Jan 3 (AD) The former Acting Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of the Divulapitiya Police Station has been arrested by the CID in connection with the death of a suspect in custody on Oct 4, 2017. Inspector K.H.B. Sumith Preamakumara was arrested after he arrived at the CID last evening for questioning regarding the incident. He is to be produced before the Negombo Magistrate today (3). On October 05, it was reported that the Acting OIC of the Crimes Division at the Divulapitiya Police station more..

Jan 3 (DM) CH & FC have been left fuming over unfair criticism on flanker Yoshitha Rajapaksa especially in social media, following a brawl that broke out at the end of their Inter-Club League Rugby Tournament match against Navy on Saturday. Former SL forward has been related to a photograph on which he appears to have his hands around Navy SC second row forward Lahiru Wishwajith, but a club spokesman revealed more..

Jan 3 (AD) Minister Dayasiri Jayasekara says that a shipment of 40,000 metric tonnes of fertilizer is scheduled to reach Sri Lanka tonight. Responding to a question from a journalist at the weekly cabinet press briefing today, he said that special permission will be sought to get the fertilizer released from the port in the night. The Sports Minister said that 200 lorries will be utilized in order to distribute the fertilizer stocks to the relevant regions. In the wake of a sudden shortage of fertilizer in country, more..

Jan 3 (DN) Jathika Janatha Pakshaya (JJP) yesterday, filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court, seeking an Interim Order restraining the Election Commission from taking further steps under the provisions of the Local Authorities Elections Ordinance, to proceed with holding elections to the Colombo Municipal Council. Three members of JJP, including its Secretary, filed the petition in the SC naming EC’s Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya and several other respondents. more..

Jan 3 (AD) Director of the National STD/AIDS Control Programme, Dr. Sisira Liyanage, says that around 280 new HIV cases were reported last year out of which 220 were male patients. Majority of those male HIV patients had engaged in same-sex relationships. He said they intend to increase the number of tests being carried out to identify HIV patients and that so far it has been estimated that around 4,000 HIV patients are in SL. more..

Jan 3 (EN) Sri Lanka ended 2017 with US$ 7.95 billion US of forex reserves and has cut the central bank's exposure to swaps by US$ 1 billion US dollars, Governor Indrajit Coomaraswamy said. CB had been able to buy US$ 1.7 billion from forex markets amid lower credit growth and a sell-down of domestic assets to mop up liquidity generated from dollar purchases. Coomaraswamy said the agency had cut its exposure to forex swaps from US$ 2.4 billion to US$ 1.4 billion during the year. more..

Jan 3 (DM) An attempt by four inmates of the Welikada Prison to escape had been foiled by jailors this morning, The inmates, who were detained in Y-O Ward had broken the locks and attempted to escape, however were caught by the prison guards. The convicts, who were reported to be younger than 22- were serving 6- 10 year sentences for robberies. One of them, who was sentenced to narcotics related crime, had attempted to escape on an earlier occasion as well. more..

Jan 3 (CI) To begin with, some numbers: of the 13 Tests Sri Lanka played this year, they lost seven to the four they won. In ODIs 23 defeats (yes, 23) to five wins. In T20Is, ten losses, five victories. Are you depressed yet? Now some facts. One of those Test defeats was an unprecedented loss to Bangladesh, at home. Three of those ODI defeats led to a series loss against 11th-ranked Zimbabwe. more..

Jan 3 (NR) The UNP says the party has nothing to hide in relation to the controversial bond issue. Minister Lakshman Kiriella said the UNP is looking forward to the report filed by the PCoI into the Issuance of Treasury Bonds. Speaking to media following a function at Sirikotha, this morning, the Minister said the UNP will appoint a MP from the party if they wanted to conceal discrepancies. Minister said the UNP was awaiting the statement adding the party is against crime. more..

