May 6 (CT) On Monday (4), we heard the shocking news of how a young soldier had collapsed inside the Dambulla Bus Stand and for 30 long minutes he had been lying there with no one coming to his aid. Ultimately, a group of young men had volunteered to take him to hospital, but he had already breathed his last. Onlookers have told local news correspondents that no one wanted to go near the young man, fearing that he was a COVID-19 patient. Several attempts to connect to emergency number more..

May 6 (FT) Senior journalist Victor Ivan and seven others yesterday filed rights petition challenging the 20 June Parliamentary Election. Petitioners Victor Ivan, T.M. Premawardana, Prof. Anton Meemana, A.M Jiffry, S. Sivagurunathan, Mahinda Hattaka, M.S. Jayakodi and Dr. H.D.S.F.D Herath cited Attorney General Dappula de Livera, Election Commission Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya, Election Commission members more..

May 6 (Island) The govt-driven effort to manage the spread of COVID-19 in Sri Lanka has highlighted serious pathological conditions as far as the country’s economy and society are concerned. One such condition that is illuminated by the current situation is SL’s dependency on imports of food, medicine and fuel. The liquidity crisis of the country that is exacerbated by the situation created by the spread of Coronavirus has pushed the Ministry of Finance (MoF) to limit imports to the country. more..

May 6 (Island) What does it take to handle a crisis situation in a game of cricket? Gamini Perera, who played a match-saving century in a schools’ big match as a teenager, shared his thoughts recently, going back to events nearly three decades ago. A scrap book containing newspaper articles, maintained by his sister who seemingly had been his most ardent fan, was of tremendous value in understanding important contextual information. The 113th Battles of the Blues (1992): more..

May 6 (TM) Former Minister Mangala Samaraweera today challenged Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa to explain and prove the constitutional authority he and his govt possess to authorize and incur public expenditure from April 30. Samaraweera made these remarks in a letter addressed to Secretary to the President Dr. P.B Jayasundara today. Former Finance Minister had written to the President on 28 April requesting more..

May 6 (Island) Sri Lanka Retailers’ Association (SLRA), the apex body for organised retail in SL, issued a communique requesting all landlords and lessors to reduce leases and rentals for the Association’s membership. SLRA President Mr. Sidath Kodikara appealed landlords to provide a 50% concession on rentals/ leases for the next six months on properties leased and rented by SLRA members, as many retailers are suffering losses due to the prevailing situation in the country more..

May 6 (Island) Dialog Axiata PLC donated essential Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits which are in short supply across the nation, to the Kalubowila and Negombo Hospitals to help frontline medical professionals and care providers protect themselves from any risk of infection as they continue to help the people in their care and fight the COVID-19 pandemic. During this unprecedented time, Dialog has also enabled MOH to create 27 video-based telemedicine units in 20 hospitals, more..

May 6 (FT) Hit by the Easter Sunday attacks and political uncertainty, SL performed dismally in attracting Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) last year attracting only $ 1.2 billion, according to the CB Annual Report. The latest report, which was released last week said FDI inflows, which include foreign borrowings of companies registered with the Board of investment (BOI), declined significantly in 2019. more..

May 6 (Island) With Hambantota International Port (HIP) resuming operations with Litro Gas the port completes its full complement of energy services, positioning itself to vie for hub status in the South Asian region. Litro Gas supplies LPG to Sri Lanka’s domestic market, and the company has leased tanks at the HIP to support their supply chain. Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA) and Fit For Service (FFS) with respect to the LPG operation were obtained recently from the Lloyds Registry. more..

May 6 (FT) Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) and its Executive Director Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu filed a Fundamental Rights application challenging the decision of the President to dissolve Parliament on 2 March 2020 and the decision of the Elections Commission to reschedule elections on 20 June 2020. Petition states the Articles 70 and 33(2)(c) of the Constitution permit the President to dissolve Parliament prior to the completion of its five-year term, after more..

