Feb 9 (Island) The contrasts between 4 Feb 2015 and 4 Feb 2020 could not have been starker. No, I am not going to harp on the national anthem, for there is no point in harping too much on singing when there is no listening. I am on to a different contrast. In 2015, the then govt was holding up the white banner of transparency and good governance, while promising to expose and end state corruption forever. But even before end of Feb 2015, govt was caught red handed in a massive bond scam. more..

Feb 9 (ST) My dear Gota maamey, I thought I must write to you because many issues have arisen since I wrote to you last, although it is not even three months yet since you took over the top job. We don�t see you and hear you in public as much as we saw your predecessors- though I don�t believe that would be a disadvantage for you. Many who saw you and heard you on Independence Day commended you. The ceremony was brief by our standards. You had your military medals pinned on your shirt, more..

Feb 9 (CT) As Sri Lanka celebrated the 72nd Anniversary of gaining independence from British Monarchy, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa assured that the Govt would not leave space for any extremist organisation, which propagates terrorism, to function in the country. Checks and balances between the three main branches of Govt, the Executive, the Judiciary and the Legislature will be maintained, and more..

Feb 9 (SO) It was a pleasure to see the sponsors of the Observer-Mobitel Schoolboy/Schoolgirl Cricketers of the Year receiving a great sportsman as its Chairman in Rohan Fernando. As President of the Sri Lanka Rowing Association and ex-Vice President of the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka, Old Thomian Fernando was a superb rower during his day who has been appointed the Chairman of the Sri Lanka Telecom and SLT Mobitel. Hence, it is going to be a successful new era for telecommunication as well as more..

Feb 9 (Island) Putting round pegs in square holes is nothing new for Sri Lanka Cricket. We told so a few years ago when SLC�s Head of Coaching Jerome Jayaratne was transferred to cricket headquarters at Maitland Place to head the administration. After several years, thankfully, sanity prevailed and Jayaratne has returned to his base. A career coach who has been with SLC for 20 years now, Jayaratne has helped to restructure the coaching unit. Sri Lanka is the only place in the world where more..

Feb 9 (CT) It will mark the end of an era when Shashikala Siriwardene, the most -experienced and most-capped Sri Lanka women's cricketer has announced she will call it a day following the T20 World Cup 2020. The 34-year-old all-rounder who made her ODI debut in 2003, played with several generations of women's cricketers in her 17-year career where she was part of the National Women's team, when it was nothing but an amateur sport. more..

Feb 9 (ST) Last year�s Dialog Rugby League runners-up Havelocks SC, were forced to face agony by the rejuvenated Police SC, who defeated them for the second time this season 34-28 at Police Park yesterday. Unlike the first round game between the same two opponents, the losers managed to cut down the margin, yet time ran out for Havies, who suffered their fourth defeat this season. The Cops outsmarted the Havies with five tries, three conversions and a penalty, while more..

Feb 9 (AD) Former Secretary to the Ministry of Parliamentary Reforms and Mass Media, Nimal Bopage has stated that towards the back end of 2016, then-Cabinet of Ministers had approved renting out of luxury vehicles for 58 MPs of the govt. He added that he objected to the move as the govt was on the verge of losing Rs 44.3 billion. Bopage proceeded to say that he was summoned to the Cabinet committee on economic affairs, led by then-PM Ranil Wickremesinghe, and more..

Feb 9 (ST) Match-fixing is generally associated with cricket but this menace has now crept into other sports as well with allegations of players underperforming to fix the outcome in three sports � cycling, volleyball and basketball � at the 13th South Asian Games (SAG) in Nepal having surfaced. These accusations have been made by coaches themselves to a Fact Finding Committee set up by Minister Dullas Allahapperuma more..

Feb 9 (ST) Spinner Sachithra Senanayake has retired from international cricket with immediate effect. The announcement was no surprise given that he has last represented Sri Lanka in a T20 game in 2016. Senanayake was a member of the World T20 winning team in 2014. Senanayake who prominently featured in limited over cricket since making his international debut in 2012 has 53 ODI and 25 T20 wickets to his name. He also played one Test match. �I have decided to call it a day,� more..

