Jan 11 (DM) Filing a motion in the main inquiry relating to the Bond-scam, the defence counsel alleged that the CID had not allowed legal representation for suspect Arjun Aloysius when he reported to the CID last Sunday (6). Appearing on behalf Arjun Aloysius, Counsel Sajitha Jayawardena said when his client went to the CID to report his presence as directed by the court, he was not allowed to take his lawyers inside the Unit, more..

Jan 11 (FT) Minister Champika Ranawaka yesterday said the election of all nine Provincial Councils should be held on the same day. �Due to the war, Govt decided to hold the Provincial Council election partially,� Ranawaka said at an event at Waters Edge with the participation of civil society activists. Ranawaka noted political parties should come to agreement to pass the report of the Delimitation Committee for the delimitation of electorates in Provincial Councils. more..

Jan 11 (CT) Elections monitoring body, PAFFREL informed that President Maithripala Sirisena, as the Head of the Executive, the Govt and the State cannot evade the responsibility of holding Provincial Councils polls. Executive Director of PAFFREL, Rohana Hettiarachchi, said that in order for Speaker Karu Jayasuriya who appointed the delimitation review committee, to submit the review committee�s report to the President; the report must firstly be handed over to the Speaker by more..

Jan 11 (Island) Representatives of political parties yesterday condemned a protest campaign by a group of persons clad in black and calling themselves civil activists outside the Capital Maharaja Organization, Hiru and Derana to intimidate those organisations. A senior spokesman for the Maharaja Organization said that they couldn�t be intimidated by such protests. A spokesperson for another station alleged that a section of govt more..

Jan 11 (FT) Kalinga Indatissa, PC handed over nominations for the post of President, Bar Association of SL, at the election scheduled to be held in Feb 2019. The nominations were received by the Returning Officer, Dappula de Livera, PC Solicitor General at the BASL Auditorium recently. Indatissa had his early education at St. Mary�s College Kegalle and at Royal College Colombo. After passing his A/L exam he joined Law College in 1982 at relatively young age of 17 yrs. more..

Jan 11 (EN) The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) of the UN is looking for further funding from banks and cooperative societies to expand credit lines to poor Sri Lankan farmers. "We are asking banks to contribute 30 percent of the funds in a line of credit," IFAD project consultant Rauno Zander, a rural finance expert, told a forum in Colombo on Jan 9. He said currently the project funds covers the entire credit line, which provides loans to farmers at a concessional 6.5%. more..

Jan 11 (Island) Mihin Lanka owed SriLankan Airlines more than Rs. 745 million. Chulani Jayasuriya, Credit Control Manager at SriLankan told the PCoI that Mihin Lanka owed them money for a number of services provided over the years. "They comprise engineering services, including maintenance and spares, ground handling, interlining, rent, electricity and professional services. Altogether this comes to Rs. 745 million and more..

Jan 11 (FT) The Supreme Court re-fixed the Fundamental Rights petition against the re-convening of Parliament for support on 13 May. Bench comprising Justices Priyantha Jayawardane, Vijith Malalgoda and Murdu Fernando fixed the matter to be supported for granting of leave to proceed along with related petitions. Former UPFA MP Sarath Weerasekara filed the Fundamental Rights petition, seeking a declaration from the Court that the decision taken by more..

Jan 11 (Island) Minister Mangala Samaraweera yesterday apprised the Chinese Ambassador Cheng XueYuan about the SL Govt�s plan to re-engage with IMF and thanked the Chinese Govt for their continued support extended to Sri Lanka. They met yesterday afternoon. Chinese Ambassador Cheng XueYuan reiterated his countries support to the development of the Sri Lankan economy and pledged their support in our efforts to re-engage the IMF in a sustainable manner. more..

Jan 11 (FT) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday assured that his Govt will work to stabilise the rupee, attract investment, repay debt, and work to put the economy on a growth trajectory, despite the economic impact felt during the political turmoil at the tail end of 2018. Delivering a statement in Parliament, the PM called on the public to leave aside political agendas and take the country forward. more..

