Feb 2 (CT) State Minister Dilan Perera, told Ceylon Today of what happened in the Executive Committee. He said it was discussed about the new Constitution and the Local Govt election there. When asked about the stories about new parties, he said there is no need to discuss about them, and the election would be faced with the unity of the party leaders. Q: What happened in the Executive Committee? A: Nothing. more..

Feb 2 (Island) Former President Rajapaksa has asked the govt to arrest him and spare his family members. He says the recent arrest of his second son, Yoshitha, is part of a sinister campaign to force him into submission. His political opponents have welcomed legal action against Yoshitha and they have even predicted some more arrests. Let there be no argument about the need to institute legal action against those who abused power and amassed wealth through illegal means under more..

Feb 2 (Island) Independence Day is the day a country gained freedom from a foreign rule. In any country, the citizens, irrespective of their religion and race, recites the national Anthem (NA) and celebrate the Independence day with immense pride. We, too, got our independence on 4th Feb 1948. For the first time on that day, we celebrated the Independence Day with much respect and honour, hoisting our national flag and singing the NA. From 1948 onwards ever since, more..

Feb 2 (Island) Most stock markets in emerging and frontier countries have been affected by the slowdown in the Chinese market. Under these circumstances, foreign investment inflow has decreased at the CSE by 10% over the past few months. "At present, foreign investors are in jitters because the Chinese stock exchange has dropped by 20%. Therefore, most foreign investors are moving away from emerging and frontier markets due to this volatile condition, more..

Feb 2 (DN) A fine knock of 37-ball 54 which consisted of four hits to the ropes and three above by Minod Bhanuka and two good bowling spells by A. Dananjaya (3/35) and P.A.S.S. Jeewantha (3/25) steered Kandy Crusaders to a five- wicket win over Kurunegala Warriors in their Super T20 Provincial Tournament match worked off at the R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo yesterday. Batting first Warriors piled up 154/9 in their alloted 20 overs with Shehan Fernando top scoring 56 runs. more..

Feb 2 (ST) Any sportsman or sportswoman who has reached the level of administration should tap their own hearts & ask themselves: Have we done the right thing by the sport and have our decisions cascaded into results in the arena? You can be sure they would turn around and make some utterances about their glory days and how we beat so and so, yet in the present context they are at zilch, swirling in a bottomless pit. more..

Feb 2 (DN) Sri Lanka mens and womens swimming tram will leave the island on Feb 3 to participate in South Asian Games to be held in Guwahati, India later this week. Team is being trained by Manoj Abeysinghe and legendary swimmer Julian Bolling. Part of the team had two sessions of training at Jayatillake Sports Complex swimming pool and also later at Diyatalawa to get themselves acclimatised to the cold conditions in Guwahati while the balance trained in Colombo which is very unusual as more..

Feb 2 (ST) The event was the big sports meet at a leading sports stadium. The chief guest was on the verge of delivering his speech to the huge audience over the microphone when his mobile phone rang. Completely forgetting that he was on the verge of delivering his speech over the public address system, the chief guest started lambasting the caller. The packed stadium who had gathered to hear the chief guest’s words too heard the strong words used by the chief guest and more..

Feb 2 (Hindu) Tamil People’s Council, a forum of different Tamil political parties and groups, has proposed that Sri Lanka be converted into a federal republic. It has also suggested that a state of emergency be declared in the event of any State seeking to secede itself from the proposed Federation. Governor of the State concerned would take over executive functions and powers of Chief Minister and the Board of Ministers. more..

Feb 2 (Island) Taking a sustainable and economically viable view of the local dairy industry, Fonterra Brands Sri Lanka recently announced the construction of its first demonstration and training farm in Pannala at a cost of Rs.117 million which will not be used for commercial purposes, but will be dedicated to training and education. The new Pannala demonstration and training farm is to be opened by the PM of New Zealand and will be operational by the end of February. more..

Feb 2 (DN) Tamil Nadu Chamber of Commerce & Industries (TNCCI) entrepreneurs are looking at investing in the Achchuveli Industrial Zone. TNCCI President N. Jegatheesan who led a 54 member business delegation speaking to Daily News Business at the seventh Jaffna International Trade Fair (JITF) 2016 said that Tamil Nadu Chamber of Commerce and Industries is the largest trade body in India having more than 5,000 members including 350 associations. more..

Feb 2 (EN) The conduct of police chief will be raised at the Cabinet following allegations that he was preventing the arrest of officers allegedly responsible for the death of a 129-year-old man at Embilipitiya, a minister said. Minister Harin Fernando said he was under the impression that police had arrested two senior officers in line with an order by Embilipitiya magistrate and was surprised to learn Monday that it was not so. more..

Feb 2 (DN) Nearly 20,000 fishermen in the Puttalam district refrained from going out to sea and held a demonstration yesterday demanding a total ban on the use of proscribed nets by fishermen and withdrawal of permits issued by certain groups to use such proscribed nets. As a result, fish stalls in Chilaw and surrounding areas had put up shutters at the request of protesting fishermen. As some businessmen tried to break the understanding and start fish sales at Malwatte Chilaw, more..

