Jan 2 (DN) Both camps are optimistic of claiming victory and there appears to be no losers at the much awaited elections to the country's richest sports body Sri Lanka Cricket which will be held at the Sports Ministry auditorium on Sunday at 10 am. However the reality will be in the hands of the stakeholders who have mandated to vote for the most suitable candidate and their team and will wisely decide on the outcome. more..

Jan 2 (CT) Northern Province CM C.V. Wigneswaran is unique in chairing two different councils in the province. As Chief Minister Wigneswaran remains head of the Northern Provincial Council (NPC) which is an official body elected democratically with an overwhelming support of the people in the North in 2013. Tamil People's Council (TPC) which was formed a week ago by a group of TNA dissidents and some of the civil society members from North and East more..

Jan 2 (DN) Journalists, especially political columnists whose vocation is writing contemporary history or recording action and events as they happen live have, nevertheless, a customary habit of looking back at the year that just receded on every New Year’s Day. True to tradition we would also like to take a retrospective glance at the Year 2015. It does need the acumen of a political scientist or the experience of a seasoned politician to name momentous event in SL that happened last more..

Jan 2 (CT) The statement by president Maithripala Sirisena that the organizers of the Enrique Iglesias concert Sex and Love, the much respected and loved Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayewardena should be whipped with the toxic Stingray Tail, comes in the wake of a fraudulent cultural reawakening by Buddhist extremists. These extremists would be fully supported by the Taliban, Al-Qaida, Boko Haram and ISIS, who are forcing their women to walk wearing black tents. more..

Jan 2 (CT) Last week this page featured a story on a sorcerer named Velumuttai who passed away in the year 1850. Following his mysterious death, the area where he lived and died, Kahingala in Kovilavela, was haunted by a gliding eerie man who had bats circling his head. Velumuttai lived in a small shack under a massive Nuga tree. This gliding supernatural man was spotted near that Nuga tree. As a result, from 1850 to 1900 the villagers were afraid to enter that area. more..

Jan 2 (CT) "I'm not going to let cancer define who I am. I don't want to be known as the lady who got cancer. I want to be known as just who I am." Lalitha Manoharan was diagnosed with breast cancer a year before she was to get married to her fiance. "I was sitting on a couch during a family party on Dec 24th, Christmas Eve when I first noticed the lump. It didn't feel right so I made an appointment with my gynaecologist. more..

Jan 2 (CT) It was middle distance runner Nimali Liyanarachchi who saved the blushes of Sri Lanka during the Asian Athletics Championships in 2015 while producing the country's only medal. Yet, her training facilities haven't improved a bit even after several request by her from the relevant authorities. The 26-year-old 800m National Champion was able to get the attraction of many at the 2013 Asian Grand Prix 3rd Leg held in Sri Lanka where she produced a gold medal in this event. more..

Jan 2 (DM) Minister Lakshman Kiriella said steps would be taken to construct a bridge across the Kandy Lake to ease the movement of traffic in the Kandy City. He conveyed this information to the media after accompanying President Sirisena on a visit to the Asgiriya Mahanayake Thera on Thursday. Responding to questions asked, minister said the Govt would implement a traffic plan to ease traffic just like he had successfully completed the surface carpeting of 60 roads in Kandy. more..

Jan 2 (DN) Sports Minister Dayasiri Jayasekera said that Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) constitution will be amended soon after the elections scheduled for Sunday. He said that PM Ranil Wickremesinghe intends to amend SLC constitution after having discussions with the ICC and the winning candidate in the near future at a press briefing held at Sports Ministry premises yesterday with regard to the SLC elections. more..

Jan 2 (FT) Minister Ravi Karunanayake yesterday invited all Sri Lankans to set aside differences in race, caste, creed, religion and light a single candle for the country as the dawn of a New Year heralds a new era of economic resurgence. Following is the full text of Finance Minister’s New Year message. “It is with a sense of elation that I state that the dawn of a New Year heralds a new era of prosperity for all Sri Lankans buoyed by fresh hopes brought about by the first budget of the new govt more..

Jan 2 (NS) Lanka Hospitals, one of the largest private multi-specialty tertiary care hospitals in the country along with eDoctor [www.eDoctor.lk], have entered into a partnership aimed at taking healthcare services to a higher level. The official signing for this took place on December 16. Launched in 2012, eDoctor.lk is a web based medical advisory service specializing in initial medical advice 24/7 at Family Doctor (GP) level. In addition to this they also act as a portal to more..

Jan 2 (NS) Deputy Minister Eran Wickramaratne last week said the island’s State Owned Enterprises (SOEs) have been given a new lease of life after the new govt assumed office and vowed that they would now be managed more efficiently under his Ministry’s watch thus maximizing public benefit. He also commented on the popular topic of nepotism and claimed that there has been a sea-change in terms of appointments to more..

Jan 2 (CT) Religious violence in Sri Lanka manifests itself in two essential forms, the chronic and the acute, Attorney-at-Law Gehan Gunatilleke said. In his study titled The Chronic and the Acute: Post-War Religious Violence in Sri Lanka, Gunatilleke added that while it should be borne in mind that the line between the chronic and the acute may not always be clear, the classification moreover was not necessarily an indication of the gravity of the situation. more..

