Jan 26 (DM) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe has expressed confidence that the two major parties, UNP and SLFP, will continue their National Unity or consensus govt after the Feb 10 elections to 341 local councils, despite the recent turmoil in the government that shows it to be otherwise. The UNP and the SLFP are contesting separately at the elections to the Municipal, Urban and Pradeshiya Sabhas and there has been widespread speculation over what will happen after the local polls. more..

Jan 26 (DM) It is now more than a month since it was reported that the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) is making efforts to capture a leopard that had attacked several people at an estate in Hatton and that it was believed to be on the prowl. However, the search for this animal by wildlife officers was halted and instead they resorted to using a live bait to lure and trap the wild cat. Using a live bait is a primitive and cruel method and totally unworthy of our culture, more..

Jan 26 (DM) JO MP Ranjith Zoysa, who was stripped of his post as the SLFP organizer for the Rakwana electorate in the Ratnapura district, speaks about the current political status of the country and mayhem in Parliament recently. Q: You were stripped of your organizer post in the SLFP. Do you fear whether it will lead to the loss of your parliamentary seat in the future? A: We are not promoting another party. Instead, more..

Jan 26 (NR) UPFA MP Wimal Weerawansa called on the public to vote against the govt on the 10th of February. Addressing a SLPP election rally MP Weerawansa said the govt that took away the rights of the people must be taught a lesson. He noted school students received uniform material even during the conflict adding now students only receive a voucher which is only sufficient to sew a part of the uniform. more..

Jan 26 (DM) Minister Ranjith Madduma Bandara spoke about the current political situation in the country in the run up to the LG Elections. He also responded to some remarks made by President Maithripala Sirisena. Following are excerpts of the interview done with Minister Bandara. Q: The UNP and SLFP take on each other in the run up to the election. How will it affect the future of the Unity Govt? more..

Jan 26 (Island) Dismissing a govt claim that the state had suffered a loss up to Rs. 4,000 billion due to irregularities in the bond market during his tenure as Governor of the Central Bank, Ajith Nivard Cabraal yesterday said the present administration was using a tentative assertion by the Bond Commission to sling mud at him. Cabraal said that if there been irregularities during his tenure he would take the full responsibility. more..

Jan 26 (Island) Women and Media Collective (WMC) said many women contesting next month�s LG polls had complained of character assassination and misogynistic statements being made against them by their male rivals at election rallies. It said some men of their own political parties were reluctant to have women on their campaign. Technical Adviser for Programmes and Research at the WMC, Kumudini Samuel said more..

Jan 26 (CT) The Gazette on Minimum Standards for Medical Education and Clinical Training will be issued tomorrow, govt announced. The Department said, the abolition of the SAITM would take place and be transferred to an institute which is to be established under the proper standards as proposed by the Govt earlier. The solutions of the Govt include; the abolition of SAITM by transferring its assets, more..

Jan 26 (EN) Minister Naveen Dissanayake said he wants to focus on cleanliness in tea exports this year and promised tough action against corruption in the trade. �This year, I want to concentrate on cleanliness and quality and intend to take tough measures to protect the image of Ceylon tea,� he said. The main problem was refuse or low grade tea not up to export standards coming into the market, and more..

Jan 26 (LT) �These days Mr. Sirisena and Mr. Wickremesinghe pretend to fight with each other. Their fights are not real. Dashing away from the cabinet is only a playact. This may be repeated before the 10th. People think they are fighting with each other. They merely pretend. During the campaign, they say one thing and after winning they say an entirely different thing. Now, the people know they do not do what they say. more..

Jan 26 (NR) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe has called on the public to vest the power of local govt authorities with the UNP to ensure development for the village and clean leadership. Addressing a UNP rally in Badulla he said the country can be further developed through investment. PM said development could be achieved in the medium term or in the long term. He stressed however in order to begin and deliver more..

Jan 26 (NR) President Maithripala Sirisena says he is yet to decide on whether he will compete in the next Presidential Election. President said he is only focused on fulfilling his present responsibilities. However President Sirisena said he will engage in political activities with or without a post for as long as he lives. Head of State expressed these views at a discussion held with heads of media organizations this morning. more..

Jan 26 (CT) Despite producing the world's first woman Prime Minister and a woman President, Sri Lanka still has a male-dominated political culture. In Sri Lanka the percentage of women in Parliament is less than six, making it one of the lowest in the world, and the ranking published by the Inter-Parliamentary union places our country in 179th place out of 187. The numbers are even lower in Provincial Councils where the number is around 4% and in Local Councils it is less than 2%. more..

Jan 26 (FT) Welcome me back with a stiff one, cheerful reader, I�m coming to this party a little late. While I was away on vacation, naively assuming that the Govt had matters well under control during vacation time, it seems that the powers that be have been at the brandy snifter on the sly. There I was raising a toast to good old Mangy and his enterprising Budget when someone went and kicked the bucket of sick over well and good. On closer inspection (of the kicker, not the contents of more..

