Feb 16 (SLN) Navy apprehended 3 Indian nationals attempting to illegally migrate to Sri Lanka by a dinghy, along with 2 more suspects on 14th Feb. After having spotted a suspicious dinghy plying in the sea area North of Talaimannar, a naval craft patrolling in the above sea area has apprehended this group of people who were attempting to illegally migrate to SL via sea route. Among the apprehended persons are a 39 year old male, a 33 year old female, a 7 yr old girl & 2 Lankans more..

Feb 16 (DM) US Congressmen Ami Bera and George Holding met PM Mahinda Rajapaksa in Colombo and discussed the strengthening of relations in a few sectors including counter terrorism, tourism & energy sectors. The Prime Minister stated that one of the key priorities for the country at this time is economic development and encouraged more U.S. investments in SL. �I think this is the most vibrant region and has a lot of potential,� more..

Feb 16 (SLN) SL Navy apprehended 2 persons with a stock of gold being smuggled in the sea area of Madagal on 14th Feb. On receipt of information, Navy conducted a special naval operation in the sea area of Madagal and managed to seize this consignment of gold being smuggled from SL, by a dinghy. The seized consignment contained 14kg and 350g of gold which has been estimated to be valued at Rs. 110 million. The apprehended suspects have been identified as residents of the same area, more..

Feb 16 (PSL) Information has been received regarding few persons, who are pressurizing officials to grant various facilities including loans quoting name of Secretary to the Prez, Dr. P.B. Jayasundara as well as names of few other senior officials in the Govt. A Chairperson of a State Bank has conveyed this information to Secretary to the Prez says that during his entire career in the public service he has never entertained anyone or contacted any official in any bank or state institution to seek more..

Feb 16 (EN) Prez Rajapaksa is calling on the system of justice in SL to be more public friendly, efficient and effective with a view to solving the issues of the people. He also said that it is important that the judiciary does not interfere needlessly in the functioning of the legislature and executive branches of govt while emphasizing the need for the elected arms of govt from meddling with the judiciary. In a speech delivered to a Bar Association more..

Feb 16 (USE) The Career Bus funded by the US embarked today on its maiden voyage. Traveling throughout SL, it will bring professional employment advising services to rural youth with limited access to career guidance professionals. Developed in partnership with the Vocational Training Authority (VTA) and the private sector, the bus started from Dondra and will stop at more than 30 towns and villages in Eastern, Southern, Northern, S'gamuwa, Uva, North Central Provinces. more..

Feb 16 (Island) Gampaha District Assistant Conservator of Forests, Devani Jayatilleke was able to withstand political pressure and refuse to release a mangrove for the construction of a playground in Negombo because of the independence that the 19th Amendment to Constitution had conferred on govt servants, UNP MP Lakshman Kiriella said. He that the Independent Public Service Commission established as a result of the 19th Amendment, introduced by Ranil Wickremesinghe govt, more..

Feb 16 (EN) US Ambassador in Colombo Alaina B Teplitz has been summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Relations today over the ban imposed on the Army Commander Shavendra Silva from entering the US, a top official said. Teplitz will be meeting Minister of Foreign Relations Dinesh Gunewardene at his office. On Friday SL�s army chief Silva was banned from visiting the US, over alleged human rights violations more..

Feb 16 (EN) PM Mahinda Rajapaksa has promised to look into the grievances of the families whose loved ones went missing during the 1988-89 period. A group of family members of the missing persons held a demonstration in Colombo Friday morning and when they reached the PM�s official residence Temple Trees, officials went out to meet them. The protestors handed over letters and petitions, asking the govt for help with jobs and allowances for the families of the disappeared. more..

Feb 16 (SNA) Two new patrol vessels gifted by the Sri Lankan government to help in maritime surveillance officially joined the Seychelles Coast Guard fleet on Friday. The two inshore patrol wave riders arrived in Seychelles last week on an Indian navy ship -- INS AIRAVAT -- after the govt of India responded to Seychelles' request for assistance with the transfer. The vessels "have been constructed to undertake surveillance, rapid intervention and safeguarding our maritime areas, and more..

