May 25 (Island) JVP alleges that India has re-launched a project to acquire the East Terminal of the Colombo Port, while Sri Lanka is facing severe economic hardships, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Former JVP MP, Bimal Ratnayake, said that during Saturday’s telephone call, between Sri Lankan Prez Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and Indian PM Narendra Modi, the Indian PM had spoken about the Colombo East Terminal, which was not related to the subject under discussion. more..

May 25 (Island) Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka said that had Prabhakaran survived, he would have been in an influential position today. Referring to one-time LTTE commander Karuna receiving privileged status, after switching his allegiance to the then Rajapaksa administration, Gampaha District SJB candidate Fonseka said Prabhakaran could have secured an influential position. more..

May 25 (Island) Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi said that over 50,000 PCR tests were done from January 2020 to May 24. Most of the tests were done at the MRI, she said. “When we heard about cases being reported in Wuhan, in Dec 2019, we started to prepare for any eventuality. By Jan 2020, the MRI was ready to conduct PCR tests. Soon we expanded the ability, to conduct PCR tests, to 15 hospitals.” She added the govt would also enlist the support of private institutions, as well as more..

May 25 (CT) Govt, on 23 May, allowed 35 patients from the Seychelles to enter the country, which is the single largest foreign group to land at the BIA ever since the lockdown in late March. The group arrived at the BIA in a Seychelles airline, and were immediately removed to a city hotel, where they would undergo a 14-day quarantine period prior to being treated at private hospitals for various illnesses, Presidents' Additional Secretary (foreign Affairs), Admiral (Retd) J. Colambage said. more..

May 25 (EN) The number of COVID 19 cases detected in the country spiked yesterday taking the total since the outbreak in SL to 1,141. Fifty-two new cases were reported yesterday, the third-highest daily to be diagnosed since the outbreak. A statement at 5:30 pm on Sunday reported that 28 cases had been reported by that time. All the patients are Kuwait returnees, and were detected at Trinco and Minneriya Centres. more..

May 25 (EN) Sri Lanka Telecom, the island’s largest fixed line operators said a cyber attack has been mounted on a section of their internal servers which have been isolated and the threat is being dealt with. “Our vigilant early warning systems detected the attempt and precautionary measures with shutdown of some servers were implemented without delay,” SLT said. “These servers are isolated and corrective action is being taken. There is no impact to any system that is used to provide SLT services. more..

May 25 (FT) In the recent times, due to the unprecedented pandemic of COVID-19, there was a shift in attention towards Ayurveda and any possible Ayurvedic interventions to be utilised to prevent the disease and to help with symptoms of the disease. In light of the rapidly spreading infection, people bought, collected and commenced using well known home remedies for cold and flu like illnesses; some of these such remedies include coriander, ginger and venivelgeta. more..

May 25 (AD) Sri Lanka reported its tenth death from the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, a short while ago, confirmed Director General of Health Services Dr. Anil Jasinghe. A female who had arrived from Kuwait and had been undergoing quarantine at the Trincomalee quarantine center has succumbed to the virus in this manner. 52-year-old deceased woman had been suffering from heart conditions prior to death, more..

May 25 (FT) Muslims of SL, descendants of Arab merchants, who now constitute nearly 10% of the island’s population, have been a peace-loving community since their advent in the seventh century. Dr. Lorna Dewaraja, an erudite historian, points out in her illustrious book, The Muslims of Sri Lanka – One Thousand Years of Ethnic Harmony – 900 to 1915, inter alia that, “In the history of Sri Lanka few are aware of the harmonious relationship which had developed between the Sinhalese, more..

May 25 (Island) Wildlife and Nature Protection Society (WNPS) says its Marine sub-committee (MSC) has identified three distinct issues regarding the recent beach nourishment programme of the govt on the southern beaches of the Western Province in relation to its possible adverse effects on the marine environment. WNPS statement: 1. Beach nourishment, south of Mount Lavinia, centred on the Kalutara Kalido beach, to restore severely eroded beaches. Action taken to correct observed more..

May 25 (AD) Individuals who do not maintain social distance once the curfew is lifted will be arrested from tomorrow (26) onwards, stated DIG Ajith Rohana. Accordingly, any person who does not maintain the prescribed social distance, whether at queues or in buses, they will be arrested and prosecuted under Section 264 of the Penal Code of Sri Lanka, he said. The DIG further said if convicted of such an offense, more..

May 25 (DM) Govt of Seychelles yesterday expressed its gratitude to the SL Govt for providing urgent medical attention for 35 citizens of Seychelles upon their arrival to SL on May 23. The group of 35 citizens of Seychelles came to SL and 24 of them required urgent medical care, of which 11 critical patients are being accompanied by their relatives, for coronary angiography and angioplasty, tetralogy fallout corrective surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, retinal detachment repair and more..

May 25 (Island) The daughter of a kidney patient, yesterday, lodged a complaint with the Human Rights Commission that officials at the Kurunegala Hospital had displaced a erroneous report given by a private lab. She said that her father’s doctor had asked him to undergo a blood test and he got the test done by a private lab, in Kurunegala. Based on the lab report, her father was admitted to hospital, but later tests done by the hospital showed that, the private lab report was erroneous. more..