Jan 11 (EN) Sri Lanka is to go ahead with a carbon tax, which is being charged on a peculiarly unjust basis targeting older, poorer vehicle owners while allowing richer arguably high use owners of new cars get off lightly. France has been shaken by violent protests against an eco-tax by yellow-vest wearing motorists, who say they regretted voting for President Emmanuel Macron, and have called for his resignation. Citizens of France came out against eco-taxes as they are viciously unjust, more..

Jan 11 (FT) The residents of Jayanthipura, Battaramulla in the High Security Zone in close proximity to the Parliament complex have requested Prez Sirisena to intervene to remove the newly-built unauthorised workshop of an advertising company that has disturbed the peaceful environment of the housing scheme. The Jayanthipura Welfare Society, in its letters to the Prez and PM written on 31 Dec 2018, has stated that the advertising company which commenced construction in November more..

Jan 11 (Island) TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran, denied, in Parliament, having pressured the police to release any youth arrested with Kerala ganja in his possession. He responded to an allegation made by UPFA-MP Wimal Weerawansa alleging that Sumanthiran�s driver�s brother had been arrested for the possession of Kerala ganja and Sumanthiran had exerted pressure on the police and had his driver�s brother released. more..

Jan 11 (DM) SLFP General Secretary Dayasiri Jayaseka today vowed to make the grand old party of the down trodden and anti capitalists, the most powerful political force in the country within four months with the aim of winning all three elections this year. �The founding father of the SLFP, late PM S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike quit the UNP in July, 1953 to form the SLFP against extremist left and capitalist policies with socialist democratic policies or the middle path,� he said. more..

Jan 11 (ABS) President Maithripala Sirisena will be in the Philippines for a state visit on Jan 15 to 19, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Thursday. DFA said Sirisena and President Rodrigo Duterte will hold bilateral talks on "areas of mutual interest, including political, economic, cultural and people-to-people engagement." Sirisena will also visit the Asian Development Bank in Mandaluyong, and the International Rice Research Institute in Los Ba�os. more..

Jan 11 (FT) The forthcoming Budget will be mainly focused on Gamperaliya, Enterprise SL, establishing an efficient public transport system, and addressing the educational requirements of youth who are unable to pursue higher education due to lack of financial assistance, as well as capacity in higher education institutions. Non-Cabinet Minister Harsha de Silva and State Minister Eran Wickramaratne were upbeat more..

Jan 11 (DM) The approval given by the Cabinet to include law as a subject in the school curriculum must be commended. This is because Sri Lanka is not regarded as a nation that abides by the law. Taking into consideration the many instances where top level officials have been involved in bribe taking, this attempt to educate the young generation about the law should serve this nation well. This news was broken by Justice and Prisons Reforms Minister Thalatha Athukorala the other day. more..

Jan 11 (DM) Politicians seem to deem that they have solved all economic issues faced by the people or addressing economic issues is not any of their responsibilities. Their main focus is centered on how to capture power or remain in or retain power. They all are agog with political issues such as elections and Constitutional changes. Sometimes they come up with economic plans or strategies, but with the motive of plundering public funds or showcasing them at future elections & hoodwink public more..

Jan 11 (DM) Prez Sirisena had requested UPFA MPs to pressure the govt to hold Provincial Council elections. The report also said, the President had told them, the govt should be asked to even amend the law to have elections under the previous law. For over one year now, 3 of the 9 PCs, Eastern, Sabaragamuwa and North-Central stand dissolved from Oct 2017. Since October last year, 3 more PCs, more..

Jan 11 (ST) Fears have risen over safety compliance in high-rise buildings following the recent tragic elevator crash, with concerns spreading to whether inadequate firefighting ability for tall buildings have made them fire traps. In Colombo, where 90 per cent of the buildings are residential apartments accommodating families, questions are being raised about elevator safety as investigations continue into why a lift plunged more..

