Mar 17 (FT) Despite the special holiday, the Monetary Board met at emergency session yesterday to assess and respond to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic globally and locally, taking key decisions to cushion impact and stimulate economic activity. The Central Bank said the Monetary Board at an urgent meeting to review its monetary policy stance on 16 March, decided to reduce the Standing Deposit Facility Rate more..

Mar 17 (Xinhua) Ryo Takeuchi, a Japanese director now living in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, never expected the documentary he made amid the novel coronavirus outbreak would go viral in both Japan and China. "I've been working on filming documentaries for over 20 years. This is the most popular one," the 42-year-old director said. In 2013, Takeuchi followed his Chinese wife, whom he met in Japan, to settle down in her hometown of Nanjing. more..

Mar 17 (ST) Sri Lanka went into the historic Davis Cup World Cup Group II play-off tie against Paraguay full of confidence but were brought down to earth by two 16-year-olds who cruelly exposed their lack of international exposure to send them crashing to 4-0 defeat. Playing in alien conditions and against a South American nation for the first time in a rejigged Davis Cup format, the Sri Lankans stumbled on the red clay courts at Club Internacional de Tenis in Asuncion in the tie played on more..

Mar 17 (TM) A few food brands using names with superlatives have come under scrutiny by the regulator, Food Control Administration Unit (FCAU), over the past few weeks. This includes popular products such as Munchee Super Cream Cracker, Maliban’s Original and Real brands, Sera Real Coconut Milk, and certain Kist products. This is due to govt’s decision to implement a 15-yr-old food regulation as per Food Regulations 2005, more..

Mar 17 (Island) When a national level disaster breaks out stemming from natural causes, it is the fundamental obligation of the govt to instil a sense of optimism and hope in the people. Therefore, the government must take decisions in a contextually relevant manner with the outbreak of the cornonavirus, a top uni academic said. 'The novel coronavirus outbreak that is wreaking havoc and has claimed over 95,000 lives globally will affect SL's economic growth, Senior Lecturer, Open Uni more..

Mar 17 (Island) Late Tony Greig’s words on television with Sri Lanka one stroke away from their greatest moment in sporting history will live in memories for ever. "It’s only a small place Sri Lanka. But they have come a long way..." It was on a day like this, 17th Mar 1996, SL were crowned World Champions beating Australia in the final in Lahore. They had been in the big league only for 14 years having become Full Members of the ICC in 1982. Having overcome numerous hardships over more..

Mar 17 (FT) While deciding to contest the upcoming General Election under the political party Ape Jana Bala Pakshaya, former MP Athuraliye Rathana Thera, BBS General Secretary Ven. Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thera and several other Buddhist monks requested the govt to postpone the elections considering the COVID epidemic. “The general public is under pressure following this COVID-19 disease and more..

Mar 17 (FT) Leadership and human behaviour specialist Omar Khan this week urged Sri Lanka must come up with a well-conceived and publicised strategy to mitigate the coronavirus (COVID-19) which to-date has infected 28 locals and over 100 under quarantine. Using the playbook of Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore, which have been successful in mitigation and taking the proverbial “wind out of the sails” of the virus, Khan said SL should publish a comprehensive game-plan, more..

Mar 17 (Island) The Department of Ayurveda, yesterday, requested the public not to be misled by social media posts about Ayurvedic cures for coronavirus (COVID-19). It said there was no such remedies for the pandemic except for immunity boosting spices or herbs like ginger or coriander. Addressing the media at Bandaranaike Memorial Ayurvedic Research Institute at Nawinna, Commissioner of Ayurveda K.D.C.S. Kumaratunga said that it was a punishable offence under more..

Mar 17 (AD) Govt has declared a special public holiday for the next three days. The declared three-day holiday is also applicable to the private sector. Accordingly the holiday will be in effect from today (17) until Thursday (19), govt announced. However, this special three-day holiday will be effective for departments, corporations and state institutions excluding health, food supply, transport, essential services, banking, more..

Mar 17 (CT) In a random study carried out in Moneragala in 2015, it was found that 6.9% of teenage girls wind up pregnant, which is higher than the national average of 6.1%, a recent paper presented by H.M.W. Herath attached to the Regional Director of Health Services Office, Moneragala, stated. Paper presented at National Health Research Symposium held in Colombo in Oct 2019 ascribed this situation to poor educational levels and low socioeconomic status. more..

Mar 17 (CT) DGL Fulfillment Centre, a state-of-the-art warehouse complex, was declared open at the Muthurajawela Logistics Park, located in Kerawalapitiya by Dart Global Logistics (DGL) on 3 March. The facility will offer top-of-the-range third-party logistics (3PL) services & freight logistics under one roof for various industry verticals. The 10,000 pallet position capacity warehouse, with a state-of-the-art Warehouse Management System (WMS), best-of-the-breed MHE's more..

Mar 17 (AD) Airport & Aviation Services (SL) Limited (AASL) refuted rumors over plans to shut down the BIA at Katunayake due to the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19). “The int'l airports except Jaffna will continue to function as normal,” AASL Chairman Maj. Gen. (Retd) G.A. Chandrasiri said. He said all the airports would continue normal operations and there is no need to panic. He urged people not to be swayed by more..