Jan 26 (DM) Though some political parties which got their nomination lists rejected backed Independent groups, members of the elected Independent group could not be replaced by members of any other political party, the Election Commission (EC) said yesterday. The commission made this statement in the wake of Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) which got its nomination list rejected for Maharagama Urban Council announcing that it backed an independent group for the UC. more..

Jan 26 (CT) Colombo Additional Magistrate on 24 Jan further remanded, till 7 Feb, the two suspects charged with posting New Year wishes for 2018 on Facebook accompanied by photos of late LTTE Leader V. Prabhakaran and the LTTE emblem. The two suspects are Dinesh Kumar and Vijaya Kumar. Probe into the complaint, lodged by Pethum Rasanga, a resident of Ratnapura, was conducted by the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) who submitted details of the case to the Court. more..

Jan 26 (PMD) President Maithripala Sirisena said of the Rs 10 trillion loans taken by the previous govt from abroad, only about Rs 1 trillion could be accounted for in the assets and huge sum of money could not be accounted for in the documents in the Finance Ministry. He made this startling revelation at a media briefing with newspaper editors and heads of media institutions at the Presidents House in Colombo today (26). more..

Jan 26 (DM) Hashini Amendra, the wife of veteran singer Victor Ratnayake, was re-remanded till February 9 by Tangalle Additional Magistrate Vidura Weerakoon today. She was arrested for the allegedly misappropriating Rs. 1.28 million worth of jewellery belonging to a state bank. Police said the manager of the bank had lodged a complaint against the suspect for the crime she allegedly committed during her time as an employee of the pawning section of the bank during 2012- 2016. more..

Jan 26 (NR) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says no Sri Lankan�s have been injured in yesterday�s Milan train accident. A packed commuter train was derailed near the northern Italian city of Milan, leaving at least three people dead and around 13 seriously injured. The cause of the accident is not yet clear but a collapse of the rail track is under investigation. Witnesses said the train trembled for a few minutes before the accident. Ministry quoting Sri Lanka Consulate General in Milan more..

Jan 26 (EN) President Maithripala Sirisena Friday blamed the undue delay in prosecuting high profile criminal suspects of the former regime on inefficient state attorneys and PM Ranil Wickremesinghe. Speaking to local media heads, Sirisena said he wanted indictments prepared by the attorney general's department by a panel of independent legal experts, but Wickremesinghe had neglected to do so. more..

Jan 26 (AD) The non-academic university staff has decided to go on strike on Febr 6, 7 as their demands were not addressed by the Minister, said University Trade Union Joint Federation (UTUJF). The non-academic university staff of universities island-wide engaged in a token strike yesterday claiming that the govt failed to implement the conditions reached in the agreement inked in 2016 over benefits and other allowances. A group of 15,000 people representing all more..

Jan 26 (EN) Sri Lanka will expand Colombo's Galle Face Green by 30 meters and a new access route will be built to Colombo port from Kollupitiya, extending the current Marine Drive, Minister Champika Ranawaka said. China Harbhour Engineering Company, which is reclaiming 269 hectares of sea to build the port city will invest to extend the marine drive, he said. Underground access will be given to hotels and other offices along the way. more..

Jan 26 (DM) While stating that the govt of Kuwait has declared an amnesty period for illegal expatriates in Kuwait, Embassy of Sri Lanka in Kuwait said about 15,447 Sri Lankans were illegally living in Kuwait. Embassy said in a statement that the Ministry of Interior of Kuwait has declared an amnesty period from Jan 29 to Feb 22 for expatriates who do not possess residency permits or those with expired residency permits, more..

Jan 26 (AD) UNP Uva PC member A. Ganeshamurthi has been arrested by police on charges of financial fraud. Police said that he was arrested in connection with four complaints which have been lodged against him accusing the provincial councilor of collecting money from various people by promising them employment abroad. He has been released on bail after being produced before the Badulla magistrate. Ganeshamurthi was ordered released on two personal bails of more..

Jan 26 (Island) Chinese example and cooperation would be vital for Sri Lanka to develop social stability as a mulch-religious, mulch-ethnic developing country, President of Sri Lanka-China Friendship Association (SLCFA), Amanda Nonvolatile yesterday said welcoming the 21st Ambassador of China, Chen Yuan. SLCFA has welcomed all Chinese ambassadors to SL since 1957, since the first Ambassador from China arrived here in June of that year. more..

Jan 26 (CI) A couple of wins is all it takes sometimes. That is what SL cricket has been telling itself over the past year. "We're not far off/ the talent is there/ the boys just need some confidence/the puzzle pieces just have to fit together." The suggestion, of course, is that the state of Sri Lanka's cricket is not as bad as on-field results suggest. And when the team occasionally pulls off a special victory, such as more..

