May 1 (DN) Development activities must continue under strict health regulations, as COVID-19 is still prevalent in the country. Otherwise, people would suffer the consequences of delayed development, State Minister Dr. Nalaka Godahewa said yesterday. He was speaking at the commencement of a 700-unit housing project launched for low-income families in Madampitiya, Colombo. It is being carried out under President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour project, more..

May 1 (EN) SL’s per capita gross domestic product has dropped to US$ 3,682 per person amid a 3.6% fall in real GDP amid a Coronavirus pandemic and monetary instability. SL’s nominal GDP only fell marginally to 14,973 billion rupees in 2020 from 15,013 in 2019 amid inflation. Sri Lanka began to suffer higher levels of monetary instability and lower growth from around 2015 with flexible inflation targeting and flexible exchange rate, more..

May 1 (DN) Razik Raza who is currently in remand custody is allegedly linked to the experimental bomb blast in 2018 prior to the suicide attacks, Police have uncovered. Raza is said to have provided the explosives and raw materials for the experimental blast to Mohamed Rilwan, the brother of Zaharan Hashim. Raza has been taken into the custody of the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) for questioning. Rilvan was injured during the test in 2018. more..

May 1 (Island) Rotary SL has initiated a certification program, along with SL Standards Institute (SLSI), for businesses to introduce into their institutions new health protocols required to combat the Covid 19 pandemic. Micro, small, medium and large scale businesses in the country are included in the program, Rtn. Ajith Weerasinghe, District Governor 2020-21, RI District:3220, SL & Maldives said. SLSI got the best brains to develop the standards that led to the first-ever certification protocols more..

May 1 (CI) Praveen Jayawickrama's six-wicket haul shaped Sri Lanka's ascendancy over Bangladesh in the second Test in Pallekele. The 22-year old left-arm spinner took the best figures for SL on Test debut; his 6 for 92, including the big wickets of Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur Rahim. The stunning debut performance, which is better than Upul Chandana's 6 for 179 against Pakistan in 1999, left the visitors trailing by 242 runs; more..

May 1 (EN) SL Institute of Nanotechnology, a public private partnership for developing advanced technologies said the island’s medical regulator had approved its manufacturing facility to produce a Coronavirus test kit based on RT-LAMP technology which will give quicker results. The National Medical Regulatory Agency had last year validated the kit as several state hospitals, the agency said. “We are pleased to announce that after almost a year of dedicated and intense work, more..

May 1 (NR) Ministry of Health has received a batch of cold chain equipment procured by UNICEF with funding from the Govt of Japan to strengthen SL’s vaccination programme. Health Ministry said 500 vaccine carriers were handed over to Minister of Health Pavithra Wanniarachchi by UNICEF SL Representative Emma Brigham and Ambassador of Japan Sugiyama Akira, at the UNICEF office. Meanwhile, another consignment with 100 ice lined refrigerators, 145 fridge temperature monitors more..

May 1 (FT) Supreme Court yesterday granted leave to proceed on a Fundamental Rights application filed by 132 people who were employed under an organisation administrated by the State Engineering Corporation (SEC). Court granted approval to proceed under Articles 12(1), 12(2) and 14(1) (g) of the Constitution to a Fundamental Rights application filed by 132 persons who were unlawfully terminated from their employment more..

May 1 (ST) Prof. Sunil Ariyaratne’s latest film Ksheera Sagaraya Kalabini, based on a novel written by the late Simon Navagaththegama started its shooting at cinema village at Ranminithenna in Hambantota last week. Considered as a cinematic novel, the story was to be made into a film by several filmmakers and even the copy right had been obtained by award winning teledrama director Ananda Abeynayake who later passed it to Prof. Ariyaratne. more..

May 1 (FT) Expolanka Holdings Plc yesterday announced exponential performance for the just-ended FY21 with a hefty net profit of Rs. 14.8 billion as opposed to a loss of Rs. 438 million in the previous year, with the COVID-19 pandemic triggering a windfall for the logistics business. First conglomerate to announce full-year interim results, Expolanka’s profit figure is likely to be within the top three by a non-banking institution. The group delivered a revenue of Rs. 75.5 billion, more..

May 1 (CI) Praveen Jayawickrama is essentially SL's fourth-choice left-arm spinner. If Lasith Embuldeniya or Duvindu Tillakaratne had been fit, or if Prabath Jayasuriya had passed a fitness Test, he would have struggled to find a place in the squad. But such are the manic, dramatic turns that both engulf and somehow also enliven the island's cricket, Jayawickrama took 6 for 92 to become SL's most-successful bowler on debut, more..

May 1 (DM) Sri Lanka’s frothy housing market gained steam after the Central Bank cut interest rates to record lows and set a ceiling rate since December last year, sending the appetite and prices of housing soaring. For instance, the housing prices in Sri Lanka have gained by over 20% since the second quarter in 2020 through the first quarter this year, entering a period of one of the highest gains in prices of houses in SL after a long time. SL’s typically red-hot housing market went into more..

