Jan 28 (AD) Saman Rathnapriya’s name has been Gazetted to fill the parliamentary seat vacated by resignation of UNP National List MP Jayampathy Wickramaratne. Rathnapriya’s name was nominated last week to fill the UNP MP seat left vacant following the resignation of Dr. Wickramaratne. Dr. Jayampathy Wickramaratne tendered his letter of resignation to the Speaker of the Parliament on Jan 22. With his resignation, one of the UNP National List MP seats was left vacant. more..

Jan 28 (MoD) Pakistan has pledged its support to Sri Lanka to combat drug trafficking and human smuggling activities. Visiting Pakistani Navy Commander Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi expressed Pakistan’s assistance to govt’s efforts to combat drug trafficking and human smuggling activities when he met Defence Secretary Maj. Gen. (Retd) Kamal Gunaratne at the Ministry, today (27). more..

Jan 28 (DM) The names of new members to the Parliamentary Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) and Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) are likely to be announced by Speaker Karu Jayasuriya during the next parliamentary week commencing on Feb 5, a member of the selections committee said. The official who wished to remain anonymous said the list of names had been received from almost all parties representing Parliament and that the committee was going through the list more..

Jan 28 (EN) Secretary of the GMOA Haritha Aluthge is asking the govt to give incentives to encourage the doctors and medical staff working with patients with Coronavirus. Aluthge said that it is not necessary for the incentive to be financial but it could take the form of a letter of appreciation or recognition of their services to the nation which could go in their personnel files. He added that except for the doctors all the other staff working at the IDH hospital are being paid an incentive more..

Jan 28 (AD) All SL students arriving from Wuhan, China will be moved to and screened at the Diyathalawa army camp for two week’s time, says Minister of Health Pavithra Wanniarachchi. She stated this addressing the special media briefing on the measures taken to curb the spread of new coronavirus. Director General of Health Services Dr. Anil Jasinghe, Chief Epidemiologist at the Epidemiology Unit of Health Ministry more..

Jan 28 (AD) Another sample collected from the Chinese woman, who was tested positive for the deadly coronavirus that has killed 106 so far, is to be directed to a test in a foreign country in order to identify its genetic form, says Dr. Anil Jasinghe, the Director General of Health Services. This is the first confirmed case of coronavirus reported in SL, Ministry of Health said. Diagnosed woman, who is 47-year old Chinese from Hubei Province in China, was admitted at the IDH in critical condition. more..

Jan 28 (NR) All visitors to the Bandaranaike International Airport have been banned to prevent the spread of the deadly coronavirus. Speaking to NewsRadio, a Duty Manager at the Airport said only passengers will be allowed to enter the Departure terminal adding that measures have also been taken to prevent any outsiders from entering the arrivals lounge. Accordingly, no relatives of passengers or visitors will be allowed to enter the Airport premises from 6am today. more..

Jan 28 (AD) The Embassy of SL in Beijing says that approximately 204 Sri Lankan students have departed from China during the last two days. Chargé D’Affaires of the Embassy, Mr. K.K. Yoganathan mentioned that more groups of Sri Lankans in China will arrive in the island today and tomorrow. In the meantime, a group of nearly 50 SL students who were living in China reached the island yesterday. The first flight, MU-713, more..

Jan 28 (Island) The PAFFREL has called upon the Election Commission (EC) to carefully screen the applications for registering new political parties because most of the existing ones, numbering 70, don’t contest elections, at all. True, there are too many political parties in this country, which also has too many politicians. We have so many elected people’s representatives that if any wayside bush is kicked several of them jump out, as the popular local saying goes. more..

Jan 28 (DM) With unprecedented rain wreaking havoc in many parts of the country, one has to take extra precaution to prevent the threat of dengue; a menace that has not been curbed successfully to date. As per the latest statistics of Epidemiological Unit of Ministry of Health, a total of 100, 212 dengue cases were reported during 2019. Colombo recorded the highest number of dengue cases with as many as 20,183 cases being reported in 2019. 51,659 dengue cases were recorded in 2018, more..