May 6 (CT) Sri Lanka Tourism stated it is currently in the process of gathering details of all the International Tourists, Businessmen and Expatriates engaged in the Tourism Industry of SL in the outbreak of COVID-19 Pandemic in the country. According to immigration data, there are 11,389 tourists in the country as of 4 May and SL Tourism extends an invitation to all International Tourists and Expatriates to register at more..

May 6 (FT) For a Govt in transition, and a new administration barely three months old, to be facing the impact of perhaps the worst pandemic in world history can be very unfortunate, apart from being the biggest-ever challenge in SL’s history. That is exactly what President Gotabaya Rajapaksa elected on 16 Nov 2019 and his interim Govt and officials have been facing since late Jan 2020. The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) was declared a global health emergency on 30 Jan by the WHO; more..

May 6 (DM) Sri Lanka’s credit to the private sector began picking up in February after months of hiatus and then met with new coronavirus, which sent everything packing back to ground zero. Banking sector credit to the private sector, which almost stay put in January grew by Rs.25.3 billion in February as lower borrowing costs were gradually infiltrating to the real economy as businesses and people were acting in a new found optimism after the presidential election in Nov 2019. more..

May 6 (FT) Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa yesterday undertook a complete review of plans to resume the functioning of State institutions private sector and daily life of Colombo, Kalutara, Gampaha, and Puttalam districts from 11 May. In a meeting held yesterday with Provincial Governors and Cabinet Ministry Secretaries, President Rajapaksa stressed that all public and private sector institutions must strictly follow the guidelines more..

May 6 (DM) International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) SL said it fully supports Prez Rajapaksa’s initiative to re-open the SL economy safely, prudently but decisively and to move towards restoring economic activity at levels allowable within safe public health limits. The Chamber pointed out that the economy is in a challenging state and the continuous shutdown of the key GDP generating districts would undermine the viability of businesses, entire sectors, and millions of livelihoods. more..

May 6 (Island) Four new stamps would be released to mark the 2564 Vesak commemoration this year, the Philatelic Bureau of the Department of Posts said. The commemorative stamps will be issued, today, at Temple Trees, under the patronage of the Most Venerable Mahanayake Theras and PM Mahinda Rajapaksa. Three stamps in the miniature sheet, in the denomination of Rs. 10.00, Rs. 15.00 and Rs. 45.00, depict the Buddhist monks’ contribution to the cure of mental and more..

May 6 (FT) Fresh proposals to revive the crucial travel and tourism sectors in the country post-COVID-19 are to go before Cabinet shortly, Minister Prasanna Ranatunga disclosed yesterday. This is following a meeting of top travel and aviation industry officials with Tourism and Aviation Minister Prasanna Ranatunga for the first time post COVID-19 outbreak, to discuss the key issues pertaining to the development of more..

May 6 (Island) A video conference organised by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) on the opportunities for Indian companies in Sri Lanka in the post pandemic economic situation, was held yesterday. Head of the Economic & Commercial Wing, High Commission of India, Suja Menon, gave an overview of the India-SL economic partnership. She pointed out that the India-SL relationship has been marked by frequent summit-level meetings, and regular and more..

May 6 (CT) Education Minister Dullas Alahapperuma denied uncorroborated media reports that the Education Ministry has taken a decision to reopen schools on 1 June in several phases and that school staff, including principals and teachers, are to report to work from 11 May. He denied news circulated by those media institutions that the Ministry had planned to reopen schools for A/L and O/L students initially and that schools are to be reopened for students of all classes by 1 June. more..

May 6 (CT) The COVID-19 death toll rose to nine, with the death of a 52-year-old from Modara, Colombo 15, who succumbed to the infection after she was transferred from the National Hospital, Colombo, to the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID) on Tuesday (5) morning. The deceased was living in a flat in the Modara area. She had remained at home for over a month with the infection and had only been admitted to more..

