May 1 (ST) The implementation of a cost-reflective pricing formula for fuel could not have come at a more difficult and inopportune time for the govt than now. A cost reflective fuel pricing formula that is needed to ensure economic stability is not politically feasible for a govt attempting to gain political popularity in its final stretch towards an election. However detrimental it is to not raise domestic fuel prices to achieve macroeconomic stability, it is politically unthinkable to more..

May 1 (ST) Normally I would have turned to the Commonwealth summit that concluded in London a few days ago and any worthwhile contribution Sri Lanka leaders made besides having the London Vihara’s loku hamuduruwa anointing President Sirisena’s head in traditional style possibly with some special oil. As one SL wag told me they should have saved some oil for the president’s backbone now that he had told everyone in SL who wants to give an ear to the ranting of politicians more..

May 1 (CT) The people know it. The party loyalists are tormented by it. The party leader is not aware of it. When Lenin wrote his famous tract- what is to be done? he began by recognizing the problem. He wrote “Our party is in a state of formation. There is the danger of diversion from the correct path. Ranil is not Lenin. Ranil is a leader like no other leader, leading a party like no other party. For the UNP to decide on the way forward, more..

May 1 (CT) Any sane individual living in Sri Lanka is increasingly faced with the fact that one’s disenchantment with and disengagement from the status quo in the Land of 2500 years of Sinhala Buddhist Civilization stems from the fact that the prevailing culture is one predicated on the exercise of power and authority without any pretence to the rule of law, natural justice and all those concepts near and dear to the hearts of those who believe that so-called Western Democratic Practice more..

May 1 (CT) Colombo Municipality has entered a new lease of life following the last election. City was under the administrative control of an appointed Commissioner for a period of nearly two years following its dissolution in 2016. The new term is under the first Lady to be appointed as a Mayor. As against a 60 Seats UNP all other parties share a total of 59 seats in a 119 seat council. Despite the slender margin the affairs of the Council have shown a smooth flow with the non-UNP members co-operating with the ruling party. more..

May 1 (CT) JO MP, Mahindananda Aluthgamage said that, legal action will definitely be taken against those who set up the FCID to take political revenge and those who provided instructions to the FCID, and those who concocted complaints to the FCID from Temple Trees. Q: You had to remain in prison for at least one day before you began work in the New Year? A: A: From the year 2015, the FCID tried to get me involved in this incident by bringing in fictitious allegations. more..

May 1 (Island) Over the three years I’ve enjoyed the space to pen this column, I have often endeavoured to communicate clear and present dangers to SL’s democratic potential not often captured by other, far more experienced and older political commentators. The readership of this newspaper are two to three decades older than the demographic I am usually focussed on and online, interact with. It is their conversational landscape that I’ve created platforms for, helped shaped and contributed to. more..

May 1 (Island) That is our parliamentary crucible; toads, newts, adders and scorpions being stirred in a poisoned chalice and strained through a kurakkan satakaya. Diyawanna script is written in Medamulana and offered to the nation, along with Atapirikara and jasmine flowers and couched in sonorous, mock-pious statements, delivered from diverse friendly Aramayas, with open approval from a compliant, complicit and adulatory Sangha. Whilst the most prominent casualty of more..

May 1 (Island) As a young man interested in politics, there were people I looked up to. There were people I believed had unique qualities. Ranasinghe Premadasa was not one of them. Indeed, my opinions about his policies and style of governance were a permanent source of friction between myself and his Press Secretary of 30 years, my uncle Evans Cooray. Much to the chagrin of Evans, I was openly critical of President Premadasa while he was in office, unable to resist the urge to contrast more..

May 1 (Island) The country is grieving the loss of one of her greatest sons. Lodestar of the SL cinema has faded away. Dr. Lester James Peries had the rare distinction of being loved and respected by one and all. It looks as though even the Grim Reaper had been reluctant to lay his icy cold fingers on the genial doyen of the SL cinema, prematurely. The Vesak moon was bathing the city, which the maestro belonged to, in a sliver light, at the time of his demise, as if to pay him a glowing tribute. more..

