Apr 5 (Island) Commuters will be able to travel beyond Matara by train from Monday after the newly constructed 26.75 km railway extension from Matara to Beliatta is officially handed over to the Ministry of Transport. This extension is the first phase of the proposed railway extension to Hambantota (phase 2) and Kataragama (phase 3). It has cost over USD 278 million obtained as a loan from the Exim Bank of China. more..

Apr 5 (AD) President Maithripala Sirisena speaking about the Uma Oya project mentioned to the parliament that 95% of the project is already completed and that at the end of this year it can be completely finished. The expenditures of the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Environment was taken in to debate at the parliament yesterday and Prez who attended the parliament made certain special remarks on those two subjects. more..

Apr 5 (EN) Power ministry is in talks for around 500 MegaWatts of barge mounted power to cover capacity shortfalls, Minister Ravi Karunanayake said amid warning into entering into large take-or-pay deals. "We are in talks for supplementary purchase of 500 to 600 MW of barge mounted power," he told parliament. "Technical details we are still receiving. We will be able to tell more next week." more..

Apr 5 (FT) Sri Lanka is faced with the challenge of overcoming the debt trap before the country can come out of the middle-income trap, PM Ranil Wickremesinghe said. PM, addressing Mega Mind dialogue held at Temple Trees to brief development activities undertaken in Colombo and the Western Province, said that the majority of country�s funds, which could have been used for development, have been spent for debt repayment. more..

Apr 5 (AD) Actor Ryan Van Rooyen, who was deported to Sri Lanka following his arrest in Dubai, has been remanded by the Matara Magistrate�s Court on charges of cannabis possession. He was produced before Matara Chief Magistrate Isura Nettikumara, who ordered that he be placed in remand custody until April 11. Five persons including the actor, who were arrested at a party in Dubai along with drug kingpin more..

Apr 5 (FT) The system that prevails in Sri Lanka can be considered a corrupt and predatory one that allows powerful people to exploit the rest of the people and loot their properties at their whims and fancies, no matter how unreasonable it may seem. This corrupt system has devastatingly impacted not only the State and its institutional system; it has made its hideous influence on all sectors of economy and the domain of public services such as education, public health and travel. more..

Apr 5 (CT) Budget 2019 has allocated a sum equivalent to 0.22% of GDP for research & development (R&D), Science & Technology Minister Sujeewa Senasinghe said. Speaking at an R&D seminar organised by SL Institute of Nanotechnology at the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC) auditorium in Colombo, he said that in contrast regional countries like Bangladesh, India and Pakistan have higher R&D spends of 0.3%, 0.8% and 0.33% of GDP, respectively. more..

Apr 5 (SLN) SL Navy apprehended 18 Indian fishermen who engaged in illegal fishing in Northern territorial waters of SL, today (4). Accordingly, the Indian poachers were caught in the seas 16 nautical miles west of lighthouse-Point Pedro during a Naval patrol. Three (03) dhows used by them had also been taken into naval custody. The apprehended Indian fishers and dhows were brought to SLNS Uthtara in Jaffna. After administering group of fishers into a basic medical check-up more..

Apr 5 (FT) As a follow up to the preliminary poll conducted on the day of the 2019 Budget (5 March), market research firm PepperCube Consultants Ltd. carried out a second public poll two weeks after the Budget 2019 to get a more informed assessment. PepperCube was commissioned by the Daily FT for this exclusive poll. Methodology was random street intercepts and face to face interviews. Digital data collection via a structured questionnaire. Target group was males and females of more..

Apr 5 (CT) In a major victory for Right to Information in Sri Lanka, the Cabinet of Ministers released the full report of the Cabinet Committee investigating financial irregularities incurred during the construction of SL�s Defence Headquarters Complex (DHQC) in Akuregoda, together with annexes, appendixes and attachments following an appeal hearing at the Right to Information Commission this Tuesday (2). more..

Apr 5 (EN) Real-time digital transactions on Sri Lanka�s common electronic fund transfer system more than doubled in the third quarter of 2018 from a year ago as use of low-value cheques fell, according to the Central Bank. The total value of financial transactions on the Common Electronic Fund Transfer Switch (CEFTS) shot up 119 percent to 174 billion rupees in the third quarter of 2018 from 79 billion rupees in the same quarter of 2017, its latest payments bulletin showed. more..

Apr 5 (Island) Anamaduwa Police are looking for a vehicle with 2,500 chickens following a complaint by its driver that it was hijacked. OIC Anamaduwa Police, Rathnamalla said their initial investigations indicated that the driver too was involved in the operation. "We went to the spot ... not even a blade of grass was disturbed." The incident took place around 6.30 a.m. yesterday and the driver is from the same area. He has claimed that he was pushed out of the vehicle by the robbers. more..

Apr 5 (EN) Sri Lanka will progressively lift restrictions on tax free imports of cars for state workers from June 1 and lift all restrictions by Oct 1, Minister Mangala Samaraweera said. SL taxes imports of vehicles by ordinary citizens at rates over 200 percent but gives the elected ruling class tax free cars and state workers tax-slashed can in a Second and First Estate style privileges of France's Ancien more..

