May 1 (DM) The High Court Judges Association which convened a Extra Annual General Meeting on Saturday has decided to inform President and PM about injustice caused to career judges when appointing Appeal Court judges. Association is to request for an appointment to meet the President this week to discuss their grievances. Association which convened an Extra AGM at the Colombo High Court on Saturday more..

May 1 (Island) The UNP leadership would inform the newly appointed office-bearers of the party of their specific roles in the coming days, Minister and UNP National Organizer, Navin Dissanayake said. Speaking, at a ceramony in Pelenwatte to lay the foundation stones for statues of King Dutugemunu and Anagarika Dharmapala, Dissanayake said that 2nd tier leadership would be entrusted with more responsibilities soon. more..

May 1 (DM) The Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) today said that it would launch a mobile registration campaign to register hoteliers in Mirissa this week. The SLTDA said the registration will be done according to the provisions of the SLTDA Act and said a team of SLTDA officials would visit the hoteliers. A spokesman from the SLTDA said that for those who failed to meet standards of regulatory more..

May 1 (GDI) The Asian Development Bank (ADB) says its operations in Sri Lanka will adjust to align with the evolving needs of the country, which is reaching upper middle-income status and has earmarked $2.8 billion in sovereign loans for 2018 - 2020 for the island nation to achieve its key development goals. While Sri Lanka, since 2006, has more than halved its poverty rate and made good progress in human development, more..

May 1 (ST) The Singapore-based Blue Summit Capital Management Pvt Ltd–which has agreed to funnel US$ 75 million into the crisis-ridden Edirisinghe Group of companies–has applied to the Finance Ministry for an exemption to the rule that foreign companies can own only 45% of shares in media companies, authoritative sources said. If granted, private equity firm (which claims to have the backing also of an influential local investor more..

May 1 (Island) The Commissioner General Inland Revenue Ivan Dissanayake said, in Kandy last week, that tax files would be opened on politicians who were engaged in business. It was a duty of citizens to pay income tax as the govt spent funds so raised on services such as education and health care, commissioner General Inland Revenue Ivan Dassanayake told the media at a seminar for Kandy District income taxpayers. more..

May 1 (EN) Former justice minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe who was sacked for criticising the govt was reinstated Tuesday, but the former finance minister Ravi Karunanayake appeared to have been left out in a last minute development. Rajapakshe was kicked out in August last year after he accused the govt of a sell out to China by leasing H'tota port to China in a $1.1 billion deal. He was also accused of delaying prosecutions of more..

May 1 (NR) The much-awaited Cabinet reshuffle took place this morning at the Presidential Secretariat with 18 Ministers being issued new portfolios while several Ministers retained their previous Ministries. Former Justice Minister Wijedasa Rajapakshe, who was removed from his portfolio for controversial statements during his tenure, was appointed the Minister of Higher Education and Cultural Affairs. more..

May 1 (CT) Yesterday this newspaper reported a disturbing fact. In the 2016 Household Income and Expenditure Survey, it has been revealed that there is a large number of people living on the margins of the official poverty line. Our story said that “if real per capita monthly income declines by Rs 100, the number of poor people in the country increases from 843,913 to 933,087, indicating a high concentration of non-poor population just above the poverty line, CB’s 2017 Annual Report said.” more..

May 1 (FT) The recent media reports have been abuzz with a sudden fall in the value of the Sri Lanka rupee against the US dollar, the benchmark currency used by Sri Lanka to quote the external value of its currency. The Central Bank does not publish its own exchange rate now – a practice which it started to follow since 2000 when it allowed the foreign exchange market to decide on the exchange rate under what it called a freely floating exchange rate system. more..

May 1 (CT) Buddhist monk Galagoda Atte Gnanasara, the main personality associated with the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) has been accorded pride of place in a religious ceremony that was part of the State Vesak celebrations. According to the Media Department of the Ministry of Buddhasasana Gnanasara conducted the atavisi buddha vandanava (worshipping of the 28 Samma Sambuddhas) held at the Devagiri Rajamaha Viharaya, Bingiriya on Vesak Poya Day more..

May 1 (DM) Attorney-at-Law Sugandhika Fernando, who made a controversial statement in connection with the SL judiciary, was reprimanded by the Colombo Traffic Court today for speed driving on the Expressway, after she pleaded guilty to the charges. Peliyagoda Police charged her with driving her vehicle at 117 kmph. Ms. Fernando appeared in Court without a lawyer and pleaded guilty to the charges. Magistrate Chandana Kalansuriya advised and released her considering her profession. more..

May 1 (Roar) We all love biscuits alongside a good cup of tea, but have you ever wondered where your biscuits originally came from? Interestingly the simple biscuit that we love to indulge in has a history dating back to the Roman Empire. Sri Lankans often refer to anything from a cookie to a wafer to a cracker as a biscuit. However, if you dig deep into where the biscuit came from, or the definition of what a biscuit is, more..