May 1 (Island) From the time he passed the Biblical lifespan of threescore years and ten in 1989, Lester James Peries often joked that he was living on borrowed time. 29 years later, 24 days after his 99th birthday, on the Thrice Hallowed Vesak Poya night, he finally breathed his last, never to return. I know that reams will be written about him as a film maker and his outstanding contribution to SL and world cinema. Let me thus focus on LJP, more..

May 1 (Island) I am grateful to the organizers of this event for inviting me to deliver the Lester James Peries oration for 2012. I am particularly grateful because it enables me to pay a well deserved tribute to a close and affectionate friend of over half a century. Indeed, Lester has dominated Sinhala cinema for the selfsame 50 years and perhaps a little more. He is one of the few remaining cultural icons in our country and is a giant of Asian cinema. Thank you & our best wishes go to you. more..

May 1 (Island) Political vultures are circling round the late Maestro Lester James Peries after his death. They have instructed to honour him with a state funeral at the expenses of the state. I saw a photograph of Prez Sirisena handing over a cheque to Lester on his 99th birthday on 5th April. Cheque was to cover his medical expenses. I was saddened by it. Incumbent Prez and his predecessors could have done better and more for Lester. Why the pathetic public display I thought. more..

May 1 (CT) Junior SL athletic team hold the edge over India in many events going by their recent performances as the two teams will be going head to head during the South Asian Junior Athletic Championships (SAJAC) to be held on 5 and 6 May at the Sugathadasa Stadium. SL selected their team based on the performances of the junior National Athletic championships held at the same venue last week while India selected more..

May 1 (CT) One of Sri Lanka’s first Test Cricket Umpires Herbie Felsinger passed away on Sunday after a brief illness. He was 87 years old. His family members said that his funeral will take place at the Borella Cemetery tomorrow. Cortege leaves his home in Mirihana at 3.00 p.m. for the funeral service which will be held at Kotte S. Thomas’ Church. Felsinger officiated at Sri Lanka’s inaugural Test match against England at the P Sara Oval in February 1982 along with K.T. Francis. more..

May 1 (EN) The award of a contract to build a 300MW dual fuel power plant on a 20-year power purchase agreement to SL-based Lakdhanavi has been delayed due to appeals from losing bidders. At least two bidders had protested and they had been referred to the procurement appeals board. 300MW combined cycle diesel power plant should also be able to fire liquefied natural gas. A consortium comprising Samsung C & T, Korea Midland Power Company and GS Energy had protested, more..

May 1 (FT) Amendments to the Bribery and Corruption Act will be brought in to bring the private sector under its scope, CIABOC Director General Sarath Jayamanne, PC, said. Addressing a media workshop, the Director General noted that while numerous cases of bribery or corruption were reported from the Govt service, there was no legislation to monitor and prosecute such instances in the private sector. more..

May 1 (DN) The funeral of acclaimed film producer Dr. Lester James Peries is to be held with State patronage at Independence Square from 4 pm onwards on Wednesday (2). Prez Sirisena issued instructions to conduct the funeral of Dr. Lester James Peries with state honours at Independence Square during a meeting held yesterday, head of the committee to handle funeral arrangements. The remains of the veteran film producer are lying at his residence at Havelock Town. more..

May 1 (BA) A network of regional refugee support groups will hold a peaceful gathering in Hargreaves Mall on Tuesday to show their support for a Sri Lankan family facing deportation. RAR Bendigo chairperson Chris Cummins said the aim of the gathering was to show their support for the family and other people seeking asylum in Australia. “We will meet in solidarity for this family as they face the terrifying possibility they could be forced back to a life of danger and uncertainty,” more..

