Jan 31 (ST) Since its inception in 1896 Burgher Recreation Club (BRC) has been a silent contributor to SL cricket in various ways. But until into its 124th year as one of the pioneers in domestic cricket, BRC has not contemplated seriously on transforming itself into a fully-professional outfit. TRadical overhaul was not an overnight effort, but it took a sudden speed-up soon after the BRC administration managed to rake in Charith Senanayake as Director of Coaching, just after the Invitational Limited Overs more..

Jan 31 (DM) The media hype worldwide - created on newfound epidemic 2019-CoV and known to Sri Lankans as Coronavirus - seems to have both negative and positive impacts. Almost all local and international media outlets including CNN, BBC, ABC, DW, NHK, Al-Jazeera and CNA give prominence to the new epidemic over other important issues. It is notable that Coronavirus (2019-CoV), which is said to have a lesser fatality rate of 15%, has drawn an extremely-high more..

Jan 31 (DN) As president of the MCC (Marylebone Cricket Club) let alone being its first overseas in their over 233-year history, former SL captain Kumar Sangakkara has a distinguished role to play especially when you have a membership of 18,000 and a further 5,000 as associate members. As president of the MCC Sangakkara addressed the media at SLC hq more..

Jan 31 (SS) Sri Lanka eased into the Plate final after half-centuries by Nipun Perera, Ahan Wickramasinghe and Navod Paranavithana powered them to a convincing 97-run DLS-win over Scotland on Thursday. The semifinal victory means they will now meet the winner of Friday�s second last-four showdown between England and Zimbabwe in the deciding game on Monday. The islanders were full value for their win after dominating the game from start to finish. more..

Jan 31 (ST) Commercial Bank of Ceylon, this year, is celebrating 100 years of banking in Sri Lanka and began its centenary year with a staff gathering of unprecedented scale. �The dreams of the future and the history of the past were interwoven when more than 4,000 staff members from all over Sri Lanka came together in Colombo in early January to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the bank and its forerunners,� the bank said in a media release. The staff gathering that united employees of more..

Jan 31 (FT) EDB Chairman Prabhash Subasinghe urged that boosting exports must be everyone�s priority, as the key agency set an ambitious yet achievable target of $ 18.5 billion this year, up by 15% from 2019. EDB revealed that as per provisional data, last year SL�s total merchandise and service exports amounted to $ 16.14 billion up by 1.44% from 2018. The composition was merchandise exports were, more..

Jan 31 (FT) FitsAir on Saturday will become the first private sector operator to launch scheduled flights to Jaffna, fulfilling a big need for time-conscious travelers to and from the North. It will operate three weekly flights on Saturdays, Mondays and Wednesdays, with departure from the Ratmalana Int'l Airport at 7.30 a.m. and at 8.20 a.m. from Jaffna. The one-way ticket for the two-hour flight is priced at Rs. 7,500, cheaper as a market entry strategy than the Air Force flight, which costs Rs. 9,000. more..

Jan 31 (AD) Sri Lanka Podujana Eksath Peramuna has come into a decision to change its name to Sri Lanka Podujana Sandhanaya. SL Podujana Eksath Peramuna �the alliance between the SLFP and SLPP � has agreed to change its party constitution in this manner, stated General Secretary of SLFP Dayasiri Jayasekara. The decision has been made when the leaders of parties under the SL Podujana Eksath Peramuna council convened today (30). The meeting was held under the patronage of more..

Jan 31 (AD) The govt requests all protesting groups to have faith in the govt�s process and extend their support to make it a success, instead of causing hardship to the public. In the light of several protests staged before the Presidential Secretariat recently, the President�s Media Division issued a press release pointing out that, protests, in reality, while creating unexpected inconveniences for the general public, more..

Jan 31 (FT) Richard de Zoysa, an established businessman who currently heads Elite Security Lanka, together with a group of civic-minded professionals, religious leaders and educationists, presented to the media and distinguished guests, three national initiatives - English, ethics and vocational training - which if set into motion, will auger well for the future prosperity of this country and its people. Firmly convinced that every student in Sri Lanka should be proficient in English, more..

