Nov 22 (Island) Over the last few weeks there has been a concerted campaign in social media attacking Prez Rajapaksa. Gota Fail Campaign, as it was, promoted a strong response questioning the success of the Prez�s detractors. The campaign was clearly targeting the Prez�s first anniversary celebrations and the impending reading of the budget. The campaign failed or rather, now that the moment has passed, the campaigners have taken a break. It was a week marked by celebrations. more..

Nov 22 (SO) SL may be some kind of a country with restricted movements and high anxiety tackling the global coronavirus pandemic, but its jaded people might just have something positive to wake up for in the form of a maiden sporting spectacle called the Lanka Premier League (LPL), a piece of cricketing pride that local organisers say is just what the nation needs. The venue in Hambantota where the LPL will be showcased has already been polished, spruced up as well as sanitized for the big day on more..

Nov 22 (ST) At least two of the world�s pharmaceutical giants � Pfizer and Moderna � have come up with good news over the COVID�19 global pandemic. They have both produced vaccines and after approval by the US FDA people in the US will receive the vaccines by next month. That no doubt is a giant leap in the battle against the global curse. Small SL is waiting for the day when such vaccines reach the country�s shores. more..

Nov 23 (ST) My dear Maco, I thought I must write to you when I heard that you had retired after nearly four decades of working with elections in this country and doing one of the most difficult jobs while dealing with some of the most difficult people, politicians of all colours - and not complaining but doing your job with a smile. Usually, you are very much in the news, telling us about elections � why they are being held, why some elections are not being held, how to vote, and what we should be doing and not doing. more..

Nov 22 (ST) Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR) president Rizly Illyas is gung-ho about the sport rising Phoenix-like from the Ashes during the COVID-19 pandemic after what he described as a productive meeting with Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa and leading Sports Ministry officials. A former national rugby captain, Rajapaksa has impressed on SLR officials the need to restructure the administration of sport in the country with professional management of players by forming an elite pool and more..

Nov 22 (ST) It�s a cold February winter morning in Valencia, Spain. Amongst 55 European drivers stands a young Asian driver representing his motherland at the finals of the IAME Winter Cup 2020. Reaching the finals in Europe was an achievement as only the top 36 drivers make it through. Against all odds Yevan David would start seventh of 36 drivers. The start sees Yevan rocket into fourth position in a phenomenal first lap. more..

Nov 22 (SO) On Tuesday (17), PM Mahinda Rajapaksa in his capacity as Minister of Finance presented to Parliament the Govt�s Budget proposals for 2021 mainly targeting people-centric development, economic development and welfare of the people. The proposals included solid measures to ensure fiscal consolidation to reduce the deficit, simplified tax policy and relief and give a firm push to revive the economy. PM arrived at the Parliament complex to present his 11th Budget more..

Nov 22 (SO) Lanka Premier League (LPL) will also give the much needed exposure to the local players especially the ones who are looking for a way to gain recognition to the SL team according to the coach of the Kandy Tuskers team Hashan Tillekaratne. The last LPL was held in 2012 and Tillekaratne was the manager of the Ruhunu Royals team and that time too it offered valuable experience to the local players. �It is after eight long years that we are getting the opportunity to take more..

Nov 22 (ST) This year�s budget reflects a growing your way out of it or spend your way out of it strategy with the govt giving a push to businesses on the back of low growth. Focus on infrastructure improvements, like roads and railways, will increase the country�s competitiveness for the future, analysts said. The govt�s focus on the domestic manufacturing sector will be positively on Colombo Stock Exchange�s (CSE) more..

Nov 22 (TM) Govt should not penalise well-performing Regional Plantation Companies (RPCs) even if they fail to comply with the Govt�s daily wage requirement for plantation sector workers from January onwards, Planters� Association of Ceylon said. The Budget 2021 proposed to increase the daily wage of plantation workers to Rs. 1,000. Furthermore, a legal framework that will change the management agreements of plantation companies that are unable to pay this salary has more..

