May 13 (CT) Former State Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage said that the Acting IGP had promised to immediately launch investigations into complaints lodged with the FCID, against 19 powerful members of the former Govt. Those powerful members include former PM Ranil Wickremesinghe, Malik Samarawickrama, Ravi Karunanayake, Rajitha Senaratne, Thalatha Athukorala and P. Harrison. Acting IGP had made this promise when he met the latter yesterday to discuss the progress of more..

May 13 (NR) Former Minister Lakshman Kiriella claims that govt has appointed a Retired Major General to the post of secretary to the Ministry of Health, to obtain favourable medical statistics pertaining to the coronavirus. He noted that the govt is attempting to obtain falsified statistics and convince Election Commission to hold the General election on the 20 of June. Former Minister claims that the govt has appointed a Retired Major General to the post of secretary to Ministry of Health, more..

May 13 (CGTN) China and Sri Lanka should gradually resume practical cooperation in various fields while ensuring the prevention and control of the COVID-19, Chinese President Xi Jinping told SL Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa during a phone call on Wednesday. Prez Xi said that the two countries should advance major cooperation projects in an orderly manner and work for high-quality development of joint building of Belt & Road, more..

May 14 (ST) Rarely do political leaders miss an opportunity to issue statements when nations or religious and ethnic communities celebrate important occasions that are sacred to some and meaningful to others. This happens the world over, especially in countries in which democratic governance or a shade of it, still exists and public support is constantly sought to further one�s political life. Such actions are common not only in this country like no other but elsewhere too. more..

May 14 (CT) Devastating impacts have been witnessed across continents due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Like in many other countries, Sri Lankans are facing heavy blow not only from the health impacts but also from economic and social impacts. While direct health impacts are significantly low (889 Covid-19 positive cases with only 9 deaths reported as of 13th of May 2020) in SL compared to US and other European developed countries, Sri Lankans are potentially facing the worst economic and more..

May 14 (CT) Consultant ENT Surgeon, Dr. Seetha Arambepola said that Sri Lanka has restricted the COVID-19 disease into one group only (Navy) and not finding patients in society at such a time means that we have controlled the disease to a certain extent. Q: Today the country has been opened. Do you believe the COVID-19 situation has been brought under control? A: There are several steps to the COVID-19 pandemic. more..

May 14 (ST) Last year�s economic growth of 2.3% was a further decline in economic performance from the low growth of 3.3% in 2018. It was less than half the average economic growth of South Asia of over six percent in 2019. The Annual Report of the Central Bank for 2019 described it as a dismal performance. The economic performance of the country has been on a declining trend. Economic growth fell from 4.1% in 2016 to 3.1% in 2017, 3.3% in 2018 and slipped further to 2.6% in 2018. more..

May 14 (CT) With the sudden closure of schools on March 12th, SL education system plunged into a crisis. Overnight teachers had to gear themselves for on-line teaching and other methods of distance education. Meanwhile many countries in the West & East seamlessly switched to e-learning & online education, since their curricula & syllabuses were already posted on the education websites, and e-learning had been practiced interspersed with face-to-face learning in class, even before Coved. more..

May 14 (MB) SL is known for the blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus) that occur throughout the year in the waters around this Indian Ocean island. But a lesser-known fact is that this biodiversity hotspot is also, for a brief time of the year, a gathering spot for massive groups of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus), the largest toothed whale and marine predator. Superpods, as these congregations of hundreds of more..

May 14 (DM) The police curfew imposed in the high-risk zones of the Colombo and Gampaha Districts is to continue until further notice, while in the other 23 districts it will be lifted at 5am and re-imposed at 8pm daily. The curfew, imposed on March 20 as one of the measures adopted to curb the spread of the coronavirus or COVID-19, has been relaxed to a large extent as a fillip to resuscitate or resurrect the country�s stalled economy. Notwithstanding the curfew, which is in force in C'mbo, Gampaha, more..

