Dec 16 (CT) The disastrous defeat at the just concluded presidential election has not deterred Mangala Samaraweera from continuing with his usual barrage of misinformation. He obviously has not taken time to reflect on the reasons for the defeat and the role he played that led to this ignominy. This was obvious from his recent tweet, "Hardly a month has passed since election, GR's dystopia is shaping up; journalist at Lake House brutally attacked; in a Kafkaesque twist more..

Dec 16 (CT) With the change of government in place, the discussions, negotiations and renegotiations on pacts already signed or proposed ones have begun in a serious manner. In this backdrop, the actions regarding power rivalry in the Indian Ocean region have taken a backseat, as the stakeholders in the region, as well as superpowers outside playing dominant roles, reverted back to the role of keen observers, rather than open and active persuaders. more..

Dec 16 (FT) Lanka Tiles Plc is to invest Rs. 200 million as part of a key strategy to export porcelain mosaic tiles with foreign collaboration. It has entered into a tripartite agreement with Foshan Shiwan Yulong Ceramic Ltd. of China and Benjamin Malloy of Dallas, Texas in the US for this purpose. With the technical assistance of Foshan Shiwan Yulong Ceramic Ltd, Lanka Tiles will convert its present idle capacity of 2,000 m2 per day to manufacture porcelain mosaic tiles for export. more..

Dec 16 (CI) For four days, it had been a dreary Test, rain making constant interruptions, temperatures forever threatening to dip into single figures, a bitter breeze blowing over the exposed terraces, right across the ground. But Rawalpindi locals were undeterred. They kept braving the frigid weather. They kept enduring the extensive security checks that saw them gridlocked in queues for as long as two hours. more..

Dec 16 (EN) Sri Lanka will expand a negative list for foreign investments in an unspecified set of industries, a govt policy document for the next five years said. Sri Lanka will restrict entry of foreign enterprises into industrial areas that are easily handled by domestic businesses the policy document said. At the moment Sri Lanka has restrictions on foreign investments into areas like arms manufacture. There are also restrictions on import export trade, more..

Dec 16 (CI) Nine sessions of the Rawalpindi Test were effectively washed out but a full house still turned up for the final day's play and they were treated to a remarkable innings from Abid Ali. 32-year old became the first male cricketer to score a century on both his Test and ODI debuts but even his performance couldn't distract from the fact that the return of Test cricket to Pakistan - the end of 10 years of exile - literally turned into a washout. No ground outside of Rawalpindi & Karachi more..

Dec 16 (TM) The Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA)�s recent move to reduce the price of imported milk powder due to the Govt�s recent tax concession has distressed SL�s local milk producers. Price of a 1 kg packet of imported milk powder was reduced by Rs. 40 and a 400 g packet was reduced by Rs. 15 from 9 December as a result of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa�s recent move to slash the VAT from 15% to 8%. more..

Dec 16 (Island) Educational Reform is on every educator�s mind and already we can see that this reform is taking place. While sensible results are being sought, may I say that one area has not been much mentioned and yet, to my way of thinking, that area should receive priority. Now that we have a President with a vision we can at last hope that what one writer recently called an obsolete system of education can be brought into line with a global educational system that will more..

Dec 16 (Island) Sri Lanka Under-19 continued their unbeaten run record registering their third victory when they thrashed West Indies by 130 runs in the Tri-Nation Under-19s Tournament in the West Indies on Saturday. Nipun Dananjaya�s unbeaten 91 was the highlight as Sri Lanka posted a decent total to challenge the West Indies. His impressive 91 runs came at a time when Sri Lanka were deep in trouble with the scoreboard reading 95 for six at one stage. Dananjaya however batting with more..

Dec 16 (TM) The new consolidated Excise Act which was to come into effect in Jan 2020 is likely to be abandoned by the new Govt, sources said. As exclusively reported by us on 13 Oct under the headline New Excise Act by December, the previous Govt was in the process of introducing a new Excise Act by the end of this year which was said to be an amalgamation of the existing 100-year-old Excise Ordinance and more..

Dec 16 (AD) Presidential Secretariat has requested the public to immediately notify the police of any fraudulent activities carried out using the name of Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Issuing a notice, Prez Secretariat states that details of such frauds have already been uncovered. It has been reported that some had carried out fraud, intimidation and false promises of job opportunities using the name of Prez Rajapaksa and the Prez Secretariat or claiming to hold positions there, more..

Dec 16 (FT) SL will set up a national development bank to give long term subsidized credit to construction, agriculture and small and medium enterprises, govt said in a five year policy document. The National Development Bank will encourage import-export trade, construction industry, SME and agriculture through long-term loans at concessionary interest rates, the policy document said. Sri Lanka has high interest rates due to monetary instability coming from a depreciating more..

Dec 16 (Island) SLPP Gampaha District leader Prasanna Ranatunga declared that regardless of a pre-presidential poll agreement with over a dozen political parties, including SLFP, the forthcoming parliamentary election would be contested on the SLPP ticket. He insisted that irrespective of whatever consensus the coalition reached, candidates should be fielded under pohottuwa symbol. more..