Feb 2 (DM) One of the youngest conglomerates in Sri Lanka, Laugfs Holdings, broke ground on one of South Asia’s largest pharmaceuticals manufacturing plants in Koggala recently, making a grand entrance to the country’s health sector. “This is one of the largest pharmaceutical production investments not only in Sri Lanka, but also in South Asia. The initial investment is US$ 30 million, and as we go on, the investment will be Rs.6-7 billion. This will change the entire direction of the industry in SL,” more..

Feb 2 (DM) President Sirisena has not been briefed on the contents of the UNHRC resolution on Sri Lanka and that is why he makes contradictory statements on it, former external affairs minister G.L. Peiris said. He said the resolution co-sponsored by US and Sri Lanka had clearly laid down the time frame for the investigation of war crimes charges and the involvement of foreign experts in the mechanism. more..

Feb 2 (EN) Google’s Project Loon aerial wireless network using balloons Sri Lanka is trying out should create more competition among telecom operators and lead to lower costs and prices, govt officials said. "This will create competition between fibre optic cables, (mobile phone) towers and balloons," Minister Harin Fernando said. "As a govt we will bring in the latest technology. Competition and market forces will reduce costs and prices," he said. Govt has signed a one-year deal with more..

Feb 2 (EN) Sri Lanka has earned 232 billion rupees from vehicle taxes in 2015, Minister Ravi Karunanayake said and a similar volumes are expected in 2016 despite an expected fall in imports. Though vehicle imports may fall, he said tax revenues will be sustained because vehicles imported by the govt will now have to pay tax from 2016. SL's tax revenues are low partly because of such anomalies, but also because state enterprises control large parts of the economy but more..

Feb 2 (FT) Minister Ravi Karunanayake categorically denied allegations made JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake of favouritism regarding vehicle import duties, and SL Customs revealed that it has recovered the relevant dues. Karunanayake said JVP leader accused him of interfering in the investigations of vehicle fraud and having helped selected vehicle importing businessmen to release more..

Feb 2 (Island) Undergraduates of Ruhuna University urged the authorities to provide hostel facilities to freshers of its Faculty of Management and Finance before Feb 8. President of the Students’ Council, said that they would start a protest, demanding hostel accommodation when university reopened on Feb 8 after vacation. He said hotel accommodation had been resricted to the first year and final year undergraduates for want of space in the existing buildings. more..

Feb 2 (IAEA) “Don’t sit down, this isn’t a lecture,” the doctor cries. As the medical students jump to their feet, she tells them: “We’re in a clinic. You need to get close to the patient.” Damayanthi Nanayakkara, one of Sri Lanka’s top nuclear medicine physicians, does not have time to waste. She has a clinic full of patients to attend to. Every weekday at 8 a.m. sharp, she arrives at Peradeniya Nuclear Medicine Unit, elegantly dressed in a vibrant sari – her normal workwear – dons her lab coat and gets down more..

Feb 2 (CT) National mobile service provider Mobitel will conclude the Hutchison Telecom Lanka deal shortly, Minister Harin Fernando said. According to telecoms analysts the value of the deal is US$ 150 million. Fernando however refused to comment on the value of the deal. He said that Sri Lanka's TRC has rejected UK-based mobile virtual network operator Lycamobile proposal to buy Hutchison Telecom Lanka. more..

Feb 2 (DS) ICC Under-19 World Cup brings together the world's elite youth cricketers and watching them on television it is easy to forget how young they are and that they are on an educational quest -- not just about cricket but about life in general. One such opportunity presented itself for the Sri Lankan youths in Dhaka, in the form of a brief appearance to meet a group of differently-abled students from the Parents Forum for Differently Able (PFDA) Vocational Training Centre more..

Feb 2 (USE) On January 28-29, 50 Research Assistants from the Sri Lankan Parliament participated in a U.S.-supported workshop to help Members of Parliament better hear and address the concerns of their constituencies. This training, conducted in both Sinhala and Tamil, is part of the approximately 73 million LKR ($509,000) project from the USAID to assist the Sri Lankan Parliament become more effective and responsive to the people they represent. more..

Feb 2 (DM) Neither the President, the PM nor any other minister had given orders to arrest former President's son Yoshitha Rajapaksa, govt said. Deputy Minister Ajith Perera and State Minister Ranjan Ramanayake made these remarks while speaking on behalf of govt on the recent arrest of Mr Rajapaksa. Deputy Minister Perera said that Mr Rajapaksa was arrested after a complaint was lodged by Citizens for Just Society. more..

Feb 2 (CT) The kidney disease is rapidly spreading to the southern region, a group of lecturers of the Rajarata and Ruhunu Universities have confirmed. This research was conducted using the farming communities in Hambantota, Weeraketiya, Lunugamvehera, Agunakolapelessa of the South and Moneragala, Thanamalvila and Wellawaya of the Uva Province. The research team had pinpointed that as in the Rajarata, in the South and Uva Province the disease is widespread more..

Feb 2 (CT) According to US media reports, Google recently told US federal regulators that its Project Loon does not pose any risk to the environment or humans. Minister Harin Fernando said that the polythene balloons used in the Google Loon project are recyclable with no adverse impact on either the environment or on humans. Project Loon is a research and development project, which is being developed by Google X to see whether Google Loons can replace expensive cables and more..

