Feb 8 (CT) Media reported that the AG had informed the PCoI appointed to probe alleged political victimisation of public servants from Jan 8, 2015 to Nov 16, 2019. in writing that the PCoI has no statutory or legal authority to order the AG to refrain from performing his statutory functions with regard to the case on the abduction of 11 youth in 2008 & 2009. Earlier, PCoI informed the AG to suspend the examination of cases against Former Navy Commander Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda more..

Feb 8 (CT) UNP MP, Hesha Withanage, says they have informed UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, about the importance of making Sajith Premadasa the leader. Q: The UNP has been in a crisis for over 15 years. The situation seems to be getting worse? A: Not only the UNP, but all political parties have internal crises. For example, the SLFP has been in crisis throughout its history. The UNP crisis is also a general political context. more..

Feb 8 (CT) In addition to a mere three political alliances being registered to date at the Election Commissioner's Dept, we were informed early this week that as many as 30 more alliances seek registrations in a hurry to gate-crash into little vote banks at the coming general election, with a good number of them coming from North & East. Thirty alliances, reckoning with at least two minor parties among them, gives us as many as 60 minor parties out on the prowl looking for not more than more..

Feb 8 (DM) On February 11, the United Nations marks the international day to make the world aware and educate the people on the vital role that women and girls could play in science, with modern technology making it possible for us to do in two minutes what we earlier would have needed two hours. According to the UN, Science and gender equality are vital for the achievement of the internationally agreed development goals, including 2030 agenda for sustainable development. more..

Feb 8 (Island) In a recent article in The Island captioned Alleged war crimes lame excuse to introduce new Constitution, the writer puts forward the view that the process initiated by the previous UNF govt to draft a new Constitution, with the Parliament constituting itself into a Constitutional Assembly in 2016, was as a result of the UNHRC Resolution on Promoting Reconciliation Accountability and Human Rights in SL of 2015. This resolution which was adopted by consensus more..

Feb 8 (Island) A trade deficit occurs when the value of a country's imports exceed the value of exports during a given time period. A trade deficit represents an outflow of domestic currency to foreign markets and has an important bearing on the economy of the country. A substantial trade deficit over time weakens domestic industries and decreases job opportunities. As cost of imports are higher than exports, more amount of foreign currency is required , Due to this the foreign currency gets costlier more..

Feb 8 (Island) While the publicity blitz on coronavirus seems to be settling down, there is now a political and corruption blitz catching on. It is the Voharika Viganana Prahaaraya of Forensic Audit Blitz (FAB). As the debate on the FAB gets louder the spread of corruption across the political divide in the country gets clearer. The divisions on party politics narrow down speedily when it comes to unity in the pastures of crooked profit and corruption. more..

Feb 8 (Island) Though I no longer support the UNP, because of its recent unpatriotic stance, I still do not, even in the wildest of dreams, wish for its demise. Unfortunately, this exactly seems to be what the leader and his deputy seem attempting to do. Are they so dumb that they do not see rhyme or reason or is it that their hyper-inflated egos simply do not care what happens to the party of the �Father of the Nation�? Have they completely lost the art of negotiation? more..

Feb 8 (Island) Good news is a rarity in these depressing times, when the people are troubled by contagions, scandals, economic woes and dirty politics. But, today, we publish a heart-warming story, where the hero is a canine. Our Chief Crime reporter, Norman Palihawadena, with a nose for news, got it while sniffing around to ferret out something newsworthy, yesterday. On Thursday, a dog picked up a suspicious bag, in Mirihana, and ran some distance before dutifully placing it more..

Feb 8 (FT) The SLFP yesterday backtracked on earlier demands to have a 30% quota, a co-leadership role and a common symbol under the coalition proposed with the SLPP and said it was willing to approach talks with a clean slate. Following a Central Committee meeting last week, the SLFP demanded a co-leadership position for former President Maithripala Sirisena and a 30% quota of nominations for its members at more..

Feb 8 (FT) With the possibility of power cuts looming, Minister Mahinda Amaraweera directed officials to begin preparations for the construction of a combined cycle 300 MW Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) power plant project in Kerawalapitiya. The Cabinet last month approved to build three 300 MW LNG plants and two coal power plants in an effort to deal with long delays in the country�s long-term generation plans. No power plants have been constructed in Sri Lanka since 2015, more..

Feb 8 (DN) SL U-19 coach Hashan Tillakaratne pointed fingers at no one, but at their selves for their abysmal show at the U-19 World Cup finishing at 10th-place and failing to convert the Plate final of what would�ve been compensation and consolation. �I�m not afraid to say we had committed mistakes,� he came hard on his unit. Speaking on finishing in tenth place, he went on, �It is very disappointing. It�s been a long journey. We worked very hard for one-and-a-half yrs towards achieving world cup. more..

Feb 8 (EN) After the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), in Dec 2019, Wuhan city the epicentre of the disease in China was locked down, isolating all 11.8 million citizens to control the spread of the virus. Among them were 33 students from SL. After the lockdown anxious family members approached the govt and various agencies including the UN office in Colombo to bring their children home. By Jan 25, Prez Rajapaksa instructed more..

