Dec 2 (ST) Investigators believe a three-month dispute over a love affair caused the stabbing murder of a boy by a schoolboy from the same neighbourhood in Matara. The victim was a 19-year-old student of St. Thomas’ College Matara described as a talented A/L student by the school principal. The seeds of the tragedy were sown three months ago when a row broke out over a girl between the victim’s younger brother and another youth more..

Dec 2 (DM) An eleven-year-old elephant that lived in Udawalawe National Park, had been shot dead in the Udawalawe Reservoir area yesterday morning, Rangers of the Department of Wild Life Conservation said. They said that the elephant calf had two feet tusks (60 cm) and it was identified by its identity number of T 212. It has been killed between two electric fences on Udawalawe-Thanamalwila Road. more..

Dec 2 (Island) Having acknowledged that Premier Mahinda Rajapaksa does not have a majority in Parliament, President Maithripala Sirisena would eventually relent and recognise Ranil Wickremesinghe as the legitimate PM, says TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran. Asked if anything positive had come out of the TNA meeting with Prez Sirisena on Friday night, Sumanthiran said firstly it was good to hear the President more..

Dec 2 (ST) The Govt has given international bidders just five weeks to apply for a complex, multibillion dollar Swiss challenge to supply an offshore floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU), pipeline and contract for liquefied natural gas (LNG), raising eyebrows in the oil and gas industry about the ungodly rush. This will be Sri Lanka’s largest single Govt tender: a 20-year LNG contract costing more than an estimated US$ 10 billion. more..

Dec 3 (Island) It is a month after SL learnt of a new PM over SMS. In the catastrophic, chaotic four ensuing weeks, some of us maintain that Mr. Wickremesinghe is the sole, legitimate PM. This is widely perceived to be a position that is a consequence of either being partial to or voting for the UNP, or a fan of the individual. Both, it is argued, gloss over the significant failure of the individual and the party, as well as the govt the PM led, to bring about what they were elected to do. more..

Dec 3 (ST) Despite the undeniable shock caused to Sri Lanka’s democratic system on Oct 26th 2018 as a result of President Maithripala Sirisena’s swearing in of a new PM lacking a majority in the House, several unmistakable positive factors have emerged since then. Those legal experts who led the President up the garden path in persuading him to discard constitutional prudence should hang their deviously plotting heads in shame. Assuming they feel shame in which case, more..

Dec 3 (SO) “Well, oral intercourse is the safest mode of sexual intercourse. Saliva kills germs and viruses that cause Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and Diseases. So we are safe,” a 42-year-old from Nugegoda area says. A 26-year-old from Ratnapura said, that a person could contract STIs and HIV by using a public lavatory. “I know I am safe because I trust my sexual partner. We don’t have to worry about STIs” more..

Dec 3 (GV) Throughout the world today we bemoan the lack of values. No one quite knows what that means and a good post-modernist will ask whose values, when and where? Yet, we feel something is missing, something with regard to the building of character in individuals. Perhaps it is the nostalgia of our generation but after the development of new forms of communication technology and the success of post-modernist and subaltern scholars at our universities, there is a sense that more..

Dec 3 (SO) It is the common practice of politicians of all hues to engage passionately in fear-mongering each time they fall into political crisis. They would cry from rooftops to inject into the electorate their fears of the world coming to an end should anyone of them lose their seats, or if the ruling party loses its majority in Parliament. Their success depends on the extent to which they can convince the people to accept their fears as the reality. Their immediate reaction is to take on the role of Biblical more..

Dec 3 (CT) Opining on the economic condition of the country, the Minister of International Trade and Investments Promotions Dr. Bandula Gunawardena disparaged the former Govt’s slap-dash approach towards economic affairs of the country and said that the Ranil-led group perpetrated a daylight robbery on the Central Bank which is the root cause for the drastic depreciation of SL rupee in comparison to the currencies of more..

