May 27 (DM) Mahara Magistrate Darshika Wimalasiri ordered the Kiribathgoda police to arrest the Chairman of the Kelaniya Pradeshiya Sabha Prasanna Ranaweera and produce him in court, in connection with the alleged assault on the businessman of the area and a supporter of Minister Mervyn Silva. Police investigating the complaint of Christie Roy Perera, submitted a report to court. Meanwhile the Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman had made a complaint that Perera assaulted him. more..

May 27 (DN) Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage said eventhough he took pains to develop the Nawalapitiya hospital as a leading hospital in the Central Province its administration and other operations have deteriorated fast to a very low ebb. He made this observation at a meeting of the Kandy District Development Committee chaired by him on May 20. According the authorities of the Provincial Health Ministry, for this situation, he said this state of affairs was partly due to the transfer of the more..

May 27 (Island) The IMF recently disclosed fiscal data the govt has not, the consolidated govt deficit. The IMF says the consolidated govt budget deficit amounted to 8.6% of GDP in 2012, a fact the govt has failed to make public, publishing only the central govt deficit which amounted to 6.4% of GDP in 2012. The consolidated budget deficit includes the losses incurred by the CEB and the CPC. more..

May 27 (DN) Plans are underway to organise a symposium in Germany focusing on Sri Lanka's indigenous medicine. This was among the many topics discussed when a Sri Lankan delegation headed by Indigenous Medicine Minister Salinda Dissanayake met officials of Charite Medical University in Germany to promote Ayurveda. The delegation held expert level discussions with authorities of the Complimentary and Alternative Medicine Research Department (CAM) of more..

May 27 (DN) Minister Douglas Devananda participated in a ceremony at Periyamuhandeen Jumma Mosque in Manipay Street, Jaffna to donate 50 bicycles to schoolchildren of resettled Muslims in Jaffna and low income earning self-employed families. He said the bicycles were donated on a request by those who participated at a meeting at Usmaniya Collage. Devananda said he donated 50 bicycles to Muslim students and 1,000 zinc sheets among resettled Muslims at the meeting more..

May 27 (DN) The initial step of promoting environmental friendly methods and organic fertiliser in cultivation was ceremonially commenced on Thursday at the Diyavanna paddy field in Kimbulavala. It was initiated on a concept of Defence and Urban Development Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and with the guidance of Indigenous Medicine Minister Salinda Dissanayake. Diyavanna paddy field has been developed more..

May 27 (DM) The VIP lounge of the BIA was exploited for the comfort of politically connected persons travelling abroad, UNP MP Akila Viraj Kariyawasam charged in Parliament. He said though the VIP lounge was meant to ensure a smooth passage at the airport for eminent personalities, that facility was abused at the behest of ruling party politicians. “I recently used the VIP lounge when travelling abroad and noticed how political henchmen were provided facilities there. more..

May 27 (Island) Closely following China and Turkey's upgrading of their expo partnership with Sri Lanka, is the world's biggest oil giant moving to invite Sri Lanka for its topmost international industry event. "Our friendship is historic. Now we want to strengthen this historic friendship towards better trade and industrial cooperation as well. We invite a high level Sri Lankan industrial delegation to this year's international level INNOPROM expo event in Russia" said Konstantin Kosachev, more..

May 27 (DM) The Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) today said the Buddha Sasana Ministry should be brought under the purview of Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa to protect Buddhism. BBS General Secretary Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara thero said that the Buddha Sasana Ministry was currently performing a poor service in protecting the Buddha Sasanaya and observed that the time had come to take a decision in this regard. more..

May 27 (Hindu) DMK chief M. Karunanidhi has reportedly approached the Supreme Court requesting that the Central government be directed to retake control of Katchatheevu island, which was purportedly ceded to Sri Lanka by India through treaties concluded between the two neighbours in 1974 and 1976. A previous petition filed by Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu J. Jayalalithaa on this matter is still pending with the Supreme Court. In this piece, I raise two key points: first, litigation before more..

