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India, Lanka exchange fishermen

The Indian Coast Guard and the Sri Lankan navy were to exchanged fishermen arrested from both countries. The exchange was to take place at the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) this morning. India was to receive 26 Karaikal fishermen, who were ordered released by the Magistrate court in Sri Lanka while nine ...

TID questions TNPF on funds

The Terrorist Investigations Department (TID) has questioned the Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) on where it gets it’s funds from, TNPF leader Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam said. He said that a group of TNPF members who were arrested in Mannar on Saturday and questioned on their identity as well as posters used at a ...

India playing critical role says Basil

Minister Basil Rajapaksa says India is playing a critical role in assisting the return of normalcy in the north and east. He said that the Housing Project undertaken by India in the north and east was indicative of the phased, timely and sequenced manner of India’s development assistance to Sri Lanka which ...

China to lend Sri Lanka $732m

China Development Bank (CDB) Corporation will lend US$580 million (S$732 million) to Sri Lanka to help implement key infrastructure projects, a government document released on Wednesday showed, according to a Reuters news agency report. The loan will bring CDB’s total lending to Sri Lanka to more than US$1.4 billion. China’s increasing influence ...

MEA says no Rolls Royce, BMW cars

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) says the government has no intention of importing Rolls Royce and BMW cars for the forthcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Sri Lanka. A statement by the MEA said that reports saying there was such a move is baseless and fictitious, as no importation of cars ...

Man jumps to death from hospital

A man jumped to his death from the Hambantota hospital today, the Hambantota police said. He had jumped from the top floor of the hospital and succumbed to his injuries. The police said that the 70 year old man was in hospital under police custody over a rape incident. He was receiving treatment in hospital for ...

France to strengthen ties with navy

The French Naval Ship “Jacques Cartier” arrived at the port of Colombo today. The ship carries a complement of 53 naval personnel on board and will be docked at the port of Colombo during the Vesak celebrations in Sri Lanka. The ship’s commanding officer paid a courtesy call on Commander Western Naval ...

Tense situation outside BBS office

A tense situation developed outside the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) office in Thunmulla this morning after a group of monks attempted to stage a demonstration against the BBS. The police were called in to disperse the demonstrators while members of the BBS were seen verbally abusing the monks who were attempting to stage the demonstration. ...

Only PSC can decide on constitution

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has said that only a Parliament Select Committee (PSC) can decide on any constitutional changes. Petroleum Resources Minister Anura Priyadharshana Yapa said this at a media briefing in Colombo today. The Minister also said that the government has not been importing crude oil from Iran since mid last year ...

Tag from vehicle of judge stolen

The brand tag of the vehicle belonging to Colombo High Court Judge Deepani Wijesundara was stolen last night. According to the police, the tag had been stolen while the vehicle was parked outside her home in the Kotte area. Police investigations have now been launched and finger prints have been taken from ...

Army to shift most camps to Palaly

The army will shift most of the camps in the Jaffna peninsula to Palaly, Army Commander Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya said today. He said that apart from three army camps which will remain owing to security reasons, the rest will be shifted to the Palaly army base. The Army Commander said this ...

Government insists strike a flop

While trade unions claimed today’s strike against the increase in electricity tariffs was a success the government insisted it was a flop. The government information department said that according to statistics obtained by the Government,  attendance to duties by employees at public enterprises today exceeds 93.5% which is 3.5% more than daily ...

Champika to submit motion on 13A

Government Minister and Jathika Hela Urumaya leader Patali Champika Ranawaka is to submit a private member’s motion in parliament against the 13th Amendment to the constitution. The Minister’s media unit said that he will also submit a motion against the provincial councils system. He note that in India if the provinces misuse ...

Lankan in Chennai murders family

A 48-year-old Sri Lankan Tamil settled in Chennai killed his mother, wife and daughter by slitting their throats before committing suicide by jumping in front of a suburban train near Pazhavanthangal this morning (Tuesday). His friends said the man was in debt, the Time of India reported. C Sundaresan came to Chennai ...

Jaya wants Lanka to return Katchatheevu

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa has reiterated that Katchatheevu, the fishing islet has to be retrieved back by India in an endeavour to provide a permanent solution to the problem of Indian fishermen, ANI news reported today. In a letter to Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh today, Jayalalithaa has recalled the various ...

President’s son faces rugby misconduct claims

Sri Lanka’s rugby authorities are investigating President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s rugby-playing son after claims that he assaulted a referee. One report says Rohitha Rajapaksa has been suspended from the game but the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union (SLRFU) denies this. Witnesses said they saw Mr Rajapaksa, 22, physically attack the referee after his ...

Iraj releases track with Truth Hurts, Kurupt

He broke local records, reached the top and hit the international music scene. But now Iraj has gone a step further teaming up with two big names in America for his new track ‘Kama Sutra’. Releasing worldwide on ITunes and digital stores on June 1st ‘Kama Sutra’ features Truth Hurts of ‘Addictive” fame ...

Bombay being created in Sri Lanka for Ranbir-Anushka film

Come July, Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka Sharma will start shooting for Anurag Kashyap’s ‘Bombay Velvet’. However, the film will not be shot in Mumbai, but in Sri Lanka. Reason being that the skyline of the island city has changed over the decades and the upcoming monsoon could affect the shoot. Apparently, it’s ...

Abans to build largest mall in Lanka

A Sri Lankan company is planning to build the largest mall in the post-war country, in an effort to cash in on a booming tourist industry, it said in a statement here on Friday. The Abans Group in collaboration with Silver Needle Hospitality has signed an agreement with AEDAS, an internationally reputed ...

Sri Lankan journalist gets Thai award

Ivan Alvis, a journalist attached to The Island Newspapers, Sri Lanka, and a Guest Writer for the Lanka Times, Melbourne, has won the Friends of Thailand Award, in the International Media category, for his articles highlighting the many tourist attractions, sites and venues in Thailand. The prestigious awards ceremony will be held ...

Kingfisher Unawatuna rated among Asia’s best

Kingfisher Unawatuna has been rated among Asia’s best restaurants, in a survey carried out by a U.S.-based food website The Daily Meal, which does similar polls in the United States and Europe. The website has rated 101 restaurants in Asia and Kingfisher Unawatuna has been placed as the 25th best in Asia. ...

Alternative Sunday 14

There was jamming, beat boxing, rock, soul, RnB and well virtually every kind of music at Alternative Sunday 14 held at Kamikaze on May 12. Pictures by Easwaran Rutnam For all the images click HERE or go to our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/ColomboGazette