Jan 26 (NR) Colombo Magistrates� Court today ordered to the CID to expedite the case pertaining to murder of former national rugby player Wasim Thajudeen. The Court also issued instructions to the CID to obtain a report pertaining to the case from former Judicial Medical Officer Ananda Samarasekara. Accordingly the former JMO has been instructed to hand over a report within two weeks. The order was issued by Colombo Additional Magistrate Dharshika Wimalasiri. more..

Jan 26 (CT) JVP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake requested Govt to issue proper guidelines to the Police on how they should stop motorists when they are driving. Raising a question, under Standing Order 23/2, when the Parliament met, Dissanayake queried if there was any measure that had been taken to solve the problem which erupted after the recent shooting incident, which occurred in Kataragama, where a motorist died when the Police fired at him. more..

Jan 26 (AD) A female candidate contesting the upcoming Local Authorities Election from the TNA has been arrested while allegedly distributing sheets of papers similar to the actual ballot paper to postal voters in Kilinochchi. Police said that she was arrested yesterday with a stack of fake ballot papers, similar to the one which will be given to voters in the distinct, which have reportedly been printed by her. TNA candidate is contesting for the Karachchi Pradeshiya Sabha at the LG polls. more..

Jan 26 (CI) It was a nothing game for Bangladesh. Beyond making a statement ahead of the final, there was little to gain and little to lose. That is no excuse for their monster defeat on Thursday, but perhaps it explains why so little fight was evident. So good had Bangladesh been in the first three matches, however, that Sri Lanka will know the trophy will not come so easy; they will have to scrap for it. more..

Jan 26 (DM) A manager in a private firm in Colombo was placed in a difficult position after a cat that frequents the office helped itself to the pizza left for his employees in the lunch room. This manager in question was in the habit of rewarding his employees for their hard work with treats that he ordered from out. This time he had ordered pizza which he planned to serve to them at teatime. He had spent a good sum on his treat. Time came for them to help themselves to the food, more..

Jan 26 (DM) Disgruntled elements were attempting to spread fabricated stories about the Sri Lanka Army with malicious intent, Sri Lanka Army Headquarters said in a media release today. �It has been observed that certain elements with malicious and hidden agendas are currently engaged in criticizing the SL Army with the motive of demoralizing and misleading soldiers and tarnishing its image,� it. �In the recent past, some disgruntled elements have been attempting to spread or more..

Jan 26 (IHC) The High Commission of India and the Indian expatriate community in Sri Lanka celebrated the 69th Republic Day of India on Friday (26) at India House in Colombo. High Commissioner Mr. Taranjit Singh Sandhu unfurled the Indian flag and inspected a Guard of Honour presented by a contingent of the Border Security Force. He read out excerpts from the Address to the Nation on the eve of the Republic Day more..

Jan 27 (CT) A national day such as Australia Day needs to reflect upon their ideal social and moral values and contribute to educating the younger generations to appreciate and adhere to those ideals. It should be a day where those people could feel that the country belongs to them and their future generations; and in doing so to a feel being united and reconciled with each other. This poses a conceptual question. If a country had been subjected to colonial rule after armed more..

Jan 27 (CT) It was reported that a deeply dejected and disappointed President Maithripala Sirisena stormed out of a Cabinet meeting recently after making an emotional speech. The President had stated that: "I left the former Govt showing my opposition to fraud and corruption, and formed a new Govt. Is it to continue the same frauds and corruption I ask you?" The President seems to be in a dilemma whether to penalize the party that elevated him to power or perform more..

Jan 27 (Roar) The train rides to Kandy and Ella are now two of the most popular routes taken by visitors, because of the scenic view, but in the days of British Ceylon, it was the train ride to Nuwara Eliya on the now defunct Udapussallewa railway line that was most favoured. Plantation agriculture was introduced to the central hill country region of Sri Lanka during the British Colonial Era. In order to connect the upcountry & lowcountry more..

Jan 27 (CT) Year 2017 has come and gone but the constitutional process is still grinding slowly through the Parliament. Due to the current all island elections to Local Bodies. Constitutional process is on hold at least till April. Due to the unsettled political situation faced by the country anything can happen between now and April, 2018. Interim Report submitted by the Steering Committee has generated heated debate for and against. Opposition leader R. Sampanthan in a recent more..

Jan 27 (Island) Justice and fairness, righteousness and truth do not easily surface in many human affairs. This is especially so in the political and public affairs of Sri Lanka due to the various types of persons who are corrupt and unable to measure up to responsibilities. These people slyly creep up or through political influence get posted to enviable positions. In Sri Lanka one needs political support to get to any positions one is not normally qualified to hold. And this holds true for more..

Jan 27 (FT) Law and Order and Southern Development Minister has been dominating headlines ever since taking over office as the man responsible for leading or, as is often the case, reining in the Police. Although responsible for maintaining law and order, Police Department is regularly at the receiving end of negative criticism. The incident in Kataragama where a policeman gunned down a pillion rider is the latest of more..