LEADER OF NAVA SIHALA URUMAYA, SARATH MANAMENDRA ARRESTED

Sarath Manamendra, leader of the Nava Sihala Urumaya, has been arrested over a complaint lodged by a three-wheel driver at the Welikada police. Police said that Manamendra was being questioned over an incident, where he had allegedly made threats with the use of a pistol. […]



MINISTER SENEVIRATNE BLAMES WEATHER FOR HIGH PRICE OF SALT, BIG ONIONS

The price of salt and big onions has escalated. This is normal in the agriculture sector even under any efficient administration because of the change in the weather patterns, says W. D. J. Seneviratne, Minister of Public Administration and Home Affairs. He expressed these views at a ceremony held to declare open the new two-story […]



UNP war hots up: Contest is likely

The second decade of the 21st century dawned yesterday with many an uncertainty in Sri Lanka’s ever changing political landscape. It was felt most in the country’s main opposition United National Party (UNP), which is torn by internal feuding and power struggles. On Wednesday night, the UNP’s besieged leader, Ranil Wickremesinghe, had just returned to […]



PRESIDENT’S NEW YEAR MESSAGE; WE LOOK TOWARDS THE FUTURE WITH POSITIVE ASPIRATIONS

We look towards the future at the dawn of this New Year with renewed determination, firm commitment and many positive expectations, he said adding, ‘Our aim is to recover with speed all that was lost to Sri Lankan society in more than three decades’, stated President Mahinda Rajapaksa in his New Year message. With great […]



Madam ‘Jeena’ to be indicted

The Attorney General is expected to indict the wealthy woman known as Madam ‘Jeena’ who ran a star-class brothel in the heart of Colombo, on charges of prostitution and human trafficking. The key suspect Rosemary Felicia Perera also known as ‘Madam Jeena’ who was evading arrest in another case was arrested by a special police […]



President began the year with a lie – Ranil

President Mahinda Rajapakse began 2010 with a lie as he promised that public sector salaries will be increased within the year but nothing has been done about it so far, Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe said at a press conference in Colombo today. He stated that former LTTE Chief Arms Procurer Kumaran Pathmanathan’s wealth could have […]



Matara Mayor resigns

Matara Mayor Upul Nishantha stepped down from office today. He said that he was being politically victimised and therefore stepping down from office. […]



Remarkable increase of visitors to Jaffna in 2010

According to the statistics being maintained on the entry to the Jaffna peninsula across the Elephant Pass (EPS) gateway a recorded number of visitors from the south have arrived in Jaffna during 2010. By 28 December 2010 approximately 3 million of visitors entered via EPS gateway and pilgrims, Ministers and Parliamentarians, investors, vendors, diplomatic missions […]



Police release name of Lankan student gunned down in robbery

Kansas City police today identified a gas station clerk fatally shot during an ambush robbery Tuesday as 25-year-old Sri Lankan student Sujendra Amarasingham. The Ad Hoc Group Against Crime is sponsoring a prayer vigil at 5 p.m. today for Amarasingham at the scene of the crime. […]



Ferial rejects appointment by Bandula

Former minister Ferial Ashraff yesterday rejected her purported appointment to the seven member board of the National Institute of Education (NIE) and said that it had been done by Education Minister Bandula Gunawardena without her consent. Mrs. Ashraff told Tamil Mirror Online that she never expected this kind of position. The Education Ministry has not […]



Ten million cigarettes to go up in flames

Dinesh DE ALWIS These cigarettes will be put into the Puttalam Cement Factory burner in the presence of Tobacco Company and National Authority for Tobacco and Alcohol officials. The total value of the cigarettes is Rs 200 million. The Government would have lost Rs. 180 million in terms of duty and other levies if they […]



VETERAN ARTISTE GRAETIAN ANANDA DIES

Graetian Ananda, the veteran musician, vocalist and music director, died this morning. A spokesperson for the National Hospital said that Graetian passed away at 6.45am while receiving treatment at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). […]



PRIVATE TUITION CLASSES NEED TO COME UNDER A LEGAL FRAMEWORK – BANDULA

Private tuition classes need to come under a legal framework, says the Minister of Education Bandula Gunawardena. The Minister expressed this view at a seminar in Colombo today organised to reveal facts gathered through an initial survey conducted by the National Education Commission on private tuition classes. According to the survey carried out on a […]



Sri Lanka crunches numbers cheaply

News Source: The Australian SOME countries have oil. Others sit on vast deposits of ore. Now Sri Lanka is striving to capitalise on its own bountiful resource: a mountain of cheap accountants. For three decades the island nation was plagued by a civil war, which ended last year when government troops finally vanquished the separatist […]



Electricity rate hike : President orders relief

President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday directed the Ceylon Electricity Board not to increase the electricity rate of the consumers whose usage does not exceed more than 120 units. The Presidential directive came in the wake of Public Utilities Commission’s recommendations that eight percent electricity tariff increase should be applied to each and every consumer who uses […]



Defence ties to expand further: Indian Defence Secretary meets President

The longstanding good defence relationship between India and Sri Lanka should be further expanded and strengthened, Indian Defence Secretary Pradeep Kumar said when he called on President Mahinda Rajapaksa at Temple Trees yesterday. The defence dialogue on promoting bilateral relations between the two countries should be further extended to include infantry and air force, the […]