Mar 17 (Island) Ven. Aturaliya Ratana Thera and Ven. Galagodatte Gnanasara Thera, yesterday, announced that they would contest the April 25 general election on the Apa Janabala Party ticket under the Flag symbol. Addressing the media at the Sadaham Sevana auditorium in Rajagiriya, Ratana Thera said that their party would field candidates for all districts in the country and leading bhikkhus, veteran war heroes and senior politicians would contest the election from their party. more..

Mar 17 (FT) After concluding discussions and consultations with senior Govt members, Opposition members and civil society representatives in Colombo, the cross-party parliamentary delegation, headed by Dr. Peter Ramsauer who arrived in Sri Lanka at the end of February visited German-funded projects in the Uva Province and Galle. During their trip to Uva, the high-ranking delegation visited Ecowave Spices factory in Buttala. The GIZ (German Development Corporation) supports more..

Mar 17 (Island) The GMOA, asked the govt to resort to China-type lockdowns of certain parts of SL to curb the spread of COVID-19. Secretary of the GMOA, Dr. Haritha Aluthge said that the national action committee on COVID-19, appointed by Prez Rajapaksa, should meet daily and inform the public of the decisions taken. "We can’t deny that certain parts of Negombo & Puttalam are especially vulnerable to COVID-19," more..

Mar 17 (FT) Hemas Holdings subsidiary Hemtours Ltd. has entered into a share sale and purchase agreement with Acorn Partner Ltd. for the sale of 80.1% stake in Forbes Leisure Services Ltd. for Rs. 201 million. Acorn is owned by Malinga Arsakularatne, an Executive Director of Hemas, and members of the senior management team of the subsidiaries of Forbes Leisure. Hemas will retain a 19.9% minority stake. Since the announcement, Arsakularatne has stepped down from more..

Mar 17 (CT) The first local Coronavirus (COVID-19) patient found in SL is gradually recovering, hospital sources said. It is reported that a child of this patient who was quarantined had later returned home. The patient is a resident of the Mattegoda area. Before the first SL COVID-19 patient, a Chinese national, who was staying in SL, was also found to have been infected with the Virus. She was also later sent back to China after recovery. Doctors said that the first SL COVID-19 patient will be able to leave more..

Mar 17 (Hindu) Many Opposition parties in Sri Lanka have called for postponing the general election scheduled for April 25, in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak in the country. Their request comes a day after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa told SAARC leaders — who connected on a video call to discuss regional strategies to combat COVID 19 — that Sri Lanka’s parliamentary election will be held as scheduled. more..

Mar 17 (Island) The Ministry of Transport Services Management and Department of Motor Traffic have decided to suspend the issuance of driving and riding licences to prevent the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. As a preliminary step, action will be taken to temporarily restrict public access to the Driving License Head Office at Werahera or any other D.M.T. District Office for obtaining driving licenses, renewals or related activities until March 31. more..

Mar 17 (EN) SL has ordered airlines not to board passengers from Qatar, Bahrain or Canada as they will not be allowed to land in SL after midnight March 17 in a measure aimed at controlling the spread of Coronavirus. CAA said the restriction applied to passengers of Qatari, Canadian or Bahraini nationalities or any passenger who has a travel history to Qatar, Canada or Bahrain within the last 14 days. Passengers who have a travel history of Iran, South Korea, UK, France, Belgium, more..

Mar 17 (AD) Govt has taken several more measures to limit congregation of people in the wake of COVID – 19 outbreak in the country. Several decisions related to justice and prison activities will be implemented from today (17) onwards. Judicial Services Commission sent out a circular relating to judicial cases to be taken up from March 17 to 20. All the court cases which are to be called at Commercial High Courts, CA and more..

Mar 17 (AD) President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is scheduled to address the nation at 8 pm today. Prez’s address is regarding the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic and the prevailing situation in the country. SL has diagnosed a total of 28 positive coronavirus cases within 6 days. The first SL coronavirus patient in the island was identified on Mar 11. Govt has taken a number of precautionary measures to curb the spread of the virus in the country, including a special public holiday more..

Mar 17 (DN) SL Army has allocated another 23 officers’ bungalows at Diyathalawa for quarantine purposes, said Army Commander Lt. Gen. Shavendra Silva. He said that the Army currently operates 12 quarantine centres and in addition, these bungalows would be utilized as well. He noted that a group of passengers had arrived from London and there are children among them. Hence, he said that these children would be quarantined at these holiday bungalows in Diyathalawa. more..

Mar 17 (EN) Sri Lanka escalated Coronavirus (COVID19) controls asking only food supply, transport, banks health and essential state services to operate for three days in bid to prevent new infections while travel bans were slapped on more countries as infections climbed. The govt declared three holidays asking all non-essential businesses not to operate on March 17, 18 and 19 while asking some key govt services and more..

