May 28 (DN) Former SL Captain and incumbent Cricket Committee Chairman, Aravinda de Silva said that there is nothing to complain or grumble at the newly proposed annual players� contracts. �Committee has been very fair to them by infusing additional benefits than before, which is on a performance-based scheme, de Silva said. �We discussed this matter in depth before we presented it to the players. Unlike in the past, we have increased the benefits three-fold (300%) than more..

May 28 (DN) Theekshana Denuwan defeated Kazakhstan Women�s Grandmaster Dauletova Gulmira in round six of the Asian Continental Hybrid Chess Championships, continued yesterday. Theekshana�s victory was more significant as his opponent Gulmira has a standard rating of 2,285 and is an Olympic Bronze Medallist having more experience. Theekshana obtained three points with this result and also climbed to the 46th position. Meanwhile, Skipper Raninidu Liyanage also more..

May 28 (ST) Prez Rajapaksa determinately announced last month that he intends to make Sri Lanka the first country in the world to completely stop the use of chemical fertilisers. From the tone of his address and the repeated announcements that he made subsequently, it is obvious that he meant what he said and it is unlikely that he will backtrack from the important and progressive decision he has made. Use of chemical fertiliser in SL commenced in the 1940s during the Second World War. more..

May 28 (CT) US Based Ushan Thiwanka will be competing in the NCAA Div 2 finals today in Michigan, where he will be eyeing to jump the magic mark of 2.33m to make the Tokyo cut. The 23-year-old High Jumper Ushan Thiwanka Perera, who now studies at the Texas A&M University-Commerce, broke the SL Indoor record with a 2.25m leap on 21 February. Next month (28 March) he broke the 16-year-old Sri Lanka National High Jump record by leaping 2.28m at the Texas Relay C'ship. more..

May 28 (FT) Central Bank has decided to revoke the limits set for short-term foreign currency borrowings for one year. The previous limits as a percentage of total assets ranged from 1.5% (for banks with credit rating of BBB+ to BBB- or equivalent or Below BBB-) to 2.5% for banks with higher credit rating. Short-term means one year (remaining term of maturity). The new move is whilst requiring banks to maintain more..

May 28 (Island) Abans Group, in association with the Colombo Municipal Council, recently commenced the city beautification project of F. R. Senanayake Mawatha, Colombo 07. This project saw the removal of old and decaying plants, and replanting of new varieties of flora. Carried out successfully in just one night, this centre isle venture has already seen amazing results, as passers-by can enjoy the sight of new and attractive plants while driving by this location. more..

May 28 (CT) Central Environmental Authority (CEA) warned that SL can expect acid rainfall, if the distressed ship X-Press Pearl continues to burn. Director General of the CEA Hemantha Jayasinghe, said the inferno could result in acid rain as the chemicals on-board could have been released into the atmosphere due to the ship being on fire for several days, resulting in rains becoming more acidic. The chemicals released could change the composition of air, posing a health concern. more..

May 28 (CI) The lack of experience in the top order may have played a role in Sri Lanka's poor batting performances in Bangladesh. And the door's not closed on the seniors who were left out of this series. These are the conclusions Sri Lanka's coaches have come to after a dispiriting series loss against Bangladesh (their first ever), in which a relatively green top order collapsed twice in pursuit of testing totals. more..

May 28 (FT) With the onset of the pandemic and wide-scale lockdowns in many parts of South Asia in early 2020, transhipment volumes at the Port of Colombo and South Asia Gateway Terminals (SAGT) dropped sharply, as shipping lines, ports and other related businesses strove to come to terms with what would possibly be a prolonged downturn in business. With the benefit of hindsight though, this was not to be the case and � as was seen in the latter half of 2020 � more..

May 28 (FT) The Embassy of SL in Manila, in collaboration with Art Plus Magazine and the Sri Lanka Tea Board, organised an exclusive social media feature on Ceylon Tea in line with the globally-recognised celebration of International Tea Day every 21 May. Art Plus Magazine is a premier visual art magazine in the Philippines which has expanded its content to feature culture and other disciplines such as music, film, dance, theatre, the culinary scene, as well as areas of luxury & fine living. more..

May 28 (FT) The country�s COVID-19 detections rose to 174,861 yesterday with the detection of 2,584 COVID-19 positive persons. The patients detected yesterday include 2,572 persons linked to the New Year cluster and the Divulapitiya, Peliyagoda, Prisons and New Year clusters have expanded to 168,368. The total patient count of the clusters include 82,785 persons linked to the Peliyagoda cluster, more..

May 28 (DM) The fire on the ship MV X-Press Pearl has had a serious impact on the environment with debris now spread between Negombo and Moratuwa. A cleanup operation is underway on the beach as bags full of plastic and other hazardous material continue to get washed ashore. The Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) said that major damage has already been caused to the environment as a result of the blaze on the ship which has lasted for a week as of Thursday. more..

