Jan 4 (CT) The Gateway International Schools network, founded by late veteran educationist, R.I.T. Alles, opened its fourth branch in Dehiwala yesterday, in what was a soft opening, in the backdrop of the demise of the founder. The school was a merger between the American International College and the Gateway International College at Bambalapitiya. Ceremony commenced with four Buddhist monks, Chief Prelate of the Kotte Naga Vihara, Ven. Maduluwawe Sobhitha Thera, more..

Jan 4 (Island) Head of the United Bhikku Front Ven. Girambe Ananda Thera yesterday urged Sajith Premadasa to join the Leadership Council without further delay. The Thera said that Premadasa should throw his weight behind the LC, which was taking the party forward. He was addressing the media at the National Library Services Board in the wake of the LC and MP Premadasa backed by MP Thalatha Atukorale expressing conflicting opinion on ongoing party reforms. more..

Jan 4 (Island) The govt yesterday denied that it had decided to scrap the Grade five scholarship exam. Minister Bandula Gunawardena earlier announced that the test will not be held from 2016 onwards. Minister Keheliya Rambukwalle when asked at a press conference in Colombo, if the Cabinet of Ministers who met yesterday had decided to abolish the year five scholarship exam, replied that the exam did come up for discussion, more..

Jan 4 (Island) The Mahara Prison officers used force to bring prisoners under control when a ball shaped heroin parcel was thrown over a wall yesterday. Commissioner General of Prisons C. Pallegama said that there had been pandemonium as prisoners tried to divide the narcotic parcel among themselves, he said. Although three prisoners climbed on to the prison roof in protest against alleged assault by prison officers, they had descended few hours later, sources said. more..

Jan 4 (IT) Sri Lanka is so jam-packed with alluring outdoorsy activities that visitors often high-tail it out of the capital a day or two after arriving, choosing instead to spend their vacation days lounging on a southern beach, whale-watching off the coast or leopard-spotting in a national park. Yet Colombo is fast becoming a draw in itself. This city of 555,000 people has been on fast-forward since a 25-year civil war ended in 2009. Checkpoints have come down, trendy lounge bars have opened up, more..

Jan 4 (CT) The govt has allocated a large amount of funds to the Kotelawala Defence University (KDU) while cutting down funds to the other State-run universities, the IUSF alleged. The IUSF highlighted that the funds allocated to the KDU, in this year�s budget was much higher than the funds allocated to the few other state universities in the country. Though the KDU is a govt institution, the degree programmes, it offers are not free, more..

Jan 4 (FT) Cabinet approval was given for the Immigration and Emigration Department to start an archive applications received by Sri Lankans living overseas seeking dual citizenship and other services. Minister Keheliya Rambukwella noted that the facility was needed since the end of the war had resulted in a huge influx of requests from locals. The database will also store applications for registering of children born overseas to Sri Lankan parents and applications asking for visa. more..

Jan 4 (CT) Minister Keheliya Rambukwella, said he did not force Chairman of the Rupavahini Corporation, Mohan Samaranayake, to resign. Speaking at the Cabinet briefing yesterday, minister responded to the question of Samaranayake accusing him of forcing his resignation by saying, �I simply had a friendly chat with Mohan Samaranayake and we agreed that, he being the Presidential Media Spokesman, it will not give him enough time to handle the responsibilities of more..

Jan 4 (CT) Govt has received information that certain foreigners, arriving in Sri Lanka with tourist visa, are getting involved in political activities, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa said. He stressed that some of those tourists, who arrive here, remain in the country even after their tourist visas expire and once they are arrested or questioned for violating immigration and emigration laws, they try to interpret it as a more..

Jan 4 (CG) The US Ambassador-at-Large at the Office of Global Criminal Justice, Stephen J. Rapp will travel to Sri Lanka from January 6�11, 2014, the US State Department said. This is Ambassador Rapp�s second trip to Sri Lanka as Ambassador-at-Large. During this trip he will meet with a broad cross section of govt officials and political and civil society leaders on a range of issues focusing on Sri Lanka�s justice, accountability, and reconciliation processes, the State Department said. more..