May 27 (DN) Construction work of the proposed Yan Oya reservoir project is due to begin during the August-September period. Anuradhapura District Irrigation Director Engineer Lalith de Alwis said that no sooner the EIAR (Environmental Impact Assessment Report) has been received the preliminary infrastructure work as a prerequisite to the head work components construction will commence. The proposed reservoir site is located 350 km North East from Colombo in more..

May 27 (Island) The police yesterday prevented a group of monks from marching on Temple Trees demanding that the last rites of Ven. Bowatte Indraratana thera, who set himself ablaze at the main entrance to the Dalada Maligawa on Vesak day, Friday and succumbed to his injuries at the National Hospital on Saturday night, be held in Colombo. In spite of their protests, govt directed the transfer of the remains of the monk to more..

May 27 (AFP) Former umpire John Holder alleged Sunday he was offered $15,139 to help sway the course of a one-day international in the UAE. Holder, who stood in 11 Tests, said the approach related to a match between Sri Lanka and Pakistan in Sharjah. "They said if I can somehow lull the Sri Lanka batsmen into putting on a partnership of 85 they would give me $15,139 in cash," the 68-year-old Holder told BBC Radio's Test Match Special. "I said, 'You've got the wrong person'." more..

May 27 (Island) The national cricket team left for England in the early hours of Monday with several issues to sort out and they have three warm up games to settle down before their campaign begins in Cardiff on the 9th June against New Zealand. The Sri Lankans will play three warm-up games against West Indies, Pakistan and India and their top order batsmen will look to regain the lost touch. Senior players Kumar Sangakkara, Tillekeratne Dilshan and Mahela Jayawardene all struggled during more..

May 27 (AN) Passenger traffic from the Middle East to Sri Lanka has been on the rise and overall traffic from the Middle East has contributed the second highest revenue to SriLankan Airline’s network, next to the Far East, according to Kapila Chandrasena, CEO of SriLankan Airlines. The national carrier of Sri Lanka, records a 26% increase in the number of passengers from the Middle East this year compared to 2011-2012, more..

May 27 (CT) A Sri Lankan has written to the Guinness World Records to declare a 116-year-old woman living in Kehelpannala, as the world's oldest living woman. In a letter dated 22 May 2013, Attorney-at-Law Hemantha Situge, had informed the management of the Guinness Book of World Records to include 116-year-old Apullanalada Ukku of 82 A, Buthgamuwa, Kehelpannala, in the Sabaragamuwa Province, as the world's oldest living woman. Situge had written to the world body more..

May 27 (DN) The Bhikku who self-immolated opposite the Dalada Maligawa protesting against cattle slaughter in Sri Lanka died at the National Hospital on May 25. Kandy Magistrate ordered City Coroner Edward Ahangama to hold an inquest on the death of Ven. Bowatte Indraratnana (30) the incumbent of Sri Sugatha Viharaya, Kahawatte and submit a report. At the inquest witness Suwarnawahini TV Journalist Rajapakse Suraweera testified that on the day of the incident he more..

May 27 (DM) The JHU insisted that the self-immolation committed by the ex-JHU monk, Ven. Bowatte Indarathana Thera was an act of self-sacrifice and not a case of suicide. Minister and JHU General Secretary, Champika Ranawaka said sinister western moves were underway to interpret this act of self-sacrifice as an act of religious extremism and made a request from the public to be mindful of those moves. The Minister said more..

May 27 (AT) President Rajapaksa left for China Sunday night on a four day visit on an invitation from the Chinese President Xi Jinping. President is expected to hold bilateral discussions with his counterpart as well as Prime Minister Li Kegiang to further strengthen the ties between the two countries in areas of trade, investment, tourism, culture, science and technology, defence as well as on regional international Affairs. During his four-day visit, President is also scheduled to attend more..

