May 14 (ITN) The suspect who sexually abused a 15-year-old girl at Kalubovitiyawa in Morawaka has been murdered by two persons. The Police said that the two attackers had later surrendered. The persons who is suspected to have been involved in the sexual abuse had committed the abuse after abducting the girl. Parents of the girl had lodged a complaint at Morawaka Police as she revealed her misfortune. It was based on a complaint that Police commenced operations in search of suspect. more..

May 14 (NS) While moves to shift all Govt offices to Battaramulla are already underway, the Govt this week revealed that it is presently mulling over the possibilities of converting the President’s House and the Temple Trees to heritage sites and tourist attractions through the Megapolis master-plan. However, this move would only be finalized at the latter stage of phase-I of Megapolis plan which would take place during more..

May 14 (CT) Rumesh Wirasinghe CEO of Phoenix Duty Free Services, the controversial duty free supplier of SriLankan Airlines In-Flight Duty Free has been named in the offshore leaks database released by the ICIJ. Phoenix Duty Free Services which started off as Phoenix Rising Ventures, when as an unknown entity and having no prior experience in the business signed off a deal with the airline to supply duty free items for sale on board and also the supply wines and champagne more..

May 14 (ITN) The Ministry of Labour has said that a consensus has been reached to sort out issues that had arisen between the workers of the Ports Authority and the management. Minister W.D.J. Seneviratne said that this agreement was reached at a discussion held after both parties were summoned to the Labour Ministry. Earlier, on two occasions the management of the Ports Authority and Trade Unions were separately summoned to make inquiries about the issues. more..

May 14 (Hindu) Seeking a permanent solution to the issue of frequent arrests of Indian fishermen by SL Navy, India on Friday reiterated the need to build a dedicated mechanism. “PM Modi stressed the need to develop a mechanism and find a permanent solution to the issue of fishermen straying into each other’s waters,” sources said, following a meeting here between PM Narendra Modi and SL President Sirisena. more..

May 14 (DM) Sri Lanka joined the world to mark International Nurses’ Day on May 12 with the theme being Nurses: A Force for Change: Improving the Resilience of the Health Service. In January 1974, May 12 was chosen as International Nurses’ Day as it marks the anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale, who is widely considered the founder of modern nursing and was made famous in the book titled The Lady with the Lamp. The International Council of Nurses (ICN) has more..

May 14 (DM) Earlier this week, Lord Naseby wrote to the SL President, ahead of his attendance at the Anti-Corruption Summit in London, about how British-SL Relations could be strengthened. The letter was delivered via the London High Commission to the President shortly after his arrival in Britain. I recently had the pleasure of meeting some Ministers from your Govt (Daya Gamage, Anoma Gamage and Champika Ranawaka) during their brief London visits, which has been very more..

May 14 (DBS) Former SL army commander Sarath Fonseka came out with a bombshell statement some days ago in Parliament. The ex–army chief now a Cabinet minister in the govt accused his erstwhile comrade-at–arms and former Secretary of Defence Gotabhaya Rajapaksa of having stage managed an assassination attempt on himself nearly ten years ago in order to win sympathy for his family the Rajapaksas. more..

May 14 (FT) Three finalists from Sri Lanka are highly positive of winning awards at this year’s Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) currently taking place in Phoenix, Arizona. Judges have praised their solutions by giving them high remarks for their innovativeness and on the public visitation day, Daily FT saw a number of visitors praising the practicality and ease of usability of these solutions. more..

May 14 (SL) The Supreme Court decision not to pass the much anticipated Right to Information Bill is yet another setback to the country’s media freedom. Not only media personalities and media institutions, even the general public were hoping the bill that would enable them to have information on how taxpayers’ money was spent, would see the light of day. Supreme Court last week determined that certain clauses of the Bill more..

May 14 (ST) For every short-lived compact fluorescent bulb, (CFL bulb), thrown in the garbage, at least four milligrams of deadly mercury could leach into Sri Lanka’s precious soil. Researchers have found that mercury spells death, and if not, could damage the nervous system, digestive and immune systems, lungs and kidneys. A shattered CFL bulb releases mercury vapor and few are aware of it. Similarly, for every old television more..

May 14 (DN) Four cases filed against former SL Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC) Chairman Ariyaratne Athugala, its former Additional Director General Devapriya Abeysinghe and G.D. Sugathapala for allegedly threatening and assaulting four SLRC employees in 2010, were yesterday fixed for trial by the Colombo Chief Magistrate. When the 4 separate cases were taken up before Chief Magistrate Gihan Pilapitiya, more..

May 14 (DM) The Attorney General has instructed the CID Director to immediately produce Colombo Additional Magistrate Thilina Gamagae in court as a suspect for allegedly keeping a calf elephant illegally in his possession, sources said. It is also alleged that he was keeping the elephant calf knowing it was stealthily captured from the forest and also with the knowledge that there was no valid licence or registered certificate obtained. more..

