Feb 18 (Island) The recent appointment of a new Attorney General brought the workings of the Constitutional Council into sharp focus. The CC simply rubber stamped the decision made by the President not to appoint the senior-most officer of the AG’s Department as the new Attorney General and to appoint an officer lower down the ladder. No reasons were given as to why the senior-most officer who was already functioning as more..

Feb 18 (NS) Walla patta is a household name today, having been a contraband until about a year ago and still smuggled out of the country through illegal channels. Today it’s a restricted export. Although a much-sought-after-ingredient in the French perfume industry lately, the agarwood produced by Walla patta had been widely used for centuries in Arab countries as a house and clothes fragrance. Walla patta chips are used as incense known as Agarbhati and is also known for its clinical properties. more..

Feb 18 (SL) Jayantha Jayasuriya, the President’s Counsel and second most senior officer in the Department of Attorney General, has now been appointed as the Attorney General of the country. There is a controversy over the appointment as Suhada Gamlath, the Acting Attorney General and senior most officer of the department, has been overlooked when appointing Jayasuriya. There was a huge agitation against Gamlath alleging that he was behind certain decisions, which more..

Feb 18 (ER) Visit of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Al Hussein to SL marked a definite shift in the UN stand on the call for an international probe on the alleged human rights violations in the last phase of the armed conflict between govt forces and LTTE in May 2009. He emphasized that it is for the SL govt to finally decide on the composition of the court which has to be appointed to probe if there were violations of human rights in last phase of conflict or not. more..

Feb 18 (DN) "Sports officials must work with more responsibility to develop sports," said Minister Arjuna Ranatunga during a ceremony held to felicitate Ports Authority's South Asian Games athletes yesterday. He also pointed out that more than the Sports Minister the responsibilities lies at the hands of sports officials. "Even under the good governance govt some Sports Ministry officials don't carry out their duties properly as they are influenced by money and power," he blamed. more..

Feb 18 (CT) The AG's Department disappeared from the Gazette notification in the lists which were in the Gazette relating to the respective ministries, when the ministers were sworn in after the 2010 general election. When the media inquired about it from then Justice Minister John Seneviratne, minister said he too was searching where it was located in the Gazette notification. But John was unsuccessful in all attempts to locate more..

Feb 18 (Island) The previous govt used to pride itself on its successful war which eliminated Tiger terrorism. But, it failed or did not care to liberate the country from the clutches of other criminals. It drew heavy flak from the then Opposition for its failure to crack down on the underworld. Many thought the situation would improve significantly after the 2015 regime change. How mistaken they were! Criminals have since demonstrated their ability to strike at will on numerous occasions. more..

Feb 18 (UCAN) On Feb 6, the day before a top U.N. official arrived at a camp for internally displaced people in Sri Lanka's north it was visited by intelligence officers. U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein had planned to visit the camp in Jaffna province and the officers wanted to know who was organizing his visit and what they were going to talk with him about. The camp is a sensitive issue because those living there have had their land occupied by more..

Feb 18 (FT) The 34th Annual Session of the Sri Lanka Institute of Architects (SLIA), Architect 2016 themed Flows: Touching the Void, kicked off yesterday at BMICH. The ceremonial inauguration of the Annual Sessions 2016 was held under the patronage of Minister Champika Ranawaka, Minister Dr. Sarath Amunugama, world renowned Architect Richard Murphy and Architect Wong Mun Summ. more..

Feb 18 (CT) Dialog Axiata announced its consolidated financial results for the year ended 31 Dec 2015. Financial results included those of Dialog Axiata PLC and of Dialog Axiata Group post-consolidation with subsidiaries Dialog Broadband Networks (DBN), and Dialog Television (DTV). The Group continued its strong growth momentum across mobile, digital pay television, tele-infrastructure and fixed line businesses to record a consolidated revenue of Rs 73.9 bn. for more..

Feb 18 (EN) Rocket Internet company everjobs wants to expand beyond Sri Lanka’s main cities this year and sees good growth prospects given low internet penetration and high unemployment among youth, more likely to search for work online. Everjobs entered the island one year ago and, despite existing job portals like topjobs, CV, and Sri Lanka Job Bank, has grown to have a data base of over 2,500 employers including multinationals and banks, and 35,000 registered job seekers. more..

Feb 18 (CT) A Madrasa school at Eluwila, Bandaragama, halted construction of an extension to the building due to threats by Buddhist monks in the area. Monks have stated that they will launch a protest demonstration campaign similar to that of Aluthgama if the construction were to continue. Divisional Secretary halted the construction succumbing to a protest from some monks in the area who had claimed that more..

Feb 18 (CT) Due to security concerns in Chennai, the Indian Rugby Football Union (IRFU) has decided not to feature the Sri Lanka Women's Rugby Team for the second tier of the Asian Sevens Tournament scheduled to be held in India on 20 and 21 Feb. The team was expected to fly this morning to participate in the tournament, which will feature five countries: South Korea, Nepal, Guam, SL and hosts India. This decision has been taken keeping in mind the security concerns in Chennai. more..

