Jan 5 (Island) UPFA MP Shehan Semasinghe called for a consensus among political parties represented in Parliament to go for an early general election. Semasinghe who represents the JO said that fresh parliamentary polls were required to form a stable govt. He said that the UNF-led combine comprising TNA (16), JVP (6) and SLMC (1) either should form a govt or face the electorate without any further delay. more..

Jan 5 (DM) The Central Bank has extended the suspension on controversial primary dealer Perpetual Treasuries Limited by six months. �The Monetary Board of the CB acting in terms of the regulations made under the Registered Stock and Securities Ordinance and the Local Treasury Bills Ordinance, has decided to extend the suspension of Perpetual Treasuries Limited (PTL) from carrying on the business and activities of a Primary Dealer for a period of six months with effect from more..

Jan 5 (FT) Chinese Ambassador Cheng Xueyuan on Thursday called on President Maithripala Sirisena and handed over a New Year greetings card from President Xi Jinping. Ambassador Cheng reaffirmed that China attaches great importance to the traditional friendly relations with Sri Lanka. In the new year, the Chinese side is willing to work together with the Sri Lankan Govt and its people to jointly implement the important consensus reached by leaders of the two countries, more..

Jan 5 (DM) Speaker Karu Jayasuriya told the party leaders meeting that he stood by his stance on recognising former prez Rajapaksa as the Opposition Leader in Parliament. Party leaders met the Speaker to discuss the agenda for the next week. Party leaders such as Mano Ganesan and Rauff Hakeem disputed Mr. Rajapaksa's eligibility hold the post. Speaker had informed party leaders that anyone who wished, more..

Jan 5 (FT) Speaker Karu Jayasuriya said that people from the southern part of the country volunteering to provide relief to the flood-affected community in the Northern Province had strengthened the bond between the two communities. �The love and kindness brought from the south to flood-affected communities in the Northern Province are priceless,� Speaker Karu Jayasuriya said on Thursday during his visit to the Mullaitivu and Kilinochchi Districts. more..

Jan 5 (AD) Permanent High Court Trial-at-Bar today (4) heard the case against former President�s Chief of Staff Gamini Senarath and three others for allegedly misappropriating Rs 500 million in funds belong to Litro Gas. The case was taken up before the Special High Court three-judge bench comprising Justices Sampath Abeykoon, Sampath Wijeratne and Champa Janaki Rajaratne. President�s Counsel commenced the cross examination of the 9th witness in the case, more..

Jan 5 (Island) The Army is ready to meet with any security challenges, says its Commander Lieutenant General Mahesh Senanayake. Participating in a ceremony to mark the first working day ceremony held at the Army Headquarters on Jan 1, Lt. Gen. Senanayake said: "While committing ourselves to making national development programmes a success, we are prepared to face any threat to national security." more..

Jan 5 (DM) A Sri Lankan youth who attempted to smuggle illicit cigarettes worth over Rs.1.6 million into the country from Dubai was arrested by the Customs at the BIA yesterday. The Customs officials at the BIA arrival terminal seized the contraband after searching the youth on suspicion when he was leaving the airport through the Nothing to Declare Customs Green Channel. The suspect had arrived on FlyDubai Flight FZ 557 around 12.50 am on Friday from the Dubai Int'l Airport. more..

Jan 5 (ST) In the ongoing human-elephant conflict, 2018 is a bloody and tragic year for elephants, with more than 270 being killed; 15 of them dying after being hit by trains. According to Wildlife officials, this year�s elephant death toll of 271 upto November was 15 more than the figure for the whole of 2017. They said the number of elephants killed in train accidents this year upto November was two times that of whole of last year, with the bloodiest months this year being October and November. more..

Jan 5 (FT) The delayed $ 1.85 billion loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to fund Colombo�s Light Rail Transit (LRT) system is back on track with disbursements expected to begin soon. Cabinet approval for the loan was given this week to Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera and the project, which is expected to be rolled out till 2024 in six phases, will begin this year. more..