Jan 28 (DM) Additional Secretary to the Prez for Foreign Relations Admiral Prof. Jayanath Colombage, speaks about the foreign policy of the new govt, and how it will balance out strategic aspirations of the world powers. Adm. Colombage served the SL Navy for a period of 36 years and retired as the Commander of the Navy on July 1, 2014. Q: How do you describe the foreign policy of the new govt? more..

Jan 28 (DM) Wuhan, the capital of the Central Chinese Province of Hubei and now the epicentre of the deadly Coronavirus was my home for four memorable years. It is a fabulous city! If you had not heard much of it before, that is because it is also a grossly underrated one. With a population of 11 million, more people than London, and a five-year infrastructure budget of $ 500 billion, it should have made headlines in the international media. more..

Jan 28 (ST) A diplomat’s duty is always to protect his country’s interests. However, India’s High Commissioner to SL Taranjit Singh Sandhu has always had a genuine affection, a soft spot some would say, for this island-nation he has served in. The envoy came here as a Political Officer at the turn of the century when a majority of Sri Lankans were seriously disaffected with India’s support for the separatist movement in more..

Jan 28 (AD) The committee of experts appointed to conduct a comprehensive study on the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) agreement has decided to seek the public opinion on the matter. The proposal for appointment of this committee was presented by PM Mahinda Rajapaksa and it was later approved by the Cabinet of Ministers. Accordingly, any individual, institution or an organization is given the opportunity to more..

Jan 28 (TM) Touts and taxi drivers outside railway stations, bus stations, and even airports have been harassing tourists and local travellers alike for decades, and the situation appeared to be taking a turn for the worse at BIA this month, with indications of a prevailing taxi mafia. Authorities, however, say that they have risen to the occasion and strict measures therefore are being taken to curtail this menace. more..

Jan 28 (Island) There was no need for people to wear surgical masks at this stage, Dr. Deepa Gamage of the Ministry of Health’s Epidemiology Unit said after the MRI confirmed that the test reports of four patients admitted to the IDH on suspicion of Coronavirus infection had proved to be negative. "There is no need to panic but we need to take maximum precautionary measures. Already the Epidemiology Unit has listed out measures more..

Jan 28 (MFA) Director General for South Asia, Global Affairs Canada, Ambassador David Hartman who is on a bilateral visit to Sri Lanka, has reiterated the strong desire of the Canadian government to move the bilateral relationship forward with Sri Lanka to capitalize on the positive trajectory of SL’s relationship with Canada. At discussions in Colombo between Foreign Secretary Ravinatha Aryasinha & Ambassador Hartman more..

Jan 28 (DM) Six Sri Lankan seamen, on board a container ship which had left China and is currently on its way to the Gulf of Aden, are reported to be suffering from high fever. The container ship CMA CGM URAL was on its way to the Suez from China via Singapore and the Mediterranean / Black sea ports. The ship is reported to have docked at Chinese ports in Shenzhen, Xiamen, Ningbo-Zhoushan and more..

Jan 28 (EN) UNP MP Harshana Rajakaruna said that the govt should take stern action to stop the spread of Coronavirus within the country. He said that the govt should decide to temporarily stop flights to and from China as a precaution which countries like Pakistan have already implemented. He also said there are no face masks available in shops to wear which is the standard precautionary thing be done by more..

Jan 28 (EN) The Attorney General is saying that he is not bound by instructions issued to him by a PCoI to refrain from prosecuting two accused in the alleged abduction and murder of eleven youths, the spokeswoman for the AG Nishara Jayaratne said today. The PCoI is looking at allegations of political victimization that took place during last govt, and the AG Dappula de Livera has filed indictments against 16 persons, more..