Feb 2 (DM) Former President Rajapaksa said that the urgency to arrest Yoshitha Rajapaksa, was not there to arrest those involved in the Embilipitiya incident. “Despite the Magistrate’s order to arrest those involved in the Embilipitiya incident, no arrest have been made so far, but what was the hurry to arrest Yoshitha Rajapaksa?” he said. Former President also said every individual who were with him were subjected to more..

Feb 2 (Island) Nishamani Munasinghe complained to the Court of Appeal that despite a Magisterial order, CID had so far failed to arrest the ASP and the HQI of Embilipitiya suspected of the killing of her husband on Jan 4, 2016. She requested the Court to issue a mandatory order on the IGP and the CID to arrest the suspects. Petitioner, 29-year-old pregnant mother with one daughter alleged that she had seen her husband, who had been at a party, pushed down from the first floor by police officers. more..

Feb 2 (DN) Legal action will be taken against five leading schools in the Colombo city for negligence and for having dengue mosquito breeding sites in their premises, CMC Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Ruwan Wijeyamuni said. 483 dengue patients have been reported for last month from areas surrounding the CMC. A total of 950 areas conducive for dengue breeding were identified following the Dengue Prevention Programme that was conducted during the past three days. more..

Feb 2 (DN) The Defence Ministry has informed the Navy Commander to take legal action against Lieutenant Yoshitha Rajapaksa for allegedly touring foreign countries at his own discretion without seeking permission from Navy Commander while he was attached to Presidential Secretariat. Yoshitha Rajapaska has allegedly toured a number of countries during the time he was attached to Presidenital Secretariat. more..

Feb 2 (DM) With a selfish greedy and wicked world system having created a monstrosity where 62 super billionaires have more wealth and resources than half the world’s population of more than 3,500 million, poverty alleviation is being given top priority by the UN. The crusader in this worldwide movement to bring about zero hunger is the UN Secretary General Ban-Ki-Moon who is adopting creative and imaginative ways in the battle against what he sees as a crime against humanity. more..

Feb 2 (DM) Terrorism has left a trail amongst northern Tamils, feeling of a need for a separate state; brainwashed by LTTE and kept alive by the remittances of the Diaspora. With the Provincial Council positioned, dawned on the North the outdated Indian prescription was not the answer sought. A home remedy kept to present needs is wanted for the North: Should be baked in Colombo and flavoured in Jaffna to be sold. Tamil pride was wounded, when the Sinhala army overran more..

Feb 2 (DM) Minister S. B. Dissanayake who has taken over the task of bringing the two factions of Mahinda and Maithri together was recently interviewed on the political issues connected with that effort. Investigations are centred around Mahinda Rajapaksa and his family: some believe it is Maithripala Sirisena’s work to separate the party -- SB. Q: What is the present position in your broking effort in getting Maithri-Mahinda together? more..

Feb 2 (Island) Undergraduates of Open University (OU) commenced a signature collection campaign, demanding the re-opening of its Colombo main campus and an end to what they called the suppression of students. Convener of OU Students’ Unity, Amila Sandaruwan said that they had launched their campaign from Nugegoda town and distributed leaflets to raise public awareness about violation of students’ rights. more..

Feb 2 (SL) We have been talking about media freedom for a long time now. Many a time, those in power had tried to intimidate journalists through abducting them, and by killing them. Some journalists escaped from this merciless treatment, fled the country seeking refuge overseas leaving their loved ones in Sri Lanka. They sacrificed their whole lives for the fight against injustice. Freedom of the press in Sri Lanka is guaranteed by more..

Feb 2 (ST) Sri Lanka’s claimed urgent action to investigate a kidney transplant racket alleged by media in India has run out of steam over a lack of concrete information and steadfast denials of culpability by hospitals and doctors. The Health Ministry said January 22 that swift action was being taken to investigate the alleged racket. The ministry’s Director-General, Dr. Palitha Mahipala, told media that more..

Feb 2 (EN) Sri Lanka's Dialog Axiata, largest mobile operator, has sounded out authorities on a take-over of a unit of Bharti Airtel in the island, Minister Harin Fernando said. Dialog Axiata did not comment on the deal, but in December the firm said in a stock exchange filing that it had not reached material certainty any merger or acquisition. Last week Malaysia-based Axiata said it will merge with Airtel operations in Bangladesh. more..

Feb 2 (EN) Export-Import Bank of Korea and Sri Lanka's Road Development Authority is to study the construction of what could be the island's longest tunnel to carry through traffic and ease congestion in the hill capital of Kandy. This feasibility study will be taken up by a team of Korean technical specialists with a grant from the Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF), managed by the Korea Eximbank. more..

Feb 2 (DM) No attempts at new appointments have been made to state-owned enterprises since the portfolio changed from Finance Ministry to Public Enterprise Development Ministry, Finance Minister said. “There are reports that I have appointed some boards and that Minister Kabir Hashim has appointed another. He told me that no such thing was happening. I believe him. Journalists are trying to promote separatism. more..