Jan 5 (NR) New Governors have been appointed for the five respective provinces across the island. The New Governors were sworn in before President Maithripala Sirisena at the Presidential Secretariat this afternoon. Accordingly Azad Sally was sworn in as the Governor of the Western Province, while Satendra Maithri Gunaratne took oath as the Governor of the Central Province. Furthermore Sarath Ekanayake was appointed the Governor of the North Central Province more..

Jan 5 (Island) Minister Malik Samarawickrama says the govt is engaged in formalising the export policy. Briefing the media on the progress achieved by the Sri Lanka Export Development Board in 2018, Minister said, in Colombo, on Thursday, that if it wasn�t for the recent political turmoil, Sri Lanka would have been able to met the export income target set for 2018. Minister also explained the export policies set for the period 2018-2022 and planned projects for 2019. more..

Jan 5 (DM) Two youths aged 23 had been arrested by the Vavuniya police traffic division for posting a video on social media pretending to give a bribe to a traffic police dummy placed along the Jaffna-Vavuniya main road. Life-size police dummies showing traffic policemen on duty were erected along Puttalam - Colombo road to control over speeding and get the attention of the drivers. Video posted on social media a few days ago more..

Jan 5 (Island) The UPFA is planning to move a motion in the House seeking a two-thirds majority to dissolve Parliament. UPFA senior MPs had already commenced talks with other parties to solicit their support to secure the two-third majority, a UPFA MP told The Island. The MP said that some UNP MPs, too, had expressed their willingness to support the motion and the JVP was also of the opinion that Parliament should be dissolved. JVP MP Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa, contacted for comment, said more..

Jan 5 (AD) The Fort Magistrate has ordered Namal Kumara not to make any statements to the media regarding the VIP assassination plot. This order has been issued taking into consideration a request made by the CID this evening (4). Submitting a report to the court, the CID stated that Namal Kumara making public statements on the VIP assassination plot has obstructed the investigations conducted in this regard. Hence, the CID sought a court order, barring Namal Kumara from more..

Jan 5 (AD) President Maithripala Sirisena has informed the Secretaries to the Ministries that it is a must to act according to the circulars issued by the Secretary to the President when appointing Chairpersons and members to Boards of Directors of State Owned Enterprises (SOEs) including the statutory boards and public corporations. The circular numbered PS/PCMD/19/2018 signed by more..

Jan 6 (SO) The words are still chilling, a decade later. Who is Lasantha? retorted a once all-powerful Defence Secretary angrily, when a BBC journalist dared to question him incessantly on the brutal murder of founding editor of The Sunday Leader, Lasantha Wickrematunge who was killed on his way to work 10 years ago this Tuesday. That was a vastly different time. The lights were going out in newsrooms around the country, as war raged far from the capital and an ugly nationalism more..

Jan 6 (Island) Always a stickler for accuracy, Dr. A.C. Visvalingam, the Cambridge-educated engineer, who was the last serving president of CIMOGG, the Citizens� Movement for Good Governance to flesh out the acronym, signed off his last contribution on behalf of that respected organization as past President of CIMOGG. That was in fact what he became as in mid-December CIMOGG had decided to close shop or commit Hara Kiri as it chose to describe the action of more..

Jan 6 (SO) Minister Rajitha Senaratne speaks about the 52-day political turmoil and the rocky road ahead for the recently reinstated govt. Q: The internal revolt has brought UNF Govt to some sort of crisis and the apparent confrontation between the Govt and President has added fuel to fire. How do you explain this deadlock? A: There is no division in the UNF and in fact the UNF remains firmly united after a long time. more..

Jan 6 (Island) In the Great Game being played across the Indian Ocean, the U.S. Navy has its eye on Sri Lanka�s northeastern port of Trincomalee to serve as a logistics hub for South Asian waters churned by India, Japan and China. Western diplomats in Colombo, noted an upping of the stakes when a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier from the U.S. 7th Fleet dropped anchor early this month at Trincomalee, the world�s second deepest natural harbor with great strategic value. more..