Jan 2 (GDI) The electricity provision of the country will reach 100 percent by Jan 31, Power and Renewable Energy Ministry sources revealed. This target could be achieved with the implementation of a programme to provide electricity to low income earners who cannot afford electricity. The programme under the theme Ratama Eliyai Andura Duralai was initiated to provide electricity at concessionary rates to complete the electricity provision within three months, more..

Jan 2 (CT) Minister of Plantation Industries and Chairman of the Mahaweli Cultural Fund (MCF), recently inspected the final stage of the construction of the historic Kotmale Mahaweli Maha Stupa. The minister during an inspection tour advised officials to speed up the construction of the stupa which is currently in the final stage and to ensure that high standards are maintained in the process. more..

Jan 2 (NS) The proposed implementation of licence fees on registered companies has resulted in a massive confusion which led to hundreds of persons queuing outside the Department of Registrar of Companies on Dec 31. Govt in its budget proposals stated that every private and public quoted company would be subjected to an Annual Licence Fee. Accountant, Department of Registrar of Companies, R. Bandara stated that the new proposal of a licence fee had created confusion among more..

Jan 2 (CG) Minister Dr Rajitha Senaratne has sought a report on how the Health Ministry intends to make use of Rs. 50 million gifted by Chinese govt. He said that Chinese govt has offered the money to help boost Health services in the country, including Ayurveda and Western medicine. However he says he has issued instructions to the Health Ministry Secretary to submit a report on how exactly the funds will be utilised. Allegations had been raised against the former govt of funds received more..

Jan 2 (CT) Minister Dayasiri Jayasekara had complaint to the FCID regarding two close associates of SL cricketers who had approached dashing opener Kusal Perera and ace spinner Rangana Herath during SL–WI first Test match with match fixing agendas offering large sum of cash for the two players to fix 2nd Test match. According to Minister, one of those alleged individuals had even participated in a net session more..

Jan 2 (TP) Sri Lankan embassy was yesterday opened at new chancery premises in Al Mattar, introducing initiatives, including a helpline for community members to seek assistance for their grievances. The new premises which can accommodate around 2,000 people, was officially inaugurated by Ambassador Dr W M Karunadasa. The event was marked by traditional flag-hoisting, followed by Sri Lankan traditions such as singing of the Jayamangala Gatha, lighting an oil lamp, more..

Jan 2 (ET) Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) secretary Khalid Rehmani announced on Friday that Sri Lanka has been finalised as the venue for March’s Davis Cup Asia-Oceania Group I tie against China after the International Tennis Federation (ITF) rejected the federation’s appeal to hold the tie in Lahore. “We wanted China to play us in Pakistan as it is our home tie but the ITF rejected the proposal citing security concerns,” Rehmani said. “Sri Lanka has now been finalised as venue for tie.” more..

Jan 2 (FT) Anti-corruption efforts are set to continue in 2016 with chargers to be filed against former Fisheries Deputy Minister Sarath Kumara Gunaratne and several top ministry officials against their alleged involvement in financial irregularities during former President Rajapaksa’s time in power. Govt is to institute legal action against them, shortly, following the recommendations of the PRECIFAC, sources close to the matter said. more..

Jan 2 (GDI) “It is a pride for the public servants as they have the best opportunity to contribute top the development of the country”, says the Secretary to the President P.B. Abeykoon. “If one place of the machinery of the govt service would have a deficiency, it will affect the whole system. Therefore, everybody should work together for the required achievements of the country”, he added. Secretary was addressing the staff of the Presidential Secretariat today (1) to mark the New Year. more..

Jan 2 (CT) Head of the Committee to seek public opinion on constitutional reforms, Lal Wijenayake said the first order of business for the Committee would be to prepare a questionnaire to be filled by the people with their answers regarding the new Constitution. Attorney-at-Law Wijenayake added that he met the Prime Minister's Secretary yesterday to make arrangements on how to proceed with the mandate of the Committee which is to obtain written and verbal submissions from more..

Jan 2 (CT) SLC Election 2016 will be held under high security tomorrow, at Sports Ministry Auditorium where the members will be communicated about the Supreme Court (SC) decision regarding the elections by the Director General of Sports (DGS), K.D Ruwanchandra. The members could agree to that SC decision and hold the election or neglect it completely and hold the election with the rejected candidates. more..

Jan 2 (DN) A five year plan has been launched to eradicate the drug and liquor menace in Kataragama, Kataragama Police OIC Chief Inspector Upali Kariyawasam said. He said before he assumed duties at the Katargama Police Station, the ganja menace was a major issue in the district. "This is because Kataragama is surrounded by national parks like Yala and Lunungamvehera and the lethargic attitude of forest officers in enforcing the law," Chief Inspector Kariyawasam said more..

Jan 2 (FT) Message from the Speaker Karu Jayasuriya: “A New Year dawns with lots of fresh hopes in every heart. I am of the firm conviction that we can make use of a New Year to rekindle the resolve in our hearts to achieve the productive targets of building a better society, which we missed in the year gone by,” Speaker Karu Jayasuriya said in a New Year message. The message added: “The Year 2016 dawns at an era when governance which was limited to mere rhetoric of consensus more..

