May 3 (AD) A special traffic control programme will be implemented by the Police Headquarters in Colombo tomorrow. Police Headquarters stated that the operation will be conducted by Colombo City Traffic Police officers and the Ceylon Motor Trading Company. Under the new programme, cases will be filed against drivers violating traffic lane rules and road rules. Police officers in civilian clothes will be patrolling more..

May 3 (DM) MP Geetha Kumarasinghe said today she would file a case in the Supreme Court against the Appeal Court’s ruling which deprived her from her seat in Parliament. Court of Appeal today ruled that Ms. Kumarasinghe was disqualified to be a MP on the basis that she holds dual citizenship. She said she hoped to continue as an MP until a decision was given by Supreme Court following her petition. “I’m not criticizing the court ruling but I regret it. I hope justice will prevail one day. more..

May 3 (DN) Piyasena Gamage is next in line to be appointed to Parliamentary seat of Geetha Kumarasinghe, but she can appeal to the SC against the judgment given by Court of Appeal, UPFA General Secretary Mahinda Amaraweera said. He said that the judgment given based on the 19th amendment was passed in the Parliament with the intention of ensuring the right and place of SL citizens living in Sri Lanka when contesting for elections and getting elected to parliament. more..

May 3 (DM) The Indian foreign and economic policies are dictatorial and overpowering in relation to neighbouring countries; however, Sri Lanka should not abandon her relations with India but should remain alert when dealing with it, JVP said today. JVP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayeke said that Indian policies are maintained in a way that is advantageous to that country as such the govt should pay more attention when signing more..

May 3 (PTI) Sri Lankan army chief today met his Pakistani counterpart and thanked him for the incessant support to the island nation's fight against terrorism. Chief of the Sri Lankan Army Lt Gen AWJC De Silva called upon the Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, the army said. "The visiting General thanked Pakistan Army for incessant support to Sri Lankan's fight against terrorism," army said in a statement. more..

May 3 (DN) It has been forecasted that an additional 1,300 MT waste will be added daily in 2030 with implementation of Megapolis Master Plan and Port City Project. Accordingly, the proposal by Megapolis and Western Development Minister Champika Ranawaka to implement following projects and plans was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers. 1. Take initiative to stabilize the landfill at Meethotamulla within five months and develop the areas as an urban forest; more..

May 3 (LBO) Speaker Karu Jayasuriya told Parliament that Supreme Court had held Exchange Control Amendment Bill to be consistent with the Constitution. He said the SC had recommended the rectification of some minor shortcomings. Meanwhile, 3 petitions had been filed in SC against the Bill. Bill sought to name the CB as the agent of exchange control and to allow a person to use his/her foreign assets more..

May 3 (SLN) Pakistan Maritime Security Ship Dasht arrived at the Port of Colombo on a goodwill visit today. The visiting ship was welcomed by the Sri Lanka Navy in accordance with naval traditions, on her arrival. The ship’s complement is scheduled to take part in a range of programmes organized by the SL Navy during their stay in Sri Lanka. Besides, they will compete in several sporting events of Volleyball and Basketball with their Sri Lankan counterparts in Welisara Naval Base. more..

May 3 (Island) Colombo High Court Judge A. A. R. Heiyanthuduwa yesterday permitted the leader of the PHU Udaya Gammanpila Attorney-at-Law to leave for America on Buddhist missionary work. Gammanpila had, through his Counsel Upul Kumarapperuma, filed a motion stating that he had to attend a ceremony at the Dharmavijaya Temple in Washington in connection with the unveiling of a Buddha statue. The period of travel allowed is between 18 to 24 May, 2017. more..

May 3 (PTI) Sri Lankan govt said it will go ahead with its plans to strike a deal with India to jointly operate a strategic oil facility in the eastern port district of Trincomalee despite opposition from other parties. "Suddenly objections are being raised for a deal which has been coming since 2002," Minister Ravi Karunanayake told Parliament, referring to a recent trade union strike which completely halted the fuel distribution in the country for a day. more..

May 3 (DM) Minister Dayasiri Jayasekera said the Court ruling unseating Geetha Kumarasinghe from her seat in Parliament could be a problem for several other MPs as well. “This question can crop up for several others as well. This is an important verdict. This is the first time that such a verdict was given in SL unseating an MP. This ruling may pose problems for several other MPs as well should an appeal in the SC results in the SC confirming the lower court ruling,” he said. more..

May 3 (NR) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe says the govt has not taken any decision pertaining to the establishment of a special military unit in the island. Responding to a question raised by JVP MP Vijitha Herath in Parliament today, Premier said the govt will only help develop the current forces in the island. The Premier said the govt has not spoken of the matter adding that the country has forces in the country and the govt will only help develop such forces. more..

May 3 (DN) Colombo High Court issued summons on five persons today, including MP Namal Rajapaksa to appear before Court on June 6 for their alleged involvement in money laundering amounting to Rs.30 million through Gowers Corporate Services, in 2012.  Judge Piyasena Ranasinghe made this order for the purpose of serving indictment against the accused on next calling date. more..

