May 24 (DN) The Govt�s attention has been drawn to use underutilised and barren lands belonging to the State for agriculture and animal husbandry to achieve economic revival, poverty alleviation and food security. The matter was discussed in detail during a meeting of the Presidential Task Force on Economic Revival and Poverty Eradication at Temple Trees yesterday chaired by former minister Basil Rajapaksa under the instructions of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. more..

May 24 (ST) Counting of votes at electorate level instead of bringing them to central counting stations in each district and spraying rather than applying the indelible ink onto a voter�s index finger are among plans under consideration to conduct the upcoming parliamentary elections after health authorities give the greenlight to conduct the poll. Elections Commission Commissioner General, Saman Sri Ratnayake, said that instead of having limited counting centres, more..

May 24 (AD) PCoI probing the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks heard that Ringleader of the attacks Zahran Hashim and another bomber had engaged in a reconnaissance of the Shangri-La Hotel in Colombo two days prior to the attacks. Commission also heard that a room was booked by one of the bombers at the hotel on the 17th of April under a fake name. Chief Inspector of Police of CID Mahinda Jayasundara who is in charge of more..

May 24 (DM) Prez Rajapaksa in his Ramazan message said that everyone should never allow any harm to the Islamic brotherhood due to acts of a small number of extremists. �I believe that we should strongly commit to follow the teachings of the Holy Quran while eliminating the mistrust and suspicion during this period of Ramazan,� Prez said. Full message: My heartiest greetings to all Muslims in SL, who celebrate Ramazan or Eid-ul-fitr together with Islam devotees around the World. more..

May 24 (Island) DIG Ajith Rohana figured in a big way on social media last week, but this time for an entirely different reason � he was accused of picking up his daughter, who had returned from overseas, and taking her home in defiance of the mandatory quarantine procedure. In the backdrop of the disturbing posts shared widely across social media platforms, DIG Rohana, considered a no-nonsense, highly disciplined senior police official, however, remained unruffled. more..

May 24 (ST) Govt has once again revised its import restrictions allowing for a range of items to be exempted from what it called a temporary ban. These include raw materials to be imported for local manufacturing. The import of items for the telecom industry (subject to applicable taxes and regulation) as well as IT equipment and computer accessories, mobile phones and electronics is also to be permitted to promote, more..

May 24 (AD) 21 novel coronavirus positive cases have been identified in total yesterday. Among the identified cases, 19 patients are SL Navy personnel, stated the Commander of SL Army Lt Gen Shavendra Silva. The remaining two patients are persons who had returned to the country from Dubai. The total number of coronavirus cases reported in Sri Lanka is at 1,089. Currently, 420 active cases are under medical care at selected hospitals across the country. more..

May 24 (Hindu) At a time when big and mighty countries struggle to cope with soaring numbers of coronavirus cases and consequent deaths, the official figures from 21-million strong Sri Lanka stand out � 1,070 cases, 660 recoveries and nine deaths as of Saturday evening. Behind those promising numbers are early thinking and swift action, according to Dr. Anil Jasinghe, Director General of Health Services in SL. The senior public health official, helming SL�s pandemic response, more..

May 24 (ST) An alert Military Policeman�s action saved the day. SL Navy�s two female sailors were assigned the task of handing over wreaths in memory of war heroes to VVIPs and a rehearsal for Victory Day was to get under way last Monday in the sprawling Parliament grounds in Kotte. A memorial for them lies at one end. Engraved on a granite wall are the names of those who made the supreme sacrifice. more..

May 25 (SO) National Election Commission on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that Parliamentary Election cannot be held on the due date under the current circumstances in the country. Appearing on behalf of the Commission during the hearing of the multiple FR petitions filed before the SC challenging the election date, President�s Counsel Saliya Peiris said the Commission was not in a position to proceed with the election until they received a green light from health authorities. more..

May 25 (CT) Supreme Court of SL became the scene for stunning revelations for the second time when a letter issued by the country�s much respected Director General of Health Services Dr Anil Jasinghe was tendered to court, suggesting that there was no impediment to conducting the Parliamentary election. In his letter Dr Jasinghe who has been the civilian public health authority more or less leading SL�s fight against COVID-19 suggested that provided certain precautions were taken more..

May 25 (CT) "We do not have enough linen towels and capes to be washed after each use and we cannot throw them away after each use. We are not luxury salon owners. Ours is an ordinary one, which has just one air conditioner and has a circuit to re-circulate air, which the Ministry of Health has banned. Amidst all of this there is no point in asking us to stick to health guidelines. We should either open salons with the facilities more..

May 25 (CT) For the second time in two years, learned and some less-learned arguments are being presented before the Supreme Court that have implications for the status and the future of SL�s parliament. In Oct-Nov 2018, the question was about the President�s authority to prematurely dissolve parliament within four and a half years of its five-year tenure following a general election. This time around the question is about the state of affairs when elections cannot be held within more..

