Apr 19 (ST) COVID-19 comes at a time the economy is on a slowing trajectory with the apartment market hit badly after record level condo prices and sales in 2018. Analysts say this outbreak will contribute to sharper but temporary drags on this market. In the mid-term (the next 12-24 months), weaker economic conditions and slower growth in employment, income, wages, and GDP could come faster than anticipated and begin to act as counterweight to the demand. more..

Apr 19 (ST) A possible abandonment of the home series against South Africa and India in May and June may not trigger a long term financial loss as the home Board is confident it can reschedule the tours within the current cricket cycle�but it will certainly leave a gaping hole in Sri Lanka Cricket�s (SLC) cash flow this year. Additionally, any cancellation would be a major disadvantage to the 2014 World T20 champions who had hoped more..

Apr 19 (ST) Sri Lanka Schools Cricket Association (SLSCA) has introduced a scheme to help dependents from school cricket, mainly coaches, who are effected due to lockdown situation created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Issuing a circular through social media, the SLSCA has instructed school cricket coaches and other support staff to provide related information to its General Secretary or Treasurer to make further arrangements. �We (SLSCA) are highly concerned about more..

Apr 19 (SO) Exports had been moving as usual until the second week of March before public holidays were declared and even, thereafter, during the lockdown amidst restrictions to movement, said Chairman, Exporters Association of Sri Lanka, Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and Hayleys PLC Group Shipping Department Director Chrisso de Mel elaborating the current status of exports and the strategies needed to recoup and revive the industry. However, he said some exporters more..

Apr 19 (ST) While the govt was commended for its handling of the health crisis vis-�-vis COVID-19, it has performed poorly in terms of handling the distribution of essential food and the economic impact, an email poll showed. Asked whether the Govt has handled the health crisis well, 77% of the respondents replied with Y (Yes) while nearly 50% responded with N (No), to the question as to whether the govt had more..

Apr 19 (CT) Following the Govt declaration of the Plantations sector as an essential service, the Planters' Association of Ceylon (PA) stated that RPC operations immediately gathered momentum amidst stringent new measures to protect workers and the wider estate community against the COVID-19 pandemic. Expressing gratitude to all industry stakeholders and Govt authorities for successfully enabling plantation sector to resume critical operations, PA Chairman, Sunil Poholiyadde more..

Apr 19 (ST) Govts across the world are urgently trying to acquire and store critical medical supplies such as masks and gloves as frontline doctors and nurses readying to battle COVID-19 pandemic face shortages. This pandemic is forcing many of the biggest makers in this part of the world to run factories around the clock to meet demand and SL isn�t an exception. This is the reason behind the local rubber manufacturing and export industry receiving the nod from the govt to more..

Apr 19 (CT) A senior official of Department of Govt Printing said that speculation was rife that a fire was set at the place where waste paper was stocked, in order to destroy ballot papers scheduled to be printed, so that Elections could be postponed. He opined that if the fire had spread to the stores, which was 15 metres away from the place where the fire erupted, there was a possibility of security paper with the watermark to print more..

Apr 19 (EN) Sri Lanka will fly back 113 students stranded in Pakistan on April 21 in the first stage of an attempt to bring back citizens from Coronavirus struck countries as the Indian Ocean island announced a relaxation of tight curfews slapped to contain Covid-19. At least 215 Sri Lankan students are stuck in India and Pakistan due lockdowns in the region. �The initial phase of Sri Lankan students to be brought down will start from Tuesday (April 21st),� more..

Apr 19 (Island) The UNP said that it was not scared to face any election, but the govt should take an informed decision on whether Parliamentary Polls could be held in a situation where the spread of the Coronivirus disease was yet to be brought under total control. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa should stop trying to pass the ball to the Elections Commision and refer the question of whether polls could be conducted in the current environment, to the Supreme Court as he was the only one more..