Feb 8 (Island) "SMEs involved in the manufacturing of leather products would be supported by the govt with improved technology and other inputs. The govt's endeavour is to enable this sector to achieve leader status in exports. If necessary, foreign expertise would be enlisted to improve the relevant technology to meet export standards," Minister Wimal Weerawansa said. Werawansa was chief guest and keynote speaker yesterday at the 12th Leather Products Exhibition & Trade Fair more..

Feb 8 (FT) Tea industry witnessed a moderate slowdown with decline in production last year and began 2020 with lower auction prices, tea brokers said yesterday. The total tea production of Sri Lanka for 2019 recorded 300.1 million kilograms (M/kg) compared to 303.9 M/kgs for the same period of a year earlier. High Grown tea production dropped 2 M/kg from 63.7 M/kg in 2018 to 61.7 M/kg last year, while Mediums showed a marginal increase with a total production of 45.9 M/kg compared to more..

Feb 8 (Island) The US yesterday admitted that it was not perfect and was striving to improve its democracy, but that did not mean it would not speak out when human rights were violated in other parts of the world. Visiting U.S Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, Jonathan Henick responding to questions during an interaction with a group of journalists at the American Centre in Colombo, more..

Feb 8 (FT) Following a substantial increase in December in the wake of the presidential election outcome, the LMD-Nielsen Business Confidence Index (BCI) declined by 12 basis points to register 174 in January. However, LMD notes that the index continues to stand tall compared to its all-time average of 127 and well above where it stood a year ago (101). Commenting on the factors contributing to the latest results, Nielsen�s Director � Consumer Insights Therica Miyanadeniya says: more..

Feb 8 (ST) Environmentalists on a research expedition two weeks ago stumbled upon building materials and the signs of a house being erected on the mountain range within the picturesque Alagalla Forest Reserve in the Kegalle District. There was evidence of sand and soil quarrying. Plastic bottles and polythene material were strewn around. The group was immediately suspicious that the permanent structure they saw before them was taking shape as a tourist rest. more..

Feb 8 (DM) The Attorney General considers indicting MP Ranjan Ramanayake and former high court Judge Gihan Pilapitiya in the High Court based on the matters that transpired in a leaked phone conversation between them. They are to be indicted under the Sections 190 of the Penal Code (fabricating evidence), 113 (Conspiring), and 102 (abetting) based on the facts revealed in the phone conversation. more..

Feb 8 (Island) Party leaders have decided to provide all MPs with copies of the phone recordings tabled in Parliament by Ranjan Ramanayake after deleting false claims and content harmful to national security. Leaders of political parties represented in Parliament met yesterday at the Parliament Business Committee with Speaker Karu Jayasuriya presiding to decide whether to release the CDs which contained phone conversations of MP Ramanayake. The party leaders had met at 2 pm more..

Feb 8 (DN) Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) Director General M.S.M. Fawzer stated that the govt has reduced the prices of more than 15,000 varieties of goods in the market, giving benefits of tax concessions to the consumers. Director General further said that around 80 companies have already informed the CAA in writing about the price reduction of their products. �The prices of electrical items, jams, cordials, biscuits and chocolates, building construction equipment, soaps, baby items, more..

Feb 8 (FT) SriLankan Airlines (SLA) will seek legal advice to ascertain if legal action can be taken against Airbus to win compensation on the lines that prosecutors in the UK did, which resulted in the world�s second-largest airplane manufacturer having to pay a total of $ 4 billion in penalties to the UK, USA and France over claims it paid bribes to win contracts in 20 countries including Sri Lanka. �SLA will seek legal advice on getting more..

Feb 8 (CT) SL Institute of Nanotechnology (SLINTEC) installed a number of machines at BIA capable of cleansing contaminated air to lessen the risk of a 2019 novel voronavirus (2019 n-Cov) outbreak. The SLINTEC Senior Research Scientist and Consultant, Manju Gunawardena, who was the main scientist behind the designing of the air cleansing machines, said there was a recent rumour that machines installed at the BIA were used to cure individuals suffering from 2019 n-Cov. more..

Feb 8 (EN) SL�s state hospitals has no medicine shortage but rising payment arrears is making it difficult for some pharmaceuticals companies to keep supplying the state sector, Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi has said. SL�s govt owes 25.7 billion rupees of arrears to pharmaceutical suppliers. She put the blame on the last administration. �The previous govt has failed to pay for the medicine which was brought down from pharmaceutical companies, leaving them in difficulties,� more..

Feb 8 (DM) The leaders of the SLPP govt invited me on a couple of occasions before the prez election to join them and accept the law and order portfolio, UNP MP Sarath Fonseka said. He told a news briefing, that he refused to accept the law and order portfolio saying he would have had to arrest a special individual in the party no sooner he assumed duties. �They invited me on another occasion where they said I would be more..

Feb 8 (CT) Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) informed Nugegoda Magistrate H.U.K. Pelpola yesterday, that they had commenced an investigation as to whether MP Ranjan Ramanayake had committed any crime using his firearm the licence for which was not renewed. Ramanayake who was remanded over allegedly influencing Judges and judicial activities was produced before Court by Prisons officers. The CCD filing a report said, according to the Govt Analyst's report more..

