Dec 2 (LBO) Sri Lanka will streamline its tourist industry and move towards attracting high end visitors through the Megapolis and Western Province development programme, Minister Champika Ranawaka said. “While developing IT led innovation towns from Homagama to Malambe under the Megapolis project we have also chosen Aluthgama to be converted into a high-end tourist attraction zone,” he said. more..

Dec 2 (EN) Sri Lanka will call for fresh proposals this month to solve Colombo’s mounting garbage problem which if left unchecked could pollute the capital;s main source of drinking water, Minister Champika Ranawaka said. An integrated approach will be adopted as responsibility for clearing garbage in the city and suburbs was divided among several agencies including urban and municipal authorities & local govt bodies, more..

Dec 2 (CG) Former TNA MP Suresh Premachandran claims a torture chamber existed in Vara’ni in Jaffna. He made public photographs taken at the alleged torture chamber which shows blood stains on the walls. Premachandran said that the torture chamber was in an army camp which was later shifted to another location following public protests as the camp included several private homes taken over by the army. more..

Dec 2 (CT) When Auvvaiyar the famed Tamil poetess was asked about the cruelest thing on earth, she replied “The cruelest is poverty and yet more cruel is poverty in early years”. Women headed families in the North are a pitiable 90,000. They experience the cruelest condition and witness yet more cruel travails of their children. Hence this note about them. How to change their discomfiture? A helping hand can lift them as it has done elsewhere. Why should women be more..

Dec 2 (Island) The fundamental rights violation petition filed by Justice Sarath De Abrew against the Police Department and the Attorney General was called before the Supreme Court yesterday and re-fixed for support on, December 4, 2015. The petitioner had complained that the police had conducted an arbitrary inquiry targeting him, and consequently, he had been indicted in the High Court of Colombo, for grave sexual abuse of his female domestic aide, at his residence. more..

Dec 2 (Reuters) Shares fell for a sixth straight session on Wednesday to their eight-month closing low, led by banking and diversified stocks on worries earnings of financial firms would be hit after the new budget proposals announced were implemented. Sentiment was also hurt after PM Ranil Wickremesinghe warned of lower economic growth in 2016 due to the global slowdown. "We have to expect declining commodity prices that have an impact on the Sri Lankan economy and more..

Dec 2 (CT) Within just one week, Traffic Policemen posted on Colombo's highways alone detected incredible 2,200 drivers who had violated the new lane regulations and others who had been flagged down for reckless driving. One does not know how many more such violations are committed throughout the country. But what we do know is that these callous drivers are wanton killers who took the lives of 2,436 men, women and children last year. Make no mistake about it: every lane violator more..

Dec 2 (AD) Second reading of the 2016 Budget was passed in Parliament today with a majority of 107 votes. A total of 159 members voted in favour while 52 voted against. Meanwhile 13 MPs including former President Rajapaksa and Ven. Athuraliye Rathana Thero were absent during the vote on the second reading. JVP and several UPFA MPs of the joint opposition voted against the budget. However, the TNA, CWC leader more..

Dec 2 (DM) The driver of a speeding motor car that crashed onto a bus stand on the Mahiyangana-Padiyathalawa road killing an elderly woman who was waiting inside the bus stand had run away leaving his wife and child inside the car. The woman had been waiting for a bus opposite the Dehigolla School after accompanying her granddaughter to the Dehigolla School when the tragedy occurred. Severe impact had caused serious injuries to the woman, who had been rushed to hospital, more..

Dec 2 (Island) Rome was not built in a day so the Opposition should have patience to wait till the proposals made in the budget 2016 were implemented to see how the country would benefit from the progressive budget proposals, Minister D.M. Swaminathan said yesterday. "With the excellent direction, development orientation and professional approach a delicate balance is maintained between much needed economic reforms & price reduction of essential goods more..

Dec 2 (CG) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe today said the country plans to have a unique financial and business district in Colombo when the sea reclamation project by a Chinese firm is resumed. “Hopefully if the Port City projects get underway, I think there will be some sort of landfill there that could have the makings of a special financial and business district which will be a unique one in South Asia,” more..

Dec 2 (Island) UPFA MP Vasudeva Nanayakkara declared that he wouldn’t give up his ministerial quarters until he was given a house allocated to an MP. Raising a privilege issue, MP said that his name, too, had been included in a list of ministers who had failed to vacate ministerial quarters following the UPFA’s defeat at the Aug. 17 polls. "I asked for an MP’s residence. I have not been given one yet. Therefore, I have not vacated the official residence I am currently using," more..

Dec 2 (Xinhua) China Merchants Charitable Foundation (CMCF), under the China Merchants Group (CMG), has donated 150 foldable hydrophobic single piece/multi-piece intraocular lenses and cartridges to Sri Lanka's health sector in order to pave way for 150 cataract surgeries to be performed to the country's needy. The project, titled C Blue restore Sight Project, is one of the CMCF's global projects in spheres such as health, education, poverty alleviation and environment. more..

