May 7 (Island) Tamil MPs were convinced that a positive outcome could be achieved over instances where Mahaweli Authority officials were taking over private lands belonging to the Northern residents, TNA Kilinochchi District MP S. Sritharan said after a meeting with Minister of Irrigation Chamal Rajapaksa. The MP said that the meeting with Minister Rajapaksa on Wednesday had been extremely fruitful and his attitude was commendable. �We informed him of the actions of more..

May 7 (EN) Sri Lanka Army (SLA) announced the conversion of an eco-friendly apparel factory in Seeduwa into a COVID-19 treatment facility today, as the country scrambles to provide beds for its rapidly increasing COVID-19 patients in need of hospitalisation. Health officials have raised alarm over SL�s fast-declining hospital bed capacity, with daily cases now nearing 2,000 amid reports of delays in hospitalization. more..

May 7 (FT) Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) has performed exceptionally well in the past 12 months with the All Share Price Index (ASPI) appreciating more than 55% and the S&P SL 20 Index appreciating more than 44%. In 2021, the Average Daily Turnover of the CSE stands at Rs. 4.8 billion as against Rs. 1.8 billion in 2020. Even though the market has performed exceptionally well, foreign investor contribution to the total market turnover is not substantial due to prevailing COVID-19 more..

May 7 (FT) The miracle of Shenzen inspired govts globally to find ways and means out of adverse situations that plague countries in terms of their economic performance, especially in the post-second world war era. Shenzen was well-regarded the world over as the most judicious and prudent way of experimenting with fundamental economic reforms the Chinese leaders wanted to introduce to the country�s economic structure. It was more of a litmus test of how market reforms more..

May 7 (DN) State Minister Dr. Nalaka Godahewa highlighted the importance of bringing in necessary amendments to the laws to prevent the environment destruction and urged all citizens to join hands to conserve the ocean and coastal resources. The State Minister was addressing the 6th National Ocean Resources Summit 2020/21 on May 5. National Ocean Resources Summit 2020/21 under the theme Ocean-Based Solutions and Policy Frame Works for Enhanced Clinical Action and more..

May 7 (AD) A major accomplice of notorious criminal gang member who operates under the alias Suresh been taken into custody by the STF. The suspect, identified as Thavasidevan Pradeep Kumar, was arrested on Thursday (May 06) at the Aluth Mawatha Road in Colombo 15. The arrest was made based on a tip-off received by the Organized Crimes Prevention Unit of the STF. A total of 2.22 kg of crystal methamphetamine (commonly known as Ice), 4.527 kg of Hash narcotics, more..

May 7 (EN) If the epidemic situation in Sri Lanka calls for it, the country might have to go into lockdown, State Minister Dr Sudarshini Ferandopulle said. �Lockdown decisions are never political. They�re taken based on epidemiologic findings,� She told reporters today. �We cannot agree to a lockdown unless there is an express scientific need for it,� she added. At the Grama Niladhari level, the authority to impose more..

May 7 (AD) All schools, pre-schools, universities and tuition classes will remain closed until further notice, Minister G.L. Peiris announced today. The decision was jointly taken by the education and health authorities, after taking into account the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic situation in the country exacerbated by a third wave. On April 27, an announcement from Minister stated that all schools across the country will be closed until the Apr 30 due to the recent upsurge in Covid-19 figures. more..

May 7 (AD) DFCC Bank, with the aim of being the most customer-centric and digitally-enabled bank in the years to come, recently partnered with Visa to facilitate digitally driven, cost-effective transactions at Micro Merchant Businesses and increase card acceptance among Micro Merchants in SL. This partnership will further strengthen the transaction processing capability for merchants of DFCC Bank with its low transaction costs, while enabling their ability to shift from cash to accepting card more..

May 7 (PMD) Steps will be taken to provide Cabinet approved relief to the dependents of war heroes, who got killed or disabled due to terrorist activities with effect from April 2021. The war heroes sacrificed their lives or became disabled to safeguard the freedom and independence of the nation for all communities in the country. Therefore, it is the responsibility and duty of the government to provide all possible facilities that can be provided more..

