May 21 (DM) All preschools in the Southern Province will remain closed this week while the primary section of other schools situated in the areas where the disease is spreading will be closed for two-days from tomorrow because of an unidentified disease spreading in the Province, Provincial Education Ministry said. Provincial Education Secretary Y. Wickramasiri said all preschools would be close from May 22 to May 27 while the primary section of schools will be more..

May 21 (FT) Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera, announcing the Govt’s decision to move for a flexible fuel price system based on international prices built into a pricing formula, made a side announcement as well. That was to give back the entirety of the money saved from the adjustment of fuel prices to reflect their costs amounting to about Rs. 56 billion in this year to a new development programme titled Gam Peraliya. This catchy title has been borrowed by him from more..

May 21 (DM) President Maithripala Sirisena has pruned Minister Rajitha Senaratne's delegation to attend the 70th summit of the World Health Organization (WHO) from 20 to 14. President is reported to have struck off six names because such a big number of delegates had not been sent to this event during the period when he served as the Health Minister. It is said that a delegation of deputy directors of health had been included in this list. more..

May 21 (FT) Office of Missing Persons (OMP) in Sri Lanka will set up 12 regional offices covering the entire country to receive information and complaints from families and other individuals of the missing persons, the OMP Chairman President’s Counsel Saliya Peiris told the media after the OMP held its second meeting in Matara. The newly-created OMP, which began public consultations on 12 May in Mannar, held its second public meeting at the Matara District Secretariat on Saturday (19). more..

May 21 (GDI) President Maithripala Sirisena instructed relevant authorities to take swift action to provide relief for individuals affected by the prevailing adverse weather condition. He further instructed them to disregard funding issues and act immediately to look into and provide all the aid that should be given by the govt, the President’s Media Division said. President issued these instructions after looking into the relief activities for the people affected by the adverse weather condition more..

May 21 (SLA) Hundreds of Army troops on the directions of the Commander of the Army, Lieutenant General Mahesh Senanayake have rushed to island-wide vulnerable areas to provide relief and engage in rescue operations, if necessary in the wake of worsening weather conditions due to heavy rains in the past 48 hours. By Monday morning, troops of the Security Force Headquarters – West (SFHQ-West) have been mobilized to more..

May 21 (Island) Around 75 children of senior and mid-level education officers had been admitted to some leading Colombo schools in violation of procedure, Joseph Stalin, General Secretary of the Ceylon Teachers’ Union (CTU) said yesterday. "Recently, two children were admitted to a leading girl school, but subsequently they were removed due to protests. There are many others. We call upon the govt to conduct a probe into these irregular admissions." more..

May 21 (AD) Dept of Irrigation says that the water level of the Kalu River has exceeded Minor Flood level and is reaching Major Flood level due to the heavy rainfall received by the Kalu River catchment area. Water level in the Ratnapura area has exceeded Minor Flood level is currently gradually rising, it said, issuing a flood warning. Therefore if the rainfall currently experienced in the upper catchment area persists, it could develop in a major flood situation within next couple of hours. more..

May 21 (Roar) Looking small and rather faded underneath the transparent protective covering, the stamp appears pretty unremarkable. A dull pink in colour, with the profile of the Queen Victoria’s head standing in the center, it even lacks the perforations which we are so used to seeing in stamps. However, there is nothing ordinary about this little piece of paper at all: it is nearly 159 years old, costs thousands of pounds, and more..

May 21 (DM) At least six road accidents have been reported by this evening on the Southern and Katunayake expressways, SP Ruwan Gunasekara said. He said four accidents on Southern Expressway and another two on Katunayake Expressway had been reported. Meanwhile, four individuals including a child had been admitted to the Nagoda Hospital after a jeep veered off the road and crashed into the safety barrier of the Southern Expressway around 11.50 am today. more..

May 21 (AD) Thilanga Sumathipala, Jayantha Dharmadasa, Nishantha Ranatunga and Mohan de Silva have submitted nominations for the chairmanship of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC). SLC Elections Committee says that their names have been sent to the country’s cricket clubs in order to file objections, if any, before May 22. SLC elections to appoint new office bearers will be held on May 31. A 5-member Elections Committee was appointed at the SLC’s Extraordinary General Meeting more..

May 21 (SL) Former President Rajapaksa today took another swipe at the Govt on the fuel price hike. Rajapaksa said that members of the public would have noticed that the Finance and Media Ministry has been publishing advertisements stating that in 2014, the world price of crude oil was USD 60 and that petrol was being sold at that time at Rs. 157 per litre whereas today in 2018, the price of crude oil is USD 78, and the local price of more..

May 21 (HT) A team of archaeological experts from the Deccan college postgraduate and research institute will visit Sri Lanka for a special excavation. The visit is in association with the archaeology department of the university of Sri J'pura. The team, which includes experts from Deccan as well as other Indian institutes, will be excavating ancient Buddhist stupas and monasteries along with a number of prehistoric caves across 1,600 acres in Rassagala, commonly known as Rajagala. more..

