Feb 2 (TM) Sri Lanka is to come under pressure at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva this month, with the Council confirming the date when Sri Lanka�s human rights record will be discussed. The agenda for the upcoming UNHRC session in Geneva has Sri Lanka listed under Item No. 2 on 27 Feb. The Council will meet from 24 February-20 March 2020 for its 43rd Session in Geneva during which the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights will give an update on SL. more..

Feb 2 (TM) Avant Garde Chairman Nissanka Senadhipathi, who was released on bail a few weeks back, sat down for a chat with The Sunday Morning to talk about the ordeals he had to face in the last few years, his experience behind bars, and his future plans. Q: You were associated with Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa during his tenure as the former Secretary of Defence. Some claim that you had underhand dealings with Rajapaksa. more..

Feb 2 (Island) Mr. I.M.R.A. Iriyagolla, controversial Education Minister in the Dudley Senanayake govt between 1965 and 1970, once said that bad publicity is better than no publicity. Recent events testify that MP Ranjan Ramanayake, now in remand custody over about 125,000 recordings of his telephone conversations with a variety of persons, including judges, found by police at his home, clearly believes in this credo. One Shot as he was known in the celluloid world from which more..

Feb 2 (ST) And so, another Independence Day negotiates the corner. Next week, SL celebrates the 72nd anniversary of the Ceylon Independence Act that was passed in the British Parliament setting the people of this country free after 450 years of foreign rule, to determine their own future, their own destiny and their place in the comity of nations of the world. Is there much to celebrate? Despite the criticism, and some nostalgically yearning for the past, the country�s positives are many. more..

Feb 2 (Island) The forensic audit into the issue of Treasury bonds by the Central Bank has been released in five volumes. What is of primary interest to Sri Lankans is the fourth volume which deals with the issuance of treasury bonds between 1 Feb 2015 to 31 March 2016. The three specific transactions that took place on the 27th February 2015 and on the 29th March and 31st March 2016 are the transactions that all Sri Lankans refer to as the bond scam. more..

Feb 2 (ST) My dear Mother Lanka, I thought of writing to you at a time when you are preparing to celebrate the 72 Anniversary of your independence. Many promises have been made about a secure, peaceful and prosperous future, which seems to have eluded us all these years since the British left our shores. Last year, we were preoccupied with two main issues: the bomb blasts on Easter Day and the elections that followed. It is fair to say that the former influenced the latter in handing Gota maama more..

Feb 2 (CT) At a time where both Ranil and Sajith factions were in a bitter conflict, a crucial UNP Working Committee meeting was called on 30 Jan at 3 p.m. However, a few WC members had not been invited for the meeting. The UNP Working Committee decided to appoint Opposition Leader and UNP Deputy Leader, Sajith Premadasa as the leader of the common alliance formed to contest at the upcoming election and to field him as more..

Feb 2 (ST) In a brutal batting display against a mediocre bowling attack, Moors SC amassed a mammoth 652/8 declared against Negombo CC in a first class game at Braybrooke Place yesterday, reminding strongly the need to overhaul country�s weak domestic cricket structure. On a good batting wicket, Moors cashed in, in abundance with Ramesh Mendis who finished day one with a career-best unbeaten 205, scored a maiden triple, giving a slap in the face to those resisting a much-needed more..

Feb 2 (ST) There is a cricketing conundrum doing the rounds recently which presumably only the Selectors seem know the answer. How or why is it that Kusal Janith Perera has been benched in favour of Lahiru Thirimanne? The latter�s Test statistics are in the low 20�s while Kusal Janith�s figures during the same period is almost double that figure! However, our Chief Selector, Ashantha de Mel, seem have the answers at his fingertips � if you want to believe it. Kusal Janith made his maiden Test century more..

Feb 2 (ST) The construction of the High Altitude Training Centre in Nuwara Eliya has been put on hold once again due to lack of funds to pay the local component of Rs. 912 million of the multi-billion rupee project. Suspension is however understood to be temporary as the govt is planning to allocate funds following the presentation of the budget in August. Govt has allocated only one third of the total instalment during the last Vote on Account more..