May 1 (DM) Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) today said that it had given two weeks to Attorney-at-Law Sugandhika Fernando to produce the evidence to prove her allegations against the Judiciary. BASL Chairman U. R. de Silva PC said BASL’s attention was directed to a statement made by Ms. Fernando last month, where she referred to the injustice caused by some officials of the Judiciary and the Police. He said, though she had made such a remark, she had not more..

May 1 (DN) Sri Lanka moved up to sixth place in this year’s MRF Tyres ICC Test Team Rankings, released today, with a rating of 94. This is one position better than the team's seventh-place rank, and rating of 91, last year. The rating method, developed by David Kendix, an English actuary and cricket statistician, is worked out by dividing the number of points a team scored in test matches by the total number of matches played, with the answer given to the nearest whole number. more..

May 1 (AD) President of the United Nations General Assembly, Miroslav Lajèák, has referred to SL’s peacebuilding efforts during both the opening and closing remarks of the High Level Meeting on Peacebuilding and Sustaining Peace. He cited SL as a successful example of how civil society could collaborate with the govt on peacebuilding, according to the Permanent Mission of SL to UN in New York. more..

May 1 (AD) The current govt does not have the ability to rebuild the country, despite whatever amendments are being made, says former President Rajapaksa. He stated this in response to a question regarding the Cabinet reshuffle, while attending a memorial for veteran politician T. B. Ilangaratne. Commenting on the postponement of the May Day, he stated that labour rights are gradually deteriorating at the present. He said that SLPP May Day rally at Galle will be a great success. more..

May 1 (NR) The Leader of CWC MP Arumugan Thondaman says he will arrive at decision on joining the govt and accepting a Ministerial post this evening. Speaking to media in Dickoya, he said President Sirisena on several occasions had requested him to accept a Ministerial post. However MP said he will be leaving to Colombo from Hatton this evening and would make a final decision regarding the acceptance of a Ministerial post following his arrival in Colombo. more..

May 1 (CT) Northern Minister of Women’s Affairs Ananthy Sasitharan said, the relatives of missing persons were thoroughly disappointed and saddened following the recent comment by Prez Sirisena that there are no secret camps, missing persons and political prisoners. “The relatives of missing persons wept while questioning me regarding a solution for their grievances. They were very disappointed at the President’s more..

May 1 (CT) Fishermen of Kiranchi in Kilinochchi complained that the docking of Indian trawlers, which engaged in illegal fishing in Lankan waters and were in the custody of the SL Navy, at parking points used by them, have thoroughly affected the livelihood of 70 local fishermen. These trawlers, which were seized for illegal poaching, were parked by the Navy following Court orders. However, fishermen in Kiranchi have faced many difficulties in the past three years in earning an income, more..

May 1 (CT) Certain groups, including so called scientists, are expressing wrong views based on their imaginations about asbestos and are thus misleading the people, the Fibre Cement Products Producers’ Association claimed. In SL, there is a misguided view regarding asbestos which is not true, they pointed out. Though asbestos is a common trade name, it is composed of serpentine including chrysotile (white asbestos), crocidolite (blue asbestos), Tremolite, among many more..

May 1 (AD) The 25th commemoration of the death anniversary of late President Ranasinghe Premadasa was held today. The late President Premadasa’s 25th memorial was held near his statue in Hultsdorf, Colombo with the attendance of President Maithripala Sirisena and PM Ranil Wickremesinghe. Addressing the gathering, Prez stated that the character of former President R. Premadasa more..

May 1 (Xinhua) Tourism Minister John Amaratunga said that the SL govt had signed an agreement with a leading Chinese tour operator in a bid to attract more Chinese tourists to visit the island country. Amaratunga said local tour operator Green Leaves Leisure, backed by the tourism ministry, had signed a MoU with China's Yingke Travel, which is based in Beijing, to provide better facilities for Chinese tourists and promote Sri Lanka as a world class tourist destination. more..

May 1 (Island) Director of National Blood Transfusion Service Dr Rukshan Bellana said that none of the private or state sector hospitals had the right to request the relatives of the patients’ to donate blood or call for donors. Dr. Bellana has said in a media statement, "We have noticed that there are exaggerated calls for rare blood groups through social and other media networks. As a result patients’ confidentiality and ethics are violated by revealing personal details of them. more..

May 1 (Reuters) Anti-Muslim violence and an outbreak of dengue fever in Sri Lanka have led the govt to slash its target for tourist arrivals this year after a record 2017. Minister John Amaratunga said that 2.5 million arrivals were expected, down from an earlier estimate of 3 million, generating revenue of $4 billion. He said a case of sexual assault against Dutch tourists in April in the town of Mirissa had also harmed more..

May 1 (Xinhua) Sri Lanka on Tuesday strongly condemned the terrorist attacks which took place in Afghan capital Kabul Monday. Twin blasts in Afghan capital on Monday killed at least 26 people, including nine journalists who were on the scene to report on the initial blast and were apparently targeted by a suicide bomber. The Islamic State (IS) reportedly claimed the responsibility for the attacks. Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mahishini Colonne said the SL govt extended its condolences to more..

