May 18 (DM) Some 141 people were arrested yesterday for walking on the roads violating ID card method introduced by the police. According to the ID card number, one person per household can leave the house for reasons other than for work or a medical emergency. Accordingly, on odd dates of the calendar, one person from the same family with the National ID number, driving licence or passport ending with 1,3,5,7,9 can leave their homes while those with the numbers 0,2,4,6,8 are more..

May 18 (DE) The annual ceremonies held by the SL armed forces on May 19, to mark the defeat of the separatist LTTE and the observances held by Tamil political leaders on May 18 to mark what they consider genocide, keep alive the conflict between Sinhalese and Tamil nationalisms, which have marked post-independence SL politics. This year, to prevent the Tamils from commemorating their dead more..

May 18 (CT) In commemoration of Global Road Safety Week, SL Police has launched an application called E Traffic Police Sri Lanka to report traffic violations. The Application will be activated this week, DIG Ajith Rohana said yesterday. The App was released with the collaboration of Sri Lanka Police and the Ministry of Public Security. He also said the public can use the app to report videos of traffic violations. The DIG said, Secretary of the Ministry of Public Security, more..

May 18 (CT) The Development Officers' Service Union (DOSU) warns that trainee graduates, including development officers, will resign from duties pertaining to COVID-19 pandemic, if they do not have the proper environment to perform their duties without having to risk their lives. The DOSU has also requested the Government to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the attack on a development officer in the Dalthara West Division of the Kesbewa Divisional Secretariat area. more..

May 18 (DM) PM Mahinda Rajapaksa today asserted that the victory secured by sacrificing thousands of lives would not be betrayed in the face of any challenge. Making a special statement in parliament to mark the 12th anniversary of the war victory, he said a decision has been taken to waive off interest of the property loans obtained by soldiers injured in humanitarian operation. He said it was a humane quality of the Lankans more..

May 18 (EN) Human Rights Commission of SL (HRCSL) has called a report from the IGP on the recent killing of two alleged underworld figures in police custody. In a latter written to the IGP dated May 17, the HRCSL said the killing of alleged gang leader Tharaka Wijesekara alias Kosgoda Tharaka, who police claimed had died following a shootout on May 13, and that of Mabulage Dineth Melan Mabula alias Uru Juwa who died on May 11 under similar circumstances, has put the rule of law more..

May 18 (TM) SLPP MP Wijeyadasa Rajapaksa today stated that this is not the ideal time to instill the Port City Economic Commission Bill. He stated that instead, the country’s leaders need to focus on eradicating the COVID-19 pandemic which is causing a significant loss of life every day. “Our govt politicians have been very inconsiderate about how they are handling the present crisis. They have put aside all concerns about the lives of people that are being lost due to the prevailing pandemic more..

May 18 (FT) SJB National Organiser and MP Tissa Attanayake yesterday (17) called on the govt to allow the private sector to import COVID-19 vaccines which have been approved for use. Addressing the media, the Opposition MP suggested that the private sector could inoculate its staff if permitted to import vaccines, adding that it would help ease the burden on the govt. He was joined by SJB Dehiwala Coordinator Channa Vikum more..

May 18 (CT) Minister of Justice Ali Sabry, PC, has sent a Letter of Demand to Ananda Lanerole, a resident of Baddegama, demanding a sum of Rs 10 million, within a period of two weeks, for the loss of reputation and image caused to him through the actions of the latter. In his Letter of Demand, the Minister has stated that Lanerole, by staging a media conference had alleged that the former had exerted pressure in writing to the Balapitiya High Court Judge to grant certain relief to more..

May 18 (NR) The Obstetricians and Gynaecologists Association is due to write to Prez Rajapaksa over concerns surrounding vaccination centres. Chairman Specialist Dr. Pradeep de Silva speaking at a media briefing said large numbers gathering at vaccination centres administering limited doses poses serious risks. Dr. de Silva said they identified concerns in administering only 500 vaccines at a Grama Seva division adding there are other instances which is difficult to grasp within the current process. more..

May 18 (TM) Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena might permit MP Rishad Bathiudeen to attend Parliament; the latter and several others are being held on a 90-day detention order in connection with the Easter Sunday terror attacks investigations, but that might have serious repercussions for the country’s security, Public Security Minister Rear Admiral (Retd) Sarath Weerasekera warns. He said that the previous week, he, in his capacity more..

May 18 (Island) SJB MP Lakshman Kiriella called on the govt to make arrangements to give priority to members of the Maha Sangha and clergy of other religions in Covid vaccination programmes. Speaking to the media after meeting with Ven Ittepane Dhammalankara Nayaka Thera, MP Kiriella said that his party requested from the govt to give priority to bhikkhus, members of the Catholic clergy, Kurukkal of kovils and Moulavis of mosques in giving the covid vaccine. more..

May 18 (FT) Parliament will take up for debate two Orders under the Strategic Development Projects Act in Parliament today. The debate will look into the viability of granting tax concessions to two investment projects – the Colombo International Financial Centre and Ceylon Tyre Manufacturing Company Ltd. The Orders will be presented by PM Mahinda Rajapaksa in his capacity as the Minister of Finance. The Ceylon Tyre Manufacturing Company project, to manufacture semi-steel tyres and more..