May 25 (Island) Covid-19 pandemic had left all Sri Lankans with only one option – work to building Sri Lanka, PM Mahinda Rajapaksa said yesterday. “The choice is stark - pull together or perish”, he added. “A worldwide economic crisis, reminiscent of the 1930s Great Depression, is widely expected to follow the COVID-19 pandemic. In this new global environment, even the option of going overseas, in search of greener pastures, more..

May 25 (DM) Manoj Harshana alias Mana, an accomplice of underworld figure 'Kosgoda Tharaka, has been arrested with over 200 grams of heroin worth Rs. 2.5 million by the STF. STF said the 25-year-old suspect, a resident of Nugegoda, was arrested during a raid at Thalapathpitiya on Saturday following a tip-off. Following the questioning, it was revealed that the suspect was the main drugs distributor of underworld figures Kosgoda Tharaka and Gagana who are currently in prison. more..

May 25 (EN) With the exodus of a sizable faction of the party hierarchy, SL’s main opposition UNP has been cleansed of its extremist, anti-Buddhist elements, former UNP MP Ravi Karunanayake said. “The UNP is now completely clean of any allegations of speaking against Buddhism, of speaking for extremists and of standing up only for the minorities,” he told reporters. The UNP’s behaviour over the last two months has amply displayed its maturity as a party, he added. more..

May 25 (EN) Director-General of Health Services Dr Anil Jasinghe is asking politicians and the general public not to drag him or other apolitical Public Servants into political tussles in response to claims that he has greenlighted the holding of elections. In an appearance on SLRC Jasinghe asked all politicians in the govt and the opposition that they may have their debates but don’t drag us into them. more..

May 25 (Island) General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University has come up with an app called CuRec, an interactive patient-doctor communication platform to aid the fight against COVID-19. This app was developed by the faculty of computing of the university. Vice Chancellor Maj. General Milinda Peiris, and students Kasun Kalhara and Sanara Premeratna, yesterday, met the Minister of Health, Pavithra Wanniarachchi, to brief her on the app. They explained that through the app, more..

May 25 (AD) The govt is currently looking into limiting the repatriation of Sri Lankans who are stuck overseas due to the COVID-19 pandemic, stated Director-General of Health Services Dr. Anil Jasinghe. He points out that the arrival of a large number of people from foreign countries could be problematic in a context where the issue of SL Navy infections has not been resolved as of yet. Therefore, the govt may take a decision to restrict the repatriation of Sri Lankans abroad, more..

May 25 (TM) The Foreign Ministry of Sri Lanka is currently looking at possibilities of obtaining clearance from the Romanian Aviation Authority and the Medical Authority to repatriate Sri Lankan citizens stranded in Romania, Minister Dinesh Gunawardena said. 36 SL workers working at a textile factory in Botosani, in northeastern Romania, were transported to Bucharest’s main airport on Sunday evening, as they were told more..

May 25 (AD) Eighteen more persons have been diagnosed as Coronavirus infected patients increasing the tally of confirmed cases in Sri Lanka to 1,182. The Ministry of Health said that all new positive cases are returnees from Kuwait. Forty-one new cases of COVID-19 have been identified so far within the day. A total of 477 patients who have tested positive for the virus are currently under medical care while the number of recoveries in the country stands at 695. more..

May 25 (EN) SL is relaxing daytime Coronavirus curfews country-wide from May 26 though travel curbs to Colombo and Gampaha will remain amid strong progress made against the spread of the Covid-19 with officials advising the public to maintain distance. On May 26 SL’s Health Ministry said the total count went up by another 23 to 1164 by 1800hours. Recent increases were mostly from foreign arrivals. One person who had returned from Kuwait had died taking the total to 10. more..

May 26 (Island) The flag signal that Vice Admiral Lord Horario Nelson hoisted in the main mast of his flagship HMS Victory just before engaging with the French and Spanish combined fleet during the Trafalgar sea battle on 21 October 1805 was "England expects that every man will do his duty". Trafalgar was a decisive Naval engagement of Napoleonic Wars. I modified it to read as "Sri Lanka expects every man will do his duty" to motivate our men during sea battles. more..

May 26 (ST) Sudden change of plans. The Sunday Times being printed early this week meant I would be missing the usual Thursday morning conversation at the gate of Kussi Amma Sera, Mabel Rasthiyadu and Serapina. No more listening to snatches of their conversation this week. On this Wednesday morning, Kussi Amma Sera was preparing breakfast – kiribath and katta sambol – while she had already brought my morning tea into the office room as I prepared to write my column on more..

May 26 (CT) While bearing the brunt of the blow dealt to the world by COVID-19, Sri Lanka is set to face another challenge in the form of the adverse weather conditions spawned by the cyclonic storm AMPHAN. According to the Disaster Management Centre's (DMC) Situation Report published on 16 May, two individuals died and 2,668 people belonging to 775 families were affected by adverse weather conditions such as more..

