May 13 (ENS) The fact that India has invited President, Miathripala Sirisena, and Leader of Opposition and TNA leader, R.Sampanthan, to the Simhasth Kumbh Mela being held at Ujjain, is considered politically significant here. Although Sirisena and Sampanthan are not on par in protocol, the fact that Indian PM Narendra Modi has invited the First Citizen of Sri Lanka and the leader of the Tamils, shows the good relations he has with more..

May 13 (EN) Sri Lanka should consider joining the tax transparency initiative promoted by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to fight tax dodging, a tax expert said. The island’s tax system was being changed with the base being widened and the number of taxes and rates being reduced, said Premila Perera, former partner of the KPMG audit firm. “Change should be within a consistent policy framework and within precepts of certainty, more..

May 13 (DN) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe will address Sri Lanka’s first National Summit on Foresight and Innovation for Sustainable Human Development on may 24. It will be organised by the UNDP and the National Policies and Economic Affairs Ministry. The PM is expected to speak at a high-level plenary themed Re-imagining Governance: An Opportunity for Sri Lanka. The Summit, held together with Science, Technology and Research Ministry, Sarvodaya, LIRNEasia, UN Global Compact more..

May 13 (DN) Former Narahenpita Crimes OIC Sumith Perera arrested for allegedly covering up evidence in connection with the murder of Wasim Thajudeen informed Court through his lawyer that he is ready to make a confession before the Magistrate over the incident. Senior Counsel Ajith Pathirana appearing on behalf of the former Crimes OIC told Colombo Additional Magistrate that his client would reveal everything he knew about more..

May 13 (CT) State Minister for Higher Education Mohan Lal Grero has held discussions with the Secretary to the Ministry of Education to explore the possibility of bringing forward the GCE A/L examinations from August to April. "Right now a student who is qualified to enter a university needs to stay home for 20 months after he/she sits the exam. This is a sheer waste of time and a lot of students enrol in various private institutions because they don't want to waste their time. more..

May 13 (DN) SLC president Thilanga Sumathipala said that now that the ICC had admitted there was a flaw in the tests carried out by the Qatar laboratory on the urine samples of Kusal Perera there was a case for seeking financial redress from the sport’s international governing body. “Without Perera’s personal expenses we have so far spent to about Rs. 13 million,” revealed Sumathipala. “Now that we have proved beyond reasonable doubt that Kusal is innocent and he is not guilty and more..

May 13 (PMD) British PM David Cameron commended the commitment of the Sri Lankan Govt for corruption free good governance. He made these remarks when he met President Maithripala Sirisena for bilateral discussions on the sidelines of the Anti Corruption Summit, being held in London today (12). At the venue British PM, David Cameron warmly welcomed the President and later held bilateral discussions. more..

May 13 (DM) Three containers with dried chillies, valued at about Rs.10 million, imported from China, had been seized at the Orugodawatte Container yard, Deputy Customs Director Parakrama Basnayake said. He said upon inspection it was revealed that the three containers had been stocked with 63,500kgs of dried chillies which were not fit for human consumption. The containers had been examined at the Customs Revenue Task Force Division at the Rank Container Terminal. more..

May 13 (DN) Pevidi Handa Organisation President Ven. Muruttetuwe Ananda Thera said President Sirisena has given him a date to discuss with them about the security of former President Rajapaksa. Thera said his organisation has received more than 500 applications for the establishment of an elite unit to provide protection to Rajapaksa. A large number of retired military officers have sent applications to the organization that were ready to provide their services voluntarily for the protection of more..

May 13 (Island) Former Justice Ministry Secretary Dr Nihal Jayawickrema has strongly supported the engagement of international experts in the proposed war crimes investigations in accordance with a resolution adopted at the UNHRC. He said that the govt of Sri Lanka should accept international assistance. The internationally recognised academic was delivering the Dr P.R. Anthonis Memorial Oration 2016 titled more..

May 13 (DM) Palani Digambaram, the leader of the National Union of Workers (NUW) and the Up-country New Villages, Estate Infrastructure and Community Development Minister has rejected a proposal made by Northern Provincial Council (NPC) to institute a separate regional council for Up-country Tamils. The proposal had been incorporated in the resolution that was moved by Northern Province Chief Minister C.V.Wigneswaran and adopted by the council on April 22. more..

May 13 (DM) Amid one of the world’s biggest ever financial scandals revolving round the Panama papers, Briton’s PM David Cameron yesterday presided at the anit-corruption summit attended by several world leaders including President Maithripala Sirisena who was specially invited because of the new govt’s commitment to the battle against highlevel corruption. Some hours before the summit began at Lancaster House in London, the Guardian’s economic expert David Sachs more..

May 13 (SL) The UNF is to transform this country in to a middle income country is mulling in creating the most favourable tax system in the region, Minister Malik Samarawickrama said at the launch of 16th World Export Development Forum (WEDF) held in Colombo this week. It is highly commendable that the present administration is desirous of attracting traders and investors beyond hitherto existent FDIs from China & India. more..