May 21 (GDI) The supply of electricity to many parts of the island has been hampered due to the adverse weather conditions that prevailed in the island. Accordingly, power supply in Agalawatta, Mathugama and Horana areas have been interrupted. Ministry of Power says that power lines have been snapped due to the heavy rains and warned the public not to touch downed power lines. If any downed lines are observed, the Ministry requests the public to immediately call 1987 more..

May 21 (DM) Emissions from the Norochcholai Power Plant do not appear to have caused any adverse effect to the sacred Sri Maha Bodhi in A'pura but a scientific test should be carried out to obtain a clearer picture, Energy expert Dr. Tilak Siyambalapitiya said. He said the govt should obtain the services of a foreign analyst to determine the correct situation. “An environment impact study should be carried out before constructing more..

May 21 (ENS) About 550 members of various Tamil outfits including the May 17 Movement, MDMK, Tamilaga Makkal Jananayaka Katchi (TMJK), Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) and others were arrested on the Marina on Sunday when they defied the ban order and went ahead to stage a candlelight vigil for victims of the last phase of the Eelam War. With an intention of paying homage to the Sri Lankan Tamils killed during the last phase of Eelam War in the island nation in 2009, more..

May 21 (Island) President Maithripala Sirisena has appointed secretaries to 10 ministries. They are Padmasiri Jayamanne (Ministry of Public Administration & Management and Law & Order), J.J. Rathnasiri (Ministry of Higher Education and Culture), D.K.R.A. Ekanayake (Ministry of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development and Rural Economy), P. Ranepura (Ministry of Science, Technology and Research, Skills Development and Vocational Training & Hill Country Heritage), more..

May 21 (DM) GMOA said that the Epidemiology Unit is inactive and had not taken sufficient measures to mitigate the spreading viral flu in Southern Province. GMOA Secretary Dr. Haritha Aluthge said the unit’s inactiveness was due to appointing a person with lack of technical knowledge of the subject as Chief Epidemiologist. He said though the suspicious Influenza flu wreck havoc in Southern Province the Epidemiology Unit had more..

May 22 (CT) How our political parties have kept their promises is well known, as is the downward march of our political culture. Beginning with scattered incidence of bribery, corruption, nepotism and inefficiency in the early post-independence era, these have today become the very definition of govt. It was with fervent hope that the majority of the people voted the present govt into power, but deep disappointment with it and the system of parties within which it is embedded, more..

May 22 (GV) May 18, 2009 is a day that showcases division. To some, it is a day of mourning. To others, cause for celebration. Families in the North and East who commemorate their family members killed during the final stages of the war on May 18 call this day Remembrance Day. Conversely, May 19 is known as Ranaviru Day and is meant to remember soldiers whose lives were lost during the war. This year’s Ranaviru Day will be held at Parliament Grounds, attended by govt representatives. more..

May 22 (SO) As Sri Lanka marked the ninth year since the end of its long armed conflict this week, the SL Army opted for muted memorial ceremonies to honour its war heroes and all those who suffered during the three decades of devastation. According to the Commander of SL Army, Lieutenant General Mahesh Senanayake, instead of large victory parades and constant brouhaha which only led to the waste of public funds, more..

May 22 (CT) The rise in public manifestation of ethnic nationalism in the North was evident at this year’s commemoration ceremonies of the last phase of the war at Mullivaikkal of May 18, 2009. Several thousands of people attended the ceremony of remembrance held there at the monument erected in memory of the civilians killed in the war. This is the first time since the end of the war that a political event took place on May 18. Politicians from the moderate TNA who attended the event more..

May 22 (DN) The recent revelation of alarmingly high malnutrition rate among children of Sri Lanka is indeed an eye-opener for economic policy planners, some of whom were complacent with the achievement of impressive progress in extreme poverty reduction and the success of reducing the proportion of the population in poverty bracket to 6%. Although extreme poverty level was reduced successfully and even the poor are not in the starvation bracket, the fact remains that more..

May 22 (CT) New UNP General Secretary Akila Viraj Kariyawasam said that the recent election of UNP office-bearers was held in the most democratic manner. He explained that no one wanted to contest key posts within the Party and they were elected unanimously and democratically. Here, the new UNP General Secretary, Party Spokesman and Education Minister is in conversation with Ceylon Today. more..

May 22 (ST) By the time this column appears the much looked forward to Royal Wedding would be over. Britons are famous for switching on the pomp and pageantry which they have been doing for centuries. All that would have, by now, been wound down. Even the royals, these days, have to scale down their expensive ways. The hundreds of common people who attracted by their monarchy or still worshipping it, especially the loveable Prince Harry, found positions however more..

May 22 (ST) The decision to implement a cost reflective pricing policy for fuel was a rare instance of political courage in economic decision making. This unpopular decision to increase the price of petroleum products on May 9 was in the interests of the economy. It was an act of political courage at a time when the Govt is required to regain its popularity in the run-up to elections in 2019 and 2020. Had domestic prices not been increased, the Govt would have had to incur losses more..

