Apr 20 (CT) As the new corona virus wreaks havoc on healthcare systems worldwide, it has also done irreparable damage to the global economy as countries race to impose lockdowns to contain it. This has lead to a surge in unemployment levels as well as an increase mental health issues and anxiety, as people are confined to their homes amidst rising financial pressures. Corporate trainer and Director of Blue Mango Partners, more..

Apr 20 (ST) The anti-democracy virus infecting law enforcement officials in Sri Lanka today appears to have proceeded belligerently to the point that an attorney-at-law was arrested this week in circumstances so outrageous that it has drawn the Bar Association of SL (BASL) out of hibernation to express its concern. Pointing out in wary tones that reasons for the arrest of this attorney of Muslim ethnicity, who is no stranger to Hulfsdorp’s legal circles, has not been made known up to now, more..

Apr 20 (Island) The govt and the Election Commission (EC) have been playing ping-pong on a crucial national issue, for the last couple of weeks or so; they refuse to decide when the postponed general election will be held. They keep shifting the onus for doing so to each other. Their wrangle has left the public confused. The EC, recently, went so far as to ask President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to seek an opinion from the Supreme Court over the issue. The govt rejected its request out of hand. more..

Apr 20 (Island) The govt has decided to reboot the economy by relaxing curfew while limiting lockdowns to the red zones. Dr. Prasanna Cooray discusses the Covid-19 situation in SL and how it has been handled. The second part of this interview, dealing with the govt decision to end lockdowns and its impact on the epidemic management process will be published shortly. Dr. Cooray is a Social Health expert with more..

Apr 20 (CT) Precisely a hundred years ago, in 1918-1919, India and Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) were hit by a pandemic which was more severe than COVID-19. It was known as Influenza or the Spanish flu or simply, flu. It is said to have killed between 50 to 100 million people world-wide, 20 million in undivided India (including present day Pakistan and Bangladesh), and 20,000 in Ceylon. 6% of undivided India's population was wiped out in two years. Ceylon lost 1.1% of its population. more..

Apr 20 (CT) In the General Elections of 1989, the Department of Elections faced unprecedented obstacles from the Tamil terrorists, who controlled a large segment of the North and East and the JVP rebels, who unleashed terror in many parts in the South, calling for a boycott of the polls. The voting percentage dropped to an all time low, as more than one-third of the voters did not venture out to cast their votes. However, 63.8% of the people voted to elect the 225-member House. more..

Apr 20 (CT) Two days ago, the Chairman telephoned me to confirm my attendance at the Commission meeting on 20.04.2020, and proposed that we gazette polls for 28.05.2020, suggesting that if the COVID Pandemic is not over we could postpone again. I disagreed. I am writing this note to the Commission to argue that we must not set a date until we are sure that we will not be jeopardizing the population’s health by doing so. Here are my seven reasons: more..

Apr 20 (Island) Sri Lanka, in the long title of the 1978 Constitution, is called the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. Though we persist with free health services and education, at best, the term Socialist has been retained merely as a nostalgic reference to our past. This becomes clear if one examines the manner in which we have conducted our economic affairs since 1977. Further, the Constitution itself does not contain anything to justify the use of the word Socialist, more..

Apr 20 (ST) The tiny trailblazer and his joyous parents are back home amidst these trying times. Not named yet, as Kshanikadevi Rupesinghe and Mevan Peiris wish to see his personality before bestowing a name and did not want to know the gender of their first baby before birth, he will however go down in the annals of Sri Lanka as unique. For, he is the first to be delivered in a planned water-birth in a hospital setting more..

Apr 20 (Island) Henry Kissinger, in one of his infrequent statements says, "When the COVID 19 pandemic is over, many countries’ institutions will be perceived as having failed. Whether this judgment is objectively fair is irrelevant. The reality is the world will never be the same after the coronavirus. To argue now about the past only makes it harder to do what has to be done". The changes being forced upon the world by Covid 19 can and must be viewed as the new opportunity which will enable more..

Apr 20 (ST) If all had been hunky dory and had events trotted to plan, the nation would have gone to the polls this coming Saturday morn to elect a new govt. All the necessary constitutional steps to give birth to a new parliament had been effected. Even the three month labour period had been induced by a presidential gazette notification on March 2 which dissolved Parliament at the midnight hour. The nominations were to be held between the 12th and 19th of March. more..

Apr 20 (CT) Once upon a time, bomb blasts, suicide attacks, random security checks and being stopped at security check points every other kilometre was just a part and parcel of an ordinary Sri Lankan citizen who lived through the early 1980s till 2009. Following May 2009, almost every Sri Lankan and even foreigners developed an allergy to road blocks and as time passed year by year, they started to live in a bubble where terrorism, more..

Apr 20 (Island) He may have become the first captain from Asia to win a Test series in South Africa but Dimuth Karunaratne rates his team’s victory of the Headingley Test in 2014 as the greatest moment of his career. Last year, Karunaratne is his first assignment as captain of SL achieved the unimaginable when he guided the national cricket team to a 2-0 series win over the Proteas. Yet, the memories of Headingley 2014 are hard to forget for the opening batsman. more..