May 1 (FT) Outstanding debt of major public corporations, including the CEB, SriLankan Airlines and CPC, increased to Rs. 844.6 billion in 2017 from Rs. 827.4 billion the previous year. Central Bank Annual Report noted that domestic debt of public non-financial corporations to domestic commercial banks increased to Rs. 514.4 billion from Rs. 495.1 billion, accounting for 60.9% of the total outstanding debt of major non-financial corporations. more..

May 1 (DM) First Deputy PM and Foreign Minister of Serbia, Ivica Dacic would visit India, Nepal and Sri Lanka from May 2 to 8. Serbian Foreign Ministry has said in a statement that PM Dacic would be meeting with top officials of the three countries. It said strengthening overall bilateral relations with these traditionally friendly countries, as well as agreements on modalities for improving cooperation in all areas of mutual interest will be on the agenda of the expected meetings. more..

May 1 (NR) Public Health Inspectors Union says 37 dansals that were organised in commemoration of the Vesak festival were suspended. Secretary of the Union M Balasuriya said the dansals were suspended owing to health concerns. He stressed the inspection criteria included, how hygienically the food is handled, how it is prepared, cooked, re-heated, cooled and stored, the cleanliness, ventilation and other facilities. Secretary meanwhile noted the union will take steps to deploy more..

May 1 (Island) A high-profile CID investigation into the alleged abduction and disappearance of 11 Tamil youth, by the Navy, during the previous administration, mostly in 2008, has taken a dramatic turn with former Navy Commander and the incumbent Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Ravi Wijegunaratne being accused of having helped an officer, wanted in connection with the probe, flee the country. more..

May 1 (DM) The Lanka Private Bus Owners' Association (LPBOA) today demanded at least a 10 percent of bus fare hike following the depreciation of the rupee against the US dollars. LPBOA Chairman Gemunu Wijeratne said the depreciation of rupee had direct impact on the private bus operators. “Due to the depreciation of the rupee, maintenance cost of buses have gone up. This has a direct impact on the prices of spare parts and the import price of bus units.” he said. more..

May 1 (SL) Opposition MP Namal Rajapaksa said that there was no crisis in the SLPP despite a comment he made on the SLPP backing the SLFP in Hambantota. Rajapaksa said that he had recently expressed his personal dissatisfaction with the SLPP decision to support the SLFP in Hambantota. With due respect, the crisis is non-existent. My tweet expresses my personal dissatisfaction with the SLPP decision to support the SLFP in Hambantota. Owed to the fact that at the polls more..

May 1 (EN) Former minister of finance Ravi Karunanayake who fell from grace after being implicated in the bond scam, is likely to be brought back to the cabinet, official source said. Unless there is a last minute change of heart, Karunanayake, 55, is tipped as the new minister of tourism under the minor reshuffle on Tuesday, sources said. President Sirisena is expected to take over the Buddhist affairs ministry. more..

May 1 (EN) CEB's short term debt has soared 50% to 138 billion rupees, as the utility lost 45.7 billion rupees as diesel generation costs rose with a dividend from coal power ending. Unaudited data had shown that cost of electricity at selling point was 20.06 rupees per unit while the average selling price was 16.49 rupees. The CEB was charging 14.74 rupees a unit from industry, 13.49 from domestic, 23.78 from general purpose (commercial), 17.95 from govt and 17.62 from hotels. more..

May 1 (DM) The minority parties have requested from the govt to include them too in the agreement to be signed for the consensus govt between the two main parties for the next 18 months. It is reported that a number of minority parties which represent the United National Front (UNF) have made such requests. Several parties such as SLMC led by Rauf Hakeem, ACMC of Rishard Badudeen and the TPA have reportedly made such requests during the last general election, DPF under the leadership of more..

May 1 (CT) Independent trade unions and trade unions affiliated to political parties will celebrate International Workers’ Day or May Day today, despite a Govt moratorium on celebrations due to the week of festivities for Vesak Poya. Govt previously announced the postponement of May Day celebrations to 7 May. Free Trade Zones and General Services Employees Union (FTZ & GSEU) added that they would commence more..