Mar 17 (DM) Racial tensions have devastated SL, but some parties still continue to play that populism card to win elections. After the Official Languages Act widely known as the Sinhala Only Act was enacted by PM S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike’s Mahajana Eksath Peramuna govt in 1956, Federal Party held peaceful protests, but they were attacked, and tensions rose. However, Official Languages Act itself was introduced to reverse more than one and half century of language discrimination under more..

Mar 17 (DM) It does not take much persuasion to convince someone that holding a countrywide snap parliamentary polls on the eve of a global Coronavirus pandemic is a dangerous idea. More so when the local health officials advocate social distancing. Public gatherings are discouraged. Schools are closed and unnerved public are panic buying. And if the global trend of the rapid spread of the virus is anything, SL, now with 18 proven cases (as of yesterday noon) and 1723 returnees more..

Mar 17 (TM) It is not uncommon in Sri Lanka to hear of companies that are founded and/or led by ex-servicemen, such as security firms, catering companies, and maritime shipping companies. However, in a refreshing story a few days after the world celebrated International Women’s Day (IWD), we heard about a company founded by retired female army officers in Sri Lanka. Women officers are generally expected to more..

Mar 17 (DM) A group of scientists including Sri Lankan born Roshanka Ranasinghe, a Professor of Climate change impacts and coastal risk at IHE Delft, the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre, IHE Delft and Deltares, published the global projections of how sandy beaches around the world would change by 2100. The findings come from combining 35 years of satellite observations with 82 years of climate & sea level changes more..

Mar 17 (ST) The Govt has halted plans for a management deal with India for the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA), official sources said. Aviation Minister Prasanna Ranatunga has told the relevant authorities that his administration was no longer interested. India, too, has not responded to a draft agreement Sri Lanka floated proposing a share division of 49 percent to the Indians and 51% to the Sri Lankans. more..

Mar 17 (Island) Around 15% of local high rise building projects would not be completed because of unplanned investments. Besides, the magical figure of some 60% demand for such apartments was also a questionable figure that should be closely examined, a recent forum on the subject was told by CEO, Paramount Reality Dr. Nirmal de Silva. At the Asia Property Guru Awards (SL) media engagement convened by Property Guru Asia, more..

Mar 17 (Island) The coronavirus pandemic has created an uneven playing field, much to the detriment of minor political parties sans the wherewithal to cover increased expenses of electioneering, the JVP says. JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said yesterday that many parties had been hit badly by the situation prevailing in the country. "The spread of coronavirus has hindered our countrywide campaign. more..

Mar 17 (EN) Secretary to the Ministry of Defence Kamal Gunaratne said more than 170 Sri Lankans who had returned from Italy and Korea have evaded the quarantine process. He said, “There are over 170 passengers, who have returned to SL from Korea and Italy, and are living with their families who have not been subjected to quarantine. As a precautionary measure, we need to get them into screening process to detect positive cases more..

Mar 17 (AD) The Ministry of Defence has instructed people who have arrived in Sri Lanka from Europe, Iran or South Korea during the period from 1 – 15 March 2020 to register with the Police immediately. However, there is no need to visit the Police Station for this purpose, stated Police Media Division. The registering can be done by calling either the nearest Police Station or 119 Centre as well, stated the Police. more..

Mar 17 (EN) Central Bank Governor W.D. Lakshman called on financial institutions to not speculate and cause panic in the markets while passing on the benefits of lower lending rates to customers after an emergency policy rate and statutory reserve ratio (SRR) cut over the coronavirus pandemic. “We have requested all financial institutions led by licensed commercial banks to pass to the market the full benefit of more..

Mar 17 (DN) The Govt has ramped up its anti-Coronavirus drive, with a plan to set up regional offices at divisional secretariat level to coordinate health measures and educate the public on preventing COVID-19. These offices will be manned by health officials and also a Police officer. This was part of a series of proposals outlined in a circular issued yesterday by Public Administration, Home Affairs and PCs & LGs Ministry more..

Mar 17 (EN) Officials are preparing to cease operations at SL’s main international airport in Katunayake on directive of President Gotabaya Rajapakse over the coronavirus pandemic, an official said. “As of now the airport is operational, but we are making plans on how to shut the airport down,” AASL Director Shehan Sumanasekara said. The decision to close the airport was taken on a directive from President Rajapaksa, he said. more..

Mar 17 (EN) Sri Lanka is working towards bringing back s hundreds of its nationals who are pilgrims in India, Ministry of Foreign Relations said. In a press release, Ministry said that it is estimated that there around 1,200 pilgrims in 22 different groups that had travelled to India before the govt banned these pilgrimages on March 9. Ministry and it’s missions in New Delhi and Chennai are “coordinating and facilitating the arrangements for the early return of SL Buddhist pilgrims currently in India.” more..

Mar 17 (CT) Fears have a commonality from nation to nation. Men and women ask with worry whether we are on a fast-track of death to the sensibilities of life and sobriety in politics, in life. Perhaps this idea was ingrained a very long time ago into Lankan politics and life. That was when R. Premadasa presented the Sucharitha - purity of character movement in this country. It's that obsession that drove people into the realms of democracy, leaving behind it a faint desire for more..