May 3 (CT) Organizing Committee of the Super League were forced to postpone the Defenders FC-Up Country Lions clash after six positive cases were detected ahead of a third week fixture scheduled for Sunday at Sugathadasa Stadium. Four players and two officials from the Defenders FC camp have tested positive when they were subjected to the antigen test prior to the encounter. Those found positive have been directed to follow Govt�s health protocol on COVID-19, more..

May 3 (FT) The official visit of the SL Embassy delegation headed by Ambassador Prof. M.D. Lamawansa, to the Republic of Uzbekistan included a number of high-level meetings in the Ministries in Tashkent during a four-day run. Thus, Ambassador Prof. Lamawansa held a fruitful discussion with Uzbekistan Deputy Foreign Minister Sidikov Furkhat. During the conversation, topical issues of the development of SL � Uzbekistan relations of friendship both in bilateral & int'l arena, more..

May 3 (DM) While saying that oxygen is considered the most important medical need for COVID-19 at present, the Association of Medical Specialists (AMS) said stocks of oxygen are likely to be in short supply and therefore the authorities must take all necessary steps to avoid a crisis. AMS President Dr Lakkumar Fernando said since there is no firmly established cure for this disease, symptomatic treatment more..

May 3 (CT) Current SARS-CoV-2 variant, spreading in SL, was recently confirmed to be the variant that was first detected in the UK, following tests conducted on samples obtained from areas such as Colombo Kurunegala & Boralesgamuwa. Heath experts stated the latest variant, is highly contagious and according to them, it is the third variant of SARS-CoV-2 to be detected in the country. SL is recording over 1,000 COVID-19 cases on a daily basis, following the detection of UK variant. more..

May 3 (TM) In response to the release of the Central Bank Annual Report for 2020, MP Harsha De Silva expressed his analysis via a series of tweets. He alleges that the Annual Report states that SL�s budget deficit for 2020 was 11% even though it should be higher at 14%. According to MP De Silva, the reason for this is that the Report states that the CBSL was directed by the Ministry of Finance to shift 2020 expenses to arrears from 2019. He states that this is evidence of fraudulent cash accounting more..

May 3 (FT) The country�s fiscal deficit as a percentage of GDP in 2020 had swelled to high of 11.1% from 9.6% in the previous year. Last year�s figure is also unprecedented considering the fact that the average between 2016 and 2018 was around 5%. The previous highest budget deficit in recent history was 10.8% in 2001 whilst in 2009, which saw the end of the 30-year conflict, the figure was 9.9%. more..

May 3 (DN) SLC yesterday officially announced that the Charity Match between the SL Greats XI and Team SL scheduled to be played on May 4 at the Pallekele Stadium will not go ahead as planned due to the prevailing health situation in the country. Charity Match was aimed at raising funds to help fight against the COVID-19 pandemic but the Management Committee of SLC felt it is more prudent to postpone the game, considering the larger picture of health situation in SL. more..

May 3 (DM) Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit SL next month making it the third senior official level visit from China in recent months. Chinese Defence Minister Wei Fenghe arrived in the country last week and held talks with Prez & PM. The two countries agreed to enhance defence cooperation. Last year, Yang Jiechi, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of CPC Central Committee was also in Colombo more..

May 3 (ST) Most major parties did not conduct large scale political rallies and meetings to celebrate International Worker�s Day or May Day yesterday, but some of them held smaller meetings in their party offices. This was the third consecutive time the political parties had to conduct their May Day meetings without major processions or rallies.There were no May Day posters on roadsides and there were no big gatherings. more..

May 3 (AD) Chairman of the SL Standards Institution (SLSI) Nushad Perera says that he is resigning from his position to rejoin the private sector. The marketing professional was initially appointed as the Chairman of Sathosa & Cooperative Wholesale Establishment (CWE) on Jan 2, 2020. However, in December that year he announced that he is stepped down as the chairman of Lanka Sathosa and SWE, citing a busy schedule, while refuting reports that he was removed from the post. more..

