Jan 17 (CT) The UK is willing to give 21st century training to the members of the Sri Lankan armed forces and assist them in getting international peace keeping assignments. Minister of State for Asia at the FCO, Hugo Swire, who concluded his Sri Lanka visit yesterday, said after a media briefing that the UK can also assist in formulating legislation and repealing the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). "Of course we can do that and that is possible," more..

Jan 17 (ST) Minister Sajith Premadsa had to intervene to settle an impasse between protesting parents and school authorities at Hambantota, after two of the four protesting parents were hospitalised due to dehydration. Four parents launched a hunger strike atop a tree, following the rejection of their children to the year one class of a village school in Dambarella, Hambantota and two of them had to be rescued by villagers who put up a scaffolding on Friday to reach them & take them to hospital. more..

Jan 17 (ST) Sri Lanka’s return to seeking China’s financial assistance was further highlighted yesterday by Minister Ravi Karunanayake taking part in the opening of the Asian Investment Infrastructure Bank in Beijing by President Xi Jinping, an initiative by China to rival the World Bank, IMF and the ADB. Mr. Karunanayake flew to China with a team of officials from his Ministry, immediately upon his return from Male. Last evening he was due to meet Chinese leaders and more..

Jan 17 (CT) President Maithripala Sirisena has called off a one-on-one meeting with billionaire businessman, George Soros, an act which has made many eyebrows go up. The Hungarian-born American businessman, who is considered as one of the 30 richest people in the world, was to meet President Sirisena on 8 January at the Presidential Secretariat. He was in the country on an invitation by the govt and also attended more..

Jan 17 (CT) The Ceylon Teachers' Union (CTU) alleged that over 2,000 children who did not receive Grade 1 Admissions continue to remain at home. CTU has requested the Ministry of Education to intervene in providing solutions to children who have still not received school admission. Secretary of the CTU Joseph Stalin said the same difficulties arose for several parents last year as well. He said Ministry should provide prompt solutions to this matter. However, Minister Kariyawasam denied more..

Jan 17 (SO) Water supply to Akuressa, Malimbada, Matara, Mirissa, Dondra, Gandara, Kottagoda and Dickwella have been suspended temporarily after 15,000 litres of diesel leaked to the river from an underground tank of a fuel station. "Residents and the authorities were quick to respond to plug the leak, however the diesel had already flowed to the river. We have suspended the supply of water to the areas until the contaminated water is flushed out of the system," more..

Jan 17 (SL) With the kicking off of the Western Region Megapolis Project Masterplan (WRMP) scheduled for this week govt hopes to relocate tens of thousands of slum-dwellers, numerous industries in core city and shift at least 20 govt offices to more suitable areas. Accordingly, WRMP’s housing initiatives will focus on necklaces around the Colombo City, with the key objectives of releasing valuable land occupied by slums and more..

Jan 17 (SL) Five-fold Mega Global Hub envisaged by the Rajapaksa regime is to be replaced with a Triple Hub by Ranil Wickremesinghe administration under the proposed Western Region Megapolis Project Masterplan, a high ranking official said. “Rajapaksa envisaged in transforming Sri Lanka into a Five-Fold Mega Global Hub in Aviation, Maritime, Energy, Knowledge and Commerce under his 2010 Mahinda Chinthana – Idiri Dekma (Forward Vision) Election Manifesto,” he said. more..

Jan 17 (ST) Tourists seeking an on-arrival visa at the BIA can now pay the visa fee in five popular foreign currencies instead of only in US dollars earlier, Ministry of Tourism Development announced on Wednesay. It didn’t say what the other currencies were but the most frequently used currencies in hotels and other places permitted to accept foreign cash are the Sterling Pound, Euro, Swiss Franc among others. There were numerous requests from tourists to enable them to pay more..

Jan 17 (ST) A proposed new Constitution for SL appears to have united warring factions in the SLFP and SLFP-led UPFA. They want to adopt a common approach. In what appears to be a landmark event, lawmakers who are supporters of President Sirisena and those of his predecessor Mahinda Rajapaksa met for talks last Tuesday at Parliament library. Representing Sirisena were ministers Nimal Siripala de Silva, Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, more..