May 26 (CT) The direction of SL’s democratic process hangs in the balance. As many as seven cases with regard to the general elections and prez decree dissolving parliament are pending before the Supreme Court. The outcome of the judicial decision may decide whether SL will continue to be governed by the prez and caretaker cabinet until the general elections actually take place to bring in a new parliament. Constitution has set a three month limit on such an arrangement sans a parliament. more..

May 26 (DM) Last week, Sri Lanka marked the 11th anniversary of the end of a nearly 25 years-long civil war, which ended in a rare battlefield annihilation of a terrorist group. That was an extra brutal affair, the correlation can be found in the ruthlessness of the LTTE, the global champion of suicide terrorism. High intensity of violence meant that collateral damage was equally higher. Civilians who were herded deeper into the inland, and then to a sliver of land in the coast by the Tigers more..

May 26 (DM) In a situation where the country’s national education is at a standstill for more than two months, as a direct consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic situation, Dailymirror spoke to Minister Dullas Alahapperuma. Q: We understand that you are extremely worried about our national education which is in a slumber mode since mid-March. What are the plans you have in store to open schools, hold exams & cover syllabi? more..

May 26 (CT) According to latest Census and Statistics Department data Colombo and Gampaha Districts are arguably the country's richest and third richest districts in the country, based on having the highest and third highest per capita poverty cut-off lines of Rs 5,450 and Rs 5,284 respectively, for the month of January. Colombo houses both the island's commercial and administrative capitals while Gampaha houses two of SL's oldest and best free trade zones, Katunayake & Biyagama Zones, more..

May 26 (Island) We hear of some newly discovered forces, in these times of gloom. PM Mahinda Rajapaksa has spoken of a new force, in SL politics, while the world is grappling with a new virus, which, according to the WHO, we will have to learn to live with. When S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike formed the SLFP, he harnessed what came to be known as the pancha maha balavegya (or five great forces) in SL politics, to wit, Buddhist monks, physicians, teachers, farmers and workers. more..

May 26 (DM) The tragedy that occurred on last Thursday in Maligawatta, Colombo where three women were killed in a stampede during a private programme for money distribution to poor seems to have by now been forgotten. And with the arrest of the person who had distributed money the case seems to have been closed, in the eyes of the masses. However, it is not so. The pictures of the holes in the slippers that had been left at the place of the stampede which are now circulating in more..

May 26 (CT) There has been a very useful discussion in the public domain about the relationship between the three organs of govt, especially in the present context where one organ, namely Parliament, is not functional. While Parliament has been described by some as being dead due to it being dissolved, others point out that under the Constitution Parliament is only dormant and can be summoned in times of emergency and, under Article 70 (7), even without a formal more..

May 26 (Roar) Ramadan this year was observed in a manner very different from how the holy month for Muslims is usually celebrated. Instead of mosques full of worshippers, iftars shared between families and friends and visits to and from relatives, Muslims spent this year fasting under curfew in their homes. Despite anxieties about the spread of COVID-19 and uncertainty towards what the future holds, however, many SL Muslims more..

May 26 (Island) Whatever we do, it is not likely to just go away in a hurry; this little coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Little it may be but it certainly packs a punch. The experts are convinced that it will be around for at least a couple of years. The potential presence of this pestilence, especially with that well-recognised spectacle of its proven enhanced infectivity, will make it a perennial and even a ubiquitous threat for quite some time in the future. more..

May 26 (ST) The SL Aquatic Sports Union (SLASU) president Nethru Nanayakkara said their main priority is to hire a foreign coach to co-ordinate development activities islandwide after swimming activities resume once the health situation in the country improves. They hope to get down a coach from abroad in consultation with the Sports Ministry from either China, America or Hungary. “We have a good selection committee and there are good clubs also. What we need is a coaching director more..

May 26 (ST) Though expected to host 10 local and take part in 11 international meets in 2020, National Shooting Sport Federation of SL (NSSF) is optimistic that it be would be able to host at least two-third of its planned local events as the country is getting accustomed to conditions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. NSSF was able to see daylight in only one of its listed 21 events, which was the HH the Amir of Kuwait 9th Int'l Shooting more..

May 26 (FT) The Colombo stock market ended Friday achieving its highest weekly gain since 2010 due to the All Share Price Index (ASPI) rising 8% or 361 points whilst the more active S&P SL 20 index shot up by 16%. Acuity Stockbrokers said total turnover value amounted to Rs. 8.05 billion, though marginally lower from Rs. 9.6 billion in the previous week. Market capitalisation increased by 8.59% W-o-W (or Rs. 177.54 billion) to Rs. 2,244.08 trillion. HNB was the highest contributor to more..

May 26 (Island) The year under review experienced two black swan events with their distinctive and severe impacts within the space of one year. Aitken Spence PLC remained resilient despite these challenges due to the Group’s diversified business portfolio and strategic direction, press release said. ‘The Group’s financial performance for the twelve months ending 31st March 2020 recorded a year-on-year profit-before-tax of Rs. 4.2 billion compared Rs. 7.3 billion last year. more..