Feb 9 (AD) Four youths have been killed in a motor accident that took place at around 1.35 am this morning (08) at Malpana area in Menikhinna. The cab they had been travelling in has veered off the road and crashed against a pile of concrete bricks on the roadside, according to the police. The four youths including the one who had been driving the vehicle were in a critical condition when they were admitted to the Menikhinna Hospital. However, they have later succumbed to injuries. more..

Feb 9 (Hindu) On his first visit after being sworn in as SL�s PM, Mahinda Rajapaksa met with PM Narendra Modi in Delhi. Mr. Mahinda told The Hindu about his hopes for debt-restructuring, and also about projects now on the anvil, although his govt will not carry forward the projects agreed to by the previous SL govt. Q: You have had discussions at some length with PM Narendra Modi, but no agreements were announced, especially on more..

Feb 9 (EN) SL�s January 2020 official reserves fell 116 million dollars to 7,626 million dollars from 7,642 million dollars in December 2019, official data show. Reserves are up from 6.1 billion US dollars in January 2018, when a currency crisis ended. The central bank built forex reserves as credit weakened in 2019, selling down its domestic assets. SL�s official reserves are made up of fiscal reserves managed by the central bank, and the monetary authorities own reserves including gold. more..

Feb 9 (SO) Govt will soon call for Request for Proposals (RFPs) to develop the Galle Port for a Yacht Marina, Minister Kanaka Herath said. He said that there were a large number of Western tourists, especially Continental tourists who loved sailing and the Galle Port was one of the attractions to them. The plan is to call for bids which will aim at parking/berthing these yachts where at one given time, there will be around 22, he said. Govt calling for RFPs will also be centred round more..

Feb 9 (TM) Instructions have been issued by the Prez�s Office to all permanent ministry secretaries including the PM�s Secretary, not to accept or entertain any form of communications from the private staff or any other officer of the PM�s Office, ministry, or state ministry. Secretary to the Prez P.B. Jayasundera had issued instructions to all ministry secretaries on Friday. Ministry secretaries had been given instructions more..

Feb 9 (Island) Chairman of Selectors Ashantha De Mel says that he has seen improved fitness levels of the national cricket team�s leading players and credits Head Coach Mickey Arthur for pushing his charges. De Mel singled out several players who had lost weight over the last two months and said that the Head Coach is working on other key areas like fielding and running between the wickets. "I was so impressed to see Angelo Mathews batting for ten hours in Harare in the recent Test match. more..

Feb 9 (CT) Peradeniya Uni was the highest ranked Uni in Sri Lanka with a ranking of 1,895 out of 11,993 Universities compiled by the Ranking Web of Universities in its Jan 2020 edition. The other rankings of local Uni in descending order were Colombo Uni (2,112), Moratuwa Uni (2,188), Ruhuna Uni (2,503), Kelaniya Uni (2,741), Sri J'pura Uni (2,806), SLITT (2,926), General Sir John Kotelawala Defence Uni (3,964), Jaffna Univ (4,126th), Rajarata Uni (4,225), Open Uni (4,458), more..

Feb 9 (DM) SL�s economy is recovering from the terrorist attacks last April, with GDP growth projected at 3.7% in 2020, the IMF said after concluding staff visit to SL. The statement also said that �Ambitious structural and institutional reforms are needed to anchor policy priorities, bolster competitiveness and foster inclusive growth in SL.� �Fiscal prudence remains critical to support macro-economic stability and market confidence, more..

Feb 9 (TM) PM Mahinda Rajapaksa requested Indian PM Narendra Modi to expand the Indian housing project to other areas of the country. The project is currently mainly focused on the north, east, and central hills. In a joint briefing following talks between the two leaders, Rajapaksa said that he requested PM Modi to consider further assistance to expand the housing project to all parts of the island. �Doing so will provide significant benefits to many Lankans living in rural parts more..