Feb 2 (ST) Hiran Jayasekara and Chamodi Prathibha speared their way to the top to become the best among young swordsmen and swordswomen at the 4th SL Junior National Fencing Championships held at the Royal MAS Arena. Jayasekara was crowned the Best Boy Fencer while Prathibha became the Best Girl Fencer in the fourth installation of the country�s epic junior fencing competition conducted by National Fencing Association of Sri Lanka (NFASL). more..

Feb 2 (CT) Sri Lankan Cricket (SLC) has contracted former Australian Cricket all rounder Thomas Masson Moody, better known as Tom Moody, to coach cricket coaches attached to SLC beginning this month. The 51-year-old Moody, a native of Adelaide, will use the latest coaching techniques on par with the new updates of the game. He is likely to make four to five visits per year, and on each visit will spend two weeks with these coaches. With the vision of making SL the best cricketing nation more..

Feb 2 (TM) Against the backdrop of the global coronavirus outbreak, Chinese travellers are reported to be cancelling scheduled trips to Sri Lanka en masse, with February and March arrivals expected to hit record lows. As at Friday, it was believed that over 90% of Chinese tourists had cancelled their tours to Sri Lanka and the estimated number of cancellations is between 2,000 and 3,000, industry sources said. more..

Feb 12 (TM) The new Export Development Board (EDB) Chairman Prabhash Subasinghe has expressed his intention of signing the long-delayed Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with China within the next 12�18 months. �Free trade agreements are very important in identifying new markets. We have an ongoing discussion on the Chinese FTA; hopefully in the next 12-18 months it should be concluded. I believe it is an important one,� he said. He was addressing his first press conference more..

Feb 2 (ST) The Under-19 Schools Rugby League 2020 is set to kick off on March 4, with the participation of nearly 90 schools in three divisions. The much anticipated tournament will be played for several months under the supervision of the SL Schools Rugby Football Association (SLSRFA). After sponsoring the Schools Rugby League for nearly two decades, Singer Sri Lanka PLC dropped out of the sponsorship this year. In Singer�s absence, Dialog Axiata PLC have understandably more..

Feb 2 (AD) The 33 SL students who were flew out of Wuhan in a special charter flight have arrived at the facility set up at Diyatalawa army camp�s Base Hospital for quarantine today (1). Sri Lankan Airlines flight (UL 1423) carrying a total of 33 SL students in the Corona virus-affected Wuhan province in China landed at MRIA early this morning (1), consequent upon emergency arrangements effected by Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa. more..

Feb 2 (SO) The government will reactivate the Achchuveli Economic Zone and open it to international investors, Governor of the Northern Province, P.S.M. Charles told the gathering at the launch of the 11th edition of the Jaffna International Trade Fair (JITF) at the Muttraveli grounds in Jaffna on Friday. JITF, the biggest and one of a kind event in the Northern Province ends today. Charles said that four companies are in operation but there is tremendous potential for more. more..

Feb 2 (TM) Following the collapse of a deal with prominent casino operator Ravi Wijeratne, cash-strapped construction company MTD Walkers PLC is in advanced discussions with another investor to acquire the company. Reliable sources said that discussions are ongoing in this regard and that the Board of Directors is likely to meet this week to discuss possible next steps. The identity of the investor is not available at the moment, and it is unclear if it is a local or foreign party. more..

Feb 2 (ST) A proposal to provide increased pension benefits for those who retired after 2017 has been abandoned as the plan would cost the govt a staggering Rs 130 billion annually. Instead of increasing the pensions, Govt would come up with a revised scheme where the pensions of those who retired after Dec 31, 2017 would be calculated on the salary scales as at the end of 2017. Under a proposal of the former govt, more..