May 7 (EN) National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) has approved the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use in Sri Lanka and a purchase order for five million doses has already been made, a spokesperson said. State Minister Dr Sudarshini Fernandopulle�s media secretary confirmedthat the NMRA�s advisory panel granted its approval for the jab today. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is one of the two pioneering jabs the WHO approved for emergency use, more..

May 7 (FT) At present Sri Lanka lies in a pathetic state in which the cogwheels of the socio-political system, the economy and the State machinery itself have ceased to function due to extreme degeneration of all facets of the entire system. The attempt to gyrate the cogwheels by using the military has proved to be unsuccessful. A breakdown of this magnitude is very rare and does not usually occur in any country. When such a situation arises it is important that the entire institutional system more..

May 7 (DM) More than 4,000 COVID-19 infected patients are still in their homes due to the shortage of beds at treatment centres or hospitals across the country. Currently a total of 17,795 COVID-19 cases have been reported in the country. However, only 13,043 COIVD-19 patients are undergoing treatment in hospitals, government managed or paid Intermediate Care Centres (ICC). Accordingly, 4,752 COVID-19 patients are yet more..

May 7 (TM) MP W.D.J Seneviratne was elected as the new President of the Sri Lanka-Indonesia Parliamentary Friendship Association recently at the revival meeting of the association for the ninth Parliament. The meeting was held under the patronage of Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, Ambassador of Indonesia to SL Gusti Ngurah Ardiyasa and Secretary General of Parliament Dhammika Dasanayake. At this meeting, MP Dr. Suren Raghavan was elected as more..

May 7 (FT) Inland Revenue Department (IRD) has met 98% of the tax revenue target of Rs. 575.5 billion given by the Ministry of Finance for the first 3 months of this year, the Committee on Public Finance informed. Committee chaired by MP Anura Priyadharshana Yapa expressed his appreciation to the IRD for its achievement of the set target amidst a global crisis and emphasised the need to increase the number of taxpayers in SL. According to the new tax amendments introduced for a period of more..

May 7 (Island) More than 20 Indian fishing vessels poaching in SL waters off Kachchathiv Island on Wednesday evening had fled when the Navy arrived, Jaffna fishing association said yesterday. �About 100 fishermen were in those vessels. On Tuesday (04) the navy chased away about 80 fishermen that came in 11 boats. However, the Indian fishermen continue to poach in our waters,� a representative of Jaffna fishing more..

May 7 (DM) Environment Minister Mahinda Amaraweera has instructed CEA to immediately update the Red data Book according to the new edition released by the Wildlife Dept. He said this while mentioning the World Migratory Bird Day which falls tomorrow. Minister said the new edition of the Red Data Book on Endangered Species of Wildlife in SL has been printed and completed. The theme of this year's World Migratory Bird Day event is Sing, Fly, Soar - Like a bird. more..

May 7 (FT) The Ceylon Institute of Builders (CIOB) wrote to PM Mahinda Rajapaksa informing him of the current financial predicament encountered by local construction contractors under the present economic climate, emphasising the issues and problems that are constantly faced by construction contractors are aggravated by the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic and due to other global and local economic factors, listing them in an annexure. CIOB also acknowledged the fact that more..

May 7 (DM) Prez Rajapaksa said today that he was hopeful that the World Health Organization (WHO) would make effort to fulfil Sri Lanka's need for 600,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine for the second dose. Prez said this after a discussion he had with WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus via zoom technology on the current COVID situation. The President said it was a useful meeting while WHO Chief thanked him for more..

May 7 (Island) Minister Douglas Devananda on Wednesday requested the Minister of Health, Pavithra Wanniarachchi to expand the ICU of the Jaffna Teaching Hospital given the recent spike in COVID-19 cases in the Jaffna area. Minister Devananda said that he had held talks with the Jaffna hospital administration recently and been informed that the number of ICU beds there for COVID-19 patients was limited. The Minister said that an ICU unit which could more..