Feb 8 (TN) Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan, Chief of the Air Staff, who arrived in Sri Lanka on an official visit, called on the PM of Sri Lanka Mahinda Rajapaksa, in his office. Sri Lankan PM acknowledged Pakistan�s unwavering support to Sri Lanka in any hour of need. He also underscored the need of learning from each other�s experience. The air chief assured of sustained support and cooperation in the fields of technical training and professional expertise. more..

Feb 8 (FT) PM Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday arrived in India for his five-day State visit on the invitation of Indian PM Narendra Modi, which is expected to include discussions on how the two countries will roll out a $ 400 million line of credit. Rajapaksa was received at the Indira Gandhi Int'l Airport in New Delhi by India�s Human Resource Development, Communications and Electronics and IT State Minister Dhotre Sanjay Shamrao. more..

Feb 8 (Island) The detection of a 3.8 revolver in a bag carried by a stray dog from a house under construction at Thalapathpitiya Road, Udahamulla in the Mirihana police area on Wednesday (5) evening led to the arrest of a person planning to kill a neighbour over a private dispute. Police told The Island that the dog, having picked up a bag containing the revolver brought it and dropped it near a police officer on the road. Swift viewing of CCTV footage led to the arrest of the person more..

Feb 8 (DN) Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa said that the country�s education system should be shifted to a student centred education system from the exam centred and teacher centred education system. Prez made these remarks after commissioning a newly constructed seven storied building complex at Ananda College, Colombo yesterday. Addressing students and teachers of Ananda College, the Prez noted that clear instructions and guidelines have already been laid down for more..

Feb 8 (DM) Two Europeans are among the 14 patients who were hospitalized over suspicions of being infected by the coronavirus, Health Ministry officials said. They said blood samples removed from the patients have been referred to the MRI in Borella. The patients were hospitalized after they complained of symptoms similar to those produced by the coronavirus. However several patients who had been hospitalized with more..

Feb 9 (SO) No country can live in isolation in today�s globalised world. Countries are linked by diplomatic ties, trade and people to people contact. It would not be incorrect to say that trade makes the world go around. Trade is especially important for an island nation like Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka, variously know as Serendip, Ceylan and Ceylon in the ancient days, has been known as a vital trading post for centuries thanks to its prime location on the East-West sea route. more..

Feb 9 (CT) SL's economy is recovering from the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks last year, with GDP growth projected at 3.7% in 2020, a team of IMF staff who was in Colombo recently said. The staff team led by Manuela Goretti was here from 29 Jan to 7 Feb 2020, to meet the new administration and discuss its policy agenda. Issuing a statement at the conclusion of the visit, Goretti stated that ambitious structural and institutional reforms are needed to anchor policy priorities, bolster more..

Feb 9 (SO) At the hour the successful rescue mission to Wuhan, China was operated, the loss-making national carrier made headlines following a court verdict in the UK. According to results of almost four years of investigations of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) in the UK, the France-based aerospace industry giant Airbus has bribed many international airlines, including SriLankan Airlines in connection more..

Feb 9 (Island) However threadbare the legal maxim, it remains valid for all countries and especially Sri Lanka where delays in the judicial process is endemic that justice delayed is justice denied. However well-intentioned the assurance of judges and sometimes chief justices assuming office, to tackle this problem, it has remained with us for as long as anyone can remember. We are encouraged to write this comment by a trenchant letter published a few days ago by our stablemate, more..

Feb 9 (TM) The political pendulum that kept swinging towards the UNP during the past few weeks due to its leadership crisis last week swung towards the governing SLPP and SLFP. The reason for political circles to buzz over the future political course of the SLPP and SLFP was triggered by the return of SLPP Founder and theoretician Basil Rajapaksa to the country. Soon after the prez election last November, Basil flew to the US on a private visit and his return to the country more..

Feb 9 (SO) Twenty-four-year-old Kushan Kanchuka is among the hundreds of Chinese speaking tourist guides who were looking forward for the early-year tourist arrivals to the island, especially from China. With the dawn of the Chinese New Year (Jan 25) thousands of Chinese nationals opt to travel to other major destinations with Sri Lanka gaining a key spot among them. Usually during this time, a group of up to 30 Chinese more..

Feb 9 (TM) Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa, delivering his maiden Independence Day speech, said all the right things the country needed to hear; so much so that even prominent Opposition members of Parliament took to Twitter to offer their praise and appreciation. However, as one Opposition politico put it, words alone no longer matter and everything the Prez said must be matched with actual delivery during his tenure, probably recalling that presidents past have said even nicer things. more..

Feb 9 (ST) Is SriLankan taking Sri Lanka for a jolly good ride, or something to that effect was the headline of an investigative article on the national carrier by a Sunday newspaper of yesteryear. Last week�s revelations that some Sri Lankans had taken the poor taxpayers of this country for a jolly good ride by pocketing kickbacks for the purchase of a fleet of Airbus aircraft should really come as no surprise. Aircraft manufacturers bribing influential persons to sell their wares is nothing new. more..