May 18 (EN) There is clear evidence of a grand conspiracy linked to SL’s 2019 Easter bombings, the NewsFirst network quoted Attorney General Dappula De Livera as saying today. The channel reported, De Livera has said that information by the state intelligence service, “with times, targets, places, method of attack and other information is clear evidence there was a grand conspiracy in place with regard to the April 21 more..

May 18 (CT) The UGC is refusing to provide a solution to their enrolment policy, which has caused a tremendous disadvantage to students who sat the 2019 G.C.E. A/L exam, alleged the Socialist Students Union (SSU) in a statement. The statement added that unless this issue is resolved, many more students could suffer under this system in the future. SSU explained that the 2019 G.C.E. A/L exam allowed both students who had studied the old syllabus and those who studied new syllabus more..

May 18 (AD) The upcoming Monday (24) and Tuesday (25) have been declared Special Govt Holidays, Ministry of Public Administration stated. However, this does not include the bank and mercantile sectors, the Secretary to the Ministry stated. Meanwhile, prolonged island-wide travel restrictions have been imposed from 1 pm on Friday (21) to 4 am on Tuesday (25). The restrictions lifted at 4 am on May 25, will re-imposed at 11 pm on the same day to be continued until 4 am on more..

May 18 (FT) Ahead of the debate starting tomorrow, the Parliamentary Committee on Public Finance (CPF) last week was briefed on the progress and plans of the multi-billion-dollar Colombo Port City project, with members emphasising that sweeping tax concessions to it must ensure substantial contribution to economic growth. Connected issues came up when the CPF, chaired by Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, more..

May 18 (CT) The Court of Appeal yesterday ordered the authorities not to move notorious criminal figure and death row inmate Wele Suda from the Boossa Prison where is currently detained. This directive was issued when a writ application filed by the mother of Gampola Vidanalage Samantha Kumara, alias Wele Suda, RG Malani, a resident of Dehiwela, was taken up before Court of Appeal Justices Arjuna Obeysekara (President) and Priyantha Fernando yesterday. more..

May 18 (AD) Defence Ministry was shifted to the newly constructed Defence Headquarters Complex in Sri J'pura, Kotte today. At the event organized to coincide the 12th anniversary of the Victory Day over terrorism, Defence Secretary Gen. Kamal Gunaratne (Retd) declared open the new building complex amidst the blessings of the Ven. Maha Sanga. This new state-of-the-art complex built with military expertise will house all the sections of the Defence Ministry those were previously situated more..

May 19 (TM) Sri Lanka is a country that has an astronomical number of laws, policies, and practices that need to be reformed, and even though the authorities and rulers have claimed to be aware of the need for such, actual reform is happening at a snail’s pace. A number of projects aimed at reforming them have come to a halt, despite efforts by the people and activists to see any progressive results. It was reported recently that the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) more..

May 19 (CT) Today marks the 12th anniversary of vanquishing the LTTE on 19 May 2009. The long drawn-out war against the Tamil terrorists was won solely owing to the unyielding courage of then Prez and present PM Mahinda Rajapaksa, the clever planning by his brother then defence Secretary and current Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the valiant efforts of military officers of the calibre of today’s defence Secretary, General Kamal Gunaratne. What prompted then Prez Mahinda Rajapaksa, more..

May 19 (DM) Senior Professor Sisira Siribaddana, (MBBS MD FCCP FRCP), elaborates on efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines to gain herd immunity. He presently serves at the Medical Faculty of Rajarata Uni. Also, he is a board member of the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) and an Honorary Consultant Physician. Q: What is your general assessment of the current immunisation process against COVI-19? more..

May 19 (DM) The whole story is an embodiment of a culture of impunity so deep-rooted that nothing matters anymore. A suspect, Tharaka Wijesekera alias Kosgoda Tharaka, an underworld kingpin who was in the custody of the CID was suddenly transferred to the custody of a special police unit in Peliyagoda. His lawyers fearing that his client would be killed informed the Bar Association SL (BASL) about the danger to the life of his client. Acting on the complaint, the President of the BASL, more..

May 19 (CT) The precipitate reversal of approval of both arms of the Double-Paksa cavalcade is a cause for alarm. The way the wind is blowing regime insiders surely discern that the Gota Presidency and the Mahinda parliamentary majority will be shattered on electoral rocks. I can see no way either can navigate course correction. Often governments get it wrong, but pull themselves up and after a year or two salvage their reputation and go on to survive the next election. more..

May 19 (CT) he present day night sky over the Gaza strip harkens to Sri Lanka’s most recent memory. The Israeli forces have begun an offensive against the Hamas Organisation. The international media continues to show the lamentations of the Palestinians considering their current plight. On one such occasion a building which had housed the international Media outlet Al-Jazeera was bombed, proving to all & sundry gravity of the situation. more..