May 27 (DN) Dr. Kumara Hirimburegama, the first Director who re-established the Institute of Human Resource Advancement of the Uni of Colombo, and the first Dean of the Faculty of Management, Social Sciences and Humanities of the Kotelawala Defence University of the Defence Ministry was appointed the Vice Chacellor of the Uni of Colombo by President Rajapaksa. Professor. S. Suseendirarajah, an Emeritus Professor in Linguistics nominated Dr Hirimburegama for this post to the more..

May 27 (Island) UNP MP Sajith Premadasa said that the COPE and the PAC should intervene and pressure the govt to take remedial action to revive failing state-run ventures and introduce tax reforms. The govt could no longer turn a blind eye to what was going on in the public and private sectors, MP Premadasa said. The govt’s failure to take corrective measures would cause further economic turmoil, he warned. more..

May 27 (DM) The run up to the Northern Provincial Council election is on and the latest personality to enter the fray is Minister Douglas Devananda who appears to be positioning himself as chief ministerial candidate of the ruling UPFA. The Minister of Traditional Industries and Small Enterprise Development declared that he believed it would be counterproductive to devolve controversial land and police powers to the NPC and hinted that he would entertain the idea of running for CM. more..

May 27 (DM) With corruption raging at its worst-ever levels and hundreds of millions of rupees in public money being plundered by state officers and private racketeers the Customs Department--instead of helping to fight corruption inside the department and by import-export racketeers appears to be adding more oil to the palm. The Customs Director General Jagath Wijeweera has issued a directive curbing the powers of Customs Officers to conduct surprise raids on alleged financial swindlers. more..

May 27 (DM) “Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa has said police and land powers would not be given to the Northern Province. I am not ready to talk to him because he is not the govt,” said ITAK leader R. Sampanthan at the Trincomalee District General Meeting of the ITAK yesterday. The meeting was held to appoint electoral agents, re-structuring party branches and to explain the current political situation. more..

May 27 (SL) The Mervyn Silva plague has once again raised its ugly head in the Kelaniya electorate. This was evident when a gang of five thugs headed by Damayanthi Perera, who is said to be the head of Silva’s Women’s Organization, assaulted the Chairman of the Kelaniya Pradeshiya Sabha, Prasanna Ranaweera and Pradeshiya Sabha member Nadeeka Sampath Vitharana on Thursday for not recognizing Minister Mervyn more..

May 27 (Island) The JVP-led Co-ordinating Committee of the Trade Union Alliance (CCTUA) alleged that govt was planning to transfer 18 teachers including the principal of the Gotaimbaragama School at Ranna, in the Hambantota District for their participation in the May 21 strike against the power tariff hike. CCTUA Co–convener Wasantha Samarasinghe said that the Tangalle Zonal Education Director had more..

May 27 (SM) Sri Lankan cricketers who participated in the Indian Premier League have returned in disgrace, ‘Ravana Balaya’ organization says. The organization urges the SLC to ascertain whether these players have even betrayed the country after falling for Indian bookies. With the exception of Lasith Malinga, all Sri Lankan players who took part in the IPL have now returned to the island. The SLC has said that Malinga more..

May 27 (LBO) Sri Lanka current administration is breaking the law in withholding information that should be filed in parliament under a fiscal responsibility law, which should be corrected from this year, a legislator has said. "By 30th June they are bound to present to parliament the estimates and actual income, expenditure cash flows and loans obtained," UNP MP Harsha de Silva, told reporters. more..

May 27 (LB) Minister Maithripala Sirisena is to be honored by the World Health Organization (WHO) for his commitment towards the anti-tobacco campaign in Sri Lanka. The WHO commends the Minister for his measures taken to discourage smoking in Sri Lanka and Minister Sirisena is to be felicitated from Sri Lanka at the WHO's annual felicitation ceremony. The Ministry of Health has taken several measures, including more..

May 27 (Xinhua) Sri Lanka is facing a mixed score card with regard to its progress in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), according to the latest Asian Development Bank (ADB) report released here. Out of the 21 broader goals, Sri Lanka has progressed to an " early achiever" on 11 of those whilst being on track on four goals. However on the two aspects of forest cover and CO2 emissions, Sri Lanka is more..

