May 7 (Island) National Fertilizer Secretariat says sufficient chemical fertilizer has been released to the market, without any shortage, for the Yala cultivation season that begins this month. Due to the prevailing situation in the country, people are increasingly engaged in farming activities and, accordingly, steps have been taken to release the required quantities of fertilizer to the market, Secretariat said. It states that a formal mechanism will be formulated to issue fertilizer in the future. more..

May 7 (FT) As the situation surrounding COVID-19 further accelerates, German Embassy in Colombo, under Micro Project Scheme, has granted financial aid to PAFFREL to help address shortcomings of vulnerable communities. The financial contribution amounting to Rs. 2,100,000 will be utilised to provide essential food rations, medical supplies and cleaning and hygiene items to 39 children�s homes island-wide who are severely hit and most vulnerable during these challenging times. more..

May 7 (Island) The JVP demanded to know from the govt and health authorities the basis on which people were sent to quarantine centres. Former JVP MP Sunil Handunnetti, addressing the media, said that the govt had treated suspected patients differently, in directing them to the quarantine facilities. At the online media briefing, he said: "The facilities available in all quarantine centers are not the same. more..

May 7 (NR) A group of 197 Sri Lankans stranded in Dubai due to travel restrictions amidst the coronavirus pandemic has arrived in the island this morning, onboard a special SriLankan Airlines flight. SriLankan Airlines flight UL-226 had landed at the Bandaranaike International Airport at 6.20am today. Air Force personnel had proceeded to subject all passengers to disinfection upon their arrival. Airport health unit and security officers had also measured the body temperatures of returnees. more..

May 7 (AD) Twenty-four from SL Navy have tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday (6), says Dr. Anil Jasinghe. A total of 29 positive cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in Sri Lanka on Wednesday. Dr. Jasinghe further stated that 5 of these positive cases are associates of naval personnel. The tally of coronavirus cases detected in Sri Lanka now stands at 797 and 215 of these patients have recovered from the disease. The country has confirmed 9 deaths due to COVID-19 so far. more..

May 7 (Island) Health Ministry committee, handling counter measures against COVID-19, yesterday, discussed ways and means of tackling possible spike in cases, after the government relaxed the curfew, (excluding the Western Province and the Puttalam administrative district), from Monday (11). The govt intends to open public and private sector in all parts of the country, including the Western Province and more..

May 7 (DM) The Negombo Police has launched an investigation into an incident where a well known civil society activist�s pet dog was found killed this morning. The incident reportedly occurred when the dog went out of the house at Periyamulla. Police are investigating though the CCTV footage in the area to ascertain the truth of the information received claiming that a person had opened fire at the dog. Reports claim the dog was shot and killed for urinating on a wall. more..

May 7 (DM) All private institutions had agreed to recommence their operations from next week following a discussion with Minister Dinesh Gunawardena today. The discussion was held at the Labour Ministry with the participation of the members of the special Trilateral Task Force which was appointed by the Minister for the protection of the workplaces in the country. During the discussion, Task Force had agreed to re-open every private-sector operation while giving priority to more..

May 7 (AD) Seven more confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported increasing the total number of cases reported so far in the country to 804. Dr. Anil Jasinghe stated that six out of the seven new cases identified today are navy personnel while the other is a person who had come into contact with an infect member of the navy. As of 4.45 p.m. today, a total of 563 patients are currently under medical care at selected hospital. more..

May 7 (AD) Presidential pardon has been granted to 228 inmates detained over minor offences today (18), in view of the Vesak Poya Day. Commissioner General of Prisons said four women are among the pardoned inmates. In addition, 62 more inmates have been pardoned today (07), on the powers vested with the Justice Minister. They have been released on license, the Prisons Commissioner General explained. Women are among the batch of prisoners that were pardoned today. more..

May 7 (EN) Cabinet of ministers had approved bailouts to several state enterprises which are in financial trouble in a Coronavirus crisis, Minister Bandula Gunewardene said. �The state-owned enterprises have been subjected to financial difficulties during this disaster period and are facing problems such as paying salaries,� he said. �It was decided to provide financial facilities to public enterprises such as Sathosa, Janatha Estate Development Board & State Engineering more..

May 7 (DM) Economic Advisor to the PM, Ajith Nivaard Cabraal denied social media reports that �his son and daughter who had arrived recently in SL on a special flight from London, had misbehaved at the airport upon arrival demanding VIP treatment.� �I would have very much liked to have had a daughter, hence I urge the perpetrators of this post to please reveal to me who my daughter is, as I have only been blessed with two sons,� more..

May 7 (RJ) 44 workers from Sri Lanka, employed in a clothing factory in the Botosani, northern Romania have been fired, after seven of them had tested positive for COVID-19. The local Labour Inspectorate has been notified and started checks. The employer told labour inspectors that the SL citizens had not come to work for fear of infecting with the novel coronavirus, also claiming that after they had refused to come to work he fired them. Labour inspectors say that the SL employees more..