May 3 (FT) All operating airlines have been told to only bring a maximum of 75 passengers per flight by the Govt following a spike in COVID-19 cases. The new directive that comes into effect today follows after some airlines had brought in over 200 passengers in certain flights. The National Operation Centre for Prevention of COVID-19 Outbreak has informed the CAA of the new limitation. The centre noted that going by recent records of passengers arriving in SL by international airlines, more..

May 3 (Island) The police investigating the withdrawal of Rs 43 mn from several branches of a private bank on Apr 12 have arrested a person who printed counterfeit cheques to perpetrate the unprecedented fraud. The police said that the suspect, a resident of Hanwella, had managed a printing press. DIG Ajith Rohana said that there hadn�t been any previous instance of fake cheques being used to withdraw money. more..

May 3 (DM) Children from a number of schools in and around Colombo have been infected with the Coronavirus. At least two leading schools in Colombo had informed parents last week that some children had been infected and urged them to take appropriate precautions. Schools around the country remained closed last week because of the coronavirus. However, school authorities urged parents of children who had come into contact with infected students before schools were closed, more..

May 3 (AD) Director General of Health Services confirmed nine more Covid-19 related deaths in the country today (2) pushing the death toll due to the virus in Sri Lanka to 696. 01. The deceased is a 94-year-old male resident in Kebilithigollawa. He died on 29.04.2021 while undergoing treatments in Base Hospital Kebilithigollawa. The cause of death is mentioned as acute pneumonia due to Covid-19. 02. The deceased is a 51-year-old male resident in Polonnaruwa. He died on 01.05.2021 while more..

May 3 (ST) Govt has turned away two shipments from China and suspended the issue of letters of credit (LC) to import chemical fertiliser to the country in a bid to give way to the new policy of converting to organic fertiliser. Two shipments from China carrying 18,000 Mt of chemical fertiliser for paddy and other crops are among the shipments which have been cancelled in keeping with the directive from Prez more..

May 3 (AD) The CID has arrested a suspect at the BIA in connection with the transfer of Rs 26 million in illegally acquired money to his bank account from the United States. DIG Ajith Rohana stated that a 39-year-old person from Kinniya, Trincomalee was arrested for fraud by the CID yesterday (01) at the premises of the BIA in Katunayake. The suspect was preparing to board a flight to Dubai yesterday when he was arrested on information received by the CID, based on a travel ban, he said. more..

May 3 (FT) Over 3,000 COVID-19 patients were detected over the weekend and the country�s total COVID-19 patient count has risen to 111,753. A total of 1,891 persons tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday and 1,843 were from the New Year Cluster. On Saturday, 1,697 persons from the New Year Cluster, 16 SL returnees from abroad, two persons from the Prisons Cluster, and one foreigner tested positive for COVID-19. The COVID-19 patients detected on Saturday include more..

May 3 (CT) With the rapidly increasing numbers of COVID-19 patients, Chief Epidemiologist, Dr. Sudath Samaraweera said each patient caused the formation of a small cluster. He said the rapid increase was due to the small clusters of patients that had been identified during the short period. When one patient was detected, his or her immediate contacts � could be the parents, siblings, or those in a work place more..

May 3 (AD) Eight more Grama Niladhari divisions have been isolated in Kalutara, Colombo, Gampaha, Batticaloa and Nuwara-Eliya districts with immediate effect, the Army Commander General Shavendra Silva said. Accordingly, the following GN divisions have been isolated: Kalutara District: Pinwatta, Narampitiya, Pinwatta West, Bandaragama East. Colombo District: Uggala GN division in Padukka. Gampaha District: Alwis Watta area in Wattala. Batticaloa District: Tissaweerasingam Square more..