May 25 (SO) The global health emergency made countries around the world to impose draconian measures to control the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. Social and trading restrictions were imposed to slow down the spread as much as possible. Compared to a majority of the countries in the world, SL stands out, not only in controlling the spread effectively but also as regards the rate of fatalities. In this light, the WHO has identified a criteria to be followed for the countries more..

May 25 (TM) Pre-monsoon cyclonic weather left thousands affected across 13 districts over a seven-day period with the intensity of the adverse weather reaching its peak on 19 and 20 May. According to the Dept of Meteorology, southwest monsoon is forecasted to commence in the coming days and the adverse weather that the country experienced was a result of inter-monsoon rain which was fortified by a super cyclone more..

May 25 (ST) Unsurprisingly but nonetheless worryingly, a seismic shift in positing the military front and centre of SL�s governance framework was pronounced in PM Rajapaksa�s statement this week, issued on the eleventh anniversary of the military defeat of the LTTE. Lost in the general storm of covid-19 updates which still crowds out virtually every other happening, this Prime Ministerial statement, given its powerful imagery and symbolic thrust, must not be lost sight of. more..

May 25 (Island) Complaints that some parts of the country are experiencing a shortage of rice may have prompted the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) to do what it did on Saturday. It inspected the warehouses of some big-time rice millers in Polonnaruwa. It is perhaps the first time the CAA officials have entered these silo complexes belonging to powerful political families including that of former Prez Maithripala�s sibling, Dudley, and former UPFA MP Siripala Gamlath. more..

May 25 (TM) While it may seem that SL is slightly stagnant when it comes to producing music and remaining consistent with the pace of the global industry, one thing we often forget is that we have something of a rich past when it comes to music production. A household name � two names, rather � Bathiya and Santhush have given us music that has never ceased to be trendy throughout the generations. Similarly, Dushyanth Weeraman, Randhir Witana, Natasha Rathnayake, and more..

May 25 (SO) The Bradby Shield rugby match between Royal College and Trinity College is showing some promise to get off the ground despite uncertainties over several sporting events in the country which have been put on hold due to the coronavirus. The news going around in Kandy is that not only the Bradby match but also the suspended inter-school rugby season could also come alive but later in the year after the Advanced Level examination which is in August. more..

May 25 (FT) As part of its efforts to revive the economy and reduce the COVID-19 impact, the Govt yesterday eased import restrictions on several product categories linked to exports and production of import substitution goods but retained the ban on vehicles. The interim trade and custom based tax policy framework, which is part of the COVID-19 Economic Revival Plan of the Govt was released yesterday and will see imports more..

May 25 (TM) At the turn of the second week since state and private companies restarted operations under strict health guidelines to power up the country�s economy, most of us are easing into normalcy; some have the good fortune of being able to return to the jobs they had prior to when the pandemic started to barricade people�s day-to-day lives. The travel and tourism trade is predicted to take a year or more to return to its former state as travel restrictions are still in place with flights more..

May 25 (TM) Nawaloka Hospitals PLC has experienced low revenue due to a reduction in their customer count, according to Deputy Chairman Harshith Dharmadasa. In a disclosure to the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) on the impact of Covid-19, Dharmadasa explained that the company is currently experiencing low revenue due to the lack of public transport for customers, preventing them from reaching out for hospital services. He went on to state that the int'l travel restrictions more..

May 25 (Island) Tea prices in Colombo were high last week with brokers reporting a surge to unprecedented levels due to production in SL in the backdrop of low yields from many other tea producing countries. The low grown average in Colombo was Rs. 739/82 per kilo in comparison to Rs. 608/07 during the corresponding period in 2019. National average was Rs. 689/18, which saw an increase of Rs.110/95 in comparison to 2019, more..

May 25 (Island) British newspaper Guardian, which started life as The Manchester Guardian in 1821, has become the mouthpiece of the liberals and lefties, unfortunately, and the spreader of doom and gloom. Admittedly, it was responsible for many a good scoop in the past but during the recent COVID-19 pandemic, when people isolating themselves needed some cheer at least, almost all the headlines it carried were depressing. Perhaps, to lift the mood, they printed lovely photographs and quizzes; more..

May 25 (ST) A group of SL rugby referees eager to upgrade their knowledge during the hiatus caused by the coronavirus pandemic have decided to follow online courses conducted by the London Society of Rugby Football Union Referees (LSRFUR). It was made possible by the Sri Lankan member of LSRFUR Bandara Wekadapola who has taken it upon himself the task of educating referees here despite earning the ire of the SL Society of Rugby Football Referees (SLSRFR) who have more..

May 25 (Island) The duty of the Central Bank of SL is providing sufficient liquidity to the system in the exceptional circumstances that we are facing right now, using our financial instruments, while ensuring prevention of any overheating of economic and market indicators, Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe, Senior Deputy Governor of CB said. "We need to understand the role of the CB in helping individuals and businesses stay afloat more..