Jan 4 (FT) Minister Keheliya Rambukwella was in a verbal mood when he slammed Govt critics for highlighting the upcoming UNHRC sessions as being detrimental to Sri Lanka. Responding to questions during the weekly cabinet briefing he noted that the Govt was preparing, �expecting the worst� in the March sessions in Geneva but refused to divulge details of specific steps taken by the govt. Responding to Opposition politicians who have accused the govt for more..

Jan 4 (Island) The Bodubalasena has intervened to settle a clash between UPFA constituent, the JHU and PM D.M. Jayaratne over a letter issued by the latter�s office to a heroin smuggler. A delegation of monks led by Ven. Galagodaatte Gnanasara yesterday met Premier Jayaratne at the PM�s official residence to discuss ways and means of resolving the crisis. BBS spokesperson said that the conflict had divided more..

Jan 4 (DM) On Thursday, the Central Bank presented the Road Map 2014�the economic policy document which lays out valuable information about the road ahead for the country�s economy. Unlike the previous ones, it appears that the Central Bank�s Road Map 2014 was really taking the country somewhere since it was very clearly in cohesion with the 2014 Budget which was presented a few months ago. Earlier in numerous instances it was evident that the country�s Finance Ministry and more..

Jan 4 (DM) Indian allegations of possible Muslim militant attacks in Sri Lanka over the hanging of a Bangladeshi political leader on December 12, 2013 was another mischievous attempt to portray the Muslims of Sri Lanka as being in conspiracy with militants and terrorists. Such false insinuations vilifying the Sri Lankan Muslims are being made from time to time, as part of a broader attempt to justify interfering in Sri Lanka�s internal affairs. What is disturbing in the Indian request for more..

Jan 4 (NP) AN animal-lover is aiming to run 100 miles in 24 hours to help combat a rising stray dog problem in Sri Lanka. Bryony Butcher is midway through a running challenge to raise money for the Dogstar Foundation, which carries out veterinary work in Sri Lanka. The charity estimates that there could be up to five million stray dogs on the country's streets. Miss Butcher has been supporting the charity since 2008, more..

Jan 4 (ST) The case in the battle for control and management between the directors of Serene Pavillions Hotel, Wadduwa was taken up before Judge Mahinda Samayawardena at the Commercial High Court Colombo this week. The judge ruled that the husband and wife duo Anura Lokuhetty and Menaka Lokuhetty could be not be removed from the Board of Directors of the said hotel and could continue in the same more..

Jan 4 (SL) Sam Perera is an editor and partner of the Perera-Hussein Publishing House, which, during the past ten years, has enabled emerging and established Sri Lankan authors who inspire, provoke and entertain, to make their literary mark on the world�s stage. More than half of their authors have been nominated for either a local or international prize, firmly establishing a credible Sri Lankan presence in any literary circle. more..

Jan 4 (Island) A national programme to celebrate the Day Against Cruelty to Children organised by the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) will be held next Tuesday in Colombo under the patronage of Child Development and Women Affairs Minister Tissa Karaliyadda. Programme is to raise awareness on pertinent issues of violence and cruelty faced by children in the country today. It includes a walk and more..

Jan 4 (ST) Whether it�s the rich man�s can of baked beans or box of corn flakes or the poor man�s dried fish and onions, expired and rotten food is entering the market in large quantities, especially during festive seasons when importers find it easier to dump such items on an unsuspecting public. Recent raids by the Consumer Affairs Authority and Colombo Municipal Council revealed warehouses belonging to leading importers as well as more..

Jan 4 (GDI) Sri Lanka Ministry of Sports has taken steps to bring all the offices related to sports under one roof. Accordingly, all the offices of the Sports Development Department are to be moved to the four-story building at the Colombo Race Course. The Ministry has planned to provide facilities to the sports administration bodies in the old Sports Development Department building in the Torrington Square. more..