May 28 (AN) SL Buddhists are currently celebrating the two-day Vesak festival. The event, which ends today, commemorates the birth, enlightenment and death of Siddhārtha Gautama, the Buddha. Like last year, ceremonies are subject to strict health restrictions due to COVID-19 pandemic � such as social distancing and a ban on gatherings � in order to prevent the spread of the virus. Several leading Buddhist monks recently addressed the issue, urging faithful to keep celebrations low key. more..

May 28 (TM) Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) has filed a complaint with the Colombo Sea Port Police regarding the MV X-Press Pearl ship, which at the time of writing was still engulfed in flames, as it hopes to obtain criminal liability-related damages from the vessel for the environmental damages it has caused to the western coastline of Sri Lanka. �There have been three containers of plastic pellets more..

May 28 (DN) Even amidst strict travel restrictions, factory workers involved in the production and export industry are allowed to travel from their places of residence to the factory and vice versa. The govt has issued passes to all the factories functioning in BOI export zones and outside to facilitate the transport of employees between the places of residence and the workplace. The employees can use their private vehicles or the transport provided by the relevant companies more..

May 28 (TM) Academy of Health Professionals, an organisation of professionals in the health service, has requested a presidential inquiry into anti-Covid-19 vaccination that has allegedly occurred outside of the predetermined priority list. This was disclosed by Academy of Health Professionals President Ravi Kumudesh. �The Health Ministry is now saying that the remaining doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covishield vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India should be given to more..

May 28 (Island) Controversy surrounds the inordinate delay on SL�s part to seek Indian assistance for fighting the fire onboard Singaporean flagged X-Press Pearl anchored 9.5 nautical miles northwest of the Colombo port. SL sought Indian assistance on the afternoon of 25 May, 5 days after the Captain of the container carrier MV X-Press Pearl requested SLN support to douse the fire. SLN has responded to the distress call on afternoon of 20 May. more..

May 28 (FT) Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) in a statement has welcomed the appointment of Sanjay Rajaratnam PC to the office of the Attorney-General and wishes him well in the discharge of his duties. A statement issued by the BASL in October 2014 on the appointment of the Attorney-General states: �The high office of the Attorney-General is of vital significance to the citizens of our country since the Attorney-General, as the Chief Legal Adviser of the State, has the duty of advising the Govt more..

May 28 (AD) SL has reported 27 more deaths related to the COVID-19 pandemic on Wednesday (27). Deaths had occurred between May 22 and May 27. They are identified as residents of Gurutalawa, Badalkumbura, Kandy, Agalawatta, Wennappuwa, Polonnaruwa, Welipenna, Matale, Aluthgama, Maggona, Darga Nagar, Morapitya, Kalutara-South, Galpatha, Beruwala, Galle, Wattegedara, Boossa, Millewa, Neboda, Bulathsinhala, Kadawatha, Wattala, Wellampitiya and Colombo 15. more..

May 28 (Island) The environmental damage to marine fauna and flora, caused by the fire-stricken X-Press Pearl, would amount to billions of US dollars, scientists attached to the National Aquatic Resources Agency (NARA) and Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) said. They said that they were discussing how much to seek as compensation. Ministers Mahinda Amaraweera, Nalaka Godahewa & Lasantha Alagiyawanna more..

May 28 (FT) It seems to me that Sri Lanka will inevitably be plunged into a catastrophe. Unfortunately, there are no mature leaders among us who possess the required vision and pioneering potency to prevent SL from being plunged into such a predicament. Therefore, would there be a positive change in the country, it will occur only after a massive disaster. The leadership problem of SL can be assessed from the approach adopted in facing the COVID pandemic. From the beginning, the Govt seemed to be playing with the pandemic. more..

May 28 (AD) The govt has decided to pay the Rs. 5,000 allowance from June 02, according to State Minister Shehan Semasinghe. He stated that the allowance will be provided to Samurdhi beneficiaries, persons who are already receiving govt allowances, low-income earners and those who have lost their income due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Tthe govt expects to allocate a sum of Rs. 30 billion in order to pay this allowance to the people of the country affected by Covid-19 more..

May 28 (FT) During the historic Parliamentary debate on the Port City bill, the Leader of the Opposition charged that it had been drafted by a lady who worked for a private sector firm (I vaguely recall him saying it was a foreign private sector firm). I expected the Minister of Justice to rebut him while he was on his feet, and state that it was the Legal Draftsman who had done so. But the charge went uncontradicted and must therefore be assumed to be true. Opposition represented by more..

May 28 (AD) The police spokesman, who joined a special media briefing on the COVID-19 situation today, said only those who are employed in essential services will be allowed to go out while travel restrictions are in effect. However, they are required to carry their workplace identity cards and a printed or electronic letter calling for their services, he stressed. The decision was taken during the meeting of Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 convened at the Prez Secretariat this morning. more..

May 28 (EN) Sri Lanka police have arrested Moratuwa Mayor Samanlal Fernando who video footage showed obstructing officials on duty at a vaccination centre in his jurisdiction May 27 morning. Fernando surrendered at the Mount Lavinia police station next morning following a public outcry on social media and was subsequently arrested for obstructing the duties of the Moratuwa Medical Officer of Health (MOH) and more..

