Apr 6 (CT) Minister Mahinda Amaraweera, said that steps have been taken to offer Rs50 billion to the CEB, considering the profit gained by the CEYPETCO, with the reduction of crude oil prices in the world market. He said that the profit was given to the CEB, to settle half of the loan amount of Rs100 billion spent by the CEB to buy fuel. CEYPETCO Chairman, Sumith Wijesinghe, said that though the fuel consumption has decreased with the prices of crude oil in the world market, more..

Apr 6 (AD) Minister of Health Pavithra Wanniarachchi says that Sri Lanka�s health sector has always been ahead of the South Asian countries with regard to the coronavirus eradication program. She added that Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests are now being carried out in many hospitals across the island to identify COVID-19 infections. The COVID-19 testing will be further expanded within the coming days, more..

Apr 6 (DM) A 75-year-old German female passenger who was aboard the cruise ship MSC Magnifica, was also brought to the country along with the Sri Lankan chef by the SL Navy this morning after considering her deteriorating health condition. German woman who is a heart patient was brought ashore for further treatment following a request, and was admitted to Colombo National Hospital. German woman had been disinfected at the harbour premises in accordance with proper more..

Apr 6 (AD) Themiya Abeywickrama has been appointed as the new Director General of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). Capt. Abeywickrama had previously served as Chief Pilot - Training and Standards of Mihin Lanka. He will take over from Mr H.M.C. Nimalsiri, who was the Director General of CAA and CEO of the CAA since its inception in 2002. CAA stated that the Cabinet has appointed Capt. Themiya Abeyawickrama to the post of DGCA & CEO of CAA with immediate effect. more..

Apr 6 (DM) COVID-19 pandemic may not spiral out of control in countries such as SL due to its high temperature and high humidity levels as it has been noticed that the pandemic is causing a wider spread in low temperature countries, independent local researcher, Huzefa Akbarally said. He said that the SL authorities had wasted no time in nipping this virus in the bud, by implementing strict preventive measures, but ongoing research has shown more..

Apr 6 (NDTV) Producer Karim Morani, who has co-produced several movies of Shah Rukh Khan, has confirmed that her daughter Shaza Morani tested positive for coronavirus. Mr Morani revealed that Shaza returned to Mumbai from Sri Lanka in the first week of March but didn't show any symptoms of COVID-19. However, Shaza's sister Zoya was symptomatic and hence the two Morani sisters got themselves tested. Zoya, who was in Rajasthan till March 15, tested negative for COVID-19 but more..

Apr 6 (NR) A special discussion was held yesterday over ways to contain the spread of the coronavirus by using indigenous medicine. Speaking at the daily media briefing at the National Operation Centre for Prevention of COVID-19 Outbreak Commander of Army Lt Gen Shavendra Silva said discussion was held under the patronage of the Minister of Health under the directives of Prez Rajapaksa. Commander said around 50 Ayurveda, Homeopathy and indigenous doctors attended the talks. more..

Apr 6 (NR) Director General of Health Services Dr. Anil Jasinghe commenting on the 175 and 176 COVID-19 cases who were confirmed yesterday said, one individual was identified as a resident of Ja-Ela a three-wheeler driver by profession, while the other was a female from Puttalam around 30 years of age. He said the resident of Ja-Ela is presently being spoken to about persons he associated. more..

Apr 6 (AD) Popular musician Jayantha Ratnayake, the son of veteran singer Victor Ratnayake, has passed away at the age of 51. He had passed away at the Apeksha Hospital in Maharagama this morning (06). He had been battling cancer for a long period. The eldest son of renowned singer Victor Ratnayake, Jayantha Ratnayake was also an accomplished music composer, music director and a singer. His brother Lelum Ratnayake is also a well known musician in Sri Lanka. more..