May 1 (NR) Former Senior DIG Prasanna Nanayakkara who was arrested over investigations into the murder of veteran journalist Lasantha Wickrematunge has been further remanded until the 14th of May. The order was issued when he was produced before the Mount-Lavinia Magistrate's Court this afternoon. Magistrate also denied a request by the Attorneys representing the suspect to grant bail for the former Senior DIG. He was arrested on charges of concealing evidence more..

May 1 (CB) Fast bowler Lasith Malinga's int'l career looks in jeopardy after SLC issued the 34-year-old an ultimatum to return home from India to play domestic cricket if he intended to be recalled to the national side. Malinga last represented the country more than seven months ago in the home series against India and since then has been overlooked for the tours of UAE, India, Bangladesh & Nidahas Trophy more..

May 1 (DM) UNP MP Hirunika Premachandra said some UNP backbenchers had decided not to attend any event which PM Ranil Wickremesinghe attends because they were disappointed with the party reforms. She said the PM had assured them he would give a decision on the party reforms based on the Ruwan Wijewardene Committee report but it never happened. “More than 20 UNP backbenchers are disappointed as the Premier did not keep his word and that they had not got an opportunity more..

May 1 (GDI) The new State Ministers and Deputy Ministers will be sworn in at the Presidential Secretariat tomorrow morning. The swearing ceremony will commence at 10.30am tomorrow, PMD said. All ministers and MPs of the govt have been requested to be present for this. Eighteen new Cabinet Ministers were sworn in before Prez Sirisena at a ceremony held at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo this morning. The other Cabinet ministers will continue to serve more..

May 1 (TRT) Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara is a well-fed man. His jowly features and rounded fleshy shoulders belong to someone who has succumbed to at least one of life’s pleasures without too much resistance. Tall and sturdy, Gnanasara is far removed from the time-honoured image of a sinewy Buddhist monk who sustains himself on a bowl of rice daily as he puts his mind to matters that transcend the material world. more..

May 2 (CT) Premadasa served as the Parliamentary Secretary (colloquially known as the Deputy Minister) to the Minister of Local Govt Murugeysen Tiruchelvam QC from March 1965 to Sept 1968. Tiruchelvam was the Federal Parry’s nominee in Dudley Senanayake’s Cabinet. He succeeded Tiruchelvam as Minister, when the latter resigned in September 1968. In early 1968, the Frederich Ebert Stiftung (FES), a think tank controlled by German Social Democratic Party (SPD), invited more..

May 2 (CT) Any personality who has entered History demands a twin evaluation. What did he mean in his time, place, and circumstance? What is his importance outside of and beyond his own specific context? His contribution then; his relevance now: only thus can we recognize his significance. In the case of Premadasa however, this recognition has been made almost impossible by the most massive, sustained and protracted ideological operation launched against a single individual in 20th more..

May 2 (CT) Senior Lecturer of the Arts Faculty of the University of Colombo, Dhamma Dissanayake, speaks of the two political parties in govt, and say that the UNP’s internal affairs are in shambles due to the serious objections against its leadership and the result is chaos,“ On the other hand the conflict between the President and the PM and the complications within the SLFP also have an impact on this.” more..

May 2 (DN) A recent news item highlighted a statement by Joint Trade Union organisation, “Trade unions will hold their joint May Day meeting as usual on May 1, Joint Trade Union said accusing the govt’s decision to reorganize the rallies to May 7. …The govt says it arrived at this pronouncement to ensure Buddhist religious activities are observed serenely during the Vesak week. Municipal Council has not granted authorization for May Day rallies to be held in public places on May 1…. more..

May 2 (GV) We are deeply disturbed by recent events in Rasana, in the Kathua district of Kashmir and shocked by the fact that a young eight year old was tortured and gang-raped in a temple over a four-day period before she was strangled and killed. Let us begin by saying that we welcome the response of the average Indian citizen whose outrage and mobilisation is an inspiration to other societies faced with similar atrocities. As members of the regional community we raise our voice more..

May 2 (SO) Q: There is a sea-change in the Northern Province as far as infrastructure development is concerned. Govt has given due emphasis to the issues of the Northern people to a point that it has earned the wrath of nationalist elements in the South. There are allegations that despite these positive signs you have taken up a confrontational approach with the Govt to appease extremist elements. How would you respond? more..

May 2 (CT) The Indian Ocean region is experiencing a much anticipated luxury. Almost every one of the economies in the region is expanding at a rate that gives hope to the entire region and especially to its poor and the marginalized. The promise of prosperity enthusiastically made at independence from colonial rule, so many decades ago, may at last becoming a reality. India is powering ahead and now leads China. Still the region continues to be confronted by an inexcusably massive more..

May 2 (Island) Ministerial appointments are being made, in dribs and drabs. 18 Cabinet members were sworn in before President Sirisena, yesterday, and some other ministers are expected to take oaths today. Reshuffling the Cabinet seems to be the President’s favourite pastime. Madness has been defined as doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result. The govt keeps reshuffling the same bunch of ministers in a desperate bid to make the Cabinet efficient. more..