Sri Lanka

COLOMBO, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's Meteorology Department on Monday warned that heavy rains and strong winds were expected to hit the island county in the coming days as a cyclonic storm was expected to form in the Bay of Bengal.

The Meteorology Department, in its latest weather update, said strong winds along with thundershowers were expected over the North Andaman sea and adjoining the east-central Bay of Bengal and deep-sea area of southwest Bay of Bengal during the next few days, which would bring in heavy rains and winds into Sri Lanka.

Colombo, May 23 (PTI) A total of 46 more COVID-19 deaths were reported in Sri Lanka, recording the highest single-day fatalities in the country so far, according to media reports on Sunday.

As many as 2,906 positive cases were reported on Saturday, pushing the nationwide infection tally to 161,242, the Colombo Page newspaper reported, quoting health officials.

Of the 2,909 new COVID-19 cases, three are foreign arrivals currently in quarantine, it said.

COLOMBO, May 20 (NNN-XINHUA) – The Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL), said today that, the country’s economic recovery was being disrupted by an ongoing third wave of COVID-19 infections.

“The Sri Lankan economy, which rebounded notably during the second half of 2020 and early 2021, as per available indicators, is experiencing renewed disruptions, due to the emergence of the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, and related preventive measures, including isolations,” the CBSL said in its monthly monetary policy review.

COLOMBO, May 16 (NNN-XINHUA) – Sri Lanka and the World Bank signed an 80.5-million-U.S. dollar additional financing, to help Sri Lanka access and distribute COVID-19 vaccines, and to strengthen the country’s vaccination system and pandemic response, a statement from the World Bank said.

Faris Hadad-Zervos, World Bank country director for Sri Lanka, said, the World Bank remained responsive to the health priorities of Sri Lanka, as well as emergency needs.

COLOMBO, May 15 (Xinhua) -- At least four people had died and over 42,000 others had been affected by days of strong winds and heavy rains which lashed the country due to the formation of a super cyclone in the Bay of Bengal, Sri Lanka's Disaster Management Center (DMC) said in its latest weather report Saturday.

According to the DMC, the deaths had been a result of severe flooding.

Over 200 houses had been fully or partially damaged, while 175 people belonging to 42 affected families were housed in temporary shelters.

COLOMBO, May 5 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, who also serves as minister of finance, was on Wednesday elected chair of the Asian Development Bank's (ADB) Board of Governors for the year 2021/2022 during the bank's 54th annual meeting held virtually, a statement from Rajapaksa's office said.

During the meeting, Rajapaksa informed the fellow governors that amidst the global COVID-19 pandemic, the time was now right for countries to reflect and re-group as this century was the Asian Century.

Colombo, May 2 (PTI) Sri Lanka's health authorities have issued new tough guidelines, including banning wedding receptions and gatherings at religious sites, to prevent the spread of the coronavirus as the Island nation continued to record a spike in daily infections.

For the fifth on Friday, the daily number of cases reported crossed the 1,000-mark.

The country recorded several cases of the UK variant which has a bigger mortality rate, health officials said.

Rameswaram (TN), Mar 26 (PTI) Sri Lankan authorities on Friday released 40 of the 54 Indian fishermen arrested by that country's navy earlier, officials here said.

Five of the four boats detained by the Lankan navy have also been released,Fisheries department officials here said.

The remaining 14 fishermen, hailing from Karaikal, an enclave of Puducherry, continue to remain in Sri Lankan custody and are likely to be released later, they added.

A boat is also in Lankan custody.

Rameswaram (TN), Mar 25 (PTI) The Sri Lankan Navy has arrested 20 Indian fishermen and detained two boats for allegedly fishing in that country's waters, officials here said on Thursday.

The fishermen, hailing from Rameswaram and Thangachimadam, were picked up from near Katchatheevu on Wednesday night by the Lankan navy, a senior Fisheries department official said.

They have been taken to a local naval camp there for further probe and are likely to be handed over to Lankan Fisheries authorities to be isolated along with the detained boats, officials said.

Colombo, Mar 20 (AP-PTI) A passenger bus plunged off a road in central Sri Lanka on Saturday, killing 13 people and injuring more than 30.

Police said the bus fell into a precipice near the town of Passara, about 240 kilometres east of Colombo, its stated destination.

Police spokesman Ajith Rohana said an initial investigation showed the negligence of the driver caused the accident. It wasn't immediately clear if the driver survived.

Local media reported over 70 passengers were on the bus.