The Opposition and sections of professional organisations in Sri Lanka have kicked up a storm over the proposed Economic and Technology Cooperation Agreement between India and the island nation.Calling the pact a fresh variant of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which was aborted earlier, the Joint Opposition, a coalition of seven parties and groups owing allegiance to former President Mahinda Rajapakasa, said the deal had to be abandoned due to

The government was deliberately delaying the implementation of the development projects proposed by the UPFA government so that it could later claim that the projects were its own, alleged former president Mahinda Rajapaksa today. Addressing a group of journalists at Weerawila, he said the government was attempting to claim the ownership of such development projects but that the people knew who was really responsible for them.

More than 7,000 devotees from India and Sri Lanka had gathered in Kachchativu by last night to attend the annual St. Anthony

The first case under the Victim and Witness Protection Act in Sr Lanka is to be heard against the General Secretary of the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) the Venerable Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thero. The case was filed against the Gnanasara Thero for threatening Sandya Eknaligoda, the wife of missing journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda when the case was heard at the Homagama Magistrate

The government has begun negotiations with a few European Union nations in an effort to seek their support to arrest and repatriate to Sri Lanka the notorious and still active Norway-based LTTE Leader Perimpanayagam Sivaparan alias Nediyawan, who is believed to be flitting from one European country to another to dodge detection. Nediyawan was even last year responsible for launching an LTTE Tamil Television channel named Deepam to reach and indoctrinate Tamil youth in European nations, in Sri Lanka and targeting a huge South Indian Tamil audience too. Nediyawan coordinated LTTE activities overseas on behalf of the LTTE International Secretariat.

A top ranking official of the Army told Ceylon Today that Captain L.M.T. Wimalasena, alias Captain Tissa, was summoned twice by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) for questioning in connection with the murder of popular ruggerite Wasim Thajudeen. He said the Army was awaiting information from the CID in order to commence a Military Investigation into Captain Tissa's alleged connections to the murder.

Atop defence official of the former regime is facing imminent arrest as the investigations into the disappearance of journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda enters its final stage. Several top military officers and soldiers have already been arrested in relation to the case and with the investigations in the final stages, top defence officials of the former regime, who gave orders to detain Eknaligoda, are the only remaining suspects to be arrested.

The condition of Health Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne has shown a marked improvement, reports indicated. The minister was flown to the Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore after he complained of chest pains and was initially treated at Lanka Hospital in Colombo. "The situation is under control", sources said.

Regions with the highest rate of poverty in Sri Lanka are areas inhabited by Tamils, according to a study of the World Bank. The regions come under the districts of Mannar, Mullaitivu and Kilinochchi in the Northern Province; Batticaloa in the East and plantations in Badulla district (Uva Province) and Nuwara Eliya (Central Province). One Sinhala-dominated region the study has identified as having a high rate of poverty is the Monaragala district.

Two persons were killed and another injured after a motorcycle veered off the road and crashed into a tree on the Jaffna-Mannar road. Police said that the motorcycle rider, who was traveling towards Mannar, had lost control of the bike resulting in the accident. Three persons were admitted to the Mannar Hospital in critical condition following the incident, however the motorcyclist and another individual succumbed to injuries. The deceased have been identified as a 30-year-old and 23-year-old from Uppukulam and Anthonypuram respectively in Mannar. The injured persons is still receiving treatment at the Mannar Hospital.

Power and Renewable Energy Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya instructed the authorities to commence the construction work of the Sampur Coal Power Plant within next few months. He instructed that work on the first and the second phases of the Sampur project, which is designed to contribute another 500 MW to the National Grid commence soon. The minister gave these instructions to the relevant authorities during an inspection tour of the Sampur Coal Power Plant site on Thursday. The site extends to an area of 500 acres and the construction cost is estimated at US dollars 600 million.

The Supreme Court yesterday ordered written submissions from petitioners and respondents of a petition requesting the Court to issue a declaration that Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) is a political party, which has as one of the objectives, the establishment of a separate State in Sri Lanka. H.K. Don Chandrasoma of Polhena, Kelaniya Housing Scheme has filed this petition under Article 157A (4) of the Constitution. Mawai Senathirajah

Austrian President Heinz Fischer and President Maithripala Sirisena agreed to increase the cooperation in the economic development between the two countries as friendly nations. The two leaders came into this agreement when they held an official discussion at the President's Office of Austria yesterday. President Sirisena who arrived at the President's Office of Austria was welcomed by President Fischer. A Guard of Honour was held to welcome President Sirisena, who is on a two day state visit to Austria. After the Guard of Honour, two national anthems were played.

The Government says it wants to maintain its strong partnership with China while also having economic agreements with other countries. Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake said that there has been a general perception that Sri Lanka is extremely sensitive to investments from China. He said that China has been an aggressive partner and Sri Lanka wants to continue with that partnership.