Nov 22 (AD) The 2021 Budget unveiled by the Govt has given an assurance that the policies will remain unchanged for five years. 'That itself is good enough for me', SL Billionaire Sumal Perera said whilst addressing the Post- Budget Forum 2021 today (20), that brought in Sri Lanka�s foremost businessmen in the country who control the key sectors of the economy to provide a critical view from the top, with State Minister Ajith Nivard Cabraal and Treasury Secretary S.R. Attygalle in attendance. more..

Nov 22 (AD) SL reports another 9 deaths from coronavirus pandemic. This is the highest number of deaths reported within a day so far. The death toll in the country due to the COVID-19 virus has now reached 83. All 9 deaths are reported from Colombo area. A 57-year-old male from Col 2 has died while receiving treatment at Colombo National Hospital due to septic shock caused by COVID-19 related pneumonia. more..

Nov 22 (SO) Lasith Malinga is no stranger to controversy and question marks against his name ever since he abused the Sinhala media in broad daylight at the headquarters of Sri Lanka Cricket and got away without sanction eight years ago. The latest black mark in his career comes after he waited until the last minute to pull out of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) which for its inaugural year is more of an exercise to showcase Sri Lanka to the world in a time of crisis than for players to think of more..

Nov 22 (CT) Economic and financial sector analysts warn that it will be difficult to meet the expected govt revenue and Budget deficit targets for 2021. They say this is mainly due to the negative impact on the economy from the prevailing COVID-19 epidemic. Commenting on the matter, a top economist said that lower-than-expected economic growth figures could adversely affect these revenue targets. In addition, he says, this will be affected by the reduction in taxes which are a major source more..

Nov 22 (ST) Two of the Colombo Port�s terminals are back to full working capacity while the third one shows some improvement amidst the COVID-19 pandemic but shipping industry and exporters and importers are concerned about vessels bypassing and a spike in freight rates. �The congestion was there for the last two to three days � this will gradually improve � we have two terminals almost back to normal JCT & SAGT at 100% more..

Nov 22 (SO) Weightlifting has been the most successful sport considering the number of medals won in the last four editions of the Commonwealth Games (CWG) and SL is now ranked within the top three in the Commonwealth countries since last April, but still the competitors face cuts to receive funds. It was Chinthana Vidanage who started the trend by winning a gold medal at the 2006 CWG in Melbourne which was the only medal for SL in 2006. He followed it up with a silver medal in more..

Nov 22 (CT) A girl with a bow and arrow usually comes up on the small or silver screen. But it is no more a fantasy -not even in SL. But the best thing is, stereotypes are shattered, as Rehana Tayabally excels in Archery. Rehana was the Junior & Senior National Champion in 2017, and is in the national team of Archery and has represented SL in various tournaments. In 2017, she won a Silver Medal at the Indoor World Youth Cup in Thailand. At 2018 South Asian Archery C'ship, she bagged a Bronze more..

Nov 22 (AD) MP Rishad Bathiudeen says that he will go to the Supreme Court against the verdict of the Court of Appeal regarding the clearing of the Kallaru forest near the Wilpattu National Park. He mentioned this in response to a query made by the PCoI probing Easter Sunday attacks. Remanded MP Rishad Bathiudeen testified to the Prez Commission today (21) for the second time from the Welikada Magazine Prison via Skype. more..

Nov 22 (AD) The COVID-19 infected female who had escaped while receiving treatment at the IDH in Angoda has been found by the Police. Police Media Division said that woman in question was found at the Sidurangala area in Eheliyagoda. On Thursday (19), a 25-year-old had fled from the hospital at around 9.10 pm along with her two-year-old son who was also under medical care for coronavirus infection. However, the police had later found the child from a house in Eheliyagoda. more..

