Feb 6 (DM) Minister Bandula Gunawardana said Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa takes the full responsibility of Cabinet decisions and govt’s performance and therefore would prefer to personally chair all cabinet meetings. Asked by the Daily Mirror as to why he did not ask his elder brother PM Mahinda Rajapaksa to hold the cabinet meeting in his absence when he visited Singapore last week for a medical check up, more..

Feb 6 (CT) Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi yesterday told Parliament that necessary steps have been taken to stop the 2019 coronavirus from spreading and the public need not panic. She was responding to a question of Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa. Premadasa queried as to whether the Govt has taken precautions to face a possible economic crisis which could occur due to the coronavirus and whether the Govt would provide face masks to the public free-of-charge and more..

Feb 6 (DM) The grandnephew of S. Mahinda Thera of Tibet, Dr. T.R. Gyasto of Gangtok, visited the temple of Sri Sudharmaramaya Maha Bellana in Alubomulla on National Independence Day, to pay homage to his granduncle. S. Mahinda Thera lived until his death at Sri Sudharmaramaya and the temple is said to hold the remains of the prelate and home to many of his belongings which are treasured in a museum. One of the most active members of the Sri Lankan independence movement. T more..

Feb 6 (EN) Martin Luther King Jr is often cited as a shining example of civility, of benign agitation. His was the kind of allegedly meek, half-hearted protestation the liberal intelligentsia of the West nostalgically point to when confronted with today’s youthful, unabashedly disruptive activism. The world’s collective memory of King Jr has been shaped by this flawed narrative so much over the decades that few remember him for more..

Feb 7 (CT) The term scapegoat has its origin in the Old Testament. It is in Chapter 16 of the Book of Leviticus. God instructed Moses and Aaron to sacrifice two goats every year. One goat was to be killed; its blood sprinkled upon the Ark of the Covenant. The High Priest was then to lay his hands upon the head of the second goat and confess the sins of the people. Unlike the first goat, this lucky second goat was not to be killed but released into the wilderness together with its burden of sin, more..

Feb 7 (CT) There are several ventures that have been specifically designed to assist lawyers who are in danger. This applies to a lawyer, or number of lawyers, who have become targets of attacks by the state directly or indirectly, through parties that have been encouraged or assisted by state agencies. The purpose of the attacks is to prevent such lawyers from performing their professional services for their clients. In these ventures, an area of special interest is lawyers who are engaged in more..

Feb 7 (Roar) Cinnamon Life, SL’s upcoming major mixed development and luxury lifestyle brand, on December 10th, 2019, hosted an exclusive forum featuring world-renowned emerging markets investment pioneer Dr. Mark Mobius. The invitee-only breakfast forum is part of Cinnamon Life’s ongoing series of high-profile engagements, and is associated with John Keells Properties. Dr. Mobius is the founder of Mobius Capital more..

Feb 7 (Island) So the 72nd ceremony is over and done with. Cass sits at her keyboard soon after watching the event. To her it was like the curate’s egg – good in parts, disappointing in others. (She won’t say bad as it was according to plans of the govt – many heads in it, and the final arbiter - the Prez). She categorizes her opinion under three heads: good, personally disappointing and questionable. Positives: The venue – pertinently appropriate to the occasion being more..

Feb 7 (DN) Sri Lanka is a unitary State. The very first sentence of Pre Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s address to the nation at the 72nd Independence Day on Feb 4 made it absolutely clear about the status of the SL state. Having said that, he acknowledged that citizens have individual as well as collective rights and pointed out the task of coordination between the State and the public is integral to this. The public will only achieve true freedom when social and economic inequalities are minimized. more..

Feb 7 (DN) Plans are underway to meet the power requirement of the country, estimated to be 2,700 Megawatts this year, said Anuruddha Thilakaratne, incumbent President of CEB Engineers’ Union said. He is a Senior Electrical Engineer with over 20 years of service in CEB, served in many divisions, including Hydropower stations and high voltage transmission projects. He spearheaded the project to supply power more..