Jan 4 (Island) One of the leading UNP reformists, Southern Provincial Councillor Maithri Gunaratne has been given an appointment to meet UNP MPs Kabir Hashim and Lakshman Kiriella, both members of the Leadership Council on Sunday to discuss various issues including reforms to the party, upcoming elections to the Southern and Western PCs and the call for removing Ranil Wickremesinghe as the party leader. more..

Jan 4 (DBS) The new year started off on a positive note for C.V. Wigneswaran! Northern province chief minister was invited by President Rajapaksa for a discussion on Jan 2nd. A direct meeting with the Executive President was something the former SC Judge had been trying to secure for a long time during the last quarter of 2013. Now with the dawn of 2014 the much awaited appointment had become a reality. more..

Jan 4 (DN) The World Conference on Youth 2014 (WCY 2014) will take place from May 5 to 10 in Colombo. The underlying theme of WCY 2014 is �Mainstreaming Youth in the Post 2015 Development Agenda�. The conference will bring together youths from the world over with a special focus on underrepresented youths with a gender and regional balance. In total, 1,500 youths will be selected representing different more..

Jan 4 (CG) President Mahinda Rajapaksa left on an official visit to the Middle East this morning, the President�s office said. The President will be visiting Jordan, Israel and Palestine during the State visit which will be used to boost bilateral ties Sri Lanka has with the Middle East. Rajapaksa�s visit to the Middle East also comes ahead of the March UNHRC session in Geneva where Sri Lanka is expected to be discussed. more..

Jan 4 (CT) The burglar who robbed Mangala Samaraweera of his laptop and foreign liquor was soon apprehended by the police. But killers of human rights lawyer Kumar Ponnambalam and Sunday Leader editor Lasantha Wickrematunge whose death anniversaries fall on Jan 5 and Jan 8 respectively are roaming scot-free. Kumar received a telephone call on Jan 5, 2000 to come to Wellawatte to meet someone and he chose to drive his car himself and was shot point-blank more..

Jan 4 (CT) The government has reportedly sold at knock down prices a fleet of brand new Mercedes Benz super luxury cars imported for the CHOGM. Early this week, this newspaper quoted Deputy Secretary to the Treasury, Dr. Suren Batagoda, as saying that vehicles were sold, each for 35 million rupees. In the Sri Lankan context, that price tag is a bargain, given the high import taxes imposed on cars. Therefore, it is no surprise that in the words of Batagoda himself that there had been more..

Jan 4 (CT) �As the meeting concluded, Milinda said that the PM was glad to hear our views, that he heard a lot of views, including Milinda�s own, as well as those of other Ministers. In the end, however, only the PM could make the decision. It was his govt and his political future. The Ambassador replied that we understood completely that it was his country, his issue, and needed his solution. Moragoda asked that the more..

Jan 4 (CT) I know two Sinhala women who married Tamils, both without the approval of their Sinhala parents that one could perhaps describe as love is blind kind of eloping. In one case the Tamil side decided to have a Hindu marriage ceremony. It began with a private Hindu custom of bathing the naked body of the bride by the groom�s close relatives. I am not sure if this was done because the bride was a Sinhala Buddhist. This Hindu marriage, however, did not prevent her from functioning more..

Jan 4 (CT) Have you been in situations of embarrassment from which you wanted a quick exit? You might do it by suddenly changing the subject of conversation to get out of the difficulty, weather forecast being a popular trick. The South Indian Tamil author Jeyakanthan beautifully captures a variant of this in one of his short stories about a middle class family switching their conversation from Tamil to English: �the foreignness of the language masks the embarrassment of the topic more..

Jan 4 (CI) Mohammad Hafeez made most of his good batting form, and a benign pitch, to score a fluent half-century that helped Pakistan earn a comfortable draw in Abu Dhabi after being set a 302-run target in 67 overs. His 101-run stand with Ahmed Shehzad in 37.3 overs, effectively closed the door on Sri Lanka after Suranga Lakmal had provided an early breakthrough in the seventh over of the innings. He was unbeaten on 80 more..