May 6 (Island) Extreme heat would be experienced, today, in three provinces, and in seven districts, the Meteorological Dept said, yesterday, urging the public to refrain from outdoor activities, especially during the afternoon. The Met Department said the Eastern, North-western and North-central provinces, and the districts of Gampaha, Colombo, Mannar, Vavuniya, Mullaitivu, Kilinochchi and Moneragala, would be badly hit by the rising temperature. A forecaster said that the temperature felt by more..

May 6 (DM) Public Administration Ministry will file a lawsuit order against 20 minsters and two officials of the previous government for not vacating the official residences assigned to them during the office, an official said today. These former ministers and two officials had been given time till March 2, 2020, to vacate the govt houses occupied by them in their official capacity. The new govt was formed in November, last year. Asked for a comment, Ministry Secretary Sunil Hettiarachchi said more..

May 6 (Island) Minister Ramesh Pathirana said that Parliament would have to ensure financial discipline and take tangible measures to tackle waste, corruption and irregularities, in the public sector. That would be the key task for the 2020 parliament, he said. Minister said so responding to The Island query as to what would be the responsibility of the parliament to be elected against the backdrop of worst economic downturn, more..

May 6 (FT) We go round a mulberry bush, following one illusion after another, endlessly going, but reaching nowhere, prisoners of our own delusions. Every now and then, to the polling booth we go, voting for a new president, parliament or a provincial government member. The victors celebrate, the defeated are damned, old projects thrown out, new projects carrying catchy titles announced, some are launched with fanfare, religious blessings invoked, hope is renewed. more..

May 6 (FT) The puppetry, the country, watching about the need to reconvene Parliament has deepened our perplexity. Chapters and verses are quoted driving us to believe them. We cannot be blamed for beginning to see the tempests in our tea cups they are showing. Some maintain that the country is heading towards another crisis amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. They allege we are on the edge of a crevasse of a constitutional crisis, and the Parliament should meet to avoid it. more..

May 6 (DM) The re-opening of schools for primary students will take a little longer period than for senior grades, an official said today. The official who did not want to be quoted by name said that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had a meeting with the ministry secretaries regarding the resumption of economic and other normal activities of the country and the re-opening of schools also featured in the discussion. He said the schools would be open shortly but the date would be notified later. more..

May 6 (AD) A group of Sri Lankans including students who were stranded in Singapore due to the outbreak of COVID-19 has been brought back to the island this evening. A special flight (UL303) chartered by the national carrier, SriLankan Airlines, returned to the BIA at around 4.45 pm, with 186 Sri Lankans. The flight had departed for Singapore at 7 am this morning. It was reported that 10 Singaporean nationals who were stranded in SL due to the virus outbreak were taken back to their more..

May 6 (AD) December quarter earnings in 2019 declined by 4.7% year-on-year (YoY) to Rs. 66.6 billion for 266 companies, primarily owing to sluggish performance in Food, Beverage and Tobacco (-35%YoY), Insurance (-41%YoY), Capital Goods (-23%YoY) sectors, First Capital Research said yesterday(04). However, earnings upside was witnessed in Banks (+17%YoY), Telecom (+259%YoY), Materials (+101%YoY) and more..

May 6 (Bernama) An Indian national and a Sri Lankan man were sentenced to eight months’ jail each by the Magistrate’s Court here today after they pleaded guilty to a charge with breaking into a supermarket and stealing goods worth RM353.70. Magistrate M. Saravanan handed down the sentence on Kumaran, 25, and Chinna Maruthu, 22, both unemployed. They were ordered to serve the jail sentence from their date of arrest, which was last Friday. The two men were jointly charged more..

May 6 (AD) Considering the prevailing situation in the country, the Department of Railways has initiated a program to provide transport facilities for the employees who report for essential duties in the public and private sectors. This scheme will be valid only for public and private sector employees who have obtained monthly or quarterly season tickets from both public and private sectors, said Deputy General Manager of Railways V. S. Polwattege. Relevant tickets could be obtained by more..

