May 14 (TM) A doctor attached to the Karapitiya Hospital in Galle has raised a hornet’s nest particularly among his fellow physician colleagues with an announcement that he has discovered some sort of miracle capsule cure for Covid-19. Dr. Rukshan Bellana, ever the maverick in the medical community, was among the first to come out in public and decry the marketing efforts of this adventurist physician who claimed he discovered the miracle remedy. more..

May 14 (ST) A child pirouettes onto the stage. As she, in love with the limelight, prances and dances, she is joined by others with smiles trusting and innocent, taking us to a realm where there are no wolves in the shadows. Where in fact, says Sunethra Bandaranaike, none of the negative qualities of us non-disabled humans exist. It is time to toast the Sunera Foundation, which has come of age growing from performance to more..

May 14 (CT) The sudden resurgence of the Covid pandemic in SL was totally unexpected by the people at large though it was expected and predicted those in the scientific and medical communities. The people had been reassured by the political leaders and sections of the media that SL was a success story unlike other countries, including more developed ones that had been devastated by the pandemic. However, the country had received an early warning in the second wave more..

May 14 (CT) One of my friends, a retired senior banker, forwarded the cartoon, produced below, in a WhatsApp message to me a few days ago. This cartoon aroused my interest as it dealt with the plight and fate of the banking industry we are witnessing today. My friend, Dhamitha, who is well aware of the mutual concerns we share about this subject, may have guessed that we could dovetail the conceptual element the cartoonist has attempted to portray by complementing it with some of the realities. more..

May 14 (FT) SL’s leading agribusiness company Watawala Plantations PLC yesterday announced that SBI Ven Holdings Ltd. had has invested $ 2 million in Watawala Dairy Farm through Watawala Dairy Ltd. (WDL). The investment will further propel WATA’s dairy operations in the country and contribute to the economy by committing to the Govt’s effort to promote local milk production and towards the goal of achieve self-sufficiency in milk. Furthermore, Watawala Plantations plans to more..

May 14 (FT) The 29th Annual General Meeting of the Sri Lanka-Pakistan Business Council of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, was held on 6 April. At the Annual General Meeting, Eswaran Brothers Exports Managing Director Somasundaram Deivanayagam was unanimously elected as the President of the Council. High Commissioner for Pakistan in SL Maj. Gen. (Retd) Muhammad Saad Khattak, Patron of the Council graced the occasion as the Chief Guest. more..

May 14 (DM) On the last day of Shaba an (i.e. the eighth month of the Islamic calendar) Muslims all over the world start looking for the new moon in the sky to ascertain the Maghreb time when they start a month long fast from dawn till dusk abstaining from several things including food and drink. Ramadan is the name of the ninth month in the Islamic calendar. In Arabic Ramadan means intense heat, scorched ground, food scarcity. more..

May 14 (CT) The recent agriculture policies proposed by the Govt can best be described as a bogie in a large and speeding ban wagon. In a bid to control and command the agri-food sector, particularly as post-COVID response, a surfeit of bans have ruled the policy choices in SL. Notwithstanding the high import share of food in SL plates, the ban wagon started with the imposition of a range of restrictions on food imports (using taxes, licenses, temporary suspensions, and more..

May 14 (DN) Genocide is the intentional destruction of a particular group through killing, serious physical or mental harm, preventing births and/or forcibly transferring children to another group and this term has been applied to the experiences of Indigenous peoples in Canada, particularly in the final reports of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls inquiry. Using the liberal use of the term genocide to hoodwink the gullible Canadian public, more..

May 14 (CT) Sri Lanka Athletics (SLA) have requested Diamond League slots for several top National Athletes who are on the verge of Tokyo Olympic qualification, said SLA President Palitha Fernando. Accordingly, SLA had requested slots for the Doha Diamond League to be held on 28 May for several athletes, which includes 400m runner Kalinga Kumarage, Javelin Throwers Sumedha Ranasinghe and Nadeeka Lakmali, more..

May 14 (ST) A training programme organised jointly by the Football Federation of SL and Polonnaruwa District Football Association was conducted at the Bandiwewa Vidyalaya ground from March 25 to 29, where female instructors and coaches were highly benefited. The youngsters of Polonnaruwa Girls’ Football Academy were also present on selected days during the five-day programme, to which Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Namal Rajapaksa paid a surprise visit. more..

May 14 (Island) Ernst & Young (EY) facilitated a timely discussion on Digital Cities as the knowledge partner at the “Sri Lanka Internet Day 2021”, the inaugural virtual event organized by the Digital Chapter of the Federation of Information Technology in SL (FITIS) which was held in line with FITIS mandates on digital economy and regional hub and the 7-pillar digital strategy. Themed Digital inclusion, the forum emphasized the need for citizen engagement in a digital society and more..

May 14 (FT) Board of Investment (BOI) yesterday said it would ensure uninterrupted services for export-oriented enterprises amidst private sector concerns over the impact of the latest lockdown in view of the worsening third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. “BOI enterprises are encouraged to continue operations, while strictly adhering to the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health. The countrywide travel restrictions more..