Apr 5 (AD) The Joint Opposition has decided to vote against the 2019 Budget during the third reading vote scheduled to be held this evening (5). MPs representing the Joint Opposition convened a meeting in Committee Room 02 at the Parliament Complex, a short while ago, which was chaired by Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa. UPFA MP Udaya Gammapila said that they have decided to vote against the budget today just as they did during the second reading vote. more..

Apr 5 (EN) Sri Lanka will bring a credit regulation law to protect consumers from micro loans given by loan sharks, Minister Mangala Samaraweera said. Poor people and widows have been given loans at exorbitant rates and they are getting deeper into poverty from these loan sharks," he told parliament. Samaraweera said a relief scheme had been brought especially for widows who live in great difficulty. The credit regulation law will be brought to the parliament soon, he said. more..

Apr 5 (AD) The Court of Appeal has rejected the appeal filed by Gampola Vidanage Samantha Kumara alias Wele Suda over the death sentence imposed against him by the Colombo High Court. The appeal was taken up before a Bench consisting of Justices Deepali Wijesundara and Achala Wengappuli, today. Wele Suda was awarded capital punishment in 2015 over possession of 7.05 g of heroin. more..

Apr 5 (AD) The police officer, attached to Minister Arjuna Ranatunga�s security unit, who was arrested in connection with the shooting incident that took place at CPC, has been released from the charges against him by the Colombo Magistrate�s Court. When the case was taken up for hearing today before Colombo Chief Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne, Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) informed the court that the AG has instructed not to take further action against the accused. more..

Apr 5 (NR) Lanka Sathosa has announced the prices of 200 various essential food items will be reduced in lieu of the Sinhala & Tamil New Year. Accordingly a Kg of Red Lentils has been reduced from Rs. 112 to Rs. 110, A Kg of Local Samba Rice has been reduced from Rs. 88 to Rs. 84 and a Kg of Red Kekulu Rice has been reduced from Rs. 59 to Rs. 57. Furthermore the price of White Kekulu Rice has been reduced from Rs. 70 to Rs. 67. White Sugar has dropped from Rs. 99 to Rs. 97. more..

Apr 5 (AD) President Sirisena says that the new education system replacing the Grade 5 Scholarship Exam will introduce a new examination for Grade 8. He mentioned this addressing an event at Mahamaya Girls� School in Kadawatha, today. He says that the aim of introducing a new education system to replace the Grade 05 Scholarship Exam is to allow students to shape their future according to their skills. more..

Apr 5 (Island) During the first six months of its existence, Mihin Lanka had flown on several routes that SriLankan airlines also operated, causing a loss to both airlines, PCoI was informed on Wednesday (3). Mihin Lanka�s former Head of Commercial, Rohana Perera informed the commission that during the first six months SriLankan had been entrusted with selling tickets for Mihin and that the budget airline did not have a documented network plan for route operations. more..

Apr 5 (DM) President Sirisena will go ahead with the proposal to construct a dedicated military airport in Hingurakgoda, UPFA MP Nimal Siripala de Silva told parliament. MP who is the former minister of civil aviation and transport said this airport will be of international standards. �It has to be on high standards considering the defence issue in the globe today. Some shout about the resurgence of LTTE but one must consider the developments in the globe with regard to security,� he said. more..

Apr 5 (AD) Chairman of Perpetual Treasuries Limited (PTL) Geoffrey Aloysius, former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank P. Samarasiri and three PTL directors have been granted bail by the Colombo Chief Magistrate�s Court today (5). When the case filed over the Central Bank bond scam was taken up today (5) before Colombo Chief Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne, the attorneys representing the suspects filed bail applications on behalf of more..

Apr 5 (DM) SL is facing a poor performance record when it comes to implementing the budget proposals and maintaining transparency in 2019, Public Finance Committee (PFC) Chairman M. A Sumanthiran said. He said on the one hand sufficient funds were not allocated to cover govt policy while on the other hand the allocated funds have not been fully used up. He said transparency is another issue as the Finance Ministry had refused to divulge some of the information the public finance committee had asked for. more..

Apr 5 (AD) Minister Ravi Karunanayake says that there will be no power cuts from the 10th of April. He mentioned this following a visit to the Kelanitissa Power Station, earlier today. He says that the CEB, the Ministry and himself deeply regret the inconvenience caused to the public over the power cuts. While there won�t be any power cuts after April 10, everyone should use electricity sparingly for the coming 3-4 months until a long-term solution is provided for the issue, the Minister said. more..

Apr 5 (AD) The third reading of the Budget 2019 was passed in parliament with amendments a short while ago. The Budget proposal was passed with a majority of 45 votes as 119 MPs voted in favor and 74 voted against the Budget. The UNF and TNA voted in favor of the Budget. JVP and the Joint Opposition voted against the budget. However, the UPFA MPs abstained from voting. The Budget 2019 was presented to the Parliament on the 5th of March more..