Feb 9 (SO) SLPP will consider it a welcome move if the SLFP decides to contest separately at the upcoming general elections, minister Ramesh Pathirana said. He said, by contesting alone both, the SLFP and SLPP will be able to secure their own vote base. �It is a good decision, because in certain districts if the SLFP contests separately they should be able to get a couple more seats than contesting under one front. Then it will be a competition among SLFP, UNP and JVP� he explained. more..

Feb 9 (AD) India on Saturday sought devolution of powers by the Sri Lankan govt to the minority Tamils in the island nation and hoped that their aspirations for equality, justice and respect will be fulfilled as per provisions of the country�s Constitution. After wide-ranging talks with his SL counterpart Mahinda Rajapaksa, PM Narendra Modi said the issue was discussed with an open mind and hoped that the Tamil reconciliation process more..

Feb 9 (AD) PM Mahinda Rajapaksa has told his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi that Sri Lanka looks forward to India�s continued support to enhance the island nation�s capabilities in intelligence and counter-terrorism. This was mentioned in the press statement issued by the two leaders following their discussions held this morning (08). Premier thanked PM Modi�s visit to Sri Lanka in the aftermath of the tragic terrorist attacks experienced on Easter Sunday last year, more..

Feb 9 (AD) India�s Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar called on PM Mahinda Rajapaksa in New Delhi this morning (8). �Your visit is a very important opportunity for us to set the course for the next 5 years,� Minister Jaishankar has told the PM. Both delegations discussed the status of ongoing projects in Sri Lanka that are being implemented with Indian assistance. The two sides agreed to expedite a number of projects that have not seen much progress in past few years. more..

Feb 9 (ST) When the Board of SriLankan Airlines in 2013 approved the purchase of a new fleet of Airbuses with Rolls Royce engines for Rs 146.1bn, the company�s total assets were at Rs 89.4bn. This meant the planes cost nearly double what the entire national carrier was worth at the time. Kapila Chandrasena, then CEO, led a four-member working committee that negotiated the deals. He and his wife, Priyanka Wijenayake, more..

Feb 9 (ST) The CID has opened investigations to track the foreign bank accounts maintained by two or three Sri Lankans who have received funds from former SriLankan Airlines CEO Kapila Chandrasena and his wife accused of accepting bribes from Airbus for re-fleeting the airline. Mr Chandrasena and his wife, Priyanka Wijenayake, were remanded on Thursday until Feb 19 after they were accused of accepting US$ 2mn (Rs 362m) out of a total US$ 16.84m (Rs 3b) bribe promised in return for more..

Feb 9 (ST) The coronavirus, now widely considered as the prime threat to financial markets is instigating a black swan event for Colombo�s shares, with many foreigners exiting in a major sell-off as global investors are jumpy over the uncertainty, analysts say. According to the latest statistics, 12 Asian stock market saw a fall since January 17 which include Australia, Japan, India, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Indonesia, Philippines, Korea, Thailand, Hong Kong, and of course China. more..

Feb 9 (ST) PM Mahinda Rajapaksa on Wednesday sounded out govt MPs on when the Prez should call for parliamentary elections. This is to determine whether there should be a snap poll ahead of the national New Year or sometime thereafter. The occasion was a meeting of the govt parliamentary group in the Parliament complex. Premier Rajapaksa spoke on the prospects of dissolving Parliament at midnight on Mar 2, more..

Feb 10 (Island) 72nd anniversary parade on Feb 4 is what I pick to comment on this Sunday. By all counts, it was a very successful event except, in my opinion and I expect others� would agree, there was one significant shortcoming. The choice of venue was apt since SL�s independence day celebration has to be in the environs of the building constructed to commemorate that great event. It was at Independence Square - in an incomplete building - that rule of the country was passed from more..