Valikamam North land owners have threatened to invade High Security Zones (HSZ) in the area if the land is not released before the April Sinhala and Tamil New Year. People who own land in the HSZ have said that they are prepared to take bullets from the military in the attempt to get back what is rightfully theirs. This message was conveyed to Minister Vijayakala Maheswaran and the Northern Province Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran at a meeting held in Jaffna. The discussion focused on the families displaced from Valikamam North and plans to expand the Palaly airport.

Former Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake has been acquitted in a case filed against her by the bribery commission. She was acquitted after the bribery commission withdrew the case. The case was filed wen former President Mahinda Rajapaksa was in power.

Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday, condemned the government's decision to sign an economic and technology cooperation pact with India. He said that the country would become another state of India, if the present situation continues. Rajapaksa was responding to the media personnel after arriving at the Presidential Commission of Inquiry yesterday morning. "All development projects have come to an abrupt end after the new Government came to power," Rajapaksa charged. He said that the government is gradually suppressing the media freedom while media institutions praising the government are not criticized by government leaders, he said.

It has been decided to fix mobile phone jamming devices around the 'J ward' area where four persons including Yoshitha Rajapaksa are being held in remand custody, reports say. The department of Prisons say that they have already held discussions with the Ministry of Telecommunications and Digital Infrastructure on this regard. Recently, a mobile phone said to be used by Yoshitha was found near the J ward area and has been handed over to the Computer Emergency Readiness Team (CERT) for investigations.

An autopsy conducted on a teen found dead in a house in Vavuniya has found that she was raped and murdered.The 14 year old girl was found hanging from the neck with the help of a saree inside the house on Tuesday.Investigations into the death had been launched and a post-mortem examination was conducted on the body of the victim. The post-mortem examination found that the teen had been sexually abused and murdered. The police have launched investigations to identify the culprits.

Northern Provincial Council Minister R. Indraraja (TNA) had reported to be assaulted by an unidentified gang at Ukkulankulan, Vavuniya, last night, Police said. The minister was admitted to the Vavuniya hospital with minor injuries. The minister was assaulted while he was returning home by a motor bicycle after visiting the house of a 13-year-old girl, who had died recently in Vavuniya.

Northern Province

The Google

After the police released sketches of two persons suspected to be behind the gunning down of journalist Lasantha Wickramatunga, information has come to light that one of them had served in the Army, reports say. The sketches were based on details given by eyewitnesses to the murder at Attidiya, Dehiwala on 08 January 2009, according to police. A witness had been abducted by one of the suspects. At the time of the incident, the two suspects had been aged between 35 and 40 years, police add.

The Centre for Policy Alternatives today filed a Fundamental Rights Petition with the Supreme Court, challenging the appointment of Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka to Parliament through the UNP national list. Through the petition, the CPA argues that the appointment violates Statute 99 (a) of the Constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka since Fonseka was not named in the UNP national list or a UNP district candidate list in the 2015 August General Election.

The CID said that two LTTE activists who had turned State witnesses in the Prageeth Ekneligoda disappearance case confessed to Homagama Magistrate Ranga Dissanayake at his official residence on Tuesday 16 February that the army personnel now under custody had used their National Identity Cards to get mobile phone SIM cards under their names. The CID said that an examination of calls taken via those SIM cards showed that the entire plan to abduct Ekneligoda had been a long premeditated one.

Given an extension of three months, the Presidential Commission Investigating Cases of Missing Persons (PCICMP) will give priority to

Northern Provincial Council Chief Minister C.V.Wigneswaran has urged the government to stop acquiring lands in Valikamam North under the guise of developing the Palaly Airport and Myliddy Fisheries Harbour. Chief Minister Wigneswaran met Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in Colombo on Monday (15) accompanied by Northern Provincial Council Ministers P. Aynkaranesan and T.Kurukularaja. The government agents from all five districts in the Northern Province also participated at the meeting.

Police have released sketches of two suspects believed to be connected to the murder of former The Sunday Leader Editor Lasantha Wickramatunge. The sketches had been drawn based on statements made by several witnesses.Issuing a media release Police Headquarters has requested public assistance in order to trace the duo. The first suspect is described as a well-built fair-skinned individual, about 35 years of age, five feet eight inches in height, with brown eyes.

The Provincial Council (PC) elections were unlikely this year, because the delimitation of the Wards in all the Districts had not yet been completed, State Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena said today. He told a media briefing held at the Information Centre in Colombo that the Local Government and Provincial Councils Minister Faiszer Mustapha was working hard to complete the delimitation process covering the entire country.

SLFP General Secretary Duminda Dissanayake, MP, yesterday said that former President and Kurunegala District MP Mahinda Rajapaksa was free to decide whether to leave the party or not.Minister Dissanayake said the party wouldn