been severely hit by a lack of tourist arrivals following the COVID-19 outbreak. During a meeting held with officials of the state tourism, airport and civil aviation agencies and Industrial Exports and Investment Promotion, Tourism and Aviation Minister Prasanna Ranatunga this matter was taken up for discussion, an official present at the meeting said. more..

May 12 (FT) India High Commissioner-Designate Gopal Baglay yesterday offered prayers to Lord Buddha through a video call each to Ven. Warakagoda Sri Gnanarathana Mahanayake Thero of Asgiriya Nikaya and Ven. Niyangoda Vijithasiri Anunayake Thero of Malwatte Nikaya. The High Commissioner-designate prayed for health, happiness, peace and prosperity of the people of Sri Lanka and India. He also stressed that Buddhism is one of the strongest pillars connecting more..

May 12 (EN) Sri Lanka�s gross domestic product likely to contract 1-3% in 2020 over a Coronavirus shock and macro issues, with a lower chance of the economy shrinking over 5% or recording slightly positive growth, analysts said. SL�s tourism sector which accounts for 4.3% of GDP has come to a virtual standstill. �We have done about 1.3 billion dollars up to March we are looking at about 1.8 million earnings until December,� more..

May 12 (DN) The FIFA has taken a decision to allocate funds for all member Associations under FIFA Forward 2.0 program without any restriction. Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL) is to receive all funds of 2019 and 2020 without any deductions based on Forward 2.0 regulations and FFSL are obliged to use these funds as per regulations. On a request made by FFSL to FIFA for the approval to use USD 100,000 on COVID 19 Pandemic relief project these funds will be utilised to help more..

May 12 (Island) Ted Muttiah, chief commercial officer of South Asia Gateway Terminal (SAGT) in the Port of Colombo said that very few in the international supply chain industry could still give a clear indication of its operations in the near-term future. He made this comment responding to a query on the outlook of the international container shipping business in the coming months. "We do believe, however, that in providing seamless services despite the unprecedented challenges more..

May 12 (FT) SLPP said Govt was working to gradually ease COVID-19 countering measures in the country to support the people and not targeting elections. Govt eased a large number of restrictions on Monday, allowing many public and private sector workers to return to work and eased curfew in Colombo & Gampaha significantly, though it was not completely lifted. After more than six weeks, thousands of people were seen on more..

May 12 (Island) LOLC came forward to assist the SL Navy that is playing a vital role in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka at a crucial time of need, by donating 1,000 Microgard 2000 coveralls or full body suits. The donation was handed over through the Manusath Derana relief programme which LOLC has already tied up with. The body suits which were handed over to the SL Navy Commander at the Navy Head Quarters recently provides both protection and comfort more..

May 12 (CT) Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) is considering resuming the Major League tournament in June as they have got the blessings of medical officials. Following a meeting between officials of SLC and the Sports Medicine Institute, medical experts have recommended that SLC could look at a possible June resumption, which would be a great relief to SLC. First round of the Major League tournament has been completed, and only the Super Eight and Plate Championships are left to be played to more..

May 12 (FT) Colombo stock market lost a staggering Rs. 84 billion in value within seconds yesterday as it opened after one-and-a-half months of shutdown with investors apparently in panic selling mode influenced by severe impact on the economy from the COVID-19 pandemic and other shocks. It just took 38 seconds after opening for the active S&P SL20 Index to crash by 10%, a level (circuit breaker) which now requires closure more..

May 12 (AD) Six more individuals have tested positive for COVID-19 infection. Reportedly, all 6 new patients are Navy personnel from the Welisara Navy Camp. Their samples had been tested at the Karapitiya Hospital, stated the Ministry of Health. The detection of these cases raises the total number of coronavirus cases in Sri Lanka to 869. Currently, 517 active cases are under medical care at a number of hospitals across the island, as per the Epidemiology Unit of the Ministry. more..

May 12 (ST) Election Commission (EC) will review on Tuesday whether it will be feasible to conduct elections on June 20 or if another suitable date will have to be announced, its Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya declared yesterday. He said that at the proposed meeting, the commission would examine all aspects of the prevailing situation related to COVID-19 but declined to elaborate. Though the EC was expected to gazette the names of all candidates & allot numbers to them for preference votes more..

May 12 (ST) Barring changes at the eleventh hour, the govt�s fourth attempt to gradually restore social activity countrywide gets under way tomorrow. The three attempts earlier, one to restore from April 22 and put off for Apr 27, however, continued with round the clock curfew in the districts of Colombo, Gampaha, Kalutara and Puttalam. Thereafter, what was meant to begin from May 4 was put off till May 11. more..

