May 18 (ST) Lanka should make a Churchillian plea to British PM Boris Johnson to give us the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine to meet the country’s current dearth, after it was revealed Britain has a stockpile of the vaccine, far in excess of her own needs. UN’s Children Fund, commonly referred to as UNICEF, told Britain’s Independent newspaper this week that Britain could share 20 percent of its available Covid-19 vaccine doses and still meet its target to give all adults their first shot by the end of July. more..

May 18 (ST) The outgoing Attorney General’s pronouncement this week that charges and indictments against conspirators and abettors of the 2019 Easter Sunday jihadist attacks on churches and hotels could not be presented during his tenure of office due to incomplete investigations by the CID is an indictment on Sri Lanka’s entire justice system. Of course, that result was predictable, inevitable even. For what other end could possibly ensue when the CID itself is decapitated, more..

May 18 (FT) Ceasar Sustainable Invest BV (CSI), recently announced its partnership with Tropical Green Exports, recognising the potential of the coconut substrate sector as a key economic driver in the North. Tropical Green Exports Ltd. specialises in manufacturing, supply and distribution of export quality coco peat used in the hydroponics industry and as an alternate growth medium to soil. The global trend of the industry is indicative of positive growth with SL at the forefront as more..

May 18 (Island) In March of 2021, a nine-year-old girl from Delgoda, died as a result of injuries sustained at the hands of an exorcist. Her helpless screams were reported by several of the exorcist’s neighbours. The ritual required that the girl be beaten with a cane, presumably to drive out the undesirable spirit. Her father spoke to multiple news outlets, decrying the ritual and exhausting himself; insistent that his daughter was never under any sort of demonic spell. more..

May 18 (ST) Sri Lanka’s tea industry is ravaged by the storms of present day policies and a health crisis that has hit the plantations and likely to impact the production of Ceylon Tea. Planters Association Spokesman Dr. Roshan Rajadurai said that the issue of a lack of chemicals or fungicide is going to be critical in the short term. He explained that back in 2018 when the glyphosate was banned the plantation sector faced more..

May 18 (Island) The govt is all out to rush the Port City Economic Commission Bill (PCECB) through Parliament amidst a howl of protest from the Opposition, which insists that there should be ample time for it to be discussed extensively both in and outside Parliament. The SC decision thereon is scheduled to be announced in the House, today. One cannot but agree that there should be enough time for any bill to be debated before being put to the vote in Parliament. more..

May 18 (CB) How will Bangladesh cope with the threat of Wanindu Hasaranga's googly in the upcoming ODIs, given that leg spinners still remain an outcast in Bangladesh's cricketing landscape? Bangladesh's batsmen have been troubled by leg spinners more often than not, and one of the major reasons behind their downfall is considered to be the lack of leg spinners in the domestic scene. And Sri Lanka will be looking to exploit the same weakness through Hasaranga, who is an aggressive more..

May 18 (FT) Private sector credit in March rose by a record Rs. 112 billion, reaffirming private sector appetite to stay in business and grow amidst COVID-induced challenges. Banking sector credit to private sector as at March 2021 stood at Rs. 6.388 trillion, up 7.5% or Rs. 446 billion from a year earlier and 1.8% from Feb 2021. First Capital said that the March figure reflected a 12-month high as well as growth for 8th consecutive month, more..

May 18 (FT) Ambassador of SL to the Sultanate of Oman Ameer Ajwad opened an exclusive stall for SL products at the prominent Spar supermarket outlet at Madinat Al Sultan Qaboos in Oman together with the CEO of Spar Oman Sridhar Moosapet. Ameer Ajwad, Spar Divisional Manager for Retail and Services, David Christudoss and Category Manager Dharmvir also joined the Ambassador during the launch. Embassy of SL in Oman recently initiated export of Sri Lankan food products to more..