Feb 18 (FT) Net profits at Sampath Bank group rose 15% to 1.5 billion rupees in Dec quarter from a year earlier. The group reported earnings of 8.91 rupees for the quarter against 7.74 rupees per share last year. For the year ended December the group reported earnings of 38.44 rupees per share on total profits of 6.6 billion rupees, up 26% from a year earlier. In Dec quarter, interest income rose 14% to 10.7 billion rupees and interest expenses rose 19.1% to 5.9 billion rupees, more..

Feb 18 (DM) One Google Loon balloon had entered into Sri Lankan airspace on Monday, but it is yet to be operational, ICTA Information Infrastructure Program Manager Gavaskar Subramaniam said. He said three balloons had already sent to Sri Lanka and the other two balloons were on the way. Special team from Google would arrive in SL to test on coverage tests, which is scheduled to begin in coming months, more..

Feb 18 (DN) Chamil Cooray won the National Carrom title for the 12th time by defeating World Carrom Champion Nishantha Fernando while Joseph Rosita secured women's national title for the fifth time by defeating Chalani Lakmali in finals at the 48th National Carrom Championship. Lalith Hewage won the Veteran's singles title by defeating Kaviranga Perera and it is a special occasion where seven players were able to conclude their respective matches with White Slams more..

Feb 18 (DN) Minister A.H.M. Fowzie said that former President Mahinda Rajapaksa's political life was destroyed after he brought the 18th Amendment. All former Presidents retired after their second term. but, former President Rajapaksa got the 18th amendment passed to remain in the power for a third term. He (Rajapaksa) held the view that he should be the President for life. But the people rejected this. Minister Fowzie made these observations addressing the media more..

Feb 18 (Hindu) Northern Province’s Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran has raised objections over the renovation of the Palaly airport in the Northern Province, one of the many large infrastructure projects proposed in Sri Lanka with the funding of the Indian govt. He has conveyed his position to PM Ranil Wickremesinghe at a meeting here early this week in which chairperson of the Office for National Unity & Reconciliation more..

Feb 18 (ST) Landmark conference facility BMICH is planned to roll out as a host for international concerts and an eco-friendly hall with an amphitheatre in the future, its CEO Sunil Dissanayaka said. He has outlined a number of exciting plans in the pipeline, stating “We created our business plan for the next three years.” Among them is the need to showcase the impressive facilities including the “unique and sophisticated orchestra pit at the platform in more..

Feb 18 (DN) Rakna Lanka Security Firm had written to Avant Guarde company requesting it to settle a sum of Rs 843.39 million it owed to Rakna Lanka Ltd, said its chairman Victor Samaraweera. Avant Guarde was also informed that legal action would be taken against it for failure to settle this sum and that the Attorney General and the Finance Minister too had been informed about the matter. Samaraweera said Avant Guarde had entered into an agreement with Rakna Lanka Ltd on Oct 2015 more..

Feb 18 (Island) Former President Chandrika Kumaratunga accused her successor Mahinda Rajapaksa of exploiting her husband Vijaya Kumaratunga’s death anniversary. Vijaya was gunned down at his Polhengoda residence on Feb 16, 1988. At the time of his death he was the General Secretary of SLMP, a breakaway faction of the SLFP. Having participated in a commemorative event at 18th Mile Post more..

Feb 18 (DN) Sports Minister Dayasiri Jayasekera felicitated record breaking South Asian Games (SAG) gold medalist Matthew Abeysinghe and his swimming club Killer Whale Aquatics (KWA) at CR and FC grounds, Longden Place yesterday. KWA coached by Manoj Abeysinghe, won 19 medals including seven gold medals representing eight swimmers in the region's five-day meet. Minister assured his fullest support to the club which helped the country to earn such a pride at the SAG. more..

Feb 18 (Island) Foreigners who had invested in govt bonds amounting to USD 2,133 million had silently dumped them between Feb. 3 and 10 and taken their money out of the country aggravating the economic crisis for the govt, market sources said yesterday. The Treasury has decided to float a fresh tranche of development bonds to generate USD 3,375 million. The sources said the foreign exchange reserves too had dropped to USD 6.5 billion by the end of last year. more..

Feb 18 (Island) The next Local Govt elections wouldn’t be held this year due to the delay in demarcating of electoral boundaries, Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena said. The demarcation process was still on in six districts. "Minister Faizer Mustapha is working hard to complete the process, but it will take certain amount of time to finish it and, therefore, LG polls will not be held this year & will be delayed til next year. more..

Feb 18 (CT) Child and Women's Bureau (APHCWB) of Anuradhapura Police Headquarters has deployed sleuths to track down an Army deserter who entered a house in Ulukulama, Anuradhapura and began sexually molesting a young woman who was asleep at the time. The man had gained entry into the house after removing sections of the loosely constructed brick walled house. The victim had lodged a complaint at the Station on 16 Feb claiming the sex assailant had entered her room by more..

Feb 18 (DM) Six new weekend trains had been commissioned on the coastal line with effect from this Saturday. “Several other trains, which were not utilised on the coastal line on Saturdays would also be renewed,” General Manager B.A.P. Ariyarathna said, adding that he made the decision following requests made to him by commuters. One of the additional trains (Train No 8046) would depart from Maradana Railway Station at 5.40 pm and reach Galle Station by 7.48 pm on Saturdays. more..