May 7 (PMD) Democratic Left Front (DLF) presented their statement pledging to assist in the progress of the National Policy Framework Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour to Prez Rajapaksa at the Presidential Secretariat today. The statement was presented by Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara, Leader of the DLF. The plans of the DLF to promote the policies listed in the Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour; prioritizing national security, implementing a friendly non-aligned foreign policy, more..

May 7 (EN) SL�s public health inspectors, a permanent cadre of tropical disease fighters spread around country are urging authorities to speed up Coronavirus test results as delays are worsening the spread of Covid-19. PHIs say the backlog should be cleared perhaps with a joint operation with private sector labs and retired officer should also be brought back to service to help contain the outbreak with only 2,762 PHIs more..

May 7 (DM) As there is a tendency for children to move for schools with high results, teachers, as well as principals, should be committed to bringing the examination results of the students to a higher level, PM Rajapaksa said at Temple Trees today. A tendency had been created among parents to enrol their children to popular schools and that tendency should be changed. The premier said this during the visit of the students Navini Ravishka and Bhanuka Wickramasinghe who obtained highest marks more..

May 7 (AN) SL Christians are mobilising to help the authorities and fellow Sri Lankans stem the crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, which in recent weeks has particularly virulent in South Asia, starting with neighbouring India. National Christian Council of SL (NCCSL) is undertaking several aid and support projects for those most in need at this �critical juncture� of a �human calamity� that has swept the planet. On behalf of the NCCSL, its Secretary General, Fr Maxwell Dos, offered more..

May 7 (DM) Lawyers of DIG Bimshani Jasin-Arachchi, who was removed from her duties as the DIG in charge of the Police Ombudsman Range, has written to IGP C.D. Wickramaratne urging him to immediately reinstate her back to her assigned duties or allocate other suitable duties, a statement from her lawyers said. Statement said that by an Internal Circular dated March 23, 2021, IGP had purported to remove DIG Bimshani more..

May 7 (DM) SL recorded over 15,500 COVID-19 cases and 84 fatalities as of this evening since last Thursday (29). A total number of 15, 568 COVID patients have been detected since last Thursday in the country. Accordingly 120,521 confirmed COVID patients have been detected so far, while total recoveries stand at 101,763. According to the Epidemiology Unit, there are 18,014 patients still under medical care. Also, the country has done a total number of 26,360 PCR tests on May 5 more..

May 7 (EN) SL has reclassified US$ 2.2 billion of international sovereign bonds held by local entities like banks as domestic debt, while a collapse in secondary market prices of bonds also reduced external debt due to accounting treatment. SL�s external debt also fell in 2020 based on standard accounting treatment of ISBs by their secondary market value, though a face value liability remains. SL�s banks bought into ISBs in 2020 as market prices collapsed in the wake of a credit more..

May 7 (AD) PM Mahinda Rajapaksa today (May 07) virtually inaugurated the constructions work of the first phase of Ruwanpura Expressway. The event unfolded at the Temple Trees in Colombo this morning with participation of a limited number of guests in compliance with the health guidelines. Minister of Highways Johnson Fernando, Minister of Water Supply Vasudeva Nanayakkara, Minister of Health Pavithra Wanniarachchi and more..

May 7 (DM) The first phase of Russia's Sputnik-V vaccine inoculation began at Gothatuwa for Colombo district residents yesterday, received no complications, Gothatuwa Administrative Public Health Inspector (PHI) Nalin Fonseka said. He said that around 670 vaccines were given yesterday for people aged between 30 and 60 and they were the first to receive the vaccine. SL began rolling out Sputnik V vaccine for COVID developed by the Gamaleya Research Institute more..