Jan 3 (DM) Around 150 nursing staff attached to Sri J'pura General Hospital (SJGH) had refused to report to duty today in protest of a newly introduced fingerprint machine, SJGH Director Dr. Susitha Senaratne said. He said the group of nurses staying at the nurses’ quarters had refused to report to duty until the fingerprint machine was removed. He said that earlier discussions had been held with the nurses’ trade union regarding the matter, but were not successful. more..

Jan 3 (EN) Sri Lanka's small finance companies which have failed to boost minimum capital this year may be ordered to stop raising new deposits by the regulator, which wants to end forbearance, officials said. About nine out of 58 non-bank financial institutions - mainly finance companies - have fallen short of a required billion rupees of capital this year. The CM's non-bank supervisor unit has prepared a report on more..

Jan 3 (Xinhua) Sri Lanka will develop one of its ancient Hindu temple sites in the Eastern Province of the country as the main pilgrimage destinations, Governor of Eastern Province Rohitha Bogollagama said. The governor said that the temple called Thirukoneshwaram in Trincomalee, the capital of the Eastern Province, was one of the most sacred Hindu temples in the Island country. He said he intended to develop the temple as the main pilgrimage destination for Hindus and more..

Jan 3 (AD) Several prominent members who represented JO and UNP including a female candidate contesting this year’s LG election under the flower bud symbol have pledged their support to President Maithripala Sirisena. Accordingly the former Deputy Chairman of Kolonnawa UC Suresh Kodagoda, the former Chairman of the Peliyagoda UC Amila Kumarasinghe and Rukshila Kodagoda, who is a candidate of the SLPP for the Kolonnawa UC, have pledged their support to the Prez. more..

Jan 3 (DM) Former CB governor Arjuna Mahendran was responsible for providing internal information to outsiders and has interfered into bond auctions through a system of incorrect and unconventional methods, President Maithripala Sirisena today said quoting the Bond report. In his special statement on the report of Presidential Commission of Inquiry into CB Bond issuance, President said senior officials of more..

Jan 3 (AFP) Sri Lanka today said it hopes to raise a record USD 5 billion through bond issues this year as it seeks to repay its substantial debts. The country has already been forced to go to the IMF for a bailout after accumulating foreign debts of nearly USD 30 billion, according to central bank figures. Much of the money went towards ambitious infrastructure projects funded by Chinese loans under the previous government, which closely allied itself with Beijing. more..

Jan 3 (EN) A Presidential Commission which probed Sri Lanka’s biggest securities scam has recommended investigations into the conduct of officials in state funds like the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) and Pan Asia Bank, President Maithripala Sirisena said. “The Commission recommends that the dealings with the Pan Asia Bank and the conduct of its chairman must be investigated into,” he said, making a special statement to media on PCoI report. more..

Jan 3 (EN) President Sirisena said a PCoI which probed SL’s biggest securities scam has recommended a forensic audit of bond sales since 2008. Irregularities revealed by the commission of inquiry which probed rigged bond auctions in 2015 indicated similar scams had occurred previously, Sirisena said,, making a special statement to media on PCoI report. “Commission is of the opinion that similar incidents as revealed in the Commission Report had happened even in 2008,” more..

Jan 3 (EN) President Maithripala Sirisena said a Presidential Commission which probed SL’s biggest securities scam has held former central bank governor Arjuna Mahendren responsible for leaking market sensitive information and also recommended legal action against former finance minister Ravi Karunanayake. Making a special statement to media on the Presidential Bond Commission report, Sirisena said they had recommended legal action against all those responsible for the scam. more..

Jan 3 (AD) The final report of the Special PCoI, which investigated the controversial CB treasury bond issuance, reveals that Perpetual Treasuries Limited had gained an advantage of Rs 11,145 million from secondary market transactions within 5 months. President Maithripala Sirisena revealed this while making a special statement to the media regarding the final reports of the PCoI to inquire into the allegations of malpractices more..