May 18 (TM) The tournament saw participation of a total number of 70 players. The top 10 to emerge after the final round are as follows: Key: No. / Player’s Name / School / Points: 1. Esandi Newansa / Dharmasoka College, Ambalangoda / 6.0 2. Piyumi Amarathunga / JMC College, Kalutara / 6.0 3. Desandhi Gamage / Sirimavo Bandaranaike BV, Colombo / 6.0 4. Tharushi Sandeepani / Devi Balika Vidyalaya, Colombo / 6.0 5. Tenuli Rathnayake/ Ananda Balika Vidyalaya, Colombo / 5.5 more..

May 18 (Island) Athletes who were looking forward to vie for Olympic entry standards at weekend’s first stage of the 99th National Athletics Championships were in dilemma yesterday after govt imposed new travel restrictions due to the outbreak of the Covid 19 pandemic. Yesterday, the govt announced new travel restrictions starting from 11pm on May 11 to 4 am on May 25 and 11 pm on May 25 to 4 am on May 28. more..

May 18 (FT) Central Bank (CB) is expected to hold policy rates steady at Thursday’s Monetary Policy Review for May, predicts First Capital. In its pre-policy analysis, First Capital cited four factors that weigh on the Central Bank to keep policy rates unchanged. They are private sector credit in March rising to a one-year high; ample liquidity in the system to support the growth story; the COVID-19 third wave to have a lesser bearing relative to last year; and further low interest rates to pose more..

May 18 (TM) In the last year, SL has procured $ 1.9 billion worth of bilateral currency swaps – 1.5 billion from the People’s Bank of China (PBOC), and 400 million from the Reserve Bank of India – as part of the Central Bank’s reserve management strategy. These arrangements have helped buffer reserves, keep exchange rates in check, and meet debt servicing obligations amid an unprecedented global crisis – the Covid-19 pandemic. Swaps have emerged as a democratic alternative to IMF more..

May 18 (ST) SL’s Olympic hope in the high jump event, Ushan Perera, was not even born when Cuban great Javier Sotomayer, 1992 Olympic champion, soared to great heights in the 1990s. He was a two-year-old kid when American athlete Charles Austin won the men’s high jump gold at the 1996 Atlanta Games. Nonetheless, the feats of these two athletes seem to have greatly impacted the life of a starry-eyed youngster from SL more..

May 18 (FT) Panasian Power PLC, one of SL’s leading green energy solutions providers, posted a consolidated net profit of Rs. 248 million for the financial year ending 31 March 2021, signifying a growth of 63% compared to the financial year in 2019/20. Group saw a revenue increase of 62% in the final quarter of the year 2020/21 when compared with the corresponding quarter in FY 19/20. Net profit margin also grew year on year by 7%. Key highlights for the year that paved more..

May 18 (FT) Dialog Axiata has posted a robust first quarter with consolidated after-tax profit growth of 65% to Rs. 2.43 billion. The consolidated pre-tax profit was up 52% to Rs. 2.9 billion. Group revenue grew 12% to Rs. 32.8 billion from Rs. 29.2 billion in the first quarter of the previous financial year. At the company level, revenue grew to Rs. 21. 8 billion from Rs. 20.4 billion. Pre-tax profit grew from Rs. 2.05 billion to Rs. 2.40 billion, and after-tax profit from Rs. 1.64 billion to Rs. 1.94 billion. more..

May 18 (FT) The detection of 2,456 COVID-19 positive persons yesterday brought the country’s total COVID-19 patient count to 145,202. 2,433 patients detected yesterday were linked to the New Year cluster. Divulapitiya, Peliyagoda, Prisons and New Year clusters have expanded to 138,896. 82,785 persons from the Peliyagoda cluster, 45,426 persons from the New Year Cluster, 5,193 persons from the Prisons cluster, and 3,059 persons more..

May 18 (TM) Parliamentary Select Committee to identify the shortcomings in the existing electoral structure and laws has decided to give the public a period of one month to comment on the reforms to be made to the elections structure and laws. The Committee met for the first time in Parliament yesterday under the Chairmanship of Minister Dinesh Gunawardena. The role of this special Parliamentary Committee is to identify reforms related to election laws & electoral system, more..