May 19 (CT) As the severity of the COVID pandemic rises in Sri Lanka, need for standby oxygen supplies to treat affected patients has been stressed by health authorities after observing the ordeal our neighbour India is going through due to the inability to provide sufficient supplies to patients in various locations in that vast country. In this connection, Sri Lanka has ordered more oxygen cylinders as the number of COVID patients admitted to hospitals began to rise in a third wave, more..

May 19 (Island) 12th anniversary of the conclusion of SL’s war has come to be marked while the world is watching, with shock and dismay, the escalation of violence in Gaza. But for the defeat of the LTTE, such tragic scenes would have been beamed across the globe from this country, which used to attract international media attention owing to terrorist bomb blasts and battlefield encounters. The latest round of clashes in Gaza resulted from an alleged attempt by Israel to evict some Palestinian families from more..

May 19 (DM) Israel’s war against Palestinians in Gaza continues into its second week in all its ferocity. Jerusalem is experiencing its worst unrest in years. Hundreds of Palestinian protesters have been wounded in clashes with Israeli police; thousands have lost their homes and made refugees all over again. Hamas-run Gaza ministry of health said 212 people had been killed and 1,400 others injured since violence flared last week, in what has become most serious Israeli-Palestinian confrontation more..

May 19 (Island) A decision is reported to have been made to change the dates of the GCE O/L and GCE A/L exams with effect from the year 2023. According to this proposal O/L exam will be held four months early in August instead of December and the A/L exam will be conducted seven months early in January instead of August every year. This plan if implemented properly with the necessary changes in the university admission process coupled with the streamlining of the university academic year more..

May 19 (DM) Vijay Thanigasalam MPP, a 29-year-old financial adviser has successfully presented in the Ontario Legislature, a Private Bill 104 Called, Tamil Genocide Education Week Act. Canada is one of the UNHRC’s SL Core Group members who rejected retired Air Force Commander Air Marshal Sumangala Dias as Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner on the basis of uncorroborated war crimes accusations. more..

May 19 (DN) Two champion swimmers Matthew Abeysinghe and Aniqah Gaffoor have been recommended by the SL Aquatic Sports Union (SLASU) for the Tokyo Olympics scheduled to be held from July 23 to Aug 8. According to a senior official of the SLASU, the names of Abeysinghe and Gaffoor have been recommended from the wildcard system for the Olympic Games. Abeysinghe, the 25-year-old US based SL swimmer set up a new record while winning seven Gold Medals at more..

May 19 (CT) Head coach and the Technical Director of the Sri Lanka men’s National football team Amir Alagic believes the Island nation will take more time to be a top contestant in the South Asian region. He disclosed this during a Virtual Media Briefing conducted by FFSL yesterday. Commenting on the current state of football in Sri Lanka, Bosnian born tactician said: “My understanding as a Technical Director, to be top competitor in South Asia Sri Lanka needs at least 4-7 years. more..

May 19 (Island) Sri Lanka Athletics advanced the first stage of the 99th National Athletics Championship by a day to Friday (21) in a bid to provide Olympic hopefuls a final opportunity to earn entry standards following govt imposed travel restrictions (from May 21 to 25) jeopardized earlier plans of conducting the event over the weekend. The track and field governing body will now conclude all nine finals which were earlier scheduled for Saturday more..

May 19 (DN) Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB's) Chief Physician Dr. Debashish informed that all members of the Bangladesh and Sri Lanka Team have tested negative and will have to pass a second test before being allowed in the bio-secured bubble in the team hotel. Bangladesh and Sri Lanka cricketers and team management have all tested COVID-19 negative in their first test, ahead of entering the bio-bubble security for the home One Day Int'l (ODI) series against Sri Lanka. more..

May 19 (Island) Dialog Sekur launched by Dialog Enterprise in partnership with the leading Swiss Secure Data Management and Cloud Communications organization GlobeX Data is a secure platform for an enterprise’s communication needs. With companies actively looking to adapt to flexible work environments, enterprises face the critical challenge of choosing the most infallible protective gear for their employees and customers without compromising organizational integrity. more..

May 19 (CT) Three main candidates contesting the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) election scheduled for 20 May 202, have announced their withdrawal from the election in a letter to the SLC Election Committee. The candidates are K. Mathivanan (President), Bandula Warnapura (Vice President) and Nishantha Ranatunga (Secretary). The trio have withdrawn from the contest to show dissent towards a backdated gazette. more..

May 19 (Island) The Singer Group announced a post-tax-profit of Rs.2.61 billion for FY 2020/21 from Rs.427.27 million achieved in the previous year. The Group also reported a profit-before-tax of Rs. 3.82 billion, a six-fold increase, compared to 2020/21. Singer Group’s revenue increased by 23% to Rs.67.41 billion, reflecting a strong growth across key product categories across all channels. Top line growth coupled with continuous focus on driving operational excellence, digitalization and more..

May 19 (AS) A sister of a SL woman who died while detained at a local immigration facility pled for help at her funeral service to prevent a tragedy like this from occurring again. “It is unbearable to see my sister dead in a country she loved so much,” Wayomi Sandamali said in a speech before about 80 attendees on May 16. “What happened to my sister should not happen to anybody else, and we will beseech you to make sure of that.” Wishma, 33, died at a detention facility more..