Jan 6 (EN) Sri Lanka's central bank has warned the finance ministry against election spending in 2019, saying credit downgrades could lead to country being locked out of international capital markets, amid a loss of credibility in the country's soft-pegged exchange rate. Three global credit rating agencies downgraded Sri Lanka to a 'B' level rating in November from B+ after President Maithripala Sirisena appointed Mahinda Rajapaksa as PM triggering a political crisis. more..

Jan 6 (CT) Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa says that PM Ranil Wickremesinghe has to be held accountable for the Treasury Bonds fraud. I have no deals with Ranil, he added. Q: Who is the Opposition Leader of the current Parliament? A: Actually, the person who should be the Opposition Leader is the Leader of the Party that represents the largest number of MPs in the Opposition. Is that you? A: Yes. more..

Jan 6 (ST) My dear Bandula, I thought I must write to you when I heard you the other day commenting about the recently released results of the GCE Advanced Level examination in what you said was your role as a former Minister of Education. Ah, what wouldn�t one do these days for a little bit of headline grabbing publicity? You were lamenting that a student from an international school who sat the examination was ranked first in the island in the Arts stream. While nothing can change the fact more..

Jan 6 (Island) We once again see the SLFP going through the same stresses and strains that the party went through in the 1980s only this time at a much greater magnitude. There are repeated meetings of the party central committee, stormy meetings of electoral organizers, and MPs holding furtive meetings at each other�s houses to consider survival strategies. That things were going to come to this pass sooner or later after their ill-advised entry into a national govt with UNP in 2015 was obvious more..

Jan 6 (ST) Sports Minister Harin Fernando on Friday promised Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) membership to restore democracy by holding the election, a major shift from his earlier stance of first going for an interim administration to clean up the corrupted body. This could be due to the Minister failing to get the support of the International Cricket Council (ICC) for his proposal. The world body had set a February 9 deadline for the election or warned SLC to face the consequences. more..

Jan 6 (ST) Sri Lanka �A� claimed a first innings lead in the first unofficial Test against Ireland �A� thanks to an unfinished century stand for the fifth wicket between Milinda Siriwardana and Kamindu Mendis at the SSC grounds yesterday. Siriwardana shared 139 runs with Mendis after Sri Lanka were reduced to 46 for 4 in reply to Ireland�s first innings total of 153 all out to finish day on 185 for 4. Irish seamer Mark Adair ran through Sri Lanka�s top order with a vicious bowling effort more..

Jan 6 (CT) Praising the establishment of the independence of the Judiciary as being the only light at the end of the tunnel, in the context of the recent Constitutional and political crisis, Speaker Karu Jayasuriya said that henceforth, the world would not talk about international Judges intervening in SL. The latter was a reference to the call from various stakeholders to have foreign Judges involved in a judicial process to try alleged war crimes more..

Jan 6 (CT) Speaker Karu Jayasuriya, at Friday�s Party Leaders� Meeting, at the Parliamentary Complex, in the backdrop of the 26 October bloodless and abortive political coup, confirmed his original decision, that SLFP/UPFA Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa (MP) is the country�s new Opposition Leader. That means that the original Opposition and TNA Leader R. Sampanthan, nominated after the 17 Aug, 2015 Parliamentary Polls, is relegated to the backbench. more..

Jan 6 (ST) The nearly new Cabinet of President Maithripala Sirisena got off to a reasonable start for the New Year with the hope of a new beginning for the otherwise stuttering Cohabitation Govt. The President was reportedly subdued but showed no signs of unease with Ministers from a different party, and now, none from his own. The Ministers on their part conducted themselves with the political correctness due to the holder of the office of President. more..

Jan 6 (CI) A spectacular Thisara Perera power-hitting showcase was not enough to lift Sri Lanka out of a pit of the middle-order's making, though it did fill the chase of 320 with much more explosive fun than it promised when Sri Lanka were 128 for 7. Thisara wallopped 13 sixes and eight fours on his way to 140 off 74 balls - each of New Zealand's death bowlers given a painful shellacking. But with 22 still needed for victory, more..

