Main opposition Monday welcomed President Maithripala Sirisena's promise of land for 100,000 people who were forced from their homes during the long civil war, most of them Tamils. The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) said Sirisena's pledge to give displaced civilians new plots within six months was a

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair met Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and opposition leader R Sampanthan today and discussed the UN resolution on Sri Lanka. The TNA media office said that the discussion also included resettlement, accountability, a political solution, the return of Tamil people

Pakistan Prime Minister was given a warm reception when he arrived in Sri Lanka today for a three day visit which is expected to strenthen political, economic and trade ties between the two countries. He was greeted at the Bandaranaike International Airport by Prime Minister Ranil Wikramasinghe, other ministers, diplomats and top officials. Mr.Shareef, wife and the official deligation were driven to Colombo in a motor cade on the decorated super highway from the Katunayake airport to the clombo city.

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena plans to visit Jaffna on Thai Pongal Day and hand over the land deeds for 600 acres held by the security forces to the rightful owners, according to a report in The Hindu newspaper. In an interview to The Hindu on Sunday, President Sirisena said he would soon set up a task force to find solutions to problems of the displaced persons. The Army last month formally released 700 acres of land held by Armed Forces in Valikamam North area of Jaffna and handed them over to the Jaffna Government Agent Nagalingam Vedanayagam.

Indian foreign secretary S JaishankarIndian Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar is likely to visit Sri Lanka next week for talks, sources told the Colombo Gazette. Sources said that the date for the visit is not confirmed but he may arrive before January 15. Jaishankar is expected to have brief talks with the Sri Lankan Government and also set the groundwork for a visit to Sri Lanka next month by Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj.

Allaying misgivings about a request he had made to the army, Northern Province Chief Minister C.V.Wigneswaran said, he had merely requested the army to look into the possibility of repairing the drainage system in Jaffna, as it was the army that had filled the drains with earth during the war to prevent the LTTE from planting claymore mines in them. He regretted that some people had twisted his request.

The Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report submitted by Trincomalee Power Company Ltd. (TPCL) pertaining to the 500 MW coal power project in Sampur has been approved by the Central Environment Authority (CEA). Secretary of Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) Dr. Suren Batagoda said, Tender will be call for construction of the coal power plant would kick start in April 2016. Director General of CEA K. H. Muthukudaarachchi informed Ceylon Today, that the conditional EIA report would be released to media after 5 January.

The dates for the visit to Sri Lanka by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra

The Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) claims that no decision has been made regarding the purchase of aircraft for the SLAF yet, despite reports that Pakistan is expected to be pushing hard for a follow-up agreement with Sri Lanka on the purchase of its JF-17 multirole fighter aircraft for the Sri Lanka Air Force. Speaking to The Sunday Leader regarding this issue, the Air Force spokesman Group Captain Chandima Alwis said that the evaluation process is still on-going and no decision has been made regarding a decision.

With the term of the Presidential Commission to Investigate Complaints Regarding Missing Persons (PCICMP) ending next month, the commission has sought a meeting with President Maithripala Sirisena to discuss its activities. Commission

A collision between a truck and a parked passenger aircraft at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) is estimated to have resulted in a major financial loss. The accident had taken place inside a hanger, where the Civil Aviation Authority held a party for its 103rd anniversary. The truck had been transporting musical equipment on the night of the function on December 28 when it crashed into the parked A-340 aircraft. The engine on the left wing of the aircraft had suffered extensive damage. Sources said that an internal investigation had been launched into the accident by the Civil Aviation Authority.

Four gunmen and two guards were killed when unidentified militants attacked an Indian Air Force base near the Pakistan border on Saturday in an apparent challenge to attempts to revive a dialogue between the nuclear-armed neighbours. Officials said the gunmen, wearing army fatigues, managed to enter the Pathankot air base in India's northwestern state of Punjab before dawn on Saturday. Once inside, they opened fire indiscriminately. They had earlier hijacked a police officer's car and driven it to the heavily guarded base - tactics used in earlier attacks believed to have been perpetrated by Pakistani-trained militants, Punjab's police chief Suresh Arora told Reuters. The four gunmen and two guards were confirmed killed, according to a home ministry official.

President Maithripala Sirisena says Sri Lanka is in a leading position among the countries which are committed to safeguard freedom, democracy and human rights in 2015. He said UN Secretary General Ban Ki

Health Minister Dr Rajitha Senaratne has sought a report on how the Health Ministry intends to make use of Rs. 50 million gifted by the Chinese government. Senaratne said that the Chinese government has offered the money to help boost Health services in the country, including Ayurveda and Western medicine. However he says he has issued instructions to the Health Ministry Secretary to submit a report on how exactly the funds will be utilised. Allegations had been raised against the former government of funds received from China being misused, sometimes for private purposes.

The Indian Housing Project, under which 46,000 houses are to be constructed or repaired in the Northern and Eastern Provinces and 4,000 houses constructed in the Central and Uva Provinces, is nearing completion in the Northern and Eastern Provinces. As on December 31, 2015, a total of 43,800 houses have been completed. In 2015, 13,827 new houses were constructed in the Northern Province, and 2,051 in the Eastern Province. In addition, 502 damaged houses were repaired in the Northern Province. Only 2,200 houses remain to be constructed or repaired in the Northern and Eastern Provinces, which is expected to be completed during the next few months.

