May 17 (MFA) Over 38,983 Overseas Sri Lankans (OSLs) in 143 countries at present seek to return home, based on information gathered mainly through the Contact Sri Lanka Web Portal of the Ministry of Foreign Relations. This comprises 3,078 students, 4,040 short term visa holders, 27,854 Migrant workers, 3527 dependents and 484 duel citizens and others. Meanwhile since 21 April, up to now, 3600 OSLs have been repatriated more..

May 17 (MFA) Foreign Secretary Ravinatha Aryasinha has called on migrant workers as well as students and parents, to carefully calibrate the effect repatriation at this time could have on their jobs and education, before making decisions to seek to return to Sri Lanka, availing of the limited flights being operated by the Govt for those facing compelling circumstances. He made this observation yesterday (16 May) in an appearance on Sri Lanka Rupavahini, where he noted that more..

May 17 (AD) Eighteen coronavirus patients have been discharged from the hospitals upon recovery, as of 10 am this morning. The patients had been receiving treatment at the IDH in Angoda, Mulleriyawa Hospital, Homagama Hospital, and Welisara Navy Hospital, stated the Ministry of Health. Accordingly, the number of recoveries reported in the country has hiked to 538 cases. As per the Epidemiology Unit, 960 cases of coronavirus infections have been reported from SL. more..

May 17 (Island) The SLFP, which is contesting the Parliamentary Polls on the Podujana Peramuna ticket, shared common ground with the UNP, on the feasibility of holding the elections as scheduled on June 20 when the two parties along with 32 others met the Elections Commission in Colombo, last week. General Secretaries of the UNP and SLFP, Akila Viraj Kariyawasam and Dayasiri Jayasekara respectively, who not long ago more..

May 17 (DM) The Election Commission was appointed to hold elections and not to postpone them and it is their responsibility to hold the General Elections in accordance with the guidelines issued by the Health Sector, Minister Prasanna Ranatunga said today. He said that the opposition is trying to summon the old parliament not out of love for the people but to use parliamentary power to hamper the measures taken by the President and the PM. �The EC was appointed to hold elections. more..

May 17 (Island) The delivery of letters is now being done every other working day in all districts of the country, including those under curfew, a high-ranking postal official said. "We are working with one-third of our employees on a rotational basis as the mandatory one-metre social distancing health safety guidelines have to be observed", Post Master General (PMG), Ranjith Ariyaratne said. He said the delivery of letters and parcels has not reached 100% normalcy yet because all the employees of more..

May 17 (EN) SL�s hotels are ready to open for tourists in July if authorities give permission though health rules to contain the risk of Coronavirus is pushing up operating costs. �July is speculated as the possible month of opening but we haven�t received any official communications yet,� Sanath Ukwatter, Chairman of Hotel Association of SL (THASL) said. �We haven�t received any official messages from govt on when we can open more..

May 17 (DN) The Govt has taken measures to ban the import of motor vehicles and luxury goods, said Co-cabinet Spokesman, Higher Education, Technology, Innovation and Information and Media Minister Dr Bandula Gunawardena. Briefing the media yesterday, Dr Gunawardena said the respective gazette notification had been presented to the Cabinet by PM Mahinda Rajapaksa and there will be no restrictions on the import of essential goods to the country. more..

May 17 (NR) Two more individuals have tested positive for the coronavirus in Sri Lanka. The Epidemiology Unit of the Ministry of Health said accordingly the total number of COVID-19 cases confirmed in the country has risen to 962. Meanwhile the number of persons who recovered after contracting COVID-19 has increased to 538. The Epidemiology Unit of the Ministry of Health said 18 more individuals have recovered and have been discharged from hospitals. more..

May 17 (AD) Officer in Charge (OIC) of Katana Police Station has admitted that they had failed to provide the necessary police protection requested by the father of St. Sebastian�s Church in Katuwapitiya for the church�s Easter services last year. This was revealed before the PCoI on 2019 Easter Attacks, which met yesterday. On May 15, Negombo ASP Sisira Kumara appeared before the Commission and claimed that more..