Apr 19 (ST) The govt has given a better option for tax-paying employees by introducing the Advance Personal Income Tax (APIT) following the scrapping of Pay-As You-Earn (PAYE) tax and other withholding taxes (WHT). It will ease the hassle of filling tax returns, a time consuming procedure of the Inland Revenue Department (IRD). This revised version of taxation has been proposed by Finance Ministry on Jan 31, 2020 & Mar 5, 2020, more..

Apr 19 (ST) All courts, except the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal, will function from tomorrow for internal administrative work, including setting new dates for cases, Judicial Service Commission sources said. Accordingly, all staff who could report to work have been advised to do so by using their official identity cards as curfew passes. Commercial High Courts, Civil Appeal High Courts, High Courts, District Courts and magistrate�s courts will function. Priority function would be to give new dates more..

Apr 19 (SO) Some groups of people ask health authorities to issue them COVID-19 free status through a certificate and some demand health authorities to conduct PCR Test on all of them. But everything is done according to a scientific system, Health Services Director General Dr. Anil Jasinghe said. He said the PCR test is conducted on COVID-19 patients, suspected patients, their contacts, individuals in Quarantine Centres and selected groups of individuals from the community. more..

Apr 19 (AD) TNA writing to the Election Commission expressed concerns regarding the General Election 2020, considering the prevailing situation in the country. TNA said that holding of periodic elections are indeed the cornerstone to upholding democracy and any exception to this rule can only be in the most serious of circumstances. Unfortunately, however, Sri Lanka, like the rest of the world, today faces more..

Apr 19 (Island) Former Minister Rajitha Senaratne said that the most effective method to stop the spread of the Coronavirus, was to house and treat positive patients in separate rooms. He said that various theories and proposals were being floated, but a recent conference of medical specialists from many countries conducted by the Cambridge Uni, had concluded that the best method through which the Coronavirus disease could be eliminated, was to first isolate positive patients in separate more..

Apr 19 (Island) Sri Lanka seafood exports are seeing strong demand and higher prices during a global Coronavirus crisis though air freight rates have sky rocketed, as airlines are grounded worldwide, an official said. �So, the good news is amongst COVID-19, the seafood industry has been able to operate, and the demand still seems to be decent,� Prabash Subasinghe, Chairman of Sri Lanka�s Export Development Board told an online forum organized by Advocata Institute, more..

Apr 19 (ST) President Gotabaya Rajapaksa plans to end the 31-day-long round-the-clock curfew tomorrow in most areas, barring high risk zones in the districts of Colombo, Kalutara, Gampaha, Puttalam and Jaffna where new measures are to be in force. A night curfew is also likely in these areas. Govt yesterday decided to lift the curfew from 5 am to 8 pm from Monday on a daily basis in all districts other than more..

Apr 19 (ST) Govt will spend a staggering Rs 24 billion to give financial assistance of Rs 5,000 each to compensate those who have lost their income, Treasury official said. The sum includes Rs 9 billion needed to be paid to a range of others who were laste week added to the list of beneficiaries. Govt initially offered the Rs 5,000 payment for 1.8 million Samurdhi beneficiary families and later expanded it to 600,000 families who had been placed on waiting list as Samurdhi beneficiaries. more..

Apr 19 (EN) Container transshipment business at Colombo port has been hit by lockdowns in India and Bangladesh over Coronavirus and vessel calls are expected to decline as lines try to balance demand, a logistics official said. �About 55 to 60% of our total volumes come from India and Bangladesh,� Romesh David, CEO of South Asia Gateway Terminals said. �With the closures of them now we see the trickle through in both ways. Imports have fallen off and as have exports.� more..

Apr 19 (EN) SL has banned more imports until July 2020 while allowing some items to be imported on three months credit, according to an order under the country�s export and import control law of 1960, which was used in the control economy period of 1970s. Among the most problematic items that have been restricted include screws, nuts and bolts, asbestos washers, batteries, small motors, which can bring the country�s industrial machinery, more..

