Jan 30 (DM) There is no other country in the world where MAN�S INHUMANITY TO MAN is more explicit, more brazenly displayed than in this BUDDHIST COUNTRY of ours!!! The first HOAX is the Government promising FREE MEDICINE, FREE HOSPITALIZATION to its citizens. If that were true, this land would be a paradise indeed. You are admitted FREE, unlike in the schools, but God help you once you get in. It is not the Doctors but the Nurses & Attendants you have to beware of! more..

Jan 30 (SO) Consumers can expect the high vegetable prices to stabilise between February 20 and 25 as low country farmers harvest their crops, Director of the Hector Kobbekaduwa Agrarian Research and Training Institute, Duminda Priyadarshana said. On Friday (24), wholesale prices at the Pettah Market showed the effects of the torrential rains that wreaked havoc in most parts of the country over the past months. more..

Jan 30 (DN) We have heard the story over and over again, of how Lee Quan Yu, Prime Minister of Singapore wanted to model his country on a Sri Lankan frame. But that was 50 years ago, we are nowhere close to Singapore in terms of progress, and can only ask ourselves why - why did our progress report go backwards? The obvious answer is that we did not grab the opportunity. One may argue that culturally, politically or socially, Singapore is not Sri Lanka and vice versa, but more..

Jan 30 (Island) The coronavirus outbreak in China and the detection of an affliction here have apparently eclipsed all other issues in this country. Fortunately, the current government is only a caretaker administration and a general election is on the horizon, otherwise there might be price hikes and water and electricity tariff increases while the people are struggling to secure facemasks and keeping their eyes peeled for updates on the spread of coronavirus. more..

Jan 30 (DN) Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA) is a catalyst for the development of the entire country, especially the Southern and Uva provinces. A second international airport in Sri Lanka was a crying need for several decades. But when it was sidestepped by many governments, President Mahinda Rajapaksa, during his tenure, knowing the importance of a second airport in the country, constructed this new airport under the Mahinda Chinthana concept. more..

Jan 30 (Island) Pictures, it is said, speak louder than words and the picture accompanying this column is sound proof of this. It shows India's outgoing High Commissioner to SL Taranjit Singh Sandhu warmly welcoming Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa to a farewell reception that was held in H.C. Sandhu's honour at India House, Colombo, on January 27. The Indian H.C. is expected to take up duties as India's ambassador to the US shortly. Among other things, the picture is, to a degree, more..

Jan 30 (CI) Prince Masvaure and Regis Chakabva took Zimbabwe comfortably through to stumps on the third day, 175 runs ahead in their second innings with nine wickets in hand. This, after Sikandar Raza had recorded the second-best bowling figures in a Test innings by a Zimbabwean to put the hosts in total control of second Test in Harare. Craig Ervine, who had opened in the absence of the injured Kevin Kasuza, more..

Jan 30 (TM) From unannounced inspections of govt offices to broader commitments to bring the public service to its former glory, the catchphrase for our new Govt is efficiency. In the case of some policy measures, the Govt has stood by their statements, and has taken steps to curtail the excesses and inefficiencies of the State. The most recent step towards achieving this was highlighted by a presidential circular which limited the allowances and official vehicles of chairpersons, while more..

Jan 30 (ST) Lalith Priyantha is perhaps the only sportsman who has attained the unique distinction of becoming national champion, being ranked number one, captaining Sri Lanka, coaching the national team, serving as a selector and also president of the governing body of table tennis in the country. He is undeniably an icon in the sport as far as Sri Lanka is concerned just like Jothipala Samaraweera and N.H. Perera were household names in table tennis before he entered the arena. more..

Jan 30 (FT) Minister Prasanna Ranatunga said steps had already been taken to create awareness to reduce the coronavirus outbreak among tourism industry stakeholders. Accordingly, the Tourism and Health Ministries are working closely to combat the spread of the coronavirus within all tourist hotspots of the country. �We had a meeting with industry stakeholders this week on what procedures they could follow to prevent more..

Jan 30 (DM) Department of Indigenous Medicine of the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) yesterday introduced a syrup and a powder to enhance immunity, as a precautionary measure to prevent being infected from new coronavirus and all other communicable diseases. CMC said many people are keen to prevent the new coronavirus infection which has already spread in many countries of the world. �What is needed now is to increase the immunity to prevent the virus from becoming infected. more..

Jan 30 (CT) Western Province Badminton Association (WPBA) has organised a First Classic (level one) Platinum Ranking Tournament from 24 Feb to 1 Mar at S. Thomas' College Mt. Lavinia Indoor Sports Complex and Mercantile Badminton Courts, Colombo. WPBA has invited several South Asian countries to participate in the tournament. Foreign participants will be provided free accommodation. The senior winners will receive over Rs. 500,000.00 and more..

Jan 30 (NST) Gadek assemblyman G. Saminathan who was charged with supporting terror group LTTE has to remain in prison as the High Court dismissed his bail application today. A woman believed to be the accused�s wife could not hold back her tears after Judicial Commissioner Datuk Ahmad Shahrir Mohd Salleh delivered his decision in a packed courtroom. The woman, who was pregnant, cried and hugged Saminathan more..

