May 21 (AD) A group of Sri Lankans stranded in Jakarta, Indonesia due to the outbreak of COVID-19 virus has been brought back to the island, says Ada Derana correspondent. A flight belonging to Garuda Indonesia Airlines, with 110 Sri Lankans aboard, has landed at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) at around 8.00 am this morning. The returnees will be directed to mandatory quarantine procedure following decontamination process and initial medical check-up. more..

May 21 (Island) Hydro electricity generation yesterday had jumped to nearly 32%, following the heavy rains, over the Central hills, filling up some of the major reservoirs, the Power and Energy Ministry said. The Systems Control Division of the CEB said that days back hydro electricity generation had been between 15 and 20%. A CEB spokesman said that the rate of hydro power generation could now be increased to 31.17, while coal and diesel plants contributed 65.14%. more..

May 21 (DM) COVID-19 has drastically changed the way we live. Our daily routines, family-lives and work methods, have changed. While disrupting life as we know it, COVID-19 has presented opportunities for change�from personal to national to international spheres. As countrywide curfews are being relaxed, people are striving to return to normalcy. However, the prevailing situation and the uncertainty that accompanies it more..

May 21 (EN) Profits at John Keells Holdings grew 18% to 3.7 billion rupees in the March 2020 quarter from a year earlier, with only a marginal impact from Coronavirus in the quarter. The diversified group which has interests in property, container transshipment, hotels and fast moving consumer goods reported earnings of 3.18 rupees for the quarter. In the year to March JKH reported earnings of 7.14 rupees, on total profits of 9.4 billion rupees, down 38% from a year earlier. more..

May 21 (SLN) SL Navy, today dispatched an Advanced Offshore Patrol Vessel to assists and provide fuel to the SL multiday fishing vessels driven away to the seas off Indonesia by the effect of inclement weather caused by the Amfan cyclonic storm formed in the seas around the Bay of Bengal, during past days. About 30 Nos. of these multiday fishing vessels which had been driven away to the seas off Indonesia by the effect of inclement weather, are sailing back towards more..

May 21 (DM) Three women had been killed while eight others were injured in a stampede at Jumma Masjid Road in Maligawatte a short while ago, the Police said. The incident had occurred when a group of about 500 people had gathered at a house, where cash had been distributed by an individual. The Police said six people had been arrested in connection with the incident. The injured were admitted to Colombo National Hospital. more..

May 21 (EN) Colombo Municipal Council is charging for parking from today the Council announced. Charging of the parking fee was temporarily suspended with the imposing of island wide curfew due to the Coronavirus outbreak. CMC Commissioner, Roshinie Dissanayaka in a statement says currently the Smart Parking Management System is in operation on Galle road, Duplication road and all connected roads to the two roads. �Traffic wardens of CMC or more..

May 21 (Island) Apropos a news item (Hoole and daughter asked to leave EC premises) in yesterday�s edition of The Island, EC member Prof. Ratnajeevan H. Hoole has sent us the following note: "My daughter underwent quarantine JetwingBlue and paid Rs. 175,000 for it. When she was released the army after testing her gave her the attached certificate signed by Shavendra Silva and Jasinghe and never told her to self-quarantine. Certificate said that she underwent the necessary quarantine more..

May 21 (AD) The govt has decided to suspend the proposed International Cricket Stadium project in Homagama, says the PM�s Office. The decision has been reached following a special meeting held at the Temple Trees, chaired by PM Mahinda Rajapaksa. SL Cricket giants, namely Roshan Mahanama, Sanath Jayasuriya, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Lasith Malinga and several others had attended the meeting. more..

May 21 (Island) A team of officers attached to the Elpitiya Excise station recently conducted raids in Induruwa, Kosgoda, Ethkandura, Ella and Ganegoda and seized 16,150 ml spirits, 70,500 ml toddy, distilling equipment and barrels used for transporting illicit liquor and arrested 15 suspects. OIC of the station Inspector Jayantha de Silva said, one of the suspects was brewing illicit liqour in his house. Suspects and the items taken into custody were produced before Balapitiya Magistrate. more..

May 21 (EN) Sri Lanka�s Embassy in Abu Dhabi has been temporarily closed after five staff members were tested positive for the COVID 19 disease. Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman said the closure may be for two days, however as Ramazan holidays are also due, the closure may last longer. The embassy posted a notice on its website yesterday announcing the closure without a reason. The notice said: Due to an emergency the Embassy is temporarily closed until further notice. more..

May 21 (DN) President's Secretary through his Counsel President's Counsel Romesh de Silva today informed the Supreme Court that there is no necessity to re-summon a dead Parliament since the President had dissolved it constitutionally soon after the expiration of four and a half years. Counsel Romesh de Silva appearing for President's Secretary Dr. P.B. Jayasundara submitted to Court that a Supreme Court 7-judge-bench more..

