Dec 24 (DM) Water Supply Joint Trade Union Alliance threatened to launch a trade union action from Dec 26 to 28 for not paying their annual bonus payment. �We demand the govt and the authority to pay the balance of our bonus payment immediately,� alliance said. Alliance leader Upali Ratnayaka alleged the annual bonus had been paid continuously for 40 years but this year it had been deducted arbitrarily by Finance Minister more..

Dec 24 (Island) Minister John Amaratunga lamented that he had no powers to prevent the image of St Nicholas (Santa Claus) being abused for commercial purposes. "St Nicholas was a philanthropist, who gave away everything to the needy. Today his image is being used even on pavements to sell anything and everything from slippers to combs. Santa hats are being worn by sales girls in super markets. This is disgraceful," he said. "I am the Minister of Christian Affairs," he said, more..

Dec 24 (DN) ASP Ruwan Gunasekera slammed journalists saying the media-at large is ruining the country's law and police investigations. He made this remark on record when a reporter asked about media reports on the Police statement made by the 26-year-old youth, who was allegedly abducted in Dematagoda on Monday, over the incident. Some reports, quoting the Police Media Spokesman, said the youth had told Police that a UNP MP threatened him following the alleged abduction. more..

Dec 24 (CT) Judicial Service Commission (JSC) reasserts that the transfers of Colombo Additional Magistrate Nishantha Peiris and Colombo Chief Magistrate Gihan Pilapitiya were not being reconsidered. JSC Secretariat confirmed that the transfers were part of the normal annual transfers of judicial officers. JSC Acting Secretary R.P.D.P.P. Ratnayake was not immediately available for comment. more..

Dec 24 (CT) TULF Leader V. Anandasangaree has warned PM Ranil Wickremesinghe that the move to convert the present Parliament into a Constituent Assembly for the purpose of drafting a new Constitution would be akin to disturbing a hornet's nest. TULF Leader citing his experience as a MP during late PM Sirimavo Bandaranaike's period has mentioned the challenges in drafting a new Constitution by converting Parliament into a Constituent Assembly in a letter written to PM more..

Dec 24 (Island) Out of the forty two Police divisions in Sri Lanka, the highest number of crimes have been reported from the Mt. Lavinia, Nugegoda and Kelaniya jurisdictions. Police spokesman ASP Ruwan Gunasekera said that many of the cases reported from those areas are related to heroin house breaking, robbery and theft. "The reports generated by the Criminal Record Division and submitted to the IGP on a monthly basis and these are reviewed by him," spokesman explained. more..

Dec 24 (AM) CID has received information that Captain Tissa, a key suspects in the killing of former Rugby player Wasim Thajudeen, is attempting to flee the country via sea route. The teams handling investigations have found out that the suspect still has the support of some sections of the Navy whose allegiance still lies with the previous administration. CID has already obtained a travel ban on Captain Tissa, more..

Dec 24 (PTI) Fishing nets of a group of fishermen from here were allegedly cut by SL navy personnel while fishing near Katchatheevu. The fishermen were fishing on seven boats when the incident occurred last night, Rameswaram Fishermen Organisation president Sagayam said. The Lankan naval personnel threatened the fishermen not to fish in the area. He urged the central and state govts to intervene and allow the fishermen to fish in their traditional areas in the Palk Bay. more..

Dec 24 (Island) President Sirisena�s daughter, Chathurika Sirisena would be the chief guest at a ceremony organised by the Civil Security Department to hand over 202 houses built by the CSD for its members, to offer scholarships and laptop computers to the children of CSD members, CSD spokesman said. The ceremony is scheduled to be held at BMICH with the participation of Secretary to Ministry of Defence Karunasena Hettiarachchi on Dec 28, he said. more..

Dec 24 (DM) Western Province Chief Minister Isura Devapriya�s kneeling before some provincial councillors belonging to the Mahinda Gang led to the defeat of the health budget of Western Province presented by the JHU, said the Western Provincial Council's Minister of Health, Nishantha Sri Warnasinghe (of the JHU), yesterday. The 2016 expenditure head for Western Province Health Ministry, submitted by more..