Nov 22 (MFA) The attention of the Ministry was drawn to the comments on Sri Lanka attributed to Chair of The Elders and former Irish President Mary Robinson as a part of a recent statement by The Elders titled �The Elders express deep concern at failure to respect US democratic transition of power� which was contained in several newspapers in Ireland. In this connection, High Commissioner of Sri Lanka in UK Saroja Sirisena wrote to Mrs Robinson and the Editors of the relevant newspapers more..

Nov 22 (TM) Ananda Kithsiri Seneviratne, who was serving as a Deputy Secretary to the Treasury, had been summarily transferred two weeks ago without providing reasons, The Sunday Morning Business reliably learns. When contacted Seneviratne, he said that his transfer was according to a decision taken by the Cabinet of Ministers. He added that he was first transferred to the Ministry of Public Admin & Management more..

Nov 22 (TM) SJB MP Eran Wickramaratne lodged a complaint with the CID against several social media reports that said he had funded Zahran Hashim�s wife. He said the allegations were completely untrue. In his compliant, MP said false and malicious stories are being spread on social media alleging that he had admitted to CID that he had paid Easter Sunday attacks mastermind Hashim�s wife Rs.5 million. �The allegation is absolutely false. I have never met or seen the lady concerned. more..

Nov 22 (ST) People visiting govt offices and state sector employees will be required in the future to check in by scanning the digital Quick Response (QR) code, using their smartphones to register with the Stay Safe web-based portal, the President�s Office has directed. In a circular signed by Presidential Secretary P.B. Jayasundera and titled �Combatting COVID-19 at National Level: Stay Safe Digital Solution�, govt departments heads have been instructed that the web-based solution more..

Nov 22 (ST) Jaliya Wickramasuriya, former Sri Lankan Ambassador to Washington, �does not enjoy residual immunity for his wire fraud, money laundering and his false statements on an immigration application, and it therefore is irrelevant whether or not Sri Lanka waived any immunity he continued to enjoy�, US Govt attorneys said. They made the observation in a recent filing before the US District Court for the District of Columbia more..

Nov 22 (ST) The final rites of the Chief Prelate of the Ramanna Nikaya, Ven Napana Premasiri Thera, will be held at the Bandaranaike National School Grounds in Warapitiya, Kundasale under State patronage today. Issuing a condolence message, Prez Gotabhaya Rajapaksa said the demise of the thera was an irreparable loss to all Buddhists around the world. His service to the Buddha Sasana and the country was immense. He was a true disciple of the Buddha who followed in the footsteps of his more..

Nov 22 (SO) Education Minister, Prof. G.L Peiris said the Education Ministry is monitoring all matters pertaining to those permitted to teach in Madrasa schools, the courses taught and the manner in which students are enrolled. He said those who visit Sri Lanka from abroad seeking visas to teach in those schools should be monitored closely and it would be irresponsible to employ them to teach in schools without looking into their background and past behaviour. more..

Nov 22 (ST) Amidst an exploding pandemic piercing through new frontiers and raising more fearful threats from Covid-19, a nation focused attention this week on two of the Govt�s topmost leaders. One was PM Mahinda Rajapaksa, who presented the Govt�s first budget last Tuesday. The other, a day later, was President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa�s address to the nation to mark his first year in office. more..

Nov 23 (TM) Last week marked several milestones for the Govt led by Prez Rajapaksa and PM Rajapaksa. While the Prez marked his first year in office, PM Rajapaksa delivered the maiden Budget of the SLPP-led Govt. The Govt�s maiden Budget, in fact, was presented on the day the Prez marked one year since being elected to office. Budget 2021 is the 75th national budget to be presented post independence. Coincidentally, PM delivered the 75th national budget on the eve of his 75th b'day. more..