May 17 (DM) Students who sit for the GCE A/L exam this year will be allowed to use calculators for the first time in the history, Commissioner General of Examinations B. Sanath Pujitha said. Accordingly, the calculators will be given in the areas of Accounting, Engineering Technology, Biotechnology Engineering and IT stream. The Commissioner General said the students only be allowed to use non-programmable calculators and that the use of scientific calculators will not be permitted. more..

May 17 (Island) SL�s radical Sinhalese weekly, the Ravaya, is threatened with closure because of the economic fall out of the coronavirus on advertisers, the chief editor has told his staff. The paper established by activist-turned-political commentator Victor Ivan in 1987 had been a platform to discuss contentious political issues in the Sinhala press and had a faithful following during president R. Premadasa�s administration. Ivan, who was also known as Podi Athula during his days with more..

May 17 (TM) The JVP today called for the postponement of the GCE A/L exam. JVP MP Bimal Rathnayake claimed the govt was trying to cover the A/L syllabus through online education. He said online education was not a substitute for class room lessons and that A/L students needed more time to prepare for the exam. �A/L exam determine the future of the children and it would be unfair for the govt to hold the A/L exam in August.� more..

May 18 (DM) In Dec 2019, the world was gradually becoming aware that a deadly new disease was making its way via the city of Wuhan in China and spreading like wildfire. By Thursday January 23 the government of China imposed a total lockdown on the city in an effort to control the spread of the disease. Between Jan 13-15, 2020, Thailand and Japan were reporting confirmed coronavirus/COVID-19 cases. On Jan 21 the US reported a person in Washington who returned from Wuhan more..

May 18 (CT) From the bleak prospect of a total nuclear engagement, to communities living as diverse minorities, the existential sentiment is the same. It is one of Furcht (fear). Was man born to live only in fear or, in peace and happiness, also? Barring eschatology, living the present, now and here, though ephemeral, is man�s natural disposition. Then the time has come to stop doing one thing and start doing the other thing. Meaningfully, to cease dialoguing on which more..

May 18 (CT) Sri Lanka has achieved int'l recognition for her professionalism in handling COVID-19 in the country. While healthcare workers are at the frontline of the fight, the role of Defence authorities is also highly commended. SL Police Department coordinated the security forces, intelligence wings, public health service and hospitals throughout the country in this massive operation against COVID-19. more..

May 18 (CT) Last week, the de facto leader of TNA, M.A. Sumanthiran, gave an interview to a Sinhala program called, Truth With Chamuditha. In this interview, Sumanthiran made several controversial comments, some of which could amount to half-truths. Sumanthiran said he never accepted Prabakaran�s political or armed project, and he had no connection with the Tiger diaspora. It is interesting that Sumanthiran, the main Tamil political party�s de facto leader, did not even approve more..

May 18 (DM) Named after the Dutch General Hulft, who was shot by Portuguese in 1656� the place where the gruesome murder took place was named Hulft�s Dorp, [dorp means village in Dutch] and it soon became Hulftsdorp, SL�s legal hub. While the lawyers always upheld the decorum and dignity of the profession, Govt service medical profession in the past deviated and was busy with press briefings on struggles, most instances on issues that did not affect them or the society at large, more..

May 18 (FT) The unanticipated external shock delivered to SL�s economy in the form of destructive COVID-19 pandemic has been costly in many terms. It put SL�s economy many decades backward forcing it to restart from the beginning again. This happened after it began to show the first signs of slow economic recovery from the disastrous fallout of Easter bombings of 2019. COVID-19 disrupted the normal supply chain more..

May 18 (CT) In the eyes of a civilised society, bribery and corruption, which lead to many other forms of crime at all levels of the society, are considered a serious offence. Any society would say no to bribery and corruption; however, due to a number of factors, they continue to damage our society and economy. To address this issue, SL has established the CIABOC, commonly known as the Bribery Commission, as SL's leading State Institution vested with the power to accept complaints, more..