Apr 5 (EN) A US$ 50 per person casino entrance tax will only be charged from locals and not foreigners, Minister Mangala Samaraweera said and cricket betting will be banned. "The objective is to discourage local persons gambling," Samaraweera told parliament. He said a gaming regulation process will also be set up. Gaming regulation was required under requirement of money laundering laws, he said. He said cricket betting will also be stopped, following a request made by Minister Arjuna Ranatunga. more..

Apr 5 (DM) Election Commissioner has informed Speaker that it will not be possible to hold the provincial council elections this year as the changes to the Provincial Council Elections Amendment Act has not been made on time, UPFA MP Dallas Alahaperuma told Parliament today. He said the letter sent by the Commissioner states that the PC polls could have been held in August this year only if the amendments were carried out by April 5. MP said the presidential elections will have to be declared by more..

Apr 5 (AD) Sri Lanka Army (SLA) today announced a General Amnesty period from 22 April to 10 May 2019 to all Army absentees, enabling them to receive discharge from service under four categories. A statement said that the amnesty has been offered by the President, in his capacity as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and Minister of Defence, on the recommendations of the Ministry of Defence and the Commander of the Army. more..

Apr 6 (DN) There were shocking revelations about the inadequacy of legal provisions to release prisoners who are unable to pay small fines or remand prisoners who are unable to deposit money or sureties to fulfill bail conditions. According to some lawmakers, more than 50% of the prisoners and remanded suspects languishing behind bars in abject surroundings due to above two reasons. According to statistics, the cost of providing meals to a prisoner cost the govt Rs 671 per day. more..

Apr 6 (DN) The recent death of Srima Dissanayake made many reflect the era where Gamini Dissanayake played a radical liberal role; though he was not made to do so. It is absurd that Gemini�s cruel death came at a time when he, more than any other liberal Lankan leader, had been responsible for the restoration of Tamil as an Official Language on par with the Sinhala Language. Then we were jointly working for the implementation of the 13th Amendment. He became friendly with me more..

Apr 6 (Roar) It all began with an email, written in Nov 2010. Dear General Hospital Ratnapura, I have a question about my adoption. I decided I would like to search for my mother. Your hospital is listed as the birthplace on my adoption papers. Is it possible to look for more information about my adoption? I can send my adoption papers if needed. Kind regards, Sanne van Rossen. �I wasn�t really expecting an answer� more..

Apr 6 (CT) Ceylon/Sri Lanka�s geostrategic location was the reason that the island was colonized by competing European (Portuguese, Dutch and British) maritime empires seeking to control the Sea Silk Route and trade in the Indian Ocean for 450 years; from 1505 CE until independence in 1948. Today Sri Lanka is a chock point in international security discourse for energy, trade and data transmission for the global internet�s Undersea Data Cable Routes (UDC). more..

Apr 6 (CT) MP, Ananda Aluthgamage (AA) has proposed an Amendment to the Presidential Election Law, in Parliament, as reported in the Daily Mirror of 28th March. I wish to respond as follows: Ananda Aluthgamage states that �We all believe that only a Buddhist (that is Sinhala) could become the Head of State, but it is more important to include a clause in the Presidential Election Law, saying one has to become a parent to be eligible to contest the Presidency�. more..

Apr 6 (GV) On Oct 12th 2018, Maatram filed a Right to Information request with the Labour Department for information on subscription fees for six trade unions that represent plantation workers, requesting the following: According to the last documents received from the unions by the Labour Dept; Number of members in each union, and a breakdown by gender; Membership fee levied from one worker; more..

Apr 6 (Island) Even the ranks of Tuscany could scarce forbear to cheer, on Thursday, when the Supreme Court (SC) delivered its judgment in a fundamental rights case against a power plant accused of polluting groundwater in Chunnakam. Northern Power Company (Pvt.) Ltd was ordered to pay Rs. 20 million as compensation to the petitioners; it was allowed to continue its operations in view of the prevailing situation in the country, but on the strict condition that it would adopt more..

Apr 6 (SO) Cruising at a speed of 22 knots patrol vessel SLNS Mihikatha (P-350) is a formidable force to be reckoned with. As she thrusts her way through the ocean the water foams and sprays on either side. Her gunners stand ready at her twin 12.7 mm main guns. Inside the wheel house the captain is busy giving orders to the navigation officer. The chief of the watch continues to instruct the sailors. This is another day of patrolling for this Bay Class vessel gifted to us by Australia. more..

Apr 6 (SO) In the backdrop of a statement supposed to have been made by the Northern Province (NP) governor last week, the UNHRC office lost no time in emphasizing that the High Commissioner did not have any misgivings on her March 2019 report, as erroneously reported in SL media. The response by the High Commissioner�s office explained that news reports quoting a senior SL govt official seriously misrepresented her comments made at a meeting to discuss her report with a Govt delegation more..

Apr 6 (SO) One of the oldest Anglican churches in Colombo is Christ Church, Galle Face, built in 1853. She has been part of the city�s history as she attracted all sorts of parishioners from Governors to British administrators. Today, her majestic structure is mildly subdued by five star hotels and high-rise apartments that seem to tower above her. The church nestles on a lush green lawn. As you enter from the side door the first view that overpowers your senses is the massive stained glass more..