Apr 20 (CT) There is a fresh air of excitement and expectancy surrounding the Women's soccer team once football resumes in the country, with a new Head Coach to be recruited and a new look team groomed for upcoming tournaments. Anura de Silva, President of Football Federation of SL (FFSL), confirmed that a new look and much-improved Women's team will take the field in the upcoming matches. He also said the new players will have their feet firmly grounded with more..

Apr 20 (TM) Sri Lanka’s liquor industry, one of the top contributors to the country’s tax revenue, has lost its annual Sinhala and Tamil New Year and Easter sales this year owing to the ongoing curfew imposed to mitigate the spread of Covid-19 within the country. As noted by the industry, the losses could be in the billions, as Easter and New Year sales collectively bring in significant revenue, similar to that of Christmas any given year. more..

Apr 20 (Island) The cricketing summer of 2005 will best be remembered for The Ashes series widely acclaimed as the best ever. England regained the Ashes, after eight successive series losses. While the cricketing world’s attention was fixated on the Ashes, a bunch of youngsters from Sri Lanka were on a junior tour locking horns with their English counterparts. The Lankan juniors were demolished in the first ODI at Worcester. The second encounter was a washout. more..

Apr 20 (TM) The Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) will open for trading on Wednesday (22) after being closed for more than a month. This decision has been made by the Securities and Exchange Commission, which regulates the CSE, in line with the Government’s decision to lift the curfew in Colombo on the same day. This was confirmed by CSE Chairman Ray Abeywardena said. “Yes, we are planning to open on the 22nd as the curfew is being lifted on that day,” he said. more..

Apr 20 (ST) SL’s total exports are to see a significant drop this year amounting to a US$7 billion loss in earnings with the revised targets set to achieve $10.75 billion in earnings. This would mean Sri Lanka will see a drop of about 42% of its targeted export volume which was previously forecasted at $18.5 billion. Compared to last year when SL’s export earnings topped $16.2 billion, this yr’s forecast would see a 33% drop in value more..

Apr 20 (DN) Despite, the Covid 19 virus crippling the world economy, the Colombo Tea Auction held during April 16-18 continued the raise prices and more records tumbled this week. The prices were remarkably higher than last week and there was good demand from Russia, Turkey and the Middle East, Chairman of the Colombo Tea Traders Association Jayantha Karunaratne said yesterday. Meanwhile, there were three all-timerecords all of which came through Asia Siyaka catalogues. more..

Apr 20 (EN) SL has sold US$ 174.3 in March 2020 to defend a soft-peg with the US dollar after printing money, to target a call money rate and generate excess liquidity, despite weak private credit, official data showed. SL had monetary stability until Jan 2020, when rates were cut on Jan 30 and the first so-called helicopter drop of excess cash took place in the last week of February. In January Central Bank bought US$ 149 million from markets and sold US$ 60 million to maintain the peg more..

Apr 20 (DM) Railways General Manager Dilantha Fernando requested the public not to use the railway services from tomorrow when the curfew is lifted if they have cough, cold or fever which could be COVID-19 symptoms. He said 23 trains will be operated to transport commuters especially government and other essential service employees to Colombo from other provinces. “The people who arrive at stations should have to more..

Apr 20 (SO) India could come to the rescue of Sri Lanka to restart its cricketing economics following the aborted England tour of the island and an uncertain South African tour in the aftermath of the coronavirus lockdown that has brought global sport to a complete standstill. India is slated to tour Sri Lanka commencing in the last week of June for what is expected to be a money-spinning six-match series featuring three ODIs and 3 T20 Internationals. The tour could be a saving face for SLC more..

Apr 20 (Island) JVP-led NPP, accused the govt of trying to conduct an election, despite warnings by health workers while the incidence of COVID-19 was high. NPP member Dr. Nihal Abeysinghe said curfew must not be lifted prematurely. Dr Abeysinghe, former epidemiologist of Health Ministry and WHO’s regional advisor on vaccine-preventable diseases in the South East Asia region, said: "Anyone we meet on the street, after the relaxing of the curfew, may be carrying the virus. more..

Apr 20 (Island) Former National List MP and constitutional expert Dr. Jayampathy Wickremaratne, PC, said that Prez Rajapaksa had no option but to withdraw proclamation, dissolving parliament, to prevent an unprecedented constitutional crisis. He said that as Prez Rajapaksa, had, in terms of the 19th Amendment, called an early general election, the initiated process could be reversed by reconvening parliament by proper means. more..

Apr 20 (DN) Multinationals will now be looking to remap their supply chains due to the risks of concentration, Economist Anushka Wijesinghe said, He said that it was an opportune moment for SL to court Japanese firms wherein the Japanese govt was incentivizing firms to relocate outside China. He was speaking on 17 April as part of the webinar series by the Hatch co-working space. He said “there will be a reconfiguring. US-China trade war had already triggered this among global firms more..