Feb 16 (SO) Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said Parliament is likely to be dissolved by the President on March 1 midnight or the following day. According to the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, the President is empowered to dissolve Parliament after the completion of four-and-a-half years of its term. Thus, Prez Rajapaksa is constitutionally permitted to dissolve Parliament and go for General Elections after Mar 1 midnight, more..

Feb 16 (AD) An Extraordinary Gazette notification has been issued for the establishment of a new separate urban council for Sainthamaruthu. Minister Janaka Bandara Tennakoon issued the relevant gazette notification yesterday (14). The term of office of the Sainthamaruthu Urban Council will accordingly commence on the 20th March 2022, the gazette notification noted. Administrative boundaries of the Sainthamaruthu Urban Council as specified in the gazette notification are as follows: more..

Feb 16 (AD) Former SL Ambassador to Russia Udayanga Weeratunga who is currently under remand has been admitted to the Prisons Hospital. Reportedly, he had been admitted to the hospital last night (14), upon examination by doctors following an illness. Former SL Ambassador was remanded until Feb 17 by the Fort Magistrate after being arrested at the BIA by the CID yesterday (14). Weeratunga was wanted for the alleged embezzlement of public funds to the tune of US$ 7.833 million more..

Feb 16 (ST) SLPP leaders will meet their SLFP counterparts on Tuesday (18) to discuss the future of their alliance to contest the upcoming parliamentary elections. It will be a make or break session in the aftermath of new thinking in the SLPP leadership that candidates should contest under their Pohottuwa (or lotus flower bud) symbol. This apparent policy shift, revealed exclusively in these columns last week, more..

Feb 17 (CT) Newly minted Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa continued to bat for Rajapaksa Govt yesterday by coming out strongly in support of Army Commander Shavendra Silva who was slapped with a travel ban by the US for his involvement in war crimes during the final stage of the conflict in 2009. In two tweets in sequence Premadasa claimed that the imposition of a travel ban on army commander Shavendra Silva and his immediate family was regrettable & unfortunate. more..

Feb 17 (CT) It�s official! President Gotabaya Rajapaksa informed a visiting UN dignitary that the 20,000 so-called missing persons are all dead. Reports in the BBC, New York Times and Telegraph (UK) have not been contradicted by him or GoSL. The missing are nearly all Tamils and the President�s half-hearted attempt to pin the blame on the LTTE flopped. The LTTE killed 20,000 Tamils!! That�s as hilarious as Aesop�s Fables about talking rabbits. Sure, LTTE killers eliminated dozens of more..

Feb 17 (SO) The energy crisis faced by SL has been a hot topic for almost two decades now. It emerges from time to time when the CEB introduces power cuts mainly due to severe droughts. In the Face to Face segment this week, Former Minister of Power and Energy Ravi Karunanayake and current Minister Mahinda Amaraweera discussed various issues faced by the power sector and the ongoing power crisis more..

Feb 17 (ST) The escalating clash of words (hopefully, not arms) between the Attorney General (AG) and the acting IGP over the failure to immediately file charges against an interdicted High Court judge on the basis of allegedly attempting to fabricate evidence as revealed in leaked phone conversations with a parliamentarian, has thrown up some interesting dilemmas. Post 2019 Prez polls, SL is witnessing the stage being set for an wholesale overhaul of our constitutional systems. more..

Feb 17 (CT) While over 218,300 people are suffering from the lack of drinking water in Kalutara, Govt continues to allow sand mining in the Kalu Ganga, alleged Lakshan Ranaweera, a resident of the Kalutara District. Saying it was wrong for the Govt to have issued licenses to sand miners, Ranaweera pointed out that they had contributed to Kalutara's severe drinking water shortage, as their activities had lowered the river's water level and caused it to become contaminated by seawater, more..

Feb 17 (ST) The energy crisis faced by Sri Lanka has been a hot topic for almost two decades now. It emerges from time to time when the CEB introduces power cuts mainly due to severe droughts. In the Face to Face segment this week, Former Minister of Power and Energy Ravi Karunanayake and current Minister Mahinda Amaraweera discussed various issues faced by the power sector and the ongoing power crisis in the country. more..