Nov 23 (CT) In light inaccessible hid from our eyes, is a line from an 1867 hymn set to the tune of a Welsh ballad; it is not a quip about the mystery of global debt but it could well be. Economists don�t enlighten you on the nature and ubiquity of debt because they are muddled themselves. The eclectic hither and thither is recounted in The Economist�s A new era of economics � 25 July 2020. There is no shared paradigm, laymen have to cogitate and pick up as best they can. more..

Nov 23 (TM) Govt�s 2021 Budget proposals have been presented and the debate over the Second Reading continues. Amidst a pandemic, the targets that have been set forth for key economic aspects are now being questioned, with the Govt now being put on the spot about whether they are being overly optimistic. State Minister Ajith Nivard Cabraal was on The Sunday Morning Hot Seat to respond to the many queries on more..

Nov 23 (CT) The PM�s budget speech last Tuesday and the Prez�s address to the nation the next day are both remarkable for their omissions to share with the people the govt�s thinking and planning for dealing with the pandemic crisis that Sri Lanka is now going through along with the rest of the world. The budget speech tried to pretend a business as usual present scenario and routinely optimistic future prospects. It said little about Covid-19 and the govt�s plans to deal with it. more..

Nov 23 (ST) Out of the welter of distasteful controversy surrounding the transfer of a colossal sum of Rs. 600,000,000/= from the public fund of the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission of SL (TRCSL), to the account of the Secretary to former Prez Mahinda Rajapaksa to distribute sil redi or white cloth to Buddhist devotees just prior to the 2015 Prez Elections, a few facts stand out. As we may recall, the packages of sil redi handed out to temples contained a leaflet stating that more..

Nov 23 (SO) On Nov 16 in China Bay, Trincomalee, SL Air Force (SLAF) Pilot Officers Rangana Weerawardana and Pavithra Gunarathne made history by conquering the skies. In the SL Air Force�s 69-year history Weerawardana and Gunarathne became the first two female pilots to earn their wings and be awarded the Flying Brevet to be commissioned as pilots of the SLAF. The honour was bestowed on the officers more..

Nov 23 (CT) Court of Appeal delivered a landmark ruling on last Monday (16) ordering MP Rishad Bathiudeen to bear the cost of reforesting the Northern Sanctuary of the Wilpattu National Park Forest Complex that was cleared for the resettlement of IDPs. This has been a hard won victory for local environmentalists. The Court ruled the settling of over 1,500 families in areas that have been declared as Forest Reserves, under the Forest Conservation Ordinance, is in contravention more..

Nov 23 (Island) Investigations are still being conducted to ascertain whose lapses helped the National Thowheed Jamaath (NTJ) carry out the Eastern Sunday terror attacks with ease. All indications are that they will go on until the cows come home. What we have witnessed all these months is a shameful blame game. Some politicians, former defence officials and police officers have been trying to absolve themselves of criminal culpability for failure to prevent Easter more..

Nov 23 (ST) Recently ministers of this Govt have been behaving rather strange, queer to say the least. And yet have shown a ready and admirable willingness to go the extra mile to promote or defend their ministry�s subject with their out-of-the box stunts scooping millions of free publicity both here and abroad. For instance, this September found the newly appointed State Minister Arundika Fernando, attached to a tree climbing gadget, climbing a coconut tree in his coconut estate in more..

Nov 23 (Island) It is just about a year since the current coronavirus contagion hit our planet like a violent cataclysm that came from nowhere. It was like a tsunami that descended on us from right out of the blues. Even now, even after one year, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to relentlessly rip through the global population, disproportionately affecting ethnic minorities, lower socio-economic groups, those with co-morbid disorders and most definitely, the elderly. more..

Nov 23 (TM) Following the re-emergence of Covid-19, which hampered the usual operations of the Colombo Port for several weeks, mainly due to the low employee turnout, SLPA last week said its operations have now returned to normalcy, thereby assuring the continuous supply of essentials to the local market. According to the SLPA, operations at Jaya Container Terminal (JCT) have now reached maximum capacity, more..