Apr 6 (NR) Four more persons who tested positive for COVID-19 in the country have recovered. Ministry of Health reported that total recoveries have accordingly increased to 38. Earlier two persons tested positive for the coronavirus bringing the number of cases in the country to 178. 135 active coronavirus cases are presently being treated in several hospitals including at National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Colombo East Base Hospital, and Welikanda Base Hospital. more..

Apr 6 (TM) This Sunday we dig into some of the quarantine camp stories narrated to us by some students. As you may know, most people who came back after 15 March had been sent to quarantine camps all over the country. Some of your friends and family too might have been sent there for their safety. SL Army has been generous enough to navigate this for all incoming travellers. By now, you have most likely heard about where your more..

Apr 6 (EN) Sri Lanka bond yields fell Monday and the while the rupee continued to slide in the one week forward market dealers said, with unprecedented volumes of money being helicopter dropped into the credit system while the people are struggling to contain the spread of Coronavirus. The rupee had closed around 199.75/199.90 to the US dollar in the one week forward market dealers said with deals done above 199.50 to the US dollar. On Friday the rupee had traded at over 196 to more..

Apr 6 (NR) Army Commander said another 217 persons who completed the 14-day quarantine period were released today. Lt Gen Shavendra Silva said 1,287 persons continue to remain at 40 quarantine facilities. He noted that 3,386 persons have been released after completing the quarantine process. Army Commander added another group will be released tomorrow as well, reiterating that persons who are released must complete another 14-day self-isolation period at homes. more..

Apr 6 (AD) Two more patients have been diagnosed with the coronavirus infection today, said the Ministry of Health. The new cases raise the total number of COVID-19 cases in SL to 178. 33 patients have recovered so far while 138 patients are currently under medical care. The number of deaths in SL due to COVID-19 stands at 5. Over 250 suspected patients are under observation at selected hospitals. more..

Apr 6 (AD) In the light of recent developments caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, following consensus among the stakeholders of the tea industry and with the support of the Chairmen of the Sri Lanka Tea Board, the Colombo Tea Traders� Association successfully concluded the weekly tea auction on March 18th and 19th, at the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, under challenging circumstances and stringent precautionary measures. However, it was realized that more..

Apr 6 (DM) At least 15 staff members of the Apeksha Hospital in Maharagama had to be moved to a quarantine centre after a patient, who was later tested positive for COVID-19, arrived to obtain treatment from the OPD, Hospital Director Dr. Wasantha Dissanayake said. He said the staff members including some doctors had been directed to the Waikkal quarantine centre. He said the patient from Orugodawatta had arrived at the OPD already knowing that he was infected with the virus. more..

Apr 6 (AD) The curfew imposed in all areas, except for Colombo, Gampaha, Kalutara, Puttalam, Kandy, and Jaffna districts, will be temporarily lifted on Thursday (9). The curfew in the relevant 19 districts will be lifted at 6 am and be in effect until 4 pm the same day. However, the curfew in Colombo, Gampaha, Kalutara, Puttalam, Kandy and Jaffna districts will continue until further notice. Meanwhile, the govt has declared the period more..

Apr 7 (CT) Local and international NGO quarters are up in arms over the presidential pardon extended to a former soldier Sunil Ratnayake who had been convicted and sentenced to death over an incident in the year 2000 where eight Tamil persons including a five year old child had been killed in Mirusuvil in Jaffna. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said in a statement that the release of this individual was an affront to the victims who lost their lives in that incident. more..

Apr 7 (ST) There are increasing concerns in food security during this prolonged period of an economic shutdown and island-wide curfew. Ensuring the availability and accessibility of at least minimum food requirements is of utmost importance during these days of battling the coronavirus. To the credit of the Govt, many efforts are being made to ensure people�s basic food requirements. Nevertheless, a proportion of the population would not have had adequate minimum food owing to the curfew, more..

Apr 7 (CT) Anura Dissanayake, Secretary, Ministry of Higher Education, Technology & Innovation and Chairman, Presidential Task Force on Education, spoke at length on how the authorities have planned to keep educating the students who are at home due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, using technology. Q: What is the purpose of Prez Task Force on Education established after the spread of COVID-19? more..