Jan 17 (Island) We report today that the police spokesman, ASP Ruwan Gunasekera, has been removed from the inquest proceedings on the death of a man in Embilipitiya allegedly pushed off the third floor of a building where a noisy party was being hosted. While Gunasekera, an ASP and a lawyer, was himself unavailable for comment, somebody in his office had said that he had voluntarily stood down from cross examining witnesses at the inquest/magisterial inquiry. more..

Jan 17 (Island) While traditionally the State provided higher education in Sri Lanka, over the past few decades Sri Lankan students have graduated from private higher education (PRHE) institutions both locally and abroad, competing for jobs and/or further education with their peers from the public higher education (PUHE) sector. Individuals’ demand for PRHE is unlikely to abate given the low intake into the State universities (roughly 20% of those qualifying for admission), more..

Jan 17 (ST) In the world of diplomats, the most protected are United States envoys serving their country in overseas missions. The importance of a US ambassador’s personal security has risen ten-fold following the death of the US envoy in Benghazi, in Libya at the hands of a militant gang that invaded the embassy premises. Therefore, anything unusual is always detected by the staff. Alert personnel at Jefferson House, more..

Jan 17 (ST) The President and the PM will meet the newly appointed co-chairpersons of District Development Coordination Committees tomorrow to explain to them their powers and responsibilities in carrying out the Govt’s development programmes. Home Affairs Minister Vajira Abeywardena said 54 parliamentarians who were appointed to the posts earlier this month would be briefed on the programme, for which the Govt had allocated more..

Jan 17 (Island) New Constitution will be drafted with inputs from all segments across the board so that it will reflect the thinking of the wider majority of the people, PM Ranil Wickremesinghe assured. "We don’t have a so-called draft of the proposed Constitution because the whole endeavor revolves around an open and transparent process with the involvement of all key sectors of society", he said. more..

Jan 17 (Island) Heads are expected to roll at the National Medicinal Drugs Regulatory Authority (NMDRA), which has come under bitter criticism over what pharmaceutical industry players called its lackadaisical attitude that has reflected adversely on the trade. Prof. Asitha de Silva of Dept of Pharmacology, Ragama Medical Faculty of Kelaniya University, is tipped to be appointed new CEO of this apex regulatory body, more..

Jan 17 (CT) Congratulatory messages on several social networking sites flowed in big numbers from Pakistanis around the world saying kudos to their PM Nawaz Sharif on his first sale of 8 JF-17 thunder jets to SL, but within a few days, it came down with a thud when SL said, Sorry we call it a day with the deal. Several Pakistani media also quoted that the deal for JF-17s will be inked during PM Nawaz Sharif's more..

Jan 17 (ST) Indian writer Anuradha Roy was awarded the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature 2016 for her novel Sleeping on Jupiter at a ceremony held at the Fairway Galle Literary Festival yesterday. US$ 50,000 prize was awarded to the winner by PM Ranil Wickremesinghe. Anuradha Roy described herself as being completely stunned and added that an award of this nature was doubly important for its international significance more..

Jan 17 (EN) The entire staff of the Embilipitiya police attempted to supress facts and fabricate evidence after causing the death of a 29-year-old man following a brutal assault on party goers, an internal investigation has found. Even the telephone operator of Embilipitiya police was found to have taken part in a massive cover up of an inhuman attack on civilians, including children and pregnant women on January 4, more..

Jan 17 (CG) Canadian Govt says its links with SL, including the people to people links is both strong and deep. Canadian High Commissioner Shelley Whiting said that as High Commissioner she has seen first hand the strength and depth of the links that exist between Sri Lanka and Canada. She was speaking at a ceremony held in Ampara to mark the 60th anniversary of the Hardy Advanced Technological Institute (HATI). more..