Feb 2 (DM) Two suspects who were arrested on charges of printing, circulating and keeping fake currency notes in their possession were ordered to be remanded till Feb 7 by the Moneragala District Court. The imprisoned were identified as Felix Perera (64), a resident of Ampara and R.M. Hinnimahathmaya (65) from Moneragala. The two suspects had served voluntarily in the UNP District Office at the house belonging to MP Ranjith Madduma Bandara, former Minister. more..

Feb 2 (AD) Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa has instructed health authorities to collect information from experts in indigenous and western medicine to find a remedy to cure those affected with coronavirus. President issued these instructions during a meeting with Ministers and officials of Health, Foreign Relations, Tourism and Higher Education held at the Presidential Secretariat yesterday (31). The first victim of novel coronavirus identified in Sri Lanka is now in stable condition, more..

Feb 2 (DM) Minister Bandula Gunawardana said yesterday he would file a case in the Supreme Court challenging the economic and monetary decisions taken by Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera and Treasury officials under the Yahapalanaya govt. "The current economic disaster faced by the Rajapaksa govt is the legacy of the previous govt. I expect to file a case against the actions of the Yahapalanaya govt to prevent more..

Feb 2 (AD) The national project, Gamata Geyak - Ratata Hetak, for the establishment of 14,000 housing units was inaugurated by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa this morning (01). This national housing project is set up at Giribawa in Kurunegala. The objective project is to solve the housing issues of low-income families across the island. Accordingly, a total of 14,022 housing units will be constructed in each Grama Niladhari division, just within 60 days. more..

Feb 2 (AD) Transparency International SL (TISL) highlights that aircraft manufacturer Airbus must pay compensation to the countries who are the victims of corrupt deals involving Airbus. Airbus reached a record 3.6 Billion Euro settlement with US, UK and French authorities following a 4-year investigation into allegations of bribery and corruption. The statement of facts issued on 31 Jan 2020 as part of the Deferred Prosecution Agreement reached between Airbus and prosecuting authorities, more..

Feb 2 (AD) The 33 Sri Lankan students, who were evacuated from the coronavirus outbreak�s epicenter in a charter flight, are to be transported to the Diyatalawa Camp in a special bus. The flight chartered by SriLankan Airlines left for Wuhan from Bandaranaike International Airport last evening and landed at Tianhe International Airport. Flying out the 33 students, the charter flight touched down MRIA this morning (1). more..

Feb 2 (Island) Thirty three SL students (15 males and 18 females) who were studying in Wuhan were brought back to the country aboard a special SriLankan Airlines flight, which touched at the Mattala Int'l Airport yesterday morning. Immediately after their arrival, the students were examined by a special team of medical officers from the tri-services and transported under security escort to the Diyatalawa Military Hospital aboard a bus arranged by the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF). more..

Feb 2 (AD) The female Chinese national, the first patient who was tested positive for 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in Sri Lanka, has recovered completely, says the Director General of Health Services Dr. Anil Jasinghe. He added that the Chinese woman in question, who was admitted to the Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH), can be discharged. Sixteen patients who are suspected to have been contaminated with the novel coronavirus are currently receiving treatment at the IDH, more..

Feb 2 (ST) Airbus SE hired the wife of a SriLankan Airlines (SLA) executive as a business partner through a dummy company she registered in Brunei. The corporation then paid into this entity�s account US$ 2mn (Rs 362mn) out of a total US$ 16.84mn (Rs 3bn) promised in return for ensuring that the national carrier bought aircraft from Airbus, court documents revealed this week. The SLA executive himself used his private Gmail account to communicate more..

Feb 2 (PTI) Senior diplomat Shri Gopal Baglay has been appointed High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka, the country�s Ministry of External Affairs said. Mr. Baglay, a 1992-batch officer of Indian Foreign Service, succeeds Taranjit Singh Sandhu who was recently appointed the Ambassador of India to the United States. Indian External Affairs Ministry, in its statement, stated that the new Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka is �expected to take up the assignment shortly.� more..