Jan 6 (SLN) Indian Naval Ship (INS) Jamuna which arrived in Sri Lanka on 20th Dec to undertake hydrographic surveys in Sri Lankan waters, after a survey covering the sea area from Colombo to Galle, reached the port of Galle yesterday (4). SL Navy welcomed the vessel in compliance of naval traditions. Thereupon, Commanding Officer INS Jamuna, Captain HA Hardas met Commander Southern Naval Area, Rear Admiral Kapila Samaraweera at Southern Naval Command more..

Jan 6 (CT) The SL economy ended 2018 on a low note, as GDP growth fell to 2.9% in the third quarter of 2018, compared to 3.2% GDP growth in 2017 that rose to 3.3% in the first nine months of 2018. The figure was driven lower by the Industry sector, whose growth rate dropped to 1.9% in 2018 from 5.3% in 2017. The constitutional crisis that began in late October further added to this situation, with the Asian Development Bank stating in its Asian Development Outlook 2018 supplement that more..

Jan 6 (Island) Minister of Sports Harin Fernando, who visited the ICC headquarters in Dubai soon after taking over duties, has made some serious allegations. Fernando has claimed that the ICC has confided that not only our players but our cricket administration is also the most corrupt in the world. The Minister has only said what we had been saying for ages but for no avail. Current SLC voting system will only allow room for corruption more..

Jan 6 (CI) Thisara Perera lit up the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui with some of the cleanest hitting, smashing 140 off 74 balls to get SL within sight of a miracle win. They lost eventually by just 21 runs in the second ODI. But while Thisara's knock was the highlight of the day, SL might not have got as close if NZ had held on to all the chances that came their way. No fewer than six catches were dropped, by a different fielder each time. Here is how our ball-by-ball commentators recorded the drops. more..

Jan 6 (ST) Australian Under 19 cricketers scored a hard fought eight run win in the 2nd ODI match to go up 2-0 in three match ODI series at the P. Saravanamuttu Oval yesterday. Chasing 305 to win, Sri Lanka U-19� were 297 for nine in their alloted 50 overs conceding an inaccessible lead in the series. A run filled wicket and a fast outfield gave the real taste of one day cricket as a total number of 601 runs were scored only for the loss of 15 wickets. Six half centuries and more..

Jan 6 (SO) Economists, Chamber heads and Financial analysts in their expectations of the forthcoming budget, said the Budget should focus on Fiscal consolidation maintaiingn the recurrent and capital expenditure which are key factors to curtail the budget deficit. Prof. of Economics, Sirimal Abeyratne said the country has issues regarding tax revenue since the govt has been taking measures to increase tax revenue, more..

Jan 6 (AD) UNP MP Dunesh Gankanda says that he will rally the disappointed UNP MPs against the govt. He made these comments while participating in a joint press conference attended by all organizers of SLFP and SLPP in Ratnapura District. UPFA MP W.D.J. Senewiratne, who also addressed the briefing, said that the UNP is drafting a new Constitution to fulfill the needs of the TNA. However, the incumbent govt does not possess a two-thirds majority to bring a new Constitution or more..

Jan 6 (AD) A meeting of the SLPP was held at the SLPP office in Kurunegala, chaired by Leader of the Opposition Mahinda Rajapaksa. Commenting at the meeting, he pointed out that the Provincial Council elections are still not here. He also said that he got to know, the first train from Matara to Beliatte will be commencing its journey tomorrow (6). According to him, this has been a victory of his by getting this railway line constructed, in order to go at least one mile further after the first railways lines more..

Jan 6 (AD) The ceremony to proclaim the Theravada Tripitaka as a national heritage commenced at Aluviharaya temple in Matale under the patronage of the President Sirisena. The national ceremony to proclaim the Theravada Tripitaka as a national heritage commenced at the historic Aluviharaya temple in Matale today (5), under the patronage of Prez Sirisena. The Govt had requests public to hoist the Buddhist flag more..