May 28 (Island) Political bankruptcy of the Opposition was amply demonstrated by the way it made jokes out of travel restrictions and health regulations introduced to curtail the spread of the pandemic, Highways Minister Johnston Fernando said. Addressing the media after inspecting the commencement of an inoculation drive n Kurunegala electorate, Minister said: �We saw on TV how a supporter of Harin Fernando was pushing a wheelbarrow to carry groceries. more..

May 28 (Island) It is feared that the ill-fated container ship X-Press Pearl, which turned into a floating inferno while at anchorage near Colombo, may break up, spewing out a large amount of oil. Some of its debris is already polluting beaches in the Negombo area. Its cargo in 1,486 freight containers included 25 tons of nitric acid, which caused the fire. The poor packaging of the chemicals onboard X-Press Pearl has found to be the cause of the disastrous fire. more..

May 28 (DM) While saying that the fishing activities in the adjoining sea areas where the X-Press Pearl vessel caught fire had been suspended since last Sunday (23), State Minister Kanchana Wijesekara said there is no fear in consuming fish from the market. Speaking at a press conference, he said today the decision to suspend the fishing activities was taken as per the recommendations given by more..

May 28 (AD) A seeming increase in people flouting quarantine regulations has been observed over the past few days during the travel restricted-period. The police on Thursday (May 27) made the highest number of arrests within a single day related to quarantine law violations. According to Police Media Spokesperson DIG Ajith Rohana, as many as 829 more individuals were taken into custody for failing to adhere to health protocols and quarantine regulations while in public. more..

May 28 (Island) UNOPS handed over the first batch of 40 essential High-flow Oxygen machines and 100 Syringe Pumps for use in COVID-19 treatment Centres in Sri Lanka recently. The equipment handed is part of the World Bank�s emergency procurement support to COVID-19 response projects valued at over US$ 6.4 million. The total amount of oxygen related COVID-19 equipment under the project is estimated to be over US$ 2 million. The event was attended by more..

May 28 (DM) Due to abundant rainfall in the hydro catchment areas, including mini-hydro plants during the past few days to generate 200 million units of electricity, CEB has decided to stop operating all diesel powerplants, CEB Chairman Vijitha Herath said. He said that a false message was circulating claiming that the third thermal power generator in Norochcholai is temporarily shut down for maintenance. more..

May 28 (DM) No restrictions were made to operate courier services in the country which is categorised under the essential services, despite travel restrictions, Special COVID-19 Committee member MP Madhura Withanage said. He said that courier services are considered as essential service and can be operated under their company logos. "Several well-known courier services are in operation in the country which is not restricted. However, they need to have their more..

May 28 (Island) A large number of people who collected various items washed ashore from the MV X-Press Pearl, floating between Wattala and Negombo, had developed rashes, Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) said. Despite warnings from the authorities to stay away from the goods from the ship, many people were seen wading the ocean scavenging for various items that were washing ashore. The MEPA also said there was the possibility of acid rains more..

May 28 (EN) The mayoral kerfuffle in Moratuwa, has been widely and roundly criticised, with Prez himself commenting on the ugly scenes that unfolded on May 27 involving Mayor and ruling party member Saman Lal Fernando. What really happened? Video footage aired on several mainstream TV networks showed a visibly agitated Fernando disrupting a COVID-19 vaccination programme in Moratumulla, Moratuwa, more..

May 28 (DM) In a special communiqu�, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa stressed for an independent probe to determine as to who had granted permission to the ship to enter Sri Lankan waters and into the vicinity of Colombo Port, whether the crew members informed the relevant Sri Lankan authorities that they were approaching the Sri Lankan waters and to determine as to how much Sri Lanka should claim as damages from the owners that owns the ship. more..

May 28 (Island) Union Assurance PLC was recognized as the Fastest Growing Life Insurance Brand, Most Innovative Life Insurance Brand, Digital Insurance Company of the Year, and Digital Insurance Innovation of the Year, in SL for 2021, awarded by the Global Brand Awards. The Global Brand Award identifies organizations that best demonstrate a growth strategy that has achieved outstanding levels of sales, profit and market share improvement by means of expansion, more..

May 28 (AD) Island-wide travel restrictions that are currently in force will not be lifted on the 31st of May and 04th of June, the NOCPCO announced today. As per previous announcements issued in this regard, the constraints will continue until 4 am on the 07th of June without being eased midway, Commander of Army General Shavendra Silva stressed. However, Divisional Secretariats and & District Secretariats have been directed to more..

May 28 (DM) Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) is hoping to have an interim claim from the relevant companies to which the X-Press Pearl ship belongs, to cover the damages, MEPA Chairperson Dharshani Lahandapura said. She said MEPA will conduct a complete environmental damage assessment based on internationally recognised scientific methods. "To conduct complete damage assessment is very complicated. It will take a maximum of three years to get more..