Dec 2 (CG) Over 25 investigations are underway related to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa or his family members, Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera told Parliament today. He said that Rajapaksa and his family are also being investigated for money stored in offshore bank accounts. He says the investigations will however take time as there are barricades when attempting to access foreign bank accounts. more..

Dec 2 (AD) Batticaloa Magistrate today further remanded former Eastern Province Chief Minister S Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan, who was arrested in connection with the murder of ex-MP Joseph Pararajasingham, till Dec 16. The suspect was further remanded when the case was taken up for hearing before Magistrate N.M. Abdullah. Pillyan was arrested on Oct 11 when he arrived at the CID to give a statement in connection with the assassination of late Tamil politician, more..

Dec 2 (AD) Minister Ravi Karunanayake says that foreigners will not be given freehold land ownership and that instead they will be allowed to obtain land on a 99-year lease. The same formula applies to the Colombo Port City project, he said while addressing the Parliament. He stated that none of the existing regulations pertaining to transferring ownership of lands to foreigners have been removed and that only the tax imposed on leasing of land to foreigners has been removed. more..

Dec 2 (DM) Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka challenged Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe to reveal if he had any sort of connection with Avant Garde owner within the next 48 hours. He said he had a doubt that Minister Rajapakshe was having a special connection with the Avant Garde proprietor even though Minister Rajapakshe was acting like he had no such connection. “I ask Minister Rajapakshe to reveal if he had any more..

Dec 2 (CG) The US says it has taken note of the steps President Maithripala Sirisena said he will take to reduce the powers of the Executive President. Ambassador Samantha Power, US Permanent Representative to UN said that it was so completely striking to hear from the President a series of steps that he’s seeking to take to restore the checks and balances that had existed. “I was just in Sri Lanka, in addition to visiting India, and it was so completely striking to hear from the SL President more..

Dec 2 (CT) The Ministry of Education has urged all school Principals to complete issuing vouchers for school uniforms by the end of the third school term on 4 Dec. The ministry said that vouchers have already been sent to the Principals and notices informing students and parents of the process have also been sent. Minister of Education Akila Viraj Kariyawasam said, by introducing a voucher system to procure fabrics for school uniforms the govt can save Rs 200 million. more..

Dec 2 (DM) A recent advertisement featuring a Policeman has made the Police Department to strictly enforce the existing laws, which require the entertainment industry to request permission for the use of the Police Uniform. Police Spokesman ASP Ruwan Gunasekara said that he had lodged a complaint with the Fort Police today against the advertisement which allegedly ridiculed Policemen. more..

Dec 2 (HT) The Sri Lankan govt recently released its proposed budget for the coming year. It's been met with an array of responses. Some commentators have questioned the calculations which the govt has made, including over fundamental matters such as tax revenue. Kusal Perera, a Colombo-based journalist, says that "most numbers are fake or arbitrarily inflated." Among other matters, Perera is concerned that this budget will result in increased economic inequality. more..

Dec 2 (CG) Sri Lanka has urged the world community to stand firm and united in combating terrorism. This call was made when Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to the Netherlands and Permanent Representative to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Adam M.J. Sadiq addressed the 20th Session of the Conference of the States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention in the Hague. Speaking on behalf of the Govt of Sri Lanka during more..

Dec 2 (DM) Former External Affairs Minister G.L. Peiris today warned that terrorism would raise its head again if the government continued with its actions which were harmful to the national security. He said that it was the actions that matter and not words though the government kept making statements that it would not let the national security be compromised. more..

Dec 2 (DN) Govt Medical Officers Association (GMOA) along with number of unions including Govt Dental Surgeons’ Association (GDSA) will launch a strike island wide tomorrow starting from 8.00 am onwards. Holding a media briefing on Nov 30 GMOA Secretary Dr. Nalinda Herath said that they strongly oppose the withdrawal of duty free vehicle permits. “This budget had not met the expectations of the public servants. Nothing had been added to their basic salary" he added. more..

Dec 2 (Xinhua) The support of Sri Lankan parliament is vital in the battle against the Islamic State (IS) terrorists, a Russian delegation which concluded their official trip to Sri Lanka said. The five member delegation led by Ilyas Umakhanov, vice chairman of the Council of the Federation of the Federal Assembly was in Sri Lanka from Nov. 30 to Dec. 2, the Foreign Ministry said. The delegation visited Sri Lanka on the invitation of Speaker of Parliament Karu Jayasuriya. more..

Dec 2 (DN) FUTA holding a media briefing today, stated that they were greatly disappointed with the allocation of 2.72% GDP for the education sector by the Budget 2016, as it did not provide balanced solutions to the distressing state of education in the country. FUTA stated that although the education sector is in dire need of reforms, no provision had been provided in the budget to systematically analyze problems more..

Dec 2 (DM) Several expressways had been proposed to be built in the Western Province to bypass the Colombo city to ease the day-to-day traffic congestions, State Minister Sudarshini Fernandopulle said. “An expressway from Borella to Kaduwela had been proposed to be built to ease the traffic while another was proposed from Kelaniya connecting the Colombo Katunayaka Expressway,” she said. “The number of vehicles on the road had increased during the past six months. more..