Jan 11 (AD) Former Mayor of Colombo A.J.M. Muzammil has been appointed as the new Chairman of the Central Environmental Authority (CEA). He has been appointed to the position by Prez Sirisena with immediate effect, for a period of 3 years. He received the letter of appointment from the President at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo this morning. He has been serving as the SL High Commissioner to Malaysia since Jan 2017. more..

Jan 11 (MM) Local police have dismantled an international human trafficking syndicate that were shipping migrants, including children, through Malaysia to Australia and New Zealand, Tan Sri Mohamad Fuzi Harun said today. The inspector-general of police said 24 Sri Lankan migrants � 12 men, eight women, two boys and two girls � and 10 Indian citizens � four men, three women, and three girls � were rescued. more..

Jan 11 (AM) In a surprising turn of events, two UNP politicians namely Harsha de Silva and Eran Wickremearatne issued public statements defending the media institutions that supported the political crisis engineered by President Maithripala Sirisena. Several civil organizations staged protests opposite all mainstream media institutions yesterday demanding fair and ethical coverage. more..

Jan 11 (CT) The International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP) headed by Yasmin Sooka, who was a one time Member of the UN Report of the Secretary-General's Panel of Experts on Accountability in Sri Lanka to investigate alleged war crimes in the final stages of the Sri Lankan Civil War, condemned the appointment of Major General Shavendra Silva as Chief of Staff of the Army by President Maithripala Sirisena. more..

Jan 11 (CT) TNA MP M.A Sumanthiran blasted the Govt, alleging that it has not taken any action to apprehend criminals responsible for murders and disappearances of journalists. Participating in the debate on an Order under the Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Act, he stressed that the Govt has done nothing regarding those incidents other than just talking. �It�s been four years since you came into power more..

Jan 11 (CT) Both the Govt and the Opposition vehemently condemned the protests staged by several civil society organisations (CSOs) including NGOs in front of Media institutions in Colombo including Ceylon Newspapers Private Limited yesterday. During yesterday�s Parliamentary Sittings, UPFA MP, Wimal Weerawansa drew the attention of the House to the protests which were being carried out. more..

Jan 11 (NR) According to the latest edition of The Economist Intelligence Unit�s Democracy Index, which provides a overview of the state of democracy worldwide, Sri Lanka has fallen back in democracy in 2018 more than any other country in the region. Democracy Index ranks 167 countries by 60 indicators based on five broad categories: electoral process and pluralism; civil liberties; the functioning of govt; political participation; more..

Jan 11 (AD) Two new non-Cabinet ministers and one deputy minister have taken oaths before Prez Sirisena today. Accordingly, V. Radhakrishnan has sworn in as Non-Cabinet Minister for Special Area Development, while Ravindra Samaraweera was swore in as the Non-Cabinet Minister of Labour and Trade Union Relations. Meanwhile, Abdullah Mahrooff has been sworn in as the Deputy Minister of Ports and Aviation. more..

Jan 11 (CT) Laggala of Matale is the first ever relocated green town of Sri Lanka. Historically significant Laggala was inundated by water from the Kalu Ganga reservoir of the gargantuan Moragahakanda-Kalu Ganga Project which was initiated with the objective of providing water for the areas of the dry zone in the North, North Central and Central Provinces. The largest reservoir of the multipurpose Mahaweli Project at Kalu Ganga was launched to foster the agricultural civilization more..

Jan 11 (FT) Is there a void in journalistic reporting today? Has the culture of impunity which prevailed, to the detriment of the free press, been successfully arrested and imprisoned � in the past four years since good govt came into play? What could or should be done to bolster this flagging aspect of legacy media? Shall social media join the fray or lead the charge separately; in terms of speaking truth to power, in an attempt to keep govt accountable? more..