May 1 (NR) A total of 246 prison inmates are currently receiving treatment for COVID-19. Inmates who have tested positive for COVID-19 are being held at the Iyakachchi treatment facility. Prison Media Spokesman said a special safety protocol is underway at prisons across the country with the assistance of the health authorities and Public Health Inspectors. All those who are sentenced to jail and those held in remand custody are first directed to a special facility for PCR tests. more..

May 1 (ST) An expert committee has slammed the CEB over last year’s countrywide power failure. It was triggered by an electrical superintendent bypassing standard maintenance procedure at the Kerawalapitiya grid substation and went for over six hours owing to hydropower generators repeatedly tripping during restoration attempts. The interruption, which started around 12.30pm on Aug 17 last year, more..

May 1 (DM) Vimukthi Samaraweera is one of the pioneers of the Expressionist Movement in contemporary modern art in Sri Lanka. A graduate of the Faculty of Visual Art, of the University of Visual and Performing Arts, Sri Lanka, Samaraweera says he is inspired by legendary artists including David Hockney, Mark Rothko, George Michel Basquiat, Vincent Van Gogh and Pablo Picasso. Samaraweera’s masterpieces are among many private collections around the world. more..

May 1 (ST) The CEB has called bids for the design, manufacture, supply, installation and commissioning of three 35-megawatt gas turbines at the Kelanitissa Power Station. Interested parties are expected to come forward with 100% financing for the project, without the possibility of a Govt guarantee, but the option of a counter-guarantee by the People’s Bank on supplier credit basis. The purchase of the three 35mw gas turbines was in the approved long-term generation expansion plan since 2007. more..

May 1 (TM) With the rapid increase in the number of Covid infections in the country, a new series of health guidelines has been issued under the signature of the Director General of Health Services, Dr. Asela Gunawardena. According to the new guidelines, opportunities for activities, including public gatherings, have been severely restricted. Instructions issued by the Ministry of Health, On public transportation, trains and buses can more..

May 1 (DM) A Red alert on thundershowers accompanied by severe lightning has been issued for 17 districts, Dept of Meteorology said today. Fairly heavy rainfall of more than 75mm could be expected in Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, Southern and Uva provinces and most parts of the island during the evening or night.There may be temporary localized strong winds during thundershowers, they said. Accordingly, the 17 districts including Trincomalee, Polonnaruwa, more..

May 1 (TD) SL’s relationship with China has been a controversial discussion during the last decade, dominating both domestic and international political conversations. The strengthening relationship between the island nation and the emerging global power has been largely economic. Yet it is quite clear that SL’s closest neighbor, India, and the United States are diligently monitoring these developments in the China-SL relationship. China has been a major economic partner for SL. more..

May 1 (FT) Govt revenue took a nosedive in 2020, recording a decline of 27.7% to Rs. 1.36 trillion from Rs. 1.89 trillion with tax earnings also dropping 29.9% to Rs. 1.2 trillion from Rs. 1.7 trillion the previous year, the Central Bank said. The Annual Report said revenue declined both in nominal terms and as a percentage of GDP, reflecting the combined impact of subdued economic performance due to the COVID-19 pandemic, more..

May 1 (NR) The general public has been requested to celebrate the upcoming Vesak and Ramadan festivals at home due to the prevailing COVID-19 situation in the country. Speaking during a media briefing in Colombo today, Director General of Heath Services Dr. Asela Gunawardena said a number of restrictions have been issued following a rapid increase in COVID-19 cases in recent days. He said collective activities and gatherings at temples, kovils, mosques and churches have been banned. more..

May 1 (CT) Denying the allegation that Govt is attempting to have SJB MP Harin Fernando arrested, Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said Govt has never discussed arresting Fernando. He said Govt will not intervene to have any person arrested and an arrest will be made once the Attorney General makes a request to the Court. “The Easter Sunday terror attack is the deadliest terrorist attack in this country in the absence of war. Many Catholic devotees’ lives were lost in an instant. more..

May 1 (ST) Substandard face masks are being falsely sold as having been quality-certified or imported, prompting complaints from unhappy purchasers and manufacturers of certified masks, with a gap in govt regulation being exploited. Consumers say the masks emit a stench, cause rashes, have unevenly fixed straps and contain dust. Rasika Priyani, a resident of Galle, said a 3-ply face mask she used for about 2 hours caused more..

May 1 (FT) The Govt has decided to study further the financial viability of the first-ever cable car project from Nanu Oya to Nuwara Eliya with an investment of € 52 million via an Austria-Sri Lanka joint venture. Cabinet this week revalidated the project that was approved in 2019, subject to an assessment on environment, financial and operational feasibility. The venture is by Dopelme Cable Car Company of Austria and its local partner Outdoor Engineering Lanka Ltd. more..

May 1 (PMD) As the number of Staff personnel at the Presidential Secretariat have been minimized based on guidelines and recommendations given by the Health Authorities to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the public are requested to avoid visiting the Presidential Secretariat for their needs to avert any inconvenience. However, the available staff at the Presidential Secretariat is prepared to respond and facilitate the public requirements via telephone, post and e-mail. more..