May 1 (Island) TNA will support the 20th Amendment to the Constitution, if a permanent solution to the ethnic problem is also proposed, TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran says. Sumanthiran has said so, in a media statement, on the 20th Amendment to the Constitution, proposed by the JVP, seeking the abolition of the executive presidency. Sumanthiran said: "We support the abolishing of the executive presidency. This system was introduced in 1978 and ever since it has lead to a lot of problems. more..

May 1 (DN) IGP Pujith Jayasundara had issued instructions to the North Central Province DIG to take disciplinary action against Police personnel who had allegedly assaulted the villages who had behaved restlessly on April 28. Sub-Inspector attached to Eppawela Police has been interdicted in connection with the alleged assault, based on the directive issued by the IGP. Alleged assault had taken place over a dispute with a monk at Nallamudawa Shailya Bimbarama Temple more..

May 1 (CT) Prez Sirisena has ordered the suspension of the removal of illegal dwellings on the Mirissa beach, despite court orders being granted for the removal. Three ministers led by Faizer Mustapha had called on the Prez to halt the removals, after the CCD said they were to go ahead despite Mustapha’s attempts to influence. Earlier in the month a group of Dutch tourists were sexually harassed and assaulted thereafter more..

May 1 (Xinhua) President Maithripala Sirisena granted amnesty to 432 prisoners on Sunday in view of Vesak festival. The president granted amnesty for the prisoners convicted of minor offences. The prisoners were held in 29 prisons in the country. "The president did it in keeping with the power vested in him under the SL Constitution. Most of these people were in jail because of their inability to pay fines imposed on them by courts. The fines were waived off enabling them to get free," more..

May 1 (Island) Former Minister S.B. Dissanayake said that 16 SLFP MPs who quit the govt would join the Opposition on May 8, when the new session of Parliament is scheduled to be inaugurated. Dissanayake confirmed that none of the 16 SLFP MPs who quit the govt after voting in favour of the April 4 no-confidence motion against PM would accept ministerial portfolios. He said their ambition was to form an SLFP govt and until that objective was met, they would be in the Opposition and more..

May 1 (FT) Hoping to rejuvenate the Govt with new appointments, President Sirisena’s much-anticipated Cabinet reshuffle will take place this morning, Secretary to the President Austin Fernando said. Elaborating further, Secretary to the President said it would not a complete reshuffle but a partial one, where some would maintain the current portfolios while others would be given new ministerial appointments. more..

May 1 (DM) Another Cabinet reshuffle is scheduled for today reportedly after intense discussion between Prez Sirisena and PM Wickremesinghe. This is going to be the third change in the Cabinet this year and there is no assurance that it would be the last for the year, as there are reports that the UNP and SLFP have been wrangling over the UNP’s attempt to absorb Ravi Karunanayake into the Cabinet. UNP leaders want Karunanayake, who resigned as Foreign Affairs Minister on more..

May 1 (DM) Social media sites have taken over our lives and it’s hard to imagine that 10 years ago there was no Facebook. Through social media, anyone online is empowered by an unrestricted flow of information to add to his/her knowledge. Social media has removed communication barriers vibrantly. As media have the power to change the opinions of people, it can bring a great positive changes in society. Media have access to people and it provides a lot of strength. more..

May 1 (DM) It is with great sorrow that I write about the death of SL’s greatest film director Lester James Peries! The doyen of Sinhala cinema who celebrated his 99th birthday on April 5th passed away at a private hospital in Colombo on Sunday April 29th. The nonagenarian filmmaker had been ailing for several weeks since celebrating his 99th birthday. Though the news of his ailment was known to a few it was kept more..

May 1 (EN) Central bank posted profits of 48.3 billion rupees in the year to Dec 2017, up 118% from a year earlier, amid high inflation and currency depreciation, despite mopping up printed money in the second half of the year. Central bank made 22.9 billion rupees in interest income from reserve assets, up from 14.8 billion rupee a year earlier, as it built up foreign reserves and sold down domestic assets (Treasury bills) purchased to more..