May 14 (DM) We have received the results of the 2020 A/L Exam and are considering options for university hopefuls. Tuition masters have already taken credit for the best results in the island. According to Govt statistics 194,297 students are eligible to apply for local universities. Have the schools which taught these students delivered on the aspect of dispensing knowledge? We know that the pandemic hampered school education. Syllabuses may not have been covered more..

May 14 (CT) PM Mahinda Rajapaksa extended his wishes to the SL Muslim community who are celebrating Eid-ul-Fitr with Muslims around the world, ending the fasting period of Ramadan. In a statement, he said the month-long Ramadan fasting, as prescribed in the Quran, the holy book of Islam, conveys a very important message to the world, both religiously and spiritually. He added that the period of fasting helps to understand the hunger of others and that the Muslim community would more..

May 14 (CI) Fearlessness. If there's one change Sri Lanka's new ODI captain Kusal Perera would like to usher in, it is for his team to play as he says he does: completely unafraid. Perera has been appointed leader of a young squad, which is without several big names, including Angelo Mathews, and now has the opportunity to turn around Sri Lanka's poor form in the format - the side having slipped to ninth on the ICC rankings. more..

May 14 (CT) Along with increasing restrictions to battle COVID-19 in the country, Sri Lanka Athletics (SLA) is facing a fresh challenge to conduct the National Athletics Championship 2021, which is vital especially for athletes who are close to Olympic qualification. SLA has the option of postponing the competition with qualification deadline being 29 June, but that would further disrupt the already disrupted preparation due to COVID-19. In the latest development, SLA has decided to conduct more..

May 14 (DN) Sri Lanka dropped to the eighth position in the ICC Test Team Rankings after the annual update was carried out yesterday. Sri Lanka has 78 rating points as they lost five points during the latest points update and are ahead of only Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. Meanwhile, ICC World Test Championship finalists India and NZ remain the top two teams in the ICC Test Team Rankings. India have gained one rating point for an aggregate of 121 and NZ are only one point behind more..

May 14 (FT) A total of 2,269 persons tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday, raising SL’s total patient count to 135,796. 2,249 patients detected yesterday are linked to the New Year cluster, and the Minuwangoda, Peliyagoda, Prisons and New Year clusters have expanded to 129,611. 82,785 patients linked to the Peliyagoda cluster, 36,478 patients linked to the New Year Cluster, 5,040 patients linked to the Prisons cluster more..

May 14 (AD) Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT) Group released its financial results for the first quarter of 2021, with a remarkable 14.3% year-on-year growth in Profit After Tax (PAT) to Rs. 2.1 Bn. The Group revenue went up to Rs. 24.7 Bn for the period with a 11.4% year-on-year growth, strongly underpinned by the growth in revenues of FTTH, 4G LTE, mobile broadband services, PEOTV services and carrier domestic services. International voice revenue reflected a de-growth while int'l revenues more..

May 14 (DM) Stating that there is no reason to fear a shortage of vaccines, Army Commander General Shavendra Silva said that each and every eligible individual would receive the Covid-19 vaccine at the right time. He said that the govt was in the process of procuring the necessary stocks of vaccines from foreign countries. A committee headed by Senior Advisor to Prez Lalith Weeratunga has initiated dialogue with several countries in order to procure the stocks of the AstraZeneca vaccine. more..

May 14 (CT) Police Department has deployed 20,000 personnel by 10 p.m. yesterday, to monitor the movement of people on the roads and to ensure the travel restrictions are obeyed. Police personnel will be monitoring district borders and the movements of those on the road, to ensure that no one is breaking the restrictions. DIG Rohana said if anyone is found to be breaking the restrictions, that individual will be dealt with according to the law. more..

May 14 (CT) Extending his wishes to the Muslim community which celebrates Eid-ul-Fitr at the end of Ramadan fasting today (14), President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said he believes the true Muslims who follow the Holy Quran would collectively commit themselves with added determination to further strengthen peace and harmony. In a statement, the President said, “Without doubt the appeal to save the humankind from this lethal COVID-19 pandemic would be among the wishes of our Muslims. more..

May 14 (FT) The SJB called on the Govt to provide relief for daily wage earners affected by Covid-19 outbreak and public employees who continue to provide essential services amidst the crisis. SJB MP Ranjith Madduma Bandara urged the Govt to expedite issuing the Rs. 5,000 allowances for low-income families, most of who depend on daily wages to get by. “Govt should also consider issuing a special allowance for state employees as they were issued their April pay early. more..

May 14 (FT) Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa yesterday called on the Govt to put an end to extrajudicial killings and to launch an independent investigation into them. His comments follow two custodial deaths of suspects by Police within two days. SJB leader charged that the rise in custodial death was an indication that the Govt was moving towards a dictatorship, stressing that while criminals need to be brought justice, more..