Dec 2 (MEA) Minister Mangala Samaraweera had an urgent meeting today with the Chargé d’ Affaires of the Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Colombo at the Parliament complex to express the concerns of the Govt of Sri Lanka on the reported judgment of the Dawadmi Court of Saudi Arabia which states that a Sri Lankan national should be stoned to death on the charge of adultery. Ministers Thalatha Atukorale, A.H.M. Fowzie, the Chairman of SL Bureau of Foreign Employment R.K. Obeyesekere and more..

Dec 2 (AD) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe says that achieving a growth rate of 9% is a difficult task but not impossible and that it has to be done because by 2030 Sri Lanka has to become a high income-country. “We have to maintain our momentum and ensure whatever happens there is 6.5% growth rate for next year,” he said, during an event today marking the 30th anniversary of CSE. “There may be some unforeseen more..

Dec 3 (CT) Sri Lanka has exemplary health indicators and is often referred to as a model for other developing nations. This is due to the yeomen service provided by a number of dedicated health professionals. Yet, Sri Lanka is one of the few countries that a large number of mercenary medical professions and industry are allowed to hold the sick to ransom, despite the Hippocratic oath taken by its doctors. One would hardly find a doctor who would give evidence against his or her more..

Dec 3 (CT) The TNA emerged as the chief political entity representing the Tamil community in Sri Lanka with the downfall of the LTTE in 2009. Despite the lack of meaningful political achievements in the last six years, the party seems to be gaining more acceptance within the Tamil community. This is evident from the fact that in the last general election, the party managed to increase its parliamentary representation by two more seats. Therefore, the developments and/or issues within more..

Dec 3 (CT) The NFF has been most critical of UNFGG Govt. Ceylon Today met MP Weerakumara Dissanayake, who is a stalwart of the NFF, to better understand what triggers their opposition towards govt's policies. Q: 2016 Budget was passed yesterday, despite the criticism of the govt and threats to defeat the budget. Do you not agree with the claim that this is an extremely business friendly budget and how will you more..

Dec 3 (DM) For those who are not involved in the field, climate change in relation to Sri Lanka may not sound as much a pressing issue as compared to floating armouries and political changes within the country. If at all yes, it has become considerably hotter, the lighting at night can get somewhat disturbing, and the weather application on your phone seems to be in dire need of an update since the conditions of the island have become fairly unpredictable. more..

Dec 3 (DM) The late Bhikkhu Maduluwawe Sobitha possibly was the most spoken about person ever since he fell ill, the non-return Singapore medical pursuit, the demise, the State funeral, and the post funeral debate in the last few weeks and will perhaps continue for some months to come. Even though he was known for being a hard core nationalist in the second phase of his life (Wickramabahu Karunaratne, Gamini Viyangoda and Mahinda Ratnayaka, see. more..

Dec 3 (CT) Minister of Foreign Employment, Thalatha Atukorale, said that her ministry did not have a mechanism in place to ensure the safety of Sri Lankan migrant workers in the Middle East. Speaking of the Sri Lankan female domestic worker in Saudi Arabia, who is currently on death row, she said the migrant workers must respect the laws and regulations of the country where they work. more..

Dec 3 (GV) Today (1) is World AIDS Day. According to reports, approximately 4 people are diagnosed with HIV every week in Sri Lanka, with an estimated 5 more going undetected. National STD/AIDS Control Programme (NSACP) in SL has reported 2,241 cases of HIV as of Sept 2015 – with the number of positives doubling over the past 6 years. At the same time, there have been 587 reported cases of AIDS, with 21 deaths this year alone. Statistics place Sri Lanka as a country with more..

Dec 3 (SL) A university should be a place of light, liberty and learning—Benjamin Disraeli, a British PM of renown. Sri Lankan undergraduates in recent decades have had somewhat different interpretations to this Disraeli definition of a university. Their views down the years could make it a: place of light, liberty, burning or (*revolting/ agitating/ demonstrating/ demanding/ ragging/ torturing/ opposing any govt / being baton charged or tear gassed). more..

Dec 3 (Island) Budget for 2016 has several controversial proposals. Some of them like the hike in vehicle emission testing charges and increase in vehicle import duties have been extensively discussed in the media but other, much more serious issues in the budget have remained outside the public debate. Opposition MP Vasudeva Nanayakkara talks about certain features of the budget which may have far reaching more..

Dec 3 (Haveeru) What went wrong? Could it be that Sri Lanka simply does not want the Maldives to develop, in the belief that it would be detrimental to Sri Lanka's growing post-war tourism industry? The UK gave the Maldives, full independence on the 26th of July, 1965. On the same day, the newly independent nation forged bilateral relations with two countries. One, unsurprisingly, was the UK. The other was not a head scratcher either, given historic social, economic and even linguistic ties more..