May 18 (Island) The Covid-19 pandemic has upended the world and reshaped the lives of people across the globe, as never before. On the economic front, even the advanced capitalist societies have been compelled to adopt statist policies that trench on dirigisme in handling the present crises. They have chosen to use public funds to bail out private ventures in difficulty, and some of them are reportedly mulling over restrictions on international trade to settle scores with China. more..

May 18 (Island) There has been a flurry of articles, some excellent, others good in the domestic and global Lanka-oriented electronic media regarding the predicament, outlook and recipes for the future of the economy. Names that readily spring to mind are Nimal Sanderatne, W A Wijewardena, Sirimal Abeyratne and Ranga Jayasuriya who write regularly, and one-off pieces including Bilesha Weeraratne, Vagisha Gunasekera, Himan Punchihewa, Andrew Sheng & Asif Zaman. more..

May 18 (CT) World-renowned Professor of Medicine and expert in Endocrinology, Vitamin D and human Nutrition, Prof Sunil Wimalawansa has offered his services to the highest authorities in SL to help the country to successfully fight the COVID-19 pandemic mainly with reference to disease prevention. In a previous article, Prof Wimalawansa explained COVID-19 prevention and clinical trial protocol which he has designed with assistance from a group of senior foreign scientists. more..

May 18 (SMH) Prof Raina MacIntyre, one of the world's leading emerging infectious diseases experts has barely budged from the bedroom of her Wahroonga home since the outbreak of COVID-19 in Australia. The globally-renowned epidemiologist's clear-yet-cautious tone has made her a familiar face and voice on most things coronavirus related on tv and radio: all calmly delivered from her bedroom, more..

May 18 (TM) Covid-19 could far outweigh its health impact. We cautioned the Govt to brace for it, and the tough times ahead. Those tough times are now upon us and if as a country we fail to get our act together quickly, then the ride ahead could be a long and uncomfortable one. The Govt, for its part, should not envisage formulating a recovery plan on its own. It is too big a job to be left in the hands of the Finance Ministry, Treasury, CB, or for that matter the Cabinet; it is an effort that requires more..

May 18 (TM) All eyes will be fixed on the Supreme Court (SC) this week, as a bench made up of the most senior five justices will decide whether or not to intervene in the current stalemate that has left the country without either a functioning parliament or even the prospect of a general election in the foreseeable future. Seven parties including Attorney-at-Law Charitha Gunaratne, Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu of Centre for Policy Alternatives, journalist Victor Ivan along with 7 others, more..

May 18 (FT) SL�s trade deficit shrank to $ 574 million in February, significantly less than the January deficit of $ 730 million, on early signs of COVID-19 impact, latest data showed, even though exports grew by 0.7% to $ 988 million when compared with a year ago. On a cumulative basis, the trade deficit widened to $ 1,304 million during the first two months of 2020 compared to $ 1,069 million in the corresponding period of 2019. more..

May 18 (TM) Curfews and lockdowns necessitated by the local spread of Covid-19 has compelled Bairaha Farms PLC�s stock level of frozen chicken to reach a historically high level in terms of tonnage. Bairaha Farms Managing Director Yakooth Naleem, in a disclosure to the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE), stated that due to the imposition of curfews and lockdowns, their sales operations were significantly impacted as supermarkets and general trade stores were also closed. more..

May 18 (TM) Nestle Lanka PLC is currently executing mitigation actions and proactive measures to reduce and defer all its non-essential expenses, including temporarily deferring some capital expenditure, in order to face the current challenges. This is according to a company disclosure to the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) made last week, which also states that Nestle Lanka is bracing for the impact of the depreciation of the LKR and the closure of hotels/restaurants around globe. more..

