May 1 (CT) Yes. Its been 2,500 years since we have seen a Buddha and, a little later, a Jesus Christ. Such considerable and towering personalities lived in times before recording took place. We know they lived. We are far less sure about what really they precisely said as we only have word-of mouth coming down over a 500 years since their departure from this world. Around such a time after that, faithful followers had, at last, been able to put it all together in writing. more..

May 1 (ST) Manic Monday sends Govt alarm bells ringing on the eve of the New Year dawn, Mahinda Rajapaksa grandly declared that he would topple the Govt in 2017.  In his own New Year message to the nation delivered through a group of Colombo-based foreign correspondents over a breakfast of crispy hoppers, he announced with aplomb: “I will topple the Govt in 2017. When I said I would defeat Prabhakaran I did it. I have the same confidence.” Then this month, 12 days before the dawn of more..

May 1 (SO) Minister of Petroleum Resources Development Chandima Weerakkody says, PM has given an undertaking to the petroleum sector trade unions that his discussions in India will be limited to a political understanding and in the event of the parties entering into a legally binding agreement, discussions with trade unions and other stakeholders will be held prior to entering into such agreement. more..

May 1 (ST) In the chaotic merry-go-round characterizing the drafting of Sri Lanka’s proposed Counter-Terror Act (CTA), the periodic surfacing of one version followed by another has given rise to unexpected horrors.  Each time that a new draft emerges or should I rather say, is extracted with great pain out of a process gripped by skullduggery and secrecy, its devious drafters conceive new and ingenious ways to confound scrutiny. Even as one objection is taken to categorically dangerous more..

May 1 (CT) During the Yahapalanaya govt of President Sirisena and PM Wickremesinghe, it appears that a concerted effort is being made to invite foreign investors of various sorts, primarily from the Asian region, supported by multilateral agencies and bilateral agreements. Such efforts seem to follow in the footsteps of export-led growth strategy adopted by former President J.R. Jayewardene presently under a national govt of the two main political parties and minority parties. more..

May 1 (CT) WPC member of the JVP Sunil Watagala said the JVP is set to sue the authorities for the crime of culpable homicide under section 298 of the Penal Code over the Meethotamulla tragedy. He further remarked that the Meethotamulla calamity was not a natural disaster, but rather a homicide induced by negligence. "The Municipal Council, the Divisional Secretary, District Secretary, Ministry of Disaster Management and UDA more..

May 1 (CT) The first day of May has its own name – May Day and was originally known as Workers' Day and also Labour Day. It was, as its earlier names imply, meant to bring workers to the forefront and discuss their issues and also celebrate their contribution to society, their country and the world at large. After all, workers are the ones who work (obvious, needless to say), ranging from those in offices like clerks and those who work out of doors doing jobs that call for skills. more..

May 1 (SO) Watching TV news on Wednesday 26 at 9.30 pm, dozing off intermittently after a hard day’s labour doing next to nothing, this cat literally shot off her sofa like fizz from an uncorked champagne bottle and was wide awake on hearing the item of news quoted below: “’Cabinet approval has been granted for a proposal made by President Sirisena to create a new position which will work alongside the L Tri-forces. The position which has a tenure of two years, will be headed by Field Marshal more..

May 1 (Island) The Secretary General of Amnesty International, Mr. Salil Shetty has stated during his recent visit to Sri Lanka that a credible investigation was required to ascertain the number of civilians as well as enforced disappearances during the conflict in Sri Lanka (The Island, April 6). The report added: Salil didn’t mince his words when he declared that people were sceptical about the local judiciary and the AI. too, shared their opinion. In this regard, it is pertinent to bring to public attention more..

May 1 (Island) A animal kingdom is known to have some wily parasites which control the minds of their hosts and turn the latter into zombies. National Geographic magazine featured some of these mindsuckers in 2014; hairworms turn crickets suicidal and wasps make spiders spin their last web and transform ladybirds into suicidal surrogate mothers. Some parasites get into avian faeces to complete their life cycle by infecting snails and causing them to climb to treetops and more..