Apr 19 (ST) Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) raided a high-end supermarket located at Park Street in Colombo yesterday and seized goods worth over Rs 300,000. The Authority�s Assistant Director for Western Province, A A Jesoor, said that the original prices of goods were erased and a higher price was marked. �This place, functioning as an online business, offers high-end imported products, and it was revealed it has been operating thus for about one and half months owing to the curfew,� more..

Apr 19 (NR) Another 5 persons have recovered from the coronavirus in the country. Ministry of Health reported that the 5 recoveries accordingly increase the total recoveries to 96. Accordingly 10 new recoveries were recorded today, with 5 other recoveries reported this afternoon. Earlier the number of COVID-19 cases reported in Sri Lanka increased to 269, after 15 persons tested positive today. The group that tested positive were directed to be quarantined in Colombo, after they more..

Apr 19 (AD) Investigations have revealed that a second attack had been planned following the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings, said Police Media Spokesman SP Jaliya Senaratne. He said that according to investigations, a second-tier team had been recruited and trained for another attack to follow the Easter attacks. However, the CID has been able to thwart those plans through their investigations, Spokesman added. more..

Apr 19 (AD) Dedicated Economic Center in Dambulla recommenced its operation this morning after remaining closed for 15 days. With the opening of the Economic Center, 3-5 km long queues of lorries transporting vegetables were observed in Dambulla roads. On April 5, Dambulla Dedicated Economic Center was closed down indefinitely over the customers� failure to follow health guidelines issued by health authorities. However, vegetable farmers were seen selling their produce on more..

Apr 19 (DM) The leopard which was trapped in a tree in Maskeliya and rescued after a lengthy operation died yesterday due to severe damages caused to its internal organs. The leopard was trapped in a tree at a land owned by the Gartmore Estate in Maskeliya near the Samanala Forest Reserve and was rescued by the Wildlife officers. The animal was tranquilized after the rescue operation which lasted for nearly nine hours last afternoon, and taken to Minipe Veterinary more..

Apr 19 (DM) Amidst environmental concerns, the construction of an artificial beach between Kalutara and Mount Lavinia is being expedited. Kalutara North Calido beach Development Project is being constructed in three stages. Construction work on the project was in full swing over the weekend in Mount Lavinia under tight police security. Coast Conservation Dept said that cabinet approval had been obtained for the project, and more..

Apr 19 (AD) National Water Supply & Drainage Board (NWSDB) has introduced new methods for consumers to pay their water bills. NWSDB states that continuous water supply has become a challenge with the lack of an income with the current situation in the country. Water Board points out that while water supply is provided at concessional rates, nearly 70% of the bills issued charge less than what it costs for a unit of water. Therefore, NWSDB has introduced new methods to pay water bills more..

Apr 19 (ST) A German family caught up in the strict curfew are stranded in Colombo, unable to pick up their baggage from Galle and leave the country. The family, staying in a hotel in Colombo, say they are running out of funds to pay hotel bills and want to return home at the first available opportunity. Arnd Lachermund, 62 and his Lankan-born wife Ms Santhoshini de Silva arrived from Germany on March 10. Their 26-year-old son, Gino, joined them from Dubai three days later. more..

Apr 19 (ST) Western Province will be opened up on a phased basis from early next month with priority being given to resuming work at business establishments. This comes as the govt gradually eases off restrictions in the rest of the country from next week under its plans to reactivate the economy. The detailed plans, including health guidelines to be implemented, were being worked out by Covid 19 PTF in consultation with health authorities. more..

Apr 19 (NR) The govt says state sector activities will resume with a limited number of employees. Director General of the Govt Information Department Nalaka Kaluwewa said operations of the state sector will return to normalcy gradually. Kaluwewa noted that heads of institutions have informed employees who are expected to report to work tomorrow. He said while all state sector employees are not expected to report to work, a maximum of 50% of the staff in districts outside high risk areas more..

