Feb 13 (Island) Former Chief Justice Mohan Pieris, PC, on Monday (10), warned of dire consequences in the event of failure on the part of the Foreign Ministry to fulfill its mandatory responsibilities. Pieris emphasized the pivotal importance of smaller states such as Sri Lanka addressing foreign policy issues, sensibly. Addressing a gathering at the OPA Centre after the launch of Foreign Policy Perspectives 2020 more..

Feb 13 (DM) Uvindu Wijeweera says he is ready to come forward at any moment for the sake of the country. Speaking to the media in Kelaniya, the son of JVP Founder Rohana Wijeweera said that there is a duty towards the country as a citizen. Stating that he believes that he is the son of Rohana Wijeweera and not of JVP, he says that he has no right to the JVP. The rights to the party lie with the people who engage in politics more..

Feb 13 (EN) The free visa scheme for tourists arriving in Sri Lanka which had begun last August will be extended to April 2020, minister Ramesh Pathirana said. �The free visa program has delivered results,� he said. �The Tourism and Aviation Minister yesterday proposed to extend this program for another 3 months, which the cabinet approved,� he said. The 48 countries which received the free visa approvals over past 6 months more..

Feb 13 (AD) There will be no issue with the closure of a Parliament that does not have respect or goodwill towards one another and does not understand the issues of the people, according to the State Minister Vidura Wickramanayake. He expressed these views, attending an event held at the Sri Medhankara Maha Vidyalaya in Horana. He pointed out that the Parliament is the state institution that costs the most daily. more..

Feb 13 (AD) A total of 8,018 tri-forces deserters have reported to military bases as the week-long general amnesty period came to an end yesterday. 13 officer ranks and 8,005 other ranks were among the returned military absentees. Prez Rajapaksa as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces has declared this period of amnesty in parallel with the 72nd National Independence Day through the Ministry. more..

Feb 13 (DM) Opposition Leader, Sajith Premadasa, who on Wednesday registered a new political alliance to contest the upcoming parliamentary elections, said would offer UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe a national list seat if he agrees to settle the ongoing rift between them and contest under the new Heart symbol, senior UNP members said. The offer is likely to be made when the two leaders meet today, more..

Feb 13 (CT) UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, who is yet far too obstinate as well as enormously stupid enough to believe that he can continue to lead that Party back to its now long forgotten ways of winning at elections, will continue believing the trash written about how the UNP, not Ranil Wickremesinghe, lost the Presidential election because the vast Sinhala-Buddhist vote in the country was lured away from the Party after the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks. more..

Feb 13 (EN) Lion Brewery Ceylon, SL's largest beer manufacturer, said net profits for the December quarter fell 50% to 559.5 million rupees from a year earlier on brand impairment. However, considering the challenging operating environment of the year under review the Easter Sunday tragedy at the commencement of the financial year and the continuous rain during most of the 3rd quarter being the most significant the company's returns maybe considered satisfactory, more..

Feb 13 (Island) The CEB has ignored calls by the electricity regulator, the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) to provide an explanation, as regards unannounced power interruptions on Feb 3. The PUCSL has threatened to take legal action if power cuts are effected arbitrarily. It was said that if is in the process of preparing its report on the and the document will be ready before Friday. Meanwhile, the 4-member Committee appointed by Power & Energy Ministry to investigate more..

Feb 13 (AD) A suspect, who was in possession of 1kg 15g of heroin, has been taken into custody in Badowita area in Mount Lavinia police division. The arrest was made at around 11.10 pm last night by the officers of Police Special Task Force, who acted on a tip-off received by them. 22-year-old suspect was subsequently handed over to Mount Lavinia police station. It is revealed that he is a resident of Badowita area in Mount Lavinia. Arrested youth will be produced before Mount Lavinia MC today. more..

Feb 13 (AD) Copies of telephone conversation recordings that UNP MP Ranjan Ramanayake had handed over to the House are to be given to MPs next week. Speaker has stated that these voice tapes are still being studied. This was mentioned during the meeting of the party leaders which was convened last evening. In the meantime, two-day adjournment debate with regard to the forensic audit report of the Central Bank�s more..

Feb 13 (FT) Of late, banks and other financial institutions are engulfed in a massive quagmire due to increasing Non-Performing Advances (NPAs). The situation is not only alarming but also leads to many questions, such as those pertaining to the fundamentals of credit evaluation, credit administration, the role and level of supervision of regulators, the role of auditors and the way the Boards of Directors instruct their respective organisations. more..

Feb 13 (Island) Dialog Axiata PLC, the only 4G VoLTE and VoWiFi mobile network, authorised reseller and partner network for Apple devices, launched the highly anticipated Apple Watch Series 5 in Sri Lanka on Feb 7. Customers who purchase the Apple Watch Series 5 devices through Dialog will receive exclusive offers including credit card offers and Club Vision discounts. The Apple Watch Series 5, used via Bluetooth, is designed to make calls, text, stream music, and much more. more..