May 2 (GV) On April 30 SL recorded the highest number of cases in a day at 1,662 cases – and a seven-day average of 1,208 cases. With the vaccine supply low due to global bottlenecks and rising cases in the country and the region, there is a sense of despair and apathy among the community. Perhaps this is the worst time to lose faith in our ability to control the virus because we have the most power to prevent the infection spread. We also have one of the most effective tools to minimize more..

May 2 (GV) Ramadan for many of us Muslims is a month of peace and spirituality, a month of tolerance, speaking good words, sharing good thoughts and connecting with God and religion. There’s much I need to do personally to become a better Muslim but this month is one where Muslims even like myself commit and try to be better human beings. It is a month we not just stay away from food but also from negative thoughts like anger. During this month, where many Muslims heads are more..

May 2 (SO) Allergy, Immunology & Cell Biology Unit of Sri J'pura Uni Director Dr. Chandima Jeewandara assures that the deadly Indian variant of the Covid-19 virus was not detected in SL so far while cautioning the public to stay indoors and strictly follow health guidelines to contain the current outbreak of the UK strain which could equally be deadly, if mishandled. Unit is exclusively performing genetic sequencing for Covid-19 virus more..

May 2 (TM) The unfortunate reality is that no one knows as to when the Covid-19 pandemic is going to end, and many attempts to return to normalcy, which is far different from the actual normalcy that existed in the pre-Covid-19 era, have not borne fruit. The only and most sensible option appears to be limiting movement and interactions as much as possible. Initially, controlling the number of Covid-19 cases and deaths caused by Covid-19 induced complications were the priority of all nations. more..

May 2 (SO) How do people get the news? It is through the media that we get to know the latest happenings around the world. The word media encompasses a gamut of sources of news – newspapers, magazines, radio, television and now the Internet and its offshoot social media. They are a window into the world. Today, we can instantly tune into live news from anywhere in the world, a far cry from the days when only newspapers held sway. In fact, newspapers are not much younger than more..

May 2 (TM) The PCoI to investigate and inquire into alleged political victimisation between 8 Jan 2015 and 16 Nov 2019 handed over its report to Prez Rajapaksa in Dec 2020, which was subsequently presented to Parliament in early March. Many complaints have been put forth, particularly by the political Opposition, against the CoI and its report alleging a disregard for the due process and exceeding its mandate. more..

May 2 (CT) The provisions of the Port City Bill, if enacted, will erode the legal and political sovereignty of SL in a number of ways. Most of these threats, ranging from the composition of the governing body, the exemptions from national law, the wide discretionary power granted to the Commission, the limitation of parliamentary, prudential and judicial oversight of the Commission’s operations to the impact of the Bill’s provisions on fundamental rights, franchise of Sri Lankans and more..

May 2 (CT) SL’s long-existing political, economic and societal problems now worsened by Covid 19 is largely glossed over by the media. Nowhere is this more manifest than in the newspapers published by the dominant print media company in the country – Wijeya Newspapers Limited (WNL). Its ‘Daily Mirror’ by far the largest circulation English language daily is a prime example of projecting an alternate reality. Most likely this is true of WNL’s Sinhala language newspapers as well. more..

May 2 (SO) Minister Johnston Fernando said the Opposition is entitled to its dream of toppling the Govt but they should also remember that the ground realities ensure people’s undivided faith and support for the Govt. He told the media following a meeting with the Kurunegala District SLPP Local Govt members, that the Opposition was yet to recover from the shocks of back-to-back defeats in the elections. Minister said, “Now the Opposition talks of their latest dream of toppling the govt. more..

May 2 (TM) It would not be wrong to say that the Covid-19 pandemic is the main social and health concern the world is dealing with currently. A lot of other issues, including those that were the most pressing issues before the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, are receiving less attention and seem to have almost been forgotten. However, in many cases, the issues the world was dealing with before Covid-19 remain as before, and in the mainstream efforts aimed at curbing Covid-19, more..

May 2 (TM) The thing with misconceptions and prejudice is that they beget more misconceptions and prejudices, and this cycle continues until and unless the root causes of these are addressed. However, in most cases, these issues come to light only after some dramatic incident, which is an outcome of continuing cultural practices that are neither sensitive nor sensible. In the past few days, social media platforms more..

May 2 (SO) SL’s down and out cricketers may not be able to chase after big scores on the playing field, but they have begun their annual pay dispute over earnings, this time though with very little clout or bargaining power to lay on the table following a string of defeats that gives their employer the upper hand. But the rebellion, taking place behind closed doors as usual, also has its share of denials and confusion with Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) saying nothing untoward is taking place while more..

May 2 (ST) Govt has been in that awkward, unenviable damned if you do; damned if you don’t situation of not putting in place stricter lockdown procedures and thereby allowing the deadly COVID-19 virus to gallop away. It is receiving some deserved flak for dropping the ball by ignoring early warning signals of the presence of new mutants of the virus and a resurgence of the pandemic with greater ferocity. It is steadfastly refusing to admit the obvious: COVID-19 is now well and truly more..