Dec 24 (Island) The parliamentary Committee on Public Accounts (PAC) has summoned the officials of 10 public sector institutions to be questioned during January, 2016, Director General of Government Information Dr Darshani Gunathilaka says. Sri Lanka Customs and the Department of Motor Traffic officials have been asked to appear before the PAC at 10 am and 2 pm respectively on Jan 7 while the Department of Immigration and the Department of Examinations officials have more..

Dec 24 (NDTV) A couple of years back, Maruti Suzuki India announced its desire to open up a manufacturing facility in Sri Lanka. The carmaker had approached the country's authorities seeking permission but due to some tax issues with the then govt the project did not materialise. Now the leading Indian carmaker has yet again shown its eagerness to revive the project. Sri Lanka, Upul Jayasuriya, the country's Board of Investment Chairman revealed this information. more..

Dec 24 (AD) The media claim that concerns the report which is said to have been still due from the Govt Analyst�s Department on the weaponry found in the Avant Guard ship, appears to be false as per an announcement made on Thursday by the Ministry of Justice. Ministry clarified that the Govt Analyst�s Department report on the weaponry has been submitted to the Court on Dec 4. In Oct, nearly 900 firearms including more..

Dec 25 (CT) Relying on information provided by the Customs Central Investigation Bureau (CIB), Sri Lanka�s print media reported last week, that a large number of Toyota Prado Jeeps (over 189 numbers) had been detained at the Hambantota port by the Customs Central Investigation Directorate and that the respective importers had failed to declare the �TRUE TRANSACTION VALUE� for Customs purposes. It was further reported that the Director General of Customs (DGC), more..

Dec 25 (CT) Reference is to the developing schism, which is now a yawning chasm in the TNA. The split is real and earth slip is next. As a political alternative to the TNA, the Tamil Peoples Council (TPC) was launched in Jaffna on Saturday, 19, December, 2015. Justice C. V. Wigneswaran, CM of Northern Provincial Council, is the chief person among three co-chairs. The above news having a wide reach, stunned the Tamils. The following article is an immediate response to it�. more..

Dec 25 (SO) The proposed Sri Lankan Right to Information Bill (RTI) - by now approved by the Cabinet and tipped to be presented to the Parliament in January - is drawing mixed reactions from RTI activists and campaigners. Despite the good intentions behind the bill, there is an ongoing debate about ending up with a law that does not necessarily empower the citizenry as the RTI laws elsewhere have been able to achieve. more..

Dec 25 (SL) Responding to the article published in The Sunday Leader on November 29 titled Switching Off Millions Of Public Funds, the Ambassador of Japan in Sri Lanka, Kenichi Suganuma has sent a clarification. The following is the full text of the Ambassador�s letter: I wish to clarify some of the incorrect and misleading information contained in your article in The Sunday Leader dated 29th November, titled Switching off millions of public funds. more..

Dec 25 (FT) Ravi K bashing appears to be de rigueur these days with almost all, yes, even the earlier harassed private newspaper groups joining in the fray like a pack of hyenas going for the jugular. What about TV channels? The less said the better, seriously! One should realise that many of the newspaper groups have been bought over by pro-MR lackeys who benefitted hugely by their unabashed support to the notorious Family Rule of almost a decade: those for MR thrived, more..

Dec 25 (DN) Another Christmas has dawned with the cheery feeling evident all round. The run up to Christmas as always is a hive of activity with brisk shopping and hectic preparations. The streets are choked with milling crowds grabbing up the Christmas bargains and Yuletide perennials blare forth from record bars and sundry shops sending that special feeling coursing through your veins. There is also that nip in the air more..