May 21 (AD) Presidential Task Force at National Operation Centre for Prevention of COVID-19 Outbreak (NOCPCO) had one more session of discussion last evening (20), together with experts and other stakeholders at the NOCPCO in Rajagiriya. The discussion was co-chaired by Minister of Health Pavithra Wanniarchchi, Head of NOCPCO, Commander of the Army Lt Gen Shavendra Silva, Director General Health Services Dr. Anil Jasingha, and Secretary to more..

May 21 (EN) Sri Lanka will repatriate citizens stranded in Indonesia, Russia, Bangladesh, Qatar and Belarus due to Coronaviris between May 21 and 28, the state information office said. Qatar Airways flies daily to Sri Lanka but no Sri Lankan is allowed to board the aircraft under current rules. Sri Lankans in Maldives and the Middle East will be brought back next. SriLankan Airlines also flies cargo flights to 27 destinations where passengers could be brought back if necessary. more..

May 21 (DM) PM Mahinda Rajapaksa has met senior cricketers including Roshan Mahanama, Mahela Jayawardane and Kumar Sangakkara at Temple Trees today to discuss the construction of new cricket stadium in Homagama. The cricketers had informed the PM that development of schools and rural cricket infrastructure are much important than the construction of massive stadiums. more..

May 21 (DM) Cabinet spokesman and Minister Bandula Gunawardana said the proposal to construct the Diyagama � Homagama international cricket stadium was first brought in 2016 and as such it was incorrect to say that building this sports complex now under the prevailing situation in the country was inappropriate. Responding to journalists at today�s weekly cabinet news briefing, Minister Gunawardana said he had to get a lot of flacks from the opposition for a good job done. more..

May 21 (DM) According to the agreement made with the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) in 2003, IOC has no need of informing the subject Minister regarding their sudden fuel price hikes but should obtain special permission from Finance Ministry, Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said. While holding a special discussion at the Power and Energy Ministry today he said, according to the available information, the IOC had directed a letter in this regard for the attention of the Finance Ministry. more..

May 21 (PMD) President Gotabaya Rajapaksa reviewed the production, import and distribution of pharmaceutical supplies during a discussion with the Chairmen of the two State Pharmaceutical Corporations held at the Presidential Secretariat today. Replying to a query by the President as to how the medicines supply in the country is structured, Chairman of State Pharmaceutical Corporation Consultant more..

May 21 (AD) Fifteen more persons have tested positive for COVID-19 as of 6 pm today (21). SL�s total count of coronavirus infections thereby reached 1,045. These new positive cases have been identified as returnees from Dubai who were undergoing mandatory quarantine procedure at the facility in Giragama. In the meantime, two other coronavirus patients were reported earlier today. They were confirmed to be navy men who were being quarantined at the facility in Mullaitivu. more..

May 21 (NR) Former SL skipper and former MP Arjuna Ranatunga says funds allocated for the construction of new cricket stadiums, should instead be spent on developing the sport in the country. Ranatunga was responding to a statement by Sri Lanka Cricket pertaining to the allocation of US$ 40 million to construct a new stadium in Diyagama, Homagama. He noted that Sri Lanka has several cricket stadiums, while stating that stadiums in Asgiriya & Moratuwa have been abandoned. more..

May 21 (TM) The Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) has removed the ring-in tone it imposed on subscribers requesting the public to donate money to the President�s COVID-19 Fund Itukama. When contacted TRCSL Director General Oshada Senanayake to obtain his views on the matter, he told us that it was removed with effect from yesterday. more..

May 22 (CT) I was sent an article titled The Ratline on the escape route (mostly to South America) senior Nazis had set up to evade justice. The actions of the Nazis constitute one of the most appalling chapters in human history. We shake our heads in horror at it, and struggle to understand how and why it came about. However, as the following personal incident, taken from my Bits & Pieces shows, people can be formed; can be deformed and then formed again. more..

May 22 (CT) As the Covid-19 global epidemic rapidly progresses, one debate among the scientific community and public is, use of face masks to prevent further spread of the infection. Many govts impose measures in place to control the infection for a reasonable and proportional response. Part of this planning is to mitigate any extra burden of the infection and to ensure the safety of the nations in many countries, while they adopt many other different measures. more..

May 22 (Roar) There is perhaps no one who knows Sri Lanka�s economy as well as Dr P.B. Jayasundera. An economist by profession, Jayasundera began his career at the Central Bank of SL in 1974. After being seconded to the Ministry of Finance in 1990, he rose through the ranks to serve as Secretary to the Treasury under two former presidents � Chandrika Kumaratunga and Mahinda Rajapakse. more..

May 22 (CT) Some of the 90 major Nations crippled by economy -destroying curfews are all lifting their closedowns on business and society. The inevitable have been for economies, businesses and society. It has pushed Nations beyond anything short of a total closedown. Not everywhere have the inroads into economies and society been of such a smaller dimension quantitatively. But in hard fact, closing down our economy has nearly finished us off. Govt stats tell us there's a rise in infection. more..