Feb 18 (PO) Kumar Sangakkara has declined to be the Sri Lankan High Commissioner to United Kingdom. This was revealed by Palitha Pelpola, the Private Secretary to the President of Sri Lanka. Sangakkara, the 38-year-old prolific wicket-keeper and batsman was offered the prestigious post by President Maithripala Sirisena in August last year when he played his last Test match against India at P. Sara Oval, Clombo. more..

Feb 18 (CT) Crowds at the Colombo High Court and District Court complexes were piqued at the simultaneous arrival at Court premises yesterday of former President Rajapaksa and Ex-CJ Shirani Bandaranayaka, albeit for two unrelated happenings there. Rajapaksa was there to attend hearings into a bail application in the Colombo HC for son Yoshitha while the former CJ was there to vote in the election of a new Secretary to the BASL. Front runners in the secretarial race are more..

Feb 18 (FT) Govt has extended the term of PRECIFAC till 3 March 2017. PRECIFAC sources said that Govt is also expected to expand the scope of the Commission including granting more powers to investigate ongoing cases of large-scale fraud and corruption. A few weeks ago, PRECIFAC sent a letter to President Sirisena requesting an extension to its term till March 2017. Appointed by President Sirisena, PRECIFAC has received nearly 1,500 complaints of large-scale of frauds and more..

Feb 18 (PSL) German Chancellor Dr. Anjela Merkel assures to send a high level business delegation including the Economic Affairs Minister of Germany to seek about the opportunities to improve economic investments and trade relations between Germany and Sri Lanka. She made these remarks when she met President Maithripala Sirisena today (17) at the Office of the German Chancellor. more..

Feb 18 (DM) The govt announced yesterday it would launch an accelerated national, natural food production mission from March 6 to give the Sri Lankan people, specially our children, food that is not polluted or poisoned by the use of imported agrochemicals, preservatives or other substances. Minister Duminda Dissanayake, other ministers and MP Ven. Athuraliye Rathana Thera are to play a key role in this programme under the direct supervision of President Maithripala and more..

Feb 18 (DM) Those who lose at elections don’t seem to realise that they, elections, have consequences. Dulles Alahapperuma, Dinesh Gunawardene, Rohitha Abeygunawardene, Kumara Welgama. Bandula Gunawardene and Mahinda Rajapaksa and some like minded MPs and elected members to other provincial bodies are still trying come to terms with the humiliating beating that they received on Jan 8, 2015. It is quite tough for those who had wielded almost unlimited power for more..

Feb 18 (DM) An internationally renowned soprano from Sri Lanka sings the popular devotional song Danno Budunge at Galle Face as part of the independence day celebrations. She gets hooted by the crowd and pilloried by television and electronic websites. A week after this shameful event, none of the better-informed media, or people who should know better, have come to her defence. What exactly is the problem? more..

Feb 18 (SL) Despite many speculations by various parties, China still seems to be leading the race in Sri Lanka’s donor funding framework. Being responsible for well over US$ 487 million disbursements in 2015, China is still maintaining its position as the leading funder for development and infrastructure development in Sri Lanka. Many raised concerns over the former regime’s close association with govt of China, more..

Feb 18 (Stuff) West Otago dairy farmer Marloes Levelink will travel to Sri Lanka this year as part of a new farmer volunteer scheme to work with Sri Lankan dairy farmers. Levelink is one of four dairy farmers - including Troy Doherty, from Bay of Plenty, Tim Phillips, from Waikato and Murray Douglas, from Northland - who will spend a month at Fonterra's new demonstration and training farm in Pannala, near Colombo. more..

Feb 18 (CG) Govt assured stern legal action against unscrupulous agents who continue to defraud innocent Sri Lankan workers by taking them abroad through illegal means. 34 families of deceased migrant workers in the Middle East were given compensation and salary dues by the Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Harsha de Silva today at the Foreign Ministry. A total of rs. 57 million was awarded to the family members. more..

Feb 18 (ST) Mini hydro plants, touted as clean energy power sources, are destroying eco-systems in some areas, experts warned. In Sri Lanka, large hydro power potential has all been fully utilised and what remains are opportunities for small or mini hydro power. These smaller plants are blocking streams, threatening freshwater fish and the fragile ecosystem in these water sources, a conference heard last week. more..

Feb 18 (DN) Irosha Rajapaksha has her head in the clouds, and that’s a good thing. As one of the two female paratroopers in the country, she has a special place in SL’s skyline. When Leading Aircraftwoman Rajapaksha replied to an email to join the first course in parachute jumping for women, she didn’t know what she was getting herself into! But she didn’t think twice before jumping at the chance, more..

Feb 18 (DM) Ven. Uduwe Dhammaloka Thera, who is presently at the centre of a controversy for allegedly possessing an elephant sans a permit, yesterday challenged the authorities to arrest him if nurturing an elephant calf that had been abandoned in his temple was an unlawful act. “I only nurtured an elephant calf that was abandoned in my temple. If I did something wrong to care for it then take me into custody,” the Thera said more..