May 3 (FT) Just a word before we dive in. A 17 April study in Lancet, the eminent medical journal, shows the English (Kent) variant we believe is on the prowl here, is more infectious but no more lethal, likely less, though it does lead to a greater need for oxygen. Ergo, let us restrain the panic. In fact, if we would allow the asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic to home quarantine, we would relieve enormous pressure on hospitals, improve care, and certainly would not impair public health more..

May 3 (SLN) SL Navy has deployed more naval units to patrol the northern and northwesters waters of the island around the clock, following the possibility of illegal migrants entering the shores of Sri Lanka via sea routes, which could surge the transmission of COVID pandemic in the country. Accordingly, steps have been taken to deploy more ships (OPV & FGBs) and Fast Attack Craft to raise surveillance in the IMBL as well as Inshore Patrol Craft to patrol coastal waters of the island. more..

May 3 (FT) There is good news for vegans. The news has been revealed by scientific discoveries and validated by hardcore economics. A team of researchers from Canada, Australia, India, and the UK have authored a joint paper arguing that animal proteins are more resource-using compared to plant proteins. Hence, they recommend that the latter should be promoted through continued research in biotechnology. The paper has been published online on 20 April in Science Direct and more..

May 3 (CI) Praveen Jayawickrama entered the record books as Sri Lanka's inexperienced spin attack carried them to a 209-run win against Bangladesh in the second Test in Pallekele. Sri Lanka also won the series 1-0. Jayawickrama's match figures of 11 for 178 was the best by a SL bowler on debut, the best by a left-arm spinner on debut and the first bowler to take a 10-wicket haul on debut since Jason Krejza in 2008. more..

May 3 (FT) A Sri Lankan delegation headed by State Minister Ajith Nivard Cabraal visited the State of Qatar from 10-12 April. Embassy of Sri Lanka in Doha organised a series of meetings for the State Minister Cabraal and the accompanying SL delegation from the Central Bank of SL. SL delegation led by State Minister Cabraal met with State of Qatar Finance Minister Ali Shareef Al Emadi and discussed issues of mutual interest, agreed to examine the ways and means to expand more..

May 3 (AD) State Minister Prof. Channa Jayasumana says that the first batch of Russia�s Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine is expected to arrive in Sri Lanka tonight. He stated that 15,000 doses of vaccine will arrive tonight as the first phase. Sri Lanka has decided to buy a total of 13 million doses of the Sputnik V vaccines from Russia. The National Medical Regulatory Authority on March 04 approved the emergency use of Russia�s Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine in Sri Lanka. more..

May 3 (Island) Chief Govt Whip Johnston Fernando said that the Opposition Leader and his group in the SJB should learn from the examples of their counterparts in other democracies and support the investigations into the Easter Sunday carnage instead of acting like a headless chicken. He said that Opposition parties in other countries had placed the national interests above their petty party agendas and politics. more..

May 3 (CT) The Govt�s decision to ban chemical fertilisers will plunge the country, battered by the pandemic, into a preventable catastrophe, the SJB stated in the press release yesterday (2). �Increasing the productivity of agriculture is essential for the country�s food security as well as enterprise and export agriculture. The Govt�s proposition that it will compensate for possible losses of harvest due to non-use of chemical fertilisers is simply a myth,� argued the SJB. more..

May 3 (FT) The overall activity in the secondary bond market moderated once again during the shortened trading week ending 30 April with most market participants opting to be on the sidelines, leading to a bearish sentiment. Limited trades were witnessed on the maturities of 15.10.21, 2022�s (i.e. 01.10.22 and 15.12.22), 15.01.23, 15.07.23, 15.10.26, 01.08.26 and 2027�s (i.e. 15.01.27 & 15.10.27) at levels of 5.15% to 5.18%, 5.95% to 6.03%, 6.00%, 6.45% to 6.50%, 7.40% to more..