May 12 (Island) A large number of archeological sites in Polonnaruwa, Anuradhapura, Sigiriya and Yapahuwa were now facing threats because security officials deployed by the Central Cultural Fund (CCF) had been removed, Organization to protect archeological sites yesterday told a press conference at Pasyala. Chairman of the organization, Ven. Udasgiriye Samitha thera said that the decision to remove the security officers had made the sites vulnerable to plunder. more..

May 12 (ST) A Gazette giving legal teeth to measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is due to be issued this weekend, as Colombo and a few other districts open under a controlled mechanism, a high-level health official said. The Gazette to be issued under the Quarantine and Prevention of Diseases Ordinance would ensure social distancing and other measures such as adequate facilities for hand-hygiene, as the country is opened up after the lockdown, Dr. Anil Jasinghe said. more..

May 12 (Island) Former lawmaker and JHU General Secretary Champika Ranawaka, said that the Rajapaksas responsible for current economic and financial crisis and the Presidential Secretary Dr. P.B. Jayasundera had no right to deprive govt servants of their monthly salary. Ex-MP said so responding to Presidential Secretary Jayasundera�s recent request to public servants to contribute at least a day�s pay if unable to more..

May 12 (MoD) Defence Ministry urges the public to be aware of an ongoing scam using mobile based digital e-wallet cash transfer system and ransom by threatening individuals. It was revealed that an organised group is operating mobile based cash transfer scam to take ransom by urging them to pay money to take their names out from some on-going criminal investigations. This was brought to the attention of Defence Secretary Maj. Gen. (Retd) Kamal Gunaratne by the Police at a recent more..

May 12 (DM) Church has no issue with cremating Catholics who succumb to COVID-19, a spokesman for the Archdiocese of Colombo said. Head of the social relations unit of the archdiocese, Rev. Fr. Jude Chrishantha said the Catholic church had allowed cremation since 1960s. �However, there is a special prayer that needs to be recited when cremating a dead body. There is also a prayer when burying ashes of a cremated body. Archbishop of Colombo Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith has already more..

May 12 (Island) A raid conducted by CID sleuths, investigating into last year�s Easter Sunday carnage, has yielded evidence which would certainly solve hitherto unknown mysteries and enable arrests of key politicians behind the terror attacks which killed 269 persons and injured over 450 others. New evidence had been unearthed after a raid by the CID, at a training centre, at Karbala Road, in Palamune, Kattankudy, last week. more..

May 12 (TM) Ambassadors and High Commissioners in SL holding membership of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) have urged prez Rajapaksa to permit the burial of Muslim Covid-19 victims. In a letter addressed to Rajapaksa, the OIC member states said, �Scientist public health functionaries and medical practitioners across countries affirm that the WHO guidelines carefully and adequately provides for individuals and communities to make a choice in respect of more..

May 12 (FT) Quo vadis? is a Latin phrase meaning Where are you going? It is perhaps opportune now to ask this question about the Sri Lankan economy. It is perhaps also the time to move away from the many shields that have been used by successive governments to disguise the state of the economy, and arrive at some consensus as to how the true state of the economy can be presented to the public and give them a more believable plan how it can be managed from now on. more..

May 12 (EN) SL�s rupee closed around 188.25/45 to the US dollar Tuesday hardly changed form a day earlier after being actively quoted, dealers said while bonds remained stable from yesterday, dealers said. On Monday the rupee closed around 188.30/50 to the US dollar. SL is going through a consumption collapse after two months of curfews and private credit growth is expected to be low in 2020. The rupee came under pressure from money printed to target interest rates and more..

May 12 (FT) Food supply chains are strained or broken, domestically as well as internationally. It is natural and necessary in such circumstances to think about food security. But it is important to think intelligently and in ways informed by evidence. All rankings and indexes have flaws, either in the data that form their basis or in their design. But they provide a useful starting point for an evidence-based discussion. The Global Food Security Index comprises three components: more..

May 12 (AJ) The grief-stricken family of Zubair Fathima Rinosa in SL's capital Colombo is demanding justice and explanation after tests, released two days after her body had been cremated, showed that the 44-year-old Muslim woman did not die from COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Mohammed Sajid, one of Rinosa's four sons, said his mother was cremated on May 5 as part of Sri Lanka's controversial policy of more..

May 12 (DM) A total of 320 Sri Lankans including an expectant mother who were stranded in Chennai had arrived at the BIA today, Airport Duty Manager said. The passengers have arrived in Chennai from several countries and were stuck at the Chennai Int'l Airport, India due to COVID-19 pandemic. The SriLankan special flight UL 1122 reached Chennai Airport this morning. The passengers were checked for COVID-19 possibility according to the instructions issued by the Health Ministry and more..