Sri Lanka is expected to sign ten Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) and pacts with Pakistan during the three-day visit of Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif scheduled from January 4-6. This will be Sharif

The National Identity Cards (NICs) issued from 1 January 2016 onwards contain numbers with 12 digits, Commissioner General of the Department of Registration of Persons (DRP), R.N.Sarath Kumara said. He added, this decision was made to resolve a number of issues related to the issuance of NICs.He also said, had they not made this change, the Department would have run out of numbers.The new NICs will be first printed according to the existing system. Further, the Department of Registration of Persons is planning to print the NICs on PVC, which they will start within the first three months of 2016.

At this moment when the entire world welcomes and rejoices the advent of the New Year, let me, on behalf of the Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam extend my New Year greetings to the Tamil people all over the world. We welcome this New Year in the fond hope that it would spell progress in the life of all the oppressed peoples fighting for their rights, and look forward to the struggle of the Eelam Tamil people to move forward. We hope the New Year would relieve the people of Tamilnadu, linked to us, so to say, by the umbilical cord, who have been gravely affected of late by a natural disaster, of their sufferings and bring prosperity in their lives.

Sri Lanka's Opposition Leader, and leader of main Tamil party, Tamil National Alliance, R. Sampanthan says Sri Lanka has an enormous task of achieving a meaningful solution to the national question. "As a country, we have the enormous task of achieving a meaningful solution to the national question, beneficial development and lasting peace and reconciliation," the Opposition Leader said in his New Year message. He called on all the citizens of the country to give their fullest support to achieve these tasks.

A Sri Lankan court has ordered several television stations to submit copies of the media briefing held by Parliamentarian Hirunika Premachandra over the abduction of a man in Dematagoda. The Colombo Magistrate's Court issued the order after the Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) of police informed the court that the Attorney General's Department had requested for the recordings.

Passport fees will be increased from today (01) onwards. Accordingly, fees imposed for All Countries passports including that issued for minors below 16 years of age, are to be increased. Accordingly, the fee to issue an All Countries passport under normal service is increased from Rs. 2,500 to Rs. 3,000 while the fee for such a passport under the one-day service has been increased from Rs. 7,500 to Rs. 10,000. Also, the fee to issue an All Countries passport under normal service for minors below 16 years of age, is increased from Rs. 1,500 to Rs. 3,000, says Lakshan Soyza, the media spokesman of the Department of Immigration and Emigration.

The Sri Lankan Air Force (SLAF) is unlikely to buy the Pakistan-made and Chinese-designed JF-17, a third generation jet fighter, even if Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif pushes for it during his sojourn in Colombo between January 4 and 6, a leading Lankan defense expert told Express. Reacting to a report by Anthony Davies in IHS Jane

Tamil National Alliance (TNA) yesterday welcomed the government's initiative to release 701 acres of land held by the Army, for resettlement in the Jaffna district. TNA thanked President Maithripala Sirisena for releasing these lands in keeping with the promises given to the people. Opposition Leader R. Sambanthan has requested the President to release these lands for resettlement during his latest visit to Jaffna. In a media release, TNA said rest of the lands held by the Army will gradually be released to their original owners. They also requested the government to take measures to release the Tamil political prisoners ahead of the New Year.

Army Commander Lieutenant General Crishanthe De Silva says the army is prepared to face any challenge. Addressing troops at the Colombo Army Headquarters, Crishanthe De Silva said that everyone in the army should remember that their prime responsibility is to safeguard the territorial integrity and the unitary status of the country while extending their best cooperation towards nation-building.

Scientists had warned that the Jaffna Peninsula might be obliterated from the Sri Lankan map due to rising sea level and the polluted underground water, a Provincial Council Minister told the Daily Mirror today.

A Cabinet reshuffle is likely to take place on January 04, authoritative government sources confirmed Asian Mirror. Under the new reshuffle, two prominent ministries will be given to UNP General Secretary Minister Kabir Hashim and former Law and Order Minister Thilak Marapana, they further added. Asian Mirror also learns that Hashim, who is currently the State Enterprise Development Minister, is the front-runner to be the new Finance Minister. Meanwhile, at least four members of the UPFA who supported former President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the last Parliamentary election, are expected to join the government on January 04.

The Homagama Magistrate Court today (30) rejected bail for the Army intelligence officers who are remanded over the Prageeth Ekneligoda disappearance case. Although the legal unit of the military does not appear on behalf of Army personnel facing criminal charges, they have made an exception on this case on several counts. However, for the first time in history of the military legal unit, a private lawyer has been outsourced to appear on behalf of the Army personnel facing charges.

Pakistan is pushing hard to secure an agreement in principle with Sri Lanka to sell its multi-role combat aircraft JF-17 Thunder to the island nation, according to a UK-based defense publication. Following the first export deal for its JF-17 multirole fighter to Myanmar, Pakistan is expected to be pushing hard for a follow-up agreement with Sri Lanka that would mark an important step in further extending its defense co-operation footprint in the Indian Ocean region, a report in IHS Jane's Defense Weekly said.