Feb 13 (DM) Permission had been granted for candidates to use non-programmable calculators for the first time in local examination history for those who face the Financial accountancy paper one and two at the SL Accountants' Service (Grade III) exam. Commissioner-General of Examination Sanath Pujitha said Open/Limited Competitive Exam for Recruitment to Grade III of the SL Accountants' Service -2017/2018 (2020) would be held more..

Feb 13 (EN) SL�s personal income tax payers will get relief up to 1.2 million rupees a year for investments in stocks and securities, housing interest, pension contributions, medical insurance and children�s education incurred within the country, the revenue office has said. Resident tax-payers and citizens abroad are also getting 3.0 million rupees of tax relief on all earnings, as part of tax cuts announced in December 2019, a notice by Inland Revenue Department said. more..

Feb 13 (CT) Lawyers at the Colombo Chief Magistrate's Court engaged in a silent protest for the second time charging that the order given by Attorney General, Dappula de Livera to Police to apprehend interdicted former Embilipitiya HC Judge, Gihan Pilapitiya was both contrary to law and was arbitrary. Colombo Magistrate's Court Lawyers Union was engaged in the protest and Lawyer Gunaratna Wanninayaka said Prez Rajapaksa had intervened to stall the arrest. more..

Feb 13 (EN) State revenues will pick up in the second half of 2020, as tax cuts and lower interest rates expand disposable incomes, investment and economic activity, Treasury Secretary S R Attygalle has said. �While there could be an initial decrease in on govt incomes it is expected that incomes will pick up in especially for the second half of 2020,� Attygalle told member of Sri Lanka�s Exporters Association Wednesday night. more..

Feb 13 (AD) Bridges must be built to create peace instead of creating distances between communities, says Prez�s Counsel Ali Sabry. He expressed these views addressing a function held at Zahira College in Maradana last evening. �We in this country live in great fear and doubt of each other. Muslims are always in fear that there would be an issue for them. On the other hand Sinhalese wonder when another bomb would blast. Both sides have fear. We should build bridges to overcome this fear. more..

Feb 13 (AD) The forensic audit on the Central Bank (CBSL) bond issuance comprises of 5 reports and nearly 10,000 pages of attachments, according to Chairman of the COPE MP Sunil Handunnetti. As the report is extensive, it will not be easy for MPs to gain a broad understanding of the matter before the Adjournment Debate on the 18th and 19th of Feb, he pointed out. He said that it was possible for the COPE committee to have complied a summarization of the report through discussion more..

Feb 13 (EN) UNP is accusing the govt of suspending the salary and pension increments of state sector employees which they should have received from 1st January 2020. UNP MP Harshana Rajakaruna said that according to the Public Administration Circular 03/2016, the salaries of all public servants were increased and in parallel, the pensions of the public employees who retired after Jan 1, 2016, were to be increased. more..

Feb 13 (EN) UNP MP Harshana Rajakaruna said that his party invites the SLFP to join the alliance led by UNP in the upcoming parliamentary elections. Rajakaruna told reporters that the SLFP did a mistake by deciding not to render their support to Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa at the previously held prez election. �The SLPP had earlier promised the SLFP to give thirty per cent of the seats when giving nominations for the parliament but now they have refused to give that. more..

Feb 13 (Island) Civil society grouping, Yuthukama has organised a discussion on the need for an autocthonus Constitution, at the SL Foundation at 3.30 pm today. The discussion will be chaired by Most Rev Niyangoda Vijithasiri Anunayaka Thera, Most Ven. Medagama Dhammananda Anunayaka thero, Manohara de Silva, PC, and Yuthukama leader Gevindu Kumaratunga will address the gathering. Kumaratunga said that controversial Constitutional making process undertaken by more..

Feb 13 (AD) President and the Cabinet of Ministers will stand up for the District Forest Officer of Gampaha, who refused to bend the laws to construct a playground in a mangrove land in Negombo, says Minister Bandula Gunawardana. He stated this addressing the media briefing held today to announce Cabinet decisions. The govt always stands up for public servants who act according to the law, minister said. more..

Feb 13 (AD) Department of Prisons has made preliminary plans to establish a new prison within the premises of Suneetha Vidyalaya in Watareka, SL�s first prison school. Department is taking these measures under the directives of Prez Rajapaksa. Inmates of the Magazine Prison in Welikada informed Prez of the lack of space at the prison when the President visited the prison last Monday. Considering these remarks, Prez has instructed the Prisons Department to build a new prison more..

Feb 13 (EN) Sri Lanka will set up a mechanism to update Employees� Provident Fund (EPF) members of their monthly transactions via SMS, the co-cabinet spokesperson said. �Issues have arisen on deposit of funds to EPF accounts,� Ramesh Pathirana told reporters on Thursday. �Therefore, we will inform members of deposits to their account through their mobile phones in the future,� he said. Minister Dinesh Gunawardena had forwarded the proposal to cabinet, which was approved, Pathirana said. more..