Jan 31 (DM) The govt is taking all measures needed to end the drug menace in the country, PM Mahinda Rajapaksa said. Speaking at an event held at the Buddhist Centre in Moratuwa to unveil the pinnacle of the stupa, he said the Buddhist community has a responsibility to look at the happenings in the country with compassion. �This is a time when moral values are being deteriorated. The drug menace is continuing to ruin our country. Our children have become addicted to various kinds of drugs. more..

Jan 31 (CT) Former Minister of Finance Mangala Samaraweera in a Media release refuted claims that he had solicited bribes by issuing liquor licences during the UNF regime. He states, the allegation levelled against him were by those whom he had refused liquor licences. "Public sentiment is that the Excise Department was one of most corrupt institutions. At the time I took over the Ministry, Department was rife with corruption & fraud. more..

Jan 31 (FT) Ambassador of China in Colombo Cheng Xueyuan called on PM Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday at Temple Trees, and assured the safety of SL students studying in Wuhan Province, China, following the coronavirus outbreak. He said that the Govt of China is taking every measure to contain the outbreak and meet the needs of the SL students and families in Wuhan. He further stated that the two govts are working together closely to make arrangements to have a special flight land more..

Jan 31 (DN) Lanka IOC PLC, (LIOC) would invest over Rs. 350 million to build SL�s only Grease Plant in Trincomalee, while installing solar power in fuel stations. Managing Director LIOC, Manoj Gupta said that Sri Lanka is spending a huge amount to import Grease and they hope to supply the entire local demand in seven months time. �We will build this plant in six to seven months at our facility in Trincomalee,� he said. Gupta also said that they would invest a further Rs. 75 million for more..

Jan 31 (AFP) WHO declared a global emergency over the new coronavirus, as China reported Friday the death toll had climbed to 213 with nearly 10,000 infections. UN health agency based in Geneva had initially downplayed the threat posed by the disease, but revised its risk assessment after crisis talks. "Our greatest concern is the potential for the virus to spread to countries with weaker health systems," more..

Jan 31 (CT) UNP MP Imitiaz Bakeer Markar said he was ousted from the UNP Working Committee for the third time running because he took the stance of the majority in the UNP. Speaking to Ceylon Today, he said Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka, Ajith P. Perera and Rosy Senanayake also faced the same fate. "The UNP is a democratic party, which should set an example in its internal democracy," he said, adding that attempts to destroy that democracy were the acts of conspirators. more..

Jan 31 (PTI) PM Mahinda Rajapaksa will visit India from Feb 7-11 during which he will hold talks with the top leadership here to strengthen bilateral ties. After his official engagement in Delhi, Rajapaksa will travel to Varanasi, Sarnath, Bodh Gaya and Tirupati, External Affairs Ministry said. Earlier this month, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held talks with his Sri Lankan counterpart Dinesh Gunawardena on a host of topics, including the sensitive fishermen issue. more..

Jan 31 (FT) The Central Bank yesterday joined the stimulus bandwagon, cutting policy rates hot on the heels of tax cuts and a debt relief package from the Govt earlier on, as a further support to kick-start the economy. Following the 2020�s first monetary policy review on Wednesday, the Monetary Board decided to reduce the Standing Deposit Facility Rate (SDFR) and the Standing Lending Facility Rate (SLFR) of CB more..

Jan 31 (FT) The Community Development Services (CDS) is continuing their efforts towards giving migrant workers the opportunity to vote at local elections even if they are not in the country at the time. At a media sensitisation workshop held yesterday, CDS Executive Director Andrew Samuel said that the organisation will be continuing its efforts to ensure migrant workers can exercise their right to vote, suggesting five ways of doing so. These include adapting the postal voting system, more..