Feb 17 (CT) Sandha - Trade Union fee that tea estate workers began paying many years ago - has a dark side: these estate workers have no idea why they pay this amount, what is happening to the money at the end of the day, and who actually benefits from it. The average tea plucker, known as an estate worker, starts work at around 6am, regardless of the weather, stepping out of their house to harvest 18kg of tea for a measly wage of Rs 700. paid a visit to Maskeliya more..

Feb 17 (ST) Old feuds were forgotten, the old hatchet buried and the old adage that a nation doesn�t have permanent friends, only permanent interests shunted aside when a change of fortunes and a change of attitude made New Delhi roll out the red carpet of welcome to the returning prodigal who came to genuflect and proclaim kinship as the gateway to India�s heart. The tail end of Mahinda Rajapaksa�s second term of office as President saw Indo-Lanka relations take a nose dive after more..

Feb 17 (Island) It is that kind of time again. I used this phrase as far back as 2012 in an article titled Are you ready for the next blackout ? However, for Sri Lanka history repeats itself by lamenting on shortage of power and fear of power cuts, as the dry season approaches. Obviously, those in authority have forgotten or unaware of the simple advice given in the nursery rhyme on the ants working hard to collect food to last them during the rainy periods. Although this must be applied in reverse more..

Feb 17 (TM) Department of Census and Statistics (DCS) plans to launch a digital portal that would serve as a comprehensive registry of all registered and unregistered businesses in SL. The portal is expected to formalise the country�s economy, which is still overwhelmingly informal. It is also expected to enable the DCS to produce far more accurate economic data than it does at present. A study carried out by DCS in 2013 found that informal sector of economy was at a staggering 96%. more..

Feb 17 (ST) Wanted fugitive, Udayanga Weeratunga, former Ambassador to Russia, was escorted to Colombo from Dubai by two CID detectives at dawn on Friday and driven from the BIA straight to the CID headquarters where a statement was recorded from him for well over five hours. It related to the procurement of MiG-27 fighter jets for Air Force in 2006. CID detectives said further statements would be recorded from him. more..

Feb 17 (Island) The US and its western allies cannot depend on their nukes and economic prowess to dominate the world any longer. Their rivals have matched their military power, and China�s steady rise as an economic powerhouse is a worrisome proposition for them. Russia has also bounced back, under Putin, and pitted itself against its traditional enemies. So, the western bloc has invented a new weapon to achieve its goal; it has weaponised human rights and uses them selectively to more..

Feb 17 (EN) Foreign investors have sold some rupee bonds for the third week in a row, taking the total down to 103.8 billion rupees in the week to Feb 12, 2020. Foreign investors were net buyers of rupee bond in the week to Jan 22, 2020 when the total rupee bonds held by foreigners went up to 114.4 billion rupees from 109.5 billion rupees a week earlier, central bank data showed. Foreign investors sometimes sell bond steadily for several week and then others start buying. more..

Feb 17 (MB) A big part of conserving any wildlife species is to conserve its natural habitat. But when that becomes an increasingly difficult task due to human-driven changes in those environments, the next best thing to do is to hold on to those altered habitats. That�s the surprise finding from a new study on the Indian pangolin (Manis crassicaudata), one of 8 species of scaly anteater that�s the most trafficked mammal on Earth. more..

Feb 17 (FT) Sampath Bank�s Board of Directors has recommended a final cash dividend of Rs. 11.75 per share to be paid for the financial year ended 31 December 2019, subject to the approval of the shareholders at the Annual General Meeting to be held on 30 March. The dividend pay-out ratio for the year ended 31 December 2019 is over 40%. The bank�s total operating profit before impairment and taxes grew by 1.1% to Rs. 34.8 billion in 2019 compared to Rs. 34.4 billion reported in 2018. more..