May 7 (DM) A consignment of 230 metric tonnes of unrefined coconut oil brought to the Colombo Port on April 30 will be re-exported to Malaysia today, Customs Deputy Director (Legal Affairs) and Media Spokesman said. He said the unrefined coconut oil was detected in twelve 20ft containers. The vessel Ever Ethic was scheduled to arrive last Tuesday (4), but did not turn up as it left late from India, Mr. Silva said. However, the ship is scheduled to reach the Colombo port this evening, he said. more..

May 7 (DM) Sri Lanka is likely to roll out the Sinopharm vaccines manufactured by China by next week as the WHO is all set to announce its decision by the weekend or early next week, Daily Mirror learns. According to sources linked to the WHO, the expert committee of the WHO is likely to announce its decision strongly in favour of the vaccine to be listed under emergency use, after China had submitted all more..

May 8 (DM) Once during cross talks over the Central Bank bond scandal at the Western Provincial Council during the last govt, Niroshan Padukka, a UNP member was repeatedly disturbed by the then UPFA members. He took his seat after challengingly saying that he would give five minutes from the time allocated to him for any UPFA member to explain the bond scam over which they were shouting. An uneasy silence followed for a few minutes before the UNP member continued his speech, more..

May 8 (DM) For ages and generations good families have been the nucleus of a good society. Responsible and duty conscious parents have helped to nurture good children who turn out to be civic conscious citizens. They get involved in maintaining the rule of law, democratic freedom, dismantling the structures that keep the rich richer and the poor poorer, get actively involved in poverty alleviation, climate change and other global issues including the task of finding a remedy to more..

May 8 (Hindu) Daily-wage agricultural labourer Abdul Ghafoor Muhammadhu Jazeem, in SL�s northern Mannar district, had one life goal. To ensure his children have a good education. Despite toiling for years to realise the dream, he could not be more dejected today. On May 16, 2020, the police arrested his eldest son, Ahnaf Jazeem, a 26-year-old teacher and Tamil poet, based on allegations that his poetry collection, more..

May 8 (DM) Stalin Thaan Varraaru, Namakku Vidivu Tharraaru (Stalin is only coming and will give us a Dawn) was the key slogan around which the Indian political party Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam� (DMK) conducted its election campaign for the Tamil Nadu State Assembly polls held this year. The message conveyed by the slogan was that the DMK led by its leader M.K. Stalin was definitely winning the elections and that Stalin as Chief Minister would usher in a new Dawn for all. more..

May 8 (Island) National Hospital of Sri Lanka (NHSL) is the largest and best equipped Teaching Hospital in the country with a bed strength of nearly 4,000. It has 26 operating theatres, 28 Intensive Care Units (ICU) and several institutes including one for Cardiology housed in a large number of buildings. It is located on a 32-acre land standing in the middle of Colombo. NHSL is circled by a ring of busy public roads while some roads are running through the premises. more..

May 8 (CT) �We still invite tourists to Sri Lanka and airports are open and there is no ban on any countries,� an official said a few days back. �There is good passenger traffic at the BIA and all scheduled flights, some 20, are coming,� said another. An official at the Ministry of Tourism said they heard the Minister had banned Indian arrivals but all some did was brush aside the underlying health crisis with the emergence of the more..

May 8 (TM) The many ways Covid-19 can affect humans is one of the key topics that keeps popping up in the discussions on combatting Covid-19, and identifying and protecting the groups that are more prone to contracting Covid-19 and/or experiencing complications due to the virus, is the foremost concern of those endeavouring to mitigate the pandemic. Owing to this risk, urgency, and limited resources, Sri Lanka too has had to prioritise groups that need to be vaccinated before others, more..

May 8 (CT) The use of inorganic chemical fertiliser for paddy cultivation in the country was synchronous with the mechanisation of farming practices. Up to about 1960s it was organic fertiliser that was solely used. Soon after harvesting paddy, the straw was spread on the stubble and set fire to. The branches of the trees on the irrigation canal embankments forming the hedges (badavetiya) of the paddy fields were chopped off and put on the muddy surface for the green leaf to decompose, more..