Jan 30 (Island) The govt's recent tax revisions will not be changed or revised for the next five years. The govt is trying to pass all benefits to the public, said Secretary to the President Dr P.B Jayasundera recently. This was revealed to the media by the Commissioner General, Department of Inland Revenue Nadun Guruge at a briefing held yesterday at the Inland Revenue Department head office. He announced the latest trade agreement between SL and Turkey to eliminate double taxation more..

Jan 30 (FT) Sri Lanka�s iconic entertainer Alston Koch will be singing for the Academy Awards After Party for the stars at the Beverly Hills Hilton in Hollywood on 9 February immediately following the Oscars telecast worldwide. Koch was among last year�s considerations for the Oscar and an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his haunting role in According to Matthew. He won The CIGNIS award for best actor in 2019 and the Derana Sri Lankan of the Year award. more..

Jan 30 (MoD) The Defence Ministry will regularize private security services by introducing minimum wage for security guards, registration of new security firms and renewal of licenses. Defence Secretary Maj. Gen. (Retd) Kamal Gunaratne said plans were drawn to regularize private security services that operate island-wide to provide a quality security service. He said measures would be taken to streamline registration and more..

Jan 30 (FT) A Govt spokesman contended that the forensic audit on the Central Bank bond sales indicated that there was a loss to the Govt but the loss was not an indication of fraud in bond sales or auctions conducted before 2015. Monetary Board, in consultation with the Auditor General and the Attorney General, took measures to commission six forensic audits pursuant to the recommendations of the PCoI appointed to investigate and inquire into and report on more..

Jan 30 (Island) British State Minister for Trade Policy, Conor Burns, has said there would be no change in the UK�s GSP plus policy framework, until the end of the current year. Burns said so when he met Senior Advisor to the PM on Economic Affairs, Ajith Nivard Cabraal, in London, on Tuesday. At their meeting, a wide range of initiatives, relating to the improvement of trade and investment between the two countries, were also discussed. Cabraal invited Minister Burns to arrange for a UK business more..

Jan 30 (EN) Central Bank has cut policy rate 50 basis points, to lower market interest rates and boost credit amid an uptick in deposit rates after price controls were lifted and Treasuries yields gained after taxes were slashed. �This decision supports a continued reduction in market lending rates, thereby facilitating the envisaged recovery in economic activity given the favourable medium term outlook for inflation, more..

Jan 30 (FT) PM and Urban Development, Water Supply & Housing Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa held discussions with his Ministry yesterday to fast-track urban development and housing projects, including delayed projects from the past four years. According to a statement issued by the Ministry, Rajapaksa has assured that the next budget proposal will include fund allocations for future projects, including development, beautification, and maintenance in Colombo, Kandy, Jaffna, A'pura. more..

Jan 30 (SBS) Advocates for the Tamil family being held in the Christmas Island detention centre are demanding they be removed from the site before it becomes a quarantine zone for Wuhan evacuees. On Wednesday, PM Scott Morrison said some vulnerable Australian citizens will be flown out of the coronavirus epicentre and would need to spend 14 days quarantined on Christmas Island. But four detainees are being held at the facility - Priya, Nades and their 2 Australian-born daughters, more..

Jan 30 (Island) Contrary to Sajith Premadasa�s faction declaring that the UNP was ready to cohabit with Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa following the forthcoming parliamentary polls, UNP General Secretary Akila Viraj Kariyawasam yesterday, poo poohed the suggestion. The party hadn�t discussed such an arrangement, lawmaker Kariyawasam told a Sirikotha media briefing. State Minister Susil Premjayantha on Tuesday, more..

Jan 30 (FT) Reacting to multiple student protests yesterday, the Govt called on participants to join the employment generation process already announced by them instead of causing hardships to the public, the President�s Media Department said in a statement. Collection of information on graduates and equally qualified diploma holders has now been completed in order to provide employment to all of them. Securing the required funds, too, is underway, the statement added. more..

Jan 30 (EN) Private firms which have provided services to SL�s govt are in difficulties due to delayed payments PM Mahinda Rajapaksa has said. Due to a vote on account on which the govt is now working with, many private firms that have carried out projects are in difficulties, PM Rajapaksa has told a progress review meeting at the finance ministry Tuesday. Minister Bandula Gunewardene said earlier that information has been sought from secretaries to all ministries to tabulate more..

Jan 30 (Island) UNP General Secretary Akila Viraj Kariyawasam accused the GMOA of downplaying the growing threat posed by the coronavirus. Alleging that the GMOA always caused trouble during the UNP administration, he claimed that the GMOA now played politics with the extremely serious health threat. Kariyawasam said that he had no problem regarding the media taking the GMOA�s assurance that coronavirus didn�t pose a more..

Jan 30 (Island) Minor employees of the IDH hospital had taken sick leave, possibly out of fear, and their absence had hampered the functioning of the institution, Secretary of the GMOA Dr. Haritha Aluthge said. "We have deployed 15 doctors there to tackle any issue but the shortage of minor workers has become a problem. This is because of the irrational panic and fear among the people. We urge the people to follow the health advice given by the Ministry and not to be afraid." more..