May 22 (CT) The month of May every year sees SL going through its regular flood trauma, as global climate change, causes fiercer storms and extreme weather. As we reported yesterday as the South West monsoon conditions set in, heavy showers have been predicted for several provinces in the country. Already five lives have been lost and the DMC said 8,690 persons from 2,194 families have been affected by the weather. The Department of Meteorology is predicting heavy rainfalls more..

May 22 (Island) SriLankan Airlines (SLA) recently announced highlights of unaudited results for FY ending March 31, 2018. Key among them were: Annual Passenger Revenue of Rs 126.9 billion (USD 830.7 million), an unprecedented Rs 14.7 billion in Cargo Revenue and another first-timer, Group Revenue exceeding USD 1 billion. The announcement further stated that all three business divisions had exceeded revenue targets. Airline’s CEO Suren Ratwatte jubilantly declared, more..

May 22 (Roar) After 20-odd years of the same technology gluing our mobile lifestyles together, the humble SIM card is finally ripe for a bit of disruption. Introducing eSIM technology. The recent Mobile World Congress 2018, hosted by GSMA—the global body that represents the interests of mobile network operators worldwide—discussed this nascent technology’s enormous potential. more..

May 22 (FT) Admiral Prof. Jayanath Colombage, Director of The Pathfinder Foundation, delivered a speech at the recently-concluded 2018 Innovative Forum for Mayors of Int'l Sister Cities of Chengdu, held in Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan Province in China. The theme of this forum was New Economy, New Energy, New Growth. Mayors, deputy mayors, municipal councillors and state ministers from 40 countries participated in this mega event, which was held for the third time. more..

May 22 (FT) Teejay Lanka, one of the region’s largest textile manufacturers, has announced a doubling of capacity of its Indian mill, following the completion of an expansion project involving an investment of $ 15 million (more than Rs. 2.3 billion at current rates). Located within the 1,000-acre Brandix India Apparel City (BIAC) in Vizag, Andrapradesh, Teejay India is now capable of manufacturing up to 42 million metres of Weft knitted fabric annually using state-of-the-art more..

May 22 (ST) The Lanka Hospitals PLC (LHPL) is eyeing setting up a facility in Seychelles and plans to commence work on it this year, top officials say. “This will be a pilot project for Lanka Hospitals and progress will be monitored carefully to refine it further for replication in other locations,” LHPL Chairman Dr. Sarath Paranavithana has said in his annual review. An ageing demographic, high incidence of non-communicable diseases, more..

May 22 (FT) Building on a strong momentum gathered over the final quarter of FY 2017/18, SL’s leading diversified conglomerate Hayleys PLC announced a record breaking top-line performance, as revenue expanded by 47% Year-on-Year to Rs. 163.2 billion during the 12 months to 31 March 2018. Supported by the addition of 6 months of operations from its recently acquired subsidiary, Singer (SL) PLC, the conclusion of the financial year marked two important milestones for the Hayleys Group, more..

May 22 (DN) Sri Lanka’s exports in 2017 has grown by 15% to US$15.4 billion and the challenge would be to keep it going and further increasing it, said Indira Malwatte, Chairperson Export Development Board. “Now we have a challenge of increasing exports by 15% every year for a period of 20 years,” she said addressing the launch of the 100th issue of the Sri Lanka Exporter Magazine recently in Colombo. Malwatte said the export target for 2018 has been set at US$ 17.8 billion. more..

May 22 (DM) SL’s revised National Physical Plan for 2018-2050 is expected to be gazetted shortly and the plan proposes to develop Colombo-Trincomalee as the main economic corridor along with three other sub-corridors, while A'pura and Kandy also to be developed separately as metropolitan areas, aiming for future agglomeration of economies and to draw investments. more..

May 22 (DM) A leading political authority sacked a white-collar high-up handling development projects for expressing his opinion that a monetary allocation made for funding certain projects in a backward district is unreasonably excessive, they say. The high political authority had set apart only Rs.7 billion to develop a main city with many shortcomings while allocating more than twice that amount for the development projects in the backward district. The white-collar high-up had pointed out that more..

May 22 (AD) The current govt is an unlawful govt and it works against the constitution, said SLPP Chairman, Prof. G.L. Peiris. The current govt should all go home as they have proven that they cannot run the country, says the former foreign minister. According to him, JO and SLPP have planned to organize a series of island-wide protests from June. He claims that the current govt has carried out activities that are against the public and SLFP supported the govt in those. more..

May 22 (CT) Private Health Services Regulatory Council (PHSRC), of the Ministry of Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine, whilst acknowledging that the non-consensual administration of a particular contraceptive to prospective female migrant workers, at private medical centres affiliated to the Gulf Approved Medical Centres Association (GAMCA) during the mandatory pre-departure health screening, more..

May 22 (DN) The Southern Province which is severely affected by the extreme weather is also affected by an influenza epidemic which has thus far reported 600 cases. A second team of specialists from the Epidemiology Unit of the Health Ministry in Colombo were sent to all affected areas in the Southern Province yesterday to deal with the emergency. The first team sent earlier had been headed by Dr. Anil Dissanayake, Director of the Ministry of Health, Epidemiology Unit. more..