Sri Lanka is to set up a special council with powers to regulate foreign universities. The government for the fist time in the recent budget announced its readiness to allow foreign universities to set up their branches in Sri Lanka. Higher Education Minister S.B. Dissanayka speaking in parliament said that legal drafts and standards will […]

CHENNAI: AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa on Tuesday clarified her stand on the LTTE, saying that she did not condemn the annihilation of the LTTE in war. “What I condemn is the wanton killing of LTTE activists surrendering, waving white flags before the Sri Lankan Armed forces. What I condemn is the killing of 50,000 unarmed […]

COLOMBO (Reuters) – The International Monetary Fund will pay out the delayed third tranche of a $2.6 billion loan to Sri Lanka, saying the government was planning to tackle its weak finances in the 2010 budget to be announced on Tuesday. The IMF in February had delayed the payment after the government missed its 2009 […]

COLOMBO (Reuters) – Police on Tuesday clashed with protesters led by a Sri Lanka cabinet minister who vowed to besiege the U.N. office until Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon dissolves a panel advising him on possible war crimes. Sri Lanka’s government is furious at Ban’s appointment of the three-member panel on June 22, saying it is a […]

Mumbai, July 06: Actress Asin, who was in Colombo for the shooting of the Bollywood film Ready, has irked the bosses of South Indian Film Artistes Association (SIFAA). Now, several Tamil associations are gunning for the actress for travelling to Sri Lanka by bypassing the Tamil sentiments. […]

July 05, 2010: A tense situation arose opposite the Kiribathgoda police station last night, after the death of an individual who had arrived to see a suspect who had been arrested by the police. Newsfirst correspondent said that the relatives of the deceased had thus acted in an unruly manner. […]

The Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) investigating into Saturday’s attack on the Mattakkuliya Police station yesterday produced 176 suspects including several women before Colombo Additional Magistrate Lal Ranasinghe Bandara. After lengthy submissions by CCD officials and the Counsel for the suspects the Magistrate granted Rs 50,000 each personal bail for the suspects. Granting bail for the […]

The European Union said Monday it will curb Sri Lanka’s trade benefits because the country has refused to improve human rights. The EU had given Sri Lanka six months from February to enact three U.N. accords on issues such as torture, children’s rights and civil and political rights, but the South Asian country did not. […]

July 05, 2010: The government has increased the prices of almost everything, but it has not increased the salaries. This is only the beginning as the government has to dance to the tune of the IMF, says parliamentarian Ravi Karunanayake. He was expressing these views addressing a public meeting yesterday to establish Janabala Mandala in […]

July 04, 2010: All police officers, who had been on duty at the Mattakkuliya police station when a tense situation arose there last night, have been transferred. Police had arrested about 100 suspects over the incident and some of them were produced before M. M. Mohamed, Colombo Additional Magistrate, who ordered them detained with the […]

Government Minister Wimal Weerawansa says he stands by the comment he made last week regarding the United Nation’s office in Colombo saying he made the comment as the National Freedom Front (NFF) leader and not in his capacity as a Government member and reiterated his call for the public to surround the building and protest […]

RIYADH: The sudden death of Sri Lankan Muslim scholar Al Haj Moulavi Niyas sent shock waves among Sri Lankan expatriates in the Kingdom on Sunday. Moulavi Niyas, 59, died of a sudden heart attack on Sunday morning in Badulla, 200 km away from Colombo. N.M. Ameen, chief editor of Navamani, told Arab News from Colombo […]

Deputy Minister of Economic Development Ranjith Siyamabalapitiya criticized the UNP for shedding crocodile tears after having once pandered to the wishes of the IMF, to privatise state entities when they were in power at the start of this decade – in the wake of the derision aimed at the budget presented to the parliament last […]

President Mahinda Rajapaksa said that the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) Japan branch website would strengthen the existing cordial relationship between Sri Lanka and Japan. “Unlike other websites this website would be updated regularly”, the President said after launching the website: www.slfpjapan.com […]

The army was called in a short while ago to the Modera police station after angry mobs stormed the area to protest over the arrest of a youth who sustained serious injuries to his arm while in custody. Police spokesperson Superintendent (SP) Prishantha Jayakodi said that the youth was a drug addict who was taken […]

TC – by Karu Jayasuriya We are astounded by the irresponsible and deplorable call by MP Wimal Weerawansa, a Minister in the present government urging the Sri Lankan public to take up violence and commit acts of aggression against the United Nations offices and their staff in Colombo. Mr. Weerawansa is now a senior cabinet […]