May 18 (EN) SL�s central bank credit (printed money) broke records in March 2020 sending helping private and state credit soaring to trigger the latest run on the rupee and monetary instability that earned the country a credit downgrade. 164.9 billion rupees of new money was printed in March 2020, which is higher than the 122.6 billion rupee printed in Sept 2018 to help drive the second run on the rupee during the 2018 currency collapse. more..

May 18 (TM) In response to the spread of Covid-​19 and work/stay-​at-home policies, several local companies, including Ceylon Tobacco Company (CTC) and Sampath Bank PLC, will conduct their Annual General Meetings (AGMs) online. In a letter to the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE), both CTC and Sampath Bank disclosed their intentions to host their AGMs virtually. In its letter to the CSE, CTC stated that the company will be postponing its AGM, which was supposed to be held on 30 Apr, more..

May 18 (Island) Cricket is just a game but at times it breaks down even the elite sportsmen. More recently, people have had nightmares playing Australia and some players have quit midway through a series. Marcus Trescothick returned home from an Ashes tour and so did Jonathan Trott a few years later. Angelo Mathews then did the unthinkable when he captained a young SL side to whitewash the Aussies 3-0. Australia have been always competitive during their tours of SL more..

May 18 (Island) Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) are open to touring SL for a limited-overs series in July behind closed doors. Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) offered to host India for a 6-match tour (3 ODIs, 3 T20Is) in July amidst the coronavirus restrictions with the matches to take place behind closed doors. Sourav Ganguly-led BCCI is still awaiting govt directives to schedule an outdoor skills camp for the team amidst more..

May 18 (Island) Singer Group reported Full Year (FY) 2019/20 consolidated revenue of Rs. 55 Bn with an 11% rise in Profit after Tax (PAT) despite the ongoing challenging business environment. Group�s consolidated gross profit for the year increased by 2% to Rs. 16.4 billion and at the Company level, gross profit increased by 6% to Rs. 13 billion. Consolidated Profit before Tax (PBT) for the FY 2019/20 is recorded at Rs. 611 million which is a decrease of 9% from the previous year. more..

May 18 (FT) A record number of 14,617 promotions for military personnel have been approved to mark the National War Heroes� Day tomorrow, the Army said in a statement yesterday. The commemoration of the end of the conflict has been scheduled at the National War Heroes� Monument at Battaramulla, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, and will be presided over by Prez Rajapaksa as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. The promotions will also be awarded at the ceremony. more..

May 18 (Island) Deputy Inspector General of Police and attorney-at-law Ajith Rohana, yesterday, said that sex workers and their clients posed a threat to on-going efforts to contain coronavirus. Asked whether law enforcement authorities had implemented a special programme to minimise the threat posed by sex workers and those who worked at spas, DIG Rohana said that the spas had remained closed since late March though more..

May 18 (Island) Responding to the limited mobility and safety requirements that are the need of the hour, the Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM) has effectively integrated all its programmes, payments and assessments to its digital platform. The online lecturing process will ensure the convenience and smooth flow of programmes to all students. SLIM now offers live online lecture sessions to all its certificate, diploma and postgraduate level programmes. more..

May 18 (CT) SL's biggest international cricket ground with 40,000 seating capacity and Day/Night cricket facilities will be built in Diyagama, Homagama, Minister Bandula Gunawardena announced yesterday (17). 26 acres of land have been allocated for the project. The Minister visited the proposed land allocated to build the cricket ground yesterday, along with SLC President Shammi Silva. Shammi Silva said that the Homagama Int'l Cricket ground will be 2nd Int'l Cricket ground more..

May 18 (CT) We reiterate that the news item, published under the heading NPC Chair Exposes Karu, in yesterday's Sunday Ceylon Today, which said that the National Police Commission Chairman K.W.E. Karaliyadda had told NPC members that Constitutional Council Chairman and former Speaker Karu Jayasuriya had pressed Karaliyadda to cancel certain transfers made by the NPC, is a completely accurate news item. more..