Jan 30 (Island) MP Ranajana Ramanayake said that he had not telephoned judges and it was the latter who had called him. MP Ramanayake speaking from the dock and said that he had around 124,000 records of phone conversations he had had with many powerful persons including judges. A media organisation had published a distorted versions of his conversation records, he said. MP Ramanayake said that he had parliamentary privileges so that he could speak to anyone and that he was ready more..

Jan 30 (CT) "There are major shortcomings in the Medical Research Institute (MRI) being the main lab facility in the country to test for the novel coronavirus," said Ravi Kumudesh, President of the Academy of Health Professionals SL (AHPSL). Although the Ministry of Health, said that the MRI was the only laboratory facility in South East Asia besides the one in Pune, India, to be able to carry out 2019 novel coronavirus test, more..

Jan 30 (CT) The UNP is scheduled to hold a decisive meeting of the Working Committee chaired by Party Leader, Ranil Wickremesinghe at 3 p.m. today (30). Party General Secretary, MP Akila Viraj Kariyawasam said, the meeting will be the first for 2020, will focus on issues affecting the Party - leadership , forthcoming General Election and other topics. Kariyawasam added that others expected to attend the meeting were Deputy Leader cum Opposition Leader MP Sajith Premadasa, more..

Jan 30 (Island) Health Ministry�s Epidemiology Unit has established links with grassroots level public health officials to ensure that they are quickly made aware of any outbreaks of the coronavirus. Dr. Deepa Gamage said that establishing direct lines of communication with grassroots health officials was the key to strengthening surveillance. "There is no reason to panic. Health officials have taken necessary steps. Right now we are focusing on strengthening our surveillance at grassroots. more..

Jan 30 (FT) The spread of misinformation is the main reason for the unnecessary fear over the spread of the coronavirus in Sri Lanka, the Govt said, requesting the public to disregard information that does not come from an official source. Addressing false news about the outbreak of the coronavirus that is constantly being circulated on social media and other digital platforms, Minister Bandula Gunawardana more..

Jan 30 (DM) Reminiscent of the Sena Caterpillar which devastated crops across the country leaving epidemiologists and health authorities helpless on how best to control it leave alone eliminate or eradicate it from SL�s soil comes the more alarming news of the deadly Coronavirus, a bigger health risk lurking on the side-lines waiting to invade SL from Wuhan in the Chinese Province of Hubei thought to be the epicentre of the disease which is spreading across China and to several other countries more..

Jan 30 (DM) There are nationalists and they are vilified. There are people who vilify nationalism and nationalists and they are called traitors. It�s a pick-your-enemy kind of political culture that we live in. It makes for easy, convenient and in the cheap political engagement. People are spoiling for a fight. Perhaps out of boredom, but more likely because fight is what makes certain people feel their lives are worthwhile. It�s the fighting that counts and not necessarily the cause. more..

Jan 30 (DM) The highly contagious Coronavirus is taking its toll by the day in China. The disease, which is also called Wuhan Pneumonia, had claimed 132 lives in China and infected around 6000. Nearly 1000 patients are in critical condition. Today, the world is so interconnected that there is the possibility of the disease being spread to other parts of the world. Already, one Chinese national infected by the virus has been detected more..

Jan 30 (ST) Illegal sand mining has been rampant since the govt�s move to cancel transportation permits, with miners gouging deadly pits out of riverbanks and destroying health-giving old trees in pursuit of profits. Moreover, the govt�s intended motive of bringing down the price of sand has proved to be a failure as prices remain the same while tip-trucks and lorries full of illegally-mined sand run freely on the country�s roads. more..

Jan 30 (EN) Sri Lanka has cancelled 175 mini-hydro deals hurriedly signed before the Presidential elections and another 190 mega watts (MW) of plants held up without power purchase agreements which will be re-tendered, a minister said. �Yesterday we decided to cancel 175 letters of intent (LOIs) given by the Sustainable Energy Authority shortly before the Prez elections,� Minister Mahindanda Aluthgamage said. more..

Jan 30 (AD) Recommendations of experts on the matter must be considered in order to minimize the impact of new Coronavirus, stated JVP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake. He says that SL has a special advantage in controlling the virus over being an island nation. Only entry point for the virus would be the airport, and therefore, the screening process of identifying persons infected with the virus must be streamlined, more..

Jan 30 (Island) AG Dappula de Livera has briefed Speaker Karu Jayasuriya on his Jan 23 directive to the CCD to take interdicted HC judge Gihan Pilapitiya into custody following leaked audio clip of a recorded conversation between the judge and UNP MP Ranjan Ramanayake. The meeting took place at the Speaker�s official residence on Tuesday (28), consequent to a decision taken by the CC last Friday. more..

Jan 30 (Island) Estate sector trade unions, Lanka Jathika Estate Workers Union (LJEWU) and the Ceylon Workers� Congress (CWC), which signed the 2019 collective agreement with the Employers� Federation of Ceylon (EFC) determining the daily wages of the workers, were ready once again to betray those living in plantations by undermining attempts to secure a daily basic wage of Rs. 1000, Chinthaka Rajapakshe, more..