May 14 (CT) Sri Lanka is on the right track to contain COVID-19 through increased tracking, testing, isolation, and treatment strategy, the WHO said in a statement on Monday. The WHO said enhanced testing of the contacts of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 has led to the increased identification of infections. The positive statement from the global health body is a welcoming relief as restrictions are being lifted around the country. more..

May 14 (ST) The SL rugby community paid heartfelt tributes to legendary rugby coach New Zealander George Simpkin, who passed away on Thursday at age of 77 after a battle with cancer. He was the mentor of rugby development in Asia transforming China into a rugby powerhouse. The former Fiji, Hong Kong and Germany coach, became an integral part of Sri Lanka rugby since his association began in 1999 when he came to Kandy. Past President of the SL Rugby Football Union (SLRFU) and more..

May 14 (Island) Prez Rajapaksa has taken timely action to appoint a high-powered committee of a Presidential Task Force (PTF), numbering over 30 generalists, to steer economic revival and eradicate poverty, following the threats and opportunities that emerged, consequent to the COVID-19 epidemic. Economic revival and poverty eradication deserve high priority in this calamitous situation and no stone should be left unturned in our efforts to accomplish this onerous tasks entrusted to the PTF. more..

May 14 (DM) Daily Mirror discussed the impact of COVID-19 on the national economy with Central Bank Governor and former Vice Chancellor of the Colombo Uni Prof. W.D. Lakshman. Q: Early this year the ADB forecast a GDP growth of 2.2% for this year and 3.5% next year, the inflation rate to remain at 5% in 2020 and 4.8% in 2021. In this backdrop of the CB has already indicated a lower GDP growth of 1.5% in 2020. more..

May 14 (Island) Though not many plaudits have been earned by the British govt, for the way it handled the COVID-19 epidemic, the adoration for the British National Health Service (NHS) has gone sky high, despite the high death rate which has defied explanation so far. In many major cities, conference centres were turned into Nightingale Hospitals which were largely underused. At no stage, even at the height of the epidemic, deserving patients were turned away from intensive more..

May 14 (Island) There has been a clash between two balls�one is cowhide-clad and visible, and the other covered with club-shaped spikes and invisible to the naked eye. The former has got badly beaten in the encounter, albeit temporarily. Therefore, we have not had the pleasure of watching cricket for the past few weeks. This may be one of the reasons why lockdown blues worsened, and the menfolk got so depressed. It may be a few weeks until the all-clear is given for cricket matches, but more..

May 14 (TM) As it endures the 8th week of the nationwide suspension of alcohol sales, Lion Brewery said it expects to experience lower demand when it is eventually permitted by the Govt to resume selling. �The beverage sector expects an immediate slowdown in demand due to lacklustre consumer sentiment with the expected short-term economic fallout from tourism, lower wages, unemployment dynamics� more..

May 14 (FT) The Wakfs Board has issued the following directive on the last 10 days of Ramadan 2020 to the Trustees of all mosques. Numerous requests have been made to the Wakfs Board of Sri Lanka by the Muslim community in certain parts of the island, seeking permission to use the mosque loudspeaker system to recite Duas, Salawaath and Bayans by Imaams. In order to seek the opinion of others, on the matter, the Wakfs Board had a meeting with the Ulamas of the ACJU, more..

May 14 (ST) Local dairy producer, Pelwatte, is pledging to ensure continued exploration towards the establishment of self-sufficiency in the local dairy industry, after COVID-19 is overcome. At a meeting conducted with the senior members of the Govt, when asked on the threshold of self-sufficiency post COVID-19, in all agricultural and food products in Sri Lanka, Pelwatte had expressed its commitment and practical possibility towards supplying continuous dairy products during the COVID-19 situation more..