Jan 4 (CG) The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) says a ban will be strictly enforced on petrol being sold in bottles in the North, once new petrol sheds are open in most parts of the area. Managing Director of the CPC Susantha De Silva said that legally petrol and diesel cannot be sold in bottles at wayside stores. The practice of selling fuel in bottles came to be when the LTTE took control of most areas in the North and East and very few fuel sheds operated in the area. more..

Jan 4 (Island) Special party had been thrown inside the Welikada prison with the participation of top prisons officials to celebrate the release of one of the main convicts involved in the four billion rupee VAT fraud case yesterday, sources said. The party had been held in the Kovil Ward to mark the end of the 13-month-prison term imposed on Selliah Subramaniam, who was among those found guilty in the case, sources said. A special pooja was also held at the Kovil inside the prison to more..

Jan 4 (ST) Tears welled up in Irfan Barkat�s eyes as he accepted a Christmas hamper from a well-meaning Catholic nun. Back home, in Pakistan, the prominent human rights activist had been the one handing out baskets to the poor. Irfan is a 47-year-old Pakistani Christian who fled his country in September. He and his family live in a single room in Mattakuliya, offered to him by the Catholic clergy. more..

Jan 4 (CG) A major fire broke out at a store in Koswatte, along the Malabe � Thalangama road this evening, the police and fire brigade said. The police said that the fire had engulfed a metal works store located near a fuel station. The fire brigade and people in the area struggled to the douse the flames as it began to spread. Witnesses said that thick black smoke was seen in a large area surrounding Koswatte as a result of the fire. Fire trucks from Dehiwala were also dispatched to more..

Jan 4 (Hindu) Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday directed the Dakshin Kannada Deputy Commissioner (DC) to verify the claim of a group of Sri Lankan repatriates settled in Sullia and Puttur taluks that they were being issued Scheduled Caste (SC) certificates till 2002. The CM asked the DC to submit a report within 15 days. The Chief Minister, who chaired a meeting convened to discuss the subject and decide on issuing the caste certificates to the repatriates, is stated to have more..

Jan 4 (Island) Ad hoc water cuts especially in Homagama, Piliyandala, Rukmalgama, Pannipitiya and Boralesgamuwa were being imposed due to the prevailing weather patterns, Water Supply and Drainage Board Chairman, Karunasena Hettiarachchi said. He said people should be extra cautions when using water and avoid using pipe borne water for chores like gardening and car washing since more..

Jan 4 (CI) Nuwan Kulasekara will not be available for the remaining Tests against Pakistan, after having sustained a hamstring tear at the end of the ODI series. Kulasekara was not considered for the first Test, and though he remained with the team throughout the match, further scans revealed he would not recover in time to contribute to the two remaining games. "They discovered the injury a few days back and Kulasekara won't be part of the tour anymore," more..

Jan 4 (Hindu) Veteran Sri Lankan Tamil Leader R Sampanthan on Saturday held discussions with CPI(M) state unit leaders. TNA leader discussed the �situation after elections to Northern provincial council in September� in Sri Lanka, problems faced by ethnic minorities and TNA�s stand on solutions to those problems, a CPI(M) statement said. Senior leaders of the state unit, including its secretary G Ramakrishnan, were present, it added. Mr. Sampanthan had earlier met state BJP more..

Jan 4 (Island) Sri Lanka is to establish a training center in Ramallah this year, to teach Palestinian youth in the fields of healthcare, tourism, hospitality and similar vocations, Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said. The training center to be established in Ramallah City, the administrative capital of Palestine, he said would during the first five years teach disciplines such as healthcare, tourism, hospitality and more..

Jan 4 (Island) Lieutenant Yoshitha Rajapaksa declared open the newly constructed lifesaving post at Dehiwala beach on Friday. Addressing the Gathering, Coast Guard Director General Rear Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne highlighted the role played by Coast Guard lifeguards in saving over 170 lives since the inception of lifesaving activities in year 2009. He praised the effort of over 70 professional lifeguards of the Coast Guard for saving over 120 lives during year 2013 along. more..