Apr 7 (ST) April 1st is a day of tomfoolery when legs are pulled even by those who should know better. So when the phone rang and the caller at the other end said Naseby here, for a moment I thought it was an April Fool joke. But it was no joke. Lord Naseby, or Michael Morris as I knew him way back in Colombo in 1963 (if my memory serves me correct), asked for my postal address to send another copy of his new book, as the one addressed to me along with copies to four others appeared to have more..

Apr 7 (CT) When the corona virus began spreading infection and deaths among thousands globally in mid Dec 2019, the Govt under Prez Rajapaksa had been in office for exactly one month. But perhaps because its predecessors SARS and MERS took just a fraction of deaths caused by COVID-19, world leaders obviously dismissed the its latent potential to unleash a trail of global terror encompassing every country in its path. None were spared. The killing and trauma challenge the hitherto more..

Apr 7 (TM) As families, we are now struggling to source the daily essentials, as many promising delivery services are failing to meet the expectations, and currently buying whatever we could get our hands on. But for those responsible for the lives of more than that of their family, it is truly a challenging time as the ability to buy food in large quantities is clearly difficult. In light of this, we spoke to a few animal welfare organisations and more..

Apr 7 (Island) The IMF has done well to select the least developed countries for some preferential treatment at this juncture on the question of debt repayments but it opens itself to the charge of veering from objective criteria in its treatment of crisis-scarred Venezuela. The IMF has rejected the latter�s request for a $5 billion loan to manage her COVID-19-linked woes on the ground that there is no clarity on international recognition of the country�s government. more..

Apr 7 (CT) The usual bustle of the capital city has now been replaced by an eerie silence as the new coronavirus (COVID-19) takes its toll on the country. Islandwide police curfew has been introduced to reduce the spread and to flatten the epidemic curve. Whilst Sri Lanka's comparatively low number of COVID-19 positive cases suggest the success of these measures, they still come at a heavy cost to the local economy. In an online discussion organised by the Advocata Institute on more..

Apr 7 (Island) It looks as if tipplers, of all people, were more equal than others, in India�s Kerala State. Others are prohibited from venturing out during the current lockdown, and those who defy the ban, get beaten by the police mercilessly, in public. But alcoholics are given special treatment in Kerala; they can obtain passes to buy liquor if doctors certify that they are having withdrawal symptoms! Some guzzlers are reported to have taken their own lives, unable bend their elbows, more..

Apr 7 (DN) April 7, 2020 is the day to celebrate the work of nurses and midwives and remind world leaders of the critical role they play in keeping the world healthy. Nurses and other health workers are at the forefront of COVID-19 response - providing high quality, respectful treatment and care, leading community dialogue to address fears and questions and, in some instances, collecting data for clinical studies. Quite simply, without nurses, there would be no COVID-19 response. more..

Apr 7 (DM) Some quarters of Sri Lankans are indulging in a needlessly-caused and equally stubbornly promoted debate over the funeral managements of the Muslim COVID-19 victims. Last week, a 64-year-old Muslim man from Kochchikade, 2nd locally reported coronavirus related death, was cremated under the standard operating procedure adopted by Ministry of Health on disposal of dead bodies related to virus. more..

Apr 7 (Island) Senior athletics official Saman Kumara said that despite all sports action halted and training programmes hampered due to the coronavirus pandemic, the coaches could still look at a brighter side of utilizing the time to set up a master plan for the next year. �It is a tough time for everyone. There is uncertainty regarding the start of sports action. It is difficult to predict when would be the first competition. This is an unprecedented situation. But still you can see a brighter side more..