Feb 7 (ST) Rev. Wimalaratana Thero, a Professor at the Colombo Uni, was in Greece a few weeks ago, attending a conference. After the conference, he travelled to nearby Cyprus for a visit. At the weekend, he walked into a Sunday fair in the capital city – Nicosia, where farmers and small traders gather to sell their produce. He had taken some pictures of the vegetable and fruit stalls and, posted them in social media with his comments added. I am quoting one of the comments he made, more..

Feb 7 (ST) Aiyo mage ath hodanna oney (I must wash by hands),” exclaimed Kussi Amma Sera. The corona-bug seemed to have got to her this morning, in a positive sense with health foremost in her mind, as she waited under the margosa tree for her friends – Serapina and Mabel Rasthiyadu for their regular Thursday morning gossip. As the two walked through the gate and made their way to the bankuwa (wooden seat) under the tree, Serapina asked: “Monawada thorathuru (what’s the news)?” more..

Feb 7 (Island) What’s wrong with Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa (GR)? This must be the question that his detractors and government politicians are asking themselves. Most of those who threw in their lot with GR in the presidential contest did so with a view to living high on the hog after his victory. They must be a disappointed lot at present because govt expenditure has been curtailed, and they cannot go on spending sprees, at the expense of the hapless public struggling to dull the pangs of hunger. more..

Feb 7 (DN) Sri Lankans united in celebrating their seventy-second anniversary of independence this week but one of its oldest political parties, the UNP found itself staring at an ever-widening split weeks ahead of a crucial general election that could well seal the fate of the party. At the crux of the matter is its leadership, currently held by former PM Ranil Wickremesinghe. Challenging him is the party’s deputy leader, presidential candidate and now Leader of the Opposition, Sajith Premadasa. more..

Feb 7 (CT) SL women's cricket team, ranked 8th in the world, is in the group alongside heavyweights of women's cricket such as Australia, NZ & India. But, before the team's departure yesterday, skipper Chamari Atapattu said that ranking is just a number for her. "This format is open for anybody. A player or two can change the game in this format so ranking is just a number for me. I'm not concerned about rankings. more..

Feb 7 (Island) SL’s First Class season has barely started but there’s been already a triple hundred – Ramesh Mendis for Moors and almost another one – 290 not out by Lahiru Udara – for NCC. Then there’s also Lahiru Milantha of Badureliya, who posted 252. All these happened over the weekend in the very first week of domestic cricket. At that rate, even Brian Lara’s World Record of 501 – scored for Warwickshire against Durham is not safe. All the more reason to worry as Kumar Sangakkara more..

Feb 7 (FT) Govt will give a detailed statement to Parliament today regarding the SriLankan Airlines Airbus bribery case, Leader of the House Minister Dinesh Gunawardena said. He said this in response to a question raised by JVP MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake for details regarding the Airbus deal, and the officials who held office at the time the agreement was finalised. The MP queried as to who the Chairman and CEO of SLA were between 2012 & 2013, when alleged incident took place, more..

Feb 7 (CT) Former Minister Arjuna Ranatunga claims that Ranjan Ramanayake was in possession of several taped telephone conversations regarding cricket match fixing and corruption. "There has been a great deal of controversy in the past, regarding the taped conversations with the Former Minister Ranjan Ramanayake. However, I have heard that there are some tapes related to issues with matches. more..

Feb 7 (ST) Sri Lanka Tennis Association (SLTA) is going the miles in search of the next big talent in the sport, only this time they have managed to reach the outskirts of the island with a new initiative. SLTA has been running an outstation training programme for the past two decades, reaching the mass community to bring out the best players to the national stage, from across the island. As a development to that, this new drive is the brainchild of Head of Development at SLTA, Barathi Chris Pillai, more..