Jan 11 (Yahoo) A 30-year-old Sri Lankan man who wanted to find work overseas tried to use a bogus Canadian passport to travel from Singapore to Melbourne. But Pararasasingam Puveenthan was arrested at Changi Airport after immigration officers caught him trying to use his fake travel document in October last year. Pararasasingam was on Monday jailed for eight months after being found guilty of possessing a false passport. His accomplice, Marimuththu Subramaniam, 48, who was more..

Jan 11 (EN) Serenity Lake Leisure (Private) Limited will be taking over Hunas Falls Hotels, buying 66.2% of the firm for 696.4 million rupees, a filing at the CSE said. Ending over a week of speculation, Hunas Falls' parent Hayleys Group said it would sell the hotel, 45 minutes after the market closed on Friday. An announcement was made on Jan 4 that Hayleys was considering a takeover offer from Serenity Lake Leisure and had opened the hotel's books to the prospective buyer. more..

Jan 11 (CI) Twice NZ fought back, fearlessly punching their way out of trouble. In their own innings, they had surrendered four wickets in the first four overs, and had slipped to 55 for 5, before Ross Taylor arrested the nosedive with a calm 33, and Doug Bracewell and debutant Scott Kuggeleijn - both in the team primarily for their bowling - bashed 44 off 26 and 35 not out off 15 respectively, hitting nine sixes between them, to hoist NZ to more..

Jan 11 (AD) The Department of Meteorology says that thunderstorms accompanied by severe lightning and heavy rain are likely to occur in Central, Sabaragamuwa, Southern and Western provinces during next few hours. Fairly heavy rainfall (about 75 mm) can be expected at some places, it said issuing a warning for severe thunderstorm and heavy rainfall. Temporarily strong gusty winds up to 70-80 kmph are also possible during thundershowers, the department said. more..

Jan 11 (CT) A protest was organised by certain civil society organisations (CSOs), including non-governmental organisations (NGOs), in front of Ceylon Newspapers (Private) Limited (CNP) and other Media institutions yesterday. Employees of Mawbima the Sinhala language publication of Ceylon Newspapers (Pvt) Ltd and Ceylon Today showed their displeasure at the protest, voicing that the protest aimed to intimidate Media organisations and refusing to be intimidated by NGOs. more..

Jan 11 (CI) It's all well and good to get fast starts, batsmen, but once you're in, you have to convert your promising innings into match-winning ones. So went the message from captain Lasith Malinga to the SL top order, after the visitors slumped to a 35-run defeat in the lone T20I against NZ in Auckland. Four batsmen in SL's top five passed 15, but none went on to make a half-century, despite the fact that Sri Lanka were ahead of more..

Jan 11 (CT) National Movement for Consumer Rights Protection (NMCRP) alleged that the Govt was aiding and abetting protestors who pressurized the Media by holding protests in front of certain Media institutions. NMCRP Chairman, Ranjith Withanage claimed that a group of civil society activists held a protest in front of some Media institutions. �We vehemently condemn the that a group of people from a civil society organisation had pressured several Media institutions and more..

Jan 11 (DM) An allegation made by Opposition MP Wimal Weerawansa that only those who belong to a certain Christian denomination are being appointed as Supreme Court Judges started heated arguments in Parliament yesterday. �A Supreme Court Judge who was appointed recently belongs to a Christian denomination which is funded by the US. The Constitutional Council (CC), which claims to be independent, does not approve the nominees of the Prez as Supreme Court judges unless more..

Jan 11 (FT) It is after some months that I visited Jaffna three weeks back, to spend the holiday season. As in almost every visit, I make it a point to go to the Jaffna Public Library. Every time I climb those steps, it is with reverence mixed with a deep sadness. Reverence because the Hindu culture looks at knowledge as sacred, combining book knowledge with spiritual knowledge. Sadness, because Sinhalese politicians had stooped to more..