Jan 28 (FT) I was making my way out of the Cinnamon Grand Hotel lobby when I heard someone calling out my name. It was a heavy European accent and for an uncomfortable moment I could not recognise the caller seated in the lounge chair. Then, it connected, Robert, my old friend from about two decades back, was sitting right in front of me! Twenty years is a long time. I would have had difficulties in recognising Robert, now much heavier and grey, in a crowd. more..

Jan 28 (FT) From the time the bond scam was carried out by the Ranil Wickremesinghe administration, that administration under the guidance of the former Prime Minister had been avoiding the law by regularly bringing up various distractions so that the true nature of the scam could be covered-up and the persons responsible could escape punishment. Instead of a straight-forward Police investigation and prosecution, which is the most obvious and acceptable method by more..

Jan 28 (DN) Galle Additional Magistrate Pavitra Pathirana remanded the five suspects arrested by Habaraduwa Police in connection of the murder of woman hotelier of Yaddehimulla in Unawatuna, Galle till Feb 5. Nilika Wilasitha (34) the owner of Mid-Town House restaurant in Unawatuna was shot dead at her hotel premises in front of her seven year child. The suspects remanded are Lahiru Chanaka (30) of Thilakpura, Ambalangoda, Amith Niranjana (29) of Poonawatta, Dehiowita, more..

Jan 28 (CT) If a debate on the forensic report on the Central Bank Bonds scam is held in Parliament, Govt is ready to reveal details regarding all UNP members, including Party leaders who have committed financial crimes far worse than Ranjan Ramanayake's telephone conversations, State Minister Shehan Semasinghe, told Ceylon Today. He added that when the truth about those involved in the Bonds scam since 27 Feb 2015 is revealed, the UNP's vote base will decline to 3.5 million more..

Jan 28 (AD) Director General of Health Services Dr. Anil Jasinghe says that 11 more hospitals across the country have been arranged for treating suspected coronavirus-infected patients. He stated this addressing a press conference held this morning on the measures taken to curb the spread of new coronavirus which took place at the Department of Govt. Dr. Jasinghe said that in addition to the IDH, CNTH, more..

Jan 28 (Island) Court of Appeal yesterday fixed for argument, on Feb 12, a petition filed by the Centre for Environmental Justice, complaining against the alleged deforestation of the Wilpattu Forest by the former Minister of Forests, Rishad Bathiudeen and several officers of the Forest Department. The petitioner has said that Bathiudeen cleared part of the Wilpattu forest for resettling some persons allegedly displaced from the North. Among the respondents cited in the petition are more..

Jan 28 (AD) Woman stabbed inside house, dies during hospitalization A woman has been stabbed inside the upper storey of a house at Kailagoda in Badulla police division. Upon receiving information on the incident, officers of Badulla police had inspected the house and found the woman in question lying on the floor with stab wounds. However, reports said the 48-year-old woman succumbed to injuries while being admitted to the Badulla hospital. more..

Jan 28 (DM) Former Central Bank (CB) Governors Arjuna Mahendran and Ajith Nivard Cabraal should be arrested and tired in court as the forensic audit reveals that the bond scam had taken place from 2005 onwards and continued even after 2015, UNP MP Thushara Indunil Amarasena said. “One cannot deny the revelation made in the forensic audit. We are not willing to cover up the scam that took place during our time, more..

Jan 28 (Island) Minister of power and energy, Mahinda Amaraweera, has instructed officials to expedite 14 solar power projects that are to add 96 megawatts of energy to the national grid. Addressing a group of officials from the ministry, the CEB, Public Utilities Commission and Sustainable Energy Authority, minister said that Sri Lanka had to implement a number of power projects to ensure the sustainability of the system. "We must look at coal, LNG as well as renewable sources of energy. more..

Jan 28 (CT) Information Technology Society of Sri Lanka (ITSSL) issuing a Media release stated that it regrets efforts made by the Ministry of Defence to curb the freedom of expression of users of social media platforms through cyber activity protection. The ITSSL said that the prevalent laws and regulations are sufficient to tackle those who misuse social media sites and to apprehend those who flout social media laws and regulations. But, they have observed that the formulation of laws and more..