Dec 3 (ST) It is the best of times for the Rajapaksa fraternity to make hay while the torrid sun shines. It is the worst of times for the Wickremesinghe clan whilst it ponders over its present plight in the drab, dark moonless night. It is the epoch of Rajapaksa belief that they can rule without public murmur or judicial censure. It is the epoch of Wicremesinghe incredulity that the red carpet of governmental power could be so easily pulled from under his feet by presidential whim and fancy, more..

Dec 3 (CT) The supremacy of the people stands as the corner stone of any democracy. The idea behind democracy as a concept in governance is that people ultimately decide the way they are governed. Democracy is a clear repudiation of the opposite concept where one man or a close elite of privileged persons take the decisions. True, a democracy can deteriorate into some sort of elite control after elections and this is not uncommon. On the other hand, the system allows for the people who, more..

Dec 3 (CT) President Sirisena has come under increasing pressure to restore pre-Oct 26 status quo by re-appointing UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe as the PM. Although Wickremesinghe doesn’t necessarily deserve public sympathy, he has received it on the basis that he is the aggrieved party in the constitutional and political crisis engineered by President Sirisena. It is for this reason, that it seems probable that all right-thinking citizens will support Wickremesinghe’s more..

Dec 3 (Island) The crisis of governance that Sri Lanka is currently facing is unprecedented in post-war SL politics. Two individuals claiming to be prime minister and one major party boycotting parliament illustrate the point. There is no need to recount in detail the events of the past five weeks that are publicly known. The purpose of this article is to note some of the serious implications of this crisis for the economy of the country and to stress the importance of resolving the crisis in a manner more..

Dec 3 (Roar) In Mallayarkattu, a remote, dusty village nestled between Ampara and Batticaloa, *Thiru, a father of two, carefully rides his bicycle to his cousin’s house. The ride is a short one, but Thiru remains cautious. He keeps his movements steady, his grip firm, and his eyes focused on his periphery. He is on the lookout for elephants. It has only been a month since his 18-yr-old son was killed by one of these giants. more..

Dec 3 (FT) Container-handling at the Port of Colombo is on the rise whilst it is also drawing more cruise ships. In the first 10 months of this year, Colombo port has witnessed the highest growth of 19.5% in transshipment container throughput as against the corresponding period in 2017. During the first ten months of 2018, Port of Colombo handled 4,717,746 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of transshipment containers as against 3,948,163 TEUs handled in corr. period in 2017. more..

Dec 3 (Island) The Week of Judgement is upon us. Seven judges of the Supreme Court led by the Chief Justice are set to hear petitions and counter-petitions opposing and supporting the dissolution of parliament by President Sirisena. The hearing starts on Tuesday. And the Day of Judgement will likely be Friday. Normally, it should be a slam-dunk affirmation of the interim order suspending the presidential gazette, issued three weeks ago by a divisional bench of 3 judges including the CJ. more..

Dec 3 (Island) Off-spinner Akila Dananjaya whose bowling has come under the scanner has decided to take a month’s break from int'l cricket in a bid to remodel his action. 25-year-old’s action was reported to be suspect by match officials during the first Test between SL and England in Galle. He missed the third Test at SSC as he had to travel to Brisbane, to do testings. The ICC is yet to announce the outcome of the tests, but more..

Dec 3 (Island) An increase in taxes on fuel has triggered riots in France. The Mayor of Paris, over the weekend, called the worsening situation in his city a state of insurrection, and the govt was planning to declare a state of emergency at the time of writing. A wave of arson attacks and looting swept through Central Paris. It defies comprehension why the City of Lights has come to be torn apart in this manner. It is believed that the people are ablaze with anger owing to President more..

Dec 3 (DN) Sri Lanka junior shuttlers excelled at the South Asian under 21 Badminton Championships when they won two silver and three bronze medals at Kathmandu, Nepal yesterday. SL junior won the bronze medal in the team event losing to Nepal while in the individual events they won two silvers and two bronze medals to take the honours in the tournament. Ranthushka Sansidu was the key shuttler for Sri Lanka with two silver medals in the individual events. more..