May 3 (ST) I don't have a freezer in my restaurant, declares Dharshan Munidasa. That is how you know you are getting fresh seafood at his Sri Lanka restaurant, Ministry of Crab. Their seafood is caught early in the morning, transported to the restaurant within about 45 minutes, and served to guests that same day. It's no wonder his five-year-old crab-centric restaurant in Colombo is one of only two restaurants in the country to appear on the Asia's 50 Best Restaurants list. more..

May 3 (EN) The Mattala International Airport, designed and built by China with interest-bearing loans serviced by Sri Lanka, has handled 4,772 passengers in 2016, up from 2,739 in 2015. Central Bank's annual report said the airport saw 916 aircraft movements in 2016, up from 884 a year earlier. Hambantota airport is considered a high-profile economic folly of ousted Rajapaksa administration. The current administration is planning to hand over management to a Chinese firm more..

May 3 (DM) Constitutional draft which is being made is sugar-coated poison and no one should fall for it, MP Udaya Gammanpila said. Commenting on a recent interim report of the Constitutional Assembly’s Steering Committee, MP said it had put forward a number of proposals which are detrimental to the unitary character of Sri Lanka. “The interim report had been submitted to the Constitutional Assembly by the PM more..

May 3 (ITN) The funeral of Former MP of Galle District Anagarika Ryter Tilakasekara was conduct today. Large crowds paid their last respects to the remains laid at the Ambalangoda Urban Council premises. The remains that were lying at his residence at Thilakapura in Ambalangoda was brought in a procession to the Ambalangoda Urban Council premises in a motorcade this morning. The remains were lying there until 2 pm for the public to pay their last respects. more..

May 3 (AD) Keselwatta Police have arrested an individual who had allegedly verbally threatened and assaulted Ven. Uduwe Dhammaloka Thero at the Colombo Magistrate Court premises. The incident had occurred on the 5 of April, this year (2017). Ada Derana Court correspondence stated that Ven. Dhammaloka Thero recognized the individual today, during an identification parade. The suspect is being questioned further, regarding the matter at the Keselwatta Police station.  more..

May 3 (EN) Sri Lankan actress-turned-politician Geetha Kumarasinghe was today unseated from parliament by the Court of Appeal, which held she was disqualified to contest the August 2015 general election. The court ruled in favour of petitioners who said Kumarasinghe, 61, was in violation of the 19th amendment to the constitution, which prohibits dual nationals from holding any elected office. more..

May 4 (GV) In the current debate about reform of the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act of 1956 (MMDA), those opposed to reform are arguing that all reform must be consistent with the Shariah – or to be more precise their own interpretation of the Shariah. Moreover, that all reform must be in accordance with the Shafi school of law. I argue that the making of Muslim law in any given context is very much a human act of interpretation, and therefore subjective, selective and creative, more..

May 4 (CT) About five years ago in an article I emphasized the need to reorganize the All Ceylon Jamiathul Ulema, ACJU, to suit the need of the time. As expected the clueless community remained indifferent. However following the Colombo Telegraph article last month on ACJU’s statement that women are not equal to men and defending marriage before puberty has triggered a campaign calling for complete overhauling of ACJU with genuine scholars. more..

May 4 (DN) I remember a school-friend’s birthday party in our neighbourhood, when Lalith Athulathmudali was seven years old and I was five and a half. It was a fancy dress occasion, and Lalith and I attended it wearing the khaki uniforms of Inspectors of the Ceylon Police. When we were even younger, our parents put us both in blue and white sailor suits for our own birthday parties: those occasions that are always such an integral more..

May 4 (CT) The threatened strike by GMOA with the participation of several other TUs that have a debilitating grip on public life is likely to have a devastating effort on the common people. If the strike is extended, poor patients who cannot afford private medical attention will be groaning helplessly to their end on OPD benches. Damage to be caused by the other unions joining the strike goes without saying. President and his Govt should intervene without delay to avoid that calamity. more..

May 4 (GV) Reform of Muslim family law across the globe has taken onboard the need to establish women’s rightful position within the Islamic framework; The message of egalitarianism in the Quran was an impetus for the progress of women during the period of revelation. Reforms that give women their due rights have often been stymied by the use of Hadiths without adequate emphasis on Takrij (examination and evaluation); SL Muslim women too must be urgently granted more..

May 4 (CT) President of Ceylon Workers' Union and MP Muthu Sivalingam said that implementing the usage of Tamil Language in the plantation sector is a must as the population of Tamil speaking people is comparatively high especially in the Nuwara Eliya District. "We do have the same right as the people of North and East, but how far will it be implemented? For example, language right is implemented everywhere in the island, more..

May 4 (Island) President Sirisena is reported to have called for the appointment of a committee to sort out differences between the UNP and the SLFP with a view to strengthening the unity of the govt. (He has a monumental propensity for appointing committees and commissions!) Having got tough with the UNP on some issues such as the bond scams, he wouldn’t have struck such a conciliatory note if not for the scare the Joint Opposition’s successful May Day rally gave the SLFP. more..

