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 […]



Sri Lanka refutes BBC Sandeshaya report

Sri Lankan Ministry of External Affairs today refuted a BBC Sandesaya report about the Sri Lankan LLRC Commission. The Ministry said in a statement that the report carried by the ‘BBCSinhala Sandeshaya’ website with the dateline of 24th December 2010 under the caption “Sri Lanka War Panel ‘pro-LTTE’”, is a complete fabrication. “The above mentioned […]



UNP has been united to oust Rajapaksa regime – Ranil

Leader of the UNP Ranil Wickremesighe said yesterday that the party has been united following the recent annual convention and a cohesive unit was in place, to oust the Mahinda Rajapaksa regime before it completes its second term. Speaking to the media in Colombo,he said that a strong team comprising seniors such as Karu Jayasuriya, […]



8th National Scout Jamboree declares open by President Rajapaksa in Hambantota

Onlanka News – By Janaka Alahapperuma (Pix by: Chandana Perera) The Eighth National Scout Jamboree organized by the Sri Lanka Scouts Association commenced today on 27 December at the International Stadium in Eraminiyaya, Angunakolapelessa in Hambantota under the patronage of President Mahinda Rajapaksa as the Chief Guest. The President was received by the Chief Commissioner […]




LLRC will not meet UN Panel outside Sri Lanka

The Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) has no expectation to meet the UN Secretary General’s Panel outside the country. “In the event of the government facilitating them to visit Sri Lanka, we are willing to meet them here in the country,” LLRC media consultant Lakshman Wickramasinghe has said. Earlier the Commission had said any […]



Forty marooned in Somawathiya

Forty two persons including two monks have been marooned due to floods in the historic Somawathiya Chaitya area, Pulasthigama police said. Among the rest of the people marooned are 20 soldiers, 16 civil defence force personnel and six policemen. Vehicle transportation to the Somawathiya area has been stopped since Friday due to floods in the […]



Safer community depends on sustainable development – President

To ensure effective risk reduction, it is important that the linkages between disaster and development are understood. As the theme of this event signifies a safer community depends on sustainable development, President Mahinda Rajapaksa said in a message for the National Safety Day. More importantly, the public needs to be aware of the existing disaster […]



Sri Lanka remembers tsunami victims on sixth anniversary

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka marked the sixth tsunami anniversary that claimed the lives of more than 40,000 people with a host of religious events Sunday. A two-minute silence was observed throughout the country at 9.25 a.m. (0355 GMT), the time the killer waves first hit the eastern coast. […]



LLRC invites Ranil to explain CFA

The Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) will write to Opposition United National Party leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, inviting him to testify before it. The move comes after the commission’s secretary S.B. Atugoda telephoned Mr. Wickremesinghe to inquire whether he could arrange for a date. Mr. Wickremesinghe told the Sunday Times, “I told him that I […]