Jan 28 (EN) Sri Lanka has not used Chinese debt appropriately to grow the economy after the end of the civil war, akin to eating a chicken instead of allowing it to lay eggs, a former diplomat cum academic said. “The Chinese approach is giving the chicken to you and letting it lay eggs,” Institute of Int'l Affairs Director Yiwei Wang said in Colombo. He said China intended for SL to use the debt to develop itself. more..

Jan 28 (EN) Govt will make the Eastern terminal of the Colombo Port operational within 3-months, says Daya Ratnayake, Chairman of The Sri Lanka Ports Authority. “Within the next 3-months the business community can have hope,” the top Port official said. In his Election Manifesto setting out his plans for the years 2020-2025 Prez Rajapaksa prioritized the development of the East Container Terminal. The govt said it plans to double the container handling capacity at the Colombo Port. more..

Jan 28 (EN) Stocks closed 0.84% lower on Tuesday, with plunging hotel stocks dragging the market down amid fears of fallout from coronavirus. SL has said a Chinese tourist tested positive for the coronavirus who had stayed around 6 days at several hotels in the island. China is SL’s third largest tourism market, bringing in 9% of the 1.9 million visitors to the country in 2019. John Keells Hotels (KHL) and Asian Hotels & Properties (AHPL), which own the country’s largest hotel chain Cinnamon, more..

Jan 28 (FT) Board of Investment Chairman Susantha Ratnayake recently held discussions with a delegation of senior diplomats from Slovenia visiting Sri Lanka. The delegation was led by Marjan Cencen, Ambassador of Slovenia to Sri Lanka based in New Delhi, and Minister Plenipotentiary Mateja Vodeb Ghosh. The ambassador had visited Sri Lanka to present his credentials to the President of Sri Lanka and more..

Jan 28 (FT) The Supreme Court last Friday fixed for support on 2 June the granting of leave to proceed with the fundamental rights petition filed by Sarifudeen Mohamed Zahran. The petitioner, who is a Rupavahini Assistant Producer, lamented in his fundamental rights violation petition that he had been arrested and detained, with even a travel ban imposed against him, with an evil insinuation in the aftermath of the Easter Sunday bombing. The matter came up before a bench more..

Jan 28 (DN) Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi thanked the staff of the Medical Research Institute (MRI) for developing the blood test that can detect Coronavirus presence in blood. This is not available in many other countries in the world at the moment. The MRI developed the blood test on Saturday (25). Now the MRI can detect the virus in the blood of any person. But the incubation period of the Coronavirus is around 15 days and therefore any individual can have it for 15 days without symptoms. more..

Jan 28 (DM) The govt has been told to rethink the current tax duty structure on vehicle imports and Luxury Tax, as they have effectively put a lid on vehicle imports in excess of 1,600cc engine capacity. According to the latest vehicle registrations data analysed by JB Securities, only one new car and four pre-owned cars have been registered with engine capacity in excess of 1,600cc in December. more..

Jan 28 (AD) Chief of Naval Staff of Pakistan Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi, who is on an official visit to Sri Lanka, has called on PM Mahinda Rajapaksa this morning. The duo has discussed the continued cooperation between the armed forces of both nations while the Premier recalled the support received by the Pakistan military during the war. The visiting Pakistani naval chief has also expressed his gratitude to the govt and the SL cricket team who toured Pakistan last December more..

Jan 28 (Island) Western media has been attempting to create fear and panic among people about the coronavirus while mainly discounting efforts taken by China to contain and cure the disease, President of the SL-China Friendship Association (SLCFA) Ananda Goonatilleke said. Goonatilleke said that sporadic episodes of epidemics caused, either by natural causes or human mistakes was not uncommon in human history and the humane response to such incidents should be to more..