Dec 25 (CT) When you walk into a salon you would expect to see customers getting their hair styled or being dressed for a wedding. But under no circumstances would you expect to see customers sitting by the side of a large fish tank and getting their feet massaged by fish. But that is exactly what you will see if you visit Salon Sanka and Nilu in Dehiwala. Customers can be seen relaxing with their feet immersed in water while the fish suck the dead skin of their feet. more..

Dec 25 (CT) With the festive season round the corner and the spirit of Christmas in the air it is once again that time of year where people eagerly await the arrival of Christmas trees for sale. Christmas trees are cut down by the thousands during this time of the year to meet the demand of the many customers who go in search of natural trees. Cut down trees can be seen in their hundreds on the pavements in many parts of the country during the festive season. more..

Dec 25 (GV) Let me say that ISLANDED by Sujit Sivasunderam is a seminal work. It is an original interpretation of historical fact, backed by detailed evidence and perceptive insights. It also questions received wisdom, entrenched narratives and the way we think about our country and ourselves. For over a century now, colonialism for Sri Lankans has always been seen as a terrible period of subjugation and oppression. As Frantz Fanon so forcefully argued, the psychological disempowerment more..

Dec 25 (DM) The logo of the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy is drawn from Luke 6:36. It reads �Merciful like the Father�. Luke employs here a Greek word rarely used in the New Testament, namely oiktirm�n meaning �merciful�. In Luke this word occurs only in this text. (In fact there are only two occurrences of the word in the NT, the other being James 5,11). In the Greek Bible (LXX) this word translates the Hebrew roots hnn and rhm. Hnnmeans basically grace, and rhm mercy. more..

Dec 25 (CT) Pushpavalli Pradeepa in the photograph is missing up to now from April 1996, and her parents are not aware of what fate had become of her to date. She was just 18 years old when a LTTE squad, during their rule and monopoly in Mullaitivu, came and dragged her by force from her parents. His brother, Pudu Mathalan, had also been abducted in a similar fashion by the terrorists prior to this incident, but more..

Dec 25 (DM) Violence is organized carnage in the name of a faction, in the name of God or country. When you call yourself a Sinhalese or a Muslim or a Christian or a Tamil, or anything else, you are separating yourself from the rest of mankind, therefore you are being violent. Destructive thoughts are contrary to the teachings of all three religions. They even come equipped with a practical way to eliminate them. Through proper practice the differences between your feelings and more..

Dec 25 (ST) The SL Govt has been urged to implement a zero fee scheme for workers seeking overseas employment, cancel the licences of errant agents and make exploitation or forced labour a serious criminal offence. It has also been asked to abandon sections of the law and regulations that discriminate against outbound women and favour the male spouse. These recommendations are contained in a recent desk and field study of the recruitment process for migrant workers more..

Dec 25 (SL) Questions have been raised as to what action has been taken by the management of SriLankan Airlines to implement the Weliamuna report, prepared by eminent advocate J.C. Weliamuna which specifies corruptions that had taken place at the airlines during the former Rajapaksa regime. It is over eight months since the report had been submitted to the govt but any action taken to implement Weliamuna more..

Dec 25 (DM) Twas was the night of nights. Cold - freezingly, bitterly, cold. The star-spangled inky blue sky had an aura of unsurpassed peace and tranquillity that permeated the atmosphere. But in Bethlehem there was such a bustle, an unsurpassed bustle where everyone crowded in for registration heeding the Royal Decree. Joseph of Nazareth likewise came with Mary, the young virgin, who was at the time carrying the Nazarene within her and very close to delivery, having conceived by more..

Dec 25 (CT) Christmas has been called many things by many people. It has been called the giving season, the rejoicing season and the festive season. Saint Paul called it the season for hospitality, and many of our non-Christian friends might think of it simply as a season for feasting and enjoyment. All these descriptions and definitions are of course, quite correct in their own way, but to me Christmas is above all things a season of remembrance�. of things past and traditions which more..