Jan 31 (DN) The incubation period of coronavirus is from two to 14 days but the duration of transmission between human beings is unknown. Therefore there is a possibility that coronavirus infected individuals who arrive in Sri Lanka through the BIA, Katunayake or any other entry point without symptoms can do so without being detected, Chief Epidemiologist Dr. Sudath Samaraweera said. He said that the mortality rate is only 2.9% while it is 37% for MERS and 10% for SARS. more..

Jan 31 (DM) Sri Lanka will launch an immediate probe into serious concerns raised by Myanmar after it appealed to Sri Lankan authorities to stop the abuse of the elephant it donated to a Buddhist temple six years ago. Minister Dinesh Gunawardena said that a thorough probe would be conducted into the concerns raised by the Myanmar Foreign Ministry and the matter would be discussed with the Environment & Wildlife Ministry and more..

Jan 31 (FT) State Minister Susil Premajayantha led the Sri Lanka delegation to the XII Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) held in Quito, Ecuador from 20-24 Jan. Launched in 2007, the GFMD facilitates an open and transparent dialogue on migration and development, in an informal, non-binding, voluntary and state-led framework that promotes practical, evidence-based outcomes and cooperation between govts as well as non-govt stakeholders from all regions more..

Jan 31 (TN) Last year, Shaan e Pakistan Music Achievements (SEMPA) 2019, which took place in Lahore, celebrated music and acknowledged the work of some of the best musicians in Pakistan. This year, however, the upcoming fifth edition of the program incorporates art, culture, food and everything else that captures the spirit of Pakistan, according to the official event page. Shaan e Pakistan 2020, helmed by Huma Nassr, will take place in Colombo, from March 21 till 23. more..

Jan 31 (DN) A crack anti-narcotics Police team yesterday caught red-handed two young women with a haul of 192 kilogrammes of heroin and ten high quality automatic pistols and ammunition exposing what seemed to have been a major underworld drug and weapons distribution operation. Western Province (North) Special Investigations Unit uncovered the haul of heroin and 10 world standard pistols with 10 magazine more..

Jan 31 (Island) Sri Lanka needs no enemies; it has its political leaders, who play politics with even mega national crises. They did not come together to help the public even in the aftermath of the tsunami disaster, in 2004. They are now clashing over the spread of coronavirus. On Wednesday, UNP MP and former Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam, addressing the media, flayed the incumbent government for what he called its failure to tackle the spread of coronavirus. more..

Jan 31 (Island) The Island of Jan 23, reported that Minister Keheliya Rambukwella had stated that the new govt�s stand on the Geneva accountability resolution would be based on the position taken by former Foreign Minister Tilak Marapana, PC. on behalf of the previous govt � What the former Minister Marapana had stated during the course of his statement in March 2019 was: "In referring to para 68 (C) of the OHCHR Report (A/HRC/40/23), which pertains to the Recommendations to more..

Jan 31 (AI) Unrealized govt commitments to pursue truth, justice and reparations, continued impunity for violations and abuses, compromised freedoms of religion and expression characterized 2019 for Sri Lanka, Amnesty International said as the human rights organization released its annual report on events in the Asia-Pacific region. Human Rights in Asia-Pacific: Review of 2019 published today by Amnesty International more..

Jan 31 (ST) Vegetable prices are going to start dropping in coming weeks because supplies from Jaffna and Kalpitiya are on their way in. The Director of the Hector Kobbekaduwa Agrarian Research Institute, Duminda Priyadarsana, said prices kept increasing during the last few months as heavy rains had ruined harvests. He said high prices would be gone in about one and a half month�s time, with results coming as soon as within more..

Jan 31 (USE) Twenty graduates of the U.S. Embassy�s Rural Women Entrepreneurship program held a trade fair at the American Corner Kandy to showcase their products on January 30. The women participated in a six-month course called Zero Money: How to Start a Business. The program taught them the skills needed to launch and run a small business. The American Corner Kandy has conducted the program since 2016. more..