Jan 17 (CG) Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa has extended support to moves by the Govt to abolish the Executive Presidential system. Rajapaksa said that while controversies have emerged about the procedure to be adopted in making changes to the Constitution he believes the Govt will be flexible on this matter. Rajapaksa noted that his election manifesto for the 2015 Presidential election Mahinda Chintana lowa dinana maga more..

Jan 17 (AD) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe says that the new constitution will be drafted only after obtaining public opinions and reiterates that it will not break the unitary status of divide the country. “Before we submit a constitution, the Constitutional Assembly has to declare views. Before that public opinion needs to be obtained. After public opinion is obtained we will have the opportunity to formulate a constitution, more..

Jan 17 (CT) Due to its rich bio diversity and international significance, Sinharaja Rain Forest was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1988 and a World Biosphere Reserve in 1978. For many years Sinharaja Rain Forest has remained free of pollution to some extent. But like most other forests in the country Sinharaja Rain forest is now under threat mainly due to foreigners who come to the forest in search of rare and valuable plants. There have been many incidents reported more..

Jan 17 (Island) I do not know how to commemorate a dead poet. And I do not know why one should commemorate at all, poets or non-poets. If all life is transient, everything is subject to the law of decay, and this includes the law itself. People die, memories too die. Commemoration then, let me offer tentatively, is perhaps a marking of time, more of one’s passing than the passing of the dead. Mahagama Sekera, one of the best loved and celebrated Sinhala poets in recent time, might not have disagreed. more..

Jan 17 (DBS) For more than two decades the SLMC has remained the foremost political party of the SL Muslims. SLMC co-founded and led by the legendary MHM Ashraff is headed by Rauff Hakeem who succeeded him as party leader after Ashraff’s demise in 2000. In recent times the dominant position held by SLMC among Muslims is being challenged by the ACMC led by Rishad Bathiudeen. Both Hakeem a lawyer and Badiutheen an engineer are members of Sirisena-Wickremesinghe cabinet. more..

Jan 17 (Island) President Maithripala Sirisena gave concrete expression to his ideals of healing Sri Lanka’s post war wounds when he utilized his presidential powers to pardon a former member of the LTTE, Sivarajah Jeneevan, who had been convicted and imprisoned for having attempted to assassinate him in 2005 when he was Minister of Mahaweli Development. This symbolic and healing gesture coincided with the first year anniversary of his becoming President. more..

Jan 17 (SO) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe told a national event to mark Thai Pongal in Jaffna that 4,600 acres of land in the North were still under the Sri Lanka Army and will be released in two months. He said the PTA was obsolete. An Act to Prevent International Terrorism will be introduced in line with the United Nations Law by the middle of this year. "We are discussing with Japan and South Africa about the mechanism to give effect to the Geneva Resolution, and advice is also sought on more..

Jan 17 (SL) In my 25 years at the United Nations I have had the privilege of serving in a number of countries. In May of 2011, I arrived in Sri Lanka. Two years had passed since the end of the civil war. The country was transitioning from a humanitarian phase to a path of restoration and lasting peace. My journey in this beautiful island began at this critical juncture. As my current assignment now comes to an end, I look back at the four-and-a-half years more..

Jan 17 (DM) Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne today said he was ready to face the GMOA in Court if they decided to sue him over the Malabe Private Medical University. The GMOA on Friday said that it would take legal action against Minister Senaratne and Ministry Secretary Anura Jayawickrama for permitting the Private Medical University students to perform clinical training at govt hospitals. Minister Senaratne said the decision to allow the university's students to train at more..

Jan 17 (DM) Members of the Sri Lankan cricket team were at the FCID to make a statement on match fixers, Sports Minister Dayasiri Jayasekara said. Clarifying the circumstances of the cricketers being asked to appear at the FCID for statements, the Minister said the players had volunteered information on match fixers to help with ongoing investigations. “They were not being investigated but aiding an investigation. None of the team members take part in match fixing. more..