Feb 7 (Island) Ceylon Dollar Bond Fund (CDBF) that invests exclusively in SL govt issued International Sovereign Bonds (ISB), and SLDBs reported a strong US$ performance of 10.3% in 2019 to investors, while the fund size reached US$ 23 million as at 31 Dec, 2019, according to Ceylon Asset Management Managing Director, Dulindra Fernando. Jan 2020 performance was 1.03% (annualised 12.18%). Ceylon Asset Management competes with int'l USD bond managers more..

Feb 7 (DN) The decision by the govt to reduce tax rates will have major positive impact to the economy, Ambassador of the European Union to SL, Tung-Lai Margue told a forum yesterday. He said that this decision by the govt will encourage the SME sector to invest more and it is a step taken in the right direction. Margue said the tax relief will also help to create new breed of investors and it will also lead to increase of exports. more..

Feb 7 (EN) Petrochina Int'l (Singapore) Pte Ltd, and Swiss Singapore Int'l have won contracts to supply petrol and diesel to state-run Ceylon Petroleum Corporation for the next eight months. Petrochina Int'l (Singapore) Pte Ltd, will supply 520,000 barrels of diesel (0.05% sulfour), and 680,000 barrels of 92-Octane petrol. The contracts will run from March 5, 2020 to Nov 14, 2020. Swiss Singapore Overseas Enterprises Ltd, has won a contract to supply 2.24 million barrels of diesel. more..

Feb 7 (MFA) On the occasion of the 72nd anniversary of independence of SL, Minister Dinesh Gunawardena hosted a High Tea for resident and non-resident envoys accredited to Sri Lanka on 4 Feb at the Ministry of Foreign Relations. While welcoming the Envoys, Minister Gunawardena highlighted the cordial bilateral relations which Sri Lanka enjoy over the years with other nations. State Minister Susil Premjayantha also addressed the gathering and appreciated all envoys for more..

Feb 7 (AD) Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa, today (6) at the Prez Secretariat, gifted a consignment of world-renowned Ceylon Black Tea to the Chinese Ambassador Cheng Xueyuan to be sent to those affected by the Coronavirus. Ambassador Xueyuan deeply appreciated the gesture. Ambassador, on behalf of President Xi Jinping and the Govt of China, thanked the Govt of SL and the SL people for the kindness shown to China more..

Feb 7 (ST) MAS Holdings, South Asia’s largest apparel manufacturer, on Thursday announced the appointment of Suren Fernando as its Chief Executive Officer with effect from Jan 1, 2020, the first non-family CEO of the organisation. This appointment signals a fundamental shift from the founding members to the next level of leaders equipped to take MAS forward, meeting the demanding pace of growth aligned with the company’s vision for 2025, company said. more..

Feb 7 (DM) Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said today the project involving the issuance of Smart Card driving licence would be taken over by the govt within three months. He told this in Parliament responding to a question raised by JVP MP Nalinda Jayatissa that there had been massive financial irregularity behind the Smart Card driving licence project undertaken by a private company from 2009. MP Jayatissa said the Company called Metropolitan Group of Companies had violated conditions more..

Feb 7 (CT) Govt led by the Ministry of Justice, Human Rights and Legal Reforms, and the Department of Prisons have given the green light to launch a project in prisons island-wide and implemented by Avant Garde Group of Companies to facilitate vocational training for prisoners. Development of infrastructure facilities within prisons will also parallelly take place. Vocational training will be given to inmates serving short sentences more..

Feb 7 (AD) The Select Committee of Parliament, to ensure National Evaluation Capacity in Sri Lanka, will submit a proposal to Parliament on the 20th Feb to appoint an Independent Commission to evaluate and regulate the development of domestic and foreign-funded projects along with projects implemented through budgetary allocations of govt policies approved by parliament. The Select Committee report will also recommend Parliament to draft a new Bill to enact the Commission. more..

Feb 7 (Island) The govt said it had banned the import of spices for re-export, but the racket was still on, JVP MP Bimal Rathnayake told Parliament. The politicians of the previous govt took bribes from large scale racketeers to allow re-export of spices. This led to a collapse of spice prices, Rathnayake said. Minister Ramesh Pathirana, said that they too had received information that spices were still being brought in for re-export. "If you have information about this please share with us," he said. more..