Dec 16 (FT) India�s ITC One Hotel and Sapphire Residences at the picturesque Galle Face reached a historic milestone yesterday when its iconic Ahasa One sky bridge connecting the two towers became an engineering reality. It is South Asia�s first sky bridge and SL as well as ITC, WelcomHotels and construction specialist Larsen & Toubro (L&T) are proud to have made it a reality. In what could be described as an engineering marvel in South Asia, with region-grown design, engineering more..

Dec 16 (FT) The latest edition of LMD reports that the LMD-Nielsen Business Confidence Index (BCI) registered 111 in November, from 102 in the previous month. According to the leading business magazine, this is the highest the index has been since February and reflects the views of businesspeople in the first week of November � ahead of the presidential election. Nielsen�s Director � Consumer Insights Therica Miyanadeniya says: �Election fever escalated amid much more..

Dec 15 (FT) Sri Lanka�s trade deficit shrank by $ 2.4 billion in the first 10 months of 2019 assisted by a decline in merchandise exports earnings and local policies driving down imports. The deficit in the trade account contracted in October to $ 838 million, from $ 903 million in Oct 2018. On a cumulative basis, the trade deficit contracted by $ 2,405 million to $ 6,451 million during the first 10 months of 2019, in comparison to $ 8,857 million in more..

Dec 16 (EN) SL will attract private investment into a planned West container terminal and study the feasibility of a cross-berth terminal between two existing terminals, a five-year govt policy document said. The govt plans to double container handling capacity at Colombo Port, 2020-2025 policy document said. The development of the East Container Terminal will be prioritized. Under the last administration, development of the terminal with private investors were abandoned more..

Dec 15 (Xinhua) China welcomes SL's move to set up a working committee to review and accelerate the Colombo Port City project under the principles of mutual respect and benefit, a press release from the Chinese embassy in SL said. The PM decided to set up a working committee to study and accelerate the project. The Chinese embassy appreciated PM Mahinda Rajapaksa's successful visit to the opening of the Colombo Port City on Dec. 7, during which opinions of all parties were shared. more..

Dec 16 (DN) The CID did not show much interest in investigating the Wellampitiya copper factory where the bombs used in the Easter Sunday terror attacks were said to have been assembled, former OIC of the Wellampitiya Police station, Chief Inspector of Police Anil Jayantha disclosed. He was giving evidence before the PCoI on the Easter Sunday terror attacks, held last Saturday. Former OIC of the Wellampitiya Police also said that more..

Dec 16 (Island) Mobitel Enterprise Business (MEB), Sri Lanka�s premier enterprise solutions provider has been appointed a Communications Partner for Hatton National Bank (HNB). Under this strategic partnership, Mobitel Enterprise Business will power all communication facets of HNB, ranging from Voice calls, SMS, Data, WIFI and other communication requirements; offering high level of convenience and efficiency to HNB�s entire corporate communication platforms. more..

Dec 16 (Island) The first high powered Chinese business delegation to SL to arrive under the new govt is from the most technological and dynamic hub of China�s One Belt One Road (OBOR or BRI - Belt and Road Initiative) project. Facilitated by SL�s Confederation of Micro, Small and Medium Industries (COSMI), the high powered Chinese team promptly moved on 9 Dec for closer B2B and technological ties with leading SL industrialists and SMEs by inking two landmark Cooperation more..

Dec 16 (DM) It was the mistake for the UNP to hand over the govt to SLPP following the Prez Election, two UNP MPs from the Galle District said. They also said that the resignation of UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe as PM was also wrong. On Saturday UNP MPs Vajira Abeywardene and Wijepala Hettiarachchi said it would have been advantageous for the UNP to hold the Parliamentary Elections under the UNP-led caretaker govt. more..

Dec 16 (Island) Police Headquarters sources said that the sleuths of CID would question former Health and Indigenous Minister Dr Rajitha Senaratne on his statements regards the alleged abduction of a local staff member of the Swiss Embassy in Colombo. The CID was in a process of recording the statements from Swiss Embassy staff member Gania Barrister Francis alias Sriyalatha Perera and once recording of her statements would be over the former Minister would be questioned. more..

Dec 16 (DN) The National Housing Authority (NHA) has set up 337 model villages under the Semata Sevana housing scheme but except 84 model villages, all the others are incomplete. This was revealed at a review meeting chaired by State Minister Indika Anuruddha at Hambantota District Secretariat Office. It was revealed at the meeting that works on 2,562 model villages had commenced but only 367 have been completed. Of them, many have been built in Hambantota. more..

Dec 16 (AD) UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe has requested the party�s legal team to study the powers of the Party Leader and make recommendations on changes that need to be made. Reportedly, the UNP Leader had conducted a special discussion with a group of leading lawyers attached to the UNP, yesterday. Wickremesinghe has, reportedly, informed that the Party Seniors had discussed with him more..