May 22 (ST) Much of SL�s economic revival and economic development from now onwards would depend on the willingness and capacity of the Govt to adopt pragmatic economic policies. The need for pragmatic policies is especially important now when an economic recovery is needed in an inhospitable global economic environment. Regrettably, the current economic crisis has resulted in wrong prognoses and prescriptions that could aggravate the problems and result in continued more..

May 22 (CT) Coronavirus (2019-nCoV), officially named COVID-19, has now spread throughout the world, causing over 300,000 deaths worldwide and nine in Sri Lanka. Although the spread of the COVID-19 virus in SL has been mitigated to a certain extent compared to other countries, nobody has any idea of when it will be brought to an end; no one can say for sure how many more patients will be identified more..

May 22 (DM) Govt�s decision to build an int'l cricket stadium in Homagama has come in for criticism more than praise. The latest is that the regime has decided to halt construction of the sports facility in the face of objections raised by senior players. Regime promised that the facility would be the first to come up in the area in a drive to turn it into a sports city. However retired senior cricketers have underscored the fact that the island nation doesn�t need anymore cricket stadiums. more..

May 22 (DM) 11th National War Heroes Day (Ranaviru Day) marked the lives sacrificed by the security forces personnel who were part of a struggle to defeat terrorism in this island nation. The ceremony held at Battaramulla on Tuesday (19) under the patronage of Prez Rajapaksa would have brought tears to the loved ones of the security forces personnel, who perished during the 26-year-old conflict. Death and war are destructive, but the way in which references are made regarding more..

May 22 (Island) It is heartening to learn that the Govt of SL is already putting in place, development plans to accelerate the performance and productivity in major economic sectors both in the short- and medium term, during post-COVID-19 era. Agriculture is in the vanguard of this development drive in order to be self-sufficient in a number of crops that can be grown in Sri Lanka. This initiative is expected to ensure local food security while at the same time, saving on valuable foreign exchange more..

May 22 (Island) Navy has been battling a rogue wave of coronavirus. Of about 1,045 Covid-19 cases, more than 578 are naval personnel. The vast majority of them are from the Welisara Navy base. It was first thought that the sailors who rounded up infected drug addicts had caused the spread of the diseases in the camp. But the members of the Army, the Air Force, the police and the Civil Defence Force have also been battling the virus from the front, and there has been no explosive spread of more..

May 22 (ST) Despite the sharp drop in the global LPG price, SL consumers being forced to stay home amid COVID-19 are still to receive its benefit with no sign of a price reduction. However the two national LP Gas providers say that their import and other costs are high along with the depreciation of rupee and they are running at a loss by selling LPG at the current price ceiling. With around 42% of the population using LPG more..

May 22 (Island) Sharp contrast: sense to nonsense; white to black; magnanimity and thought of the greater good versus narrow self serving thinking. Okay � Cass is cryptic. She refers to the Sports page of The Island of 19 May and Arjuna Ranatunge reported by Rex Clementine as against the opinion of SLC�s President Shammi Silva. The bone of contention is the proposed new international cricket stadium. Cass sums it up with the bitterly and bitingly expressed comment: more..

May 22 (TM) Chartered Institute of Personnel Management Sri Lanka (CIPM) announced today (19) that the World HR Congress 2020, the world�s largest HR conclave which was to be held in July 2020 in Colombo has been postponed to Q1 of 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. �Giving priority to the health and safety of all concerned and govt regulations currently in force, we have decided to postpone the World HR Congress2020 scheduled for July 2020 to March 2021. more..

May 22 (DM) Sri Lanka may benefit from an early buyback of US$1 billion dollar-denominated international sovereign bond (ISB) maturing this October, although buying back ISBs which are maturing in medium to long-term remains unfeasible considering the country�s limited foreign exchange reserves, an economist opined. Currently, Sri Lanka has US$ 15 billion dollar-denominated ISBs to settle until 2030. more..

May 22 (Island) In this time of uncertainty the preservation of the Vihara Maha Devi archaeological site has called for a weighty and important landmark decision from our leaders. Volatile times that we experience now may be called the worst of times and paradoxically the best of times. The time has arrived for political leaders with verve to sideline the oddballs who graced (perhaps disgraced) our hallowed chambers. In the new political landscape central defining characteristic is rationality, more..

May 22 (ST) Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR) is not in a rush to hunt for a new national coach as Asia Rugby (AR) is yet to assess the possibility of recommencing its regional competitions. SLR president Lasitha Gunaratne commenting on reports of SL 15s and 7s coach Matt Lee�s exit after his one-year contract ended in March, said that the New Zealander was directly involved with Navy Sports Club and not the national system. �We recruited him (Lee) because our national sides did not have more..

May 22 (FT) Over 180 members of the Bar Association of SL (BASL) have written to its President Kalinga Indatissa and its other office bearers calling upon them to ensure the right of Attorneys-at-Law to represent their clients effectively and to the best of their abilities without any hindrance. The letter signed by 185 members of BASL expressing their continued concerns with regard to the Detention of Attorney Hejaaz Hizbullah, more..