May 14 (TM) A shortage of some pharmaceuticals has come to light, with consumers also complaining that they are unable to purchase medication even from the private sector. GMOA has on several occasions in the past few weeks also pointed to a shortage of certain essential pharmaceuticals. It seems panic buying has affected the pharmaceutical industry as well, since most govt clinics shut its doors to patients after curfew more..

May 14 (MoD) The media campaign Itukama, the fund-raising initiative for the COVID-19 Healthcare and Social Security Fund established by Prez Rajapaksa to support and strengthen activities aimed at mitigating the spread of COVID-19 and related social welfare program, was launched at the Defence Ministry. The main goal of the fund, which started with a donation of Rs. 100 million from the President�s Fund, is to ensure the health and safety of those in the health sector and more..

May 14 (TG) The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) said it has secured a bench warrant to arrest two nationals of Sri Lanka for their failure to appear in court to take their plea in a criminal matter. ICPC Spokesperson, Rasheedat Okoduwa who disclosed this in a statement yesterday in Abuja said the warrant was issued by Hon. Justice O. O. Goodluck of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court 4, sitting in Maitama, Abuja. more..

May 14 (FT) The Ministry of Public Administration has informed all State sectors institutions to desist from installing disinfection cubicles to prevent the spread of COVID-19, after taking into consideration warnings from health authorities on the use of such cubicles. In a circular issued last month, the Ministry had recommended the establishment of disinfection cubicles if the necessity arises to deal with the spread of more..

May 14 (Island) Financial results of Sampath Bank for the first quarter of 2020: Operating profit before all taxes down by 10.8% while there is a moderate growth in PAT due to withdrawal of DRL & NBT. The challenges brought by COVID � 19 pandemic and the recession brought on by the terrorist attack in April 2019 has lead the period under review to be pressurized by some unique challenges that were not seen in Q1 2019. Therefore, it is important to note that comparing the results of Q1 2020 more..

May 14 (Island) Setting a precedent for public-private partnerships of the future, leading corporates such as MAS Holdings are stepping-up to support national efforts in controlling the transmission of COVID-19 by leveraging their industry expertise. As the protection of frontline workers becomes paramount, MAS Holdings has been addressing the growing demand for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) across SL and the world, equipping healthcare professionals in their crucial role more..

May 14 (FT) The Central Bank yesterday announced further extraordinary measures to boost new funding and liquidity to support the private sector and spur demand in the economy impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision by the Monetary Board was in the wake of the possible adverse impact on liquidity and other key performance indicators of licensed commercial banks and licensed specialised banks more..

May 14 (EN) To date in Sri Lanka 9 persons are said to have died of Covid-19 and out of these 4 are Muslims. At least 02 of these victims� families believe their loved ones did not die of COVID-19. If I had written this a couple of days ago people would have said I was being emotional. But now the health ministry personnel have confirmed that the 9th victim�s report is negative. Yet to date her name continues to be in the list of those who have died of Covid-19. more..

May 14 (EN) Central Bank has sold 30 billion rupees of Treasury bills at an auction on May 13 with no visible money printing to keep down yields, data from the state debt office showed. The debt office, which is a unit of the central bank, sold 13.8 billion rupees of 3-month bills after offering 7.0 billion rupees at an average yield of 6.74% down from 6.84% a week a back. 5.7 billion rupees of 6-month bills were sold after officering 9.0 billion rupees, to yield 6.83%, down from 6.90% a week earlier. more..

May 14 (Island) The EPDP, on Tuesday, pressured the Elections Commission (EC) to conduct early parliamentary polls in spite of the Covid-19 pandemic. EPDP was among political parties represented at Tuesday�s meeting, chaired by EC Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya, at its Rajagiriya office. One-time Jaffna District MP & EPDP Central Committee member, S. Thawarasa, represented EPDP, at the meeting. more..