Jan 31 (Island) PCoI on Political Revenge could move a higher court to suspend the case before the Colombo High Court Trial-at-bar in respect of 11 wartime disappearances in Colombo and its suburbs, legal sources said. The Trial-at-bar consists of High Court judges Champa Janaki Rajaratne, Amal Ranaraja and Navaratne Marasinghe. The PCoI could seek the intervention of the Appeal or Supreme Court in that regard, more..

Jan 31 (EN) UNP MP Nalin Bandara says Sajith Premadasa�s supporters are happy with the party�s decision to appoint him as the leader of the Alliance that will contest the upcoming Parliamentary elections. Yesterday the Working Committee of the Party offered Premadasa the leadership of the UNP-led alliance and Bandara said that was the outcome the pro-Sajith faction of the party wanted. Premadasa was among 16 Committee more..

Jan 31 (ST) Last week a young Buddhist monk, 22, a student of the Buddhist and Pali University in Homagama died in a shooting incident. Ven. Unawatune Seelarathana Thera had sustained a gunshot injury when a police constable�s firearm is alleged to have misfired and struck the monk who was in a vehicle. The incident happened in Deniyapura Hungama around 11 a.m. on Sunday (19) when the deceased and 7 other monks more..

Jan 31 (EN) SL�s Employees� Provident Fund (EPF) of private sector workers savings managed by the state, is currently not actively investing in banking shares, officials said, where concerns have been raised about conflicts of interest and state interference. �The EPF is not actively investing in banking shares now,� Senior Deputy Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe said. The 2.2 trillion rupee EPF, managed by the CB, more..

Jan 31 (AD) Retired Major Ajith Prasanna and two retired intelligence officers have been remanded until February 14 by the Colombo Magistrate�s Court, over charges of intimidating witnesses in a case. They are accused of holding a press conference and intimidating witnesses in the case being heard before the Colombo Fort Magistrate�s Court against several navy officers over the abduction & disappearance of 11 youths. more..

Jan 31 (EN) SL�s GDP is expected to grow over 4% in 2020, but it was too early to assess the impact of an ongoing hit on tourism from a novel coronavirus, central bank officials said. �It is too early for us to estimate the impact without knowing how long it will last,� CB Deputy Governor Nandala Weerasinghe told reporters. �There will be an impact (on travel and tourism) but it is too early for us to come up with numbers.� more..

Jan 31 (Island) Most people who got themselves admitted to IDH (Infectious Diseases Hospital) fearing that they had contracted coronavirus had done so due to fear and most of them had already been discharged, Dr. Sudath Samaraweera, Chief Epidemiologist at the Ministry of Health said, yesterday, at a symposium organized by the Expert Committee on Communicable Diseases and the Media Committee of SLMA. more..

Jan 31 (FT) From an architectural point of view, Sri Lanka had a parliamentary building near Galle Face which looked majestic and fitting for a Parliament. The affairs of the old Parliament were carried out in this building in an optimum and dignified manner from 28 Jan 1930, when it was declared open, up until the time it was shifted to the new parliamentary complex at Sri J'pura Kotte on 24 March 1982. The new Parliament complex, despite being equipped with modern amenities and having an artistic look more..

Jan 31 (DM) A decade has passed since cartoonist- journalist Prageeth Ekneligoda disappeared. Ekneligoda was reported missing on 24 January 2010, two days before the presidential polls that year. In memory of his years of struggle for truth and justice, Ekneligoda�s wife Sandhya and their two sons Sanjaya and Harith held an exhibition In Remembrance of Prageeth at the Dr. N.M. Perera Centre Borella on 24 January. The exhibition showcased artwork by Prageeth Ekneligoda well as his sons. more..

Jan 31 (Island) Doctors and citizens must not lose sight of influenza, which is prevalent in Sri Lanka and had caused deaths in the country, due to the unnecessary panic over the coronavirus, Dr. Ananda Wijewickrama, Consultant Physician, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, said. Coronavirus was only prevalent in China and that too predominantly among those from Wuhan. Chinese authorities had proactively locked down that area in order to prevent the spread of the disease. more..