May 13 (ST) Health officials and weather forecasters are advising precautions for the vulnerable including the elderly and children, because soaring temperatures are expected to last a while longer despite intermittent rains last week. Weather watchers are raising the alert over the actual temperature felt by the human body, or the human discomfort index. Extreme caution is the watchword. Heat index reached 40c Friday. more..

May 13 (CT) Colombo Chief Magistrate ordered the CEO of Computer Emergency Readiness Team (CERT) to submit a detailed analytical report on 10 hard disks which had been discovered in the course of investigations into a complaint that former MP Sajin de Vass Gunawardene had obtained houses, real estate, vehicles and aircraft illegally and by the use of illegitimate channels. more..

May 13 (Island) Former Deputy Finance Ministers Prof. G.L. Peiris and Bandula Gunawardena have asked Finance Ministry Secretary to clarify as a matter of priority allegations leveled by the govt that there are undisclosed borrowings of the previous govt amounting to USD 1.5 billion. The Joint Opposition, in a letter to the Treasury Secretary, said: "We are aghast at current irresponsible statements more..

May 13 (DN) Minister Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka challenged Justice Minister Dr. Wijayadasa Rajapakshe to once again whitewash Avant Garde Chairman Nissanka Senadhipathi if possible over the Panama Papers revelation. Referring to Minister Rajapakshe’s previous statements to cover up Avant Garde and its officers, Fonseka said the public could now judge who spoke the truth and who lied. more..

May 13 (TG) Kumar Sangakkara has bemoaned the domestic system in Sri Lanka that, in his view, means the country’s cricketers learning their trade at international level and makes their upcoming Test series with England a battle to be competitive. Sangakkara, scorer of 12,400 Test runs, was part of the side that in 2014 capitalised on England’s angst following their Ashes whitewash in Australia to secure a 1-0 victory more..

May 13 (Island) The Association of Licensed Foreign Employment Agencies (ALFEA) welcomed Deputy Foreign Minister, Harsha de Silva’s warning to foreign job agencies that had allegedly formed themselves into a mafia. ALFEA President, Faizer Mackeen said the amendments had been brought to foreign employment laws by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa when he was Minister of Labour in the later 1990s more..

May 13 (ENS) The Trincomalee Power Company (TPC), which is a Joint Venture (JV) of India’s National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) and SL’s state-owned Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), will be floating a global tender this month end, inviting contractors to execute its 500 MW coal fired power plant at Sampoor in Eastern Sri Lanka. This decision was taken at a board meeting of the TPC here on Thursday, reliable sources said. more..

May 13 (Island) The European Union (EU) claimed that the idea of replacing the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) had come not from the EU but from Govt of Sri Lanka as part of its commitment to the joint Human Rights Council Resolution in Geneva resolution. Ambassador and Head of Delegation of the EU to Sri Lanka and the Maldives David Daly told the media at the introduction of EU’s human rights initiatives for this year more..

May 13 (CI) Rahul Dravid, the former India captain, and Mahela Jayawardene, the former Sri Lanka captain, have been appointed to ICC cricket committee for the next three years. Former India captain Anil Kumble was re-elected the chairman of the committee for another three-year term and Richard Kettleborough replaced the retired Steve Davis as the umpires' representative. Kettleborough has won the ICC's more..

May 13 (CT) It was reported that President Maithripala Sirisena will visit India today. Accordingly, the President is expected to attend a number of functions organized by the BJP, during his tour. Thereafter, the President will be meeting Narendra Modi to hold discussions pertaining to the fisheries issues affecting both countries. President Sirisena's second visit to India takes place at a very crucial moment. At this juncture, Sri Lanka needs to be very cautious about diplomatic relations. more..

May 13 (CT) You cannot kill an idea, however one may try. A single idea from the human mind can build cities, rewrite all the rules, and transform the world. Neither armies, nor dictators, nor even mortality have power over them, people die, but their ideas do not. An American civil rights activist Medgar Evers stated that you can kill a man, but you can’t kill an idea. He was later shot dead by a Klansman, but the civil rights movement endured. Nelson Mandela, who led South Africa from more..

May 13 (Reuters) Shares rose on Friday to hit its highest close in more than four months, led by gains in telecom and hotel stocks. However, the gains were capped on concerns that the govt's move to increase the value added tax and impose new taxes, effective from May 2, would hit the bottom lines of companies. "Today the market is up on a positive feeling with the foreign inflow, but we feel it's temporary," said Yohan Samarakkody, head of research, SC Securities (Pvt) Ltd. more..

May 13 (Island) The GMOA urged the govt to expedite the process of enacting Section 33 of the 2006 Tobacco and Alcohol Act which specifies the conditions on which nicotine products could be imported into the country. GMOA Secretary Dr Nalinda Herath demanded to know whether the delay in attending to the loophole in the existing law was the govt’s way of encouraging crooked businessmen to victimise the country’s children. GMOA had verified with the Commissioner of more..