Jan 4 (CT) Sri Lanka has to wage a national liberation struggle and is in the throes of one whether or not we are aware of it. The upcoming election is part of that national liberation struggle. Sadly the Left is not leading it. The JVP and the FSP have not studied the success of the Nepali left. Corruption is the sole issue for the JVP, and it is not explaining the neoliberal model that the UNP is trying to implement with its ghastly consequences of socioeconomic genocide. more..

Jan 4 (CT) Maithripala Sirisena. Ranil Wickremesinghe. Mahinda Rajapaksa. Commissions and commissions. Interparty rivalries. Intraparty rivalries. Floods. Droughts. Cyclones. Donald Trump. Jerusalem. Russia. What will 2017 be most remembered for in Sri Lanka? Not too difficult to answer, but that’s only if you have your preferences towards what you deem to be more newsworthy than everything else. For me, hence, it was none of the above. more..

Jan 4 (SO) Finding a parking slot in Colombo can be a daunting task, leaving motorists to drive around looking for a vacant spot in the city. But, with only a small number of parking slots available compared to the influx of vehicles entering the city on a daily basis, CMC is unable to meet the required demand. Parking slots have now reached saturation point making it a serious issue as the numbers entering the city are set to increase more..

Jan 4 (DN) In terms of sheer age, Daily News marches four solid years ahead of me. But my intimate association with that admirable journal has a history that spans nearly 84 years. This seemingly strange development could be explained fairly simply. As a child, I had an irrepressible urge to read and to imbibe the contents of any, a piece of printed matter, that I could lay my hands-on. At times, it was a segment of an American newspaper that wrapped a purchase from the village grocery. more..

Jan 4 (DN) The physical presence of the Lake House building is enough to awaken a sense of awe in all those who behold it. The building commissioned by D.R. Wijewardena, is a white colossal monument that has dominated the landscape, housing some of the most revered newspapers in the world. University of Moratuwa, Senior Professor of Architecture, Prof. M S Manawadu was involved in the construction of the Eastern Wing which had been commissioned more..

Jan 4 (CT) JVP MP Vijitha Herath says the JVP is contesting for power in rural areas after its showdown at Tissamaharama. Q: What has the JVP done up to now for rural communities to vote for them? A: We have shown our capabilities at Tissamaharama. It was nominated as the best Pradeshiya Sabha in several times consecutively. We have shown a shining example of how a village can be developed. more..

Jan 3 (CT) The year 2018 will be a decisive year for Sri Lankans. A local govt election is fast becoming a general referendum. It will decide if the West-pushed agenda carried out by the govt will get the green light from the people. The TNA and the JVP as the official opposition by action are the incumbent govt's supporters. The Joint Opposition is the only legitimate force that can derail the govt's programme. However, are they focused is the question. more..

Jan 4 (Island) US President Donald Trump has, at last, met his match in NK Leader Kim Jong-Un, of all leaders. Two presidents apparently have many things in common including their penchant for peculiar tonsorial styles and sabre-rattling. Nobody may have given a tinker’s cuss about their frequent ranting and raving when they started trading invective because temper tantrums are not uncommon among leaders who are intoxicated with power as well as little children. more..

Jan 4 (CT) As the LG polls loom, voters in Sri Lanka must have their confusion compounded as to whom to vote for and what the parties stand for. Never has there been a more mixed up political party situation in the country. In the past, the choices were clearer. There was the UNP – the creation of our founding fathers, firmly to the Conservative Right but attracting minority support most of the time. Then there was the SLFP – slightly to the Left and tinged with Sinhala nationalism, harnessing more..

Jan 4 (ST) Feeling good! That’s how Kussi Amma Sera (KAS) felt on this Thursday morning as she caught up with her neighbour and comrade-in-arms Serapina to exchange more than a week of gossip and goofing around during their spare time. Mata hari santhosai, said KAS happily. Eh … aie? asked Serapina. Apey lamayata russawak hambuna. Honda teaching post ekak. Apey anith putha grama sevaka training walata yanawa, KAS responds. Jeevithe hondai (Life’s good). more..