Dec 25 (SO) According to the 2016 Budget, the most adversely affected sector is agriculture and the Budget proposals do not address the aspirations of the farmers. Chairman, Agro Lanka PLC, Danushka Priyankara said if farmers refrained from using fertiliser it would have an adverse effect on the harvest. The problems in the agricultural sector must be taken into account since it affects the entire society in the long run. more..

Dec 25 (Hindu) Sri Lanka�s last-gasp win against Nepal has made India coach Stephen Constantine suddenly wary of his opponent on Christmas day. �They play a defensive formation and will hit us on the counterattacks. They have some decent players and work extremely hard. There are no easy games for us. I expect Sri Lanka to give everything they have. We have to be patient and see what happens,� said Constantine speaking to the press after team�s practice at Greenfield stadium. more..

Dec 25 (SO) Tea and marine fishing suffered major falls in growth rates posting a growth of 3.9% and 8.6% during the third quarter of this year, a release from the Department of Sensus and Statistics said. However, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the third quarter of this year reached Rs. 2,158,327 million up 4.8% from Rs. 2,059,070 million reported in the corresponding period last year. The economic growth rate for the first three quarters has been estimated at 5.2%. more..

Dec 25 (FT) After a year of change BOI chairman Upul Jayasuriya talked about FDI performance in 2015, new Budget proposals and plans for the future. Q: How was the investment climate in 2015? A: This year is the result of what happened in 2014. This year we had to iron out a lot of impediments that were imposed by previous govt, which have also been cleared by the Budget and by the BOI itself. more..

Dec 25 (CI) Shashank Manohar, the BCCI president, has closed the door on the Decision Review System (DRS), saying that unless the system became foolproof, India's stance would remain unchanged. Responding to questions from the public on BCCI's Facebook account, Manohar said that India's sole issue with DRS concerned lbw decisions. Manohar pointed out that he had raised this issue even during his first stint as BCCI president, between 2008 and 2011. "Actually telling you the truth, more..

Dec 25 (DM) Rizana Nafeek, the young housemaid who was executed in Saudi Arabia could have been saved if the current govt was in power in 2013, Deputy Minister Ranjan Ramanayake said. He said the appropriate measures taken by Yahapalana govt had saved the life of the Sri Lankan woman who was to be stoned to death in Saudi. �If the country had the current govt back then, or the former UPFA govt had adopted the proper legal measures, we could have saved Rizana back then. more..

Dec 25 (NS) The new pricing fuel formula that govt said would be ready in Jan, 2016 will be delayed as discussions on the matter have been pushed back, Deputy Minister Anoma Gamage said. However, Gamage refuted allegations that govt charges extra on fuel sales even after all due taxes and operational costs. Gamage stressed that the govt still runs on losses, but provides subsidies for the public to make their lives easier. more..

Dec 25 (PSL) National Construction Awards Ceremony-2015 was held under the patronage of President Maithripala Sirisena at the BMICH. President presented awards for Civil Engineering projects, Green Construction Excellence Award and Excellence & Merit awards for Building projects. Addressing the gathering, Minister of Housing and Construction-Sajith Premadasa stated that the new govt will create a golden era for the construction industry and it will not only limit to words. more..

Dec 25 (SO) NZ Honey Specialist, one of the world's largest bee honey makers, has selected Ceylon Cinnamon for use in some of its products. Royal Cashew played a major role in this connection. NZ Honey Specialist has also appointed Royal Cashew as its exclusive distributor in SL and Maldives. Managing Director, Royal Cashew, Dr. Ruwan Wathugala said that they are happy to see NZ Honey Specialist using Ceylon Cinnamon in some of its products and this is an honour for SL. more..

Dec 25 (PSL) President Maithripala Sirisena says whenever the human society went through situations of conflicts great religious leaders emerged. Hence all religious leaders produced their philosophies to make the human beings and the world better, he added. President was speaking at the National Meelad-un-Nabi Ceremony held today (24) at the cooperative building in Polgolla, Katugastota. more..