May 18 (Island) Digitalization is the way forward for SL to transform into a technology-based society, says the World Bank. The WB report said that the Govt of Sri Lanka has demonstrated its commitment to accelerate digital transformation. In order to reap the benefits of digital technologies, the country now needs to ensure that access to high-speed and affordable Internet is available to all citizens including in remote areas of the country and across income groups and gender. more..

May 18 (CT) The Security Forces personnel were working as one unit; carrying out their tasks tirelessly. It was quite heartening to look at them working in unison. Major General Sujeewa Senarath Yapa, who was showing us around, asked whether we were surprised to see soldiers working ever so diligently. I replied that looking at the hardworking Army personnel only renewed the respect for them among all Sri Lankans. more..

May 18 (TM) According to media reports, there is growing uncertainty on the holding of the Tokyo Olympics, scheduled to begin on 23 July. The main reason for the uncertainly is that the healthcare industry and the citizens of Tokyo do not seem to want to be in the midst of a dangerous coronavirus spike during Olympic time. Sujeewa Wijayanayake, Deputy Technical Operations Manager of the Tokyo Olympics Softball & Baseball Championships, said: “In Tokyo, the risk of coronavirus has risen. more..

May 18 (FT) The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and SL Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) have launched an e-survey to engage stakeholders towards formulating a National Tourism Policy. The multi-lingual survey is aimed at the private and public stakeholders, as well as civil society, with the objective of identifying major points of agreement and disagreement, to facilitate the process of conciliation and validation of the major orientations of the future public tourism policy. more..

May 18 (Island) SLPP Chairman Prof. G. L. Peiris says amendments proposed by govt lawyers in respect of the Colombo Port City Economic Commission Bill submitted to the Supreme Court, through the Attorney General’s Department, would be incorporated into the Bill along with the amendments proposed by the Supreme Court. Education Minister Peiris, one of the intervening parties in support of the Bill, more..

May 18 (Island) Chairman of the National Movement for Social Justice (NMSJ) and former Speaker Karu Jayasuriya yesterday appealed to all Sri Lankans to unite as one and move away from engaging in politics, based on hatred and revenge, as the entire country has been pushed into a major crisis, amidst a surging pandemic. He said: “Today the country is facing a severe crisis. All forces that hope for a prosperous future for the country must come forward together in order to overcome this crisis. more..

May 18 (TM) SL will have to fare extremely well to promote from their current 12th spot to the top seven by March 2023 if they are to enter directly to the 2023 50-over Word Cup. This will be the beginning of a hectic schedule which will decide their fate in the ODI World Cup slated for 2023. The beginning will be marked there in Dhaka as the SL ODI cricket team arrived in Bangladesh on Sunday (16), under its new leader Kusal Janith Perera, after leaving Colombo in the wee hours of the same day. more..

May 18 (TM) Mullaitivu Magistrate’s Court yesterday banned the commemoration of those who were killed due to the last stages of the civil war in Mullivaikkal on Remembrance Day which falls today (18). The Mullaitivu District Police Station said that the court has banned all events at the Mullivaikkal War Memorial today and that stay orders had been issued on 42 persons. North-East Mullivaikkal Memorial Forum more..

May 18 (TM) Inmates at the Old Bogambara Prison yesterday held a protest atop its roof, demanding that more PCR tests be conducted on them in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. Department of Prisons Media Spokesman said the prisoners had protested atop the roof of the Old Bogambara Prison, demanding an increase in the number of PCR tests conducted. However, the protest was called off a few hours later, following a discussion with the Bogambara Prison’s administration. more..

May 18 (ST) Govt has requested Int'l Non-Governmental Organisations (INGOs) and local NGOs to donate their allocated funds for the remaining quarters of the year for the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic which has surged to critical proportions in recent weeks. Raja Goonaratne, Director-General (DG) of National Secretariat for Non-Governmental Organisations, said that considering the current COVID-19 crisis in the country, he had requested INGOs and NGOs more..