May 14 (Island) Customs officials had seized over 200 million sticks of foreign cigarettes worth over nine billion rupees hidden in 21 containers. Customs Department investigated the 21 containers that had been marked as Ceylon Black Tea and sent from the UAE. The containers had been marked for re-exporting to countries such as the Netherlands, Germany, UK, customs sources said, adding that the investigators found that forged shipping documents had been made for the containers. more..

May 14 (Island) 31 students attached to the Vavuniya Campus of the Jaffna University had contracted Covid-19, Vavuniya MOH Dr. S. Lavan said yesterday. The students had been admitted to the newly established hospital for COVID-19 cases in Vavuniya. University administrators conducted random PCR tests on the students after a few students showed COVID-19 symptoms in recent days and all associates of the COVID-19 cases are being quarantined at the campus itself. more..

May 14 (Island) SJB MP Mujibur Rahman yalleged that the country was paying a huge price for the govt’s refusal to heed medical experts’ advice to impose stringent measures to curb movements. Had the govt acted at least six weeks ago, the ground situation wouldn’t have deteriorated to such an extent, he said. Wednesday’s sudden declaration that countrywide travel restrictions would be imposed on Thursday (13), at 11 pm till more..

May 14 (FT) Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga said no decision had been made so far to close the airport although the Govt had imposed travel restrictions within the country given the current spike in COVID-19 infections. Any decision regarding the closure of the airport will be made in accordance with health authorities’ recommendation, the Minister said following a meeting held in Gampaha yesterday. “If we close the airport, it will hinder the repatriation of Sri Lankans wanting to come. more..

May 14 (AD) Isolation orders have been issued on 42 areas in Batticaloa, Trincomalee and Kurunegala districts, says General Shavenra Silva. Due to the three-day countrywide travel restrictions that were imposed on Thursday night (May 13), the isolation orders on the following areas will come into effect at 4.00 am on May 17. Batticaloa District: Kirankulam Police Area. 1. Lake Road heading through Manchona (150 C GN Division); 2. Weaving Mill Road (150 C GN Division) 3. Velapodi Road more..

May 14 (Island) State Minister Dr Nalaka Godahewa yesterday questioned the failure on their part to administer 600,000 Chinese Sinopharm vaccines while the ground situation deteriorated. He said that delaying the use of the stock donated by China was an unfortunate lapse. Sri Lanka received the stock on March 31 whereas the govt finally gave the go ahead to use it only on May 8. Responding to media queries, Dr. Godahewa said more..

May 14 (Island) More Coast Guard vessels would be deployed to intercept and search Indian fishermen who enter SL territorial waters, Minister Douglas Devananda. He said that the Navy was currently doing a great job of protecting the country from Indian fishermen. However, the smugglers and human traffickers operating out of India had increased and thus he asked the Coast Guard to provide more assistance, he said. “In recent weeks, navy has increased patrols in seas off Jaffna. more..

May 14 (FT) The horrifying tragedy that is unfolding before our very eyes worldwide but particularly in India, and God-fearing traditional Christian countries such as USA, Brazil, Italy, Spain, France, UK, Germany, Belgium, Portugal, Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, Norway and Sweden raises fundamental questions not only in respect to humanity’s capacity to combat the spread of the coronavirus that has taken a huge toll of over 3.1 million fatalities and over 147 mil infections more..

May 14 (FT) This article has been compiled in response to a request made by a prominent politician in Sri Lanka. In the course of a telephonic discussion I had with him on the present crisis of Sri Lanka, I was critical of the sectarian behaviour and factionalism of political parties and explained that if Sri Lanka is to be saved from the present crisis, it is essential that the country should be orientated towards a structural reform program with the consensus of all political parties. more..

May 14 (Island) The incumbent govt always finds itself up the creek, so to speak, by trying to delay the inevitable and defend the indefensible. The explosive spread of Covid-19, which has led to the current lockdowns, came about as the ruling politicians played politics with the pandemic prevention measures and baulked at imposing travel restrictions in April. Pressure is now mounting on the govt from doctors to impose a quarantine curfew as the pandemic situation is taking a turn for the more..

May 14 (TM) All factories in the Katunayake FTZ are currently in operation, despite random PCR testing resulting in a sharp increase in the number of workers who have tested positive for COVID-19 recently. In addition, workers from this factory who were tested positive on Monday (10), have still to be taken to quarantine centres. PHIs have called them and told them to take precautions and stay inside the boarding. more..

May 14 (AD) Dept of Meteorology says the low-pressure area over south east Arabian has developed into a depression and lay centered at 08.30 am today (May 14) near latitude 10.5°N and longitude 72.3°E. It is very likely to intensify into deep depression within next 12 hours. The system is likely to move nearly north and north-westwards towards Gujarat coast around 18th May morning. The impact of this system, on weather over the island is expected to reduce gradually more..

May 14 (DM) SJB urged the govt to appoint a national disaster management council and convene it to decide what steps should be taken to arrest the prevailing pandemic situation. SJB MP Dr. Harsha de Silva who made this request at a press conference said the govt is legally bound to appoint and convene the council at the moment. “The Prez should head the Disaster Management Council as per the Disaster Management Act, while the PM, Leader of Opposition, selected Ministers more..