Feb 10 (CT) There is an interesting video having a viral circulation these days of a Burqa clad Muslim woman challenging a man (reportedly a Sinhala Christian), who was videoing her in her garb at Arpico in Wattala. He was pointing accusing fingers at the woman in her Niqab stating that it is prohibited under country�s laws whereas she was seen to be telling him that it is not. When he was saying that he can only see her eyes, woman appears to be asking him what more does he want to see in her? more..

Feb 10 (GV) On the 72nd anniversary of Sri Lanka�s independence, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa conferred the rank of major general on 17 brigadiers. The list included Deshapriya Gunawardane, the commanding officer accused of ordering soldiers to shoot at unarmed protestors of Rathupaswala. Three people were killed as a result, including a 14 year old boy. Three weeks previously, Prez Gotabaya granted an equivalent more..

Feb 10 (CT) Never, ever, known as adept in strategic thinking, Sajith Premadasa seems to be getting himself into a deeper and deeper hole. Sajith�s whole Prez election campaign exhibited folly in strategic play. He grabs nomination leaving a bad taste in the mouths of decent UNPers. Making Tissa Attanayake as campaign leader, Sajith runs a campaign outside Sirikotha�s direction and avoids enlisting Sirikotha leaders. Tissa Attanayake is a proven political failure who betrayed the UNP more..

Feb 10 (ST) The bubble burst on the Great Chinese Dream in this new dawned Chinese zodiacal Year of the Rat when a snake or bat borne virus showed its deadly presence amongst humans and revealed the truism of how the best laid plans of rats and men can be swiftly disposed by gods and fate. The microbe with the spiky head, spawned of an innocuous though ingenious mother that gave the world the common cold for which no cure has still been found, mutated beyond the sniffles to more..

Feb 10 (ST) Five long years ago, the CID was asked by then Prez Maithripala Sirisena to probe the SriLankan Airlines deal for four Airbus A 350-900 aircraft. This probe identified those involved in concluding the deal together with six other narrow-bodied aircraft just after the conclusion of the Paris Air Show in June 2013. As the probe got underway, Mr Sirisena also called upon then Public Enterprises Minister Kabir Hashim to more..

Feb 10 (CT) The current corona epidemic affecting around 15,000 individuals with over 300 deaths and prevalent in 20 countries is just another common cold. Human coronaviruses have for long been looked at as pathogens with no serious consequences and causing the innocuous common cold. However, since of late this virus has mutated into a highly pathogenic state which seriously affects the respiratory system. It threatens to bring about epidemics at global levels with frightening more..

Feb 10 (Island) More than 410,000 kilos of rice in Sathosa warehouses are unfit for human consumption and will have to be used as animal feed, according to media reports. Why wasn�t this stock released to the market to stabilise the price of rice, which has remained extremely high, all these months? Sathosa management must be made to answer this question. The colossal waste of rice as well as other food items in state warehouses is not of recent origin, though. more..

Feb 10 (CT) EPRLF led by former TNA MP Suresh K. Premachandran and Tamil Makkal Kootani (TMK) led by former Northern Province Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran have come together to form a new coalition and a MoU with regard to the new coalition is expected to be signed tomorrow (9). The new coalition will be named Tamil Makkal National Front (TMNF). The approval for the new coalition to be registered as a political party has been even granted by the Election Commission. more..

Feb 10 (ST) One of the stranger if not outlandish manifestations of the upending of SL�s legal order is the ongoing tussle between the Attorney General and the Presidential Commission inquiring into alleged incidents of political victimisation of public servants during the previous Sirisena-Wickremesinghe Govt. The source of this dispute is truly extraordinary. As such, it evokes more than a passing response. The controversy arose over a directive issued by the PCoI recently ordering more..

Feb 10 (ST) Villagers in Koradekumbura, in Uva Paranagama are practising traditional martial arts, or Angam Pora, indigenous to the Uva Province to stay physically and mentally fit. They are being seen as an exemplary community in a country where many suffer from chronic diseases such as diabetes, and conditions such as high blood pressure. Regardless of the cold at dawn, children and seniors alike more..