Dec 3 (EN) State-run SriLankan Airlines, had found gold smuggled past a security check point manned with the support of Rakna Lanka, a state security firm, but no action had been taken despite questions over lapses, a commission of inquiry was told. Senior Security Manager Titus Kannangara, testifying at a PCoI into irregularities at the national carrier, said that on 19 Aug 2015, airline staff were caught trying to smuggle in 7.5 kg more..

Dec 3 (ST) Touch Judge Anil Mangala, who officiated alongside colleague Pradeep Fernando and Field Referee Priya Suranga in the Dialog Rugby League Championship match between hosts Air Force SC and Navy SC at Ratmalana, has been assaulted by unidentified individuals after the game. According to a senior official of the Sri Lanka Rugby Referees’ Society (SLRRS), Mangala was attacked in a dark enclosure at the Air Force Rugby Ground in Ratmalana, well after the game was over. more..

Dec 3 (Island) Kotmale Holdings PLC, a subsidiary of Cargills Quality Foods has attracted mass appeal for its fresh milk and its range of dairy products – and as a result - the company has been able to reduce the national dairy imports bill by US$ 25 million, at a time curbs on imports are seen as vital to bring the Sri Lanka rupee to an acceptable level against the U.S. dollar. Against this backdrop, Kotmale took another step forward to introduce its latest products: more..

Dec 3 (ST) Former opening batsman Chaminda Mendis who is now drafted into the National Cricket Selection panel under Asantha de Mel will join the New Zealand’s tour squad in an apparent move the neutralise power yielded by head coach Chandika Hathurusingha. Besides acting as head coach on tour, Hathurusingha is also a tour selector on the strength of that clause being included in his employment contract. more..

Dec 3 (DM) John Keells Holdings announced the six winners of its 2nd John Keells X Open Innovation Challenge at a Pitch Day recently. The winners advance to the JKX six month Accelerator Programme, which will allow them to tap into a wealth of JKH resources including seed funding, office space, access to support services such as legal, secretarial and finance, mentoring from the industry’s best and brightest, curated curriculum and the chance to pitch for and secure further more..

Dec 3 (DM) A total of 2,891 police personnel had been promoted to various ranks by IGP Pujith Jayasundara following interviews. 410 women police officers were among those who were promoted. Accordingly, 1,783 police Constables were promoted to the rank of Police Sergeants while 334 women police Constables were promoted as women police Sergeants. A total of 553 police Sergeants had been promoted to the rank of Inspector of Police and 76 women police Sergeants were also promoted more..

Dec 3 (SO) A mechanism to secure the release of Tamil political prisoners is being formulated following consultations with President Maithripala Sirisena, PM Mahinda Rajapaksa, Justice Minister Susil Premajayanth and MP Namal Rajapaksa and it is likely that a majority of the prisoners will be released before long, Deputy Minister Angajan Ramanathan said. He and two other Deputy Ministers representing more..

Dec 3 (Island) Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT) formally signed an agreement with Canada-based Ubique Networks Inc., to launch a high-tech Esports platform in Sri Lanka. The agreement was signed by senior officials from the SLT and Ubique at the Canada House on Wednesday (14), the official residence of the Canadian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka. The SLT eSports Platform will be powered by Ubique’s Swarmio, which is a fully automated and lag-optimized technology for Esports sector. more..

Dec 3 (DM) A 38-year-old suspect Thisitha Maduranga alias Matara Malli has been arrested in connection with a robbery of gems and diamonds in Pannipitiya last month. The robbers who were dressed similarly to policemen had entered a house at Araliyapura, Arawwala in Pannipitiya on Nov 5 and assaulted the owner of the house to rob gems and diamonds. They said a foreign national who was in the house to buy gems and diamonds at the time of the incident had also been kidnapped more..