May 27 (ST) Official statistics tell a rosy tale: One million tourists flocked to Sri Lanka last year alone. Numbers recorded in the first quarter of 2013 show a spike in arrivals, when compared with the corresponding period last year. But the industry is increasingly skeptical. If there are so many tourists, where are they staying? Lanka Tourism’s annual statistical report defined the number of arrivals last year as one million,” more..

May 27 (ENS) The influential Sri Lankan Defence Secretary, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, has said Sri Lanka should jettison the system of devolution contained in the India-inspired 13th Amendment of the country’s constitution, irrespective of India’s reaction. “Just because India or some other country will get angry, we cannot stop doing what is good for our country,” Gotabaya told the Tamil daily Sudar Oli on Sunday. He was asked if his more..

May 27 (HT) At least 10 agreements are expected to be signed between China and Sri Lanka during President Mahinda Rajapaksa's three-day state visit to the Communist country beginning Monday. During his visit, the sixth to China since he took over as President in 2005, Rajapaksa will meet President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang besides other senior leaders of the Communist Party of China (CPC). more..

May 27 (CT) The 13th Amendment to the Constitution that took shape with the signing of the Indo-Lanka Accord in 1987 has run into problems, 22 years after coming into operation. That is, after the Provincial Councils set up under the amendment had been functioning for over 22 years, despite the councils being considered 'white elephants' squandering public money and creating a layer of authority between the govt and the masses, with not much benefit to the latter. more..

May 27 (CT) Having looked at one example of rent seeking, in an unusual format, in the field of education, I came across another that was also quite illuminating about the way in which we allow ourselves to be exploited. This, also startling, case of abuse came to my notice when I went through the documents sent by the National Lotteries Board, after they had been examined by the Committee on Public Enterprises, and been found wanting. What I read seemed to suggest appalling waste, more..

May 27 (CG) The Sri Lankan military will not be given training in Tamil Nadu, Indian Defence Minister A.K Anthony said today. He said this after opening a new airbase in Thajavur, Tamil Nadu today to house a squadron of Indian Air Force lethal Su-30 MKI combat aircraft, making it the first fighter squadron in south India that will help maintain vigil over the Indian Ocean region. In March this year Union Minister G.K. Vasan more..

May 27 (Island) A helipad constructed atop the Neuro surgical building, of the Colombo National Hospital, to airlift critical patients to the hospital with the least amount of delay, lies idle as the Civil Aviation Authority has so far failed to grant it landing rights. Although constructed nearly three years ago,it could not even be made use of when the monk, who self-immolated on Vesak day, Friday, at the main entrance to the Temple of the Tooth, was airlifted from Kandy to Colombo, but more..

May 27 (DN) President Mahinda Rajapaksa completes 43 years in politics today. He first entered Parliament having won the Beliatta seat at the general election held on May 27, 1970. This seat was represented in Parliament by his father D.A. Rajapaksa who passed away in 1967. MP Mahinda Rajapaksa was 24 years and the youngest MP then, when Mrs. Sirimavo Bandaranaike was the Prime Minister. Although he was defeated in the wave of the 1977 general election loss, more..

May 27 (CT) The self-immolation of a Buddhist monk in Kandy on Friday took a new turn with the latest police reports casting doubts as to what the monk actually attempted to do. Minutes before the incident, the monk had been heard making a statement to the effect saying his effort was not to take his life, but to sacrifice it, in a bid to end cattle-slaughter in the country. Bowatte Indraratana Thera of the Porambe temple more..

May 27 (Island) A surprise search, carried out in the female wards of Welikada prison yesterday morning, had helped uncover a haul of banned items used by the inmates. A senior prisons officer said that the search operation had been carried out after all the inmates were summoned for a special seminar to avoid any clashes. The women jailers who searched the cells found 46 mobile phones, 82 batteries, 35 SIM cards, 20 phone chargers, four bottles of liquor, 42 packets of snuff, and Rs 1,400 hidden in more..