May 1 (SL) A majority of the political parties and trade unions said workers day or May Day which falls tomorrow, is just another day. It is seen as a day for promoting the propaganda of political parties rather than fighting for workers rights. The origin of May Day is indissolubly bound up with the struggle for the shorter workday – a demand of major political significance for the working class. more..

May 1 (ST) Two boys and one girl from Sri Lanka qualified for the IAAF Under 18 World Athletics Championships to be held from July 12 to 16 in Nairobi, Kenya. The first is Ravishka Indrajith of St. Benedict’s College Kotahena. He qualified by finishing the 400m event with a time of 48.87 secs. IAAF Qualifying Standard for this event is 49.25 secs. Navodya Sankalpa of Mahinda College Galle qualified for the 400m hurdles event with a time of 53.73 secs. Qualifying Standard is 54.75s. more..

May 1 (CT) Majority of professional sports personalities going around the world, dream of representing their respective countries and they take a lot of pride in putting their lives on the line in order to bring glory for their respective nations. Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc for instance opted out of a cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL) season in order to prepare for Champions Trophy where the 27-year-old will represent his country while someone like Lasith Malinga decided to more..

May 1 (Roar) Despite all the updates, backstories, and analyses, there is still no clear understanding of what happened in Meethotamulla on April 14. Was it an explosion, a landslide, or an avalanche of garbage? The witness accounts multiply and contradict, with little overlap. The media has conjectured the event to have been caused by a methane explosion, and many residents reported of a corresponding noise. more..

May 1 (ST) Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL) has called for an Emergency Council Meeting today at 9.00am at its Main Auditorium at Football House in Torrington. The agenda and letter of invitation signed by the present Secretary General of FFSL, E. Balendra Anthony is daylight robbery in terms of administration according to Football experts. According to experts the intended Emergency Council Meeting becomes unconstitutional according to experts the intended more..

May 1 (EN) India Oil Corporation has released 10 tanks leased to it in 2003 for Sri Lanka's exclusive as part of a joint venture to be set up to operate a section of a tank farm by the North Eastern port of Trincomalee. Sri Lanka leased the tank farm built by the British during World War II to India in 2003, and several tanks were rehabilitated and are used by Lanka IOC, a publicly traded subsidiary of IOC in Colombo. State-run CPC and Lanka IOC will set up a joint venture to develop more..

May 1 (CT) Two middle distance runners, Indunil Herath and Gayanthika Abeyrathne shone in their pet events and won gold medals while Nimali Liyanarachchi finished third in the Asian Grand prix third and final leg held in Chinese Taipei yesterday. After finishing outside the podium in the previous leg Gayanthika Abeyrathne was determined to win. But she was challenged early by Indian Olympian Tintu Luka as more..

May 1 (FT) Yet another intellectually inspiring Security Salon was organised by the Institute of National Security Studies Sri Lanka (INSSSL) and held on Tuesday (25), at the Ministry of Defence, Colombo. INSSSL Director General Asanga Abeyagoonasekara introduced the guest speaker Dr. Uttam Kumar Sinha inviting him to deliver a lecture on Water Challenges and India’s Response: Domestic and Regional.  Dr. Uttam Kumar Sinha is a Fellow at IDSA and more..

May 1 (EN) India and Japan will build a floating liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal, a 500 MegaWatt power plant and a gas distribution pipeline in Sri Lanka, a media report said. Sri Lanka will issue the Govt of India a letter of intent by end May to a build an LNG floating regasification and storage unit in Kerawalapitiya, according to a MoU signed between the two countries this week. India will also be issued a letter of intent for a 500MW LNG fired power plant by end May. more..