May 18 (CT) A decision was taken to refer patients infected with COVID-19 to treatment facilities or intermediary care centres (ICCs) which are closest to their home, an official for the Health Ministry said. The official said COVID-19 Special Active Performance Committee had met yesterday for discussions chaired by Health Minister, Pavithra Wanniarachchi and had taken several key decisions for immediate action in regard to more..

May 18 (FT) Throughout the tapestry of confusions that has made up the pandemic saga we have been told to follow the science. Sadly, the recent steps taken by our Govt show that, in the main, they are not being well-advised, and we are instead fleeing from science, abandoning good management and communication norms, and even leaving the shelter of clear logic. On 12 May late at night, the earlier tally of some 1,400 positive tests (posing as cases, not the same thing, cases require more..

May 18 (FT) I read with a lot of interest the article on Low-interest rate policy punishes savers by our good friend Prof. Sirimevan Colombage. He has shown a great deal of mercy towards the poor and ageing community. I wonder whether ageing has disturbed his brilliant thought pattern. He talks more of spiritual aspects of life (mercy and thriftiness) rather than the discipline of materialistic economics (greed and investment) that he mastered throughout his career as a central banker, more..

May 18 (AD) Former MP of TNA K. Thurairetnasingam has passed away at the age of 80. According to reports, he was under medical care for COVID-19 at the Kantale Hospital at the time of his demise on Monday (17). He is the second former legislator in Sri Lanka to succumb to COVID-19. Former Speaker of Parliament W.J.M. Lokubandara passed away on February 14 from novel coronavirus infection. Thurairetnasingam served as a MP from 2002 to 2010 representing Trinco District. more..

May 18 (Island) A group of remandees held at the former Bogambara prison staged a rooftop protest yesterday demanding that they be subjected to PRC tests. The remandees, numbering about 20, said that they had been held for several days and, therefore, they should be tested for the virus. Prison officials said those remand prisoners were due to undergo the PCR tests on May 22. Prison officers and police were guarding the prison premises at the time of going to press. more..

May 18 (AD) Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena presented the determination of the Supreme Court with regard to the Colombo Port City Economic Commission Bill to the Parliament today (18). It was revealed that the Court has determined that several clauses of the Bill are inconsistent with the Constitution. However, these clauses are either to be amended or passed in the parliament with a special majority or in a referendum. more..

May 18 (EN) A cyber attack on three SL govt-run websites that occurred this morning have been resolved, SL Computer Emergency Readiness Team (SLCERT) said. SLCERT Information Security Engineer Ravindu Meegasmulla said the compromised websites belonging to Ministry of Health, SL embassy in China and Rajarata Uni have been secured. It was not a serious attack, he said. “As of now we have resolved the issue. It was just a defacement of some of the pages. more..

May 18 (Island) High Commissioner of Bangladesh Tareq Md Ariful Islam yesterday paid a courtesy call on Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena at the speaker’s residence. During the meeting, a number of issues were discussed, including the Covid pandemic situation in the two countries. The Speaker extended his gratitude to the High Commissioner for the continued support of Bangladesh, which has always been a friend of Sri Lanka. The HC said that Bangladesh more..

May 18 (DM) With mounting Coronavirus cases reported from across the island, the provision of adequate health and medical care for patients has become an immediate national need. With the govt’s decision to increase the current bed capacity in the hospital network, SL Army, which has been at the forefront of SL’s Covid-19 response, recently improvised a former apparel factory to a fully-functional Covid-19 more..

May 18 (AD) MP Rishad Bathiudeen, who is currently held under a detention order over alleged links to the Easter Sunday terror attacks, has filed a Fundamental Rights (FR) petition through his legal counsel, seeking his release. The FR petition, lodged before the Supreme Court, has named the IGP, Director of CID, DIG of the CID, Officer-in Charge (OIC) of the CID and the Attorney General as its respondents. MP Bathiudeen claims that a group of CID officers took him into custody more..