Jan 17 (ST) The Motor Traffic Department will go in for competitive bidding in cases where more than one person request for a number plate with the same name for their vehicles. Motor Traffic Commissioner-General Jagath Chandrasiri explained that under a new scheme coming into effect soon persons would be able to display a name on the number plate, but they would have to go through a bidding process if the same name was sought by more than one person. more..

Jan 17 (AD) The 15-year-old student and his mother who were arrested over the fatal accident in Dematagoda last night, which resulted in the death of a woman and her 10-year-old daughter, have been remanded after being produced at court today. Teenager was remanded till January 29 while his mother was remanded till January 25 by the Colombo Magistrate’s Court. The fatal accident had occurred at around 8.50pm last night at a pedestrian crossing on Baseline Road near the Dematagoda railway ground. more..

Jan 17 (SL) Attempts are being made to unite President Maithripala Sirisena and former President Mahinda Rajapaksa. The attempt is being made by Ministers and SLFP members S. B. Dissanayake and W.D.J. Seneviratne. With the UNP posing a serious threat to the SLFP at the next LG elections, the SLFP is keen to ensure unity in the party before the polls. Several rounds of talks have been held with Rajapaksa in this regard and Dissanayake is said to have participated in the discussion. more..

Jan 17 (ST) Govt has awarded a contract for 1.9 million metric tonnes of coal to a foreign company at a much higher price than what the Govt is paying for spot purchases of coal, documents obtained by the Sunday Times show. A one-year contract to supply 1.9 million metric tonnes of coal has gone to a company named Swiss Singapore Overseas Enterprise (Pte) Ltd at a price of US$ 58 a metric tonne. However, Lanka Coal Company (LC) has been buying coal via more..

Jan 17 (ST) Govt will set up more than 150 new police stations within the next two years with multiple objectives, including providing speedy response to public complaints, a senior official said. An allocation of one billion rupees will be provided for the setting up of new police stations in areas which will be identified depending on the area covered, its population, the crime rate and the number of important buildings in the area. Senior DIG – Administration Gamini Nawaratna told more..

Jan 17 (DM) Twelve police officers including four ASPs have been transferred due to service requirements, Police said today. Rathnapura Division ASP L.K.D. Priyantha has been transferred to the Embilipitiya Division while Ratnapura Division ASP D.W.C. Dharmaratna has been transferred to the Kuliyapitiya Division. ASP G.M.A. Keerthi Bandara has been transferred from Kuliyapitiya to the Colombo Central Division and ASP M.V.R.U.N. Ariyaratna has been transferred to the Ratnapura Division. more..

Jan 17 (ST) Sri Lanka has mediated with Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen for the release of his predecessor Mohamed Nasheed who is now serving a jail term. The task was undertaken by Foreign Ministers Mangala Samaraweera and Ravi Karunanayake who flew to Male last Wednesday on an un-announced visit. This was after both President Maithripala Sirisena and PM Ranil Wickremesinghe had given their consent to their mediatory role. more..

Jan 18 (CT) Aneez Thuwan was a labourer attached to the Colombo Municipal Council and was working in various capacities. In 1980s, he was working as a labourer at the Borella Cemetery. He was also a night watcher there. The series of events that took place in the last week of July 1983 changed the order of Thuwan's life. On one night in July of that fateful year, a group of soldiers suddenly entered the cemetery and started combing the length and breadth of the cemetery. more..

Jan 18 (CT) I have read with great interest how national cricketers have been called by the FCID. The skipper Angelo Mathews too has been called on 19 Jan to make a statement; which is in keeping with the complaint made by Minister of Sports Dayasiri Jayasekera. Whilst the minister's action is justified and correct to go before the FCID in order to understand the real story behind the Kusal Janith saga, one wonders how much of an impact will be caused by the accusations against more..

Jan 18 (SL) Attempts by the good governance regime to formulate a new Constitution are nothing more than a political gimmick says joint opposition UPFA MP Prasanna Ranatunga. He said he felt the executive presidency should be abolished and the electoral system should be changed. These were the main election topics he said adding that the rest of the amendments can be done leisurely over a longer time. more..