May 25 (ST) SL continues to lobby for Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) mainly from the apparel and manufacturing sectors and agriculture-based companies. BOI Director General Sanjaya Mohottala said that they were currently having several ongoing discussions with prospective investors in the apparel and manufacturing sectors. SL�s apparel industry has been particularly working on obtaining some of the global giants in textile manufacturing to set up business in the country at the future more..

May 25 (ST) Companies across the world have been forced to alter their plans for their annual meetings in response to restrictions on mass gatherings aimed at halting the spread of coronavirus by the govt. So this year, at least, some familiar sights on the corporate calendar will disappear. The beginning of AGM season coincided with the nationwide shutdown with several public companies having scheduled the conduct of their Annual General Meetings (AGMs) virtually after CSE sent more..

May 25 (Island) Sports Ministry is yet to make inquiries into damning match fixing allegations and grave lack of responsibility from the part of Ministry officials raised in the review report of the last South Asian Games though almost three months have elapsed after the said report had been handed over to the sports minister. The 4-member review committee, consisting of Gregory de Silva (head), Air Vice Marshal Elmo Perera (Rtd), more..

May 25 (DN) Farmer, fisheries and the SME sector should try to eliminate the middleman and endeavour to be direct sellers in the post Covid-19 era, former Governor Central Bank and Senior Advisor on Economic Affairs to the PM, Ajith Nivard Cabraal said. He said that due to the middleman capitalising on the weakness of the limited marketing skills of farmers, fishermen and SME sector, they make an undue profit from the arm chair. �The middleman is also by taking a minimum risk.� more..

May 25 (Island) Union Assurance PLC (UA) has always being in the hearts of the people for over three decades and has always made its presence felt specially at the times of need. With the COVID-19 crisis continuing to create unprecedented challenges to communities, UA has committed to protect the wellbeing of all its policyholders, staff and agency force and the communities they operate in, living up to the ethos of its brand, Your Life, Our Strength. more..

May 25 (EN) SL�s central bank defended its money printing, which led to forex shortages and fears of repaying foreign debt leading to a credit downgrade as monetary authority came under more scrutiny than in the past for triggering monetary instability and trade controls. �Especially in unusual or exceptional circumstances we are facing like now, it is the prime responsibility of any central bank, not just the central bank of Sri Lanka more..

May 25 (SO) The Export Development Board (EDB), the country�s apex Trade Promotion Organisation (TPO) has revised its strategic plan with a focus on addressing what the EDB should do during and the post Covid�19 period and how it should operate to fulfill its mandated role having aligned with the National Policy Framework and National Export Strategy, EDB Chairman Prabhash Subasinghe said. The EDB is adopting and implementing five strategic pillars which cut across various areas more..

May 25 (Island) The traditional two-month long Pada Yatra, or foot pilgrimage, from Jaffna to Kataragama, annually held in May-June-July, commenced from the shrine of God Skandha, in Thondmanaru, on Saturday. Chief custodian of the shrine, P Jayasankaran said that the 2020 annual Kataragama Pada Yatra would be difficult owing to the coronavirus crisis. There was the possibility of those engaged in the walk not receiving alms not receiving food on the way unlike in the past. more..

May 25 (CT) Although investigations into last year's Easter Sunday attacks are being carried out quite well, some powerful individuals are attempting to weaken discoveries made and investigations, His Eminence Archbishop Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith said. The Archbishop made this comment when he left subsequent to visiting Supreme Chief Prelate of Amarapura Maha Nikaya, Most Ven. Kotuwegoda Dhammawasa more..

May 25 (ST) Two weeks ago, the Lankan branch of a worldwide anti-corruption monitoring body raised the alarm over the Lankan govt�s decision to allow the inflow of foreign exchange into the country on a no questions asked basis that runs contrary to the existing legal framework. Transparency International SL (TISL) the local chapter of Transparency International which has 90 chapters worldwide, stated �Whilst TISL recognises the need for policies to bolster foreign currency reserves, more..

May 25 (SO) Minister Prasanna Ranatunga yesterday said he would open the BIA within 12 hours of its approval by the Presidential Task Force on Covid�19. We are awaiting the recommendations of the Presidential Task Force and no sooner they approve it, I will give directions to the BIA and the staff to open the airport for full operations, he said, adding that the BIA has been used for the national carrier � SriLankan Airlines to repatriate locals and also for other airlines, he said. more..

May 25 (Island) President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa on Saturday sought a special USD 1.1-billion currency swap facility from Indian PM Narendra Modi to boost Sri Lanka�s foreign exchange reserves under strain due to the raging coronavirus pandemic. Central Bank of Sri Lanka has recently sought a $400-million currency swap with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) under the SAARC facility. more..

May 25 (AD) A special repatriation flight carrying 181 SL nationals, who had been stranded in Russia due to the Covid-19 global pandemic, arrived at the BIA this morning (25). SriLankan Airlines flight UL 1206 arriving from Moscow had touched down at the BIA at around 5.50 a.m. today. The passengers and their luggage were subjected to disinfection by SL Air Force personnel on arrival while the medical unit and airport security tested their temperatures and checked for any symptoms of Covid-19. more..