May 1 (LT) The May Day demonstration organized by the JVP and several other organization in Jaffna to commemorate the International Workers’ Day commenced from Jaffna Railway Station today (29th). The rally held at Mutraveli Grounds in Jaffna at 3 p.m. The rally and the demonstration held under the theme Socialism for National Unity and Equality was participated by the Leader of the JVP Anura Dissanayaka, more..

May 1 (DM) Special Protection Division DIG K.E.R.L. Fernando has been promoted as Senior DIG with effect from April 22, Police said. He was promoted by the National Police Commission on the recommendation of IGP Pujith Jayasundara. Meanwhile, an SP, an ASP, two Chief Inspectors and an IP have been transferred on the basis of service requirements. SP W.J.N. Senaratne of the National Police Academy in Katana was promoted as Director, Legal Division while more..

May 1 (ST) Stock market investments by the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) fell sharply in 2015/2016 to just Rs.2.6 billion from a total of Rs.17.9 billion in 2012-2014, data released by the EPF has  revealed. The data was made available to Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL) which had requested information from the Central Bank, which manages the EPF, via the Right to Information (RTI) Act. TISL released this information in a media release this week. more..

May 1 (Island) Sri Lanka  Cricket has hired the services of former fast bowling great Alan Donald, known as white lightning for the national cricket team’s Champions Trophy campaign to be played in England and Wales next month. Donald (50), South Africa’s greatest fast bowler will arrive in the island today and he is expected to address the media at SLC on Tuesday. His presence makes SL’s coaching staff all South African more..

May 1 (CT) Ministry of Power and Renewable Energy has made it compulsory for private factories to use their own generators to produce power for their operations. The private factories have been asked to generate their own electricity from tomorrow. The Ministry has come forward to pay a special allowance of 35 rupees per unit of power they generate from their power plants. The day time electricity demand has increased up to 45 million units due to hot weather conditions. more..

May 1 (CT) Any vehicle parked within Colombo City limits today, will be immediately towed away to the nearest Police station, according to the special traffic plan implemented for the day. "Any vehicle which is parked, neglecting the instructions will be taken to the nearest Police station without prior notice," DIG Ajith Rohana said. He added that strict measures will be taken against those who violate the special traffic and the security plan in place for May Day. Moreover, everyone should respect more..

May 1 (ST) Health Ministry is sending a large delegation of 16 to the World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva in a clear departure from previous years when just two officials and the Minister would attend. The annual conference will take place this year from May 22-31. WHA is the decision-making body of the WHO and focuses on a specific health agenda prepared by its executive board. SL’s delegation will be headed by Minister Rajitha Senaratne. more..

May 1 (ST) Microsoft said this week that Team Titans from Sri Lanka has been selected as one of seven teams to represent South Asia at the Microsoft Imagine Cup World Finals in July this year. The selection was made at the inaugural Imagine Cup Southeast Asia Finals held in Manila, Philippines. Addressing the issue of treating asthma in children, Team Titans-Dimuthu Kariyawasam, Buddhi Ayesha and Keet Sugathadasa from the University of Moratuwa-developed INHALO, more..

May 1 (ST) National Chamber of Exporters (NCE) on Friday commended the Govt on its success in overcoming the anti-Sri Lanka GSP+ vote in the EU Parliament. This will undoubtedly provide the much needed impetus to Sri Lankan exports to facilitate accelerated economic development. GSP+ would entail the full removal of duties on 66% of tariff lines, covering a wide range of products including Textiles and Garments, Fisheries Products, Rubber Products, and Machinery, chamber said. more..

May 1 (DN) Body parts of the girl who went missing while bathing in the Mulannatuwa Wewa in Galnewa were found inside the body of the crocodile, believed to have swallowed her, when residents killed the amphibious reptile and dissected its body on April 29. Gimhani Anushika, 13, a Grade 7 student of Galnewa Madya Vidyalaya, became a prey of a crocodile while she was bathing in Mulannatuwa Wewa with her parents and more..