Feb 17 (EN) State-run Bank of Ceylon, Mobitel (Pvt) Ltd, a unit of Sri Lanka Telecom, said they have tied up to provide digital mobile payment application for small businesses, which they hoped to promote country-wide using their customer bases. The SmatPay branded digital payment service is targeted at small businesses. Officials said Mobitel and 7 million customers and Bank of Ceylon 12 million customers and 643 branches allowing a large segment of the population to use the service. more..

Feb 17 (ST) Former SL cricket captain and head coach Marvan Atapattu says one of the main reasons for the decline in Sri Lanka cricket is the lack of quality in school and domestic cricket being played in the country. �It will take at least ten years to get the system back on track,� the former opener who has distanced himself since being ousted as national head coach following the 2015 World Cup semi-final exit said. more..

Feb 17 (DN) Shelinda Jansen adjudged the best performer and won the RIT Alles challenge trophy while Lyceum Wattala topped the medals tally at the Int'l Schools Athletic Championship concluded yesterday. Shelinda also won the best female athlete�s award for her performance in the 100m clocking 11.94 seconds which is a new meet record. Schools from Wattala won 92 medals with 39 gold, 30 silver and 23 bronze. Host school Gateway Colombo secured third place with 72 medals more..

Feb 17 (AA) We ended New Year this year with a calm discovery of SL�s Cultural Triangle, so called as it is concentrated with many Buddhist temples, sculptures, ancient monasteries and stupas that date back to over 2000 years. The area also covers some of UNESCO World Heritage Sites including the ancient cities of Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Sigiriya, Dambulla and Kandy. There are a number of monolithic rock formations that have been ideally transformed into places of worship. more..

Feb 17 (FT) Business leader and Softlogic Holdings Chairman Ashok Pathirage has said new a political equation will galvanise the economy though challenges remain. His optimism as well as recommendations were contained in his review accompanying Softlogic third quarter results which reflected impressive turnaround. He said Softlogic�s heavy investments in retail, healthcare and Quick Service Restaurants (QSR) have been made more..

Feb 17 (FT) Hemas Holdings has continued its recovery from a challenging first six months with Q3 FY 19/20 Group revenue and operating profit broadly in line with Q3 FY18/19. The company in a statement said on a Quarter on Quarter (Q-o-Q) basis, it grew strongly over Q2 FY19/20. Revenue grew by Rs. 2.3 b, 14.9% over Q2 while operating profit and earnings rose by Rs. 1.2 b and Rs. 767.5 m. �This growth was driven by our Consumer and Healthcare businesses with strong more..

Feb 17 (FT) Plantation Industries Minister Dr. Ramesh Pathirana says no final decision has been made yet on the three proposals submitted by the Regional Plantation Companies (RPCs). Accordingly the three models proposed by the RPCs include outgrower, productivity-based incentives and revenue sharing model. �We are still in the process of exploring how best we can work this out, to be able to provide a Rs. 1,000 daily wage for the estate workers March,� Minister said. more..

Feb 17 (ST) A young woman�s attempted suicide due to ragging at the Uni of Jaffna, has again sparked debate on whether the archaic student indoctrination practice should be banned altogether from the country�s campuses. Three students of uni�s Faculty of Technology have been suspended on suspicion of involvement in the latest incident in which a father said his daughter tried to kill herself after receiving derogatory messages on more..

Feb 17 (TR) Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a male national of Sri Lanka who is suspected in the fraudulent purchase of nearly 40,000 liters of fuel in Ibaraki Prefecture last year. Thus far, police have accused the Kushan Kurukulasuriya, 20, and two others of using a credit card in the name of another person to pay 400,000 yen for 3,500 liters of diesel at a gasoline station in the town of Goka last October. Kurukulasuriya and one other suspect admit to the allegations. more..

Feb 17 (Island) SL Institute of Architects (SLIA) will hold the A20 (ARCHITECT 2020) Trade Exhibition for the 38th consecutive time at the BMICH from 20th to 23rd February. The Trade Exhibition and Members� Work will be opened to the general public from 10 am to 10 pm on above dates with more than 300 trade stalls and 150 architect display panels including digital panels displaying their work. Meanwhile, the inauguration ceremony of the annual sessions of 2020 will be held on 19th Feb, more..