May 14 (Island) Higher Education Minister Lakshman Kiriella said that there existed a misconception among those who got a sadistic pleasure out of ragging that it was not punishable by law. He told The that Parliament had passed a law empowering the university authorities to take legal action against those engaging in inhuman forms of ragging. "The law is already in the statute books, it’s a matter of making it operational." more..

May 14 (CT) Police have raided a fake Kachcheri that has been functioning in a two-storeyed building located about 50 metres away from Hulftsdorp Courts Complex in Colombo, where birth certificates and national identity cards have been illegally produced for the purpose of obtaining bail from Courts. Charge for a false identity card is Rs 3,000. Police took into custody a stock of illegally prepared birth certificates more..

May 14 (Island) The GMOA warned that it would launch a strike if the Health Ministry failed to rectify the errors in the 2016 post-internship appointment list. GMOA Secretary, Dr Nalinda Herath said the decision to strike would be taken during an emergency meeting of the GMOA’s working committee meeting scheduled for Tuesday. The Health Ministry, in collaboration with hospital administrators and the GMOA, more..

May 14 (DM) The travel expenses of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa for his visit to Uganda was paid by the Foreign Affairs Ministry on a directive by Foreign Affairs Minister Mangala Samaraweera, Ministry's Delegation Board Control Unit Director General confirmed today. Mr. Rajapaksa was invited for the inauguration ceremony of the Ugandan President Yoweni Musaveni who was sworn in for his fifth term as President. more..

May 14 (CT) Kusal Janith Perera was the victim of a sudden suspension from cricket until the conclusion of an ICC hearing which ended 11 May 2016. Cricket, especially the shorter versions and particularly the T20 is where the big hitting gets priority. When you normally talk of big hitting, the T20 inning has only 120 balls in an inning, to either set up a score or to chase one down. Scoring has been proved to grow wild considering the amount of runs made within that period today. more..

May 14 (CT) Every newspaper in the country seems to have visited the ICIJ website and published the names of the 65 Sri Lankans named in the Panama Papers. Being on this list or being associated to it, however, does not make anyone a criminal. Yes, four Avante-Garder are there, but Emma Watson is also on that list; so are two Hirdramani’s. I don’t want to believe that Hermoine Granger, after all she went through with Voldemort, committed tax fraud. However, there is one thing we can do: more..

May 14 (ST) The sudden postponement of the National Medicinal Regulatory Authority’s first media conference scheduled for last Thursday has caused another major controversy, with an NMRA spokesman saying some officials are giving erroneous information to the Health Minister. He said the intention of these officials was obviously to create a rift between Minister Rajitha Senaratne and the NMRA and also to prevent the NMRA from giving the correct information to the media. more..

May 14 (ST) The over-staffed Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) intends to rid itself of some 5,000 employees by offering them a Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS), said Deputy Transport Minister Ashok Abeysinghe. He said, compensation between Rs 1.2 million and Rs 2.5 million will be offered, in addition to their EPF-ETF. Mr Abeysinghe said the SLTB has 36,700 employees with 5,500 buses in operation. He explained they require only about 4,700 office staff but instead have 9,700. more..

May 14 (GDI) Govt has commenced a Rs. 1 billion project to develop the Negombo lagoon, which is considered to be the most beautiful and largest lagoon in SL. The lagoon and its coastal environment has a long association with the fishery industry in the country and the fishermen have long requested the Ministry of Fisheries and previous govts to develop the lagoon since their livelihoods have been disturbed as the lagoon has been blocked by silt and waste. more..

May 14 (CT) "Every thought is a battle. Every breath is a struggle. And when the voices took over, I knew I was losing the war." Yoshanya was a vibrant beautiful girl who was equally smart and adept at school work. She was always the first in class and her parents had high hopes for her. Her father in particular was her greatest fan. And it was her father's disappointment that broke her. Thirty years later, Yoshanya is now in a ward in Angoda. "My parents were wonderful. more..

May 14 (SLN) Upon the request of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, (UNODC) the Sri Lanka Navy is currently conducting a specialized ship boarding training for the naval and coastguard personnel of Madagascar and Comoros. This training is carried out by the Navy’s elite, Special Boat Squadron (SBS) in Trincomalee and at Sri Lanka Coast Guard Training Centre Mirissa. As a result, 6 personnel from Comoros Coast more..

May 14 (ITN) Minister Rajitha Senaratne has said that a new Unit comprising Public Health Inspectors will be launched to control leprosy. TMinister made this reference during a discussion held with a group of representatives of the Leprosy Control Programme in England. A special discussion on how the Sri Lanka Leprosy Control Unit should collaborate with the Leprosy Control Programme of England was held at the Health Ministry. The discussion was held under the patronage of more..