May 1 (AD) PHU Squestioned the UNP and the SLFP on reasons not to choose large grounds, if they intended to hold the biggest May Day rallies in the history. PHU leader Udaya Gammanpila said, “We have one question. Why did they pick smaller grounds if intended to organize the biggest May Day rallies.” Gammanpila pointed out according to Google Maps Area Calculator Tool, Galle Face Green is approximately 18 acres, while Campbell Park, Borella and the ground in Gatambe, more..

May 1 (ENS) A Sri Lankan woman touring the city was killed when the cab she was travelling in with her family plunged nearly 20 feet into the RBI subway at Parrys on Sunday. Police said being a Sunday, there was relatively less traffic in the subway, else there would have been more casualties. “The driver, Muthishwaran, seemed to have been over speeding and lost control of the vehicle when he rammed on the parapet wall of the subway,” said a traffic investigations official. more..

May 1 (PTI) A dominant party of TNA will involve rehabilitated LTTE cadres in party work as part of a bid to integrate them into the society. Leaders of ITAK held a meeting and discussed ex-LTTE cadres' rehabilitation issues. "ITAK has agreed to obtain their assistance for the party's political work," party spokesman M A Sumanthiran said. In the meeting, party leaders pointed out that rehabilitated LTTE cadres were unable to find jobs more..

May 1 (PTI) Sri Lankan coast guards have seized an Indian fishing boat and detained two Indians and 30 Rohingya refugees, including 14 children, after the vessel illegally entered the country's territorial waters, authorities said today. They were detained off the coast of Kankesanturai in the country's northern Jaffna peninsula, the navy said. "Sri Lankan coast guards were observing the IMBL. They found this Indian fishing boat with unusually large group of people," more..

May 1 (DN) With a salute for the comrades of the working class celebrating the May Day all over the world, I am greatly pleased to send this message for the International Workers’ Day which symbolizes the historic victory of the glorious power of human labour that defeated the superior structures of the civilization, stated President Sirisena in a message marking May Day. The message added: The International Workers’ Day reminds us the arduous path in which the workers trod, more..

May 1 (Island) The UNP and the SLFP will hold their May Day rallies at Campbell Park, Colombo and Getambe, Kandy, respectively as the latter contemplated disciplinary action against its dissidents in the JO holding a separate rally. Police said they had detailed 20,000 men and women to maintain the law and order situation in the city today. JO  MP Prasanna Ranatunga said it was ready to face any eventuality following the successful more..

May 1 (DM) It’s not about workers, their trials and tribulations. It is not about unfair terms of exchange. It is not about capitalism, the extraction of surplus value and the immiseration of the working class. It is not even about class consciousness. May Day is a spectacle, a show where the political biggies flex muscles, brag about achievements and beat chests about prevailing over all manner of obstacles or else fervent vows to oust the ruling coalition and secure power. more..

May 1 (DM) The eight-hour working day has its legacy in a long history of May Day protests. Over 150 years ago, in 1866, the first general congress of the International Workingmen’s Association, commonly known as the First International, resolved that the eight-hour working day would be one of the primary demands of the workers of the world. Two decades later, militant demonstrations for an eight-hour working day in Chicago on May 1st, 1886 were brutally repressed by the police, more..

May 1 (SL) Startling revelations have come to the fore as to how the CID had provided all the comforts to military intelligence officers detained in connection with the disappearance of journalist Prageeth Ekneligoda. Sources claimed that Sri Lanka Army (SLA) had been looking after the interest of all military intelligence unit members who were taken into custody. There were instances where military officers taken in by the CID on more..

May 1 (Island) Director Legal, Police Headquarters, DIG Ajith Rohana said that a recent ruling given by Galle Chief Magistrate Nishantha Peiris cleared the way for a vigorous campaign against those engaged in illicit moonshine trade. Former police spokesman and attorney-at-law Rohana said that the Galle Chief Magistrate had ruled that the police could move court on the basis of Excise Ordinance against the backdrop of more..