May 6 (AD) Three persons who were previously identified as COVID-19 patients have been declared as COVID-19 negative today, stated Dr. Anil Jasinghe. Two residents of Rajagiriya and Kolonnawa and a nurse of Colombo National Hospital were identified to have contracted the novel coronavirus, yesterday. However, following more testing as per protocol, it has been determined that the aforementioned individuals more..

May 6 (Island) The 35 MW Broadlands Hydro Power Plant, which resumed construction operations last week, would be completed in December and it would generate 126 million units (126 GWh) annually, saving Rs. 3.7 billion. According to CEB Chairman Vijitha Herath, delaying the project, per day, had cost the country Rs. 10 million. CEB Senior Management last week visited inside the 3.5 km tunnel of 35MW Broadlands Project, on the initiative and instructions of the Presidential Task Force, more..

May 6 (LBO) Monetary Board of the Central Bank, at a special meeting held on 06 May, reviewed the current monetary policy stance and decided to reduce the Standing Deposit Facility Rate (SDFR) and the Standing Lending Facility Rate (SLFR) of the Central Bank by 50 basis points to 5.5% and 6.5%, respectively, effective from the close of business on 06 May 2020. Board arrived at this decision considering the necessity to further support the economy to weather the adverse more..

May 6 (Island) Sri Lanka’s tea production, in March, and the first quarter, has declined to the lowest level, in many decades Tea Exporters’ Association report states. Tea crop, in March, amounted to 13.2 million kg, down by 53% from a year earlier. All three elevations have shown a significant decrease in production YOY. High Grown teas, totaling 3.3 million kg, for March, was down by 2.2 million kg from a year earlier. more..

May 6 (AD) Chairman of the Nawalapitiya UC and 7 of his associates who were arrested and remanded for gambling during curfew hours have been released on bail today. The Hatton District Judge had ordered the release of the suspects on a personal bail of Rs. 100,000 and scheduled the case to be taken up again on July 7. The suspects were arrested on April 30, by Ginigathena Police for engaging in gambling by violating quarantine regulations at a tourist hotel in Ginigathena. more..

May 6 (FT) Sri Lanka’s clothing manufacturer MAS Holdings, which produces lingerie for brands including Beyoncé’s Ivy Park, Nike, and Victoria’s Secret, has been targeted by cyber extortionists, SKY News reports. The criminal group is demanding a ransom from MAS Holdings after stealing what it claims is 300 GB of private files and posting some allegedly stolen documents online as evidence. Among the documentation published by the criminals as proof was an index list of files more..

May 6 (CT) Ministry of Health has instructed to reopen the beauty salons which were temporarily closed by the Govt due to COVID-19 according to a regulations pertaining to health care. A special discussion was held on 4 May at the Ministry with the participation of experts in fields of medicine and cosmetics. It further stated that beauty salon owners and other respective parties and service providers are also advised to follow more..

May 6 (AFP) Three photos have been shared hundreds of times in multiple posts on Facebook and Twitter alongside a claim they show improved air quality in the SL capital of Colombo during a nationwide curfew implemented due to the coronavirus pandemic. The claim is false; the photos actually show the skyline of the Philippine capital Manila. The photos were published on Facebook here on April 29, 2020. The post’s Sinhala language caption and the text superimposed on images more..

May 6 (Lords) Committee of MCC has today announced its intention to offer the Club’s President, Kumar Sangakkara, a further year in the role. The disruption to the global cricketing landscape caused by the outbreak of Covid-19 Coronavirus has led the Committee to recommend that Sangakkara, who began his term of office on 1 Oct 2019, be invited to serve as President of the Club until 30 Sept 2021. The recommendation will need to be approved by the Club’s Members at the AGM, more..