Apr 7 (DM) A collective of citizens and organizations comprising leading civil society members, academics and activists, has written to Prez Rajapaksa on the disposal of bodies of deceased persons who were infected with and suspected of being infected with COVID-19. The letter has been copied to Minister Pavithra Waniarachchi, Director General Health Services Dr. Anil Jasinghe, Chief Epidemiologist Dr. Sudath Samaraweera, Director of IDH Dr. Hasitha Attanayake, more..

Apr 7 (Island) President of Sri Lanka Cricket Shammi Silva in a letter to the game�s stakeholders has assured that domestic cricket tournaments that were interrupted due COVID-19 epidemic will be completed before the end of the year. The SLC Chief after consultation with the Ex-Co and CEO had sent the letter to all stakeholders dated 3rd April. Shammi Silva however is uncertain about what will happen to some of more..

Apr 7 (DM) The future trajectory of COVID-19 that has swallowed the entire world is not clear yet. Only China has so far successfully contained the disease, but with imported cases still disturbing the serenity of its leaders of the country. All other so-called powerful countries are struggling to at least bring the rapid upsurge of new cases and deaths to a close. Countries such as Britain and Italy as guardians of capitalism had supported the sixty-year US-sponsored sanctions against more..

Apr 7 (Island) Most of us live in the cramped cold cages of our private projects, frantically struggling to stake out our own little comfortable place in the sun. Driven in circles by anxious yearnings and beckoning desires, we rarely ever glance aside to see how our neighbor is faring, and when we do it is usually only to assure ourselves that he is not trying to encroach upon our own domain or to find some means by which we might extend our dominion over his. more..

Apr 7 (AD) Prez Rajapaksa and PM Mahinda Rajapaksa discussed matters relating to the prevailing situation in the wake of COVID-19 spread with the representatives of Samagi Jana Balawegaya at the Prez Secretariat today (06). Prez elaborated on the measures already taken by the Govt to prevent the spread of the lethal virus and the future actions in this regard. The responsible manner in which the govt acted following more..

Apr 7 (FT) The Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) yesterday said it has taken swift measures to thwart possible attempts to cross Bolgoda Lake by bordering Atulugama residents. The area has been placed under a total lockdown and all residents have been advised to remain quarantined. The Navy has deployed its Rapid Action Boat Squadron (RABS) at the adjacent areas of Bolgoda Lake from Sunday to prevent any crossings. Following information received from various sources on attempts to more..

Apr 7 (EN) Two more COVID 19 patients were reported today, taking the total reported to 178 since the outbreak Director-General Health Services Dr Anil Jasinghe said. The first is a Three-wheeler driver from Jaela and �he has had many contacts and at present he is being interviewed and we are trying to trace his contacts,� he said. The other person is a woman from the Puttalam area and we are tracing her contacts as well, Jasinghe said. We are conducting more tests for COVID 19, more..

Apr 7 (Island) A senior spokesperson for the Catholic Church, said that in line with measures taken by the govt to curb the rapid spread of Covid-19, prayers wouldn�t be conducted at churches, countrywide, on Maundy Thursday (9), Good Friday (10) and Easter Sunday (12). The spokesman, based at the Bishop�s House, Borella, emphasized that immediately after the outbreak of coronavirus, Church cancelled Sunday mass on Mar 15. more..

Apr 7 (EN) Senior executives of top business groups in Sri Lanka have taken up to 60% salary cuts as Coronavirus killed sales and hit cash flows, but not state sector salary cuts have been announced though most are staying at home. SL�s publicly traded John Keells Holdings told employees in a memo that directors will take a 60% salary cut, and other executives will take a 35%, while lower paid executives will have a Travel allowances will not be paid for the next three months. more..

Apr 7 (TM) The govt has barred residents from making payments through Outward Investment Accounts (OIA) for overseas investments for a period of 3 months. PM who is also the Finance Minister issued the relevant Gazette Extraordinary earlier today (06). The govt over the past weeks has taken several measures to ease the pressure on the exchange rate amid the coronavirus outbreak. SL Rupee hit an all-time low today with the selling rate of the US dollar at Rs.199.40. more..