Feb 2 (ST) Police have launched a search for a patient who went missing yesterday from a hospital in the north, before he was transferred to the Jaffna Teaching hospital to be checked for suspected coronavirus, officials said. Police were acting on a complaint from the Tellippalai hospital that the patient who had last week returned from Qatar, where he was sharing a room with a Chinese national, had admitted himself with fever, cough and breathing problems. more..

Feb 2 (ST) It seemed an unusual case of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory for UNP deputy leader Sajith Premadasa. Adorning the mantle of Leader of the Opposition with a promise in his pocket that he would be the Prime Ministerial candidate, Premadasa fought for weeks to oust Ranil Wickremesinghe and become the leader of the UNP. That was to lead the party and its allies at the parliamentary elections expected in late April. more..

Feb 3 (ST) Why does Sajith Premadasa have that uncanny feeling this Sunday morning of finding butterflies fluttering in his abdomen? Or feel his ire rising to find fish shakin� a fin to the baila beat of his agitated heart? Why does he fear the shadow that falls before him making him constantly look over his shoulder to assure himself that it is truly his? Like the Muslims await Friday to say their jumma prayers at the mosque and the Christians rush to get to the church on time on Sundays to hear more..

Feb 3 (SO) For a vast multiplicity of people in the world the expression Independence, reverberates with nuances that border upon the holy and the sacred at times. Independence has assumed the stature of an inescapable human imperative. If you are human, you must be free - independent. This seems to be the general view, held by mankind in our day. But with all that, it is not at all easy to get at the real mystique of Independence and freedom. Even non-humans (animals) at times more..

Feb 3 (TM) The authorities have begun a massive crackdown on illegal spas operating in the country after many of them were found to be brothels. Last week, the Police found at least 57 brothels operating as massage parlours in Colombo and its suburbs and arrested a total of 25 individuals. Prostitution is prohibited by law in Sri Lanka, but brothels continue to operate undetected around the country. more..

Feb 3 (ST) Exactly a day after the pomp and the show of India�s celebrations of Republic Day 2020 faded, a young law student standing in the imposing shadow of India Gate in New Delhi, the country�s iconic war memorial, passionately confesses her uncomfortable dissonance with the lavish display. �We are celebrating the Indian Constitution which held millions together with the golden thread of civil rights. Now, Republic Day marks the very opposite of what B.R. Ambedkar�s Constitution stood more..

Feb 3 (CT) The book is titled On Public Imagination and subtitled A Political and Ethical Imperative. It is edited by Victor Faessel, Richard Falk and Michael Curtin. It is a Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group publication out of New York and London. The introductory thematic essay is by Richard Falk and Victor Faessel and its title lets us straight into the problem that is sought to be tackled. Public Imagination: The Challenge of 21st Century Populist and Authoritarian Politics. more..

Feb 3 (ST) In several key govt departments, top posts continue to remain vacant amid attempts by certain parties to push through the names of their own favourites to fill them. The Presidential Secretariat has already rejected four names for the post of Commissioner General of Motor Traffic. They were submitted by a top official from the PM�s Office. The post of Commissioner General of Motor Traffic has been vacant for more..

Feb 3 (TM) Despite the battle for party leadership of the UNP between Party Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe and Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa seemingly reaching a middle ground, the cold war to wrest operational control of the party�s electoral apparatus at the upcoming general election seems very much alive. While the cold war between the Wickremesinghe and Premadasa factions continues, a new battle has now come to the forefront � naming of a general secretary more..

Feb 3 (Island) Airbus has had to pay 3.6 billion euros as fines for having bribed intermediaries in various countries, including Sri Lanka, to seal aircraft sales. It is reported to have used the wife of a SriLankan airline executive to influence the purchase of aircraft, offered her hurriedly formed company as much as USD 17 mn for the entire deal and paid USD 2 mn out of the promised sum. Airbus hired her as a business consultant though she had no aerospace experience whatsoever. more..