Apr 19 (ST) A team of doctors in Kandy has restored 12 ventilators discarded by public hospitals and handed them over to health officials to treat coronavirus patients. They had come together at first to build one, but abandoned the idea because they could not get the components. Peradeniya Teaching Hospital director Dr Arjuna Tillekeratne had begun a search for discarded ventilators and once even went to Dehiattakandiya to collect discarded machines. 20 were recovered and 12 were restored by more..

Apr 19 (AD) Lt Gen Shavendra Silva says that the public should make sure not to loiter or idle outside once the curfew is lifted. The decision to relax the curfew regulations was taken considering the hindrances caused to the public by the curfew, he said. He pointed out that many are unable to attend work or pay salaries without running businesses. The Army Chief saluted the SL public for their cooperation in measures to more..

Apr 19 (AD) Liquor stores will be permitted to sell liquor during the non-curfew hours, stated the Department of Excise. However, the stores may operate while strictly adhering to curfew regulations and COVID-19 prevention guidelines social distancing rules. Accordingly, all licensed retail liquor stores are allowed to operate by the Commissioner-General of Excise and the Secretary of the Finance, Economy, and Policy Development Ministry. All excise officials have been given instructions more..

Apr 19 (NR) The NPP says the govt must prioritise the containment of the coronavirus over the General Election. Former MP Bimal Ratnayake said all other factors are secondary in comparison to the COVID-19 crisis. Ratnayake noted that the first priority should be containing the threat of the coronavirus, second reviving the economy and thirdly the election. The former MP said easing all restrictions that were imposed, according to their belief has not been approved by any health guidelines. more..

Apr 19 (EN) Sri Lanka confirmed 15 new novel coronavirus patients by late afternoon April 19, taking the total count to 269, from contacts traced and quarantined. All the patients were placed in quarantine from the Colombo area due to closely associating with infected persons. The govt found a new patient in Kotahena earlier this week, who had returned from India on March 12, long before the island closed for foreign arrivals on March 19. more..

Apr 19 (TM) On 5 April, it was reported by the Bronx Zoo in New York that one of its tigers, Nadia, a four-year-old Malayan tiger, had tested positive for the worldwide novel coronavirus. As this news report went viral on the internet, more and more people began to repeatedly question whether this newfound disease in animals has a chance of spreading to more of the same species or even humans, creating an internet fluster. To gain a better understanding, The Sunday Morning contacted more..

Apr 19 (SO) Govt is to bring down more Sri Lankans who got stranded in various world capitals, as the raging Covid 19 pandemic forced many countries to resort to extreme measures and close their borders to contain the threat. The authorities which will be responsible for this operation are the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Health, Department of Civil Aviation, Airport and Aviation (SL) Ltd and a host of others. Nearly 5,000 Lankans are to be brought down in batches, more..

Apr 19 (TM) Amidst a fierce debate on whether a date for the impending parliamentary elections should be scheduled now or whether the election should be postponed further, Election Commission (EC) said it will take into account the views of health authorities before making its final decision. �We will meet with the health authorities, security forces, and the relevant officials on Monday to get an update on more..

Apr 20 (TM) The fallacy of a society that thrives on the myth of self-sufficiency after the colossal failure during the mid-70s that left nearly the entire population sans the ruling elite�s belly full is making the rounds again. The very definition of the term self-sufficiency has different meanings. One school of thought is going back in time to an era where Sri Lanka never existed on the international map with absolutely zero trade. In this instance, one had no choice as you live off of what you grow. more..

Apr 20 (CT) The SLPP�s candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa convincingly won the prez election held on Nov 16, 2019. He polled 52.25% votes as opposed to his arch-rival, Sajith Premadasa�s 42 percent votes. Without wasting too much time, the prez installed a new govt headed by the SLPP, and Mahinda Rajapaksa was appointed PM. As soon as the presidency was won and the new administration formed, the SLPP�s quest became winning a two-thirds majority in the general election, more..