May 7 (DM) Archbishop of Colombo Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith urged all Catholics in the Archdiocese of Colombo to assist Buddhists in whatever way to commemorate the Vesak festival. "I request Catholics to assist their Buddhist neighbours in whatever way to commemorate Vesak, despite social distancing practices that are being carried out today in this COVID-19 pandemic," the Cardinal said in a special message for Vesak. "Let us also consume only vegetables, fruits and herbs more..

May 7 (EN) More than a million Sri Lankans are likely to become unemployed or underemployed as the COVID 19 crisis ravages the economy and this could lead to a national security issue experts and officials say. Urban daily-wage earners are the most vulnerable in this situation, as well as many employed in the informal sectors throughout the country, economists say. With many sectors of the economy either shut down or working part of more..

May 7 (AD) 17 more persons who had tested positive for COVID-19 have recovered completely and been discharged from hospital today. On that account, the total count of coronavirus recoveries in the country has reached 232 now. The new recoveries have been reported from IDH Hospital, Iranawila Hospital and Welisara Navy Hospital, according to the Epidemiology Unit of the ministry. 556 active cases are currently under medical care at selected hospitals across the island. more..

May 7 (DM) Asian Development Bank (ADB) has provided a guarantee for a $25 million trade loan to the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation of Sri Lanka (SPC) to purchase medical supplies as part of the country�s response to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Supplies, to be purchased by SPC with the loan, will include personal protective equipment such as N95 medical masks, surgical masks, as well as medicines to treat people who have tested positive to COVID-19. more..

May 7 (AD) Two more naval personnel, who had contracted COVID-19, have been discharged following their full recovery from the virus. They had been receiving treatment at the IDH in Angoda. On that account, a total of 14 coronavirus-infected naval personnel has been discharged from hospitals to date, SL Navy said. These two sailors were infected with COVID-19 while serving in Welisara Naval Base more..

May 8 (CT) The doctrine of necessity was first expounded in the 13th century by English jurist Bracton, who stated that which is otherwise not lawful is made lawful by necessity. Glanville Williams described the defence of necessity as involving a choice of the lesser evil. The doctrine is recognized in criminal law. For example, section 74 of our Penal Code gives the following illustration: �A in a great fire pulls down houses in order to prevent the conflagration from spreading. more..

May 8 (CT) Covid-19 pandemic has shocked the entire world with its enormous health impact on humans, leading to unprecedented social and economic consequences. It is clear the virus does not discriminate on nationality, colour or wealth, as it has already affected a wide swathe of humanity, from the heir apparent to the British throne, and the Prime Minister of the UK, to Palestinian refugees in Israeli-occupied territories in the West Bank. However, it does not take rocket science more..

May 8 (CT) The clothing industry has consistently faced instability over the past few years after its slow recovery from the last global financial crisis. Economic headwinds have eroded even the mightiest industry participants globally. The UK's most recent shockwave, Brexit, thrust both retailers and suppliers into new and uncharted territory - decreasing the buying power of clients and creating a price-war situation for more..

May 8 (DM) The year 2020 marks the second year on the trot where the islanders aren�t celebrating May Day with rallies. And the result: it would effect political parties more than the labourers. A leading tea company published a souvenir to mark 100 years in the beverage business some years ago. What was striking was that the living conditions of tea pluckers hadn�t changed at all during this period. The irony of all this is that we still see Tamil lawmakers trying to raise the living conditions more..

May 8 (DM) The SL health and govt authorities have continued to give hope to the people during this pandemic. According to the authorities we are not far away from heading back to work; even if it happens with limited batches being granted permission to leave home for work. While the COVID-19 controlling process continues effectively another factor which has made Sri Lanka subject to praise is the lion heart it has shown to accept the arrival of returnees from foreign countries. more..

May 8 (UNFPA) Malani Rathanayaka has been a midwife for 20 years, but in the last few weeks her work has changed beyond recognition thanks to COVID-19. At her last clinic in early April some 30 mothers attended, but everyone sat one metre apart. Today, just a month later, even that is not possible, and house calls are limited to emergencies while clinics, community strengthening programmes and vaccination drives are on hold. more..

May 8 (CT) Many countries, including Sri Lanka, have eased their restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus by Monday (11). However, lifting these restrictions in many places doesn't mean that the contagion has been defeated and the public should take all precautions and follow all health recommendations to protect themselves against the virus, lest it come back in another more powerful wave, which will have us confined to our homes once again. more..

May 8 (CT) The COVID-19 effect did not occur in the same way a physical impact would like an object similar to a meteorite colliding with the biosphere causing it to heat up and radiate energy but in a flash of time we had with no indication of what was in store for us. Here, we have a situation where the whole globe was affected with a series of developments taking place in slow motion. We are in a world where our greatest scientists are still trying to understand the possible impact based on more..