Feb 7 (AD) President Gotabaya Rajapaksa says that his government will work with a commitment to save the country from the present chaotic situation without pointing fingers at the past for prevailing problems. He said that he accepted the challenge of rebuilding the country with a clear understanding that the economy had collapsed. The President made these remarks addressing the Chairpersons & members of Director Boards more..

Feb 7 (Island) State Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara asked Defence Secretary, Kamal Gunaratna to stop the deployment of police and STF to prevent the small scale gem mining in the Ratnapura District during the dry season. Speaking in Parliament, he said that during Mahinda Rajapaksa administration people in Ratnapura had been allowed to carry out gem mining in streams and rivers freely. People used to check whether there were precious stones in the rivers and streams during the dry season. more..

Feb 7 (EN) Sri Lanka will build a 600 million rupee second approach road to the main international airport in Katunayake, cabinet spokesman Minister Ramesh Pathirana said. He said there was congestion at peak hours at the airport. The cost of the second access road has been estimated at 600 million rupees. The road will run from Minuwangoda road and the Board of Investment industrial zone area. SL Airport and Aviation Services, the state airport agency will provide funds. more..

Feb 7 (FT) Former Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera yesterday told Parliament that massive tax cuts put in place by the new Govt without identifying new avenues for revenue generation would lead the country towards a serious economic crisis. “Due to the tax concessions given by the Govt, it was estimated there would be a shortfall in revenue between Rs. 500 billion and Rs. 600 billion annually. more..

Feb 7 (ER) Minister Ramesh Pathirana said that the Govt has decided to implement an accelerated development project to upgrade the Kankesanthurai (KKS) Harbour as a main commercial port.He added that accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal submitted by Minister Johnston Fernando to acquire 50 acres of land adjoining the Kankasanthurail harbour for the SLPA. Minister further said that the cabinet approval has been granted to acquire 15 acres of public land more..

Feb 7 (DN) PM Mahinda Rajapaksa departs to New Delhi today on a state visit to India on the invitation of his Indian PM Narendra Modi from Feb 7 to 11. This is the first foreign visit by Rajapaksa after assuming duties as the PM in November last year. During the visit, the PM will engage in high-level bilateral meetings with Indian President Ram Nath Kovind, PM Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and other senior govt officials, according to govt sources. more..

Feb 7 (Island) Deputy Solicitor General Thusitha Mudalige told Fort Magistrate Ranga Dissanayake that part of USD 2 mn received by Priyanka Wijenayake, wife of former SirLankan Airlines CEO Kapila Chandrasena, from Airbus SE of France, had been credited to the accounts of one or two persons living in SL. DSG Mudalige said that in addition to the funds transferred to an account or two in SL, part of the money received by more..

Feb 7 (EN) Chinese workers in Sri Lanka who had gone home for Lunar New Year holidays have been asked to delay their arrival, China’a envoy to Colombo Cheng Xueyuan has said. The envoy had said many workers who had gone home for the holidays had still not returned, as the the novel coronavirus spread in China. They have been asked to delay their arrival, the envoy had said at a meeting with Prez Rajapaksa, Those who had arrived have been asked to stay isolated. more..

Feb 7 (CNN) On Dec 26, 2004, a cataclysmic tsunami struck the coasts of countries in South and Southeast Asia. Sri Lanka was one of the worst affected nations -- the wall of water devastated the island's southern and eastern coasts. However, the tsunami's impact was uneven with some places suffering far more damage than others. Scientists assessing the landscape after the disaster discovered that some areas which emerged relatively unscathed were protected not by more..

Feb 7 (DM) While China struggles to prevent a further spread of the novel coronavirus epidemic and the number of related deaths in that country to the minimum possible, Sri Lanka has been successful to restrict the 2019n-COV infections to a single patient and preempt the disease in its tracks, Minister Pavitha Wanniaarachchi said. “However, we are extremely sorry and pray for China’s recovery from this calamity and more..