May 14 (ST) In Sri Lanka, irrigation channels are complex ones as their engineering technology is considered to be highly advanced compared with other countries. In the past, canals in the west were connected to lagoons and rivers, as they were used for travel and transport goods. Negombo is a tourist hub, and is a pivotal junction only a few kilometres from Katunayake International Airport. The Hamilton Canal in Negombo, which was once the main port of the Sinhala kingdom, more..

May 14 (Island) A TNA MP has taken delivery of a tax free luxury vehicle, a used Land Rover Diesel STA/Wagon Sports ABIO Dynam SDV6, this week by underestimating the real value of the vehicle and paying only Rs. 1,750 as Customs Declaration fee. It is the second luxury vehicle cleared so far by MPs. According to a Customs union source, though the vehicle had been declared as second hand, it was virtually brand new. more..

May 14 (DM) Reconstruction work on the controversial Wattala Kalu Ela Jogging Track which was demolished recently has been completed. This track has now been constructed connecting the road leading to the Housing Complex to be built in the adjacent land with a permanent drainage system. Land, Tourism and Christian Religious Affairs Minister John Amarathunga’s Coordinating Secretary said this jogging track would be reopened soon and vested with the public. more..

May 14 (AD) Alleged underworld criminal known as Army Sampath has been arrested by the Special Task Force (STF) in Slave Island, the police confirmed. The suspect along with another individual was taken into custody, on Saturday afternoon. The police have also seized a firearm from the possession of the underworld figure. He will be handed over to the Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) for future investigations upon a directive from the IGP, an official said. more..

May 14 (CG) The UN has commended Sri Lanka for arranging a one-time ex-gratia payment to a victim and child born as a result of sexual exploitation and abuse by UN peacekeepers from Sri Lanka. Briefing the General Assembly on the challenges being faced and progress being made to end the exploitation and abuse by UN peacekeepers, senior UN officials indicated that immediate concerns have been focused on more..

May 14 (Island) Elaborate arrangements are being made for the state ceremony for the presentation of the Acts of Appointment (Akthapathra) to the Mahanayaka of Asgiriya chapter Most Venerable Warakagoda Sri Gnanaratana Thera and its Anunayaka Most Venerable Anamaduwe Sri Dhammadassi Thera on May (17) afternoon at the audience hall. Secretary General of Asgiriya Maha Vihara chapter Venerable Medagama Sri Dhammananda Thera said that more..

May 14 (DM) An abnormal growth in a woman, weighting some 14-kilogrammes equivalent to the weight of four healthy newborn babies was yesterday removed by Obstetrician and Gynecologist Dr. Jagath Herath at a private hospital in Kalawewa. The woman aged 35 from Kekirawa had been living for more than six months with the abnormal growth in her ovary, causing it to develop further, Dr. Herath who is attached to the Anuradhapura General Hospital said. more..

May 14 (EN) A new quartet of ministers has mounted pressure on President and PM to prosecute members of the Rajapaksa regime accused of massive corruption and ensure swift investigations into high profile murders as the govt nears its first anniversary. T4-member ministerial group had presented a cabinet paper demanding a detailed progress report into some of the headline grabbing corruption alleged by UNP when they were in more..

May 14 (SL) Following our exposé a few weeks ago titled How Civil Aviation May Have Landed Itself In Big Trouble where the Director General Civil Aviation Authority of SL was accused of not taking action against Mihin Lanka for violating international flight regulations which compromised international safety standards, new details have now come to light that he (Director General) had allegedly authorised an illegal wet lease aircraft to run an international cargo operation from SL more..

May 14 (CT) Young triple jump sensation Vidusha Lakshani continued her record shattering streak with a new meet record in the Junior National Athletics championship that continued at Diyagama yesterday. Lakshani, bronze medalist at South Asian Games and gold medalist at the Junior South Asian Games leapt 13.34m to set a new meet record in the girls under 23 triple jump though it was just short of her national record of 13.49m set last year at the same venue. more..

May 14 (FPJ) TN Chief Minister wrote to PM Narendra Modi over reports indicating that the Sri Lankan Govt plans to demolish and reconstruct the ancient St Anthonys Church on the island of Katchatheevu, which holds great significance by Tamil fishermen who have been visiting the church since centuries. In the letter, she states that the fishermen who mostly belong to Roman Catholic faith are extremely more..

May 14 (AM) Former Minister Keheliya Rambukwella yesterday told the Jaffna Magistrate's Court that his statement to the effect that the disappeared activists Lalith and Kugan were under govt custody, was given under the instructions of the Ministry of Defence. Lalith Veeraraj and Kugan Murugananthan, two activists of the Frontline Socialist Party (then known as the People's Struggle Movement), disappeared on the night of December 9, 2011. more..

May 14 (CG) TULF General Secretary and newly formed DTNF member V. Anandasangaree claims a large sum of money allocated for the North had been returned to the treasury. He says this shows the inefficiency of the NPC led by the TNA and their incapacity to administer. “In the present political situation, the problems of the people including those of their fundamental rights are not properly tackled. The main purpose of the new alliance is to find proper ways and means, more..