Jan 2 (ET) Pakistan and Sri Lanka are going to sign two MoUs for promoting trade and providing training services during PM Nawaz Sharif’s visit to Colombo next week. PM along with a delegation will be on a trip to Sri Lanka from January 4 to 6 where two MoUs will be inked for deepening trade and investment ties between the two countries. “First agreement will be between the TDA of Pakistan and Sri Lanka EDB in a bid to more..

Jan 2 (GDI) 20,000 vacancies in education sector will be filled within next 3 months, Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam said. 15,000 teachers, 4,431 principals and 852 Education Administrative Service Officers will be recruited within this period. Education sector has been affected up to a certain extent by the scarcity of teachers, principals and Education Administrative Service officers. "Therefore, all these vacancies will be filled with suitable persons with immediate effect," more..

Jan 2 (DM) Sri Lanka is ranked second among the top 16 places recommended by the world famous travel and life style magazine Condé Nast Traveller to visit in 2016. Endorsing Sri Lanka as the second Top 16 Places to Go in 2016, Condé Nast Editor, Katherine LaGrave said, Sri Lanka remains affordable, uncrowded and relatively unexplored. Specially mentioned were Colombo and Galle, where former was described as undergoing a cosmopolitan change, more..

Jan 2 (CT) Colombo Chief Magistrate Gihan Pilapitiya ordered CID to launch a full-scale investigation into charges of misappropriation of funds, properties, contravening tender laws and related acts of fraud at Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC,) during the tenures of its former Chairman Hudson Samarasinghe and its former Director General Samantha Weliweriya. IGP had forwarded case to FCID following a petition more..

Dec 2 (DM) Daily Mirror in our editorial yesterday focussed attention on the national Govt’s plans for the weeklong celebrations to mark the first anniversary of the people’s silent revolution on January 8. President Maithripala Sirisena and other govt leaders have insisted there should be no wasteful expenditure, luxury or extravagant events to mark this historic occasion. Instead every ministry is called upon to launch a mega development project in line with the midterm economic strategy more..

Dec 2 (DM) New Year that begins today will probably open a new chapter in the history of democracy in Sri Lanka with the legal acceptance of the people’s right to access information – and guaranteeing their rights to question the system. Sri Lanka will probably join the long list of countries that have provided its people this universal human right that had been denied for over a decade since it was first drafted. Some sectors of society still doubt the sincerity of govt in promulgating such laws. more..

Dec 2 (DBS) New year has dawned on a note of hope and optimism for SL! On Jan 9th President is scheduled to present a resolution in Parliament that proposes to convert Parliament into a Constitutional Assembly. Envisaged Constitutional Assembly is different to the Constituent Assembly that drafted 1972 Republican Constitution. Political vision of the Govt is to enact a new Constitution differently. more..

Dec 2 (SL) Alleged illegal construction of mini hydro power plants projects in the Sinharaja Forest Reserve, a national park and a biodiversity hotspot in Sri Lanka, has caused many environmental damages to the world heritage. Sinharaja is of international significance and has been designated a Biosphere Reserve and World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The illegal construction of the Project that crosses Kosgulana River more..

Dec 2 (SL) In this modern age of technology there has been an increase in the amount of cyber-crimes being committed .One of the main crime’s that occur on the web is cyber- sex crimes. Cyber sex often uses web-cams. This enables the other participant to physically view the victim. Cyber-sex crime has posed a great threat to young children and teenagers as many such sites employ them. more..

Dec 2 (ST) Environmentalists have come out in opposition to the proposed monorail project from the BIA to Colombo city via the Muthurajawela marshlands, saying it would wipe out many species of wildlife there. So far, no Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report has been carried out on the project despite an agreement having been signed between the Board of Investment (BOI), Airport Express Air more..

Dec 2 (ST) Three years after Thiruchelvan Ketheeswaran arrived in Keppapilavu village in Mullaitivu to start a new life for his family, his hopes are crumbling. Ketheeswaran was among the thousands of IDPs resettled in a brand-new village as the final phase of govt’s resettlement process concluded. He could not return to his own land, 1-2km away. Born and raised in a farming family, he works now as a mason because his acres of more..

Jan 2 (Island) The latest data indicate that Sri Lanka’s declining unemployment trend has reversed. Rate of unemployment went up to 5% in the third quarter of last year from 4.2% in 2014. This puts the official number of unemployed persons at 453,956 by the third quarter of last year. Unemployment rate in 2013 was 4.3%. The overall unemployment rate reported last year for females was 7.8% and 3.5% for males. more..

Jan 2 (EN) Sri Lanka's central bank is probing a primary dealer in Treasuries who is alleged to have sold securities belonging to clients and are unable to repay them, Central Bank Governor Arjuna Mahendran said. "The Central Bank is on top of it and we are investigating," he told reporters. Governor Mahendran said he had seen the reports in the press relating to the primary dealer. The primary dealer with whom more..