Dec 16 (MFA) Foreign Secretary Ravinatha Aryasinha has called for the regaining of SL�s economic prominence in Egypt to its traditional strength, consistent with the shared history, excellent bilateral political relations and the collaborative role the two countries play in the multilateral sphere. Foreign Secretary made this observation on Thursday when he addressed the Inaugural Session of the Bilateral Political Consultations between SL & Egypt at Egyptian Foreign Ministry in Cairo. more..

Dec 16 (Island) An investigation would be conducted into the alleged irregularities that had taken place at the CEB, SLTB, CPC and the Railway Department and those responsible for them severely punished, Minister of Passenger Transport Management and Minister of Power & Energy, Mahinda Amaraweera said yesterday in Kandy. Amaraweera made the statement after meeting the Mahanayake Thera of the Malwatte chapter, Ven. Thibbatuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala. more..

Dec 16 (FT) Govt has released its National Policy Framework (NPF) to spur high socioeconomic growth requiring to all to comply with it and deliver the required support. Based on the vision of new Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa the NPF titled Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour has been made public via the Treasury website. This is aimed at achieving the fourfold outcome of being a productive citizen, and disciplined & just society more..

Dec 17 (CT) The newly elected govt has launched a witch-hunt against JHU Leader Patali Champika Ranawaka. Police are hounding Ranawaka on the pretext of probing into an accident that took place in 2016, in which a youth was severely injured and hospitalized. The initial Police investigation into the incident has already cleared Ranawaka of any wrongdoing. The youth�s bike had hit Ranawaka�s SUV from behind and it was also revealed that the bike�s engine capacity exceeded the more..

Dec 17 (ST) The banning of several imports that are locally produced, incentives to the construction sector, reduction of corporate taxes, reduction in personal taxes and elimination of certain withholding taxes by the new government are expected to give a stimulus to the economy by increasing investment. Their impact on growth would take time, but the fiscal consequences would be immediate. Most of these measures have been welcomed by the business community and the people. more..

Dec 17 (GV) As if our democracy was nothing but a short-lived dream, says Brazilian filmmaker Petra Costa in The Edge of Democracy, her new documentary dealing with the slow unravelling of democracy in Brazil. It�s a familiar feeling, here in Sri Lanka, as a triumphant national-populism begins its annihilating march over democratic institutions. This week, Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa summoned the media bosses, more..

Dec 17 (ST) As I sit down to write this column on this gloomy day with grey, overcast skies and the drip-drip of rain since morning, the scene somehow seemed to have Shakespearean symbolism. Not exactly King Lear but the atmosphere outside seemed to reflect British politics of recent times � dirty, racist and personal, all wrapped up in tissues of lies. For the first time since moving to the UK from Hong Kong 20 years ago, I did not trek to the polling station within striking distance from home. more..

Dec 17 (CT) SL is yet to see the appointment of a Minsiter of Defence. It has been nearly a month since the Govt was appointed and the appointment of the hawkish Defence Secretary Kamal Guneratne, so far the defence minister portfolio has remained elusive. In the cabinet it is unclear who will bear responsibility as minister of defence. Constitutional experts have questioned the legality of the position secretary to the ministry of defence when the minister of defence is yet to be appointed. more..

Dec 17 (CT) There were warnings of rising extremism in SL and by 2016 a terror attack was anticipated, claimed Professor Rohan Gunaratna of Security Studies at Nanyang Technological Uni, Singapore, testifying, last week, before the PCoI investigating the Easter Sunday attacks. In an interview given in Nov 2016, he then said that there were between 200 and 300 IS supporters in Sri Lanka and that this was a terror threat. more..

Dec 17 (DM) The Right wing slide in global politics continues with the recent parliamentary election in the UK. The victory of Prime Minister Boris Johnson is a major political shift in the UK � with the hope of a Left come back crushed � and is characteristic of the consolidation of authoritarian populism and nationalism the world over. As with many regimes that have come to power with populist mandates through elections, what is at stake in many of these countries is the future of democracy. more..

Dec 17 (Island) Swiss Embassy in Colombo finds itself in an unenviable position. Its SL worker who claimed to have been abducted, interrogated and molested by an unidentified group is reported to have made contradictory statements on the alleged incident. The govt insists that her claim is false, as evident from the CCTV footage, Uber and GPS data and telephone records. Initially, the Swiss govt tried to take the woman concerned to Switzerland, in an air ambulance, while denying police access more..

Dec 17 (DM) Why is the left in Sri Lanka so weak? From a distance, it doesn�t look so brittle; every other day we see and hear of protests, demonstrations, and rallies. Indeed if protests and rallies indicated strength and solidarity, the left should have usurped the populist space that the joint opposition had monopolised, even if those protests and rallies were, as supporters of the then regime argued, organised by (covert) supporters of the joint opposition such as the GMOA. more..

Dec 17 (Island) Northern Sri Lanka will witness an annular solar eclipse on 26th December 2019. An event, which certainly happens as predicted, when the sun shadowed by the moon show up as a bright ring of fire, for nearly three minutes and reaching a maximum at 9.34 a.m. in Jaffna. The time and the extent of obscuration varies from place to place as precisely depicted in the NASA Eclipse Website. Today, total and annular eclipses attract attention as awesome celestial displays. more..