May 13 (SKY) Mahela Jayawardene believes Sri Lanka are capable of shocking England and winning the forthcoming Test series between the sides. Having scored over 25,000 runs across all three formats for SL during a hugely successful international career, Mahela has since worked as a batting consultant for England, putting the 38-year-old in a unique situation when it comes to assessing the two sides. more..

May 13 (CT) Harendra Balapatabendi, son of President’s secretary Kusumsiri Balapatabendi under the former President Chandrika Kumaratunga has been named in the Offshore leaks database released by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), CT investigation found. Kusumsiri Balapatabendi was the Chairman of all tender boards during the PA regime appointed by then President Kumaratunga. He was also the Chairman, SriLankan Airlines. more..

May 13 (CG) Avant Garde Chairman Nissanka Senadhipathi has reiterated an allegation that Parliamentarian, Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka took a bribe from him. While denying the allegations Fonseka has raised based on the Panama Papers revelations, Senadhipathi said that Fonseka should prepare to face the investigations to be held on the Rs. 35 million bribe. Senadhipathi also insisted that his company does not have an offshore account as claimed in the Panama Papers revelations. more..

May 13 (Xinhua) Hundreds of minority Tamils took part in events in Sri Lanka's former war torn north on Friday to remember the victims of the island's 30 year civil conflict. Families of the war dead and those missing lit candles and took part in religious observances amidst heightened security. The events which began on Friday, will be held for a week at different locations in the north and east with the final event set to take place on more..

May 13 (NST) Two Russians and a Sri Lankan were deported to their countries after being detained in Selangor between March 28 and Apr 22, for their alleged links to terror group Islamic State (IS). IGP said the trio were nabbed during special operations in Selangor, conducted by Special Branch's Counter-Terrorism Division. On the first arrest, Khalid said two ethnic Chechens from Russia aged between 25 and 28 were nabbed for their alleged involvement in IS. more..

May 13 (CT) President of the Inter-Company Employees' Union Vasantha Samarasinghe said it was possible to successfully call off the strike launched by workers at the Bogala Graphite Mine winning 11 demands, including holidays for the Sinhala New Year. The strike, initiated under the leadership of the Inter-Company Employees' Union by employees of the Bogala Mine on 10 May ended successfully with all demands being granted. The employees reported back for work yesterday. more..

May 13 (AD) As an interim solution to the total traffic solution in the Megapolis plan, the Govt will soon start work on the Rajagiriya Flyover, Deputy Minister Dr Harsha de Silva says. The project is scheduled to begin in July 2016 and end in Jan 2018. “Soon you will save 50% of time now spent from Nelum Pokuna to Battaramulla. It gives me great pleasure to announce that as an interim solution to total traffic solution in Megapolis more..

May 13 (LT) Information has been revealed that Kurunegala District UPFA MP Mahinda Rajapaksa has assigned a five day tour enabling him to participate at the official ceremony of president’s inauguration. Air tickets, accommodation and hotel facilities have been provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Earlier it was claimed that the tour was a private affair of Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa. Media had revealed that another group would join the tour midway. more..

May 13 (DN) Minister Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka yesterday asked former Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa to explain as to why he purposefully kept a gas mask inside his vehicle on the day of the Piththala junction bomb attack. Replying to a media statement by the former Defence Secretary over his remark in Parliament recently that the bomb attack was orchestrated by Rajapaksa, Fonseka reiterated that his charge was based on strong evidence. more..

May 13 (CT) The attorneys representing the aggrieved party in the case concerning the death of Sumith Prasanna, a resident of Embilipitiya, charged the Police Department was actively seeking to protect Police officials allegedly involved in the death. Attorney-at-Law Udul Premeratne said there was a clear conspiracy within the Police Department, including the CID, to protect Embilipitiya ASP D.W.C. Dharmaratne, more..

May 13 (CG) Embassy of Sri Lanka in Paris successfully concluded the first ever consular forum conducted by the Department of Immigration and Emigration in Paris with a view to address issues faced by the Sri Lankan Community in France pertaining to issuance of passports, registration of birth, citizenship certificates and issuance of dual citizenship certificates. On an invitation extended by Ambassador Tilak Ranaviraja, a team of Senior Officials consisting of more..

May 13 (Island) Police are closing in on a suspect who lost part of his tongue bitten by a teenager he tried to rape on April 27 in Mawathagama. The man had fled the area, but the police would arrest him soon. The severed part of his tongue had been sent to the Govt Analyst to obtain a DNA report, the police officer said. A female neighbour of the girl has told the police that the suspect had asked for a glass of water from her. The woman has said she had, on seeing excessive bleeding, more..

May 13 (USE) U.S. Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Samantha Power met with former President Chandrika Kumaratunga, currently Chairperson of SL’s Office of National Unity Reconciliation (ONUR), and Mano Tittawella, Secretary-General for Coordinating Reconciliation Mechanisms, on May 11, at the SL Mission to UN in New York. Ambassador reiterated US support for SL's reconciliation efforts. more..