May 14 (DM) With corporate and individual donations and direct deposits, the COVID � 19 Healthcare and Social Security Fund�s balance has now surpassed Rs. 915 million. Donations of Rs. 5 million each by the SL Nidahas Sevaka Sangamaya and the Trade Association of the Rangiri Dambullu Dedicated Economic Centre were handed over to Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa. PM Mahinda Rajapaksa, Ministers Dinesh Gunawardena and Janaka Bandara Tennakoon were also present more..

May 14 (IE) Scores of Indians stranded in Sri Lanka for the last 50 days, since the nationwide lockdown was imposed, have started losing their patience, and some of them have even threatened to end their lives unless they are evacuated immediately. �Nothing concrete is happening� I am feeling so helpless, I feel like committing suicide,� tweeted Mahesh Basudkar, a resident of Pimpri-Chinchwad who had gone to SL on a tourist visa and has been stranded there since the lockdown started. more..

May 14 (DM) Health Ministry said Sri Lanka was closely monitoring increasing cases of a Kawasaki-like disease spreading among children in Europe and in the West and said although no cases had been reported here, they would continue to study the pattern of the disease. A senior official from the Ministry said that the Kawasaki disease was first reported in Japan, several years ago and since then it usually develops in children more..

May 14 (EN) Sri Lanka�s central bank has halted banks from declaring dividends and foreign banks from repatriating profits under new regulations which it said was to conserve liquidity amid a Coronavirus outbreak until December 2020. �Licensed banks incorporated or established iu Sri Lanka shall refrain from declaring cash dividends not already declared for financial year 2019 and any interim cash dividends for financial year 2020,� the central bank said in a direction. more..

May 14 (AD) Another group of 435 individuals who underwent quarantine at facilities operated by the Tri-forces have returned home today (13), says the National Operation Centre for Prevention of COVID-19 Outbreak. 127 from Punanai, 129 from Pampaimadu, 69 from Damminna, 12 from Pallekele and 98 from Boossa quarantine centres have completed the isolation procedure. A total of 8,099 quarantined individuals have left Tri-forces-operated quarantine centres as of today. more..

May 14 (AD) The TNA stands ready to support the got if a proper system for power devolution is provided for in any changes made to the Constitution, says former MP M.A. Sumanthiran. He also stated that his party agrees with the President�s opinion on the need for a new Constitution. He made these remarks speaking to the media following a meeting with PM Mahinda Rajapaksa on Tuesday. more..

May 14 (CT) GMOA has already submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Health, containing the measures that should be undertaken in the event of a sudden increase in the number of COVID-19 infected cases. They have noted that this active set of measures and proposals should be published through a Gazette Notification by the Ministry. Assistant Secretary of the GMOA, Dr. Naveen de Zoysa said that considering the behaviour of the people after the lockdown had been lifted, more..

May 14 (AD) SL�s total count of COVID-19 infections has topped the 900-mark, as 22 more persons tested positive for the virus as of 11.45 pm on Wednesday (13). On that account, the number of positive coronavirus cases confirmed in the country to date has hit 915, the Ministry of Health said. The recoveries from coronavirus have reached 382 while the death toll stands at 09. 524 active cases continue to be under medical care at IDH, Base Hospital in Welikanda, Colombo East Base more..

May 14 (CT) The Excise Department, yesterday, granted permission under certain restrictions to reopen Liquor Shops in curfew-lifted areas and to open bar counters in supermarkets in the curfew imposed Colombo and Gampaha Districts. Pubs, bar counters in hotels and restaurants are not permitted to reopen. Officer-in-Charge of the Colombo Excise Station, Chief Inspector Chanaka Nanayakkara, said that more..

May 14 (FT) So, we are now in the midst of the curfew that wasn�t and the resumption of normalcy that still isn�t. We are teetering, curiously and perhaps pointlessly. There was a report, which seems to track reality, that our encounter with COVID-19 in Sri Lanka has been a tale of seven clusters. If we leave out the Chinese lady who came afflicted, and went off cured, without seemingly infecting anyone, we have: Cluster of the Tourist Guide (11 March); Cluster of Gem Merchant; more..