Dec 3 (Island) Prez Sirisena is going around the country after setting the entire nation ablaze, says the JVP. JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva said one month and six days had been passed since the political crisis triggered by a constitutional coup, but the Prez was going around the country. "Prez Sirisena is like Emperor Nero who fiddled while Rome was burning. He goes sightseeing at Moragahakanda & ceremonies more..

Dec 3 (DN) Very little development has been done by the former govt to develop the North accused former President Chamber of Commerce and Industries of Yalpanam and Founder Chairman - Jaffna Int'l Trade Fair, K. Pooranachandran. Speaking at the launch of 10th Jaffna Int'l Trade Fair, which will be held in January in Jaffna he said that only major notable development was the re constructing of the roadways and recreating the Colombo Jaffna railway line. more..

Dec 3 (ST) In the midst of the current political impasse, the Finance and Economic Affairs Ministry has directed public corporations and state owned companies to confine their investment of surplus funds to only eight state-owned banks with the aim of bringing such funds under the ministry purview. Public enterprises in SL are engaged in the provision of goods and services and operate in strategic sectors of the national economy. Therefore the performances of these enterprises have more..

Dec 3 (CT) Police investigating last week’s double murder of two policemen at Vavunathivu, in Batticaloa District, said that more than one person is most likely to have carried out the attack and ruled out a lone wolf strike. Earlier it was believed that a 48-year-old suspect arrested from his home in Vattakachchi Kilinochchi may have carried out a lone wolf attack in apparent revenge against the Police for the removal of more..

Dec 10 (AD) Head of ex-terrorist organization LTTE’s intelligence Pottu Amman in not alive, says K. Thulasi, the Media spokesperson for the party of ex-LTTE cadres. Thulasi says that although certain individuals claim Pottu Amman is alive for their own advantage, none of the LTTE leaders are currently alive. In the future, the groups who claim that Pottu Amman is alive for their benefits, might even say that LTTE leaders Balraj or Nadesan are also alive, he added. more..

Dec 3 (CT) G.C.E. O/L Exam will commence today (3) and will continue until 12 Dec. According to the Department of Education a total of 656,641 candidates are to sit for this year’s exam. Of which 422,850 are school candidates and 233,791 private candidates who will face the Ordinary Level examination. Examinations Commissioner General Sanath B. Pujitha advised the candidates to be present at 8:00 a.m. at the exam centres as the examination starts by 8:30 a.m. more..

Dec 3 (AD) A general election is the only method to establish democracy in the country, stated PM Mahinda Rajapaksa. He mentioned this issuing a special statement on democracy and general elections. He says that it is only SL that political parties agitate against holding a general election that was already declared. Rajapaksa states that if the general election were held and a new parliament was established as declared on more..

Dec 3 (DM) A three member committee has been appointed by Governor of Northern Province Reginald Cooray to investigate a financial fraud allegedly committed by former Minister of NPC Ananthi Sasitharan. 3-member committee to probe alleged fraud of Ananthi Sasitharan. This committee was appointed following a written complaint made by former Chairman of NPC C.V.K. Sivagnanam regarding the financial fraud allegedly committed by former Minister of Women's Affairs of NPC. more..

Dec 3 (DM) It was the Legislature which had the power to decide on a course of action to stabilize the country as it the institution which exercised people’s sovereignty on behalf of them, UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe said. Mr Wickremesinghe expressed this sentiment at the opening of Rise for Justice protest rally near Town Hall. “It is Parliament which exercises people’s sovereignty on behalf of them. Therefore all important decisions have to be made by the House. more..

Dec 3 (CT) President Sirisena, currently under enormous pressure to resolve the current political crisis, postponed his meeting with the party leaders of the UNF scheduled for tonight (2) at the Presidential Secretariat, at the eleventh hour. UNF party leaders were informed at the last moment that the President could only meet them tomorrow at 8 PM. Sources said that Sirisena has scheduled a meeting for UPFA MPs tonight more..