May 3 (TM) Wife of Rishad Bathiudeen, Ayesha Rishad, today wrote to the Prez Rajapaksa claiming that her husband�s arrest was arbitrary. She brought to his attention that the CID had descended on their house in the month of Ramadan and that Rishad had no information on the grounds on which he was arrested. She also stated that no matters regarding the Colossus company and exports had been discussed among Rishad Bathiudeen and Balasubramaniyam during the phone calls on more..

May 3 (DM) One of the leading Covid-19 researcher and head of J'pura University�s Immunology and Molecular Sciences Dept, Prof. Neelika Malavige reiterated that schools should not be opened right now as children are susceptible to the new variant which is fast spreading in SL. Prof. Malavige hailed the decision to close schools and stressed it would prevent children from getting infected by reducing the possibility of transmission. �The children could be more susceptible to this variant more..

May 3 (EN) SL�s ruling party is trying to appease China by rushing the parliamentary debate on the Colombo Port City Economic Commission Bill in the middle of a raging epidemic, main opposition SJB said. SJB MP Nalin Bandara said that Speaker is due to announce the decision of the Supreme Court regarding the bill tomorrow in parliament, after which the bill will be debated by MPs tomorrow and the day after. more..

May 3 (Island) Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena expressed gratitude to the Govt of Japan for providing a Rs. 1,360 million grant for the provisioning of necessary medical equipment such as MRI Scanner, CT scanner, bed-side X-Ray systems and central monitors to strengthen the COVID-19 preventing activities in SL. Speaker also thanked the govt of Japan for providing USD 3 million through UNICEF to support the cold chain system in SL and strengthen delivery of more..

May 3 (AD) The Parliament is scheduled to convene at 10 am tomorrow (4), with this week�s Parliament sittings limited to just two days. Accordingly, the party leaders had agreed at the meeting of the Committee on Parliamentary Business held recently to pass an order under the SL Export Development Act, 04 notifications under the Excise Ordinance, the Value Added Tax (VAT) (Amendment) Bill and the Inland Revenue (Amendment) Bill from 10 am to 11 am, said Secretary General of Parliament. more..

May 3 (EN) SL�s health authorities have denied allegations that district officials have been instructed to stop random PCR testing. State Minister Sudarshini Fernandopulle said today that no such directive has been made and laboratories are currently clearing a backlog of tests. Public Health Officers (PHI) Union Chairman Upul Rohana said yesterday that health officials in several districts have been informed to stop random more..

May 3 (CT) Following interrogation of a suspect named Razik Raza, TID has been able to uncover information regarding an experimental bomb blast carried out by Zaharan Hashim's brother, Rilwan Hashim in 2018. 28-year-old suspect, a resident of Kattankudy and currently in remand custody, has admitted to having knowledge of the experimental bomb blast carried out by Rilwan and according to DIG Ajith Rohana, the suspect has supplied Rilwan with explosives to be used in the blast. more..

May 3 (CI) A failure to capitalise on starts and plan against specific bowlers led to Bangladesh's 209-run loss in the second Test against Sri Lanka, according to captain Mominul Haque. Left-arm spinner Praveen Jayawickrama scripted the home side's win with an 11-wicket haul on his Test debut. That feat was especially impressive given it came against batters who face plenty of left-arm spin in domestic cricket and in the nets. Picked ahead of Wanindu Hasaranga and two other more established more..

May 3 (CI) Praveen Jayawickrama was on Test debut, and had played only ten first-class matches before that. Ramesh Mendis was playing just his second Test. The pair combined to take 17 wickets in the match, against Bangladesh, bowling SL to a commanding victory in Pallekele - the team's first win against World Test Championship opposition since August 2019. Jayawickrama, 22, was especially impressive, claiming match figures more..

May 3 (CT) National Congress Leader, MP A.L.M. Athaullah, said racism should be halted and nationalism should be discussed. He said everyone has a responsibility to build mutual understanding and bring about reconciliation between communities. Muslims had no dispute with Christians, Sinhalese, and any other communities, and coexisted peacefully since time immemorial, he said. The historical relations of Muslims with the Christian community must be built up as it was earlier more..