Feb 13 (EN) Devani Jayathilaka the young woman Forest Officer who stopped State Minister Sanath Nishantha in his tracks is the viral favourite of Social Media these days. Gampaha District Forest officer objected to Nishantha�s attempt to take over govt forest lands for a children�s playground in Negombo. The video of her arguing her point and standing her ground in the face of intimidation from Minister�s goons more..

Feb 13 (EN) Severe cake shortage gripped Colombo Thursday ahead of Valentine�s Day celebrations, according to online retailers as well as pastry shops in and around Colombo. City�s de luxe hotels announced they will not accept new orders until after Saturday. They were still try to bake enough to meet the huge Valentine�s Day demand. Cinnamon Lakeside, Hilton, Kingsbury, Movenpick & Galadari had run out of cakes for delivery on Friday and orders had poured in beyond their capacity to more..

Feb 13 (EN) Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the government will not intervene in the tussle between Attorney General Dappula de Livera and Acting IGP Chandana Wickramaratne over the arrest of High Court Judge Gehan Pilapitiya, Co-Cabinet Spokesman Bandula Gunawardena said Thursday. he Miniter said that as the matters between IGP and AG are handled through the Judiciary, it would be the fair method to resolve the situation through the judiciary without any political intervention. more..

Feb 13 (DM) State Minister Sanath Nishantha Perera said that he would proceed with the project to construct a playground at Kadolkele mangrove in the Negombo lagoon despite objection from the Gampaha District Wildlife Officer. He said that the Rs.1000 million project which involved dredging the Negombo lagoon, constructing a playground, roads, bridges and several other programmes had been delayed from 2014 more..

Feb 13 (CT) Right from the beginning of the presidential campaign and throughout his administration so far, Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa�s (PGR) constant theme and answer to his critics has been, forget the past and look to the future. The implication of this thematic answer is very clear. Objectively speaking, no leader in his/her right mind would wish a past to be forgotten had that past been one of glorious achievements, peace and prosperity. Similarly, no leader would like to remember more..

Feb 14 (Island) Cassandra�s jaw dropped, eyes popped in disbelief, mind boggled in utter consternation as she read of the kickbacks, in other words, bribe of so many millions (US dollars) offered to Chandrasena of SriLankan infamy. She was astounded by the enormity of the bribe, the utter cheek of giving and receiving, and the idea that due to the bribe being accepted an order was placed that impoverished our national carrier. This � the fact of the purchase being unwarranted & too costly more..

Feb 14 (SO) In the wake of the possible dissolving of Parliament early next month, Opposition (UNP) MPs are proposing a new coalition govt under a collaborative leadership of Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa and current-Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa. These politicians claim that a Gotabaya-Sajith partnership would be the best alternative to the public. The Face to Face segment of the week, is dedicated to inquiring about more..

Feb 14 (DN) The birth of a new political alliance led by Sajith Premadasa, Leader of the Opposition and deputy leader of the UNP is proving a rather difficult task in the face of a series of obstacles, hampering the chances of the opposition at the forthcoming general election while the ruling SLPP faces relatively minor issues of its own. Premadasa who aspired to become leader of the UNP was stopped in his tracks because the party�s Working Committee which is tasked with choosing more..

Feb 14 (DN) With a view to promoting the tourism industry through delicious local food that would appeal to tourists, the Grand Food Festival which was a two-day traditional village food fair was held recently at the Ampara Green Park attracting large crowds from various parts of the Ampara District. The programme was organised by Skills for Inclusive Growth (S4IG), an initiative of the Australian Govt under its strategy to develop skills in the Eastern Province tourism sector. more..

Feb 14 (SO) In the wake of the possible dissolving of Parliament early next month, UNP MPs are proposing a new coalition govt under a collaborative leadership of Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa and current-Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa. These politicians claim that a Gotabaya-Sajith partnership would be the best alternative to the public. The Face to Face segment of the week, is dedicated to inquiring about this new political more..

Feb 14 (CT) I was asked to moderate a panel discussion on the Millennium Corporation Compact (MCC) that was organised by the Sri Lankan Forum of University Economists (SLFUE). The Uva Wellassa University (UWU), situated in a beautiful mountain range on the Badulla- Passara road, hosted the event. From the University premises, you can get a view of another mountain range with pristine air and beauty. UWU is a State University of a different sort. more..

Feb 14 (CT) "Complacence may be taken as a national feature in SL, and it is evident that we have either become too lazy to question burdens loaded onto us, taking them for granted, as if we have been destined to have those through what we had earned karma or that they are just the fates designed for us by some invisible powers. So, we either pray to God to bring relief or try to remind ourselves to be more conscious about what we do now, so that we shall not be made to suffer in our next life. more..

Feb 14 (Island) Intrepid public officials are hard to come by. We have seen one of them in action thanks to a video, which has gone viral, on the Internet. A female forest officer stands up to a minister and his backers at a meeting, in Negombo, where an attempt is made to approve a plan to clear a section of a mangrove forest to build a playground. She courageously holds her ground in the face of considerable opposition and the politician gives in. What a fight! Even the ranks of Tuscany more..