Jan 4 (Island) Little Ishara Pathirana was no stranger to the village temple of Parakaduwa Pathberiya. It was one of his favourite haunts. But he didn't just play around in the sand like other boys. This is where Ishara learned to write his first letters. Little did he know that his tutelage under the Loku Hamuduruwo would lay the foundation that would enable him to obtain the highest results in the Arts stream at the G.C.E A/L Exam with more..

Jan 4 (DN) ICC announced the umpire and match referee appointments for U19 Cricket WC, which will be staged in NZ from 13 Jan to 3 Feb. Windies will be looking to defend their title and emulate Pakistan, who won consecutive titles in 2004 and 2006. Australia and India have won the title three times each while England and South Africa are the other teams to have won the tournament, which replicates a major tournament experience in terms of organization and playing facilities. more..

Jan 4 (DN) Pathfinder Foundation commenced the New Year by inaugurating its Centre for the Law of the Sea (CLS) at Riverpoint, Peliyagoda. Milinda Moragoda Founder, Pathfinder Foundation officially released an occasional paper containing a draft Code of Conduct for the Indian Ocean at the organization’s New Year celebration held at the MMBL-Pathfinder Group headquarters yesterday. This draft Code of Conduct is open for public discussion and is accessible on more..

Jan 4 (DN) The centenary that the Ceylon Daily News celebrates this year is also a hundred years where this newspaper, newspapers in Sri Lanka and indeed the media, in general, have metamorphosed several times over, serving different roles depending on the needs of the day. A hundred years ago, in 1917, the Ceylon Daily News was born when Don Richard Wijewardene (known as DR to all), took ownership of The Ceylonese and more..

Jan 4 (CT) Dr. Shabbir Gulamhusein, a renowned businessman who had built and owned numerous business enterprises in SL, passed away on 9 June 2017, upon which his youngest son, Ali Asger Shabbir, alleged that the deceased had written a Last Will gifting the entirety of his estate solely to him. It was purported that the Last Will was a 5-witness Will and not one signed by a lawyer or notary. Subsequent to testamentary proceedings, it has come to light that Last Will was a forgery, more..

Jan 4 (ITN) Wildlife Officers and Police have carried out an operation to capture the Tiger that wounded seven laborers in Panmura estate, Hatton. Wildlife Officers attached to Udawalawe and Nallathanniya wildlife offices joined the operation. Plantation workers expressed their dissatisfaction saying that the wildlife officials did not take immediate action to capture the tiger. Tiger hurt the estate workers. Wildlife officers say that the operation to capture the animal is continuing. more..

Jan 4 (ST) The utterly, untrustworthy attitude of the Central Bank of SL appears to be seriously affecting the country’s entire financial system as it doesn’t keep to its promises given to depositors of the several failed financial institutions. These strong views were expressed during a media briefing called by depositors associations of the Industrial Finance Depositors’ Society Ltd (City Finance)-CFCL and more..

Jan 4 (ST) While admitting that the challenge upon Chandika Hathurusinghe is humongous, Sidath Wettimuny, the much respected former cricket administrator, says the new SL national team coach’s job is somewhat cut and dried. He said, “Right now there is no new low for our cricket to plunge to; so now from this point they can travel only in one direction — up”. I thought if Hathurusinghe is going to be complemented and supported — the only way that we could do is by talking about more..

Jan 4 (CT) Army Sports Club will face a huge blow in their inter club rugby league second round with experienced scrum half and playmaker Mohamed Rizvi facing a three match ban. Rizvi was red carded during the last stages of the first half due to stamping a CR player which reduced them to 14, but went down fighting 24-17 in the match played at Havelock Park last Friday. He will now miss the next three games against Navy scheduled for this Sunday, followed by Havelock's & Air Force. more..