May 4 (SL) As I write this the Woe is me brigade is in full cry with the Woulda, shoulda, coulda one not far behind, following the single worst disaster of its kind in the entire history of SL. To say that it was only a matter of time before what was, literally, a hill of garbage would collapse on those unfortunate enough to be in the path of such a collapse is to state the obvious.  That the death toll directly attributed to this event could well exceed three figures is become increasingly apparent. more..

May 4 (DN) Sri Lanka, since January 2015 change of government is undergoing significant changes in polity and society. The steps towards establishment of good governance i.e. 19th Amendment, Right to Information Act, establishment of commissions have laid required foundation for these transformations. At this crucial time, an onerous responsibility has been placed on media. While all requirements for media freedom are in place now, it is essential to strengthen media professionalism more..

May 4 (Island) Back in 2016 when I arrived at the May Day rally of the Joint Opposition in Kirullapone at around 5 p.m. and told friends over the phone that the crowd there was much bigger than the UNP and JVP rallies both put together, none of them believed me. I had arrived at the JO rally after having observed the other two rallies from about 4.00 in the afternoon when the rallies are usually at their peak. To say that an opposition grouping had drawn a bigger crowd than UNP & JVP put together more..

May 4 (roar) The saree is one of the oldest forms of women’s clothing, which is believed to date back to 5,000 years ago, when cotton was first cultivated and used to produce cloth. It is also one of the most common and most popular forms of women’s attire in the South Asian region, with different styles in various regions of the Indian subcontinent. While styles of saree draping introduced from India are quite popular in SL, more..

May 4 (Island) National Development Bank (NDB) recorded a Profit after Tax (PAT) of LKR 1,159 million for the three months ended March 31, 2017, an impressive growth of 45% over the corresponding period of Q1 in 2016. During the quarter, the total assets of the Bank grew up to LKR 347 billion (4% from Dec 2016). Loans and receivables to customers recorded a growth of LKR 14 billion (6%) to reach LKR 241 billion. Customer deposits also achieved growth of LKR 24 billion (12%), more..

May 4 (TS) Westports Holdings Bhd has confirmed that it is keen to participate in the Hayleys PLC-led consortium bidding to complete the construction of Colombo Port’s East Container Terminal in Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan govt called for bids to develop the deep-water terminal on a build, operate and transfer basis last year. The project at Sri Lanka’s busiest port has been reported to be worth anything from US$400mil (RM1.73bil) up to US$600mil (RM2.59bil). more..

May 4 (DN) Quoting official figures SLC vice-president K Mathivanan stated, “Last year there was 178 bowlers reported at school level for suspect bowling actions. We had this visibility drive campaign where umpires had workshops for school coaches and umpires to create awareness. That has helped us to bring down the number of reported cases from 178 (in the U19, U17, U15 and U13 categories) last year down to 5 this year. more..

May 4 (Island) Arjuna Ranatunga was felicitated by the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Sunday. The felicitation ceremony took place prior to the IPL match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders. "I made a visit to Tirupati with my friends when I was invited to come over here. I am thrilled to once again be in the city and visit the ground. As a politician, I don’t get that much time to visit grounds or watch a match. more..

May 4 (CT) "Whether we like it or not, as long as we keep on and identify people as ours, yours, theirs, his or hers, we will set our barriers and obstacles in our own minds. We are first prejudiced and then try to look at issues and automatically we create a frame of mind that cannot be appeased truly. The problem with us is the fact that we try to understand problems, ignoring the true root causes. Reaching a consensus becomes a matter of fooling ourselves." Northern Provincial Councillor Ananthi more..

May 4 (PSL) President Maithripala Sirisena headed the progress review meeting of the Ministry of Defence today (3) at the auditorium of the Ministry. The meeting focused on the operation and the future plans of Civil Defence Department, School Cadet Battalion, National Security Education Institute, John Kotalawala Defence University, Rakna Lanka Institute and all institutions under Ministry of Defence. more..

May 4 (DM) A story buzzing in political circles these days says that a politico from the Puttalam area has given a staggeringly expensive birthday present to his granddaughter. This astounding present is a Benz car worth a hefty Rs.40 million. This politico functioned as a state purohita for some time under yahapalanaya and quit office lamenting that he had not been given even an official vehicle befitting his status. A large number of guests had attended this birthday party painstakingly organized to more..

May 4 (FT) The Govt cleared the air on the proposed Hanuman Bridge connecting Sri Lanka and India across the Palk Strait saying it was a long-term plan, but not discussed, during PM Ranil Wickeremsinghe’s recent visit to New Delhi. Disclosing the details of the MoU signed between the two countries to develop the road network connecting Jaffna and Mannar, Mannar and Vavunia, Vavuniya and Trncomalee and Trincomalee with Dambulla, the PM said: more..

May 4 (FT) Minister Ravi Karunanayake lured a group of global fund managers gathered in Colombo, saying Sri Lanka is now an ideal opportunity to invest and live in tandem with improving governance and fiscal discipline. “Ours is a govt with great financial discipline and committed political leadership to integrate to the world with greater access to global market to steer higher socio-economic development, ”Karunanayake said. more..