Apr 20 (Island) The increasing manufacture of illicit liquor, throughout the country, following the nationwide curfew to contain COVID-19 will become as bad as the virus crisis, the Excise Department says. Deputy Commissioner of Excise Kapila Kumarasinghe, yesterday, said that the illegal production, sale and transportation of liquor had seen a marked increase, during curfew, and the Department had arrested more than 500 people for illegally producing liquor, during the curfew. more..

Apr 20 (Island) Election Commission member Prof. Ratnajeevan Hoole told The Island, from Jaffna, that he strongly objected to a proposal to conduct the delayed parliamentary election on May 28. Prof. Hoole said that the EC couldn’t take the risk of announcing the polls for May 28 as the country was yet to overcome the unprecedented health crisis, caused by the COVID-19 eruption. more..

Apr 20 (DN) In an effort to support medical professionals and essential medical services during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, Dialog Axiata PLC, extended free critical connectivity solutions for video conferencing facilities and Internet access to support the medical staff at IDH - the central healthcare institution spearheading the control of COVID-19 outbreak in the country. This timely set up enabled the health care providers of IDH to share information and provide synchronous remote medical more..

Apr 20 (SO) In a matter of weeks, coronavirus has changed how students are educated around the world. SLIIT, Sri Lanka’s largest non-state degree awarding institute, has understood that as students face tremendous, disruptive change the need to create safe spaces and opportunities to learn at a distance is vital. Making the transition with confidence, SLIIT now delivers lectures to students via the institution’s advanced online platform. SLIIT uploads the lecture videos on a daily basis more..

Apr 20 (TM) As local medical experts raised concerns over a drug shortage prevailing in the country, the Govt notes that measures have been taken to import essential drugs that are in short supply from India immediately. Minister Bandula Gunawardana said that the drug shortage in the country was not a new phenomenon as it prevailed even during the time of the previous Govt. However, with the record of shortages of several drugs more..

Apr 20 (AD) The Southern Expressway will be opened from Kottawa to Hambantota between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. from today (20), the Road Development Authority (RDA) said. Meanwhile the expressway will be opened from Katunayake to Hambantota from Wednesday (22). All expressways had been closed for motorists from March 20, however later a decision had been taken to allow vehicles to use the expressway for short distances during non-curfew hours. more..

Apr 20 (Island) Archbishop of Colombo Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, yesterday, requested that Buddhist temples and other religious places of worship, together with the churches, sound their bells at 8.40 am tomorrow (21) to mark the first year commemoration of the victims of the Easter Sunday carnage. The Cardinal also requested all Sri Lankans to join in commemorating the victims from their homes by lighting a lamp or candle in prayer in remembrance of all Sri Lankans, and more..

Apr 20 (AD) The curfew which had been imposed in order to control the spread of COVID–19 has been relaxed in 18 districts from today, with the objective of restoring normalcy in the civilian life. Accordingly the curfew in force in all other districts except the districts of Colombo, Gampaha, Kalutara, Puttalam, Kandy, Kegalle and Ampara was lifted at 5 am this morning (20) and will be re-imposed at 8pm later today. more..

Apr 20 (DM) Unilever SL has committed a sum of Rs.35 million towards the national efforts to tackle the coronavirus pandemic. The company has contributed Rs.20 million towards public awareness, hygiene and sanitation efforts across the country through its flagship hygiene brand Lifebuoy. This includes setting up 70 Lifebuoy handwash stations in public spaces such as bus terminals, railway stations and hospitals across the country as well as a wide-reaching public awareness campaign more..

Apr 20 (DN) All factories should strictly adhere to a set of guidelines issued by the Govt to be followed at workplaces and other public and private entities to prevent and control the spread of possible COVID-19 infection when the work and production is resumed after the curfew is lifted. Minister Prasanna Ranatunga said it is mandatory to follow the health and security guidelines issued by the Government to ensure the safety of factory workers even though the curfew is lifted. more..

Apr 20 (AD) Former MP Ranjan Ramanayake has been granted bail by the Nugegoda Magistrate’s Court. When the case was taken up today, Magistrate A.M.M. Mihal ordered the former MP released on a personal bail of Rs 200,000. The case was postponed until Sept 28. The former deputy minister was arrested on April 13 on charges of violating curfew laws, abetting the violation of curfew laws and obstructing police officers more..

Apr 20 (AD) The first batch of Sri Lankan students who are currently in India and Pakistan will be repatriated tomorrow (21), said Minister Prasanna Ranatunga. Measures have been taken to quarantine the arriving students under directions of health authorities, he said. The airport and its services have already made necessary preparations for this task, he added. SriLankan Airlines will be undertaking the task of bringing back the students to Sri Lanka, said Ranatunga. more..

Apr 20 (FT) With the breakdown of markets during COVID-19 pandemic, both locally and globally, a strong public opinion is now being mooted for restoring self-sufficiency and independent existence. Markets had nourished people for centuries unfailingly, making them an essential part of modern human living. They were so neatly woven into living that it was unthinkable to have an existence without them. But that has now come to an abrupt end due to restrictions imposed by govts on public more..