May 8 (Island) Chairman of Election Comm. (EC), Mahinda Deshapriya, has written a lengthy response to his detractors who have accused him of influence peddling. They claim he sought the help of some govt officials to bring his son home from overseas in view of the Covid-19 pandemic. Insisting that he only forwarded the soft copies of some documents his son had sent him, to govt officials, Deshapriya has offered to resign from his position if it can be proved that he has done anything wrong. more..

May 8 (Island) I am sure Sri Lankans��not only Buddhists but also others��are sad to have missed Vesak celebrations for two years in a row. Last year, we missed them due to religious extremism, which by the way is a paradox in itself, coupled with the incompetence of the rulers. This year we are missing them due to a natural phenomenon, which reminds us all the impermanency of life, a fact so fundamental to Buddha�s teachings. Keeping ourselves reminded of impermanence is not more..

May 8 (TM) The Govt and the Health Ministry�s sudden decision in placing the country under curfew, with movement from one district to other districts being banned, to prevent Covid-19 from spreading, placed several groups in a vulnerable position. According to Data, Sri Lanka has an elderly population of 3.1 million from ages 70 and above, out of which only 641,515 persons are eligible for the govt pension scheme. more..

May 8 (DM) SL was ranked 127 of 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index 2020. Countries that topped the list included Norway, Finland and Denmark where respective govts have ensured the safety of journalists while promoting a free press. In Denmark for example, when Swedish journalist Kim Wall was murdered near Copenhagen, the murderer was sentenced to life imprisonment. Meanwhile, the fight for media freedom in SL has been deadly. Many journalists have been killed and attacked more..

May 8 (Island) Desperate situations require desperate remedies. Tormented by the deadly crisis of historic proportions, which has now engulfed the country, it is possible to identify four obvious interventions which are critical if SL is to be rescued from severe social economic and political disintegration at this time. To be sure the proposals are highly idealistic. We must not be under any illusions. It may be pure fantasy to expect that such measures would ever be implemented; more..

May 8 (EN) A number of fundamental rights petitions were filed in supreme court this week challenging Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa�s dissolution of the eighth parliament on March 2 this year. The opposition Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB), journalist Victor Ivan, Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) Executive Director Dr Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu and other individuals filed separate applications seeking a declaration from more..

May 8 (IC) Kumar Sangakkara was picked as Surrey County Cricket Club�s greatest overseas player in a poll conducted by the British Broadcasting Corporation. BBC Sport journalists and local radio commentators came up with a shortlist of four players for each county to choose from. Sangakkara hit 14 tons in just 33 matches in three seasons for Surrey (2015-17), totalling 3,400 first-class runs at 62.96. That and his 1,941 limited-over runs are dwarfed by his record for Sri Lanka, more..

May 8 (DM) SL retail tea chain Brand Island Tea Co.�️ continues to engage in distributing Pure Ceylon Milk Teas for the refreshment of frontline staff at hospitals treating Covid-19 patients in the western regions of Philippines. The company conducts this activity across several regions in Philippines under its CSR arm. This project saw the involvement of many Island Tea Co. franchise business partners & staff in this timely effort in supporting the medical frontliners leading the battle against Covid-19 more..

May 8 (MoD) Center for Research and Development (CRD) of the Defence Ministry taking a lead in providing much-needed cost effective innovative solutions in assisting the Govt�s effort to mitigate the spread of coronavirius in SL, showcased a few of its innovations at the Defence Ministry premises, yesterday (6). An interactive remotely operated robotic platform (Dr. Robort) to assess patient status, a disinfection corridor more..

May 8 (ST) The Sri Lanka Society of Rugby Football Referees (SLSRFR) has spurned former Police SC and Kingswood College player Bandara Wekadapola�s offer to coach local referees and has even warned some members not seek his advice. A Level 7 referee of the London Society of Rugby Football Union Referees (LSRFUR), Wekadapola had the rare honour of being selected in 2018 by the London Society as their Representative to Middlesex County RFU West Region Clubs Council. more..

May 8 (Island) Pan Asia Banking Corporation PLC concluded 2020 Q1 with the best ever financial results in a first quarter of an year in its 25 year history to report a Profit before tax of Rs.652 Mn and Profit after tax of Rs.416 million, recording an impressive growth of 53% in both, demonstrating resilience amidst challenging conditions. The Bank�s operating profit before taxes on financial services for the quarter increased by 22% reflecting solid overall core banking performance, more..

May 8 (TM) Amidst the prolonged impact of Covid-19 on retail sector businesses, two leading shopping complexes in SL, Majestic City and Colombo City Center, have announced a rental-free policy for their tenants. More retail space providers are expected to announce similar concessions following a request made by the SL Retailers� Association (SLRA) yesterday (5) from all landlords and lessors to reduce leases and rentals for more..

May 8 (Island) Once the coronavirus was detected in Australia, in February, the authorities got their act together to combat. A National Cabinet including State Premiers and Territory leaders was established, and the real battle was fought in March following the announcement of the emergency plan, on 27th Feb. Initially, travellers from China and Iran were denied entry. Later travellers from Italy were added to the list. Others arriving in Australia were required to self-isolate in their own homes more..